And the Oscar Goes to...

Oscar season is upon us! My youngest son and I are starting our quest to watch as many of the Best Picture nominees as we can before the Academy Awards air on March 2.

Recently we watched Captain Phillips. May I just say that I don't understand why Tom Hanks wasn't nominated for his very superlative performance? His performance was gripping!

I bought some Alamo Drafthouse movie tickets through a wonderful Groupon offer so that we can go see the movies that are still showing in theaters. We are debating on what to go see: American Hustle and Wolf of Wall Street are at the top of my list but my son isn't sure he wants to see a movie that may have sex scenes in it with his mother...Twelve Years a Slave is still in theaters as is Frozen, and Dallas Buyers Club.

If you have not had the opportunity to watch movies at Alamo Drafthouse, I strongly urge you to give them a try. The cost of the movies is often less than at other theaters and the movie going experience is much better. If someone in an Alamo theater pops out a cell phone during a movie, the staff at Alamo Drafthouse will pop them out of the theater! Also, they have a strict no-children policy that I very much appreciate. I love children and have often felt very uncomfortable seeing young children at adult movies. This is not an issue at Alamo Drafthouse.

I also want to see Philomena as I adore Judy Dench in just about everything. I saw the actual Philomena on The View. I am a sucker for stories that are based on real people and events; it is the journalist in me. I think that true life is way more interesting than fiction. Unfortunately, Philomena doesn't seem to playing anywhere near me and the DVD doesn't come out until two days after the Oscars. So, I won't be able to see it before the show but I do plan to see it as soon as I can.

We are going to rent Gravity and Nebraska when they are available on February 25. Can you tell that we take this Oscar stuff very seriously?

We find this to be another way we can live large on a small budget- for more on how we roll at my house see my post Tighten Your Spending Not Your Living. We get our movie tickets as inexpensively as possible, rent movies from Redbox, print the ballots (Printable Oscar Ballot) to fill out before the show, decorate the dining room table creatively with movies and other things we have around the house, and serve special snacks for our own Oscar party. The person who does the best at choosing the winners gets a prize too. Last year I found an instrumental CD of Oscar nominated movie soundtracks at the Dollar Tree for our prize. So, even our prize was inexpensive AND it went with the Oscar theme!

Do you enjoy the Oscars? What movie do you think will win Best Picture? Let's discuss below in the comments.

Making the Most of Summer

My husband, youngest son, and I just celebrated the first full day of summer by lighting the fire pit and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows together. We sat outside talking, enjoying the longest day of the year, and looking at the much brighter moon. My husband was surprised when he looked at his phone to check the time and found that it was still light at 9:00 p.m.

I love that aspect of summer. Longer days mean more time to enjoy the perks summer brings with it. I rise earlier in the summer as my body is very attuned to the light cycle. I stay up later for the same reason.

Last week I took a lazy nap in the double rocker on my mother-in-law's back porch.  With the ceiling fan on high, my favorite Pandora station playing in the background, and the cooing of Mourning Doves, I was in nap time Nirvana. I couldn't have pulled this feat of relaxation off so well any other time of the year. It is a summer thing.

Another summer pleasure is making cool, refreshing drinks, meals, and desserts. Our big garden is a major player in this effort. My husband harvested a nice selection of tomatillos, tomatoes, peppers, and onions today. Right away I began planning a salsa cruda to top some homemade tortilla chips as a light appetizer before one of our dinners this week. Our various mint plants are also providing nice additions to iced tea and minted water.

Each season lasts only a short three month period of time. I am determined to enjoy each season while it lasts instead of complaining and wishing it away for the next one. So, raise a glass of iced tea to summer and let me know what you will be doing to celebrate and enjoy the next three months.