One of my favorite bloggers, Gwen, The Makerista, has a string of blog posts she calls “Bullet Points.” I love this series–a bunch of random thoughts about not-necessarily-design-related happenings in her life, all tied into one blog post. Anyone who knows me well knows that’s totally up my alley. My brain bounces from one topic to the next so rapidly it can almost give people whiplash if they aren’t used to it… Poor Adam. I’m pretty sure he was dizzy for the first few years of our marriage. I assure you, after 16+ years of marriage, he has no problem tracking now. 😉

So in an effort to share a bit more of my life with you, my lovely readers, this will be one of those random “deviating from the plan” posts I mentioned here. I do plan on making this type of post a regular occurrence, so consider this an introduction to my new monthly random thoughts post called Monthly Miscellanea.

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MUSIC

I have always been in awe of the power of music to pinpoint or draw out a particular emotion, and most memories in my life have a very clear soundtrack accompanying them. My dad is a music lover perpetually stuck in the 50’s and 60’s, so the soundtrack of my childhood comes from that era.

The first album I bought myself when I branched out from the oldies was the Bodyguard soundtrack (what sixth grader wasn’t impacted by Whitney Houston belting out “And I-ee-I-ee-I will always love you“?!), and I listened to that CD on repeat as I read Margaret Mitchell’s great American classic Gone With the Wind for the first time, so the two are permanently interwoven in my memories.

That album launched my constant cravings for new music. As a high schooler, almost all of my spare money fed my music habit. Friends came to me when they wanted to know what was happening in the music world (or borrow the latest CD). Technology has been such a blessing (or curse?) to my addiction, making it both easier to find new music, and more affordable.

When the era of illegal downloading happened during my college years, I couldn’t bring myself to participate. I’d love to say it was out of concern for the musicians who made their living selling albums, but in truth I was terrified of those massive fines the industry threatened if we were caught downloading. So when Rhapsody launched in late 2001, I was an early adopter who jumped right on board. Unlimited music for $14.99/month?! That’s the price of one album, and I was on a two-new-albums-per-week pace, so it definitely sounded like a bargain. Rhapsody is now Napster, the price has dropped to $9.99/month, and I STILL have a subscription.

When Shazam launched as a free app in 2008, it fed my addiction further, helping me identify new music much more effectively than my days of singing songs to Best Buy employees in the hopes that they would know the song and artist I was hunting for. My most vivid memory of this occurred after seeing the movie Brokedown Palace with my college roommates, purchasing the soundtrack, and then realizing that the song I loved from the movie wasn’t actually on it. The mystery song turned out to be Dido’s “Here With Me” from the No Angel album. The Best Buy employee was no help, by the way. But he did tell me that I had a nice voice. 😉

So with that long history of my music consumption habits, here’s what’s on my current playlist…

1. Verite, particularly the song “Nothing.” This was a Shazam find off a Hulu commercial, and though her voice is kind of haunting, the peppy beat gives the song an overall happy sound that is great for family dance parties in Flexie (our Ford Flex). Listening to my sweet little Arabella singing along is an added bonus.
2. I’m also digging the slower Nilu song “Are You With Me?” that sounds a bit like some of Lana del Ray’s sweeping melodic tunes.
3. “Marry Me” by Thomas Rhett is another current fave. I’m not a huge country fan (although Adam is), but when I heard this song the first time, it brought a tear to my eye thinking of this poor guy suffering through the wedding of the girl he loves. Yep, I’m a sap. 😉 I love cheesy rom-coms too.

DOMINO: YOUR GUIDE TO A STYLISH HOME

I’m always reading an interior design book, and this one has quickly moved to the list of my favorites (along with Elements of Style by Erin Gates and Styled by Emily Henderson). With all of the decorating books I’ve devoured, it’s rare for me to find any new info, but Domino: Your Guide to a Stylish Home has some gems. The photos are beautiful, the information is laid out in a logical way, and you can find a few unique design tips. If you’re looking for a great interior design book, definitely check this one out! I’ve also seen it floating around a few different Home Goods stores at a pretty heavy discount…

FAVORITE SWEATER

This sweater from American Eagle (I bought myself for my birthday – yep, I’m that girl who buys herself presents) is so soft and surprisingly warm despite the loose knit. Warmth is key in MN. As I’m typing this, it is 1 degree out. At least it’s above zero! Small victories… It’s also super on sale right now!

I’m wearing it with my favorite high waist jeggings (I’m a mom – high waist is a necessity), also from American Eagle. If you haven’t checked out their jeans, you seriously need to. They come in long length, which is huge for me, and extra long too, which is huge for my uber tall baby sister. Do I feel a little old at 37 walking in to a store that is mostly frequented by high school students? Of course! But the jeans are seriously worth any discomfort you might feel hanging out with the teenagers. Or maybe you are a teenager, and then you fit right in! 😉

I’ve even included an awkward picture of myself here so you can see my new favorites… I am much more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it, and I tried to give you one of those cute fashion blogger poses, but I just couldn’t pull it off (where do I put my hands? where should I look?!), so this is the best you get. #notafashionblogger

GOALS

I started a closet purge the second week of January, and it quickly got derailed when our family was hit with the stomach bug going around MN. This one is a doozie… My poor Kaden is having the hardest time getting better. He’s missed more school in the last month than he did all of last year. So my current goals are to get him 100% healthy again, finish my closet purge and start on the toys, and get the rest of our clutter under control.

This first monthly miscellanea post has gotten pretty long, so I’m going to wrap it up, but I’d love to hear about your January… Have you read any good books, heard any great new tunes? How about your goals… Did you start 2018 off well, or are you looking for another clean slate in February?