Blogs Worth Reading

I’m a blog lover. I’ve already talked about my undying love of décor blogs, but I like the funny, clever stuff, too. Let's go over five of my favorites.

Cake Wrecks
I learned of a new blog the other day, and it has since rocked my world. Cake Wrecks features just that – poorly made and/or decorated cakes that have been special ordered. The site thrives on submissions from less-than-happy folks who picked up their cake only to discover it turned out a total mess.

Full of grammar mistakes, poorly-drawn illustrations, icing mishaps and accidental sexual innuendos, this blog will have you laughing in no time.  They’ve even published a book.

I’ll share a few of my personal favorites.

The Arkansas Razorback cake (and other mascot mess ups):

The Happy Boss's Day cakes

I Hate Papyrus
The “I Hate Papyrus” blog is a good one for type nerds like me. You've seen this typeface before. It's everywhere. People submit signage and text written in this boring, overused typeface. I feel like I could be friends with these people.

Stuff White People Like
This is another favorite of mine. I recommend the book, but the blog is a great alternative. You know the white people types this is referring to – those who love skinny jeans, pea coats (#111) Converse All Stars, ultimate Frisbee, expensive coffee, hatchback vehicles and sad-faced self portraits. I’ll be the first to admit that I fall into so many of these categories (clothing, especially). But that makes me enjoy this blog even more.

Hipster Christianity
This blog is a winner, hands down. As a Christian, this really cracks me up. For not being a religious or Christian scholar, I feel pretty well-versed in general Christian history and Bible knowledge, which makes this all the more hilarious to me. One of the best things about this site is that it has a quiz you can take to determine how hipster you are in your faith.


I Love Typography 

ILT isn’t a humorous blog, but it’s full of cool typefaces. I don’t know much about type, but I can still like it, right? I’ve discovered some beautiful things here. I’m a sucker for the whispy, curly stuff.

What are your favorite blogs?

Weekend recap

My sweet grandparents spent four days with me last week, which was a total blast. We kept it pretty low key, but it was so nice, especially with our freezing temperatures last week.

The hubs was out of town on a business trip, so it was really nice to have Grandy and Papa around.

We ate at some of my favorite spots last week:
Loafin' Joe's


Monte Ne Inn Chicken (or simply Monte Ne Chicken)

Photo from the Arkansas Times via Google Images

and Osegueras

Photo from Osegueras' website

These oh-so-good restaurants were a great place to catch up and grab a delicious bite. We asked Richard and Brenda, our family members on Papa's side, to join us at Monte Ne for the family style dining. I thought I'd never eat again.

Grandy and I did a little Christmas shopping at Sam's and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We also made a delicious chocolate cheesecake (while in our jammies), my favorite dessert.

Unfortunately, though, I awoke at 4:45 a.m. Thursday morning and threw my guts up all day. Alas, it was the dreaded stomach virus. I missed two days of work, and it took me a third day to really recover. I took it easy this weekend and was back to my old self by Sunday afternoon.

Sunday night, we ate at our church friends' home, played games and simply enjoyed spending time together.

We've got a busy rest of the week. I'll try to remember to snap a few photos along the way. Can you believe Christmas is right around the corner? 12 days!

Hallelujah!

I had a completely different post in mind for tonight, but this video I just watched trumped my idea.

Mom and Dad send me e-mails quite frequently and I always enjoy reading them. Little did I know this one would register with me so much.

Take 4:57 minutes out of your day to watch this video of a so-called flash mob in a shopping mall food court. They sing what is, perhaps, the most beautiful song ever written (in my opinion): Handel's Hallelujah Chorus.

Aside: Hallelujah means "Praise to God." It's a beautiful word, even in our American English pronunciation of it.

Ready for some insight into my music influences and life? This video (the song, in particular) means so much to me for these reasons:

1) My favorite class I've ever taken, kindergarten through college, was music theory my junior year of high school. Not only did we have a great group of students in there, but our teacher was phenomenal. He truly put a passion in us for music and really stirred up our creativity. A million thanks to Mr. Foster.

This video is relevant because our semester test was to analyze the Hallelujah Chorus. We're talking a full-out Roman Numeral analysis, identifying cadences and phrases, and pretty much marking the thing up, top to bottom, front to back. We aced it by getting 200 things correct. Whew! What a tough but rewarding test.

2) During that class, I learned the significance of the phrasing and why Handel wrote the intervals like he did. He wrote the piece according to the Doctrine of the Affections, which is absolutely fascinating if you care to take a minute to Google it. Basically, the doctrine supports making an emotional appeal in the music. But it goes so much deeper than that! Seriously, Google it.

When you listen to the chorus, you'll hear the notes rise and fall. This was purposive. Handel assigned the most important lyrics to the highest notes. Think about it: "For the Lord GOD omnipotent reigneth" - God is the highest note in the phrase. And also: "And HE shall reign forever and ever" Finally, we climb up to the"King of Kings and Lord of Lords" phrase which ends with resounding, booming vocal parts from the entire choir. Perfection.

3) Handel wrote the entire Messiah oratorio in 24 days. Yes. The whole thing, not just a song or two. Best of all, the oratorio tells the story of Jesus Christ, my hero and savior. The songs discuss his prophecy, sacrifice and resurrection - three things that are wholly complete and mean the world to me in my faith.

4) The flash mob thing is really cool. Those are becoming more popular these days. What's more, I like how it ties in with social media. That baby has gone viral in a few short days! Behold, the power of YouTube.

This video has made my heart happy. Pass it on and spread some Christmas cheer.

The Tube

Between high school and my married life, I rarely watched TV. It’s not that I didn’t like it; it’s that I was usually studying, hanging out with friends or out and about.

But, my, how things have changed in the past year. Instead of watching live TV, however, hubs and I will rent a series from Netflix and watch it in a few evenings. I totally love it and much prefer a disc full of shows to one show at a time.

Hubs has also introduced me to some great shows that I never would have watched on my own.

#1: Dexter

Ok, Showtime is in the middle of season 5, but it still counts even though it’s not a Netflix watch. This show about a (good looking) Iab guy for the Miami PD who hunts down and disposes of serial killers. Irony? I have to admit that I despised this thriller series at first. I started watching it with my husband when we were still dating and, of course, it had scary, suspenseful scenes in it which freaked me out when I was alone at night, but alas, I’ve grown to love good old Dexter.

#2: Flight of the Conchords

I’m in love with these New Zealander musicians. They’re uber funny guys with weird quirks and dead-pan delivery. It’s comedy for “white people” and I eat it up. Even better, you can download their songs on iTunes. They actually tour as musicians, which makes it even better.

#3: Arrested Development

Hilarious. Nuff said. This show’s characters are just perfect. A dysfunctional family in every way, the Bluths struggle to maintain the family business – and name – after Dad, the ringleader, is arrested and accused of conspiracy. The awkward moments are reminiscent of Greg Focker’s situation in Meet the Parents.

#4: Party Down

With Ken Marino, Adam Scott, Jane Lynch (season 1) and Lizzy Caplan, this show is bound to be funny. Ken’s character runs a catering business, but his servers are less than professional. The best part? This stuff could really happen, and it’s all too real sometimes. Definitely a good laugh.

#5: Reno 911

Why didn’t I watch this one sooner? It’s ridiculous in every way and makes me laugh every time. Full of stereotypical characters, it’s dumb humor, but everyone needs a little of that from time to time. (Dumb and Dumber is one of my favorites, by the way. Don’t hate.)

#6: Chappelle’s Show

Dave Chappelle is the man. His sketch comedies are funnier than most other skit shows I’ve seen. His standup is great, too.  

#7: Deadwood

Set in the gold-panning days in the Black Hills, Deadwood is a sobering portrayal of life in the late 1800’s. Timothy Olyphant leads the cast as they fight through the struggles of establishing a self-sufficient mountain town, fighting big government and dealing with troublemakers who come into Deadwood. Not that I’m a history pro, but Deadwood seems to paint a more accurate picture of this tough, dirty, depressing life than other movies and television shows I’ve watched. 

Judge this book by its cover

After college, I got really into decorating blogs, websites and magazines. My two favorite magazines of all time were cancelled, however. Oh how I miss Domino and Blueprint – the only two magazines I used to purchase frequently. RIP, favorite shelter mags.

But thank goodness for blogs and for Domino: The Book of Decorating. Typically, the only books I buy are for everyday reading (classics, please). Only recently have I discovered the joy of sitting down with a good decorating book. You know the kind – it’s the type that calls for a cup of coffee and a cozy sitting place.

This book is lovely in every way. Compiled by the former Domino magazine staff, it provides tips and advice on how to decorate, and more importantly (and more helpful to me), why certain decorating elements mesh and why some don’t. This is my problem: I know what looks good and what doesn’t, but it’s hard for me to point out exactly what it is about a room or setting that doesn’t work.

In a nutshell, it’s beautiful, timeless and helpful. I’d really encourage you to check it out or buy a copy of your own.

Image: Google Images

Image: Katy Elliot's blog via Google Images

Image: Apartment Therapy

Images: Design Hole via Google Images

(I found the third image from Apartment Therapy. Check out Apartment Therapy's website - another killer design blog.)


On a related note, do any of you have recommendations on nice decorating books with great photography, advice, tips and how-tos? These days, I’m always on the lookout for a gorgeous book.

Welcome! Now let's get acquainted... again

Here she is: my new blog. I hadn't planned on starting a new blog, but I finally deleted my old e-mail address last night, which wiped out Thoughts and Things. So I'm starting from scratch. I'm happy you're here and reading, so let's dive in.

I must give props to Dad for giving me flack about not posting in awhile. So here’s to you, Dad.


Since my last post, I have...
-vacationed in Costa Rica with my husband for our one-year anniversary
-started a new job
-gotten bangs
-purchased an iPhone 4
-celebrated Halloween and Thanksgiving
-decorated for Christmas.

Whew, that’s a lot in my world. Here are a few photo highlights for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.

I forgot to mention football season. Go Hogs!

WPS!

Horseback riding near Volcano Arenal, Costa Rica

Hiking down to a gorgeous rainforest waterfall

Canopy tour in the rainforest

View from outside our room

Delicious tropical breakfast

Tabacon thermal springs, fed by Volcano Arenal

Halloween get-up in the entryway

Christmas on the baker's rack 

Mom's Thanksgiving goodies

Our tree