Lovely Life Lessons from a Lovely Book

 This is an excerpt from The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, which I've been loving a lot! :) It's a wonderful story, and is told from the perspective of a young girl named Lily Owens. Here is a little part of the story that stood out to me, with some great life perspective. :D

"How come if your favorite color is blue, you painted your house so pink?"

She laughed. "That was May's doing. She was with me the day I went to the paint store to pick out the color. I had a nice tan color in mind, but May latched on to this sample called Caribbean Pink. She said it made her feel like dancing a Spanish flamenco. I thought, 'Well, this is the tackiest color I've ever seen, and we'll have half the town talking about us, but if it can lift May's heart like that, I guess she ought to live inside it.'"

"All this time I just figured you liked pink," I said.

She laughed again, "You know, some things don't matter that much, Lily. Like the color of a house. How big is that in the over-all scheme of life? But lifting a person's heart--now, that matters. The whole problem is--"

"They don't know what matters and what doesn't." I said, filling in her sentence and feeling proud of myself for doing so.

"I was gonna say, The problem is they know what matters, but they don't choose it. You know how hard that is, Lily? I love May, but it was still so hard to choose Caribbean Pink. The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters."

-Sue Monk Kidd

The Secret Life of Bees

Sunday Celebration of All That is Good

My church (Forefront) recently had an event that was called the Celebration of All That is Good, which was just a fun, creative celebration. People brought random items, pictures, and artwork that make them feel inspired, happy and blessed, and I'd like to do something similar for a little weekly boost and perspective!

Here's just a few for today! :)

**The way Xander loves to ride in the car with his head out the window!

Bath and Body Works' new scent, Country Chic, which I bought today, and cooking with fresh ingredients!

Yoga.

My Best Buddy, who I miss so much right now.

Happy Sunday Everybody! Enjoy the beauty of the world that we have been given today!

               ♥AshPiece

SPRING FEVER!!! :D

 

"Inspiration can bloom in spring... "                                      source

 

I have had this bug for too long now. It's about time for some warmth!! Spring is on the brain and on the horizon! I'm SO PUMPED for sundresses, central park, beach trips, picnics, flip flops, flowers, the beer garden, dog parks, sunshine, friendship, love, music, and COLOR! Play this video and scroll through my favorite spring pics that have me drooling and squealing! It's coming...!!

Plain White T's music video: Rhythm of Love

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 I love The Notebook... I know it's totally cliche to be a chick who loves this movie, but the whole lovers-falling-in-love story is absolutely precious, and Rachel McAdams' wardrobe is pure eye candy. This picture makes me happy :D

Springtime makes me want bags. Vera bags. I am giddy and must control myself...

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I can't stop thinking about nesting once I finally get my own room! The colors in this photo are so bright and cheery!

 

 

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Well... that's what I've got for today! Happy soon-to-be Spring!

♥AshPiece

 

 

ADDICTION: Parenthood

I L♥VE this show.

I've always had a severe addiction to Gilmore Girls, and once I heard Lauren Graham was doing a new mommy show I had to check it out! There are so many things I love about Parenthood. The large family aspect is one of them; for those of you who don't watch it, this show is centered around one family (one set of parents/grandparents) with 4 children that each have kids and lives of their own. There are a lot of characters, but its not too difficult to follow. I love how the siblings, as adults, love and care for each other; it really reminds me of my wonderful relationship with mine. :)

The thing about this show is that it so beautifully touches on all of the wonderful, crazy, terrible, and beautiful things it means to be a family. I cry, sometimes multiple times, almost every episode... happy tears, sad tears... this show is just so charming, gut-wrenching and gorgeous. The episodes also have the most AMAZING soundtracks. If you haven't seen any of this show, it is a MUST SEE. It's on Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC, and the most recent episodes are on Hulu, and also NBC.com. I find that Hulu tends to work better in my browser... anyway, enjoy Parenthood!!
 
♥AshPiece


p.s. FUN FACT: Lauren Graham is dating her co-star Peter Krause (Six Feet Under) - they actually play siblings on Parenthood! ...weird?...

 

Elsie's ADORABLE Record Store Jumper

 

Today's treasure is this adorable jumper that Elsie of A Beautiful Mess designed in her first dress line for her store, Red Velvet...this is also her modeling it. I am SO in love with this fun, flirty dress, and I really want to get it when her line goes on sale March 1st! I love following her blog, so creative and fun! Check it out!

...in other news... I have named my iPhone Willow. So now I have Xander and Willow. Nerd Alert...

♥AshPiece

Newest Addiction.

Oh hello- guess what??

I FINALLY got an iPhone!!

Oh, It's so totally love.

Treasure: My KitchenAid Hand Mixer

 

For Christmas, I was overjoyed when I received my new empire red KitchenAid 9-Speed Hand Mixer. This shows that I am growing up ...ugh... but I finally got to take it for a first run, and I love it! I made a double-layer pumpkin cheesecake (I found the recipe on allrecipes.com last Thanksgiving), and it worked through the cream cheese and everything very well! I love my new toy! :)

♥AshPiece

ADDICTION: Vera Bradley

Ohmygoodness I've been in love with Vera Bradley for quite a while. Everything she does is absolutely adorable, and I simply can't get enough. Since Vera has become popular, there have been many imitators, but nobody can make quilted bags like Vera Bradley...nobody. These are ALWAYS the best out there. My luggage, wallets, schoolbags, and many nick-knack bags are/have been Vera Bradley since high school or so. I have never been disappointed by a Vera purchase!
My Vera Bradley collection includes, but is not limited to:

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Vera Bradley Luggage set: Java Blue
I have both of these pieces in Java Blue, which was my first Vera pattern--much of my collection is Java. I got these just before I left for college, so I've had them almost 5 years, and although the big one has seen better days, they are both still kickin' and traveling quite well, and they have been all over the country.
*PLUS, these bags are SO easy to spot at baggage claim!

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ID Key Chain: Java Blue
I have since retired my use of this, although I used it down to it being a torn rag, but I remember it so fondly. This was my all-inclusive wallet, student ID, dorm key holder that I carried all of freshman year at UNCo. It was so great, because it had everything I needed and I could just drop it in my school or dance bag to go to class. SO easy, and I rarely carried a purse when I lived in the dorms, unless we went off-campus.

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Schoolbag: Raspberry Fizz
When I bought this, I was looking for a bag with lots of pockets, and that I could put my notebooks into sideways, so I ended up buying their diaper bag. It had all of the qualifications I was looking for, and nobody knew the difference... I just didn't use the changing-pad that came with it! :) I've loved this bag and still use it. 

  

Wallets:

I have the clutch wallet in Yellow Bird (discontinued) that I LOVE, and the turn lock wallet in Blue Rhapsody (ALSO discontinued- my current wallet). I absolutely adore Vera wallets and always get compliments when I carry them!

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I have many other Vera Bradley goodies as well, including: a travel jewelry box (squishy), brush/pencil case, wristlet (great for iPod, phone, and keys when going to the gym!), make-up bags, and purses... you name it, Vera's thought of it! My wishlist on VeraBradley.com is ever-growing, and I just love everything Vera! I hope you've enjoyed my little self-indulgent post, and I'm sure this is not the last Vera Bradley post on this blog! HAPPY FRIDAY! xoxo

♥AshPiece

Fabulous Treasures!

I have been crafting up a STORM these past couple of days! I wanted to pause from my pink/red chaos to share five of my favorite recent-found goodies for the Treasure Trove!
Here we go...


Quirky Urban Outfitters Pillowcase Sets

I've been online window-shopping a bit lately, while searching for ideas for my NY apartment, and I came across these adorable pillowcase sets on UrbanOutfitters.com. They are TOO cute, and would add such charm, personality and fun to a cozy bedroom! I'm going to keep my eye on these... and possibly buy multiples... SO precious.







Adele's cover of Sam Cooke's "That's It, I Quit, I'm Moving On"

Pandora brought this to me today, and I can't stop listening to it; I absolutely LOVE it. I love blues/the little bit I've gotten to sing the blues/chicks singing the blues, so this was right up my alley! My goal now is to get my amazing blues-guitar-player of a cousin (Craig) to play it for me so I can sing it... :) I may need to offer a 6-pack for a jam-session night soon.

My new necklace!!

Here's a silly picture to show it off... and hide my messy hair. Jeni and I finally exchanged Christmas gifts today (I know--WAY late), and I LOVE this necklace she gave me! The flowers are so rustic and cute and I love the way it lays. So perfect. Thanks friend!! :) I can't wait to wear this out and about!

Fuji Instax Mini Instant Camera

I don't know which model I want yet, but I've gotta have one of these! I love the feel, look, and gratification of the fun instant photos, and really want to add an Instax to my budding camera collection. I've been doing a good bit of research lately, and I definitely want a mini, I just don't know which one I'll end up going for. This is going onto my long-term wish list!

UO Photo Wall-Hanger Windows

I first saw these on Erin's wall; I think they are SO AWESOME, so I bought 2 for myself from Urban Outfitters. Here they are with my current collection of photos. They are such a fun way to decorate a room and display lots of memories, and the pictures are super-easy to change out in their individual little sleeves. Definitely a great purchase. I've adored these in my room!

That's what I've got for tonight... 

COMING SOON: How-to's and photo-ops of my Valentines Day crafts!! EEP! I'm so excited about these!  

  

 ♥AshPiece

 

Instax photo sources:  source 1          source2          source3

Treasure! Avocado Slicer and Pitter

Just a day or two after I was telling my mom I didn't want to put avocado on my oven nachos because I didn't feel like cutting it up (so messy and frustrating), she comes home with this avocado slicer from the Williams Sonoma Outlet. At first, I thought it looked pretty worthless, but it actually does the trick quite well and you don't have to take the avocado out of the skin either... SO easy! Today, I am having oven nachos with black beans, mushrooms, avocado and cheese with Pace Picante salsa! YUM. Thanks mom!

♥AshPiece