The Happy Woman Store

In keeping with my 2008 New Year’s resolution to only like movies that start with the letters, ‘JUN’ (see Juno)….here’s Junebug. A sweet, independent film about families and the blending of families by marriage. A sophisticated art gallery owner (Madeleine) from Chicago falls in love with a charming man from North Carolina (George) and when she needs to visit North Carolina to sign an artist for her gallery, she and her new husband spend a few days with his working class family. His mother is disapproving & repressed, her other son resentful & uncommunicative, her pregnant daughter-in-law starstruck by the glamorous new wife, and his father mostly silent, although he tends to deliver the most meaningful & poignant lines in the movie (When defending his wife’s taciturn exterior to Madeleine, he says, ‘She’s not like that inside. She hides her real self. Just like everybody else.’) It’s sweet, it’s well-acted, it’s poignant, and it’s well worth seeing. And, the name of movie comes from…?? Well, you’ll just have to watch it and see.

I’ve always said that the Wizard of Oz has more life lessons than the best-selling self help book out there and this is one of my favorites. If you need a little confidence boost, play the video — and if you need a constant reminder, hang the sign pictured above.

Yes, I know — it was a surprise to us, too, because it’s like February 4th right now. How could we possibly know that the 14th would come so early this year? You have plenty of time, though, if you get on it and when you shop with us, you get to save that extra step of wrapping the gift because we’ll do it for you, for nothing. We promise to wrap it as carefully as you would and (don’t take this the wrong way) it might even look a little better than your wrapping job. Not that there’s anything wrong with your wrapping job, of course. So, if you’re shopping for your sweetie or your best friend, check out our array of amusing, indulging, and inspiring valentines.