Some Pretty Dresses

 

 

I did manage to see two of the Oscar nominated movies this year, so that was a win for me. I loved both LaLa Land and Hidden Figures, so any of their wins made the show a little more interesting this year. It seems that I really must see Moonlight. Jimmy Kimmel was pretty good, despite bringing too much political commentary into the night, but that was expected. He did move the show along and brought some humor ( loved the candy dropping from the ceiling) into the terribly boring middle section, during all the technical awards. Of course it is the end and the last few awards that everyone stays awake for and what an ending it was. I actually said out loud, "What is happening?" You can't help but feel bad for all concerned; the LaLa cast who had the Oscars in their hands, the Moonlight cast who were rushed through the awkwardness and the presenters who made the mistake.

But, beyond those moments, there were a lot of pretty dresses and some wins for some ladies who have not had a great award season when it comes to fashion. Nicole Kidman looked beautiful and that has not been the case lately. To me she finally went with pretty, rather than trying too hard to be fashionable. Here are some of my favorite looks, including hair and makeup. My favorite of the night - Kirsten Dunst. I have never seen her look so glamorous.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Monday!

 

The UK Detectives

 

 

 

One of my favorite genre of books are detective (police procedurals) novels. And if the story is set in England, all the better. I love figuring out the detective's rank (DS versus DI versus DCI), the different vernacular and the descriptions of the English countryside or London neighborhoods. There are both female and male detective's on my favorites list, but if I am honest, it is the females I prefer. I find their attitude and choice of career so interesting and love reading about how they navigate working in a predominantly male environment. Some of them are flawed, but they are usually written as very smart and very strong willed.

There are many, many detective series out there and one of my favorite things is to stumble upon a new to me series, that I can read in order; the more books in the series the better. I find recommendations in all kinds of places (other bloggers can be a great source), but usually find something new by browsing Amazon. I have listed below my favorites and noted the main character. I have also linked to the first book in the series.

Happy reading!

 

• Maeve Kerrigan Series by Jane Casey - The Burning
• Marjory Fleming Series by Aline Templeton - Cold In The Earth
• Lacey Flint Series by Sharon Bolton - Now You See Me
• Inspector Lynley Series by Elizabeth George - A Great Deliverance
• Simon Serrailler Series by Susan Hill - The Various Haunts of Men
• Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series by Deborah Crombie - A Share In Death
• Helen Grace Series by M.J. Arlidge - Eeny Meeny
• Lucy Black Series by Brian McGilloway - Little Girl Lost
• Fiona Griffiths Series by Harry Bingham - Talking To The Dead

 

Busy Weekend

 

 

It was a successful and busy weekend all around with many, many house showings. More details on that and what's next later. We had to be out of the house for hours on end and with my puppy along for the ride, there is only so much you can do. Luckily, Melissa was able to pet sit at her apartment on Saturday and Sunday, so we were able to go out and have some fun.

 

 

On Saturday, we headed to East Lansing and MSU's campus for lunch and margaritas at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Since in was such a beautiful day and we had time to kill, we walked around campus and even stopped at the MSU Dairy Store for some delicious ice cream made from MSU dairy cows. Walking on campus brings back such good memories of our college days and when we first started dating.

 

 

We had to be out of the house again on Sunday, so we went to an early movie and were practically the only people in the movie theater. After the movie, we stopped at home for a bit, then headed back out to join some friends at a bar for a big band concert that was just fabulous. It had an informal feel, with the singers performing, then joining the crowd for a drink at the bar when they were done. It's a great neighborhood Irish bar and we hope to head back for St. Patrick's Day.

It's a stressful time, but we definitely made the most of it. We turned a busy weekend, into a fun weekend.

Happy Tuesday!