"Off sick"

Migraine. Today. So, I'm off sick. I miss you guys, though, and wanted to send you a quick hello! I'll be back with my Friday Favorites tomorrow, and hopefully a proper catch-up on all of your blogs.

XOXO

PS. mkendall's prints, found here are some of my new favorites. I love the way she layers things!

A new favorite

Through a series of blog-jumps, thanks to tinyk, I discovered the mesmerizing work of ngoc minh ngo . I'm sure I've seen his work once before, but as I sit here this morning, I'm once again in awe. There's simple beauty here and fabulous color! I picked 10 of my favorites (click on the images for a larger size).

I'm so glad you liked the silent post this weekend! I knew that there was a lot I could say, but the pictures seemed to speak for themselves. I've been inspired by Mrs. French's silent posts. Her photography seems to capture these magical moments... they move beyond words.

I'm slowly writing down a small lists of things I want to do or finish before the end of summer, which *as I whisper* is quickly approaching! Repot my plants, make jam, visit Duluth, write my girlfriend that massive epistle I've been telling her I would write! What's on your list?

Silent Weekend Post

Petoskey

Quick little snapshots of Walloon Lake in Petoskey! If you were there, on the veranda with me you would smell cedar and balsam. You would feel a slight breeze off the lake. There would be thousands of little Chickadees and Wrens calling out in the woods. You would probably hear some motor boats and children laughing as well. My sisters would be helping me drink chilled Gin & Tonics and eating M&M's. Andrew would be reading on the hammock, Dad scheming about his next bicycle ride, Mom planning the next meal and Grandma watching it all happen from the sidelines!

I hope to have more to show you once my Dad posts his pictures, but, in the mean time, here's a small glimpse of my past weekend in Northern Michigan!

A retreat

I've been feeling the need to chill. Anyone looking at my schedule this past month would laugh. "No kidding" they would say. A move to a new apartment, two trips to Kansas City, and a trip to Petoskey. Yeah, the need is dire. Ever feel like you start missing things when you don't have a proper stretch of down time? I become fractious, like a little child who's missed her nap. This coming weekend I have two whole days free--free of obligations, responsibilities and trips! I can't tell you how good it feels. I was wandering through Body and Soul and discovered this section on how to boost one's happiness. It had great suggestions, one of them being to make sure you have a spot you are able to retreat to in your home. I don't have a lot of space right now, so I'm making due and trying to create an inviting space in my bedroom. I picked up a beautiful throw and de-cluttered my bedroom floor. I've re-arranged it so it "feels" better when you walk in. I'm so excited, I'm going to make a pot of tea this weekend, loaded with whipped honey from Petoskey, gather up all my pillows and camp out for an hour or two in my bedroom reading my new book(s)!

Quick note

*waves* Hello, hello! Just a few quick notes to you, as the pile on my desk is growing and growling at me!

1. My vacation in Petoskey was bliss :) I'll be posting pictures this week, hopefully! I got to see my sisters, their husbands, my parents and my grandma, all under one roof for a whole weekend. We talked, we went floating on "noodles" in the middle of the lake, ate lots of great food, and had a general wonderful vacation!
2. My apartment is almost done *does a little dance* and I'll have pictures to show you :) I love that feeling of things finally being put away. Sweet relief!
3. The mermaids are for my new tattoo (did I mention that yet?). The two mermaids above are my inspiration (thank you Leah for directing me to your lovely paintings)!
4. Last week I purchased the most amazing pair of earrings from Ms. Peach! I've never been more awed by a pair of earrings! Holy wow! And she's having a SALE! Right now! Go look!

Hugs and kisses to you all! I missed ya!

Little somethings

Have you found that your personal blog entries seem to attract the most comments? Do you find that being "real" brings about the most discussion? Does intimacy really happen in blogland? Does the idea of sharing the ups and downs scare you?

I know that I personally love it when a blog author opens up to us, the readers. I loved it when Diana asked about blog rules. I felt an immediate connection with Fiona with her process of getting back into meditation. And I couldn't help but go "YES! I completely understand!" when Leah opened up about her journey with "the darker moods." I feel like Meg Ryan's character in You've Got Mail "I just wanted to let you know, that these 'somethings' (letters/emails) mean a lot to me." My correspondence with you, here, with each entry, means a lot to me. Just wanted to let you know.

I'll be heading out early tomorrow afternoon for our Petoskey trip, so I'm posting my Friday Favorites this morning :)

Booties by ingermaaike
Bunnies from lindanorthon
Sugar & Creamer from littlebyrdvintage
Bag by neikodesign

Talk to you soon! XOXO, Jewels

Summer hit

Another summer hit. Like a sugar rush. One baby blue cruiser. A handful of blueberries. Two dips in a frosty lake. And a pair of shades with a florally nook to hold them. Yes. These are pieces of summer that can make me whistle with glee. I saw a college lass pedaling up to our neighborhood Walgreens yesterday. She was wearing a fun black summer dress with matching flip flops. She looked so cool, so relaxed, pushing the pedals down, zipping through the parking lot. I instantly wished I was on my own cruiser, pedaling past the hot, steaming cars on University. But, alas, I was baking in my Bug, sitting impatiently at a red light, windows rolled down because our air condition died last summer. Woe is me!

Curtains, marvelous things

I spent a good two hours hanging pictures and curtains last night in our apartment. I was shocked at how much that helped the look and feel of the place. No more blank, lonely wall space. You walk into our living and it looks like an inviting place to be, versus a holding cell. Last week I asked Andrew if he's liked to have so-and-so over for dinner. He just looked at me and basically said "are you crazy, do you want to give yourself a panic attack trying to get ourselves 'moved-in' before they come?" Grim. Well, now it's looking more hopeful! I'm on my way!

This image was something I saw over at Black*Eiffel a few days ago and fell in love with all of it's cozy nooks and crannies filled with little girl charm. It was from Martha Stewart children's section!

What I learned this weekend

After an exhausting 16 hour car ride to and from Kansas City, for the second time in a week, and after one large family reunion (last weekend) and a wedding for my husband's high school buddy (this weekend), and discovering that both Andrew and I have the propensity to "discover" new facets of our personalities and quirks of our relationship in high stressful situations I've come to these conclusions about myself (with kind affirmation from Andrew):

1) I'm a driving snob. In a bad sort of way. I will forever be a backseat/passenger seat driver. And I blame it all on my father, who on the first day of "prep-driving school" in an empty middle school parking lot said: I know you're upset, but you will be the PERFECT driver if I have anything to do with it. And you know, it's probably not everyone's definition of a "perfect driver" but... well, I'm handicapped in such a way I can't keep my trap shut when I feel like someone's driving poorly.

2) I love people. I love meeting new people. I love people of all ages. But I believe I have social claustrophobia. Meaning: for some strange reason after a period of time I feel this strange sort of anxiety building in my chest and the next thing you know I'm bolting for the door with any available excuse I can think of. This is a new "discovery" that drives my husband nuts because he thinks he's done something wrong every time I bolt! Which is not the case, I just need to get out!

3. My body can not handle Arby's three days in a row.

So, there's a little list of what I've learned over the weekend(s)! Anyone else learn anything about themselves this weekend?

* images from Skonahem

Friday Favorites

one: Horton Who? pendant from luckymebeads
two: Red coral, limited edition print by selflesh
three: Notebook cover from dailythreads
four: Lobelia the Highland Hare from Mogwaii

It's Friday *does a little jig* Andrew and I are heading back to Kansas City for a wedding this weekend. I'm bringing lots of drugs (sinus) and hopefully a keen sense of humor as I've heard it will be well over 90 degrees with 100% humidity. Yes, this will be FUN, gosh darn it :)

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! I'll be in see you Monday morning, bright and early!

XOXO

Summer

Summer is:
summer berries on homemade shortcake
swimming in Walloon by Pancake Bay with my sisters
long walks at dusk, when everything gets quiet in our neighborhood
crisp white wine, chilled
warm kisses from Andrew
light and airy summer dresses and strappy heels
Sabrina, Disney's Robin Hood, Breakfast at Tiffanys
splurge beach books
corn on the cob with butter dripping

What is summer to you?

*images from Martha Steward {dot} come

Conde Naste

Okay, usually I don't post twice in one day, but I was surfing and found these excellent images via A Cup of Jo :) Half of them are for me, and the other half are for my husband. Can you tell the difference between the two?

*grins*

Arte y Pico Award

This morning I received a little note mentioning that I had been awarded the "Arte y Pico" award from Ms. Peach over at The Peach Tree! What a tremendous way to start my morning! Thank you so much *blows kisses to the east coast*

Here's a little info on the award (supplied by Peach):

Originally created by Esey, this award is to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creative energy and their talents. Here is a link of Esey's blog translated into English (for those of you who may have lost some of your Spanish 101, like me!)

"What is the meaning of the expression "Art and Pico"
Basically it translates into a wonderful phrase in Mexico, "lo maximo." It will never find its counterpart in English, but if it had to, it would be something like "Wow. The Best Art. Over the top."

Similar to other blog awards, it's meant to be paid forward! So here are five blogs I feel are deserving of the Arte y Pico award for their "over the top" content, creativity, and kind inspiration!







If you have been selected for the award, how about passing it along so we can further this collection of fantastic blogginess :)

01. Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award based on creativity, design, interesting material, and overall contribution to the blogger community, regardless of the language.

02. Post the name of the author and a link to his or her blog so everyone can view it.

03. Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award.

04. The award-winner and the presenter should post the link of the "Arte y pico" blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.

05. Please post these rules!

I have to admit, it was hard to only pick five! So, just quick-like, here are some of my other FAVORITES: Simply Lovely, Merry Mishap, A Print a Day, Please Sir, InLeaf, S.Hoptalk, and Persisting Stars! I love you all!