One thing I want to do this year is get a proper bra fitting. Yup, I said it....out loud...to all of you...sigh. I think every woman who is turning 40 needs to be in a bra that lifts those babies up and keeps them up! No offense to Victoria's Secret, but I just can't handle being rushed into a fitting room and measured by a 19 year old girl who has never experienced drooping boobs for crying out loud! My local paper just did a feature about a boutique, run by one woman (that's WOMAN, not teenager!) who will spend a God awful amount of time with you as she measures, adjusts, reccomends and fits you in the best friend a girl can have...a bra that hugs, lifts, supports, curbs the head lights and lets you go bowling with no worries! (I have to admit I went bowling wearing a nice new bra and soon realized as I swung the ball numerous times that it WASN'T working for me, if you know what I mean!) Well, as a special gift for myself, I am heading right now to make an appoitment with this woman. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. And please forgive me if you think this was too much information for the blog, but I know I am not the only one who suffers through this! Don't forget, I'll be announcing the winner of the cookbook giveaway tommorow! Thanks to everyone who entered. I had over 500 hits to my blog this week! AMAZING! 
 
Well...drum roll please...it's time for the biggest, baddest give-away EVER on Lost and Found. If you don't know already, I am a huge fan of Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. She's funny, sassy, down to earth and a great cook! You can become obsessed with her blog at www.pioneerwoman.com
Last week I had the honor of meeting her in person at her booksigning. Can you believe I waited FIVE HOURS in line? It was crazy! I had no clue it would be as crazy as it was. But is was worth it my friends, it was worth it! And now you get to benefit from my craziness! But first things first...this is Nicole and Sarah, my line-mates. Can you tell we are hot, sweaty, greasy and tired...and it's only been 2 hours at this point! Nicole (the mom) is from Germany. No, she didn't come all way from Germany for the signing, but met her American husband when he was in the military there. Her daughter, Sarah was an absolute sweetheart and kept checking on our status in line. I love meeting children who are polite, friendly and make new friends easily. By the way, Nicole gave me persmission to post their picture here.
Here's another line-mate. I thought her outfit was adorable so she let me snap her picture. She even made her own skirt that she is wearing. Everyone was so nice! There are nice people in the world! And even nice stangers that become friends!
Ree always dresses so cute! She is as friendly in person as she appears on her
blog. Down-to-earth, goofy and sweet!
A man carrying a purse for his lady. Need I say more?
This is me and Marlboro Man (Ree's husband.) When he walked in the ladies went a little crazy. He was just as quiet and kind as he is on their Food Network show. And he is certainly just as cute!
Me and Ree. I'll have you know that I told her I loved her entertainment section of her blog. She has such fun quizzes about movies and gives away awesome prizes. She said she wanted to do one soon about an actor or actress but it is hard to do it when she is on the road. I suggested Tom Hanks. Well, well, well, just a few days ago she posted a new contest with non-other than...TOM HANKS!
I'll be posting about some of the receipes in the book as I try them. And as a way to kick off more Lost and Found blog posts, more give-aways and way more fun over here on Lost and Found...here's YOUR chance to win that book that is sitting in front of Ree in the picture above. I will be giving away one autographed copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier to one lucky reader of my blog. SPECIAL BONUS: Marlboro Man also autographed his handsome picture too! I love her cookbooks because they show step-by-step pictures and have lots of fun stories about her life on the farm.  Check out this link for great pictures and more information about the cookbook http://thepioneerwoman.com/blog/2011/12/my-new-cookbook/ 
Hardbound book with a retail value of $16.82 on Amazon and I'll ship it to you for free if you win.
Autographed copy: PRICELESS! Read below on how to win.  Here's a little secret: sometimes I don't get a lot of comments left on my blog, so you might have a good chance of winning!

 HOW TO WIN!
Simply leave a comment in the comment section of this post.
Be sure to include your email address (only seen by me) so that I can contact you if you win.

For an extra entry, share this blog post on your FACEBOOK page,
then come back here and post again that you did so.

Refer a friend and if they mention in their comment that you sent them, you get ANOTHER entry,
so spread the word!
DEADLINE:
Friday, March 30th, midnight
Winner announced:
Sunday, April 1st
GOOD LUCK!
 
Check back often this week! I'll be giving away the new Pioneer Woman's Food From My Frontier cookbook, AUTOGRAPHED by Ree Drummond and Marlboro Man!
 
                                 Katniss and Peeta, er, Gale, I mean Peeta heading into the movie.
I woke up this morning with my back and neck aching and a migraine. I felt like I was hung over. Thing is, I didn't drink last night. I didn't do anything of the sort. Maybe I should have. I went to the midnight premiere of The Hunger Games and didn't get home until after 3am. I think I'm getting old...or the movie theatre was old because it didn't have those nice large, cushiony, high back chairs that you can fall asleep in. Yah, that was it. Not me getting old at all.
I've been looking forward to this premiere for a long time. Got my tickets the day they went on sale. I love the books and had very high hopes for the movie. I limited my intake of previews so I could see the movie with fresh eyes. This was the first time I had ever attended a midnight premiere and it really was fun...and stressful, like I said, I'm old. I was so nervous that I wouldn't get a good seat that I made my hubby and I get there by 9pm.
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Very nice ticket lady.
This is our very nice ticket lady. I think she knew we were a little older than what the average bear would be at this premier. How do I know this?  She warned us the theatre was going to be loud. I was confused. I said "What do you mean by loud?" She said there would be a lot of talking before the movie, if we could handle it. She stated that we were in the digital, large theatre, but the movie was being shown in all the other theatres too if we wanted to move to one of those. Sweet lady, thinking about us old folks. She said we could come back in about an hour if we wanted. So hubby and I walked about half way back to the car and I started panicking. I wanted middle, center of the screen seats and I was afraid I wouldn't get them. After much debate, we turned around and walked right back in, ticket lady laughing and picked out our seats.  We were 3 hours early (but not the first one's there!) In ode to Katniss, teenage girls with braids began to decended upon the theatre, loud, giggly, with tired parents in tow. Oh, this is what she was talking about.
I know you've been waiting for my review and here it is...
                                                                            MIXED
I think I had my hopes too high for the movie, because the book is just that good, but I wasn't dissappointed.
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A pop as big as my head!
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It's past our bedtime. It's 10pm and we're starting to crack.
Highlights:
-Jennifer Lawrence: 100 % perfect as Katniss. Pretty but still kick-ass. Tough as nails but still vulnerable.
Intelligent, independant and brave, exactly what I loved about her in the books. She still is my hero...and I am even more a fan of Jennifer Lawrence than I was before. (See her in her Oscar nominated performance in Winter's Bone and you'll understand.)
-True to the story: Although there were a few parts missing, the movie stayed pretty true to the book.
-Beautiful sceanery: District 12 looked just like I imagined. The Capitol as well. 
-Liam Hemsworth: Need I say more?
-Rue: Amandla Stenberg did a great job looking smart, sweet and innocent. She didn't have many lines but lines
weren't neccesary. As in the book, her death and Katniss's way of dealing with it was the most touching part of the movie.  I was crying, and so were the hundred other 15 year old girls in the theatre. 
 
Lowlights:
-Camera editing: OMG the camera shook, rocked and rolled like the camerman was having a seizure. It was too much and such a distraction! I'm glad I didn't get tickets for the floor to ceiling screen or I would have thrown up before Katniss even makes it to the games. Speaking of moving so fast, the fight scenes were such a blurr you really couldn't tell what was happening, just that some nasty shit was going down. I think this was their way of keeping it PG-13.
-Liam Hemsworth: In the book, you really get a scense of Gale and Katniss's friendship. In the movie, he was just there for eye candy. But he was pretty darn good eye candy. (See above.) Which leads me to...
-Character Development: Even though the movie was 2.5 hours long and the acting was superb, you never get too close to the characters because the plot moves so fast. The book really gives you a chance to know and
understand them, to form bonds with them and feel their pain. If you read the book before the movie, deeper character development wasn't so neccessary. I am curious how those who didn't read it first felt about the characters. The movie just didn't do those relationships justice.
-Girl on Fire: Let's just say I was dissappointed. I mean, really, how hard can it be to create beautiful 
pieces of clothing that catch on fire with out burning the person to death who wears them?
-Watching the movie in a theatre of teenagers is a lesson on maturity. I don't ever want to be a teenage girl again. I repeat, I don't ever want to be a teenage girl again. The theatre erupted in laughter at some of 
the most emotional and intimate moments of the movie. It became very distracting, almost making the experience on the screen "cheesy" even when it wasnt. My very smart husband reminded me that laughter is sometimes a coping mechanism for not being able to process emotions. And we all know teenagers are not real good at processing their emotions. He's a smart one that Hubby of mine. I think I'll suggest to the kind ticket lady to perhaps have a theater reserved for the 21 and older crowd.

Like I said, my review is MIXED. I might go see it again with out the teenage sound effects and I will buy this when it comes out on DVD. I would love to hear your thoughts on the movie!
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My Mockingjay t-shirt. I was right! No one else had one like it!
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My Mockingjay pin I got on GroopDealz for $8.00!
 
 
For my 40th birthday I want a pair of kick-ass cowboy boots (amoung a hundred other things!) I have never had a pair and a little worried about how these old feet will be able to handle them. But from what I hear, once you have them broke in, they feel just like slippers. And it's not like I'll be out on the range and riding horses or anything. (That does sound fun though!) I'll probably sport them with a cute ruffle skirt while I am out going to garage sales.  How in the world will I ever be able to decide when there are so many cute boots to pick from? Some of my favorites....  Comment below by voting for you favorite!
The boot above can be found at www.allensboots.com $549.00.  Cheaper than our Y membership!

Source: bit.ly via Holly on Pinterest

The above boot can also be found at www.allensbootscom
The boot above is also found at www.allensboots.com for $499. They really have some beauties over there in Texas!
$399 also from www.allensboots.com
Found at www.allensboots.com  $549
Dear Lord, how will I ever choose? Allens Boots have the loveliest boots I have ever seen! Cash and/or checks gladly accepted for my boot fund! 
 
So number 3-zillion-38 billion on the to-do list for my "Year of Turning 40" is to get in the best shape of my life. This has been harder than I imagined! Oh wait, I knew it was going to be hard, that's why I put it off until I was 40. Today I went in debt paying for a YMCA membership for me and the Hubby. You really have to take out a small loan to afford it.  I thought the Y was supposed to be an affordable community center type gym. At the price I paid I should be getting chilled water with lemon served to me on a silver platter by a very tall, dark and handsome trainer who tells me I look fabulous, even as I am heaving out of breathe as the old Granny gym rats with their pastel visors pass me on the track.  I am out of breath just reading that sentence. Oh gosh, I am going to need a lot of help here!
 
When my two little, adorable nieces (oh how I miss you so) came to stay with us for a while in November-December of last year, Matt and I gladly gave up the Man Cave and Chic Den, so that they could have a bedroom. Now that they are back with mom, it's time to get in gear! The boxes and piles have been driving me crazy! I have so much crap ..err.. good stuff for Goodwill! I have decided if I haven't used it in a year, it has to go(maybe.) My inner crafty is crying over potential projects...screaming "But I AM going to get to that sometime soon!" So some things, shhh! are staying after all (fellow Creatives understand.) With all the great spring shows already marked on my calendar (I'll be blogging all about them,) I'll be brimming with new ideas and new stuff. Gotta clear out in preparation, right!? Can you tell I am a little confused? Need to get rid of things...need to keep things. There is a show on Discovery Channel called Doomsday Preppers. On the show a lady says that she will be the only one that still needs to lose weight at the end of the world. Well, all I can say is that I will be the only one that will still have her rubber stamps, stickers and yarn clutched closely to her chest when the zombies crawl through my front door! You can have my brain but you can't have my craft supplies!

 
I've got some fun new plans for my blog, but I need your feedback! What are some things you want to see on this blog? More recipes? craft ideas? pets? my random thoughts (eek!)? Dont forget, I'll be giving away something great that involves The Pioneer Woman, Ree! (She has nothing to do with this. It is completely my obsession with her that is driving this giveaway!) I'll also be giving a full report on the midnight showing of The Hunger Games, continue sharing "My Year of Turning 40" events and a lovely report from The Rural Society Antique and Garden Show. So talk to me! It's now or never (well, not really but I am begging!) to give me your input!