Adrienne, love that you did a puzzle. Puzzle-making is such a lost art, and SO relaxing–it’s one of my true pleasures when I get together with my sister-in-law for combined family vacations. The pleasure of seeing the picture come together, the obsessive need to keep working on it–good times. Sorry about all your electricity problems, but sounds like you were all Zen about it, so no worries.

Kelley, thanks for the movie review (Adrienne, too). McDreamy rules. Say no more. And yes, Amy Adams is such a great actress (did you see Junebug?), so I’m sure it’s worth my time and bucks. And I hear ya on the marriage thing. My friend and I were just talking today about how people don’t realize you’d better like your husband before you marry him, because there are so many surprises in store as families and other elements from the outside world collide. No point in ever looking at your spouse as a fixer-upper. You’d better like what you’re getting right now. (And happily, I did and still do.)

Dylan, you’re working on your book? YAY!!!! Love to hear it! Keep going!

Mother Reader, you deserve a hot-looking jacket. That and a black t-shirt–yeah. Good for you. We all need to have at least one outfit that makes us feel pretty/cool/perfectly us.

As much as I’ve loved Disney’s animated features, I’ve not been a fan of this big “princess” push. I have two girls, and my 3-year-old is a Mickey Mouse fan who loves blocks, dirt, and art more than baby dolls and frilly clothes. I want to keep her that way. (: Being in the real world after dreaming of a “happily-ever-after” marriage for so many years has been sobering for me; not because my husband and I are headed for divorce or anything, but because of the HARD WORK it is to be married and stay connected, even with all the joys. This movie didn’t ignore the real world–in fact, it collided silly romantic fantasy head-on with real, nitty-gritty life. But it also offered the message that “happily ever after” isn’t so bad or so unreachable, even if it does require a bit more work than the fairy tales communicate. There’s certainly a great, big, happy ending to this film, but it wouldn’t have been right any other way. I guess this is all fodder for a separate post, but since Robin’s doing so well taking her break, I decided to write it here. Maybe I’ll blog about it myself over at Queen Kelley sometime this week.

I’ve been really selfish with my time this past week–Anti-Social was my first name. But it saying no felt really good this week. I’m sure I’ll make up with a bunch of guilt, but for now, it was pretty darn good.

Spent time with family and laughed at some great stories.

Glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Specifically for me, I went with my sister today (a day late for the Friday list) to see the movie Enchanted with Amy Adams (who was ADORABLE in this role) and (sigh, sigh, sigh) Patrick Dempsey. As one who spent my high school and college years relishing each new animated Disney feature, I thoroughly enjoyed the company’s ability to poke fun at its own product while still sticking with its message of the importance of striving for “happily ever after.” Go see it! You will laugh at the comedy and swoon at the romance, particularly when it involves that beautiful princess and McDreamy.

It’s also a little bit small, so I’ll have to leave it open over a black T-shirt, which will look stunning, or lose weight to fit in it, which would also look stunning. I also may just hang it on the wall because it’s so lovely.

The other nice thing I did was NOT go out in the early morning hours to collect bargains. Sometimes I enjoy it, but this time I needed the sleep more. Much more.