What Christmas Season Movies Are Playing?

Hello it's a beautiful Sunday today.. :) The sun was out and it was 70' quite the change from our gloomy rainy days of last week...well at least two of the days anyways. funny how spoiled you get when everyday is sunshine and then when 1 or 2 days get rain or gloomy we panic and get housebound....lol.....

The Christmas season brings with not only bright lights and trees and glitter and presents and family get togethers, but my favorite are all the movies that are on. Its like Christmas for 2 months. :) Some of my favorites are:

The Bishop's Wife


Cary Grant in a Christmas movie. Need we really say more? This charming story of a angel (Grant) come down from heaven to give guidance to the local bishop is equally warm and humorous, and the ice skating sequence alone is worth a watch. Jeremy Niven's performance as the laced-too-tight bishop is almost uncomfortable to watch, and Grant is smooth as silk, as per usual.
 
"The Christmas Story" is about a little boy's [Ralphie] dream to own a Be-Be gun and his family preparing for Christmas. One of many funny scenes is the one when Ralphie gets a Christmas gift from his aunt and his parents have him put it on. Its a pink bunny suit....oh my what a sight...you can just feel his embarrassment as he decends down the stairs... :)
 

One of my favorite is Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation", its a classic and one that my house tunes into every year...Chevy Chase is excellent and you will surely laugh all night. What I am always amazed at is that I laugh as much as I did the 1st time I watched.
 
 

Another one of my favorite's is of course Jimmy Stewart in the classic "Its a Wonderful Life" Did you know that this movie was actually a box-office flop at the time of its release and only acheived its classic status after its copyright protection slipped during the 1970s, when TV stations couldstarted to air it for free? (this resulted in nearly round-the-clock airings during Christmas time). It tells the story of businessman George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart), who's so distraught on Christmas Eve that he's thinking of ending his life. Bailey is stopped by an angel named Clarence (Henry Travers), who presents George with a vision of what the world would be like if he had never been born. Wonderfully directed, with superb performances from the entire cast, this movie is definitely a life-affirming classic.
 
 

 
"Groundhog Day" is another funny movie. It is a clever comedy and stars Bill Murray as ill-mannered weatherman Phil Connors, who must re-live (and re-live and re-live and re-live…) the same despised Groundhog Day in small-town, USA until he gets it right. Murray and co-star Andie McDowell have a charming love/hate chemistry and Chris Elliot even provides a few background laughs. It is truely a funny tale but it is also a sweet one and you quickly grow to love Phil, even with all his flaws. One to not miss.....
 
 

And what about "The Polar Express" starring the voice of Tom Hanks. Did you know that he plays five different roles in this movie?  Can you guess them all? One of the best animated films ever. I just adore this storyline and the graphics of this film were so wonderful watching it sometimes feels like you're on a roller coaster ride, the twists and turns of a young boys immagination as it heads to the North Pole.You have to see this one with all its color and immaginative scenes..  

The season is not complete without the all time Dickens' classic "The Christmas Carol" there has been so many re-plays of this movie that was originally aired in It's actually called "Scrooge" overseas. I always call it that here too.Although my favorite was the one with Kelsey Grammer playing miserly Ebenezer Scrooge the story of how he relives his future, past, and present and how his disbelief in Christmas changes when he sees how it effects the kind Bob Cratchit and his family.     

It was adapted over the years by many but Dikkens wrote it first in D?ecember 17th, 1843. An early television adaptation was broadcast live by DuMont's New York station WABD on December 20, 1944. There was one TV running of it in 1947 live television with John Carradine as Scrooge.But the 1st time it was filmed with in 1908 with Thomas Riccas as Scrooge.

The Wizard of Oz is my all time favorite and I have been watching this movie since I was a little girl and never tire of it. :) It brings back fond memories. Who doesn't love the Cowardly Lion or the Tin Man or even the scraecrow. The witch is even likable after you watch it over the years. The make up is still wonderful to look at and the acting is still acceptable. My top choice of movies!!!!

I love the misic in this one with Bing Crosby, "White Christmas" Danny Kay was funny, Rosemary Cloony, look that is where George Cloony came from...hmmmm, and Vera Ellen. About these 2 WWII army buddies who work together to save an Inn owned by their former cammander and they perform on stage singing all those wonderful songs...They arrange for all 151 men that served with him to be present, a very touching scene and in the end the famous saying is said as everyone lifts their glasses to toast.." May your days be werry and bright; and may all your Christmasses be white!!"  such a classic....

Just a few of mine what are yours????

The Bellamy Brothers - Let Your Love Flow and Pretty Flowers

One of my favorite groups singing a wonderful song....thanks Jerry

I have been off and vacations and busy with family, AGAIN...I know ...but what a great time we have had...now that school is in things will be back to normal...except it is HOT here ...wow we have been in the mountains all weekend and came home to HEAT!!!! Wish we were still up in the mountains...

As I was visiting one of my favorite online blogs "Chatty Crone" I came across this beautifule flower from Thailand...it is called a "Parrot Flower" and you can view it but not allowed to taked it out of Thailand. What a beauty...



As spring progresses, you will find the air perfumed by lilacs, peonies and roses. Soon lavender and lavandin join the symphony of scents. Some roses will continue blooming throughout the season to provide an ongoing source of fragrant delight. Can you imagine a summer evening perfumed by the roses?



Flowers Fragrant at Night


Many flowers are most strongly scented in the evening. For example, this includes the aptly named night scented stock plus nicotiana, four o’clocks, and the inimitable moonflower vine which along with the nicotiana and four o'clocks will bloom long into the fall. I love the Moon Flowers but they are a very leggy vine that needs guidence I have several in my flower beds.



Favorite Fragrant Perennials


Among perennials favored for fragrance, you must plant the spicily scented dianthus for bloom from spring into summer. Don’t miss scented iris cultivars such as "Royal Storm," "Scented Bubbles," "Vanity," or "Midnight" and specially fragrant daylilies such as "Siloam Double Classic," "Hyperion," "Chorus Line," and "Raspberry Candy." For a shady garden be sure to grow fragrant hostas such as "Honeybells," "Fragrant Bouquet," "Fragrant Blue," "Heaven Scent," "So Sweet," "Aphrodite," and "Royal Standard" along with the species, H. plantaginea.



Magnolia Syringa and Peony for Scented Gardens and Phlox are in a class of their own when it comes to fragrance and the border phlox will bloom from summer into the fall if deadheaded, fed and watered. Late summer bloomers with strong fragrance also include the exotic and heady tuberose which is not winter hardy but is still worth growing even if you need to replace it every year. Naked ladies or Lycoris squamigera, a moderately hardy bulb, is another wonderful scented late summer bloomer with lovely spidery pink flowers atop long thin bare stems.



Well Loved Smells of Fall


Although it is a flowering vine, I must mention sweet autumn clematis or Clematis terniflora, its infinite numbered white starry flowers intensely fragrant and so welcome in the fall garden. One fragrance to avoid in the fall garden is that of burning leaves; for the sake of your flowers (and air quality), compost your leaves instead of consigning them to the burn pile.



Aromatic Foliage


Try some plants with aromatic foliage such as lemon verbena, I have some bright yellow Verbena and they are wonderfully fragrant around my pond. And some scented geraniums, and herbs such as basil, rosemary and lavender. I love my lavender bush and it is true you have to touch it to get the fragrance.  Some are best grown underfoot between step stones where passers by will crush the foliage and release the scent. What a great idea, I never thought of using herbs for that. I think I will add them to my new backyard design I have been working on. A really great plant for this would be the creeping thyme.


One of my favorite flowers I have in my own yard. :) It is called a Plumeria and comes in several colors this is the color of mine...I saw them when I went to Hawaii and fell in love with them. :) They use them on Leis they are real fragrant and so pretty.

I'm Back From Vacation

Hello I'm back!!! :) We had a terrific time...the weather was perfect and the water was warm...We did decide to head over to the ocean and stayed in Morro Bay the last 4 days. :0

My son brought his boat up and my g-son and Bob rode the tube together, that was a site when they both flew up in the air and fell off...then John and Chris rode it once around the lake too... I of course watched from the shoreline. I am not into being pulled around on the water, I would rather watch...lol

When we went to Morro Bay we ate some fish n chips they were so fresh...then this gull decided to jump up on the table and grab a fry...trying to shoo them away didn't work..then Bob started to feed this little ground squirrel who did a little dance for us.. :)


Chloee and me





Bob decided to splash Darin



Vacation Time.......

We're going on VACATION!!!

We' re off for 2 weeks on our annual family RV vacation in Bass Lake.... my son and his family are coming up with his boat!!!

I will miss my blogging friends... but will be checking my email...just won't be visiting or posting during this time...see you all around the 15th.... Can you believe it's August already???



The 405 frwy.... Vacations...New Law....

There is an unusual event happening in CA tonight...they are closing down the 405 frwy by Mullhullond Dr. It is the 1st time in over 50 years this will happen... lots of panic as this frwy isthe frwy and There are no alternative routes nearby that can handle the anticipated overflow, prompting state and regional transportation officials to warn of severe, multihour delays, above and beyond the usual hair-pulling, steering  one of the busiest and runs from San Franvisco to San Diego...they actually have a name for it called,,,"Carmageddon" Everyone is warned to stay at home... it has an estimated 500,000 vehicles on a typical weekend that travel on wheel-pounding congestion for which Los Angeles is famous. Remember when Los Angeles hosted the crowd-generating Summer Olympics in 1984 the prediction of a traffic nightmare was dire enough to scare motorists out of their cars, leaving the roads less congested than usual. I for one do not live bear there so it will not affect my travel but it will some...

So you are staying home this year on vacation. Wehat can you do???

1. read that book you have been meaning to read, tall glass of ice tea, phone off, a dish of cheese vubes, crackersm sliced apples
2. shop for a few new plants, then redo that flowerbed
3. rent 2-3 movies oldies but goodies and curl up on a comfty chair and watch them without guilt
4. clean put that hall closet that really needs it
5. go window shopping at a nearby mall and stop for a "kids" lunch of burgers and do some people watching
6. reorganize your craft room
7. sort through your greeting cards and organize them for mailing for the rest of the year, address the envelopes so all you have to do is mail them when the dates come around
8. sort through all your photos and put them into albums
9. organize all your files on your laptop
10. go through your closet and try on the clothes you haven't worn in awhile and if you don't like the way they fit give them away then go to the store and buy new, you'll feel good and help someone out who may need them.
11. go to a local Rest Home and volunteer an hour or two and read a story to the elderly or play a game of cards
12. take time and visit a nursery you have been wanting to see
13. stop by the local animal shelter and offer to walk a dog or play with a car
14. sit on your porch or patio and with a cup of tea or ice tea and listen to the nature around you and enjoy just doing nothing more
15. read some of those magazines you have stored away ...

Those are just a few ideas....with today's economy a lot of people cannot go away so enjoy you home and surrounding area where you live~!!

My blogging friend "Chatty Crone" posted this on her blog and I thought I would pass it on to my followers....I never knew this and I sure can't afford that ticket!!! WOW!!!

INFORMATION:



Have you ever heard of this law?

New Law: If a patrol car is pulled over to the side of the road, you have to change to the next lane (away from the stopped vehicle) or slow down to at least 20 mph under the posted speed limit.

Every state except Hawaii and Maryland and the D .C. has this law. In California , the Move-over law became operative on January 1, 2010.

http://www.moveoveramerica.com/

A friend's son got a ticket for this recently. A police car (turned out it was two police cars) was on the side of the road giving a ticket to someone else. He slowed down to pass but did not move into the other lane. The second police car immediately pulled him over and gave him a ticket. He had never heard of the law.

It is a fairly new law that states if any emergency vehicle is on the side of the road, if you are able, you are to move into the far lane.

The cost of the ticket was $754, with three points on your license and a mandatory court appearance. Please let everyone you know that drives about this new law. It is true (see details at the following web address).


http://www.moveoveramerica.com/


http://www.snopes.com/politics/traffic/moveover.asp

[Thank you Chatty for the tip]