Project Curb Appeal: The Paint

Would you believe that even after an entire day worth of rain, there is STILL pollen stuck to parts of the house?!  I have come to the conclusion that this is probably what happens every year, I just never noticed since I spent my time trying NOT to look at the paint peeling off the house.  In spite of it all, I got my camera out and finally took some pictures.

I’ve got ten crossed fingers and toes that demo will start on the front porch today!!! 



Please avert your eyes from the lovely yard.  It does the new paint no justice.  No justice at all.  I almost couldn’t bear to show it.  Hopefully this time next month it will be grass!



A close up of the door next to the trim next to the house.



I’m as pleased as punch with the new look.  And I’m chomping at the bit to get started on the rest of the project!! 

*channels Thomas and sings to self patience is a virtue*

Wouldn’t you just know the baby would choose the precise moment (and only moment ever, by the way) that I’m watching Thomas on YouTube to come in.  Here’s to hoping the promise of chocolate in his milk will prove a speedy diversion from those crotchety trains...
xoxo

On My Bedside {A Spear of Summer Grass} + A Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.  CONGRATS CARY AND JESSICA ON YOUR WINS!!

I literally squealed with delight when I was offered an advance copy of A Spear of Summer Grass by DeAnna Raybourn!!  The book was delightfully easy to read and a definite for your summer beach bags.  Set in vibrant and dangerous 1920’s Africa (which was fascinating in and of itself), the colorful cast of characters and unlikely romance kept me turning the pages late into the night.  More so than the whodunit thread, I found myself desperately wanting to see the dazzling and notorious Delilah open her steely heart to the deliciously mysterious Ryder White.  I only wish this was first in a series!
 

The official synopsis:
New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julie Grey series enters a new era with A Spear of Summer Grass.
Paris, 1923
The daughter of a scandalous mother, Delilah Drummond is already notorious, even amongst Paris society. But her latest scandal is big enough to make even her oft-married mother blanch. Delilah is exiled to Kenya and her favorite stepfather’s savannah manor house, until gossip subsides.
Amidst the wonders—and dangers—of Africa, Delilah awakes to a land out of all proportion: extremes of heat, darkness, beauty and joy that cut to her very heart. Only when this sacred place is profaned by bloodshed does Delilah discover what is truly worth fighting for—and what she can no longer live without.
If you blend glamour from The Great Gatsby and romance from “Out of Africa,” you are beginning to grasp the stunning new novel that is A Spear of Summer Grass.


I am thrilled to be able to offer copies of the book to TWO lucky readers, compliments of Harlequin!!  There are three ways to enter and the giveaway is open to US addresses only.  Post a comment for each of the following…
1. Follow my blog and leave a comment letting me know.
2. Let me know what’s on your bedside by leaving a comment.
3. Share the giveaway on your Facebook page, blog or twitter and leave a comment letting me know.

Winners will be announced Sunday May 5!
xoxo

See all of my reads here

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Sunday Supper

I snuck out for a fondue supper with my college besties…

…we rehashed things from senior design projects to sleep-away camp for N’s rising fifth grader.  It’s hard to believe we’ve been together long enough to have conversations about topics spanning multiple decades.

xoxo

Long Hairstyles 2013 Men

Long Hairstyles 2013 Men

Long hairstyles 2013 men is a new trend that can make you look laid back, stylish, and good at the same time. Having such hairstyles 2013 is not only hype, but also easy and nice on the maintenance. Whatever types of hair you have, you can always make sure that you style up your hair in the most convenient way. After all, the long hairstyles 2013 are now being popular again, thanks to several male celebrities that have introduced them to the 2013 trend.

Easy Cut Hairstyles

Cut Hairstyles Men

For men, having such long style is easy and nice. They can pull up this easy going look without neglecting the care and the treatment. Take a look from the hairstyle worn by Brad Pitt. He looks very laid back and stylish with his long hair, passing his ears and reaching to his neck. He has thick and natural rather wav texture that makes him looks like the boho king. If you don’t have thick hair like Pitt, maybe you can consider having hair cut like Keith Urban. He has this natural straight and rather thick hair, but instead of styling it like Pitt, he has this cropped cut with longer trim on the back side. If you want to look stylish in the simplest way, you can try their styles.

Wavy Cuts

Wavy Cut Hairstyles Men

 

If you have natural wavy or rather curly texture, you can also cut your hair like the ones ever happened in the 1970s and the beginning of 1980s. If you take a look at those times, most men would wear their hair long, in the easy and simple rocker style look. You can try it too.

All in all, having long hair cut doesn’t only show off your freedom and a little rebellious side of yourself, it can also make you look stylish and classy at the same time.

Non-nominated Highlight: What's Opera, Doc? (1957)

So we are now hitting the end of the Golden Age of Studio Animation in our reviews, and we will be progressing through it thanks to our retrospective progression. Needless to say the rest of the films will have been produced by one of the major film studios, such as Disney, MGM, Warner Bros., UPA etc. This is a good time to bring up one of the problems that I (and possibly other animation historians) have with this category. The contenders are decided in part by what the studios submit for contention. Unfortunately I don't have access to a list of what films qualified, but I do remember reading in Chuck Jones's autobiography that many of the great Warner Bros. films did not get submitted for some reason. As a result, while most of the greatest films by Disney and many of the greatest films by MGM* were nominated in this category, few of the greatest films by Warner Bros. were nominated.

*For some reason, almost all of the greatest Tom and Jerry cartoons were nominated, but none of the greatest Tex Avery films were nominated. It could be that the Academy did not enjoy Avery's strange sense of humor, or it could be MGM executives did not like it and did not submit those, which essentially gets to the same issue.

Read more »

Baseball Brothers

Well gals, as much as I never in my life thought I’d be the mommy of boys spending my Saturdays at the ball field, I have to admit that it’s pretty much the best feeling in the world to cheer for my baseball brothers!  Since Honey volunteers for the baby’s league, he was able to set him up on the Rockies team, just like big bro.


We arrived at the field bright eyed and bushy tailed for the baby’s game.  They have already moved to coach-pitch!




The PCP helped warm the little ones up and caught balls in the outfield. Juju treated us a quick lunch at Wendy’s and we headed back to the field for John’s game.



And after HIS game, he was beyond thrilled when Coach S presented him with the game ball.  Coach S is a dear friend of ours and has moved mountains and earth to get John on his team every.single.season since he was four!  When he said John was like a son to him and encouraged him to never let anyone forget him I was quite literally choking back the tears.  (I mean, that would have been mortifying for the child.) 

This, my friends, is the face of pure bliss as his Coach was presenting him with the game ball…



He also slipped him the silly energy necklace, in GT colors to boot, that’s all the rage with elementary school boys.  (As if this one needs more energy.)







We’re off to a little birthday soiree for another sweet friend this afternoon.  And then hopefully the rain they’ve been promising will finally come and wash away the pollen!
xoxo

The Return of the Mouse

Despite what's been going on with corporate Disney and Walt Disney Animation Studios (particularly the layoffs) as of late, there's still a lot great things coming our way. In addition to the exciting leaked Frozen footage, Disney is preparing... A new hand-drawn Mickey Mouse short done in black-and-white. The title?

It features Mickey and Minnie, of course, but with Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow. You barely see them around these days! It'll feature Walt Disney's own vocals, another plus! What's it about? The four are on a musical wagon ride that Peg-Leg Pete plans to sabotage. Definitely classic Mickey & Friends in every sense; Disney is implying that it's a buried treasure, a long-lost Mickey short that's being reconstructed. But in all reality, this is most likely a new short. It's possible that Walt planned this and the studio got as far as recording the vocals, but I don't think this is the case.

But that's not all... This short is premiering at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 11th. What premiered there last year? Paperman! You know what this means...

Yes, having this attached to Frozen would make for a phenomenal double bill. Paperman was definitely worth the price of admission, and Disney was very very smart to attach that groundbreaking short subject to a film that was destined to be a box office hit. Disney ought to do the same for this new hand-drawn short. It's not updated or modernized, it's done in the style of the earlier shorts. Also, marketing for Frozen should make it clear that a brand new Mickey Mouse short film will be attached to it. This is the characters' first full short subject since 1995's Runaway Brain.

All I can say is this... It's about damn time!

Monogrammed Shoe Clips Winner & Coupon Code

Y’all completely knocked my socks off with your response to the monogrammed shoe clip giveaway!  They really are too too fabulous.  In fact, I slipped in an order for a PINK pair when Sister ordered hers.



So, without further ado, the randomly selected winner is …

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:1Powered by RANDOM.ORG

The very first entry by CORRIE!

Congratulations, Corrie!  Shoot me an email (peachstatebelle at yahoo dot com) and I will set you up with Christen at Initial Perfection!

And for all of you gals out there that didn’t win, all is not lost!  Use the code DIXIE20 between now and May 5 to save 20% on your order!

Initial Perfection on etsy | Initial Perfection on Facebook

Happy weekend, y’all!

xoxo

Final Trailer for "Monsters University"

Well, here it is! The final trailer for Pixar's Monsters University! I don't have much to say here since I've only watched it once and I probably won't give it another view; I feel that some of the stuff in here could be spoilerific. That's not to say you shouldn't watch it, the scenes in question that are presented in this trailer could be mild for all I know.

Anyways, I liked what I saw. With the very positive early screening reviews floating around, I'm expectedly hyped for this film. You all know that I'm still willing to be excited for a Pixar film, two disappointments or not. The trailer gives more details on the main plot. I'm also curious to see what the "Scare Games" will be like.

If you're up for a (potentially) mild spoiler or two, enjoy!

An interview with Jacques Martin (1921-2010).

Following up on my last post, here's a two part interview with Jacques Martin, one of Europe's foremost artists, who worked as an assistant of Hergé for twenty years at his studio, collaborating on the Tintin comic book series. In Europe he is even more famous for his own comic book series, which covers the Roman era and features around a boy named 'Alex' (just like the series' title). It is exceptionally known for Martin's historical accurate and finely detailed artwork.

Martin worked at Studio Hergé from April 1950 until 1972, collaborating with several of Europe's leading comic artists, like Bob de Moore and Roger Leloup. So far 31 book of Alex have been published, although since 1996 the artwork is done by different artists.

The following interview is pretty recent and might be his last, as he died in 2010. I put the video's in a playlist below. Unfortunately, it is without subtitles, so I hope you can follow along. If not, you might still enjoy a look at all the original artwork that is featured.

I put some samples of Martin's original artwork below. Please click any of them to view at full size.


A cover for Tintin comic magazine July 1950 featuring Alex:

Page 6 from the 'Le Spectre de Carthage':

Original cover artwork for 'L' Odyssée d'Alix':

Some studies for 'Alex'

The Guy We Didn’t Hire

I mentioned earlier in the week that we've been getting quotes from a sundry of yard folks over the last couple of months.  A couple (ie. TWO) have been great.  A few have been completely unimpressive.  And then there is the guy I knew we would not hire within two minutes of his rat-a-tat-tat on the door.  Here’s how it all went down:

Him: *knocks on the garage door*
Me: *annoyed that I can’t see who it is since he didn’t come to the front door like every single other non-friend visitor in four years* Who is it?
Him: Eric.
Me: Eric who?
Him: *in an annoyed rude voice* Eric from xxx Lawn Care.  Your husband sent me.
Me: *opens door*  Hi.  I couldn’t see you and I don’t like to just throw open the door.  Would you like to walk around the yard?
Him: That’s why I’m here.  *again, in annoyed rude voice*
Me: *At this moment I know I will not hire this man.*


A few minutes later…
Me: I think that my husband wanted the grass in the back aerated.  It seems to be coming in all patchy and he wants to give it the best possible chance.
Him: What kind of grass is it?
Me: I figured you would know.  I believe it is zoysia.
Him: If your husband wants to pay me to aerate your zoysia then I will do it.  I’ll do whatever he wants to pay for.  But I’ve never heard of aerating zoysia. 
*Just so y’all know, we looked it up and have had two other opinions – all say that aerating our grass would definitely help things.  Thanks for nothing annoying rude man.*


The unspeakable…
*The man’s zipper is down and it just happens to catch my eye.  For like 100th of a millisecond.  I SWEAR.*
Him: I saw you look down there.
Me: *O.M.G. did he really just call me out on that?????!!!!!  I remain silent.  I mean, what response would be appropriate???*
Him: Is my zipper down?
Me: *OOOOOOMMMMMMMMMGGGGGGG.  Why can’t he just look for himself?  I don’t answer.  I am way to mortified and uncomfortable.*
Him: *zips up his zipper*  Yeah, I’ve been having problems with that zipper.
Me: *Want to run inside and never come out.  Oh, and bless Honey out for sending this creep to the house.*

The icing on the cake…
Him: *He is assessing the trees Honey has marked with a pink ribbon to denote the ones we want cut down.*  Your husband is an engineer, right?
Me:  Yes.  Why?
Him: It’s just a gift I have.  I can tell by the way the trees are marked.  I’m just really good at figuring things out and knowing things about people.
Me: *I say nothing.  But I’m thinking … gifted, you say?  You mean, it wasn’t the Georgia Tech car tag, the Georgia Tech lawn chair OR the Georgia Tech golf clubs laying there that tipped you off?  I mean, there are approximately two majors other than engineering at the school.*


And while it was super annoying/awkward/creepy while it was happening, I’ve gotten a few good laughs out of it since.  This poor man needs some serious help with his business acumen and general social skills.


Bless his heart.
xoxo

Best Animated Short - 1957

We're now at 1957, which happens to be the year of my mother's birth. It's a bit mind-blowing to think that my mom is now closer to her 60th birthday than her 50th birthday, but I'm sure it's not much better for her to think that her oldest child is closer to 30. And he still watches cartoons like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and the film that we'll be reviewing here shortly. I guess it's just the effects of the passage of time. Why, the old Warner Bros. and Disney cartoons that I grew up watching are close to 70 years old by now. And yet they are still as timeless as they were back in the 1940s. 
Read more »

Cute Short Hairstyles 2013

Cute Short Hairstyles 2013

For the new hairstyles 2013, you can always go with the cute short hairstyles 2013 that will give you new look and confidence. Granted that short hair style requires confidence, but when you feel great with such short cut, you may want to keep it forever and never goes long anymore. There are several stylish options for the short hairstyles 2013 that you can try, as long as you are confident enough.

Short Bob Hairstyles

Short Bob Hairstyles

 

Bob style has always been a popular type of hair cut because it is simple to maintain and it can create sleek and chic effect. Different kinds of bob style can be chosen from the various options. For example, if you want to look edgy, chic, and modern at the same time, you can try the cut worn by Katherine McPhee. The short cut is accompanied by longer style on the nape, which makes it edgy, punk-style, and also stylish. If you want to create more modern and professional look, you can try the inverted bob that is worn by Victoria Beckham. The sleek cut and the layers will frame your facial features nicely while giving you the edgy cut you need. Or you can try the common and classy bob worn by Samaire Armstrong. It is classy as well as professional like.

Hayden Panettiere Hairstyles

Hayden Panettiere Hairstyles

 

Of course you can also try other options, depending on the structure and texture of your hair. If you have natural wavy or even curly hair, you can try the short cut worn by Vanessa Hudgens or Hayden Panettiere with the wavy and short texture. Such cut is definitely cute and it delivers somehow carefree and messy effect, showing off that you don’t care about the world.

Go to your hairstylists and discuss about the various options you have in having the short cut. With the right cut and treatment, you should be able to look chic and stylish in such simple manner.

Out in the Cold [Update]

Walt Disney Animation Studios' Frozen, their 53rd feature, is opening in theaters this autumn. November 27th, to be exact. Let's see... What we know so far?

It's a musical fairy tale based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, and it's been in the works for a while. Chris Buck, co-director of Tarzan and Surf's Up, is the lead director. The co-director is Wreck-It Ralph scribe Jennifer Lee. Kristin Bell, Idina Menzel and Jonathan Groff will provide voices. We know what the plot is, who the main characters are and who will be doing the score and the songs.

So what do we have so far in terms of marketing materials and stuff like that?

Well got the official logo last year and one piece of concept artwork, in addition to many drawings and sketches. Then we got these rather unappealing character posters which were confirmed to be fake, but the character designs on there are said to be final. In fact, these same poses were used on a German site for Disney... Unless that was a big mistake.

Other than that, no teaser poster, no teaser, no first images or anything. Let's take a trip back to April 2012. What did we know about Disney's Wreck-It Ralph at the time? There was a logo that was revealed as far back as the summer 2011 D23 expo along with a plot description, cast and crew details, an arcade cabinet of the film's Fix-It Felix, Jr. game, lots of concept artwork and near-final images. Folks who attended that D23 expo got to see the first six minutes of the film, some of which was actually animated. That same first six minute portion was also shown at the April 2012 CinemaCon. The film also got its minimalist 8-bit teaser poster in the middle of the month.

Yet Frozen seems to be... Hidden. We've heard very little about it lately. You'd think Disney would've released a teaser poster or image by now, but I don't understand why there is nothing of the sort that's out yet. If I can recall correctly, in early 2010, Tangled's first images were up. The poster didn't arrive till after the teaser debuted in the summer, but still... Why is Disney holding out on us? Is it possible that they just want to market whatever is coming out first? I get that they had to promote Iron Man 3, Monsters University and The Lone Ranger in the first quarter of the year. I get that the last of three especially needed a boatload of marketing... But we could've at least gotten an image or a poster for this film. The teaser trailer is most likely coming in June, since Disney seems to be taking this route lately with their animated films: The teaser for Tangled debuted in June 2010, the film opened in November. Ditto Wreck-It Ralph in 2012. At this year's CinemaCon, nothing was revealed. Nothing. Will they show something at this year's San Diego Comic-Con? Hopefully, but that'll be after the teaser premieres. (That is, if it does come out in June.)

Other than that, there doesn't seem to be as much buzz for this film. The skeptical side of me says it has to do with the recent layoffs at Walt Disney Animation Studios and the marketing staff, maybe the marketing people don't want to plug this one very early on and will wait it out, assuming that it'll do good because it's a Disney animated film and a fairy tale adaptation at that. All I expect is an aggressive marketing campaign after the teaser trailer premieres, much like Tangled and Ralph's campaigns.

However, it could be because Disney was too busy promoting the summer slate. Iron Man 3 was of course going to get a lot of marketing muscle, ditto Monsters University. Both are hugely anticipated films. Then the rest of the effort was going into The Lone Ranger, a risky-as-hell $250 million Western that most likely needs to make over $600 million to break even! It might not even do that with all this marketing behind it! So the lack of promotion for Frozen right now is a bit understandable, but there still could've been some images or something highlighting it at CinemaCon. Disney's been very... Well... Hush-hush about this icy flick.

Which is strange, because in my eyes, this seems like a much easier sell than Wreck-It Ralph. Disney made sure to get the word out on that film very early on, but for this film, it seems like they're holding back. Is it possible that they're assuming it'll be another Tangled-sized success? Perhaps. Do they think that it'll do well by default, regardless of when they start really promoting it? Maybe. But it seems like they're not excited about this project... There should be lots of buzz right now. Now with the teaser and poster for Thor: The Dark World out of the way, it is now time for them to get the ball rolling.

Will we see some form of marketing for Frozen next month? Will we get a poster, a teaser or an image? Or more news on the film's details? Sound off below!

Update: Just as I posted this, some footage was leaked! The video even featured director Chris Buck! There was completed animation along with storyboards, unfinished animation and... Pencil tests! From what was shown in completed form, it looks like what was achieved with Tangled in terms of the look was taken up to eleven. Not only does it looks different from the fake posters, but it looks like a computer animated hand-drawn film... If that makes any sense. Paperman seemed to be a testing ground for this, rather than a later feature. Maybe this style is what Walt Disney Animation Studios will turn to for the future, though it would be nice if they kept the classic style of hand-drawn animation. I will say, I'm very very happy with this style. Traditional and innovative at the same time, just what I expect from Disney. The video was expectedly and quickly taken down by Disney. Does this mean we'll get an official one soon?

William Jardine of A113 Animation managed to get a still from the video... Just look at it!

Beautiful... Just beautiful... I also like what Buck had to say about the story itself. Things like "heart", "intense action" (kind of thought that we were going to get that given some earlier plot details) and something along the lines of a "new level for storytelling for Walt Disney Animation Studios". That little preview really got me excited, so hopefully we'll get an official one or something similar soon!

GT vs UGA Spring Classic

Our Yellow Jackets went up against those pesky flea ridden Dawgs last night in the annual Spring Classic baseball game at Turner Field to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.



It has become our annual “brawl-game” tradition to start the evening at the Hunter Technical Resources tailgate (website | facebook).  Our team of our good friends from college started this successful headhunting firm and have been a wonderful resource for Honey over the years.  Corn hole, hop scotch, bubbles and a little football throwing kept the littles entertained until we sat down to a divine bbq feast catered by Heirloom Market.  (I am currently trying to invent an event so that I can have them cater it.  Seriously delish!)





A group of Tech football players tailgated next to us.  Of course, the the littles were chomping at the bit to get their pictures with them.  Such nice guys to put down their beers and balls to pay their littlest fans some attention!



The fact that we lost the game was secondary to all of the high fives and signatures the littles got sitting right next to the Tech dugout.  Add to that the fact that we ran into our good friend Buzz multiple times AND that the boys got to meet two of the guys that coached Honey when he played for Tech and the evening was a WIN no matter the score.















What’s the good word?  GO JACKETS!
xoxo

A Boatload of Potential

I've been thinking about this sort of thing for a while. What if the movie industry were to try adapting video games into animated films?

An animated film based on Insomniac Games' long-running and successful video game series Ratchet & Clank was just announced today complete with a promotional teaser! Sony is apparently really confident in this, as it's already on track for a 2015 release. Rainmaker Entertainment (Escape From Planet Earth) is teaming up with Blockade Entertainment to produce this computer animated adaptation of the series.



I really liked this trailer. It's a fun irreverent deconstruction of animated movie trailers that'll sure get the laughs. I certainly thought it was hilarious, but this trailer and the film itself are not what I'm going to discuss. Instead, I'll discuss what this film means for the animation industry and video game movies in general. If this film goes over successfully in 2015 then I think we'll see a new frontier in both animation and film adaptations of video games...

Up until now, many major Hollywood films based on video game franchises were done in live action. I felt that live action severely limits things for some of these video game adaptations, one example being the Mortal Kombat films (that, and poor writing). I always wanted to see an animated Mortal Kombat film that was brutal like the games yet had cool action. Animation could show off the powers that the kombatants have while also making characters like Shao Kahn or Goro believable. Super Mario Bros. is another disaster, Mario and live action simply don't go together. Only a few adaptations were fine as live action films, like the Tomb Raider films and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Unfortunately, a lot of these films just weren't good and lacked what made the source material work.

Now take a look at Disney's Wreck-It Ralph. While the film isn't based on a pre-existing video game, it has thrilling video game-style action and excitement, it does everything better than any of those live action films listed above. That's the power of animation, it could pull off what several live action films couldn't in that one film. Video games are animated, so animated films based on video games would work out so well. It is a massive risk, but I'm happy to hear that Sony is willing to take it. Ratchet & Clank also can't be done as a live action film, no way.

Now with all that being said, what could happen if this were to go over well? What if Ratchet & Clank is a box office hit? Suits will approach video game movie adaptations in a new way, one that actually works! Animated films based on video games could really be a big help to the current American animation industry, as many of these films could be adult-oriented and get audiences to see animated films that aren't family-friendly or fall into the G/PG range. Plus, there's a lot of great franchises to plunder. Ratchet & Clank is only the beginning!

I'm not saying that all video game movie adaptations should be animated. A film based on Halo or Gears of War could work perfectly in live action with the right director and screenplay, but animation is good for something like Ratchet & Clank. I don't know why this wasn't thought of earlier, because there are several video games that would make for great animated film adaptations: Super Mario Bros., Sonic The Hedgehog, Jak and Daxter, The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, Sly Cooper... The list goes on.

What do you think of the upcoming Ratchet & Clank film? Do you think it will work out? Or do you think that one isn't necessary? Should animated films based on video games be considered? Or not?

Sound off below!