New Media Monday

The internet is awesome for finding new music, but what about older music? It seems like the majority of the stations and music sites out there focus on what's new and hip now and the oldies stations are playing music from my high school days-which by the way, I do not appreciate, cause that music is not old! What if you want really great music from yesteryear? Well, the internet has you covered!

KBRD is a station out of Olympia, Washington that makes me happy on a regular basis. If you want music history, check them out. They play music from 1890's up until the 50's (maybe a few sixties thrown in there for sprinkles on top). KBRD is a nonprofit station, so if you listen and like what you hear, contribute so they can keep giving us melodic history lessons.

I am a sucker for a good old fashion country song. It's true, put on some Willie Nelson or old Johnny Cash and it makes this girl swoon. KVET plays everything from George Jones to George Strait. The station is out of Austin and it is AWESOME! They do play some new country and some alt country, but trust me, you won't think you just turned on a pop station. They are 100% Texas country music. Last summer, I was listening to their count down for the season and the top 10 were either George Strait songs or Willie Nelson. I felt like I died and went to heaven.

What do cowboys listen to on the open range? Why Range radio, of course!  This station plays the good old fashion cowboy songs that you may remember from the film serials and old cowboy movies when you were a kid. I can just imagine cowboys riding the range and singing these songs. The music is soothing and takes you back to a time where life seemed a little more simple yet, with more purpose.

I love the Rat Pack and all the music that was created during that time period. Swing 1270 plays that kind of music and more. Each week they have swing time, playing the best in swing music and they have a show dedicated just for Frankie and his pals. This station makes me want to put on my fanciest dress, pop open a bottle of bubbly and take OMP in my arms for a little swing around the house.


Check out these stations for all of your vintage music listening pleasure. You will be whisked away to another period with each and every song. Whether you want to be an old cowhand on the range or one of the eleven for Mr. Ocean (can you guess that movie?), these stations will not disappoint. Enjoy cow pokes and kittens!

Scrappy Dog Sunday

It has been sooooo long since my last Scrappy Dog Sunday. What have the dogs been up to? Being scrappy, of course!

Lola has spent way too much time on the computer.


Pete finished his last term at handsome boy modeling school. He is such a natural.
 

Jujube has been practicing her destroying skills, just in case she ever encounters a real threat in the backyard. 


All in all, it's been a pretty laid back summer for the pups, just like spring, and fall and winter. Sigh, I want to be my dogs.

I'm a Bad Friend...

Oh, my friends, I have been so bad! I have not been holding up my duties to entertain you. Shame on me. I will tell you that me and the OMP are stronger than ever and the pups are Pedersen-rific (I totally just made that would up, but you can use it).

Please just know that I do think about you guys and really 100% appreciate that you are in my life, in whatever capacity that may be. So many times your words have lifted me up when I feel like I want to sit down and cry. So, thank you for making the day brighter.

I will leave you with a cute animal picture, cause that's how I roll...Love you lots!

via jokiedo

Feel Good Friday

HEEEELLLLLLOOOO Friday! You are looking mighty sassy!



Well, well...will ya looky here! It's some of my very own stitching. I am hosting the stitch along over at Feeling Stitchy this month and this is one of a few patterns to chose from. Head on over and stitch with me!

I love this for the kitchen and think it would be so awesome at Halloween. It would definitely stop your kids' friends from eating everything in the house. Manmadedesigns makes great signs like this one for your house or garden.

Jujube really needs to quit having pool parties while I am at work. Besides, she is too young to hang out with boys who drink.

 

I guess I should get back to reality, BOO on that! I hope you have a fabu weekend full fun stitchy goodness and doggy pool parties-but maybe not at the same time.

For every minute you are angry,
you lose 60 seconds of happiness.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Date Night!

I will fully admit that I am addicted to Pinterest. I just can't help it! I love looking at ideas for kids and think of ways to turn them into fun for adults. The Date Night Jar is an example of this. I came across a pin from Shabby Beach Nest for a Boredom Jar for kids and thought to myself that this would be a great idea for date night jar.


OMP and I are always trying to think up new ideas for date night. We constantly fall short and end up on the couch, watching some bad TV. Well, with the help from friends, we came up with a bunch of ideas. I followed the tutorial on Shabby Beach Nest with a few differences.

The Materials I used were:
jar
Modpodge
scrapbook paper
tongue depressors
sandpaper
Template from Shabby Beach Nest (there are blanks on the last page)


I had to change the template on Shabby Beach Nest from a PDF to a JPG file. I did this so I could upload it to Picmonkey and write on the template for the tongue depressors.

Here's some ideas I used for my jar:

Make a dinner together
Go to a museum
Be a tourist in your town
Take a class
Go for a drive
Act like a monkey at the zoo
Have a picnic in the backyard
Pick a letter (pick one letter of the alphabet and do something beginning with that letter)
Have a photoshoot
Go out for a fancy dessert
Try a new restaurant
Go to the theater
Take the dogs out
Do some fun science projects like you did when you were a kid
Go for a bike ride
Water gun fight
Your choice
Play board games
Snuggle on the couch like you did when you were a teenager

Next, I cut out and modpodged the date suggestions to the tongue depressors. I noticed that the template is a little smaller than then tongue depressor. Once the modpodge was dry, I trimmed up the the edges and sanded any paper hanging over and cleaned up any unkept edges. This also gave it a nice worn look.

I decorated an old jar that I had laying around the house. I had tried my hand and faux mercury glass awhile ago and thought it would be perfect to hold my dates.


There ya go! Easy peasy, lemon squeezy! Now, when you need to think of something to do with your sweetie, just grab a stick out of the jar!

Wild Card Wednesday

Sometimes the best friends are not the ones that pat you on the back, hold your hand and tell you that it's gonna be okay but they are the type of friend that will tell you to put on your big girl panties, cowgirl up and put on your cape, cause you've got butt to kick. My friend Tara, aka Mistress T is just that kind of friend.

Don't get me wrong, she is always there for a hug or some hand holding but this time, well, she out did herself in the friend department.

Do not adjust your computer, you are seeing it right. I gots me a cape. Oh yeah, you know it's true! Not only is it a pink cape, reversible but I now have a new identity-the cupcake cowgirl. EEPPPP! I know! Right? It IS awesome!

Look at the detail (yes, that is a cowgirl hat for a cherry-DYING OVER HERE!)

And when happy hour hits, I turn into the Tiki Terror! Hide your rum and small umbrellas!

A big huge kiss and thank you to my friend, Tara. She makes me belly laugh on a daily basis. I just love her to pieces. Now, if you will excuse me, I have cupcakes to wrangle.

New Media Monday

One of my goals this year is to read a book every month. It has been a blast collecting titles to read!

I have come to the conclusion that there is a lot of great Young Adult books out there. I am reading some of my old favorites, like James and The Giant Peach, and discovering a whole new world. I am also discovering a lot of new Young Adult favorites that keep me on the edge of my seat.

Currently, I am reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone by a local author, Laini Taylor. The book tells of a teenage girl who does "errands" for the devil in exchange for favors. Now, this may sound really dark but so far it is fairly light reading and the author does a great job of keeping it on an even PG-13 level. I will admit that some of the story seems a little forced, like they are trying to remind you that art kids are cool and hip and moody but the otherworld characters are rich, carnival like and make up for the forced arty teenagers.

I also checked out Night Circus. I have heard that this book is wonderful! The story is about two dueling magicians in a circus. It does have a feel of Something Wicked This Way Comes, but with romance. Just browsing through the pages, the images are so vivid that you feel you are in the circus next to the array of over the top characters.

My favorite book so far has to be Miss. Peregrin's Home for Peculiar Children. I really love this book! There are so many creepy pictures scattered throughout the story. I love the way the author incorporates the found images into the story. They better have a part two or I will scream and kick. This book has just the right amount of fantasy without being completely out there. You kind of want to find their home and live there.

These are just a few books that I am loving right now. I have also become obsessed with my friend's blog. She is an excellent source for YA books. She gives honest reviews and sometimes a giveaway or two. Check out Absolute Forest of Words before you hit the library.

What are you reading right now? What suggestions do you have for me?