Do you like Period Dramas?

I think you know by now that BBC is one of my favorite TV networks in the world. When I am looking for a good show to watch, I always do a search for the latest BBC movies or series, and you know why? Because I love Period Dramas and I don't think there is anyone out there as good at producing those as the BBC network.

So, as I sat today looking for movies to add to my Netflix Queue, I was having a really hard time finding exactly what I wanted.

Maybe I wasn't putting in the right search words or who knows.......and then I remembered that just a few days ago I found an amazing blog called Enchanted Serenity of Period Films and she listed 150 Top Period Dramas.

You have GOT to read these posts:

Top Period Dramas A-L
Top Period Dramas M-Z
Top BBC Period Dramas

Also take a look at her Film Index. My word, this woman is my hero. I have found so many good shows to watch and my Queue is overflowing with goodness.

Now while we're talking of Period Dramas, thanks to Sherry, I found Bright Star, added it to my Netflix and was lucky enough to watch last weekend. I don't think there is enough that I can say about how much I loved the movie.

The love story of 19th century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne, what an amazing and yet sad movie, I laughed, I cried and I was absolutely in awe of the costumes and cinematography.

If you haven't watched it yet, I highly recommend it.

Right now I have Aristocrats on my tv and I'm kind of enjoying it but just don't know, it's not one of my faves.

So there you go, I wanted to share some links with you especially since we have a long weekend coming up, might give you an idea of some great movies to watch. Oh and if you don't want to wait for your Netflix movie to come in or can't find them at the movie store, you can always watch them on YouTube.

The wonderful Charleybrown of Enchanted Serenity of Period Films also has a list of all the great Period Dramas found on YouTube. I'm telling you, this blog is a treasure chest full of wonderful goodness.

Now tell me, what is your favorite movie genre?

Cooking Thursday!

I've been doing the Slow Cooking Thursday for so long now, years actually, and it's had a good run but I've noticed lately that everyone seems to be running out of crockpot recipes to share and I don't want to completely do away with the feature, so I thought it time to change it up a bit.

Cooking Thursday will now replace our weekly crockpot feature to include not only those recipes but also any kind you may wish to share......breakfast, main dishes, desserts etc.

So won't you join me and share with us one of your new recipes, or an old family favorite, you can even throw in a recipe for homemade soaps or detergents (just remember to specify).

For the guidelines, you can go here.

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Portuguese Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
salt
1 tsp garlic powder (I use McCormick's)
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (You'll need the other half for the sauce)

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together and form into medium sized meatballs. I get about 16 from each batch.

Place in an ungreased oven proof dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375º.

TOMATO SAUCE

olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small can tomato sauce
2 tsp tomato paste
oregano
salt and pepper
1 cup water


Add a little bit of olive oil to the saucepan and then add the onions and garlic, cook over medium heat for a 2 or 3 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour over the meatballs.

Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese and bake in a 375º oven for about 30 minutes.

Love and War by John and Stasi Eldredge

ABOUT THIS BOOK

What the Eldredge bestsellers Wild at Heart did for men, and Captivating did for women, LOVE & WAR will do for married couples everywhere. John and Stasi Eldredge have contributed the quintessential works on Christian spirituality through the experience of men and the experience of women and now they turn their focus to the incredible dynamic between those two forces.

With refreshing openness that will grab readers from the first page, the Eldredges candidly discuss their own marriage and the insights they’ve gained from the challenges they faced. Each talks independently to the reader about what they’ve learned, giving their guidance personal immediacy and a balance between the male and female perspectives that has been absent from all previous books on this topic. They begin LOVE & WAR with an obvious but necessary acknowledgement: Marriage is fabulously hard. They advise that the sooner we get the shame and confusion off our backs, the sooner we’ll find our way through.

LOVE & WAR shows couples how to fight for their love and happiness, calling men and women to step into the great adventure God has waiting for them together. Walking alongside John and Stasi Eldredge, every couple can discover how their individual journeys are growing into a story of meaning much greater than anything they could do or be on their own.

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I haven't completely finished the book but what I HAVE read so far is wonderful.

We all know what it's like when you first get married, you have all those romantic moments and you get butterflies when you see them. But years down the line, kids on the hip, bills and responsibilities later, it's not really all that glamorous anymore is it?

Something the author Stasi says, really struck a note with me. She mentions how the title means that "every person's marriage is a love story, and it's set in the midst of war. Sometimes it's our spouse that we're warring with."

That whole book is about getting back to the heart of the marriage and I don't know about you but it's definitely something that I'm interested in.

My husband and I have a wonderful relationship and a pretty good marriage but it's a learning experience and even after almost 12 years of marriage, it's still a work in process. I'm just glad I got a chance to get this book, I know it's going to help me a lot.

If you want to purchase a copy of this book, you can visit Random House or click here.




This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah

Winner of Angels book giveaway!

Thank you all who entered, I wish I had a copy for each of you.


I used Random.org to select a winner and it came up with #9 which is Jodi at My Life as Mama Jodi. Congratulations!

School Fundraiser Weekend!

On Saturday, the Castles and Coasters Park in Phoenix held a special day for the local schools, like a fundraiser, and since Nicholas got a free ticket at school on Friday, we decided to go ahead and enjoy a day of fun but for a good cause.

We started off with a game of Mini Golf. Jasmine played it once when she was about 4 years old but hasn't since then, and Nicholas has never played it before.

Needless to say, it was quite interesting and comical.

It was like Nicholas thought he was playing pool or polo LOL

I love the way he's looking at her in this pic.

Daddy and daughter on the Magic Carpet

Mommy and Son

We all got to ride on the carousel which is something I haven't done in FOREVER.

We ended the day with a huge dinner at Outback Steakhouse, which we love. I don't think I've seen Nicholas eat that much.

Kids fell asleep on the way home and Curt and I enjoyed each other's company, driving at night, watching the lights splashed out over the city. It was a good day!

Happy Homemaker Monday!

<a href="http://familycorner.blogspot.com" title="hhm by jasnicmommy, on Flickr"><img width="150" alt="hhm" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3362/3608789834_4d1bac04e0.jpg" height="150" /></a>

The weather in my neck of the woods:
We've had even more rain, I'm in shock, in the almost 3 years that we've been in Arizona, I can honestly say I've never seen this much rain.


One of my simple pleasures:
Chocolate filled with caramel.....*drool*


On my bedside table:
5 books to read for review
Emma by Jane Austen


On my TV:
Lark Rise to Candleford Season 3
Bright Star


On the menu for tonight:
French Lasagne from Mari. Can't wait to try it.


On my To Do List:
Laundry
Sweep and Mop


New Recipe I tried last week:
French Lasagne from Mari. It was so good!

In the craft basket:

I finally grabbed my Granny Square blanket to continue. Felt good to crochet again, but I may interrupt the squares to make some quick and easy hearts for Valentine's Day.

Looking forward to:
Well, I've been keeping mum about this for a few months as all the preparations were underway, but everything is finalized and I can finally announce that my brother Miguel, my sister in law Hayley and my niece and nephew are coming to visit for a month in June. I'm BEYOND ecstatic and I can't even tell you how happy and excited they are too, this will be their first trip to the USA. YAY!


Homemaking Tip for this week:
If you have little ones like I do, you will understand that when it comes to keeping the house tidy it's nearly impossible. Let's not even talk about the random sharp toys that are left laying around and you get to step on....

So here's a tip to get the kids to help clean up their toys:

Use a Jubilee Box.

In the Old Testament, every fifty years the Israelites had Jubilee year, where all seized property was returned and debts were cancelled. I think they actually only practiced it once, but it's a good idea.

You can do it, too! Keep a basket in your room where things they leave around the house get placed--whether it's iPods, or jackets, or the remote for the Wii. And then every Sunday can be jubilee day when they get it back. But if they want to redeem it early, they have to pay you something, according to their age. It could be a quarter, or a dollar, or whatever works in your family.

You'll find you don't need to use Jubilee methods very often. Once you start, they'll clue in. And if you do have regular tidying periods, it's not so bad.

The key to both is CONSISTENCY. If you stick to it one week, but give up the next, you'll ruin all the work you already put in. Make it a routine for you, too, and it will become routine for them.

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
I recently discovered a blog from the author Jane Odiwe who wrote "Willoughby's Return", a novel inspired by Sense and Sensibility. I must have spent a few hours just browsing her blog and living vicarously through her trips through England.....especially her latest post "Photos from my album! Chatsworth, Pride and Prejudice and Mr Darcy's secret".


Favorite photo from last week:

My little pug Lola giving me kisses when I was sick.


Lesson learned the past few days:
There's no such thing as being too old to do something. You're only as old as you think yourself to be. We spent Saturday at an amusement park and instead of sitting back and saying "nah, I'm too old for that".....I actually got on the carousel with the kids and went for a ride on a beautiful princess pony Hahahahah


On my Prayer List:
Family and Friends


Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

Sniffling away the day.....

I'm still fighting this cold and just when I thought I was getting better, my dear husband was forced to get the Flu shot AND the H1N1 shot at the same time and within 2 days, was confined to bed with fever, body aches and a congested nose.

And then he pulled me onto him and kissed me on the lips and I literally ran out of the room all the while yelling "Ugh...no you gonna get me worse".

*sigh* I should have kept my mouth shut LOL

Long story short, spent all of last night tossing and turning with a congested nose, literally felt like I had a clothes pin holding the nostrils shut, now I'm running a low grade fever and I feel like I had an encounter with a big semi truck. Not good!

So I've been taking it easy today, thankfully I had all the housework done yesterday, thank the Lord. I also didn't have to fix dinner, the kids wanted Burger King and I was only too happy to oblige. Sometimes it's ok to enjoy a big greasy burger and not feel guilty.


I love this time of the night, a warm bath, slip into my favorite pajama's and sit back with a good book.

With a random sweet as honey pug kiss here and there.

Yep, I'm heading to bed and I'm taking the kids with me, they can read or watch a movie, but momma really needs to lay down.

Cooking Thursday

I've been doing the Slow Cooking Thursday for so long now, years actually, and it's had a good run but I've noticed lately that everyone seems to be running out of crockpot recipes to share and I don't want to completely do away with the feature, so I thought it time to change it up a bit.

Cooking Thursday will now replace our weekly crockpot feature to include not only those recipes but also any kind you may wish to share......breakfast, main dishes, desserts etc.

So won't you join me and share with us one of your new recipes, or an old family favorite, you can even throw in a recipe for homemade soaps or detergents (just remember to specify).

For the guidelines, you can go here.

I'm sharing with you one of my favorite Portuguese foods, you can find them at restaurants and even carnivals and fairs. Easy to make and really good too.

BIFANAS - Pork Sandwiches

Pork loin chops or pork cubed steaks (you need at least one for each person)
salt and pepper
garlic powder
paprika
bay leaf
white wine
Portuguese Rolls (or any other roll that is thick and doughy)


The whole trick to getting that wonderful taste is to marinate the meat for at least a whole day before you cook it. You can do it overnight or first thing in the morning so you can use it for dinner, the longer it sits in that marinade, the tastier it will be.

I roll mine up and put them in the tupperware bowl and then pour about 1/2 cup of white wine over. Cover it up and place it in the refrigerator.

When you're ready to cook, add some olive oil to a skillet and then add the pork steaks, top with some butter and fry until cooked through and nice and brown.

Once they're cooked, slice your bread rolls in half and then take them and dip them into the drippings in the pan.

You don't want to cover the bread, just get a little of that tasty sauce on them.

Slice the sandwiches in half and serve with some homemade fries or salad.

Quiet day.....

Credit: Flickr

I'm finally getting to sit down in front of the computer to compile this post. I wanted to do it earlier but found myself puttering around the house, organizing and cleaning, baking and crafting.

It's been a quiet day, a day pretty much to myself where the kids are at school and Curt is either asleep or at work, so I'm left to my own devises, which lately have been shifted towards creating a simple, cozy home.

Well, and reading, and watching movies. You know of my fascination with Jane Austen, England and the Medieval, Elizabethan and Victorian Eras. I find myself researching and reading and soaking up all I can on these subjects and sometimes I sit back and think "well if only I had this same yearning for learning when I was in school, things would have been a lot different".

If I told you I've watched the new Emma version twice already, would you believe me? Because I just keep watching and re-watching and never getting tired of it, and when I'm not immersed in the visual sense of the movie, I'm listening to the Soundtrack which is by far, one of my favorites, it's calming and relaxing and perfect for working in the kitchen.

Oh and even better, Jasmine came home from school yesterday and handed me a library book she picked for me to read, low and behold....Jane Austen "Emma". I giggled and asked how she knew, and her simple innocent answer just made me smile "mom, I think everyone knows you love Jane Austen". I guess they really do.

But moving on, I also put up my new Mary Engelbreit 2010 Calendar which is chock full of adorable pictures and sayings.

Other than that, there's fresh homemade bread, laundry that has been washed, ironed, folded and put away, bathrooms that have been cleaned and floors that have been swept and mopped.

I'm tired but I'm content and now I'm going to sit down to a wonderful supper of Crab Cakes, Tomato and Spinach rice and homemade bread slathered with butter. Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmm Life is good!

Angels by Dr. David Jeremiah Review and Giveaway

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Multnomah Books; Revised edition (December 22, 2009)

Click on the book above to purchase from Random House.

About the book:

Who They Are and How They Help–What the Bible Reveals…

What are angels? What is their role in God’s plan? Are they present? Do they appear? Do they give us personal insight about our work, our worship?

Many contemporary beliefs about angels are based on misconception and myth. Dr. David Jeremiah uses scripture to unveil the remarkable truth about these agents of heaven, and their role and work in our world—and lives.

Author:

Dr. David Jeremiah is senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in San Diego, and founder of Turning Point Radio and TV Ministries. His radio program is carried on over 2,500 stations worldwide, while the TV broadcast is received by 500 million homes via cable and satellite. The recipient of numerous awards for broadcast excellence, his books have garnered Gold Medallion awards and become bestsellers with The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the New York Times. He is a sought-after conference speaker by organizations nationwide.


My thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book, at first I thought, well it's just another book about Angels and I've read quite a few, what exactly could it tell me that I don't already know?

Was I in for a surprise, I've learned so much about Angels, who they are, what they signify and most importantly there is scripture after scripture explaining the presence of angels to angels carrying us to heaven after death. Very very interesting read.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

I have an extra copy to giveaway and I'm opening it up to US, Canada and any other Country. Please just leave a comment and a valid email address so that I can contact you.

This Giveaway will end Wednesday, February 24, 2010.

The Winner will be chosen by Random.org. I will post the Winner here and also email them directly. You will then have 48 hours to claim your Prize.