The Sarcastic Blonde

fashion, food, fitness + a dose of sarcastic gossip

coffee talk, television

:: What You Can Actually Watch *Together* ::

For the most part, my husband and I have very different taste in television.  Am I interested Alaska the Last Frontier? No thank you. Is he interested in any city of Housewives? Absolutely not.  But when we both love a show it’s just SO much more enjoyable to look forward to watching the same thing together at the end of the day while we eat dinner or dessert and chat.
not every day…. no, no.  I want my trash and he wants his trash.  
SO, I’ve rounded up series we both loved and all of the suggestions that you shared on instagram below.

we are currently watching Fleishman is in Trouble and both love it.
we saved the last two episodes for this weekend. 

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podcasts, television

:: My Favorite Podcasts ::

One of the biggest changes since moving to Atlanta from Chicago is the amount of time I spend in the car.   Not only was I not in the car often in Chicago, but my commute to work was all of 4 minutes (HEAVEN), so I never did much with podcasts until a few months ago.  Now, I am completely hooked.   I also listen to podcasts while I cook and clean instead of music or television now and it really zens me out. I rarely ever listen to the radio anymore and really only listen to podcasts.  Not only is driving so much more enjoyable, you can learn so much from a podcast it’s crazy. (Well…. I don’t learn much from the TV podcasts, but they do  make me laugh,  but with all of the others I do actually learn things!). 
One thing I’ve learned : sometimes it takes a few episodes to get into a podcast.  Like getting to know characters on TV shows, it takes time to get used to the personalities and the order of some podcasts.  Also,  some episodes are just better than others.  If I don’t like a guest or a certain topic, I skip it.  Also, sometimes I will search for a certain person that is ON a podcast rather than a podcast itself.  Leah Remini was a perfect example of this – I have listened to every Podcast she was on promoting her Scientology A&E Show because I was so fascinated by all of it.  I highly recommend listening if you were as into that show as I was!

A few podcasts that I am listening to regularly right now :

Missing Richard Simmons : you have probably heard all about this podcast the last few weeks.  It is short 30 minute episodes, and there are only 6 episodes in total, but I really enjoy listening to it.  There are a lot of things I didn’t know about Richard that I loved learning about, and honestly it just does make me sad that he has locked himself up in his house.  On the other hand, it makes me sad for him that he’s getting all of this attention for it when clearly he just wants to be left alone.
Also, how AMAZING is this photo of my brother-in-law and Richard? It was taken at the airport lounge not long before he went into hiding.  He just jumped right into his arms! 

The School of Greatness : I try to balance my completely ridiculous with educational as much as possible.  Technically I think this podcast is driven to business/entrepreneurship, but his interviews tend to cover a broad spectrum and there are TONS of them, so you can go through the archives and pick and choose as you please.  They literally span every topic possible and all different types of people are interviewed.  He has such a genuine personality and just seems like an overall great person.  I also just really like his voice? He sounds like Eric Decker, which I never realized I really like his voice until hearing this podast.

Reality Life with Kate Casey : She does recaps of television shows, and also will bring back old shows and old episodes to discuss (i.e. something from first season of Jersey Shore or The Swan).  Hers is a more “mellow” reality podcast which at first I thought was strange and I grew to find extremely refreshing.

Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald :  The main focus of this podcast is reality TV and anything celebrity related (juicy scoop!), but you MUST  start with ” Serial Sister”, which begins in episode 35 (pretty sure it’s episode 35.  And then it goes on for weeks with little bits each episode!).  She tells a lengthy, detailed, keeps you on the edge of your seat story of her family and difficult relationship with her sister.  You can also go back for lots of Bravo-lebrity interviews in the archives!

The Lively Show : This is one of the few podcasts I actually DID listen to in Chicago.  I think I only ever really listened to this and then Serial when that was the big thing.  Her podcast is all about living with intention and designed to uplift and inspire.  She covers tons of different topics so you always have different things which is nice!

5 AM Miracle Podcast :  I am on a never-ending quest to become someone that can be a half-way-sometimes-maybe morning person. Because let me tell ya, I. Am. Not.  Jeff’s podcasts are 30 minutes and all about “dominating your day before breakfast.”  He is all about productivity, healthy habits, personal development, and making the most of your time.  I always feel motivated after listening to his podcasts.

Bitch Sesh :  Another Bravo and TV podcast, this is hosted by Danielle Schneider and Casey Wilson.  I always loved Casey Wilson as an actress (she is so hilarious in The Hotwives of Orlando/Las Vegas and Happy Endings) and her and Danielle are funny and adorable together.

Joel Osteen Podcast :  This is my favorite Sunday podcast – I listen to it while making breakfast for Kip and myself.  I am not trying to sound like Tamra Barney a-la OC Housewives, because this certainly does not constitute going to church, but it gives me a dose of God and Goodness on a Sunday and it’s better than nothin’!  And I really feel like no matter what your religious beliefs, he speaks to everyone.  I suggest starting with the “Living Joyful” podcast he did recently (March 5th) – it’ll show just how uplifting his words are and how even simple messages can really stick with you.  It’s a great way to kick off a new week.  He relates to real life situations and isn’t “preachy” whilst preaching if that makes sense.

Watch What Crappens : This is the first reality show podcast I ever listened to.  They are really funny and of course I love all things Bravo.  They do lots of epsiodes, and some can be quite lengthy, so sometimes I pick and choose based on how much time I have.  When the weather is nice and I take long walks, this is a podcast I go to time and time again.

There are a couple other podcasts I have recently discovered, but I didn’t want to share until I had enough time to develop a full opinion!

As I said earlier, sometimes it takes time to get acquainted with a podcaster and their style, so I try to give it a few episodes before deciding.  I recently started using some of the “sleep” podcasts when I can’t go to sleep and they really do seem to work! And I just downloaded a few past podcasts from “LadyGang” to give a try this week because I had heard good things about that one.

Please share your favorite podcasts with me in the comments section!
I always love to know other podcasts to give a try!! 

 

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home, home inspiration, television

:: Fixer Upper + HGTV Obsessions ::

If you are anything like me, you absolutely LOVE the HGTV channel, and Fixer Upper is one of your favorite shows.

I have been wanting to discuss the HGTV design shows for awhile but kept forgetting, and then I stumbled across this article when googling “how many dogs do Chip and Joanna Gaines have?”.  It is hilarious, and one hundred percent not intended to be so.  The article is titled The Hypocrisy of HGTV’s Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper.  You can tell from the title alone where this is going…. and why I thought it was hilarious.  The woman writing this article claims that they are horrible parents who are never with their children, bad Christians who do not live a biblical lifestyle, she is a bad mom for working, and on and on. AND ON.  I only share it because it is laughable the extent that his woman takes it to, and I seriously burst out laughing when I read the part where she accuses Jo of “child labor” when her kids drew drawings to decorate the new play space for the new homeowners.  CHILD. LABOR.  Are you kidding me????  Please, read this article.  If you do not think this woman is crazy, and laugh out loud at the sheer insanity of it, you are probably reading the wrong blog right HURR or think I am a lunatic as well (which I have never claimed not to be…. just definitely not in this sense).   In summary, I love Chip and Joanna SO much and few shows bring such a huge smile to my husbands face while I creepily look over at him watching Chip and his antics.  Or Chip’s “sins” as she calls it.

On to the article of praise and love for Chip and Joanna, the cutest family in the whole world and best thing to ever happen to HGTV. (PAH-REACH!).

I loved reading this article from one of the couples that had their home renovated by Chip and Joanna for the show.  I was especially excited because I LOVED this house so much.  They had the most gorgeous bathroom they have ever done on the show. It was insanely, insanely, drool-worthy beautiful.

 

This house also had the most gorgeous pocket doors going into the husband’s music room which of course there is no great photo of, but I did find one with them hiding in the background.  Trust me… they were stunning. 

I had previously thought that they didn’t touch any of the other bedrooms, and I’m sure it varies episode to episode based on budget, but she said for their home they renovated every room and did all floors/walls/fixtures and that they don’t miss a single design opportunity.  See the full article here. 

 Click here to see all photos of the House In The Woods episode, which was such a great house.  Also, this gigantic house renovation that was the season premiere one year was a favorite of mine too.  The house was huge! (I will say that in this current new season, she did a few houses and worked with the clients style that is not at all like her own – one was a super, super, modern house for example – and I definitely prefer when she sticks to her roots and her design aesthetic.)

There is another show on HGTV where the couple drives me a little bit nuts sometimes, but I still like to see the homes and I love that it is set in Nashville.

Masters of Flip stars married couple Kortney and Dave, and they usually do incredible renovations to homes that begin in an awful state.   Sometimes her homes have incredibly awful quirky taste… one episode in particular was so horrendous that I was shouting at the television. She WANTED it to be staged as if it was grandma-chic… as if you were walking in to your grandmothers house.  The house itself was gorgeous, and the staging seemed like it was a practical joke.  It varies episode to episode, some houses I love it all, some I hate everything she puts in it, but again, I like to watch 🙂   I did find a couple photos that show the bones of what they do is great, but then she’ll do things like bright green paint on the exterior.  Not at all my thing, but I know others like it.  She really loves herself some color. 

My brain is like AHHH where do I look with the way she styles/stages.  Here are some photos of the grandma decor house below :

This couple annoys me the way that Tarek and Christina (#RIP) do – they argue about things and make things related to the renovation all dramatic, and as Chip and Joanna so perfectly prove, drama does not need to be a part of these shows to make them successful. BUT, then they get cute? I feel like maybe they got feedback and changed it up a bit/learned to LOCK IT UP. Anyways, they do full-gut-rehabs and it’s great to see some all of the different things they do, because each house and episode can vary drastically from the last!

There is a new couple with a show premiering March 21st that I am super excited about called Home Town. Home Town features another married couple that live in a small town in Mississippi. I have high hopes.

I had originally confused Home Town with a show that I saw the pilot episode for forever ago called Sweet House Alabama.  I googled that show when it aired and saw that it brought me to a blog called Perfectly Imperfect.  I just went back to their site and learned that HGTV passed on having them as a show, which I am so sad about because they did such a gorgeous job renovating in the pilot episode. 

One that I love is Good Bones, with a mother daughter duo who do TONS of the work themselves.  They really get in their and know so much about the construction aspect of things its crazy. I love that they always start with SERIOUSLY disgusting houses that look like tear downs and make it amazing.  They do some decor/design choices that are a bit eeehhhh as well, but I like both of them and the show so much – they seem so sweet.

Oh, I also enjoy Love It or List It, Too with Jillian from the Bachelor/Bachelorette.  And the original Love It or List It has grown on me as well.  I like the Jillian version better just because she is so darn cute.

And to end, we circle back on Chip + Jo. Here are 16 things you may not know about the lovely couple.  Oh, and in case you missed their latest “behind the scenes” post, he no longer has the dark tooth mentioned in the gif above 🙂 He has a fancy white one now and he was hilarious talking about in on the show.

What are your favorite HGTV Shows?
What are your thoughts on the couples and their banter on the shows?

intro image via @betches instagram
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