May the odds be ever in your favor

I just finished reading Mockingjay, and I must say...

what an amazingly written, action packed trilogy.

Is anyone else as excited as I am about seeing The Hunger Games?

Movie Reviews

Bridesmaids
I didn't JUST want to see this movie because it has a lot of great actresses/comedians in it, but also because it was produced by Judd Apatow, and I'm pretty much in love with his stuff. My husband was pretty hesitant about wanting to go see it with me until I told him that Matt saw it and liked it. He decided to give it a chance.
His response after the movie
This movie was extremely funny to me, but has what my sister calls 'potty' humor. If you're not into movies like [Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, & The 40 Year Old Virgin], you probably won't like it. If you do like that sort of thing, go see it. Now. Don't wait for it to come on dvd.

Funny People
This movie came via Netflix. I actually forgot that it was even on our que until it came in the mail. I had heard mixed reviews about it, but was determined not to let that ruin it for me. This is probably the only Judd Apatow movie that I've seen that I didn't really like. I mean, it was okay. There were some really funny parts, but there were also parts where I found myself wondering HOW much longer the movie was going to last. It was kind of ridiculous, especially for how it ended. A little more than half way in, Aaron was laying on the couch playing games on his phone not even paying attention to the movie. I wouldn't really recommend this to anyone unless you have something else going on and just want some background noise. It's only good for a few laughs.

The Hangover Pt. 2
I was kind of hesitant about this at first. I had read things online that said it was a lot like the first one, and from the trailers, that seemed pretty accurate. I tried to put that out of my head, though, and went in with an open mind. The opening scene disappointed me. I was like 'Noooooooooooo! It's gonna be the same.' But shortly after, I started laughing...hard. And pretty much laughed the rest of the movie. I've heard people say that they didn't really care for it, or that the first one was better, but I really liked it. If you're hesitant, go to a matinee, if not, then go see it already!

X-men First Class
Let me just start by saying that until this movie, I had never seen any of the X-men movies. I never thought they'd be my cup of tea. However, my hubby asked me to see it with him and my argument of never having seen the others didn't work. So, I went. I wasn't expecting much, but knowing that James McAvoy was playing a lead role kept me pretty interested. Surprisingly, I ended up really enjoying it. Definitely the best action movie I've seen in quite some time. Now I just have to watch the other 3.

Movies I can't wait to see:
The Art of Getting By
Bad Teacher
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Horrible Bosses
Captain America

What movies have you seen lately? Any that you'd recommend?

Movie Reviews

Since Aaron has been gone and I'm only going to be working two days a week until the baby is born, I've had a LOT of down time.
That being said, I've had a lot of time to watch all these chick flicks that I have been pushing to the side over the past few months.

I started out with Morning Glory.
After 45 minutes, I turned it off. It was so slow that I was bored out of my mind. I kept hoping that it would pick up and that something would happen to grab my attention, but it didn't. So I decided to cut it short. I would not recommend this to anyone unless you are having a hard time falling asleep.

Next up was No Strings Attached.
I'm not going to lie. It was your typical chick flick. Every moment seemed to be predictable. Still, it was interesting and funny. I mean, who can say no to Ashton Kutcher? To top it off, the soundtrack? Amazing.

Then came The Switch.
When I saw that Jason Bateman was in this, I knew I had to see it. I love him and have seen pretty much everything he's been in. Anyways, I went into this with an open mind and it turned out to be pretty good. Like No Strings Attached, this movie was pretty predictable, too, but it was almost comforting that way. And I'm pretty convinced that my kid is going to be similar to Sebastian because [hello!] I'm the biggest hypochondriac ever.

To wrap up my chick flick movie marathon, I watched Country Strong.
This was actually a movie that I wanted to see in theaters so badly, but couldn't find anyone to go with me. I'm a country girl at heart, so I enjoyed it thoroughly. I was actually surprised that the songs were so good and that the actors/actresses actually sang them. This movie, for me, was not as predictable, and that was a much needed change. The story line is very interesting and coincides with a lot of issues that a present in today's society. There were some really heart wrenching moments and it proved that not everyone has a happily ever after. I would recommend this to you ladies [and gents] IF you can tolerate country music.

Movies that I'm looking forward to seeing soon:

Bridesmaids
Something Borrowed
The Help

Any recommendations for me while I have a little free time?

yep...

Two movies I can't wait to see....


[currently reading the book]

Make that three...

3D glasses give me a headache.

Tonight, my husband and I went to see Resident Evil: Afterlife.



I had heard both good & bad things about it, but I honestly went in with an open mind. I loved the three that came before it, so I wasn't going to let a few reviews ruin it for me.


And it's a good thing, because I....

LOVED IT!

I do encourage you to see for yourself. It has to be the best 3D movie I have ever seen. There was so much action, a few twists, and some close calls. My heart was beating fast pretty much the entire time, and there were a few times that I jumped out of my seat a little bit.
It was definitely worth the money to see it in theaters. So, what are you waiting for?

Don't forget about my give away. It ends Friday. Tell all your friends!

Spoiled Rotten

Aaron got back from his 2 week training on Saturday. BOY was I glad to see him.

I decided that since he'd been stuck eating at the 'portable' dining hall and gross MRE's for two weeks, that I needed to make him an extra special dinner.
So I did....
Steak, shrimp, roasted asparagus, roasted corn on the cob, and cheesy garlic bread.
And for dessert, my chocolate cherry fantasy pie.
Of course he loved it, and we both ate so much we were practically in a coma after dinner.
Yesterday, we decided to go to town. We went to a few shops, and got a few things. Then we headed to see Scott Pilgrim.

It was seriously amazing. Maybe because I'm a dork, or maybe because I'm not so secretly in love with Michael Cera, but this movie is definitely in my top 10. GO SEE IT. NOW!

After the movie, we went to our FAV. restaurant, TGI Fridays.
FYI, they have this 3 course for $12.99 thing going on. It's actually a great deal. And as much as I love that place, I'm glad there isn't one closer to us, or I'd probably be 5,000 pounds right now.

I can only tell you what it feels like....

Remember how I said I was going to be busy?
Wellllllll, I have been.

Thursday night, we drove the 5+ hours to my sister's house.
Got up Friday morning and made it to the cheesecake factory for lunch. I got the spicy chicken chipotle pasta, and it was amazing--as usual!
For dessert, my sister and I shared the Tiramisu cheesecake. My mouth is watering as I type this, and I wish I could go back, now!
On top of all that, my sister MADE me a birthday cake.
It was sooo good!
That night, we went to see Salt. It was okay, but I was expecting it to be a lot better. At times it just seemed to go on forever, and ever.
Saturday morning we went to the local water park. It was smaller than what I'm used to, but it was really nice. It wasn't crowded, so we didn't have to wait to do things. It was fun seeing my lil nephew play in the water. But the best part, no doubt, was the lazy river. It felt so amazing just floating along without a care in the world.
Later, we went to see The Other Guys. It was so hilarious. I'm not going to lie, they showed some of the main funny parts during the trailers, but there were enough unexpected scenes to make up for it. I would definitely recommend it, and I will probably end up going to see it again when Aaron comes home.
Sunday, we made the long journey back home, and I spent the rest of the day lazing around baking cookies.
On Monday, myself and my friend Kelly headed up to Auburn to see our friends Matt and Frisco graduate. They aren't just any friends, they've been our best friends since high school, and pretty much the only people I've kept in constant contact with since.
Needless to say, I am very, very proud.

And now my journey continues....
Off to my MIL's today, then heading to north Alabama tomorrow for colorguard practice.
Hope you all are still enjoying the summer!

My first time...

Yesterday Aaron had an interview in Montgomery, so I decided to go with him.
After his hour long interview [isn't that nuts?] we decided to get some lunch.
It was my first time eating at Five Guys Burgers & Fries.
It was amazing. Seriously, I ate until my stomach hurt.
The only thing that sucked was the price.
For 2 hamburgers, 1 fry, & 2 drinks it was $18.00.
It was worth it for that kind of quality, but it will definitely be a rare treat.

Later, we went to see Inception. My heart raced pretty much the entire time. If you haven't seen it, you should do so immediately. I mean, I had a dream last night that someone was trying to get into my dream. But, was it a dream? Or was it real? Guess I'll never know.

30 days of me:: fancy schmancy

Day 12: Whatever tickles your fancy

Let's talk about Date Night.
And no, I don't mean the movie.
As a couple, especially a married couple, it is SO important to have date nights.
Everyone needs a chance to relax, eat good food, let loose, and have fun.
Our date nights used to consist of going out to eat, going to a movie, and sometimes we'd stop and get ice cream afterward.
Since we implemented a budget, we aren't going out as often, but it doesn't mean we can't have a great time together.

Let me introduce to you the
Date Night on a Budget.

I made us Filet Mignon with Balsamic Syrup & Goat cheese, baked potatoes, and freshly steamed spinach.

After dinner, we watched the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.



For a sweet ending to our night, I made a gooey toffee butter cake, straight from a Paula Deen recipe. Amazing!

And, we were able to only spend $12 to get everything we needed.
What do you do for date night?

30 days of me::Favorite Movie

30 Days of ME

Day 2: Your favorite movie

I could go on and on about all the movies I love, because I really do LOVE a lot of movies. But, let's cut right to the chase. My favorite movie of all time is Breakfast at Tiffany's.

I have seen this movie many times, and could watch it a million more without getting tired of it. It's just so classic.

Take a good look at your face

We're back from our fun filled emotionally exhausting weekend with A's family. I need time to relax before I decide whether or not to post about it.

What I will do tonight though, is review a few movies.

Why Did I Get Married?
I absolutely LOVE Tyler Perry movies. They're always funny and endearing. This one...was very annoying. I kept getting bored, and the boredom caused me to fall asleep. I didn't even have the motivation to re-watch the parts that I missed, and I definitely don't plan on seeing the second one.

Away We Go
I'm not really sure why it took us so long to see this, because Aaron and I both love John Krasinski [Jim from the Office]. Anyway, it finally came in the mail via Netflix. I wasn't expecting much from it because I hadn't heard ANY reviews of it. It ended up being really funny/awkward/sweet. Definitely worth watching.

Iron Man 2
As if Robert Downey Jr. & Scarlett Johansson aren't reason enough to go see this movie, go for the action. Seriously. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat pretty much the whole time. Despite my extreme hatred for Mickey Rourke, I still recommend this to any/everyone. Just make sure you watch the first one, too.

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
If you have read/enjoyed the book, you will probably NOT like this movie. I expected this movie to basically be reenactments of the scenarios in the book. To me, it seemed completely different. I did read the book over two years ago, so I may be forgetting some things, but the only scene from the movie that was actually IN the book, was at the end of the movie. COMPLETELY ridiculous. In fact, I'm considering re-reading the book just to make sure I'm not totally wrong.

A long time coming

Since Aaron has been gone, I have rented a few movies I know he wouldn't want to see.
Here's what I thought....


Did You Hear About the Morgans?
I was a little disappointed in this movie because I thought it was going to have some kind of thrill, excitement, or at least be DIFFERENT.....but not. It was so cliche. I love SJP, but come on...this movie was lame.

BandSlam
I'm a sucker for nerdy movies. I guess by nerdy movies I mean movies with nerdy boys as the main character [ha!]. I thought this movie seemed fresh, but it wasn't. It was 'okay' at best. I'm not going to lie, I kept falling asleep and it was like 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

Mamma Mia!!!
I know this one has been out for a while, but I recently became kind of obsessed with Amanda Seyfried. I was REALLY excited about it because I lovvvvve musicals. Umm, this one just did not do it for me. I fast forwarded through a lot because I kept getting annoyed. They just don't make 'em like they used to.

An Education
I was really surprised by this movie. I had heard both negative and positive things about it, but I had never heard what it was about. I just went out on a limb and rented it. I actually enjoyed it. Things happened that I didn't expect to happen. The guy who played Doc Ock in the Spiderman movie was the main character's father, so I ALMOST wrote it off to begin with. [I really don't like that guy] But I gave it a chance, and I'm glad I did.

I'm looking forward to renting:

Defendor

The Informant!

Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The Blind Side

Celebrity Crushes Pt 1 [Movies/TV]

Remember when Mr.O posted about his celebrity crushes here?

Well, it's my turn.

Without further adieu....





& As if I even have to tell you:

Every word you say I think I should write down

Okay, enough with the healthy eating/exercising blogs, and onto the good stuff...

My sister and I FINALLY caught up with the world and saw Avatar.
It was amazing.
It took me a few minutes to get used to the whole 3D glasses thing [my eyes had trouble focusing!!], but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This weekend I also saw Shutter Island.
All I have to say is............
it seriously messed with my brain....seriously.
I don't know what to believe. But, it was good. In a freaky 'I hope this never happens to me' kind of way.

In other news....
Our spring break starts in exactly one week. Which I am totally ready for because I REALLY need a break. And totally NOT ready for because it's not really warm yet.
*sigh* Here's to hoping the weather decides to be amazing while we're at the beach.

Also, I'm kind of having a dilemma.
You guys are always so helpful.....so,
my roots are showing BAD
should I
a] stick with dying my hair brown black

b] revert to dying my hair light brown [circa 2007]

c] just give myself burgundy highlights [circa 2008]

Sunday Movie Reviews and an award!

I haven't done this in quite a while, but I thought I'd share my thoughts on a few movies I recently watched with you all.

First off, Julie & Julia
If you've been following me for any length of time, you know that I love to cook. As soon as I heard about this movie, I knew I was going to love it. Not only because of the content, but also because of Amy Adams. I love her. Anyways, this movie was so inspiring. It made me wonder why I never thought of going to culinary school. Seriously...if this whole art thing doesn't work out, I'm going. Even if you aren't into cooking as much as I am, you should still see this movie.

Next we have District 9
I went into this movie with a totally negative mindframe. Mostly because I didn't WANT to watch it [Aaron made me], and because I think aliens are stupid. I was pretty grossed out a lot of the time. I didn't really like the story line, either. I won't lie, the way it was directed and the graphics were really good. I just couldn't stand looking at those ugly prawns.

On to Paper Heart
The main reason I wanted to see it was because I love Michael Cera. I knew this was going to be some kind of documentary, but I still can't figure out if it was more of a planned thing, or if it was legit. Someone help me out with this. The movie was really heart warming. Charlyne Yi is so cutely awkward and really funny. I wouldn't say go out and rent this right now, but I would definitely say check it out when you get a chance.

Lastly, for today atleast, is The Hangover
I had heard great things about this, so I was pretty pumped to FINALLY get to watch it. It was hilarious! It definitely did not disappoint. Zach Galifianakis is absolutely hilarious. I can't even say anymore without giving anything away, but go watch it. I heard there was some kind of spin off or sequel? Is this true?

Moving on...........

My sister, Cassie, at Southern Domestic Goddess gave me the Happy 101 award!

Rules: List 10 things that make you happy. Then tag 10 other bloggers.

1. Waking up, knowing I have absolutely no obligations for the day.
2. Watching the food network, history channel, travel channel, and discovery channel, and dreaming of my future.
3. Spending hours preparing a meal, and hearing Aaron say 'That's PDG, babe.' [pretty darn good!]
4. Getting really random/awesome ideas for paintings while doing other things & having to rush to write/draw them in my idea book before I forget.
5. Spending time with Nanny, Dede, Cas, and Jackson.
6. Shopping for home decor/home organizers.
7. Cherry Dr. Peppers and Cheese sticks from sonic.
8. Gossip girl, Nip/Tuck, The Office, It's Always Sunny..., and all my trashy reality shows.
9. Traveling with Aaron, whether it be 30 minutes away or 300 miles, we always have fun.
10. Painting, drawing, printmaking, sewing.......it all makes me very, very happy.
    

Those who I think deserve this award:

A Rush of Blog to the Head
Cooler Ranch or Nacho Cheese
Cape Cod Love
Yo Mama's Blog
The Secret Life of a Retail Assistant
Toddler Awesome...
Viva Voce
Passion.Fruit
Boredom's Bounty
Leaves In the Spring

To press the button, or not to press the button, that is the question.

Sunday night, Aaron and I watched The Proposal. Although it was some-what predictable, I thought it was really cute, and of course I loved it.

Last night, we rented Year One. I had heard pretty good things about it, and from the previews it looked pretty funny, but..........we didn't make it past the first 30 minutes. We kept looking at each other trying to decide if we liked it. I might have laughed once, and it honestly didn't seem to be going in a good direction, so we just turned it off. Just...don't waste your money.

Tonight we went to see The Box. I am not going to lie. I am still a little bit confused. It was very weird, but if you like weird, you'll probably like this movie. It just seemed to progress very slow. I kept thinking to myself 'hurry up, get to the good part' and then it was over.

Movies I am looking forward to seeing within the next few months:
UP
The Ugly Truth
The Blind Side
Dear John [yes, the Nicholas Sparks book!]
Avatar

Hope you guys have a good Veterans day. Enjoy the break!

You are Manhattan in June

Today, I'm feeling not-so-hot, in a sense that I may throw up half way through this post, but I'm going to continue anyways.

This weekend was pretty much one of the best weekends that I have had in a long, long time.

Friday night, we went to see Inglorious Basterds. Well, I really loved it. I'm not going to review it, but Matt did, so read his :)

Saturday, Aaron, our friend Danny, and I went to Dothan to do a little shopping. Our day consisted of Michael's Arts & Crafts,
Icee's from Target,
too much time in Barnes & Noble,
spontaneity in the mall,
[getting my ears pierced]
and ended with dinner at TGI Friday's with my friend Emily.

See, just a few weeks ago, she was diagnosed with the swine flu.
Although, according to her doctor, she is no longer contagious..........
Now, I really, really hope that I am not really sick, but if I am, I will be pissssssssed that I decided to hang out with her.

Anyways, I'm off to do some homework, and then to bed. Hope you all have a lovely week!

Can you see up my skirt?

Guess what time it is?
Time for me to procrastinate a little more! HA

And time for me to share my opinions about the movies I watched this weekend.

SPOILER ALERT!

If you haven't seen The Time Traveler's Wife yet, do NOT continue.

Okay, so, like most movies in which I have already read the book, this movie was kind of disappointing. If you haven't read the book, you'll probably really like it. If you're a guy, you'll probably really be confused [not being sexist, just going of the few reviews I've heard from other males]. I almost wish that I had waited to read the book until AFTER the movie. There was so much that was cut out or changed. Mrs. Kim & Ingrid had NO roles what-so-ever. Alba was more like a replica of her mother, than her father. There were very few scenes where Clare was involved in her art. ALL THE JUICY TEENAGE SCENES WERE AXED. When I was discussing this issue with Aaron, he said "But the movie was still almost 2 hours long, could you imagine how long it would have been if they added that stuff?" Yes, I can imagine it would have been several hours longer, but IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WORTH IT! I would have thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't believe that Audrey Niffenegger even let them cut so much out of it, I mean come on...MRS. KIM! *sigh* but that is only one of the things I love so much about reading; the details, the drama, the imagery painted in your mind that movies just can't always be live up to. And it's one thing that so many people miss out on because they don't/won't take the time to read.

I've been meaning to get into Tyler Perry's movies. Every time I see a commercial or trailer, I laugh so hard, but I never saw one at the redbox [which is where I rent my movies, since I'm such a cheap-o]. UNTIL a few weeks ago I saw that they had Madea Goes To Jail. I rented it yesterday, and let me tell you; It did NOT disappoint. It was hilarious, and it had some serious parts. The over all conflict/resolution was really touching, and of course Madea was just drop dead funny. I can't wait to get my hands on some of his other movies! Anyone have a favorite you'd recomment I watch first?

I often like to pic movies I've never heard of [Independent films, & such]. This week I decided to get Gigantic. Mostly because I love all things Zooey Deschanel. I'm not sure if it was released in theaters, but I do know for sure that it wasn't released in my area. I really liked this movie. It was different. And I like different [for the most part]. It also kind of tugged at my heart, because in the movie, the lead character is trying to adopt a baby. And, I have a fear that I'm not going to be able to have children myself, which means I'll adopt. Just seeing what he goes through, the uncertainty, and the ultimate surprise/blessing, was all really refreshing to see. I'm posting the trailer here, so if you're interested, go rent it!



Well, I'm out. Gone to finish up these lousy lesson plans, and who knows what else. Hope you all had a good weekend!!

My 100th post!

And I couldn't think of anything clever to do. Sorry guys!!

But I do have a lot on my mind, so try to keep up ;)

I think I've decided to do a 'daily doodle' now that I have my new drawing pad for my computer. Or, maybe I'll just add a doodle to my blogs, since I don't post every single day. I guess I'll give it a shot and see how it goes!

I got an email yesterday from my adviser, telling me that I needed to enroll in this certain class THIS semester or else I won't be able to graduate on time. Did I mention that we start classes TOMORROW?! I was freaking out thinking that I wouldn't be able to get in this late. But, I got it. Now I'm just stressing about the fact that I will be taking 18 hours this semester. Ohhh well.

Good news, though!! Mommy of Many Faces gave me the 'One Lovely Blog' award! Thank you so much!


Now, It's my turn to hand it out to a few of you!

All you have to do is save the picture and add it to your blog, then give the award to 15 of your favorite bloggers. Be sure to comment on their posts to let them know they have an award!

I'm picking:

The girl [even though I know she has taken a break, she still deserves it]
Matt
Cassie
Rachel
Leah
Jessy
BlueBelle
Emma
For the love of Pictures
Jasmine
Abby
Melissa
Jeanette
Miss Peregrin
Jaime

Enjoy!

Have I mentioned how busy we have been lately? Or the fact that we currently only have one car, and have a million places to go [or so it seems]. Or the fact that school starts tomorrow. TOMORROW? Did I seriously just say that? It seems so unreal. *sigh* The weekend can't come soon enough. And I seriously hope we can buy a car asap! [Please keep your fingers crossed!]

We did take a little time for ourselves last night, just to relax. I made fried rice, egg rolls, and orange chicken. Okay, I cheated and bought the egg rolls, but still, I made the rest, and it was seriously delicious. If anyone wants the recipe, just let me know and I will post it [and the brownie recipe that I keep forgetting to post, sorry!]. Definitely AS good as take out and a heck of a lot cheaper. After dinner we watched Fast & Furious. It became my favorite one of the four. I am going to recommend it to you all. Let me know what you think ;)

Well, I am off to spend a little bit of time with my man before another busy, busy day. Hope you all are having a fantastic week!

I will judge a book by its cover so break my binding and tear my paper

I saw this bumper sticker on a car yesterday when I was driving around, and it made me super happy.



Don't you just love it?!

Anyways...this weekend has been pretty chill.

Matt came down Friday night. We watched New in Town, which I thought was pretty good, and he thought was pretty lame. Debated on whether we could rent Fired UP! but ultimately decided not to.

Saturday began with home made donuts. That's right...home made. They were nothing shy of delicious, but honestly were more trouble than they were worth for just two people. I could definitely see trying it again if we have a bunch of friends over, though. Friends, please do not rent Ink Heart. I wanted it to be so good, I kept waiting for the goodness to come out, for SOMETHING to intrigue me, but that never happened. We watched it in it's entirety, and I would not do it again. They could have pushed it way farther. It was decent, but I wouldn't recommend wasting money. Just wait until it comes on HBO or something.

Any recommendations on what I should rent next time?!

I got a crazy craving for brownies, so I decided to make some. Yep, from scratch.
They turned out amazing! Obviously, they were better with a little bit of ice cream.

If you want the recipe, just let me know!



So, I'm coming up on my 100th post [6 posts away, to be exact] and I'm trying to come up with something fun to do. Keep an eye out!!

p.s. don't forget the sunday secrets!!