3 things (or maybe 5)

1. I rescued my friend TP's husband from the deep end twice today. He was our drowning victim in lifeguarding class. I feel quite accomplished as Ben is about twice my size. Thankfully, I didn't drown in these rescues.

2. I got a lovely sunburn today. Yes, I put on sunscreen. Twice.

3. Got to hang out with my lovely friend AB, who was here dropping off her sister for the summer. She's amazing, that AB girl. I miss her....

4. Goosebumps the entire day because of the COLD pool water.

5.
And you have to see the video too.

Friday Finds on Thursday

I wanted to share these beauties I found on my super quick jaunt through the internet today.

1. These adorable photos found here.



2. This delightfully adorable fabric that makes me want to sew instantly. It's from Heather Ross.

3. Kelly's Tumblr. It's jam packed full of pretty things.

4. This quote on Elsie's blog today:
"I find it so much easier to be creatively free at night. Daytime is for sleeping. Nighttime is the best time for making art. The later at night it gets the further into another world you go." - Mark Ryden
That is me to a T. I'm always most creative at night. My mind comes alive then. Always been that way.

5. This preview....again. (there's a new one out too, but I love this one better.)


Gulp. Can't wait for this one.


6. Sweet, sweet Michael Cera.


I've been re-watching Arrested Development Season 2 for the 500th time. And yes, it's still THAT funny.


7. And finally, I saved the best for last. I want to have a party in the late summer, when my life is returned to me after camp is over. A Little Dresses for Africa party. Found it here, by way of Rachel's blog. Anyone else want to come?!!



Night, everyone! I'm in lifeguard training for the next 4 days. See you soon!

sneak peaks for Jamie and Scott

more here

Oh, good grief, I've been way too busy.

Sad news?

This is only the beginning.

Yesterday began my 11 straight weeks of work. I think I have 3 days off during those 77 days.

3

No, I'm not joking.

My life is now camp.

I will admit that I'm completely overwhelmed at the moment and have taken to staring off into space at times because my brain just shuts down. Let's just say I don't handle stress very well.

And although my brain shuts down at odd times, I am very much excited for all that is about to begin come next Wednesday. I will have 65 new people to hang out with, laugh with and get overwhelmed with. And everything is better with tons of people to share it with, right?!!

So, I'll do my best to post when I can, but don't hate me if I miss a few days.

My life is camp for the next 3 months.

ps...I do still have lots of photos to share from the photo shoot. I'm now publishing this so I can spend the rest of the night on Photoshop with maybe some of The OC or Buffy or Scrubs to watch on a pop up screen. Ahhh....I already feel better....

Things I did not take pictures of this weekend...

1. Rescuing a 10lb brick from the deep end of the pool and not drowning.
2. Buying hair dye in fun colors.
3. All the "characters" at the farmers market. It is such a fun place to people watch as well as buy some yummy local produce.
4. Our new (moved to new location) grocery store, which is like Disney World for food.
5. My porch full of flowers waiting to be planted.
6. The flowers now planted in their new summer homes. I love planting day!
   
7. Seeing one of the "kids," who was a 10 yr old camper my first summer, come running up the beach to say hi. He's now a college kid and counselor here during the summer. His mom is helping a bunch of new kids love camp like her son does.
8. Tim Riggins...aka Friday Night Lights is pretty much the "must watch" at the cottage at the moment. My roommate is addicted. Yesssss.......
   
9. Taking the boat to dinner. There's nothing quite like pulling up to an empty dock, hopping out, eating at a fun restaurant and the hopping back in the boat to go back home across the river.
   
10. All my camp friends participating in number 9 with me.
    
11. A photo shoot at a local park.
12. Oh, wait, I DO have pictures of that. LOTS.
13. Me working on photo shoot pictures while watching Veronica Mars.

It reminds me of the feeling of driving a boat with the wind whipping through your hair and the waves crashing around you. The music, not the words to the song.

Such a great summer driving album!

"Romance cares not for appearances and apparently delights in contradictions. The homely shambling man you pass unnoticed on the street may have, tucked away in his past, a story more exciting and thrilling than anything you have ever read in fiction."
- L.M. Montgomery "The Romance of Jedediah"

because it's been a while since I posted photos

(2007.)
(I need to take new photos.)

And because Brooke Fraser's Albertine has turned into one of my very favorite albums of all time....




So much depth in its beauty.

Happy Birthday, Mel

I love you, my dear, sweet friend. We've known each other a long freakin' time, huh?!

Confession #182

I used to edit dance videos.

True.

Not a lie.

For 8 hours a day
I would stare at a screen
filled with some of the worst
and (every 157th routine) best
dances a person could ever see.

The good ones looked like this.

The bad ones....
I don't want to go there.

My life revolved around
fake hair
jazz shoes
tap shoes
tights
ballerina buns
crazy, age-inappropriate outfits
and the same 10 songs 5 million times.

These memories were brought on last night while watching Glee (loved, loved, loved it. you have to see the last 3 minutes. i've already watched it about 5 times this morning.).

I realized, as I was reliving all those memories, that I've never told any stories about those days here on Cottage Girl. And there are some good ones. Oh, my there are. Must rectify that....


If you watched Glee, you know why:

Happy clicks

1. Hula Seventy's photostream

2.

3. These wedding photos. Dear goodness, that dress and shoes....

4. This video.

5. The dance at the end of this movie.

6. The best airport walk ever.

7. Move in closer and listen.

8.

9.

10. The OC season 1 on TheWB.com.

11. All kinds of fun on Hulu.

12. Pioneer Woman.


Do you have those go-to things that you use to instantly make you feel a little happier? These are some of mine. One little click brings a happy smile to my face and heart.

What are your happy clicks?

it's not about you

"We have only our two-fifths-of-a-second-long scene to live. I don't know about you, but I want my two-fifths of a second to be about my making much of God. First Corinthians 10:31 says, 'So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.' That is what each of our two-fifths of a second is about.
So what does that mean for you?
Frankly, you need to get over yourself. It might sound harsh, but that's seriously what it means.

The point of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His. It is His movie, His world, His gift."

-Francis Chan Crazy Love

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

- John 12:24


"Life is NOT about you. It is about God, and He has the right to do as He pleases."

-Pastor Greg today at church

Ever had one of those moments when you realize that God has been tapping you on the shoulder trying to get your attention. You know...you read something in a book and then your pastor talks about it on Sunday and then you hear a song about it. tap...tap...tap...

I'm so there at the moment. SO THERE. The questions is....am I going to learn this lesson and experience the pain that it may require? Or am I just going to acknowledge it and walk away, too scared to try?

Mr. Bluebird on my wash line

so rare.
so beautiful.
right outside the window next to my computer monitor.
so happy i had my camera nearby.


Happy Sunday everyone!

Hi, I'm Cottage Girl

I:

like to save emails from my friends for a while before I delete them. An instant delete after reading just seems so harsh. I save special ones for years.

am trained in things that have no value outside of the camp environment. For example: belaying on a climbing wall (not exactly essential on Wall Street or at Target), using a power boat to pull 8 kids on a giant inflated banana boat (don't think they need this in a hospital), leading team building on a low elements course (cooks don't really need these skills).

am currently working on a plan to dye my hair. Blue and purple.

have a car that doesn't require a key. On the other hand, I carry a key chain with 16 keys on it to work every day.

had a dream the other night that I married one of my favorite TV actors. At my parent's house. I didn't want to wake up.

finally got my roommate addicted to Friday Night Lights. She now understand the significance of these two words: Tim Riggins.

miss my brother and my sister.

believe the pool is my Kyrptonite. ps...did anyone else watch the Smallville season finale? It was quite good and cheesy. The perfect Smallville cocktail.

have been doing crafts like crazy because once camp starts...I will only have time to sleep and work.

want to see Star Trek again.

am currently reading David Sedaris and Francis Chan. Total opposites. And I just started The Various because the cover looked so pretty on the library shelf.

desperately need an external hard drive.

am still furious (yelling at the TV furious) over the series finale of Prison Break last night. You just don't do that, writers.

sometimes remember a story about a girl who goes on vacation to Hawaii, but then I can never remember the ending. Then it hits me....I wrote this story and never finished it.

still dream about being an author.

am off to see the parentals for day.

wishing I could draw once again

As I was doing errands on my day off, I ran into The Black Hole for a quick visit. I was looking through the magazines. I do this often because I'm too cheap to actually purchase these magazines. I just read them cover to cover and then return them to their shelves. Yes, it's true.

Anyways...I was glancing through the magazine racks and Buffy #25 was on the shelves. A small gasp escaped my lips. Go ahead, mock me. Yes, a comic. I admit it. I never read comics until Joss decided to write this one.

ps...on a totally other topic in Joss world. Dollhouse. Good gracious. I'm totally hooked and totally upset the Fox is saying they will probably cancel it. Arrrrggg...

Back to the story....
My dear, sweet fellow Joss lovin' friend Kimmy was faithfully sending me them. I have a lovely stack in my room. She had finished with her deal and wasn't able to send them any more. I was in a quandry. Do I go to a comic shop to find it? Comic shop. Never been in one. I only knew we had one cause there were street signs on the road.
So, yes I was excited that this little paper back was on the magazine shelf. Yes, I was. Then I opened it cause of course I was going to read it IN the store. It's only like 20 pages.

But this particular one was so amazingly drawn/colored/written. Just look at some of these...

Love the white space all around their colorful outfits.

And the creepy doll faces. The colors in this one were so beautiful. Loved the mix of blues and greens and purples.

The detail is unbelievable. Can I please draw like this? Please?!

And can I color things like this, please...

pretty and creepy at the same time, no?!

This bottom one made me stop flipping and stare for a while. I love drawings/photos with the bottom of legs and shoes. LOVE that little green spark.

And just a little evidence of how great Joss (and his team of writers) are. He loves the same TV shows I do like Veronica Mars and Battlestar. They like to throw in random references like this just for fun.

Alright, you can finish laughing at my comic post. Hope you can at least appreciate the talent that goes into making them. You can find inspiration anywhere if you are willing to try something different.

the end...

pretties

I like to make headbands out of unusual things. Ribbons from packages. Yarn. Old scarves and bandanas. I do buy them, sometimes, but more often than not, it's just something I found in my room and tied around my head. Like this one....


It's from a pair of pajama pants that I never wear. I decided to cut them up and use the fabric for a scarf (which I still need to make) because I loved the pattern.

While I was ripping out the waistband with my seam ripper (my favorite sewing tool, mostly cause I mess up a lot and have to start all over), I realized the tie for the waist was in perfect condition. Plus, it was the perfect size for a double wrap headband. Done and done.


I've also realized recently that I have a whole other wardrobe in my own closet. I used this little tutorial last night (while watching Gossip Girl and Veronica Mars because they just makes crafting so much better) to finish my first transformed t-shirt. Now, I'll admit that once again, I didn't leave enough seam allowance so it's a little tighter than I was hoping, however, I was so excited with the results.


I cut the entire thing apart and then stitched it back together with measurements meant for me. All those boxy Men's t-shirts that I own can actually be wearable! I LOVE thrift store t-shirt shopping (perfect camp clothes), but was always sad that the extra cool ones were usually passed on to The Bro cause they were men's size L or M or even XL. Now...oh, the wonder and possibilities that await me. T-shirts galore!

If only I could find shorts that weren't so VERY short to go with them. Buying long shorts and jeans (any kind) for short people (me) is impossible. It's like they don't exist on planet earth. Grrr....

never say die

Maybe cause I was 8 years old when I first saw it.
Maybe cause it has always been one of my favorites.
Maybe cause watching it makes me FEEL like I'm 8 again in my parents' basement on my parents old black pleather couch, curled up in a granny squared afghan.

For whatever reason, this little video made my day. (found here by the wonderful Whitney)



There is just something about that movie that is pure kid magic. Pirate ships, treasure, inventions that save lives, ice cream, hidden tunnels, water slides. What more could you want from a movie, I ask?!

Plus it was filmed in such beautiful places, which I fell in love with in an instant.

Data was always my favorite. His accent. His inventions (that was The Bro when he was little). His Wings of Flight entrance. Oh, yeah...

Who was your fave?

Magic cookies

Yummy, yummy. These were one of my favorite cookies that my mom made while I was growing up. Somehow MAGIC is a perfect word to describe them. So easy, but so very delicious!

handmade

I made these for a friend's little one a couple weeks ago. The embroidery patterns are from Elsie. These are exclusive for my online class, but you can find lots of cute ones here.
Super easy and so very fun. Now I need to make some for my niece. If only there were more hours in a day.

I also found this tutorial today. Goldmine! I have SO MANY camp shirts that just don't fit properly. Can't wait to try this one out!

And one quick question for all you crafters out there. How do you keep all the ideas you find? The online ones especially. I started a Google Document and just list and keep all the links there. That way I can cut and paste quickly while browsing. Anyone else have any ideas?

Love you, Momma

Happy Mother's Day. You're the best Mom any girl could ever ask for!

And Evelyn's face is too darn funny in this photo. This little girl can't take a picture without making a funny face!

Star Trek = awesome

Crossed another one off my list. My roommie and I both loved it. Whether you love or hate the old ones (and I love me some Next Generation), this is a fantastic movie. The cast is wonderfully, perfectly perfect. When the credits rolled 2 words came to mind. Again and MORE. You just don't want it to be over. And let's be honest, just about any movie with time travel, space ships and teleportation is going to be tops on my list!


ps...I realized today, on my drive to church, that I hadn't been off the (camp) property since I went to church last week. That's right. 7 whole days. That's a little too long, don't you think?!

and the Half Blood Prince

"And now, Harry, let us step out into the night
and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."
-Dumbledore

I'm reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince again.
Ok, actually listening to it.
Listening to Jim Dale read a story....well....I just love it.


***My obsession with this piece of music continues. On repeat lately.

I want to be doing this right now

but alas....I'm off to host 2 more groups. At least the sun came out today! It's a May day miracle! The kayaks won't be so bad tomorrow if it decides to stick around for a while.

ps...Camp is just 3 weeks away. I can't believe it. It makes me panic and jump up and down with glee at the same time. Can't wait!!

tired and soaked

I'm so tired I can barely lift my fingers to type. We had a SUPER DUPER busy day here with two more equally busy ones on the way. I'm just praying for that extra strength that isn't humanly possible, that only God can send. And praying that it will please, oh please stop raining! We couldn't even use our low elements course in the woods today because it was about 6 inches under water. It's now been 9 straight days of rain with MORE still coming!

Sorry for the lousy posts lately, friends. My life has gone into crazy, busy mode and it really won't end until August. Know that I DO want to write fun posts and tell fun stories, but my creativity runs dry when I'm so tired and over worked. I promise to do my best cause I really do want to remember what life is like during my crazy times.

xoxo,

Cottage Girl


ps...Scrubs last night....it was pretty as close to perfect for a season finale. The last 5 minutes....oh the last 5 minutes (start at 4:40). I can't stop watching it and crying over how perfectly perfect it is. Don't you ever just play what you want the future to look like in your head? Imagine what you wish it could be? I LOVE how they did it. I LOVE the video showing on his face. Good stuff. A beautiful goodbye as only Scrubs can do it.

So long, farewell...(beware: more TV gushing ahead)

Yet another of my very favorite TV shows is saying goodbye. Why, why do all the good ones have to leave, whilst we are stuck with American Idol, 15 versions of Law and Order and Two and a Half Men? Why!?? (ok, there IS a wonderful rumor that it may be back next season. Fingers crossed!)

Tonight is goodbye to Scrubs. The silly, sweet, lovely Scrubs.

The JD and Elliot Scrubs. (I always wanted them together)

When JD turns 30 and decides oh a whim to do a triathlon Scrubs.

The cast mates who seem to really like each other Scrubs.

The JD and Turk Scrubs. (Every time I see this photo I laugh out loud.)

The amazing/hilarious Dr. Cox and JD Scrubs.

The funniest lawyer ever,TED, Scrubs (my favorite secondary character)

And my most favorite of favorite....Zach Braff of Scrubs.

Oh, my gosh he makes me laugh...

....and swoon.

I'll miss how Scrubs could make me laugh hysterically one minute and cry the next (like Brendan Fraser's episodes). Can't think of hardly any other shows that could perform such magic in just 30 minutes.

Sacred Heart, you will be missed!

(I got to see the studio/hospital when I went to LA in 06) I believe the windows in the front are the cafeteria set.)

OK, I'm finished. Except for this clip, which is just too much to try and explain in words. Scrubs at its absolute zany best!

drip, drip, drop

It feels like it's never going to stop. Been raining for DAYS and still no end in sight. So, no flower planting or outdoor swimming. Instead I'm listening to This American Life, catching up on TV shows, listening to Harry Potter #6 (audio book) and reading. And sewing and painting and cleaning and organizing.

Ready for some OUTdoor activities!

Monumental/Glorious Day in Cottage Girl world

The student loan is paid off.

Yes, folks.

PAID IN FULL.

Almost 10 years to the day of my college graduation.

And 100% worth every penny.

color

Yummy, yummy colors.

I miss him the most on Sundays

Alaska, while beautiful and full of adventure, is just too darn far away.

I had a fun day playing with this little munchkin.

She's speaking full sentences now.

Seems like just yesterday she fit on my lap, wrapped up like a baby burrito while I read Pride and Prejudice out loud lulling her to sleep. Like everyone says....they grow up so fast!