Jeremy Camp The Answer Giveaway and Review

Growing up in a small town in the south, the local church was always the main hub of the community. Not being from a particularly Christian family, this wasn't something I really knew or understood until high school. And then, all of a sudden, if you weren't a Christian or "born again", it was suddenly a big deal! All kinds of high school events took place at the church … and, likewise, church events took place at the high school. Of course, these were cool church events. High schoolers didn't listen to their parents' gospel music of old. No, we all listened to contemporary Christian music (as well as alternative rock, but that's a different story). And on that contemporary Christian menu? Jeremy Camp.

So, hearing this new album from an old familiar was a trip down memory lane. In particular, I really enjoyed "The Answer", but all of the music was good. There was not one song I felt the need to skip over, and, that my friends, says something. The album was upbeat and offered a positive message which is nice to hear when the world feels so dark.

Now, a little background on Jeremy Camp:

Born in 1978 in Fayetteville, Indiana, Jeremy Camp has released eleven albums throughout his time in the Christian music industry. While I wasn't able to find much information on Camp's background, I feel like his dad had a huge influence on Jeremy Camp's life, not only teaching Jeremy to play the guitar but also involving his son heavily in church since he was the pastor of a local community church. Jeremy Camp released his first album in 2000 and has achieved 32 number one hits on Christian radio in the time since.

The newest album by Camp was written after sharing deep conversations with a plethora of well-respected songwriters, from Ed Cash and Scott Cash, Colby Wedgeworth and Ethan Hulse, as well as Josh Silverberg and Jess Cates. Camp says, with regards to the album, that “My first record (Stay) came from things I’d been through and I just wrote it out. Now 15 years with The Answer,

it’s the same. I just wrote about this season of life.”

While I can't say whether or not The Answer is the answer for you, I can say that if you like Christian contemporary music, and if you've liked Jeremy Camp's music in the past, you will like this album.

1. Word of Life.  

2. My Defender 

3. The Answer

4. Storm

5. My Father's Arms

6. Never Stopped Loving

7. Tell the Whole World

8. Heaven's Shore 

9. Carriers

10. Love So Great 

11. Awake O Sleeper

GIVEAWAY

Are you a fan of Christian music artist Jeremy Camp? Are you interested in owning his newest album The Answer? If so, you've come to the right place! Leave a comment + your email address for a chance to win! Giveaway ends October 19 at midnight.

To learn more about Jeremy Camp, visit his website here. Alternatively, if entering giveaways just isn't your thing, you can click here to buy his newest album directly.

Best of luck to all who enter!

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Matt Redman Glory Song Album Review and Giveaway

Gospel choir in your living room?

That is just how I felt listening to the new album by Matt Redman – Glory Song.

Born in the UK in 1974, Matt Redman is no stranger to the Christian music industry. The singer/songwriter began his career simply at St Andrews, Chorleywood, moving to help found Soul Survivor alongside Mike Pilavachi. He then became a worship leader for the Soul Survivor Church in Watford. This was not the last time he was to lead worship; he has continued to be involved in various church conferences in the time since, including helping to plant churches in West Sussex and Atlanta, Georgia. In the midst of all of this, though, he has not lost his true love – taking the opportunity to record various albums for the Christian music industry. He has topped the Billboard Christian Songs Chart as well as reaching No. 1 on American Contemporary Christian Radio.

While I can't say the album was an absolute favorite, having gotten somewhat away from the Christian music scene, I know that it would fit right in for just the right person – a God loving, Christian who enjoys the sounds of gospel music in the church and wants to bring that sound home to their family and friends.

Songs featured on the album include:

1. All Glory, featuring Kierra Sheard

2. Gospel Song, featuring Guvna B

3. Greatest Hallelujah

4. Gracefully Broken, featuring Tasha Cobbs Leonard

5. One Day (When We All Get to Heaven)

6. Redemption Ground, featuring Madison Cunningham

7. It is Finished

8. Questions (You Are Faithful)

9. Still I Will Sing

10. Place of Praise, featuring Kim Walker-Smith

11. Hope is Marching On

12. Simple Pursuit/Glory Song

13. Your Ways

Ready to buy the album? Click here. You can also check out Matt Redman's "Gracefully Broken" video here or learn more about the artist at his website here.

GIVEAWAY

I also have one cd up for grabs thanks to my wonderful partner FlyBy Promotions. Just leave me a comment below and be sure to include your email address, so that I can contact you if you win. A winner will be chosen on October 11 at midnight.

Hope you all are having a wonderful Friday so far! And best of luck to all who enter! :)

Winner guidelines:  Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Music

Image courtesy of Patrick Pilz on Unsplash.com

Last year I wrote a post with a compilation of "life tunes", so it only seemed fitting for my life-review of 2016 that I would include some type of music post. Having found one recently from Babi a Fi, I decided to try out the survey she shared –

1: A Song You Like With A Colour In The Title 
Van Morrison – "Brown Eyed Girl"

2: A Song You Like With A Number In The Title
The Beatles – "Eight Days A Week"

3: A Song That Reminds You Of Summertime 
Carly Rae Jepsen – "Call Me Maybe"

4 : A Song That Reminds You Of Someone You Would Rather Forget About
Outkast – "Hey Ya!"

5: A song that needs to be played LOUD
Taio Cruz – "Dynamite"

6: A Song That Makes You Want To Dance 
Walk the Moon – "Shut Up and Dance"

7: A Song To Drive To
DNCE – "Cake By the Ocean"

8: A Song About Drugs or Alcohol
Mike Posner – "Took A Pill in Ibiza"

9: A Song That Makes You Happy
Anything by Andy Grammer :)

10: A Song That Makes You Sad
DNCE – "Toothbrush" (Seriously, who came up with this?)

11: A Song That You Never Get Tired Of
Point of Grace – "Emmanuel, God With Us"

12: A Love Song
Sara Bareilles – "Love Song" (except … not really.)

13: One Of Your Favourite 80’s Songs
Queen and David Bowie – "Under Pressure"

14: A Song That Played At Your Wedding
Steven Curtis Chapman – "I Will Be Here"

15: A Song That Is A Cover By Another Artist 
LeAnn Rimes – "Purple Rain"

16: A Song That Reminds You Of Your Partner
NPR or podcasts. :) He doesn't really listen to music that much.

17: A Song You Would Sing On Karaoke
NONE!

18: A Song From The Year That You Were Born 
Bryan Adams – "Summer of '69"

19: A Song That Makes You Think About Life 
Beatles – "In My Life"

20: A Song That Has Many Meanings To You
Pink – "Just Like Fire"

21: A Favorite Song With A Person’s Name In The Title
Steve Perry – "Oh Sherry"

22: A Song That Moves You Forward
No Doubt – "It's My Life"

23: A Song That You Think Everybody Should Listen To
The Shins – "Simple Things"

24: A Song By One Of Your Favorite Bands 
Aerosmith – "Walk this Way"

25: A Song You Know All The Words To
"Jingle Bells" ;)

26: A Song That Makes You Want To Fall In Love
Whitney Houston – "I Will Always Love You"

27: A Song That Breaks Your Heart
Toni Braxton – "Un-Break My Heart"

28: A Song By An Artist With A Voice That You Love
Celine Dion – "The Prayer"

29: A Song That You Remember From Your Childhood
"The Wheels on the Bus" :)

30: A Song That Reminds You Of Yourself
Amy Grant – "Simple Things"

What are some of your favorite tunes? Did I introduce you to any new songs?

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree (Or Not, as the Case May Be)

Today's post is actually a conglomeration of my Christmas music posts from 2013 and 2014. As it turns out, my favorite Christmas music selections haven't really changed over the years, and it would have been difficult to find ten completely new and different songs to share on my blog. Instead, this list is a mixture of my previous top tens creating a whole new list of top tens (or twelve) of my previous top tens!

1. Mariah Carey - "All I Want For Christmas is You"

2. Band Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas" 

3. Enya - "And Winter Came"

4. Michael W. Smith - "Christmastime"

5. Celine Dion - "Christmas Eve"

6. Amy Grant - "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" (Buy album)

7. MercyMe - "Joseph's Lullaby"

8. Michael W. Smith - "All Is Well"

9. Point of Grace - "Emmanuel, God With Us"

10. Point of Grace - "Not That Far From Bethlehem"

11. David Bowie & Bing Crosby – "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth"

12. Burl Ives - "A Holly Jolly Christmas"

What are some of your favorite holiday tunes? Do we have any in common? Did I introduce you to some new ones?

Linking up with All the Beautiful Things and Run Jump Scrap.

Linking up with Tamara Gerber
of Confessions of a Part Time Working Mom
for #TopTenThursday

All The Broken Hearts in the World Still Beat

Photo credit: lakelandlocal via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

It is no surprise that the election from Tuesday November 8th caught a lot of people off guard, myself included. While today's post isn't technically a response to the election results, it kind of is.

I had Tuesday November 8th off; the people I babysit for decided to use their oldest son as a babysitter rather than me.

Ok. Whatever.

So, instead I started prepping some December blog posts. Then, as the election polls were being reviewed, I worked on completing my Hawaii hotel bookings. I wasn't worried. I mean I had full confidence that the American people would vote against prejudice and hate.

I have never been more wrong in my entire life. Clearly I live in a bubble.

While I'm not sure as of yet what to expect from Trump as president or even how I will handle (or help friends and family handle) whatever misfortunes he throws at us (hopefully none, but it's not looking good), as a way of coping, Justin and I, at the kindness of my boss, who offered us free tickets, decided to take a date night and attend the Ingrid Michaelson concert in Atlanta at the Tabernacle Theatre.

First, we stopped in at Leon's in downtown Decatur and had a fantastic meal.

Address 131 E Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur, GA 30030

Hours: Mon: 5 pm – 1 am 

             Tues – Thurs: 11:30 am – 1 am

             Fri – Sat: 11:30 am – 2 am

             Sun: 11:30 am – 1 am

             (Kitchen closes one hour prior)

Phone: (404) 687-0500

For our entree we ordered the grilled springer mountain chicken, toasted barley, miso, roasted local squash, pearl onion, kale, and cherry-mustard jus. Honestly, when I read that list on the menu, I had no idea what to expect, but yum! :) It was so, so delicious!

And because the restaurant offered it (and I had been wanting to try it), we also ordered beef poutine made up of brasstown beef (whatever that is), peppercorn gravy, cheese curds, frites, and a sunny side up farm egg. I had never tried real poutine before (and still haven't since we haven't been to Canada); however, this version was amazing! Far better than our experiment from July!

And because I can't resist delicious ice cream, our next stop was Butter and Cream.

Address: 416 Church St, Decatur, GA 30030

Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

             Friday and Saturday: 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Phone: (404) 378-7272

My favorite flavor of ice cream there is butterscotch (plain), but they didn't have it. Instead we got the butterscotch brownie which was equally as good! We got it in a waffle cone, taking it on the go, so that we wouldn't miss our MARTA train.

No judgement! We had to eat a bit before I took the picture! ;)

When we arrived to the Tabernacle half an hour early, a line was already forming. It was mostly millenial females and their significant others. Like I told Justin though, the concert would be free for us, so who cared what the demographic was? ;) We had two different types of tickets to choose from: general standing admission (the pit) and top level seated admission on the balcony. I like to pretend I'm rich, so we went with the balcony seating.

Address: 152 Luckie St NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

A few things to know about the Tabernacle and what is allowed:
• No outside food or drinks.
• No weapons of any kind.
• No cameras, GoPros, OR selfie sticks.
• No bags.
• Taking pictures with your phone is OK unless they tell you otherwise (probably based on celebrity and event).

For security, they split us into two lines – men and women. Then used a metal detector wand to determine if we were bringing anything forbidden into the theater. Seurity checked our IDs and gave us a wristband before we entered the theatre (just for those interested in drinking) as well as offereing an upgrade for VIP seating at a cost of $25 more (on top of whatever you paid for your tickets. Preferably you would have bought the cheap seats for this.) VIP seating had access to a full bar, side seating for the theatre, and "rooftop access" (whatever that is).

Overall, Justin and I found that this concert arena that would have cost us $35 for seats or $29 for general admission was a great place to spend our evening. Ingrid Michaelson provided a safe space for us to get past the election results in a somewhat neutral location. (Though it can be argued how neutral the location actually was since Michaelson definitely shared her position on the election results.)

Our seats were second row balcony!

Now … to the concert!

The opener was a band called AJR, a group of brothers who named their band after the first letter of their first names. Quirky, cute, unimaginative. Needless to say, I was unimpressed with the band. They were loud and seemed to be more interested in entertaining than actually singing. Whatever.

Finally, Ingrid Michaelson came on stage, nearly half an hour after AJR had retreated. She sang a bit, talked about the election, interacted with her audience, then entertained a bit more all while throwing a few songs into the mix and really making the whole concert experience fun. If you ever have the chance and know at least one song sung by her, I'd recommend going. She definitely makes her concerts more about experiences and entertainment than purely music.

Just as the concert was coming to an end, Michaelson informed the audience to give her a minute and she would be back for the encore. And just like that, a few minutes letter, she came back bigger and better than ever (and perhaps louder?) with her closer "Girls Chase Boys Chase Girls". It was fantastic and the audience was enthralled! Everyone (well, except me!) was singing along and a few were up out of their seats dancing.

At 10:30 pm, the concert had officially concluded and we were let out onto the fire exit steps where we got a beautiful view of the Skyview Atlanta Ferris Wheel. I don't think our night could have ended on a more pleasant note (aside from the one hour drive we had to make to return home).



Do I dare ask your feelings on the election? Were you as shocked and surprised as me … or was this something you were expecting? (Do I want to know?)

How do you get through difficult times? Would a night out on the town have distracted you and helped you disassociate yourself from your feelings? Or would it have led to more stress and anxiety?

Have you ever received free tickets to a concert performance, theatre production, or something else? What would a date night for you look like?

** Linking up to City Trippers Mummytravels.com and Wandermum.co.uk

Jazz Loves Disney Album Review

Given my love for all things Disney (Did you see my recent #4Parks2Days series?), when Disney Music and One2One Network offered a chance for me to review the newest Jazz Loves Disney CD, you know I was thrilled to take advantage of the opportunity!

Setting out for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway two weeks ago, I connected my cell phone (with the Jazz Loves Disney music files on it) to my car. The goal? To calm my agitated husband down and create a relaxing atmosphere in which we could enjoy the beauty of autumn (because who doesn't like leaf looking on a beautiful fall day?).

While my husband may have continued to be moody, stuffing his ears with earphones listening to NPR and various podcasts, rather than listening to, enjoying, and contemplating the newest cd from Disney, I refused to be disheartened. Today was going to be a good day, and I knew it from the moment I heard Jamie Collum's "Everybody Wants to be A Cat".

Basically Jamie Collum took a classic and turned it up on its head providing a completely new take on the jazz song from an amazing movie. After all, Aristocats is one of my favorite Disney movies.

And the album just kept getting better from there on out. It was so much fun hearing Stacy Kent sing a French version of “Bibbidi Bobbodo Boo” and Gregory Porter's "When You Wish Upon A star" was just as calming and beautiful as the original!

Of course, there were a few songs I didn't love … Mainly anything from the Jungle Book. And there are three songs on the album from that movie. As it turns out, in my line of work (as a nanny) at some point you can just get tired of certain songs, and I've reached my limit with that movie (which is a great movie and has awesome songs if you haven't heard them 5 million + times!).

I also wasn't a fan of Anne Sila's "Let It Go". In the case with the song, I had gotten used to the song being sung one way, that I liked, and Anne Sila sang it in a completely different way. Not necessarily a bad thing, just that it will take a while (and a few more listens) to adjust my ears to the differences in the tune.

The album Jazz Loves Disney definitely had some hits and misses in my book (though the misses are mostly through no fault of their own), but the beauty of the music only enhanced and improved my Saturday leaf-looking. I would highly recommend this album to Disney fans who love jazz, or perhaps parents who are trying to put their kids to sleep. 😉  Disney has come up with some amazing music and had their songs recorded by fantastic artists over the years, and Jazz Loves Disney is no exception.

TRACK LISTING
1. Jamie Cullum – “Everybody Wants To Be A Cat” – from The Aristocats
2. Melody Gardot – “He’s A Tramp” – from Lady And The Tramp
3. Stacey Kent – “Bibbidi Bobbodo Boo” (French version) – from Cinderella
4. Gregory Porter – “When You Wish Upon A Star” – from Pinocchio
5. China Moses – “Why Don’t You Do Right” – from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
6. Raphaël Gualazzi – “I Wanna Be Like You” – from The Jungle Book
7. The Rob Mounsey Orchestra – “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes” – from Cinderella
8. Hugh Coltman – “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” – from Toy Story
9. Anne Sila – “Let It Go” – from Frozen
10. Melody Gardot & Raphaël Gualazzi – “The Bare Necessities” – from The Jungle Book
11. Laika – “Once Upon A Dream” – from Sleeping Beauty
12. Nikki Yanofsky -“Someday My Prince Will Come” – from Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs
13. The Hot Sardines – I Wanna Be Like You (French & English version) – from The Jungle Book (US release only)

What are your thoughts on jazz artists singing Disney tunes? Is this an album you would be interested in purchasing?

Buy from iTunes here or Amazon here.

P.S. By the end of the day, the husband was also listening to the album and singing along to "Everybody Wants to Be A Cat". You just can't help but be in a good mood when you are listening to Disney music! 😊

Ellen's Stardust Diner Review

For our July 4th holiday, the husband and I took a mini-vacay to the big apple where we took in more than just apples. :)

Not necessarily a big fan of anything particularly touristy (although hello! One WTC observatory! And broadway shows? Yes, please!), Justin and I decided, at the suggestion of my employer, Ellen's Stardust Diner, a diner in the middle of everything touristy at Times Square, where servers pull double duty waiting tables and singing as they go.

Even though the diner didn't sound that appealing to me, I was told the cheesecake was to die for. So, on our last day in the big city, we made our way into the long line that snaked around the building worrying we'd be waiting for hours…

"Whelp! There goes our remaining time in the city!" I thought. "This cheesecake had better be worth it!" :)

We had chosen the 11AM time because we thought the restaurant would be less crowded then. While the number of people in line suggested otherwise, within less than 30 minutes my husband and I had been seated.

The restaurant table seating is pretty cramped. In most cases to seat a normal-sized person, you have to pull the table out a bit so that one person can get through to the seat across from the other. Make sense?

Does a picture help?

(You only wish you could draw as good as me!)

It was cramped, but at 11AM not too crowded. We definitely had room to spread out and abuse the empty tables beside us (while they were still empty, anyway).

At first I found the singing waitstaff to be loud and distracting. However, Justin and I knew what we were ordering, so there wasn't much menu discussion. Plus, we were tired from a late night the day before, so entertainment was … entertaining. :)

The food here was a little expensive, so we kept our order simple, getting just the cheesecake (of course), a beer (for Justin), and an egg cream soda for me.

In case you aren't aware, an egg cream soda is a specialty soda drink found in NYC. It is typically made with milk, carbonated water, and chocolate syrup and was created by Eastern European Jewish immigrants. There is confusion as to how the drink got its name. One theory: the German "echt" cream soda was mispronounced. Another: "grade 'A' milk was used in its creation, leading to the name 'a chocolate A cream', thus sounding like 'egg' cream" (Wikipeda). Either way, I definitely recommend trying one while in NYC, just to say you did. :) My preference: vanilla. (It comes in three flavors: chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. Chocolate is the most common since it was established as the "original" egg cream flavor.)

The cheesecake, while delicious and the perfect balance of sweet and cheesecake-y, was not something I would rush back to Ellen's Diner for in the future. It was simply too pricey for a dessert I'm not a huge fan of.

However, I did fall in love with the Ellen's Diner concept! Wait staff acting as entertainment? You never get bored! And the DJ was phenomenal as well!

Super funny, the DJ made sure everyone was aware that the song "Love is an Open Door" was "every mother's nightmare!"

And, of course, our waiter sang the male parts. :)

My favorite singer was Bianca Madison who sang "Killing Me Softly". I had the song stuck in my head for days afterward… She was an amazing singer! :)

What I came to find through this visit to Ellen's Stardust Diner is that not all tourist traps are alike. If you can't afford to see a show on Broadway, maybe this is a good alternative? If you have young kids, perhaps "dinner and a show" should occur all at once? No one likes fidgety, unsettled kids. However, if you prefer a more local version of NYC or places with unique (or exceptional) food, then perhaps you should skip this. There are definitely other, better, cheaper places in NYC to eat.

Prior to my blog review, had you heard of Ellen's Stardust Diner? Does it seem like a place you would be interested in going?

***Linking up with Lauren on Location, Marcella from What a Wonderful World, and The Sunny Side of This

* I'm spending July writing my blog posts in response to all of the wacky (and not so wacky) national and international holidays that occur during this month. Today's image and blog post were chosen in response to National Cheesecake Day, which is actually July 30th! If you are looking for a good cheesecake recipe to try, I highly recommend Alton Brown's. Alternatively The Cheesecake Factory always does a promotion for National Cheesecake Day that you could also take part in. Free slice of cheesecake? Heck yeah! :) Will you be participating with cheesecake over the weekend in celebration of the most wonderful time of the year (says the person who isn't a big fan of cheesecake…)?!
** This post was written in advance. I am out of town and working full time most of this month. I appreciate your understanding if I am slow to respond to comments and questions. :)

Wordless Wednesday

EPCOT (London) in WDW Orlando, FL Nov. 2015

* I'm spending July writing my blog posts in response to all of the wacky (and not so wacky) national and international holidays that occur during this month. Today's image was chosen in response to National Barbershop Music Day! 
** This post was written in advance. I am out of town and working full time most of this month. I appreciate your understanding if I am slow to respond to comments and questions. :)

10 Emotional Beatles Songs for National Cheer Up the Lonely Day

When I was thinking about "loneliness" only one thing came to mind – The Beatles. Specifically the song "Hey Jude". It's a lovely song, but it kind of has a twinge of loneliness to it. Thus! Today I'm sharing ten favorite/emotional Beatles songs with you. The first few are more emotional and the last few are more happy. Of course I had to end with "all my loving" since I'm hoping all of you lonely people out there will feel "all my love" (and all of the Beatles' love too!) despite how lonely and sad you might be feeling today. (After all, it is Monday! Does anyone out there actually like Mondays?)

1. "Hey Jude"

2. "Twist and Shout"

3. "Blackbird"

4. "Yesterday"

5. "In My Life"

6. "Let It Be"

7. "The Long And Winding Road"

8. "Here Comes the Sun"

9. "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"

10. "All My Loving"

What are some of your favorite Beatles' songs? Did I include your favorite in my list? Is there any song you think I should have included in this list that I didn't? What song would you share to cheer up the lonely?

* I'm spending July writing my blog posts in response to all of the wacky (and not so wacky) national and international holidays that occur during this month. Today's post was written in response to National Cheer Up the Lonely Day.
** This post was written in advance. I am out of town and working full time most of this month. I appreciate your understanding if I am slow to respond to comments and questions. :)

5 Things I Do In My Spare Time

Due to today's #30lists prompt, this post might look pretty similar to last Wednesday's mid-month update. Sorry. :-/ I promise to throw something new in here! :)

1. Listen to music –

My commute is a minimum of 45 minutes each way. Way back when I lived 10 minutes from work, I would use this extra time to do other things: read, blog, photoshop, etc… Now I find I'm a bit more limited in what I can do. Thank goodness for Pandora! And NPR when I'm sick of music.

But occasionally, awesome companies like One2One provide me with free (in exchange for a review) music like Gwen Stefani's new album This Is What The Truth Feels Like  (iTunes • Target). That's when the real fun of commuting begins! Who wouldn't enjoy rocking out to a new Gwen Stefani album during their daily commute?

I distinctly remember when No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom came out in the 90s; it was my first real exposure to Gwen Stefani and I wasn't sure if I even liked her. Over time though, she grew on me … and the world. If she wasn't a household name prior to Tragic Kingdom, she was soon afterward when 6 singles hit the charts from the one album. Those chart-breaking songs, including "Just A Girl" and "Don't Speak" were such big hits that they are still played on the radio to this day, nearly 20 years later!

Despite the numerous multi-platinum selling albums Stefani has recorded to date, more recent hits haven't really appealed to me including "Hollaback Girl" and "Rich Girl"; her newest album, however, is a call back to the 90s, a refreshing reminder of what Gwen Stefani's music is capable of. This Is What The Truth Feels Like highlights impassioned themes of love and loss especially found in newly released "Make Me Like You", "Used To Love You", and "Where Would I Be". 

This Is What The Truth Feels Like is, in my opinion, one of Stefani's best albums yet and I happily look forward to many more hours commuting knowing that I have her sweet and sultry voice to keep me company. 

Unfortunately, all of my time spent on the road listening to Pandora, NPR, and Gwen Stefani leaves little time for much else, but somehow I still manage to…

2. Read –

I do have a goal to reach this year!

Just yesterday I finished The Flower Workshop by Ariella Chezar and Julie Michaels and Your Idea Starts Here by Carolyn Eckert.

The Flower Workshop was an amazing read and one that has inspired me to try putting together a beautiful flower arrangement using one of the many recipes and tips she provides in this prettily designed how-to. In fact, this is a book I highly encourage anyone with the tiniest bit of interest in floral design to get. The authors provide lots of useful information about how to arrange flowers, which flowers are best in which seasons, and how to care for your newly designed floral arrangement. All 250+ pages make for a fast and easy read (unless you are reading Germany For Beginners) as you ooh and ahh over the images. Trust me – you want this book. And if you aren't a flower person, you can always impress visitors and break the ice by using it as a coffee table book. I won't tell. ;)

Your Idea Starts Here, while good in conceptualization and an equally fast read (as compared to The Flower Workshop) didn't quite live up to the high standards I had for it. You know how I like using blog prompts as lead-ins to help me write my blog posts? That's what I expected with Your Idea Starts Here, and maybe you get a tiny bit of it, but, I have to be honest, no prompt in the book made me excited or intrigued and ready to start a creative-process. I don't have any other book recommendations for idea-needing people, but I can suggest saving your money and using pinterest or google in your creativity process. Sometimes something as simple as sitting down with a pen and paper and creating a mind map can be helpful. (Apparently you can do this online as well!)

Then there is …

3. Photoshop –

which I don't do nearly often enough. I get irritated with color matching. Then I publish an image I'm not certain of on Instagram and get 20 likes almost immediately…

A photo posted by Mandy on Mar 24, 2016 at 2:47am PDT

I'm not asking questions.

4. Blogging –

I love to write. Yes, I would love it if you all would click some links for me and buy some things, but, really, I don't know what I would do if I didn't have my daily creative outlet of writing. 

Probably go crazy. 

Or be lonely…  

Something like that.

And finally… 

5. Travel –

Really it's the planning that I love. 

And the going.

And everything in between! :)

What do you like to do during your spare time? Anything on my list?

* Both the books and album were received for free in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

2015: Life Soundtrack

For the month of December, I have decided to spend Thursdays looking back on 2015. I'm beginning with a life soundtrack, but will eventually be sharing my favorite images I've taken this year, my favorite books I've read this year, and how I've done with my goals. Since, just before Thanksgiving I was sharing my favorite music decade by decade, I decided to end that series with this soundtrack, provided to me in survey form from A Vagabond's Sketchbook (which technically was stolen from someone else…). Anyway, enjoy!

opening credits: Star Wars theme. Gotta start off with a bang! (I have no idea.)
waking up/happy commuting scene: Juice Newton – "Angel of the Morning"
dancing around house in underwear scene: Daryll Hall & John Oates – "You Make My Dreams Come True"
first date scene: Meghan Trainor – "Dear Future Husband" (not romantic at all! Just honesty!)
driving at night with crush scene: Vanessa Williams – "Save the Best for Last"
post fight with friend scene: Amy Grant – "I Will Be Your Friend"

youthful flashback scene: David Bowie – "Changes"
running around falling in love scene (day): Leona Lewis – "Bleeding Love"
midnight rooftop dancing scene: Toploader – "Dancing In the Moonlight"
dream scene: Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey – "When You Believe" (anything is possible.)

playing at the park in day scene: Chicago – "Saturday In the Park"
quiet driving with friends at night scene: Ben E. King - "Stand By Me"
looking cool scene: Taio Cruz – "Dynamite"
falling in love scene (night): LeAnn Rimes –"Can't Fight the Moonlight"

hanging out with friends scene: The Black Keys – "Gold On the Ceiling"
hectic beat-the-clock scene: Queen & David Bowie – "Under Pressure" ;)
dance party scene: Walk the Moon – "Shut Up and Dance"
sexy/make out scene: Ed Sheeran – "Thinking Out Loud"
tripping on drugs scene: Beatles – "Octopus's Garden" :)
lying down after intense scene: Steven Curtis Chapman – "I Will Be Here"
driving alone at night scene: Tom Waits – "Drunk On the Moon"
love scene: Aerosmith – "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing"
early morning tranquil scene: Jack Johnson – "Banana Pancakes"
heartbreak scene: Goo Goo Dolls – "Iris"
walking alone reflecting scene: Steven Curtis Chapman – "Fingerprints of God"

summer day scene: Carly Rae Jepsen – "Call Me Maybe" (oh 2012!)
regretful flashback scene: The Shins – "Fall of 82" (I wasn't alive in '82, but still…)
driving with best friend scene: Three Dog Night – "Joy to the World"
funeral scene: Eric Clapton – "Tears In Heaven"
nostalgic scene: The Shins – "Simple Song"
crying/frustrated scene: The Verve – "Bittersweet Symphony"
mental breakdown scene: Evanescence – "Bring Me to Life"
bitter, angry scene: Gotye – "Somebody That I Used to Know"
declaring independence scene: Bon Jovi – "It's My Life"

far from home Scene: Pink Martini – "Sympathique" (because obviously I'd be in France!)
driving at sunrise scene: Beatles – "Here Comes the Sun" :)
space travel scene: David Bowie – "Starman"
closing credits: Beatles – "In My Life"

Are there any new to you songs on my list? Any of your favorites? Be sure to share a link to your blog in my comments if you decide to fill this survey out as well! Some of the questions were difficult to answer and I'd love to see what you came up with! :)

* I'm participating in Susannah Conway's December Reflections. Are you? Today's post was a response to #15 on the list "soundtrack of 2015". :)

We Love Disney Album Review

Over the weekend between cooking until we had no more energy and shopping until we were broke, I had the chance to listen to the newest Disney album that hit stores approximately 2 months ago. Here are my thoughts.

Let me be the first to say that I have been a fan of Disney from day one. As a child, I was a fan of the movies and tv shows, then that love grew to parks, and eventually I began to appreciate the music – both lyrical as well as instrumental. How was Disney always so successful in placing songs to artists when so many artists struggled to fit their voice to music in personal albums, I always wondered. Over my lifetime I have owned movie soundtracks, cds (Yes! cds!) featuring the music from the parks, and I also had a few of the covered albums. (Jim Brickman comes to mind.) When I found out that Disney was creating this album, which I don't find out about new albums too often anymore, I was excited to get my hands on it. I didn't recognize many of the new artists on the album, but when does Disney do things wrong?

Cut to two months later when I finally have a chance to breath.

I pulled up the new album in my itunes folder and anxiously began listening. I sifted through e-mails getting caught up on work listening to We Love Disney in the background. What I discovered was mix of wonderful … and really? For example,  Fall Out Boy's "I Wan'na Be Like You" is up tempo and super fun; they are one of the few artists to actually capture the essence of what I remembered from a Disney movie song. Gwen Stefani's "Rainbow Connection" is really fun too, sung in a very Gwen Stefani kind of way, not necessarily Kermit style. But songs like "In A World of My Own" by Jhené Aiko and "Let It Go" by Rascal Flatts and Lucy Hale were promptly skipped by me. In some cases, the original song is best and nothing else compares. Finally the album ends on a beautiful rendition of "It's A Small World" sung by all of the artists on the album making it seem like it really is "a small world after all".

If you have the chance to get your hands on this album and recognize many of the artists on this album AND enjoy Disney music, you will probably enjoy We Love Disney. If you aren't too familiar with the artists, maybe skip this one and wait for the next. The compilation of covered songs is good but not super amazing run out and buy it now good.

Here is the tracklist from the album:

1. Friend Like Me (From Aladdin) – Ne-Yo
2. Part of Your World (From The Little Mermaid) – Jessie J
3. Can You Feel the Love Tonight / Nants’ Ingonyama (From The Lion King) – Jason Derulo
4. The Rainbow Connection (From The Muppet Movie) – Gwen Stefani
5. Zero to Hero (From Hercules) – Ariana Grande
6. In a World of My Own / Very Good Advice (From Alice in Wonderland) – Jhené Aiko
7. I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song) (From The Jungle Book) – Fall Out Boy
8. Colors of the Wind (From Pocahontas) – Tori Kelly
9. Spoonful of Sugar (From Mary Poppins) – Kacey Musgraves
10. Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat (From The Aristocats) – Charles Perry
11. A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes (From Cinderella) – Jessie Ware
12. Let It Go (From Frozen) – Rascal Flatts & Lucy Hale
13. It’s a Small World – We Love Disney Artists
14. It’s Not Easy Being Green (From The Muppet Show) – Brenna Whitaker
15. A Whole New World (From Aladdin) – Yuna

Have you had the chance to listen to the new We Love Disney album yet? If not, will you be buying it?

Buy We Love Disney here.