Elle King – Ciao Bella

Hi!
Happy Saturday! How was your week? I myself had a lovely few days, and I’m looking forward to what is sure to be a wonderful weekend. I’m thinking a good book {current read: The Marvels by Brian Selznick}, an hour or two of yoga {favorite pose: any and every twist}, and holiday preparations {current to-do’s: make my wishlist and brainstorm gifts} are just what I need after a week of APUSH testing and tech rehearsals.

I will also be sending my thoughts to those in Paris. I’m saddened and dismayed by yesterday’s events, but the outpour of love, support, and assistance for those affected has been amazing to observe. With that said, here’s what I’ve been loving…

1 ♥ Elle King’s Love Stuff In addition to Florence and the Machine and Lorde, you can add yet another alternative artist to my favorites list: Elle King, the voice behind Love Stuff! My mom took advantage of Freegal, a genius invention that allows you to receive songs using your library card, to download Elle’s entire first album, and I’ve played it almost daily ever since {I love to listen to it as I study}. Her distinct “bluesy rocker” style and haunting lyrics made “Ex’s and Oh’s” an instant hit, but my favorite tracks are two lesser known songs, “Last Damn Night” and “Ain’t Gonna Drown.” Although, truly, I could play the whole album all day and never tire of it. Are you an Elle King fan?

2 ♥ Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection If you don’t like Disney movies, we may need to rethink our friendship. I kid, I kid, but my love of all things Disney is true: I have yet to see one of their animated films that I haven’t enjoyed. When I saw that their most recent short films collection had been added to Netflix, I jumped at the chance to watch it – I can’t be the only one who looks forward to the classic short almost as much as the movie itself! The films chosen, twelve in total, are just what you would expect from Disney, showing their trademark range of emotion and demonstrating innovative animation techniques. Quick thoughts: The song in “John Henry” had me hooked on the story, “The Little Matchgirl” broke my heart into a million pieces, and “Feast” and “Paperman” are too cute for words. Movie night material, my friends.

3 ♥ Brooding YA Hero Twitter Feed If there’s one thing I regret not doing earlier in my blogging “career,” it’s utilizing Twitter. I made a Ciao Bella account last winter, and it’s proven so useful in connecting with other bloggers, sharing thoughts that don’t warrant a full post, and spreading the blog love. Of course, it’s also provided plenty of humorous distractions, such as the creative and hilarious account, Brooding YA Hero. Creator Carrie Ann‘s tweets poke fun at the traits and qualities of the classic “bad boy” in young adult literature {e.g. the tendency to describe eye color as the name of a gemstone}, and they never fail to make me laugh when they pop up in my feed. Be sure to give the account a follow HERE.

4 ♥ MasterChef Junior Among reading, exercising, and blogging, baking is one of my favorite ways to decompress after a long week – it’s a beloved hobby of mine! Seeing others share in that same passion is an unexpected delight, especially when they are as talented of home cooks as the young kids in the newest season of MasterChef Junior. Season four of my favorite reality television show premiered earlier this month, and though I’m bummed to say that I’ve yet to watch the first episode, the adorable recaps have me excited to finally catch up this weekend. Have you been watching MasterChef Junior at all?

5 ♥ Proposals Finally, I’m all sorts of excited for the final performance of my school’s fall play Proposals. Written by famous playwright Neil Simon, the show is set in the 1950’s and focuses on the relationships of a small family: Burt Hines, divorced and failing in health, Annie, recently re-married and returning home from Paris, and Josie, daughter and in love with someone other than her fiance. The entire cast and crew {it should come as no surprise, but I’m stage managing :)} has worked so hard this week in tech rehearsals, and I believe the practice will pay off in tonight’s closing performance. And with that, I wish you a terrific weekend. Show some extra love.