Sherlock - Favorite Main Character

Today's Sherlock topic is favorite main character. If you are a regular reader of my blog, it should probably come as no surprise that my favorite main character is Sherlock himself.

Source: unsolicitedsarcasm.tumblr.com via Jenn on Pinterest

 He is after all, played by my favorite actor in the whole world, Benedict Cumberbatch, who I've gushed about before on this blog. I'm a sucker for those cheekbones, the curls, the smile, and of course, that voice.

But the show isn't about Benedict, it's about Sherlock. I like Sherlock's straight-forward attitude and his general lack of social normities. He does what he needs to to solve a case and doesn't much care if anybody's feelings get hurt or he oversteps boundaries. One of my favorite things is when he just looks at somebody and can tell you everything about them without asking a single question.

I love his friendship with John and the special relationship he has with Mrs. Hudson. I even enjoy watching his interactions with Mycroft and Moriarty. I like the way he insults people because he has no idea how to humble and I love the way that he's not perfect. He has many faults and they are very often on display, but they are what make this genius just a little more human.

I'll end with one of my favorite scenes that doesn't give too much away. (Keep in mind, in the UK, pants = underwear. So much funnier when you know that bit!)



And that scene leads to this bit of awesomeness later:



Who is your favorite main character?

  

Week in Review

Another weekend over, another week begins. Let's take a look at what happened this past week.

Monday 

President's Day, so no work for me. I stayed home all day and relaxed. We had fajitas for dinner which is always awesome. It's one of my favorite meals to make.

Tuesday

I taught third grade. Once again, we had a birthday party. I got to end my workday with a yummy cupcake, so that's a win.

Wednesday 

No work for me today. I started looking for a summer job and hopefully have found the perfect one for me working for the parks and rec department. Sadly, I don't think it will be as awesome as the show, Parks & Rec. But, I'll turn in my application this week and cross my fingers. I also managed to grab a tray straight out of the oven with my bare hand and burn myself. Luckily I got in cold water and the burn cream on it right away, so no blister, but it sure did hurt all night.

Thursday 

No work thanks to Verizon screwing up my phone. My husband got a new phone and when he uploaded his backed up numbers, he deleted the ones he didn't want because they were my original backed up numbers from when he used my old phone a million years ago. Somehow him deleting them on his account affected my account even though we've never had connected accounts. Yeah, Verizon tech support was no help and the guy was convinced that we had the same account even though we never have. So I missed a call because the contact was deleted from my phone. It was a mess and I ended up having to put them all back in manually.

Friday 

Again, no work. This week sucked for work. Something came over me and I cleaned the office. You can actually see the floor in there now.

Saturday 

It was M's weekend to work, so I stayed home and read my book on the couch most of the afternoon. Both of the cats insisted on spending time on my lap whether I wanted them to or not. We went to my mother-in-law's for dinner and watched Ripper Street. I love that show.

Sunday

I woke up with a red and painful eye again. Hopefully, it's just scratched and not the dreaded pink eye. Luckily, I still have plenty of the expensive antibiotic eye drops, so I started using those again.

Then, on my way home from a quick trip to the grocery store, my car started driving funny. Fortunately the store isn't far from our house and I got home with any incident.

I spent the evening watching the Oscars. I was thrilled to see Jennifer Lawrence win and I liked Jennifer Garner's dress the best, I think.

How was your week?
 

Sunday Social - Middle and High School

What was your biggest middle school fashion mistake? 

I don't think it was a mistake back then, but I cringe now when I look at pictures. The Midwestern grunge look was big when I was in junior high. I wore a lot of plaid flannel shirts and there was also overalls. There were even short overalls for the summer.

Who were your best friends in high school? Pics?

I'm actually not really even friends with the girls I hung out with in high school. There were five of us all together. We went to different colleges and just drifted apart. I am Facebook friends with one of them and we do sometimes talk on there, but she lives across the country now. I won't post pictures since I don't know how they'd feel about that.

What was a typical weekend like for you in high school?

If was fall, then typically I spent my Saturdays at marching band competitions cheering for my friends (they were all in it) and my brother. The rest of the year, I probably just stayed home or went shopping with my mom. I didn't get my driver's license until after high school, so I had to get rides to hang out with my friends. Sometimes, we got together on Friday or Saturday nights and just watched movies or went to a local coffee shop.

Did you have any boyfriends/girlfriends? Tell us about that. 

No boyfriends in high school, just a lot of crushes. I'm actually pretty glad for that now because I see how teenagers act about their boyfriends and it's pretty ridiculous. I was already ridiculous, I'm sure, so I didn't need that added stupidity of mooning over someone.

Did you have any secret codes with your friends? Spill your secrets! 

We usually had code names for our crushes so nobody would know who we were talking about if they overheard us or intercepting one of our notes. I was in high school before texting, so we still wrote notes and folded them up all fancy.

If you could relive one day/moment/experience from middle school or high school, what would it be?

Hmm, I didn't really love junior high or high school, so I'm not sure that there's anything I'd like to relive.

 

Liebster Award

Sara from Ms. Sunshine nominated me for a Liebster Award. It was really very sweet of her. I've only every been nominated for a blog award once before, so I'm pretty proud of it. So of course, I have to do the requirements now!

Here's what I have to do:

1. I will list 11 things about myself 

2. I will answer 11 questions Sara asked me 

3. I will nominate 11 others and ask them 11 questions

11 Things About Me

1. I pick up accents very easily without even trying, especially southern ones. When I lived in Florida, I spoke like I came from South Carolina because my friend Charlene actually did come from South Carolina.
2.  I hate wearing socks and shoes. I only wear socks in the winter to keep me warm and I only put on shoes when I leave the house. It's why I live in flip flops all summer.
3. My dad is Canadian, so I actually have dual citizenship.
4. My week is not complete without a trip to Target. I've been going to Target once a week since college.
5. I always have a bunch of tabs open in my browser. I don't care if it makes things slower, I have to know as soon as something changes.
6. I love to find coupons and get good deals. I get excited when I save a bunch of money.
7. I am a sucker for boy bands. I grew up on NKOTB, Backstreet Boys, and NSYNC, so it should be no surprise that sing and dance in my car to One Direction whenever they come on the radio.
8. I gladly drive more than 2 hours one way to shop at Ikea and HomeGoods because I love those stores so much. Sadly, it doesn't happen often.
9. I have seen every episode of Sex and the City and the first movie, but not the second one. I'm a Charlotte, by the way.
10. I love bake, but I send most of what I make to work with my husband because I have no willpower and will totally eat an entire batch of cupcakes.
11. I love to travel and I'm always planning trips in my head.

 Sara's Questions

1. How did you come up with the name of your blog?  It was inspired by my love of argyle and our argyle wedding.

2. What are you blogging goals? To meet people, get followers, get opportunities to do giveaways and reviews, and let's be honest, to make some money. Those bills don't pay themselves!

3. If you could travel back in time to witness any historical event, what would it be?  You know, for being such a big Doctor Who fan, I've never really thought about where I would ask the Doctor to take me if he ever did show up. I'm going to go with my current (and ongoing) British obsession and say that I'd like to see the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

4. If you could travel back in time to have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be?  Princess Diana - I'd love to hear her opinions on everything.

5. If they were making a movie about your life, who would you want to play you?  Jennifer Lawrence, not because I think I look like her or anything, but because she seems like somebody I could be friends with. I love that she's awkward and funny in interviews. I have a feeling it's exactly how I would act if I was suddenly famous.

6. What is your dream job? Second grade teacher at our church's school or to own my own children's bookstore like Meg Ryan's character in You've Got Mail

7. What is your dream car? I actually love my Ford Fusion, so really I'd just want a newer hybrid version with 4 wheel drive.

8. What is your favourite book? 

 Adult book - Pride & Prejudice

Children's book - Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

9. What is your favourite movie?  This changes constantly and I really can't just pick one - Pride & Prejudice (The "new" one), Tangled, The Princess Bride

  

10. Who is your favourite musical artist? Kelly Clarkson

11. What is your favourite recipe to make?  Homemade Pizza or my famous Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes

My Questions

1. What do you like on your pizza?
2. If you could have any animal for a pet, what would it be?
3. If you could live anywhere in the world without worrying about money or career, where would you live?
4. What was the last movie you saw in the theater?
5. Who is your favorite fictional character?
6. What is your favorite flower?
7. What was your first job?
8. How do you like your eggs?
9. If you could be on any reality show, which one would it be?
10. What is your favorite room in your home?
11. What is one thing you are looking forward to this year?

My nominees

Trish @ Everyday Trish
Claire @ The Country Mouse Tales

Ok, I know I'm supposed to nominate 11 people, but I'm terrible at following smaller blogs. I'm really making an effort this year to be better. So I only have two nominees. Besides, 11 is a horrible number. It really bothers me that it's not a nice round 10. But feel free to play along on your blog if you want. And leave me a link in the comments so I can start following your blog!

 

Sherlock - My Favorite Episode

Now that I've finished the Doctor Who challenge, I'm moving on to a challenge about my other favorite show in the world, Sherlock. Hopefully I can be more consistent with this one!

Today's Sherlock topic is favorite episode. Although there are only six episodes of Sherlock, it would be much easier for me to tell you which is my least favorite episode than which is my favorite. It's a tough choice between four of the episodes, but ultimately, I've decided to go with the episode I've watched the most, The Great Game.

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Why do I love The Great Game so much? I love all the riddles and puzzles Sherlock has to figure out. It's like several cases all in one episode. It's fun to watch Sherlock's thought process and see his deductions. My favorite part of the episode though is the end. I love how Andrew Scott portrays Moriarty. The entire end scene between Sherlock and Moriarty is just awesome. And yes, I can do it from memory. I also love that so much of that scene is straight from the original Arthur Conan Doyle works.

Source: Uploaded by user via Rebekah on Pinterest

Which episode is your favorite?
 

Week in Review

My friend Trish, over at Everyday Trish, does a post about her week every Monday. I like the way she uses humor and pictures to talk about her week. It's a great way to keep readers up-to-date. Since I love this idea and I always enjoy reading Trish's posts, I decided to adopt this idea for my own blog. Clearly, Trish and I just need to start a link-up or something.

Monday

I taught 3rd grade in the morning in a very organized and cute classroom. It was obviously heavily influenced by Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers. I love seeing that stuff in action. I then taught 1st grade in the afternoon and we had a birthday party. It's nice to see that classroom birthday parties haven't changed much since I was a kid. We ate cupcakes and then played Heads Up 7-Up. Fun!

Tuesday

I went to the eye doctor for a follow-up appointment. After a week of antibiotic eye drops, my eye is finally healed!  My cornea got scratched for the hundredth time when I had pink eye back in December and it never fully healed. But now I'm all better and I just have to keep putting in ointment at night and hopefully it won't happen again anytime soon.

Wednesday

I taught Kindergarten for the day. It was a really sweet class who enjoyed giving me compliments all day long. Seriously, all day I heard things like, "I like your shirt." "I like your glasses." "I like your hair." "You're pretty." Nothing like six year olds to give you a confidence boost.

Bonus cat picture because I don't have kid to show off yet.

Thursday

Valentine's Day. I didn't have to work and it was M's day off. He wasn't feeling well though, so we mostly just sat on the couch watching TV and playing on our laptops. I did get a Valentine's gift of my favorite ice cream though. Strawberry Shortcake!

Friday

I was supposed to get my hair cut in the morning, but my stylist had to reschedule due to a family emergency. I went to Target for my traditional day after a holiday clearance run. I managed to spend more than I planned, but everything was on clearance or I had a coupon. So really, I saved a bunch of money.

I also sucked it up and did our taxes. I was scared because we actually owed on last year's taxes, but this year went much better. We actually get a refund. When I told M how much we were getting back, he said we could go on vacation. I laughed. More like pay the mortgage, buddy. But it might help us get up to Minnesota to visit a certain someone and their cute baby.

Saturday

I had to get up way early for a Saturday to get my hair cut, so clearly I required doughnuts to make it better.

 I dragged M out shopping because I need work pants and he needs work shoes. Instead, we came home with only a Batman t-shirt for him. I ended up having to order online from Old Navy because they don't have the pants I like in-store anymore and the sweater I really wanted was sold out in-store.

Sunday

We went to Mass in the morning and then I convinced M that we needed to have pancakes for brunch. We had a lazy day of playing on our laptops and watching TV.

How was your week?


 

Sunday Social - Valentine's Day

Best Valentines Day you’ve ever had/Worst Valentines Day you’ve ever had

 Honestly, none of my Valentine's Days have been memorable. I'm not big on celebrating it anyway. Most of it just seems like a waste of money.

What do you plan on doing for Valentines this year? 

We didn't do anything. Cards and flowers are a waste of money and I really don't need a bunch of candy. We don't need a specific day to be romantic and show each other our love.

Best Valentines Idea if you’re single 

Doing something fun with other single friends. Don't sit at home alone feeling sorry for yourself!

Favorite Valentines Candy? 

Just about anything chocolate, especially dark chocolate.

Favorite Valentines Memory from your childhood

I don't have any specific memories, but I always enjoyed picking out the valentines for my class and the party at school.

 

Doctor Who's Day - How I Became a Fan

Today's Doctor Who's Day post is the last one in the series! Today's topic is how I became a Doctor Who fan. Or as it's commonly called in the fandom, my "New to Who" story.

I don't remember the exact month I became a fan. I do know that it was when I lived in Florida, so it was sometime between October 2004 and March 2005. At the time, I frequently visited the message boards at Television Without Pity. I didn't post much, but I did like to read others reactions to various shows. I also visited their fun and games topics where things were posted about a wide variety of television shows.

One show that I frequently saw posted about was a show called Doctor Who. I knew it was an older show that had been brought back and from what I could tell from the posts, it seemed to be about a man who could time travel and he had a girl along with him. There was also some implied romance between the two of them. The more I saw, the more interested I became.

I had recently started using Netflix, so I decided to request the first disc of this new Doctor Who show. I figured I'd give the first episode a try and see if I wanted to continue to watch it.

I watched the first episode, "Rose" and I was hooked! The show was highly entertaining with just the right amount of action, mystery, and humor. I liked the Doctor and Rose and I couldn't wait to see where their next adventure took them. I've been watching and obsessing over Doctor Who ever since!

I blame these two for my addiction to British television.

Source: nevittseyes.tumblr.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

Are you a fan of Doctor Who? When did you become a fan? And if you're not a fan, what is wrong with you?!

Next week, I'm starting a series on my other favorite show to obsess about - Sherlock!

Sunday Social - Childhood

What was your first car?

 A used champagne colored Mercury Sable. I had it for about a year before I got a used Ford Taurus and sold the car to my younger brother.

Who was your favorite childhood teacher? 

 I liked most of my teachers, but my first grade teacher was the one who inspired me to become a teacher. I loved her class so much. In addition to all the usual subjects, she taught us about cultures from around the world. We did a Hawaiian Christmas program, ate Ethiopian food, learned about Australia, and put on a puppet show about African animals.

Were you involved in any sports/extracurricular activities? Share pictures if you can! 

I played soccer in the first grade and the only time I actually got to kick the ball, I kicked it the wrong way. I never played soccer again. I tried volleyball in the fifth grade, but I was never very good. I am definitely not the athletic type.

I joined the orchestra in the fourth grade and played the violin for nine years. I played for school musicals in high school. I also did French Club, National Honor Society, and Prom Committee.

What was your favorite birthday party? 

I actually don't remember my childhood birthday parties. I know I had a couple because I've seen pictures. I probably most liked the one I had at Showbiz Pizza (Now known as Chuck E. Cheese.)

Who was your teen celebrity crush? 

Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Lenonardo DiCaprio
Devon Sawa
Josh Hartnett
Lance Bass

What show/movie did your parents not allow you to watch?

 I don't remember anything my parents didn't let me watch.

 

Palmolive Fresh Infusions Review

Thanks to Influenster, I recently got to try out a new product - Palmolive Fresh Infusions dishwashing liquid. I'm always excited to try out new products even if it means washing some dishes.

The first thing I noticed was that even the bottle was pretty. I tend to leave the bottle of dishwashing liquid on the counter so it's handy and this is a bottle that looks nice in my kitchen.

The second thing I noticed was that the scents weren't your typical dishwashing liquid scents. Palmolive Fresh Infusions come in three scents: Lemon Thyme, Ginger White Tea, and Lime Basil. Unfortunately, my box contained 2 Lemon Thyme bottles and no Lime Basil, so I couldn't smell that one. The good news is, the Lemon Thyme smells amazing and it's my favorite, so now I have two bottles! I love the smell of lemons and the Palmolive Fresh Infusions smells like I've just cut open a fresh juicy lemon. No fake scent here!

Of course, the most important thing about dishwashing liquid is how well it does the job. I'm happy to report that Palmolive Fresh Infusions does an excellent job at cleaning dishes no matter how dirty they are. I made my yummy stuffed shells one night and left the pan to soak in the Lemon Thyme Palmolive Fresh Infusion. The baking dish came clean without any scrubbing after its soak!

While I still may not enjoy doing dishes, at least now I can enjoy a great smell and do less scrubbing with Palmolive Fresh Infusions. But don't just take my word for it, check out with other users had to say and read the Influenster Reviews. Ready to try Palmolive Fresh Infusions for yourself? You can find them at Walmart.


 
Disclaimer: Influenster provided me with free products to try. All opinions are my own.

What I Love Wednesday: The Usuals

Today's post was inspired by a post I recently read on Kimberly Michelle. Kim discussed how she always orders the same thing at various restaurants that she visits, while her husband will eat whatever.

As I was reading her post, I found myself smiling and nodding along. I am definitely a creature of habit. I'm pretty sure anybody who knows me could easily go to a restaurant and order for me. My husband is the same way although he is much more picky than I am and his usuals vary from mine.

Inspired by Kim, I decided to write down my "usual" orders.

Restaurant	Order
McDonald’s	Quarter Pounder Meal or Chicken McNuggets Meal w/ Sweet & Sour sauce
Taco Bell	Soft Tacos (no lettuce) Nachos & Cheese
Chick-fil-a	Chicken Nuggets meal w/ Lemonade, Polynesian Sauce, & Honey Mustard Sauce
Chipotle	Soft Tacos w/ chicken & cheese only, Chips w/ green salsa
Wendy’s	Single w/ cheese meal w/ fries
Olive Garden	Cheese Ravioli w/ marinara sauce
Chili’s	Chicken Crispers or Half Rack of Ribs
Steak n Shake	Double Steakburger w/ cheese, fries, & a dark chocolate shake
Texas Roadhouse	Chicken Critters or 6 oz Filet w/ green beans & steak fries

These aren't even all my usuals, just a handful. My mom makes fun of me for always eating the same thing, but I like what I get and we don't eat out often enough for me to get tired of anything.

So what about you? Do you order the same thing all the time or are you adventurous and try new things? What's your "usual?"


 

Sunday Social - 2s

If you were stuck on an island what are the two material items you would want to have? 

 A satellite phone to call for help and a fully stocked RV

 What are two TV shows you’d watch over and over 

 The two shows I do watch over and over...

If your house was on fire what two things aside from family, pets, etc would you grab? 

Probably my hard drive since all my pictures are on there and our wedding album. I really love that album and I know they aren't cheap! Although I might just grab my wedding dress since that was definitely not cheap.
  
What are your two most favorite articles of clothing? 

Currently, my green cardigan, seen in this picture

I got it at Old Navy a couple years ago. I also have it in grey, but I tend to wear the green one more.

And any of my fleece shirts. We're cheap so the thermostat isn't set very high and it's been in the single digits outside, so I live in fleece all winter.

What two movies that you saw in the past year would you recommend to us? 

Skyfall - We're big James Bond fans. We thought this was one of the best Bond movies.

This Means War - I thought it was funny and cute. It doesn't hurt that I like Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, and Tom Hardy.

What are your two biggest guilty pleasures?

 Strawberry shortcake ice cream and anything involving Benedict Cumberbatch