american idol :: one to watch

Last night was one of those moments where you just feel the upmost joy for someone you've known... Daniel and I are huge American Idol fans (love this season so far - Harry Connick, Jr. is everything! - you must watch!!) and while watching with the girls we see Bryan Watt on the television!! Daniel screams "It's Bryan Watt!" - and I, in a fit of pregnant hormonal emotion, just began to cry.

I knew Bryan from SMU - Daniel, Bryan and I led worship together with others for the Wesley Foundation every Wednesday night. He was only at SMU his freshman year before transferring to Baylor. Bryan actually won SMU's American Idol competition! He had a great audition last night, but let me tell you - this guy can sing... he held back last night but he has a booming voice. The best part?! He is the kindest, gentle, sweetest person you will ever meet. Daniel and I loved working with him... he loves the Lord so much and will be such a great witness on Idol (I hope he goes far!). Even though I only knew Bryan for that one year, he left an impression on us - clearly by the way we freaked out when we saw him last night on TV. I can't think of anyone more deserving. Tune in and watch Bryan on Idol - and if he makes it to the top 12 then you better vote for him! :)

oscars 2013

As most of you know, Daniel and I are HUGE award season junkies... we watch all the movies, print the ballots, etc... we used to host parties, but now we kick it mom/dad style and watch in our pjs. I know not everyone was impressed with host Seth MacFarlane's quips and songs, but I really liked him - I thought he was a fresh take on the typical Oscar host. Plus, he sang an entire song about boobs, which was quite hilarious. 

One of my favorite parts is, duh, the fashion! I always get so giddy when the stars come out the limos. Sometimes I like someone's look immediate, others I dislike... some it takes the whole evening for me to decide if it was a hit or miss. Here are some of the standouts from Sunday night:

Best overall: Jennifer Lawrence so deserved the win for Best Actress. Silver Linings Playbook was one of my favorites of the year. I know if DDL hadn't been nominated for Lincoln Bradley Cooper would have won. It was a fabulous movie, start to finish, and I am so glad JLaw won! While I would have never worn a dress like this, she pulls it off. It's totally opposite from the smokin' red hot dress she wore in 2011 but it's fresh and beautiful. I always liked her, but after watching her accept her award (after the fall) and the videos of her talking to the press, I can say I definitely love her!

Best Dress: Jessica Chastain looked the best she has looked in a very long time. I don't really like nude-tone dresses but this dress matches her hair perfectly. Her makeup and hair are flawless and there is no denying how incredible this dress is.

Best couple: I love these two. Naomi Watts killed it again. She always looks perfect. Her hair and makeup is stunning... I actually liked her after-party dress better, but this dress looks so good next to her best accessory husband.

Best purse: There are no words needed for the adorableness that is Quvenzhane Wallis. Did you hear she is going to be Annie in the new remake? So excited!

Best pop-of-color: This dress was so refreshing to me. I loved the color - gorgeous!! Kerry Washington typically looks flawless so I didn't expect anything less.

The worst: I am sorry. I have tried to like Kristen Stewart for a long time but I just can't do it. She's awkward, shows up to the Oscars with bruises all over her arm and her hair looking like she hadn't washed it in a week. Also, I understand her foot is pretty cut up, but she should have just come on the stage with crutches rather than look more awkward than she already is. Oh yes, she looked like she was on drugs, too... What the heck?! Why did they invite her over Emma Watson?! My advice for Robert Pattinson: RUN!

golden globes // my picks

image via washington post

Daniel and I loooove awards season. We print ballots, keep score and even will rewind a funny moment or amazing acceptance speech over and over again. We are invested into the awards shows because we really do see most of the nominated films. It's funny how different years go... one year there will be only one "good" film and then the next year there will be four that are amazing. This year was a year were I felt that several films could win. I absolutely loved Silver Linings Playbook, Les Mis and Argo. We are going to go see Zero Dark Thirty tonight (yay!)... Daniel saw Django Unchained and said it was a good/typical Tarantino movie (I just cannot handles those type of violent films). I think Les Mis will win Best Picture because I feel the Academy likes musicals, however, I wouldn't be surprised if Lincoln or Argo slipped in. Dark Horse: Beasts of the Southern Wild. We saw it, it has good acting, and it's an indie film (which we love)... but I don't know if it could win Best Picture. We will see in February!

I thought the Golden Globes were fabulous Sunday night - from top to bottom, the whole night was funny and enjoyable. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler killed it. Amy's boobs were out ALL night, but I guess it's just her way of reminding everyone she is newly single. I felt their jokes were appropriately funny and I loved being able to watch best friends ons stage together... Oh yes! And the parts where they dressed in costume pretending to be nominees... hilarious. Even the presenters were cracking up.

But the two who stole the show were Kristin Wiig and Will Ferrell. Oh my goodness. I was doing the silent laugh... which if you know me, means I find something very, very funny. Also, Kristin finally looked good at an awards show. Her hair is amazing... and she's not wearing a nude colored dress - thank the lord!

image via washington post

I don't feel like doing a recap of all the dresses... but I had to point out two people. First, Claire Danes was one of my favorites... she just had a baby a month ago and looks like this. Incredible. Plus, she admitted to Al Roker in the green room that her milk was about to come in and it made me laugh thinking of her having to go pump in the restroom. Welcome to motherhood, Claire!

via people

Second, Allison Williams, star of Girls and Brian Williams' daughter, is my girl-crush. I think she is so cute... Daniel agrees. She always looks so put together and dresses her age, which I love. Her makeup and accessories are always flawless... I actually thought her dress was "meh" last night, but she still looked gorgeous.  

via HuffingtonPost

What about you? Are you awards season obsessed like we are? Did you have a favorite dress? Erin Gates over at Elements of Style really summed it up best... click the link on the right in my blogs bar and read it. She is hilarious and says all the things I can't say because too many people at my church read this, ha!

really, american idol?

image via people.com

Well, the new judges were announced... Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and wait for it... Nicki Manaj?! Ugh. I really dislike her... her music and performances are not kid friendly!! Isn't American Idol supposed to be for everyone? Oh well, I was hesitant about J. Lo and I ended up loving her... what about you? Surprised with the judges panel? What about Carrie Underwood and Justin Timberlake?!? They would be perfect!

we love gymnastics!

Yesterday brought me so much joy as a mom. Daniel and I enrolled the girls into gymnastics for the school year and yesterday was their first class. LolliPops came to watch the girls and bought them their new leotards for class. These were the two "less wild" of the leotards they had, but the zebra on Claire fits her personality so much and Emma looked adorable in the neon colors with her new cropped haircut. The girls didn't want to wear the leotards at first but Daddy made them wear them and I am so glad he did. The girls were SO EXCITED. Added bonus - Jack and Callie are in the class, too. Yay!

We started off the class by sitting in the circle and doing roll-call. Each child got to run around the circle. When it was Claire's turn, she shot up and took off running like a crazy woman. Emma was next and she ran and laughed the entire way around. We then did stations around the gym that helped the kids work on gross and fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, memorization, colors, etc... gymnastics is awesome!! I did gymnastics/tumbling through cheerleading and loved it. I'm so glad my girls love it, too. We worked on kicks, balance beam, somersaults, and more. It was a total workout for me - I will never wear a long-sleeve shirt again! We celebrated a fun first day by lunch and playtime at Chik-fil-A with Jack and Callie. 

see it :: storage wars - texas

Uptown Country Home's most loyal customers, Claire and Emma Irving, with store-owner, Jenny Grumbles

Are you having Olympic withdrawals? Bachelor Pad just grating on your nerves? Well, I have a show you... Storage Wars :: Texas! My cousin, Jenny Grumbles, is a new cast-member and I'm sure she is doing a major eye-roll by now seeing this blog post. Ha! I had to highlight my hilarious, bubbly, super sweet, down-to-earth, amazingly creative and smart cousin... Jenny is the cousin that I'm sure all the cousins say is their "favorite cousin"! We love her to pieces and couldn't be more happy to see her on this show. 

Jenny is a graduate of SMU and owns an amazing store called Uptown Country Home. Almost everything in the girls' bedroom is from her store and we have a lot of her furniture and decorative pieces around our house. Jenny upcycles furniture and other materials and turns them into stuff for you home, work, school, whatever. Jenny sells Dash and Albert rugs (have them, love them), Pine Cone Hill bedding and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint... want to see what's in store? Check out her blog HERE. Jenny is also an amazing artist and will be auctioning off several pieces this Thursday for a fundraiser for Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. (Want to go or to buy a ticket to support the cause? Purchase your ticket here.) Told you she was awesome... sorry guys, Jenny is engaged and will be getting married in November (cannot wait for the wedding - Daniel is officiating!). 

Daniel and I will be having a mini-watch-party on Wednesday night... we watched Storage Wars for the first time over the weekend and said we would watch one episode... well, two hours later (meaning we watched four episodes!) we were hooked! It's pretty addicting! Plus, we loved watching Jenny in all the promos. As my dad would say - this is going to be a riot! 

Tune in on Wednesday at 8PM Central! 

Date Nights

Once Daniel and I finished our Disciple Bible Study back in May, Joe and Sandra (the girls' godparents) volunteered to keep babysitting the girls on Wednesday nights so we could have date nights through the summer. Heck Yes!! 

We have had three date nights so far and all have been fun: finding a new Mexican food restaurant in a restored theatre (El Real) with Amy's Ice Cream for dessert; shopping at The Galleria (more of an errand than a date for Daniel) and then dinner at Buca... last night's date night was the best so far: Dinner at a little bistro in the River Oaks shopping center and then watching the film Bernie at the River Oaks Theatre. 

Two things about last night:

1. Bernie is a MUST SEE! It's a dark comedy and based on a true story. You will literally laugh out loud. The cast is perfect - Jack Black is wonderful and many of the "actors" aren't actors because they are the townspeople from Carthage, Texas (where the story takes place). You will really be laughing if you have any connection to East Texas. We have a farm in Colmesneil, Texas and as I watched the film I felt as if I knew everyone in it. Ha! The jokes about Texas and East Texas are too funny. Another fact: Bernie was our senior pastor's music director in Louisiana years ago and we have a lot of Methodist pastor friends who knew the pastor at the Methodist Church in Carthage that is portrayed in the movie. Small world! The story is very interesting and you feel for all the characters involved - still can't believe it's true!

2. The River Oaks Theatre is awesome. It felt like Daniel and I were on a date at the Highland Park Village Theatre - the place were we went on MANY dates while at SMU. I love the feel of the theatre and they show lots of indie and international films there. Plus, they have a full bar upstairs and your typical movie-theatre munchies. 

Obsessed :: Downton Abbey

I know I am late on the Downton Abbey bandwagon, but I am sure glad I hopped on! Wow. This is definitely my favorite show in a really long time. Daniel has been watching it with me - I love it, he likes it (there are lots of love story lines going on). Also, I love Masterpiece Theatre on PBS - everything they do is brilliant. If you haven't watched the show - I suggest you take a couple of weeks to watch. Season 1 can be watched on Netflix and Season 2 can be bought through iTunes. My SIL said she watched it on the PBS website. We are halfway through Season 2... dreading having to wait months to watch Season 3. Last night we watched two episodes back-to-back and stayed up until midnight to do so. I am a "in bed by 9:30pm" girl, so staying up that late definitely says something!

The show takes place in the 1910s in Downton. It focuses on both the life of the family who live there and the servants who work there. The class system is very interesting and each episode develops the characters more and more. Here are my favorite characters:

Matthew

Mary

Violet (I love love love Maggie Smith)

Here are the three sisters - the costumes are incredible!

Sybil, Mary and Edith

Are you watching Downton Abbey? If so, are you as obsessed as me? I would also like to suggest "Sherlock" on PBS - 3 episodes from Season 1 - all about 1.5 hours each. It's perfectly cast and quite a treat!

Images from here and here

Hunger Games

"May the odds be ever in your favor." 

image via people.com

Daniel and I already have our tickets for Saturday's showing of the Hunger Games... we. cannot. wait. Why? 1) I loved the books - read them in a week (I will say, the first one was the best and it was downhill from there). 2) Jennifer Lawrence, pictured above, is a perfect casting of Katniss Everdeen! I love her and I love her style. 3) Rotten Tomatoes has it ranked very high and everyone is raving about how true to the book it is. Yay!! Are you heading off to see the movie?

and the EMMY goes to...

KYLE CHANDLER!! This was THE best moment of the night for Daniel and me... We love Friday Night Lights - definitely one of the best shows on television. Ever. The series has ended and they now show reruns on ABC Family (or you can rent the series) - I would definitely suggest it if you have never watched the show. Expect to laugh, cry, cheer and fall in love with such wonderful true-to-life characters. Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) is one of my all-time tv characters. Great, great show.

The Emmys were entertaining (more so than any other awards show I can remember in recent history), Daniel and I tied on our Emmy ballots and the show just confirmed we watch great shows. Here are the shows we love and are excited to begin watching again this week:

Reality:

The Sing Off** (I originally had The Voice and we didn't really like that show - but we love the Sing Off!)

Amazing Race

...we really don't watch reality... most of it is trashy and highly annoying

Scripted:

Mad Men (will be back on air next year)

Game of Thrones (new favorite show, HBO)

Boardwalk Empire

30 Rock

Parks and Recreation

Community

The Office

Modern Family

Curb Your Enthusiasm (season just ended)

Night Variety: DVR because we can't stay up that late, ha!

Jimmy Fallon - love him!

Daily Show/Colbert Report (off and on)

SNL

I feel like I'm missing some, but that's basically it...

Shows Daniel and I want to try out: Breaking Bad, The Killing, X Factor (?! - maybe), Up All Night (saw the pilot, thought it was funny)... any shows you love that we should look into??

preoccupied with pinterest

Excuse my lack of blogging over the past month - I am trying my best to do daily blogs, but there is this website I keep mentioning that has taken. over. my. life. Yep, it's Pinterest. And it's awesome. If you would like to be invited to Pinterest, let me know and I'll send you an invite. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a brief run-down:

Pinterest is a website where friends link up with each other and share anything regarding interior design, cooking, DIY projects, hair styles, wedding planning, party planning, nursery inspiration, etc... if you find something you like, you "pin it" onto your boards. If you see something of your friends, you can repin it, like it or comment on it. Another great thing about it is that you don't have to save 1000 things in your favorite/bookmark bar anymore. Pinterest allows you store the images/recipes/websites you love in one place. Nice, right? I have gathered so many ideas and inspiration in the past month - people in this world really are creative and smart. Well, at least my friends are. :)

Here are some of my favorite finds and pins:

I saw this pin and repinned it onto my "Great Ideas" Board - I mean this is so smart! No second guessing in the store!

I like posting clothes ideas for myself and gathering looks I like.

Friends can comment to each other - it's like virtual shopping with a friend - and I am able to really tell what my style is: basics, classics, neutrals with pops of colors. Duh.

There are 12o348209348 ideas for holidays and children's parties.

Again, I pinned this and I have seen this pop up several times.

And yes, I will get this trench this season.

Pinterest for wedding and baby planning is like crack.

I'm so glad I'm neither engaged or pregnant. Daniel and I would never speak.

Like my clothing, having a board for the home has made me realize what my "dream home" and style really is... Every kitchen I've pinned is all white with maybe some gray. All the bedding I pin is neutral and ruffled.

Definitely doing this in the next house. So genius.

The recipe selections are amazing.

I've cooked a few already and all have been huge hits.

That's all for now - back to pinning!

well, THAT was awkward.

Have you ever been in a situation that is extremely awkward but hilarious at the same time? I found myself in that position last night. This story is too funny not to share, so I hope you enjoy it as much as Daniel did last night.

I typically go to the gym in the mornings but the past two days have been crazy-busy. I knew I needed to go workout so I decided to head over to the gym at 7:30 last night. I was really excited because there was this new exercise class I wanted to try that was starting when I got there. There were about 15 women in the class - I was probably one of the youngest. The class was great - very intense workout doing squats, lunges and arms for 45 minutes straight. We ended the class with ab work.

At this point everyone had to get a mat and get on the ground. I laid down and noticed the woman who had been working out next to me was now facing me. Our feet were probably three feet apart. She was older, probably in her 60s, and let me just say that she didn't have the nicest face in the class. I'll call her mean-faced-lady. She was definitely a little intimidating! I should have turned around, but then I would have been face to face with another woman. So, I just stayed where I was. Bad decision, Jean!

We began our ab work by doing crunches and then we moved into the type of crunch where you crunch your chest and abs up as well as your knees to your chest - we had to crunch and hold. Crunch and hold. Crunch and hold. And then it happened. Mean-faced-lady farts. Not a dainty fart, but like that sucker had been trapped.

Now, I am trying with everything in me to not laugh. I know, I'm sooo mature. We are facing each other, remember, and only a few feet apart!

Crunch. Don't laugh.

Crunch. Hold it together, Jean.

Crunch. On my exhale, I couldn't hold it any longer.

It slipped.

Out came a high pitch giggle.

I can't even look at the woman - I'm pretending that I'm really into my ab work and not laughing at her. I'm fake breathing super hard to mask the laughter that is trying to escape me again.

And then it happens.

Mean-faced-lady gets up off the mat, packs up her stuff and leaves. Oh yeah, she left. Gone. Out of sight. And while I couldn't watch her leave, I felt mean-faced-lady eyes on me.

Talk about awkward!!

Harry Potter :: It All Ends

Nerd Alert! Okay, if you know me personally or if you follow this blog regularly, then you know that I am slightly obsessed with Harry Potter. It's killing me that Daniel and I can't go to the City Centre Harry Potter fest tonight - they are trying to set the world record for the most Harry Potters in one location. Plus, all of the stores and restaurants are doing Harry Potter specials - think Butterbeer and Cauldron Cakes. Anyway I'm SO BUMMED we can't go - all of our babysitters are out of town right now.

But in the end, it's okay because we reserved our tickets a long time ago to see the movie! We go tomorrow at 11 and I am so pumped! I'll be doting my HP glasses and cape (joking, maybe) and will have tissues in hand. If you have read the book, then you know several characters die in the last battle scene. But also, "it all ends" after this! I feel like the final chapter of my childhood is coming to a close. This book series - and now movie series - has been a part of my life since I was 15 years old. That is a long time, my friends! So I expect I'll get a little emotional watching it. Anyone else as addicted to the books and movies as me? Anyone else already have their tickets and showtimes booked? Anyone heading out to the midnight showing? I would SO be there if it weren't for my little darlings here at the house!

And on a final note, I love this picture of these three and I really, really hope Emma Watson grows her hair back out. I don't think she looks horrible with the short hair, but she looks amazing with her long, thick hair. Just sayin'.

summer finds

It's supposed to be 103 degrees today in Houston - I think we will be staying indoors!

However, this weekend we ventured out to the pool with the girls and I had to share two quick pics I took with my phone:

Claire looks so sweet in this swimsuit and hat!

Emma and Daniel after a swim - E kept trying to rip her hat off

(that's why Daniel's holding her hands!) :)

Daniel and I were at City Centre the other day and in the window of Anthropologie was that tunic. Daniel even said the outfit that was put together looked just like me. I'm stalking the website and waiting for it to go on sale. I'm in love! I also love the necklace and shorts from Anthro - and I especially love these earrings made by Taylor Custer - sorority sister from SMU.

I blogged about this straw bag last year and it's back in brown, natural, yellow (which I chose last year to feature) and hot pink (from Nordstrom). I love a bright pink bag for the pool - I especially love the LL Bean totes - monogrammed, of course!

I love to pull out my "warm weather" decor at my house - Pottery Barn has this shell that would be perfect to hold fruit in the kitchen. West Elm has these recycled glass bottles, but I went cheap about bought Pellegrino bottles and soaked the labels off. They look super cute in our house!

Summer Reads: I'm reading The Hunger Games on my iPad - very interesting so far. It's coming out as a movie next year so I wanted to read the trilogy - everyone who has read the books raves about them. My small group is reading For Women Only and it's super informative and interesting so far, too!

tech lovin' :: iPad 2

About a month ago (or maybe more?) Daniel got an iPad 2 with money he saved up from officiating weddings. I have always been against the iPad - if you come into our house you will quickly realize that the Apple products in our house are overwhelming. I didn't see the point for an iPad considering we had what I call "mini-iPads" - aka iPhones.

However, as the month has gone by, I can attest that I LOVE our iPad. It's lightweight, fast and does everything I need from a laptop (if I need Microsoft Word or to blog, I get on our iMac). If you are in the market for an iPad, here are somethings that I really like about it:

1) The video camera - we can do face time (video chat), it takes great photos and videos. As soon as you have taken your video, you can edit and email in a matter of minutes. It's been the perfect way to capture the girls as they are on the run!

2) The Daily - best news app. The Daily is the first newspaper/magazine formatted for the iPad. Daniel and I read it every morning.

3) HBO GO/Movies/TV - when we want to go to bed early but want to stay up and watch something, we have access to countless movies and shows thanks to several programs.

4) Kindle for iPad - currently reading The Hunger Games

5) The Twins LOVE it - we have downloaded several baby and kids' books and the girls love the sounds and all of the stuff you can do to interact with the story. (Dr. Seuss and Sandra Boynton are the best!)

6) Trulia - I stalk the housing market!

7) Reading magazines - I love that I save paper and the pictures are interactive!

There are several other reasons - Daniel loves the games, the music stuff (garage band) and it allows us to have all of our email accounts, calendars, etc... synced with one another.

big week for TV!

What a week for television! Thank goodness for DVR/Tivo! Daniel and I are taking advantage of the girls' 7pm bedtime and enjoying all of the season finales this week. We are also watching the Mavs games - I cannot believe that they went into OT to win last night. Crazy!

I think the biggest farewell this week is Oprah. Yep, I've cried several times. I can call myself a faithful watcher as I think I have watched most Oprah shows since high school. There has been a lot I have taken from her shows - eating healthy, the importance of spiritual growth, the power of education and service... she really is such a force, such a special person and such a fantastic role model. Tomorrow, bring the tissue boxes out because the water works will be flowing!

I AM SO EXCITED about the IDOL finale tonight and tomorrow. My top two favorites are "in it to win it" as Randy would say! I probably won't even vote tonight because I truly love both of these young Country stars. And guess what?! Daniel got me floor seats to see the AI concert in July! Nerd alert! :)
Daniel and I started watching Biggest Loser this year - I have always just watched the finale but something about this season kept us watching each week. I really want Olivia (bottom right) to win. When she sat and sang her Opera song on the scale, I lost it. (I cry a lot!) Tonight's show will not be a let down!
GLEE is on tonight, too! When Rachel sang "My Man" by Barbara Streisand last week I had goose bumps from the top of my head to my toes. Even though the show can be a little much, I definitely enjoy the music and seeing theatre shine on tv.
Anyone think The Office season finale was kind of a let down last week? And for new seasons, who tuned in for the Bachelorette last night? We didn't - I do NOT like Ashley H from last season. She rubs me the wrong way... however, it's recorded and I'm sure we will get sucked in like every season!