The Roaring, Swinging, Fabulous, Groovy Blog Collaboration // with Audrey from Life as Louise

Happy Tuesday Friends! What a blog title, right? At the end of 2017 reached out to Audrey at Life of Louise about some kind of blog collaboration, and she said yes, woohoo!  After brainstorming things we both love (which were endless, honestly), we settled on books/entertainment and 1900 decades. Thus this long-windedly named collaboration was born! :)

So here's what we're up to. On the first Tuesday of the month, February through November, we're going to highlight books & films from/about specific eras that we recommend! (Television shows, too, sometimes!) There's no commitment or link-up during those months on your end, but in December we will be hosting a recap/link-up for the entire year.

Essentially Audrey and I are flooding our blogs with recommendations :)

So before we kick this off, here's a super short Q&A just to introduce (or reintroduce) Audrey & I!

What would readers typically find on your blog?

Alexandra: As a lifestyle blogger… anything is fair game! You can expect to see a lot of goal-setting, book review, and travel related posts… as well as posts about things I’ve been up to with KC and our mischievous kittens.

Audrey: Everything. I write about books and movies, my dogs and my life (like owning a house, being married, all that riveting stuff), a few travel posts or trip recaps. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll find a feisty political rant.

Have you always loved history or historical fiction?

Alexandra: Oh gosh yes. Do you remember The American Girl books? Or The Royal Diaries series? I was all about those. I read every. Single. American Girl book just so I could get a Felicity doll for my 10th birthday. BEST DAY EVER! I’ve always loved historical fiction and period dramas. :)

Audrey: Always. I love that history is a long, true, dramatic, romantic, adventurous story. I’m with Alexandra- I had the American Girl Dolls and read the books, too. (And Felicity was my fav!!) I think that history is fascinating and foretelling. I wanted to study it in college, but I didn’t want to teach so I chose a different major.

Which era is your favorite?

Alexandra: Oh gosh, this is tough. I love so many of them for so many different reasons. I think that I have to choose the 1930’s though. I find that a lot of my favorite time periods (or stories from them!) have to do with really really hard times, and strong people who made it through them!

Audrey: I enjoy the fashion and movies and cars from the 1940s and 1950s. Some of my favorite music comes from the 40s. I likes films from the 60s, too. If I had to pick one, though, it’d be the 1940s.

Which era is your least favorite?

Alexandra: The 80’s I think. There are just not as many things I can appreciate that came out of the ‘80’s. I don’t love the music, movies, etc. (Obviously this does NOT include the people born then!)

Audrey: Honestly, I dislike how certain things define eras...I don’t like anything Gatsby or poodle skirts or Woodstock-y or neon/leggings. Do you know what I mean? But to answer the question, I dislike the 70s.

Check back on February 6th for our first round of recommendations! We're setting our sights on the 1910s for February!

I think this linkup is going to be the cat's pajamas!

XO,

Alexandra

2018 Travel Goals & Then Some...

Hi Friends! Happy Thursday! I hope that you are having a lovely week! The weather here is ALL over the place.. and my allergies are feeling it. Otherwise it's a decent week, if not a bit busy!

This year may be kind of an odd one. We are planning to buy a house, or at least look for one. We're not in a hurry to move, so we'll see how it goes. Things at my office seem more unstable than ever, so you never know how that will go... Not to mention some lingering things from last year, and some continued medical stuff for me. Bleh! 

BUT I am trying to focus on fun things.. like reading, scrapbooking, and TRAVEL! :) 

KC and I discussed our ideal amounts of travel in a year, and within that the ideal range of trips, it's yielded these ideas, but no real plans have been made just yet. I'm hopeful to travel more than last year, but less than 2016.

Here's what we have "planned":

Winter Road Trip:

image via Pinterest

We like being able to travel within the first few months of the year, it gives us something to look forward to right off the bat. We typically aim for a road trip so we don't have to deal with the possible travel woes of cancelled flights, etc. Plus it is cheaper to take a long weekend somewhere close!

This year we are considering Bentonville, Arkansas. Sounds random, but I have wanted to go for ages and check out their art museum! They also have so many lovely shops there and in nearby Fayetteville! Another option is to make the quick trip to Pioneer Woman's Mercantile in Oklahoma OR an old favorite of ours: Elves Manor in St. Louis. So we'll see how it goes! :) 

See our trips to St. Louis April 2011 & February 2014 - we love staying at Elves Manor! (that 2011 post has BABY pictures of me and KC! :P)

Summer Cruise:

image via Pinterest

Ever since our cruise to Canada in 2013, KC has really wanted to take another cruise. I know that my in-laws love the heat and being near the water. We asked KC's sister and her husband if they'd like to go on a cruise... and they did want to! SO we are working to get something planned for this summer! This time we will be going somewhere in the Caribbean, which will be new for me. Likely much too hot, but that's ok! I really do love being in and near the ocean when it is actually warm enough to get in. Right now my top choice is Cuba... because you guys, CUBA! But I'd be happy getting to be in the ocean just about anywhere. The draw of Cuba is definitely the cultural element. I don't want to go somewhere that feels like a resort, or like I'm just there to have a good time in a cheaper country... if that makes sense. I'd like to explore the culture with local guides, and learn things as well! If we do go to Cuba, Airbnb has a lot of "Experiences" in Havana. I'd be interested in doing those vs. cruise line excursions. Cooking in a Cuban kitchen? Yes, please! Salsa with local dancers? Sign me up! :) A tour with a local? So much better than a tour bus!

If we go, I will definitely brush up on my (rusty) Spanish and do a lot of reading on Cuba's history. I find doing (even a little) research before travel really helps me understand places we are visiting, and I firmly believe that that is what travel is all about: learning about the world, it's history, and the people living within it.

I also have a soft spot for Dirty Dancing Havana Nights. (I have no illusions that the trip will be like the movie, I just enjoy watching it.)  :) 

Late Summer Road Trip:

via Pinterest

This may depend on the possibility of moving into/purchasing a house not long before this... but we've been talking about a September road trip out to Charleston, SC. We LOVE NOLA (obviously!), we really liked Savannah so we've been wanting to go to Charleston for a few years! We also haven't been a ton of the places in between. I've never been to Kentucky (we've driven through...), we've never been to North Carolina. Etc. I'd LOVE to meet up with a few of you in Louisville if it works out, and then spend a bit of time in Asheville, NC, and visiting our friend Emy in Columbia, SC before making it to Charleston. It should still be warm enough for getting into the ocean in September, so that is the main reason behind the time of year. Of course since things are not planned yet, we could end up doing this in April, or just flying. You never know! Our friends Brittany & Tyler, that went to NOLA with us last spring, said that they (and their sweet baby Ada!) would like to go to Charleston too, so we may meet them there!

Visiting Friends!

We try to visit our far away friends on our travels. We visited Mariana & Eric in California in 2016, and they now live in Seattle. Though we've been to Seattle, it could be fun to go again, and certainly to see them. If the stars aligned I'd love to visit British Columbia again while we're up there. Maybe go up to Vancouver or back to Victoria. Or maybe South to Portland, OR. We've got options.

Also depending on time and budget, it could be fun to visit Brittany and Tyler (& Ada!) in Boston. We've been meaning to for such a long time! Fall would be the ideal time of year to go!

We've also talked about visiting Juliet & Dustin in Taiwan. Which is more of a time and money commitment, but would be such a great opportunity.

Further into the Future!

We are definitely still hoping to make it to Europe, but it will likely just depending on timing and budget. So much of travel is dependent upon flight deals and days that can be taken off work, so we try to be more and more flexible every year!

What are your travel plans this year?

Have you been to any of these places? If so, I'd love your recommendations!

XO,

Alexandra

My Favorite Things of 2017

I've already talked about my favorite books... but let's talk about a few of my very favorite things from other categories in 2017!

Books: (jk let's talk about them again)

Saga
Outlander
ACoTaR

See my full list of favorite books from 2017, here.

Shows:

Miss Fisher!!!!!!!!!!
Outlander (a very good adaptation! Harder to watch than read though! *blech*)
Great British Baking Show
Call the Midwife
Riverdale (guilty!) #teendrama

Music:

Vance Joy (always)
T-Swift
Then the rest of my usual favorites (coldplay, ellie goulding, broods, james bay. :) )

Purchases:

Home:

Ghost Bed
This Vacuum
iPhone Tripod Mount
1Canoe2 Enamel Mugs

Beauty & Fashion:

Honest Beauty Brow Pencil
Sam Edelman Booties in "Putty"
Velvet Dress - this dress but I got it in burgundy, which seems to be no longer available. :(

Crafty:

Zig Glue Pen
1Canoe2 Products - EVERYTHING, but these tapes are some of my favorites!
Kelly Purkey White Alpha
MY NEW TYPEWRITER! :) - click the link to watch my xmas haul including my typewriter! :)

There you have it, my favorite things and purchases/gifts from 2017! 

What were some of your favorite purchases of the year?

XO,

Alexandra

Have You Heard? // John Mayer - "Bigger Than My Body" // Throwback

Whew, what a week. For a short one, I definitely felt pretty swamped! I am feeling better, but am still pretty fatigued and a little light headed sometimes. So, I've been in and out of the doctor's office.. I don't know... we'll see what's going on... maybe eventually! *shrugs* Needless to say, I'm still hoping to get to everyone's goals for this year, and catch up on some blogging again soon! :) I DID read about your favorite books though! & GUSH! SO much book love!

Do you guys remember old John Mayer music? This album was my life. Tell ya what, 2003 was a darn good year for music. LOL



Can't help it, I've been craving this type of music this year! :)

What are you guys up to? I'm so excited to read about your goals soon!! :) 

This weekend we are going to Olivia's basketball game and hanging out this weekend. KC is excited because his team (The Vikings) is playing in the playoffs. I am hoping to work on something besides December Daily in the scrapbook realm.. and also to get more into The Girl in the Tower. Because OMG The Bear and the Nightingale the second time around was just so incredible. I was blown away, again. :) 

Other Posts This Week: 12 Months In & 2017 Goal Review.

On YouTube This Week: December Daily // Days 8-19 and December Daily // Days 20-31.

**ON MONDAY MY VIDEO WHERE I GUSH AND GUSH ABOUT MY TYPEWRITER WILL BE POSTED. So stay tuned for that. :P**

Last thing: I post every week on Year of Gratitude, this week we were talking about privilege. I talked about diverse representation in dolls and Disney movie characters. I interviewed my 10 year old sister Olivia as well, which was super fun and gave me some hope for the future. :) Go check it out! :)

XO,

Alexandra

Twelve Months In & 2017 Goal Review

Well, 2017 is over. I am FINALLY back at work, not sick, etc. etc. In a fun twist of fate KC got an awful stomach bug just as I was recovering from my virus. He's better now, but goodness. We'd like a break!

As the fog is lifting I am finally able to think a bit about 2017 in review. I missed my monthly linkup with Kristen and Gretch, so I'm going to recap my December and Yearly goals all in one swoop!

1) Goals for December:

2) Work on (MY FIRST!) December Daily album!

Check! I am ALMOST finished with it too, which is pretty good, all things considered!

3)3) Read books from under-loved genres (2017 goal)

I read another graphic novel, a historical fiction, and a contemporary adult novel. They were all pretty good too!

3) Try specific ideas from The Little Book of Hygge

We stayed home a lot, but didn't do anything specific from the book.

4) Try a new Christmas cookie recipe

Nope!

5) Get holiday or end of year cards sent out

See #8... :( 

6) Do #allthefestivethings

We did do this! Busy busy!

7) Go through 3 boxes (or the like) that we are storing. Purge, purge, purge!

Nope, though I did give my purses and tote bags a good re-organize!

8) Take a few things off of my plate - if I can...

See #5. 

9) Think about social media schedule for 2018

Not really.

10) Read and then read more

I did very well at this before I got sick!

11) Spend time on non-paper crafts

Nope.

12) Take more photos at home with KC/cats, etc.

I think we did ok at this!

Total: 6/12 - Not bad for a very full month of holiday things. I think I could have polished off a bit more had I not gotten sick. But what are you going to do? :) 

2017 Goals in Review:

What Went Well: 

KC and I started taking walks during the work day. I think this was tremendous for self care, and got us moving more. It's not "working out" but it is a sustainable step. I'll take it!

I worked hard on conquering my dental anxiety. I had so many appointments, and got a lot of work done. I feel less anxious now, and I am in a better place about it all. I didn't get it completely finished, but that was mainly due to lack of insurance money after a while. I go back this month. Feeling good about this despite the not-so-fun nature of it all.

We were able to make less plans for most of 2017. I tend to over-schedule and commit like crazy. So this was really lovely and needed to have a break. I think it really helped especially with divorce stresses, etc. throughout the year. The busier months were much more stressful.

I used YouTube a lot for my scrapbook and crafty ventures. I was so delighted and surprised to see over 100 followers at the end of 2017! I'm getting a bit more engagement, and making videos is becoming more second-nature as well. Thanks to all who have followed along there! :)

Along with being home more, we were able to focus on seasonal living a little bit better. We made a point to get out and do things related to the season or holidays. We ate with the seasons a bit more, etc.

I surpassed my reading goal for the year, and I read 58/50 books! Overall it was a very good reading year. I talked about my favorites from 2017 in this post. :) While I didn't read a book from every under-loved genre I mentioned, or as many classics or non-fiction as I wanted to, I still feel good about where I ended up, and I think I read more overall than I would have otherwise! I am also so happy with my book ban progress (coming soon, I swear!). I sold back so many books after reading!

Our decision to move in with my in-laws, (as crazy as it sounds!) was a great one. We are all so comfortable living together. They love our cats. We love having more family time. It's overall just more cozy and less stress. It is also definitely helping us to save for our first home. Our savings is looking so good, and we are hoping to start house hunting this spring! :) 

What I Hope To Keep Improving:

More exercise. I'm so happy with our walks, but I want to keep adding in more exercise. More walks, more yoga, etc.

Cooking and eating at home. 2017 was so much about self-care, but also about giving ourselves grace. It was a really tough year, and we didn't want to beat ourselves up about going out for meals, etc. We didn't go overboard, but didn't cook that much either. I would like to see a continual effort toward cooking at home more in 2018. I think we can handle another gradual shift! Baby steps! :) 

Travel balance. In 2016 we were traveling like crazy. In 2017... we traveled comparatively very little. KC and I have had chats about ideal amounts of time between trips. It's unclear what we'll do quite yet. But I think we are hoping for a few more trips this year. Even short/close by ones. :) Breaks are important!

Organization & Packing. With a house buying and moving on the horizon, I need to buckle down on some de-cluttering, organizing, and re-packing. I started strong in Jan/Feb last year with this, and then quickly puttered out in favor of a more organized living space. I hope to get this under wraps at the beginning of this year.

I have a lot of thoughts on specific goals for 2018. I am excited to share them soon! 

How was December for you?

What did you accomplish in 2017?

What are your goals for this year?

I'm so excited to catch up with you all now that I'm feeling better! I can't wait to read about your goals! :) 

XO,

Alexandra

Have You Heard? // Taylor Swift feat. Ed Sheeran and Future - "Endgame"

I wasn't planning to post today, as I'm still catching up a bit.. but "Endgame" was released, and it's just too much fun not to share. Can I tell you guys how much I love Ed Sheeran? I used to really not like his music, but gosh he's so talented, he definitely grew on me. Half of my love of this song is him. Just being honest. :)

I would also like to say that a while back KC and I were making guesses about T-Swift's next album or style (before anything had been released) and I was like.. "I think she's going to rap.". Here ya have it. :P



Also, thanks for filling us with wanderlust. 2 tickets to Miami, Tokyo, and London please. :)

What are you guys up to this weekend?

We are going to my sister Olivia's basketball game, KC is watching the Vikings in the playoff game, and hopefully otherwise we are doing things like taking down our Christmas tree, laundry, and reading! I'm so excited to finally have some energy again, I feel like I can (and want to!) do all of the things! :) I'm having the itch to do some organizing of my crafty supplies as well! 

Posts This Week: Christmassing 2017 // Playing Catch Up & December Reads.

On YouTube This Week: At the Farm Process Video // 2017 Project Life Album.

Anyone else love Ed Sheeran? :P 

I hope you have an excellent weekend! 

XO,

Alexandra

December Reads // Thank God for Vacation!

It's a new year for reading! Hooray! I haven't read since I've been sick, but I feel that I am finally getting better, and that I will be gobbling up books again in no-time! 

I read just 1 book in November, but talked about it with my October Reads, here is how I finished out the year!

The Guersey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy historical fiction, quirky characters, especially anything taking place during WWII.

This book follows Juliet, a journalist who is searching for a topic for her next book. When she receives a letter from stranger living on the island of Guernsey, they begin an unlikely friendship. As Juliet learns more about Guernsey, and its occupation by the Germans during WWII, she forms attachments to the people living there, and their stories.

I had heard such great things about this book from nearly everyone. I am so glad that I finally got a chance to read it. It is written in letters, which didn't bother me, but did detract just a little from the detail. It was still very vivid though. I loved the stories the characters told, and I really appreciated that this book, while sad, was very hopeful. It had a resilient tone. It was romantic enough, but not too romantic. I'm very excited to see the movie version whenever it is set to release this year. :) 

Piper by Jay Asher and Jessica Freeburg, Illustrated by Jeff Stokely

4 Stars - I recommend if you are looking for a solid graphic novel. This also contains diverse characters, the main character is deaf.

This graphic novel is a re-telling of the Pied Piper, and follows Maggie, a deaf girl who is shunned by her village. She just wants to live a normal life, but comforts herself by imagining up (rather dark) stories. When her village is facing a rat infestation along with the diseases they carry, the Piper shows up just in time to save them. Maggie is accepted by the Piper, but is he what he seems?

I saw this at Target, and KC got it for me as one of my Christmas gifts. I really didn't know what to expect from it, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. It is short, and only took a few hours to read. I appreciated that the story was a little bit dark, but not overly depressing. I liked the re-imagining of the Pied Piper tale. The art is really lovely as well. I recommend if you are looking for a graphic novel. 

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy contemporary women's fiction, and a bit of romance.

This story follows Emma, who has married her high school sweetheart. They live an adventurous life full of travel and spontaneity. When her husband, Jesse's, helicopter goes down somewhere in the Pacific, her world is shattered, and she moves back to Boston to be with her family. When she returns, she is able to heal little by little, improve her relationship with her family, and unexpectedly kindles an old almost-romance with Sam. They quickly become engaged, and are comfortable in their life together. It's a completely different life than the one she had before. When Jesse is found alive, after being missing for three years, Emma must decide who she is now, and who is her one true love.

Everyone raves about TJR's books, so I had high hopes for this one. I was pretty gripped by the plot, but I didn't LOVE this book. Anyhow, I found this book to be mostly emotional, rather than romantic. Very few parts of it felt romantic to me. It was more about her relationships with these two men, and finding herself during a chaotic time. A lot of it I was like, "NO DON'T DO IT!" and I felt so bad for all of the characters involved. Yikes. It also kinda bugged me how much baggage she had with her sister, but I am not really sure why. I unfortunately, figured out which way it was going to go very early on in the book. But maybe I'm alone there? This was very entertaining, but it wasn't my favorite.

Juliet by Anne Fortier

4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy books that flash back and forth between multiple time periods, romance, adventure, and bits of "historical fiction". As well as Romeo and Juliet. (I'm not bonkers for R&J, but did enjoy this quite a bit!)

This book follows Julie, as she finds out that her beloved aunt Rose, the woman who raised her, has passed away. Not only that, but she has left her entire estate to her twin sister. She quickly finds out that she was left something even more valuable, a key to a safety deposit box in Siena, Italy. She is soon swept up in an adventure to Italy to solve the mystery of the key, all the while uncovering information about her ancestor Giulietta's tragic past in 1340. The past and present are woven together in a mysterious way, as what had happened in the past, was very much still relevant in the present.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was mysterious and adventurous, I didn't feel like I knew exactly what would happen, or how things would resolve. I felt like it was fast-paced, and considering I'm not overly into R&J I really quite liked this story. I thought that the romance was nice, but not overly important. The feuding sisters bothered me in this one too, but it wasn't a focus for the whole book, so that helped.

Currently Reading:

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (re-read)

On Deck:

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden* 

I ended up reading 58/50 books last year! Woohoo! See my favorite books of 2017!

Linking up with Jana and Steph for Show Us Your Books today. :) 

What have you been reading? What do you hope to read this month?! 

Let's be friends on Goodreads!

XO,

Alexandra

* Asterisks denote titles that I was given advance access to by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. These reviews are my own opinion, and based on the edition of the book I was given at the time. Thank you Netgalley

Christmassing 2017 // Playing Catch Up!

Whew, still a bit under the weather off and on. The worst part is that I can't see distance-wise anymore. And I have no idea why. I also get kind of dizzy and nauseated. I am headed back to the doctor today, and the eye doctor tomorrow to hopefully get it straightened out. Wish me luck! I am at the end of my rope with this "cold"!

A post shared by Alexandra Consolver (@simplyalexandra12) on Dec 25, 2017 at 8:06pm PST

In the meantime, I have a tiny surge of energy, and wanted to get some holiday photos up, even though I am very over Christmas, and I bet that you are too, I still want the memory of those things here. ;) This blog is for readers, and also for myself. I want to be able to look back on things that have happened in my life and have them all in one place. :)

We finally made Spritz cookies, and they were amazing! This family tradition is one that I loved as a child, and am grateful that KC enjoys too! :)

I sent my Blogger Pen Pal Secret Santa gift to Audrey. I wrapped it with foxes, because she loves them. :) I hope that she enjoyed the items and the wrapping. ;)

We watched more Christmas movies: Charlie Brown and The Grinch. We sadly, still did not get around to watching White Christmas and Christmas in Connecticut. Next year I should plan to watch them on the first weekend in December! hehe The cats were so snuggly for much of our movie watching.

KC and I spent Christmas Eve together, we exchanged most of our gifts, made "Christmas Fettuccine" ala The Holiday, and listened to The Holiday while playing with our gifts. KC got me a lovely old typewriter and I am having so much fun using it! :) We ended the night playing games, and having tea and cookies. It was perfect.

On Christmas morning the boys unwrapped sort of a funny present. Raccoon "Coon skin" caps. They aren't real. But it was too funny watching them start opening the package making a "what is in here?!?!" face. Scalawag has stolen KC's and plays with it. LOL. I thought this photo was too funny though.

My Mother in Law made us matching Christmas Sweaters again this year. This is the third year, and I know that you guys get a kick out of them! :) Two years ago we had reindeer shirts, last year it was penguins, and this year it was gingerbread people. :)

Some of my favorite gifts we gave this year were these two water color portraits. I had been wanting to try my hand at painting them for a while. I think that they turned out pretty cute! I put one in Audrey's SS package, but I forgot to take a picture. : / WHOOPS! There are a few things I would change on each, but I am learning and getting the hang of it. :)

Before I got sick, we played a lot of games, and read a lot. A LOT. Which was so lovely and so needed. I would have loved to have finished off the vacation this way, rather than in bed, but that's ok. I'm grateful I am not truly truly ill. I'm grateful that I enjoy reading, and that I was able to take time off of work! :)

A post shared by Alexandra Consolver (@simplyalexandra12) on Dec 23, 2017 at 8:04pm PST

Then I was obviously sick for quite a while, and I am running out of patience to feel better. :(

A post shared by Alexandra Consolver (@simplyalexandra12) on Jan 4, 2018 at 8:00pm PST

Last weekend we did get to celebrate a belated Christmas with my mom and sisters, which was nice. I felt bad for pushing it back, but I didn't want anyone to get my cold. It was nice to finally get to celebrate and to spend some family time together. We had breakfast, opened gifts, watched part of a movie, and made a small gingerbread village. Olivia spent a lot of time playing with her various crafty gifts she received. One thing we got her was a mini low-heat glue gun (and sticks) so that way she had one of her very own. :)

We still need to take down our decorations, but I am glad that we got to do our Christmas and finish up the season last weekend. I am more than ready to move on to 2018!!

I hope that you all had a lovely holiday and new year! I am planning to catch up on some recent posts... but there obviously hasn't been energy for that just yet!

Thank you for all of the well-wishes! :)

XO,

Alexandra