Of dancing in itty bitty spaces & hauntings while drinking a vodka tonic, a lovely autumn weekend...

My very favorite tree in autumn, 2015 edition...

Hello all! The fact that I can be this perky while in the midst of a day that I can only characterize as crappy is a testament to the power of this community. :0 Today is JAMMED with tasky things, none of which are pleasant, but hey, life is good, right?! Right. My worry strategy game plan is still carrying over from two weeks ago. I'm telling you, it works! One thing at a time. Things are going to ease a bit as the week wears on, and especially after this work week is completed.

The weekend, though, was perfectly delightful. We had dancing, scary movie watching, Mass attending, and baking with my bunnies. Bliss. So, let's get started, yes? Grab your tea or coffee and settle in.

Saturday dawned as another dancing day, this time with my troupe. After the anxiety last weekend's performance brought, it was a happy relief to be headed off to dance with my girls. Our gig was at a benefit dinner for a local anti-domestic violence initiative. Well, I should clarify that that's what we *thought* the gig was for. It was actually for the same organization, but for an after party following the benefit dinner. So, instead of performing in some large banquet room, we discovered upon our arrival, that we would be dancing in someone's living room. And there are 7 of us. :0

We had a bit of an ominous feeling when we drove up, right from the outset. We had all piled out, hot pink coverups all aglow, and were frowning at the nearby structures trying to figure out where to go, when we heard a squeal:

"Oh look. It's THE BELLY DANCERS!"

Yep. That's us.

"You guys look AMAZING! Can I take your photo?!"

If she liked our coverups that much, I had high hopes for her opinion of our actual costumes, but the fact remained that an odd vibe was permeating our evening. After taking our picture, our enthusiastic new fan guided us into the party. Or rather, "party." :0

We get inside. Five people are standing around a small table with chips and Halloween candy set atop it in bowls. Importantly, the people were all SUPER nice. Wonderful audience, truly. But, you know. There were *5* of them. WE outnumbered them!

We stuffed ourselves into a corner and had a quick belly dancer meeting:

"All right, we're scrapping the veil. There's no way that there is enough room."

I should clarify at this juncture that our dance space was, literally, a living room. With furniture and a fireplace and stuff in it. :0

"We'll do the Shaabi. Then Habibi ya Eini and the drum solo. Just squish yourselves in as best you can. Maybe modify your arms like we have to do with our wings a lot."

Translation: you will inadvertently hit each other, hopefully not resulting in loss of an eye. But everyone just pretend that nothing has happened and we never speak of it again. Nothing to see here. Next!

As we were talking, a little boy kept rolling a giant stuffed ottoman through our hallway meeting space, adding to the surreal nature of the moment. He kept calling us "princesses" though, and thus was given a gold star. :)

We quickly got ourselves ready, anxious to get this one over with. And so this was the first performance in which I:

(a) was nearly tripped by a troupemate,

(b) had to dance right up next to an audience member for lack of anywhere else to go, and

(c) was backed directly into a folding table.

Oh, and during the drum we nearly caused a vase to vibrate off of the fireplace mantle and onto the floor. But we made it! After we were done dancing, we packed up our stuff in record time and high tailed it out of there. Right into the pouring rain. But we were in good spirits. It's always an adventure, that is for certain.

After I got back home and got Anne in bed, Mike, Henry and I watched The Haunting, which we had recorded from TCM. Every October, we watch as many scary movies as we possibly can. Some (where appropriate) with Henry, though mostly by ourselves. We really enjoy this tradition each year, complete with complimentary cocktails depending upon the movie. The Haunting just seemed like a free-for-all, so I prepared a vodka tonic with flavored vodka, because why not? And can I just say that if you want to make your house look super duper, extra scary and creepy, design it with lots of turrets and gargoyles in every corner. This will guarantee that, for all of time, people will think that your house is haunted. ;-)

Sunday morning brought our usual 10 am Mass, this time incorporating in a 50th wedding anniversary celebration of our favorite usher and his wife, so sweet! No Children's Liturgy of the Word for some reason, but thankfully Anne seemed pretty content to stay in the pew with us. She was sleepy and kept laying on me, so that helped with behavior management. ;-) After we got back home and finished lunch, she and I embarked on a baking expedition:

My cute little helper...

Our goal? Chocolate cupcakes with fixins' on top to make them look like flying bats. I got the idea from a cooking magazine, because goodness knows I never would have been able to come up with this idea by myself. :0 The cupcake mix was out of a box, so it's not like I can screw that up. Very easily. Mind you, I HAVE done that in the past. There are red velvet incidents of which we will not speak. But *usually* I do fine with baking mixes. So we whipped those up while Mike pre-prepared our dinner of sausage lasagna. Isn't he wonderful?

After the cupcakes cooled, we frosted them and added the bat decor. Ta DA!

Do you see the bats? Kinda?

See, in the magazine they have eyes. But eyes involved icing piping, and Tiffany just doesn't roll like that. :0 Give me a pastry bag and be prepared to be scrubbing icing off of the floor and the upholstery approximately 30 minutes hence. So we forewent the eyes. But they have Hershey Kiss bodies and halved stripe cookies for their wings. See how they're kind of flapping? Kinda sorta?

Anne was thrilled with them, and I was rather proud of them myself. ;-) So it all worked out well.

How was your weekend, dear reader? Do you have any favorite Halloween baking recipes? Do tell!

Trips to the movies and preparation for another kind of trip, a busy autumn weekend...

Hi all! Here with you on a dreary Monday afternoon, amidst a valiant attempt to keep my spirits high. That's no easy feat on Mondays this semester, but we're persevering and doing just fine.

#offeringitup

*halo* ;-)

And so today, I have my usual menagerie of teaching, reference shifts, dueling swim lessons for the kids, and finagling a dinner for them after we get home. Actually, that doesn't look that bad, what am I complaining about? It's not that bad, it's just a little tiring. And Monday is Mike's long teaching day too, so it's a family-wide tiring day. :)

But the weekend? The weekend was lovely. Gorgeous fall weather here. Getting cooler, leaves starting to change. The warm September that we had seems to be impacting the foliage in a negative manner, which is unfortunate, but I still have hope for a glorious second half of October. Saturday morning, Mike and Henry took on grocery store duty, and Anne and I headed to Carter's to get her some warm winter pj's since she had outgrown all of hers. Can I say that I just adore warm winter pajama shopping for young children? ADORABLE.

Those footed sleepers? *swoons* Gingerbread men and women abounded, along with cupcakes, princesses, foxes and owls. I got her a slew of jammies, along with some long sleeved tops, and because Mommy is a soft touch and Anne knows this, she also managed to procure a new stuffed animal. Here she is modeling one of the new sleepers, and showing off her new friend:

What do you think he is? An owl, right? A snowy owl? But with a pink beak and feet? That's what I think he is. Anne insists that he is "a chickie!" But I'm not convinced. ;-)

At any rate, after our little clothing adventure, I took both kids to the movie theater, my mom in tow, to see Hotel Transylvania 2. I have to say, I love this series. VERY cute and funny, for both kids and adults. I loved the first movie, and so was excited to take the kids to see the sequel. And the verdict is... I would recommend, once again. Just as cute and funny as the first one. All four of us had a great time.

My mom wanted to take the kids to see the 3D version as a treat, and although I usually don't see movies in 3D (it's a waste of money for me, since I have a vision impairment that impacts my ability to see 3D images on a screen. I know, lame, right?!) I agreed that it would be fun for the kids, so why not?

Well, Henry enjoyed the 3D. He popped his glasses on, and sat back happily munching popcorn for the entirety of the movie. My mom enjoyed the 3D. As for me, 3D means that the screen looks fuzzy, I pop the glasses on, and then it looks super clear, but nothing else. A little anti-climactic, to be sure. ;-) Anne?

"Mommy, I do not like these MOVIE THEATER SUNGLASSES!"

Of course, it makes the experience less than enjoyable when you muck around with the glasses while you're eating your buttery popcorn, and quickly, your glasses become coated with layers of gunk. Multiple times. And then Mommy has to put down her beloved popcorn and Diet Coke to *clean plastic glasses 3 times*. But overall, Anne did not want to be bothered with the perching of glasses on her tiny nose in order to watch the movie, so I don't think she'd vote for 3D a second time.

On Sunday, we went to our favorite 10 am Mass *blissful sigh* followed by the monthly parish coffee/donuts social. We kibitzed. Then we went home and drank beer and watched football. Or, at least that's what Mike and I did. ;-)

In other exciting news, in preparation for a trip I'm taking this weekend (more details about that below) I upgraded my e-reader to a Kindle Paperwhite, da da DA!

An autumn scene, because I would have it be autumn year round ;-)

Isn't he handsome with all of his customized collections?

I had a Kindle Basic (that I coined "Patrick") which I loved, but which I was starting to have a difficult time seeing the screen in certain light conditions. I gave Patrick to Henry (who happily received him) and ordered this new Kindle Paperwhite, whose name, if you were wondering, is Francis. :0 And oh my goodness - SO MUCH BETTER! It's not just in dimly lit situations that I can see the screen more clearly now. I love it.

The reason this was on my mind is because I'm traveling on Friday, and when I travel, I read a lot on my Kindle. Traveling? Doesn't Tiffany not like hurtling through the sky on an airplane? Yes, yes, you would be correct, my friend. :) I don't really like doing that. BUT there are people that I love who do not live near me, and so I sometimes suck it up and force myself onto one of those tubes so that I can visit them. This time, I'm going to Maine (with Henry in tow) to visit my younger sister, brother-in-law, and twin nephews. I'm very excited, but you know, FLYING. And I'm going to miss Mike and Anne, who will be home enjoying a Daddy/Daughter weekend. *sad* But four airline tickets just wasn't in our budget right now.

I'll talk more about my trip likely in my video post for this week. In the meantime, how was your weekend? Did you go to a movie? Do tell. Have a Kindle Paperwhite? How do you like? :) Write all about it in the comments!

People at our parish like us, I think they actually like us!! on the 5th Sunday of Lent...

Snazzy outfit and Frozen shoes, check!

Happy Monday everyone! Though admittedly, I'm not feeling exactly enthusiastic about being back at work, I did have a fun, jam-packed weekend. So let's discuss, shall we?

Before we get to Catholic stuff, I wanted to briefly mention two shows that I saw this weekend. On Saturday, I took Anne to see the new Cinderella adaptation. I was planning to take Henry as well (he was in it for the popcorn) but in the end, he decided to stay home with Mike and they watched a super hero movie together that they procured from Redbox. Apparently, they felt very manly and bonded while they did this. ;-)

But Anne and I headed to the movie theater, and well...BEAUTIFUL. I mean really, this is a beautiful movie. The pairing with the Frozen Fever short certainly sweetened the pot for Anne, she loved that. But we *both* loved Cinderella. The cinematography and costuming is just breathtaking, and this movie just had a "feel" about it that swept you into a magical place. And can I just say, I WANT HER DRESS. I'm not usually a princessy type of gal; in fact, when I married Mike, the one quality I was looking for in a dress was that it was NOT a ball gown. But her blue gown? *swoons*

It's just swirly and magical and feminine and wonderful. And her wedding dress at the end, in the same style, was also stunning. Gorgeous! I loved the movie, it was terribly sweet and endearing, perfect for little girls. As the final scene faded, with Cinderella and her groom on the balcony in their wedding attire, the theater burst into spontaneous applause. Just lovely.

And yesterday, my mom and I went to see the touring production of The Phantom of the Opera, which is here for about two weeks at a beautiful historic theater downtown. I've seen this show before, but not for many years, and they're redesigned it since then. I had a wonderful time. The new set is amazing, truly, and I just love the music. Afterward, my mom and I went out to dinner to arguably the nicest steakhouse in Buffalo, and I'd never been there before. Travesty! I rarely get to share a meal with just me and my mom, no kids along. It was really, really nice. A wonderful way to end an otherwise depressing weekend of basketball. ;-)

*sound of Tiffany discreetly slipping her bracket into the trash can*

But Catholic stuff! Yes, lots of that. This was the final Sunday of Lent prior to Palm Sunday and Holy Week, and I am nearly bursting with excitement. But before we get to that, we have this week, including the first Worship Committee meeting this Thursday. I will be reporting in on that, to be sure. :) But I'm just feeling so warm toward my parish these days. After 6 years, I finally feel like I'm getting to know some people. Anne has made a friend in a college-aged girl who usually sits near us with her mom. We chat with her every week now after Mass, and this week Anne ran to her with an enthusiastic "HI KENDRA!" when we first spotted her in the parking lot. Anne even brought her back a handout from her Children's Liturgy of the Word session. *heart* Adorable.

As we were chatting following Mass, Fr. Joe came over to greet us all, and a few other people stopped to say hello to Kendra, who introduced them to us...and I just got such a happy feeling from all of it. I've always liked and gotten a positive vibe from our parish, that's why I've stayed there rather than transferring over to the parish affiliated with Henry's school. But now I feel integrated, like people notice that we're regulars and want to get to know us. I'm loving. :)

So, an exciting week ahead. I'm very curious to see who else volunteered for the Worship Committee and what kind of role I can play there. I have my Sourcebook and pen all ready to go.

#nerd

How was your weekend, dear reader?

4th of July weekend in the Catholic Librarian's world...

Even when not working outside the home, holiday weekends just feel different to me. Friday started out with my first belly dance class since I delivered Anne, and it felt wonderful. A tad rusty, but everything came right back. We're going to be starting a new choreography, and I'm plotting a new solo. It's super fun.

The rest of the weekend was good, albeit accompanied by the expected foibles of having 2 small children:

*vacuum cleaner roars, directed by Mike* *Catholic Librarian fends off Henry to grab a few blissful minutes of knitting as baby sits in her swing* Anne loves the vacuum cleaner. Apparently it reminds her of being in the womb. It always soothes her.

*vacuum cleaner stops*

*baby wails*

"Mommy, Daddy! I put some poo in the toilet!"

All glamour over here. Speaking of "down the toilet," that pretty much sums up our past two nights. I told you, right? Every 2 hours the past several nights. I rather expected it. Anne is going through the 6 week growth spurt. We weighed her yesterday, and she's just shy of 12 pounds. (!) She gained over a pound in a single week.

Yesterday evening was a nightmare as well. Nearly 2 full hours of inconsolable sobbing. I couldn't even nurse her. She's latch on, flail about, pop off, sob, and then repeat that process ad nauseum. Just a common evening with a 6 week old, unfortunately. Alas. This too shall pass.

Sunday, my mom and I took Henry to see the new Cars movie. I think I can sum it up by saying that it's not nearly as good as the original. I actually found it hard to follow. I thought it was just me, when my mom leaned over and whispered,

"Isn't this kind of hard for little kids to understand?"

I was busy resisting the intense urge to pee given the sheer volume of my "small" drink, and readily agreed. The "small" being small only if you consider a tanker truck small.

Anyway, we did have a good time, even if not totally in love with the movie.

And...there's my baby, sobbing again. :) Off I go. I hope everyone had a great Independence Day weekend!

Adventures at Regal Cinema

I'm dying to write about my belly dance class on Friday, but my time to blog is limited today, so I'll save it for tomorrow :) I did want to write quickly about my experience taking Hank to see Toy Story 3 this weekend, since it has been quite some time since I've been to the theater to see a first run movie.

It was a bit of a culture shock :) I wanted to treat Hank for his graduation, and believe me, when you find out what I'm about to tell you about how much things cost me, you will agree with me that this was a *treat*.

I first got the idea to take him when I saw a commercial for the movie, and noted that it was playing at our local IMAX theater. I've never been to the IMAX theater (and frankly, didn't really know what IMAX even meant) but I figured it was some sort of extra super special 3D. The seedling of idea had been planted in my mind, so the next day I logged onto Fandango.com. I wanted to get 2 tickets for the Saturday matinee show. Well.

I picked my date and time, and waited for the price to materialize. I figured that it would be more than I wanted to pay (because first run movies have been like that for me for many, many years; it's why I haven't been to see one in, well, many, many years. We wait for the second run theater, or the Redbox). The price comes up. I nearly fell off of my office chair. $15.50 for me, and $13.50 for Hank. FOR A MATINEE. Whoa baby. It took me about 5 minutes to even recover from seeing that up on my computer screen, let alone have it be charged to my credit card, so I demurred. I checked at our local Regal and found out the scoop: matinee tickets for adults are $8 (sigh) and tickets for children all the time are $8 (another sigh). To see it in 3D, it's an additional $3.50 per ticket. So, it would be $11.50 each for Hank and I to see it in 3D.

I did a lot of grumbling, but I ended up buying the 3D tickets. For $3.50 per ticket, I figured it would be worth it. I then found out that Fandago charges you $1 per ticket as a "convenience charge," *rolls eyes*. Like I said, a *treat*.

Saturday rolled around, and my mom ended up joining us. We proceed past the box office (the benefit of Fandango) and move to the concession stand. I'm certain you know what will transpire at this point. Yes, sir. 1 child's package (little popcorn with fruit snack and drink), 2 medium Diet Coke's and 1 medium popcorn for my mom and I to share later, we had to shell out **$24**. So, all in all, for 3 3D tickets, and those mild concessions, the afternoon cost us $61. This my friends, is why we never go to the movies. I mean, that just about takes my breath away. How could a family of 4 ever afford to do this? Crazy talk, I tell you, absolute crazy talk.

Loaded down with our snacks and trailing popcorn in our wake, we get to the theater entrance and hand the guy our pre-printed tickets. He gives us 3 pairs of 3D glasses. I had no idea that 3D movies still involved 3D glasses. This demonstrates the depth of my knowledge of modern cinema.

We get into the theater, get adjusted in our seats (extremely plush, I have to admit) and promptly spill a quarter of our popcorn bucket. I clean up what I can, but before I get too far, the trailers start. I spend the 20 full minutes of trailer time assisting Hank to get started on his children's snack tray, cleaning off our seats, and discreetly fetching popcorn that had gone down the front of my blouse.

Finally, the movie begins and I settle in with the remaining popcorn and my gigantic Diet Coke. The movie, I will say first off, was *excellent*. Excellent! Worth even $11.50. Hank was transfixed for the duration, and my mom and I laughed and cried where appropriate through the whole thing. And seeing a movie in 3D was a great novelty for both Hank and I. It really added to the experience. I kept sneaking peeks at him munching his popcorn with his glasses perched adorably on his nose.

As the movie begins, we see our beloved toys abandoned in Andy's old toy box, longing for his love once again. As Andy packs for college, my bladder situation code alert is:

Beige - Neutral

I ordered a *medium* size drink. This sucker could have watered a village. I would have been thrilled to have had less liquid if I could have paid less than, you know, $5.75 or whatever freakish price they charged me. But me being me, the Coke was there, and I was nibbling salty popcorn, so naturally, I drank it all.

About halfway through the movie, as our toys are getting situated in the daycare center to which they've been donated, my bladder code is:

Yellow - Slightly Full but Well Contained

Well. By time I was sobbing over the fate of those precious toys and hoping for a happy ending to come swiftly, my bladder code was :

Red - Full Full Full

As the credits rolled, I found that there is a code past Red:

Flashing Lights Disco Style - Can Barely Walk

It took every ounce of self control that I had not to mow people down in my quest to reach the ladies room. GOOD HEAVENS. I have never experienced that level of discomfort, even when heavily pregnant. This is what drinking theater-sized beverages will reduce you to.

Once inside, I longed to put Hank in his own stall, but one minor thing prevented me from doing that. What, you ask? Well, as we approached the ladies room, I heard a sound like what can only be compared to a landing 747 coming from the restroom. It was the hand dryer. No normal hand dryer, this model. This guy dried your hands with the force of of a cyclone, and I saw the words "SUPER DRYER" on its surface. Frankly, it kind of freaked me out.

And it was SO LOUD that everyone in the ladies room had their hands over their ears. I've never heard anything like it. It was so loud that I was afraid to leave Hank in his own stall for fear that I wouldn't hear him if he wandered out.

Thus, I had to bring him in with me and alleviate my suffering while trying to keep him from (a) opening the door, or (b) dismantling the toilet paper holder.

The afternoon of a parent. Glamour, all glamour.

Modesty + Stress = Modest Stress? Not so much. But loving Julie & Julia...

This weekend, I wasn't as relaxed as usual on my days off from work. I have a bunch of work-related tasks on my mind, including my ever sweat-inducing nemesis, teaching, as well as my worry for Shauna'h's situation. I tried to think as positive as possible, but sometimes that flat out doesn't work.

All weekend long, I was fielding phone calls from my mom and my sisters. When one of us is in crisis, the phone lines are always burning up:

"Yes, YES, Mom, I know. I agree. I think she should do that too. But we can't...Hold on, my other line is ringing. It's Rhonda. Hold on...Hi! I'm on the other line with Mom. I did talk to Shauna'h. Yeah, she told me that too. Hold on...I'm getting a text. It's Shauna'h! I'll call you back."

So, that was on my mind. Work has also been kind of crazy, as I've mentioned recently. I have 5 classes to teach in the next 2 weeks, plus a column to write for the university newspaper, plus a national committee deadline, plus a million other small things. I had one of the classes today at noon, so I was worried about that all weekend. It ended up going pretty well, but that certainly doesn't stop the worry machine, oh no sir.

Yesterday, my parents came over to have a small Super Bowl gathering with us. My mom brought sangria, and given the above, I was jonesing for a glass from the moment she got in the door. She pours me a glass, and I gratefully take a sip.

"Oh wow. What's in this?"

"Oh, lots of stuff."

"Like what?"

"Oh ,you know. Brandy. Wine. Triple Sec. Champagne. I got the recipe off the Internet."

Clearly, my mother was trying to get us all HAMMERED yesterday. By sip #3, I was feeling all buzzed and chattty. I will say that I did feel more relaxed. Bonus.

In happy happenings, I managed to finagle a Henry-less trip to Target yesterday. It makes Mike's eyes goggle to even contemplate spending 2 hours in Target, so my motivation for wanting to go solo is pretty clear. That's not even getting into the inevitable:

"Mommy, MOMMY. What's that? A waffle maker? What does it do? How does it work? Can we get that Mommy? Why?"

The boys stayed home together and were thrilled to do puzzles together.

We needed a couple of household items, and we had a gift card. Naturally, I spent forever looking through clothes as well, since Henry and I both need some new spring things. And I could do so blisffully uninterrupted :) I found a few shirts for Hank, and I happily found a few things for myself. In my quest to incorporate a few modest skirts into my wardrobe, I browsed carefully. I did end up fetching both a dress and a skirt. Both are made of this really flattering stretchy material that flows really pretty and is super comfortable. I wish the dress were a tad longer, but it does come to my knee. It's pink and brown, really pretty, with short cap sleeves. I'll be able to layer it easily with a shawl or a long cardigan.

So, the skirt. This is a saga that warrants it's own anecdote. There weren't many skirts to choose from. That is, not many that were longer than mid-thigh. I'm not trying to be prudish here, but if one lives in fear of revealing one's underwear should they dare to sit down, this means your skirt is too short. I found one, in the aforementioned stretchy material and in a pretty style, and it happily went to just below my knee. They didn't have my size in brown, so I grabbed a black one and put it in my dressing room pile. I wanted a medium, but they only had a small. I can often fit into smalls, so I hoped for the best.

I got into the dressing room and purposely avoided the mirror for a bit. Doesn't it always seem that dressing room mirrors are purposely designed to reveal every stretch mark, bit of cellulite and other things that every female in the universe wants desperately to keep hidden? They *do* want us to buy the clothes, right? So, my back to the mirror, I step into the skirt. I'm quickly flummoxed by the fact that I inexplicably seem to be stepping into a pair of shorts. This is a *skirt*, right? The sangria came AFTER the shopping trip, I promise.

Suddenly, I catch sight of the tag, which advertises boldly that this is a SLIMMING skirt with special SLIMMING properties. Ah ha. The "shorts" are actually these industrial strength nylons inside the skirt designed to SLIM MY WAIST. Hum. I would rather not have such properties, truth be told. I think my waist is A-ok, plus I soon discover that the slimming nylons are asphixiating me. Determined to give the skirt a try, since I otherwise like the style and length, I yank it up. I will admit that I looked particularly slim. But apparently SLIM and COMFORTABLE are simiply not permitted to coexist. Plus, the effort it took me to shimmy into this thing was downright comical. I can only imagine Mike's reaction. Skirt With Chastity Belt: even husbands can't break through this baby. I mean, this could be the new revolution in family planning clothing:

The Virtuous Skirt - By the time you can remove it, you remember that you have serious reasons for trying to avoid. Let's just head downstairs to watch a movie instead before the baby wakes up... I think I'm onto something. I should get a patent, right?

All that aside, I did love the way the skirt looked, and that length is apparently so hard to come by. When I got back out to the racks, I examined a few skirts that weren't on size-labeled hangers. Eureka! A medium. Life is good.

I also found a gauzy, long gray cardigan that will layer perfectly over things, and a cute elbow-length sweater with an argyle design. I chose a plum color, and would have loved to have gotten it in a few other colors, but no dice - not in the budget.

Ok, finally. Movie news. This weekend, it was my turn to pick a Saturday night movie, and I chose Julie & Julia. I could tell that Mike was exerting a Herculean effort to try and appear enthused by my choice, and for this he receives many husband bonus points. HOWEVER. We *both* loved this movie. This was wholesome, engaging and entertaining. Rated only PG-13, it sports only a few instances of adult language and some scenes of inferred intimacy between married couples. It was so charming and funny that we both laughed out loud at times.

The story chonicles two women - Julia Child when she first went to cooking school and subsequently published her famous cookbook; and a modern twentysomething named Julie Powell, who escapes from her bureaucratic nightmare of a job to cook at night and blog about making all 524 recipes in Julia Child's cookbook in one year. Julia Child's story was by far my favorite, and her portrayed relationship with her husband was just so endearing and sweet.

One of my favorite parts of the movie was when she first enrolled in this prestigious cooking school. She was the only female in the class. The are assigned a task, and they all set to work, chopping an onion. The men around her chop their onions in 3 seconds flat, and meanwhile, Julia is methodically slicing her onion slowly, with the utmost concentration. Everyone turns to stare at her. Later that evening, her husband comes home from work. Julia is at the kitchen island, chopping onions, trying to perfect her technique so that she can chop as fast as the men.

"chopchopchopchopchopchopCHOP!!" The pile of onions reaches at least to her chest.

Before he can even cross the threshold, her husband's eyes begin to water. "oh, oh, honey. What are you doing?"

"I'm chopping onions. chopchopchopchopchopchopCHOP!! Are you hungry, dear?"

Husband, wiping his eyes and backing away. "No, No."

"Good. chopchopchopchopchopchopCHOP!!"

I loved it. Highly recommended.

The Lord of the Rings...

Recently, I've been trying to watch more movies with my hubby, because he truly loves movies. I, on the other hand, have the attention span of a 2 year old, so it's hard for me to sit still for a multi-hour movie. Bad 30 minute sitcoms and sappy hour long dramas are my usual forte. Especially when there are wonderful romances set in Amish country to be read...but I digress. We've established a nice system whereby we watch movies on a weekend night and we take turns picking. I got Mike to watch the 5 hour BBC version of Pride & Prejudice (ha!) which I blogged about at the time. And he LOVED it.

So, a few weeks ago, I suggested that we watch something that I know that he loves and wanted to share with me: the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Return of the King. I had heard that the movies were quite good, and JRR Tolkien was a well-known devout Catholic who claimed to have woven Christian moral themes into the stories. So I acquiesced. But I don't usually enjoy fantasy, so I wasn't sure how I was going to like them. Well, I was very pleasantly surprised. I *loved* them. We actually had Lord of the Rings marathons for an entire week, watching a hour or more each night before retiring for bed.

I'll try and give a brief, clumsy summary from someone who has never read the books. The dark lord, Sauron, creates this One Ring that possesses his essence and can influence even the best of men to crave its power, even kill for it. To free Middle Earth from the powers of evil, the kindly wizard Gandalf asks hobbit Frodo to transport the ring to Mount Doom, whose fires are the only place in which the ring can be completely destroyed. Apparently, hobbits are more innocent and genuinely good than most other folk. So, he's hoping Frodo can resist the ring long enough to dispose of it, a task at which other creatures have previously failed in grand form. Frodo is assisted by his good friend Sam, and Aragorn, heir to the human settlement of Gondor, along with a few other people whose names I can't remember. One is Orlando Bloom, with blond hair, who plays an elf that can shoot arrows like nobody's business. Mike could not stop laughing when I referred to the elf community as "fairies." Fairy, elf, is there really a difference? Anyway, there is also a caustic dwarf that I liked very much. They constituted the "fellowship" to protect the ring on its journey, but ultimately they had to send Frodo and Sam on by themselves; the power of the ring was too overwhelming for the group dynamic to stay strong.

The overall good versus evil theme really kept my interest. I had a hard time keeping all the crazy names and types of creatures straight, but I grew attached to the characters. One thing that struck me were the battle scenes. In each, the good troops were all rounded up on horse back with their armor and swords, given a pep talk, and sort of foisted off to the attacking evil army, which was inevitably twice their size and oozing gross liquids. A difficult thing war was, to be sure. And each time, they were badly outnumbered and had weapons that were way less cool and spiky. But they held their own, trying desperately to stop the invading army of Orks -minions of Sauron - from taking over the main settlements of Middle Earth, hoping that somehow Frodo will succeed in getting to Mount Doom and destroy the ring.

My favorite scene in the films is towards the end of Return of the King. Our good fellowshippers, along with other human compatriots, are gathered outside the main gates of Mordor, home to Mount Doom, about a million disgusting-looking Orks, and Sauron in all his doominess. They know that Frodo is inside, and are simply trying to distract Sauron and the Orks in what they believe may be a futile attempt to give Frodo enough time to climb Mount Doom and drop the ring into the fires. Aragorn gathers their paltry remaining crew, and attempts to pep talk them before storming the gates. He realizes that there is not much left to say: the fate of the world lies in the balance. He simply says: "for Frodo..." and away they storm. It was very moving. And extremely well done.

I won't give away the ending, in case anyone hasn't seen the movies yet :) But if you haven't seem them, do rent them. Fantasy is definitely out of the realm of my usual sensibilities, but I was very, very impressed. I was drawn in quickly, and I'm so glad that I watched these classic stories.

Revolutionary Road

Mike and I pawned Hank off (our little anchor with a Pull-Up attached) on my dad Sunday afternoon, and got out to a movie. I tell you, it's so rare to actually get out to a movie *theatre* when you have small kids, it's not even funny. We are also cheapskates that loathe paying nearly $10 per ticket to go to a fancy schmancy theatre like Regal, so we wait for things to come to the second run. As you can tell, we don't get out a lot.

Anyway, we saw Revolutionary Road, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Not exactly an uplifter, but a good dramatic film. It takes place during the 50's, and is a saga of suburban married life during that time. Kate is an idealistic budding actress when she meets future husband Leo, a more practical longshoreman, at a party. Soon, we flash to their future: Leo in the audience, applauding gamely at Kate's performance in a small town play while the couple behind him gossips about how poor the actors were. Turns out, Kate's dreams were cut short by an unplanned pregnancy early in their marriage, and they moved to suburbia where Leo could secure a job as a worker bee in the large firm his own father had worked at for twenty years. Another child later, Kate is home looking perfectly miserable in their beautiful house while Leo toils away good-naturedly in a job he despises to support his family. They grow distant, with Leo spending nights on the couch and eyeing cute secretaries. When they decide to throw caution to the wind, sell their house, and pack up their young children to move to Paris and start a new life, you feel the hope come back into their reverie. Things don't go as planned, and their marriage, and Kate's mental health, deteriorate quickly...

It's a downer. Don't go looking for a feel-good movie or a cheerful discourse on marriage. However, it's a solid, thought-provoking film, and we both enjoyed it. Has anyone else seen it?

Pride & Prejudice

Recently, I exacted from my husband a trade: I would watch a movie of his choice with him (I believe he has chosen Pulp Fiction, sigh) if he would watch the magnificent A&E/BBC version of Pride & Prejudice. It is one of my all time favorites, and I haven't watched in several years. Well, this past weekend, we embarked.

From the outset, I could see that Mike was drawn in quickly. The period costumes, the beautiful English countryside scenery, the charming accents...and of course, the drama of the fate of the five Bennett girls and their mother's desperate desire to see them marry well, sparing them all from becoming penniless should their father pass away and the estate entail to their smarmy vicar cousin, Mr. Collins. What I love about this movie is how the audience, along with Elizabeth Bennett, *very gradually* warms up to the dark and dashing Mr. Darcy. At first, we dislike him. He snubs our heroine, the spunky and intelligent Lizzie, and looks down upon the Bennetts for their lack of prestigious name and estate. The addition of the squealing, perpetually-needing-smelling-salts Mrs. Bennett, as well as the loud and silly younger Bennett girls, Kitty and Lydia, certainly don't help. By time he proposes to Lizzie, we find him attractive and just a bit exciting, though we can't completely overcome our reservations, nor can Lizzie. Although he was unsuccessful and manages to insult the woman he is proclaiming to love, I still absolutely *love* his proposal of marriage. It's one of my favorite scenes in the film:

"My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. In declaring myself thus I'm aware that I will be going expressly against the wishes of my family, my friends, and, I hardly need add, my own better judgement. The relative situation of our families makes any alliance between us a reprehensible connection. As a rational man I cannot but regard it as such myself, but it cannot be helped. Almost from the earliest moments, I have come to feel for you...a passionate admiration and regard, which despite my struggles, has overcome every rational objection. I beg you, most fervently, to relieve my suffering and consent to be my wife."

*Blissful sigh* Now this, Stephanie Meyer, is a true declaration of love. He may be proud (and a bit rude) but he's honest and genuine.

Given that it is 5 hours long, this was a 4 evening undertaking. Each night, Mike admitted that he was really looking forward to seeing what would happen next. We were both enraptured as Lizzie slowly begins to see Darcy in a new light through the eyes of his family and associates. And oh!! When Lizzie bumps into him as he emerges from a dip in the pond at Pemberly, and he's all flustered, PRECIOUS!! And then how he rushes back out, still wet but stuffed into formal attire so that he can see Lizzie before she departs with her aunt and uncle. This is true romance. And then, when Lydia disgraces the family by running off with the shady Mr. Wickham, neither of us was paying any attention to our wine. We rejoiced when Darcy paid off Wickham's debts and forced him (snorts!) to marry Lydia and save the Bennetts' reputation from total ruin.

Last night, we watched the final installment. Darcy abruptly stops his stroll with Lizzie and, completely disregarding the wishes of his proper and prickly old relative- Lady Catherine de Berg- that he marry her anemic and porky-looking daughter, he asks:

"You're too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are what they were last April, tell me so. My affections and wishes are unchanged. But one word from you will silence me on this subject forever."

Lizzie declares that her feelings are "quite the opposite" as when she turned him down months ago. I glanced over at Mike, who was beaming. He's been bitten by the Pride & Prejudice bug, and he would die if he knew I was blogging about it. Oh! It's just so good. The double wedding at the end, with sweet Jane marrying Mr. Bingley alongside Lizzie and Darcy. *squeals* I love it.

Morning musings...

I'm currently on amazon.com looking at book's for Hank's upcoming third birthday. The child loves books, no doubt about it. They're tucked into every corner of our house, as well as loaded onto the full bookcase we had to put in his room to organize them. Over the weekend, I heard him awake from his nap. As I was walking up the stairs, I heard a plaintive, "mommy?!" I open the door, and the smell nearly knocked me unconscious. Hank was standing right at the door, book tucked under his arm, eyes wide with alarm. "Hank honey, did you go poo?" "YEAH." And he had a book, all prepared to entertain himself during the ensuing Pull-Up change. His strategy is very familiar to his mother, who wishes every time she is waiting in line somewhere that she had remembered to tuck that thin Harlequin romance into her purse. Even one minute of spare time is too long to go without a book to read. I think I'm going to get him his own copy of Curious George Goes to the Hospital. We had to return it to the library, and he's crushed. He keeps asking for it, poor thing. I've been on amazon for close to an hour now. I don't think I can ever tire of looking at books, even when they're not for me.

My husband, despite also being a reader, is much more of a movie person than I am. Every evening I have my nose stuck in a book while he tries to convince me to watch something on Turner Classic Movies with him. He tells me last night that perhaps this weekend we can have my parents watch Hank, and he and I have some time to ourselves - dinner and a movie. Unless the movie involves an enormous bucket of butter covered popcorn (for which I've starved myself for, saving calories during the rest of the day) I'm not interested :) Or, unless the movie is a sappy romantic comedy with a predictable happy ending, usually involving Jennifer Aniston. Mike's not so much into those. Anyway, he says "there's this movie I really want to see, but you may be too excited about the description. I hear it's excellent though, I promise!" "Ok, what's the description?" "Just remember what I said...Ok, so, it's about the guy who invented the intermittant windshield wiper..." "Right, well, I have to admit honey, this description is not exactly off to a roaring start." "But it gets better! The movie is about him losing the patent rights and then trying to get them back!" "Not exactly sweetening the pot, honey." *sighs*