my office

I've always been a firm believer in having a designated work space (as seen here.) Now, granted, my definition of "work space" is very loose, and I've found a comfy couch or crowded kitchen counter makes a perfectly acceptable "desk," but I will say having an office certainly has its perks. Personal and professional touches that speak directly to what you do are key to making your work area your own. 

1. I'm not working for the social media company anymore, but I've taken on a new role at the restaurant that requires me to spend a lot of time focusing on these things, so the @ figure and the "Tweets and Status Updates" book (hilar, btw) are a nod to that. 

2. Fashion. The CAbi Spring 13 collection was inspired my Paris, so little French things here and there keep me feeling inspired and creative. 

3. Africa. Part of my heart will always be in Tanzania. Photos and other reminders of Africa keep me feeling motivated, blessed, and thankful. 

4. So how do you reconcile Paris and Tanzania? Keep a similar color palette. I stuck with black and white pictures on my pale pink walls. It balances out the girly hue and keeps the room feeling grounded.  

5. Light. I love natural light, and the big window over my desk was one of the things that attracted me to the townhouse in the first place. I also use lamps and candles (rather than overhead lighting) to keep the space warm and inviting. 

6. Books. 
-To honor and remember my educational background, I have my Communication Theory textbook sitting on my desk. It was my absolute favorite class with my absolute favorite professor and I couldn't bring myself to sell it when the semester ended (and I'm so happy I didn't.)
-Planner. Obvs. 
-I have a copy of the childrens book my grandmother wrote, because it reminds me to follow my heart and chase my dreams. 
-My sister made an "inspiration book" for me, full of quotes and notes of encouragement. I find myself turning to it when I'm feeling overwhelmed or bluesy. 
-Blank notebook(s) for brilliant ideas. And doodling during boring phone calls.

7. Personal touches. Two giant trifle dishes of nail polish because a. it's pretty b. I like nail polish. When I look at it I just feel happy. Family photos and sweet cards and notes serve this same purpose. 

Where do you work? How do you make your space your own?

Hungry?

I really am the worst kind of reader. The antisocial, missed appointments, crying in the dentists office because I'm overly-attached to the characters, awake until 3am, "just one more page" type. And I don't discriminate. It can be a classic Steinbeck novel (Of Mice and Men), a mushy Nicholas Sparks story (The Wedding), or even a fine piece of Young Adult fiction (The Giver.) And most recently: I've spent the past 6 hours completely devouring The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. 

My teenage brother and sister highly recommended them, and I must say I am impressed. The first book in the series is the perfect mixture of science-fiction, futuristic romance, suspense thriller... (with a little bit of gore... just a fair warning)


I cannot wait to start the 2nd book in the series, Catching Fire, but I just might need to wait until I have a solid 12 hours to set aside for the sole purpose of reading (as all other tasks seem to fall by the wayside.)

heat wave

Summer has arrived and the heat is here to stay. The first true heat wave of the season always seems especially brutal...

I've been a little shell-shocked this week, and the thought of spending excessive amounts of time outside is particularly daunting. In exchange for hours spent by the pool, I have been working (finally) and running those errands I have put off for far too long. In addition, I have been frequenting my local library so regularly that they are going to start calling me Matilda...

But at least I'me reading, right? I read The Giver last week (exceptional) and started reading Lipstick Jungle but returned it because it was du.mb. This is what I picked up yesterday...

Fahrenheit 451

Lolita
The Mermaid Chair

Have you read any of these? Or The Giver? Any thoughts? 

And in case you were wondering... No, I do not carry my books home in a little, red wagon Matilda style. This Moroccan basket does the trick just fine...

What are your favorite books? I would love some recommendations! (seeing as my next trip to the library will be in T-minus 12 hours if I continue at my current rate... yikes.) 

Gatsby + cocktails

I finished reading The Great Gatsby last night. Although the story didn't quite sweep me off my feet like I had expected, it is beautifully written. Each paragraph reads like poetry. 


"For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face; her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listened- then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk." (Chapter 1)


Isn't the imagery just lovely? And here's another one of my favorite parts. Gatsby is telling Tom about falling in love with Daisy:


"I can't even tell you how surprised I was to find out I loved her, old sport. I even hoped for a while she'd throw me over, but she didn't, because she was in love with me too. She thought I knew a lot because I knew different things from her... Well, there I was, way off my ambitions, getting deeper in love every minute, and all of a sudden I didn't care. What was the use of doing great things if I could have a better time telling her what I was going to do?" (Chapter 8)


Of course, the story takes place in the Roaring Twenties, so the pages of this novel are filled with cocktails and parties and women and dresses and music and dancing and life. Feeling a little adventurous, or maybe just secretly longing for the days of the Jazz Age (or maybe just feeling  a sense of desperation since my life is in shambles... just kidding... kind of... not really) I decided to try a new cocktail this week. It was fun to branch out from the usual red wine and my dad recommended I try a Smith and Kearns after we finished dinner Monday night. Although it is not a drink from the 20s, it is delicious, a perfect little liquid dessert. Read how to make one here.

don't judge a book by its cover...

With classes winding down for the semester and the impending Christmas sabbatical, I knew it was time to stock up on books! (Warning: I'm about to nerd out...real bad) One of the things I really enjoy about breaks from school is the opportunity to read whatever I want without feeling guilty because I haven't touched my assigned reading. While at the library last week I selected:

I've always been particularly interested in reading "the classics" (blame it on my hoity-toity private school education, ha) But there's just something romantic and lovely about delving into a book that my grandparents read when they were my age. 

This post would be mega lame if I just talked about what books I'm reading. So here's the (more) exciting part. I saw this awesome website in a magazine this weekend. They make these really cool shirts featuring out-of-print book covers. Here are a few from some of my all-time favorite books...

BUT WAIT (here's the really mega super cool thing) for every shirt you buy, they donate a book to a community in need through their partnership with Books for Africa! Rad? I think so too. Wouldn't this be a fun Christmas gift for the bookworm on your list? And bibliophile or not, they are still cool shirts!

Side note: I have got to stop saying mega. The sideways glances that I get from people are starting to happen a little too frequently. And seriously... a girl who reads the classics does not say words like "mega." 

The Shack

"You cannot produce trust just as you cannot "do" humility. It either is or is not. Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved. Because you do not know that I love you, you cannot trust me."

Have you read The Shack by William Paul Young? I just finished reading it last night and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. It offers a deeply personal, relatable look at God.  


The above quote is from a conversation between Mackenzie, the main character, and Sarayu, the Holy Spirit. Sarayu is explaining to Mackenzie that love is the foundation of trust, and until you are assured of love you cannot trust. This is probably the single-most powerful part of the book for me. I have always felt secure in God's love for me, but a natural product of that would be trust. So why do I always struggle trusting that his plan for my life is good and perfect? Heavy stuff. 


Tonight as I was doing my devotional I ended up in Psalm 62. 

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation; 

he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God; 

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Trust in him at all times, O people; 

pour out your hearts to him, 

for God is our refuge."

Psalm 62:5-8

I was just so overwhelmed and convicted and completely blown away at how God used this passage to speak so directly to me. And so with a heavy heart and tired eyes I poured out my heart. And sometimes things are messy and painful and hard to understand, but God is understanding and God is faithful. The end of this chapter closes with:

"One thing that God has spoken, 

two things that I have heard:

That you, O God, are stong,

and you, O Lord, are loving."

Psalm 62: 11-12

Isn't that just so reassuring? Trusting God on this day and finding my identity, my security, my peace, and my strength in him alone. 

dwellinggawker

Well, have you seen the latest addition to the gawkerverse? First was foodgawker, and craftgawker, and then weddinggawker... and now... dwellinggawker! Let me just say, I am obsessed. How major is this library?

My darling boy and I just adore books, especially old ones. How fun would it be to display them in a library like this? Oh and that piano! Lovely... makes me wish my repertoire included more than "Chopsticks." 

This is M. Sasek

Downtown Charlottesville has no shortage of books. The wide selection of both new and used titles is enough to make any bibliophile's heart swell. We spent most of Saturday afternoon drinking coffee and perusing the stocked shelves for hidden treasures.

(Kelsey and Taylor... judging a book by its cover)

My favorite find? Children's books by Miroslav Sasek. He was an author/illustrator from Prague who is renowned for his This Is series. The first title in the series was This is Paris, but This is New York and This is London are equally appealing. They are stunningly beautiful and nostalgic, and the perfect addition to any end table. 

My second favorite find?

(Not that I need it, of course!)

So last week we talked about boxing up my apartment? The day has finally come to move into my new one! The daunting task of schlepping all my possessions from one to another is moderately horrific, however, the prospect of settling into the new place with three of my favorite friends makes up for it tenfold. Icing on the cake? The Lil Bee is giving away the Domino Book of Decorating! Coincidence? I think not. Now I just have to win it, and then the apartment transformation can commence.

The roommates! We are just so happy about living together we can hardly contain ourselves!

Earth to Table

Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from and Organic Farm by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann

A few months ago I was shopping in Martin and Osa and I spotted the most fabulous cookbook. The pictures, the recipes... heavenly. But I was living la vida unemployment, so I refrained from purchasing. Well, it has been on my mind since March, so I finally ordered it. Just in time for all the fresh, local summer veggies! I cannot wait to try out some of these recipes! 

Currently Reading...

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller


If you have read Blue Like Jazz, then you know that Donald Miller is an excellent writer. Well, he wrote a story about his life, and some people decided to make it into a movie. His latest book talks about the process of "editing his life" to make it into a movie. It starts like this:


"If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo, and worked for years to get it, you wouldn't cry at the end when he drove it off the lot, testing the windshield wipers. You wouldn't tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on to think about the story you'd seen. The truth is, you wouldn't remember that movie a week later, except you'd feel robbed and want your money back. Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo. But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to feel meaningful. The truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won't make a story meaningful, it won't make a life meaningful either."


I haven't finished reading yet, but I am really enjoying it. It is such a fresh, interesting, challenging look at things.