Twilight: New Moon

The Brooks' Girls went to New Moon yesterday. I read the books a while ago, and faintly remember which book contained what information. Therefore, I could sit back and enjoy the flick without critiquing the validity of the story line as harshly as if I had just finished the book the day prior. My opinion of this movie was positive. I thought the new producer did well at using pertinent clips from the prior film. He made the "Jacob" character come to life and Bella's internal struggle believable regarding her feeling for Jacob. The movie is a tad over 2 hours in length, so if you can't sit still for that long, wait for it to come out on DVD. It had more action than the first book. And once again, like the first movie, it followed the general story of the book very well. If you haven't read the books, I wouldn't recommend these movies because the books let you better understand the struggles and relationships in Bella's life.

Early reviews of New Moon, which released at theatres last night, are mixed.

The first reviews of New Moon are in, and many aren't exactly flattering.

Early reviews at Rotten Tomatoes give New Moon a 4.9 out of 10 on average, and just 29 percent of Approved Tomatometer Critics rated it positive.

The early consensus from Rotten Tomatoes reads, "The Twilight Saga's second installment may satisfy hardcore fans of the series, but outsiders are likely to be turned off by its slow pace, relentlessly downcast tone, and excessive length."

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving

David was working midnights Wednesday & Thursday night. I was working days all week. Not time off for Directors when staff calls in ill. When I leave at 6:00 in the morning for work, David is just coming home. Thursday I worked 8-5 and so my Sweetie came to the parking lot at work, kissed me Happy Thanksgiving, and went to work as I headed to Derik & Kelly's to stop by to say hi. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. I am very thankful that we have good jobs in this economy and understanding families regarding holidays.
After work on Friday, we headed to my parents-in-law in Buck Lake. Grandma Brooks & Grandma Peterson were both there. Bekkah, Jackie & Mark, Jenny & Junior, Mom & Dad, & us (James was in Alaska for work & Kim, Jeff & kids were in the cities). The meal was deliciously huge and we got left overs. Jen also sent us home with different cuts of venison from the deer they got this year. After dinner, of course there's always room for pie; chocolate, pumpkin, or blueberry with real cream. Mmmm!
Next are the games; this year was the Game of Life and Cranium. If you're not familiar, Cranium is a board game that consists of different actions you have to do for your team to guess. You may have to hum a tune, act like a cow milker or Napoleon Dynamite, draw a "roof rack" or "buffalo wings" with your eyes closed, or sculpt a mullet out of clay and get your team to guess the correct answer. Or just know that coconut water can be used in an IV. It was really fun and brought out a lot of laughs. I also found out I cannot teach a 5 y.o. to play chess. :)
All in all, it didn't matter that we were a little late because of our jobs. We had an awesome night with the family and reminds us of all the things we're thankful for this year. Even the fact that we still don't have any snow on the ground yet! PTL!

Sick Again

Sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head type of weekend.

Movie: The Proposal

This movie was hilarious. Not kid-friendly in any means (PG-13, but I'm surprised what they can get away with this rating). Sandra Bullock is one of my favorite actresses and she makes this show what it is. I think my Sister-in-law's favorite part was the chanting around the fire with Grandma (Betty White). It even got David LOL a few times. Clever on-liners and cute story. Recommend renting.

Dad's Tee

Apparently I saw myself as crafty or a potential clothing designer as a child. Or someone with too much Puffy Paint and one of her Dad's shirts. Either way, I found this hanging in Dad's closet. He saved everything sentimental.

Gifts

I received two gift certificates for JCPenny's from my Mom and my Parents-In-Law. I bought myself new flannel sheets for my bed and three pairs of Cuddl Duds. They are the best long-underwear for women. I wear mine to bed, but they fit under all clothes without being bunched up. And for being so lightweight, they really keep you warm. I recommend them. AND, everything I bought that day was 40-50% off, plus another 15% with my coupon so I spent ~$66 and saved around ~$66. Happy Girl. Thank you Mom, Candy, & Gary! You've warmed me up for the winter!

Bacon-Wrapped Weinies in Brown Sugar

My Bacon-Wrapped Little Smokies were a hit last night at Bible study. Thanks for the help, Mom.

First Attempt @ Knitting

My Mother-In-Law taught me to knit. This was my first attempt and a trial run at that. This is the finished product. Too small for a blanket or even a scarf. Too big for a dishrag and too holey to use as a hot pad. So...what is it? A proud first-timer's creation, that's what it is! :)

Hi Mom

Hi Mom, Hope you're soaking up some sun for us while you're gone. Hope you are enjoying the beaches, dolphins, and cervesa. You're in my prayers. I love you!

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie: I'm not going to put the recipe on here, it's too detailed. Anyone can google it anyhow. I actually made my own Lemon Meringue Pie from scratch! Real lemon filling (I finally got to use my lemon zester) and my own meringue. I'm an animal! Here's a pretty-close-to-the-recipe-I-used recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandmas-Lemon-Meringue-Pie/Detail.aspx
Hehe, how do you like them peaks?

Headstone

Seeing this makes it all seem too real.
I think Dad would have been proud.
He loved his country.
We miss you, Dad.

Spending the Day with Uncle David

David picked Mark up from school and they spent the afternoon together. They ate peanuts, cooked up some darn good chili, and taught Mark how to play Battle Ship. Before leaving, Jackie said she may take Mark up to Mom & Dad's in Buck Lake for hunting season. Here's a picture of David dressing Mark up in his hunting clothes. I think they're a little big, but he'll grow into them!

Lifestyles of the Organized

So of course, I get fed up with not being able to find anything in my utensil drawer. What do I do? Google "how to organize your utensil drawer" in hopes that someone smarter than I found some psychedelic new way to do just that. Wrong. The basics are to keep what you need and use and throw what you don't. I got some tips from the web address below. I ended up throwing a couple items out that were just not able to be salvaged. Otherwise I donated what I couldn't use to work. Otherwise, offer to your local soup kitchen or church. http://lifestylesoftheorganized.wordpress.com/

Superior Mother Battling Leukemia

http://www.fox21online.com/healthreport/superior-mother-battles-leukemia
Please pray for Kara (Drewelow) Rozowski & her family as she fights leukemia.

What Do You Do When You're Sick?

I was ill a few weeks back. I was couch-ridden for the first couple of days, but then when I was on the mend, I was still weak yet bored. What I ended up doing, since I couldn't sit on the couch any longer and watch Disney movies, was just futzing. I decided to add some decorations to my bathroom. I dyed cotton balls and dried some rose & carnations I had, placing them into some little decorative glass jars. Since no one goes into my master bathroom and will probably never see my creations, I'm posting them on my blog! (My bathroom is green & brown, same as the attached master bedroom, hence the green theme.) It actually turned out kinda cool.

Nut Brown Ale

We're at it again! We will have 5 gallons of nut brown ale by Christmas. In a few weeks we'll be bottling. Then it's on to the pale ale.

Pumpkin

I have been making pumpkin seeds all wrong. I tried this recipe and they turned out awesome!
*Wash & dry seeds and lay out over night to dry.
*Lightly spray w/ cooking spray
*Sprinkle with seasoning salt, onion power, or garlic powder
*Bake 15-20 min @ 250 degrees, tossing occasionally

I also learned how to get the pumpkin out of a pumpkin. Split in 1/2. Scoop out seeds. Place face down in a baking dish in a 1/2" of water. Bake @ 450-degrees for 45 min to 1 hour. The directions say to cook until you can poke w/ a fork. I ended up scooping into 1-cup portions and freezing for future use. Num, num.

Flem the Flamingo is on Top of the Holiday Changes

From Halloween witch to a Thanksgiving turkey,
Flem is on top of it!

Saturday Party

Stacey Rodorigo's friends & family threw her a beautiful baby shower this weekend. Baby was due first week in December, but has been moved up to Nov. 21st. Stacey received some very sweet and thoughtful gifts. Can't wait to finally see that little one, Rodorigos!

Daily Affirmation for Positive Prayer

"Dear Lord Jesus, make me the kind of person who will take time to love the unloveable. Help me to love with a pure heart, not just to ease my guilt or to earn a pat on the back. Instead give me holy compassion. Thank you for being my perfect example. Amen."

Party at the SNF

Last night I had a party for our residents. There was live music, cookies, hot cider, caramel apples, and kids, kids, kids. The residents love to see the little trick-or-treaters come to visit. We had a blast. I received some really positive feedback from the residents and families at the party. Here's a picture after the ghost pinata was annihilated. I dressed up as a fortune teller, and since I didn't have a crystal ball, I handed out fortune cookies to staff & residents. Of course I am not pictured b/c the photographer never is pictured! (It's kind of like "who cuts the barber's hair?") :) The rest of my staff were the MN Vikings and my assistant was a princess. Good times were had by all!

Stations of the Cross

I was in adoration last night and while reading Saint Joseph's Confirmation book, I came upon the chapter of the Stations of the Cross. The eleventh out of the fourteen stations of the cross is "Jesus is nailed to the Cross" and the prayer afterwards is "O Jesus, strengthen my faith and increase my love for you. Help me to accept my crosses." Wow, I thought to myself. All this time I am praying God's Will into my life. Nothing is better than that, right? And here I assume that I'll have an easy-cheesy life because I have God's Will. Not always so. It's one thing to pray and ask for God's Will, but can I accept it? Am I willing to accept it? And how? Here's my solution to my eye-opening experience: By praying..."Jesus, help me to accept my crosses." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stations_of_the_Cross

Whoo Wee

Today I put in a 9.5-hour shift starting at 6:30. Got home from work and made pork chops with potatoes & gravy along with a side veg. Threw last years compost onto the garden and tilled the whole garden -- both ways, up hill (just kidding). I raked and got it smooth for next year. Then I swept the deck & walkway (to sweep away the black dirt footprints). All while listening to Dave Ramsey's podcast before David got home from his 12 hour shift. What's the plans for tonight? After dinner...shampooing carpets. Yeah!

Rose Colors

Can you believe the colors that roses come in now-a-days? WOW! This picture does not do them justice.

We've Come a Long Way, Baby

A Few Wildlife Visitors

We've been watching twin fawns visit our yard with their mama since they had spots. They were back yesterday without their mother, but they still came back for a visit.
Below is last weeks picture of a female cardinal who stopped by to catch a meal before heading south.

Sick-as-a-Dog

How Do You Store Your Plastic Baggies?

My favorite Mom-in-Law taught me this trick. Cut a hole in the side of a gallon of milk & use to store plastic baggies. It keeps them in a small localized area without taking up too much room. Pretty good, huh?

Mmm...Peas Please

Made pea soup with our own peas & carrots.

Weekend Trenching

My favorite father-in-law came over this weekend to assist Dave w/ digging a 2-foot deep trench from the back of the garage, across the yard, & to the power pole so that we could bury cables and get electricity to the garage. The digging was done Sat 10/10/09. Today, we got the wires fed into the garage and into the power pole. Those wires are the size of David's pinky, so to bend them is more than just squeezing w/ your hands.

Coffee

Even though my kitchen is decorated in a coffee theme and I drink it on a daily basis, I do not proclaim to be a coffee connoisseur by any means. My favorite is Kona from the big island of Hawaii, and I do like some instant organic blends as well. I was away from home from Monday to Friday this week in St. Cloud & Plymouth at a Mn SWAP meet for recreational therapy directors & Leadership training courses. During that week I left behind many a half-drunk cups of coffee. How hard is coffee to make, grounds+water, grounds+water. Lately more and more companies are using the convenient concentrated freeze dried instant coffee. We have it at my place of work. I could even tell from the aroma that I was not going to like the first sip. Why did I still drink it? I generally require a little caffeine fix in the AM & soda pop is not a first choice of mine (the high fructose corn syrup is just plain bad for you). All I know is that when Dave made the coffee this morning, I was like a hungry dog awaiting a Beggin' Strip when the coffee maker completed it's final percolation. I think I'll start packing tea bags for my hotel stays from now on.

Before & After

Before & After
I used half of a small zucchini for two loafs of bread. What am I going to do w/ the rest? Any ideas? :) Do you think that I could cut out the seeds, salt & bake them like pumpkin seeds? (I didn't label this "recipes" b/c I didn't give you the recipe! You can Google that yourself!)

October 10th, 6:30 AM

You ever notice that winter sneaks up on you sometimes? That's what happened this morning. I haven't even had the chance to clean out my frozen tomato plants from the garden and it snowed this morning, LOL! It will be gone by noon, but still....

Airborne - The Immune Booster

I started getting sick again early this week (aching muscles, sore eyes, sore throat, irritated sinuses), but feel great now. I bought Airborne On-The-Go and highly recommend it. Airborne is a proprietary combination of 17 vitamins, minerals and herbs. Read about it yourself if you don't believe me: http://www.airbornehealth.com/ Give me this over the H1N1 live-virus vaccine any day!

Plans

Have you ever watched a show or movie and it hits close to home? I'm not a TV nut, but tonight on Grey's Anatomy, Dr. Meredith Grey's father is diagnosed with end-stage liver disease d/t years of alcoholism. The younger Dr. Lexie Grey, doesn't miss a beat when she offers herself as an organ donor for her father. Unfortunately she was not a match.
I know there are controversial beliefs on organ transplants, mainly religious. Yet when my Dad was in his bed in the ICU, and Dr. Su was giving us the cold, hard truth, I never thought twice about donating a piece of my liver to my father. I was willing to give him a piece of my liver, a kidney, even a lobe of my lung if he needed it. We were never able to find out if it would have worked b/c his ca was too far spread. I'd do it for anyone in my family.
I have been traveling a lot lately. I kissed my husband goodnight Sunday night and have been in the cities all week on business. I miss him. Being out of my comfort zone scares me & being away from my family for a week makes me think about these things. Sitting in my hotel room watching cable makes me think of these things. If there is any doubt, I want to be an organ donor. It's on my driver's license. I have made my plans, have you?