Sunday Sounds: On The Nature Of Daylight

Sunday sounds like your own quiet heartbeats that you hear when you stretch yourself into a new day, the vroom of the vacuum as it effortlessly sucks up all that darn pet fur off the floor, the gentle flow of the black fountain pen as it dances upon the white page offering words of gratitude, clinks of the slowly dissolving ice cubes as they swirl themselves around the edges of the glass that contains your elixir of good tidings, and some Max Richter.




Oh, hey there. Long time, no see. I'm back from a wildly unexpected hiatus. A lot has happened since my last post. The biggest news is that I finally earned my Masters Degree in Teaching English. Woohoo! AND I now have my teaching certificate, however, I am still on the search for a teaching gig. I am currently subbing in two school districts. Can I get a "You go, girl!" because I could really use the encouragement - thank you. I'm glad to be back on the page. How have you been?

From our flock to yours

The annual holiday card is on its way... to me. I was so stinkin' late making our cards this year and I'm pretty sure more than half of them will not make it to friends and family before Christmas. *sad face* I still had fun making them with Pixlr. My hubby thought up the idea for the tag line. He used to sing a lot at church. Ha! And since our last name is Flock it just seemed appropriate. What do you think? 

Happy Holidays!!

Wordless Wednesday: Oregon Coast

Mayonaise

I was almost home and Smashing Pumpkins' "Mayonaise" came on the radio. I didn't want to turn the radio off when I drove up the driveway so I parked, put the volume up a little louder, sat back, closed my eyes, and let myself feel the music until it was over.  Have you ever done this?

Wordless Wednesday: Waiting

Love Yourself Up

I created a playlist to boost me on those days I feel like hiding under the covers. You know... those days when you feel your under eye bags are packed for a month vacation, when you've done something you aren't proud of and you question how good of a human being you are, when you get dressed and feel bloated and then you start comparing your 41-year-old body to the bodies in your Athleta catalog (reminder to self: view Athleta catalog after a good workout), when you look in the mirror and let that sad, scared inner voice take over magnifying every imperfection you see.

So, yeah, you ever have one of those days?  If so, I hope this playlist will help you love yourself up.

Colbie Caillat's TRY



Selena Gomez's WHO SAYS



Kimya Dawson's I LIKE GIANTS



Sara Bareilles' BRAVE



Laura Mvula's THAT'S ALRIGHT



Will.i.am's WHAT I AM



Britt Nicole's GOLD



FLEUR's MIRROR MIRROR
FLEUR - Mirror Mirror from Fixel Films on Vimeo.


Mindy Gledhill's POCETFUL OF POETRY



Natasha Bedingfield's STRIP ME
Natasha Bedingfield - Strip Me from Baeblemusic on Vimeo.


Amanda Palmer's IN MY MIND



Elle Varner's SO FLY



Glee's DEFYING GRAVITY



The Smiths' ACCEPT YOURSELF



Mary Lambert's BODY LOVE (PARTS 1 & 2)



The list without all the movement:
  1. Try - Colbie Caillat
  2. Who Says - Selena Gomez
  3. I Like Giants - Kimya Dawson
  4. Brave - Sara Bareilles
  5. That's Alright - Laura Mvula
  6. What I Am - Will.i.am
  7. Gold - Britt Nicole
  8. Mirror Mirror - Fleur
  9. Pocketful of Poetry - Mindy Gledhill
10. Strip Me - Natasha Bedingfield
11. In My Mind - Amanda Palmer
12. So Fly - Elle Varner
13. Defying Gravity - Glee
14. Accept Yourself - The Smiths
15. Body Love (Parts 1 & 2) - Mary Lambert


Are there any other songs you think belong on this list? Let me know! ♥

Be the light

Today I'm so glad I was reminded that the world is not going to hell in a handbasket, that there are "invisible" people being kind all the time, that goodness usually rules the day, and that just thinking of good things does some good in the world because it means you are sending out some positive energy.

So, grab a cup of tea.  Let yourself settle down for a few minutes.  Then enjoy this piece by Dr. Kelly Flanagan, "The Whole Truth About How (Not) Rotten Human Beings Can Be."  

Sunday Sounds

Sunday sounds like an early morning, soft footsteps, crumpled paper, cracking of dried blackberry stems, giggles from 3 extra kids, whistles from the t.v. refs, a gentle heartbeat grateful for this day, and some Kings of Convenience.

Just a few things Friday

I have a very good friend whom I love very much.  The only thing that drives me nuts about her is that she has a birthday in December. So, every year I rack my brains for a cool birthday gift AND then a cool Christmas gift.  But, 2 years ago she went and had a little bundle of joy (whom I also love very much).  This bundle of joy came... can you guess when?  Yes, in December! 

Poor December babies.  Their birthdays come during the busiest time of the year.

With that said and done I hope you enjoy some of these web goodies I've been eyeing as gifts. Thank goodness my friend doesn't read my blog!

Jane Austen Tarot cards.  How cool are these?!

Jane Austen bandages

Jane Austen puzzle book.  Can you tell I like themed gifts?

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na.  The illustrations are the sweetest.

Handmade knitted owl hat.  You can get the pattern at Knit Culture.

These cute boot slippers at Amazon.  They are only $7.56 right now!

And, this old school Pearl Jam jam because it reminds me of my friend and driving around town on a Friday night screaming this song and feeling very much alive.

Embracing color

When I choose yarn for my knitting projects I tend to lean to the earthy browns, greens, and blues.  And my projects are typically one color of each, not all colors together.  Lately, however, I've been drawn to brighter colors and color blends. It's been fun to experiment with color.  

I'm embracing color in my newest cabled beanie.  It's a simple and fast knit and the fit is great for my smaller head (I chose the S/M cast on). You can find the pattern on kanitted.

If I get lost in the woods, I think I'll be easier to find now. :)