What I love! | Peaches Prattlings

{June 27, 2013} Ghost of a Chance

It’s been a while since I’ve written a book review, so here’s one.

Today, I finished ‘Ghost of a Chance’. I really enjoyed it, it had all the elements that I enjoy and then some, murder, mayhem, mystery, mysticism, ghosts, a china shop, tea, charms, spells, witches and ghosts, is that enough?

The main character is Emerald O’Brien, she’s a divorced mother of two kids, Randa (Miranda)and Kip (Kiplng). She owns a tea shop, where she sells not only tea but china, baked goods and lunch. She’s also considered the town witch, not the “bubble, bubble, toil and trouble” type of witch, but she could read tarot cards, was in tune with the world around her and spirits, something her nanny had taught her how to embrace who she was and she’s now teaching her son who shares her gift.

The book opens with Emerald introducing herself, talking about how she can sense spirits and then about one visiting her in her bedroom asking for help, she’s been murdered, by her husband.

Emerald has some great friends who know about her talents and want to help. Harlowe and Murray are her best friends, Harlowe, since she moved to the town and Murray, since college. She meets a new guy named Andrew, her first since getting divorced, that she’s interested in and he becomes instrumental in helping her, even sticking around after finding out about her abilities, a rare quality.

As I said, there are charms, incantations, spirits, both evil and good, cleanings, tarot readings and lots of tea. There are plot twists and turns, surprises and you don’t know who it is, truly until the end.

Even if the spirit world is not something you believe in, this book is charming, scary, enlightening and a darn fine mystery, you root for the good guys, feel happy and scared with the characters, kind of draws you in, I highly recommend it!

http://www.galenorn.com/Mysteries/

{June 27, 2013} The End

It’s hard to say goodbye when we found something we really like.

Isn’t it always the way? You find a TV series, you fall in love and then it gets cancelled. “Girl searches for show…Show (like a boy) does everything it can to get her attention…Girl takes a chance on the show…Girl falls in love with the show…Network cancels the show.

Sometimes you wonder why a show is cancelled in what seems like it’s prime, some run its course naturally and others, you can’t understand why it’s still on.

There was Firefly, it was cancelled in its prime, Family Guy was cancelled, brought back, cancelled, brought back. The Finder and John Doe, both one season and the season finale was a cliffhanger and then..nothing, the show was gone.

Since I didn’t have cable, I had access to Netflix and Hulu and I would find a show and watch the entire series from start to finish. A lot of times I did not get into a show when it was on television, I discovered it some times years after it was on the air. The cool thing, you don’t have to wait for the summer to get to the next season and if its a new show, you have the option to wait for the season to be over and watch them all at once.

I was led to this post as tonight, we watched the last few episodes of Eureka. There were five seasons total, it was an interesting, funny, sometimes predictable, clever, silly and sometimes made you think…could this be possible?

This was a show that I could have seen continuing past just five seasons, but they went out on a high note, the last season more wonky than not, there were nail biting moments, tears, laughter, doh, expletives, the entire gamut of emotions. Good closure for the main characters and a happy ending.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796264/?ref_=fn_al_tt_

The worst part..after you finish watching from start to finish and you’ve been dedicated, you look at each other and say..what next? I did that after I finished reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series.

So, Eureka has ended, Warehouse 13 doesn’t have new episodes uploaded to Netflix yet and Grimm is on summer hiatus, what will we do? We might have to talk to each other!

{June 23, 2013} Monsters University

Last night we saw Monsters University and all I can say is bravo!

We tried to go on Friday night but it was sold out, all the way through 10pm! We thought we might try again Saturday, the 9:30pm show was sold out so we leisurely walked to the movies and bought tickets for the 10pm show, only 2 seats left!

Several people posted on Facebook…who’s more excited, me or my kid? I know we were! You could tell you were at a kids movie, just by the previews.

The story takes you back to the beginning, when Mike was a little kid and dreamed of going to Monsters University and majoring in scaring. Then we’re at MU and we meet Sully, not such a nice monster..we find out why Randall dislikes them so much and just what Mike is made of.

The cast was great, props to Helen Mirren for playing Dean Hardscrabble, she was cool and really creepy all at the same time! John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, Julia Sweeny, Dave Foley, Nathan Fillion, Sean Hayes, John Ratzenberger (did you know that he is the only actor to be in every single Disney Pixar movie? Look it up!), Alfred Molina, Joel Murray, just to name a few…

The funny thing is, you have to remember, this movie goes back in time when they thought scaring was the only way to get the energy needed, remember at the end of Monsters Inc? So, we get to see where they all started.

While you’re watching, you can probably find a little bit of yourself somewhere in the movie. So many lessons to be learned, be nice and play well with others, yes, that’s a good one. Trust in others, but mostly..

you have to believe in yourself, be true to who you are and you can accomplish great things. Words to live by.

{June 22, 2013} Meeting new people

Today was a laid back kind of day, well, in the beginning.

We leisurely got up, did some cleaning, put the last few things away that we unpacked, unpacked the popcorn maker and set it up in the corner and then sat still.

DCM had some work to do, so I went for a walk, it’s really nice all the walking paths that are in the area, in the neighborhoods, some of the cut thoughts between houses lead to walk paths, I’m really enjoying it. After I got back from my walk, we had some lunch, good thing because I was starving!

My friend, AM called, he and I have known each other almost 25 years! I can’t believe it! We met when he was a freshman in high school and I was a senior and we’ve been friends ever since! He and his family were going to a party and invited us, a great opportunity to meet people, of course I’m going!

I headed out for the party. Turns out this is an annual party, been going on at least 10 years and…when they started no one had kids, now, the oldest kid is 6 and the place was alive with little people. It was great to see AM’s wife, NM, I’m so happy they found each other! I was at their wedding in Golden, CO, 6 years this fall. Their daughter is the cutest thing, she corrected me each time I said she was 3, that’s three and a half thank you! Very intelligent and precocious 3.5 year old, and very sweet.

I met a bunch of their friends, I hope to see them again, make friends. After we left, we went to a very good Indian restaurant to grab some grub, it was very good. After, I headed to Kohl’s to return the two bathtub suit tops and at Old Navy I spent $2 less than I got back! Got a bathing suit (fingers crossed) and July 4th tshirts.

Tomorrow…movie review!

{June 21, 2013} Ain’t technology grand?

I may have already blogged about technology, but here I go again, besides it brought some good stuff today!

After a thrilling day at work…I called TS and we caught up on the trip that she earned, way to go TS! She took her sister-in-law, LF, to Naples, FL and did a lot of fun stuff m including a ride on an air boat and hugging an alligator. Not many people can say that! She was on her way to see her daughter, KS, at school and help her pack.

Next, I had my weekly catch up with JCT, which was great. She calls me in her way home from the airport, it’s kind of a tradition with us and I like it. It’s funny, since she’s been working on the road, I talk to her more than when she was based in Atlanta! Hopefully I’ll get to see her when I’m back n Atlanta soon!

Next was the best, sorry friends, but…SDL called to see if I and time to FaceTime with her and Miss A! Are you kidding?! It was great! I love having an iPad and the ability to FaceTime or Skype, a few years ago, wasn’t even this easy, but now…one call and hello! I see you!

We caught up on what’s been going on, all the while Miss A was jumping around, walking, climbing, squealing, giggling and just being her goofy self. It was great to see them. I told SDL to get me a list of some children’s books that Miss A might like and maybe I can read some bedtime stories to her, via FaceTime!

What a world and time we live in! I wonder who I will get to talk to or “see” next!

{June 20, 2013} What a day!

What a day!

I started work as usual, early. It was a full day of work, a few customer calls, documentation, then at 3:30, I was done! I love saying that, even though I’ve worked a full 8-9 hour day, I get off at 3pm, I feel like I’m playing hookie!

I believe I have mentioned that I’m ready to get back to exercising, running soon, well, today was the first day. I put on my running gear (I wore the shirt from the Epilepsy 5k I did with DCM’s company the first weekend I was here), and headed out. I explored the neighborhood across the way (I was wondering where people were going on that path as they pass by the apartment). I did about 2.5 miles at the hottest part of the day, but it wasn’t bad! I think it was about 84 and very hot in the sun, but… I humidity, so it wasn’t hard to breath.

Since I get up at 6:45 and start work at 7, I don’t run in the morning like I used to, so I am going to have to change my pattern and run in the afternoon. I can’t wait to be comfortable running in Colorado then go do a race back in Atlanta!

After my walk, I changed and went to the pool. For those of you keeping track…I kept the bikini bottoms and wore an old bathing tank on top (the other tops are going back). It was nice, I spent about an hour there before I had to change to walk to the supermarket to meet DCM so we cold shop for what we were having for dinner. I love that!

So..in addition to my busy day, I caught up with some friends and family…I had a great talk with TS, caught up with JS, left a message for BG, talked to MM, while I was in the pool..(his house went on the market two weeks ago and he got an offer within 24 hours, soooo happy for him! Maybe I need to rub his head for good luck!), I talked to dad, GES, LD and EJS, who had a great time at the baseball game yesterday and is excited to start summer camp on Monday! I only missed MG, she had just gotten up from a nap, didn’t want an part of that!

I might be talked out…yeah right, we’re talking about me here! Wonder who I’ll talk to tomorrow! Maybe it’s you!

{June 18, 2013} A great dinner tonight

Tonight, I made a yummy dinner!

One of the things I’ve really enjoyed being here is DCM and I cooking together, we’ve only been out to eat a few times, most nights we go to the grocery store, pick up what we need for dinner and cool dinner together.

I was in the mood to cook and I thought a home made pizza would be nice. I went to Safeway, one of the major grocery stores in Colorado, they have a really nice fresh produce section and a large selection of healthier options.

So, for dinner, I got a flatbread, layered on sauce and shredded mozzarella, added some ground up sausage and green olives to half (that’s DCM’s staple for pizza) mini yellow and red peppers and spinache on my half (I made it perfectly so the meat and sausage didn’t touch my side!) and added some more cheese to the top and baked at 375 for about 15 minutes, well, I just kept looking to see when everything was melted. Lets just say it was Y U M M Y!

Then…while the pizza was baking, I whipped up a carrot cake, even had some cream cheese frosting, it was really yummy, came out wonderfully lopsided, but who cares? You cover it with frosting and who can tell? (The secret for frosting a cake is to let the cake cool completely, better even in the fridge so the cake is firm, easier for the frosting to spread and stick, the frosting has to be warm, so it’s easily spreadable).

Lets just say dinner was easy to make and delish and inexpensive, a great combination!

{June 16, 2013} Are movies getting too long?

That is the question I have been wondering lately.

The reason I have been wondering is that I can’t always make it through a movie without almost floating out the door when it’s over. Movies used to be about 1.5 hours, now they’re 2, 2.5, 3 even, is it always necessary? Don’t get me wrong, there are some movies that are that long and I have sat through, riveted to the screen, but there are some I have to ask, is it too much.

An average bottle of water at the movies is about 20 ounces, they also have larger, 33 ounce bottles. When DCM and I go to the movies, I end up getting the larger bottle, it’s about .50 more and as I drink as much water as I can get, works for me. In the past, I could drink that much water, no problem, but lately, I’ve found myself squirming in my seat not far from the end and I don’t think it’s necessarily my bladder.

And when I say, is the really long movie time necessary…last night we went to see Man Of Steel, as you know and during the final fight scene, I couldn’t take it anymore, I ran out and ran to the bathroom (they really need to have a bathroom on the side we were on!) and when I got back, they were still fighting, that should tell you something. (It doesn’t take me long, but I had to run back to the theater!). Some of the scenes they add to the end of movies seems to be a bit overkill. Don’t shoot me, like I said, there are some movies it works, but very rarely.

I love movies and I will never stop going, no matter what, but I think some things need to be taken into consideration when they are thought up and brought to life.

(I don’t want to start having to wear depends to go to the movies!)

{June 15, 2013} Man of Steel

Tonight DCM and I saw Man of Steel.

There was good and less than good, not bad, just less than good. I’m a big kid in case you didn’t notice, as evident by my love of all the marvel movies, Muppet movies, animated movies and I love super hero movies. And when it comes to remakes, I’m very skeptical.

I didn’t see Superman Returns, 2006, didn’t want to, I’m a purist, I am a Christopher Reeves fan, even George Reeves, Superman on TV back in the 50’s.

Henry Cavill was pretty good as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman, that’s a lot of pressure for one person! How is it that no one doesn’t know he’s Superman? He had a lot of chest hair, ick and how did he shave his face? Nothing can cut the man of steel! I liked the new costume, what a bright smile! but very disappointed in one serious thing…where was the Superman curl? That was one of the things that made him super and super cute!

Amy Adams was Lois Lane, she was kind of a bad a$$, the “epitome of the do or die female”
she said “I’m only at peace when I’m wearing a flak jacket”! I really liked her character, she knew when to back off and when she could help.

Russell Crowe played Jor-El, Kal-El’s father. He was strong, intelligent, doting and a fighter. You see him from time to time in the movie.

There were some great supporting cast members.
Diane Lane and Kevin Costner played Clark’s parents, both very good, kind, caring, understanding and supportive. Laurence Fishburn was the editor of The Daily Planet, Perry White, he was firm, understanding, tried to be tough. Christopher Melonie was Colonel Hardy, turned out to be a really good guy.

One of the cool things about the movie is that there was some a lot of back story which helped fill in some blanks, explain a few things. And the technology, wicked cool!

All I all, I enjoyed the movie, it was a little too long, there was a fight scene towards the end that probably didn’t need to be as long, but it didn’t detract too much from the movie. If you’re thinking about seeing it, I say go for it!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770828/?ref_=sr_1

{June 13, 2013} What’s your number?

I watched “What’s Your Number?” And I liked it.

I missed the first 5 minutes or so, when the main character loses her job, not a spoiler alert. The story is about Ally Darling, isn’t that a great name? Her sister is Daisy Darling, too…those names are…yeah, darling.

Daisy is getting married and Ally is beginning to question her life, where it’s going, who is she going to meet and shouldn’t she be at that stage, settling down? She has found an article talking about the number of people you sleep with and what the average is.

During a drunken binge, with friends, she decides she is a) not going to sleep with anyone else, and when she does, that’s who she’s going to marry and b)she is going to track down the men that she dated, maybe one of them is the one, the one that got away. One of the inspirations is her sister, who is marrying the boy she dated in high school.

She has a neighbor, 6B, as she refers to him, Chris Evans to me (Captain America to you) agrees to help her track down the guys in return for letting him hide out in her apartment on occasion.

The movie is charming and fun and predictable at times, sad at times, but overall a good time.

I’ve told you about Chris Evans, charming, cute, sweet, a cad at times, but all around decent guy. Anna Feris is Ally and she is funny, sweet, goofy and just when you think she’s going to do something stupid or bad, sometimes an “I Love Lucy” moment, she pulls through. She is a great big sister and takes charge when she needs to. Normally, I find Anna Feris to be annoying, well most of the characters she plays. I loved her in The House Bunny! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0852713/?ref_=sr_1

Ari Graynor plays Daisy, Ally’s younger sister. I loved her in Whip It and she was such a different character in Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist. In this movie, I changed my opinion from the start, I thought she was going to be uptight, but she was a great sister, sweet, supportive and a little space, as she was getting married, but always there for her sister.

Blythe Danner played their mother, a woman who is very proper, very wealthy and although she loves her daughters and wants the best for them, she thinks marrying (wealthy,good social standing) well is what will make them happy.

Ed Begley Jr plays their dad, a small role, but an important one. The parents don’t get along, if one is going to be at the wedding, the other won’t go…fun, huh?

There were a few other actors that I knew in small supporting roles and it was fun to se them.

All in all, a fun and charming movie, I recommend it highly. Yes, it’s a chick flick and I’m a chick, so therefore, a good fit, but fun even for the guys out there, promise!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770703/

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