I've been trying to think of ways to express and magnify the quality of gratitudein my life. On the blog, I started by doing some simple gratitude lists, but that practice felt a little hollow, so I'm going with something new: occasional posts that pay tribute to some small things I'm grateful for. They might be silly, superficial, meaningful, etc. The idea isn't to find the most extraordinary blessings in the world, but rather to work on noticing all the little goodnesses around me.
Today: blue fingernails. I painted them yesterday whilst laying sick on the couch.
Crocheted sweater: Chelsea Place brand, hand-me-down from mom
Green sweater: Gap brand (thrifted), $4
Jeggings: gift from mom
Boots: Target, gift from mom
ACCESSORIES REPORT
Hat: found it
Coat: Gap, $40
Scarf: thrifted, $4
Flower pin: made and gifted by my mom
I'm still a little ill (mostly in the form of coughing and a sore throat), and my treatment regimen requires that I drink plenty of fluids and wear soft things. Enter this green sweater, which feels incredibly luxurious and easy. Such a blessed find.
In other news, I love the print of this scarf, which I found at a thrift store in Portland, Oregon. I used the flower pin to arrange the scarf in a way that would really show off the print, though I actually ended up turning the pin around so that the flower wasn't so front-and-center. Didn't get pictures of that ... use your imagination.
I don't get sick all that often, but about a month ago, I was feeling very sneezey and out-of-it, so I skipped the customary outfit post for that day and shared a bunch of Internet finds that had struck my fancy (check out that post right here). Well, here I am again, feverish and achy, and there ain't no way I'm leaving this couch. Take a look at this loveliness instead, and I think I'll make such posts a tradition for all future sick days.
It looks like a boutonniere, but this is actually a nest made out of flower petals by a particular species of bee. Nature rocks. (Story from NPR, found via the ModCloth Blog)
I want this skirt very much, along with most of the other stuff from H&M's environmentally-friendly Conscious Collection. (Found via The Budget Babe)
And the long skirt is appropriate in light of this:
I really love these boots, but I really really love the simple breakdown that Jentine at my edit. gave about taking calculated risks at the thrift store based on an item's quality, timelessness, and personal appeal.
This bride, Maggie, made her own wedding dress -- and what a dress it is! Love all of that color. And PS, she made her husband's suit as well, that crafty minx. (Found via Offbeat Bride)
I've never thought about the Twin Cities all that much, but this video legitimately made me think of moving there. Nice work, Seven and Sixty Productions. Would love to see a video like this for Provo and/or Salt Lake City. (Found via Yes & Yes)
Sal from Already Pretty is just the wisest: "The love you may choose to give to others must start within you, and your love for others will be more rich and fulfilling if you learn to love yourself first." She gave a quick list of ways to love yourself on Valentine's Day, but the ideas are appropriate for all times of the year. Take care to care for yourself, friends.
An organization called Face Research has compiled the "average faces" of women from 41 world regions. Beautiful, one and all. I have to say: my face is dead-on English and Swiss. (Found via Bellasugar)
Love this look from Cheyser P. on Lookbook. Floaty fairy dresses, cozy sweaters, and knee socks are what I'd like to wear in Heaven, if I'm being totally honest.
PLEASE go read this post on emotional consumption from Orchids in Buttonholes. Here's my favorite part: "In the past, I consumed while emotional because, for an instant, I felt like that new thing might magically transform my situation, like Dorothy’s shoes. In that moment of acquisition, I imagined I’d be better, different, more thoughtful or headstrong or resilient ... But a truth I cling to is this: no thing ever changed my life. I did. Many many many times. Maybe I did it in a thing or with a thing, but it was always me, not it, and I’ll do it again."
And speaking of the big feelings, Melissa got super-brave and wrote about her previous experience with postpartum depression, specifically as it related to the way her body had changed through pregnancy and childbirth. Having just given birth to her second baby, she talks about accepting her body and figuring out postpartum fashion.
I'll concede that I'm feverish and hopped up on medication right now, but this video made me cry big-time. It documents the cultural celebration held for the dedication of the new Mormon temple in Kyiv Ukraine. As religious and sentimental as I tend to be, it's also easy to get cynical sometimes. It was refreshing to watch something so purely uplifting.
Bracelet: birthday present from my bro and his lady-friend (thanks, team!)
Here's a secret from my bag of tricks: if you're sick of all your shirts, just stuff a scarf inside a jacket and call that a shirt. Very simple.
I spent about an hour looking for a spot to take my pictures today. Walked a lot, got a blister. My new camera allowed me to venture inside a dark abandoned shed, right next to the yard where I saw those deer. And guess what? The deer were back! There were four this time instead of seven, but still. Any day when you hang out with deer is a good day.
So, I don't know about y'all, but I sometimes get overwhelmed by the number of new blog posts that show up in my reader each day. I have to periodically go through and clean out my subscriptions, but even still, it's a lot to keep up with. I was feeling burnt out on all my online reads today, so I ventured forth to the local library in order to read the printed word. Let's all do it. Books are nice. Here's what I picked up:
I'm constantly coming across quotes from both Rilke and Jung that make me exclaim, "That is totally brilliant!" The universe is clearly telling me that I should read up on both these fellows.
And, bonus, this was in my mailbox:
My first issue of The Sun Magazine, which releases new fiction/essays/poems on a monthly basis. I subscribed a few weeks ago and am looking forward to enjoying each month's newness.
Did y'all know that I was an English major in college? I was. I graduated in 2009 and, regrettably, I haven't maintained the daily connection with literature that I used to have. That absence doesn't make me mad or sad, really; it's just something I'd like to change moving forward. As much as I want to be a writer and hope to develop that talent, it's more important to me that I am and will remain a reader.
Quick question: do you have a favorite book (or maybe two or three favorites)? My #1 is The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. Share yours, if you've got one.
With twenty outfits under my belt, I've only got ten more to go, and I'm already planning how I'll break the fast. How about the rest of you 30x30'ers? Have any intentions for the first outfit you'll wear or the first purchase you'll make when this is all said and done?
