One Rare Bird

Love Fest

Several years ago John surprised me with my first-ever mixed tape (aka: cd) from a boy. He filled it with romantic and heartfelt songs that expressed how he feels about me, and to this day, when I listen to it, I can't help but fall more in love with him. This might sound like shameless  self-promotion for how lucky I am to have a man like John, but really it's more of a testament to the power of the Mixed Tape. So here are my top three favorite love songs from my fave mixed tape...

  The One I Love by David Grey

 

Fade Into You by Mazzy Star

Run by Snow Patrol

You haven't seen the last of love-inspired posts from me~ stay tuned for more sap throughout the week. Happy Valentines Day!

From House to Home

Tomorrow we will be moving into our new house, so in the spirit of our Irish heritage, I offer these blessings and prayers for our new home....

 

God bless the corners of this house and all the lintel blessed,
And bless the hearth and bless the board and bless each place of rest,
And bless each door that opens wide to strangers as to kin,
And bless each crystal window pane that lets the starlight in,
And bless the rooftree overhead and every sturdy wall.
The peace of man. The peace of God. With peace and love for all.

 

May your troubles be less
And your blessings be more.
And nothing but happiness
Come through your door.

May the roof above us never fall in.
And may the friends gathered below it never fall out.

Bless you and yours
As well as the cottage you live in.
May the roof overhead be well thatched
And those inside be well matched.

Wish us luck!

Wonder

Prompt 4: Wonder _{^{{via Reverb 10}}}

"How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?" (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

Well, I've wondered about a lot of things this past year (that's for sure), but did I cultivate wonder? Yes, I think maybe I have---though, maybe not in those exact terms, and definitely not as much as I would like---but the gravity of how quickly life comes and goes weighs on me more heavily with each passing year, and I think that urges me to be more intentional about stopping to marvel more. There have been many moments this past year when I've realized that time is fleeting and if I don't stop to notice, marvel, wonder, then I will most certainly miss out on my own life. These moments of wonder and marvel usually happen during the most ordinary, everyday circumstances---at the breakfast table, in the car, while reading a book, or tucking my kids into bed---and I think it's all of these moments, the living-in-the-moment moments, that really push me to not only live the length of my life, but the width as well. It's in the width, the wonder, that I'm able to slow down time and forget for a minute that I will not live forever. And really, isn't that what makes life worth living?

"Wonder" by Yellena

Here's to always having a sense of wonder, and never forgetting to stop and live life as it's actually, truly, happening. Right now.

Unhappy Hipsters: It's Lonely in the Modern World

If you're like me and enjoy the occasional, or perhaps more regular, activity of  perusing the most recent issue of the latest design magazines, then it's likely you've also felt completely inadequate and utterly defeated about your own life afterwards. The images in these magazines are at first inspiring, but around page 12 I start to spiral into a depression, and wonder, "Who are these people?"... "Who lives like that?"..."They look so rich and happy"..."What's wrong with me?" And this is where I realize I'm being completely ridiculous. Just because the images indicate otherwise, it doesn't mean the people  in those awesome houses - full of "Eames" this and "Scandinavian" that - aren't still human and trying to figure life out like the rest of us. Right?? So that's when I put down my dark-depression-waiting-to-happen and head over to Unhappy Hipsters. Thank you for restoring my adequacy, you've saved me tons in therapy.

"Wide-eyed by nature, the owls lamented that they weren’t better able to express the ocular trauma of this new turquoise monstrosity." (Photo: Jasper James; Dwell)

"The things that once so defined him — shag carpeting, Room & Board sofas, monogamy — now suffocated him." (Photo: Dean Kaufman; Dwell, September 2009)

"Believe it or not, it was one of their more successful parties." (Photo: Unknown; Dwell)

"He reassured the distraught homeowner: Though there was only one window, the twisted stack of boxes was eminently livable." (Photo: Andy Friedberg; Dwell, March 2007)

"She’d been begging her parents to swap out the gravel for a real lawn, with chairs and everything. She hadn’t counted on their literalism." (Photo: Dave Lauridsen; Dwell)

"There are certain sacrifices one has to make when choosing a designer environ. The ability to comfortably recline tops the list." (Photo: Celine Clanet; Dwell, February 2010)

"One day, after a particularly dull afternoon, she would yank hard enough on the vertical drawer to wrench it off the track, sending everything crashing to the floor—and tell her husband it was an accident. But not today." (Photo: Jack Thompson; Dwell March 2008)

"It was a tossup: Joyless in the natural world or grinning maniacally in the concrete-cased 'Happy Home' diorama?" (Photo: Crisobal Palma; Dwell)

"Must. Have. More. Paneling." (Photo: Daniel Hennessy; Dwell)

These go on and on, but you get the point. Besides, I feel MUCH better now.

Green with Envy

Green. It's my favorite color. I have to make a concerted effort to not buy everything in green. There are days when I walk out the door and I'm a smorgasbord of green; and when it comes to my home, it's no different. So it's surprising I haven't done this sooner, but today is all about Green.

Emma Bee

NolaNova

_cassia_

Lola Nova

Three Red Apples

Nest Decorating

_cassia_

_cassia_

Lari Washburn

_cassia_

Anna Lea Hart

I am seriously in love with the last image. I want want want that living room!

Little Houses on the Hillside

At this time next week I will be sitting at the same desk, with the same computer, and the same (though, not entirely) cup of coffee, but what I will not be doing, is living in the same house. Yes, this week is moving week and we have a lot to do, so for Music Monday I'm going to leave you with several (more than 3 because I couldn't narrow it down) versions of my favorite opening theme song from the show Weeds. This song is awesome---as is the visual commentary---and if that's not great enough, they had a bunch of different artists sing the opening song during seasons 2 & 3. Enjoy!

Little Boxes (original) by Malvina Reynolds

 Little Boxes by The Decemberists

 Little Boxes by Regina Spektor

 Little Boxes (rap opening for Weeds)

Little Boxes by Persephone

Happy Monday!

Garfunkel and Oates: Folk Yeah!

In last years Oct/Nov issue of Bust Magazine they featured an awesome musical duo called Garfunkel and Oats (aka: Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci). I immediately recognized Oats from her appearance on the last season of Scrubs - where she played the adorably quirky, ukulele-playing love interest of Ted - so I knew they'd be awesome, not to mention hilarious.  And what's even more awesome is they drop the f-bomb and other no-no's without batting an eyelash or compromising their sweet adorableness. Who doesn't love that in a girl?? I know I do.

  Worst Song Medley by Garfunkel and Oats

F**k You (redo) by Garfunkel and Oats

P.S. If you noticed that I did another post earlier in the week from the Oct/Nov issue of Bust, then you get first prize for being superior to others in both awareness and awesomeness.

A Moment Please

Prompt 3: Moment _{^{{via Reverb 10}}}

"Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors)." (Author: Ali Edwards)

New York. All of it. It was one huge, giant Moment full of every kind of person, scent, and language. The air was clear and brisk, the sun was shining, and the city was a visual feast. Some of my favorite Moments were on the subway. I was amazed at how quiet it was on the train - people rarely spoke, and everyone kept their heads bowed like they were in prayer. And despite being hemmed in by so many people, it felt like one of the most spacious places on earth. (Walk on. Take at seat. And while you're being transported to your destination at frightfully high speeds, take a few cleansing, meditative breaths, then exit back into the city that never sleeps.) The whole experience was exhilarating and I felt completely aware of every detail. I lived in nothing but the moment - which is something life rarely hands me in such large doses (most of my Moments come quick and unbidden, and leave just as quickly.) I'd like to revisit this question later and answer it with one of the "small" Moments; but for now... it's New York.

A Room For Living

It's one more week until the big move and despite all the packing I still need to do, all I can think about it how I'm going to decorate the new place---with the biggest challenge being the living room. It's nearly twice as big as what we have now and I'm not quite sure what to do with it. So today I'm rounding up some inspiration via Design Sponge. The sneak peaks they do over there are just as inspiring as they are soul-crushing, and I'm definitely not too proud to rip off an idea or two---possibly more...

Jill Malek

Night Owl

Axel Eben Meyer

Kelley Lilien

Angela Niguori

Linda Ketelhut

Lynda Gardner

Erin Heath

Emerson Made

Laruen Bradshaw

Stacey Sargent

Hmmm...who do I rip off first? Decisions, decisions.

Barbie's Underworld

When I was little, I loved Barbie. Actually, I loved, and played, with her until I was about 12 (though I started denying it around age 10). And now my daughter loves Barbie just as much. At first this bothered me because Barbie is marketed like she’s the next Paris Hilton; but when I think back to the Barbie of my childhood, I have nothing but fond and explorative memories. Barbie was much more than a pink and rhinestone-clad diva, which leads me to the very important question that Wendy McClure asked in last year’s Oct/Nov issue of Bust magazine:

"What kind of career has Barbie really had? Answer: an awesome one. I don’t mean the phony vocations Mattel has given her. Everyone knows she was never a space-camp instructor or a veterinarian any more than Heidi Montag-Pratt is an event planner. No, I’m talking about the amazingly multifaceted life that Barbie has led in our imaginations, the life she still leads every day in the girlhood bedrooms, backyards, and basements everywhere."

Here are just a few of the occupations Barbie’s had:

"Stuntwoman: Need someone to make a bungee jump from the second-floor banister or a death-defying plunge into a bathtub? Barbie is up for it! Girlfriend loves danger, and in her swank automobiles (sold separately), Barbie can pull off anything the Dukes of Hazzard have ever done."

"Sex educator: Never mind that she doesn’t provide the most detailed instruction. Barbie was there for us the first time we heard there was such a thing as Doing It, and she was more than happy to demonstrate (or at least give us a general idea, which really was all we needed). Whether she was getting it on with Ken, other Barbies, or a couple of kinky Star Wars characters, Barbie showed us that it was all OK."

"Avant-garde artist: She’s famous for cutting off her hair, sporting Sharpie marker tattoos, and wearing bizarre outfits made out of Kleenex and rubber bands, all the while asking the provocative question, What is beauty? With her freakish feet and tiny waist, her controversial figure makes her, well, a controversial figure, but she always makes us think."

"Burlesque performer: If you’ve ever seen Barbie’s girly show, you know she gets naked for the sake of self-expression and not for crumpled dollar bills. You never know what she’ll do next---maybe a go-go dance, or perhaps she’ll cover herself in Post-It notes and peel them off one at a time to make a cheeky statement about our disposable culture. Whatever, she rules!"

"Forget the doll in the toy commercials and all that pink-drenched corporate crap---the Barbie we know lives a much edgier life, full of danger and weirdness. Ordinary celebrities might think they’re hot shit for having a singing career, movie roles, and a line of leggings, but their lives can’t compare to the mind-blowing crazy existence that Barbie’s led. …it’s never too late to throw Barbie the kind of party she really deserves. Wanna come over next Tuesday? Bring your Barbie! We’ll rock out!"

{images by Critsey Rowe via The Jealous Curator}