music monday :: glen hansard

FACT: My roommate and I are a little obsessed with the show Parenthood. (If you're a girl, you understand.) I have been watching since the first season, and recently she got hooked and started catching up on Netflix. It's been fun re-living all the scenes from the old seasons via snow day marathons! That being said, there is so much good music in this show. I'm always Googling the lyrics so I can remember songs and artists. One of these is Glen Hansard.

In the show, Glen is one of the artists that records at the studio owned by two of the main characters. I was watching him play on that particular episode last night and realized how much I liked him. (Well... he's Irish, so there's that. Already a win.) Then it struck me that I knew him already, just not on his own: he's one half of The Swell Season. He and Marketa Irglova (also of The Swell Season) were in the film "Once" as well. (See that if you haven't already!)  He's also formerly of the Irish band The Frames. Brilliance all around! What a genius.

Here's a taste of what he does:

"Drive All Night", his four-song EP, came out in November. You can stream it for free HERE.

Happy Monday!

friday favorites :: all the things!!!

Update from yesterday: I found my lost ring in my bed when I got home. Of course. Never (again) will I ever wear rings on their non-designated fingers!

Also: Tearin' Up My Heart was the first thing playing on the radio when I started my car this morning. So, there's that. This day is already great!

Many things have been making me happy lately:

[images via weheartit, target & nordstrom]

T Peppermint bark. I have been eating wayyy too much of this. For the record, it is excellent when smashed up in place of chocolate chips for cookies. You won't ever regret that choice.

T Seeing my baby brother while he is home for a week from CO. We did our usual hanging out last night with a million games of NBA Jam on the Super Nintendo (it's mandatory... I reached a 47-point record!). Considering I hadn't washed my hair in about four days, this picture is pretty great. (Bun to the rescue!)

T Dogs in Christmas sweaters. Few things make me happier than these little guys being forced into the festive spirit! 

T These heated blankets from Target. I have the leopard print one. It's soooo nice to plug it in when I'm sitting on my couch on the computer or watching TV. Nothing feels better than staying snuggly and warm under a blanket when it's 20 degrees outside.

T Get ready to judge me: Kate Spade wrapping paper. I don't even care... I love these golden dots and my gifts shall be covered in them! I also might make a crafty wreath out of some of it so it's not a total waste of money. Kate's my girl. And you only live once. :)

T Starbucks gingerbread lattes. I never really cared about drinking them before this year. I don't get Starbucks super often. But every time I go now, I have one of these delicious things. That, or a skinny peppermint mocha. I'm down with all the Starbucks skinniness.

TTTT

Tonight I'm headed to my best friend's house for a little wine, snacking, and movie watching. Every year we have a date where we eat, drink, have girl talk, and watch The Holiday. The best!

Mmm, Jude Law. Love him every time.

throwback thursday :: the night of screaming teens & music machines

Can I be real for a second? This morning has been rough. I woke up after five hours of sleep, got dressed, got to work, and realized the {favorite} ring I had been wearing was no longer on my finger. This angers me and I felt like the only way to feel better was to blog about it.

<rant over.>

Moving on! Last NIGHT, you guys. How's that for a throwback? I went to a fabulous show hosted by the lovely people at 94.7 FM radio. Well... lovely is a term I use loosely. Because they were very loud and too enthusiastic and kept getting on stage to talk about things I didn't care about. Then they would announce that someone was coming on stage when really, they were coming on about 10 minutes later. Example: "And now... get ready for... GAVIN DeGRAWWWWWW!" Followed by screaming and shouting and clapping. Which was followed by... nothing. Because Gavin wasn't ready yet. Come on, radio station peeps.

<rant 2 over.>

Anyway! This show was great... let me tell you a million three reasons why. First of all, I have been waiting to see Sara Bareilles FOREVER. Secondly, her shows are like $50 and ain't nobody got cash for that right now. Third, the whole show was $50 but it included FOUR bands. I  call that a deal. 

FIRST UP! Plain White T's.

I'm not the biggest Plain White T's fan, considering they're more of a teenage fangirl type. But they put on a good show and I have to say, their bass player on the right of the photo was my favorite. Dude can hit a high harmony. He should have been singing lead. They played their usual catchy radio goodness. Can't really argue with people that sound good!

SECOND UP! Matt Nathanson.

Here's what I knew about Matt Nathanson prior to seeing Matt Nathanson: I was obsessed with his first popular record in college. I would prance all over campus listening to that thing. Here's what I learned about Matt Nathanson upon seeing Matt Nathanson in person: the boy is all about sex, sex, and more sex. He only writes about sex, he used analogies like Scrabble to describe sex, and likes to move his hips a LOT when playing music. I found it entertaining. I think my roommate is scarred for life. But all that aside, he is immensely talented and I loved seeing him.

THIRD UP! Gavin DeGraw. This one gets more pictures because I love him.

I haven't seen him play since college, but this man never disappoints me. He is forever great. My vocal chords adore him and he can do no wrong. Especially when he's looking into my eyes like that last picture. (But Sarah... why is that picture so good and all the rest are crap? Lighting, my friends.) He also had some new dance moves. My friends and I approved.

FOURTH AND FINAL: Sara Bareilles!

I've been waiting forever and a day to see this chick. I cannot get over (nor fully express) how amazing she is. She never screws up! She is a flawless singer, one of the most gifted I've ever heard. Although, when she did Gravity, the soul-sucking teenagers behind me were screaming the lyrics during what was supposed to be a beautiful, quiet song. I came THIIIIIS close to shutting them up but Laura stopped me. I now understand the true beauty of 21-and-over shows. I feel like the bands got those kids and their parents back for that one though, because everyone used the f-word and told inappropriate stories. Take that, underage children! Anyway. Sara. She was brilliant and I feel like I can cross a life goal off my list. 

So today I'm exhausted and we stood up for four hours straight and I'm now missing my brand new ring that I loved... but I got to be in the presence of some greatness last night, so it's okay. I'd trade a ring for Gavin and Sara. I will leave you with a favorite of mine from each of them:

Until tomorrow!

what they wore :: the best kind of sweater

Guys, what is a sweater if it is not decorated in reindeer and something garish? Today I bring you celebrities wearing ugly Christmas sweaters courtesy of WTW!

I especially love Snoop's and Cee Lo's. While Cee Lo's may not look like a particularly ugly sweater to some people, let me remind you of what he usually wears:

The Christmas sweater is a stretch for him, you guys.

And here is a sample of something I would absolutely wear:

It's to the point. What can I say.

Finally, let me leave you with this gem:

[all images via google image]

Justin the Gingerbread. Never gets old.

the talk :: snow day round two!

image via weheartit

First things first! Head over to Bubby and Bean to read a post about my favorite part of the holidays. Thanks for having me, Melissa!

As you can probably tell from my last post, I'm really excited about the snow this year! It snowed Sunday and I went into work late yesterday... and now it's snowing again :) My roommate and I are cuddled up on our couches with our work laptops, ready for another round of movies and cookies and not having to get dressed up and go into an office. (And doing work, of course.) It's the best feeling. Sometimes I just need to take a break from life and be L A Z Y. Which is what I've been doing the past couple of weeks... I tend to overload myself with things to do and people to see, and never get proper rest. I have to say, I've enjoyed staying at home more. There's something to be said for relaxation. 

In other news, my brother came home from Colorado last night! I picked him up from his delayed flight around 10:30 PM. I am so excited to have him home... this will be one of the only times I'll see him for a while. My favorite snow memories are with this kid... building snowmen, forts, bundling up and throwing snowballs at each other's heads :) 

If it's snowing where you are, enjoy it! If not, dream of a white Christmas!

music monday :: snow day!

Happy snow day to Maryland! Even though I had to chip 1/2 inch thick ice off my windshield this morning and come to work, I am still happy for snow. It was so nice to have a lazy Sunday with my roommate, watch the snow fall, bake chocolate peppermint chip cookies, and do NOTHING. Hallelujah.

Here are a few tunes to get your week started right!

1. Lord Huron - Ends of the Earth

2. Penny and Sparrow - Brothers

3. James Blake - A Case of You (Joni Mitchell cover)

friday favorites :: ornaments!

I am a Christmas tree ornament lover. This probably stems from growing up when my grandmother would mail our family a new ornament every year. The best ones were my pink glittery ice cream cone, a musical one where two mice danced, my baby ones, and my childhood dog ones. Oh, and one year I did horseback riding, so that Christmas I got a tin of ornaments related to horse things. You know... a bale of hay and such. Ironically, there was no horse in that collection.

Anyway! I wanted to share my lovely findings with you... some to buy, some to make. Be inspired!

1. A crafty way to make a cute diamond ornament. These turned out gorgeous, as pictured!

2. This symbolizes everything I stand for:

3. Glitter, glitter everywhere. Any kind will do!

[images via google and weheartit]

4. Katie's handcrafted ornaments are so beautiful and special.

5. An easy but pretty ornament DIY you can do by yourself or with kiddos.

6. Do any of you guys do the Christmas pickle? I'm German but we never did it... I wish we had! I think it's fun to hide it in the tree and see who can find it first.

Happy Friday & have a good weekend!