Hey Little Birdie!

Two of my favorite people in the whole wide world are my mom and sister. On a regular basis, they make me a better person. They speak in to my life in ways few others can. They are both Godly women. They are great examples of wives and mothers. They love deeply, encourage liberally, and guide subtly. The true hinderance in our relationships is that we are miles apart… like hundreds. Because of this distance, many years ago I had an epiphany of a mother’s day gift… a circle journal. Have you heard of these? Basically, it beckons back to the art of passing notes in school. We write, and then we pass the journal along to the others to do the same.

Side note: When I was in high school, my friends and I passed notes in a spiral notebook for two purposes – to keep them all in one place (for posterity – you should read these now; it’s the early 90s at its best) and to cleverly disguise what we were doing from suspecting teachers. It might have been the most genius thing I ever devised.

Anyway, this version with my mom and sister has stood the test of time. We have no set topics, although we did at the beginning just to get us going. We don’t quibble if someone has taken a while to write; we figure it is too much of a treasure to rush it. Plus every once and a while, we’ll go back and read old passages. We come through a lot during this time – we’ve had babies, we’ve moved houses, we’ve moved states, we’ve started and stopped jobs. We’ve lived. And now we have a communal record of that. It’s such a beautiful thing.

And because of my affinity for this process, once Lyla was born, I started my own version for her. Whenever I am in a truly reflective mood, and I have the luxury of quietness, I will write to her in her journal… things she is doing, learning, experiencing… things I love about her at each stage of her life. Someday, when she is grown, I will give it to her… maybe at 18, maybe when she marries. How fun would that be to see your parent’s reflection of your life as it happened. I’m not really a scrapbooker, so this is may be my best contribution. And I hope someday we can have a version of the circle journal that my mom and sister and me have. What a dream!

So… all of this to say, there are a million different types of journals out there. I used to buy all kinds of different ones, depending on my mood and stage in life. But now, I am smitten with one and only one. The classic Moleskine. You can try to get me to love another, but it will probably prove fruitless. I appreciate its simplicity in design and function. My Moleskine(s) – okay, I have multiples – and I are bound for life. (Wow, I totally punned… and I’m keeping it.)

I noticed in my inbox yesterday that one of my favorite brands has a slightly new look. And unlike the Gap logo fiasco of 2010, Kate Spade has gone and updated their logo in a subtle but charming way.

Of course I adore it. In my eyes, Kate can never do wrong. Especially when it comes to design. I mean look how perfect their new ad with Bryce Dallas Howard is!

Colorful stripes just might be the happiest thing on earth. My only reservation with the logo is the focus on red. I hope is doesn’t mean they are changing their signature shade from kelly green. I’m thinking it’s just for the upcoming Valentine’s season since the logo in the Spring ad is bubblegum pink.

What do you think of the new logo and ad campaign?

I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about perspective. It is no surprise that as a mom, who wears many hats and is often found knee-deep in the details of life, that the idea of perspective often becomes a concept I aspire to yet simultaneously fall short of. But I think no matter what your lot in life, perspective is one of those notions that as humans often illudes us. We are selfish in nature. We find our lives all-consuming, and it has to be a conscience decision to think outside of ourselves and see a larger picture. One in which we have a distinct place and purpose, but do not play the only part.

Not long ago, one of my favorite people in this whole wide world talked about the idea of seizing gratitude in her life, regardless of her circumstances. The more I think about that the more I’m convinced that gratitude is key to actually having that proper perspective. Once we place our focus on what is present in our lives versus what we are lacking, then we see the bigger, fuller picture of our existence.

Ashley Ann is one of my cherished daily blog reads. Earlier this month, she posted a DIY notepad that is true gift. The idea is simple – before bedtime, write down your favorite moment from that day. At the end of the year, you will have a chronicle of all that is wonderful in your life. Check out this link, and download one for yourself. I am starting mine today, and I already have my favorite – “Eating blueberry muffins that my amazing sitter Megan lovingly baked with Lyla yesterday.”

What is the best of your day today?

This weekend, I made the most delicious red velvet cake ever for my little brother’s birthday. Now I am new to the world of layered cake making, so don’t laugh at the sad state of my decorating abilities. Getting three layers to stack up nicely is not something I have yet to master. But it’s the taste that counts, right? And let me tell you. Honestly, this is better than Sprinkles any day. And I LOVE Sprinkles. The recipe is from the delicious site Smitten Kitchen and was so easy to follow. I could spend hours devouring her posts! The only change I made was to double the frosting so I had plenty for a nice thick coat. (Also my oven runs hot and my cakes were done in about 30 minutes.) I am overjoyed to report that this latest attempt at expanding my love of baking went much better than my previous try at a red velvet cake (which ended up being a icky brown velvet instead.) All that to say, make this cake. You will eat the whole thing yourself. And probably have a permanently red tongue, but who cares?

Also note my amateur cake bunting skills. Next time, I will use longer skewers to avoid bunting sag. But they are still cute. Found the free little pennants at The TomKat Studio.

Happy Birthday Matt!

(Image Credits: 1. Stuf Yellowbird; 2. Zara Button Jacket Dress; 3. roughdrAftbooks Y Journal; 4. Cynamonn Honey-Gold Linen Necklace)

Every once and a while I find myself overwhelmed by a particular color combination. So today, I have a treat for you – a retreat into the crevices of my mind. Don’t be scared. Today, it’s a wonderful place. Now yesterday, I wouldn’t have taken you there… but today it is nothing but sunshine and unicorns and pastries… because who can stomach unicorns without a muffin or danish, really. If I am completely transparent, I find unicorns slightly unnerving. I think it’s their obsession with rainbows and their ability to impale me at a moment’s notice.

But this color medley has nothing to do with rainbows. I know it’s a bit autumnal, but I love fall. So suck it, Mr. Unicorn. Sorry, I had no idea I felt so much hidden resentment towards the mythical horsey with a horn.

What about you? Are you still red and green and Christmasy all over? Or are you already looking forward to spring colors? Or do you buck all trends when it comes to colors? I didn’t intend to “pun” there with buck, but I’m leaving it in because I am that rebellious.

Found an inspiring video clip and post via Don Miller and thought it was a fitting way to kick off the New Year at Hey Little Birdie.

In what ways can we become more a part of our communities in 2011? I hope our blog inspires you to take action and show love to those around you. Whether it’s making a gift for a friend, baking cookies for a neighbor, hosting a fabulous party for your kids- there are countless ideas for how we can make this world a more beautiful place together. It may sound cheesy but I really believe it’s true!

Astoria Scum River Bridge from Jason Eppink on Vimeo.

I love this.  The “Astoria Scum River Bridge” story is a good reminder of the path I want to take in the upcoming year.

Notice the forgotten, the inconvenient… Maybe something else someone is “supposed” to do, and do something about it!  So simple, but so inspiring.

I hope you like it and are inspired, too!  Here’s to a great 2011.  Happy New Year!

Right now I’m reading this. Can you believe I’ve never read it before? Mike says serial killers are obsessed with this book. So even if I like it, I don’t think I will ever admit it to him. He watches too much Dexter, and I don’t want to get him too paranoid… only slightly paranoid is much more fun. So every once and a while, while I am reading, I grab my highlighter and say “mmm” like I just read something extremely thought provoking.

And listening to this. Thanks to my Christmas stocking. Plus, David Gray’s voice totally goes with the weather we’ve been having the last few days. It was like Santa knew what I would need.

…and watching these. You see, Mike and I started dating while working at the same movie theater. Free movies equaled the necessary cheap date throughout our starving college years. As long as I can remember we’ve taken a day during our Christmas break to go crazy at the local movie theater… double or triple feature is not outside our threshold. However, since Lyla entered our lives, we’ve began to mix DVD rentals with our theater-going expertise in an effort to see as much cinema as possible before award season starts. This year we are 4 for 5 on the Golden Globe best movie drama nominations. Yay us!

That’s it for me. What are you absorbing in pop culture today?

This is going to be short and sweet today, because… for one, I have a migraine, and two, my two-year old is refusing to nap. I swear if my husband wasn’t at home, I would say it was an evil trifecta cursing my household the day before the day before we celebrate the goodness that is Jesus’ birth. Oh well, at least this little lightness from Jimmy Fallon will break through the clouds I am experiencing today and bless us all with laughter that comes only from a homicidal co-worker and Christmas sweaters.

Merry Christmas Eve eve…

We moved around a lot when I was little. My dad wasn’t in the military, but he did serve faithfully. He was a pastor, and everytime he felt he had done what God had called him to do at a particular church, we would move on. Depending on my age, my feelings towards this nomad existence were mixed. But looking back, I have no regrets for the variety I was exposed to.

The longest we were at one church was in Michigan, just outside of Detroit. And I think those years occurred around the age where I began to really have and hold childhood memories. So, needless to say, it was…and is a special place and time for me.

While we were there, one winter we took a train ride to Toronto. It was amazing. Riding a train, Christmas shopping in another country… simply a magical trip. My dad is a gadget guy, and he loves to shop. (Yes, we were lucky girls.) While in Toronto, he surprised us with a portable Pac-Man game for the train ride home. It was modeled after an arcade version of the same game, but being that it was the early 80′s, to say it was compact wouldn’t be completely accurate. Either way, we loaded that thing with D batteries and played it the whole. way. home. It was mesmerizing!

So, the other day I found this…

…and the nostalgia washed over me like a wave of all that is good in childhood – unicorns, lollipops, and Kirk Cameron magazine covers. And don’t even try to tell me you weren’t a Mike Sever fan! The only explanation for a sad fact like that would be that you grew up in the 90′s, where white-boy-afros were looked down upon. And for that there is no acceptable explanation.

Anyway, since I found this gem, I am so overwhelmed with memories from that trip that now I am trying to figure out how to get one for me and my parents and my sister. Then we an all be transported back to the 80′s together. I mean, my dad sported a white-man-afro back then too! So it’s only right.