Link Love: Wednesday Edition

‎"The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why."

 Mark Twain

(Happy Birthday) 

Where I've been roaming....

1. Outfit to Home: Ryan Gosling 

2.  Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead

( I need a juicer, asap.) 

3. Boot Socks DIY 

I am all about this. 

4. Mix with Love

Good for your ears. Good for your souls. 

5. On Christmas Eve I will make this or this. Or both.  

6. Perfect Iced Coffee

Perfect for Coffee Addicts Everywhere

7. Freezer Friendly Meal Plans

Once we have kids, I'm all over this. 

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

This is my favorite time of the year. Our house feels so much warmer and welcoming. I might become that crazy lady that keeps her tree up all year. Maybe. 

Our banister. 

"Blinko"  

A Burlap Tree Skirt 

Thanksgiving

This day was full of family. Full of food. Full of love. We are very blessed. I have only two regrets. 

#1: That we didn't take any leftovers home. 

#2 That I didn't take more photographs at our second stop of the evening.  

Ryan and I made a Sweet Potato & Acorn Squash Bake. It is definitely a recipe I will use again.

My glorious meal. 

The end of the feast. 

I'm Thankful For: The Creative

I'm thankful for......

Music. Art. Photography. 

All of the amazing people that have been a part of my journey as a song-writer. 

All of the late night recording sessions and the chance to build something with someone else. 

All of the songs, the gigs, the laughs, the difficult times.

The moment when I capture an aspect of someone else's existence through the sound of a shutter. 

The glazed over eyes after editing photographs for hours upon hours. 

The back porch song writing sessions, the lyrics poured out from our hearts, and the coming together as a band of people that truly love each other. 

The simple fact that day in and day out, I have the opportunity to do something that I love, something that I couldn't possibly live without, and something that will always be knitted to my very soul. 

I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.

Ray Charles

I'm Thankful For: Community

Source

I am thankful for.....

Meals shared with friends, new and old.

Nights spent on the back porch discussing life, love, and our dreams.

Being able to come to this place every Sunday and throughout the week and feel like we have finally found exactly where we are supposed to be.

The brewed beer, the baked bread, the fire pits.

The fact that we are not meant to live as islands, but are made to live in community with each other. No matter our pasts, no matter what may be ahead of us.  In these moments, we are meant to live life out together.

The community of people we have found ourselves a part of is a very wonderful thing.

I'm Thankful For: Family & My Husband

In honor of Thanksgiving week, I'd like to take a few days to really reflect on all of aspects of our little lives that I am so very thankful for. This year has been an amazing one. So many new opportunities, projects, goals met, friends made. I want to celebrate this season in all it's fullness. 

First and foremost, I am thankful for my family. My parents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, etc.  They are there for me in so many ways and I really don't know what I would do or who I would be without them. All of those years of helping me follow my dreams, moving me half way across the country and back, and supporting my creative endeavors; I am forever grateful. They are filled with so much wisdom for life. 

I am thankful for my sister. She is the most creative, daring, and stubborn person I know. I mean all of that in the best way possible. She is an artistic force to be reckoned with and someone that, along with her man,  I know will always never be too far away, no matter where our lives take us. 

Let us not forget also the extended family that has also become mine in the last first years after I married Ryan. I seriously have been blessed with the best in-laws and brother and sister-in-law a girl could ask for. They support us so well in everything we do. Reenie also bakes the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted!  

And last, but certainly not least, my husband. This man, seriously. How did I ever deserve you? I am so thankful to spend each and everyday learning our lives together. You hold my heart. 

Bedroom Inspiration

Earlier this year, we embarked upon re-doing our outdated kitchen. We had to work with a small budget, couldn't replace any appliances (someday), and did it all with our own hands and the hands of others. My lovely friends help me paint every nook and cranny. My dad built cabinet doors and I felt like I had white paint on my hands for weeks. The outcome was exactly what we wanted. 

Now my current endeavor is that of re-doing our bedroom. Truthfully, I haven't even started it yet, but I've been collecting ideas for the past few months. After Christmas, my goal is tackle this room and make it our very own. Pinterest has helped me with my decorating obsession. This is the direction I am hoping for....

I want grey and yellow to be our main color scheme. I also love the idea of throwing a little teal in there. I'm leaning towards grey walls with yellow/teal accents. I want the overall feel to be very calming but with a few splashes of color. 

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I would love to create a plush headboard as well. 

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I want to focus on more natural, warm wood pieces. 

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As I head into this new challenge, I will keep you all updated. Once again, we are on a small budget, but that challenge makes it even more fun. 

Please Meet: Geoff the Cat

Well, I'm officially the crazy cat lady blogging about her new crazy cat. It's happening. Right now. 

Earlier this year, we faced a difficult decision to put down our kitty, Lewis. He was a sick little fellow and his time spent with us here was very short. He was a part of our new little family and the absence of him was greatly noticed throughout our home. 

Months later, we discovered a friend of a friend that was giving away a little kitten. 

Insert Geoff here.  

(Yes, like Jeff. My husband fancies the idea of naming an animal a typical human name. Geoff or Geoffrey. Or as I like to call him Jeffey.) 

This is our new little guy. He is a handful. We trip over him constantly because he has to walk right in our feet and he follows us everywhere we go. He is our little shadow. He's kind of feisty and vocal when he doesn't get his way. But, boy can this little guy cuddle. 

He is a welcomed addition and challenge to our little home. The kitten stage is always full of new lessons and experiences. 

This is the only photo I have managed to capture of him. He's a quick little booger. 

Current Obsession: Birchbox

If any of you are like me, you might like makeup, skincare, and hair products. You may also be like me due the fact that you hate spending loads of money on your obsessive tendencies regarding looking good. 

A co-worker introduced Birchbox to me and my obsession has never been the same. Every month, for ten bucks, Birchbox sends me a nice, cute, little box in the mail with a few samples of high end products based upon my skin type, like and dislikes, etc. 

The reason this is awesome: 

1. Snail Mail. You get to open your mail box once a month and find new goodies.

2. The products they send to you are based on what you like but normally products that are too expensive for you to just buy right out of the store. 

I've discovered face masks I adore, mascara I really can't live without, and even tried new colors on my fingernails. It's wonderful. 

I just had to share. Sign up if you'd like, you don't have to, but seriously, such a fun little gift to yourself for the cost of a few lattes! What woman doesn't need some pampering every once in a while? 

CLICK ME 

Lifeboat Etiquette: Sneak Peak!

Over the summer, my husband and I, along with many of our wonderfully talented friends, embarked upon recording a new music project. These songs have dwelled within my husband for many years before this time and I couldn't be more proud of him. I'm one proud wifey. We will be releasing the full album on Dec 3rd (details on the release show to come!) 

Please take a moment and listen. Share your thoughts. 

Take a listen. 

We love you all. 

Everyday Joe's: Bits and Pieces

We became escape artists once again from the real world this past weekend. We awoke early on Saturday morning to head to the bank to figure out how we were to settle the dispute on our bank account (someone got away with taking all of our money; fun stuff) and to try and spend some time together before my husband went to work for the rest of the day. 

The Place: Everyday Joe's 

My Man :) 

This place warms my heart. Our church meets here, we have played countless shows here with countless bands, and our little community of people branch out of this place in one way or another. Sometimes, one just needs a good cappuccino and time spent with another. This was our goal of the morning and we executed it well.