fisheye

I have a little plastic camera that uses this stuff called film. It's cheap but fun to play with because it has a fisheye lens.

Some vacation shots as scene through the eye of a fish:

I could make a statement about how hard it is to shoot through the fisheye lens, because you only see a very small part of what you're photographing, and when you get the pictures back you see so much more than you remembered and the bigger picture is even better, and how much like life that is.

But really I'm just glad Walgreens still develops film and simultaneously burns the pictures to a disk.

gettin' my party pants on

This is the year of the 30th birthday. I celebrated mine in June with a vacation to Belize, and in August my friend Mary Ann threw a birthday bash at the house to celebrate hers.

I realized that I love planning a party...I like to know there will be good food and the decorations will be appropriate to the theme and would make Martha Stewart proud. I don't really care if people show up but I want it to look good. I think we accomplished that. (and fun people showed up, bonus!)

Now I'm off to my next 30th celebration, a tour of the coast of New England with my friend Jackie and our new friend Hurricane Earl!

before & after

For the first time in a long time (maybe ever) I have more blog ideas than I have time. I'm going to start to "catch up" by sharing my most favorite project this year...the re-covering of my garage sale chair. This chair was $35 and is turning out to be the best money I've ever spent. It began life in the 1980s and was probably the accent piece in a room of pastels. I recovered it hastily with a paisley sheet 3 years ago, which was cute but not very durable. So this year I decided it was time to make it a "big girl" chair and bring it into a new decade (much like myself).

Found fabric at Calico Corners, had a little help with the seat cushion covers, but covered the rest myself.

Ta-da!

July Club

In my family we have a very exclusive club for those who are born in July (or within a few days on either side of July), since so many of us are midsummer babies. To be a member of July Club is highly enviable, since we are known for our wit, charm, beauty, and intelligence.

The founder of July Club was my grandmother, who would be 90 today. She loved parties, clubs, eating, celebrations, and anything remotely fun. So, in celebration of her life and good cooking, here's a delicious recipe for her signature cookie:

Nana Betty's Sugar Cookies

1 cup white sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter or margarine (melted)
1 cup Wesson oil (vegetable oil)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
4 ½ cups flour
Mix all ingredients together. Place in the refrigerator for an hour. Roll into little balls and dip a small juice glass in sugar to press dough balls flat OR roll out and cut into fun shapes.
Sprinkle with sugar and bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes.

Tip: this dough can store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

thirtymoon

So I recently returned from celebrating the big 3-0 in Belize. I decided that if I haven't been spending my hard-earned money on a wedding or honeymoon or children, I should spend it on myself. Thankfully I have 2 good friends who totally agree. So we treated ourselves to 8 days in paradise, also known as Ambergris Caye, Belize.

We survived a hurricane (ok, tropical storm, but who's counting??) which left us stranded...at a Radisson...with a bar, a Mexican buffet, and the US getting defeated in the World Cup.

We ate delicious food at all times and sailed away to other tropical islands, stopping only to swim with the colorful fish.

We soaked up some local culture and enjoyed wandering the streets of San Pedro.

We zip-lined through the jungle like Jane to Tarzan (except Tarzan was a tiny 17-year-old Belizian named Oscar who was clipping me into a harness) and explored caves and crystal waters in inner tubes.

We went to bed whenever we felt like it and woke up early because hey, we're 30, and we have nothing to prove.
We conquered a 2-hour yoga class and later smoked Cuban cigars, because on vacation there are no conflicts of interest.
We zipped around Belize in airplanes the size of my car with no worries.
We hired a private guide to take us into the jungle cause that's how we roll...we're not sharing our Ford Windstar with other tourists.
We lounged by the pool while the pool boy delivered our frozen mojitos (a treat that rivals Rumba's mojitos, which is saying a lot).
We justified our ridiculous extravagance by insisting on the importance of supporting the local economy.

I reflected on the family and friends who have gotten me this far, and the unfathomable blessings I have received in my 30 years on earth.

And I was reminded that even though life at 30 looks nothing like what I expected or planned on, I've had a heckuva lot of good times and experiences and opportunities, and become a person I never dreamed I could be. And that's not a bad way to start a new decade.

31 days

And there goes January. Shockingly enough, the first month of 2010 has passed and since my last post was the first day of this month, it's only fitting that my next post should be the last day of the month. And I've been snowed in for 3 days so I've had lots of time to think.

Every year I am shocked by how quickly time flies by and how little I remember of each day. I get caught up in work and errands and social activities and don't take time to be aware of what's really going on in my life. So this year my resolution was to write a sentence each day in my planner that sums up the day...it could be something impactful I've read, or a fun moment, or a detail of my life I don't want to forget.

So here's some highlights from my January days:

1: Avett Brothers at Fox Theater: energetic, exciting; beautiful venue; drinks and good times with a good friend.

4: Made dinner and shared with Brooke. Have dinner with friends more often this year!

7: Conquered my fear of brussel sprouts and roasted some. Not sure I'm a fan.

9: Focus on what I have, not on what I don't have.

15: Went to a 20-somethings dinner and met a bunch of kids who recently graduated from college. Reminder that a lot happens in your 20s!

21: Trust God - on His terms. Deuteronomy 8:2

27: Today's high: Bought a new car (all by myself!)
Low: Poppy Vasgaard died peacefully in his bed after dinner. An era has ended, and Pop has gone to join his Savior and wife of 65 years.

31: Long walk in the snow, big homemade lunch, and guiltless lazy time. Being snowed in is not too bad!

It's been a month of joy and sorrow, laughter and lessons.
Now I'm excited to see what February holds!

new year, new stories

Wow, 2009 is gone already. Shoot, a whole decade has passed in a hurry...I remember the fear and trepidation with which we entered this century, and can't believe it was 10 years ago!

In pondering 2009 the theme that has emerged is story. Probably because I spent the better part of the year hearing about Donald Miller's new book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, in which Don challenged himself and his reader to be more intentional with the way we live our lives and make decisions, to remember that our lives are telling a story in the actions that we take.

In 2009 I collected some pretty great stories . . . adventure stories about backpacking through Italy and Greece and hiking the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi . . . sweet stories about time with friends old and new, both at home and at destinations far and wide . . . inspiring stories helping refugees from Sudan, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, and Egypt learn to speak English a little better . . . perseverance stories of surviving another year working for a book publisher in a tough economy . . . bittersweet stories of loss and memories as we said an earthly goodbye a wonderful grandmother . . . and love stories as I have been blessed by friends, family, and mostly by a God who has told the most wonderful story of all.

So here's to 2009, and all the moments that made it memorable. And here's to 2010, may the stories that I tell be the richest, most loving, and most adventure-filled yet!

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And because I love crafts, painting, planning, and now, telling good stories, even my homemade holiday card/calendar/gift has a story theme this year: