Friday Favs…
I thought I would mix it up a bit this week and share with you some things that have caught my fancy this week…
When DH and I got married 5 years ago we were combining two adult households. We each had our own full set of dishes and no good place to store china so we didn’t register for a china pattern. Now, however, my everyday dishes are starting to look a bit worn after 12 years of fairly heavy use. It has felt like every time we get rid of something around here it is something of mine. I’m usually fine with replacing whatever it is, but I have started feeling as though I am living in DH’s house since everything from sheets to bath towels requires a compromise. So, a few weeks back I told DH that I would be picking out a new set of dishes to replace my current ones and that the decision would be mine, and mine alone. I guess he needn’t have worried as he likes the dishes I have fallen in love with this week.
The problem? It seems the pattern is brand new as of sometime in September here so I cannot find a store that has them in stock so I can see it in person. I did finally find good photos of most of the pieces in Mikasa’s Cocoa Blossom line on Amazon
(yes, better than going directily to Mikasa.com). Oddly, the store in Fort Collins with the largest selection of dishes is Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and they do carry it online, but right now no stores in the region have them in store yet. Go figure! But, I’m pretty sure I’m in love!
While I’m lusting after “objects” I thought I’d include this one. I’ve been drooling over it (and the others like it) for months now. It is the Orange Nautilus Spiral Pendant from Etsy seller, Juln. It is natural that I’d be drawn to the orange, though I’m not sure if it’ll go with the shades of orange I’ve been wearing most often. It is so gorgeous I would want to be able to wear it often. The others beads and pendants in his shop are great. I have even seen one of his beads in person and they are well done and seem quite faithful to the photos.
This week I have been listening to a fair amount of music and what I have been queuing up most has been Magda Hiller’s Icing on the Cake. She is mostly easily classified as a folk artist. That said, she weaves together blues and country and jazz into a fun unique sound.
I would expect those who like female singer/songwriter folk artists who occasionally have a hint of country twang would enjoy Magda Hiller. If you like Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Rickie Lee Jones, or Mary Chapin Carpenter definitely give Magda a listen. If you tend to be turned off by twang, don’t let that scare you, still give her a listen as she isn’t consistently twangy and I don’t think it is that strong. She can be found on eMusic, iTunes, and CDBaby if you want to give her tracks a bit of a listen and a few clips can be found on her web site.
Lastly, even with the new television season kicking off this past week I am most excited about Dancing with the Stars - season 5! I hadn’t realized this show had been around so long and I have never succumbed to it before this. However, I kept running into people mentioning it - the ladies at water aerobics, my cousin’s wife, etc. etc. So, on Tuesday I watched it online and was hooked.
DH and I are fans of ballroom dancing movies so I kind of new if I gave in and watched it I would be sucked in. But dang, weren’t Sabrina and Mark hot? I loved those hip hop moves sprinkled into the cha-cha. *swoon* And Sabrina’s dance experience certainly helped her out, even though it had not been in ballroom dance. Her moves were so precise and clean. It makes me want to find ballroom dancing lessons around here :-) Perhaps after I’m back on the water aerobics track for a bit longer we can do that. DH had been a regular swing dancer before I came along. While I don’t think my back is at a place for swing, it might do okay with the more basic dances like waltz and foxtrot.
