Movie Review - Harry Potter

So last night we went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! YAY!!

I was pretty excited about seeing this movie and overall it did not disappoint. This movie doesn't have as many big fight scenes and big action, it definitely is more plot and setting up for the final movies. I think they captured the books more serious and darker tones but also managed to mix in a good amount of humor and teenage angst. I also thought it was beautifully shot, the visuals in this movie were by far the best of any of the ones before. Plus the supporting cast in the movie are my favorite, they are all amazing. I will forever have a crush on Alan Rickman (as Snape or just as himself). Michael Gambon = awesome. I simply adore Maggie Smith and love Helena Bonham Carter, David Thewlis, Julie Walters - they are all just fantastic (like always) and I wish we would have seen more of them. As for the character Slughorn - loved him!

I think my sisters blog pretty much sums up my thoughts on the movie, so please read her post also. I do agree with her that there were some things they left out, changed, or didn't follow true to the book which I wish they had but it is totally expected when adapting so much content into a movie as to be more fluid for non-book readers to follow. (But hasn't that been the case for all the movies, accomadating the readers vs. nonreaders.) However, I wish there would have been more memories with Voldemort and I feel a couple important parts of the book where left out. I don't want to go into to much and ruin it.

Of course I have to watch this at least once more in the theater, but this is one of my favorite movies. I definitely didn't have that disappointed feeling for this movie like I did with the last one (The Order of the Phoenix was a bit of a let down for me in some ways). I think my favorite is still The Prisoner of Azkaban, I don't know I just love that movie, but this one is a very close second (very close).

As for the upcoming two movies (yes this one just came out and I am already talking about the next) I have just a few quick thoughts.

1. I am SO glad they are doing 2 movies. There is so much information and explanation that I want to make sure it is covered and very little is left out. However, I hope they do this well and don't just make the movies drag. And don't focus on the romance.

2. I am glad that The Deathly Hallows Part 1 is coming out in 2010 and Part 2 is coming out in 2011 only 6 months later. I do not want to wait forever to see the next movies...they need to be done already.

3. I am more excited about Part 2 than Part 1. I need to read the book again but I imagine Part 1 will be alot like this new movie in that it will be very much a story and less magic and action. And of course the last one will be full on kick'n ass.



Ok, I am done and am ready to go back and see it again!!!

Talk to Me – Product Edition: Pedi Paws

So has anyone out there tried the Pedi Paws pet clipper product? We are wondering if it is any good and also how loud it is, seriously the cats in their commercials look freaked out!

Our little cat has this habit of stretching against walls. She will put her paws up on the wall as high as she can and stretch out as long as she can. She doesn’t scrape the walls but sometimes she is dumb and will stretch out against the curtain or the screen door or the couch and then she will get herself stuck. Terry was home at lunch today and heard her meowing and she was all stretched on the screen with her back paws barely touching the floor….she will never learn.

We usually don’t trim their claws as they are fairly good about scratching where they should, but this constant getting stuck in the curtain and screen is annoying. So we thought maybe this Pedi Paw thing would work. I have my doubts as it seems loud and too bulky, Terry is optimistic it will work, most likely just because he wants to buy one.

So any reviews on the product or even your thoughts would be wonderful!

Say What You Mean, Please

We are ordering lunch at work on Monday and so we got a menu for a local Chinese restaurant to pick out what we wanted. As I was going through it I came across Chicken Subgum. I have never heard of this before so I did what many of us do in this high tech information age, I googled it on that interweb thingy. I came to find out that Chicken Subgum (or also made with Pork, beef or shrimp) simply means “with vegetables”. So Chicken Subgum (which sounds a little weird and a bit gross) is basically just chicken with vegetables which is actually really good. Who knew?!

And as I learned something new today, I thought I would share with all of you.

You are welcome.

Eat Me.

I published this AMAZING Turkey meatloaf with Feta and Sundried Tomatoes recipe on our Food from Friends blog.

I am telling you, this is delicious.

Try it.

Talk To Me.....Burger Edition

So as the July 4th weekend approaches many people will be outside grilling up burgers. So I am asking, what do you like on your burger? Do you like beef, turkey, or maybe something different like lamb? What are your favorite “toppings”?

Mine: Currently my favorite burger is a beef (half sirloin; half chuck) burger with Swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms and slices of avocado with a little yellow mustard on a grilled bun.

Seriously YUM.



Here is a list of the 20 best Burgers in the U.S., according to GQ Magazine.

Terry-isms

Reason # 342 why I love T. His dry but hilarious sense of humor.


Many times I will ask Terry something and I will get a ridiculous response. So when I asked him a simple question today this is what he said:

My text to Terry: Did you take in the mortgage payment today?

Terry’s Response back: No I traded it for some Magic Beans.


Also, here is his quote of the day:

To Kristen when she was asking a question: "Kristen, Frankie says relax."


He seriously cracks me up!

A Little Thirsty, Perhaps.

So after work today I decided I was in the mood for something to drink other then the water I drink all day long. I went over to Sonic to try some of their fun drinks I have heard so much about. Now I have only been to Sonic a couple times, so I am not really familiar with all the drink options available to me. Since I was not familiar and this was a spur of the moment trip (Had I known I would have totally done my research at work prior to going) I felt I was under some pressure to see how quickly I could skim their selections and order a drink so to not be THAT person who pulls up to a drive through, has no idea what they want, and takes forever.

So after just a mild delay from rushing so the line of cars behind me didn’t get angry, I opted on the Strawberry Limeade*. After I ordered they said that I could upgrade my drink for free; I wasn't paying attention as I was still going through all the drinks available on their menu and said sure. However, had I known what I know now, I would have passed on their very generous offer. Seriously, THIS is what they handed me, a 44 ounce vat of strawberry limeade…straw included.



WHAT?!?! Do people really drink all this?

I can not believe how flipp’n big this is, ridiculous.

So when I got home I lugged the 36 of the 44 ounce beverage I bought to the kitchen counter and I began to think of all the things in my kitchen that are similar in size….just to give an idea of just how big this drink is.



A 64 ounce container of Pickles. (Why do we have so many pickles, because we loves them!)



A 48 ounce container of Vegetable Oil.



A gallon of milk.




A 64 ounce container of Ketchup (not to be confused with catsup).




Even Belle who loves to get into everything, didn't know what to think about this gigantic foam container!

So consider this your warning. If you are parched and in the mood for a beverage, this is probably your best bet. But if you are just a little thirsty, perhaps you just want to wet your whistle, I would go with the small.

*The strawberry limeade was good, but a little too sweet for me. I will try another one next time I go. Any suggestions?

Just A Mindless Blog for a Friday Afternoon

Remember when you were younger and you would take the big JcPenny’s or Sears catalog and go through and circle everything you wanted from it? I loved doing that then and at the age of 29 I still enjoy doing that. When I get magazines in the mail I totally enjoy going through and marking everything I want. I know I may never get anything I circle, but it is fun to dream and have my very own wish list of things that one day we may buy.

So that is what I am doing in this post today, "circling" my favorite items from one of my favorite store as i just felt like sharing...and as my husband tells me sharing is caring :) My inspiration comes from the email ads from Williams-Sonoma I get every few days and their magazine I get every other month. I LOVE this store, even though I think I only have ever bought one or two small items from them. It is one of those places when I am in there or looking at the magazine I say; “I wish I had that, I want THAT, I NEED that”, on every other item I come across. I do have a strong LOVE of all things kitchen/dining related. Terry would say too much of a love as we have no more room for anything kitchen related.

Here is my “wish list” IF we had the money to splurge (you know from the lottery we are going to win). I didn’t put any kitchen gadgets as I want every gadget I come across.

MY LIST

Lausanne Flatware, I LOVE this flatware! A great oversized flatware done in a European style. I love nice, heavy silverware and this looks very simple, sturdy and stylish.




Espresso Cups. I have wanted a nice set of Espresso cups and saucers for awhile. Not like I am drinking espresso a lot, but we do have an old espresso machine and it is not the same drinking espresso in an 8oz coffee mug! Plus these are just simple and cute.

Grated Cheese Server!! Um, what do I need to say about this other then it is for CHEESE! Seriously, I want this. You can easily pass cheese around the table then scoop it out with the cute little scoop, Awesome. This is too perfect.

Glass Tea Pot. I saw this and fell in love with it. This partly hand-blown traditional tea-pot allows you to see your tea steeping. “Once it reaches the desired strength, press the plunger of its infuser to instantly halt the brewing process, preventing the tea from tasting bitter.” Very cool.

Frozen Margarita Machine – Um, did you see this thing?! So I ask, why would you NOT want one of these. It is just really really really cool.

Pancake Fan. I know you can get one similar at Big Lots for $19.99 (and I actually might just get one) but I just think these are great and I would love one. I even wrote a blog about these awhile back. Mini pancake puffs is just wonderful enough, but then you can fill them with chocolate, fruit, or cream – amazing.

Copper Dutch Oven. I am a big fan of the look of copper in the kitchen. We want to get a copper backsplash in our kitchen and I would love some copper pots one day to go with that. I am a big fan of this style.

Soup Tureen. Ok, this is going out there a little bit for me but I am strangely attracted to it, birds and all. My taste in dinnerware and serving dishes is very simple. All our stuff is black and white. I like the simplistic look of food on uniquely shaped white serving dishes mixed with a few black ones. However, this hand painted piece of art is just gorgeous and interesting to look at, and who wouldn’t want to serve soup in a flipp'n tureen like this at their next dinner party?! I for one would LOVE to.

Ok, these are my favorite things, just as I would have circled them in the latest Williams-Sonoma Magazine!

Movie Review – Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

We went last night and saw the new Transformers movie and I must say, ignore the stupid reviews you read about it being a bad movie …..unless what they mean is BADASS!

Seriously, the movie was awesome!

It is not winning any awards for best acting or best screenplay, DUH, just take it for the big budget summer movie it is meant to be. Lots of action mixed with a good amount of humor, big explosions, great special effects and GIANT robots (in disguise)!

I have been asked if it is better than the first. I will say it is bigger and there are more robots and I think I liked it alot better then the first but I have only seen this once and I have seen the first over 50 times (seriously, whenever it is on TV I watch it). But I really did love it, a lot.

Go. See it. In a BIG theater. And don’t drink too much during the movie as it is 2 ½ hours but worth every minute.

Facebook Username: Yay or Nah?

So today on my facebook home page this box with different profile usernames showed up.

As I am not as familiar with FB (or most networking sites/technology in general) I thought I would ask the more FB savvy individuals out there what the point of this was.

1. Do I HAVE to have a FB username?
2. What is the point/benefit to having one?
3. Would I then use that as my login username?
4. Is it better just to stick with you email?


I appreciate your answers, as FB was unable to provide any to me :)