Wentworth – the Australian version prison show


I just finished up Season 3 of Orange is the New Black and after doing so each year I then always watch Wentworth, the Aussie TV show based in a woman's prison. There's now 4 seasons of Wentworth on Netflix, I just started season 3. Wentworth is the grittier version of OITNB. The show follows the main character Bea Smith (redhead in the middle), the newest prisoner who is in prison awaiting trial for the attempted murder of her husband, who must learn to deal with the top-dog prisoners. What happens in the prison ends up affecting what happens to their family outside the prison which is dirty. The lives of the guards are also shown with plenty of drama. Like OITNB, there is also a transgender character who becomes a key figure. The inmates get a new governor who really makes their lives miserable. The show has drug-smuggling, violence, a prison escape, and much more. Most of the scenes are dark, filmed in low lighting. I love the Australian accents, but sometimes miss what they are saying. I highly recommend watching this show!

If you've finished OITNB can we talk about it for a bit? Spoilers ahead. I was surprised they went the whole season without Daya ever mentioning her baby. The show took on some political issues this season parallels to the Black Lives Matter moment, discussing mental health, prison overcrowding, a Martha Stewart celebrity like character, and so much more. Did you see Poussay walk by the guard on the street? See the flashback was to show how making small decisions can end up with a large consequence and how two people can do the same thing but have different endings. Most of the prisoners on this show committed small, petty crimes but are in prison when they probably shouldn't be. I think Poussay used Lolly's time machine to fix the mistake that got her arrested. And since she lived in her fictional world of the library, it would make sense for her to take some magical adventures after leaving her body. I thought it closed the episode nicely seeing her smiling and that she lived a happy full life.

While I'm sort of on a prison fix, sounds weird lol, I just finished Teresa Giudice’s book: "Turning the Tables: From Housewife to Inmate and Back Again." It’s her memoir and experience in prison, the same one Piper Kerman from OITNB went to. It got horrible reviews on amazon, but I didn't think it was that bad. It wasn't as good as the book Orange is the New Black. A third of the book is about her childhood and then she takes no responsibility for why she's in prison. It was an interesting peek into what life is like in a minimum security woman's prison.

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2016

Have you heard of Nordstrom's annual sale? Well, it's going on right now! I just started shopping at Nordstrom last year so I only recently found out about it. Every summer Nordstrom has an anniversary sale where they put new fall items on sale. Once the sale ends on Aug 8 the items go back to full price. Nordstrom has early access for debit or credit card holders but the sale opens up to the public on July 22 so I have my calendar marked! Nordstrom has free shipping with no minimums!

I've pulled together a small list of my essential picks.  My favorite underwear are Natori briefs and for the sale, they released new colors so I will be stocking up! As well as some tunics for fall as that was one of my style resolutions for the year. If you read my blog you know Kendra Scott is my favorite jewelry designer, well some of her pieces are on sale! You can also find in the sale MAC makeup sets and Nike shoes. My favorite grapefruit body wash is discounted!



Happy shopping! What are some of your favorites from this year's sale?

Ghostbusters


Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! I loved Ghostbusters 2 as a kid and I'd watch it every Halloween. I finally got around to watching Ghostbusters 1 last year to learn the back story. When Mindy Kaling wrote her first book she said wouldn't it be cool if they remade Ghostbusters with an all female cast, and what do you know it happened! I think it's really awesome to have a blockbuster movie where the main cast is all female and who are scientists. The movie will also have action figure dolls which is pretty groundbreaking considering it will be little boys playing with female action figures.

The storyline for the movie is following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates, nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann, and subway worker Patty Tolan band together to stop the otherworldly threat. They hire the hot Chris Hemsworth to be their secretary. There were quite a few moments in the movie that had me cracking up laughing! At the end of its first weekend, it's number two in the box office so it did pretty well. You can expect to see cameos from the original Ghostbusters cast and your favorite ghosts Slimer and the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.

Last week I watched the cast do their media circuit and have been in awe of Melissa McCarthy's fashion! I love a good yellow dress; she wore them to the movie's premiere and to the Today show. She used to have difficulty finding designers to dress her for red carpets because she wasn't a certain size. Now she started her own fashion line, trimmed down a bit and always looks so stylish on the red carpet. Her co-star Leslie Jones tweeted last month how she couldn't find a designer to dress her for the movie's premiere and threatened to put those designers on blast who refused her! lol

A couple weeks ago Lyft brought the Ecto 1 car to DC and you could request a ride in it! Sadly I had nowhere to go those two days and missed out. Sad face. I just finished Bobby Brown's book and it reminded me of his cameo in the movie Ghostbusters 2 and his song for the movie "On Our Own."

Too hot to handle, too cold to hold They're called the Ghostbusters and they're in control Had 'em throwin' a party for a bunch of children While all of the while the slime was under the building 
So they packed up their group, got a grip, came equipped Grabbed they Proton packs off their back and they split Found about Vigo, the master of evil Try to battle my boys? That's not legal

Summer Beach Reads 2016


I'm really excited I'm going to the beach this weekend! If you haven't see the movie Me Before You it's still showing in a few theaters, definitely the best movie (from a book) I saw this year! 

The Golem and the Jinni  - Helene Wecker, 486 pages, 2013

This is the best book I've read this year!  It’s a beautiful, wonderful, heartwarming story that I hated to put down and couldn’t wait to resume whenever I did. The book is a fascinating combination of Jewish and Arabian folklore mixed with the bustling reality of immigrant neighborhoods in 19th-Century New York. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though from very different backgrounds and cultures, these two foreigners' paths are crossed. United by their shared statuses as outsiders, a strange friendship develops, and they struggle to find their place in the New World. The book will completely transport you to another world!


Favorite Summer Recipes


I hope everyone had a happy holiday weekend. I went to Dancetrance, a bbq and watched the fireworks on a rooftop. Here's a roundup of some of my favorites recipes for summer. Have you tried Starbucks Strawberry Acai Refresher? It's flavored with passion fruit & acai, lightly caffeinated with green coffee extract and served freeze dried strawberries. It's 90 calories with 20g of sugar, so sweet and delicious! From their secret menu, you can ask for the "Pink Drink" which is for them to use coconut milk instead of water in this drink. It's similar to their Tazo Passion Iced Tea but better.








                                                                                                                                                                   

My favorite drinks for the summer are green smoothiesmelon cucumber cooler, and Tazo passion iced tea.











                                                                 If you're a regular reader of my blog you know I'm obsessed with popsicles! Apricots have a short season and right now they are in Trader Joe's so be sure to pick some up! My favorite popsicles are Boozy Apricot,  Grapefruit Rosemary, and Nectarine Buttermilk.
















For breakfast, I'm eating a lot of oatmeal in a range of flavors from Apricot, Black Forest Cake, and fresh peaches.














I'm also eating a lot of salad and making my own dressing which is super easy to do. Try out my Peach Vinaigrette and my Cilantro Lime small batch fresh and unique salad dressings.










                                                                                                                                                           

Back to breakfast, I have some more unique options. First up is the super filling Chia PuddingBlackberries and Cream Quinoa, and Chunky Monkey Overnight Oats which tastes similar to the ice cream!