Fashion Week... say what?

Apparently this is blog fashion week as I was reminded by my dear friend and roomie (kinda - I live with her family) Kat (whose lovely blog is somissurfergirl.blogspot.com by the way). She asked if I was going to enter the contest hosted by one of her friends' blogs. Which I was thinking must be a joke as I don't have a clue about fashion, really. I can do "not frumpy" but have a wee bit of a tough time with "fashionable". So, if she picks out my clothes, things might be ok.

On another note...at the Hervey house here in the heart of Somis, CA which lies in the middle of farmland and fields...there are some furry little tailed creatures who have decided to take up residence in the garage. The traps have been set and I do believe I just heard one meet its demise.


The computer is also dying. And it is late. So for now...Goodnight. :)

So Thankful

So it's getting close to Thankgiving and I have WAY more things to be thankful for than will fit on a construction paper turkey with "thankful" feathers. For instance, the fact that after all this time, I was able to sign into this blog and not have to remember my password.
It's actually funny looking through old posts...Like the "Dream Job" one. Definitely written during my "I'm out of college and desperately trying to figure out what job I should get into where people won't have to ask me what it is I am going to do with my degree" stage. :) Very recent.
Here's the scoop. I'd been praying for God to give me a direction for my life. In July, I get a call from Denny D. from California asking me to consider coming to teach at a new classical Christian school called Veritas Hall. The catch was that they wanted me to make a decision and move within a matter of weeks. I struggled for a pretty long time - it's a huge thing, moving to California from Georgia! - but I decided to just go for it. God opened this door and despite my apprehensions about distance from my family and a whole new group of people I barely knew anything about except the fact they were Christians, He put a peace in my heart about the move.
Another apprehension. This place was near Simi Valley. I had GoogleEarthed it. Yuck. Ugly desert. A week ago, I was driving through Simi Valley and saw the sunset over the mountains in the quiet and out of nowhere came this overwhelming sense of thankfulness. God gave me this gorgeous sunset in a place I had called ugly. I was definitely wrong. I love it when God proves me wrong.
Another decision I made: I was not going to live with Chet and Kat and their baby, Owen. That would just be weird living with a young couple. No way. Not gonna do it. Where am I living now? Chet and Kat's. God's ideas are always better. The Herveys are such a sweet and godly family. God's blessed Chet with a little extra wisdom than He usually gives to people his age. Kat is one of the most encouraging, psyched on life, and generous people I think I will ever meet. And Owen? Where does one start? The kid's a doll. They've become better friends to me than I ever hoped for or expected.
And now it's late but rest assured there will be more... To be continued...

Dream job...

2007. That's when I graduated from college. I still have no idea what it is I'm supposed to do with the rest of my life. You know how some people just seem born for a certain career? My sister, for example, just seems like she should be a nurse, or a charity worker, or have some job involving nurturing people. Some look like they belong behind a desk, working numbers all day while others seem like they belong in front of a classroom with a dry erase marker in their hands. But when I think about what category I fit into, I get stuck. I can be content doing a number of things, and my degree has trained me to be able to think, learn quickly, and work hard at whatever I am doing. However, there are no jobs that are just begging for a "B.A. in Liberal Arts and Culture" degree. At least not up front on paper. So it makes finding the right job and career difficult. I wouldn't trade it for anything though.

Many people say it's important to get into a job you enjoy. I can enjoy lots of things. But over the past couple days, I got to thinking about the things that actually make me happy and excited. That's when I figured out my dream job. Owning or part-owning and operating a shop like the one I worked at in Moscow, ID: La Bella Vita. It was a little floral and housewares shop located on Main Street on a corner of Friendship Square. Here are a few of the reasons it was so fantastic:

1. It was colorful and cheerful; basically Optimism Central. :)
2. It was a corner shop, meaning it allowed all kinds of sunshine in.3. We got to play with flowers all day. Well, arrange them, and it was fun!
4. We sold beautiful hostess gifts and got to wrap them up in pretty packages.
5. On Saturday mornings we got to see people going to and from the farmer's market across the street with their fresh vegetables and whatnot. Sometimes there was live music in the square.
6. The best coffee shop in the world was a few shops down.
7. We got to give people ideas about what would look lovely in their home.

The list really does go on and on. But here are some pictures for ya...

 

  

  

See what I mean??? :)

Tonight's Dinner Conversation...

was a little random.

Steph: There's probably a lot of mold and mildew there.
Me: And ladybugs.
Steph: Something about that church always reminds me of the color yellow. And the worst shade of yellow ever. I think it had to do with an Easter egg hunt.
Me: Yeah I used to have a recurring dream that I fell from the ceiling onto the altar. Maybe I had some unconfessed sin.
Dad: I hate baby corns.
Steph: Jenn, your eyes really look baggy today. Like that girl you said needed some concealer.
Me: I said she had dark circles.
Steph: You have both.

And there it is. At least a snippet of it. For some reason it just made me laugh. :)

Just a mix post...

So this post is like a mix tape except instead of songs, it's topics. I figure there's really nothing too small to talk about and besides...that's what paragraphs are for anyway, right? You can just skip to what you want to read. :)

This morning, I was reminded that Atlanta traffic is among my least favorite things in the whole wide world. If I never had to drive in it again, I wouldn't be disappointed. 1-2 hours of nonstop jaw clenching, brake tapping, accident avoiding, muscle tensing stress is just not my cup of coffee. Some people love that kind of life and I fall into the other category. And I love where I live. Just a small town - not rural, not big city. But all the same, I should be thankful for traffic. Or at least the fact that I have the privilege to drive at all.

Yesterday I was reminded of how much I love Soft Scrub. Cleans a kitchen sink better than anything and leaves the washcloth/sponge smelling nice to boot.

Also. Time for fall baking! Yesterday I made some snickerdoodle cookies that turned out quite fantastic. And that is a surprise. The running joke in the family is that every dessert I ever bake always tastes like sugar cookies. Even if it's a chocolate ganache cake. So. This was a real victory. Let's just not mind the fact that a snickerdoodle is very similar to a sugar cookie. Trust me. They taste like snickerdoodles are supposed to taste. Maybe I'll put up the recipe.

Caramel sauce was also on the agenda - I have a fantastic recipe from an issue of Southern Living a few years back. We made it in college a few times and ate it with apples as a midnight snack...ah yes. Who is healthy in college? Hollandaise sauce, anyone?

And wouldn't you know it, today is GORGEOUS. Far too pretty outside to be typing away on the computer inside.

College football starts up this weekend! Go Dawgs!

Which would you rather do or go camping?

Camping, of course! Just one of the many questions Granddaddy asks. :)

Just got back from Cades Cove this afternoon. Definitely wasn't ready to come back.The weather was perfect - couldn't have been more perfect, actually. It will probably be a late fall there, considering it's been a pretty wet summer. Trees are still going strong and green.

We spent about five hours at Mom and Dad's new place/cabin/log home extraordinaire, exploring, thinking about the layout, how we (the sister and I) could help decorate, what would look good where, and why in the world did they choose the 3 foot fireplace over the 5 foot one? Dad explained. But would more heat really escape out the fireplace if it was just that much bigger??? I know. He's right. :) I'm just a very opinionated daughter. Either way the house is really coming along and they're still thinking it will be complete within a year's time from start to finish! That means they're looking at about starting the move in February or March.

Sitting around the campfiire with Granddaddy and Grandma is one of the best things in the world. Grandma's always insisting everybody just stay where they are while she makes popcorn or gets out all the fixins for hot dogs. "How about some chow chow? Y'all want some pork and beans? No you just stay there. I've got it." Granddaddy's just being goofy and telling us stories about a thrifty colonel he worked for in the Air Force or picking on Dad: "Kirby, would you rather be here on Monday, or go to work? You don't have to answer right now you know."

This trip was  a little sad though. Granddaddy and Grandma always run into people they know at the campground, but as they've gotten older, the abundance of friends has started wearing thin. Granddaddy explained that all his friends have started to pass away and their spouses just don't go camping anymore either. It's not often Granddaddy's voice takes a solemn or sad tone, so it's always hard to hear when it does. I was kinda wishing we'd have more time to stay, just so we could be their camping buddies for a while. I think he's going to call his friend Bill Sharp (who's too old and ill to go camping alone anymore but not too far to visit) to come up and stay a few hours. Everyone loves Mr. Sharp. I have no idea how old he is. But it's very. He and his dog Roxy have been camping up there for years and years and years etc. And he always has a friendly smile and story. Old people are the best company around a campfire. Or anytime for that matter.

As a side note, lately I've been reading Louis L'Amour's Education of a Wandering Man. Well, I took a break to read Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl by N.D. Wilson (which I should write about later). But Education. It's a fantastic read. Who knew that a book of memoirs could be so interesting??? Still reading through, taking notes etc. Some books you just wish wouldn't end anytime soon.

Well I have some unpacking to do now. Happy rest of the Sabbath!

Dessert Tables

Is this not one of the best ideas for a dessert table ever?

 

The designer's name is Amy Atlas. And this is her site.