The Holidays & A Little Puppy Named Leo!

I hope everyone's holidays were merry and bright! I had planned on putting up several holiday themed posts but alas, time got away from me. Since it has been so long since my last post I thought it would be best to post a summary of the holidays and what's been happening around here. 

Thanksgiving:

This year Joe and I went to Austin for Thanksgiving. We are originally from Austin and our families still live there. I would've loved to host dinner this year, but now that we live 5 hours away instead of 3 hours, it's harder to get people to come visit. This year we had to split Thanksgiving three ways and it was a little hectic. Hopefully we will get the hang of it and next year will go more smoothly. 

Holiday shopping and crafting:

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas my mom came down to McAllen. It was wonderful, we went shopping, fussed over her new puppy (more about him later), and did some crafts. When she was here, I got all of my Christmas shopping done! That's a big accomplishment for me, normally I'm still out shopping on the 23rd. 

 

Christmas:

We went to Austin for Christmas. Joe's brother and his wife came down from New York for the holiday, they don't always get to come so it was a real treat to have them with us.  Ok, so quick side note, I adore my sister-in-law! She got me the sweetest gift, it's a bracelet that spells out sister with beads in Morse code. Isn't that cool? I think so. We had a very nice Christmas, nothing too eventful, just good times with family. A few days after Christmas I had lunch with my best friend. She lives in California now and we don't get to see each other very often, which of course makes me sad. So getting to see her, even if it was only for lunch, was wonderful!  




Now on to some exciting news: as I mentioned above, my mom got a puppy!

 He is the cutest!!! His name is Leo and he's a dachshund mix. We think he is probably a chiweenie, which is a mix between a dachshund and a chihuahua, but we're not sure. She got him from a shelter in Austin. He had some health problems when my mom first got him, but now he is all better and being a rascal (chewing, nipping, you know the normal puppy stuff). I posted some more pics of him below (I'm very attached to him even though he isn't even my puppy):

Movie Review: Gravity

 I saw this movie in 3D at the theater. 

Gravity

This film is the story of astronauts dealing with catastrophic events that occur during a spacewalk. Without giving too much away, it's a story about the strength of hope and the human spirit. Wow! This movie was awesome, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. As a child I wanted to be an astronaut, I no longer wish that dream had come true. Not only did this movie make me realize I don't want to go to space, it also made me feel like I had been to space. Sandra Bullock's acting is superb, it would have been easy to overact and make this role melodramatic and unbelievable. George Clooney is charming as usual (feel like he always plays himself, you know, charismatic, handsome, funny). The special effects were fantastic, again it made me feel like I had been to space. My prediction is that this movie is going to be a major contender at the Oscars (lots of people have predicted this). I highly recommend seeing the movie in 3D. If there is a theater near you that's playing it, go see it. Now. 

Rating : A+

DIY: Luminaries

Halloween is over and that makes me sad. I love Halloween for many reasons, costumes, candy, cooler weather (some of the time), jack-o-laterns, parties, scary movies on t.v., and the decorations, just to name a few of them. Not many people know my love for Halloween because unfortunately we have very few Halloween decorations. Every year we carve a pumpkin but that's really it as far as our decorating goes. This year I decided to rectify this situation. A DIY project that could be used for indoor or outdoor decor would be perfect and after some research I decided to make luminaries! You know the paper bags with designs cut out and candles inside illuminating them. I posted a picture of a lit luminaria I made in my Halloween post.

Here is what you will need: 

• Paper bags- I found that gift bags with no handles work best. I got the ones pictured below at Michaels for about $3. 
• A design to cut out of your bags- I picked out a skull design for mine. Just remember the more intricate the design the  more difficult it will be to cut out, also it will take longer to do.
• Scissors, x-acto knife, thumb tack-the thumb tack is for really small holes.
• Tape-to secure your design to the front of the bag.
• Tea candles- I used the fake plastic ones, they don't look too bad in the bag and they are A LOT safer.
• Sand- or something to weigh the bag down.

    

Instructions:

1. With small pieces of tape, tape the design to the front of the bag (the front is the side without the seam). If you cut your design out on the side with the seam, it will show up as a dark line when lit. 

2. Using the x-acto knife, scissors, and thumb tack cut your design out. Be careful not to puncture the other side of the bag, I put a folded up newspaper inside the bag to prevent this. 

3. When you have finished cutting out your design, carefully remove the tape and design from the front of the bag. 

4. Next place about 2-3 inches of sand in the bottom of the bag. If you are not using real candles then you can use something else to weigh bag down. I used two lemons in mine. 

5. Lite the candle (or turn it on if you're using the fake ones). Enjoy!

Important: if using real candles, NEVER leave your luminaria unattended! Paper bags are extremely flammable, so again be careful when using real candles!

Luminaria without lit candle.

I loved the way the luminaries turned out and lucky for me the skull design I picked works for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos!

Happy Halloween!

A Luminaria I made :)

Nail Time!: Black Matte French Tip Nails

Gearing up for a Halloween with this month's manicure! Recently I purchased OPI Matte Top Coat and this was the first time I used it. I LOVE IT! Although I would recommend doing several coats of color and letting them dry completely before applying the matte top coat.

Book Review: The Cuckoo's Calling

I have to admit, I read this book because I heard that J.K. Rowling wrote it under a Pseudonym (which is true).

The Cuckoo's Calling 

A down on his luck P.I., Cormoran Strike, reluctantly agrees to investigate the death of a supermodel. At first glance, the case seems straightforward, like a completed puzzle, but soon the detective notices something amiss, some of the pieces don't fit flush. To help sift through the clues of the case, he begrudgingly accepts the help of his new office temp. From there, the story pulls you in, the questions build, suspects seem more and more suspicious, and soon you're trying to decipher every movement they make. J.K. Rowling does an excellent job of creating a life and world you can enter (we already knew she could do this from the Harry Potter Series). There are several plot twists: some were surprising, some were predictable. The ending, which can make or break a mystery, was good.  But that's it, just good. The main character arrived at some conclusions and I couldn't quite see how he had. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book. Rumor has it that this is the first in a series, and we all know what kind of luck J.K. Rowling has had with those.

Rating: B+

Nail Time!: blue nails with criss-cross accent nail

I love painting my nails, but I'm not sure I love my creation this time. The metallic blue looks a little too Dallas Cowboys to me, especially with the white criss-cross pattern on the left ring finger. What do you think?

Left hand

Right hand

Movie Review: Elysium

I love watching movies! Joe and I see anywhere from 1 to 3 a week. I like most genres but I can be picky. And what better way to share my particular movie opinions than to write a movie review!

Elysium 

The film is the story of a doomed man who is trying to break into the uber exclusive world of Elysium. It's an action-packed science fiction with mild emotional manipulation (i.e. the use of a dying pet or child, or overly sentimental flashbacks, to elicit an emotional response from the audience). The acting in the movie is good, however it's so action-oriented there is not a lot of time for character development. Matt Damon is great and does not disappoint as the main character. You'll also love to hate several characters. The movie starts out strong but somewhere in between the middle and the end it starts to drag. In the theater my mind started to wonder: what should I make for dinner tomorrow; I should write an email to so and so; what should I post on my blog next; and so on. The unending action wore me down, I mean, how many times do I have to watch this one guy punch, stab, and explode stuff? Although the special effects were impressive. The ending was a little predictable but fine. Nothing about this movie blew me away and I expect this movie to be somewhat forgettable. If you're bored and it's raining outside and you like action movies, then maybe go see Elysium. Or just stay home and watch Terminator again.


Rating: C+

Our Apartment

As mentioned in an earlier post, one benefit of moving to McAllen is low cost of living, lower rent included. To us cheaper rent meant we might be able to have a house with a garden and a grill and privacy, but our online searches proved otherwise. We struggled to find something we liked so we settled on another apartment (it was the only property we could agree on). It was about the same as our old apartment. The floor plan was similar, the amenities about the same. When we visited we couldn't view the actual unit; we saw a model with updates we wouldn't have in our unit. 

While we had hoped for a nicer place, we at least consoled ourselves with the cheaper rent. But the unit surprised us! It had all the updates: fake laminate wood floors, spray-on granite counters, new appliances. And it had a washer and dryer! (Although "boo!" to less storage!). The place is still a work in progress, but here are some pics:

Livingroom

  

Dining room 

Kitchen

My desk

Bedroom (Our dresser, Joe made it!!)

Joe made our nightstands too!

I know there aren't many pics of the actual bedroom and study, but they are small rooms and we're still trying to figure out storage. That concludes the tour of our apartment. Hope you enjoyed it!

Misadventures in McAllen!

 Say my name, say my name!

For the next year I'll be posting about my adventures and misadventures in McAllen. So without further ado, here is my first misadventure:

While Joe and I were in McAllen for the day looking for a place to live, I was calling around to see what was available. One potential landlord asked me to spell my name, so I did. After a pause, she calmly told me--with dead seriousness--I was pronouncing my name "incorrectly." She then promptly corrected me. My full name is long and perhaps a bit unusual, and some do pronounce it wrong or throw in an extra letter somewhere, but in my 20+ years of existence I've never had someone tell me I was saying my own name wrong. She hung up before I could argue the matter. I wanted to say, "Thanks! I was never sure I was saying it right!" Ultimately we decided to go with another property, so, unfortunately, I won't have a landlord who thinks she taught a grown woman how to pronounce her own name. 

Moving to McAllen!

We are moving to McAllen!!! Hooray!!! Where? you might ask. McAllen is a midsized city on the US/Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley. It's one of the fastest growing areas in the U.S. 

Things I'm excited about:

• The citrus fruit. Most of the citrus you buy in Texas comes from the Rio Grande Valley. I LOVE Texas grapefruit and I use lemons and limes daily.
• The Mexican food. Since McAllen is right on the border, there should be no shortage of good Tex-Mex/Mexican restaurants. I'm excited about finding a favorite!
• The cost of living. Houston is a cheap place to live. McAllen's cheaper. We should be able to save money without changing our lifestyle. 

 Things I'll miss:

• Friends.When I first moved to Houston I didn't know anyone here. But over the past several years  I've made some really good friends and I will miss them terribly! 
• Our apartment. I never realized how much I like our place. We have 6 years' worth of memories here. This was the first place Joe and I lived together and we were living here when we got married.
• Thunderstorms. I love the summer thunderstorms in Houston. McAllen won't have as many.
• The diverse restaurants. Houston has every kind of cuisine. What Mcallen makes up for in Tex-Mex it lacks in diversity. I will especially miss the Greek and Indian restaurants.

Although I'm excited about moving, I hate the process: the packing, the realization that you have too much stuff, the realization that you can't part with any of your stuff, the heavy lifting, the unpacking. Anyone have any tips?

Fourth of July

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Fourth! Joe and I met up with some friends to watch fireworks and listen to the symphony at a local park. We had a great time! It has been six years since we went somewhere to celebrate and I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. We packed a delicious picnic of fried chicken and beer and enjoyed a great fireworks show! Although there were a few things I didn't like. The symphony wasn't loud enough, they didn't play long enough, and I wasn't a fan of some of the songs they played (songs from Dream Girls and The Wiz don't scream happy birthday America!). Another thing that I was disappointed in was my fault: I didn't take enough pictures!!! Overall, though, it was a delicious, pyrotechnic-filled night, and I can't wait to do it again next year! Happy Birthday 'Merica!!!!

Fireworks over Houston (obviously I did not take this photo).

Updates!!

I haven't posted in months, but updates are coming soon!!!! Sorry for disappointing my many followers (Hi mom!)!
 
*Mini Update*
Summer is here! It's time for pool parties, vacations, and frozen treats! Expect all three to be featured in future posts. Here's a teaser: Joe and I visited the Texas Hill Country in June. Although it's usually too hot and normally in a drought, I grew up there and love it. The landscape's beautiful. Here a picture of my in-laws backyard as proof:

Happy Presidents' Day

Me giving a kiss to Andrew Jackson (the president with the best hair)!

Valentines Day

Hope everyone had a good Valentines Day! Ours was pretty low key: Joe got me some flowers and we ate dinner and drank cheap wine at home. I sent Joe an e-valentine from someecards.com. There were some hilarious (and highly inappropriate) cards there. You can make your own ecards, too!

The roses Joe gave me.

First Post of 2013

Happy New Year! (Well, okay, this post is a little late.) The holidays are over and it's time to get back to work. It's also time for New Years resolutions. Every year I make the same resolutions: exercise more, eat healthier, try to be perfect. Exercising and eating healthier are good goals but they are very cliche New Years resolutions. As for being perfect, it's just unrealistic, I'm sure to fail at it. So with that in mind I decided to make different (slightly less cliche) resolutions. 

Resolution #1: Eat in more. Joe and I have gotten in the bad habit of going out to eat. While we aren't going to expensive places, it still adds up. My wonderful sister-in-law sent me some recipes to help and I can't wait to try them out! 

Resolution #2: Be more productive. I spend too much free time lounging around. There's nothing wrong with having a lazy day  but I have them too often. Hopefully this means I will be doing more crafts and DIY projects and posting them here!

Resolution #3: Don't procrastinate. This could be lumped in with the above, but I feel it's important enough to be its own resolution. I love to procrastinate! Like Scarlett O'Hara I often say "I'll think about that tomorrow, tomorrow is another day." When I do laundry, for instance, I don't fold the clean laundry right away. I leave it the basket and pull things out as I need them. This is not good for wrinkles or keeping the apartment clean. 

Now that I have put my resolutions in writing, I hope I can stick to them!