Currently....

Things I'm loving right now in no particular order.

Sunshine/Poolside.
We've been lucky enough to be spending some glorious days by the pool this past week.  Mr. Veen had work in Southern Oregon and the kids and I decided to tag along and we're spending our days splashing and sunning to our hearts content = glorious!

image via Samantha French

The audacity of authenticity.

  It seems the word "authenticity" was really popular for awhile, and maybe now it's not so much.  Some might roll their eyes a bit when you use it.  For me it is a life mantra.  A daily choice.  Show up and be real.  And this quote from Anne might be my favorite:

"Your problem is how you are going to spend this one and precious life you have been issued.  Whether you are going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are" ~ Anne Lamott

"Honey" Bun.

I've been wearing my hair like this lately and having fun with it and the nostalgia of the days of my youth when this style was referred to lovely as the honey bun.

Summer Cocktails.

I really like this one.  It will be especially good with fresh local peaches!

Community.

Another popular buzz word I know!  I so love and appreciate the people I do life with.

Sundresses.

I love FINALLY getting out of my jeans and into some cute sundresses!  I don't think I could ever have enough.  This one's a bit out of my price range - but so cute - no?

My Tattoo.
I'm loving it so much now that it's all healed up!

Good Books.

As usual I have a potpourri of books going right now - one fiction, two non fiction.  I love rotating through the words and having the time to pour over them and soak up every last detail.  One of life's greatest joys is getting lost in a book!

10 favorite things ~ April

1.  Columbine.  No, not the grotesque school shooting people - the FLOWER!  What do you take me for - some kind of weirdo?  Columbine are sort of weedy looking sometimes but if you look closely they are the coolest looking little flowers.  And the best part is they come in lot's of different varieties and colors.  I have several coming up around my yard right now and they make me quite happy.

2.  Diane Keaton.  I think she's funny, smart and cool.  I want to be like her when I grow up.

3.  Friendship Bracelets.  I remember making these in grade school and wouldn't you know it  - they've made a resurgence!  These from Etsy are pretty cute!

4.  Tunic's.  Part dress, part shirt  = it's all good!  I find myself gravitating to these this time of year when I am SICK AND TIRED of wearing jeans but it's still too FREAKING COLD to go without something covering my white legs.  Solution - I can wear these over skinny jeans or leggings now and as a sundress later.  Brilliant no?  This is from a great little shop ellainaboutique.  I have one of her dresses and it's a favorite!

5.  Nurse Jackie.  This show was recommended to me from several people based on my love of United States of Tara.  I'm officially hooked!  If you like dark comedy you'll love Jackie.

6.  Strawberries.  We're getting fairly close to our local Oregon strawberries being in season.  Can't wait!

7.  Vintage milk glass.  Right now I have a little display on my mantle.  Milk glass coffee mugs are my #1 search @ the thrift lately.  Love them!  I also would be quite pleased to stumble upon a plate like this one.

8.  The Royal Wedding.  Let me just say that I maybe might be setting my alarm for the wee hours Friday morning so I can be swept up in this epic event.  After all I watched both Di and Fergie when they got hitched.  And those marriages were stellar.

9.  Stories.  So today myself and three other neighborhood mothers were flipped off by a middle aged man in a large black truck while trying to cross the street.  One of the mothers had a small child in a stroller.  We were in a CROSSWALK.  FOUR of us (not including small child) and this IDIOT decided he didn't need to stop for us  - and when we threw our arms in the air gesturing our disbelief at his ASININE behavior he FLIPPED US OFF!  

*at least one of us may have flipped him off in return.  specific identities will remain anonymous.

10.  Inspirational Prints.  Like this one from Kelly Rae. 

Couldn't have said it better myself!





















Things I'm loving right now - top 10!

Yesterday my Thing 1 got two teeth pulled out.  He did so great and felt pretty good most of the day, but it gave us the opportunity to have a lazy movie day - translation:  while Jake watched his movies I browsed around the Internet. 

Here's some of what I found and LOVED ~

In the words of Carrie Bradshaw "Hello Lover"!  I spied these on someones blog and instantly fell in love.  Word on the street is they were originally purchased here.  I searched and alas can not find them!  However there are many other cute shoes on this site.

Last week while at my local World Market I came upon these cute little bistro chairs.  They come in a rainbow of colors including yellow and I think they also have a matching table.  They are all the inspiration I need to begin dreaming of sprucing up my patio!

Vanilla Latte's preferably from Peet's.  That's all.

Bow ties in springy floral patterns?  Yes please!  I think these would look dreamy on Mr. Veen.  He may not agree....



Because I've always had a weak spot for skater boys.  Amazing!

There are so many adorable spring dresses at Anthropologie right now that it's hard to pick just one!  This one makes me extra happy though:)

The fact that this is a true story makes me embrace the syrupy, delicious, gushy romantic scenes all the more.  Pure girly fun!

I'm going through major Mad Men withdrawals just looking at spunky little Peggy!  Check out this print shop for more fabulousness by artist Stanley Chow.

Word.

I'll take the chair in the sunshine with a chilled glass of wine please!  Beautiful photo by Pam Garrison.



Happy Thursday  - hope your day goes swell:)



Favorite Books 2010

I love a good book.  There's few things better to me than having the luxury of uninterrupted time in a cozy corner with the book of my choosing.  Throw in a warm beverage and I can be content for hours.  Unfortunately my life is in a season which affords me few stretches of quiet time to devote to this activity.  I get most of my reading in these days just before drifting off to sleep - in fact often I drop my book because I've fallen asleep reading! 
Over the past two years I've enjoyed being part of a book club.  Once a month we meet to discuss whatever book has been chosen by respective members.  Because of this group I have read several books that I wouldn't have picked up on my own and even among those that haven't been my favorite's I've been able to appreciate for one reason or another.  But since this post is about favorites I will share those!

Amy and Isabelle

    by Elizabeth Strout

This was my pick last January for book club.  I had read Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout and loved it.  Although I didn't enjoy Amy and Isabelle quite as much as Kitteridge it still was an engaging and interesting read for me - one of those stories that's hard to put down.  It tells the story of a single mother and her daughter set in the 60's. 

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

by Betty Smith

This is the classic story of a girl growing up during the great depression in Brooklyn.  I enjoyed the time period, descriptions and settings most of all in this book.  I love books which transport me - and this one definately did that.

The Help

by Kathryn Stockett

I didn't want to pick up this book because EVERYONE loved  it and "sometimes"  I rebel against things that are so wildly popular.:)  But this book is amazing  - and yes I was completely sucked in from the first couple pages.  It helped that it takes place in one of my favorite time periods (the early 60's) and conjured up lot's of images from my favorite t.v. show Mad Men.  This is a book I might even like to read again - it's that good.

Fall on your Knees

by Ann Marie MacDonald

This is quite the story.  It's dark and eerie and will make many people uncomfortable.  I happened to love it!  The way the author weaves the story and words together is so different and unique that to me it's like a piece of art.  Beautiful.

And last the only non-fiction in my list!  This book was just given to me and I'm devouring it!  I'm thouroughly enjoying it and already know it will become a stand-by reference type book in my library.  Oh, and even though I just started it I'll most likely be done or almost done by 2011.  So  - it qualifies....

The Gifts of Imperfection

by Brene Brown

Favorite quote so far in the book:

"Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.  Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love, belonging and joy-- the experiences that make us the most vulnerable.  Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light."





Favorite Movies 2010

I must say that movie watching is one of my favorite past times.  There's nothing quite like a great movie to transport, entertain and at best inspire!  I love independent films but not the kind that take themselves too seriously.  I also love romantic comedies or just a really good comedy for that matter.  Action/adventure and sci-fi are typically not my favorites but even I can be talked into them if the mood hits and if they're good.
So without further adu - here's my top 10 list for 2010! Keep in mind this list *may* not represent my complete unbiased opinion only because I haven't seen several I'm sure fabulous films that most possibly would have made the list.  Also these are in no particular order although I will highlight my favorites;)

The Kids Are All Right - watched this just the other night and loved it!  I found myself moved to tears during the last scene and I happen to really like all the actors in it.

Toy Story 3 - for similar reasons to the above movie I also shed a few tears in this one.  Absolutely wonderful animation - so detailed.  I'm happy I saw this in the theatre.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - this had to go on my list for two reasons:  it's unique and Michael Cera - I have a tiny little crush on him - not in a weird way  - in a he's super cute wish he was my little brother sort of way.  Does that make any sense?

Sex and the City 2 - it has to be on my list simply because it's the best chick flick of the year and I got to see it twice with a few of my favorite girl friends.  Fun movie, great memories!

The Lovely Bones - I read the book which was creepy but good.  The movie was not as good as the book , however it completely freaked me out both times I watched it  AND there's some wicked pyrex in the 70's era kitchen and you know how I love pyrex.

Alice in Wonderland - O.k. (deep breath) I have to admit that I actually didn't watch this from start to finish.  What?? !!  I know, I can't believe myself and am a bit disgusted right now.  That said - I loved what I saw - the visual is just awesome and Johnny Depp - that's all.

How to Train your Dragon - I loved the message in this movie.  It's all about being your own person, breaking out of expected roles.  All in all wonderful movie!

Ramona and Beezus - These were probably my favorite books growing up, maybe because I identified with the northwest vibe.  This movie didn't get super reviews but I don't care - I thought it was sweet and happy and of course I like the fact it's supposed to be in Portland (although they filmed in Canada). 

Eat, Pray, Love - Again a movie based from a book!  This book is on my shelf mixed in with Anne Lamott and Brennan Manning so it has a special place for me.  Even though the film isn't as good as the book it has some amazing moments and I have a whole new respect for Julia Roberts after seeing her in this.

Babies - Beautiful, beautiful!  The photography in this film was stunning to me and I absolutely fell in love with the baby boy from Mongolia.  Added bonus :  we watched it with the kids and they found it funny and entertaining  - I'd like to think it was also educational.  Fabulous documentary!

And here's a list of the movies I haven't seen yet that very well could have been on my list:
Get Low
Going the Distance
Never Let Me Go
The Social Network
It's Kind of a Funny Story

Finally I stumbled upon a preview for a movie coming out in 2011 that looks super intruiguing to me starring two of my favorite actors Sean Penn and Brad Pitt.  Here's the preview for Tree of Life  - gives me goosebumps!

New Favorite Card Line = SWEET!

Over the weekend I had the incredible experience of going to Crafy Wonderland up in Portland.  It was a room full of artists and creative types selling their goods and it was AMAZING!  I will have to go into more detail about it another time ( I'll definately be going back in the spring) but I had to share the most adorable and funny card line CakeSpy!  Here's a few of my favorites:

Wishing everyone a sweet day!



Wordless Wednesday: Favorite Christmas Things.....

Favorite Things 2010 kick off!

Now that 2010 is wrapping up it seems fitting that I begin to think about my favorite things of the past year.  There's much to think about and blog about from movies to moments but I thought I'd kick off the remembering with the only appropriate song I know and complimentary images.  Nothing beats Julie Andrews in "The Sounds of Music".  It's one of those movies that always leaves me feeling good and this song is in a league of it's own  - a true classic!

Here's the images of Maria's favorite things from the song and I have to admit she has some good one's! 









Now that the inspiration is flowing I'm ready to post some of my favorite things - starting tomorrow with wordless Wednesday!  Stay tuned:)

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting."

Ralph Waldo Emerson