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Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
love & other drugs: Viagra & Love Collide
LOVE IS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED
LOVE & OTHER DRUGS
Find the Remedy on Blu-ray and DVD March 1st
KimD's Quick Review: I'm a sucker for any movie with Jake Gyllenhaal & Anne Hathaway. Love & Other Drugs did not disappoint. It's a feel good racy movie that makes you laugh, cry, angry, and happy all in 162 minutes. There's a good amount of bare bodies frolicking about that borders on almost too much, but is central to the movie. This is one movie that I will watch over and over!***
Official Summary: Experience the wonders of love when physical chemistry between two of today’s hottest stars explodes onscreen! Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment presents the romantic drama LOVE & OTHER DRUGS, arriving on Blu-ray and DVD on March 1st, 2011. From director/producer Edward Zwick and based on the best-selling book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman by Jamie Reidy, LOVE & OTHER DRUGS takes aim with Cupid’s arrow when love is found in the unlikeliest of places!
Smooth-talking playboy Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain) is on a fast track to the top of the pharmaceutical sales industry – promoting the miracle drug Viagra by day and charming the ladies by night. However, Jamie is taken aback when he meets Maggie Murdock (Academy Award®-nominee Anne Hathaway, The Devil Wears Prada), a radiantly sexy free spirit who doesn’t allow her treatment for Parkinson’s get in the way of living her life. As Jamie and Maggie juggle their respective medications, they are forced to reassess their budding romance when they realize that love is the ultimate high.
With Golden Globe®-nominated performances by Gyllenhaal* and Hathaway**, LOVE & OTHER DRUGS also stars Oliver Platt (Frost/Nixon), Hank Azaria (“The Simpsons”), Josh Gad (21), Gabriel Macht (Behind Enemy Lines), Judy Greer (13 Going on 30), George Segal (“Just Shoot Me”), and Jill Clayburgh (An Unmarried Woman).
*Best Actor, Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
**Best Actress, Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Follow Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment on Twitter @FoxHomeEnt
***I received a copy of this movie for my review. No monetary compensation was accepted nor a guarantee of a positive review. ***
This will never get old!
Every morning B wakes, walks over to me and we cuddle. I hold her like I did the day she was born and sometimes she pretends to be a baby to soak up more Mommy love.
This is my favorite part of the day. When she was "new" I remember my arm being sore from the little swaddled package I carried around. Funny, now the package though alot bigger seems lighter.
Today I envisioned her at 20 years old laying in my arms, looking me in the eyes and letting me call her my little baby. Talk about tearful emotions welling up inside!
Gosh darn, I sure do love her!
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This is my favorite part of the day. When she was "new" I remember my arm being sore from the little swaddled package I carried around. Funny, now the package though alot bigger seems lighter.
Today I envisioned her at 20 years old laying in my arms, looking me in the eyes and letting me call her my little baby. Talk about tearful emotions welling up inside!
Gosh darn, I sure do love her!
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HELLo Mommy Dearest!
Poor B is the one dealing with it. She's handling it pretty well. I give her props for not cowering in the corner and instead looking at me with old, wise eyes while either walking away or yelling right back at me for being off my rocker. When she does this it knocks me out of my deranged funk and makes me smile.
She isn't like I was at that age. The one person I don't want her to fear is me and so far so good.
Executive Homemaker Series: How to use your Mission
Executive Homemaker Series:
Ways to use a Family Mission Statement
It is difficult building a business, especially a pre-existing one; creating the Family Mission Statement is proving to be even tougher! While doing research on "family" stuff I came across an awesome website: Families with purpose and the post How to Use a Family Mission Statement.
The list of ways a family can use their mission statement is really what stood out to me and helped make this task more meaningful and not as daunting. Here are the main points from the article:
Find the Perfect Pair of Denim with the Perfect Fit at Torrid.com
Ways to use a Family Mission Statement
It is difficult building a business, especially a pre-existing one; creating the Family Mission Statement is proving to be even tougher! While doing research on "family" stuff I came across an awesome website: Families with purpose and the post How to Use a Family Mission Statement.
The list of ways a family can use their mission statement is really what stood out to me and helped make this task more meaningful and not as daunting. Here are the main points from the article:
Does your family remember it's passion?
Ways in Which Families Can Use a Family Mission Statement
- Use a Family Mission Statement to Create Meaningful Family Goals
- Use a Family Mission Statement to Help Make Big Decisions
- Use a Family Mission Statement to Help Regain Focus
- Use a Family Mission Statement to Remember Your Passion
Find the Perfect Pair of Denim with the Perfect Fit at Torrid.com
FruGal is Freedom
Overall cash spent outside of utilities and mortgage, we are going to finish about $200 less than July! High Five to us!
We did eat out a few times this month, I will admit...but we had coupons for everything! The 3 of us ate lunch at Steak and Shake, during their happy hour- half priced drinks, and with our 3 coupons we ended up saving over $6.00 off the total bill...that's an entire meal there! We walked out of there paying $11.00. Sweet!
Dryer? I have one? I've plumb forgot about having an electric dryer in the basement next to the washer. Everything gets line-dried...even socks now! Am I going overboard yet?
"Do you have your coupons mommy?" This is the question B asks before we leave the house now. She's my little FruGirl.
The only major hurdle is getting my husband to get receipts for things he purchases, no matter how small the bill. Today he said "Oh, I forgot. I did good the first two weeks." Well sweetie, those first 2 weeks were SIX weeks ago. Get with the program my dear Hubby; consider this your verbal warning. ;-)
My mind set has gone from "I'm doing this 'cause I ain't bringing home the bacon anymore and the baby needs a new pair of shoes" to "I'm doing this out of love for my family and myself."
This ethereality hit me yesterday while B played in her sandbox and I sat on the patio removing oregano leaves from their stems to dry them for the winter. It was a long, tedious task but I was enjoying the outdoors, the quiet, and my daughter building birthday cakes in the sand.
Frugal is freeing causing fear to be fleeting.
I'm on top of the world!
My baby brother has MS
My "baby" brother has Multiple Sclerosis. He has been on Rebif for a year or so and yesterday he got notice he was approved for the MS "Walking Pill"-Amprya. When he called to tell me, tears of excitement filled my eyes. Not because I think he'll walk again, he more than likely won't, but that the medical world, though very jaded I have become with it over the years, has not lost hope in the battle for a cure or in my brother.
After 30 plus doctors, a stabilization in his symptoms, and utter exhaustion in continually searching instead of just being, he decided to accept what the doctors are calling his condition and live life to the fullest.
Finding a cure is key to this disease, but finding a cause will be a whole lot better!
For years we searched for a cause for his worsening condition. We learned that the medical world does have good, caring & compasionate doctors-though few and far between. We learned that doctors are truly practicing medicine and don't have all the answers and are not the all seeing Wizard of Oz, they're the guy behind the curtain-not all powerful but hopeful.
After 30 plus doctors, a stabilization in his symptoms, and utter exhaustion in continually searching instead of just being, he decided to accept what the doctors are calling his condition and live life to the fullest.
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| Wheeling me down the aisle Feb 2008 |
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| At his wedding in October 2009! |
Two years ago he got ordained, "wheeled" me down the aisle and officiated my wedding, he became an uncle, he got engaged and married (I officiated his wedding), he got further along on writing his book, and today he received his supply of Amprya. We will see where it takes him. The great and uplifting thing is that he's already come a very long way and has lived life more than most "healthy" people can say they have!
It's ok, it's for me
A minute later she comes down the stairs with 2 cupcakes. She looks at me with a smile and says "Here, for you Mommy" as she walks away eating her cupcake.
Frugal Confession
I must confess that I'd cut back on groceries, cable, phone, gas, clothing, whatever, in order to continue the following:
- I cannot give up getting my hair cut & colored monthly. Nope, can't do it. This expense, which for many people would be seem quite lofty, $600+ a year has to be budgeted in to our Frugal Lifestyle. Even if no one sees me, I still must be well coifed.
- Once a month Date Night. Me and the Hubs need some time to date each other. We plan on being wise with our date night choices but we still have to do it! So, this too must be budgeted into our Frugal plan.
- Our annual weekend away in December. Each year we stay at a hotel in Chicago and go to the Christkindlmarket and some fine dining locale. This is also my Godson's Christmas gift from us...an annual experience. Fortunately for us, the Hilton offers Christmas in July specials so we book the hotel for dirt cheap in July and enjoy it in December.
What things can't you give up for the sake of Frugality?
Pajama Saturday
It's cool, rainy, and overcast today. I declared a pajama day and its going great so far!
*dressed up baby dolls
* PB & J living room picnic
*drum and accordion parade
*colored some masks
Maybe later we'll go outside in our pj's **gasp** and jump in some rain puddles!
Saturdays like these ROCK!
*played in a fortAccomplishments:
My Beautiful Ladybug
*dressed up baby dolls
* PB & J living room picnic
*drum and accordion parade
*colored some masks
Maybe later we'll go outside in our pj's **gasp** and jump in some rain puddles!
Saturdays like these ROCK!
July Wrap Up
Tomorrow our No Spend July Challenge comes to an end. What an eye opening, liberating, and shameful experience it's been! We are starting the No Spend August Challenge now that we have a feel for things, and we really want to do better than we did this month.
July Wrap Up:
1. We haven't a clue what we spent all our money on before and are quite embarrassed by this.
2. It was nice spending more time as a family and focusing on us.
3. I received my FIL's yummy pizza dough recipe!
4. I still haven't fully decluttered the basement!
5. No one wants to buy our stuff.
6. My daughter will eat anything we put in front of her! (tonight she ate shark)
7. My daughter gets excited about broccoli!
8. We still spent too much $
9. I'm starting to feel like I live in Italy with my clothesline outside my kitchen window
10. We have all we need
11. It feels great to be in control of our lives
12. I'm starting to become a good cook
13. I've been keeping up with my blogging!!!!!!
I'm excited to start August! I'll keep you updated on how we are doing!
Frugal is the new Black baby!
Work, Mom, Guilt
Back Note: Let's learn another KimD created word: SWAHM: Stay Work At Home Mom-an "in limbo" mom trying to balance both staying and working!
Here's the deal, I get a little nauseous when I say it. Yes, there are some "issues" about this that I'm addressing with my Happy Helper and I have the utmost respect and awe for the women who from the gate chose to be SAHMs, but just me calling myself a SAHM makes me disappointed in myself! Mind you, I had a SAH mom growing up and couldn't imagine life without one. I know, f'd up, right?
Work. I love it. I love anything and everything having to do with business. I have 2 degrees in business and will one day have my doctorate in business administration. I do have an at-home biz that I envision growing gangbusters and not actually be out of my home. I get a warm fuzzy feeling thinking about getting back out there in my expensive business attire, having meetings, closing deals, forecasting, planning, and implementing. I miss wheeling and dealing. I miss the challenge. I miss the money!
Mom. I love it. I love stopping everything I'm doing when I hear her feet hit the floor in the morning to get ready for our "Good morning baby girl. Did you sleep well? Did you have any dreams?" conversation. Our morning cuddle makes whatever crap is in store for the day a bit more bearable. I love being here when she delights in something new. I love being here when she gets hurt and needs a hero. I love being her best girlfriend. I love the giggle-fests we have daily. I love hearing her say "Mommy".
Guilt. I've got it! When I first transitioned into being unemployed (back in January) I focused obsessively on Shortycake Creations...like 24/7. My husband almost held an intervention! For those weeks B was a cranky mess and it's because I didn't give her the attention she needed. So, I sat down and marked off blocks of time that are work hours and family hours. I've stuck to it mostly, but as B is getting more and more interested in things the guilt of me sitting here at my computer creating promotions, editing pictures, returning emails, confirming orders is growing larger than my business! I can't even get into the guilt of not contributing to the family finances...that's a whole other gotta-get-a-grip-around-it-with-my-Happy-Helper issue!
So, it's Wednesday. It's supposed to be my No work, all about B day. I have orders that need to be finished by tomorrow night. I have a cupcake promotion I need to work on and get it ready for August 1st. I have another business op I want to get up and running. I have a zoo membership that has not been used much this summer. I have bills that need to be paid. I have dishes that need to be washed. I have a 2 year old who needs lots of lovin. I have a headache!
Am I the only SWAHM out here? Is this just a phase I'm going through? Somebody PLEASE intervene and put me on the straight and narrow!
I hear footsteps, gotta go!
Cumin Get Happy!
My culinary adventures are usually documented in my other blog, Becoming Italian, but I had to share this one! OMG!
Pretty much 90% of the food we cook is of some Mediterranean influence, with about 98% of that being Italian. Well, tonight I pulled out my bible of Med cooking, "The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook" by Nancy Harmon Jenkins and made the most delish meal so far to date!
Seriously, we are adding it to our weekly meal plan, it's that good! Let me share it with you!
As a side my husband made Bruschetta on French bread that I made yesterday. All ingredients from our garden...can't get any fresher!
Pretty much 90% of the food we cook is of some Mediterranean influence, with about 98% of that being Italian. Well, tonight I pulled out my bible of Med cooking, "The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook" by Nancy Harmon Jenkins and made the most delish meal so far to date!
Seriously, we are adding it to our weekly meal plan, it's that good! Let me share it with you!
Kousbariya-A Lebanese fish baked in a tomato-cilantro sauce
OK, seeing it in a picture makes it look a bit scary, but from my mouth to G_d's ear it is good!
Want to try it yourself?
Here's the recipe (page 259)
2 pounds firm-textured white fish (I used cod)a little flour for dusting the fish1/4 cup olive oil1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced1 garlic clove, chopped3 very ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped (I used one 28oz can of diced tomatoes)1 tablespoon ground Cumin1 cup minced cilantrosalt and pepper to taste
Cut the fish into serving size pieces about 1 inch thick. Lightly dust the fish pieces with flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy saute pan over medium to high heat and, when it is almost smoking, add the pieces of fish. /saute the fish, a few pieces at a time, for 2 or 3 minutes to a side.Then dig in!
When all the fish is done, discard the frying fat, wipe the pan clean. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and over medium-low heat gently saute the onion and garlic until soft but not brown-about 10-15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have given off their juices and started to thicken-about 10 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cilantro. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the fish pieces in a shallow baking or gratin dish and cover them with sauce. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the fish is thoroughly cooked and the sauce is bubbling.
As a side my husband made Bruschetta on French bread that I made yesterday. All ingredients from our garden...can't get any fresher!
KitchenAid & Oster Love!
Two appliances I have strong, teetering on creepy, feelings for: My Kitchen Aid Professional 600 stand mixer and my Oster bread machine. Why the love?
I have been spending more and more time in my kitchen...cooking, baking, cleaning, repeat. Our No Spend Challenge this month has helped increase my quality time in front of the stove and Shortycake Creations creations are in more demand (yeah for me!). Back when I first started dabbling in Shortycake Creations I was burning through 1 hand-mixer monthly and it took 4-ever to make royal icing. That stand mixer cut my time by 75% at least, saved on me stockpiling hand mixers in the basement, and gave me time while it is running to change out the garbage bag. (see below about that one).
The bread machine. LUV it! I hate buying bread...I'm an ingredients reader and if there are more than 5 ingredients that don't include chocolate, pudding, or ice-cream, then I cringe and get all OCD about buying it. The bread machine has freed me of my freakness. Flour, water, oil-I never use butter, just good ole Olive Oil, sugar, yeast. That's it. Dump it in, push the button and 3 hours later a 2 pound freshly baked loaf is ready to be devoured! Yum. (I actually made 2 loaves today: Cinnamon Raisin and a French Loaf.)
Let me tell you the things I hate in my kitchen. I'm sure you are on the edge of your seat waiting for this. The very pricey (thank heavens we got it as a wedding gift) food processor-yuck, double yuck. It's way too difficult to clean and in all honesty, operate. Too many pieces for me. My hubs uses it a ton more than me...but I'm the one washing it after every use! My other hatred is for my garbage can. "What? How can you hate your garbage can?" you ask? It's a love-hate. I've had it since 1993 and it's still in great shape. It's also one of the last kitchen items remaining from my undergraduate days.
The hate part comes in here: the lid mysteriously disappeared (OK, I know my hubs may have 'accidently' thrown it away), it always has to have the bag changed...like at least once a day I'm filling that thing up, and it has to sit out in the open in the kitchen. My kitchen is about the size of a shoebox...really, not exaggerating on this one. Almost 100 year old brick bungalow-kitchens were an afterthought. So that's why I hate my garbage can.
As I was typing this non-contributing-to-the-wellness-of-society post, that Swiffer commercial with the ousted brooms and mops sadly looking in at their replacements started ringing through my head. Now I'll be singing "love stinks" in my dreams!
The bread machine. LUV it! I hate buying bread...I'm an ingredients reader and if there are more than 5 ingredients that don't include chocolate, pudding, or ice-cream, then I cringe and get all OCD about buying it. The bread machine has freed me of my freakness. Flour, water, oil-I never use butter, just good ole Olive Oil, sugar, yeast. That's it. Dump it in, push the button and 3 hours later a 2 pound freshly baked loaf is ready to be devoured! Yum. (I actually made 2 loaves today: Cinnamon Raisin and a French Loaf.)
Let me tell you the things I hate in my kitchen. I'm sure you are on the edge of your seat waiting for this. The very pricey (thank heavens we got it as a wedding gift) food processor-yuck, double yuck. It's way too difficult to clean and in all honesty, operate. Too many pieces for me. My hubs uses it a ton more than me...but I'm the one washing it after every use! My other hatred is for my garbage can. "What? How can you hate your garbage can?" you ask? It's a love-hate. I've had it since 1993 and it's still in great shape. It's also one of the last kitchen items remaining from my undergraduate days.
The hate part comes in here: the lid mysteriously disappeared (OK, I know my hubs may have 'accidently' thrown it away), it always has to have the bag changed...like at least once a day I'm filling that thing up, and it has to sit out in the open in the kitchen. My kitchen is about the size of a shoebox...really, not exaggerating on this one. Almost 100 year old brick bungalow-kitchens were an afterthought. So that's why I hate my garbage can.
As I was typing this non-contributing-to-the-wellness-of-society post, that Swiffer commercial with the ousted brooms and mops sadly looking in at their replacements started ringing through my head. Now I'll be singing "love stinks" in my dreams!
I'm addicted to blogging
Let me break it down: I have 4 blogs that I actively update, 1 that I haven't launched yet, 1 that is private and just for my pictures for other blogs, and the remaining are I don't know what.
The most recent blog I started I gave great thought about. After writing a post for The Mom Standard (not yet published...still debating if I should) and the topic it covered I realized that maybe I should start a blog that allows this topic to be more front and center. So I did! Living with depression isn't all doom and gloom, I know, I've lived with it for over 30 years. Living with it and trying to not let anyone know about it is the unhealthy part of it. I'm finally getting healthy.
If you're not managing more than 11 blogs yourself and have a few minutes to read another one, stop on by...leave a comment, become a follower, or just secretly check in. It's up to you! This new blog is titled: Depression & Cupcakes: Turning depression into something sweet.
Good Morning Sunshine
This is what waking up at 3a.m. looks like at 7a.m.!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Great Weekend, time for more coffee
It's always time for more coffee and time is always too short when friends friemly come to visit! [For future reference, there are friends I think of as family and from now on will be referenced as Friemly- once again another Kim created word that works! ]
Any who, Texas friemly came to town for a brief but fun filled weekend. It's been 3 years since we last saw each other in the flesh (Skype does not count). B just loved her cousins and it was great to see them all get along. There were no melt-downs until yesterday afternoon when the two 2 year olds who-went-to-bed-late-and-woke-up-too-early got cranky, other than that it was smooth. So were the Pina Coladas and Tequila libations that were flowing quite rapidly. [Back Note: We did kinda sorta revive some of our old Rock Star antics, which felt soooo good. That is until yesterday morning when the 2 year olds woke at the butt-crack of dawn to wake everyone else up!]
Along with the Houstonites, a couple more friemly members who had been MIA for a couple YEARS came out of the gates of The City and ventured down here to the burbs! If I could have frozen a length in time to relive over and over it would have been Saturday night with everyone here! I miss them already.
Before the crew headed out yesterday we had a photo shoot of the kids. Here are a few of the shots.
Any who, Texas friemly came to town for a brief but fun filled weekend. It's been 3 years since we last saw each other in the flesh (Skype does not count). B just loved her cousins and it was great to see them all get along. There were no melt-downs until yesterday afternoon when the two 2 year olds who-went-to-bed-late-and-woke-up-too-early got cranky, other than that it was smooth. So were the Pina Coladas and Tequila libations that were flowing quite rapidly. [Back Note: We did kinda sorta revive some of our old Rock Star antics, which felt soooo good. That is until yesterday morning when the 2 year olds woke at the butt-crack of dawn to wake everyone else up!]
Along with the Houstonites, a couple more friemly members who had been MIA for a couple YEARS came out of the gates of The City and ventured down here to the burbs! If I could have frozen a length in time to relive over and over it would have been Saturday night with everyone here! I miss them already.
Before the crew headed out yesterday we had a photo shoot of the kids. Here are a few of the shots.
Now it's Monday, I've finished my first cup of java and it's time for me to get my weekly To-do list started.
1. drink more coffee
2. finish touching up the kids' pics
3. win the lottery
4. rule the world
5. TBD
Buon lunedi!
Healing Hurts
This morning I woke myself up from crying. The dreams I was having of course were the reason. I have been down all day and it is because of the disturbing dreams and emotions they created. Without going into great detail my happy-helper has started some major CBT with my first assignment going to be the hardest! My dreams last night were just an accumulation of my thoughts about this assignment and going through my memory file cabinet to get things in order.
As I go through this journey, of course I will write about it. I always write...journals that I alone have ever read to blogs that I let the world read. Writing has always been my escape, my encouragement, my legacy. I am doing this for my daughter, my husband, my family, myself. Healing hurts but without pain your body doesn't know there is something that needs to heal.
And while I go through this process, I will continue to smile, joke, exude happiness and love. I will continue to fall in love with my daughter and make sure healthy love is all she experiences. I have to, that is my job right now.
I'm known to say it like it is. So, I've said it. Not a very uplifting post, but it's me. :-)
Here is a Twila Paris song that over the years has been my calming song, that told my story, that keeps me encouraged.
Am I dreaming?
"Dinner is soooo good from our Farmers Market bounty, I must be dreaming!"
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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