Favorite Folk Music - Indigo Girls - Closer to Fine

Hello everyone!

I have loved Indigo Girls since the 90's. Yes, yes, I am old. I didn't start playing the guitar until I was 43! I'm so glad I decided to be bad at something new. Here I am three years later, playing songs I never thought I would be able to play. Indigo Girls have some pretty epic riffs and neat tricks! Not only that, their songs are soulful and unique. It's been a bit of a challenge learning their little finger pickin' tricks but I'm getting it!

Closer to Fine is definitely a favorite because haven't we all been through some difficult life situations? I think about God a lot and I love the spiritual message of this song. "The less I seek my source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine." Ain't that the truth? Sometimes you just have to walk the path even if it's spooky with a mist of a thousand ghosts.

Here's my cover! I'll probably revisit it in a year, and it will be cool to see how far I've come. I've already listened to some of my earlier recordings, and with my new abilities I'm like....yeah, I should re-do that one. LOL. So cheers to growing in my musical journey. Hope you find the courage to be bad at something new too!

 

Thank you for visiting my corner of creation!

                                                                                                                                All the best,

 

                                                                                                                                Marissa

 

Marissa's Lifeystyle Photography

 Autumn is my favorite time of year and there's nothing more that I love than taking a walk around town and photographing interesting things. I love walking in the woods by myself and just finding beauty in the natural habitat around me.

I try to take lifestyle photography throughout the year, in all four seasons. I'm dreaming of spring right now, as a watch the snow fly haphazardly outside my window. Since I'm dreaming of the melting snow and the first buds on the trees, I'll share some of my favorite spring photography from around my town and local woods! Then we will move on to the rest of the seasons!

 

Eggplant Rain Boots

 

 

 

 

 

Spring in Minnesota

Mushrooms & Moss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pastel Easter Vignette

Purple Iris

 

                White Picket Fence & Ivy

Fairy Hollow Waterfall

Next is my summer lifestyle photography. I have been an avid gardener since my children were little ones. We started with a couple of square foot garden boxes to grow some tomatoes and then it just expanded over the years into this wonderful little veggie garden, resplendent with a white picket fence and stone pathway. 

4th of July Vignette

 In addition to my veggie garden, I have two large flower beds on each side of my house. I just love to putter around in it, and having fresh cut flowers brightening up the house during the summer is heavenly.

 

Cool wile grass

I also have a lot of landscape photography and decor vignette shots. Anything I find whimsical, I tend to take a photo of it. I find beauty and inspiration everywhere. 

Early garden harvest

Peonies & Wisteria on the Window Sill

The lovely ladder birdhouse

Brown Eyed Susan in the Wind

   Antiques & Downtown Elk River

The next batch of my favorite photography is Autumn. Which is my favorite season. I have so many fantastic fall photos, it's really hard to choose but I think these ones really bear witness to the magic of fall. From changing foliage to cute Halloween decorations to bunches of gourds, I just can't get enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, here we are with some picturesque winter shots. Although I am a native of Minnesota, the cold isn't my favorite. I do a bunch of fun winter activities to get me through our long winters here, like snowboarding and figure skating. However, I wouldn't mind if as soon as January ends, the snow melts and it's time to get out into the garden. Unfortunately, our winters can last well into April. Oof. Here's to cozy nights in bed with a hot water bottle!

 

 

Black Thorn Rose Bard Tune from The Witcher

 One of my favorite fantasy shows is "The Witcher" because it is visually stunning, the characters are complex and the costumes are phenomenal! I found some guitar tabs for "Black Thorn Rose" on Ultimate Guitar.
 

Continuing with what I've been nerding out on the last couple of months, I decided to give this one a shot. Of course, I put my own spin on it and just sang it the way I wanted to so it doesn't sound like the original version. I was going for an "Adele meets medieval tavern" type of vibe and this is what I got. The Renaissance finger style intro and outro to the song are completely my own. I might tinker with it some more and add drums and fiddle or something but this paired down version reminds me of sitting around a fire with a bunch of bandits on a quest for revenge. 🤷

I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for visiting my corner of creation. :)

                                                                                                            All the best,

                                                                                                                Marissa

Fairy Crowns for Fest!

 Hello everyone!

So, we are now in February and I am ready for spring! I have been busy doing my usual creations, and I have a few new exciting ideas to share. I used to be a wedding planner, which was fun but also very stressful. I still absolutely love designing things, so I've been putting my creative juices into making fairy crowns for Halloween, music festivals, D & D night, Ren Fest, The Fairy Ball...basically for any event or cosplay.

I decided to fuse together my previous experience with weddings and create a matching bridal and flower girl crown set. I used antique lace, grapevine, and silk floral. I think it would be perfect for a woodland wedding or magical garden wedding.In Minnesota, we have a few places that I would recommend if you're looking for a venue that has that majestic feel. The first would be Camrose Hill Farm, The Second would be Plymouth Creek Center (The Millenium Garden) and the third would be The Woods Retreat in Orono.

Here's my prototype for matching Bride/Flower Girl crowns. I'm still tinkering with the veil but I like what I've come up with. 

I think it has a very Bohemian vibe.

Thanks for visiting my corner of creation!

                                                                                                                 

 

 

 

All the Best,

                                                                                                                Marissa

Chili Cook Off - 3rd Place! - White Chicken Chili Recipe

 

Recently, I won third place in a chili cook off contest! In order for you to get my recipe, I will need to tell you my entire life story. Here it is. It's a shit show! 😂

Anyway, here's my recipe:

1 carton of chicken stock

1 block of Velveeta cheese

1 Rotisserie chicken, pulled apart and shredded to your liking

4 carrots peeled and chopped

4 stalks of celery chopped

1/2 a large yellow onion chopped

2 cans of navy beans

3 large jalapenos seeded and chopped

Chili powder to taste (optional)

Throw it all in the crock pot on low for 4 hours. Yumm-o!