Movie Madness - Twilight

It's time for another Movie Madness Carnival over at Daily Mish Mash. Participants can blog about any movie-related topic of their choice. But, the hot topic this time around for many is the movie Twilight, which premiered last night at 12:01 a.m. Be sure to click over to Daily Mish Mash and check it out.

My Twilight review:

Me and two friends decided to take our daughters to the first Twilight showing, last night at 12:01 a.m. We bought our tickets days in advance. The girls thought we were "cool" because we were taking them to a midnight movie on a school night. We arrived at the cinema an hour before the start time, and even then, our theater was almost full. Unfortunately, the only way the six of us could sit together, was in the third row (I hate sitting that close, but, that was our only choice unless we wanted to all split up). The majority of the movie-goers were female, but, there were men there as well. Girls were wearing shirts with sayings such as "bite me" or "Team Edward". There was definitely excitement in the air. When the lights went out and the previews were finished, the movie started to a room full of girls screaming and cheering. Luckily, they were pretty quiet after that. I was hooked from the very first moment the movie started. Bella was portrayed perfectly by Kristen Stewart. And Edward....for an icy cold vampire, he couldn't have been any hotter! Robert Pattinson was fantastic. I was happy that the majority of the movie was pretty true to the book. There were a few minor changes, but, nothing that took away from the story at all. I loved Charlie, and the way that his relationship with Bella was a little awkward. I loved Carlisle, too. I won't go into any details of the plot or give any spoilers. But, I will mention a few of my very favorite scenes. When Bella walked into the biology class and had to take the seat next to Edward - his very first reaction to her was hilarious. The Cullen family baseball scene was a blast to watch. Of course, the scene where Bella and Edward shared their first kiss was pretty awesome. And, I loved the ending - it was just the right cliff-hanger for going into the next book. So, are you planning on seeing Twilight? If so, let me know what you think.

~Kari

Christmas Gift Idea

One of my favorite etsy shops is Jenn Gee!. I have recommended her before, but, wanted to do so again now that Christmas shopping time is here. She makes the most adorable coffee corsets ever! They are very well-made, and there are so many great fabric designs and themes to choose from. I have bought several for myself and use them all the time. Last year, I gave them as teacher gifts and I'll be doing the same again this year. Tie one on a Starbucks cup (or other disposable coffee cup), put some tissue paper in the cup, along with a Starbucks gift card and wah-lah! The perfect gift. Check out her shop and I know you will love her coffee corsets as much as I do. (Photos are from JennGee! etsy shop and used with owner's permission)

Check it out

I was a winner of one of the Bloggy Carnival giveaways. I just wanted to say thanks again, to Jennifer, for the adorable address labels. They will be perfect to use on some Christmas cards. If you are looking for some cute Christmas gifts, check out her site to see her work. Besides address labels, she does notecards, notepads, keychains, zipper pouches and more. For my prize, I chose the red and white polka-dot address labels, and they look great.

~Kari

Random stuff

• Yah! Only 9 days until the Twilight movie premiers. We've already bought our tickets to go to the first show at midnight. My neighbor and I are taking our daughters (age 12). This has earned us some brownie points with them, as they think we are cool for taking them to a midnight movie on a school night. I'm sure this will not last long and soon we will be un-cool again.
• Double Yah! My husband drove my vehicle to the firehouse yesterday (he works 24 hour shifts). Last night he cleaned out the entire inside of my tahoe....even all the gunky, yucky, sticky crud that was in the kids' cupholders. I love to have a clean car.
• I spent a good 6 hours cleaning out the walk-in closet in our bedroom. It was such a wreck. Once I start Christmas shopping, I start hiding stuff here and there in the closet and then I forget what and where everything is. Now, it is so clean and organized that I just want to sit in there and stare at it all day. I'm trying to be super-organized with my holiday stuff this year.
• Which brings me to Christmas cards. I love hand-made cards, but, who am I kidding. I don't have the time or energy to do that. So, I will probably try to do photo cards. My kids hate when I tell them it's time to do Christmas card pictures. They will moan and complain and fight over who stands next to who and say that I'm making them wear stupid stuff. Ahhhhh! that Christmas spirit is alive and kicking around here, LOL!
• While we're on the subject, let's talk about Christmas shopping. Since I'm trying to be super-organized, I typed up a little chart of everyone that I need to shop for. YIKES! 64 people on this list. That's not counting my kids or husband. I'm already stressed about our budget as it is, this just stresses me out even more. Of course some of these are really small gifts, such as for the school bus driver, hairdresser, neighbors, etc. But, doesn't this sound like a lot? I'm curious to know how many people you shop for at Christmas.
• Speaking of Christmas lists....my children have made out their lists. It's so funny, my 10-yr. old son typed his list. Everything was just haphazardously listed, no commas, nothing. Just one big run-on list of stuff. Now, my daughter, on the other hand, went to great lengths to organize her list. She typed up a list, complete with a VIP section (this is the "Very Important Present" - the thing she wants most, which happens to be a digital camera). Then she listed various other items and color-coded them according to who might want to buy those things for her (parents, grandparents, Santa...) She is definitely growing up, there are no toys or games on her list this year, just clothes, boots, gift cards....
• On to another subject. I recently went to the doctor for some back and leg pain. While I was there, he did a complete blood work-up. Turns out (which I already knew, but hadn't really done anything about) that my cholesterol and triglycerides are high, my bad cholesterol is bad, my good cholesterol is bad. He told me to go on a strict low-fat diet and to start taking fish oil capsules, then we would recheck it in 3 months. I'm trying, really, but if you've read any of my posts in the pasts, you know how I struggle with dieting. Last week, I did really well the entire week (well, may one or two occasions I slipped and ate chips or something), but, I did not lose a single pound. Very bummed about that. And, what a bad time of year to tell me to go on a low-fat diet. I LOVE Thanksgiving. So much! Seriously, my mouth waters thinking of the turkey, dressing, dumplings, sweet potatoes, pecan pie, and all that good stuff. I am just taking one day at a time, and I've already told myself that it's a given that I'm going to be bad on Thanksgiving. Oh, and the doc also prescribed a "stress-reliever"/anti-depressant that is supposed to also be effective in helping you lose weight. So far, this little purple pill has not impressed me much.

~Kari

4-0

My husband recently turned the big 4-0, along with his twin brother. To celebrate, my sister-in-law and I surprised them with an overnight trip to French Lick Springs Resort where we stayed at the West Baden Springs hotel. This hotel is absolutely gorgeous and we had a great time. We joined the boys as they played a round of golf (we didn't play, just rode along in the carts), walked around and admired the hotel and went in the shops, had a fantastic dinner (one of the best I've ever had!), and spent a little time playing around in the casino (I won $10 from a 2-cent slot machine, LOL). Our room was beautiful! Normally, I get a little creeped out sleeping in a hotel bed, but, this room was so clean and luxurious that I had one of my best nights of sleep ever. The resort also has many other features that we didn't even have time to enjoy - a top-notch spa, a swimming pool, riding stables, and outdoor gardens. I definitely plan to go back for a spa trip with the girls. Here are a few pictures from our trip.


This was another surprise for Bruce's 40th - at home, he awoke to a yard full of penguins and this big birthday greeting!



The four of us on the golf course

The golf course was so pretty (and the guys said it was a great course to play)

The guys before dinner - yes, they are identical twins (Bruce is on the left, his brother on the right)

The front lobby of the hotel

This picture does not do it justice, but, in the center of the hotel is this huge light fixture. At night, it glows and fades to different colors - beautiful!

The hotel center, where you can see the hotel rooms that have an indoor view. We were on the outer section, and had an outdoor view

Our room and super-comfy bed!

I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of the outside of the hotel. You should click over to their site and take a look. It is stunning. We had such a nice, relaxing trip. If you are anywhere near this area (French Lick, Indiana), I highly recommend a visit.

~Kari

No title

I am sick.

And scared.

We are in for change.

And, not for the better.

All I can do is pray.

My husband is a firefighter. As his company just went to the scene of a fire, they were greeted with gunfire and crowds of people in the street, yelling at them "we're in charge now Mother F*#%'ers". It's going to be a long night.

And a LONG four years!

All I can do is pray.