Favorite Movies

I was just perusing Pinterest - because, you know, it's not like it's 10am on a weekday and I need to get dressed, do dishes, fold laundry or anything like that. Nah...

Anyway, I came across a picture of the scrumptious Ewan McGregor...

...and had a sudden urge to watch Moulin Rouge. I could watch this movie day in and day out, but I don't for the sake of my family.

It's one of my favorites.
Then I thought I could stand to watch Chicago again. Love that one. I love musicals.

But then there's the ultimate musical... The Wizard of Oz. I longed to be Dorothy when I was younger. Who doesn't love Judy?

And I love comedies. When Harry Met Sally is probably in my Top 3 all time favorite movies.

Right along with A League of Their Own. Geena Davis? Tom Hanks? Madonna? Yes, please!

And when I want a little action - Why Indiana Jones is just a click away. Love me some Harrison circa 1980....

And if we're talking 80s...why not Back to the Future? Classics! LOVE these!

I could go on and on - but I'll stop there. I think we need a planned movie day!

Wedding Gifts

A dear friend of ours is getting married next month, so I was looking online at their registries last night. And laughing.

I remember when Marshall and I were getting married. We were 22 years old and had a mixture of everything and nothing. We both had toasters - that were each 10 years old and were faulty. We both had a set of spoons and spatulas from the dollar store that were half-melted. We both had towels from the day our parents had shipped us off to college, completely mismatched and frayed.

So when we were told to point the little scanner gun at anything we wanted - we sure did! Towels, a knife block, a Kitchen-Aid mixer (Thank you, Aunt Patty - I still use it!), even kitchen gadget, every soft towel.

And it seems our friend and his fiance did much the same (except our knife block was like $40, their registered one is $150!).

Some things were awesome - the Kitchen-Aid, the electric can opener (8.5 years later we still use it!), the towels.
But some things were totally useless. The shaved ice maker? Yeah, not really. Great gift, but we never touched it. Same with a few other things.

One thing we didn't even both to register for was "fine china." Really? We live in rural South Carolina. We don't use fine china. When we have guests over, we use Chinet because I don't want to have to wash dishes. Pffft - fine china. I have a friend who received all 8 place settings of very fine china she had registered for. Nine years later she said, "I don't know why we did that. We've never touched used them, and that stupid hutch takes up a ton of room. I would have rather that money gone towards our honeymoon."

Wedding gifts are fun to receive and fun to buy. The best one I ever bought for a couple was a picnic basket filled with cheap plates, cups and wine glasses. Include a bottle of wine and viola! The perfect date night picnic for two - it's fun and intimate.

What was the best wedding gift you ever received? That you ever gave?

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And PS - tomorrow I will be guest blogging over at The Third Boob. Please come check it out and show me some love! Even if you're just curious about a blog called The Third Boob!

Big Surprise! You don't want to miss this one!

God is full of surprises - big and small. And this one is big. Well, technically it's still pretty small - but it's growing every day.

That's right, folks, we're having a baby.
I'll give you a minute for the shock to wear off.

I know I said I would not be having any more biological children, and I promise I didn't think I was. But my plans are not the same as God's plans. And since His plans are always perfect, we'll go with His.

This little one should be making a grand entrance right at the start of football season (woe to have a football season baby).

So stay tuned in for all the latest on Baby3!

I am the Wost Sick Person

I hear women laugh all the time about their husbands when they are sick. How the menfolk lay around, talking of death when they have a simply head cold and how they - they women - have to keep plugging along when they're sick.

Except, we're the opposite in my house.

I'm the worst sick person ever. I sit in my old La-Z-Boy bundled up, covered in used tissues and talking like I'm hallucinating, "Is that you, Grandma? Didn't you die in 1990? Have you come for me?" No, seriously, I'm not exaggerating. Just as my husband who is on the other side of that conversation sayings, "Allison, did you need more medicine?"

Yes, med me up, Doc!

My husband, on the other hand, can be coughing up a lung, have pneumonia and broken bones and will still get up, take care of the kids, and go to work. It's amazing. He's a fabulous sick person. Yes, he may sleep longer and be a little grumpy, but otherwise, he takes care of it all.

While I'm wallowing in my used-up tissues wondering where the purple sparkly unicorn went.

I hope I get over this cold quickly...

Stopping the Spoiled

I really think my kids are spoiled.

I mean, seriously, they are spoiled. They do come from a middle-class American family, so they are automatically more privileged than a majority of the world. But really, they have way more than they could ever want.
New toys are forgotten in an hour, they think money is just automatically there.

I don't know how to stop the spoiled. I mean, they are starting to stink with rot now.

I think one of my goals this week will be to ELIMINATE - again. Every few months I throw away a garbage bag or two full or toys (usually one for trash, one for goodwill). But I think in the next few weeks I will work on serious elimination. That means cutting SB's babies down from 10 to maybe 2 or 3. And Mac's 7 Lightning McQueens - who needs 7 of the same car?

We already don't allow traditional birthday gifts. We ask all the children to bring in a small gift and we do an exchange. So my kids each get one, and each child there gets one. Win/win in my world. And it cuts down on the gifts.

And I started a chore chart, but I'm not great at keeping up with it, and neither are the kids. They do the chores they want - so cleaning up is forgotten, while easy things like making the bed or vacuuming their room is done quickly.

They also watch too much TV. I guess I need to cut that down, too. That's a biggie. Tough during rainy winters, but still, necessary.

I need to get rid of the spoiled before my children simply turn rotten - and I see that starting already. Sb is channeling Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Any advice?