Monthly Favorites – Page 2 – Hoots of a Night Al

February Favorites!

It’s March! What?! I’m excited for springtime colors and (hopefully) pretty weather, but I’ll miss boots, hoodies, and chili! Today marks March 1st along with the end of February, so I wanted to share a few of my February Favorites with y’all…

Disneyland: I haven’t really talked about it much here, but Louis and I went to Disneyland again from February 6-10, and it was so fun! We spent 3.5 days at the park enjoying rides, sharing ice cream, and meeting characters. I also got my first two pairs of Mickey ears! Spending all summer there made it feel like “home,” so we were happy to visit again. Now we have equal love for the Disney Resorts on both coasts! Guess we need to go to some international parks now? 😉 I need to post some trip recaps soon!

The Monuments Men: We were so excited for The Monuments Men to come out this February, but it didn’t get very good reviews (scoring only 34% on Rotten Tomatoes). Thankfully, we decided to risk it anyway, and I’m so happy we did! It was funny, emotional, and (loosely) based on a great, true story. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re a fan of Clooney, Damon, Murray & Goodman! My only criticism would have been more Bill Murray screen time because his character was pretty hilarious (as always)!

Revlon Matte Balm in Sultry & Standout: I’ve already blogged my love for Revlon’s new(ish) Matte Balms, but I seriously loved wearing them this month. I even went against my better judgement and wore Standout to substitute for Middle Schoolers. Sultry has been my go-to everyday lip product because it packs just enough of a punch to be dramatic without making me look stupid. So..yay for that.

Nalgene: This one’s kind of silly, but I’ve been using my favorite Nalgene a lot more lately. I’ve always been a big water drinker, but this post, on Sweat Stretch Eat encouraged me to drink even more and keep track of how much I drink to ensure I get enough each day. Since my Nalgene is 32 oz, it’s easy to keep track of exactly how much I’ve consumed. Plus, since it has a screw on lid, it’s easy to carry around with me. And that bright orange? Love. I snagged mine at Target for under $10, and they have tons of great colors if you’re interested!

Chevron Ombré Tile: I snagged this Chevron Ombré Tile at Target on the clearance rack at the beginning of February to add to our bedroom for $9! It’s still listed at $19.99 on their website, and I could only find a tiny white-on-white ding on mine, so I was psyched! It matches our bedroom wall perfectly, and Lou said it’s his new favorite thing in our room, so I’d say that’s a success. It’s much more vibrant in person, but you know I had to add that Instagram filter.

Downton Abbey: Another season of Downton Abbey has come and gone (everyone in the UK is like…uh, ya, we know.) much too quickly. I look forward to this show every week, and my favorite thing may just be the costuming…or the accents. I’ve started saying the words blueberry, strawberry, and spoon with a British accent for some insane reason (I’m not making this up unfortunately), and I can only assume it’s due to this show. My one, very serious, qualm is how short the seasons are! I’m sure it costs about $1.7 million (uhh..or pounds?) to produce each historically accurate (maybe?) episode, but come on. We need at LEAST 12 episodes a season. Please producers, listen up. Give us more Downton.

Super Nintendo: Yes, you read that correctly. My hubbs is a computer genius (not exaggerating), and he bought this mega-cheap computer (I think it was like $25?) called a Raspberry Pi (it’s the cute little rainbow box below) several months ago (could I have had any more parenthesis in this sentence? So sorry.). He’s used it for various projects here and there, but this month he made the incredible decision to turn it into a video game console. We can now download and play virtually any video game from the original Nintendo up to a Playstation 1. I’m not much into current video games, but Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 were my jam back in the day. He can also download old school arcade games. We bought a USB Super Nintendo controller off Amazon, and I’m pretty sure we’ve played almost every day since he set it up. Our current fave is Diddy’s Kong Quest, since we beat Donkey Kong Country. Of course, Mario has to sneak in every once in awhile, too. I really can’t get enough of it. Talk about cheap entertainment.

Hope y’all’s Februarys were amazing, and you’re ready to jump into spring!

January Favorites!

February 1, 2014 No Comments

As January comes to an end, I wanted to share some of my favorite things of the month!

Secret Life of Walter Mitty: Louis and I went to see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty earlier this month. It came out in December with mixed reviews, so we were hesitant to spend $40 on tickets (and snacks because who can to the movie theater and not get popcorn). However, we were craving a movie night date, so we went for it. Yay us because it was soooo good! It was funny, had beautiful scenery, and an amazing soundtrack! We totally loved all of it! It’s still in theaters here, so if it’s in one near you, I’d say go check it out!

Kindle Paperwhite: For months, Louis has been asking me what I think about getting a Kindle. I love reading, but I was stubbornly against getting a Kindle for some reason. I kept saying that I liked the feel of a book in my hands and all this other baloney. Finally, he was like “whatevs, I’m buying it.” Just kidding…he totally doesn’t talk like that. He did finally convince me that we should get one though, and I’m in love! We chose to get the Kindle Paperwhite because it has a light, so I can read in bed at night while Louis’s snoozes. It’s super lightweight, doesn’t hurt my eyes, can hold a bajillion books (seriously like 1,100), and the battery lasts forevs. I should seriously write an entire review about it, but for now, I’ll just say it’s incredible! Like I read 3 books in the first 2 days we had it incredible.

Yummy Baked Chicken Strips & Simple Homemade Baked Fries: I already posted recipes singing the praises of this chicken and potatoes combo, but it’s been on my weekly menu rotation ever since I discovered how much Louis loved it! Figured I’d go ahead and include it on my monthly favorites, and I’m sure it’s not going away anytime soon!

Chicken strips and potatoes

Matched: I’ve had Matched on my goodreads “To Read” list for over a year, so I finally decided to buy it when we got the Kindle. It was good! I read it in 4 hours (what up Young Adult fiction!?), and I was satisfied at the end…it’s a trilogy, so I’m definitely going to read the next two books soon. If you’re looking for a dystopian society young romance novel that’s a quick read…give this one a shot! Bonus: The author’s name is Ally, so (even though it’s spelled wrong) she’s probably pretty cool.

The Elite: This book is basically a less trashy version of The Bachelor with a prince and 35 girls vying to become his princess. The Elite is the second book in a trilogy, and it’s totally just a guilty pleasure. It’s a super quick read (again, Young Adult fiction because I’m only 25), and it’s just fun. I’ve heard rumors of it becoming a TV series, and I would be so happy!

Reign: Oh man, y’all, Reign is so goooood. I think it’s The CW’s answer to the end of Gossip Girl. I mean it basically IS Gossip Girl, just replace Blair with Mary, Queen of Scots, Chuck with Sebastian, and Nate with Prince Francis. The wardrobe is to die for, there are so many love triangles, and SO. MUCH. DRAMA. This show’s been on since the fall, but I’m still obsessed with it, so I wanted to include it on this list. If you loved GG, you’ll love Reign. Trust me.

Dance Moms: Dance Moms is in its 4th season, and the drama has never been better. This show is absolutely ridiculous and so wonderful. The moms are insane, the girls are precious, and Abby is so intense. I love it. My favorite part may be texting my mom about all of the girls and their moms like we know them.

Frozen Soundtrack: I saw Frozen in December, and it was good, but the music OH MAN. It wasn’t until mid-January that I realized, I had been singing, “Let It Go” in my head for a month. Apparently, there’s a Demi Lovato version, but don’t bother listening to that crap. Idina Menzel sings the movie version, and it’s basically the best song ever. There are a few other great songs on the soundtrack, too. Just look up Frozen Playlist on YouTube, and thank me later.

Juno Pandora: I bought the Juno soundtrack when it came out in 2007 (SO LONG AGO!), and I always loved it. I figured I would add Juno on my Pandora playlist, and it’s great! It plays such a cool variety of artists like Bright Eyes, Regina Spektor, Keane, and Sondre Lerche. Most of the songs they play are from movie soundtracks, which makes me feel like my life is a movie. And I’m all about that. Give it a listen if you want.

Thanks for reading my short list of favorites. I’m excited to see what February brings!