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Don’t forget to find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Until next time, this has been a real housewife in Houston moment.
We found Tinsel in the living room this morning with popcorn and syrup watching The Elf On The Shelf movie she DVR’d for the girls last night. Please submit your elf’s shenanigans & antics into Tinsel’s 1st Annual Elfing Around Photo Challenge.
Don’t forget to find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Until next time, this has been a real housewife in Houston moment.
This morning we had our 1st Annual North Pole Breakfast to introduce Tinsel the elf to Ava and Ainsley (my hope is that Ava will like the name, but I am planning to give her the option to rename her elf next year when she understands things better). The North Pole Breakfast is a fun tradition we will start doing every year for the girls. I know the photos aren’t clear enough for you to see the letters, so be sure to check the credits at the end of this post to get to those if you’d like to make your own.
Making Memories Christmas 2012
Our Guest of Honor, Tinsel
Tinsel’s Passport
I made this myself using a couple different passports I found online. If you’d like me to send it to you so you can make your own like this one, let me know … or you can make your own using the one linked in the credits below.
A Letter From Santa
Our North Pole Breakfast Menu
Santa’s Big Breakfast, Snow Topped Doughnuts, Christmas Elf Sandwiches, Snowballs
Hot Chocolate and Candy Canes
Gifts For the Girls From Tinsel
Christmas Pajamas
A Letter From Tensil
Ava Loved It!
Ava ate a whole pancake and snow covered doughnut. Surprisingly, she didn’t care much for the hot chocolate.
Credits:
A customizable printable letter from your elf with gift tags and a North Pole Breakfast Sign from Five O’ Five Design + Paperie.
I registered our adoption of Tinsel on the Elf on the Shelf website. I like the Elf FAQs page. I also like that you can upload your favorite Elf photos. There are also lots of downloadable coloring pages and games for the kiddos.
Be sure and check back to see what shenanigans Tinsel is up to every day. By the way, Elf On The Shelf The Movie is scheduled to air on CBS on December 14th this year. I can’t wait to watch it with Ava … I’ve never seen it before. 🙂
Don’t forget to find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Until next time, this has been a real housewife in Houston moment.
Released: 2012 Rated: PG-13 Length: 102 Minutes Cast:Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Anthony Mackie, Ed Burns, Kyra Sedgwick, Ed Harris, Génesis Rodríguez, Pooja Kumar Director:Asger Leth Written By: Pablo F. Fenjves Genres: Thrillers, Crime Thrillers Plot: “In the heart-pounding thriller ‘Man on a Ledge,’ Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) makes a desperate and life-threatening move to prove his innocence after he is framed for the theft of a rare, prized diamond. Recently escaped from prison and with nowhere else to go, Nick climbs onto the ledge of a towering skyscraper, inviting the eyes of New York City to anxiously watch as one wrong step could mean plunging to his death. But as one police negotiator soon learns, Nick’s daredevil stunt, captivating the eyes of the public and media, masks a dangerous ploy to reveal the truth about his tarnished name. With the help of his brother and with time running out, Nick’s intricate plan must work perfectly, but when you’re on the 25th floor ledge of a building, going down takes on an entirely more hair-raising meaning.” ~Man On A Ledge Official Movie Website
This was a pretty good movie. It’s a crime thriller so of course it got my attention. There is definitely a lot of action and lots of twists and turns. Sam Worthington does a good job of playing most of his roll from the ledge of a building. And Elizabeth Banks really surprised me. I’m glad she hasn’t been type-cast because I really like her. It’s good to see her in a serious roll and she did it well. Ed Harris always plays a really good bad guy so there was no surprise there. The relationship between Jamie Bell’s and Génesis Rodríguez’s characters was pretty cute. The ending was kind of predictable, but the overall story line and action made up for it.
Don’t forget to find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Until next time, this has been a real housewife in Houston moment.
Released: 2012 Rated: PG-13 Length: 95 Minutes Cast:Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer, Shaun Dooley, Roger Allam, Sophie Stuckey, Alisa Khazanova, Liz White, David Burke, Daniel Cerqueira Director:James Watkins Novel Written By:Susan Hill Screenplay Written By:Jane Goldman Genres: Horror Movies, British Movies, Supernatural Horror Movies Plot: “Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a widowed lawyer whose grief has put his career in jeopardy, is sent to a remote village to sort out the affairs of a recently deceased eccentric. But upon his arrival, it soon becomes clear that everyone in the town is keeping a deadly secret. Although the townspeople try to keep Kipps from learning their tragic history, he soon discovers that the house belonging to his client is haunted by the ghost of a woman who is determined to find someone and something she lost… and no one, not even the children, are safe from her vengeance.” ~The Woman In Black Official Movie Website
Horror and suspense (i.e. scary but not gory) films are my favorites. This one was OK for this genre. There were definitely a few moments where I was glad I was watching this movie with the lights on. The underlying back stories were actually very sad but I’m glad they were there. A lot of scary movies don’t have much of a back story, but this one had two. I thought the ending was very appropriate as well. There’s not much I can say about this movie. It really was just OK. Maybe it’ll scare you more. 😉
Until next time, this has been a real housewife in Houston moment.
Released: 2012 Rated: R Length: 110 Minutes Cast:Roselyn Sanchez, Jason Cottle, Nestor Serrano, Ailsa Marshall, Gonzalo Menendez, Emilio Rivera, Dimiter Marinov, Thomas Rosales Jr., Alex Veadov, Marc Margulies Director:Mike McCoy, Scott Waugh Genres: Action & Adventure, Military & War Action, Action Thrillers Plot: “An unprecedented blend of real-life heroism and original filmmaking, Act of Valor stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALs in a powerful story of contemporary global anti-terrorism. Inspired by true events, the film combines stunning combat sequences, up-to-the minute battlefield technology and heart-pumping emotion for the ultimate action adventure. Act of Valor takes audiences deep into the secretive world of the most elite, highly trained group of warriors in the modern world. When the rescue of a kidnapped CIA operative leads to the discovery of a deadly terrorist plot against the U.S., a team of SEALs is dispatched on a worldwide manhunt. As the valiant men of Bandito Platoon race to stop a coordinated attack that could kill and wound thousands of American civilians, they must balance their commitment to country, team and their families back home. Each time they accomplish their mission, a new piece of intelligence reveals another shocking twist to the deadly terror plot, which stretches from Chechnya to the Philippines and from Ukraine to Somalia. The widening operation sends the SEALs across the globe as they track the terrorist ring to the U.S.-Mexico border, where they engage in an epic firefight with an outcome that has potentially unimaginable consequences for the future of America.” ~IMDb
I really loved this film. It’s the kind of film that will make you want to leave your life and go enlist in the military even though you know you could never physically go through most of the things these guys put their minds and bodies through on a daily basis. The film is full of action and the SEAL team was definitely the stars of the film. I certainly ended this movie feeling a huge sense of pride in my country and an even bigger sense of gratefulness for all the soldiers who leave their families to keep the rest of us safe and completely unaware of what they are doing for us and don’t even really care that none of us know how much we owe them. I love that it went into tactical detail without taking away from the underlying personal story of the characters. I spent the last 5 minutes crying (I believe my husband and my FIL even shed a few tears). It was the perfect movie to watch the week of Independence Day.
Until next time, this has been a real housewife in Houston moment.
Released: 2011 Rated: PG-13 Length: 121 Minutes Cast:Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz, Paul Schneider, Jim Norton, Hal Holbrook, Mark Povinelli, Richard Brake, Stephen Taylor Director:Francis Lawrence Genres: Drama, Romantic Dramas, Dramas Based on Bestsellers, 20th Century Period Pieces, Dramas Based on the Book, Period Pieces Plot: “Based on the acclaimed bestseller, Water for Elephants presents an unexpected romance in a uniquely compelling setting. Veterinary school student Jacob meets and falls in love with Marlena, a star performer in a circus of a bygone era. They discover beauty amidst the world of the Big Top, and come together through their compassion for a special elephant. Against all odds — including the wrath of Marlena’s charismatic but dangerous husband, August — Jacob and Marlena find lifelong love.” ~Rotten Tomatoes
This won’t be the first time you’ll see me say this … I REALLY don’t like romance films. They are SO unrealistic it makes me nauseous. But I’m in love with Robert Pattinson and ever since Cruel Intentions have been a fan of Reese Witherspoon’s. So I watched it knowing what I was in for and enjoyed it. The fact that it’s also a period piece helped a lot (I love period pieces). This movie reminded me a lot of Titanic for some reason. Maybe because it was the main character, Jacob Jankowski’s, flash back which lead into the story and the rest of the movie … the way Rose’s flash back in Titanic lead into that movie, and of course the fact that they are both love stories. The difference in the two, the bad guy in Water For Elephants dies and Jacob and Marlena (Reese’s character) live happily ever after. For a romance though, it was a good movie. I don’t want to spoil it for you and give you the exact details of how the movie plays out, but it was well acted and the story line was good. If you like love stories, watch it … if you like Robert Pattinson, definitely watch it. 🙂
Well, this was a romance comedy. Again, the romance part of it was unrealistic … everyone found it. The comedy was cute. I found myself chuckling (not laughing) out loud a handful of times. I like the way all the characters were connected in someway without realizing it. I didn’t figure out the final couple until the very end either so there was that tiny twist. The best I can say about this film is that it was cute. Garry Marshall also directed Valentine’s Day, so this film was a lot like that one. If you like one, you’ll like the other. It’s almost a mirror image, just a different holiday. I did like it … didn’t love it.
Until next time, this has been a real housewife in Houston moment.
I love going to the movies. Pre-parenthood, I used to go to the theater to watch new releases all the time. Now I’ve resolved to my $11 a month Netflix subscription and watching them in the comfort of my huge king-sized bed in my jammies with my $1.50 popcorn and large glass of iced water … and I’m fine with that because it’s a A LOT easier on our bank account. So starting Monday, I will be posting a Monday Movie Review of whatever movies off my Netflix queue I was able to squeeze in from the previous week (they won’t always be new releases because I like to add movies to my queue that Netflix suggests to me on occasion, plus I have 80+ movies that have come out in the past year on there that I haven’t seen yet so deal with it … I’m a mommy to a toddler. I LOVE my Netflix. I wish I had stock in that freakin company! Anyway, I know you’re looking forward to this weekly entry and my 2 cents (that’s what people call sarcasm).
Until next time, this has been a real housewife in Houston moment.