I Want TinkerBell and KungFu Panda and Wall-E and...

If your kids are anything like mine, they are constantly asking to see a variety of new movies that are released on DVD. After a while, increasing that DVD library can put a strain on the budget. Thank goodness for OnDemand and DVR because they have saved us a pretty penny, but sometimes the movies are so good that we wish we had a copy. Well, I stumbled upon a site that seems to have answered my prayers.

The name of the website is ZML, and the site is a movie library with thousands of movies available for instant download in a large variety of supported formats, including DVD, DivX, iPod, and PDA. The downloads are compatible with Windows and Mac, and you can burn the downloads to DVD without a limit on the number of times you can download or burn a copy. The best part is that all movies are between $1.99 and $4.99.

Now, I know that everyone's first question is..."Is this legal?" Well, yes. The site is located in Russia, so Russian law applies. The cost for music and movie downloads in Russia is significantly less than it is here, so that accounts for the drastic price difference. According to legal analysis of these sites, it seems that there are not any legal implications to downloading, although some have voiced moral issue. I'll let you decide. I will be enjoying the sweet silence that comes from children that are being entertained by their new favorite movie download...enjoy!

You can check out the website here.

Biggest Loser Challenge: Final Weigh-In

Well, today is the final weigh-in for our 12-week Biggest Loser Challenge. Now I knew that my chances of beating JayDoug were slim, but I wanted to push on until the end. At the end of the challenge, I have lost a total percentage of 13.04% of my original body weight. I only wish that we had started the challenge back in April because I have lost a total of 21.05% since then. I haven't received the final numbers, but I am confident that JayDoug will be our winner! JayDoug has worked very hard with a strict diet and workouts up to seven days a week, so please join me in congratulating him! I will post the final numbers soon!

Congrats to all that participated! I am ready for another challenge!

Favorite Recipe: Toasted Ravioli

I am always looking for new appetizer recipes that I can take to various get-togethers, and my Bunco group served as the guinea pigs for my newest recipe.  Luckily, this appetizer was a hit, and I think that it would work well for various occasions.  Not only is it easy to make, but it requires very few ingredients.  If you plan to cook this at home and transport it to a party, cooked ravioli can be placed on a cookie sheet and kept in the oven at 225-250 degrees and then transferred to a covered dish to keep them warm in transit.  Enjoy!

Toasted Ravioli

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional)

1 package frozen cheese ravioli

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

marinara sauce

Directions:

1) Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Warm marinara in a large saucepan over low-medium heat.

2) Whisk eggs and milk together in a small shallow bowl.  In another shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and Italian seasoning and mix well.

3) Dip frozen ravioli in milk mixture and coat with bread crumbs.  Cook ravioli in batches until browned, approximately 3-4 minutes per side.  Transfer cooked ravioli to a paper towel lined plate.  Serve immediately with marinara sauce.

 

The Constant Gardener...Literally

StickyBun-Scotti may have actually been lucky enough to inherit his father's green thumb. I, on the other hand, have very little to contribute to the world of gardening. I haven't tried my hand at it in at least five years, but my thumbs were very brown back then. I can only hope that things have improved. I assume that if I am capable of caring for two small children, I could not be too inept.

At first, I just thought that StickyBun-Scotti really liked dirt...playing in it, throwing it...eating it, but it seems that he really likes caring for plants too. He is just like The Husby...he craves order and is focused when there is a task at hand. And God forbid, you try to stop him mid-task or change the routine, you may be met with some opposition. Every time we visit TerriblyShy and The Boy Dentist, StickyBun-Scotti asks to go outside to care for the flowers...and yes, I am using the term "care" very loosely. Regardless of whether he is doing more harm than good, he sure does look darn cute while he's doing it! Maybe Unk will give him a job in a few years...

What Time Is It?

This past weekend was nothing short of fabulous!  The Husby and I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of one of my favorite girlfriends in Tallahassee, Florida, and it was quite the party.  Alli-Boo has always been the kind of girl that you want around for a night on the town, and if there isn't a party already, she can make one.  Long story, short...good friends + good music + good drinks + good food = a wedding to remember...not to mention an absolutely beautiful bride! Congrats to Alli-Boo and Banjo!

The only problem with the weekend was that between the time zone difference and the actual time change, I have no idea what time it is.  Of course, I can look at the clock and figure it out, but my internal clock seems to be very confused.  All I know is that when I got up on Sunday morning, the clock said 10:30 am, but it was really 8:30 am back at mi casa.  I am definitely not complaining because I can actually see a sliver of daylight when I leave home in the mornings...a lot can be said about the power of sunlight when it comes to starting your day off right.  Sunlight and a good cup of coffee seem to be my two defining factors in a good day.  

It has been almost a month since my last blog post...I'm sorry...I must have been busy...because the time seems to have flown by.  I will resolve to do better this month.  If nothing else, I have plenty of new fall pics that I can be posting.  Happy Fall!