Sharing a Room

My three girls all share a big bedroom down in our basement. I had a similar experience growing up with my sisters, and I look back on those days with fondness.

Today my daughters came home from school and found a surprise in their room. A creation made from the imagination and heart of their number one fan, their mom. I attempted and succeeded in creating a small mural to adorn one of their walls. There was a big empty space above their mirror that just wouldn't leave me alone! It screamed to be painted, so I dipped in and did it. This ended up being a two hour project that I'm confident any of you could do.

Here are the keys to success:

1) plan ahead

2) make a sketch on the wall with a light pencil

3) use three sizes of paint brushes and block out the basic shapes with paint

4) lightly sand some of the paint off for dimension

5) use a brand new permanent marker to outline your painting and/or words

I had so much fun with this project! The greatest reward was seeing how anxious my girls were to clean their room so we could do a photo shoot of the new wall art.

FULL OF LOVE

Having Valentine's Day on Sunday this year really gave us ample opportunity to celebrate LOVE to its fullest! There was a Valentine's Party for preschool on Thursday. The 1st grade had their party Friday morning and the 2nd graders had on Friday afternoon. I woke up Saturday morning with roses and chocolate dipped strawberries from my little darlings and my one-and-only. The hubby took us for milk shakes that afternoon. That same sweet man took me on a romantic date that night. He had booked us a table at Wild Grape. After a meal of Irish Salmon with gnocchi and wilted greens, we shared Wild Grape's version of a s'more: chocolate mousse pie with a buttery graham cracker crust and homemade marshmallows, YUM! Knowing I'm ga-ga over cute romantic comedies, Sco then took me to see "When in Rome". It was a cute date movie. My only qualm was that all the actresses were about 4'9" with heads too big for their bodies! On Valentine's Day the family ate whole wheat pancakes with raspberries and whipped cream for breakfast; German chocolate hearts, dark chocolate Ritter Sport and Rocky Mountain Chocolate's fabulous pecan bears for lunch; and a candle-lit Italian dinner including garlic bread, lasagna and raspberry Italian sodas. We definitely had a FULL celebration this year. The scale reading proves it.

Movies To Warm Your Heart This Winter

My sister, Gabi, is having a snow day, complete with hot chocolate and a costume drama. Two movies came to mind when I read this: Emma and Cranford. Both have been featured on Masterpiece Theatre in the past month and I've been in heaven!

My review on Cranford:

This mini-series is compilation of the various stories and characters featured in Elizabeth Gaskell's three novels, Cranford, My Lady Ludlow and Mr. Harrison's Confessions. With Dame Judy leading the way, this show has great performances, depth and quality that we all expect from the BBC. The story lines and characters are quirky. The costumes and hairdos are fantastic. And the chemistry is palpable! I love the small details in country living. The matriarchal society full of gossip and silliness is enchanting. I found the contrast between tradition and progress very interesting. This country town fought the coming of the railroad because they liked a slow-paced lifestyle, but they all lined up to be treated by the new young doctor and his progressive medicine (and his good looks I'm sure).

I highly recommend traveling to Cranford. You might even decide to stay a while.

My review on Emma:

Nothing against Gwenyth Paltrow's Emma, but I've found a replacement for her. Romola Garai has brought something new to this classic Austen character. I'm sure it has something to do with amount of time this mini-series gives to develop her character. Romola's performance is a delight to watch. She's fresh with real emotions of regret, genuine good-will and pettiness that one might develop if never allowed a life of her own. And who could forget Mr. Knightly? In this version, he is played by one of my favorite actors, Johnny Lee Miller.

I discovered this yummy man while watching Eli Stone. I have to be honest, I haven't seen any of the other movies he's been in, but Eli Stone was enough for me to become a devoted fan. In Emma, Miller plays Knightly evolving from brother figure/friend to lover seamlessly. It's his slight changes of expression while standing in the background that are so fun to watch. You're not sure at what point he falls in love with his young friend so you're on the edge of the couch the whole time. At the end of each hour-long episode of Emma I turned to Sco with a squeal of excitement and a heart that is mush. Living vicariously through these characters, I am taken back to the time when Scott and I fell in love. It is a perfect show to watch just before Valentine's Day. The series goes on sale February 9th and will be on my shelf February 10th. Who wants to have a movie marathon with me?