So much to say!

Topic #1: Books!

Remember when I made the commitment, in such a grandiose fashion, to read a book a month and blog about it? Well, I DID start and finish a book in the month of January…and here it is the 2nd week of February and I haven’t even mentioned it!  So…here we go:

This book…this collection of writings…so gently and sweetly reminded me why CS Lewis has (and always will have) a part of my heart.  He is wise and witty and so easily relatable.  He speaks plainly about human nature and where he leads…I always end changed.

There are seven essays, published in a variety of literary publications between 1952 and 1959.  They cover a wide spectrum of topics including prayer, good works, and the second coming of Christ.  And they are all amazing and worthy of your time.

But my favorites (and they are REALLY favorites that I will keep with me…maybe forever) are “Lilies that Fester” and “Good Work and Good Works”

In Lilies that Fester, he warns us about talking a thing to death…about talking and failing to live that thing we are talking about.  He states, on refinement, “Refinement, in fact, is a name given to certain behaviour from without.  From within, it does not appear as refinement; indeed, it does not appear, does not become an object of consciousness, at all.  Where it is most named, it is most absent.”  (italics added)

He also calls refinement and religion (and even culture), “dangerous and embarrassing words.”

How do these charges change how I live out my daily life?  It’s convicted and encouraged my to LIVE (outside the discussion I so often become entangled in).

The idea of good works, in Christian circles, can be a prickly one.  And with good reason.  For by grace through faith we have been saved, “not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  However, Lewis makes the beautiful distinction, in my other favorite essay, between “good works” and “good work”, positing that our life…our daily works, are to be good.  If we are feeding the poor, we must feed them good food!  And he states that, in his day, “good work” is “not extinct among us…” but “not…especially characteristic of religious people.”  He goes on to speak about how things are made, not out of necessity, but “in order that people may receive money for making things.”  He speaks about government, our place and perspective within society, and how we can make it better.

In closing, he states, “‘Great works’ (of art) and ‘good works’ (of charity) had better also be Good Work.  Let choirs sing well or not at all.  Otherwise, we merely confirm the majority in their conviction that the world of Business, which does with such efficiency so much that never really needed doing, is the real, the adult, and the practical world; and that all this “culture” and all this “religion” (horrid words both) are essentially marginal, amateurish, and rather effeminate activities.”

He made me think, once again.  And what more can we ask, really?

Onto less heady things…

Topic #2: Dinner!

Recipe: from my own head..how fun is that?  (incidentally…good news!  For my birthday, my sweet mama gave me the Nigella Express cookbook!  I was thrilled!  (as was my local library…I no longer had to hold theirs hostage…)

Bacon and tomato bruschetta!  With a little feta…because it makes everything better.  Sometimes, finger foods made the best dinners!

Topic #3: Music!

Thanks to my ‘new-music hunting husband” I have fallen in love with a new (or at least new to me!) band!

Seabear.

Listen.  They will make you happy, I promise!

Thanks for wading through the topics in my head!  Enjoy the day (it’s wetter than wet here…and I’m loving every minute of it!)

You know when something happens…or you do something, in fact…that turns out to be wrong?  Something that displays an inaccurate representation of you…or your character, personality, and intention?  Something that turns out to be…hurtful?

You know that feeling?

This is how I feel today.

On another note…

I made the greatest clutch ever this weekend.

I won’t be selling this style…it’s just for me (and anyone who might or might not get it as a gift!)

The pattern came from Another Knitting Blog (even though the pattern is crocheted!)  It’s simple and super fast, and looks way fancier than it, in fact, is!

Must have coffee, now.  The first cup of the day.  And it’s 1:45pm…

Dinner, Tuesday night: (Nigella Express – which has to go back to the library in only two weeks!  Page 4)

Smoked Cod and Cannellini

I did substitute cannellini beans for garbanzos (since that’s what was on hand), but it looked like the picture and both men in my life ate it up, so I was well pleased!  I will say this…a bit on the dry side for my liking.  Next time (along with the recommended beans) I will most certainly add a light lemon butter sauce.  Seriously yum, yum!

Next up…baking cookies (maple pecan cookies – Domestic Goddess book, page 62).  In case you’re new here, I’m not a baker.  I love to eat baked goods, but have little patience with making them.  In an attempt to maintain the thrifty streak I’ve been on, I’m BAKING our dessert (which we are bringing to SHARE WITH PEOPLE – so it has to be good…)

No pressure…

In shop news:

My logo is DONE!  And my stamp has arrived!!  Which means I’ve been tagging like crazy…

I feel so professional…

Off to do responsible things like clean out the car, wash clothes, and dishes, dishes, dishes…

First…a cup of tea.

Along with an ‘exercise’ type walk (for the mama, anyway) in the morning we also had a ‘just for fun’ walk this afternoon!

In our little red wagon!  A Christmas present that hasn’t seen much action (we’ve had it cold cold here lately!).  But our temperatures made it almost up to 60 degrees…so we made a mad dash outside before it slipped past us!  Incidentally, have you ever made a mad dash with a wagon and a toddler?  It’s a feat, let me tell you…

So this little boy of mine really enjoyed his wagon.  However, he mostly had fun rummaging through the mama’s bag…slinging things like the debit card and face powder, and car keys.

Silly goose…

On our  first walk of the day, we swung by our little library and picked up (along with some goodies for the littlest one of the bunch) this:

I can’t wait to crack it open!

Tonight’s reading, for sure!

Taking advantage of this oh-so-nice walking weather!  So nice, in fact, it might shape up to be a two walk day!

Lunching with our sweet buddies and loving every minute of it!

Reading, reading, reading…

and napping (for the littlest one of us, anyway…)

Dinner’s slow-cooking away…and smells so good I want a bowl right now!  (beef stoganoff, by the way)

And great new music!  A band I know nothing about, but discovered recently…called Dawes…and I’ve loved every minute of their album, “North Hills.”  I think you most definitely should take a listen!

I love the holidays.  Thanksgiving thru New Year’s Day is by far and away my most favorite time of year!  Between the time with family (we had a wedding in ours, which was sweet and perfect in every way and made family time even more plentiful!)  and the FOOD (oh yummy yum yums!) – and most of all the Sweetest Gift we get to remember and celebrate – this time of year is most always the best!

But can I tell you…time…well…it’s gotten away, that’s all I can say.

But – new year – new goals!  I’ve been thinking on that these days.  Taking this new beginning as a time to reflect…what I did well and…not so well.  What I’d like to say I’ve done this time next year.  What new things I’d like to call habits.

So…quick list:

#1  Begin and finish one book a month.  I think this has been on my list for three years running…but this year – I’m going to do it!  I like the idea of order…and accountability.  Along with this goal, I’d like to write a little mini review of each book at the beginning of the month.  Just so you know I’ve done it!

First book:

The World’s Last Night and Other Essays

#2  I have fallen in love with cooking (not baking…just to clarify…)  And I feel like I’ve come a long way in doing it well and on a reasonable budget.  However…I’m wanting a bit more…of something.  I discovered a web site years ago that has thousands of recipes (dare I say, millions?)  and some have been excellent.  But after receiving the movie ‘Julie and Julia’ for Christmas (and promptly watching it 27 times) cooking from this web site leaves me…empty.  There is such an intimacy for Julie…a guide with her in her kitchen.  As if they’re in it together.  I have no plans for cooking through Julia’s book, or cooking through anyone’s book, for that matter.  But I do want to explore cookbooks and their writers.  Get to know them, so to speak.  So…here’s the goal (thanks for wading through the long introduction!): to only cook from BOOKS or BLOGS!  I think there I will find an intimacy and camaraderie I’m longing for!  I will surely keep you posted.  And, please, let me know your favorites!

#3  I want to take up yoga.  I’ve never done it, but always wanted to.  And I think know, this year, I’m going to do it!  There’s a little studio down the street from my house (and by down the street, I mean about a 5 minute walk…what could be easier?) and I’ve checked…there are beginner (really beginner) classes!  So…there I will be.  Wish me luck!

#4  To say yes to my little boy as much as possible.  Sometimes I fear I fall into the habit of saying no, instead of looking at each moment as separate from the last.  And to say yes, when possible, even when it’s inconvenient for me.  I want for him to be a daring and adventurous man…I realize it’s my job to teach him this and it starts now!

#5  To give smiles away more often.  My nature is most certainly extroverted, but I sometimes get scared.  My new moto…smiles are free and everyone likes them.  And if you don’t, it’ll only last a minute.  But what could that smile in a moment mean?  For me, it’s a moment to right my perspective and bring a lightness to my being (a lightness that I feel has been lacking in the last year, if I’m vulnerably honest…)

So there they are…out there in the world for all to see.  Now they’re real.  Now there’s nowhere to go.  Now they must been done.

Cheers to you, this 2010.  Tell me, what are you going to do with it?

So at the request of Sweet Husband, here are my Christmas present wishes!

1.  KitchenAid Mixer (because it makes the yummiest bread ever and would make life a little sweeter!)

2.  Skinny jeans and (brown)  knee high boots (I mention them together seeing as I will only wear skinny jeans while wearing knee high boots…)

3.  Gift certificate from The Woolie Ewe (yay yarn!)

4.  Bare Minerals make-up (including this and this!)

5.  Printed tees!  (like this one or this one!) (and this one and this one, too!)

6.  Black flats (like these or these or these!)

7.  …

More to come…

It’s so exciting to have the ability to fashion pieces of my fall wardrobe!  I love the thriftiness and domesticity of it!  And I happen to love, love, love the outcome!

The pattern is from Lion Brand Bernat (silly me…) and is basic and one size fits all.  I modified it a bit to lengthen the sleeves and finished it with a cute trim (with a ribbed effect!).  And I can’t wait to wear it!

Please come to us, Fall!

We are a house that loves pj’s.  We love to sleep in them (well, of course we do…).  We love to lounge in them.  We love to cuddle in them.

So why oh why does the littlest button never (no never!) have enough pj’s to get us through the week?  (Because that’s how often the Mama button can handle washing clothes…and that’s just how it is!)

So when our sweetest friend showed up at our house with these babies, we couldn’t wait to put them on!

They are the softest, cuddliest pj bottoms ever and they quickly jumped to the top of our favorite list!  (and I think they even match our bestest of buddies, C!)

What on earth could be better?

Nothing, that’s what!

(or, to be a bit more accurate, I should say ONE of my favorite things…)

…is when the functional in life (those things that we need…we use…we look for on almost a daily basis, but that are, let’s be honest, merely utilitarian)

…meets the CUTE in life!

Introducing……my iphone cozy (so as to not scratch up the pretty screen…and it’s easier to find in the vacuum of my Mama Bag)

Hello, Functional!  I’m Cute.  Let’s hold hands, shall we?

(Will these be in the little Button Shop soon?  I don’t know.  What do we think?)