Les Miserables - Review

I went to see Les Miz yesterday and although I don't normally bother to write reviews I thought this might be an important on to talk about.  I've been waiting...ohhh a year or so for this film, as I'm sure many others have, and I wanted to share my thoughts on it.

I heard mixed reviews of it - some loved it, some hated it.  One friend even said he had never in his life wanted to get up and walk out of the movie before Les Miz.  An hour in and I knew exactly how he felt.

Now, I'm not saying it's a bad movie, but, when you expect Les Miz, it's hard to stomach it in film format.  I found the editing to be excruciating, jumping from one scene to the next with no pauses between songs.  This is where stage to film fails.  There is never an actual physical changing of sets, no giving the audience an opportunity to applaud the performance and take a breather.  I found the close ups to be way too close (although maybe it was just made for a cinema bigger than the one I was in) and my eyes had trouble keeping up - I was in the very back row so I don't have a clue how the people in the front row managed!

I read lots of bad reviews of Russell Crowe's performance but I really liked him as Javert (I will state here that I am a big Crowe fan, in that 'can do no wrong in a movie' sort of way) and even tho he doesn't have the best voice, he played the part well and hit all the notes he was meant to. The only time I got a bit misty was when he put the medal on Gavroche's chest, so kudos to Crowe for eliciting a tear from me.

Hugh Jackman - I'm not sure if it was editing again, but I was finding his performance at the start of the film hard to believe.  It was almost too much, too painful.   Again with the choppy editing it was hard to focus on what he was saying/singing and get into his character. He was easier to watch later in the film when the cameras settled down.

Anne Hathaway - She played the part so well, but again just a touch over the top for my liking, which can be blamed on directing.  I was glad when Fantine dies because I had seen just about enough of Hathaway at that point.

Samantha Barks as Eponine was very nice to see as we all remember her from the 25th anniversary concert.  She is used to being on stage and performed the role with just the right amount of restraint.  She was the shining light in the whole movie.

Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter - I didn't mind them as the innkeepers but I always find HBC plays her roles like she has been given a crushed up Valium in her porridge.  The innkeeper's wife and Mrs Lovett (Sweeney Todd) are boisterous, flamboyant characters and she plays them much too mellow.

By this point in the movie I was dozing off but fortunately things picked up and got easier to watch while more interesting at the same time.  My comment on how it was filmed it that it would make a great music video...jumping from angle to angle constantly, mimicking how frantic Valjean might feel when trying to escape Javert.  I get where the director was going, unfortunately it just didn't work for me.

I was surprised no one was singing along!  I could hear the woman two seats down from me humming and I would've been happy to stand on my seat, one foot on the armrest, imagining it's a barricade, waving my coat while belting out Do You Hear The People Sing....if I thought I wouldn't be the only one.

I never thought I could like another Valjean after seeing Colm Wilkinson, but I have thrown my theatrical heart behind Alfie Boe and will never be able to get through Bring Him Home sung by him without getting choked up.  Only two words can describe his performance:  Nailed. It.  But I'm sorry to say, Hugh Jackman is an awesome Wolverine, but left me wanting more when I saw him as Valjean.

All in all it wasn't bad, is visually stunning, the costumes, sets, and make up are phenomenal and are worth every penny that went into it.  But, be prepared for it to be very gritty, rough and no where near as pretty as it is when performed on the boards.  I was missing an intermission and applause so I look forward to watching it at home where I can join in, am not trapped in my seat for more than 3 hours, can use my couch as a barricade, sing as loud as I please, and visit the ladies' room anytime I like.


Have a fabulous day!

The Question Game

While reading The Enchanted Home I was so impressed with her answers to a series of questions, as well as, the questions she asked...I decided to take part!   These are such great questions, I have been quite enjoying myself answering them!  Please do the same, copy the questions and answer them on your blog.  Come back and share your link so we can all learn a bit more about each other!

 If there could only be one season year round which would you choose?

Autumn.  I love the crisp air, beautiful colours, sweaters, the hustle and bustle of back to school, Thanksgiving then Halloween.  It's a busy couple of months but my hair always looks great!

You get to spend a month in Europe, and can only go to one place..is it Italy or France?

France.  I  love the food and speak the language fluently enough to get by without calling anyone's mother a bad name.  I am pretty handy with a scarf so I am sure I could blend right in.  A month in Italy worries me...all that gelato and pasta, I'd come back 50lbs heavier!

Red wine, white wine or champagne?

Champagne.  Or Prosecco.  I'm not much of a wine drinker at all...perhaps drank too much of it over the years and now just can't get excited about it.  I do love bubbles tho! 

Dogs or cats?

Dogs.  I like my pets to look happy to see me when I walk in the door.

One word that best describes your life right now.

Chaos.  I have definitely tried to pack way more into my life than would fit but I just keep taking it on, hour by hour.  I have reached capacity tho and will not be taking on any new committees or projects for the moment.  Royal Ribbons is busy which is amazing!  I love creating ribbon for my customers.  I am working on getting back to regular blogging...which means less time spent on other things, like Twitter.  I have two awards nights coming up that I need to work on, a mountain of laundry, fundraising, magazines to read, and the last time I was out alone with my husband was March 25th 2011.  But, it's fun and keeps me out of mischief!  I wouldn't trade it for anything...cept maybe a week lying by a pool in the sun. 

One job you haven't had that would be a dream job.

I think I already have my dream job!   Maybe restaurant reviewer...or concierge.  I like being well connected so it would have to be something I would wheel and deal and make magic happen.

 One famous person you would love to meet.

Kate Middleton.  I so know we would be besties!   I bet we would go shopping together and she would totally confide in me, I'm a great secret keeper.  The only problem is how short and stubby I would look standing next to her in the photos.  Hmmm must bring an apple crate with me.

One movie that you could watch again and again.

Just one movie?  The English Patient.  It's such a complex story and has so many layers...I have read the book a number of times and am riveted anytime it's on.  I cry every single time.  The rest of my list would include Casablanca, Magnolia, and Legally Blonde.

You are given a plane ticket to fly anywhere in the world this weekend, where are you going?

I am sure this answer would change every single day.  Lately I have been craving some sun and warmth so perhaps somewhere with a pool, a beach, and a butler.  The Suburban and Little Prince can splash in the pool while I soak up the sun and sip a fruity drink.   There would be a strong chance of my getting caught up on my magazine reading too.  

Ask me tomorrow and the answer might be Paris, Morocco, LA, New York...it all depends on my mood at that moment!

One decade you wish you could have lived in (including this one).

I always thought I would be quite good at the 40s.  My gran went to work in a munitions factory during the war - I suspect I could do the same thing.  War is horrible but it's also romantic and I am sure I would've been great at keeping the home fires burning, rolling bandages, baking cookies, writing letters.  I'd give a soldier a reason to come home alive, and in one piece ;o)

If you had to change your name, what would you name yourself?

Oh that's easy...I've wanted to be Trixie since I was 9 years old.  In fact recently I told people they should start calling me Trixie to save me the bother of legally changing my name.  No one took me seriously.  The Suburban Prince plays along when he remembers...I also get called Pippa at home from time to time.

Now it's your turn!  Please let me know when you have posted your answers!

If you can, please leave your comments here instead of twitter.  Thanks!

Have a fabulous day!

December Recap!

The last month has been a blur of activity and shopping.  I so wanted to blog more but I just didn't have as much time as I needed.  Blogging takes a lot of work...research, taking photos, photo editing, layouts etc.  There just aren't enough hours in the day sometimes!

I am spending this week puttering around the house, getting closets tidy and organized, all the laundry done, writing cards to my penpals and all the little things that get neglected when our minds and bodies are off celebrating.

I feel like Christmas rushed up at me this year...yes I know I have had a whole year but, with the basement renovation taking almost an entire year, my storage room was held hostage until almost December.  As it is, the basement still isn't finished but we needed to take a break.  Since I didn't have a lot of planning time and everything was such a mess I decided to do very minimal decorations and barely decorated the Christmas tree.

Did you know if you don't putz with garlands, little filler ornaments and all that other nonsense a tree can be decorated in less than 1 hour?  No?  Neither did I.  The best part of all of this...it will take me a short amount of time to get it all off the tree. 

I decided this year to get every single piece of Christmas decoration into the living room and get it all sorted out, get rid of what we don't use and organize it by theme.  Perhaps a project for the new year so it can be done as it is coming down.  

The month kicked of with our Civic Awards pot luck meeting.  We all brought a dish and the chair of the committee hosted it at her house.  We had our meeting, patted ourselves on the back and got down to the business of breaking bread.  It was nice to socialize with the other committee members as we are usually busy getting to and from commitments.  The chair of the committee is almost 80 and is described as me in 40 years.  I knew we were soul mates when I saw her datebook is monogrammed.  I took coffee and cake in to her 80 year old husband who was in the den watching tv....he was also doing needlepoint.  We were all having such an enjoyable time I ended up missing a Rotary cocktail party that was on the same night. 

Royal Ribbons was busy up to the first week of December.  I got all of my orders printed and out the door and catered to my last customer of the year with a smile on my face.  I love my personalized ribbon business but I was happy to have my time freed up a bit so I could focus on other things.

We had our Rotary Christmas dinner at one of the local restaurants.  The meal was so-so but the brussel sprouts were amazing!  I ate mine, the mayor's and some of Hermes Scarf Friend's date's servings.  I was telling HSF about one of the much older man who is always verry, verrry flirty with me.  Always telling me the colour I have on is so flattering and then some.  I noticed none of the other women got a Christmas kiss that night!  HSF asked me if I had never noticed I probably remind him a lot of his wife.  No, in fact, I had no noticed that...but come to think of it...I see the connection.  HSF said he is bound to adore anyone who is well mannered, has short blonde hair, is pretty and well spoken...she said I look just like she probably did 40 years ago.  The quilted riding jacket completes the look.  Ok...not so creepy now!

Neighbour and I went to see the 'New Year's Eve' movie and I loved it!  I thought it was a great holiday movie and thoroughly enjoyed it.  We have to see Dragon Tattoo and Twilight soon!  With all of the schedules we need to factor in, it's hard to get a night everyone is free!  PS...I always forget just how insanely cute Zac Efron is.

I attended the Chamber of Commerce cocktail party for all of 20 minutes.  Enough time to do a lap, grab a drink, eat some nibblies, say hello and get on my merry way!  I suspect a lot of the members did the exact same thing as it was a bit quiet when I was there.

I managed to have lunch with HSF a few times - usually to discuss business as we are on several of the same committees so it's a handy way to eat and accomplish the discussions we need to clear up before meeting with other committee members.  Oh and we like to gossip.  Small town life!

It's hard to believe my parents' Christmas party was less than 3 weeks ago.  It seems like a hundred years have gone by!  I have an outfit post from that night coming soon.  The Little Prince charmed the crowd when he was finally comfortable enough to sing his Christmas song for us.  We all cheered and clapped when he finished and he loved it so much he sang it again!  And again!  Six times.  I finally had to stuff some chocolate in his mouth to get him to stop!  I spent some time chatting with my mom's oldest friend and finally got the story of why her daughter divorced her husband.  Turns out he started his own business and she didn't like being home alone as much as that entailed.  Charming.  A young man tries to make a better life for his wife and child and gets divorced for it. 

We joined my inlaws for brunch with Santa at the country club.  The food was really good but I find these sorts of buffets are wasted on me.  I wish we could just buy half of the buffet.  After we ate we went to my inlaws' house to open presents.  One of mine was a fleecy long housecoat...something I would never wear.  It was returned when we passed the mall on our way home.  I got a gift card so I will pick out something from the MAC counter or some such thing.

We spent a day in Toronto going to the Eaton Center, the Christmas Market and dinner at my favourite restaurant in Yorkville.  I realized after that I forgot to go by T&Co to see if they had the carousel windows here too.  I always make a reservation at the restaurant as I like to sit at the same table every time.  It looks out onto Yorkville Avenue and at this time of year there is always lots of hustle and bustle.  I fondly remember one year it was snowing and the street looked so beautiful with everyone rushing home laden with shopping bags....

Strings of street lights  

Even stop lights

Blink a bright red and green 

As the shoppers rush home with their treasures

...the Little Prince came with us this year for the very first time and he had a ball being his mommy's city child.  He loved the subway and taxis!  He needed to be changed into dinner clothes so the Suburban Prince took him to the car and I headed to the restaurant...to order a glass of something civilized. 

I took our sometimes babysitter out for lunch and a catch up.  We are both so busy we hardly ever have time to just sit and chat for no reason at all.  She recently got engaged to our contractor so we had lots to discuss...wedding plans, flower ideas...bridesmaid drama....she is 15 years younger than me so I have a very different perspective to offer.  Hopefully she doesn't make herself crazy!  The cafe we lunched at is always beautifully decorated for the holidays.  I wonder if the frog is for sale!

The library book club met a few days before Christmas to discuss the latest book.  I didn't even crack it open.  It was some sci-fi sort of thing and that just isn't my style.  I did arrive with cupcakes and enjoyed everyone's company...most of whom hadn't read the book either!  We don't get a say in the books that are assigned so we end up stuck with book the weird organizer likes.  What I did learn is Tim's has 'kegs' of hot chocolate - but they must be ordered in advance.

I took a shift at the LCBO ringing the bell for the Sally Ann kettle.  It was so much better this year as I was actually inside the store.  Last year I was outside for a couple of hours and almost crying by the end of my shift.  As I was on the sidewalk last year I didn't pay a lot of attention to who was going in the liquor store.  Want to see everyone you know all in one afternoon?  Hang around the entrance of the liquor store!  This year I noticed there are a lot of people who need booze like a hole in the head going in and spending their welfare cheques. 

We took the Little Prince to get his picture taken with Santa.  I find it incredible how many malls have done away with with taking photos or have removed Santa altogether!  What's that about??  The mall by us has a great Santa and the Little Prince did an awesome job hanging out with him.  The mall had a great idea and offered people a memory stick full of photos for one price.  We ordered that and the photographer went crazy taking over 50 photos for us.  Santa just kept going and wanted more photos taken!  At one point I realized my son could probably be a model and decided to look into it in the new year.

 I had the hardest time shopping this year.  None of the people in my life need or really want anything and I hate wandering the malls.  I prefer to know exactly what I want to buy and get it online or find it online and go right to the store to get it.  I hate shopping...I like buying.  Why is it people who don't want anything still insist on presents?

Our local theatre has a fundraiser each Christmas and it is a bit tourist draw.  Local businesses decorate Christmas trees and they fill the theatre all season.  Tickets are purchased, filled in then dropped into the box that goes with the trees one would like to win.  I got a phone call a couple of days before Christmas to tell me I had won a tree!  I love it!  I was hoping if I had to win a tree it would be this one!  The photos just don't do it justice!

A friend of mine organizes a Christmas lunch for those less fortunate or alone on Christmas day.  I found out he has been paying for it himself (for 100 people!!!!) so I got to work and spread the word to my contacts to see if anyone would help him out.  I managed to get all of the potatoes donated as well as lots of turkeys...and some cash donations.  He was overwhelmed at the generosity and it was so nice to see how happy he was!

I spent a few evenings wrapping presents.  Considering how few things I bought for people I don't know how I had so much to wrap...but I might've gone a little bit overboard buying clothes and books for the Little Prince.  Thank goodness for gift boxes that come already decorated!  I did have fun using my own personalized ribbon tho!  I think it is the perfect finishing touch!

My parents came on Christmas eve and stayed over night.  It was a nice relaxing day as I prepped all the food ahead of time and instead of a big turkey, I made a turkey casserole.  It was all yummy and I didn't have to spend the day in the kitchen!  It makes a huge difference when my inlaws aren't here.  It's not that they aren't pleasant...they are just needy.  Even the Suburban Prince agrees we need to impose a time limit when they come over as they would say for days if we don't kick them out!  After my parents had been with us for 24 hours I told them the B&B is closed and they got their car packed, coats on, hugged us goodbye and went home!

We had our neighbours in for dinner on the 27th.  I kept it super simple with ceasar salad and lasagne.  Before they arrived I made a plate of baking and told the Suburban Prince to take it to the elderly couple across the street....40 minutes later he got home to find our friends and me sitting in the living room having cocktail wondering if he really did vanish into thin air!  Turns out the neighbour offered him a whiskey and he is just easy led astray.

Tonight I am going to the mall to exchange some presents I am not in love with, have a light dinner and finally see Twilight.  I plan on doing very little for the rest of the month.  We will, as usual, stay home for New Year's Eve.  I will see about making a nice dinner for us to enjoy while watching the concerts from all over the place.  I remember the year I was pregnant Denis DeYoung was performing at Niagara Falls and he was great!  Hopefully we will catch some good shows this year.


Have a fabulous day!

August Recap!

What a crazy summer!  It flew by - who knows what happened to August because I blinked and it was gone!  I packed in a lot of fun events as well as lots of work and pool time!

- We are still plugging along with the Civic Awards - we have been busy working on new awards and re-writing the bylaws as the mayor and town council want huge changes for next year's awards.  My ideas are to have agriculture, beautification and wildlife awards....basically we need to create categories for more people to fit into.

- Our town has a bandshell in the park (we are so small town there is a baby Jesus in it at Christmastime) and all summer they have concerts on Thursday nights.  Lots of people go to sit in the park and listen to the music, each week is a different style of music.  I took the Little Prince to see the swing band and he loved it...but then he does have my taste in music.  We took a blanket and a little picnic and picked a spot on the grass to lounge and be entertained!

- 50kms north of us is a much bigger city so we go there for shopping, there is a big mall, Costco, Sbux and lot's more.  We love making a whole day of it so we took the Little Prince to the zoo up there which is free and small enough for a 3 year old to manage.  We took a picnic lunch and wandered around looking at the meercats, otters, camels and ostriches.  Once we were finished there we made all of our shopping stops and bought everything we need to fill the freezer.

- We took the Little Prince to see the Smurfs movie.  I thought it was cute but the Little Prince said it was a bit scarey.  He hasnt mentioned it since so I think we are safe!

- We sent the Little Prince to Camp Granny for a day.  It was the weirdest day - to not be rushing around to get things done before he wakes us and to not hear him laughing and squealing in the house was so strange.

- Hermes Scarf Friend got tickets to see Hairspray so I went with her, her son and her best friend.  It was a great show and we got to go to the cocktail reception and rub elbows with all the town bigwigs and the actors.

- We went to a bbq at the home of a guy the Suburban Prince's brother grew up with.  All these guys knew each other and it turns out this one lives just 15 minutes away from us.  We were told too bring a chair, a dish for the food table and our own booze.  Hm.  I know we have discussed this before but I still believe if it's the first time someone is coming to your house you should extend some hospitality and not make them bring all kinds of things so you can have a party.  Anyhoo...it was pretty boring for me as I didnt know anyone and didnt go to the same schools as all of them so we stayed for a few hours then made our way home.  Maybe we will invite the hosts for a coffee or something in the next few weeks and show them how it's done.

- Our contractor and his girlfriend (one of my babysitters) were in an ATV accident a few weeks ago.  The ATV flipped over and landed on them while they were out riding it.  Fortunately they got through it mostly with just lots of bumps, bruises and bandages tho our contractor needed surgery on his ankle and had a few broken bones.  I was busy for a week or so making them meals and going back and forth to make sure they had everything they needed.  Hermes Scarf Friend's husband is good friends with the contractor and he came home from visiting them telling HSF that I was the only person who did anything to help them.  I hope they take this opportunity to re-evaluate the relationships they have with people because if I had an accident and not one of my friends came by or brought a casserole or did a single thing to help me, they would be removed from my life.

- There was one day this last month that made me realize what people who work full time go through - I had a hair appopintment 45 minutes away, then rushed back to see a potential customer, then dashed across the street to have lunch with the Happy Reaper (code name for the local funeral director who is very cheerful) to discuss a Christmas fundraiser then raced home to cook dinner for the contractor and girlfriend....while cooking dinner got a phone call from my longest friend who recently moved from NJ to Kansas City so it was nice to catch up with her.  Then I packed up the dinner, dropped it off and went to pick up HSF to go to a Chamber of Commerce cocktail party.  I get a bit tired just reading that!

- The Mayor and I went to see The Help and we both loved it!  Neither of us has read the book yet but really wanted to see it in the theater.  The book is on my list...in my ereader waiting for me.

- The Little Prince went to Canadian Tire with the Suburban Prince and bought himself some stickers...with a stack of Canadian Tire money.  His first purchase! 

- I had nibblies and cocktails with a couple who do a lot of work in town on arts festivals and the like.  Currently they are working on building schools in Laos and have a fundraising event planned so they came over to chat about that and they gave me some great ideas for the 1920s gala I am planning for next spring.  I haven't seen these guys for a couple of years so it was so nice to get a couple of hours with them to catch up.

- Housekeeper had a corn roast at her house about 20 minutes from me.  You know you are in the country when there isnt a single landmark to help with directions.  She told me to go to the stop sign and her street is the third on after that.  My gps could barely find it!  But we got there and had a drink, sat by the fire listening to country music (Lawdy, what has happened to me?!) and had some corn and s'mores.  The Little Prince loved the s'mores and kept wanting to 'go for a little walk' by the food table!

- The basement renovation is still coming along.  We found another electrician after the one we hired in the spring just stopped showing up and put us a few months behind schedule.  Ugh I bumped into him in the grocery store the other day - what a jerk.  I still like his girlfriend tho as she is my seamstress but he just rubs me the wrong way.  Anyhoo, the electrical passed inspection and the insulation has been installed and now it needs to be inspected before we drywall.  

- We spent an afternoon with my in-laws.  They made a nice lunch and we sat outside in the sun enjoying it.  These days they are getting on my nerves...which is awful, I know, but MIL is getting needier and needier and I just cant handle it.  She wants to see us alllllll the time and we barely have any free time (Hello!  I've been out alone with my husband twice this year!!) so we don't want to be pressured into spending what little time we have going back and forth.  We have tried to tell her that if we could do short visits we could do them more often but then she gets all weepy *sigh*  She just doesn't understand that just because she has nothing to do doesn't mean the rest of us aren't run off our feet trying to keep up with our lives!  The Suburban Prince gets annoyed at her notion that if we don't have a meal together it doesn't count as a visit.  The has been Christmas drama already and I am thinking about booking a holiday for a few days to avoid it all!

- GEM Munro came to my Rotary club to talk about his work in the slums of Bangladesh - he is so fascinating and such a great storyteller.  We were all on the edge of our seats waiting to hear how it all turned out!  He has written a book about his experiences so if you are interested in reading about how he did the impossible you can purchase it here.

- The leader of the official opposition in Canada died.  Jack Layton was only 61 and at the height of his career.  I wont politically out myself here but regardless of what he fought for or against he was an amazing politician, passionate Canadian and made politics in this country interesting.  I feel he was this generation's Trudeau and I doubt his party will be the same without him.

- I have been in discussions with a big company for ages and got the word that I got the ribbon contract!  Yay!  So I will be printing up lots of ribbon for them to go with their marketing materials and donations they make to every charity in the area.  It's all so exciting how fast my ribbon business has taken off!  In case you havn't seen it yet, my ribbon business site is www.Royal-Ribbons.com and I create personalized ribbon!

- I spent the summer watching Downton Abbey in the kitchen while I made meals and did dishes.  I just watched the last episode a few days ago and now have a touch of Downton Depression.  If you haven't seen this show get the dvds asap!  It is so good - I couldn't take my eyes off it!

- Let's not forget Big Brother 13 - I can't believe we have been subjected to Rachael's voice for all these weeks!  I didn't have a favourite this season so there was no one I was rooting for except anyone who had the power to evict Rachael.

- I cant believe I only got to golf twice all summer!  I am having visions of being in my parka knee-deep in snow just to hit a few balls!  I must book some time with my teacher before the weather turns...only 8 weeks or so left!

- We went to my Rotary club's corn roast and got to hang out with everyone and their children and grandchildren.  The weirdest thing is a woman I met...she was saying how cute the Little Prince is and I joked and laughed and said I don't even need my husband anymore, I just stare at my son all day long.  Well.  I think she thought I was serious because she said 'I know!  If my vibr**or could mow the lawn I wouldn't be married anymore!'.  Ummm ok.  Holy inappropriate!  I was sitting with HSF and we were just looking at each other like WTH?  and this woman kept it up saying 'Am I right?!'.  The worst of it is...I know her husband!!!! 

- The juiciest goss of the summer...the neighbours across the street...the ones who are anti-social and only speak to us when they want something...have been seen with legal separation papers.  And he is sleeping in the basement.  I guess two self-centered people just dont make for a good marriage.  So I am hoping this means their house is up for sale soon - I never understood why they moved into a neighbourhood when they want nothing to do with anyone or socializing or anything.  They have a little girl the same age as the Little Prince and never had play dates or anything!  I will be happy to see the back of them and hopefully some nice, friendly people move in.


And now it's September already and Thanksgiving is in 6 weeks or so and I need to hit the ground running!  All of my autumn decor is packed in the storage room and I had no idea the basement renovation would take this long so now I need to figure out how to get in there and get it all out and get the house ready for fall!  I have been pinning like mad on Pinterest and have a million ideas for food, decorations and everything I want to do while the leaves change colour.  First up...a PSL from the new Sbucks just down the highway!  After that I can put some old jeans and a t-shirt on and see what I can do in the basement to get things a bit organized and ready.

And how was your summer?


Have a fabulous day!

What we have been up to!

Summer is such a busy time...even if we are doing nothing but making lunches and taking them out to the pool...so it's hard to keep on top of blogging everything.  I realised I hadnt written a post about real life for a while so I grabbed my datebook and went back over the things we have done lately....

- The Little Prince wrapped up his dance classes with a little recital.  The kids picked the music and each one got to pick a step and it was all put together.  Having a son I never realized just how emotional little girls are!  Oh my gosh!  The classes were an hour each and 5 little girls spent that hour taking turns sulking, having tantrums and crying in the corner while he waited patiently.  The Little Prince is now terrified of girls.  I plan to keep it that way.  Anyhoo, he did a great job, remembered all the steps, wore a little bow tie and took his teacher flowers.

- I went to a Chamber of Commerce networking event where I met a gift basket designer.  I have already been printing ribbon for her and hopefully her clients will order ribbon too!  www.Royal-Ribbons.com is my ribbon printing business in case you didnt already know.

- My Rotary club held a dinner for the poverty coalition in town and all the poor people who belong got to come to our buffet.  The food was great and even tho it rained (poured) we had a good time doing something nice for the community.

- I went to Toronto and met High Heeled Life for lunch and shopping...but you already knew that.

- The town committee I am on has taken a dramatic turn from how it has been for the last 15 years...most of the committee quit in February which left me as the senior member with a whopping 5 months of experience.  I told the mayor I wanted her to put me on a different committee but she asked me to stay which I begrudgingly did and now it is awesome!  Last year I hated being on this committee and this year it is a totally different experience.  The new chair is a former professional fundraiser and event planner and when I was at her house for a meeting I saw her big notebook is monogrammed!  She takes me seriously and has actually made me feel like a part of the team rather than the obligatory citizen they have to have on the committee.  This 78 year old woman has become my new idol! 

- Hermes Scarf Friend and I went on to homes and gardens tour and I would love to show you photos but I was told to stop taking pics and to delete the ones I had taken off my camera.  I guess they have enough people coming through and dont need any more free promotion.  Too bad, some of the homes were quite nice and very interesting.  The tour took place in 5 houses in the region so we had to do a bit of driving.  It was so nice to spend time with HSF as we are both so busy we dont often have time to just do nothing but chat and gossip.  It was such a hot and humid day - we ended up stopping for ice cream on the way home to help cool off!

- I attended the last meeting of the 'year' for the library book club.  I wasnt in love with the book but it's always a nice way to spend an hour with people I dont see anywhere else.  Usually someone brings treats but for the last meeting most of us brought something so we had a nice dessert buffet.  The next meeting will be at the end of September so I have time to read a few of my own books over the summer!

- The Little Prince and I went to High Heeled Life's house for Canada day...but you already knew that.

- We went to the local waterfront festival for the first time.  Usually the Suburban Prince is working that weekend so it was nice to finally see it after all of these years!  I was impressed at how big it is and will need to plan better for next year and give ourselves a lot more time to see all of the vendors.  There were lots of activities for the kids, concerts all day long, beach activities, a midway and lots more!  Next year I will take photos, we were a bit rushed this time.

- We had my inlaws over for a swim and dinner for my MIL's birthday.  I made two huge slow cooked racks of ribs.  They were sooooo good!  I managed to find the Suburban Prince's favourite bbq sauce just in time!  On the side I had Greek salad and broccoli salad and for dessert I made key lime pie parfaits.

- We went to the local lavender festival and later the same day went to a party for HSF's son who is going to Belgium for a year on a student exchange.  It was part fundraiser part goodbye party tho I will see him before he goes at least two more times.

- The Suburban Prince went for a hearing test - I made the appointment and sent him as I am sick of repeating myself and having to yell all the time.  Turns out his hearing is in the normal range so now he knows he has no excuse.  Are you reading this handsome husband?  I'm on to you!

- We took the Little Prince to see Winnie The Pooh on opening day.  He was a superstar!  He stayed in his seat, yelled to all the characters, ate popcorn and clapped at the end.  I cant wait to take him to see The Smurfs!

- My housekeeper has a girl party every summer so I stopped in for a couple of hours.  It's always nice to see some new people and see some familiar faces from previous years but it's also a bit akward when it's someone else's friends and they all have a history and I am the outsider.  Either way we had nice cocktails by the pool and didnt have to do any of the cleaning up!

- We went to the Highland Games as we do every year.  I have been to them all over the place and it has rained every. single. time.  I have been soaked to the skin, drizzled on, crammed in a beer tent while the bands carried on by standing on the tables and playing their hearts out.  I have seen bands almost struck by lightning and have taken to carrying rain gear and umbrellas with me whenever I go.  There is no way that many Scottish people can gather without rain!  This year was the exception tho!  We got through the whole day without a drop of rain - it's a Scottish miracle!  We had never seen the end of the games before so it was nice to see the bands all playing together....there is a post with lots of photos coming this week.

- I got back to golf, at last.  I havnt even looked at my clubs all season and last week got to the driving range with my teacher for a few buckets of balls.  I am quite pleased at how well I did and got through the entire bag of including my Big Daddy club!  My favourite is when I finish my swing and my teacher tells me I look like the top of a trophy!

- I took the Little Prince to visit a friend who has a summer home at the lake...in other words a trailer at the beach and it was nice to watch the kids play and snack while we chatted about life, love and how to take a decent photo of ribbon.

- I visited a friend who had a stroke a couple of weeks ago.  She is 36 and the doctors didnt think she was having a stoke because of her age...even tho she kept telling them she was and had all of the symptoms.  While running all sorts of tests on her they found she has a hole in her heart so now she is waiting for more tests and a surgery to repair the hole.  I am amazed how how stressed she is while being so positive.  She is a bodybuilder and believes she will fully recover and get her life back to normal.  In the meantime she has been realising what's important and told me she plans to make changes in her life.

- A friend of a friend left her husband a few weeks ago.  It was a bit out of the blue but I can totally understand her snap decision - I am the same way and when things arent right I cut ties and move on.  I know this woman as we see each other at some of the same events and she has been at my house a few times...I can honestly say I never liked her husband and think she is better off without him.  I told her at least now she can live her live on her terms and she says 'Exactly!'.

- Another friend is teetering on the verge of ending her marriage.  There must be something in the water or the planets are aligned wrong or something!  It's a 22 year marriage but they have done what so many people do when they get married at 19...they have grown apart.  They hardly do anything together, they practically live apart and often take separate vacations.  I say sh*t or get off the pot!  Anyhoo, hopefully she will decide what she wants and stop torturing herself.  40 is the new 16 so it's not like her life is over!

- I finally saw Midnight In Paris - oh my!  What a wonderful movie!  I had no idea what it was about so I wont spoil a thing here.  I loved it so much and now understand why everyone was raving about it!  I would love to go see it again - after I have googled everyone in it lol!  I took little bottles of champagne with me to ensure I was really involved in the atmosphere.


This coming week is another busy one for me with my ribbon business (www.Royal-Ribbons.com) and getting some plans made for my Rotary club's 90th birthday party.  I somehow ended up being the chair of the committee so I want to have all the info ready and make a presentation to the club in 2 week's time.  I am going with a 20's glam kinda thing...bring on the Charleston!


Have a fabulous day!

Hoppy Easter!

Hoppy Easter!

Thank you for all of the wonderful birthday wishes and messages for the Little Prince...I know he will love reading them for years to come!  It means so much to me that so many of you took the time to leave him a birthday comment!

The winner of my Annie's Bunnies giveaway is....High Heeled Life!  Congratulations!  Dont worry about sending me your address...I know where you live!

It has been a crazy whirlwind for the last week or so....

- On Monday I had another run-in with the 'contractor' and the Suburban Prince was ready to fire him but I just want the basement done and over with!  On Tuesday he went down to the 'contractor's' house and tore a strip off him and made sure he understood a few hard truths.  He also told him I was the one who said not to fire him so maybe now he will watch his mouth and not bite the hand that feeds him!

- Since housekeeper decided to take Friday off (ummm how is it *I* didnt get the day off and in fact, my workload tripled?)  I have spent all week doing the housework myself and getting everything ready for our parents coming over today for lunch.  Since I hadnt had the living room cleaned since Christmas because of the renovation, it was a big job!  I had to clean every single surface!  All while wearing a tiara.  Hmpfh.

- On Friday night Hermes Scarf Friend and I went to see Water For Elephants.  I dont normally enjoy seeing movies made from books I love but I was very happy with this one.  The visuals are beautiful and it stayed very close to the book. 

- Yesterday we prepped all the food for today and last night we spent a few hours at the neighbours' house having a drink and nibblies and getting caught up now that they are home from winter in Florida.

This morning I am enjoying the peace and quiet before everyone wakes up and the chaos begins!  I have Billy Joel on my ipod and a fruit smoothie waiting for me.  I see the Easter Bunny has come to visit the Little Prince and I cant wait to see what he thinks!

We are doing the Little Prince's birthday celebrations today with cake and presents.  It's tough with his birthday being on Easter this year...I keep trying to separate the two events as I dont want him thinking he gets Easter eggs for his birthday every year!

I hope the Easter Bunny spoils you!

Have a hoppy day!

Has it really been 25 years?

Recently, lot of things have been reminding me of my life when I was 14...

I think it all started when I opened the Autumn LLBean catologue.  There it was...in all it's woolly glory.  The Birdseye sweater. 

Oh how I wanted this sweater!  The year was 1985 and I may or may not have cut these out of the LLBean catologue and glued them on photos of myself so I could imagine I owned one.  They resurfaced this past Autumn and you know I did not waste any time placing my order.  As Joan Rivers once said..."money is not the key to happiness, but I always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made".  This sweater makes me very happy.  It represents so much.  The life I wanted when I was younger.  This sweater was so out of reach when I wanted it the most, owning it now is a symbol of how far I have come.  It is the uniform of the club I always wanted to be invited to join.  I think I was recently appointed vice-president.

Then came the Tretorns.  My heart races a little when I see them!  I spent so much time at the public tennis courts (there were no country clubs in my youth) I really did wear a hole in the toe of mine!  I saved up money from my after school job and bought my first pair in a shoe store in the Niagara Falls factory outlet mall. 

This is not my foot...image courtesy of google.

I recently bought a pair of Tretorns and they make me even happier than my first pair!  Ignore the fine lines, reading glasses and mild heartburn and I really could be 14 again when I am wearing them.  Okay squint a little!

Then came this post by Snooty Primadonna reminding me of my love for Mikhail Baryshnikov and a movie I was obsessed with!  White Nights.  I saw it every weekend while it was in the theatres.  I got the soundtrack on cassette for Christmas in 1985 and I actually wore it out.  We watched it again a few weeks ago and the Suburban Prince, who had never seen it, said it is a really good movie.  He actually knows a guy who defected - he was on the national ski team and while the team went one way down the mountain, he went the other! 

Since I have been reliving my teenage years recently it was no surprise that I would go off looking for the White Nights soundtrack.  It wasnt easy but I did manage to find, for download, a few of the songs.  The sound of Phil Collins voice actually stopped me in my tracks!  The middle of the 80's was enhanced by those drums and poignant love songs - would a school dance have been the same without Against All Odds?

After listening to Separate Lives a few times I downloaded Phil Collins album Face Value.  This is the one with In the Air Tonight so along with Bohemian Rhapsody it is the perfect 'singing and drumming in the car' song.  The Little Prince has been working on his drum solos.

(I swear I am getting to my point!  Dont blame me, blame my gender...women think in a word association sort of way so one concept makes me think of another and so on...)

Face Value was released in 1981 so who knows why I was still listening to it in high school.  Maybe it was just a part of my Phil Collins collection.  Last month I downloaded it, put it on my ipod and got on with my life.  A few days later I was sitting at a red light and You Know What I Mean came up in the shuffle.  It was like my car was a time machine taking me back to a very specific time...the Birdseye sweater, Tretorns, grade 9...I think I could actually smell Wind Drift....the friends I had, the boys I liked, passing notes in class, tennis lessons...The Official Preppy Handbook found it's way into my hands in 1985...those moments spent teetering between being a child (because 14 was a child back then) and being more than a child...

I wore this when I was a teenager...I have no idea why but I just loved the way it smelled!

The car behind me honked and bought me back to 2010 and I carried on with my errands but I was left with a strange feeling.  It amazed me how easily one forgotten song could conjure so many feelings and memories.

I used to listen to this over and over...even at 14 I knew I was destined for an epic life!  Of course along with an epic life comes epic breakups and I spent hours and hours imagine how fabulous 30 would be and how meaningful my relationship ending moments would be.  Go ahead...laugh...I am!

So here it is...the song that brought me to this post....

Over the next few days I will be writing to my 14 year old self.  I thought I might have a few tidbits of advice but once I got started I realised how much I have learned in the last 25 years so instead of one huge post, there will be several smaller posts.  It is amazing how much I had to learn and how much I had to go through to learn it.  Life, love, people, places...none of them come with a manual even though at 14 I thought I knew it all.  In the words of Bob Dylan, I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now.


Have a fabulous day!

Tales of the City

Happy Monday!  I thought I would start off the week by sharing a fabulous series of books I am in the middle of re-reading.  I learned of Armistead Maupin when I was in my early 20's and have been hooked ever since!

The first of Maupin's novels, entitled Tales of the City, was published in 1978. Five more followed in the 1980s, ending with the last book, Sure of You, in 1989.  A seventh novel published in 2007, Michael Tolliver Lives, continues the story of some of the characters. In Babycakes, published in 1983, Maupin was one of the first writers to address the subject of AIDS.  Of the autobiographical nature of the characters, he says "I’ve always been all of the characters in one way or another."

Armistead Maupin

Tales of the City is a series of novels, the first portions of which were published initially as a newspaper serial starting on August 8, 1974, in a Marin County newspaper, The Pacific Sun, picked up in 1976 by the San Francisco Chronicle, and later reworked into the series of books published by HarperCollins.

The series opens with the arrival of Mary Ann Singleton, a naive young woman from Cleveland, Ohio. She finds an apartment at 28 Barbary Lane, the domain of the eccentric marijuana-growing landlady Anna Madrigal.

Mary Ann becomes friends with the other tenants of the building: the hippyish bisexual Mona Ramsey (who, though a central character, is not in all of the books); heterosexual lothario Brian Hawkins; the sinister and cagey roof tenant Norman Neal Williams; and Michael Tolliver, a sweet and personable gay man known to friends as Mouse (as in Mickey Mouse), who becomes very important to the series.

It sounds like there is an awful lot of sex but I can assure you there is nothing graphic in these books.

Beyond the house, lovers and friends guide Mary Ann through her San Franciscan adventures. Edgar Halcyon, Mary Ann's and Mona's boss, Edgar's socialite daughter DeDe Halcyon-Day, and her scheming bisexual husband Beauchamp Day all provide a glimpse into a more affluent Californian class, while Mrs. Madrigal's mother and owner of the Blue Moon Lodge brothel, Mother Mucca, brings mystery and comic relief. Mona's ex-lover D'orothea Wilson, returns from a modelling assignment in New York, while Michael's lover and DeDe's gynecologist, Jon Fielding, becomes part of the social group. In the last two books, Thack Sweeney becomes Michael's lover.

Recognize this actress?  The Tales of the City movie was one of her first big roles!  Laura Linney went on to The Truman Show, The Mothman Prophecies, The Life of David Gale, Love Actually, Frasier, The Nanny Diaries (wasn't she just delicious as Mrs X!)  and many other roles.

If you are thinking Tales of the City is a small name production here are some of the other actors you might regognize...Olympia Dukakis, Parker Posey, Paul Gross, Thomas Gibson, Chloe Webb, Donald Moffat, Janeane Garofalo, Swoosie Kurtz and Sandra Oh.

I have loved these books since I first discovered them ohhhhh back in 1990ish.  Armistead Maupin's writing is like butter - every word just rolls off the page as it weaves this tapestry of lives.  If you enjoy this sort of story you will also like Alexander McCall Smith who has been compared to Armistead Maupin.

You may have seen the movie The Night Listener starring Robin Williams and Toni Collette.  This movie is based on the book by the same name which tells the story of Armistead Maupin's relationship with a young fan.  The Night Listener is ever so slightly linked to the Tales of the City series - one of the minor characters is the daughter of one of the characters in Tales of the City!

Have a fabulous day!

**Many thanks to Wikipedia for always helping me get the facts straight**