Movies in Review...

I have actually gotten to go and see a few movies in the past couple of weeks--some at home, some in the theatre. I was needing to GET OUT so it was good to do so! Being at home with smallish children for long amounts of time makes this mama a wee bit loco! Here's what I've seen and a rating...

Baby Mama: Cute, predictable, average, not as good as Knocked Up!. I did catch myself cracking up out loud a few times though. Would've been just as good on your home TV as it was in the theater. 3 stars out of 5

Forgetting Sarah Marshall: Stars Jason Segel and Kristen Bell; I wish someone would've told me that this one has full frontal nudity of a DUDE! (And he's certainly NOT ALL THAT to see.....now if it was Matthew McConaughey that would be a different story.) I was in shock and apparently the only person on Earth who had no clue that this was in the movie! It has some funny parts, but a lot of it is just tacky humor if you ask me (and this is coming from a person who thought Superbad was hil-freaking-larious). I would give it 2.5 stars out of 5. It was a compromise for me and the husband........he wanted to see Iron Man and I didn't. Definitely a rental if you are bored.......

The Good Shepard (home rental): Drama; stars Matt Damon & Angelina Jolie among others. It is really good, long and you have to actually watch it to really get it. It has a somewhat complex story line (meaning I had to has my husband what the hell was going on a few times). It is kind of hard to understand what the characters are saying b/c there are some strong accents (Russian) so we ended up putting the closed captioning on (like old people) to make sure we were getting it. I would give it 4.5 stars out of 5

Juno (home rental): starring Ellen Page and the dorky guy from Superbad.....I think I might be the very last person to see this movie. What can I say? It was great! Great music too! 5 out of 5 stars
(and yes, it is bothering me that Juno is on the LH side and the others are centered in the middle--I don't know how to fix it so if you do, comment to me and help me--it won't let me delete it either!!!! argh)

I thought we rented something else, but I guess that is it. It is rare for us to get to see so many movies that close together. My parents were visiting some of that time so we had a date night one night! I do love movie popcorn. It is so yummy! (Don't know why I got off track and onto the popcorn track---food and my one track mind!)

So, there you have it--MAPG's Movies in Review ....let me know if you've seen them and what you thought or if you have some other movies I need to see!

Package On My Porch

Remember the Paperly party I had a couple of weeks ago? I contacted the company and they sent a consultant here from Greeneville, SC so I could hostess a party. The stuff is amazing and SO cute and if I didn't have 2 young children I'd probably become a consultant because this stuff is something I really do love. Paperly sells Kelly Hughes Designs, Embossed Graphics, Dinky Designs, 3 Designing Women and a few more, but my favorite product they sell is what came in the mail today.....

My package from Boatman Gellar :

(even the stinkin' box is cool)

Here is mine (notecards)-fav color is red, always red--and look at how comfy-cozy the paper is nestled in the boxThis one is for my friend's daughter (sorry it is a bit blurry)-notecards again... I actually ordered these in gift stickers for my daughter!

These are stickers were ordered by another person at the party:
Another set of stickers ordered chocolate and light blue damask so cute (sorry for the blurry again, too excited to retake and then download onto computer!)

In my opinion Boatman Gellar is a bit pricey, but since I hostessed and got some 'free' money I ordered myself a set of notecards and a set of gift stickers. SO SO exciting! Now, if you happen to RECEIVE one of these oh-so-awesome cards from me, you need to know that you are dear and special to me because I don't spend $65 on a set of 25 notecards to send to just anyone!

I'm just saying....

5 Things...

...which I took from Preppy Monogrammed Gifts

5 things I can't live without under $10:
1. cup of coffee in the morning
2. email
3. key lime pie (any dessert, any time)
4. Aveda products (the travel size are under $10 so I'm fitting this one in!)
5. Diet Dr. Pepper

5 Favorite Movies:
1. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
2. Superbad
3. Finding Nemo
4. Steele Magnolias
5. Breakfast Club
(yes, they are all old, but I can't think of any new ones off-hand!)

5 girls' names I love:
1. Kate
2. Reagan
3. Caroline
4. Claire
5. Addison (but not Addy)

5 boys' names I love:
1. Christian (not Chris)
2. Luke
3. Evan
4. Emerson
5. Parker

5 songs I could listen to over and over again:
1. Closer I am to Fine - Indigo Girls
2. Gallileo - Indigo Girls
3. All For You - Sister Hazel
4. Everytime I See Your Smiling Face- James Taylor (makes me think of hubby)
5. Mexico- James Taylor

5 things that stay in my handbag at all times:
1. cell phone
2. pacifier (ahh the baby days)
3. lip goo
4. debit card
5. sunglasses

5 obsessions I have right now:
1. buying stationery--plaid, striped, etc. with my initials, name, etc!!!
2. Ebay--love buying my little girl the expensive stuff at a discount
3. J Crew pants/shorts favorite fit
4. plaid or seersucker or striped (patterned) belts
5. rice pudding

5 places I'd love to go:
1. Germany
2. Hawaii
3. Bahamas
4. Italy
5. New York

Angels Watching Over Me...

A BABY'S CONVERSATION WITH GOD

A baby asked God, 'They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?'

God said, 'Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.'

The child further inquired, 'But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.'

God said, 'Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy.'

Again the child asked, 'And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?'

God said, 'Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.'

'And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?' God said, 'Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.'

''Who will protect me?' God said, 'Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.'

'But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.'

God said, 'Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.'

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, 'God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.'

God said, 'You will simply call her, 'Mom.'

Happy Mother's Day to all you 'angels' out there....

1-800-I-DON'T-THINK-SO

The phone rings this morning and I look at the caller ID. It is a 1-800 number. Normally I don't answer these, but I just hit the 'talk' button. Don't ask me why. I think I just wanted the phone to stop ringing so I could drink my coffee in peace before it got cold. I say, "Hello?"

On the other end I hear this woman hurriedly announce her name and ask if my name is Karen M#$#%*n? I say yes and then she says "Blahblahblahblahblah you owe $24,900 blahblahblah." WTH? I almost dropped my coffee mug.

As I pick my chin up from off of the floor I say, "Excuse me?"

Then she repeats slower saying, "You owe $24,900 in student loans."

I say, "Ummm. No I don't."

She says, "Is your name Karen M%#$#$n?"

I say, "Yes, but it wasn't when I went to school."

She says," Was it Karen L##%#$?"

I say, "No. It was Karen F#%d."

She then asks for my date of birth. I give it. Then she asks for the last 4 digits of my social security number. (I don't think so.) I told her I didn't feel comfortable giving her that. Then she asks if she can have my address so that I won't receive any mail from them in the future. I start to give it to her and then don't finish.

So, what is that about? Just because my name is Karen M#%##n doesn't mean that I'm your Karen M$$%n !!!!! I have a VERY common last name. I think there are 4 of them in just the small town that I live in, so there have to be a ton out there.

It really rattled me. I think I had heart palpitations. Seriously.

Now had it been a credit card company saying I owed that much to J Crew, then that's a different story. Just kidding, honey! (Husband reads my blog. Don't want him to have a heart attack.)

New Pants + New Shoes = Happy Girl

Went to TJ Maxx over the weekend and found some cute shoes. Love it when you are just browsing, see a pair of shoes, toss them on the floor to slip your foot into them and WALLAHHH...they fit perfectly and make your foot look teensy and cute. Yes, purchased thankyouverymuch. (but looking at this picture makes me look like I have 'troll' feet?! WTH?)

Then went to the Outlets today while Big Brother was at school--it's the only decent place to shop sometimes around here sadly enough to say. I do love a Gap Outlet because I can usually find something for myself even if it is just a stretch T and if not, they always have something for the kids. I found some cute cropped seersucker trousers. So stinkin' cute. They fit perfectly, so yes, they are now part of my wardrobe. Not sure what shirt to wear, but will find something I'm sure, even if it is just a nice white T-shirt.

I also bought a bright blue short sleeve sweater. Trying to branch out from the black and white t-shirt collection that fills my closet. I just love a black shirt. It is perfect. Matches everything - especially my overabundance of JCrew flip-flops. This sweater will look good with one of my 14 pairs of khaki capri pants.

Once again, a happy girl is a shopping girl..

BUT I do have one gripe. What the hell is up with all these shirts being so freaking tight and long/narrow? Maybe I'm needing to admit that I'm getting older and need to do some department store buying, is that it? Seriously? I'm only thirty freaking five. But I swear, I'm always having to buy a XL many times and I'm not a big person. Yes, like I said, I do have somewhat of a large chest 34DD (I know TMI) but that doesn't mean that my body is an XL! Doesn't the media even advertise that the average size of a woman is a 12? Well, if that is the case, then she'd probably wear a freaking size XL too!!!! And if she is the average, then shouldn't she be a size M or L in a shirt just to put her in the 'middle' of the sizing chart? It really is pissing me off. And no, I don't wear really tight shirts because I think that it is trashy and it shows my back-fat. But I won't get started on that one.

And the 'built in shelf bra' my ass....

I never in my life thought that buying pants would be easier than buying a shirt. And I'm 5 foot 2 1/2 inches, so it's not like I fit into the 'regular' size. I usually get the 's' for SHORT.......and I'm okay with that. Maybe they need to start coming out with Tshirts that say your size and then 'B' for Boobs.........hhhhmmmmmmmmm. Or maybe I just need to get the breast reduction I continue to think about. It's only a matter of time before I break down. But I digress.

Possibly House Shopping?

It's been a while since I've been able to post. Husband has been out of town and I've had NO time to myself. I am NEEDING it. Big Brother scraped his knees on the concrete which I'm sure was painful but damn, he was a drama queen. On and on and on. I'm sure what he was thinking the whole time was, "It's a 4 year old thing, Mom, you wouldn't understand." I had to cut off the part of the band-aid that was flapping in the wind and he kept telling Daddy that I cut his boo-boo. I told him I didn't cut the boo-boo, but the band-aid, and he said, "Mommy, you aren't listening." Who does this kid think he is anyway?

Anyway, our realtor called to see if we could show our house on Wednesday morning this past week. OF COURSE she calls when Hubby is gone so I can do all the cleaning all by myself. With 2 small children behind me un-making the bed (I mean peeing in it), dropping food on the floor and making a mess in general. I asked her if she and my husband talk and make a plan to show the house while he's gone. She said yes. And that's why I like her. Because she is funny. And with the way the market is right now, you have to have a sense of humor. I'm just glad we are getting some looks right now.

With that being said, I have some questions for you Altanta area ladies. What are the good areas to live in between I-75 and I-85 north of Atlanta? Husband has us looking at Canton and Cumming mostly, but I also want to know what areas you guys like. Like what is near great schools and great shopping. That is my list. HA. Only two things. No, but really, schools are very important to us. And we do want to get the most bang for our buck as far as houses are concerned. So if you even know of neighborhoods that have nice homes and a great community feel (playgrounds, pool, etc), then I'd love to hear the names of them so I don't go in blindly.

So, help me out. Talk to me. Lemme hear your advice on the best schools, Target shopping centers , etc...and if you want to email me rather than comment b/c you are afraid of the freaks that stalk blogs, then my email is hikinco at bellsouth dot net.
Thanks!