Designer Tabletop

Several years ago, my mother gave me a lovely brown table with a small, side drawer.  The drawer was packed with pictures of her and her parents from when she was a little girl.  I'm a scrapbooker and the pictures hiding in the drawer were eating away at me!  So I decided to do a little something different with them, instead of sticking them in a scrapbook.  I took them out of the drawer, trimmed some of them, and modge-podged them to that table top.  There are 3 layers of the modge podge on right now, and when it's good and dry, I will seal it with a clear coat of some kind. It turned out better than I had expected and now I'm left with a gorgeous, personalized table that is still functional.  I wasn't worried about tagging the pictures because I stuck with pictures of my mother and grandparents.  There are a couple of very old pictures included, but I don't know who those people are.  You could scan the pictures before you apply them to the table, but that's not the way I decided to go.  I did leave some of the borders on the pictures where my grandmother had written the date they were taken.  I love that I have that personal touch of hers!

Friends With Benefits

Stayed home from work with a sick kiddo yesterday, so when she was sleeping, I rented Friends With Benefits starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis.  It's about a couple who decide they dont want a complicated relationship and instead just want to remain friends with "benefits."  (Those being sex without complications.)  But they both realize that sex does complicate their friendship.  It's funny and sweet and I thought Justin did a GREAT job as leading man.  Yes, there was a lot of sex, but not entirely throughout the whole movie.  Jenna Elfman appears as Justin's sister, who is taking care of their father.  The dad is suffering from Alzheimers which throws a whole new set of complications into the mix for Justin's character to deal with. All in all, it was a really good movie.  I give it an 8 on the Melscale.

Dream House Movie Review

Last night, my Scary Movie Buddy and I went to a late showing of Dream House.  (The rest of our friends were too chicken to go with us.  You know who you are and you know I love you anyway. )  Yes, I know it was a weekday and work was the next morning, but we HAD to see this movie.  The trailers led us to believe that this was a scary movie. And yes, Scary Movie Buddy DID scream once, but it turned out to be more of a murder mystery than a horror movie.  Which is ok by me, too.  True, there were ghosts and they were haunting, but not in the traditional horror- movie -kind -of- way.  The movie stars Dainel Craig (Bond, James Bond )and Rachel Weisz (The Mummy),a husband and wife who relocate from New York City to a quaint New England town with their 2 little girls.  As they settle into their new house, they discover that a mother and her children were murdered in it 5 years before.  When Daniel starts investigating the tragedy, his only lead comes from the next door neighbor, played by Naomi Watts. As he digs up the past, the mystery he exposes is heartbreakingly shocking.  I won't go into any more details than this because I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone else who wants to go see this.  And I highly recommend it!  It had a plot twist that I didn't see coming...and those are the BEST kinds of movies for me!!!  Scary Movie Buddy and I LOVED it.  I give it a +10 on the Melscale!! 

My Wedding Ring

22 years ago today, Sept. 9, 1989, I married my best friend.  As I was sitting at my desk at work today, I was looking at the wedding ring he gave me and thinking about all the years we've been together.  When we got married, we didn't have much money.  Who does?  So my ring, by today's standards, is very simple and understated.  But it is a one of a kind, quite by accident.  He bought the engagment ring at one jeweler's and we found the band at another. And he didn't have to go into debt to purchase them. The stones are sapphires, my favorite stone and incidentally, it is the birthstone for the month of September.  That wasn't planned...it was just a coincidence.  I had originally picked out a single pearl ring to be the engagment ring for a couple of reason.  1.  I am not a big diamond fan and 2. I wanted something entirely different than the traditional solitaire.  But after months of thinking about that pearl ring, I decided that since I was so clumsy I would most probably knock that pearl off its setting the first time I wore it.  So we started looking around again. And we found the engagment ring.  He proposed in April of 1989 and slipped that ring on my finger.  I remember the night in early September when I went to pick up the wedding bands before the wedding.  His band does not match mine.  Again, we wanted to be different.  Even though I knew it was considered bad luck to put on the wedding ring before the wedding, I wanted to see the two together on my finger.  So I put it on and spent the drive home admiring how well they went together, even though they were from different stores.  As corny as this sounds, that's the way I felt about us...how well we went together.  I've had the ring for 22 years now.  I've never owned ANY jewelry that long!  I got it caught on a fence the week after our honeymoon and twisted the band and lost a sapphire. I cried and cried. It was repaired and you can't tell the difference.  I don't wear it around the house to avoid repeating that episode.  I couldn't wear it when I was pregnant due to the swelling in my fingers.  Then I gained so much weight that I couldn't even get it on my finger.  (One of the things I'm most happy about since I joined Weight Watchers, is being able to wear my wedding ring again.) When we hit our 20th anniversary, I thought about asking him for a bigger, more modern ring.  But then I looked at mine....and I can't do it.  It reminds me of who we were when we were just starting out.  It reminds me of where we came from.  It reminds me how perfect we are together and a new, modern ring just wouldn't do all of that.  In my heart, it would not be MY wedding ring.  It would be a replacement.  And I don't want a replacement.  It's too big now, and will probably wind up really to big for me when I hit my WW goal.  The band is a little twisted  but that doesn't matter. I'll have it sized down when the time comes.  And I'll wear this ring that my best friend gave me for the rest of eternity.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

In 1973, (I was 9 years old) there was a movie on t.v. called Don't Be Afraid of the Dark.  It starred Kim Darby as "Sally".  She and her husband inherit and  move into an old house and in the restoration process, she discovers a sealed fireplace.  Her curiousity gets the better of her,  and despite warnings from the handyman, she opens the fireplace. Soon, she hears whispering and begins seeing small, demonlike creatures around the house.  Unfortunely for her, no one else sees them.  Until it's too late!  The creatures are intent upon possessing her and taking her to the fireplace with them for eternity.  Their only weakness is light of any kind.  Eventually, they drag Sally into the fireplace with them. The scene where Sally is being dragged by her ankles by the creatures, using the flash from a camera to try to hurt them,  was engraved in my memory. This movie is the one responsible for making me afraid of the dark and it was one of those rare movies that I have never forgotten.  About a year ago, I found out through IMBD that Don't Be Afraid of the Dark was being remade, starring Katy Holmes.  I can't tell you how excited I was to hear that news!  So I went online and found a copy of the original movie from 1973 and bought it.  The one that scared me silly and made me sleep with a nightlight to this very day.  I popped it in the DVD player with goosebumps on my arms and sat down with my kids  to watch it.  Imagine my disappointment in the creatures!! They were laughable! (and believe me...my kids were cracking up!!) The acting wasn't much better from the human actors, either.  Sally was a whimp and whined and cried her way throughout the entire story.  Nevertheless....I eagerly awaited the new version.  I was not disappointed!  In the new version, Sally is a young girl, about 8 or 9, who is sent to live with her dad and his fiance' in this ginormous old house.  She finds a basement that has been hidden and sealed shut for years and in the basement is the fireplace.  The story stays pretty much with the original, except the creatures in this one are akin to goblins or trolls.  More like evil tooth fairies, because they eat children's teeth.  Katy Holmes plays the step-mom-to-be who at first, is reluctant about becoming a mom.  However, as the story progresses, she and Sally form a bond.  Katy's character, Kim, is the heroine I hoped she would be.  She didn't lay down and give up, as Kim Darby's character did, but she stood up and fought for Sally.  As for the new creatures...all I can say is this: if I weren't already afraid of the dark, I sure would be now. 

I give it a 10+ on the MelScale!!

A few movie reviews

I spent the last 2 and 1/2 days sick at home, with not much else to do but watch movies.  It's the best part of being sick, besides not having to do a THING!  The reviews below are very brief:

1. Insidious: (horror)  I love scary movies.  This was not one of those.  Don't waste your time.  -5 on the Melscale

2. Killers: (comedy/love) starring Ashton Kutcher as a retired spy.  Yes, this one is a little old, but I LOVE the story line and he's some really nice eye candy. +8 on the Melscale

3. Rain Man: (drama) oldie but goodie!  Re-visit it if you haven't seen it in awhile. I think it's pretty obvious that Tom has had some corrective dental surgery.  Or sumthin.... +10 on the Melscale
4.  The Stepfather: (horror/drama) this is a remake of the one starring Terry Quinn.  Very good edge of your seat drama. +8 on the Melscale

5.  Rango: (animated) Johnny Depp and Timothy Olyphant lend their voices to this.  I was a bit disappointed in this one, as was my 12 year old son.  But I guess it's hard to follow a Pirate movie.  Or Justified. 1 on the Melscale

6.  Season of the Witch: (historical horror?)  Really couldn't tell...I got bored with this one after about 20 minutes.  Thumbs down despite having the ever entertaining Nick Cage in the starring role. minus a billion on the Melscale

7.  Grownups: (comedy) I am NOT an Adam Sandler fan, but this one is worth watching!  +8 on the Melscale

8.  Just Go With It: (comedy/love story) Again, another Adam Sandler one with Jennifer Aniston that is cute and entertaining.  He keeps THIS up and I may become a fan. +7 on the Melscale.

9. Knock Around Guys...okay, I admit, I only watched this one up to the part where Vin Diesel came on.  Then I turned it off. Technically, it's a bad movie with the only saving grace being Vin.

10.  Paranormal Activity 2 (horror) Okay, technically, I watched this last week with my daughter.  Scared the CRAP out of me!  Seriously had the biggest goosebumps all over me and nightmares for a week.  +10 on the Melscale, just because I can't forget it!

Carpe diem!

It's the little things.....

This is the only gator I saw in New Orleans!

I joined Weight Watchers this past December for the 4th time.  The day I joined was the day they unveiled the new PointsPlus program that is changing my life!  Before I knew it, I was down 2 sizes!  And while that is great and I"m thrilled to death about it, it's other little changes in my body that I'm noticing that keep me going.  Here are a few:

*I can wear my wedding ring again and it SPINS on my finger.

*I lost weight in my feet, so now I wear smaller shoes.

*I can cross my legs again.

*I can sit "indian style" on the floor.

*I can GET UP off the floor without having to crawl to something to hold onto to pull myself up.

*I stopped taking and needing my GERD medicine.

*I can wear bangle bracelets again.  And fun rings!

*My knees don't hurt anymore.

*I bought a smaller size in clothes and now I can dry those in the dryer because they are getting loose.

And I"m not finished yet!  I can't help but be excited to see all the other little things I'll be able to do when I reach my goal.  Sometimes, what the scales say isn't enough...sometimes it's the little things that keep us motivated!