papers in order?

i hope you're all enjoying a restful and peaceful memorial day weekend.  it is hot here and i need a pool to go to!

here is a song for your weekend from my buddy django and his band the old ceremony.

a front porch in summertime

my husband and i moved into our new house in november and now that warm weather is here, our favorite thing to do is sit in the rocking chairs on our wrap-around front porch.  front porches have always been important in the South, as they provide a place to catch some shade and breeze during the summertime.  before air conditioning, the porch was often cooler than the house!

now, if we could only figure out how to keep the bugs away.

here are a few inviting front porches from around the web...

from new york times

from martha stewart

from the designer pad

from southern living

vintage style: athletics

we've come a long way, ladies...

1902 basketball (literally) team photo, via the society pages

1909 basketball practice, via buzzfeed

australian national swim team 1919, via sports girls play

may sutton, california tennis star, via world in sport

female giants pitcher 1913, via world in sport

is this you?

bookshelfporn

are you ultra organized?  do you color-code your bookshelves?  alphabetize, randomize? (that's me)

i do not have color-coded anything, but maybe one day i'll get around to it.  i do love the way it looks!

these beautiful colors are inspiring...

500 pencils

 

a city of air and light...

amococo by juli

tula mirth and i just made it into the last of the line to visit the touring amococo.  it is a touring labyrinthine luminarium by architects of air which is based in nottingham, england.  the luminarium consists of 86 triaxial domes and 71 pods that create a complex of pathways of light, air and music.  the piece was handmade of a thin pvc and is inflated much like a bouncy house. it is pretty unbelievable in scope and experience to both children and adults.  tula mirth could barely contain her running and jumps and at several points was "swimming" in the floor of some of the rooms alongside adults.  ha!  i would strongly recommend a visit if they pass through your town...and take your camera!

video courtesy of architects of air

take a break!

i saw a quote recently that fairly summed up how i feel sometimes after looking at blogs and such.  often, they are a reminder of the clothes, decor, and trinkets that we can't afford, the recipes and crafts we don't have time to make, the books we must read, and on and on...

i try to keep perspective, but sometimes it is so overwhelming!  i try to avoid blogs and websites that make me feel inadequate.  we hope our blog leaves you feeling happy and inspired, not overwhelmed and inadequate.

how do you all stay sane?

shut down your computer for a little while and get out and enjoy life!  but please come back to us because we love it when you visit and share with us.

"she said she usually cried at least once each day, not because she was sad but because the world was so beautiful and life was so short." - brian andreas

a video from the lovely tift merritt to start your week...

chicken coop mania

it seems all the urban folks are raising backyard chickens these days.  and why not?  you have a low-maintenance, pseudo pet that produces eggs every day.  and, you get to build a cool chicken coop in your backyard.

my friends greg and lorraine have a beautiful coop and three two lovely chickens, penelope and lulu.  (regina died recently in a tragic accident.  r.i.p. regina)  the chickens have been surprisingly entertaining. we used to go over at sundown and watch their predictable bedtime routine.  the coop was built with leftover materials from their house and fits into their backyard nicely.



other great chicken coops from around the web...

from houzz.com

from moderncoops.com

from jetsongreen.com

do any of you raise chickens?  we'd love to hear about them! 

pig roast + rock show

saturday was a big day...breakfast with juli and tula, pig and pie party, and a rock show.  i won't share any gross photos of the pig roast, but i do like this photo taken by my friend chris clemmons.  that's me and my bandmate elizabeth talking shop.  she just moved to washington, dc and we miss her very much!

saturday night i went to a nearby rock club to see mt. moriah.  everyone around here is nuts about them and rightfully so.  this video will make you happy...

the first tooth...

first tooth, by juli

my wee girl lost her first tooth yesterday.  at age four, this was not quite an event i was ready for when she announced that it was wiggling over a month ago.  however, here we are with my baby growing more quickly than i anticipated.  i remember watching that small tooth pop up at a mere three-months-old and also thinking, this is too early!
it was so sweet to watch tula mirth carefully tuck her tiny tooth into the pocket of her tooth fairy puppet and clear all the books out from under her pillow in preparation for the tooth fairy's visit.  she woke up with her new smile and rushed out this morning to show me her coins, finger puppet and glittered letter from the tooth fairy.  "she writes so tiny.  she must have a very small pen," she remarked about the note.  tee hee.  

personalized pottery from mud pie studio

stacy shepanek of mud pie studio creates these super-cool, personalized works of art.  check out her etsy shop for more pottery goodness!



custom beer steins



custom pitcher set

coconut records

who doesn't love a good jason schwartzman movie?  did you know jason also puts out albums under the name coconut records?  he writes charming little pop songs that stick in your head like crazy.  check out this fun video for the single from his latest record, davy.

peculiar pets

these fancy little creatures are hand-made by michelle lyons from vintage bedspreads and the stuffing is made from recycled water bottles.  each one has its own endearing personality!  don't you wish you had one?

a few peculiar pets are for sale at uncommon goods.

i like you

cynthia and lauren // photo by juli

on saturday i attended the wedding of my friends lauren and daniel.  it was a sweet affair with lots of music, food, and dancin'.  my friend cynthia was the matron of honor and toasted lauren with parts of a poem called "i like you" by sandol stoddard warburg.

it made me think of my best friend.

a few of my favorite verses...

I like you and I know why.

I like you because you are a good person to like.

I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it's special

And you remember it a long, long time.

You say, "Remember when you told me something special?"

And both of us remember

When I think something is important

you think it's important too

We have good ideas

When I say something funny, you laugh

I think I'm funny and you think I'm funny too

Hah-hah!

I like you because I don't know why but

Everything that happens is nicer with you

I can't remember when I didn't like you

It must have been lonesome then

I like you because because because

I forget why I like you but I do

See what I mean?
Even if it was the 999th of July
Even if it was August
Even if it was way down at the bottom of November
Even if it was no place particular in January
I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over and over again

That's how it would happen every time
I don't know why
I guess I don't know why I really like you
Why do I like you
I guess I just like you
I guess I just like you because I like you.

read the whole poem at ategato.

happy mama's day!

hooray it's mama's day, by juli

scenes from a life...

spring toes, by juli

"open your heart:

i'll give you a treasure

of tiniest world

a piece of forever..."

(excerpted from xlvi by e.e. cummings)

a celebration of southern mothers

alice lynne abernethy; albemarle, nc; 1962, courtesy of amelia matthews via g&g

garden & gun put together this lovely tribute photo gallery of southern mothers.  i am always a sucker for old photos and this gallery hits the spot.

the love language

the love language, by juli

north carolina band, the love language, is playing all week at local club, slim's downtown, in raleigh.  i actually went to a show on a wednesday night, a true rarity for my mama self.  in the olden days i went to shows with a camera and a pal or two in tow without a thought.  it was nice to kind of step into those shoes again last night. music and photography always make me so happy.
if you've never heard the love language, they are worth a listen and are certainly making a name for themselves outside of the local scene.  check out this awesome video of the band done about a year ago by a former colleague of mine, jason arthurs.

concert posters from third alert designs

i am a sucker for concert posters.  my husband and i have a bunch floating around our house.  only a few are framed; the rest we keep for sentimental reasons.  now that we have a real house, we decided we should diversify our artwork, but i'm still a sucker...

one of my new fave poster shops is third alert designs, based in tulsa, oklahoma. third alert was started by hank hanewinkel III, a graphic designer and musician. hank has created posters for two of my favorite bands, wilco and spoon.

spoon // new orleans // 3.18.10

wilco // missoula, montana // 2.7.10

tonight's show in mobile!

little sister

my little sister allison is in town this weekend to celebrate her 28th birthday. she got married 3 months after me last year.  yes, it was crazy.  we have always lived in the same town, but now she lives 3 hours away!

allison and i have different tastes and interests, but we have the same personality type (ISTJ).  she teaches middle school math, which is a tough and admirable job!

happy birthday allison...

photo by juli