Friday Love

1. Crazy hair. I dyed my hair pink before - did you know? I loved it. I miss it. 

[Source]

2. As if I didn't already love John Cusack, he throws out this quote! 

[Source]

3. I would love to have these in my house someday. Please, please, please.

[Source]

4. Speaking of my future home, isn't this beautiful?! 

[Source]

5. Jewelry. I've never been much of a jewelry person until this year. Maybe it's from reading so many blogs where people post about their pretty jewelry, or talk about the jewelry they've made. 

Isn't this necklace charming? 

[Source]

[Source]

6. Cows. I just love 'em. They are adorable, and they help produce dairy products - whole milk, ice cream, cheese...what's not to love? 

[Source]

7. This picture. 

[Source]

8. Last, the color gold. I've never liked gold until...last month? I don't know what came over me, but suddenly I love it and want it everywhere. Not really. But kind of. 

[Source]

Love,

Scout

Friday Love

Hey, guys. Sorry Friday Love is so late. It's been a crazy week - still. My brother is visiting, so blogging hasn't exactly been on my mind, and my cousins have been here all weekend, so I've been even more distracted. I meant to post this yesterday, but I was having trouble getting the pictures to work, so I gave up and decided to hang out with my family instead.
Anyway, here it is and I hope you enjoy!

1. Things stolen from Cardboard Sea.

I love this print! 

I love this quilt idea, made from old flannel shirts. I can't wait to make my own. 

2. Beautiful photography stolen from Krisatomic.com.

1/2/3 

3. Mystery Science Theater 3000. This is one of my favorite shorts. 

4. I think I found this song via Pandora. I really like it. I'm not entirely sure I understand it, but it still makes me sad.



Love,
Scout

CD Swap Update

Remember the CD swap I told you about here? I was so excited to exchange music with a stranger because I love new music and it just sounded fun - who knows what they'd put on there, you know? Well, out of everyone that signed up for it (actually, I don't think it was more than one hundred) I got paired with one of my two best college buddies - one that I have already shared music with on countless occasions.

Go figure.

- Scout

Today

Today was filled with wonderful things.

I got up bright and early (okay, that's not one of the wonderful things) and started making homemade, from scratch cinnamon buns! It took a long time because a) I had to wait until we could get one of the icing ingredients from the store, b) the dough rises a total of 1 1/2 hours, c) I'm easily distracted. But when they were finished, those suckers were huge and almost divine. It was liking eating heaven. Almost.

Second, my brother and sister in law are visiting. That in itself is a wonderful thing, but...they brought me records! Their church had a garage sale recently and my brother called me early in the morning to find out if I wanted any. They were pretty much all random country albums (he lives in GA, after all), so I snagged a mix of classic country and a Doris Day Christmas album. What my brother didn't tell me, however, was that they also had a Johnny Cash record, which he surprised me with today! It's pretty perfect. I've been wanting a Johnny Cash album, but the ones I've seen have never had any songs I knew, and I much prefer buying albums that I can sing along to. The album he gave me has a bunch of the classics, so that was definitely a good surprise.

My brother then showed me this entertaining video. This one is also pretty funny. So is this one.

After dinner, my family watched Murder by Death, quite similar to the movie Clue, if you've seen it. It's a spoof of detectives and detective stories. They make fun of Dick Tracy, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and a couple others I didn't recognize. They also made fun of Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca. It was clever, punny, and cheesy - a perfect combination! It featured Truman Capote, Peter Sellers, and Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall!).

1/2

Lastly, I've been listening to some Elvis. I just love Elvis.  I've only recently "discovered" him, so I don't know many of his songs yet, but I like these three songs because they're slow and soothing and lovely. I think Love Me Tender is my favorite slow song of his.

What were the highlights of your day?

Love,

Scout

Friday Love - Harry Potter

This Friday Love post is dedicated to Harry Potter.

I saw the last movie today. I need to see it again to make sure everything sinks in. There were some changes from the book to the movie and some of those were obnoxious, but...I think I loved it. I'm not sure yet. I don't feel like I really...was there, like I was distracted or something. I didn't get sucked into it like I did the last ones. I don't know. I guess I just need to give it some time. And to see it again :)

Trailers for the last movie, out today.

Some of what I think are the most memorable movie scenes.

I think this next clip is my favorite. You can watch the longer version here, which comes complete with Seamus blowing something up - another favorite.

Watch Hermione punching Malfoy here.

Harry Potter theme.

Some favorite characters.

[Source]

[Source] 

[Source]

[Source]

Quidditch. Someday they will have flying brooms, bludgers, and snitches. I cannot wait for that day.

[Source]

[Source]

[Source]

[Source]

[Source]

Some favorite quotes: 

And if anybody cared to notice, my eyebrows have completely grown back! - Seamus Finnigan, HP1 movie

All hands on deck, Granger! - Horace Slughorn, HP6 movie

'I don't mean to be rude -' he began, in a tone that threatened rudeness in every syllable.

'-yet, sadly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often,' Dumbledore finished the sentence gravely. 'Best to say nothing at all, my dear man.'

- Uncle Vernon and Dumbledore, HP6 book

Are you mental?! - Ron Weasley, HP7 book/movie

I am not a coward! - Severus Snape, HP7 book

'After all this time?'

'Always.'

- Dumbledore and Severus Snape, HP7 book

[Source]

Aren't you glad they got rid of those dorky hats?

[Source]

[Source]

[Source?]

[Source]

Love,

Scout

Beautiful, Beautiful July 15th

Good Lord, I cry just watching the trailor. I'm going to be a mess in theaters tomorrow. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Love,
Scout

Christmas in July

I think I will dedicate this post to my most recent roommate, because I know how much she loves Christmas music out of season. (Hint: she doesn't!)

[Source]

Here I am, with goosebumps (but no Weasley Christmas sweater) and a major craving for a tree shaped cookie covered in icing. Maybe in a few months.

If you can't tell, I love Christmas. The actual day isn't that special at my house - we really have almost no Christmas traditions. We don't even get up early to open presents. Usually no one even mentions them until my mom makes us open them late in the afternoon. I think it stems from the fact that when we were kids my siblings and I would beg our parents to let us open our presents right away and they would torture us by doing everything super slowly just to make us wait extra long.

But I love the whole atmosphere of Christmas. I love the chill in the air, the Christmas television specials, the Salvation Army Santa bells, the music, and the smells of peppermint, hot chocolate, snow, and pine, weaving through crowded malls to find the perfect gift...I think all of it is wonderful.

Here's some Christmas music that I love. Feel free to spread Christmas cheer by blasting the volume and singing loud for all to hear!

Speaking of Christmas specials, I love the cartoon Grinch, Charlie Brown, and Elf. Seriously - Best. Christmas movie. Ever. What are your favorites?

Love,

Scout

P.S. You might like this clip from Gilmore Girls. It's not the one I wanted, but it was the best I could do. Or, rather, I was too lazy to search really hard and find the one I wanted, from the beginning of "Love and War and Snow".

Mix CD Exchange

I am super excited to to this mix CD exchange found on Where The Lovely Things Are. Check it out and see if you feel like becoming mix CD pen pals with someone. I love getting mail and I love getting new music, so I absolutely cannot wait! The theme is good times, so be sure to start thinking of all your favorite good times songs.

In honor of the exchange, I'm sharing a mix with you today! I tried to find new songs and I think I did a pretty good job. I remembered a playlist I made a long time ago and pulled a lot from it. Good stuff!

Love,
Scout

Stolen Pictures and Words of Truth

I stole these pictures from Rachel from talk2thetrees, from this post.

 Love,
Scout

Artist Spotlight: Sleeping at Last

It usually takes me a long time to decide my favorite bands. I have to carefully weigh the music, lyrics, and vocals to make sure they all measure up, and I wait for several months until I finally declare a band my favorite. I don’t want to pick too rashly because what if I only like the band for a month or two? That said, Sleeping at Last is one of my four favorite bands, and has been since I first discovered them about two years ago. I think what I love most about them is their beautiful sound. They have a very full, fairytale sound that reminds me of a dream. 

Most of their lyrics lean toward a deeper side of things, such as their songs Birdcage Religion, Naïve, and Quicksand. However, the band also has their fair share of lighthearted songs, like Umbrellas and Next to Me. Singer Ryan O’Neal has a beautiful strong voice and the songs have a way of reaching deep inside, awakening yearning for more and the hope of better things. I'm pretty certain he has the most beautiful lyrics I've ever heard. One of my favorites, lyrically, is Silhouettes.

Sleeping at Last, formed in 1998, stems from Wheaton, Illinois. The band currently consists of singer Ryan O’Neal and Dan Perdue. O’Neal provides vocals and music, including piano, ukulele, guitar, and keyboard. Perdue provides bass, piano, and keyboards, among others. Be sure to check out their: 

Website. Facebook. Myspace. Or download their free music sampler from Noisetrade. 

Sleeping at Last is also currently working on a Yearbook collection – 3 songs every month for a year, ending in September. Be sure to check it out! You can order it through their store or via this link. 

Photo sources: here and here.

Love, 

Scout

Friday Love

1. Pretty, summery photographs.

1/2/3/4/5/6/7 and here and here.

2. This song. 

3. Volleyball. I'm very competitive. Volleyball is my favorite sport to compete at because I'm kind of good at it. Not always, but when I'm good, I'm really good.

4. HARRY. POTTER. 

I'm going to cry when the last movie comes out  (in ONE WEEK!). If not for the movie, I'll cry because it's the last one. What will I do when Harry Potter is over?!

[Source]

Love,
Scout