Things I'm Obsessed With... 9/30/15

The Real Housewives of New York City- I’ve probably turned off several readers just by mentioning trashy reality TV, but, to quote BRAVO’s Andy Cohen, “here’s what…” This season was awesome. I consider myself a bit of a Housewives connoisseur, and there was a bit of everything that makes a stellar season. There needs to be drama to keep the show from getting dull, but there wasn’t anything super heavy, which I loved. The return of Bethenny had me super pumped because I love her smart, sassy commentary that is usually right on the money. The cast members who have been around for years were each experiencing a new beginning, which felt more honest to me and also provided tons of entertainment. I mean, LuAnn’s “Be cool…” line, was epic as far as I’m concerned. The mix of the veterans with some of the newer cast members was fun to watch. And, to be honest, they seemed to have a blast together, despite the intermittent fighting.

The Countess is on fire this season.

Lasting Line Eyeliner- I like cosmetics, but with young children and a love of sleeping until the last minute, my makeup routine is pretty simple. I like to spice it up a little bit for a night out on the town, but my typical go-tos are bronzer, eyeliner, and a little mascara. Because most of my products are hand me downs from my mom, I’ve tried many different brands of eyeliners. There are none I would say I dislike, and there are several that I thought worked really well, but there is one in particular lately that I’m loving. Lasting Line long-wearing eyeliner by bareMinerals. I never take my makeup off at night, and I wear so little that mine has usually worn off my morning, but this stuff is no joke. I’ll shower when I wake up and go to put my makeup on and will still have miraculously smudge free, lined eyes. It goes on easily and consistently, and I just love it.

Hot Fries- I cannot believe that I have written a few posts about my obsessions without mentioning my ultimate guilty pleasure-- hot fries! These things are the balls. They are nice and hot so I can’t eat them as fast as regular chips, which is great because chips are a big weakness for me. The crunchiness is perfect for the munchies; and, at 99 cents a bag, you can’t beat the price. What I especially love is that even if I binge and eat the whole bag, it’s a bit over 400 calories. That’s a lot, but eating a bag of Doritos or other chips will set you back a lot more than that. The best part is that I’m the only one in my house who eats them, so it’s a snack I never have to share (or hide).

Whine About It Wednesdays- Don’t tell Dave, but I have found my soulmate, and his name is Matt Bellassai. Matt is a BuzzFeed employee, who has become well known for weekly videos where he gets drunk and his desk and complains about stuff. I actually enjoy his videos so much that I only allow myself to watch a couple of new ones at a time because I don’t want to run out and get depressed. Somehow I feel like oh-so-quirky Matt would totally get that. Some of my favorite episodes feature rantings and ramblings about co-workers, roommates, and the worst people to text with. Check him out; you’ll thank me later.

DIY: $1 Side Table Upcycle

Dave found this super cool table laying by the roadside while he was on his way to a job. He tossed it in the back of his work van and brought it home to see what I thought. I immediately loved the style of the piece and the detail of the studs on the drawer.

The table was a little bit wobbly, but Dave noticed when he grabbed it that it had a few screws loose. He tightened them, and we were happy to find that the piece was pretty sturdy. I had a vision immediately of using a slate blue color with some sort of pop. I picked out two colors from our paint shelf and painted stripes of both on a scrap piece of particle board to see how they looked in reality. I liked the result, and went ahead and started on the drawer first.

We took off the knob and popped out the metal studs. I sanded it by hand and then used painters tape to paint the two outer slats blue and the middle slat a cool burnt orange color. We changed the knob to a metal pull we had on hand and used a wire brush on the studs before nailing them back in.

For the frame, I used an electric sander and then wiped the entire piece down with laquer thinner. We then applied two coats of the slate blue, and I’m totally loving how it came out. I’m thinking about using it as a new nightstand for Chace, but the size of it is so great that it could also function well as a side or accent table in a living room.

I couldn’t be happier with how the final product. Since the table was found on the side of the road, and  we used a drawer pull that we had on hand, the only cost was the paint. The blue and the yellow/orange were purchased off the “oops” shelf at Home Depot for fifty cents a piece, so the entire project only cost $1. That I can totally dig.

Bookworm: I just finished... In the Unlikely Event and The 5th Wave (September 2015)

In The Unlikely Event By Judy Blume

Judy Blume was my favorite author growing up, and I love that she writes adult novels now because I feel like she’s been a part of my entire reading career. Summer Sisters is one of my favorite books and the ultimate beach read, so I was super excited to read her latest.

In The Unlikely Event centers around the unfortunate events surrounding three plane crashes; all of which landed in Elizabeth, New Jersey, home to main character, Miri, in the early 1950s. While teenage Miri serves as the book’s protagonist, each chapter switches point of view. I love when authors use this technique, but I will admit that, at first, there were so many different perspectives, it was difficult to keep them all straight. I felt like I needed to make a chart or some sort of web to illustrate how everybody was connected. Still, the action of the crashes certainly kept my interest and left me wanting to know about those involved. Even though I was into the storyline, I found myself wondering what the main plot was going to be. Would it be Miri reuniting with the father she never knew? Would it be her first serious relationship with Mason, a handsome boy who stole Miri’s heart? Or, would it be the mental decline of Miri’s closest friend, Natalie, who claims to be communicating with a young dancer killed in one of the crashes? It took a while to get my answer, and it was not what I predicted. Even though the storyline took a pretty major turn, it still felt a bit anti-climactic to me. One of my favorite parts of the book was the last part, which took at look at the characters thirty-five years after the horror in “Plane Crash City.” I smiled and teared up hearing what had become of all the people whose minds I lived in early in the novel.

All in all, this was not my favorite Judy Blume book, but it was certainly entertaining and worth the read. There were a lot of characters, but they all had intriguing stories, and the twisted irony of the crashes kept me engaged in the story. An added bonus were the cultural references to the mid twentieth century. I felt it gave an honest, accurate nod to our nation’s past attitudes about sex and family life, and it was anchored by fictitious news articles that did include details of actual events, such as the Korean War. I typically don’t write long book reviews, but I was having such a hard time articulating exactly what I thought, I figured I’d just pour all my thoughts out. Hope it’s not too overwhelming. :)

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

This book is all the rage with my students right now, and I can understand why. The plot is suspenseful, unique, and full of life lessons. It centers around the attempts of an alien species to wipe out humanity. The point of view shifts throughout, but the main character, Cassie, is one of a small number of humans to survive the first three waves of eradication. It is worth mentioning that I am typically not a fan of science fiction. Although I do enjoy the occasional dystopian tale (The Hunger Games trilogy, Divergent, etc.), I felt the genre was burning out. The 5th Wave changed my mind. It’s smartly written, action packed, and I can’t wait to read the sequel, The Infinite Sea, right after I tackle Toni Morrison’s latest. I’d recommend it for teens as well as adults. And, the English teacher in me would also suggest that you all read it before the movie comes out. The trailer looks awesome, but I’m still a firm believer that the book is always better.