Chinese New Year Prep, Oscar Picks, and Much Ado About Nothing

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This Thursday, the 19th, is Chinese New Year. We’ll be ringing in the year of the goat/sheep/ram with our wonderful former neighbors, whom we miss terribly. Check out last year’s festivities for a few of my tried and true Chinese recipes you can try your hand at– or, at the least, get takeout.

This year’s menu consists of: Broccoli Beef, Sesame Pork, Lemon Chicken, Sweet & Sour Shrimp, fried rice, stir-fried cabbage, and tea-boiled eggs, with mandarin oranges, orange sherbet and fortune cookies for dessert.

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Needless to say, I will caffeinate substantially before I begin dinner prep on Thursday.

To clear some memory in my iphone, here are a few recent pics of homeschool and everyday life in our house.

marine biology, sea turtle unit. did you know the largest sea turtle (the leatherback) can grow to 9 ft in carapace (top shell) length? neither did i.
science experiment: does blubber [vaseline] really keep whales & pinnipeds warm in frigid ocean waters? conclusion: yes it does
somewhere in this heap o’ blankets & pillows is a snoozin’ little man
our new neighbors had us over for a sweet little valentine celebration
scored this little ditty for little man’s room for just $5
don’t underestimate the sneaky
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i’ve been sipping on an old favorite to increase my h2o intake: water with cucumbers, mint, fresh ginger & lemon juice

 

some impromptu sensory play with organic oatmeal
their father’s daughters

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Another “holiday” is coming Sunday… The Academy Awards.

Since we first started dating (in highschool!), Husband and I have always enjoyed going to the movies. We have seen all but a few of this year’s nominees and I am excited to see how the awards play out.

Without further ado, here are my Oscar picks…

Best Picture: Birdman. I loved this artful film, which I have dubbed The Actor’s Black Swan.

Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything. I had initially dismissed this somewhat newcomer, until I actually watched the film. Wowzas.

Best Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice. Her performance was perfection. As usual. (And Alec Baldwin was also wonderful!)

Supporting Actor: Ethan Hawke, Boyhood.

Supporting Actress: Anyone but Arquette, I have no idea why she is the supposed favorite. I have yet to see Wild (remedying that this Friday) but I suspect Laura Dern will get my vote.

Mia’s Honorable Mentions: The Grand Budapest Hotel. Loved it. I have told you this before. I ADORE Wes Anderson’s signature cinematography and artful direction. Steve Carrel lost himself as Dupont in Foxcatcher. Also, Michael Keaton in Birdman. Meryl Streep delivered her dependable excellence to Into the Woods, as I have mentioned previously. Selma. See it. It is riveting, important, timely.

So there you have it, not that you asked. See you in the new lunar year!


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