Music Monday

Drinking: Coffee

Listening: John Mayer

 

I have been in love with this song lately. Listen and you'll know why. It makes me cry every time. 

 

 

Beautiful Eulogy by: Beautiful Eulogy

There used to be a time when we were fine, living life with no particular religious bend. Pretending to be our own gods inventing our own systems of belief so as to not depend anything other than our own self-governing consent. Defending an impending doom with no perceived need to concede to repent. Presuming our innocence in a sense descent. The sting of death was only the inevitable end of everything we could never rightly understand or comprehend. We used to fear the unknown so God made Himself known and atoned mending the relationship between God and man. giving His life as a ransom for many when He died and ascended and in that one event the certainty of eternal death was circumvented, making a way for the day when history stops and time suspends, spending eternity in fellowship that never ends we see the greatest expression of God's love extended in that moment when those who were once in a measly stead became God's friends.

And when it's my time to go, go ahead and take me home I know I'll be with you, I know I'll be with You. And when it is my time to go, go ahead and take me home knowing that I'd rather go, I wanna be with You.
How sweet the Gospel sounds to ears like mine, well acquainted with pain and strained relationships. Friendships that suffer from long-distances or even worse they get severed from something more severe. And He still hasn't wiped away all my tears yet, my cheeks get wet every now and then, even when I give my best, I know I fall short, I get scared when the balls in my court. Focused on my performance, wretched and poor, it makes the message more real when I preach it, I'm not there yet so I'm reachin, reachin for a gold to stand before my King and be speechless. Then, never again will I question if His grace is sufficient to cover my sin, cuz death is gone and all the effects of the evil and wrong will be conquered when His kingdom comes. So this is my hope and my prayer the air that I'll breathe in eternity with lungs that never fail me. If it pleases my Lord, it's only by Your grace use my life til it's poured out for Your sake. until then I'll remain where You have me, with joy when I feel unhappy and a peace that surpasses all my understanding, my life is in the hands of Your love everlasting. 
And when it's my time to go, go ahead and take me home I know I'll be with You, I know I'll be with You. And when it is my time to go, go ahead and take me home knowing that I'd rather go, I wanna be with You.

Shalom,

M

Living Inspiration

Drinking: Soy Milk
Listening: Simon & Garfunkel

With Jordan and I's wedding just a hop, skip and a jump away I've been eagerly looking forward to having a home to decorate. You can imagine how bummed I was then when I learned that we couldn't paint the walls in our new town house. My initial sadness has since been smothered by the fact that I don't really like colored walls anyway, I just don't like being told I can't design something. Hahaha. With that in mind I have been searching the interweb for loads of inspiration and loveliness. I am right now in fact, sitting on the couch, watching Family Guy and surfing around for pretty pictures to look at.

Here are just some pretty things that I've found lately...

Kristin & Adam - Their house makes me swoon. Check out their kitchen below & follow the link to see the rest of their space!

Jenny @ Little Green Notebook - She posted about her living room fixes and I fell in love.

Kristine @ The Painted Hive - Oh goodness. What a clean look for her kitchen. I love DIY's & I love freebies. 

This simple look from Brick House. I do love a good looking cactus. 

Danni @ Oh, hello friend - I adore this brick wall in what will be their bedroom. It's flat brick. How lovely is that?!

I hope you are continue to have a fantastic week! I'm hoping this weekend comes with many things checked off a large to do list. :)

Shalom

Greenery.

Drinking: Soy Milk
Listening: Laura Marling

I bought several succulents this weekend... How could I not? They were $5.50 a piece and so cute! I'm probably going to run out and buy several more. I can't help how adorable they are. So now the question is where to put them? Jordan needed some green around his house. I bought a baby cactus about a month ago and his home is by the sink in the kitchen. What do you guys think about having them in the living room? I think I'm going to decorate the pots with the sharpie paint markers I bought. I really love having them under the TV... I think that's where I'm going to keep them. :)

Jordan and I are off to Bailey's birthday party in a couple minutes. We did some serious goodwilling today. I'll post about all of our sweet finds tomorrow. Oh, and I might get a picture of Jordan singing his heart out tonight. Karaoke is on the to-do list, apparently. We'll see how willing he is. :)

Shalom 

Homemade Tortilla Chips

Drinking: Water
Listening: City On A Hill (collab album)

I made these a couple weeks ago when we had a party and everyone said they were delicious. I made a slight change this second time around. I added parsley, too. I just wanted a little extra pizzaz. You know?
Also, these can be way healthier for you than most tortilla chips depending on what kind you use!

Ingredients: 
Oil (I used Olive)
Flour Tortillas
Sea Salt
Parsley (optional)

What to do:
Oil pan and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 350. Place a tortilla shell on a cutting board and lightly oil. Make sure to oil all the way to the edge of the shell. Lightly salt. Sprinkle with parsley. You could sprinkle any kind of spice. Just jazz things up! Then stack another shell on top and repeat. After you've done about 5 or 6 use a pizza cutter to cut the shells in 8 pieces. Lay them out on the baking sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes.

And there it is! Delicious, healthy tortilla chips!

Let me know if you guys find any other spices that are tasty. I would love to play around with different things. Enjoy!

Shalom

5 Things I Love #14

Drinking: Water
Listening: Derek Webb

5 things I love posts are some of my favorites... When I put a month together, it's one of the funnest posts to plan. #winning

1. Honeycombs! Honeycombs everywhere!

2. Also, pom poms! 

3. Arrested Development is coming back!

4. Pride & Prejudice. 

5. Succulents. (I just bought some last night! Eep!)

I hope you all have a great Friday and a lovely weekend!

Shalom

50 Things

Drinking: Tea

Listening: Nick Drake

Just in case you didn't know...

1. I am 4' 10''.
2. My favorite color is green.
3. I enjoy walking at night.
4. I've never broken a bone (or at least I've never seen a doctor about one.. can't know for sure).
5. I hate cheese - unless it's on a taco, chili or brocoli cheese soup. yum.
5. I like dinosaurs.
6. I am a follower of Jesus Christ & I love him.
7. I love being outside during every season, but Fall is my favorite.
8. I have a car named Wilbur.
9. I save big money at Menards.
10. I don't like sleeping in.
11. Jordan asked me to marry him on Mission Point in Traverse City.
12. I cried.
13. I love the color white.
14. My new last name will be Cotton.
15. I'm 21 & he's 24.
16. I love to read.
17. I sell hand warmers for a living.
18. I used to do all e-commerce distribution for the up and coming apparel company, Poler.
19. I have Christmas lights in my house for decoration all year around.
20. I use a lot of natural beauty products.
21. I own two gold spray painted dinosaurs.
22. Camping is one of my favorite things.
23. So is back packing.
24. Come May 4, 2013 I will live next door to a soccer field.
25. I like Jason Statham movies.
26. Two of may favorite authors are C. S. Lewis & J. R. Tolkien.
27. I have a sister (Sally, 17) & a brother (Keegan, 19).
28. I keep saving bottle caps waiting for a cool project to use them on.
29. Jordan bought me a sock monkey when we first started dating.
30. I think Allstate commercials are h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s.
31. Blankets are so wonderful.
32. I've always wanted to go to Ikea, but I still haven't been.
33. The Office, Parks and Rec, the Walking Dead and Arrested Development are some of my favorite shows.
34. I collect books.
35. I love to organize.
36. I will watch a Bruce Willis movie whether it's good or not. Not because I love him, I just love his movies.
37. I can play the guitar.
38. I'm actively involved in my church.
39. I love playing air hockey with Jordan, even though I've never won.
40. I have won Battleship, though!
41. I like indie movies & music.
42. I drink coffee.
43. I've never toasted a pop tart.
44. I don't have a smart phone.
45. I love wearing sweats.
46. I have a weird scar on my arm from where I hit a culvert pipe ramp at the wrong angle on my bike.
47. I enjoy taking pictures.
48. One time when I was a baby my parents met Ed Harris in an airport and he asked if he could hold me.
49. I'm getting married on May 4, 2013.
50. I'm a nerd.

Shalom

What I'm Reading

Drinking: Coffee

Listening: Coldplay

 

I've been collecting a lot of cute books to have in our living room for when people come over. The last time we have people over our friends Nick & Alisha over and their baby girl Emma confirmed it was good by "reading" it out loud with the cutest baby gurgles and noises. There is a whole state series and I would seriously suggest picking one up. It's precious.

 

Hoping you're having a lovely Wednesday! It's all snowy here. I'm thinking some simple DIY fun this evening. What are your mid-week plans?

Shalom

Guest Post: Kara Glass // Behind Green Eyes

Drinking: Water
Listening: Cat Power

Hello all! Today I have asked my friend Kara from Behind Green Eyes to share something that is very near and dear to her heart. That works out perfectly because Kara is very near and dear to my heart and I love her very much. Once you're finished reading her weight loss story, head over to her blog and check it out. She's super talented and lovely.

When I was in high school, I kept a relatively normal weight.  I danced in high school and played tennis so I kept quite active.  Then college hit.  I hated working out, I hated school, and was just kind of unhappy with my life.  I started working at a coffee shop where I drank a large white chocolate and hazelnut latte and ate an asiago cheese bagel with TONS of cream cheese every day…every single day!  So, therefore I gained 40lbs.  YIKES!  I remember feeling tired and bogged down all the time.  I remember climbing 4 flights of stairs and school and being completely out of breath and running to the bathroom so no one noticed.  It was sad.  I hadn’t even paid attention to how much weight I was gaining.  
Then my last semester of school, I had the hardest class ever with the worst professor ever.  I was extremely stressed out.  I barely ate.  I lost 20 pounds in two months.  Even though that’s a bad way to lose weight, this kick-started my diet.

A few months after I finished school I met some new friends who had lost a TON of weight on weight watchers.  I was inspired.  She taught me how to count points and how to really watch what I ate. So, I lost 30 more pounds!  It took a lot of hard work and dedication.  
Once I had reached my goal weight, I got lazy.  I nearly gained all the weight back and felt awful.  Over the next few years I would lose weight and then gained it all back.  
Then I came to a conclusion that I just needed to make a lifestyle change.  I needed to be content with the fact that I can’t eat whatever I want whenever I want.  So I did just that.  I am currently 10 pounds higher than my goal weight, but I feel healthier than ever.  I, of course, splurge every now and again, but the important thing is that I’ve changed my eating habits and that will be the healthiest and most important thing for me.

I thought I could leave a few tips I’ve learned along the way about losing weight.

Have a support system
It is so important to have people encouraging you and keeping you accountable all the time.  The best support you can have is by someone coming along on the journey with you.  Lift each other up.  Encourage them and make a point to changing your lives together.

Drink lots and lots of water
This seems so simple but people don’t usually realize that they’re not drinking enough water during the day.  Have a set amount of water that you plan on drinking each day and stick to it.

Work out
I know, I know, working out sucks.  I hated it (and sometimes still hate it).  Not only does it make you look better, it makes you feel better.  Especially after a workout, you have this natural high and feels like nothing else.  Even something simple like taking a walk can be effective.

Thanks for sharing, Kara! I love great motivating stories! Doesn't that make you want to be healthier?

I hope you all have a lovely evening!

Shalom

Music Monday

Drinking: Coffee
Listening: Taylor Swift

Happy Monday, enjoy. :)

"Girl"

Nashville to New York

See Ohio and everything we can do

If we're apart

Desire has known us well

Living dreams is living hell but

They brought us through the times

I wanna light myself on fire

I spent thirty years not knowing you

I can't afford to waste more time

Running 'round the world

When all I know is... you're my girl

You're my cool shores and western stars

But where we live ain't who we are

When there's a mountain inside of you

And if I had an aeroplane

I'd fly 'round in the morning rain

Just to find your shooting star

Oh sweet love of mine, oh sweet love of mine

If I need you to carry my troubles

You do, love of mine

And if I need you to carry my worries

You do, love of mine

I need you to fix my hurting

Oh sweet love of mine

 

Shalom

Music Monday

Drinking: Coffee

Listening: Rend Collective

Another start to another week. I do love music that sets a mood & all of these songs would fall into that category. Riverside pulls at the heart strings of the past, Emmylou pulls at the heart string of the present, Down In The Valley pulls at the heart strings of the future and Cosmic Love just gives me the chills. :) Enjoy!

Shalom

5 Things I Love #13

Drinking: Soy Milk
Listening: Guster

Ah, what a wonderful Friday. I hope you all had a great week. I know I did. Worked on some things that led to some sales, which is always a plus. Not to mention that I got my boxed set of Game of Thrones books, Bailey bought me more paper straws for the wedding and Jordan agreed to help me make minimalist furniture. Man, I would say this week went smoothly.

Here is the list of things I'm really loving this week:

1. As I mentioned above, Jordan signed off on making this furniture with me. It will probably be a project that waits till after the wedding, but I am stocked about it already. Click here to see the rest of the ideas.



2. I love these deer prints from Lexy Levin. She's so talented!



3. This article from Elsie over at A Beautiful Mess is really great. Check it out!

4. These chips look so delicious! I can't wait to make them this weekend.

5. I really want to wear these shoes in my wedding...

 I'm really sorry I didn't post this on Friday! I haven't had internet all weekend, so this is a little late. Enjoy!

Shalom

A Blog Hop, you say?

Drinking: Water
Listening: Bayside

Yes, it's true, I am foreign to the concept of a "Blog Hop." I've never participated in one and never really knew the whole idea behind it. Until today, that is!

Kitty & Buck (long with 3 other wonderful bloggers) are doing something called The Totally Awesome Blog Hop and I decided to join in! I couldn't be more excited! I get to be able to connect with some really fantastic and talented people. With all that said you guys should go check it out and participate. It's going to be super fun.

Oh, btw, happy Thursday!

Shalom

What I'm Reading

Drinking: Water

Listening: Air Traffic Controller

 

My brother, Paul, loves Cormac McCarthy. I think he's read all of his books. I love the movie adaption of No Country For Old Men (fantastic!) and got excited when I was able to snag this for 20 cents at Goodwill. So far, very good. I'm only a chapter or two in, but I love the way he writes. 

 

 

Have any of you ever read this or any of his other books? I'm interested in your thoughts!

 

Happy Wednesday!

 

Shalom

To Do...

Drinking: Tea
Listening: Lana Del Ray

Sorry I didn't post this yesterday guys! This is my simple to do list this week & I'm hoping all of them get taken care of this week because the wedding things are super important. ;)

1. Make cookies using my Michigan shaped cook cutter from my mum.
Yay! I love when mum buys be cool things. :)

2. Print my wedding invites.
Yes, this is important. Haha.

3. Buy my wedding dress.
Also very important. Eeek.

4. Finally pay for the ceremony venue (I've had this money in an envelope in my nightstand for 3 months!)
Enough said, I want this on my "done" list!

5. Return bottles.
They're piling up! New Years Eve left me with 2 full bags!

Have a lovely Tuesday, folks!

Shalom

Music Monday

Drinking: Coffee
Listening: Death Cab For Cutie

Ah, yes. A small, humble tribute to DCFC. Have a glorious Monday everyone. :)

Shalom

5 Things I Love #12

Drinking: Tea
Listening: Grouplove

Ah! I am so excited to have another 5 Things to share with you today. I've been doing a lot of online window shopping lately. All our money is going towards a car, a honeymoon and a wedding, but I'm still managing to bookmark a couple things I love.

1. West Elm has darling throw blankets! 

That's right, I love them all! Throw blankets are so cute and make a house look like a home. Yes please!

2.  Amazon.

Amazon is the most wonderful resource for planning a wedding, decorating a home & setting up my craft room. 

3. Homemade Gifts. 

I've been making a lot of homemade things lately. I'll post some pictures soon. Scarves, soap, body scrub, shaving cream... So many fun, eco friendly things to make!

4. This Baja Hoodie.

Jordan hates them, but they are so cute and comfy! Oh lanta, I just love them. :)

5. Spending quality time with people I love.

I've been so busy lately I haven't had any time to spend with people. But, that will change - I'm prioritizing things! 

Resolutions and things like that

Drinking: Tea
Listening: The Naked & Famous

You know, I'm not one to make a lot of lofty resolutions. I don't like saying I'm going to do a lot of things that I'm actually not going to do. So, I have a small manageable list this time around. And it's just a list of things I want to do to better myself, I I'm praying I can stick to these things.

1. Be more healthy.
Now, let me more clear. I am not a health nut. I don't like running. I like eating fatty foods. My goal is to do yoga in the morning and drink water, tea and coffee. No pop or beer - they make me feel gross. Hahaha.

2. Plan my wedding.
I need to get crackin'. Enough said. :)

3. Get my office up to snuff and open my store.
My office at Jordan's place is complete chaos. It has everything all tossed in it and needs to be set up and organized.

4. Read.
I used to read multiple books A WEEK. Adult life has ripped that away from me, sadly. I need to get back to the simple things. And by simple things I mean reading. All. The. Time.

5. Create & simplify.
I really just need to let go of things I don't really care about and fill my time with being productive.

Well, there you go folks! This is my list! I did yoga this morning, so I think I'm on track. :)

Shalom

Monthly Must-haves // January

Drinking: Water

Listening: The Flaming Lips

Welcome to a new feature I'm going to be doing monthly! This is just a lovely list of things that I think are great. :)

1. Who doesn't like these branch colored pencils?!
2. Uhm, yes. Game Of Thrones.
3. Simon Pegg writing about Simon Pegg? I love it.
4. Hand made state shaped stamps. I love Michigan. It's the best state.
5. This dress is adorable.

I hope you all enjoy your Thursdays! It's a little overcast here in lovely Michigan, but the snow is still making everything look like a winter wonderland. It's the perfect time to curl up with a book and drink some hot tea. That's what I plan on doing this evening. Ahhh, simple pleasures.

Shalom

What I'm Reading

Drinking: Water
Listening: Lana Del Rey

Hello everyone! Since it is a wonderful holiday season and I've had time off work I've decided to read as much as I possibly can. The Hobbit is on my radar hardcore lately. I watched An Unexpected Journey last week and loved it. Yes, yes, they weren't 100% true to the story, but I enjoyed it anyway. I'm sorry if that offends anyone, that's just the way it is. I can't wait to see what they do with the next 2 movies... How exciting is that?! Okay, I'm done. Enjoy this season - and grab a good book to read!

Shalom

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Drinking: Water

Listening: Jenny Owens Young

Jordan had some friends and family over last night for a shindig and it was so much fun! Spending time with friends and family is one of the loveliest things in the world to me. I was so blessed to be able to bring in the new year with the people that I love the most. 

Mum & Josie. 

Mum, Josie, Jordan, Liz, Peter & half of Jake. 

Look at that fancy banner I made! I was so proud of it that it is STILL hanging in Jordan's living room (I think). I got the download from here.

I love the lights that I was able to snag up at Target! They're the perfect sized bulbs and look so classy. I can't wait to hang my other strands around the house. 

Jake & Josie. So cute. :)

 My mother's garage is like an antique store where everything is free. She has sure a great eye for lovely things and she lets me take (almost) anything that I think I can use to make Jordan's house look more like a home. This darling church bird house is one of my finds. :)

 I like having people over. I think it's great that Jordan and I have such great friends. When we get people together it's always great!

 Happy New Year everyone! 

I hope you all ushered in 2013 in your own great way! 2012 was a wonderful year, but I can't wait to have 2013 here now. I'm getting married, guys! :)

Shalom