Hey Little Birdie!

Going along with yesterday’s gushing about all things January, let me tell you another reason I love this month: it is all about organization. And you know how much we love our organization here at HLB (in fact, Nicky may have already done a pantry post already.) Every store has sales on storage, blogs and magazines are full of wonderful organizational ideas. So I am jumping on that bandwagon and compiling a little montage of spectacular pantry spaces.

This one is a little snapshot of my pantry… No, I kid. I would never be able to coexist with this kind of pantry, I would just sit in there and cry tears of joy all day looking at it.

via

If you are digging the whole industrial chic look here is bit of eye candy for you:

I am kind of smitten with the idea of lockers as a pantry.

via

via

via

via

I am sure if you have ever googled pantry organization, you’ve come across this beauty. That is because it is perfection.

via

In conclusion, I have relized through my perusing pantry porn that in order to have a incredable pantry you must:

1. Have loads and loads of room

2. Have very little to no food. The food you do have must be put in empty containers with zero branding. Darnit I like my food to match.

3. Have time to wallpaper the back of your pantry. Really it doesn’t get much better than those pantries.

Fortunately now I feel super organized just looking at these and have relieved myself of any pressure to actually organize my pantry.

Welcome to January! I am wildly partial to January above all other months, even though it is kind of the month equivalent to a Monday. In full disclosure this month is the anniversary of my birth as well as the anniversary of my becoming a mother, so I really am biased.

This is the month that feels like my own bed at the end of a really fabulous trip; there is a peace to getting back to the mundane and routine. December is all about being the sensory overload month. It is full of loads of glorious food and festive music. Our surroundings are adorned with effulgent lights. Everything is ridiculously extraordinary. Then January ushers in a stark crisp silence that feels positively serene.

It is also the month that allows for renewal. I love that sense of positive personal ambition that most people have with their New Years Resolutions all fresh in their minds. Even if it doesn’t end up coming to fruition, I love seeing people progress and implement positive changes in their lives. No other month provides an opportunity to welcome the mentality of “I can and will do it better” into our consciousness. After a month of overindulgences full of glorious, gluttonous  excess it feels good to practice restraint and take inventory of our basic needs, wants and desires for our lives.

To me January is a sigh and a pause. It is a time to sidle into the starting block and begin the race again, no sprinting, just a sweet jog toward where we want to be. Happy January, readers. I wish you a wonderful start towards your new year.

Because of our mutual affection for all things Zooey Deschanel, Nicky sent Katrina and me a link to this sweet video of Zooey and her (500) Days of Summer co-star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (another personal fave), singing New Year’s Day. As I listened to it, my heart swelled within my chest.

It’s sweet.

It’s simple.

And it’s a perfect 2011 send-off to you sweet friends who read this little blog.

Here’s to a wonderful 2012 for each and all. We love you.

Welcome to our weekly feature “Know Your Birdies” where every Friday a question is posed and you get to know us through our answers. This week we’ve asked… and answered: What is the thing you like most about your appearance?

This question brings out all kinds of insecurities in me. I want to embrace who I am more and more, but conversely I feel the need to temper my answer with a fair amount of self-deprecating humor. Why do we females do this to ourselves? Well, in an effort to combat this fact, I am going to be upfront and bold in my answer. I like my hair and my eyes. I’m thankful that my hair doesn’t present me with any great obstacles. It’s not limiting in any way. I can go curly or straight. It’s not too thick nor too thin. And the color… well, that can be altered pretty easily. As for my eyes, I like them because I really do feel like they represent who I really am. They show my inner essence like nothing else does. And I’m all for transparency.

My fist inclination is to say my eyelashes are my favorite physical feature, and ascetically they are probably my best, but my hands are my favorite.  I have short stubby fingers, my nail beds are all wrong, my cuticles are atrocious and they are bizarrely veiny.  But I still love my hands.  Growing up I was preoccupied with what my hands would look like when I grew up, not what my face would look like, but my hands. A couple years ago I remembered this and was struck with the fact I was there and these are my grown up hands.  I love that they bare the symbol of my marriage. I love that they hold my children’s’ hands. I love that they prepare the food for my family. I love when I use them to write. I love when the left side of my left hand has paint smeared on it from painting. I love when my children take them and cup them up against their checks for comfort. I love when my husband hold them in the car still. I love that they will always show my age and be a perfect ledger of where I am in life and where I have been.

Oh the dreaded question…I am very hard on myself. I hate that I am overweight (yet I consistently put off working hard to fix that) and I am sensitive about silly things like a birthmark below my collar bone and a scar from stitches on my chin. But if I am honest with myself, there is quite a bit I like. I think I have a twinkle in my eyes, a nice smile (without ever needing braces, hooray!) and pretty hair. And my favorite thing is my dimples. They totally fit my personality to a T.

What do you love about your look?

If you know me, you know I am borderline obsessed with glitter. It is just so FUN for crafts and such. However, I rarely wear anything glittery on my person. My style is more classic and preppy, and glitter fashion can often veer into Ke$ha territory fast. But lately, I’ve been embracing the trend to add just a dash of sparkles here and there. Which is fitting since New Years Eve is right around the corner, I mean, what better time to glam it up a little than the biggest party time of the year?

So my subtle solution is the Sephora by OPI Jewelry Top Coats. I bought the one that is clear with gold flecks. I can’t recommend it enough! It lasts forever and transforms any polish or plain nails into disco ball fun time. You won’t be able to stop staring at your nails with this stuff on, and you may start spontaneously dancing in public. Or you might be the kind of person who does that anyway (finger pointed at me). In either case, it’s awesome!

Today I am commandeering HLB and getting all family blog-ish on you guys. It is just that I had  such an amazing Christmas day, I feel I should share it with you. The kids were hilarious, the food was good, the table was pretty and the company was the best. Santa brought the kids wheelbarrows. Seriously, wheelbarrows. But if you know my kids, you know that wheelbarrows are undoubtedly the best gift they could have received, they are just weird like that.

I was way more into the “tablescape” this year than the food. The food just kind of messed it up, truth be told. I thought about making everyone eat off of paper plates on the floor just so I could preserve the table for a bit longer. It started with a rabid obsession with finding gold flatware, an obsession that was satiated thanks to Craigslist. It kind of built from there. I have now decided pink and gold should be the official Christmas colors.

I hope your Christmas was absolutely wonderful!

It’s the day after the biggest day of the year. And I don’t know about you but I am spent. In a good way, but exhausted none the less. My little family had the grandest two days. Filled with family, parties, delicious food, and merry making all around. And we got to do it all-which is the biggest Christmas miracle for a family with special needs. I really couldn’t ask for more. But now that it is behind us, I am in full on relax mode. That means lounging around in my sweats, snacking on holiday treats, and watching the tube. The only thing wrong with this picture is the constant view I have of my tattered, hole-y slippers. They look (and probably smell) atrocious. So from my perch on the sectional, I’m ordering one of the pretty pairs from Loft. They are all 50% off today, which means only $12.50. A super sweet deal for slippers so cute that you could get away with wearing them on a grocery run. My task now is to pick which pair!

1. Striped flower 2. Grey Chiffon Flower 3. Camel Chiffon Flower 4. Leopard Print

Welcome to our weekly feature “Know Your Birdies” where every Friday a question is posed and you get to know us through our answers. This week we’ve asked… and answered: What is your most cherished Christmas memory?

We always lived far away from extended family, and my dad, being a pastor, was always working at Christmas. All of this meant that Christmases were just the four of us being together – simple, casual and intimate. And I loved them. The moments I remember most are… candlelight services at church… my sister and I doing some kind of “show” which included reading the Christmas story (sometimes with an interpretive measure to it, like dance) and singing some prepared arrangements of Christmas carols. (I love that kids often want to perform and do so fearlessly in front of their parents, at least we did)… tons of baked goodies from church-goers; we always had our pick of yumminess… and quality time with my parents’ undivided attention, which included lots of cuddling and tv-watching. Still, to this day, this picture warms my heart and reminds me of what I love about the holidays.

My favorite Christmas memories are kind of in the process of happening right now. I cannot articulate how much fun I am having this year with my kids.  Gingerbread houses, cookies and the elf on the shelf. I love seeing the magic of their innocence and the wonder at all things Christmas. They love the music, my older daughter is constantly singing “jangle bells”. My son loves helping me cook, particularly licking the beater. He also is enthralled with Jesus asking  all of these amazing questions.  I think this is going to be the Christmas that I think of when I am an old woman with warmth in my heart. I just can’t envision it getting better than this right now.

One of the most special Christmas memories for me happened when Adrian and I were first married. Money was very tight- he was a barista by early morning, leading music at church, and teaching drumline. And I was just starting out as a full time social worker. We didn’t have the extra funds for presents that year and had told ourselves that it was okay since we knew that wasn’t the true point of the holiday anyway. But of course we were a little bummed inside. Completely by surprise, Adrian received an anonymous Christmas card in his inbox at the church (the one Jina’s dad was senior pastor of!) that contained $100. We were blown away by the generosity we felt from that secret donation. But it was more than the money. That card represented the love, celebration, and beauty that define Christmas.

via

Merry Christmas! This is our official Olbinski family Christmas card, and I thought you each deserved to get one hand-delivered to your computer screen.

As a family, we have had a crazy year, full of ups and downs. But if there is one thing I know about the Christmas season is that there is hope. Hope for the future; peace and joy in the present. Some days it is hard to see it, hard to feel it. While other days these realities cannot be contained by the edges of our lives. They so abound. But no matter where you are today, know that you are loved… to a point that is undeniable, uncomfortable, and unencumbered.

Now on to some frivolous fun. Here are a few things that have been sparking my heart over the past few days:

• Glass ornaments made in to relational gifts. Love this tradition!
• Another purpose for those Christmas cards – contact pictures for your phone.
• Tricky parents can capture Santa in their own living room.
• An extreme Santa who will deliver the gifts.
• Oh, and have you downloaded our Pride & Prejudice bookmarks? You must, right now! We’ll wait…

Share your own links in the comments. And enjoy the weekend with family and friends and yummy food. Merry Christmas friends!

Today is a good day! If you aren’t feeling it yet, let me be the one to lighten your Christmas load. Put down the shopping list, stop crafting gift toppers, step away from the baking sheets. Today we have an amazing gift for you. For me, you say? Yes, it’s Christmas gift giving time here at Hey Little Birdie. And don’t worry, whether you are a regular here or just a first-timer, this present is for one and all. Okay, I’ll stop channeling Tiny Tim now.

But back to the gift already, right? Our fearless HLB founder and artist in residence, Josie, created these beauties because of our collective love of all things Jane Austen. They are bookmarks of each of the estates noted in Pride & Prejudice – Longbourn, Pemberley, Rosings Park, and Netherfield Park – with a quote attached. And I know I am biased, but they are amazing. I’ve already printed mine on cardstock and am finding random books around the house to bookmark. I don’t care if I’m currently reading it or not, I just want to see the estate of my choice poking out the top. Plus they remind me that often the best gifts are handmade and free.

God bless us, every one.

Instructions for Downloading:
Just click on this LINK, print on card stock (8.5 x 11) in the color of your choice, cut… and enjoy!