Pinterest and The Amazingness of Tissue Paper Poms

So, I looooove Pinterest. A few years ago when "everyone" started joining Pinterest, I draaaaaged my feet about it. No way did I need another website addiction of the social media variety. But then I discovered what it's all about, and it has been one of my favorite things on the Internet since...well, ever. I love creativity and decorating and of course designing things, and Pinterest is the best place to put all of those wonderful things. And well, recipes. I am not a fan of cooking, so Pinterest helps make it more enjoyable for me.

I have also grown to looooove decorating the space where we live. That space is currently a two-bedroom apartment, and as such, I am limited on space and by the fact that the walls, ceilings, and floors are not actually mine. But I love home decor just the same.

That being said, our second bedroom has gone through some major transitions since we moved in almost exactly three years ago. It started out as strictly an office space with a GINORMOUS desk I bought from IKEA after we were first married. And then we wanted the room to function as a guestroom for family visiting from Michigan and for nieces to take naps in. But we also needed the room to house our printers, scanners, filing cabinet, etc. So in order to make this guestroom function in all of the above capacities, I turned to Pinterest to PIN some inspiration. Novel idea. ;) I found lots of ideas for putting a double bed and a crib and an office in the same space. But to make a long and boring story short, I got rid of the IKEA desk and was able to implement many of the ideas I had pinned. I wound up putting a wardrobe/armoire in one of the corners of the room. Doing so created a nasty dead space/hole, and the artist in me needed to hide and soften that corner to make it look more cozy, and intentional, and pleasing to the eye. I thought of hanging paper poms from the ceiling, searched for the best tutorial I could find, and pinned it to my office decor board for later.

My, oh, my, what a seemingly innocent thing to do. As with most people, I joined Pinterest just to keep personal pinboards and didn't necessarily care if anyone else ever saw what I pinned on this or any other boards. But then when people started liking the things that I found, I thought that was actually pretty cool.

I found this link about one year ago, and it is now my most repinned pin I've ever pinned. ;) I'm sure other people are used to this, but me, not so much. I get notified almost daily about someone else repinning or liking my pin, which is definitely kind of exciting even if it doesn't actually mean anything or say anything about my curating skills.

The lady who wrote the tutorial is to be commended. It really is a good one. I mean, tissue paper poms are NOT rocket science, but if you're like me or the over 400 other people who liked or repinned my pin, you love the visuals and the step-by-step instructions, even if you don't actually NEED to be told how to make something you likely made in grade school. She has tips for the best ways to hang them and a great link for getting nice tissue paper in a wide variety of colors, which I used and was very impressed with as I just did not have any success finding shades of brown tissue paper at my local Party City or Target. As you can imagine, not many people use BROWN tissue paper for gift-wrapping. ;) You can see her tutorial here.

And just for fun, here's how my project turned out.

Four of the poms are four different shades of brown tissue paper and the fifth one is made out of pages from an old book. The last was by far the hardest pom to make as the paper was small and brittle, but I love the effect it created. I actually have a different lamp there now, but the space is filled in exactly the way I wanted it to be. I personally think it is a GREAT look for a room that functions as a pseudo-nursery and as a guestroom with an office in the large closet.

Death at Downton

*Warning: This post talks vaguely about the concept of characters dying on the TV show Downton Abbey from Seasons 1-3. There are no spoilers, I promise.*

Downton Abbey. I started watching this TV show about a year ago at the recommendation of a friend. Season 1 was on Netflix, and right away, I fell in love with the quality and the detail and the costumes and the stories. I didn't love the characters, not at first, but I learned to love all of their little quirks, well, except for the characters I loved to hate. I also wasn't particularly drawn to the time period, but I so love historical fiction that I found it fascinating anyway. To me, the show was about the house and the people that happened to live in it. People would come and go, the house would be altered, but in the end, if the walls could talk, Downton Abbey would tell these stories.

It didn't take long for me to notice that time skipped ahead very quickly as the show went along, and each season of 7-8 episodes covered about 3 years. The family and staff dealt with major issues of the time period and national and world events, and it was written and filmed in such a way that it wasn't hard to follow or stay interested because you noticed the costumes, hairstyles, and other things changing from one episode to the next. As I watched Season 2 and later, Season 3, I had already decided that if I wasn't emotionally detached from the characters, I would later be devastated. I knew they would have to start "killing off" the current generation of characters soon, simply because time had progressed, characters had aged, and potentially actors would want to move on from the show. In addition, death is a natural part of life, and people in history seemed to have to deal with the loss of loved ones a lot more often than we do now. I knew that to be true, and if Downton is to portray an accurate representation of history, I figured the characters would eventually experience it. And they do. I quickly learned to love the show without minding what happened to anyone in it...that is, except my personal favorite character, well, characters . . . John Bates and Anna . . . and of course the Dowager Countess.

I suppose the show hasn't struck others in the same way. I've been told that Downton is a soap opera. Well, soap opera or not, life happens. People die and some move in and out of our lives. It doesn't feel like a stretch to me when and if it happens on a TV show. Just this month, I had two people I know pass away. One died quite suddenly at a young age and the other died suddenly as well, but of old age as she was 96. To have people die on a fictional show is sad too, albeit in a superficial way seeing as the characters aren't real. But because it happens more often on a show than we would like it too doesn't make it terrible writing, especially considering the time period. I know dozens of stories in my family history when someone died suddenly or unexpectedly. To me, it's life.

That being said, the only character on Downton that I actually expect to die soon is the one I can't imagine the show without: the Dowager Countess. The show is great on its own merit, but her personality and wit take it to a new level of excellence. I am afraid the fact that her character was quite old already (when the show began), it would be a stretch for her to live much longer. This makes me sad. I fear the show will lose ratings and popularity when they lose her unless they are able to replace her with someone of equal caliber. I hope they can as I should love to see what happens to Downton in many more seasons and in later decades.

Eight Months

We've officially been in Texas for eight months now. Minus this infernal, eternal summer heat, we pretty much love it here. There are lots of people and places we miss back in Michigan, but I am constantly reminded how much we are supposed to be here right now, at this exact time in our lives. It just feels so right.

I feel like I should kind of summarize what life has been like for us these past eight months, so if you've not been keeping up with us, you'll know what we've been up to. Can I really squeeze the past eight months into one post? I'm going to try . . . and GO.

January 2011
January was basically a whole month of packing and saying goodbye. The month culminated with the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad actual trip. We drove: Nate, a huge moving truck pulling our car on a trailer, and me, our truck with our dog in the passenger seat and his dog house in the bed. The weather was awful. But we prevailed. It took us 2 and a half days (when we can normally do it in 17 hours), but we made it.

February 2011
Nate job hunted, while I spent the time getting to know the ins and outs of life with an infant, and I began working as Ellie's nanny on Valentine's Day. Ellie turned 12 weeks old that day. I was also working part time doing some graphic design for a business in Michigan via the Internet. We were living with my brother, his wife, and their baby, so it was close quarters for awhile. But, we made it work. We had our meals together and divided up the chores. It was communal living at its finest, and I have fond memories of our time together. I think it especially helped Nate and Valerie, the in-laws, get to know each other better.

March 2011
Nate found a job, actually two jobs, and began working at our church and for my brother's IT company. We found an apartment about ten minutes away from my brother's house. It was so nice to finally have a place that was ours to call home. When we weren't working, we began slowly moving our things to our apartment and out of the rental storage unit where all our worldly possessions lived while we were staying with my brother. By the end of the month, the transition was complete, and we were moved in. The biggest highlight of March, for me, was getting my first pair of glasses. I knew I would have to get my eyes tested to get my license, and I knew without glasses, that I would have failed that test. So, off to the optometrist it was. I can't believe I went so long without getting my eyes tested. But, I am pretty used to them now, and I really like the frames. I'm thankful the adjustment wasn't too difficult for me.

April 2011
Now that we finally had a permanent address, we started making the adjustment of getting our vehicles licensed and registered in the State of Texas. It was a miserable experience, to be sure. I've moved lots of times, but this was the first time I've moved out of state as a vehicle owner. We jumped through the myriad of required hoops and finally got everything taken care of by the beginning of May, I think it was. We celebrated Easter with my brother's family, which was different, but in a good way. We're so thankful to have family near us so that we don't have to celebrate holidays alone.

May 2011
After the move and all of the necessary expenses involved with becoming residents and getting settled in our new house, we didn't have much left over for our yearly anniversary trip. I always like to go somewhere, just the two of us. I love to travel, and our anniversary is just the best time of year for us to do it. Since we were new to this area, we decided the best option was to have a Staycation. The only thing I regret about it was that we didn't take more pictures! We really did have the best time together. The first day, we went to breakfast at iHOP (Nate's very favorite place to eat) and then spent the day at Six Flags, which is literally about 10 minutes from our house. That night, we enjoyed the pool and hot tub at our apartment. It was the first time we had been to the pool, and it felt like we were staying at a hotel. It was lovely. The next day, our actual anniversary, we went to the Dallas Museum of Art. I've been to lots of art museums, and this certainly wasn't the finest I'd ever been too. Still, they had ancient Egyptian pieces that Nate enjoyed seeing, and I enjoyed visiting regardless. Afterward, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe, where they had a few guitars belonging to Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. This was significant to us, as we had just gotten hooked on the show Bones, in which Gibbons occasionally guest-stars. After dinner, we wandered over to the historic site where President Kennedy was shot. Everything was closed, but we visited the monument and walked down the street where it occurred. All in all, we enjoyed our Staycation.

June 2011
My little brother's wedding was at the beginning of the month, so we took the opportunity to head to Michigan early to visit. We spent the first few days with Nate's mom and stepdad before heading to my parents' house. It had been in the triple digits weather-wise when we had left Texas, but with the humidity in Michigan combined with the lack of air conditioning most places, it was horribly hot! A few days before the wedding, I visited an old coworker of mine who I had arranged to have cut my hair. I had been growing it out since our wedding three years prior, and I was ready to have it cut. I wanted to donate to a non-profit organization, such as Locks of Love, but I didn't want it super-short. It was the shortest I've ever had it, but it turned out awesome. Kelsey did a great job. :o) My brother's wedding festivities were amazing. I had a blast hanging out with the girls, especially Becca, my new sister-in-law, and our friend and fellow bridesmaid, Angie. This wedding will always be especially memorable to me because I got to walk with my husband, as he was a groomsman. How often does that happen? It was so fun.

July 2011
The hottest month of my life. Literally. Our area of Texas was in close-to-record-breaking heat for number of consecutive days over 100 degrees. The previous record was I think 42 (or 43?) days, set in 1980. We missed the record by a few days due to a minor storm front that passed through and dropped the temperature to the upper 90s for like a day or two. We also had extreme drought conditions as we had had very little rain. We just learned to stay inside most of the time. Since everywhere is air conditioned, it didn't seem to be so terrible. The last weekend of the month, I flew to Michigan to throw a shower and bachelorette party for my best friend, Laura. (Yes, we have the same name. Yes, we're used to it. No, it's not weird for us.) It was a small gathering, but we had a great time. We went to a Tiger's game (where it was miserably hot) and then went to Hard Rock for dinner. It was a whirlwind trip for me, but it was unforgettable.

August 2011
A few weeks later, Nate and I flew back to Michigan to attend my best friend, Laura's wedding. I spent the week with Laura while Nate went to see his parents for a few days. In the past nine years of our friendship (has it really been that long?!?!), I have come to know her family and friends. It really feels like they are an extension of my family and friends. Laura and I are like the sisters each of us never had, and I love the friendship we have worked very hard to build and maintain. It has been so worth it. I told Laura the weekend after I met Andrew (but several years before they began dating), that I wanted her to end up with a guy like Andrew. I had no idea she would actually marry him, but I am so glad she did. They are perfect for each other, and I just love that they are now Mr. and Mrs. After the wedding, we came right back to Texas to take part in Ellie's dedication at church. It was awesome to go to God in prayer, together, to ask him to bless her little life and to help us be a godly example to her. As her aunt and nanny, I was honored to be a part of it. I definitely teared up. She means so very much to me, and I constantly thank God for allowing me to be a part of her life.

That brings us to the present. Thanks for being interested in our lives. We have some new things planned for September, including me getting involved volunteering at church as well as both of us attending an Equip class (a month long topical Bible study on Wednesday nights) and joining a small group at our church. Stay tuned!

Mrs. Piatt's Log. Stardate: -311347.8

So I'm a Star Trek fan. Not a closet Star Trek fan. A full-fledged, seen-almost-every-episode-of-every-show, geek-speaking fan. I don't hide this fact. I mean, my external hard drive is named The Defiant, and my flash drives are all named after runabouts. I am totally okay with my geeky-ness. I've been watching TNG* since I was probably about nine years old with my dad and my brothers. Admittedly, I used to hate it. I'd complain when my dad and brothers were watching it, but they would just tell me I could go do something else if I didn't like it. So, I sucked it up, and got sucked in as a result. Over the years, my mom has even learned to enjoy the show.

This works out perfectly because my husband is also a Trekkie. (Great, you're thinking, their future kids are doomed.) Nate watched the show Star Trek: The Next Generation religiously on TV when it first aired. We're geeks. It's true. It's one of our favorite things to watch together. Because without our geek shows, we'd have a hard time finding shows we both enjoy. Generally I like period dramas, and he prefers action/comedy. It's hard impossible to find a show that fits both of those categories! So Sci-Fi it is.

A year or two ago, we borrowed TNG* on DVD from my younger brother and watched all seven seasons. We own the subsequent movies, and we watched them as well. Then we borrowed DS9* on DVD (also seven seasons) from my dad. Now that we have discovered Star Trek: Voyager on Netflix, we are excitedly watching it. Yep. You guessed it. Seven seasons. We're currently on season four.

Anyway, after all of that useless knowledge to amuse and entertain you, I was recently struck by something one of the characters said on an episode of Voyager that I recently watched. Bear with me: it pertains to this blog entry. ;o)

One of the characters was chattering on incessantly, and the other said, "You know, you really should keep a personal log. Why bore others needlessly?"

It was meant as a humorous quip, but it really struck me. I've been reevaluating my use of social networking sites lately, and I have discovered at a time in my life when social networking is my virtual circle of friends, I probably "chatter on" too much with constant posts about unnecessary things – things only a select few care about. Sites, such as Facebook, serve their purpose and I'm thankful to have them, but I think my time is probably better spent writing in a blog. I used to journal several times a week on actual paper as well as online blogs, and at certain times in my life, I have kept daily journals, such as my trip to England and Scotland in 2005. I cherish those journals as they help me remember significant events, but more importantly to me, how I was feeling and what I was thinking at the time.

That being said, I hope to keep up on this blog a little better than I have in the past few months. No promises, but it's worth a shot. Besides, this way, if I bore others, I'll be able to say that it's my personal blog, and if they are bored, they can just stop reading. :o)

_______________________________________________

*Common Star Trek abbreviations as follows: TOS = The Original Series, TNG = The Next Generation, DS9 = Deep Space 9, VOY = Voyager

Project 31: Day 7: Melanie

Day 7. Write a blog to encourage another beautiful woman.

I've been praying about who God would have me write to encourage. The same beautiful woman comes to mind each time. I am beginning to understand what it means for God to lay people on your heart and that there is a reason for it. I have no idea why, but I'm pleased to write a little backstory about why and how she has encouraged me followed by a few words I have to say to her.

How We Met:

Melanie and I met and got to know each other summer 2007 at the campground where we both used to work in the housekeeping department. I'm the second on the left, and she's the one on the far right. We were at similar places in our lives at the time, and we had some great discussions. We both got engaged within weeks (it may have been more like days...I can't remember exactly) of each other. Well, the summer ended, but as people do, we added each other on Facebook to stay in touch. We didn't really converse a lot over that next year. She was a senior in college, and I was struggling getting my first "real job". It was fun, however, to watch each other wedding plan as our wedding dates were one week apart! After our weddings, I eventually discovered she had a blog, and though I hadn't started one yet at the time, I remember occasionally reading hers. I probably didn't comment much, but I enjoyed reading about the adventures of her and her husband.

The One with Her Blog That Has Encouraged Me :o)

Then she wrote this blog post about how her husband quit his job in a grad school program and how they were trusting God to provide for them with no real source of income. I remember reading how she wasn't freaking out. I knew that God must have been giving her a peace about it. I knew that was awesome and I definitely respected her for it, but I have to be honest, part of me still thought, Oh my goodness. It's so irresponsible to quit a job without another lined up. God will provide but you have to work hard. You can't just expect Him to drop money in your lap. Not that I was placing judgment on them. Like I said, I knew God would provide, but I guess I was freaking out for them just a little bit. I think knowing God will provide and being faced with having to totally rely on Him to provide are totally different things. I remember reading that to Nate. We commented that we could never do that, but on the other hand, good for them.

Well fast-forward two years. Melanie wrote this post about what had happened in the two years following and how Kevin wanted to be a pastor now, a decision he never would have made had he not originally quit his PhD program. God did a MAJOR work in me in the approximately two years in between these posts. For some reasons that were very important to me, I felt I needed to leave a job I really loved doing about seven months before I actually did leave. I had thought about it a lot. I had prayed about it. I had talked to my husband about it. We had prayed about it. I read what happened with Kevin and Melanie and was so encouraged. I remember sitting at McDonald's with my husband the day I quit my job and looking at Kevin and Mel as an example of trusting God to provide and what that really means practically. I absolutely could not believe we were considering something similar. I wanted God's will first and foremost. I was scared out of my boots, but I did it. God gave me a peace that I can't even describe to you. Nate and I both knew it was the right thing for me to do, but it was one of the scariest things I'd ever done.

Fast-forward another 5 months. In those few months, we experienced much frustration, much tightening on the finances, and many, many, many conversations about our future. In mid-December, God did a huge work in our lives. With very little warning, He basically dropped the perfect job (nanny for my niece AND freelance graphic designer) into my lap and in a matter of a week, we were moving to Texas. It was extremely sudden, but we knew with almost no doubt that it was what God wanted. For more info on this, you should probably read this and if your really bored and interested go ahead and read this too. My husband, Nate, had to quit his job and when our HSA (health savings account...a form of health insurance) runs out, we will have no health insurance. This trumps quitting my job as one of the scariest things I've done. Now suddenly, we were in Kevin and Melanie's shoes. We were doing some of the idiotic things for Christ* that they had done. They have been blessed beyond measure. God has taken their willing hearts and made something beautiful. Their ministry is flourishing. It is absolutely beautiful to watch.

The Part Where I Encourage Her

Melanie, dear, I want to thank you for writing from your heart. I want to thank you for using your God-given talents, your human quirky uniqueness, and your real life experiences for His glory. I love that you have a blog for your youth group. I love your transparency to your teens in your blog and in life. I can tell that you are a huge encouragement to them and a wonderful role model for them to look up to. Thank you for sharing your struggles and triumphs in your marriage. I smile when I think of you two working together, hand in hand, as a team. A healthy (not to be confused with perfect) marriage is so, so beautiful. Don't hate me when you read my initial reaction to Kevin's quitting his PhD program. I wanted to relate it because of the irony of how God has used my reaction to teach me more about Himself and to prepare me for others to react to me that way. I know he is preparing something for Nate and me that is the absolute best thing for us, and seeing your flourishing ministry encourages me whenever I start to doubt. I love how you share your struggles and triumphs with eating well and exercising. I love that you wear many hats and that you thrive in doing many different jobs when many people struggle juggling just one. I have no idea how the next two years will unfold for the Eccles or the Piatts, but I know God has some exciting things in store. I want to encourage you to keep doing what you're doing. Everyone has days they wonder if what they are doing really matters, and I just pray that this can be an encouragement to you in some small way. You're beautiful!

*Watch the sermon "Idiots for Christ" by Craig Groeschel via that link. Trust me, if God has ever asked you to do something crazy, you will be able to relate and will love this sermon. You can listen to the podcast instead if you prefer. :o)

Project 31: Day 3: Inspiration

Day 3. Who is someone you know who inspires beauty?

Oh boy. I'm going to have to think long and hard about this one. This might be a stream of consciousness post, just a warning. Someone I know. I am inspired by lots of people I don't know whose blogs I read. I don't think that counts. Hmm. Inspires beauty how? Inspires me to be beautiful? Inspires beauty in those around them? Inspires you to make things that are beautiful? I could take this so many ways. I'm going to stick with inspires me to be beautiful because that seems to fit the theme best. I make a quick mental list: Nate, mom, Polly (my mother-in-law), GramE. Then I pause and wonder, just one? No. It would be a disservice to the ones I left out if I chose only one. So, with that, I am going to bend the rules a little, and write about all four of the ones I mentioned.

My husband Nate inspires me to be beautiful by the way he affirms me and tells me I look beautiful even when I don't try and especially when I don't agree. He tells me I am beautiful almost daily, and sometimes I say, "Really? Today? I haven't showered. My hair's a mess. I look terrible today." He gets so irritated with me, and rightly so. One time, he really called me out on it. "Laura, you know when I tell you that you're beautiful and then you tell me you're not, you are basically calling me a liar. Your distrust in me really makes me feel disrespected." Ouch. But he was right, so right. I have since curbed my instinct to deny his compliment. This is one of the main reasons I knew we were so meant for each other. He tells me what I need to hear when I need to hear it in a loving but straightforward manner. Never harsh or hurtful. In love. I cherish him for that. Now on days when I don't feel beautiful and he tells me I am, I force a smile and thank him. Each time, it gets easier to accept. Because of the way he shows love to me, he makes me want to be even more beautiful on the inside and out.

My mom, Linda, who is one of the strongest women I've ever known, inspires me to be as strong as she is. As with many women, she has been through more than she deserves. But I know God allowed things to happen to her because he knew she would trust him through it all and it would make her a stronger person. I love that we've become such great friends now that I'm grown. She has always told me that I'm beautiful, for as long as I can remember. My parents were very good, they still are, at encouraging me and telling me I was beautiful and talented. I knew they really believed it and weren't just telling me because they had to. I think so easily we dismiss encouragement from parents because we feel they have a moral obligation to tell us things about ourselves, even things that aren't true. What a ridiculous notion that is. There are always positive things to say about someone; there is no need to lie and tell them they are good at something when they aren't. I was never told I was a great athlete. That would have been preposterous. I'm not an athlete at all. But I have always been told how talented I am at writing and art. Those are things I love and that I am good at. My mom was and still is such a beautiful mom. When I grow up, I want to be as great a mom to my kids as she was and is to me. She has inspired me to be a beautiful mom myself someday.

My mother-in-law, Polly, is another strong influence in my life who inspires me. Though I've only known her for the past 4-5 years, I have really loved the role she has played in my life so far. I am thankful we have lived close so that I could get to know her better and spend time with her. She and Nate have a great relationship, too, which I am so thankful for. I remember once or twice she has told me, "I prayed for you." When Nate was growing up, she prayed for the woman he would some day marry. That resonates with me so strongly, that years before we would ever meet, she was praying for me. My mom was also praying for Nate. I am so thankful to have prayer as a very early base for our marriage! Polly is also a breast cancer survivor. I hope she doesn't mind me posting that for the world to see, but after thinking about it, I wanted to tell people how it has impacted me. She struggled with breast cancer before I knew her, but I have seen the look on Nate's face when he's told me stories about it. He remembers how strong she was spiritually and physically and how strong she still is now that she's cancer-free! She is a fighter for sure, and I just find that so inspiring. I hope if I am ever faced with hard challenges that she has had to face that I can take them on with the same strength and trust in God that she has. She inspires me to be a fighter no matter what. She's also an amazing cook! Nate grew up with a mom who is a fantastic cook. No, seriously. I have a lot to live up to!

My eighty-six year old grandmother has such a rich history, and I love it when she shares her wonderful stories with me. She is my last living grandparent, the only one who was able to be there for my wedding. At 5'3, she's tougher than she looks! She has had just about every non-life threatening health problem there is! She's super healthy, though. I think she takes like one pill a day besides her vitamins, which I guess is crazy for someone her age. She still lives alone in an independent retirement community in Florida where she and my grandpa moved when I was four years old. She goes on walks every day, gardens, cooks, cleans - everything she's done for as long as I've known her. I am her only granddaughter, and she has doted on me more than you could imagine! I believe my strong love of my heritage comes from her (through my mom). Since my grandpa passed away in 2003, she and I have gotten much closer. Never have I seen two people more in love than my grandparents were. They were married for 53 years before he passed away. I miss him a ton, and I can't image how much she must miss him every moment of every day. She inspires me to leave a beautiful legacy to my grandchildren someday, like she has to me.

So, sorry if I cheated a little bit. I am daily inspired by so many people - many who I do not know! I hope it inspired you in some small way to read about these people who have touched me so greatly. This post is part of a blog challenge started by She Breathes Deeply. Read more about it here or click the Project 31 picture above.

Project 31: Day 2: Unique

Day 2: What makes you uniquely you?

I'm pretty excited about this topic, posed by She Breathes Deeply. I find it super easy to write about myself and the stuff I like. My uniqueness in home decorating, fashion, art, you-name-it is split almost in half by two very different styles. They are almost as different as night and day.

Romantic

Victorian. Organic. Lace. Ruffles. Beads. Ribbon. Ornamentation. Serifs. Edwardian. Anne of Green Gables. Dresses. Pink. Roses. Picnics. Experiences. Tea. Novels. Chick flicks. Coffee shops. Bookstores. Historical fiction. Country roads. Antiques. Antique stores. Old homes. Long hair. Daydreaming. Elegance. Dogs. England. Hymns. Tradition. Royalty. Tiny, white chapels. Painting. Writing. Dancing. Walking outdoors. Gardening. Gothic architecture.

Urban

IKEA. Form follows function. Organization. Labels. Futuristic. Apple products. Clean. Purposeful. Graphic design. Cities. Travel. Star Trek. San-serifs. Etsy. T-shirts and jeans. Geometric. Non-fiction books. Efficiency. Smart design. Realistic. Practical. Modern (not to be confused with post-modern of which I am not a fan). Praise choruses. Technology. Concerts. Spontaneity. Escalators. I Am Not A Paper Cup. Online shopping. Large, mega-churches. Podcasts. Biggest Loser DVD workouts. Yoga. Appliances. Sci-Fi. Scheduled.

Nate and I got all dressed up for a fall train ride for my birthday. My sweater, pastel shirt, and cameo shout the romantic side of me pretty loudly. Those who work with him would be shocked to learn that Nate likes to dress up. He loves Fedora style hats, and I love when he wears ties!

This is also a very "us" picture taken by my dear photographer friend, Danielle. We were wandering in a downtown area of a nearby city. This is pretty obviously the urban side. Also, notice my new blog design. It's very urban and modern. We are moving to Texas in a few days, so in honor of that, the new blog is very grungy.

As far as personality type, according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, I am almost exactly half introvert and half extrovert. This means I get my energy both from being with people and from being alone. Personally, I think that's pretty weird and unusual. I have not yet met anyone else like that. It's like my personality can't decide which way it wants to go. I am actually pretty thankful for this because I can relate to both introverts and extroverts.

Maybe you'd call that somewhat bi-polar or say I have a split personality. I don't know that that is true, but trust me, I've tried to choose to be all romantic or all urban stylistically. It doesn't work. Similarly, if I try to be with people ALL the time, I get really cranky. If I am alone all the time, I get really depressed. So for me, finding my uniqueness has involved allowing myself to embrace both sides of me. It took me a long time to realize that it was okay to be both and to love both. I hope to keep showing both sides of my uniqueness on the blog.

Project 31: Day 1: Beauty

So I just started following the blog She Breathes Deeply like yesterday, but I have read several of her posts and I just really like them. She's starting this new project called Project 31. I'm not going to go into detail describing it because, well, she does a great job of it herself! I decided to join and try to write one every day or as many days as I can. I've never done a blog challenge before, so we'll see how it goes!

Day 1: What does beauty mean to you?

To define beauty in my own words would be nearly impossible to do with any amount of originality, but I'll try. Beauty, as applied to people, is an outward expression of an inward condition. I also love how Peter described it (1 Peter 3:3-4): "Your beauty should not be an external one, consisting of braided hair or the wearing of gold ornaments and dresses. Instead, it should be the inner disposition of the heart, consisting in the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which God values greatly."

As an artist, I have a trained eye for external beauty. I know about the elements of design like line, color, shape, texture, etc. I also know about the principles of design including balance, unity, repetition, and the like. The elements and principles are the tools I use to define what is beautiful in nature and in art. When applied to people, especially women, it's easy to see beauty in all different shapes, colors, and textures. Think about it. Some women are curvy, and some are tall and thin. Some are dark skinned and some are pale. Some women have beautiful wrinkles, a canvas of texture, while some have beautiful soft skin. They may not embody beauty by the definition popular culture uses, but artistically, they are beautiful.

As a Christian, I have a God-given blueprint for inner beauty as well. I know about the fruits of the spirit such as love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, to name a few. The fruits are how others should see Christ in us. Obviously, it's not always the case. But it should be. It absolutely should be. A person who is beautiful on the inside is patient with her family, loves friend and foe, and is at peace mentally and physically. It's nearly impossible for everyone to display these traits all at once and all of the time.

I feel like the elements/fruits are really the defining characteristics of beauty both physically and spiritually. Isn't it true, that as cliche as it sounds, when someone is inwardly full of joy, externally they look as though they could burst with their excitement and happiness?!? And when someone is at peace, you can tell by their whole aura.

These are a few shots of me on my wedding day, two and a half years ago. Unstaged, unprompted, natural shots.

People tell me they love these two photos. I was full of joy that day. It was unmistakeable. You can't hide the fruits of the spirit. They're evident, or should be, in your daily life. A person who "speaks" them through the way she lives her life radiates beauty. It permeates her entire being. I certainly don't exhibit all of the fruits every day. There are some I'm definitely better at than others, and there are some that I have to work very hard at. Namely patience. That one's hard for me. Not every piece of I create has all or even more than one of the elements and principles in it. Similarly, some come very naturally to me while others I have to consciously work to achieve.

Every woman wants to be told she's beautiful. I'll be the first to admit I love that. I've been told it all my life by my parents and now my husband. It never gets old. Ever. But at the end of the day, I want the reason to be more than skin deep. I want to be so full of the fruits of the spirit that I radiate inner beauty. That will enhance my outer beauty more than makeup or cute outfits ever could. I want my inner beauty to be so evident that when others see my art or read my blog, they just know without being told what kind of person I am. If I could chose a legacy to leave to my future children and grandchildren, I would want it to be that I was a beautiful person, inside and out, just like the Proverbs 31 woman.

The [Sarcastically] Best Post EVER

When it comes to language both written and verbal, I appreciate humorous quips as much as the next girl. It took me awhile, but I started using "fail" in a sentence, though I think saying something is "epic" is still a little too "emo" for me. I guess I have a harder time harnessing my inner 17-year-old boy than others do. I jest. However, there is one colloquial saying that I just can no longer silently tolerate. It has become a huge pet peeve for me.

My [husband, daughter, mom, etc.] is the [insert superlative adjective here, e.g. best, prettiest, smartest] EVER.

I know I'm going to sound hypersensitive, but I find this SO OFFENSIVE. Seriously. When using a superlative, you are by definition making a comparison. For non-grammarian readers, a superlative is basically a descriptive word with an -est at the end of the word. It's usually fine when using it to describe inanimate objects or ideas, but it's pretty much never fine when used about people in public.* For example, when someone tells me they have the best husband ever, I know they don't intend to say that my husband is worse by comparison, but that is exactly what they are saying. My mental reaction is usually, Hmm, I think mine's pretty swell, thank you very much.

Granted, I used to use this phrase all the time to describe people, that is until I bore the brunt of this comparison enough times that it became very hurtful to me. People don't intend it, but after awhile, especially to people whose Love Language is Words of Affirmation, it's very difficult to indirectly be told you, someone you love, or something you've done is second best. As a Christian, I think I can without question say that edifying one person while demeaning another is not really what God intends. I mean it's pretty explicit in Ephesians 4:29, no matter which version you read. The New Living Translation is not usually my go-to version, but I'm a fan of it with this verse: "Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them."

I am in no way an expert on this. I am also in no way inferring that we should walk on eggshells around people, always worrying that we might offend others. That's just plain nonsense. But think about it, would you walk into a room full of teachers and loudly proclaim to one of them, You're the best teacher EVER!!!? No, you wouldn't. Or if you did, you'd probably get a lot of scowls. Nobody wants to be second best. Now if I told you that Dr. Pepper is the best carbonated beverage EVER, I'd be right. It absolutely is. :o) And if you told me that The Office is the funniest show EVER, I'd probably tell you that you were crazy. I don't think I'll ever understand the draw of that show. But no one would be hurt. I think the Queen of Long-Winded made her point.

I just had to get that out. A huge percentage of people I know use this phrase. I think even my husband recently used it to describe me on Facebook the other day. So I want to clarify that I am not directing this at anyone in particular and don't want anyone to feel judged by me. I just think that we too easily say things we think without considering their effect on others, and I felt the need to present people with a viewpoint on a topic about which they probably haven't given much thought. People are obviously free to formulate their own opinions.

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*I totally tell my husband that he is the best ever in private but never within earshot of other people. When other people are around, I love to publicly encourage him but try to do so without superlatives.

A Confession of My Own

I recently read the confession of a friend of mine about how connected she feels to people she doesn't really know because of blogging. I can so relate. Countless times I have found myself telling Nate about people who have so willingly opened their lives on a blog that I feel like I know. If you don't blog or read other blogs, you probably can't really understand that. I know of people who feel a similar connection when watching certain reality television.

Now I have a confession of my own. I don't have very many friends I spend time with in real life. I still have my very best friend, Laura. We talk almost every week via text, phone, a few times a year in person, Facebook, email...you know. We still have a very strong friendship...but she lives 2+ hours away. Some of my other college friends that I would consider my "close" friends I see about once a year or so and we keep in touch much the same way. But since all of my friends live AT LEAST an hour away from me, I don't see people as often as I would like. We have zero friends at our church, and there is no one we spend time with on the weekends besides family. I love spending time with our families, but it would be nice to have some other friends in our town to socialize with. So, I have somehow subconsciously resorted to making friends on the Internet.

Before you go thinking that I'm off on some weird site meeting strange people in strange ways, no. I am just finding that I'm becoming friends with people who I used to think of as acquaintances. I probably friended them on Facebook because I knew who they were, not that we were really close. And I'm SO thankful I did. At the risk of sounding really cheesy, I want to mention a few of those people who probably mean more to me than they realize.

Angie

We were classmates in high school, but we probably never really even had a conversation then. We are both pretty good friends with my brother's fiance, and thus, we have begun talking a lot more. I talk to her almost daily, and I really love it. I enjoy hearing about her life, reading her blog, and watching her son (and soon-to-be daughter, too) grow up. We are both bridesmaids in Becka and Jonathan's wedding, and so we've had a few opportunities to see each other in real life, too. I feel like we are becoming friends on our own, and I've loved that. Without the Internet, it never would have happened.

Katie

We were also classmates for a year in high school, but since we were in the same grade, we had a bit more interaction than I did with Angie. That year, I was super quiet and not very social. At all. Looking back, I am pretty sure I was going through some sort of depression. I'll have to write another blog about that another time, but suffice it to say that I didn't get to know any of my classmates very well. Even if I had, I don't think Katie and I would have had that much in common then. Not that we weren't friendly, but we just didn't have had much to talk about. Now thanks to Facebook and the blogging world, I read Katie's blog daily, and I comment on it almost as often. I designed her logo for her Katie the Frugal Lady blog. She has awesome tips on couponing, which I love, but more than that, I've loved the feeling that I'm getting to know her better. She lives in California, so we definitely don't see each other in person ever. But like with Angie, I love watching her son grow up and hearing about her struggles and triumphs. The-learning-how-to-save-more-money part is more of a bonus.

Danielle

I can't believe I almost forgot to write about Danielle as well! Through Facebook, I've gotten to see Danielle's beautiful photography. She really has a natural talent. I wanted to start the tradition of getting our family's picture taken yearly, and Danielle has been our photographer the past two years. She does an awesome job. We've begun a working relationship with each other, which I've loved. We spur each other on in our own creative enterprises, mine with graphic design and her with photography. I've designed several things for her, and she tells people about me. I've had several customers come to me saying they heard about me from Danielle. It's been fantastic. But other than that, I've loved getting to know her personally, watching her go through all of life's ups and downs and always seeming to have a smile on her face. I'm continuing to pray for her pregnancy. I know she will make a wonderful mother. :o)

Amy

I've gotten to know Amy because, well, our husbands are best friends. They certainly don't see each other as much as they'd like, but I hope that in some small way, we can help them feel more connected. I always find myself telling Nate about what's going on with Amy and Brian's cats and ask him if he's seen pictures of their new house. Amy followed along with my crazy ventures at my former work. She loved hearing about the "crazy conspiracy theorist guy" who used to come in our office and tell us some of the strangest things I've ever heard. I used to find myself relaying them on Facebook just for her benefit. I think Amy and Brian and Nate and I would spend more time together if they also did not live 2+ hours away. I think it's high time we planned to meet up with them again.

So to those four ladies especially, I appreciate you! (Although Katie and Danielle might hate me now after reading my previous blog entry.) :o)

Day 30

January 4, 2010, Nate and I went on a serious health/weight loss kick. We didn't tell anyone we were doing it until the first 30 days were up. It added a bit of excitement and intrigue, at least for us, to the goal. I posted on Facebook every so many days saying "Day 14", etc. People would ask, but I didn't tell them. Then, on Day 30, I wrote this Note. Reposted to Blogger, February 5, 2011.

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So, apparently I've garnered more interest in my 30 Day count-up than I ever expected to. It really wasn't my intention to have all of my FB friends in suspense, but rather I only wanted to keep the reason for my 30 Day count-up to myself until the results actually came to fruition. Hopefully, you'll understand why after you read this.

Without further ado, here it is:

On January 4, 2010, Nate and I began a strict regimen of exercising and watching our diet. Nothing crazy - we just wanted to be healthy. On that day, I decided to make the commitment to exercise EVERY DAY for 30 days as a habit-forming yet fast-as-possible way to reach my goal, healthy weight. I almost reached the goal. I only missed 3 days out of 30. I'm actually not at all disappointed. For me, that's amazing, especially since 4-5 days is the recommended exercise per week.

So, has it worked? Short answer: it's working. We have been watching what we eat, especially (but not only) calorie intake and have been doing regular cardio/aerobic exercise. I've lost almost 10 lbs. in 30 days, and Nate has lost almost 15! This is obviously exciting for us!

The tools we're using:

1. “Lose It!” iPod app. - This software for the iPhone/iPod Touch figures your daily calorie budget based on your current weight, your goal weight, and how many pounds you want to lose per week (with a max of 2 per week). The application is free and you can connect with friends to see how they are doing. Having other people see your progress and seeing theirs really helps spur you on! Linda Eccles introduced it to us, and we love it.

2. “Biggest Loser Workout: Cardio Max” DVD – This six-week cardio program is meant to help you maximize your weight loss in a minimum amount of time. Nate got it for me for my birthday in October 2009, but we just started using it regularly in January. We are on week 5, and while it has not been easy, it has been so, so rewarding. The three trainers, Bob, Jillian, and Kim do levels 1-3 respectively, and you add a level every two weeks. After the first 6 weeks, you can customize your workouts and do whatever combination of the workouts you want. It works so well for both of us!

3. “Eat This, Not That” book – an eye-opening, “No-Diet Weight-loss Solution” book, published by “Men’s Health” magazine, I ran into one day in Meijer last year. It offers an “eat this” option for every “not that” meal, beverage, dessert you can think of at restaurants and grocery stores. They have lots of books now, including one especially for kids, but I just have the restaurant guide and supermarket guide. There are all sorts of surprising nutrition facts, like how Nutri-Grain cereal bars are really no more than candy bars, though they sound so healthy! (Apparently the first ingredient is high fructose corn syrup and the second is corn syrup – processed forms of sugar, as it explains in the book.) It’s interesting (and sometimes depressing) to look up restaurants and find meals you’ve ordered at specific restaurants on the “eat this” or “not that” list.

That’s basically all we’re doing, and I wanted to keep track of the days via my facebook statuses with the daily “count-up”. I really only kept the reason a secret because I didn't want to say, "I'm going to start working out regularly now," and then quit after two weeks. I've done that, and it's so depressing. I don’t think people take others seriously when they say they are going to start a new habit, especially one so commonly taken as a new year’s resolution, until they see that you actually have done it. Instead I wanted to keep track of my days without telling people why until I actually followed through and succeeded.

The interest people have apparently shown, whether they’ve intended it or not, has really been encouraging for me. It makes me feel like other people are excited for me to reach my goals, even when they didn’t know what my goals were! Nate will reach his weight loss goal in April, and I am scheduled to reach mine in June (according to our Lose It! App). If you are interested, I will keep you updated, and if I have visible results, I will post pictures. :o)

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Comments:

Alyssa: Congrats! :) I wish I had your motivation. I am using Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred. I can feel it working but sometimes I lose motivation. :( But congrats again! :)

Elizabeth: That's awesome. Good job. Keep up the good work.

Angie: Great job! It does work! I lost 10 lbs. during the 30 days too! I still do it but sometimes it's hard to stay motivated. I haven't gained any back, so that's good! My goal is to lose 5-10 more lbs...but the last 10 are the hardest! Keep it up! :)

Christie: Great job! :)

Rebecca: I'm so happy for you!! Great job!!

Jenny: Congrats! I too have started a workout program. It's called P90x. It is awesome. I have been doing the DVD workouts but haven't done the actual diet. I am starting to just try to eat healthy. 34 days done, 56 left! It feels great to get healthy. Keep up the good work.

Valerie: Right on! Nice job! :)

Julie: Way to go!