Breakfast of the day (slow-moving sleepy day plus new Etsy listings) - September 7, 2010

Breakfast of champions or something

The three-day weekend threw our schedule out of wack. My daughter is back at preschool for the week (next week is the first of several week-long breaks...oy...but you'll hear more about that when it happens) and I'm dragging myself around this morning. So no smoothie, just some coffee (french vanilla! lots of milk and sugar!) and a 100-calorie bread round with Laughing Cow Swiss spread on it.

Last night I watched the Time Traveler's Wife - Tivoed from our free HBO (well, free in that it's paid for within our rent/condo fee). It wasn't as awful as I was expecting, but it really did not do that gorgeous, epic book justice. Seriously, TTTW is one of my favorite books of all time, and when you love a book as passionately as that, no movie is ever going to work. I thought Eric Bana was acceptable as Henry at some ages, but he was just too clean cut at other points. Henry is gritty and raw and haunted, but not so much in the movie. Rachel McAdams was OK as Clare when she was younger, I thought, but she just didn't click for me as older Clare. Ron Livingston was NOT Gomez, no way, no how. And then, well, of course the entire plot was smooshed into a neat two-hour story, with lots of things missing, lots of subtlety lost, and probably a lot of confusing scenes for someone who had never read the book. And the ending? THE ENDING WAS SO WRONG. Because it came so close to being right - the book's ending would make a beautiful scene as far as I'm concerned - and then it just didn't do it. On the upside, the movie didn't make me throw things at the screen nor did it make me feel weird about the book. It just...didn't do it for me.

I actually have been productive this morning. I listed a bunch of pocket mirrors, a new mix-and-match crunchy mama button set, and a new necklace in my Etsy store. Want to see?

Brown birds-on-a-wire pocket mirror

Little red bird in an autumn tree pocket mirror

Interchangeable magnet necklace with birdcage charms

Crunchy mama mix-and-match four button pack

I really need to work on my photography technique with my Etsy listings, I know...

One-Inch Buttons Galore aka What I Did Saturday Night

Look at all those one-inch buttons! Love it!

Last night I hung out at home while my husband took our daughter out to practice walking at the mall. Yeah, the mall - think about it, it has open spaces, lots to look at, and very flat and smooth floors. Ideal for a little kid who is learning to use a walker. I spent my time watching a movie and making 40 one-inch buttons (more to come!) for my favorite local independent children's bookstore to sell during the Decatur Book Festival. Alice in Wonderland! Book love! Grammar love! Random adorable birds! I think I'll throw in some cupcake one-inch buttons later. And of course, all of these designs are either already available in my Etsy store (go to http://www.buttonbabeboutique.com to find it any time) or can be custom made for you.

While I punched and stamped my buttons, I watched The Invention of Lying, which was not earth-shattering but was definitely entertaining. It was filmed near where I grew up, although I didn't recognize any landmarks. I really thought it wasted the opportunity to make some really strong statements on religion and what religion really means - it danced around it but never went for the jugular there. Still, if you're looking for a light movie for an evening in, it's worth renting or getting out of the library. I do love Ricky Gervais a lot - he makes the movie for sure.

Earlier yesterday we made an epic run through Trader Joe's. Thrifty shopping what? I mean, yes, you can absolutely use Trader Joe's as a part of your frugal living. There are many great deals on basics (I got whole wheat flour for $2.99, which is a great everyday price, I think - cupcakes ahoy! And organic frozen fruit is the cheapest I've found.) but did I really truly need six individual packs of kettle corn? (I did! They're portion controlled! It totally wouldn't be cheaper to make my own from scratch...oh...yeah...) Did I really need green-tea mints? Gorditas? Ah well. It's all delicious and at least it doesn't have things like HFCS in it.

Oh, no smoothie this morning - it's been a lazy sleep-in type of Sunday, so I just made some hard-boiled eggs and a cup of coffee. If you haven't already guessed, I like my coffee full of milk and sugar and flavorings. And caffeine! Yum.