love day

A photo from one of my favorite movies...



And a video I found on Pop Candy.




Happy, happy love day to all of you!

please read this

(source)

I found two great posts this week that really hit me.
I think you should read them too....

The first was on Katie's blog. This whole thing is still rolling around in my brain, so I don't think I can even properly say how it has impacted me. I think I will always remember this. And I will forever be questioning how I live my life for Christ.

I also loved this post and the comments from readers on The Sartorialist. (If you have never heard of The Sarorialist....it's on of the most famous fashion blogs on the www. The author takes photos of regular people on the streets of the world. It's super addicting.) Manners and grace are things that are highly forgotten in our world today, if you ask me. I loved hearing what people said were the small things that meant so much to them.

just a song

It's one of my all times faves.

mooostache

This is what I made with my mustache stamp. Thank you notes and a birthday card for my dad.

Again, super easy.
Just cut out a shape from an old foam meat tray,
paint with acrylics in any color,
stamp onto card stock.
The letters are an old set of stamps I've had for years.

I think I'll have to make a bunch of these.

wear it

Not only is this dress from Mod Cloth adorable,
but it has the coolest name ever.

Sci Fi Heroine Dress.

Good thing it's sold out, and I have no money to buy it.

love, love, love

look

I know you are all tired of hearing about our blizzard(s). I know this because I sure am. And I'm living it...in the moment...every second. Done, done, done-done-done.

So, I will post about something else. Yes, I will turn my back on the piles (mountains) of snow that are covering my yard and think of fun things. Those blizzard photos can come later.

Here, instead are some things I found online lately....


1.
I love this artwork I found on the Olympics official website. And can we just talk about the Olympics for a second....I'm ecstatic! I'm not a big sports person, but I can watch the Olympics morning, noon and night. There is something about competing nations in events like snowboarding, ice skating, bobsledding, and alpine skiing (to name a few) that I am unable to say no to. The summer Olympics is my fave, but the winter will do just fine!



2.

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I wish I was at Canon Beach right now. (clicking heels 3 times....) Oh, how I love that beautiful place.


3.

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That red polka dot dress. I have a weakness for polka dots. And cute red clutches.


4.


Found this song on Tara Whitney's blog this week. Been humming the chorus over and over.


5. Listography. Found by way of one of my all time fave blogs Hula Seventy. I love her idea of 52 lists.

6. The story of Charlie and the mouse (#5 on the list) on Pioneer Woman. I keep laughing every time I think about it.

Delightful

I was so excited to get this movie via Netflix before the blizzard hit.
It's been on my "must see" list for quite a while.
I have a weakness for period pieces. It's true.

This one is so beautiful, visually. Several times I said (out loud) "that is so beautiful. It could be artwork on the wall." And the story....lovely and beautiful as well. Loved. Loved.

Round 2

No sooner had I posted that last entry and then.....our power went out. Thankfully (and quite shockingly!) it came back on 4 hours later. Thank goodness cause it's was getting mighty cold in our Cottage. I spent the morning in bed under 6 blankets with slippers, gloves and fleece jacket to round out my ensemble today. Quite fashionable, eh? I think the 20 inches of snow already surrounding the house helped keep it a little warmer than when our heat went out a week ago, but still...COLD!


It's a mess outside. I haven't even ventured out to shovel off our front deck. Our door may not open, but it's just to horrible out there I don't want to brave the elements. Maybe now that the power is back, I'll be able to warm up if I go out.

It's now illegal to drive you car anywhere. Everything is shut down. We've gotten about 14 new inches of snow with more coming down by the second. And the wind....it's just plain scary! I literally howls and screeches. The snow is coming down sideways. Sigh....winter is just ugly this year!

Sorry for all the weather talk. I just want to remember this craziness for years to come! Hope you are all warm and comfy where you are.

read, read, read

Yesterday, I finished Coraline. Still haven't seen the movie, but I kinda wanted to read the book first. SO GOOD! One of the coolest/most unique/scary stories I've read in a while. So delightfully creepy.

I'm trying to post this while we still have power. We have a major blizzard going on here at the moment. High winds, snow, white-out conditions. It's really miserable. I just have this horrible feeling that the power will be out, which means it will get COLD! Brrrr! And then there is the 16 inches of snow (more!) that we are getting. All that shoveling the last 3 days....I don't want to do it again!

Happy birthday, Pops

This is my favorite recent photo of my dad. He and my niece look so cute and cuddly. The grandkids love, love LOVE him. Big time. Then again, so do his kids. He's the greatest. True story.

Happy birthday, Daddy-o. Wish this silly snow would stop so I could come and have dinner with you. Love you!

a ridulous amount of snow

You would think I lived in Alaska or in the Canadian Rockies. Oh, no. This, ladies and gentleman is the East Coast. I after living here my whole life, I can say that I have never seen a winter like this before.



I mean...look what it does to screen doors. Yes, there is one under those 1 million cotton balls of snow.


And Cottage roofs. It looks like an ocean wave. A very heavy ocean wave, mind you.


And then there are the cars. Oh....the cars. It's not fun to dig out your car when you are digging DOWN to find it. No sir-ree. Sore arms and back. This one is now uncovered and moved. Thank goodness for nice boys who offer to help.



And that small wood plank on the left used to be a picnic table. It is completely buried. I would have walked closer to it, but it's just so HARD to walk that far when your feet sink 20 inches with each step. I gave up.



But thankfully, my friends are all close by. We are in this thing together. This thing being the 10-20 more inches that they are forecasting for tomorrow and Wednesday. No, I'm not kidding and I have to keep re-reading the winter storm warnings each time cause the amounts keep going up. This is what it says tonight. Remember, when we first heard about this storm it was 1-3 inches.

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TUESDAY TO
7 PM EST WEDNESDAY.

* PRECIPITATION TYPE...SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS...10 TO 20 INCHES.

Where in the world will the snow go? We already have piles the size of school buses on the sides of the roads? I did finally get off the property (as we call leaving camp) today.

My roommate drove her 4 wheel drive SUV to Target. It was like a wonderland out there. Not really. It was actually kinda empty and the roads still weren't the greatest. But we were out! In civilization! At Chik*fil*a! Hallelujah. I bought some hand sanitizer and dish soap to celebrate. It's the little things in life...


ps...more photos here.

reading rainbow

I brought this book home from the library this week. Always have to browse through the biography section to see if there is anything new and interesting. This one caught my eye. I finished it in 3 sittings. Such a fun read. Funny, witty, charming.

Here's a little taste of Ms. Chenoweth, Tony winning actress, in case you have no idea who she is.....




****coming tomorrow: photo of the blizzard aftermath.
And look what popped up on my home page this evening...

...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...

* PRECIPITATION TYPE...SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS...POTENTIAL FOR 5 OR MORE INCHES OF SNOW.

Okay...seriously?!!!

craft corner

What better way to spend your snowed in days then making fun crafty projects, eh?

Since the last 2 days (minus the 8 hours I was in a meeting at work) have meant being cooped up at home...not that I mind in the least...I decided to work on a couple projects I haven't had time for lately. Some of them I can't share yet, but here's one that was quick and easy that anyone can make!

I got the idea when I was hunting around Flickr and blogs for bunting and valentines garland. I kinda tweaked it a little to make it my own.

First step was to cut out the hearts from an old Reader's Digest book. We had a bunch donated to camp and I snatched them up before they could be thrown away. They've been used for a million different things. Such a great find.

Then I made a heart stamp out of a foam meat tray. I've been saving them for a few months now so I could make some stamps. It's super easy and they work so well! I just used a foam brush to add some paint and ta-da! Stamp. (the mustache is for another secret project)


They looked like this after I stamped each one with a heart a little smaller than the cut-out heart.




Once they were dry, I stitched them together on the sewing machine. Super easy. Only problem was my finicky machine that gets tangled so easily. But I really loved the way they turned out.

I hung two strands up with masking tape by my bedside table. That way I can enjoy them for the few days left before Valentine's Day.

I've never been a big celebrater of Valentine's day, but I do love making little things for my closest ones. I'm working on some Valentine's for this year that I hope I can finish.

There are so many great ideas out there to be inspired by. So many more than I actually have time for, but that's ok. Here's to a fun snowed-in afternoon of creating!

Snow insanity

It took me 20 minutes to walk from the Lodge to my cottage. I crawled some of the time because the drifts in the road were up to my thighs. Too hard to walk. We have lots of snow, but I think it's finally stopped. Now that the meeting is done, it reading and TV watching and crafting! Maybe some photos tomorrow after the sun comes out.

xoxo,

Cottage Girl

says a lot about you

The other day, I got in a discussion about favorite movies with a group of friends. I realized how much someone's favorite movies say a lot about them. Their likes, their personality, them.
My friend's movies seemed to say quite a lot about them. Saving Private Ryan (retired military, Peace Corps-retired), Must Love Dogs (funny, romantic, dreamy), Field of Dreams (funny, quirky, imaginative) to name a few. So interesting.

Today I was working on my valentines. Got the idea from Elsie and then this idea. I started looking for photos to trace. I came upon these and they just made me so happy. Just had to share.


I heart their outfits in this movie. The white and blue. Their coats and her fun hair. And then there is the great dialog between these two. Sigh....I know it by heart and still love it. I could watch it 100 times...more than 100 times I already have.


What do you think this favorite of mine says about me?


ps...it's snowing like a Dicken's story here. Blizzard like. And I'm sitting in a meeting all day. But then again, I won't be able to leave camp for days at this rate.

My favorite quote about the crazy weather....

(source)

"It's just snow,
It's not like it's attacking us."

-from this article.

Hey, we aren't from Buffalo. We don't handle 3 ft of snow like it's another winter's day, okay? We have to panic a bit.


***I don't think I'll be able to get out my front door by morning. The kitchen windows are almost completely blocked out by blowing snow.

Night, everyone!

pretties

I can't stop staring at these beautiful images that I found somewhere today while I was blog hopping.


I die. (anyone else miss Rachel Zoe?)



There are even more here. So inspiring and beautiful.




I don't have a wedding to plan, but I sure wish I could have a party like this in a orange grove. Sigh....



***all photos found on Jill Thomas Photography blog.

view

Do you ever wonder sometimes about how you see the world? What is it about me that makes the world seem different for me than for you.


Maybe it's the things I like that change my view. TV shows, hot summer days, beaches, talks with friends, flip-flops, warm boots, family, hugs, the smell of spring, chocolate chip cookies, photographs, art, tall ships. All those random things that make me...me.


Or maybe it's the things I don't like....cold weather, saying goodbye, potatoes, parties with unknown people, lifetime movies, selfishness, long distances between family and friends, gravy, an overly busy schedule, small talk, being tired, clutter, taking out the trash.


These things are just a small part of my world. But they affect the world I see. They affect the world I want to be involved in. They affect how I interact with the world spinning around me.


I used to think about this often in college. I went a relatively large Christian university after attending an extremely small high school. I used to wonder at the fact that "my Liberty" was different than the Liberty that people I didn't know were experiencing. They didn't have my friends or stay in my dorm or take my classes, so their "world" was different.



And on top of all that, I'm loved by a God who loves each and every one of those individual people on the planet in the way they need it. He loves me and speaks to me in a way He doesn't with other people. He meets us in our own "world."

Miracle? Absolutely.


In other news.....
1. I'm learning a lot from this series even though I'm not married.
2. This made me laugh and laugh. (Thanks, Chaych!)
3. We are supposed to get 16-24 inches of snow tomorrow/Saturday. This is our 3rd snowstorm this week. I'm sick of snow.
4. I like this song....and Jared Leto. Darn brother got to see a free concert of his when I was at Sundance. Missed it cause I was in a movie. Curses.



How's that for a random post? Eh?

Be back tomorrow if I'm not buried alive in white, fluffy snow. It's going to be a LONG weekend....

Lovely

It wasn't my favorite Peter Jackson movie.



But it was so very beautiful.


It was like an inspiration light bulb. Magically awakening.



And it made me want to read the book.



The book that is completely checked out in every library in our area.



I'll just have to re-live the beautiful scenes in my head a few 1,000 more times.



Especially the ships in bottles crashing onto the sea shore (this is a teeny-tiny hint of that fantastic scene that I can't get out of my head).
And Stanley Tucci's incredible performance. He was amazing.


The Lovely Bones

Bunting

(click photo to see sources)

I think I need to make some bunting for Valentine's day this year. Or for any other occasion as well. But hearts for Valentines day.

Things that have made me cry in the last 2 days...

(source)

• Frustration on not being able to "live" in my house because the heat didn't work.

• The end of Emma. That story gets me every time. Tears of happiness. I'm in love with this newest adaptation. I think it's even better than the Gwyneth Paltrow version, which I love to pieces.
  

• Mary Beth's newest blog post. Their family is still heavy on my heart and in my prayers.

• A kind-hearted employee at the Home Depot. He was just nice. He helped me find the fuses I needed. That's all. His parting words were "that's my job....to make our customers smile." This simple act of kindness made me come completely un-done. I had been shown such rudeness and UN-kindness the last few days in dealing with our heating company, that I couldn't believe someone could just be so nice and mean it.

I am one of those people who loves a good cry. I NEED one every once in a while. It's healing and refreshing. If I couldn't cry, I think I would burst from an over abundance of emotions!

Displaced

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I haven't been really living at my Cottage since Friday. With no heat, it is simply unbearable. I mean WITH heat it is still cold in the winter. But without it, even a small electric heater can't take the chill away. I can see my breath in my living room. That just doesn't seem proper, does it?

Thankfully (I'm trying desperately hard to be thankful and content in this situation, but I'm failing miserably), we do live at camp, which means there are many options of places with warm beds. So my roommate and I packed up and moved into the Lodge.
I actually lived in this building when I first moved here. The Cottage was still full of people, so I occupied the 7th window from the right on the second floor of the Lodge. I saw one of the most amazing meteor showers I've ever seen from that window. I could lie on my bed and see out those that big window. Oh, and this side of the building faces this....
...the water view, not the children. Although, in the summer, it does have a view of them too.

Anyway, this year, the Lodge got a geo-thermal heating and air conditioning system. That means it's toasty warm (most of the time) in the winter now. And it has air conditioning in the hot, hot summer.

When the heat in the Cottage decided to be difficult and I couldn't handle not feeling my fingers and toes anymore, my roommate and I packed up and moved out. Not very happily.

You see, I love being home. I LOVE it. I'm a home-body. I don't need a lot to be content. But take away my one refuge and I go crazy. Literally. This little annoyance has been of epic proportions in my head. I'm so frustrated that the problem can't be fixed. I'm frustrated that our house can't handle a little space heater. I'm frustrated that God just won't answer my simple prayer of fixing my heat and letting me relax at home after a stressful week of work.

It's been tough to be patient and not yell at the heater service people. It's been hard to be gracious to them and show them the love of Jesus when they are rude and VERY un-helpful. It's been hard to just be accepting of this situation.

I've realized how much I need to work on in my life. Little things like this throw me into craziness and that just can't happen. God is in control. He knows exactly what He's doing. Why do I lose it when something doesn't go my way?

Because I'm selfish. It always comes back to that doesn't it.....

grumble...grumble......

It's 19 degrees.

It's been snowing all day.

We now have about 7-8 inches.

More is coming.

I've been working 10-12 hour days since Wednesday with no end in sight.

I'm tired.

The heat is our house is broken.

Again.

For the 3rd time this month.

You can't feel your nose or fingers if you sit in the cottage for more than 15 minutes.

It's supposed to be 10 degrees tonight.

My patience is gone.




Was Sundance really less than a week away?!

The very best thing about Sundace....

....wasn't the movie stars and world premieres. Don't get me wrong....they were great and all. But they just didn't compare to some face to face time with this kid.


Golly....I miss him. He was such a peach. He got our tickets weeks early so we could see the movies we wanted to see. He took his two "off" days during the festival when I was there and came to see movies with us. He went out to eat with us. He gave us all kinds of inside info about the festival.

I love him. I miss him. And I'm so darn proud of him.

Can we talk Jane Austen for a moment?

(source)

Now, I know I haven't finished my Sundance debrief, but can we switch gears and talk Jane Austen for a moment? Please?!!

I didn't fall in love with her beautiful stories until I was older. I was much more into L.M. Montgomery (my all time favorite author) and Louisa May Alcott. And truth be told, I'm still not a big "romance" genre girl. Movies, books or otherwise. I tend to steer very wide around them almost every time.
But Jane Austen...I've come to love her and become enveloped in her stories like so many 1,000's of people have over the last few hundred years. There is something about her characters that just stand the test of time.

So tonight, as I was watching the newest Emma (have you watched it?!!) with my roommate, I said to her, "I don't think I could pick a very favorite male character of hers. There are so many."

(source)

I love Mr. Knightley, Edward Ferris, Colonel Brandon and Edmund Bertram. All of them for different reasons, but I think these are my favorites. I don't think I could choose between them.

Dear sweet Edward who is so kind and generous even though he may be keeping a secret he regrets.

Adorable Edmund, who befriends lonely Franny and can't help but fall in love with her.

Colonel Brandon who is so patient with crazy, impulsive Marianne.

And Mr. Knightly who is so understanding of bratty Emma. He loves her in spite of her haughtiness.

(source)

Ok, I'll stop. Because goodness knows, Jane Austen is over done now-a-days.

But could you tell me, do you have a favorite?

Who would you choose?

And please will you all tell my sister that she is crazy for refusing to watch Pride and Prejudice? I've tried everything under the sun and I just can't bear the thought of her missing such a wonderful, addicting film! I can't turn the channel any of the 1,000 times it's on TV, for gracious sake!



ps...to answer your question, Audrey, no I haven't seen Lost in Austen. When is it on and what is it about? I have a tough time with "Austen" copy stuff. Is it like those things?