Happy New Year

To all my Blogger and Blister friends....oh yeah and Nick, Hollywood, lmnop, Postcard Cindy, Colin, Janet, Loxandlo and all my annonymous' friends.

The Review

It's Complicated


I'm so glad I went to see this movie, and I'm even happier about seeing it a week after it came out. Why? Because it's hilarious! I don't like seeing laugh out loud movies when the theatre is full because some people laugh so loud, long and often that you miss some of the dialogue. It's even worse when someone says, "what did he say?", then the person they are with repeats the funny line, then the other person laughs.  There were five people in the theatre....all women...perfect!


Meryl Streep is her usual beautiful self with messy hair that looks good on her, but not on anyone else. She laughs alot and has regular pow wows with her best friends, where they talk about their sex lives or lack thereof. Kind of like in Mamma Mia.


Jane, (Meryl Streep)has been divorced from Jake (Alec Baldwin) for ten years, after a 19 year marriage. He had an affair with a younger woman and ended up marrying her.


She's also successful bakery restaurant owner who's soon to be an empty nester as her youngest of three kids goes off to college.   So....she decides to have plans drawn up to remodel her home. The architect is Adam, played by a meek Steve Martin.  He developes a crush on Jane, and she slowly finds herself liking him too.  I'm not sure I liked him in this role.   He had a few funny lines, but mostly his role was straight.



Ok so Jane and Jakes' son is graduating from college in New York City, and the whole family is going for the weekend.  The kids have plans to attend a big party for the graduate, which leaves Jane disappointed because she envisioned them all having a nice dinner together.  She decides to go down to the dining room alone.  While she's waiting for her table at the bar, she sees Jake sitting at the other end of the bar.
Seems his wife couldn't make the trip......

Well, yep, Jane and Jake end up spending the night drinking, dancing, drinking, laughing, drinking and end up in bed.


They have an affair.  The rest is a hoot as Jane tries to keep it from their kids. I don't want to tell you any more because it's not as predictable as you may think.


I will tell you my favorite line in the whole movie.....


Home, Sweet Home

I give this movie five stars!

The Weather Stinks

Because when the temperature is in the 30's for more than a week,  Grandma J gets whacky  all kinds of stuff happens.   Trees commit suicide  die,  feet get cold, and people get grouchy.  

Grandma J's remedy is to get the the theatre as fast her cold feet can fly.  That's right, she's off to a matinee to see.......

 

So many of you said this was a hoot, and it sure does look funny.   I will give you my thoughts on it later.

Chow CIAO!

*don't forget to vote in the poll over there on the right.

When it Rains Snows in Texas

Recently it's been really cold in Grandma J's neck of the woods.   Temperatures have dropped into the 20's at night, and it's snowed.....twice.

This is a dead ficus tree.    It's on Grandma J's front porch.   It used to be lush and green.

Grandma J has two ficus trees on her front porch.    They both used to be lush and green.  

So Grandma J decorated her front door and two lush green ficus trees because there was a contest at The Spa for the best front entryway.  Grandma J didn't win.

 

Be honest now.....don't you think it helps hide the fact that they're dead when she turns the lights on?  

** New poll up there on the right

A to Z Mondays

It's that time again boys and girls.  Today is brought to you by the letter....

 

Grandma J had a hard time coming up with something for the letter B.   She had three gin tonics racked her brain, and finally decided on Bejeweled Blitz.   

So, after playing Bejeweled Blitz for six hours straight, and because she was starving, she  googled food items starting with the letter B.    

Grandma J doesn't like Broccoli or Brussel sprouts.  She loves Butter and Bananas though....so she settled on Bananas.  Some of these are not your everyday bananas...

Are you ready?

Bananas are full of nutrients, and doesn't a nice bunch of Bananas look good?

Grandma J found this Banana costume?  Would anyone really wear this?







Maybe someone would wear a head full of fruit if they were dressing up as Carmen Maranda.

Bananas peels have been known to be dangerous.  Whoa......careful there!

And the final straw on this silly banana post?

Are you ready?

How about the lady who saw Jesus on her Banana.   I.kid.you.not. You can read all about it right here.


There are plenty more  letter B posts at A to Z Mondays.  So scoot on over!

The Day After

And really, who can blame him?

Wishing You All....

From  our house to yours.........

With Love and warm wishes.......

A Merry Christmas

*  JJ thought Crusty was a toy...silly JJ!
So after wrestling Crusty out of the jaws of death what seemed like the fight of the century, Grandma J decided JJ should have his picture taken by himself.  Can you tell by the look on his face he's not happy?

Ten Kids Too Many


Grandma J loves making fleece no-sew blankets for the kids in the Peds Onc ward at the hospital.  Last year it was Dell Children's Hospital in Austin, Texas. The year before it was Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas.   This year she is bringing them to Scott and White Hospital again.

She only made ten blankets this year.   Well actually, this year she made five more for her own Grandkids who had put in special orders.   But seriously, there are more than ten kids in this cancer ward for Christmas.   No child should be in the hospital on Christmas.  Actually, no child should have cancer!  Wouldn't it be wonderful if someday Grandma J called the Child Life Specialist on the cancer ward and she told Grandma J that they don't need any blankets because they didn't have any kids with cancer?

So, since she only had ten blankets,  Grandma J decided to give gift cards to four moms.  She will let the Child Life Director hand them out.....those people are the best at determining people's needs!

The Child Life Director is meeting Grandma J tomorrow morning.  And Grandma J is super excited because the director remembered Grandma J from two years ago!  

I'm telling you.....when someone that important says they remember Grandma J it almost brings her to her knees.    

**Preface:  Let me tell you about the lamest movie under God's Heaven.   No, that's not the name of the movie, but maybe it should be.   Just want to warn you that if you are busy, just go back to what you were doing because this review will probably be just as boring as the movie was.

Did You Hear About The Morgans?    Please don't raise your hands....that wasn't a question, it's the name of the movie.

The Morgan's are a separated, married couple who decide to go out to dinner just because.   Actually it's just because the husband is practically stalking his estranged wife, and she finally agrees to go out to dinner to shut him up. 

They witness a murder after leaving the restaurant.  And Meryl (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) is a high profile real estate agent with her picture plastered on magazine covers and the like.   The killer finds out where she lives and  yadda, yadda, yawn.

Because the killer made an attempt to kill Meryl, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, who will be referred to as just Meryl or SJP because people need to give Grandma J a break with these long names.  

Really, do you ever see Grandma J spitting out her whole name?   

Ok, so the authorities tell Meryl and Paul, (played by Hugh Grant), that they will be going to an unknown destination in the Witness Protection Program.    This is traumatic, to say the least,  for these two high maintenance NYC gaddabout towners.  No cell phones, no computers, art galleries...... NOTHING.

The Parkers....yeah, that's their new last name, end up in Wyoming.  Wayyyyy out in the middle of nowhere part of Wyoming.   They are forced to live together in a small cabin with a couple of retired Federal Marshalls who live there.  With only one small guest room with a small bed, Meryl decides to sleep on the couch.

This movie is chock full of old cliches  for this "New York is the Center of The Universe" couple.  There are plenty of attempts at humor ala Beverly Hillbillys and Green Acres type jokes, except they seemed forced and aren't funny.

If you are still with me...I will tell you all about the only chance this movie had to redeem itself.

That's right......Paul gets cornered by a bear!!    Grandma J actually sat up in her chair, and waited for some action.   The sad thing is, there's probably more excitement in the clearance aisle at Big Lots than in this scene.  

I don't want to go into detail and give away the fun filled action packed ending, but let's just say it's predictable.

Sadly, Grandma J gives this movie only 2 1/2 cowboy hats out of 5.  

It's A to Z Monday
brought to you this week by the letter


C.....as in Coffee!


I want to share some vintage Coffee ads I stole found. Some are self explanatory, and some are just funny.   AND...there were some that I decided not to use because they would be considered vulgar today....you know, how some words have totally different meanings today?  Grandma J is all about being PC.

Let's start out with a bit of chauvinistic brainwashing  and helpfull hints for the new bride, shall we?

I don't think the megaphone comes with it.   Read the instructions on on how to open the can!

Who knew that caffeine was the devil?   I don't know about you, but there are days that  Grandma J thinks caffeine is her best friend.

Kelloggs jumped on the decaffeinated bandwagon too!

The A & P was all about elegance in the 40's and 50's.  Good china...silver coffee servers...fresh flowers.   Grandma J is almost certain these ads played a major role in molding Martha.

By the mid 50's everything was starting to take on an aeronautical flavor.   Jet this, jet that! And be honest....was anyone convinced that instant coffee tastes better than fresh ground coffee?

The Council on Coffee started using celebrities to push coffee down our throats in a big way after WWII.   Ok, so I'm not sure there was a Council on Coffee, I made that part up.   In any event, the ads were usually generic and Edward R. Murrow was someone everyone listened to.  This ad wasn't generic....but the next one is.

John Wayne....an American legend for sure.  Maybe Grandma J is a bit  biased, but she met John Wayne several times and he was a humble genuine man.

This is a lame comic strip...but then I've never found Charlie McCarthy stuff that funny.  Maybe because Grandma J's brother had a Charlie McCarthy puppet and he would torment her with it.

George Burns and Gracie Allen....who doesn't miss them?

Don't you just love old vintage ads?

Please take a few minutes to check out more  C words at A to Z Mondays!  Go on, you have time...and if you please feel free to join in!

Our Christmas Parade

small town in Texas style

Grandma J's granddaughter, along with her dance team, marched in  the local Christmas parade last Saturday.  The parade was starting at 5ish in the evening.   It was a cold and blustery day...like in the low 30s....but hey, that's what it's supposed to be like in the middle of December.   Cold weather sets the mood....Santa will be all bundled up and the reindeer won't be breaking a sweat.

Grandma J and company set up camp towards the end of the parade so they can meet up with her granddaughter for a fast escape afterwards.  Now, it wasn't like we were at the very end....just a couple of blocks from the end.     Don't you just love the front row seats?   Oh, and yes, it never gets any crowder...um, crowdier. Oh heck I don't know the right word,  except this is  pretty much as crowded as it gets.

Grandma J's daughter and JJ are really into this whole parade, but for different reasons.    Daughter can't wait for her little girl to pass by, and JJ....well, he likes horses and of course wants to see Santa and his reindeer....mostly the reindeer.

JJ gets focused...and starts doing his little anxiety shiver.......

Yeah, like this is what JJ was expecting?     This was the only Santa we saw in the parade!

By the time Grandma J's granddaughter came, it was pitch dark out...with no lighting what so ever.  So, here is a picture of her granddaughter in the car after the parade.

Yes, she's in her pajamas.....and yes, can you believe a dance team wore their pajamas to march in the parade? 


Does anyone else have parades like this?

Loving Texas


Grandma J wants to tell you a little something about her sweet friend Kat.  Kat doesn't live at The Spa or The Compound because she's not old enough. And...Grandma J didn't meet her at Walmart or the Bingo hall.

Kat used to live in CA just like Grandma J.  But, she loves her some Texas!

 For so many people, Texas becomes the center of their universe in a big way!   Kat loves all things Texas.....

click on pictures to enlarge
....all things!


Could this be in Grandma J's future?
Should she?  Would she?