knick knack

i am so happy that the weekend is here! it's been a very long week and i am looking forward to some r&r. i'm hoping for cooler weather so that i can be in the hammock 24/7 with my book. we have a wedding this weekend near athens and i am so excited - it is going to be absolutely stunning! i wish we could go to athens before the wedding and eat lunch (oh grit, how i miss you!) but with the pup, we can only be gone for so long - oh well!

sunday, we're going to go to east palisades with townes and my best friend to go hiking (well i guess it's more like walking, but at least it is in the woods) - should be lots of fun and i'm sure the weather will be beautiful.

j and i have a few more rooms to go through in preparation for a huge, neighborhood-wide yard sale on october 1st! we have gone room to room and our guest room has 5 huge garbage bags full of stuff! this may be where i got the nickname of "knick knack," because i love picking up small items everywhere and now it's time for a clutter cleanse!

hope you all have a wonderful weekend! xo

date night

things have been very hectic lately in our home. j just launched a huge project at work and with holiday around the corner, my office has been slammed in preparation. with all of the craziness (i.e., trips to the dog park, quick dinners, and getting ready for a large yard sale), j and i decided we needed some "us" time - no work, no dog, no friends, just the two of us.

we decided to go the dinner + movie route. being the girl that i am, i knew instantly that i wanted to go see "crazy, stupid, love," and being the amazingly kind and sweet husband that he is, j said yes without hesitation. we went to an earlier movie so we could go straight to dinner afterwards.

the movie was wonderful. great actors and a great story line. i laughed and cried and smiled a lot (and of course, a little ryan gosling never hurts). it was the perfect date night movie and a nice reminder of how important love is and to always fight for it! it was cute because the movie actually inspired j to buy a few "nice" clothes to feel more like ryan gosling and less like steve carrel. too cute ♥

we then went to apres diem and enjoyed some great pasta dishes (the typical vegetarian fare) and then a trader joe's stop for flowers and ice pops. i am one very lucky lady and really cherish the days with my love. next time, i owe him a guy flick!

anyways, if you haven't seen the movie yet, check out the below trailer and then take your better half out!

papa

today while listening to dolly parton on pandora, the judd's "grandpa" came on the radio. it is impossible for my eyes to not swell up every time i hear this song. it always makes me think about my papa. this song was played during his funeral and i remember watching my nanny and the tears wouldn't stop. i miss my papa every day more and more. although his name was george, everybody called him "buddy" which seemed so fitting. it seems so unfair that sometimes we lose our grandparents before we've fully matured enough to make sure we are taking in every word, every story, every hug, and every smile. my papa was the rock of our family and he took care of everyone. there were so many faces at his funeral because he was loved so fully. one of my favorite thoughts of my papa is that he once told my mother that every time he'd ask me how i was, i would respond and then ask him how he was doing and that every time he could tell that i really cared about how he was doing. apparently my papa thought it was rare that people asked how someone was in return and truly cared about the response. i hope my papa know how much i cared about him and loved him.

if you still have your grandfather, take some time to call or visit and ask questions, because one day you'll wish you could have soaked every story, kiss, and memory up! maybe this song will inspire you too. ♥




my nanny and papa are the cutest couple aren't they? even though she hated him at first, he was persistent and he got the girl - they were married for 50 years before he passed on. i miss you so much papa and i think of you every day. there is solace in knowing that you and nanny are together, again. ♥

"a grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart" - unknown

bundle up

now that fall is right around the corner, all i can think about are backyard fire pits, apple cider, camping, halloween, leaves crunching beneath my feet, open windows, and lots of veggie chili with jalapeno cornbread!

this is my favorite time of year (and j's favorite too, which he repeats often) and now that georgia is out of the 90 degree weather (well for now and hopefully the rest of the year) it really is kicking in that it'll be here so soon!

the crisp fall weather requires great blankets. they are a must! most of our blankets have gone to the dogs [literally] so it's time for us to invest in a nice new blanket. these pendleton woolen mills blankets (specifically the jacquard style) have me completely head over heels! they are a bit pricey but they look like a great investment. perfect for sitting by a campfire!



go here for the entire jacquard collection.

the textiles are so beautiful and they come in so many different colors. i love the names of the various native american blankets since i am currently reading a book (see my "currently reading" section) that j bought me about the various tribal stories and legends. i can recognize the names of the blankets as important aspects within the native american culture and history. since i have cherokee in my blood, it is nice to feel connected to the stories of the native elders. ♥

for all of the mothers-to-be, they even have adorable blankets for the little ones and native american-themed heirloom bracelets and stuffed animals (as seen here).


"treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." - ancient indian proverb

the tire iron and tamale

right before i went on a four month hiatus from this blog, i had been in 3 car accidents in 3 days (read about it here). it was a really weird time for me and i feel like i have just gotten comfortable again changing lanes or pulling out of my own driveway. even when i wasn't driving, i thought j would leave me after how much of a skiddish passenger i had become, shrieking every other minute and scaring him unnecessarily.

the scariest part about car accidents or car trouble is how helpless and alone you feel. when the first accident happened, no one around us stopped to make sure the other driver or i was ok. the second accident (the one that totaled my car and deployed the airbags) was in my driveway so my neighbor ran out and stayed with me until my husband got home thankfully (i later put a thank you note in his mailbox because it meant so much to me). any time i have ever had any car issues and have been alone, i have been panicked - possibly because i don't know much about cars but also because i am a woman. in those times of need, i noticed how shocking it was that no one ever offered to stop or offer any assistance. the one time i remember someone helping me was when i was in high school. my pathfinder had been having carburetor issues so i was driving to my dad's dealership to get it checked out, when the car died about 45 minutes away from his dealership. while i waited on the side of the road for the tow truck, a woman pulled over. i was nervous at first to see a car approach me and stop but she just rolled down her window and asked if help was on the way. when i told her that a tow truck was coming to get me, she just said that she would wait in her car until it came to make sure that i was ok. this woman was in her minivan and had multiple young children in the car, but she wanted to make sure that a high school girl would make it home alright. i have never forgotten that woman and i hope karma has been good to her, because i am forever thankful to her.

anyways, the reason for this rant is that i read this story in the NY Times a few months ago and saved it in my favorites, because it really resonated with me. the story is about a guy who had a rough few months (oh how i can relate) with car issues. everytime that he needed help, he noticed that no one ever stopped to help and just kept driving past him; "this country is going to hell in a handbasket,” he recalls saying. he finally has an experience where this poor immigrant family stops to help him with a tire blowout, feeds him one some lunch, and refuses any payment for their help. the writer comments on how they were probably the poorest family that passed him that day but they helped him, a stranger, to be on his way and asked nothing in return. the story is great and inspiring, please take a minute to read it here.

i feel like it's been so noticeable lately how compassion and empathy have disappeared in our communities. even the simple hand gesture when someone lets you merge lanes seems hard to find these days. since reading this story, i have tried to live with more intention and awareness to others. thankfully i havent had to witness any horrible accidents or people stranded, but if i do, i will do what i can to help - even if it's just call 911 for assistance. as the immigrant man said to the man as he drove away “today you, tomorrow me," you never know when it'll be your turn on the side of the rode, stranded. if only everyone could make an effort to do their part and pay it forward, the world would shine brighter.

"if you have much, give your wealth; if you have little, give your heart" - anonymous

deep dark africa

i have always really enjoyed the deepdarkafrica site and all of their incredible products. per their website, "Deep Dark Africa brings you contemporary handmade design from Africa. Carefully selected hand designed and made pieces created by or in collaboration with a diverse range of local artisans, designers & crafters, Deep Dark Africa aims to promote this uniquely talented continent & its rich creativity, showing that African design is evolving whilst still holding firm to it's handmade roots. Wherever one is in Africa, someone is trying to sell beautiful handmade goods, truly believing in their art as a means to a better life. Deep Dark Africa is born out of a desire to showcase this creative talent to a wider contemporary market & make it accessible to all whilst at the same time bridging the gap between established African artists and those without access to a greater market. Deep Dark Africa loves handmade, believes in fair trade and aims to be as eco-friendly as possible".

pretty amazing, huh?

anyways, some of my favorites are below.




which items from dda do you love? it's a shame i don't have an endless fortune in times like this!

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hello strangers!

well i guess i am the stranger since i've been MIA. i've been checking in [daily] on the blogosphere, but my motivation to write has been missing. i think my motivation for a lot [everything] has been missing.

when i see something on fellow blogs that inspire me, i feel like i can't share because it's not original. this mentality is INSANE and not why i started this space in the first place. with that being said, i'm going to forget about that and just write for me [and my handful of followers - i love you guys]!

this weekend was very nice. we kept my niece and spent a great deal of time at the dog park and various playgrounds (the weather was amazing so it was hard to stay inside). we went to the fernbank science museum and planetarium. we also had lots of frozen yogurt!





sunday was my FIL's 53rd birthday. his birthday falls on 9/11 and since he's a retired firefighter, it is always so bittersweet. we spent the day canoeing together and then had everyone over to our house for dinner. it was a wonderful time and a great way to spend the day remembering the WTC tragedy (how has it been 10 years?!). i watched the below storycorps (♥) animation and it brought me to tears. the story is so touching and one that everyone should watch! hope you'll take a minute to hear this story!



hope you all have a great week! things have finally calmed down in our household after a head lice scare. thankfully EVERYTHING has been cleaned/ sanitized and we've been issued a clean bill of health. huge sigh of relief!

xo