Stranger Things Party

So after binge watching the first episodes of the new Netflix show Stranger Things I haven't been able to sleep. In my sleepless nights I have been planning a themed party based on the show. Part Halloween party, part '80's party. It will be awesome.

Costumes are called for, of course. Fortunately huge glasses were hip two years ago so it shouldn't be too hard to do that. Then just feather your bangs, wear stirrups on your leggings, and find a jean jacket. You'll look great.

Decorate with lots of Christmas lights and lamps. Maybe pin up the alphabet on your wall, too. Rotary phones, trucker hats, a "flying" Millennium Falcon, Dungeons and Dragons pieces, maybe a hatchet - those would all be great little touches, too.

Your 80's playlist should include The Clash, especially "Should I Stay or Should I Go." And that one needs to pop up multiple times, obviously.

Serve cans of Cola and beer, Nutty Bars, Bazooka, Pez, Smarties, Pringles, Nilla Wafers, apples, bananas, and trail mix - that way everyone has plenty of energy for their travels. ;)


Boom. Party plans: done. You're welcome.

Thrilling things you'll want to know, aka Seven Quick Takes

1 - It's been a long time since I've started one of these Seven Quick Takes with a song so I thought I'd come back with a sugary pop bang:

Judge away but I love this song and can't stop listening to it. You can feel bad for my husband, it's okay.


2 - I finally got my hands on a copy of As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes. It was a delightful book - especially if you know and love The Princess Bride. As soon as I was done I picked up the novel The Princess Bride, which I've read before but it's a treat to re-read.


3 - I've been working on show notes for The Visitation Project. There's some new episodes up, the one on Forgiveness has my stubbornness on full display.

4 - I'm part of a wonderful group of friends at our parish. These are couples who are funny, kind, and love their faith.  Twice a month the men get together and do boy, I mean manly things. (Last month they made a Bat signal... like Batman.... while drinking beer and also talking about NFP.) The women get together once a month for a bit of wine, a bit of conversation, and a bit of faith formation. Last month was awesome  with Kathryn Whitaker Skyping in and to share tips for running your home with less stress - so good!- and this month our associate pastor, a priest from Uganda who is here getting his doctorate in education, spoke about the strengths and weaknesses of the Catholic Church in America - also so good! What awesome things do you have going on at your parish?

5 - I began watching Once Upon a Time on Netflix. I had seen some of the episodes before; I think I watched the whole first season or two on tv but then things got a little rocky for me and I bowed out. I started watching again after so many people recommended it to me while I was on bed rest, and I'm liking it. Especially now that we're out of Neverland.

6 - I also started physical therapy. I've never done PT before and I must say that so far I love it. I have horrible pain in my lower back and hips - something I've had with most of my pregnancies and something that just keeps getting worse. My midwife recommended me to a local PT place that specializes in women's care and I really like the woman working with me. My problem: poor posture and lots and lots and lots of tense muscles. I got a 30 minute massage today and it was called therapy and it was amazing.


7 - Please consider this a friendly reminder that I'm an Amazon affiliate so if you are planning on doing any Halloween shopping online you can begin here, clicking on the image in the sidebar, and I'll earn money at no extra fee to you. It's incredibly helpful to our budget (hello, school uniforms!) and Travis and I really appreciate it whenever any of my readers do that for us. So thank you.

And now a big THANK YOU to Kelly for hosting every week. Make sure you head on over to This Ain't the Lyceum because she's got a wonderful give-away running right now. Good luck to you on winning it!

Right now I'm...

This spring has me spending more time reading, playing outside, and dreaming about gardening and less time writing. But it's still fun to catch up with you so I thought I'd share some of the things I'm enjoying with you right now. I'd love it if you would tell me the same.

Right now I'm

loving:
white fingernail polish
this playlist
breakfast burritos for lunch

reading:
Silver Linings Playbook
(having just finished The Book Thief for my book club. Half of us liked it and half of us didn't. I did.)



excited about:
The Visitation Project launching this Sunday! eeeek!

planning: 
my daughters' joint birthday party. L wanted a ballerina theme and Resa wanted Minnie Mouse. It's a pretty easy blend to do and I am once again grateful for a sister-in-law who is amazing with cakes.


blog-loving:
all the updates from Cari
Britt's amazing post about her growing family
a first communion party - Whitaker style
Tess' before and after
the face-life The Feminine Gift recently got (bazinga - does it every look great!)
Micael's blogging conference re-cap
Brianna on young black men
Sr. Patricia's review of the radio show

watching:
This Old House. We all love this show.


And now your turn. What are you up to?

Seven Shows to Watch on Netflix

Travis and I are always tired at the end of the day and the one thing we want to do after the kids are in bed is to sit and barely think about anything.

So of course we watch tv.

A couple weeks ago I suggested the movie Chef, which I really enjoyed, but I've actually been compiling a list for a few months of shows and movies I have enjoyed and wanted to suggest to you. These aren't reviews and I obviously don't know exactly what you are sensitive to and how sensitive you are to it, and keep as a frame of reference that a short list of my favorite movies / shows are:

3:10 to Yuma
Sherlock
Jane Austen novel adaptations
Doctor Who
Life
Friday Night Lights
Silver Linings Playbook
The Walking Dead

So westerns, period pieces, zombies, crazy people, BBC stuff, Riggins, and a zen guy who loves fruit.

Not your cup of tea? Then you can probably safely pass these all up.

Sound good?  Then let's get started!

I didn't like the novel Jane Eyre when I read it in high school and I've never cared about any of the film adaptations I've watched before but this one was perfect. The spooky parts were spooky, the writing was fabulous, the locales were perfect, and the acting was superb. Michael Fassbender's portrayal of Mr. Rochester made me finally understand the character. Mia Wasikowska was perfectly perfect. And the moors were great. (I've watched it about three times in as many months.)

I am a sucker for a good Jane Austen period piece movie and this baby delivered. Death Comes to Pemberley was better than the novel, I thought. Matthew Rhys was an excellent Mr. Darcy. Clara, I mean Jenna Coleman was perfect as Lydia. And I love Anna Maxwell Martin and she did a wonderful job as Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy. (She's also really great in The Bletchley Circle, which is also on Netflix, fyi.) The story is a great who-dunnit but is even better because I love the Darcys and good manners.

Turn. Oh dang. We just plowed through the first season of this AMC show and we loved it. It takes place during the American Revolutionary War and it's really cleverly written and very interesting. The character Anna Strong drives me crazy, but I love Caleb Brewster so it kind of balances out. The main character in the show is Abraham Woodhull and he's not perfect though he is very well acted by Jamie Bell (who plays St. John Rivers in Jane Eyre). I also really like how they use a lot of music in the show - songs that are appropriate to the period are often sung or performed, but the theme song sounds a lot like The Walking Dead, as a complete aside.

Broadchurch is probably not for everyone. It takes place in a small coastal town in Britain and centers around the death of a boy and the investigation that follows. I didn't predict any of the twists and I found it to be well written and well acted. It was a bit suspenseful, but not too much so (too much suspense gives me nightmares), and another great who-dunnit. Also, David Tennant is the lead so a big yay for Doctor Who fans everywhere. If you have watched The Bletchley Circle and you enjoyed it I do think you'll enjoy this one.

If you liked Broadchurch then you'll like Hinterland. This show a lot like Wallander or even Sherlock at its more intense moments, except this show is a bit creepy and makes Wales seems really, really creepy. I loved it. It's intense, smart, edgy, and its characters have a lot of back-story and dimension. Great writing and wonderful acting.

(Okay, totally cheating and throwing this in here. If you like mysteries / detective shows that aren't as flashy as Law & Order and you like westerns, but not so much these Brit shows I'm telling you about then you should watch Longmire. Travis and I both enjoyed it. A lot.)

And now for something totally different: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. For very different reasons than Hinterland  this show is not going to be for everybody but I thought it was hilarious. The theme song has been stuck in my head for over a week now. The show is almost silly, the characters are kooky, and the cultural jokes are often spot-on and really funny. The show pokes fun at everyone, which I appreciated, so no one can feel like they're being ganged up on, and overall I think the show just exists to make us laugh. If you liked 30 Rock you will enjoy this.

I love Good Eats because it combines useful information, delicious food and drink, and campy humor. This is a show I think the whole family can watch and everyone will enjoy - science, humor, recipes, history - it's all there!



Okay, another cheat:

Begin Again was on Netflix for awhile but is no longer so you'll have to go to your local video store to find this one, which is what we did because I was binging my way through Doctor Who for the third time while it was online. Travis picked this one up and brought it home to me after a long rough day, thinking it looked like a movie I would like. He was right.

The movie is about a singer-songwriter (Kiera Knightley) whose musician boyfriend (Adam Levine) breaks up with her, leaving her stranded and alone in New York City. She finds her friend (James Corden) which leads to a washed-up producer (Mark Ruffalo) hearing her perform. And in between it all some really wonderful things are said and the right people end up with the right people and I just really enjoyed it.


Okay. Enough. Thank you so much to Kelly for hosting the link-up. Have a great weekend, everyone!

7QT - Downton, crying, and mugs

1 - Ellie Holcomb's "Marvelous Light."


2 - Thank you for all the warm well wishes and excitement surrounding the new radio show I am co-hosting with Heather and Rebecca. I'm excited and really nervous and would appreciate your prayers. And if you haven't yet, make sure you find us on Facebook so we can keep you posted on updates since most stuff has to stay top secret right now.


3 - Last night I finally was able to watch the season finale of Downton Abbey. If you haven't watched it yet jump to #4. ....... Okay, for the rest of us: Carson! Wasn't it so great when he proposed to Mrs. Hughes?!  And I really thought they would do something at the end so Tom would stay because I really don't want him to leave. Maybe next season will start off with him and Sybie coming back from the US. He's just so good and that is needed. I

 really loved Lord Grantham and Tom going to Edith and letting her know that they know about Marigold. So sweet. (And who cast Marigold? Someone who had a favor to fulfill, that's what I think.) I hope Edith finds love again, and I hope Mary does too, as long as it's someone who makes her less of a jerk. I'm so tired of Mary being a jerk to Edith.

The whole Bates and Anna and the dead scumbag thing feels like the song that never ends. I hope the married couple skipping away at the end of the episode brings about two things: an end to that tiring story arch and a baby.

Finally, didn't you love how the family responded to Mosley and Baxter when they explained how they had visited all those pubs? They were so touched and proud and I cried.


4 - I actually am crying a lot lately. So there's that.


5 - A painter immortalized the last meal of 600 death row inmates, as PBS shares. Her paintings, and the broken lives they symbolize, will break your heart.


6 - I always appreciate when someone on the outside publishes a piece respectfully written about the Catholic Church and acknowledges the hypocrisy that can come from the government and some liberals, so I am a fan of the Wall Street Journal's A Fight to Keep Catholic Schools Catholic.


7 - These mugs are great, aren't they?

They come from here, if you're interested (not an affiliate link, just something I liked)



Thank you, Kelly, for hosting again. Have a good weekend everyone!

Seven Quick Takes

1 - JJ Heller and her husband wrote a new song for those of us who are trying to get our acts together.


2 - Speaking of which, thank you for the overwhelmingly supportive response you gave me to my post about my health. A lot of you suggested PCOS and thyroid issues as the culprit and you may be right. I left many, many viles of blood at my midwife's office earlier in the week with high hopes that the more extensive lab work will show something that my primary physician's lab work didn't.


3 - Are you praying for Paul Coakley? Oh man, am I ever. When I first heard his story from his very good friend Mary the first thing I thought was, "Fulton Sheen, you need to get on this." And then I saw that the Coakleys are specifically asking for Blessed Margaret of Castello's intercession and so I thought, "Fulton Sheen, you need to talk to Margaret up there! Let's get this job done!"

Then I got an email from a woman I know; she's the mother of my friend Maria. She was reading Mary's blog and saw my comment on the post about Paul. She emailed me and told me this:

4 - Also, Maria's mother and father have in their possession Fulton Sheen's traveling Mass kit. (I know, shut the front door, right?) 

This has all the prayers on it... in Latin.

When they travel they take it with them and offer priests to celebrate Mass using it. Last summer they were in the area visiting their daughter and brought it to my house. It was amazing. If my kids weren't running around like crazy and I wasn't incredibly afraid that they'd ruin something I probably would have cried. 

They had no idea how cool it was, but I was sneaking kisses.

And just to show you how much they didn't get it, the boys insisted on getting out their play mass kit and having them take pictures of it. 

5 - Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations for the Sheenazing Awards. Over 250 came in! The voting will begin next week. It'll be fun! 


6 - In case you haven't heard the sad news, Netflix is getting rid of The Walking Dead, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and Doctor Who. Guys, I love all three of those shows. Zombies, ponies, and time traveling aliens - three of my favorite things. 

They better bring Endevour back. 

Here's some other shows I love, if you're looking for suggestions. 


7 - Okay. I know a lot of people don't watch videos that are embedded in blogs. BUT! If you grew up in the 90's, or remember the 90's, or are just interested in pop culture trivia you really, really, really should watch this video. 

"Closing Time" - it's not about what you think it's about. 

7QT - Regina Coeli, Indianapolis, and other stuff

Muchas gracias, Senora Fulwiler, por hosting Siete Rapido Takes cada semana.
(Once I was praying the Hail Mary in Spanish with a Mexican friend. I kept saying "pescadores" instead of "pecadores". So I was saying, "Pray for us fishermen now and at the hour of our death." Amen.)


1 - I like to listen to Kate Rusby in the Spring when things feel a little whimsical or fresh. I first heard her sing when I watched the movie Heartlands. I really liked that movie when I first watched it over 10 years ago. I saw that it's streaming on Netflix and watched it again recently. I didn't find it as special, but the scene where he gets his hair cut and jumps over the shadows still made me smile. The biggest shock came from seeing Mr. Carson as a creep.


2 -  Did you hear about the new Fox show called Gotham? It looks really, really, really, really good and since we love Batman in this house we will definitely be tuning in.



3 - In preparation for our move we are purging and packing, but mostly purging. Today I loaded my mom's car with all kinds of things for a garage sale she's going to have this weekend. Ben asked what was happening with the toys and I told him they were going to Grandma's house. I said nothing of the coming garage sale... we'll see how this goes over. We used to have a play gas station that he never ever played with. It was big and all they did was destroy it so it would have to be reassembled every day. I finally gave it to a consignment shop and now when we drive by the shop he will ask me why, oh why did I get rid of his gas station.

4 - Every day at 6am, 12 noon, and 6pm Catholics have traditionally prayed the Angelus. However, during the season of Easter the Angelus is replaced with the Regina Coeli. I have plans for my next house: in the dining room I want to hang a print of the Morning Offering, then the Angelus or Regina Coeli, and then the Act of Contrition so my family can pray them together at breakfast, lunch, and after dinner. We'll see if we actually do that but it's my goal! Kendra made up a really lovely print of the Morning Offering and Act of Contrition and I decided to try my hand at the Regina Coeli.

It's not perfect, but it's not too bad for one of my first attempts.


5 - I'm really excited because this summer I'll be speaking at the Theology on Tap on June 25 in Indianapolis. If you live in the area it would be great to see you! I'll be speaking about JF and his alleged miraculous healing through the intercession of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen. It's a good story.

If you're gonna be there please let me know! I really would love to meet you. *cough, cough Sarah cough*

6 - Also, as we continue to pray for Sheen's cause and hopefully his eventual canonization, I'm thrilled to say that Katie Bogner and I have teamed up to offer a mini conference on Fulton Sheen. We can speak on his life, the canonization process, the alleged miraculous healing of my son through his intercession. We can also speak on reasons why we need him as a saint, his devotion to Mary and love of the Eucharist, and his thoughts on suffering. Also, because Katie is a DRE and Catholic school teacher she has created a curriculum to teach students about their faith while they are also learning about Fulton Sheen. She can present on ways to teach kids about Sheen, to catechize with Sheen, and present workshops on crafts, games, and lessons.

If you are interested in having Katie, me, or both of us present to your CCD teachers, staff, homeschool group, mom group, or at your conference or workshop please email me at bonniefandel {at} gmail {dot} com.


7 - Today my great uncle Fred is being laid to rest. Will you please take a moment and pray for the repose of his soul? Thank you and God bless.

Five Favourite Things from the Interwebs

Many thanks to Christy for hosting this week!

1 - This video from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. I love his ragtime covers of songs!




2 - The following links, which were all really, really good:
Surviving and Thriving by Rachel at Testosterhome
Outside the Box: 66 Things to Give Up or Do for Lent by Kendra at Catholic All Year
Stages of Edel Gathering Acceptance and Denial by Molly at Molly Makes Do
What Love Looks Like by Calah at Barefoot and Pregnant
Why I Rarely Post Baby Bump Photos by Jessica at Housewifespice
The Catholic Subculture Is Cooler Than You Think by Christy (our host this week) at Fountains of Home
The One that Got Away by Heather at Mama Knows, Honeychild
Half Bear, Half Man, Half Dad, Two-Thirds Catholic, All Bad at Fractions by Daniel at Daniel Bearman Stewart (aka, Haley's husband)
Tour of the NICU by Beth at A Mom's Life



3 - Endevour

There's the movie and the series. Both are done by Masterpiece and both are good. If you like Sherlock then you'll enjoy Endevour. (Both can also be streamed on Netflix.)



4 - Inside Out Carrot Cake Cupcakes

After I saw this on Pinterest I went immediately to my fridge and shook my fist an the memory of using up the last of my cream cheese. Next week I am making these babies for my mom group. You can get the recipe here.



5 - Our family's favorite pizza recipe:

It makes a delicious, thick crust pizza pie.

You can find my recipe here.

10 Shows to Love on Netflix

Snow day? Sick day? Introvert-post-social-function-recovery day? Wanting a show to watch, episode after episode? Or maybe you're just looking for a new show to enjoy a little at a time, not something to binge on in one day.

Whatever your reason, if you're looking for some good television viewing here my top ten picks, all of which are available for streaming from Netflix.

(Disclaimer: Some of the shows have mild language, some scantily clad women, some guns. I don't know what will offend you or be fine by you but I am definitely not encouraging you to sit down with the whole family and a bowl of popcorn before you preview them for your kids.)

Life

Detective Charlie Crews was framed for murder, spent several years in jail, and was then exonerated. After prison Charlie gets a whole lot of money and his job back, where he begins to investigate who framed him and why. The show is told a bit like a documentary, especially in the beginning as they are establishing Crews' back story. The things I love about this show: how quirky and funny it is. While in prison Charlie missed some advancements in technology (like phones have cameras), he really missed fresh fruit, and he picked up Zen thinking to help him cope. I'm not sure why this show was cancelled - it's so good! - but the writers saw it coming and were able to wrap the show up nicely by the end of the second season.

White Collar

Smart, witty, beautiful: this show is really different than a lot of television. White Collar follows Neal Caffrey, a con artist who does white collar crimes like art and bond forgery, as he works off the remainder of his prison sentence by serving as a consultant to Peter Burke, the head of the FBI's white collar division in New York City. Things I like about this show: the characters are all smart and are pursuing important pieces of art, history, and culture. (I know that sounds snooty but you'll like it too.) Peter and his wife have a really great marriage. Also, Tiffani Thiesen stars in it and that makes me happy to see "Kelly Kapowski" again. The best part about the show: MOZZIE! 

The Walking Dead

Zombie apocylpse, at it's best. The Walking Dead is based on the graphic novels by the same name. It follows police officer Rick Grimes and the band of survivors as they try to find a safe place to live and try to thrive in a world filled with the living dead. The show is gory, scary, and gruesome and, speaking as a parent, the premise is 100% horrifying. The first time I watched the show I literally watched through my fingers as I covered my eyes with my hands. The show is interesting and really well done. It's scary but it's worth the lack of sleep.

Friday Night Lights

"Clear eyes, full hearts can't lose." Okay, really I never know what Coach Taylor is talking about when he says that but I was never an athlete. Yet I still love this show. Despite the fact that it's about high schoolers and some of the characters are just annoying (Jason, Lyla, Julie). Reasons to love it: Coach and Tammi Taylor's relationship, Tammi Taylor, Landry, Seracen, Seracen's grandma, football. It's a sweet show about relationships, small town life, and how sports can build community.

Lost

A plane crashes on a mysterious island and the survivors try to figure out what the heck is going on. You try to figure out what is going on. And then it ends and you're still trying to figure it out. But just enjoy the ride. There's so many interesting, likeable characters and I found myself really invested in what happened to them. The other nice thing about Lost is that so many of its actors have gone on to star in other shows. I love flipping on the tv and bumping in to an old friend from the island.

Sherlock

A modern retelling of Sir Arthur Connan Doyle's classics, which I've never read so I have no idea if they "get it right" and quite frankly I don't care. Sherlock is brilliant. Each episode is movie length and those 90 minutes are filled with excellent writing, clever characters, fantastic dialogue, and British accents. What is not to love?! And please allow me to go on record and state that I love Molly Hooper.

Jericho

If you're looking for a more family friendly end of the world type show this is it. Jericho isn't a very slick show, it's simple and sweet, though, and a nice watch. It takes place in a small town that remained safe from a series of nuclear bombs that took out all major US cities. It's borders on cheesy from time to time but, quite frankly, I'd prefer some more cheesy, sentimental, "we'll-pull-through-it-together" type shows. Some books are "light reading" - this is "light viewing."

Freaks and Geeks

Freaks and Geeks just might have been the perfect show about teenagers ever. It's the most real account of high school and adolescence I've ever seen and watching it is like looking at old pictures from my family album. I appreciated Lindsey and Millie's friendship, Mr. and Mrs. Wier's marriage, how the show talks about sex, and Bill's peanut allergies. It's funny, sweet, and really well done. The only problem with the show is that there just one season. And how it ends (What the heck, Lindsey?!?). So two. There's two problems. But that's not bad for tv!

Doctor Who

The Doctor is an alien, of the Time Lord race, who travels through all of space and time in his Tardis - a spaceship that is disguised as a blue, British police box. He travels with companions and they go about saving the day. Also, he can regenerate so start with the 9th Doctor (I know, living mannequins, but it gets so much better.) and hold on to your hat. The show is a little silly, a little goofy, a little sentimental, and a lot of fun. Watch it and finally get all the jokes about Whovians, bow ties being cool, things being fantastic, and not blinking. Allons-y!

The Chicago Code

The Chicago Code follows a small group of police officers as they work to bring down the most powerful and corrupt city alderman. Good writing, good acting, and a really good story - my husband and I are still unsure why this show was cancelled. If you usually like cop shows then you should definitely watch it. If you don't usually "do" cop shows you should still give it a try, especially if you love Chicago.



So there you go. My ten favorite series, all available for streaming on Netflix.
Did I pick your favorites? Did I overlook any? I'd love to hear about your faves in the comment box.

And happy viewing!