In two days, I board a plane – with my dear friend Kristin – headed to one of my favorite cities, NYC! We’ve planned a super fun trip to visit our college roomie and one of my best friends, Marie. I am super stoked for our girls’ weekend and have already started making a list of things to do and places to eat (FYI…my favorite thing to do in NY is EAT!).
Here is a picture of Marie and I last year (I’ve made this NYC trip an annual event that I plan to continue for YEARS and YEARS):
with that said, I will also be the CLOSEST I’ve ever been to one of my Bucket List items…
see the awesomeness
Due to a work conflict every year, I have yet to attend this amazing event…until now…
I am trying to figure out a way to stop by on Sunday before I head out to the airport to fly home…some of my most favorite designers will be there and I would LOVE to see their booths! Not sure how it’s all going to work out or if it will even happen, but I will be within a couple blocks of the Javits Center and that is the closest I’ve ever been…mark my words though, I WILL go someday.
Hopefully that someday is this weekend, but we will see.
For today, I’ll leave you with some sneak peeks at my favorite vendors…I would love to meet some of these folks. Between Twitter and their blogs, I already love these folks and I’ve never even met them:)
Click Here to View the Wholesale Catalogue
Dingbat Press
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I Can’t Tell Which Ones Are Weeds
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Bella Figura
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Chewing the Cud – SOOOOO obsessed with their stuff:)
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Cross your fingers for me!! Happy Wednesday:)
to my friend Jessi’s blog, Naptime Diaries, to read a special guest post from my friend, Kara!
Letter for Those Longing to Be Mothers
Kara has a blog as well where she writes beautiful things about her journey through the “I” word and her family’s journey through the adoption process.
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Also on a COMPLETELY different note, this week has been crazy beginning with the announcement of Osama Bin Laden’s capture and death. It’s been a struggle as I just got back into Facebook after giving it up for Lent…I struggled because folks were flocking to the web to pour out some CRAZY…I mean, CRAZY, statements and judgements and just really EXTREME opinions about the whole thing.
I got into it a little on my own “wall” and then just gave up b/c I’m just not quite sure what kind of meaningful dialogue can truly happen over Facebook wall posts…so, the pastor of my church, Renovatus, wrote a blog titled “Osamagate” and beautifully described what the Christian response should be in a situation like this…then followed with another “Osamagate, pt. 2″ post in response to the comments he received regarding his first post.
If you were wondering if a church like this actually existed…I’m here to tell you it does. Right here in Charlotte, NC. I love it!
Coming off the heels of National Infertility Awareness Month in April and heading into a sensitive holiday such as Mother’s Day, I decided I would focus this month’s Pay It Forward on one of the coolest organizations out there.
A little background…
Like I mentioned a couple times on the blog, I don’t often write about our struggle to conceive. It’s not because I am ashamed or don’t want people to know, it’s actually that more times than not, I just don’t have the words. It is so hard to be in this place where you feel like you can’t DO anything to MAKE something happen. It is a hard place to be in, but I’ve realized over time, it is also a place of freedom.
Freedom might seem like a really strange way to describe what we’ve been going through, but over the last 3+ years, I feel like Jay and I have come to a place where we have realized that we can’t force anything to happen. I cannot make a baby…I mean, technically we can, but other than doing the “deed” and trying all other pieces of “advice” or “remedies” or “this worked for me”…I cannot actually make a baby. Realizing that I cannot FORCE anything to happen has brought me to a place that frees me from the pressure and a place of full disclosure and hope to the One, my God, who CAN make babies. In this new found freedom, and still without child, Jay and I have started exploring other avenues.
Possibly adoption…possibly foster care…but what if there is something different, something out of the norm that God has planned for Jay and I?? What if we are supposed to be Resident Advisors for a boarding school? What if we are supposed teach in a foreign country? What if we are called to live and work for an orphanage? What if we are called to be house parents?
House parents?? Enter Boys Town.
A Little History
In 1917, a young, immigrant priest from Ireland had grown discouraged in his work with transient, homeless men in Omaha, Nebraska. So in December of that year, Father Edward J. Flanagan borrowed $90 from a friend to pay the rent on a drafty, downtown Victorian boardinghouse that became his first home for boys. Father Flanagan’s Home for Boys welcomed all boys, regardless of their race or religion, and youngsters from all over Omaha and beyond began showing up at the doorstep.
In July 2005, Father Steven E. Boes was appointed as Boys Town’s fifth and current Executive Director. Under Father Boes’ leadership, Boys Town has focused on implementing its unique Integrated Continuum of Care. Boys Town has developed a strategic plan around the Continuum with a goal of doubling the number of children and family we serve by 2012. Father Boes also is expanding Boys Town’s role in advocating change in the current child‑care system, which often offers fragmented and ineffective treatment.
Nonsectarian since its founding, Boys Town is one of the largest, publicly funded nonprofit child‑care agencies in the country, providing compassionate treatment for the behavioral, emotional and physical problems of children and families. In 2009, Boys Town served nearly 370,000 children and adults across the United States, Canada and the U.S. Territories and in several foreign countries.
The Village of Boys Town
The Village of Boys Town, incorporated as a Nebraska municipality in 1936, has its own police and fire departments, schools, churches, post office and ball fields – along with numerous historic venues.
At any given time, about 550 boys and girls live in the Village, receiving care and treatment for a wide range of behavioral, emotional and academic issues. The youth live in a regular home – typically eight kids to a residence – with a Family-Teaching couple who cares for and nurtures them in a program called Boys Town Treatment Family HomesSM. In this community of hope, boys and girls change their lives and prepare to go out into the world as confident people of good character.
A Day in the Life…Family-Teacher {currently tugging at my heart}
Family-Teachers are the backbone of Boys Town’s residential care programs. Family-Teaching couples live in Family Homes with six to eight youth, either boys or girls, 24 hours a day. The homes include separate quarters for the Family-Teachers and their own children.
A typical day in a Boys Town Family Home begins the same as for most families. The Family-Teaching couple ensures their youth have breakfast and are ready for school. But before they leave, the Family-Teachers engage the youth teaching interactions, where they learn social and relationship-building skills.
Youth may carry a point card to track positive points they earn for appropriate behavior and negative points for inappropriate behavior. When youth compile enough positive points for the day, they earn privileges like time on the computer or choosing a TV program. This system motivates youth to make good decisions because they lead to positive consequences.
During the day Family-Teachers complete reports, discuss youth-specific goals and tend to housekeeping necessities. They might take one of their youths to a doctor’s appointment, or meet with a teacher. When the children arrive home from school, they engage in more teaching interactions as youth complete homework and help prepare dinner. The interactions continue in the evening as the family spends time together.
Family-Teachers are constantly developing and strengthening personal relationships with their youngsters. They help every child understand that someone cares about them and that they are valued. This bonding builds trust and is an essential element of effective treatment.
Family-Teachers face challenges every day because the children they care for can have serious behavioral, emotional and cognitive problems. These boys and girls have been victims of abuse, neglect and abandonment. Many have used drugs and alcohol, or have been involved in criminal activity. Often, our youth don’t trust adults and resist. Family-Teachers must have patience, compassion and perseverance when things are not going well.
So Jay and I aren’t quite ready to say or know what this means for us…but it is on our radar. All I know is that this organization looks amazing and since they are a non-profit, they could always use support and donations. These kids, these families, all benefit from your gifts. If you are looking for a charity or organization to support financially, here is a wonderful cause…meeting a need in our very own country. Click the image below to donate!
Mixed tapes and cd mixes were the jam when I was in high school and college. That’s what our friends gave each other for birthdays and holidays. I wish more people still did it. Some of my most favorite gifts that I have from years and years ago are my mixes from folks. The thought…the musical journey handcrafted by someone with you in mind is a beautiful thing.
It is so stinkin’ beautiful today, so I’ll leave you today with a short post (b/c you and I need to get outdoors now!) featuring a digital mixed tape of sorts for your listening pleasure:
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
Jeremy Current {check out his newly released album, Dark Land of the Sun}
Hird of Sweden
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The time has come…tonight is officially Steve Carell’s last episode of The Office as the belovedly awkward branch manager, Michael Scott. I started watching this show a little late in the game. We actually didn’t watch it until a couple seasons in, but believe me, I caught up very quickly. A quick shoutout to our friends, The Godshalls, who actually got us to start watching it…thank you for that!
Tonight’s episode is an extended one and I am super excited but also super sad…it truly is an end of an era. I’m not quite sure we will watch it after M.Scott leaves. I’m of the mindset that you shouldn’t mess up a good thing and I think continuing the show after Steve Carell leaves is probably not going to be great, but…I mean, nobody asked me, so…we will see.
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One of the biggest reasons I love this show is the shear awkwardness. There are so many cringe-worthy moments, the only thing you can do is to laugh the tension off. I think that is one of the shows biggest successes and I think that is due in large part to Steve Carell. In the midst of the hilariously awkward moments, the show has managed to tug on the tear ducts with a few events like Pam & Jim’s engagement, wedding, finding out the were pregnant and my favorite one as of late, Michael & Holly’s engagement. This is one of the very few shows that can successfully make you laugh and cry at the same time.
The show made us all laugh, cry, cringe and anticipate what’s next for seven glorious seasons and tonight we say goodbye. So today’s post is dedicated to the man…enjoy:
“A good manager doesn’t fire people…He hires and inspires people. And people will never go out of business.”
“People I respect… heroes of mine would be, Bob Hope. Umm, Abraham Lincoln definitely. Bono… and probably God would be the fourth one. And I just think, all those people helped, the world in so many ways that it’s umm really beyond words. It’s incalcucable.”
“Today I did something stupid. I questioned myself, and I will never do that again. Because I look at somebody like Jim Halpert and I think, that guy can do anything he wants to do. He could, do anything. And he choses to work here, selling paper, just like me.”
“Welcome children of the Scranton industrial park community! Join your gangster pumpkin on his pallet truck of doom!”
“I’ve always wanted to be in the witness protection program. Fresh start. No debts, no baggage. Already got my name picked out. Lord Rupert Everton. I am, uh, shipping merchant who raises fancy dogs. That’s the life.”
“See that. Mission accomplished. Like a bunch of fourth graders. Sometimes what brings the kids together is hating the lunchlady. Although that’ll change, because by the end of the fourth grade the lunchlady was actually the person I hung out with the most.”
I’ll leave you with this from last week’s episode…
I was so tempted to name this entry “Wish List Wednesday” because of my obsessed with aliteration but I will spare you today:) Exciting news for all you lovers of super cute clothing…this Sunday not only marks the first day of May, but it’s also for the release date for Calypso St.Barth at Target.
In the last couple of years, Target has really gone to great lengths to bring the world of high fashion to the masses with their designer collaborations. The chain store has featured designers such as Alexander McQueen, Anna Sui, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler and now they are adding to their line-up the easy-breezy resort-wear company Calypso St. Barth for an island-inspired capsule collection. Here are some of the pieces that I am adding to my Wish List for today (wish list wednesday…sorry couldn’t resist any longer)…
The collection will include apparel and accessories for women, girls and babies — in addition to a small sampling of home furnishings — the collection includes printed maxi dresses, shorts, tunics and a array of super cute sundresses. I love the color palettes chosen and am super excited about the flowy dresses.
I mean…how cute are these totes?! And I lOVE the wedge shoes…they are my new favorite summer shoe…now if only I can find a pair of shorts that I love…that’s an immediate need for my wardrobe…I have NO shorts other than my cut-off jorts from last year that my husband has so graciously informed me that he hates, so this girl needs some shorts…any suggestions?! What’s on your summer wardrobe wish list??
See you at Target on Sunday!
Photos: Looks from the Calypso St. Barth for Target collection. Credit: Target
I’m not sure why I am obsessed with “naming” days of the week for these blog posts…maybe it’s because I’m too lazy to come up with something more creative…actually that’s probably it – so sorry, excuse the laziness of the title:)
Did you know that April and May are the best months to shop thrift stores??
Spring cleaning and folks clearing out homes after the winter creates a huge influx of donations of furniture, clothes and more at these stores in April and May. So be sure to drop in and find great deals for your home and more. Jay and I absolutely LOVE to thrift and most of the stuff in our house was bought second hand. Atlanta has my favorite thrift stores, but the Salvation Army on Central Avenue in Charlotte is a local favorite as well. Look around for yard sales too! April and May are PRIME months for yard sales. I’ve seen almost 10 or more in the last two weekends…but go early, like 6:30am…the good stuff goes FAST.
Another way to save moola this spring is to dust off your library card…or go register for one at your local bookstore. At the school I work at, our students walk once a week to Imaginon, a children’s library, to check out books. I LOVE that in the world of iPads, Nooks and more, that our students are still exposed to the paper book…they know the feeling of curling up in a chair and the smell of the musty pages in actual books. Don’t get me wrong, I will join the iPad craze VERY SOON, but for me, they won’t replace actual books…I just refuse to let it… But you can get a LOT more than just books at your local library. You can check out newly released movies or tv shows for free, most city libraries have museum passes that you can check out and go to your local museums for free AND you can check out books and books and more books without cluttering your home.
We also cut our cable almost 6 months ago and bought a digital antenna for our TV…digital rabbit ears, if you will. We’ve saved more than $300 already and haven’t missed a show. We pick up every local network station and then for cable shows, we attach our computer to our TV to watch shows via Hulu, MegaVideo or Sidereel. I recently finished the entire Sex and the City series between Sidereel and MegaVideo…hello FREE!
and my last tip for Spring Frugality…
RESIST the urge to turn on the air conditioner too soon! I know if you have babies or kids, you might decide enough is enough a little earlier but opening the windows at night and during the day and running fans will help keep your home cool. Also, try grilling food outside…cooking on the stove or in the oven will increase the heat in your home.
I’m trying to hold out until the end of June…who’s with me?!
to tell you that I was signing off…going offline for the weekend. My husband and I booked it to Lake Lure, NC to celebrate his 32nd year of birth with his mother, his brother and his brother’s lady friend. My good friend’s mother has always said that “Jesus lives in Lake Lure” so how fitting that we celebrated our Easter holiday there.
The cabin we stayed in was gorgeous! If you ever have the desire to go stay in a beautiful log cabin in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina (can I get an AMEN!…I mean, who wouldn’t?!), you should check out the Egan’s Cabin.
The weekend got off to a great start! Aaron is a personal chef by trade and made a homemade lasagna (key to my italian’s heart) that was delicious and then we went out for drinks at none other than Larkins on the Lake. The next morning we were up early and drove the winding roads through Chimney Rock and Bat Cave (don’t blink b/c you will miss both) on our way to the glorious Asheville, NC.
I LOVE Asheville. Correction: I LOVE to EAT in Asheville. Jay and I have developed a routine when we travel to the hippie nation that is the ole’ Ash-e-ville:) We begin with a delicious brunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe…BEST Sweet Potato Pancakes EVER.
Then we venture up and down the streets stopping in super cute antique shops, hippie boutiques with enough incense to last forever and our most favorite used bookstore on Lexington. We literally spend AT LEAST an hour or more in this place and usually walk out with no less than 3-4 books at a time. Here is my favorite find of this trip…from 1934:
Then throughout the day, we stop at 3-4 restaurants and bars…we order a drink and an appetizer and relax…
this trip we stopped at Salsa’s, the Southern and Carmel’s Restaurant…Southern being my favorite because of the delicious bloody mary and pretzels with various dips. So good:) Speakin’ of good…I think Jay had a good ole’ birthday celebration with his family:
This morning we woke up to the beautiful sunrise over the mountain tops. We ate good ole’ southern bbq and played on the river rocks before heading back home.
I think everyone should just do it…just take a trip…minimal planning needed, just get in your car and drive. It’s amazing what “getting away” from it all does for your mind and your spirit. And if you need a recommendation…head to Lake Lure. You won’t regret it.:)
AND because I totally left you high and dry on Foodie Friday last week (sorry!) I will leave you with the deliciousness that is the Sweet Potato Pancakes with Spiced Pecans & Peach Butter recipe from the Tupelo Honey Cafe Cookbook…you’re welcome:)
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large sweet potato, roasted and cooled
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Spiced Pecans, recipe follows
Peach Butter, recipe follows
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter, and then add this to the dry mixture. Peeland mash the sweet potato, place it in a bowl, and then add thehoney, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix it well. Add this mixture into the pancake batter. Let the batter stand for 1 hour (or you can make it a day ahead of time).
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add batter by the ladleful and cook the pancakes, in batches, until golden brown on each side. Serve immediately with Spiced Pecans and Peach Butter.
Spiced Pecans
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon tupelo honey
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add all the ingredients and cook until the pecans are lightly brown and caramelized, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cool, and store in an airtight container.
Yield: about 1 cup
Peach Butter
1/2 cup peaches, peeled and diced
1/2 pound butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch sea salt
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Yield: about 1 1/2 cups
Have I mentioned how excited I am that it is officially Spring?! (minus the heinous allergies) Yes, I love the sunshine, the warm temperature, the beautiful weather…but most of all, I’m just glad that winter is over. Winter has always been and continues to be hard for me. Blame it on the weather, blame it on the cold, blame it on the deadness of everything, blame it on the darkness.
For those who know me, I am generally a happy go-lucky…cup half full kind of gal. I am a “fixer” and will try to fix yours and my problems…trying to find the good in everything. My most favorite thing to do in the whole world is laugh…for real laugh…the throw your head back, cry a little and almost pee your pants kind of laugh. Winters for me are a dark time. I’m not sure where that happy go-lucky Jess goes, but it never fails…exit her…enter the darkness. I find myself plagued with self-consciousness…plagued with doubt about everything…plagued with loneliness and hopelessness. I try to prepare for this time in the Fall (which is my all-time FAV season) knowing that the Winter is creeping around the corner but somehow I seem to always slump.
I don’t talk very much on here about Jay’s & my struggle to conceive. It’s not that I don’t want to share, I do…especially if it can help someone else dealing with the same thing, but it’s moreso that I don’t have the words…I cannot put it eloquently or poetically enough to really express to you our desires to be parents. We have battled this “infertility” (makes me want to vomit to say it…) for almost four years now. I have no answers for why, I have NO patience to hear advice and “remedies” that have worked for others, I have no idea when it will or will not happen…I just know our desire for “our family” grows on a daily basis. My friend, Kara, has been dealing with the same issue for almost the same amount of time now and she is so eloquent with her words describing the struggle…read them here…she is so beautiful and puts the feelings we share in the most real terms…she says the things I cannot say.
The Winter was really bad this year…my doubt of God’s will and God’s love for our family grew so much in the darkness of this past season. But there is hope, through people like Kara…seeing her strength and seeing her heart through this time, has encouraged me not to give up…not to become bitter or lose hope and faith in my Creator…but to be faithful until the end…I feel it in my bones this morning…Wake Up, O Sleeper…it’s springtime…time for life, time for growth, time for resurrection from the darkness, time for the light…
But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible.
This is why it is said:
“Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Ephesians 5:13-14
Below is one of my favorite old school bands, Cool Hand Luke, with “This is Love” from their album Wake Up, O Sleeper…fitting, huh?:)
This book has officially been added to my summer reading list. I have a HUGE girl crush on Tina Fey. She is hilarious and so “real”…I just love her. She recently released Bossypants and I’ve heard nothing but RAVE reviews. I read her “Prayer for Her Daughter” excerpt online last week and thought I would share it with you all today. Enjoy and remember to laugh often today…it makes everything better:
First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.
May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.
When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.
Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.
Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.
What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.
May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.
Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.
O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.
And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.
And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.
“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.
Amen.
Source: Bossypants
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