welcome to the west

i may have already been introduced to the west way back when- being born there and all, but this is a new, a brand new introduction. i'm being welcomed into montana- and not just montana, but the larson's cabin in montana. currently under construction and making good progress, the cabin is well under way to completion. in just six days, i'll be graced with nothing but water, dry air, mountains, beautiful sunsets, fishing, hiking, great food and the larsons for 6 days, and i can hardly wait. labor day weekend cant get here soon enough! but, it is just right around the corner. until then i have babysitting, date night (tomorrow), and a half of a work week to get through/enjoy before my vacation of the year officially starts.

i feel closest to the Lord when i'm surrounded by mountains- something about their majestic, awe-striking presence...i dunno. all i know is something about the mountains and their beauty makes me feel closer to God. therefore, making the mountains my all time favorite place. there's a serenity and a peace in these kinds of places. its been too long since i've been immersed in them. six days. just six more days.

closing down for the weekend but i'll leave you with some pictures of the most recent pictures of the cabin under construction. we're praying it will be finished by the time we get there, although, are hopes aren't high. still, we'll have a lovely place to stay. but most of our time will be spent at the larson's cabin and on the water or adventuring places. looking forward to being welcomed to the west- if by west, i mean montana. welcome to montana, me.

m3

well, i'm gonna sit here and tell you something i'm pretty excited about. there is breakthru on redesigning/redecorating my bedroom....(sigh of relief)....FINALLY! i'm pretty passionate when it comes to decorating my house- i love it. its such a fun hobby for me- but in saying all that, in the year and a half i've been living in my cozy little place, i haven't even touched my room. partially because its been a slow slow process and i'm saving it for last, but also because i'm incredibly picky. just because i havent done anything to my room, doesn't mean i haven't been looking...

over the weekend, i mentally snapped and couldn't stand the sight of the horrid blinds hanging over my windows- not to mention one of them would be considered a bed sheet. it has been there long enough and it had to go! all three windows let in amazing natural light, but i haven't been able to enjoy the light because the blinds didn't open- until this weekend! i gave in and on friday, i went to lowes and bought the most pretty, cheap blinds you could find (keep in mind i'm a rentor). it pained me to buy them, but i did. it helped that i made a promise to myself the next time i purchase blinds will be in MY house and nothing less than faux wood blinds will do. there. that's settled. next step- (the one i'm super pumped about)- updating the outdated furniture. at this very moment, my room is completely dresserless. i'm living out of a heeping pile of clothes sprawled out all over my hardwood floors.  and, being the ocd clean freak that i am, i have trouble sleeping at night- knowing that my room is 'dirty.' 

why am i dresserless? you ask. ah, well check out this beauty

yep. this vintage modern piece was hand picked out of a salvage store by my precious friend m3. she has a creative touch and enjoys giving outdated furniture pieces new life, yet maintaining the unique style and character of the old. i ran over to her house saturday afternoon to drop off my outdated dresser with the intentions of her faux finishing it for me, yet when i saw this piece, i just knew it needed to come home with me. and i can hardly wait to see this beauty and all the character it has to offer, resting comfortably in my home. m3 is currently at work on it. it's her first modern piece to faux finish, so we both can't wait to see how it turns out! if you're interested in getting an update to your house/loft/apartment, before you go out and spend a fortune on new furniture, i'm gonna recommend you hire m3 to give that old clunky grandma looking piece of furniture swanky style and a new life. m3 is creative and doesn't like resting comfortably inside the creative box. you can even check out her blog which hosts many of her pieces before-and-after to get an idea of what m3's all about. no joke. she's the best. i love her. i love having creative friends who aren't afraid to use their talents.

blinds. check. dresser. almost check. who knows whats next for the bedroom. i'm thinking a new paint job. not completely sure but i'll keep you updated. and post pictures of the progress.

freckles

flickr originally uploaded by icono.

most people don't know this about me, but i used to have an utter dislike for my freckles. i guess most kids go through this phase at one time or another but my desire for a freckle-free face went so far as to going to the dermatologist and expressing my concern. in high school, the one on my nose, i believed made me look lop-sided. i had it removed not one time- but three. i guess the Lord wanted me to keep it because it came back, hence the, having to get it removed three times part... i look in the mirror today, and i'm thankful it came back. as one person over the years said to me, 'freckles are angel kisses- they're a permanent mark signifying a uniqueness and specialness about a person'. surprisingly, this struck me, and began the peeling away resentment i had for the speckles on my face. until one day, not too long ago, i looked in the mirror, and realized my appreciation for them, or more, my walk with the Lord began overflowing into my contentment with my physical apperance. praise Him for no more insecurities. my prayer is that my focus is and always will be on the character of my heart.

Psalm 139:23-24 search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

embrace who you are in the Lord, as beautiful. why waste time worrying of the external when it fades as we grow old with age? purify the internal. you'll be more and more pleased with the outward if you do. try it. and see. = )

looking forward too-

pumpkins and carving them, maybe.

the leaves falling.

purely fantastic.

short and sweet for a monday- just the way i like it. keeping mondays simple tend to relieve stress, so i've observed. speaking of simple: i'm a little irritated because i think my REAL SIMPLE magazine for the month of August got lost in the mail. I hate having to wait for it. bummer. so last night i just resorted to flipping through my past month magazines, bummin on the couch with B. purely fantastic. as are the pictures i leave you with. peace.

virginia mcdonald.

lightly locations.

lokta paper mobile.

wedding extravaganza

tonight kicks off one of my dearest friends wedding extravaganza. and i couldn't be more thrilled for the lovely couple. R has been a best friend to me since early high school and her soon-to-be-hubby actually roomed with me in my house for a month or so, giving us the perfect opportunity to bond- but really it was the perfect opportunity for me to make sure he was the right match for my bestie- and of course....he is. i'm picking up one of her other bridesmaids from the airport this afternoon, and driving down to hattiesburg for the bachelorette/lingerie party.

i've had the privilege of helping rebekah out with little tasks here and there to help make her life a little less stressful with all this wedding planning. and just a couple weeks ago, she asked me to design small booklets with the song lyrics of the hymns we are singing during the ceremony. i was to make one for each person in the wedding party so no one would have to hold up a bulky hymnal. i was thrilled with the task- and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome (pictures to come later, maybe). but it got me realizing how much money you can save by designing and printing your own booklets/invitations/save the dates/etc. and not to mention, it makes them a little more personal. i'm filing this idea/task away in my mind, in hopes to pull it out again when the time comes for me to get married. i'm always trying to find simple, easy ways to keep myself from breaking the bank, and since i'll be planning a wedding on a severly limited budget, designing and creating my own invitations seems like the perfect opportunity to do just that. i'm grateful for having an eye for creativity but most importantly, i've been blessed with some great friends who are extremely crafty and skilled at saving a buck or two. they'll be super helpful to have around when wedding bliss is priority one for me.

i'm always looking at different websites and blogs for inspirational ideas and you just cant ever go wrong with oncewed. i know i've blogged about them before but this time i'm giving a shout out to all things paper- invites/save the dates/etc. i've pulled some pictures from their website that put me in the designing mood. hope you enjoy.

i saved some of my favorites for last. i love these because the couple added their own flair and humor to their wedding. admit it, they look like they're having so much fun, i'd be tempted to go join in on the festivities as a stranger just to see how cool these two really are.

conquered.

after a month or two of laziness in updating the status of my guest room, i am here to present to you the final pictures of the room- conquering one of my 'priority-ones' on my to do list. along with a few other delightful pictures from the last week. my heart has been smiling a lot lately. it seriously is a treat everyday that i get to see blake now. i truly do cherish our time together- our movie nights, our conversations, his company- you get the picture. so, without further ado, i'd love to present to you pictures of my inexpensive renovation to my guest room.

i'm overly obsessed with these pendant pillows i found at urbanoutfitters. they're just the pop of color i wanted to add to the bed. along with the nightstand i repainted a lime yellowish color. the one thing i adore most in this room however is the natural lighting that the windows on the south side let in during the day. if only the view wasn't obstructed by unpleasant looking apartments.

another thing that pleases me about this room is that the wall art resting on the right side of the wall shelf was made by me. and the other, on the right, is a frame full of beautiful handmade stationary i purchased while in africa last summer- both pieces i had no intention of using. so, you don't have to necessarily purchase things to decorate your home. get creative and find special treasures you already have tucked away in a drawer. they'll be in a better place when you get them out of the dark and showcase them. personalized decor is my favorite. i love when pieces tell a story.

who can resist an old typewriter? clearly not me. as i now have two within my tiny 600sf apartment. this one was given to me as a "here take this and get it off my hands" kind of hand-me-down. needless to say, i accepted it lovingly, and with a little TLC it now has a pleasant room to live in, and gets complimented quite often.








so thats all the pictures of the updated guestroom so far. it's pretty simple. but that's the way i wanted it. i hope you enjoyed them.

now here are just a few of the random silly pictures i've gathered over the course of the last week.

after a year and 4 months of working at the firm, i officially have my own business cards. they finally came in last week. and they make me feel important.

blurry yet blissful. we are so incredibly happy. this was in the car right after i picked blakers up from the airport. it was surreal and amazing! i couldn't, we couldn't stop smiling.

no, i didn't purposefully turn this picture upside down to post it. she is a little munchkin sleeping in, yes, in my bed, in the covers. this is her face when i insist it's time for her to get up and go outside- let me point out that i have already been up and moving around for at least 45 minutes at this point. she acts like a teenager sometimes, and makes mommy physically drag her out of the bed. it just makes me laugh now. she's hopelessly spoiled. i take full blame- minus the 15% blake is responsible for.

last one. haha. it makes me chuckle. we discovered a shipley's in clinton, ms yesterday. and had to detour so that we could get a picture for blake's amazing sister, hallie. he's such a thoughful brother! we're missing the larson family- as it's been way too long since blake and i have seen them. we're counting down the days till our trip to montana to spend some great time with them. i am so blessed to be, somewhat, a part of the family. = )

beloved

waiting for you.., originally uploaded by .bella..

..I have called you by name you are mine.

get in a quiet place. breathe. believe. wipe your hands clean of all fear, anxiety, and doubt.
and watch His hand move for His glory. as a child of God we are uprooted from our comfortable places and brought into unison with the Father. we are stripped of every earthly possession. we are mocked. and cursed. and rejected. and disowned. and condemned. we are challenged like no other. experience misery and pain. all the while we are shaped like new. and molded for His purposing. and blessed to the fullest- worth more than all the riches here on earth. i am a child of the most high God. pondering a lot on my plate these days. trusting. trusting. trusting his perfect plan for my life.
thankful for His timing. thankful for accountability. thankful for friends and family. thankful for love. thankful for growth. thankful for pain. thankful for grace. thankful for happy endings.  thankful for fridays and restful weekends. be blessed.

everything etsy

call me a slacker. i know, i know. this week has been brutal in the world of posting. needless to say, it hasn't lowered my spirits. i've been on cloud 9, literally since monday evening cause blake returned home from china after a grueling 5 weeks and 1 day.

since his arrival, he's hit the ground running, and started his 11 month internship at our church early tuesday morning. it's been crazy managing work, moving him into his new apartment, getting him settled and spending quality time with him simultaneously. phew. we're exhausted. but with him in a new place i've gotten an itch to help him decorate and design his space- so i've been exploring etsy for creative things, and its inevitable- i always find great, GREAT things.  unfortunately some items are either overpriced or only being sold within a 70 mile radius of the items origin. but nevertheless, etsy is a great place to be inspired by handmade goodies.