Happy Monday to everyone!!! And since it's Monday, that means it's time for Thumbs Up Monday.
I will start. This week I'm giving a thumbs up to my daughter's volleyball team - Sting. The girls participated in their first (and only) tournament this past Saturday. Our team has struggled all season having only 1 win in 18 games. Of the 18 game, we would be close, but never could pull off the win. So, going into this tournament, I was nervous for them, especially since they were down to 6 girls (from 10) and our 2 best girls were missing. However, we (the parents) were beyond amazed at their performance. Our team started off with a loss, but then our second match ended in a VICTORY! The next thing I know, we were winning game after game. Some were close (within 2 points) and some we just ran away with. In the end, due to total point scoring, which I still do not fully understand, we played for 3rd/4th place. I am so proud of them for working together and playing their best through 12 games. It was an exciting day! I was proud to be a part of it, even if it was just from the sideline. Way to go Sting!
Next up this week is Chrissy.
I know that she is just as proud of the girls as I am, since she was their Coach this season, but Chrissy is also giving a thumb up to a fun night of prospecting leads for work instead of going to bowling (I think my girl was insane for staying home and working) and for discovering the awesomeness of Eastbound and Down*!
(*Chrissy wanted to clarify in case her boss ever reads this - she was not watching Eastbound and Down while doing work, these were two separate events.)
And finally, GTuck is back with a thumb up too.
GTuck is giving me, GurleeGirrl, a thumb up today for improving my golf skills. We went to the dome again this weekend, and I improved over last week. I was able to hit the ball off the tee with my 5-iron and hit the rear of the dome. He was so proud. You have to understand that last year I was NOT able to hit the ball, pretty much at all. I would swing and miss 90% of the time and hit the ball 5 feet the other 10%. He is amazed at my improvement.
What good thing are you giving a thumb up to this week?
I am participating in the Erin Gallagher Gem Bar Design Giveaway that Lisa from Stiletto's and Diaper Bags is hosting. Could you please go and "Like" my design on her Facebook page. Pretty, Pretty Please! I would love to win this GurleeGirrl a new piece of jewelry!
Now that I got the begging out of the way, on to the real stuff!
I was daring again with my color choice this week. I found a couple of clearance polishes at Target, and I could not resist. So this weeks winner was:
Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle - Fearless Fog
Last week some of you may remember that I complained about my Seche Vite top coat thickening up. During my Target trip I also bought the Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle in Clear. I am so glad I did! I painted my nails Sunday morning, it is now Friday, and they still look great! If you are looking for a new top coat, give it a shot!
Remember to go to Vicki's blog HERE or Tara's HERE to check out some other fabulous nails.
Now, on to some randomness:
I actually made it to the golf dome this past weekend, and as predicted, I did pretty darn good (for me). I was actually making contact with the ball, and a few times hit the target on the back of the dome wall!! Not that I was trying to, but it happend still!
Tomorrow is Ashley's volleyball tournament. This lucky mom gets to be there at 8:00am to watch their team compete for placement, with the last game starting at 10:45am. That is A LOT of volleyball. GO STING!!!
I recently have gotten myself a pen pal. As Mary Kay would say, she is my partner in crime. I am totally enjoying getting to know her. I already wrote her my first letter, on my new awesome Elvis paper. She is super sweet and is an incredibly talented young lady! Like REALLY talented. Go say hello to Mary Kay!
I ordered my team new bowling shirts today! I'm so excited - these are the real deal with our names embroidered on them and everything. BUT - the boys would not let me get PINK. I'm so sad. We settled on Royal Blue. No amount of begging could sway them. They suck.
In other bowling news, I had my best series of the session last night. It was awesome.
Colton had his first ever Paczki on Tuesday (don't worry I didn't eat one). He was NOT a fan. Neither am I.
We were supposed to get a "major" snow storm overnight. However, when I woke up, it was less than an inch. I was happy. Look how pretty it was at my house today.
I wish the radio station would stop playing crap music all day and play something I want to hear. Is that too much to ask?
I know I mentioned this before, but I'm really addicted to Trader Joe's Almond Butter. I need an intervention.
I got to go out to lunch today - Mongolian BBQ - I'm super full and super happy.
It's no secret that I am a movie junkie, but I don't think many of you know that I'm also a TV junkie!
I would have to say that the invention of the DVR has made my life much more enjoyable. Gone are the days when I could only pick one show to watch in each time slot. Now, I can watch one live and record 2, in HD no less! If it wasn't for my DVR, I'd watch zero TV.
Some of my must sees each week are:
The Vampire Diaries
Parenthood
Sons of Anarchy
The Finder
Shameless
Alcatraz
Eastbound and Down
TrueBlood
The Big Bang Theory
Last Man Standing
Modern Family
The Middle
Billy The Exterminator
Real Housewives of Orange County
Blue Bloods
Glee
Tori & Dean Home Sweet Hollywood
Teen Mom
Dr. Who
Although this is not a complete list, it's a good representation of the amount of TV I view each week. Sometimes I end up 3 or 5 episodes behind, but then it's a glorious Saturday or Sunday when I can marathon one of my favorite shows!
Do you have any shows that you MUST see each week? Do you DVR or watch live TV? Or am I the only crazy junkie out there?
I want to start by letting you all know that I did not want to see this movie.I had seen the preview for it numerous times, and although Chris Pine and Tom Hardy obviously are eye candy, the movie looked borderline ridiculous to me.
I like Reese Witherspoon, but let’s face it, most of the comedies she’s in fall flat (i.e., How Do You Know, Four Christmases).Since we had already seen Safe House, which BTW is a good movie if you like shoot em up, ass kicking movies, and oh yeah, Ryan Reynolds is in it, so This Means War was really our only option this week. I was hoping for something much better than The Vow. Remember how much I was disappointed in that?
This Means Wars goes something like this:
FDR (Pine) and Tuck (Hardy) are CIA agents and best friends.They are pretty much each other’s ONLY friend.They discover they are dating the same woman, Lauren (Witherspoon).They agree to let Lauren decide who she wants to be with:
Tuck: "Let's just let her decide."
FDR: "Sure."
Tuck: "And while we're at it, why don't we put some ground rules in as well."
FDR: "I think we should."
Tuck: "Number one: I don't think we should tell her that we know each other."
FDR: "Number two: Let's stay out of each others way."
Tuck: "Number three: No hanky panky."
FDR: "God, you have not dated in a long time, have you?"
Tuck: "And if this ever starts to affect our friendship...
FDR: "Which it won't..."
Tuck: "Then we walk away."
FDR: "Done."
Tuck: "So then we have, we have..."
FDR: "We have a gentleman's agreement. May the best man win." Lauren struggles with her decision to pick between the two guys. She thinks both men have very different personalities and really enjoys dating both of them. She spends a lot of time talking to her bff Trish (Handler) trying to decide which boy she fancies more.
The entire time, FDR and Tuck, with the help of each of their own CIA teams, use all means necessary and at their disposal to sabotage the other's dates, gather intel on Lauren, and plan perfect dates to take her on. This is where the real funny happens.
Obviously a lot of over-the-top spy-type stuff happens, but I’m telling you there are so many laugh out loud moments in this film.Chelsea Handler basically plays herself, and has so many witty one liners, I was always cracking up. Just when you think she has nothing more to give to the movie than some lewd laughs, she throws out the most real line of the movie:
Trish: Don't go with the better guy; go with the guy who makes you better.
FDR and Tuck have awesome chemistry...with each other.You fall in love with them both. I was so torn - you end up rooting for them both to “win” the girl.
This is a funny, action-packed, romantic movie.It has enough chick stuff to keep the ladies happy and just the right amount of CIA agent/boy stuff to keep the boys interested too! And hey, doesn't everyone like funny?
GurleeGirrl's Rating: Loved It
It's really a MUST see!
Let me know what YOU think! If you've seen it - did you Love It?
Well, I can't believe I skipped a Thumbs Up Monday yesterday! I took some time off to enjoy a spa day. I've had some serious aches and pains lately - especially in my right arm which, since the cancer, has lymphedema. PAIN in the ass. I really should be wearing my compression sleeve, but oh how it aggravates me. Too darn tight. Hate it. Anyhoo, on to the good stuff. This weeks Sometimes and Always is all about the kids:
Sometimes I get so annoyed watching my kids' TV shows. Always love listening to them laugh and talk to each other while watching with them.
Sometimes while listening to my iPod I realize I'm singing along to a High School Musical song (because a good mom has her kids' music on-hand always). Always keep singing, because really, those darn songs are just so catchy.
Sometimes I can't believe my daughter is getting big enough to "borrow" my things. Always secretly get excited. I love having a daughter and being able to share GurleeGirrl things with her.
Sometimes it frustrates me that Ashely likes to order off the adult menu when we go out to dinner ($10 vs. $4)! Always let her order whatever she wants. The bacon cheeseburger from the regular menu is a 100x better than the pathetic kids burger! And those that know me, you know it's always about the food with this girl! She's just like her mamma!
Sometimes I just stand back and say "wow" when I'm looking at those kids. Always so proud of the polite, well mannered little adults they are!
I'm linking up today with the lovely Megan. If you haven't seen her blog, you really should. Recently she and her husband suffered a terrible loss, and I'm sure some of you could send some blog-world love their way.
OPIThe One That Got Away from Katy Perry Collection
I love the color. My polish skills need work. Also - my Seche Vite top coat recently thickened up and is impossible to apply. I added some acetone to it to thin it out - this helped a little, but not enough. Totally peeves me off because there is still like half a bottle left. If you use this top coat, have you encountered the same problem? Is there anything I can do to fix it? It's a great top coat and I really want to continue using it, but I might have to find a replacement.
Check out Vicki's blog HERE or Tara's HERE to see some other fancy nails. I will be stepping up my nail game, because I've realized I'm just too darn boring! Some of these ladies really get creative. Love it.
Now on to some Friday randomness:
Looking forward to spending some quality girl time with my mom and daughter tonight. Dinner for sure and maybe some shopping too!
Had so much fun at bowling last night. We laughed a lot, especially about this:
Key Chain
JennyJenny: You know what would be cool? If it was a bottle opener.
Me: It is.
Me: (pointing to opener part) This is the opener.
JennyJenny: (looking at key chain) Oh, I see it now.
I thought there'd be a hole in it.
We all erupted in laughter. I love that girl.
Happy to report I won my weigh in against my male co-worker today. GurleeGirrl wins another $5.
Looking forward to going to the golf dome tomorrow to hit some balls. I am a sucky golfer, but I'm turning that around this year. I'm sure I'll rock it.
This is so true:
Even though I initially agreed to only try the Paleo Diet for 30 days, I plan on sticking to it for awhile. I'm officially down 12 pounds since starting!
Is it silly that this $0.50 owl mouse pad I brought to work makes me happy all day?
I wish the forecast was warmer for this weekend. I really want to go for a hike again. Maybe we can still go, I'll just have to bundle up.
One of my favorite bands, Maniac, released this video some time back. I still watch it in amazement. Check it out.
Maniac - Thank Each Mistake iPad Music Video NOTE FROM CREATOR: Shawn Harris I illustrated this video for "Thank Each Mistake" using the Brushes app for iPad. I heard about it through Jorge Colombo's New Yorker covers, but for me, the best media for this technique wasn't print, but video! By taking advantage of the actions playback feature, and by using a brushes viewer application for my Mac, I found I could export my painting as a quicktime movie. The app isn't designed for animation, but the playback feature, which records each brush-stroke as a separate frame, lends itself to a coarse morphy style of stop-motion fingerpainting, if you can manage to be deliberate enough about not lifting your finger from the painting... Thanks also to BLU, whose wall animations helped inspire the technique.
I haven’t written a movie review in quite some time, and as much as it pains me to do so, I’m letting you all know what I thought of The Vow.
Now I must let you know that I had very high expectations for this movie.I anxiously awaited it’s release, positive that it was going to rock my socks off, or at least make me shed some tears.I am sad to say – it didn’t do either.
The premise of the movie was good, a couple (Paige & Leo) get in an accident, she is in a medical induced coma, wakes up and doesn’t know her husband, as her memory returns to pre-Leo (like 5 years).We see some flashbacks and Leo talks about their first meeting, them dating and their wedding to get us up-to-date.They are hipsters living in Chicago, he working as the owner of recording studio and she as an in-demand artist.
When she awakes, she remembers nothing from her life with Leo, and only remembers the life she was living, with her parents, her fiance and being in law school.Leo tries to explain to her that her life then is much different than the life they were living, she being an artist (sculptor), having no relationship with her family and that she had long broke it off with her then fiance.The distance from her family is revealed, and that is really when you see a change in Paige.
Up until this point most of the movie is Leo trying to “woo” his non-interested wife into loving him again.The entire time Paige is a bitch.Although she “suffers” through a few dates with him, most of the time she is obviously not trying when it comes to re-connecting with her husband.She moves in with her parents, she even tries to connect with her previous fiance.You spend so much time rooting for Leo, and hating Paige, but as the story unfolds, you start to feel sorry for her too.
I never really connected with them as a couple, which is probably why I didn’t get emotionally involved.It’s very rare that I do not shed a tear – hey I even cried during the preview for Titanic 3D before the movie – and I know how that story ends.I guess I was just hoping for more.
I can only give the movie an OK rating.It was good, but not even near Loved It status. I should have listened to GTuck and let this one be a rental.
Although yesterday was Colton's birthday, we still had time to celebrate Valentine's Day.
I had the great pleasure of planning and attending the Valentine Ice Cream Social for Colton's 1st grade class. The kids made sundaes and enjoyed them after they passed out their Valentine's. I'm happy to report that ours were a huge hit - with the kids - I think his teacher wanted to strangle me.
We had a great time. Here is Colton with his Valentines.
I picked up a few things for the kids for an after school surprise:
Ash - Zookeeper DVD, King Size Hershey Bar, 2-Pack Baby Lips Gloss, shower puff and Krave cereal.
Colton - Cars 2 DVD, King Size Hershey Bar, Mario Kart Notepad and iTunes gift card.
They both were super excited. I got so many "Thank you mom" from both of them and of course a few hugs & kisses. It made my day.
This GurleeGirrl got a few things too:
I ended the night watching the first Harry Potter movie with my birthday boy. Had some awesome cuddling time.
Before I fell asleep I came across a Tweet from one of my favorite bands - AM Taxi. They released a video for their song Charissa as a Valentine's gift to me their fans. This GurleeGirrl couldn't have asked for a better ending to a great day! ENJOY!
