Sunny With a Chance of Mad Men

Whilst I know this is not a TCM classic film I need to talk of my obsession with AMC's Mad Men! I just finished Season 4 on Netflix (seasons 1-4 are now all streaming!!!) and I am more than in love with the show, the characters, the costumes, the actors, the sets, the props, EVERYTHING!! It is pure magic!

Quick rundown of some of my fave things:

1) Joan (Holloway) Harris [Christina Hendricks]: I love Joan! Not just because she is a pale, curvy, red-head but because she is one tough broad who runs with the big boys by using what she's got. "Embodying the role of femme fatale,[3] Holloway is a "bold" and "sassy" character" is what wikipedia says about my gal & I agree. She realizes her "role" as prescribed by society & the men she works for/with but she pushes in her own way to be more. She continually makes me love her! Christina Hendricks is brilliant! LOVE LOVE LOVE JOANIE!!



2) Peggy Olson [Elisabeth Moss]: I love Peggy too, she has such a journey from mousey push-over secretary to eager to please to gain opportunities small time copy writer to take (more) charge, growing a voice for herself head copy writer! Elisabeth brings such heartfelt true raw emotion to Peggy and you really feel for this woman's struggles and triumphs. Wiki says "Peggy has an immense dislike of the double standard in regard to the vices of men and women and appears to be quite feminist in her views." and I love that she grew into that through her struggles to want and be more. Perfect!



3) Roger Cooper [John Slattery]: I have a soft spot for him simply for his boyish and rogue-ish ways but also for this specific quote: “I like redheads. Their mouths are like a drop of strawberry jam in a glass of milk.” How can a fiery-hued gal not go weak in the knees? I love John Slattery as an actor in general, he lends such a sense of humor to his roles and this is no exception. Roger is just fantastic, loyal, loving, funny, tempestuous, childish, a rogue! Heaven!



4) Don Draper [John Hamm]: "Despite his outward cynicism, Draper is portrayed as following a strict code of personal ethics, insisting on honesty, forthrightness and chivalry in his subordinates (if not always himself)." Don is the tragic hero of our story (brilliantly portrayed by John Hamm). You love to hate him, hate to love him! He is such a rich complex character. Every episode brings new depths to him, new hidden things that are revealed. Love his mystery!



5) the costumes: I LOVE LOVE LOVE the costumes in this show, everything so purposefully put together, so detailed, so character appropriate. Every woman looks gorgeous every man debonair. The costumes on this show make me swoon. The care, precision, and complexity of each character's wardrobe is key to showing you who they are. You can tell quite a bit about a person based on what they wear. The costumers get it right every time and it makes my heart skip a beat!

















There are oh so many more but I am off to bed to rest my back up for tomorrow! Take care and enjoy some Mad Men streaming on Netflix chickens!! :D

An Explanation & a puppy...

So let me explain my week and half long absence...

My back went out. Bad. It hurt a lot and I couldn't move and even though I got muscle relaxers those don't help since it's the discs. So basically I took off time from everything but doctor's visits, acupuncture for pain, laying in bed watching tons of movies, making it through as much work as possible before the pain took over, and sleeping. Joe basically helped me in and outta bed, put on clothes, eat, get to and from said appointments & work, basically everything but breathe.

It was rough, I was mad, I was sad, I was hopeful things would get better. Now things are feeling better and I am back on here. I don't want to get all sad and weepy about it, just know it sucked, it still sucks-just not as bad. I will keep on keeping on! So onto more fun things:

COLONEL MUSTARD!!!

Here is what my buddy has been up to these past weeks:











See how he had fun with Dad-a & cuddled with Mama to make her feel better?! Love my little guy!

Hope you've been well and full of love chickens! Xs & Os!

Sunny With a Chance of Volcanoes...

Homemade volcanoes that is! Used for cleaning purposes too! This weeks Good For The World Wednesday is all about white vinegar & baking soda. This is seriously the green gals best friend!

So here are the benefits to these products:

1) again SUPER amazing for the ol' wallet. Super duper cheap and it'll last longer than most other cleaning products as you can buy it in bulk & use less product for the same results as other cleaners.

2) super fantastic for the environment because if this goes down the drain it isn't full of ammonia or other toxins into the sewers which can end up leaching into your water supply. It's also safe around your children and pets! Personally if it has a major warning about the dangers of contact with my eyes or ingestion I don't want it anywhere around where my puppy or future kiddos will be crawling.

3) it cleans just as well as the toxic stuff. I promise it really does. I just scrubbed the crap outta my bathroom this weekend with both and not only is it sparkling clean but it was fun to create little volcanoes in my tub/shower, sink, and toilet. Making cleaning fun is good in my book as then it doesn't feel so much like a chore but more like a fun 2nd grade science project!.

No for those who don't enjoy the smell of vinegar may I suggest lemon juice. Works just as well and has a more acceptable smell to most (plus you still get a little bit of a volcano-like reaction).

So go out & buy some baking soda & vinegar (or lemons) and play/clean up your house!! :D

Slightly Cloudy With a Chance of I LOVE Lucy!

So it was just the 100th bday (8/6) of one of my very favorite red-heads in the biz Ms. Lucille Ball! So to celebrate this TCM Tuesday is dedicated to her!

What can I say about this woman? To me, Lucy is what I want to grow up to be. An amazing comedienne, a smart & savvy business-woman, a gorgeous red-head, full of spunk, a mama, and all around kick-ass woman! She worked her butt off for her career & home life. She pioneered sitcoms' 3 camera technique and heck just female driven sitcoms in general. She was also ballsy enough to write her pregnancy into her show and make it not taboo to celebrate & talk about it in public. Some of my very favorite Lucy films/moments are the following:

-Stage Door: a supplemental role in the film to Ginger Rogers & Katharine Hepburn, she still shines as Judith one of the actresses in the boarding house. One of her first larger roles (she was dubbed Queen of the B Movies in the 40s). The film is a look into the lives of young & struggling actresses. Those who've got it, those who don't, those with money, those without, and those who LIVE for their next role & are crushed when it doesn't come. I find this film fantastic!



-Room Service: co-starring with The Marx Brothers, Lucy plays Christine an actress caught up in the world of The Marx Brothers putting on a play to raise the money to pay off the landlord putting them up. Mayhem & silliness abound. It takes a real comedienne to keep up with those 3 and Lucy does it! So much fun & silliness, a great Marx Brothers style film.



-Du Barry Was a Lady: While not the greatest written picture it stars Lucy, Gene Kelly, and Red Skelton (beat that line up!). The hat check boy Louis (Red) is in love with nightclub star May (Lucy) but she is in love with broke dancer Alec (Gene). She wants to marry for money & when Louis wins the Irish Sweepstakes he proposes, she accepts, he hits his head & has a wild dream he's Luis XVI & she is Madame Du Barry. Pretty magical an I find it very fun. Plus Gene & Lucy-sigh!



-Meet the People: Lucy stars as Julie Hampton a big time Hollywood star opposite Dick Powell's William 'Swanee' Swanson a shipyard worker during war time who wrote a script about the very shipyard he works in. Julie agrees to do the show but she & Swanee squabble about the details. Love of course triumphs & so does the working class! I love this movie, just reminds me of my blue collar roots (my Pops was & my brothers are Ironworkers). And I love the love story that blossoms here, full of debate and spirit.




-Forever, Darling: A Lucy & Desi picture this one has Lucy's character Susan seeing an angel (played by James Mason). He guides her through saving her marriage off the rocks and back onto firmer ground. There are of course loads of silly/fun Lucy & Desi moments but the moments between Susan & her angel are quite well done too. I think it's a gem.



-Yours, Mine, Ours: stars Lucy & Henry Fonda as two widows with 18 children between them both. This classic showcases the difficulty of melding two such large families into one. It's full of some great & hilarious scenes between the children (ah sibling warfare never made you laugh so hard) and some really heartfelt and poignant moments (oldest brother leaving for war, new baby on the way, troubles in paradise for Lucy & Peter). Such a great film. And it made me feel a little better about having a million brothers & sisters! :)



-I Love Lucy: OF COURSE! This show is a treasure! So many amazing memories and silly adventures paired with heartfelt moments and a marriage that withstood oh so many trials and tribulations. They went for it every episode comedy & tugging at the old heartstrings wise. So many laughs and "awww"s from this gal & I am sure from many of you too!










All I can say is I really do love me some Lucy & hope that I grow up to have half the success she had in her life. One class act (plus she has a Barbie made in her image-LOVE that!) ;)





P.S. it's my 3 year anniversary with LA, we're still pretty smitten with this city that has become our home and I am excited for another magical year out here in SoCal! :)

Sunny With A Chance of Colonel Mustard Monday!

Colonel Mustard here to report on my week & weekend.

I went to work with Mom all last week, got my rabies booster (boo! but mom says yay!), and spent the whole weekend getting snuggled & scratched by my mom & my Aunt Natalie (mom's friend). It was the best!! They pulled out the pull-out bed and I slept on there all night & the next day while they watched Disney movies, I really liked The Fox & the Hound...made me want to go out tracking!











As you can see I work pretty hard! Hope your weeks/weekends were as great as mine!

-Colonel Mustard

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