Kicking Off Alice Week!!!

This week I'm going to have something everyday about Alice in Wonderland, since the Tim Burton version will be released this Friday. Kicking it off is some of my Alice collection, and this is not my whole collection! I have figurings, books, pewter figures, dolls, and even a chess set of Alice figures I received as a Christmas gift a few years back...as you can see, even the Jennerbug has her own Alice doll! The one thing about my collection is I have a lot of "Disney" Alice because it's more easier to find. I do have a lot of John Tenniel (he was the one that drew the iconic Alice in both the Alice books!) inspired items...but they are a little more rare! I rather have more Tenniel things than Disney!

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Movie Mondays!!!!! Featuring: The Black Narcissus

Visually stunning, intricate plot and Nuns gone crazy...that's what you get in Powell and Pressburger's adaptation of Rumer Godden's book - The Black Narcissus.

I was attracted to this movie after seeing the screen prints in one of my text books that I had to use for a film course I took at the University of Iowa (my alma mater!)...it looked visually stunning, and years later I finally bought a DVD copy for myself and I was not disappointed!!!!

Even in today's computer generated films, Jack Cardiff cinematography, Alfred Junge's Production Design, Peter Ellenshaw and  W. Percy Day's Special Effects, still holds up pretty well...considering that the background was painted matte to recreate a Himalayan valley. The plot is basically simple...Sister Clodaugh (Deborah Kerr) is recruited to be the Head Nun at a converted seraglio, or "harem" house for sequestered concubines. This former house of ill repute serves as a backdrop of women being seen as unstable, or going mad, as the Nuns feel that they too are being sequestered as they try to set up a school and a church for the locals. Then again the viewer learns that not only the Nuns have a hard time trying to convert the locals, but Priests have tried as well and failed. Affairs of the heart underline the plot as one man, British Agent Dean (David Farrar) have both Sisters Clodaugh and Ruth (Kathleen Byron) wanting his affections. When Sister Ruth tries to lure Agent Dean by running away from the converted convent, in plain clothes...he rejects her affections and Sister Ruth goes running back to the Convent in a climatic fight on the bell tower with Sister Clodaugh.

In a secondary plot, a lower caste girl named Kanchi (Jean Simmons) caches the eye of General (Sabu) as he goes to the Convent to be educated by the Nuns. I believe that the role of Kanchi only solidifies what the Nuns wish they could be...free from the restrictions their faith allows and what they wish they could have that surrounds them at their time in the Himalayan Valley, desires and luxury, as well as pleasure and humilliation...the chance to be human. We see in flashbacks, the life Sister Clodaugh had before becoming a Nun...a chance at love and a chance at freedom...it is implied that she suffered a broken heart...is this the reason why she became a Nun??? Does her attraction to Mr. Dean remind of her past and things that could of been if things turned out better in Ireland?!

Whatever the reason...it's a classic film...beautifully directed, wonderfully casted and the acting is superb!!! Highly recommend it!!!

Lazy Sundays and other Musings

Sundays are my lazy days...staying home and doing nothing...well...not nothing!!! I still have to take care of the Jennerbug and do some housework...but other than that it's a day to relax and reload. Jens was really great today...we spent most of the time watching Qubo and she was all over, drawing, coloring, playing with toys...etc...I caught her coloring Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast in the photo above. I think she likes a little Mommy and Me time. After a while I was working on one of my cross stitching projects...a pillowcase with the Little Mermaid on it. I promised to make one for the Jennerbug and the other for her little friend Aurora who comes over for playdates. It's pre-printed...although...I enjoy working on counted cross stitching...this one should go fast as it's already printed.

I have three cross-stitching projects on-going...one that is 20 years old and I recently picked it up again...it's Raggedy Ann and Andy called "Friends"...I decided that it would look cute in the Jennerbug's bedroom...even if it has Disney Princesses all over and it had pink walls...oh, well...it will be nice to have something I made in there...she already has a cross stitch picture that I worked on when I was expecting her...it's a baby one and I have it hanging on the wall next to her bedroom door. The other cross-stitch project it ones with cats all over getting into bags...it's called "Bag Ladies"...it's pretty cute.

The other thing that I've been trying to work on and finish is my writing...so I have set a time to work on cross stitching in the late winter, early spring...since to me, it makes me feel warm and cozy working on that project...then during the spring and summer months work on the writing part. I get so restless and it does me a world of good to have "breaks" from going from one project to another. I think, for me that this is the best way to do my projects and I would be less burnt out!!!!

Speaking of Burn outs...

Maybe I shouldn't use the word "burn" since the other thing on my mind tonight is the fire that happened at Adventureland...an amusement park that is less than 10 mins away from my house. Granted, I grew up in Anaheim California, so I've been to amusement parks all my life...well, Disneyland was always my fave...going back to Adventureland...yesterday after the Jennerbug's playdate with her little friend...I wanted to get out of the house...I had extreme cabin fever and so I just wanted to get out...so my baby spent a few hours with her dad and I took off towards Ankeny...passing by Adventureland along the way...and thinking I was feeling sorry about the construction workers putting up waterslides for the Kokamo Cove section of the park in this cold weather we've been experiencing. And according to news reports when I was passing the park at around 4pm that's when the fire started...however...that's not the only weird thing about this story...when me and my friend Melissa were going over things for the girls to do on their playdates in the coming months, when I asked her about taking the girls to Adventureland...I was thinking that they might be a little too young...Melissa took her daughter to AL last year at the age of 2...and they do have some kiddy rides...and so I mentioned to Melissa that the Main Street at AL was modeled after the one at Disneyland...from what I've read on the AL website that they had permission from the Walt Disney Co. to use a similar design  for their Main Street. The building that caught on fire was their gift shop which, my husband bought me a stuffed cat that is now upstairs in the Jennerbug's bedroom. 

Tomorrow: Movie Mondays!!!!!

The next movie in my Movie Monday series is the Black Narcissus...starring Deborah Kerr and Jean Simmons, who recently passed away. It's one my all time favorite movies and I hope you will enjoy my opinions and thoughts on the movie!!!!  

Hopeful Spring and other Musings...

I have this lovely topiary in my bedroom. It's a little tree with white roses all over it, and so the one rose at the base really caught my eye...I know it's a fake rose but, looking at it reminded me that although hopeful soon, I'll get to smell real roses with my daughter when all this snow melts away and she gets to play outside once again.

For the past month my daughter - the Jennerbug has been having playdates with a friend from Preschool. She's been having fun and it's a good time where me and her friend's mom - Melissa could just sit and talk about our kids and things in general. I have a blast as well. It's good for the four of us and I feel that I found a kindred spirit in Melissa. We've been going to each other's houses every couple of weeks and in between we've been to the Science Center here in Des Moines. That was the first time that me and the Jennerbug has been there and we both loved it!!!! There are a lot of interactive things for kids to do and it's really neat. In a few weeks is Kids Fest over at the Iowa State Fair Grounds, so we are going to make a day of it. Since neither Me or Melissa had taken our daughters to Kids Fest, so this should be interesting.

After the Jennerbug's playdate today she was tired and well still had a bit of a cold, she even didn't want to eat dinner tonight, all she wanted to do was sleep. So we put her to bed early. I'm kind of hoping that she does not get up too early, and just rest!!!!!!

Well, tomorrow I promise more musings...if you like what you read here, thank you for reading!!!! If you stumble on to this blog...I'm humbled that you took the time to read it!!!!

Thanks once again!!!!

Little Things...

From my Facebook page:

It's the little things I love: I love hearing the Jennerbug in her little voice talking to her dolls and stuffed toys at night when she is trying to fall asleep.

Movie Mondays!!!!!

I've decided that since I'm a bit of a movie buff, I thought it would be interesting, fun and well, thought provoking to have Movie Mondays in my blog. The movies that I choose will be from the silent era up to the 1960. Anyone can join in the discussion and can recommend their own favorite movies from early movies to the 60's. The only rule is to stick to the decades mentioned above.

The first film is D.W. Griffith's Broken Blossoms, which was one of the films I viewed in film class that really touched me. It's a depressing film, in which Lillian Gish befriends a China man. Her kindness wins him over and they become friends. But behind closed doors her father, a boxer is abusive. I won't spoil the rest of the plot, but the end really got to me!!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Hope you have a great Valentine's Day!!!