I'm such a slacker!

Hey everyone! It's been awhile I know and many of you may have forgotten about me already, but I'm going to try and be more diligent about updating my blog! I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday! Be safe during your New Year's festivities!

Stay tuned for good things in 2009!

Five For Fighting's Slice Review

I was somewhat familiar with Five For Fighting before listening to their new album, Slice. I own the band's America Town album, but didn't really follow their music after that. When I heard about this release, I was interested in hearing what they'd come up with next. The One2One Network sent me a digital copy of the album to review and I really enjoyed it.

I love John Ondrasik's piano rock sound and his ballads have always been so smooth. This album isn't any different. It has a beautiful, almost melancholic sound that I really enjoyed it. There more "Billy Joel" moments in this album than I remember in previous releases, and I prefer the band's original sound more, but they don't take away from the album's charm.

Here is the album's tracklisting:
1. Slice
2. Note To The Unknown Soldier
3. Tuesday
4. Chances
5. This Dance
6. Above The Timberline
7. Transfer
8. Hope
9. Story Of Your Life
10. Love Can't Change The Weather
11. Augie Nieto

I love the title and opening track, Slice. It is very reminiscent of the band's America Town in my opinion. It really speaks of our country and our American hearts. Such a great, uplifting track. I also really love the tracks Chances and Love Can't Change The Weather.

The greatest part of John Ondrasik's songwriting is his storytelling. His songs are always lovely stories of life and this album is full of them. It's a really wonderful album.




Here are some other links for the group you might be interested in:

FFF Website: http://bit.ly/FFFWebsite
FFF Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/johnondrasik
FFF Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fiveforfighting

“At Home With Friends”

I was immediately taken by Joshua Bell's new album, "At Home With Friends". It's a beautiful record. One2One gave me the opportunity to review this for my blog and I was thrilled! I hadn't heard much about Joshua Bell before, but once I saw the lineup of talents that would be performing with him, I knew this was going to be something special.

Check out this cast of performers!

Album Tracklisting (Originally performed by):
I Loves You Porgy featuring Chris Botti, trumpet
Come Again featuring Sting, vocals
Oblivion featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
Cinema Paradiso featuring Josh Groban, vocals
Para Tí featuring Tiempo Libre, various
My Funny Valentine featuring Kristin Chenoweth, vocals
Maybe So featuring Edgar Meyer Sam Bush and Mike Marshall, strings
Grieg: Sonata No. 3 featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff (Zenph re-performance)
Eleanor Rigby featuring Frankie Moreno, piano & vocals
O, Cease Thy Maiden Fair featuring Nathan Gunn, baritone
Il Postino featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
Left Hand Song featuring Regina Spektor, piano & vocals
Chovendo Na Roseira featuring Dave Grusin, piano
Look Away featuring Edgar Meyer, bass and Chris Thile, mandolin
Variant Moods: Duet for Sitar & Violin featuring Anoushka Shankar, sitar
I'll Take Manhattan featuring Marvin Hamlisch, piano

Isn't it so impressive?! Josh Groban, Sting, Chris Botti, Regina Spektor, Kristen Chenowith, Marvin Hamlisch and the list goes on!

Joshua Bell is a Grammy Award-winning violinist and this album is a series of duets (both vocal and instrumental) with some of today's most talented players and singers. I was blown away by the beauty of this album and its diversity of styles. Just fabulous.

Believe me when I say, this is not an album exclusively for classical music fans. I do not classify myself as one who listens to much classical music, or violin music for that matter. I really loved this album and think it will appeal to a wide variety of tastes.

I especially love My Funny Valentine, I Loves You Porgy and Il Postino. But the whole album is gorgeous. I don't think there's a bad track on the whole album.

This album really feels like a night "At Home With Friends"...really talented, musical friends! Wouldn't it be lovely to have a life full of musical friends you could just call over for a night of music? Joshua Bell, in a way, gives us this opportunity. He really does take us to a place that feels like we're a part of the magic. It's wonderful.



Some other links to give you more info:

Joshua’s website: http://www.joshuabell.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Joshua-Bell/62686889648?Ref=ts

Harry Connick, Jr. Your Songs

When the One2One Network offered me the opportunity to review Harry Connick, Jr.'s new album, Your Songs, I jumped at the chance. I've always been a fan of his. I love his sultry New Orleans draw and the smooth, sexy sound of his voice.



Your songs is a diverse collection of covers. He covers songs by The Beatles, Billy Joel, Elvis Presley and many others. Here's a tracklist:

Album Tracklisting (Originally performed by):
All The Way (Frank Sinatra)
Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)
Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (Elvis Presley)
And I Love Her (The Beatles)
(They Long To Be) Close To You (The Carpenters)
Besame Mucho
The Way You Look Tonight
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)
Your Song (Elton John)
Some Enchanted Evening
And I Love You So (Don McLean)
Who Can I Turn To? (Tony Bennett)
Smile (Charlie Chaplin)
Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)

I especially love his covers of All The Way, Besame Mucho and Smile. His voice is so smooth and lush. Just lovely and perfect for these songs.

This album is such a nice listen. Perfect for the background of a dinner party or for long summer drives (or fall ones!) If you're a fan of this crooning style, I think you'll definitely enjoy this.

This album is just what it's titled! It's a collection of your songs. Songs just for you that you already love! If you're anything like me, you'll be singing along in no time!

Here's a few links to give you even more Harry Connick, Jr. goodness!

Behind the Scenes look at ‘Making of’ the album: http://bit.ly/HCJrVideo
Harry’s website: http://www.harryconnickjr.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/harryconnickjr

Gas Garden Trivia

Calling all trivia and photo-hunt lovers! Looking for a fun, free way to earn gas cards? Gas Garden Trivia is just that! All you have to do is sign up (It's free!) and start playing games. It's that simple. Plus, everyday a new daily puzzle is posted, complete it and earn 40 points! When you earn 1100 points, you can redeem for a free $5 gas card. It's that simple! I haven't been playing for very long, but I've already earned 1800 points! (I'm saving for the $10 card!)

Be sure to follow Gabby (@GasGardenTrivia) on twitter and sign up for Gas Garden Trivia! Tell her Jodi sent you! :)

Brandi Carlile -- Give Up the Ghost

The One2One Network gave me the opportunity to listen to and review Brandi Carlile's new album, Give Up The Ghost, and I was instantly impressed. The first track, Looking Out, is a powerful hook and the strength just keeps coming with each song after that. Her style has been compared to KT Tunstall and Rachael Yamagata. Brandi's vocals are big and full of beauty. Her voice literally soars at moments that are just wonderful. Paste Magazine named Brandi "the best voice in indie rock" and I totally agree. Her voice is a powerhouse with a tremendous range that's really gorgeous.

Brandi also had the opportunity to do a duet with her idol, Elton John, on the track "Caroline". It's a fun, upbeat folksong with great harmonies. This album is full of amazing songs. It's a great variety of tempos that makes the album a really fabulous listen.

Can you tell I was really taken by this album? I honestly didn't expect to like this as much as I do. I'm not sure why, I guess I thought Brandi Carlile would just be another female singer songwriter. Boy, was I wrong! Her voice is the best I've heard in a long, long time and her songwriting matches right up. This is a fantastic album. You should definitely check it out.

Moda di Magno Silver Jewelry

Tonight I participated in a Project Runway twitter party from @CleverGirlsColl and won a gift certificate to Lori Magno's beautiful jewelry shop, Moda di Magno. Lori handcrafts lovely, unique silver pieces from her studio in Winchester, MA. It took me awhile to choose which piece I wanted to buy because they're all gorgeous! I finally decided on the Laurel Pendant:



Lori used a button from her grandmother's button jar for the design and I love the vintage feel of it! It's so pretty. I can't wait to receive it so I can show it off. I know I'll be getting plenty of compliments on it!

Moda di Magno has a great variety of pieces too, from classic to whimsical. There's something for everyone in the shop. I really love that the types and the sizes of the jewelry pieces vary also. So whether you're looking for a large statement piece or a smaller everyday one, you'll have choices here. Check out some more pics. Such lovely stuff!

Moda Olmstead Fern Necklace


Cherry Blossom Ring


India Paisley Drop Earrings

The pieces really do speak for themselves, don't they? There are so many other beautiful pieces in her shop too. I could just post all of their pictures here, lol, but you'll have to go check out her shop yourself! I'm a big fan of silver jewelry and these look fantastic. Any of them would make a wonderful addition to your jewelry wardrobe. And as a reader of my blog, Moda di Magno is offering a 20% discount so you can choose a new piece for your collection at a lower price!

Visit ModadiMagno's
Studio

SAVE 20.00 % On
All Items

Use Coupon Code:

CRAZEYPOET20

during
checkout.

Moda di Magno

Doesn't a sale always help you feel better about a purchase?! I know always feel better when I use a coupon. The coupon is only good for 2 weeks and expires on 10/24/09 so don't dilly dally! Just enter coupon code: CRAZEYPOET20 at checkout to apply the discount to your order! (My twitter name is crazeypoet if the code confused you!) So don't waste any time! Go shop! **Also, Lori is offering Free Shipping on all US orders until 10/12 with no coupon needed! (Another reason not to procrastinate!) **

**Be sure to check out Moda di Magno's Blog
& follow her on twitter!**

Wordless Wednesday -- Addiction?

For more Wordless Wednesday entries, visit Five Minutes For Mom and Wordless Wednesday.

Shopaholic Mommy's Birthday Bash

Shopaholic Mommy's daughter is turning 2 and she's having a week of giveaways to celebrate! Make sure you check it out! Giveaway prizes will include shoes, clothing, watches, an Amazon giftcard and much more!

Rock of Ages

Have you all heard of the new hit Broadway show, Rock of Ages yet? It is described as "the new Broadway musical starring American Idol finalist Constantine Maroulis. Set in 1987 in a legendary Sunset Strip rock club, a small-town girl meets a big-city dreamer and they fall in love to the greatest metal songs of the 80's. The musical is an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits of Journey, Bon Jovi, Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and more."

I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard really fabulous things! I was given the opportunity to listen and review the soundtrack for the One2One network, and I jumped at the chance. I'm a closet 80's hair band fan :) I've always had a thing for the great power ballads of the time. So when I heard about Rock of Ages was a show that fused together the great songs of that decade to tell a story, I knew I would like it.

I wasn't wrong! The singers are really talented and bring these songs to life all over again. I was really impressed with their vocals, and I couldn't help singing along. Here is the track listing, if you're curious:

Tracklisting
Just Like Paradise / Nothin' But A Good Time
Sister Christian
We Built This City / Too Much Time On My Hands
I Wanna Rock
We're Not Gonna Take It
Heaven/More Than Words / To Be With You
Waiting For A Girl Like You
Wanted Dead Or Alive
I Want To Know What Love Is
Cum On Feel The Noize / We're Not Gonna Take It (Reprise)
Harden My Heart / Shadows Of The Night
Here I Go Again
The Final Countdown
Any Way You Want It / I Wanna Rock (Reprise)
High Enough
I Hate Myself For Loving You / Heat Of The Moment
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Can't Fight This Feeling
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Oh Sherrie
The Search Is Over
Don't Stop Believin


Doesn't it sound fun?! It really is. I definitely recommend you checking out Rock Of Ages: Original Broadway Cast Recording if you're a fan of the 80's. I hope to be able to see the show in NY sometime soon, but until then, I'll be rocking out to the soundtrack at home!

The One2One network also gave me a link to a cool video about the making of the soundtrack, if you're interested.

Bohtieque is Having a Giveaway!

Bohtieque Design is having a giveaway with 3 different stationary prizes! Julie from Bohtieque Design makes beautiful stationary and labels! Definitely go check out her shop and enter!

Enter to win on Bohtieque's blog here!

Congrats to Ryan Howard!

Just wanted to take a minute and congratulate Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies on his 200th Career Home Run! He hit it tonight in Florida against the Marlins.

Congrats Ryan!

Wordless Wednesday - Wedding pics

Here are a few pics from the wedding I went to this past weekend. We had such a nice time!


With my parents:


They had a fun photobooth set up at the reception, so my boyfriend and I hammed it up a bit:







For more Wordless Wednesday entries, visit Five Minutes For Mom and Wordless Wednesday.

Weekend Plans

Well I'm off to CT tonight to go see my friend Kari get married! Please send good weather vibes to Connecticut for Saturday! :)

Have a great weekend everyone! See you all Monday!

The Oven - UGH

So about 2 weeks ago now, our oven decided it wanted the broiler on whenever the oven's breaker was switched on. It wouldn't turn off! And that broiler gets HOT! So we did without an oven OR a stove top til yesterday. Yesterday the repair guy came and the broiler didn't come on! UGH! He said that there's probably a sticky connection back there and we could replace 2 parts and spend like $600 bucks or we can just get a new stove, which we'll probably do. But for now we can use it if we make sure we flip the breaker back off when we're done.

So yesterday was our first dinner that wasn't from the crockpot or george foreman grill in about two weeks! (Nothing against the cp or GF grill though, they saved us!!) We had chorizo & black bean burritos! Yum! Tonight, it's chili! I never imagined I'd be so glad to be able to brown meat in my life!! LOL

I'll admit it, I've been slacking...

A whole month has gone by since my last post. You know how sometimes life just gets away from you and before you know it, so much time has gone by that you can't quite tell where it went? Well, I'm back, and I'm going to do my best not to let time get away from me again!

I hope you all had a wonderful month of June! :) Mine was busy and full of summer fun. Isn't it the best time of year?! Picnics, pool parties, barbecues. So much fun! My boyfriend and I are talking about planning a vacation. We both can't get away for too long, but we'd like to take a short getaway. I love searching for fun vacation ideas and coming up with a new adventure for us. Right now I'm thinking of going south...maybe virginia or maryland. Anyone have any good ideas or tips to share for an inexpensive getaway?

I like this...It's good to be back :)

Diane Birch Bible Belt - Album Review

Diane Birch's album Bible Belt came out yesterday! I am a member of the One2One Network and they chose Diane Birch for their latest campaign. I wasn't chosen to receive the cd to review, but I decided to check it out on my own this morning. Seriously, this is a fantastic album! Written entirely by Diane Birch, Bible Belt has a mellow, bluesy feel reminiscent of the likes of Carole King, Carly Simon, Duffy, Adele and Norah Jones all rolled into one. Diane doesn't sound like a copycat though. She sounds really authentic. Diane was born in Michigan but grew up with her preacher father moving around between Zimbabwe, South Africa and Australia and finally settling down in Oregon. Diane's childhood definitely shaped the sound of this album and I love it! It doesn't fit into one neat genre box either. Really interesting album. The melodies are really wonderful and inviting. I would definitely recommend this one. Perfect for these pre-summer days and nights!

Some music teasers:

Link to MP3 of ‘Fire Escape’

Diane Birch's Myspace Page

Blog Giveaways

Happy Monday! Here are some great blog giveaways for you to enter this week! Good Luck! Sorry it's a short list. I'm watching my cousin's twins today and I'm already running late! Good luck everyone! Hope you all have a great Monday!

Fabulous Fun Finds is giving away a toy SR9 Sports Sedan from Automoblox! (Ends 6/7)

The Funky Monkey is giving away 100 personalized fortune cookies! (Ends 6/7)

Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls is giving away a wooden puzzle from Melissa & Doug. (Ends 6/10)

Prissy Green is giving away a full set of Nature's Paradise's Gi'ovane skincare line. (Ends 6/15)

Barefoot Mommies is giving away a RCA Small Wonders Camcorder! (Ends 6/21)

Barefoot Mommies is giving away a Kodak EasyShare z1015 IS Digital Camera! (Ends 6/21)


A Couch With A View is giving away an EA Sports Active game for the Wii! (Ends 6/30)

Free Chocolate Friday!

First of all, I'm sorry I've been slacking on the posts this week. With the holiday and everything else going on this week, I've missed out on posting to the blog...

Stay tuned though! Next week I'll be celebrating my 100th post with a giveaway!


Also, remember, it's Free Chocolate Friday! Go to RealChocolate.com and get your free Mars coupon! hurry!

Happy Memorial Day

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! I'm excited about seeing my family and friends and eating picnic food! Yum!

Let's remember to thank (either silently or loudly) the men and women of our Armed Forces, past and present, who bravely sacrifice their lives every day to keep us safe and free. THANK YOU!!!

EA Sports Active for the Wii Review

I just finished my 2nd workout with the EA Sports Active. It's like a personal trainer on the Wii. It uses the nunchuk with the Wii remote. You use both remote and nunchuck while you're boxing, for example. There is also a leg band that you wear on your right thigh. When you are doing leg exercises or running, for example, the nunchuk (am I spelling that right?!) fits in a pocket in the front of your leg band and this tracks the movements your legs are doing. It also comes with a resistance band to help add to your arm exercises.

Yesterday's workout included boxing, running, walking, side lunges, bicep curls, squats and a few others. Today, they had me play tennis instead of the boxing and added some extra work to my running (high knees and back kicks) along with the other arm and leg exercises. The workouts are only about 20 min each, so you really can fit this in to your busy routine. Another great thing is the goals the trainer sets for you. When you start each workout, there will be an estimated goal of how many calories you'll burn. While you workout, you can watch the counter as the calories tick away. Today they wanted me to burn 103 calories and I burned 127! That made me feel great! The workout calendar in the game also gives you a rest day every third day, so you don't overdo it. But nothing's stopping you from exercising on your own that day. The trainer is also there motivating you while you workout and that really works for me.

I'm really loving the EA Sports Active. Now I will be the first one to admit I'm not the most active girl in the world. I don't think I'm in terrible shape, but other than occasional walks on the weekends, I don't do a lot of cardio activity. I did win a bike last fall and I intend on getting out on it more this summer, but I haven't gotten it out yet. I really feel like I'm capable of doing this Active workout on a regular schedule. It kicks my butt and I end up sweaty and gross afterwards, and I know I'll be a little sore tomorrow, but I feel like I can really do this. Plus, I was really impressed with my stamina and ability to keep up. I love that it only takes 20 minutes. This morning, I did it before anyone in my house even got up and it felt great.

The EA Sports Active for the Wii sells on Amazon for $59.99. I'm guessing this is the price you'll see everywhere else too. When You think about the fact that brand new video games retail for $49.99, this is pretty good for only $10 more. And it's a one-time buy. If you're going to use this, you can probably skip the gym, unless you really love the equipment or atmosphere there. (I've never gone to a gym though so maybe there are other benefits I'm not aware of.) You can think of this as your personal trainer that you never have to pay again! I definitely think it's worth it. Especially if it's next to impossible for you to get time to yourself to get to the gym.

Free Chocolate Friday!

Don't forget to go sign up for your free Mars coupon (for free chocolate!!) this morning! Go to RealChocolate.com and sign up quick!

Even if you signed up last week, you can sign up again once every week!

TV Thursday!

So Kris Allen won American Idol...Are you all shocked? We weren't so shocked in my house. We'd been discussing it all week. I even got my folks into the debate. My dad and I agreed that Kris would probably get the Danny Gokey votes. I also heard a lot of talk throughout the week about Adam being "screamy". He does do that scream a lot, but I didn't think people thought it was annoying until this week.

A woman my mother works with also said that Kris needed to win more. Like Adam already had a career. He'd have no trouble breaking out, but Kris needed the win more to take off. I personally, think Kris's sound is more marketable and listenable. What kind of album is Adam going to make? I don't really think it will be a current sounding record. Just my opinion, but I don't see the glam rock sound coming back. The Darkness tried it in like 2003 (around that time), but then we never heard from them again. I see Adam Lambert on the stage more than having an album. My boyfriend told me last night that they're making a musical stage show based on Green Day's American Idiot album. Maybe Adam could do that!

Kris on the other hand could fit in with a few genres. I hadn't seen him in the country/rock genre, but his performance with Keith Urban last night really worked for me. I could also see him making albums like Jason Mraz or Jack Johnson.

Ok I've spent way too much time on this subject, lol, so I'll end now. I promise I wont talk about Idol again til next year! Congrats to both Kris and Adam. I know they both have careers ahead of them.

Look what I won!!

I won this beautiful sling bag from Fantabulously Frugal! Thank you so much Lisa!! I love Fantabulously Frugal. It's a great read everyday (lots of deals!) and she has wonderful giveaways too! If you're not following her already, what are you waiting for?!





lilE made it! Isn't it gorgeous?! The pictures don't even do it justice. It's fully lined in yellow with pockets and everything. It even feels reinforced with padding. And it's huge! Perfect for overnight or weekend trips or even as you carry-on bag when you fly. lilE makes bags, headbands,clothing and lots of other stuff. It's all beautiful. Definitely go check her shop out!

Wordless Wednesday

These are our lilies from last year. I can't wait til they bloom again this year!





For more Wordless Wednesday entries, visit Five Minutes For Mom and Wordless Wednesday.

one more test

Sorry folks, I'm hoping it will be fixed now...

testing

My posts haven't been updating on the Blogger Dashboard all day...


Just wanted to check to see if this one did.

Bear with me :)

Free Ice Cream Day at Friendly's

Friendly's is celebrating Free Ice Cream Day on June 6th! From 12noon to 5pm, you can get a free single scoop in a dish or on a cone! Small print says at participating restaurants, so you might want to check with your local Friendly's. Go enjoy a scoop on them!

Diane Birch - Free Itunes DL

Go download the Itunes Single of the Week from Diane Birch. You are going to love this girl's voice. She has this beautiful, strong soulful sound and she's really talented! And the download is free, so go check it out!