Moulin Rouge

The hubby and I just watched this movie again the other night and honestly, I just can't get enough of it. I LOVE THIS MOVIE. I know it's not for everyone.....and it's a musical.....but really....it's awesome.

These are two of my favorite songs from the movie.

Anyway...just thought I'd share...

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Ignore the video....listen to the song. The words are familiar...the arrangement is not. I'm in love with it.

John Schmidt

As most of you know, I can't live without music. Whether or not that sounds dramatic, it's true. I need it. Like water.
A friend of mine just introduced me to this guy and I am so sad that I have missed out on his music for so long. It is beautiful, amazing, and soothing. As I listen to it I swear I can literally feel my soul healing. So, I thought I would share this with you. He has such an amazing gift, perhaps it is my awe of him that makes me stop and think. No matter the reason, I just bought two of his CDs on iTunes. :0)

Just say no to country music! :0)

So, as many of my close friends know....I'm not a huge fan of country music. This is not to say that I HATE country music, or that I NEVER listen to country music, it simply means that I prefer other genres.

OK, honestly...."real" country music drives me batty. There are a select few that sound more like "regular" music than country and so I find myself able to listen to those. Otherwise, I'd just as soon have silence. {And that's saying a lot for me!}

Seriously, just read some of the titles of country songs past and perhaps you will understand my distaste for the twang....

Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth 'Cause I'm Kissing You Goodbye
I Don't Know Whether To Kill Myself Or Go Bowling
I Flushed You From The Toilets Of My Heart.
Billy Broke My Heart at Walgreens and I Cried All the Way to Sears
I Don't Care if it Rains or Freezes 'Long as I Have My Plastic Jesus Sittin' on the Dashboard of my Car
If I Can't Be Number One In Your Life, Then Number Two On You
I'm Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail
Queen Of My Double-Wide Trailer
Redneck Martians Stole My Baby
You're The Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly

Don't those songs just sound so heartwarming?
OK...so I'm being a bit stereotypical here....but seriously! People actually wrote these songs, and someone thought they'd be great to share with the public. It's crazy!

And, now that I have offended my country loving friends.....

Eric Hutchinson

Here is a new song for you all. I just grabbed this one from the Free section on iTunes and fell in love with it. It has a great message and an easy rhythmn. Good stuff. I thought you might be in need of something new to listen to to help you get going with your New Years Resolutions. :0)

An Attitude of Gratitude Day Six

I have 1906 songs on my iTunes list. In fact, if I stayed up for five days straight I would have enough music to keep me up and going the entire time. I love music. I always have. I took piano lessons for 10 years. Before that I was singing in church with my family. I sang in the choir and was a band geek, too.

I have posted numerous times about music on this blog. It plays such an important role in my life. It has the power to change my emotions. It isn't just the melody part of the song that I find enchanting, either. I hear music and it's as though I can actually FEEL it. The words, the dynamics, the way the person sings the song....all affect me. I love that I can find a song that can match my mood and help me to express my feelings.

What a beautiful gift music is. It would be an awfully quiet world without it. Seriously, what do you think about when you hear the titles of these songs?

The Star Spangled Banner
O Holy Night
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Love Is A Battlefied
Somewhere Out There
Respect
Thriller
Imagine
You Are My Sunshine
We Will Rock You
I Will Survive

Any of them make you smile? take you on a little flashback? Who doesn't feel pride when hearing a patriotic song? Or feel warm and fuzzy when hearing a Christmas carol? What about a song to remind you of a higher power? Or a song to help you belt out your frustrations? Remember the song that you and your friends sang back in the day? What a fun memory. And then there's that lullaby you sing to your kids that warms your heart every time.

I am so grateful for music. I am grateful for a mom who MADE me keep taking lessons when I wanted to quit and just be a punky teenager. I am grateful to those who are gifted enough to be able to write such wonderful songs. And....I'm grateful that my children have developed this love of music as well. I know it is something they will be able to use EVERY day. I know I do......

Perfect!

Sister Sassy had a contest this week {Keeping my fingers crossed that I win!} about music and how it has the ability to be in touch with your emotions. So much so, that it can heal you, inspire you, or even hurt you.

Her post made me reflect on the music from my life. As most of my readers know I am a HUGE fan of music. In fact, my iTunes list has everything from Show Tunes, to Classical, to Alternative, to even Rock and Hip Hop. I love music. For so many reasons. I grew up with music in my home. Maybe that is why I feel such a connection to it. My mom would play songs on the piano and me and my sisters and brother would stand around the piano and sing along. They are some of my favorite memories.

I have found that for every emotion I have felt, there is the perfect song. :0) Kind of like the perfect cheer. :0)

Now, I am not having a wicked awesome contest like Sassy. BUT! I wanna know...is there a song that has meaning to you? A song that has helped you through a difficult time? That hurt you? That made you aspire to be more? Tell me! Maybe there is a song that I am missing in my collection. :0)

I'll share a few of mine in the mean time....

Bring on the Rain - JoDee Messina {I know Montay...it's country. See? We can still be friends}
You're Not Alone - Michael McLean
I'll Try - Jonatha Brooke
Miss You When You're Gone - Cranberries
River Lullaby - Hans Zimmer
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Four Seasons - Vivaldi
Perfect - Alanis Morissette
Never There - Hoobastank
Cry - Faith Hill
Answered Prayer - Keri Noble

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Since I haven't been able to make it to an actual city that has Broadway musicals...I've had to resort to watching the movie versions or reading the books. The latest on my list has been this one...

Can I just tell you how good this book is? The basic plot is how the Wicked Witch of the West became, well, WICKED. But it is so much deeper than that. The time is pre-Dorothy and actually begins with Elphaba {the Witches real name} still in her mommies tummy. And, instead of being mostly about the fantasy of the Land of Oz, as in the Wizard of Oz, this book focuses more on the Land of Oz itself. The different cultures and races and religions....it gets into the politics of the land as well. It is truly interesting and one of the better books I have read in a while.

I haven't finished it yet, but am getting closer. As I have continued on in my reading, I keep thinking about how impossible it would be to include all of the information in the book into a Broadway musical. I wonder if they have left anything out. Anybody out there that has read the book and seen the musical...fill me in. Otherwise, I guess I'll just have to wait. :0) I did download the entire Soundtrack today from iTunes. I have had 'Defying Gravity' in my collection for a bit, but have gotten so involved in the lives of Elphaba and Glinda that I wanted to hear the rest of the songs.

And, um, is it only me that gets teary eyed at some of the songs? That's what I do when I read a good book. I get INVOLVED and feel like I know the characters personally. And this book honestly makes me feel like I have misjudged the poor Wicked With my entire life. :0(

And....guess what I just found out? Wicked....is going to be made into a movie! Oh yeah! Sure, it's going to be a couple of years before it comes out...but still! That means there is truly hope for me to actually SEE what it would be like to go to the musical. Minus the stage...and props....and atmosphere...but you get the idea. :0)

Does your mother know?

First of all.....

did you miss me?

Or did you even notice it's been a week since I last posted? :0)

My vacation was wonderful. I will post about it later. I just wanted to quickly let you in on a little secret....

This movie...the one pictured above....

is FANTASTIC! :0)

I had been planning on seeing it for Girls Night next week for a while, but my MIL went to see it a couple of weeks ago and told me that I HAD to take my mom to go and see it. So, I called my mom, made a date, and honestly....it was better than I had expected. It was funny, had a great story line, the music was fun, and I almost teared up a few times. It was a really sweet story that had some really fun moments. I can only imagine how much fun the actors had as they did the scenes.

There was only one man in the theatre. I assume he went with his wife. :0) Otherwise, the theatre was full of ladies of ALL ages. And all of them laughed along with me and my mom. It was such a fun mom and me date. I'm so glad my MIL suggested it. Now, I can't wait to share it with all my girlfriends next week. It's one you wouldn't mind seeing a second time.

I'm off to download the songs off of iTunes!

Rewind....

Sassy posted a song today that was meant to describe the last year of her life. I had never heard it before, but liked it IMMENSELY so. :0) You should definitely check it out.

Anyway, she asked her readers to play along. I thought...that should be fairly easy, right? Not so much. Because honestly...the last 12 months I have had A LOT going on.

There were times when I felt like I was going to go CRAZY!



I decided to go back to college...what was I thinking?



I went through a little PTA hell..



I made a goal in January to get fit...and haven't quite gotten there....



I've learned a bit about myself and what I need to do to overcome my own personal demons...
Yes...even perky happy Ashlee has struggled this last year. I just don't usually let people see it. :0)



And yet...with everything that has gone on this last 12 months...I can reflect back and still feel truly blessed. I have a wonderful hubby, two amazing kids, a roof over my head, and food on my table.

Yes, I am blessed.

Come Home

A new song I thought I'd share with all of you. I love it. Listen and you'll see why. It's 'Come Home' by OneRepublic. Enjoy!

Cinderella

Was just introduced to this song and thought I would share it with all of you. It is a tear jerker...especially if you have a daughter of your own.

It is the music video followed by the story of how he wrote the song. If you make it through to the story portion, you will learn that he wrote this story for his two daughters. Unfortunately, the older of the two {she just turned 5 years old} just passed away. I'm sure this song means more to him now than it ever did before.

Anyway...enjoy the song. Have a fabulous weekend!

My Jogging Mix

Thanks so much to everyone who shared their favorite exercise songs. I took my new list out jogging/speed walking last night and found them to be super satisfactory. Here's my picks!

Black Horse and the Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall
Clumsy by Fergie
Defying Gravity from Wicked
Get Ready by The Proclaimers
Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne
Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani
I Don't Wanna Be In Love by Good Charlotte
I Want You To Want Me by Cheap Trick
Land of 1000 Dances by Wilson Pickett
Love Today by Mika
Make That Money Robi Rob's Clubworld
Pump Up The Jam by Technotronic
Suddenly I See KT Tunstall
The Power by Snap!
Whiney Whiney by Willi One Blood
You Sexy Thing by Deee-Lite


So, what do you think? An interesting mix, I know. But, as you have learned I love almost ALL kinds of music. And the words inside of the music have some serious power over us. Which is why I chose 'You Sexy Thing'. :0) Maybe it will give me that motivation I need to get my sexy on. :0)

Pump Up The Jam

Do you remember that song?

OK, ladies....and Cameron {tee hee}, I went jogging FOR REAL a couple of nights ago.

{Yes, I missed yesterday because my thighs were so sore from my first adventure out that there was no way I was going to live through a double header. I'll give it another go tonight. :0) }

Oh, wait, first I have to explain that my STUPID iPod died this last weekend. Best Buy will not take it back and replace it for me. I have to contact the manufacturer. And since I'm not ready to deal with the annoying "hold" music, I haven't called in to let them know my problems. :0)

{I wonder if since I was on hold for so long they'll take care of some of my other problems too...just a thought.}

So, I grab the hubby's iPod he uses when he jogs and run out the door. I turn it on to the first song and get Avril Lavigne "Girlfriend" {you're singing it in your head now aren't you?} and am pleased with the beat of this song. It's peppy, and a good tempo for me to jog along with. I am doing pretty good. That song lasts exactly 3 minutes and 37 seconds. When that song ended....I was left with Depeche Mode and Def Leppard.

His jogging music sucks.

So, as I was thinking this over {and deciding if I should totally take over his iPod until I get mine fixed} and wondered what songs to add to his "mix".

So, I'm taking a poll here. What are your favorite exercise songs. Do you have a workout mix you use that gets you pumped? If so, spill the beans! I have a huge music library, but what makes a great workout song? After the other night I realize my sappy little songs aren't going to cut it. I need a great beat, and something spunky!

I'm impatiently waiting for your ideas so that I can take over {I mean, borrow} Jaysen's iPod again for this evenings attempt at jogging.

Flashback Friday: Early Edition, Week 3

Around third grade my mom got this "brilliant" idea of starting up a kids singing/dancing group. We were called the Star Spangled Kids. There were about 10 of us in the group. My mom picked out the songs for each of our "shows" and did all of the choreography. I still remember how to "kick ball change". :0)

Our first performances were done with Christmas songs. I know oodles of Christams carols because of this. We wore little Santa hats along with our signature Star Spangled Kids shirts. And we had to wear our special dancing shoes too. They were white. {Are you cringing at the white?} It was the 80s....so that should explain it for you. :0) My mom had us perform in Retirement Homes and in malls. Yes, I was a mall performer. It was done a lot back in the 80s, remember {Tiffany flashbacks here}.

I really wish I had access to my pictures so that I could share with you. I'm sure my siblings would love that. :0) But at least you'd get a better idea of what we looked like as we danced around the stage. :0)

Anyway, after Christmas we moved onto Vaudeville songs like "If you knew Suzy, like I knew Suzy, Oh, Oh, Oh what a girl!" and "In the Good Old Summertime" good stuff...We had new outfits too. I remember loving my sassy little white pleated skirt. New dance moves were created for the new songs and we went on our little tour again.

Our last tour was of Disney songs. We sang "Candle on the Water" and "Zipadeedooda"....stuff like that. That was my favorite one. I love Disney songs. :0) Good stuff!

Star Spangled Kids ended after that....not sure why. But it was fun. I love music...maybe this had something to do with it. You wouldn't catch me singing and dancing around on a stage right now though. Too much awareness over the audience compared to when I was 8. :0)

The official "New Wave Sissy Boy 80s Hits You Were Afraid To Admit You Liked In High School" playlist

I am sick today. I feel really crappy to be completely honest. I just want to go and lay down on my bed and take a nice snoozer. But, I know as soon as I do, the wee one will wake up from her nap and it will be over. So, I went to check my email instead of napping and came across this playlist and laughed. :0) So, I thought I'd share it.

"This is the ultimate 80's new wave guilty pleasures playlist. All the sissy boy hits we secretly loved in high school, but were never man enough to admit until grunge killed pop metal. "

That is this guy's description of the list. Now, I was not in high school during the 80s. But I love, love LOVE 80s music. Between the hair bands and techno pop stuff, it was just fun stuff. Here's his list:

Too Shy - Kajagoogoo
No One Is To Blame - Howard Jones
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - Culture Club
Poison Arrow - ABC
Save A Prayer - Duran Duran
Careless Whisper - Wham!
Hold Me Now - The Thompson Twins
If You Leave - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Blasphemous Rumours - Depeche Mode
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
It's My Life - Talk Talk
More Than This - Roxy Music
I Ran (So Far Away) - A Flock Of Seagulls
Promises, Promises - Naked Eyes
Perfect Way - Scritti Politti
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
Only You - Yaz
Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
Love Plus One - Haircut 100
True - Spandau Ballet

Did you get some flashbacks? I know I did. :0) So, go get out your tape collection and your boombox and have a radical time!

American Idol Update

Because I love "my public" {that would be those of you that actually LEAVE me a comment instead of just looking and leaving...hint hint} I am honoring a request made by dear Sister Honey Bunch. I heart her. :0) So, here you have it. It's time for AMERican Idol Recap. {picture Ryan saying that his really annoying way}





I actually had to have my hubby DVR this because I was gone last night and didn't get home until the last guy sang. SO, I did a quick rewind and got to watch it COMMERCIAL FREE! That's right. And I got to skip past all of Ryan's annoyingness. That made me so happy. So, here you have it...the official "expert" opinions of Ashlee.

The theme for the evening was 60s music.

Chikezie - Let's just start with the bright red suit he chose to wear. I guess it did make me remember him, but wow. He has a great old school soul voice, and tried to use that to his advantage last night. Everybody liked him but Simon. Go figure. Though I think he made a great point. It was old. He needed to spice it up and make it his own to stand out. What I don't like is that he sat there and argued with him about it all. I don't care if you think the judges are right or not, I think the contestants should sit there and take it gracefully. Arguing just makes them look like whiny little children to me. But that's just my opinion.

David - He is such a cute kid. 17 years old. And can he sing! What I like about him, is that he's just so innocent and happy all the time. The crowds, cameras, and judges don't even faze him. He's just happy to be there. Seriuosly...his favorite quote is "You'll never be lonely if you learn to befriend yourself." Yah! Pure, dripping, sweet innocence. Love it! Did I mention he can sing very well too? He had the best performance of the night based on the judges opinions and you know all the teenage girls out there already love him. I'm pretty sure he's sticking around for a while.

Luke - doesn't he look a little bit like Luke Wilson? All you Beverly Hills 90210 people know who I'm talking about. :0)

He was just ok. Simon didn't like him, said he was forgettable. He has a higher pitched voice if I remember correctly. He says one of his musical influences are the BeeGees, so that makes sense. They rocked it out, so maybe he will too.

Michael - Can I just tell you that I am in love with this man? Don't tell my hubby! He is rock star hot! He loves INXS, Queen, oh yeah! He actually sang Bohemian Rhapsody during Hollywood week and rocked it out. Sigh. Did I mention he's got an Australian accent?

He was the last performer last night and ended the show quite nicely. He's got a great voice, great stage prescence, the judges love him as well. He'll be sticking around for a while too.

David - I don't even know what to say about this guy. He didn't sing badly. He was ok. but that's all I really have to say about that.

Garrett - Don't even get me started. They picked him and left Josiah out? Are you freaking kidding me? I hate his hair, he sings like a girl, AND he sang "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do". Yeah. He is NOT good. Period. It doesn't help when he says one of his musical influences is the Backstreet Boys. Wow. Did he really let people know that?

I fear we will have another Sanjaya on our hands with this one. I pray he gets booted on Thursday before too many screaming little girls fall in love with his ugly hair.

Jason - Though he has a great name {tee hee} he was definitely forgettable. I seriously don't remember much about the guy except that I don't like him. I don't know if it's the stupid blonde streak in his hair or what. But I just don't like him.

Jason - another great first name here! Anyway..I'm not super fond of his hair, but I love this man as well. So endearing. He got up there with his guitar and sang his little heart out. With such a great voice too. He mixed up the song he was singing and made it "current" as the judges like to say. His eyes are just....dreamy. So, he sings fabulous, plays the guitar, gorgeous eyes....but bad hair. We can work on the hair! He needs to stay for a long time!

Colton - well, he let it out that he looks like Ellen Degeneres, which he probably should have just kept quiet. Because now every time I look at his picture, that's what I think of. Can't remember what he sang...but I remember Ellen. He didn't do too horribly bad. But his voice isn't up to par compared to some of the others.

Danny - this kid annoys the crap out of me too. The judges love him. They say he has pep and energy and I just think he needs to calm down a little bit. It's not that he has a bad voice, but he's not a SINGER singer. He's more like musical theatre singer. Like High School Musical. He would fit right in with that group of kids. Maybe in HSM 3 Danny and Gabby could hook up and hurt poor what's his name's feelings. :0)

David - I like him. He was very stiff during his performance. Though it seemed to me he was more scared out of his pants and just wanted to get it all over with than truly a "stiff" performer. He had to sing first, so that would scare anybody. :0)

He sings very well, nice looking kid, I think he'll stick around for a bit too. Though I could be surprised about him.

Robbie - I don't know if I was on a potty break, or fell asleep or what, but I don't remember this guy. I know he's a rocker and he has a great voice. But that's all I remember. If you guys watched, clue me in on what you thought of him.

So there you have it! My expert opinion on all 12 guy performers. My picks for who gets booted? Let's see....

Definitely Garrett and Jason Yaeger. Though I have no idea what will actually happen and am usually surprised at the results. If it were up to me I'd boot them first.

Don't forget that the girls perform tonight!

THIS is AMERican idol

First of all...can I just tell you that Ryan Seacrest is really start to annoy me. The way he says that EVERY time is like someone dragging their nails across a blackboard. It's painful.

Anyway...Tonight is when it starts getting good. They've had the horrible auditions, they've gone to Hollywood, and now...it's down to 24. 12 guys and 12 girls left to battle it out. For the next several weeks Idol will air three night a week. One night for the guys to perform, the next for the girls, and then people start getting eliminated.

My overall favorite was already axed in Hollywood week. I was surprised. I mean, if they let Sanjaya through, surely Josiah was Idol material. Josiah has such musical talent. He sings, plays the piano and guitar...he sang a MIKA song for heaven's sake. Sigh. So, I will be searching this week for my new favorite. There is a lot of talent this year and not just the cookie cutter pop stars that can be mass produced. Some unique voices out there. I'm so excited.

So, get ready people! Get your Idol on! And just plug your ears when Ryan Seacrest comes on.

Mi, mi, mi, mi, miiiiii

All right everyone! Your next music lesson from Mrs. Burnham! :0)

Once again, I had the long drive...meaning the opportunity to listen to my "tunes" on my iPod. So, I'm sharing another great musician with you that isn't one of those "well known" ones, but that has an amazing voice, and great songs.

Chantal Kreviazuk is her name and she sings a couple of songs on some of my favorite Soundtracks. Like this one from the movie, Armageddon. Great movie, one of the best scenes from the movie too. Or this one from the movie, How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days. There's also this one, which I just recently found.

I love artists who not only have a great voice, but choose great songs. There are some really awful lyrics out there, so to find songs that are truly uplifting, or even just fun...makes my day! So, I'm passing it on! I hope you enjoyed your music lesson for today. Your test will be on Friday. (I'm just kidding....)

Must Listen!

I really wish that I could have found a clip of the song for you, but unfortunately I couldn't. I spent several hours in the car today, which meant I had several hours of listening enjoyment on my new iPod. I was able to listen to songs that I've had in my collection for several years, and it helped me to remember some really great songs I've got. This is one of them. I believe this CD was released in 2005. She is not a "well known" artist, but has a great voice, and some really great songs with really great lyrics. This is one of my favorites....I hope you are able to listen to the melody at some point.

You are the answered prayer

That I thought was never heard

But here you are in front of me

And I admit, I'm finding it hard to breathe

and I believe

In answered prayers

I put away what I thought was youthful faith

But someone must have heard my silent cry

For here you are before my eyes

Now you know, you are the reason why I believe

In answered prayers

Some may try to convince me

That this is what everyone else feels

But I know thatGod and I are the only ones

Who ever heard my appeal

(That's why)You are the answered prayer

That I thought was never heard

But here you are in front of me

And I admit I'm finding it hard to breathe

And I believe

In answered prayers

You are my answered prayer