Loving Downton Abbey

So, I'm a little late to the game on this one, but James and I finished watching the first disc (Episodes 1 & 2), Season 1, of Downton Abbey last night and we're hooked!

We were in need of another show to Netflix, and since Girls and Homeland are nowhere near Netflix availability yet, this is what we went with.  Very glad we did.

Love to hate Maggie Smith's character, Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham.
This video is pretty funny:

Watch Downton Abbey: The Best Maggie Moments on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

Have you seen the show?  Do you love it?!

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A Difficult Truth

I tend not to get too heavy on this blog, but I live this stuff day-in and day-out, working at a transitional housing shelter for homeless families, so today, it is spilling over:

I found this infographic on Poverty in America on visual.ly:

Source

Browse more infographics.


21.6% of kids in America live in poverty.  WHAT?!

Find a social justice issue to be passionate about.  Seriously, do it.  And talk about it.  And make a difference.

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A Dose of Truth & Cool

Truth: "Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic."
~Oscar Wilde (quoted in my yoga class this morning by instructor, Anne Miller)

Been thinking about that one all day.

image via here

Cool: heard this past weekend on NPR's Weekend Edition: Michael Hearst's new CD, Songs for Unusual Creatures. 

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A Social Life

Having a toddler who enjoys a strict bedtime of 7 pm and a husband who works odd hours makes it difficult to have a social life outside of having friends over to my house for an occasional drink or hang out.  In the past 2 weeks however, our social activity calendar has been full, not sure why now, but here's what it entails for the rest of the week:
Tonight I am going to see... ahem, Magic Mike, with some girlfriends.  I can assure you, I am definitely not going for the plot development or the characterization.

Tomorrow night the hubs and I are going to see Moonrise Kingdom at The Nick.  Cannot wait for this--I know I've been blogging and tweeting about it for weeks now, but I really am excited.  It has gotten great reviews.

And Saturday night we are going out dinner at @116 Espresso & Wine Bar in West Columbia.  I have blogged about this spot before, and it is still one of my faves in Columbia, but I don't get to go there very often.
Thinking pre-movie nights that we're going to Cantina 76 and Hunter Gatherer, two more local favorites.

What has been on your social calendars lately?  I'm just excited to have one at the moment, and thankful that I have awesome parents and in-laws to babysit :)

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Dinner & a Show on a Budget

Wanna feel all grown-up and go to dinner and a show, but on a budget?  In Columbia, you can.

We ate dinner last night at Gervais & Vine--it hasn't disappointed ever, not once--and then saw Avenue Q at Trustus Theatre.  The dinner was 3 courses; I had a smoked gouda/bacon/shrimp dip, then a petite filet with feta and balsamic reduction served with fingerling potatoes and asparagus, then white chocolate chip bread pudding and ice cream.  I mean, that's some seriously amazing food.  Can you guess what I paid for that food (tax, gratuity, drinks, not included)?  $15.  For real.

The ticket to Avenue Q is $30 (it's a musical) and for $15 extra dollars, I got that awesome meal at Gervais & Vine.  I almost felt bad, like I was stealing...  $45 each for dinner and a show.

Avenue Q was hysterical--and very well-performed.  I saw the off-Broadway version in NYC back in January, so I even had that to compare it to, and I think they did an amazing job.  You should go see it.  And do the dinner and a show deal. 

image via here

I also REALLY want to go see Moonrise Kingdom at The Nick--it's been held over for another week...

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On My Brain Today

Some things that have been in my head and in my life lately:

Banana chocolate chip muffins.  I was the mommy assigned to bring "Fun Friday" snacks today for Jones' toddler class, and that's what I made.  I used this recipe from Life of Meg blog, (substituting applesauce for oil), and they turned out great.  My forays into baking don't always have such an ending, so I was pleased.

Gamecock Baseball.  3-peat in the works.  Good luck tonight vs. Arkansas.  So exciting!

This article on working moms attempting to "have it all" that's making the rounds on the interwebs. 

We're headed to Boca Grande, FL soon for vacation with my in-laws and it's a 10 hour drive, so I've been thinking of ways to keep my 17-month-old entertained in the car for 10 hours...here's what I've got so far: 
I bought and wrapped several cheap dollar-store toys, like glow-in-the-dark necklaces, stickers, a plastic dr's stethescope, small nerf football, and more. 
I of course have plenty of snacks--mixtures of raisins, organic cookies, cheerios, dried banana chips, cheese sticks.
A book light and a roll of painters tape.  Random, I know, but my son loves a flashlight, and I read somewhere that toddlers can be thoroughly entertained by a roll of tape.
Books--some familiar favorites and some new.

Here Comes Science Album via here

We have plenty of music- kid-friendly and otherwise- although Jones would mostly rather listen to grown up music than silly songs.  The kid music we have for him includes Muppets: The Green Album, They Might Be Giants' Here Comes Science, and some Lunch Money CDs--these are all fun, kid-friendly stuff, but tolerable for adults as well.

image via here

And, as a last resort, we have a portable DVD player.  Jones has never really been allowed to watch TV at home, and now that I actually want him to spend a few silent, immobile minutes in front of the tube, he isn't interested at all...so, not sure the DVD player will work.  But, in case, we have the newest The Muppets movie, Follow That Bird Sesame Street movie, and episodes of Fraggle Rock on DVD.
Any other suggestions?!

And, this little man is always on my mind- here he is on the way to school this morning wearing seersucker and Converse One Stars--my favorite combo of traditional and hipster ;)

Happy Friday!

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Holga Love

A couple years ago my husband gifted me a Holga camera.  "the Holga produces extraordinary low-tech works of art with the bare minimum of mechanical function." (via here)  Right up my alley.

My first attempt at taking pictures with it is documented here.

It took us a bit to figure out exactly how to take decent pictures with it, but judging by the most recent ones we took over Memorial Day weekend, I think we've got it down:

My sister and her son.

Don't you just want to poke that belly?!

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