I was going to do a little mini-recap of the wedding now that Ben and Taylor’s photographer has posted some photos on her blog, but I decided it would probably be best if you guys just headed over there to see the beautiful pictures! I’m definitely still planning on recapping my big brother’s most special day (there may or may not be some videos of me performing involved…) but for now, check out Kate Ignatowsky’s post!
EDIT: This giveaway is now closed. To see if you were one of the winners, click here!
Ohhhhh hey guys. Long time no see/talk/read. Well… I’m back! Yep, back from Houston full of adorable baby memories and a huuuuge backlog of work to sift through, heh. Technically I got back on Saturday, but I’ve pretty much been playing catch-up since then. (Also, there has been some major snuggling with Harry since he didn’t get to make the trip with Daxter and me.)
Getting to spend the week in Texas with my sister, her husband, my parents, and my brand new baby niece was amazing, but it may surprise no one to hear that it wasn’t really a vacation in the traditional sense. Nope, up by 7 every morning, helping to change poopy diapers, and watching a LOT of TLC (okay, well, that part was pretty vacation-y, heh), I almost feel like I need a vacation from my vacation! Alas, that won’t be happening (at least not until Sean’s and my epic Ireland trip in July!) but at least now I’ll be back on a (hopefully) regular blogging schedule.
Part of my going down to Houston was to do a newborn photo shoot with baby Amelia! I’ve only just started editing some of the photos, but in case you haven’t already seen these plastered all over social media (and apologies if you have, hehe), take a look!
She is the most alert and curious baby when awake, and soooo freaking adorable when asleep. Of course, not every shot was a winner…
I honestly think this one might be my favorite of them all, hahaha. Anyway, like I said, this is only a preview of the gazillion photos I still have yet to edit (seriously, I took almost 300 shots! Hahaha) but I thought you might like to see proof of the one productive thing I managed to do in Houston. 
Speaking of Houston… so. My sister, who some of you may already know works for UnderArmour, sent me home with a smorgasbord of UA goodies. One of the things I was sent back with is an exclusive collection of awesome UA headbands!
They look really great AND are super functional for working out. They feel nice but are grippy (without tearing out hair or anything horrible like that). Even though my hair is super straight and sleek, they really don’t slip very much! This particular pack comes in really fun blues and greens. I get compliments on my UA headbands ALL the time when I wear them, and I want you guys to experience the same!
Giveaway time!
I’ve got FIVE (yes, five!) packs of headbands to give away to you guys! To enter, simply leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite thing about Spring is!
As always, extra entries for those who follow me on Twitter, Like HISTG on Facebook, and tweet/post about this giveaway. Just make you sure you leave separate comments back here for each thing you do! I’ll pick the winners on Friday, April 5th.
Note: This giveaway is not sponsored in any way by UnderAmour. I just have the good fortune to get freebies through my sister, and know I’m not gonna need 20 more headbands to add to my own collection, hahahaha.
Happy April!
Read MoreKeeping on with this theme of random lists of 5 things I evidently have going this week, we move onto… HOLIDAY MOVIES!
This is a countdown of all my Christmas-y & holiday-y faves. I absolutely LOVE this time of year, and part of the reason for that is because it’s acceptable for me to watch these movies pretty much nonstop (and back to back). First up…
What with ditties like, “This is Halloween” and all, you might think this is actually a Halloween movie. YOU WOULD BE WRONG. This movie is Christmas through-and-through, and is so much fun to watch year after year. It’s charming, heartwarming, funny, and just so, so good. Oh, claymation. I miss you.
I’m going to assume that everyone who is anyone has seen it already, but if you’re part of the no one group at the moment, I think you know what needs to be done.
You might not know that “Holiday Inn” wasn’t always a reference to economic hotel stays. In fact, it was first a 1942 movie starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Yes. Both of them, in one movie. Epic. I’m a sucker for old movies in general (“Singin’ in the Rain” is still my all-time favorite movie!) and this is no exception. This is THE movie where “White Christmas” first originated (well, the song, not the concept), and is such a delight. It’s about an inn that’s only opened on the holidays (go figure), and is chock-full of singing, dancing, and amazing 40s-style writing.
Fair warning, there is an entire part of the movie that centers around the characters wearing blackface (in commemoration of Lincoln’s Birthday). I mean… it was the 40s. So yeah. But that aside, the movie really does hold up!
As if I’d have a holiday movie without “Love, Actually.” I’m sure there aren’t too many of you out there who haven’t seen this delightful Christmas-themed British film of interwoven vignettes. It is THE ORIGINAL (and without fail, the best) of all the subsequent vignette-ridden holiday-themed movies that have come out (Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, blah blah blah).
If nothing else, the movie is worth it just to see Rick from The Walking Dead pour his adorabe cue-carded heart out to Keira Knightley. I think it’s safe to assume that this film takes place pre-zombie apocalypse.
I’m a sucker for the rom coms, it’s true. And I’m a sucker for Jude Law in… just about anything (though I have to admit, the way he’s styled in Anna Karenina doesn’t do much for me, hahaha). And since the first time I saw this movie, I have loved it.
The basic summary is this: Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) are two equally unlucky-in-love women, who trade houses with each other over Christmas in an attempt to shake up/escape their lives. Hilarity, friendship, and romance ensues. OH, and the score is AMAZING. Like, seriously. Hans Zimmer wrote the score (he is also the amazing composer responsible for Pirates of the Caribbean, and other huge blockbuster films) and it is just wonderful. Like, makes you want to fly up out of your seat and go chase after the one you love.
And yes, to put the cap on this cake of delicious holiday festiveness, we have the piece de resistance: ELF! I don’t care how many people think Will Ferrel is annoying or this movie is over-quoted or whatever. To me, it is perfect. And I will watch and laugh and quote ’til my heart spilleth over!
Plus, it doesn’t hurt that it’s got Zooey Deschenel in it (do you guys watch New Girl? UGH I DIE LAUGHING EVERY WEEK). Of course, she is blonde in Elf, which is kind of weird, but she sings, so it makes up for it. (If you’re looking for Christmas music to get into, by the way, the She & Him Christmas album stars Ms. Deschenel’s sultry tones and is really delightful.)
ANYWAY. SO there you have it! My top 5. And if you are like Sean, and find yourself surprised that A Christmas Story wasn’t on this list, I have some potentially shocking news for you. I… don’t actually like A Christmas Story very much. I mean, I can appreciate it from a cultural perspective, and I’ve seen it enough times to get all the references, of course. But, as a movie, I’m just kinda like, ehhhhh? Don’t hate me!
Favorite holiday film: GO!
PS: Final reminder about the Blue Diamond Almonds giveaway! I’m drawing the winners tomorrow AM, so get your last minute entries in now!
Read MoreSorry if things are weird right now! I’m in the middle of transitioning to a new server to improve the overall experience for you guys! Hopefully things will be back to normal soon. Thanks for hanging in there with me!!
Read MoreSo today we visited the National Zoo! After a little bit of a fiasco finding a parking spot and then trying to walk to the park FROM the parking spot, we made it in, and I got to see a few animals. Unfortunately the pandas AND elephants were all inside each time I went to those exhibits so I didn’t get to see any. If that wasn’t enough, the sea lion and otter habitats were closed for construction too! But I did at least get to see some Asian Small-Clawed Otters (river otters) which were soooooooo adorable. Alas, I forgot to take pictures while I was there, but they were super cute. It was also a really beautiful day today, and between the zoo and the parking situation I got a LOT of walking in.
After the zoo, I headed back to the house to rescue the pupsters, chilled for a bit and then walked them (more walking!!) over to my parents’ house since some relatives were in town. So we grilled out with my uncles and aunts and the parents and the sibs (and the pups) and ended up randomly watching the Thomas Crown Affair on TV. Such a clever, engrossing movie but I had totally forgotten just how much you see of Renee Russo’s boobs, hahahahahaha. I did end up indulging a little in a small slice of blueberry pie after dinner with some vanilla fro-yo. A sweet way to end the day though, and hey — blueberries have antioxidants!
Anyway, to recap the rest of this nice weekend, yesterday morning I went to the Farmer’s Market with my mom and aunt and picked up some delicious fresh produce:
I got some interesting items, too! A white eggplant, an assortment of peppers (including some hot chilis that will be interesting to play with!), some more romano beans (love), and a few summer squash which includes a half-yellow half-green one that I had never seen before!
As I walked home (even more walking!!) I passed by this small (and I mean TINY) Asian grocery store and decided to check it out. I’m always driving by spice stores, small grocery stores, etc, and saying “I need to check that out!” and then forgetting about it. So this time, I made good on that thought and stopped in! It was, as I mentioned, really tiny but I did find some great sauces that my mom keeps at home.
I love these sauces! And they’re definitely the kind of thing that you never think about actually buying until you see them. So very happy with that discovery. I also picked up some shrimp crackers for Ben (my brother), which considering he finished the entire bag in one sitting, I’m assuming was much appreciated. Haha!
While I was at the market, Ben and his girlfriend (Taylor) headed to Ikea and bought some new furniture. We got a couple of awesome shelf units for the kitchen, and now I feel it looks so Better Home & Garden!
Any excuse to class up my kitchen! Anyway, we filled it up with knick-knacks, and still have a couple of empty shelves but I really feel like it adds a lot to the kitchen. I’ll have to post a few full-kitchen pictures at some point to give you all an idea of what it looks like. There’s still a lot to be done to truly make it a domestic haven! After all, the prettier the kitchen, the more time I’m going to want to spend in it cooking healthy meals!
Anyhoo — tomorrow is Monday, and it’s Labor Day, which means I don’t have to labor and in fact get to do NOTHING! Which I am exceedingly excited about, in case you can’t tell. I look forward to sleeping in and relaxing before hitting the work week again. Hope everyone is having a fantastic holiday weekend!!
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