I know what you're thinking: "Awesome! She's tried a new homemade recipe for this classic!" or, "Sweet! She's going to share a tried-and-true recipe for this classic!"
Nope.
This may disappoint some, but there are meals where you just don't feel like cooking. For me, there are whole days! Don't feel guilty - I never do! That just means you need to whip out...
Yes. The boxed kind. Haha. This is my blog! I can do what I want!
I have always been a boxed Mac 'n Cheese lover, and I'm kinda picky. I've always loved Kraft, but it's kinda expensive! Over the years, I've tried all sorts of off-brands and on-brands and whatever-brands and I stuck with Kraft because all the other boxed kinds still had an almost powdery texture when all was said and done.
Until I tried the Betty Crocker version. Guys, this stuff is seriously tasty, and I believe it's better than the Kraft. When I first tried this brand, it was even better because you only had to dirty the sauce pan you made it in - no draining! They have since made the preparation more like the Kraft version, which really is a shame, but it still tastes good.
And the best parts? 1. It's super-easy for those days where chopping/cooking/baking/sauteing anything just sounds awful. 2. It's a lot cheaper than the Kraft brand. Last time I bought it, it was 88¢. 3. I have two little boys, and at least one of them will eat it! Hey! That is success in my book.
(And now you're wondering what little kid doesn't like mac 'n cheese. I have no idea how my love of mac 'n cheese didn't get passed on, but it didn't.*shrug*)
So next time you don't want to make anything energy consuming/you have to feed a picky kid/you need to save some money, grab the Betty Crocker Mac 'n Cheese. You'll see what I'm talking about!
Ok. I am a 27-year-old mother of two young boys, but I have something to admit: I am a giggling teenybopper at heart. In the late 90s I LOVED NSync and learned all their dance moves with my sisters and their friends. I also liked Backstreet Boys, 98°, and I listened to all the related pop music.
Now that about 15 years has passed, I haven't changed that much, and when I discovered One Direction about a year and a half ago, my heart just became so happy... *sigh* I even have no qualms about getting excited when I talk about them with the teenage girls I help out at church. Haha.
If that means you won't look at my blog again, your loss! :)
Anyway, One Direction came out with a new album a little over a week ago, and I wanted to break it down for you. Because I want to.
The new album is called Midnight Memories.
Released November 25, 2013, it's become the fastest-selling album of 2013!
I'll go over each song, including the bonus songs since I have the deluxe album.
1. Best Song Ever - This song came out as a single several months ago, as part of the promotion of their movie This Is Us. It's along the same vein as their first two albums, really upbeat and heavy on the bass. I really enjoy this song, and my boys' favorite part is when they say, "Ow!" 5 stars. Take a look at the music video (it's pretty hysterical, by the way):
2. Story of My Life - This is the song that really sets the tone for the rest of the album. The guys have shared that they had more of a hand in writing the songs this go around, and you can tell because the album has more of a gritty, guitar-based sound. (Most likely thanks to Niall being an excellent guitarist.) Story of My Life is a sad song though mid-tempo, and though the lyrics don't tell a clear story, you get the general gist. 5 stars. The music video has nothing to do with the lyrics, but it's really cute because they ran with the phrase "story of my life" and made it about their families. Take a look:
3. Diana - This song almost has an 80s feel to it, because of the sound of the drum beat. The guitar in the chorus reminds me a bit of Don Henley's Boys of Summer. I don't really understand the story behind the lyrics, but I like the song in general. 5 stars.
4. Midnight Memories - The song that lends it's name to the title of the album is all about the life they're living, and the memories they make late at night - album parties, and singing with friends, etc. It's definitely their anthem song for the album and would be fun to dance to. It's not my favorite song from the album, but I like it. 4 stars.
5. You & I - Let me just say that Niall's voice sounds amazing on this song! It's a slower song, and I like the sentiment of it - that things might be hard in a relationship, but you figure things out along the way and work hard to never let things come between you. And the music is great. This is one of the songs from the album that gets stuck in my head, especially the chorus because of Harry's pretty voice... 5 stars.
6. Don't Forget Where You Belong - This song has a nice sentiment, reminding us (and them) that no matter where you go, you will always belong with your family and friends back home. The music is really good too. 5 stars.
7. Strong - This is another song that gets stuck in my head! The music is so catchy, lots of guitars and good lyrics. It talks about being with the girl he's with makes him a stronger person. When I hear the chorus, it makes me want to dance! 5 stars.
8. Happily - With the star trend being mostly 5s, you might be surprised to learn this one only gets 3. (And this won't be the last one either.) The music is really good, but the second verse isn't exactly clean, talking about wondering if the girl's new boyfriend knows that he's had her, and not really caring about the consequences of the new boyfriend finding out. Lovely, no? I just wish that the repeated phrase "we're on fire" wasn't so catchy! Like I said, 3 stars.
9. Right Now - One of my favorite songs from the album! It's another slower song, where it talks about how he's gone so much and everything's so new, he just wishes his love was with him to experience it all and bring something familiar. Zayn really outdoes himself on the chorus in this one. He almost sounds like the lead singer from One Republic. Seriously. Definitely 5 stars.
10. Little Black Dress - Ah, shucks. This is another 3-star-er. The music has a 70s/80s feel, which is fun, but again, it's the lyrics that do it in for me. I'm all about clean lyrics, and this one isn't great. It wouldn't be bad if it was just about dancing, but it's more about what a girl dancing in her little black dress makes him feel. So that's a no-no for me. Again, fun music, not fun lyrics. 3 stars.
11. Through The Dark - Good one! Especially for Niall, who I feel really grew with this album. The lyrics are really sweet too, saying he'd do all these things for the love of this girl he loves. Another dance-y chorus. 5 stars.
12. Something Great - Well, poo. I liked this song until I looked up the lyrics. Don't you hate it when that happens? But this song definitely channels Phillip Phillip's song Home. You know the "oooohh" parts of that song that keep getting used for commercials? This song has a part that's really similar to that! It's too bad it isn't clean. 3 stars.
13. Little White Lies - Yeah. Most of the good songs, both in quality and clean-ness, are at the beginning. This is a skipper. 2 stars. (I think instead of mentioning what's bad for the rest of the songs, I'll just say it's not clean, and give the star rating.)
14. Better Than Words- Man. This one isn't as bad as the others, but not wonderful. Still 3 stars. Really too bad, because the "ooh"'s in the background are fun and really steal the show.
15. Why Don't We Go There - Title is self-explanatory. Skip this one! 1 star.
16. Does He Know? - Sitting between two not-great songs, it's nice to have another listenable song in here! The verses have guitar cords that really resemble the song Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield, which is kinda fun. Not my favorite song because it talks about how he's gonna steal this girl from her boyfriend, but I still like it. 4 stars.
17. Alive - Ugh. Not clean. 1-2 stars.
18. Half a Heart - They hid this gem all the way at the end! And a gem it really is! A ballad that talks about half of himself being missing since he and his girlfriend broke up, it pulls on the heartstrings. I love it! Too bad it had to come after all those other bad songs, or I might not have bothered to listen to it at all. 5 stars.
Ta daaa! If you're still here with me, congratulations... you must really like One Direction too! If you're really curious about the songs, all of them are available on YouTube with lyrics there for you to check for yourself. A person that calls themselves Harry Styles has some of my favorite not-official lyric videos, and you can watch them all by clicking HERE. (Though, I have to say, some of the lyrics are wrong...)
I read this book over a period of about 2 weeks, which is an uncommonly long time for me. I don't know why, but I haven't been in much of a reading mood lately. Pair that with the fact that this book, especially at the beginning, is fabulously creeptastic, and you've got the makings of an interesting novel.
A horrific family tragedy sends Jacob, 16, to a remote island off Wales, to the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, where he finds unusual old photographs.The children, one his grandfather, were more than peculiar, perhaps dangerous, quarantined for good reason - and maybe still alive.
I think what makes this novel so unique (and scary!) is the pairing of the written words with the pictures that are found throughout the novel. If it were just the words and my imagination, it wouldn't seem so real, but the pictures really just up the "realness" factor about 5 notches. Let me give you a couple examples, outside of the floating girl on the cover:
A little too flexible, no?
Ahhh! The reflection, my friends! The reflection!
Even still, I suspended some belief because I get royally goosebump-y and nervous with horror-ish things and didn't want to think about the possibility that the pictures hadn't been doctored. The craziest thing is that they hadn't been touched! These were pictures from private collectors, everyone, and that seriously freaks me out.
Outside of that part of the book, I thought the writing was great, and the story was interesting, even if it took me so long to get through it. All of us have felt like Jacob at one point, where we feel like our lives really have no point or meaning. Unfortunately for Jacob, through awful experiences, he realizes that his life will never be the same and that he was always extraordinary, if not in the ways he thought he could be. And the peculiar children had pretty awesome "peculiarities" that I loved reading about, like conjuring fire in your hands, being invisible, and having super-strength. (I know, at this point, it sounds like X-Men, but it's really not like that!)
Cleanness: It's been a week since I finished, so I don't remember much. There were probably a couple swear words, but if there were, it was at the beginning before all the action happened. If you read it, please let me know about the language. There were no inappropriate scenes, but there were allusions to an idea of someone cheating in marriage and also some innocent kissing.
Stars: I give this book 3 1/2 - 4 out of 5 stars. I know I complained about how creepy it was, but I have a really low tolerance for anything that can scare me! Haha. Go me. Anyway, it was a pretty darn good book and the first in a series (the next book is scheduled to come out sometime next year), though I'm not sure I could handle the ensuing jumpiness I would have if I read the next one... we shall see.
