Thursday, November 29, 2012

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

Well, finals are over and at long last it feel like Christmas time! I came home from classes and found the house had been cleaned and the tree was put up, must have been a Christmas elf! This is mine and Josh's first Christmas as a married couple and we couldn't be more excited! As mentioned earlier in this blog, I have never had cats before. I had no idea that Maris and Daphne would literally climb the Christmas tree, but they do! They are having a blast! Of course, that means only the top half is actually decorated with ornaments, they knocked off the ones they could reach. Nothing is better than this time of year, we see our lovely friends and family while enjoying the seasonal treats- and who doesn't love looking at Christmas lights in the van with family with Bing Crosby playing in the background!?!
















Two Peas in a Pod- Literature and Art

I love to see the things I read put into some form of art. The picture below at a coffee table is one of my favorites. I took the top photo, but the one below it is beautiful. This quote, "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons" is from T.S.Eliots Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock. 




Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Turn a Night-stand into a Jewelry Armoire!

I LOVE furniture- funky tables and vintage chairs are my weaknesses. I recently purchased a vintage-styled night-stand from a local thrift store, but I knew I couldn't bring it into the house without a purpose! So, I decided to fix my biggest problem...tangled jewelry. I went to Target and bought some canvas-covered jewelry organizers and fixed my problem within minutes! I especially love this piece because the bottom drawer is deep, providing extra space for wallets, make-up bags, and hairbands!



Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The Crazy Cat Lady

Those of you that know me probably know that I grew up with dogs- Nobody loved her dogs as much as I loved mine. I even walked around with their pictures in my wallet & and iPhone. When I moved into an apartment with my husband we were so lonely- the apartment just seemed empty to us without dogs. We didn't think it was fair to get a dog, we both have hectic schedules and apartment life can be hard for a dog. So, one day we were out and decided we'd just stop by and look at some kittens- we were still unsure about our decision to get a cat. (I had a preconceived notion about cats being loners, unaffectionate, and prissy.) So, we walked into the shelter and heard a cat sneezing, coughing and just looking miserable. We asked about her and we found out she'd been there for a long time because she had a respiratory infection- so we took the runny-nosed cat home, giving her the name Maris. A Few days later, we went back hoping to find a companion for Maris. The first cat we saw was this loud kitten, talk,talk,talk,talk,talk, that's all she did. People had been passing over her because all she did was talk. We LOVED her, so Daphne came home with us. We are so glad we brought them home. They are tremendously different than I thought, they aren't stand-offish at all- they follow me around, want to be carried, rub and purr on me. They are absolutely darling. I'm home alone a lot- Josh works and I got to University, so I like looking up from my books and papers to see cats waiting for me to throw a bottle-cap or scratch their little ears.


Monday, November 26, 2012

Poets & Their Poetry

These are a few of the poets that I especially enjoy! The poems I listed are my particular favorites. 

Emily Dickenson- 'I lost a world the other day.'
T.S.Eliot- The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Thomas Hardy- I Said to Love
William Blake- Songs of Innocence and Experience
Sir John Suckling- 'Oh for Some Honest Lover's Ghost'
John Keats- Ode to Melancholy
Cecil Day Lewis- The Album
Samuel Taylor Coleridge- Rime of the Ancient Mariner
William Wordsworth- London, 1802




Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thank You!

This semester has been rough, ever since the beginning of college I've had great classes with topics that interested me and fantastic professors. But this semester the classes have just been...blah. Today I had a lot of stuff due for finals and prep for final exams, so it was not one of my best days.
So, after a long day of stress and sweating through my clothes due to my fear of public speaking, I decided to become a mindless drone and cruise Facebook and Pinterest. As I cruised Facebook one of my friends had posted an inspiring status, "Every day might not be good... But there's something good in every day." This status update reminded me that there is something to be grateful for every day, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I decided to think about the things I was grateful for (just from what I experienced today)- I have great, supportive friends in all of my classes, a professor trimmed their final exam, my cats made me laugh when I came home, I got to hang out with a dear friend when a class let out early, and I have a husband that just soothes my nerves- and that's just from today!
In addition to reminding me that "there is good in every day," I realized that without even knowing it, my friend had lifted my spirits. Every day we impact those around us. I hope to be a person that elevates the spirits of everyone within my realm of influence.
Applying this quote to my life has already put everything into perspective- does it matter that I didn't love all of my reading assignments? I missed a few hours of sleep so I'll make it up tonight, but I'm happy, healthy, and the Holiday's are right around the corner!

Thank you Jessica Davis for your Facebook Status <3

Saturday, November 17, 2012

My Favorite Short Stories

As a Lit student, I have read a countless amount of short stories. I absolutely love short stories, they contain all of the excitement and feeling of a novel but they are easier to make time for! So, for all of you busy readers out there (that want to actually finish a story occasionally) I want to share my favorite short stories with you.

  1. The Yellow Wallpaper- Charlotte Perkins Gillman- A wonderfully disturbing short-story about the roles and treatment of women around the turn of the century. The ending is spine-chilling. 
  2. Cathedral- Raymond Carver- A simple and inarticulate narrator experiences an epiphany through a relationship with a blind man.
  3. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?- Joyce Carol Oats- a young girl yearns for adulthood but her innocence is snatched away in a traumatizing way. 
  4. Dubliners- James Joyce- Dubliners is a collection of 15 superb short stories. My favorite is Araby, a young boy goes to the fair.
  5. A Mark On the Wall- Virginia Woolf- I love all forms of writing but "stream of consciousness" is one of my favorites. Virginia Woolf is one of the few writers who perfectly put this human condition on paper.
  6. A Haunted House- Virginia Woolf- don't let the title scare you, it is not your typical haunted house. 
  7. Krik? Krak!- Edwidge Danticant- a collection of 9 short stories based on the brutal and hard lives of Haitians. I had to do this reading for a class and I absolutely suffered through this, the topic is horrifying and put into simple terms, sad. I admit I will only read it once, however, this author has a gift for story-telling. 
  8. Videotape- Don Delillo- A man is mesmerized and appalled by a scene of tragedy caught on tape. 


Share yours!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

My Favorite Artist

One of my dearest friends is an artist-extraordinaire! Anna Kendall's paintings and drawings are as lovely as she. I've even used a few pictures she took on my blog (look below)! Her works of impressionism are my personal favorite but everything always comes out beautifully. I want to share her website and provide you with and provide you with an hour of looking at art! You'll see me a few times throughout her sample art albums, she should have picked a better model ;)

Art by Anna





Sunday, November 11, 2012

Pancake Springs

Sugar Mill Restaurant
There's a Florida State Park in Deland called Ponce de Leon Springs, located there is an old Sugar Mil from 1913 which has been made into a Pancake Restaurant. However, It is not just any pancake place, you get a griddle at your table and make them yourself!! My family left Saturday morning at 6:45am to get there for when it opened at 8:30 (worth the drive). It was 45 degrees and the Sugar Mill obviously doesn't have heating, just a beautiful fireplace with gorgeous stonework. The griddles on the table kept us warm and created one amazing morning trip. We were also lucky enough to see a Manatee (my favorite animal) surface for air at the spring! So, if you ever want a fun and unique experience, google map Ponce de Leon and load up the car! Hope you enjoy the photos and that they inspire you to go try something new! If you come across an amazing place be sure to share!
Griddle Table
My Lovely Parents
Me & Josh
Menu!




Adding some Creamer
Mom making eggs!

Mom and Dad cooking!
Must have chocolate chips
LEFT: Choc Chips CENTER: Regular Batter RIGHT: Wheat Batter

Our Wonderful Pancakes 
YUM!!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Photos of Food/Beverages

I love photos of the things we eat and drink. Some of my favorite photos around the house are of the food and drink that I have had with friends, family and husband (it makes the pictures so personal). They are simple, beautiful and I love using interesting angles. 











Friday, November 9, 2012

Thrifting Adventure!

I went thrift store shopping today!! These are the beautiful things I brought home!
Mid-Century Modern Table
Maris Loves it!
This beautiful throw
Leopard Print Ballet Flats
Sleepy Sleep


Maris checks out everything that comes home!













*Em*

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Harry Potter Generation

Harry Potter was the book that molded who I would become. As a 10 year-old girl I didn't really have anything that defined me. I didn't have something I was truly passionate about. Then one day I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone- and a whole world was opened up for me. Imagination and passion were reintroduced, and I loved it. Harry Potter did something special and undefinable to my generation- when Harry, Hermione, and Ron went back to Hogwarts for another school year- so did we. But J.K.Rowling provided me with something very special- a passion for reading. After my first Harry Potter book I branched out to more authors and I've never looked back. Now I'm at a University 1 semester away from an English Degree. Harry Potter was the first stepping stone to what I would do for the rest of my life, share my passion for reading and writing. 


Monday, November 5, 2012

My Case of the Mondays

Well reader, I'm having a terrible case of the Mondays. I am submitting a midterm today- one I'm not too impressed with. I arrived at the University Library to print out the midterm but I had emailed myself the wrong document. I frantically call Josh to see if he had left the house yet- he had. He gladly goes home to send me the right document (what a sweetheart). So there I was, in the Library waiting for my sub-par midterm and those chaotic moments had lead to a terrible stomach ache. In the words of Garfield the cat, "I hate Mondays."

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Proposal- 1 Year Later!

Joshua Proposed in Disney World and were were married there  7 months and 11 days later!





 I was very lucky that Josh had included my family in the planning of his proposal. My father was hiding in bushes to catch some great pictures!