Free Movie Mondays @ OCPAC

Orange County of the Performing Arts Center

kicks off 

FREE MOVIE MONDAY

JULY 12

WIZARD OF OZ

Guests encouraged to dress as their favorite character; prizes will be given for the best costumes

WHAT

The Orange County Performing Arts Center’s enormously popular FREE Movie Mondays on the community plaza returns this summer beginning July 12 with the timeless classic The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland.

    The Center will again hold fun and entertaining pre-performance theme contests for this summer’s film screenings. For The Wizard of Oz, guests are invited to dress as their favorite character from the film. The best costumes will win prizes such as tickets to the Orange County Fair, goodies from Broadway shows scheduled to appear in the Center’s 2010-11 season and other fun-filled prizes. The contest is open to all moviegoers and will start at approximately 7:30 p.m.

    The alfresco film series is held on the Center’s community plaza with the films projected on the side of Segerstrom Hall. Guests are encouraged to bring beach chairs or other easily portable seating items. Set-up begins at 5:30 p.m. with the movie starting at dusk (approximately 8 p.m.). Guests may bring their own snacks and picnic suppers. Barbecues and similar food preparation will not be permitted.

    The rest of the summer’s Movie Mondays line-up includes:

July 19 - Some Like it Hot 

July 26  - Oliver!
    August 2 - Dirty Dancing
    August 9 - Mad Hot Ballroom
  

WHERE

Orange County Performing Arts Center community plaza

600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa 92626

                  

WHEN

Monday, July 12, 2010
        Set-up begins at 5:30 with the contest scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
        Movie starts at dusk (approximately 8 p.m.)

when sensuality blooms

In Bloom by Reese Witherspoon

Eau de Parfum Spray

Sensual and elegant, it entices the senses with a bouquet of gardenia blossoms and lush florals, enveloped in amber wood and peach tea leaves. 1.7 fl. oz.

Item#: 442-134 Price: $34.00 exclusive limited time offer $25.00 save $9.00

receive a blogger discount on your first order when you sign up on my web store. Just say "blogger"!

Droid Picture Practice at San Juan Capo Mission

Letting Go and Making Smart New Choices

Let’s face it. We all like to look our best. When I was a little girl I would watch my mom perform her daily beauty routine: wash, moisturize and dress her face with makeup as she prepared to take on the day. I would play & practice with her powders and mascaras and when I was allowed to start wearing makeup I bought the same brands my mom used, because I knew she trusted them and I trusted her. As she grew older, my mom’s makeup taste changed from drug store brands to high end department store brands like Lancôme and Elizabeth Arden. Me, I was mesmerized by the beauty of Princess Diana – we were born in the same year, so I kinda felt like we were something like soul sisters. I started using what the magazines reported she used: Cinique and Chanel, which I’ve used faithfully for years….until Avon came into my life. It was time to let go of using my designer brand. Seeing that signature lipstick tube in my purse just seemed to say, "Hey, you're spending too much on a lipstick, you dipstick."

I decided to sell Avon as a little side business in addition to my full time job. Being a divorced mom with kids, mortgage and uber bills, I wanted to find a way to provide for my family on my terms, setting my own hours and expectations. Reese Witherspoon is a classy spokeswoman, Avon is philanthropic and I won’t ever have to drive a pink cadillac. I knew I’d like the Avon products, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much money I’ve been saving by stepping away from department store brands like Clinique. As I run out of makeup, I’ve been slowly replacing it the Avon line. 

Check out my purchases this week:

My all used up Clinique lip liner cost $14.00. My old C lipstick also cost $14.00. My new Avon lip liner cost $6.00 and my new Avon lipstick in a summery Apricot Glow (regularly $8.00) is on sale for a huge savings: two for $9.98….and get this: Avon always has these great deals, so by buying two lipsticks I got the lip liner for $1.99. I was never good at math, but if I carry the 1…buying the equivalent in Clinique products of two lipsticks and one lip liner would cost $42.00.  I only paid $11.97 for my Avon even before any rep discount. That’s a savings of $30.03. ca-CHING!

 Be brave. Be smart. Click on the beautiful Reese Witherspoon  button on my sidebar to check out the Summer savings.  Bloggers who mention this post when trying Avon for the first time will receive a blogger discount!

Avon products are always 100% money back guaranteed. Free shipping is available. Ask me for the secret code ;0)

what a mom does for love

the things i do for my boy....instead of paying bills, and doing laundry, i find myself brushing up on my Super Mario trivia. i can only impress him with burps and potty humor for so long.

i've never been a gamer. using the thumb controls to make pixelated characters jump forward and run through worlds has always given me a headache. in fact, i'm surprised i ever got a smart phone with a keypad.  i only did that as an emergency measure to keep in contact with my teen daughter.  

 

trust me on this, you young mothers of toddlers and tweens.  when they hit puberty and are given deoderant and a cell phone, your life will change.  the kids will text you from the other room instead of coming to ask what's for dinner.

 

but i digress. time to go learn more about Luigi and Mario while i practice my Italian accent.  

 

saying, "Luuuuuuigi" and "Maaaaario" in a long, drawn out fake Italian accent is almost as fun as burping to make my kid giggle.

 

 

Justin Bieber & Usher "Somebody to Love" Remix

if you're a mom with a young daughter, i bet dollars to donuts that you have Justin Bieber music playing in your home. here's his new video with Usher. i want to hate it, but i just can't. i know if i were a young girl, i'd be crushing on him something fierce. i'm just sayin'.

The Circus is Coming to Town!

When I was a child I dreamed of being one of those lovely ladies in a pink ballet outfit standing on the back of a silvery gray circus pony, both of us wearing fluffy pink marabou feathers atop our heads. We’d prance and leap, with me pointing my ballet slippered toes with long pink ribbons crisscrossed up my legs.

Some people love the elephants, or the tigers, or the stunt motorcycles that whirl in circles within a huge metal ball. Me, my favorite circus act will always be the ponies. I'd imagine myself with beautiful hair, makeup and performing the most graceful of tricks that would win the audience's applause and adoration. It’s a fantasy I’ll still have in my head when I take my son to the circus for the very first time, and I can’t wait to see which circus star he’ll become in his dreams.

Coming to the OC and LA this Summer:

The World Famous Barnum and Baily Circus!

MOM Ticket Discount!!!

Get a very special MOM discount: There's a Four-Pack Offer on select performances or $4 off single ticket prices on select shows. The discount can be redeemed online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000 . To redeem, use the discount code “MOM” .

Los Angeles - Staples Center: Wednesday, July 14 – Sunday, July 18
1111 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles 90015
- Wednesday, July 14 – 7:30pm
- Thursday, July 15 – 12:00pm; 7:30pm
- Friday, July 16 – 12:00pm, 7:30pm
- Saturday, July 17 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
- Sunday, July 18 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm

Inland Empire - Citizens Business Bank Arena: Wednesday, July 21 – Sunday, July 25
4000 Ontario Center Parkway, Ontario, CA 91764
- Wednesday, July 21 – 7:30pm
- Thursday, July 22 – 7:30pm
- Friday, July 23 – 12:00pm, 7:30pm
- Saturday, July 24 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
- Sunday, July 25 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm

Orange County - Honda Center: Wednesday, July 28 – Sunday, August 8
2695 E. Katella, Anaheim, CA 92806
- Wednesday, July 28 – 7:30pm
- Thursday, July 29 – 1:00pm; 7:30pm
- Friday, July 30 – 10:30am; 7:30pm
- Saturday, July 31 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
- Sunday, August 1 – 1:30pm; 5:30pm
- Tuesday, August 3 – 7:30pm
- Wednesday, August 4 – 1:00pm; 7:30pm
- Thursday, August 5 - 10:30am; 7:30pm
- Friday, August 6 – 1:00pm; 7:30pm
- Saturday, August 7 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
- Sunday, August 8 – 1:30pm; 5:30pm

Enjoy the circus with your family.

It's another wonderful way to create memories and inspire dreams.

 

man, i needed this mani-pedi

i got a mani-pedi on my lunch break today (maybe in anticipation of a possible date in my future?).  every time i go to the salon and go through the ritual of turning down the $65.00 luxury pedicure, and politely declining the little flower and rhinestone added to my big toe, it reminds me of this comedy clip. have you seen it?

i like taking in my own color when i get my nails done, so this is what i used on my toes.  It's OPI's Dress to Empress. OPI's website says it's a Japanese red, but to me, i see shades of deep coral, which is my favorite shade of summer.  Coral is the new Pink...or rather, the grown up version of Pink. Pink is for newborn babies, girl bikes with streamers on the handles and preteen bedroom walls.

Coral is for women of style, ladies of class and drama. It's for women who love wearing sandals and being outdoors.  i'm just sayin' that i think this stuff rocks my rocky road and my toes will look glam as i make my journey in style.

rock on.

My New Nikon

Apparantly my new Nikon is a Dutch girl.  I was going to give her the nickname Nike, so I thought she'd be more of a Greek Goddess.

Now I've got to learn enough Dutch to figure out how to get it back to English.

Doh!

i got it at Best Buy

so, i'm kinda excited about my new purchase and i hope it's going to be something that i love, like and use religiously for years.  

friday i bought myself a new camera!  i was thrown off guard by life a while ago when i had my camera stolen at the happiest place on earth.  i was so disappointed in humanity - especially someone who had the desire to go to Disneyland and commune with Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear and Tinkerbell.  Come on, those are my peeps and a friend of theirs should be a friend of mine!

anyways, you can read the whole dramatic story over on my other blog called Drama Momma at OCFamily.com, where i'm privileged to be in the company of some of OC's finest, funniest and most influential bloggers (how did i get in with this group?!)  

so i've mourned the loss of my faithful old Kodak and have brought a new gadget into my life:  meet my new Nikon s8000!

i know she's not  a huge, fancey DSLR or whatever, but i can throw her in my purse and capture frames of life as it happens.  i'm looking forward to figuring her out and getting to know all her bells, whistles and f-stops (do digital camera's even have f-stops anymore?)  I'll post more later as i start taking pics.

it's early on a Monday morning, so i've got to step away from the blog and go get ready to pay my weekday dues to the man. damn.

join in the fun over at  Kara Noel's carnival!

What 4:53am looks like at my house

Chippy has the best sleeping sounds. His steady breathing is rythmic, deep chested, powerful, yet peaceful. He's the most mellow dog I've ever known and having him around has been a blessing. It can get lonely when I'm on my own on weekends when the boy is away with his dad, so I'm thankful he's around.

Good dog.

p.s. the book i just started reading is say everything - How Blogging began, what it's becoming and why it matters by Scott Rosenberg.

My Take on Tanaka Farms

Last weekend my boy and I spent a few hours with the OCFamily.com bloggers getting all natury at Tanaka Farms in Irvine. We were invited to come check out their new Cookout Tours, and I've gotta say, I had a blast. maybe even more than the kids. i think it goes back....way back to my ancestry...or my roots, if you get my farming drift. I'm from hearty, big boned Scottish farmers who immigrated to America (legally) just a few generations ago (think of the young Mel Gibson or Collin Farrel wearing a Scottish kilt. Go ahead. I'll wait.)

So, there's a big part of me that's very comfortable out in the garden and I was kinda in heaven being on an actual working farm. We got to take a short tracker ride out to the farm where we were given lots of farming trivia and instructions on how to harvest our veggies. the kids were itching to run out to the fields and pick their veggies (chard, zucchini and sun golden tomatoes)

After picking the veggies that were to become our lunch, we took a short hike past rows and rows of corn, a humongous Agave plant (just now getting into the 'Agave syrup instead of sugar' craze) and some avocado trees where we weren't supposed to do any harvesting, we were in the dining camp. Yep, it's basic, so don't be expecting it to be like dining alfresco at Fashion Island. There's shade, water, a makeshift kitchen prep area and lots of tables & chairs for relaxing with your bountiful harvest.

There are also port-a-potties. Tip: go to the bathroom before your daytrip and careful how much you pre-hydrate. The port-a-potties were clean, but who wants to have to use one?

Once your veggies with added tofu have been steamed on the open Bar-B-Q, you get to relax and enjoy your meal. Me, I loved it, since I've been trying to buy more fresh veggies and eat healthier these days. The boy was game for eating most of his lunch (passed on the tofu) and went off to play with the other kids on the bails of hay.

After lunch, we got to harvest our dessert straight from the strawberry fields. Now this was fun! We were given a luxurious 15 minutes to pick out the most succulent orbs of the crop, fill our little strawberry basket and eat as many juicy berries as we could stuff into our bellies. You've never seen so many kids with strawberry stained faces, shirts and pants!

 We got back into our limo (tracker haul) for another short ride back to civilization that is OC. The boy's review: thumbs up. My two cents: the day wasn't suited for families with babies or folks who aren't prepared to do some walking, but if you want to get your kids out of the urban sprawl and have a couple of hours to kill before heading off to the beach, then Tanaka Farms is definitely for you. let your kids pick the veggies and watch them actually enjoy eating them. Who knows, maybe you'll go all green and plant some veggies in your own backyard.

ooh, Skin So Soft, how i love thee

Doing some early morning shopping and the Avon Skin So Soft line is calling my name. This stuff is like magic on my skin. My friends buy it and it's their husbands who want them to buy more! 'Nuff said.

Click on the Avon link over on the right to search for Skin So Soft, or enter the code 578-185 for my favorite scent. *sigh*

This is just some of this week's mail. I'm ready to vote in the California State Primary Election on June 8th, in order to clean up politics and get both my mailbox and voice mail under control.

Remember to vote yes on Prop 17. Take your long standing insured discount with you when you shop around for cheaper rates.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer @ CAT

Last weekend was a busy theater weekend for my son and me. Friday night we saw Disney’s The Lion King at OCPAC, and then on Sunday afternoon my friend, Sheila, had two extra tickets to a production of Tom Sawyer playing in downtown Corona, presented by the Christian Arts and Theatre group. Of course, we said yes to joining her family of sisters, nieces, daughters, grandmas and granddaughters. Did Son mind being the only boy? Well, he bellyached for a bit, just like Tom Sawyer would’ve done, but then as soon as we were on our way he had a great time.

I must say I wasn’t expecting much, but thought Son would enjoy it. Children’s theater provides a wonderful opportunity for kids to explore all the different aspects of theater arts, but tends to have a backyard feel to it all. The talent of the CAT actors was impressive and the production elements were top notch.


Matt Dunn’s portrayal of Tom Sawyer was full of energy as he masterfully performed exuberant choreography with Isaac Monroe’s Huck Finn while belting out songs with a powerful voice. His rendition of “Light” truly showed his ability to finesse the sweet spots of a ballad. Isaac Monroe, playing Huck Fin, showed off his comedic skills with lots of facial mugging and good hearted physical comedy that had the kids in the audience giggling with glee. Hannah Irvine’s Becky Thatcher had the correct prerequisite mix of old fashioned manners and feminine innocence that makes the muddy-toed-Tom and bible-carrying-Becky romance so endearing. Robbie DeFoe was so believable as the villain, Injun Joe, I had to keep looking at his penciled on beard to remember he wasn’t an adult actor mixed in with the teens. Gabrielle Green’s performance as the Widow Douglas was especially touching with levels of delicacy in her performance that show her readiness for advanced acting classes. Cameron Barnett as Sidney Sawyer was another standout with easy comedic timing and impishness that give him that ‘it’ quality. Somebody get that kid an agent.

The show was produced by Christian Arts and Theatre, which is an after-school theater and visual arts educational program for students ages 6-18 based in Corona. Founded by Cyndi Monroe, CAT provides after-school activity conducted in ten-week sessions. Acting, dance and other performing arts are offered Monday through Saturday. Enrolled students have the opportunity to audition and perform on stage or work behind the scenes in a major theatrical production performed at the Corona Civic Center Theater.


The historic Corona Civic Center Theater building on Main Street has old world charm and beautiful architecture. I spoke to CAT founder, Cyndi Monroe briefly at intermission and I was impressed with her enthusiasm and obvious love for theater. I asked her about the Christian element in her organization’s name. She said there isn’t any proselytizing about religion, and anyone can join regardless of their personal beliefs. The basic values of honesty, integrity and love of neighbor are a cornerstone of who she is as a person and a leader. Personally, I think it’s a perfect match to have a group centered on good family values while learning about the glories of performing theater.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, add a theater outing to see The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to your family’s destination. Remaining performances are Saturday, June 5th, 2 & 7pm; Sunday, June 6th , 2 pm. Your whole family will be glad you did. Tickets can be purchased online here.

If you're not able to get out there this weekend, check out the CAT website for more information about the organization, future shows and their summer day camps.