Scenes from our summer

It's September! I always mark September as the end of summer. The end of our travels and vacation and carefree afternoons lazing around the back porch around the grill. Now we just have to solemnly march on until we hit the holiday season. ;)

We spent a good chunk of our summer visiting playgrounds and parks across the city. And when our old standbys in West Des Moines and Windsor Heights weren't cutting it, we ventured out of the city to this old gal...

^^Big Creek's playground is exactly as it was when I was just a little girl. We are talking old school. Just look at that solid wood structure and METAL slide! None of that plastic stuff here. Just your old fashioned burn the backs of your calves on a hot summer day slide.

And wouldn't you know it--tire swings!

It wouldn't be summer without an Avett Brothers concert. We went to Saturday in the Park in Sioux City. We are groupies. We realize this.

 

^^And here's a terrible photo from the concert that I made black and white to try to mask it's terribleness.

Also, kids, remind me to tell you about the walk home from that concert when you are older.  The general takeaway is to always have an exit plan.

We experimented with headbands.

 Important life changing stuff for Evy going on up there, right?

And to cap off the entire summer, Josh and I crossed off a certain concert on our bucket list. More to come on that later!

Happy September, friends!

To listen, to get pumped about, to chuckle at

Happy weekend, friends of mine! We have plans to gorge ourselves silly on some great Des Moines eats this weekend. What about you?

A few things that I like that I think you might like too: 

To listen:
This song has been making me happy recently. I'm a sucker for a song that starts out slow and then gets rambunctious.




To get pumped about:

We are going to the Passion Pit and Matt & Kim concert in a couple of weeks. It's been awhile since we've been to a show so I've been getting excited about it. Then Josh showed me this and oh, boy do I hope this happens!



To chuckle at:

Dexter loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Like hardcore. Like I'm certain he would prefer the company of the whole clubhouse gang over his own family. He started to sing the Hot Dog song when he was watching it yesterday and then stopped as soon as I was caught sneaking a video but stay tuned to the end, it's pretty cute if I do say so myself.

To watch, to wear, to listen, to geek

Hello, hello! Happy weekend! Can you believe we are just a few weeks away from Christmas? We are seriously slacking on the gift thing around these parts. I finally sat down and made a list of who we have left to buy for and what we're buying. That made me feel a little less jumbled and overwhelmed...but then I thought how we still need to take our Christmas photo and order our cards, and how we have a few social engagements coming up where we'll need to find a sitter and I got a little overwhelmed again. I know, I scare easy.

So here's something I haven't done lately--shown you random things that I like!

To watch:

What's more Christmas than Mariah Carey, am I right?



Full disclosure: I was a big Mariah Carey fan in the 90s. Like I may or may not have done a gymnastics routine to this song in the 6th grade talent show. Also to be noted, that song has the words "sweet ecstasy" in it and my friend and I were explicitly told that we had to edit the song to exclude that kind of foul language (my words, not theirs). Total badass, right? 



To wear:

The boots that I got last Christmas kicked the bucket (you get what you pay for, delia*s $39 boots!) and since I have decided that I cannot go a winter without boot, I bought these on sale at Younkers last week (but I'm still not willing to pay over $100 so $52 it is, Mia boots!). I don't know if they still have them since the shoe department looked like a war zone when I went but it looks like Piperlime has them if you are so inclined.

from Piperlime

To listen:

I know everyone and their mother has heard Little Talks but I like this song too...



To geek out to:

One of Joshie's friends sent me a link to this. Related. 

To watch, to figure out, to listen

Happy weekend! What are you up to this weekend? Josh's parents are visiting and we have plans to go to a pumpkin patch as long as it doesn't rain. Josh and I didn't get to go last year since we were busy whooping it up in Vegas for Joshie's birthday and I imagine now that Dexter is a real live boy it will be fairly fun.We're also planning to do an Oktoberfest meal with German potato salad and spaetzle. I've never had either but I feel fairly confident that it's going to be a good meal since it always is with this family.

To watch:

Are you watching The Mindy Kaling Project? If you have a pulse, you probably are. I've been enjoying that show. I've also been making an effort to remember Modern Family. For some reason, we always forget about it but it really is worth remembering. Comedies have definitely taken over our TV watching this season. Well, that and football of course.


To figure out:

This face has been making the rounds this week. It's the face of deciding whether he'll get over it or erupt. The face of "seriously? I'm speaking in the most plain clear English ever known to man and you still don't get what I want?" I hear ya, kid. I hear ya. But I don't get it. I promise I'm trying though.

To listen:

We listened to The Lumineers on the way home to Davenport a few weekends ago. And now I'm noticing this song everywhere. It's a good one.

to eat, to listen, to wear

Happy weekend, friends! This weekend is the World Food Festival in Des Moines. We've never had the chance to attend so that may find its way on our agenda. I know the whole point of a festival like this is to try food from other cultures but quite frankly, if we go you'll probably find me at the Filipino food stand because I know that I like it. Stick with what you know and you'll never be disappointed, kids.Yup, that's how I do.

To eat:

I have every intention of making these dark chocolate chip and sea salt cookies this weekend. I've really been into the whole salty and sweet thing (salted rice krispies, salted fudge brownies) so hopefully these will live up to my expectations.


To listen:

I like this version of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love". I'm just such a sucker for a piano and a pretty voice.



To wear:

So now that I'm officially growing my hair out...I think. I decided to see if I could pull off a sock bun. And I did for approximately 3 hours. Hooray. I used this youtube tutorial.

to listen, to watch, to wear

Happy weekend! We have a lot of fun plans this weekend including a kids birthday party, breakfast with my former roomies-and-always-friends and a little get together with our pals to cheer on the Hawkeyes for the big Iowa/ISU game. Now, let me let you in on a little secret. I was not a Hawkeye fan before I met Joshie. Nor was I a Cyclone fan. I was a Bulls fan. Yeah, super not even relevant to the conversation, right? Let me just say that beyond cheering for my high school football team (grr-rah, rah, rah, Tigers!) football just didn't exist in my house. But I have tried to embrace and embody all the Hawkeyeness that I can as the wife of a die-hard fan. I've done such a good job of playing the part that whenever I hear someone say that they are an ISU fan, I think to myself, hmmm, that's too bad. I also have this same reaction when I figure out someone has a cat. Just really unfortunate, isn't it?

To listen:

Lana Del Rey. I'm really liking this song. Josh has been listening to her for a good long while. What a cool kid.



To watch:

Did you know Sesame Street parodied Outkast's Hey Ya!? I was watching it with Dexter on Netflix. Well played. Sesame Street, well played.


To wear:

I rarely ever enter giveaways on blogs. Partly because I'm too lazy to curate a collection on X website to enter and partly because I don't fancy myself lucky enough to win. However, I spotted this one on Kendi Everyday and couldn't resist because I was feeling terribly desperate as I was rummaging through the pit of despair that is my closet trying to figure out what to wear to work. I've never purchased anything from Ruche but I entered their dresses for a year giveaway. If you're feeling lucky or just saddened by your closet like me, you can enter it too here.

to eat, to watch, to listen

Happy Friday and three day weekend! Woo, get crazy! We'll be spending time with family and friends this weekend. I plan on rocking every one of my favorite summer outfits. I hope that treating this as a final hurrah for summer will entice the heat to break. It was a whopping 100 degrees today! I hate the winter snow and ice but this heat is a little ridiculous.What are you up to this weekend?

To eat:
Josh whipped up a batch of homemade donuts last Sunday using a roll of the Pillsbury Biscuit dough we had hanging out in the bottom of our deep freeze. Good grief, I love this guy.I ate them for breakfast the rest of the week.

And as if that wasn't enough to satisfy the junk food monster in me, I tried the cake balls at Creme Cupcake and they are life changing, friends. Do it.  

To watch:

I spotted this trailer on Cup of Jo last week. Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones? Good call!




To listen:

Maybe I've been living under a rock or something but I totally didn't realize that Scarlet Johansson had such a good voice. Was that a backhanded compliment? Anyway, I've really been loving this song. Brought to my attention from this blog and now here for your listening pleasure.

To eat, to drink, to listen

Happy weekend! I had a lovely day off with Dexter yesterday that included running errands, a trip to the park and getting ready for our next summer o' fun adventure...the zoo! It's going to blow his freaking mind I think. Those lions in your books, they do exist, buddy. Get ready. Hope you have something mind-blowing planned this weekend too!

To eat:

I have yet to get to our OP in Des Moines. I don't know what I'm waiting for. Ha, yes, I do-our bank account to look a little less like I work at a non-profit and more like I'm growing a money tree in my backyard. I'd settle for a money bush. When that happens, breadsticks and taco subs for everyone! A summer o' fun is awesome but I tell you it sure eats up your cash money.  


To drink:
Speaking of throwing away money, the fair starts next week! I've been craving a good fair lemonade. I used to go to Walt's Lemonade on the main concourse upon the recommendation of my sis-in-law but I searched the catalog of vendors for this year and didn't see them! Gah, do I need to find another go-to? Let the search begin!



To listen:

Before we were married but after we graduated from college, Josh and I went on a road trip to Omaha with our friends and saw the Cold War Kids. It was probably one of the first shows that I saw with Josh. And oh how the basement of that venue smelled. Hot and sweaty. So very sweaty. Despite that (or maybe because of it?) it was a great show. Even if I was the only one dancing. What is up with these hipster concert goers being too cool for school to dance? Anyway, Florence and the Machine's version of one of the Cold War Kids' songs popped up in my Pandora and I am in love.

To eat, to drink, to listen

To Eat:

Horseradish cheese. Have you had it? It's so good. If you're into horseradish that is. I didn't think I was...until I had this cheese. So maybe scratch that, it's for horseradish lovers and those that want to convert. We went to this cheese house while on vacation and purchased a block. We ended up with leftovers and brought them home and Josh told me that I could have the rest of it but I said that I didn't want to because then it would be gone forever and that would make me so sad.

P.S. I did end up eating all of it.

To Drink:

pic from here

Also, while on vacation my sister-in-law, Amy filled a pitcher with one can of frozen limeade, one can of beer, one can of tequila and one can of water, stirred it up and voila Beer Can Margaritas (also know as your next hangover). It's got a kick to it and will warm your soul.



To Listen:

I had to drive to Fort Dodge for work and cranked up the volume to an obscene decibel level when Fun's new song came on. It's the kind of song that I can picture myself taking up a lot of room to dance to which is definitely a requirement of a good song in my book.

80/35: a day for irresponsibility

Silly me, I forgot to mention 80/35, which was like the pre-party to our vacation. Well, it was for me at least. I do enjoy a good pre-party.  Our friends summed it up best when they said something to the effect that, "We are responsible parents for 364 days out of the year, and then there's 80/35 day."

I tend to be pretty enthusiastic listening to a band I like but when I know every single song that a band plays, well, it's like you're just telling me to get rowdy. And I'm an excellent direction follower. So the Avett Brothers did just that; they even played the two songs that I wanted to hear most as their encore. And if that isn't a mandate for rowdiness then I don't know what is. And here's what rowdiness, irresponsibility and 90 degree plus temps look like. It isn't pretty...but it sure is fun.

Modern day lullabies

Josh really is the music guru in our house. He's the guy that is willing to try on new music by lesser known bands. Me? I just tag along for the ride. However, I must say that thing where music gurus like him act all indignant when other people discover "their" band has definitely rubbed off on me. Which I realize is very silly considering I'm one of those other people but nonetheless, hrmph, nose in air. So when Dexter was born the tunes that I sang and hummed and bounced (oh, was there bouncing) to make that up all night and sleep all day baby turn the corner was mostly music passed down from Joshie to me years ago. Some of it was also passed along from my friend Jill too, mostly the girly stuff.

To this day, Ingrid Michaelson and Avett Brothers are in heavy rotation as part of my and Dexter's bedtime routine. And somehow the one and only song that I know by Joshua Radin has become a favorite as well. Of course I get the words to that song all sort of jumbled and sing the same verse over and over but he gets the point. 

My most favorite modern day lullabies in our house:

The Way I am by Ingrid Michaelson (I used to giggle when I would sing the part about rogaine and losing all your hair because well, have you seen the kid?)



If it's the Beaches by The Avett Brothers (I can specifically remember bouncing around his room during that second or third or maybe eighth week, it all just blends together, and cradling him while holding back tears because yes, Dexter if it's the beaches that you want, then you WILL have them! What a sentimental trainwreck! 

The Avetts are coming, the Avetts are coming

So I've been thinking about 80/35 and getting more excited for the Avett Bros. since they are quite good in concert. We were lucky enough to see them at ACL and in Des Moines a few years ago but I can't recall if they played Josh's song of choice, Colorshow. It took awhile for it to grow on me as the track has a lot of screaming and it's a bit loud for my liking (I know, what a grandma, right?), but I'm kind of into it now. I especially like the part about Babymakers since it reminds me of when Josh's friend once sent a letter to us before we were married and addressed it to Lora Babymaker because he didn't know my last name. Hmmm, babymakers, maybe that's the term I could use for nether regions. No? Okay, I'll keep working on it.



Also, another Avett song that reminds me of the aftermath of Grateful Deads, Drunken Monkeys and sticky bar floors.

Noah and the Whale

This song showed up in Pandora for me and I like it. Songs just get so much better when they spell things out. Think YMCA, Respect, Love by Ashlee Simpson. See? Much better.

This is my jam

So I think I'm the last person on earth without a smartphone. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise to you college folk who knew me freshman year and were treated to this eye candy that was my cell phone in 2001. Wow, wow, wow, right?

Anyway, I present to you the new old fashioned way of figuring out who sings a song without actually having an App for that. Mind you, I have a touch which I basically pretend is a smartphone, (poser).

1. Song comes on in the car, commence me jamming out and pretending I know the words
2. Record a snippet using the voice memo app on my touch
3. Bring it home to Josh and see if he knows who sings it
4. Darn, he doesn't...BUT he has a iPhone...and on that iPhone was an app, E-I-E-I-O
5. Make his iPhone makeout with my touch so his app can identify mystery song.

And it can! Success! Voila, my new jam, ya'll...

Add it to the list

He is not a DJ and I am not a dancer. Pic from here

One more reason why I am not mature enough to be a mom. Moms don't dance onstage to Lil Wayne during a Girl Talk concert. Furthermore, moms don't dance onstage to Lil Wayne during a Girl Talk concert and then act outraged because they didn't play Lil Wayne. Yipes.

I'm gonna start a list of all the things that I do that proves that I am not mature enough to be a mom. I'll call it the "I'm not like a regular mom, I'm a cool mom" list. Nice work if you caught the Mean Girls reference.

My 15 minutes of fame did not last long. Kelly and I were motioned to exit stage right fairly early in the game. I wonder why. Maybe they caught a glimpse of my nursing bra? Was there the faint smell of spit up lingering on my dress? In any case, kicking me off stage was not a good call on their part because it sent me back to the beer tent. Yipes again. I really felt that one when Dex woke me up at 6 a.m. Maybe it's more fitting for me to call my list the "I'm a regular mom pretending to be a cool mom" list.

Another successful 80/35

Do Re Mi

Pic from here

The cast of The Sound of Music celebrated 45 years since the movie was released and were on the Today Show this week. It's definitely one of my most favorite musicals so I was very happy when Meredith and Ann were able to coax the Von Trapp children into singing Do Re Mi before they went to commercial. It's the first song that I learned on the piano and probably the only song that I could still play today.

Puts me in a good mood

The Beatles have been ending up on my Pandora station lately and when I hear one of their songs it instantly puts me in a good mood. I remember taking road trips with my family in our super sweet caravan and singing along to "Obladi, Oblada" at the top of my lungs and thinking how risque it was to shout "BRA" during the chorus. I know, I was a square.

We should be friends

I went to Tegan and Sara with Jill last week and they put on a good show. They had a little Q&A session with fans between songs and I have to say that there were a few questions that had me scratching my head. For example, one girl stepped up to the mic and said, "You guys (insert expletive here) rock! You are (insert expletive here) awesome!" For the next part of the (non)question, I'll just give those non-Tegan and Sara followers a heads up and let you know that Tegan and Sara are twins who are lesbians. Anyway, back to the (non)question, the girl then went on to say, "I have a twin sister and we're both gay too. And I always had a thing for Tegan and she always had a thing for Sara."

Now, what are Tegan and Sara supposed to do with that information? Were they suppose to say, "Cool, we should be friends"? The only thing I personally could liken this awkward exchange to is when people find out I'm Filipino and ask me if I know so-and-so because obviously, all of us Filipinos are in cahoots. I don't remember exactly what Tegan or Sara's answer was to that statement but I know it was a very eloquent and witty response like all of their other answers during the Q&A. And that might be the thing that I liked best about them, well-spoken and talent to boot.

See some funny footage from the concert below:

80/35

Another 4th of July and another 80/35 festival. The lineup wasn't as great as it has been in past years and the weather was even more disappointing. It rained all day on Sunday which conjured up images of our time in Middle Earth last fall. We can't complain too much though about a three-day weekend spent with friends, family and live music.



Other things we did this weekend:

• Ate
• Drank

Spring Has Sprung!

Now that spring is upon us, it is time to have some fun again. Get out of the house and live a little. My ankle has healed...for the most part and I am ready to enjoy the warm weather. As some of you may know, bands don't typically like to tour the Midwest in the winter. With the start of the spring music season I will be heading to Iowa City tomorrow night to enjoy the music styling of The Black Keys. Some of the bands will be announced for 80/35 on 4/19 and I am pumped about it and the fact that Old Crow Medicine Show will be playing Simon Estes this June! On a more depressing point, with spring to comes the start of baseball season and the Cubs are off to a lovely 0 and 2 start, loosing both in impressive fashion.