Monthly Archives: February 2015

Parks and Rec – Bye, Bye Lil Sebastion

Guys, I LOVE Parks and Rec. I was not a fan from the beginning, and in fact Ray had to convince me to start watching sometime during season 3. But, now it’s my favorite and I’m devastated it’s over. I have a really hard time loving sitcoms. I usually find them cheesy and with poor writing. HOWEVER, Parks and Recreation was different. P&R was definitely over the top, but in a somewhat believable way. #neverforget
I’ll be honest, it took me a few days to watch the season finale. I just didn’t want it to end. Last night we took the plunge, made homemade waffles, and enjoyed the final episode. It was perfect! I loved how the final season was set in the future and I loved the flash forwards for each character. I don’t think I could have asked for a better ending. Did you see the little Star Lord cameo? Are you so happy for Jerry? Is anyone else still wondering about Mark Brendanawicz?

Here are few things I would like us all to remember from P&R:

“The library is the worst group of people ever assembled in history. They’re mean, conniving, rude, and extremely well read, which makes them very dangerous” -Leslie

“It’s not my favorite shirt, but it is my least favorite shirt.” – Donna

“Nothing is wrong. Just do your job. And they would never cancel Game of Thrones. It’s a cross over hit. It’s not just for fantasy enthusiast, they’re telling human stories in a fantasy world.” – Ben Wyatt

“Treat yo self 2011!” – Tom and Donna

“I think Comic Sans always screams fun, right?” – Jerry/Garry/Barry

“April is the best. But she’s 20. When April was born, I was already in the third grade, which means if we were friends back then, I would have been hanging out with a baby. I don’t know anything about infant care. My god, I could have killed her.” – Andy

And a clip from my #1 favorite episode. #2 is the series finale. #3 is Johnny Karate. #4 is Treat Yo Self.

Instalife

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Daily life with Alliray via iphone photos.

Wednesday Jams

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I’ve talked a little about my musical journey on here before. Oldies to pop to contemporary Christian to indie to oldies again to… well, you get the picture. Instead of podcasts, I’ve been listening to more music while at work.
Here’s what I’m currently jamming to:

We first saw Shaky Graves a little over a year ago when he was on tour with Shovels and Rope. We were instantly into him.

After Missy Elliott’s surprise performance at the Super Bowel I became re-obsessed with her. Ray is not enjoying this obsession.

What are you currently jamming to?

Alliray tips for living in an old house with sub-par heating

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Four years ago Ray and I purchased a beautiful almost 100-year-old home. With our 100-year-old home we also got 100-year-old insulation, which almost means no insulation. While we have central heat, it isn’t always up to snuff. It feels weird posting this now, because we’ve had several super beautiful, not-too-cold days in the recent weeks. However, north Florida winters are fickle. Going from 80 degrees to 30 degrees in a 36 hour period is a norm. Without further ado, here are a few of our tips for staying warm in a cold house.

1. Slippers. Slippys. Slips. They’re essential. I never wore slippers until a few years ago because I always assumed socks were sufficient. Guess what? In the winter socks alone are never sufficient, even in Florida. Slippers have been saving my life and my ice block feet.

2. Lone Wolf. Ray and I consistently fight over this sweatshirt. We bought it at a Goodwill 3 or 4 years ago because we thought it was funny. Little did we know it was also warm and roomy and we both always want to wear it. Sure, we each have other sweatshirts, but none as perfect as Lone Wolf.

3. Casseroles. One cold COLD day last January Ray and I were freezing so we made a casserole and we truly believe it saved our lives. To be honest, we don’t eat casseroles very often. They’re not really my thing. BUT, if the temp is dropping below 30 I suggest a warm gooey meal.

4. Black Cat. If you’re going to live in an old home with sub-par heating or insulation you will need a pet to keep you warm. Black Cat (when he’s in the mood) is a great heater.

5. Double blanket. Sometimes one blanket just isn’t enough.

6. Bubble baths. A hot bath is great for curing what ails you. Especially if cold weather ails you. In the Hancock household we love baths. It’s the perfect place to relax, read a book, and warm up. Treat yo self!

7. Space heaters. Now, space heaters can be just as awful as they are awesome. They can cause dry skin, dry nasal cavities, and scratchy throats. They can also be dangerous. However, if you buy a good one it can be so wonderful. Ray’s parents gave us an inferred heater for Christmas and it has absolutely improved our heat situation. As space heaters go, you get what you pay for so don’t skimp!

Do you live in a super cold house? What are your tips for keeping warm?

Big Brown Record Redo

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Big Brown is forever a work in progress. We moved in with only hand-me-down and thrifted furniture. Don’t get me wrong, we love thrifting and most of our furniture has served us well, but we’re slowly transitioning our house to feel even more like us. And maybe more adult. And maybe less falling apart.
One thing we’ve been wanting to change for a while has been our record player and record shelving situation (see our ridiculous collection here). Since we moved into Big Brown, most of our records have been living in our sunroom on crappy shelves from Ray’s apartment days. We wanted to move our records into the living room to create more space in the sunroom and to motivate us to listen to more of our music library. Ray and I both spent a lot of time researching shelf options. We didn’t want to spend too much, but we wanted a shelf that would look nice and hold the weight of our vinyl. Everyone everywhere recommended the Ikea expedit/kallax units. With that in mind, we went with some of our friends down to Orlando to visit Ikea last weekend. With gift cards in hand, we were prepared to buy 2 2×4 kallax shelving units. We came home with said shelving, a small cart for our bathroom, wall shelves for our sun room, a few light fixtures, and a couple of kitchen odds and ends. Our friends bought a dining room table and chair set, a side table, 2 arm chairs, a foot stool, and a kitchen island. Needless to say, the four of us + all our of stuff barely fit. Tetris to the max.We’re really enjoying our new record situation. The kallax shelves are perfect for our collection and add extra surface space for our record player, playstation, and speaker setup. We definitely recommend them! So, what do you guys think?