New Moon: A Review

Have you seen “New Moon” yet? Better yet, have you read the book? If not, run to the bookstore and pick up the Twilight series and then rent “Twilight” on DVD and then go see “New Moon” in the theater – it is awesome!

I went to see “New Moon” the Wednesday before Thanksgiving with Jackie, her mom and step dad, her sister, her three nieces and her nephew. There were nine of us in all and we had a great time. I love going to the movies with Jackie’s nieces, Brooke and McKenzie and since they live in Illinois and only make it down ever now and then, I try to make it a point to see a movie with these two when they are in town. Last year when they were here we all saw “Twilight” together so I told Jackie that when they got in town this time, we had to go see “New Moon”.

The Twilight books are awesome! I wasn’t sure if I would like them, but I borrowed the first one from Jackie’s mom and then bought the whole set for myself before I could even finish the first book. They are so good! Since then a lot of the American Idol girls have borrowed my books and they all loved them as well.

I didn’t think the first movie was that great, it was just “okay” in my opinion, didn’t even compare to the book. But, “New Moon” was great and was so much better than “Twilight”. I guess “they” must have had more money to use on “New Moon” because it was 100% better. The visual effects were astounding. When Jacob transforms into a werewolf, oh wow, it was amazing. Even though I knew what was going to happen in the film, my heart still beat fast. They kept this movie very close to the book, which is wonderful. The scenes at the end of the movie in Italy were mesmerizing. Dakota Fanning did an excellent job as Jane. Michael Sheen was incredible as Aro – so scary!!

This movie was just great all around. I hope to see it again before it leaves the theater. My cousin, Cecelia has already seen it four times, and Jackie’s nieces, well, our group viewing was their third time. So, needless to say, all the Twilight fans I know really liked this film. Check it out!

American Idol Christmas

Last night the American Idol girls got together for a Christmas party of sorts, which included a Christmas sock exchange. We met at the lovely Erika’s house, which was decorated quite beautifully. She had an awesome spread of food as well, of which I neglected to take a photo (update - see below - Erika sent a photo for me!). She prepared all the food herself, which included seven layer dip, homemade salsa, fruit dip and apples, cheese and crackers, chicken ball, and chocolate chip cookies. I hope I am remembering everything. She also made her famous fruit tea which was as delicious as always!

I thinks this is a great picture of Candy.

The soiree was attended by Amy, Candy, Erika (of course), Kendra, Lisa, Michelle, Shawna and me. Our group had not been together as a group since September so, needless to say, we had a lot to talk about and catch up on. The night was spent telling stories and catching each other up on various events in our lives and also involved a lot of laughing, which always makes for a nice evening.

Kendra and Candy having a good time

After a couple of hours of eating and chatting, we had our Christmas sock exchange by playing dirty Santa. Only two gifts got stolen. I got the last number and had my pick of the litter, but decided to just open up the last gift and let everyone keep what they had.

Lisa looks intently at Erika as she tells a story.

Perhaps the funniest part of the Christmas sock exchange was that Candy and Kendra, they with the shortest legs, both got the only two pairs of knee high socks that were brought. They could probably pull them all the way up their thighs if they wanted. We got a big laugh out of that. Kendra’s were also toe socks, which made for even more laughter when she was trying to get them on her feet.

Lisa got Kendra and Candy a pair of socks that would actually fit their feet

It was a good night and we all had a lot of fun. I was even able to do a Jim Brickman demonstration for them. I am really thankful for these girls and for their friendships. They each hold a special place in my heart whether I’ve known them for 30 years or five.

The gifts under the tree

Erika starts us off

Afterwards we took a photo with our new socks.

The spread of food prepared by Erika!

The group photo - Erika set her timer. This was before Michelle and Amy arrived.

I chose to eat off of this plate because it said "Girls love to be a little naughty"

Kendra with the knee high toe socks

Lisa originally opened the knee high socks that Candy stole

Michelle with her socks - looks like they were so bright they blinded Amy

Shawna with her socks

I'm assuming I'm laughing at Candy and Kendra putting on their socks; but don't know for sure. Whatever it was I thought it was hilarious!

Jim Brickman in Concert

Yesterday afternoon, I received an email from the lovely Erika. She had two free tickets to the Jim Brickman concert and asked me if I would like to accompany her. Now I am not a Jim Brickman fan. He’s a bit too sappy for me; but, since I’ve been looking for something to put me in the holiday spirit, I said, sure, why not, I don’t have any plans. So, to the Jim Brickman concert we went.


We actually went to eat dinner first and then headed over to the VBC. I decided to park under the South Hall since it would allow us to walk inside all the way to the concert hall, and it was a very cold night. Well, to our surprise, there was no one taking up parking money there and we were able to park for free! Score!

The show started at 8:00 p.m., which was a little late for our taste, and we hoped that the piano playing of Jim and the singing by Jim and his friends would not lull us to sleep. A little bit after 8:00, Jim came on the stage. He sat down at the piano and played a few songs. I guess I am not as familiar with good ole Jim as I thought I was because I was expecting him to sing, but he just played the piano, and it was quite lovely. After a few songs, Jim introduced his buddy, Tracy Silverman, a jazz violinist. This guy could really rock the violin, but he was also a little bit scary. His hair was wild and crazy and his violin playing was a little more than we had bargained for. It wasn’t soft and lovely, but crazy and loud, but he plays quite well. I guess it was just a bit of a shock for the two of us.

The next guest to come out was Garrett Viggers, and he played the hammered dulcimer. My mom is a big fan of the dulcimer, and I have to admit, I like it as well. He played beautifully and it was a great addition to the show. Later in another couple of songs he sat on and beat a box which he called a cajon, which is actually Spanish for box. These folks cracked some really corny jokes, but the audience ate it up.

Anne Cochran came out next and finally we heard some singing! She had a lovely voice but she looked absolutely miserable when she sang. She literally looked like she was about to cry every time she paused in a song. Apparently she and Jim Brickman went to high school together. She told us that she and her husband recently had their 25th wedding anniversary, which is no small feat in today’s society, and that made me smile.

After Anne came Mark Masri. He is from Toronto and in addition to his beautiful singing voice, he also has a beautiful face. I told Erika she should find out if he is single. He sings in five languages and sang a song in Italian; it was one of the songs from a Josh Groban album, and since I love Josh Groban, well, I obviously think Josh sings it better. But, Mark did really well for a copycat.

At intermission, Erika bought some popcorn and we entered to win a spot on the Jim Brickman cruise to Alaska. Why? Well, why not? I could use a free cruise. I was looking through the photos I had taken in the first half and an usher told me that we were not allowed to take photos. Well, it wasn’t announced, nor was it listed on the ticket, and other people were taking photos as well. So, being the rebel that I am, I took some photos in the second half as well. And while we are on the subject of photos, let me just say that it took me a while to find a good setting for the dark concert hall. I used the flash a couple of times and practically embarrassed Erika to pieces! I finally settled on the sports mode, which takes multiple shots per second without the flash and I took them when the light on the stage was brighter, which seemed to work ok. I am taking photography starting in January and hope to learn some better tricks of the trade at that time.

To start the second half, Tracy played the violin while Garrett picked on the dulcimer again. I really enjoyed that part, even though Erika and I laughed when Tracy came on stage. His hair, as I mentioned before was scary. He actually reminded me of Kenny G.

Throughout the show all of Jim’s friends joined him on stage. And they sang and picked and played and it was all very lovely. However, towards the end of the second half, I was ready for bed and was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. At the end of the show, the audience game Jim and his friends a standing ovation. Erika and I kept our seats as we didn’t feel the show was standing ovation worthy. After the show was over, all of Jim's friends were signing autographs. I told Erika we should see if Tracy the violinist would autograph something "Kenny G."

Here’s the final verdict: we were glad we didn’t pay to see this show. In fact it was said, “I would have been really disappointed if I had paid to see that.” Jim and his friends didn’t play or sing any traditional Christmas songs, which is what Erika and I were expecting. Jim played his own songs and not all of them were Christmas related. I was really hoping for a night of traditional Christmas songs that would put me a jolly holiday mood. Not to mention the fact that after every song Jim played on the piano, he held his arms out to the side and lifted them up in slow motion. I really wish I had a video of this to show you how corny it was. If you see me soon, please ask for a demonstration. Also, a lot of the time when Jim was “joking” or “casually talking” to the audience, I got the impression he was really full of himself. Needless to say, the next time Jim comes to Huntsville, I doubt I’ll be going, unless of course Erika scores some free tickets.

Happy Thanksgiving from Nat!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. When I was a young girl, we would travel to Florence, AL to spend the day with my mother’s grandparents (my great-grandparents). We would start the day at the McGee’s where my great-grandfather Tack would play the harmonica and pull on our toes. I loved the smell of Granny’s house and I loved to play on the columns that adorned her front porch. They were made of tree limbs and were knobby and painted white. My uncle Donny would sit outside and smoke and Granny would dip snuff and we kids would play in the leaves and skip rocks across the pond out back.

After eating lunch with the McGee’s, we would head over to the Roberson’s and visit with my grandfather’s mother, sister and step-father. Sometimes we would peck at the piano and sometimes we would just lie in the floor and tell stories and talk about whatever was on our mind. Regardless of what we did or what we talked about, it was always good quality time.

When it came time to drive back home to Huntsville, we would shimmy over to my paternal grandparents’ house and visit with what was left of the Parker crowd. After eating all day, I wouldn’t eat much of anything there, but my dad always managed a little extra room for my grandmother’s dressing.

As I got older and our family started having families of their own, and my great-grandfathers passed away, my parents started hosting my mother’s family. We would prepare all the food and they would come and eat with us and after the feasting and the fellowship we would again venture over to the Parkers to visit with all the folks there.

Throughout the years our Thanksgiving has continually changed. When I was in college, my parents invited wayward hockey players over for Thanksgiving dinner as well as people from church who had no family in town or no one to visit. We’ve had guests at our Thanksgiving table from Latvia, Canada, and Tennessee, but no matter who was at our table, the time was always enjoyable and memorable and definitely a time to be thankful.

This year, we all share in the cooking duties and this year there will be one face missing from our table that I’m sure will weigh heavy on our hearts. But it will allow us time to reflect on the good times and look forward to the future times with that loved one. And although he will be missed, we also know that he is safe and he is warm and he is not hungry and we pray that God will bless us by bringing us together again soon.

So, Happy Thanksgiving from Nat! May your day be memorable and may you be thankful not only on Thanksgiving but on every day of the year.

I will leave you with a few Thanksgiving quotes that I found today:

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." -W.T. Purkiser

“Praise God even when you don't understand what He is doing.”
- Henry Jacobsen

“Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.”
 – Theodore Roosevelt

“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.”
– Cicero

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.”
– Aesop

Ladies Night Out Finale

As mentioned previously on this blog, we have a Ladies Night Out with the gals from church once a month. Every year our season finale, if you will, is at Mrs. Irma’s house. Mrs. Irma was my mom’s PE teacher at Madison Academy and she was my teacher at church when I was a young girl and often teaches the ladies’ class I attended before we moved to our temporary church location. She’s an awesome gal and I’m thankful to know her.

Mrs. Irma decorates for Christmas with a vengeance! There’s not a nook or cranny in her house that doesn’t have something Christmas related stuck in it. And she always makes sure the house is decorated before we come over for our final Ladies Night Out of the year.

This is the time when we have our annual Christmas ornament exchange. We play dirty Santa and sometimes it can be quite hilarious, especially when people start fighting over various ornaments. For example, Myrtle loves snowmen and if she sees one she wants she goes for blood!

Every year we have a great time and it’s a nice way to end the activity. We don’t meet in December since everyone is so busy and it gives me a break from coming up with activities to do.

This year we had 23 people attend. Good thing there weren’t many more than that, because I only made 24 numbers for the dirty Santa game. Here are some photos from the night:

Dena and Janet L. pose for the camera while Marilyn is talking to csomeone out of view.

We have a lot of Janets and Janices in our group.

Pam, Cindy, Peggy and Ruth

Dessert - the most important part of the evening!

Our menu this night was Mexican Fiesta and it was delicious!

Mrs. Irma was blessed with many gifts from the ladies.

Here I'm giving the group instruction - they are paying attention so well in this photo!

The wrapped ornaments

After Erika bragged about how she was going to play dirty and steal a gift, she ended up opening one from the pile. She opened this large jewel and said she was going to take it to the jewelers to have it set.

But then it was stolen and she ended up with this beauty.

Mrs. Irma ended up with this snowman. Snowmen were a popular choice for folks this year.

This is the one I ended up with; it's also the one I brought. I didn't wrap it very pretty, and I have found when you don't wrap well, people tend not to pick your gift to open. I guess they are judging the book by its cover because I happened to like what was inside.

Myrtle was the last one to go and she didn't even steal this year! I was so disappointed in her! But she picked the last gift from the pile and guess what? It was a snowman! She was happy with it.

Giveaway #2 Winner!

Congrats, Candy! Your second prize in as many weeks! I'll bring your lotion to church tonight, and yes, you can put it in your stocking if you want. Stay tuned for more giveaways coming up.

Christmas Giveaway #2

~~~This Giveaway Is Now Closed~~~

It’s time for another Christmas Giveaway! This one isn’t for kids, it’s for you! As many of you know, I sell BeautiControl products. For those of you that don’t know, I sell BeautiControl products; so, if you ever need anything BeautiControl related, give me a buzz.

Every year for Christmas, BeautiControl comes out with some sort of “Christmas scent.” This year, it is sugar cookie! And it smells so yummy; you are sure to love it. Today, because I love the four people who read this blog, I’m giving away a sugar cookie body butter by BeautiControl (value: $20). I wish you could smell this, I really do! It smells just like a sugar cookie that folks will want to eat you up! Or at least it will make them want some cookies; I don’t want anyone to become cannibalistic over some body butter.

The contest starts now and goes until 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Wednesday is my last day at work this week, which is why the contest is ending then. I don’t know if I’ll have another opportunity to blog after Wednesday since I am cheap and don’t have internet at home. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment, tell us what your favorite lotion or bath product is. I’ll announce the winner on Wednesday morning – provided I don’t forget! Good luck!