movie watcher part 2

now that the oscars are behind us, it's time for an update of my previous post and some follow up thoughts.

BEST PICTURE

• american sniper - politics aside, this movie was fascinating and so difficult to watch.  i thought bradley cooper's performance was perfect.
• birdman - still on my list - more so now that it won.
• boyhood - we thought the concept was amazing, but we were not crazy about the story or lack of.
• the grand budapest hotel - was pleasantly surprised.  oscar wins for costume, hair & makeup and production design were well deserved.
• the imitation game - my favorite movie. and the screenwriter's speech at the oscars was one of my favorite moments.
• selma - fell asleep. not that it wasn't good just started it too late.  will give it another try.
• the theory of everything - great movie.  eddie redmayne was brilliant.
• whiplash - loved it!! saw this in toronto and again when we took the boys. jk simmons was intense and genius.

in addition there are a few movies nominated for other categories that i would like to see.

• still alice - i didn't expect to be so emotional but at the end of the movie i was speechless and crying like a baby.  wonderful performance.
• gone girl - this movie was spooky.  i had a hard time with the book and the movie stayed pretty true to it, just with more intensity.  
• wild - enjoyed the movie more than the book.  i love stories about self discovery and this one was good but kind of missed the mark for me.
• foxcatcher - waiting to see it.
• into the woods - made a better stage musical.  just didn't love it.  but the music is memorable.

and a few to add to the list.

• citizen four - winner of the documentary feature. started watching this on hbo and already feel paranoid.
• feast - winner of the animated short.
• big hero six - winner of the animated feature. i didn't see this with the kids.
• cake - it looks like a dark story with great performances.

not oscar nominated but i saw jiro dreams of sushi and i loved it!  it came out a few years ago and i watched it on netflix.  this 85 year old man has been making sushi everyday of his life and still trying to find ways to improve it.  the tiniest detail of everything that he does is inspirational.  there are so many life lessons in this film.  highly recommend it.

looking forward to seeing what comes out this year.  

just a thought

here is my journal entry for saturday.  i was doing some research on creativity and came across this excerpt from ira glass that hit me like a ton of bricks.  it was what I was trying to say last week about pushing through fear and doubt in the creative process.  but here it is, better said than i ever could.

i printed the quote on a piece of transparency and then taped it to my book with washi tape.  maybe not so artful but the words are what i want to remember.

check out this video.

keep doing the work.

2015 weekly menu #09

egg-in-a-hole for breakfast

oh weekend, you almost got me.  saturday was a killer, but we survived.  yesterday the rain made sofia's softball game a bit of drag, but we muscled through.  the oscars went on a bit long but we were captivated by the wonderful movies nominated.

and here we are at monday.  kids at school, yoga done, list made, and breakfast finished.  on to the rest.

weekend eats
saturday: dinner at cafe de mexico before a notre dame basketball game
sunday: pizza for the oscars

making this week
monday: ramen soup
tuesday: mexican chicken casserole, salad - didn't make this last week
wednesday: pork chops with balsamic roasted vegetables and gorgonzola
thursday: chorizo and egg tacos, zucchini, corn and tomato succotash
friday: tiger shrimp lettuce wraps, cucumber salad

ready to make this a great week.

40 days of art

in thinking about my post yesterday and seeing that there are other people who have the same struggle and thinking about lent and sacrifice and reflection, i came up with an idea to make art over the next 40 days.  how do art and lent go together?  well, what i really want to do with this exercise is give up the negative talk.  let go of judgement.  free myself of fear.  i'm hoping it will help me be kinder to others and to focus less on the negative and more on what is good and beautiful with the world.

sounds like a big plan? i'm ready for it.

so i bought a journal with 40 pages.  every mixed media book i found came with 40 pages.  that's a sign if you ask me.

i do have a few rules, cause mamma likes structure.

rule #1 - no judgement.  make it and be ok with the outcome.  this is about the process not the result.
rule #2 - no more than 30 minutes thinking about it.  come to the table with an idea and go for it.
rule #3 - no comparison.  i often look at other people's work under the guise of being inspired but then get anxious when it doesn't look like that.  none of that here.
rule #4 - one page per day.  that means no practicing, no do overs. go with the mistakes and own them. and it means i get to do something creative everyday.
rule #5 - smile.

no rules on supplies; i can paint, scribble, write, cut and paste.  anything goes.  my thought is to go through my day and find a moment or thought that i want to record and let that be my inspiration.

today's entry looks like this.

"it's reciprocal" is an inside joke with me and bobby.  when i saw this definition i knew i had to record it somehow.

so for those of you struggling with creativity, make something, write something, create something.  maybe we can inspire each other in some way, but more importantly, we can cheer each other on.

i will be posting some of my journal entries on instagram.  if you want to follow along you can find me here.

practice doesn't always make perfect

i'm on an adventure.  a creative adventure.  i'm trying out, working on, figuring out what i'm good at.  what makes me happy.  where my strengths are. i am making mistakes.  little ones.  but sometimes those mistakes are enough to say -  i don't want to do this anymore.

my challenge is, and always has been, to keep going.  to start on something, to realize my mistakes, hopefully to correct them, and then to just keep going.  i get stuck here a lot. it's why i have a stack of unfinished projects.

i'm constantly telling myself, that doesn't look right?  self doubt is a killer.

in the little exercise i am calling just a thought here on the blog i spend way too much time trying to find the perfect quote, the right design.  i practice over and over and usually end up saying, screw it, just call it done and post it. 

one of the posts took 14 pages of my journal to get to that point.  practicing with different colors, trying to make it look more free form, trying not to copy the print that inspired it, trying too hard.

when i'm writing i can rewrite, edit, completely delete and start over.  i forgive myself for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and misinformation.  it doesn't usually stop me.  i will keep writing. in 897 post i have made many mistakes.  there are posts i don't really like and ones that i love.  but i keep writing.

but in art i am way more critical. i feel like the mishaps are there for everyone to see.  the risks that i take are visible, whether they pay off or not.

i think eventually you evolve and master.  things start to look ok.  you find your voice, your vision, you let go of fear.  you can see the beauty of your work.  i am not making masterpieces over here, so why am i giving myself such a hard time?  my end goal is to have a little play time, something that feels like me, that brings me joy.

i will practice a little more kindness and give up on being perfect.

just a thought

thinking about intentions as we enter into lent.  intent in what i do and in how do it.  hoping to be a more loving and intentional person over the next 40 days.

2015 weekly menu #08

lasagna soup was pretty fantastic

did you have a good weekend?  our was nice & relaxed but with stuff to do.  the monday holiday kind of caught me off guard, in the best way.  one more day together to enjoy this amazing weather. we got some rest which is good since the rest of this week looks to be packed.

it's opening day for softball this weekend and the team is working hard to get ready.  that means lots of practices and batting cages, plus our final soccer game.  mix in a few non-meat dinners with lent starting on wednesday.  it's all about easy meals this week.

weekend eats
saturday: menchie's to celebrate valentine's day
sunday: sushi to celebrate valentine's day

making this week
monday: ate out at the habit
tuesday: cajun chicken pasta to celebrate fat tuesday
wednesday: minestrone soup, garlic bread to celebrate ash wednesday
thursday: mexican chicken casserole, salad
friday: salmon, roasted potatoes & asparagus

enjoy your week!

what i love most

"what i love most about my home is who i share it with."  

i get to share my life and heart with these amazing beings.  they make life fun, challenging and unbelievably worthwhile.  i am so blessed to have each one of them in my life.  this right here is all i need.

wishing you a happy valentine's day close to those you love!

just a thought

seven grand and bottega louie

i love going to a new city and exploring the town's shopping and restaurants.  but something we don't do very often is go into our city and see what it has to offer.  l. a. is an exciting town with great restaurants, museums and night life, you just have to fight the traffic to get there.  we made plans with some friends to meet up for drinks and then have dinner at a cool restaurant.

we met susan and lara at seven grand located in the heart of the city.  seven grand is a whiskey bar with a cool hunter's lounge vibe. is that even a thing? it is here.
.

not only do we never go to bars, but i never drink whiskey.  i'm a wine, beer and umbrella in my drink kind of girl.  this place has cool beers, an international wall of whiskey, pool tables and cigars.  out of my element but up for the challenge.

we ordered what they were having - an american trilogy.  it was fun watching the bartender work his magic; muddling the brown sugar and bitters together, stirring them with both hands, and then garnishing with the orange peel.  such a cool craft. we hung out at the bar sipping our cocktails and chatting.  this would be fun place to go with lots of people to shoot some pool.

after the drinks we went across the street to bottega louie.  i knew about this place mostly because of the macaroons but loved it the minute i walked in with it's high ceilings, open kitchen and gorgeous dessert display.  the only problem was that there was over an hour wait for a table.

not that we were in a hurry. i parked myself right by the kitchen watching the chefs prep, cook and plate the orders; beautiful salads, toasted sandwiches, and creamy pastas.  it made me hungry for sure.

luckily our friends have been here before and they knew one of the bus boys who quickly got us to the top of the list. that shortened our wait time by an hour - score!

another round of drinks and some bread to get us feeling comfortable.

these were incredible - portobello mushroom fries with a basil aioli.  i'm sure i'll be craving these again.

we ordered a pizza, a club sandwich that had an awesome surprise with a hard boiled egg, a salad - cause you have to, and a porchetta sandwich.  we tasted and shared and talked and laughed.  the place was pretty amazing and the company was spectacular.

for dessert bobby and i had the peanut butter terrine that was lovely.

and an affogato to celebrate susan's birthday.

of course we had to bring home a box of macaroons to share with the kids.

thanks to susan and lara for getting us out of the valley and into the city.  can't wait to do it again.

2015 weekly menu #7

we celebrated national fro yo day with 6 oz. of free menchie's yogurt plus some toppings.

this will be week 2 of after school sports madness.  we survived last week and made every practice, although not always on time.  just to make things fun, this week we're throwing in an evening meeting, a valentine's day celebration and a month long school project deadline.  woohoo.

i wonder how close we can manage to stick to this menu.

weekend eats
saturday: dinner at bottega louis 
sunday: señor. sol after mass

making this week
monday: lasagna soup, french bread
tuesday: rotisserie chicken, salad, garlic mashed potatoes
wednesday: won ton soup, spring rolls
thursday: bbq chicken quesadillas
friday: pizza

enjoy your week!

some things | 2.6

it is february after all.  and i am looking for things i love and make me happy - it's helping to balance the mercury retrograde we seem to be experiencing around here.

something to buy - girl scout cookies.  we bought some from a neighbor last week and have been enjoying the frozen thin mints one at a time. get your cookies people.

something to try - grass fed angus beef burgers from trader joe's.  we recently started eating red meat again and are trying to eat the best quality beef we can find.  these are pretty fantastic.

something to make - i've admired this painting and want to make one of my own.  i have an idea for a small one with a quote but the big canvas with lyrics would be so cool.

something for valentine's day snack - all of these snacks are adorable, easy to make and healthy too. winner!

something that made me laugh - if you follow me on Facebook you've seen this, but worth posting twice.

Sofia had to do push ups at softball practice today. After practice I asked her why she had to do them.

Sofia: "because I didn't run my hardest. But man, I did some awesome push ups."

Here's to a great season of really awesome push ups!

something to do - the rose bowl flea market is happening this sunday in pasadena.  jordan and i will be working the notre dame band hot dog cart all day.  come by and say hello.

something to watch - on the list this weekend is gone girl and selma.

something to feel good about - i have been running more in preparation for training for my next half marathon.  there is nothing like running for me.  completing a run is the.best.feeling.  starting over is hard but so worth it.

something to be excited for - the trailer for beyond the reach debuted yesterday on yahoo.  i can't put into words what i feel when i see this.  not the finished product but knowing the journey he took to get here - that is what matters (to me at least). and this is just the beginning.

have a lovely weekend!

olw | january

as i mentioned before i am taking ali edwards' year long one little word class.  my goal this year is to finish.  to do every assignment and complete the album.  most of the assignments are easy and they are always fun so that should keep me motivated.

i am using an 8 1/2 by 11 we r memory keepers album and page protectors for this class. and my goal is to keep it simple and not overthink the process.  just go for it.

my intro page is this quote i found at the beginning of the year.  it is so full of hope and that is how i want the year to go.

my next page is my blog post from january introducing my word.  then there are some worksheets with prompts.

-in what ways is this word already a part of your life?
-what do you want more//less of?
-what do i fear most in 2015?
-what am i most excited about in 2015?

on the back page are my intentions for my word.  one of my intentions is to fill my mind with positive thoughts so that negativity and fear cannot exist. the yoga is helping!

the next page is a 9 pocket page protector that i cut down.  ali provided some small cards to fill out and then we got to be creative for the other pockets.

i used studio calico cards, a transparency, and some old acrylic letters to fill in those spots.

i also wanted to include a picture of me, taken in new orleans last year, and a picture of my family, because that is what makes my life full.

i included the card i hand wrote.  it's double sided so on the front of the card i added some word tiles from a recent studio calico kit.

overall i am happy with how this turned out.  i think setting the intentions and clarifying why i chose the word will be a great reminder throughout the year.

i am really excited about this month's lesson as well of making a vision board.  i have my magazines and scissors ready to take that on.

just a thought

2015 weekly menu #06

what is there to say after such a crazy game. oh well? i was not rooting for one team in particular and i loved that the game was close and exciting. it's the way it goes in sports.

and speaking of sports.  5 active family members = lots of sports.  this week sofia is doing soccer and softball, andrew is doing baseball, jordan is swimming, i'm running (painfully slow), and bobby is hitting the gym and coaching. we are rooting each other on and staying healthy (not sane).

weekend eats
saturday: tacos
sunday: nachos, sausages, veggies

making this week
monday: chicken tacos, rice
tuesday: sausages, salad, potatoes
wednesday: cheeseburgers, oven fries
thursday: grilled salmon, mashed potatoes, veggies
friday: pizza

hello to feburary and the month of love.