Monday, February 28, 2011

Oscar Awards: Fashion Rewind!

 Well...another awards season has come and gone.  For once, I knew the majority of the films nominated (and I must say, I had a blast going to see them all), and I obviously know how to predict winners. {grin}

I thought the show itself was very enjoyable.  I will admit I fast-forwarded through a few (okay most) acceptance speeches.  I loved Anne Hathaway and James Franco as hosts.  Anne Hathaway's wardrobe changes were {mostly} great.  LOVED the tux w/ the sparkly stilletos!

And now...onto the fashion!

 Lots of black (pretty standard)
Sharon Stone - looks good but I just don't like her
Helen Mirren - fantastic!  I love her!
Helena Bonham Carter - typical for her.  She always talks about how she doesn't come to these shows for the fashion.  We get it - but couldn't you just try ONE time?
Reese Witherspoon - reminds me too much of Julia Roberts when she won her Oscar

Jewel tones
Scarlett Johansson - I couldn't decide for a long time on this.  I finally decided I don't like it.  It makes her body look weird and doesn't look dressy enough.  Plus her hair is a mess.
Amy Adams - I LOVE this dress.  Don't like the necklace and wish she'd pulled her hair back
Natalie Portman - looks good, not great, wearing silly earrings {so happy she won though!!}

Metallics
Celine Deion - looks fantastic
Gwenyth Paltrow - another one I can't decide on.  I think I like it (the dress is really pretty), but it doesn't seem to fit her right.
Michelle Williams - won't be worst dressed but underwhelmed.

Red Hot
Jennifer Lawrence - most improved (after the disaster at the SAG Awards)
Sandra Bullock - not feeling it
Anne Hathaway - by far, NOT my favorite look of hers from the night
Jennifer Hudson - put the girls away please, we know you lost a ton of weight but seriously we don't need to see so much of you

Twinkies #1
Is it just me or do these 2 dresses look a lot alike?  Hailee Steinfeld looks way better though.  Mandy is too pale and her lipstick is all wrong.

Twinkies #2
Strapless? Check! Shimmery? Check! Tight/slinky? Check! Feathers at bottom? Check! Another set of very similar dresses.  And I can't decide who I like better...too similar I guess.  Although I think they both look fantastic!

What Were They Thinking?
Marissa Tomei - ready for prom
Melissa Leo - the holiday doily come to life
Cate Blanchett - here's the thing - the dress is really unique, but I hate the shoulders and also think it's not really an 'Oscars' dress.

Couples
Annette Benning and Warren Beatty are just a good-looking couple, huh?  And Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem have a newborn - what?  Matthew is too orange, right?  And Christian Bale and his wife are just a beautiful couple!

Couples
Only a few comments here - Mark Ruffalo's significant other (whose name is Sunshine) looks WEIRD, when you see Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton together you kind of understand, I love Colin Firth and his wife, Nicole Kidman just looks wrong (my co-worker said she looks like a playing card - I totally see that).


Eye candy!! (When is Christian going to shave that horrendous beard?)

Best Dressed - Mila Kunis has killed it this award season.  I have just loved everything she has worn.  I thought this dress was unique, the color was gorgeous, it was totally flattering...LOVED IT!


Saturday, February 26, 2011

My Oscar Predictions!

The Oscars are almost here!  My predictions seem to match most 'experts', but I promise these are my own. {grin}

Best Picture: The King's Speech (updated - I originally typed 'The Fighter' - did NOT mean to do that - oops!)
Best Actor: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter (closely followed by Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech)
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, The Fighter


You can bet I'll be watching all the action starting with E!'s red carpet coverage.  And I will definitely be putting together one last Fashion Recap!  Anyone else super excited?!?!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Homage to the Future King

If you're like me, you are semi-interested in Prince William and Kate Middleton's upcoming nuptials.  I want to see pictures and critique her dress, hair, etc.  I want to see what Posh and Becks wear and if Kanye West shows up.

If you're like one of my co-workers, you already have scheduled PTO for the day of the wedding to watch it on TV.

If you're like this person...you REALLY, REALLY like Prince William and his future Misses...and you have some talent...and a really dirty car.

Picture taken in the parking lot at my client


Thursday, February 24, 2011

Kiddie Acres!

Patty and I took the boys to Kiddie Acres and had a blast!  Trent LOVED the train (so much so that we rode it 4 times) and refused to do anything else (except 1 trip on the boats).  Miles was a little less mad for the train and rode quite a few rides.  Neither of the boys were interested in the pony rides but hopefully next time!

Enjoying the train, checking out the boats, NOT staying in the car {grin}



Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Double Movie Review

My last 2 Oscar movie reviews!  I hope y'all aren't totally sick of these, but I guess, even if you are, this is it.  Ha!  My last 2 Netflix movies - Winter's Bone and Toy Story 3.


Winter's Bone:
Synopsis: An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact.
Review: Jennifer Lawrence, who plays the lead character and is nominated for Best Actress, did a phenomenal job.  And the quality of the film was really good.  {I even thought at one point that if I were that poor I'd still at least wash the grime off my hands.  So props to the 'props'.}  I liked that there was some resolution and somewhat of a good ending, but I was still left with some questions.  Overall, I thought this film was good but not my type of movie.  If nothing else, seeing all these movies has definitely expanded my normal movie-watching!

Toy Story 3:
Synopsis: The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.
Review: Just about one of the most precious movies ever!  I was teary-eyed from the beginning and watched the entire movie thinking how cute it was.  The animation is great, the plot is great, the humor is just right for adults and kids, and the moral of the story is on-point.  Grade A movie making!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Back-Breaking Work

It is just so hard to be {almost} 2!  So hard he needs his Mama's maternity belt.  He looks so cute wearing it though, huh?



Sunday, February 20, 2011

Baby Bump Watch - The Sister Edition

32 weeks w/ Miles vs. 34 weeks w/ Baby #2

I think she looks smaller this time around and still carrying more compact (if that makes sense).  Right?

The name debates continue to rage on...  David is absolutely ridiculous when it comes to names.  He likes Francis for a boy and Shantal for a girl.  Seriously?  Why do our husbands have to be so difficult when naming babies?  I foresee another 2-day debate after this baby makes his/her arrival {grin}.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Double Movie Review

Several of the Oscar nominated movies are already out on video, which has really helped keep down the cost of seeing all these movies. {grin}  First two I watched via Netflix - Inception and The Kids Are All Right.  I figured I'd talk about them together since I wasn't super crazy about either of them!


The Kids Are All Right:
Synopsis: Two children conceived by artificial insemination bring their birth father into their family life.
Review: I thought this movie was just 'all right'.  It had the potential to be really great and took a wrong turn in the middle.  The storyline between Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo was just dumb IMO.  I thought Annette Benning was fantastic and totally deserves her Oscar nod (but Natalie Portman is still my pick), but she was really the only great part.  I'm glad this was just a renter!

Inception:
Synopsis: In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception.
Review: This movie was definitely better but still not one of my favorite nominees.  The plot was definitely very interesting, I just thought it had too much going on.  It reminded me of Armageddon where everything went wrong.  I mean everything.  After awhile, I was just over it.  I know others thought this was the greatest movie, so maybe I just don't have enough of an imagination?


Will hopefully get through Toy Story 3 and Winter's Bone this weekend!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011

Movie Review: 127 Hours

Allison and I saw '127 Hours' today.  This was another one we were both dreading and were so surprised to enjoy it as much as we did.

Synopsis: A mountain climber becomes traped under a bolder while canyoneering near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.

Review: The director, Danny Boyle, also directed 'Slumdog Millionaire' which won the Oscar for Best Picture a few years ago.  You can definitely see his talent in this film.  It reminded me a little bit of 'Cast Away' just in the sense that 1 man carried the majority of this film.  James Franco did an excellent job as Aron Ralston.  {I think most people know this story, but if you don't and don't want to know the end, stop reading now!!!}  Allison and I were both DREADING the scene where he would cut his arm off, and it was horrible because James Franco was SO believable, but it wasn't as disgusting as I thought it would be (thank you Mr. Director) due to the way it was shown (lots of flashing scenes).  At the end, Allison and I were both teary-eyed and were definitely surprised at how enjoyable the film was overall.  Allison has declared this her 2nd favorite, I'm still debating.  We still both think Collin Firth should win for Best Actor but not by much!  8 down, 2 to go!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Where You Going, Trent?

After a fabulous (partial) weekend away, I really soaked up some quality time with Trent.  I walked in the door, he looked at me and smile, then went back to playing with his daddy.  No squeal of delight, no rush over to me for hugs and kisses, nothing.  Life as normal.  Which included a battle to change his diaper just a short bit of time later.  I usually have to pin him to the floor with my feet and sing to him to keep him from screaming bloody murder.  Sometimes he gets the better of me and flips over and squirms away naked.  This was one of those diaper changes.  I usually let him play naked for a few minutes because there just isn't anything cuter.  Or so I thought.  He ran around the house for a bit and then started playing with his diaper container that goes to school with him (I love that his school uses our cloth diapers).  He also took a special interest in the little suitcase I bought for Miles for his upcoming 2nd birthday.  At one point he walked toward the back door carrying both containers.  When I asked him 'Where you going?', he promptly replied 'School.'  I got the most adorable picture of him doing this, but I decided not to share since it would weird me out to have his 19 month old full-on naked self pictured on the internet.  But trust me when I say the picture is just too adorable. {grin}

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Eatin'

I can't get over how big my guy is getting!  In just about a year, we have gone from his first meal of cereal to eating all on his own.  And look at how much taller he is in the high chair!  He's so cute (and messy)!



Sunday, February 6, 2011

Girls Weekend!

Patty and I went away for part of the weekend (Thursday night through Saturday afternoon) with Dena and her sister, Mandy.  This was both mine and Patty's first time away from our boys to do something just for us.  It was so much fun!  We went to Fredericksburg and just shopped, ate, read, slept in, and repeated!  Dena even got me to get in the hot tub in the 20 degree weather (which was actually AWESOME).

Being silly


We thought this pillow would have been a lot funnier had it said 'Not Tonight' on both sides.  {grin}

This trip was also Patty's last chance to do something before Baby #2, so I know she really enjoyed herself.  We missed all the snow at home (it didn't snow in Fredericksburg), so we were all a little sad to miss the fun with our kiddos...but not too much!  Ha!  Can't wait to do it again ladies!!!


Friday, February 4, 2011

It's All Out!

No more metal in this girl's head.  Brent got to take everything out the other night.  Not sure I could have done it to him, but I think he enjoyed pulling all this out.  So life is almost back to normal...just still can't decide on a dang car!  I do not do a good job making decisions (I debated a new car seat for days and days and finally just picked one while in the store, and that's only $200!)...especially under pressure!



Thursday, February 3, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Project 52: January Review

To keep me honest, I thought I'd dissect how I did in the first month of Project 52.  For the full list of my goals, see here.

Accomplished/In-progress:
26. Use my crockpot at least once a month. - Check! 
33. Do something creative w/ Trent (like Children’s museum) at least 1 time per month. - Check!  {Only the park this month but I am counting it}
34. Wear more of my ‘fun’ jewelry. - Check!
35. Try 1 new recipe per month. - Check! {A new roast recipe in the crockpot so a combo w/ #26}
36. Comment more on other blogs. - Check! {I hope y'all are all noticing!}
39. Get more followers. - Check!  Up from 51 to 53!!
43. Try Bikhram yoga - Check! Heather and I went yesterday. Definitely trying it again.




Doubt I'll achieve all 52, but I am having a lot of fun trying!