Pay It Forward

Other than being a horrible Kevin Spacey movie (is there such a thing as a good Kevin Spacey movie?), "Pay It Forward" is a little game my sis-in-law Laura started. Wanna play?

The Rules
1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me (since it's from me, it'll be a card).
2. Winners must post this challenge on their blog, meaning that they will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on their post about this giveaway!
3. The gift that you send to your friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!
4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate pictures and comments!If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along.Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! SO, REMEMBER...Pay it forward!

Valentine's Day . . . and a cool card

We had a good Valentine's Day. The night before, John and I went ahead and exchange presents. He got me these pretty tulips . . . he's very good at picking out flowers. I got him Blades of Glory. Kind of a random choice, but it's healthier than candy! I also made him this really weird card. I didn't post a picture of it, because it's super weird. At the time, it made sense to me. Now, not so much. I did this watercolor painting of a bloody heart (a human heart!) and the card said, "Aorta tell you . . . Happy Valentine's Day!" Uh, yeah. That would be why it's not on here . . .

On the actual V Day, I made some muffins in the morning, always a good start to the day. We put Charlie down for a nap and John and I went bowling. I had never been bowling with less than eight people. I thought it might be weird, but it was a lot of fun. That is, until the second game. John got strike after strike while I seriously didn't hit a single pin for the majority of the game. I seriously wanted to quit and leave. I get annoyed at the whole, "I'm awesome at every game there is," thing! Because I have a, "I stink at every single game there is," thing!

That night, we took Charlie out for ice cream. Grandpa and Grandma Flynn sent him some ice cream money for Valentine's, so we took him to Mickey D's for a sundae. Needless to say, he was grateful! Then, we put him to bed and watched Run, Fatboy, Run. Thanks for the recommendation, Laura . . . we laughed through the whole movie.

The next day was my little brother Ethan's birthday. I made him possibly one of the coolest cards ever. He saw The Dark Knight in the theater over 10 times . . . I'm not exaggerating. So, obviously, I had to do something Joker-y. Something about the Joker just inspires me, I guess. First, the pumpkin I did at Halloween, then this card. Too bad Heath Ledger won't be around for a sequel. Anyway, the Joker's hand spins . . . when you spin the hand, a little banner that says, "Happy Birthday!" opens up. It was a lot of fun to make. I love it when I get an idea and then it actually works!

My Favorite "Goopy" Movies

Right now I'm working on a script for a romantic comedy. With Valentine's Day this week and romance on my mind, I thought I'd do a list of my favorite "goopy" (meaning, romantic) movies. They are "feel good" movies that leave you feeling wonderful afterwards. I'm not a fan of dramatic romantic movies . . . in fact, I loathe them (I laughed all the way through The Notebook--while my friend sobbed). I'd rather have some laughs, a few happy sniffles (well, I would if I cried at movies), then turn off the DVD player feeling great about life.

Pride and Prejudice

I loved the BBC version of the best novel ever written (lots of people say it, and yes, it's totally true) . . . until I saw Joe Wright's version. I haven't been able to watch that goofy excuse for a Jane Austen adaptation ever since. That version not only dramatized literally every scene in the book, but they even made some up. Joe Wright's version, while smaller on plot, was so much bigger in scope and yes . . . romance. He allows us to see through one character's eyes, which always makes for a more meaningful experience.

The cast in this movie is beyond amazing. Keira Knightley was born to play Elizabeth Bennett (not to mention she was actually the right age--all the people in the BBC version are at least 10 years older than their characters!). Yes, I love Colin Firth, too, ladies, but I think Matthew McFayden is to die for! He lets Keira Knightley steal the show, and frankly, it is her show. And Dame Judi Dench as Lady Catherine DeBurgh? Life is good as long as casts like this exist!

Favorite Scene: Darcy walking across the field in the early morning light with that piano playing in the background. Ooh, I'm melting right now . . .

Fun Fact: Keira Knightley had long relationship with Rupert Friend, the actor who plays Wickham. I'm not sure if they're still together, though . . .

Sense and Sensibility

Yeah, yeah, I know it's another Jane Austen adaptation. But this movie is the exception to the rule that books are always better than their movie adaptations. That's right. Emma Thompson's screenplay is better than the book. Don't believe me? Read the book. It's not that great. But the movie? Well, let's look at the facts . . .

The cast? Kate Winslet. Emma Thompson. Hugh Grant. Alan Rickman (in his best performance to date, and that's saying something). The director? Ang Lee. And if this isn't enough to convince you, just watch it. Everything about it is just sublime. It's one of my top movies, if not the tippy-top.

Favorite Scene: The look on Colonel Brendan's face when Marianne calls his name and tells him "Thank you." (who knew Severus Snape could be so dreamy?) And, Elinor laughing and crying at the same time in that final scene with Edward. Okay, I couldn't pick just one!

Fun Fact: Emma Thompson is married to Greg Wise, the actor who played Willoghby. They met on this movie and became friends. They married years later. Something about these Jane Austen movies . . .

Pretty in Pink

If you've never seen this movie, drop everything, call your girlfriends and have a girls' night in. It is such a fun, funny and surprisingly romantic movie. The plot isn't all that special: poor girl falls for rich boy and problems arise. But it feels oddly refreshing to root for the brave girl with no money, especially in the wake of shows like "Gossip Girl" that would rather spend time exploring the shallowness of rich girl culture. Plus, Molly Ringwald is friggin' awesome. If only I could be as outspoken and confident as her character in this movie . . . and have a best friend like Duckie Dale! This is my favorite movie about high school, for sure.

Favorite Scene: Hands down, Duckie's dance to "Try a Little Tenderness" in the record store. Classic. If a guy danced like that for me, I would drop my date with Blaine in a second!

Fun Fact: Kenny Ortega, the choreographer and director behind all the "High School Musical" movies, choreographed Duckie's dance.

Enchanted

So I know that this is technically a kids' movie, but it is the most romantic movie of recent times in my opinion. I love this movie so much. When I went to see it, I wasn't expecting much. It was so funny, because I totally got swept up in the story. Not to mention, Amy Adams is the stuff! I never liked James Marsden (Prince Edward) until I saw this movie. He is so hilarious here.

Favorite Scene: Obviously, any of the musical numbers (especially "Happy Working Song"), but as far as romance goes, definitely the fight between Giselle and Robert. The part where she touches his chest is pretty hot, especially for a kids' movie! That moment shows how you can evoke tons of feeling in one touch. Sex scenes are so unnecessary.

Fun Fact: Amy Adams was a singing waitress at a murder mystery theater before she got her start.

Notting Hill

Yet another Hugh Grant movie on the list . . . seeing a pattern? I never understood the big deal about Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. It's probably because I don't like any of the movies those couples are in. For me, as far as chemistry goes, Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant are it. For a movie starring two huge movie stars, it's surprisingly low key and that's what I love about it. All the romantic comedies coming out nowadays (uh, "Bride Wars" anyone?) seem so screechy and obnoxious. What ever happened to movies like this? It's very simple and heartfelt. Not to mention, it's also friggin' hilarious. I laugh out loud every time I watch it.

Favorite Scene: "I'm just a girl . . ." That whole scene just blows me away. It could have been really over-the-top and emotional, but it's quiet and sad. It just shows what great actors those two are, that they can deliver so much without resorting to tears, etc. The montage at the end of the movie is also really sweet . . . the final shot is a tearjerker, for sure.

Fun Fact: The flat with the blue door is real in Notting Hill is real. The screenwriter used to live there! Although the exterior in the movie is real, the inside was shot on a soundstage.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (see top)

If you have never seen this movie, repent now and rent it! It is, to me, one of the most romantic movies ever made. Every time I watch this movie, I think I love it more than the last time I watched it. It's not all about Audrey Hepburn's wardrobe (although fabulous), and actually, not all about Audrey Hepburn. I think George Peppard (Hannibal from A-Team when he was young and hot, hee hee!) is equally as good in this, if not better.

Favorite Scene: "So plenty." My heart just jumps when I think of that line. One of the best lines ever written, in my opinion! If you don't know what I'm talking about, you gotta see it!

Fun Fact: Well, this isn't fun really. There is one negative to this movie. For whatever reason, Holly's landlord is a japanese man . . . played by Mickey Rooney (a caucasian comedian). He wears these really big false teeth, a bad wig and talks with a really bad accent. It's really weird and super rascist. It bothers me every time I watch it. Thankfully, he's not in the movie that much.

This morning, my mom accused me of not being romantic. Well, I guess I showed all of you that I do have a "goopy" side!

The ironic thing about these movies is that they are best enjoyed alone! That's my opinion, anyway . . . So, what are some of your favorite "goopy" movies?

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is one of my favorite Charlie faces. Sometimes he does it because he's upset, but he also does it to make people laugh. One night this week, my dad told him, "Don't furrow your brow!" Charlie goes, "Don't furrow brow!" It was hilarious. It's so funny to hear him say sentences. Now, every time he makes that face he'll go, "Don't furrow!"

Here's the newest addition to the John Flynn fam:

This car is replacing (sniff) the Vibe. I LOVED that car. Unfortunately, a month ago some guy was standing in the middle of the freeway directing traffic. Some luggage had fallen off his car, so he was trying to pick it up. Well, this lead to a lot people braking suddenly, and John ran into one of those people. I don't really want to talk about this, because I'm still bitter about it. I did not like using that car. But our new car drives way better and it's an '08 with not many miles on it. Not to mention our car payments are $100 less now, so it turned out well in the end. I guess.

This week was really crazy. The main thing that happened was I helped out with a birthday party for Donna Blackburn. She is seriously the most kind, sweet and fun person ever. I have never heard a negative word come from her mouth. For the past year and a half, her husband has been serving as Branch President in a tiny branch in South Pittsburgh (which is an hour away). Even though they are technically still in our branch, she never gets to see anyone. My mom had the idea to throw her a birthday party so she could see everyone. Since I'm her visiting teacher, I made most of the food. I made a huge chicken salad and cupcakes. Chicken salad is usually served with a rolls, but my mom, of course, didn't want to do that. She always has to do something different . . . good thing I didn't inherit that (um, that was sarcasm if you couldn't tell!) So I had the idea to serve the chicken salad with toasted bread (EVOO, salt and pepper on both sides for 7-8 minutes at 400 degrees), sort of like a bruschetta. It was definitely a hit. Here's the recipe, although I would suggest leaving out the water chestnuts. There's plenty of crunch with the almonds and celery. I'm just a water chestnut hater--they taste like nothing! Another tip: for amazing vanilla cupcakes, add one teaspoon of almond extract (the real stuff, no imitation) to one box of cake mix. Then, add a tiny bit to the frosting (I've only done this with homemade frosting, so I'm not sure if it'll work with canned). Unfortunately, I couldn't eat any of the stuff I made, but I heard it was good!

So this is a giant card I made for Donna. I apologize for this picture. I look like a total dork. John took the picture and he always makes me nervous, so I wind up making stupid faces. He's really bossy when he has a camera! It's like he thinks he's a professional photographer or something . . . Just ignore my stupid face and look at the cute card!

Donna was so excited about this party and I think she had a great time. I got the Primary, Youth and RS to sign the big card and I think she was more excited about that than anything. It's always such a pleasure to serve someone who you know needs it, and appreciates it. Opportunities like this are rare, so I'm glad I got to participate in this one.

Oh, and to all you former Signal Mountain people, if you didn't already hear, Hannah Collins (formerly Blackburn) is having a baby! She looks so cute with a baby bump. I didn't ask for a picture, because I remember how self-conscious I was when I was pregnant. I didn't want any pictures of me pregnant. But somehow, someone coerced me into taking some . . . Amber! Grrr . . . Anyway, that will be the cutest baby ever, I swear . . .

And for some glorious news: Charlie has gone 3 days without a bottle! This is a miracle, for sure. I know he's super old for that . . . but it's been rough. We had him almost off it four months ago, then he was just sick off and on since then. Really, it wasn't just him that needed weaning . . . John and I needed it just as much! It's just so much easier to stick a bottle in his mouth to get him to go to sleep. Plus, he was very attached to it. I couldn't breastfeed him (medical reason - don't judge me), so the bottle is all he knew. But, he's been very cooperative this week. I think he's just growing up. We had our first real meal out together today. We all went to Chick-fil-a, and Charlie had chicken nuggets and fries. It was so cute to watch him feed himself.

Move over, Puxatawney Phil, General Beauregard Lee (the South's groundhog--as if you couldn't tell from the name) has spoken! The South is getting an early spring. It was in the 60s yesterday, today and it's supposed to be all week. Spring, glorious, Spring in the South! Guess we'll be hitting the playground hard this week . . .