We all know TV in the summertime can be really bad. There’s typically only reruns or dumb filler shows on prime time TV. This is good, though, because it allows us to catch up on the Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, and Hulu shows we want to watch. Which is exactly what I did this summer. I mentioned in this post what I was planning to watch this summer. Well, not all plans work out but sometimes that’s for the best. Here’s a breakdown of what I’ve watched, what I liked, what I didn’t, and what I didn’t get around to.
Continue reading “What You Should Watch Next and What You can Skip”Tag: stranger things
Seven on a Saturday- What I’m Watching Lately
People are always making posts on social media wondering what they should watch next. I always scroll the comments before posting, and I get so many recommendations. However, I didn’t watch Bird Box like most people recommended. I’ve also yet to watch You on Netflix with Penn Badgley, but it’s most definitely on my list. Have you watched that one? Will I be afraid to go outside alone? I hear it’s super creepy. Anyway, I’ve watched some great shows from scrolling those comments, so I thought I’d drop seven of them here in a post with a little description so you can decide if you’d like to start watching one of them on this lovely Saturday.
Grace and Frankie (Netflix)- This show is hilarious. I don’t particularly relate to the characters who have moved in together in their 70s because their husbands left them for each other! However, it makes for some funny TV. Both Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda are downright quick-witted and fun to watch. All of the characters are funny in their own way and bring their own depth and element to the story so that you get very attached to them. There’s also been some fun guest stars like Craig T. Nelson, Lisa Kudrow, and Sam Elliot to name a few. I’m in season four (out of five), and it’s just pure entertainment that makes me laugh out loud. It’s light-hearted and pretty mindless, so it won’t make you cry or anything. Just good fun. It’s not for the kiddos, though, so make sure you watch this one without little ears and eyes.
Stranger Things (Netflix)- I’m about a year and a half late to season two of this show, but it was worth the wait! Paul and I randomly decided to watch it after putting it off for so long, and we are so happy we did. I have a love/hate relationship with shows like this one. I don’t get scared of the alien stuff, but the suspense is killer to me. I do love how well the show is written and how it caused me to get invested in the characters. Eleven is one complicated little girl, and I absolutely loved her story line and that we got to know a little about why she is the way she is. If you haven’t watched it, do it! And if you haven’t watched any of Stranger Things, you are seriously missing out. It is truly more than the suspenseful alien invasion, but it definitely lives up to it’s name because it is the strangest television show I’ve ever watched.
I am the Night (TNT)- I’ll go ahead and say this show was a big thumbs down for me. I wanted to like it because of Chris Pine. I think he’s actually a great actor, but let’s be honest, he’s hot and watching him for an hour each week wasn’t going to hurt at all. It was said to be based on true events about a reporter that supposedly solved the Black Dahlia murder, but obviously the killer goes free. I suppose if you’re interested in this particular murder case and are more informed that I, give it a go. However, I did not understand many parts of the story and how they were relevant. When the last episode went off Paul and I looked at each other with absolute confusion. We thought it was kind of stupid, but it had just enough suspense to keep you wanting the next episode. Overall it was a let down.
Made for More Documentary (Amazon Prime Vidoe)- This documentary is from Rachel Hollis of Girl, Wash Your Face. It was basically her book in documentary form. She has previously released this film to select theaters around the country that had only one or two showings. A friend of mine in Baton Rouge had tickets to see it and loved it. She’s the one that told me about the book, too. When she posted to her social media that Made for More was out on Amazon Prime Video, I knew I had to check it out. Thanks, Whitney! It was great. If you like her motivational spirit and have read Girl, Wash Your Face, you’ll enjoy this film. It was cool to see the behind the scenes operations of her conferences, and you truly get a sense of her heart behind this mission she has to help empower other women. I thought it was very nice and worth the watch.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Movie)- Melissa McCarthy (you know, the funny one) gave a very serious and dramatic performance as Lee Isreal in this movie. It tells the story of how Lee Isreal fabricated and sold letters written by other famous people in order to make money because she was so broke. It had funny elements that McCarthy plays to perfection, but it is not a comedy. It was very heavy, in fact, and had many deep issues to work through. I really enjoyed it and understood her award nominations, including that Oscar. It’s definitely not a feel-good movie, but if you like Melissa McCarthy and interesting movies, I recommend this one. I got mine from Red Box, but it might be at the library now.
BlacKkKlansman (Movie)- This Spike Lee film was pretty great. It tells the story of Ron Stallworth, an African-American detective that infiltrates the KKK. It had excellent comedic performances, but it also really showed how things were in the early 70s with the hatred toward black people. I enjoyed the movie and the story. I’ve never seen a Spike Lee film, so I have no idea if the ending was true to form or not, but as the credits are rolling he shows footage of the attacks that happened in North Carolina this past year. I know the point was to show that racism is still an issue in our country, but I just couldn’t watch people being killed knowing it was real and not part of the movie. That’s the only issue I had with this one. Otherwise, I really liked the story and how it was told and recommend it. This one’s at the library.
Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie)- You guys, this was my favorite movie in a long time. Rami Malek was excellent as Freddie Mercury. I knew something unfortunate happened to him, but I didn’t grow up with Queen playing in our house, so I didn’t know the extent of his story. I’ve been familiar with their music from, I think, D2 The Mighty Ducks. Remember that movie? When they played We Will Rock You and We are the Champions? Then my friend once told me she wanted her family to play Another One Bites the Dust at her funeral. 🙂 Haha! I can’t believe I still remember that. And I distinctly remember head banging my way to Montgomery while listening to Bohemian Rhapsody when I was about fifteen. This movie brought new-to-me songs that are now on regular rotation on my playlist. I thought the movie was very well done. I laughed, I cried, and I sang. Highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it. Not sure if it’s at the library yet, but it’s at Red Box.
What have you watched lately? We attempted The Umbrella Academy on Netflix the other night, but I’m still forming my opinion and need to give it a few more episodes. I’ll report back. Have you seen any of the seven I shared here today? What were your thought? Tell me in the comments.
Happy Saturday, friends!
Currently Loving- July 2017
CURRENTLY LOVING
Well, I hope you didn’t forget about me. I’ve been a little MIA this month due to lots of things, but a lot of it was because I’ve been enjoying my last month of summer vacation before school starts back.
I’m here to share a few things I’m currently loving this month and just to fill you in on life. There’s been a lot going on here around the Norman house, so let’s dive right in, shall we?
Let’s Start with the Negative
This month had so many wonderful things and still more wonderful things are happening the last few days of this month, but one pretty negative thing that happened was that I fell and sprained my ankle. 
I was walking down the back stairs to leave, stepped onto the stepping stones at the bottom of the stairs, but I stepped on it just right to roll my ankle off of the stone and go down to the ground. Arms flailing, dropped everything, hit the dirt. Paul wasn’t home, of course, so I called my mom to come help me. I couldn’t get up on my own and was scared to since I heard my ankle crack when it rolled off the stepping stone. She only lives a few minutes away, so she came right over carrying a walker that my grandparents’ used when they couldn’t get around well. And all I could thing was, “You’ve got to be kidding me. She brought me a walker?!” Turns out, it helped, she got me up and inside, and she even gave up her whole afternoon to drive me around so I could be x-ray’d and seen by the doctor. Thankfully, no break or fracture! I did get crutches, and, y’all, those things ain’t no joke. I’ve never had to have crutches before, and I feel like I’m a pretty coordinated person, but they were hard to maneuver and quite frankly, a pain in the you-know-what.
Another good thing about this situation, I was looked after and cared for and checked on by my wonderful family and friends. I greatly appreciate their worrying about me and taking care of me! I’m still in the brace in the picture above, but those crutches are long gone! (Praise the Lord!)
Now the Bittersweet
Last year when we moved back to Alabama from Louisiana, I was fortunate to get a job teaching at the school from which I graduated. I had the best class and the best experience at a school during a year of transition. But all good things come to an end, as they say, and my time there has ended. I pursued a job in public school, and I got it. I’ll be teaching third grade, and I’m looking forward to the new school and new age group. I’ve only taught Pre-K and Kindergarten, so third grade is a new challenge for me, but I know this is the right thing for me to do at this point in my career.
With that being said, to Mrs. Ellinor, Mrs. Debbie, Mrs. Susie, Mrs. Kaye, Mrs. Alicia, and Mama, thank you for taking me in and helping me out in every way you could. I literally couldn’t have done it without your help. I am so blessed to have come into an environment that truly felt like family, that was supportive, that was fun, that was never boring, and that had such dang good food! I’ll miss birthday celebrations! 🙂 And when things were so tough for our family this year, thank you for taking care of me and my mama. I love y’all so much!
Current TV Faves
It’s no surprise to see that heading. If you’ve been here more than once, you’ve probably seen something about television shows or movies.
Last month I mentioned that I was into Gossip Girl. (Paul likes to call this “trash tv”.) Apparently I really like “trash tv”. I managed to watch all episodes of Gossip Girl, all episodes of Southern Charm on Bravo (the past seasons are On Demand), and a few other shows that rank up there on his “trash tv” meter…I guess…I happen to quite like these shows and know that other people do too, so shut it, Paul. 🙂
But the truth is, Paul likes TV as much as I do, and though we may not watch “trash tv” together, we do watch a lot of great shows together. One we really got into was Stranger Things.
Holy moly, y’all! I don’t do scary, but this one was so good! We couldn’t get enough. Funny story, we watched it, finished the last episode, and the next night out bathroom light started flickering non-stop. *Gasp* I needed Eleven!! 🙂 Turns out, we just needed to change our light bulbs. And I heard they released the trailer for season two! I’ll definitely be watching.
Then we decided it was about time we jumped on the Game of Thrones train.
What a stinking emotional roller coaster! Anytime you like someone, they die. When you hate someone and they finally die, you cheer because they were so horrible. We have one episode left in season six, then we can catch up with season seven and be live with everyone else. I watch a lot of it through my fingers because it’s pretty graphic with the violence, but the story is interesting, and I totally get the hype now.
Also, the Mother of Dragons…favorite character, hands down.
Then Tyrion. He’s so funny! All three of these characters are really great, actually.
One more, maybe more wholesome and culturally educating thing I’ve been watching is the Smithsonian Channel. I decided maybe I was watching too much “trash tv” and needed something educational in my life, so I found the Smithsonian channel. My brother was in town a while back and found a show called Aerial America and that episode was about Philadelphia. He and my dad just went there on vacation, and he was pointing out all the things that they had done and seen. I became intrigued and looked up more shows that are on this channel. My most favorite so far is First Ladies Revealed. Amazing show! If you get this channel, just watch something. It’s so informative. And if you love history, you’ll love it.
Speaking of First Ladies
I’m currently reading Laura Bush’s memoir, Spoken From the Heart. 
You can see the crutches propped against the wall in this picture. I stayed off of my ankle a few days and was really able to dive into this amazing book during that time. I bought this from a thrift store and very long time ago and, like so many other books on my shelf, I’ve never gotten around to reading it. But in that effort to have more wholesome things in my life instead of the “trash tv”, I decided I’d give it a go. Laura Bush is excellent with words. She can describe a Texas landscape in a way that I know if I looked up that area, the picture in my mind would be exactly what I saw in a real photograph. She is a well-read woman who writes like a seasoned author. I am not finished yet, but I am absolutely loving it. I wish I had been old enough to truly follow, understand, and appreciate this administration as it was going on. I highly recommend this one.
Beauty Product
I’ve spoken about Beauty Counter products before here on the blog. I have been using their charcoal soap and charcoal mask for several months now. I am also using their sunscreen and have started using a foundation that I’m really enjoying. 
I apply it with a brush and find it very blendable, and you can build up coverage if you aren’t satisfied with the first application. It doesn’t feel too heavy, and the best part is- it’s a safe product for your skin. If you click the picture it’ll take you to the page about this product. I encourage you to look around the site if you are looking for safer beauty options.
Last but Not Least
I sure hope y’all are still reading.
Here’s just a few more random things I’m currently loving this month (most of these are recaps from Instagram, but I did thrown in a few I haven’t shared): 
Still obsessing over watermelon. Most of my local people are nearly out of their watermelons, though. Hopefully our local grocery stores have some good ones.
These were an early anniversary gift from Paul. Aren’t they fabulous?! They speak directly to my leopard-loving heart. You can get your own pair from the lovely boutique called Simply Chic Baton Rouge. They will ship to you here in Alabama. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook. Absolutely amazing!
I have loved visiting the Alabama Shakespeare Festival since I was kid. (The bathroom still has the same wallpaper, y’all! If any of you remember from field trips, that is.) This summer I was the third wheel on my parents’ date night to see Mary Poppins. It was a fabulous show, and if it’s still running, get your tickets now and go! And that gorgeous building…I just love it.
I recently got to experience BBQ 65 right off the interstate at the Pineapple exit. I got the smoked chicken sandwich with white BBQ sauce and friend green tomatoes. Just go. Do yourself a favor and go. You won’t be disappointed, and I’ve not heard one person say anything bad about what they ordered. DO IT! 
My mom’s birthday was this month and we had a delicious supper. My brother came home, and we spent the afternoon in the kitchen cooking for her. I gave her a Mary Kay Andrews’ cookbook, The Beach House Cookbook, for Christmas. There’s a recipe in there called Grits and Greens, and it’s southern deliciousness like you’ve never tasted. We thought it’d be good to put shrimp in it, so Andrew, my brother, made the shrimp, I made the casserole, and of course you have to have some Conecuh sausage to go with it. Birthday banana pudding for dessert, and we were all full as ticks. (That one’s for my daddy!) 🙂 So much goodness on that table right there. Mmm…
And just for fun…I love me some Snapchat. This filter is everything, and I can’t get enough of it. Its as fun as the one that gives you big lips and teeth. It’s the little things, right?
I sure hope y’all had a great July and a great summer. Enjoy these last few days before school starts for you and/or your kiddos. I know I’m going to!