squirrel momma

Mr. Belvedere

Trolling through Hulu searching for something to watch with one eye while I worked on the computer I discovered they had added one of my favorite 1940's comedies, Sitting Pretty.

 

Clifton Webb plays the curmudeon--and self-proclaimed genius--Mr. Belvedere, who whips his employers' family into shape. Struggling against my natural tendencies as the Queen of Chaos*, I have nothing but admiration for this man.

And I may have resorted to the oatmeal bowl over the head trick once or twice myself.

*In my own defense, I must remind you that the natural order of the universe is to move towards entropy.

"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

That quote should clue you in to the fact that my family took me to see Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" for my birthday.

 Guess who my favorite character was?

 

 

Nope. I don't think so.

Despite the fact there is a squirrel on the movie poster, and I have had a teensy crush on John Cusack ever since "High Fidelity", I really doubt I will be standing in line to see this movie.

  

Nope.

Potter Mania

We just got back from a quick trip to Chicago, prompted by the world premiere of Harry Potter: The Exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry.

The exhibition is crammed full of props and costumes from the first six movies (yes, there are even a few from he-who-has-not-been-released).  The Museum of Science and Industry got the bid to premiere it because it was one of the few museums willing to build an entire wing to house all those goodies (actually in a ginormous tent attached to the main museum, but once inside you would never know it), and they really did a fantastic job recreating the feel of Hogwarts, including a Hagrid's hut you can actually go inside.

For someone who thinks she knows how to sew, it was quite humbling to see how much exquisite craftsmanship went into everything, even costumes that appear onscreen for only a few minutes at best. My absolute favorite was Professor Sprout's cape, with dyed and rouched velvet made to look like leaves, and her dragon skin gloves crafted from...um...dragon skin? (Darn it all--they wouldn't let us touch anything!)

Oh, and the Buckminster Fuller exhibit at the MCA? Couldn't compete with with HP, but very cool. Live taping of NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me in Millennium Park? Hilarious, and Carl Kasell is the coolest 75 year old I know. Dinner at Frontera Grill? Yup, still one of the best restaurants I've ever eaten at. 

Whew! We crammed about a zillion other things into two and a half days, so the kids are sleeping in. But I can't stop thinking about Professor Sprout's cape, and my fingers are itching to sew...

Catch Up

It finally dawned on me today that I hadn't talked to you all week, so here's a quick catch up...

On Tuesday my dad turned 81 and we took him out to dinner. He's still very active, and volunteers as a driver for the Red Cross, chauffeuring people back and forth to dialysis appointments and such. His secret?  "Any day I'm still walking and talking is a good one."  Works for me! 

...

Yesterday I received a belated (thanks to Amazon being slow) Valentine's Day gift from my hubby.

    

I had originally picked up Teens Cook Dessert at the library, thinking it would be glorified rice crispy treats or something. But it turns out that the authors of the books, two teenage sisters named Megan and Jill Carle, are the daughters of a prolific cookbook author. So instead I discovered a cookbook full of some seriously scrumptious recipes, including Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake and Cheesecake Bars (with raspberry jam swirled through--yum!). It was only with great reluctance and the threat of heavy fines that I returned it to the library, so you can bet I'm pretty geeked to now own both volumes. Thanks, hon!

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The kids have a couple of days off of school this week, which meant we were able to stay up and watch movies. With a 9- and 14-year-old it gets pretty hard to find movies everybody wants to watch, so I sometimes have to dig pretty deep in the Blockbuster vaults. I had forgotten what cheesy good fun this one was:

Ben Kingsley as Dr. Watson, the real brains behind the operation, and Michael Caine as the not very bright actor Watson has hired to portray the fictional Sherlock he's created. Like I said, cheesy good fun.

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And lastly, I've really gotten into the swing of little critter production. My favorite this week has to be Tilt-A-Whirl Squirrel.

 

My family thinks it's pretty strange when I get so excited by putting a pink stripe in a squirrel's tail. But you understand, don't you?  

I'm mean, c'mon, he needed it!