things i've been meaning to blog about, watch it edition: fall movies & new tv series

After I started a job in Columbus, life got very hectic and I took an unplanned break from this blog. Since leaving that job and moving again, I've returned and recommitted to regularly blogging at Beagle & Bear. Part of that returns includes a blog series called "Things I've Been Meaning to Blog About," which is made up of posts I intended to publish in summer or early fall but haven't yet. This post is the last of that series.

Source: trailers.apple.com via Stéfanie on Pinterest

Movie: 50/50 (pictured above)

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

See it if you enjoy: laughing and crying at the same time, taking a stand, friendship, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anna Kendrick.

Movie: Moneyball

Rating*: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

See it if you enjoy: baseball, rooting for the underdog, true stories, and Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Did you see either of these films? What did you think?

Source: Uploaded by user via Misty on Pinterest

TV Show: 2 Broke Girls (pictured above)

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Watch it if you enjoy: strong female characters, non-stop jokes, New York City, and Kat Dennings, Beth Behrs, and Nick Zano.

TV Show: New Girl

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Watch it if you enjoy: the movie No Strings Attached (the creator of the show also wrote that film), close male-female friendships, stories about roommates, and Zooey Deschanel, Jake M. Johnson, Max Greenfield, and Lamorne Morris.

Source: cinemablend.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

TV Show: Up All Night (pictured above)

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Watch it if you enjoy: comedic looks at parenthood and marriage, shows like The Office or Parks and Recreation, characters with ridiculous egos, and Will Arnett, Christina Applegate, and Maya Rudolph.

TV Show: Last Man Standing

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Watch it if you enjoy: family-oriented sitcoms, issues and antics between sisters, the Midwest, and Tim Allen, Nancy Travis, and Hector Elizondo. (Note: I probably wouldn't watch this show if I wasn't home on Tuesday nights and had cable, but I'm glad I do! It brings me back to the glory days of Home Improvement without being exactly the same thing).

Source: google.com via Sara on Pinterest

TV Show: Pan Am (pictured above)

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Watch it if you enjoy: anything to do with the 1960s, drama that includes both action and romance, exotic settings, and Christina Ricci, Mike Vogel, and Kelli Garner.

TV shows that have been cancelled already that I actually liked: ABC's Charlie's Angels reboot, NBC's The Playboy Club

TV shows that I've heard are good and I want to watch but haven't been able to yet: Suburgatory, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, and Whitney.

What fall shows have you been watching? What do you think?

* (rating rationale)

use it: favorite teas

Happy November, everyone! : ) It seems like fall is finally underway here in Ohio, with the all the trees' leaves changed or fallen and the temperatures in the 50s. Since it's officially "jacket weather," I'm pretty much craving huge cups of hot tea all the time. That being said, I do have some favorites:

Source: celestialseasonings.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Celestial Seasonings is my go-to tea when I am craving a hot fruity drink. It's yummy, low in price, and can be found in almost every grocery store. I love all the (caffeine free) flavors in the fruit tea sampler: Raspberry Zinger, Country Peach Passion, Wild Berry Zinger, True Blueberry, and Wild Cherry Berry.

Source: twiningsusa.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Twinings of London is my "everyday" tea. I adore the English Breakfast tea for the rare mornings when I don't want coffee or in many afternoons that I need a pick-me-up. I even have decaffeinated English Breakfast tea at night before bed when I'm stressed out or sick. I also love Twinings' black tea fruit fusions: mixed berry, blackcurrant breeze, and pomegranate delight are my favorites.

Source: starbucks.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Tazo teas can be found at the grocery store or at Starbucks. My alma mater has a Starbucks in its student union that is on meal plan, and I would grab cups of tea before class or studying. Tazo Awake tea probably the best tea alternative to coffee that I have found. Tazo's Passion tea is delicious, as is its Wild Orange tea (At Starbucks, you get two tea bags with a venti tea, so sometimes I combine one Passion and one Wild Orange. Yummy!).

Source: stashtea.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Stash tea is my favorite hard-to-find tea (at least in Ohio!). Some varieties are available in some grocery stores, but your best bet is to order them online. My absolute favorite flavor is Licorice Spice. It takes a bit of time to get used to, but once you've gained a taste for it, you're obsessed. I also love Lemon Blossom, Wild Raspberry, Mango Passionfruit, Blueberry, and Strawberry Pomegranate, Peppermint, and Chamomile.

What about you - Do you drink tea? What are your favorites?

weekend wrap-up

This was a perfect fall weekend! Friday I left to visit Dan in Columbus, and that evening we had an amazing dinner at The Wine Guy. Afterwards, we ate ice cream and watched Paranormal Activity (which totally freaked me out!). Saturday afternoon Dan and I went shopping and out for lunch. In the evening, we all ate cake in celebration of Dan's father's birthday. (Also on Saturday, my alma mater won in football! Ay Ziggy Zoomba!) Sunday morning we ate pancakes and relaxed. In the afternoon we carved pumpkins, made caramel apples, drank apple cider, and went for a walk with Madison. Then I headed home to Cleveland. My family and I ate our last made-on-the-grill meal of the year, sat around a fire to chat, and ate pumpkin mousse pie and homemade apple crisp. Tell me about your weekend : )

Clockwise from top left:

Dan and I before dinner Friday night; Madison in the bat Halloween costume we bought her Saturday afternoon; pumpkin spice coffee and birthday cake; Dan and I with our pumpkins (a cat and a bat); caramel apple and apple cider with a goofy Halloween straw; sitting around the fire with my family back home Sunday night.

All photos taken via Instagram.

saluting the small things (day five)

TGIF! and the final day of my appreciation week for the little things in life:

Source: bohemea.tumblr.com via Kelly on Pinterest

1. Mega-cuddling with your pets (love that this dog looks like a pit bull...we think Madison may have some pit bull in her).

Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Kelly on Pinterest

2. The perfect night in - books and wine.

Source: etsy.com via Kelly on Pinterest

3. A classic sassy Marilyn Monroe quote.

This week's posts were fun and refreshing to create - the perfect accompaniment for the craziness of this week and easing back into regularly blogging. Did you enjoy them? What little things have you been loving as of late?

What do you have planned for this weekend? I will be visiting Dan, and we are going to have a full-out fall fun fest - carving pumpkins, watching scary movies, drinking apple cider, playing outside with Madison, etc. I will also be posting some weekly gems! : )

get fit get strong: training time

Source: ourtimetochange.tumblr.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Hello, everyone! What have you been up to the past couple weeks? My new job is great! I am really enjoying myself - keeping super busy, but liking where I'm at and what I'm doing.

Last week I began training for my first 5K (using the Couch to 5K iPhone app). I have never really been into running or enjoyed running that much, but I wanted to give it a wholehearted shot. I want to make running part of my fitness routine because you can do it indoors or outdoors, it doesn't require equipment, you can do it by yourself or with friends, and you can do it competitively. I have always done better with fitness routines if the routine was centered on a training program and a specific goal.

All that being said, I am going to knock an item off my fitness bucket list and run a 5K. I know a 5K is around 3 miles and isn't too hard for a lot of people, but it will be a challenge for me, both physically and mentally. To help motivate myself (beyond the basic inspiration of getting healthier and doing well in a 5K), I am participating in an October 15th race that's part of my alma mater's homecoming weekend events. I walked in the event a couple years ago, and it's a very low-pressure, fun atmosphere. Also, it's my first homecoming weekend as a BGSU alumna, so it will be nice to run around my former campus, reliving old memories and seeing the new buildings that were completed this summer. Plus, the sooner I finish my 5K, the sooner I can go tailgate for the football game! : )

Have you ever run a 5K? Do you have any tips for me? Is anyone else running a race this fall?

things that are making me happy

source

wearing a dress with tights and boots

chocolate chip cookies with chocolate frosting

Friends on DVD

mini-walks with the dog

Taylor Swift's Speak Now album

baths to relax & read magazines in

November afternoons so sunny I have to wear sunglasses to drive

hugs from the boyfriend

the holidays getting closer & closer

family : )

What things are making you happy?

the perfect fall saturday

a tree on campus, fall 2009

I think I've found the recipe for a perfect fall day. It must consist of...

sleeping in
sunshine
Tim Horton's breakfast
watching funny TV shows in bed
a long walk in the park with the boyfriend and the dog
gorgeously colored treetops
Subway lunch
quiet day at work
Daylight Savings Time change
football game
late night treats

...or something like that ; ) what's your idea of a perfect fall Saturday?