*~*~Movie Night Gift Basket~*~* Bloggy Giveaway

*PLEASE READ ENTIRE POST BEFORE ENTERING*

It's time again for a "Bloggy Giveaway Carnival" hosted by Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer. Click here and you will find links to all the bloggers who are hosting giveaways. There is always a huge turn-out of participants. It's not only a great way to discover new people and their blogs, but, there are loads of fabulous prizes being offered. Go check it out!

If you've been here before, you know that I love movies. Love them a lot! I enjoy all genres, but, my favorites are probably dramas; especially little-known independent type flicks that were not necessarily box-office hits. So, with that in mind, I am once again giving away a "movie night" themed gift basket. Included in the gift basket will be one of my favorite DVD movies and some snacks. The title of the movie is Tully and you can read about it here. This movie is for grown-ups and is rated R.. I repeat - this is not one to share with the kiddos; it contains adult situations and language. It's a heartbreaking story; slow-paced, but very touching.


Now, here are the rules for my giveaway:

* To enter, leave a comment on this post (make sure to include contact info)
* Winning comment will be drawn at random Friday night, Feb. 2
* Open only to U.S. residents
* Feel free to post a link to my giveaway on your blog
* If you win, please come back to my blog and tell me if you liked the movie

If you have entered my movie giveaways before, you know I'm a paranoid sort. Therefore, I always have to include a little disclaimer. Short and sweet, here it is...(1)the movie is rated R, (2)snacks may or may not contain chocolate, nuts, red dye, or other things that you may or may not be allergic to, so check the ingredients before eating.

That's it. Start posting your comments and don't forget to go check out all the other giveaways.

~K

It's 'Bloggy Giveaway' time again

It's time for another Bloggy Giveaway carnival hosted by 'Rocks in my Dryer'. If you're not familiar with this, click the above link and check out all the details. There's always a HUGE turnout of participants and lots of fabulous giveaways. The fun starts Monday, January 28 -- make plans to be there!

As many of you know, I'm a big-time movie lover. So, my prize will probably be another 'Movie Night Gift Pack'. Come to my blog on Monday and enter. I'll also have the link to the 'carnival' where you can find and enter the other giveaways. See you then!

~K

Sleepy dreamer

I'm pretty fortunate to be one of those people who falls asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. Rarely do I wake during the night, and, if I do, I usually fall right back to sleep. I don't seem to dream all that much, or at least not that I can remember. I hadn't really thought much about the subject, but, my kids do not seem to talk about dreams they've had while sleeping. My youngest, often sleeps with me (he started having seizures this past year, and since they have all occured during the night while he is sleeping, I just feel better having him close to me). Yesterday, when I went to wake Zachary, a funny thing happened. Normally, it takes a little poking and prodding to get him up and going in the morning. He's a sleepy-head just like me. But, not yesterday. He popped right up the first time I called his name. He immediately started telling me this very detailed dream that he had -- he, his brother, and a friend were in the field behind our house, it was dark, they saw a castle, the friend's dog came with them, there was a witch who grabbed them and put them in a "boiling stew pot" (his words exactly, how funny is that). So, I'm thinking this sounds like a nightmare, was he scared? I ask him and he says, "no, I don't know what happened next. I couldn't see the rest of the dream". I thought that was a pretty funny thing for him to say. Flash forward to this morning. Again, he wakes right up and the first thing he says: "I was in dreamworld again". He just cracks me up!

~K

Another fun outing

I enjoyed another fun outing yesterday. With my same friend, Jennifer, who went with me to see Phantom of the Opera on Saturday. We took our daughters into the city of Frankfort (our state capitol). Our girls are both eleven (6th graders) and they had the wonderful opportunity to be pages at the House of Representatives, which just started it's legislative session. What does this mean, you ask? Well, basically, they get to go on the house floor and be right there to see everything that's going on. And, they run little errands for any representative who might need something...getting them drinks, delivering papers to someone, etc. When the session was called to order, our representative stood and introduced the girls (and us, the moms) to everyone, told what county we were from, what school the girls go to...and then the speaker of the house welcomed us and everyone clapped *sigh* -- It was really special. Of course, I know they do that for any student who comes to volunteer as a page, but still, it made us feel special. The photographer took pictures of the girls with our representative, standing up at the podium. They even got to hold the big gavel (? not sure if that's how you spell it or not, and I'm too lazy to spell check). Because it's the beginning of the session, they really haven't gotten around to actually passing any bills yet, so it was a very short meeting. But, it was still all very interesting to witness. We were proud of our girls! We spent the rest of the day visiting some of the neat little shops in downtown Frankfort - an antique shop, a coffee shop (where I had a banana-caramel cappuccino, yum!) and a very quaint little bookshop that I could've spent hours browsing. We also went to the Rebecca Ruth Candy store, famous for it's awesome bourbon candy. It was such a fun day! As well as volunteering in the house, they can also be a page for the senate. So, we will definately be doing this again. Both girls are so smart and we love trying to expose them to lots of different fun, educational activities. Jennifer and I became friends a couple years ago, through our daughters. We have so many similar interests and have done a lot of fun things together, along with our girls. We've taken school trips to Atlanta, Chicago, and Williamsburg, Virginia. I'm very blessed to have met such a wonderful friend! Oh, and, speaking of fun outings, we have something else planned for tomorrow. The four of us are going to a crochet class. It's just a one-night class, to teach some basics and how to read patterns. I've always wanted to learn to crochet and knit. Hopefully, we will learn enough to get us started anyway. Hmmmm....the opera, the state government, crafty classes...we are just some happening girls this week.

The photographs of the girls that were taken on the house and senate floors will be mailed to us at a later date. But, here are two that I snapped (my daughter is in the blue sweater -- and yes, they are wearing matching sweaters, kinda corny but they insisted, LOL!):

Completing paper-work



Standing in the capitol




~K

P.S. The Rebecca Ruth candy store that we visited is pretty famous in these parts and beyond...I'm wondering if you've ever heard of it? If you get a second, click on my link above and check it out. The story is pretty darn interesting, I think. The two women who founded it way back when, were really ahead of their time, as far as women in business. And, the candy is sooo good!

Valentine banner

My cute new blog banner is courtesy of Kris at Blissfull Elements. I just love it! She does such a nice job...thanks Kris!

Evening out

Saturday, my good friend, Jennifer, and I went to see a performance of 'The Phantom of the Opera'. I had bought the tickets and surprised her for Christmas. It was our first time seeing 'Phantom' and we were definately not disappointed. In fact, we both loved it. There were times that I got goosebumps. And, at the end, when the performers got standing ovations, I even teared up a little bit. It was just all so beautiful -- the costumes, the music, the scenery, the story. Maybe in my next life I will come back as an opera singer. Or a ballerina. Or an orchestra musician. Probably not. I forgot that I can't carry a tune. Or dance. Oh well. Back to our evening out. A few rows over from us, there was a family with two children. The little girl would suddenly break out into a big bout of loud, gleeful clapping (at times when you weren't supposed to be clapping). I think she couldn't help herself, she was just so mesmerized by it all. After the show, we went to dinner at a nice little restaurant called Lilly's. I was just thrilled to be dining at an establishment that didn't sell 'happy meals' or have a kid's menu that you could color on with little generic crayons. For dessert, I ordered banana rum bread pudding with roasted banana ice cream. Oh. My. Goodness. This is quite possibly the best thing I've ever tasted in my life. And, even though I have never ever made any kind of bread pudding, I may have to start searching for a recipe to try and recreate that dish. The entire meal was delicious. I rarely get to dress up and go out for such a grown-up evening. It was a lot of fun!

~K

Another Meme

Here's a fun little meme that I borrowed from Sippycups are for Chardonnay

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items.You can only pick one thing from the following departments.. what is it?
1. Produce - Bananas
2. Bakery - Whole wheat bread
3. Meat - Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4. Frozen - Frozen pizza
5. Dairy - Skim milk


Let's say we're heading out for a weekend getaway.You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you.So, what's in your bag?
1. Comfy jeans
2. Long-sleeve thermal tee
3. Slip on black loafers

If I was to listen in on your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?
1. Be quiet!
2. Come here
3. Just a minute
4. No
5. I don't know

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?
1. Hug my kids
2. Watch Fox News
3. Make the beds

We're talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?
1. Read
2. Sleep
3. Watch a movie
4. Talk on the phone
5. Look at magazines

We are going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it'll have to be a quick visit.What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?
1. Gorillas
2. Penguins
3. Lions

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on t.v. of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?
1. Extreme Home Makeover
2. Tonight Show with Jay Leno
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Oprah

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?
1. Strawberry
2. Banana
3. Chocolate

Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?
1. Flashlight
2. Birth control pills
3. Tignanello wallet
4. Dramamine
5. Burt's Bees Lip balm

You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let's pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?
1. Photographer
2. Author
3. Interior Designer
4. Concert Violinist
5. Fashion Designer

If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things, what would you say?
1. Go away to college
2. Be more outgoing
3. Listen to my dad when he tells me to become a pharmacist
4. Live on my own before getting married

~K

Synopsis of our Christmas break

• Didn't get my Christmas shopping finished until Dec. 22 - my goal of being finished by Dec. 1st just didn't happen
• Procrastinated on sending out Christmas cards, therefore, sent out store-bought cards at the last minute (not the cute, hand-made cards with pictures of my kids, postmarked at the North Pole, that I had hoped to send)
• Ate a lot of peanut butter fudge
• Discovered that I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want an iPod of my very own
• Got some great gifts: hubby gave me a new, programmable coffeemaker and a heated throw blanket (love them!); sister gave me an awesome Longaberger basket filled with pie-baking goodies and a pie cookbook (I guess I've been mouthing off about how I want to learn to bake homemade pies and be the designated pie-baker of the family. Ooops, now I will really have to follow through with it); from mother-in-law, some nice things for the house, a little table, and a pretty, round mirror to hang on the wall; and a gift card to Archivers from my niece (Whoo Hoo! I love that store!)
• Finally bought daughter some glasses (I really feel bad that we took so long, she was constantly squinting. She now looks so cute in her uber-stylish blue, rectangular frames!
• Watched several really good movies (The Kingdom, Deja Vu, Knocked Up, The Ex, Eastern Promises) and took the kids to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (it was ok)
• Hubby has been working on oldest son's room in the basement and is almost finished drywalling. YAH! It's not a pleasant thing when a 14 yr. old boy is sharing a room with a 9 yr. old boy and a 7 yr. old boy. He can't wait to get his own room in the basement. We are finishing the basement a little at a time. Hopefully, my craft room will be next.
• We joined a gym. I have yet to go. I hope this is not an indication of how dedicated I will be to working out at said gym. On the other hand, hubby has been almost every day. That is irksome.
• Spent New Years eve at home with the kiddos (hubby was on duty at firehouse). Barely stayed awake to see the ball drop.
• 9 yr. old son started guitar lessons (Santa brought him a brand new guitar). The teacher is a young guy with a college degree in music. We were a little freaked out that he has long, fake fingernails (I'm talking the kind that you go to the salon to get) on his "strumming" hand. I am assuming these are his built-in "picks" but it's a little odd-looking. He comes to our house for the lessons, which is great. One of my friends is bringing her son over for lessons, too, so I think it will be more fun for them to take lessons together.
• Made some simple 'resolutions' in my head -- eat healthy, exercise more, get my butt in gear and get the house organized, try to do a better job getting out of debt this year....blah blah blah. All the usual stuff. Let's hope this year is the year that I will actually stick with them.

That's about it, I guess. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I've so enjoyed discovering all you people and your blogs, and look forward to the new year with you.

~K