Hart of Dixie

I'm a big fan of Netflix streaming, and honestly it's where I watch most of my TV and movies.

Recently, I discovered Hart of Dixie.

Here's the blurb from IMDB:

"New Yorker and new doctor Zoe Hart accepts an offer from a stranger, Dr. Harley Wilkes, to work in his medical practice in Bluebell, Alabama.  She arrives to find he has died and left half of the practice to her in his will."

Currently on Netflix there are two seasons.  The third season is now playing on the CW I believe.  I've watched the first two seasons, and the best way I can describe it is Gilmore Girls meets Sweet Home Alabama meets Doc Hollywood.

The setting is the fictional gulf coast town of Bluebell, Alabama.  It is a charming, VERY Southern town.  I've never lived in the south, so I'm not sure how much of it is accurate.  Like....do they really have social groups like 'The Belles'?  Do they really sound like that?  Do they really bake a pie every time someone has a bad day?  Do they really have names like Lemon, Magnolia, and Cricket?

Either way, it's a cute show.  Sometimes the dialogue is cheesy.  But sometimes it is hilarious.  The town reminds me a lot of Stars Hollow, the town of the Gilmore Girls.  In fact, I've read that they used some of the same set (including the gazebo in the town square).  There are eccentric characters, townspeople, 'villains', and the mayor's (the black guy in the picture below) pet alligator named Burt Reynolds.

I am liking this show.  I am glad there is a third season, because things were left kind of up in the air at the end of season 2.

Here's the 'main' cast:

Yes, that is the guy from Friday Night Lights.  And yes, that is Nurse Betty from Pearl Harbor (who happens to be from Omaha, NE).  She plays the character that you hate at first, but eventually learn to love.

So if you have Netflix and are looking for a lighthearted (kind of) series to get in to, give Hart of Dixie a try.  There's something for everyone!  (oh, and if you like country music, which I don't, you will be thrilled...it is full of it!)

Life

(our pretty tree out front)

Life got really busy since the last time I posted, which really wasn't all that long ago.

I've been helping my mother-in-law prepare for an upcoming garage sale.  It will be a decent sized one for sure.  We've been going through her garage, closets, etc.  which is right up my alley!  I love purging and organizing.  She is ready to downsize, so she's all over it and ready and willing to let stuff go.

We've had a sick kitty too...we spent some time at the emergency vet yesterday.  She's feeling better though.  It had been at least 8 months since we had to take her in, so she was due (she's 17).

I've been working on my French talk...I'm almost done with it.  It actually wasn't that hard.  I will talk slow, so honestly there's just not much to it.  I want people to understand me.  If French speakers go slow, I can understand about 90% of what they're saying.  So I want to be understood.  Its an easy subject too so that helps as well.  I'm actually kind of excited about it!

And just...life.  Work, service, meetings, French, studying, garage sales, taking care of our animals, mountains of laundry, date nights, grocery shopping, the list goes on and on.  But you all know.  Life is crazy sometimes, that's just how it is!  Things should calm down a bit after next weekend though I hope.

And here's a random picture of roses I clipped yesterday (it's still beautiful here!):

Movie Project Post #9

3 more:

Taken 2

Good....but not as good as the first one.

Puss in Boots

Ha ha...this was funnier than I thought it would be.  I remember when it first came out I thought 'there's no way they can make an entire movie on this character from Shrek'.  I was wrong.

The Bucket List

A good movie.  I love Jack Nicholson (I like him much better than Morgan Freeman), so of course I enjoyed this movie.  It was nice to 'travel' with them all over the world.

Next up:

The Producers

One Day

An American in Paris

And a recap:

Movies watched:  30

Movies left:  22

Good vs. Evil

I post lots of pictures on Instagram and Facebook of our dogs.

Including this recent one:

Awwwww…..isn’t she cute?  All cozy and cuddly and snuggly?

I took this series of pictures a few nights ago:

We were sitting at the dining room table and my husband was holding her.  We wrapped her up in a fleece blanket because it’s just easier to hold her that way.  And then he started messing with her paws.  Hence, the nasty faces.  He wasn’t hurting her.  She just doesn’t like to be messed with, especially when she’s comfortable.  When she’s all cozy and you try to pet her, she’ll likely show you her teeth.  Lovely.  She also looks very fat in these pictures, but she’s not.  She was propped up with her harness on, thus creating a double chin.

As evil as she looks in these pictures, she really is a sweet dog.  If you come through our front door she will wag her tail excitedly and want you to pick her up immediately so she can give you kisses and become your best friend.  She is a very cuddly dog and she really does love everyone.

Just don’t mess with her paws.

Gravity

(there are no spoilers in this post)

So, we saw the movie Gravity in 3D last night.

I am both a George Clooney and a Sandra Bullock fan, so I figured, why not?  What can be wrong with this movie?

To answer:  nothing.  There is nothing wrong with this movie.  IMDB describes the plot as "A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space".  Yep. That's what it's about.

It's 90 minutes long, and VERY fast paced.  It gets you from the first 10 minutes and you feel like you're on a ride the entire time.  Although there are some 'quiet' moments for sure, but let me just say this:  after we left the theater, we seriously felt like we had to recover.  It is just a heart pounding ride from beginning to end.  It is EXTREMELY well done.

I'm not the only one that thinks so.  It currently has an 8.7 rating on IMDB.  To give you some perspective, here are some other similarly ranked movies on IMDB:

Forrest Gump:  8.7
Star Wars:  8.7
Casablanca:  8.6
Raiders of the Lost Ark:  8.6
Back to the Future:  8.5

Now this is a new movie, so most likely the rating will go down a bit...but maybe not.  This is a great movie people!!  Go see it!  And if you see it, PLEASE see it in 3D if you can.  It's worth it.

Lobo Game

Last Saturday, we attended a Lobo game here in ABQ.  It was my first Lobo game!  I had very low expectations, because I've attended Husker games my entire life.  The atmosphere at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, is exceptional.  The energy there is amazing, and there's usually close to 90,000 people there for every game.

The Lobo stadium is MUCH smaller:

But I was pleasantly surprised.  People there were really getting into it!  They were playing New Mexico State, which are their rivals, so there were a lot of people there rooting for the opposing team.  And the stadium was over 3/4 full, which was nice too.

It was a fun evening.  I'm glad we went!  Oh, and the Lobo's won!

Gentle Giants

I took Friday off for a much needed 'break from work' day.  I decided to start my day off by checking out the balloons since the international balloon fiesta is still going on.

I was lucky, because not only was it perfect weather for flying, it was 'special shapes day'.  The weather has to be perfect for flying for special shapes day.  The shaped balloons are much harder to control and so there can be literally no wind.  

I didn't go down to the park itself, mostly because I didn't want to fight traffic.  Instead, I drove to my local Target, which is not too far from Balloon Fiesta Park.  

Above is Airabelle the cow.  Because Airabelle is SO huge (she's at least twice the size of a regular balloon), she only gets to fly once or twice per year.  I was glad to see her!  

Darth Vader only was up for a few minutes before he had to land, so I didn't get any pictures of him.

A zebra.  Uncle Sam.  Airabelle looks like she's riding on top of that white car.  A pink pig with wings (top left, it's back is to us).

Smokey the Bear (bottom right corner)

Jet Pack Man!  He's new this year.  (middle left).  This picture also reminds me that the amount of car accidents that happen during balloon fiesta usually triples.  I mean...how distracting is this!  How can you not look?!?

Wow, New Mexico looks pretty flat in this picture.  Maybe because we are facing West...mountains are behind me.

There's the mountains!  Along with the pink elephant.

After I got home I took the dogs out.  We heard this balloon before we saw it:

This is right outside our back door.  It was pretty funny because our chihuahua started barking at it immediately. 

And now it's getting ready to land in the golf course across the street from us.  Balloons have the right of way during balloon fiesta and can land wherever they want:

It was a nice morning!  And best of all, I didn't have to fight crowds or traffic to enjoy the gentle giants!

Movie Project Post #8

FOUR more I can cross off:

Ladies in Lavender

A very good movie about two sisters that befriend a stranger they find washed up to shore in 1930's England.  I mean....Judi Dench and Maggie Smith?  You can't go wrong.  Apparently it's based on a short story, which I am going to find and read.

The Princess Diaries

Such a cute movie...I can't believe I had waited this long to see it!

Anna and the King

I just couldn't get into this movie.  I'm not a big Jodie Foster fan, maybe that's why.  I'll give it another shot someday.  Maybe.

Persuasion

Another one I couldn't get into.  I love Jane Austen though, and BBC.  I think they set the bar too high with Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version, NOT the Kiera Knightly version....you can't even compare them).  Maybe if I read 'Persuasion' that would help.

My favorite of the four:  Ladies in Lavender

Next up:

Puss in Boots (ha ha)

Taken 2

The Bucket List

Fall Roasted Vegetables

I am not a cook.  Nor is this a cooking blog.

However, when I make something that I actually will make again, I may post it on here.

Hence, the following recipe:

Fall Roasted Vegetables

1 onion (I only used half of mine…onions can be overpowering)

1 zucchini

1 eggplant

2 potatoes (mine were large…I like potatoes)

5 small tomatoes

1 pepper (red or yellow)

3 garlic cloves

½ tsp of rubbed sage

5 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp rosemary

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.  Cut veggies into bite-sized pieces.  Mix all together in a roasting dish (I just used one of those oven-to-table dishes).  

Mix garlic, olive oil, rosemary and sage in a small bowl.  Drizzle onto veggies and mix well.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cook uncovered for 50 minutes. Halfway through cooking time, stir gently (mostly to keep your tomatoes from falling apart).

We really liked these veggies.  We had them as a side for dinner and also for lunch the next day.  They heated up well in the microwave…they weren’t mushy or anything.

Enjoy!

p.s. – I’m not sure why I named this recipe ‘Fall’.  What constitutes a Fall vegetable?  Maybe the eggplant and zucchini?  Or maybe I just named it that because I roasted vegetables and it’s Fall.  Ha ha.  Even I can’t figure out what goes on inside my head.

A Day in the Life

I've been meaning to do a post like this for a while, but I just haven't had the chance.  Life is busy!  But I'm making the time.

So here is a day in my life (today):

5:30:  Alarm goes off.  I hit snooze, usually twice.

5:45:  Actually get out of bed.  As soon as I get out of bed, the Chihuahua snuggles up to my husband (since she has to be touching somebody warm apparently).

Start my morning routine, which includes washing face, brushing teeth, getting dressed for the day (today it was easy because it was casual Friday), fix hair, etc.  As soon as I'm dressed, I go out to the kitchen and pack our lunches.  I usually pack the same things for us each day.  Today it was Amy's Light Vegetarian Burritos, yogurt, fruit and some yogurt covered raisins.  I clip husband's lunch bag to his work bag so that he doesn't forget it.

Husband comes out to the kitchen and starts getting his gym bag ready for the day (he's been going to the gym over his lunch break) and I start getting the dog food ready.  Puppy #1 comes out for his breakfast.  He doesn't get out of his bed until he hears his bowl being placed on the kitchen counter.  Then he decides to grace us with his presence.

He eats, while I get Puppy #2's medication ready.  She is almost done with her meds, thank goodness.  She is still in bed, so husband retrieves her.  She is usually not happy about this.  And then I add to her bad mood by shoving a pill down her throat and a dropper full of Amoxicillin.  But then she gets a 'cookie' (a mini milk bone) on top of her breakfast so I am forgiven.

I put on my makeup, get my purse and lunch and grab watermelon from the fridge and head out the door.  (Husband takes dogs for walk and then leaves for work around 7:30)

6:30 - 6:45 - Drive to work.  Traffic is good.  Hear on the radio that today is the 'unofficial' start to Balloon Fiesta, which means that the balloon pilots are scattered throughout the cities at 55 different elementary schools.  They will inflate their balloons and have a 'q&a' session with the students.  However, it is windy this morning, so no flying.  The first mass ascension is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

6:45 - Boot up my computer.  Go to the break room and heat up my oatmeal (I keep a box of Quaker Lower Sugar Peach oatmeal packets in my desk).  I also get some coffee from the break room, which isn't particularly good, but it will do the trick for this morning.  I'm trying to cut back on caffeine and Diet Coke, so I didn't stop to get one this morning.

7:00 - check email, eat oatmeal.  Order my mom a candy bouquet and some cookies from Hy-Vee to be delivered today.  She is at home recovering from wrist surgery.  Talk to one of my co-workers who has been in Madison, Wisconsin all week for work.

8:00 - start working on a new audit we received yesterday.  Break open my watermelon spears.  Send Dad a text.

(Yes that is a cow pen.  My co-worker brought us pens from Madison.  When you press down and write with it, the cows ears go up.  Ha ha)

8:30 - Pull out headphones.  My co-workers desk radio is especially loud today (blaring country music).  I try to drown it out with some of MY music.  Today it's the Barton Hollow album (The Civil Wars).  Nice and soothing.

9:00 - Call our vet and request another vial of insulin for Howie, which I will pick up on my lunch break.

9:35 - Venture down to the cafeteria and fill up my water bottle.  It's nice outside.  (the cafeteria is in another building)

11:15 - Leave for the vets office to pick up and pay for Howie's insulin.

(The most expensive medication I have ever bought)

Make it back to work in 30 minutes.  Time for lunch, which I eat at my desk.  It is delicious.  If you haven't tried 'Amy's' products, I highly recommend them.  They are all organic and all vegetarian.  You can buy them at Target and Walmart in the frozen section.

12:10 - Go to break room and wash lunch dishes.  I use actual dishes at work that I keep in my desk.

1:30 - Realize I forgot to take my vitamins with lunch, so I take them now.  (I also keep these at work)

2:20 - Emailed my sister-in-law back and forth for a while.

3:20 - I'm done working!  Time to go.  I call my mom on the way home to see how she's doing.  Check the mail.  My contacts came!

3:45 - 7:00 - Misc. tasks around the house.  Taking the dogs out, picking up the house, scooping the cat box.  Text my mother-in-law to make plans for tomorrow morning.  Husband calls to say he has to work late.  Eat a veggie corndog and salad for dinner.  Give Howie his insulin shot.  Take dogs out again.  Do two loads of laundry.  Study my magazine for tomorrow.  Finish watching 'The Princess Diaries' (for another blog).

7:00 - Husband arrives home.  I make him a breakfast burrito for dinner.  He watches Agent Shield (is that what it's called?).  I watch Parenthood on my iPad (using the NBC app), while I'm blogging right now!  (it's 8:41)

So....that's a small glimpse into a typical day of mine.  My evening will end with a shower, another round of meds for Puppy #2, and maybe getting a few things ready for tomorrow.  Happy weekend!