getting my priorities straight

Image found here.

Do you ever have days when you wish you had...


The subtle, graceful beauty of Audrey Hepburn,


The witty humor of Erma Bombeck,


The sheer creative genius of Martha Stewart (without the prison record),


The ability to genuinely care for and love every person you meet just like (insert name here),


A seemingly spotless house with gracious inhabitants like your next-door-neighbor,


Neat, organized closets where everything is easily found just like your mother's,


A wardrobe to rival Sarah Jessica Parker's (is it just me or is she kind of odd looking? But I still want her shoes),


And......... (insert a million other things here).




I have those days a lot. I see so many examples of amazing women everywhere I look, and I want to be one of them. I pick out their finest characteristics and accomplishments, and whomp myself over the head with them (figuratively speaking).

Most days, I'm lucky if I have time to shave my legs and empty the dishwasher. Yet, I aspire to a checklist of accomplishments and character traits that would have the Queen of England begging for mercy.

Ah yes, I hear some gentle laughs. I think a lot of women struggle with this. We are observant, we are affected by what we see around us, we are constantly trying to measure up to some standard.

But lately, God has been gently nudging me. He's asking me to set aside my checklist and look deeply into His eyes. There, I don't see little white boxes waiting for my pencil mark.

Instead, I see how much He adores me. And I see a little twinkle that makes me realize how outrageous my strivings really are. I will never be perfect, and in fact I probably won't even be close.

I feel Him gently pry away my fingers, and pull the crumpled list from my hands. In it's place He breathes a word. Just one simple word that lands firmly in my soul, and resounds through my body.

Love.

Love God, love others, love the life you have been given.

Everything else will fall into place.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Romans 12:9-12 (NIV)

Yellow Walls

I haven't posted any pictures of our yellow hallway yet because I was still searching for the perfect artwork to compliment the golden-yellow walls.

Here is what it looked like before:



And now with the new yellow walls:


For the artwork, I ended up using some vintage postcards we had leftover from our wedding. We used them as seating cards, and we ended up having quite a few left over.

I had several dollar-store frames laying around, so I spray-painted them white. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out so well because I am lazy and generally try to spray paint things without sanding them first (not a good idea).

So, instead of mourning the lack of perfection I decided to go with it. I grabbed a sheet of sandpaper and roughed up the edges of the frames for a more weathered look.

I'm happy with how it turned out. Want to know a secret? I hung the frames with poster putty and masking tape. Shh, don't tell my hubby!

The Chicken Saga

I posted a while back about a fun find that I picked up at Goodwill. It was a purchase that made a few people question my sanity.

"Really, Michela? I thought you at least had some taste."

People didn't really say that, I'm putting words in their heads (I'm really good at doing that). But the truth is, I even questioned my own taste a little on this one. Sometimes, you just have to go with it.



Hello, colorful chickens.

I'm not sure what captivated me more: the amazing handiwork that was put into creating these technicolor chickens, or the fact that they are actually kind of cute. I never thought chickens could be cute.



Well, the chickens have finally found their new home over our kitchen sink, surrounded by a freshly painted frame.

So there you have it. If you had told me ten years ago that I would be ecstatic over a chicken picture, I'm sure you could have knocked me over with a... well, a feather.



Now, I am hatching a plan to get rid of these brown cupboards.

Bottle cap trivet...

I had an unexpected day off of work on Monday. It was glorious! I needed some time to just be home and do some things around the house, so it was perfect timing.

I have seen these "bottle-cap trivets" made up a few different ways, and I decided to try making one with fabric. In case you are inclined to make one, I am including the (incredibly) easy instructions.


First, have your husband drink some beer.



Just FYI- it took my husband 5 months and a board game party with 15 of his friends to come up with this many bottle caps. I definitely won't be complaining about that one. Everything in moderation, right?



I prefer to use an assortment of fabrics. You could do this with one fabric as well, but it just wouldn't be as colorful!



I cut some circles that were a little wider than the bottle caps.




Then, sew around the edges like so...




Here you can see the width of the fabric in comparison with the bottle cap.




Finally, pull on the thread to tighten the fabric around the bottle cap.


Then, make a million of those. After 3 hours, 2 large cups of coffee, and 6 episodes of "Ruby and the Rockits," I finally had enough to assemble the finished product.



As I painstakingly sewed them together, I thought, "there must be a better way to do this." But, it escaped me so I just kept sewing.

And Voila! A bottle-cap trivet that is definitely too pretty to use just yet...

What have you been making lately?

Spring, Spring...

Hello, SPRING?

Are you there?

I have resorted to making flowers out of felt in your absence...


Sadly, they just don't have the same smell.




I even bought a brand new navy trench-coat in anticipation of your arrival.


So you see, I am ready.





(Do you think you could make an exception this year and come, say, 3 months early? Just wondering.)

Posy's Winter Survival Guide

In honor of Winter, which is right now in the process of bestowing upon us Minnesotans yet another layer of icy goodness, Posy has decided to share with you some tips for Winter Survival. I thought we should call it "How to Whine Your Way Through Winter; Tales of Survival from a Wimp."

But, Posy opted for a more positive spin.



(We realize that not all of you lovely Blog-friends are knee-deep in snow, and I am trying not to be bitter about that.)


So without further ado, here are the first 10 tips for winter survival that we would like to share with you.



#1

Make LOTS of smoothies. This one has banana, frozen strawberries and blackberries, orange juice, and vanilla yogurt. Yum.



#2

Eat citrus fruit. Not only is it good for you, but it tastes SO GOOD. I love the little, peel-able "cutie" oranges that are in the supermarkets these days. (Bonus: can you find Posy in this pic?).



#3

When you think you've had enough fruit, eat some more. (You may notice that a lot of these posts are about food, need I remind you that Posy is, ahem, a pig? She may be tiny, but she can really pack it in).



#4

If you don't like your walls, paint them. For a while, I hemmed and hawed about painting the living room, but now that it's done I am amazed at how much better I feel.

The old color was simply depressing. Now, we have a space that we really enjoy being in, and that has helped the winter feel a little less bleak. What better time to fix up your house than when you are stuck in it?



#5


Bring some GREEN indoors.

I stuffed some moss in an apothecary jar and I am amazed at how it brightens up our coffee table. Green is just a happy, Spring-y color.



#6

Invest in some pretty new potted plants. I found these two at Bachmans- Rosemary for cooking (on the right), and I still don't know what the other one is. (If anyone knows, please tell me so I don't end up killing it by over-watering or something! )



#7

Spend time with people you love. Nothing warms you up better than a hug and time spent with friends and family!

#8

Make something out of fabric that reminds you of Spring. (I will be posting what I made out of this soon, I'm super excited!).



#9

Pull out those pretty teacups and use them for consuming hot beverages. This cup from Anthropologie actually makes things taste better, I swear!



#10

And finally, remember there is always someone out there who is worse off than you. (I just had to throw that in there, didn't I? Call me passive-aggressive if you will).

For me, I just think of my dear sweet Aunties in Alaska who are getting around 3 hours of sunlight a day, and that helps me keep perspective. Seriously, how do Alaskans survive winter?

Support for a good cause...

So many people have been affected by the devastation in Haiti. Many people, like me, are at a loss to know how we can help. A friend of mine is hosting a sale in her Etsy shop tomorrow, January 23rd. For one day only, 50% of each sale will go to support the relief efforts in Haiti.

I would highly encourage you to check out the items she has for sale! There are some beautiful knit items, hand-dyed silk scarves, hats, and much more. (You may even see a picture or two of me modeling them!). I love being able to support handcrafted work, and this is a great opportunity to do just that and show support for the people of Haiti as well.

Her shop is called NineTen Textiles, and it can be found here.