Favorite Flick Friday

Well, I really thought that I would be blogging all week. Visiting my grandparents sometimes allows me to have a LITTLE bit of time to do something I enjoy like reading or blogging, but I really can't believe how fast the days are going.


But, in order to not fail my second week out, I am staying up after my girls go to bed JUST so you all can have a movie suggestion. Let's all take a collective sigh of relief, shall we? Ahhhh. You really were wondering what to do with your weekend without my movie suggestions, weren't you?

And because my image button all the sudden isn't working, you will have to do without a picture. *sigh*

MOVIE: You've Got Mail

ACTORS: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan

RATED: PG

YEAR: 1998

GENRE: Romantic Comedy

WHAT'S THE SCOOP: This movie is a modern day love story via chat rooms. It follows two strangers in New York City who become best of friends after meeting on the Internet. Ironically, they meet each other in real life without knowing their true identities and are somewhat mortal enemies.

FAVORITE CHARACTER: Joe Fox. I'm telling you.....I must have a thing for Tom Hanks. He is hilarious. The way he delivers lines. So great.

FAVORITE LINE:

Joe Fox: The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making abilities whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.

WHY I LOVE THIS MOVIE: The idea that two people can fall in love without knowing anything about the other person except their deepest thoughts and the longings of their heart......that's something that appeals to everyone, I think. Who wants to watch a story of two people creating a life based on pure physical attraction? I think that's called porn. Or maybe that's too harsh? But, regardless, I love that they talk about things they don't share with anyone else. It's the stuff that brings them together and the stuff that challenges their beliefs about everything else.

I also like how Kathleen Kelly lives in New York City and yet they manage to portray her area of the city as "small town." Where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came. Wait.....that's something else. You actually begin to believe that you can have a small town experience living in the heart of NYC. Kind of a fun feeling. And for those who romanticize the city of New York, it is even more appealing. New York, I heart you.

Sweet story. Funny. And, well, TOM HANKS! I love him. Truly.

Okey doke! Rent it, buy it, borrow it. Whatever. See this movie. It's cute.

Favorite Flick Friday

There's nothing more fun on a Friday night than getting in our comfy clothes and watching a movie. It feels like a finality to the week and a ringing bell signaling the beginning of the weekend.


Awesome.



We are big movie buffs. I mean BIG.


Knowing that we were moving into a smaller place and wall space would be limited, I made the executive decision that we couldn't afford to take up any of that space with shelves filled to the brim, holding over.....wait for it.....700 hundred movies. Well over.


We got rid of some, but there are a number of reasons we continue building our giant collection.


One reason is we simply love movies. We watch them as a quiet date at home. We watch them when we are sick and need to rest in bed. We watch them on our many trips to and from Omaha to visit family.


But, another reason is money. I know that sounds weird. But, truthfully......money. Especially now that we have kids, it is a much cheaper date to pick up Chick-fil-a and watch one of our many movies than to pay for a sitter, pay for dinner AND pay for movie tickets. In fact, most times we just wait and buy the movie if we are interested in it when it is in the theater. Hence the large movie collection. And we have accepted that.




All this being said, I have decided to feature one of these movies on my blog every Friday. Some are obscure, some are old and some are brand spanking new. They won't be all one genre and if you aren't a movie buff, well.....consider skipping my blog on Fridays. If you ARE a movie buff, then enjoy! Maybe consider buying the movie yourself or call us up for a loaner!



Here we go!






Actors: Tom Hanks, Shelley Long


Year: 1986


Genre: Comedy


What's the scoop: A young couple buys, what they think, is the house of their dreams. Gorgeous, outside New York City limits and HUGE. And for such a great price! Not long after moving in, things begin to fall apart. Literally. This movie is HILARIOUS. Funny lines. Funny characters. Just plain funny.


Favorite Character: Walter; I don't know if he is my favorite because he has all the best lines and the GREATEST movie laugh of all time (seriously.....seriously. I laugh just thinking about it) or if it is because it is Tom Hanks. And really....he is funny. I like him a lot.


Favorite Line: (this was particularly challenging seeing as this movie is so freaking hilarious)


Looking at the turkey that has flown through the window and landed in the tub in the bathroom.


Anna: Well, the turkey's done.


Walter: So's the kitchen. In fact, it's a little overdone for my taste. Let's not go there again.


Why I love this movie: Well, besides the fact that it has Tom Hanks....have I mentioned it's hilarious? It is best viewed with a couple friends or maybe a husband who likes to laugh with you.



Allright....that's it for my first Friday Flick post.



Want to watch it? Give me a call. Or better yet....buy your own copy here. You won't regret it!

Regrettably Kind

Am I the only mom who sometimes regrets being nice to their kids? Like....I arrange something really nice (aka messy...and quite a lot of work for ME) for Miriam to do and then she ruins it by disobeying me or whining.

Sometimes I think to myself, "Why do I even try?"

I mean, come on. I NEVER whine and am ALWAYS satisfied. Isn't everyone? Sense the sarcasm.

But, nevertheless, I get pretty frustrated when I set up Miriam's art easel on the back porch and 30 minutes later I am yelling....er....explaining to her why she can't play with her paints anymore as I scrub paint off of her entire body and then subsequently, the bathtub, sink, cabinets and anywhere else she was standing.

But...I am mom. And I still like to see her do things she enjoys.

Or maybe it's the fact that she will sit still for more than 3 1/2 minutes in concentration.

Or that for a moment in time, I am able to hear myself think.







Or it could be because while she is so intently painting, I am able to sneak away and go to the bathroom with the door closed! *GASP*




But, inevitably, I am brought back to the reality of my life when I notice my child has toxic paint on her lips because she was kissing her horse as she was painting it.




And then it's time to put the paints away and the whining commences.







And I regret being nice.

Just a little bit.

List

It was the best of friends....it was the worst of friends. It was a fish. And her name was "List."

As in....grocery list.

She won her at the carnival. Seriously. A two year old managed to make a tiny, bouncy ping pong ball go in the exact right spot.

And this was her prize...

She showed her to everyone who visited.

Tragically, one evening I noticed List looking a little listless. Pun clearly intended.

At first we weren't going to tell her. We were going to make the typical parental move of replacing her before Miriam even noticed. But, slowly......List drifted towards the filter....and then INTO the filter.

Yep. There was no hiding it now. I had to break the news.

She did pretty good. There were tears shed. Dances danced to "sad songs that help me be sad." A couple of questions like, "When Daddy gets home, can he fix her and help her swim again?" All in all, she took it like a girl. Lots of drama.

"Goodbye, List," she said. "You were a good friend."







And she really wanted to help Daddy flush List down the toilet.








And they had a toilet-side chat about exactly what happened to her beloved List.

But, in typical Miriam fashion, she then asked me for a new fish.

A BLUE fish.

And she shall call it....Breaka.

Windows and Toilets and Walls, Oh My!!!

We MOVED!!!

After about a month long search for the perfect place, we landed it and took off running, or rather, packing.

Seeing as we were not moving back into our townhouse, I had been praying for quite sometime that the Lord would lead us to the right place. He did.....and we are assured of that after two failed attempts at signing a lease previously.

The first place we applied was a sweet little townhome. It was older and Daniel honestly wasn't that thrilled with it, but I thought it was so cute. After waiting and waiting....and waiting (and with unanswered messages from the landlord), I finally tracked down the currant tenant who informed us that a lease had already been signed. Which, unfortunately, means that we paid a pretty hefty application fee for the guy not to consider us. Frustrating, but I was still confident that God was in control of it.

Next place we found was exactly what we wanted and more. We had a final walk through with the landlord (who had JUST purchased the foreclosed property) and after a couple of small things I pointed out to my husband, I watched as he silently walked through the place. That crease between his eyebrows got deeper and deeper. His arms slowly folded in place across his chest and he got quiet. And that's when I knew we wouldn't be living in this place either. You see, with Daniel's background in real estate and the small flaws I pointed out to him, he had formed some suspicions that later came to be true.

There were holes in the walls.

The ceiling fan blades were missing.

In one of the bedrooms, an electrical box was installed for extra power. But, it was installed rather carelessly and there were large holes with thick cords hanging out.

So, he pulled me into one of the rooms where he said, " I'm pretty sure this place was used to grow marijuana."

The owner was shocked because none of that was disclosed to him just 2 days ago when he closed on the place.

We left, did our own research and after speaking to a police officer regarding the place, it was confirmed. Not only did they grow marijuana, but they grew it in tubs which flooded and overflowed into the unit below. Can we say mold?

So, leaving the complex pretty disappointed, I was complaining to Daniel about how I had been praying about this for so long. We noticed a brand new sign for a unit, called them on our way, turned around, walked through it and signed a lease. THAT FAST. It was awesome. And now.......


We have windows.....

And toilets......

And walls.....

Oh my!!!

It may seem weird to some that I prayed so diligently over finding a place to live. But, there were a few factors that were extremely important to us.

One...the price. Two...the size. And three....we needed to be able to stay there a long time. Probably until we are bursting at the seams.

The Lord led us to the perfect place. We love it. And we get excited over things that most people probably wouldn't. Like being able to watch movies without headphones and with the lights on after our girls go to bed.

Or windows.

And toilets.

And walls.

A little bit of this...a little bit of that....

Life has continued in the time since I have blogged last. And it's been filled with.....

A little bit of this....

And a little bit of that....

Some of this.....




And some of that....

A tad bit of this....

And a tad bit of that....

Some of this....

Some of that...

A little of this....

And a little of that...

And of course some of this....

And then some of that....

Commence the blogging!

Here are the three factors that bring me back to the blogging world;

1. I have a working computer now.

2.

Nevermind. That was the only one.

I'm back. And I've got lots to tell you.

Commence the blogging!