In My World

Nine Lives.   Captivating.  Emotional.  Very different.  Those are the words I have come up with to describe this film. I don't think it will be everyone's cup of tea but I liked it. The movie is actually a series of vignettes about turning points in various women's lives.  Some of these lives have a connection, albeit tenuous at best, but most do not.  They are just a study of pivotal moments.  The filming is quite interesting.  Each vignette is continuously filmed rather than a series of scenes.  And when the story ends, that's it. The cast is totally all-star: GLENN CLOSE ROBIN WRIGHT PENN HOLLY HUNTER SISSY SPACEK KATHY BAKER AMY BRENNEMAN ELPIDIA CARRILLO DAKOTA FANNING LISA GAY HAMILTON MOLLY PARKER MARY KAY PLACE AMANDA SEYFRIED STEPHEN DILLANE WILLIAM FICHTNER JASON ISAACS JOE MANTEGNA IAN MCSHANE SYDNEY TAMAIIA POITIER AIDAN QUINN MIGUEL SANDOVAL LAWRENCE PRESSMAN

Design Strategies for Scrapbookers By  Pam Hedden View this Author's Spotlight Paperback, 47 Pages  Preview Price:   $15.28 Prints in 3-5 business days Do you ever sit and stare at your scapbooking supplies and wonder where to begin? Do you believe your friends are more creative than you are? Do all of your scrapbooking layouts look the same? Are you in a scrapbooking rut? In my many years of scrapbooking I have learned a few things that will make all the difference to you. So take a deep breath, relax and go to page 1 of Design Strategies for Scrapbookers . Also available in black & white for $7.68 or large print for $9.01.

I almost can't believe it but it has been 15 years since we hosted our very first online crop in 2005! I hope you can join us New Year's Day at 11 am EST for fun and adventures in scrapbooking.  There will be all kinds of challenges to make the day fly by. There may even be a prize or two. Can you think of a more perfect way to start 2020 than by scrapbooking? Join us on Facebook .

from "Frozen Assets Lite & Easy" by Deborah Taylor-Hough 2-1/2 cups canned fat-free chicken broth 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces 1-1/2 cups long-grain rice, uncooked 1 cup onions, chopped 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced 6 garlic cloves, minced 1 small red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips 1 (6-oz) jar sliced mushrooms, undrained 1 tsp pountry seasonings In large saucepan or Dutch oven, bring broth to a boil. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well and return to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover tightly and cook 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and rice is tender. Cool. Place into labeled freezer bags; freeze. To serve, thaw. Place into large skillt; heat over medium heat until heated through. Per Serving: 301.9 calories; 1.7 g fat; 30.2 g protein; 43.3 g carbohydrates; 53 mg cholesterol. Quick and easy and tastes delicious.

I am so glad I can find interesting movies like this one online.  I'm still reading 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen by Leonard Maltin and have to say that Maltin picked another winner.  This is the type of movie I love to watch.  It has a great story and it is told well. 9-year-old Phoebe is very tough and combative, especially with her sister and classmates.  When Phoebe is cast in the role of Alice in the school play by the new drama teacher, she begins to control and channel her imagination into the play.  Phoebe's problems are not over though.  Her focus is easily broken, leaving her fragile and unable to control her quirks again. There are several lovely subplots in the movie to give it some depth.  The acting is quite superb.

Scrapbooking with Sketches #4 By  Pam Hedden View this Author's Spotlight Paperback, 200 Pages  Price:   $20.00 Prints in 3-5 business days Sometimes those piles of photos and scrapbooking supplies can become overwhelming, actually making it harder for you to be creative. It is okay to let go of creative, labour intensive layouts and make some layouts that are crisp, clean, and simple. Simple layouts allow your journaling and photos to take centre stage on your pages. Let the ideas in Scrapbooking with Sketches #4 help.

Quantity : 2 servings Preparation : 10 min Cooking : 20 min 330 calories/serving Ingredients 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1,5 cm pieces 360 g 1 clove garlic, minced 1 pork tenderloin, cut into 2 cm slices 300 g 1 pinch salt [optional] 0.2 g ground pepper to taste [optional] 1/2 tbsp canola oil 8 mL 1 tsp butter, unsalted 5 g 1 pinch cayenne pepper 0.2 g 3/4 tsp dried oregano 0.4 g 1/3 cup grapefruit juice 85 mL (I used orange juice) 1/3 cup water 85 mL 4 tsp pine nuts [optional] 10 g 4 tsp fresh mint, chopped 4 g Before you start Put a serving dish in the oven at the lowest setting to keep the meat warm while the sweet potatoes cook. Method Prepare the vegetables: Cut the sweet potatoes into pieces, about 1,5 cm. Mince the garlic. Cut each tenderloin crosswise into 2 cm thick slices. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the pork slices then sauté until golden-coloured, about 4 min per side. Take them out of the pan and set a...

The Pledge , directed by Sean Penn, is another pick from 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen by Leonard Maltin.  I think Maltin has a bit of a dark side because all the suggested movies I've seen so far have had a really dark side to them. The Pledge is no different.  It is the story of retiring detective Jerry Black, played by the amazing Jack Nicholson, who decides to check out one more murder--the brutal murder of a little girl.  When the detective meets the parents they make him promise to find the killer.  Shortly after a suspect is picked up but commits suicide.  Black doesn't believe the dead suspect is the killer and can't let go of the case.  When several similar unsolved cases come to light, he begins digging deeper into the crimes. Time goes by and life goes on.  Black buys an old gas station near where the murders had occurred and builds a new life.  He meets a young waitress with a little girl and they become a family. ...

Originally posted here  https://pageflutter.com/beginners-toolkit-art-journaling/   Check out Page Flutter blog for more great ideas. The Beginner’s Toolkit for Art Journaling Art Journaling is an easy way to add more color to your life. Torrie is here to share the basics with us! Today’s post is an extra special treat! You may have noticed I’ve been taking an interest in  art journaling  recently. I’m already a raving fan of this style of journaling, but I’m also a Newbie with a capital “N”. Sooooo, I enlisted the help of a very talented lady to show us the ropes. Over to you, Torrie! Hi there! I’m Torrie of  Fox + Hazel , and I am super excited to be sharing my love of art journaling with you. It can seem overwhelming to know where to start when it comes time to put paint to paper, and I get that! I was there once, too, when creating “art” seemed so out of reach for me. Now I can’t imagine my life without art...

Quantity : 3 servings Preparation : 5 min Cooking : 1 h 50 min 260 calories/serving Ingredients 600 g blade pot roast, in large chunks 3 cloves garlic, whole 1 cup red wine 250 mL 1 pinch salt 0.1 g 2 tbsp peppercorns 20 g 1/2 tsp potato starch [optional] 1 g Before you start A casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid is necessary for this recipe. Method Preheat the oven to 135°C/375°F. Cut the beef into large chunks. Place all the ingredients in a casserole dish. Cover and cook in the middle of the oven. Calculate about 3 h per kilo of meat. If there is too much liquid at the end, transfer it to a small pot then cook on medium heat until reduced. If needed, potato starch may be added to help thicken the sauce. Serve the meat with its cooking juices. Observations This stew can be prepared a few days in advance and brought to a simmer before serving. https://www.soscuisine.com/recipe/peppery-peposo-beef-stew

Thursday, November 14, 2019 Hello, #onpoli people, Canadians in other parts of this great country often find Ontarians a bit arrogant. Perhaps our f...

When I first turned this movie I nearly turned it back off again because there was some pretty offensive (to me) language. Not to say that the language wasn't appropriate in the situation. I just have a lot of trouble hearing certain words. Fortunately I didn't turn it off because I found myself involved in a lovely and touching movie about an old-world grandmother trying to raise three teenagers on her own. Apparently none of the actors were professionals which really added to the sweetness and reality of the film. And apparently this film won several noteworthy prizes. I'm not surprised. A film that is this "different" is hard to forget.

Scrapbook a layout about your name's origin. Don't scrapbook?  Journal about your name or create a page in your art journal.  Just get creative!

The Dog Who Saved Christmas  is cute . . . very very cute.  Not that this is a bad thing especially when you are watching a Christmas movie.  Zeus is a police dog who screwed up and caused his human partner to become injured which would keep him from firing a gun straight for the rest of his life.  Because of his guilt, poor old Zeus ends up unable to bark and in a city pound. One day in walks George Bannister, looking for an early Christmas present and home security dog.  George's wife isn't so happy when Zeus and George come home but the kids are thrilled. While the Bannisters are away visiting Grandma burglars hit their home.  Zeus gets past his guilt and pain, learns to bark and (a la Home Alone) saves the day. Cute.  Oh yeah, Zeus can talk but only other animals and I can hear him.  Listen close.  You may be able to hear him speak too.

If you need any proof that November was a very tough month for me, here it is . . . the only creative thing I did in November . . .