my someday porch

Ever since I stopped being such a huge sweatball (yes, I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I used to sweat a LOT, and now my sweat is mostly normal), I've really enjoyed taking advantage of our back deck. It's not huge, but it's big enough for a lounge chair, a bistro set, a grill and our pup. Casey loves the deck as much as I do and we especially like hanging out there together. I'll settle down with a magazine and a snack and she'll settle down to watch the neighborhood cats.

As much as I love the deck, I hope to one day be the proud owner of a wraparound porch. Who doesn't love a wraparound porch?

from here

So what would I do with one? UM, porch swings! porch beds! rocking chairs! adirondecks! AH. so many options!

First, I'd definitely want a porch bed. I would love to be reading in a porch bed right now. I'm digging how rustic the frame is. Ideally the porch bed would be towards the back of the house for privacy and to allow more foot traffic at the front.

from Coastal Living

My porch would also have a classic white porch swing. For some reason raw wood just screams SPLINTER to me, but white screams SIT DOWN AND RELAX (in a more calming voice). The swing would be just off of the porch steps, a perfect spot to sip lemonade and wait for the kids to come home from school.

from SimpleNest (also love the second to last pic)

some oversized lanterns.... I like them on stairs like they are pictured here

a biiiig weathered looking table for brunches and grilling out.

from here

an outdoor cabinet for storing pretty things

from here

and a lady-like tea cart

which would look rather cute in between these patio chairs.

from here

you're welcome to come visit any time.

He loves me

Many of you know that my job at the Daily News-Record is part-time. I was video editing from home until recently (project is done, yay!), so for the last couple of weeks I have been able to come home and not go to work down in the basement.

Having one part-time job is a lot different than having two, but all of my other jobs still exist :: wife, homemaker, friend and active church member (err...technically we're not members - that needs to change).

A full-time position as a features writer just opened up at the paper, and the me not long ago would've jumped on it and sent an application in immediately. The me now is thinking I would much rather be successful in my other "jobs" (which basically boil down to daughter of Christ, wife and sister in Christ) than be succcessful as a writer.

Of course, I also thought about how much I love to write and how much I enjoy meeting new people and learning about their lives, and I thought about how nice it would be to make the extra money and pay off the van sooner. I thought maybe, God? It sounds good, but is it what you want for me?

When I had first told Andy that I was considering applying for the job but that I had concerns, he made me feel that he really wanted me to take the job. I didn't tell him so, but I felt pressured. I didn't know what to do, because I didn't feel at peace about applying. I called my mom and asked for her opinion on how I should respond if, after talking to Andy again, he responded "you should apply." I was extremely distraught over the phone and had it in my head that Andy was more concerned with me making money than with me caring for him, the home and others.

oh, how quick I am to worry. how quick I am to think that I have to be in control of it all... that I have to have the answers.

The Lord takes my cautious, wandering heart and makes it beat for Him. This is an example of how:

When I approached Andy about my fear that he would be dissapointed or angry in me, he sweetly took my hands and looked me in the eye. He told me how proud he is of me and that he had only meant to encourage me and support me. He said he is grateful that I want to succeed in my relationships and that the extra money is not important to him. He said, "let me pray over us," and his prayer, so sweet and sincere, made my heart fill up with so much love that it leaked out of my eyes - and in that moment I felt like God was giving me a surprise party. Surprise! This is certainly not how you expected Andy to react. But why? Your fears had no foundation. Your fears are not bigger than Me.
How could I not see the immeasurability and boundlessness of God's love for me in that moment?

You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of the dust.
You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of us.

Easter dress up

Some Easter inspiration for a mere $30. add a comfy white cardi and some jewelry and you're good to go.

fun floral dress from Old Navy- $15

love these navy flats from Payless- also $15

for those who are married or want to be married

Sanctification of Marriage

click to hear the sermon or read the transcript.

Listen

Read

to give you a taste:

"When a woman says, “This man will complete me. . .this man will make sense of my world. . .this man will make me know who I am. . .this man will heal my wounds,” you are putting weight on the man that he will be unable to sustain and it will only be a matter of time before he develops hobbies to get out from under that expectation. He cannot carry it. Put your hope in God, not men. We’re sinners. Which means sometimes on accident or sometimes on purpose, we’re going to fail you and wound you. Don’t ask us to be more than we were designed to be; we will fail you. Put your hope in God, not in external beauty and not in men."

another MUST see::

a luxury anniversary

Dear Andy,
Our three-year anniversary is coming up in a few weeks. While I am looking forward to our tradition of keeping it simple and going out for a nice dinner (so we can save up for a bigger celebration in the future), here are some ideas if you are feeling like you've got some extra $$ to spend:

A stay at the Caesar Augustus hotel in Capri, Italy

Harry Winston Yellow Diamond ring

The 2012 Aston Martin Virage

:) love you babe!

a bowl of good for me

there are lots of good eats in Harrisonburg, but today when my mom came to visit and take me out to lunch we decided to go somewhere we've never been before : A Bowl of Good. I had heard amazing things about it, but I was still blown away by how scrumptious it was.

I ordered the Tom Kha Gai bowl (Thai coconut chicken soup) and my mom ordered the Maharaja bowl (curried lentils over rice with organic yogurt and mango chutney). Our side of naan was hot and the perfect combo of crispy and chewy. The presentation of both of our dishes was stunning. My mom's dish was missing the rice and yogurt, but for some weird reason neither of us thought anything of it at the time and I only realized that just now....hmm. Well, it was still delicious and by far my favorite lentil dish.

My soup was perfection and the perfect remedy for the strange illness that has overtaken my body. I'm tempted to have it again for lunch tomorrow.

holding it together

I've been trying to hold it together lately and the truth is, I just can't. Last week I was able to get through the work week, but each day I would come home and want to crawl into bed. I didn't want to talk to people or get out of the house. I wanted a dark room and silence and my husband's snuggles. A lot of that was due to that lovely time of the month, but still... I hate it when I don't feel like myself. I'm not pregnant, I'm not depressed, I'm not angry at anyone or about anything... I'm just not feeling good.


"Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in your my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Might High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me."
Psalm 57: 1-2 (ESV)

What helps: prayers. snuggles. Freecell. croutons. quiet. Andy's compassion and generosity. 

the million dollar baby girl

earlier in the week I showed you a mood board for a baby boy nursery. today I'm presenting a mood board for a baby girl. This is for the mom (and dad) who want a soothing and sophisticated nursery.

I want this room. I love plum and grey together- the colors are lovely and a bit moody, in a romantic way. Isn't that mirror to die for?Everything other than the crib and changing table attachment could be used as the girl gets older. 

only change I would make would be to replace the dresser's hardware with white, frosted or clear knobs (something girly and pretty). 

that horse print is begging to be hung in a corner above the rocker. just sayin'.

oh, and the mother of this baby would own this navy Ikat diaper bag. that bag is bananas. the Rachel Zoe in me is out of control right now... between that mirror, the horse print, that bag... even those baby blankets... AH.

(from left to right)
Coqo floral curtain (in plum)- Anthropologie
Oversize seagrass basket- West Elm
Basket weave baby blanket (in every color, cuz they can afford it) - Coyuchi
Oeuf classic crib- Giggle.com
Horse print- Z gallerie
Doily rug (in grey)- Anthropologie
Spot on Square Roh dresser (with changing table attachment)- Amazon
Dreaming mirror- Pier 1
Mid-century rocker chair (in carbon)- Urban Outfitters

what I do, exactly

"So what exactly do you do at the Daily News-Record?"  <--- I get asked that question a LOT, and I never know where to begin. My job title is "editorial assistant," but that doesn't really explain what I do, which includes

- receptionist duties (answer phone calls, transfer calls, put away mail, file newspapers, etc)
- Editorial assistant duties (edit letters to the editor, confirm letters with the people who submit them, pass them along to my editor)
- Features writer duties (come up with story ideas, interview people, make photo assignments, write the story) -- read my story in last week's Rocktown on tossing the toads in your life and finding your prince. Search my name in the search bar to read more stories published in Rocktown (there's only been a few). My stories published in the newspaper are only accessible if you have a subscription, but Rocktown is free.
- building permits and property transfers on Wednesdays (I have to go to the courthouse to do this... it's very cut and dry, but it's still nice to get out of the office and walk through downtown)
- obit desk duties on Thursday nights (receive obits and death notices, communicate with funeral homes, edit obituaries (grammar and punctuation), file obits, record weather for the day, put away the day's newspapers and file one paper in a big "folder" by punching three holes in the paper and putting it in like you would papers in a binder, except I have to do each punch individually and it's messy and often frustrating)

lots of duties. I usually keep pretty busy. I'm happy.  :)

thought I'd share with you my "on the way home from work" song. 

have you ever- brandi carlile

Have you ever wandered lonely through the woods?
And everything there feels just as it should
You're part of the life there
You're part of something good
If you've ever wandered lonely through the woods
if you've ever wandered lonely through the woods

Have you ever stared into a starry sky?
Lying on your back you're asking why
What's the purpose I wonder who am I
If you've ever stared into a starry sky
Have you ever stared into a starry sky

Have you ever been out walking in the snow?
Tried to get back to where you were before
You always end up not knowing where to go
If you've ever been out walking in the snow
If you'd ever been out walking you would know

the million dollar baby boy

I've been dying to do a baby nursery post for the loooongest time but have held myself back, mainly because I have my future child's nursery planned out in my head and I don't want to write about it until it can be a reality. SO... this is a mood board for an imaginary baby boy. While I obviously am a big fan of everything on the mood board, I purposefully chose to put together some expensive pieces (minus the submarine toy, which is $3) that I would never actually spend on a nursery myself. The Sparrow Crib was the first crib I ever fell in love with, but thankfully I've since started admiring a much more wallet-friendly option. YES I've looked at baby cribs before. I want babies! Not yet, but eventually!

Bear with me... I didn't take the time to get rid of the background part of the images, so it's not a very pretty mood board. What I like most about this nursery is that it's modern yet inviting. I also like that it's not a themed room. While the rug and basket look odd next to each other on the board, I don't envision the basket being placed on the rug.

First off, how ahhh-mazing is that rug??! Honestly, as much as I love that crib, if I could purchase anything off this mood board it would be the letterpress rug. It would work so well in a nursery but could easily be moved into an office or living space if desired. The artwork is like the rug in that it could easily be moved into a different room and is playful without screaming "baby!"

The crib would stay gray and I'd put a solid white organic waffle-weave blanket in to cover up baby and drape it over the end of the crib when not being used to soften up the gray. I'm personally not a crib bedding set person, so I would love to see that darling Dwell crib sheet shine on its own. Honestly, I want those crib sheets now.

I'd be tempted to paint the whale basket a light silvery gray just to add another layer of color without clashing with the strong mustard and orange in the rug. The submarine toy wasn't chosen because it ties in with the whale basket- I just liked how the colors matched the colors in the rug. Plus I love crocheted toys.

Aren't those knobs fun? I'd paint the top of the dresser a bright orange (maybe the "seams" too- I don't know what else to call them). If I was actually putting this dresser together, I'd try just putting two knobs on the top drawer and seeing how it looked before adding more to the other drawers.

I couldn't find a glider/rocker/chair that I liked enough to put on the mood board, but that striped pillow would be propped on one. I also didn't include curtains, but I think these West Elm tortoise curtains would be perfect.

Other colors would come in from stuffed animals, toys and books (LOTS of books).

the goods:
Sparrow Crib- Amazon
Squares crib sheet- DwellStudio
Letterpress rug- CB2
Whale basket- Pottery Barn Kids
Crochet submarine- Etsy
Robin Dresser- Mbeans
Yellow lucky number knob- Anthro
Red lucky number knob- Anthro
Navy and white striped pillow- Etsy
"Lofty View" artwork- World Market

how to annoy me

use every pot/pan/utensil/dish in the kitchen to concoct your late night dinners while I'm upstairs snoozing away unsuspectingly.

then I come downstairs in the morning and expect to see the kitchen sparkling clean like I left it before I went to bed and instead there are unwashed dishes all over the counters and you've left for work, therefore leaving me with the mess.

sneaky you.

apparently my husband is not the only husband out there who has this need to think to himself, "I should make a grilled cheese. With bacon in it. With a bowl of soup. Maybe some veggies. And I should use a different pan for all of those things!"

OH AND I SHOULD USE A TOOTHPICK AFTERWARDS AND PUT IT ON MY PLATE AND THEN IT WILL STICK TO MY PLATE AND IT WILL BE GROSS BUT THAT'S OK MY WIFE WILL DEAL WITH IT.

okay... this has annoyed me... many, many times. but, there comes a day when your husband breaks you, and all you can really do is laugh and see the absurdity/kind of cuteness in his quirks. and his sheepish grin and "forgive me?" dance is worth having to clean the kitchen all over again.

I love you, Andy Rennie.

(it's been over a year since I've quoted Bronx Beat here, so it's time again)

Betty Caruso: You know what? Don't get married. Listen to us. Don't get married, the minute you do your life is over, over!

Jodi Dietz: She's right. You know what? My husband, I want to kill him. I want to strangle him while he's asleep. I want to kill him. But you know what? [voice breaking] I love him. He's the love of my life.