We’re back for the second week of DWTS.  This week, we got to see the fun and fast-paced jive, along with true hollywood glamour in the foxtrot.  Here’s a short recap of how everyone did in their second week.

Shannon & Mark: Jive

Definitely a cute and fun dance.  She seemed to keep up with it okay and generally looked pretty good.  It was quite a bit longer than I expected.  I agree with Len – she could work on the finesse a little bit and be sharper, but she did a much better job relaxing and performing for the audience.  They had cute costumes too!  A solid 20 which definitely shows their improvement.

Aiden & Edyta: Foxtrot

Looks like they had some difficult time during rehearsal, but you wouldn’t know it from their dance.  Edyta did a much better job choreographing to the music and allowing him to play a part – the classy gentleman.  The dance is beautiful and even though he get’s a little caught off guard at times, he definitely keeps up.

They look really beautiful this week, especially Edyta’s dress.  She’s actually has a higher percentage of her body covered than uncovered!  It’s a miracle!  Their score is 20, which I think is a little low.

Evan & Anna: Jive

Their jive was awesome!  Fun, high energy, and a very good dance.  They look great together, but like the judges said, he could work on pointing his toes.  They got a solid 24

Niecy & Louis: Foxtrot

She’s surprisingly elegant and looks really comfortable doing this dance.  It’s not a flashy or memorable performance, but it’s quite lovely and graceful.  They got a well-deserved 21

Jake & Chelsea: Jive

I was a little nervous about their dance after watching the rehearsal, but they look pretty good, even though Jake looks like a total goober with the jacket and short pants.  The dance is fast and fun, and in general he does a good job keeping up.  I agree with Len that he could be lighter on his feet.  They get a 20

Buzz & Ashley: Foxtrot

Ashley is definitely leading him through this dance.  He’s a little heavy on his feet and kind of walks his way through the dance, but he looks adorable doing it. They get a very low 12

Nicole & Derek: Jive

She has a short solo in the beginning while Derek flirts with Pamela, which in general just seems like a waste of time.  This is definitely not a traditional jive, but it’s fun to watch.  I think it could have been better though.  Carrie & Bruno gave them 10s.  A little early there, guys.  They get a score of 28

Erin & Maks: Foxtrot

She has a beautiful solo at the beginning.  Their dance is really good.  I’m surprised at how elegant she is.  And their chemistry and partnership is obviously showing off in this dance – they look great together.  A well-deserved  23

Pamela & Damian: Foxtrot

She’s channeling Marilyn Monroe, and who would be better?  She’s surprisingly good!  The dance is fluid, elegant, and very old-hollywood.  A solid 22.

Chad & Cheryl: Foxtrot

Their rehearsal clips are hilarious – he’s a complete flirt, but Cheryl is a hard working woman and isn’t about to give in easily to his antics.  Unfortunately, their dance is a little awkward even though there’s chemistry.  His posture is strange, and he’s concentrating too hard and not really showing off the charm we know he has.  Their score of 16 seems a bit too low.

Kate & Tony: Jive

Wow, they had some tense rehearsal moments.  He won’t listen, and she won’t follow.  Classic disagreement.  She’s trying really hard in this dance, but her kicks and flicks are super tentative and she is having a hard time keeping up.  She looks like she’s in pain trying to do this dance, and I kind of just want it to be over for her sake.  They get a score of 15

Best costume:

This is hard, because foxtrot always has the best gowns of the season.

Shannon & Mark – They definitely win cutest jive costume.

Edyta’s pink dress -  She’s actually has a higher percentage of her body covered than uncovered!  It’s a miracle!

Erin’s dress – the beautiful pink and sparkles, plus the elegant hair make her look like a princess.

Worst costume: Anna’s dress.  It worked great with the dance, but as soon as she was standing there listening to the judges comments, she looked pretty silly in the cut out faux-leather and hot pink.

Best line of the night:

“He told me to hold his bicep, but I couldn’t find it!” Erin

“I’m actually worried that Maks’ ego won’t survive this season.” Tom

“Will we see all sides of Pamela this season?” Brooke, “I think everybody’s seen all the sides of Pamela.” she says…girl’s funny!

Who will go home? My money is on Kate. Her fan-base is fairly tenuous, and her dances are painful to watch.  Buzz should be going home, but I think he gets the sympathy vote and will stay for one more week.

It’s been awhile since my last post about the ridiculous police blotter in our town.  Here’s my favorite one from this week:

2:41 report of a beaver in a window well, xxxx street.

He’s pretty cute, right?

Alright, I’m out.

I’m a Dancing with the Stars fan.  There, I said it.  I love the sequins, the feathers, the shoes, the quick step, fox trot, and cha cha, and the ridiculous antics of Bruno, Len, and Carrie Ann.  And of course, all of the has-beens celebrities dancing, that’s where all the fun is.  I love DWTS!

Ironically, it was my grandparents that clued me in to DWTS. One summer, on my way through Chicago I stayed with them and we watched an episode during the very first season.  Over the years, I’ve watched off and on, and I STILL enjoy it.  Sure, there are some questionable things included in DWTS that I’m not super stoked about, such as the fact that Edyta practically parades around in lingerie instead of a dress each week.  But honestly, I watch it for the dancing, because I love dancing A LOT.

Since we don’t have a TV, I have to wait an extra day to watch episodes online, but her I am to tell you about my thoughts for week 1 of the new season.

The Dances

Chad & Cheryl: Cha-Cha

He seemed a bit too serious in his performance, obviously concentrating pretty hard.  But he’s got the style and discipline to be pretty good at this.  And I loved their costumes!  They scored a decent 18

Shannon & Mark: Viennese Waltz

It was a beautiful dance.  Mark is one of the best choreographers on the show, so it’s no wonder I loved it, especially the spin at the end.  Shannon had some weird stuff going on with her arms and hands, and was just a bit stiff.  I think their 18 was maybe a bit low, because she actually did more dancing than Chad.

Erin & Maks: Cha-Cha

Girl can dance!  She did awesome, though she could shake her hips a bit more.  Her costume is kinda gross looking, and I HATE when guys don’t put their suspenders up, but their dance was great.  A well deserved 21.

Jake & Chelsea: Viennese Waltz

Kiss from a Rose? Seriously? I hope the cheesy stuff is only this week.  Overall, he did pretty good. His posture was terrible though, but at least he led during the dance instead of just letting Chelsea dance around him in circles.  (Did anyone else notice Gia was there? Yes I watched the Bachelor…) A very respectable 20

Niecy & Louis: Cha-Cha

She’s fun and spunky and definitely “sold” the dance, but she still needs a lot of work.  The whole dance felt kind of slow, which I think is why I didn’t like it quite as much.  I think 18 was the right score for them.

Evan & Anna: Viennese Waltz

It was a beautiful dance and he looked great.  Obviously, there’s a lot of little things he could work on, but overall, he did a wonderful job.  Plus, I loved her dress A great score – 23

Buzz & Ashley: Cha-Cha

He looks like a robot during the first part and dances almost the entire dance with his hand on his hip.  Obviously, at 80 years old, this is a stretch for him.  But he’s charming and they look great together.  Definitely not a high score – 15

Nicole & Derek: Viennese Waltz

Boy, did he get lucky again with partners.  Derek has great choreography, and Nicole obviously has a bit of experience to help her.  It was a beautiful dance, even with some sketchy footwork, and they got a very well-deserved 25

Aiden & Edyta: Cha-Cha

Well, Edyta is known for skimpy outfits and sub-par choreography, and she doesn’t disappoint.  This dance is fairly disjointed and made up of a lot of random movements strung together with bad gimmicks.  He’s actually not that bad, but she doesn’t really give him much to work with.  A low score of 15.

Kate & Tony: Viennese Waltz

Pretty dance, but Kate looked nervous and stiff.  Plus, she needs to point her toes!  Hopefully she’ll get better, because I’d like to see her stick around.  Score: 16

Pam & Damien: Cha-Cha

She’s definitely rocking the “sex hair”, but she’s actually pretty good.  Or maybe drunk?  I don’t know, but she did a pretty good job I think.  A decent score of 21

What’s New

Host: Brooke Burke – She looks a lot like Samantha Harris, the old host.  But I don’t like her voice very much – it’s kinda scratchy and monotone.  And you have to keep the mic by your face when you talk, sweetie.

Set/Intro:  Whoa, new intro. I like it!  The graphics for the whole show have changed, but I think it’s a good change, maybe except for the score-board stuff.  Looks like something I did in middle school Kid Pix…And the new “holding tank” or red room or celebritarium, or whatever you call it – fun!  I think it’s a great idea.  Maybe?

Pro-Dancers:

Ashley – well, she’s sorta new.  She was on season 3, so I barely remember her.

Damian – An Aussie!  I’m interested to see what kind of dances he’ll come up with?

What’s Missing?

Um, like half of my favorite pro dancers!  What happened to Kim, last years winner?  Or Karina, Jonathan, and Alec?  Even Lacey? Seriously, I’d take any of them over the replacements.

Costume Contest

Worst:  A tie between Erin and Edyta – fringe is just generally not very becoming.

Best: Anna.  I actually liked her gown – it was very elegant.

Best Line of the Night

“Brooke’s room has padded walls” – Tom

“It’s my only pleasure in life — to bitch at people, and you’re taking it away from me,” Maks

Any other DWTS fans out there, or am I the only one?  Come on, fess up!

Here’s a few links of different online treasures I’ve found. Some are blogs I read regularly, and some are things I’ve stumbled upon. Enjoy!

How to Decorate A Room in a Week @ Little Green Notebook She inspires me to hunt for interesting fabrics.

A Tale of Two Strippers @ Censational Girl Now I know how to strip…paint

Laundry Room Redo @ The Old White Cottage The progress she’s made in this typical basement laundry room is awe-inspiring!

Here’s a before – follow the link for the current after – you’re going to love it!

In Real Life @ Thrifty Decor Chic Remind me that not all of our homes are perfect, even though our pictures might make it look that way.  Thanks for the reality check

And last, something that I giggled at when I saw it:

Irony @ Good Food, Good Friends, Good Life

This quiz has been floating around on a website I frequent – a lot of college students I work with have been taking it.  You answer 14 questions and then it tells you how “millennial” you are.  Fun, right?

I scored a 59 – basically, right in the middle of Gen X and Millennial, which I suppose makes sense.  I was born in 1982, right smack on the border of these two “generations”.  I grew up in the 80s  but was obviously more influenced by the 90s.  My guess is that if I wasn’t such a cheapskate and we owned a TV, I’d be more millennial.  Most of the choices that influence this rating are ones my husband cares about more than me, so if I took this 4 years ago, I’m positive the score would be higher.

How about you – what would you guess your score will be?  The higher it is, the more “millennial” you are.  Head on over to the website, and take the quiz, then share your score with us!  I’m curious where you fall on the line

I’m not really big into holiday decorating for anything other than seasonal and Christmas.  I don’t do Halloween or Fourth of July, and I definitely don’t do Valentines Day.  Say what you want, but I just don’t like all the kitschy stuff related to those “holidays”.

But I did find a few cute ideas online this week, so I’m going to share them with you – most of these are quick and easy – and some are even tasty!  Enjoy!

From The Inspired Room

From Minnesota Mom

Homemade fudge packaged in cute boxes with DIY labels – from Censational Girl

Paper heart garland from How About Orange

She arrived yesterday in the midst of a crazy snow storm.  After ripping open the packaging, I set eyes on my beloved new bag…

She’s beautiful!  This picture does not do it justice (mostly because it’s taken with my pitiful P&S Canon that has a broken flash while my real camera is off to get fixed).  The green and blue colors are nice and bright, but not too punchy for my taste.  I decided to risk it and go with the white center panel, hoping and praying that it doesn’t get too dirty.  The pink logo was just a fun little extra I decided on – I thought it made the bag a bit more girlie, but not too much.  (For those who want details – this is the custom laptop messenger bag in size medium. It fits my 15 inch MacBook Pro perfectly.  The colors are peacock blue, white, and light green, and the logo is berry.  The interior liner is light blue.)

Let me tell ya, though – this bag is AWESOME.  It has soooooooooooooooooooooooo much room in it.  Way more than I expected.  I can fit my laptop in it, plus probably the equivalent of 6 or 7 books, PLUS all my cords and stuff for my laptop, plus my phone, pens, wallet, and other random things I carry with me every day.  There are all sorts of zipper and velcro pockets, inside and out, that make it super easy to organize everything.  Now I just have to remember what goes where!

There’s even a built in protective sleeve for my laptop!  My picture of it is all fuzzy and awful, so I’ll have to try again later when my office is brighter.  But I love that I can carry my computer with me and it’s super easy to get it in and out of the bag.  My previous bag made this absolutely ANNOYING due to the way it was designed.

So far, I’m loving it! Thanks to my father-in-law who gave me a gift card towards my new bag

I’ll try to get more pictures and a fuller review up sometime soon.  Have a happy Tuesday!

I watched most of the Super Bowl last night – I’m still a little sad the Colts lost, but excited for Saints fans (it should have been the Vikings! *ahem*)

I’m actually a pretty big football fan, but half of the people I was watching with were just there for the commercials.  So here’s a few of my favorites from the night

Did a google ad really just make me tear up a little?

This one made me laugh out loud

I like that this one gives a sobering account of what is on TV – it’s not all puppies and rainbows.

Hehe! Betty white as a football player getting tackled – genius!

Apparently this references a movie I’ve never seen, but nonetheless, it still was pretty funny.

And the most awkward and hilarious of them all…

I saw this yesterday, and it made me laugh.

Does tweetstalk really exist?

Yesterday while I was catching up on some old posts from some recently subscribed RSS feeds, I found this hilarious post from Our Suburban Cottage.  AnNicole sat down and looked back at some wonderful dated decor – like sunflower gold and avocado of the 70s, natural oak fl0rescant lights and bad linoleum of the 90s,

or mauve and hunter green plus wallpaper EVERYWHERE of the late 80s.  Oh man, some of that stuff…yuck!

But I’m sure there’s things from today that some day we’ll look back and say to ourselves, “what were we thinking? That is SO 2005!”  So in the spirit of something light hearted and fun, and totally stealing the idea from AnNicole, here’s a little list of what I think will soon become dated. And keep in mind, some of these things I actually LIKE

1) Vinyl wall decals

I mean, some of these are neat, but little mottos or cutesie quotes on walls just scream tacky and dated to me.  Plus, someday we’ll all have to use an x-acto knife to scrap all our little sayings off and our walls will be ruined.

2) Distressing Everything

I think it started with the grunge era of the early 90s, and then led into the dirty cowgirl look that Madonna rocked in the late 90s and all of us buying jeans with holes already in them, which then led to Pottery Barn selling everything painted and scraped to pieces.  That’s my theory.

I’m not sure if we like this craze because it makes us feel like we have old furniture that’s worth a lot, or if it’s because we all have cheap furniture that chips so easily and at some point, a thrifty person figured out this was a good way to “make it work.” (Thank you, Tim Gunn)  Either way, I think it will eventually look dated.

3)  Painted Accent Walls

We have one of these that we inherited when we moved into our house – a red room with a black accent stripe from floor to ceiling.  Weird.  And some accent walls can look decent, but I think someday someone will look back and think, “Did they run out of paint? Cheapo.”

And why are accent walls always red?  Seriously.

4) The Tuscan Craze

I’m borrowing from AnNicole on this one.  The fruity wine Italian looking dark and stony look will be OUT.  In fact, I think it’s already on it’s way…

5) White kitchens with granite countertops and silver bin pulls

I don’t know how many times I have seen pictures of this exact same idea in magazines or on websites.  It’s a beautiful concept, and in most homes, I think it can look rather timeless.  In fact, I would LOVE to have a kitchen like this.

But I think this will either be the next Tuscan or natural oak craze.  At the same time, I’m crossing my fingers and hoping it’s not.  Because it’s still beautiful.  And because it will mean a LOT of expensive remodels in 10 years…

6) Oil Rubbed bronze

Why is this such a big thing? AnNicole is right – we’ll laugh at how we all spray painted everything ORB.  Me included.

7) Chalkboard paint

There are some fun ideas out there for chalkboard paint.  We even have a small chalkboard wall in our basement in what used to be a children’s playroom.

But the chalkboard globe might be taking it a tad too far.

Trellis Print

In moderation, this design is cute.

But this wallpaper is taking it a bit far, don’t you think?

9) Stainless steel appliances

I really like SS appliances – they look professional and spiffy.

But my guess is this will go in circles – we’ll be back to white and black soon.  And then back around to SS.  And around and around we’ll go.  And maybe colored appliances will reappear at some point (I’ve already seen a few fun kitchens with cobalt blue stoves that look fabulous!)

10) Graphic Rugs

Zebra print, chevron, swirly do-dad paisley…birds, flowers…I could keep going.

Yes, this is an actual dining room.

Honorable Mention

1) Wooden Words – you know, the “Live, Laugh, Love” block letters painted blue?  It’s like the charm bracelet of the ’00s

2) Birds – they’re everywhere!  Go check out Pottery Barn right now.  Figurines, nests, cages…

3) Red Kitchen Appliances and Tools – I think Target started this trend.  And I think KitchenAid overcame it when they began offering every color under the sun for their mixers.  Unfortunately, red is classic. And I chose red.  Oh well.

What do you think will be SO 2005?