EARTH DAY!!

leave it to a holiday to inspire me to write...
i love holidays.
i love having a reason to celebrate.
i love focusing on something specific and dressing, eating, drinking, celebrating accordingly.
very event-oriented, i am...

that being said, i love earth day.
i love the earth, i love the outdoors, i love the fresh air, i love trees, i love flowers, i love fruits & vegetables, i love gardens, i love picnics, i love mountains, i love fields, i love rain...i love it.

(but at the price of feeling so strongly about holidays (earth day, included), i feel guilty the days surrounding i do not focus on the aspects once so-celebrated.)
THIS earth day, i was stuck inside working, sad i could not visit the farmer's market and eat my finds on a checked-blanket at the park--yet remained inspired with the magic of the day, as my brain whirled with the thoughts for this post...and the fact that, yes, every day can be earth day. here are a few of my specific year-round loves + new tips i am striving to adopt.

IN REGARDS TO FOOD...
- go to the farmer's market!! (or if you live in kansas like me, drive down the road to a local selling their produce off the side of the road.) :)

FM with mom, perfect peaches, FM with the boys & dad, mouth-watering tomatoes, farmer cole, mom getting some goods at the FM.

- eat local, organic, and in-season.

shelling purple hulls with mom, weston apple orchard, osceola cheese, bulk it with nicholas, heirloom, and the peach truck!

- buy whole foods, and make your own meal. (no product placement here, the actual adjective.)

homemade apple chips, radish tea sandwiches, blackberry cobbler, fresh-pressed orange juice, my new favorite recipe, oatmeal & fruit, homemade tomato soup.

- use reusable tote bags when...toting.

IN REGARDS TO WATER...
- filter/purify your own!!
- use cold water to wash your food/clothes/self, as much as you can.
- take showers, not baths.

IN REGARDS TO HOME...
- plant a garden!! (and make your own compost.)

baby coley & me with my first garden.

- turn off heat/AC during the nice months.
- take advantage of that daylight!!
- unplug and turn off electric appliances when not in use.
- use natural cleaners on your homes/selves. (whether it's making your own like this, this, or this...or using eco-friendly/toxin-free brands like this, this, this, or this!)
- give back, and plant a tree!! (not possible? try filling your home with air-purifying plants.)

IN REGARDS TO TRANSPORTATION...
- carpool as often as you can.
- avoid traffic, slow down, and keep those tires inflated.
- and when possible, ride your bike!!

dad teaching me to ride a bike...whilst actually riding my bike.

IN REGARDS TO CLOTHING...
- make your own!!
- buy from local and/or small business.

this beauty--that is sadly, no longer.

- if neither of those are options, buy used as much as possible. (thrift stores, antique malls, yard/garage/estate sales, flea markets, etc.)

is there anything better than antiquing/thrifting with the ones you love?

IN REGARDS TO FUN... (you mean, besides what i've already addressed...??)
- read a book.
- have a picnic.

a perfect day at shawnee mission park.

- go to the lake and kayak, fish, swim.

kayaking with the fam.

- go to the park.

"vintage" deanna rose park.

- go on a hike.

yellowstone, smokies, and rockies.

- play some yardgames!

croquet your heart out, quinny.

*anything you love doing, if possible, try doing it outside...catch some fresh oxygen and vitamin d, while developing an appreciation and wonder in mother earth.

learn about some KC local beekeepers here,  here, and here.

AND OF COURSE, reduce--reuse--recycle.

the next twelve months.

i love making lists.
i love making plans.
probably has something to do with the fact i just love letters & words & uniformity.

i also love holidays.
i love celebrations.
i love the different types of traditions and meanings behind each one.

there's always this stigma about new years resolutions...
why is there such negativity surrounding it...??
the whole reason for them are for a fresh start, for new beginnings, for...hope...really.
and yet, there's always these cliched, pessimistic statements & thoughts correlated.

i say...
WHATEVER.
let the haters hate.
(and yes, that has also turned into a cliched statement.)

i. LOVE. new years resolutions.
i love thinking about all the delicious foods i can make, all the beautiful projects i can create, all the breathtaking places i can go, all the precious souls i can love on.
and even if i don't get them all done, i got SOME done...i did SOMEthing.
what's life without goals & hopes & dreams...
what's life without new creations...??

so...this year, i am going with themes.
BODY.
SOUL.
MIND.
SPIRIT.
*each aspect of my life deserves more attention...and i'm at the age now, where i can recognize when each need it. i have realized that, though i feel like taking care of others & making others happy, is more important than taking care of myself & making myself happy...i don't have as much energy or tolerance to do so; i have come to find that count rugen's sentiment (below) reigns true...and that by helping myself, i can help others more.

BODY.

drink water.

consume a glass each morning when i rise, a glass (if not more) at each meal, and a glass before each movie/tv episode i indulge in.

*meme cred: the princess bride.

SOUL.

be still.

find oneness with the present moment. practice mindfulness. reflect on the Lord.

look around you."the sky above proclaims his handiwork."

MIND.

read literature.

read (at least) one book a month. reflect on what i've read. write about what i've read, including the thoughts that have emerged because of it.

*taken from anne lamott's "Help, Thanks, Wow".

SPIRIT.

create.

photograph. write. craft. design.

*photo cred: lauren ashley kilber.

BODY/SOUL/MIND/SPIRIT.

manage stress.

exhibit greater self-control. schedule. budget. organize. set goals & plans (like this post!!). follow through.

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"shameless" photography plug.

(those can be shameless, right...??)

for those of you who don't know...i am a photographer!!
(very exciting stuff, yall.)
the year of 2012 brought me so much joy because i finally started my DREAM job. (and i say "job"...because up until that point, i had never gotten paid to shoot.)

i started my facebook page awhile back. (click here to take a gander and "like" my page.)
-and i finished my new blog's 2012 highlights over lent. (i didn't want to make any part of those 40+ days about me, so i waited to post about it.) (click here to take a gander at the blog.)

i am sooo-ooo excited to see what 2013 has in store for my photography. :)
(especially now that the weathers warmin up for me.)

to practice any art, no matter how well or badly,
is a way to make your soul grow, so do it."
- kurt vonnegut.

WHAT'S FO DINNAAA...?? (aka: a snack.)

it's been awhile since i did a what's for dinner.
well, you're in for a treat. (literally. i'm hilarious, i know.)
we had nothin in the house today for me to snack on...so i thought i'd whip up somethin real quick.

for new year's, we had gotten a whole heck of a lot of chex cereal to make...chex mix. which i don't really care for. but i thought--hey, we have enough...i'll probably get to make somethin with it still.

let's back-track for a minute.
so my mom's the best, and for my 22nd birthday, she had every member of our family bring/send a handwritten recipe card--instead of a gift. as if that wasn't wonderful enough, my parents presented me with a recipe box that dad had handmade and mom had hand-painted. see?? the best.
the thoughtfulness of that gift was so special to me; i felt incredibly blessed. (and on top of that, i was given aprons that belonged to each of my grandmothers. amazing. like i said, blessed.)

one of the recipes, from my cousin pendilton, (who was 14 at the time,) waaasss...

CARAMEL SNACK MIX!!
(serving size depends on your personal preference, but makes about 10 handfuls. i will definitely eat almost all of it, myself.)
(i'll give you this recipe, just as he wrote it. for fun.)

the recipe calls for:
- 4 c corn Chex cereal.
- 1/2 c packed brown sugar
- 1/4 c butter
- 2 tbsp corn syrup
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp vanilla

directions:
- "put brown sugar, butter, corn syrup into the smallest pan, no lid. bring to simmer on stove top. stir occasionally."
- "take pan off stove & add baking soda & vanilla."
- "put cereal in a brown bag, that's in another brown bag." (i poured the mix over cereal in an oven-friendly pan, instead...and stirred until almost fully coated.)
- "pour mixture over cereal in bag and shake. put in microwave for 30 seconds and shake. repeat two more times." (i set the oven to 200F and baked for five minutes, instead...to melt the caramel, so it could fully-coat.)
**"we make this in school, and i really like it.
p.s.-don't forget to put baking soda and vanilla in. haha!"


:) so cute. love him.

use your gifts.

long time, no post.
lo siento, readers.
got a little crazy here over the past week. (what-with...thanksgiving/family time, cleaning the heck out of the house to get it ready for Christmastime, photo editing out the whazoo, on top of getting sick.)

i have WAY too many projects going on at the same time...which i really need to take care of asap cause the holidays are here, yall!! (i haven't even gotten to thanksgiving week's wfd #4 yet. whoops.)

i have a deep-meaningful post for tomorrow, but until then...i'll preface it with this::
(i love the entirety of romans 12. but what i was wanting to get at with this post is this...)

"we have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. if your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. love must be sincere. hate what is evil; cling to what is good. be devoted to one another in love. honor one another above yourselves. never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
- romans 12:6-12, NIV.

what's for dinner...??

does anyone else ever buy a brownie mix just to eat the brownie batter...??
i am so guilty of this.
and today is one of those days.
so much for wfdw...better luck next week, folks. (or maybe tomorrow, if you're lucky.)

today is also one of those days that i am inspired to create.

- continuing my FP knockoff jean-project. (they're already so fun, yall.)
- stripping, distressing, and re-painting my dresser.
- continuing my pmf.photography branding. (i am just in love with my new paper, stamps, and twine.)
- editing more of my landscape photography to form a separate, more-diverse portfolio.
- brainstorming/planning out my future blog posts. (super excited for december.) :)

i will leave you with this quote that i adore...

"to practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. so do it."
- kurt vonnegut.

tis me.