A Rare Find

I made a most amazing discovery this weekend.

It is a find so rare that it is, to me, worth its weight in

You see, I LOVE movies. Comedies, love stories/chick flicks, mysteries, or simply slice-of-life...
I ADORE A GOOD MOVIE.
Even more, I adore a good movie that I can sit down and watch with my kids.
Aside from most Disney animated features, it's often difficult to find a good movie
that I don't mind my kids seeing, too.
Whether the issue is language,

too much skin

or mature storylines

A PARENT JUST CAN'T WIN!

All that being said, I did not expect this particular movie to be quite what it turned out to be. And any way you look at it, I certainly didn't expect my eight year old to like it.

However, I was pleasantly surprised!

After a friend posted on Facebook that she had watched
LETTERS TO JULIET

and expressed her amazement at the fact that there was no language in the film, I went right out and rented it. I had been wanting to see it ever since it came out in theaters but hadn't had the opportunity. Movie watching time for me is somewhat limited. Too many things to do and too many little people around to be able to see the ones I want to see. But I had a free Redbox rental coming and decided to use it on something I wanted to see.

What a TERRIFIC movie! The scenery was breathtaking, the story was captivating and beautifully told, and the cast was magnificent. Amanda Seyfried is absolutely perfect. Pretty in a girl-next-door kind of way, you immediately fall in love with her character and want better for her than she is getting from her fiance. And Vanessa Redgrave gives a beautiful performance as well. But personally, it is my opinion that the less you know about a movie, the more you will enjoy discovering the magic of the story as it unfolds before you. So please, if you haven't yet seen Letters to Juliet, don't read all of the reviews and the synopses. Just rent it.
Find yourself a cozy seat and be prepared to be taken away to the beauty of Italy
and the giddiness that comes with true love.

This is one of those movies that I will own. :)

While I Was Away...

I haven't been been able to post for a couple of days due to connectivity issues (again) but I had plenty to keep me busy. Still, I miss this place when I can't stop in, share a few thoughts, and see what all of you are doing, too. I can read on my phone (and could post from there, too, IF I had the patience...) but it just isn't the same as sitting down at the computer and having a full-sized screen to view your terrific pics and read your amazing words.

Friday ended up (quite unexpectedly, I might add) being date night for Phil and me. Brie offered to take the kids and let us have an evening at home alone to watch movies or whatever, but then Phil (who went on call starting Friday evening) offered to get someone to cover for him for a few hours so we could actually go out to dinner and possibly a movie. What a pleasant surprise! :)

So we ended up going to Charleston to shop and I spent the two gift cards I received for my birthday. One was from Coldwater Creek and the other from Christopher and Banks, so those were the two stores we hit first. I did VERY well at C&B, getting 30% off my purchase since I bought at least 3 items. Here are a couple of the things I got...
(NOT to wear together, mind you! Just a couple of pieces I needed. And the blouse is SO much cuter in person!)
The really good news is that I was able to get that skirt in an 8! An 8!!! I haven't worn anything that small in YEARS.

At CC I paid entirely too much (I think they're terribly overpriced) but got two very pretty blouses. Unfortunately, CC's website won't let me post the pics here. Here are the links to them if you want to go take a peek:
Orange blouse.
Navy blouse.



Then we hit for dinner, which is always good. It was nice to have a 'grown-up' dinner conversation for a change. ;) We decided we'd rather come home and watch a DVD than to go to a movie theater so that's just what we did. We watched this:
Good movie. I can always watch Mark Wahlberg. :)

Nice evening. :) Thank you, Brie!

Since I had trouble staying connected yesterday, I ended up hitting that stack of books I picked up last week. Right now I'm reading this:

If you like Debbie Macomber (which I do) I think you'll like this, too. Just an easy, enjoyable read. I wasn't in the mood for something heavy.

Today has been pretty relaxed, too. Had our Sunday chicken dinner and we've just been chillin' since then. :)

Hope all of you are having a wonderfully relaxing weekend, too. You deserve it! :)