Free from Down and Out Chic

Check this snazzy give-a-way. I want to win the Italian Love Bandit and Mr. P!! :)

Mother Nature and Wishful Thinking

Man! I feel like a woman!

...and I took two naps today.

So there are so many things I want to be writing about....the baby ducks Landon's Mom bought the other day....the sun that is finally melting the snow(!!!!) that came the other night...my table and chairs I am starting to refinish...cute new shoes....etc, etc. But I really need photos to capture the moments and my poor little camera isn't up to the challange. It is slowly dying and I am sad.

Landon's birthday was last Wednesday and I planned out a romanic Italian dinner of a few of his favorites. Sadly he was sick (sick enough to take 2 days off from work!!) and ate, slept for 1.5 hours, then went home early. He did enjoy his birthday present: a dream board! We talk a lot about the future and what we want to acheive and experiance in the next few years. As they say, you need to know what you want to get it so I bought him a large bulletin board and decorated it with photos and pictures I pulled out of travel magazines and etc. Lots of Italy, climbing, flying, and other adventurous things that he would definetly enjoy and probably enjoy teaching me to do.

We are going to have a beautiful life.

I am excited...I've been needing some wall art for my main wall and haven't been able to come up with any ideas. I was so excited by how his turned out I'm thinking about making up one of my own. :)


I really want to go shopping for things I don't need. I need to get on of these jobs!

Colorful

I looked up from reading to notice this:

What you are looking at is my beat up old salvation army chair I’ve had for years, a zebra print snuggie, a big green pillow from the Western Sahara, a travel photo box of Landon’s letters to me while I was in Honduras, my blue travel purse, a blue scarf I bought in Italy, and my crazy, multi-colored H&M scarf that has gone to Italy, England, Ireland, and Morocco with me!!

I love having such a colorful, textured, adventurous life!! :)

Weekend Update

I am behind…here are the cliff notes of the past week.

1. I’ve gotten involved in planning a woman’s CRHP Retreat at St. Pats next winter. Getting back to my YAM roots! I love it!
2. I found out this past week that my sister-in-law and a dear friend are both pregnant! Yaaaay!!! Loving babies. God is good.
3. My sister-in-law and brother are also moving to Hawaii….Thank you Army. Good excuse for a vaca!! ;)
4. Spent a few days with my fabulous Aunt Rita. That little trip will get its own post one of these days. 
5. I bought a few dresses, shirts, and two suits this week. Finally, I have a work ready wardrobe that will hopefully go into affect after….
6.  My interview Wednesday!! Prayers at 3:15pm, please.
7. My man’s birthday is Wednesday…surprises are being planned! :)
8. I should be asleep by now. Why don’t I get enough sleep??

Book Worm

I love the bog "Book Hooked".... and now she is giving away books!! Check it out!!

Lucky Magazine pointed me in the direction of Sophie Blackhall and her incredible blog entitled Missed Connections. She checks out the NY missed connection websites and turns them into incredible Art. She has a rather cool Esty store, too!!

The last few days have been productive, but not productive enough, I think. I’ve applied to a few jobs and gathered info on a few more, and had a good interview. But still nothing. I am getting lots of little projects that needed done out of the way, which is good. Still lots more.

The sun is incredible. I couldn’t be happier about that!! I’m not even wearing a coat today!!!

Wisdom

To me, wisdom is listening to people who know better. Or are where you want to be in life.

So....

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.

Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.
Begin it now." ~ Goethe

Blessings

Here are a few Videos about Life in Heart's Home!! Pretty Cool!

The photos they used are about 98% mine, too. :)

An Offering

While I was Honduras, my Aunt Rita used to send me care packages with old cards the missions sent her. We would cut the front off the cards and make birthday cards for our neighbor or create craft projects with the kids. Once we made fans by gluing two card to a jumbo popsicle stick and cutting the edges out with funky scissors. What a hit!

She would always include holy cards in the packages too, and as often the prayers were in English, I used to keep many of them for myself.

One in particular really spoke to me, and still turn to it most mornings.

An Offering of Self

Oh Lord,

May my soul be flooded with your light

And know you more and more profoundly!

Lord,

Give me so much love,

Love forever, serene and generous,

That I will be united with you always!

Lord,

Let me serve you

And serve you will,

On the pathways that you wish

To open to my existence here below.

~Pope John Paul II

I love this prayer. Pope John Paul seems to identify not only our need for God’s graces, but more importantly our roll in living our own lives….to know, love, and serve. The temptation for me, and many, is to wonder WHY God isn’t “holding up to his end of the bargain,” if you will. “He’s all powerful….why can’t he find me a job, help me not to sin, fix these problems in my friends lives, make it easier- doesn’t he know I’m trying???, yada, yada, yada.” It is as if we want God to be a cool babysitter who will make everything ok. But God is a loving parent, who sometimes needs to shower us with tough love to help us learn. He gives us the grace we need, the skills to be successful, the example to follow both from His life on earth and from those around us, then sends us out into the word to “get ‘er done!”

Sometimes I look at my life and get frustrated by how much good still needs done. But if I focus on each day, each can be a masterpiece, and my life will be what I want it to be. And what God needs it to be.

Happy World Day of Prayer. What are you praying about today?

Sunshine Bath Time

Today my 7 minute round trip walk to the post office turned into a nearly 30 minute jaunt. My plan was to leave by the back of the building to dispose of the week's garbage before continuing on the the normal, direct route up Main Street and up a block more to the post office. But the sun!! Warmth!! There is nothing like the need to unbutton your coat in the middle of winter because spring is finally tring to creep up, even if it is still weeks away. It was wonderful to soak in the sunshine as I walked along listening to the birds. Once I had to laugh….I looked to my left and caught sight of a huge field behind the row of houses. It is easy to forget how close I am to the “edge of town” when “town” consists of one main street and 3 stoplights!

I found myself thinking about my trip to Bath a few years ago. Through a series of events that made sense at the time, I spent a day wandering around Bath, England, alone. I arrived by train early, even before most shops were open. It was March: cool and drizzly. But as the morning wore on, the sun came out brilliantly and I spend a few hours window shopping and church hopping before settling down at a picnic bench next to the River Avon to catch up on postcards.

I live for moments like these…perfect contentment, control, peace and freedom. The sun makes everything better.

My Own Little Corner

When I am at at my apartment, I gravitate towards the right side of my couch. I can see the whole room, my own little world. Comforting. Directly in front of me is my white coffee table. On top are candles, a rock garden, and mounds of important papers that are waiting to be dealt with. Below are photo albums, prayer books, coffee table books, and a growing stack of magazines. To my right is a end-table with an oversized stack of books I’m reading right now, and my window, perfectly aligned to watch the sunset over the trees.

I have a desk and a little kitchen area where my fish are living right now.

And the very coolest book shelf I have ever seen. Thank you Ikea.

(Close up of the pattern on my bookshelf....how cool is that?)

So there is home for now. I'm content. There are lots of little things I'd like to do, but for now it's great. 

:)

Spoiled

My mom sent me a surprise care package today including...

A Cuisinart Coffee Grinder....my first one!!

A bag of whole bean Mahogany coffee from Carabou Coffee:

A big box of Maira Cookies (I had them for the first time in Spain almost 10 years ago....crazy!!)

And Hot Coco!!!

Ohh.....happy surprises. :) You are never too old for presents!! Pass it on.....