February Books 2024

♥ Sure of You ¹ by Armistead Maupin

♥ Pride and Prejudice ¹ by Jane Austen

* Michael Tolliver Lives! ¹ by Armistead Maupin 

* Mary Ann in Autumn ¹ by Armistead Maupin

* Persuasion ¹ by Jane Austen - This book was good and Karen Savage did a fab job narrating, but if I didn't have Ciarán Hinds to imagine, I doubt I would have enjoyed it as much. But I do so love that Jane Austen always seems to deliver the perfect happy ending that everyone so needs. 

¹ - audiobook
² - abridged version
* - liked
♥ - loved
Any unmarked titles were, in my opinion, so-so.

Black & Gold

The last pack of my Nat Sherman Black & Gold cigarettes. I'm still mega furious that they discontinued these and my beloved Fantasias. 

Bella's On Board!

On Sunday I told Bella all about how I love Mr. Inbetween and that I was thrilled when Kayla and Wayne finally listened to me, watched it, and went nutso for the series. Like me and Kay, Bella loves anything featuring a good dad, and the bonus of it being Australian was all it took for her to check it out. Today's text from her had me floating on a cloud of glee. I love it when people actually take my advice.

Oblation Paper Clips

Back when I had a monthly stationery subscription to Oblation they sent cards and stamps plus a mini bonus card and an adorable little papey-clip. Once they stopped with those wee extras, I dropped the subscription. I saved them in a jar that I keep on my desk and here they be:

ps - Don't think for an instant that I am wholly unaware of how boring it is to post photos of ones collection of stationery equipment. But this blog is really all for me and I think that they are all cute as hell. So there.

On the Big Screen Again

Today marked the third time I've been able to see Casablanca in the theatre. This time around Isabella met me and we spent the whole day together. She had never seen the film, nor even heard of it, and I was so relieved to hear her say how much she liked it. Her favourite moment? When Captain Renault let Rick get away with killing Strasser. "Round up the usual suspects." Then we went to El Burrito for fabulous Mexican fare and chit chat. Can't wait until we can do it all over again with a new old fave! Oh and the bonus? The lovely gent playing the Wurlitzer before the show began.

Cat Nippin'

For Christmas I gave adorable cat nip bags from Blue Q to Lilly and Zuko. Here's a cute video that Momma Kayla sent me to show how much they loved the treats!

Another Member to the Club!

I'm still trying to recruit people to watch Mr. Inbetween but so far only Kayla has listened to my pleas. On Monday night I told Wayne again that he had to check it out. I said to him that if after the first episode he isn't seriously into it, then just give up. After Return to Me at the County Theatre on Wednesday night, I looked at my phone for the time and saw a missed text from the big brother. 

Texts from 26 Feb:

28 Feb:

1 March:

3 March:

Discovering Doylestown

Yesterday afternoon I picked Kay up and we kicked off our day of playing hooky from our jobbies by going to Goldie falafel in Fishtown. Then we drove to Doylestown to see one of my favourite movies up there on the big screen - Return to Me. Kayla had never seen it and knew nothing about it. The talk before the show dealt with live organ donations and therefore gave away a bit of the plot, but it was still a surprise! (And I did pick up some literature on being a live organ donor.) Before the film we got to stop in to the local book shop and I went on another blind date with a book. Hurrah! Kayla and I both instantly fell in love with this charming town and fully intend to go back and spend an entire day there, touring the streets and popping in to all the adorable shops.

I scored big with a totally unknown book that I bought purely for the title and the gnome on the treetop. I hope it's good!!

Of course I had to buy the holiday cards that were half off.

And here's my little blind date book!

 

So Compatible: Organ Donation at the Penn Center for Living Donation: Our Science on Screen® series kicks off its 2024 season with the romantic comedy RETURN TO ME. Before the film starts Living Donor Transplant Coordinator Ashley Aloba from the Penn Center for Living Donation will give a short presentation on what it means to be a living donor and the transplant process.

David Duchovny and Minnie Driver take on matters of the heart, in this touching romantic comedy directed by Bonnie Hunt. After receiving a heart transplant, a waitress experiences an unexplainable connection with a charming widower. As their relationship grows, so too does her pressure to tell him about her medical history. Although released in the early 2000s, this sweet and sincere rom-com feels like a classic Hollywood love story.

Krispy Kreme's Chocolate Heaven!

February 2024 Donations

The Colonial Theatre

I've been hoping since my first visit to the balcony section of the old 1903 theatre that one day the place would get some serious TLC and be renovated. So when I received an email saying that all donations up to 10k would be matched, I had to send some cash their way. 

Please join me in the Low Budget Philanthropy movement and help out your community and beyond in the simplest way - donating any amount to whatever charity or organisation that you care about!

Follow up email in March 2024:

It is happy indeed here at The Colonial - we raised the Building Restoration Challenge's $10,000 goal in less than 30 days! The initial deadline was World Theatre Day, (March 27) so needless to say, we are over-achievers 🙂. A sincere thank you to this generous group of donors for making it happen. With the major donor's match, the theatre now has $20,000 to use for future restoration projects in our historic venues. Feel free to share this announcement with friends and family who love the theatre - the Building Fund is a year-round campaign. 

Wishing everyone a fun and safe weekend and thank you again! 

Alpaca Bday Bonanza!

I cannot believe I never posted anything about Lauryn's super-fun alpaca bday celebration on October 22nd of last year. I'm very nervous at get-togethers and bless her heart, Lauryn is beyond understanding and knows just how to handle me. She told me all the deets and included info on the guests that would be there and a little info on the few that I had never met. It turned out to be such a great day and we gals all got along like gang-busters and took oodles of pictures. 

Melanie, Lauryn, her sister Kristen, me, and kneeling is Crick, a lovely gal who took these last few photos.