"if god loves us so much + wants us to be safe, then why did he create lions?"

team boo is one of my favorite blogs + oh, how carolyn makes me laugh! she has the most adorable kids ever. check out this blog post + find out for yourself how fabulous it is.

♥!!!

i want to steal this crazy fun idea!

:nienie dialogues:

fabric gift wrap.

i love this idea. cute + reusable. click here for a tutorial.
:here:

to brighten the sunday blues...

{kathleen hills; svenska; ellynelly}

write to write.

Write to write. Don’t say you’re a writer if you’re not writing. You’re not a writer, and who cares anyway, if you’re not writing. Even if you’re writing, don’t call yourself a writer. Say, instead, "I write." It's the verb that's important, not the noun. "I haven’t been able to write," people say to me all the time. "No, actually," I respond, "You have been able to write, but you have chosen not to." They usually walk away unhappy. We are always * ALWAYS * in choice. If you have a napkin and a pencil nub or a piece of dirt on a stick, you can write. Don’t let the "writer" take precedence over the "writing." Let go of outcome. Forget blog statistics and the endless "freebies" that have sprouted online. Why does your blog need to lead anywhere? What’s all this striving about? Don’t search endlessly for a book deal before you’ve even written anything. Go back to #2: sit the hell down and write. Sit alone with yourself and a piece of paper without thinking about an audience, your database, the best way to market using social media.

{wise words from the wonderful patti digh~read more here ; flickr photo here}

to brighten the sunday blues...

{kathleen hills; svenska; ellynelly}

vintage halloween.

{country living}

quite possibly...

...the most breathtaking restaurant on earth.
more images here.

write. reflect.

today i am beginning a new novel. i'm letting the old one go.
it has taken up too much space for far too long...it was always
too much imagination and not enough heart and that, i believe, is
why it never came to be.


{fabulous needlework from rebecca sower}

theatre of dreams.

{wendy addison}

bowerbird garlands.

{here & here}

take some time...

go here:


read this.

listen to this:

#48

48. Learn what is mine to do in the world - and, more importantly - what is NOT mine to do.

Broken, Unbroken

The lonely
stand in dark corners
of their hearts.

I have seen them
in cities,
and in my own neighborhood,

nor could I touch them
with the magic
that they crave

to be unbroken.
Then, I myself,
lonely,

said hello to
good fortune.
Someone

came along
and lingered
and little by little

became everything
that makes a difference.
Oh, I wish such good luck

to everyone.
How beautiful it is
to be unbroken.

-Mary Oliver

#48 stolen from patti's 50@50 list here. and the poem too, along with this great story.

magical words.

sometimes this is all you need to hear.
thank you, brooke for pointing me to these images! + thank you to my beautiful friend laurie who gave me a dose of healing words in real life as we sipped watermelon juice in the hot austin sun yesterday. + thank you to my mom who saved the day + gave me directions to hey cupcake!
as i headed out of town.
it's the little things that truly save you.

my brightest aspirations.

"Far away, there in the sunshine,

are my brightest aspirations.

I may not reach them,

but I can look up and see their beauty,

believe in them and try to follow where they lead."

[ louisa may alcott ]

book of dreams.

{citrus faire}

so true.

{from the lovely black apple}

sometimes it's the hardest thing.

{i can read}

bees knees.

{paper cut outs from made by julene}

write big notes.

this blog is really cute + she's a fellow middle school teacher.
i ♥ this love note written on her board.