utopia...

what a great movie!

  i had no idea this movie had Christian over tones.

the reason i rented it was because of robert duvall.

i adore him.

and because it had a good rating of G!

{we all know how difficult it is to find movies not full of garbage for adults!}

and then i was pleasantly surprised by the message of faith and family and the idea that God has a bigger plan for your life that you may think.

this is not overtly Christian.

there is no gospel message or mention of the cross.

i know some Christians have issues with movies that reference of faith without Jesus.

however, i applaud hollywood on this one for a wholesome approach.

i don't care if the Christian reviewers thought it too vague.

i don't care if the hollywood reviewers considered it boring and a "squander" of talented actors.

i thought it was a very sweet, different, and wholesome movie that i actually plan to purchase now.

i should add that this is about golf.

kinda.

i have no idea how to play nor do i want to, but i enjoyed this anyhow;).

blessings,

mandy



crafty goodness...

once again,

i give thanks to ms. sasha at

lemonade makin mama.

while i had seen this idea light years ago on etsy and meant to try it myself, i never did.

i'd think about it here and there, but sasha did it, and gave me the kick i needed.

mugs from target.

i, in typical fashion, was too impatient/cheap to order the correct marker from the company sasha suggested.

so instead i used a sharpie.

so far it hasn't come off, but i expect it will.

i'll go over it in a ceramic pen when i can...

also, in typical fashion, i did not take my time and try to write nicely.

i am simply to impatient to do things correctly/nicely.

speaks volumes about my character, i know.

but aren't these babies perfectly imperfect?!

{i'm all good with mediocrity.}

i can hardly wait to have a cup of tea!

the white mugs have sayings from Pride & Prejudice,

the aqua ones have lines from Anne of Green Gables.

this could seriously get addicting.

i'm thinking of all the other movies it'd be fun to quote...

which movie lines would YOU choose?

blessings,

mandy

Book List 2012 and a weekend movie rental....

oh sheesh.

once again i'm days lagging behind all the other more organized women.

my book list is *not* too ambitious, as i wanted to leave time for others that may pop up along the year.

these are just the ones i want to make sure i include!

and to be honest, for the first time ever in my life i have not been reading as obsessively.

gasp, i know.

i'm still in there, just buried in homeschooling lit.

(via  http://pinterest.com/ )

without further ado:

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

because it's one of my BF's favs i have yet to read!

Bringing Up Girls by Dobson

been sitting on my shelf since it's release!

Count Of Monte Cristo

because Dumas is an exceptional writer

Galway Chronicles (3 in the series) by the Thoenes

this has been on previous lists for years, and for some reason still haven't gotten to it!

Katherine by Anya Seton

cause i'm a sucker for early Brit historical lit.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

cause of what i said up there ^^^^

and something by Maeve Binchy~

whichever i pick up first!

Captivating by Eldridge
another i've yet to pick up off my shelf.

and i would like to get around to reading the
Mitford series by JAn Karon
that so many people rave about.

and
Tinker,Tailor,Soldier,Spy by John Le Carre
because it looks intriguing and different.

and,

a movie i rented that i need to share:

One Day

this movie was so sweet, redeeming and lovely.
never mind the fact that i am a severe sucker for a British accent...
i'm sure that had nothing to do with it. ;)
.
this movie was not entirely clean, pg-13,
(with brief  nudity, some swearing, a little blood, drinking.
but i believe the message of redemption, the emptiness of certain life styles, etc, balanced the yuckiness.)
it was a bittersweet love story, with beautiful, sweeping scope.
anne hathawaty was her usual delightful self, and the lead male actor, jim sturgess,  was wonderful.  i'll certainly be looking for more of him, as i've only seen one other of his films.

if you are renting a movie, especially if you like any foreign films (this is all in English, it just has that distinctly British filmaking flavor to it), be sure to see it!

Blessings,
Mandy

drink to this and movies...

first and foremost, Shannan, over at flower patch farm girl,

has just gone beyond reaching her goal for raising $10,000 to build a well for clean drinking water for a village!

how cool is God?

His dreams and hopes for us are always so much bigger than our own.

there is still time to donate,

why not let God use your small gift to bless others?

i also, being the movie addict i am, wanted to share my

top 6 Christmas movies,

for those that are running out to rent a movie for the coming weekend.

(and, yes, i know that none of these films puts Christ in His rightful place front and center)

 in no particular order...

How the Grinch Stole Christmas 

the ron howard version is soooo good.

yes, i grew up on the cartoon one,

and though i am not a jim carrey fan, he was such a good grinch, this movie is impossible not to quote.

Elf

another chuckler.

not entirely appropriate, but not 'bad' either.

another one that gets played in july here.

and quoted all the time.

the best way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing loud for all to hear.

the Santa Clause

with tim allen.  love tim, love the premise of this movie.



Miracle on 34th Street

 natalie wood and maureen o'hara.

The Shop Around the Corner

because my favorite actor is in it. it's sweet, it's cute.

and my absolute favorite is , of course,

It's a Wonderful Life.

i try every year to only watch this after thanksgiving.

i love it so much, it by far extends to my all time favorite list as well.

a few runners up:

Holiday Inn,

White Christmas,

(bing, bing ;))

the Holiday,

Christmas with the Kranks,

Samantha, an American girl holiday,

and of course charlie brown, frosty, etc. from my childhood:)

there are still quite a few i have never seen, and WILL...next year!

notice that Christmas Story isn't on my list?

i have HATED, loathed

that movie since childhood.

seriously, it would make my top 5 most hated films.

i find nothing cute about it.

okay, i'll stop now.

i just really don't like it .

okay.

what are your go-to movies for Christmas?

God Bless,

Mandy

pop culture , a recipe and baby pictures...

none of which are related, in case that wasn't obvious...;)

so i had the privilege of taking my new niece's newborn photos recently and wanted to share.

that's what you'll see throughout this post.

what you will read however, is about my lack of pop culture awareness.

are you ready?...

i'm ashamed to say (because it sounds as if i should be?) that i'm still sort of unclear who steve jobs was.

i mean, i googled and figured out he was a computer creator.

that's about where my knowledge ends with him.

i also googled another pop culture thing that has slightly less relevance...

you see when i read (somewhere ?)  that Carmen Electra was marrying Rob Patterson,

i pictured edward from Twilght.

i thought to myself "as little as i know about these 2 souls walking around, that just seems a very odd couple."

ya, edward would be robert pattinson.

rob patterson is, apparently, some musician for Korn (i think, not looking back to make sure!), that by wikipedia standards looked much more like who i would picture carmen electra with.

(not that i care).

it was a sad waste of 5 minutes.

now, onto the recipe!

the reason i'm sharing this is because it is easy and a good Fall all in one dish!

corn bread pie:

first of all mix up your favorite cornbread recipe.

i use the Homesteader's Recipe found here .

set aside.

preheat oven 375.

get a cast iron pan (i use my 9 or 10 inch),

or, i suppose a square 9x9 pyrex would do.

cook hamburger or turkey burger (about 1/2 lb) in the cast iron skillet, drain off grease.

add in 2 cans of ranchero beans.

(i have put in my own cooked beans before, and it's okay, but not as good)

a cup of frozen corn or a can of drained corn.

and a can of diced green chilis.

pour corn bread mix over top.

cook at 375 until corn bread cooked through and browning on top.

enjoy!

blessings,

mandy

a question:

what is your favorite book/ movie of all time?

c'mon.

i want to know.

i expect everyone who reads this to comment;)

if you don't have a google account

(which is really easy to get, all you need is your junker e-mail and a user name),

you can do an anonymous comment,

but be sure to write your name at the end:)

ready?

GO!

blessings,

mandy



a few movie & book suggestions ...

if you haven't figured it out yet,

 i'm kinda a book and movie fanatic.

Hunger Games*****

and i finally gave in and bought books 2 & 3 in the hunger games series.

after waiting (and waiting and waiting).

and calling the poor book store people waiting for a used copy

(over and over again)

and once again being told there is no release date for paperback,

i went and bought Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

i finished them in 1 1/2 days.

both of them.

i was up til one am,

and woke up at 7 to keep reading.

that's when you know it's a good book people.

they are an excellent series,

written for a teen audience,

but the book transcends gender, age and genre.

it was described to me , before reading it, as a trainwreck.

so horriffic, but you can absolutely not look away.

there is a lot of violence and suspense.

not sure at what age i'd feel comfortable letting my teen read it,

but i'm not there yet so i'll worry about that in  a few years.

the author, Suzanne Collins, did an amazing job of writing in just enough romance, just enough hint of passion, to make it just perfect for the teen audience.

seriously impressed with her keeping it clean but not avoiding it either!

***i found myself wishing for a little more in that department, but i'm a grown woman;)***

also, i am normally a throw-me-back-into-an old-timey-age type girl.

this is not a typical book pick for me.

but if you have not yet jumped on the Hunger Games train,

do it!

you won't be sorry.

and for a quick (since i was too long winded in the book review) review on a few good movie rentals:

August Rush, PG

this movie is breathtakingly sweet.

i'm sure you'll be bawling.

i wasn't, but i don't cry in movies.

but i'm sure 95% of the female population would have tears.

sad tears,

good tears,

lovely tears.

this is a wonderful, heart wrenching,

sweet story.  rent it!

(p.s., just cuz it's pg doesn't mean it's necessarily kid approved, i wouldn't allow mine to watch it for a few more years)

Luther, PG-13

this is a movie for anyone with any sort of interest in church history, or if you just like period pieces.

this was a very well done movie, that, though i am NO expert, seems to have portrayed this time with accuracy (from what i can recall of high school history class, cough*cough)

(even if had some discrepancies,)

 it was well done and a very good flick!

and , as always, you can see my top movies of all time list:

all time favorite movies!

God Bless,

Mandy

A Movie

if you plan on renting a movie this weekend,

i recommend

You Again.

source

it's a sweet, cute story,

about forgiveness,

second chances

and

kindness.

the best part?

it was rated pg.

not a profanity uttered,

blood spilled,

not a sexual situation to be seen.

it was...

refreshing.

and you know what?

it didn't need any of it.

i wish hollywood would get it in their thick heads that you can create a good movie,

for adults,

that is still clean.

God Bless,

Mandy

A Good Weekend For A Movie...

On a rainy , Fall evening is there much better than watching a movie?

And I realize that tis the scary movie season, but I am not a scary movie person.

At all.

  Let's just say I watched a single CSI episode about 5 years ago that still haunts me to this day.

I don't get it.

I could never watch it again.

So let's go slightly off the Freddy movie types.

If you are headed to a theater I saw a fabulous one last night.

RED.

This movie was SO good.

Let me just confess right now that I have a love of CIA movies, spy movies, and all shoot em up, kick tush movies in general

(when they have a point and aren't just bloody to be bloody).

So when my Honey and I had a rare date night, he suggested a movie.

I said no, we had one at home rented (and cheaper).

He said "but there is a CIA spy movie".

So of course, I quickly changed my mind.

The cast of this movie is amazing.

Helen Mirren shoots automatic weapons for cryin' out loud!

This was a refreshing mix of action and comedy.

Yes I said comedy.

It was hilarious.

Rated PG-13 for action violence and brief strong language.

And they said "for the love of Christ" a few times.

SO if you are off to a theater this weekend , go see RED.

You won't be disappointed.

If you are renting a movie this weekend,

Robin Hood was great.

It was a well done movie with great performances,

and was a different spin on the Robin Hood story,

kinda the 'prequal' to it.

My one exception to recommending it...

it has nothing on Robin Hood Prince of Thieves with Kevin Costner

(which has been one my favorite movies since it first came out).

So if you can avoid the comparisons, rent it.

It does have lots of violence and blood.

I personally like a movie that shows a man being a man and protecting the weak though,

in other words,
sword fights are cool.

Rated PG-13.

Have a good and safe Halloween weekend! Save me your Twix.

God Bless,

Mandy

On this Sunday...

I am missing my men again, who are off shooting bambi.

I am thinking of my grandma who has been gone 3 years now.

I need to finish watching North and South , an amazing movie, it shows a lot of the horrid things that happened in that time period unlike so many of the others like it, that only show the beauty.

I really need to sweep.

And figure out how to get this primer out of my hair.

Skipping church do in large part to aforementioned primer encrusted hair.

I'm listening to my 2 year old squeeze the life out of a cat.

I need to go to my second home...wal mart.

And get a coffee from Dutch Brothers.

Wanting to buy a Need To Breathe CD

(I think the last time I bought a CD was years ago)

I will meet a good friend to finish this little angel's portraits...

(these ones are from yesterdays, she got too tired to finish them)

 

 

And I hope you all have a blessed Sunday.

 

 

God Bless,

Mandy

Movie...

If you love the classics like me,

and haven't seen The Thin Man series,

they are hilarious!

thought I'd share...

God Bless,

Mandy

Redeeming Myself & a Movie List

First for redemption:

My oldest Monkey and daddy have been gone for 2 days on a father/son adventure.

I miss them.

Like I want to cry miss them.

And he is by a long shot the Monkey that gets my blood a boilin'.

He's stubborn rolled up in strong willed and topped with moody.

But I miss him.

And Honey too.

They don't have cell coverage and I have NEVER been away from him this long without talking.

What if he's cold at night?

Overheated during the day?

If he forgets to drink enough water, or eat enough food?

What if they see a rattlesnake?

Or get lost?

Or, or, or.

I know they are having fun and God's watching over them, but my mama heart gets so sad, especially at night.

Let's change the subject!

Anyways...my "Must See Before You Die" movie list,

because some friends asked me and it's a heck of a lot easier to post on here than remember in 10 different conversations.

 

I didn't include on here spy movies, but I love those too, they're all just kinda the same

(007 and Mission Impossible types)

Without further ado:

Anne of Green Gables Series

Pride and Prejudice (the BBC one)

Casablanca***

An Affair to Remember***

The Count of Monte Cristo

It's A Wonderful Life***

Singing In The Rain***

Top Gun

Get Smart

Evan Almighty

Robin Hood Prince of Thieves

Meet The Parents

The Bicycle Thief***

Mr.Hobbs Takes a Vacation***

Rob Roy

Ben Hur***

Man In the Moon

Philedelphia Story***

the Proposal

White Squall

Titanic

Hook

Gangs Of New York

Pollyanna

Lonesome Dove

Far & Away

McLintock***

You Can't Take It With You***

Monkey Business***

Lover Come Back***

Newsies

Gone With the Wind***

the Notebook

The Quiet Man***

Roman Holiday***

Princess Bride

To Catch A Thief***

The Game

Mr.Smith Goes to Washington***

Life is Beautiful

Dan In Real Life

The Parent Trap

Adam's Rib***

Braveheart

Spartacus***

The Patriot ( Mel Gibson)

First Knight

Sherlock Holmes

Lord of the Rings trilogy

North and South (BBC)

classics have a ***

Well, there you go.

I'm a movie lover so I shared a lot. I'll keep you posted on if I come across another that needs to be added!

What's your favorite on my list?

Go rent one of these and tell me wacha think!

God Bless,

 Mandy

Have I Totally Lost It??

In all fairness I probably never had it to begin with.

Anyhoo...

I am truly considering making a big ol' wall stencil thingy for my bedroom wall.

Here's where I get a little obsessive.

A quote from Anne of Green Gables.

Not sure which one yet, there are oh so many to choose from.

Like"Carrots??!!  How dare you call me carrots!"

or

" I'd much rather be pretty than smart."

Okay okay I'm kidding!

I was thinking one of the more romantic sappy lines of course.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with my obsession, Anne of Green Gables has been my favorite movie /book since the 4th grade when the Disney channel had a teaser 'free' week and they had an episode on (back in the day when you had to pay extra for the Disney channel) and I BEGGED my mother to make it my ONLY Christmas gift if she would just order the channel until the series completed.

She gave in because of my charm (my whining) and alas...another movie has never come as near to my heart as Anne and Gil.

The music, the scenery, the story, the costumes.

Fast forward too many years and thousands of hours spent with Anne.

I now want her words on my wall.

I plan on a master bedroom makeover when the hubby's gone hunting this year. 

It's gonna be a surprise for him.

Okay for me.

But not the surprise part cause I obviously know what I'm doing.

Well NO, I actually don't know what I'm doing half the time.

I digress.

 Because let's face it, that's the time I get to do what I want to the house without his approval.

It should be called "honey shoots deer while Mandy makes large purchases and gets paint everywhere" Season.

Oh yes, and I also made-over my pantry (aka, tiny little food cupboard)

Because with 4 kids, 4 cats and a thousand loads of laundry a house in the middle of 10 projects , I totally have the time to paint the one tiny area no one else will ever see.

I'll be sharing pictures soon.

Are you so excited??

Ya, I thought not.

God Bless,

Mandy