11.07.2012

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.

11.05.2012

my friends are talented.

this might be my favorite segment.
it's just so true.
and warms my heart so much.
(you can find the background on it here.)

today's post is dedicated to my dear-dear friend, stefanie morgan.

stef and i grew up together at college church of the nazarene.
we've spent looootsss and looootsss of time together, from caravans to wigby, to His kids choir, to holiday parties, to retreats, to church camps, to mission trips...and not to mention nearly every sunday.
then come second semester, freshman year of high school, she went back to her roots and joined me at blue valley.
this was definitely a blessing. (for many reasons.) most everyone at church went to the same three schools...or at least had one other person. i had had no one for almost ten years, and i always yearned for that affirmation and accountability. just to be able to make eye-contact with a person, knowing you share a deeper bond and more-significant meaning for life than those many searching-high school kids. (not that we had it all figured out as adolescents, but you catch my drift, right??)

stef and i both did choir throughout high school, and were privileged to be in its traveling show choir, chambers. we went all over the kc metro area, LA, and NYC. (stef also got to go to orlando because she made it the year before me. but i'm getting ahead of myself; i'll show you how amazing she is in a minute here.) stef almost always got the solos in our kids' choir, she was on the praise & worship team in junior/senior high, she almost always got the lead in our high school musicals, she almost always got the solos in our choir/chambers numbers, and she always did ridiculously well at competitions...we always knew we could count on her to get a 1.
since the age of ten, stef had incessantly impressed me with her musical ability, (she's an amazing pianist, as well,) but i don't think it was until our spring show, senior year of high school had i heard her sing and play a song she had written. the song was "love won't."...which i'm pretty sure is still, to this day, my favorite. (i know you'll think that is funny, stef. but it's true!!)
she not only has the raw musical talent and ability, but she has the passion, and emotion, and ability to relate that song writers long for and need.

stef recently wrote this song and performed it at the uptown arts bar for "MBird's writer's showcase". (sadly, i could not attend this time around...but i have had the privilege of attending similar performances.)

you can listen & watch her in these videos too!! (courtesy of: kathleen dunn.)
Black and White. (circa 2008.)
Rainy Days. (circa 2008.)

she also has her own etsy account: unlock the creativity. check it out!! (i tollld you...talented.)

God has blessed me with stef's friendship and her ability to inspire and brighten up any-and many-of my days.

11.04.2012

psalm 139:23-24

"search me, Oh God, and know my heart;
test me, and know my anxious thoughts.
see if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."
- NIV.

11.02.2012

these are a few of my favorite thinnngsss....


source.
starting last month...i started this segment where first friday of each month, i share ten of my favorite things/moments/traditions that occur every year, as well as what i'm looking forward to specifically during the next 22-31 days ahead.

- n o v e m b e r -

i'm ready to start servin with mission church!!
source.

1. this tuesday, november 6th, instead of mission church meeting for our weekly prayer, we are rallyin our troops to assemble crisis care kits to contribute to heart to heart's hurricane sandy operation. (you can get more info about it here.)
2. tuesday, november 13th, mission church is having our second design event.
3. sunday, november 18th, mission church is serving at the spofford home for children. (check it out here.)

4. i am ready for this election process to be over...and for our country-as a whole and as individuals-to stop being so hateful, and discriminated, and segregated...and for the outcome to be the most beneficial it can be.
source.














5. my friend-becky is hosting the"first thanksgiving feast" where all of our friends will bring a food item and dress up in their designated indian or pilgrim costume. :) (i'm crossin my fingers for indian. obviously.)
source.



































6. of course, THANKSGIVING. family, food, and football. (in the fall-for the fosters.) (i like alliteration.)
source.























7. and THEN...bring on the Christmas-time. (but only after thanksgivin.)
. i have this really great idea i am starting this month that is a complete secret, but i am SUPER excited about. and will share with yall when i am finished.
source.























*8. above all, i love november because it is such a reflective month to me. i am constantly reminding myself of the many blessings in my life, of which I cannot thank the good Lord enough.

(pee-ess: ask me about mission church!!)
(pee-ess-ess: i will make a new playlist this weekend. don't worry.)

11.01.2012

MOVIE REVIEW: eat, pray, love.

i am a relator.
in every situation-on every level, i try my best to relate.
when people are excited, i get excited. not because i am actually excited myself...but because i am emoting and am excited for them.
when people are sad and crying, i tend to get sad and cry right along with them. because i try and put myself in their shoes. i try and imagine how i would feel if that had happened to me.
etcetera.

because of this, i enjoy movies probably more than the next girl.
however, not very often do i feel many movies necessarily inspire me.
my regular review segment will only consist of the movies (and books) that do so.

EAT, PRAY, LOVE.
(adapted from the book by elizabeth gilbert.)

reasons to love this movie::
-inspirational and motivational. when the main character doesn't like something, she changes it. she wants to do something, she does it. she wants to go somewhere, she goes. she realizes the only thing to hold her back is herself.
-beautiful. between italy, india, and indonesia...the sights she sees, the history, the natural allure. it's breathtaking. (did i mention i have severe wanderlust...??)
-empowering. the story makes you feel like OF COURSE, you can pick up and leave on a one-year international trip by yourself. she's alone...?? doesn't matter. she's a woman...?? doesn't matter. she's emotionally and psychologically unfit (and potentially borderline unstable)...?? all the MORE reason to go.
-selfless. the journey teaches her to appreciate. to be thankful, and accepting, and loving. in each country, she exudes selflessness through an act of altruistic giving.
-simplicity. besides the fact one needs money to travel and eat, she completely immerses herself into the cultures, leaving america's materialism behind.
-spiritual. it is so rare these days to find any remotely-big blockbuster movie that is spiritual on any level...let alone encouraging it. this alone, makes me love this story...and obviously relate on a deeper level.
-philosophical. make me think!! i adore philosophical beings, and i am drawn to those with extensive vocabularies. "liz" being an international journalist resulted in both.
-informatively useful. the story teaches you not to go looking for love...that when you are searching to try and better yourself, the truest, most-deserving love will eventually come to you.
-attention grabbing. the title alone consists of my three favorite hobbies...eating, praying, and loving.
(-and of course, every clothing item she wears throughout, i want.)

favorite quotes::
"we all want things to stay the same...
settle for living in misery because we're afraid of change, of things crumbling to ruins.
then i look around at this place, at the chaos that's endured...the way it's been adapted, burned, pillaged, and then found a way to build itself back up again.
and i was reassured.
maybe my life hasn't been so chaotic.
it's the world that is, and the only real trap is getting attached to any of it...
ruin is a gift.
ruin is the road to transformation.
we must always be prepared for endless waves of transformation."

"the holy truth of the holy venture here in India is in one line:
God dwells within you, as you.
God's not interested in watching the performance of how a spiritual person looks and behaves.
...God dwells within me, as me."

"the rules of the quest of physics goes something like this:
if you're brave enough to leave behind everything and comforting,
and set out on a truth-seeking journey...either externally or internally...
and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue...
and you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher...
and if you are prepared-most of all-to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself...
than the truth will not be withheld from you."

10.30.2012

be content with all the "seasons" of life...

tonight, at mission church's prayer meeting...there was a statement that touched on being content with all the different seasons of life.
i'm not good at this.
i tend to look toward the "next best thing", which i think is a reoccurring theme in today's society. (so it's no wonder.)

but when bad things happen, no matter how bad...it always makes you thankful for the good times. always.

"new beginnings are often disguised as painful endings."
- lao tzu.

"all great changes are preceded by chaos."
- deepak chopra.

10.25.2012

thrifty thursday.

:)
hopefully, this segment will become a regular. (and as such...more up-to-date.)
due to my love for most all things vintage, my deep nostalgia obsession, and the rush of stumbling upon something perfectly your taste-yet reasonably priced...i LOVE antique malls and small thrift stores, etc. (i get very overwhelmed tryin to shop at goodwills, salvation armies, and savers. ha.)

this summer, on our way to chicago, for the first time ever we stopped through my dad's hometown of council bluffs, iowa to literally drive down memory lane. right across the highway in omaha (my friend-kelly's hometown), they have this adorable, strictly-vintage shop called the flying worm vintage. sifting through all the racks of clothes, i found this GEM for $10. so exciting. never would've found it in a kansas shop; it wouldn't have even made it on a rack around here. haha.
1988 ncaa champions. das right.



































a few weeks ago, my brother needed help finding a great outfit for thrift store prom over at midam i took him to ATC in westport and, obviously, i tried a few things on of my own.
i came out with these happenin, vintage, plaid, high-waisted bellbottoms for $9. (that was a lot of adjectives.)
photo courtesy of: cindy foster.
















two weeks ago, my friend-becky and i went to the granada in lawrence and saw first aid kit (they were absolutely amazing. duh. seriously, go see them.) but first, we stopped in at aladdin cafe for some dinner, urban for some shoppin, and sylas & maddy's for some ice cream.
i came out of urban with these fricken-awesome, high-waisted, bellbottomed levis for $5. (they originally were $98, yall. be impressed.)
i also got those platforms for $8 from forever yesterday.























a couple weekends ago, we visited my mom's sister and her family in o'fallon, missouri--right outside of st. louis. occasionally, we'll go to cottleville and stop by a few little (mostly vintage) shops. this time around, we went to four quarters, and i picked up this cute, vintage, yellow tea pot for $15. :) :) :)  i LOVE it.
my mom has a blue one just like it!! :)

we also stopped by this brand new chocolate bar, vanbuskirk artisanal. so delicious!! and super unique!! chocolates, coffee, cheese fondue, and homemade ice cream. the whole feel reminded me a little of quay coffee. (and if you haven't tried THAT killer place, do it now.)

(pee.ess: shout-out to my bff, trisha marie; it's her birthday today. yeah, girl--get crunk.)