monthly favorites – Hoots of a Night Al

Friday Favorites!

January 8, 2016 4 Comments

Happy New Year…ish! We’re a week into 2016, and mine is going great so far! How’s yours? I wanted to pop in and share a few of my recent favorites in case you want to enjoy them, too!

Aspen Bay Volcano Candle

If you’ve ever been to Anthropologie and wondered what smelled so delicious, this is it. My sweet friend Anne came to visit me last fall and I raved about how much I loved the scent of this candle while we were out shopping. When Christmas rolled around, she surprised me with my very own!:) This sweet, fragrant candle is almost always burning when I’m home now, and I know I’ll have to repurchase another one soon!

Today is Going to Be a Great Day! Poster Calendar

After looking around for the perfect calendar for the new year, I found this one and fell in love. Each month has a quote written and designed by various artists. Even better, the designs have perforated edges, so they can be saved and framed as decor later! I already want to use half of the months as decoration, so I can’t wait for the year to rush by, so I can tear them out! 12 poster prints (11″ x 14″) for $15 plus a functional calendar seems like a great deal to me!

MyFitnessPal

Louis and I have started the new year (like many others I’m sure) with a goal of eating healthier and being more active. The only way I’m able to keep myself accountable and on track is with the help of MyFitnessPal. I use it to track my calories consumed, exercise, and weight, conveniently all in one place. It’s free on the app store and also accessible online (for free!). Give it a try if you need help tracking your own fitness goals!

Duolingo

Duolingo is a free service Louis told me about that allows you to learn a new language through daily exercises. They have over 20 languages to learn, and I started with Spanish. I don’t know if y’all are like me, but despite “learning” Spanish for 4 years in school…I barely retained any. Oops. However, the activities on Duolingo are created in such a way that my retention rate is MUCH higher! I complete a few of the lessons each day, and I’m currently on a 63 day streak, which proves learning a new language can be fun. 🙂 If you’re looking for another way to grow this year, perhaps learning a new language is a good place to start? Once we feel relatively comfortable with Spanish, Louis and I are moving on to French!

Snapchat

I know Snapchat is nothing new, but I didn’t really get it for awhile. However, I’ve recently gotten more into it, and I love it! It’s so fun to try out the various lense filters, add text to my photos, and look at other people’s stories. I’m not following that many people, so if you’re on, let me know, so I can find you! My username is mrsalilang…hope to see you on Snapchat!

I hope your 2016 has started out wonderfully and only continues to get better! Have a great weekend!

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Monthly Favorites

15 Not-So-Scary Halloween Movies!

October 4, 2015 6 Comments

Happy October everyone! This month, my husband and I decided to make a list of movies to watch together for Halloween-time. The only catch was that I’m not a huge fan of scary movies. And by “not a huge fan,” I mean I won’t watch them under any circumstances. For that reason, we compiled a list of some “Not-So-Scary” Halloween movies to enjoy with each other! Below are 15 movies from our list that I wanted to share in case there are any scaredy-cats like me out there.

The Addams Family

Creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky…you can’t go wrong spending a couple of hours with The Addams family.

Arachnophobia

Harry from Dumb & Dumber as a doctor trying save a town overrun with spiders…what could be better?

The ‘Burbs

This hilarious mystery involves Tom Hanks spying on his sketchy new neighbors with some eccentric sidekicks.

It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

Charlie, Linus, Snoopy and the gang are together again to share some Halloween adventures in a timeless family classic! Corpse Bride

The unbeatable combination of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton means this stop-motion movie gets a little creepy, but it’s still full of fun. Dark Shadows

This remake shows Johnny Depp as an ancient vampire trying to restore his family and their estate to greatness. Young Frankenstein

“No, it’s pronounced ‘Fronkensteen.'” Ghostbusters (1 & 2)

These are some of the weirdest movies I’ve ever seen, and I mean that in the best way. Harry Potter (1-7)

Based on the greatest series ever written, all eight of these movies are perfect to watch any time of year.
Hocus Pocus

Witches, Salem, Halloween night, a black cat…the perfect combination for some not-so-scary entertainment.
Hotel Transylvania

A comedy with Adam Sandler that turns typically spooky monsters into friendly characters? My kind of Halloween movie. The Nightmare Before Christmas

A stellar soundtrack accompanies this quirky love story about pursuing your dreams. Shaun of the Dead

This gory horror-comedy is full of British humor and a few moments that made me jump. Toy Story of Terror!

Our favorite toys are back on an adventure that, as always, leads to them getting in a bind and relying on each other.

Casper

This heart-warming classic was a favorite in my VHS collection growing up, and it still is. Warning: It’s a tearjerker.

I hope this gives you a few alternative movie options to consider during the “month of horror!” I’m thankful Louis is willing to sacrifice watching typically scary movies to watch these with me! Let me know if you have any other Not-So-Scary Halloween movies to add to our growing list!

Monthly Favorites

June Favorites!

July 2, 2014 8 Comments

Howdy folks! Here’s a roundup of some of my favorite things in June!

How to Train Your Dragon 2: If you saw How to Train Your Dragon, you probably fell in love with Hiccup and Toothless and cried when *SPOILER ALERT* Hiccup lost his leg, and they had a major bonding moment. I have to be honest though, the original is better than this sequel. Hiccup reconnects with his mom in Dragon 2, and she’s basically like, “Sorry I left you for 20 years, but I was hanging out with these dragons, are we cool?” and Hiccup is like, “Ya totally!”….so that was kind of dumb. There are a few other parts about the movie that I don’t want to spoil, but I didn’t like. Having said that, the movie has several funny moments and was a fun movie to see with Louis. If you enjoyed the first one, it’s worth making a trip to the theater for.

Chef: Chef was a light-hearted, funny movie following a chef’s decision to leave his restaurant and open a food truck. He travels cross country with his son and friend, and it was an enjoyable journey to witness. Don’t see this movie on a empty stomach though…there are countless scenes of mouthwatering food! Also, as a warning, there is a LOT of bad language. If they took out the curse words, this movie could easily have a PG rating, so I’m not sure why they thought it was necessary to include them? Regardless, if you aren’t bothered by foul language, you’ll probably enjoy Chef!

MasterChef: Speaking of chefs, Louis and I are loving MasterChef this season. It came on a few weeks ago, and we already have our favorites and least favorites picked out. I have no idea why we enjoy this show because we’re totally NOT foodies! Almost all of the “successful” dishes they present aren’t something either of us would even try! I do love the drama between the contestants and the challenges outside of the kitchen though! If you’re watching, who’s your favorite contestant right now?

Amazon Prime Music: Recently Amazon Prime released Amazon Prime Music, and I’m loving it! If you are an Amazon Prime member, they have created a collection of millions of songs that you can instantly add to your library and play at anytime for “free” (if you pay to be an Amazon Prime member). It’s a lot like Pandora, except you can skip an unlimited amount of songs, and there aren’t any ads! You can instantly add any songs to your library, which can be accessed from any of your devices. I downloaded the Amazon Prime Music app for my iPhone, and I constantly have my music playing from there now. They have an amazing selection of artists and songs available, so if you have Amazon Prime, definitely don’t let this new resource go to waste!

Morocco Orchid & Pink Amber Bath & Body Works Set: When I visited home a few weeks ago, my mom surprised me with this set of goodies from Bath & Body Works. It smells so yummy! The scent is very light and fruity and perfect for summer. I love using the lotion and body splash before heading out for the day because the scent is fresh without being overwhelming, and the shower gel is great for bubble baths! The adorable bag they came in is precious, too. It’s perfect for carrying the set in, or it can be used for storing makeup! Thanks, Mom! 🙂

Clean & Clear Morning Burst Hydrating Facial Cleanser & Hydrating Gel Moisturizer: I recently started using the Clean & Clear Morning Burst face wash, and I love the way it smells! It sort of reminds of cucumber melon, but it smells even more refreshing. It does a great job of getting all of my makeup off when I use it at night as well. The gel moisturizer has a unique, light texture that is great for my daily moisturizer to wear under my makeup. I would give this set a try if you’re looking for some new products.

Garlic Salmon: I made garlic salmon with some sautéd squash and onion and garlic butter green beans last week, and it was to-die-for. I love salmon, but I haven’t cooked it in so long. I forgot how yummy it is! I think this is going to be one of my new go-to meals!

San Antonio Adventures: Louis and I have really been trying to make it a point to explore San Antonio more and embrace this city, and it has made the last few months so fun. Our most recent adventures have created some really fun memories and broken our pattern of dinner and a movie for every date (though we still love our movie nights!). I’m excited to see what other neat places we discover! Any suggestions?

San Antonio Public Library Card: This may be a nerd alert, but I am SO excited about getting a San Antonio Public Library Card! I have NO idea why I didn’t get one sooner! It is an awesome resource that our taxes pay for, and I feel dumb I haven’t been taking advantage of it because I love reading so much. I didn’t realize that they offer eBooks I can download to my kindle, streaming of movies, TV shows, and music, and hard copies of books, movies, CDs, and more at the library! Seriously, check into what your local library offers…I bet you’ll be surprised! I’m so excited to start utilizing my membership. Any book recommendations? I usually go for young adult fiction. Not even joking. Also, check out how awesome my local library is! I will definitely be using my membership a LOT in the near future.

The One: Speaking of books, I finally got around the finishing The Selection series by Kiera Cass. The One was the final book in the trilogy, and it was great! I’ve talked about this series before and how they are basically The Bachelor, but with prince selecting his future wife (plus way less trashy). If you’re looking for a trilogy that is light-hearted, full of fun characters, and a quick read, try out these books!

I haven’t done a monthly favorites it a couple of months, so I obviously had a lot of catching up to do! 🙂 If you check out or enjoy anything I listed, let me know! I’m excited to be starting July off with a long-weekend with Louis and looking forward to heading home later this month for some family celebrations! Happy July!

Beauty, Decor, Disneyland, Married Life, Monthly Favorites

February Favorites!

March 1, 2014 6 Comments

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!

Monthly Favorites

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!