Harry Potter #7 review and thrift finds

I'm back with a movie review. I think a better title might have been "Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix: The Highlights" because that's what it felt like! I know it must have been a screenwriter's nightmare to try to condense an 800-page book about fantasy and magic into a two-hour movie that needed to be done on a budget. All the most vital plot points made it into the movie, but it felt a bit rushed and choppy--I wonder if you haven't read the book if you'd really understand what was going on! I think the Harry Potter movies are better viewed as companions to the books, not replacements for them.

At any rate, the new theater was an interesting experience. The theaters were small by normal standards but the chairs were big and comfy and they all had either a counter or a table in front. The servers took our orders and we got our food right as the movie was starting. The servers came and went during the movie but it wasn't really that distracting. What was distracting was the giant green line that kept showing up down the middle of the screen! For a movie that is less than a week old, I definitely expect the print to be in better shape than that! I complained to a server who said she'd talk to the manager. She really must have followed through, because not long after that the manager came through with free movie tickets for everyone to compensate for the poor screen quality. That was definitely the right thing for them to do!

We had one minor disaster--when we left, Maren and the babysitter were outside in the backyard. I opened the sliding glass door to say goodbye and then as I shut it I must have locked it out of habit! We left on our merry way and had just sat down in our seats at the theater when my neighbor called to tell us what was happening. The babysitter had gone over to their house when she found the doors locked and luckily her 8-year-old son was home. They have one of our spare keys for just such an occasion but since the new Maren-proof sliding lock at the top of the front door was engaged, they couldn't get in! The garage keypad doesn't work right now because it needs to be reprogrammed, so the neighbor called his mom, and she in turn called us. Luckily, the theater is only about 10 minutes away and so I rushed home and opened the door for them. Also luckily we had been really early to the theater so I was back before the movie even started. I was so embarrassed, and it does give me the impetus to get that garage keypad reprogrammed NOW!

I promised yard sale goodies, but I think I'll post them tomorrow so I can tell you more about the yard sale where I found them. What I do have for you are a couple of thrifted items from a while ago and some stuff that my mom found for me.

First is a set of vintage curtain valances with the most charming print! They are covered with tulips, windmills and little Dutch girls, all in red and yellow and gray. There are four panels and for valances they are quite long. I think they're handmade because the stitching is a little wonky on one of them but they are lined and the fabric is in really great shape. They are SO cute and I love them so much I want to string a ribbon through the casing and wear them as a skirt! If I really wanted to hang them I'd have to cut a bunch off the bottom and re-hem and I'm just not brave enough to do that right now.

This is a really sweet vintage cardigan. It is cream-colored wool and is lined so that it won't be scratchy. It is covered front and back with these beautiful embroidered roses in pink and yellow and it has pearl buttons all up the front. There is a tiny moth hole and some of the buttons need to be resewn but I thought it would be fun to wear this winter. I need some funky jewelry and boots or something so I don't look like too much of an old lady, though! I may have to get some fashion advice from Miss Jungle Dream Pagoda! She always knows what to do. :)

And one last photo for today, of the old windows I bought a few weekends ago. They're still sitting in the garage, all dirty and covered with spiderwebs, so I need to get them out and hose them off. If you look close you can see all the old chippy paint and the cool hardware up on the top. My grand plan is to hang these by chains from the ceiling but I'm going to need some engineering help to make it work so it may be a little while before that happens. I've got plenty to keep me busy in the meantime!