https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog daily 1.0 2021-11-22 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/movies-ive-watched-during-quarantine-ranked monthly 0.5 2020-07-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1594838148342-ZWIKEUJE63ROYGBNBA2E/euro_unit_31155r-h_2020.jpg blog - Movies I’ve Watched During the Pandemic, Ranked 8. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) My rating: A Description: When aspiring musicians Lars and Sigrit are given the opportunity to represent their country at the world's biggest song competition, they finally have a chance to prove that any dream worth having is a dream worth fighting for. My thoughts: I know what some of you are thinking. If you’ve seen this movie, you might be like, she’s giving that movie an A compared to movies like Parasite?! Yes. And the reason is because I needed a fun comedy like this in my life right now. It stars Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, and Dan Stevens (yep, Matthew from Downton Abbey ironically since I just mentioned him above). Will Ferrell does the kind of crazy, silly comedy that he does best. It was entertaining to see Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens in a totally different role. Rachel McAdams is lovely and fun to watch. And I just needed something fun and not so serious this weekend. I laughed more watching this movie than I have in a long time. So I’m giving it an A! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1594835798301-PJSN6AU508BUZ8W3MU5P/90.jpeg blog - Movies I’ve Watched During the Pandemic, Ranked https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1594838884452-29YDQE5GYWOZPZS4SKBM/pet-sematary.jpg blog - Movies I’ve Watched During the Pandemic, Ranked https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1594836137809-AXH7VEDCCZQCZT0L2I5V/Parasite_27x40_USPOSTER_PRINT_BBv3.jpg blog - Movies I’ve Watched During the Pandemic, Ranked https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1594836816138-F5ICNZIGHJE6CF33C1FH/111319fi-Ford-v-Ferrari.jpg blog - Movies I’ve Watched During the Pandemic, Ranked https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1594838356219-XCGE3X25K85ZY9ZTQNUF/maxresdefault-4.jpg blog - Movies I’ve Watched During the Pandemic, Ranked https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1594836552747-DZ7IZ38ZV2SV2RVG36X8/catfish.jpg blog - Movies I’ve Watched During the Pandemic, Ranked https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1594837411192-11GUIAKU5JT6O4QMLHL3/atyf1poo8oe31.jpg blog - Movies I’ve Watched During the Pandemic, Ranked 5. Downton Abbey (2019) My rating: A Description: The continuing story of the Crawley family, wealthy owners of a large estate in the English countryside in the early twentieth century. My thoughts: Back in college, I got pulled into the world of the Downton Abbey TV show. I continued watching every season until towards the later seasons, when I started to get burnt out on it (people who have seen the show can probably imagine why. Two words: Matthew and Sybil). I actually stopped watching it for a few years and never finished the last season of the show until this year. And after I finished the show I knew I needed to see the movie that had recently come out too. So I rented the movie on Amazon for 24 hours. It was a nice escape from #PandemicLife because it did what I think Downton Abbey is best at, which is pulling you into this early 20th century world of grand, British aristocratic homes. I’m giving it an A rating because it was true to the original Downton Abbey show and was just a solid movie (for Downton fans) all around. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1594837929731-5NNGXKD1SSF9PCSMCS4S/maxresdefault-3.jpg blog - Movies I’ve Watched During the Pandemic, Ranked 7. The Social Network (2010) My rating: A Description: As Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, he is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea, and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business. My thoughts: I actually saw this in theaters back in college when it first came out but watched it again this year, 10 years later! It’s an interesting watch in 2020 as well, because Mark Zuckerberg is still in the news all the time about Facebook. This movie says a lot about how power can affect people. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1594837646412-CMPBBVAEU88KFOHBZFX0/manchester-by-sea-movie.jpg blog - Movies I’ve Watched During the Pandemic, Ranked https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/thesecondhalfof2020 monthly 0.5 2020-07-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1594329187451-K2W4825727LBJJ8PDU5P/hello+july+board.png blog - Embracing the Second Half of 2020 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/social-distancing-amp-parks monthly 0.5 2020-05-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1588787197077-VDXNWBL5UFCMTA0LN1JY/forest+lakes+4.jpg blog - Social Distancing and Parks https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1588786557171-8CQS6OKQ8XSQQ96RVVDG/forest+lakes+3.jpg blog - Social Distancing and Parks https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1588785168889-0FJJEHMVBND86J6R6UF8/forest+lakes+2.jpg blog - Social Distancing and Parks https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1588785022023-59J5NMEBA3RFL9ILDDW6/forest+lakes+1.jpg blog - Social Distancing and Parks https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/easy-quarantine-cinnamon-rolls monthly 0.5 2020-04-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1588133706346-VWCU6HIC2EFCOMGY46Q1/mark-olsen-oZqJMbQMJ-4-unsplash.jpg blog - Easy Quarantine Cinnamon Rolls - This recipe makes 18 small/medium cinnamon rolls but you can make them any size you want. After making this recipe, my advice is to roll out your dough with a rolling pin before you form the rolls (don’t roll it too thin though, it needs to be 1/4 in. thick). Rolling your dough makes it easier to ensure each roll is the same size and thickness. I’ll be more careful about that the next time I make this recipe but you can learn from my mistake! https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/feel-good-shows-to-stream-during-lockdown-part-ii monthly 0.5 2020-04-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1587914363527-AB8SDSXX0KQOV8OYJGKM/nailed+it+reaction.jpg blog - Feel-Good Shows to Watch During Lockdown, Part II Nailed It! I love this picture. I spent a while searching for one that shows the judges’ typical reactions to their contestants’ creations! You know that meme where there’s a picture of a perfectly decorated cake on Pinterest and then the other picture is of someone’s attempt-gone-wrong at recreating the Pinterest cake, with the title “NAILED IT”? Yeah, that meme! Well, this show is the reality baking competition version of that meme. It’s like if The Great British Baking Show had contestants that struggled with baking and then asked them to recreate a cake of Donald Trump’s face. So, it’s not really like The Great British Baking Show at all. But, it’s a fun show that always makes me laugh. Come for the premise of the show, stay for host and comedian Nicole Byer’s hilarious observations. Nailed It! has 6 seasons (so far) and is on Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1587917242873-PAV2W32HLRVQ551YOL20/queer+eye.jpg blog - Feel-Good Shows to Watch During Lockdown, Part II 2. Queer Eye When the reboot of Queer Eye came out on Netflix, I don’t think anyone expected it to be as deeply inspiring as it is. I haven’t seen the original show from the early 2000’s, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, but from what I understand, it was more of a one-dimensional show similar to TLC’s “What Not to Wear,” with more basic before and after physical transformations. Netflix’s Queer Eye goes much deeper emotionally than that. It takes people (both men and women) who are from all walks of life but are dealing with one deep seated issue in common: confidence. The guys get to work and each help them in a specific area of life: grooming, cooking, clothes, home, and emotional health. Queer Eye does a great job showing common humanity-which is something needed in our country’s current divisive culture. Queer Eye shows that if two parties (that on the surface are very different) both go into interactions with respectful dialogue and open hearts, wonderful things can happen. These are conversations that need to be happening. It also has some great one liners (that I now use on a daily basis) and funny moments. Definitely a prime example of feel-good TV. Queer Eye has 5 seasons (so far) and is on Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1587920262843-TLESDJ0BHLFRPYENCKWA/tiny+house.jpg blog - Feel-Good Shows to Watch During Lockdown, Part II 3. Tiny House Nation Tiny House Nation is basically what it sounds like. The hosts go around the country and help families move into tiny houses. While I LOVE the idea of a tiny house, but I don’t think my husband and I could ever do it (I love clothes, he loves his electronics collection, and we have two pets). However, it’s fun and interesting to see what these cozy spaces look like! Tiny House Nation is on both Netflix and Hulu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1588014070340-Q1SO4ZLSPKXUMVSO368G/fixer+upper.jpg blog - Feel-Good Shows to Watch During Lockdown, Part II 5. Fixer Upper Chip and Joanna Gaines renovate properties into dream homes for families in the Waco, Texas area. I just love Chip and Joanna-basically to me they are marriage and family GOALS. I might be a little bit biased because I’m from Texas and my grandfather and brother went to Baylor (also where the Gaines’ went to school). But this show (and Joanna’s decorating style) has really taken the US by storm and for good reason. Before COVID-19 happened, I had plans in April to visit Magnolia Market (their store/restaurant) in Waco with my mom. Neither of us have been to Magnolia before and had been looking forward to going. So that’s definitely something on my to-do list when I can finally travel again. Fixer Upper has 5 seasons and is on Hulu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1588012737299-5W05ALR6YQLBWPEL3561/too+cute.jpg blog - Feel-Good Shows to Watch During Lockdown, Part II 4. Too Cute If you like watching the Puppy Bowl every year during Super Bowl weekend like I do, then you’ll love Too Cute! It’s a docuseries that shows the first weeks of the lives of different baby animals-mostly puppies and kittens but sometimes other animals (like ducklings!) too. This is another nice show to have on in the background when you’re in the mood for something happy. This would also be a great show to watch with young children! Every episode starts with the warning: “The following program contains material that is just too cute. Viewer discretion is advised.” Too Cute has 6 seasons. Multiple episodes are available for free on Animal Planet’s website here. Seasons 2 and 3 are on Hulu. https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/reminder-none-of-us-know-how-to-live-in-a-pandemic monthly 0.5 2020-04-24 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/5-feel-good-shows-to-watch-during-lockdown monthly 0.5 2020-04-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1587072871492-BWK4N9G2ARTNLJ90PY9U/Rilakkuma+and+Kaoru.jpg blog - 5 Feel-Good Shows to Watch During Lockdown 2. Rilakkuma and Kaoru If you’re seeing the photo and thinking “I’m not going to watch something animated”, stick with me for a second. This show is a Netflix series called Rilakkuma and Kaoru and it’s unexpectedly relaxing and cute to watch. Also it has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes so I’m not the only one who thinks so! Rilakkuma (the brown bear) and his friends (the other characters sitting at the table in the picture) were created in the early 2000’s by a Japanese company that makes books and stationary with cute characters. Last year, Netflix decided to create a series based around Rilakkuma. This is normally not the kind of thing I’d watch, but I randomly turned it on one day because I was curious and ended up liking it! It follows Kaoru, who is a twenty-something woman living in Tokyo with several animal friends who share her apartment. It follows her through the seasons as she goes through different relatable struggles of being in her 20’s. The stop-motion animation is beautiful and the attention to detail the show has makes it a calming, feel-good experience. The plots aren’t complicated so it’s something nice to even just have on in the background. Currently, there’s one season of Rilakkuma and Kaoru, which you can stream on Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1587072752133-KDHL7U0COXOLARMDNZ4L/call+the+midwife.jpg blog - 5 Feel-Good Shows to Watch During Lockdown Call the Midwife I had to list Call the Midwife first because it’s my favorite show. If you’ve never seen it before and are going to give it a try, I’m jealous of you because you have 8 wonderful seasons you can binge right now. Call the Midwife is about a group of nurse-midwives helping families in the impoverished East End of London in the 50’s and 60’s. This show is about real life, so not everything is sunshine and rainbows, but it has a way of giving meaning to those tough moments and doing it with wisdom and grace. The show has quite a few lovingly eccentric characters which makes for some funny moments as well. The producer and several actors from the show are actually going live on Facebook every Wednesday during the lockdown to help brighten the days of their fans who are stuck at home. How cool is that? Check out their Facebook page here for more info. The current season of Call the Midwife is available to stream on the PBS website/app for a limited time. Seasons 1-8 are on Netflix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1587161852310-JV205UXRJ0V94UYT5IT7/great+american+baking+show.jpg blog - 5 Feel-Good Shows to Watch During Lockdown 5. The Great American Baking Show Everyone always talks about The Great British Baking Show but no one ever talks about its spin off, The Great American Baking Show! It’s pretty much the same thing as the British version, just with Americans. I watched the most recent season, season 5. It’s holiday themed, so as long as you don’t mind a bit of Christmas cheer in springtime, you can get ideas for your 2020 holiday baking! Season 5 of The Great American Baking show is streaming on Hulu and for free on ABC’s website. There are four other seasons but they’re aren’t currently streaming at the moment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1587073736696-03SU79J7ZHOFYA3HJ1FA/somebody+feed+phil.jpg blog - 5 Feel-Good Shows to Watch During Lockdown 4. Somebody Feed Phil See the guy on the right with ice cream on his face looking like it’s the absolute best day of his life? That’s Phil and that’s how happy he looks in every episode of his show, Somebody Feed Phil. This docuseries follows Phil Rosenthal as he travels all around the world meeting different restaurant owners and trying their food. Phil is the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond. If you ever watched that show, then you can picture this show as being like if Ray Barone from the sitcom was being filmed while traveling to international destinations. They’re kind of the same person. Phil handles all of the fish-out-of-water situations he puts himself in with dad jokes and a smile on his face and it just makes me happy to watch. One of the things I like about this show is that Phil isn’t trying too hard to be cool or impress anyone with his knowledge like some of the more serious food/travel shows out there. He just listens, has conversations, and enjoys himself. It’s informational while still being fun and unpretentious. I watch the other shows on this list by myself because they don’t really interest my husband. But John and I both enjoyed watching this show together. We’re not foodies at all but it was fun to watch Phil travel around the world and try different types of dishes. Somebody Feed Phil has 2 seasons on Netflix. The third seasons is coming to Netflix in May! Something to look forward to. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1587155405136-G7HBCEE7530TQ90QB7YD/great+british+baking+show+2.jpg blog - 5 Feel-Good Shows to Watch During Lockdown 3. The Great British Baking Show If you’ve never watched The Great British Baking Show, this is the perfect time to start. This show is a baking competition between amateur bakers (AKA people who are really, really good at baking but didn’t go to school for it and don’t bake for a job). They compete against each other and are judged by professional bakers. The vibe of the show is really cozy, which is its claim to fame. The “tent” that they compete in is decorated beautifully with pastel cabinets and KitchenAid mixers. Sometimes it even rains outside and you can see the rain spattering on the windows of the tent. It’s not a cutthroat reality competition filled with attention seeking people, it’s a diverse group of friendly people who love to bake. I don’t normally give this show my full attention when it’s on but it’s a nice thing to have on in the background because of how chill it is. The Great British Baking Show is on Netflix. https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/miss-sitting-at-coffeeshops-ambient-videos-might-be-for-you monthly 0.5 2020-04-14 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/category/things+to+do monthly 0.5 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/category/hyggee monthly 0.5 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/category/self+care monthly 0.5 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/category/movies monthly 0.5 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/category/recipes monthly 0.5 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/category/baking monthly 0.5 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/category/the+outdoors monthly 0.5 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/category/hygge monthly 0.5 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/category/life monthly 0.5 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/tag/Coronavirus monthly 0.5 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/blog/tag/Life monthly 0.5 https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/about daily 0.75 2022-01-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7d760c85c717027a837749/1586490099190-C49HPM975BYWSQFRU7AX/sunny%2Bsmile.jpg about - Me with my dog, Sunny https://www.dogsandcoffeeblog.com/contact daily 0.75 2021-11-17