Progress Report and Something Fun

Just a report on my Lent progress - this is HARD business. Obviously I miss my sweets (especially in the baked goods department), but what has surprised me the most is how hard it has been for me to give up Celebrity gossip. 24 days to go.

Now to move to something a lot more fun to talk about - something I greatly desire. Cookies! I found these lovely little cookies cutters a while ago, and since my oldest boy is obsessed with Star Wars (and lets face it, secretly, I am too), I couldn't resist.

From the Williams-Sonoma website

A sample of our cookies - pretty good eh?

They are the perfect cookie cutters. I am not joking. I wish I could explain in words how much I love them. If only I had the skills to frost them like this:

I'll keep practicing.

Lent

No, I am not suddenly Catholic, but I love me some Lent. I have a few friends who give something up every year for Lent, and I thought this year I would join them.

1. I have decided to give up treats. I know. Crazy, right? I'm not a candy person, but it's the baked goods that get me. Cookies, cakes, pastries . . . I live for them. This is one of my favorite bakeries: goodbye Gourmandise . . . see you in 40 days.

Also, I have decided to give up celebrity gossip, and I will admit, this has almost been harder for me than the sweets! It's become such a habit for me to check my email and check my Yahoo OMG.


Besides gaining more appreciation for the obvious: sacrifice and self-control, the goal is to work on having a healthier body image. So by taking away these two temptations, I hope that I can lose a little weight, and be happier about doing it. Wish me luck!

What would you give up for Lent?

And the Oscar Goes To . . .

I LOVE awards season. No, not because I have seen all, or ANY of the nominated movies, but because I love the Oscar fashion.  So without further ado, here is my best-dressed list for 2011:

1. Cate Blanchett - This was my favorite of the night. I have never seen anything like it.  Loved everything about it, plus Cate just has that classic, old Hollywood feel about her.

 

 2. Halle Berry - A very close second, could be a tie for first. I love the dreamy femininity of this dress. Basically everything about Halle is beautiful - hair, skin, make-up etc. Good one Hal.

3. Hailee Steinfeld - A surprise for me since she is just 14, but she is already showing that she has style. This seemed to be one of the favorite colors of the night, and rightfully so.

  4. Mandy Moore - Her Red Carpet dress blended into the crowd, but this blue number was stunning. Very princess-like and appropriate for the performance, and I kind of think she should have just worn this the whole night. 

  5. Michelle Williams - Some critics were underwhelmed by this dress, but I loved it. Also in the popular shade of the evening, it was simple, classic and lovely. And, lets face it, she's got some amazing hair.

Honorable Mention:  Sandra Bullock - She always looks pretty good these days, and Sandra in this delicious red dress was no exception. Side note: based on her introduction of the nominees for best actor, why was she not one of the hosts of the evening?

So that is my list for this year! There were others that I liked, but I would have changed a few things about them (fit, neckline, color, etc.)

Vote for your favorite, and/or tell me what dress you liked the best in the comments!

On Shoveling Snow

Whenever I shovel snow, I think of my dad. He used to tell us "Shoveling snow builds character," (which leads me to point out that he didn't get a snow blower until most of us had moved out of the house). But in a way, I think he was right: as I was shoveling the heaviest snow of the century last week, I had a lot of time to think about "life stuff."

My dad's Birthday was two days ago. It's a strange thing to lose someone close to you. It feels like he might just be on an extended mountain biking trip. We visited the cemetery yesterday to leave some Birthday flowers, and it almost seemed silly, because really, he isn't there. Just this shell that he used to inhabit.

"Since my dad died" - I said that phrase the other day and almost caught myself crying and laughing at the same time. It's still such a weird thing to say! Honestly, it almost seems funny. It doesn't feel like he is very far away and I believe he isn't. I had an interesting dream the week after he died. In my dream, my dad was trying to call all of these people to arrange selling our condo. I started to laugh a little bit, and said something like "Dad, you can't call all of these people - you're not here anymore!" He looked at me and replied, "Just because you can't see me, it doesn't mean I can't talk to you."

I miss my dad. Especially when I am fixing something. He really could fix anything, and I  imagine he would be proud of me whenever I am successful at being the least bit handy. It's nice, because even though I am still sad, thinking about him usually just makes me happy. I remember all of the good things about him, how hard he worked for his family, how proud he was of all of us and how much he loved us. Life is very unexpected, but it is still wonderful and I still believe that through it all, we are meant to be happy.

There are some lyrics from an Ingrid Michaelson song that I think match what I am trying to say:

"Happy is the heart that still feels pain
Darkness drains and light will come again
Swing open your chest and let it in
Just let the love, love, love begin."

Below is a different song, it's not really related to death or dads or anything like that, but for some reason it reminds me of my dad (we went to her concert shortly after he passed away).

Star Wars Project

fts, My 4-year-old is currently obsessed with Star Wars, so when he had the option to choose a theme for his room decor, of course, it had to be STAR WARS (Note: the original Star Wars movies - he wants to be Luke Skywalker).

I searched for Star Wars stuff, and came across this lovely display from Pottery Barn: 

I covet it.

Oh, and this one too:

But of course, everything pictured above costs a BAZILLION dollars.

So I did my own, much cheaper, thing. I will admit I hate working with Mod Podge, but it created my desired "Pottery Barn-ish" effect. Some wall hangings:

 I used a some 12x12 Star Wars paper, a few $5.00 art canvases, black acrylic paint and the infamous Mod Podge. Total cost for all three (one is not pictured): about $20! I like that price! The instructions on this blog: "The Sassy Pepper" were wonderful (I'm still trying to figure out how a pepper can be "sassy").

I Know How J Lo Feels (But Without the Money)

About me: Sometimes I feel a little bit like a J Lo - she's pretty good a lots of things, but not *exceptionally good at any one thing. Yet, she has been successful. Maybe she's not a good example because she is kind of crazy, has a weird husband, and is a millionaire, but whatever. To illustrate my point, in college I couldn't decided on just one major. I ended up getting a Bachelor of Integrated  Studies, or in other words a Degree for the indecisive. This sounds like I hate myself or something, but I really loved my school experience, and I am OK with being a little indecisive and a little bit like J Lo.

 I like doing lots of things, and I want to keep it that way.

I have been thinking a lot about this, and though it may be redundant to have two blogs, I hope they will have different purposes. I have been feeling a little lost lately or maybe I just need some better creative outlets happening in my life. I am starting this blog for 3 reasons:

1. I don't Journal anymore and I would like to find somewhere to write. Not that I will write anything really private for all to read, but I wanted a place where I could just get some thoughts down.

2. I want to keep our family blog private so as to protect the little ones, but I still wanted some posts to be open to everyone.

3. I want to try to make myself be creative. So you may have to indulge me occasionally, and know that I am not trying to be braggy. I simply wanted a place to report my progress and/or any celebrity gossip that I may or may not find interesting.


Lets get this party started.

*Ok, ok, just a note about this whole "exceptional" business. I feel like I am just a little rusty in all of the things I want to be good at. At least I am a better singer than J Lo. But then again, who isn't?