Anyway, I have been super fortunate lately with finding good reads, music, recipes & more. So the point of this post is sheerly spreading the wealth!
READS:
I always read more than one book at once...it's a habit of impatience. And they are always really different. So, I am currently reading these two really great books:
1. The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey. (Fiction)
2. Apron Anxiety: My Messy Affairs In and Out of the Kitchen by Alyssa Shelasky (Non-fiction)
The latter suggestion is extra great because it is full of great recipes!
If these aren't of any interest to you, might I suggest my most favorite book of all time: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows.
TUNES:
Ok, I am pretty much "all over the board" when it comes to music. I really do like a little bit of everything. So, therefore, my music suggestions are going to seem a bit random. Lately, I have been listening to...
1. Carla Bruni - Quelqu'un m'a dit
I love to listen to a little bit of French music when I'm feeling something nice and somber. Or in the mornings when I want to listen to music that is as slow as I feel. Carla Bruni is perfect for both of these scenarios. The link above is one of my favorite songs by her and is actually my current alarm! It's so pleasant to wake up to that sometimes I don't realize I need to wake up for a few minutes...haha I should probably change my alarm tone.
2. When I want to shake my boo-tay, I am currently loving Maroon 5's "Overexposed" album. Can I just say that I have always loved Maroon 5? There is something just so catchy and great about them. You and the rest of the world have most definitely heard this song, but I can't get enough of it: One More Night - Maroon 5
3. I once heard the band Sleigh Bells on Jimmy Kimmel and found that I really like a few of their songs. They are what all the cool kids nowadays are referring to as "noise pop." Basically they are an alternative rock band with pop fused in. AND they're from Brooklyn! Check out their song Comeback Kid - Sleigh Bells
4. Zee Avi has this beautiful, old, jazzy voice. For some reason I listen to her a lot while I cook? Maybe she inspires me to be creative? Anyway, she is gorgeous and has the coolest life ever and makes awesome music. Here is one of my favorites by her: Bitter Heart - Zee Avi
5. My inner black girl comes out BIG TIME when I hear my favorite rap artist of all time: Missy Elliott. And she brings me back to some good ole' times up in the club ;) AND lucky for me and my fellow Missy lovers, she has a couple new singles out! WHERE HAS SHE BEEN?! Anyway, she's clearly not the squeaky-clean kind, but she is oh-so-good at what she does. Plus, she's teamed up with Timbaland in her new singles. Double-amazing. Here is one of her new singles: 9th Inning - Missy Elliott (sorry it may have a few words or so...what did you expect? haha)
Do also check out a few more of my favorite bands below:
Radical Face (awesome. that is all.)
Death Cab for Cutie (You may have heard of them...best lyrics ever? I think so.)
Eisley (a family of great singers! chill and lovely!)
Anberlin (we've seen this band twice and they never fail to impress. LOVE their first 2 albums especially)
Family Force 5 (their first album is absolutely HILARIOUS. They are super fantastic and fun-Stu and I saw them at a warped tour and they were our favorite)
Stu is loving Foster The People (you know, they sing "Pumped Up Kicks") right now.
**Also have to give a quick shout-out to Beyonce for her Superbowl performance! It was great, right? I love her! It was too short though...And I (along with all of the other girls at the party) were SUPER pumped Destiny's Child was in the house!! Miss them...**
EATS:
Since Superbowl is actually Spanish for "eat like there's no tomorrow," Stu and I had a fancy Sunday dinner BEFORE we went to a superbowl party and ate a bunch of treats. I wasn't sure what would be there and didn't want to spend the next 3+ hours hungry...hahaha....SO we made this:
Balsamic Roast Beef -- It was awesome! We will definitely be making this again. We paired it with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.
Stu made this awesome dip as our contribution to the superbowl party:
Cold Spinach & Artichoke Dip PLUS he added a roasted red bell pepper for some depth and we took out the artichokes, haha...does anyone actually like artichokes??
It was yummy! We served it with pita wedges.
We are always looking for a good crepe recipe, and I found this one on Pinterest:
Basic Crepes
And a tasty, and healthy, recipe that we have made a couple times now is this Skinny Sour Cream Enchiladas recipe.
Enjoy!
Other good stuff?
BEAUTY
If you are looking for a good mascara, I am OBSESSED with my current one:
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme. I love it! The brush separates my lashes really well and my lashes look thick and way long. Love it, love it, love it! I have it in Black.
FILM/TV
Have you seen Les Miserables yet? If you are looking to go to the movies and watch a quality flick, pick Les Miserables! No joke, it was the best cinematic experience I have had in a long time. I was SUPER skeptical because it is the movie version of the musical with a bunch of actors that have hardly any musical background. I was nervous as well because Les Miserables is my absolute favorite musical. It is such a great story and the music is fantastic. AND I'm not a fan of Anne Hathaway anyway, but it was SO great! The actors in the movie are even live-singing and it is still great. And it's not like you care much about how they sound anyway (granted, they still don't sound super awesome), because the acting is phenomenal! Seriously. So. Good. I cried the whole time, I think...my only complaint is that I was disappointed with Russell Crowe's performance. Of all actors! He is usually so great and he was not so great in this movie. But it is still very well done!
Sad that 30 Rock is over? (I know, we all are.) Ever watched Parks & Recreation? (Amy Poehler) I would say the humor is similar, but maybe closer to The Office. Still very witty. I think it is a good choice if you are looking for something to fill that 30 Rock void...for now.
FASHION
All of my latest magazine/online sources show Spring 2013 fashion is going to be full of Cobalt Blue (along with other color-blocked looks) Water inspired looks, Photo prints, Stripes, White, Cut-outs/Peek-a-boo midriffs, Chambray & the continuation of soft feminine details like lace & sheer. Here is Harper's Bazaar look at Spring 2013 Everything looks lovely!
To wrap up this very random post, here is a quote I heard this past Sunday in our Relief Society lesson that I thought was simple, yet powerful, and something I am going to keep in mind as I go about this week:
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."
-Abraham Lincoln
True that, Abe. Here's to a Happy week!
