Innocence Lost

The Untimely passing of John Hughes was a small punch in the gut to me last week. Growing up in the 80's, I, like many of my friends fell in love with his movies and his characters. For some reason, this man really knew how to write about teenage angst. He had a knack for pointing out the differences in the high school class system but managed to peel those differences back and expose that we really are the same and in a few years, none of this will matter.

There are so many of his movies that I love, it was hard to pick which ones to talk about. These are only a few of many that he has either directed or written


Can I just tell you how much I loved Jake Ryan in Sixteen Candles! I wanted to be Molly Ringwald SO bad just so I could kiss Jake at the end. How adorable was John Cusak in this movie, I know he had a bit part but c'mon he was a cutie even then. I love this twist of the girl pining away for the boy and trying so hard to meet him. Not only does she have to go through the embarrassment of giving her panties to a "geek", her family forgets her birthday AND her grandma grabs her boobs. If you are a 16 year old-all of this is mortifying. I love that to this day, I can still quote lines from this movie. The angst of being 16 and crushing on someone is one that will never grow old. We have all been there and know that pain and that's what makes this movie so awesome.

Another teenage angst movie is Pretty In Pink. Although he didn't direct this, he did write it. The only thing I have to say about this movie is -she should have gone with Ducky and why did she ruin the dress? Oh yeah, the soundtrack is awesome

What? You want MORE teenage angst? The acme of teenage angst movies-The Breakfast club. Oh my goodness-how many times did I see this movie? I can't even begin to count! Judd Nelson before he was all creepy and low budget-I loved him! Once again, we see Molly Ringwald, pouty lipped, complain about how hard her life is, but we still felt for her!Who knew that the people you made fun of, that you wanted nothing to do with had feelings? This is the classic example of what John Hughes did best, make us examine our own behavior, know it wouldn't change anything but still laugh at ourselves. You know that you still love the song "Don't you forget about me." Don't deny the love.

Possibly the best of all movies for any John Hughes fan, hell, anyone anywhere would be Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Just this morning at a meeting, someone referenced, "Bueller, Bueller, anyone." and it STILL got a laugh! Yes Ferris got his way but we loved him for that. We loved that he was smart, cute, had a great girlfriend. We just couldn't hate him. The best character in the whole movie is not Ferris but Grace, the secretary. I love her so much! This movie really does stand the test of time. It is a classic.

There are so many more John Hughes films that I'm missing-Weird Science, Some Kind of Wonderful, Uncle Buck, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, European Vacation (he wrote it, I never knew) that everyone has a favorite.

I'm really gonna miss John Hughes. For some reason I think I lost a little bit of my innocence when I heard he past away-it was like I grew up a little more and lost a little bit of that teenager inside me.

Scrappy Dog Sunday!

Gus, Gus, Gus, what can I say about you that hasn't already been said? He is a sweet, cute little man that I just want to hug and kiss! Just who is Mr. Gus? What makes him such a lady's man? Let's find out.

Gus, you seem like a man of mystery, can you tell the us more about yourself?
Well my name is Gus. My mom calls me Gusgus, gustus, pappa. I am a Boston Terrier and I was sort of an ugly duckling but now I am becoming a handsome fella. Mom loves me no matter what. I have a great personality and pretty much am quite the charmer. I am pretty well behaved and love to learn new tricks. So far I can sit, shake, lay down, high five, jump, and roll over. Mom wants to teach me to play dead... sort of morbid if you ask me. I am the mascot of my mothers craft group and love to give kisses and nibbles. I have an under bite so I have a silly little voice that I talk to mom with.

When you are not being a man of mystery, what are some of your favorite things to do?
I love to herd the chickens in their coop, sleep under the covers, snuggling, run and dig at the beach, playing with my stuffed duck, walking around the lake, going to the dog park, bugging my dog aunt Lola, Eating June Bugs, hopping around in the bushes.

Are you a momma's boy or a daddy's boy?
Mommas boy.... HELLO!

Do you have a favorite toy, food, treat, song?
My favorite toys are my kong, tug-a-jug, my lobster, stuffed duck, and any water bottle laying around. My favorite food is ice cream cones, I love to share with my mother. Mom said they are not good for me but I give her puppy eyes so she lets me have a lick! My favorite song is "Who let the dogs out"


What's your motto in life?
You smelt it you dealt it....

Good words to live by Gus. This is why I love you!

Feel Good Friday!

The weekend is FINALLY here! Although this has been a hellish week, I've decided to put it behind me and enjoy the festivities at the NW Tiki Kon. This year there will be a little bit of a twist. It's going to be a Speak Easy. It runs for the whole weekend with a big shindig Saturday night at Tony Starlight's. One of my favorite parts of the event is the home bar tour which is on Sunday. I love seeing how people fix up their home bars and the drinks are always super yummy.

I love old school tattoo flash art. Rachelmckay's piece on flickr is amazing! Plus, I love her new "do". You can check out more of her work on flickr, her blog and on Craftster.org.


There are few things in my life that make me happy. 1-OMP, 2-My dogs, 3-Candy and 4- a great cocktail. Hostesswiththemostess.com helps out with 2 of those things! They have party themes, tips on entertaining, recipes and a great blog. I was instantly sucked in by their Sesame Street Candy Buffet. Forget the kids! I want this party!

Okay, so I don't have any kids-not really my cup of tea, but I couldn't resist these super cute baby onsies from Craftster.org. I have plenty of nieces and nephews that would look super cute in these.What's that? You don't have any little ones in your life, they have adult sizes too so you can look super crafty and super cute. No, they don't have the onsie in adult sizes, silly-they have cute shirts.(if you want an onsie in adult size, I'm not sure we can be friends anymore-*shudders*)Check it out!

I feel so much better now!

Holt Howard's World

I think some of you are beginning to wonder if the only thing I have in my Kitchen are collectibles. That's half true, we do have a lot of stuff in our kitchen but I swear to you, there is a little room for cooking. One collection that we have all through the house is Holt Howard . I am IN LOVE with EVERYTHING produced by this company!

In 1958 Holt Howard was the first company to create and manufacture Pixieware (a concept in deep glazed condiment containers) Each container had a removable head that was attached to the lid and spoon or a fork/spear. Pixieware became a very popular collectible but, like most things, slowly died off in the early 1960's. It had a huge resurgence in the 1990's-I'm sure this had something to do with a new cocktail nation emerging.

I had a little bit of a hard time trying to find out more about the person who actually designed the faces and styles for Holt Howard. What little bit I did find out, it appears that Robert Howard (one of the founding brothers) was the creator of many of the facial expression of pixieware and other pieces.

The Davar Pixie was a popular knock off of Holt Howard. There are several ways to tell the difference. Davar Pixies had flat heads that were a bit thicker, red round noses and all their pieces were flesh colored. The biggest difference were the stripes on the jars. Davar's jars had 4 stripes horizontally while Holt Howard's are vertical. Also, each container has two flesh colored arm handles.

One of Holt Howard's biggest success and most well known collectibles are the Cozy Cats. The cats were either wearing polka dot or plaid scarves. The male is in a blue scarf and the female, pink. I love the crossing of the feet on the little girl and the sly, somewhat bothered look on the little boy.

Christmas was another area that the company excelled in. I have a Santa set with little "cuplets" but there are many different versions, including the winking Santa and the Starburst Santa. These seem a little harder to find. Occasionally you can find the little cuplets around for pretty cheap.

This is such a small snippet of what is out there. They had barware, candle holders, and even pencil sharpeners. Their cute little faces and whimsical designs are just so perfect for any part of your house.

Oh yeah! I wanted to show you what AlwaysInspired and her puppy Merlin sent me today! Isn't it the best! Isn't it the cutest! It loves it's new home with the rest of the collection. THANK YOU!

The Real Story on The Floss Box.

I have been a fan of flossbox since day one. Her work is just adorable. She makes the cutest patterns and does excellent cross stitch and embroidery. I mean, really, what's not to love about her, she bakes chocolate cakes!

Who is the real flossbox?
I'm just a geeky, "slightly" obsessive stitcher. I'm from the US, but I've been living in Sweden 9 years now - mr. flossbox is Swedish. I like science (2 degrees in chemistry), mmos (retired EQ addict), hiking in the woods, baking and eating chocolate cakes, taking photos of nature, and spending as much time as I can stitching.

You are an amazing stitcher. How did you get started?
I started when I was very young. My mom gave me some samplers, and we did quite a few little crafty projects. I did a lot of cross stitch for many years, but about a year and a half ago, I started doing embroidery. I learn from books and websites and just by trying different things on my own. I think it's great fun to try new techniques and styles.

Everything you do is so uplifting, super cute and inspiring-how do you stay so positive?
I try to keep a sense of wonder of the world around me, and that comes out in the subjects I choose to stitch. I do like using lots of color in my stitching, so that probably helps too.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out
Don't be afraid to try some new things, and don't worry if you have a few failures. Keep at it and you will improve.

Do you have a website or etsy?
I have a website that is a store, blog, gallery, and online magazine all in one.
www.theflossbox.com

BONUS QUESTION!
Favorite word and why
ham
I've watched way too much Futurama, so it's become a bit of a joke with mr. flossbox.

She is one talented lady! Her work is as inspiring and beautiful as her outlook on life is.

Tie One On Tuesday!

Did I mention that yesterday was a horrible Monday? No, I didn't? Well it was! True to form, I came home, threw off my clothes, lounged in my bathroom and popped in The Big Lebowski, but something was missing....A cocktail. I knew there was only one that would work with the mood I was in. A Caucasian or the laymen terms, A White Russian.


The White Russian is a very quick and easy drink to make. You don't need to have a blender, a lot of ingredients and you can pretty much have zero talent in the mixology department to whip one up. As a matter of fact, the only thing easier than a White Russian is a Black Russian.


The Black Russian
3/4 oz Kahlua -You can use any coffee liqueur, I know several people make their own


1 1/2 oz Vodka (I used Vanilla Vodka cause someone left it at my house after a party and I thought it would give a little more flavor to the drink, but mainly cause someone left it at my house)
Pour ingredients over ice and serve.


Okay, that's easy enough..two ingredients, no problem. Let's see how I do with 3 ingredients! I see you sitting on the edge of your seat. Can she do it? A resounding YES!

White Russian
2 oz. Vodka
1 oz Kahlua
Light Cream. I used half and half but you can also use Milk if you are in a pinch.
Pour over ice and serve.

Ah! Such a yummy and easy drink to make. One or two of these, and you will abide. A few more that that, you'll be treating objects like women and have to deal with the reactionary police department. Cheers!

I Can Get You A Toe or..How the Cohen Brothers saved my life.

I am reminded this morning of how stressful my "real life" job can be. I work for a domestic violence/sexual assault crisis line. For 40 hours (and sometimes more) a week, I hear every horror story you can imagine. It is not a glamorous job, there is never any funding and it's pretty thankless, but I still love it. I experience a lot of vicarious trauma in my work and I am always looking for ways to promote good healthy self care. This is where the Cohen Brothers saved my life.

I have three words for you. THE BIG LEBOWSKI. This is possibly one of the best movies ever made, period. I have come home many days, disillusioned with the world, popped this movie in and within a matter of minutes, life is perfect again. I know on an average, I will watch this movie in some form (maybe not all the way through) once a week. This movie is so ingrained in my life that my very own OMP has been Walter a few times for Halloween (if you know OMP, Walter might not be that much of a stretch, just kidding, kinda!). The story is told by a cowboy stranger (Sam Elliott, not Sam Shepard-Thanks Crystal! I get those guys wrong all the time and I can't believe OMP didn't catch that!-I love this man-Hello, Roadhouse!) about "The Dude" Lebowski and how he is mistaken for Mr.Lebowski or "The BigLebowski". There is a kidnapping plot, bowling, and German nihilists in this twisted tales of "in's and out's and a lot of what have you's" . I know between me and OMP we could quote every line of this movie. Apparently I'm not the only person who loves this movie. It didn't do well at the box office but it has become a cult classic. There are numerous groups around the US and even a Lebowskifest that celebrates The Dude and all aspects of the movie. Most words can not express my love for this film. It makes me happy of every level of my being

A few years back I had a lot of crappy stuff happen in my life. I seriously thought the world was crashing in around me, but once again The Cohen Brothers were there to help me out of my slump. This is not a lie...EVERY day for 3 months I came home and watched Oh Brother Where Art Thou. EVERY DAY! It's a tale of Homer's Odyssey told in the 1930's south. This is another movie that I could probably quote every line from but I'll spare you. A few of the same players in The Big Lebowski are in this film as well-John Goodman, John Turturro are the first to come to mind. The adventures are wonderful, the dialogue is amazing and the music is steeped in home town Americana.

Now I'm not saying that The Cohen brothers can cure cancer, they won't solve all the world's problems. Okay, so The Big Lebowski could solve all of the world's problems. What I am saying is that for film making at it finest, for laughs and dialogue that you will be quoting for years to come, you should check out these two movies. Mix up a Caucasian, snuggle up next to your marmot and prepare for a life altering experience that only the Cohen Brothers can provide.