Vacation Time

"Ah, sweet mystery of life, at last I've found you..." For any old movie fan, you will know this number by MacDonald and Eddy. Today is my first day back at work and I truly feel relaxed. I think the one gal I work with must think I took at least 6 valium:) My hubby and I took off to Quebec since his Aunt and Uncle live right on the Richelieu River about an hour south of Montreal.  They have a small but beautiful home located right on this river. We did shop for some clothing at this great bargain place and bought some great cheese at the Kaiser farms and we bought fruit and corn. By the afternoon we settled in watching the boats and yachts go by along with mamma duck and her 16 ducklings. The only 2 issues we had was sleeping on a bed that was so hard my ass felt numb for 2 days after we came back and these tiny little black potato bugs that pinch. Of course I had one of these buggers fly down my top and start pinching me in my boob area. Since I have lost any embarrassment issues I just looked down my top and crushed the little bastard between my fingers while the Uncle and the neighbour were right there.

Last week, I just spent sleeping because, for some reason, even restful trips seem to take a lot out of me.  That was just one day since I am not Rip Van Winkle, I also saw my best friend and helped her through another tough week of her divorcing a narcissistic sociopath. Seeing my mom, groceries and trying to get rid of dust was the rest of my time off. I did create a couple of cards and will show them later...probably next week. Here are a couple of pictures and a very short video for your enjoyment:)

Isn't this relaxing looking?

That is not a hummingbird but a woodpecker who loves the sweet juice.

Now if you see this video...great and if it is upside down...well, it's because I had no idea to make it right side up since i mailed it to my work here. Oh well, still relaxing to see

Thursday Movie Picks-TV Edition-Non English TV Shows

I don't know any...I really don't except I recall watching Bonanza in German...that was fun. Does that count?? I also saw Friends in Italian...No?? Oh well...Let's see what everyone else has chosen over at Wandering Through The Shelves.

There is no reason...I just love Benny Hill and if I could find that clip of Benny Hill playing all the parts of the Ponderosa gang and speaking in German, I would have put this in:)

Thursday Movie Picks-The Chosen One

I am writing this quick since I am at work and will be leaving tomorrow. OK this week it is all about the Chosen One. I would have chosen some film about Jesus but I haven't seen one in a very long time so here are my picks. Head on over to Wandering Through The Shelves to see what the others have chosen.

1. THE 10 COMMANDMENTS-1956

Moses, Moses, you incredible fool you! I love Anne Baxter and the whole gang in this very long but highly entertaining film. Iy is Cecil B DeMille in full bible power as only he can do it and he has Chuck as the great Moses. Moses is the chosen one to lead his people out of bondage to freedom. These people are so happy but keep needing to  see something neat...like the parting of the red sea. The Angels of death that come the night before the freedom exodus still freaks me out. Good flick!

2. THE LIFE OF BRIAN-1979

I love Monty Python and this caused quite the stir with the bible nuts who saw this as blasphemous. I found this hilarious since it is all about a case of mistaken identity and poor Brian just wants to be left alone. Remember we are all individuals...well, I'm not...shhhh. OK sing with me "Always look on the Bright Side of Life..."

3. EVAN ALMIGHTY-2007

This is silly but fun to watch. Evan, now trying to gain a foothold in the government asks for God's help and Morgan Freeman, whom we all know truly sounds like God, hears his prayer and says he has chosen him...for what..not sure but Evan soon figures out he must build an ark. He starts to build running the risk of losing his job, his family and his respect. It is sweet with not much to take home except some funny moments.

Thursday Movie Picks- Amusement Parks

I'm off to Quebec this coming week. My hubby has an Aunt who lives right on the Richelieu River south of Montreal. My hubby is bringing his kayak and we will be just resting and enjoying ourselves. This week is all about amusement parks which I actually love. I have to admit, no roller coasters for me because the feeling of impending death doesn't appeal to me, but I love the twirly rides. I actually have a ticket for Canada's Wonderland and hope to go with my friend since my hubby hates these places. I picked an oldie but a goodie, a fun flick and..believe it or not, a horror flick. Head on over to the brainchild of this weekly series, Wandering Through The Shelves, who chooses a theme each week and one has to pick a movie that fits the theme. It's fun and hope you enjoy the others' picks. Here are my. 3....

1. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN-1951

Yes, I chose this film before and have spoken about it more than once but I love it! It is a great Hitchcock film starring Farley Granger and the great Robert Walker, a troubled actor who always played the boy next door. Walker's part in this film is anything but wholesome and he should have been nominated for an Oscar. 2 men meet on a train, one is a stable tennis pro who loves a senator's daughter but his shrewish wife is in the way. The other is a nutty psycho who is actually quite fun and has nothing to do and hates his dad. The nut proposes to switch murders...criss-cross and he means it. He ends up doing away with the shrewish slutty wife at an amusement park and tells his "friend" the tennis pro who, now realizing Bruno is a true nut, is unsure what to do. He is stalked by Bruno and the climax takes place at the amusement park with a carousel ride to end all rides. A Must See!

2. NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION- 1983

This is the start of the Griswald family who keep taking vacations(except for the Christmas one) which end up in much hilarity. Good ole patriarch Clark, aka Sparky, decides to take his family to Walley World which is at the other end of the country. They go through much mayhem from visiting her cousin headed by Randy Quaid, having to take the Auntie who ends up dying, meeting Christie Brinkley and finally getting to Walley World  but it is closed! What will Sparky do. This film has many dumb moments but it is so funny and actually endearing in a weird sort of way. Comedy, I find is personal, but I enjoy just about all forms of it and this film started a big franchise.

3. ZOMBIELAND-2009

I don't like zombies, we have too many shows about these things, I don't like horror films that are slasher flicks or really gross or even very scary since I bring it with me( I watched a clip last week from one movie pick and it has stayed with me and has bothered me and it is just a stupid clip!)  and I can't stand Jesse Eisenberg who stars in this film. Wait for it...I enjoyed this movie! It is not a regular film but one that is quite funny and pokes fun at the genre. A young man wants to find out if his parents have survived the zombie apocalypse and has a 30 rule list about not becoming zombie food. This alone is quite funny but then he meets a redneck, played by Woody Harrelson and 2 gals who can't be trusted. Woody's quest is for a Twinkie and they all set out on a journey where they actually meet Bill Murray and hang out with him. Murray just dresses up like a zombie so he can go out and golf and the zombies don't bother him. The group end up at an amusement  park  where all zombie hell breaks loose. It's fun and very dark but I enjoyed it. What film would you choose?

Food!! Yum!

This past weekend I found my inner June Cleaver and stayed in the kitchen. I don't know what happened to me but I think I entered the Twilight Zone because I am not known to love the kitchen when I could be, well, anywhere else. I decided to make a recipe I saw at Jo's blog, who posts a recipe everyday after she talks about whatever interests her. She is a lovely lady who writes about her love for bowling, the Mandarin and her take on global events...and lest we not forget her love for asparagus (Yuck):) I decided to try the coconut shrimp curry recipe which takes many spices so off to the bulk barn I went. The recipe is pretty easy to follow but it took me much longer than the 25 minutes given. In the end, it was delicious! I love the taste of curry and turmeric along with coconut milk and could easily add scallops and other shellfish to this dish. Now, you might love the picture above or...you might not, but this dish was delish!

My brother's birthday was on Sunday and we invited him over for a BBQ and a mini celebration. I decided to make a cake for him that he has not had since my mom got dementia. It is not so much the cake but the icing which is a lemon flavour. I took lemon pie filling and added a 1/4 cup cold water and 1 3/4 hot water to the lemon filling-omit eggs and milk but follow the rest of the directions which is basically keep stirring the stuff in the pot on the stove until it thickens and starts to boil. Take it off the hot plate and let it cool but stir it so no skin forms. When it cools down, cover it with Saran Wrap and place it in the fridge. Take a whole Pint of whipping cream, add a 1/4 cup icing sugar and whip it until stiff peaks form. Take out the lemon filling and slowly add it to the whipped cream and whip it good. This is the icing and it is gooooooddd! I cut the cake twice so you have 2 layers. The first layer will hold some of this icing, place the middle part of the cake on and take raspberry jam and place it on the second layer. Place the top layer down and decorate it with the remaining icing. My brother loved the cake.

Now while making this cake I went insane and started taking everything out of one cupboard which holds all the spices and baking supplies. I had some spices that my mom had ....when I was 10! I don't think marjoram will last 43 years so a lot went out and now the cupboard is much, much better and when I open the door, nothing falls out since it was jammed full of old crap.

Oh, I place some whipping cream aside and folded in some raspberry jam because I had the bright idea to write Happy Birthday with the pink icing. I did not count on those nasty, nasty little F'en seeds to get stuck in the pint sized nozzle. After trying to dislodge the seeds with a toothpick, using curse words that a lumberjack would blush at, and having blobs of pink icing everywhere, i gave up and just placed the icing in the middle.

Thursday Movie Picks:Summer Vacation

I found this a tough week because, aside from one film that popped into my tiny brain, I had a hard time with the second 2. I don't watch the new, mindless teen flicks because they just look like they are typical T & A. I will be excited to see what the other film nuts will choose for this challenge. Head on over to the brainchild, Wandering Through The Shelves, to see what they did choose. Here are my 3.....

1. MR. HOBBS TAKES A VACATION-1962

I just re-watched this film and it really is a fun movie with James Stewart as the patriarch and the beautiful Maureen O'Hara as his wife. This was my obvious pick for this week. It begins with Stewart, who is back to work, dictating his summer vacation to his secretary about the hell he lived through. He takes his family to an old beach house that was beautiful...once, but now looks like something from the Adams family. His teenage daughter is not happy since she has to where braces and his young son is truly upset since he can't watch his western tv show. In comes his 2 other daughters with their husbands and bratty children and chaos ensues. You have a bosomy woman who loves to suntan and chat with husbands, a boat trip with his young son that goes really bad, a nutty future employer(for Stewart's one son in law) and his wife, who seems way too straight laced, and loves bird-watching and Fabian. It is a heartwarming comedy which is made much better with James Stewart and O'Hara. This was the start of a few comedies that Stewart made during this time that had a similar fatherly theme.

2. MUSCLE BEACH PARTY-1964

Yup, this is another Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello movie where they spend their summer vacation on the beach and surfing. You see many of the regulars that appeared in most films like Jody McCrea, and always some fun characters in this case Don Rickles who is the  agent for a bunch of  body builders. You even see a 13 year old Stevie Wonder who makes his film debut in this movie. The body builders find the surfer's secret beach and the surfers are not happy. A bosomy countess decides to make Frankie a teen idol and he is loving it and all but forgetting bosomy, but innocent, Annette. He gets a talking to by his fellow surfers and all ends well. It is a sweet summer flick that is typical of their films. Unfortunately, Eric Von Zipper and his dim wits don't appear in this movie like they do in the rest.

3. ON GOLDEN POND-1981

Talk about doing a 180:) This is a serious film starring 2 greats, Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn, who both won Oscars for their roles in this film. Every summer, for decades, the family would venture to their lakefront home. Kate's character is the strong wife who notices that her husband is dealing with memory issues along with other health problems, namely his heart. Their daughter, portrayed by Jane Fonda, Henry Fonda's real-life daughter, comes to visit with her fiancé and his son. Henry and Jane have many hurdles to overcome and much resentment on both parts. Jane and her fiancé leave his son with her parents and a special bond forms between Henry and the son. It really shows the acting prowess of some greats and the writing is excellent. Jane Fonda credits Katherine Hepburn for helping heal the actual wounds she felt with her dad and found this film hitting close to home. It helped heal their wounds which is even more important since this was Henry Fonda's last film as he was sick when making this. In fact, the director and many on the set were very concerned when Henry did not want to have a stand-in when he was in the water scene so this scene is with Henry Fonda.

What films would you choose?

2 more cards and Happy 4th of July!

It was Canada's 150th birthday and it looked like we knew how to celebrate in Ottawa and Toronto. On Saturday, my best friend and I visited my brother and we walked over to Port Dalhousie, a small ...very small, village that is now just part of our city but it has hosted the world rowing championship a few years back. They had a lot of those bouncy things for the kids and, personally, I think there should be one just for adults because I would still love to bounce around in them.  We walked and I felt so good walking  but I paid for it and my hips are still grinding. That night, my hubby went to bed at 9:30 and I went to bed by 10:30...how sad:) We did go to my hubby's sister's place the next day and other ventures yesterday plus our cat, Jade (not my niece but same name), has constipation. We gave her, ahem, an enema and went on a search for a vet that would be open yesterday but nuttin! She is better and my hubby went to the vet this morn so we are watching over her....the poor thing.

Amidst visiting, sick cats, enemas and sore joints I was able to create a couple of cards and I bought a new product, Gelatos which are crayons but can give such a deep rich colour and I get to use my fingers to rub the colours. Without further adieu, here are my 2 cards.

Gelatos, sizzex machine, leaf and butterfly die cuts, rubber stamp saying, dye ink pad, lace flowers, crystals, ribbon, glue stick, double sided tape and heart charm

Eclectic Ellapu-Seaside or Summer Colour
Dream Valley- Bling, Lace, Ribbon
Alphabet Challenge- Hearts
Glitter N' Sparkle- Freedom

This was my first try with the gelatos and I like working the colour with my fingers but my fingers hurt after so I have to find a different way to rub the colour. I was thinking summer days and we just had the Pride parade in Toronto so a rainbow was on my mind. I used the sizzex machine to cut out the leaves and butterfly and glued them on. I actually used a charm and ribbon, adhered it to the card, added the daisy lace flower and bling. This card speaks freedom for the many people who now have a voice  and, when I am in nature, I feel free! No one can take away nature because it can even be in our memories which always stays with us.

Sizzex machine, rubber stamp, versamark pad, perfect pearl powders, brushes, ribbon, glue. Double sided tape.

Simon Says-Anything Goes

My hubby's uncle just celebrated a birthday and he loves birds so I stamped the birds in versamark (clear) and took my perfect pearls and dusted the colours on. I had a remnant piece that I coloured with, god knows what, and actually thought it looked ugly. I wanted to try to spruce it up and finally thought of the wood stencil I have. I placed the stencil over the cutout and used white paste over the stencil. I have a palette "knife" which is used for this purpose, and you place this paste on just like decorating a cake. Once it dried, I adhered everything to create the card and used a ribbon as a border.

How did you celebrate Canada Day and how will you celebrate July 4th?