Music Mash Up

My musical tastes this week are a little bit on the funky side. A little modern, a little pop, and a whole lotta bluegrass. :)

First - Gotye, Someone I Used to Know. The video is just as odd as the song. And I am very distracted by this guy's mouth and teeth. Anyway...



Next - A little bit of pop for ya - I have loved Train since their Meet Virginia days - seriously, my first year of Spanish in high school I picked the name Virginia, not realizing until it was too late that it was pronounced vir-heen-ee-ya en the espanol. I switched names the next year. lol
And another weird aside - Does anyone else think that Pat Monahan looks like he could be Ian Somerhalder's dad, or less hot older brother?




Next up a little bit of bluegrass! This song was played Sunday at church during a video and I loved it sooooo much that I downloaded the whole album. I felt like it goes back to my roots a little bit and I just love Rhonda Vincent's voice.



And finally, my newest musical love affair. The Civil Wars. I really had a hard, hard time picking which song to post because their entire album is phenomenal. Seriously - there is not one bad song. Not even a mediocre song. It's like the Adele album in that there is not one bad song. I love them all. Go buy it. Now.

InstaWeek!

Hi ya'll - just sharing my Instagram photos from the week! :)
I MacGyver'd an umbrella to my chair because it was so sunny and lovely last Saturday! (bummer though, bc apparently some neighbor reported me for having a "tie out" for my dogs (which I dont) bc they were leashed with me outside AND now I may have to get rid of my rug too because it is apparently against the by-laws of the association. I guess they have bylaws against fabulous purple rugs.) end rant.

My awesome bracelet from Katie :)

Mt. Dew - a gift from Heaven. I got this out of a pop machine by pressing the Sierra Mist button on a machine that doesn't sell Mt. Dew on a day I seriously needed a caffeine jolt.

My baby cakes and her under-bite :)

"I like big bows and I cannot lie" Spiced up a boring outfit with some polka dots!

While waiting for the midnight showing of Hunger Games my last caption sparked this lovely interaction :)

Music Feature Friday!

This week my "critera" for my song choices were the 2 songs that caused me to roll down my windows and sing at the top of my lungs. It was lovely.
First song is a oldie, but goodie, Garth Brooks song and my second pick is Adele's Rumor Has It (both videos are live versions this week!). Enjoy! :)


Garth Brooks Papa Loved Mama

No good, rotten, very bad day.

Yup - that is pretty much describing my day. I am in a serious funk that I am having difficulty escaping. I have 3 solutions for this funk:

1. Email Alli (check)
2. Eat Chocolate (check)
3. Spend 5 minutes on the Pinterest Humor section.

Here are some nuggets from #3. 







I feel slightly better now, don't you? :)

InstaWeek! (Double Feature!)

I missed out on this post last week - so you get a double dose of my Instagram weeks!
Getting the itch for a new tat - but no, I wouldn't actually put it on my hand.

Feeling like a rock star in my sunglasses (which I have already lost - *facepalm*)

My sweet sis-in-law looking beautiful! I think her b/f thinks so too ;)

And adorable couple! (I wish you could see her shoes! They are red and awesome! I found them for her, but Instagram crops photos short. Bummer)

It was "High School Clique" day at my hub's office. They chose to be nerds - fitting for accountants. He's in the middle and unfortunately his feet got cut off in the pic too - he was rocking Birkenstocks with white socks. I'm so proud. :)
A freshly bathed, still wet Iz looking pitiful and wanting to jump on my bed full of clean laundry

Got my Hunger Games shirt in the mail! So excited!!

Remembering my mama on 3/13. Can't believe it's been 15 years. This pic was taken on our last vacation to Sedona, AZ and Las Vegas.

Clearly my dogs have a thing for clean laundry. Sophie snoring away on my clean clothes. She was seriously snoring too - there's a 30-second video at the bottom of this post!

Showing my Irish pride :)

My sis-in-law Katie did my hair - I love it long!!!
My delicate flower... :)

Music Feature Friday!

I am trying something new here kids! I am going to try to feature a couple songs every Friday that I have really been digging throughout the week. They may be new/current songs or something more old school. I am going to try to post every week for awhile and see how it is received.

This week I was apparently drawn to songs with  haunting quality. First one is And the World Turns by the Gabe Dixon Band. This popped up on one of my Pandora stations and just loved it. What do you think?



And song #2 is Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars, Safe and Sound. I am probably loving it so much because it is the Hunger Games song. So excited to see this movie!!! Right AlliFerg? :) Thoughts on this one?





Well, I hope you like my "Friday Feature!" And if you do, tell me about it! :)

For my mom....

This song was played at her funeral 15 years ago. Always makes me cry, but it's so beautiful, just like she was.



Mom, I miss you all the time. I can hardly believe it's been 15 years. It seems like just yesterday I was a little girl and you had enveloped me in one of your amazing hugs. You are the strongest person I will ever know and have shown me so much in such a short time about strength, perseverance, and facing the struggles in life with a smile. Love you always.

The Visitation; Book vs. Movie

A weeping crucifix heals a crippled man. Worshipers see a vision of Christ in the clouds. Is God speaking to his people in the last days? When a small farming town is turned upside down by supernatural occurrences, it's up to a burned-out pastor to determine whether these miracles are from heaven---or straight from hell.

I enjoy comparing books with their movie adaptations. Preferably reading the books first, which is what I did with The Visitation. I really enjoyed the book. It has a serious creep-factor and, as any Frank Peretti book, packs a spiritual message.


The movie, while sticking very closely to the story-line of the book, was laughably bad. The cinematography (which is not something I would normally even notice) was horribly choppy, cutting from scene to scene rather disjointedly.

And the acting... oh my the acting. So, so bad.

Here is a taste:


The one thing I will say this movie got right was the creep-factor. It totally nailed that icky, slimy, skin-crawling feeling that I got with the book too. Maybe it is just the subject matter - demonic possession, evil, murders - but I don't know. It gave me a shudder to watch.
That said - just read the book. That movie is an hour and a half you just can't get back. :)

I got the music in me...

Well, since this blog is a place I get to explore my passions in life I am actually a little surprised that I haven't talked more about music. It's actually quite important to me and I love music. I have little to no talent for it - just ask my college roomies - but it still remains something I love. I enjoy singing to the radio in the car. I have music on all day long at work. I get ready to music in the mornings. Worship is my favorite party of church. There is just something about music that moves me. Now, don't get me wrong, my taste in music is nothing progressive or cutting edge. I like songs that get played on the radio. I love pop, country, rock and roll, and some oldies - everything from Cash to Ke$ha.
I am going to try something new and post a song of the week for awhile and see how it goes. This week I am loving Beautiful Things by Gungor. I am actually going to a Gungor concert at the end of the month and am pretty excited about it. This was just one of those songs this week that I heard exactly when I needed too.

First Ever Product Review: Dry Shampoo

**Disclaimer: I was not asked to do or compensated for this review. All opinions expressed are my own. Basically, it's my blog and I do what I want.**

I know it's gross to some, but I don't like to wash my hair everyday. Since I have colored hair, it really is better for me to avoid washing daily to preserve the color. Plus my skin dries out horribly in the winter especially and it is just better to avoid showering daily. However, it is immensely beneficial for me to freshen up my locks in the mornings with some dry shampoo. This is a fairly new product to me and it has taken some trial and error in finding one that works well for me. Just for your info - I have thick, straight hair. I have tried out three different brands of dry shampoo - all can be purchased at Target or Dominicks - Suave, Tresemme, and Umberto. Here are my findings:

The cost:
Suave: $3:49
Tresemme: $5.29
Umberto: $8.99

Suave

I feel like Suave is just a tried and true brand that gets a bad rap because it's products are incredibly affordable. Just because it's cheap, doesn't mean it isn't effective! I like the Suave option a lot. Of the three, this one definitely has the best scent ever! I kept making Brandon smell my hair after I put it in. It was downright delightful! The Suave does not leave a heavy white powder in my hair, which is a plus for me with my dark hair, but it also won't dry up any heavy oil. This is a great option for then I need a little freshening on a day when I will wear my hair up. And did I mention is smells fantastic?? The smell reminded me of Hawaii for some reason. It was heavenly. Plus, you can't beat that price!

Tresemme

Sadly, I don't really have anything good to say about the Tresemme brand. The first time I used it I nearly choked. The smell is noxious and it clouds out when you spray it. I have to hold my breath, spray it on, and then run out of my bathroom to breathe. The smell does not hang on to your hair, but I can't go back in my bathroom for 2-3 minutes after I use it. I didn't really notice that it did a whole lot to brighten up my hair either. I could definitely feel a residue on my hair after use too, but there isn't a thick white powder. This would not be a recommendation from me.

Umberto

This is the priciest of my options and actually was the first one I tried. I used the entire first can and have purchased a 2nd one. I do like this one, but it does have the heavy white powder residue. It does brush out easily and I never had a Kate Moss gray hair incident. It really dries up oil well and there is not a filmy residue left over. It's smell is pretty neutral and the spray is very controlled. I can aim right for my part and my hair line, which is where I tend to have more oil issues. So, a little on the pricey side, but definitely a better option for oil control - just make sure you brush it all out!

Anyone else out there have a favorite dry shampoo?

InstaWeek!

Here is a quick summary of my week via Instagrams!
Nom nom on some birthday cake Oreos.

Enjoying my hair accessory

Loved seeing this package on my doorstep!

And some sexy shoes! :)

The weather there is better... and they have hobbits... and Aragorn.

Yummy chili - sad story though. It got left out overnight and went straight into the garbage disposal this morning. :(
These last two are the hubs and I representing our NIU Huskies in remembrance of a friend who passed 1 year ago today. His dear wife wanted to know how his friends were honoring his memory and we could think of no better way since he loved our alma mater so much.

Worst Dressed of the Oscars

Here it is ladies and gentlemen (gentleman... errr... ladies and ladies) the crowning glory - the worst looks of the Oscars!
Kate Beckinsale. She is so beautiful that I nearly didn't notice how horrendous her dress is.

Rosario Dawson. Color blocking gone wrong.

Bernice Bejo. The minty color just didn't do her justice

Emma Stone... now on the surface, this really isn't that bad... but here is why she landed on my worst dressed list -->
Nicole Kidman. 2008. Look familiar? Yeah.

JLo. So not classy. I mean nip slip? even a rumored one. blech.

I don't even know who this chick is. But wow that dress is horrible.

Mena Suvari. This looks like a leftover remnant of Bjork's Swan dress.

Nancy O'dell. I think I would've loved this without that black overlay.

Shailene Woodley. She's so much cuter than this dress.


So that's all folks... Who was your worst dressed??