Do You Sew?

I have been interested in buying a sewing machine for the past couple of years.  I just have never researched it.  But today I’m starting my search and wanted to see if any of my blog friends have any input.

I’ve tried just typing sewing machines in to google and you can imagine the amount of info I got back.  I really don’t know WHERE to start.  I’ve never owned a sewing machine and haven’t used one much.  I basically just have the DESIRE and not much else.

These are the types of things I want to make:

 
(Source)

(Source)

 
(Source)

Nothing complex.  Just simple household stuff.

So any suggestions? Any good blogs that you know of that are super sew happy that could be of some help?

Thanks friends!!!

B-Day weekend & Movie Review

I completely blew my diet this weekend.  But that’s ok.  Back on the right track today!! Adam had fun Saturday night when we surprised him at his sister’s house.  His parents, sister, her boyfriend, and a couple of our friends were all there.  Then we all went out to Shoguns for some YUMMY hibachi food! I love getting a great cook that has a funny personality and keeps things entertaining.

The rest of our weekend was pretty lazy.  We did end up seeing a movie Sunday.  I didn’t think we would at first since there really wasn’t anything new playing that we were interested in.  But, then we saw the preview for Columbiana.  All the reviews said it was excellent on Fandango so we decided to give it a shot.

Here’s MY review.

About:
A young woman grows up to be a stone-cold assassin after witnessing her parents' murder as a child in Bogota. She works for her uncle as a hitman by day, but her personal time is spent engaging in vigilante murders that she hopes will lead her to her ultimate target - the mobster responsible for her parents' death. (IMDb)

Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, intense sequences of action, sexuality and brief strong language

1.  Did the trailer/preview give the entire movie away?
Nope! I had no idea it was going to be such a BADASS movie. 

2.  Is this a MUST see in the theaters or do you wish you had just rented it or is it that bad that you would have to wait for it to be free on TBS?
I think it is definitely a must see! If you don’t want to see it in theaters then rent it when it comes to redbox.  It was an EXCELLENT movie.  Yes it’s about murder and revenge but it was a great action movie that didn’t have any gore factor to it.

3.  Which movie star do you think MADE this movie?
The obvious is Zoe Saldana.  She plays the lead actress and is about as badass as it gets for a lead female in that strong role.  But for me what stole the show was Amandla Stenberg.  She plays the 10yr old version of Zoe’s character Cataleya.  This little girl is going to be a big name VERY soon.  I didn’t realize who she was until this morning.  She is going to be playing Rue in the upcoming book to movie adaption of the Hunger Games.  She was amazing in Colombiana and she’s going to be EPIC in Hunger Games.

4.  Predictability?
0%.  While it wasn’t a movie with a whole lot of plot and not a lot of surprise you just didn’t know how in the heck she was going to get through this situation.  I was really on the edge of my seat.

5. Rating?
I’m giving this movie a 9.  I don’t know if it’s just that I loved the actresses so much but this is one of my favorite movies of the year.  I loved pretty much everything about it!

~*~

In other movie news … did you see the sneak peak of Hunger Games on the VMAs last night!!?? It’s LITERALLY just a peak but I’m SOOO excited to finally see Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss.  For those that have read the book … Did you hear Rue’s whistle at the end.  Gave me goosebumps!

Happy Birthday to My Other Half

Happy Birthday to my amazing husband!!!!

Today he turned 27.  I have some things planned for the weekend but I don’t want to give anything away just in case he decides for once to actually stop by my page. :)

I did make some AWESOME red velvet cupcakes last night and homemade cream cheese frosting.  Not to toot my own horn or anything but I have never tasted a better frosting in my entire life.  Seriously!

Adam was scheduled to work tomorrow but they cancelled it which is great! More time to spend together this weekend!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Weigh In Day

I had a post all planned out in my head for today.  My problem was that it was in my HEAD and not on PAPER (or screen really) and now it’s gone.  POOF.  It’s been happening a lot to me lately!

Another thing, I have a magic bullet food chopper, blender thing that I keep at work to make smoothies.  Well on my way to work this morning I thought of something for dinner that involved chopping up some type of food and I told myself to make sure I remembered the blender.  Well I get to work and promptly remembered to set my blender out by my lunch box.  But guess what … I can’t remember what I was going to make.  No clue! 

So frustrating!

Let me put THAT thought from your brains … no I don’t have pregnancy brain.  100% positive. 

So in good normal news, I lost another 2lbs this week!  That is a total of 15.6 pounds in 8 weeks!

My goal for the next week is to lose 5lbs.  It’s gonna be pretty hard but my original goal was to lose 23 by the end of August.  This will at least put me very close to that goal!

My other goal is to get my blog comments replied to! Sorry! I do read them and appreciate each one.  It’s hard for me to reply at home because I’m usually reading them on my phone while I’m cooking dinner and it’s hard to type and cook!  Don’t give up on me! :)

Thanks to all you that are still coming back to my blog when I FINALLY get around to updating it!

Movie Review – Conan the Barbarian

This is a day late, but a busy girl has got to do what she can. :)

This past weekend we actually saw several movies, but only one in theaters.  At home we watched The Last Samuria (pretty good), Sucker Punch (don’t waste your money), and Pirates of the Carribean 3 (love it even after 1000 times).

The one we saw in theaters was Conan the Barbarian.  I remember seeing the TV show back in the day and I liked it then so I knew this was going to be on my list of MUST SEE in theaters.

What the movie was about:
A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil. (IMDb)

Rated R for strong bloody violence, some sexuality and NUDITY!

1.  Did the trailer/preview give the entire movie away?
No, it really didn’t.  I went in to the movie not knowing what was going to happen or really who the characters were.  For some reason this trailer wasn’t overly played.  (Maybe that’s why it tanked at the box office?)

2.  Is this a MUST see in the theaters or do you wish you had just rented it or is it that bad that you would have to wait for it to be free on TBS?
Normally Adam and I have the same opinion about movies.  We like the same types and we usually feel the same after we see them.  Not this time.  Also, not in the way you would expect.  Adam hated it.  He honestly felt like it was the biggest waste of money and said he would have asked for his money back if he could.  I, on the other hand, enjoyed it.  It wasn’t spectacular and definitely not worth what we paid for admission ($11.25 each – OUCH) but I left satisfied.  There was a lot of gore and blood splatter.  It was so unrealistic though that it didn’t really bother me.  A few times I had to close my eyes.  I really liked the overall story line.  But I think I figured out why Adam hated it and I liked it.  It reminded me exactly of a trashy romance novel like this:

Not this exact book (which I do own by the way) but you get my point.  It was the typical buff, long haired guy, out to save the world and his leading lady story line. 

So as far as the actual questions of is it worth a theater price … maybe not.  I liked it, but I’m just weird like that.

3.  Which movie star do you think MADE this movie?
When I saw the guy playing Conan (Jason Moma) I didn’t really think of him as hot.  But after seeing the movie he went up a few notches on the hottie radar.  I think it’s just the knight and shining armor appeal though.  He does have a way of cutting his eyes that are very nice. He also has a rather nice booty (haha).


This is the guy playing Conan’s father (Ron Perlman).  Doesn’t he look like Harry from Harry and the Hendersons??

4.  Predictability?
It was a bit predictable, but just like all movies that have the eventual outcome of good conquering evil.  I didn’t really care for the ending though.  I needed a little more mushy, love stuff.  (Again with the romance novel aspect)

5. Rating?
Because our opinions were so opposite and I don’t think I paid enough attention the flaws of the movie I’m giving it a 5 out of 10.  I would definitely watch it again once it’s out on the movie channels.

What’s better than a list?

A list with bullets of course! I saw this post on my blog friend Amy’s blog a few days ago and promised to eventually steal it for my own! :)

I can't...

• go a day without telling my husband I love him
• wait for a big thunderstorm with lots of rain
• stay off of Pinterest
• wait for Fall!

I can...

• make an awesome home made chicken pot pie
• knit, cross stitch, and crochet
• bed my fingers weird because I’m double jointed
• type really fast

I won't...

• worry about other people’s opinions
• give up praying for someone that needs it
• betray my friends or family
• get discouraged in my weight loss

I will...

• be in love with my husband until the end of time
• one day have his child
• always be myself
• try to be a better blogger

I shouldn't...

• be wanting cookie dough
• be wasting so much time on Pinterest
• sit on the couch in the evenings instead of working out
• put things off until the last minute

I should...

• learn to like salad (will never happen)
• be a better employee (see second bullet in above)
• bet better about sticking to a budget
• being doing a lot things on my to do list

Our Weekend & Movie Review

We had a great weekend full of laughs!

Friday after work Adam and I tried out a new Pizza place that was pretty good.  Then we hung out with his sister, her boyfriend, and their friends for a while.  Saturday, we ran our errands, watched a movie, and then went to see his sister’s new house that they are buying.  Can’t wait to help her start decorating in a month! We have to get it ready for their baby that will be here in Feb! Then we all headed to a little place to eat and hung out on the patio for about an hour chatting and loving the cooler weather (only lasted 1 day). Sunday, we had breakfast, went to TJ Maxx, PetCo, and a tool place that Adam wanted to visit!  We didn’t have much time really at home but it was still a fun weekend!

~*~

OK, on to the movie review.  We decided to see a movie called 30 Minutes or Less.

We were afraid it was going to be dumb.  It seems like all the comedies have just gone down hill.  They are either about pot smoking dumbasses or just not thought out at all as far as plot.  Well this movie proved that there are still some good comedies to be seen!

About:
Two guys need $100,000 so they kidnap a pizza deliver guy, strap a bomb to his chest, and make him rob a bank within 10 hours.  The pizza guy enlists the help of his best friend.  This is a hilarious movie about the plight of this guy trying to rob a bank and not get killed.

“Rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, nudity and some violence”

1.  Did the trailer/preview give the entire movie away?
NO! Surprisingly not at all.  I was very impressed with how much depth and comedy this movie had.

2.  Is this a MUST see in the theaters or do you wish you had just rented it or is it that bad that you would have to wait for it to be free on TBS?
It wasn’t an action packed block buster so I wouldn’t say it’s a must see in theaters but I would definitely recommend it for “mature” audiences.  I would definitely see it again.

3.  Which movie star do you think MADE this movie?
Jesse Eisenberg (from Social Network & Zombieland) and Aziz Ansari.  Jesse has great comedic skills.  I loved him in Zombieland and he was great here too.  This is the first time I’ve seen Aziz in a movie.  He hosted the MTV movie awards last year (or the year before) and was hilarious.  He had me rolling with laughter!  Danny McBride & Nick Swardson also lived up to their comedic skills.

4.  Predictability?
0%.  It’s not that it really had any big major plot twist but that it was just so surprisingly funny that I left the theater saying WOW.

5. Rating?
8 out of 10!

Next Week: Conan The Barbarian!!

Weight Watcher Update

Today is weigh in day!

Last week I didn’t even post the results of my weigh in because I was just frustrated and had gained .6lbs.

This week I lost 2.2lbs!!!

My problem was that I wasn’t eating all of my allotted points.  Also I wasn’t snacking.  I think I was getting too hungry at meal times so my metabolism was going into starvation mode because I was SO hungry!  This last week I have found some really great snacks and that has helped a lot. Here are a few examples of what I’ve been snacking on.

 

What healthy snacks are you snacking on?? 

Randomness

I haven’t posted anything in a while about what’s going on in our lives. So what’s been going on in my world?

I’m completely addicted to Pinterest again.  I had sort of forgot about it for a while but I’m hooked again.  Do you need an invite? I will send you one! I’m on a mission to convert people to this awesome hobby! (My mom and sister are now hooked!)

I’m still rereading the Harry Potter series.  I’m currently on book 5 (Order of the Phoenix).  I’m taking it a whole lot slower this time around.  Last year I read all 7 books in 10 days!

Adam’s band played this past Saturday.  This is the first time they’ve played with all of Adam’s new equipment.  (He’s the sound guy.)  He recently INVESTED in two huge speakers, cables, and other stuff I have no idea what it’s function is. He was pretty nervous about it but everything sounded excellent! They have two or three more gigs booked there in the next couple of months. 

My diet is still going fairly well.  As of this week I have been in Weight Watchers for 6 weeks and haven’t missed one meeting! I’m very proud of that.  More update on this subject to come after tomorrow’s weigh in.

That’s pretty much it.  My life is kind of boring at the moment, which I’m not complaining about at all.  Is there anything good on TV? About the only thing I’m watching now is So You Think You Can Dance.  Are there any new shows I’m missing out on?

Movie Review – Rise of the Planet of the Apes

It’s time for another weekly movie review!
 

This weekend we saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes. 

This was not my first pick for a movie this weekend.  I have been seeing the trailers but said it didn’t look like something I really wanted to see.  It looked very sad.  I don’t do well with animal cruelty.  I suggested the Change-Up for our weekend movie but Adam said it looked stupid and he wanted to wait until it came out on Redbox.  (If anyone has seen it please tell me if it was good so I can talk him into seeing it now).

Well he talked me into see this movie instead and I was really dreading it.  But I needed something to review today so I tried to just step back and look at it objectively.  Didn’t work.  I was totally sucked in! 

Let me start by telling you what it’s about:
There is a man named Will that works for a company creating pharmaceutical drugs to cure Alzheimer’s.  They of course do testing on chimps.  Something goes wrong in the trials and the apes had to be euthanized. One of the females had a baby and they didn’t realize it (PUH-LEEZE).  Will took in the baby (Caesar) and raised him without the company knowing.  Soon, he realized that the drugs given to the mother were passed on to the baby and everything is perfect.  Over the next 5 years he studies Caesar and further develops this drug.  Caesar becomes part of the family with Will and his father.  During an altercation between Will’s father and the neighbor, Caesar attacks the neighbor causing him to be locked up in an Animal Sanctuary with other apes.  Caesar, who is incredibly intelligent, figures out ways to get in and out.  He eventually over throws the people keeping him there and leads all the apes in a revolution!

The movie did have a few instances where I got teared up because of the animals but overall it was a great movie. 

1.  Did the trailer/preview give the entire movie away?
No not at all!!  I love surprises in a movie and this definitely had a couple.

2.  Is this a MUST see in the theaters or do you wish you had just rented it or is it that bad that you would have to wait for it to be free on TBS?
I could go either way really.  It was a great movie that I’m glad I saw but not something that MUST be seen in theaters.  It would be just as good when it hits Red Box.

3.  Which movie star do you think MADE this movie?
Caesar of course!  You forget that he is not a human.  I also loved James Franco (Will) and John Lythgow (Will’s father).   One thing that made me feel a little better about this movie was that I heard there wasn’t even one real monkey actually used in the movie.  They were completely CGI animations.  I would have never known!

4.  Predictability?
You know what’s going to happen (as with most movies) but it doesn’t give away the hows and whys.

5. Rating?
I’m changing my rating scale from 5 stars to 10 stars.  I feel like I’m limiting myself too much with just 5 stars.  So I give this movie a solid 8!  It did have some cruelty to the animals as expected but I found myself cheering them on to rise up and be liberated!

This was the first Planet of the Apes movie that I have ever seen so I have no idea how it relates to the ones before it.  From what I think I know about the previous ones I think the apes talked and completely acted human? Maybe even from another planet or something crazy?

On the upside ….

There has been a lot of negativity going on in my world lately.  I thought that I had stayed immune to it.  I’m generally a happy person.  I don’t worry about things much and just go with the flow.  I look at the positive not the negative.  I’m definitely a glass half full kind of person.

I didn’t realize that it was actually effecting me until today for some reason.  It’s like it just HIT me.  I’m being a total bitch.  Maybe it’s PMS, maybe it’s work, maybe it’s just life.

Where did my happy self go that actually enjoyed her job?  Where did my inner sense of adventure and love of change go? Where did my smile go?

I’m not sure the answer to any of those questions but as of this moment I’m gonna strive to bring them all back.  I don’t like this debbie downer I’ve become.

Some things to make me happy:
 
Cherry Blossums – Because pink flowers are just awesome.

The chance of rain next week! This 113 degree weather HAS TO STOP!

 
Having one of these with my lunch!

 
Because it keeps me sane on days that work is too much to handle.

 
The thought that fall isn’t THAT far away!

Christmas …. in August?

Adam and I have been together for almost 13 years (married for 5 years) and I have been under the impression that he didn’t care for Christmas.  Not the actual meaning of Christmas but more of the decoration stuff and the commercialized part of it.  I have learned recently that he in fact DOES like Christmas.  I have never gone overboard in decorating because I thought it wasn’t his thing.  He made a comment to his mom that he loved how people he knew when he was younger had beautifully decorated houses and it smelled and looked like Christmas.  He remembers how much he loved it. 

So my mission this year is to do Christmas the way I’ve always wanted to do it and bring that Christmas spirit to our house.  I have already started planning.  Is that weird?  It is only August.  I don’t have a lot of money so I thought by starting early I can make things or catch some things cheap before they get marked up for the Christmas season.

So here are some things that I’m loving:

I’m going to make this in red and hang it on one of my hard to decorate walls. Maybe with a green ribbon to hang it?  (Thanks Janette for giving me the instructions on how to make this!!)
(Source)

I love this! I don’t have a chandelier so that could be an issue but I’m still thinking this would be beautiful to have during a party.
(Source)

I love this centerpiece.  I’m thinking that Hobby Lobby or Michaels would have everything I need to make this. 
(Source)

Those are just a couple of pics from what I have found on Pinterest.  Do you have sites you like to go to for inspiration on projects? What about home sites to get decorating ideas?

Movie Review – Cowboys & Aleins

This weekend we were finally able to see Cowboys & Aliens! I keep calling it Cowboys vs.. Aliens but I keep getting correct so I’m trying to be proper and use the &! :)The Old West.. where a lone cowboy (Daniel Craig) leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world. 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). It's a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been... Written by Universal Pictures (Courtesy of IMDB)

~*~

 I LOVED this movie!  Another guy movie all the way.  It was action packed and to me it never had a dull moment.  It was as if the creator of a John Wayne movie got together with a creator of a bad ass alien movie and said LET’S MAKE A MOVIE! 

There were a lot of small kids in the theater and I have seen several reviews on Fandango saying that it’s a great movie to take your kids too.  I’m confused by that.  I mean, there were ALIENS! Not pretty cute mars men, but head biting, killing people aliens.  I would have been terrified as a little kid.  Heck, I was jumping out of my seat yesterday!

It has everything I could ask for in a movie.  Suspense, humor, tragedy, lessons learned, action, adventure, and that jump out of your self surprise. 

1.  Did the trailer/preview give the entire movie away?
No, I don’t think so.

2.  Is this a MUST see in the theaters or do you wish you had just rented it or is it that bad that you would have to wait for it to be free on TBS?
I think this is a must see in theaters.  But then again … most movies that I see I feel that way about … that’s why I see them in theaters.  It had a ton of action, explosions, and surprises that you just wouldn’t get the full effect of in your living room.

3.  Which movie star do you think MADE this movie?
The actors were great! I will forever and always be a Indiana Jones Harrison Ford fan no matter what role he is playing.  I have never been a Daniel Craig fan, as far as looks.  He’s alright but he’s at the bottom of my hottie list.  In this movie … let me just say … he has moved up a few notches!  Dirtied up, with some chaps, a cowboy hat, and gun slung on his hip those baby blues are looking mighty fine!  Olivia Wilde (from House) was also great.  I loved the character she played!

4.  Predictability?
It’s not a movie that you don’t know what’s going to happen.  I mean you know there are going to be aliens, you know the cowboys will win in the end.  But there are few surprises along the way that will keep you on your toes.

5. Rating?
I would give it 5 (out of 5) stars.  It was an awesome movie! (Other than the guy next to us talking through the WHOLE thing and then when the movie stopped half way through and had to be restarted … LOL)

Next Week:
The Change-Up (Possibly)