Movie Review: Burlesque

Here's a link to the trailer

I had a rough Sunday - more about that another time - and the hubs was thoughtful enough to think I needed a night out of the house, so he surprised me with an impromptu date night.

We checked what was playing at the local theatre and decided that Burlesque was a movie we had both heard of and wanted to see. I wasn't really sure what I expected going into it, but I was happy with the result.

The costumes are great, and surprisingly the acting isn't too bad, either. It's a fairly typical story - small town girl goes to L.A. to make it big. She falls on hard times, can't find a job, wanders into a burlesque club and stands in awe by what she sees. At first she thinks she's in a strip club, but the guy at the door quickly points out that these ladies don't strip. The lights go out and the show starts. She is dumbfounded and wants in. Blah, blah - not giving away too much of the plot - she finally ends up "in" when the owner realizes she can dance, and not too long afterwards hears that she has some amazing songbird capabilities, too.

There's some romance and they try to throw in a few life lessons, too. My biggest disappointment was that in a movie where more than half the dialogue was sung, Cher only sang two songs. However; Christina Aguilera did not disappoint. I was surprised that she could actually act and as it was her character singing the majority of the songs. Her trademark sound was perfect for the part. I'm not ordinarily a soundtrack person, but I think if I see this soundtrack in the store it's going to make it's way into my shopping cart.

So if you're looking for an escape from your holiday shopping, cooking, party going - I'd recommend this one.



An Open Letter to my Blackberry

Dear Blackberry,

We've had a long relationship. It's had it's ups and downs; however, we always worked out our differences and you just seemed to compliment me so well. That said, I'm seriously beginning to question how much longer we can keep this up. You see I'm being courted by newer/flashier versions of you... not to mention the iPhone and the Droid. They are seducing me with glitz and extra apps that you don't offer.

It's true, I did have an on-going side  relationship with the iPhone a while back. Since I broke it off  I've had withdrawl from what the iPhone offered me during those months. And, you can't fulfill my scrabble fantasies.

Lately your service to Facebook hasn't been that great; and then today... horror of all horrors, you just stopped allowing me to read my texts. I'm not sure how to break this to you, blackberry, but once the baby wakes from his nap I'm going to have to go to the AT&T store to have a discussion about our relationship. I'm giving you full warning. Maybe between now and then you can snap out of your funk and return to the loving blackberry I once knew. If not, I'm unsure of our future. At this point it is in "the plan's" hands as we'll have to see what is covered and what isn't.

Thank you for the memories. And I hope we can work it out.

With a heavy heart,

Beth

What Thanksgiving Means to Me

Thankgsiving has always been a favorite holiday of mine. As a child we would pack up the car and head over the river and through the woods on a 12 hour trek to northern Illinois to my grandmother's house. Upon arriving we would be plied with all sorts of treats and goodies - not to mention some of the best food ever put upon this Earth.

Every day of the week was dedicated to a special treat we couldn't get in the south - for example: one night would be Italian beef night, Friday or Saturday would typically be homemade Ravioli night (complete with the family story of who held the record for eating the most ravioli's - my mom or my aunt. The number eaten grew like a great fish tale every year, and of course the loser always proclaimed it was because they drank more milk, but actually consumed more calories).

No joke, by the week's end we each probably gained about 20 pounds, would reload the car and head south again. When we arrived back to the house the Christmas season would be in full swing. As we've gotten older and family members took jobs across the country keeping this tradition has been harder and harder to keep. Since moving to Colorado last year, the hubs and I decided we would create our own version of this yearly holiday trek. Only instead of heading to IL we now head back to Arkansas.

To me, Thanksgiving is a holiday for family and we want our children to have similar experiences to those I had and hold dear from when I was a child. We will go back to Colorado and anxiously await a white Christmas, but this week is dedicated to bonding and memory making with family.

First I was searched, then a lizard tried to sleep with me

This trip to Texas has been interesting, to say the least. I have done absolutely no sight seeing - just work. However, since it is me we're talking about there have been some interesting occurrences.

For instance driving from San Antonio to Brownsville I passed many highway patrol cars and border patrol agents. I didn't think anything about it, I am in south Texas after all... however, yesterday afternoon as I drove back to Corpus Christi from McAllen I had to stop at a mandatory checkpoint. Now, this is the first checkpoint I'd ever gone through. I didn't know what to expect. And of course, I have a vivid imagination. I see the drug dog sniffing the semis and the vehicles in front of me.... I start to wonder who's driven my rental car before me. And, was I about to end up in some third rate prison cell because Rin-Tin-Tin detected something from the freak that drove my car prior to me renting it! Of course my husband's friend who works in the Secret Service popped into mind. He lives down here somewhere. Would he vouch for me if I ended up in the clink? Do I know where he lives? Do I have his phone number? hmm... too late to think about him, it's now my turn. The nice border patrol agent tells me to keep my door closed, but pop the trunk and allow them to open all my doors. Fido hops in the trunk, then he sniffs around inside the car. The agent asks me where I'm going... I momentarily forget and point north. I stutter out, "ummm.... north.... San Antonio. I'm a sales rep for a bridal company. Visited Brownsville and McAllen today selling dresses." This was way more information than the dude asked, but I was nervous. And of course I can't be short and to the point even when I'm not. The guy obviously got that I was much to much of a geek to be a criminal so he waved me on and told me to be safe - and get a hotel before dark. Why do people keep telling me that here (and by that I mean my husband, my parents, my sister, the lady I work with in CA, the store owner I saw this morning, and now the border patrol guy)? Seriously - believe what you see on the news about the state of things in northern Mexico... according to one of my store owners it's much worse than the American public realizes (and yes, I will subject you to a blog on my meeting with her as soon as I can logically type it out).

So, since everyone now has me freaked out about driving after dark - not one of my usual phobias... and I have plenty of them, thank you very much - I head to Alice, TX for a room. Unfortunately this somewhat sleepy little town is completely booked. I tried three hotels that fit my criteria (I am weird, I require my hotel room to be nonsmoking, with all interior rooms - no drive up and park outside the doors anywhere on the property, prefer a king sized bed, and it must provide breakfast b/c that is more than likely the only meal I'm guaranteed to remember to eat until I figure out where I'm laying my head the next day). All were booked. I called a couple of my frequent sleeper programs to see what might be nearby. 25 miles south of me was a Hilton brand hotel - an executive suites Hampton Inn. This sounded promising. It was a little more than what I typically budget, but it's now getting dark and the border agent has warned me about roaming around.... even if I am 100+ miles north of him by now.  I give my billing information and head over to the property. I am in Kingsville, TX.

There is a branch of Texas A&M here, the famous Kings Ranch is here... these is cowboy country. I should be safe here, right? I get my room keys... I go upstairs. I open the door, the bathroom door is closed. Hmm... this is unusual. I've stayed in a lot of hotels the last 2 weeks - the door is never closed upon entry. I start thinking of the mass murderer who is hiding in there waiting to rape and kill me. I prop my suitcase in the main door so I can run out if necessary (keep in mind I'm in 4 inch stilettos so not sure how exactly I plan on running). I open the door... AND SCREAM. There, scurrying around in the floor is a LIZARD. It is not huge, probably about 5-6 inches long. It is brown with black stripes... and it appears to be furry. Who the hell ever heard of a FURRY lizard? I locked it back into the bathroom and called the front desk. They switched my room. I have no idea what happened to the lizard. But I can say that yesterday was not a good night's sleep. I kept thinking something was going to crawl/slither into my bed and bite me.

Needless to say, I head home tomorrow morning. The next 9 hours can't pass quickly enough so I can get back to Colorado. Who cares if it's cold... it's lizard free, and safe to wander about after dark!

Movie Review: The American

Even the movie poster makes you think
 it's going to be Bondish.
007 would be sorely disappointed.

As I alluded in yesterday's blog, The American was a disappointment. The trailer wisely edited together the best parts of the movie thinking you were going to see George Clooney in some sort of James Bond film. I didn't do any research on the movie before hand. I really wasn't sure what it was about, and figured it was some sort of action movie.

Hmmm... should have done my research on this one. While there were pieces of action, the movie was dreadfully slow. And, there was barely any conversation. I'm all for artistic expression, but when the dialogue in the movie makes Castaway seem like an endless manuscript of dialogue, you know something's missing.

To the director's credit, there is some gorgeous camera work. The artistry of depicting the Italian countryside is splendid. However, it just wasn't enough to keep me entertained. You can only see the main character speed down the Italian countryside (and I use the term "speed" very loosely as he drove an older sedan that didn't appear to be able to go above 45 mph without falling apart) so many times before you start to wonder what color the walls are behind the tapestries of the theatre you're sitting in.

George plays an assassin/arms dealer of sorts who decides he's giving up the life. He befriends a priest. He courts a prostitute (another awkward bought of filming - while I'm all for a good sex scene, really the camera doesn't need to focus on the lady's naked boobs for which seems like an eternity) and asks her to run away with him.

Things don't go according to his plan. I won't give away details, but know that it's a movie that requires you to think.

On the plus side, George gets more lickable with age. On the downside, it's only entertaining to watch him work out the first time, the following 2-3 scenes of him working out in dress slacks are somewhat stupid. Why would anyone, especially an assassin, not have a pair of proper work out clothes?

In case you haven't figured it out, I would give this movie a D-. I don't like to give F's, and I can appreciate the artistry of the movie. But, I truly could have been more entertained if I had taken a match to $20 and watched it burn to a crisp.

Me VS. The Weekend

The weekend went by too fast. But, with it's end I'm on the downhill side of the hubs being in Kentucky for work so I'm not going to complain. The weekend was fairly typical in the life of the Copic house. Soccer game, trip to the zoo, plenty of TV time. Nothing too out of the ordinary.

Saturday was our hectic day. J had his second soccer game of the season. He's on a pretty good team; however, the hubs is his coach. With Andre in KY until the 24th that meant a sub. Since this is a public forum and I don't know that they can't google and find me I will not go into details of my let down of the game. I will just say that we lost. A huge loss. It wasn't due to a lack of skill or because they were outplayed. It was because his team was not organized. And organization is the coach's responsibility. When the coach doesn't coach/mentor the kids, a breakdown happens. And that's exactly what we experienced Saturday. OH well, we have six more games this season, and not everyone wins 100% of the time. So, we'll pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and go back out there. in Wild Dogs vs. Wolverines, Wild Dogs won. But Wolverines learned how to be good sports even when they don't win. So, I'd say it was a moral victory.

J is a fairly good little goalie. Here he catches the ball before the opposition scores.
Me vs. the Weekend, take 1 - weekend wins.
But I'm claiming moral victory for kids learning how to be good sports when they loose.

We went home, relaxed a bit and decided that we'd take a family outing to the zoo. Sure, that doesn't sound difficult. But have you ever tried doing this alone with a passel of kids? I loaded up the car, stopped at Target for snacks and the four of us took off to the Denver Zoo.

It was a nice outing. The weather was gorgeous and most of the animals we wanted to see were out. J always bugs us for a train ride and we never want to wait in the line, but this time it wasn't too bad so me and the three kids piled on and rode around for a bit. The zoo has had quite a few babies born this year, and we saw the baby orangutan and mountain goats up close. The only complaint to be heard was from J because I don't do the reptile house, so he had to skip it. Oh well, his dad can take him in another time. We did catch the sea lion show and that was entertaining. Baby Man really could care less; however, and took a nap during the second half of our excursion.

Mama Orangutan with baby on her shoulder. I couldn't catch her up close.

J & H outside of the sea lion exhibit. Baby Man was sleeping by this point so he's not pictured.
Me vs. the Weekend, take 2 - I win.

That evening after the Baby went to sleep I escaped with the neighbors to grab a movie down the street. They wanted to see Devil. I don't do scary movies. I especially do not do scary movies when I'm alone. They joked that I would go home and put all three kids in bed with me. They didn't know that was probably true, and I'd sleep with every light in the house on. Instead of doing this we saw The American. Look for a movie review later. Don't be shocked when the review is not good. The plus side of The American is George Clooney is lickable. That's about it.

A brooding well toned George. Best thing about the movie.
Me vs. Weekend, take 3 - me because I didn't get up and leave, and I managed to stay awake.

Sunday was what I like to call a lazy day. We lounged around the house and watched movies. Letters to Juliet is adorable. And the premier of Broadway Empire came on last night. My kids managed to play nice and not kill each other. All and all it was a good day.

So, All told the final score was Beth - 2 (plus a moral victory), Weekend - 1. I'm saying that's a resounding defeat to the weekend!

Book Review: Whiter Than Snow

I enjoy reading, but few books touch me. With most books, I visualize everything and can see the characters - but Sandra Dallas has a unique way of enveloping me into her stories. Something very few authors are able to do when I read their works.

Whiter Than Snow is Dallas' ninth novel. I have read six of them. I have enjoyed each one, but none of them got into my head quite as much as this one. The book is set in a mining town in the Colorado Rockies (a Denverite, Dallas' novels are mostly set in the Midwest to Western states) in 1920. There is an avalanche, just after the school bell rings and nine children are buried under a massive amount of snow. Only four survive.

The book takes you through the history of parents and grandparents who are frantically hoping their children are found alive, and the aftermath of what happens to each family after the children are recovered.

In reading the words, I not only was able to visualize the settings, but I felt the cold of the mothers digging for their children with dishpans, I read more than a few pages through tears (of both happiness over the finding of survivors and sorrow of finding bodies) as none of the children were older than my middle child.

I don't think you have to be a parent to appreciate this book, as Dallas' themes of forgiveness, redemption, survival, faith and family are things everyone can relate to. It shows the human spirit in a familiar theme - how differences are set aside to help everyone affected - regardless of economic status, color or creed. In the end, the town is stronger in spite of the tragedy - and characters you wouldn't think would could ever become friends do. If you couldn't already tell, I give this book an A+. Find a copy today, you won't be sorry that you did.

What is Freedom?

Feedom can be many things to many people. My political view of the word freedom is:

Freedom is being able to express yourself, in any way you choose. Burning your bra, protesting ideas you feel are unfair, going (or not going) to a place of worship.

It's knowing that when you go to bed that night, you will not be woken up by strangers with guns who come looking for your children to draft them into mandatory military.

Freedom is knowing that you can look for work in whatever profession you want, even though you aren't guaranteed a job in that profession because the employers have the freedom to hire whom they choose.

It's the ability for me to stand up for what I believe in. And for you to tell me I'm an idiot. We disagree but we're still able to be friends at the end of the day.

Freedom is knowing we have to work hard, but the rewards can be great. Freedom requires hard work. Freedom isn't free.

However, my personal view of freedom is:

Freedom means not getting dressed today. Or, if I decide to get dressed it means the ability to go where I want, for as long as I want, with whomever I want.

Sure, that sounds simple... but to those of you who aren't stay at home moms you have no idea how difficult this is.

Freedom would be getting a pedicure more than once every three months - by a professional. Me giving myself pedicures or having some member of the family who is also going to paint my entire foot does not fit the proper description.

Freedom is not worrying about what's for dinner, and who won't eat what. It's ordering take out, or better yet going to the best place in town - you know, a place that actually has stars for ratings, not arches. The place of my choosing, not my kids' definition of "the best place in town." Freedom would be eating somewhere with real waiters and cloth napkins. Oh, and maybe wine or martini glasses!

Freedom is an endless shopping expense account. New shoes. Trendy clothes.

Freedom is who I used to be. But, it's also who I am now. Because inspite of all the negatives listed above, Freedom allowed me to choose to stay home. And in doing so, I had to give up some things- because Freedom is never truly free.

Movie Review: Dinner for Schmucks

I don't normally do movie reviews, I leave those more my much more entertaining friend, Audreya. And yes, She is the only follower I repeatedly tag - because most of the rest of you just stalk me and don't blog as well. Anyway, today I'm deciding to steal the topic. I wasn't going to blog about Dinner For Schmucks, but the lack of anything else interesting happening lately has made me do it.

I think the problem with this movie is those of us who love the actors go into it with too high of expectations. Steve Carrell and Zach Galifinakis are two of the most hilarious guys out there (in my opinion). And, Paul Rudd is just adorable. I could lick him. But, that's another blog. Plus, Carrell and Rudd have some pretty great pairings under their belt already, examples: Ron Burgandy, and 40 year old virgin.

The movie starts out OK. Rudd works in a financial company and he's trying to work his way up the ladder. He makes a gutsy, yet impressive move to get the CEO's attention. He is told he is in line for the next promotion, but first he has to come to dinner. "Great," he thinks. No - there's a catch.... they have to bring a "guest," someone "who is or does something special" at the end of the night the most "special" (a.k.a. most ridiculous) person there gets an award. And, the guy that invited him gets bragging rights until the next time.

Of course, Rudd is appalled - but he's overextended and needs this promotion so he agrees to go. He has no idea where he'll find someone. His girlfriend tells him he's horrible for considering it. He tries to figure out a way to get out of it. And then he hits Steve Carrell with his car. He didn't see him because he was "rescuing" a dead mouse from the street. hmm... Carrell then begins to describe how he saves the bodies, taxidermies them, and sets them up as art/sculpture/whatever. He hands Rudd a taxidermied mouse dressed as Jesus. Of course Rudd takes this as a sign from God that he must go to the dinner and take Carrell with him.

Chaos ensues. Galfinakis' role is small, but he is hilarious in it. He is one of the bright spots in the movie. Unfortunately, while funny, the movie is too long. It probably would have been more entertaining if less had actually made it to the screen. On the other hand the actual "dinner" was a very short piece of the movie, if they had chopped some of the material leading up to the dinner and left more of that footage in there, it could have been more entertaining.

I did get quite a few laughs out of it, but then there were pieces where I felt like they were trying to hard.  It is something I'd watch again but I wouldn't spend the money to buy it. For this reason I give it a C. However I did see several trailers for movies I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE. A new segment of Meet the Parents is coming out, apparently they now have children... this new movie will be out at Christmas and is called Little Fockers. And, Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galfinakis are teaming up with the director from The Hangover to make a movie called Due Date. They are trying to get across the country to the birth of RDJ's firstborn. Looks like lots of chaos ensues on their road trip and it should be a Planes, Trains & Automobiles meets Hangover laugh fest. I can only hope!

When Did I Become Old?

Today was registration day for oldest child. Let me tell you.... nothing makes you feel old like having to take your child to register for school. In the back of my mind, I'm still the young cool kid I once was (OK, I'm cooler in my mind than I really was because while not a nerd, I never sat at the popular table. Even though several of my friends did, I was one of those kids that "floated" from clique to clique). Anyway, in my mind I'm not old enough to have a kid that'll be 15 this weekend - and starting her sophomore year in less than two weeks. Walking around campus and looking at some of these rejects err.... youngsters... made me feel older than I really am.

Registration was uneventful. Except for the pictures part. Dear Daughter choose to wear a summer dress she bought herself a few days ago. It's cute. It's a little brighter (hot pink & white) than I'd normally go for, but age appropriate. Her dress has thin straps. Not spaghetti straps, but thin straps. They are about an inch wide. She goes to a public school. I knew this wouldn't fly at her previous school (a strict Catholic primary school) but when I asked and she said it'd pass here I didn't argue. I thought she sees what other kids wear everyday she'll be fine. She's fairly conservative in her tastes so I didn't think I should push the issue.

We get to registration. We are surrounded by girls in daisy dukes, so I'm not terribly worried about the dress anymore (it's an appropriate length). There's one girl a few kids ahead of us with some studs in her face (this is clearly against school policy but who am I to judge). There's several spaghetti strapped females. We go through the lines. Teachers who know H comment on how she's gotten taller over the summer (yep, she stands a whopping 5'1... we're a tall family, what can I say).I spend a small fortune at various lines and complain about how public school is supposed to be cheaper than private - why the heck do I always spend so much at registration, blah blah.

We get to the pictures. There is a lovely school security man standing there "inspecting" the girls before he lets them take their pictures. Mr. Security Man decides that H is in violation of dress code. He hands her a ridiculously hideous very fashionable black bolero sweater to cover up with. H is not amused. A small hissy fit ensues. Not to Mr. Security Man's face, but enough to where other parents were giving me the stink eye. The camera man laughs. He tries to cheer her up by hitting on her telling her what a lovely young lady she is. I give him the stink eye. Needless to say, we didn't order school pictures this year, but her student ID is truly one of the more "interesting" ones I've seen. Yes, a black bolero sweater jacket over a white and hot pink sundress is definitely a fashion statement to be reckoned with.

I have been teasing her about the incident all day. She's complained about how other girls slipped through the line. I tried to cheer her up by saying the girls that slipped through looked like Marla from A League of Their Own and Mr. Security Guard didn't notice them, she told me I was being mean.

I've also caught myself giving her case in point scenarios from my days in college - as referenced in other blogs, I went to a small private college with a very strict rules. I was attending a press event with the journalism group and my advisor banned me from getting on the bus until I changed. I was in a suit. A non-revealing suit. But apparently my skirt was 1/2" to short and I was sent to change. She didn't really care that I lived an hour away. I had to go rummaging through a friend's closet to find something to wear, by that time I missed the bus and had to drive myself to Memphis (2 hours away) to attend the event. My mother was not thrilled when she found out I drove myself to Memphis (she really would have been mad to find out I made the trip in record time - even though I got lost in the ghetto along the way - exactly the reason why dear daughter will NOT have a sports car when she's old enough to drive).

But now dear daughter knows that maybe I'm not crazy when I question what she's wearing. And, she's even shown me her planned first day of school outfit for approval. Each year gets a little more disturbing, and each year I realize that how few school registrations are left before I'm helping pick out decorations for a dorm room. And, that in itself makes me feel aged beyond my years!

The Week in Repairville

Many people laugh at me when I say I have the worst luck ever. But, it's true. Take for example this week. It started out harmless enough. Middle child in the groove of school, oldest child and baby man chillin' at home. Just your average week in the Copic household.

Then Wednesday afternoon hit. Something as simple as warming up a hot dog for oldest child caused sparks to fly. Literally. Our home is 10 years old. It has 10 year old appliances in it. We put a new dishwasher in earlier this year, and every time we go into a home improvement store I eyeball a new oven. However, I never really expected the microwave to be what would bring a spark to my daily routine. First, I accused the kids of somehow managing to put something metal in there. It wouldn't be the first time a genius in the house put a thing of baby food in the microwave and didn't take all of the seal off the top. However, that was not the case this time.

Then, because you know I just wasn't sure, I had to clean it and try again. Yep, still sparky. So, I've been doing my internet homework the last few days. Finding out what to buy, where to buy it, who has the best rate at installation, etc.

Feeling confident in my decision we head out to Home Depot. Of course our evening can't end there. The hubs and I have to go to a couple other places and eyeball some items we're considering for the kids' birthdays later this month.

We leave the store, get in the car, the car doesn't start. hmm... of course, right away I go into full anxiety riddled Beth mode of how we're stuck at Wal-Mart and can't get home, in the middle of the night, and why is our car a piece of crap (mind you, it's never given us any problem and is probably one of the most reliable car types on the road). I then go on and on about how we're going to get killed and our kids are at home by themselves, but it's a good thing they aren't with us because then they'd die, too. And oh! We haven't written our will yet. And the house isn't clean enough for family to have to come in and pack it up to decide what to sell and what to keep. blah blah blah... (now you see why it takes a special kind of patience for the hubs to live with my neurotic self.) Oh- and for those of you who don't live here, I probably live in one of the safest neighborhoods around. There is a 99.9% chance that the guy who was looking at us from his parking spot across from us was weighing in on if we'd kill him if he offered to help, he was not a threat in the least bit. This is an area where we can go walking/running at midnight if we want and will be safe. But I had to have my usual freak out!

So, today I'm a little calmer. But still irritated. Now I not only have to buy a new over the range microwave (why the &^*% are those three times as much as a normal microwave), but I have to rescue the car from Wal-Mart and get a new starter installed.

Here's looking forward to a girl's day at the pool tomorrow, lots of fruity drinks, and forgetting about that little black thundercloud that follows me around. Unless of course, it decides to brew up a thunderstorm and chase us from the water.

It's Never too Late to Learn

The hubs and I have been married 9 years. In this time I have learned very little of his native language. I mean, in my personal opinion any language which actually considers the pairing of "Lj" as a single letter is not really comprehensible.

I have randomly made fun of his language saying it didn't have nearly enough vowels in it (citing especially the word for finger "prst" see? No vowels, that can't be a word, right?). But, it's somewhat hard for me to argue that my kids need to learn the language of their grandparents and me not learn it.

Of course, this was relatively impossible when we were in Arkansas. There were no other Croatians in Arkansas - at least none that we knew of. However, there is a large population of them here. Once a month we attend a Croatian language mass. In attending we've met quite a few friends, and I've been happy to realize that I am not alone in being the "spouse who only speaks English". So, a group of us have decided to get together and attempt to learn.

"Class" started last night. "Students" range in age from teenagers to an elderly couple (i.e. in their 80's). We started with the alphabet... yep all 30 letters of it and a few simple words. We'll see how this goes...

I took 4 years of Spanish in school, it started out as my minor in college. Today I know enough to count, say colors and get myself to the police station and/or hospital in an emergency. Hopefully, I'll fare a bit better in the memory skills with Croatian... In the meantime, I guess I'd better go study because moj Hrvatski je los (my Croatian is bad). 

Responsible Adulthood? Nah... Let's Spend Irresponsibly!

In the last two days I've had two different friends post on Facebook about balancing their checkbooks, or that they finished the month a little more in the black than normal, etc. This has led to some interesting conversations about how even as adults we still look forward to spending our money irresponsibly and not necessarily on what it *should* be spent on.

My family spent more than I'd like to admit on visiting family, having get togethers at the house and other not actual "necessities" this month. When I spent two hours this morning balancing the checkbook and paying bills I was like "hmm.... maybe we'll be eating leftovers and not going out as much this month as we have the past couple months."

As these two threads (by two people who have never met and don't even know they each exist) progressed I was amused by some of the things that were posted. I think my favorite was:

A friend of mine just got into a fight with her husband last week because she found out that he hadn't paid some bills and they had more than enough money in the bank..his intelligent response was, "there's no way I'm wasting all of our hard-earned money on bills!"

To which the original poster of the thread responded:

it reminds me of Friends...



Chandler: Rent is (this much) per month Joey: That's *every* month? Chandler: Just the ones you... actually want to live here.
 
The post on the other friend's sight reflected not only these sentiments, but also how cash is becoming obsolete.
 
I never carry cash. I use my debit card for everything. So, I have to look online and see how much $$ I have.
 
To which that was responded by:
 
internet banking = my best friend. I think I've forgotten what cash looks like in real life. :)
 
Most of the comments were humorous to me; however a few made me stop and think about how different I am now than I was just a few years ago. I used to have my hair appointments scheduled every six weeks on the dot with at least 2 appointments in advance scheduled. Now, I just go whenever the whim hits me... after all, I don't see actual people every day so who cares? I've also went from a mandatory shopping trip at least every other week on my day off to I don't even know when the last time I bought myself something full price was.
 
I think it's mostly the kids' faults. They've slowly crushed my will to spend. Which the hubs delights in - but I still plot ways to escape and spend irresponsibly... There's birthdays and back to school shopping to be done over the next month... I bet I'll figure out a way to squeeze some nonsense for myself in there somewhere! Responsible adulthood is over-rated anyway, right?

Dinner Party Croatian Style

Saturday I hosted a dinner party with a great group of friends. We get together every other month and watch a movie, and prepare a meal based on a theme. We've done Julia Child (Julie & Julia - recipes from The Art of French Cooking) and Giada De Laurentiis (Under the Tuscan Sun - all Giada recipes). When it came for me to host I wanted to expose the group to Croatian food. Not a lot of people are familiar with it, and it is fabulous. There's not a Food Network chef (or any other one that I could think of off hand) we could dedicate the night to, but I have three Croatian cookbooks and knew it could be done.

I think the group was a little taken aback when I suggested it - but they humored me and followed the theme anyway. Croatian cooking reflects it's diverse geography and history. Croatia is in Eastern Europe, it has a rich culture and history as part of the Roman and Austro-Hungarian Empires, as well as being part of former Yugoslavia. They do a lot of seafood - a large part of their geography is along the Adriatic coast, and then their continental cuisine is rich in lamb, chicken, pork and beef. Fresh produce plays a big part of their meals as well. Due to shellfish allergies (and the lack of availability of really fresh Sea Bass or Squid in a land locked stated 1/2 way across the world from Croatia) we did a more continental dinner - which is fitting as it would be more similar to what would be cooked in homes near the capital city of Zagreb - the region where the hubs' family lives.

OK - enough background... on to dinner! We started at noon. I thought this was a little early, but a lot of the dishes, while easy to prepare are time consuming. We had three appetizers, a soup, salad, main course and dessert. 

For the appetizer Leibe prepared a Swiss Cheese and Radish Dip (Umak od svicarskog sira i rotkvica)as well as a Roulade of Smoked Salmon (Rulada od dimlejenog lososa) and Colin made a Mushroom, Bacon and Pepper Dip (Umak od gljiva, slanine i paprike). Each of the appetizers was really good. I must admit - I hate radishes... so when I found out that one of the apps was going to feature them, I was a little hesitant. But, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was!

Swiss Cheese and Radish Dip
Umak od svicarskog sira i rotkvica

Roulade of Smoked Salmon
Rulada od dimlejenog lososa

Mushroom, Bacon and Pepper Dip
Umak od gljiva, slanine i paprike

Next was our soup. Caroline prepared an amazing Peasant-Style Vegetable Soup (Seoska juha od povraca) of pureed potatoes, leeks and carrots garnished with spinach.

Peasant-Style Vegetable Soup
Seoska juha od povraca

Caroline's soup had a great flavor. With everything pureed together it was smooth and the baby loved the left overs! This is a soup that can be used either as we had it - a prelude to a meal - or it could easily stand on it's own as a meal itself during a crisp fall day. Couple it with a heart bread and you have yourself a meal!

Course three was Joanne's Spinach, Pear and Pomegranate Salad with toasted walnuts and feta. Since pomegranate is hard to find this time of year, she substituted dried cranberries. The contrast of flavors and textures in this salad was really good - and I will say, I'd like to eat just the walnuts (toasted in olive oil) as a snack anytime!

Main course time came around and it was my turn. In selecting items, I wanted something different - that you wouldn't have every day, but still reflected meals the hubs would have back home. He tells stories of how they would frequently roast meat over a spit outside. Well, I wasn't going to build a spit in the backyard; however, slow roasted lamb is something not a lot of people cook and I thought it would be a treat to make for the group. The recipe I chose was Leg of Lamb Banovina Style (Banovacki janjeci but) which is leg of lamb seasoned by inserting slices of bacon, rosemary and garlic into small slits in the meat and then roasted at medium heat for about 2.5 hours. You serve it with a gravy and it suggested a potato side dish. Which I did Potatoes Braised with Spinach (Krumpir sa spinatom). Both of these recipes were from either the region he is from, or a neighboring region. I had him look at them in the cookbook and he said that yes, that would be something they would occasionally make there. So I was sure to be authentic!

Somehow I neglected to take a picture of our dessert, but let me tell you it was excellent! Kirsten treated us to a Hazelnut Cream Cake (Krem torta od ljesnjaka) and I brewed some Turkish Coffee (Turska kava) , we enjoyed dessert while watching our movie Harrison's Flowers -  about an American photojournalist who goes missing during the war in the early 1990's.

Of course, what dinner party isn't complete without wine? Croatian wine is hard to come by here, unless you order it from the internet and pay more for shipping than you do for the wine. I did, however, luck out and find a store in town that could get some Croatian red wine. We had this with our salad and main course. And, I bought some Cockta (a Croatian drink similar to Coca-Cola), which we made Bambus with. Bambus is a mix of part Cockta and part red wine. It sounds weird - but it's very good.

Hopefully by eating the food and watching the movie they learned a little more about that area of the world. And what it brings to the table!

The Lost Art of the Letter

I admit it, one of my TV shows is Family Jewels with Gene Simmons. I am not a KISS fan, but I am a Gene fan. Once you get past the fire eating, demon of death he's actually a pretty nice guy. I digress.

I watched an episode the other day (it was on demand, so probably a rerun from I don't know when) that really made me think about what a toll cyberspace has taken on our lives. Sure it's great for instant news on Lindsey Lohan's drunken escapades, and we can find out what's going on halfway around the world with us in the click of a button, but what about our ability to communicate?

In the episode I'm referring to Shannon (G's wife err... long time girlfriend of 20+ years and mother of his children) buys a writing desk and finds a stack of love letters inside. She goes on a quest to find the woman they are written to and return them to her. She finds the lady in a retirement home and returns the letter. The lady isn't really excited about the letters, but she tells Shannon that her favorite picture was with these letters, or maybe in a hat box somewhere... Shannon sets off on a needle in the haystack hunt for the picture.

She finds the buyer of the hatbox, and low and behold - there's the picture hidden inside in a little compartment! She returns the picture to the lady amid many tears from everyone around - see playmates and rock stars can be compassionate! We find out why the lady wasn't excited over the letters - her son is there and explains he's a prop master on movie sets and he wrote the letters using his parents names, addresses and a few true details to make them seem authentic on set. The desk Shannon bought was in some movie @ one point, and then he kept it for his mom - forgetting the letters were in there (who knew such detail went into a set, I mean those letters were probably never actually shot on camera).

But the whole time you're watching this show you are thinking these are real letters between real people. There have been books released about love letters between John & Abigail Adams, Ronald & Nancy Reagan, and many other famous people who corresponded when they were apart. The point to my blog today is that these things don't exist as much now that the Internet is taken over.

A deep heartfelt 3 page love letter has been replaced (many times) with a quick email or text saying Luv U, TTYL, etc. It's becoming rare that we even receive hand written letters or anything other than a signature inside a card at birthdays and holidays.

So, this is my long rant warning everyone that this year I'm going to be one of THOSE PEOPLE. You know, the ones where you roll your eyes because when you get their holiday card every detail of their lives are documented. Ha ha... well, maybe I won't document everything, but I do think I'll include a letter to most people giving them the scoop on what they missed out on this year. My living tribute to the lost art of the letter.

Travel Horror Stories

Admit it, you have one... we all do. A friend of mine recently travelled to Europe. Upon her way back she was screened at London's Heathrow Airport. Apparently, answering the questions honestly can get you in a bit of a security snafu. You see, they had packed their bags, but then checked them into their cruiseline's cargo hold. So when asked if her bags had been out of her possession at all, she said yes. Enter the land of security shut down and intense questioning. Add to this that she was traveling with 3 kids under the age of 12 and you can only imagine the chaos that ensued.

Whilst laughing at her Facebook post today, I couldn't help but think back on a few of my travel oddities. You know, that little black cloud that follows me around - it doesn't take vacation, even when I do. Sure none of mine are nearly as entertaining as hers, but I thought I'd share:

*Take for example my honeymoon. Following a lovely wedding the hubs and I were off to beautiful, sunny Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Little did we know we were arriving the first day of monsoon season.  Yes, you read that correctly. Gazing out of the windows of our plane I knew we were off to a lush tropical paradise, complete with sparkly water and sandy beaches. We arrived and it wasn't exactly what I had pictured, but I was still excited to explore around. Down to the dining room we go... we are told we cannot sit on the patio - because those big, grey clouds in the distance were headed our way. Fantastic seafood dinner, everything going great. Then the storm hit. Just as we were leaving. We waded through water waist deep to get to our stairwell. A cactus - yes, an actual cactus - floated by along the way. In the morning when we headed to the beach, we discovered a wasteland. You see, the monsoons wash out all the dried riverbeds right onto the beach. Just a quick dip in the ocean and you were covered with unimaginable filth. Note to self: do not go to the beach in P.V. during the first two weeks of July. We spent about 10 days there... the beaches were finally clean on day 9. Lovely.

*Example two comes a few years later. I am terrified of flying. It usually takes some sort of anxiety meds and/or a couple glasses of wine for me to fly. I had neither when we went to Disney World in 2004. I'd flown to Disney a couple times without incident. But for some reason, this particular trip I didn't fare too well. On the way home, looking out at the Gulf of Mexico between Orlando and New Orleans I freaked. I had a massive panic attack and was convinced I was traveling in the metal death trap. We were not scheduled to get off the plane when we stopped in the Big Easy... but I did. Our short flight home turned into a long drive in an overpriced rental. The hubs will never let me live that one down.

*Then there was the trip to Croatia in 2006. It was relatively uneventful. We flew on frequent flier miles, so our options on flights were limited to whatever they had for points. We had a 10 hour layover at JFK. The kids handled this ok. They surprisingly slept in the airport. But, when we went to check through security we had a lovely surprise. Apparently, middle child was flagged to be randomly searched. Umm... he was 3.5. What, you think the Mickey Mouse backpack he had filled with stuffed animals, books and dinosaurs was suspicious? We were actually accused for a few minutes of changing the information and trying to pass him off as the hubs. Umm... we gave you the birth dates upon booking. We have all the proper documentation. The security guard was baffled. She'd never heard of them having to search a toddler before. But, policy is policy. So before we knew it I was ushered over to a room to the side and my little boy was being asked to hold his arms and legs out while they patted him down. Another guard took every item out of his backpack one at a time, inspected the items, and then returned them. During the process a very solemn J looks at the guard and very seriously says, "I not dangerous. I Jonathan." A quote we will forever tease him with.

So those were the three stories that I could quickly remember. There are plenty of other ridiculous tales I could report, but in the interest of time and space I won't bore you. I would; however, love to hear your most interesting travel story!

Proud to be an American

For those of you who don't know, the hubs came here as a sophomore in high school for a one year stay as a foreign exchange student. His host family was kind enough to agree to sponsor him to stay longer. This turned into finishing his high school studies here, staying on for college, meeting the most wonderful, kind, loving woman in the world me and sticking around for good.

If you don't know the process, it can be long and tedious. I won't bore you with the details - just know that it's something that he started before we met. He got his green card just prior to our engagement in September of 2000 and went through the naturalization process from there. Fully becoming a citizen yesterday.

Those of us who were born here take many things for granted. We freely talk about how messed up our government is and what it should do differently. We get into heated debates with others who don't share our political viewpoints, without fear of punishment. Our military is not a mandatory organization in which armed men show up at the doors to take our sons, fathers, brothers, etc. into service. We can choose to worship (or not) whatever deity in whatever form we want and have no repercussions. And, most importantly every citizen over the age of 18 has the right to vote, whether they choose to or not, for whichever individual they feel is best for the job.

Yesterday, the hubs stood with a group of people from 23 countries - from all continents (except Antarctica, we're not letting the penguins immigrate) - and swore allegiance to the U.S.A. I posted on my facebook that he'd finally accomplished this. My friend, Audreya, joked that she was sending him a virtual serenade consisting of "The Star Spangled Banner," "Proud to be an American" and "God Bless America". This was fitting because looking over the program, these songs were played to the new citizens, as well as a welcome video from the President.

To me, and my odd patriotic ways, the timing couldn't have been better. We go into this weekend celebrating our country. It stands as a beacon to the rest of the world for freedom and democracy. For free enterprise and individuality. Hundreds of thousands have flocked to our shores because they believed in the greatness of this nation and the opportunity it had to offer. Another vast group of people - many of whom are/were immigrants, or their descendants - risked (and in many cases gave) their lives to preserve these freedoms that so many of us take for granted. Let us not forget that. Let us not forget them, or the blood, sweat and tears so many of them poored into making this country what it is.

This Independence Day - remember the meaning behind even the very name of the holiday... freedom from tyranny. The freedom that we take for granted here, regardless of what some pundints in the media will make you believe, is still sought after in many places around the world - and was gained by a roomful of people from 23 nations yesterday.

<--Me & The Hubs with the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, PA. January, 2009.

A work in progress....

So, as you can tell I've been MIA for a while. I'm currently testing new backgrounds for the blog. I'll return shortly with plenty to say. I mean, you didn't actually expect me to stay MIA while such things as the Gulf Oil Spill, World Cup, Swealtering Heat, etc. are occuring did you? I've got plenty to rant about, err... provide my $0.02.

See you soon!

Memorial Day - a Day of Reflection and Honor

As we head into this three day weekend, let's remember what it means. While we are enjoying a relaxing weekend full of graduation parties, bar-b-que's, and boating remember the millions in our history who have sacrificed themselves so that we could freely continue in a democratic society.

Stop and reflect on the colors of our flag - Red for courage, White for purity, Blue for honor. Memorial Day isn't just another day off from work, to sleep in. It's a day of reflection and thanks to those who sacrificed themselves for the cause - a cause bigger than themselves - a way of life.

Politics aside, whether you agree or disagree with our military involvement around the world I encourage you to join in at 3 p.m. on Monday, May 31, for the national moment of rememberance.

And if you see a member of our armed services, please take a moment to stop and thank them for what they do for us. If it weren't for them, you might not have the choice to agree or disagree with current events.

When Good Neighbors Go Bad

As many of you know, I am a hermit. I prefer it that way. I know a few people on my block and we get together fairly frequently for dinner, movies, drinks, etc. But we aren't all "up in your business". Days can pass without anything more than a text or random comment on a facebook page, or nothing at all. Just the way I like it.

Enter the neighbors across the street. For all I knew they were just like us, hermits who didn't venture out much. I vaguely knew what they looked like - didn't know their names. Didn't really care to. Just so long as they kept up their yard and stayed quiet, that's all I really care about.

Now, these this couple have dogs. I don't know what kind of dogs - some sort of english setter is what I'm guessing. They are pretty dogs. But, they are NOT controlled dogs. We'd heard reports from various folks on the block telling us that one of the dogs is aggressive. But we'd never had any experience with this. That is until recently.

As you know, the spousal unit is quite active. He's always running or biking, or doing some other physical activity that hermits like me think are senseless. The end of April, he was finishing a run when one of the dogs ran out and lunged at him in what we could politely refer to as an aggressive behaviour. If you are a runner or biker, you know that from time to time these things happen. You also probably know how to fend for yourself from said rabid dog. He yelled at it, kicked at it (didn't physically kick it, just made it think he would), etc. Dog went back home.

After his run, he went over and asked the owner to follow the leash laws. To which he was told (rather rudely) they would not. Since then he's had a couple convos about it, and found out that several other neighbors have also asked them to keep a handle on the dogs. I shot of a lengthy letter to my HOA reporting them for breaking ordinances - because you know, that's the passive aggressive type of thing I like to do. Fast forward to earlier this week.

Spousal Unit and Oldest Child are out running - she starts Cross Country conditioning in a few weeks. Don't want her to be too out of shape, so they've started running together in the evenings. This time dog goes after H. Now, I figure the hubs can fend for himself - but have a snarling, barking dog lunge at my child, and you've got problems.

The hubs confronted the neighbors again. Again he was told they wouldn't do anything about the situation. This time the speckled their response with profanity. Yep, for people who have such a pretty house, they obviously have no standard of decency.

So, last night Animal Control was by to take our statements. Another neighbor signed the petition. And at some point soon AC will be serving our lovely neighbors with a ticket. I have no idea how much the ticket will cost, but the AC officer informed me that if the dogs continued to run rampant in the street and jump on or at people they would loose their dogs. I don't want it to come to that. I have my own little diva dog over here that I'd hate to see anything happen to, but hopefully this will show the neighbors that we're serious and they need to get a handle on the situation.

BTW - these neighbors are known to report everyone in the neighborhood for stupid violations of HOA policies i.e. sign in the yard, grass an inch to high, etc. This should be an interesting summer.

This Shouldn't Hurt - You've Been Through Worse

First, let me say that I have a great optometrist office. In case you don't follow me on facebook, or if I haven't talked to you in a few days, you may not know that I am currently suffering an eye injury. Nothing too awful (although it sure felt that way Sunday night and all day yesterday). I have a corneal abrasion. These can be serious, but thankfully mine is located out of my field of vision so as long as I follow doctor's orders it shouldn't be more than just a healing process now.

I was outside a lot this weekend and apparently got something on/in my contact lens. (I hate the outdoors, and now I am reminded why.) My eyes were itchy when I took them out Sunday evening, but I really thought just getting the contacts out would improve them. It helped one eye - it hurt the other. As soon as the contact was out of my left eye, immense/excruciating pain began. I spent the evening with a series of compresses on my eye, and at one point debated if I should make Andre take me to the ER. I suffered through til morning and then called the 24 hour hotline at my optometrist's office. The doctor on call was nice enough to meet me at 7 a.m. to see what was going on in my eye. He confirmed that I did have a "corneal abrasion" a.k.a. tear to my  cornea. He medicated my eye and gave me some prescriptions for treatment and told me to come back today. Apparently corneal abrasions can be serious and they want to watch me pretty regularly to make sure no infection sets in.

So, today I go in and am being screened by the murse (yes, I mean murse, it was a man nurse - are they called nurses or assistants in an optometrist office?). Well, my murse is a nice guy. He's playing with child #3 and asking me how many kids I have, etc. He goes to put the dilating drops in my eye and says, "This shouldn't hurt. You've been through worse."

hmm.... it doesn't hurt, and having worn glasses/contacts since 5th grade I really am not afraid of anything going near my eye, but I though his comment was odd. Then he goes on to say "I mean, with three kids, you've been poked/prodded enough that a little dilation shouldn't be a big deal."

he he he... I thought of all kinds of dilation quips I could have made, but decided I'd just say them in my head instead of out loud. I hope I get the murse when I go back next week - he made my doomed vision a much more pleasant experience.

My Not So Handy Husband

I have to tell on the spousal unit... he wasn't what you'd call "handy" before we moved. However, since we've been out here he's taken on plenty of do it yourself projects. And, I have to admit, he's done a pretty good job with most of them. However, I've had two instances to laugh at him this week.

Rewind a bit to last fall. The Boy Scouts came around and winterized our sprinkler system. It was some sort of project for their troup, plus it was a fairly economical way to get this service done. And, since I'm typically a push over for nonprofit organizations involving kids we let them do it. Fast forward to about a week ago, and you have Andre de-winterizing the system. He tells me to pay attention to the sprinklers during the day to see if anything is acting up. Since we'd never had a system before we weren't real sure what we were doing... well, the sprinklers would pop up, but not water anything. We couldn't figure it out. We were getting ready to call someone and pay to have them look and see what "damage" the scouts had done.

Then, it hit me. Like a ton of bricks. Andre and I were taking a walk and I suddenly had a thought.
Me: "Umm... did the scouts turn off the water to the sprinklers?" Andre: "Yes. Why?" Me: "Did you turn the water back on when you reset the system?" Andre: stops walking, blank stare, odd smile creeps across his face "uh, we'll have to check that out when we get back home."

Crisis averted. Water turned back on, sprinklers working great now.

Now if only I'd been so thoughtful for the second instance. At some point during the winter, my neighbors were leaving my house and commented on how dark it was outside. Only our entrance light was working on the outside of the house. I commented that the other three bulbs had burned out and we'd replace them soon. Well, we went out to replace them and new bulbs didn't work. Since we are "garage people" meaning we are never outside after dark and always park in the garage, the idea of the lights has eluded me. Until Now. You see the warranty that came with the house is going to expire soon. We're quickly approaching the 1 year anniversary of the date we purchased this home, so the warranty we purchased will expire on that date. Since the cost of said warranty is no 3xs what we paid for it, we are not renewing. As you can imagine, I am getting my monies worth and having everything covered by the warranty repaired before it expires.

So, the lighting issue has been front and center on my mind. I got online last week and filed a claim for them to come out and fix it. Repair man comes out yesterday. He's outside 15 minutes, comes back in and says "You're all fixed up. That'll be $XX for your deductible." Me: "Umm... that was pretty quick" Repairman: "Yep. All your bulbs burnt up. And the middle one didn't have any juice runnin' to it." (Yes, I apparently had the one southern redneck repairman living out here, I felt like I was back in Arkansas.)

So, I paid my deductible and called the hubs. After a good laugh at the fact that we could have saved the deductible and probably had a nice date night with the money instead, we decided that it was worth it since neither of us would have known how to fix the "juice" without electrocuting ourselves. Bulbs on the other hand, we could have replaced fairly simply. However, that may be the last time I call out a repairman based of the hubs' info. Next time I'll probably check the bulbs myself.

Robin Hood - Not Your Average Man in Tights

So, as promised we went and saw Russell Crowe as Robin Hood: The Untold Story of How the Man Became a Legend this past weekend. I must admit, it was much better than I expected it to be, and not at all like Gladiator. With it starring Crowe and Ridley Scott directing, I really expected it to be Maximus in Medieval Times. While there were a few similarities, they were few and far between.

This is NOT the Robin Hood you grew up knowing. It is a different tale, showing Robin fighting as an archer in the crusades and then returning back to England to an oppressive government. I don't want to give out details and ruin the movie for you, but there is no past history between Robin & Maid Marion... they don't meet until after his return to England. Also, there is not a return of King Richard in this film. You see, he was killed in battle and Robin returns his crown to England, giving it to the Queen Mum who in turn crowns Prince John as the new ruler.

The story line is also left open at the end making room for a sequel later. I don't know how there would be a sequel, and don't know that Ridley Scott is really into making sequels out of his movies, but there is definitely room at the end to extend this story into a sequel if they so choose. The actors did a fantastic job. Crowe, as always, delivered his performance superbly. Cate Blanchette was a fantastic Marion. Each of the actors embodied their roles. I don't think I would have recast a single person in the film.

I do think this is a movie for the big screen. There were not as many fight scenes in it as I expected - it follows a story line fairly well, and doesn't have as much action as the trailers would make you think. But when they do fight, Scott does deliver his trademark fights of epic proportion. All and all I give the movie an A. Not necessarily one I'd see multiple times in the theatre, but one I will probably purchase once it's available.

My Return to the Movies - and a Glimpse at Robin Hood

I don't typically do movie reviews... I leave that up to Audreya. She is the movie buff, I am the foodie. However; the spousal unit and I have been anxiously awaiting the premier of Robin Hood. So will be providing you a full report either sometime over the weekend or first thing Monday morning. I am looking forward to this movie for a number of reason, least of which is the fact that this will be the first movie I've gotten to see in a theatre since New Moon debuted. I am a huge fan of movie theatres and the experience that comes with them. What better way to get reaquainted than with an action packed film?


You see, we (the spousal unit and me) are big fans of both Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott. In fact, our favorite movie is Gladiator. I have to be honest, part of me is hoping this movie isn't a reincarnation of Gladiator in midevil times. After all, it is the same actor and the same director. And in the trailor there are some striking similarities. There are also actors that intrigue me... For instance Scott Grimes (a.k.a. Dr. Archie Morris from ER) will be playing Will Scarlett. It is hard for me to picture Grimes as anyone other than the geeky doctor/pathological sperm donor from ER. It's also hard for me to picture Will Scarlett as anyone other than Christian Slater as I think that was probably Slater's best role ever.

I am thrilled; however, by Crowe playing Robin. True, I grew up on Kevin Costner's portrayal. But really, Robin Hood should have an accent. And of today's leading men with accents there is no better than Russell Crowe for this Role. Hugh Jackman or Gerard Butler were people I briefly thought about, but decided Crowe probably is the most likely to fully embody the character. Plus, I'm more likely to pay attention to the movie with Crowe than fantasize about Jackman, ahhh... I digress.

I apparently am not smart enough to figure out how to embed the movie trailer. So in case you live in a hole and haven't seen the trailer yet, you can click here to see "trailer #3" it's the most action packed trailer.

The Search for Footed PJ's

J has a love affair with footed pj's. Seriously. He would live in them if he could. Last fall I found a pair at Marshall's for $9. They were green fleece with weird little geikos all over them. That child wears them everytime they are clean... and I actually have to swipe them away when he's not looking to throw them in the wash.

In fact, it's not uncommon for him to have "lazy days" (what I always referred to as days when I wouldn't get dressed growing up, rather lounging in my pj's) when he's not in school. So, needless to say his geiko pj's now have no feet. His toes are sticking out. H laughs at him and calls him a hobo. Chaos ensues (because of course, J does not like to be called a hobo).

So being the wonderful mom that I am, I have been searching the internet far and wide to find replacement pj's. We are in spring. Most of the world is warm. Footed pj's are nowhere to be found. Well, I take that back... I can find them for $50/pair. hmmm.... I love my kids, but $50 for a pair of camo footed pj's seems a little ridiculous.

I guess he'll just continue to go around looking like a hobo until fall comes back around. Please don't report me to the bad mom patrol.

Bathroom Countertops Held Hostage

Isn't it just my luck that my renovations would be as ADD as I am? For about the last month we've been redoing various rooms in our house. As I've mentioned before, the floors in this place were awful. And the bathrooms were carpeted - which to me is just too bizarre.

So, we pulled up the carpet and have installed tile in each bathroom. Of course, it couldn't be that simple. New floors call for new paint, right? And, the half bath downstairs had a hideous vanity in it which also called for replacing. (Pictures will follow soon, I promise).

During the course of doing all this, we decided we'd go ahead with the second phase of the new floors: hardwoods in the downstairs. Eventually we'll need either new carpet or hardwood upstairs too, but having to live within our budget we are just doing downstairs for now. The downstairs floor is on order and hopefully within the next month will be completed.

Now, the plan in the masterbath was to put new floors and also redo the countertop. My new floors are black marble, and the new wall color is a light grey. Needless to say, the green laminate countertop that is in there doesn't quite match. So, the plan was to purchase a kit from Lowe's to refurbish the countertops ourselves. I read the reviews this sounded fairly simplistic and for now the most effective way to update both my bathroom and the kids bathroom countertops (theirs are a hideous blue) without spending a ton of money.

Well, that was the plan. Until Sunday. Sunday morning I was changing the trash bag in the kitchen when I noticed a leak. Yep, there was a leak under the sink. Got to looking around and decided it was from the dishwasher. Out comes the repairman on Monday. Guess what? New dishwasher needed. So, it looks like my bathroom countertops have been hijacked. Since nobody ever sees the upstairs bathrooms except for those of us who live here, we figure if given the choice a dishwasher is the more necessary part of life vs. new countertops.

So, long story short - my bathroom renovations are being held hostage until further notice. But my 10 year old dishwasher should soon be replaced by a new one. The hubs and I can stop yelling at eachother, or turning the TV up to high volume when dishes are being done. And possibly a sense of normalicy will follow. Or, as normal as can be for this family.

Just When I Thought I'd Heard It All...

I read this article. Really, you must read it. It is hilarious. Gives me one more reason not to watch porn. Because, you know, I could end up with a kid that's not my husbands. Seriously... that 3D stuff is very freaky. Apparently now it can not only jump off the screen at you, but it can also impregnate you.

All kidding aside, I think this speaks volumes of the stupidity running rampant in our society today. I am hoping this is an urban legend gone awry and not too many people actually believe this. But, hey, it was a comical read. And, I did need a laugh.

I have not died or taken a leave of absence...

I just currently am too ADD to finish a blog topic. I have started 3 new posts since last you heard from me. I just can't seem to finish one. Sorry! Maybe something fun and gossip worthy will strike tonight while I'm at a Junior League meeting. Some of the women are always good for a story - even if I have to creatively change their names to protect them. So stay tuned. I promise to return soon. :)

Wednesday Recipe: Bajadere

Around Christmas time I found a couple Croatian cookbooks online and ordered them. Andre and I have been married for almost 9 years, and I've never cooked anything from his native country so figured it would be a nice gesture to have a couple cookbooks with recipes he grew up with translated into English.

While looking through the book, he came across a recipe for Bajadere (a.k.a. Chocolate Walnut Bars) and asked me if I'd try to make this sometime. Looking at the recipe, I thought it looked difficult and didn't really want to risk it. But, this weekend we had a baptism at church and everyone was supposed to bring a Croatian dish, so I decided it was time to attempt it. Surprisingly, it was fairly easy to make. The transcription from "The Best of Croatian Cooking, Expanded Edition" follows:

This is a very easy and economical recipe to make. It is served in small thin slices, as it is very rich! The alternating layers make this recipe look more difficult than it is. A great addition to your holiday treats selection! Once you make these you will definitely do so again! The name actually comes from that of a famous layered chocolate treat produced by Croatia's top chocolate company.

Not exactly the "small thin bars" the recipe says to cut it

 in, but you get the general idea.

Makes approx. 4 dozen

Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4  cup (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, creamed
3 cups ground tea biscuits
3 cups ground walnuts
3 squares (3 ounces) semisweet chocolate, grated
1 teaspoon rum extract (optional)

Glaze
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp butter
6 squares (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate
chopped walnuts (optional)

In a medium-sized pot, bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add sugar, simmering until thickened slightly. Then add the butter, tea biscuits, and ground walnuts. Mix all ingredients well, until dough forms. Remove from heat and divide into 2 equal halves. Knead the grated chocolate and rum extract into one of the halves of dough.

Press the chocolate dough into a greased 11x13" baking dish. Sprinkle some water on your hands to keep the dough from sticking to them. Spread the lighter batter on top of the chocolate, press eveningly covering chocolate.

GLAZE: in a small saucepan on the stovetop heat the milk, sugar and butter. When the butter has melted add the chocolate squares. When the glaze is smooth, pour over top of the dough in the baking dish. Sprinkle finely chopped walnuts over top. Refigerate for at least 2 hours. cut into small thin bars.

The recipe was surprisingly  easier than I thought it was going to be, but it did take a little while to put together. Like it says, it is very rich. However, it is not very sweet. It is definitely something we will make again, but not something I'd necessarily want to have all the time. For these reasons I'm giving it a rating of B. Hope you enjoy!