:: ms cool boots, if you're merry ::

i got this envelope (there was a card inside, too) in the mail the other day.  it made me smile. 

:: man boots ::

it's been a while since i've posted anything from my one of my favs, the sartorialist.  shoot, it's been a while since i've really had time to keep up with his blog.  at first i thought he was posting a lot more than usual...then i realized i've just been incredibly busy. 

but when i saw this shot today, i knew i needed to come here to "record" it.  dig this look.  the big plaid on the broad shoulders, the colors, the way his cap goes with the bottom of his bag, the jeans...normally i wouldn't like the tapered roll on the bottom with such broad upper body and thick calf muscles, but it's perfect with the height of the boot!

click image for front view

:: home sweet home ::

5 years ago this month i started the process of buying my little yellow house.  back then, i would drive around, looking at houses for sale (who am i kidding, i still do that!), but this was the first and only house i'd looked inside and really considered purchasing.  i was in the midst of the hardest and most rewarding period of my life.  mom was on the heels of her chemo and radiation treatments and i was spending most of my "free" time taking care of stuff at maunga & poppy's house.  on top of that, we had just discovered that one of the caregivers had been stealing from them (check fraud!) and i was working with the detective on that stressful situation.  i was in no place mentally and emotionally to buy a house.

but it happened.  despite the emotional breakdowns with my mortgage broker (who i didn't even know), my realtor, my realtor's sister, my banker...and pretty much anyone else who crossed my path in that time...it happened.

God absolutely and undoubtedly blessed me in that mess.

in the 5 years i've lived here, i've had 7 short-term roommates.  it moves me deeply to be able to provide a place to stay for someone - whether it's between homes before getting married, while visiting from another country, home-hopping while trying to figure out what comes next in life...the reasons have been as varied as the durations.

this week i've welcomed the 8th.

and the blessings continue.

:: notes from smalltown, sc ::

today we visited 92 year old maunga buck.  as many of you know, she is famous for asking, "julie, you ain't got no boyfriend, yet?" when she sees me.  (note that i have never gone by the name "julie.") 

last time i saw her, i actually did have a boyfriend and it was the one time in the past 10 or so years that she didn't ask.  well, today i turned to my sister and whispered, "she's gonna ask...wait for it..."

a minute later she pipes up, "juuulie, you ain't never gone get married, are you?  don't look that way."

kelley jumped in and said, "you don't want her to settle, do you?"  the look on her face was a bit like, "well, yeah, kind of." 

i just said, "i'm married to Jesus" and went back to talking to the delusional woman by the piano who thought she was going to be home by 6. 

(i hope that she isn't "home" by 6...they already had one death this week.  and that was maunga's roommate - whose husband, i believe, was the tv repairman in joanna when dad was growing up.) 

a little while later i was putting my hair up (because it was 108 degrees in there) and maunga said, "julie, what are you doing to your hair?"  i said that i was pulling it back because i was hot.  she said, "law, you need to run a comb through it. ha ha ha."  then, "i ain't never seen a head of hair like that." 

so.  um.  yeah. 

:: great gift ideas ::

 cravestudio.etsy.com

check out crave studio's amazing  collection of ceramic goodness.  one thing i especially appreciate about artist jennifer bedenbaugh's work is its sincere simplicity (and simple sincerity!).  her clever and creative ideas speak for themselves, without a bunch of frills and fluff.  from her immensely popular "just between you and me" necklaces (mine reads "servant's heart" and is one of the most treasured gifts i've ever received) to the mini houses which are now available in a larger size as Christmas ornaments!  (30% off in-stock ornament sale now through dec 18)

swig

"drink from the bottle" takes on a whole new meaning with these terrific examples of upcycling from this new local business, swig.  creator christina blackwell turns wine bottles into lovely and interesting drinking glasses.  they come in three sizes (small, medium, large) and a variety of colors (clear, green, brown, olive and yellow) and make wonderful gifts for wine lovers who, well, do drink something other than wine from time to time!  (great idea for housewarming gifts!)

:: for my eyes only... ::

...and yours if you need it. 


this started out as a status update on facebook, but i decided to give it more permanence here...for me.  because i'll probably need this reminder sometime.  sometimes these things are for me, and sometimes they are for you.  but mostly they are for me.  and sometimes you.


this has been a rough week for me - physically and emotionally.  a broken toe, a sore mouth, a crappy situation with a friend, work stress...

but the hardest part, emotionally, has been struggling with the fact that my life is pretty stinking awesome and i feel bad ever feeling bad about the little things that go wrong.

so i canceled the pity party and took initiative to right the things i could right and give up trying to control things i have no control over.

it's amazing how quickly your attitude can adjust when you focus your heart in the right place.



oh, and also.  i am immensely grateful for the people who have been there for me through the crud this week.  the tough love, the gentle love, the True love.  thank you for not coming to the party.  :-)

:: collision ::

i got my free people catalog the other day and immediately ripped the cover page off to add to my likes & inspiration folder. loved the girl's (lou doillon) hair, the shirt, the jeans, the tattoo.  just a great look and a great picture. 

 

and i just came across a blog post, and learned that garance dore was the photographer.    figures i'd like it! 

click here for video of I.C.U. from lou's latest album.  i'm kind of digging it - the song and the video. 

:: brilliant music, brilliant art ::

josh garrels, easily one of my favorite singer-songwriters and performers (ever), recently unveiled the pieces of the dvd box set for his documentary The Sea In Between, filmed on mayne island, BC.  i cannot wait to get my hands on this.  check out the view finder dvd art...brilliant! 

 

images, box set art & packaging by stereotonic
click images to link directly to box set photo album

:: stage fright and baby food ::

i hadn't wanted to move up to camp grace with my kiddos for only one reason:  stage fright.

i'd heard the teacher sometimes had to take part in the skits in big group and i really didn't want to have to do that.  i would get anxious just thinking about it.  i'd imagine having to stand in front of a room full of kids and a handful of adults and speak.  or "act."  or, Heaven forbid, sing.  i dreaded every image that came to mind.  but i love those kids to death (i'd been teaching since they were 2-3 years old) and i knew how absolutely selfish and unreasonable my worries were, so i  moved on up with my class.  (i figured i could always un-promote myself if it was just too, too much to bear.)

last night was my first night in the bear den.  we were in big group.  they told the kids to nominate one of their teachers to come up to the front to do...something.  my heart dropped.  "on the first night?  really?  ugh."

i am the only teacher in bear den, so (despite me trying in fake-jest (you know, pointing to the other person like you're kidding, but really, you're not) to get them to nominate the sweet lady who was jumping in, instead of me) it was unanimous; they chose me.

i went to the front of the room to play "musical spoons" - a musical chairs sort of game, but instead of moving from chair to chair, you pass a spoon around.  if the music stops while you're holding the spoon, you reach into a bag, pull out some food, and have to eat a spoonful of whatever you grabbed.  the first lady stuck with the spoon blindly chose a jar of turkey baby food.  she took the tiniest nibble and sat back down with her class.  a rule was made that the next time, someone else would serve the food, to make sure it was a healthy sized bite.

guess who was next.

as i was reaching in the bag, i said, "i hope there are some vegetarian options in there," (wondering, "do they make beef baby food?  it's going to be really awkward when i pull out some type of pureed beef and have to refuse to eat it.  oh, no, i hope it's not sweet potatoes."). i pulled out a jar of applesauce (whew!)  baby food and gladly ate my gigantic bite.

and learned that applesauce baby food is not the same thing as just good ol' apple sauce.

still, it wasn't too bad.

“In my distress I called to the Lord,
    and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
    and you listened to my cry.
You hurled me into the depths,
    into the very heart of the seas,
    and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
    swept over me.
I said, ‘I have been banished
    from your sight;
yet I will look again
    toward your holy temple.’
The engulfing waters threatened me,
    the deep surrounded me;
    seaweed was wrapped around my head.
To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
    the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
    brought my life up from the pit.

“When my life was ebbing away,
    I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
    to your holy temple.

“Those who cling to worthless idols
    turn away from God’s love for them.
But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
    will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
    I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”
jonah 2: 1-9

:: anna for h&M ::

anna dello russo and H&M. 

so far, what i've seen isn't really my style.  not that i'm surprised.  being that, while i love seeing her crazy, fantastic ensembles, i've never thought, "ooh, i would wear that...(fascinator, see-through dress, etc)!" 

i do, however, like this image from the collection. 

this ring might be the only piece i'd get (and wear) for myself (because, honestly, i do want to get something - it's ADR!). 

 

 images via refinery29.com

:: duh ::

studionico.etsy.com via a cup of jo

:: digging the longing ::

i looove this artwork.  the colors, the type, style, copy, images, content...all of it. 

also a big fan of the concept.  many months ago i got a free-with-email-address download from all sons and daughters via noisetrade (unfortunately, the prone to wander ep is no longer available!) and received an email from them today, offering up a link to preview and pre-order their upcoming album.  i don't want to get too soap-boxy here, but if you're not going to give-give your music away, this is a smart way to semi-give it away and entice people to buy. 

click image to enlarge or click here to link to site & take a listen.

:: more wooden wall ::

i want to go here.  sleep here.  read here.

:: i just want to float ::

today i thought...
       "i just want to float." 

i sent a text: "i wish we could go skydiving this evening.  i just want to float right now." 

but no could do. life must be done and there was no time (or budget) for that sort of thing. 

so i took a bath.  i couldn't think of anyone who has a heated indoor pool i could use to float my cares away in.  or on. 

and then i thought of a car ride.  thought that laying back in a seat, someone else driving, windows down...i thought that might be the kind of floating i needed.  but i ended up driving.  i wanted to. 

and then i went to a chinese buffet and had 4 plates of food.  definitely not weightless now.  

i feel better, but really,
         i just want to float. 

:: sliding doors ::

working on a laundry closet renovation - dryer vent portion of the project is complete (woohoo!) and now i just need to figure out a door solution.  have been considering track doors for some time (since i came across this, this, and this).  love this idea: 

not sure where this image is from, so forgive the lack of credit - 

if you know, let me know!

:: wash your spirit clean ::

keep close to nature's heart...and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. wash your spirit clean. [john muir]

:: question ::

from facebook.com/postsecret

:: craving, but not wishing for ::

thanks to michelle at blue moss and her latest blog post, i am craving some colder weather.  well, maybe not the weather itself, but colder weather fashion/dress.

loving so much about this look book.   

:: a sweet update ::

a complete stranger just made me cry on the phone. in a great way.

i called to find out about a riding evaluation / lesson and got an unexpected update on my beloved first riding instructor, jennifer jones, who i have not seen or heard about in well over 15 years. miss jones visited bramblewood last summer, giving her seal of approval on the former foxcroft farms. she's 80 years old, just stopped riding, and is still living in the UK (since leaving the states to care for her mother many years ago). her bright blue eyes still sparkle.

i love that the stranger thought to tell me that.




update to an update:  that same stranger made me cry again.  with this.  i can't wait to be back at this place.  it sounds like, despite the many changes to the land over the years, the spirit at Foxcroft / Bramblewood is the same.  i'm looking forward to feeling that. 

:: long time gone ::

that's all, really.  been a long time.  miss you.  miss writing here.  life is good.  moments of quiet contemplation (and attractive alliteration), but not many moving the pen to paper.  life is moving. 

:: breach man's mind ::

classic. favorite.  frightening.  important.  beautifully so. 

“Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said.  A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there.  

It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime.”

:: letters home - favorite son ::

 

9 April 1945

Dear Mamma,

Well here is your favorite son again.  I haven't had as much time to write as I would like but maybe before so very long.  I can't see how this war can last so very much longer & it would be over this month, I hope.  Wouldn't it be funny if it should end on my birthday?  If we get some nice weather so that the air corps can operate it will speed things up an awful bit. 

You said in your last letter that I never mentioned receiving your letters.  I'm sorry if I haven't but then you'll have to remember that I have been unusually busy and my letter writing hasn't been under the best of conditions.  I'll try to tell you each time that I get one of your letters but if I forget don't think that I don't appreciate & enjoy them just the same.  I haven't received a package in some time now but should get one any day now.  I could really go for some fried chicken, say about a gallon can of it.  How to you like the way my German pen writes?  I have 3 now all brand new. 

Lots of love

Arthur Jr.

:: carlos, kelly and jolene ::

i love this story. 
(hate the layout, love the story.)


enjoy. 

:: happy anniversary ::

11 years ago i graduated from college and started working full-time at mountain entertainment. i'd been working toward my career for four years before that - talent buying, stage managing, promoting artists and shows.

...back when "cutting and pasting" really meant "cutting and taping" (and xeroxing) to make event calendars. which i distributed via CPO boxes.

...back when band newsletters were postcards that came via snail mail. there were no eBlasts.

...back when radio would play (even break!) local & regional bands. and i was one station's Gig Gal.

i had heard scary things about the music business - about backstabbing and underhandedness. but i didn't see those things. or chose not to focus on them, perhaps. instead, i saw people taking me under their wings. sharing experiences, advice, wisdom. giving me opportunities. i was like the little sister of the industry and through all the ups and downs, it's been a true blessing to grow up in this crazy, dysfunctional, yet wonderfully passionate family.

it hasn't always been an easy road (not even close, at times!) but it's certainly been a blessed one. immensely grateful for the relationships, art, experiences and lessons God has given me throughout this career.

:: new media marketing thoughts ::

i don't really like to complain without having some sort of helpful feedback or solution for the issue i'm complaining about.  a few minutes ago, i was about to gripe about something on facebook and it occurred to me i could, instead, post some suggestions that might actually help some of the culprits who were inspiring the gripe.  

figured i'd post the update here, too, in case someone comes across this who's not a friend on fb.  feel free to leave a comment with feedback, questions, or..well...even complaints! 

some thoughts on new media marketing: not a fan of shortened links from twitter on my newsfeed. especially from a business and when linking to images/videos. you lose the visual of the image/video that you get when you post directly to facebook (plus, the shortened urls look spammy).

if you're a business that links twitter to facebook, be more selective with which tweets automatically update to fb. push copy-only tweets to fb but manually enter any posts containing images/videos/links. there is an app called "selective tweets" than can make this easier for you.

and never ever tweet something and then post it as a status (too) if you have your twitter/fb accounts linked. redundant back-to-back posts are a quick way to be hidden.

:: a children's story ::

a few years ago, i answered a call to teach in Children's Ministry on saturday nights.  i was placed in the Clown Fish class (2-3 year olds).  there were nights of utter chaos.  nights of being late to Big Group because of dirty diapers and potty training.  nights of a teacher learning about balance.  learning patience.  there were nights when i left feeling like i was nothing more than a babysitter with a well-thought-out lesson plan.  nights i questioned whether anything i read, anything i said, any craft i glued/stapled/stickered was sinking in. 

i doubted, I questioned, i worried. 

but i loved, laughed, danced, sang, and hugged, too.  a lot. 

so at the end of the year, i asked to be promoted with that crazy crew.  we moved on to Sea Turtles.  and then on to Kiwis. 

at times it felt those years were much of the same – only we were all just a year or two older and wiser.  but there was much, much more going on:  i watched the kids learn to write their names, to use scissors and the stapler, to peel and stick their own stickers.  (oh, the joy!)  i watched them come to know one another by name and to learn my name.  i found myself partnering with their parents in various areas.  community was forming right before our eyes. 

and now we are Blue Jays. 

now they can write more than just their names.  they can read.  they enthusiastically volunteer to read or recite the memory verse each week.   and they actually remember the passages now.  they ask questions.  they want to understand and want know more.  i am seeing them wrestle with and come to love the Word of God. 

admittedly, sometimes we're still late to Big Group, but not because of dirty diapers or potty training, like the old days.  now it's because the students themselves are reading the Bible story (which takes a little bit longer than when I do.)  or because we are wrapped up in a prayer circle, thanking God for the blessings in our lives or confessing our sins.  Children talking to God.  a good reason to be late.     

this past November, we were teaching a unit about the prophets.  one Saturday night, my group of five and six year olds were listening to me tell the story of Isaiah.  they heard me read,  

Then God said from heaven, “Who will take a message to the people?” And Isaiah, who had seen that God was the greatest Holy King said, “Here I am. Send me." It’s like he raised his hand and said, “God, please pick me.” [Isaiah 6:8]

i stopped speaking.  i silently re-read those words.  i've seen them many times before, but this time, there was a weight to them i'd never felt before. 

we've all been asked the same question.  we've all been called to take a message to the people.  and those of us in Grace’s Children’s Ministry have all raised our hands and said, "here i am.  send me." and have committed to taking The Message to the youngest of His people. 

and we can rest assured that it is, indeed, sinking in.

:: a fine line ::

banff mountain film festival magazine [2011-2012]

"the line between badass and dumbass is not only fine, it is a grey, wavy line, and in a different place for each individual.  it's hard to recognise, easy to miss, and painfully clear when overstepped.  it's the concept of pushing hard and not giving up, balanced against blind ambition and getting in too deep.  basically, when you start to get really scared, you are probably approaching your line."

adventurer, climber, BASE-jumper and para-alpinist Leo Houlding, in response to being asked how he knows when he is approaching the "fine line between badass and dumbass." 

:: reminder ::

:: broken hearts & auto parts ::

by DetroitDerek Photography via luckyshirt

:: love it ::

free people via smashboxstudios.com

:: an invocation for beginnings ::

ashow.zefrank.com

let me think about the people i care about the most, and how when they fail or disappoint me, i still love them, i still give them chances, and i still see the best in them. let me extend that generosity to myself.

let me find and use metaphors to help me understand the world around me and give me the strength to get rid of them when it's apparent they no longer work.

and let me remember that my courage is a wild dog, it won't just come when i call it. i have to chase it down and hold on as tight as i can.

let me not be so vain to think that i'm the sole author of my victories and a victim of my defeats.

let me remember that the impact of criticism is often not the intent of the critic.

and when i eat my critique, let me be able to separate out the good advice from the bitter herbs.

let me not think of my work only as a stepping stone to something else. and if it is, let me become fascinated with the shape of the stone.

there's no need to sharpen my pencils anymore. my pencils are sharp enough. even the dull ones will make a mark.

and God, let me enjoy this.

:: my heart is beeping...still ::

i just had a major cry fest (of the good kind) over the response and attention to kony 2012. it's amazing. it's encouraging.

i remember a day many, many years ago when i was watching oprah and saw these three young guys sitting on her sofa, talking about a trip they'd taken to sudan. which led them to uganda. which led them to creating a movie about the war in northern uganda that this american girl knew nothing about. i was moved.

i ordered invisible children: rough cut and watched it and cried. like i'd never cried before. (or since, most likely.) i had no idea what change was about to happen in my life. what a long and amazing journey was starting. what beautiful and passionate people i was going to meet along the way.

oddly, i'd had a heart for africa for as long as i could remember. but it never made sense. how can someone have a heart for a continent? what does that even mean? what does that look like? what does one do with that? jason, bobby, laren and the rough cut made it make sense. finally, it made sense. i knew what i wanted to do. i knew what i needed to do. i knew the reason for the desire that God had placed on my heart many years before.

i watched jolly lead jason, laren and bobby to the bus park full of thousands of children in fear of being abducted in the middle of the night. i saw her passion, in that very first meeting, for ther community. an almost desperation in her desire for their story to be seen and heard and told.

i heard boni talking about his best friend, ojok, who had been kidnapped by the LRA and forced to fight in the war. boni didn't know if his friend was dead or alive. boni couldn't even cry for his best friend any more but his "heart was beeping." mine, too.

and then there was jacob. sweet, strong, tenacious jacob. he'd escaped from the LRA and they were looking for him. he spoke of his brother who had been killed. he cried, even though the LRA had conditioned them to never cry. cry and be killed. children. children killing and being killed.

heartbreaking.

i was moved and then i moved.

there was the global night commute.
and displace me.
and the rescue.

and then there came the obama administration's announcement to send advisors to central africa.

and we rejoiced.

and now, kony 2012. over 58 million views on youtube alone. astonishing. i think of all the links and videos that have been posted over the years. all the emails and letters sent. the phone calls to congressmen made. (the form letters received in response.) all the pleas for people to read, watch, listen. to see, hear, respond. and it's happened. little by little, it's happened. but now? now the response is huge. it's universal. it's happening. i am overwhelmed with hope and faith that it's happening. i pray that the end is near. that these children who are now adults will finally see justice for their tormenters. that these children who are still children will know peace before they're adults. that the beautiful, loving, vibrant, tortured Children of God in central africa will know peace.



peace.

:: kony2012 info and actions ::

i'm so excited about the response to the kony2012 video over the past few days. the number of views, likes, shares and comments on facebook alone has been great and i can only hope and assume that the off-line conversations and awareness are growing, too.

is it important to know that your efforts - from the smallest to the largest - do and will make a difference.

if you're new to the Invisible Children world and would like more information on what the organization does and plans to do, please visit www.invisiblechildren.com and/or take a look at the following links for much more information.

Hear from those directly affected by the LRA:
http://www.hrw.org/en/node/94226
IC response to critiques of financials & efforts:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/www.invisiblechildren.com/critiques.html
IC / Resolve / Enough Project policy manifesto & letter to President Obama:
http://www.theresolve.org/blog/archives/3071032348
IC's Jason Russell interview:
http://www.enoughproject.org/blogs/invisible-childrens-jason-russell-kony-2012

What next? Call on Washington:
http://www.theresolve.org/blog/archives/3071032361
What next? Donate to IC:
https://www.stayclassy.org/checkout/donation?eid=14711
What next? Or donate to Resolve:
https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2241/t/11194/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=6602
What next? Purchase an Action Kit and get involved on April 20: http://invisiblechildrenstore.myshopify.com/

And, of course, continue to share the video and spread the word:

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

:: not what i want ::

"you get used to it," he said. "that's what this place is all about, Edward. getting used to things."

"it's not what i want," he said.

"that, too," he said. "you get used to that, too."

[from big fish by daniel wallace]

:: maddie on things ::

i'm not the first one to this party, but i am loving maddie on things, nonetheless!

maddieonthings.com

:: gucci love ::

totally loving the jewel tones from burberry and gucci's fall collections. these shots of gucci from the sartorialist are incredible.



[the sartorialist's burberry - featuring a little alexa chung, will.i.am and rosie huntington-whitely (among others) in the background.]

:: loves from burberry ::

photos from fashion.telegraph.co.uk

:: hands down (kate wins) ::

kate bosworth vs runway at burberry prorsum / london fashion week.

photo credits: fame flynet :: vladimir potop

:: boots-ja-vu ::

remember this post? (no, you don't? i'm shocked.)

well these boots just popped up again at london fashion week. prefer the original look, but still love the boots.

thesartorialist.com

:: love says it all ::

www.coreysmith.com

:: love ::

one of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“the most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘hear, o Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹ the second is this: ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ there is no commandment greater than these.”

mark 12:28-29

:: grellow from garance ::

www.garancedore.fr

it's fashion week!

:: grandmother advice ::

cute project (despite many typos and grammatical errors!). this is one of my favs.

behance.net

for some reason, it made me think of the last few years of my grandmother's life when she became a huge fan of TLC's what not to wear. far from a fashionista, maunga would watch the show and (very critically) judge the women & men who had agreed to have their wardrobes trashed and closets restocked. she also was quite opposed the style (or lack thereof) of hilary clinton and considered nominating mrs clinton for a spot on WNTW. so stinking funny.

:: random thoughts ::

- i wonder if the aol man ever gets tired of saying "welcome, you've got mail." i always have mail. it's a given.

- it really bothers me that we call a bathroom meant for both genders "unisex" because to me, that sounds like it's only for one sex. bi-sex or omni-sex bathrooms would be much more fitting. (and when i say that it "really bothers me" i mean for years. to the point where i have sounded like i don't know what they're called because i will try to avoid calling them that in conversation. it really, really bugs me. and this is the week i've chosen to admit it.)

- earlier this week a girl told me i look like someone who would be on the bachelor. i'm still processing that.

- i get upset when i see/hear people saying that obama is a muslim who claims to be a christian. i hate to think how i would feel if people hatefully, repeatedly and ignorantly doubted my profession of belief in Christ.

:: a song for you ::

:: what's for dinner ::

last week i made shrimp tacos for dinner one night...and another night...and another. and then i made them again last night.

my name is julia and i'm a taco-holic.


- corn salsa/relish: canned corn, diced jalapeno, diced red pepper, diced red onion, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, ground black pepper, parsley (or cilantro which i didn't have), olive oil, lime juice

- thinly chopped red cabbage
- sauteed shrimp (cut in half): olive oil, lime juice, cayenne, black pepper
- sliced avocado

- whole wheat tortilla (i found some that i looove, but can't remember the name!)

:: oh my soul ::

i liked the song in this video and looked up the artist. mike stocksdale. been listening to him on spotify today and am enjoying it. none of the songs have completely sucked me in, yet (in a josh garrels kind of way), but i'm definitely bobbing my head and tapping my toes. worth a listen.

:: what makes true love ::

thesartorialist.com & garancedore.fr/en

:: gray wool + yellow trim = aw ::

my sister sent me an email with "thought of you" in the subject link and a link to this chair in the body.

yep!

katepritchard.etsy.com

:: chairs, chairs, chairs ::

ohhh, my! such amazing chair goodness. i would gladly and happily accept each and every one of the classic beauts and display them somewhere, anywhere in my house!

thingsorganizedneatly.tumblr.com
via the links on this post

:: lovely work space ::

not sure which i love more, those rustic tables or the super cool & colorful chairs.

blog.freepeople.com via bluemossgirls.blogspot.com

:: love by design ::

observatory.designobserver.com

eero saarinen's list of aline bernstein’s good qualities (1954).

love the roman numerals, that her generosity made the list twice and that he was concerned with the sentence structure in XII (she was a writer). so, so sweet.

:: sweet treat ::

blueberry & cream cookie :: compost cookie

momofukustore.com

:: that time of the year ::

the other day i was at the mall and passed one of those calendar selling kiosks. i walked right on by, though there was a tiny part of me, for a very brief instant, that wanted to stop and look around. i smiled to myself, thinking back to high school when i would visit one of those stands and pore over the options to pick out the perfect calendar for me. and usually one for my boyfriend for Christmas. the themes seemed endless back then and it's amazing to see that the calendar makers have somehow managed to come up with even more motifs than before. puppies and horses and other cute critters. books. music. movies. tv shows. vehicles. cities and historical landmarks. pop stars.

anyway, i didn't stop. the last thing i need is to shell out some bucks for a calendar that i will diligently fill with important dates...for the first few weeks of the year and then neglect for the remaining 49 weeks.

if you do happen to be a calendar person, though, here's a cute one i came across on the web a while back. love the concept and execution. would be a great promo item for conferences and networking and whatnot (if the cost wasn't so high - could be printed instead of letter pressed, i suppose).

shop.inkello.com

:: digging ::

not entirely sure how i'd feel about seeing this look around my town, but in a setting like NYC, on a guy like this, from a site like elle's street chic...i'm totally digging it.

fashion.elle.com

:: not impressed (safari) ::

i've been using safari for the past couple months (long story) and it feels very much (if not worse than) internet explorer back in the early aol days. terrible. how do they get away with this?

:: letters home - differences ::

Dear Mama,

Well, here's your boy again and he is just fine. How is everything going back home? I surely wish that I were home to enjoy some of that spring weather that I hear that you have been having over there. We are having a little more sunshine here and it really feels good although it isn’t nearly as nice as that we get back home. The country over here doesn’t smell good in the spring like ours but then it stinks anyway all the time. They don’t have the plumbing here that we have back in the states & that helps stink the place up. They don’t have bath tubs or showers like we have back home either.

I slept pretty late to-day and didn’t get up until about 10 o’clock and really enjoyed it to the utmost. I think that I shall have to do that every day when I get home. Do you suppose that it could be arranged? I could also use some golden rod eggs. Will you tell me just how you are supposed to make them? I know that you boil the eggs and grate the yellow over the white paste like part but how do you make the white part? I’d like to make some and have the boys try them out.

Guess I had better close now and say so long.

Lots of love, Arthur

[april 1945]

:: no excuses - except this one ::

i'm just going to use anti-sopa and anti-pipa as my reason for being slack here. so there.

:: most days he forgets ::

last week at church the teacher said of a man he knows, "he was made in the image of God, but most days he forgets that."

it made me think of a guy i met a few months back. by society's standards, he is not a particularly good person. he is dark. deceptive. irresponsible. a liar. an addict. a thief. he has little to no regard or respect for his children, authority or his peers.

it can be overwhelming to think about the desperation, sadness and darkness he possesses and the bad things he does.

but he is a child of God, made in His image. God loves him and has great plans for him.

no matter how incredibly hard that is for me to comprehend. no matter how often he forgets it, himself.

at times i wanted to shout to him, "what are you doing? why won't you let go of your old ways, your bitterness & anger, your addictions & idols, your lies & deceptions and be more like the person you were made to be!?"

it is in my most honest and my humblest of moments i realize - that's probably exactly what God wants to say to me. the manifestations are vastly different, but our sins are the same.


"this year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practise ourselves the kind of behaviour we expect from other people." [cs lewis]

:: josh garrels ::

back in november a friend sent me a link to download a new album. said it would change my life. i was wary, but i downloaded and listened. i loved the first track. and the second. and every.single.one that followed. the album is incredible. i have a new favorite song from it just about every time i listen but "bread and wine" is always up toward the top of the list. a stand out for me.

here are some pictures from the video shoot for that song for the documentary the sea in between. love the feeling in the first one and that xylophone in the second is such a cool idea! can't wait to hear how it sounds when the film is released.

joshgarrels.blogspot.com

:: resolve to be bolder ::

i'd love to say i'm resolving to blog more frequently (notably not the same as "more often"), but that would be a lie. i hope to do so, but i'm not resolving to do so. because i'm nothing if not realistic. nor do i care for "new year's resolutions." i've never quite "gotten" the whole new year's hoopla. don't know why, but it just doesn't excite me as much as it seems to everyone else. in fact, each time i type "happy new year" to someone in an email, i feel like a bit of a fraud. not because i don't truly wish that the new year is a happy one for the person, but because i wouldn't normally write that sentiment to someone, if i didn't just feel like it was what i'm supposed to be doing/saying.

so, yeah. i don't really do the new year's resolution thing. but this year might be a little different. i had a thought during church on sunday. the sermon was partly about our lives this year, if the world truly was to end on december 21, 2012. it made me think. i'm not one to have those "if i died today, what would i regret having done or not done" thoughts. if i died today, i'd be dead and in a place with no regrets. i'm just not one to think, "if i had 24 hours left to live, what would i do?" (yes, i would like to travel more. and i hope i will. but i know that when i die, i will not lament the places i did not go. because i will be in a far more glorious place.)

but here's the thing. i want that (eternal) peace for those i know and love (and even for those i don't know). if i happen to be sitting around on december 20 and the world is to end the next day i would want to look back over the year and know that something i said or did (or perhaps didn't say/do) or even that the way i lived my life helped someone know the Truth. to know the peace that surpasses all understanding.

so i resolve to be more intentional (notably not the same as "pushy") and say and/or do something that could be a light to someone each and every day. seems simple. seems like something i should already be doing. and perhaps for the most part i am/do. but i don't want to rely on "pretty much already doing." i want to be bolder than that.