We happily welcome Great American Cookies to Enjoying the Small Things. They provided the delicious goodies for this year’s Pajama Glama Oscar and are sponsoring this post.
I don’t get into Superbowl parties, I couldn’t really keep up with the Olympics this year, I haven’t seen one episode of House of Cards yet, but the Oscars? Oh, I do the Oscars–celebrating the golden glutes of that svelte little man with a pajama party for nine years now. (2012 Pajama Glama and 2013 when Dash was my itty bitty Oscar date)
It started years ago with me and Heidi, both kidless and starry-eyed for Hollywood glamour, and over the years gradually grew into something more mom-ish. We sit in our pajamas; throw some costume jewelry on for kicks; eat comfort food; root for the two movies we actually had time to watch this year; make lists of the ones we need to see; point out good hair, good hemlines, good Botox, good speeches and let the little girls have fun with us where they can. Click-clack shoes, rhinestones and adorable misspelled lists of the best dresses: “sparcley silver” and “long blue” (Oh, Lupita, Lupita! You so win!).
Our Oscar spread this year:
Great American Cookies has a NEW! Fudge Brownie made with M&M’s ® that became the star of our dessert table. I admit I had three (we cut them into dainty halves), and I’d like to thank the Academy for their inspiration. The brownies are super chewy and chocolaty, and the tiny M&M’s ® are the perfect topping–not too big or crunchy, but just right. Plus, they’re pretty. I mean, who doesn’t love a rainbow brownie?
We kept it simple–popcorn and itty bitty milk glasses to complement the sweets.
The little girls were most definitely happy.
The rest of the party followed suit for a star-studded evening:
We were honored to have a pregnant Will Ferrell at our party. His baby ‘gonna be so cute.
Now to break down the show:
Ellen
I love everything she does. I like that, unlike many other comedians, she’s never mean or disparaging to people for the sake of comedy. I loved the pizza she ordered and the we’re-just-regular-folks kind of feeling she brings to the Oscars while still respecting the art and glamour of the tradition. And I liked her sparkly tux.
Best Dressed
5. Charlize Theron: Classic and beautiful.
4. Jennifer Lawrence: Red siren. Loved that little structured peplum thing on the hips. Love that she tripped and fell again this year because I’m a tripper and a faller, and she pulls it off so gracefully and brings a refreshing realness to the Oscars. She bridges the gap between beautiful women walking the red carpet and moms sitting in their pajamas watching the red carpet. And she does it so good.
3. Kerry Washington: Pregnant women win. Always. It’s the rule. A glowing, flowing wonderful representation of motherhood in all its beauty at the Academy Awards.
2. Amy Adams: My friends said “too simple,” but I loved her dress. I thought she looked regal and confident, and I loved the structured details of the dress against its simplicity. Love that she skipped a necklace and a bunch of arm candy for some simple dangle earrings.
1. Lupita Nyong’o It was fresh, it was flowy, it was ethereal, it was sexy. Her dress was like cotton candy but sophisticated. The pleats, the color, the sexy V neckline. Holy, holy.
Speeches
3. Matthew McConaughey: Probably scripted and memorized to boot but still heartfelt and delivered so well. Loved his recognition of God and heroes.
2. Jared Leto: The way he thanked his mama and all her hard work in being a single mama and teaching her boys to “be creative, work hard and do something special.” Boys who love their mamas for the win.
1. Lupita Nyong’o: Her smile. Her poetic words. The way she could barely breathe while she spoke. And I loved: “When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid.” And then she swished away in her cotton candy dress.
At one point in the show, Ellen grabbed a bunch of stars and took a selfie. She posted it to Twitter and made a note in the show that she wanted to break the record for most retweeted photo in 24 hours. It happened with over 2.7 million retweets today.
“God, that’s kind of sad,” I said last night. “We’re so celebrity-obsessed, national disasters and inspirational stories can’t compete with a photo of a bunch of stars at an award show.” Maybe that’s true, but I decided to put High Horse back in the stable and take Silver Lining out for a ride. There is something about the movies and Hollywood that draws us in and captivates us. Movies helped keep dreams alive during the Great Depression and continue to provide a safe escape for so many people who are hurting today. And many of this year’s nominated films hold important stories–things to make you think. I’m glad we have movies and only hope big stars can use their influence to make good things happen in the world. Ellen’s doing mighty fine with that.
With that said, my post-Oscar must-see list: Dallas Buyers Club (like, this week), 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle. And Her for the second time because I loved it that much.
Now, for some goodies for you. Great American Cookies provided such wonderful treats for our party, and they’re extending their generosity to our readers. In addition to their NEW! Fudge Brownie made with M&M’s ®, Great American Cookies offers an extensive lineup of delicious cookies, Cookie Cakes, brownies and other treats (Lainey’s classmates bring in their cookie cakes for birthday treats a lot, and they’re a huge hit). One reader will receive a $50 gift certificate from Great American Cookies. Just leave a comment with some of your Oscar favorites from last night or a great party tradition you’ve created on your own, and one comment will be selected and announced in Wednesday’s post. Comments will be closed Tuesday evening at 9 p.m. EST.
More of Great American Cookies at their Facebook page, on Twitter and on Instagram.
Thank you Great American Cookies for partnering with us, and thank you readers for supporting the sponsors that help support this blog and our family.
Finishing pulling some images together from this past weekend. I can’t wait to share more about our time in Syracuse.