Movies ...

THE BUCKET LIST is everything you expect, and then some. One of the best movies we've seen all year.

DADDY DAY CAMP cutsey flick, made me LOL 3x.

P.S. I LOVE YOU was also a great movie. HIGHLY recommended! I'm even gonna read the book.

JUNO good. But you knew that already. Somewhat unrealistic. The main character is waaaay more mature than ANY teen I know, which kind of makes it unrealistic.

DAN IN REAL LIFE surprised me. I thought it was gonna be stupid, it was actually a great story. Kind of edging on one of those 'groundhog day - esque' in that the mail character kind of gets kicked in the head repeatedly (which annoys me) ... but overall, good.

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR is an ABSOLUTE MUST SEE.

NEARING GRACE - I've always loved David Morse ... his broken leg has finally healed (lol) ... This is one of those movies that completely 100% takes you out of yourself, in into their lives. I loved it.

braless boob bouncing arm flailing crazy woman

I was having a good, lazy day. Never even bothered to put shoes or a bra on yesterday. I hate bras. Minding my own business. I went outside to smoke. One of our cats came out when I did.
As I sit down & light up, a pair of birds start chirping. Flying around together - bouncing around inside the branches of our lilac bush. Together, they're playing. Play-boxing, flirting, playing tag ... I don't know. They're practically on top of each other, making lots of noise, obviously having an awesome time on the first day of summer.
But I've seen this before. I know what happens next.
The pair of birds lands in the road at the end of our driveway. My cat that came outside with me is crouching now - in attack mode. I yell at the cat - she ignores me - as I knew she would, so I go running down the driveway. I MUST reach the happy birds before the cat does. Barefoot & braless, I'm running, flailing my arms, yelling at the birds: "go-on! - git! - get out of here!" She didn't pounce in time. I scared the shit out of the pair of birds. They flew off screaming obscenities at me in Spanish. I smile, knowing I have saved the birds from a truly painful death, I pivot to lecture the cat & head back to my cigarette. It was then that I saw our mailman, staring, jaw dropped. So naturally, I see the hilarity of it all & I start laughing ... which I'm sure added to his curiosity about my level of sanity - & whether or not he'd be safe walking up our driveway to deliver the mail.
Dor's outside now. I tell her the story - through my bursts of uncontrolled giggling - my head shaking back & forth - "I don't know if he's going to deliver the mail today." I tell her. We're sitting together now, smoking, as he slowly, cautiously walks up the driveway. He reaches us, hands Dor the mail (even though I had my hand out). He looks scared. Dor says to him: "She's not really a crazy person, she just plays one on TV." And we all shared a good laugh.

Last 2 weekends ... home movies

My Weekend
It started with a phone call.
"Hi, Barbra? ... you don't know me, but I'm your cousin!"
How cool is THAT?!
It's one of those things - you can never know how it feels, unless it's happened to you. Tingles all over!
We started with e-mails. Then we planned to meet. Then we had to cancel. Then we planned to meet again. And we had to cancel again.
Being persistent runs in the family, so we planned to meet again. This time everyone made it. It's always nerve-wracking, meeting new people, but I felt pretty comfortable with them. They're very down-to-earth ... and they made me laugh. I'm looking fowrawd to our next get-together. We're gonna bring the kids to Hoffman's Playland! It's strange to think, we were probably there at the same time as kids, but we didn't know it.. And now, we get to bring our kids there together. Hoffman's rocks. I'd like to open one here. :-)
Then today I went to my nieces softball game.
Everyone was dripping with sweat. 90 freakin degrees holy shit kind of hot. Wow.
My niece rocks! She's a softball natural!
Had to stop for gas on my way back home. The sign said 'please prepay' so I headed in. Dude at the gas pump called my name. I turn. I don't recognise him at all. My mind starts stumbling through the memories that are not purple hazed over - nope - still no clue. So I say: "Who are you?" He says "Eric Hough". Holy shit! I say. OMG we haven't seen each other since high school. He said he was gettin by ok, I said the same. We both said "it was good to see you". and a couple of other pleasantries ... it really was good to see him.
This kind of thing just doesn't happen to me a lot -- mostly because I moved away from my hometown 20 years ago -- but it was really cool.

Daddy Longlegs

A father watched his young daughter playing in the garden. He smiled as he reflected on how sweet and pure his little girl was. Tears formed in his eyes as he thought about her seeing the wonders. Suddenly she just stopped and stared at the ground. He went over to her to see what work of God had captured her attention.He noticed she was looking at two spiders mating.'Daddy, what are those two spiders doing?' she asked.'They're mating,' her father replied.'What do you call the spider on top?' she asked.'That's a Daddy Longlegs,' her father answered. 'So, the other one is a Mommy Longlegs?' the little girl asked. As his heart soared with the joy of such a cute and innocent question he replied, 'No dear. Both of them are Daddy Longlegs. The little girl, looking a little puzzled, thought for a moment, then took her foot and stomped them flat, saying 'Well, we're not having any of that brokeback mountain shit in OUR garden.'Brings a tear to your eye...doesn't it?

I don't know who wrote this one, but I love it!

Moral of the Story.

The teacher gave her fifth grade class an assignment: Get their parentsto tell them a story with a moral at the end of it.The next day the kids came back and one by one began to tell theirstories.There were all the regular type stuff, spilled milk and pennies saved.But then teacher realized, much to her dismay, that only Ernie was left."Ernie, do you have a story to share?""Yes ma'am. My daddy told a story about my Aunt Karen.She was a pilot in Desert Storm and her plane got hit. She had to bailout over enemy territory and all she had was a flask of whiskey, apistol and a survival knife. She drank the whiskey on the way down sothe bottle wouldn't break and then her parachute landed right in themiddle of twenty enemy troops. She shot fifteen of them with the gun until she ran out of bullets,killed four more with the knife, till the blade broke, and then shekilled the last enemy with her bare hands.""Good Heavens" said the horrified teacher "What kind of moral did yourdaddy tell you from this horrible story?""Stay the F--k away from Aunt Karen when she's drinking.

I don't know who wrote this - but I think it's hilarious!

cows and kegs

My neighbor is over today. We get to talkin about the price of gas. She mentions how the truckers are just gonna stop. Then nothing will be available. Good goddamn thing I started a fucking garden this year.

I'm thinkin: I know how to live like they did on Little House on the Prairie... Then Dor says - ya, no milk in the stores ... and then Pam says "no beer" Holy crap!

That's when we decided to buy a cow.

And a few kegs.

Seriously though.

What stuff will be totally unavailable if truckers stop truckin'?

No Country For Old Men

We watched No Country For Old Men tonight.

i get the message

but

this movie takes the cake

for having the WORST ending of ANY movie I've EVER SEEN in my LIFE!

Seriously. No closure, WHATSOEVER.

which was the cohen brothers' intent - to add to the films message

but that's not why I watch movies.

I prefer happy endings

& even a sad ending is okay now & then

but NO ENDING?

I swear, we both threw up our arms when the end credits started -

and said

whatthefuck.

got this in an email

John the farmer was in the fertilized egg business. He had several
> hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets', and ten roosters,
> whose job it was to fertilize the eggs.
> >
> > The farmer kept records and any rooster that didn't perform went
> > into the soup pot and was replaced. That took an awful lot of his time,
> > so he bought a set of tiny bells and attached them to his roosters.
> > Each bell had a different tone so John could tell from a distance which
> > rooster was performing. Now he could sit on the porch and fill out
> > an efficiency report simply by listening to the bells.
> >
> > The farmer's favorite rooster was old Butch, a very fine specimen
> > he was, too. But on this particular morning John noticed old Butch's
> > bell hadn't rung at all! John went to investigate. The other roosters
> > were chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing. The pullets, hearing the roosters coming,

would run for cover.
>
> >
> > But to Farmer John's amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak,
> > so it couldn't ring. He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk
> > on to the next one. John was so proud of old Butch, he entered him
> > in the Renfrew County Fair and he became an overnight sensation among
> > the judges.
> >
> > The result...
> >
> > The judges not only awarded old Butch the No Bell Piece Prize but
> > they awarded him the Pulletsurprise as well. Clearly old Butch was
> > a politician in the making -- who else but a politician could figure
> > out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on our planet by
> > being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them
> > when they weren't paying attention.
> >
> > Vote carefully this year...the bells are not always audible!

No Country For Old Men

We watched No Country For Old Men tonight.
i get the message
but
this movie takes the cake
for having the WORST ending of ANY movie I've EVER SEEN in my LIFE!
Seriously. No closure, WHATSOEVER.
which was the cohen brother's intent - to add to the films message
but that's not why I watch movies.
I prefer happy endings
& even a sad ending is okay now & then
but NO ENDING?
I swear, we both threw up our arms when the end credits started -
and said
whatthefuck.

That's when I knew.

Two days after my friend passed away it started. I got new orders, & re-orders every day, for a week straight. Usually I get a few orders a month - a few new accounts, and a few re-orders. It could have been coincidence, but it sure didn't feel like like coincidence. I was running out of cards.

I always ask retailers how they heard of us, whether they're calling for a catalog or placing an order - to find out which of our advertising methods is working best. On one of the new orders I got that week, I asked the woman: "How'd you hear of us?" She said: "It was the strangest thing ... I wasn't even looking for greeting cards -- I was looking for candles..." That's when I knew. (We are not associated with any candle sites - not so much as a link.)

I called my friend's sister & asked if anything weird was going on there too. She told me several different things ... important items that had been lost, reappearing ... the kids hearing her voice through the computer speakers ... widower & his new girlfriend having the shit scared out of them when huge pots fall off of the stove & go crashing to the floor for no reason... (which I found hilarious because I can totally see my friend doing that & laughing).

When we lose someone, we like to think they're in heaven, enjoying the all-you-can-eat buffet, their favorite music, friends, family, peace & love all around them ...

If when we leave our earthly bodies, we're given a choice, to go on up, or stick around & help out ... or just be mischevious for a while, I KNOW my friend chose to stick around.

A Perfect Night - a simple night - An Appreciated Night

I lost an old friend 2 weeks ago. One of my best friends from high school. I never saw it coming. I had removed myself from my hometown.

We stayed in touch sporadically over the years. Time did fly by though. I know we both thought of each other more than we talked, but we tried. She called me 2 months ago out of the blue. We talked about life & family ... children & God. Before hanging up she said she loved me. I told her I loved her too.

This isn't supposed to happen to 41 year old moms. It really threw me for a loop.

Tonight we had us, our 2 teenagers, my daughter, her 2 babies, my sister in law, and her 2 kids over. An evening full of screaming, diapers, crying, running, Smores, and Lincoln Log mansions.

With all of it's imperfections, it was a perfect night.

I know who killed me

Thinking it was a different movie, we accidentally watched I Know Who Killed Me with Lindsay Lohan. I don't generally watch psycho-thriller-blood-n-gore-murder movies ... mostly because the edge-of-your-seat thing bugs me. For me, it feels like anxiety - plain & simple. I don't enjoy anxiety.

That being said, I did enjoy the end story ... the twist made this one special.

However ... movie-watchers are a saavy bunch. We know when we're being cheated. The editors screwed up blatantly in part of the movie, where the star has already lost a limb, yet -- POOF -- her sleeve is loose & there it is! And lots of dark, motion-filled scenes made me think ... geez, they're making me use my imagination a little too much here. THEY"RE supposed to be telling the story. Almost as though they didn't have enough cash to build a proper set.

Some of the scenes were too long & drawn out, while other important ones were over in the blink of an eye.

So ... ya.

Not thrilled with this one.

Treasure Hunting Grown-Ups!

Treasure Hunting Grown-Ups!

Last summer we discovered Geocaching.

Awesome.

It was a good day.

Took Nora to visit my dad today in NY. On our way we stopped in to see my friend Donna. Nora was thrilled. She talked about Donna & Donnas birthday & how she thinks big girls should have parties too & Donna's necklace for 10 minutes straight.

Dad was really happy to see Nora. He got a really big hug from her before she took off running for the play room (which used to be my room). We chatted a bit, then dad had me help him take down some of the storm windows on the back porch & carry them to the shed at the back of the yard. It's < a half acre, but it seemed strangely larger today. Probably because Nora was roaming around freely out there - and it made me realize how good I had it as a kid.

Behind the shed is ... woods ... as far as you can see. So many memories - all seasons. Deer. Dangerous sledding. Hiking. Forts. Tree climbing - sap always - stuck to my palms. Our pets are buried back there. Nora asked (pointing to the woods): "Can I go in there?" "Sure!" I said. As I followed her around, she explored the wonder of the spring woods. Branches cracking under her feet. Tripping. Laughing. Leaves. Things to look inside & underneath & up at. We were in heaven.

She found an old plastic sit-on airplane toy thing - we dragged it out of the woods, hosed it off, emptied it of the water that had infiltrated it - and she sat down. She sat on it for a minute - thinking. Then she said: "Burpy ... I don't know how to fly the airplane in the sky." I did my best to explain that it was a toy & she had to pretend to fly... That's when my dad saved the day. He came walking over - tied a rope around the front - and dragged Nora around the yard on it. As Nora 'flew' around the yard, looking up toward the sky & smiling, I had flashbacks of him pulling Krissy around. (Nora looks exactly like Krissy did at this age.) Then dad said: "so Barbra, you taking this home with ya?" No dad, lets leave it here. "OK then, I'll bring it to the car for ya."

Funny guy my dad. He pulled Nora all the way to the front yard on it, parked it next to my car. And now it's on my front lawn.

We ate. Well, Nora ate. I was gonna have some Hembolds hot dogs, until I saw the label that said "natural sheep casing" - so I couldn't do it. We played PlayDoh. And Nora slept all the way home.

All in all ... aside from the fact that Dor hogged ALL of the coffee this morning ... the day turned out great.

I would like to have a yard where cars don't fly by - with trees & woods ... Someplace safe - where the kids can go out & play ... and have what I had. It was awesome.

WholesaleCrafts Featured Artist!

WholesaleCrafts.com featured our HOORAY! I SURVIVED THE BUSH ERA fridge magnet!

More movies

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. I give this movie an A, if for no other reason, becasue Brad Pitt is so easy on the eyes. I do love a good western. This movie takes you to another place - another time. I very much enjoyed it.

Becoming Jane. Another 'A' ... Loved it. Amazing acting. Amazing story.

Martian Child. A+ on this one. Not just because we've been foster parents for so long & could relate ... not to say that I think our parenting skills come anywhere close to the man in this movie ... but because more of these stories need to be told, and children like this need to be heard.

Catch and Release. Entertaining. Great story. 'B+'

Kurt Cobain: About a Son. I was disappointed at first, because there were no Kurt pictures or performances. But After watching the 'behind the scenes' stuff, I understood, no, more than "understood" ... I got it. It's imperative to see the special features. A Strong B+ - especially for any Nirvana fan.

No Reservations. Entertaining. Enjoyable. 'B'

Mommy doesn't want you running around in just your underwear.

Ah, the freedoms of being a child.

The first thing my 3 1/2 yr old granddaughter does when she walks in the house is strip. Off come the shoes, socks & pants. Every time.

Yesterday, she came in. Backpack off. Coat off. Sneakers off. Socks off. Pants off. In her shirt & undies, she takes off running for the living room. We say to her: "Your mommy doesn’t want you running around in just your underwear."

Her response?

"Well, how about I just walk then."

kanye hands

Lift Me Up Cards - plastic surgery humor & get well WOOHOO!

Camie Dunbar of Lift Me Up Cards - a greeting card friend of mine - is FAMOUS!!!!!

Her card designs were featured on TELEVISION!!!

NBC

omg!!!!

click here to watch the segment

How freakin cool!

Bad VooDoo's War - A MUST SEE

Click Here to watch an awesome video - PBS - Bad Voodoo’s War - A group of soldiers - in Iraq now. Their cameras. Their stories. Their daily lives. Their truths. This completely blew me away.