Top Five! Movie Musicals

Recently we bought tickets to see The Book of Mormon when the national tour comes to Nashville in November. We saw Wicked earlier in the year and at some points I had a hard time understanding what they were singing so I decided to go ahead and listen to the Broadway cast recording of Book of Mormon. And oh my gosh it is HILARIOUS. I was crying laughing in my car listening to it the first time. I can't wait to see it in a few months! Here is a clip of the opening number when they performed it at the 2012 Tony's.

I have always loved musicals, and now that is all I want to listen to! We drove to Missouri this weekend and all I took were musical soundtracks (Thankfully Travis loves musicals too. We really belted out Les Miserables). It gave me an idea for a new little series. We'll see if I keep up with it. Every once in a while I'll talk about my "top five" something or other. So let's start this off with my top five movie musicals!

It was REALLY HARD for me to narrow it down to five. The more I thought about it the more movies I thought of that I have seen over and over. Then I asked Travis and he named a few I hadn't even thought of! Here is what I finally came up with:

Little Shop of Horrors: This one was easy, because it is my favorite movie of all time! My grandparents took me to see the play when I was about 4 years old and I was traumatized! All you had to say was "Feed Me!" and I would freak out! But now I love it. If you haven't seen it ,you NEED TO SEE IT. It is the story of a dorky young man who finds a man-eating plant from outer space. It is set in the 1950's and the chorus is three girls named after some of the best girl groups of all time (Ronette, Crystal, and Chiffon). I love all the music, I love Rick Moranis as Seymour Krelborn (if we ever had a kid you can almost bet I'm naming him Seymour), and Steve Martin plays a sadistic dentist! The play is better of course (and has a completely different ending) but I could watch the movie every day for the rest of my life. Here is my favorite part, "Suddenly Seymour." Which you could probably guess since I have a pretty huge tattoo of Audrey 2 (the flesh eating plant) with those words under it.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: I didn't see this movie until I was 19. We went to one of Travis' friend's house to watch it and I was totally blown away. I bought the dvd the next day and watched it every day for a week! I feel like everyone has seen it, but if not it's another weird one: newlyweds Brad and Janet are traveling to visit their science teacher and take shelter in a strange castle because their tire blows out in a storm. Tim Curry is incredible as Dr. Frank-n-Furter who is a mad scientist transvestite trying to create the perfect man in a lab. The music is so good! We've been to see it at midnight a bunch of times and I'm hoping we'll be able to this year on Halloween.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch: This show is getting lots of press this year because it is on broadway staring Neil Patrick Harris. I would love to see it on stage, because the movie is amazing! John Cameron Mitchell plays Hedwig for the movie and is perfect. The movie is about a rock band fronted by East German transexual Hedwig. It is about Hedwig's journey to find herself. It's really beautiful and makes me cry every time (I love movies that make me cry!). The music is all kinds of glam rock inspired, my favorite songs are Wig In a Box, Sugardaddy, and Wicked Little Town (the Tommy Gnosis version).
The Sound of Music: This one had to be included on the list because it is a family favorite. My grandpa recorded the soundtrack onto two cassette tapes for me, and my dad had the piano book and loved to play pretty much all of the songs from the movie. This movie is a classic and I'm sure you have all seen it. Julie Andrews is the most perfect musical star and I think this is my favorite movie of hers. I don't own this one yet, I think I need to remedy that.
West Side Story: I can vividly remember the first time I saw this. My dad rented it for me from a little gas station near our house that rented movies called the Rapid Pak. It was summer and I was probably 10 and I sat in our papasan chair and watched it while everyone was outside in the yard. I was totally blown away and was obsessed with it for the rest of the summer. (Are you sensing a pattern? I can never just like something, I always get totally obsessed!) This one is set in the mid 1950's in New York and is based on Romeo and Juliet. Instead of the warring families it involves to rival gangs. The final scene makes me cry every single time, no matter how many times I've seen it. They are performing this soon at the symphony center downtown (as in the symphony is playing the music over the movie!) and I'm regretting not getting tickets!


And here are some titles that narrowly missed being in my top five! A local theater troupe is doing Jesus Christ Superstar next week and we're definitely going to see it!

What is your favorite musical? Do you think they are too cheesy? Did you ever have a part in a musical? I always regret not trying out for one in high school. 

Nashville Flea: August Edition!

It has been HOT here in Tennessee for the past week or so. Heat indexes over a hundred some days! I wasn't sure if I'd make it to the flea this month, but my good friend Thomas offered to go with me, so we headed down to the fair grounds this past Friday. Here is a little of what we saw. 

 That big blue taxidermy fish is so beautiful! 

 I really like old shell are like this one. It was a little too expensive for me, but I'm on the lookout for a similar one to add to my vintage Florida shelf.

Glorious lamps! Have you ever seen anything like those shades! I'm actually on the lookout for a new lamp, but I didn't need two and I'm sure they won't split these guys up.

If I didn't already have four useless ashtrays in my house I might have picked up this sweet mama and baby deer one. How cure are they?

 Look at this purse! I REALLY want one of these. So gross and weird and awesome! It was 75 dollars though. Travis claims he saw one with a baby gator on it at the goodwill outlet but wasn't sure I would want it. I don't know if he went temporarily insane or what.

 I can't decide which of these guys is funnier to me. Derp on the let or screamy on the right. 

 Earlier in the day Thomas and I had been talking about these so it was funny to see them just a little while later! I have a very vivid memory of the Pizza Hut commercial advertising these puppets. Does Pizza Hut still give out toys? I had Little Food and Spike but really wanted Ducky!

 Cute poodle!

 This frog model was so neat! I wonder if it originally had feet. It was big too, about as big as a basketball I'd say. I didn't ask the price. The guy selling it is usually a little high (in his prices) and I really don't have a spot for it. But I love it! I hope it went home with someone.

Here is what I came home with. Isn't that dream pet style deer cute? It was my first purchase and only 50 cents! I haven't bought a carnival chalk prize in a while, the squirrel was too cool to pass up!

 My third E.T. and a sweet knee hugger.

Travis went to the flea the next day while I was at work and brought me home some photos. Including this awesome fishing one!

And last but not least, this little creature from the black lagoon guy. He doesn't shoot sparks anymore, but he is still cute!

100 Books 2014: 57-62

Somehow all of the John Green books I had on hold at the library because available all at once. So I had a little John Green marathon! I ordered them by how much I liked them, starting with...
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green This is the first John Green book I've haven't liked very much. Its the story of a math obsessed boy who has just been dumped by his 19th girlfriend named Katherine. He goes on a road trip with his best friend to forget about it. Which sounds pretty great, but the road trip is over within a few pages and the rest of the story was just boring to me. Meh.
Paper Towns by John Green I really enjoyed this book. It is a mystery and I loved the way the story unfolds and the twists along the way. It also made me really excited to plan our fall roadtrip, even though it really only mentions roadside America attractions for a few pages. It's the story of a boy about to graduate high school and the girl he has been into since they were children. It isn't the typical story though. At times sad, scary, tense, sweet and surprising. I thought it was great.
Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan This is my favorite of the bunch! It is told in alternating chapters by two late teen boys, both named Will Grayson. A coming of age story, a "coming out of the closet" story, and a musical written by a high school kind named Tiny called "Tiny Dancer" is featured prominently. A lot of the story focused on the (friend) relationship between Will and Tiny and it felt really authentic to me. This was one of those books where I was having such a good time reading it I was a little sad when it was over.

Before my John Green/Young Adult Fiction marathon I had a little bit of an unintentional dark subject marathon. All three of these books were great, but DARK and all three put me in a weird head space while I was reading them.
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn I read Flynn's book Gone Girl earlier in the year and loved it. Her other books are just as good! Dark Places is the story of a woman who's brother murdered their mother and two sisters when she was seven years old. This story is what happens when she starts to think that he might not have done it. Just like Gone Girl I was surprised by a LOT in this novel and couldn't have predicted what was going to happen. It was interesting to think of what happens to a kid who grows up in the spot light for something so awful.
Child of God by Cormac McCarthy I couldn't think of a good way to describe this book, so here is what it says on Good Reads:"In this taut, chilling novel, Lester Ballard--a violent, dispossessed man falsely accused of rape--haunts the hill country of East Tennessee when he is released from jail.  While telling his story, Cormac McCarthy depicts the most sordid aspects of life with dignity, humor, and characteristic lyrical brilliance". This book is disturbing, bleak  and beautifully written. There are so many passages that I had to read over a few times because the descriptions were so lovely. Even when it was something twisted and awful. I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie that James Franco made of this story recently. 
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn This story is about a reporter who gets sent back to her hometown to write a story about some chilling murders that are happening. They involve the disappearance of preteen girls who show up strangled with all of their teeth pulled out. Like her other books, Flynn tells a mystery story but it is far from the conventional storyline. I thought I had it figured out by the end but I totally didn't. It was an answer I hadn't even thought of, but thinking back over the story she had been pointing to it the whole time. I read it in two days, one of those I couldn't put down!

Estate Sale Report!

Last weekend I trekked about 30 minutes out of town to check out this estate sale. It was described as the home of two people who loved to travel and go to flea markets. Now they want to pack up in a RV and travel the country so they are selling all their stuff to make some money for their dream. How great does that sound? Here is what I saw:

 I knew it would be pretty good when I saw those deer on the walk up. I liked that guy on the left with the teeny tiny antlers but I don't need another deer head.

Anyone need a full outhouse set up? I wasn't sure if that meant it worked? Or it was just a faux one in case you wanted the sweet look in your backyard.

 Pile of radios. 

Urkel! I won't lie, I was tempted. I don't remember his catch phrase "No sweat, my pet" but it's pretty good.

I was very close to bringing home that wooden donkey! It was only a few bucks. I already have quite a bit of yard art so I left it behind.

Here is what I came home with! A great little wooden shelf. I cleaned and oiled it and it looks as good as new! I've already hung it and part of my salt and pepper collection is hanging on it! Also, check out that vegetarian cook book.

I'm really thrilled about this! I have almost bought one of these on two different occasions but I didn't want to spend 10 bucks. This one was 2! You put it by your bed to put your GUM on when you go to sleep! I don't chew gum, but I love this gross little thing!

 Some birds for the top of the cabinet in our bathroom. A vintage shell lady! And my favorite Christmas album ever on vinyl. I can't wait to listen to this on Christmas morning!

And most exciting is this little cart! I've been wanting one to use at the flea market for a LONG time but never wanted to use part of my flea market budget to get one. So when this guy popped up for just a few dollars I snatched it up! I'm going to give it a makeover soon. I'll keep you posted!

Redesign!

I've been meaning to change my blog design up for a while. My old computer crashed and I lost all the photoshop files from my old layout. And that one was almost three years old. So here is the new one! A little bit of a different color scheme and a new illustrated portrait! Here is a screenshot so I can see it in 20 years when I'm looking back over my blog. 

 And a couple new topic buttons too!

World's Longest Yard Sale 2014 Finds!

Here is what I brought home this year! Not that much! We didn't even come close to spending our budget. I didn't have enough time to dig through all the junk! But I'm happy with what I got!

Travis insisted on having his two knives in the photo! And there is a better view of my sweet new hat! That little blue print book was the first thing I picked up at the sale. I was hoping it would be something a little cool but it was amazing!

It's full of photos of these ladies on vacation in Cherokee, North Carolina! Roadside chiefs and all! 

I mean, could this photo be any more perfect? The whole little book is like this! And it was a buck!

I got a bunch of salt and pepper shakers for my collection! Aren't the little wooden dog ones sweet? I broke one of those horse's legs as soon as I got home! I fixed it though.

These combine three of my loves in one! Salt and pepper shakers, snow globes, and Florida! The tag said $20 so I was just going to take a photo but the guy said "I'll take three bucks for those." SOLD!

A guy had a BUNCH of cute vintage ornaments. These were the best and I wasn't sure what his prices were going to be like so I just picked them out. Then he said "How about two bucks for all of them?" I wish I would have gone back and gotten more! What was I thinking!?

 An empty scrapbook for some of my vintage dog photos!

 My first set of nodders! I've been waiting on a good price! Now I need a set of the cool skull ones. 

Here is my deer! Isn't he cool? The second I saw him I knew he had to be mine! I'm thinking about making him some kind of wreath for his neck to wear at Christmas. The guy who was selling him asked me if I'd picked a name out, and when I said "No" he said "We'll you should call him Verlin. That is the name of the older man we got him from. We love him too, we just have too much Christmas stuff and have to make some room." I know the feeling dude. And he will be Verlin as long as he lives with me!

The World's Longest Yard Sale Part 2!

I realized yesterday I didn't really explain about the world's longest yard sale. And some of you might not know about it! It is basically a set weekend, usually the first in August. It happens all along highway 127 from Alabama up to Michigan. I've heard the highest concentration of sales happens from Alabama to Kentucky. The first year Travis and I went all the way to the start of the sale because I didn't want to miss anything. In two days we only made it about 15 miles! There are yard sales and fields full of all kinds of vendors! There are TONS of vintage vendors, and a huge variety. Here are some more of the sights we saw.

We stopped in this little town that went all out. There were sales lining the main street through their town.

While we were in Chattanooga we picked up a bunch of vegan donuts (and one oreo filled cookie) to snack on during the day. Yum!

 I call this "Three Hulks"

 The girls on this coke sign are SO CUTE!

 Ugh I love this missile set! 

 and I love how determined this rowing raccoon looks.

 I almost bougt that kitty.

 Check it out! I found another fold up hat! I like this one even better than my pink gingham one! It has a tiny pom pom on top! I got many compliments on it at the sale. And I think most of them were sincere.

 I REALLY wanted this lamp. We need one for our room and this guy is PERFECT. Travis vetoed it though. The one that got away!

But I did come home with this giant chalkware deer! I've never seen anything like him! He has antlers too! I'll show you a better photo of him (and the rest of the stuff I got) tomorrow! It was a little weird to only got for about six hours one day, instead of two full days in a row. But I'm glad we got to do at least a little of it! I love the World's Longest Yard Sale! Next year I want to head up to Kentucky and see what kind of stuff we can find there!