The Boss of my heart.

I'm one third of an all girl band called The Bossettes, but I'm the only one who really digs Bruce. In regards to my generation, he often gets looked past among guttural screams, auto-tuning, and radio garbage. That stuff might make history for the number of albums sold, but it will never go down in history for content.
Bruce beats them at their game and river dances on their faces.
Bruce Springsteen actually tells a story. He tells a bigger story, the American story. That's why I love him.
I'm so proud that he got the recognition he so obviously deserves this year at the Kennedy Center Honors for telling the stories of the blue color American, often left unheard.
Congratulations Bruce!

War. Humph. Good God, Ya'll.

My holiday trip home left me feeling a bit bummed.
I was thrilled to see my family and my closest girl friends from high school, Gina and Jackie, but I got some really bad news, and some good news too, which is still kind of sad (if that makes sense.) Also Jason and I were apart and I got a nasty stomache flu. Ick!



My friend Anthony has been the most important man in my life, next to my dad and my grandpa since I was in middle school. He's really important to me. He has spent Christmas dinner with my family every year since we were probably sophomores in high school, has been my constant ski companion, the missing son in my family of girls.
When he joined the army out of high school, I was as supportive as I could be knowing that there was a war going on. I was worried and angry at the president and I wished everyday that I could spit in that suckers eye.
That was about 6 years and two tours to the middle east ago, and I've been able to accept that this is a job he signed up for, regardless of how dangerous it is, and how much it sucks, he chose to do something selfless, which ultimately makes me really proud of him.
Okay, so.

Surprise #1:
The day I came home I found out that he got engaged, which is amazing. She was one of three friends I had on my cheerleading squad in high school (I know, it's hard to believe! I was paranoid about college, so I did every extracurricular on the planet.) I'm so happy he has found a girl who makes him happy.


Suprise #2:
He's leaving for Iraq again on January 7th and I was the last to know. Also he's getting married before he leaves, and I'm not going to be able to attend.

Suprise #3:
I got the stomach flu.

And on top of that, I didn't even get to say goodbye to him because he was too busy snowboarding and ignoring my phone calls and texts. I know he doesn't realize he is being jerky, but he is acting so out of character. I don't even know what's up.
I knew this day would come and that Anthony would get married and Gina and I would have to bite the bullet a little. But I was expecting us to maybe lose a pinky toe instead of a freaking leg.
Is it bad and selfish of me to be so upset about this? I feel really guilty for feeling angry at him before he leaves for Iraq again, but I'm just so sad he didn't care enough to say goodbye to me.



I'm sorry for the rant.
I'm just so so sad and hurt.

On a brighter note, here's a few pictures of
The Christmas Kitten.

I like Audrey's voice best.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Sabrina

Epic Christmas Mix.

I'm leaving for my childhood home on Tuesday where we do not have cable or even the internet anymore, because my mom is the kind of mom who would rather get dirty from gardening than watch the Home and Garden Network.
While I'm in Pennsylvania I'm planning on:

• skiing with my dad
  
• laughing with my sister
• cooking and baking with my mom
  
• having a cuddle-puddle or two with heavily tattooed friends from high school
• hopefully seeing some friends from college if I can use a car
• talking to Jason on the phone
• hearing the festive sound of my sister and dad bickering over Christmas dinner
  
• being car-less
  
• maybe being genuinely bored at times.

Because of this, I am trying to wrap up everything I need to before I leave for the east coast and the pine-laden mountains where I hail from.



So anyway, here is what you've been waiting for!

Epic Christmas Mix

1. "Santa Claus is coming to town" -- Bruce Springsteen
2. "Little Saint Nick" -- The Beach Boys
3. "Winter Wonderland" -- Darlene Love
4. "Someday at Christmas" -- Stevie Wonder
   
5. "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" -- The Miracles
6. "Sleigh Ride" -- The Ronnettes
7. "Merry Christmas Baby" -- Otis Redding
8. "Frosty the Snowman" -- Fiona Apple
9. "Snow" -- Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera Ellen
10. "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" -- Thurl Ravenscroft
11. "Baby, it's Cold Outside" -- Leon Redbone and Zooey Deschanel
12. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" -- Judy Garland
13. "Little Drummer Boy" -- Johnny Cash
14. "Angels We Have Heard on High" -- Sufjan Stevens
15. "Away in a Manger" -- Oh, Starling
16. "Kiss Me on Christmas" -- The Canon Logic
17. "Christmas Wrapping" -- The Waitresses
18. "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" -- John Lennon and Yoko Ono
    

Ornament Exchange.

This year has marked many things.
I graduated from college.
I moved halfway across the country.
I fell out of love. Horribly, hospitalized, heart-beakingly out of love. Bad.
I fell in love. Miraculous, unexpected lurve. Amazing.
I adopted an unbelievably naughty and evil calico cat.
And last but not least, I participated in my first blogger ornament exchange with an all around cool woman named Tia, who is best known for being a creator of babies, a safe and happy home, beautiful recipes, her fantastic blog -- Christopher and Tia, and now...amazing Christmas ornaments!


This is my first ornament of my own, in my own home, that I will put on my Christmas tree every year. I'm so happy and thankful that it's this strawberry-topped, handmade treasure.

Here is her tutorial on how to make them!
They're beautiful, Tia!
I love mine so very much!
Thank you!!

Childhood Playlist.

I can't think of any event during my childhood without linking them to The Stones, The Beach Boys, Ray Charles, Patsy Cline, The Supremes, or the like.
Like Belen, I have decided that making a childhood playlist sounded like a lot of fun.
Play along if you choose to!

What's your childhood playlist?

List around 5 songs that captures your childhood memories.
Feel free to provide video/audio.
Put me in your kiddy shoes. :)


"Got My Mind Set On You" -- George Harrison.
This music video is my first vivid memory.


One of my strongest memories as a kid was listening to my dad play his guitar on our porch. He always played "Anna (Go With Him)" by the Beatles for my sister and I, kind of like how this dad is playing for his little ones. I love this video because of that.


"Buffalo Soldier" -by Bob Marley
Summertime roadtrip music.
Driving up and down the coast and sleeping in our van music.


"Don't Be Cruel" by Elvis Presley
I always pictured the muppet chickens singing the backround vocals. Can't you picture it?



And of course, the best for last...

The Abbey Road Medley by the Beatles was on a mixtape my dad my made for my mom which was on constant rotation in her car for almost a year straight at some point while I was in between 2nd and 3rd grade. I can't express how thankful I am now that my parents pushed the fruits and veggies of modern music on my sister and myself so much.
I really don't think I would be the same person today if I hadn't been exposed to it so early.
Thanks Ma and Pop!

My first Christmas in Madison, WI.

Well, I finished recording my free Christmas EP.
I'm really proud of myself for getting back into the swing of recording again, and even just playing music again. There was a period where I didn't even pick up my guitar for almost a month. I didn't feel inspired. And now I do again.
It feels really great.


So here it is.
My Christmas gift from me to you.
I love you all!

I DO NOT MESS AROUND Peanut Butter Cookies.

I like my cookies like I like my friends.
Not too sweet, and full of personality.
I usually don't like peanut butter cookies, however, I made this recipe to fit my standards.
So if you're like me and you roll your eyes at plain ol' PB Cooks because you're maybe a little bit of a cookie snob, you will most likely enjoy my twist on dull, country grandma peanut butter cookies.
Plus, the crunch of sliced almonds just does something for me.
I hope it does something for you, too.


I DO NOT MESS AROUND
Peanut Butter Cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup milk (I used soy milk, but whatever you choose would be fine.)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
  
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup M & M's (I used them because Jason and I got a free bag. You could use more chocolate chips instead.)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
   
2. Mix together dry ingredients, then wet. Mix together.
3. Let cookie dough chill for 30 mins.
4. Bake for 15-20 mins.
5. Fin!

P.S. Happy snow day, my fellow Mid-westerners!

DIY Bomber Hat

My dad is the hardest person to shop for. THE HARDEST.
A few things to know about him:

• He's a musical dictionary. As a kid, he had a den that had a wall-long bookshelf FULL of records. So this means you can't buy Bridge Over Troubled Water for this dad when you have no idea what to get him for his birthday.

• He's a hardcore winter outdoorsmen. My sister and I have been skiing since we were two, if that's any indication.

Thanks to Threadbanger, I have found the perfect gift.

Free DIY Bomber Hat Tutorial

Picture of Gordy, our hitch-hiker through the Grand Titons.
Photo by Billy Mack.

Beat Baby.

This past week I brought the baby to my apartment to explore and play with all of the instruments Jason and I have in our home. She especially loved the ukulele (hello, who doesn't.), drums, and organ and I just couldn't help but document a bit of it for everyone to awe over, too.
I never post pictures of the girls because I don't feel it's my place to, however, I thought this was tasteful, and respectful of her (and her family's) privacy.

Look at those sweet, little fingers making music!

And now, off to do some holiday baking!

Mountain Dulcimer Love.

Folk music...
What can I say?
I love it.
Modern "folk" music is okay. You know the type. Coffee shop open mic-er's who play Bon Iver covers, but don't sound half as lovely. It's okay. I can deal, but it just doesn't cut it.
What really quenches my acoustic-loving thirst, however, is REAL folk music.
I'm talking droney Appalachian hymns and ballads written while America was still a rose e're blooming and sung and recorded by blind, bearded men during the Great Depression. I don't mess around.

When I say folk music, I mean folk music.

Anyway, I'm ranting because I just found Mountain Dulcimer noter and drone blog yesterday.
Check it our for a look-see into the world of a woman who lives, breathes, and loves Appalachian Mountain Dulcimers. She tabs out songs and talks about different tunings in detail, perfect for the beginner Mountain Dulcimerist. This blog has already helped me tons with my confidence in my playing.
It's love!


And now for my crafty readers:

You can find a free tutorial on

how to make your own Mountain Dulcimer
HERE!

Headboard Alternative.

Jason and I don't have a swanky, velvet aqua headboard for our bed like the Drapers, in fact, we don't have one at all. Jason does however have a pretty mean vinyl collecting addiction, so we head out to $1 basement sales at least once or twice a month to satisfy his needs. This means we sometimes end up with some pretty scratched up records that are either hard to pass up, or completely ridiculous (so how can you pass it up?)

Luckily we were able to kill two birds with one stone with this practically brainless headboard alternative.
We got to put these scratched up records to good use, and we also have the treat of having a little bit of excitement above our heads.



What we used:

• Old, scratched up vinyl records.
• Clear thumbtacks.
• The end.
  

Classic Christmas Songs.

As I've grown older, I've noticed how the holiday season is just a consumer playground. The bad things about the holidays become more apparent, noted.
As I've grown older, I've also noticed how the holiday season still feels like Flushing on Christmas Eve and sneaking stuffoli when my great grandma's not looking and seeing yourself in the reflection of a mirrored Christmas ornament if you look past all of the bad things about the holidays.
But what also helps to make the holiday season so special, you ask?
I will tell you.
Vintage Christmas music.

I was raised on Phil Spector's Christmas album. And sure, he's kook'd...and yes, he held The Ramones at gunpoint in his home, but normally good ol' Phil sure knows the key to making a good song sound even better. When it comes to his Christmas album, it's apparent that he really knows how to bring us all back to a time when we all felt like this:

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite songs from
A Christmas Gift for You, From Phil Spector:

"Frosty the snowman" -- The Ronettes
"Sleigh Ride" -- The Ronettes
"Christmas (baby please come home)" -- Darlene Love

I hope you like them!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jason and I were supposed to drive from Madison to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving to spend it with his family (it was supposed to be my first time meeting them also! Scary!!) but I got pretty sick, so we decided to take advantage of our 4 day weekend and get some good rest while we could. I was pretty bummed. I'm used to cozy family Thanksgivings, and I was worried how I would feel about Thanksgiving without my family. It is my first big holiday without them.
Although I did miss my family very much today at dinner (and yes, I even missed my dad's stories that he tells over and over and over again), it was nice to have a quiet dinner with Jason that we cooked together, and it felt especially nice to start new traditions and try new things.


Really, the newest thing about Thanksgiving this year was that we made tofurkey.
It's tiny and kind of salty, but it was a good alternative.


I also made my own cranberry sauce, only I tried it with less sugar, and it tastes better that way!
Recipe:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar (let the two boil together)
3 cups cranberries

Let cranberry skin pop and serve. Easy peasy.

Happy Thanksgiving from my crazy family to yours!

November House Show, Part II

The last house show of November was so much fun! I wish everyone could have been there to listen to the music and experience the fun!
We made some new friends, played with kids, ate a lot, our brains were blown by great musical performances, AND no one was mean to Willi. Hooray!

Eli August played, and he did a great job!
I especially loved his ukulele songs, however, I am biased when it comes to uking til you're puking. In fact, the topic of puking even came up during his set! (Not in a gross way, of course. It was fitting and humorous.)

Plum Union graced our presence once again. It feels so nice to have a circle of friends all over the country, however, it feels comforting to know that there are some right by you that you can always visit with and smell the garlic and tea tree oil mixture on them when you hug them! Not only that, but to hear their lovely singing voices almost whenever you please!
Edwin of Plum Union just had a birthday on Wednesday, so I baked a cake for him from scratch, and I decorated it with some runny homemade frosting.Cat also played some solo songs, which were a real treat! It was the first time I've seen her perform live by herself.

Cowboy Motif played some pretty upbeat, acoustic pop songs with an Animal Collective backbone, which I am always a sucker for.
They were very young and very sweet and kind.

Let's do this again, and again, and again, please!

November House Show #2 flyer.

Tonight is the second and last of the November House shows.
If you are in Madison or nearby and want some free food , music, and company, please feel free to stop by! Click on the photo for more info on the event!
You won't regret it!

Flashback Fridays.

Today I was walking my favorite two year old, in hopes that she would fall asleep on this lovely day that we were completely blessed to have (50 degree weather in November...in Wisconsin. I'll take it!) On my walk, I passed many scents.
Food being prepared, crunchy leaves being burned in the distance, and of course, the smell of something crawling up your nose and and proceeding to die there.


Whenever this happens, I am brought back to when I visited the Great Salt Lake on my first tour, and how completely disgusting it was.
It smelt, looked, and felt like pure yuckfest 2008.

Rob illustrates.That stuff that looks like plantlife....yeah, it's actually bugs clumped together.

By the way, although the Great Salt Lake was repulsive, it was worth seeing,
and I would rather picture that whenever I smell something gross rather than something that might make me want to puke.

My work with Resin, Part II.

For those who were wondering, I've documented the drying process of Resin.
Day 1 of drying: smells like death, sticky, not dry.
Day 2 of drying: still smells like death, sticky.
-----------------------------------------------------
Day 5 of drying: no smell, sticky.
Day 8 of drying: no smell, completely dry!



Well, there you have it.
Resin is a pain in the ass, but it's so lovely when it's complete, isn't it?

Can an Iphone app interpret your baby's crying?

I listen to NPR everyday.
I love it.
It's how I stay updated with current events.

Today on my way home from work, I was listening to All Tech Considered, and I found out that the Iphone has just released a Baby Cry Translator. They put it to the test.
You can listen to it here.


So Can an Iphone app interpret your baby's crying?
I say: Not a chance.

Christmas Prep?? Before Thanksgiving!?

I hate Christmas decorations preparations before Thanksgiving (especially before Halloween...) however, this year I am guilty of it.
This is my first holiday season away from home. I mean away, away, awayyy from home.
So I feel like I have to take extra care in getting things done, and getting them done early.

• Baking (how soon is too soon?)
  
• Creating
  
• Etsy/Local Shopping
• Shipping to Pennsylvania

So because of this, I decided to do some online shopping today, as well as make all of my Christmas cards.
If you would like to be included, please feel free to message your address to me via facebook, or email it to me @ stronglikenanacy[at]yahoo.com.



Also, last year I wrote a bunch of Christmas songs in, oh, I don't know...February.
So I'm thinking of finally recording them and releasing a Christmas EP.
Busy Bee!

November's House Shows, Part I

I didn't get to take pictures at October's house shows, so I haven't posted anything about them, but they were very lovely.
Last night I made sure not to forget about taking pictures for November.

Flotation Walls
Epic music from Columbus, OH in my living room.

Adam Balbo
Singer songwriter with very quirky/cute/clever lyrics, from San Francisco.



Other News:
1.) You might notice that I've changed my blog around a bit.
Let me know what you think.
I haven't decided what I think about it yet.
(I'm worried it looks soccer-mom-blogish)


2.) Willi was spayed, and she had to wear a soft "sunflower" (as Jason and I liked to call it) so she would not harm her stitches. She has not calmed down at all since her operation, but is more moody, embarrassed, and of course, naughty.
Here is an example of such naughtiness, while she tries to wriggle her way out of her "sunflower".

"If you love freedom, thank a vet."

When I was a kid, my parents had this bumper sticker that said "If you love freedom, thank a vet."
As a little girl, I thought that the bumper sticker was referring to Veterinarians.
Needless to say, I think it's stupid that people only say thank you to Veterans about as often as they take their pets to the vet.
I think we should say thank you whenever we can.

My best friend, Ant.
I'm thankful and proud of you everyday, not just today.

Free To Be...You and Me!

"We've begun to raise daughters more like sons, but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters." -- Gloria Steinem

Just a friendly reminder to not forget our boys (and men) in a world of traditional crafts, mostly dominated by women.






(Ft. Roberta Flack and Micheal Jackson)

These two videos are from Free To Be..You and Me!, a movie that was made in the 1970's which is the only film I remember seeing and loving during my elementary school years. I certainly hope it's still shown.

My work with Resin.

This past week I've been experimenting with Resin.
It's my first time using it, and so far I've been finding it to be very frustrating.

1. It smells horrible.
2. You have to be extremely cautious while using it because it involves chemicals (don't use it if you have small children, unless it's in an area where they will never be able to get to it until it's dry.)
3. I CAN'T GET IT TO DRY!

Now, here is my question for people who have experience with Resin and Catalyst:
How long does it normally take to dry?
My goodness!

Bloggers Ornament Exchange

I've just signed up! You should too!

Spoonflower

When was the last time you fell in love?
Oh, I remember my last! Yesterday when I discovered Spoonflower!
Spoonflower is a site that allows you to design your own fabric and get it printed without being limited to the size or weight!
Isn't that amazing?!

Monkey Doll All Teal by vo

Deer Fabric by emrick123

Just thought I would share! <3

Halloween fun!

I hope everyone had a great Halloween!
Jason played a house show at the Red Manor and we both had a fantastic time with our friends and strangers alike.
We went as Mad Men!

What did you go as?

Tunes for Tykes.

The youngest of the three girls that I care for during daylight hours turned a terrific two years old yesterday. I felt so happy as I watched her smear icecream sundae all over her face, chest, and lap in the scariest place on earth.
I bought her two new Madeline books (I cannot tell you how many times I've read the first in the past two months.), made her a dress, and put together some songs that I thought she might like.
I thought I would share it with you!

Picture from Smile and Wave.

Tunes for Tykes
that Mom and Dad will like..

1. "The Swimming Song" -- Loudon Wainwright III
2. "All I Want is You" -- Barry Louis Polisar
3. "There is a Mountain" -- Donovan
4. "Three Little Birds" -- Bob Marley
5. "Yellow Submarine" -- The Beatles
6. "Vegetables" -- The Beach Boys
7. "Lollipop" -- The Chordettes
8. "I should have known better" -- She & Him
9. "Small Words, Bigger Lessons" -- Polka Dot Dot Dot
10. "A Tisket, A Tasket" -- Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Webb and his Orchestra
11. "The Clapping Song (Clap Pat, Clap Slap)" -- Shirley Ellis
12. "Chewing Gum" -- The Carter Family
13. "This Land is Your Land" -- Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly
14. "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" -- Herman's Hermits
15. "All I Have to do is Dream" -- The Everly Brothers
16. "You Are My Sunshine" -- Paul Curreri and Devon Sproule
17. "Turn! Turn! Turn!"-- The Byrds
18. "Ragged Wood" -- Fleet Foxes
19. "Lynette I Love You" -- Drew Danbury
20. "Margo, Left in Bed" -- Brown Recluse
21. "1 2 3 4" -- Feist

All of these songs are fantastic, and I highly suggest looking into more music by these artists!
If any of the musicians listed have any problem with me promoting their music in my list,
please let me know and I would be happy to remove it!
<3

WIST Etsy.

Oh hey guys, it's me! Your favorite Madisonian (I hope!)
My Etsy has just been featured on the WIST Esty blog!
Check it out!
Cool stuff!

beauty.

And one day, this will be me.

Picture from Casiotone for the Painfully Alone

Vs. Children

stuck in.

Post-nasal drips are practically a death sentence for my weekends.
PND leads to flared asthma which leads to being hopped up on prednisone.
I'm hoping that if I just rest and take it easy I won't have to go to the hospital again. It's just really aggravating. I've been considering getting a job at Trader Joe's or even Starbucks (shudder), even though I love my current job with the little girls, and I would get paid a lot less, just so I can have health care. Every one I've looked into on my own does not cover hospitalization, and that's what I need most if I have an asthma attack. It really stinks. I did everything I was supposed to do to be set with my future. I graduated from high school, I graduated from college, and I looked like mad for a good job.
Don't get me wrong, I do have a good job, but I don't get heath care through it. I'm left wondering what I'm going to do once my perscriptions for my asthma medications run out without health care and without being able to afford going to a doctor without it.


Anyway, because of this I've had to sit in all weekend, however, I've also been fairly productive since all of my asthma medications are steroids and make me wired.


Patched sweater for Jason

Completed dress for a certain almost-two year old.


side note: Universal health care, please come soon.

Reflections.

I don't have too much to say today. Or this week in general. I've been exhausted all week because Jason and I have been show-throwing maniacs. Three shows in one week.
If I ever decide that this is a good idea in the future, please remind me that this is a horrible idea.







If you would have told me this time last year that in a few months I would be living in Wisconsin with a cat and a man with glasses, I would have thought you were crazy, but I'm so happy I'm here with my little family.

Christi Garland

I love Christi Albon. She's a really super person, guitarist, and friend, and I wanted to post what I made her for her birthday months and months ago but haven't had the chance to mail yet (not because I'm bad at mailing things, but because I'm good and forgetting to mail things.)
Christi still lives in the dorms at college because she's an RA. It's a pretty sweet deal if you can get it, however, it kind of stinks because you have to live in a cold cinder-block box, surrounded by obnoxious kids away from home for the first time.
When I used to live in the dorms, I found that what really helped my feel more cozy and at home were

1. bight, warm colors.
   
2. no fluorescent lights.
3. handmade touches.

Anyway, I felt that what would help her out would be some sweet garland to decorate her room with.
I hope she likes it.

Why Cats Paint.

Remember my blog post about Why Cats Paint?
WELL...

I think it's safe to say that Willi has started her art career.
Apparently Willi paints to show off her teenage kitty angst!

Vanilla Apple Tart.

I try my hardest to bake Jason a treat once a week. This usually turns out to be a treat once a month, but whatev's, I work more than 45 hours a week.

Vanilla Apple Tart.

Ingredients:
Dough:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
2 tbl oil

Filling:
1 large Granny Smith Apple
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp flour
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp vanilla (or less, depending on how you like it!)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400* F.
2. Mix dough ingredients together. Roll out dough, then place it into your pie dish.
3. Mix together your filling ingredients, lay them over the dough.
4. Bake for 13-18 mins.
5. Remove from oven.
6. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the tart while it is still warm. (This helped to make it more moist without covering the whole tart in icky sugar jelly filling. yuck.)
7. Allow to cool, then sprinkle some brown sugar over the apples.
8. Eat!