big weekend

well, one of mine and Kyle's favorite nights of the year has come and gone. we cooked a lot of food, some of which we burned, ate (and drank) too much, and enjoyed the show via our living room.

our dinner was inspired by our Best Picture choice, "The Help." and even though it didn't win, our food turned out pretty great. we used recipes from Hugh Acheson's "A New Turn in the South," which our dear friend Chris so thoughtfully gave us for Christmas. and while our sweet potatoes, fried tomatoes and apple brown betty turned out wonderfully, our fried chicken met an unfortunate end. we let it burn. and then it was raw in the middle. no saving it. and i couldn't take a photo of it, i just couldn't, so it got pitched and Kyle ran to kroger to get some premade fried chicken. Minny would not have approved.

so we enjoyed our food and watched intently as the stars claimed their golden Oscars. my favorite dresses...

Gwyneth Paltrow

Angelina Jolie. holy slit. i love her.
but she really needs to eat a burger.
or six.

Jessica Chastain. huge girl crush.

Michelle Williams

Viola Davis. her earrings were killer
and her face is beautiful.

Natalie Portman 

Octavia Spencer. her dress is perfect.

and then i saw this. and died of happiness. i mean, come on.

Emma Stone. gawd. this might be my
all time favorite dress. and person.

then as i was flipping through party photos online, i came across this surprise. ummm, she's just being Miley. and looking freaking great.

Miley Cyrus. whoa.

like i said, "The Help" didn't win for Best Picture, and i was rather upset. i loved "The Artist," too, but "The Help" just moved me so much and the book was so wonderful, i just thought there's no way it couldn't win. i was wrong. i usually am about these things. the year "The Reader" came out i wanted it to win everything. that was also the year "Slumdog Millionaire" came out and it won everything instead. anyway, my favorite wins for this year...

Jean Dujardin for "The Artist." he was so happy and
adorable. i can't even deal.

Terry & Oorlagh George, father and
daughter, for "The Shore."

Octavia Spencer for "The Help."

Octavia was my favorite win of the night. i started crying as soon as they said her name and i was a mess the whole time she was up there. the best.

also, Meryl Streep won Best Actress for "The Iron Lady." i love Meryl, but i realllyyyy wanted Viola Davis to win. with that being said, i also really loved Meryl's dress and her speech.

Meryl Streep for "The Iron Lady"

overall i thought the show was fun and enjoyable and worth all the work Kyle and i put into planning for it. i liked the graphics, and the simple and clean design they used for the memoriam. also, Billy Crystal attended Marshall University for a hot second, people. so yeah.

before the big show, my parents had come to visit for the weekend and left only a few hours before we began cooking. it was fun seeing them, and i don't think they have been anywhere just the two of them since i was born, so i'm glad they got away together. and on their anniversary weekend, no less.

and they brought me a new stove! well, new to me. it's my mom's old one. so cooking for the big event was a breeze. all the burners work, unlike the old one where only 3 of them did, and the oven cooks more evenly and accurately, rather than burning a batch of cookies after 6 minutes. yippee!

while they were here, we ate some good food, shopped around a little bit and just hung out at the house. i know they, my dad especially, has a hard time with me being away. i just hope they see that i'm doing ok and try not to worry too much. :)

i'm excited for nicer weather and springtime plans. and new movies to start seeing for next year. if i've learned anything from being with Kyle, it's that it never ends when you're a dedicated movie-goer. never. 

love&movies.

krq.