“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, in order to gain what he cannot lose.”
I stumbled on a quote today that struck me pretty good. So much so that it lead me to look into this man the quote came from. I certainly was not expecting to get lost in a heart racing story about this man, Jim Elliot, and the five men who lost their life in the jungles of Ecuador.
I would not do their story justice, so I just direct you to the unbelievable account of their life, which has left a mark on me, and surely thousands of others. (Obviously enough to get me dipping in ink and writing out quotes…just look past the 47 mistakes;)) The quote aboe will make all the more sense after you read.
Feeling a renewed conviction to dedicate more time to growing in my own faith….so that maybe one day I will have the conviction like Jim Elliot. Enough to be willing to die for it!
Hey friends:)
Just experimenting with metallic temp tattoos over on the eHow Style blog. Can you tell I am having fun with this job? 🙂
Hope you all are having a good week now that we are on the closer side to the weekend. It has been tougher for me to get posts done in the AM due to early risers! I am paying for my early bird genes I must have passed along….;)
You can get your metallic temp tattoos here or here.
Cheers!
Hey friends! I hope you had a fun weekend and aren’t to swollen eyed this monday morning:) I had to double dose on the coffee, but it’s totally okay because there is this new creamer called Churro Caramel….mmmhmmm.
Well, I am about to unload a boat load of fun images here. Hang tight.
Imagine if someone told you to gather all of your friends for a party, hand you the most talented party planner, and the hostess with the mostess, as well as tell you to wing in a favorite photographer, caterer,vintage rentals, and florist. You might sit there with your mouth agape before you realize it is not a dream, only BING + The Alison Show making awesome things happen.
Alison is a rare breed. She has the ability to bring people together, make them laugh till they cry (just check out her instagram), and most importantly, make them feel awesome. I am so thankful to finally have met and partied her in person! So honored she asked me to be a co-host for the Search for your Awesome tour along with Jamie Jimenez and Joni Lay.
The goal of the party was to gather our creative community in Atlanta and celebrate that everyone has something AWESOME about them (If you could have only heard Alison’s pep talk on this!) As co-hosts, we wanted to present some tips for party presentation and dinner prep so that everyone could try something new to be awesome at.
Jamie and her husband run Homespun ATL, who catered the appetizers and drinks! I don’t think anyone would deny it was delectable. I kept finding myself being pulled back to the food table….have no idea why;)
Jamie presented tips for food and hosting which were so helpful, and I gave a run down of how I go about styling a table with a given theme, from table placements to napkin folding:)
The florals and decor were pretty mind blowing. Joni Lay and Amy Osaba Events went above and beyond what I was envisioning for the party. We decided to go with a tropical getaway theme, and Joni killed it with every detail. I owe them my right arm basically for the work they put into this. So grateful for their time to make this a memorable event. You will have to check out more behind the scenes deets on the decor on Joni’s blog (she made the signs, pillows, and more!) Also, a thank you to Onli Beverages for serving up some fun sweet drinks for the crew!
Blue Eyed Yonder provided just the right furniture pieces we were looking for to go with our theme.
The Bing team knows how to make awesome things happen that’s for sure. (Read about why I use Bing for my business here.) I hope I get the chance to party with them+ the effervescent Alison Faulkner in the near future! You can see the rest of the parties they threw across the country on The Alison Show blog or search #findyourawesome on instagram. Cheers!
This is the first summer in years that I felt that time stood still for a little while. I pushed pause in July on work related things to simply BE. To think about the day only as they came. To have time to spend quiet moments on the back patio with Gabe smoking an occasional cigar, and talking about our family’s future. Time to engage in long conversations with Veronica interpreting her numerous drawings, reading books and dozing off to sleep with Max, and building master forts with Gabriel. This summer and I had something good going, and it has made it a little harder to come to terms with it coming to a close.
When I was a girl summers lasted forever… chasing “lightening bugs” at dusk, staying up late giggling with my sisters, running through the paths our dad would mow in the yard for us, climbing trees and eating watermelon in my grandparents backyard…I would do almost anything for just one more of those days, but for the first time in many years, I had a taste of it again.
Now I have three little ones of my own and they are in the middle of the golden years. Gabriel is an inquisitive, compassionate, and imaginative 5 year old willing to rise to any challenge you propose. Veronica is a strong willed, musically inclined, sensitive 3 year old always looking for an angle. Max is a curious, stubborn, and cuddly little 1 year old ready to conquer the world one sofa at a time.
As any mother knows, you would give up everything for them at a moments time. And as they grow you have to slowly let go as they enter their little feet into the world. Today was Gabriel’s first day of Kindergarten. He will be gone all day every day of the week. I am not going to pretend I am not super attached to my children. There were many tears mixed with proud moments as I scrubbed his shoes, prepped his backpack, and laid out his uniform. It is hard to let go. It is hard to trust them into someone’s care. Today, as I saw his little smiling face look back one more time in the classroom, I felt a wave of gratitude for good teachers. They help us mothers loosen our grip a little and have the courage and confidence that they are ready:)
And so our summer comes to a close. We are adjusting our sails as every new season seems to demand, but when you allow the adjusting to take place, there is peace. And peace leaves room for gratitude, which is the royal chair for happiness it seems:)
“You cannot direct the wind, but you can always adjust your sail.” – Ash Sweeney
We are almost to the weekend already and I feel summer slipping through my fingers. Its been so good I really don’t want it to end. For the first time in many years it has felt long to me and I am grateful for that. Gabriel starts kindergarten tomorrow which I am a little dumbfounded over. More on that tomorrow! For now, here’s what I’ve been up to on the eHow style blog…
A few different ways I styled scalloped edges (have you tried these?). Surprisingly, you can wear them pretty casually….or even sporty.
Because when I am excited about things, there is always urgency. I know I need to calm down. Don’t download these while driving or throwing things in your blender. Save this post for a moment all to yourself:):)
These are just some apps that tickled my fancy and buttered bread in my book! Read on and would love to hear yours at the end!
Wunderlist – I am an avid pen and paper list writer, but this has won me over. Create lists by category and even share them if needed! I have started to use this with my event co-ordinator for The Brand Market. She can see whenever I add tasks to the list! (It also gives you that satisfaction of crossing things off the list because you can check it off and it will put a line through it. Yes. Back pat.) Available for: iPhone, iPad, and Android
Venmo – Saying goodbye to paypal fees. I am so thankful for this app! Easiest way to send and receive payments from the convenience of your phone. Available for: iPhone, iPad, and Android
Steller – I have fallen in love with this story telling app. I can’t resist it! Its the coolest way to share travel stories, step by step recipes, DIYs, you name it. A whole new way of documenting on the go. I had so much fun trying it out on vacation and look forward to creating more stories.Available for: iPhone, iPad
Party Party App – As if instagram could get anymore fun. The girls from A Beautiful Mess came up with an app that allows you to make still motion animation! Available for: iPhone, iPad (and they are working on android!)
Pippit – There are many cool features to this app including direct links on photos, video sharing, and blog rss. However, since I don’t have much time to read blogs anymore this is a way to scroll through my favorite blogs. I love that it is one place in an easy format, and it allows you to mark as “like, want, or useful” if you want to go back and remember what you read! (Hello I need all the help I can get.) Created by Oh Joy + Love Taza. Available for: iPhone, iPad
Evernote – This app is so helpful for organization, and I have rambled about it before. I use it mainly on my desktop, but all the info syncs to your app, which you can pull up anywhere. When I travel I will make notes in the app of anything I want to remember from where I parked to the name of a store I spotted. I even go over how to use this app at The Brand Market workshops because I believe in it that much. Available for: iPhone, iPad, and Android
Chatbooks – Just found out about this app and can’t wait to use! You can turn your instagram stream into large print books for $6. Can’t beat that. I am hoping they have a way you can select which photos to print. Surely? Available for: iPhone, iPad
Airbnb – This is not necessarily a new app, but wow. This is by far the best app for travel I have experienced. Find places to rent all over the world for the weekend, week, or month. We found our place at Rosemary Beach through this app and had such a good experience with the owners. The story behind the app developers is pretty rad too. Available for: iPhone, iPad, and Android
I will gladly add to this list if you enlighten me! Tell me your current top choices!
I cant believe I haven’t shared this spot with you all yet. By far, one of the best places in Atlanta to grab dessert and coffee? Cafe Intermezzo. I might be a bit biased though since this place is where we went after I got engaged:) You know I am all about atmosphere and this place has quite the touch indoors and outdoors with an Austrian look and feel, candle lighting and string lights, and things like wooden telephone booths….
They serve lunch and dinner (which never disappoints), but I would say their coffee and desserts are their strong suit. The drink menu is a mini pamphlet of all the things you dream of. Butterscotch lattes, Irish coffees, deluxe hot chocolate….you name it, they serve it. And serve it well.
Oh and did I mention they have a slew of cheesecakes to choose from? You can’t even look through the dessert bar glass without having heart palpatations.
Also appreciated is the fact they have good music going at all times. Like I said….ambiance. I met my friend Haley Sheffield here for the best nutella mochas you might ever try in your life, and she so kindly took these photos for me to share with you! It is right around the corner from Alon’s Bakery so maybe make an evening of it! I am going to give you a little homework. Find out what the word whip cream sounds like in german. It will make you giggle.
