Weekend soup

• The Border Film Project. I bought this book today at Half Price, as a gift, and I couldn't help but read through the whole thing right there in the store. It's seriously compelling to see both sides of the story. There's so much voice and nearness in the photos.
  
  
  (This project also only furthered my current lean towards analog photography...)
  
  
  
• One day at work, after paying 30 cents for an afternoon pick-me-up and then re-applying my dark plum lipstick that I recently unearthed from the bottom of my makeupbag, I realized that lipstick on my Diet Coke can makes me think of my mother, and summer.
  
  
• I love it when Garret quotes Oh Brother Where Art Thou. He’s predictable, but it’s endearing: "I don't want Fop! I'm a Dapper Dan Man!"
  
  
• OMG this is hilarious - http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1752195 – STEP BOMP, STEP BOMP BOMP! Why have I never seen I before? I know it's not real, but it's still crazy funny.
  
  
• I made my hair curly this week, and wore my fuzzy brown hat and furry boots, and it reminded me of last Christmas, in China :)
  
  
  This potato mound was the best Christmas Eve Day snack ever.
  
  
  
• I bought another toy cam and it came in today; it was only $12. That means I've bought 4 this fall... I'm taking a break from buying them now. (But I also put 2 on my Christmas list...)
  
  
• At various points this week, I really missed these face masks like we wore last Christmas. I still have mine, so if you see some girl running around CS with a face warmer on...
  
  
  it could be me, or Kay, or Kristin - we all learned to rock them :)
  
  

Tonight, I am grateful. Grateful for a warm house, encouragement from strangers, the Lord pulling me towards new things even when I'm scared, good books, and sweet people. Even in the midst of unsure-ness, Father is faithful to sustain us and provide.

i want

FreyaArt's Etsy shop is so charming!
I absolutely lovelovelove this print and I would really like to have it in my future home - with different names, obviously! ;)

FreyaArt

This one is also quite sweet. Wings... hmmm....

*Update: just realized I'd already posted a link here to that first image once before - oops! Guess I just really like it...

Jo, from Little Women

oh winter..

Winter things I could do without:

· My dry, scaly old woman hands

· Shivers

· Sickness

· Icy roads

· Desolate skies

Winter things I enjoy:

· Naturally rosy cheeks

·Twinkle lights

· Soft hats/beanies

· All the rattlesnakes at the farm are hibernating

· Snuggling!

· Hot chocolate

· Hoping for snow

· Giving

· Soup

· It’s a lot warmer here than in northern EA!

· HOPE

the day part of today

The day part of today was pretty darn good.

I Went to bed at midnight last night - got good sleep!

I tried to be more thoughtful and introspective throughout the day, instead of just coasting. I'm beginning to hate coasting. Tried to think on Hebrews 2:1-4, and Deut. 6:5 and Josh 1:8-9.

Lunch break:

funny fun time with Megh & Jules / Skidaddled to the nearby park with the fisheye and Igor (new name for my crotchety new/old Russian camera). / No kids were on the playground! I could climb around and take pictures w/o feeling like a weirdo – yay! / Sat at the top of the playground for a bit and gazed at the clouds. / Shiiiinnnyyyyy, fast-moving, wintery, amazing clouds! / Hilarious roomie email thread involving being “neck-id” (naked). / Getting stuff done at work!

So, Father really energized me with random and fun things, and I was really thankful for that. But then tonight I feel melancholy and introverted. hmph.

P.S. A new banner for December is coming soon.

Country girl

So, I've pretty much always listened to some country music. But, lately I've been realizing that I really only listen to either Christian music or dance music now, lol. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) This semester almost every time I turn on a country station, it just sounds unappealing. What's happening to me!?! ;)
So, tonightI decided to rediscover some quality country songs that make me happy/nostalgic/thoughtful/dancey. Here is my list. Judge as you will, but maybe try a few out, too!

Bring it on Home by Little Big Town
Will always make me think of Garret Austin.

Oklahoma Breakdown by Stoney LaRue
I JAM to this.

Life in a Northern Town by Sugarland, with Little Big Town
Could listen to that all stinking day.

The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert
Just recently started listening to this song. She's SO hardcore. And a little scary.

House of a Thousand Dreams by Martina McBride
Good greif I love this song.

Don't think I can't love you by Jake Owen

In Color by Jamey Johnson
Garret loves this. It makes me cry - I'm a sucker for story songs.
(Don't get distracted by the singer's nasty beard...)

Johnny and June by Heidi Newfield

You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Atkins
Cheese from creepy Trace, yes, but it really resonated last year.

Sick and Tired by Cross Canadian Ragweed
"Memories, overrated, all they do is get you damn frustrated."

Crazyfun party songs - for all the wild partying I do:
Love by Roger Creager (!), and The Everclear Song also by Creager
The Road Goes on Forever by Robert Earl Keen
Wear my Ring by the Bart Crow Band

Modge podge

November has flown by. I can't believe Thanksgiving is only a week and a half away! Awesome! Right? I think so. This entry is going to be a bit of a modge podge. Haven't had real clear thoughts lately, so I'm just going to go for it. Thought I was going to go to bed early tonight, but I think writing will be good. Thanks for reading :)

Tonight I listened to more than one JJ Heller song in a row for the first time, and it has been reallyreally life giving. "Love me" is powerful.


This post from Piper was good. I don't know if I've fully internalized these concepts:

....God's free and sovereign heart-changing work is our only hope. Therefore we must pray for a new heart. We must pray for the "want to":

Incline my heart to Your testimonies. (Psalm 119:36)

He has promised to do it:

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes. (Ezekiel 36:27)

I definitely struggle with trying to manufacture my own "want to," putting my confidence in it, and then eventually failing because my strength is insufficient. Sometimes, my own human motivation to do the right thing will work for a good while, and maybe I don't even realize I'm relying on it, but I've learned that it can't truly sustain godly actions. Because, the world and my flesh will thump away at whatever construction paper morals I had been relying on, and one day I will look up and my "want to" is gone without a trace. Grasping through that shame and helplessness towards the neglected power of the Holy Spirit's gracious changing of my soul has been very challenging for me lately.


I really really like this blog. I read the Bright Side Project (and try to win sometimes), and one day I read on there that they had a new weekend editor - Lindsey from A Great Full Day. So, I hopped on over there and was quite pleasantly surprised by the fresh, friendly mix of spiritual Truth, style, and exuberance in her blog. I'm also enjoying this blog that I randomly found. (Both of these ladies' posts often remind me that I too am a font nerd, and really enjoy working with typefaces.)


Along the lines of creativity and typefaces, I've been sitting on a lot of ideas about different prints that I'd like to create. I'd been sketching a lot, but finally spent some time with Illustrator this past weekend. Garret had to go up to work for a little bit on Saturday to transfer some 8mm film, so I tagged along to keep him company. I brought my laptop and it was fun to hangout, help him with his work, work on some of my own projects, and watch strangers' vacation movies from the 60s, lol. So, this is the first thing I came up with.

And here's a zoom of it so you can tell what's going on. A little cheesy maybe, but I got the idea in my head, and was just excited that I could remember how to make my own pattern in Illustrator and apply it.

I've been toying with lots of different ideas of things to design for the wedding, and I'm looking forward to making more of them come to fruition. More is coming soon :)