I am grateful for the gift of spontaneity

Yesterday on a whim I paid the .99 cent store a visit as this location is fairly new and I had yet to check it out! Here are some of the random items I picked up:



I tried out my "Bumpit" today (pictured above), it is actually alot of fun to wear haha! I am excited to play around with it.

It is so fun and a blessing to be able to do random things and be inspired in the moment. I am grateful to not always be locked into a set schedule but to have some free time. Other unprecedented activities this week included...

Rollerskating! After seeing a friend of mine heading down the street on his skates I hurriedly drove home to put on my own, gliding with glee around the neighborhood myself! I met Sarah at Shady Coffee on the way back and then she took this picture of me :)



I cooked my first Turkey today! It was a really simple process, I didn't go all out or anything but it turned out pretty decent. And I am definitely inspired for the next time I cook one! I am also excited to have some leftover turkey for the rest of the week :)



Me and Kiersten decorating our house for the Christmas party we threw last week! We had so much fun.




Bouncing ideas off eachother as we went along I asked Kiersten in all sincerity, "What about this owl in the teacup, cute or tacky?" She burst out laughing and then I got my answer :)



Driving through a vacant parking lot I spotted these berries to decorate with! They came in handy for my Christmas decor.



I read through old journals the other night! It was encouraging and inspiring to see the different places I have been in and where the Lord has me now. There were some funny entries too, one of them being- "Today I feel so happy! Like a reggae song riding a skateboard on a sunny day" (March 2008) Haha.



The quiet beauty of a still and decorated house, my view coming home the other night.



I had such a fun little impromtu tea date with Victoria week before last :) And I loved her side window that she painted!




As I mentioned in my last post, Lydia and I went on a photo date to take her Senior Portraits! Here are some of my favorite ones taken:










Pretty afternoon light on the kitchen window sill



Isaiah 9:6



Merry Christmas!

happy hydrangea hibernation

a few pictures from my walk this morning:


Clinton Street

Merry gold :)

train tracks off Vernon Street


As I strolled along I listened to a podcast from Mars Hill by Mark Driscoll titled "Jesus Christ is Lord, King", which definitely enhanced the quality of my morning :) It's such a blessing to hear the Gospel being preached, Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."


random outfit for the week:




(thanks Siliza for taking my pictures)

I have been stomping around in those cowboy boots since I was 17! They have been trusty as can be.

Here is a sneak peak of Lydia's senior portraits! Soon I will be able to post more, we took so many lovely ones and had so much fun in the process!



favorite earrings that I wore last Saturday.



"Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest Walk Off" @ FreeStyle's Staff Christmas party!



Vanessa's sweater takes the cake in my opinion, the best part about it- she decorated it herself!



Kier was my date second year running :)




With Christmas approaching it is such a wonderful time of year to be with loved ones, celebrate and make Christmas crafts.(Oh and drink egg nog of course!) Also with the emphasis on giving this season brings to mind the verse Acts 20:35 when Paul quotes Jesus by saying,"...'It is more blessed to give than receive'" I definitely want to maintain that perspective as the rest of the month carries on.

This quote (modified slightly to fit) was taken from an article that I read last Christmas, "If the commercialization of Christmas draws ire, there is an alternative"




To read more this article can be found at: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/12/11/v-touch/2696542/if-the-commercialization-of-christmas.html#ixzz1ftCyuANf

In it there are some good thoughts to consider. I am grateful to be challenged in how I go about celebrating the season.


precious!

Dandelion Christmas!


Me and my big ol' wreath that I made :)



Our house's Christmas card photos!


Enjoy the season dear hearts!

projects completed

I have been loving the weather lately! This has got to be one of the most beautiful Autumns that I have experienced.


Our backyard is full of leaves!



Spontaneous Silk Nog run last week! We had to go to 3 stores to find it because the first 2 were out!



Bill Cosby sweater+petite looking moonboots+conductor's hat= random outfit.


I have been wanting to own/make one of these for a while! Me and Rita had craft night a couple days ago and I have been wearing it since I made it haha :)



The fur was from the collar of a jacket, pretty easy to make and fun to wear!

This skirt I salvaged from a throwaway pile. I hemmed the bottom and fixed up the top. I thought it would be cute with leggings or some strappy sandals in the spring.


If you happened to read October's post "creative aspirations as of late" I showed a picture of a wooden frame that I found in the alley behind the store. A little here and a little there I have been fixing it up, here is the finished product:



It's just fun and whimsical and I thought for having a blog titled "sewing with tulle and felt" I ought to be using some tulle! ;)

I am nearing completion on my Christmas scarf so I will have to wait to post a picture of it another post soon.

I had my first drum lesson today, it was super fun! This is what I will be practicing until next time.


24 days until Christmas, yay!


That is all for now. :)

a thankful eve

I had a splendid Thanksgiving holiday which spread out over the course of the last two days. I am so thankful for so many things and wanted to end out this holiday with a time of reflecting on all that I am grateful for :)

I am thankful for God, for His mercy and goodness. And I am oh so grateful for His great love! Jesus thank you for laying Your life down for me and calling me Your friend <3 I am thankful for the Holy Spirit's guidance throughout each day, without it I wouldn't know what to do. I am thankful that God still guides me when I am tired and cranky, all I have to do is come humbly. Thank you Lord for always helping me to adjust my focus onto You and Your love.

I am thankful for my family! They are all so amazing, from my blood relatives to the large extended family God has placed me in I feel so blessed. I love you all!

I am thankful to see the Lord moving in my loved one's lives. Such a blessing to see the fruits of answered prayers.

I am thankful for my friends that I have had in the past and that are currently in my life now. All of their love has made such in impact in my life and helped shape who I am. I am grateful for fellowship and community, it is so fun to share the joys of life with friends!

I am thankful for adventures and opportunities to do fun things and experience the joy and blessing that life is.

I am thankful for the place that I am at in my life, this has been my best year yet and I am just so grateful for all that the Lord has done in my life and my heart to bring me to where I am at now.

I am thankful for the home that I live in, the Dandelion house is the best! I constantly come home and feel extremely grateful to have lived with and to live with such encouraging and amazing ladies. And not to mention it's a pretty cute place too!

I could go on but I think that is where I will stop for now. However here is some fun documentation from the last few weeks:

The Brussels I sauteed for Friendsgiving! This was a neat dish to make and I even went out of my usual realm of ingredients with some white wine, shallots and cream. If you want the recipe I would be more than happy to share! (Margarita shared it with me) :)


Some of the last remaining ladies @ the Third Annual Friendsgiving! Margarita was a amazing hostess and we had such a fun little time.


Last week Madison and I went hiking! It was such a beautiful day. This waterfall is in Auburn!




I went red after a 6 year hiatus. It has been fun to switch up my hair color and it was also fun that Katie did Rita and my hair at the same time :)





My Aunt Jacque is so cool and super talented in all things domestic. I am learning her ways!


I picked knitting up again! This is a scarf I am knitting for someone special for Christmas. (Don't want to give it away who!) It's such an enjoyable activity and great to do while visiting with others. The other night some buddies and I were at the house and we were being silly and talking for hours meanwhile I was still able to knit away. We even made a song to teach people how to knit haha! (I am no expert but if you need any pointers I would be delighted to show you how)



I had such lovely day yesterday visiting friends and family in Grass Valley. Adrienne aka Mom took me out to lunch and I couldn't resist getting a photo in front of this wall, I thought it was so cute!


There is so much beauty to be seen. Lord give us eyes to see and ears to hear. Most of all I pray for a heart to love and be thankful with.

Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, Rejoice!"

I have the remnants of a food coma (and a food baby haha!) and am off to bed soon.
Just for the record though I took a 2 hour nap after Thanksgiving dinner (lunch) today and it was glorious!

Here is a quote (modified slightly) that I found on Mars Hill's website last week that has stuck with me.



If you have never heard of Mark Driscoll (their senior pastor) or their church I highly recommend looking them up on Itunes for free podcasts, they have some awesome and straight up Biblical messages.

Bless you all! Goodnight :)

Yesterday was a great day..

..I awoke later than usual and although I typically don't care for sleeping in it did feel nice to wake up when my body decided to come to and not when my alarm (which is usually my roommate haha) was telling me to. I was rested and ready to see whatever the Lord had in mind for the day. I am in a unique season of life right now. I have never been more at rest (physically and also internally) and it's not that I have ceased all activity but I feel I have become more directed in what I do or don't do and now actually have days off, which I never really allowed for before. I feel like a real person haha :D So about yesterday, yesterday felt a little like Heaven on Earth. Between the time I spent in prayer, with some friends and time doing some of the things I enjoy, I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude and blessing. That's all I wanted to share really.

Also a longtime dream has come true... After months of wait a drum set is now assembled in my bedroom, haha! I first desired to play the drums all the way back in the 6th grade, it was a short lived phase and at some point the desire faded away. (I took up the Clarinet instead, way less cool!) ;) Anyhow over this last summer out of nowhere the desire returned! I found myself listening intently to drumming in music that I would hear, trying to imitate the sounds with my imagination. It's really random but I am certainly excited to learn how to play! And I have not given up on my Ukulele playing either for those of you that may be wondering. I am continuing to practice that on the side as well :) (and actually have been improving some!)



some crafty items I doodled yesterday and today.




There is so much freedom in living simply.