Modern FAIRYTALE

How can you not be obesessed with this?

 Especially when the alternate is packing, cleaning, and temporarily living out of 8 1/2 by 11 boxes.

Yes, I tried very hard to stay up until four AM to see it. But then when I realized I'd really have to stay up until five to see it ALL I decided I should just see the important stuff in the morning. 

And it was worth it.

We will be completely moved tomorrow. Thank goodness! 

And then I will return to the blogging world, I promise.

~M

we're alive

after finishing finals, spending three days trying to see apartments, call landlords, and find primarily an apartment that allows pets we FINALLY found something. hallelujah! We are signing the lease tonight. So now, its really sunk in that we have to move in four days. Holy CRAP.

I keep telling myself 'just breath, and try to look like I have it together on the outside'. 

Because on the inside I'm like a little child running in circles screaming.

~M

apologies

I'm sorry. I'm very very sorry I left you high and dry this week blogging world. 

Finals have taken over my life. I'm sorry. 

I'm also sorry to the security guard I chewed out at the library yesterday about not letting me bring in my cherry limeade from sonic. If you're reading this security guard guy, I'm sorry. Its finals week. Tensions are high, and you really pissed me off. But I felt bad right after I walked away with my 'tude' and cherry limeade-less hands. 

Forgive me. All *$@#'s broken loose. Cause its finals week. Don't worry, I comforted myself with a 44 oz. D.P. tonight.

It will all be over tomorrow.

~Melissa

p.s. I haven't showered in over two...maybe three days. I'm not quite sure. I've lost track. How bad+gross+revolting is that? 

p.p.s. as I said. Its finals week.

p.p.p.s. tomorrow I will wow you with something beautiful. I promise.

HAPPY

Excuse my lack of a theme this week. It is FINALS week at BYU so naturally I'm a little preoccupied. Don't hate me though blogging world. I'll still entertain you.

So far, this week CANNOT get any better!!!!

Yesterday I got to take the more adorable pics of our brand new nephew...

{He's super wiggly}

Cute yes? I know. 

Sorry, He's mine. 

In addition we got a call from our landlord Julie last night, with the absolute BEST of news. I think I told you all this...but we showed our apt. last friday to a lady in the ward. She said she'd, "think about it". Which is the classic response of not happening. Anyhoo, she decided after all that she wanted it! And better then anything else, she wants it beginning of May a month before our lease is up...which means we get to move when we want to!

No, we don't have another apartment lined up, no we haven't got any boxes to pack our apartment into, and no we don't know exactly how this is going to work out. But that's all part of the adventure isn't it? I love a little spontaneity every once in a while as well as change. So, for now our plan is coming together perfectly.

And then today, I took two of my five finals, did stellar awesome and then got home to find my new shoes had arrived...

{Rather summerful aren't they}

and then our federal tax return came in the mail today! Can't wait for our trip to Hawaii this fall.

Oh yeah!

Hope your week so far is as wonderful as ours!

~M

easter PRESENTS

a little update on my phone. Well a huge update. It survived. Yay for the whole rice technique! It worked. 

Bad news. As some of you may know (lucky you) I am a rather impatient person. So after a whole 24 hours of being without a phone (which is stinking hard I tell you) I decided to give up, and go buy a new phone. It really was an impetiuous move. But I did. Specifically I got this little gem

But I'm still not sure how I feel about it...any advice or tricks to change my mind?

Anyhoo, right after I got home with my new HTC inspire, new two year contract, and added internet on my data plan (stupid rule p.s.), I took my iPhone out of the rice, gave it a good charge and voilà it worked. Of course my heart was torn. Brand new phone that I had just spent a ton of money on VS. my trusty iPhone. Well, I couldn't bring myself to return the new HTC so...yeah.

My husband called first dibs though on the iPhone. Sorry guys.

On a completely different note, I got my first opportunity to give my canon rebel a real workout taking pictures of these cute kids of a friend:

Aren't they so cute in their Easter clothes?

Adorable I tell you. 

And no, they do not make me want to have children anytime soon 

(at least that's what I tell my husband...kidding honey!)

Can I just interject how difficult it is to get a screaming baby 

and a bored little boy to be happy at the same time?

Impossible.

However feet, are a lot easier to photograph. 

Happy Sunday!

~M

My phone took a dip...

in the porcelain throne this morn.

It's currently getting de-hydrated.
Hope it survives!

Keep your fingers crossed.

~M

p.s. if it doesn't, I see an upgrade coming...

loving your talents: guest post

So. Quite basically this guest postee has been a great friend since, well my Abercrombie days. She was the friend I could confide in, shoulder I could cry on, girl to laugh with, and a someone who was always up for a good prank on an ex (you know who I'm talking about Lauren). Please, do yourself a favor and check her blog O U T. She is one of the most uplifting, inspiring, encouraging people whose blog I love to read+she cuts my hair. How awesome is that?!

do me a favor. rewind a good 10-20 years.  anywhere in that range will do. now get a gooood idea of who you were. im nine years old.  im just a tiny little thing with a blonde mess of curls and teeth too big for my mouth. it may not have been my best look. but that didnt stop me from thinking that i was the best on my soccer team, smarter than your average 3rd grader, fast at reading, the best friend on the block, an amazing artist. and well, i was cute, especially when i did my own hair in pig tails that morning. it didnt matter that i wasnt amazing at jump rope, because i could do flips for days around the bars.  it didnt matter that i wasnt the fastest runner, because i could skip with grace and style.  my little mind didnt have time to think about the things that i wasnt so good at- because i was too busy using my good qualities to entertain myself.  most of the time when we are still pretty young- we arent afraid to give ourselves a little pat on the back and to give a little credit when credit is due. we assumed we were good at just about anything that we tried- even if we werent that good at all. 

now lets see here.....what happened? fast forward to the present day.  try to think of some qualities you have today that you are magnificant at. most of us would say, well im trying to learn how to cook- but im not that good.  or, im good at cutting hair- but i know lots of people who are much better than me. or, i like to do photography but i wouldnt call myself a professional or anything! 

HOLLLD up. lets think about this for a second. why is it, the older we get- the less we think of ourselves? why do we brush off the fact that we have been teaching ourselves photography and dont give ourselves any credit for even attempting to try!? for some reason the older we get- the harder it is for us to really congratulate ourselves for our efforts.

is it because we think we will seem cocky? prideful? boastful? by all means, none of these are what im saying we should stirve for.  but a little more confidence wouldnt hurt, right? in days of high competition and struggling to be the best or on top- take a second and think back to that little person you once were.  the one that was just happy as a can be and in their mind; talented and bursting with good qualities.  snap back to real life and give yourself a little break. stop being so hard on yourself and recognize the things you ARE doing well in your life. so maybe you aren't at the top of your class- but hey! your still getting up and going, doing your homework and being a good student. that's WAY more than most people can say. so what if you aren't athletic and good at every sport. if you still get up and go play a game of pick up, your being active and moving. sometimes life is just not fair- you cant be the best at everything you do or try. but when you are frustrated because you don't seem to be shining in any particular area of your life- just look into the details. the details are what weave our beautiful memories and life together with. give yourself credit for trying to make a batch of cookies for you neighbor- even if they weren't the perfect batch. cut yourself some slack and be proud of yourself for your efforts. 

i always remind myself that i'm stuck with me forever.  i cant divorce myself, run away or hide.  rather than be hard on myself and create an enemy- ive learned that the happiest way to live is to become your very own best friend. treat yourself how you would want the worlds best friend to treat you.

the best love story you can have is with yourself. so fall deeply in love with yourself and start focusing on allll the many good qualities you have- cus you have millllions :)

Check out her and le boy. Basically they should be on the cover of a magazine!

Happy Thursday! 

Go find something to create that makes you happy

~M

Cre·ate:

(vb)

  1. to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not madeby ordinary processes.
  2. to evolve from one's own thought or imagination, as a work of art or an invention.

{Please watch this video. It's one of my all-time favorites.}

What have you done to create something today?

Today I broke out the sewing machine and oreos to make this little beauty:

 

{you've got to have snacks to do crafts. It's basic knowledge.}

I found this tutorial at Make it-Love it for a camera strap cover

which I just couldn't resist doing immediately. 

 

I couldn't help but make the different sides different clothes and color schemes. So of course I chose the color schemes to be mainly red on one side and blue on the other.

And boy did it turn out great!

Enjoy your Wednesday and all the sunshine we're getting! I know I will be!

~M

P.s. look at how cute my husband is while he helped me! I'm one lucky girl!

Moldable Creativity

As part of trying to find new un-developed loves, I have undertaken trying to do that myself this week. One thing I've always been fascinated with, is cake design. Anyone addicted to Cake Boss? Point
proven.

So seeing as Sandra from work is an expert cake decorator, what would be better then getting a bit of tutorial from her? Well Sunday, Tori from ScottyandTori and I headed over to Sandra's and spent about three hours perfecting curvy lines, shell borders, roses, and more. It was actually A LOT harder then I thought it would be. Muscles in my hands that I never even knew I had hurt afterwards!

My writing could definitely use some work. In the end it was so much fun! Messy, but definitely a B L A S T. Of course everything is so much more fun when you do it with friends.

Have you decided what you want to experiment learning?

And please remember....


"The most common misconception is that we would have to leave our current lives in order to pursue our dreams. It is easier for us to use our jobs, families, financial situations, time obligations, ets., as a way (or ways) to keep us "safe" from the anxiety caused by stepping out of our comfort zones into the cerative process. When we allow ourselves to be thus thwarted, we deny ourselves tremendous joy. The most effective way to confront blocks is to form creative cluster groups in the lives we're already leading." 

-Julia Cameron

 Give yourself permission to follow your dreams+passions+creativity.

{via}

Find something new to do today.

~M

ChildLike

So today, I took to breaking in my Canon Rebel XTI by playing taking pictures on campus. And might I say, I an in a euphoria. It so much clearer and easier to see the beauty in everything when actually looking for it.

Seriously, its the same feeling you get from endorphins when running. And I love it.

{can you see the bluebird?}

This week I really want to talk about rediscovering childhood dreams+talents. Partially I'm inspired from Mindy Gledhill's workshop on discovering talents+cultivating creating and the happy childlike feeling I get from starting to play with photography. 

I'm like a kid in a candy store. 

What did you want to be when you were a child? I always wanted to be a ballerina and like any other little girl I loved doing hair on my dolls. I used to have an imaginary sister (being an only child can get kind of boring), until I got my puppy. I also used to play 'potions' in my tree house. Or hide and go seek in the bushes out front of our house. I used to be able to find joy in just the simplest things. Until I grew up. Were you like that?

A great indication of something you love, is just that you've always felt drawn to it. Like I never thought I'd love gardening, until I tried it. But I always loved going to the gardening section at home development stores before we got married, and I remember always loving to play in my grandma's green house. I just liked being around things that were alive. 

Take some time and think about what you could find a hidden love in. It may surprise you. 

Happy new Monday!

~M

Daddy's birthday+splurge-arama

Sorry for being a day late guys. I just wanted to say, I have done my best to stop negative self-talking, which has already in a week improved my self-confidence.

Hope everyone's weekend was great! My daddy's birthday was today, but we celebrated it yesterday by going to SIZZLER!

 

{And of course we did a puzzle}

Happy birthday daddy! I love you so so much. You taught me about compassion, kindness, charity, sympathy, and saying sorry first. All that I needed to know to prepare me for marriage. I miss you so much since I've moved out of home. I miss you waking me up for school, or to go grocery shopping with you. I miss you making me grilled cheese sandwhichs, 

and I miss having you waiting up for me when I get home from a date.

I love you so so much! 

And so...here comes my big surprise... I bought this on a last minute splurge impulse...

And I'm smitten. 

{I took this with my new play toy}

I plan to take many fun+inventive photoshoots. I want to get good. I am so glad that I bought this, I've always wanted to get into photography since it's one of my undeveloped loves 

but I never wanted to spend all that money on the gear.

Good news is that I got it for a S T E A L! 

Seriously, half of what a full priced tech store wanted.

Look forward to some fun stuff. 

Any advice+suggestions+comments are W E L C O M E !

Happy new week!

~M

p.s. blog address changes tonight at midnight. 

No if's and's or buts' about it.

Redeemed Embarrassment Friday

You know when you get those days that you don't have to do anything? Today was one of those DIVINELY BEAUTIFUL days. I got to sleep in until 2pm. Yeah, I know rather wasteful! But I was rather tired from my graveyard shifts+molecular biology test so I didn't feel to bad.

Once I was up and going I was determined to make this a day of whatever I wanted it to be, which included some YOGA, shopping, and getting a hair cut.

{via}

Everything was on schedule. I made it to my yoga class on time, early actually, dressed and ready with water. I walked into a fairly large class which I was expecting to be easy, calming, and relaxing. Oh how was I wrong. At least fifty shivasina's and downward dogs doing two push-ups each. In the first twenty minutes. Anyways in the midst of our balance+arm workout section I started to get dizzy. I ignored it. Then I started to get double vision and I all of a sudden couldn't hear. And what do you know, my legs started to give and the world began spinning. I as unatrusively tried to sneak out of class without making a scene, and then basically blacked out in the hall. Thank goodness the front desk girl had some bread she gave me. Then after a bit of sitting my color came back and I didn't feel so awful. Oh walking back into class I could have DIED. I hope no one saw that episode.

But you know what made it all better? Stopping in to do the next thing on my list, which was some shopping at my favorite boutique Cherry Lane and seeing that Mindy Gledhill was performing+workshop on talents. I skipped my hair cut to stay and listen. It was A M A Z I N G!

I love the music this sweet woman creates and her sincere presence and passion for what she does.



She had so much to say about following your dreams+exploring your talents. And what's even more is her music conveys it as well. And you know what? Both of those things need self-confidence. And Mindy has gads and gads of it.

What about you? Have you done anything to increase your self confidence or je ne said quoi this week?

Enjoy her music until tomorrow when I finish up our week on confidence. 

~M

Guest post THURSDAY

This weeks guest post-er is a good friend from high school, and fellow blogger, Jamie Welch now Jaro (don't you just LOVE her last name?)  

Hello everyone! I’m Jamie – one of The Lovebirdies. I’m truly honored to be asked to guest post today by my dear friend Melissa.

We are taught from kindergarten how to “spot the differences” between two pictures. That bird has an extra feather, there’s a toothbrush in the broom – toothbrushes do not belong in brooms my friends. I could tell the difference when I was 5.

                As we grow, our attention to detail grows more poignant. It also turns our ability to see what doesn’t fit inward. We begin to separate ourselves from the adequacy of a loving Heavenly Father and compare. Such an ugly word these days, isn’t it? Compared to my friend I have no talent. Compared to my sister I’m hot-headed. Compared with my aunt I have no style. All these comparisons – plus millions more I’ve piled on myself – are heavy.

                I felt very early on (as girls are wont to do) that I was never good enough for the world’s standard. Not skinny enough, not outgoing enough, not funny enough, not quiet enough and still not loud enough. But for whom?

                Usually not enough for me.

                We all battle feelings of insecurity in our lives. But why when we are clearly told the way to have self confidence? One of my favorite ways we are reminded comes from D&C 121:45. It says if you have charity and “let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God.”

                If you can be confidenct in God’s presence, you can be confident around anyone.

                This teaching is so very dear to my heart. There are many times when I feel I am not living up to the standards of others and I’m miserable about it. I get down on myself for not being pretty enough or smart enough. I begin to have cyclical beat down sessions that drive me to a darkened room and put me in tears. In these gloomy times the only thing that seems to pull me out of it is prayer.

                Something about speaking to an unconditionally loving Father changes me from the inside out. I am reminded that all He asks is that I do my best. That I remember who I am: His daughter. He wouldn’t have made me if He didn’t see potential for greatness inside. He doesn’t waste His time or energy. My faith is usually enough to get me going. It motivates me to becoming a better me.

This, I’m sure, is the pure light of Christ.

The world teaches us that the way to self-confidence is by being better than someone else. This is a lie. The Savior teaches that the way to earn self-confidence is by seeking anything “virtuous, lovely or of good report or praiseworthy.” I promise that if you do this and serve your neighbor your self confidence will improve. We all have such great self-worth in the perfect eyes of our Heavenly Father. It can’t hurt to see this once in a while ourselves, can it?

I know it is so much easier said than done but I encourage everyone to try. Here are some ideas to get you going:

Serve. I can’t stress this enough. Jesus Christ never griped and groaned while handing out fish and bread, did he? No, I assure you, he didn’t.

Tell someone you love him/her. You’ll probably hear it back.

Smile even when you don’t want to. When my depressed days come sometimes the only way to keep from crying is to smile. Every time I do I think of all the blessings in my life and the smile becomes real.

Pray. Pray again.

Be kind to your body. Feed it good things and exercise it often. You’ll naturally feel better.

Do extraordinary things. I’m not Wonder Woman but who says I can’t act like her?

My hope and prayer is that all of us, women especially, can study and develop our own self worth and see how truly special we each are. It’s only fair that we use our lives as personal tributes to the one who created us. I am so grateful for my own personal testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the reason I look forward to tomorrow with courage and conviction.

I could never have said that any better then Jamie! She's completely spot on, and I love that about her. She knows just how to say something with flair, and full truth. Check out her B L O G ! Don't her and her hubby Shehan make SUCH a cute couple?! I vote yes. 

Have a great THURSDAY! I'll be taking a molecular biology test. ICK!

~M

P.S. this is our ONE HUNDRED and FIFTIETH post!

You're IT

Tagged: by my marvelous new friend Mandy over at Hippy Chic. Check her  O U T!


Oh, these are a few of my favorite things....

food: The one and only, Cafe Rio Pork Salad. Hold the cilantro, double pico. Mmmm!

color: icy steel blue. Or lilac purple. Can't quite decide which right now.

animal: the dog we're soon going to have. We're thinking Golden Retriever. Thoughts?

sports team: BYU basketball. enough said.

dessert: PB choc cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory. Hands down.

artist: lovin' a little Glen Hansard from The Frames. Specifically 'Falling Slowly'

pair of shoes: Jones NY Cecelius Floral Print Pump. Yes please!

outfit: Skinny cords from GAP, ballet flats, colorful V-neck top, cashmere cardigan sweater.

skinny jeans: yes thank you. So far I've only found skinnies I've loved from Express.

brand: for what specifically? I'm very picky. Currently loving shirts+tops from Nordstroms.

perfume: but of course my latest buy from Sephora, Poppy by Coach.

accessory: I'm actually really loving scarves right now. Soft, floral, light, colorful scarves.

city: San Clemente. Smack in the middle of San Fran and LA. Check it.

hobby: gardening. specifically bulbs in beautiful ceramic pots.

beauty product: NARS orgasm blush. Trust me. You'll L O V E it. So worth the money.

holiday: anyday me and my hubby have off from our jobs+school+responsibilities, which is rare.

snack: Doritos Xtra cheesy

movie: currently watching Father of the Bride via netflix; all time favorite is a close tie between Ocean's 11 and Despicable Me. Love me some Disney/Pixar.

song: loving Miranda Lambert's 'Heart Like Mine' cause we're all a little bit stubborn sometimes.

guilty pleasure: snuggling with my hubby and letting his legs warm my frozen feet...socks are a thing of the past don't you know?


POPCORN to:

Krystle at krystlewahnschaffe.blogspot.com
Jamie at shehanandjamie.blogspot.com
Tori at scottyandtori.blogspot.com
and...
Haley at crazychicagordita.blogspot.com  whose blog I'm designing...tell me what you think

P.S. no matter what you're favorites are, be confident about them!

Happy Wednesday!

~M

Tasty Tuesday

So as promised my favorite, delicious, and simple cookie recipe. If any of you have the Worldwide Ward Cookbook you know about this, but for those that don't you are missing out! This is one recipe that lets you have your cookie and eat it too, in a matter of minutes!

Ingredients:

One 16 (or 32 oz.) can of pumpkin- not the filling...its the big size
One box of spice cake
and one bag of chocolate chips

mix and spoon onto a lightly pam sprayed cookie sheet

pop in the oven at 350 degrees for 9 minutes,

let cool,


DEVOUR.

For those from Tasty Tuesday link up: hope you enjoy!!!

Je ne sais quoi

: something that cannot be adequately described or expressed.

Doesn't every woman want to have that kind of allure to her? To have people know her, like her, and be filled with intrigue as to what makes her so appealing that it cannot be expressed in words?

A lot of the world looks at je ne sais quoi as an intimate or sexual aspect, but I feel that every woman (and man) can and should have something in-describable about them in every setting or environment they find themselves in.

{Via, via, via, and via}

I fully and truly believe that thing that cannot be adequately described or expressed is confidence. Confidence in whatever she is, a poet, painter, singer, dancer, runner, mother, etc. Although specifically, I don't feel that confidence in what you do is just the answer, however that is VERY important. I feel it is even more overwhelmingly critical about having confidence in how you do what you do such as being graceful, strong willed, outspoken, intelligent, witty, funny, tender hearted, calming, reassuring, etc.

In addition to this confidence and positive attitude of how you live your life, I think a fundamental basis of someone who has je ne sais quoi is that they have values+beliefs+integrity. Find something you believe in, something you try and live each day for. Leave each situation you find yourself in, better than you found it. For me, this is my religion. For everyone it may be different, the key is to just find something that makes you want to be a better person.

Whether you're a right or left brain thinker, this concept of life applies to you.

How do you go about doing the things you do, work, home life, school etc.?
Overall, do you feel like you try and leave people with positive feelings no matter how tired, annoyed, stressed, or anxious you are?
What will you change to develop your je ne sais quoi?

In the end, je ne sais quoi is to leave them wanting more. Wanting to spend more time with you, to hear more of what you have to say, to see more of what you do.

How will you do that?

voilà