Christmas 2012

Brady is home for Christmas for 3 whole weeks! Squeal!

I've sure missed him and it's great to have him home.

Jason and Sharon spent the night Christmas eve so that we could open presents Christmas morning.

I didn't take too many pictures of those spoiled kids!

 Brady received the following for Christmas:

iPod touch- 16 GB (he was really surprised because I told him I couldn't get him one)

Camera

Navy blue Pea Coat

iTunes gift cards

T-shirts

 Sharon was spoiled too!

Kindle Fire was her big gift

George Foreman Grill

A few games (oops I gave them scrabble for the 2nd time - oh well she can return it)

Sharon says: Best thing ever! Don't know how I lived without it. Thank you Sondra and Amazon.

Sharon says: Yay! Bestest mother-in-law EVER!

 Sharon opening presents - the big stack next to hers is Jason's who was missing in the morning and was the last one to open presents.

 Jason wanted arts supplies:

Expensive water color paper

Water color brushes

T-shirts

Pants

Coat

I also gave Jason and Sharon a Kitchen Island - but they received it at the beginning of November as an early Christmas gift. Their new apartment has a really small kitchen with hardly any storage space or counter space. They wanted to get an island and I told them I would get it for them for Christmas. It's great and they really like it - it doubled their counter space.

Jason and Sharon gave me Apple TV. I'm loving it! Woot!

We sure were spoiled for Christmas.

I also purchased a couple of items for myself as Christmas presents:

 A new dining room table. I've wanted a glass one for a long time and a round one to fit in my space better. It's still a tight squeeze, but I love it. I ruined my other wood dining room table by putting hot bread on it to cool. It totally ruined the wood and I've wanted to get rid of it for a while and my old chairs were falling apart. I love, love, love this new dining table and chairs.  Plus, on Black Friday it had an additional $100 off the sale price. I've been looking at this set for a while now - regular price $599, then it was on sale for $499. But on Black Friday it was only $399 - SOLD! I quickly ordered it and was delighted that I waited and got it on this great deal. Merry Christmas to me!

 I've also wanted this Simon Dewey pictures for the longest time. I love it! When I saw that Seagull book had it on sale for only $99 I had to go right out and buy it. It works out so well with my black cabinet that we put our piano music in. Again, I was very happy with the sweet deal on the picture I've been wanting for several years. Now it's mine... Merry Christmas to me again. I sure am spoiled!

Later Christmas day we went to see Les Miserables. The theater was packed and we had to sit in the seats in the front part of the theater. Brady didn't want to sit there and opted to sit by himself in a better seat.

I didn't like it much at all - neither did Jason and Sharon. It was disappointing because I had been really looking forward to the movie when it was announced a year ago. The singing was really lacking - seriously bad compared to Broadway. For me, Les Miserables is all about the music - the powerful music - not high profile actors.

The acting was powerful - but I needed better singing voices to like it better.

Brady liked it better then we did because he hasn't seen it on Broadway. It was probably made more contemporary for a broader audience and younger one too.

I read a review why the actors didn't sing powerful - it was because they performed it with a a piano playing in the background and added the orchestra later. This made them sing softer instead of powerful with an orchestra.

This definitely made me understand why the singing was so quiet and mostly spoken. Terrible!

I was hoping for powerful music like the Phantom of the Opera movie - but didn't get it. We wished Gerard Butler would have been Javert and gave it the passion of the Phantom.

I won't own it or the movie soundtrack. We were so sad about the powerful songs such as "Stars" with no passion in it.

It is a powerful story - that is why I've always loved it. Most of my family who aren't addicted to it like me have really liked it.

Here is a quote from one of my friends about Amanda Seigfried - exactly my thoughts:

"Amanda Seigfried - KILL ME NOW!!! I'm sorry when she opened her mouth it sounded like a high pitched snow white and I couldn't take it, it had me cringing Every ... Single ... Time!!!!

My thoughts exactly!!

It's a powerful story - that is why I've always loved it. Most of my family who aren't addicted to it like me really liked it.