What are you listening to?

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a bit obsessed with my music.  I like to think I’m pretty versatile but alternative is by far my favorite and my radio is tuned to alt nation about 99% of the time.  

When I was in high school I was broke (and in debt to my dad for borrowing money) all the time due to spending almost all my money on CD's.  My BFF and I bolted out of school to get to Target to buy the "NOW" CD's the Tuesdays they were released. 

I was frequently in charge of music when I was the passenger and I happened to be a bit bossy about my requests when I was the driver also.  I considered myself an amazing mixed CD maker.  One minute Ja Rule would be on and the next song was a Christian song, followed by something country and then maybe some Michelle Branch to round it out.  Unfortunately I wasn't blessed with any musical talents other than my mix making, but my love of music is something that's never gone away. 

I remember frequently waking up Saturday mornings and deciding to get out of bed so I could listen to my new CDs.  That feeling isn't something that's common for me anymore, but the other day I downloaded some songs I loved and got up a bit earlier the next day so I'd have time to enjoy more of them as I got ready for work.  Anything that makes me get up earlier than needed on a weekday is a pretty big deal. 

I'm long overdue for a "things I love" post, so this one is devoted all to the music that's been dominating my stereo.  Also, if you haven't gotten on the Spotify bandwagon, I highly recommend it.  You can listen to entire albums for free.  While it hasn't eliminated my itunes shopping sprees, it's cut them back a bit.

The albums I can’t get enough of:

• Invisible Friends by Lily Wood and the Prick
• Favorites: Prayer in C, Hey It's Ok, Water Ran, L.E.S. Artistes, This is a love song.  The first few lines of (No No) Kids, make me laugh everytime.
• Reflections by Misterwives - Reflections is an amazing song, but I think all the rest are pretty great too.
• Montevallo by Sam Hunt - here's that country I was talking about
• Favorites: Ex to See, Break Up in a Small Town, Take your Time.
• Modest Mouse has a new album coming out soon which I'm SOOO excited about, but for now, I'm loving the song Lampshades on Fire.  It's oh-so-weird, and I wouldn’t expect anything different from them.
• Mr. C would like to also add that the Fall Out Boy album is amazing.  I knew he wanted to buy it so I downloaded it one day so he could listen to it on his way home from work. Sometimes I do sweet things.

The songs I’m playing over and over:

• Carousel by Melanie Martinez
• Bad Friend by Bear Hands
• It's a Longer Road to California Than I Thought by The Wind and the Wave
• #icanteven by The Neighborhood - I love anything by them, and I could listen to this song all day
• Honey, I'm Good by Andy Grammer - I'm glad to see there's finally a song against cheating (I do realize the song listed right before this one addresses cheating)
• All Over by CRUISR
• A Rush of Blood by Coasts
• Peaches by In the Valley Below
• Habits of my Heart – Jaymes Young

My list ended up a bit longer than expected.  Let me know what you think if you check these out!  What songs are you currently loving?

Pot 'O Gold

For the last few months I've been all about gold (the color, not the currency, although I'm not opposed to the currency).  In honor of St. Patrick's Day I thought I'd share my recent favorite gold finds.

Sources

1. Target polka dot binder

2. Paper Source chevron stationary

3. Urban Decals gold dots wall decals

4. Lulu and Georgia heart print

5. Lulu and Georgia be you print 

6. Fossil crescent necklace

7. Modcloth twinkle of an eye top 

8. CB2 gold ram

9. Lulu and Georgia wishbone

10. Anthropology tippy pumps

11. Nordstrom "carson" flats

12. Incase chevron iPhone case

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

October '13 Loves of the Month

It’s the end of the month again which means it’s time for my loves of the month.  I have a few for you this month.

I found this stapler on Anthropologie and I think it’s the cutest thing ever.  Apparently the staples are smaller than the norm, but easy to find.  I love it, and I don't even like bugs!

Minted - After stumbling upon this site I started seeing it EVERYWHERE!  That might be slightly due to the fact that google tracks where I’ve been and seems to just suggest that I go back to the same place, but maybe it's also a sign that the site is amazing?  You can find unique prints, holiday cards, and even party décor.  I'm really excited that everything is designed by independent designers trying to build their career and get exposure.  I’ve already fallen in love with numerous prints, however I’m going to need to find some open wall space to put them.

Etsy - I’ve recently learned that not everyone knows about Etsy and I'm on a mission to correct that.  Etsy’s is a marketplace that allows people to start their own shops to sell handmade and vintage items.  Over the past few years I have purchased quite a few things from Etsy, some for gifts and some for myself.  I almost always prefer supporting an individual/family business rather than a big company so if I’m looking for a unique gift I always start here and I’m constantly surprised at what I find.  I’ve bought a lot of random things on here, from Coconut’s collar to our reusable produce bags (I get tons of compliments!)  to prints for our gallery wall.  Every seller/shop is different but because you’re buying from a real person, I’ve always had great customer service and the products are very good quality with a bit of handmade flare.  With Christmas coming up it's definitely a great site to check out.

Lastly, I'm loving the Pure Heroine album by Lorde.  I downloaded the album last week and I've been listening to it like crazy.  Her voice is amazing and the lyrics are unexpected from a 16 year old girl.   If I can put an album on and listen to it without skipping songs then it's usually at the top of my list and this album is one of those.

I'm also currently in love with the weather in AZ, but I can't really share that with you.  It's finally cool here and we were so very happy to celebrate the official hibernation of the A/C for the winter!

April Loves of the Month

Somehow it’s the end of April already.  Here in Phoenix that means that our air conditioners have been on for a bit, and in other parts of the country, such as Nebraska, that means that it may snow tomorrow.  Crazyness.  I would love some of that cold air to come here and in return I’d be willing to share some of our heat :)  If only it worked that way!

Since it’s the end of April that also means it’s time for my loves of the month - my favorite music, movies, books, or anything else that I think everyone should know about because it’s just so darn amazing.

Based on a recommendation, I read Mindy Kaling’s (from the Mindy Project and The Office “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)” and I loved it.  It’s a very quick read and full of random, funny stories.  It was right up my alley.  I told Mr. C I had plenty of weird, random, funny stories and maybe I should write a book like this.  He politely informed me that no one would read it.  Ha!

Mr. C and I checked out the movie “Homerun” this past weekend and loved it.  Although it’s partially about baseball, the movie is more about family, dealing with the past and forgiving even when it seems impossible.   The movie is from a Christian perspective and had a really great message.  The acting was a bit cheesy in a few parts, but overall it was a great movie and definitely one I’d recommend seeing and supporting in the theatre.

Sara Bareilles is one of my all-time favorite artists.  Her songs are always unexpected, anything but cliché, and her voice is natural and beautiful.  Her songs have a great message and since hearing one of her hits years ago, “Love Song”, about her refusal to sell out to the pop scene by just writing a catchy song, I’ve been a huge fan.  I’ve never been disappointed by her music, and her new single, “Brave”, does not disappoint.  You can check out the music video here (also a great music video).

Fossil Collective is my favorite album of the month.  One of their songs was free on itunes and after one listen I was hooked.  The album is mellow and original.  If you haven’t figured it out by now I’m mostly an alternative girl and I like albums with some substance that I can play straight through without getting bored.  This album was just that for me.

…However I’m also loving ZZ Ward’s album.  I really tried to just pick one, but I couldn’t!  I originally fell in love with her song, “Put the Gun Down” which is a perfect song to blast with the windows open (if you were wondering).  While I love the entire album, “Til the Casket Drops”, “Last Love Song”, and “Lil Darlin” are a few of the songs I find myself repeating the most.

Did you find any amazing books, movies, or songs/albums this month?  If so I’d love to hear about them!  We have an upcoming trip and I really need a great book for the flight.

January Loves

I love getting recommendations for almost anything; I think that you have to feel strongly about something to recommend it to your best friend or mother.  That's how I've found some of my favorite books, restaurants, stores, products and so many other things.  At the end of every month I'll be posting my "loves of the month", my favorite books, music, movies, food, and anything else I think you just shouldn't live without knowing about.

I spent a lot of January reading and I was trying to get away from the young adult books (since I'm about 10 years out of that age bracket), but I read some great reviews about the book Divergent by Veronica Roth so I decided to give it a try.  I had that book and the sequel, Insurgent, done in less than a week and found myself sad that I'd have to wait months for the third book.  The book has a very Hunger Games feel and similarly has a dystopian setting.  For me, the book was an insightful look into community, finding oneself, and an ultimate choice between right and wrong and it was a nice change from some of the other young adult books that have one main focus.

If you're looking for something a bit more serious, I Couldn't Love You More by Jillian Medoff is also a great read.  I was sucked into this book as well and found myself on the couch reading whenever I had a free minute.  This book ultimately dealt with the impossible choice when a parent must pick which child to save.  Entertwined through the book are stories of family relationships, dealing with the past, and moments that change lives forever.

Lastly I have some amazing music to recommend.  I downloaded The Lumineers album for my flight home over Christmas and I fell in love with it instantly.  The Lumineers are a folk rock band although most people would probably label them alternative.  Once mainstream music picks up alt songs that's usually about the time I become sick of them, but I'm still in love with this album, even the very overplayed song Ho Hey.  This has quickly become the playlist I throw on when I'm cooking and I seem to find a way to play it almost daily even when I'm not cooking.  The songs are catchy but soulful and the album has a very unique feel; going from sweet with the cello playing the background to a rockish feel that always seems to lead to me dancing in the kitchen with Coconut or a spatula (Coconut gets sick of dancing with me sometimes).  

If you have any books, music, unknown movie, amazing website, or anything else you'd like to recommend, I'd love to hear about it!  You can always share your recommendations in the comments section or on my blog facebook page and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the books or album if you give them a shot :)