Christmas vacation starts early!

Well, the kids were home today a day early on their Christmas break because we got a foot of snow!

so after the hubby dug us out!

 I decided to bake the Kolachki cookies I usually bake every year with my mom. It wasn't easy, but I felt it neded to be done, we've done it every year for the past 14 years. She was so funny with me sometimes, she was over here alot and would often just watch me. She liked to watch me cook or scrapbook, and I sometimes feel here here now watching me. Mom was a very anal retentive person. We would bake these cookies all day on the Saturday before Christmas. We would joke around on how we should have our own food network show. We had a funny banter between the two of us, and I missed that this year. When we were all done mom would pack my dad's cookie tin. Packing this tin was something she did as she did all things with the utmost love. She would go through all the cookies and find the most perfect ones and would select those for dad. So I packed the tin for him this year, I hope he can try and enjoy them.

That's actually me talking to dad as I am baking . Tiff's comming tomorrow to help make more, she has volunteered me to make some for some family friends of ours. She's good like that! She had better not celebrate too much tonight at that Christmas party, or else I may be a little grumpy to work with tomorrow! 

I have to share the pooch, Lanny keeps putting her Dog on so I had to get Tucker on the blog too!

 

 So, now I think I'll sit here and drink some hot cider and take a nap!

The " funny" thing about movies .....

Warning long post and lots to view! Don't forget to turn off playlist player.

One of the reasons I wanted to start this blog was not to talk just about scrapbooking, but from the design of the blog (and if you read my bio)you gotta figure I LOVE movies! I love eveything about them. For some people it's reading that can transport them to different places and times. They can experience the wonders of different countries and exotic places. Well, that's one of the things movies does for me. I enjoy watching a GOOD movie over and over again. I love to pick up little things that I didn't catch the first time. I love to watch the acting and see how lost the actors become, that I cannot tell thay are ACTing!I planned on blogging alot about movies here, sharing my excitement and passion for performances that I found spectacular.

But, frankly there hasn't been much to rave about. Let's face it movies are expensive, who wants to waste their time? I amjust so dissappointed in what has been out there.

Today I was supposed to see a movie and we had the theatre wrong. So, my friend and I went home made popcorn, and popped in a movie I had rented that I hadn't watched yet. the movie... Step Brothers!

The movie case exclaims....." The funniest movie I've seen this year!" "Eternally funny... but, subly touching!"
This movie was CRAP! There I have said it, CRAP, Thank God I didn't waste movie theatre money on this junk!

Here's my Big problem with the description of funny movies latley...... Hillarious should mean EXTREMELY FUNNY! I would expect to laugh out loud from my gut! slap my knee and bend forward in my seat and stop my foot! That is Not what is happening to me. To me the funny movies are ones that I have just found on cable or on demand. Two of the funniest movies I have found in the last year... The Rocker and Just Friends. I recently saw Australia Reviews were so-so , but I went to see something that was reported to be visually appealing and epic like. Not so. The movie was so visually boring it put me to sleep. The entire first hour and a half didn't even need to be in the movie, that would have cut down the agony considerably. The movie couldn't decide if it wanted to be Peter Pan, Sophies Choice, Out of Africa, or The Wizard of Oz. Don't waste your time. Looking forward to the 25th of December hopefully they are just saving the best for last! Found these clips of the best movie moments, not all my favorites are on there, but these movies are all worth seeing. Gangs of New York is not for the weak stomach though, so beware or fast forward.

Missing the Hallmark Lady

I am missing the Hallmark Lady. This time of year is so hard everything I am doing right now we would be doing together. My mom always loved buying gifts for people, but maybe more than that she loved to wrap the presents for the recipient. NooneEVER got a reused wrap from her. You always got something beautifully wrapped, picked out special just for you. I liked to call her the Hallmark Lady because, well she used to work there and she loved shopping at hallmark and as I said in my eulogy she sent Hallmark cards for every occassion imaginable, even the 4th of july! This year I missed laughing and arguing with her over who had the scissors and wether or not I could get her to use the tape holder you wear on your hand !

Ella helped me with some of it, it was sad to hear her say " This is how Grandma taught me to do it mom". I look back over the past year and as these times come up I think back to our conversations or hear the kids talk and tell me things she told them and I can feel that she was preparing us for the fact that she might not be here. The fact that she showed Ella how to wrap or the last time she made stuffed cabbage she wanted to show me how. I wished I would have paid more attention at the time, but I never wanted to believe that she was really that sick. I'm trying to enjoy the holidays, but it's hard I've got to keep it going for the kids sake. I feel like the last year just flew by so quickly, we were so busy keeping her moving forward and getting her to the wedding.
This week I'm going to try to slow down a bit, try to be quiet ( if you know me that's gonna be HARD) and to try to be thankful for all the memories and giftsthat last year gave us.

I have spent alot of time, and money in our local Hallmarks lately, missing mom, but also feeling close to her. How she loved picking out wrapping, cards and envelopes and course... they were all matching! So this year I went all out with the hallmark wrapping, in honor of the kindest, most thoughtful person I've ever met!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Golden Globe nominations!

I'm so excited it is officially awards season! I love this time of year. We are now in the thick of the OSCAR movie season and today the Golden Globe nominations came out. http://movies.aol.com/golden-globes/nominee-winnerNo big shocking upsets that I can tell. However, if Tom Cruise was ever going to get an Oscar this was the year and it would have been for Tropic Thunder. I was not a fan of that movie, but his performance was spectacular. The problem I see is that Heath Ledger is also nominated for the GG and if this a fortelling of the Oscars the golden statue will go to Heath. Hands down that young man performed his @%& off!

I am currently working on a Oscar scrapbooking project and will show after the Holidays when I reveal my next CONTEST!!!!!!!

For your viewing pleasure some of my Favs of the season! I am a little troubled by James Franco's nomination for Pineapple Express and not Milk? Seems like an error. I was also surprised that Brad Pitt wasn't nominated for Burn After Reading. He was fabulous in that movie. Yes, he was VERY easy on the eyes, but he was also so endering and sweetly innocent and Dang funny. One of the better movies I have seen this year. Quirky, but what do you expect from the Cohen brothers, but also fiercely clever. Definatley worth renting.