Happy Anniversary TO ME!!!!

Today is our 16th Wedding Anniversary. We're not really much into exchanging gifts. Spending money to show love? I prefer smaller, daily doses of showing affection. Like when he cleans up the dog poop, changes the cat litter, or cleans the toilet. LOL. Or when he comes by my work to drop off a single red rose - because who wants to watch a whole bouquet of roses wither and die? And I extremely dislike mushy, sentimental greeting cards. Just tell me you love me and I'm good to go another year.

But, if I had to pick out a gift for myself, I would love these earrings:



Or one of these skirts:



Last week, I decided to continue my fruitless search for Amy Butler's Duck Egg French Wallpaper and Pink Coriander fabrics. I haven't had any luck with the Pink Coriander, so if you know where I can get some, or you have some you are willing to share, please contact me. Please!! BUT, I did come across a website for a fabric store, not an online store, but a real brick and mortar store. On their front page they have a photo and "Amy Butler fabrics" as part of what they have to offer. There in the photo is the Duck Egg French Wallpaper. So I shoot off an email asking if they have any available. I received a really nice reply, and ended up buying the 3 yards that they had!!!! That, along with my Dirty Dancing DVD, and I had a wonderful mother's day.

Hush, Hush Review

***SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!***

I received Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick for Christmas. I was really looking forward to reading it. I had read some reviews that were favorable, so I thought I would give it a chance. I have to say that the cover just blew me away. It's very intriguing. So imagine my surprise when I finally started reading it and was less than enthused.

The prologue introduces the concept of the Nephilim, which is the offspring of a normal human and a fallen angel. Other than that brief mention, Nephilim isn't mentioned again until 2/3rds of the way through the book. Hush, Hush starts with Nora being thrown together with a new Biology partner, Patch. Nora then blunders around trying to find information on Patch and his past. Why? Does she like him? Is she attracted to him? Who knows. He's a jerk, he's rude and uncooperative, but Nora is just determined to find out about him, so she attempts to dig up whatever she can on him. We get to read along while she is clueless. Weird things happen. Nora is afraid Patch means to harm her, but she attempts to spend time with him anyway.

Nora happens to get of glimpse of Patch's back, where he has a V shaped scar. Of course this sets her on the path to discovering what the scar means. She puts the scar together with the carnival ride called The Archangel that she and Patch rode together. Nora types 'angel wing scars' into Google and is rewarded with the answer - Fallen Angel. Wow. How lame.

Hush, Hush really picks up the pace and action towards the end. I wish the entire book had been this good. Nora's life IS in danger - and not just from Patch. There's a twist at the end, and Patch ends up giving her life back - literally. Happy ending.

Since Twilight, every supernatural YA book is compared to it. However, there are too many similarities in Hush, Hush to write off as coincidental.

The sequel, Crescendo, comes out in November 2010. Nora digs into her own past, her father's disappearance, and her own relation to the Nephilim. Let's hope Becca Fitzpatrick has learned how to write a more compelling story from beginning to end.

Happy Mother's Day!!

This is what (or rather who) I really want for Mother's Day...



I'm quite sure this is what I am actually getting for Mother's Day...



Yes, I'm a dork. My husband and children support (and encourage) my dorky self, so it really can't be helped.

Meadowsweet 2

Ooooh, look what I found. Meadowsweet 2!!! I really like this colorway. I think I may need to get some of this. Maybe I'll even do a pre-order if I can find it.

New Item and a Blog Sale

Check out how cute this is : Duck Egg French Wallpaper Zippered Wristlet. I finally cut into my only yard of this fabric. It was really hard to do, but I can't keep it forever.

Special Sale Alert!!

I am having a sale for my blog readers. All of my Zippered Pouches and Zippered Pouches With Clips can be purchased at half price for a limited time. That's right - 50% off regular prices!! I can either issue a refund after your purchase, or you can contact me about any items you wish to purchase and I will mark down the prices for you.

I still have these available also. Regularly $9.00, now just $4.50 each!!!

Fabric Flair

I have posted about this before, but a really great place that I have been getting fabrics from lately is Fabric Flair. Christie has an anniversary sale going on in her Etsy shop right now!! Head on over and check out the gorgeous fabrics. And be sure to check out the great giveaway she has going on also.

Here is a set of zippered pouches that I just completed and listed using Sandi Henderson's Meadowsweet fabrics that I purchased from Fabric Flair:


And this is some of Laura Gunn's new Poppy fabric (also from Fabric Flair):

Etsy's Treasury East

Check it out. Someone placed 2 of my items in Etsy's Treasury East.




I've never attempted to get a Treasury spot. I really don't have time to waste waiting around for a spot to open up, and then attempting to beat thousands of other people who are also trying to get a spot. But I think I will put together a list in Treasury East. Sounds like my kind of fun!!

PUPPY!!!!!!!!!!!

Look!! It's a puppy that's been keeping me so darn busy around here. She is into everything and will attempt to eat anything she can get in her mouth. Puppy only has 2 speeds - hyper and sleep.



Somehow my daughter talked us into getting a miniature dachsund. Her name is Angel (which I don't like, but what can I do about it? I wanted to name her Chloe Ann, but my daughter thinks that is a stupid name for a dog.)



Puppy is really cute. Our kitty is having a difficult time accepting an intruder, but she is slowly coming around. Hopefully when the puppy chills out the kitty won't mind having her around.

Music Monday!!!!

I haven't disappeared!! I'm still around, I've just been busy with something. I can't share photos right now because the battery on my camera just died, which figures. You'll have to check back to see what I've been up to. I'll also be listing some new items in my Etsy shop this week.

I love all kinds of music. I get into ruts now and then and I search for something new and/or different. I also have a tendency to have my new favorites on repeat, or I just keep returning to them to hear them again. I watched Bandslam last weekend, and while it was an okay movie, I really (really) had one song stuck in my head all week. So I found it and I listened to it today on repeat for about 3 hours. Seriously. I just wasn't in the mood to listen to anything else. Oh, the song is 'Pretend' by Scott Porter.

I also purchased Civil Twilight's new CD. While technically not 'new' since it was available originally as download only on Itunes, I still had to have the actual CD in my hands. And the CD version has 3 more songs. I love it!! I listen to it a lot.



Someone else I really enjoy is Scott Clifton. I originally knew him as Dillon Quartermaine on General Hospital. He just finished a storyline on One Life To Live, and I have no idea where he'll show up next.


I've known about his music since he started on GH, and I purchased his first 2 CDs. When he came out with his 3rd CD, I didn't purchase it immediately, thinking that I would get it later. Then it slipped my mind, and then a few weeks ago I decided it was time to get the newest CD. I went to his website and it was listed as sold out!!! So I contacted the person in charge, and they replied that Scott said he's sorry, but they're all gone. I was bummed. For about a day. Until I received an email from this guy : Jeff Pescetto. That would be Scott's producer. He offered me a copy of the new CD. So I jumped at the opportunity to get it, sent him the money, and a week later I had the CD in my hot little hands. It's so good!! I am so glad that the producer went out of his way to make sure I received this CD that I wanted so badly. I really appreciate it.

How is YOUR day going?

My day started off weird. My husband asked me how I slept, and I told him I died in my dream.... isn't that a really bad thing? I went to sleep with happy thoughts about the fabric I purchased yesterday. Not that I need more new fabric, but it was Amy Butler Charm and Flea Market Fancy Blue Posies, so I just had to have it!! I don't know how I went from thinking about fabric to having a violent dream. I just know that I was in an unfamiliar building, it was dark, some kind of robbery was occurring - I don't know if I was involved in the crime or not - but I suddenly found myself on my back. When I looked up, someone was standing over me, and I remember closing my eyes and thinking "This isn't good." I opened my eyes and I think they shot me!! I don't know how to describe it, but it was like a darkness started in my chest, my vision starting swimming and then everything slowly went black, and I just knew that I was dead. Why couldn't I have dreamed about puppies and kitties and white fluffy clouds....

Spring Break Sale!!!

The kids and I are officially on Spring Break!!
For a limited time receive $5.00 off purchases over $30.00.
Receive $10.00 off purchases over $50.00.

This also means I will me making and listing new items during the next week or so.
Hopefully LOTS of new stuff!!

Don't forget the some of THESE are still available.

SPOILER ALERT - My Thoughts On Remember Me

SPOILER ALERT!! I can't wait any longer to post my thoughts on Remember Me, so if you haven't seen the movie yet, STOP READING!!

I've read so many reviews since yesterday, and I can't believe there are that many idiots who get paid to review movies. The main problem seems to be the ending. Some people actually believe that Summit or someone else changed the ending to 9-11 to get more of a response from the audience. I'm not high on Summit right now (if you don't know why, then you haven't been reading my blog) but I do know they didn't change the ending to exploit 9-11 and elicit a more emotional ending. If I am remembering all of the stories from the past year or so, wasn't this ending in the original screenplay?

Ugh. Reviewers always piss me off when they have no clue what they are talking about. I see a lot of comparisons to 'Love Story', which I am conflicted about, mostly because with 'Remember Me' we weren't ALL prepared for a love story with death as the ending. And the death is not the important message in 'Remember Me'. It's that you never know what's going to happen, and that you need to live life to the fullest. If you feel something, say it. If you want something in life, go for it. "Live in the Moments"

I am so tired of people always comparing Robert's characters to 'Edward'. It seems these reviewers brought their preconceived notions and their 'Twilight' hate into this movie. I saw no resemblance to 'Edward' at all. 'Tyler' was very emotional, it was not just stares and angst, and I hope I never again hear someone compare Robert's performance to James Dean.

And anyone who has a problem with Robert's hair needs to get over it already.

I am rambling, but I am aggravated and trying to get all of my thoughts unscrambled and into coherent sentences. Below you will find my 'original' review that I wrote immediately after seeing 'Remember Me.'

**************************************************************



My husband and I went to see "Remember Me" on Saturday, March 11, 2010. Sadly, there were only 12 people in the theatre. I thought there would be more than that!!

I think Robert did an terrific job portraying Tyler. The character of Tyler feels real - more real than Edward does. There are a variety of emotions displayed and Robert gives an excellent performance. I can't wait to see his future films.

I loved his roommate, Aiden. Yes, he was shallow, but a lot of young 20-somethings are the same way. He really did care about the people in his life. I love the shot of him in the classroom at the end of the movie. I want my own 'Tyler' tattoo!!!

I was prepared to not like Ally, but I found myself liking her, and rooting for her and Tyler. She seemed a little sheltered at the beginning of the movie, which made her moving out of her father's house a little out of character.

Tyler's little sister was terrific. Robert did a great job being all big-brotherly. They are 10 years apart, so they actually have affection between them instead of the usual fighting between siblings that are closer in age.

I am assuming Tyler's dad become so cold and seemingly uncaring as a way to distance himself and protect himself from more hurt. In his eyes, 'taking care' of Tyler and his little sister means nothing more than making sure they are 'provided for'. But he doesn't give them his time or attention, which is what Tyler resents so much. I loved the second time his dad bailed him out of jail. It seemed his dad was starting to loosen up a bit, and Tyler got a little glimmer of hope in reconnecting with his dad. And then when Tyler sees the photos on his dad's computer it makes him realize that his dad really does care.

Ally's dad is a character that really gets little development. I am assuming they meant for him to be overprotective and overbearing. But he really came off as controlling and abusive. I understand how he could worry about Ally not coming home when she was supposed to, he probably thought something bad had happened to her (like what happened to his wife). But his overreactions really made him look like an ass.

As with most movies, one can always find flaws - continuity errors, editing problems, scenes that seem out of place, actions that are out of character. I choose not to dwell on the small things with 'Remember Me', but instead focus on the overall effect and feel of the movie.

Right now, most critics and a lot of reviews are negative because of the movie's ending. I don't feel that it's the studio's fault for the ending. It was written that way. I don't feel it was a ploy to wring as many emotions as possible from the viewers. It wouldn't have had the same impact if he had died another way. (Then it would have just been another Nicholas Sparks movie, and I think everyone knows how much I HATE those!!!!!!)

Overall I really liked 'Remember Me.' I would recommend that everyone see it. I would actually love to see it again at the theatre, but I will probably end up waiting for it on DVD.

We Just Saw Remember Me...

The only thing my husband could say was "Holy shit."
I think may have mumbled "OMG" before I covered my mouth with my hand.

I mentioned before that I had stayed away from spoilers for 'Remember Me." I'm so glad I didn't know anything. This was a much anticipated movie for me, but I really didn't have any expectations going into it. My one real hope was that Robert Pattinson would prove that he really could act if given the right opportunity. I think he did a very credible portrayal of Tyler. And he has a great range of emotions in this movie.

I don't want to reveal anything spoilerish for those of you who haven't seen the movie yet - Why haven't you seen it??? Go see it. NOW!! - so I won't go into details now. I'll save my in depth review for later so I don't ruin the movie for anyone.

Robert, Robert Everywhere...

I LOVE THIS PHOTO!!!

My husband and I are going to see 'Remember Me' tomorrow. I hope it's as good as the trailers make it out to be. I've been careful to stay away from any types of spoilers, so I have no clue what the ending is. Hopefully it doesn't make me cry.



The first official 'Eclipse' trailer has been released. I can't squee too loudly, but... SQUEEEEEEEE!!



AND if that wasn't enough Robert for you, get your hot little hands on 'New Moon' on March 20. I don't plan on going to any of the midnight release parties. That seems a little juvenile for me.

I do plan on purchasing my copy at Target. I actually can't wait to watch it again. I know I totally blew on it when I saw it in the theatre, but I'm willing to give it another chance (or two).

Thursday Night...

This is the reason I always get mad at American Idol: ALEX LAMBERT
What are people listening to? There are a few others that really SHOULD have went home tonight...

On a different note, I had this idea to combine poetry with a zippered pouch. This is what I came up with:



I love the movie 'Bright Star'. I have the soundtrack also and listen to it at least once a day, especially while sewing. I found John Keats' original manuscripts online and became inspired. I think this zippered pouch turned out really cuter than expected!!