monkey with time, films and gifts. Monday Madness!

The sock monkey on the calendar gave no indication that this Monday would be any different than any other Monday.
Except, possibly, his straight forward glare might be mistaken for hostility,  for who ever had dressed him in such a ridiculous outfit! Or is that whom ever? My Son  has volunteered to edit my Blog for me and I am so grateful- one less thing to worry about! I tried for approximately 37 minutes to download pictures into Flickr, only to receive the ominous message- One of my pictures failed to download and with that the whole thing was returned to the load position.
How frustrating!
So I had to do it the hard way and re-size the pictures with Pixresizer and put them on the desk top. So, it's like that! Another Monday!

I was going to mention the change in time- how it always upsets my rhythm but I am sure you feel it too.
On the upside-it's the one time a year that all my clocks are set at the same time! They eventually all become off by 5 or 7 minutes depending on batteries and electrical storms and it can seem as though you are jumping through worm holes to go from room to room ...oh, where did I lose that five minutes? Oh here it is in this room!
I bet you're just on the edge of your seat dying to know what we did over the weekend? Oh, it's so exciting here at the Atomic Rancho Casa de Calamity! We watched movies- well Saturday was a bit lonely- Fred worked and I quilted/embroidered on the "shawl project" and I watched Pride and Prejudice and could not help but wish I was as thin and ethereal as Keira Knightly.
What a love story!
Anyyywayyyyyyyyy!
On Sunday we slept late- which was 8:30 but really 9:30 and decided to go to breakfast at a restaurant made from an old train station. You know the kind, built in 1852 in Kentland, Indiana and lovingly taken apart and reassembled here in Sarasota, complete with a miniature train above the  pastry  case.
The ambiance is nice and my favorite detail is the copper tabletops, stained with rings from drink glasses. We were a bit disappointed when we waited for 15 minutes and no one ever came to our table, and I finally got our own menus.
Then, after appearing and taking our order- our waitress came back after 20 more minutes and apologetically asked us what we had ordered. She was so obviously embarrassed and upset that we just shrugged and patiently waited.
We were entertained by one customer who looked like the bird lady in Mary Poppins but thinner and talked to herself non stop!(?)
When the hash and eggs arrived I wondered if perhaps she had  gotten on the bad side of the cook because she set the plates down with a frightened little grimace and a half-hearted "enjoy!"
It was fine and we enjoyed it- it is a treat to eat out and not have to do the dishes- I had been here once before with my friend Sue and had better service and food. Maybe yesterday was just an off day? Maybe it was her first day? I was a waitress for a long time and sometimes it isn't your fault- the best thing to do is to communicate to the customer though, what is going on, so that they know. Some customers are not as patient as we are.
I didn't take the camera- I wasn't planning on mentioning it, really.
I was going to post about some lovely gifts that I received while in Georgia and another once I got home.
Somehow, I find myself off track and not jiving with my pictures- y'all are used to that from me, by now, aren't you? Pictures that have nothing to do with the words? Sorry, I am scattered again! OK. Back on track;
We rented Across the Universe:), Sunshine:( and The Nines:0.
We had watched Michael Clayton:), Gone Baby Gone:0 and Mr Woodcock:( the week before. We also saw Martian Child:P, The Invasion :) and Margot at the Wedding:(.
Quite an eclectic group of films, even for us.
I enjoyed Across the Universe very much. It is like a collage with beautiful images that make you reverse and re-watch so that you get it all. I especially enjoyed the music by the Beatles but sung by cast members. The songs have always been brilliant and a legacy to the times they were written.
I thought that Jack Black could balance out Nicole Kidman in Margot at the wedding, and save us from another trip to Dogville but I was wrong.
Even on your most generous, best, "oh, this is a film" day do not attempt to see and enjoy this movie. Margot is not to be trifled with and  Jack cannot save this movie, no matter how hard he tries.
At least in my humble opinion.
I could be wrong.
The Nines had Ryan Reynolds playing three overlapping characters and we kind of enjoyed it- we "got it" but were vaguely mystified.
Like the box says- "you'll go 'huh?' but you won't feel cheated." That's a recommendation if ever there was one!
Oh, I cannot wait for tomorrow, when we can rent  Dan in Real Life and Bee Movie.
I'll keep ya posted. 
So, the good news is that I stitched through all the "films" on Sunday. The shawl is coming along. Pictures soon.
Last night we went for Chinese food and I got out of doing the dishes completely yesterday! Yee Haw!
Today, I will pay for it by catching up with laundry and grocery shopping.
I am going to explain the pictures now- sock monkey calendar, orchid blooming, reverse appliqué of my Calamity Kim logo on a t-shirt I made Sat while watching cartoons in the morning and then postcards from my friend and Blog reader Linda. They made me smile on an otherwise dreary day a few weeks ago when I received them. I love the 3-dimensional quality to these cards and have only seen them in books and pricey auctions on Ebay. So, thank you Linda, again, for your kind thoughtfulness. They are on display in my sewing room where I can be reminded of the good friends that have made Blogging so pleasant and enjoyable.
Then I showed off my lovely new flour sack towel embroidered and trimmed in lovely red & aqua quilt fabric by my sweet friend Vicki from Turkeyfeathers.
My Birthday was celebrated over at Flickr and although it was meant to be a virtual party, some people went too far and showered me with hand-made gifts and cards!
I love Vicki's work and this design is perfect for my kitchen!
I am humbled by the generosity and kindness that  transforms my life. Without this  blog I would have never met all of you, so thank you, again, for putting up with the ramblings  of a post-menopausal, coffee spilling, fabric loving, glue fingered crafty old cow-girl dreaming of Paris like me! Happy Monday, for heaven's sake! The boy across the street asked if our lawnmower was broken, so I guess I will get out there and mow...it's quite the jungle!