A Win for the Little Guy...

Before I post about the Bachelorette, I just wanted to mention that we are having a little guy of our own!

We found out this week that I am having a boy, and while I am nervous (we currently have all girls), I am also very excited, and grateful to have a healthy baby. Very grateful.

Okay, moving on. :)

Juicy, juicy, juicy.

I don't know about you, but I was hiding under my pillow for about half the episode tonight, mostly during the confrontational moments between Craig/jerk and Jonathan/wierdo. I really don't like either of them, but I will admit that I cannot stand a bully, and therefore, I was definitely hoping for a win for Jonathan. Just to show Craig that no matter how tough you think you are by picking on people in the house....you will not come out on top!!! I was DYING during Craig's one-on-one time with Ali before the rose ceremony. He couldn't even form a proper sentence! "um, well, I mean..." He couldn't answer any of her questions, just stammered the entire time. I am glad she saw through him. So glad. Of course he immediately comes in and starts making fun of Jonathan for talking too much. Um, insecure much? Makes sense now that he would pick on someone who easily makes conversation when he obviously can't make it for himself. Oh, and WHERE was Ali when he called Jonathan out in front of everyone? I was dying for her to walk in and see that catastrophe! Then she could have known for sure what a jerk Craig was.

PHEW!! So. Glad to be done with Craig....not glad that Jonathan stayed over DARLING Chris H.

He was so cute in the first episode, and was basically non-existent tonight. That was disappointing for us. You failed us, Chris H!!! So many random people stayed over you!

Okay, so WHAT the Frank???

Talk about swooping in unexpectedly! I did NOT see that coming. In fact, I may still be in shock. He is definitely not the person I would have paired her with. He still may not be the person I see her with. Maybe it's because I would not be attracted to him myself? She seems to like his motto of jumping from one thing to another if you aren't totally happy. Now, this is not a bad thing, especially in his phase of life....but at what point do you commit to something and not run at the first sign of unhappiness? That is what concerns me. How long before he is 'over' Ali and running off to something or someone else? Am I way off the mark here? Have I let the women of The View sway me? (Yes, they discussed this very thing last week and I sat there nodding like an idiot at my tv.) Seriously, by my own observations, it seems to me like he has this short lived enthusiasm for things. He throws himself 100% (very VERY enthusiastically!) into whatever he is passionate about at the moment, and then moves on at the drop of a hat. That would be a red flag to me. I am not Ali, though. Oh, and PS Frank, Ali is NOT your girlfriend, so please quit saying that.

Okay, moving on. to. Jesse.

Oh my cuteness! Why didn't I recognize his potential last week? He is pretty darling. I can see what she likes in him. I don't see huge sparks between them yet, but I hope something more blossoms here. I really enjoyed watching their date, and he seems like a really nice guy.

Ty.

Ty is sweet. He has a southern boy charm that I do like a lot. Ali's facial expression when he informed her of his divorced was concerning to me, but she seemed to appreciate his honesty since he got the rose on the group date. I haven't seen a ton of chemistry with them, either, but I am interested in seeing where things go with them.

Craig R.

Can I just say...this guy totally bothers me. Again, Ali, this guy over Chris H? Really???? He seems like such a whiner!!! Get over the fact that you don't like Justin. Seriously. Move on. Unlike the Craig/Jonathan situation, Justin is NOT doing anything to you. So let it go!

Justin.

Um, talk about a trooper! I would have been super put out if I had been him, one legged jumping through the sand, up and down stairs, and from the looks of next week, alllllll the way up the hill to Ali's house. He never whines or complains about it and I like that. He may not be my favorite guy for her, but you've got to respect this guy's attitude! So interested to see what brings him to tears next week....

Kasey/aka mini-Jake

This guy already drives me nuts, and that was before I was reminded that he is about to turn into a crazy stalker in the episodes to come. His voice grates on me, and really...just curious as to what she sees in him.

I was really thrilled with the way that both Roberto and Chris L. handled the fact that they did not get any dates this week.

Roberto just seems...genuine. Yes, I realize that word is completely overused in the world of the Bachelor, but seriously. He does. He seems comfortable and confident in himself, and Ali obviously loves him. I am super excited to see them interact on a date. Hopefully next week....

Same with Chris L, he just seems like an awesome guy. I REALLY like this guy, and I am also looking forward to him getting some time with Ali. Hopefully alone. PLEASE keep this guy around, Ali!!!

Okay, so let me know your thoughts! Not a ton of comments last week (which is completely fine), so don't be shy in letting me know what you thought of tonight's episode.

And Away We GO!!!!

EDIT: BIG oops on my part last night! That's what you get for blogging drowsy. ;) I was up all night with a puking child the night before and had to force myself to stay awake to blog. Anyhow, for my 2nd pick I SAID Phil, I meant Chris L., The one who's mom had passed away. I am sure my explanation of Phil made no sense, haha. Anyhow, I have changed it. :) Sorry!

I am so excited to finally be blogging about this! I love that I have a fun way to share all the drama with fellow Bachelorette lovers....LOVE IT!!!

Quickly...I wish that Ali would give more of a sincere reaction to the guys. Even if it is just in the confessionals. The only one we really saw her break out of her norm for was 'Shooter', but the rest seemed to get her generic, "I love it! You don't even know!" reaction. I would have liked to know more of what she was truly thinking of the guys, you know? I also hated how tense she was, she really does outwardly show her stress. Her shoulders were so scrunched up at the rose ceremony, I thought they would pop off!!!

Okay, so my take on the night, and most importantly, the men! I was actually very pleasantly surprised by the men that she had to choose from. Definitely some stood out more than others, but overall I think that ABC did a pretty good job choosing some cool guys. Now, you know that I LOOOOOOOOOOVE making 'picks' in the beginning, and this year is no different. I knew my guys the minute I laid eyes on them....so, here we go!

Roberto:

Okay, I know what you are thinking: OBVIOUS choice, Joy. I know, I know. Seriously, though, I had him pegged from the moment he came out of the Limo. I think he is darling! Mike wanted to fight me for this pick, and he wanted to change the rules of our picking and make it into some kind of a draft, because he wanted to steal Roberto from me. Sooooooo, I decided to share, because I couldn't back down, even for my dark horse (who I also love!!!). So Roberto is both Mike and my pick. However, in the previews it seems like he is the one she is obviously attracted to, which usually means she ends up not picking him. So boo to that.

My 'dark horse':

Chris L.

Okay, so this guy falls into my dark horse category because he is a nice guy...and we all know that the nice guy never wins. I am hoping this guy proves me wrong because he is an absolute sweetheart! Seriously, his hometown interview had me falling for him very, very quickly. I think he made a wierd choice when he told her his parents were still together....but whatever. Still love him.

Mike's dark horse:

Chris H.

I agree, this guy is a great dark horse. Really cute but not a lot of face time. We didn't see him much in the 'upcoming previews', though (which we watch after we make our picks), so who knows if he will be around much longer. I hope so because he seems really cute.

So, moving on to the rest of the guys!!!

Justin: Definitely a 'must mention'. Okay, so it's obvious now from the previews that someone leaves early. Obviously that person isn't limping away as they leave...so either Justin heals quickly OR he doesn't end up leaving after all. HOWEVER, I did hear that someone leaves who is trying to 'promote themselves.' That seems to fit the bill here. I personally don't think that what he has done so far has seemed like 'self promotion' more than any of the other guys have put themselves out there to make themselves stand out. I am curious to see how this works out for him! One thing Justin has against him....pretty sure he can't hang in a hot tub with that cast!

Frank: This guy caught our eye when we were surfing through the pictures before the show. He looks a bit...enthusiastic....which definitely showed up in person! He is the type who wears his heart on his sleeve...who keeps nothing inside....I am interested to see how things pan out for him. I don't really see him with Ali- what do you think?

Hunter: I liked his song. It was clever, which you know I love. I am glad he showed this side of himself and glad she kept him around. She claims to love to laugh, and this guy seems witty.

Kirk: I was laughing about his trip to the scrapbook store and making his keepsake book with his gluestick. I wasn't sure how it would go over with Ali, but she seemed to like it. Looks like he scored with that one!

Jonathan: At first I liked him...then slowly but surely I started liking him less and less. Sure, he has a lot of personality, but I think his favorite thing to talk about is himself. And, did you notice at times when the camera would pan over to him, he seemed to be lurking, almost sulking, in the corners? It kinda weirded me out. I hope this guy can prove me wrong, but for now he is not my fav.

Kasey: First can I point out that he looks like he could be Jake's brother? Okay, with that out of the way, let's just skip to the 'coming up this season' talk. Um, Whhhhaaaat????!!! Seriously this guy is going to give me nightmares! There always has to be one person who has already built their life with the bachelor/bachelorette and believes it as truth and cries whenever they so much as dare glance at another contestant. Looks like this is our guy.

Craig M: Okay, WHY did she keep this guy??? Was it his charm? His wit? His amazing good looks? His amazing attitude? HUGE eyeroll. I am really surprised Ali wasted a rose on this guy. Blah.

Craig R: This guy gets an honorable mention just because I am weird and I like to point things like this out. Does he remind you of Toby from The Office? His mannerisms and the way he speaks completely remind me of him! Do you agree?

Alrighty, I uploaded pictures of all the other remaining men....but then found I didn't have much to say- positive or negative about them. So far, not much is standing out. No one had an awesome story like 'Shooter' Derrick. Bless his heart. I am excited to watch this all unfold! Oh, and I really hope to avoid the spoilers this time. Let's cross our fingers that the winner isn't blown too early!!

Until Tomorrow....

(*Family Blog Updated)

After 4 long months of laying on my couch, trying not to vomit, and watching endless amounts of television (thankful for all the finales that kept me entertained), I am SO excited to have a show that I am looking forward to! (Okay, there were a few I looked forward to before like Vampire Diaries and Private Practice, but those are over now!)

THE BACHELORETTE!!!! I am so excited for tomorrow. More excited for this season than probably any other season, since this is basically the highlight of my lay-on-the-couch-and-do-nothing week.

Before I get into it, though, there are three new shows I recommend you get caught up with this summer if you didn't start watching them this year when they premiered.

First: Modern Family. It's on ABC and it's the funniest show I have seen in a LONG time. If you missed out on this one, DO NOT miss your chance to catch up!!! They might also rerun Cougartown afterwards (not sure if this one got picked up for another season) and it's a fun watch, too-but not amazing enough to be on my 'must watch' list. Reminds me a bit of Friends.

Second: Vampire Diaries. So, I mostly started watching this show because it started when I was swamped with editing and needed online shows to watch. The first few episodes were good, but kinda a little 'teen scandelous'....however as the show went on, I will admit, the plot got really smart and I found myself on the edge of my seat during every episode. It also helps that Damon is WAY good looking. Give this one a chance if you think it might be your thing! It's on CW and should be rerunning this summer.

Third: Glee. If you haven't heard of Glee, you must be living under a rock. It is definitely quirky and perhaps not for everyone, but the dry humor and fabulous music will win you over, just give it a chance. It's on ABC as well.

So, back to THE BACHELORETTE!!!!

Alright, so I checked out out the men, and obviously I won't make my picks until I see them in action (wink), but here are some I am feeling good about, based on pictures and bios alone...

Tyler M: He looks like a nice guy, and not too high maintenance. I wish he wasn't wearing that v- neck, but oh well. I like that if he were stranded on a desert island, he would include his wife in the things he would bring with him.

Jessie: Another low-maint looking guy, however I am not sure about the fact that his greatest achievements are things he has purchased.

There are a couple more, Like Chris L or Chris N that look alright, too. Obviously I am attracted to the guys who look the least like they could be on Jersey Shore ie: way high maintenence. I think some of these guys even look feminine because of all the skin softening that was done to their pictures....I am interested to see their true personalities come out!

I don't envy Ali, she has so many different Chris's, Craigs, Derrick/Dereks, Tylers, etc, to keep track of. Was it really that hard to find men with different names??? Good luck, Ali!!!

Okay, so get your picks ready and let's chat all about it tomorrow night. I can't wait!

Getting There.

I am slowly coming out of the part of pregnancy where I am basically useless. I am 18 weeks and wishing for that '2nd trimester energy' that I hear about around the blog-sphere. Why aren't all pregnancies created equal? I guess that's a discussion for another day. :)

Anyway, the purpose of this post is to show you that I actually HAVE been taking the suggestions y'all made way back when, when I posted about filling up our very empty walls. I took a bunch of my favorite pictures, framed them, and hung them up the stairs. Now that they are there, it really helps make the space feel a lot homier, although if I could do it again, I think I wouldn't use matching frames. I would probably have made a bigger effort to find lots of cool antique frames and painted them white and light gray. But this works for now.





Until MONDAY!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY Bachelorette!!! Noooooooooooo Reality Steve! I don't want this season spoiled for me.

Have you looked at the Bachelors on abc.com? I am still reading up on them. SO excited!!!

Totally Unnecessary but Completely Awesome.

If only I had an extra $400 bucks and a few hundred hours of free time....I would be in heaven!

PS. I adore Studio Five. And I have to watch it ONLINE, people. Take advantage if you live in Utah! I loooooove it!

PSS. I have a mini update on the family blog. Nothing too important. :)

Do It Yourself.

Lately I have found myself drawn to 'do it yourself' blogs, specifically the type that specialize in home renovations. I am SUPER jealous that there are women out there who pick up a miter saw one day and say to themselves, "What should I do with this? Oh, I know! I will create my own wainscoting all over our house." or, "Today I think I will build a custom playhouse from scratch into that cubby under the stairs." I am in awe of it all, really.

and.....I am tempted. Tempted to run out and buy myself a nail gun and some two-by-fours and a bucket of high gloss paint and just go at it. Custom baseboards? No problem. Fancy moldings? Piece of cake. Just give me a level and I will do it.

Seriously, though, I am curious. Have any of you ever been so tempted by a do-it-yourself home renovation project, that you actually did it? Not your husband...YOU. Did it turn out? Was it a disaster?

What about redoing a piece of furniture? Stripping something, repainting it, remaking it...I have tried sanding down a piece of furniture just to paint it white and BOY. Was that a reality check. Is remodeling like gardening? You need to have the green thumb? I am beginning to wonder if this is not the case....

I will leave you with my musings along with some links to my favorite 'do it yourself-ers' blogs. You can oggle and drool right along with me.

Thrifty Decor Chic : That custom 'big boy room' redo has me literally dying. Um, custom mouldings everywhere, anyone?

Sawdust and Paper Scraps : Are you kidding me with that Playhouse? Seriously?

House of Smith : All that woodworking is going to give me a heart attack. Her bathroom redo? Dying. Her laundry room revamp? Darling! Breakfast nook? Perfection.

Ashley Ann : This room do-over nearly put me into heart failure. Okay, so this isn't really a home remodel, more of a room make over, but still. WOW.