3.16.2011

Miami Vices

Why, hello there!  I just got back last night from an amazing weekend in Miami and I'm definitely still recovering.  Of course, I did not have a camera anywhere near me all weekend long (note:  I'm one of those "can't enjoy life through a lens" kind of people) except for my iphone and there's no way I'm posting those unimpressive snapshots.  But I'll try to give you some sort of overview anyway.

I went to a wedding here:

Miamiamia
Woman Getting Married

Okay, pick your jaw up off the ground.  Yes, it was out of control amazing.

Then I hung out all weekend long with one of my dearest friends who works here:

The Daily Beast

Again, clean the drool off.  It's the newest Frank Gehry beauty and home of the New World Symphony, on Miami Beach.

Apart from the run of the mill lounging in the sun, enjoying the beachy breeze and taking advantage of the occasional bubbly beverage, we ate ourselves silly at some amazing places.  Like here:

Google
Again, with the drool.  And here:

Google

"Best cake in America", according to Oprah.  No big deal.  Oh, and here:

Balans

Just to name a few...

Anyway, my family is coming to visit this afternoon from Texas so I may be out of commission again this week.  It's not that I don't love you.  I promise.

XOXO
--MEL





3.10.2011

Wish List 2.0

The internet is really a magical place.  I mean, I can window shop for hours on this thing and never come up empty handed.  I can put everything from information to art to shoes to food to houses in my basket and walk out completely satisfied.  What an inspiring little shop we have in our corner to browse anytime we want.

So, here are a few things I'm putting in my shopping basket today.  Hope you enjoy!



(Images via ovendoorowl)

That book is just one more reason I wish I lived in Portland.  It's a walking guide to the Portland area that pays special attention to the needs of your chosen companion (your dog, your infant, your Grandmother, your best friend who only wants to walk to a place, spread out a blanket, and proceed to sit there for the rest of the day and drink wine, etc.).  

By the way, I have a running list of Pros and Cons to living in Portland.  I keep finding great things to add to the Pros list; but my Cons list is pretty filled up with this:


Oh well.

On a sunnier note...


I would like very much to purchase this cottage in Australia.  That's right, I'll take it fully furnished,


Including all the furniture and fixtures on the porch (that bathtub!),

And don't worry about that tree, it's perfect right where it is.  Please and thank you.


(Images via realestate.com.au.  Found via Desire to Inspire)

Oh and just in case the cottage doesn't have a fridge, I'll take this one:

Smeg U.S.A.

Whew!  All that shopping was exhausting!



3.08.2011

Encouragement

Remember in my first post when I made a very dooming statement about how most of my writing projects start off with a bang and fizzle into nothingness shortly thereafter?

Let's hope this is not the beginning of that.

The past couple weeks have been wonderful and filled to the brim with a million other things to occupy my mind.  So sorry it's been brief around here.

First of all, it's absolutely spring here.  And anyone who knows me (especially since college) knows that when the sun comes out and the air warms up, I become an outdoor animal.  It's hard to get me to come inside for extended periods of time and it's definitely hard to get me looking at anything else except the sky or a tree or the new sprouts from the garden.

(Brief interlude where I go outside and water the garden.)

Pattern Bee


I understand that most of the country is not experiencing what I am here, so here's a little something to life your spirits:


the manifesto of encouragement

right now:
There are Tibetan Buddhist monks in a temple in the Himalayas endlessly reciting mantras for the cessation of your suffering and for the flourishing of your happiness.
Someone you haven't met yet is already dreaming of adoring you.
Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life.
Nuns in the Alps are in endless vigil, praying for the Holy Spirit to alight the hearts of all of God's children.
A farmer is looking at his organic crops and whispering, "nourish them."
Someone wants to kiss you, to hold you, to make tea for you. 
Someone is willing to lend you money, wants to know what your favourite food is, and treat you to a movie. 
Someone in your orbit has something immensely valuable to give you -- for free.
Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on.
The next great song is being rehearsed.
Thousands of people are in yoga classes right now intentionally sending light out from their heart chakras and wrapping it around the earth.
Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way.
Someone is in profound pain, and a few months from now, they'll be thriving like never before. They just can't see it from where they're at.
Someone who is craving to be partnered, to be acknowledged, to ARRIVE, will get precisely what they want -- and even more. And because that gift will be so fantastical in it's reach and sweetness, it will quite magically alter their memory of angsty longing and render it all "So worth the wait."
Someone has recently cracked open their joyous, genuine nature because they did the hard work of hauling years of oppression off of their psyche -- this luminous juju is floating in the ether, and is accessible to you.
Someone just this second wished for world peace, in earnest.
Someone is fighting the fight so that you don't have to.
Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail, and your garbage is picked up, that the trains are running on time, and that you are generally safe. 
Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil liberties and clean drinking water.
Someone is regaining their sanity. 
Someone is coming back from the dead. 
Someone is genuinely forgiving the seemingly unforgivable. 
Someone is curing the incurable.
You. Me. Some. One. Now.




(found via Marvelous Kiddo; originally posted here)

3.03.2011

One more year

Hello internet cosmos!  I have successfully taken the last few days and done nothing but celebrate with friends and family.  My house is a wreck, I am about 100 lbs. heavier from all the cake and champagne, and I'm still catching up on sleep.  I'm exhausted but so very happy.

I could not be more thankful for the wonderful people in my life.  I owe my every happiness to your love.

So naturally, after having taken off way too many days from the dear blog, I have a million inspiring things to share with you but I'll try to split them up over a few posts.

Enjoy!

Let's start off with babies.  I found this adorable superhero via Say Yes to Hoboken and her Babble post and I am scheming over all the little boys (and girls too I suppose!  I would have loved to have a personalized superhero boyfriend doll!) I can buy this for.  Plus, it's completely customizable--you can change the clothes, the hair, even the letter on his shirt.  Completely adorable.

Sophie and Lilli

Next, let's talk food.  Our friends are real foodies--the fun laid back ones and the trendy stereotypical ones.  It's fine, we'll accept the societal connotations.  And while we love to immerse ourselves in fancy foods, we also tease ourselves about our sometimes hilarious food-centric whims.  So, when I saw this on the kitchn, I knew it would be perfect for my friends.  I will definitely be gifting this soon.  (Images via Knock Knock)



Next up:  plants.  Succulents, in particular.  If I could have no other plants for the rest of my life--to adorn every surface in my home and my garden and my porch--they would be succulents.  And I think I may soon be repotting all of my current succulents into these outrageous planters, found via Oh Joy!  Plus, I will be purchasing 1 million more of them to save for my succulents I have yet to acquire.

UPDATE:  Looks like they're all sold out in the Plaid Pigeon Etsy shop!  I will haunt the shop everyday until their return.

(Images via Oh Joy!)


Is there anything better than a dinosaur succulent planter?  I think not.

XOXO
--MEL

2.25.2011

Princess Apparent

Happy Friday everyone!  I can't thank you enough for all of your wonderful help in selecting my new glasses!  I think I have taken your suggestions and the suggestions of many many others and made a good selection.  I'll let you know soon!

I found the most wonderful article the other day from Time Magazine, September of 1953.  It's about one of the biggest movie stars of all time, yet it is a sweet insight into her life pre-fame:

As the princess in Paramount's new picture, Roman Holiday, the newcomer named Audrey Hepburn gives the popular old romantic nonsense a reality it has seldom had before. Amid the rhinestone glitter of Roman Holiday's make-believe, Paramount's new star sparkles and glows with the fire of a finely cut diamond. Impertinence, hauteur, sudden repentance, happiness, rebellion and fatigue supplant each other with lightning speed on her mobile, adolescent face.

Can you imagine what it was like before Audrey blew up on screen and became one of the biggest influences on cinema and fashion and well, everything?  The article is a great read and I highly recommend it.  It's nice to take a trip to the golden years of Hollywood when they had a newcomer named Audrey Hepburn.

I hope you all have a dreamy weekend!  
--MEL

Cover Browser

2.24.2011

Warby Parker

So, I recently discovered the undeniably amazing glasses company Warby Parker.  I know, they've been all over the blogosphere for a million years now, but I just recently pulled up my boot straps and did the virtual try on.  Yes, I'm from Texas.

The virtual try on is this wonderful thing they have on their website where you take a picture of yourself and then virtually try on all their frames.  And if that wasn't enough, they let you pick out your favorite 5 frames, then they send them to you in the mail, you get to keep them for 5 days, show them off, and then return them at no charge.  

Amazing.

So, that brings us to our next 5 points:

Colton (Sandalwood Matte)


Miles (Revolver Black)

Fillmore (Tennessee Whiskey)

Sinclair (Burgundy Fade)

Crosby (Greystone)

So let me know what you think!  Which one is your favorite?  I need all the help I can get because I think they are all amazing.  

And did I mention, for every pair of glasses Warby Parker sells, they give a pair to someone in need?  

Yep, pretty awesome.

--MEL

2.23.2011

Eat Green

Happy Wednesday folks!  I am in a particularly earth friendly mood today!  Partly because of this:




My japanese magnolia is blooming!  Isn't it amazing?

And because of this:

Amazon

I am researching creation care for a bible study I am starting at my church.  Hopefully, it will lead to a church that is a leader in it's community for demonstrating stewardship and environmental awareness.

And last but not least, this:

Time Magazine

I found this article a while back via FNJ and found it to be very inspiring.  Even though the majority of the article discusses the weaknesses of the green movement, the upside is that one way we can personally, and strongly, contribute is by changing the way we eat.

Now, I am certainly not a green goddess and I certainly pull through the Chick-Fil-A every few months to get my fix.  I'm not perfect.  None of us are.  But I definitely strive to be a more green person.  And if there's one way I can hop on this bandwagon, eating is going to be it for sure.

How wonderful that just by eating conscientiously and thinking about where our food comes from and acting accordingly, we can contribute to taking care of our planet.  I am a proponent of this, not only for environmental reasons, but simply because of how much better food tastes when it is better for you and better for the earth.

Give it a try this week.  Eat vegetarian for one whole day.  Buy your meat locally.  Maybe try and visit the farm where the animal was raised.  Plant something outside that is edible or go to your local farmer's market and meet the people who do it for you.

Then cook an incredible meal with family and friends and celebrate life and all the abundance of the earth.

That reminds me...gotta go pick up our CSA from the farmer's market today!

--MEL