the fit lady.*

just in case you’re wondering if professor jill biden is as adorable, fit, sweet, and beautiful as she appears in the media – she is. well, i actually can’t officially confirm the sweet factor because we didn’t exactly converse. i can however report that she was giggling and chatting with friends in what appeared to be a very lighthearted and genuine demeanor. you know what i mean.

you’re probably curious as to the source of my information. maybe you’re not. regardless, i will tell you. sorta.

on monday night we were in the same barre class together. not that all my readers are dying to go out and stalk jill biden, but i’m not going to disclose the location – just in case. however, if you want to know – i hear googling is a relatively reliable method to uncover details such as these.

i was obviously star struck first and foremost, but almost more than that i was extremely impressed by her normalcy. seriously, if a friend hadn’t said anything – and there hadn’t been a secret service agent at the door upon departure – i may have never noticed her in my presence (yes, i guess i’m that self absorbed. no really, i’m just that focused on getting a good sweat.).

anyhow, that’s all i really have to say. well that, and i would like to be her when i grow up. or i’d at least like to get a hold of her personal fitness and dietary agenda.

*the title of this post is by no means intended to be a slight at the first lady michelle obama’s level of fitness. we all know she is the healthiest of the healthy and looks absolutely fabulous. its just that i haven’t had the pleasure of working out next to her and my creativity with blog titles is limited.

morning glory.

we all have our own morning routines we rely upon to get us started off on the right foot. the slightest glitch in our likely mundane procedures could make most of us totally out of whack for the remainder of the day. you’re with me here, right?

a little less than a year ago the cornwell household began to rely upon the french press to assure we are wide-eyed and bushy tailed when we kiss goodbye and head out the door to start our blessed days.

if you haven’t tried a french press, you haven’t lived. okay, that was extreme – but you get it. as far as your coffee fix goes – its life changing. if you haven’t tried a french press with beans from peregrine, see the preceding sentences. if you haven’t tried a french press with beans from peregrine and a splash of half & half, you’re probably a lot skinnier than me, but you’re really missing out.

nomination day.

ah, the second most wonderful time of the year has officially arrived. i can only imagine the buzz in hollywood today – especially from all the nominees wondering how they are going to dress to impress. my vote – all those who are able should take notice of claire danes’ look at the golden globes. she for sure stole my fashion heart.

for those of you that haven’t seen the noms yet – here ya go. eek! enjoy (i know i will!).

 

a family tradition.

a vast majority of oscar-worthy films are relatively dark. and if not dark, they generally are not exactly, say – uplifting. nevertheless, they’re magnificent masterpieces.

each winter my husband and i embark on an eversoexciting adventure as we attempt to see as many oscar nominations as possible. we start with the big categories (best picture, best and supporting actor/actress) and the films with the most nominations, and then we work our way through to the more particular or artistic categories (cinematography, costume design). although the endeavor can be rather expensive and arduous – its a blast. it provides for endless entertainment, great conversation, unsolicited soul searching, and an opportunity to indulge ourselves in goodies that we typically abstain from eating in such mass and frequent quantities.

you may find this post a tad premature as the oscar nominations are not released until tomorrow(!) morning, but with a little help from the golden globes and a few choice websites, we have hopefully already gotten a good head start.

if you aren’t an oscar nerd, i highly recommend you get aboard this train. i know its not completely realistic to see them all, but its fun to engage yourself in the challenge. not to mention it makes for a great excuse to get a good group of friends together on a sunday night in february to watch how it all unfolds while sipping your beverage of choice, snacking on dainty canapes, and oohing and ahhing over the latest red carpet trends.

here are some of my big favs:

the descendants (who doesn’t want to watch  a vulnerable george clooney? after all, he is a beautiful man.)

the artist (although it inevitably has its downer moments, this is such an amazing uplifting film that you almost forget its silent.)

my week with marilyn (jen lindley, who?)

parenting by a 20-something-year-old #2

i’ve said this before and i’ll say it again… parenting is the hardest (yet most rewarding) thing i believe i will ever experience in this lifetime. a reoccurring question that i ask myself “how is this 3 foot tall kid who still enjoys handing me his boogers have so much power over me??” really, how does he do it?!

rest…? no idea.

no worries… still breathing over here. as we say around here i have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. it was also nash’s spring break… SB 2011!!! Woo! it was a movie, mario on the wii, ride bikes, play trucks, etc filled kind of week.

don’t worry. we’re alive and eating well.

random. i know. but wanted to add a little color to the post. to tie it into the post: what i look like after checking off an item on my to do list. woowhoo!

life has borderline spun out of control here in the nation’s capital, but its nothing i haven’t signed up for. per usual, i have my hands in lots of things and i am trying to adhere to all of my obligations while simultaneously attempting to avoid falling under the category of spreading myself too thin. so far so good? i think so, but i would prefer you not ask the husband to confirm.

a little clean eating

like i said before our family (aka clan) can get down with some sugar. we’ve got a plethora of it at our fingertips 24/7 via bakery. we also occasionally enjoy gorging ourselves on pizza, burgers, bbq, mom’s mac-n-cheese, yeah… you get it. but let me set this straight – before you think i’m here scarfing down some ben&jerry’s – we only eat these things occasionally. day-to-day we like to eat clean. what is eating clean? don’t worry i was getting there.

willpower & grace.

sorry. sorry. i know. i am slack. i am actually not slack at all, but it definitely appears that way via the blog world. i do sincerely apologize though, but i am confident you have survived just fine without me.

while excercising my willpower to not eat sweets, i managed to make some kentucky shortbread cookies for the festivities!

clean freak.

my love for cleaning came naturally, my mom is a pretty big clean freak. i think over the years though i might have surpassed her. sorry mama. i am a self-confessed, over-the-top, clorox lover, pledge user, vacuum and steam mop obsessed, clean freak.