Embrace Life

list | 08 favourite albums

52 LISTS | Week Eight | list your favourite albums

Hotel California & Greatest Hits (Eagles) . Tapestry (Carol King) . Chicago V (Chicago) . Speak for Yourself & Ellipse (Imogen Heap) . Foiled & Approaching Normal (Blue October) . Nick of Time (Bonnie Rait) . Jonathan Livingston Seagull & all others (Neil Diamond) . Thank You Happy Birthday (Cage the Elephant) . Reflektor (Arcade Fire). Rumours & Tango in the Night (Fleetwood Mac) . ABBA & The Album (ABBA) . Coming Around Again  (Carly Simon) . Minute by Minute (Doobie Brothers) . News of the World & Night at the Opera (Queen) . Corinne Bailey Rae (Corinne Bailey Rae) . Sweet Baby James, James Taylor, October Road, JT (James Taylor) . Linger & Everybody Else is Doing It (Cranberries) . Like a Prayer & Madonna (Madonna) . So & Peter Gabriel (Peter Gabriel) . Tea for the Tillerman & Greatest Hits (Cat Stevens) No Angel & Life for Rent (Dido) . Bad, Thriller & Off the Wall (Michael Jackson) . The Essential Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) . Some Nights (fun.) . Famous Blue Raincoat (Jennifer Warnes) . Chase This Light (Jimmy Eat World) . Heavier Things (John Mayer) . Hopes & Fears (Keane) . Eye to the Telescope & Drastic Fantastic (KT Tunstall) . Masterpiece Theatre (Marianas Trench) . And Then There WEre Three, Abacab & Duke (Genesis) . Sigh No More (Mumford & Sons) . My Head is an Animal (Of Monsters and Men) . Songs About Jane & It Won't Be Soon Before Long (Maroon 5) . Ultimate Santana (Santana) . Train & Drops of Jupiter (Train) . Bat out of Hell (Meatloaf) . Crime of the Century & Breakfast in America (Supertramp) . Only by the NIght & Come Around Sundown (Kings of Leon) . Hot Fuss, Bones & Battle Born (Killers) . A Rush of Blood to the Head, Viva la Vida & Mylo Xyloto (Coldplay) . Happiness & Disaster (Stabilo) . Harvest (Neil Young) . Purple Rain & 1999 (Prince) | Born to Run & Born in the USA (Bruce Springsteen) . The Joshua Tree, Beautiful Game, Achtung Baby & War (U2) .

What about you? What are your favourite albums?

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Do you want to join in? Head over to Moorea Seal and check out the 52 Lists.

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The 2014 collection:

1 of 52 | 2 of 52 | 3 of 52 | 4 of 52 | 5 of 52 | 6 of 52 | 7 of 52 | 8 of 52 | 9 of 52 | 10 of 52 | 11 of 52 | 12 of 52 | 13 of 52 | 14 of 52 | 15 of 52 | 16 of 52 | 17 of 52 | 18 of 52 | 19 of 52 | 20 of 52 | 21 of 52 | 22 of 52 | 23 of 52 | 24 of 52 | 25 of 52 | 26 of 52 | 37 of 52 | 38 of 52 | 39 of 52 | 40 of 52 | 41 of 52 | 42 of 52 | 43 of 52 | 44 of 52 | 45 of 52 | 46 of 52 | 47 of 52 | 48 of 52 | 49 of 52 | 50 of 52 | 51 of 52 | 52 of 52

Rocking the Do | Menah Menah

While coming back from the rink a couple of weekends ago, after a 6-1 thumping, Caden and I were talking about fun videos and he asked about the "Do Do" song. (No, we don't talk hockey, that is always left at the rink!) Anyway, Caden wanted to know how to look it up. Of course, thinking of my guiding word this year, I thought this was the perfect theme song to accompany my efforts.

Now every time I want to rock my do, I'll be thinking of the bright pink back up sistahs :) and Animal, of course.

As for today? Caden's team BEAT the Wings with a score of 3-2. Again we did not discuss hockey on the way home. Today's topic was it's the 12 of 12 and I forgot - yes, FORGOT, my camera!

Chloé, Cadence and the Choir

Chloé is very active in the Oakville Children's Choir. It is her first year and she has learned a lot since starting in September. She has a beautiful, rich and low, alto voice which we hear, around the house, constantly. It is because of that consistency we know how much it has improved in the past few short months. I hope she sticks with the choir as it is a wonderful outlet for her - even though she finds it "slow". (Reminder: Chloe is my life-is-a-Disney-sitcom and immediate-gratification-or-whine child.)

This weekend the choir performed with Cadence, a four-man a cappella group. It was an all day affair. The first morning rehearsal was for an hour starting (after two hockey practices) at the Oakville Centre. We came home for lunch and then the real fun began: another rehearsal, Cadence gave the choir kids and volunteers a mini-performance and took questions, the performance started and I stayed in the dressing room area trying to maintain some order while the big performance was conducted on stage. It was a fun, if crazy, afternoon. 

The kids are really fabulous, with wonderful musical direction and plenty of active volunteers. What a wonderful experience, for everyone. I'm so glad the music was piped in; so even though I couldn't enjoy the performance upstairs, I could hear it from start to finish.

Welcome!

Welcome from Lemons2Lemonade.

Welcome from theLINARstudio.

After much thought, and much input from you, my lovely readers and friendly bloggers, I've decided to combine both of my blogs and create just one space for me and my life: creative life and every day life. A place for me to embrace all of it, and share it with you.

Welcome to Embrace Life: the good, the bad, the creative!

This is a new space where I hope you pour yourself a cup of whatever makes you happy, sit down for a bit, and enjoy bits and pieces of my life, which will include:

• the books I'm reading
• how we celebrate our every day
• embracing my imperfection
• family and the adventure of raising four children
• food & drink
• creations from the studio
• gratitude
• home decor ideas
  
• things that inspire me
• domestic success and challenges
• music
• serendipity
• my e-course obsession
• people we know
• photography
• places we go
• sports, hopefully not just hockey
• and some writing, who knows, it might be good

Who knew a simple $15US e-course over at shimelle.com would turn into a whole new chapter in my blogging life? It was becoming cumbersome to write two different blogs on two different platforms and I really started to have difficulty deciding what things went where. My creative life is such an integral part of me, I wanted to share my stuff. Having identical posts on two blogs became ridiculous.

I appreciate all of the e-mails I've received from those who have supported this change and responded to my request for input. I was brought to tears, a couple of times, by your kind words and encouragement.

Let me assure you that my "regular" postings will continue as often as I can manage, and for as long as they continue to be interesting! Those include:

• Sunday: For Today
• Monday: My Best Shot Monday
• Wednesday: Wellness Wednesday and/or Wishcasting
• Thursday: *8 Things
• Friday: TGIF
• Saturday: SOOC Saturday
• Monthly: 12 of 12
• Monthly: Lessons

I'm hoping to participate in and share a few other ideas, challenges and opportunities: Creative Therapy, One Little Word (even now, in it's defunct state as of late-October, it is still overflowing with inspiration), Ella Publishing, Co., JessicaSprague.com, write.click.scrapbook., Creative Scrappers and who knows what else is out there to embrace? Oh yeah, on top of all that creative challenge, there is LIFE. Raising four active kids is always a challenge with many ups and downs. I'm thrilled to be in a huge community of those who, with me, experience the joys and struggles of raising teens and pre-teens with integrity and humour. 

So here we are.

The main request from your lovely e-mails was that I maintain the look and feel of Lemons2Lemonade. I believe I have visually, and the content should continue given that I'm bringing it all here! The other big issue raised was in regards to comments. I agreed; but, selfishly, I chose the Typepad format as it is the easiest way for me to respond to comments. I felt that the give-and-take relationship was missing from L2L and I like being able to "talk" to you!

No doubt over the next couple of weeks I'll be fiddling further with formats and such, and feel free to leave me comments if something is not working, or you'd like to see something you like. There are still things to be done, and a blog is never a static project (part of the fun ... and frustration).

This has been such an intense few days of design, decisions and occasional bouts of digi-despair. I never thought I'd ever get to this point of done. I have to say a huge thank you to my new cyber friend Sharyn for her insight and support, Jill for her incredible knowledge, as well as a few others with their hints and tricks, freely shared on blogs and message boards.  The other big thank you goes out to my children for without their need for clean clothes and rumbling stomachs, I'd never have left the computer screen. Well, except for attending over a half dozen hockey games, that got me up and dressed :)

Thanks for your support! I'm looking forward to a lot of fun :)

(For those of you who need your hand held, like me, you can go to your Google Reader and "add a subscription" so you don't miss a post. Or, if you don't use Google Reader, just bookmark the new blog. Don't use the "subscribe" button ... I still haven't figured out feedburner! Be sure to remember where I am, and come back, often!)