Eisley Girls

I can never get enough of the female voices behind the band Eisley. Chauntelle, Sherri and Stacy all have such unique, wonderful, rich voices. I love each one of them for different reasons. I've gone through my phases of obsession. I first fell in love with Sherri's voice when I heard Room Noises -- I could listen to Marvelous Things or Golly Sandra any day. And then when Chauntelle's recorded her solo One More Day With You, that was playing on repeat on my iPod for weeks. But lately I've been obsessed with younger sibling, Stacy's, cover of Silver Springs by Stevie Nicks. It's actually kind of a sad song, but, Stacy sings it so beautifully. I would seriously like to see Stacy come out with her own album of ballads similar to this style. Of course I still love Eisley and would never want to hope for something that would cause any sort of interference. I'm just saying. Stacy's voice sounds wonderful this way too. If you haven't yet, you should check it out. Click on the image below to watch the video of Silver Springs.

photo credit: http://www.eisley.com/journals/trolleywood/_37445/

The Lovely Bones

A quick blurb before I hit the sack: If you haven't seen the movie trailer for The Lovely Bones, you should check it out. I realize it won't awe everyone, but when I saw the trailer, I thought "that looks amazing!" Especially since it's directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, hello). And when I found out the movie is based on a book, I had to read it. Luckily I had time before the movie came to theaters. If you think to yourself "I don't like scary movies," don't just brush this suggestion off. It's not actually scary. So here's some imagery, and also some links.

Read it!

Watch it!

Seriously, check it out. I own the book if you want to borrow it. Otherwise, I always see used copies at thrift stores.

Amigurumi Crochet

I am so proud of myself for FINALLY putting up a new blog banner. The shot was taken by Dena last weekend in Clear Lake, IA. Some friends and I stayed in a cute little cottage near the lake. It was a perfect little get-away. I would definitely do it again -- but next time when it's a little warmer out! We stayed in Millie Cottage if you want to google it (I'm too lazy to search for it and link it right now).

Lately I've been doing a lot of freelancing and trying to find time for my own hobbies. I have been wanting to crochet one of these cute little animals from a book Doug got for me for Christmas (thanks, Dena). So last week (or was it 2 weeks ago?), I finished crocheting my first ever anything, which happened to be one of these little bears on the cover.

I probably don't need to tell you how it turned out since I've included a visual. Let's just say I need a little more practice. Plus, I ordered some eyes and they are currently in transit. But I think now I've got a hang ouf it -- knowing how to get the right tension and stay consistent with my stitches.


I ordered the eyes from Suncatcher Eyes -- they have a wide selection that seem to be decently priced. I couldn't find anything but googly eyes at the local craft stores. I can't wait to try out some of the other animals -- the seal looks adorable. I think these will make cute baby gifts.

I'm going to try to be committed to crafting more. I've been inspired, after talking to my friend, Lacey, last night about our "project" lists. She's been so great about making and sewing things for her two young daughters. Stay tuned!

January Comes to a Close

It's zero degrees out right now, but sunny. We've had some chilly weather and a bit of ice and snow this past week. I feel like I haven't written in forever. Which is almost true. Sort of. Not really. But it has been a long time. Since the holidays, I've been keeping busy with work, and free lance projects, and 6 seasons of Gilmore Girls. Luckily I can multi-task (sort of), or I wouldn't be getting much done in front of the tele. It's kind of pathetic though, because I'm often relating real life to things that happen to the drama going on in Stars Hallow.

Anyway, I won't babble about non-real life stuff right now. I will transition into real life. In mid-December, I joined Gold's Gym in hopes of staying fit during these winter months. It's hard to stay active when all you want to do is sit in front of the television and huddle under 3 blankets next to the space heater. Darin's been wearing his hot orange penguin knit hat around the house and sometimes his jacket. Makes me laugh. But back to the gym thing. I got a REALLY good deal. I signed up when there was no registration free, and they were running a $19.99/month deal. And to top that, my Blue Cross/Blue Shield pays $20/month if I go 12 times/month. So if I am committed to going 12 times, then I'm only paying $1 and something in tax per month. Part of that deal is 2 free sessions where you meet with a personal trainer and he assesses your "in shape-ness." Let's just say I'm out of shape. So, I've been trying to go directly after work Monday through Friday. I alternate between running on the treadmill and doing the ellyptical machine so I don't strain anything while I'm getting back into shape.

Another real-life thing to talk about -- I served on a Jury for a criminal case a couple weeks ago. It was actually really interesting. When I got my court summons, I had this awful feeling of dread and nervousness. I think I have anxiety issues. But when I got there, everyone was pleasant and helpful and the whole experience was pretty painless. My particular case only lasted a week and 1 day and thankfully my employer paid me for those days. If anyone needs to know where cheap all-day downtown parking is near the govt. court building, I have the secret.

Also, Darin found the PERFECT house for sale in NE Minneapolis. It's really too bad we can't afford to buy a house yet. It's my prayer that this one comes back on the market in a few years. Godspeed.

Michael Johansson

Since I'm such an organizational freak, I wanted to share with you an artist that uses organization in his works of art. Check out his website for more!

Love You Girls

Super rad photos taken by Emily Steffen. Click here to see the rest from the BFF photoshoot!

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