Quick Tip for Your Home/Dorm

One thing I've really been loving lately is burning a scented candle.  It makes your room smell super nice.  And it makes you feel like a grownup because there's a fire going on in your room, and it's okay!

The one I have right now is called Spiced Apple by Flora and Fauna, a brand I found at Stein Mart.  Mostly it just smells like cinnamon apples, and it's delicious.  It totally makes me think of fall, leaves falling, fires and mulling spices (like my favorite ones from Crate&Barrel).

I also want to try candles from Bath & Body Works.  Especially the one called Leaves because I've heard a lot of people say they really like it.  And Bath & Body Works has the cutest candle holders ever, like this pumpkin one.

Happy almost Halloween!

Anyway, if you live in a dorm or for some other reason you can't burn a candle, plug-in oils are also really nice.  Bath & Body Works has some that I'm sure are great.  But I've used ones from Glade before and they were both really good and way less expensive.  I believe the scents I used were Cinnamon Apple and French Vanilla, but I'm not positive.

I know I love having my room smell like something besides cat and my deodorant.  Maybe you will, too.
Smelling-my-candle-and-playing-with-fire yours,
The Renaissance Girl.

153: Bill Engvall: a Great Southern Comedian

Bill Engvall is one of my favorite stand-up comedians.

He's that ordinary Southern boy you see driving his pickup, hunting deer and going to state fairs.  And he's hilarious.

Engvall is a true Southern man, born, raised and educated in Texas.  His big break in comedy came in 1996 when he released his first comedy album "Here's Your Sign."  

“Here’s Your Sign” is actually his signature bit. Basically, he believes that stupid people should have to wear signs saying, “I’m stupid.”  Mostly, he just tells funny situations where people do dumb things.

He’s done 9 albums now.  Some of them are more of "Here's Your Sign," but most of his comedy is actually him talking about his daily life.  He talks about being married, getting older, having kids and many other classic family moments. 

Another thing he is well known for is his part in the Blue Collar Comedy Tour.  He’s a member of the group with Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White.  The group has their own TV show, Blue Collar TV, and has released 3 movies.

Here's a video of Engvall performing live. 

His latest album, "Aged and Confused," really focuses on him turning 50 and everything he now has to deal with.

Engvall is currently touring if you're interested in going to see him, HERE is a list of dates and places he will be.

Childhood Love

The Lion King in 3D came out last Friday and guess who saw it, on Friday?? ME!  

First of all, I really think everyone should go see it.  You will one, be amazed at how much of the songs you remember.  Two, you'll laugh even harder because some of the dialog is truly written for adults to get (did you know Timone references drag??).  And three, it will take you back to your childhood when life wasn't so complicated and your main problem was eating your vegetables.

The Lion King, if you've been living under a rock, is an incredible movie.  It's all about this lion cub who's in line to become the next lion king and all of his trials and adventures.  (I wish I didn't have type out a plot hook for this movie, but someone recently told me they've never seen it.  I almost had a heart attack.)

Also, you'll go around for the next week singing the Lion King songs, like I have.  You could also take your cat, or a stuffed animal  if you don't have one, and hold them up when Simba gets held up, like I may or may not have done to my roommate's cat (Sssh).

I truly love the entire movie, but one of my favorite scenes and favorite songs is the "Circle of Life" from the very beginning.  My favorite scene is when the sun rises and the music goes, "NAAAAAASIBWENYA" or something like that.  To me, it signals the beginning of something amazing, and I love it.

It gets me every time.  And for those of you who were more Disney Princess people, that's totally fine!  Go watch your favorite Disney movie from your childhood!  You'll feel 1000x better, I promise.  And if you now want to go see it, HERE is a link to find when it's playing near you!  But hurry because it's only playing for 2 weeks and this Friday, 9/23, will be the end of Week 1!

My heart is lighter already from typing this post for you.  Have a super, Disney-filled day!
Still-singing-NAAAAAASIBWENYA yours,
The Renaissance Girl. 
P.S. I just watched that song again, and I got chills.
P.P.S. I'm seeing it again on Saturday.  No shame.

Quick Intro to One of My Obsessions

Okay, I've mentioned this before (have you been paying attention?), but I love Frank Sinatra.  I love everything about him.  Literally everything.  One of the great tragedies of my life is that he's dead and I won't ever be able to hear see him sing live.  I could list out all the reasons y'all should love him too, but that would take way too long.  I'll do a more in-depth post on my full opinion of Frank later.  But I've been singing this song all day and thought I would use it to introduce you guys to the best musician you'll never meet.

I will never be able to repay my band teacher for introducing me to this incredible man and his music.  And yes this is the song from "Catch Me If You Can," 10 life points if you caught that.

Thinking-I-was-born-in-the-wrong-decade yours,

The Renaissance Girl.

Something to Distract You

Recently, my roommate and I spent 90 minutes watching Steve Kardynal's videos on YouTube.  They are HILARIOUS.  Seriously, I was laughing so hard my cheeks started to hurt, and I began to get a headache.  But I kept watching anyways!  Here's one of my favorites:

His other videos, like his Katy Perry "Peacock" one (which is not actually on his channel, but it's him.  Watch it.) literally had me laughing for hours.  Even now, I get the giggles.

Now, don't be alarmed if you don't get this.  A lot of these songs are "current," parents.  So you might not understand why I (or any other one of us "young people") think this is hilarious.  Never fear, for I have found a video that we can all enjoy, no matter your age.  So gather yourselves, your parents, your grandparents, your siblings, your children, their children and watch (drumroll please) a SNEEZING BABY PANDA!!!

A classic, don't you agree?  Well, that's all from me.  Aren't you now distracted?  You're welcome.

Wishing-Steve-Kardynal-was-in-my-real-life yours,

The Renaissance Girl.

Budget-Friendly And DELICIOUS Meal (for all you poor college kids like me)

So I moved off-campus this year, which means I've been having to cook for myself.  Needless to say, I've been eating a lot of sandwiches.  And there is nothing wrong with that!  I could probably survive on sandwiches for every meal of the day: a McMuffin type thing in the morning, a cold sandwich for lunch, a hamburger for dinner, and an ice cream sandwich for dessert! (Doesn't that sound delicious? Maybe I'll have an entire sandwich day.  I'll keep you posted.)  But anyway, one thing I've been eating and now have almost perfected making is really good tuna salad.  And it's super easy, pretty cheap and delicious!  Here's how I make it:

What You Need

- TUNA (Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore is my go-to.  And you can get as much as you like.  I like to make a fair amount at once to save time.)

- MAYONNAISE (I usually get light mayonnaise to try to cut out some of the fat.  And the fat-free is just gross.  But if you're going whole hog, get regular mayo!)

- SWEET RELISH (I love this stuff, and I can honestly eat it by itself.  So I put a lot in, but you can again, do whatever you wish.  That's the fun!)

- SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE (Maybe that didn't need to go in all-caps.)

How You Make It

1. Open and drain your tuna.  (Draining is really easy.  Just press the lid into the open tuna, and tilt it so the juice runs into the sink.)

2. Put tuna into your storing container.  (I tend to mix the tuna right in the tupperware I'm storing it in to save on dishes used.  But if you would rather have a separate bowl for mixing, go right ahead.)

3. Put in your mayonnaise.  (Okay, this is where you really choose how much you want.  Remember, you can always add things but can't take them out.  So I suggest to start with a little and taste it along the way.  Generally, if I'm making three of the small cans from Bumble Bee, I'll put in about two tablespoons of mayo.  You want the consistency where you can still see the tuna chunks, but it's pretty creamy.  Okay, stop crying and whining about how I'm not being specific and just make your tuna, you babies.)

4.  Put in your sweet relish.  (Again, it's however much you want, but I usually do about two tablespoons again, for the three small cans.  But really, you can't mess up the relish.  It's. So. GOOD.)

5.  Mix it around, until it's all blended together.  (Did anyone else just have a SpongeBob flashback where he's trying to teach Squidward how to blow bubbles?  And he sings "Bring it around town, BRING IT AROUND"? Nope? Just me?)

6.  Now taste, add anything you think you need more of, including salt and pepper.  (I don't really know how to elaborate on this step.  Just eat the tuna and fix what you think you need to fix and you'll be set.)

7.  EAT YOUR DELICIOUS, HOMEMADE, ALMOST-HEALTHY TUNA SALAD!!!

Okay usually there's a step 6.5 where I let it sit overnight to really let all the flavors combine and become more of a tuna salad than a combination of the various ingredients.  But that's completely optional.  You can of course eat it right away!

Some Ideas for Meals With Your Tuna Salad

- Tuna Sandwich (Put the tuna on the bread.  DONE.)

- Tuna and Crackers (Put the tuna on delicious crackers, like Triscuits.  Yum.)

- Just Tuna (Just eat it plain.  It's delicious!)

- Tuna Melt? (Is this a real thing? I might be making this up, but I think some people like a hot tuna sandwich.  You could toast bread, heat up the tuna, and make a sandwich.  Or put it in a panini press, but if you're like me and making tuna is a highlight of the week YOUR LIFE, you probably don't have a panini press.)

So that's all I think have to say about tuna.  Truly, a favorite food of mine.  So next time you're looking for something to eat, try tuna and be your own chef.  You could even narrate your cooking by pretending you're on Iron Chef America against Bobby Flay (yuck.  Bobby Flay).  And you beat him with your AWESOME TUNA!

Sending-delicious-tuna-your-way,

The Renaissance Girl.

The Church I Want To Get Married In

In July 2010, I took a trip to Barcelona with my cousins.  There, I discovered a love for the architect Antoni Gaudi and his unfinished church, La Sagrada Familia.  Discarding the usual church design, Gaudi favored a more natural church, and his ideas resulted in the most beautiful church I've ever seen.  And it's not even done yet!  The outside is covered with natural designs, like various animals and different kinds of leaves and flowers.  The facade almost looks like a sandcastle made from dripping wet sand through your fingers, but it's incredible.  Here's a picture of the whole outside and a closeup, so you can see for yourself.

The facade

A closeup

Isn't it incredible? In the inside, Gaudi continues his natural theme with a ceiling of flowers (so pretty) and stained glass that instead of depicting religious scenes, takes on organic shapes.  Here's some more pictures.

The (incredible) ceiling

The stained glass (which is currently my desktop background)

The great tragedy here is that the church is unfinished.  Gaudi was tragically hit by a car and killed before he could finish it.  But his plans are intact and they are finishing the church, bit by bit.  So there's even more incredible awesomeness to come!

I am truly in love with this church.  My dream wedding would be here.  And I am definitely going back once it's finally complete.  By the way, if you love this church too,  you should A) go there and B) check his Casa del Ossos or the Casa Batllo (they're the same thing).  Also incredible, natural, etc.  Looks like you're in Alice in Wonderland!

Planning-my-future-wedding-here yours,

The Renaissance Girl.

153: Obama Urges Debt Deal

President Barack Obama urged Americans on Tuesday to support a balanced approach to debt reduction and to let their representatives know how they feel, lest Congress be locked in a stalemate.

Obama explained that there were two approaches to the deficit reduction currently being considered.  One, which he called the balanced approach, would involve everyone taking cuts or giving something up, like tax breaks.  The other, which Republicans favor, would keep tax breaks for the wealthiest companies and would instead take deep cuts from everything else.

Obama favors the balanced plan, insisting that it is unfair to take only deep cuts from certain causes.  According to Obama, under the balanced approach, 98 percent of Americans who make less than $250,000 would see no tax increase.

The Republicans have a different opinion, however, and they currently hold the power to affect the nation’s choice.  In his speech, Obama explained that the method of deficit reduction chosen is tied to the decision about the debt ceiling.  The Republicans will not vote to raise the debt ceiling unless their plan of deep cuts is passed.

This presents a challenge, for if the debt ceiling isn’t raised, America could default on its loans for the first time in history.  Defaulting would drop America’s credit rating around the world and could push the United States into even greater economic distress. 

Obama said he is confident that a compromise can be reached and understands Americans’ frustration with Washington, saying,  “People are tired of a town where compromise has become a dirty word.”  Obama urged Americans to let their representatives know how they feel about the deficit reduction.  He said that he is certain that Congress can put aside “pride and party to form a more perfect union.”