It's My Life

 Here is a recap of our Oscar Night! Who else had a party guest show up wearing a burqa? I did! This is my cousin Wendy. (She is a retired Marine and her husband is retired Navy.) Before her husband retired he was stationed in the Middle East and he brought her home these articles of clothing. (I felt the need to tell you all she was in the service too because I thought she would want me to point that out!) Anyway back to the burqa....how so Argo and even Zero Dark Thirty was this! Wendy welcomed everyone to the party in her burqa. We started our evening early...red carpet coverage started at 4:30 our time. Cocktails and appetizers were in order. Our menu was outlined in a previous post,  Road to the Oscars: What To Eat . The top two photos are the Sweet Potato Lettuce Wraps and the Love Potion Martini's. Both were very yummy. The lettuce wraps might have been the supporting actress that stole our show. They were hot and cold, soft and crunchy all at the same t

Change, my friends, is hard. Change forces us out of our routine and out of our comfort zone. Change brings about an air of uncertainty. Change often makes us feel uncomfortable. It brings about some anxiety and anticipation. The feelings associate with change often makes us avoid it. But change does not have to be bad. It can allow us to grow. Personal, spiritual, and even professional growth can come out of change. Sometimes change can even give us a new perspective, or a restored perspective. A re-commitment if you will. In order to accept change, we have to let go of how we think things should be. Many times we try and change other people's behavior and that is just not possible. When we can't control the situation, we accept it for what it is, then we are free to make the changes necessary for our benefit. So, open your heart. Open your mind. Accept change. And soar! Soar to your greatest potential.

                                                                    I took advantage of a winter storm to finish my latest book. My book this month is considered a classic. In the literature world a classic is a book that stands the test of time. It's story and message remain relevant to many different generations. This month I read, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Many of the reviews I read online claim this to be one of F. Scott Fitzgerald's best novels. I can make no such claims. This is the first time I have read his work. I will also be honest with you being on The Road To Oscar I have spent a great deal of time in the movie theater lately and this book is being made into a new movie staring Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie looks good and it made me want to read the book!                                                                   The story is set in the pre-depression era of 1920's. The narrator, Nick Carraway, has finished his studies at Yale and move

                                                                       The movie count is down to three. Three movies is all I was unable to see this year. Hitchcock never came close to my area (in fact a search showed it was not playing in a 250 mile radius of my home zip code). I missed my chance to see Wreck It Ralph. And I do not think I am going to go see Chasing Ice just for a best song nomination. I have taken advantage of free printables on the web and have made Oscar Bingo cards, Red Carpet Score Sheets, and of course the Oscar ballot. The other really big decision to be made is food for the big night. Every Oscar Night we gather together and make food inspired by the Best Picture nominations. I love this part. It is so much fun to sit and talk about the movie after you see it and determine the best dish that will take you back to a moment in the movie. Amour: What a beautiful and sad love story. In honor of the title of this movie and the love between the two main

This is a post that started back in September. Back when it was warmer. Back at a small town's 25th class reunion. Two classmates, who each have a love of campers, started talking about RV's. They quickly discovered they were owners at the same time share. They quickly hashed a plan to meet at the time share for a winter retreat. They decided to invite a third classmate. The winter is now here. It is cold. But we are lucky because some days are not as cold as others. But it is still winter. The ground is frozen, the grass is brown, there are no leaves on the trees. The classmates and their spouses traveled to Branson, Missouri this past weekend. {I can't tell you how much we all needed a winter break!}  Do you see children in our photos? No! That is because despite all of our character, we left them at home. This was an adults only trip. Besides fishing...and shopping...and eating...and laughing we did a little sightseeing. We visited Smallin Civil War Ca

I have been so busy watching movies on my  Road To Oscars  that I have neglected reading. This past weekend, having no movies to see, I caught up on my reading. One of my goals this year is to increase the amount I read. Last year I averaged about a book a month and this year I want to increase that by 100%.                                                  I just finished reading The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. My husband jokes that he can tell when I am totally into a book, he will catch me reading with every glimpse he makes. Although it took me a few days to really get into this book, I found it addictive and I could NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN! The book is set in England and flashes back and forth in time. It begins with a young adolescent Laurel, sneaking away from her families celebration of her baby brother's birthday. She is hiding in her childhood tree house dreaming of her future when something catches her attention. She looks out of the tree house to see a stranger ap

Did you watch the big game?   Did you have friends over? What did you think of the half time show?   How about the blackout? What was your favorite commercial? We did have friends over. Not a large crowd as in years past but a few people, all pulled together in the hours before kick-off. Thankfully years of big football parties has left me with an ample supply of football decorations. We were able to pull some items together. I used the windsock cans from last year to hold the goal post.  This banner was made last year. It was the only banner that was not team specific. We pulled together some yummy food. I made homemade chicken wings {which I will say I barely got to eat any of. I guess they were good!}. I also made some Twisty Dogs, sausage wantons  and buffalo chicken dip. I made Jello Jigglers and  a giant football shaped Rice Krispie. Our friend brought over some Beer Cheese Dip, Guacamole, and Rotel dip. The teen boys in the house devou