Archives for April 2012

Spring Break Staycation

April 5, 2012 by Amy Leave a Comment

Rarely do I take days off when we’re not going out of town. Actually, up until last March I have always been a contractor so any day I took off was unpaid. Last year, because I got hired in the middle of the year, I didn’t have much time built up and used any days I had on out-of-town vacations. The kids have been on Spring Break this week and my uncle and his family came into town for Easter so I decided to spring for it and use two of my vacation days to be able to just hang out. No big plans, just being available. A little Spring Break Staycation and day one was great.

This morning I made pancakes for the kids and we got ready at leisure. We then did some consignment shopping and picked up a few things for summer.

For the early afternoon, my uncle took us all out on his boat for a few hours. Man, was that relaxing. The wind made it a little chilly so no tubing or skiing but with little to distract us except a nice hum of the engine, I could have nearly gone to sleep. Just the perfect thing for a day off near home.

Late this afternoon we had my cousins (close to the girls’ age) over and then we spent the evening at my parents’. Just some BBQ and a lot of talking.

I have to say, I need to do these random days off at home a lot more often. Exactly what I needed.

American Idol Top 8

April 4, 2012 by Amy 1 Comment

Deandre – There was a lot of that that I really liked actually. Also a lot I didn’t like though.

Elise – Ok I just can’t handle that song messed with. The chorus felt shouty and I just didn’t like what she did in the verses.

Phillip – Good gracious, I love this guy. I just loved that and really want him to just go make an album already.

Colton and Skylar- that was a brilliant choice for both of them. Loved it.

Hollie and Deandre – Why can’t Hollie sing like this on her solos? Deandre was eh.

Joshua – I usually love Joshua but for some of that I felt like he was pushing too hard.

Jessica – Not her best but a decent copycat of Whitney. That said, her voice is just so pretty.

Phillip and Elise – Yikes, that was just a little rough. They just have different styles that didn’t mesh well.

Hollie – First, that dress was so much fun. Pitch problems galore though.

Joshua and Jessica – Loved that. Felt like those two were definitely finale worthy. Wow, J Lo said the same thing!

Colton – This is one of my favorite songs from him. My only complaint with him continues to be enunciation.

Skylar – Wow, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard that sung with so much conviction. Great moment for her.

Favorites: Phillip and Skylar

In trouble: Elise and Deandre

Goodnight, One Tree Hill

April 4, 2012 by Amy 9 Comments

I couldn’t seem to get through the day without talking a bit about One Tree Hill. The last episode is on tonight and while I’ve only watched just a few from this season, I can’t help but acknowledge the mark it made on my life. Can a TV show make a mark on one’s life? Should it? I don’t know, but it did.

My sister finally got me to watch it just when Season 4 was on. I was hooked. That sad, introspective boy with the crush on the girl got to me and I was staying up night after night trying to catch up. I remember one particular Friday night I stayed up until 4am watching episodes.

About this time in 2007, monetizing blogs were really taking off and I watched as one of my friends made several hundred dollars from a fan site. I was already blogging about One Tree Hill on my personal blog and as much as I loved the show, I just knew I could do that too. Well, I did. Off went onetreehillblog.com in just a few months. I remember the first month I was shocked when I made .30 in a day. Nine months later, the site had blown up and if the money had continued at its peak, I could have completely replaced my income. But it wasn’t all about the money. I truly loved the show.

My parents got into the show and before we knew it, we had to visit the nearby set in Wilmington, NC. We went for my 30th birthday in July of 2008. We got to see Quinton’s funeral filmed, visit the set and really get to know this Tree Hill.

Oh, and how about running into “Nathan”, “Brooke” and “Millie” on our way to get ice cream?

In March of 2009, Heather and I went for a unofficial fan reunion where we saw a ton of filming and I finally got my picture with CMM and creator Mark Schwahn as well as many other cast members including Nick Lachey who was guest starring at that time.

(Yes, I know. I look like I’m about to eat him. I was trying to talk.)

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I went back to extra in the show in 2009. Although minute, I’m happy to say I was a part of the show.

I ended up selling the blog at the end of 2010 and my interest the show waned as characters left and the show really changed. I’ve also (tried to) tempered my obsession over TV in the last year or so but I can’t deny how much I loved it.

I have friends that I would have never met…Carolyn, Denise, Kaitlin, Amanda and Jason just to name a few. The show monetarily provided for my family and many others. And of course, the characters gave me something to cheer for, laugh with, hope for, cry over, learn from and simply enjoy.

Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, Nathan, Haley, Mouth and Skills especially will always be special characters. Thanks to all the cast and crew that brought them to life and all the people that supported OTHBlog and shared my crazy love of a TV show.

Goodnight, One Tree Hill.

Saying Yes to the Rain

April 3, 2012 by Amy 6 Comments

Drops started and children played.

Mother instinct starts. Come in! Stay safe! Stay clean! Something stopped me. Perhaps a divine reminder kids need to be kids. Instead of a yell, I went for a camera.

What is it about the rain that makes you want to dance?

To turn your face clear up to the sky and take what it gives?

From where does the urge come to find the puddles? Surely it wasn’t mother-taught.

The laughter, the dancing, the twirling.

Sometimes I think we hold too tight and forget there’s joy in letting go. Sure there are times when a no is entirely necessary but others, we are so quick to jump to the right thing we forget it may not be the right thing at all.

A challenge for mothers today: what can you say yes to today?

Mad Hatter Sebastian Stan

April 2, 2012 by Amy 5 Comments

Have you been keeping up with the show Once Upon a Time? To be honest, it’s not the best show ever but it has a few things going for it. I’m captivated by the Snow/Charming storyline. I’m always interested to see how they’re going to finally tie the two worlds together. And finally, I’m curious every week to see a new fairytale tied in.

Well, I just caught up with the The Hat Trick episode and I have to say, I was completely enthralled with the Mad Hatter. Well, not the Mad Hatter but the guy who plays the Mad Hatter—Sebastian Stan. Rarely do I pay attention to guest appearances but I seriously could not quit obsessing how good this guy was. In true Amy fashion, I wanted to know more! And of course, I’m going to share it with you. First, off, here’s a little screencap I took of him as The Mad Hatter.

For once on this show, I actually believed the guy and his insistence on knowing the two worlds. His love of his daughter was moving. And yes, the guy with his scruffy face is pretty to look at. If Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson had a kid, I think this would be him.

So it turns out I’ve seen this guy on screen and didn’t even know it. He played Carter Baizen in Season 2 of Gossip Girl. I watched that whole season but don’t remember him as a stand-out. I rewatched this scene and could recall neither him nor the entire scene.

He also was in Captain America and Black Swan although I’ve seen neither of these and from what I can tell, I wouldn’t have picked him out of the crowd.

Seems like he’s pretty popular in real life as he dated his Gossip Girl costar Leighton Meister for two years and up until December dated Dianna Agron, better known as “Quinn” in Glee.

In any case, I just have to put it out into the Internets that I like this guy and I hope we see more of him. At least checking out the The Hat Trick will be worth your time. I think I’m going to have to give it a second spin myself.

Sebastian, if you have Google Alerts on yourself and happen to read this, please let me thank you for a terrific performance in the OUAT episode. Without giving away the ending of the episode, I do hope we see you again– GraceFully.

Anyone still watching the OUAT? Anyone a Sebastian Stan fan?

Weekend Recap

April 2, 2012 by Amy Leave a Comment

Before I write any sort of recap, I’d like this post to live up to its blog’s name Permission to Peruse. We have a few family members going through some serious stuff. In fact, my busy thoughts and troubled heart are why I didn’t post at all on Friday. Please know as I post in the next days, perhaps weeks, that my heart is heavy. I don’t have the permission to let you peruse the details (sorry, had to) but if you could say some prayers, I know God knows what’s going on.

Scott worked the weekend so those are always the times the girls and I get out and have some sweet girl times together. Friday night we got out to the park. Emma was hilarious as two younger boys tried to join in their fun in the sand box and Emma kept looking at me and mouthing, “Save. me.” It made me giggle even though we all know she’s been the busy little girl no one could keep up with before.

Saturday morning we got out to the library. I love, love that both of the girls are becoming bookworms and nothing makes me happier than all of us carrying an armful of books out the door. Their current favorite is Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I was shocked when Emma ended up reading one of them in less than 24 hours. We hit up the grocery store and then did a little spring clothes shopping. We didn’t make any plans for Spring Break and the only request Lexi had was to go to Justice. I don’t know if that’s good or bad but I do know one outfit is a lot cheaper than a Spring Break week at Disney. We had someone come out and talk to us about landscaping the front yard since we never planted anything after the addition last year. We had another friend stop by and then the girls and I just spent the night at home, capping off the day with an episode of Little House of the Prairie. I’m not sure the girls quite appreciate the show yet. In the middle, Emma exclaimed, “This is so pointless!” The episode was about a couple in the town on the brink of divorce so I’m just not sure she connected. Ah well, at least I’m trying.

Sunday we had church and lunch and then the girls stayed over with their cousin. I did some heavier grocery shopping, laundry and the like. My niece stayed over last night and we ended up at my parents’ house for the evening where they played, visited a neighbor’s horse and watched a movie in their theater room.

Today is the first day of Spring Break. We have family coming in to town on Wednesday so I decided to take Thursday and Friday off. It’s a short work-week and I couldn’t be more excited.

Before I end, I wanted to highlight the blog’s newest (and first!) official Sponsor. Casey Coley is a Thirty-one consultant. You’ll see her ad on the right sidebar. I’m proud to say I managed to put that button together in Photoshop. Musings of a Housewife has a great tutorial on creating a button. Go visit Casey’s Thirty-one site and check out the latest Spring patterns and bags.