Musical musings for May

Last minute plans are sometimes the best kind, which is why I couldn't say no when asked to go to the Mumford & Sons concert on Friday night. It was definitely the right decision as I had a great time at my first outdoor concert (besides having attended a music festival once before). The weather was perfect, the venue was great and the band was amazing...I loved every minute of it.

It seems only fitting then that this pave the way for May's musical musings, which Mumford & Sons feature in and also happens to mark my 200th post. I am still on a bit of a country music kick, which I feel will only intensify as I listen to more Taylor Swift in the lead up to her concert next month. I really do love going to concerts as evidenced by the fact that I have been to three already this year and have two more to go to. Just to break it up a bit there are a few non-country songs playing throughout my May as you can see below:

1. Red Hands - Walk Off the Earth
2. Lover of the Light - Mumford & Sons
3. One In a Million - Down With Webster
4. Fishin' In the Dark - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
5. Hypnotizing (feat. Hayden Panettiere) - Nashville Cast
6. If I Didn't Have You - Thompson Square
7. Gone, Gone, Gone - Phillip Phillips
8. Looking For a Place To Shine (feat. Clare Bowen) - Nashville Cast
9. The Lucky One - Taylor Swift

Two hundred posts young and no better way to acknowledge that than through music, which has had a strong presence on here and in my life.

May's music can be found on these albums (images courtesy of iTunes)

Countdown to the Big Apple adventure

I remember when my sister first text me over a year ago and asked if I wanted to meet her in New York City in the summer of 2013. Fast forward to today and it is just over a month to go until the big adventure. I cannot believe how close it now is. This trip is going to be so much fun. The planning and the ticket purchasing have definitely picked up momentum in the past few months. I know it is going to be one jam-packed trip with some new highlights for me being:

• Ripley's Believe It or Not museum
• Central Park Zoo
• Serendipity restaurant
• Tanger Outlets
• Cinderella Broadway show
• Chelsea Market
• Radio City Music Hall Tour
• Max Brenner restaurant
• Bakeries (my sister and I have about a dozen we want to visit)

The above list is further proof of New York City's awesomeness because this will be my sixth trip to the Big Apple, but there are still so many new experiences to be had.

Bagging a crossover

About a month ago the cross-body strap on my everyday bag broke, which was the second and last one I had to use. The bag itself is still perfectly usable, but I really do prefer the cross-body concept. Therefore, I am on a slow burning mission to find a new affordable bag to go from work to fun. I may end up waiting until my big trip next month, but for now it doesn't hurt to window shop to get a bit of an idea. If a bargain turns up during my search then I might just have to snap it up. Below are a few options that have caught my eye:

A fun looking, good size bag (image courtesy of Call It Spring)

Cross-body only bag (image courtesy of Aldo)

I couldn't help looking at a few, out of my price range, unless I wanted to splurge big time, options courtesy of Marc by Marc Jacobs and Kate Spade. They really are gorgeous bags and I imagine if looked after they would be a justifiable purchase.

I feel like owning and wearing one of these three bags would bring any outfit together, giving you a bit more of a polished and put together appearance. Although, this could also be me trying to convince myself that it would be okay if a bag like this made me part with some well earned money.

Craft fairs

Over the last couple of months I have been bitten by the craft fair bug having attended three different ones across Vancouver. They may have varied in size and location, but there was a lot of crossover between them. It started with a friend's suggestion to go to Make It Vancouver! then moved to Got Craft? the following weekend and ended with Great Canadian Craft Spring Fling Craft Fair last Sunday. The latter of the three was courtesy of a pair of free tickets I won via the Georgia Straight newspaper, although I always planned to attend so complimentary admission was just a bonus. I do like attending craft fairs and I have a real admiration for those dedicated to trying to make a living from their creative abilities. I don't recall purchasing anything on the first outing, but I bought a cute heart ring and some cards from the second fair as well as a tea infuser and card at the last one. I had a particular soft spot for the card as the coffee shop on it is in my neighbourhood and I've been there before. Craft fairs are nice to attend with friends, but can get a bit tricky if you browse at different speeds. I tend to become a bit speedy toward the end especially if the fair is quite big, which was the case this past weekend. For now, I think I am keen to take a break from the craft fair scene and revisit them later in the year, maybe in the fall.

Honey crackles

I have always known these delicious and simple treats as honey crackles, but according to Kellogg's Australian website they are officially called honey joys. Regardless, they really are simple to make, requiring just four ingredients, and they definitely are delicious. However, I did find that for me the recipe only made 18 so if you want at least 24 I recommend doubling the quantities. Go ahead and whip up a batch and try not to eat too many of them by yourself. That bit of advice is courtesy of the memories of my youth and many a honey crackle consumed. I think this is a nice throwback even though it is not Thursday!