A Royal Occasion

In honor of the royal couple, I find it to be unequivocally necessary that as they go out with a bang, that I too show my deep affections for celebratory proceedings.

As they are celebrating their love for one another and sealing such affections with their marriage vows, I would like to deem this noteworthy occasion as an exemplary time to show off the phenomenal chicness of head fashion.

That's right -- Ladies & gentlemen, I'd like to present you with the evidence of a Royal Occasion:

p.s. Sorry Prince William & Kate; my apologies for not being able to make it to your lovely celebration - I must RSVP with regrets. I was unable to get off work - also, I wasn't so sure if my tattoo would be quite appropriate for Buckingham Palace.

Congrats to the lovely Royal Couple!!!

A Life Worth Living

There are simple things in life that in moments of recognition, there is an epiphany that occurs.

It is in those simplicities that the masses would call ordinary, that we realize what our life is worth living for.

Although many circumstantial mishaps leave me dumbfounded beyond description, there are those little moments that keep me going.

I love the sound of my nephew's belly laugh -- he giggles so much when Mommy & Daddy play peek-a-boo with him.

When my sisters and I are all together, I find great delight in getting ready with them and sharing makeup and clothes while having someone to ask, "Does this outfit go with these shoes?"

There are times when I am able to witness an exchange of a kiss between my grandparents -- It gives me great joy and hope for my future & the future of others.

I adore the smell of my mother's perfume that lingers in the house after she's left for work -- even when she's not here I feel like she's always with me.

I'm tickled when I experience the exchange of tearful laughter between my sister Jenn & brother Jared -- true love is sometimes just sharing in humor.

I am amazed by the little things in life - now that's a life worth living!

Preoccupied

Well hello stranger,

sorry I've ditched you lately. I've found a bit of a stronger interest as of late and it has kept me fairly occupied. If you'd like to know your competition, then I must show you -- this is gonna be a tough one to beat.

Meet Caden.

This is my (almost) 9 month old nephew. The fun thing is that only half of his cuteness can be seen in the picture. Wait til he giggles and cuddles -- he'll steal your heart just like he stole mine.

Caden got to experience his very first Easter ever right here in Virginia (not his home but close enough to it).

This was him with his Easter basket this morning -- Daddy was happy that he went straight for the basketball stuff first!

It was a short weekend with the family in town and Mom & I definitely ate up every moment of it. It was just missing one element to make it complete -- My sister, Christy & brother-in-law, Matt. We missed them dearly! But for now, here is an Easter photo we took today (minus 2).

And here's to the beautiful little family!

We all had fun dressing up for Easter but he was definitely the center of attention -- I would be too if I was this undoubtedly cute!

By the way -- Caden loved the Easter bunny. This is a good thing because between his Mommy's creativity, Aunt Steph's obsession with taking pictures, and the family's love for the holidays, he may just be seeing a few more holiday mascots in his lifetime!

Overall synopsis: I. Love. My. Family.

My heart has been stolen by the most handsome boy in the world & I don't plan on giving it back.

Nothing borrowed

Today I had pudding for breakfast -- not only did I feel like a little kid but it wasn't the best idea to start off my day by appeasing my stomach with sugars.

Today Bon Iver's "Blindsided" was played at an obsessive amount in Peggy-Rae. Love the guy -- inspirational lyrics of nostalgia & desire. He's a lyrical genius.

Today I got told I have the most beautiful son. Hey -- it's okay to live vicariously through others right?

Today I saw an old friend and we laughed. Sometimes you just need to see that others are doing well -- there's something very comforting about that.

Today I drank a coffee blender and it was f.a.b.u.l.o.u.s. I have a slight addiction and today was not the first day of realizing that.

Today I was humored by GMA's portion on pet grooming -- who knew you could make a poodle look like Elvis?!!

Today was simple.

Today wasn't just another day.

Vitamins & Self Discovery

I've been learning things about myself and life lately. It's helpful to know the simple things and thus make changes. Life.

1. I need to start taking vitamins.

Preferably something similar to the chewable Flintstone tablets I took as a kid -- my immune system is weak. I need to take better care of myself.

2. Music has me mesmerized.

My first love is Jesus Christ, then my family and well music probably comes pretty close to being next in line. Mumford & Sons' "After The Storm" is particularly insightful.

3. People are never quite thinking what you think they are.

Give everyone a chance - our perception is often skewed and we habitually over-think much of life. This habit often leads to a closed off view of others leaving us in a position to believe that people no longer matter -- that is everyone except well, ourselves.

4. Art is in everything.

I love to write & am perhaps a bit tickled when I can splatter some colors upon a canvas -- but art is not limited to just that. The other day I caught a trace of the freshly cut spring grass as I drove in my car with the windows down. Art.

5. Elderly people are inspiring.

I am careful in how I phrased this one. I often felt that being around an elder would depress me and at times I catch myself still slipping into that mindset. I suppose it's like a strange reflection of what my life could be years down the road. I enjoy being young and never want to end up jaded. But again, it's all about our perception of others. Have you ever taken the time to listen to the dated stories of an elderly individual -- you'll soon find the courage to endure!

6. Nostalgia is often times a survival tool.

Many may frown upon this statement. I've always been told to put the past in the past. It's a lifelong lesson presented to me with great emphasis. I would definitely agree with half of that lesson. The past that leaves you bound, no longer to better yourself and strengthen the weak spots is the past that must be left behind. However, the past that reminds you of seasons of joy and vigor are the moments when nostalgia keeps you hopeful for an even better future. That is survival -- with the Lord's help of course.

Stinky Situations

It's dark outside.

And if my clock speaks truth, then it is telling me it is not quite six p.m. Why is it dark? I must turn to Jeff Lawson for some sort of sound explanation. Perhaps his response would be that Hampton has lost its mind lately and that there is no rational elucidation to be provided. Yes -- I believe that is what he would say.

So today, the weather stinks - much like the split pea soup mom is currently cooking up on the stove. Pewwwwww Weeeeeee!!!!

This weather & soup may stink but I'm determined to make sure my day doesn't.

Solution?

A little QT with the Mama V.

Time to get rid of the stench!!!

Garlic is good for you -- so is halitosis???

When you avoid certain foods, other foods quickly turn into your off-limits cravings. As I was eating my tomato soup with a hint of garlic powder, the garlic soon took on a whole new persona. Hello garlic bread! Somehow the garlic grew yeast & fresh bread that soon attached itself to the senses of my taste-buds. I've always been told that garlic is good for you, but now there is a whole new meaning to that common phrase. I'm so happy I could cloth my home in cloves of garlic.

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Garlic is good for you!

But is halitosis too?!!!

Squirrels, Birds or Horses???

Most normal mortals have a house pet.

Perhaps a dog, cat, bird, hampster, fish, maybe even a snake or a hedgehog (I know someone who has one). I'm even deemed somewhat normal to have a cat (2 to be exact). Perhaps my yearning to live a life that somewhat strays away from the mainstream approach has finally come to fruition.

I have a mystery pet in my attic.

It started as creepy thuds, thumps, bumps & bangs above my head quite frequently. I soon realized (with the aid of my mother) that after about a week, if the killer had wanted to come get me, it would have found a way into my room by now. Okay, so perhaps it is indeed a "mystery pet". But what could it be?

Mom insisted where our gutter needed to be repaired, that a squirrel had made it way into our insulated, stuffy attic and created a home for itself. I found it to be quite bogus that there ever be a 150 lb. squirrel - mind you, these were not small onomatopoeic things I am speaking of. This so-called squirrel was making quite the ruckus above my head as I was carefully focusing on a little bit of "shut-eye" action -- soon to be disrupted of course!

Let's just say a month (give or take) has passed as we've gotten busy in the day-to-day which I'm sure many of you can relate to. However, a squirrel in the attic having a midnight shindig could no longer be ignored. I'll tell you just what put a stop to this madness. This past Tuesday night was a sleepless night filled with frustration, exhaustion, & befuddlement. I sleep like a rock. It doesn't take much for me to fall asleep & once I do, I will not usually pop up until the same old annoying ringtone blares in my ear. This night was oh so incredibly different from all the rest. I awoke out of a dead sleep to sounds of not only the typical thuds & thumps, but what my imagination came up with as bird sounds. My initial thought - "You've got to be kidding me, I can't believe it's already morning & time to wake up". Birds typically chirp early in the morning (sometime around 6ish) and especially in the springtime. So I rolled over & looked at my phone, only to find out it was 1 a.m. What in the world?!!! Why are there birds chirping at this hour? It sounded like a flock of birds along with thumping & scratching. Ahhhhh hah!!! The mystery pet in my attic had babies & although they were not birds & we're pretty sure it's a squirrel that created a nest in our attic, I can do a pretty good impression of what these "birds" at 1 a.m. sounded like -- my mother seems to think I sound like I'm neighing. So apparently we have a squirrel or maybe a bird, or perhaps even a horse in our attic. I'll let your imagination run wild.

Solution?

Rodent poisonous bombs & potential peanut butter bombs (recipe compliments of a good friend) in the near future. That squorse or squird or whatever it is, is going down!!!!

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You take your pick!!!

Thrifty Finds

I absolutely love anything old, antique, vintage, & you may fill in the blank from there. The look of something tattered & torn is not only aesthetically pleasing to my eye but it reveals that it's dated, it has history, it has a story to tell. If I were an old antique bottle, what would I say?

One of my favorite things that I want to start collecting is old bottles of any kind. It doesn't really matter to me the rarity or price value, I just want to find something unique that speaks for itself. I went to this really cool shack in the mountains of Colorado last year where they sold old iron items and plenty of really neat old bottles of all kinds. I grabbed a few of them but found that I wanted to add more to the collection from different eclectic spots. I've been dying to find some places here to grab some cheap but dated items. I found a cool little antique shop downtown that is cluttered to say the least, but filled with a plethora of antiques and old random nicknacks, collectables & such. Here are my thrifty finds...

Subley's Big Nickle Beverage

I'm still doing research on this particular bottle, so I dare not try to act like I know much of anything about it. Again, I look for uniqueness & not so much rarity or price value. But this is a Big Nickle Soda bottle from Subley's Beverage Company. I believe it was manufactured sometime in the 1940's. I liked the bold, red font and I also thought it was neat that it said "Richmond, VA" on it. All of the Subley's bottles that I have found have been manufactured in Richmond.

Cost: $2.50

Ball Mason Jar

This one pretty much speaks for itself. I have no tid bits of history or info on this one. I just simply love the look of mason jars! :)

Cost: $2.50

Total Cost of bottles: $5.00

My new Amelia Earhart messenger bag.

Unfortunately I'm not so sure this would ever be considered vintage or dated. Perhaps it is old, but I'm not really sure. The good news however is that it's never been used. It still had the store tags on it and everything. I just love the looks of a messenger/hipster bag. I can't wait to have an excuse to use this!

Cost: $6.00

My Thrifty Finds:

Subley's Big Nickel Bottle $2.50

Ball Mason Jar $2.50

Amelia Earhart Messenger Bag $6.00

Total Cost of Thrifty Finds: $11.00

And that my friends is the start of an update on my current thrifty finds. I'll keep you posted. Word on the street is there's a garage sale just a few blocks down from my house. Hmmmmm...that could be a sufficient enough excuse to bring my new hipster bag along! :)

Until next time!

Lady in red

I have a few strange quirks, most of which are for no apparent reason nor have they derived from any particular person or memorable moment in life. Today I call myself "lady in red". Why you might ask? Well I'm glad you asked! I have an odd obsession with red doors. Every time I pass a church, home, or building with a red door, I get unusually giddy. When I have a home of my own, I cannot wait to paint the front door red. But for now, these pictures will have to suffice.

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P.S.

I've been dying to paint our shutters & front door for a couple of years now. My mom told me the other day that I could and that she decided I should paint the door red! I couldn't have been more thrilled to hear the good news! :)

Waffles, worship & weekends

Today on Rachael Ray, I was immensely inspired by her creative recipe for focaccia waffles. Most of the time we think of a typical, plain waffle mix. We slap some of the batter in the maker and press the lid of that bad boy down. I've never been a huge waffle fan and always preferred pancakes or french toast. However, when you can spice it up the way she did, the waffle maker is coming out every night! :) Don't these look tasty?!

What a tasty treat that must be! I love a good meal and savoring something that's actually worth the caloric intake. However, there is a sweet spot in our souls that cannot be filled with the combination of carbs, veggies, & dairy. There is this longing inside of us that perhaps some of us have yet to even recognize as we subconsciously navigate through ourselves and find that we're still missing something. I love to worship. I would even go as far to say that I was created to worship. Check out Spensha Baker's song if you need further clarification in words. And by worship, I don't simply mean a song here or there - worship has become a lifestyle. It is in the moments when thoughts flood your mind of discouragement and dismay that you soon find your thoughts being redirected to something greater than merely a circumstantial sense of fret. Our lives were designed in such a way that we would be the very picture of a worshipper and not just in song but it action and deed. Waffles are good but worship is better. :) Here is an album I've been listening to a lot lately - perhaps it will inspire you as it has I in so many ways. You can keep up with Bethel's worship and upcoming events on Brian & Jenn Johnson's page.

So, the awe-inspiring waffles will one day be baked in my kitchen and perhaps this album will be playing in the background - I tend to play music when I cook (don't be fooled - I don't cook often. That will change soon). But aside from my two random thoughts of the day about waffles and worship which have no apparent parallels, I had a final thought today and that was exactly this..."Ahhhh, the weekend is almost here!" Waffles definitely won't fully satisfy. Worship is what my life was created for (worship to my savior that is), but my creator I believe designed weekends knowing I (and many others) need it. Tomorrow is Friday. Yahhooooo!!! I am so excited to sleep in Saturday and do nothing.

Today I had many thoughts running through my mind. They were something to the extent of waffles, worship & weekends!

I DESPISE COFFEE

Ahhhh...you did a double-take didn't you?!

I thoroughly enjoy the intrigue that comes from surprise.

For those of you that know me well or even vaguely for that matter, the title of my post is far from the truth. That is except for this evening. I wanted to write something far more complex and a little less mainstream but my creativity is next to nothing at the moment.

Aside from my tendencies to sip my coffee and reheat at an average of four plus times before finally finishing a cup, I truly and throughly enjoy coffee. Perhaps addicted is a bit of a strong term but I would definitely say I'm borderline besotted. Contrary to popular belief, I do not need coffee/caffeine for energy. I simply crave and thus enjoy it on the regular (I'll let your imagination do the wandering as to how many reheated cups a day).

Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Tonight after having already indulged in one cup (and that's just this evening), the smell & look of coffee couldn't sound more distasteful. It's official - I think I'm dehydrated. I definitely do not drink enough water and perhaps a little too much coffee. I'm halfway tempted to take a break from coffee for a bit. It's tasty in the moment but a migraine is possibly not quite worth it.

So it is official (at least for this evening)...

I despise coffee! :)

Narcissistic Fret

I am walking in light

true the soul deems it night

my hands slightly clinched

not fully but pinched

my feet oh but soiled

barren, labored & toiled

weary are the limbs

how the spirit grows dim

fear is the overtake

true, joy is hard to create

when dismay is the cycle

vicious & a monotonous while

not a break in the glass

though this too shall pass

an even plain

tired and drained

wistful and discontent

the past a dismal sentiment

a brick wall, a tough spot

moving forward she was not

but the ache in one's heart

tattered, torn & apart

there's no way to describe

one's longing inside

like a narcissistic fret,

we too often forget

peering upon the choice of life

we commonly wallow in strife

for in danger He waits

as we carefully dictate

we say what we will

our life stuck in the thrill

the fall is close by

as we try and we try

His hand so close

but we continue to boast

a selfish attempt

to make all things fit

a worrying case

of an endless chase

as we run and we pant

we forget that we can't

our hand shall not fix

His will got lost in the mix

a narcissistic fret is all that we are

never really getting that far

our fret & our fear can soon be His glory

as we hand over the keys and give Him our story

Writers block, Media & False Lashes

Aside from feeling like my life has been going haywire lately, or perhaps just busy is a better way to articulate it {{I don't have much to be complaining about}}, I have also found myself experiencing a significant amount of writers block. I started a new post a few days ago and it has yet to be completed. I do however promise to publish it soon - it's just an unending work in progress that will be nothing of substantial influence.

I'm finding that I'm wanting my blog to take a little bit of a turn. The content of my writing at times can be extremely heavy and intense. With that being said, I am finding that although I have a bit of a pensive personality and I can tend to over-think life in general, I want people to see and feel the various sides of who I am.

MEDIA.

Media has a huge influence on my life. Perhaps that was a bit of a bold statement to make considering the topic of media in general can draw a negative connotation. I do agree that media can carry an extremely negative influence in which many (myself included) have to be careful of its amount of impact upon our lives. However, when I think of media, I think of inspiration and innovative ideas.

I learn so much when I connect myself with the world of media. Now I know I'm going around my elbow to get to my thumb but just bare with me - words have been nonexistent lately so now I feel the need to describe something fun and simple with much complexity. I have been watching a few morning shows lately (GMA, Regis & Kelly, Rachael Ray, & The View) and have be inspired and entertained by so many things. This particular thing is perhaps far more entertaining than it ever will be considered inspiring (although I give massive props to the individual who patented this).

So here we have it ladies & gentlemen......

{{{Drum roll please}}}

CAR LASHES!!!

I think it's time to give Peggy-Rae her first set of falsies! ;)

I was watching Rachael Ray yesterday and for April Fool's day, they did a little segment where the audience was given the opportunity to guess whether or not certain unique products actually existed. These Car Lashes were one of the products that were thankfully proven to be real. For just $26.99, your ride can have her own set! Check out the Car Lashes website for further information - they also sell crystal eyeliner and crystal accents.

Couldn't you see Peggy-Rae with some falsies???!!!