Five on Friday// Weekend Jams

A playlist for your Friday

Five on Friday// Christmas Songs (That Don't Make Me Cringe)

Are you an avid Christmas music listener? Or do you avoid it like me? I get sick of listening to endless renditions of the same 20 songs and starting before Thanksgiving is just criminal. I can handle a few Christmas songs before I want to pull out my hair, but really, they better be mixed up with some regular music. On that note, here are five (mostly) original Christmas songs that haven't been redone a zillion times and don't make me want to vom when they come on the radio.

Five on Friday// Instagram

 If you don't follow me on Instagram @100percentleen, here are some snapshots from my life lately. I've been drinking a lot of tea and trying to stay cozy.

 This was our first real snow, but it all melted yesterday because it was almost 60 degrees. I'm not complaining!

 I wore this on Thanksgiving. The leggings were a birthday gift from Zach and I made the tunic :)

 I made some leather ornaments and they are up in my shop. Today is the last day to get 15% off if you use code TISTHESEASON

My next door neighbors' lights look so pretty! :) We have a tradition every year where we make hot chocolate and go for a drive to see everyone's lights. It's fun and we get to see a bunch of gorgeous homes we wouldn't typically.

Are you on Instagram? I would love to see your photos! Leave your username in the comments :)

Five on Friday// Reunited!

My brothers were home for Thanksgiving. The last time we were all together was July...reunited and it feels so good! We missed each other! These pictures are all Christmas card contenders. We're real pretty aren't we? :) I hope you all had a smashing Thanksgiving! My family gets super giggly at Thanksgiving. It's always entertaining.

Five on Friday// Giving Thanks

Source: Pinterest

With Thanksgiving being right around the corner, I thought this Five on Friday could be focused on what I am most thankful for.

My Family Over the last few years it has become obvious to me that my family dynamic is not necessarily the norm. We love each other. We respect each other. We want to see each other succeed. And we enjoy spending time together. I genuinely get along well with both of my brothers and my relationship with my parents is strong and real. I have a steady support system that I know a lot of people are missing in their own lives. It's something I'm very aware of and not something I'll ever take for granted.

Creativity, Curiosity, and Recycling I have always had an interest in crafting and creating, but as a kid I never seemed to have the skills, the resources, or the patience to finish anything worthwhile. Now that I'm a bit older, I have (a little) more discipline and I've taught myself how to sew and knit. I like to dabble with paint and old furniture. Next on the agenda is learning to work with leather and wood. Almost all of my projects use at least some reclaimed or recycled materials. I love giving new life to abandoned materials. I love learning knew things and it is so rewarding to create something beautiful from raw materials.

My Education Someday it will pay off and then I will truly be thankful, but for now I'm thankful just to have my MBA done and over with.

The Boyfriend Last year I met Zach and he's been my best friend ever since. He makes me laugh, he believes in me when I don't, and he treats me like I am the most special human being on the planet. He's one of the best guys I know and I can't wait to see where our adventures take us.

Old Friends and New(ish) Friends I am one of those people who has had the same group of friends for the last 10 years. We don't always see each other and we go for long periods of time without any communication, but whenever we get together we pick up right where we left off. That is a huge comfort. Beyond this group, I made a ridiculous amount of new friends in college and I had some of the best roommates/friends a girl could ask for. During grad school I made even more new friends and I've been so fortunate to still see a bunch of them every few weeks. Let me be the first to say I'm awful at keeping in touch and making plans because I'm lazy, but I love you all very much and you make my life better.

There is so much more that I am thankful for. The list could go on for days. These are just the highlights. Now I want to know, What are you most thankful for this year?

Five on Friday// Thanksgiving Crafts

I don't know about you, but I'm just not in a festive mindset yet. I thought that maybe some awesome Fall projects would help set the stage so I searched the web for some great Thanksgiving craft ideas. Here's what I found.

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Use those hollowed out pumpkins from Halloween for a beautiful planter to line a walkway or add some color to a tablescape!

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These fresh flower crowns over at A Beautiful Mess are so fun! They'd be a great addition to any party.

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Indian corn is gorgeous and comes in so many different colors! It's a great addition to holiday decor. This makes an otherwise boring candle pretty and festive.

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This is a simple, but beautiful way to get the whole family involved on Thanksgiving. Collect branches and put them in a mason jar, then have everyone write down something they are thankful for and hang it on the tree.

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This bunting screams Fall and would be a welcome sight in any home. It'd be fun to incorporate pine branches along with the pine cones for a nice fresh scent.

Five on Friday// Books

I've always been an avid reader. I've been known to pick up a 300+ page book, find a comfy spot, and read it cover to cover without taking a break. I'm a very involved reader. What book I'm reading tends to impact my mood. Lately I've been inhaling love stories like it's my job, but that isn't all I like to read. Here are some of my very favorite stories.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown All of Dan Brown's books are incredible, but The Lost Symbol is on another level. This book is a serious page-turner. It's disturbing and jam packed with action. There were times when I could hardly handle what I was reading, but I couldn't put it down because I needed to know what happened next. Dan Brown is a brilliant writer. If you're looking for something stimulating I highly recommend him.

Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern This is a lesser known book by the author of P.S. I Love You, but man is it powerful. It's the only book that has ever made me cry and I've read a lot of books. It's a story of missed opportunities and a painful delay of an inevitable love with a happy ending.

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury I adore this book. Bradbury is a word artist. I love his short stories, but this book is written in a different style and it's not science fiction. It's more of an ode to childhood with beautiful imagery. It's wonderful.

Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts I am a bit of a romance novel junkie. I can't help it, I'm a sucker for happy endings. Almost anything by Nora Roberts is my drug of choice, but Jewels of the Sun is the first book of one of her really spectacular trilogies set in Ireland and it is one of my all time favorites. When I need a pick-me-up this is the book I turn to. I've read it at least a dozen times and it never gets old. The main character moves to Ireland, falls in love, and becomes an author. That's basically my life's ambition. Unlike a lot of romance novelists, Nora Roberts is exceptional with character development. I always feel like I'm a part of her stories. If you're looking for a little extra love in your life or just some really awesome books to read, give her a go.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte This book is considered a classic and, like most classics, people tend to either love it or hate it. I love it. The beginning is slow and the language can be cumbersome, but the reader is rewarded for sticking with it. The language turns haunting and beautiful. The characters are damaged in so many ways and the love story is painfully real. It's brutal and tragic, but such a great read.

Five on Friday// A Playlist

Can you believe it's November 1st already? Holy moly me oh my. The year is flying by! I hope you all had a smashing Halloween. I had a blast dressing up as Peter Pan and handing out treats to all the itty bitties that came to our door. Best costume award goes to the kid who duct taped tree branches to his torso. Best last minute costume idea I've ever seen. You go Glen Coco. Here's a playlist that's sure to get you bumpin' and grindin' for the weekend!

Five on Friday// Halloween Candy

All Pictures are from Google Images

With Halloween just around the corner, I though it'd be fun to come up with a list of my favorite candy bars that I'll be missing out on since I'm too old to go trick-or-treating. Sad faces all around. It's not all bad, instead I get to hand out candy to all of the cute little kids and see their costumes. And avoid getting freaked out by the most basic of Halloween decorations. I'm kind of a big baby. After being scarred for life by a "family friendly" (yea, right) haunted house my parents took me and brothers too when we were quite young, I will never ever step foot in another one. I avoid scary movies, previews included, like the plague. I'm the one who will close her eyes, cover her ears, and sing to avoid seeing/hearing something scary. Yea, I still have friends. And if your costume is scary, whether I know who is under it or not, just stay away. Seriously. I have an over active imagination as it is. I do not need help imagining scary stories, people, happenings etc. Don't get me wrong. Arguably, the best part of Halloween is dressing up. But why can't everyone play nice and stick to being cute animals or loveable book/movie characters with maybe a witch or two thrown in for good measure? Alright, end rant. My five favorite Halloween (or anytime really) candies are:

  
Almond Joy. I love coconut. And Almonds. And chocolate, obviously. All three together makes for a very satisfying candy bar experience.

Snickers Peanut Butter. This may be the very greatest thing that has happened in the world of candy for a while. It's kind of a magical experience. I highly recommend it.

Reese's Cups. Doesn't even need an explanation. Forever a classic.

Take 5. Delicious and hearty. It's like a little chocolate meal that is both sweet and salty. Who could resist?

Twix. They've always been one of my favorites. Check out this recipe for homemade Twix that Emma made on A Beautiful Mess. They look awesome! I'm going to have to try making my own.

Five on Friday// Living Spaces

If you haven't noticed already, I really love Pinterest. A lot of my ideas are adapted from my pinboards. When I feel down, Pinterest helps me pick myself back up, inspired to take on the world....or at least the day. Other peoples' creativity constantly blows my mind and fuels my desire to add what I can to the creative world. Sorry for that little ode to Pinterest (how I love thee), as it doesn't really have much to do with this post except for the fact that it is the source of today's pictures. I have a Living Spaces board of awesome rooms in other peoples' homes, which I guess might be kinda creepy, but whatevs. It leans heavily on more industrial inspired design. I adore tons of large windows, open airy spaces, high ceilings, and exposed beams. I don't know why, I just do. Here are some of my favorite spaces that I hope to adapt into my own home someday.  And I know there's technically six pictures if you count the top one. Deal.

 Love the high ceilings and general openness of this space, plus the wood floors and beams.

 Round windows because why not?

 I am far too messy to ever actually live in a space like this, but I can't help but love the floor to ceiling wall of windows on the water. So much natural light, it's perfect!

 Absolutely stunning converted attic room. With a balcony. Yes, please!

Last, but not least, the wood floors and ceilings are great, the brick accent wall is brilliant, and the tall, greenhouse-like windows bring in plenty of natural light.

What are some of your dream living spaces?

Five on Friday// Fall Boots

 This Friday I thought I'd share my favorite Fall boots I actually own. You'll notice I'm definitely more of a short boot, or 'bootie', person, but I do have one tall pair that I wear very frequently. I love high fun socks and I like when they just peak out over the top of my tall boots. I really want to add a pair of ankle boots that has a 1-2 inch heel, but I haven't found the right ones yet.

These lace booties are from Modcloth. They go really well with dresses and leggings.

 I call these my Peter Pan boots. I have a bit of a Pan obsession and I couldn't resist these Rocket Dog boots.

 These black boots are ancient and have gotten a lot of love, as you can see. Not in the best condition. They go with everything. Super versatile and comfy. I need a replacement pair, but I'm not sure I can get the exact same ones. I'm pretty sure they're from JCPenney's.

 Admittedly, I bought these Minnetonkas impulsively last year online during a stressful part of the school year to make myself feel better. I haven't had a chance to wear them too much yet since the weather has been warm since I got them, but from what I can tell they are super comfortable and well made.

I got these bad boys from Target last Fall. I have worn them a ton and they are holding up great! I love them. They are comfortable and go with just about everything which are the two of the most important things when it comes to shoes. What are your favorite Fall boots? Any recommendations, please comment below!

Five on Friday//Romantic Comedies

I've decided that on Fridays here on out, I will feature five of my favorite something, with a new topic each week. This week I was going to do five of my favorite movies, but that was too difficult to narrow down, so it's five of my favorite romantic comedies.

 The Holiday is my go to movie when I need a pick-me-up. It's uplifting and it makes me smile. I love the idea of doing a house exchange with someone in another country, although I suppose realistically there are a humongo number of possible risks. Despite that, the London countryside looks idyllic, the characters are charming, the romances are solid and heart warming, and Jude Law is gorgeous.

 You've Got Mail is probably my all time favorite movie ever. You just can't beat a Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan romance. They are perfection. I love their chemistry, their witty banter, and the bookstore theme. These two make my heart swoon. Seriously.

 Serendipity, along with You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle, is among the classic romance movies that my parents introduced me to at a young age. This one is my dad's favorite and it is one that we have bonded over. There are a few particular lines that we quote at each other and we each strive "to be a jackass." In the best sense of the term. You'll just have to watch the movie.

Leap Year. Irish countryside. Sexy Irishman. Need I say more?

 

Sleepless in Seattle, another Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan classic love fest. They are so good together. I can't help but love them. Plus, the love that Tom Hanks has for his deceased wife in this movie is so moving. Here's a quote:

He makes love real, guys. And it is magic. I promise. Watch some of these this weekend. Your heart and soul will be thankful. XOXO