In light of the recent holiday, I found this article to be fitting. CNN Money came up with the list, many of which I can say I fully agree with and some that seem totally random. Click here to view the full article and list.
Here are a few of my favorites:
8. Steve Jobs
The brain behind the iPhone, iPad, and iEverything finally managed to get the Beatles onto iTunes. What can't this guy do?
16. Duct tape
Everyone's first fix-it choice. Just ask MacGyver. Or MacGruber. (Especially the neon and tie dye colors!)
19. Carlos Santana
If you didn't already have "Oye Como Va" in your head, you will now. - I'm not entirely sure how this one fits in, but the song is now stuck in my head.
26. Ben & Jerry's
The only thing better than its AmeriCone Dream is the "flavor graveyard" on its website. - Back home in CT we had a Ben & Jerry's store and all my friends worked there so I always got free Oatmeal Cookie Chuck. Man, I miss it.
32. Poland Spring
Better than Perrier. - Why don't they sell this in Texas?
49. James Taylor
Even if you're not crazy about his voice, a great American songwriter. - I used to babysit for his kids when he would play at Tanglewood back in Lenox, MA.
59. Clif Bars
The iconic energy bar. Yes, it's come to this.
69. Michelle Obama
A formidable presence who's brought her own form of glam to the White House. - Need I say more?
82. Blogging
We're all writers now. Uh-oh ... - Ironic...
93. Vineyard Vines, Ralph Lauren, J.McLaughlin
Preppy clothing brands outfitting Nantucket-goers and wannabes year-round. - Duh!
96. Girl Scout Cookies
Creating Thin Mint addicts across the nation.
This great band came at the recommendation of my trusty Music Advisor, Mitch. He's yet to fail me with a music recommendation so I was floored when he burned me a copy of this awesome album, Torches.
Foster the People was started in 2009 by Mark Foster. Foster originally named his band Foster & the People, but people misheard it as "Foster the People." Eventually, he took to the nurturing image it evoked of "taking care" of the people, so the name stuck.
Repack, Refurnish, Rearrange, Relocate - Lately, those are the only words in my vocabulary. Yet again (as I've previously alluded to) I am moving. I have moved...wait let's count it...eleven times in the past five years. That's not even counting the moving that my family did back home (we've moved three times since I left for college...). Whether it was into or out of a dorm or sorority house, moving abroad to Copenhagen or moving to a new apartment, my living situation has constantly been in transition. Most of the time, I BARELY unpack before I'm uprooting again and moving to a new place.
After graduation, we moved into a townhouse in Uptown where we planned on staying for at least two years but our plans quickly went south when our rent spiked and we could no longer afford our place.
So yet again, this weekend, I am moving. Ugh. Sigh.....
This is one of those times when I wish I was Harry Potter....or Ginny....or Hermione....even Luna, just so long as I could wave my wand and have everything moved and organized in my new location. That or I wish this would happen....
....yea I wish that I could just pick up my 'house' and move it. Alas, this is NOT the case (I grudgingly admit that I do not, in fact, have magical powers. Blimey).
I am forced to resort to the old fashioned way - pack up my life into plastic bins and cardboard boxes, strategically maneuver it all into my car (that is now teeny tiny) and unload it at the new location.
Great, I can handle it. A little manual labor never hurt anyone.
Oh my, I almost forgot to mention.....
....it's supposed to be 102 degrees this weekend. Nah, that's COLD for a Dallas summer.
Don't all go feeling that badly for me just yet. I have hired a mover to move my bed, dresser etc and pick up a couch from my friends house. I have also recruited several handsome, muscular young men to slave away in the heat lifting all my heavy stuff. I've offered them a homemade baked good of their choice in return. I have also commandeered a truck for the weekend. Thanks Stew, you're a doll.
I. can. do. this.
Moving has it's advantages though. It's a great way to get rid of stuff you don't need, clean out junk drawers, throw away old school papers....YES! I had been hoarding finance and accounting notes since sophomore year! Go ahead, say it....NERD!
My new living situation is a huge change for me. I'll be living alone in a one bedroom place. All 560 sq. ft. to myself. Teeny tiny. Just like my car.....are you sensing a theme in my life?
Downsizing - you guessed it.
I'm downsizing my budget too and all these recent changes are contributing to that. Stay tuned for my new budget rules in a later post. For now, you can admire my new floorplan.....again, all 560 sq. ft of it (sans microwave...weird).
I've seen people post these "Rules" on their blogs and I wondered where they were originating from. I finally found the 2 original blogs this morning. While some of the "rules" come across a little extreme, many of them are sweet and thoughtful. I've only read through a few but here are my favorites from the Gentleman's one and from the Lady's one.
Food. Shelter. When it comes right down to it, those two things–along with some clothing to keep us “decent”–are really the only categories one needs to spend money on. After you’ve paid your rent or mortgage and stocked up on some groceries, you’ve pretty much taken care of the necessary. Almost everything else falls under “wants” rather than “needs”–and what we want is heavily influenced by advertising and our peers. So if you’re really serious about saving money, before making a purchase ask yourself if you REALLY need whatever it is you’re buying. If you’re honest with yourself, the answer will most likely be “No.”
Michelle Obama shared these words of wisdom with the girls at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in London when she was across the pond visiting the Queen.
"Do not bring people in your life who weigh you down. And trust your instincts ... good relationships feel good. They feel right. They don't hurt. They're not painful. That's not just with somebody you want to marry, but it's with the friends that you choose. It's with the people you surround yourselves with. And that's just as important as the school that you choose. Who's in your life, and do you respect them, and do they respect you? And are you respecting them. Right?
"And we as women in particular—and this is such an important message—starting today, you all have to be supportive of each other. You can't be jealous, and push and trip, you know? It's hard enough."
Visit the link above to read more from Michelle on her "cute" husband, Hilary Clinton and how she raises her daughters!
Steve Moakler, one of my favorite artists and a good friend of Ben Rector's (who we already know and love!) is trying to put out a new album. Since he's an independent artist, he's using this cool thing called KICKSTARTER to get funding in exchange for some pretty sweet deals for the fans like backstage passes, thank you phone calls from Steve himself, private concerts, even your name on the CD jacket as supporter! Take a listen to his music and if you're impressed, consider funding his new album for as little as $10! I did it and I can't wait to hear his new stuff when it comes out...fingers crossed, in September! Way to go Steve!
About the Project
Hey Everybody,
Welcome to the KickStarter page for my next record! What a cool opportunity this is for independent artists to team up with their supporters and make projects happen. This is a really empowering idea and I think we’re gonna have a lot of fun with it.
Over the last two years, your excitement around my music has made it possible for me to transition fully into making a living writing and performing music.
NOW the time has come to time to make another record. Here’s where we’re at: I have enough funding for half of the record, but I don’t have enough to finish it. I’m an independent artist, which means I don’t have a record label or any financial infrastructure behind me funding my career.
I do have you though, and that’s a lot.
KickStarter has paved a way for us to raise support through what we’re calling parachute packages. It’s not a donation; it’s a partnership- a give and take. We have put together unique packages that are only available for this limited time in exchange for your support. Everybody will walk away with something. We need YOUR help in order make this record happen.
We only have 30 days to meet our goal of $15,000 so PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!! NONE of the funding goes through unless ALL of the funding goes through.
QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE:
Why are you asking for $15,000?
We’re trying to make a record that can sonically compete with the standard of music you would hear on the radio or on television. It’s kind of expensive. It would be common for a record label to spend $150,000 - $300,000 on a record of that caliber. Our budget of $30,000 is plenty to do the job well, but any extra funding will only improve the quality of the record and our ability to reach people with it. Between the studio time, producer fees, payment for the musicians, mixing, mastering, design, packaging, it adds up really quickly. It takes a lot of manpower to get one of these things off the ground!
Why ask fans to pay for it?
Aside from the fact that I don’t have enough to pay for it myself (ha!) I think this a really cool opportunity to get people involved. I like the idea of aiming to do something tangible that I could not possibly do without your help. It is a unique and empowering time for artists and fans to connect and make things happen. It’s very humbling in the best of ways.
When will the record come out?
Lord willing, we will release the record in early September. The record will come out as soon as it’s finished. I promise we won’t make you wait a day longer than necessary. Immediately following the album’s release will be a national tour. Can’t wait to give you all high fives and hugs when this record is finished!!!
While browsing my favorite blogs this morning, I stumbled across this most perfect of party decors: orange and navy! It has my name written all over it! Take a look - thanks Birthday Girl!
Birthday Girl Blog says, "Simply splendid. I'm in love with the soft orange and blue combo of this 34th birthday party, designed by European wedding stylist Branco Prata..."
Now that I've secured my 3-Day pass for Austin City Limits in September and the 2011 Line-Up has been released, it's time to start discovering some new bands! While the stages at ACL will be hosting several bands I already know and love, half the fun of going to a music festival is discovering new awesome bands. Two years ago, I discovered Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights - an awesome Dallas based band. There is something so exciting and inspiring about discovering and loving new bands. I still remember the day I heard Needtobreathe open for Gavin DeGraw a few years back at the House of Blues. I immediately fell in love with their soulful sound and heartfelt lyrics. The icing on the cake is when you share your love of a new band with a friend and then they jump on the bandwagon. Then you both can say...you listened to them way back when....before they got big....
Wikipedia says...."The Airborne Toxic Event is an American indie rock band from Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. It consists of Mikel Jollett (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Chen (guitar, keyboards), Noah Harmon (electric bass, upright bass, backing vocals), Daren Taylor (drums) and Anna Bulbrook (viola, keyboards, tambourine, backing vocals). The band released its debut self-titled album in 2008 and released its follow-up album, All at Once, on April 26, 2011."
I've got family all over the place. My mom is one of 5 and two of her sisters and a brother live in the Chicago suburbs while her oldest sister lives in San Diego. This weekend, the San Diego family was in Austin for a wedding and being only 3 hours away, I had to make sure to see them! My cousins, Erica and Tyler, just had a baby (Ryan Oliver, 3 mos) and I wanted to meet him as well. Babies have such pure, joy-filled hearts and you can see it written all over their faces, especially when they're sleeping. It was such a treat to get to spend some time with family and in Austin no less which is just a great city!
Erica - Ryan's beautiful Mommy!
Daddy Tyler making sure the little guy gets enough to eat
Whew, finally my first DIY post! Don't get me wrong, I love to craft and create things that I've put some hard work into, but the project idea always sounds WAY better than the actual execution. You have to go find/buy all the supplies, have the time to actually DO the project, and then have a need for said crafted item.
With the coming move to my new place, I now have a need for some more furniture. I'm getting over the "get it cheap and cry while assembling" IKEA phase and I'm now on to the "find it on craigslist and make it better" phase. I've had some success finding promising pieces on craigslist...nothing to craft yet though.
I already have a dining room table that we've been storing in one of the many closets. It was from our house in CT and we ended up not needing it here in Dallas. But now I needed chairs. Ugh. Hunting for 4 matching chairs under $100 that somewhat matched this stained wood table sounded more or less horrific. Plan B: Find some decent (and cheap) unfinished chairs at IKEA and then let my creative juices flow.
Time:
5-6 hours (plus more for drying) depending on if you have help
Supplies:
4 IKEA IVAR dining chairs - $19.99 each ($80 total) these come unfinished
"Raw" Chair from IKEA
1 quarter primer - $8
1 quality paint brush - $11
1 sand paper sponge - fine grade
1 gallon paint color of your choosing - about $30 depending on brand - I used Glidden Real Navy in Satin finish, it's a medium shine and looks appropriate on chairs (no you don't need a gallon of paint but that is how much the Home Depot guy made me buy....so now I'm going to be painting everything in my house navy)
I was cleaning out my room yesterday and getting things organized to move when I found the birthday card you sent me this year. Just seeing your naturally loopy writing on the inside brought tears to my eyes.
You are such an amazing, strong, beautiful woman and "when I grow up", I can only hope to be half the woman you are. Being so far away all these years has made me really appreciate you and I so wish that I could have spend this day celebrating you!!
Through highs and lows, you've been that rock in my life that boosted be up when I was low and pulled me off the ledge when I was so high I might just start to fly. You've kept me grounded but also pushed me beyond my boundaries.
This day is about you, Mom! Thank you for drying my tears after graduation, thanks for telling me your mac and cheese recipe to win the hearts of all my guy friends....
....thank you for you advice on how to paint a chair...
There are millions billions of cheesy, inspirational quotes out there to "brighten your day". They come in your Hallmark cards, charity brochures and probably even cereal boxes (the fact that Cheerios will lower your cholesterol is inspiring right?). While comforting a friend today, I threw one out of my own...
(You're laughing...ha, I knew it. Should have kept it to myself....well for those of you who can get over my very own cheesiness, keep on reading for something slightly deeper.)
Why as people, and more specifically girls, is it so hard for us to just let go? Someone complements our hair and we automatically say how gross it looks "but thanks!" (I'm a culprit of this!) How come we can't just be in the moment whether it's going for a run, reading a book, laying in the grass (or in Dallas, the pool) without constantly making judgements and worrying about how we look...
We love your kingdom, O God, with its promise of justice, its feeling of compassion, its dimensions of joy and hope, its sense of eternity. In our times of darkest despair, it encourages us. In our moments of deepest exhaustion with life it bids us stand and go forward. Therefore we pray for those this morning who have come here tired and discouraged for any reason, that they may remember that your kingdom is both now and forever, and that the seeds of belief and trust may be reawakened in their lives, to bring them once more to a harvest of love and excitement in living. Help us to voice to you our most intimate thoughts, and, having done so, to find healing and support for our entire existence. Amen.
- Credit: St. Andrew United Methodist and Brian Wellman
Yes, you read that right - I turned in a lease application today at The Park in The Village. It's located at Lovers and Amesbury. It's a "quaint" (yea, I guess I'll use that word) 1 bedroom apartment on the 2nd floor close to the pool. It has all new appliances and carpet as well as a fresh coat of paint. Laundry facilities are just at the end of the building. I'm really happy about my final decision because I'm going to be saving about $250 a month living at this place instead. Now I'm on the hunt for a couch (might already have one lined up...), a TV, a coffee table, some dining chairs....oh man this could get ugly. If anyone's got connections to people who are selling stuff, be sure to let me know!
I've got some decorating plans in mind that go along with a nautical, navy/white theme (what else would you expect) with some pops of orange and mint candy apple. hmmm we'll see - I promise to post a few pics and maybe even some DIY inspiration along the way.
