A bit of a break.

(photo taken at a summer class, 2009)

After a year off school, I am aching to learn more and move forward in my goals. I feel like I am in a good place in life to pick up my night classes again. Night classes, however, are jealous for time time. And so are my relationships, my sleep and my sanity. I will miss having this outlet to write and share, but I will be back again soon. Thanks for visiting my tiny corner of the internet. I love my readers! :)

a sleepover at the sorenson's

chris and i had our nephews over for a sleepover last weekend, and it was so fun to have the boys in our home. on a rainy night when drops of summer rain dilute any plans for outdoor frolicking, an inside picnic is planned.

we leisurely take our time eating our burgers and corndogs, urging the kiddos to eat their veggies too, while listening to stories told by two very silly boys.

when the sky clears we take a walk on the dock and admire the sparkly reflection of the sun on the water, and then moan together over the poop splatters of less-than-polite birds and the smell of stinky fish.

back inside we go, where we craft a stable for horse-shaped-erasers and pile pillows on Uncle Chris. cookies bake in the oven and we snuggle up in layers of down blankets, popping in a move before bedtime. we giggle over the silly parts and smile at the sing-songy parts, the auntie and uncle more tired than the two littles.

in the morning we have a big brunch - where avoiding crusts was a pattern i noticed - and do a few jumps on the air mattress. a good night. looking forward to more in the future. :)

Lately...

(Top: Thrifted Tank: F21 Jeans: Gifted Earrings: Target Shoes: Nine West)

I've been feeling a bit more daring and wearing some seriously bright lipstick.

My head is filled with visions of romantic moments standing in fields of golden grass swaying in the wind. Watching Jane Eyre and listening to its soundtrack will do that to a person.

I've been sipping tea and reading in bed. It's my new favorite treat.

Weekend Project: Twinkly Jars

Making these sweet little jars to sit on our windowsill at night was easy. Looking forward to someday having an outdoor area where we can sit under the stars and enjoy these flickering lights. Here's a how-to:

First, gather some jars. I bought this itty-bitty jar of mayo (ick!) for Chris knowing it was bound for cuteness.

Second, take some white paint and doodle some designs. Stars are especially magical as these are best in pitch black-ness...and well, stars go well with pitch black-ness. You can skip the paint step if you don't feel like messing with it. One of my jars is just two strips of tissue paper.

Third, take some white tissue paper, double-sided tape and wrap it around your design. This way you'll have a couple layers of white for the tea light to illuminate through.

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Light the candle and remember all those safety rules the fire fighters told you in elementary school. Enjoy!

a little black dress

(dress: Boston store on clearance)

is a staple.

is classy.

is much more fun to wear while taking outrageous photobooth pics.

especially with this guy. <3 him.

Missouri Trip Part 2: the places

the teeny-tiniest little shack of a place that sells THE best corn dogs and marshmallow shakes.

my mom and i had the whole evening to ourselves. we talked, ate junk food & got sucked into an episode of the bachelorette. it was a gilmore-girl-mom-and-daughter-night of sorts. :)

places like pools, bouncy houses, parks, gyms and the homes of family and friends were on the list of destinations as well.

lots and lots of shopping. thrift stores. antique stores. gift stores. i found a $2 vintage dress that seriously makes me smile from ear to ear. my mom was awesome as she patiently waited while i perused the racks...

tea. there is always a tea date at Shady Gables. nothing like being surrounded by lovely things with your favorite person having your hands warmed by a hot cup of aromatic deliciousness.

we ate out a lot. there was the corn dog place and the tea date, but there was also an amazing BBQ place with one romantic train-themed atmosphere. there was the most charming little cafe in the back of a gift shop where the chef was also your server. we ordered in pizza with my grandparents and enjoyed it over catching up on family news. and then the big group of us - all of us siblings and their significant others - gathered for mexican food. loved gathering around the table and looking at the beautiful faces around me.

and home. i never thought to give so much credit to walls and smells and landmarks and furniture and familiar scenes. it was so good to be home. this was my bedroom growing up. everything is different now, but i can imagine the placement of all my things before ... the bulletin board, the string of lights, my stuffed animals, my journals...

it was a good break in my summer. much needed time with my family. i usually have a trip within the year when i go alone - next time chris will come with my. we might just have to make it to apple festival this year. :)

Missouri Trip: the people

...the people who make me smile from ear to ear.

...the people who are worth driving miles and miles and miles to see.

...the people i miss so very much it aches.