Wednesday, December 7, 2011

bday surprise

ugh. i cannot get over my montana friends. they are amazing in every way and i hate to think that i won't be seeing them for awhile. they have inspired, encouraged, sharpened, and blessed me in every possible aspect of life... and they were kind enough to throw a surprise party in honor of my 27th birthday {which was today... ok, technically yesterday}--- it was perfect. thanks again to the lovelies that organized and pulled it off without a hitch and made my birthday so special!!!




























as if that wasn't enough, God gave me another bday surprise this morning. i woke up to my 7:30 alarm and sleepily turned it off, then lay there for a few minutes until my eyes felt like opening. normally, when i'm in this state, i'll reach for my phone and scan through instagram or the twitter feed to get my brain working and then i'll get to my bible reading plan... but this morning, i felt pretty awake so i decided to dive right into my psalms/proverbs reading plan.
proverbs 31. yep, that was my proverb for the day... for my birthday. all i could utter as i read it over was "thank you Lord"... i even shed a little tear. i just felt so humbled that God loves me and cares for me so much and so intimately that He would give me proverbs 31 on my birthday. it blew me away... i'm still blown away. God's love is real people. so real.
best birthday ever.
goodnight!

Monday, December 5, 2011

monday pick-me-up :: banish your winter cold

last week, i was stuck at home with the worst cold i think i've ever had. i couldn't breathe. i couldn't sleep. i couldn't move. i could not stop blowing my nose!! it was horrible... but honestly, made me really thankful for my normally good health, which i've realized i take for granted.
i don't normally take anything when i'm sick, i'm one of those people, i guess. my mom always turned to home remedies whenever us kids were sick, and they always worked. so i've carried that with me - i drink lots of water, eat homemade soup, rest rest rest, and i'm usually better within a couple days. not this time. by day 5 of feeling like i had been kicked in the face, i finally decided to help my body out. with a hardworking husband in crunch mode with a recording project and a mom hundreds of miles away, i picked my pitiful self off the couch and went down to the store to get some drugs. ugh, i even hate saying that... but i was desperate.
i made my way to the odwalla case, grabbed a few bottles, then headed to the Emergen-C and Airborne aisle and... i... couldn't do it. i couldn't resist turning the box over and checking the ingredients. it sealed the deal... i couldn't bring myself to buy something that had fructose and natural citrus flavor {which i hope you all know, is NOT natural at all, it's sneaky wording to hide unnatural flavor enhancers... think about it, if they used real orange, they would boast about it... ok, getting off my soapbox...}. so i put the Emergen-C box back on the shelf and went straight to the vitamin section. i studied the bottles then finally chose one and headed to the check-out.
as soon as i got home, i threw back a bottle of odwalla, ate some soup and took the vitamin supplement. i'm not joking, within a couple hours i was feeling better. i wasn't ready to run a mile or anything but i felt noticeably better... even the husband noticed a change in my sickly appearance. by the end of the night, i could finally breathe through my nose; the next day, i didn't blow my nose once, i didn't feel achey, and i was feeling well enough to clean the kitchen {mostly}.
so i thought i would just list a couple things that helped me get on the road to recovery, in case you're battling the same thing. :)



1. lemon + fresh mint leaves makes a simple but great tea to help ease those congested sinuses 2. odwalla superfood  {which aren't from concentrate, don't add sugar, or any sketchy ingredients - it's truly natural! and so delish}... look for it on one of the aisle end caps. 3. classic chicken soup {super easy recipe at real simple's site4. b-complex {which has most, if not all, the same cold-fighting vitamins as Emergen-C}

wishing you a healthy monday! :)

Friday, December 2, 2011

gift guide :: pretty packages

i think i enjoy wrapping presents as much as giving them. i usually try to go with a different theme every year - like, sweater print wrapping paper tied with lots of yarn + buttons, or brown craft paper tied up with string {...these are a few of my favorite things}. and this year i'm feeling very woodsy... maybe because, oh i don't know, we live in a forest? yeah, could be that. whatever the reason, i'm hoping to find some pine branches back in california {yes, we're heading back for christmas}... now, where i would find those, i have no idea... we'll see. anyways, i thought i would 'wrap' up the week with a few pretty packages.

happy friday + have a great weekend!







1. simple wrapping paper + cute ribbon

2. clear bags + personal message {great for tea!}

3. fabric scraps as bows

4. snazzy tape

5. burlap + twine + leaves

6. flag tags!

7. feather + string

8. craft paper + rafia + pine branches

Thursday, December 1, 2011

diy gift guide :: make it personal!

some of the best and most memorable gifts are the ones without the huge price tags... but instead, made by hand. there are literally endless amounts of diy gift projects out there but i thought i would feature a few of my faves. :) so gather up a few of your girlfriends, materials, hot apple cider and make a night out of it. can't wait to do these myself!



1. vintage tin candles - start hunting around your local thrift stores, estate sales, and flea markets... you can get tins for less than a dollar most of the time!

2. sugar scrubs - get creative, use coffee grounds or ground up oatmeal and lavender for customized scents.

3. laptop/ ipad case

4. cookies in a jar - bake their favorite cookie(s) and package them up in a mason jar covered with burlap or piece of fabric + twine.

5. leather passport cover

6. hand-painted mug - create personalized designs for the recipient.

{other ideas}
   - make your own tea! go to your local health food store and buy different ingredients in bulk, mix to create a personalized tea blend, then package in a tin or separate bags.

  - make a mix CD + draw/paint completely custom cover art!





check out martha stewart and design*sponge for more diy gift ideas!

happy crafting + happy december!!