Stranded With...

Today is the last instalment of the Stranded With series.  Today we are stranded with Christmas movies. 

The Family Stone

I love this movie, and we may or may not have named our son after one of the characters.  All of the characters are so great, I am still happy to watch it over and over again. 

White Christmas

I used to watch this movie in the summer, and although I know practically all of the songs and dialogue off by heart already, I don't think I could ever get sick of it.  Plus, if I was stuck on a deserted island, maybe I could learn the choreography!

The Holiday

It was pretty difficult to choose between this one and Love Actually, but The Holiday pulled ahead by a narrow margin.  So many things about this movie that I love - the music, the homes, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, the accents, etc.  Love all of it, can't want to see it again this season!

Stranded With...

Today we are stranded with outerwear.

I have been approaching this series thinking about being stranded on an island in a warm climate, but my first thought was of my North Face parka, and I would think it would be useful even if the weather was mostly hot.  My jacket is a couple of years old, but it is similar to this one.

I would want to have a good rain jacket and pants.  My jacket is from North Face and my pants are from Mountain Equipment Co-op (I can't find links to these things on the websites since they are both about five years old).  They kept me warm and dry when we hiked to Machu Picchu.

And finally I want a cozy sweatshirt that will keep me warm when I don't need a parka and when it's not raining.  I love a good scuba hoodie from lululemon!

On a side note, I just bought this jacket at Simons. Not really functional for a deserted island, but good for the streets of Toronto.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Stranded With...

I thought I'd return to the blogging world with this simple link up, tomorrow I'll share some photos of what's happening in our life lately. 

Today we are stranded with Halloween candy.

M and Ms

I prefer these to Smarties, and I like to dump them out and sort them and eat them by colour.  

Wunderbar

This is a chocolate bar that I would never buy on a regular basis, but I enjoy them in its mini size.

Red Nibs

This is my go-to candy and I could never eat too many. I usually buy this kind to give out to our trick or treaters so I can take the leftovers.  

I think we are still in the phase where we can take candy from E's bag and he won't notice or care.  I would never eat it all but I do help myself to my favourites.  We usually send a few treats with him to school but we do limit what he eats, and so far he doesn't seem to care. 

I should have included Tootsie Rolls in this because that is what I used to trade my candy for when I was in elementary school.  But I can't say I would include them in my top three favourite now, they are too chewy and get stuck in my teeth (I'm old now). 

Stranded With...

Today we are stranded with movies.  I had a really hard time narrowing this down to three movies, but finally decided on these ones.

Almost Famous

This movie has a lot of great elements, great music, comedy, a touching story, and good character development.  I like this movie more every time I watch it.  

Dirty Dancing

Another movie that I don't think I could ever be sick of, and I already know most of the dialogue off by heart.  Maybe I could actually learn the dance if I saw it enough times, and had unlimited time to learn it. 

Ever After

This is sort of an obscure choice but I can never resist this movie when I see it on TV.  I used to own it in VHS and I remember it always made me feel better.  There is beautiful dialogue and the music is also very lovely.  I'm not a huge fan of Drew Barrymore, but I love her in this movie.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up with Shay and Erika.

Stranded With...

Today we are stranded with shoes.  These are going to be predicable choices, but they really are my favourite shoes, and especially for a deserted island setting. 

I love my Hunter Boots.  The green with the purple makes me think I'm headed to Balmoral with the Queen. 

Another staple in the uniform of the Toronto Mom is the Birkenstock sandal.  These are so comfortable and are more supportive than flip flops. 

I love Nike sneakers and have been wearing them since I was in junior high; I am brand loyalist.   This pair of Nike Frees are great. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Linking up with Shay and Erika.

Stranded With...

Today we are stranded with famous people.  

This is a hard one because I want to pick someone cool that I'd like to spend some time with, but also someone who could bring something to the table in terms of survival skills.  These are going to be random choices. 

Hugh Bonneville, aka Lord Grantham on Downton Abbey - First of all I would love to meet him, he seems very lovely and always in good spirits.  I saw him on the show "World's Most Dangerous Roads" and he seems like a good chap to have around in challenging situations. 

Joanna Gains - She knows how to work hard and I feel like she would be good company while we wait to get rescued. 

Brian Baeumler from all of his HGTV shows - Again, he seems like a really nice guy, we have some things in common, he lives close to Toronto and he has four kids.  And most importantly he knows how to build everything and is resourceful so he would be a good person to have around. 

It will be interesting to see what others have chosen for this post!!

Stranded With...

Linking up with Shay and Erika for Stranded With...

Today we are talking about the three Netflix Series we would like to have with us on a deserted island (we will overlook the fact that if we had internet for Netflix, that we could probably then just call for help and therefore not be stranded...details, details).

Three Series that I love, and that are available on Netflix, and that I could watch over and over without getting sick of them are:

Downton Abbey - I've only watched the series once, but I can't wait to watch them all again sometime, like when I'm on mat leave for example.  A friend of mine at work is watching it for the first time and I love talking about it again! Such a great show.

Mad Men - There were so many great storylines and quotes from this show over the seasons.  I want to watch it all over again. 

30 Rock - Another brilliant show with numerous good lines.  Even though I've seen most of the shows, I'm sure I missed some of the dialogue since it's so quick.  

If you're looking for some recommendations for series produced by Netflix, I would say without hesitation:

Making a Murderer

House of Cards

Bloodline

Narcos

Watch these if you're looking for something new. 

Stranded With...

Today's three things are books.  What three books would I want to take with me on a deserted island.

I can't make a book list without including my most favourite book - Gone with the Wind.  I have read it so much but I could never tire of it.  First of all it's over 1000 pages (my copy is 1024 exactly) so it takes awhile to read.  Second, I always wanted to write the prelude to this, which is the story of Scarlett's parents at the time Gerald came to Georgia and met and married Ellen.  There are some vague hints at their story (including the scandal involving Ellen and her cousin Phillippe), and it would be neat to work on their story.

Another book I have read a few times that I don't think I could tire of is The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.  It is long enough that it's not a super quick read, and it's very engaging.

The last book is sort of cheating, but it's the Complete Works of William Shakespeare, which I actually own.  I have read many of his plays but I want to read them all and become more familiar with them.  Plus maybe I could get some survival tips from The Tempest.

Stranded With...

I decided to try a new link up with Shay and Erika.  It was actually yesterday but since I was writing about book club, I am just joining today.

The photo above explains it all, today's three things are Medicine Cabinet Items.  

The first is easy - Steri-Strips.  These have saved us numerous times from having to take E to the emergency room for stitches.  They close up cuts really nicely.  These would definitely come in handy on a deserted island.

The next is Benadryl Itch Stick.  I guess I am assuming that I am stuck on this deserted island with my family.  If that was the case, poor E gets so bothered by bug bites that he would need this stick.  I guess the better thing would be to bring good bug spray, but I don't keep that in my medicine cabinet so it does not qualify for this exercise. 

And the last is Extra Strength Advil.  I assume we will be working hard to build shelter, constructing rescue signs, and dragging wood around for fire.  I would definitely be sore after all of that work, and my favourite painkiller is Advil.  Also, you can take it and drink alcohol at the same time (not recommended for Tylenol), so if we found some old rum (like in Pirates of the Caribbean), then we would still be safe to drink it and take the Advil.