Movie Review - Gone Girl

Gone Girl - The movie followed the book by Gillian Flynn fairly closely, even the opening was pretty much the same. I remember reading the book and thinking it reminded me of the Scott and Laci Peterson story and I was immediately thinking Nick Dunn was guilty and wondering why I was reading another story of a husband who killed his pregnant wife...(played by Rosamund Pike) but boy-oh-boy was I ever wrong and the story really only started getting good (for me) after about the first hundred pages because I already had my mind made up. 

Was that book ever a lesson in keeping an open mind in Innocent until Proven Guilty...

And the movie kept right along with the theme. The only thing I wasn't so happy with about the movie was the ending. I think the book left me not really liking either Amazing Amy or Nick Dunn and the movie didn't do that job as well. I almost felt sorry for poor Nick who was going to stay in a loveless marriage to save his child...

What a hero--Ben Affleck was--but he wasn't, at least not to me, when I was reading the book.

All-in-all I'd say this was a pretty good movie, but maybe more so because I already read the book. And, of course, there is one gruesome scene that people will be very surprised by, if they haven't read the story first. (Watch out for the part with Desi Collings - played by Neil Patrick Harris).

But, if you see it, I'd love to hear what you think/thought. 

I'd give the movie a C+ to a B-...I know, I'm a hard grader...but I'd have to say, you know ;) the book was better.

Big Bird And All the Crew

 I started to think about scary things and. . . with Halloween right around the corner . . .  I decided to carve a pumpkin...or four, with the help of my hubby.

I got most of  the crew together: Elmo (my fav),Cookie Monster (someone a lot like me), Gonzo and of course the giant among aves...in the world of avians.

Here's how we did it:

First we picked the pumpkins. And, have you ever seen the "PERFECT" pumpkin for a character...? Well I saw this one and immediately thought "GONZO".

Then I sketched their faces on the pumpkins and started carving...

I needed something special for the eyes...and Ping Pong balls seemed perfect.

Then we just kept going...

We had to think a minute about how to attach the beak to Big Bird. But we came up with a skewer of an idea.

My hubby hammered the bamboo skewers in place for me to hold the beak still. Then I painted the bird.

Then I put them all together to dry.

Now I just have to think of a way to put them on the porch . . .

Welcome to Sesame Street :D

DIY Ghosts for Halloween

This little ghost is so simple to make. 

 Here's all you need:

1) Cheesecloth (found in paint sections of stores)
2) Liquid fabric stiffener (most fabric/craft stores)
3) Wiggly eyes (found in craft/fabric stores)
4) Elmer's glue or some tacky glue
5) A tennis ball container or spray paint can

Steps to make ghosts:

1) Dip the cheesecloth in the fabric stiffener
(put a cookie sheet or cutting board underneath the tennis ball container or spray paint can for EZ clean-up)
2) Drape wet cheesecloth over tennis ball container or spray paint can
3) Let dry
4) Glue on wiggly eyes and hang up around the house

Dip the cheesecloth in the fabric stiffener and place over a can of tennis balls and put one tennis ball on the top to make the head round...ish.

 After it has dried overnight, glue on the eyes.

Then you can place your little ghosts around the house, or hang them with a thin string to dangle around the house and scare passersby. . . just a little.

Restyling an Old Shirt into a Dress

I love plaid and I wanted to make a new dress so I went and bought some fabric but I thought it might be easier to make a dress out of an old shirt. So I was going to run to Goodwill to buy some old shirts but a friend said she already had some that she could give me. So, here's what I did.

I put on the shirt to see how it fit.

And it was pretty big, especially in the arms.

So, I cut off the arms.

And repinned them into place. Then I sewed them back on.

And I took a piece of green elastic and used the extra fabric to sew a little strip for the back to pull the dress tighter.

Then I sewed the elastic on the back. And wah-lah, the dress was finished.

And I tried it with a belt too and some leggings. Super simple new dress.

What's On Your Wall - Weekend

This is my husband's uncle's art. I wanted to accessorize these paintings with little jewels to hang the artwork from.

This one looked like a diamond to me.

And I love these little pops of color.

As I walk in the room, I love to see these little framed pieces of art.

So what's on your wall?

Run Like Hell

October 26th is the Run Like Hell race. It's a fun run where people dress up according to a theme.

This year the theme is Under the Sea. So I am already working on my costume.

If you're interested, you can check it out here.

It's a fun way to stay in shape.

Last year the theme was super heroes and my husband and I went as the anti heroes: The Riddler and Poison Ivy:

Word for Wednesday - a game for writers

Guess what the word means...do you know?

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY: Shanty

Have you heard it?

Do you know what it is?

Can you take a guess?

Well, if you don't know, scroll down to see . . .


Further....



FURTHER ...



FURTHER . . . 


Shanty means a small, crudely built shack.

Now, you've got a new word for your writer's toolkit...or you've just confirmed how smart you are ;D