I SAW IT: Definitely, Maybe. Zombieland. How to Train Your Dragon. Notorious.

Here's a quick rating for some movies I saw in April:

Definitely, Maybe (2008)
starring Ryan Reynolds, Isla Fischer, and Abigail Breslin
A pretty cute movie. Reynolds' character tries to explain to his daughter his past relationships and how he met her mother. He fakes the names in his stories and twists some things up so you're always guessing who her mother really is. Kept me entertained. All 3 of the female leads were terrific in their own way. Annoying at times but you grew to appreciate them. It was worth the rental.
4/5

Zombieland (2009)
starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin
I watched this fairly soon after watching Definitely, Maybe and oh boy, Abigail Breslin grew up quick in the past year! It wasn't what I expected in any way. Lots of gore at the beginning (REALLY REALLY gross gore) but as the movie progressed, the gore lessened and the storyline really took shape. Overall, pretty funny and decent movie.
3/5

How to Train your Dragon (2010)
voices by Jay Baruchel and Gerard Butler
AMAZING! Loved this flick. A great film for kids and adults alike. The animation was incredible and viewing it in 3D definitely added to the depth of the film. I would see it again in a second. I might even buy it. Who knew dragons could be cute?!And that vikings could be so funny!?
5/5

Notorious (2009)
starring Jamal Woolard and Derek Luke
Sucked. Don't even bother. It's a biographical film about the Notorious B.I.G. It was interesting to learn about him and his rise to fame, along with Diddy and 'Lil Kim, but it was way too perverse for my liking. Lots of cursing, to the point that it was obnoxious and sounded unnatural. Terrible acting too.
1/5

I WANT IT: B. Makowsky 'Neve' Pumps

Check out these bad boys!

I was checking out Piperlime.com, a new online off-shoot of the Gap brand that does NOT deliver to Canada (boo), and stumbled upon these beauties.
My favourite part? The brown contrast leather panel on the heel.

Everyone should own an animal-print heel.

http://www.piperlime.com

I LOVE IT: Kate Spade

If you read any fashion magazine at all, you'll have seen
the amazing, colourful, retro-inspired ads for Kate Spade's designer fashion label.
Her clothes pretty much represent everything I love about fashion, design, and colour.

I love polka dots, kelly green, big hats, bright tights, cute handbags.
I love everything Kate Spade.

http://www.katespade.com

I'M DOING IT: April-to-June Madness

It's unbelievable how busy life gets when you plan ahead, which I have to do, otherwise I would go completely insane. Here is a brief synopsis of what lies ahead for us in the coming months:

April 10 - Florence & the Machine concert in Toronto
April 11 - Cat Walk Fashion Show for the KW Humane Society
April 13 - Talk at the Meeting
April 16 - Gourmet Dinner in St. Jacobs
April 17 - Peter Pan at the Stratford Festival
April 17 - Girls Wine Tasting and Karaoke Night
April 20 - Hot Chip concert in Toronto
April 22 - Lou Lou Shopping Event at Don Mills Shopping Plaza in Toronto
April 23 to 27 - My brother and sister-in-law come home to visit!
April 24 - Elle Shopping Event and Fashion Show in Toronto
April 25 - 1st Anniversary Party for my brother and sister-in-law
April 26 - Kate Nash concert in Toronto
April 27 - White Rabbits concert in Toronto
May 1 - Yeasayer concert in Toronto
May 2 to May 12 - Getting ready for our trip to Europe
May 12 to May 30 - Off to Britain, Scotland, Ireland and Wales!
June 9 - She & Him concert in Toronto
June 11 to 13 - District Convention in Kitchener

And to top it all off, I have Boot Camp twice a week and riding 3 times a week, plus all the regular meetings and service. Oh, and work and watching Gossip Girl once a week, of course. Plus, hoping to fit in a weekend at the cottage at some point too.

It's going to be a CRAZY few months, but isn't that what makes life so great? I am looking forward to every aspect of these next few months (dreading the tiredness, but I'll sleep when I'm old).

Here's to being young, a little reckless, and having amazing friends to share all these experiences with!

I WANT IT: 50's-60's Kitchen

My dream kitchen would be the classic retro look. Black and white linoleum floors, colourful chairs and accessories, a cupcake apron and hair piece, a big cookie jar, glass bottles of milk in the fridge, the smell of bread baking in the oven, and Ward coming home from work saying 'I'm home, June!"


Life was so simple in the days of Leave It to Beaver. The women were the stay-at-home wives/moms, the husbands were the breadwinners, off to their busy day at the office, and the kids ran around with their neighbourhood friends causing mischief. I am so nostolgic of an era I wasn't even alive in.


I am determined to do my best to re-vamp my kitchen area a little bit with some retro elements. If I could afford to change the countertop or find time to repaint the walls, I would, but some less expensive alternatives are in store. Don't get me wrong. I love my kitchen, but it could definitely use some colour. White seemed to be an easy choice for everything upon moving in, so now that I've been moved in for 3 years (has it been 3 years already?) it's time for some updates!

These are some pieces I've had my eye on to help with the update:

Stand Mixer in 'Ice' from KitchenAid
$350 US

Provencal Cookie Jar from Anthrologie
$38 CA

Baker's Delight Apron from Anthropologie (I actually have this already)
$44 CA

Flower Farm Measuring Cups from Anthropologie

$38 CA
Tapestry Dishtowels from Anthropologie (I have these already too)

$28
TicToc Clock from Little Clock Shop

$70 US

To me, how a kitchen looks foretells how much you will use it. The kitchen should have a 'come hither and bake' look to it. By the time I'm done with it, my kitchen will be saying 'come hither' too.

I SAW IT: Little Children

What an interesting movie. I had never heard of it until recently even though it came out in 2006. So I ZIP'd it and watched it this past weekend and was not disappointed with my choice.

It stars Kate Winslet (like), Jennifer Connelly (dislike), and Patrick Wilson (like). It's a pretty complicated story-line, filled with characters who lives connect without you expecting it.

I stole this summary off of IMDB.
Please read below:

"Living in an upper middle class family-oriented suburb, Sarah and Richard Pierce, who have an infant daughter Lucy, have a dysfunctional marriage. Sarah is already seen as a bit of an outsider amongst the "park mothers", so news of the Pierce's dysfunctional marriage would drive a further wedge between Sarah and the rest of the mothers, who espouse the "white picket fence/2.4 children" mentality. Into the park comes househusband Brad Adamson and his infant son Aaron. Not knowing who he is or his story, the park mothers coin him "The Prom King" because of his preppy good looks. They collectively have a "look but don't touch" mentality toward Brad. Brad is struggling to find his place in life, having already failed the bar exam twice and avoiding his third attempt. He continually is looking for connections to his youth, when his life held so much promise. As such, he too is in a unsatisfying marriage to his beautiful and driven wife, Kathy, the household breadwinner. By chance, Sarah and Brad get to know each other, and are attracted to each other if only in their search for that something missing in their lives. The question becomes what they are to do with their feelings. In the meantime, sex offender Ronnie McGorvey, who was convicted for exposing himself to a child, moves into the neighborhood into the home of his mother, upon whom he has a pseudo-Oedipus complex. Ex-police officer Larry Hedges, an acquaintance of Brad's, takes it upon himself as his primary goal in life to rid the "perfect" family neighborhood of this scourge."

The cinematography was outstanding, as was Kate Winslet's performance. It reminded me a bit of A Single Man, directed by Tom Ford, which was also a beautiful movie cinematically (although not my cup of tea storyline-wise.)

If you get an extra 2.5 hrs, I highly recommmend watching this film. We always say that people aren't who you think they are, but this film convinced me that people really are exactly what we think.

4/5 stars

I LIKE HIM: Sebastian Stan

1. He's a reappearing actor on Gossip Girl, my favourite TV show.

2. In real life, he's dating Leighton Meester,
who plays my favourite character on Gossip Girl
and who seems like a pretty cool chick.

3. He's starring in the new comedy 'Hot Tub Time Machine',
with Craig Robinson from The Office.

4. He had a short part in Rachel Getting Married,
a short hilarious part of a great great movie.

I LOVE HIM: Ryan Reynolds

Who doesn't?

A good 'ol hard-working Canadian boy, Ryan Reynolds is (as Yoda would say.) He's got wit, style, money, talent, and most importantly, good looks.

Here's a brief review which Reynolds videos you should 'do or ditch':

DITCH = National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002)
DITCH = Foolproof (2003)
DITCH = Zeroman (TV Show - 2004)
DO = Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
DITCH = Waiting (2005)
DO = Just Friends (2005)
DO = Smokin' Aces (2007)
DITCH = Chaos Theory (2008)
DO = Adventureland (2009)
DO = The Proposal (2009)
DO = X-Men Origins - Wolverine (2009)

Those are all the Reynolds films I've seen. If you've got opinions on any others or even these same ones, let me know. I'd love to know if there's another DO to add to the list.

With co-star Anna Faris in Just Friends

In my opinion, Reynolds has definitely refined his acting over the years. We see him in more clever witty roles, rather than in vulgar humour roles. I guess that comes with the aging process too. He's not 20 anymore. He's married, getting older, and his humour has probably changed over the years to become more witty and intelligent to suit the movies he's choosing.

With co-star Sandra Bullock for The Proposal

He is one actor I hope is around for a long time. The next Johnny Depp? MMM..... no chance, no one can fill that role, but he's definitely up there.