My Favorite Things Right Now: beauty, TV, clothing accessories and electronics

Here's some of my favorite things at the moment:

J.R. Watkins Hand Soap
My WHOLE family adores this hand soap!  At first I didn't want to spend the extra $ but you can totally tell the difference from the cheap-ies...soap is not just soap!  Now we're totally addicted!  The 5 yr old asked if we can put another bottle in the upstairs bathroom, too.

Cover Girl Olay Simply Ageless Serum Primer
I've been eye-balling primers but they can be pretty pricey so when I came across this one day for around $15, I had to pick it up! Promoted as a "3 minute face lift", it helps with elasticity and fills in the lines/wrinkles to help your foundation go on smoother -making you look younger.  The best part is, you can use without foundation so it is an instant pick me up!

Downton Abbey

LOVE this show!!!!  From PBS it's now only available for purchase and to rent.  It's SO, SO good! Reminds me of Upstairs, Downstairs

Eternity Scarves

Having a little love affair with these right now.  With all my running around, I hate when I lean over and my scarf goes into my food, etc the perfect solution is a scarf that is a complete circle.  Pics shown here are with jewelry pins which I wouldn't wear but ...

Below-The-Knee-Flat-Boots

Normally I am a "pointy-toe-shoe-gal" wanna-be (that's a story for another day) but I bought a pair of grey flat boots similiar to these at Target and they have been MY.FAVORITE. I don't even take them off when I get home.  And the best part is...when I'm out, my heels don't get stuck in the sidewalk!

Hubby's Camera

Since my camera "broke" (Canon S3IS) this technically is Hubby's camera but I've loved using it!  It's a Nikon D40X. Ours has this HUGE lens (18/135 millimeter).  Right now I'm a little frustrated though because my flash keeps getting stuck in the down position but I -seriously- think it's worn out from overuse!....I'm not taking the blame for breaking another camera though...

T Mobile My Touch 4G

MY NEW PHONE!  I am TOTALLY loyal to T-Mobile so will be with them forever. I got my first smart phone two years ago but cancelled the internet to save money. But when my daughter needed a new phone and the special was buy one, get one FREE...I had to go for it! I'm absolutely in love with my apps! I have no need for an actual Kindle (the app is free and the touch screen is nice), I don't have to worry about forgetting my big navigator, and if the kids forget their DS, I can click on the Angry Birds game! I also like "My Days" App to keep track of your womanly cycle, when you take your pill (I use it for remembering my allergy shot) and you can keep track of when you're fertile which we are SO not interested in!  My 5yr old son's favorite app is my flashlight which actually has three brightness levels, and Hubby's is Disneyland Wait Times app which shows you -in real time- the line wait for the rides at Disneyland (so cool).

Friday Flick- My top picks for Meg Ryan

November 19th is Meg Ryan's birthday.  Back in the day, she used to be one of my top-pick actresses.  I may snuggle up this weekend with my all time favs:

Sleepless In Seattle (obvious choice!)

American Comedy Award Funniest Actress In A Motion Picture (Leading Role)

Nominated- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress- Motion Picture Musical or Comedy 

Nominated- MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo (w/Tom Hanks)

Nominated- MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance

I've always had a fascination with Seattle growing up and now live near here so it's one of my favs.  Co-Starring Tom Hanks (if Meg Ryan is the girl next door, he is the BOY next door!), this is a different love story as the main characters (SPOILER) don't meet until the end.  He's a widow and she's recently engaged but for some reason, she cannot stop thinking of him after she hears him talking to a local radio show about how much he loved his late wife.  There are a lot of references/coincidences that run parallel to the movie An Affair To Remember. 

Favorite scenes: conversation with the radio program (of course) "...what was so special about your wife?" "...how long is your program?" and the part about the woman who's remodeling and keeps wanting to move the cabinets, and the shot (you can see Pike Place!) where they discuss how women are into butts now and his best friend checks out his butt for him- too cute.

Prelude To A Kiss

With Alec Baldwin (back when we all liked him), this story is one of my TOP favs of all time!  It's about a woman who on her wedding day, is asked by an elderly gentleman if he can kiss the bride.  When they do, their spirits switch places (he's in her body, she's in his) causing her husband to have to see beyond the physical to the person within. 

Favorite Lines:  "...you're doing it again.  You take a perfect situation and you pee all over it"  (actually, I use that line A LOT...never realized this is where I got it!) and "Can I give you two a piece of advice?  ...FLOSS."

French Kiss

Nominated American Comedy Award Funniest Actress In A Motion Picture (Leading Role)

Love, love, love this movie!!!  Meg's character (Kate) is deathly afraid to fly so when her husband (Timothy Hutton) goes to Paris on a trip, she bails out.  While there, his phone calls become less frequent until one night, he confesses he's fallen in love with a French woman!  Kate jumps on an airplane and ends up seated next to Luc (Kevin Kline).  They have all these adventures together as he "helps" her try to get her fiancée back.  

Favorite scenes with these lines "Lactose intolerance!!!!!!!!!!!", and "Fester, fester, fester.  Rot, rot, rot.", and "Ooooooh!  Beautiful!  Wish you were here!"  All said with Meg Ryan flair- can hear her voice in my head right now!

When Harry Met Sally (another obvious choice!)

American Comedy Award Funniest Actress In A Motion Picture (Leading Role)

Nominated- Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress

Nominated- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress- Motion Picture Musical or Comedy

I love how this movie uses interview format for part of it as if they were speaking to real in-love couples.  This is about two people that meet a few different times in their lives and go from deciding to not be friends, to being best friends, to being lovers, and then to hating each other.  Of course with the fine line between love and hate they (SPOILER) end up together in the end.  This story touches on the complexity of relationships between men and women and centers around the question if men and women can JUST be friends. 

Favorite scenes- the conversation about the Days Of The Week Underpants:  "Where is Sunday??...They don't make Sunday...because of God", the part where he's signing Surrey With A Fringe On Top karaoke and his ex walks up, and the scene about putting your name in all of your books NOW because you'll be arguing over them someday.

Friday Flick- Letters To Juliet (released 2010)

For what it is (a sweet romance), I liked this movie!  My girlfriends and I decided to watch this together by hosting a dinner and a movie which was a lot of fun.  See our blog about it and recipes at: Italian Dinner/Movie Night

This is about a young woman (I felt she was a little too young- a more mature actress would have been better) named Sophie played by Amanda Seyfried (Momma Mia and Dear John) that goes to Italy for a pre-Honeymoon trip with her restaurant owner fiancée (Gael Garcia Bernal from The Motorcycle Diaries).  

When she is left to her own devices as he does food/wine tours, she ends up helping a group of women who give advice to other women that stick letters in a stone wall...kind of like an Ann Landers Romance Wailing Wall. One letter about a lost-love, that is stuck behind a stone, dates back 50 years and it touches Sophie so much, she sends a reply.  Moved by what Sophie has written, the woman (long time actress Venessa Redgrave) comes to meet Sophie escorted by her grandson (Australian actor Christopher Egan from Eragon- who reminds me a LOT of deceased actor Heath Ledger).  

OK, all that I just wrote is in the previews!!!!  By the description so far though, you can guess Sophie ends up spending quite a bit of time with the woman and her grandson as they search for the man mentioned in the 50 year old letter.  Through their search, it causes Sophie to question her plans for her own life.

Favorite part of the movie:  Basically the IDEA of being in Italy...{sigh}.  The scenery was beautiful of course and who doesn't love the idea that love has no expiration date?

**********************SPOILER ALERT************************

OK, I really cannot see how the main character and her fiancée even got engaged.  There is no chemistry between them and they don't seem to have anything in common.  When they are going to the wineries, she seems kind of whiny (LOL) which almost made you not like her.  Yes, he's being insensitive by doing stuff he wants to do but she's almost downright rude and not enjoying herself at all!  That being said, though there is a little bit of the "in the beginning we hate each other because we really like each other" stuff with Sophie and the grandson, I don't see a great love here either.  I think it boils down to they should have cast a different actress for the main character.

Also, the way the older woman reunites with her old love from her original letter is almost kind of speedy-creepy like- let's wrap up the story!!!  Made it a little less believable.  And the Romeo-Juliet-Balcony scene at the end?  How the heck did she end up in that building? haha

Friday Flick- My top picks for Julie Andrews

October 1st is Julie Andrews birthday who is one of my FAVorite entertainers. To honor her, I couldn't just pick one movie for today so I thought I'd highlight my top choices:

OF COURSE everybody loves Sound Of Music and Mary Poppins- that goes without saying!


Victor Victoria

Golden Globe Award for Best Actress- Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and Nominated for Academy Award for Best Actress

Any musical is a good but there's lots of controversy here!  Sexual identity is at the core of this movie, and it involves lots of mix ups and misunderstandings.  James Garner is one of my fav classic male characters (he's also in my hubby's #1 movie Maverick).  

Throughly Modern Millie

Nominated for  seven Academy Awards and five Golden Globes.  

Is about a girl that decides she wants to marry her boss and all the craziness around that (co-starring Mary Tyler Moore so that's expected).  Set during the Flapper Era, there are lots of fun songs and a streak of criminal activity!

So now I think I'm going to look into a few I seemed to miss:

1. Hitchcock thriller Tom Curtain  (A Hitchcock I haven't seen??? Not sure if that's right)
2. Hawaii which was the highest grossing movie of 1966
3. Darling Lili was nominated for Golden Globe Best Actress and Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
4. The Americanization Of Emily- both James Garner and Andrew considered it their favorite film they appeared in

Friday Flick- Four Christmases (released 2008)

Did you know Christmas is in about 90 days?  Made me feel like watching a holiday movie!  Was disappointed though....

This is a story about a self-absorbed couple named Kate (Reese Witherspoon from Legally Blonde) and Brad (Vince Vaughn from The Break Up) that lies to their parents every holiday so that way they can go on vacations instead of being home with their families.  Because like Brad says, "You really can't spell FAMILIES without LIES".

NOT my favorite Christmas Movie.  My husband and myself actually have four extra family households, too, so I can understand their whole concept on stretching yourself thin on the holidays but this was a day that lasted waaaaaay to long.  How could they have seen all four groups in one day without having set leaving times?  And yes, I know families can be mean but each of theirs goes to the extreme so it actually is more silly than funny.

During the course of this "day", they find out that they really don't know each other very much which is not surprising since they spend all their time as a couple being overly-barfingly-romantic.  In the first few scenes, you expect one of them to start sputtering cutsey names to go along with their thoughtful surprise gifts....and in the conversation about going on their trip to Fiji, you wonder if she's pretending to be somebody she's not by just saying what she thinks he wants to hear (course that could be a small clue to issues later on).

I did enjoy the family members (can't believe Grandma said what she would like to give as a present!) with Brad's dad (Robert Duvall) reminding me of somebody in my extended family.  I did NOT like the church scenes.  Tacky.

Favorite part of the movie:  Was their quotes!  Too many to list them all but I like this one because I LOVE me some McD and have done a ghetto review on Sizzler: 


(when getting cruddy comp for cancelled flight) "Would it be possible to take us out to Sizzler and then to McDonald's as dessert?"  


and then the other: (talking about having kids) "We have no plans for the future....we would've ended up living in some home playing bingo- in Florida.  But now we can live with them!"

**********************SPOILER ALERT************************










Wasn't it weird that when they were at Brad's mom's house for dinner, only ONE of the brothers came over?  And why did they have to go to Kate's mom's AND dad's when they mom came back over later to be at the Dad's?? Also, who doesn't tell their parents that they are having a baby...let alone that they're pregnant?  I get the tie-in closing with the comedy angle but made me like them less!  ....AND- I know it's "just a movie" but new-born babies can't projectile vomit!  JUST SAYING!

Friday Flick- the ugly truth (released 2009)

This rated R romantic comedy is about a morning show producer named Abby (Katherine Heigl from Grey's Anatomy and Knocked Up) who is forced to work with a new obnoxious segment host to help with ratings.  Mike (Gerald Butler from {YUM} P.S. I Love You) stirs things up and makes Abby confront her view on relationships.  To show that she's not romantically challenged, she takes Mike's advice on a budding romance with her new neighbor.


Though a little on the raunchy side (vibrating panties?) it is sweet watching Mike fall in love with Abby while helping her to make the neighbor fall for her.  Personally, I didn't really like this movie.  Though Mike is adorably delicious, you can can tell he's an Ass because he's -obviously- been hurt by some woman.  The whole movie is based on the fact that men just want to have sex and woman are all delusional about men.  And you can't really argue against any of it because then they'll just say they've been proven right!  


Best part of the movie:  the elevator scene- very passionate and the look on her face when the door closes is priceless...

*****************************SPOILER ALERT*****************************


Ummmmmmmmmmmm...............not much to spoiler...this movie is pretty easy to read.

Friday Flick- The Mirror Has Two Faces (released 1996)

I adore this movie- I know it's an oldie but it's a definite MUST SEE.

In an ugly duckling tale, this is a romantic comedy about college professor Rose (Barbra Steisand) who is single and lives with her mother (Lauren Bacall).  Constantly struggling with being the unattractive one in the family and still hurt over her sister (Mimi Rogers) marrying her boyfriend, Rose is ready to give up on men.

Meanwhile, Gregory (Jeff Bridges) who is also a college professor, finds that when he is around beautiful women, they can take advantage of him and he can't seem to think straight which is why it took him years to finish a book he was writing.  He decides to post an ad for an intelligent woman, over 35 yrs old, and looks are NOT important to which Rose's sister decides to play match maker and replies to the ad without Rose knowing.    After a few months, Gregory proposes a marriage of intellectual "friendship" which complicates when Rose finally decides she wants more.

This movie goes over so much - jealousy with family members, relationships, sex vs. love, and friendship.  As one of the characters says after the wedding, "I'm sure you'll both be very fascinating to watch".

My favorite part in this movie:  ahhh- there are too many!  I love her "perfect bite" and how she loves to eat!  Jeff Bridges is just adorable.  Also, the awkwardness of their marriage is just too painful....love it.

Favorite quote: "No matter where I go, what I do, there he is!  In the kitchen, on the phone.....on my finger!" from Rose's sister on her dissatisfaction on being married.


*************************SPOILER ALERT***********************************




So funny when on their non-sexual wedding night, they decide to watch a movie but you can tell Rose wants to consummate the relationship.  Then my favorite part is when she goes through a make-over and Gregory loses his head LOL.

Friday Flick- Eat, Pray, Love (released 2010)

The Hungry Housewives and friends went to see this movie as a group to celebrate a Birthday.  We all went -hoping- that it was good though the reviews had not been favorable.

As we walk into the movie theater entrance and hand the guy our ticket, he says, "Let me guess- you're going to see Eat, Pray, Crap."  Oh lovely.  Not sure if that's his opinion on all chick-flicks or just this one but we're STILL hoping for a good movie!

Based upon the best selling book (only one of us have read it), Eat Pray Love is a drama/romance starring Julia Roberts as Liz- a woman who, after seeing a Medicine Man about her love life, divorces her husband and tries to figure out .....everything.  The title itself depicts the chapters of her self-discovery:  she travels to Italy where she eats until she has a muffin top, she then holes herself up in a meditation compound in India (to pray) and then finally she ends up in Brazil where you hope she can learn to love.

I liked the first part of the movie (who doesn't like movies about food?) and adored the part in Brazil (the MEN?  yum.) but I found myself rolling my eyes a few times in the middle.  NOT that it wasn't an important part of her journey, and NOT that I'm scoffing at the lessons she learned....it's just that it seemed to drag on forever (my friend that read it, said it was the worst part of the book, too).  You just wanted to tell them to go home and figure out their problems instead of hiding!  (oops- sorry.  My bad.  Must be my father's "get over it" influence).  

I liked the characters in the movie with the exception of her husband (creepy and kinda...greasy) and the rebound buy (besides being young, what is the attraction???).  But all the others were great- the people she meets in Italy makes me want to visit SO bad!  And though he's rough around the edges, you end up liking Richard-From-Texas that she meets in India and, as I mentioned before, the Brazil men are H.O.T. and you just want to hug the little Medicine Man.  Note: Favorite Brazilian was Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men and Love In The Time Of Cholera).

I don't recommend watching this on the big screen (though it was perfect for a night out for us) but I know I'll be watching it again.  And maaayyyybbbee reading the book (I'll try not to skip the middle!).

Favorite parts of the movie:  everything about Italy makes me sigh.  Also, when you hear one of the Brazilians talking about his kids, it amazes you that his wife left him.  Idiot.

Favorite quotes: "Having a baby is like having a tattoo on your face.  You kind of want to be committed."  "You don't need a man, you need a champion" (sounds even better when said by a hot Brazilian). "You're going to have to learn to select your thoughts the same way you select your clothes every day."  haha- the same could be said about the words that come out of our mouths!

LEAST favorite part of the movie:  her clothes.  Gag.  (which kind of makes the quote above funny).  With the exception of while she was in India, it makes you wonder if the gal had bad taste or that they were trying to "ugly up" Julia Roberts (though the actual character is pretty). 

****************************SPOILER ALERT*****************************

During certain times in this movie, I wasn't sure I liked the main character.  I mean really.  She seemed kinda weepy (the flash backs were weird) and not a very committed type of person.  I'm sure the book goes into more details but I'm assuming her issues stemmed from always having a steady stream of relationships but still....made her a tiny unlikeable.  I think the guy in the end is -just a tad- too good for her!  Though by reading her bio, they are (gasp) happily living in New Jersey.  Also, sadly, her friend Richard-The-Texan that she meets in India recently passed away.  Read more on the author, her book, and character updates at:   http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/eatpraylove.htm

Friday Flick- The Nanny Diaries (released 2007)

This made from a book movie is about a college grad from Jersey who accidentally gets a job as a live-in nanny when she realizes she doesn't know who she is or what she wants to be now that she's on her own.  Annie (Scarlett Johansson from He's Just Not That Into You and The Other Boleyn Girl) is naive and the relationship between her best friend is unbelievable (Alicia Keys) but she is like-able character.

Her new employer, "Mrs. X", (Laura Linney from Love Actually and The Mothman Prophecies) is an unhappy and bitchy woman who makes Annie's life hell, and her over-weight husband (Paul Gimatti from Sideways and John Adams) is a cheating non-existent husband/father.

Embarrassed by her escape-job, Annie lies to her mom about her new job and living conditions. Unable to even show interest in anybody else besides her new charge, Annie's life gets even more difficult when she meets "Harvard Hottie" that lives upstairs, and her heart breaks watching how the people she now lives with treat each other.

The beginning of this movie is done in an awkward report-style that disappears through out the middle but does close at the end tying it all together.  Maybe could have been done a little smoother...

My favorite part of the movie: the ending with the mom

*************************SPOILER ALERT*********************************

No surprises to speak of so nothing to write... ;)

Friday Flick- definitely, maybe (released 2008)

It's Friday and here's my input on a movie I watched this week:

From the makers of Notting Hill and Love Actually, this romantic drama/comedy is about a young girl (Abigail Breslin from Little Miss Sunshine) who- just hearing the sex talk at school- wants to know all of the details on how her dad Will met her mom (they are currently divorcing) and his relationships leading up to getting married.  The dad (Ryan Reynolds from The Proposal) reluctantly tells her but changes the names of the three women and says that his daughter has to guess which one is her mom in the story.

The woman -of course- are a blond (Elizabeth Banks from the TV show Scrubs and the Spiderman movies), a redhead (Isla Fisher from Confessions Of A Shopaholic) and a brunette (Rachel Weisz from The Lovely Bones and The Mummy movies).  Beginning in the early nineties when Will has just graduated college and is off to help Clinton get elected, the movie goes through all of the years of life-before-marriage while his daughter crosses off her list which one she thinks is her mom.  

At first, it was a little odd because he does talk lightly to his daughter about having sex (including a hint at a girl-on-girl love affair) but after you ignore that, it's a really sweet story of how much we change over the years, and the effect people have on us.  I am a sucker for love stories but what I really liked about this movie is how it isn't just a man and a woman but about lots of relationships.  During the "behind the scenes", lead actor Ryan sums it up by saying that in most movies/books, you know the love interest on page three, while in this movie, you don't know who he's going to end up with.  Also, it reminds us that our parents are people, too, and actually had a history before children.  I also thought it was interesting how the political scandal timeline follows the mood of the movie.  People were so excited to have Clinton in office to "change the world"- they were full of hope and dreams (just like Will is when he graduates college).  Then we had to deal with the disappointment of his affairs while in the oval office (which is mirrored when Will goes through a tough heartache in his life).

I did adore all of the cast.  It says Dane Cook was up for the lead role (whom I might have enjoyed more- he's SO hot) but Ryan is really good in this.  And of course, the daughter is everybody's darling.  What's not promoted on the box is that brilliant Kevin Kline plays a small- but important role- in one of the relationships.

My MOST FAVORITE part of the movie: one of the female characters collects Jane Eyre books because her dad gave her one with an inscription (which she lost) so she's always on the lookout for it :D  

I liked this movie and would watch it again!

**************************SPOILER ALERT*********************************

Well, even though you don't KNOW who he's going to end up with in the end of the movie, you really just like one character (the redhead) so you kinda guess they live happily-ever-after.  It is odd that he signs off on this divorce papers without ever stating what the marital discord was about.  We all want Happy Endings but in this movie, the ending is better than if he had stayed with his wife.

While watching the "behind the scenes", they talk more about his future career plans but I'm glad they left it out....I don't like politicians!  It is weird they barely touched on what he does for a living...it would have been better if they had at least shown him happy with where he's working in the final scenes.