Just Get To The Finale Already...

Anyone else ready for the AI Finale? At this point I'm really not much interested in who will win. What I can tell you is that Haley better not be there. I just knew it would come down to a boy/girl finale.

It seems they know Scotty will get a record deal regardless, so they are pushing Lauren as the front runner. If you have any doubts about this, re watch last night's show. Lauren could do no wrong. Maybe they think they have another Carrie Underwood on their hands. I am still waiting for 'Audition Lauren' to come back. What happened to that spunk and balls she had when singing with Steven Tyler? I just don't understand why she has no confidence in her ability to belt out a good song.

Scotty wasn't praised much at all. As soon as he said he was singing a Lonestar song, my husband and I both agreed we hoped it wasn't 'Amazed'. It was. Boo!! His version of “Are You Going to Kiss Me or Not” was boring. I can see why the judges wanted him to sing a good chorus on “She Believes in Me”, and Scotty does do a good job.

And seriously, both Jimmy Iovine and the judges picked horrible, horrible songs for Haley to sing. That right there should prove that they don't want her in the finale. “Rhiannon”??? Really? Terrible song choice. Also, 'You Oughta Know' was on last season's AI, did they forget that? Who wants to hear a screaming and scathing song about Dave Coulier? Oh, I loved the 'family friendly' lyrics on the theatre verse. That was sooo last year.

I remember last week I mentioned that no one had forgotten heir lyrics yet this season. Lauren missed her mark on a lyric. Haley tripped AND mumbled during the fast part of 'You Oughta Know". Now I am happy. Well, not quite happy. However, I WOULD be happy if my James was back.

More New Fabrics From Anna Maria Horner

Have you caught a glimpse of Anna Maria Horner's new fabric line lou-LOU-thi (Loulouthi?). So pretty!

Awww. AI Sucks. I Want James Back!!

In my eyes, James Durbin won American Idol. That dude rocks!!!

I was really pulling for James to at least be in the Finale. I am very surprised and upset. I got a little teary eyed. I really did not expect this.

James is so much better than everyone else. Lauren and Scotty are pretty good, but Haley sucks ass not just for her singing but also her bitchy attitude and insincerity. I have spent way too much time watching her reactions during eliminations. Sometimes she almost smirks. I have also seen her smiling during an elimination and that just pissed me off.

I really love James’ voice and I plan on following his career. I wish he was still on AI since I haven’t had my fill of him yet. Well, at least I have Itunes to get me by for a while until he releases some new music.

Tonight the remaining 3 Idol hopefuls are singing 3 songs each. We haven't seen anyone forget their lyrics this season. At least not yet... LOL

BTW, last week's Freebie Zipper Pouch is still up for grabs. Seems no one wants it. Hmmm.

Only 4 Remain

Was anyone sorry to see Jacob go last week? I thought it was well past his time.

Remaining on American Idol this week is 2 girls and 2 guys. Hmmm, I wonder how that happened?

Everyone gets a chance to sing 2 songs, which I like because you get more of a chance to hear what they are all about.

James - I still really love James. He almost (almost) can do no wrong. His first song tonight is Don't Stop Believing by Journey, which has been totally overused and overplayed on tv lately, but I still really enjoyed it. His second song is Love Potion Number 9 and he totally rocks it!!! Great performance.

Haley sings Earth Song by Michael Jackson. I have no idea what this song is, I've never heard it before. At least I don't think I have. Haley growls waaaay too much and I'm totally not liking this performance at all. (On a side note, her attitude sucked. She spends enough time looking at herself on the monitors to know that she is coming off looking like a bitch.) For her second song Haley does I Who Have Nothing and just like last week she totally blows me away. What great singing. For the second week in a row I am surprised by how much I like her second song.

Scotty sings Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning by Alan Jackson. I have never liked this song. Never. Still don't. Even though Scotty sang it very well, and you just KNOW he is going to have a huge career in country music. Scotty's second song is Young Blood, and while upbeat, I didn't really like the vocals. It was just okay.

Lauren sings Do It Anyway by Martina McBride. Again, I have issues with Martina McBride, but Lauren does a very good job singing this song. I still think she cut off her notes too soon. Maybe that's just me. Her second song is Trouble by Elvis Presley which she sings pretty good. She got into this song a little so that was nice to see.

Overall it was a pretty good show tonight. Entertaining at the very least.
Bottom 3? Egads, that's a tough one. I'll say Lauren, Haley, and Scotty. Going home? Haley. Maybe even Scotty. I do have this feeling that somehow someway it will be a boy/girl finale. Just sayin'.

A Little Bit of Everything

Our 'baby', Maximillian Rochester, aka Max, turned 1 year old on May 9. He's so cute most of the time, but he can really be a shithead sometimes. Here he is doing one of his favorite things - sitting on the back of the loveseat looking out the window. He sees everything from here, and barks like crazy all the time. We are trying to get him out of barking so much.



He got a new bone for his birthday. He loves his bones. For such a small dog, he can go through one of these big bones in just a few days. He has always loved to chew, so he can't have the cute dog toys or any kind of stuffed toy. They don't last but a few minutes around him.



I didn't get around to doing a Friday Freebie last week. I've just had too much going on around here. So today I am giving away the pouch below. It measures 3.5 inches by 5.5 inches. If you would like this pouch, just be the first to respond to this post. Then you must email your mailing address to me at PinkLadyDesignsATcharter.net so I can ship your item. I don't chase down winners. Please only reply if you have not won anything from me in the past month. I want to give everyone a chance to win.

Cinco De Mayo - AI Top 5

James Durbin's goes first with "Closer to the Edge" by 30 Seconds to Mars. A song that I love, btw. I thought James would be really, really good, but it was just okay. I didn't think the vocals were as great as the judges thought. He could have done a lot better, and that makes me sad because he is my favorite.

Then we have Jacob Lusk singing "No Air" from Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown. Uhm, why a duet? Who's idea was this? Jacob has got to go.

Lauren Alaina is singing a song by Carrie Underwood, "Flat on the Floor", which I will admit I've never heard before. She does pretty well. I wish she would just belt out a song and stop being so timid.

Scotty McCreery sings Montgomery Gentry's "Gone", which he does well while strutting around and jumping off the stage. Great vocals and performance. James needs to watch out!!

Haley Reinhart does "You and I" by Lady Gaga. Oh my, it's pretty good. How is it that I wanted this chick gone from the beginning, but now I sort of like her? Is she growing on me?

Back around to James again. He's crying. Again. He sings Henry Nilsson's "Without You" and manages to make it almost to the end before breaking down again. I actually really like James' voice, especially when he slows it down. I love this kid!

Jacob Lusk's second choice is "Love Hurts" by Nazareth. Uh, I think Jimmy Iovine picked this one for him. It's meh to me. I just really need Jacob gone already.

Lauren Alaina chooses "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers for her second song. Uh-oh. I don't think she is confident enough to hit the notes..... and I am proven correct. It's very lame. If she could just let go let go let go and sing it out. But no, it wasn't that great.

Scotty McCreery does "You Were Always On My Mind" by Elvis Presley. It starts out slow. And stays slow. Very mellow. I kept waiting for him to break out with some emotion, but he sang it very seriously. Very nice vocals.

Haley Reinhart is singing "House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals. She starts a capella (with smoke!!) Oh, I'm surprised again by how much I like this!! She's totally rocking this song. The judges give her a standing O (they should after they totally reamed her first song).

Bottom 3? I don't know. Have I mentioned lately that Jacob has GOT to go!?!? Please.

My favorites of the night... "Without You" mainly for the emotional aspect. And "House of the Rising Sun" for the vocals.

Let's Try This Again. Saturday Freebie - GONE

Last Friday's Freebie is still available.

If you would like to have this little zipper pouch, all you have to do is be the first person to leave a comment here. Then you MUST email your mailing address to me at PinkLadyDesignsATcharter.net (Otherwise I can't send your item. I don't chase down winners.)

Please do not respond if you have won anything from me within the past 3 weeks. Let's give everyone a chance to win. Thank you.

(Royal) Freebie Friday - GONE

Royal Friday Freebie is this zipper pouch featuring juicy lemons on a pink background. Pouch measures 5" x 8".

If you would like this item, please leave a comment on this post, then email your mailing address to me at PinkLadyDesignsATcharter.net so I can send your item.

Results and Update

Oh my. I still can't believe that Jacob, Casey, and Scotty were the bottom 3 tonight. I thought for sure that Jacob was gone, so I freaked a little when they sent him back to safety. Between Casey and Scotty I knew Casey's time was up (since Scotty had never been in the bottom 3 before.)

I feel bad that Casey is gone. 3 other contestants should have left before him. Those would be Jacob, Haley, and Lauren. So what happened?

I still think Casey will do good outside of AI. He has a charming and outgoing personality, so I feel he will go far. I'm just shocked that he is gone.


Update: Friday Freebie will be back tomorrow with another item. And if last week's winner doesn't contact me, then last week's freebie will be offered up again.

American Idol Top 6

I'm back again. Last week was a travesty for my daughter's favorite, Stefano. I really liked him as well, and thought he was a good singer. This week the contestants were singing songs by Carole King.

Jacob Lusk started the night with "Oh No Not My Baby". It was just meh. I'm just really not liking him much.

Lauren Alaina is singing "Where You Lead". It's not bad. I don't think it was great either, but she did show a little more confidence this week. She needs to step it up if she wants to stick around.

Scotty McCreery went soft and sang "You've Got A Friend". Very nice. I'm glad Jimmy told him not to hit the low notes this week. It was good to hear him sing an entire song in that range.

James Durbin is doing "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow". Oh my goodness. I love this!!! He sounds great. He really does have vision for his performances. This was just perfect.

Casey Abrams sang "Hi De Ho (That Old Sweet Roll)". Please stop growling already. Casey really knows how to work it. Jennifer says he needs to loosen up on stage. I don't think he is 'tight', he is just so intense when he performs that he looks stiff. It would have been perfect if he hadn't growled so much.

Haley Reinhart sang "Beautiful". It's alright. Not my favorite performance of hers. I don't think it helped that she came up right after Casey and all his personality.

Okay, so bottom 3 this week.... Jacob, Haley, and Casey. I think. Or exchange Lauren for Haley. I don't want to put Casey in the bottom 3 at all, he doesn't deserve to be there. Going home? I think Jacob (finally).

Freebie Friday Winner

Congratulations Pat. Please send me an email with your shipping address to PinkLadyDesignsATcharter.net Thank you!!

I understand my reading tastes aren't for everyone. I have really been on a YA kick for the past 2 years. If anyone is interested, you can find me on
Goodreads to see what I have been reading. I am always up for new recommendations.

And in case any of you wondered, I didn't become Dorothy on Friday night. The closest tornado to us was less than 5 miles away, so we did spend a little time in the basement. The F4 tornado that also hit Lambert St. Louis Airport was very close to where my husband and I grew up, so we know the area well. It's actually a few miles away from my parent's house where we are going for Easter Sunday. We plan on driving down the highway so we can show the kids the damage. They don't remember much about the area even though we drive that way several times a year. I'll see if I can get some photos.

Goodbye Stefano and Hello Freebie Friday

Awww. Poor Stefano got the boot from AI last night. I was hoping Jacob would be the one to go. (If all teenage girls were voting for Stefano like my daughter did, he would still be around.) I think she managed to get one call in for each of MY favs - James, Scotty, and Casey.

Freebie Friday - Please only respond if you haven't won anything from me for the past few weeks. Give everyone a chance to win.

To win the zipper pouch pictured below, just be the first person to respond to this post. Then email your shipping address to me at PinkLadyDesignsATcharter.net

Constructed using Alexander Henry fabrics - exterior is Kleo in Sage, interior is Pink Bangle Dots. Lightly interfaced and measures 6 inches x 4.5 inches.

And then there were 7... American Idol

Scotty - Chose 'Swingin' by Lee Ann Rimes. Although he's really singing more like the John Anderson version from the 80's. I second what Randy and Jennifer said about him choosing a different song. This is way too safe.

James does 'Uprising' by Muse. What a great song. I heart Muse. I'm glad he sang this. He is singing and performing wonderfully!!! Go James. Those high notes are killing me. I love this performance.

Haley is singing 'Rolling In The Deep' by Adelle. Good song. Oh my, please don't shoot me, and I can't believe I am actually saying this....but I like it. Gasp. Maybe this is a residual 'like' from last week when her and Casey sang together on results night. I thought she sounded good then. Oh no. Who will I place in the bottom 3 tonight???

Jacob is singing another Luther Vandross song. This time it's 'Dance With My Father'. I'm not feeling this one. I'm not a big Jacob fan, so maybe it's just me, but I don't like it.

Casey sings 'Harder To Breathe' by Maroon 5. It's pretty good. I like how it starts. I liked it through the middle, but towards the end he goes all Casey and gets a little goofy. Overall it's pretty good.

Stefano is singing 'Closer' by Ne-Yo. I'm not too familiar with the song, but Stefano is putting on a good show. My daughter and I like it, my husband can't stand it... my daughter doesn't understand how dad doesn't like it, so I tell her Stefano doesn't have the same effect on guys as he does us girls. LOL.

Lauren sings 'Born To Fly'by Sara Evans... I'm not a big fan of Sara Evans, so it's not my favorite song. Lauren sings it very well though.

Bottom 3? Egads I have no idea. Jacob... Haley, and Stefano. Maybe. I just don't know this week.

Winner!! Happy Saturday

Wow. I actually got last week's American Idol bottom 3 correct in my first try. I should have stopped overthinking on that one. I think it was past Paul's time to go.

I am sewing today. YAY!!! Both of my kids starting feeling like crap last Sunday evening. They ended up not going to school Monday thru Thursday. Both have strep, and my son has a terrible ear infection. By Friday I had my fill of 2 crabby, whiny kids, and a very cute puppy (dog?).

I didn't get any sewing done, but I did manage to read quite a lot since we were all laying about the house.

I finished All You Get Is Me by Yvonne Prinz.
I read The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta.
I also read This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen.
Then I reread my copy of If I Stay by Gayle Forman, because I received my copy of Where She Went and I had to refresh my memory before digging in. I am 3/4 done with Where She Went, and I am afraid to finish it. If they don't end up together after all this angst, I might have to strangle someone.

The winner of last Sunday's Freebie cute little Farmer's Market zipper pouch is Angela. Please email me with your shipping address and I will get that out to you. My son picked the winner. This is what he usually looks like - love the headset.

AI - Movie Week

You know, in previous years of AI, usually every week there was someone that I felt did really horrible (HORRIBLE) that I thought deserved to go home that week. That hasn't really been the case this year. Does that mean that this is the best season of singers yet (like they keep force feeding us to believe)? Or is the mentoring actually helping? I don't know. But Jimmy Iovine is getting on my nerves because he thinks he knows everything.

Last night started with Paul singing "Old Time Rock n' Roll". I didn't really like it. His voice still gets on my nerves.

Lauren Alaina did “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. I think she didn't feel very confidant. Some of her notes could have been much stronger, and if she had just felt the song more it would have turned out so much better.

Stefano sang some song by Boys II Men. I've never heard the song before, don't really care about that. I thought Stefano gave his best performance so far. Truly heartfelt and emotional. Who was he singing this for? After last week when the judges and the crowd make him feel 2 inches tall by being over indignant that it was Pia leaving and not him, this was a great performance to show that he deserves to still be here.

Scotty chose “Cross My Heart” by George Strait from the movie Pure Country. (Which is just the greatest movie ever. Very PG, cute as can be, great quotes, and George Strait. What could be better?) It's okay that Scotty stayed in his comfort zone and sang another country song. This performance was pretty good, but maybe in the future he WILL sing a non-country song. I will be waiting for that.

Casey did “Nature Boy” and I'm not sure if America is feeling him. It's a great performance (aside from the faces he is pulling again). He is very confidant with his choice and it shows. The hell with mentors trying to talk him out of his song choices. Go with what you feel.

Haley goes with “Call Me” by Blondie. Seriously, the 'mentors' didn't try to talk her out of THIS??? Hmmmm. It was not good. Not really showing her voice or talent. At times I do believe she has a great voice. She just doesn't know herself very well. She has the potential to be good (or at least better) if she could truly find herself.

Jacob sang ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’, another change by the mentors. I actually think this was a good change. When he started singing his first song choice it was soooooo boring. My problem with Jacob is that he over sings and over-emotionalizes every song. It's just too much for me.

And finally, James. Stupid mentors and their opinions can bite me. James knows what he wants to sing, and I'm sure this is one of those songs he does with his band so he is comfortable with it. I would just like to tell him not to get cocky thinking he knows what his 'fans' want to hear. However, I was excited when the song started. I think he completely nailed it. I loved the entire performance.

Bottom 3 - this is getting harder. Paul, Stefano, and Haley. No, maybe not Stefano. Jacob instead? I can't imagine another female leaving this week, so maybe it will be Paul, Casey, Jacob. Yeah, that's what I'll go with.