a picture a day!

24/365

the kitchen back door.

25/365

put a ring on it. i was hoping he would do the beyonce dance, but i was shot down with that request. a girl can try.

26/365

my stuart.

27/365

home.

28/365

reading lamp (we can't afford a shade).

29/365

the boyfriend bar. love it.

i know i promised to be doing this post every other day, but who am i kidding?
seriously, i'll try harder and maybe i'll have a post wrapping up this month. xoxo.

fangirl obsession: Divergent

i can be a bit obsessive--well, really obsessive, if we're being honest. usually it's with things like movies, television and books. i am not an obsessive crafter or do-er of things because that would require me to be active, and i am not an active person. my pinterest boards would suggest that i have plans to be a crafter and to do many things, but i will never do those things. pinterest is just a place for my intentions to go and DIE. but maybe someday i'll sew that quilt i've been working on for the past 15 years. maybe.

my most obsessive self comes out with books. i have a really REALLY hard time with them because i will hands down fall in love with characters. i become so invested with the story i will go nuts and then my internet stalking will begin. oh the rabbit holes i have fallen down while ingesting as much crap as i possibly can of stories and characters from books that i couldn't get enough of.

one of these said obsessions is that of Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth. i couldn't put these books down and i can't wait for the third book to come out this fall (because all good YA needs to come in the form of a trilogy, of course). and what always comes next for popular YA books? a movie. yay! then the disappointment comes in the form of casting of these characters. because hollywood just can't seem to get casting right in a majority of these movies. just my opinion y'all.

so am i ever gonna get to the point of what i'm posting about?

Divergent the movie is being made. yes i know, i am way way behind the news here. i will always and forever be behind the news, so get over it. if you want up to date info, do not come here (i always get my news from Oh No They Didn't). anyways, the movie will begin filming in Chicago in the spring. yay! Tris will be played by Shailene Woodley (from The Secret Life of the American Teenager) and i'm ok with that casting. who will play Four? (and we will not call him Tobias here!) let's ask Woodley (from MTV news at Sundance),

dude, i want to find him. we have been doing some tests. we've been doing some auditions. we'll see what happens.

but my favorite is what she said about the actor who will be Four,

the thing about Four is that he has to be a man. no feminine actors, please. you cannot walk in that room in pretty little boots and pretend you're a man. i'm sorry. you need to walk in there, and you need to not have muscles that look good and not actually work. there have been a few guys that have this power about them. it's a natural masculine power that some people have and some people don't. there's nothing good or bad or wrong or right about it. this character needs to be extremely masculine, and his eyes need to scream vulnerability and sensitivity. it's really hard to find in a dude, especially a dude who can act.

i love it! and dude, so many dudes.
but i agree with her. i am very curious as to who they will cast as Four. i feel there is a lack of younger male talent in hollywood. like, for example, the casting of The Hunger Games Peeta and Finnick. but that rant shall be for another day. xoxo.

the boob tube: Project Runway s11 e01

so it begins. Project Runway season 11.

oh, how i love this show. i love the creativity, i love the design, i love the passion for fashion (oh boy!), i love the designers (especially the batshit crazy ones but not the mean ones), and i love Heidi and Tim (and Nina and Michael, but where is Michael?). That's okay, Zac Posen is a great replacement. 

but i digress. so Project Runway begins.

i love that in this season they threw us a curveball by making it all about the teams. yay teams! i personally would hate to work in a team if i were them, but i'm not. i think it's a fun plot twist. i would think that working in the fashion world, one would usually have to work in a team, but i'm kind of assuming here because i am not part of the fashion world at all. just a fan. so needless to say, working in teams for this season seems to make sense to me. 

let's go ahead and start the fashion critique. i do love to judge what people wear because i am both evil and opinionated. however, i am no fashion diva. fashion is meant to be worn and seen out and about and brought to life. i, on the other hand, usually do not leave the house (i'm a crazy shut-in), so my closet is pretty boring. i usually just shop at the Gap or Old Navy. boring right? but i live my fashion-diva-inner-goddess self by watching Project Runway.

*spoilers, be warned!

the first episode is always the hardest because you can't really tell much about the designer yet. you can see bits and pieces of what someone might be like, but everything can change. someone you might like at the beginning could turn out to be someone you hate at the end. i also find that more often than not the person who wins the first few challenges tends to burn out in the middle of the season. and seeing the first person eliminated is always sad to watch because you can't tell what someone is capable in just one challenge. but it is a competition show and it's all about the winner. 

first impressions. 

who i liked without seeing their work yet? 

Matthew. he is my favorite so far. i kind of like Amanda too.

who i'm not feeling the love for?

Patricia. she screams "fashion designer for Chico's". but she is a bit crazy, and i like that. so we'll see...

my top three (or four or five):

Amanda - very cute, even though she didn't think it was her best work. i liked it.

Patricia - i know, i know, i thought i wouldn't like her from the get-go. even though i think she might be batshit crazy, her little dress was my favorite. and i liked how a lot of the designers were questioning her dress while she was in the middle of construction. 

Daniel - just magical. constructed beautifully. can't wait to see more.

Richard - loved the asymmetry of this dress. very New York. spot on.

Samantha - very cute little black dress.

my bottom three (oh lord, not good):

Cindy - her dress was not attractive at all. it lacked design and taste. what was up with the red and white checkered waist band? and i was not a fan of the print. i was very surprised that she didn't go home. what were the judges thinking? 

Emily - i felt bad for her because even though her dress wasn't finished, there was something there. she has the design and taste but just ran out of time. i really think she got cocky, and it seemed like she wasted most of her day (or maybe that was just the editing of the episode). i was surprised that she was sent home. 

Tu - i just didn't like his dress. i know this style, i've seen it before, and i am not a fan of it. very modern and minimal. i have a feeling i won't like a lot of his work. i am glad he didn't go home though. at this point, it's just a matter of taste with him and his work for me.

i can't wait to see what this season has in store. i can't wait for the crazy unconventional challenge. i'm expecting big things from Patricia and Joseph in that challenge. like i said earlier, i am hoping Matthew has some great things to show me. i'm excited to see what Stanley can do also. so hang in there, i'm sure there will be a bunch a bratty crap to come from this season. especially since they are working in teams. xoxo.

Project Runway season 11

on Lifetime 

on Thursdays at 9/8pm

(photos from Project Runway at mylifetime.com)

a picture a day!

okay, okay. i know. you were right. (i'm used to saying those three words all the time in this household, so it's no big deal, ha.) i'll go ahead and say that this project is much more difficult that i thought it would be. i can see now why all the fancy lifestyle bloggers are only doing the "portrait a week" thing instead of a photo every day. going into this project, i thought, "easy as pie. i can take a picture a day. i have my phone on me at all times. i can do this!" but holy cow, taking a picture a day is hard. i'm pathetic! mainly because i'm a lazy gal.

so, i am going to unload a bunch of pictures here. after this weekend i am going to try and post my picture a day every other day. i thought there for a second to do it everyday, but who am i kidding? i laughed at myself for a second. i don't even think i'll really get it done every other day. but a girl has to have goals, right?

17/365

texas in winter.

18/365

dishes. ugh. and i'm sure a few days old at that.

19/365

karaoke.

20/365

front door.

21/365

lights on in the middle of the day.

22/365

unmade bed. always.

23/365

vanilla extract in oil. adventures at work.

i did purchase a new camera app for the iPhone. and it cost money! first app that i paid for because i am cheap. we'll see if i get around to learning how to use it and then incorporating those pics here. because let's face it, instagram is getting a bit boring, and i haven't even hit february yet. xoxo.

thirsty thursday: i heart wine tasting

i'm not sure if y'all have noticed, but i like drinking. especially red wine. what? you hadn't heard? well, it's true. i am a wine lover. give me a nice cabernet sauvignon (let's be honest, when i say nice i'm talking about a $10 bottle range; i'm not made of money), and i am a happy camper. that is why i am going to talk about wine tasting/vineyard visiting.

ahhh, the good ol' vineyard visits.
for me it all started with a family trip out to San Francisco right after i turned 21. my mother wanted badly to drive out to Napa Valley from San Fran one day. and we all thought "why the hell not?" my father drove, my under-aged siblings had to go with the flow, and my mom and i drank. it was fun for my mom and me, but i'm sure the sober family members didn't enjoy it at all. my dad looked pissed by the last vineyard we visited, or that's how i remember it because i was a bit trashy towards then end. ever since then, our family vacations consists of a vineyard visits (only if they are in the area, we don't plan vacations around them, we aren't that big of lushes).

what's so great about wine tasting?
oh, where to begin?
actually i've written about this before, back in the early days of this blog when i wrote random ass crap once in a blue moon, but i'll go over it again.

for me, it's all about the free wine glass. most vineyards will give you a wine glass with the cost of the wine tasting (some vineyards don't, and i secretly hate the ones that don't). i love the vineyard wine glass. i have so may of them i don't know what to do with them all. i am set for life on wine glasses. they go so well with my kitchen wear aesthetic of nothing ever matching. i'm cool with that, so back off type-A personalities who need everything to be matchy-matchy.

i love pretending to be classy. because that's what classy people do, right? sitting around wine tasting all day, talking about the help, and having too much money? or that's what i like to think. i love pretending that i know what they are talking about when they pour my sample and comparing it to dirt and twigs and odd fruits and animals. i just like to take my shot of wine and talk about its legs. because wine has sexy legs.

my absolute favorite is when i get to the "hot tub" wine. ha! the "hot tub" wine, i love it. it makes me think of the creepy neighbor couple who lived down the street from us in the 80s--you know who they are, the swinging couple. and it reminds me of franzia. i usually always try the "hot tub" wine and then discuss it with the person who is giving us our sample, detailing how the wine would be well-suited to the time we spend out in the hot tub we don't have.

by the time i'm done wine tasting, i've purchased way too much wine. well actually there is no such thing as too much wine for me, but seeing as i'm poor it usually means i've charged way too much on the credit card. but the good thing is i'm usually too trashed to care.

ahhhh. good times.
here is a list of links of some of the vineyards i've been to. i recommend that if you get a chance to visit a vineyard you do so. it's a lot of fun. and remember to drink responsibly! xoxo.

in Napa:
Beaulieu Vineyard
Grgich Hills Cellar
Mumm Napa
St. Supery Vineyards & Winery

in Texas Hill Country:
Becker Vineyards
Grape Creek Vineyards
William Chris Vineyards
Texas Hills Vineyard
Flat Creek Estates
Fall Creek Vineyards
Perissos Vineyard & Winery

no (sham) 'Poo?

i am going to try something new--a little experiment, if you will.

i am going no 'poo! no shampoo that is.

actually i'm going to try it and see what happens because, if my hair gets nasty and stinky, i will end it. period. this reminds me of my misguided foray into the natural deodorant world. oh boy, was that a mess! ick. it started out with good intentions, but testing the different natural deodorants make you realize how stinky one can be and that we/i sweat a lot. (also, natural deodorants are expensive and a pain in the ass, and we can't forget how lazy i am, and sometimes using natural deodorants consists of multiple steps. boo.) after a few years of having sweaty armpits and smelling not so pleasant with certain deodorants, i was sick of being self-conscious all the time. give me my Dove deodorant/antiperspirant, and send me on my way. yes i know that natural deodorants are just that, deodorants and not antiperspirants, hence my sweating. but like i said, i was tired of being self-conscious.

let's move on.

so a little back story.

i hate my hair. partly because i've never been properly introduced to it. i've had it for 33-ish years and we are still strangers. i would go so far as to say that my hair actually hates me. at times, i think its trying to kill me. i always thought i had thick hair. but recently a hair dresser informed me that i have thin hair, i just have a lot of it. a lot. that is why i shed all the time. who knew? not me. and my hair frizzes. sometimes it curls, but mainly it frizzes. ugh. 

i'm pretty cheap when it comes to my hair. i don't use products and only blow dry it every once in a while. and i don't shampoo my hair often, usually once a week. so when i came across a blog post on another blog where the blogger has decided to go no 'poo, i was very interested. because i never new there was a no 'poo movement. it sounds easy and doable, so i'm giving it a go.

i know there is a breaking-in period for my hair to normalize. i've read it could take up to two months. i know i shouldn't have a problem, mainly because i am used to not washing my hair. god, i'm gross, right? i would go weeks at a time between shampoos so i know what to expect. i think some people would have a hard time with this breaking in period. like i said, i'm gross.

no 'poo recipe:

• dissolve 1 tablespoon of baking soda in just enough water to make a paste. apply this to your roots only and work it in. let sit for a minute. then rinse.
• add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar into a cup of water. apply the mix over the ends of your hair. let it sit for a minute. then rinse.

if you find your hair to be frizzy, use less baking soda.
if you find your hair to be greasy, use less apple cider vinegar.

here are a couple of links to some ladies who have tried or are trying the no 'Poo way. i've used their info as my guide.
the crunchy wife
my little celebration
oh dear drea
wikipedia

i'll keep y'all posted as i go and give updates. i think this will be okay and a step in the right direction with taming and getting to know my hair. xoxo.

a picture a day!

round three!
after looking at the other blogs that are doing the picture a day, well actually the trend this year is to do a portrait a week (sounds a lot fancier, classier; i am anything but classy). the top subject of these portraits are of their children or spouses. since i am always behind the trend on account of my laziness, i am still doing the picture a day. yeah! i don't have children, and i'm not married, so i don't have any interesting subjects. ha! but i did notice how they titled each picture, so i am going to do the same. imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

10/365

the new tv. yes, josh talked me into letting him buy a new tv. did we need a new tv? no. but he wanted it, and it does make a nice new addition. (we are watching The Hour.)

11/365

the educational series of Pez. the PEZidents!

12/365

one of my many people drawings.

13/365

tiramisu assembly at work. looks like fun, right? sometimes.

14/365

more king cake babies!

15/365

at home.

16/365

my love writing.

see, everything just looks better. more classy! that's what i aim for, class. who am i kidding? xoxo.

a film review: This is 40

this film, simply put, is about a upper-middle-class family that loves each other, but doesn't like each other at all (if that makes any sense at all to you) and their struggles with aging. there, done!

i know, i know, i may have over simplified this film (my ass felt all 133 minutes of this one), but what more do you need to know? nothing? okay, maybe i have some other thoughts on this film.

we are reintroduced to Debbie (Leslie Mann) and Pete (Paul Rudd) who we know from Judd Apatow's previous film, Knocked Up some 7 years ago. they are a couple who seem to have nothing in common except for the fact that they share two children together. i feel that we aren't supposed to really like or really hate the husband and wife duo throughout this film, that they both have virtues and faults that are supposed to make them more realistic and less like film characters. blah blah blah. the problem i had was that i didn't feel that way at all.

i just thought Debbie was a crazy-ass bitch, and i felt bad for Pete. now this is where the lines of reality blur for me, and i'm sure the same goes for a lot of (bat-shit crazy) women out there who are like me, because we LOVE Paul Rudd. so during most of the film i was all like "what the fuck, bitch? if you have a problem being married to Paul Rudd, i'll take him off your hands for you. and let the man have a goddamn cupcake." as a friend told me, "i'd listen to grunge music with Paul Rudd any day of the week."

i feel bad for Leslie Mann, too, because i feel that with these film roles she is trying to bring well-written lead comedic lady roles forward, and she is a really funny lady and i want to see her doing these roles. it's just this role wasn't that. Debbie is just a nag. well i could actually go out on a tangent here with Leslie Mann in Apatow films because a lot of his roles for her feel they are just a showcase for him to be like "look at my hot wife, isn't she hot?" but i digress.

but the most important thing, what i loved the most was the house. it was beautiful! the same house from Knocked Up, it is just gorgeous (i've been trying to find pictures of the house, but i'm having a hard time and losing patience, so no pictures. boo!). i always thought it was the actual Apatow/Mann house, but from what i've read it's a house just down the street from the Apatow/Mann family home. so let's do some stalking, just kidding, no stalking. stalking is bad! i could move into that house and be at home. i want to see that home featured on HGTV.

i did like the film. and i feel bad that it hasn't been reviewed well. it is what it is, whiny rich white people having a hard time getting older and because i'm a whiny poor white person having a hard time getting older, i can go with it. xoxo.  

and one more Paul Rudd picture. you're welcome.

a picture a day!

and so it continues...
josh informed me the other day that i am not doing a picture a day because i am not posting a picture a day. but i am telling y'all that i am taking a picture a day. so get over it! my picture a day posts will be weekly (roughly, i'm not promising anything!) but the pictures will be taken each and everyday.

Jan 4th
nothing says texas like dr. pepper and frito chili pie! and i must confess that this is my first time eating it. i've heard of it plenty, but i've never had it. and it was really, really good. i amaze myself everyday. ha!

Jan 5th
enjoying a record. enough said.

Jan 6th
it's king cake season at work. so lots of yellow, purple and green. and lots of beads, coins and babies.

Jan 7th
one of my favorite late night snacks, oreo's and milk. i can't get enough of oreos. i get it from my mother. we will always have a pack of oreos in the house.

Jan 8th
enjoying some black's bbq and enjoying the dining room. so lovely.

Jan 9th
hittin' up the antique mall with my one and only. it was my terrific lady day!

so there you have it. another week down. i'm actually not having a problem with taking the picture a day--just having a problem with posting them. but like i said, i have goals for this blog, and i've got to keep on keepin' on. xoxo.

thirsty thursday: red wine spritzer

it's back.
well really it never went anywhere. i've just been really lazy (really, really lazy). i've still been drinking, i just haven't been documenting my libations.

the drink i've been dying to try out is a wine spritzer. i've heard of a wine spritzer; usually it seems to be the non-drinker-lady drink of choice. i've been really curious as to what all went into a wine spritzer. i always assumed that it was a white wine concoction, but when i was looking for recipes i came across the red wine spritzer. and we all know how much i love red wine. so why the hell not give this a try?

i came across this recipe from Food Network's Rachael Ray.

it is so easy, and i can't believe that a wine spritzer is just wine and sparkling water. i guess i should have known, but i didn't. and i love how this recipe has blackberries and raspberries at the bottom of each glass. just lovely.

red wine spritzer:
1/2 pint blackberries
1/2 pint raspberries
1 bottle dry red wine*
1 quart sparkling water or seltzer water, chilled

*"why dry red wine?" you ask. well most red wines are dry, so you really can't go wrong (except for dessert wines because they are sweet). any red wine will do. i like cabernet sauvignon, actually i love cabs, so that is what i would go with (but when i made this drink i used a malbec). but you can't go wrong with a merlot, especially if you aren't a big red wine drinker.

my thoughts?
i liked it. it was really refreshing, almost like drinking an italian soda. i felt the sparkling water cut the "alcohol" taste, so it was almost like drinking a juice. i could see how serving wine spritzers during parties would make the wine go further with a lot of guests. so it has that advantage if you are trying to be frugal. and i think having a wine spritzer on a hot summer evening (or afternoon because i start my drinking at 2pm) would be so refreshing. i'll definitely have one again. xoxo. 

my book list 2012

here is the list of the books i've read in 2012.

my goal was to read 25 books. mission accomplished! and then some.

now just by looking at my list, i read a lot of YA and crap. but it's crap that i enjoy, so get over it (i'm looking at you josh)! i do try to sneak in an "adult" book every once in a while--and when i say "adult," i mean books that have complex plots written by authors who didn't start out in fan-fiction and who can put together a sentence and paragraph like they are writing a poem, ahhh literature. but who am i kidding? "adult" books can be so boring and wordy.

i shouldn't be mean. YA is what got me reading again in the first place. when i was younger (a young adult if you will), i read. a lot. but then college happened and reading as a hobby was placed on the back burner. then the rest of my 20s happened. i should say that i got married and started having children, but alas, it was just my drunk 20s that passed me by. i would pick up a book here or there, but nothing would really hold my interest, so i just stopped reading.

but i love books and bookstores (oh how i love book shopping), so i would buy and buy and buy (i mean look at all my books, it's a bitch to move them all). and slowly, i was drawn to the YA section (all the pretty girls and beautiful boys on the glossy covers). and then i bought a YA book (gasp!). i feel like i am chronicling my descent into hardcore drug use. it's just books, y'all.

39. Fire (Graceling Realm, #2) by Kristin Cashore
38. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
37. Bared to You (Crossfire, #1) by Sylvia Day
36. The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey, #2) by Julie Kagawa
35. The Iron King (The Iron Fey, #1) by Julie Kagawa
34. You Suck (A Love Story, #2) by Christopher Moore
33. Bloodsucking Fiends (A Love Story, #1) by Christopher Moore
32. Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1) by Kristin Cashore
31. Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, #4) by Richelle Mead
30. Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, #3) by Richelle Mead
29. Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2) by Richelle Mead
28. Looking for Alaska by John Green
27. Good For You (Between the Lines, #3) by Tammara Webber
26. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
25. Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1) by Richelle Mead
24. Where You Are (Between the Lines, #2) by Tammara Webber
23. Between the Lines (Between the Line, #1) by Tammara Webber
22. Rebel Angels (Gemma Doyle, #2) by Libba Bray
21. Easy by Tammara Webber
20. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
19. A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, #1) by Libba Bray
18. Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, #2) by Cassandra Clare
17. Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story (Divergent, #1.1) by Veronica Roth
16. Insurgent (Divergent, #2) by Veronica Roth
15. Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth
14. Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1) by Cassandra Clare
13. Stone Garden by Molly Moynahan
12. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
11. Fifty Shades Freed (Fifty Shades, #3) by EL James
10. The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1) by Raymond Chandler
9. Fifty Shades Darker (Fifty Shades, #2) by EL James
8. Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1) by EL James
7. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
6. City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3) by Cassandra Clare
5. Feed by MT Anderson
4. City of Ashes (The Mortal Instrument, #2) by Cassandra Clare
3. City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) by Cassandra Clare
2. Dead as a Doornail (Sookie Stackhouse, #5) by Charlaine Harris
1. Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1) by Orson Scott Card

i have some thoughts on some of these books, and i would like to write about them but not all of them. some were just okay; others i LOVED. some had characters that i fell so deeply in love with i can't believe myself. what am i, a thirteen-year-old girl? sometimes i think i might be.

so stay tuned. and i might just write about the characters that i fell in love with. that might be fun or really really creepy. xoxo.

a picture a day!

i am going to try something new here.
we could possibly can call it a new year's resolution (gasp!). but who am i kidding? i cannot finish anything i start. story of my lazy, boring life.

just go along with me, but i'm thinking that if i do this project it will make me stay involved with this kick-ass blog (okay--let's be realistic--mediocre blog)! we'll see. in the meantime, i'll give it a go. i need a project, y'all!
i got the idea for this project from some fancy lifestyle blog that i enjoy, and i thought it was a good idea to try. no harm done. well maybe only to you, my viewer.

so said project will be to take a picture a day. every. single. day. and the picture will be of whatever i want. if i limit myself too much, i'll just give up. i do have to say that i almost did give up on Jan 3rd. but i thought to myself "i can't give up on the 3rd day, it's just pathetic." so after the lovely pep talk to myself, i grabbed my iPhone and snapped a picture. okay, i need a moment y'all.
it was really tough, but i made it and got the picture.

Jan 1st 2013
unlike the rest of the world, i had to work on new year's day because i work in food service. working in food service means you work weekends, holidays and god-awful hours. so at 5am on Jan 1st i went into work and made a big ass bowl of red velvet cake.

Jan 2nd
brie with jam! the question here is, to eat the rind or not? we tend to not eat the rind, instead wasting a bunch of brie cheese. how we roll.

Jan 3rd
this is the picture that almost wasn't taken. i got a $50 gift card from amazon for Christmas and i spent it all on Avatar: The Last Airbender stuff. have i mentioned yet that i'm a going on 13 (33 going on 13)?

i've made it this far. 3 days in. keep coming back to see more pictures. and we'll see if i venture outside of using the Instagram app. i know there has to be other photo apps out there. i have a whole year to explore my options, so let's not get ahead of ourselves, all right? maybe my picture taking skills will get better. my guess is no! the important question is: will i make it past January? stay tuned. xoxo.