hold on

Today was one of those days that I was just holding on for dear life. A runaway freight train kind-of-day. Tomorrow doesn't bode much better either. The busy season is upon me. Which is terrifying and electrifying at the same time. Camp is only one month away! Can I get a glory and a hallelujah?!

Inspired by...

Oliva Bee is one of my favorite, favorite photographers that I found on Flickr. So young and SO incredibly talented. Here are just a few I love. This one, for some reason, is just "it" for me. I saw this video recently and have watched about 10 times since then. So inspiring.


***side note: This entire series of Converse videos is fantastic. Be sure to catch the other ones from other various countries.

Well, hello there

I missed you.

Yes, I did.

I could still take a few more days to collect my thoughts, but then again I may get in the habit of NOT posting and then never take it up again.

And that just won't do, will it?!

I did fill several pages in my Moleskin of idea after idea to post about. It felt good to just write out ideas and not worry about all the details. Brainstorming. No ideas were bad ideas.


I'm in the thick of my new art journal class at the moment. Wow. I'm so, so happy I decided to do this one. This is my 3rd RVA class and I must say, it's my favorite so far. It's been so good for me because I'm a very structured perfectionist when it comes to my crafts. I have a hard time walking away and just being "done." I want everything to be perfect and every page/project to be the best thing I've ever done. So much pressure on myself! I'm trying to let go and just do what I see in my mind and enjoy the process. Embrace the imperfections. Love it.

What have you been up to?

will be back after a short break

Gonna take a few days off of blogging. Just need a creative break from writing. It's becoming a chore and the best cure for me usually means some time away. I'll be back soon with notebooks full of ideas I'm sure.

While I'm gone, check out the wonder of some of my favorite blogs...

Hula Seventy
The Sartorialist
A Beautiful Mess
Ali's Week in the Life posts
My Happy Little Life
Ni Hao Y'all
Tara Whitney
A Place Called Simplicity
Once Wed


see you soon,

Cottage Girl

This happened to me today

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Don't you love it when you turn on the television at just the right moment to see a favorite part of a movie you love? A random chance moment that makes you smile for a good 47 minutes afterwords.

What movie moment would make you smile?

picnic, please

I'm ready for picnics on the grass. Anyone else?

Or maybe a picnic full of whimsy like this one from Tim Walker.

Or under an Australian sunset.

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Or maybe by the sea with the waves rolling and a good book hidden in the basket.

There could be kite flying and maybe a storyteller ready to enthrall us with his newest tale.

Yup, I'm ready. How about you?

(source and the first photo I ever fave'd on Flickr years ago)

It's 15 minutes before 11pm.

Time for bed.

I ran out of posting time for the following reasons:

1. Grocery store trip.
2. Spent way too long wondering around the grocery store looking for something.
3. Never found object of search. Curses.
4. Picked up my favorite sandwich from one of my favorite sandwich shops.
5. Put various groceries away.
6. Start The Young Victoria with my roommate while eating dinner.
7. Pause The Young Victoria to figure out who "that guy who is playing Prince Albert" is.
8. Go to computer.
9. IMDB to the rescue per usual when faced with this Waterloo.
10. Success. He is Mr. Wickam of Pride and Prejudice. Big sigh.
11. Un-pause.
12. Pause The Young Victoria to discuss the confusion of the royal family tree.
13. Un-pause The Young Victoria to try and figure out the family tree.
14. Pause again because confusion still abounds.
15. Un-pause still not understanding but wanting to continue this great movie.
16. Pause again, frustrated at own stupidity of the Royal family.
17. Go back to computer and search royal family tree.
18. Still can't figure out who is related to whom, but decide to...
19. Un-pause movie and watch anyway because it's just so good.
20. Pause again because a friend calls and asks to come over and watch Glee in 45 minutes.
21. Only have gotten through 30 minutes of The Young Victoria in 1 1/2 hrs.
22. Ask friend to come a little late so we can watch without commercials (thank you DVR)
23. Un-pause and become completely and utterly enthralled with The Young Victoria.
24. Movie ends (too quickly). Mystery still abounds with royal family tree.
25. Watch Glee (good, but not great. Sorry, Madonna.)

Moral of the story...

The Young Victoria is superb, enthralling, beautiful and makes you feel mushy inside (in a good way). If you liked Bright Star, you'll LOVE The Young Victoria.

And re-taking British History 101 may be a good idea...

new favorite

You're watching Parenthood, right?! I fell in love with it episode one. It's sweet and funny and heartwarming with well written characters. What more could you ask for?

My favorite (though it's really hard to pick one person) is Crosby (LOVE that name too). He's such a mess, but so adorable at the same time.

I saw Dax Shephard at Sundance. See...
Actually, The Bro and I were hoping to see his fiance, Kristen Bell, whom we both adore. She wasn't with him though. But after seeing Parenthood each week, I'm kinda loving Dax, too.

My only complaint with Parenthood is that it makes me desperately wish that my ENTIRE family lived close by. Then we could have dinners together and go to the community pool together and have brother/sister breakfasts together......sigh.....

music talk

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This:

has been on repeat today as I make and write thank you notes. Haven't really been a Bon Iver fan, but this song was on Chuck a couple years ago, and it just stuck with me. The mellow drums and guitar.

On a completely different note:
Today, as we (the camp crew "on" for the weekend...or at least the girls) were cleaning up the kitchen, we decided to sing our favorite songs from Les Mis. "Castle on a Cloud" "On My Own" "Can You Hear the People Sing" "One Day More"



ps...if you have never seen this concert version of Les Mis, go out an rent it immediately. It's fantastic, incredible, chill-inducing. No one else can sing Jean Valjean's songs like Colm Wilkinson.

Les Mis...I can never think of that musical without thinking of my roommate from college. We took a photography class together our last semester. We would spend HOURS together in the dark room developing film. We shared equipment to save money, so that meant that we would just do all our developing together.
Anyway, one time we were sitting in one of the rooms with our film in the water/developer just waiting. I was taking a musical theater class as well that semester (my favorite class that I ever took at college). My roommate found out that I had never hear Les Miserables. Tragedy! She proceeded to sing the ENTIRE musical for me, explaining every character, their backstory and who was singing each song a why. Such a fun memory....

Friday finds on a Saturday....

I realized that I found lots of cool things lately and I love to share, so here you go...

Some of the most beautiful engagement photos I have ever, ever seen. So creative.

Have you been following the Iceland volcano story?! Then I found this story about one that erupted in 1783. Dear goodness....

This was amazing. I bought one of those necklaces from Gwen a few years ago. I wear it ALL the time. One of the few pieces of jewelry that I own. Great Mother's Day gift!

Lost was actually good this week. First time all season. Thank goodness for Hulu cause my DVR cut off the last 3 minutes, which were kinda important.

Tara's camping photos. I'm in awe of how she captures the magic of the every day.

I'm so tempted to jump in and do Ali's Week in Your Life.

I found this post on unschooling so intriguing.

Hula Seventy posted about some of her favorite blog posts. They are some of my very favorite too.

Q&A

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Rachel at Smile and Wave asked everyone to play along. Here are my answers:


1. When do you feel happiest? When I'm not focused on myself.

2. How do you take care of yourself? Time in the Word, Bible study, prayer, listen to sermons. It effects EVERYTHING else in my life.

3. Are you internally (by yourself) or externally (by others) motivated? Both, I think.

4. What do you do for fun? Travel to new places. Craft time. TV show marathons.

5. What intimidates you? Small talk with people I don't know. Yikes!

6. What is something you're proud of? My little brother. He's fearless, brave and inspiring.

7. Finish this sentence. I never say never. Learned that one the hard way!

8. Favorite vacation spot. Hawaii (North Shore watching the surfers and enjoying Sunset Beach). Or pretty much anywhere a RV can go.

9. Today is a (rate from 1 - 10). 5. Just an average day.

10. Finish this sentence. If you knew me really well you'd know, I'm incredibly indecisive. Almost annoying at times, even to myself.


Your turn! Let's hear it.

It feels like a Sigur Ros day

Sigur Rós - Glósóli from Sigur Rós on Vimeo.

City lights and spring cleaning

This photo has nothing to do with the subject at hand. I just though it was pretty. NYC: The Apple Store on 5th and the Plaza in the background. This was taken the night before the ipad came out. There were definitely people camped out and lined up just out of the frame.

Spring cleaning is upon me. Both on the outside and the inside of The Cottage. That deep, get behind the furniture, in the cracks type of cleaning. It is such a pain and yet so freeing at the same time, right?!

Tonight, it spread to the outside of The Cottage. The flower beds and small shrubs were shown no mercy. Bushes mis-shapen by the 20ft of snow this winter...gone. Sea grass that grows out of control and takes over everything....gone. My roommate and I conquered those silly nuisances.

Yes....it feels good. Now if we can just get rid of these ants once and for all, life would be great!

april 13th

How amazing that I'm born in the most beautiful month of year. Or at least where I live. The trees have their brilliant, brand new green leaves out for all to see. The blossoms are showing off in waves of pink and purple and white. The grass is that vibrant green that is almost shocking after a winter of brown. The birds...oh, those birds. They are ha-ppy. And the are singing for all the world to hear. It's spring in its finest. And I love every minute of it (even if it's gray and cold here today).

On the agenda for today, the day of my birth...

hair cut
art journaling (so, so excited to get started on this class!)
Glee with my friends tonight
maybe a little shopping
reveling in all the sweet wishes and kind words via facebook and text
thanking Jesus for another year of life


xoxo,

Cottage Girl


ps...thanks so much Aunt C for the absolutely beautiful banner. I opened it this morning and immediately put it up! I'll take a photo as soon as the sun comes out. I love it!!

read it again and again

(can't remember where I found this one. sorry!)

Taking one of my favorite bloggers, Hula Seventy's idea, I decided to write a list of my own.

and don't make fun of me for my love of young adult fiction....


1. Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery

2. Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery

3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

4. Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery

5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (on my Zune) by J.K. Rowling (you can pretty much insert any of the HP books here. This is just the most convenient, so it gets "read" the most)

6. Psalms 139 (the whole Bible, of course, but this one especially) by God

7. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boon


Reading these is like coming home again, sitting down at a table full of friends, finding family you have never met but instantly love. Or in the case of Psalm 139, it's the reminder that I am eternally loved and created with purpose. And who doesn't need to be reminded of that over and over and over?!

Currently, I'm reading this, which may end up on this list soon. It's just as beautiful the second time.

Now, let's hear your list...

I heart silhouettes

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And this collection is one of the prettiest I have ever seen.

ps...The ants are still out of control. Only in my bedroom for some reason. No idea why. I've tried Terro liquid ant baits, Raid, cinnamon and Ortho home defense all to no avail. It is driving me crazy! Any other suggestions?

Artist corner

I still have a bunch of photos from my first trip to NYC 2 weeks ago that I haven't shared. I keep forgetting and then I run out of time and it's 11pm and I'm sleepy and not in the mood to proof a handful of photos. So sorry about that.


Enough of that nonsense....here are a few photos of a piece that I LOVED at the MoMA. There were lots of pieces that were neat, but this one made it into my top 5 of the day (not including Tim Burton cause that was in a league of its own). Take a look....


It takes a minute of staring to figure out what it is. It's HUGE. I would say somewhere around 8ft by 5ft or bigger. There were several people standing up close staring, so I did the same because I was so intrigued.

This is the plaque next to it...


Once I got closer to stare for a while, I was hooked. It was tiny frames of the ENTIRE movie Vertigo with Jimmy Stewart. Kinda cool, huh?


Here's a blurry photo of it close up. I was trying hard to be discreet hence the blurriness. I couldn't quite stand still enough to get it perfectly in focus.


But you get the idea. You can read more about it and the artist here.

just for me

Was it just coincidence that Entertainment Weekly put one of my favorite movies of all time on the cover of their magazine this week and then sent it a day early? No, I think not. It is after all the edition that coincides with my birthday week. Plus, Glee comes back from its hiatus.

Happy Birthday to me. Well, almost. I'm holding on to 32 until the last minute. T-minus 3 days and counting....

sun flare

When you catch it just right, it's like magic sprinkled all over the photo.

This one was taken while riding on top of the double-decker tour bus on my (second) NYC trip with the parentals and the bro last weekend. I just had to grab a few shots while we sped by this beautiful building.

If you've never done a city tour bus, you are missing out. They are so much fun. It's great to give yourself over to being "that tourist" and just enjoy the sights. I've done them here and in Europe and still think they are some of the best memories I've had in each city.

Then again, I adore double decker buses and public transportation.....


Have you ever done one? Where?

"these are not from the hot house"

"I always preferred wildflowers" says Marianne to Willoughby when he brings her wild flowers after Colonel Brandon's perfectly lovely flowers from his green house. And then of course Willoughby turns into that cad, that rapscallion, that scoundrel. And Colonel Brandon...happy sigh....

These particular flowers were given to me by some sweet friends. And I must say that to be given flowers is one the sweetest gestures I can imagine. Especially when these flowers are picked from the earth because they remind someone of you and what you mean to them. Does it get any sweeter? It about brings me to happy tears.

Thank you dear, sweet girls for thinking of me and making my day!

season changes

Today it reached almost 90 degrees and my heart almost leapt out of my chest in sheer joy. It.was.heavenly. Sleeping with the windows open is one of the best things in life, isn't it?! (unless you suffer from allergies then...maybe not so much.)

Anyway, in celebration of the change of season I changed out my little heart decorations for something a little more spring-like. This time I chose origami paper cranes. (and thought of Prison Break season 1 the whole time. Anyone else?)


I just looked up directions on line, like this one, and gathered a bunch of paper types that I had lying around.


Old Entertainment Weekly, old Reader's Digest books (best find of the decade. i use these those things ALL the time!) and an old Buffy comic I got at a thrift store. You can use any type of paper. No need to spend all that money on fancy origami paper.


I decided to add one of my heart strands because it added a perfect little pop of color. Then I simple threaded them up on a needle and normal sewing thread and used a push-pin to attach them to the ceiling.


Super easy. And they look so cute spinning slowly when the breeze catches them from my open windows. These may have to stay up for a while.

judge away

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I could lie and tell you that I was...

cleaning my house
journaling
knitting a pair of mittens
doing a photo shoot
planting flowers
on a date
writing letters and sealing envelopes
having a grand adventure

The truth is...

I went out to dinner for a friend's birthday
and then watched Gossip Girl.
(oh, Chuck Bass....when will you learn?!)

I ran out of posting time because I was watching Gossip Girl.
You can judge me, if you wish. I deserve it on this account...


ps...I want to replicate the porch above on the Cottage porch. Loves it.

Happy Easter

Thank You, Jesus that I am Yours only because of the grace you bestow upon me. Your gift of the cross is the best thing to have ever happened in my life.

"Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdom's cause
As I go from nothing to
Eternity"

It was a wonderful 2 days

I can't believe that it's over already! Fun photos and stories to share soon.

xoxo,

Cottage Girl

off again

(photo by Tim Walker found in Google images)

I'm extra sleepy, but off on another adventure in NYC. Phone posting when when possible. And did I mention the weather is just about perfect on the East Coast this weekend? I may actually get to wear an actual dress for Easter this year instead of a winter coat/pants/boots/sweater. Yes!

early morning errands

Today begins my favorite month of the year. And it just happens to be one of the most beautiful days ever!

ps...I need to do more early morning errands. Everyone was so happy and kind and helpful. There were no lines. Just lovely.