Frozen Outdoor Movie Party : Frozen Birthday Party Ideas

Disney’s Frozen is still reigning as a giant with it’s legions of pint-sized fans.  Costumes are sold out.  Good luck finding the toys.  Luck is exactly what you’ll need, unless you want to pay an arm and a leg.  There is no end in sight to the fervor for famous sisters, Anna and Elsa.  That fervor very much includes Tate, who knew without a doubt, what kind of party she’d choose for her third birthday.

So, uh, tell me.  What made the queen go all ice crazy?  --Kristoff, Frozen

Not only did she want a Frozen party, Miss Stephanie would make her an Anna + Elsa cake, and she wanted an ice castle too.  Which was charming considering it is July.  I’m no Elsa, as Tate pointed out, when I tried to explain the fact that it wasn’t winter. 

Duh, there would be an ice castle.   Elsa would just make it with her ice magic.

I’m gonna tell him!

Don’t you dare!  --Anna and Kristoff, Frozen

MOST importantly, above all else, she wanted an Elsa dress.  The dress that was sold out everywhere.  Because, of course.

 

Tate didn’t doubt it for a moment.  Like icy magic, it came together exactly as she said it would. 

DIY Elsa Dress

Wow. Elsa, you look different. It's a good different. And this place...it's amazing.  -- Anna, Frozen

By DIY, I mean, I am convinced that my mother-in-law is secretly a fairy godmother because this dress is spectacular.  {She also did Tate’s Tinkerbell caplet for Halloween last year.}   Sue listened to my crazy ideas, had a couple top secret fittings with her very impatient Elsa-adoring granddaughter, and gave her the best gift ever.  She wears her Elsa dress daily, you can see why.  The dress snaps on to her bodysuit which is washable. Grandma even thought to sew a bit of extra length into it so as she gets taller, the dress will grow with her.

 

 

Elsa’s Ice Castle

The cold never bothered me anyway.  --Elsa, Frozen

When I was laughing and telling my husband about the fact that she requested an ice castle, her brother suggested using a tent.  It was a stroke of sheer genius and we already owned it.  The canopy came with sides that we have never used.  They were easy to attach, so we put three sides up and made it our official Elsa’s Ice Castle concessions.  We added some icicle Christmas lights and borrowed some hanging snowflakes from my mom’s Christmas decorations and threw in an Elsa chandelier for good measure.  I made a few Arendelle-esque banners tied together with glittery, sparkly tulle. 

Note to self: Glitter never goes away.  Ever.

 

   

  

Frozen Movie Menu

We finish each other’s…

Sandwiches!

That’s what I was gonna say!  -- Hans & Anna, Frozen

First up, the cake!  Stephanie at SugarBean created this cute masterpiece.  She melted down purple and blue jolly ranchers to make shards of ‘ice’ and she had a special surprise waiting on the inside!

 

SugarBean also created these cute Frozen themed cookies that were a HUGE hit with the kids.  There might have been some rock, paper, scissors over who got the last Olaf.

I made these Sven Chocolate Covered Oreo Pops and had summer Olaf taped to mini twirly suckers!  We threw in some of Sven’s favorite snacks, carrots cut up with ranch dip and a spicy nacho dip with chips to counteract the sugar overload.  We also had tons of popcorn and some pink Goldfish crackers because they are a favorite of the birthday girl.

 

 

My intention was to color the lemonade an icy blue with a packet of blue Kool-aid and I completely forgot to add it!

 

Dave’s aunt brought this adorable Anna piñata from Austin when she came up this summer.  It was as tall as Tate and so cute we couldn’t bring ourselves to break it!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Tate!

Some people are worth melting for.  --Olaf, Frozen

After gift opening and cake, the kids {and some of the adults} chose glittery necklaces and princess crowns.  Then everyone hit the concessions for popcorn and movie treats.   

The main event was the outdoor screening of Frozen and the kids loved it.  We had our usual movie night set up with blow up air mattresses, blankets, pillows and tons of chairs.  The screen is just a white sheet hung on the fence, but the kids just think it’s magical every time we have an outdoor movie.  There was a lot of singing and laughing… and quite a bit of cheering when Anna punched Hans.

A pretty good birthday, she tells me.

 

There are a TON of Frozen birthday party ideas, if you need more, check out my Frozen Pinterest Board!

50 Things To Watch on Netflix.

This morning, my friend Alli who is happily snowed in at her house in Atlanta, asked what to watch on Netflix.  I gave her my suggestions and then realized there were so many more that I wanted to add.  Our Netflix account has been a sanity saver while stuck in the house lately, today is Snow Day #8 this month.  Do I need to say more?

There are so many things on Netflix Instant that you can stream to your heart’s delight and never watch the same thing twice.  It seems like they’re constantly pulling things and adding new, which I like… except when I want to binge watch every episode of The Facts of Life and it’s already gone. 

And if you don’t have the ‘Flix, don’t fret.   When available, I’ve linked you to everything on Amazon Instant too, you can stream it right from your computer.  {Disclosure: These are Amazon Affiliate links, if you watch something I recommend from the link, I get pennies.  Feel free to go to Amazon directly if you don’t want me to have pennies, I’m totally ok with that.  If you have Amazon Prime, a bunch of those are free to you.}

Here are 50 of my favorite things to watch on Netflix right now.

Stand Up Comedy.

Laugh till you pee your pants.

• Kevin Hart : I’m a Grown Little Man {Watch on Amazon}
• John Caparulo : Meet Cap {Watch on Amazon}
• Jim Gaffigan : Mr Universe {Watch on Amazon}
• Aziz Ansari : Buried Alive
• Bill Burr : Let it Go {Watch on Amazon}
• Sebatian Maniscalco : What’s Wrong With People {Watch on Amazon}
• Kevin Hart : Seriously Funny {Watch on Amazon}

 

TV Shows on Netflix.

I can’t be held responsible for your binge watching every season of these favorites.

• The West Wing {Watch on Amazon}  OK, so this is the only TV series that I actually own on DVD.  It is such an intelligent, funny, well written show.  Watch it.
• Scandal {Watch on Amazon}  Kerry Washington is brilliant as Olivia Pope.  If you’re wondering what everyone is talking about, now is your chance to catch up.
• Mythbusters {Watch on Amazon}  The team tests the science behind crazy myths we all have heard.  Want to find out if double dipping is really as awful as Seinfeld wants us to believe? How about that guy who supposedly escaped from Alcatraz? Or if taking a shower in a thunderstorm is really a bad idea?
• New Girl {Watch on Amazon} Roommates, crushes, the most un-PC ridiculously funny Schmidt, lots of hipstery angst and laughter, it’s like hanging out with a group of friends.
• Keeping Up Appearances {Watch on Amazon}  This is an old British show that my friend Amanda and I are hooked on, Hyacinth will have you secretly glad you’ve escaped tea on her Royal Dalton china.
• White Collar {Watch on Amazon}  Neil Cafferty is a con man who ends up working for the FBI.  Guys will think he’s awesome, girls will think he’s hot.  It’s a win win if you ask me.
• Ally McBeal   An old favorite.
• Lie to Me {Watch on Amazon}  This is one of the most intelligent, mind-screwing shows on TV.
• The Office {Watch on Amazon}  Oh Jim and Pam before they were Jim and Pam.  And Dwight… who doesn’t love Dwight?
• How I Met Your Mother {Watch on Amazon}  This is the last season of HIMYM, so why not catch up on the whole saga from the beginning?
• Dexter {Watch on Amazon}  Creepy.  Crazy.  Awesome.

 

Netflix Movies.

Old school to new releases, these are some of the best movies on Netflix.

• Beautiful Girls {Watch on Amazon} A musician goes home again, friendship, family, and a very young Natalie Portman
• Butter {Watch on Amazon} Who knew the annual butter carving contest was so cutthroat?  Jennifer Gardner is perfection in this movie. 
• Drinking Buddies {Watch on Amazon}  Two best friends trying to figure out where they stand, set in a microbrewery.
• War of the Buttons {Watch on Amazon}  Two ‘gangs’ of kids from rivaling towns in Ireland fight for supremacy, based on a book.  {The one on Netflix right now is a re-make set in France, still good.  I linked the Irish one on the Amazon.}
• Girls Just Wanna Have Fun {Watch on Amazon}  A young Sarah Jessica Parker has an Army dad and a Catholic school to deal with as she enters a TV dance competition.
• Bernie {Watch on Amazon}  Jack Black stars in this true story of a murderer who was so well liked that the entire town didn’t want him to go to jail.
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off {Watch on Amazon}  Skipping school is never this awesome in real life. 
• Marvel’s Avengers {Watch on Amazon}  We’re big fans of Marvel, this was a favorite.  Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye are in this version.
• Planes, Trains, and Automobiles {Watch on Amazon}  John Candy and Steve Martin.  It pretty much doesn’t get more comedy genius than this. 
• The Breakfast Club {Watch on Amazon}  Am 80s classic.  Misfits and adventure during an all day detention.

 

Documentaries.

These aren’t your mama’s boring documentaries.  Swearing man in a Winnebago?  Excruciating looks into the death of a friend?  And sushi, lots of sushi.

• Dear Zachary  Filmmaker loses his friend to murder and films a documentary about him to give to his son.  You will be absolutely RIVITED. 
• Gotta Dance  A geriatric hip hop dance group.
• Frontrunners  {Watch on Amazon}  Four students campaign for student council at one of NYC’s most competitive public schools.
• Jiro Dreams of Sushi {Watch on Amazon}  The story of Jiro, who runs an exclusive and extremely expensive sushi restaurant in Japan.  Japanese with subtitles.
• Indie Game : The Movie {Watch on Amazon}  You will be cheering on {and wondering if they are a little nuts} these creators of indie video games.
• Exit Through the Gift Shop {Watch on Amazon}  The secret world of Banksy, street tagging, and bizarre happenings.
• Winnebago Man {Watch on Amazon}  The story of an old training video that hits YouTube and makes its profane and elusive host very famous.
• Being Elmo : A Puppeteer’s Journey {Watch on Amazon} The man behind Elmo and how Elmo came into our lives.
• Craigslist Joe {Watch on Amazon}  A man who travels across the country using nothing but Craigslist.
• Bill Cunningham New York {Watch on Amazon}  Bill Cunningham rides his bike around NYC photographing street style with a non-digital camera.  He’s an absolutely fascinating artist and human being.
• Life In a Day July 24, 2010 as filmed by tons of people and edited by the filmmaker. 
• Pressure Cooker  Students at an impoverished school compete at a culinary competition for life altering scholarships. 
• The Queen of Versailles {Watch on Amazon}  It starts as a documentary of a wealthy couple building the largest house in the United States, then the recession hits and it turns into something entirely different.

 

Guilty Pleasures.

This is the stuff that is so delightfully trashy that you can’t look away, but don’t want to admit watching to any of your friends.  Don’t judge, just enjoy.

• Kell on Earth {Watch on Amazon} Kelly is a publicist in NYC
• Tanked {Watch on Amazon}  Two brothers-in-law run a company building ridiculously awesome fish tanks.
• Alaska : The Last Frontier {Watch on Amazon}  Follow a family in Alaska as they prep for and survive winter.
• American Chopper {Watch on Amazon}  A father and two sons spend more time bickering than working on unreal motorcycles.
• Sister Wives {Watch on Amazon}  One guy, three wives, and about a bajillion kids.
• Long Island Medium {Watch on Amazon}  Theresa is a medium who can’t stop giving readings in the most inopportune places.
• Moonshiners {Watch on Amazon}  Who knew that moonshine was still big {and highly illegal} business?  These guys are slightly crazy and the accents are so deep south that there are sometimes subtitles.
• NYC Prep {Watch on Amazon} Reality show based on a group of friends at an elite prep school in NYC.
• DC Cupcakes {Watch on Amazon}  Two sisters take Washington DC by the cupcakes.

 

OK peeps, what am I missing?  Tell me your current Netflix faves!

Favorite Documentaries.

We are constantly in search of what to watch on Netflix.  I didn’t think I was a documentary type of girl, but I’ve been completely smitten with them lately.

Here are 6 fascinating documentaries that we loved watching.

<<Being Elmo>>  Everyone is so enamored by Elmo that we almost forget about the man behind the puppet.  This is the story of Kevin Clash, the journey he took to become a puppeteer and how he came to give Elmo life.  It made me love Elmo even more.

<<Indie Game: The Movie>>  The film follows several independent game designers as they develop their games and hope for breakthrough success.  It also explores the quirky sensibility these personalities bring to their art form.  I added this to the queue because I thought Dave would love it, it has coding and geekery aplenty, I’m not even a video game fan and I was totally rooting for them by the end.

<<Winnebago Man>> You get to meet Jack Rebney, who became an Internet sensation after a grainy, nearly 20-year-old video of him furiously swearing up a storm while filming a Winnebago sales video made the rounds online. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer tracks down Rebney -- who's become known in underground circles as the "Angriest Man in the World" -- and tries to discover what makes the loner tick.  Have you ever wondered about the real people behind some of the funny shit that is on YouTube? Jack is a character and a half that you will fall in love with despite the constant barrage of F-bombs. If hearing swearing makes you cringe, you’ll want to skip this one.

<<Exit Through The Gift Shop>>  Filmmaker Thierry Guetta's project to chronicle the underground world of street art takes a fascinating twist when he meets elusive stencil artist Banksy, who turns the project around to film Guetta while he reinvents himself as a street artist.  This was another that Dave and I both loved and were really surprised by.

<<The September Issue>> Several years ago a film crew followed Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue as she and her staff put together the famed September Issue.  Fascinating glimpse into the world of high fashion and the infamous Anna.

<<Dear Zachary>>  Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne makes a tribute to his murdered friend, Andrew, and tells the story of a child custody battle won by Andrew's ex-girlfriend and accused killer.  Dave and I both were sucked into this film, it is an absolute must watch.  And grab the tissues.

Have you seen any of these?  What are your favorite documentaries?  We’d love some more suggestions!

Currently.

I’m currently watching The Kennedys miniseries on Netflix.  And Big Brother 13.  It’s amazing how they’re pretty much polar opposites, and yet both are centered on a house and a bunch of crazy people.

I’m currently listening to Ingrid Michaelson on Pandora.  Gorgeous voice.  Check her out.

I’m currently reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  It has been on my ‘must read’ list for years, ever since I did this gift series in 2009.  I finally picked it up for myself and it’s been worth the wait.

Your turn!  What are you watching, listening to, and reading right now?

Mr Potter

Yes, I am one of those people.

I am just a pair of Harry glasses and a Gryffindor scarf away from dressing up to attend movies.

I didn’t think I would ever be one of those people, but it happened anyway.  Way back even before I knew Dave, I was out in San Francisco on vacation.  My aunt and uncle have an entire wall of books in their house and they convinced me, despite my protests that I do not like magical, make believe, totally unrealistic books, to pick up Harry Potter and give it a read.

I protested that it wasn’t my thing.  Just try it, they said.  Harry Potter pushers, the two of them.

By the end of the vacation, I had blasted through books one and two.  I could NOT put them down.  The third I bought in the bookstore in the airport and had almost finished it by the time our plane landed in Detroit.

The fourth?  My mom bought it for me for Christmas and I stayed up the entire night reading it.  I may have also done that for books five, six, and seven as well. 

Book seven, the last, was a special one because not only did Dave venture to the store to procure it for me at midnight because he is quite possibly the best husband in the world, but he also entertained Finnegan for the entire next day so that I could read it straight through.

This weekend, my sisters and I are going to the final movie.  Yes, yes, I know how it ends.  It doesn’t quell the excitement one bit.

It’s bittersweet though, this, the last movie.  The last bit of Mr Potter left.  The books are done and now, so are the movies. 

So tell me, are you one of those people as well?  Will you see the last movie this weekend?

Don’t Mess With Kevin Bacon.

There are some movies that are just icons, movies that you just don’t screw with.  They are generation defining.  There can be no other.

Either they are SO bad that they are good, spurring a cult like following, think Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Or they capture a point in your life so amazingly well that you can’t imagine not having their awesomeness to relive over and over again, think pretty much everything made by John Hughes in the 1980s.  Movies that you can utter a few little words to your friends, “nobody puts Baby in the corner,” and  I’ve had the time of my life begins playing through your head.  You’re singing it right now, aren’t you and imagining yourself saying something stupid like, “I carried a watermelon,” to the Patrick Swayze of your dreams?

Iconic.

Call me a curmudgeon, but does this current generation have a Grease or a Saturday Night Fever or Jaws?  No?  How about a Top Gun, or maybe a Goonies, or The Breakfast Club?  No, no they don’t.

Will you take a look at this? 

You read that right.  If you’re screaming, “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!” in rage at the computer screen right now, it’s justified. 

They re-made Footloose. 

The prom with the twinkly lights and the ceiling full of stars.  The sneaking off to the bar behind Reverend Moore’s back.  Ren teaching Willard to dance to the tune of Let’s Hear It for the Boy.  Re-made it.

What?!?!

Who thought this was a good idea?  Fess up, you dirty bastard.  Who, because I want to give them a quick punch to the testicles.

Go on, see up there in the right hand corner of my screen?  Click that little Facebook ‘share’ button on this one and see if you don’t have anyone over thirty pissed off at the sheer idiocy at the thought of ever replacing the real Footloose.

I mean if they remade Breakfast at Tiffany’s, who could play Holly?  No one like Audrey.  No one.

Isn’t it enough that LiLo went and screwed up my beloved The Parent Trap?  I’m sure we can all agree that Johnny Depp is in fact, not the real Willy Wonka.  And Vince Vaughn in Psycho is laughable!  Re-makes generally suck.  The ONLY one I can think of off the top of my head that doesn’t suck is Oceans Eleven and I half think it’s because of the hot factor.  Face it, even Bernie Mac is hot in that movie being a bad ass.  Those boys did the Rat Pack proud.

But this?  This?  You don’t mess with Risky Business, you don’t try to re-create Cool Hand Luke, there are no knock-offs that can ever replace the Duckiness of Jon Cryer in Pretty in Pink.  And you don’t fuck with Kevin Bacon. 

Everybody Footloose.

 

$10 and an Hour - Gift for the MOVIE LOVER

This is a great, very easy gift to put together for really anyone on your Christmas giving list.  From men, women, or couples, you can customize the movie and the candy to the recipient.  Fabulous classic movies can be found at Target for less than $5 or you may even luck out at the clearance bin at the grocery if yours carries movies. 

For this gift, I had leftover popcorn containers {on the left} from Dave's outdoor movie screening party, but we found these cute plastic popcorn containers {on the right} at both the Dollar Spot {DS} at Target and the Dollar Store, so  you can inexpensively recreate the same look.

Now the goods.  We picked up When Harry Met Sally {a classic!} at Target for $4.75.  The Target Dollar Spot yielded a 3 pack box of Act II mini popcorn bags and the cute popcorn container for $1 each.  The Dollar Store had a wealth of 'movie candy' so our choices were endless.  We went with a bag of Jolly Ranchers, an 8 pack of mini Butterfingers, & Cookie Dough candy for $1 each.  That brings the Grand Total for the cute movie themed gift to a whopping $9.75!

To put it all together, I opened the bag of Jolly Ranchers and the box of Act II so that I could fit everything snuggly into the popcorn box.  I loaded a little tissue paper into the bottom of the box and gently fit everything into the box so that it could be seen & tucked When Harry Met Sally into the back.  You can wrap in cellophane if you'd like, give it as is with a bow, or pop it into a cute gift bag.

Other options for the movie lover that might be slightly more expensive?

Add in a movie rental giftcard instead of a dvd, a giftcard for a pizza or other takeaway dinner, & a bottle of soda... you can even give them Netflix for the number of months you'd like.

To read more about the $10 Gift series, click here.

5 Movies to Watch Over and Over. Comments Shmoments... This Deserved A Post

So, normally I do a WFMW post on Tuesday evenings, but tonight I was catching up on my reader {as in Google Reader} and came across THIS GEM from Susan over at Friday Playdate.  Go on, go over and check it out, I'll wait...

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting some more.

You're back?  So now you know why she's a blogger superstar and fabulous right?  Why I was compelled to write this post?  Well, ok... she does have a slightly unnatural love for Jane Austen, much like Dave's 86 year old Oma, but Sweet Home Alabama pretty much makes it all better.  Plus anyone that can sit through terrible movies just to make their kiddo feel better rocks... I know the torture that this entails. 

So, I was reading her post and started filling out a comment, but then I thought wow, I totally want to find out what YOU have in your top five.  I put a lot of stock in someone's movie choices, it's such a personal quirky way to get to know someone.  I mean anyone who lists Year One or Gigli in their top 5 can not be my friend ever.  Nothing before the year 2000?  Unless you are twelve, that shows serious commitment issues and even if you are twelve, it tells me your parents are not helping your development by introducing you, at the very least, to the best of the 80s.   

Without futher ado... I give you my list of movies that can be watched over and over.

1. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - SJP before Carrie Bradshaw, Helen Hunt as the funnest best friend a girl could ever want, a strict ex-military daddy, a dance show, and more hairspray than you want near open flame.
2. Cookie - I made my sister watch this movie over and over and over again as kids.  {Don't worry she paid me back with watching Hairspray! just as much.}  I was obsessed with the ex-con mobster dad played by Peter Falk,   hottie Adrain Pasdar pre-Heros as the hunk boyfriend, and spunky Cookie Voltecki, who doesn't take crap from nobooody.
3. The Parent Trap - Not the bastardized version with LL, though that was likely the last movie in which she wasn't effed up on drugs.  The ORIGINAL with Hayley Mills.  I wished as a kid that I would find out that I was a twin and meet at camp and sing terrible songs that stay in your head for days and become best friends and destroy the gold digger with a jaunty little plan and live happily ever.
4. Sixteen Candles - Anyone over the age of 27, I challenge you to say you didn't want to be leaning over a cake {hello fire hazard!} with Jake Ryan.  Dude, even Anthony Michael Hall the dorky freshman got his girl and the undies.
5. Old School - Earmuffs... This movie is fucking hilarious.  If you haven't seen it, please do so immediately.  You're my boy, Blue.  That reminds me... I need to have Dave do a post about Tito's 21st birthday because oil wrestling in the basement of your parents house with a stripper is a story that must be told. 

Honorable Mentions:  Mystic Pizza, Office Space, French Kiss, Sweet Home Alabama, Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist, Oceans Eleven, Bring It On, 40 Days & 40 Nights, Beautiful Girls, My Fair Lady

Your turn!