I feel like I've done a lot of reading and movie watching lately, which is good because it helps me relax. Jeff gave me a Kindle for Christmas and I seem to read much faster using it. I don't have to use my glasses, I can still read on the treadmill, and there's no glare on the screen. I'm kinda dorkishly (yes, I made it up) in love with it.
I held off on reading The Hunger Games series for a while. It seemed morbid (it is), but everyone was reading it and I just didn't want to be yet another person saying, "You haven't read Hunger Games? What is wrong with you?" Now I am that person because I had the first book read within a few days and have now finished the series. Very morbid, but very good. Like edge of your seat good. If you liked The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, you'll like Hunger Games.
I have also read The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan, which is about a 30something year old woman who discovers she has invasive breast cancer and within a few months of her diagnosis, her family discovers her dad has cancer, too. Good book and funny, but it hit close to home for me, so I think I got more emotional than you're supposed to reading it.
Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? was hilarious. She plays Kelly Kapoor on The Office and even though she's not a main character, she's probably my favorite because everyone knows that girl. She explains how she got into Hollywood and what goes into her character on the show. Very good, easy, light-hearted read.
Now I'm reading Stephen King's 11/22/63, which is about a man charged with going back in time to investigate, and possibly stop, the JFK assassination. I'm not normally a Stephen King reader and it is taking a while for the story to get going, but I'm trying to stick with it. Rob Lowe's and Hota Kotb's books are probably going to be the next reads.
As far as movies go, Jeff and I made it to the theater to see Young Adult and both wished we picked something else. We both think Patton Oswalt is so funny and the previews made the movie look good. Not so...wait for DVD.
We've done pretty well getting our movies watched quickly that come from Netflix, which is good because they're charging a ton of money these days. Whoever thought I'd miss Blockbuster? Anyway- Our Idiot Brother was probably my favorite. Cute, quirky, and very smart. I laughed through the whole thing. Moneyball made it to us last week and we watched it right before the Golden Globes. We both liked it, but Jeff moreso. As he said, "It's about the nerdy side of baseball." Bad Teacher was okay, but we loved the Change-Up. Warning- it's graphic, but if you can get past that, it's funny. Crazy, Stupid, Love was very endearing and even though I'm not an Adam Sandler fan and sometimes find Jennifer Aniston annoying, we both thought Just Go with It was entertaining. Next up for rentals is The Ides of March and I'm really hoping we can make it to the theater for The Descendants. I've been laughing every time I see George Clooney run around the street corner in loafers since I saw the first preview.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Golden Globes 2012
It's awards show season and time for me to give my take on the fashions at the Golden Globes. You know, like I'm some fashion expert. As I type this, Nicole Richie is about to appear on the Today Show as their fashion expert. I thought she looked like a disco ball in her dress last night, but who am I to judge?
Ricky Gervais? Hilarious. They just need to keep him around as host forever.
LOVE Claire Danes's dress. Absolutely love it. Loved her dress last year, too. She may be my new favorite fashion icon.
I thought Jessica Chastain from "The Help" looked beautiful in her dress. The white dress with her red hair was perfect and I loved the high neckline with pearl beading.
I hate to point it out, but Helen Mirren, while not looking like it, is 66. Not only did I think her dress was "age appropriate", but it was stunning. Love the color and, of course, the ruffles.
Again with the ruffles- I love them when done correctly and Tina Fey looked gorgeous.
At first, Heidi Klum's dress didn't strike me. It was pretty and I liked the turquoise against the nude color, but then I saw the back...or lack thereof. So pretty!
The red was really pretty on Stacy Keibler and it had a perfect bow in the back. Oh, and George Clooney...wow.
Yowza...
My favorite dress of the night by far. Sofia Vergara is gorgeous and she might have been sewn into the dress, but I love the color, the ruffled train, and the shape of it.
I am undecided on Charlize Theron's dress. On a hanger or the wrong person, this dress would be awful. I think she pulls it off, but just barely. It's an understated color, but the low cut front, high cut leg with ruffle, and train make it almost too busy.
It may not be fair for me to hate on Lea Michele's dress. I'm not a fan of her in general, so maybe my hatred on the dress is more directed at her and her Glee character, Rachel Berry. No, it's the dress. It's hideous.
I really do think Salma Hayek is pretty, but her dress? A little too Studio 54 for my taste.
Poor Zooey Deschanel...I think she's adorable and love "New Girl", but her dress? A little like a Lite Brite, no?
Someone should tell Sarah Michelle Gellar that even though she's been out of the public eye for several years, tie dye is not back in style.
Worst look of the night goes to Ms. Flock of Seagulls herself, Tilda Swinton!
Even though the Golden Globes are my favorite awards show because everyone is more relaxed (or drunk), I am anxiously awaiting the Oscars!
Ricky Gervais? Hilarious. They just need to keep him around as host forever.
LOVE Claire Danes's dress. Absolutely love it. Loved her dress last year, too. She may be my new favorite fashion icon.
I thought Jessica Chastain from "The Help" looked beautiful in her dress. The white dress with her red hair was perfect and I loved the high neckline with pearl beading.
I hate to point it out, but Helen Mirren, while not looking like it, is 66. Not only did I think her dress was "age appropriate", but it was stunning. Love the color and, of course, the ruffles.
Again with the ruffles- I love them when done correctly and Tina Fey looked gorgeous.
At first, Heidi Klum's dress didn't strike me. It was pretty and I liked the turquoise against the nude color, but then I saw the back...or lack thereof. So pretty!
The red was really pretty on Stacy Keibler and it had a perfect bow in the back. Oh, and George Clooney...wow.
Yowza...
My favorite dress of the night by far. Sofia Vergara is gorgeous and she might have been sewn into the dress, but I love the color, the ruffled train, and the shape of it.
I am undecided on Charlize Theron's dress. On a hanger or the wrong person, this dress would be awful. I think she pulls it off, but just barely. It's an understated color, but the low cut front, high cut leg with ruffle, and train make it almost too busy.
It may not be fair for me to hate on Lea Michele's dress. I'm not a fan of her in general, so maybe my hatred on the dress is more directed at her and her Glee character, Rachel Berry. No, it's the dress. It's hideous.
I really do think Salma Hayek is pretty, but her dress? A little too Studio 54 for my taste.
Poor Zooey Deschanel...I think she's adorable and love "New Girl", but her dress? A little like a Lite Brite, no?
Someone should tell Sarah Michelle Gellar that even though she's been out of the public eye for several years, tie dye is not back in style.
Worst look of the night goes to Ms. Flock of Seagulls herself, Tilda Swinton!
Even though the Golden Globes are my favorite awards show because everyone is more relaxed (or drunk), I am anxiously awaiting the Oscars!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Big Boy Bed
I love this face! Very rarely do we get a picture of Cooper smiling AND his eyes open. We'll see if he loves the bed as much tonight when it's time to sleep.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Granola Cookies
Another recipe from Pinterest- granola cookies.
*4 cups oats
*1 bag pecan or walnut pieces
*1 bag chocolate chips
*1 cup honey
*3/4 cup melted creamy peanut butter
Mix all ingredients together and spread on a lightly greased baking pan or Pyrex dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
You could make this recipe any way you want. I think it would be great with white chocolate chips and Craisins. You can leave out the walnuts and/or pecans. You can cut them into squares for cookies or crumble it up and mix into yogurt.
*4 cups oats
*1 bag pecan or walnut pieces
*1 bag chocolate chips
*1 cup honey
*3/4 cup melted creamy peanut butter
Mix all ingredients together and spread on a lightly greased baking pan or Pyrex dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
You could make this recipe any way you want. I think it would be great with white chocolate chips and Craisins. You can leave out the walnuts and/or pecans. You can cut them into squares for cookies or crumble it up and mix into yogurt.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Me? Cook?
I really have a love/hate relationship with the kitchen. I go through phases in which I'll try new things (mainly desserts because I have a good track record with those), then get bored and go right back to wanting Chick-fil-A every meal.
Over Christmas, I did a lot of cooking. This whole Pinterest thing gave me a boost of confidence and for the most part, things I've tried have turned out edible, if not- dare I say it- good.
I've already discussed the peanut butter fudge and I just finished up a batch of regular fudge made the same way- a jar of chocolate icing and chocolate chips melted together. We'll see.
I made Tiger Butter:
*Presentation and picture taking are not things I have learned from Pinterest, obviously.
Microwave 2 bags of white chocolate chips and 3/4 cup of peanut butter together. Spread onto a lightly greased foil or wax paper lined tray. Microwave 1 bag of chocolate chips and spread onto white chocolate chip/peanut butter mixture. Refrigerate 2 hours, then cut into squares.
I also made honey chicken, which I do not have pictures of, but should say was a huge deal for me. My cousin Erin had given me the recipe before and I never made it. Her mom, my Aunt Rita, was in charge of Christmas dinner and made this, we loved it, so I gave it a try. I should remind everyone that aside from dumping chicken into the crockpot, I have nothing to do with raw, wiggly chicken.
*4 tbsp. margarine
*1/2 cup honey
*1/4 cup mustard
*1 tsp. salt
*1 tsp. curry
*1 cut up chicken (I don't "cut up" chicken and used 4 chicken breasts instead. We survived.)
Melt margarine in a shallow casserole dish or baking pan in the oven. Stir in honey, mustard, salt, and curry. Dip pieces of chicken in the honey mixture to cover and leave in pan to bake. Place pan in oven and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
Success! Aside from 1 night when Jeff cooked, last Friday was the only time, in the 4 years we've lived in this house, that chicken was cooked in the oven.
I tried baked French toast for our New Year's Day breakfast, but it didn't turn out well. I think if I had used Texas toast instead of layers of regular sandwich bread, it would have been better. There was just too much liquid mix, so the top baked just fine (and was about to burn), but the bottom was swimming in batter. I'm going to keep trying it, though, because the top layer was pretty good.
We'll see what I can come up with to try next. I found a recipe for homemade granola bars, but may be alone in eating those. Jeff kinda turned his nose up at the idea and Cooper is pretty content with hot dogs, bacon, and Woody Buzz (for those not in the loop, those would be Toy Story fruit snacks- his current food obsession).
Over Christmas, I did a lot of cooking. This whole Pinterest thing gave me a boost of confidence and for the most part, things I've tried have turned out edible, if not- dare I say it- good.
I've already discussed the peanut butter fudge and I just finished up a batch of regular fudge made the same way- a jar of chocolate icing and chocolate chips melted together. We'll see.
I made Tiger Butter:
*Presentation and picture taking are not things I have learned from Pinterest, obviously.
Microwave 2 bags of white chocolate chips and 3/4 cup of peanut butter together. Spread onto a lightly greased foil or wax paper lined tray. Microwave 1 bag of chocolate chips and spread onto white chocolate chip/peanut butter mixture. Refrigerate 2 hours, then cut into squares.
I also made honey chicken, which I do not have pictures of, but should say was a huge deal for me. My cousin Erin had given me the recipe before and I never made it. Her mom, my Aunt Rita, was in charge of Christmas dinner and made this, we loved it, so I gave it a try. I should remind everyone that aside from dumping chicken into the crockpot, I have nothing to do with raw, wiggly chicken.
*4 tbsp. margarine
*1/2 cup honey
*1/4 cup mustard
*1 tsp. salt
*1 tsp. curry
*1 cut up chicken (I don't "cut up" chicken and used 4 chicken breasts instead. We survived.)
Melt margarine in a shallow casserole dish or baking pan in the oven. Stir in honey, mustard, salt, and curry. Dip pieces of chicken in the honey mixture to cover and leave in pan to bake. Place pan in oven and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
Success! Aside from 1 night when Jeff cooked, last Friday was the only time, in the 4 years we've lived in this house, that chicken was cooked in the oven.
I tried baked French toast for our New Year's Day breakfast, but it didn't turn out well. I think if I had used Texas toast instead of layers of regular sandwich bread, it would have been better. There was just too much liquid mix, so the top baked just fine (and was about to burn), but the bottom was swimming in batter. I'm going to keep trying it, though, because the top layer was pretty good.
We'll see what I can come up with to try next. I found a recipe for homemade granola bars, but may be alone in eating those. Jeff kinda turned his nose up at the idea and Cooper is pretty content with hot dogs, bacon, and Woody Buzz (for those not in the loop, those would be Toy Story fruit snacks- his current food obsession).
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Are You Kidding Me With This?
I really didn't come up with any resolutions this year. Not that I don't have things I can work on, but I just wasn't into it.
Maybe I should have picked patience. Or stop letting small things stress me. Or stop thinking everyone is a fool.
I am a germaphobe and need a constant supply of hand soap. We were out at work, so during my lunch break, I run into Walgreens. For personal reasons, I never shop there, but it was closest to work, I'd already used up most of my lunch time shopping at Target (and forgotten to get soap there), and needed somewhere quick to run into.
I grab the soap and head to the register. I picked the store brand because it was cheaper. The cashier starts ringing me up, then says, "Did you see the Softsoap was on sale for (whatever the price was- I can't remember)?" I responded that I didn't, but it was okay...it wasn't marked on the shelf, I was in a hurry, and there were people lined up behind me. She continues- "Well, it was in our ad yesterday, so even if it wasn't marked on the shelf, it's still a valid price. Don't you check our ad?" Again, I tell her that's okay and that I'll just take what I had originally picked.
And then she offers this nugget of wisdom: "Maybe in the future you should take the time to read our ad so you're better prepared to shop here."
*Blink*
*Blink. Blink*
Did I just get reprimanded for not investigating and plotting my every move at Walgreens?
I know it's small, I know I am blowing it way out of proportion, but something about being put down for what amounted to a $3 purchase irked me. Maybe she thought she was being helpful, but instead, she further validated one of the reasons I never shop there.
And yes, I am fully aware that if I continue allowing things like this to bother me enough to write a blog post about it, I will die of a heart attack sooner, rather than later.
Maybe I should have picked patience. Or stop letting small things stress me. Or stop thinking everyone is a fool.
I am a germaphobe and need a constant supply of hand soap. We were out at work, so during my lunch break, I run into Walgreens. For personal reasons, I never shop there, but it was closest to work, I'd already used up most of my lunch time shopping at Target (and forgotten to get soap there), and needed somewhere quick to run into.
I grab the soap and head to the register. I picked the store brand because it was cheaper. The cashier starts ringing me up, then says, "Did you see the Softsoap was on sale for (whatever the price was- I can't remember)?" I responded that I didn't, but it was okay...it wasn't marked on the shelf, I was in a hurry, and there were people lined up behind me. She continues- "Well, it was in our ad yesterday, so even if it wasn't marked on the shelf, it's still a valid price. Don't you check our ad?" Again, I tell her that's okay and that I'll just take what I had originally picked.
And then she offers this nugget of wisdom: "Maybe in the future you should take the time to read our ad so you're better prepared to shop here."
*Blink*
*Blink. Blink*
Did I just get reprimanded for not investigating and plotting my every move at Walgreens?
I know it's small, I know I am blowing it way out of proportion, but something about being put down for what amounted to a $3 purchase irked me. Maybe she thought she was being helpful, but instead, she further validated one of the reasons I never shop there.
And yes, I am fully aware that if I continue allowing things like this to bother me enough to write a blog post about it, I will die of a heart attack sooner, rather than later.
Friday, December 30, 2011
It's Christmas Time...
What a crazy, busy few days we've had. Jeff took last Thursday and Friday off and his office was closed Monday, so we had some time together and with our families.
Fred continued to do funny things each night. Here is one of the outrageous things he did:
A marshmallow fight with Buzz Lightyear.
We had 2 stops on Christmas Eve- Jeff's parents for the Radford Christmas and my aunt and uncle's for the Bailey Christmas.
KK and Uncle Billy gave Coopie a guitar...and drums. Yeah, you read that correctly- a 2 year old with drums.
Nana and Bob-O know that Coop loves to sweep, so he now has his own broom and dustpan.
And continuing with the musical Christmas- a keyboard from Nana and Bob-O. That was in addition to the harmonica and maracas he also received.
Jeff's cousin BC helped Coop get his band going.
Some of my family members waiting to open presents. Unfortunately once the present unwrapping started, Jeff and I were wrangling Cooper and keeping him from getting in my cousin Melissa's daughter's face too much!
Then it was time to go home and get Cooper to bed so Santa could visit.
Santa must have seen how much Coop loved riding his cousin Regina's Flying Turtle scooter, so he has his own. And good thing, too, because as of yet, he hasn't opened mine and Jeff's presents to him- the excitement of the Flying Turtle hasn't worn off.
After we saw what Santa brought, we headed to Pops and YaYa for presents before the family brunch.
Uncle Tada and Jeff opening some of their gifts.
My silly boy waiting on brunch.
Watching squirrels in the backyard with Mamaw.
And then I forgot our camera at my parents' house and don't have any pictures of our Christmas celebrations at Jeff's grandparents' or Mamaw's, but we had fun!
Last night, we decided to take Cooper to Zoo Lights.
For some reason, I had in my head that the animals would be out for guests to see. Of all the animals on display at the zoo, the only ones left out for Zoo Lights?
Yep, flamingos...who knew?
Hopefully you and your's have enjoyed the holidays and had some time for relaxation after the hecticness of Christmas!
Fred continued to do funny things each night. Here is one of the outrageous things he did:
A marshmallow fight with Buzz Lightyear.
We had 2 stops on Christmas Eve- Jeff's parents for the Radford Christmas and my aunt and uncle's for the Bailey Christmas.
KK and Uncle Billy gave Coopie a guitar...and drums. Yeah, you read that correctly- a 2 year old with drums.
Nana and Bob-O know that Coop loves to sweep, so he now has his own broom and dustpan.
And continuing with the musical Christmas- a keyboard from Nana and Bob-O. That was in addition to the harmonica and maracas he also received.
Jeff's cousin BC helped Coop get his band going.
Some of my family members waiting to open presents. Unfortunately once the present unwrapping started, Jeff and I were wrangling Cooper and keeping him from getting in my cousin Melissa's daughter's face too much!
Then it was time to go home and get Cooper to bed so Santa could visit.
Santa must have seen how much Coop loved riding his cousin Regina's Flying Turtle scooter, so he has his own. And good thing, too, because as of yet, he hasn't opened mine and Jeff's presents to him- the excitement of the Flying Turtle hasn't worn off.
After we saw what Santa brought, we headed to Pops and YaYa for presents before the family brunch.
Uncle Tada and Jeff opening some of their gifts.
My silly boy waiting on brunch.
Watching squirrels in the backyard with Mamaw.
And then I forgot our camera at my parents' house and don't have any pictures of our Christmas celebrations at Jeff's grandparents' or Mamaw's, but we had fun!
Last night, we decided to take Cooper to Zoo Lights.
For some reason, I had in my head that the animals would be out for guests to see. Of all the animals on display at the zoo, the only ones left out for Zoo Lights?
Yep, flamingos...who knew?
Hopefully you and your's have enjoyed the holidays and had some time for relaxation after the hecticness of Christmas!
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