So Inspired

    I think in light of Everything...the horrible economy, the crummy weather, the fact that there is absolutely no chocolate in this house...we needed something to lighten the mood and perhaps get our creative/motivated juices flowing.  But first, a story.  


     In college,  I spent some time in California student teaching at a school that was very culturally diverse (which was the point of going to San Diego in the first place).  I loved every minute of it.  


     I had the amazing privilege of working with an adorable gal' named Alisa.  She is incredibly hip and fun and just so very "California."  Her husband burned me My Very First Deathcab for Cutie CD and I have never been the same since.  


Magic, I tell ya.  


     Anyway, her husband's company recently created and released this video, taken on the streets of San Diego.   (Her husband, Cam is the one who's board says, "Evan, Vivian, and the baby in the oven).  


     Watch it. You must.  

What Inspires You? from LJGPartners on Vimeo.


Maybe later I'll post my own list.  Feel free to leave a list of your own! 


     And in case I haven't been clear enough.  The colder it gets, the more I ache for California.  Something fierce.  


Love, 
H. 

Black Friday

     This is where we are choosing to spend our Black Friday.  If you've braved the crowds, have fun and scout out some good deals...or just eat eggos and watch Friends re runs in your bathrobe.  Whatever works.  

Love and The One Where Underdog Gets Away, 
H.  

The Chase is All You Know

     I have been posting a lot of fluff lately.  It's ok.  I can admit.  Craft projects.  Random photos and the like.  I figure it's about high time for a Post.  With a capital P.  


     Tonight, Tim and I had A Talk.  That's right.  A Talk.  It was hard.  But it was good.  I didn't cry.  But I did find myself asking him, "You're not....unhappy...are you?"  He politely said, "no."  God bless him.  


     So, he put on his p.j.'s because tonight's chat was particularly exhausting, and I made something very un-professional-like for dinner (hot dogs sauteed* with peppers and onions), drank warm fresca out of the can and tried to get all my thoughts to move in single file.    


     I worry about the failing marriages in this country.  I think the danger lies in getting married and thinking that the other person is automatically going to be able to understand and follow every little crumb we throw down.     


     There are times when Tim will refer back to something I've said, and I think to myself, "THAT'S what you got out of that conversation!?!?!"  Not as a criticism of him, per se, but more as an observation of how terribly inaccurate our points can sometimes come across.  


     I don't ever say, "He gets me." when I talk about Tim because the truth is, I hate to sound unromantic, but he doesn't.  He doesn't GET me. (If you are one of those people who says this about your significant other, don't sweat it.  It makes you no less adorable/compatible, but just hear me out.) 


     Does he understand my sense of humor?  You betcha.  Do we have similar upbringings?  Spending styles? Parenting ideas?  Of course.  He supports my faith, my hobbies.  He drowns out my fears.  

But does he "get" me?  Not a chance.  


     We had two completely different childhoods.  Different upbringings.  Different kinds of relationships.  As man/woman, we use different parts of our brains, function with varying levels of chemicals in our bodies (estrogen/testosterone- not, you know, drugs).  The list goes on.  

     The truth is, I did not realize I would have to fight for my marriage.  This is not a bad thing, just something I had yet to discover when I said, "I do."  


     Because, let's face it.  There are days where we don't necessarily fight each other.  There are just days when I think we are fighting for each other...and it's exhausting...times when we are talking seriously in the hallway, and I notice that my newest craft project has lost a letter and now reads, "TRUE LOVE WILL FIN YOU IN THE END."  


Meh.  


     So I have to drive off to the craft store and spend entirely too much time in the yarn aisle, just waiting for The Glumps to subside.  


     I just wonder if the state of marriage in this country is in such disrepair simply because people are tired.  Or they just don't know that all that fighting for each other?  It's okay.  


     So, I don't say all this because we have all the answers (we don't).  Or because we are perfect and wonderful and happy all the time (um. we kind of are).  :)  


     I just say all this because I think if you catch yourself fighting for something... shoot, if you catch yourself just fighting, I want you to know that it's going to be okay.  


He's not ever going to GET you.  But he sure is going to try.  

Love and unwarranted advice, 
H.  


*Next time you fix something un-professional-like for dinner, just use the word "sauté."  It makes everything sound so much fancier! 


Photos via: 
papersponge.com

posteravatar.com

theblogofrecord.com

The Knifty Knitter

       I have no idea what magic has fallen upon us, but lately, I feel like I have had some more time for crafting which really makes me happy.  Last weekend, some girlfriends and I purchased some knifty knitters and got together for an evening of pizza, baby-cuddling, and knitting kniftily!  


     We had SUCH a great time, and I was able to finish my scarf by the end of the weekend.

      If you are looking for an easy (CHEAP), quick-fun craft, then I highly recommend purchasing a knifty knitter! You can purchase them at Wal-mart, Hobby Lobby, Michael's or various other places online.  It took me a while to get started, but once I got the hang of it, the yarn and fingers started flying!  I think you could easily finish a scarf in one weekend.  Plus there are all kinds of youtube tutorials, patterns, and fun sites to help you along the way.  I added some brown ribbon for a more finished look, but you can also add fringe (with the right pattern/tutorial).  


     Although I didn't get too fancy, provocraft.com was one of the best pattern sites I found.  When I finally get around to adding  a little more pizazz to my stitches...look out world! 


     This is a close-up of the loom.  This is a scarf I'm working on as a Christmas gift (hence the super-secretive black & white).  

Linking up to the following sites: 




www.bluecricketdesign.net
http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/search/label/Share%20Wednesdays


     Let me know if you purchase one or are into knitting/crocheting! I'd love to see some more projects and hear your stories! 


Love and quick fingers, 

Reason #672

This is why I don't fill the blog with a lot of full body shots...ok ANY body shots.

  (Taken with the self-timer whilst* sitting the camera atop our box of energy efficient light bulbs, no less)  

And also why I'm asking for this for Christmas.  

http://joby.com/gorillapod/original/

*Try to use the word "whilst" in a sentence this week.  It's fun.

Love,
H.

Wish I was here Wednesday

A ski lodge?  Perfect (well, probably minus the skiing for now!)  

Make it yours day: sweater to pin in five seconds flat

   Hello!  Last night was so cold and rainy...I decided to make the best of it by getting a little crafty!  I pulled two sweaters out of my winter bin with the intention of of goodwilling them when I stumbled upon these adorable scarflettes at I am Momma...


     Well...I have yet to get to those...however, I couldn't stand the thought of wasting all that good extra material so I decided to go from sweater to pin in five seconds flat (hence the title).


Want in on this action?  







     All you will need is an old sweater, scissors, a hot glue gun, safety pins, some embellishments (optional) and an ounce of courage (a must)!

     Cut the sleeves into thin strips- equal to the number pins you want to make ( I ended up layering two colors for a couple of the pins).  First, you will have an "o" where your wrist/arm would go...cut the "o" so you have one long strip.

Roll them like a cinnamon roll ( a few of my strips had to be tossed- be careful because the yarn starts to unravel, but don't give up)!

Secure the end with hot glue

Add desired embellishments and safety pin onto anything that's not moving!

***Disclaimer*** I am still learning a lot about how to photograph my crafts! Our house is super dark so even with lights on, I can't seem to get a good shot...the color is either a funny orange or everything is blurry.  I welcome any and all suggestions (and am considering asking for a new camera for Christmas!)


Love and better shots next time, 
H.  

All the way from San Francisco as I chased the end of your rope

Call me overly-dramatic, but....

sometimes my entire body aches for California.  

Pictures just can't do it justice. 


What do you find yourself aching for these days?  


Love and feeling 'home'sick, 
H. 

Don't be sad, I know you will*

As promised, here is a post about my piano quote from yesterday.  (Do you like how straightforward that intro. was?)  

     

     Well, I love that Melissa at Dear Baby uses the Pablo Neruda line, "Love, Love, here we are." Sort of as her family's "motto" and again, I wanted in on that action, too.  As much as I LOVE hers, I just couldn't live with the idea of being a copycat (remember, I spend my days with second graders).  So I let my brain sit on that whole idea for just a little while.

     Yesterday, I was petting Scarlett, and I remembered how long it took us to find her.  It felt like we searched for The Perfect Puppy for months.  Lo and behold, there she was.

True love will find you in the end.

     One time, I was in a really weird, really dramatic accident.  Around the same time, Tim was in the middle of his own heartbreak.  I think we both left those experiences worried that we had lost a part of ourselves forever- as if we had missed Every Important Chance Regarding Love That Ever Possibly Existed.  He was hurting.  I had gone crazy.  As individuals, we were both a bit of a mess.  If I could go back and tell That Old Version of Me any one thing, it would be this...

True love will find you in the end.

     As you may already know, I think a lot about babies.  I think a lot about babies because well, babies are cuddly and squishy and fun.  I worry sometimes that it will take us years to get pregnant and we will be too old and shrively by that time to make very many babies in the end, but then I think about our new motto and tell myself that if such is the case, we will just be uber trendy like Brad & Angelina and adopt some ethnically diverse babies.  

See?

True love will find you in the end.

So, there you have it.

Love and Mates of State cover songs, 

H. 

*Did you know that about 99.9% of my titles are song lyrics?  I'm so un-creative when it comes to titles. 

This is a Promise with a Catch

In my last post, I mentioned a project I wanted to work on and asked for your help.  You all came through like champs, and I had such a hard time deciding exactly what quote I was going to use.  


     Watching a video from nieniedialogues, I noticed she had some adorable patterned letters on the front of her piano (Watch the Friday I'm in Love video from Nov. 4th).  


Seeing as how Tim & I admire ours more than we actually play it, I wanted in on that patterned-letter-piano-action.  

 After a quick trip to Hobby Lobby, I ended up with this...

     I also added a framed picture of binoculars that came from an old Sears Catalog.  I cracked up at the connection between "finding" love and the binoculars.  Maybe I'm just easily amused.  I have one or two things I'd like to move around (I'm not crazy about the blank space between the records and the phone).

     One of the things I dread about winter is moving around about 3/4 of our living room decor.  The wood stove makes everything next to and above it SO HOT that it makes even the simplest of things a potential fire hazard (or melts them completely as we learned the hard way our first winter).  I'd also like to mention that the heat from the wood stove killed my favorite houseplant, and yes- I'm still getting over it.




All joking aside, I'm pretty tickled with it for now.

     Why'd I end up with that quote, you ask?

Well, you'll just have to wait until tomorrow.

Love and patience, grasshopper.
H.

  

I'll Play Along

     Olivia k Carter at "For Me" always posts "Wish I was Here" Wednesdays.  Her photos are always so clean and classic.  Not to mention inviting.  She's encouraged others to link up.  Seeing as how I took a sick day today (a nasty stomach bug) I thought a similar post would be fitting.  

     I am a decent swimmer, but I have always been a sucker for amusement park lazy rivers.  Give me some sunscreen, a yellow raft, some good company and a winding concrete maze filled with water and harsh-smelling chemicals (haha), and I'll totally get my money's worth.  

Love and extra ginger ale,
H.


photo courtesy of Marigold Holidays

A Project of Sorts or Eliciting your help

      I am thinking about doing a little "craft project" for the top of the piano in our living room.  I am in need of a song lyric or quote.  I wanted to do something about "love," but am also tossing around quotes from old church hymns and single words alone.  The only catch is that because of the nature of the project, it has to be SHORT (barely a complete sentence).  I'm finding this either makes it really, really easy or that much more difficult!  I was hoping you Creative Types could come up with something adorable and catchy that I have yet to discover!  

      I wanted something other than the typical things like, "Live, Laugh, Love,"  etc. 

Feel free to throw in your 2 cents or tell me your fave. from the list below.  

THANKS for your help! 

Love is gonna lead you by the hand. The Mountain Goats

Love, Love, here we are. Pablo Neruda

Love will find you in the end. Mates of State

Love is on its way... Leeland

Great is thy faithfulness... (old-school hymn) 

Oh, how He loves us...  David Crowder Band

Enough

 (I just thought the word "enough" was kind of cool...you know, as a reminder for us to be happy with what we have)  

Love and in dire need of help, 

H. 

Aunts Rock

I just wanted to let everyone know that

 my niece was born 

at 2:32 this morning! 

     My sister amazes me, and Lucy looks EXACTLY LIKE HER!  It is adorable.  I have been too excited to sleep much, so I'm pretty exhausted.  It was a good night, and it's only just the beginning.  

     I'm not sure Heather & Dan want their Little One "on the web" (understandably so), but I'm hoping I'll at least have permission to post tiny baby hands and tiny baby feet.  :)  

Love and sort-of-chubby-babies (8.3 pounds!)

H.  


P.S. I'm totally buying this t-shirt!!!!!!

http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/niece?page=2

The One Where I Almost Forget About Number Three

     Well, I will tell you that lately, I am tempted to feel oh-so-discouraged.  I feel like I've had to face a lot of hard conversations lately.  Yikes. They are hard, but they are good.  I started to write a long-winded dittitude (that's like a 'ditty' but longer), about some worrisome things* but instead, I decided on this.  


(((clears throat)))


Number One:  I want to lose weight.  I need to lose weight.   So there's that.  


Number Two:  I want to stay home with our kiddos.  Maybe that means working part-time.  Maybe that means becoming a work-at-home mom.  I don't know, but all's I know is that I wants it.  I wants it real' bad.**  


Number Three:  Now that I have your attention, I honestly can't remember this one.  
Boy is my face red. ***


Well, anyway- I want Numbers One & Two someday, and they seem mighty important. 


With that being said, I was tempted to give into those nasty ole' glumps, but at last- I have successfully chased them away.  


I have successfully chased them away because to tell you the truth- I am not giving up.  


I'm not.  I can't. I won't.  


Also, I kicked them to the curb while giving them a look that says, "I mean business."  Those suckers were cryin' for their mamas in no time.  


Scary, right?  

Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

Are the glumps at your doorstep?  Send them my way, and I'll show em' who's boss.

Love and more glump-wrangling if you need it,
H.

*I was going to capitalize Worrisome Things, but then realized that our worries aren't really worth a capital letter now, are they?  So, tiny-lettered- worries they shall stay!

**I hope you think using bad grammar and made-up words is as amusing as I do.  If not, then my apologies for sure.

*** A BOOK!  I want to write a book!  I am 10,000 words in and pretty darn excited! How could I forget?

Guest Post

Hi Friends.  I'm guest posting over at The Hindsight Letters and couldn't be more excited. Such an adorable site!  It's so great to read some great, relatable insights from such varying perspectives.  I really hope you stop by and enjoy your time there! 

Love and two big words in a row 

(insights & perspectives? What am I?  A psychologist or something?),

 H.  

http://thehindsightletters.wordpress.com/