Halloweenish Movies

I'm not generally a horror fan, but I do like a spooky movie now and than. Especially around this time of year, of course. I never know just what scary movie I'll be able to handle. I mean, I love Alien. However, I absolutely cannot watch any of the Saw movies. It's weird. I think I like movies that have suspense, but aren't based in reality. I think that's why I'm afraid to watch Saw. It could really happen. My sister and I watch poltergeist every year, and it scares me every time. I hate clowns because of that movie. One of my favorite spooky movies is:

How can you go wrong with Johnny Depp? You can't!
I love the classics, too. Alfred Hitchcock is a master of suspense, as we all know.

The Birds is spooky awesomeness. I actually saw this for the first time at school, of all places. I was in 10th grade, and had the coolest English teacher ever. We watched the Bad Seed in that class, as well. That movie was so freaky! Imagine a little girl as a serial killer. Chills!
And of course, you can't have Halloween without:

Happy Halloween, and happy movie watching!

Web Addictions

Yes, the Internet is an addiction nearly everyone in the world has. Of course, there are layers upon layers of addictions within the Internet itself. Like Facebook, Blogging, Twitter, and the like. There's gaming sites like pogo.com, and yahoo games. There's book sites like Goodreads and Shelfari. Every day there's something new to get addicted to. My newest is Pinterest.

Oh my goodness is this thing addicting. I have always loved collecting pictures from magazines, and now I can collect pictures from all over the web and keep them in an online scrapbook. Online scrapbooking, baby, it's the new wave. Wow! I already have over 1,000 pins, and it's only been a couple of weeks. Yes, I am addicted. But don't worry, I can quit any time. I can! Really!

Lost and Found

My library card went missing recently, and it was like there was a piece of myself missing as well. I hadn't realized just how much I missed it until someone turned it in and we were reunited once again. My goodness, but getting that little bit of plastic back into my wallet was such joy. It's funny how something that is most likely insignificant to most people can be so important to someone else. I love my library. I am there every week, sometimes more than once. I always have holds to pick up or something to return. It's wonderful!

Watching Classic Movies

I love Turner Classic Movies. I watch it all of the time. One thing I wish I'd retain from some of these wonderful classics is being a perfect housewife and mom. Haha! It's true! I wish I got up every morning before everyone else, had breakfast ready and saw them out the door with a smile. And then, of course, have the house perfectly clean and have a perfectly cooked meal for dinner. Unfortunately, I am not a morning person, and I don't always get the house clean, and I don't always have a perfectly cooked dinner every night. Whenever I visit my in-laws, I admire how dutifully my mother-in-law washes the dishes after every meal and how clean her house always is. She's neat, organized, and very lady-like. She is quite a role model, let me tell you. While I may not be as good as I'd like to be, my guys know they're loved and they think they are reasonably well cared for. I've recently started mowing the back yard for my husband. That's certainly not something my mother-in-law would do. I try to make sure I wash the dishes every night before going to bed. As for the rest of my wifely/motherly duties, I have many hits and misses. In between watching a classic movie or reading a book, of course.

Where Have You Been You Naughty Girl?

Yes, it has been such a mighty long time. I don't have an excuse other than the fact that I've been doing other things. I am now addicted to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Family Feud on Facebook. I've been reading a lot, trying to catch up with my book clubs. I've done a teensy weensy bit of writing, and have berating myself for not doing more. I helped out with the book fair at my son's school. I went to see the new Pirates movie, and enjoyed it. My husband and I planted a small veggie garden in the back yard. I've been feeding the local birds on a regular basis. I went to Saint Louie with my little family to visit the in-laws. What else, what else? Just maintaining the house and cooking and baking. I did make my first ever Lemon Meringue Pie. That was awesome! Okay, I think I'm up to date now. I may post pictures later on.

Food Blogs

They're my new addiction. I used to be very addicted to cookbooks. I would get a stack of them from the library and pour over them every evening for weeks, making lists of recipes to try. I would actually try one or two, but never enough to give a proper review. Now, I have discovered the endless world of food blogs. Wonderful, glorious blogs full of yummy recipes. My "Favorites" list is getting overwhelmed. So, here are the ones that currently have me all revved up:
- http://thepioneerwoman.com/
Ree Drummond is my new kitchen idol. She's witty, charming, and man oh man can she cook!

- http://carrotsncake.com/recipes
I haven't tried any recipes yet, but I sure plan to.

- http://www.lanascooking.com/
I discovered this one through someone else on Twitter. I am intrigued!

- http://thenoshery.com/category/my-kitchen/
I love the blog title, The Noshery. I am ready to nosh...oh yes indeed.

- http://www.thepastryaffair.com/
If the word pastry is in the title, I am so there.

- http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/
Food and photography...looks goooood.

Strawberry Cake

I absolutely adore Ree Drummond, also known as The Pioneer Woman. Her blog is wonderful, and I check it all of the time. In fact, I have written down every recipe I want to try. I made her green bean casserole for Christmas dinner last year, and it was amazing. This past weekend, I made her Strawberry Shortcake Cake (my result is pictured above) for my dad's birthday. Yum! He said that it was the best cake he had ever eaten. High praise indeed!

Cookbook Discovery (Looneyspoons)

I was perusing the cookbook section at the library the other day, and came across this wonderfully unique cookbook. There are some kookie recipe titles in there like, I Yam What I Yam and Loaf of My Life. The one I've tried so far is entitled, Thou Shell Eat Beans. It is a yummy combination of green bell peppers, onions, garlic, black beans, shell-shaped pasta (I used whole grain), and Monterey Jack cheese. There's a little bit more to it than that, of course. It was very easy to make, and my husband and I both enjoyed gobbling a good portion of it up. So head on out to your local library and check out this book. It's fun just looking through it, let alone trying out the recipes.

Book Description: Packed with more than 150 easy-to-prepare recipes for "food so good, you'd swear it was bad for you, " Looneyspoons takes the intimidation and confusion out of healthy eating by making it fun and downright easy. Recipes are accompanied by over 300 wacky cartoons and a lively, innovative page layout.

In Regards to Sundays

This is a wonderful excerpt from the book Simple Abundance: A Day Book of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach:

"This is what the Sabbath is for: reverence, rest, renewal, rejuvenation, reassuring rituals, recreation, rejoicing, revelation, remembering how much you have to be grateful for, and saying 'thank you!' You can do this in a church, mosque, temple, or synagogue, on a walk, while antiquing, sitting in bed propped up on pillows reading something wonderful with a breakfast tray, working the crossword puzzle before a roaring fire, attending a marvelous art exhibition or movie matinee, or listening to opera in the kitchen as you sip sherry and prepare a fabulous feast. What matters is that you do something special that speaks to your soul and that you revel in whatever you do. Your activities on the Sabbath should uplift you and provide enough inspiration to sustain you during the week to come."




I love it.

BBC Miniseries (Wives and Daughters)

I watched this over the course of two days, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I tend to love just about every BBC movie or miniseries relating to the Victorian Era. I think it is the clothing and scenery more than anything else that draws me in. The manner of speaking is quite enjoyable as well. In fact, I will very likely speak in a British accent for the remainder of the day.

Movie Description: Debuting November 28, 1999, over BBC1, the four-part British miniseries Wives and Daughters was the second of two TV adaptations of Elizabeth Gaskell's unfinished novel (the first aired in 1972). Set in the early 1800s, the story takes place in a small, gossip-driven English town. Upon the remarriage of her father, heroine Molly Gibson (Justine Waddell) isn't quite sure how to "take" to her modish stepmother, Hyacinth (Francesca Annis), and airheaded stepsister, Cynthia (Keeley Hawes). The fun really begins when both Molly and Cynthia fall in love with Roger Hamley (Anthony Howell), son of the village squire. Inasmuch as author Gaskell passed away before concocting a solution to this romantic triangle, it was up to screenwriter Andrew Davies to come up with a happy (or at least satisfying) denouement.