The dog days of summer

It is incredibly hot right now. In my neck of the woods we've had record-breaking temperatures 22 out of the last 26 days. Or something like that (I'm not a meteorologist). The heat brings out the cranky. And I know this doesn't just apply to me; everywhere I turn, there's somebody in a bad mood, whether it's on the phone at work, talking with someone in person, or just casually observing people in line at Subway. There has to be a solution to this epidemic. Here are some of my ideas:

1) Cute baby/animal/baby animal videos on YouTube. Here are two of my faves:

2) Ice Cream. If you're on a diet like me this can be a sore subject, but there's always the glorious Skinny Cow products.

3) Find things to laugh about. Even if they're not really that funny.

Today I laughed off and on for twenty minutes about something I overheard at work. Somebody got a caller who couldn't hear very well, and my coworker had to yell the letters of a word out so that the person on the phone could understand. This person works clear across the center from me, so I honestly have no idea who it was, but all of a sudden I hear someone yelling "No, P as in Papa, the Pope, or Potato." Makes me giggle right now just thinking about it (it might be one of those things you have to be there for. My coworker's delivery was pretty funny).

4) Find a new series and read it. I have finally started reading the Harry Potter books. I may be 10 years late to the party, but I'm finally there. I'm on the second book and enjoying every minute of it. I can't help but smile when I think about Hagrid.

So there are some ideas. If you have any suggestions of ways to get through the dog days of summer sanity intact please share them in the comments section. They are greatly appreciated.

Have a great day!

Love,

Elle Bunny

5 reasons you should go see Public Enemies

Mr. Bunny and I saw Public Enemies on Monday. I really loved it. It's one of those movies that sticks with you. I've heard that some of the critics didn't like it that much, but I don't know what's wrong with them. Did they see the same movie as me?

The move was made of awesome. A total shoot-em-up, but there is a lot there under the surface. I cried twice (but most people probably wouldn't--I'm a sap). Anyway, here are 5 reasons to see the movie:

1) Johnny Depp. I'm certainly not the first person to say it, but Johnny is a breathtakingly beautiful man. And thank goodness. This is what the real John Dillinger looked like. I prefer the Hollywood version any day. Beyond the looks, though, he is so good in this. Watching his face during one of the final scenes (when he watches Manhattan Melodrama) is so incredibly heartbreaking. He brings humanity to a character who, in reality, was a murderer. In my opinion, this is something only the best actors can really pull off (ex: James Gandolfini).

2) Marion Cotillard. She gives a sensational performance as Billie Frechette, the love of John Dillinger's life. Their relationship is very believable onscreen and her performance is the one that drove me to tears twice. From what I understand, this is one of her first performances in English and I was quite impressed. And she is one of the few women beautiful enough to make you look away from Johnny when she's onscreen.

3) The supporting cast. Christian Bale is really great in this movie, and whatever your feelings might be on him as a person, you have to admit that he is one of the best actors of our generation (go see American Psycho immediately if you disagree with me). He does a great southern accent, and he looks good in the suits.Emilie de Ravin also has a minor role in this movie (she plays a hostage in one the Dillinger bank heists). In case you don't recognize the name, that's Claire from "Lost" and Ally from Remember Me. Lucky girl.

But the best supporting actor by a mile was Billy Crudup. Now I dislike him way more than Christian Bale based on what I know of his personal life (he left Mary Louise Parker when she was pregnant for Claire Danes; Ew!) but he is insanely talented and gives and incredible performance in this movie. He plays J. Edgar Hoover, a hard role to pull off, but he did it with style. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets nominated for an Oscar.

4) The history. After watching this movie, I felt the need to research every aspect of it. Some of it just seemed impossible to believe. But there are only minor changes based on what I've read (and the minor changes that they made added to the story). My conclusion-all of the men involved were incredibly complicated, interesting characters with giant egos. Dillinger was able to justify stealing money from banks but wouldn't take the money from a "little man" making a withdrawal. Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale's character) seemed to have a kind of awed fascination with Dillinger, and at the same time seemed intimidated by both Hoover and Dillinger. In the end, he is forced into the middle man role, constantly dealing with bureaucracy making it more difficult to do his job at the same time that they pressured him to get the job done. Perhaps the most insane is J. Edgar Hoover, although they didn't necessarily know the extent of it back then. He was obsessed with persecuting individuals like John Dillinger. It has been reported by numerous sources that he was homosexual, and possibly even a crossdresser. I think I might be reading more on each of these men as they are all fascinating. If you would like to read more on the topic of John Dillinger, check out his FBI page.
5) The fashion. The suits are beautiful and reflect each character so perfectly. They are perfectly tailored. Marion's wardrobe is also beautiful. The costume designer deserves an Oscar as well.

Go check out the movie! It's great!

Love,

Elle Bunny

Youtubesday: What the Buck

OMG, I can't believe I haven't talked about What the Buck yet. I love this guy.

I swear on my life, that is what my brain is like all the time. Ideas bouncing around so fast that my mouth can barely keep up. Only in my head, I'm way less funny than Buck.

Have a great day!

Love,

Elle Bunny

Heard any good pregnancy jokes lately?

So, according to New Weekly , a very reputable magazine in Australia (it's on the same level of the National Enquirer), KStew is preggers with a hobo baby. Hobaby? No, we will stick with Hobo Baby. Check this out:

The real-life romance of Twilight stars Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson is in turmoil after she told to a friend she believes she is pregnant with the actors child. The actress, who discovered she could be expecting last week, was so worried someone would discover her secret she sent a close pal to buy a pregnancy test kit. "Kristen asked one of her friends to buy the test because she was worried about someone seeing her at the drug store," an insider reveals exclusively to NW. "She's very nervous about the whole situation." The couple, who haven't even gone public with their romance yet, are now facing the toughest challenge to their relationship as they struggle with the news they could be parents. Kristen first started to suspect she might be expecting when she realized she hadn't had her period. "When she worked out she was late, she obviously started to thinking that she could be pregnant" says a pal. "And because of the timing, she thinks Rob could be the father."

I think the caliber of this article can be summed up by my favorite quote from said article: "Kristen first started to suspect she might be expecting when she realized she hadn't had her period." Ummm...that's ridiculous. I laughed a lot reading that article. Oh, and if that tummy means KStew is pregnant than I'm officially in my third trimester with twins. Stupidity.

Oh, and according to the NY Daily News , Robert Pattinson's sexy brooding isn't an act: The "Twilight" star is seriously bummed by New York ... and its women! On-set sources from the hunky Brit’s new film, "Remember Me," now filming in the Big Apple, reveal that the actor is hopelessly homesick for London."Robert is dying to get back home," says an insider. "He's so over everything. He's overwhelmed by all the girls — they terrify him! He says girls grab his neck and clothing all of the time, and he’s not used to that. Fans don’t do that to him in London. Everyone there is a little cooler about the fame thing, which is what he’s used to.” The star’s blatant unhappiness even has his "Remember Me" co-stars concerned. "He's so skinny and stressed. Everyone on set is worried about him," confesses our source.Clearly Pattinson, who shot to fame as teenage vampire Edward Cullen in "Twilight," isn’t enjoying his heartthrob status — or the female attention. "Robert doesn’t understand why everyone is going so crazy over him," continues the insider.“He’s embarrassed by the way girls throw themselves at him. The girls here are stalking him. He stayed in two different hotels over the course of four days just to try to escape the fans who were following him. He's afraid that if he gives a hand, they’ll take the whole arm. He’s being advised by security not to encourage the crowd, so he doesn’t even look up anymore."True to form, the gorgeous star kept his head down early last week at the Crestwood Train Station in Yonkers, where “Remember Me” was filming. During one break, he headed to local bakery Martine’s, where an eyewitness observed, “He was completely silent in public, but when he got back to the crew, he was saying how glad he was to be away from prying eyes in Manhattan.”This isn’t the first time that Pattinson’s public paranoia has reared its head. He told an Australian magazine back in June that he started crying while shooting “New Moon” in Italy because, “I [cry] when people are screaming at me.”At least he can find solace from his homesickness with a few nights out on the town — we’ve spotted Pattinson drinking at local spots like Black and White, the Bowery Hotel, Freemans and Webster Hall.

That's sad. Poor Bert. Maybe if they didn't have so many exterior shots for this movie it wouldn't be so bad. I swear on my life, I think the whole movie takes place outdoors. And there wasn't a lot of proper prior planning. Summit=fail.

Finally, I leave you with this video of an interview with Jamie Campbell-Bower.

He's really quite charming and I like him a lot more when I hear him speak and see him in action than when I see pictures of him. He will make a good Caius, don't you think?

Have a great day!

Love,

Elle Bunny

Liz Lemon is Friday's Fun Fearless Female!

I love Liz Lemon from 30 Rock. In my opinion she is by far the funniest female character on television. An obvious extension of Tina Fey, Liz Lemon is also a character I find myself identifying with time and time again, despite the fact that I don't live in NYC and I'm not the head writer on a late-night television show. It might have something to do with her love of food and television, or possibly her extreme awkwardness or the way she dresses for work. It's likely that I identify with her because I often break into showtunes and my name is Elizabeth. Whatever it is, I feel like we were separated at birth.

Liz is from White Haven, Pennsylvania. She comes from an optimistic family, which is surprising considering her acerbic wit. She majored in theatre tech at Smith and she spent her Junior year abroad in Frankfurt, Germany. Liz and Jenna Maroney met an audition for a car dealership commercial in Chicago in 1993. They became roomates and lived in an apartment in the "little Armenia" area of Chicago. They started "The Girlie Show" together on Second City. They moved to NYC and put the show on TV, with Jenna as it's star and Liz as the head writer. Liz tends to be the rock for Jenna who is usually having an emotional breakdown over one ridiculous thing after another.

Liz has terrible luck with men. She was rejected by not one, but two men who went on to attend clown college. She didn't lose her virginity until she was 25. She has dated many losers on the show, the most impressive in his loserness being Dennis, who was once featured on Dateline's "To Catch A Predator."
Liz has an interesting relationship with Jack Donaghy, her boss, who is played to perfection by Alec Baldwin. They have undeniable chemistry, but in many ways they have a typical boss-employee relationship. While they frequently mock each other and their respective inadequacies, they're also each others closest confidante.
Here are my top five favorite Liz Lemon quotes:

1) "Jack Donaghy is gonna kill me and then he's gonna kill you and then he's gonna fold us up in a pizza and eat us."

2) "Once in college, I pooped my pants a little bit at a Country Steaks All-You-Can-Eat Buffet...and I didn't leave until I finished my second plate of shrimp."

3) "Thanks, it's my own recipe. I use cheddar cheese instead of water."

4) "Hi, my name is Liz Lemon and I received flowers from your shop tonight and I can't tell who they're from. [pause] No, no, I did read the card but it's not signed.... no, I'm not with so many men that it's impossible for me to guess... well, that is just... oh, well you know what, I found the card, actually, they're from your mom, so tell your gay mom I said thanks! [hangs up]"

5) Jenna: "That guy wanted to buy you a drink!" Liz: "Really? But I already have a drink. Do you think he'd buy me mozzarella sticks?"

Here's a video of some of my other favorite Liz Lemon moments:

Love her!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the fourth of July!

Love,

Elle Bunny

Strut the Wonder Cat

I have a really incredible cat. Sometimes he meows so loud, I wouldn't be surprised if they could hear him in the next county. He also is able to leap up onto our mantle and pace back and forth on it without knocking anything over. Now I know that these are all normal cat things. But trust me, he's special.

The main reason that Strut is so special is that he honestly believes in his heart of hearts that he is a dog. It's written all over his face. He's constantly smiling, always congenial. He follows us around, always nipping at our heels. He has a voracious appetite and he runs around the house. He loves a belly rub and I can literally stretch his legs out in all directions and he doesn't get mad. He sleeps at the foot of our bed. He's playful and funny. He comes into the room when you whistle for him. Lately, we've been watching the first season of 30 Rock on Netflix and he always lays on the top of the back of the couch and watches with us. He told me his favorite character is Kenneth. I think he identifies with him. They are both always so eager to please.

Which is why I wasn't surprised that he didn't belly-ache when Meow-Meow (my mom) gave him this collar. He wore it with pride.

So basically he's the perfect combination of a dog and a cat. He's sweet and eager to please, but he isn't hard to take care of. Just put bowls of food and water out and give him a litter box and he's good to go. I love Strut with every fiber of my being. I'm looking into having him cloned.
Have a great day!

Love,
Elle Bunny

Decor: I love the little touches

Over the last few months, we've been decorating our new home. Mr. Bunny is actually very involved and interested, and luckily we have very similar taste. I have found that when it comes to decorating, the things I love the most in our home are usually inexpensive and/or little. Don't get me wrong, I also get a kick out of Obamatron (the flat screen television we bought with some of our first-time home buyer credit money) and the more expensive things like our really nice Hotel brand towels (they literally hug you when you get out of the shower) and Pottery Barn bedding (note how Strut refuses to move from it--this is because it feels like a giant cloud). But the things that make our house feel like a home are much more meaningful than that. Here are some of my favorite items in our home and the stories behind why I love them so much.

1) Guiding Light I love this lamp. It cost somewhere around $45 and there is never a night that I don't admire it's beauty before turning it off. I bought it with my mom at a furniture store's closing sale. It's my fave. If I were a lamp, this is how I would want to look. Unfortunately, it was the only one left, so I don't have a matching one for Mr. Bunny's bedside. But we found a complimenting more masculine lamp at Wal-Mart for around $20 which we use on his side. I think it does a really good job of bringing out the colors in the bedding and I consider the lamp combo to be my version of Shabby Chic.

2) Writing's on the wall.

In case you can't read it, it says "Once in a While, Right in the Middle of an Ordinary Life, Love Gives You A Fairy Tale." When Mr. Bunny and I were dating, I went on a girls trip to the coast with my friends. I found myself missing him badly on the day we went shopping in Galveston. We walked into a store called the Funky Monkey and I saw this sign. The quote was so sweet and reminded me so much of our relationship that I started tearing up right there. I didn't buy the sign then, but when we came back from our Honeymoon Cruise a couple of years later we ended up in that store and we bought that sign. It means a lot to me--I actually used the quote on our Save the Dates. I like that it hangs over our bedroom door because it always reminds me how lucky I am to have found Mr. Bunny.

3) These three pictures tell a story...

I have never found an individual picture that I liked more than the three of these which hang above our bed. I got these pictures from a book of Alfred Eisenstaedt photographs which I bought at Half Price Books for $9.99. I picked out my three favorite photos that he took in NYC and found these frames at Wal-Mart and paid around $30 altogether for them. I love looking at these photos and wondering what the people were thinking. The one of the woman walking her dog always makes me smile.

4) When you find something you like, why not do it again?I liked the three picture idea so much, I decided to try it in the guest bedroom. I bought them at Target for around $30 overall. People always comment on how cute they are.

5) Thank you for being a friend.

When I graduated from college, my bff made me this picture. I can't explain why but it just looks like us in every way. When we moved into this house I hung it in the most appropriate place I could think of-in my closet, over my shoe rack.

She incorporated the words to one of our favorite songs, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." It obviously has many meanings, but my favorite reason is that this is the first song to which we ever tried our Michael McDonald impersonations. The back side of this picture is even more ridiculous, with a picture of Michael McDonald and Karen Carpenter. Love it!

6) A bunny at the door.

Because of our love of bunnies, there are some little bunny touches throughout the house. This is a picture we have in our entryway. I bought it at Hobby Lobby for $9.99. It always makes me giggle.

7) A bunny on the mantle.

Above our mantle, we have this picture (which is from Ikea and was around $80)

I love the picture, but because of it's scale, I didn't want a bunch of clutter on the mantle. Only the littlest items would do.

Mr. Bunny got this for me in Frederickburg, TX. In case you can't tell, it's two bunnies kissing. And I don't think there could be a better gift. Nothing makes me happier than that little figurine.

8) You can call me flower if you want to.I love plants and flowers. But so far, since we moved into our house, I have killed three plants (with help from Strut). I have a decidedly brown thumb. This floral arrangement (which is fake, naturally) is from Hobby Lobby. I think it was around $35, a bit of a splurge, but I consider it a deal considering it was originally $70. I love the beading around the top of the vase. I love seeing this when I walk through our front door.

9) My cross wall (not to be confused with a crosswalk).All of these crosses were inexpensive, but the majority of them hold special meaning for us. We bought one of them on our honeymoon in Mexico, one on our first anniversary and one on our second anniversary. One was a wedding present. They all make us happy, and Mr. Bunny recently pointed out to me that they are hung in the shape of a heart. This makes me happy and I am considering the cross wall done for the time-being.
Now for some reason, I'm crazy about bathroom accessories. I love them. Check out some of my favorite items in our guest bathroom.

10) Soap dish.

We bought that soap at a small shop in La Villita in San Antonio. It is Chocolate Mint and smells heavenly. I can't wait to have our next overnight guest, so I can encourage them to use it!

11) Walking in high cotton.

I know it's ridiculous, but this jar of cotton balls just makes me smile. It's the little things, you know? The jar is from Target and cost very little, but it looks exactly like I pictured it.

12) Love.More important than any of these items, what makes our house a home is love. I'm so lucky to have Mr. Bunny and Strut and all of our friends and family who come by to visit.

Anyway, that's all for now. Let me know if you would like me to blog more about home decor (that rhymed) and I will do a couple more blogs about it.

Have a great day!
Love,

Elle Bunny