Giveaway!

The lovely and talented Kim over at Third Floor Design Studio is hosting a giveaway from the Shabby Apple.

Now hop on over and try to win you some free shiz! 

 

 

Hometown Tourist

Last week Ryan's dad and stepmom came down to visit for the weekend.  On Monday Ryan had duty, so I took them up to see Colonial Williamsburg.  I've lived smack dab in the middle of what is called "The Historic Triangle" for most of my life, and I've kind of taken for granted that I grew up amidst so much history.

I mean seriously, every year until high school we took a field trip to the Jamestown Settlement.  Every.  Year.  I've planted corn at Great Hopes Plantation.  I lost my glasses in the James River trying to use a fishing net like the colonists.  My one "field trip" sophomore year involved walking out the back door of my school, across the soccer field, hopping a ditch, and ending up at Surrender Field.  What is Surrender Field, you ask?  Well, that's where Gen. Cornwallis surrendered to Gen. George Washington on October 19, 1781 - ending the Revolutionary War (You history buffs will argue that the white hankie was officially waved on the 17th- and it was- but the Articles of Capitulation were signed on the 19th).  See?  Told you I grew up in the middle of history.  But I digress.

It was a lot of fun being a hometown tourist for the day, and it was even more fun getting to be a mini tour guide (I was amazed at all the semi-useless information on Colonial America I managed to call up).  I probably talked Ryan's parents' ears off, but they were good sports about it.

Close-up of the lectern in Bruton Parish Church

I've Been Featured!

SJ over at Homemaker On a Dime has featured my Starbucks Cheat Sheet on this week's Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop!  I linked it up last week and I guess people liked it. ;)

SJ hosts this link party every Monday, and I can't think of a better way to start my week than perusing all the great projects other bloggers post.  Oh, have I mentioned that SJ is one of the nicest, most thoughtful bloggers out there?  'Cause she is.  So head on over to her Blog Party and link up all your fabulous projects!

Why I Refuse to Buy an E-Reader

As a six year-old child, I had one design goal for my future home.  It looked a little something like this:

Not much has changed over the years.  I'm slowly building a book collection.  The bookshelves won't fill up as quickly as I like because I have one rule that I refuse to waver from: I have to read each book before it finds a home on a shelf.  For me, bookshelves aren't about being "styled."  I don't want my bookshelves to hold vases.  I want them to hold books.  Books that I have read and treasured.  I don't want to buy books because they fit with my decor, or can be used as design filler.  I buy books because, for me, there's nothing better than getting lost in a story.  I've always been this way.  I blame my mother and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Every book in my apartment has been read at least twice.  Some of my favorites have been read upward of a dozen times.  When I see walls and walls of books like this, I see the endless possibility of stories, adventures, and knowledge.  I want to pass a library on to my children someday.

Also, having a ladder is not an option; it's a requirement.

All images via my Pinterest.

My Playlist

I love music.  I know what you're thinking, "Everybody loves music, Casey.  Catch up with the real world, already!"  But seriously, I really love music.  (Who else devotes seven years of their life to get a degree in this stuff?)  But I'm not just talking Mozart and Schumann and a bunch of other dead guys.  I like jingles.  I like radio songs.  Mostly I love bluegrass.  In fact, that's how Ryan introduces me to people.  "This is my girlfriend, she listens to bluegrass."

I also create playlists.  Not real ones, I'm way too lazy for that.  But mental ones.  I have playlists devoted to driving, rainy days, sunny days, my dad, ex-boyfriends, work, etc.  I'll hear a song on the radio and go "If I had a playlist for _______, this song would be on it."

Well, as I was mental-playlisting the other day, I got to thinking about what kind of music would be in MY playlist.  The playlist that describes me.  And here it is, songs that rich into me, rip my heart out, stomp on it a little, brush it off, and put it back into my chest.  These are songs that describe parts of me that I didn't know I had (I'm speaking metaphorically, not anatomically, you pervs).  These songs have worked themselves into the fabric of who I am.  And here they are:

"Made to Last," Austin Cunningham

"Me and God," The Avett Brothers

"Somebody Like You," The Belleville Outfit

"Stoned," Blackie & The Rodeo Kings

"Tangled Up in Blue," Bob Dylan

"Red Dirt Girl," Emmylou Harris

"We Know This Town," The Fox Hunt

"Lord, We Get High," The Fox Hunt

"Wrecking Ball," Gillian Welch

"By the Way They Dance," Jump (Little Children)

"We're All In This Together," Old Crow Medicine Show

It's all folky, with a banjo rolling somewhere in the background.  It's melancholy, reverent, regretful, yet hopeful.  It's the kind of music that describes the Appalachian Mountains, heartache, and dusty old bars.  I can't describe the way this small collection of songs makes me feel, other than to say I feel "home."

Do you have a song or songs that move you this way?

Starbucks Cheat Sheet

So after my last post in my Starbucks: Decoded mini-series, Michelle suggested I make a "cheat sheet" to keep all those steps in order.  So, here you go!

If you have trouble saving it, email me and I'll send it to you. :)  Happy Starbucks-ing! Um...is that even a word?  And just in case you were wondering what the heck I'm talking about, read these posts:

Starbucks: Decoded, Pt. 1

Starbucks: Decoded, Pt. 2

Starbucks: Decoded, Pt. 3

Linked up here:

and here:

Gulf Shores Roundup

As I sit looking out the window into the shitstorm rain, all I can think about is the perfect weather I left behind in Gulf Shores, AL.  Remember that post where I promised I was taking all kinds of pictures?  Well, I got distracted by LOTS of food, the beach, and...the beach.

But here are the photos that Ryan and I DID manage to take!