3/11/14: The Bachelor finale!

OK kids, let's dive in!

Last night we had the finale of JP's season with the After the Final Rose special immediately following. In the finale the women (Clare and Nikki) met his family, including the cousin with braces, and went on their final dates.  Chronologically here is the rundown:

Clare was first and seemed to bond with his mom over his arrogance and lack of tact, both finding comfort in the fact that he's made them both cry. Aw, warm fuzzies! Then came the final date where JP whisked her away for a helicopter ride and whispered sweet nothings in her ear. Oops, scratch that - he whispered nothing sweet in her ear (had momentary dyslexia!) Apparently he told her he doesn't really know anything about her but just really likes to hook up with her. Her red-flag alarms were ringing loud enough for the live audience in LA to hear, but she pushed them aside and he won her over again. And really, talk about a one-track-mind: the minute he gets to her door and she doesn't kiss him that is all he is focused on. "No besos?" NO.  He tries to blame Clare for being so attractive and breaking her own rule about going easy on the kissing, which makes him look like a troll for being unable to accept personal responsibility for his actions (again).  And he really is self-centered in all his conversations, managing to make their emotions seem less important than his own.  Clare: "This has been hard for me."  JP: "This has been hard for me too, you know - Cameeeela, what women do I like, eees hard."  He's an emotional one-upper.

Nikki's final date was next, and it was awkward to watch. I don't know if she was having a lot of inner dialog that caused so many weird silences, or if her red-flag radar was dinging too and she proceed to ignore it as well. All I know is they didn't talk a lot again/still and he played with her hair again/still.

Stare into the corner of the room, not talking ... that's not weird at all.  

Dude, really - stop touching her hair.  She's not feeling it and seems to be mentally wishing herself away from you.  As I would be too.

He departed her suite and she had a breakdown from the stress. At least she's a pretty crier, I always manage to have an "Oprah Ugly Cry":

We don't see JP meet with Neil Lane but he does have a ring - it's beautiful, but that's par for the course on TB.  Now it's time for the Bataan Death March, er I mean the Final Rose Ceremony:

Clare

 Good dress, bad earrings:

 

Clare trudges her way through the mud path to find JP sweating at the FRC site (seriously, the producers could have told the women to wear flats while wandering first on the beach and then through the mud to get to JuanPabs; I would have been ticked to ruin pretty shoes).  He stared at her until she started talking first, where she gushed about how much they've grown and how much she believes in him.  He starts out sweet, talking about her baby bump intro on Night 1, and then it goes downhill.  He isn't jiving with her and wants her to go home.  He goes in for the hug goodbye and Clare pushes him away, walks away, and tells him off.  FINALLY!!!  She tells the camera she realizes he is not the man she thought he was, wouldn't want a man like him to be the father of her children, and he basically sucks.  You could literally hear the loud cheers from the live studio audience over the show dialog at this point - everyone was happy that she at last saw past his Rico Suave routine and found the path to sanity.  After she walks away JP said outloud "Boy, I'm glad I didn't pick her."  Anything I'd have to say about that is NSFW so use your imagination.

Lucky for her she got to run right into Chris Harrison's arms (rawr!  Is it just me or did he look particularly foxy last night?)  The boat couldn't have gone fast enough for her at this point, and as annoyingly crazy as I still think she is I am so happy she dodged the JP bullet.

Nikki

If you enlarge the picture I'm pretty sure she was choking back vomit on her walk to the FRC. 

JP again stands there in silence again until Nikki starts talking first - which was filled with a lot of "I don't know" and "I like you".  Deep stuff.  JP then starts to ramble about how he likes her, thinks she's beautiful, but won't propose even though he has a ring in his pocket.  Instead he offers her his final rose.  The look on her face read to me as disbelief, disappointment, and just enough hesitation to say "No thanks" -- do you agree?:

Nothing about her expression screams excitement or thrill ...

Either way she finally says sure and they lived happily ever after.  Or not.

After the Final Rose
We segue to the After special where Clare dishes about the helicopter ride gone sour, her true feelings about JP, and her impression of the season and him in general.  She seems to be happier now, has no desire to see JP again, and swiftly exits before he comes out.  Nikki comes out next and seems defensive of their relationship (or lack thereof) and the fact that he has never actually said "I love you" to her.  4 months after taping you'd think that would have happened, but she brushes it off as OK and they bring out the man of the hour.

Everyone seemed irritated with him about how he dodged the simple follow up questions posed, still not answering if he is in love with Nikki.  They are hoping to keep their lives private now that the show is over, and are ready to wash their hands of the entire experience or further ties.  Catherine (Sean's wife) told him to not bite the hand that feeds you and be a little more forthcoming with the show that made this all possible.  JP of course didn't understand that phrase so CH had to explain it to him, after which he still refused to answer.

Given his never ending language barrier, JP will never understand irony like that.

As JP took his lashings from Chris and the alum he and Nikki kept scooting closer and closer to each other - to me it looked like thinly veiled attempts to show the world they are happy, and I'm not buying it.

In the end, JP proved to be motivated by lust not love, and I don't give Nikki a fighting chance to make it to summer with him.

Moral of the story: never trust a bro with an anklet:

Thank you for sticking with me through this very trying season - hopefully the next installment of The Bachelorette this summer proves easier to stomach.  Speaking of which, we have our next Bachelorette:

Andi!

She is taking time off from fighting the drug lords of Atlanta to find her lobster*.  I am pleased with the (albeit predictable) choice and have high hopes for her to find a good guy.  She looked great last night rocking the discoball mini dress :)  See you May 19th for the opener!

* if you know that reference you are my new best friend

The Oscars!

We'll go in order of the evening, starting with the red carpet.  I am no stylist or fashion expert but I had my favorites (and hate-its) - so let's dig in!

Nude and illusion gowns were having a major moment, and we had some winners and some losers:

Cate Blanchett / Giuliana Rancic / Sarah Paulson = Winners!

 

Sally Hawkins = not so much

 

Her sleeves are too long, there is no shape to her dress (clearly she skipped the tailor), and up close the embroidery looked too heavy for her frame and the silhouette of the gown.  She was kinda channeling Bea Arthur during the taping of Maude.  Not good.  Maybe on a taller person, with an up-do, and maybe with cap sleeves instead it would work.  But then again maybe not.

 

The men brought the style old-school in white dinner jackets.  This is a trend I can get behind - they all looked good (though I wish Jared Leto would get a haircut):

Jared Leto / Matthew McConaughy / Ryan Seacrest = Winners!

 

I even think KD Lang looked phenomenal!  I haven't seen her around in awhile, so it was great to see her out and about:

Oh, wait that's Johnny Weir ... in that case this is terrible.  I know he's over-the-top but leave the white jeggings and sparkly shoes at home.  Yikes! 

 

I enjoyed Ellen's opening monologue, and Jared Leto's acceptance speech was really touching.  Lupita Nyong'o was so genuinely excited to win for Best Supporting Actress, and that's the only reason I tune in each year.  It's fun to see such elegant, successful, and famous people get so excited, like kids opening birthday or Christmas presents.  They ordered pizza, took selfies, Cate Blanchett told Julia Roberts to #suckit, and all in all I think this year's broadcast was a success.  I do have a few grievances to air:

 

1. Weird camera angles.  They placed some cameras in the audience looking somewhat toward the stage, but mainly at the backs of people's heads.  I caught it a few times and it was just odd.  Maybe they were trying to give the folks at home the illusion they are there in the audience too -- trying to pull a fast one on Big Daddy!  (you are a new bestie if you know that reference!)

 

2. The stage props looked a little too much like the giant gummy bears in the original "Willy Wonka" crossed with the robots in "I, Robot".  Admit it, you see it too:

 =

 

*Side note: They actually played "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka during Lupita's acceptance speech.  You can't make this up, it's like they knew I was watching!  Enjoy a little earwig today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2pt2-F2j2g 

 

3. I love and hate the "In Memoriam" section of the Oscars for obvious reasons -- but this year they were especially mean having Bette sing "Wind Beneath My Wings" ... someone pass the tissues, I can't take it!

 

Moving on, Pharrell wore bedazzled red high-tops during his song performance - which was a sweet nod to Judy Garland.  It is the 75th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz this year, afterall.  He was also still sporting his Dudley Do-Right hat, but this time in black.  I wish he would have worn his performance outfit on the red carpet - it was eons better than that ensemble:

 

whatthef is that??? 

 

In another homage to stars gone by, there was blazer bling like Rod Roddy's on the guys in U2 (The Edge on the far left and the unknown fellow on the far right):

 

 

I miss Rod, he brought so much flair to TPIR - figuratively and literally :)

 

OK, without further ado, here are my winners and losers in fashion:



 

My Best Dressed

1. Sandra Bullock - absolute perfection!  I want her dress, her hair, everything - she looks beautiful

2. The Divine Miss M, Bette Midler - just lovely!  Great hair, perfect amount of accessories, and I am loving red on her

3. Lupita Nyong'o - I love that pastel, bright blue on her - it's just amazing with her skin tone

 

 

My Honorable Mentions

1. Julia Roberts - I adore her always and she is getting prettier the older she gets; just love her!

2. John Stamos - need I say more?  The only thing better would have been Tom Selleck

 

My Worst Dressed

1. Anne Hathaway - this dress is better than last year, and really not terrible, but it's her entitled, arrogant attitude that really grinds my gears; that is what ruined her entire look for me (man she makes me stabby)

2. Cristin Milioti - her lips are way too dark for that dress, and her dress looks like the lining of whatever gown she was supposed to wear.  Perhaps her dress wasn't ready in time and she said "F it, I'll go in this"

3. Mrs. Chris Hemsworth - I feel terrible putting a pregnant woman on my Worst Dressed list but holy bananas this dress just does not fit her properly.  Beautiful color and the idea of the overall dress is great - but DO NOT build a waistline to hit under the very preggers baby bump, and do not make the armholes & neckline look like they just stretched out with the dress around her...so unflattering to a beautiful woman.  Put an empire waist on it and she'd be in the running for the Best Dressed list!

 

Well guys, that's all I got for this.  Hope you enjoyed my barely-existent recap, you honestly didn't miss much more than that though ;)

Recipe: Strawberry & Melon Salad with Honey & Orange Dressing

This is one of my favorite recipes for spring and summer.  A healthy, easy, beautiful salad with homemade dressing.  The strawberry and cantaloupe are a refreshing flavor combination with the spinach, and the citrus dressing is nice and light.  Enjoy!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

Strawberry & Melon Salad Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, cored and sliced
- 1/2 cup cantaloupe melon, cubed

Honey & Orange Dressing Ingredients
- 1 tbs orange juice
- 1 tbs honey
- 1 1/2 tsp olive oil

Directions
1. Gently toss all salad ingredients together in a bowl
2. Shake all dressing ingredients together in a covered container
3. Stir dressing into assembled salad until coated
4. Serve

Decorating: Side Table Vignet

This should almost be Part 2 to the post about our bar re-do, as it is the direct result of that change. When we sold the large bar and downsized to the cabinet that fit in the dining room, we were finally able to center our huge sectional in the living room. Moving the sofa freed up a lot of space in front of the window, and I knew just how to fill it!

We had a matching tripod floor lamp in the guest room that we brought back downstairs, and with the estate sale clean-out of my Grandma and Grandpa's house fully underway I inherited a gem of an accent table. They used to use it as a pedestal for their smaller Christmas tree, so it's really special to me to have it in my home now.

It's a medium-stained wood, pedestal leg, round table. There is one drawer with a great lion's head pull, and the four claw feet off the pedestal are metal-capped. What character!!

I like little pops of color and sparkle, and was able to sprinkle both in with tchotchkes I bought at Hobby Lobby (can I just say that I love that store?! Every fall for the past 4 years I've trekked down to the Rochester location with my mom and sister to plow through their Christmas decorations - now that there is a store in Woodbury I am pleased as punch! Watch out, Mr. Becky - this could get dangerous ;) hahaha)

I found a really cool picture frame that is printed with several different state license plates, a "mercury glass" type owl, and a teal glass jug. I like grouping items in threes (or fours in this case because the table is large enough to accommodate) for visual interest and I really liked the mix of materials, finishes, and colors I was able to blend together. The final piece on the table is a glass 'snowball' candle holder that was also my Grandma and Grandpa's.

I love how it turned out - what do you think?

 

Craft Project: Sweater Pillow Covers

This is a really easy project, and you don't need a lot of skill to complete it. I'll start with the why because I like to tell stories, and then will get into the how.

Our current living room contains a good mix of masculine and feminine, style and comfort. When we bought our sectional almost 2 years ago it came with 5 accent pillows - good quality, and the fabrics chosen matched the sofa nicely. But I hated them - isn't that always the case?

I was on a quest last summer to find replacements and finally settled on a bright floral pattern with reds, yellows, greens,and blues. Great for spring, summer, and even fall - but not so great for winter. So, it was time to find an alternate!

I love the look of cable knit pillow covers; they are cozy, soft, add texture and interest - but they are usually really expensive. I also subscribe to the adage of using what you have, and hated the idea of having a bunch of extra throw pillows that I would have to find storage for somewhere in the house when springtime finally rolled back.

So, I had an idea: I will make my own!

No, not actually knitting 4 different covers - I crochet sometimes, but hate having deadlines when I do it - so that was out. I decided to be economical and earth-friendly and repurpose men's sweaters from the thrift store. It would be helpful to bring a pillow with you to ensure it fits in the sweater properly, but if you have a good idea of the size and how the sweater will fit & stretch that should work too. I picked out 5 sweaters of varying colors and knit patterns (I don't like matchy-matchy and wanted it to look like a collection versus cookie-cutter): red, cream, brown, and green. Let's get to work!

Supplies:
- Sweaters large enough to fit your pillows (qty for however many you are covering)
- Buttons (toggle buttons work great, but just buttons large enough to hold the fabric without leaving big gaps)
- Sewing machine (way easier than sewing by hand; I tried, and failed)

How:
- Lay the sweater out flat, and place your pillow on top of it
- Trim off the arms
- Trim off the neckline
- Sew the top (former neck opening area) closed
- Sew button holes and buttons to the hemline of the sweater
- Place pillow form inside new sweater pillow cover
- DONE!

If you're making multiple for the same area you might want to vary the types of buttons you use. For example, on my brown pillow cover I used wooden toggle buttons; on the cream pillow cover I used clear glass buttons. It's nice to have a variety to individualize each cover for added interest and texture as well.

Here is a diagram detailing how I made them, and a few photos of my completed projects! Total cost of materials: $35 for 4 pillow covers

 

 

I mixed in one store bought accent pillow embroidered with flat gold sequins for a little touch of holiday glam -- I think the third size and embellishments rounded out the set nicely.

 

(Accent "Noel" pillow: Target; Threshold Holiday 2013 collection. $19.99)

Decorating: Dry Bar

Hello friends :)

As promised, this site is to also share some craft projects and other musings -- it's not just all Bachelor talk.  So, the first I'll share is the latest project: redecorate the living room!

We moved into our current house about 18 months ago.  I feel in love with it just by looking at the pictures online, and totally jumped the gun by signing a 2 year lease right away.  I have since regretted the decision (it's far away from just about everything and everyone; the neighbors can be weird; and the space is so oddly laid out fitting our furniture in here has taken a lot of finesse).

We came with a lot of really big furniture, and with our lease up in September the idea of trying to find a new place with the right layout/square footage to accommodate all of this same large furniture was starting to daunt me.  Plus, we've had most of the same stuff for up to 4 years and I love to decorate - all of this added up to a change!

It started with selling our bar.  This was a feature piece of furniture in our house, and the first thing we bought after we got married.  Found at Becker outlet, it was supposed to be a TV entertainment unit.  I had a vision to turn it into a dry bar.

The piece was large (6.5 feet tall) but had a great structure - back lit shelves on top, a large "counter" space in the middle, 2 cabinets below, and finally a large drawer at the very bottom. Cherry finished with brushed silver hardware -- love at first sight.

My vision came to life with the purchase and self-installation of 2 different under-cabinet wine glass racks. One purchased from www.wineenthusiast.com and the other from www.Target.com. In total there were 9 slots that could have held a maximum of 27 standard wine glasses (ours held a little less because we mixed in martini glasses which take up a little more room than the wine glasses and champagne flutes). The upper shelves were storage/display for wine and liquor, the cabinets held the ice bucket/decanter/assorted bar ware, and the bottom drawer held cocktail stirrers, napkins, and coasters.  It was beautiful!

                                                                         Original Bar

As I said, we bought this after our wedding so have had it for about 4 years. We've moved it to 3 houses in that time, and it was getting to be a chore. In our last home it created a nice segue in the open-concept between living and dining rooms - in our new house it looked like it was wedged in the corner. Time to change things up!

So, we sold the old bar on craigslist.org, and I set my sights on a smaller cabinet that would fit nicely in the dining room. I found a red-painted, 2 door cabinet on www.Target.com. While smaller, it fits in great with the other dining furniture (also big pieces) and the painted wood adds a great pop of color to the main floor:

                                                                            New Bar

This piece will travel nicely when we move in the fall and can be versatile enough to go anywhere and be used for anything, making it a good investment piece.

I pride myself in having a knack for seeing furniture as what they could be and not necessarily for what they just are - so get creative when you are shopping too and customize pieces you love to fit the purpose you need them for! It's a lot of fun and you're guaranteed to have a unique home this way.

(New bar cabinet: Target - Threshold Windham Accent Cabinet; pricing varies by color)

Craft Project: DIY baptism gift

Last fall Mr. and I were invited to the baptism of his new second cousin. I've never attended one as an adult, so was at a loss for what to give as a small token to celebrate the occassion. I wracked my brain, did internet searches galore, and was coming up empty for something that really "spoke" to me. So, I decided to DIY it :)

I wanted something personalized, something meaningful, and something that would remain special to the baby as she grew up. I got the idea to go with something framed (not having kids myself I can only guess how many trinkets/toys/clothes/etc they get and I wanted to give something a little different). Given that baptism is a holy sacarement welcoming the new child into the church, I then settled on the "Lord's Prayer" as the item to frame.

I typed up the prayer and selected a very traditional font, personalized it with the baby's name and baptism date, and then jazzed it up. I went to my local craft store and found a few really pretty sets of scrapbooking stickers - one set was all crosses in various styles, and the other had religious phrases and words.

Once home I tinkered with a few different layouts and styles until I settled on an elegant cross for the center, some accent designs for the corners, and a single "Faith" embelishment for the mat around the prayer. Framed in dark wood with a note on the inside saying who it was from, and it was done!

The finished product is tasteful and meaningful - just what we were looking for!