Rated

I just love to watch films. I think it’s just a form of escapism because I’m perfectly happy to curl up for hours with a good novel too. Josh and I watch at least one film a week and it’s something we like to do together to relax.

However, I am really sensitive to violent films and horror films. To watch a scary or violent film is about as far from relaxing as I can get. They scare me.

 

Take the scary film we accidently rented the other night – Knowing with Nicolas Cage. It’s about a guy who finds a code – written 50 years before – which has accurately predicted every major disaster that has occurred in the previous fifty years, with three incidents still left to happen.

There’s one particular plane crash scene which is basically just a couple of minutes of carnage, screaming and people running around burning to death.

At least that’s what Josh told me happened. I wouldn’t know – I was underneath the covers with my fingers in my ears humming a happy tune.

 

People probably think I’m far too sensitive…‘Knowing’ is rated a 15 and the CGI wasn’t even that great, but still, I just don’t want to see that kind of thing! I’ve got a ridiculously over active imagination and I know that I will end up thinking about it over and over again.

I even found Sherlock Holmes a bit scary and that is rated to be suitable for under twelve’s. I just don’t understand what criteria they use when they rate these films. Fine, it didn’t have any sex in it and there wasn’t much swearing. But it was really quite violent and someone burnt to death in it too.

I just wouldn’t want my child to be watching something like that and for them to see it again when they close their eyes at night.
But maybe that is why I am so sensitive, because I wasn’t even allowed to watch power rangers when I was younger because it was deemed too violent.
But I think that’s okay. I am glad that I haven’t been completely desensitised to violence by watching it from a very young age. I think sometimes, when that happens we forget that when real disasters/ violence happens there are actually real people involved with real families and emotions.

For now, I’m seriously considering only renting out films with a rating under 15.

SO what do you think? What film rating are you happy to watch? Do you think I’m being over sensitive? What films would you recommend we watch?

New Growth

Hey, Auntie – you know the Amaryllis you gave us for Christmas?

IT’S GROWING!!

 

We planted it ages ago but thought that our house was too cold for it to grow as it was taking so long to sprout and we don’t have an airing cupboard or anything.

 

But, the other day we noticed it had turned faintly green.

 

Then a tiny sprout began to push out of the bulb.

 

And now it’s growing several millimetres each day!

 

So exciting! It’s a great present!

Sweetness

My husband is lovely because he buys my gifts when he knows I’ve had a hard day at work.

 

My husband is lovely because he wraps and disguises his presents so I won’t guess what they are.

 

My husband is lovely because he listens to his crazy wife complaining that the little pink toy with a long nose in the window of the charity shop looks lonely…every time they walk by.

 

My husband is lovely because he is willing to go into the charity shop and buy it even though it’s a toy and it can’t actually be lonely…

 

…just to make his wife smile

Erm…Six Fact Saturday?!

I had a sneaking suspicion my five fact Fridays wouldn’t hold out! I didn’t post yesterday because I felt like my week had been quiet. Work has been ridiculously slow because my boss is away in Africa, and I didn’t want to bore you with the trivial.

However, I have just been reading back over the last six months of blog entries and have just realised afresh how much I appreciate keeping a blog! I have been giggling away about memories I have recorded and photos that we have shared. I know there was a big gap in the middle where I hardly blogged at all, and I feel like a lot of people (understandably) stopped reading then – but I have decided that even if no-one is reading this I’m still going to keep recording my day-to-day activities because it’s good to remember for ME.

Oh, wait! Grr. This is meant to be a fact post…Okay…

1. My week has been quiet and work has been boring!

2. I really appreciate my blog and even though no one reads it, I will still keep posting.

3. I AM HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy at the moment! This year has been so great so far! Even though life is quiet we have still done a lot of nice, relaxing things. I am cooking and baking again (new recipe to come soon), I am taking photos and I have spent some quality time with my wonderful friends and my lovely husband…

4. …who by the way bought me flowers AND took me out on a surprise restaurant date this week! Either he has smashed something that he hasn’t told me about yet OR he is a looovelly and marriage is fab! (Yes, I like the second option best too)

 

5. We have watched two great films this week. We went to the cinema to watch Sherlock Holmes on Wednesday which was a really good film (although it’s rated 12a and I thought it was a bit freaky at times!). We also watched My Sisters Keeper which was really well made too. I like how Nick Cassavetes deals with real life issues (like Alzheimer’s and cancer), but doesn’t focus on it – making the people and the family ties the thing that you really remember from the story.

 

6. A lady from church just bought me a surprise present! It’s a really soft bunny which you warm in the microwave and it smells like lavender. It was a total surprise and such a kind gesture! HAPPY!

Just out of interest, if you are still reading why not comment so I know you’re still around!?

Sausage and Bean One-Pot

I tried this recipe from BBC Good Food the other day. It’s really yummy, and quick and easy to make, and it’s a one-pot which means less washing up - score! 

This recipe is meant to serve 4, but I halved it for two and it served us for one and a half meals (e.g. three portions!).

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 8 good-quality pork sausages (Toulouse or Sicilian varieties work well)
• 2 carrots , halved lengthways and sliced
• 2 Onions, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 x 410g cans mixed beans in water, rinsed and drained
• 400ml chicken stock
• 100g frozen peas
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

 

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Sizzle the sausages for about 6 mins, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, then remove to a plate. Tip the carrots and onions into the pan, then cook for 8 mins, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft. Add the vinegar to the pan, then stir in the drained beans. Pour over the stock, nestle the sausages in with the beans, then simmer everything for 10 mins.

 

(Can we just take a moment to admire my deliciously lurid wipe-clean table cloth which I got for £1? Apparently it doesn’t like being wiped with kitchen cleaner, because about an hour after this photo was taken it became a whole lot less lurid, and more of a purple and white swirly mess).

2. Scatter in the frozen peas, cook for 2 mins more until heated through, then take off the heat and stir in the mustard. Season to taste. Serve scooped straight from the pan.

NightLight Video #2

Our friend, and fellow NightLight volunteer, Ben has made this video about the work of NightLight as part of his degree course.

You might even be able to spot me on this one!
Enjoy.

 

To see our other video or to learn more about the project visit our website, here. 

Five Fact Friday

1. This week I have loved: the small pleasures in life, like playing board games with my hubby, making pancakes, romantic gestures and a clean house.

2. This week I have hated: people being mean on the internet. I have had a few ‘hater’ comments on my YouTube account recently. While the comments weren’t exactly nice to read, I wasn’t really upset by them. What made me really sad was that those people don’t have anything better to do with their precious time than to sit on YouTube and write an unconstructive comment which has no point but to offend and put someone else down. I feel bad for them that they can’t have a very happy life and that they seem to have forgotten that behind every website there is a real person with feelings. Cheer up people.

 3. As part of my make more effort (not to get fat) resolution I went jogging for the first time in AGES this week. Needless to say I felt awful and nearly vommed on the seafront. However, I am reliably informed by my brother-in-law that it will eventually make me feel great, so I am going to persevere.

4. I added some new recipes to my recipe book this week. I’ve had this book since I was about ten. It’s battered and stained but I use it all the time and only my favourite recipes make it in. Many of the recipes are copied out of my Mum’s own battered and stained recipe book back at home, and I hope that one day I can pass mine on in the same way.

5. I went to a swap party this week. Some of my favourite clothes are from swap parties – and the best bit was that they were completely free! If you have never been to a swap party before, organise one NOW! Basically, everyone brings along books, clothes, jewellery and household items (or anything they no-longer want), puts them in a big pile and you all muddle through it and grab what you want. It’s so much fun and means you can get whole new outfits without having to buy something new.

I hope you have had a good week too?

Making more effort

I’ve been thinking about what I mentioned in my Five Facts Friday post about keeping my house clean being my New Year’s resolution. I’ve come to the conclusions that it’s not strictly true. What I should have said is that my New Year’s resolution is to make more effort.

Let me explain.

2009 for us was a rollercoaster year. We had some exciting times and have made some great memories. However, the year also contained a little more disappointment and uncertainty than you generally hope for. I finished the year feeling completely exhausted and despondent.

Nevertheless, after a great two week break for Christmas I felt refreshed and ready to go again. I looked forward to getting up in the morning and felt like I had my creativity back.

It made me realise that the reason I felt so down was partly because I was just really tired, and not because the whole world was crashing down around me. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t just lying on the sofa, wallowing in a pit of despair all the time BUT I realised that this year I need to make more effort to be happy, trust God, enjoy where we are and make memories, whatever is going on outside of our control.

So, even though I might be exhausted from rushing around doing a million different things I will still make more effort to do all those little jobs round the house before they turn into big jobs. It might be an effort at the time but I know that I will be much calmer, happier and a better wife if the house is ordered and tidy (I’m OCD like that).

 

Even though our jobs might conspire against Josh and I spending much time together I will make more effort to make the times we do spent together special, even if that means cooking when we don’t feel like it or playing a game together instead of just slobbing out in front of a film.

And all those other little things like exercising, exploring our surrounding area, driving, doing crafts and hosting dinner parties that can just get swept under the carpet with the busyness of life, I want to make more effort to live each day as it comes, enjoy the small things and serve God in every way I can. I want to make memories every day, rather than be looking into the future for the memories we will make then.

So, that is that. What are you resolutions and how are you keeping to them?