Shows You Should be Watching but (Probably) Aren't

I am a tv junkie.  Always have been and always will be - can't help it.  Here are two recent obsessions that I stumbled upon for various reasons that don't get a ton of buzz...but should.

The Americans

Gee, I wonder why I got into this one.  Could it be my ridiculous obsession with Felicity, and henceforth all things Keri?  She's taken on some dumb roles and projects here and there but more often than not her characters have an elegance to them and at the same time are both strong-willed and, well, just plain strong (she's played a ballerina and a victim of DV).  Can't say anything different about her character, Elizabeth, in the Americans.  The overarching focus of the series is about an unusual marriage, but with the bold undertone of the Cold War.  It's got sex, spies, and a whole lot of action.  I like that she plays opposite Matthew Rhys, of Brothers and Sisters.  Also love their kooky spy disguises.  Season 2 just kicked off.

The Bates Motel

I'm a sucker for thriller and horror movies, and I love me some Hitchcock.  This series is a prequel to Psycho set in modern times.  Vera Farmiga plays Norma Bates and she is fantastically crazy bird.  She totally pulls off a woman doing what she needs to do for her family, but who tends to fly off the handle a little too hard, and a little too often.  Also, did you know she's Taissa Farmiga's sister?  As for Norman, he's surprisingly endearing, dorky, and sweet.  I love the show's interpretation of how Norman becomes Norman, and how his relationship with his ma is weird...but not that weird...but wait, no, it's really weird.  Love it.  You should watch it.

Green(er) House

I am not a gardener.  I've basically murdered the roses I inherited from the previous owner from our house.

Buuuut because there are a ton of benefits to keeping indoor plants, I decided to take a few steps towards making our space a little greener.  I've begun with something trendy, easy, and pretty - a terrarium!

I got the glass piece from World Market and the supplies from this awesome little garden supply store on Tchoupitoulas - Urban Roots.  Arranging the thing was a bit more complex than anticipated but I like the finished product enough to place in the center of my dining room table.  The shells and sticks in there are from our Philippines trip.  Reminds me of our vacation every time I look at it - an added bonus!

Match Made in Heaven

EVERYBODY!

You may know that this year has been the year of the internship search (Exhibit A).  So much of my life in the past 365 days (yes, I started my search at the end of Phase I last year) has been devoted to this last step of my PhD program/ first real step in my career.  And ya'll -- I MATCHED IN NEW ORLEANS!

The Sims aren't moving!  And I get to continue/begin to practice in the city I've fallen in love with.

Could not be happier.

Thank You, Mom

Motherhood has changed me in a lot of ways; one of which being that I cry more often and am a sensitive little sap.  This commercial brought it on, full force.  They've been airing the shorter version on NBC throughout the Sochi Olympics, and this one is even better (or worse, depending on how you look at it).  I was initially bugged by the lack of racial and ethnic diversity, but I then I googled this next one, and it was all over...the resentment as well as the ability to hold back more tears.  Who am I?!

Double Duty

As I said before, really need to amp up my belt game. I'm a biiiiig Club Monaco fan and managed to pick up a few for dirt cheap on my friends and fam tour.  We're talkin 40% off 19.99. That's why I bought three ;)

 Here's the first: 

The double latch makes things interesting. Hate that belting this particular dress yanks up the hem in the front but that day, I worked it :)

Costco Wins

In the last few months, Costco has entered our lives, and it has been glorious.  It's a ten minute drive to loveliness.  Thinking about regularly posting my finds.  There are whole blogs devoted to this.  Here are a few of my recent purchases:

Coconut oil - $16.59.

Great for so many things - replacing butter or oil for stir fry, for popping popcorn, and evidently hair and nails.  Super legit, too.

 $11.89, on sale for $8.89

I'm so bad at taking vitamins, but not when they taste like candy!  Got the kids version for Henry, too.  Double bonus -- these are so tasty I use 2 in the morning to reinforce good behavior ;)

Honest Company Shampoo, $14.99, on sale for $11.99

Jessica Alba's baby, for babies.  It's $10 for one on their website.  And it smells great.

$10.89 for five

Love EOS lip balm.  I love the velvety feel of the container and the flavors are so tasty.  Also love the fact that they come in this great orb shape - the shape my lipsticks and lip balms eventually take on because of the way I apply them.  The only negative is when I use them, it reminds me of our girl Miley, but not in one of her finer moments.

(Cute) Shoes of Death

I bought really sweet new shoes.  Patent nudes - the Tawna shoe by Corso Como.  From Ele on Magazine.

Corso Como...known for quality, and allegedly, comfort.

False.

I have never had a pair of flats cut my shit up more.  I usually just tough out the breaking-in period of shoes but this was torture.  And this is despite the arch support, good fit, etc.  So, I'm in the market for some good heel protection.  Ele sells Foot Petals, and I'm all but sold.

Patrons at Ele evidently have had success with these things, but friends -- let me know other suggestions.  Soon.  These shoes are super cute but not when my jeans are tucked under my heel for comfort, which is what I resorted to today.  Womp womp.

Fun things in Store for NOLA

It feels great to be back in New Orleans, spending time with my family.  And there are a few food and  retail-related things going down in the town this spring that appeal to so many sides of me.  In no particular order:

Discoveries Furniture and Finds is coming to Magazine Street

Loooove their French Quarter location.  This will give Nadeau, another favorite of mine nestled right up the block, a run for their money.

C. Wonder  is popping up at Canal Place.

This store borders being anti-me.  I mean, they have shit like this:

But they also have this:

So for the fun color blocking and slightly more edgier pieces, I'm ready to rummage and score.

I will enjoy pho within feet at Pho Cam Ly!

I'm actually getting frustrated right now at the fact that I can't run and get some hot soup from them right.  Now.

14 in '14

Some goals--
School:

Get an internship.
Okay, okay this is a cheap shot.  Obviously getting an internship is a goal.  But it would feel wrong to exclude such a laborious process from this list.

Take it easy.
I have spent the last 4.5 years giving a lot of myself to my doctoral study.  I will continue to do that.  But this (hopefully) last semester I'm giving myself more allowances.  Reflected below:

Mommyhood:

Promote Henry's truancy.
I want to pull him out of daycare for a whole day or afternoon more often.  I love spending late afternoons/ evenings and weekends with him and sometimes I crave more but I just don't have the time.  But I'll make the time.  Every holiday makes me realize how much fun we all have together.

Join the Parenting Center.  Use the membership.
We're generally good about taking Henry places.  None of us do well stuffed up indoors.  But the Parenting Center is way more than a means so socialize both Henry and his parents...check out their great classes.

Body:

Take better care of my skin.
I need to enjoy good skin days as much as I enjoy good hair days.  It's just so hard to maintain a good skin regimen in the mornings with a toddler running around. Contemplating Estee's Advanced Night Repair Serum.  Already have the firming day creme (smells heavenly, but as indicated above, I don't always have the 30 seconds it takes to put it on).

Take better care of my hair.
I'm talking regular trims.  Touching up the color.  Brushing it.  Just kidding.  Also, I just chopped it all off.  The ombre, anyway.  I like it :)


Lose 5 lbs.
This is another old favorite.  I just bought 6 months of Pure Barre.  Sigh.

Eat more vegetables.
It's decided:  I'm investing in a box.  I'm become obsessed with feeding Henry new and wonderful things and forget that it's really something the whole family needs.

Shopping:

Don' bother with the shit that don't fit.
I think I get better at shopping for clothes that fit me every day.  And that's mostly because I have let go of wearing things that just do not work with my body type and embracing things that do.  For example.  I love high-waisted pants and shorts.  LOVE.  Since I'm pretty short, lots of things end up high on the waist anyway...and so I'll try to work that more.  Speaking of short, it's hard to find a skirt that truly fits.  Skirts should be just above or just below the knee - never at.  This is hard to achieve for a petite lady.

Good fit, an awesome sale, or on-trend, doesn't mean something looks good or that I should buy it.
I need to be more meta about shopping.  I need to ask myself why I want certain items, and if I really want them at all.  Or why I'm shopping in the first place (eg respite...its true).

No more mall.
The mall sucks.  Seriously.  The best thing I get out of it is Chick-fil-A, which I can do without.  There's nothing in the mall that I can't find online.  Boutiques are more fun and force support of local business.  Plus they have better stuff and better sales.  Recent scores:  A Michael Stars silk shirt for $20 (From ah-ha on Mag, I'm not shitting you) and an Alice + Olivia dress for $50, from my favorite on Metairie Road - SNAP.

Purge my closet.  Frequently, and liberally.
 I've gotten increasingly better about purging, especially in light of various causes (e.g., The No Fleas Market on Mag).  After the devastation of Tacloban, and in light of our trip to the Philippines, we decided to rally and gather goods to Balikbayan.  We ended up with five big boxes of donation goods.  And I know I'll barely miss the items I gave up.

Bring better design to my house.
My house has so much potential.  We have 4 mantles begging for tchochkes.  Walls desperate for decor.  And importantly, remnants from a gutted house ready to be repurposed.  I'm up to the challenge.

and finally, importantly, in light of the amazing vacation I just took:

Make a family tree.  Keep in better touch with the people on it.
My trip to the Philippines included meeting so many relatives and enjoying great times with them.  I am related to amazingly generous, fun, joyful people.  Now I know where Henry (at least in part) gets it.

Friends and Family Tour 2014

I am midway through a very travel-heavy month.  I will post much more on the Philippines soon, but this was the travel layout in a nutshell:

We took planes, boats, and vans to get around throughout 18 days, visiting various parts of Manila, Coron, Lucena, and Baguio.  It was intense.  And I loved it.  I met so many relatives for the first time and saw others with whom I hadn't hung out in ages.  Such an amazing trip.  And now, on to internship interviews...where I will be seeing and staying with friends from undergrad and grad in Chicago, Virginia Beach, Dallas, Houston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.  All within 11 days.

This last romp will be tough but to be honest, traveling alone (read: without a toddler) will basically be a piece of cake.  Can't wait to see all my buddies!