Sunday, June 30, 2013

Belated Saturday Style~

Good to my word, as always! *Snicker* Le Saturday style on Sunday as promised. ;) 

I've done a 'double bun' updo before but I saw this picture...

And well. I decided to sort of copy it. 

This might be one of the most confusing tutorials I've ever done.   But don't let me be the judge of that. Grab a brush, some hairpins and a scarf and find out for yourself! You know you want to.

So you're going to take the top half of your hair and tie it into a high knot. Like so;

1.) Take the top half of your hair and wrap it around your hand.
2.) Twist your hand down, creating a loop.


3.) Take hair and pull it through the loop.
4.) Pull it tight-ish and get the knot positioned where you want it.
5.) Twist the tail and wrap it around. 


6.) Pin in place. Since it's in a knot, it stays up almost by itself. 
7.) Now you repeat all the above steps with the bottom section of hair. Make sure to keep it as close to the other knot as you can. They look better that way.


And just finish by tying the scarf of your choice around your head.


Voila!


If the whole knot thing is just way to confusing, do two normal little buns and don't worry about tying your hair up. It works pretty much the same way. If you have shorter hair, the knots probably wont work anyway, and two little buns might be your best option.

This style is nice and cool feeling. It's good for those really hot summer days when you want your hair off your neck. ;) 

I am very sorry if you were confused all the way through this post. I was actually confusing myself writing the tutorial. Not a great sign.
I'm thinking about trying to do vlog hairstyles...what do you all think? The only thing is, I might be even more confusing live! It is entirely possible.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone! 

God Bless,
Amy



Thursday, June 27, 2013

Random things

What-ho, all you wonderful people! How's life for all of you? No mid-week 'blahs', I hope! *Grin*

Not to get all boring and talk about the weather, but the weather has been really weird here. The beginning of the week was cold, (Getting down into the 30's at night....) and rainy and very gray. The sort of weather that begs for an High Tea. Which my sister and I did in fact have.


Biscuits, strawberries...that clotted cream is a British thing. It tastes like whipped cream but is the constancy more of butter. It is delicious. And hot, milky, wonderful tea...Ah. It was very yummy. 

Today, however is hot. Which is sort of nice since it is almost July. But my poor plants have no idea hot to deal with these sudden changes!

My lettuce is dying. *Sniffs* The little patch of it that I had, all leafy and delicate, is practically gone.  This is how I feel as I watch it dwindle away.


But my peas, on the other hand, are little troopers! They're just growing away. If I'm lucky, I might actually get a pod on one of them! (Sarcasm intended.)


Ah...anyway.

Is anyone else really looking forward to the 4th of July? Got any plans? I'd love to hear! Doesn't it just seem right to watch Captain America on the 4th? *fingers crossed*

Oh, heads up. Saturday Style might not happen till Sunday. I work all day Saturday and quite frankly, I doubt I'll be awesome enough to manage a 'style'. So...deal with it. lol.

Since this post is already totally random, I just feel like now's a good time to mention that I really need to get back into playing my flute! It was sort of a New Year's resolution (And you can all see how well that's going) so I figure now might be a good time to kick that whole thing into gear. My biggest problem with it? I'm just lazy. *Nods* I'm not gonna lie.

But my beautiful, wonderful flute just needs to be played and loved and cared for! I think it misses me. 

What's happening with all of you? Any plans for the weekend or things that you really need to get done? You know I"m just asking so that you'll comment. *Smirk* 
But really...

Good night and God Bless.
Amy

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Saturday Style~

This style was hastily thrown together this morning before I went to work. I'm not usually the sort to wear the tied up shirt, but for some reason this shirt does it for me. ;)


The hairstyle was pretty easy, but I didn't think to take any pictures of how I did it. I'm going to try to do an actual hairstyle tutorial next week. I haven't done one for a really long time!

Maybe I'll try to do this one.

Or this one?
You know, maybe make some use of my pinterest board. :)

By the way, if any of you are tired of these Saturday collages, just let me know, okay? I don't want to bore you all. You know,  sort of the whole, "Oh, there's that blog with the same pictures every Saturday!"....Not what I'm going for. *Smile*

Anyway,

It was a good day.

Work was really crazy-busy, but in a good way. I'm really enjoying my florist job. And today I got to try my hand at creating an arrangement! It was fun and a little bit scary. I mean, someone bought these flowers...and I'm the one that has to make sure they look good! *Gulp* 

Really though, my co-workers are awesome and they'd help me out if I were in a fix. ;)

I was rather pleased with the end results though. It looks pretty good, no?


I just discovered this song this last week and I love it! You know how you hear a song and it's sort of your theme for the week? Or month? Or maybe even longer?
Well, this has been my song this week. I've been listening to it over and over. And being the emotional person that I am, I cry almost every time! I'm not sure why. It's not a sad song. But the lyrics are so pretty...

"I had the time of my life 
Fighting Dragons with you."

                        

God Bless! Have a wonderful weekend!
Amy

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Keturah and Lord Death


This book was lovely. I have been in the mood for a book that is sweet, simple and beautifully written and this one delivered quite nicely. It's not a fast-paced sort of story, nor does anything spectacular happen in it. It's very much an old fashioned fairy tale--at least, that's the overwhelming feel of it.

"I will tell you a story of magic and love, of daring and death, and one to comfort your heart. It will be the truest story I've ever told. Now listen, and tell me if it is not so."

Keturah is sixteen when she get's lost in the forest--sixteen when Lord Death comes for her. She knows it is her time to die, but she tells the Great Lord a story. She tells him about a girl that is waiting for her true love.

“...the girl longed for a love that could not be ended by death. From the time she was young, she knew that her true love was there, somewhere, living a life that would one day intersect her own. Knowing this made every day full of sweet possibility. Knowing that her true love lived and breathed and went about his day under her same sun made her fears vanish, her sorrows small, and her hopes high. Though she did not yet know his face, the color of his eyes, still she knew him better than anyone else knew him, knew his hopes and dreams, what made him laugh and cry.” 

Lord Death listens and when she stops, the story hanging and unfinished, he tells her to go on.
Keturah tells him that she will finish telling him the story...tomorrow.

She asks for one more day to live.

And Death gives it to her. One more day to find her true love.

If she doesn't find him, though, than she will marry Lord Death himself.


“You, my lord, are the ending of all true stories.” 

Most stories in this day and age don't really put much importance on a girl longing to settle down and get married. For a girl's dreams to be quite simply a home to call her own, a husband that she loves and who loves her back, and her own little baby to rock to sleep. 

It was so refreshing.

Keturah is a very well-written character and the type of heroin that I wish would show up more often. She's brave without realizing how brave she is. She's not daring, she doesn't long for adventure and she doesn't want to die. But she makes sacrifices for her family, her friends and her town. She cares about people she doesn't really know. She puts others first all the time.

I really loved the way she faces Death.

“Tell me what it is like to die," I answered.
He dismounted from his horse, looking at me strangely the whole while. "You experience something similar every day," he said softly. "It is as familiar to you as bread and butter."
"Yes," I said. "It is like every night when I fall asleep."
"No. It is like every morning when you wake up.”


I love the way she longs so much to find her own true love. Not the shallow, passion-only type of love, but the real, grow-old-together type of love. It's sweet and sad and wonderful.

I confess, the whole ending made me cry. It was the perfect way to end the story, but it leaves you with a slightly achy feeling inside. Which is sometimes the way the story just has to end, you know?

This book is on the 'I will own this someday' list. I've never read another book like it, and it was so well done....

That's all for now!

Except, here's a video of Tom Hiddleston doing one of the most amazing Shakespeare monologues ever. 

It. Is. Awesome.


          






Saturday, June 15, 2013

Saturday Style~Explorer Style

This has been one of my favorite outfits this year.

 It reminds me of a female version of Indiana Jones.

Or Tinint. 

It was perfect for today, tramping about in the woods and climbing boulders.


Saturdays are just the best!

                                     
A couple of my sisters and I are house sitting this weekend. This is the view from the deck.
Not too shabby.

Now I'm off. It's time for some ice cream. And Tangled. *Smirk* I get to watch Flynn Rider tonight, you all!



And speaking of Tangled, have any of you seen this? I love it!

              

God Bless!
Amy

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Action movies

I always enjoy a good action/suspense type movie. I like chase scenes and gun fights and explosions. I like good guy vs bad guy. And I like the adrenaline rush I get watching somebody else running for their life or fighting for their life or being cleverer than the bad guy.

I like that.

I don't care a whole lot for psychological thrillers or scary supernatural movies, in fact, I hate supernatural movies, but I don't seem to have a problem with guns and fighting and blood...as long as the blood isn't super bloody. :p


So here are a couple of my favorites in no particular order. I know that everyone has different tastes and all that, so please, use your own discretion if you decide to watch any of these. 

The Fugitive. 


Come on, people, it's Harrison Ford playing a wrongly convicted man, on the run to prove that he's innocent. That means it's awesome!


Plus, Tommy Lee Jones is the U.S. Marshal that is after him.


This is definitely a adult movie. It's intense, there is some swearing and there are at least three rather brutal fights. Also there is one brief scene where Richard has a dream about his late wife. It's very short and mostly suggested, but we always fast forward through it. ;) 
There is also a short scene where Richard is tending his own wound and you see his side pretty exposed. You could also fast forward through that if you'd like--it is very brief.
In my opinion, the beginning is the scariest part of this movie. Most of it is just a chase. And I do so love a good chase! And did I mention that it's Harrison Ford? *Grin*

Now that I made that movie sound terrifying and awful, let's move on to the next one, eh?

Executive Decision.

This is kind of my go-to intense movie. When terrorist take over a plane and threaten to blow it up on American soil, a group of special ops sneak on to the plain in mid-air (Yeah, it's pretty epic) and try to take back the plan and defuse a bomb before the military shoots the plan down.

This movie is fun. It's very clean except for violence and swearing and the characters are pretty cool. The most violent part of this movie is at the very beginning as well, so if you're squeamish, don't look. ;) This movie deals quite a bit with terrorist attacks in general and military violence. 

My favorite character is this guy
Who just so happens to be the voice of Sid in Ice Age. 

I think the ending is particularly good. 

Cellular

A woman is kidnapped. Using the shattered remains of a phone, she taps wires together until she dials a number.

This guy answers his phone and now he's stuck trying to help a women he doesn't even know.
Yes, my friends, that is Captain America. *Smirk*

Again, violence, swearing--one particular word over and over again. There's a beach scene near the beginning that we fast forward (it might be two scenes, I can't remember) and an off-color conversation that we mute. Other than than, I think it's clean.


This movie is a nice mix of really intense stuff with some comic relief thrown in. Once it gets going it's non-stop action. This poor guy is so out of his depth. ;)


Mission Impossible--Ghost Protocol.

I am not really into any of the other mission impossible movies, but I must say, I love Ghost Protocol. It's not scary, really, but it's fun, crazy and completely...impossible. 

Jeremy Renner is so cool in it.

I think that the unbelievable, over-the-top action movies might be some of my favorite. The humor in this movie is great and the characters work well off each other. 
There is a little bit of innuendo and the girl wears a slinky dress, but that's it. I even like Tom Cruse  in this one and that doesn't usually happen. Though I still feel he should have his hair shorter.

Simon Pegg? Awesome.

The Bourne Movies
All of them.

A man is pulled from the ocean by a fishing crew.  He has no memory of who he is or what he does. He can just do things. Things that scare him. 
On top of all that, there are people trying to kill him and he has no idea why. 


The Bourne movies sort of have everything I want in an action movie. There is a lot of fighting, but  for the most part it's pretty bloodless and more just cool martial arts type fighting. That's the very best kind of fighting, I think.
There is loads of chase scenes--both rooftop leaping, building scaling, and car chases. Love it.
I love the way Jason Bourne's character  develops through the movies. He is so awesome in the last one. The end was perfect.



There is one kissing scene in the first movie that gets carried away, but after that there isn't anything else in the rest of the series. Which is awesome. I don't like romance in my action movies. :D
If I were to warn about anything it would just be swearing an intense action/violence.

This scene is from the first movie and it's one of my very favorite scenes. It's near the beginning and he hasn't discovered anything about himself yet. This is the first time he fights and it freaks him  out a bit.

          

Bourne Legacy.

Not as good as the other Bourne movies, Bourne Legacy is still fun to watch. I can't say that Aaron Cross is quite as likable or well-written a character as Jason Bourne, but he can jump from rooftop to rooftop, scale buildings and fight really well, so I still love him. ;) Oh, and he's Jeremy Renner and that helps. *Grin.*    

So there they are: a few of my favorite action movies. Please do your own rating checks and all that. But if you do watch any of these, let me know how you like it! 

How many of you like action movies? Do you have any suggestions for me? I'd love to hear what movies you guys enjoy. Action or not. ;)

And to finish up, does this movie look awesome to anyone else?

        

God Bless!
Amy

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Gardening~

"When a thing is wick, it has a life about it,
Now maybe not a life like you and me,
But somewhere there's a single streak of green inside it,
come and let me show you what I mean."




Growing things from seed is very challenging where I live. The combination of dry altitude, short growing season and poor, granite-y soil does a lot to curb any enthusiasm a person might have. But for some reason, I always want to try anyway.

I have visions of a garden that just bursts into life, full of flowers, berries. Some vegetables here, some lettuce there...

And most years I'm pretty much a failure at it and stick to planting flowers that already have a healthy root system.  Which is fine, I suppose.

But what I really want is a good old 'victory garden' style vegetable garden.

(If you don't get this, shame on you.)


Yes, laugh all you mid-westerners, but growing vegetables is quite the feat around here!
I have a few sisters that live in the mid-west and grow the most amazing things and tell me how they wish their tomatoes would slow down or that they want to take an ax to their cucumbers. And I feel so proud when I manage to get one strawberry out of the patch. *Sigh*

This year I'm at the whole seed thing again and for the first time I am actually having success!

See my plants! They are growing! This is success.

No really, it's a big deal. 

I feel like:

And then like:


Now let's just hope and pray that I can keep them alive long enough for them to produce veggies. The only other time I got something to grow from seeds, I had planted herbs in a starter kit in the house. They sprouted and leafed beautifully and I showed them off rather proudly to my family. Then I placed them on the deck so they could start to get used to the great outdoors before I transplanted them and a squirrel ATE all of them! I was pretty devastated and it took me a very long time to forgive that squirrel.

This song is from 'The Secret Garden' musical, (which is one of my favorite musicals, by the way. If you like musicals, give it a go. It's got some awesome songs.)  and it just seems to fit this post.

            

God Bless!
Amy

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Wait for iiiiiiiiiiit!

I am just popping on for a moment to mutter a hasty apology for totally abandoning my blog, my followers, pintrest and the internet world in general. I know you've all missed me. *wink*

It's a lame excuse, but I'm just so crazy busy right now! Life is a wild, unpredictable thing, isn't it?  And just when you think you've got a handle on it, it changes.

I'm going to do my darndest to get my posting back up to twice a week. (You may all snicker now. I just did.)

Is anyone else finding life super busy right now or is it just me? I mean like, sort of swamped with tons of annoying little things that somehow manage to fill your whole day? Like a job...or two?

Anyway, my sister showed my a few songs by Hunter Hayes today, (Yep. I just heard of him today. I'm not great at staying in the loop.:) and I really liked the songs she showed me.
I wanted to post 'I want crazy' because that's my favorite of his songs so far and it sort of nails my over-all mood right now. But my sisters has basically forbidden that I post it since she wants to and claimed dibs on it. Soooo....she has the posting rights and I don't. But you should look it up. It's a really cute song.

But here! Listen to this one instead. It's cute too.

            

Take care, everyone.
God Bless!
Amy