17 December, 2009

holiday fever...

I am baking! Baking like a crazy fool. I am making gingerbread cookies, puppy chow (crispix covered in chocolate, peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar), peppermint bark, white and milk chocolate covered pretzels, pecan pralines, and peanut butter scotchies (corn flakes covered in butter scotch and peanut butter).

Carly came over to assist with the pretzel dipping and did a swell job!

The kitchen smells great and has a nice layer of treats on every surface. I am just beginning the gingerbread cookies which will take forever, but I am ready to get started. I truly love using cookie cutters, but the process is ridiculous.

I thought I would watch something festive for the holidays, and since I already watched White Christmas last night, I chose Die Hard for tonight! It's not the most conventional christmas movie, but it works. We also watched Scrooged with Bill Murray to really boost our spirits.

Off to make the gingerbread mens and ladies...

03 December, 2009

with hard times, come movies...

With my life being so stressful in the last year (just in case you havent been following thats 2 car break-ins, a burglary and a stolen car in 12 months), I am really finding it hard to be cheerful or even thankful this holiday season. I am usually the first to get xmas cards into the mail, but the thought hasnt even crossed my mind this season. I know it sounds cold and almost stupid to let "things" get me down this way, but it is a hard time right now and I am trying to get through it.

I have a very strong friend whose mother died 4 months ago and just today she told me that no matter the loss, great or small, it is still a loss and it requires grieving. I really needed that. She lost someone very close and special to her while we lost things that were sentimental and special (and some that were neither). Although both are vastly different, in a small way we are both dealing with it in the same way.

I have such wonderful and amazing family and friends who have been so supportive and helpful in any way they could. But truthfully I am most thankful for husband. We have truly been put to the test in our first year of marriage and we are nothing but stronger than we were before. Not a single thing has changed except we know we are there for each other through thick and thin and we know we can make it work.

So, I will do my hardest this holiday season to wish good tidings upon others and I will try to feel the joy, but so far I just feel blah, to say the least. The hardest part is to work very hard everyday to pay bills and eat and have a good life and then people keep ruining it for us by taking it all away. I hope this is the end and we can get back to enjoying small things instead of dreading opening the front door to find the house a wreck!

WOW! DONE! (thanks for letting me vent!)

On a much much MUCH lighter note... I have been passing time with crafts as usual and of course with movies. I have watched quite a few in the last few weeks. Some were great and others so-so. I will only let you in on my favorites!

Dirty Harry 1971. Clint Eastwood in a classic bad-ass cop movie. There are great one-liners "do you feel lucky, Punk?" and really fantastic 70's music. I really liked this movie for the clothes, music, feel, and great San Francisco scenery. I liked the plot since it was loosely based on the Zodiac killer from the 60's. I do like a good serial killer. My favorite part is when he eats a hot dog and then takes out a bank robbery while chewing his food. Awesome!

Up 2009. Man, this movie is very touching and pretty funny. I think kids would like it, but an adult would like it a lot more due to the beautiful relationship the whole movie is based on. I think I liked the beginning scenes the best, but the rest is very sweet. My favorite visually pleasing scene are the beautiful colors the balloons produce onto the ground below.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 1988-1999. Damn, this show is hilarious. If you have never heard of this show I highly recommend it. A guy and 2 robots are forced to watch terrible movies for science experiments... that's it! The greatest part is their hilarious comments on these terrible movies. Just rent it or check it out. Funny. Always.

Silkwood 1983. Not only does this movie have Meryl Streep, but its set in Oklahoma and made in 1983. Why would I NOT love this movie? This is the age old story about worker V. huge bad company. A kind of Erin Brockovich for the 70's. It is a true story about a woman working for a plutonium plant who becomes subsequently contaminated and then tries to make the company realize the plant needs safer work regulations. It is a great movie and of course Meryl is fantastic. I love anything the woman touches!

Star Trek 2009. Could they have cast this movie any better? Every single person was perfect for their role. I really enjoy learning about how characters in movies might have met and this was very entertaining. The action was great and the special effects/sound should definitely get an Oscar nomination, as least! This is how a good action movie should be.

Being There 1979. I saved this for the last, because it is one of my new favorite movies. First off... Shirley MacLaine and Peter Sellers. Enough said. This is such simple story about a simple gardener just telling the truth to the world as he sees it. It is funny, witty, touching, and brilliant all rolled into one. I honestly didnt know what it was about and there were so many great twists I never saw coming, it is impossible to explain all the crazy happenings if I wanted to! There arent very many movies that leave me smiling and totally happy at the end, but this did it. Get this movie if just for the hilarious outtake during the credits!

My last 2 suggestions of the post...
-Lost (the tv show) is sucking me in and is very exciting. Thanks to Hulu.com, I am watching from the first episode. Check it out.
-New Moon is WORSE than Twilight. Do not check it out or waste your time. (Unless you wanna see Edward and all his chiseled goodness. OMG!)


Go forth and watch great movies! Oh and Happy Holidays!