The Daily Something

Here are all of my favorites of 2016... I bet you're going to be COMPLETELY shocked by #1... lol. Not really, It's Hamilton! 1) Hamilton- I don't remember the last time I was as into something as I am with Hamilton... especially music related. I listened to the entire soundtrack... most days of the year last year. I started liking it at the beginning of the year too... and now at the end of the year I'm still just as obsessed... if not even more obsessed because I'm actually seeing it in January... which I still can't even believe. To say I'm excited would be the biggest understatement of 2016... I'm beyond that... It's just the best. The soundtrack and the Mixtape are the best music... ever? Maybe... lol. I love it! 2) Coloring Books- I'm also surprised that I like coloring books as much as I do... I thought it was a little silly when I first heard of it... but its so relaxing and satisfying to see the end result of your coloring pages... it...

Here are my non-christmas favorites for December 1) The Hamilton Mixtape- Everyone knows Hamilton is my #1 Favorite for the year of 2016... but the Hamilton Mixtape is something so different and so good that I love it just as much and will probably end up listening to it as often as I listen to the Hamilton Soundtrack. It's a different take on the play... a lot of 2016 connections to hamilton, celebrity versions of the songs... even a few different takes on what happened during the play like "Say Yes To This" and "An Open Letter to John Adams." We even get some original versions of the songs that were on the mixtape before Lin realized he had a musical! It's such a good cd. If you aren't super into Hamilton, but you like Rap and pop... I would recommend listening to this. It's so good! I didn't even think I'd like it that much because I wasn't really in love with the Kelly Clarkson song on the pre-order... but I love it. It's defini...

Happy New Year! 2017 is going to be great! I've got a lot of stuff planned... some things already written and its going to be fun! I'm excited! So we'll start the New Year with the last Scribbles About Music Throwback Thursday Edition... for a while at least and that is XO by Fall Out Boy! The last song on From Under The Cork Tree, and one of my favorites! This is almost a little like the "dark and scary" songs that I usually like. In fact, I think during one of their concerts they played either this or I Slept With Someone in FOB and they had a video on a projection of centipedes and gross things... really not sure which one it was right now... but it freaked me out a little, but it was fitting! This is another one I'm kind of pausing to listen to the whole song while I'm writing because I just like it so much. I really love it. Its kind of deep and meaningful, but it sort of tells a story and its sad angry. It also brings the Keyhole, which is a bi...

We lost a lot of people in the year 2016... and it was all incredibly sad... so I just thought I would talk a little bit about them and why these were all so sad. I'm talking all about celebrities here if that wasn't clear... I don't want to make this too personal... so yeah. When the year starts out with David Bowie dying... you know it's going to suck. And that was really hard for me. I always thought when Harrison Ford died, that would be kind of a big loss for me... but David Bowie was a very significant loss. He is my favorite singer. The song Soul Love is probably my favorite song of all time... it's something that is very real, but also kind of hopeful after experiencing any sort of heartbreak. And up until his death, he was so very talented and amazing. It was really sad. Alan Rickman then passed not long after and that was also incredibly sad. I'm 25 years old... Harry Potter is kind of everyone's thing at this point... but those movies came out...

So since it is almost a  New Year, I thought I would do a New Year's tag this Tuesday! I just googled this and found questions... didn't come up with this! 1) If you could look back on one memory from last year that you wished you could relive, what would it be?  My sister's wedding probably... it was just such a nice, special day. It would be really fun to relive it again! 2) What was one New Years Resolution That You Accomplished?  Blogging every day... okay never really accomplished it... but I think I came closest this year! 3) 3 Words To Describe Last Year?  Hamilton, Surprising, Emotional. 4) Best Music Related Creation/ Inspiration Last Year by an Artist in Your Opinion?  Obviously Hamilton! 5) Something You're Looking Forward To This Coming Year Being an Aunt! 6) What Did Last Year Teach You?  Don't Throw Away Your Shot! 7) What Was Your Most Worn Clothing Item Of Last Year?  Idk if this counts but my Fitbit! 8) What...

10) Nocturnal Animals- This movie looks interesting to me because it is directed by Tom Ford, who is a famous fashion designer and has a line of very luxurious makeup. Plus I like Thrillers a lot and this is a thriller. So I'm happy this is doing so well! 9) Doctor Strange- Again... haven't seen this at all yet. There is some controversy over the casting of Tilda Swinton... google that to see how you feel... I'm not opposed to the director having a different vision of the character... but I also don't like how he defended his choice and it is a big problem. I'm interested in the character Doctor Strange, so I think I will try to watch this one when it is available to watch. I've heard its visually stunning... and I love me some Cumberbatch. So the more I've been like "nah I'm not interested" the more I'm like "you know what... I gotta see this one!" 8) Arrival- This also sounds like a very interesting movie. I would probably w...

So this isn't a real weekly wrap up... I'm just going to talk about everything I did from 22nd to now... in a quick and entertaining way. 22nd  I did some last minute-y Christmas type things. I went shopping with my mom for some things she needed and some candy and snacks and stuff. And I went to my friend's Ugly Sweater Party! Which was a lot of fun.I wore my minion sweater and ended up winning a Christmas Coloring Book. And we ate a lot of food... and played Cards Against Humanity... which I'm pretty good at. It's a fun game! 23rd  I stayed at home all day... but I went out to eat dinner and it was really good. I didn't do too much. I cleaned the bathroom, which was good... but yeah. Mostly just ate food and got ready for Christmas Eve! 24th  Christmas Eve! We went over to my Nana's house for our Christmas Eve traditions with my cousins on my dad's side of the family. That was fun... we ate a lot again... and opened presents! Which was also fu...

So my newest most favorite Christmas snacks... well ok 1 is new from last year... 1 is not new but it was rekindled. Sugar Cookie Egg Nog... sooooo good! I just really like Egg Nog in general and this just tastes like a tasty tasty cookie and its just sooo good. I really like it a lot. It's just so nice and yummy! I've gone on and on about it... so good. And Stolen! I didn't think this would be something I liked... but it also has Marzipan in it... so of corse it's amazing! It's like Irish Sodabread... but with marzipan. So yummy. Tried it on a whim... and loved it! Byeee! So tired... I'll try to post a Christmas Wrap Up tomorrow! -Shannon

Quick writing this cause I'm about to leave! Face:  Primer: Mac Prep and Prime Natural Radiance Base Lumiere Foundation Too Faced Born This Way Mixed with Celestial Custom Enhancer Drops Concealer Smashbox Concealer Primer and Benefit Erase Paste Contour Tartiest Pro Glow Palette in Sculpt Blush Milani Romantic Rose Highlight Cover Fx Celestial and Stunner from the tarte palette Eyes Base: Revlon Photoready Eye Art Duo in Burnished Bling. Not the glitter side. Shadows: ABH Master Palette by Mario. 5th ave all over the lid, Isabel in the crease, Muse in the outer corner and Marina on the inner corner. For the browbone I went back into the Tarte palette and used Strobe. Liner: Nyx Slide on Glide on in Gilded Mascara: I used the Ulta Twisted Volume. On one side I used a tarte lash primer... so we can find out if it works better. Lips:  Liner: Nyx Brick House Color: Revlon Black Cherry Side Note: I published this on the wrong blog... ding dang....

This is a really sweet story I heard on the news this morning... so I thought I'd share it to get everyone in the holiday spirit. A man was cleaning up his fireplace when he noticed a letter to Santa that was in his fireplace from 1907. It was from a 10 year old Irish girl at the time, she didn't ask for anything... but she wanted Santa to get "A wagon for her brother, even though I know you can't afford it." And she told Santa to "Please Remember The Poor." It was a very mature note from a 10 year old girl, who was thinking of others before herself. In Ireland it is tradition to send letters to Santa up the Chimney, so that is how it ended up in the fireplace. When the man saw the letter, he was intrigued and wanted to know more about this woman. He looked her up and saw that she had died in 1979 at the age of 82. And she was buried, and her husband had a headstone, and there was a place on the headstone for her name... but she didn't have her n...

For some reason... I always really liked decorating the tree... and I'm kind of particular about how I decorate my tree... so yeah. There's sort of a theme. Angels and fairies go on top of the tree. I have a side of the tree with mostly disney and Frosty Friends ornaments, my sister has a tree with Disney and Frosty friends ornaments... we also have Frosty Friends in the middle and some "Daughter" and "Sister" ornaments... and in the middle of the tree are Santa ornaments, towards the bottom we have more of the mice ornaments... my dad has some sports ornaments that I put on our tiny window tree upstairs... And that's kind of it. We're all a little particular about where the ornaments go on the tree... so it kinda looks the same every year... with maybe some minor differences... but not really. Lol. It's my tree and I like it fully decorated and pretty. Lol. So yeah, I've pretty much taken over decorating the tree for my mom. My dad put...

I wanted to share a sad story that is kind of heartwarming for Blogmas tonight.  I watch the show Jeopardy... pretty much every night. And lately a woman named Cindy Stowell has been winning. She's very quiet, and soft-spoken... but all of the stories that she's told on the air have made Alex laugh and they were sooo funny and so crazy that you can't help but notice her... and Alex Trebeck seemed very charmed by this woman the whole time. You can tell when he likes a contestant and he always seems so happy with all of her winnings.  What I didn't from watching this is that through this at least 6 day streak (It's on live right now... so idk the outcome of this game) Cindy has been battling Colon Cancer and passed away before her episodes aired. Alex Trebeck and a few of the Jeopardy crew members knew that Cindy was battling cancer, but not that many people were aware. Her goal was to get over 100,000 dollars... and she's passed that amount and has donated...

Today I'm going to talk about being an elf. I'm not an actual elf... technically I'm unemployed and don't even work for Santa... but I'm elf trained. These are some simple ways to spread some holiday cheer... without singing loud for all to hear because that makes me a little bit nervous... not gonna lie. My mom is a very nice person and she always wraps my presents up every Christmas. She has arthritis though, and after we get home from our Christmas Eve dinner at my Nana's she's often tired and wraps presents on top of that. I already have my Christmas Presents from my parents and I know what they are... so last night when she and my dad left the house... I thought maybe she needed help from an elf, so I decided to help her. I wrapped up my presents... didn't tell her about it until she got home. Another thing is get little things for people if you know they would like something. I stopped at 5 below to get some little solar powered shakeys for my ...

So I thought this would be kind of a fun one to do. The best and worst of Christmas songs! Here we go! No real order here! Some of them will have a singer... some won't! Also... there are probably a lot I'm forgetting... this is kind of just what I'm feeling right now. Top 5  1) Last Christmas by Wham! I feel like everyone forgets how talented George Michael is because he's been involved in a few scandals... but he is damn talented! This song is really good! I love it! Sort of one of the Cheesier Christmas songs... but I really really like it! 2) Santa Baby by Eartha Kit- It's hard to get better than Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby. Her voice is so perfect. It's a funny Christmas song, but its also sexy and its just a really really good song. There aren't many versions of Santa Baby that I don't like either... I'm not crazy about Madonna's version... but I still think the song is so good it's pretty okay! I really like the song! 3) Silve...

So since I already mentioned movies and candy... here are some fun toys and other things! First thing I want to mention is the Elf popper, they have penguin ones too... its basically a Nerf Gun that looks like an Elf or Penguin or something spitting out balls. It's a lot of fun. My mom got them a few years ago for my sister and brother in law and I... and it was fun. Yes... we're all grown ups... but it was fun! We got this at Hallmark! Books are always fun! A lot of times if you go to Barnes and Noble... or even Hallmark maybe, they have tiny books that you can get as gifts. The LOLDogs and LOLCats used to be really big. I like the "I Can Has Cheeseburger" one... but there are a bunch. They might have some christmas ones or religious ones, if you wanted to give something like that. They have things like 642 little things to draw or write about... which is always a fun gift. Wreck This Journal would probably be a lot of fun too and that would fit in a stocking. Al...

So I kind of ran out of holiday specials to watch on Netflix... and I do love dogs... so I thought that this would be a fun one to watch... and it really wasn't bad... but this is kind of the bottom of the barrel as far as Netflix Holiday Specials go... and that is kind of sad. So it starts out kinda scary. There's an icicle that melts when there is no Christmas Spirit... and Santa's actual power for the workshop depends on that Icicle... it's basically a Direct to DVD version of Elf with dogs... so that's kind of what I was expecting... but its still pretty much a rip off... but it was kind of a scary scene to see Santa and Santa Paws in there saying there's no hope for Christmas except for Puppy Paws. Then we meet Puppy Paws... and we realize there really isn't much hope for Christmas at all... Puppy Paws just messes everything up to have fun and it's kind of funny... but he kind of ruins Christmas because of it. And then his dad, Santa Paws yells ...

Here are my favorite Chrismasy things of the year... so far! 1) Simply Christmas by Leslie Odom Jr- I reviewed this cd right  here  and I thought it was just really a great cd. The songs were all nice and I'm a fan of Leslie Odom, Jr.'s voice! I really like it and its been one of my favorites this year! 2) Vlogmas- I watch a lot of daily vloggers regularly. Like The Tim Tracker and The Jones Family Travels and people that are around theme parks... but I've been especially liking them during the holiday season because I love seeing different places around the holidays. It's just interesting to me and I like the addition of several other youtubers doing Vlogmas as well! It's just been fun to see what everyone is up to and how everyone is celebrating. There are lots of extra videos to watch and its fun! 3) Sugar Cookie Egg Nog- This has been my favorite thing for years... but I didn't find it the last couple of years... but this year its back and its so sooo ...

Another thing I liked when I was little was the Manger scene my parents had... because I liked playing with it! I'm sure a lot of kids do this, even if its not toys... we'll play with whatever lol. And I kind of wonder... what I did because I didn't really know the story of Jesus that well. I knew he was a baby and the 3 Kings traveled to bring him presents... didn't know much else... so I'm curious. We had a lot of angels in there that I don't think went with the manger... but I guess my mom put them there I guess because it kinda went. I'm not sure... anyway those were my favorites because they looked kind of like dolls or little girls. I think I broke one... we still keep it in there though. And then when we got my first dog Lucky... we put it inside our glass cabinets because we thought that Lucky would get it... and now we have another little dog that will get anything in his path... but yeah. It looks nicer now. Sometimes we put it underneath the...

So this is a little bit different... I might do some more Christmas Scribbles About TV... But I like This is Us so much and I've really been loving all of their holiday episodes so much that I thought I would do a whole post dedicated to the episode. And this is the Winter Finale of the show also... so it did kind of end on a cliffhanger... and I have some thoughts on that... but it was a really good episode. And I don't even really know where to start on describing the episode... the storyline in the past was focused on the family all at the hospital because Kate had to get her appendix taken out on Christmas Eve. Rebecca gave Kate a branch of a Christmas tree and said that it had Christmas Magic on it and nothing bad happens on Christmas Eve. Here we can see how attached Kevin is to his sister... he doesn't want to leave her side when she is being taken into the ER and he doesn't really talk much while they are in the ER. I kind of wish they focused a little more ...

I thought this one would be fun for Tag Tuesday.... so here we go! I just saw this on youtube a few years ago and I looked up the questions! S- Show us your favorite Christmas Pajamas  I don't really have any... I just like any and all pajamas. This is a pair I used to have a while ago and I don't have it any more... but I still have fond memories of it because it was so comfy underneath all my blankets when it was super cold in my room... and on my dog's first thanksgiving he just snuggled up with me and he would not leave my side. And I thought he liked the pajamas at first, but I think he just wanted to be best friends... so here is that picture of my dogs first Thanksgiving. See us? Being best friends and stuff? So cute!  A-A Smell that reminds you of Christmas  Last year American Eagle gave out free Balsam candles with purchase and that makes me think of christmas. It smells really good in the house, my dad burns it downstairs when he has a fire going and...

So I thought it would be fun to do a gift guide that every gift corresponds with the price. So like for the first day of Christmas $1 gift that would be good and then up from there. These would be good stocking stutterers and things I just think are unique. $1- Solar Powered Dancers!  My mom loves getting the little dancing solar powered people. We get most of ours from Dollar tree... other dollar stores have them too, they're super cute and fun for $1. Its good to put near any plants that you have that way you know they're getting sunlight. It's a good gift. $2- Mini Coloring Book!  At 5 Below they had some mini travel sized coloring books for $2. I thought these were pretty cool. I got the Botanical one I believe. Really cute and fun! I would recommend! $3-   Ceramic Truck w/ Christmas Tree  I saw this at the Target Dollar Spot and I thought it was cute and would probably make a great gift. If you know someone who has a truck or likes the sort of "rustic C...

So here are my favorite candies... these are mostly seasonal and just very giftable things. Some of them might not fit in stockings, but they might be a good host gift or a gift for a teacher or something along those lines... so yeah! Let's just get right to it! First off... and probably my favorite is the Chocolate Cherry Kisses. These are so yummy! I love chocolate cherries and anything with a cherry flavoring. These are my absolute favorite. I love the chocolate that is in kisses also and its just such a yummy yummy candy. I love them! Speaking of kisses, the new Kisses Deluxe are really nice too. You can usually get them in a box or in little packs of 3... they aren't the cheapest... but they are a more affordable gift if you're looking for one! Also if you're looking for a host or hostess gift... if you have a local candy store that you like, I would get something from there. There are sooo many good ones in New Jersey. My personal favorite is Jean Louise in ...

So... here is what I decided the best movies to watch for Christmas and when you should watch them! There are some I think are perfect to watch Early Early on and some that are better closer to Christmas... but here they are. And I'll mention which ones to just avoid at all costs... lol. Best Early On  Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown- I've said this before and I'll say it again... this is the way to kick off the holiday season! It really reminds you of what's important and what Christmas is all about. It makes me happy to watch every time I see it too. It's just a really good movie! Santa Claus is Coming To Town- This is another favorite of mine for the beginning of Christmas because I think its a great way to get you to really believe in Santa! It answers any questions about Santa's origins and it all makes sense! I just always love this movie and they usually play it pretty early on. Its a good one! Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer- They usually play this...

So I saw that Starbucks now has their hot chocolates advertised... and they have the regular Chocolate Hot Chocolate, the White Hot Chocolate and the Salted Caramel available... and now they have added a Snickerdoodle Hot Chocolate! And I was excited to try it! I was kind of just expecting it to be a white hot chocolate... which is why I was surprised that when I drank it... it tasted just like a cookie fresh out of the oven! It was really really good! It smells really good too! Before I even took a sip I could smell it and it smelled just like a snicker doodle cookie. And then when I started drinking it wasn't overwhelmingly sweet or sugary, it was just the same amount of sweetness as a regular Snickerdoodle cookie and it was just warm and delicious. They got the flavor down so well, its amazing! When I got to the end... it wasn't quite as delicious as the first few sips. It wasn't bad... but it did sort of lose a little bit of flavor and just tasted more like a whit...

So my favorite favorite favorite ornament when I was little... and still now, even though we don't plug it in anymore to make it make noise... was an ornament that was a little mouse on Santa's answering machine! It had a button you could press and it had Santa saying "Hello, I'm off packing my sleigh right now but you can leave a message. Wait for the jingle bells!" Or something along those lines. I'm not sure why, but I loved that one the best! We had other fun buttons to push, but that was the one I would always go to! I think it was the easiest to push and maybe the easiest for me to reach on the tree... my mom moved it closer to my side because I loved it so much! I also like the simplicity of it. It isn't from a movie or anything... but its just got this mouse on it and its Santa's voice on the answering machine and that is just special! So yeah... it isn't the prettiest ornament or the fanciest... but it was definitely always the most ...

New York is always a fun place to visit... but around the holidays I think it is especially magical and fun! There's a ton to do everywhere you go... and I just really like it. One time I was actually in New York On Christmas itself and that was totally bizarre. It was totally empty when we got off the train. Times Square was a little busy at night, but the hustle and bustle wasn't really there. So if you have tickets to something on Christmas or you wanted to go to a hotel in New York or something for the holidays... its a fun experience to see it empty! Or even if you live in New York, its just really nice! And the reason why we were in New York on Christmas was to go to Elf the Musical! I went with my sister, who loves Elf and we had a really fun time at Elf the Musical! I've seen the play 2 times and it is one of my favorites. The music is really amazing and fun and it's just a great play! They always get really good actors to play Buddy. My sisters seen it 3 or...

Alright so I found this tag right  here ! So here we go! 1) Favorite Christmas Movie?  This is tough... I'm going to say Elf though because really... it has the best ending and it is the funniest funniest movie. And its like when I see that... I know its almost Christmas. It's such a good movie too! I laugh every time! 2) Are You on the Naughty List or the Nice List?  Is there a "Nasty Woman" list? Lol. I think I'm on the nice list. I'm a pretty nice person... unless you bother me. 3) Show us an embarrassing Christmas Card Photo!  We don't do Christmas Card photos... So I googled Embarrassing Christmas photos... and I didn't really want to make fun of anyone's family photos and I couldn't tell if they were serious or not... but for some reason I found this picture of The Rock... so I'm going to insert that here because I think The Rock won't be embarrassed by it. You're Welcome!  4) Have you ever had a White Christ...