A Tale of 2 Monkeys

Storybook Vacation - Part II

2012-02-16T07:38:00.000-08:00

Remember this? It's the fun game where I match your travel destination to the ideal book (or vice versa). See Part I here.

Lord of the Rings and Middle Earth. Or maybe just New Zealand.

(source)

Gone with the Wind and a tour of the South. Make sure to visit all the War Between the States memorials. Remember to pack Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and The Southern Vampire Series as well.

The Canyonlands and Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston. I can guarantee you won't leave your campsite alone, or at least without leaving an extremely detailed note*

***

On a quest, whether it's in your living room, in the back of an old van, or across the world, Ready Player One by Ernie Cline is the perfect book for you. It's chock full of geeky 80s references, but accessible to all. For maximum fun, get the audio book, narrated by Wil Wheaton. I was glued to my iPod.

A cruise and Life of Pi by Yann Martel, just because you'll probably be terrified about the boat sinking, and that would be hilarious. Also, it's a great book. Make sure there are no tigers on your ship.

And last, but certainly not least, somewhere isolated, by yourself, so that no one can see the tears and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Just read it.

*And that's why you always leave a note!

Happy Centennial, Arizona!

2012-02-14T06:23:00.000-08:00

Have a great day, Arizona. I swear you don't look a day over 99!

I really wanted to be back in my home state this week for Centennial celebrations. I guess I'll just have to be content hearing about them second-hand.

Have a great day, everyone!

Covering the Floor

2012-02-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

Our new house is almost entirely hardwood floors and linoleum. Lately I've been obsessed with finding rugs for the space that are awesome, yet don't cost an exorbitant amount. Not an easy proposition, but I've found some fun options.

Source: urbanoutfitters.com via Jen on Pinterest

Source: anthropologie.com via Jen on Pinterest

Source: urbanoutfitters.com via Jen on Pinterest

Source: westelm.com via Jen on Pinterest

Source: urbanoutfitters.com via Jen on Pinterest

Source: cb2.com via Jen on Pinterest

Source: crateandbarrel.com via Jen on Pinterest

Source: westelm.com via Jen on Pinterest

We've also been looking at flor tiles. I love the ones available in the "house pet" series.

Source: flor.com via Jen on Pinterest

Suggestions? Please send.

Are you watching this? - Downton Abbey

2012-02-07T07:02:00.000-08:00

A new blog series? Hmmmm.... maybe. I would have to, like, get my sh*t together for that to happen.

No Spoilers.

If you have ever been a fan of the period romance, BBC mini-series, anything Jane Austen, etc., you should really be watching Downton Abbey. Actually, even if you aren't into those things, you still might like it. It is very accessible. I knocked out the first two series* last week because I couldn't. stop. watching. And laughing. And crying. It is amazing and I'm kind of in love with Matthew, as much as one can be in love with a fictional character.

Masterpiece/PBS

The show centers around the life of the residents of fictional Downton Abbey from 1912 to 1920 (so far), both the family of the Earl of Grantham and their servants. There is just enough romance, drama, humor, and old-fashioned manners to make it an instant favorite. To fully understand, you'll just have to watch!

If you are already a fan, please enjoy this video of three friends watching Downton Abbey together. It's awesome, and I want to be their fourth friend**. I'm not sure if you would consider anything in this video a spoiler, since you can barely hear what is going on in the actual show.

My friend, Meg, also sent me this awesome link to pictures of the Downton residents out of costume.

Feel free to gush about Downton in the comments, but no spoilers, please! If you want to talk in a spoilery way, please feel free to email me (address in the right column). I'm all caught up, and I would love to hear what you think (unless it's bad, then never mind).

Series 1 is available on Hulu Plus and Netflix Instant.

*Seasons, for you non-anglophiles
**I would probably yell things about how Mary's makeup artist should be shot for not putting blush on her. That chick is washed out.

I do not attempt to deny that I think very highly of him

2012-02-03T08:00:00.003-08:00

Happy 10th Dateiversary, Baby. I Love you.

Photo by Meg

Tuesday Treasures

2012-02-01T22:16:00.000-08:00

So... This was supposed to auto-post on Tuesday and things were so hectic, I didn't have time to check. Ack! So, I say things about posting early in the week which now don't make sense, but that's ok.

Here are 5 awesome things for your Tuesday enjoyment. I think I need to get back to posting at the beginning of the week because my last few entries have been seriously light on the comments. Is that a good plan?

1. The Fables series. I'm 100% hooked. Who else has read these?

2. The Goodreads reading challenge, which I completely forgot about in December of 2011 and missed my 2011 goal (of 75 books) by one lousy book. I have set the somewhat lofty goal of 100 books this year, because what else would I do after I failed to meet last year's goal but raise it by 33.3%? Who else is doing it?

3. These bookends. I got them for Christmas and they are currently holding up all the pretty books on the mantle. I could not love them more.

4. I'm getting back into pinterest again. If you're not already my pinterest friend.... that's a problem! Follow me here.

5. The appreciation of the introvert, both in this Time Magazine Article, and the book Quiet. I'm loving it. Power to the introverts!

Linkety Links

2012-01-27T10:41:00.000-08:00

Random awesomeness across the net. That is all.

Campfire Kam's Super Easy Veggie Lasagna - with no-cook noodles

Flush yourself in

1961 audition for "Black Cat"

Source: theprivateeye.tumblr.com via Jen on Pinterest

This photo, from reddit.com, makes me want a dog even more!

Shit Liz Lemon Says (and therefore Shit I Say)

I'm not particularly trendy because I think that's lame, but trends sure seem to follow me lately. Sloppy hair, comfortable clothes, bright colors, and now imperfect makeup and not washing your hair too often? Please tell me that t-shirts with Doctor Who quotes are next.

A video of all of Teal'c's "indeeds" - worth watching all the way through if you're an SG-1 fan

The 3rd Annual Fangirl Award nominations. Much more awesome than how the Oscar nominations turned out.

The ultimate apres ski outfit - wear it with long johns!

Source: athleta.gap.com via Jen on Pinterest

Movie posters redesigned for different eras

Have a great weekend!

Phantom Clutch

2012-01-25T07:03:00.000-08:00

I have this weird feeling lately, like everything is slightly off-kilter. For example, I was driving my husband's car for about a month (all over the Southwest), and just this week we switched back. As a result, I've been changing the radio stations when I meant to set the cruise control, messing up the headlight settings, and stomping down on a clutch that just isn't there. On my own car! My grandpa used to call it "washing your windows," when you drove someone else's car and, when trying to shift or whatever, you hit the windshield wipers, the most noticeable thing, just so everyone knew how big of an idiot you were.

I was anticipating a big post on how much fun Mike and I had on our Dateiversaryapalooza celebration, but it just didn't happen. I woke up Saturday with what I thought was food poisoning, but what turned out to be the stomach flu. At least I think it was. It was just like food poisoning, except with a fever, aches, and chills to boot. Fun! My other hint was that Mike didn't get sick, and we had the same dinner, and he ate the leftovers the next day. Needless to say, we cancelled our trip to Boulder. Luckily, it wasn't our actual Dateiversary and the B&B let us reschedule for our actual one with no penalty. I was actually a little relieved to have missed the basketball game as well since we lost by one point, and I tend to get a little stressed out about live UofA basketball, to the point of crying. For reals.

A bunch of other little things have been like that lately. Monday, I was absolutely convinced that my 9:30 class was at 10:30 and, luckily, I double-checked at the last possible minute and still made it on time! I ordered several of my textbooks from Amazon after checking the price differential and they got sent to my old address by mistake, and dealing with getting them back was a pain. It really stressed me out to not be able to do all of the reading for class. I also still haven't sent my best friend's birthday gift yet due to being sick (and needing to get part of it in Disneyland and then drive back to Colorado), but she's the coolest so she understands (Right, Meg??).

Of course, to top it all off, we are having issues with our rental house in Phoenix. I won't go into it here, but it's pretty obnoxious.

Anyone else just having an off week? Please share.

Random NY story (in which I sort of meet a celebrity, but not really)

2012-01-19T07:53:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah, I totally forgot to tell you guys that I saw a celeb in NYC. Weirdly enough, it was one who doesn't live there, but it was New Years week, so there were probably lots of them in town.

It was Jared Padalecki. You know, this guy:

(sorry, that was just too awesome a picture not to post)

This was our exchange:

I looked over as I was crossing the street, pretending to be cool, channeling my inner Carrie Bradshaw* (you know, I was in New York!). I see a tall guy, notice that it's Jared Padalecki. I do a (very subtle, I swear) double-take. Yep, Jared Padalecki. We make eye contact. He gives me that (very Dean Forester) look of slight concern, like he knows I recognized him and he doesn't know what I might do. Do I really look like the rampaging fangirl type? Anyway, I give him a subtle nod and walk on by like "hey, I am a fan, but I'm not going to bug you". Am I not the coolest? Very New York. Or a girl from Arizona's idea of what New Yorkers are like.

I'm also pretty sure I saw Toni Collette at our matinee of Wicked.

And that is the story of how I didn't actually meet celebrities in New York City. You might be asking why I didn't tweet this at the time. The answer is that I'm learning. The last time I tweeted about meeting a celeb, I got spammed by a bunch of crazed stalkers wanting to know where he was. And it wasn't even about me meeting him! It was my friend!

*I don't think I actually have an inner Carrie. Maybe a Miranda.

Five Awesome Things

2012-01-18T07:38:00.000-08:00

I'm mixing it up a little. Instead of "Tuesday Treasures" or "[insert day here] Treasures," I'm going to do a post about five awesome things. It's a little bit different, because I'm going to include some ideas as well as places or things. Anyway, here goes.

1. Meeting online friends, off-line. Until last week, I had never met an online friend in person. I'm an introvert, and the idea frankly made me sort of nervous. I had so much fun meeting Kam from Campfire Chic in person at Disneyland, though. We rode rides (including Star Tours, of course), we walked around and talked, and we made fun of animatronic Ariel's enormous eyes. We even yelled each other's names and ran and hugged when we first met. It was really funny, especially because I don't usually do stuff like that. For more details, Kam is a much more dedicated blogger, and she's already written about it.

P.S. there is about a 9 inch height difference between us, so I'm pretty much bending over to get this shot.

2. Wikipedia is going dark today in protest of S.O.P.A. I don't usually blog or tweet political things because apparently I have subversive ideas, like how everyone should be treated equally, we should be nice to each other, and people who are in love should be able to get married, etc., and apparently those ideas piss people off enough to flame me. Since I don't really enjoy being flamed, I tend to skip those topics. Weirdly enough, however, my worst internet flame (from a total stranger) was in response to me saying something about Robert Pattinson that wasn't even really negative, just that he was unsuited for a role. *sigh* Anyway, I think that most of the people reading this (bloggers, intelligent people) probably agree that S.O.P.A is a bad idea. Censorship is not really my favorite thing, how about you? For more info about it, go here (since I obviously can't send you to Wikipedia).

3. My cure for winter skin. In a swift lack of segue, I have to show you my newest find to combat the winter issue of super dry hands.

It's no secret that I love Carmex lip balm (and lots of other balms, but mostly Carmex). I'm happy to report that their healing hand cream is pretty freaking great as well. It's really soothing and moisturizing without being too greasy. I've been throwing it into my bag for daily use (and isn't the tin so cute?)

4. Suave Dry Shampoo. Now, this dry shampoo from Suave is just absolutely fantastic. I love dry shampoo because I strongly believe in not washing one's hair every day. It's bad for your hair, your scalp, your water usage, your color, etc. Plus, it makes styling so much easier, and you don't have to go out with not-quite-dry hair in the crisp winter weather (or blow dry). I used to buy expensive french dry shampoo for $14 a bottle (a bottle half this size, I might add), whereas this Suave stuff is $3 a bottle!!!! It works so well, too, and smells fantastic. Heck, for 3 bucks, you can try it yourself.

5. I'm currently researching and planning my next great (solo!) adventure for the summer: Belize! Has anyone been? I'm backpacking, and I want to experience as much as possible, and any must-see places and things would be much appreciated!! And yes, I do scuba dive, so any dive locations would be great as well (aside from the blue hole, that one I know).

Blogging From a Moving Vehicle

2012-01-12T11:41:00.001-08:00

I'm officially a modern blogger, writing to you from the car on my way back from California. I've never used the blogger app before, so I apologize in advance for all the pictures probably ending up in weird places.

I'm such a traveler lately, right? I've been covering both coasts. As of right now, though, I'm really ready to head back to Colorado tomorrow.

After three days at Disneyland, all I have to say is that the new Star Tours ride is fantastic. I won't spoil too much for those who won't make it out anytime soon, but I'll just say that the best part is that it isn't the same each time. After eight rides, I have been to every planet and seen every character, so I feel pretty satisfied. My only complaint is that the pod racing made me feel ill.

I promise a more substantial post when I get back to civilization (including details on my first experience of meeting an online friend, off-line!!) In the meantime, here are some silly pics for you.

My Top Five New York Travel Apps

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

These guys were invaluable for vacationing in the city. They may seem sort of obvious, but they were so useful, I have to mention them here.

Yelp - need a place to eat that is nearby, delicious, and in your price range? Check Yelp! The reviews even help you with what to order.

Google Maps - map a location and hit the "public transportation" icon. The app will tell you which trains to take and what time the next one will arrive.

Instagram - Still the best app for sharing your vacation snaps, complete with geotagging and uploads to facebook and twitter.

Museum apps - The MoMA mobile site has the audio tour built in so you can listen on your phone. It must be relatively new, because one of the guards told me to get off my phone when I was just listening to the tour. Also, that guy was dumb. I would have thought that holding my phone upside-down, away from my mouth, and not talking would have tipped him off.

The AMNH (American Museum of Natural History) has an interactive app with a museum map. It even senses which floor you are on in the museum and can tell you the fastest way to get to some of the more popular exhibits. There was also a special app for the "Beyond Earth" exhibit with an interactive game where you scan certain icons and see 3D images in "augmented reality."

Foursquare - I earned so many badges on this trip. Foursquare is fun, but it is also really useful for cataloguing where you have been on your trip when you get home and try to remember it all. It is also ideal for sharing what you are up to online (when you choose to, I have that option turned off unless I specifically tell it to share).

Any other favorite travel apps?

Back from NYC!

2012-01-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, I am back from a whirlwind trip to New York City. My brother has taken off for an Asian adventure, and he flew out of JFK. So, of course, we had to join him for a couple of days in NYC before he left. I only wish I could have joined him for his 2-month backpacking trek after that, especially now that he's added Japan to the end of it.

Anyway, here is a run-down of our New York adventure, more photos to come. We didn't do everything on my list, but we did most of the stuff, plus extras:

Visited the MOMA
Visited the American Museum of Natural History (the museum from Night at the Museum, mostly)
Went to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty
Had breakfast at Tiffany's
Ate cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery
Browsed The Strand and wished that I had brought an extra bag for all the books I wanted (bought the Magnolia Bakery cookbook)

Watched the ball drop on New Years Eve in Times Square! (well, very close to it anyway)
Saw the big tree and the ice skaters in Rockefeller Center
Visited the NBC store and wanted to buy EVERYTHING
Saw Wicked, which is now the front-runner for my favorite musical. It was so amazing, and surprisingly close to the book, though not as depressing
Visited Ground Zero
Went to Juniors in Times Square and had the best cheesecake EVER
Went to Ess-a Bagel and had the best bagels of my life (whole wheat everything bagels need to exist in the rest of the world)
I did not have life-changing pizza, I'm still skeptical about the claim that it is better than everywhere else

Went to the Sephora in Times Square and tried out some new makeup
Visited the giant (and extremely crowded) apple store
Visited the FAO Schwartz with the piano from Big (and bought candy) - there were also guys dressed up like Iron Man and Captain America. It was pretty sweet

All in all, my first trip to New York was pretty successful. Please tell me all the things I should catch the next time around (four days is not enough time!).

And the winner is...

2011-12-27T23:00:00.000-08:00

...Kaycie!

Congrats! I'm so excited to tell you that you have won the Shabby Apple dress. I have passed on your contact information to Shabby Apple and you should hear from them soon. Thanks for playing, everyone! Hopefully there will be more giveaways in the future.

Last Minute Reminder for the Shabby Apple Giveaway!

2011-12-26T12:25:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, don't forget to enter the giveaway for the Shabby Apple dress! It closes tomorrow at 11:59 PM!

Here's the link in case you missed it!

And here is a really dorky picture of me wearing the dress. I look very awkward because I'm trying to hold my sweater behind my back so it doesn't cover up all the detail.

Last Minute Holiday Round-Up

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a roundup of some great holiday tips and freebies I've found recently (and over the years):

Holiday Hair tutorials - simple, classy 'dos you can do yourself

Super cute printable gift tags - just print and cut out at home

More awesome free printable gift tags

Handmade gift ideas from Martha Stewart

Make your own jam

DIY Christmas Decor

Make your own wreaths - these would make great gifts!

Campfire Chic's round-up of holiday posts

Wine Etiquette - who knew?

Proof of Santa for you parents out there

Make bows out of magazines and plastic grocery bags (these are really attractive, despite how they sound)

How to use leftover wrapping paper

DIY gift bags - make your own or dress up inexpensive alternatives

And a few tips of my own:

Use your leftover holiday cards from previous years for gifts like money and gift cards. If it has been a few years, I'm pretty sure the recipient will have forgotten what your Christmas card looked like.
Use old holiday cards received from others as gift tags, labels, and wrapping decor.
Use yarn instead of ribbon. It's much less expensive. This is especially cool if you make pom-poms as well (see picture above)
Re-use gift bags - I keep the tags on them so I don't end up giving it right back to the same person.
Keep crumpled up tissue paper to use as gift padding
For inexpensive wrapping items, visit Paper Mart
Kraft paper can be dressed up really nicely with paper doilies, tags, and twine. So much cheaper and more environmental than wrapping paper

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!

2011-12-19T07:56:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, it's time for a great giveaway! I am so excited that Shabby Apple, an amazing online store that has great women's dresses, kids dresses, and accessories, has given me a free dress to give to a lucky reader.

The dress I chose is the Mariposa Grove, a really pretty green number with this cool petal detail along the neckline. It is a universally flattering cut, and it is a deeper green than it appears in these pictures (not quite emerald, but a bit darker than pictured). It would be great for the holidays, but it would also work for any season. I love this dress so much that I own it myself. How is that for an endorsement?

There are five ways to enter, but every one of them requires you to come back and leave a comment. Don't forget! This contest is open to U.S. residents only.

1) Leave a comment here on this post telling me where you would wear this dress. Don't forget to include your email address.

2) Subscribe to this blog using Google Friend Connect (in the left column). Leave a separate comment saying that you have subscribed. If you are already a subscriber, you can comment saying that.

3) Tweet or blog about the giveaway and then leave a separate comment here linking to your entry or tweet. Here is a sample tweet that you can just copy and paste:

I just entered to win a Shabby Apple Dress from @jendeats! Enter the giveaway here: http://bit.ly/rZACSn

4) "Like" Nerdified Shirts on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nerdified-Shirts/115898075180408 and come back and leave a separate comment about it.

5) "Like" Shabby Apple on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shabby-Apple/56291792791 and then come back here and leave a separate comment saying that you have liked them.

This contest will close on December 27th at 11:59pm so you guys have some time before and after Christmas to enter.

Disclaimer: This dress has been provided by Shabby Apple, and I am not being compensated for this review. All opinions are mine!

Christmas Movie Marathon

2011-12-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

Favorite Christmas movies....Go!

Here are mine, the ones I've seen a million times and are never tiring. I included movies I love where pivotal scenes take place at Christmas time.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (original cartoon)
The Nightmare before Christmas (I watch this at Halloween and Christmas)
Edward Scissorhands
Mickey's Christmas Carol (my favorite incarnation of the story, since I love Scrooge McDuck so much)
Love, Actually
Miracle on 34th Street (the original)
While You Were Sleeping
Sleepless in Seattle
John Denver and the Muppets Christmas Specials
Home Alone

Runners up. These are the ones that Mike's family grew up watching, but I had never watched regularly until we started dating:

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
The Muppet Christmas Carol

Now, please list all of yours so I can go "Oh man, I totally left that one off!"

P.S. I've never seen A Christmas Story. Every year I think: This is the year! Hopefully, this will be the actual year.

Video Interlude

2011-12-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

Hey all! Still unpacking and doing all the final projects and papers for school (it's the last week). I had to come back to the interwebs for a few minutes to share two videos with you.

First off, we have a very enthusiastic porcupine eating a pumpkin.

And we have one of the greatest "cooking shows" of all time, My Drunk Kitchen. Watch all the episodes. Seriously. She's hilarious and uses editing quite skillfully.

Moving Update and a Book Recommendation

2011-12-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

Oh man, it has been a busy week. We are totally moved into our new house now, with boxes everywhere. After all the hauling, cleaning, packing, paperwork, and standing in line at comcast for an hour just have them screw up our internet stuff twice, I basically collapsed for an entire day yesterday. It did help that it was peacefully snowing outside and that we now live half a mile from downtown, so I got to order two meals without leaving the house! This is a big deal for us, considering the last place we lived only had pizza and Chinese food delivery, and it was the first place we have lived that had the latter.

The problem with moving only a couple of miles is that you underestimate all the stuff you have to do. We had both houses for a week and a half, so we could take our time moving things over. We rented a small U-haul for one day and brought most of our boxes over in that. We hired movers for the furniture, which was great, but we still ended up having to make several trips between the houses with just our cars. It was brutal, and we were seriously wiped out by the end. The last two days, I had a maid service come in to clean the upstairs and then the carpet cleaners came. During this time, I finished up the downstairs packing and cleaning. I was so sleep-deprived by this point that I brought a sleeping bag and pillow to catch a nap between meetings.

Moving on from all my complaints (pun not intended), I just have to say that the only thing that kept me sane during this whole ordeal was getting to listen to the audiobook of Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline, read by Wil Wheaton. I recommend it to anyone who has ever done anything geeky, or anyone who just likes a good quest story. Wil Wheaton's narration is just wonderful, it totally pushes a 4-star book into 5-star territory.

It is set in a future in which mankind is suffering from several crises, and to escape from its problems, people regularly plug into a virtual world called the Oasis. It's kind of like World of Warcraft meets Second Life, but infinitely more awesome than both put together. The eccentric designer of the Oasis dies and leaves his entire fortune and his company to anyone who can figure out his riddle and complete a massive quest within the virtual world.

The thing that really tips the book into the awesome category is that this designer is obsessed with the 80s, during which he was a teenager. There are tons of references to this era and to science fiction and fantasy of every generation. Don't worry, even if you weren't a teenager in the 80s (I wasn't), you will enjoy the references. For example, the protagonist eventually acquires a (virtual) firefly-class starship named the Vonnegut to travel between (virtual) planets. For everyday driving/flying, he brings his Delorean with flux capacitor and, interestingly enough, Ghostbuster emblems on the doors. If any of that sounds appealing to you, you should read this book.

A Plethora of Snow Whites

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Seriously, people, what's with all the Snow Whites? It's like the whole Armageddon/Deep Impact phenomenon. Fairy tales, Snow White in particular, are trendy right now, and we have them popping up out of the woodwork all over the place.

First off, we've got Once Upon a Time, the new ABC show about fairy tale characters who don't know who they really are, living in a little town in Maine, ruled by the mayor/evil queen. This show is four episodes in and I'm totally hooked. I just love it. In this rendition, we have Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White.

I like her as Snow White, though she's a bit older than I usually picture the character to be. She's more like a grown up, independent Snow. Also, in the fairy tale world, her Snow is seriously awesome.

We have the new movie Mirror, Mirror with Lily Collins as Snow White. She's definitely got the right coloring, but the star of this movie really seems to be Julia Roberts as the evil queen.

Seriously cool dress.

I can't decide if this looks good or not. It's almost trying too hard to be funny and ends up being sort of ridiculous. Who knows, though, it could be great.

And lastly, we have Snow White and the Huntsman, with Kristen Stewart as Snow White. I'm not really sure about this casting. I thought Kristen Stewart was Bella Everywoman, not 'the fairest in the land'.

Again we have a much more famous evil queen to steal the show in Charlize Theron, but Snow seems like more of a bad-ass, so that's fun.

If anyone asked me, I would have said that the best person to play Snow White (in my mind) would be Anne Hathaway. I think she is so beautiful and would be ideally suited for the role.

source

She would be my Snow White. Who would be yours? Any of the above strike your fancy?

It's Time to Start the Music

2011-11-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Thinking back on my TV history... I was born in the eighties, but I didn't really appreciate TV until the nineties (unless you count Sesame Street, you know, because I was a small child). Interestingly enough, however, my television roots will always be in the seventies, and even the sixties. I am a child of Nick at Night. I am a child of the rerun. I am a child of watching whatever my parents liked. It is because of my roots that this variety show will always have my heart.

And that is why I think this is the best Muppet movie ever made.

It was a beautiful homage to the original show, and chock full of awesome cameos (that I will not spoil for you). If you are anything like me, I think you will feel the same way. Go to the theater! Now! Run!

Mahna Mahna

Thanksgiving Plans

2011-11-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

This year, I'm really missing a homemade Thanksgiving dinner with family. Since we are currently living in two houses and trying to consolidate into one this weekend, cooking our own dinner is out. We are going out to an awesome buffet dinner at a local restaurant instead. We have also resolved to take the day off of packing and hauling boxes.

In addition, we were thinking that a double feature would make it a perfect Thanksgiving!

What about you guys? Plans? Favorite Thanksgiving food? I'm a mashed potato girl, myself.

Simple life project: Tiny bathroom

2011-11-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

Remember when I said we were looking for a house that was smaller and I called it "minimalism: downsizing the house"? I've decided that this is a really depressing title (with the use of the word 'downsizing'), and when talking about it to my dad caused him to offer me money, I decided to rename it the "simple life project." We want to live the kind of life where we can go on amazing trips and have extra money, and live in a smaller house with a ton of character (and, let's face it, fewer rooms to clean).

Here is our first hurdle: the teeny bathroom. Our (now rental) house in Phoenix has two decent-sized bathrooms. Our first house in The Springs had three bathrooms, including one quite sizeable one. Our new house has one bathroom, and it's the tiniest bathroom imaginable (except for those ones in boats or Japanese apartments where you have to shower over the toilet). It doesn't have a sink, but shares the one in the kitchen instead. There is a positive side, however; it has a clawfoot tub! Big enough for even tall people like us to take baths in! Plus, the rest of the house is simply oozing with charm, so I can deal.

Another big plus: there is a tiny room (bedroom? office?) right next to the bathroom that I'm turning into a bathroom extension/closet.

Here are some ideas I've been throwing around to make this project awesome without spending too much.

An awesome over-the-door vanity station - found on the Urban Outfitters site. It is really pretty, too!

This would go over the door between the bathroom and the kitchen, so Mike could use the mirror for shaving near the sink, and it would substitute for a bathroom mirror. It looks like it is adjustable for height (thank goodness).

For the bathroom extension, we have an inexpensive, simple vanity made cool by some new knobs and paint:

vanity makeover by jelitan on polyvore.com

Home Vanity - White : Target
$100 - target.com

Lucky Number Knob, Red
$8 - anthropologie.com

8 oz. Flame Yellow Interior/Exterior Paint Tester # 360B-6-360B-6U at...
$2.94 - homedepot.com

This would be useful for nighttime ablutions and makeup application. It would also easily convert to a laptop desk when necessary. I already have a chair to use with it, re-purposed from a table and chairs set that we won't have room for in the new place.

For extra closet space (minimal in a small house), I love this industrial garment rack, also from Urban Outfitters.

Sweet, right? It reminds me of Rhoda's apartment on the Mary Tyler Moore Show (nick at night people, I'm not that old).

And, last but not least, nothing brightens up a small space like a cool shower curtain. I really like these:

The "Care Shower Curtain" from CB2

The "Woodland Garden" shower curtain from Urban Outfitters

I'm worried the latter might overwhelm a small space, so we'll probably go with the Care Curtain, though I love the idea of the Woodland Garden with a clawfoot tub!

I'll be looking around for some options like these. The greatest part is, because we are saving so much on rent, a few new items don't even stretch the budget!

Any other suggestions?

May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

I was really skeptical about The Hunger Games movie until I saw this trailer. It's just the right balance of emotion, grittiness, and hope. They might just do justice to this book after all.

Sidenote: My Dad called me one day and told me that I should read the Hunger Games books because he really liked them. Of course, being me, I had already read them all, but I was surprised. Gritty young adult futuristic dystopian fiction where eleven-year-olds slaughter each other? This from the guy who calls anything other than a murder mystery "weird"? I was very proud of him. Go Dad!

*A Tale of 2 Monkeys*

Storybook Vacation - Part II

Happy Centennial, Arizona!

Covering the Floor

Are you watching this? - Downton Abbey

I do not attempt to deny that I think very highly of him

Tuesday Treasures

Linkety Links

Phantom Clutch

Random NY story (in which I sort of meet a celebrity, but not really)

Five Awesome Things

Blogging From a Moving Vehicle

My Top Five New York Travel Apps

Back from NYC!

And the winner is...

Last Minute Reminder for the Shabby Apple Giveaway!

Last Minute Holiday Round-Up

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!

Christmas Movie Marathon

Video Interlude

Moving Update and a Book Recommendation

A Plethora of Snow Whites

It's Time to Start the Music

Thanksgiving Plans

Simple life project: Tiny bathroom

May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor

A Tale of 2 Monkeys