I Feel The Need...

The need for speed!

Oh, come on - tell me that that quote doesn't pop into your head every time someone starts that sentence... (oops - am I dating myself when I say that I probably have seen this movie so many times that I can recite most of it from memory?)

At any rate, I do feel the need - the need to share some love!  Thanks for those faithful visitors who stuck with me over the last few months when blog posts were virtually non-existent - your comments make my day!

So just because I can, I'm going to share the current issue of Canadian Scrapbooker magazine with someone!

Leave me a comment with your favourite quote from Top Gun before 11:59pm on June 24th, 2012 and I'll draw a winner to receive a copy of the Summer 2012 issue.  To make it a bit more challenging, you can't use the quote mentioned above!

BONUS:  If you play along with our Inspiration Elevator challenge this month by uploading a link, you can earn an extra chance to win! ;)

Gnothing Like a Gnice Family Day

The kids were off on a PA day today, so after haircuts (photos to follow!) we had lunch and went shopping.  Connor has recently discovered fashion and talked us into the Aeropostale store.  We came out $100 poorer but ultimately richer, warmed by the big grin on his face.

And the fashion show we received once we finally got home! :)

We also stopped by Build-A-Bear so the kids could spend their mall gift cards.  Thanks, Uncle Bill!

After BAB, we surprised the kids by taking them to see Gnomeo and Juliet!

It was actually pretty cute, but who am I kidding?  I was just there to listen to Jason Statham voice the character, Tybalt... :)

How to Train Your Dragon

Well, we schlepped into town tonight to take the kids to see this movie.

Only we skipped the 3D version, having read that it may have made the movie a bit scarier for younger audiences.

Okay, where to start with this movie?

How about the cast?  Flippin' brilliant.   That's all I have to say about that.  Jay Baruchel, Jonas Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristin Wiig... you think it may be a cross between Superbad and Knocked Up!  But add the Scottish likes of Gerard Butler and Craig Ferguson and WHAM!

This movie made me laugh out loud, more than once.  I got all teary eyed too, more than once.  And once, and I'll only admit it to you, I actually REACHED out as if I could stop something from happening!!

Yep, embarassing.

And it wasn't even in 3D!

But definitely GO see this - with or without the kids!  You will love it!  If you do take the kids, please note that they may be frightened at some of the scenes but my 5 year old was okay - in fact, when you ask her what the scary part is, it's when Toothless is captured and they are "being mean to him"...

Gotta love a movie that makes you fall in love with animated characters...

On Top of Spaghetti...

Not covered in meatballs, at any rate!

Seems like my Thursday recipe post for meatballs was "post"poned again! :(  Gary went in for some minor surgery on Thursday and I overestimated the amount of free time that I would have while he recuperated!  In the last four days, I have logged about 500km in carting the kidlets around to swim practice, gymnastics, birthday parties and shopping!

He's doing well and on the road to recovery - in fact, the kids and I are dragging him to see How to Train Your Dragon this afternoon! 

We've all been waiting for this to come out and the reviews have all been fantastic!  I'll be sure to let you know what the gang thinks when we get home...

I also have photos to share from the tea party last weekend!  For those of you who may not know, my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2009.  Last year, she hosted a tea party on International Women's Day.  Now, if you don't know my sister, then you've never been to a party!  She served tea, purchased at Harrod's of London while on a trip to the UK with her daughter, who is now working abroad there (*waving madly at you, Sarah!*), along with scones and Devon cream, finger sandwiches and all kinds of tasty delights.

Due to her diagnosis this year, she was unable to host on that day again, but wanted to have a fundraiser tea, to raise money for the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation, who has been so incredible to her on this journey of kicking some cancer A$$! :)

So, miraculously, with a strength that I attribute to very few people, she organized, baked and hosted a tea party for almost 40 women!  Everything was delicious and I met alot of wonderful new friends and got to visit with some old ones too, in between snapping photos!

Stay tuned - I'll share them in a few days!  Now I have to run before my family leaves without me! :)

Movie Review

Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday - we had family movie night at home, after a full day of gymnastics and swimming!

Friday night, Connor and I went to see Percy Jackson and the Olympics: The Lightning Thief.

While they changed the movie a lot from the book (which I don't always like), they did a bang up job with this movie.  It was funny and entertaining, dramatic and action-packed at appropriate moments and well written.  Logan Lerman was surprisingly perfect for this role, although he looked much older than 12, as per the first book in the series.  Makes me wonder if they have plans to combine several of the books, since the culmination of the series is dependent on Percy's 16th birthday.  Percy seemed 16 to me in the movie, even though Lerman has recently turned 18.

He's a cutie, too!

In that barely-legal-make-me-feel-like-a-dirty-old-lady-for-looking sort of way...

I did like their choice for Grover, the satyr (pronounced sa-tear', not sa-tire like I originally thought) - Brandon T. Jackson was quite funny, even if he wasn't as fearful or clumsy as I had pictured Grover from the books.   You may remember him from Tropic Thunder with Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr.

Actually, I liked most of the casting decisions, with the exception of Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth.  Partly because Annabeth is blonde with grey eyes in the books (whereas Daddario has brown hair and blue eyes) and partly because she seemed so much older and bigger than I had pictured Annabeth.  This is my problem when I read the books first - I always get these preconceived ideas and images and then am disappointed when the movie comes out!

The theatre was packed with teeny boppers (do I sound like an old lady, yet??) whose hormones were racing in anticipation at seeing Lerman on the big screen.  Sadly, there were three such creatures in front of us, who screamed and nearly made my ears bleed every time they flickered the lights (which I think the ushers did on purpose to build the hype!)  Once the movie started and the opening credits were rolling, they were nattering to each other - reminded me of a hen house - until the poor older gentleman next to me had finally had enough and said, "Will you STOP talking already!?!"

I thanked him for that moment and offered to share my popcorn.

All in all, I would definitely recommend it.  Being an avid reader though, I would recommend the book first - you can then go into the movie with the back story and more insight into the characters.  Just check out the characters' bios on IMDb first so you won't get the wrong mental image! :)  Let me know what you think of the movie - and the series, if you read it!

Percy Jackson, here we come!

On the off chance that you've been hiding under a rock for the last few months, or maybe you don't a hubby who follows movie trailers with same intensity and passion as mine...

But tonight's the big night!!

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief opens tonight!  And Connor and I will be heading to the movie theatres for the early show, along with a classmate of his! 

When this movie was first announced, Connor was excited, as he had already been a big fan of the Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series.

And he talked about it.

Constantly.

After a while, I began to realize that unless I wanted to be completely out of the loop, I'd better get on board and at least read the first book in the series, The Lightning Thief.  And so I started the book.

And finished all five books in the series within 10 days. :)

Now, I know that it's not War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy or Ulysses by James Joyce.  And the first few books were obviously written for young readers in the same way that the Harry Potter series were.  But they were well written, humourous and actually reminded me of all of my Greek mythology!  I'd recommend them if you have young readers - it's a great thing to share!

Not to mention that you'd have an excuse to see the movie. :)

With a great cast that includes Uma Thurman as Medusa, Sean Bean as Zeus and Kevin McKidd as Poseidon (can anyone say McArmy? :)), not to mention that it was directed by Chris Columbus of the first two Harry Potter movies, it's sure to be a great movie!

Stay tuned for a review tomorrow!

Planet 51

Sometimes, I feel my kids are on a different planet from each other - they are so different in their natures!

However, one thing they can agree with - they've both movie fanatics, like their dad!  We're taking them to see Planet 51 tonight - looks very cute and funny!  Hopefully it will be like the other movies that appreciate that the adults end up taking the kids to see the movies so they throw a little adult humour in! :)

Stay tuned for a review! :D

Are you a Twi-Hard?

Today, the movie, New Moon, based on the second book in the Twilight series, premiered in L.A.  It opens this Friday - are you going to see it?

I'd like to see it but I'm sure it's not high on Gary's list of Movies to See... I may have to save that one for a girls' night out!

So... are you on Team Edward or Team Jacob?