Its {the 2nd} most wonderful time of the year!

Guess what guys?! It's that time of the year again! So You Think You Can Dance is back!!!! I'm a few weeks behind, but watching the top 20 has already brought me to tears. Get ready for lots of videos to follow, but here is my favorite so far. Stacey Tookey never ceases to amaze me. Although she said this piece was about enjoying life in the here and now, I got a somewhat different message from it. To me it seemed to be about a couple who were there for each other through everything. The good times and the bad. The hardships and the joys. I loved how Carly (the girl) looked so delicate in her dress, but was actually so strong for Rudy (the guy). It was so beautifully done with the musicality of the song and reminded me of how my amazing hubby is always there for me when I need him to be. Plus it had that beautiful flowy dress and some wind, so it was pretty much a win from the get go.

And my two other favs from the top 20:

Bridget & Stanley
Jessica & Rickey

Apres Un Reve

Remember that time I was in French class? Well, for the final one of the girls in my class sang this amazing French opera song. It blew my mind. I've found multiple versions of in on YouTube but none of them compare. Hopefully one day I'll find a version that does it justice, but until then this one will have to do. I've also included the lyrics, because I think they are just as beautiful as the melody.

Apres un Reve:

(Please excuse any typos).

French:

Dans un sommeil que charmait ton image

Je revais le gonheur, ardent mirage,

Tes yeux etaient plus doux, ta voix pure et sonore,

Tu rayonnais comme un ciel eclaire par l'avrore;

Tu m'applelais et je quittais la terre

Pour m'enfuir avec toi vers la lumiere,

Les cieux pour nous entriouvnaient leurs nues,

Splendeurs inconnves, lueurs diveins entrevues,

Helas! Helas! Triste reveil des songes

Je t'applle, O nuit, rends moi tes mensonges,

Reviens, reveins radieuse,

Reviens O nuit mysterieuse!

English:

In a slumber which held your image spellbound

I dreamt of happiness, passionate mirage,

Your eyes were softer, your voice pure and sonorous,

You shone like a sky lit up by the dawn;

You called me and I left the earth

To run away with you towards the light,

The skies opened their clouds for us,

Unknown splendours, divine flashes glimpsed,

Alas! Alas! Sad awakening from dreams

I call you, O night, give me back your lies,

Return, return radiant,

Return, O mysterious night.

#TBT - to that time we went to the dog park

If you haven't seen this video yet (that we've blasted on FB a million times) then you're in for a giggle. I may be biased, but I'm pretty sure this is the cutest baby video you'll ever see.

About Time

This is 110% accurate. The hubby and I could not stop laughing BOTH times we watched it. Plus, this is a pretty superb movie. So a win-win all around!

Friday Faves

1. Favorite Buzzfeed Quiz - What kind of Cookie Are You?

I got Snickerdoodle, which is pretty fitting considering I just posted about making them here! And let's just pretend I didn't waste a ton of time to take a bazillion quizzes to figure this out.....because that would ridiculous. 

2. Also....this from Buzzfeed is super duper awesome -
 If "Friends" Had Used Suggested Hashtags

I may or may not quote from friends on a daily basis. But definitely the former.

3. Favorite Cover of a Song

And at Christmas time I LURVED this rendition of Little Drummer Boy.

4. Favorite Randomly Discovered New Song/Artist

I heard this before his other song, "TheMan" hit the iTunes top ten list and fell in love immediately.

5. Favorite Oscar Look

The hubby and I finally watching the Oscars this Sunday (woot!) and I was amazed by Camila Alves's dress! It complimented Mr. McConaughey's acceptance speech perfectly. And on the note of acceptance speeches, I loved Jared Leto's too. Oh and Robert De Niro's description of writers fit the hubs to a tee. And next year I'm definitely having an Oscar's party. Superbowl smuperbowl.

Browned Butter Snickerdoodles

I was feeling a bit snickerdoodlish the other day and since I haven't found the perfect mixture of 5 different cookie recipes that combine into one perfect recipe of snickerdoodleness, I decided to try just one (this one). And holy amazing. I ended up using 1 tbsp (instead of tsp) vanilla and added 1 tsp cornstarch and 1 tsp cream of tartar, because, well, I had to change something. I was a bit nervous to put in the first batch since my oven hates me. No really, it does. And it REALLY hates cookies. But, for some reason today it decided to feel snickerdoodlish too. So thanks, dear oven. You got a bit testy after batch #2, but you pulled through.

Cat Fail

Oh my gosh, some new friends showed us this last night and I cannot stop laughing!! There are over 11 million views, so there's a good chance you've already seen it. But if not - you gotta check it out. What am I saying? Even if you HAVE seen it, you should probably watch it again. So. Awesome.

Homemade Play Dough

I was feeling extra adventurous today and decided to make homemade play dough (using this recipe). It took all of 5 minutes and when I gave it to Holden he could not stop playing with it for the next 5 hours!! Or at least that's how I dreamed it would be. The reality is that it did only take 5 minutes but bug won't touch the stuff. Well, he touched it and promptly dropped it and runs away any time I try to entice him to play with it. So now mama has a new toy :)

Planes, Trains & Automobiles.

Aaannnd I'm back! Hopefully for good. Have you ever seen the movie Planes, Trains & Automobiles? I watched it for the very first time this past holiday season and it was like I was watching my life in 2013. It was almost comical how many things went awfully wrong last year. Almost. To date, it has been the hardest year of my life. But 2014 is here! And 14 is my 2nd luckiest number....so that MUST be a good sign. And so far, 2014 has been vastly better than 2013. I'm still in the process of figuring some things out (like how to juggle being a full time Mom, full time wife, part time employee, part time volunteer for ASH, and still not giving up on the goals and dreams I want need to work on to feel fulfilled). But I'm getting there. Lucky for me I have the MOST AMAZING husband who has never stopped helping me try to work things out. I would be a big ol' mess it wasn't for him. And I'm sure I'm not the only one trying to sort through these types of things. Which is why I want to start blogging again! To have that sense of community - that I'm not alone in these things. And to celebrate the little things in life that otherwise are forgotten. Like how Holden tries to get what he wants by buttering you up with a hug and kiss first. It's the cutest thing and if I don't blog it, I'm sure I'll forget it in 20 years. So here's to you, 2014. And here's to blogging again! This year is gonna be awesome. I can feel it.