But don't forget the songs that made you smile And the songs that made you cry...

Music is the best! Sometimes I think I like too much but is that really possible? I think not. This whole blog could easily just be about music but I like to give my dear readers some variety :) I just read Milla's post about making lists and decided I'd make some of my own. Now before you read my lists be aware that there are obviously a lot more songs I could add to each one. These are just the first songs that came to mind. And now that I'm typing this I'm reminded of why I don't like making these! I feel like they're set in stone and that makes me crazy but I am a little crazy when it come to music so...

>> 3 Songs That Make Me Cry <<

Into The Mystic- Van Morrison

Racing In The Street- Bruce Springsteen

Sunday Morning Coming Down- Johnny Cash's version on the album Classic Cash Hall of Fame Series


>> 5 Songs That Make Me Smile <<

Summer Breeze- Seals and Croft

Don't Eat The Yellow Snow- Frank Zappa (Of course, most Zappa makes me smile)

The Cover Of The Rolling Stone- Dr. Hook

Mama Told Me (Not To Come)- Three Dog Night

Saturday Night- Bay City Rollers (this was my ringtone on my first phone. It was awesome!)


>> 4 Songs/Bands You Might Be Surprised I Like <<

Waterfalls- TLC

Sound System- Operation Ivy- Their one album is so good!

Egg Man- Beastie Boys- I love the Beastie Boys and saw them several times when I was in High School. Egg Man is one of my favorite songs and the video for Sabotage is pure genius!

Don Giovanni:Il Mio Tessoro- John McCormack- I've acquired I love for opera in the last 5-6 years. I always thought I didn't like it but I guess I was wrong. Or maybe I'm just old now :)


>> 5 Songs I HATE <<

Walking On Sunshine- Katrina And The Waves- My dislike for this song is deep and strong!

Lump- The Presidents of The United States of America - I hate the song, I hate band, I hate the band's stupid name, I hate the song title!

Tubthumping- Chumbawumba - I think the band name and song title sum everything up!

Mony Mony- Billy Idol - I like Billy Idol but I can't stand this song!

The Sign- Ace of Base- YUCK!!!

Please share some songs in the comments! I especially want to know the songs you dislike :)

♥ anne

Some Stuff

Tintype I took of Marianne at the beach.

Have you watched Master of None on Netflix? I really liked it and the song choices for the show are always awesome. One of the last episodes had my favorite Cure song at the end. You can listen to it here. I hadn't heard it forever and have been singing it in my head ever since.

I've been listening to books online while busy at home. Right now I'm listening to Emma which I've somehow never read. I've always been curious, if you listen to a book does that count as reading it? Haha! Please share your opinion.

Lent began yesterday and I always greet it with equal parts joy and dread. Friday's are vegetarian days and I'm looking for some good recipes. If you can suggest something or a good veggie website I'd be very grateful.

Qwixx is our new favorite board game. It's fun, fast and if you like games I guarantee you'll love it!

I want to visit some sand dunes this year. I'm thinking the dunes in Death Valley would be a good place to go. I've always wanted to go to Death Valley so I'd be killing two birds with one stone on that trip! P.s. I'd never kill a bird. I need to find a different way to say that :)

The day David Bowie died I made this tintype titled Ode To Blackstar. Have you listened to his farewell album? Or watched the videos? If you have you'll understand.

Have you seen these fan photos of John Lennon? I'm not huge John Lennon lover but I found these to be pretty cool.

Look how neat this window bird house is!

If you've come across any fun things lately feel free to share them in the comments!

♥ anne

Musical Memories // David Bowie

Seeing as how it's David Bowie's birthday today*, this post will be all about him. Well, not exactly about him but more about me loving him. Did you know he was my first crush? Him and Clark Gable are the two men I remember as my first celebrity loves but mostly Bowie because not only was he cute but he also was a musician. Some of my earliest memories revolve around music and I have several involving David Bowie's music.

One, I remember very well. I was probably four or five and my dad had picked my sister and I up for the weekend and I was singing Suffragette City in the car. I sang out "wham bam thank you ma'am" and my dad got mad. Obviously he felt those lyrics were completely inappropriate for a child to be singing and obviously they were just words to me. I chuckle every time I hear the song!

A couple years later an incredible duet had just come out and I got the 45 for the game of musical chairs that I planned on playing at my birthday party. The song was none other than Dancing In The Street and my other love, Mick Jagger, sang and danced by David's side. The video was my favorite at the time and if you've not seen it, I highly encourage you to watch it. It very well could be one of the worst videos ever made and their rendition of the song leaves you wondering whose idea it was and why they ever let it happen! haha! Anyway, we played it at my party and I was stoked :)

Needless to say, when Labyrinth came out I was thrilled and jealous that Jennifer Connelly got to kiss him. When Ruben and I started dating we usually just listened to music and he had David Bowie's first album. It's a folk album (we still have it) and while everyone probably knows about it now, back then before the internet it was harder to know about such gems. Anyway, he got big points in my book for owning that record and you really need to listen to it if you never have. "Ha ha ha, he he he. I'm a laughing gnome and you can't catch me."

Do you have a favorite Bowie album, song, video? Please share! I don't have a favorite song (that would be way to hard to pick) but my favorite album is Ziggy Stardust and I love the video for Life On Mars. Happy Saturday! I hope you do something fun!

*I wrote this yesterday.

♥ anne

Chloride, AZ.

We recently visited Chloride, AZ. on our way home from a weekend in Bullhead City. My mom had heard about Roy Purcell's murals and thought it would be fun to go check them out. I'm so happy we made the trip, not only were the murals really cool but the small town of Chloride totally stole my heart!


To get the murals you have to drive through town and out down a dirt road. There are all sorts of cactus and wildflowers along the way and a bumpy road that the kids enjoyed.


The murals were painted in 1966 and they were so colorful and pretty! It turns out the morning is nice time to visit because it's cooler but the sun was rising and shining on them which made it difficult to photograph. Next time we visit I'll wait until late afternoon to take pictures.


I'll be listing that purple kaftan I'm wearing in my shop this week. I thought this location would be the perfect place to model it.


As we headed back to town I spotted several juniper trees and made my mom stop so I could cut some to bring home. The smell is heavenly and we got home I made a couple smudge sticks with my clippings.


I also managed to snap a few pictures of some local birds. A couple roadrunners and my absolute favorite, quails! They are quick and wanted nothing to do with me. They had all their little babies scurrying behind them, a sight that makes me squeal with delight!



There are wonderful old buildings and homes along the main street and what appeared to be some fun shops. It was early in the morning so nothing was open yet but I'm sure I would have found many treasures in the Cactus Cowboy antique store.


We walked across the street to check out Digger Dave's and were greeted by friendly Dave and couple other locals.


The bar/cafe was just opening and Dave made us feel right at home. He got the kids an ice cream and my mom and I an ice cold beer. We sat down and Dave came over to the jukebox and put on "Thank You" by Led Zeppelin. He said the song was dedicated to a new woman in his life, a beautiful blonde who had bought the lot next door. He knew they were meant to be together when he first shook her hand and looked in her eyes. He was filled with love for her and it showed. My mom and I were so moved by his sweet words that she started crying and I was tearing up as he walked away.



We could have sat there all day listening to the jukebox (which was filled with the best music) and drinking beer but unfortunately we had to get going. After all, we had three rowdy kids with us which meant one beer only and leaving before they got too wild. I will definitely be returning to this gem of a town and next time Ruben will be with me.


So, if you're ever driving through Arizona and love dusty old mining towns and amazing bars like Digger Dave's then you need to stop off in Chloride!

♥ anne

Cover Me // Jersey Girl

Bruce singing Tom, one of my favorites covering one of my favorites. I love both versions.

♥ anne

Say what?

I've been obsessed with lyrics ever since I was a kid. I remember always getting super excited when I'd get a new album, tape or cd and the lyrics would be on the inside. Often times they weren't included so I'd sit there and listen, pause, write and repeat until I had the whole song written down. I was never a great student and my dad used to get very irritated and say, "If you know all the words to every song how come you can't memorize your ____?" (times tables, spelling words, etc...). I never had an answer but I guarantee if my school day would have revolved around music, I probably would have done much better. 

That being said, I haven't always gotten the words quite right. Sometimes when you assume you know what is being said you never consider that you might have it wrong. Sometimes you go from being a kid to an adult and still have it wrong. And sometimes when you're in your 30's and finally realize what's actually being said you have a big laugh!

Today I'd like to share some of my "scuse me while I kiss this guy" moments. I'll start with my earliest mistakes-

Song- Bette Davis Eyes
Artist- Kim Carnes

Real lyric- She got Bette Davis eyes
mistaken lyric- She got potato eyes

Hahaha! This song came out in 1981, which means I was 3. That totally explains why I got this one wrong because it doesn't sound like "potato eyes" at all and since I didn't know who Bette Davis was it kinda makes sense. right? And yes, I realize I was 3 but I do in fact remember this. My husband always jokes that I remember my birth :)

Song- Fly Like An Eagle
Artist- Steve Miller Band

Real lyric- Shoe the children with no shoes on their feet
Mistaken lyric- Shoot the children with no shoes on their feet

I'm really embarrassed to admit that it was only a couple years ago that I figured this one out. I always wondered why you'd want to shoot kids because they didn't have shoes on. haha Wow!  I feel really stupid right now! Oh but I'm about to feel even more silly after you read the next one!

Song- Sleigh Ride

Real lyric-  Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling, "YOO HOO !"
Mistaken lyric- Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling you Who.

Yep, until last year I always wondered why you'd call someone "Who". It's so ridiculous that my husband didn't believe me this morning when I told him that's what I thought it said.

Song- She Caught The Katy
Artist- Taj Mahal

Real lyric- She caught the katy
Mistaken lyric- She complicated

Ruben and I recently argued over this one and I lost big time! I was SO sure it did not say "She caught the Katy". Listen to it and tell me what you think.

Song- Latest Flame
Artist- Elvis

Real lyric- And Marie's the name of his latest flame
mistaken lyric- And the reasoning of his latest fling

It never made sense. Now I know why!

Ok, Ive embarrassed myself enough! Here's a recent song that I knew couldn't being saying what it sounded like it was saying.

Song- Blank Space
Artist- Taylor Swift

Real lyric- Got a long list of ex-lovers
Mistaken lyric- Starbucks lovers

My daughter likes Taylor Swift so when this song came out I heard it a couple times a day. I knew there was no way she was saying "Starbucks lovers" but it totally sounded like it. I asked Alex what the lyrics were and she said everyone at school also thought she said "Starbucks". Then I thought maybe she was saying "star crossed lovers". That would make sense. Nope. A quick web search revealed the true lyrics!

Alright, now it's your turn to share your "wrapped up like a douche" moments! If you were ever going to leave a comment here, this would be the time! 

♥ anne
Got a long list of ex-lovers

HOT

It's hot. A couple songs immediately come to mind- Hot Hot Hot by Buster Poindexter, which I am listening to now and laughing out loud! I was on the dance team in high school (I know. It's hard to imagine if you know me) and we did a dance to this song that was all at once absolutely ridiculous but incredibly fun. My friend Ellen and I were usually laughing through the routine so when I hear the song I can't help but smile :) The other song that comes to mind is the one that says, "It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes". I don't know who sings it and I'm too hot and lazy to look but AMEN! It's a sweat party up in here!

Margaret has worn nothing but a diaper for too many days to count now and frankly I'm jealous. Thankfully we have a community pool because that's the only cool place to go. So, if you don't hear from me for a few days it's because I melted.

♥ anne

"Songs that I love, songs that changed my life"

That's how Neil Young chose the songs for his newest album,  A Letter Home. If you haven't listened to it yet, you should!




♥ anne

Strange Magic

Strange Magic by ELO has been my soundtrack lately. In fact ELO in general has been my soundtrack. As a lifetime classic rock listener I always thought I didn't really like ELO. In fact, I'm sure I went so far as to say I hated them at one time, but not any more. I have been thoroughly enjoying them! A few of my favorites are Strange Magic (I'm hearing it everywhere. It's so weird! I went into the drug store today and it was on!), Telephone Lines, Mr. Blue Sky and Sweet Talkin' Woman. I'm actually laughing at myself right now because as I type I'm listening to them and am slightly embarrassed that I'm writing this. But hey, you've heard the saying, "Give peace a chance" well I say, "Give ELO a chance"! All those songs have links so go listen! And make sure to let me know if there are any other ELO fans out there.

The above photo has nothing to do with this post except for the fact that I find this tree strangely magical ;)

♥ anne

Watching Reading Listening

It's time for another edition of Watching Reading Listening! Aren't you stoked? I bet you are.

W A T C H I N G
Ruben and I watched Muscle Shoals the other night and it is SO GOOD! Seriously. If you have Netflix on your tv you can watch it and you should tonight!


R E A D I N G
My sister sent me The Strange Case Of Dr. Terry and Mr. Chimes before Lent and I've been slowly reading it since. I say slowly because sitting down and enjoying a book isn't something that I get to do often. Anyway, she told me that one of the Sisters had read an article about this punk band drummer returning to the church and that he had written a book. She soon found out that the author was the original drummer of The Clash! Seeing as how she listened to them before entering the convent and knowing that me and Ruben were big fans she thought I'd like to read it. It's been really good so far and I look forward to finding out what lead him to be becoming a chiropractor and returning to the Catholic faith.


L I S T E N I N G

Living in southern California you might assume that we'd have awesome radio stations. Well we don't. They are the most generic, boring and repetitive stations around! Last year I discovered a small local station, 101.5 KOCI,  that is located in my very own city and it's really good! I made a playlist of songs I've heard on it and I've been listening to it at home and adding to it over time. I thought someone might else might enjoy it so I'm sharing it here :)



Care to share what you've been watching, reading and listening to?

♥ anne

watching / reading / listening

W A T C H I N G-
We've watched some fun documentaries in the last couple of weeks that I wanted to share with you. First up is Room 237 about Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining. People have formulating some interesting theories about this film and they are shared in this documentary.

The other night I watched Following Sean, which (as Wikipedia says) "is a 2005 documentary film directed by Ralph Arlyck, and a follow-up to his 1969 student short "Sean," which features four-year-old Sean's thoughts on marijuana, police presence, freewheeling lifestyles. The film's notoriety landed a screening in the White House and a variety of predictions regarding the outcome of Sean's life - whether he could grow up to embody the hippy philosophy, or whether he would turn out a drug dealer or stock broker." You can watch the trailer here.

Last night we watched I Ain't in It For My Health about Levon Helm. If you're a fan of Levon or The Band it's worth a watch.

Last up is A Brilliant Life In Darkness. This short documentary is fascinating! It's about a man who went blind and then deaf as a child and what he went on to accomplish as an adult. Watch it.


R E A D I N G-
I finished Into The Wild a couple weeks ago and liked it quite a bit. I thought it was going to be solely about Chris McCandless but was pleasantly surprised at the many other stories Jon Krakauer told about himself and other similar people of the past.

I am reading a couple other books as well but haven't finished them yet. I'm a S L O W reader.

L I S T E N I N G-
The new Mazzy Star album, Seasons of Your Day. None of the "after a couple listens I'll like it" with this one. It was great the first time around!

The Deep Dark Woods new album, Jubilee. I loved it and heard hints of The Band on Red, Red Rose and Neil Young and Crazy Horse on Miles and Miles... which is never a bad thing in my book! They really are an amazing band. I love all their albums and I hope to see them live at some point.

I also listened to Lightning Bolt, the new Pearl Jam album yesterday and was happy to hear Sleeping by Myself (which is on Eddie Vedder's solo album Ukulele Songs) done with the whole band. I play that song on the uke and Ruben sings it :) If you haven't heard it, take a listen.

The album is good,  I especially enjoyed the slower songs. 


That's it. I'd love to hear what you are watching, reading and listening to. Please share!


♥ anne

COVER ME // This Wheel's On Fire

today's cover is This Wheel's On Fire written by bob dylan and rick danko of the band. i'm sure many people/bands have covered this song but i chose to post siouxsie's version because it was the first version i ever heard. it was always one of my favorite songs by her so when i realized years later that it was written by the above geniuses it made perfect sense why i liked it so much. although it's the same song they are SO different and i love both.


siouxsie and the banshees also cover a couple beatles songs, dear prudence and helter skelter. and even if you don't care for her version you can't deny how rad she is. any thoughts??? please share :)

♥ anne

good morning america how are you

say hello to my new little friend, mr. ukulele. boy, am i having fun with this baby! my daughter and i have been singing songs together! i'm no emmylou but i'm not letting that stop me :) plus alex has a great voice and sings in the choir and at church so she has no fear which has helped me not be afraid. and it's not like i'm planning to start singing publicly (this is purely for my own enjoyment) but i would like to play music and sing with ruben without being nervous. or perhaps around a campfire with friends or something. anyway, i'm very excited and am glad to have a new little hobby. here's the first song i've learned. i love it! arlo guthrie played it when we saw him last month and i've been singing it in my head since.
these pictures are from tuesday when shane, marianne and i had a picnic at the park. there were carnival rides across the street that were sitting in an open lot, so we walked over and took some pictures. i also caught a little toad (see here) which totally lifted my spirits.

it's friday and i have a fun weekend ahead. a school carnival this afternoon which has THE BEST rummage sale ever! i can't wait. then a family pool/bbq day on saturday AND on sunday we're going to visit my sister, yay! do you have any fun plans?

♥ anne

COVER ME // Are You Ready For The Country

this is the first post in new series about song originals and their covers. i love me a good cover and i get especially excited when someone takes a song and makes it their own. waylon does just that in his version of neil young's Are You Ready For The Country. take a listen and tell me if you have a favorite.


♥ anne

storytellers

no, i am not the storyteller. well, not the storyteller i'm speaking of in the title of this post. the two i am speaking of are in a league of their own. read on...

this last week i was fortunate enough to attend not one but two AMAZING shows. first up was arlo guthrie at a small intimate theater in irvine. he is touring in celebration of his father, woody guthrie's 100th birthday and boy was it awesome! he is an incredible storyteller and so worth seeing live. jessica and i knew that he is well known for staying and chatting with fans after shows, so she came equipped with her Alice's Restaurant album (i stupidly forgot mine at home :/ ) and we were determined to get an autograph. we walked up to the cd/tshirt table and asked the ladies if he would be coming out and they said no. i had seen the tour bus when we walked in so i told jessica we should go stand outside it and wait. we did, and totally felt like groupies, and guess what? we got our autographs! it was such a rad night!

next up was nick cave and the bad seeds in san diego on tuesday with ruben and our friend shawn. anything i write will fall short. it was SO DAMN GOOD! maybe the best concert i've ever been to. definitely in the top three. we had seen him in '08 at the hollywood bowl and i'm sad to say that i was disappointed BUT this show...this show was everything i'd hoped that '08 show had been. mind blowing. that's all i can say.

i also saw nicky and she says hi :D  we had fun watching her christmas tree burn in the fire pit. it's a tradition.

did you do anything fun over the past week? any exciting plans for the weekend? do tell!

♥anne  

share the tunes

i'm proud to say that the mixtape swap was a success! i ended up with two partners, sara and dolly, and both of their playlists and cover art were awesome! and as i had hoped, i was introduced to some new, great music. thank you so much sara and dolly and to everyone that participated.


top photo-dolly's cd  bottom photo- sara's cd
and for those of you that are interested, here is the playlist that i made for these two lovely ladies. i hope you enjoy it :D


i also have a guest post up over at milla's magical blog, The Girl That Married The Bear! make sure to stop by and check it out :D

♥anne

and they're off

i finally finished up my playlist for the mixtape swap and am shipping them out today! i had a lot fun putting it together and can't wait to receive mine from my partners. after much turmoil i finally settled on a sun design for the cover. i'm very pleased with how it turned out but more importantly hope you ladies enjoy what is on the inside. i think for my next one i will have a theme so get ready because in a couple of months it will "summer" mixtape swap time!

myself and the kids have each taken turns being sick :( it was bad. i pretty much laid in bed or on the couch for a solid week. thankfully we're all feeling better and ready to get on with our lives and get the heck outside! i tried to make the most of all my indoor time though and cleaned out my closet and all the kid's closets. i took some stuff the goodwill, gave a big bag to my neighbors and saved some for a clothes swap that i want to organize. has anyone participated in a clothes swap before? did you like it? what made it successful? i thought it would be fun to have wine/beer and hors d'oeuvres and of course all the clothes and chat it up with some gals. we'll see if i can pull it together and even find enough people interested in coming.

what else can i tell ya? i've had major success with eating raw! i decided to go longer than just january and have extended my raw journey through the sacrificial season of Lent. i've learned quite a bit about myself and my eating habits and such but i think i will have to save all that for a post of it's own if anyone is interested :D 

i hope you all are staying well!
♥anne