What's On My Nightstand

• Rifle Paper Company Notebook. I've been eyeing the botanical trio ever since I saw them online and lo and behold they popped up at my local Target. Splurge! No questions asked. I've just polished off another Moleskine and while I was a bit hesitant to switch it up after all these years, I'm absolutely loving it.
• The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. My dear friend Anna recommended this to me. And friends, when Anna suggests something, I count it as gold. So I didn't wait for my tiny library branch to get it. I just bought it. One chapter in and... I don't know if she's psychic or if we just rubbed off each other a lot back when we were living under the same roof in Edinburgh, but this is exactly the kind of read I need right now. 
• Crêpe Suzette OPI Nail Polish. Confession: I'm not actually wearing this right now. I just hope I get around to it this week. Because it looks like fall and I simply can't get enough of that.
• Mini Eiffel Tower. Snagged this trinket from my grandma (I think) way back and... I'm just France-asizing... *le sigh*
• Shells. Random, but I happened to empty out a purse the other day...
• Southern Ground Music & Food Festival Lineup. My little sister and I met up in Charleston for this this past weekend and it was amaaaaaaazing!!! Not just because it was my first weekend off since starting work here at the beginning of August, but because my sister's such fun, the food was incredible, and the music was stomp-tastic. The Wood Brothers and The Head and the Heart blew me away and gave me chills, but Zac Brown, the man himself, left me slack-jawed. So I'm just gonna leave this here and reminisce... 

And while I'm reminiscing, I might as well tell you I've had Zac Brown on a constant loop ever since I left. Just trying not to focus on themes like love, family, friends, and simplicity rather than getting overwhelmed by ALL THE THINGS awaiting me when I got back. "Jolene" is the song I'm playing into the ground, though, so we'll call it this week's lullaby.

What's on your nightstand these days?

Sweet dreams, moonbeams!

P.S. I promise- hold me to it, now- to post something other than my nightstand this week! Heavens to Betsy! This blog is accidentally monotonous!

What's On My Nightstand

• Apple Ale candle. This scent is maybe a little too sweet, but in small doses, a little too sweet is pretty nice.
• Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate. I used the no sugar added kind and then sprinkled the whipped cream with a little cayenne pepper. It's lazy meets Chocolat! *shrug*
• Mini pumpkin. Thanks, Mommy Moo! Come back and visit soon! Side note: I. LOVE. PUMPKINS.
• EOS Blueberry Acai Lip Balm. Yet another surprise from my mom. So sweet. Blueberries for Sal was one of my favorite books as a kid, so blueberries are kind of my thing. So thoughtful!
• Shall We Dance. Folks, I've been looking for this movie everywhere. Everywhere. For two years. Lo and behold my local Barnes & Noble just happened to be selling classics at half price this week! Fate!!! I first saw it on TCM last night and discovered it to be the source of classics like "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me." The story has all the old Hollywood black-and-white charm you might expect, but "They Can't Take That Away From Me" makes the movie. It's why I bought it. Honestly. When Fred Astaire stands behind Ginger Rogers on the docks in New York City and sings, "The way you haunt my dreams. No, no, they can't take that away from me," and she just stops... and then when her eyes well up with tears and you know she's in love with him after he croons, "The way you've changed my liiiiife!" OH MY GOSH! *hands over heart* It's just one of my favorite movie scenes EVER! Also, I want to be Ginger Rogers. Just had to be said.

Well, of course, now that I've gone on and on about it, it should come as no surprise that this week's lullaby is Fred Astaire's timeless "They Can't Take That Away From Me." I've always loved this song (I have no less than eight different versions in my music library), especially Sinatra's (and I loooooove Sinatra), but this one takes the cake. Knowing the love story behind it, hearing Fred Astaire's voice just warms my heart like a good cup of lazy man's Chocolat hot chocolate.

Sweet dreams, moonbeams!

What's On My Nightstand

• Petit Écolier. When I eat these, I'm sitting at Mme Chauchat's dining room table. I need to be at her dining room table.
• Lady Grey Tea. Been drinking this with a splash of milk and sugar like my teacup is bottomless.
• Secondhand Lions. I need about a thousand comfort movies this week. This one's been a family favorite for ages, but I never had my own copy till I saw this peeking out of the $5 bin this weekend. Just the most endearing story there ever was or ever could be.
• My latest painting. I did this little canvas over at Ali's on Sunday. For an hour, I just got to switch my brain off... and it was glorious. This is the kingdom in a story she and I have been working on for years. So I was escaping in more ways than one! I'll do a closeup soon!
• Mexican Pumpkin Candle. When my sister Katy told me these were buy one get one at World Market this week, I was out the door immediately. Looks and smells like fall! Isn't the tin wonderful? 
• Letters from friends. With 'Happy Autumn!' written on the envelope? The loveliest!

And with that, I'm tucking in with this week's lullaby, "Know Me Well" by Roo Panes.

Sweet dreams, moonbeams!

365 coffees

On October 1st, I started a new project. As part of my 101 things in 1,001 days list, I'm finally tackling the 365 photo a day challenge. This is probably meant to start on January 1st, but... Oh well. It makes me feel just that much more human to have one tiny little thing I can do every day. After talking with Ali, she decided to join in too! So while she's taking a picture of her tea every day, I'll be taking a picture of my coffee. Because... "mommy" needs her coffee. "Mommy" will have her coffee (or nine) every. single. day. Of course, now I'm wondering... how many ways can you photograph something you take pretty much the same way each morning? Is this too boring? Whatever! I'm accomplishing a thing! I am doing a thing! I am not failing at a thing!

October 1, 2013

October 2, 2013

October 3, 2013

October 4, 2013

October 5, 201

October 6, 2013

October 7, 2013

How about you, dear readers? Any little projects up your puffed sleeves? (sorry, I've got Anne of Green Gables on the brain... it's a fall forever thing)

What's On My Nightstand

• Honeycrisp Apple. I'm pretty sure I could have bought a small country for the price of three honeycrisps, but I'm also sure it was totally worth it. Tastes like fall! Eeeeeep!
• Chocolove Orange Peel in Dark Chocolate. This is not what resisting temptation looks like.
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I'm so embarrassed to admit this, but... I've never read these books. Trust me, it pains me more than it pains you! But with the ever-so-slight turn to cooler weather, that magic of autumn, I just had to let this world be a part of it. I've just started The Magician's Nephew and every line is like taking a bite of Turkish delight for the very first time. I'm in love. 
• Marshmallow Fireside Candle. So many fall scents are crazy overwhelming with all their spices, but this is sweet and light. A very pleasant surprise.
• Que Bella Mud Mask. Planning on using this the next time I draw a bath (tomorrow night? *fingers crossed*). But yeah. Teatree and witch hazel? It sounds like something from a fantasy novel! So naturally, I snatched it up. I'll let you know how it is!

I put this song on first thing almost every morning, but it's also in heavy rotation at night. Really it could count as every week's lullaby, but this week I'm finally letting you in on it. "Raising Cain" by Gregory Alan Isakov. It'll change your life.

Sweet dreams, moonbeams!

Terrible idea... Don't you just love those?

The quote is from Under the Tuscan Sun (which I luuuuurrrrrrv for inexplicable reasons (I want to remodel a villa in Tuscany, ok?!)) and while it wasn't necessarily a terrible idea... You know what I love? Last minute decisions. I made one last night and it involved some major SWERVING of the ultra cool mini van. Here are the results:

Some people think it's really cheesy. But I've been documenting where my feet have wandered off to since college. And you know what? "I like corny. I'm looking for corny in my life." Anyway...

I was walking along thinking, 'It's amazing what you can do with twenty minutes! Why have I never done this before?' All that rushing around? This is what I need in between. A breather. I'd walked down for a stretch, eyed the clock and saw it was time to turn around, and when I did...

AHHHHDFKSJDFLKSJDLFKSDL!!!!!!!!! There was a rainbow! I started squealing. I threw my hands up in the air. I began laughing. Maybe did a jig. Said, "Oh God!" over and over, because I just couldn't believe it. And then I squinted a little harder and saw that...

It was really a double rainbow! A DOUBLE RAINBOW! Man! God is good. It was such a special moment. Normally, I'd have been holed up in a coffee shop passing the time, but something made me turn to the beach instead and I'm so glad I did.

I only wish I'd had a proper camera on me to capture it all better, because every which way looked sensational.

I mean...

HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I just want to encourage you to be impulsive! Really! If you hear a little voice telling you to turn in the opposite direction or order something different or smile at that complete stranger, just do it and see what happens. Who knows? You might find yourself ankle deep in the ocean, staring down a double rainbow.