An Amazing Way to Waste Time

Luke's favorite thing to do online is to Stumble. It's pretty much all he does. And I have to admit he has found some pretty cool and useful things through it. But tonight he found a fun way to waste time (which is pretty much what Stumble is all about)...


I give you... How to: Make your band's album cover.


I will paste the instructions from the site...


"1 – Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random” or click here. The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 – Go to Quotations Page and select “random quotations” or click here. The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3 – Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” or click here. Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 – Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together"

So I followed the steps and used the incredibly easy LunaPic to create the following...

{photo property of Teresa Q}

{photo property of notnA}

{photo property of biancavanderwerf}

{photo property of Stephen Beadles}

{photo property of .Anouska.}

So whatcha think?

I Want

So not sure if I've expressed this on this blog or not but I get a lot of hair brained ideas and my current one is that I want a Teacup Yorkie. They are less than 4 lbs! How cute!!

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Unfortunately they have a lot of health risks and aren't really practical for our family but oh they are so adorable.

Menu Plan Monday - January 24

About to head off to the grocery store but had to decide what I was making this week first...


Lasagna Soup
Dirty Rice
Italian Pasta Toss
Spicy Potato Casserole
Fettuccine with Asparagus, Bacon & Shiitake

So there you have it :)

Flipped - Movie Adaptations of Books Done Right

A few years back I picked up Wendelin Van Draanen’s book Flipped. I remember it being a beautifully written story about a first crush that featured the perfect balance of humor and sentimentality. So I of course need to start off by highly recommending this book to everyone. It will obviously resonate with middle readers and parents will love it for it's wholesome qualities. 

Now there have been plenty of books that have been turned into movies. Usually the ones I most anticipate seeing are those adapted from my favorite childhood or young adult books. Sometimes directors do a fairly decent job (i.e. Bridge to Terabithia) and other times they make me want to scream (i.e. Tuck Everlasting). But I don't think I have ever scene a more perfectly adapted book then in the movie version of Flipped. 

I don't know if I was just living under a rock or if there was honestly not that much publicity around this movie I didn't even know it was made until I saw it on a Redbox listing. First thought: "Hey I once read a book with that same title." And then it was more like, "Wait a second, this looks like it was based on that book."

Well last Monday was an all together icky rainy day and it felt like perfect weather to curl up on the couch and watch a movie. Let me tell you Flipped was the perfect movie for the occasion. It was such a wonderful feel good throw back to the golden days of childhood and to the golden eras of the 50's. I honestly can't remember if the book was based in the 50's but that was the absolute perfect setting for this movie.

And from what I can remember the movie truly paid wonderful homage to the book. Right down to the alternating points of view that make the story.

So do yourself a favor and check out this movie and until you do here is the beautifully edited trailer for your viewing pleasure.

P.S. Another wonderful book to movie adaptation that you should check both versions out of is My Louisiana Sky featuring a young Michael Cera before he was a household name.

Image Sources:

Book Cover

Movie Poster

Excerpt from Sarah Dessen's What Happened to Goodbye

It's no secret that my favorite author is Sarah Dessen. I first read one of her books (Someone Like You) when I was about 13 and was immediately hooked. I am so obsessed that I usually pre-order her latest about 2 months before it is released.

Needless to say I am quite excited about her latest book, What Happened to Goodbye, which will be released on May 10.

{source}

I'm hoping to snag an ARC so I don't have to wait the 3.5 months. Sarah posted an excerpt of the first chapter on her blog this week and I am dying to read the rest of the book. Be sure to check it out and if you happen to have an ARC I would seriously be interested and making a deal to borrow it ;)

Menu Plan Monday

It's so hard to get back into a rutine after a 2 week vacation but here's for starters...


This Week's Menu:
Weeknight Ravioli Bake

Loaded Bake Potato with Breakfast Sausage

Grilled Spicy Steak with Cucumber Salad

Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Cajun Chicken

Steak with Risotto Rice


And with this menu all I need to do for grocery shopping is...
Eggs

Diced Tomatoes

Frozen Ravioli

Parm or Italiano Cheese

Frozen Veggies

A.1. Original Steak Sauce

Cucumbers

Garlic Salt

Zataran's Rice

Dijon Mustard


Sweet!

Sponsored Post: Wedding Photography - A Guide to Posing by David Pearce

A while back I was approached by David Pearce of Oliver Cameron Publishing about reviewing a copy of his new book Wedding Photography – A Guide to Posing. Let me just say this is one of the most amazing photography books I have ever picked up!

If you are a photographer than you must have it in your arsenal because it has some amazing tips and techniques for creating beautiful poses and all of them come with photographic proof of the results. And for only $23.95 including shipping this is an absolute steal. You will have hundreds of inspiration photos right at your finger tips to look back on over and over again. Admit it, we aren’t all geniuses so having a little cheat sheet is completely fabulous.

This book isn’t just a great deal for photographers though, what about you brides? The average bride invests thousands of dollars in her wedding photos to look great. But pictures are only as beautiful as the people in them. This book contains 525 images that show you how ordinary people can pose for vogue quality photos. There are step by step guides to ever posing position imaginable and they are so easy to follow that you won’t have to worry about feeling uncomfortable in front of the lens for even one second.

Imagine being able to walk into your photography consultation with detailed instructions and samples of the images you want on your special day! Or what if you are planning a specific wedding theme or tradition? Wedding Photography – A Guide to Posing has wonderful shot ideas for every situation. Take a look at these gorgeous mendhi photos!

Here’s some of the benefits of purchasing this little book:

• There are 525 images so couples can bookmark pages with images they love to show their photographer.
• There is a step by step guide to a basic standing pose to ensure the bride looks flattering even when not posing.
• It will help brides notice mistakes potential photographers are making which could result in sub-standard photography saving heartache later.
• It will help brides determine which poses they think are right and suited for them.
• By reading the book they will get a photographers perspective enabling them to work far more in harmony with them and be more relaxed as they have an idea on what they are trying to achieve.
• It is full of inspiration and can fit into a handbag to take to work. Brides can the talk about poses at work during their break!
• It only costs $23.95 including shipping so a very small amount to pay against the thousands they will spend on their photographer. It really could transform their wedding photos at 0.05% or less of their total wedding budget.

You guys know I was a budget bride so trust me when I tell you this book is a totally great investment! Order a copy today and be wowed by the amazing help you will receive from it.

And be sure to check out Oliver Cameron Publishing‘s other great photography books!

*All photos property of Oliver Cameron Publishing