Alyson from Unruly Things invited me to contribute a guest post while she’s away in sunny Flordia. I’m all about sparkle for holiday parties, so head over to Unruly Things to check it out!
I’ve been instagramming my way through the month of December. Lots of eating, crafting and working! Here’s a snapshot of my month.
I’m an anxious person. There are many facets and faces to anxiety, but the most debilitating part of my anxiousness is feeling scared, overwhelmed and insecure when making decisions- both big and small. I’ve felt a lot of shame around this character trait, but recently I’ve come to accept anxiousness as part of who I am. It’s been easier to see situations for what they are when facing them head on, not looking at them through a rear view mirror.
So when a friend introduced me to Unstuck, I felt like I got a Christmas gift made specifically for me. Unstuck is a free iPad app that helps you diagnose the moments you feel totally stuck. Whether it be a conflict at work, a relationship issue, a goal that’s just out of reach, the app is designed to help reveal what’s really behind the moments you feel stuck. Once you effectively learn to become unstuck, you’re able to live a fuller, happier life.
It’s definitely worth taking the time to watch this video about the program. It’s a wonderful system!
I originally put this mix together for long runs over the holiday break. But really this mix is meant to be moved to. Dance around the house, run some stairs, bob your head, whatever. My weakness for rap peaks through a bit here…
Mixtape No. 8: Move It
1. Sour Cherry – The Kills
2. The Seeds – The Roots
3. Wishing Well – Cheyenne Marie Mize
4. I’m Good, I’m Gone – Lykke Li
5. Girls and Boys – Blur
6. Pile of Gold – The Blow
7. Rumpshaker – Wreckx-N-Effect
8. My Secret Lover (Diplo Mix)- Private
9. Through The Grapevine- The Slits
10. Jolie Coquine – Caravan Palace
11. Another Sky – Scenic
12. Living In America – Dom
13. Fantastic Voyage – Coolio
14. Handguns (Dada Life)- Alex Gopher
15. Ghosts n Stuff (Rob Swire) – Deadmau5
16. Let’s Make Love – CSS
17. La Belle et le Bad Boy
18. Sweet Dreams Cover – Jhamee
19. Right On- The Roots, Joanna Newsom & S.T.S.
20. Coastin’- Zion I & K. Flay
Illustation by Gemma Correll
Are we all enjoying the decadent tastes of the season? Who else is feeling a little regretful for having a chunk of cookie dough for dinner? I might be all alone on that one, but readers- I’m feeling a little sluggish from my baking adventures. So for the past 2 weeks, I’ve made a point to enjoy some healthy meals where ever I can.
Here’s what’s worked for me:
1. Load up on super foods like quinoa, roasted sweet potato and kale. Mix with a squeeze of lime, feta and a bit of red pepper. What can’t you accomplish with all those healthy nutrients?
2. Make a huge batch of your favorite chili (I use this vegetarian recipe) and serve it in roasted acorn squash. It looks festive and tastes amazing. I learned this from my mom, so you can thank her. (THANKS MOM!)
3. Keep it simple when it comes to snacking. Grabbing a handful of almonds is as easy as it gets. They’re also filling, so you can keep your hands away from the company cookie plate for a good 3 hours. Truth.
In case you haven’t gotten your fix yet, I present my favorites:
Mele Kalikimaka – Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Christmas Wrapping – The Waitresses
Sleigh Ride – The Ronettes
Linus and Lucy – Vince Guaraldi
Jingle Bells – Christmas Music
Last Christmas – Wham
Winter Song – Sara Bareilles/Ingrid Michaelson (Cover)
Christmas Windows – Youth Group
Christmas is Coming – Vince Guaraldi
All That I Want – The Weepies
Back Door Santa – Jet
All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing -Sufjan Stevens
White Christmas- Louis Armstrong
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas- Frank Sinatra
Photo by Simon Filip
Love these delicate pieces from Maru Kiko.
Thanks to MPLS St. Paul Magazine for including me in their Best of 2011 issue. I’m honored!
Looking to have a little fun with your holiday cards this season? Check out The Butter for a bolder alternative. I love the idea of using one of their holiday stamps on patterned papers.
Image & Designs by The Butter
Holy cow, December is gonna be crazy. I’m sure you’re all just as busy as I am, so please, remember to take care of yourselves! Exercise, eat your greens, write in your journal, get some Zzz’s and tune the world out when you need to.
Have a good one!
Journal / Ear Plugs / Kale / Mint Tea / Yoga Mat / iShuffle / Eye Mask
Are you a list maker? Lists are like mini diaries in a way, giving us a snapshot of daily life, time periods and events. Lists of Note compiles lists from extraordinary people. I’m completely fascinated by this. My favorite comes from Johnny Cash in the upper right corner, it’s like words of wisdom from Mr. Cash himself.
via It’s Nice That
Nice pieces at Alder Boutique. That plaid/leather jacket is pretty cool. The sleeves zip off!
Just a few things i’m loving this week:
1. Black n’ Tan: I’ll take a pint and that entire outfit.
2. Citrus Season:
Tasty brightness in the dead of winter
3. Argan Hair Oil Tonic: Perfect for smoothing ends and adding shine.
4. Central point bracelet: Loving this color combo.
5. New colors at PUBLIC: Delicious hues to be lusted after.
6. Artist Geoff Mcfetridge: This painting. via POKETO
I found this list created by Mia Nolting last week and it got me thinking about music, emotions, and how songs help us access them. Truthfully, feelings can leave me a little squeamish. My own specifically, and as a result I’ve had black and white emotions (ie: really happy, really sad) for years. It was easier to define, or… “cope” with. Then for a while, I didn’t have much emotion at all. Just one state that I now recognize as emptiness. The emptiness grew into depression and eventually I began to question my intuition, my gut.
Now at the ripe age of 28, I’m learning to accept the glorious mess of complex emotions and that sometimes defy all sound logic. Being human, we feel happiness, anger, sadness, rage, jealousy, and through experiencing them, we can begin to feel peace within ourselves. After all, human emotions unite us through a shared experience, no matter the race, religion or income.
I’ve pulled together a playlist that correlates to the list. I promise this mix won’t take you on a bipolar roller coaster of genres and themes. It begins with an achiness that swells into a spirited finish with Sigor Ros’ Starálfur. Le DUH! Enjoy.
Listen to Mixtape No.6 here:
* Nostalgia:
Green Grass Of Tunnel, Mum
* Longing:
Lion’s Jaw, Neko Case
* Anxiety:
J’y suis jamais allé, Yann Tiersen ( Amelie) / The Way I Feel Inside, Zombies
* Anticipation:
Way Beyond, Lookbook
* Contentment:
Lights Out, Words Gone, BBC
* Elation:
Coming Up, Paul McCartney
* Love:
Can’t Help… Ingrid Michaelson
* Understanding:
Start of Something, Voxtrot
* Nervousness:
Free My Mind, Katie Herzig
* Decisiveness:
Pa Pa Power, Dead Man’s Bones
* Melancholy:
Wicked Games (The Weeknd Cover), Coeur De Pirate
* Hopefulness:
Starálfur, Sigur Rós
* Image by Mia Nolting
with adhesive magnetic strips! I love this stuff.
happy weekend, y’all. let’s clink to a lounge-around-in-your-jams kinda weekend.
see you monday.
image: laura l., via pink haze
Rarely do I miss the opportunity to start the day with something hearty and healthy. I have a great affinity for breakfast foods and take my love for eggs very seriously. This recipe is currently my favorite way to jazz up a fried egg. The tzatziki sauce is the real hero of this open faced sandwich and pretty much blew my mind when I first tried it. The creamy tang of tzatziki is the perfect compliment to the cool crunch of cucumber, buttery avocado and nutty pita bread. Top with your favorite hot sauce and you’re in breakfast heaven!
Fried Egg with Avocado, Tzatiki & Feta, serves 1
Ingredients:
- Organic, cage-free egg
- 1/2 pita bread, toasted or fried
- 2 T Tzatziki sauce
- 1/2 small avocado
- 1 T crumbled feta
- Marinated cucumbers
- Siracha (or other hot sauce)
Directions:
Fry the egg in cooking spray while you toast the pita bread. Top the pita bread with sliced avocado, tzatziki sauce, cucumber, feta, and lastly, a perfectly fried egg. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and hot sauce.
When I was growing up my family would venture into the cold to pick the biggest tree we could fit in the house. My siblings and I would open the cedar trunk and unwrap the crinkled paper that kept our ornaments safe. Mom would start a fire, her favorite winter ritual, while we decorated the tree. The scent of crackling wood and fresh pine needles was spectacularly potent, the unmistakable marking of Christmas in the Arends’ household. The following year, during the spring or summer, I would crack open the cedar trunk to sneak a whiff of that Christmas smell it persevered so well.
The tree is going up tonight, and while the ritual will never be as magical as the one I experienced as a child, the memory remains crisp in my mind. One whiff of pine needles and crackling wood, and I’m 8 again.
tree / bow saw / gloves / red scarf / sweater / cords / socks / boots / hat /
This mix is for cuddling beneath warm down comforters, sipping hot tea with lemon, shuffling around in wool slippers, curling up in oversized sweaters, watching city lights twinkle on the bus ride home, enjoying the stillness that comes with the first perfect snowfall … Enjoy, xx
Listen: Shorter Days. Longer Nights.
Everything to Me – Lips
Chinatown – Destroyer
No Real Reason – White Denim
Faded from the Winter – Iron & Wine
Glory Box – Portishead
Wishes – Ducktails
She Smiled Sweetly – The Rolling Stones
Teenage Spaceship – Smog
Blood – Middle East
Rambling Man – Laura Marling
image source: Christine DE GRANCY – Bus terminal in Kstovo near Nizhniy Novgorod, Winter 1996 via Anne Louise
I’m not a crafty person by nature, but I do like to make things now and then. The holidays are a perfect excuse to add a little hand-made love to gifts and decor, don’t you think?
paper flowers / paper stars / striped tape / wreath cards / white garland / painted wrapping
