It's Monday and I'm trying to get back on track from too much fun and too little sleep, so I thought I would share a playlist of some of the music Henry and I have been listening to today while we get organized. It's so pretty here today- a little warm, a little overcast, with a thunderstorm building up on the horizon. August always bring monsoons and lots of rain, and our backyard view of the mountains as far as the San Francisco peaks gives us a good idea of what to expect. For us, today is for snuggling up, playing with new toys, and lots of tea and pretty songs. And a day like this calls for good music, right? I think so. Enjoy, and have a great Monday.
baby/dog concert. don't mind Hank's Suns pj pants ;)
I think this week is going to be a good one. For one, in exactly one week I'll be at the Thao and Mirah show (see the first song below) with some of my girlfriends, so I'm definitely looking forward to that, and two, the overall feel of today is just awesome. Mondays are always a great day for me. When I used to teach I'd enjoy spending Sunday nights getting organized- cooking food for the week, packing lunches, getting my plans ready- and then when Monday rolled around I loved that feeling of being so put-together and ready to face the next week. Now things are a bit different, but Sundays and Mondays still kind of feel the same.
In the spirit of this Monday, here's a fun playlist of 10 songs to ease you into your week! Enjoy.
Hello beautiful new week, new day, new Monday! I thought it would be fun to post a playlist today, full of some favorites I'd love to share. Wishing all of you a happy day!
{Amber and me, last spring- enjoying our beautiful downtown}
It has been just lovely up here in Northern Arizona, and with this beautiful weather always comes the urge to do a few things: ride my bicycle, lay outdoors in the green grass...and listen to spring-esque music, like the songs I've gathered below!
Earlier today I also mentioned my love for French music on Twitter, and a French reader of mine (Hi Marjorie) emailed me and recommended the lovely Emilie Simon, who you can find below. Enjoy. And happy, happy spring to you and yours!
Good morning everyone! I hope you had a wonderful, wonderful weekend and are ready for a great week! Today also happens to be good old Valentine's Day, so in the spirit of the day of love, I've put together a not-so-traditional playlist for all of you. Enjoy, and let me know which song is your favorite!
*I have a bunch of Valentine's posts coming up over the next 24 hours, so check back throughout the day! xo
If you've never been to Arizona, you should definitely make a point to get here one day. It's a beautiful, beautiful place with gorgeous mountains, desert, forest, and sky. We live in Northern Arizona, which has more of the forest than desert variety, but it's amazing that you can drive an hour or two and be in a completely different environment. Desert to snow in a matter of sixty minutes. This morning I made the two-hour drive home from my parents, and it was a stunning day; huge clouds in the sky and a bit of darkness due to the impending storm. I love driving long distances, and I think this stems from going away to college and making the drive home often, and then spending the first year of Hank and my relationship living hours apart. Sometimes there is nothing better than putting on a favorite album and just losing yourself on the open road- it clears my head in the best possible way.
Here are some photos from this morning:
...and a little "driving" playlist for you, too! Today's music consisted of mostly Lucero- it was just one of those days.
If you read my blog regularly you know how much I enjoy working out, be it cardio or lifting weights. I am most motivated when I have fresh, new music to enjoy while doing so, and I always have the best cardio session when I have an awesome playlist pushing me on. Below you'll find my current playlist that I'm using in the gym right now. I usually make a new one every couple of weeks, and listen to it until I get bored or sick of all of the songs. There's no rhyme or reason to my choices; I include ALL sorts of music, from the awesome to the cheesy...but it all works for me. A lot of the songs I choose to put in my gym playlists aren't songs I'd typically listen to on their own (hello J. Lo), but they totally do the job of keeping my motivation up and running...and me up and running too. Hopefully this at least gives you some new music ideas to add to your list. So, enjoy!
Oh and p.s., I have something special planned for those of you who are interested in healthy, clean eating/cooking, so stay tuned, I think you'll love it.
Hello everyone! This post was from Sunday morning, but when I started going into labor I pulled it! I rescheduled it for today. :) Friday I will begin sharing my wonderful guest blog features, so get excited!
Today I thought I'd share three things: a book, a movie, and an album! 1) a book
My blog has been lacking a bit in my normal book recommendations for one reason, and that reason is...HARRY POTTER! I've been reading the HP books for the very first time, and I recently finished book four. I'm trying to go slow so I can savor every bit of the series, so I decided to take a small break before I start book five. It's hard though, because I have the last three books stacked up on my nightstand, taunting me, but my Kindle is also full of samples of great books I've been looking forward to checking out. On a related note: did you know on the Kindle you can get the first chapter (or sometimes couple of chapters) sent to your device for free? I always do this to make sure I want to read the book before I commit to spending the nine or so dollars on it, and I'd say it's one of my favorite features of the Kindle. So, during my Harry Potter break this week I've read a few books in my downtime (aka waiting to have a baby time), and there was one in particular that I really enjoyed.
I am going to include a short summary from Publisher's Weekly, but I've shortened it because if you're anything like me, you dislike hearing too much about a book!
Near the start of this outstanding novel of psychological suspense from Edgar-winner Lippman (Life Sentences), Eliza Benedict, a 38-year-old married mother of two living in suburban Maryland, receives a letter from Walter Bowman, the man who kidnapped her the summer she was 15 and is now on death row. The narrative shifts between the present and that long ago summer...
This is the first book I'd read by this author (it was published just a few months ago) and I was really impressed by not just her style of writing, but her ease of story-telling. Her characters have great depth, and as a reader I started to really feel like I knew these people, and I got to live a bit in their experiences, which was an experience in itself. I found this novel to be fascinating, dark at times, but overall an intriguing read that I'd recommend to anyone who is looking for a new book!
2. a movie
Yesterday Hank and I went and saw "Morning Glory." I love Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton, and Harrison Ford (along with a lot of the other minor actors), so you'd have to imagine my happiness when I first came across this preview over the summer:
Hank wasn't too keen on seeing it, but throughout the entire movie I glanced at him to find him laughing, smiling, and even maybe, sorta, kinda having a little tear in his eye. In the end, he enjoyed it. And as for me? I LOVED it. I found it to be motivating, inspiring, and uplifting. It went beyond a "chick flick" and I thought it was a lot of genres rolled into one; romantic comedy, a feel-good film, a "finding yourself" kind of movie, and yes, a movie that girls would enjoy. But my husband loved it too! There's something for everyone. I highly recommend this movie! 3. an album
I'm quite late on the Mumford & Sons bandwagon, but recently this album has been on repeat in our house close to everyday. It's just that good. I adore these guys- their music, their voices, and those cute scruffy faces. But, on the small chance you haven't yet fallen in love with this band, give this little playlist a listen, and then head over to their website to buy their album! Enjoy!
Good morning Monday, good morning readers and friends, and good morning to maybe-possibly the week I give birth to our son! Pretty fun to think about. Yesterday was one of the most relaxing days I've had in a long, long time. Sometimes I find it hard to just stop doing and going...and just sit and take time for me. Yesterday though, I found it really easy. I slept in until 10am which is rare for me, and then I proceeded to lay in bed and read a new book on my Kindle for hours and hours- literally all day long, with cat naps thrown in here and there. I decided to indulge in one of my "guilty-pleasure" authors, Nicholas Sparks, and read The Guardian. I didn't know anything about it, except that one of my former students enjoyed it, so I ordered it and began to read. Talk about a surprise. This book is definitely not what I expected, and if you know anything about Nicholas Sparks you know that most of his books are in the vein of one of his most popular novels-turned-movie, The Notebook. This book is NOT like that at all, and by chapter 3 and I was totally creeped out. I've definitely been enjoying the book, but from the beginning I was on the edge of my seat and totally weirded out by the character of Richard. I kept on reading all day long, (then broke my relaxation for a workout and to make chili) and now my lovely Kindle informs me I have a mere 30% of the book left. I am definitely going to finish it this morning and I'm beyond curious to see where it goes...so no spoilers in the comments if you've read it!
Outside of the creepy book though, I really and truly enjoyed a relaxing day. So in the spirit of that, I decided to share a playlist of more low key music for all of you on this Monday morning. If you're in the get-up-and-go kinda mood, maybe come back later tonight...but if you want a slow start and a calm air to your day, perk up those ears and enjoy! Either way, have the happiest morning, noon, and night. Lots of love!
Here's a 15-song playlist to add some pretty music to your morning, afternoon, or night. Enjoy...and have a beautiful Wednesday!
ps. if you'd like to be sweet, go ahead and click the banner below, then click again when you get to the next screen to submit your vote. Thank you so very much!
