Blogtember 2015: Tunes & Tales

It's been a hectic week and my to do list keeps growing instead of shrinking! So before I tackle a few more things on my list I'm going to take a minute to share some meaningful music and a few other favourites. 

{one}

Bailey Jean is asking us to share three songs that we're connecting with right now. This was a pretty easy question for me to answer. All summer long I have been loving John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16 by Keith Urban. I love High Valley and lately their song Country Line has been one of my favourites. Lastly a song I've been listening to for well over a year but has remained one of my go tos when I need some upbeat inspiration My Lighthouse by Rend Collective.

{two}

I've been eating some great food this week, both in taste and nutrition value. Earlier this week I had farfalle pasta and broccoli with meatballs and marinara sauce. Making leftovers tasty is a bit of a challenge for me so I was super pleased that I used leftover meatballs and sauce from the night before to make this lunch. On the middle you'll see a happy kitchen disaster. I set out to make a smoothie but  I ended up making sorbet of sorts...I added some chocolate chips and it was delicious. Kitchen experiments are always fun, but sometimes you just need a big plate of broccoli & carrots. Because broccoli never disappoints. 

{three}

I almost didn't invest in this planner. The one I used last year was good until 2016 but it really wasn't working for me so I was pretty much just writing notes on post-its and calling it a day. When I found this one the end of July I wasn't sure I wanted to spend the money, but I did and I'm so happy with it. Best $20 I've spent in a long time. It's become a complete necessity to keep track of Guiding stuff and blogging things and family commitments. I'll probably do a full post dedicated to how much I love this planner, but this week it is one of my favourite things and deserves a shout out. 

{four}

It's not often I include links to articles in my favourites but this article published in The Guardian "Why The Queen of Mommy Bloggers Had To Quit" is worth a read for anyone who blogs regardless of your niche. I think it's a reality many bloggers don't consider when they are driven to create a blogging empire. Don't get me wrong, I don't think there's anything wrong with being a business blogger and finding ways to make your blog profitable. I just liked that this article showed a different perspective of the phenomenon that blogging has become. 

{five}

Our first Spark meeting is Monday and I'm excited and anxious to start the year. I'm eager to get organizing and come up with some fun activities to do this year. I haven't been in Sparks since I was a Spark, all of my leader experience has been with the older girls. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by the whole process, but I'm sure once things start I'll be more at ease.

On that note, I am off to send some more emails. Turns out tracking down the key for our meeting place is more of a challenge than it should be and seeing as how it's almost noon I should really get dressed and out of my pyjamas!

Linking up here & here.

Summer Jams & All-Time Faves

For months it's been on my list to join Kelli at Just Beachy for her Picture Practice link up, but I always forget until it's too late. I remembered this week though and it just so happens that the topic for today's Picture Practice is "The Sky". I love sunsets, which means I have a lot of sunset/sky photos in my archives. I don't get a lot of down time during the summer but one of my favourite things to do is take a few minutes at the end of the day to watch the sunset. 

I don't like to do anything while watching a sunset except be in the moment and watch the sky, but the rest of the day I'm pretty much always listening to music. 

I can spend hours crafting the perfect playlist to fit my mood and I love discovering new music to add to my list. I always feel a little anxious when I recommend music to others though, I'm worried they'll judge my taste or think I'm a crazy person. And what I listen to totally depends on my mood I spent a lot of time this summer bopping around to Timber  although mostly in the car or when I was alone because let's face it, it's a terrible song and totally not camp appropriate. I also listened to My Lighthouse by Rend Collective a whole lot this summer. Everyday by Buddy Holly was also a popular song this summer, in large part because one of our male staff played it on his guitar daily (if not hourly). And way back in April or May H., R. & I decided that Be Okay would be our song of the summer so we listened to that non-stop as well. 

In addition to all those songs that will go down as "Summer 2014" songs I also have a few all-time favourites that I've loved for a very long time and will continue to love for a very long time. 

All-Time Favourites

Konstantine - Something Corporate

The Crane Wife 3 - The Decemberists

Slide - Goo Goo Dolls

The Luckiest - Ben Folds

Left & Leaving - The Weakerthans

What songs will forever remind you of summer 2014? Do you have any all-time favourite songs that you'll love for as long as you live? Go ahead and link up with Bailey Jean for Blog-tember and share your music tastes!

Sunday Social #98

Linking up with Ashley & Neeley for this week's Sunday Social.

Five songs you'll listen to the rest of your life:

• Slide - Goo Goo Dolls
• The Crane Wife 3 - The Decemberists
• The Luckiest - Ben Folds
• Tim McGraw- Taylor Swift
• Konstantine - Something Corporate
• *Honourable Mention : Play it Again - Luke Bryan

Five things on your bucket list:

• Get Married
• Have Babies
• Publish a Book
• Visit Stonehenge
• Visit Auschwitz 

Five celebs you'd love to hang out with for the day:

• Ellen DeGeneres 
• Taylor Swift
• Neil Patrick Harris
• Rick Mercer
• Brent Butt

Five things you always carry in your purse:

• Wallet 
• Sharpie
• Gum
• Lip Balm
• Hair Elastic

Five books on your reading list:

• Guitar Notes - Mary Amato
• Everything Beautiful - Simmone Howell
• Send in the Idiots - Kamran Nazeer
• I Don't Care About Your Band - Julie Klausner
• The Ramen King and I - Andy Raskin

Share the last five photos on your phone: 

//Starbucks Mocha Fappachino//

//Chocolate Milk in my new cow print tumbler//

//Delicious M&M cookie//

//Volunteer thank you gift for Day Camp volunteers//

//Random screen shot from a FB group//

Repeat.

I love music. I am mildly totally obsessed with organizing my iTunes, creating a playlist for every mood and occasion and I am both proud and ashamed to admit I have everything from Alabama to Weezer. Since I got a new hard drive and wasn't able to save anything from my old one I spent a lot of time this weekend importing CDs and trying to restore my iTunes to its former glory. 

My first priority was to make sure all my favourite songs were added! I definitely have favourite songs of the moment, but there are seven songs that have been my "All-Time Favourites" for years. And one recent addition that I know is going to stand the test of time.  As I was making this list I realized that although I tell people I mostly listen to country (which is true) only two of my All-Time Favourites would be considered country and they aren't even that twangy! I'm not sure what that says about me, but I'm sure there's something there! 

Slide - Goo Goo Dolls 

This at the very top of my favourite list, it's the favourite of the favourites. It's been my favourite song for as long as I can remember. I love the way the guitar sounds in the beginning. I love the lyrics. I love everything about this song. 

Mr. Jones - Counting Crows

I have the best memories of singing along to this song at camp. Whenever I hear it I am immediately transported back to being at camp as a camper and being in awe of the counsellors could sing along to every word. Then, being an older camper and knowing most of the words, and finally achieving "counsellor status" and after listening to the song so many times a week for weeks on end I learned every word by heart. 

The Crane Wife 3 - The Decemberists

I don't play any instruments. I own a keyboard and a guitar, because at one point in my life I begged my parents to get me said instruments, but I never learned how to play either of them. Due to my lack of real musical knowledge I usually go for lyrics over music. The exception though is really The Crane Wife 3, the lyrics are there and you can search for lots of meaning in them but when it comes down to it I just like the way it sounds.

The Luckiest - Ben Folds

There are a lot of songs about love. A LOT. This one is different though, to me it's about loving someone so much there just aren't words. And being in total awe that all of life's circumstances and events lead you to that person. 

Konstantine - Something Corporate

Yes, it's a long song. It's worth every second of listening though. I love songs that tell a story, and this song definitely tells a story. It's so heartbreakingly beautiful. I feel kind of protective over this song, I don't recommend it to just anybody, only to people who I think will "get" it (and the blog world apparently). 

Tim McGraw - Taylor Swift

Say what you will about T-Swift, I will defend her until I'm blue in the face. And sure her music has changed over the years, but my music taste has changed a lot since I was 16 too. Like I said before, I love songs that tell a story and I think this song encompasses the simple feeling of hoping somebody thinks of you because you still think about them. 

Left & Leaving - The Weakerthans

I think saying goodbye is one of the hardest things ever, especially when the events surrounding the goodbye are muddled and you're not really sure when or if there will be a hello again. Plus, all the confusion, frustration, sadness and nostalgia that comes with missing somebody. 

Play It Again - Luke Bryan

The newest addition to my must have list. The first time I heard this song I played it on repeat for the entire day. And the next day. And on the third day the director, who I share an office with during the summer, threatened to quit if I didn't change the song. So I listened to Crash My Party & That's My Kinda Night for a few hours before returning to Play It Again. 

What are your all time favourite songs that you just never get tired of hearing!?

I didn't have any real weekend shenanigans this week so I'm linking up with the lovely Meg for Mingle Monday!