Complicated Simplicity

>Five Things: Leading Ladies of My Music<

How do you like those little alliterations? :-) Seriously though, I thought I'd give you my top five leading ladies that are on my music list right now. In no particular order.

1. Brandi Carlile-her song The Story is my ringtone. That and Follow are probably my favorite songs. I love Brandi's voice and style. Both of her albums rock.
2. Sara Bareilles-Love Song is such a fun, catchy little tune. My favorite, however is City-it totally makes me feel like I'm driving in the city at night (and Robbie told me the same thing before I told her that).
3. Priscilla Ahn-Her album is just beautiful and fresh. I love it.
4. Ingrid Michaelson-My favorite is, of course, The Way I Am. I do, however like her first album better than the second, although they are both awesome.
5. She & Him (Zooey Deshanel)-um, just plain amazing. I absolutly love htis album it is so fun, and I've loved Zooey's voice since hearing her sing Elf and The Bridge to Terabithia.

BONUS five leading ladies in Christian music on my list.

1. Bethany Dillon-love her lyrics and acoustic style. My favorite is probably Revolutionaries, but All I Need is an extremely close second. And her newest album, Waking Up,...totally amazing.
2. BarlowGirl-love their honest lyrics. I saw them in concert and absolutely loved it. Mirror, Mirror is one I try to keep in mind.
3. Nichole Nordeman-every single song this woman writes/sings is awesome. Crimson is totally beautiful. Breathtaking, actually. I love her music. Other favorites are Gratitude, Legacy and Please Come.
4. Plumb-Love her unique style. My favorite, favorite album is Chaotic Resolve (Bittersweet is my favorite song, Cut is a very close second), although Blink is so very good too.
5. Kendall Payne-Grown is such a good album. Love her music. Her new album, Paper Skin is so good too.

>Five Things: For the Dog<

In honor of Wawa's 1st birthday (oh yeah, it's his birthday today, our little pup is turning into an adult. We started him on large breed adult food a couple of weeks ago-instead of buying anothing bag of puppy food. He'll be getting his presents in a couple of weeks, after we finish up some traveling) I wanted to share my favorite dog-related products with you.

1. This awesome Grrrip leash. I love the second loop, it is so nice when people or other dogs are going by on a walk.

2. Anything Kong. We got him this ball, because he can chew through a tennis ball in about 15 minutes. He can't destroy it, and we will never have to get another. (And I have been working on Paul to get him a treat Kong for his birthday, we'll see how that goes ;-).

3. Busy Bones. Paul's mom sent us some when we first got him, and they are awesome. I now have to get him the ultimate one (he'll go through the other ones in 30 minutes), and he'll eat half for about an hour or so and then leave the rest for later. The only caveat is that they can be messy, so don't let them take the bones onto the carpet.

4. Nylabones. It took Wawa awhile to get into the plastic ones, but now they are a lifesaver. He can chew all he wants, and it takes months to destroy a small one. This is one thing we will be getting him soon, his small one is almost gone. I love Nylabones because they last so long, and are safe for the dog. I had a similar one from Wal-Mart, but it broke off in big chunks and Wawa would eat them and get sick.

5. Purina One. I know you probably think it's ridiculous to spend so much on dog food, but we would rather spend a little more each month on food, and have a healthier dog that doesn't need to visit the vet as often. It's really good food for him, and I think, in conjunction with his weekly bath and frequent brushings, it helps his coat stay shiny and soft and beautiful. I seriously get comments all of the time about his coat being so nice.

So there you have it. Five things for your dog.

>Five Things: Stephen King books<

I've been reading a little more lately, and so I thought I'd share my top five Stephen King books.

1. Bag of Bones-My very favorite book of all-time. I love this book. Such a good story, good plot, good characters. A ghost story.
2. Salem's Lot-I loved it. Every single word. If you love vampire stories, this is the one for you.
3. The Tommyknockers-An alien story. I absolutely loved it-such a good story.
4. Cell-Very, very good. I just got done with this one a little while ago. I loved it-I love apocalyptic movies and books. Makes me long for a super big adventure.
5. The Stand-Again with the apocalyptic kind of story. I love it. Absolutely love it.

And I just have to say that any of his short story collections are worth reading. It is the lost form of literature, but probably my favorite. I love a good short story, and his are some of the best.

>Five Things: For the Shower<

Or bath, for that matter. Five of my favorite bath products.

1. Caress Body Wash-My favorite is Tahitian Renewal, I use it 99.9% of the time. I love the walnut shells that scrub my skin. I also love the Moroccon and Glowing Touch-I try to vary it up each time I buy (I buy a two-pack because it saves money in the long run).
2. Suave Shampoo and Conditioner- They are cheap, which is our first priority. However, they do a good job as well. I use the naturals, my favorites being Aloe and Waterlily, Refreshing Tangeriene and Daily Clarifying (I like to use this one especially after a camping trip or whenever my hair hasn't been washed for a couple of days).
3. Clean and Clear Daily Pore Cleanser- I don't use it every day. I use it every other day and it seems to help. My skin tends to be oily and this takes care of it. Am I breakout free? No, but it keeps my skin a little healthier and keeps the pimples and blackheads to a minimum.
4. Bath and Body Works Soap-I love their soap bars. I don't use them very often, but they are my favorite soap bar out there. My favorite is sweet pea.
5. Method Daily Shower Spray-This one isn't a product you use on yourself. It is something you spray in the shower/tub when you are finished. I love Method products because of their chemical free stance. So much better for you. You can buy Method at Target.

>Five Things: Magazines<

One of my very favorite things to do is flip through a magazine. Get inspiration, ideas and read them cover to cover. I have a few favorites that cover a few different topics. I just thought I'd share them here with everyone.

1. Simple Scrapbooks-My favorite scrapbooking magazine ever. I always find inspiration and ideas for scrapbooking. If you're into scrapbooking check it out.
2. Martha Stewart Living-I love her ideas and crafts and tips. Sometimes she's a little too yuppie for me, but there are so many neat things and ideas in her magazine.
3. Midwest Living-I love this one for it's tips and ideas and the fact that it has things to do in our general area.
4. Backpacker-My favorite, favorite magazine. I love reading the articles and finding new hikes and places to visit. Warning: It will cause wanderlust. However, a little wanderlust is good for everyone sometimes.
5. National Geographic Adventure-basically the NatGeo version of Backpacker. I love them both equally and for the same reasons. Seriously, if you are an adventurer these are for you.

>Five Things: Card Games<

Paul and I love to play games. I have always loved to play games. My mom and brothers would play them with us almost from the time we were born. They are a great tool for teaching numbers and any number of other things. It is one of the essential vacation/camping activities. So, I thought I'd share some of my favorite card games with y'all.

1. Uno- this classic game is awesome. Good for teaching little ones numbers and colors (and about taking turns and following rules), and just plain fun. It's easy and simple and inexpensive to pick up. Usually we play it the traditional way, but sometimes we like to play "stacks" (where you can play another Draw Two on top of the other. And the H2O cards look pretty cool (I'm all about plastic playing cards).
2. Target- I just happened to see this one on Amazon and ordered it for Christmas a couple of years ago. It turned out to be an incredibly awesome game. You have five "targets" you're going for (ex. a full house, a straight, a flush) and once you fulfill one of the requirements you take that card (they're worth different point values) and a new "target" is put out. It's fun and comes in a nice tin case (all cards should come in cases vs. boxes IMHO).
3. Skip Bo- Another of those classics from my childhood. Such a fun game, and another one that can teach numbers and counting sequences (ex. 1, 2, 3, 4).
4. Phase 10- Love this game. I linked the one with the tin, because it's just so much nicer. Sometimes Paul and I like to create our own phases to make it more challenging.
5. Rook- We got this game this past Christmas and have had so much fun playing it. I have a hard time beating Paul, since he's played trick-taking games more than I. I love it though, and if we play with the Rook card it actually helps me (you normally take it out for two player games). :-)
6. Canasta- I had to add this extra one in here because it's my current favorite, and I didn't want to weed any out. I love this game, the cards are beautiful and I actually have a shot at winning when we play. The caliente card is fun to add in with this one if you're playing Canasta Caliente (obviously).

>Five Things:Dips<

Ali has been doing a "Three Things" series on her blog. I thought, instead of scrapbooking products I would pick a topic and list five of my favorite things that fit the bill.

I know it's a weird thing to share, but I love dips and they were on my mind today.

1. Tostitos Creamy Southwestern Ranch Dip I suggest buying this when it's on sale-it's a tad expensive, but very very good. I love it with tortilla chips.

2. Guacamole McCormick is my pick because it's cheap and easy. Get yourself some avocados (it takes two), mix the seasoning in and chill it in the fridge. Wonderful with chips, or on tacos or with all sorts of things.

3. Tostitos Salsa con Queso Another one to buy on sale, but so wonderful with tortilla chips.

4. Spinach Dip (or Spinach Artichoke Dip) Meijer makes the best in my opinion. I love it with rye bread or any other kind of bread. Also good on tortilla chips. I've never made these recipes, just put them on here if you want them.

5. Black Bean and Corn Salsa There's a kind they sell at the store, but I can't think of the brand. I really love it with tortilla chips also. Again, I've never tried the recipe, but thought I'd share one here anyway.