People are unhappy with Tumblr and returning to Dreamwidth? I’m a little fuzzy on the details, but not disappointed. I reblogged posts but never got the hang of Tumblr. Dreamwidth is more my speed.

"When witches go riding,
and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
‘tis near Halloween."
~Author Unknown

I an thankful for...
life and ♥.
my amazing husband!
our warm fuzzy little family (dogs, cats and rabbit).
our loving (human) families.
our smart, sweet, wonderful goddaughters.
our church and church family.
the best friends a girl could ask for!
my health.
employment.
a new house and home.
my ever-growing collection of books, tv series/movies and music.
a yummy Thanksgiving meal shared with family and friends.
The Muppets singing Thankful Heart
a lovely wedding!
all of the things I've forgotten to mention here.

"May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!"

Lá 'le Pádraig! Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

+ A Practical Wedding by Meg Keene has been incredibly helpful as I dive into wedding planning. I want a beautiful ceremony/reception surrounded by people we love. I want memories to treasure not insanity or unhappiness. This book, and the blog which inspired it, are helping me keep my mind.

+ Disney's Beauty and the Beast is as wonderful as I remember it. WG and I took my junior bridesmaids (4 & 6 years old) to see this in 3D a few weeks ago. The 3D didn't matter. The girls loved the story and I think the 6 year old has a new favorite princess.  I'm so happy I got to share one of my favorite fairy tales with them.

+ Smash is a tv series exploring the (fictional) making of a Broadway musical. The pilot is shiny, pretty and made for theatre geeks. Plus, there's Christian Borle! ♥ ♥ I'm looking forward to the story they want to tell. I just wish it had a different time slot. Mondays at 10 are already busy with Castle and Hawaii Five-0.

+ Les Miserables, the movie musical hits theaters this December. The 25th Anniversary Tour is Florida right now. WG is taking me to see it this Sunday.  It will be my seventh time seeing the show and WG's first.  I'm looking forward to seeing this show as I know there have been changes to sets and instrumentation.     

+ My iPhone is wonderful for me.  I don't have delusions about it.  I don't think Apple is the be all and end all when it comes to tech.  (I'm a PC girl!)  I just knew that when I upgraded I wanted a combination of my cell phone and my iPod Touch.  That's what I have now.  I can call, text, email, surf the net, listen to music, stream Netflix and read books on the Kindle or Nook apps with or without wifi.  I'm a happy girl.   

Happy New Year!

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't to forget make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself." --Neil Gaiman

Happy Halloween! 

+ Little Miss Niece!  Tiny, adorable, perfect and any other adjective used to describe a beautiful baby girl.

+ Autumn!  Summer is almost over and I'm looking forward to my favorite time of year. There's my birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and eventually, cooler weather!

+ Reading!  I'm rereading Murder At Longbourn and Murder On the Bride's Side while I wait for the release of Tracy Kiely's newest mystery, Murder Most Persuasive (August 30th!). Inspired by the novels of Jane Austen, these mysteries have a bit of Agatha Christie and a dash of early Hitchcock (think The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes) to them.

+ Food!  These grilled nachos look delicious.  I won't be standing in the grocery store tonight thinking, "What am I going to make for dinner tonight."  I just need to grab the ingredients and maybe some sangria.  

+ The Muppets!  Their new movie looks like just what I wanted and their newest music release, The Green Album can be heard in its entirety here (Yay NPR!)    

1. My new haircut!  I went to see my soon-to-be sister-in-law and she gave me the cut I've wanted for months, Castle's (3rd season) Kate Beckett.  My hair is a tad shorter.  This is Florida in June.

2. Aveeno's Positively Radiant Tinited Moisturizer has replaced foundation for everyday wear this summer.  It's light but seems to stand up to the heat and humidity.  I don't ask for much else when it's 100+ degrees outside.

3. Summer always brings some new tunes.  This week Lady Antebellum's "Just a Kiss" and Colbie Caillat's "Brighter Than the Sun" are getting a lot of play.

4. USA FYI 2011!  USA has launched a campaign to get its original programming, including White Collar, Burn Notice and Royal Pains nominated for Emmys this year.  I'm not sure that anything will come of this, but these shows (and Psych!) make me smile.

5. My Boy! ♥ Whether we're volunteering at the animal shelter, cheering on our favorite hockey teams, teaching Sunday School, watching Doctor Who or exploring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, he makes me very happy.

Dear Grandma,

Peace be with you.

Love,
Your Annegirl

Thursday morning we brought Grandma breakfast from Dunkin Donuts and said our goodbyes. I don't think I'm going to see her again. --from a May 19, 2010 entry

Grandma is on hospice care.

We (my mom, Brother 1 & I) are just waiting for a phone call.

Dad had Brothers 2 & 3 flying up last night for an unrelated event. They're with Grandma now.

We knew this was coming last year. We expected it months ago.

I still feel numb.

"Happiness is morning and evening,
Daytime and nighttime too.
For happiness is anyone and anything at all
That's loved by you." -The Peanuts Gang

I'm happier now than I've been in years.

"May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!"

Lá 'le Pádraig! Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

+ my boy. ♥ ♥ ♥

+ Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, one of the loveliest books I've read in ages!

+ 4 dogs, 1 kitten and a rabbit.

+ Castle, Chuck, Fringe, Hawaii 5-0 and White Collar.

+ my Sunday School kids offering prayers on their own.

+ Tazo Black Shaken Ice Tea, yum!

+ these lovely, awesome engagement (part 1/part 2) & wedding photographs inspired by Disney/Pixar's Up. So, so sweet!

+ talking to good friends.

+ baking chocolate chip peanut butter coffee cake.

+ listening to the Valentine's Day soundtrack, especially "Say Hey (I Love You)" and "Stay Here Forever".

My sister-in-law last night, "Your boyfriend is a keeper."

She's totally right.

Best. Valentine's Day. Ever.

It wasn't what I received, it was the realization that I'm just that happy when I'm with him.

Plus, he brought my mom flowers last night. ♥ ♥ ♥

1. I found a tutorial for importing the flexible squares style from livejournal to dreamwidth. This means I get to use this lovely winter layout on both journals. (It's the little things, right?)

2. According to my sister-in-law, my friend K and church people my boyfriend attended Friday's church dinner theatre (The Thin Man radio play) and yesterday's church service.

3. The Doctor, Amy and Rory singing my favorite secular Christmas song, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill are silly, geeky and rather adorable. Much ♥!

Happy New Year!

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't to forget make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself." --Neil Gaiman