Lisa R. Howeler's Blog, page 52
December 14, 2023
Comfy, Cozy Christmas: We’re No Angels
Erin from Still LIfe, With Cracker Crumbs and I have been posting about Christmas movies, books, and all things Christmas for the month of December. We’ve been sort of doing our own thing – such as watching whatever movies we wanted to watch on our own — but this week we both watched We’re No Angels (1955) so we would blog about it together. (This post is part of our Comfy, Cozy Christmas. Don’t forget to share your Christmas memory posts or any posts related to Christmas on our link up HERE, or at the top of my page.)
Erin suggested this movie and I’m glad she did because I had never heard of it before. It was certainly an out-of-the-box Christmas movie and a lot of fun. The subject matter and some of the lines were actually jaw-dropping to me and weren’t something I would have expected in a movie made in 1955.
The movie stars Humphrey Bogart (Joseph), Peter Ustinov (Jules), and Alto Ray (Albert).
The men are escaped convicts on an island called Devil’s Island off the coast of France. There are other convicts on the island in prison uniforms but they are on probation or parole, working at local businesses. The fact there are so many convicts wearing the same uniforms makes it easy for the men to blend in.
They make a plan to find a business they can rob and get money from so they can leave the island on a boat. A chance meeting with a doctor on a ship who needs to deliver a message leads them to a clothing store where they meet Felix Ducotel and his family. Felix is managing a store and they offer to repair his roof as a way to get their foot in the door, so to speak, so they can rob him later that night. He accepts and from the roof the three men begin to learn about Felix’s family – including his wife, Amelie and daughter, Isabelle.
Soon they are wrapped up in the family’s drama. They learn the business, owned by Felix’s cousin, is failing. Isabelle is in love with a man named Paul. Her mother wants to know why she isn’t married and giving them grandchildren already (umm…because she’s only 18. Hello??!) and the couple is stressed because the business is failing.
I will not spoil the movie but I will say that the men end up deciding to cook Christmas dinner for the family and steal most of what they need to do so. They keep offering to help the family, partially because they would like some of that dinner too, and partially to build trust to they can kill and rob them.
Things are crazy enough with their plan but get even crazier when Felix’s cousin (portrayed by Basil Rathbone, who was in the Sherlock Holmes movies of the 40s) arrives with Paul. Yes, that Paul. The Paul that Isabelle is in love with.
Absolute chaos ensues for the rest of the movie. So much of it was so funny but at times I felt bad for laughing at either how suggestive some of the jokes were or how they made light of horrible crimes. I would definitely say this movie featured a lot of dark humor.
Some particularly memorable quotes from this movie for me:
Isabelle: “I’ve never been attractive to men.”
Albert: “I’m a man.”
Isabelle: “And you find me attractive.”
Albert: “I could go to jail for the way I feel if I wasn’t there already. Now put a pretty smile on your face and don’t hurt your family.”
Isabella expresses surprise that Albert is a convict with the way he talks.
“I wasn’t born in a cell you know,” he tells her.
Isabella says, “You don’t look like a criminal to me.”
He responds. “If crime showed on a man’s face, there wouldn’t be any mirrors.
***
We came here to rob them and that’s what we’re gonna do — beat their heads in, gouge their eyes out, slash their throats. Soon as we wash the dishes.
– Joseph
***
: I read someplace that when a lady faints, you should loosen her clothing.: [Sarcastically] It’s that kind of reading that got you into trouble.
****
: I’m going to buy them their Christmas turkey.: “Buy”? Do you really mean “buy”?
: Yes, buy! In the Spirit of Christmas. The hard part’s going to be stealing the money to pay for it.
This movie was based on a play called We Three Angels. When it released as a movie some critics said it wasn’t as good at the Broadway play and that it was a “misguided” film.
The movie grossed only $3 million and was the 34th highest grossing film.
There was a remake of this movie in 1989 starring Robert DeNiro, Sean Penn, and Demi Moore.
The film was directed by Michael Curtiz whom Bogart had worked with three times before in the movies Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Casablanca (1942) (Curtiz won a best director Oscar for this), and Marseille (1944).
This film was definitely a departure from their previous films.
To see what Erin thought of the film, hop on over to her blog:https://crackercrumblife.com/
Have you seen the film? What did you think of it?
I hope you will join Erin and me in January when we will be watching movies based on Jane Austen’s books. We’ll be sharing more about that toward the end of this month.
December 13, 2023
Comfy, Cozy Christmas. Christmas memories: Our trips to North Carolina
Cold air from the open car doors bit my nose and cheeks as Dad packed packages and suitcases like a game of Tetris.
Next to me, my teenage brother was already grumbling about the upcoming long drive. He was wearing a set of headphones and a Walkman, U2 blaring through the speakers.
This was the beginning of our annual trip from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, where Mom was from and her family still lived.
I don’t remember how my brother and I kept ourselves entertained for that eight-to-ten-hour drive. I know we argued part of the time. The other part was probably spent listening to music and me playing with my stuffed animals. I didn’t read because reading in the car made me car sick and still does. When I was older, I may have written in my journal, took photographs, or drawn.
Mom still likes to tell the story (often) of how one year, after we attended a service at a church an hour from us the pastor’s wife asked how she could pray for us as we started our journey. Mom asked her to pray that we children would get along.
The pastor’s wife prayed that we children would sleep soundly the entire drive and that would keep the peace. We did sleep the entire trip — all the way to North Carolina, but let me say, we did leave in the middle of the night that year so, yeah, of course we slept. Still, I do remember how I felt like I was in a coma that year and how even trying to wake up to see where we were lasted only a short time because I’d knock right back out again – even when it was morning and we could have woken up.
I’m sure my mom needed the prayers for us to get along because my brother was the issue, by the way, and not me.
We always knew when we were in North Carolina. It had a certain smell to it – a smell of pine is how I describe it. Plus it was warmer than where we had come from.
We almost never had a cold Christmas in North Carolina.
There are eight years between my brother and me so there were many Christmases that I went with my parents without him, probably because he was in college or married.
One Christmas it snowed when we were in North Carolina. It snowed on our drive partway through the state until we reached Jacksonville, where Mom’s family lived.
Once we hit grandma’s neighborhood it was fun, yet not fun, to watch drivers slide all over the road because they weren’t used to the heavy snow. Dad, a born and raised Northerner, had to show some of them how to get unstuck out of snowbanks without digging themselves in further and the right way to stop in icy conditions.
In my mind the snow piled up in crazy amounts on my grandmother’s street and around her house, which may or may not be accurate. It may just be my memory inflating it. I’ll have to ask my parents. All I know is that we were usually in short sleeves at Christmastime in North Carolina so that was a very weird year.
My grandparents’ air conditioning was usually running full force all of the time, even on Christmas Day.
Leaves from pine trees crunched under our feet in her small backyard and everything smelled warm and inviting. Sometimes the whir of helicopter propellers overhead would fill the air. These were military helicopters from Camp LeJune – located less than half a mile away.
My grandparents lived in a neighborhood with houses built close to each other, which was different for me since I’d grown up in a house surrounded by woods and little else.
Before my grandfather passed away, I remember arriving late at night and seeing bowls of oranges and nuts under the Christmas tree, illuminated only by the lights from the tree and maybe from my grandmother’s Christmas village.
Grandpa always had to have oranges at Christmas and while that tradition continued after he passed away, I don’t remember it as much as when he was alive.
The house was always decorated when we arrived and smelled vaguely of cooked collared greens, which Grandma or my aunt Dianne were getting ready for Christmas dinner.
In later years my aunt also made sausage balls, which is a tradition we continue to this day in her memory. Gifts were already sitting under the tree when we arrived most years.
I don’t remember a lot about the gifts we received from my grandparents except the year my grandfather gave me a Santa Claus with a Pepsi logo on his big black belt. My cousin received Mrs. Claus and I was always jealous because I wanted the Mrs. and not the Mr.
I was never big on Santa. I knew from a young age that he wasn’t real. Mom had always felt it was important I understand the real reason for the season and that Santa had come from a real historical figure but that it was Jesus we celebrated that day.
One year Grandpa bought us both “bear rugs.” They weren’t real, of course, but they were rugs that looked like bears. Mine was a panda.
There are complex feelings about my grandpa in my family. He wasn’t a nice man when my mom and her sisters were growing up. He wasn’t a nice man at times after that either. He mellowed later and tried to make up for the times he wasn’t a nice man but part of the family still resented him for things he had said and done when his daughters were young.
I have mixed memories of Grandpa. I have memories of him loving Christmas and giving his grandchildren gifts and I have a vivid memory of him getting mad at me very quickly when I wouldn’t pose just right for the photos he was taking with his new Polaroid camera.
I wish I had been older when he was alive and could have even better memories. I can tell from the smiling photos I’ve seen now that I am older, he wasn’t always miserable and in fact had a lot of happy moments – especially at Christmas.
On Christmas Day, my other aunt, mom’s other sister, would arrive with her family and, though I hate to speak ill of the dead, they took over the house when they arrived. Whatever bothered them had to be rectified. If it was too hot for them, they demanded the AC be turned up. If they were too cold, which didn’t happen often, the AC had to be turned down. If something was too loud on the TV – which it always was for them – they demanded that it be turned down.
If they were hungry, we ate. If they’d just eaten then we had to wait.
If they were thirsty then we needed to make the sweet tea with a ton of ice – stat.
When I became a teenager, I found myself sitting inside whatever room my parents were staying in to avoid the onslaught of their presence. Once they settled in and down, I snuck out and the rest of the visit was usually pleasant. Some of the hardest laughing sessions I had were with my aunt, uncle and two cousins.
My female cousin, closest to my age, was hot and cold. Some years she was friendly and the next she was less-so. I never knew what I was going to get. We only saw each other once a year so I was fine if she didn’t think we should be best buddies. She was very girly – with make up and doing her hair and dressing up. I was more of a tomboy who’d rather be drawing or journaling or reading a book than caring about what I looked like.
When I think back to Christmases with her as a teenager, I most commonly picture her with her nose in the air. I know. I’m horrible, but that’s how she was until her ice began to melt as the day went on. When she started dating it was ten times worse.
Once she warmed up, setting her ice queen persona aside, we would laugh and draw together and make memories that I try to hold on to when I now think of the negativity that later developed between us.
On the other side of the coin, my male cousin was the same every year and never seemed to make everyone act a certain way before he offered his affection.
We normally waited to open gifts until after my aunt and uncle and cousin arrived. They had their own family gathering first and then would come and we’d have a bigger family gathering. There may have been some negative moments when they first arrived, but when we got into opening gifts and dinner and “visitin’” as they called it down south, there was so much laughter and love I felt like my heart would burst.
I miss those days terribly.
My aunts, my uncle, and my grandparents are all gone now. I no longer speak to my cousins for a variety of reasons, partly physical distance between us.
What I wouldn’t give to sit in those rooms again with them all alive and laughing.
I am grateful for the memories I do have, though.
When I close my eyes, I can see Aunt Dianne at the stove cooking collard greens. She’s laughing and being slightly off-color, but not rude or crass. (She’s the aunt who later moved in with my parents and who I was able to grow close to during that time.)
My great aunt Peggy has just breezed in the front door with a pecan pie and a debate about how to pronounce “pecan” is launched.
Behind her is my uncle Johnny laughing that deep, hearty laugh he had as he grabs my dad’s hand and shakes it firmly. They used to be roommates in the Air Force (which is how my dad met my mom since Johnny was dating Peggy, Mom’s aunt, who is very close in age to her).
Aunt Joan and Uncle Mike are in the living room by the tree singing. Uncle Mike is playing his keyboard. Aunt Joan is singing in that deep, but beautiful vibrato she had.
My cousin Aaron is playing a video game on his portable TV and his sister is checking her makeup with her new mirror and makeup kit.
My grandma is in the kitchen at the table, watching it all unfold and talking about her latest conversation with Jesus. (She literally spoke to Jesus. I’m not mocking her. She was in constant conversation with him. Sometimes out loud.)
Mom is helping with dinner and anything else she needs to help with because she loves to be there for others.
Dad is in the back bedroom doing last-minute gift wrapping (a common theme for our family), wearing a sweatshirt that reads, “Wise Men Still Seek Him.”
My brother is watching an old movie in Dianne’s room and I’m sitting on the loveseat writing about it all so 20 years from then I don’t forget it because remembering it all is what helps to keep not only my family members alive but the Christmas spirit in me alive.
This post is part of our Comfy, Cozy Christmas. Don’t forget to share your Christmas memory posts or any posts related to Christmas on our link up HERE, or at the top of my page.
December 12, 2023
Comfy, Cozy Christmas: The Bells of St. Mary’s
I’m making it a point to watch comfy, cozy Christmas movies this December, and last week I watched The Bells of St. Mary‘s (1945), which is considered a Christmas movie but isn’t only about Christmas. In fact, I think there are only a couple of Christmas-themed scenes in the movie.
(This post is part of the Comfy, Cozy Feature with Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs. Read more about it and join up to the linky here. )
I can’t believe it has taken me so long to watch this movie. I ended up loving it. The chemistry between the main stars, Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman, was outstanding. It was also nice to see Ingrid in a role with some humor because I’ve only ever seen her in more serious roles. And, of course, I love that Bing sang in this movie, even though it wasn’t a strict musical.
Bing Crosby arrives as the new priest at the St. Mary’s parish and is immediately told of how the former priest aged quickly because he had to help oversee a nun-run, school that is run-down and in the inner city.
The former priest also had to deal with Sister Superior Mary Benedict (Bergman), a woman with a strong personality who runs the school.
“I can see you don’t know what it means to be up to your neck in nuns,” the rectory housekeeper says.
Father O’Malley admits he doesn’t and the woman advises him to “sleep well tonight” as if implying it will be his last good night of sleep for a while.
Father O’Malley and Sister Benedict butt heads more than once but in passive-aggressive ways. One way they butt heads is in how to educate the children at the school. O’Malley is much softer in his approach while Sister Mary prefers levying harsher punishments.
She also doesn’t approve of fighting and instead suggests that boys turn the other cheek when they are bullied.
After witnessing a fight between two boys, Father O’Malley believes the young man who is at the receiving end of a punch should be able to fight back.
Sister Benedict disagrees and a good-natured duel between the two authority figures begins.
I enjoyed this exchange:
At the crux of the story is the need for a new school because the current one is falling down.
Sister Benedict is praying that the school’s new neighbor, Horace P. Bogardus, will be the one to provide it. Bogardus has built a huge, new, business building next to the school and Sister Benedict seems convinced that with enough prayer, Bogardus will turn the building over to the school.
There are many hilarious misunderstandings and interactions between the nuns, Father O’Malley, and Bogardus. Bogardus, by the way, is portrayed by Henry Travers, best known as the angel Clarence from It’s A Wonderful Life.
The storyline of a young girl – Patsy Gallagher – weaves into the movie and I found her storyline to be a bit of a distraction from the main story. The young girl’s mother sends her to St. Mary’s to avoid taking the same path as she did when she became a single mother and took on a dancing job to make ends meet.
I didn’t know this before I started researching the film but Bing first played Father O’Malley in a movie called Going My Way and actually won an Oscar for that role. I am not surprised because I actually thought that this performance was the best of his I’ve seen. Now I can’t wait to watch Going My Way, which I found “free” on Amazon with our Amazon Video subscription. Both movies were directed by Leo McCarey.
When The Bells of St. Mary’s First came out some critics said it was too much like Going My Way but without the charm of its predecessor.
A reviewer from Harrison Reports, however, disagreed and wrote: “As in Going My Way, which he also wrote, produced, and directed, Leo McCarey has proved again that great pictures do not require pretentious stories … The acting of the entire cast is excellent. Crosby delights one with his ease and natural charm, and Miss Bergman will undoubtedly rise to new heights of popularity because of the effective way in which she portrays her role.”
According to Wikipedia, the was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Bing Crosby), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Ingrid Bergman), Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Music, Song (for Jimmy Van Heusen (music) and Johnny Burke (lyrics) for “Aren’t You Glad You’re You”) and Best Picture.”
Bing’s nomination had him making history with him being the first actor in history to receive two nominations for portraying the same character in different films. “This was following the previous year’s nomination anomaly, where Barry Fitzgerald received nominations in both supporting and lead for the same film (as the same character), the prequel Going My Way. While he lost in lead to his co-star Crosby, Fitzgerald won for Best Supporting Actor.”
In the middle of the movie, there is an adorable rehearsal of the Christmas/nativity story with the cutest little kids – probably 5 to 7. It cracked me up and reminded me of a nativity program that my parents went to one time. According to my mom, a beautiful song was being sung as the little girl playing Mary reached down to the baby doll in her arms and twisted its head to face the right way in a very aggressive and unnatural move. Mom said the audience could barely hold in the laughter.
The Wikipedia article mentioned a couple other bits of trivia, which I thought were interesting:
“The Bells of St. Mary’s has come to be associated with the Christmas season, probably because of the inclusion of a scene involving a Christmas pageant at the school, a major plot point involving an unlikely (yet prayed for) gift, and the film’s having been released in December 1945. In the 1946 film, It’s a Wonderful Life, in which Henry Travers, a co-star of The Bells of St. Mary’s, plays the guardian angel Clarence Odbody, the title of The Bells of St. Mary’s appears on the marquee of a movie theater in Bedford Falls, New York. In The Godfather (1972), Michael and Kay see The Bells of St. Mary’s at Radio City Music Hall.”
The Bells of St. Mary was a very sweet film with a lot of humor, touching moments, and a beautiful Christmas message of love and taking care of others. As I mentioned above, I loved the interaction between Bing and Ingrid, but I also loved the carefree feeling of the acting between the young woman who portrayed Patsy and Bing.
I watched this film for free on Tubi but yesterday I also found it for free on YouTube here:
Comfy, Cozy Christmas: The Bells of St. Mary
I’m making it a point to watch comfy, cozy Christmas movies this December, and last week I watched The Bells of St. Mary (1945), which is considered a Christmas movie but isn’t only about Christmas. In fact, I think there are only a couple of Christmas-themed scenes in the movie.
(This post is part of the Comfy, Cozy Feature with Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs. Read more about it and join up to the linky here. )
I can’t believe it has taken me so long to watch this movie. I ended up loving it. The chemistry between the main stars, Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman, was outstanding. It was also nice to see Ingrid in a role with some humor because I’ve only ever seen her in more serious roles. And, of course, I love that Bing sang in this movie, even though it wasn’t a strict musical.
Bing Crosby arrives as the new priest at the St. Mary’s parish and is immediately told of how the former priest aged quickly because he had to help oversee a nun-run, school that is run-down and in the inner city.
The former priest also had to deal with Sister Superior Mary Benedict (Bergman), a woman with a strong personality who runs the school.
“I can see you don’t know what it means to be up to your neck in nuns,” the rectory housekeeper says.
Father O’Malley admits he doesn’t and the woman advises him to “sleep well tonight” as if implying it will be his last good night of sleep for a while.
Father O’Malley and Sister Benedict butt heads more than once but in passive-aggressive ways. One way they butt heads is in how to educate the children at the school. O’Malley is much softer in his approach while Sister Mary prefers levying harsher punishments.
She also doesn’t approve of fighting and instead suggests that boys turn the other cheek when they are bullied.
After witnessing a fight between two boys, Father O’Malley believes the young man who is at the receiving end of a punch should be able to fight back.
Sister Benedict disagrees and a good-natured duel between the two authority figures begins.
I enjoyed this exchange:
At the crux of the story is the need for a new school because the current one is falling down.
Sister Benedict is praying that the school’s new neighbor, Horace P. Bogardus, will be the one to provide it. Bogardus has built a huge, new, business building next to the school and Sister Benedict seems convinced that with enough prayer, Bogardus will turn the building over to the school.
There are many hilarious misunderstandings and interactions between the nuns, Father O’Malley, and Bogardus. Bogardus, by the way, is portrayed by Henry Travers, best known as the angel Clarence from It’s A Wonderful Life.
The storyline of a young girl – Patsy Gallagher – weaves into the movie and I found her storyline to be a bit of a distraction from the main story. The young girl’s mother sends her to St. Mary’s to avoid taking the same path as she did when she became a single mother and took on a dancing job to make ends meet.
I didn’t know this before I started researching the film but Bing first played Father O’Malley in a movie called Going My Way and actually won an Oscar for that role. I am not surprised because I actually thought that this performance was the best of his I’ve seen. Now I can’t wait to watch Going My Way, which I found “free” on Amazon with our Amazon Video subscription. Both movies were directed by Leo McCarey.
When The Bells of St. Mary’s First came out some critics said it was too much like Going My Way but without the charm of its predecessor.
A reviewer from Harrison Reports, however, disagreed and wrote: “As in Going My Way, which he also wrote, produced, and directed, Leo McCarey has proved again that great pictures do not require pretentious stories … The acting of the entire cast is excellent. Crosby delights one with his ease and natural charm, and Miss Bergman will undoubtedly rise to new heights of popularity because of the effective way in which she portrays her role.”
According to Wikipedia, the was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Bing Crosby), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Ingrid Bergman), Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Music, Song (for Jimmy Van Heusen (music) and Johnny Burke (lyrics) for “Aren’t You Glad You’re You”) and Best Picture.”
Bing’s nomination had him making history with him being the first actor in history to receive two nominations for portraying the same character in different films. “This was following the previous year’s nomination anomaly, where Barry Fitzgerald received nominations in both supporting and lead for the same film (as the same character), the prequel Going My Way. While he lost in lead to his co-star Crosby, Fitzgerald won for Best Supporting Actor.”
In the middle of the movie, there is an adorable rehearsal of the Christmas/nativity story with the cutest little kids – probably 5 to 7. It cracked me up and reminded me of a nativity program that my parents went to one time. According to my mom, a beautiful song was being sung as the little girl playing Mary reached down to the baby doll in her arms and twisted its head to face the right way in a very aggressive and unnatural move. Mom said the audience could barely hold in the laughter.
The Wikipedia article mentioned a couple other bits of trivia, which I thought were interesting:
“The Bells of St. Mary’s has come to be associated with the Christmas season, probably because of the inclusion of a scene involving a Christmas pageant at the school, a major plot point involving an unlikely (yet prayed for) gift, and the film’s having been released in December 1945. In the 1946 film, It’s a Wonderful Life, in which Henry Travers, a co-star of The Bells of St. Mary’s, plays the guardian angel Clarence Odbody, the title of The Bells of St. Mary’s appears on the marquee of a movie theater in Bedford Falls, New York. In The Godfather (1972), Michael and Kay see The Bells of St. Mary’s at Radio City Music Hall.”
The Bells of St. Mary was a very sweet film with a lot of humor, touching moments, and a beautiful Christmas message of love and taking care of others. As I mentioned above, I loved the interaction between Bing and Ingrid, but I also loved the carefree feeling of the acting between the young woman who portrayed Patsy and Bing.
I watched this film for free on Tubi but yesterday I also found it for free on YouTube here:
December 11, 2023
Our Yearly Christmas Tradition by Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian
I loved this wonderful, touching post about this annual trip to pick out the family ornament at Bonner’s Christmas Store in Michigan.
Our Yearly Christmas Tradition
12 Christmas Gift Ideas for Teenage Girls
Last week I shared a post about gift suggestions for teenage boys.
Today I am sharing gift suggestions for teenage girls, who I find easier to buy for but probably only because I was one at one time (many, many years ago).
Buying for teens in general, though, can be a serious challenge so these are only a few ideas to get you started. I hope I can offer some ideas for the “girly girls” and the less girly girls, of which I was one of growing up.
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. This does not affect the cost to you, but may provide a very small commission to my family for items purchased.
DIY Wall Collage Picture Arts and Crafts KitThis could work for preteens, teens, and even college students. This kit includes 154 cutouts, 66 letter cutouts, 769 stickers, 41 quote stickers, 10 markers, paint-safe double-sided sticky tape, and 6 yards of string. It is 5.5 by 3.5 feet to be placed on the wall of a room.
All she needs to do is add some personal photos or clippings!
2. Personalized bracelets or necklaces
Gifts like a personalized necklace or bracelet are always sweet because you can either give it to your teen or she can give it to a friend. With it being personalized, these can become a keepsake for years to come. Prices for items like these can range from as low as $13 to into the hundreds. Which one you buy simply depends on what your budget is.
3. Oversized Blanket Hoodie Sweatshirt, Wearable Sherpa Lounging Pullover
|| CATALONIA OVERSIZED BLANKET HOODIE ||
Having an oversized sweatshirt, shirt, or in this case, hoodie, is something many girls would love to have during the winter months or any time they are feeling chilly. It’s a chance to cozy up and watch a movie or read a book while being able to keep warm and have your hands free.
4. Sleep Headphones Bluetooth, Sleeping Headphones Headband
I have never used anything like this and aren’t sure how they work but they might at least be nice for a teenager who likes to have white noise on at night to help them sleep and relax.
5. Crave Snack Box
I suggested this idea for teenage boys last week, but teenage girls also love to have snacks available when they are interested in a quick snack.
No, these snacks are not all super healthy but there is a healthier option if you want to look into that too. Other companies sell other boxes of snacks, some of them organic or vegan, or even all meat.
Healthier option:
6. KODAK Printomatic Digital Instant Print Camera
This would be a great idea for a teenager who wants to snap photos of their friends and family and add them to their journal, scrapbook, or wall collage like the one above.
Kodak is a giant in the photography world — even though they don’t make much film anymore — so they are a great choice to buy a photography tool from.
This camera produces full-color prints on sticky-backed photo paper.
7. Shower Bluetooth Speaker
|| SHOWER BLUETOOTH SPEAKER ||
This speaker can be stuck inside the shower and is waterproof, so it won’t zap anyone while they are showering. It comes in a variety of colors and is perfect for listening to some music or a podcast while showering away. Please check the directions to make sure it is used correctly and if you don’t want your teen to spend too long in the shower then I suggest skipping this one. *wink*
8. Funny T-shirt
T-shirts with funny sayings are always a winner, though sometimes they are only funny for the parents, so try to find ones that your teenager actually finds funny. As we all know, each generation has a different sense of humor, so what might be funny to mom and dad might not be funny to your teenager.
|| NOPE. NOT TODAY. || || SHORT GIRLS || || NOT TODAY, SATAN ||
8. Phone Camera Lens Kit, 14 in-1 Lenses with Selfie Light for iPhone
This is a great item for the teenage girl who loves photography or simply loves to grab selfies with different angles and lenses.
The lenses are for an iPhone14, 13, 12, 11Xs, X Pro Samsung and Other Android Smartphones.
9. Cooluli Mini Fridge for Bedroom
This mini fridge can be used for food, drinks, makeup, or the storage of medicine.
My teenage son has been asking me for one of these but I will be honest — I don’t want to get him one because I am afraid I’d never see him. Of course, he would have to come down to get the soda he’d take back up for the fridge so I’ll consider it.
It also comes in several different colors.
10. Kindle Scribe
If you want to go pretty high up in the budget, a Kindle Scribe might be a good idea.
This is a Kindle which your teen can write or draw on. She can make notes while she reads or make notes with a digital pen and have it transformed into text.
This is, as Amazon’s site says, “A digital notebook you can write on. Journal, sketch, take notes, and more.”
Honestly, it is something I would look into for myself someday. I’ll keep you updated if I get one.
11. Hanging Cosmetic/Toiletry Bag
This cosmetic bag is waterproof, can be hung up, and is portable for traveling as well.
The pouches can be used a variety of ways, not only for makeup, of course. There are also a variety of colors and styles for the bag.
12. One-Step Volumizer Enhanced 1.0 Hair Dryer and Hot Air Brush
This dryer and hot air brush is an amazing way to spruce up any young woman’s hair.
This is a two-in-one tool that will dry and style at the same time. It is also easily portable.
Bonus item:
Prayer Journal for Teen Girls: 52-week Scripture, Devotional, & Guided Prayer Journal
If the teen you are buying for is someone who likes to read her Bible and keep track of her prayers, this gift would be perfect.
According to the description: This 52-week devotional and guided prayer journal includes Scripture verses, reflections on the Word, and journaling prompts that will help teen girls feel more confident navigating life’s challenges and remember that God is with them every step.
I hope this list gives you some gift ideas for the teen girls in your life. If you need more gift ideas, you can visit my storefront HERE.
December 10, 2023
Sunday Bookends: Christmas Regency books, watching Christmas movies, and small-town Christmas event
It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.
This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer , Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.
What’s Been OccurringIt began to feel even more like Christmas this past week when we had our first, longer-lasting snowfall.
I thought we were only supposed to receive some sleet and freezing rain so I was surprised by the half inch on the ground the next morning.
My daughter was surprised as well and my son was thrilled because the two-hour delay meant he didn’t have to go to his trade school that day since he only goes for two and a half hours.
Little Miss was delighted to play in the snow with her best friend, Zooma the Wonder Dog, and I watched them some and then darted back inside to the warmth.
Inside the house, the Christmas tree is up, the fire is burning in the wood stove, and a cup of hot cocoa awaits.
I’ve never been a fan of extreme temperatures – either too cold or too hot.
The snow was gone by the next morning, which Little Miss was sad about. We thought we might have the chance for more snow Sunday into Monday but, alas, it is now going to be rain only and so much rain it might cause flooding.
We will have to see what happens.
Yesterday Little Miss had two friends over and I took them downtown to our small town’s Christmas event. There wasn’t a ton going on but there was a scavenger hunt that took them to several businesses in town to find photos of an elf and see what the elf was doing in each photo. They then had to write on the slip of paper what the elf was doing and return it to where they started for a prize. The prize was a York Peppermint Patty which I didn’t think was a very exciting prize for all that running around. The kids weren’t that impressed either but were okay with it. Little Miss doesn’t like peppermint but luckily I had some chocolate at home for her.
The town also had mini-fire pits set up throughout the town with s’mores kits for people to use, which I thought was a super cute idea.
Earlier in the day they had an ice carver, a cookie walk, and several vendors available in the one main building.
They also offered a semi-alive nativity display, which cracked me up when I read the title of it in the paper. Turns out that Mary and Joseph and Jesus and the wise men were cardboard cutouts but the animals were real. Little Miss was very disappointed she couldn’t pet the animals and grumbled about it the rest of the day.
We ended our jaunt downtown with some playtime at the tiny playground.
The library also had a used book sale during the event and unlike other times when I’ve come out of there with way too many books, I only came out with three and a DVD about World War II. One, they didn’t have a very exciting selection, and two I got way too many last time, and many of them I didn’t enjoy.
The books I picked up were another Nancy Drew:
This one by Brock Thoene (I’ve enjoyed books by him and his wife, Brodie, in the past):
And this middle-school-aged book that looked interesting to me and hopefully will be a good one for Little Miss later:
Our neighbors have added some extra lights to their Christmas display this year. For several years in a row they have won the town’s Christmas light contest, but last year they were unseated. My mom thinks they are trying to win it back this year since the husband has added another set of lights.
My dad gave us their old nativity set so all we have in our yard is a very subtle display and I’m okay with that. We can simply enjoy the neighbors and wait for the day the husband becomes Clark Griswold.
What I/we’ve been ReadingLast week I finished The Spectacular by Fiona Davis. I did not think it was spectacular, but it was okay.
I liked the story itself but I did not like the style of writing.
This week I am diving into Christmas books.
Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs told me about these Regency Romance books she would read every Christmas so I ordered one from Thriftbooks and it came this week so I started it yesterday.
It’s called Regency Christmas Wishes with novellas by five different authors.
Keeping with the Christmas theme, I’m also re-reading A Walt Longmire Christmas: Christmas in Absaroka by Craig Johnson.
Next I’ll be reading Southern Snow: A Sugartree Winter Romance by B.R. Goodwin.
I’m also still reading a chapter or two of Little Women but I left it at my parents so I won’t be able to read that until I get it back from them.
The Boy and I are putting The Tale of Two Cities aside for this month as we are both not focusing well on it. We will either restart it in January or put it off altogether until his senior year. I remember struggling through this book my sophomore year but really liking it once I got into it so I am sure once we can focus better (and buy cliff notes to figure out what he is talking about) we will be able to get through it.
This week we will be reading from books about World War II and I will be looking for books or material about World War I as I feel it is a war that isn’t as focused on as much.
Little Miss and are listening to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson at night. I am also reading Christmas stories by Louisa May Alcott and L.M. Montgomery to her.
The Husband is reading In the Blood by Jack Carr.
What We watched/are WatchingThis past week I watched Holiday Affair (1949), a couple episodes of Still Standing (a Canadian show) with The Husband, Signed, Sealed, And Delivered Christmas, and a couple episodes of Evening Shade.
What I’m Writing
I’m still working on Cassie and wrote maybe 4,000 words this week.
This week on the blog I shared:
Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot December 7 Comfy, Cozy Christmas Movie Impressions: Holiday Affair A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong 10 Christmas Gift Ideas for Teenage Boys What I’m Listening toOn Tuesday when I went outside to photograph the freshly fallen snow and listened to Michael Buble’s Christmas album but otherwise I haven’t listened to much this past week.
Photos from Last WeekI shared a couple of photos above but here are a few more from last week.
Blog Posts I Enjoyed This Past WeekHere are a few posts I enjoyed this week:
Songs of the Season 2023 – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
I Played Secretary Today by Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian
I Played Secretary Today
The Last Year We Decorated Christmas Cookies With My Mom by Deb Nancy at Reader Buzz
A quick reminder that Erin and I still have a linky open for anyone who wants to join in our Comfy, Christmas Link Up. The link up will be open until January 2.
Now it’s your turn
Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.
December 7, 2023
Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot December 7
Welcome to another Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot hosted by Marsha in the Middle, Melynda from Scratch Made Food For Hungry People and me.
How was your week?
Do anything exciting?
I haven’t done anything very exciting this week – other than the fact we hit a deer Saturday night while my husband was driving us back from a Christmas event in a little town about half an hour from us.
The car was driveable but our left headlight suffered some. Not sure what happened to the deer for sure. Also hoping our insurance will cover some repairs. We are getting an estimate done soon to find out.
Today we woke up to snow on the ground – more than I expected. I thought we were only getting a slushy mix but, nope, there was actual snow out there!
This is our first snowfall this year that actually stuck around more than an hour or so.
Our daughter loved playing in it with Zooma the Wonder Dog who absolutely loves snow.
On to our most clicked post for this week. But wait! We have two most clicked posts this week. We have a tie!
The Real Food Blogger’s Vegetable Tien: A Colorful and Flavorful Dish
and
Simple Holiday Entryway from Thrifting Wonderland
And on to my favorites.
1.
The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island by Amy’s Creative Pursuits.
I loved this tour of Mackinac Island, which I have heard so much about, but have never visited.
2. Easy Christmas Sensory Bin by Drug Store Divas
This was a very informative and well-done tutorial on how to create a sensory bin for preschoolers or other children.
3. My Favorite Shopping Trip by A New Lens
This was a beautiful post about what we can do with our time, our energy, and a limited budget to help bless others. It was also a reminder of the greatest gift anyone received on any Christmas – Jesus.
I hope you will leave a link to your favorite post from last week or an older post that needs some love on the linky below today.
You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enterhttps://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7efComfy, Cozy Christmas Movie Impressions: Holiday Affair
Welcome to another post where I share my thoughts about a Christmas movie I recently watched.
(This post is part of the Comfy, Cozy Feature with Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs. Read more about it and join up to the linky here. )
This movie stars Vivien Leigh, Robert Mitchum, and Wendell Corey. Note: I will not be including large spoilers in this post.
Vivien Leigh plays Connie Ennis, a widower, whose husband died in World War II. She has a 6-year-old son, Timmy played by Gordon Gerbert , (ironically I worked with a man named Tim Ennis and my husband still works with him). She is dating a man named Carl (Wendell Corey) who is predictable and safe. You know, the ole’ boring boyfriend versus the dashing and bold potential boyfriend trope.
Mitchum plays Steve Mason, whom Connie meets at a department store when she’s there as a comparison shopper for another store. Steve pegs her in her role right away but doesn’t turn her in because she tells him she’s a single mom and her son’s only support.
That move gets him fired and one would think that means he is out of Connie’s life. On the contrary, they continue to have interactions when Connie goes to apologize to him and then he ends up helping her out on her next shopping trip.
That encounter leads to Steve meeting Timmy, who is enamored with Steve – much more so than Carl, who he knows wants to marry his mother.
Timmy acts out with Carl and is sent to his room and this leads to a heart-to-heart with Steve who learns Timmy wants a train for Christmas.
Steve makes this happen and yet another interaction occurs between him and Connie.
There is a lot of back and forth in this film and more than one interaction between Connie and Steve when she walks away from him angry and he just watches her walk away with a smug grin.
Steve knows he gets under Connie’s skin and he knows there is a spark between them. Connie, though, isn’t willing to admit that she could have a passion for any man other than her late husband. She doesn’t really have passion for Carl.
Part of the time I felt like both Carl and Steve wanted Connie to just get over her dead husband already and that annoyed me. Both men seemed threatened by a dead man.
Since Timmy is six, it’s probably been about five or six years since Guy, Connie’s first husband, has been dead. That is a fairly long time but I didn’t think it was fair of either man to want Connie to just forget her late husband.
Then I realized that it wasn’t that the men wanted her to forget Guy – they wanted her to be able to remember the good times of her marriage with him while not being afraid to find happiness in the future. In fact, one of them says this explicitly but I missed it so I went back and watched their interaction again.
I felt much better about the intent of the men after that and could agree with others who called it a clever and touching film, even if there were a few times I thought Steve Mason should be smacked. Ha!
This is a movie with a definite love triangle, of course, and you’ll have to watch to see how all that works out. Some of the movie is predictable but some of it isn’t. There are plenty of surprises to make this movie a unique and non-traditional Christmas watch.
There are some great lines like when Steve says to Connie at one point: “I don’t think I should stay around – I might fall in love with you.”
I also loved Connie’s in-laws. They were one of the cutest elderly couples I’ve seen in a film with all their witty banter. Mr. Ennis had a cute quote: “Mother, I’ve been married to you 35 years. You boss me, you heckle me, you hide my things and pretend I’ve lost them just so I have to depend on you. You’ve spent 35 years trying to make me admit that I couldn’t possibly get along without you; and you’re right. I couldn’t. What’s more, I wouldn’t want to. Every one of those years was good, even the bad ones because you were with me. And so I drink to your health and all the wonderful years to come.”
I also liked:
: You see, if you aim higher than your mark, then you’ve got a better chance of hitting the mark.
: But he shouldn’t feel that he’ll always get everything he wants.: Well, not always, no, but every now and then, so that he’ll know that these things can happen.
Landlady: It’s the last room at the end of the hall.: Oh, thank you.Landlady: And leave the door open.: [Connie rings door bell] Come in.[Connie opens door and enters]: Well, you found the place. You know, very few people come here to eat anymore. Too much atmosphere. We’ve been thinking of closing down the joint to redecorate.[Closes door]: Uh, the landlady said to keep the door open.: Let’s worry her, huh?[Closes Murphy bed closet]: But let’s not worry you.According to an article on Turner Classic Movies, Holiday Affair was a box office flop that became a hit through repeated television airings, much like It’s A Wonderful Life.
It’s A Wonderful Life became the bigger classic, of course.
Mitchum’s casting was seen as a little odd at the time considering he’d just come off an arrest and prison sentence for pot possession. RKO’s owner and tycoon Howard Hughes had faith in him, though, and pushed for his casting to be kept.
According to TCM, “In fact, just before filming started on Holiday Affair, RKO paid $400,000 to acquire sole ownership of Mitchum’s contract from independent producer David O. Selznick, who had shared the contract with RKO.”
Mitchum may have had a bad boy reputation, but according to articles about the making of the movie, he was a dedicated actor and a practical joker. He made a point of using his jokes for a purpose, like when he and Corey both put their hands on her knee in a scene to get her to make a certain face that was perfect for the scene.
Mitchum also kissed her for real during the kiss scene to throw her off her feet, but that move also made for a realistic shocked reaction for her.
Leigh wasn’t as comfortable with Hughes according to TCM.
“Leigh wasn’t as happy about her relationship with Hughes, who had arranged to borrow her from MGM for a series of pictures starting with Holiday Affair,” the article reads. “But that didn’t prevent a very strange encounter when he summoned her for a private meeting toward the end of production. Hughes presented her with a private eye’s report on her activities, claiming her current boyfriend, Arthur Loew, Jr., had ordered the investigation out of jealousy. Leigh saw through the ruse at once – all of the people she was linked to in the report were members of Loew’s family. Clearly Hughes had ordered the investigation himself. She informed him that their future meetings would be strictly business if he wanted her to keep making films at RKO.”
I found this movie free on Tubi and also on Max. It is available to rent on other streaming services, including Amazon Prime and AppleTV. If you know of anywhere else it is streaming, please let me know.
Have you seen this movie?
What did you think about it?
December 6, 2023
A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong
I wrote about A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong last year but wanted to share this post again for this year since my daughter and I just watched it last week. It has become a Christmas tradition, along with the other Goes Wrong Show Christmas special.
Have you seen this one? If you have or haven’t, click through to read more about it.
This is part of the Comfy, Cozy Feature with Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.
Read more about it and join up to the linky here:
‘Tis The Season Cinema: A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong
