Catching Up On Movies

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I finally had the chance to catch up on a few current films last week courtesy of Pay-Per-View.

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Milk

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What an amazing film. I was a teenager living in the Bay Area just a few miles from San Francisco when all of this of this history was going on. I well remember when Diane Feinstein - then President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors - gave the shocking news that Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk (the first openly gay man elected to office) were shot and killed inside City Hall. Sean Penn does the most wonderful job portraying Milk. He definitely deserved the Oscar. His acceptance speech was the highlight of the evening for me -- "You Commie Homo-Loving Sons of Guns". I've appreciated Sean Penn going all the way back to Taps and Racing With the Moon.

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Madagascar 2

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My kids were dying to see this and I must say all the adults in our house loved it too! One of a kind characters - played by very funny actors (Ben Stiller, Sacha Baron Cohen, Bernie Mac, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Alec Baldwin, etc.) - non stop humor with lots of little inside jokes and those commando penguins definitely steal the show. Better than the original - in my opinion.

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Twightlight

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OK, I finally get what all the fuss is about. I myself love vampire movies - I've seen um all - but this one is different somehow, and you can very easily get drawn in. My 11 year old daughter has watched it two times already, and I have to admit I watched it with her. Although I must add that we skipped through some of the moderately violent scenes that aren't really appropriate for her age. I can also see why girls/women might be drawn to this movie - a gorgeous (where did they find this guy), mysterious, intelligent, protective, obsessed vampire guy (Edward Cullen) who finds his true love, and can barely control himself from drinking her (Bella Swan's) blood. Got it! This series of books - four in all - leaving three more films left to make and release - New Moon - Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out.

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Earth Hour and The Golden Rule

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I'm am back from a much needed break. I hope everyone celebrated "Earth Hour" on Saturday. We ate ice cream and pie by candlelight and looked at the stars.

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I found this so interesting. Different variations of the all-important Golden Rule.

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Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful. Buddhism

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Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Christianity

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Never do to others what you would not like them to do to you. Confucianism

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This is the sum of all duty: do nothing to others which, if it were done to you, would cause you pain. Hinduism

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None of you is a believer until you love for your neighbor what you love for yourself. Islamic

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What is hateful to you, do not do to others. Judaism

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Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss. Taoism

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Spring Vacation and a Big "Thank You" to PVE Design and MRR Design

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Before I depart temporarily for spring vacation with my family - I wanted to send a "shout out" to two wonderful bloggers. I was the lucky winner over at pve design of a very versatile, well crafted, and unique frame. The maker of this frame is Marnie over mrr design. She also creates larger memory/inspiration boards as well as the adorable smaller, but ever so handy frames like the one I won. Thank you so much Patricia (one of my all time favorite bloggers) for holding such a fabulous giveaway, and thank you also Marnie for your wonderful creation. It will sit on my desk, and hold not only a few inspirational photos, but notes and business cards that I need to keep handy!! I absolutely love it!! If you would like one of your own pop on over to mrr design and pick one up.

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P.S. Thank you for the little barefoot drawing Patricia!! It was a wonderful surprise that made me smile!! :)

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P.P.S. I'll be back Monday, March 30th!!

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Friday's Photos - Weekend Retreat from Traditional Home Magazine

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The weather has been so lovely the past few days in my neck of the woods, and at long last our garden is beginning to come to life!!

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Happy Friday and Happy Spring!!!
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Don't we all wish we had a 120-acre weekend retreat. This one is in Madison, Georgia and was featured in Traditional Home Magazine. I love the high ceilings!!

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Photographs by Colleen Duffley

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Organizing the Garage

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We recently celebrated 15 years in our house. I can still remember what our big empty garage looked like the day we moved in, and how much fun our boys - then 3 and 5 - loved running all around such a big space. These days though, it is under a mountain of stuff. Stuff we don't ever use. Stuff piled so high we don't even know half of what's in there and couldn't find it even if we tried!! So this Saturday my husband and I - along with our two now grown sons - are going to begin to clean out that mess of a garage. My one obstacle will be my husband - who is a bit of a pack rat, and my motto is -- if we don't use it - it goes. Have a ever mentioned that my husband Mark and I are opposites. I guess it's true that they attract, but have you ever tried to organize something with someone who is your opposite? Wish me luck!!

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Here's my plan of attack.

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1. Assess the clutter. Start by creating three categories: keep, donate, and toss. As I go through the items, I assign each one to a category. If we rarely use a piece, it’s a good candidate for the donate or toss pile.

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2. Donate or toss. Contact local charities and arrange for a pickup of items to be donated; put the toss items out with the trash or recycling.

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3. Edit the keep pile. Sort the items we're keeping into new categories, such as sporting equipment, power tools, etc. Assign each category a defined location.

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4. Label items. Give anything that is not plainly identifiable a clear label.

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5. I only use plastic storage boxes. Cardboard boxes, no matter how strong, bend and dent with frequent use and eventually succumb to dampness. Waterproof plastic containers protect their contents better, seal tighter, and are easy to carry or shift around on shelves.

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P.S. Love you sweetie - and I did not call you a rat. xoxo

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Seasonal Ingredient Map

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I just found out that over at Epicurious they have a wonderful Seasonal Ingredient Map. You can use this interactive map to see what's fresh in your area of the USA - all year long. Check it out!!

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Corned Beef and Cabbage - Happy St. Patricks Day!!

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Wear green, drink some green beer, laugh and enjoy a wonderful meal with those you love!! Happy St. Patricks Day!!
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Corned Beef and Cabbage

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Serves 6, with leftovers

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Corned beef doesn't get its name from the grain corn, but instead from its being preserved in brine. The brine was made using "grains", or corns, of salt, thus corned beef. And it wouldn't be St. Patrick's Day without corned beef and cabbage!

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Ingredients

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5 pounds corned brisket or beef 6 whole black peppercorns 3 carrots, halved or quartered 3 onions, halved or quartered 1 medium-sized green cabbage, quartered

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Method

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Place corned beef and peppercorns in enough water to cover meat. Cover the pot or kettle, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 hours or until tender, skimming occasionally. During the last hour, add carrots and onions and cover again. During the last 15 minutes, add cabbage. Transfer meat and vegetables to a platter. Some folks like to brush a tad of melted butter over the vegetables, but we'll leave that up to you. Serve with boiled potatoes, cooked separately.

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Nutrition
Per serving (about 22oz/639g-wt.): 840 calories (510 from fat), 56g total fat, 18g saturated fat, 58g protein, 19g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 10g sugar), 205mg cholesterol, 4670mg sodium

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Recipe Courtesy of Whole Foods

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A Little Bit O' Green

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I found this project via Martha and made one for all my family so they will have a little something green to wear tomorrow on St. Patricks Day. One thing though - I used heavy green paper in place of the cotton fabric used in the instructions and they came out just as cute!

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Shamrock How-To

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Choose a mix of cotton fabrics (or heavy paper) in green solids and patterns.

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1. On waxed paper, use a paintbrush to coat both sides of a cotton swatch with liquid starch. Let it dry. Iron the fabric to flatten it (I skipped this step).

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2. Photocopy shamrock templates to desired sizes. Cut them out, and trace them on fabric; then cut out fabric shamrocks. Crease each leaf in half lengthwise.

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3. To make a stem, cut a 4-inch piece of floral wire; fold it in half, and twist it until the ends form a tiny V. Bend the V forward slightly and attach it to the back of each shamrock with a small dab of craft glue. Tie a bow around one stem or a bunch of shamrocks. Fasten to your clothing.

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On the Menu Tonight - Happy Friday!!

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Wheat Berry Salad with Bacon

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Ingredients

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Serves 4
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1 cup wheat berries
kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup pecan halves (about 2 ounces)
6 slices bacon
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

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Directions
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1. In a large saucepan, combine the wheat berries, 4 quarts water, and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Cook until tender but still slightly chewy, about 1 hour. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.

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2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350° F. Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, tossing occasionally, until fragrant and toasted, 6 to 8 minutes. Roughly chop the nuts.

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3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 7 to 8 minutes.

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Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. When cool, crumble and add to the wheat berries, along with the pecans, cherries, parsley, shallots, oil, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir gently to combine.

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Nutritional Information

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Calories 442
Fat 22g
Sat Fat 3g
Cholesterol 10mg
Carbohydrate 52g
Sodium 466mg
Fiber 12g
Sugar 8g

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P.S. Happy Friday the 13th!!

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Don’t Go No-Fat - Go Good Fat

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It’s the type of fat that matters!! Healthy fats are essential to good health. Most of us are concerned about our weight or heart health but rather than avoiding fat in our diet we should try replacing all the bad fats with good fats. This might mean replacing some of the meat with beans and legumes, and using vegetable oils rather than tropical oils. Over a short period of time this is what our family did and no one seems to miss the "old food". Don't get me wrong - I like In & Out Burger as much as the next person, but our daily habits are much better and hopefully will have lasting effects on our health throughout our lives. I only wish I had known all of this 20 years ago!!

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The functions of fats include:

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Brain – Fats compose 60% of the brain and are essential to brain function, including learning abilities, memory retention and moods.
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Cells – Fatty acids help your cells stay moveable and flexible, as well as being responsible for building cell membranes.

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Heart – 60% of our heart’s energy comes from burning fats. Specific fats are also used to help keep the heart beating in a regular rhythm.

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Nerves – Fats compose the material that insulates and protects the nerves, isolating electrical impulses and speeding their transmission.

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Lungs – Lung surfactant, which requires a high concentration of saturated fats, enables the lungs to work and keeps them from collapsing.

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Eyes – Fats are essential to eye function.

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Digestion – Fats in a meal slow down the digestion process so the body has more time to absorb nutrients, and help provide a constant level of energy and keeps the body satiated for longer periods of time. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) can only be absorbed if fat is present.

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Organs – Fats cushion and protect your internal organs.

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Immune System – Fats ease inflammation, helping your metabolism and immune system stay healthy and functioning.

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More Information on "fats" that I found helpful.

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Monounsaturated Fats are liquid at room temperature and turn cloudy when kept in refrigerator.

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Primary sources are plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil. Other good sources are avocados; nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans; and seeds such as pumpkin and sesame seeds.

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People following traditional Mediterranean diets, which are very high in foods containing monounsaturated fats like olive oil, tend to have lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

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Polyunsaturated Fats are liquid at room temperatures as well as at cold temperatures.

Primary sources are sunflower, corn, soybean, and flaxseed oils, and also foods such as walnuts, flax seeds, and fish.

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This fat family includes the Omega-3 group of fatty acids which your body can’t make and are found in very few foods.

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Saturated Fats are usually solid at room temperature and have a high melting point.

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Primary sources are animal sources including red meat and whole milk dairy products. Other sources are tropical vegetable oils such as coconut oil, palm oil and foods made with these oils. Poultry and fish contain saturated fat, but less than red meat.

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Saturated fat raises low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol that increases your risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).

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Trans Fats are created by heating liquid vegetable oils in the presence of hydrogen gas, a process called hydrogenation. Partially hydrogenating vegetable oils makes them more stable and less likely to spoil, which is very good for food manufacturers – and very bad for you.

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Primary sources of trans fat are vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

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Trans fat raises low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol that increases your risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), as well as lowering HDL, or good cholesterol.

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Above Information Courtesy of helpguide.org /Photos Courtesy of Jupiter Images.

Girls Room Re-Model

I have just begun re-modeling my two girls room. It use to be our spare room before we expanded our family and it's time for an update. We are going with Fairest Pink paint from Benjamin Moore for the walls - with white trim and ceiling. Our "inspiration room" is the Annie Cat Room from Pottery Barn Kids (with pink walls instead of lavender). I am even going to attempt the stencils seen above the bed. My oldest daughter already has a white head and foot board so I will hunt for a second one at my favorite used furniture stores and yard sales. If I can't find one in white I'll just slap a coat of white paint on it. The Olivia Bed at Pottery Barn is used just as a reference for style - as I would never pay $800.00 for a twin bed frame no matter how pretty it was!! I do think the White Ella Chandelier isn't a bad price though - at $129.00.

I can't wait to get started and my girls are jumping up and down!!

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