This weekend...

This weekend has been very relaxing and very productive.
I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to all of you who sent me well wishes.
I am feeling MUCH better, and I have my voice about 75% back.

My husband had drill this weekend, and there were a TON of things that I've been wanting to do, but haven't had the time. So I used all this free time I had to get it all done.
First off, since I passed out before 8pm on Friday night, I had an early start Saturday. Yep, my body decided it was time to get up at 7 am. What kind of craziness is that?!
Anyway, I took advantage of it and painted my nails
while watching Letters to Juliet.
Finished up two fun little side projects for two special friends, more on that later.
Made a bunch of new headbands and started some new hair clips, too.


Speaking of headbands, all of my are on sale, 15% off.
Just use the code VDAY2011 at my shop.

Today I made 4 1/2 dozen cookies, 4 dozen mini cupcakes, framed two paintings and one print, made chunk crayons, went grocery shopping, and worked on my lesson plans/examples.

As good as this weekend was, I'm REALLY sad to see the week approaching. But with every day that passes is one day closer to my due date :):):)
Hope you all have a great week!

twice as nice

1. If you could host a Reality TV show, which one would it be?

I would host one of the real world/road rules challenges. I LOVE those shows :)

2. Do you put your seat belt on before or after you start the car?

After...usually.

3. Shave or hair removal cream?

I shave. I've tried hair removal cream, but it never seems to work on me.

4. What's your favorite feature in a house?

Large open kitchens!

5. What is your favorite "Fall" scent?

pumpkin spice!!!

6. What tv show are you looking forward to seeing the most this Fall??

Gossip Girllllll.

7. Personal Shopper or Personal Chef?

Is this something I am, or something I need? I would love to be a personal chef, but I would definitely NEED a personal shopper ;)

8. What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of "Fall"?

pumpkins

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.

life & other news

Since my last post:

• I have finished all 5 seasons of Weeds, and am not so patiently waiting for season 6.
• Aaron came home!! He is officially an Air Assault graduate.
• My job is so lame I feel like I lose millions of brain cells every time I have to go in. It also hurts my feet. & I don't want to hear 'a job, is a job & this is the recession......' b.s.
• Saw Bruno for the second time. It is funny. WATCH IT!
• I have started reading the gossip girl books. So far, so good!
• Saw Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and stayed thoroughly confused the entire time. I love Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, and Tobey Maguire, but I feel like the only way to get through this movie and acutally like it, is to be on drugs, which I'm not willing to do. Sorry guys.
• And, I got this award from Sara! So sweet.

What do you do when you're bored?
Watch T.V. or a movie, read a book, paint, dork around online.

Are you an Autumn or a Spring?
Definitely Spring. It's like the light at the end of the tunnel that is Winter.

Quick! You're stuck at an airport for hours, and the only options are crossword puzzles, or an old novel nobody's ever heard of. Which do you pick?
Crossword puzzle hands down.

Jane Austen or Emily Bronte?

Emily Bronte. I had to do a report on her when I was in the 6th grade, so I had to read a lot of her poems/biography/etc.

Do you feel prepared for the five other questions coming your way?
I kind of feel like I'm on myspace again, but sure...let's do this.

Who’s your hero?
HitGirl

Favourite word?
food :)

Are you one of those “checklist” people, or are you a “wing it and hope everything goes well” sort of person?
I am a list maker to the n'th degree. I HAVE to HAVE my lists.

What phrase has stuck with you in your life?
too legit to quit? HA

If you were to choose between coffee and tea . . . which would you go with?
Tea, but only if it was ice cold and sweet.

Who do I think deserves this award?
How about....

Cassie
Haley
Jeanette
Lisa
Amber

Getting to know You

To play..Grab the questions..copy them onto your blog..answer them..and click the button above to link up!


1. Waffles, pancakes or french toast?
Waffles....all kinds. But especially chocolate chip waffles :)

2. Dream home..What would it look like?
Something straight out of the south. Big & Beautiful with at least one more bedroom than the amount of people living there.

3. Favorite sport to watch during the Winter Olympics?
None....

4. The first word that comes to mind when describing yourself?
Artsy

5. Dresses, pants (jeans, leggings, etc.) or skirts?
I LOVE dresses, but I usually settle for jeans.

6. What is your favorite time of day?
Night time, so I can watch my shows.

7. Beach or Mountains..which do you prefer?
The beach, definitely. You couldn't tell it by looking at my skin though.

8.Will you watch the Super Bowl?
Probably...but only because Aaron likes to pretend like he knows what is going on.

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

I break the rules so I don't care

It's finally cooling off here in good ol' Alabama, and my heart is very, very happy.

I cleaned my whole apartment and bought a bunch of pumpkin spice and mulled cider candles, because I want my house to smell like fall.
I've been dying to carve pumpkins, but Aaron had to work all weekend =\
Speaking of work.....his new job has pretty much taken over his life. On the weekends anyways.
I mean, obviously I'm glad because it pays the bills, but it just sucks that they literally give him all his hours on the weekends.
*sigh* Besides painting and making chili, this is what I did today...

a 'flower' centerpiece for my kitchen table.
[tutorial here, if you're interested]

Suddenly Sunday?!

This weekend has flown by way too fast.

It seems like just yesterday I was sharing with you the yummy goodness that is banana bread, and now it's time to prepare for another dreaded week of school. Darn deadlines!

Last night my sister threw Aaron and I an engagement party. It was a lot of fun. Don't worry, I'll post pictures as soon as she uploads them. Until then....a teaser!


Kel, Matt, & Me.

Anyways, a few of you asked me to post the recipe for the banana bread, so here it is:

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Courtesy of Elise @ Simply Recipes

Hope you all have a very relaxing Sunday. As for me, I'll be here writing lesson plans and listening to pandora until my shows come on!

No, there is no Odyssey. There's no Penelope.

Aaron got a job at the local movie theater!
This is good for two reasons.
1] A steady income never hurt anyone,
&
2] Someone said something about free movie showings...what?! ya!

It's days like today that I am really missing teacup. *sigh*
Here's my Sunday [not-so] secret, just to keep the tradition alive for one more week at least.



In other boring news, I spent four hours at the school today [ridiculous, I know] trying to catch up.

Did I mention that I got my outfit for our engagement photos? It's super cute. Now I just need someone to come dye my hair.

Hope you all have a great week!

What is all the buzz about?

I'm terribly sorry for being too busy yesterday to be able to post the winner of the print!

So, here it is..........

The winner is Amber!
Just send me an email @ dhs_cg_chick@yahoo.com
and let me know what address you want the print [Forget me not, right?] sent to.

Ohhh man. This weekend has gone by way too quick. Friday my bridesmaids and I went shopping for their dresses. Surprisingly, it took us less than an hour.


Later on that night, my friends Danny and Emily came to Troy to hang out. We all went to Mikata's. It's amazing, in case you didn't know. Went to pick up some drinks, and then headed home to play rock band.


Everything was fine until Danny decided we needed to play some drinking game. It was pretty fun, but it lead to Danny and Aaron getting trashed, while Emily and I were barely buzzed. The rest of the night [or should I say morning] was really interesting.

Danny managed to pull all kinds of crazy antics, including knocking on my neighbor's door at 2 in the morning, calling an ex girlfriend and yelling at her voicemail, and crying for all kinds of nonsense reasons.

He tried to leave several times, but we kept convincing him to come back in, until we finally got tired of chasing him [around 5:30 in the morning] and let him go.

I will never let anyone get that drunk again on my watch.

Anyways, most of Saturday was spent sleeping, until Aaron and I finally decided to get up and go buy a new computer. It's super nice, but it has taken over my computer desk, which I'm not proud of. Aaron is hogging it, which means my good ol' laptop and I are stuck in random places all over the house, and it is very hard to do the work I need to do without my desk. *sigh*

I am hoping this week just flies by. Friday we are leaving to spend some quality time with my sister in Georgia, and next Monday we have the photo session for our Engagement pictures.

Hope you all have a great week!!

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!!

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!!

Tale Tell Hearts

This weekend has been filled with reading, sleep, and movies.

I feel like I have kind of fallen off the movie-watching bandwagon, so to speak. Aaron and I used to go to the movies or rent movies weekly, but since he's been gone, I've kind of neglected it. I had all weekend off from work, so I headed to Troy, picked up a few movies, and decided I would let you all know what I thought.

Before I get into that though, I want to take a moment to talk to you about Sunday Secrets. I love reading Post Secret every Sunday, and for a long time I thought about sending in my secrets, but I never did. I just felt like so many people were sending in their secrets, and I didn't see what would make mine so special that they would actually choose mine to post. I know that may sound silly, but if I finally get the courage to reveal something personal about myself, I would like for it to be seen, whether anyone knows that it is about me or not. Recently, the girl started doing her own Sunday Secrets. It's really great. You can send your secrets in to her, and SHE WILL POST THEM. You can do it anonymously or share your identity. I think it is a wonderful thing, and I think you all should check out this Sunday's secrets.

Now, on to my movie reviews.
[Disclaimer...I do not claim to be a movie buff, just a girl with opinions.]

Movie #1: Stop Loss.
If you're at a rental store, and you see this, and you start debating on if you should get it or not...STOP. Seriously. It was a waste of time and energy. It made me 100 times more nervous about the fact that Aaron will most likely have to go to war one day, but other than that, I got nothing out of it. Everyone who goes into the military knows there is a chance they can get stop lossed. It isn't like some big secret. Yea, it sucks, but it's kind of what you signed up for, right? Anyways, the acting was decent, but there was no real plot. Unless you are totally in love with Channing Tatum or Ryan Phillipe, I would say skip this one.

Movie #2: Confessions of a Shopaholic.
I don't want to give away the details, but if you're a girl, you will probably love this. Guys...probably won't like it so much. I thought it was hilarious and the acting was good. I would definitely watch it again.

Movie #3: Revolutionary Road.
I had read such great reviews about this movie, and come on, who didn't want to see Kate & Leo back together again? HA. I was lost from the beginning. I didn't know much about the back story, so I was pretty much confused the whole time. or...Maybe I am too shallow to understand. I thought it was entirely too long. It just seemed like one minute they were in love, the next minute they hated each other, the next they were cheating, the next they were in love. What was the whole point? If you know, please tell me.

Movie #4: Henry Poole is Here.
I won't lie..this movie confused me a bit, too. But it had points, it had a plot, it was going somewhere. It was not hard to follow, and there was fore shadowing, so I was intrigued the whole time. I really got into it, to the point that a few times, my heart actually dropped. It was really endearing. I had never heard of this movie before, and I didn't remember it coming in theaters, but I like Luke Wilson, and so I decided to get it. Turns out it was one of the better movies I'd rented this weekend. I would say definitely give it a shot, it may or may not be your cup of tea, but it's worth it.

So, what movies have you seen recently? What would you recommend going to see or staying away from?

Alabama with a 35mm

Sorry, been busy moving/unpacking and haven't found much time for blogging. But I did find these pictures I took a few years ago with a film camera, and thought they showed a lot about where I come from. HA. enjoy :)

To twitter, or not to twitter?

That is the question.

Being so adamant about staying away from trends and then caving in is the story of my life. Current trend I may become a victim of: Twitter.
So, people of the blogging world, what is your opinion.
Should I join twitter, or stay away?
Help me please :)

Anyways, 4 days until the Paramore/No Doubt concert; 16 days until the Taking Back Sunday concert. I am freakishly excited. And who better to go with than my bff Jill Matt?
While I'm counting down, I'll go ahead and say that I only have 25 days until I'll be in Oklahoma watching Aaron graduate from Basic. :)

Hope you guys have a great week!

Never wanna tell a lie..

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND :)

Nanny has been asking me to clean out this old desk of my sister's that we used to pile all our stuff in. I found lots of old letters, diaries, and 'creative writing' folders from our elementary/middle school years.

I threw most of it away, but kept the good stuff. And by good, I mean funny. Well, to me at least.

I almost busted a gut reading this stuff. When I was in the third grade, I apparently thought I had 3 brothers & 2 sisters. I only have TWO brothers and ONE sister. Nanny said I must have been counting my imaginary friends.

In the fifth grade, I wrote a letter to Bill Clinton. Take a look for yourself:


I guess kids really do say the darn'dest things.

And if I'm given the chance to be a doll in his hands

BEST.
EASTER.
EVER.

This was my present:


Yep; I'm engaged!!

The story?

Well, it wasn't story book, but it's mine, and that's all that matters.

Aaron and I came home from a weekend in Auburn, and he began packing his things for basic. He asked me if I wanted to go to Walmart with him to get a few last minute things, and I said yes. So, we shop around, and then decide to go to Subway for dinner. Aaron asks me what I want, and JOKINGLY, I say I want a ring. We laugh it off, order, and come home to eat. While we were eating, we were watching Rock of Love, and the girls were choosing which rings they'd want if Bret chose them. Of course, I made some smart remark, and he just ignored me, like usual. He got up, went to his closet, came back to the living room. He asks me If I'm ready. I froze. He's standing there with something behind his back. He gets down on one knee, still had his hands behind his back, and I'm saying 'Are you serious? Is this for real?' And he pulls out a box, and opens it, and there sits the most beautiful ring I've ever seen. I immediately started crying. I was soooooooo shocked! I mean, we've talked about it before, but I didn't seriously think it was going to happen for a while. I obviously said yes, and am now the proud future Mrs. Altgilbers :)

basic bye-bye

Friday night I arranged a 'going away' dinner for Aaron. I was so proud to see all of his family there, and some of mine as well. It was really nice, and for once, NO DRAMA at a family gathering! haha


9 days until he leaves for basic. This is going to be the hardest 4+ months of my entire life.

This is going to be a busy [hopefully not STORMY] week, and I hope it passes by fast. Next weekend we are headed up to Auburn to spend some much needed quality time with our friends. I know I will have a blast.

If you get bored, and have a child-like imagination, you should check out Nim's Island & The Spiderwick Chronicles. They were both pretty good :)

let's talk about random

Some of you may be familiar with StumbleUpon, but in case you aren't, StumbleUpon is an online community that suggests websites for you based on your interests.


The reason I'm mentioning this is because I'm completely obsessed with it right now. Seriously, at times, when I should be sitting here writing lesson plans, or reading for class, I'm stumbling. And I have found some of THE coolest websites/pictures because of it. The best part is, you don't have to waste space trying to bookmark every single neat thing that you see, just press the 'I like it' button, and it saves to your favorites on your stumbleupon account.

I just wanted to share with you all a few things I've come across while stumbling:


http://lol.com.pk/2009/03/art-dont-miss-it/

http://www.jansch.freeserve.co.uk/life-size.htm

http://yoke.cc/handart2.htm


http://www.dirtycarart.com/gallery/index.htm

Check it out! It is a good way to 'waste time'...especially if you're bored.