2014 Oscar Recap

I'm back! After a very busy couple of weeks I had to post about last nights Oscars. I hope to get back to more regular posting but this week is my last work week before I go on vacation so we'll see how it goes! 

Firstly, let's get right into the Oscar fashion. I was impressed with just about everyone to be honest. Not a lot of weird or ugly which made choosing favourite gowns a bit tricky. An easy one for me was Kate Hudson. She looks fantastic last night. I love white dresses (that is no secret) and this one seemed to be made for her! Jennifer Lawrence was maybe predictable in this Dior dress, but she knows what works for her and this did! I'm not crazy about her hair cut but it looked nice last night too.

 Lupita Nyong'o looked very beautiful and youthful in her dress. Naomi Watts (in another white dress) looked great too - I liked her outfit on the red carpet but when I saw her on stage presenting, I was blown away.

Can't forget these pregnant beauties who seem to have a handle on how to rock stunning Oscar looks even as they are just about ready to pop! Kerry Washington and Olivia Wilde looked incredible. 

Who was your best dressed?

Tomorrow I'm going to share my Oscar Challenge recap - I managed to fit in 7 of the 9 nominated films!

What's Meant To Be, Will Be...

Back to reality after a very relaxing long weekend! When I say back to reality, I mean thrown right back in - this week is going to be a very busy week. My company is launching a new product so it's a crazy (but oh so good) time to be a marketer! :)

The quote is obviously unrelated but still worth sharing.

Be Bold, Brave and Strong

Baby P'Trique!

This JUST in: there's a baby P'Trique video out! Well, not baby but definitely pre-teen. And apparently P'Trique is close enough to my age to make me relate (and remember!) a lot what is reference. This is gold.


 
Happy Friday!

The Fault in Our Stars

STOP EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW AND GET THE BOOK The Fault in Our Stars by John Green AND READ IT IMMEDIATELY. If you haven't already of course.

I believe it was last summer I started hearing just about everyone on the internet talking about

this book. Saying it was beautiful and brought them to tears. Saying it was a must read. I was totally on board with that but didn't rush to the book store to pick it up... yet. The second I found out they were making a movie of it I snatched it up and boy, oh boy, you want to do the same. I am sure they will do a great job with the movie, but this book WAS so beautiful I think you want to experience it personally through reading first (plus, we all know traditionally movies sometimes don't quite live up to the book). Just as others said, I did cry. A fair amount. Second book I've ever cried in (the other being Still Alice). It's amazing to have such a connection to a book. 

The basic idea is that the book follows a young girl named Hazel, who has been battling cancer for years. In an attempt to get her to liven up and get out of the house, her parents make her go to a support group. It's in this group she has a friend named Issac, and through him, meets Augustus. From there the book follows Hazel and Augustus and they bond, and connect in a deep and loving way. They help each other and they bring joy to each others lives. There's not much more I can say that wouldn't be giving things away. Even thinking about it I can't help but smile! 

It is a book that I believe sits in the Young Adult section of the book store (like Hunger Games) but even though the main characters are teens, you would never know it belonged there. It's so real and the emotion of it feels very mature. I should also mention that I think it's pretty darn funny! Hazel and Augustus have a dry and at times sarcastic sense of humour that I related to immediately. I think actually the review from Jodi Picoult on the cover is pretty darn accurate: "Electric... filled with staccato bursts of humor and tragedy".

Anyway, please do see for yourself, and enjoy! 

My Breakfast Burrito

It may not be a crazy culinary feat or a completely unique recipe, but it's mine and I love it!

I was in my fridge looking for a non-cereal-something to have for breakfast when I thought of doing my own take on a breakfast burrito. I wanted something hot and healthy so this seemed to fit the bill! In the past I've tried to make a scrambled egg concoction and throw it in a wrap, but it never really worked. This one, for whatever reason, did.

Ingredients are: 
2 eggs | red onion | mushrooms | spinach | part-skim mozarella cheese | wheat tortilla

Here's what I did:

1. I sprayed a little Pam in a frying pan and put in my mushrooms and onions; the amount of each you use is up to you but I used about 2 tablespoons of each finely chopped
2. Crack both eggs into the pan once the onions and mushrooms are cooked; the eggs start frying right away so stir aggressively to get them scrambled
3. Once the eggs are well mixed and cooking, add your spinach; I used quite about (about a handful) as it shrinks right down when cooked
4. Once the spinach is cooked down add the cheese on top of it all; let sit and start to melt before mixing it up
5. Place on a tortilla, wrap up and enjoy!

I should note that this all made more than a tortilla could hold so I ate some of it with a fork until I could wrap it. I've made it 3 times now in the last week and love it!

If you make it, enjoy! Or if you have your own invention, please share!

Happy People are Beautiful

I saw this and loved it and completely agree.

I'm back at work after a fantastic weekend away with my ladies for my birthday - SO much fun I can't even stand it. I was off yesterday for a much needed bonus weekend day of basically doing nothing, so just catching up today. More on my weekend later though! :)

A Little Party...

I'm off on a mini-trip with a few of my best ladies to celebrate my birthday! Good 'ol weekend away... CANNOT WAIT!

Wishing you a great weekend!

Wednesday Wisdom

I suppose this isn't REALLY wisdom, but some words from William Shakespeare that I wanted to share. This quote was on one of my birthday cards. So simple, and so beautiful.

It's that time of year again... BIRTHDAY TIME!

Well, it's official - I am one year older!

This evening I am going out for a delicious meal at my favourite Italian restaurant with my parents. This past weekend we did a party with my whole family (my Gramma and I both have January birthdays so we do a combo party) - and this weekend my girlfriends are whisking me away for a weekend celebration! It's all pretty good if I do say so myself... :)

2014 Grammy Fashion

Last night was the Grammy Awards! Last night was also The Bachelor Wedding of Sean and Catherine... and I must admit I am a Bachelor fan so that's what I was watching last night! When the wedding was over I did tune into the Grammy's for a short while and actually only saw some of the oldest musicians around performing. Seemed, strange. I'm glad to hear that Beyonce and Jay-Z opened the show though - there was some modern musicians on stage!

I also of course checked out the red carpet. There were not as many "wild" outfits as one might expect - it was almost boring on the red carpet. But 3 stunners really stood out! 2 gorgeous gold gowns and a stunning red:

I am normally not a fan of that type of neckline/cut of the dress Chrissy Teigen is wearing, but she is pulling it off! Maybe a dress only she can pull off, I am in love with it. Miranda Lambert - first of all looks the best I've ever seen her - is wearing the most gorgeous gown that just accentuates everything she's got! Finally, Taylor Swift is wearing a dress that to me is super eye-catching, and a beautiful silhouette. 

Who was your fave last night?

Questions Every Twentysomething Asks Themselves

I came across an article yesterday on Marie Claire's website titled 23 Questions Every Twentysomething Asks Herself Once. As a twentysomething girl (sadly for not much longer!) I was laughing and relating to a few of the things on this list. Here are my faves (the questions and Marie Claire's answers):

Should I get rid of my cable to be more productive? You could, but you will just end up binge watching Scandal on Netflix or at a friend's house. Don't fight it.

Can I cut out carbs for good, forever? Go ahead. Try it. “Would you like some bread for the table, ma'am?” Yeah, I thought so.
 
Am I lactose intolerant? Nope, you probably just ate a full-sized log of goat cheese and expected to feel awesome afterwards.
 
Is my best female friend going to be more successful/happier/better off than me? Mine once told me: "Someday soon I’m going to be pushing a stroller around Brooklyn, and I really want you to be doing that at the same time, but it won't happen if you keep being so picky!" I did not take it well.

Is Cup o’ Soup a food group? No. Okay, and am I going to get scurvy if I subsist entirely on Cup o’ Soup? Probably.

Am I too old for this party? Is the floor sticky? You just answered your own question.

Should I get bangs? Just kidding, we never stop asking ourselves this question. Ancient womankind asked it on cave walls with crude finger-paintings of bang styles.

Should I date a guy who is still in college? I think there's a way to apply my sticky-floor theory from 2 questions ago to boys.

Am I ready for a dog? If you are, for the love of God, get a rescue. 

 

Does this crop-top make me look like I'm trying to be Rihanna? Haha, kind of. Should I return it? No, keep it!

 

Am I going to change my mind about Team Angel or Team Spike now that I am watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer as a grown-ass woman? Do not even; I have feelings on top of feelings on top of more feelings about this, like a dangerously-sloping layer cake of feelings. 

 

Should I be online dating? If you can own it without shame, absolutely. Those people who do it and then say they met their boyfriend through "mutual friends" need to get off my lawn.

Happy Thursday!

Note: that picture has nothing to do with anything - it just made me smile.

2014 SAG Awards Fashion

This weekend was the SAG Awards! I like this show because it's all actors and all about the acting. No fillers with best sound or best make up. There was some AWESOME fashion but with all the choices I was able to quickly narrow it down to a few of favourites. 

Amy Adams and Anna Gunn looked beautiful in blue! 

 Also some glamour via Isla Fisher and Katrina Bowden. LOVE these dresses, not to mention the styling and hair!

 Who do you think was best dressed from the awards?

2014 Oscar Challenge

Bright and early this morning the Oscar nominations were announced, and at that I am pleased to announce I will be embarking on my 2nd annual Oscar challenge! Same as last year, what I will be trying to do is to watch all the movies nominated for Best Picture before the awards show and throw in my two cents on who I think should win. I had a lot of fun doing it although I didn't QUITE see them all.

This year I am already in good shape having seen 3 of the 9 - and the show isn't until March 2nd so I've got plenty of time! The nominees for Best Picture are:

So far with the ones I've seen I would be more than happy with Captain Phillips or Her winning. Both EXCELLENT movies. I feel like I'm going to stand alone when I say I don't think American Hustle should win. It won the Golden Globe and I just don't think it was deserving, especially in the company the other films. Anyway, more on specific reviews later...

Have you seen any or most? Any strong opinions or hunches so far?

Last Night's Golden Globe (Fashion) Winners

Last night was the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards. This time I actually watched ALL of the red carpet coverage and ALL of the awards show! I've got to say, I will give credit to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler but this show felt modern and really really funny. They've given it some much needed spunk for sure!

With the actual awards I was quite happy with the winners. Jennifer Lawrence was INCREDIBLE in American Hustle. Amy Adams was great as well. As far as the gentleman winners, I realize I NEED to see Dallas Buyers Club. I think the only thing I was a little sad about was that American Hustle won the best Motion Picture award. Although the ladies were fabulous in it, I didn't think that movie was all it had been cracked up to be. It felt long, dry, and drawn out at times - not something you would necessarily expect from a critically acclaimed flick with that cast. In my limited exposure to the nominees I would have given it to Her. THAT was a beautiful perfect movie in my opinion... but more on that in a later post. 

As for the fashion - I was so pleasantly surprised! SO MANY dresses to choose from. I was definitely impressed and found the task of picking a fave difficult. 

My top picks are newbie Margot Robbie in this absolutely stunning Gucci dress with beautiful emerald shoes to coordinate, and host Amy Poehler (doing a quick red carpet circuit before hitting up the stage) in a simple but interesting black gown. I would gladly wear either!

 Runners up with stunning looks that are worth mentioning and showing off: the colourful gowns of Lupita Nyong'o and Louise Roe, and metallic beauties Kate Beckinsale and Kate Mara.

 And can we please take a moment to admire the beautifully dressed pregnant celebs Kerry Washington and Olivia Wilde? STUNNING! 

Who's on your best dressed list from last night?

Is there such a thing...?

A little something I saw this morning that made me laugh...

It's the very look I used to get when I told people I had a shoe room, haha!

Happy Tuesday to all! If you happen to be in a place with a lot of winter weather I hope you are safe, happy and warm. It's a little crazy out there!

A Look Back at 2013... it was awesome!

Happy New Year again! I hope your celebrations were a blast whatever you did. I had definitely had fun. It was a good party but I don't think it has quite hit me yet though that it is now 2014...

On NYE I noticed a lot of people making collage videos of their year using Flipagram. I thought that it was a super cool idea so I went ahead and made one for my year! I absolutely love it - I used a lot of photos so the transition is pretty quick but man, it is jammed packed with a lot of awesome memories. It's been a good good year.