I realize this is a bit overdue, but I didn't want to neglect posting it.
Around the house:
Childproofing, grabbing no-touch items from Elijah's tight grip or mouth, balancing working full-time/reduced hours and being a mama full-time, attempting to organize and rid our house of clutter, making lots of donations to Good Will or local resale shops, getting utterly sick of the indoors and Winter, and trying to get picture books printed.
Movies:
Ride Along:
This has been a pretty popular movie. Kevin Hart is hysterical and totally worth watching. But Ice Cube's acting skills continue to leave something to be desired. So much of it feels forced. There was some language I didn't care for, the story line wasn't as good as it could have been, and there's a scene that some could really misinterpret. I was very aware of who was sitting around me in the theatre and given the vulnerable teenage audience, I wasn't comfortable with some of the messages sent out in this movie. But, it was really funny.
Catching Fire:
I absolutely loved this movie! I've seen it twice and I still love it. But the second time I saw it with a friend who had read the books much more recently, and she reminded me of some of the things that were different in the movie. Not that it didn't make for a great movie, but there were just things I didn't remember that might have been nice to have in the movie. Granted, it was long enough as it is! We saw a 9:50 p.m. showing and it's a 2 hr 26 min movie. So yeah, we were tired! But I think overall making a book into a movie is really hard, and I think they did a fabulous job keeping the main things the theme. I liked Katniss more in the movie than I did the book, and I think I liked Peeta a little bit less. Since I was watching it more removed from the books {and I do forget things easily}, it was quite an edgy, gripping film with great special effects. There's less gore than in the first movie and I appreciate that. The acting is phenomenal throughout. I love Katniss, Gale, and Peeta in the books generally. But in the movies I love Haymitch {Woody Harrelson}, Effie {Elizabeth Banks}, and Caesar Flickerman {Stanley Tucci}. They should seriously win some awards for the acting, in my opinion. Worth a look if you're into The Hunger Games. I was on the edge of my seat and was amazed at how quickly the time went by the first time I saw it. Granted the guy in front of me said "boy, that's 2.5 hrs of my life I'll never get back!" So, do keep in mind, I'm also pretty easily impressed!
Books:
Grace for the Good Girl:
I've followed the author Emily's blog for quite some time, even before she wrote this book. She's friends/co-horts with my blog friend Mary. I love her writing style so I knew I'd like this book. And I was write. I am absolutely loving it!! I grew up with very similar rules and a "boring" life story just like her. I came to know Jesus at a young age and was vulnerable to feeling like I didn't measure up because I didn't have a 'dramatic conversion' story. This book is really helping shake my viewpoint and alter my perspective, very much for the better!
Unglued:
I've always loved Proverbs 31 ministries and Lysa's writing. Now I love it even more! This book is definitely hitting me hard as I navigate anger issues and trying to get some control over my emotions. It is absolutely phenomenal.
Divergent:
I was pretty impressed with this best-selling fiction book. But it did remind me why I like to read Christian fiction instead. Even though I've a TV/movie junkie, I don't like there to be bad language much in books I'm reading, or provocative scenes. There were times I skimmed quickly if things got too romantic, and times I wanted to gag. Well-written young adult fiction should be gripping without being overly trying to "fit in" to the culture. I felt it was too romanticized and too over-the-top for what it could have been. But with that said, I did also really love most of it. It is a very gripping, edgy story with lots of twists and interesting concepts. I love the Chicago setting :) and the main characters as the young heroes. It reminds me of The Hunger Games in that sense. Young adults need people to look up to these days, and the heroes in these sets of novels are definitely becoming like that for people who can't find them in real life or who want to be like their characters. The rest of us can use these stories as reminders of the types of examples kids need and who we really want to be.
Television:
How I Met Your Mother:
Soooo ready for this show to end. I have to see how it ends, but its time has past. I stopped watching last season and am only watching to see how it ends this year. But I'm starting to loathe it.
Intelligence:
A good show with good actors, but it seems to be missing something. I want to keep watching, so I really hope they step it up a bit. Otherwise this one could soon be a dud. Maybe since it somewhat resembles the idea behind Chuck, I keep hoping it'll bring in some of that goodness and charm. So far, notsomuch.
Chicago Fire:
Ohhhh how I love this show! This is my new TV addiction. It is so gripping, so entertaining, and I feel like the characters are my friends. Plus, I get to see great shots of my favorite city each episode! One of my acquaintances {aka Facebook friends} from college was an extra in one of the first episodes, which made it fun too. There are portions of the show I really wish they'd stop showing, things I just don't need to see on TV. So it makes it hard for me to really rave about the show and makes me feel a smidge guilty. But I do love it. :)
Chicago PD:
This is by the makers of Chicago Fire, and part of what I love about it is the overlap between the two shows, with the actors going back-and-forth sometimes. I get such a kick out of this and it's so fun! I think this is shaping up to be a good show too and it's definitely worth a look.
Almost Human:
I mostly started watching this because Tim was so intrigued by it. At first I didn't like it and was a bit annoyed by it, but now I really enjoy it. I just hope it lasts!
Revolution:
I gave up on this one a while ago. No more Revolution boring-ness for me. They changed the story line far too much and reminded me of the now-defunct Heroes when it went downhill after season 1.
Person of Interest, Elementary, Hawaii Five-O, Blue Bloods, and NCIS: Los Angeles are still major favorites and we are always keeping up with these. We still keep up with NCIS as well, but I'm not sure how I feel yet about this new character. Can I be completely honest? It drives me crazy that her hair is dyed blonde and her eyebrows are dark black. I mean, crazy. I can't stand it. Maybe because they certainly can afford to dye one of the two, and I am just going bonkers each week trying to figure out why they haven't.
That's the latest around here. What have you been up to this January/February?
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