Stupid Groundhog

Already?

Happy Blogiversary To Me

A year ago my sister Sabrina told me she was starting a blog and asked if I'd start one too. She thought it would be a good way to keep in touch and be part of eachother's lives. That's exactly what happened, and oh, what a fun year it's been.

Hooray For Hollywood

Have I ever mentioned my great love of Netflix? It's hard to believe that we ever had to go to an actual video store to pick out a movie. I prefer to wait for movies to come out on DVD, I like watching movies in the comfort of my own home. Unless the movie is Avatar, that you have to see in IMAX 3D.

What I've Been Watching

Inventive storytelling, great ending, and there's a dance sequence.

Johnny Depp is the best actor around. Period.

Yes, they sexed up the story, but there's also a lot of actual historical facts going on.

Undoubtedly a Quentin Tarentino product, best character was the SS Colonel.

Watching Bob Fosse dance with his real-life wife? Incredible.

One of the few movies that is as funny as everyone says it is, and Mike Tyson has a French Bulldog puppy.

Dances With Wolves with aliens and astonishing special effects.

Chocolate Time

Here is something that I know to be true -

Brownies make everything better

Whatever the situation, you just can't go wrong with a brownie. We all know that I'm cooking impaired, but brownies are something I excel at. I will tell you my secret. I don't make them from scratch, they are "faux-made". That means I use a mix, but put my own spin on it. I add 3 different kinds of high-end chocolate pieces (my favorite are Ghiradelli chocolate chunks) and end up with the most decadent brownies in creation. I made a batch this week and the warm, gooey, goodness was the perfect juxtaposition to the cold, gray weather.

Since brownies are the only thing I actually bake, I was intrigued by this product.

Dane saw it and felt that I had to have it. I put my cynicism aside (when has anything As See On TV ever worked?) and bought one. Imagine my surprise when it actually did what it said it would. I am officially endorsing this product, I love it. Now my faux-made baking is even easier.

Raindrops Keep Falling...

Guess what? It's still raining. This storm just isn't going anywhere and life must go on, so I've been forced out of my warm cocoon and into the wet reality.

I don't really mind a rainy day in and of itself, but there are some by-products of this weather that I could do without.

When it rains;

• people forget how to drive. Seriously, if you can't remember to slow down and turn your lights on, stay home.

• dogs do not enjoy going outside to do their doggy business. That means an alternate location for said business is found. Enough said.

• it does really bad things to my hair. I've spent an inordinate amount of time in my life trying to make my curly hair straight and when it's raining it's a battle I just can't win.

• it's all people can talk about. I'm proof of that.

Rainy Days And Mondays

I've got nothing but love for the great state of California and it's glorious weather. Rain or shine, it's all good. (Probably because it's more rain than shine) It's been overcast and kind of gloomy the last few days and frankly it just makes me want to hibernate. I want to wear pajamas all day and curl up in front of the fire and watch the rain come down outside while I stay warm and dry. Because of the weather we changed our plans for the 3 day weekend and I got my wish for a stay-at-home, jammie clad, hibernation weekend. We watched lots of movies, (kids saw Ferris Bueller for the first time, classic) ate soup, played games, watched the play offs, read books, and drank lots of hot chocolate. Even more than the feeling of being in my pj's at 3:00 in the afternoon, I liked the feeling that we were all together and that my family was protected from the storm. Just like everyone else I've been following the news from Haiti, and I feel like now is a very good time for me to take a moment and be grateful for the roof over my head.

Half A Year

Gwen At 6 Months