Saturday, October 29, 2011

The Creative Exchange




I used Gimp to pull out the color and played with the color balance until I got the right effect. Lastly, I added the word using LittleLordFontleroy font.

Pink Saturday



This was 3 weeks ago but...Handsome joined us outside and saw the jump rope laying on the ground. Goddess had been trying to jump but couldn't. He came out and picked it up, we all stopped to watch thinking the same thing, "there is no way he is going to be able to do this". Handsome for a long time had a coordination problem and sometimes still does. Well, don't you know, he picked up that rope and jumped!? He did. It wasn't long and the jump rope ended up back on the ground but it just goes to show, you never know what your kid is capable of.


This was 3 weeks ago, this are much different today as we have over a foot of snow.

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Moleman of Belmont Avenue - A REVIEW

ORLAND FILM FESTIVAL PREMIERE

The Moleman of Belmont Avenue
a film by Mike Bradecich & John LaFlamboy 


Running Time: 96 minutes


Starring:
Mike Bradecich, John LaFlamboy, Robert Englund, Tim Kazurinsky,
David Pasquesi, T.J. Jagadowski, Susan Messing, Gregory Hollimon, Brian Boland

A pair of bumbling landlords reluctantly hunt the subterranean creature that is eating their tenants' pets. Featuring the original Freddy Krueger, Robert Englund, and a supporting cast rounded out by the talents of the famed Second City theater in Chicago.

Marion and Jarmon Mugg have never had to work very hard.  They’ve never had much responsibility, and no one has ever put any expectations on them to perform or achieve, well… anything.

But two years ago their mother passed away, leaving them the brownstone apartment building that has been in their family since its days as a speakeasy during Prohibition.  In that short time, Marion and Jarmon’s slacker ways have run the building literally into the ground.  The tenants are moving out,  no one but them and their friends drinks at the bar on the ground floor, and the building’s pets are beginning to mysteriously disappear.   If all that isn’t enough to make them sit up and take notice, there’s also a good chance that a monster is living in the basement.



“The Mole Man of Belmont Avenue” is a horror/ comedy that explores what happens when a terrible situation is dropped into the laps of the two people least equipped to deal with it.  The Brothers Mugg can either step up to the plate and finally grow up, or they can wait and clean up the mess as a mysterious creature eats every living thing in the building, one by one.

http://molemanmovie.com/index.shtml
The 411:
The Mole Man of Belmont Avenue has been nominated for Best Feature, The Cast has been nominated for Best Ensemble, and Robert Englund has been nominated for Best Supporting Role, there is a whole lot of nominations going on at the Orlando Film Festival this weekend
What I Can Tell You:
This is one of those movies that you start out thinking, "what the heck is this?" Then as it rolls along you realize the gems inside it. Like "my foot, your ass are getting married." or "oh yeah, do that!" 
This movie is about two grown brothers whose recently lost their mother. She was the owner of the apartment building for years and while one (Marion) was home trying to take care of it. The other (Jarmon) was off raising llamas and has returned to help get the building in order.  Without gas or electricity (well, they do have some electricity, they get it by splicing into the church next door).
Tenants are moving out (well the few that actually have somewhere to go) and all the pets are disappearing. While walking the hall one night they see a creature trying to grab a dog through a mail slot. The "moleman" literally is taking the pets right out from under the owners nose in their very own apartments. They must do what they can to not frighten their last remaining tenants while capturing the moleman.
This is complete satire and while it is cheesy, pathetic, and ridiculous at times I think that is exactly what these guys were going for. The movie budget was only 350,000 and looks more like 35,000 but whatever, it is funny. There are some really funny moments most involve the brothers and one of their tenants, a drug induced slacker, think older Bill and Ted type dude.
I think it will be even funnier the second time around!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary screener copy from Big Tree Productions

New Strawberry Shortcake DVD In Just A Few Days

Adventures in Playland Taken To A Whole New Stage!


Imaginations Soar to Dazzling New Heights When
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG DREAMS
Blossoms onto DVD November 1st


Arriving just in time for the holidays, our deliciously sweet girl next door takes a new turn as STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG DREAMS comes to DVD November 1 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. 
It's time to dazzle and dream with Strawberry and her friends as they compete for some berry special prizes.  Whether it’s spinning and twirling in the annual dance-off, or beating a world record, there is nothing these girls can’t try.  But when the road to success seems overwhelming, they soon discover that the real key to being a winner is just having fun with your friends.


Strawberry Shortcake: Bright Lights, Big Dreams DVD Special Features
·         Printable Coloring Pages
·         Music Video


To Own:



About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world.

See Mix Drink


Have you tried mixing a Mojito? What about a Rusty Nail? Or a Cosmopolitan? With See Mix Drink: A Refreshingly Simple Guide to Crafting the World's Most Popular Cocktails by Brian D. Murphy, the first-ever cocktail book to offer instruction through info-graphics, making the drinks you love at home is as easy as, well, See, Mix, Drink.

This unique, illustrated guide graphically demonstrates how to make 100 of today's most popular cocktails. For each drink, color-coded ingredients are displayed in a line drawing of the appropriate glassware, alongside a pie chart that spells out the drink's composition by volume for intuitive mixing. No other cocktail book is this easy or fun. Instantly understandable 1-2-3 steps show exactly how each drink is prepared, and anecdotes, pronunciation guides, and photographs of the finished drinks will turn newbie bartenders into instant mixologists.

Brian D. Murphy’s favorite mixed drink is the Old Fashioned, having been inspired to try it after watching Mad Men. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife Nicole and their three pets Kate, MeowMeow, and Maya.You can learn more about Brian on Facebook.com/SeeMixDrink.

The 411:
What I can tell you as a former bartender is that this book makes trying new drinks easy. It also made me want to run out to the liquor store and stock up on some bar friendly staples like tequila, rum, lime juice, brandy, etc.

Drink Breakdown:
  • The book is broken down into spirits; brandy, scotch, gin, etc....
  • Then each drink is broken down. The glass it would be served in has colored layers marked with a percentage of each part of the drink.
  • All the tools you would need to make the drink are laid out for you.
  • There is a description of the drink; sometimes a date and origin information. 
  • A key tells you the best time to drink it, with a meal, morning, anytime, etc.
  • The amount of time it takes to create the drink 
  • Calorie proportions
  • Written & graphic instructions
  • A color photo of the finished product.

The only thing that would have made this book better would have been if it had color photos, al la Pioneer Woman style
 .
I want to try a Black Magic which is basically a black Russian with lemon juice. 

There are so many drinks in here that I have never heard of but want to try and from a non-drinker that says a lot!

Happy Mixing

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Hachette Book Group.

Miley Cyrus Kicks Off Vow To Act Initiative

Miley Cyrus GETS FACEBOOK FANS TALKING ABOUT HEARING LOSS PREVENTION TO kick off starkey hearing foundatioN’s LISTEN CAREFULLY ‘VOW TO ACT’ initiative

Foundation Poll Finds 56% of Young People Have Trouble Hearing Their Teacher in Class

MINNEAPOLIS (October 25, 2011) – As part of its Listen Carefully campaign, which sends the message ‘don’t listen loudly, listen carefully’, Starkey Hearing Foundation is once again teaming with recording artist Miley Cyrus to encourage teens and young adults to take a “vow to act” to protect their hearing, and spread the word to others to do the same. In fact, according to a Starkey Hearing Foundation poll of more than 200 Miley Cyrus Facebook fans, 87 percent vowed to make the commitment to protect their own hearing, with the same percentage saying they would pass the message along to their friends and family.

A committed supporter of Starkey Hearing Foundation, which strives to change the social consciousness of hearing and hearing health care, Cyrus recently hosted a series of questions from the Foundation on her Facebook page as a first step in getting young people to take the Listen Carefully ‘Vow to Act’. The poll received more than 8,400 likes among Cyrus fans and almost 1,180 comments, 211 of which responded to the survey questions posed.

In addition to those who said they would take action to protect their own hearing by lowering the volume on their MP3 players and iPods, 56 percent of respondents reported having experienced some difficulty hearing their teacher during class. This is consistent with reports of rising trends in hearing loss among young people – an issue that Starkey Hearing Foundation’s Listen Carefully campaign is trying to address.

With social media platforms serving as a popular channel for teens and young adults to communicate with one another, it is undoubtedly one of the easiest ways for individuals to take that first step in their vow to act. The first commitment of the vow to act initiative is to spread the message through these platforms, followed by the commitment to keep the conversation active by sharing tips on ways to prevent hearing loss among family and friends. Some tips from Starkey Hearing Foundation that can easily be shared on Facebook and Twitter include:
  • Lowering the volume on your MP3 player, iPod or cell phone
  • Using background noise-canceling headphones when listening to music
  • Getting your hearing checked on a regular basis
  • Wearing the proper ear protection gear if you’ll be in an environment where loud sounds are customary, i.e. construction work, cutting the lawn, going to a concert
  • Encouraging friends and family to also take the vow to act to protect their hearing

To keep the momentum going, Twitter users can use #ListenCarefully to hear what people are saying about hearing loss prevention, join the conversation, and learn what actions others are taking to protect their hearing.

“We want to start a widespread conversation about hearing loss prevention and protection while giving young people easy, actionable ways to take care of their hearing – that is the goal behind the Listen Carefully Vow to Act,” said Bill Austin, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Starkey Hearing Foundation. “By using today’s social media platforms like Miley Cyrus has done, we hope others will rally their fans and friends in the same way, because the time to get the message out to start listening carefully is now.”

"I'm thrilled to support Starkey Hearing Foundation and its Listen Carefully Vow to Act initiative and I want all of my fans to help get the conversation started about hearing loss and encourage others to take care of their hearing," said Cyrus. "Our ability to hear is fragile and we have to take care of it daily so that we can enjoy and appreciate music and the sounds that surround us each and every day."

Miley Cyrus first became involved with Starkey Hearing Foundation when she joined a hearing mission to Haiti earlier this year where she helped distribute hearing aids to those in need. Since that first trip, Miley has remained committed to the Foundation’s mission by being featured in a PSA campaign for the launch of its Listen Carefully campaign; appearing and performing at the So The World May Hear 11th Annual Gala in July; and participating in a second mission trip to Haiti this month. Cyrus also supports Starkey Hearing Foundation through her online network, Get Ur Good On, which offers youths a forum to support each other on their missions to do good acts. To view video highlights from Miley’s visit to Haiti earlier this year, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj43Lm8yDV4&feature=relmfu.

For additional tips on hearing loss prevention, an online hearing test, and additional information on Starkey Hearing Foundation, visit www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org. To join Starkey Hearing Foundation’s Vow to Act initiative on social media platforms, become a fan on Facebook (www.facebook.com/StarkeyHearing), or follower on Twitter (http://twitter.com/StarkeyHearing).

About Starkey Hearing Foundation
Starkey Hearing Foundation is striving to foster greater understanding among individuals and communities through hearing care by focusing on awareness, education, protection and treatment so the world may hear.  Hearing loss affects one in 10 Americans, and 63 million children worldwide, yet many do not have access to the hearing devices that can help them. From 2000 to 2010, Starkey Hearing Foundation fit more than 500,000 hearing aids to people in need in the U.S. and around the world. The Foundation has grown that commitment to more than 100,000 hearing aids annually and is dedicated to fitting 1 million hearing aids this decade.  In addition to giving the gift of hearing through worldwide hearing missions, Starkey Hearing Foundation promotes hearing health awareness through the Listen Carefully initiative and provides hearing instruments to low-income Americans through the Hear Now program.  For more information on Starkey Hearing Foundation, visit www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org.
###

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Coupons For Some of the Hottest Toys!



$3 off on Bratz http://www.bratz.com?section=coupons&source=social 
$3 off on Moxie Girlz http://www.moxiegirlz.com/index.php?section=coupons&source=social 
Up to $10 off on Little Tikes http://www.littletikescoupons.com/?source=social

What Moms Choose: The Working Mother Report

A Powerful New Report from Working Mother Magazine
Reveals the Real Reasons Career-oriented Moms Stay Home

What Moms Choose: The Working Mother Report finds surprising similarities and stressful sore points between moms who work and moms who stay home—

New York, NY (October 25, 2011)—There isn’t a mom around who hasn’t looked at someone else’s work life choices and questioned her own decisions. What Moms Choose: The Working Mother Report, a new study from the Working Mother Research Institute, sheds light on how moms feel about the paths they pick, where they feel most judged and what employers can do to keep working mothers engaged in their careers.

To learn about who chooses to stay home, who goes back to work, and the push-pull factors that shape all the decisions in between, the Working Mother Research Institute worked with Ernst & Young LLP to create the What Moms Choose survey, which was taken by 3,781 moms nationwide including both stay-at-home and working moms.  The study yielded surprising insights.

Among the Top Findings

MOM’S MINDSET
“We find that guilt and worry are universal conditions for moms,” says Carol Evans, President, Working Mother Media. “Working mothers carry a greater burden of guilt and feeling judged than their at-home counterparts, but the gap is surprisingly slender.”  Here are the top three areas where moms feel judged, according to the What Moms Choose survey:

Working mothers feel most judged about:
  1. How clean my house is
  2. Not taking care of myself
  3. The amount of time I spend with my children

Stay-at-home mothers feel most judged about:
  1. My contribution to family finances
  2. How clean my house is
  3. Not using my education

UNTAPPED TALENT: AT-HOME, BUT CAREER-ORIENTED
This survey uncovered a new group of stay-at-home moms: the career oriented stay-at-home mom. More than half of these moms say they’d rather be working, and they work hard to hold on to their jobs. They return to work in greater rates after having a first child than paycheck-driven workers, and they stay longer when they do. For employers, these career-oriented stay-at-home moms represent an untapped and underused talent pool.

WHAT CAREER-ORIENTED WORKING MOMS REALLY WANT: SHIFTING PRIORITIES
What Moms Choose underscores the importance of programs that take into account women’s shifting priorities. For instance, what moms want when they have preschool children is different from what they prefer after children become school-aged. Career-oriented moms stated:

• They’d like to scale back during preschool years, but don’t want to drop out completely. In our survey, roughly half of all career-oriented moms say that working part-time before children are school-aged is desirable.

• They’d like to work full-time again after children are school-aged. Nearly three-quarters of career-oriented moms rank this as desirable.

• They want to be home at the end of the school day. When asked to define what makes a good mother, 63 percent say being there when the kids come home at the end of the day.

THE 5 MOST IMPORTANT BENEFITS FOR WORKING MOMS:
Here’s what working moms say are the most important benefits to them. (Percentage indicates proportion of respondents who rated each benefit as one of three most important):

57%     Flexible work hours
51%     Ability to use sick leave to care for children
36%     Predictable work hours
24%     Availability of part-time work
23%     Paid maternity leave

FIVE MARCHING ORDERS FOR EMPLOYERS
Employers who can provide career paths for women at all levels—and all life stages—as well as respond to women’s top workplace needs will reap substantial benefits in improved productivity and bottom line gains. The survey suggests employers should focus on the following areas:

1) Establish a culture of trust
“With trust, flexibility can work for anyone, because at the heart of it is the belief that people will get the job done and we don’t need to monitor when and where work occurs,” says Billie Williamson, Americas Inclusiveness Officer, Ernst & Young LLP.

2) Focus on being family-friendly
What Moms Choose shows that family-friendly policies are a huge competitive advantage in attracting and keeping talent. “The fact that such a low percentage (22%) of stay-at-home moms say they would return to their previous employers speaks volumes about better understanding and addressing the needs of working mothers,” notes Jeffrey Merrifield Associate Director, Americas HR Strategy & Operations, Ernst & Young LLP. “Employers should note that a very clear majority of these same women say they would seek out an employer with a reputation for being a good employer for working mothers (58%) and family friendly policies (63%).”

3) Provide flexibility
Flexibility topped the survey’s rankings of most important workplace benefits, vaulting over such offerings as paid maternity leave, telecommuting and access to child-care benefits. “This confirms what working moms have told us over three decades of research,” says Jennifer Owens, Director, Working Mother Research Institute. “Flexibility is the number one thing working mothers want.”

4) Allow employees to use paid sick leave to care for a sick child
Parents need their employers’ trust and support that they will do what needs to be done. “Working parents don’t want to have to lie in order to stay at home with a sick child,” Owens says.

5) Provide predictable work hours
“The best companies know that plenty of planning for schedules is a key benefit their employees need,” says Evans. “No matter what kind of career she has, a working mother wants to protect her carefully laid plans for childcare.”

Methodology
The Working Mother Research Institute worked with Ernst & Young LLP to create the What Moms Choose survey, which was fielded by Walker Communications through a series of email blasts sent by Survey Sampling International (SSI) in May 2011. A total of 3,781 individuals submitted online questionnaires. The final results are documented in this report, which was written by the Working Mother Research Institute. All tabulations, percentages and other calculations published in the accompanying report were compiled in accordance with established research standards.

To read the full report, What Moms Choose: The Working Mother Report, click here. http://www.workingmother.com/content/what-moms-choose-stay-home-or-work

About the Working Mother Research Institute
The Working Mother Research Institute (WMRI), a division of Working Mother Media, is home to the Working Mother 100 Best Companies, Working Mother Best Companies for Multicultural Women, Working Mother Best Companies for Hourly Workers and the National Association
of Female Executives’ Top Companies for Executive Women, among other initiatives. WMRI produces insightful benchmarking reports as well as important research papers studying work life and the advancement of women and conducts surveys, such as What Moms Think: Career vs Paycheck and What Moms Choose: The Working Mother Report, to further corporate culture change nationwide.
About Ernst & Young:
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 152,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

For more information, please visit www.ey.com.

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. This press release is issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member firm providing services to clients in the US.


Celebrate Halloween with Pocoyo


It’s that spooky time coming up on October 31 and Pocoyo will be celebrating the occasion with fun and FREE Halloween ideas. 

Check out the following link where you can download Halloween-inspired Pocoyo wallpapers, screensavers and a Pocoyo themed Halloween activity book…all for FREE!

http://www.pocoyo.com/img/halloween/halloween_en/LA_Halloween_en.pdf 

The activity books includes:
  • Halloween themed coloring pages
  • Spooky recipes for parents & children to make together, including Halloween pumpkin soup, mummy turkey dogs and scary cookies
  • Monster costume idea
  • Pocoyo printable mask to color!


In addition to the Halloween activities, there are many other fun games and activities available on www.pocoyo.com
!

Pocoyo is fast becoming the world’s most popular preschooler with a hit television series that entertains audiences on over 150 networks around the world, including Nick Jr., PBS and Univision in the U.S. The show follows the adventures of the fun-loving Pocoyo and his friends, Elly (the elephant), Pato (the duck) and Loula (thedog), and engages audiences with music, dance and humor, encouraging children to learn through laughter. Pocoyo has charmed parents and pop culture mavens as well: Pocoyo has amassed more than 50 million hits per month on its YouTube Channel, and more than 600 million hits in the last two years alone; he has over 550,000 friends on Facebook; and 11 million unique visitors have experienced Pocoyo’s online virtual environment, www.pocoyoworld.com.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Giveaways To Enter On Other Blogs

Sesame Streets Playskool Count N Crunch Cookie Monster on Our Ordinary Life

Red Box Giveaway on Minnesota Mama's

Martha & Friends Halloween Show on Friday

In “Halloween Horror Show,” little Martha and her friends Lily and Hannah dress up as "Glampires" for Halloween, giving Kevin the idea to make his own monster movie. But only when Francesca and Sharkey get lost in the spooky Intimidation Woods, does Kevin's modest idea for a scary movie turn into a spectacular production!

The episode also features fun Halloween projects that kids can do with friends or family with step by step instructions online. Get Glampire make up like Martha and her friends, make scary homemade sound effects or create your own DIY trick-or-treat bags.

“Martha & Friends” is an animated multimedia series for kids that is designed to inspire creativity, foster independent thinking and celebrate friendship. Created by A Squared Entertainment in collaboration with lifestyle guru Martha Stewart and MSLO, the series features a 10-year-old Martha as a problem-solving, craft-loving, generous spirit who, along with her three best friends and two dogs, Francesca and Sharkey, show kids how easy it can be to do-it-themselves.

Kids can also visit www.marthaandfriends.com to play games, watch more episodes, find craft projects and meet the characters.

Let me know what you think!


Please Read (if at all possible) The Girl Project by Kate Engelbrecht

Yesterday I mentioned that I read two books mostly compiled of photos. Here is my second one!

Please Read (if at all possible) The Girl Project by Kate Engelbrecht

Female adolescence through the eyes of teenage girls for a teenage-girl audience. This empowering volume introduces the reader to an insider’s view of teenage girlhood. Through their participation in The Girl Project-created in 2007 by Kate Engelbrecht to explore the personal realities of modern female adolescence-teenage girls contributed intimate, heartwarming, diarylike text entries and photographs that capture their personal and private moments. To date, over 5,000 girls between the ages of 13 and 18 have sent in photographs, along with anonymously completed questionnaires that communicate their view of themselves and the world around them. This collection of images and text details the private and personal lives of adolescents, which together reveal an amazing narrative communicated as only teenage girls know and understand. The girls touch upon universal issues, such as their struggles with self-confidence and body image, relationships with peers and family, and their dissatisfaction with how they are presented by the media and in popular culture.


Teen readers will be rewarded with a wonderful set of sincere, deep messages and the reassurance that they are not alone.  

The 411:
Wow! Amazing book featuring personal photos and comments from girls 13-18 years old. The Girl Project was started by Kate Engelbrecht who sent 5,000 Kodak, single use cameras and questionnaire to girls who responded to her shout out!

Reading through the book was like taking a page out of my own diary. These girls were honest, sincere, smart, witty, scared, angry, pissed, compelling, brave and more. There were so many I wanted to high five but just as many that I wanted to hug! Above all, their voices were the same; regardless of their upbringing, color, location, age, foundation, they all want the same things; growth, challenge, love, friendship, opportunity, etc resonated from their words. Very empowering!

I believe this to be a book that all girls, parents, teachers, counselors, doctors, should read and learn from. This is an intimate glance into what our daughters are thinking and feeling.

Amazing resource and a wonderful compilation of our future woman!
 
Beautiful Book!!!!


Links

The Girl Project or TGP on Facebook
The Girl Project Blog
The Girl Project Website
TGP On Flickr

The True Story of Puss N' Boots on DVD and Blu-ray - An Amateur Review

The True Story of Puss 'N Boots came out October 4th from Phase 4 Films.  


Synopsis:
A young farmers son inherits a strange talking cat with magical boots. With his cunning wit, Puss helps him win the heart of the Princess while battling devious suitors that are after the throne. 

The 411:
This movie stars William Shatner as the voice of Puss 'N Boots.

In this movie adaptation, the storyteller, explains that he witnessed a story and he has decided to tell to the young and old.  Then our story begins with the Chamberlain, Queen and Jester discussing how they must find a husband for the princess.  The princess wants a dancer and the Queen doesn't feel she needs to marry. My favorite parts of the movie starred the Queen! She is huge, lazy and uses a fly swatter to wake her husband.

Next we see the princess who is dancing and singing badly and our hero Peter, whose dying father willed the family's cat to him and instructs him to make the cat, boots out of the leather in a trunk upstairs in the attic. He dies telling his son to always have trust in his cat.

The princess loves dancing so much that she goes out to a tavern masked and sings with her strange back up dancers.

The cat introduces Peter to the Princess and they fall in love much to the Chamberlain's dismay.

While I like the graphics and think the story is OK. There were many disturbing moments. The princess's singing and dancing for one. AWFUL!  The princess and Peter talking in front of a big bed and than kissing right before the princess starts singing "I feel pretty" the next day. Strange message! But the worst part of the whole movie was William Shatner's voice! Ugh...never have I heard something more disturbing. When I asked my 6 year old her thoughts on the movie she said, "I didn't like the cat's voice". Huh, she didn't like it for the same reason and she doesn't even know who William Shatner is.

The lesson behind the movie is a good one and could be lost in the translation, You don't have to be at the top of the food chain to finish first. If given the opportunity and with confidence, even a miller's son could marry a princess. 

If you are going to watch, watch it with an open mind. This movie stays truer to the story and is dark at times. However, as a fan of animation, especially the 3D animation that doesn't require glasses it is worth a watch.

Rated: G

Time:  79 minutes.

To Own:



Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy for my personal opinion of this movie.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Wordless Wednesday - Depth Surrounded by Foliage


Click to enlarge and visit Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos

ABC Wednesday - My Oxymoron - Ordinarily Ornate





An Ordinary Day, Featuring my Beautiful daughter sitting on an Ornate well at the Ringwood Mansion, in Ringwood, New Jersey.


Clary's Rose



A photographer always has their camera with them. Thank goodness I did because while visiting my girlfriend, I noticed these beauties on her dining room table. Beautiful and soft just like a rose should look.

Color Carnival Sunday #4

Hello everyone. I didn't put up a new Color Carnival because someone posted and I didn't want to mess it up for you.

Happy Tuesday. Please leave your link below so everyone can visit you. If you are confused on the new format, please know you are not alone. We took a vote and we are doing away with the voting system. Link away and have a great week!


Monday, October 24, 2011

Storage Wars Season 1


Follow four professional buyers and their teams as they scour repossessed storage units in search of hidden treasure in Season 1 of the new A&E original real life series, STORAGE WARS. Part gamblers and part detectives, these seasoned veterans negotiate the fascinating and obscure world of storage auction and consignment, finding everything from dead bodies to the world s most valuable comic book collection and paying as little as ten dollars for items valued in the millions. Each episode of STORAGE WARS follows a group of bidders as they get a quick peek inside the units, aided only by a flashlight. They then must assess on the spot if the unit is worth a bid and how high they re willing to go. The high-stakes fun begins as they see if the resulting buy is full of mostly trash...or true treasure. Driven by Dan Dotson, one of the most successful and outrageous auctioneers in the country, STORAGE WARS cast of buyers is as colorful and varied as the treasures they uncover.

The 411:
We love A&E's Storage Wars. My husband and I got into at the end of the Season and were excited to see the first episodes.

The show follows bargain and resellers Darrell, Barry, Dave and Jarrod and his wife Brandi. The players bid on auctions in the California area run by fast talking Auctioneers Dan and Laura.

We have our favorites and I won't get into that but we really like this show. Owning a storage unit of our own we wonder what these guys would say about our unit if they were bidding on it! Probably "loads of junk" but the sheet metal and musical instruments would be worth a bid!

Beside the obvious scripted parts and colorful personalities it is fun to take a peek inside storage units. You find yourself wondering why someone would  just leave their stuff to be ransacked, tossed about or resold.

If you haven't seen the show; the bidders attend auctions at storage units and bid on the unit based on a looksee. They can't touch anything or walk inside. These guys are pros and can tell if a unit is good by a quick peek. I love watching them upset each other by trying to claim a worthy unit. I also love when a unit turns up having nothing but junk when they paid for it.

After they win the unit, they go through it and decide what is worth keeping and reselling. A lot of times they find something worthy which they bring to some expert in the particular field and we get a history lesson on the item along with the value.

As far as reality shows go, it is entertaining. Does it have a long shelf life? That is up for debate!




Peppermint Patties Recipe

Peppermint Patties

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons shortening

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine condensed milk and peppermint
extract. Beat in enough confectioners' sugar, a little at a time,
to form a stiff dough that is no longer sticky.

Form into 1 inch balls, then place on waxed paper and flatten with
fingers to form patties. Let patties dry at room temperature two
hours, turning once.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate with
shortening, stirring often.

Remove from heat. Dip patties, one at a time, into chocolate by
laying them on the tines of a fork and lowering the fork into the
liquid. Let cool on waxed paper until set.

Source - Delicious Candy Recipes