American Idol - Top Girls

So after the guys tore it up last night, I almost don't even want to watch the girls. Especially when I'm getting texts from my friend at work that the girls are stinkin' it up. Guess we'll have to see. A chick hasn't won in five seasons. I don't see this being their season...

Chelsea Sorrell - "Cowboy Casanova" - I don't remember her. Hubby doesn't either. Meh. Some notes are working but I definitely hear a couple falling flat. I could pull a Jennifer and say, "At least she looks cute!" haha I dig anything with sequins. Randy is already questioning her song choice. Jennifer said she was a little nasally. THAT'S what I couldn't put my finger on. I stand by my "meh."

Erika Van Pelt - "What About Love" - I DO remember her. I liked her audition and I liked her in Hollywood. She sang a song by Pink. Good stuff. Couple notes that made me scrunch my face. And her jacket with the awful shoulder pads is causing me physical pain... but overall I like her. She has power behind her voice. The judges love her.

Again... Ryan is so tiny! Like he's part fairy or something... I feel like I forget this every year and by halfway through the season I'm over it again.

Jen Hirsh - "One and Only" - I feel like Adele might be the latest artist to sing something that amateurs shouldn't take a shot at. I don't think I've heard anyone nail anything by her. Still, she does a pretty good job. I like her. Better than the first girl. The judges like her.

Ugh. So tired of the word "swag." First of all, what the heck is it supposed to mean? Second, do we have to say it SO MUCH? Thanks Randy, for reminding me how I don't enjoy that word.

Brielle Von Hugel - "Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay" - I have to get this out of the way... I can't stand her momager. Yeah, I called her that. She's nuts. I'm hearing good things and bad things in this song. I like her more than I dislike her I guess. Although wardrobe obviously isn't a fan since they put her in a dress that makes her look a little sausage-y. Highlight of her turn? Steven Tyler singing a couple notes afterward. Love him.

Hallie Day - "Feeling Good" - One of my favoritest songs ever. Someone does it every year. I usually prefer when it's a hottie, but oh well. I loved her beginning, but once she started wandering the stage she lost me a little. I wanted to love her. The judges liked her well enough. And I hope she stays because I think she could be good.

Side note: I swear it's like people are getting cash just for saying Adele's name lately. I feel like she's been mentioned SO MUCH already this season. I could probably turn it into a drinking game. Hmmmm...

Skylar Laine - "Stay With Me" - Sorry but my first reaction was, "What on earth is she wearing?" It's like something from the set of Dancing With the Stars. Hmmm... when I look past the outfit she sounds pretty good. A little too bouncy. Hubby think she sounds too "generic country." And now she's spazzing. Wow... this is more interesting than I thought it would be. The judges loved her.

Oh yeah, Randy is an attention whore. "Look at me! I'm relevant! I recorded that song!"

Baylie Brown - "Amazed" - Totally saw this song done live. Just had to say that. :) And... sads. It's no bueno. Hubby and I looked at each other and shook our heads. Poor thing. At least she looks pretty! haha I'll be surprised if she stays tomorrow night. Poor thing. I should also mention that Steven AND Jennifer told her how pretty she was. Death sentence...

Hollie Cavanagh - "Reflection" - She had me unsure at the beginning, but then she busted out the chorus and I kinda like her. Had to laugh at hubby right now who suddenly blurted, "That's from Mulan!" He was a little proud of himself for figuring that out. I'll give her one of the three best of the night. So far. The judges loved her.

Haley Johnsen - "Sweet Dreams" - First, I want her hair. Second, I don't want her dress. Third, odd song choice. For reals yo. Sorry. My inner Randy was coming out. I would love to love her for being brave and choosing an unusual song. But I don't. She had some good notes, but it was... weird. Jennifer was sunshiney and tried to figure out nice things to say.

Shannon Magrane - "Light Your World" - Did I get that title right? Whatevs. She sounded good. Definitely one of the best so far. It's crazy how good she is at sixteen. The judges gushed.

Jessica Sanchez - "Love You, I Do" - I don't know if I like the song itself. But she sounds good. Like, probably best of the night. Must be, judges stood up for her and Randy couldn't stop saying "yo." Which apparently means a good thing. We need a dictionary for Randy-speak. Anyway, she was good. End of story.

P.S. Jennifer said swag and made me cringe. I've got a new game in the works for this season. Mentions of Adele, mentions of swag...

Elise Testone - "One and Only" - Hubby got a confused look and I had to go double check my notes when Ryan gave the name of the song. Yup. Two girls singing the same song. And sorry Jen, but Elise KILLED IT. I like her a ton better. The judges seemed to like her better too. She has to make it through. Because if she doesn't get voted in,she'll get picked by a judge.

Alright... who's sticking around? Last night it was hard for me to pick the guys. Tonight feels a little easier. I'm not going to call these actual predictions. I'll just say that I'm hoping for them to stick around. I'm not voting tonight. But I did vote for Phil last night. A lot. I won't reveal the actual number.

1. Elise
2. Erika
3. Hallie
4. Hollie
5. Shannon
6. Jessica

We'll have to see tomorrow. I'm not cheering for any of the girls like I am the boys. I will definitely be crushed without my Phil.

American Idol - Top Guys

I like how they pretended it was a shocker that we got another guy. I also like that I see Jennifer Lopez and think to myself, "Oh I totally saw her in person at Disneyland." And yes, she is that pretty in person. And according to my husband, yes, her booty is that big.

I'm just glad we're finally to the real competition. I won't vote yet. I always save that for at least the third or fourth week. But I am pulling for Phil and Colton. No secret there. Sooooo... this week the finalists chose any song they wanted. Could be interesting.

Reed Grimm - "Moves Like Jagger" - I kinda enjoy him. He's kind of weird. In a good way. All you have to do is look at my family to know I'm used to weirdness. I wasn't thrilled with the song choice, it was good though. Tangent: WOW Randy's shirt is obnoxious! Judges agreed his jazzy take was a good start to the night.

Adam Brock - "Think" - I had to laugh at him being told there's a large black woman trapped inside him. He definitely has some diva actions when he's singing. He's good. Good song choice for him. Hubby and I are both thinking that he may not get far though. I don't know if he's marketable to the audience that's left, even if he is good. The judges liked him though. A lot.

Deandre Brackensick - "Reasons" - This song is a bit older than him isn't it? I don't think I like it. Greenlee is putting her head further into the blanket she's sharing with me so I don't think she's impressed. :) I wanted to like him a lot more than I did. I wish he would have picked a different song. He's adorable though and I think he'll stay. The judges are enamored.

Colton Dixon - "Decode" - Let me get this out of the way... *sigh* I do lurve him. It didn't look like Jennifer was feeling it right now... oh well. He'll make it through strictly on cuteness for a bit if nothing else. The judges liked him plenty. So apparently I can't read faces...

Jeremy Rosado - "Gravity" - Love him. Love this song. Love love love it. Such a good choice for him. Goosebumps. Jennifer looks like she wants to cry and I am right there with her. YES. YES. YES. Favorite so far. Steven even called it "as beautiful as beautiful gets." Jennifer gushed. Randy decided to sound stupid even though he could have kept it simple and told the kid how great he was.

Aaron Marcellus - "Never Can Say Good-bye" - Me gusta. I don't love him. But I definitely like. Judges are in love. Standing o.

Chase Likens - "Storm Warning" - Don't know this song. He's totally comfortable with it. It fits him, that's for sure. It's good, but I don't know if it's outstanding. The judges liked him anyway. Tangent: he makes Ryan look so TINY! haha

Creighton Fraker - "True Colors" - Good choice for him. He's good. Especially when he really gets going. The judges enjoyed him, but I have a feeling he may be too "unique" for the majority of the voters.

Phil Phillips - "In The Air Tonight" - HE HAS ME WANTING TO VOTE STARTING NOW. I would easily compare him to Dave Matthews. Agh. No words. Only gushing over here. I would buy his album right now. Call me a fangirl. Jennifer gushed while he got that "aw shucks" look. Randy already got booed for not gushing. And he just compared him to Dave. LOVELOVELOVE. I really might have to vote on the first night for the first time ever.

Eben Franckewitz - "Set Fire to the Rain" - No. Brother-in-law just said it sounds like karaoke (he has now joined us). It's flat. Not exciting. I almost feel bad for the kid, because wasn't he better than this before we go to this point? The judges were too nice. He'll stick around because he has that flippy little Justin Beaver look.

Heejun Han  - "Angels" - Meh. He sounds good. I was more amused with his pre-song video. He makes me laugh with his awkwardness. I wanted to like him more. Jennifer nailed it when she said that the song didn't show off all his vocal skills.

Joshua Ledet - "You Pulled Me Through" - I hate when I don't really know the songs. In this case I don't need to know the song to know that he's killin' it. He just GOOD. I've enjoyed him and I continue to. If he doesn't stick around that'll just be wrong. Standing o from the judges. And they gushed. Because he was so good Jennifer wanted to punch him. She really said that. We all laughed.

*Mystery Surprise Comeback of Mystery*
Jermaine Jones. Not surprised. Kind of amusing watching him next to Ryan. So teeny tiny. I'd probably look like a cow next to Ryan.

So Jermaine sings... "Dance With My Father" - Good. Not exciting. It doesn't make me want to jump up and vote. Randy is praising how different and unique he is... but it might not grab the typical voters.

Okay... so we're losing SIX guys this week. And I cannot even begin to predict. So instead, let's just post the seven that I want to stay the most.

1. Phillip - DUH
2. Jeremy - kid gave me goosebumps
3. Colton
4. Reed
5. Deandre
6. Joshua
7. Aaron

It was tough to pick. Seriously. As long as Phillip and Jeremy make it I can survive. Tomorrow night is girls. If I can convince the laptop to keep working I'll keep up the blogging.

Vote for Phillip! 5709 Gotta get on that...

Mama Bear

You don't have to be a mom to have a mama bear moment. I've been feeling fierce lately and after spending too much time online last night I decided to have some fun with one of my favorite internet memes...

If you don't get it... I'm sorry. I know hubby will get it and laugh. To start, one that I found that made me REALLY laugh. Hopefully y'all understand my love of GSP.

 And here's the one that fierce mama bear/big sister Typhoid made...

I'm picky about the girls that hang around my little brother. Pretty much no one is good enough. Just sayin'... I'm sure you big sisters out there understand.

Sorry for the crap quality. My computer wanted to be a jerk so I went ahead and grabbed the pics with my phone for the blog. Good stuff. And it makes me smile. And hopefully you get it and smile too.

Weekly Manicure

Back to school... *sigh* A week of vacation just isn't enough. I know I shouldn't complain, I'm pretty spoiled to even get a whole week off. And I only have five weeks until Easter break. Four of those days will be half days too.

Anyhow, you're probably here for a manicure...

Ignore the fact that I hadn't cleaned up my cuticles in this picture. Hubby guessed what it's theme is, can you? I'll give you a hint... children's book.

The Cat in the Hat! See my thumb is stripey like his hat. And his bow tie is on my ring finger! Friday would be Dr. Seuss' birthday so we make a semi-big deal about it at school. Last year my kids did their own version of There's a Wocket in My Pocket. It was pretty cute. I don't have anything set in stone for this year, but we'll do something.

Time for a new week... I'm so not ready.

5 Things

I really do mean to blog more often. Honest. It just doesn't happen. You know me... I get busy doing nothing. Hench the lack of pictures on my picture a day page... yeah I don't see that succeeding, perhaps I should take it down.

ANYWAY... I'm having a fabulous week off and spending time at Disneyland with the husband. We'll be home Thursday. When I will relax further until returning to school next week. I love mini-vacations.

But since I had a bit of free time, I thought I would get a couple posts ready. Like today's...

5 Things I Am Excited and Nervous About

1. In just over four weeks I'm making wedding cupcakes. WEDDING. No pressure at all there...
2. In two weeks our second trimester of school ends... meaning conferences. The conferences don't really scare me. I just hate doing all the grades. 
3. Did I mention I'm going to take part in a flash mob??? Yes. I'm going to be part of a flash mob. I've yet to attend the dance class...
4. I'm kind of unofficially on a planning team for a pub crawl here in town. It's Star Wars themed. I told the guy in charge I could make him a Jedi robe. And I can... when I dig out my sewing machine. My sewing room is kind of always a disaster area.
5. Those wedding cupcakes... seriously. I know I can do it, but whoa.

But I'm going to do away with nervousness today and just enjoy Disney. We bought annual passes this year. There will be a lot of trips.

Weekly Manicure

Short and sweet folks... because I need to get going...

Because we're headed to Disneyland!! We bought annual passes this year so this is our first trip. Hooray for passes and family who lets us stay with them!!

I'll be back Thursday. Maybe even posting for Friday...

Weekly Manicure

Themed for the week of course...

Also, you can see I didn't go for bangs. I had a really great hair day on Friday and it made me chicken out. Oh and if you can't tell what the blobs on my fingers are... hearts duh!

It's nice having a holiday to help me decide on my nails. Next week... no holiday but husband and I are going somewhere that will provide a nice theme for me. :) You'll find out later.

"She's got more than enough... to make some poor fool cry."

Random title, I know. Lyric from a song by my cousin's band. I woke up with it stuck in my head. There are worse things to be singing.

I've been slackin' lately. I just don't feel inspired to write about anything. And I do have pictures for the other blog page, but I doubt I have some from every day.

This weekend is more fun mixed with busy stuff. Hair appointment. Musical show with the ladies in my family. I have to dig out my sewing machine because I'm going to try and make a Jedi cloak. Because I'm officially helping with our local STAR WARS PUB CRAWL! It's gonna be legit. Look for me to be really excited about it and posting flyers and all.

Thursday, tomorrow is Friday. I'm really happy about this. I want my weekend right now.

Help

I have a hair appointment Saturday. And I'm a girl so I'm indecisive. I'm definitely getting my Brazilian Blowout again. But I'm wavering on whether or not I want bangs...

For reference, here I am now, without them.

Here's my normal look without them. The old ones are still there, just super long and I kinda like them like that. It's a little swoopy and fun to curl back.

And here's an old picture from when I had them before. I loved them.

So. Torn. I'm rotten with decision-making. Here are a couple pics of what I'm thinking...

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Ashley on Pinterest

 

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Help me decide friends. My appointment is Saturday.

Weekly Manicure

So last week was INSANE. Too much going on for this girl. But I'm home with less to do this week. Not exactly feeling wonderful, but I'm here. And I did my nails.

I got a little Valentine-y.

So last week... errands almost every night because I kept forgetting to pick up stuff that I needed for school or for church. Church Wednesday night. Packing and prepping for 100th Day of School on Thursday night. Rushing out the door Friday afternoon to go to winter camp with eleven of our church girls and my aunt. Camp was super fun of course. Spent lots of time with our intern and my cousin - possibly my two favorite people right now. And of course late nights with my aunt and our girls.

But I'm glad to be home. I missed my bed. And my hubby. And sleep. Not necessarily in that order.