And the Oscar goes to...

So, I really am bad at this blog thing. To make up for it, I'm going to post two for your pleasure. First up, I love movies. I mean, I really really love movies. I think Netflix is one of the greatest inventions of our generation. I'm totally serious. Scoff if you wish. Having said that, I've always wanted to host an Oscar party. One day I'll have a fancy one with a red carpet, but for now, I was happy with friends, popcorn (apparently I forgot to take a picture of the cute popcorn boxes I found at World Market), and movie candy :)







I made a point of trying to see all of the nominated movies this year. I saw a vast majority and the rest are in my Netflix queue...all of the documentaries are up first because I'm really loving them lately.
We (my husband and I) tied for first on our own ballots. Kudos to M+C for tying us! I wasn't at all surprised that "The King's Speech" won so many awards. It was a fantastic movie. I was bummed that "True Grit" didn't win any! I highly recommend both of those movies. What movies did you like the most this year?

Opposites Attract

Man, I'm really going to have to work on this whole blog thing. It's already been a week since my last post! Well, yesterday was Valentine's Day and I have to admit that I've never been a huge fan. I have an amazing husband, but romance is not his strong suit. So, I pretty much use V Day as an excuse to make treats. The terrible thing is I don't even make treats my husband wants. I called him yesterday and asked what he wanted and he replied, "Oatmeal Chippers". Now, I know you have no idea what that is, (it's a family cookie recipe) but it's pretty much the equivalent of your husband saying he wants chocolate chip cookies. In other words, we have them all the time and, as I told him, "those aren't pretty enough." ha. So, I made this instead. Disclaimer: this pie is super labor intensive and took FOREVER (like 3+ hours, including cooking time)

Pear-Raspberry Heart Pie (with a latte while I was cooking, of course. Coffee and pie go together. They just do. Wine and pie also go together.)














Yesterdays treat request made me realize how opposite my husband and I are. He likes consistency, I like change. He likes simple, I like elaborate. He likes the heat, I prefer the cold. And the list goes on. But I love him. He is perfectly made to complete me. He is kind when I am cynical. He is funny when I am too serious. He is hopeful when I am negative. I love you more everyday, S.








Recipe (www.marthastewart.com)
Cup and saucer (www.starbucks.com)
Glasses (www.worldmarket.com)

Housewifery

I quit my job in November. Saying that in this economy usually gets me a bewildered stare. My plan was to immediately get another job, but, 3 months later, that still hasn’t happened. At first I felt guilty. People would ask me, with concerned looks on their faces, “have you found a job yet? how’s it going?”

My husband and I LOVE the show “Mad Men”, set in the 1960’s, and so my husband jokingly started referring to me as a “housewife”. I put that title in quotes because I think it comes with a certain stigma and one that I’m not too happy with. When I say housewife, I am certainly not referring to those of the “Real” [enter extravagant city here] variety. Trust me, the closest I get to Dior and Chanel is the Bravo network. But, when our moms were young, it was accepted, if not expected for women to stay at home and manage the household. I am by no means anti-feminist, but I do think there’s a happy medium between the careers women long to have and the families that deserve to have them.

However you define it, somewhere along the way, I found myself enjoying being a “housewife”. The stress from my previous job melted away and I started to allow myself to read a guilty pleasure book, workout for as long as I wanted to, take hours planning and putting together elaborate meals, and even *gasp* watching “Oprah”.

My very stylish friend encouraged me to start this blog. (you can check out her blog at www.kristenmorton.tumblr.com) I hope that I can encourage women to embrace their crafty sides, tap into their thrifty sides, attempt a meal they never thought they could pull off, throw a party for no reason, and just make their house their own. Because, let’s face it: whether you’re a career woman working 80 hours a week or a stay-at-home mom with 4 kids, we are all queens of our domains.