Spring

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As I'm sitting here writing this post, it's snowing. I sure hope the groundhog was wrong and spring is right around the corner. Otherwise, I might have to find any old groundhog that looks like a Phil and drop-kick him into the nearest snowbank. Of course, that would be animal cruelty or something. And I just blogged about it. Nevermind.

I'm impatient for spring. I'm always impatient for spring. So, I spent a little time this morning adding to my spring pinterest board. It's fresh and clean and green and there are bunnies and lambs. Take a look.

-Song

Sochi and BKR

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The door closed on Sochi and my family is experiencing post-Olympics depression. I can't believe we have to wait another 2 years before the world will pretend to be one big happy family again. I was quite impressed with the classiness of the opening and closing ceremonies, were you? They were so jam-packed with the best of Russian culture, art, and music. It was gorgeous! 

Sadly, my favorite skaters didn't take home the gold. They skated perfectly, though and graciously accepted silver. A disappointment after four years of build-up is best handled with humor, and if somebody hands you what appears to be a flag, but is actually a poncho (see the hood), you make the most of it.

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A little while ago, I mentioned I was ordering a bkr bottle...It came in the mail last week and has been quite nice so far! It's a great design. I really like that it's glass, and the silicone is thick enough to prevent breakage. Also, no matter how much stuff you're carrying in your hands, as long as you've got one finger free, you can grab the hook on the top. Great design + eco-friendly + something everyone uses + comes in lots of colors = a ton of money for somebody. 

(I was sitting here at my desk and realized that my bkr bottle, dayplanner and journal are all about the same minty aqua color. I walked into my room and it's everywhere in there too. It must be my favorite!)

-My favorite song from the closing ceremonies last night...

2.21.14

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Behold the weekend... I'm surprised at how quickly the week flew by! I have nothing planned over the next few days beyond watching the Olympic closing ceremonies and shipping orders. How about you?

From the week...

-Quote...

-Jess Lively usually has great things to say and this little article was no exception...The Key Ingredient for Deeper Relationships. I've experienced much anxiety by feeling too much responsibility to grow a relationship. It's incredibly freeing to recognize what your responsibility really is and let go of the rest.


-My mom showed me this video this week. It's called "My Beautiful Woman." It is simple and makes a wonderful point: beauty isn't on the outside or the inside, it's in people's choices. You'll need kleenex.

-Kendi Everyday had a neat article on packing for a trip. She's also hosting a sweepstakes for a $300 Target gift card!

-I stumbled upon this new shopping section on TOMS website called the Marketplace for people to find products that fund relief of different kinds all over the world. You can shop by product, by brand or by cause. Everything from bowls to hammocks to jewelry...

-Nutella Pudding! There are no words...recipe here.

-Some people read, study, listen to music, etc. during a commute. This man doodles heads for his fellow passengers and tweets about it...

-Camille Styles put together this monochromatic collage with the color of a grapefruit. It's weird, but each year I seem to be attracted to a different color when I buy clothes and things. One year it was cobalt blue, one year it was purple, one year it was kelly green. This year, I feel drawn to this particular shade of pink. It's not as cold as that blush pink color that's popping up all over the blog universe, it's like coral but lighter. I've also developed a fondness for eating the things recently. :)

-Song

Black Ballet Flats

black flats by anna-seay featuring black ballet flats

Black ballet flats are such a useful thing to own! They're always classic (thanks to Miss Hepburn) and easy. I've worn mine into the ground now and for some reason am having a very difficult time finding new ones! I've only checked the few brick-and-mortar stores I regularly frequent, though, so now I'm taking to the web. Here are a few of the cute and affordable options I've found so far...

1| 2| 3| 4| 5

Weekend

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This weekend I was able to experience a change of pace and enjoy some relaxing time with a good friend of mine. My family and Abby's are very close; we're like siblings really. So while most of her family mushed in a sled dog competition in MI over the weekend, my sis Rebekah and I stayed with Abby and helped her tend the farm her parents own. Goats, horses, chickens, and a kennel of sled dogs were all under our care. A baby goat lived with us inside the warm log cabin away from the subzero evening temps along with elderly dogs and delicate kittens. Tromping through the snow every morning and evening to feed and water everybody was hard work, but so much fun. I'm fairly certain I don't ever wish to have that many animals to tend every day, but I'm not afraid of the work and have great respect for those who choose it!

Isn't it nice to live a little differently every once in a while and get away from normal responsibilities? It was especially nice to spend some concentrated time with a dear dear friend. :)

New in the shop...these drop earrings are made from 14k gold wire and smoky quartz. The brown-gray stone color is a great spring neutral! Click here to shop.

-Song

2.14.14

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I hope you're having a happy Valentine's Day! I'm writing to you from a cozy log cabin in the middle of a winter wonderland. There's a goat in the corner and a cat in the rafters. More about that next week. :) 

From this week...

-A flower guide...this is handy for V Day...too bad you're the one looking at it and not that special guy. Go make yourself a bouquet of narcissus and ranunculas!

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-I would love to see these figure skaters (my favorites) repeat this moment...I'll be tuning in Monday to watch the finals of ice dancing! Are you following the Olympics??

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-I love this citrus wreath Jo sent her mom this week!




-This video was such a happy find for me! I always loved watching Scott Hamilton skate when I was little. I had no idea that he was now a Christian. He has an amazing testimony, too. Watch here!


-Salmon. Avocado. Grapefruit. The grapefruit w/ those other two ingredients sounds just different enough to be delicious! Salad recipe here.

-The face that Ashley Wagner will be remembered for... This, to me, is incredibly sad. I would love to see the USA Olympic staff put together some training material for their athletes on how to graciously accept the results of a judged sport!

Credit: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images; Darren Cummings/Pool/Getty Images (right)

-Great quote...

-I sort of feel like this song should have gone with my previous post. We'll pretend it did. :)

l-o-v-e

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I suppose I've never had a proper Valentine's Day cause I have yet to celebrate a Valentines with a gentleman that I love. :) Despite the commercials on tv, I'm certain it's about more than eating chocolate, wearing red and feeling giddy...

No offense to anyone who enjoys the simple, romantic feeling of the holiday, but as an "outsider" on Valentine's Day, it seems to me that celebrating "puppy love" is kind of missing the mark. Doesn't the holiday really belong to the people who've almost hated each other at some point in their relationship and yet stayed together? Isn't it for the couples who've spent most of their Valentines together in sweat pants, cleaning up after their kids, eating whatever's in the refrigerator and pretending they celebrated cause he brought a red rose home?

In truth, I'm sure it's about both aspects: all the happy, beautiful times together, as well as the difficult, less than romantic ones. I'd just like to see the latter honored more in our commercial, materialistic culture. Yes, I am single this Valentine's Day, but I'm convinced that a loving relationship is hard work! Those who choose to stay together despite the difficulty are the ones who demonstrate love to the fullest...all the young, starry-eyed couples should raise their glasses to them this Friday. :)

-Song

Druzy

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I've really been enjoying the process of discovering all the different materials to work with within the world of gemstones! One of my favorites so far is the druzy. Wikipedia's definition of "druzy" or "druse" is "a coating of fine crystals on a rock fracture surface, vein or within a vug or geode." Each druzy I use is a section of fine crystals jutting out from stone. I have been making gold druzy necklaces for some time, but more recently, I found silver titanium and peach quartz druzies that I absolutely love! You can shop for them here and here.

What do you think??

-I've been loving this song

2.7.14

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First things first, I'm incredibly excited about watching the Olympic opening ceremonies tonight!!! Hopefully, Sochi can pull it together and we'll all be floored by their show, even if their bathroom accommodations aren't quite up to snuff. And, hopefully, everyone will be safe. Tomorrow morning, ice dancing kicks off in the figure skating team competition. My favorites are the Canadians. I don't know why, but most of my favorite figure skaters are Canadian. I'm sorry, America, I'm rooting for you in all other events!

From the week...

-Borrowed from Clementine Daily

-The 50 most perfectly timed photos on the internet

-Look, Baby Gap has a Paddington Bear collection! I loved Paddington Bear in the old old days. This is so cute!

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-I'm ordering one of these...

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-I watched the Ken Ham/Bill Nye debate on Tuesday night and was fascinated by a lot of the points made, as well as the behavior of both men. I'm of the opinion that Ken Ham won and was proud of the passionate way he shared his love of God and truth. Here are a few articles about the debate including one by the moderator.

• albertmohler.com
• thedailybeast.com
• moderator article

-I teared up watching this adorable little baby discover rain for the first time. 

-I sent this gold lion and garnet necklace off to Germany today! I love getting international orders. It's so cool thinking of someone in a faraway country walking around wearing my jewelry! It humbles me.

-Song

Impact

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When given the opportunity, do you find yourself jumping at the chance to positively touch other people's lives? Is that something you are actively looking to do each day? Yesterday, I was struck by the realization that so often, I go about my day without truly trying to reach another person and make something better for them.

Of course, some have the opportunity to do this on a grand scale like Sir Nicholas Winton, who rescued 699 children that were sentenced to die in Nazi death camps...

And, while it would be amazing to reach the final years of life and be surrounded by people who wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you, imagine how many people would stand up and say you impacted their life in a small but significant way if you took all the opportunities that presented themselves every single day.

That's what I'm thinking about this Tuesday afternoon. :)

-Song