Diary of A Crazed College Girl

In case you hadn't heard....

2011-09-26T07:12:00.001-07:00

In case you hadn't heard, my blog has moved over here.

And I have a cute little etsy shop over here.

You should check them out!

Win a Trip to Paris!

2011-06-10T15:38:00.001-07:00

Did you like following my adventures in Sicily? Do you love to travel? Well check out this giveaway on Oh Happy Day for a chance to win a 7 day trip to Paris! Dreamy!

http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris/

Giving away a $150 Limited Edition Print

2011-02-17T09:34:00.001-08:00

Over at my new blog!

Check it out here.

A New Blog

2010-12-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

Hello all you followers of this old blog. In case you are still checking this (love you for that), head over to my new blog

livingsimplytogether.blogspot.com

it's awesome. i promise. if you don't think so, i'll make you some hot cocoa.

giveaway!

2010-11-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

giveaway on my other blog for some handmade journals so good!

click here to leave a comment and win!

2010-10-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

i'm featuring a hopefully awesome simple living month over at my new blog, as well as some more artist interviews and giveaways!

check it out!!

www.agirlandherscout.blogspot.com

another giveaway and artist interview

2010-09-02T19:53:00.001-07:00

over at my new blog www.agirlandherscout.blogspot.com

don't forget to check it out!

I've moved!

2010-07-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

Hey all you loyal followers! So after graduating, getting married, moving, getting a job, and getting a puppy (yay!), I have finally started a new blog over at
http://agirlandherscout.blogspot.com
so please come over and be loyal followers over there! I would love you forever :) Hope you are enjoying the summer!

2010-05-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

my apologies for the lack of posts recently. between final exams, wedding showers, wedding planning (it's in 12 days!!), the flood in nashville, and being a senior/ graduating in less than a week, life if a little crazy right now. i promise to come back with some posts probably after the wedding. i want to spend every second with andrew, my family and my friends. also since i will no longer be a "college girl," i'm planning on changing up the blog so check in for a new link post graduation, wedding, moving, starting new job :) love to you all! ~A

I'll let you in on a little secret...

2010-04-25T19:42:00.001-07:00

If you don't know, there is this super cool art project goin' down that has gained quite the fame.
It's called PostSecrets.
The short of it- people write down secrets on post cards and send them into the artist who then publishes them in books and on his blog. See here. They are a bit of a guilty pleasure, but sometimes I really connect.
Like this one... I'm not as much into the feminist part of it (mostly because I already knew women's brains were bigger ;)- just kidding just kidding- equal sized) but I love the quote,
"People tell me that a Ph.D. means I'm smart.
I have never felt more stupid or incompetent."

I don't know if I would go that far, but the one thing that college has taught me
(I contemplate such things since I only have 2 weeks left!) is that
I really don't know that much at all and have A LOT left to learn.
After all, the world is a big freakin' place.

thursday things i love

2010-04-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

1. I'm still counting down the days till the wedding. ONE MONTH FROM TODAY! Andrew and I both can hardly wait--- I'm trying not to wish away these next few weeks as they involve very significant and wonderful moments. But that said... i'm digging this hair-do. another possible wedding option.

2. On that note, one day soon I will be decorating Andrew and my apartment. Since it is an apartment (as opposed to a house), we don't have the ability to change too much, but I'm digging this kitchen with the white background and the little punches of color. We are getting FiestaWare which I think would look great with a neutral cabinet look like this!

[Il Duomo in beautiful Florence]

[Milano]

[My Brother, who I also love, sipping coffee in Rome!]

3. I also love traveling and learning other languages and have spent a summer in Hiroshima, Japan and a semester in Sicily though I had the fortune of also traveling to other places in North Africa and around Europe. Then I was able to return to Italy this summer with my brother, Mom, and Dad which was AWESOME. I am always in awe of and inspired by other people and cultures. I feel so blessed to say that I have great friends all around the world.

Must be the week for good quotes...

2010-04-21T13:43:00.001-07:00

But we can always learn from the wise words of others. This one is my first lesson in married life (though I'm not quite there yet).

The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves,

and not to twist them to fit our own image.

Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.

~Thomas Merton

After all, we should be celebrating the diversity of life. It keeps things interesting :)

2010-04-20T20:19:00.001-07:00

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,
places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.

- John Muir

the Luck of the Irish

2010-04-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend I chilled outside in the yard and stared at the grass all around me and the leaves in the sky.
It's one of my favorite things to do.
I also found this bouquet of four leaf clovers thanks to Andrew's yard.
Once I counted 28... I lost count.
My grandmother would be proud.
(We're Irish.)

Mail Call

2010-04-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

Every morning I get really excited to check my mail because lately my mailbox has been filled with lots of these :)

33 days and counting...
can't wait

Free CD Download!

2010-04-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

If you liked listening to Super Mash Bros.,
you can download their newest CD for FREE (and legally)
here.

My Brother is Famous

2010-04-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

That's a picture of him I took when he was playing baseball on TV. awesome.

Rites to Spring

2010-04-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend at Rhodes was our annual "Rites to Spring." Mostly an opportunity to letting all inhibitions go.... We have some awesome (most of the time at least) musicians come Friday and Saturday nights. Friday night I was introduced to the Super Mash Bros. I danced like crazy for the entire time they played. I LOVE THEIR MUSIC!! Seriously listen to this and try to not bob your head or tap your feet.

I was listening to it when I was typing this and almost couldn't stay in my chair to type. Seriously.

Things I Love Thursday

2010-04-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

I want to start posting a "Things I Love Thursday" Post. Several bloggers I read post them and I am always creatively inspired to see what makes others happy and drives them to do what they do.

So... Things I love....This hairdo--- possibly for the wedding.

These peachy flowers. Love this elegantly chic look! Also love adding the ribbon on the dress for the reception... something that compliments the bridesmaids.

This super cute DIY painting/collage. It would make a wonderful gift for someone special and inspires me on so many levels. From Balzar Designs.

And my personal favorite, I love my fiance and his wonderful love, patience, and caring spirit. He's the best :) I might just marry him. Oh wait! I am 44 days from today!!

Wedding Website!

2010-03-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

Check out this awesome cool website that my future hubby created for our wedding.
54 more days and counting till the big day!
andrewgossett.com/wedding

Awesome Blog Post!

2010-03-23T19:48:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. Life has been a little crazy around here! BUT I did want to mention this awesome blog post I read today about "Kitchen Stewardship."
It was really fabulous so click here to read it.

Thank you also for all the prayers and thoughts for my mom. It really means a lot!
Peace and love.

Spring Break

2010-03-16T19:48:00.001-07:00

I'm on spring break which has been pretty relaxing and wonderful thus far.
Small goals that have come to me in my rest...
(I'm not real good at being bored.)

1. I really want to learn how to sew. And I want to use that new skill. And I want to open an Etsy Shop. Not that it defines me as creative or not, I just like the idea of it for some reason. This may have been inspired by an awesome grab bag of fab fabric I snatched up at the thrift store last week.

2. I want to start running again. I've probably run 6 times in the past 6 months and for a former track/ cross country runner, I'm kind of ashamed. I need to get my lazy butt up and moving. If only the sun would come out, it would be much easier :)

Tomorrow is St. Patty's Day!! Being Irish by decent, I can't wait to celebrate! Don't forget to wear your green!

My New Favorite Hobby...

2010-03-12T08:19:00.001-08:00

Going to esty.com.
Looking at the shop profiles of the artists of the featured items.
Looking to see if they have personal blogs.
Finding the COOLEST blogs like this onemundoflo.blogspot.com

Book Review: "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years"

2010-03-10T20:49:00.000-08:00

I'm currently reading this great book "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller.
It's an easy-to-read and very inspiring book about how Miller tries to create a "better story" with his life.
I am also teaching a Servant Leadership class on it at school. We meet once a week to talk about some questions that we I e-mail out to discuss and figure out how the lessons presented in this book can help us to become servant leaders.
If you're interested, I can post our curriculum.

Love!!

2010-03-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't this scrapbook make the PERFECT gift for someone once you filled it with lots of little notes and photos of you and him/her/them?!? I might just have to make one over Spring Break---NEXT WEEK!

Check out the demo here from Balzar Designs.

YAY!!

2010-03-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

I just received a $750 grant to teach an afterschool photography class at a local inner city school that targets kids that are "most likely to drop out of school before they graduate." CANNOT BE MORE PUMPED!

2010-03-08T07:51:00.000-08:00

It's a high of 70 outside today!

The Words of My Heart This Morning

2010-03-06T07:20:00.000-08:00

A Good Listener

Good morning, Lord,

Let me be attentive

today to those who speak to me,

the way I expect you to hang on my every word.

So often the sounds and syllables reach us,

but we fail to grasp the real message.

Good listeners are appreciated

Even little children brighten up and respond

when they see us paying attention to them.

Many times we say yes, or no, or grunt, or nod,

but our lack of genuine interest is transparent.

That's the bottom line: truly caring,

caring enough to listen with feeling

when anyone speaks to us.

We pray for this grace this day. Amen

From: Good Morning Lord by Joseph T. Sullivan

Lovlies!

2010-03-04T07:32:00.000-08:00

I have the privilege of hanging out with these beautiful kids every Monday to teach them about the ancient Greek and Romans at their Marvelous Mondays after school program.

Emmett Stallings

2010-03-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

My physics teacher from high school and her husband just found out about two weeks ago that he has abdominal cancer that has spread almost everywhere except for this bones. They have started a heart-wrenching, but also inspirational blog that chronicles their story of struggle against cancer, while holding tightly to their Faith. I encourage you to check it out here. http://emmetthascancer.blogspot.com/
And even more than reading the blog, I encourage you to pray for them both, especially Emmett as he struggles to keep down smoothies and start chemo.

Photo Project

2010-02-27T11:32:00.001-08:00

This is my most current photography project. I took all of these photos in a Chemistry Lab on campus. It's a study of shapes and lines by photographing in the abstract. I will be submitting these and a few others. I print them out for exhibition so they always look a tad different (if not a lot). I would love your comments!

Me and Ellis Marsalis are Besties

2010-02-25T19:34:00.000-08:00

Ellis Marsalis, one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, taught my African American Music class on Tuesday.
Sweet!!
He was like an old cute grandpa with all of these great stories of his friends growing up except that his friends happened to be Louis Armstrong among others.

HELP!!

2010-02-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

I just spent an excessive amount of time looking for wedding invitations without much luck :( Please help me!! If you have ideas, websites, etc, please comment!!

2010-02-24T17:27:00.000-08:00

My new header photo was taken on a family vacation to Florence.
So beautiful!

Part II of the Weekend

2010-02-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

Friday night continued on... I staffed the GlobeMed booth at The Vagina Monologues, which I also attended. The Vagina Monologues is a play that raises awareness about the sexual violence towards women that occurs in the world every day. It was very enlightening and very well written and performed in general so I suggest you go see it in your area if you get the chance. It spoke to the forms of torture during war that include rape and sexual assault of women in areas such as the Congo.

Saturday and Sunday, I woke up bright and early and headed to Peace Jam where hundreds of high school students gathered to hear from Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi of Iran and discuss how we can bring peace to our communities and the world. I had the privilege of serving as a "mentor" to a "family group" or high schoolers. We got to get down to the nitty gritty of what was going on. It was SO inspirational to hear these high schoolers speak to the passions in their hearts.

We also participated in a service project on Saturday. I painted signs like this with the word "Unity" in six different languages. They will be put out in a nearby neighborhood that really struggles with violence.

Got to hear about the ongoing service projects that the students at the conference were leading.

Saw an Iranian dancer and danced a little ourselves.

Did some free style rapping about peace and love.

Attended workshops... I went to one about the environment. I'll have to share what I learned soon!

Played some group games to build trust.

Talked about what we learned.

And left inspired, motivated, educated, and ready to take action!
(That's me with Shirin.)

Promising solidarity with Iran's efforts for peace.

Part I of the Weekend: World Day of Social Justice

2010-02-22T20:18:00.000-08:00

This weekend was crazy fun! So much so, that I will be posting in several parts just so you can get the magnitude of it's awesomeness. This weekend kicked off with our celebration of World Day of Social Justice. A group that I am part of at school, GlobeMed celebrated by raising awareness of social justice issues and our common humanity through these super cool, bright yellow bumper stickers that each had an educational fact or proverb. We were sticking them on people, walls, doors, notebooks, water bottles.... everything and anything so that people would hear us out. I was asked several times throughout the day about their significance, allowing me time to talk about social justice issues that mean a lot to me. Mine read:

"Ubuntu: 'I am because you are.'"
It's a South African proverb.

Haiti's GDP: $11.5 billion
Goldman Sacks bonus pool: $20 billion

"The only real nation is humanity." -Paul Farmer

This Past Weekend

2010-02-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

So I'm a little late on my Valentine's Day weekend post because this week has been no less than CRAZY but here goes :)

Andrew and I met up in Nashville after a long three weeks of being far away. It was fabulous. Mostly our weekend revolved around food and fellowship (but that might be how it always is in the South?). Friday night we met up with my mom and ate at Bosco's. SO TASTY! Above are pictures from my phone (sorry for the poor quality). These are the appetizers. Left is Andrew's artichoke with tastiness (some kind of gunk wonderful) baked inside and on the right- me and my mom got tasty oysters. The night was spent catching up and laughing and watching the opening ceremonies to the Olympics (sweet!).

Saturday, I worked a lot on a photography project, which I was critiqued on this week and I think went pretty well (at least half of it did)... I will need to post pictures soon. Saturday night Andrew brought me a beautiful bouquet of wild flowers and took me on a wonderfully romantic date to an Italian eatery in Nashville, Maggiano's. Once again, SO TASTY! We spent the night chatting and laughing and loving.

Sunday, we went to our second class of premarital counseling, which is always insightful (maybe I will have to post what I learn some time) and sadly parted ways after exchanging Valentine's Day gifts. Andrew made me this super cute collage with a really sweet message on the back.

Now I'm back to Memphis. Fast forward through a week of craziness here in Memphis, with lots of meetings and you meet me here on a beautiful sunny Friday which I have spent reading a great book on the couch with the windows wide open. Tomorrow I will be "mentoring" at a conference called Peace Jam and celebrating World Day of Social Justice. Hope you have a great weekend!!

Hats off to Sunchips!

2010-02-16T20:17:00.000-08:00

Starting Earth Day, Sun Chips will be packaged in plant-based, biodegradable bags. Nice!! I'm all about hugging trees in as many ways as you can :)

New Blog

2010-02-15T20:56:00.001-08:00

Wanted everyone to know about a new blog I am writing for/facilitating. http://rhodesadvocatesforchange.blogspot.com/
It is a blog that seeks to educate people on issues concerning social justice and create productive dialogue around these issues so I think you should head over there and check it out!

Winter Olympics 2010

2010-02-15T17:59:00.001-08:00

Anybody else obsessed with the Olympics? It's the perfect thing to watch while doing homework. I really love how it brings all people of the world together if only for a sport despite what is going on in the world at the moment. It shows that we have the potential to get along. The biathalon is INSANE! Those men and women are beasts!!

Love.

2010-02-14T20:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day Loves!!
Hang out with someone you love this week and make sure they know you love them :)

NISSAN LEAF

2010-02-12T20:55:00.001-08:00

Cool commercial introducing the first mass-produced electric car- the Nissan Leaf. This car has the potential to change the world. Not only will it be great for the environment, the US will no longer need to rely on foreign oil as much as it does now. Equals big economic change? I think so. Anyways, check out the commercial and click here to get more info from the Nissan website .

Countdown Commense

2010-02-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

Today marks 100 days until our wedding and I get to see Andrew this weekend!!
Doesn't get much better than this!

INFJ

2010-02-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

Today I took a personality quiz Meyers-Briggs style, but for free.
IT WAS CRAZY!
I'm and INFJ aka Introverted, Intuitive (my score was highest for this), Feeling, and Judging, which is the RAREST (read 1% or less) personality type in the world.
It described how I acted in different situations, general career advice, etc and was uncannily true to how I acted and which careers were most appealing to me.
It also told me which famous people were closest to my personality type which was my favorite because the closest people were Nelson Mandela, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
HOW COOL IS THAT?!?
Amongst them were a slew of other great thinkers like Plato and Aristotle and some great authors like Chaucer.
I made all of my roommates and Andrew take one. Andrew and Jackie were the same and everyone else was different.
Anyways, you should take one. It's very insightful.
Check it out here: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

NO SCHOOL AGAIN!

2010-02-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

Once again, the snow hit Memphis and school was canceled. (The nerd in me was a bit disappointed that I had to miss class.) I woke up to a white world of winter. Now unfortunately it's raining, creating deep ravines of snow slush. Not as pretty. The day has been filled with movies, good books, and LOTS of wedding planning.

Anyone else in love with this invitation seen here on Etsy?? I talked to the artist. She said they could custom color the balloon and such. Let me know your thoughts!

Also looking for rehearsal dinner options in Nashville/Franklin/Brentwood area. Any ideas?

Good One Henry.

2010-02-03T19:04:00.001-08:00

You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.
Henry David Thoreau

Lovey!

2010-02-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

Can't wait to see this boy some day soon :)

Still Snowed In

2010-01-30T20:23:00.000-08:00

We've been snowed in for the past two days, which is fun, but also makes me a little stir crazy.
I've been looking through old pictures of Sicily and found this one.
Makes me want to go back to those lazy days on the Sicilian beaches drinking wine and eating fresh fruit and tasty cheese, laughing with friends.
Anyone up for a trip? Andrew?

Schools Out!

2010-01-29T13:24:00.000-08:00

Classes were canceled today because of this. Yay!!
It's kind of nasty looking now (which was when this picture was taken). The snow has turned into a "wintry mix," which equals dirty slush. Oh well, I won't complain :)

Sailing Around the World

2010-01-26T22:47:00.001-08:00

This girl is sailing around the world in this little boat without ever touching land.
She's 16 years old. Amazed? Yeah me too.
Check out her blog here: http://soloround.blogspot.com/
She left for the trip about 3 days ago.

New Photo Project

2010-01-25T20:21:00.001-08:00

Started a new photo project at school. I am super excited! I am going to be taking photos like this one (think woodland fairy- fairytale- imagination- nature) and painting over them with beeswax and then painting on the beeswax or drawing in it or something cool like that.

Haiti Prayer Vigil

2010-01-21T21:27:00.000-08:00

Tonight I went to a candlelit prayer vigil for the Haitians suffering from the earthquake, and all of the people involved.

This Franciscan blessing was read at the end:

May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

My prayer is that I will be convicted by this prayer and I will be moved to action.

I pray that you can find it meaningful as well.

Honeymoon Plans

2010-01-20T20:32:00.000-08:00

Again not my photo, but Andrew and I booked our honeymoon and are sooooooooo excited!!! We are going to a resort in the Riviera Maya area of Mexico. CAN. NOT. WAIT. It's an all-inclusive place so besides having tons of restaurants and such, we can go sea kayaking, wind surfing, do some rifling and archery shooting and just plain hanging out (my personal favorite). It also has a putt putt course and was made in an environmentally-friendly way so that the rain tree forest has been preserved around it. We will be vacationing in a rain tree forest right by the beach. YAY!!!

Roomies

2010-01-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Chels, Jackie, and I went out for some tasty Mexican food at La Guadalupana. Best Mexican food in Memphis, so if you are ever in town, check it out.

Happy MLK Day!

2010-01-18T11:43:00.001-08:00

This is not my photo obviously, but I wanted to honor the things that MLK did during his life on his birthday. I have taken a class on MLK and the theology of the Civil Rights' Movement. He is a fascinating man to study and though not without his flaws (who is??), he had some fabulous things to say about how Christians and humans in general should act.
I encourage you on this day in honor of social justice and/or your personal beliefs to check out some of what King had to say.

These speeches are linked to the text for reading:
Love, Law, and Civil Disobedience
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Time to Break Silence-Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam

Japanese Food

2010-01-16T11:53:00.000-08:00

Andrew's sister sent Andrew and I the ingredients to make a tasty traditional Japanese feast for Christmas. It was a great idea! I'm not sure she knew how much I would love it since I lived in Japan one summer during high school. It was delicious and lots of fun to make!

Rice balls with seaweed wrap.

Udon Noodles.

Ingredients.

Over break, Andrew and I also did a considerable amount of thrifting. Among our wonderful finds were a Canon EOS Rebel Film camera with the lens in a bag in great condition for only $10! This became my Christmas present :) A new Nikon 17-35 mm lens which I also love. (I brought it back for my photography class and was going to take a picture of it to post, but it was the lens on my camera.) And a couple of books (of course), including this one chock full of vegetarian recipes. I really want to learn how to cook more vegetarian dishes. They are always so tasty and really healthy.

PS- No promises, but I am going to try to go back to the short-lived idea of a photo a day. I figure I'm in photography class so I should be taking at least that many a day. Hopefully I will have time to post them too. Peace.

Praying for Haiti

2010-01-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

My heart has been breaking for Haiti this week as I read the news stories and see the photos of the results of the devastating earthquake. I am literally copying and pasting this from a friend's blog, but she has an Etsy shop and all proceeds are going to Haiti. Please support the people of Haiti with your prayers and your gifts. Here's just another way of giving. She has already raised over $250. (Whit I hope you don't mind that I stole this.)

From now until Monday, January 19, 100% of the proceeds from BrighterDay will go directly to World Vision toward their relief efforts in Haiti.

World Vision staff is already on the ground in Haiti, assessing the situation, and preparing an emergency response.

So go shopping and make a difference all at once!

Buy some earrings or a ring or a hair pin and know that your entire purchase will be a donation that will go to our friends in Haiti.

And maybe when you wear your new jewelry, you'll think to pray.

Our pastor sent us some ideas of how we can pray:

- Haiti, as a country, pledged its loyalty to cultic practice and voodoo. It has long been a country that has ignored the Gospel and the God of the scriptures. Pray for spiritual awakening.

- There are many missionaries who have served this country faithfully for years. Pray that God would use this event to cause Haitians to question who God is. Pray that these missionaries would be able to leverage their love and service to reveal the truths of Jesus more directly than ever before.

- Haiti has been a disaster economically. Let's pray that God would use this tragic event to cause other nations to get involved in eliminating corruption and providing economic redevelopment and that children, especially, would no longer have to live in neglect.

To God be the glory in the midst of this unbelievable tragedy.

Relaxed reading...

2010-01-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

We had a nice dusting of snow today- just enough to bring little birds out to play in the falling flakes. (It was actually strange how all of the little finches and even blue jays came out. The cold must make the worms come out of the ground.) Anyways, it was the perfect day for curling up in a blanket for some relaxing reading. I've been reading the old "Little House on the Prairie" series and love reading about the simplicity of the life of the pioneers. Makes me want to move out on a farm one day... Anyways tonight I plan on juicing some apples to make homemade cider in honor of the snow. Yummmm....

Wood Carving

2010-01-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

I really want to learn how to carve wood. I don't want to take a class, but I'll read books and watch videos. Really I just want to pick up a piece a wood, start carving, and see what happens. Sorry by the way for the lack of posts. What I thought would be a lot of spare time for blogging has been a lot of spare time for family and friends like the lunch I am about to go to to see a great high school friend. I will have to update later about such things. Till then, enjoy the crisp air. And thank you all for the many comments via this post, phone calls, e-mails, and facebook posts about my flowers!! I have lots of ideas and will make some decisions soon!

More flowers too!

2009-12-29T12:44:00.000-08:00

After I found all of those pictures, I ran into these, which I think I like even more :) What do you think of these?

Wedding Flower Ideas

2009-12-29T10:03:00.000-08:00

I promise I will post a Christmas update soon, but in the meantime, I am up to my head in wedding planning which includes flowers. And per a special request, I am going to post lots of pictures and I would love to know what you think. I am working on a color palette (I know a bit belated) and I would LOVE FEEDBACK so be sure to leave it. At first I thought I would go with mostly wildflowers as opposed to roses, but the more I work, the more I like the look of roses paired with a bit of a wildflowery vibe so check these out. Note: The bridesmaid dresses are a dusty navy chiffon so not too dark and not at all shiny like a lot of bridesmaids dresses. They are very airy. Let me know what you think about these combos of navy dresses with these blush pink and ivory bouquets. This first one is my favorite. I like the wildflowers with the roses. I would probably do an ivory rose instead of the bright white that is listed here.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

2009-12-25T10:58:00.000-08:00

I will have to post some Christmas updates soon. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying a blessed Christmas full of family and friends!

Semester Wrap-Up.

2009-12-18T19:04:00.000-08:00

The semester came to close with a few birthday parties, a downstairs friend, Greg, and my roommate Chelsea. We ended up with lots of great photos for sharing taken mostly by Andrew. What a great photographer!

1) Our room got Chelsea a Chi Hair Straightener.
2) We made a cake for Greg. It's upside down but can you tell he's a UT fan?

3) The cake we made for Chelsea. It's an ice cream cake. Tasty!
4)Chels blowin out the candles.

Lots of friends taking part in the festivities.

Me indulging in some cake and me and Jackie.

And our lovely roommate Bridget.

It was a great end to the year. Happy Holidays everyone!

drool.

2009-12-16T11:23:00.000-08:00

Le Blog de Betty

Currently drooling over the styles in this blog, which make me want to run away to Europe where I would dress this way everyday (and heading home as soon as I get my car loaded!).

Holidays in the Apartment.

2009-12-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

Over the past few days, Andrew and I have made a very tasty brunch.

and my beautiful roommate, Chelsea, has thrown a holiday cookie decorating party. So fun and delicious! My cookie has a snowflake on it if you can't tell. (And her birthday party is tomorrow... so fun!!)

Wonderfulness.

2009-12-13T09:02:00.000-08:00

This most wonderful of boys has come to visit me for a few days
while I wrap up exams and such.
Wonderfulness.

Nerd.

2009-12-12T17:42:00.003-08:00

Most of the time I'm wearing contacts, but sometimes I just have to rock my glasses. I think they have superpowers.

Finals

2009-12-11T12:47:00.000-08:00

Though my life may look like this

And this.... is that english?!? (no... sigh....)

and a line of coffee/tea mugs and towers of books (amongst other things)...

We are trying to add a bit of holiday cheer to our cheery apartment :)

RAW Truffles

2009-12-10T21:35:00.000-08:00

The past week has been filled with finals, well studying/writing for them that is so apologies for the lack of posts. In the meantime, I had a new event for a new "Simple Living Series" I am starting on campus. At my first event we made RAW Truffles courtesy of a recipe shared by my cousin Jessica. I am running/funding the series through the community service group I am part of called Kinney. I am in charge of "Faith-Based Ministries" so I plan events that have to do with some sort of religious background. This "Simple Living Series" is a place where people of all beliefs or lack of beliefs even come together to discuss the importance of simple living to our faiths (think anti-consumerism, anti-materialism...) and we put these beliefs into action at least for one hour by doing/making/learning something that has to do with simple living. It is very similar to the group I was running earlier, but instead of one group that meets once a week, these are events open to everyone on campus once a month.

That said, we talked about simple living in the context of more sustainable, local foods this month. It is great for the environment to eat local and eat more sustainable foods like more fruits and veggies and it's great for your health too! We made RAW (As in uncooked) Truffles this past Monday.

We combined 2 cups dates, two cups pecans, 1 tsp of vanilla, and 2 tblsp of raw carob (it's a chocolate alternative) into a food processor, blended and rolled it into balls to make tasty candies. SO EASY! You can also roll them in ground carob or coconut to add a little something special.

I thought I would be lucky to have 5 people with exams and everything going on, but to my surprise and delight I had a whopping turnout of 27 people (which is a big deal for a Faith-Based organization at Rhodes) who sat around discussing their beliefs while I was able to share my own and made tasty candy that was earth friendly. If you try the recipe let me know how it goes. Feel free of course to change up the recipe if you like carob more than dates, etc. Hope you are all enjoying the holidays and aren't too busy with all that is going on. Wishing you peace and love, enjoy the truffles!

Catching Up on Life

2009-11-30T22:20:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. To catch up (and explain why I have been away)....

I volunteered at Model United Nations two weekends ago. It was tons of fun. I help out with the print press which put out 6 or 7 8 page issues over 2.5 days. AWESOME.

Then came Thanksgiving with my beautiful family and friends. I don't have tons and tons of photos, but this is one of my favorites of my grandmother. Isn't she gorgeous?!

And I've been working on my surreal project a bit. For now, final papers and exams are consuming me so I may continue to struggle with the infrequent posting. Hopefully I will be able to post lots over Christmas break! Hope you enjoyed the holidays!

And the winner is....

2009-11-21T17:01:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to the winner of the Susan B. Komen Travel Mug mrs. c.

mrs. c said...I love coffee and I would love this mug!

Mrs. C send me an e-mail with your address and info so I can get you your mug. adove87@gmail.com.

Be looking out for another giveaway and if you are interested in advertising through my blog by giving away something through my blog, please contact me at adove87@gmail.com

Hopefully we will have another giveaway soon!

Another Giveaway: Eco-Friendly Susan B. Komen Travel Mug

2009-11-18T19:01:00.001-08:00

Breast Cancer Awareness Month may have passed, but the issue is no less pressing. This week the giveaway is an eco-friendly Susan B. Komen Travel Mug provided by cookware.com. Proceeds from this mug help the Susan B. Komen foundation which seeks to find a cure for breast cancer. This mug will also raise awareness as you use it and show off the pink ribbon pride! It is also an environmentally-friendly mug (yay preserving the earth's resources!). (I love gifts that give back!)

To enter into the giveaway, please leave a comment below on this post. You can gain extra entries by 1) Facebooking about my blog (with a link) and the giveaway 2) Blogging about my blog (with link) and giveaway and 3) Tweeting about my blog (with link) and the giveaway. 4) Subscribe to my blog (for the first time). Be sure to leave an extra comment for each one! The drawing will take place on Saturday at 5pm so leave your comments till then! Good Luck!!!

Final Simple Living Class

2009-11-17T17:48:00.000-08:00

My final Simple Living class met Monday night. We had a fabulous time eating RAW portabello mushroom burgers topped with avocados, lettuce, and tomatoes on sprout bread (recipe posted soon). We also heard from my awesome cousin, Jessica (see her blog here), about some awesome sustainable food options, including "sprouting," which I am now thoroughly interested in and want to do here in the apartment. I will have to read up on it a bit and learn some more. It was a really great end to the class with most people requesting more meetings. I think I will make it a once a month event. Thanks Jessica for an awesome chat and great recipes and ideas on sustainable, tasty, inexpensive food choices!!

Multi-Faith Prayers for Peace

2009-11-16T21:43:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday I helped coordinate an event hosted by Rhodes called "Multi-Faith Prayers for Peace." The event brought together members of several faith communities in Memphis for a time of prayer, reflection, inspiration, and discussion. I thought it was a huge success. We had a great turn-out and some really cool people came to talk including this awesome Buddhist named Khenpo. In this picture a Buddhist talks with a member of the Baha'i community and a Catholic. It is really great to see such discussions taking place. The event was in the Memphis newspaper this morning. I was quoted! Check it out here.

First Photo for my Surrealism Project

2009-11-15T17:31:00.000-08:00

Our new photo class project is focusing on surrealism. I bought little model train people and will be putting them in comical positions. What do you think of this one? Not close enough? Good? Hope you enjoyed your weekends!

And the winner is...

2009-11-13T16:54:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Shannon for winning the clutch!

shannon said... Shannon F. - I love this!
It's on twitter: http://twitter.com/ShannonFuller

Shannon, please e-mail me at adove87@gmail.com to receive your prize. Thanks to all who participated! Please check in next Thursday for another giveaway.

First Ever Giveaway

2009-11-12T07:17:00.001-08:00

Today I am hosting my FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY with this darling clutch by Thomas Paul from allmodern.com. The same company also has a collection of modern decor and furniture called Vitra. It has so many wonderful items for sprucing up your space. To enter into the giveaway, please leave a comment below on this post. You can gain extra entries by 1) Facebooking about my blog (with a link) and the giveaway 2) Blogging about my blog (with link) and giveaway and 3) Tweeting about my blog (with link) and the giveaway. Be sure to leave an extra comment for each one! The drawing will take place on Friday at 5pm so leave your comments till then! Good luck!

Self Portrait Project- Pre Photoshop

2009-11-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

Here's my newest photography project. pre-touch-ups. I probably won't do much with them, but some straightening and such needs to happen. They were inspired by a photographer that came to speak at Rhodes named Leslie Hewitt. She would set up still lifes with significant objects from the 70s and photograph them. I was intrigued by her desire to capture these sculptures in photograph form. She really wanted to study the items as how they affected the one moment of time in which the photograph was taken. I thought the same way for my project as many of my objects had stories behind them that captured at least where I was at particular points in my life. The project theme is "Self Portraits." I opted for a very minimalist view on some of the objects in my life. I think it's funny that I ended up using objects to define myself since I'm not all that into stuff, but I liked how these photos ended up more so than my other shots. Enjoy!
This is a pitcher that I found thrifting when I was getting my first apartment and needed some decor. It also holds some of my first kitchen utensils. I will straighten it and lighten it.
I bought this purse in Milan, Italy during my time abroad last semester. I will probably crop out the bottom for congruency.

Some wilted flowers snagged (pre-wilting) from the trash after Homecoming here at Rhodes. Will crop the bottom.

An elephant I bought in Tunisia during my time abroad.

A hat that I received for Christmas one year.

A coin purse I bought in the weekly antique market in Catania, Sicily.

A pile of scarfs that I have gathered over the years because I love scarves! They are from Catania, Sicily, Barcelona, Spain, thrifting, and Christmas.

A teacup I dumpster dived for while I was interning at Harvest Hands during the summer. I got the whole set of china.

Some shoes that I have always loved and have carried me through several important events in my life.

Another pair of shoes that I wore almost every day in Sicily. They are also very dirty because of my drawing class.

This is a box that my grandmother gave me years ago. I don't know that she would even remember giving it to me. It is just a random antique box she got for me when we went antiquing with her one weekend. It has always lived on my dresser wherever I have lived (in the US at least) and has never held more than some pens and pencils and probably a few pennies, but I just love it's character.

I have a couple more to shoot and I might not even end up using these, but here's a taste at least of what I'm up to in photographyland.

Loving these

2009-11-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

Flower vases and vases courtesy of one my favorite blogs Daydream Lily. Maybe a bit reminiscent of what the vases might look like in our reception....

Birthday Goodies

2009-11-05T20:45:00.001-08:00

Andrew got me this fabulous book (see above and follow link) for my birthday along with a couple of awesome photography gadgets, and I love it so I wanted to share. It has some great ideas for making your own "green" art supplies and also some great art projects with recycled materials. I have spent the last three nights sifting through this book over and over again for good ideas and avoiding sleep. One of my personal favorite projects was the idea for making journals out of recycled materials, which I already do for myself and did for my sustainability class, but this book had some great ideas for new and more creative designs!

The same people have the another book, "Rebound" that delves into this journal/book-making so I ordered it today. I am so pumped!! I love journaling and love books and creative outlets and these ideas combine all three loves. I'm thinking it may be such a great project that I may start making them and selling some?! etsy store maybe? I'll keep you posted, but until then, check these books out yourself for some great ideas.

Sorry for the random "look inside" text, I borrowed/stole these photos off of amazon.com. You can't actually click on the books and look inside, but you can follow the links in the text below to see inside them on amazon.com.

Also, I'm going to have my first "giveaway" soon where you can win free stuff from my blog! Stay posted!

So last week was my birthday

2009-11-04T17:27:00.001-08:00

and I have pretty fabulous friends that baked me this cake and took me out to dinner to a new-to-me mexican restaurant. yummmm!

Then we all hit up the campus-wide Halloween party. I went as a genie.

The Rest of Fall Break

2009-10-26T15:57:00.000-07:00

The rest of Fall Break was fantastic! Andrew, Chelsea and I went thrifting (one of my favorite things to do). I got two cute pairs of shoes (note the cute yellow ones which were $1.49- the others were $0.98) and a cute pair of jeans for $1.98. All looked brand new. Gotta love good deals that are also sustainable.

Then on Saturday, Andrew and I went to the Memphis Flea Market to check out the vendors. I got a great used Field Guide on Insects and Spiders of the US and North America. I've already read quite a bit. There wasn't a great abundance of craftiness though which was a bit disappointing. All the same, it was still fun. That night we hit up the Memphis Grizzlies game courtesy of some free club level tickets so that was a lot of fun.

After the weekend in Memphis, we headed home and Andrew kept on movin' towards school. Monday, Dad and I went to the Big ATL to see Sam in a scrimmage game at GT and spend some time with him over dinner. It was wonderful! I really miss getting to spend time with him and I have to admit, I was really proud of him playing out there on the big field (starting shortstop for the Gold Team). (Proud sister.... can't help it) There he is #31 up to bat. I love seeing the skyscrapers over the fences of the field. That night we drove home, spending some quality time chatting in the car. Great memories :)

The next day, Mom and I met for a tasty lunch at Cafe Calypso, which is always oh so tasty! And then went to look for bridesmaids' dresses and FOUND ONE that is perfect. It's a bit nontraditional and pretty fantastic and it's also a secret so you should come to the wedding to find out what it looks like. Mom is very good luck for such things apparently. We both picked out the exact same dress in different parts of the store and both ran over to show the other at the same time. Pretty great! :)

In other news, Rhodes is writing a news story on my sustainability and simple living class that is going to go out on a national level! Pretty exciting since I am so passionate about such stuff. They are sending a big photographer and such to the class to take some pictures and I have been talking to a reporter at an advertising firm somewhere far away. Hopefully the story really will be published and I will let you know details when I can. The class itself is really going well as well. Though it's not a Christian-based group, I hope it helps teach people the ideas that Jesus lived out and helps to challenge and strengthen their own beliefs. The other day a student came over after class and said, "You know Allison, I think Jesus has to be the ultimate example for simple living and for this class." I was happy in the least to hear that the connection was being made. Jesus was all about the simple living.

Taco Salad and Fall Break = Fabulous!

2009-10-16T15:04:00.001-07:00

Yummy taco salad for dinner.

Chels and Andrew set the table. Bridget slices the avocado.

This weekend is the start of Rhodes' Fall Break. Andrew's fall break overlapped a bit so he made the long trip to Memphis to hang out :) In honor of the start of fall break and Andrew's arrival, the rooms and I along with Andrew cooked up some tasty tacos and taco salads for dinner. They were very tasty if I do say so myself.

This is his satisfied with dinner face. :)

My Final Photo Project

2009-10-14T17:14:00.000-07:00

Today I turned in my photo project using the photos I posted below. I had two series that were very similar, both below. I did a bit of photoshopping to the ones I already posted so I thought I would post them again, but my file sizes are too big so I need my computer-savvy fiance to come do something about that :). I actually crinkled up a piece of paper, scanned it into the computer, and added it as a back layer to the photo. I think it really added some nice texture. It was a lot of fun. Our next series is photographing people which I am super excited about. I will have to keep you posted. In the meantime, I will be enjoying a wonderful Fall Break with Andrew. He is coming here so I'm sure we will have some fun times exploring Memphis. He is also really excited about photography so we will probably start working on my project together. Yay Fall Break! PS- please check out my last post and help if you can! $10 will go a really long ways. We've already won $1000!! Thanks for your support!

GlobeMed Help Please!

2009-10-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

I wanted to tell you about something I do at school. I'm not sure I've told you all about GlobeMed, a student organization that I am deeply involved with at Rhodes. Our chapter at Rhodes is working with a non-profit organization called AMOS in Nicaragua. AMOS is a community-based, grassroots organization that seeks to create health care equity in Nicaragua. They do this through providing sustainable resources to communities in Nicaragua. For example, we are sponsoring a Health Promoters Conference in which members of AMOS train members of rural communities in Nicaragua about basic health care (wash your hands, basic first aid, etc). Right now we are participating in a fundraiser in which you can donate through Facebook. Every dollar goes to our project and we have the chance to win more. I just gave $10 online for the project -- would you consider matching my donation? $10 is all it takes!

It'll only take you a few minutes to donate online at http://www.imagine2030.org/donate/. Thanks for your consideration and support so much! Let me know if you have any questions.

Peace and prayers!

Frog and Lizard

2009-10-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

My frog and lizard have become quite the friends lately. I find the frog, Marcello, sitting on top of the lizard a lot like they are best buds. It makes me smile. One of my cats used to always sit on top of my dog on the porch when it got cold outside. Silly how animals do. Have a blessed week!

GoodShop for Harvest Hands

2009-10-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you've heard (because I've been telling everyone I can), but there is this awesome site called GoodShop that gives a small percentage of your online purchases to the charity of your choice as long as they are a member. Harvest Hands, the place where I work in the summer, and a place that is very near and dear to my heart is a member so I wanted to tell you about it.

If you ever shop online, first before ordering, go to the GoodShop website. There you will see links to almost all of the major and not major online stores (ebay, amazon, target.com, jcrew, etc, etc). Select "Harvest Hands Community Development Corporation (Nashville, TN)" under the "Who do you support?" box and then click on the link to the site on which you would like to shop. It will take you directly to the online store and a percentage of your purchase will go directly to Harvest Hands.

It's especially great for all of you that frequent online purchasing and for those who will be doing so in the upcoming holidays. It is also great if you purchase things online for work because it's no extra cost for you! Let me know if you have any questions! It is safe and secure, easy, and most importantly, benefits Harvest Hands. We've already raised about $120 so it really does work. Thanks for your support!

Bedding

2009-10-09T00:49:00.000-07:00

Since Andrew and I will be needing some bedding once we get married, we have been looking around at some bed spread options to get an idea of what we like. I found this fabric on etsy.com see here for the listing and LOVE it. If not for a bed, then for something because it is gorgeous and light-hearted and wonderful. Do you like it Andrew and everyone else? Too summery/springy for the whole year? (PS- I think we will have a wooden bed frame, not an iron one.)

Ghost Hunter

2009-10-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

My photography class is going really well. A few of you have asked so I thought I would share some of my photography adventures thus far. Right now I am working on a project that I am entitling "Ghost Hunter." Though the photos below aren't in their 100% final stage, they are pretty close. I didn't use any PhotoShop on the actual blur of the ghost. It was produced with a very very slow shutter speed, a handy tripod, and a loving roommate. (Thanks Chels!) I am going to exhibit them in a beat up brief case with some tools that look like they would be needed for ghost hunting. The idea behind this first series is that the ghost hunter is capturing a ghost on the move and then the ghost sees him and runs up to the camera. (Unfortunately here they are in backwards order. The one at the bottom of the post is the first in the series and the one at the very top is last.) Recognize the ghost? It was a lot of fun to do and I should be doing another series to go along with the overall project. Anyways, enjoy.

Walden Farm Trip

2009-10-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went home to see the fam and celebrate mom's birthday which is today...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

(She's turning 25....)... and to see Andrew. Andrew and I had a lot of fun on Saturday visiting a local farm out in Nolensville that sells pumpkins and showcases their animals for petting every fall. Basically it was a lot of children under the age of 7 and me and Andrew pushing them out of the way to get to the animals :) It really made us long for a small farm of our own one day. Here are some pics from our day which included getting some pumpkins, eating tasty homegrown treats, petting/feeding lots of cute animals, and listening to some live music.

A Simpler Way of Life

2009-10-05T20:14:00.001-07:00

Tonight was the kick-off of my first class on issues of sustainability. In my opinion, it went really well. We did some getting to know each other, made some journals for note-taking during the class (or whatever we wanted) with recycled materials for which I have been dumpster diving for the past couple of weeks, and talked about some of our preconceived notions of sustainability. Then watched a pretty good video clip from ABC about a family that strives to live a simple, sustainable life. It's worth the 8 mins it takes to watch. Check it out here. Then we talked about how this video affected our views. I wish we would have had more time to chat because I could talk about this stuff all day, but I really do think it went well. I will keep you all updated on how it goes and let me know if you have any ideas!

Challenge

2009-09-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

Challenge to all of you bloggers and blog readers, I am running out of face wash so I am going to hunt out
an all-natural face wash for acne-prone, combination skin.
I would love any and all suggestions. Leslie, are the essential oils working out for you? Let me know because I may be starting off with that idea.

Leslie's Wedding and the Dalia Lama

2009-09-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Andrew and I went to Tucson, Arizona for his sister's wedding. The wedding was gorgeous (especially the bride!), the desert was gorgeous, the weather was gorgeous, and the food was delish. I want to wish Leslie and Charles a very happy marriage. I have never been out west and really enjoyed exploring the terrain, even if it was only for a very short period of time. I hope to explore around there some day.

But while I'm here, other exciting news... today I went to a very intimate talk with the Dalia Lama. It was awesome. He really challenged the audience to work towards peace and harmony (both of which I happen to be a big fan of) and slow down in order to reach our inner peace. One of my favorite quotes from the day (in reference to achieving harmony) the Dalia Lama said, "For harmony, trust is essential. The basis of trust is love and compassion." Good one Dalia Lama! I think it's a pretty applicable quote to life no matter what religious or non-religious background you might come from. He really reminded of Yoda off of Star Wars. He was pretty darn cute and had a great sense of humor. Check him out with the Memphis Mayor here. Pretty hilarious! The chat made for a great day worth the books.

Bouquet Inspiration

2009-09-17T15:00:00.001-07:00

It's not the best picture... it looks a little overexposed after the upload, but....

Does anyone else dig these flowers? Cause I do!

"A Simpler Way of Life"

2009-09-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

Introducing my new reflection group on Mondays from 7-8 in the Conservatory.

This reflection group called "A Simpler Way of Life" will focus on sustainability and environmental issues in a fun, hands-on sort of way. We will be making our own homemade, all-natural goodies (think shampoo, deodorant, all-purpose cleaner, food, and more) while learning about issues surrounding our environment and reflecting on ways we can help, even while in college. We will also host guest speakers throughout the six-week class (hopefully including my cousin who is an awesome RAW and vegan chef). Time change is available if lots of people need to change it up so just let me know if you are interested, but can't make this time slot.

For those of you that can't attend the class since you aren't on campus, I will be posting updates. I have been gathering ideas including some from this awesome blogger Progressive Pioneer who gave me some personal advice (awesome!) as well as some great ideas off of her blog. Her blog is filled with all kinds of great projects supporting sustainability in many ways. Check it out for some inspiration and be checking back here for some updates about my class!

PS- I would still love suggestions, ideas, and inspiration for my class!! I'm all ears and so willing to learn.

Also, I wanted to give some updates on my personal all-natural adventures. I love the detergent. I add a 1/2 cup extra of borax to the 2 tablespoons that it takes to wash one load. This leaves the whites super white and everything completely odorless and clean. I have been pleasantly pleased with the fluffiness of my laundry and its cleanliness.

My No 'Poo is also fabulous though I have had to do some experimenting. I have thickened the baking soda wash just a bit. I put about 2 parts baking soda to 3 parts water. I have found that I am gradually lessening the amount of baking soda as my hair gets more used to the wash and the weather cools down (ie- i'm less sweaty). I also only apply the vinegar mixture to the ends of my hair because it acts as a conditioner and was too much for my roots. But now that I have worked this all out for my hair (yours will be different no doubt), it is wonderful and the experimenting wasn't bad at all.

Right now I am experimenting with some homemade deodorant because my Tom's failed me. Before I post results, I want to get the perfect recipe, but it's only made out of baking soda and corn starch. Nice!

Hello Bike

2009-09-09T19:02:00.000-07:00

Photography class is awesome! Drawing I think is even better. It is so relaxing. We spent the past two class periods (total= 5 hours) listening to music and drawing what we heard. Tonight I worked on the homework way longer than he suggested, but I just couldn't tear myself away- maybe because my other to-do's included writing a paper (ouch!). I mentioned photography first however, because I can download part of my first project here. The project required us to take 30 images of an inanimate object. Thus, here you have my bike.

In other news, I am going to be teaching a "Service Reflection" class on sustainabillity, the environment, and basic simple living. The basis is to teach people here on campus about some of the homemade goodies that you can see here on my blog. I need to be posting some updates on how those are working out, but will need more time. For right, just know I LOVE them ALL. And I'm also working on some more for this class. I do, however, need all of your help. I need to come up with a catchy name for the class and I need any and all ideas you have on what to teach (Aunt Kathy and Jessica... I'm talking to you :)). I do have a budget... not much of one... but I do have one. Thanks for your thoughts and hope you are having a great week!

Apple Crisp

2009-09-03T13:42:00.000-07:00

I baked this deliciousness when I was visiting Andrew a while back. I have been trying out some recipes on allrecipes.com. It's a great site for simple (and complicated) recipes for just about anything. It inspires me to experiment and try new things. It is also a great source for finding ways to use up an about-to-go-bad bag of apples in the fridge or whatever it may be that has a soon to arrive expiration date in your fridge.

Vintage Vases

2009-09-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

So you know how I am digging the thrifted vases look for centerpieces at our reception? Lots of sizes, shapes, patterns, colors, etc.... Here is a photo of my collection thus far. I am quite proud, especially when I put them out on the kitchen table and start arranging them into little groups. They seem to come together really nicely. I think they will add some texture and uniqueness to the tables.

Dreamy Wedding Photos

2009-08-31T18:35:00.000-07:00

Does anybody else LOVE these wedding photos? I might just have to show them to our photographers to copy... that is if we had photographers... But really, they make me want to go look for a good field, some tall trees, and a long driveway out in Nolensville, which shouldn't be a problem since they are both in my front yard and there are several more around :)

These photos are from this wonderful blog.

Need a Little Help!

2009-08-31T11:45:00.001-07:00

Harvest Hands (the place where I work in the summer) is currently 27th in the nationwide Christie Cookie $25,000 Charity Giveaway!

The top 12 charities on October 15th will win grant money from The Christie Cookie Company 1st: $10,000, 2nd: $5,000 & Top 10: $1,000 each

We need YOUR help!

Please help us spread the word to your friends, families, co-workers, classmates, Sunday school class, Bible study group, running group, etc.! Simply click here to vote and then send this info to your your friends to encourage them to vote for Harvest Hands!
One vote per email address. Deadline: October 15th

Thanks!!