I Like Thursdays 5-11-23

Welcome to I Like Thursdays, hosted by the fabulous LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color. This week I liked the roses that bloom only once a year outside our bedroom closet window. I love these pretty pink small blooms. This bush was here when we moved in, and we would not have planted it right next to this huge crape myrtle. We decided not to move it, because the tree and rose roots are likely entangled.

We liked this cake a little bit too much. I was craving cake and frosting, so I used a spice cake mix and made my own frosting. The cake mix was pretty strong with spices, but by day 2 the spices had mellowed. Still, I will make my own spice cake from scratch next time. The frosting was delicious - salted butter, cream cheese, my own caramel sauce, a little milk, a pinch of salt, caramel extract, and powdered sugar.

My favorite like this week was the Coronation of King Charles III. I am a helpless anglophile and love all the pageantry, pomp, tradition, history, and color associated with British royalty. I loved the clothes and the detail and the meaning behind each element - from jewelry to the exquisite embroidery designs. I loved the horses and the royal military uniforms and the carriages. The history behind the Coronation Chair just blew my mind. I felt very grateful to be able to witness this extraordinary day of history.

LeeAnn's suggested prompt for the week:

Do you have a favorite musical style?  For fun:  what kind of music calms you, makes you want to dance, or stimulates you creatively?

I like many kinds of music, from worship, classical, country, pop, and  oldies to soul, and even some of the tamer "rap" songs make me tap my foot. My Dad played a great variety of music at home and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue was (and is) a favorite. We attended concerts by The Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra - a great experience for a teen. Oldies from the 1960s and the pop and soul music of the 1970s and 80s - that's my jam! Certain songs give me feelings I associate with times in the past and instantly connects me to memories of being in high school or college, and certain times of our married life.

I tend toward music with minor chords ending with a major chord - I found out this is called a Picardy Third, and it is beautifully illustrated at the end of The Beatles "And I Love Her". You can hear more about that here. I am also very fond of songs that have a triumphant end, such as a The Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing the Hallelujah Chorus - I get goose bumps just thinking about it.

I don't play music when I sew, because it distracts me by making me want to dance - lol! Songs like  "Happy" by Pharrell Williams and Blame It On The Boogie by the Jackson Five make me bob my head and move around in the sewing chair too much to get any sewing done.

Say Something music video with Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton

Two of my favorite music videos are Thriller by Michael Jackson (I love the dancing as well as the music) and a video done by Justin Timberlake collaborating with Chris Stapleton called Say Something. This video was shot in one take in the Bradbury building in LA, and the timing is incredible. It involves acoustic guitars, a 54-voice choir, and although the words are repetitive, the music has that minor quality I love. Timberlake and Stapleton singing and playing guitars walking through the building, joined finally by that choir, the harmony, that moody building with an atrium- I love all of it!

My husband and love country music and listen to Sirius "The Highway" on the road!

The Old Rugged Cross from the Cokesbury hymnal

Church hymns calm me - I could do a whole post about church hymns - a major part of my life!

How would you answer those questions? Be sure to check out LeeAnna's I Like Thursday post, where you will find a list of more happy and positive posts!