Christmas Music: The Good

Ahhh, Christmas. I love Christmas! I love Christmas music! Nothing gets me in the spirit of Christmas quite like snow and music. I have been wanting to post my top 15 Christmas Songs list for some time now but I just haven't had a second to sit down and think about it. Well, I found a little time today! Without further ado, here is basically (I only had 10 minutes and it was a lot of pressure!) my top 15:

#15- Marshmallow World

I like all of the versions of this song, this is my favorite! It is just a fun song!

#14- Christmas All Alone- The Lettermen

This was one of my very favorites as a kid, when I got older, I didn't like the ending much but it is such a beautiful song and one only done by one group! I am glad it hasn't been picked up by the likes of Justin Bieber!

#13- Baby It's Cold Outside

I love Zooey, she sounds like Judy Garland. I haven't heard a duet of this I haven't liked....yet. Rod Stewart does it great!

#12- What Child is This (Greensleeves)

I am not a huge fan of the singing version of this song but there is nothing like two gypsies playing it on a guitar and a violin!

#11- Angels We Have Heard On High

I love this version the very best, straight from out of the hymn book! There is a horrible, horrible version done by Neil Diamond that sounds like everyone is mad, definately not my favorite!

#10- What Can I Give You This Christmas- The Letterman

Oh yes, The Lettermen have made it on my list yet again. Again, they are the only ones that I know of that sing this sweet little Christmas song. It is just so great!

#9- Lucy and Linus

Nothing can get me into the Christmas spirit like a little jazz piano and dancing like you are a character from Peanuts! My favorite dance is the one where you keep your head down and shuffle your feet and move your neck, like the little twin girls!

#8- Christmas in Sarajevo

So great!

#7- Sleigh Ride

You really can't go wrong with this song! Every time I hear it I am reminded of my Grandma Welker frantically playing it on the piano, she does an amazing job of it if she has a fast page turner. This is my favorite version.

#6- Anything Ella Fitzgerald Sings

I know that is a lot of Christmas songs but seriously, Ella can sing some serious Christmas tunes! I couldn't even pick a favorite so I randomly chose this one, a great one with Bing.

#5- O Come, O Come, Emanuel

I have always loved this song. I sang it long ago for a Christmas program and wanted to know more about the lyrics and read up on it and was fascinated. It is so beautiful, just like out of the old lands. It also shows, politically, what my stance is with Israel :D.

#4- Merry Christmas, Darling- Karen Carpenter

What a very lovely song. When Karen sings, it sounds like she really means it. She does this one wonderfully. I heard Vanessa Williams attempt it the other day...fail.

#3- Silent Night

This is another one that I love to sing and listen to, I have sung it in German and in Spanish, I would love to learn it in old Irish. Also, it is another song with a wonderfully, beautiful story! Stevie Nicks' version is gross though.

#2- Last Christmas- Wham

Hahaha! Yes, I am so serious! Say what you will, I will always love this song! The boys at work know how crazy I am for this song. It is the only one I will actually sing out loud in public. I was grossed out when other people started singing it because, really, no one does it like Wham!

#1- Christmas Waltz- The Lettermen

This is by far, my very favorite Christmas song, it has been since I was a little girl. The memories I have of my siblings and I dancing and singing to this song and the whole album in our front living room with just the lights on the tree shining are some of my very best memories!

So there is is, my Good List. Wondering what's on my bad list? Only time will tell! What's your favorite Christmas song?

My Little Observation

When I was a little girl, I couldn't stand Barbies. My friends all had Barbies, I had My Little Ponies. They were always trying to set their Barbies on the backs of my ponies. Luckily for me, Matel made those plastic women with too long of legs that couldn't even do splits properly so needless to say, they never lasted long on the backs of my ponies. I loved everything about my ponies. I still love them! The way their sweet faces were painted on, the smell of their plastic, but most of all, their beautiful, big, swoopy manes. I would comb, braid, crimp, comb, ribbon, braid, comb, all day long.....which leads me to my observation. Last week my mom dropped by all of the boxes and totes containing my childhood things, in order to make more storage room at her place (after 34 years, I am officially moved out). In going through the boxes, I found a few of my very favorite My Little Ponies. That same day, I was going through a bunch of hairstyle pictures trying to decide what to do with my hair, whether or not to go shorter or cut bangs or leave it long. Here is what this post has been leading up to. I have always loved long and swoopy hair with the great bangs. These are a few of my favorite hair styles:

And here are some of my favorite ponies:

Are you seeing any similarities at all? Even a bit? Interesting how and where we develop our tastes, don't you think? (p.s. these are original 1983 ponies in perfect condition, the peach one with the pink hair who's name is Peachy is my very favorite).

Rod, What a Softy!

I love a good game of soccer! What is more, I love a man who isn't afraid to cry after watching his team play a fabulous game of soccer!

Cheap Entertainment

Monday, I found that my view of the neighbors big screen tv across the street was being impeded on account of my houseplants going through a crazy growth spurt. I decided on a win-win situation and gave them all a good hair cut. Now that they are trimmed and looking smart, I can get back entertaining myself with my own lip readings of The Kardashian and cheesy horror movies, which seem to be the only two things my neighbors like watch. Did I mention my Christmas cactus is blooming?

Purdiddle

I realized today that I have been driving around town for possibly a week or more with a burned out headlight. I would like to apologize for any sore arms I may have caused.

I Couldn't Help But Think of This as the Clouds Rolled In:

ISO

If stick figures were mandatory on the back of every vehicle in the world, not just the ones from Utah and Idaho, this is the one I would be in search of! Preferably on a Subaru or a Volvo.

Ummmmm....

It isn't everyday that you see a great big giant hairy spider headed towards the Senior Citizens Center!

The Never Ending Story, For Reals

Yesterday I came to the sad realization that no matter how many times I rewind the part in the Never Ending Story where Bastian is giving the little Empress a name, due to the fact that he screams it right as lightning strikes, I am never, ever, going to figure out what the name is. That is probably why they named the movie The Never Ending Story. Well played.

Meet Jaffy!

In my last post I listed that I have 3 loyal companions, that's right, I am two cats over the sane cat owner limit and have just crossed over to the crazy cat lady. It was never my intention to have more than one cat....in fact I wanted a dog...but my studio apartment would never have been big enough for the Irish Wolfhound I still am planning on getting sometime in my future, and my fish were seriously not that fun! So the next best thing was a cat! I originally brought my dear sweet kitten Ramses with me from home but he was diagnosed with liver failure a few weeks later and had to be put down which broke my heart! I was so devastated that I went right out and got another cat to replace him....well, two cats, from the pound that were brother and sister. With the help of my friend Clayton, we got them home and safe....for a day. Remember those Siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp...yeah, they unfortunately had the worse temperaments, but that was never mentioned to me before hand and after ripping up everything in the house and breaking everything worth value and biting everyone in sigh within a 24 hour period, Clayton and I took them right back. I found Shanty at Peaches. Someone had brought in the whole litter. The owner told me that the mother had been killed and they had been bottle feeding him. He was the spunkiest little kitten ever! He was just adorable, and still is! Athens was a gift to me 10 years ago from my boss's father. She was such a tiny kitten, I really didn't know what to do with her. She is such a good mouser though and even though it took around 2 months, her and Shanty learned to get along and they are still inseparable. Now Jaffy. A few months ago I was getting into my car for lunch and I heard a very loud meow. I followed it over to one of the greenhouses that had a sheet of snow that had slipped off of it and in between the snow and the greenhouse was a little scared, bright eyed orange kitten...orange is my favorite. I tried and tried to catch it but it was impossible so I picked up a taco for it at lunch and left it and just observed during the day what he was up to. I secretly was hoping that he would run and find a home because I hate to see animals without homes but I knew full well that it would probably find the cat house that we have in one of the greenhouses. To make a long story short, several days and several burritos later, we became friends. He had a bad leg and eye problems and was in a bad way but I decided to take him in anyways. The other two cats still hate me for doing it though but I keep thinking that one day they will thank me. I know Jaffy appreciated it! He is so super cuddly and purrs on demand. I am happy to say that he has made a full recovery and now has 4 working legs and dilating eyes and he is worm free...I know this first hand...don't ask me how :( I am happy to have him and his spunkiness makes me laugh! I am not sure we will make it all the way to Christmas with our tree standing or with ornaments on it because he is a climber but we shall see.

This was my Jaffy before bringing him home

This is my Jaffy now

What 10 Things I Am Thankful For

Family



My Savior

Loyal Companions



A Job

Shelter

A Car

Books and Knowledge

Friends



A Beautiful World




Laughter



This is a very short list of things that I am thankful for but I haven't forgotten other things that I thank my Heavenly Father for every day. May we all remember to live in thanksgiving daily.

The House

Well, after 30 days of the most frustrating, hair pulling, teeth grinding, exhausting, life changing decisions, I finally grew up and bought a house. Now this decision was not an easy or relaxing decision. It required constant vigilance on MLS, visiting gross run down houses, being disappointed, etc. But I am glad to say that I have chosen the house that suits my feel! The house has 3 bedrooms a basement, cold storage, and food storage, along with a cute kitchen and bathroom with additional shower, separate from the bathroom. Only yesterday did I get to walk around it and really spend time looking at it and getting a feel for it. It was built in 1936 and has been in the same family until now. I have yet to select a name for it (why are British the only ones that give their houses names??) but I will be coming up with one soon. It has a huge wonderful backyard that doesn't have anything started in it but a clothes line so my imagination is getting pretty darn excited! I am sooooo looking forward to having everything painted, papered, and floored to my liking (I am not a sea foam green type of person) and I am sure there will be many picture updates as I do a little transforming. I am super excited! The main things that I am looking forward to are: not having a community washer and dryer and having to pull some strangers lint out of the trap :( gross!, having to hesitate before belting out Whitney Houston while soaking in the tub, having to close my blinds whenever a stray car pulls into the pit of fornication, having the grand inquisitor question my every move, not being able to vacuum after 9, not being able to do jumping jacks....in case I ever wanted too, having to sneak my 2 cats in and out, having to wait at my front door while the couple leaning next to my car says there extra loooooong goodbye before leaving, having my mail far from me and having to use a key to get to it, knowing exactly what the neighbor downstairs had for the dinner the night before because it has become embedded on my towels, not having enough room EVER for all my plants, beige everything, not having room for a bbq, and not having room for a hammock! I know, I know, that all sounds pretty negative, but I WILL miss the pool! 11 of some of my best years have been spent cooped up in my little apartment and I have been able to make the best of it but now on to BIGGER and BETTER!! Did I mention I am excited?!!? Now for some pictures:


Tulips alredy!!

The kitchen (sorry it's a horrible shot)

The view of the backyard (filled with weeds I know!) from the kitchen.

Little Johnny Jump-up's growning in the sidewalk cracks :D

The living room before

Pulling up the carpet in the living room.....

.....and the bedroom.

Cousin Carol came over to help me sand!




After.

I haven't been able to sell many people on the green wall color in the bedroom but it isn't finished yet! More remodels pictures to come.....if I last that long!

Shanty's 10!

Shanty has reached the ripe old age of 10! In cat years, he has overtaken me so he has become the eldest in the apartment. What he does, goes! He now controls when he sleeps, when I sleep, when he eats, and when he goes outside.....well, much like he did even as a kitten. We have become the best of friends in our last 10 years together and here are the 10 things I love about him:

#1- He isn't afraid to sleep all day
#2- He still runs like a kitten when he gets scared of plastic bags
#3- He ALWAYS has to be on the counter in the bathroom every morning watching me get ready
#4- He is sooooo soft
#5- He gets along with everyone! Children, adults, other cats, and even dogs
#6- He always finds the most cleverest places to hide
#7- He has excelled in the English language and understands fully the words: dinner, cat treats, and outside
#8- He's a great lap cat
#9- He smiles if you rub his chin
and #10- He has been with me through thick and thin and is patient with me when I am away of out of the country and still accepts me when I come back which to me is a sign of true friendship!
Happy Birthday Shanty!