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When my cousin is in town, the visit turns into a music exchange. For the holidays, she flew into Dulles to visit my aunt and uncle for about a week. And we were headed down to their house for Christmas and a fondue feast a few days later. So it was a given that music would be a subject thrown onto the table. Between my immediate family and theirs, this is always a topic that comes about. Both my cousin and I grew up with parents that placed music in the forefront-- music always on the stereo, actually listening to and talking about it rather than being something that is played in the background.

Before we headed down toward DC for our Christmas meal, my cousin requested I bring some music. I felt it fitting to grab the stack of albums that has been sitting on top of our stereo-- the albums that have gotten the most airtime over the last year. And thinking about these albums, it also seems fitting to share some of them with you.




As this year closes, a look back on some of our favorite albums that we've listened to this year (whether they be new or old releases).

The Black Keys - Brothers
Umphrey's McGee - Death by Stereo
Alison Krauss & Union Station - Paper Airplane
Tedeschi Trucks Band - Revelator
J Roddy Walston & the Business - J Roddy Walston & the Business
Foster the People - Torches

And a few worth noting that were also taken from the stack for the music exchange pre-photo op.

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
The Jayhawks - Mockingbird Time
Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard
Delta Spirit - History from Below
Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers - Levitate
The Bridge - National Bohemian

While our plan is to have a lazy morning with coffee, cinnamon rolls, and presents followed by an afternoon with family, I hope you to have a very Merry Christmas! Here are some of our own festivities we've added to our house (and lazy animals too).

We found a nest in our Christmas tree! A year of good luck!

Finn just couldn't help but play with the ornaments!

Cat streeeeeetch.

I'm not going to lie. I've definitely fallen off the radar for a few weeks here. And it's been a rough few weeks too. I had the busiest month ever in my Etsy shop and reached my goal of 200 sales by the end of the year. And that all happened while still teaching full time during one of the most stressful times of the year. Plus, you have to add a few other things in there as well like Christmas shopping, decorating the house, baking cookies, and other such festivities that are obligatory for this season.

So on this first day of my winter break, I finally give a sigh of relief. Time to completely unwind for the next eleven days and enjoy pure laziness. And hopefully you'll see me back in the cyber world a bit more frequently again!

Just Little Things

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In our basement we have a music area of sorts. Last year for Christmas, Andrew gave me three wall mounts to hang my guitars out of their cases and on the wall. As we slowly tackle the decorating scheme in each room, the basement has been pushed aside and to the bottom of the list. I have a few concert posters that I hope to frame and add to the "music area," but I was hoping to find a few more simple yet stylish pieces to include. These are some of my favorites that I found.

via The Medium Control

via handz

via LuciusArt

via LoversRockShop

via At A Glance Graphics

via forever500francs

via yumalum

I'm having a hard time deciding which I like best, though I'm leaning toward the Spanish Bombs poster. But then again maybe it's because I've had the song in my head since I spotted the poster the other day.  

In Baltimore we don't light trees, we light monuments. The original Washington Monument is located in Mount Vernon park, the same place where the summer concert series First Thursday takes place. And so each year, on the first Thursday of December, the monument is lit with Christmas lights and we enjoy a display of fireworks accompanied by holiday music. Food vendors from local restaurants set up on the outskirts of the square, and various musicians from the city provide us with a pre-lighting holiday concert.


This year's event was the 40th lighting.

 

And and added bonus of lasers was part of this lighting. I have such a hard time getting into the holiday spirit in Baltimore, perhaps because cold weather and snow doesn't usually find its way here until January. But usually the monument lighting does the trick. Do you have any particular holiday traditions in your city?