berg is the word

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"when i sat out on the porch, i saw three teenaged girls walk by in cut-off jeans and t-shirts and flip-flops, engaged in intense conversation. for one moment, i felt again what that was like, being a teenage girl in the summer. i remembered the feel of soft cotton shorts and t-shirts, and the delicious urgency of sharing everything with my best friends. 

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i saw an older man fly by on what looked like a new bicycle, and it made me want to get a new bike, too. nothing like a buying a bike to make you feel like a kid again. i heard voices from near by houses floating out the screen windows, and i heard the pounding of sneakers on pavement and the short, fast exhalations of the runners. the dogs lay with their front paws hooked over the top step, panting, their ears up in the high alert position. 

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and then the fireflies came out. and i thought, ah, who cares what you see in them mirror? look out at the summer night, and the coming and goings of your species, and the enchanting sight of the fireflies blinking on and off, on and off. i never think of them as insects. i think of them as tinkerbell, which is why i will never be a responsible adult. if i could hire someone to be the adult in the house, i would. manage the books, will you? i'd say. i'm going out to play." -elizabeth berg

elizabeth berg is my favorite fiction author. i had the chance to meet her last summer at a book reading and signing at quail ridge books. i think, when it was my turn to get my book signed, i said: 

"ohmygoshyouaretheabsolutebestandiloveeverythingyouhaveeverwritteniwishicouldwritelikeyoubecauseyoureallycapturethewayifeelaboutlifewheredoyougetyourideasdoyoujustthinkofthemordotheycometoyouthroughlifeexperiencesamitalkingtoofast?"

she was kind and gracious (as i've always imagined her to be), and she took my book and scrawled a very personal and touching message to me, clearly realizing i was her #1 fan. to lacey, warmest wishes. elizabeth berg. did me and elizabeth berg just become best friends? yup. 

what is it about her books that pull me in? i think it's because her female characters remind me so much of myself. sometimes they're brave and sassy. sometimes they feel weak and helpless. they have internal monologues (just like me!) they over think things (all over that.) they take pleasure in simple things like a cup of coffee or a good talk with a girlfriend. i know they're fictional characters, but i wish they were flesh and blood people because i think we would be good friends. we'd have a lot to talk about. and things to over think. 

if you want to find out more about her, you can check her out here. do you have a summer reading list? if so, add these two by ms. berg:

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talk before sleep (read with a box of tissues)

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the year of pleasures (see above)

your turn! is there a certain author that you just adore? what is it about his or her writing that grabs and keeps your attention? 

i could see for miles, miles, miles

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i can't stop listening to bon iver's new album, bon iver. it's perfect. when i have it playing in my car, i feel like i'm in a movie.

scene: lacey driving down the highway with the windows down. hair whipping around face. huge sunglasses on. lacey looks very serious. she is about to make a huge life decision. lacey pulls into food lion for bananas. end scene.

this album makes me happy and sad and hopeful and thoughtful and wistful. only a girl could experience all those emotions at once. listen to it here. be prepared to fall truly madly deeply in love. (do you remember that song? of course you do.)

also on my summer music rotation:

noah and the whale: last night on earth

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fleet foxes : helplessness blues

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josh garrels : love and war and the sea in between

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graham colton : pacific coast eyes

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josh rouse : summertime

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brooke waggoner : heal for the honey

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happy listening! 

the week in review

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this week included the following...

crafting, shifts at swank, self-doubt, great workouts and runs, time with my family, driving around town in a mini cooper, wondering/being anxious about my future, wanting my future to hurry up and get here, good catch up talk with roommate, starbucks date with my younger (but taller and stronger) brother, pedicures with liz, small group fellowship, bachelorette viewing party, goodbye party for megan, kanki, self-pity, relaxing, yard saling, time with Jesus, nutella waffles and iced coffee with lori, time wasted being angry over stupid things, hanging out poolside with fun friends, coffee bar at church, worship with my summit family, comparing myself to others, movie night at the $1.50 theater, sleepover with megan, boredom.

some good. some bad. some ugly. wonder what's in store for me this week? 

martha stewart

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martha stewart vs. lacey ostoj. let's take a look.

martha...
1. makes her own marshmallows.
2. covers things in glitter and makes them look chic and ultra-modern.
3. reuses egg shells to use as decoration.

lacey...
1. prefers the taste of store bought marshmallows to homemade ones. not saying i can't make my own. it's totally a taste preference thing.
2. cannot hold a tube of glitter without it exploding out everywhere and turning my craft project into something found in a 2nd grade classroom.
3. eats eggs. throws the smashed eggshells in the garbage. where they belong.

dang. trumped by martha in every area. i cannot compete. not that i'm bitter or anything. psssh. that's silly. so silly...

there is one thing that martha does perfectly that i am grateful for and not the least bit bitter about-her craft line. holy smokes. that woman (and her team of about one million) know how to produce great craft supplies. from pretty papers to rubber stamps, she's got it going on. they are a little more expensive than other brands, but the quality is stellar. plus, i can find a lot of her stuff at big lots. don't tell her, though. she'd have a fit.

i bought a little package of her chipboard animals simply because they were cute. see? that's what martha stewart crafts do to me. i didn't have any major project plans when i bought them, but i couldn't resist the cute packaging and the pastel colors. uh, total sucker. they sat in my craft box for a while, but i recently pulled them out and made some cute cards with them.

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prancer meet dancer.

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crocodile rock. this guy is my favorite. 

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i'm so martha stewart. now, where is my microwaveable dinner?

happy father's day (continued)!

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although, father's day is technically over, i am blessed to have another man in my life who deserves to be honored. my step-dad, dale, is an incredible husband to my mom and an amazing role model and father figure to me and my brothers.

he and my mom started "dating" when i was in college, and, i have to admit, i was a little wary. who did he think he was coming onto the scene and stealing my mom's heart?! i didn't like him at first (it's true), but it didn't take long to see that he was a true gentleman and in serious love with my mom. i have grown to love dale so very much over the last seven years. now, i can't imagine my life without him.

he is genuinely kind and giving. he makes super delicious granola from scratch. he and my mom like to go yard saling together. this is one of his favorite youtube videos. his love for the Lord is very apparent. he can cook pork in a dozen different ways (pulled pork, grilled pork, boiled pork, baked pork loin...) he leaves sweet notes and cards throughout the house for my mom to find. he is the king of coupons. he has five jokes that he tells over and over. and over. he loves me and my brothers like his own children. he and my mom are best friends.

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happy father's day to my wonderful step-dad, dale!

happy father's day!

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i love my dad. he is one part ex-military man and one part teddy bear. he has the power to kill someone with a strong stare, but he also has a soft spot for homemade fudge.

he always enthusiastically supports my new ideas. like when i wanted to join the air force. (not kidding.) he is a big kid. he likes to ride motocross. (and he's good.) he has great stories about growing up in southern california. he randomly sends me gifts cards for starbucks and lowe's foods in the mail. he signs the cards "i love you, dad." every time. 

he plays with our cat domino. he thinks brad pitt is the main actor who played in titantic. one winter when we lived in massachusetts, he built a toboggan run in our backyard. it took him hours and hours, and it was awesome. he is always interested to know what kinds of crafts i am making at the moment. (and sometimes he crafts with me.)

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he loves loves the beach boys. he makes a mean cup of crema coffee. i'm his only daughter, and i can feel his love and protection of me fiercely. (when he met my ex-boyfriend for the first time, he sat with his hands behind his head, flexing his biceps during the whole conversation. hahaha...) he lets me talk and talk and talk. he cried when i was crowned homecoming queen in high school.  he chews bubble gum. like a boss.

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i love my dad. i think i'll go hug him. happy father's day!

licorice

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i want to buy you something.

what?

i don't know, a present...

i thought about it for a minute.

licorice. black licorice.

he nodded solemnly.

for you, two packages. 

-from julie and romeo

i can't speak for all girls, but, for me, the simpler the better. jewelry? no, thanks. just licorice. or maybe a black coffee. that's nice, too. 

a-l-i-v-e-!

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dang, it feels good to be a gangster. one day after having four honking teeth pulled from my mouth, and i was already bebopping (or whatever the gangster version of this would be) around town with my sweet mums. my cheeks are only slightly huge. am i going to be posting a picture of that? pssshhhh. please. thank you for all your comments and texts and visits. i really do feel spoiled. (that doesn't have to stop, you know.)

according to my mom, i was a silly little druggie. when they wheeled me out to her, i lifted up my arms and said "i love my mommy!" (which i do), and then when we got to my apartment, i climbed the last flight of stairs on my hands and knees. this makes sense considering i was tripping over every crack and weed on the sidewalk. once we got inside, my mom asked me where i wanted to nap-the bed or the couch? neither. i promptly laid down on the floor, because, you know, carpet is the most comfortable.

my constant companions have been talenti gelato, soup from trader joe's, and mashed up bananas (and you thought only babies ate that stuff.) aside from the soup, i'm having a hard time finding savory foods that are easy to eat, and for the first time in my life, i am actually craving the savory and not the sweet. if you know me, that's huge. in a hypothetical, made-up dreamland, if there were two tables-one full of chips, pizza, and combos (the peanut butter-filled kind) and the other full of double chocolate brownies, ice cream, and pelicans snoballs-i would go for the sweet table 95% of the time, every time. now that sweets are basically all that i can eat, i don't really crave them. why are (female) human beings so complicated? whyyy?

thank goodness i can drink wine. 

since we're on the topic of "chewable savory foods" (never imagined typing a weird phrase like that), and since i can't eat them, i've at least gotta write about them. i mentioned i was going to be trying a new recipe in this post. i found this sweet potato recipe from the blog/website cookie and kate. this girl's pictures make me want to live inside her world.

the recipe itself is very simple:

1. bake a sweet potato in the oven and then add toppings.
2. there is no step two.

the interesting part is what she puts inside: butter, rosemary, parmesan cheese, chives, sea salt, and black pepper. i've never thought of topping a sweet potato with parmesan, but it was delish! the good thing about this recipe is that it is dirt cheap. i didn't go out and buy fancy pants parm. we had kraft brand sitting in our fridge ($0). we also had butter, salt, and pepper ($0). i nixed the rosemary, so the only things i bought were the sweet potato and chives ( around $3). shootdang.

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during my last visit home, my wonderful dad sent me off with tupperware full of homemade chili. i'd say i had a perfect (almost free) gourmet lunch. man, what i'd kill for some beef chili right meow.

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have you tried any new recipes lately? do you crave the sweets (cream cheese frosting out of the can) or savory (microwaveable bacon)? please share so that i don't feel like such a weird person who thinks about food 80-90% of the day. not really. yes, really.

p.s. what do you think about the new playlist widget? i got the idea from my real-life friend chelsea and my blogworld friend erin. ok, in all honesty, i don't think erin actually knows i exist, but, if she did, i'm pretty sure she would be friends with me. let's be real.

chipmunk cheeks

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to all my faithful blog readers who have been following me since day one which was three weeks ago,

tomorrow morning, i will go, kicking and screaming, to the oral surgeon to get my wisdom teeth pulled. i will be coaxed into a recliner, drugged up beyond what is safe to give a human being, and will go under the knife (and other scary tools) that oral surgeons use to torture their patients.

i hope to come out of my drug-induced coma in one piece, but if i don't, please know that i have enjoyed getting to know you along this long, winding, three week journey. we've laughed, we've cried, i've made fun of myself, you've made fun of me. it's been one big sarcastic party.

to close this blog post (which may be my last. let's be real), i would like to ask one final question...

why the heck didn't i have this procedure done before i was 26?

WAAAHHH.

p.s. all gifts of milkshakes, mashed potatoes, homemade chicken soup, starbucks frappuccinos, and/or instant pudding will be accepted via front door deliveries.

p.p.s. i'll be back to blog world soon! don't do anything crazy like going out and finding a new favorite blog to read while i'm gone. i'll know if you do.

childhood

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childhood is a strange country. 

it's a place you come from or go to-at least in your mind. 

for me it has an endless, spellbound something in it that feels remote. 

it's like a little sealed vault country of cake breath and grass stains 

where what you do instead of work is spin till you're dizzy. 

-syall bush

just work it out

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you know how when you were a little kid, and you got new sneakers, you were convinced that they made you jump higher and run faster? when i say convinced, you and i both know that's honestly what happened. i swear as soon as i put on my hot pink, k-mart brand, tweety bird high tops, i was speed racer. this was key at nine years old because this is the age i started chasing boys. (one in particular i would chase around after church on sunday. i'd catch him by the collar and then hit him repeatedly with my bible. this is surprising to me on two levels. one: that i haven't been struck down by lightning because i used my bible as a weapon. two: he's still friends with me.)

years later, it's not the shoes that give me the power but the MUSIC. when i have a crazy good workout playlist, i can crank out another set of lunges or squats. i can pretend that i'm a meathead and grunt when i do my shoulder presses. if i've got some good jams blaring in my ears, i wipe the sweat from my brow and do 10 more girl push ups which really impresses the cute boy beside me doing one-armed push ups.

music is especially inspiring to me when i'm on a run. i'm sure i don't look nearly as cool as i think i do, but i feel pretty powerful when i've got jesse mccartney singing in my ears,

"you're banging like a speakerbox." 

yeeeaaah, still listen to him. 

sometimes, a good playlist is the thing that actually motivates me to go to the gym because as much as i like to exercise, i also like to sit around and eat bon bons. when i know that i have a stellar playlist waiting for me to rock out to, i'm more likely to put the bon bon down. or at least finish the bon bon and then go to the gym.

so, from my ipod to yours, here are several songs that give me that extra "pizow." that's really a word.

important to note: some of these songs are not appropriate for water aerobics class with your grandma. unless she's the kind of grandma who would take you to see a lil wayne concert. if this is the case, she probably doesn't participate in water aerobics at all. more like roller derby.

banquet : bloc party
steady shock : girl talk
black & gold : sam sparro
body language : jesse mccartney
coming home : diddy
triple double : girl talk
hold the line : major lazer
i can transform ya : lil wayne & chris brown
little secrets : passion pit
lost!: coldplay & jay-z
let it : machinedrum
you're a jerk : new boyz
1901 : phoenix
look at me now : chris brown
you be killin em : fabolous

do you have any suggestions for good workout songs? what's your style? rap, alternative, yonni, the soundtrack to high school musical? do you prefer to work out without music?

what do you like to do for good exercise? do you go to the gym? do you like to hike or take long walks? yoga? spinning classes? chasing down a good deal at tjmaxx? share! also, if anyone has a good recipe for bon bons, i'd be really interested.

pretty little things

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remember that time i went to ornamentea and bought a bunch of pretty beads? yes, well, the purchased beads sat for a long time in a pretty dish on my dresser. i liked to look at them and feel fancy. i tried to impress others with them, too. "oh, those? dahling, those are my decorative beads." news flash. zero people are impressed with beads in a dish. welp, it was worth a try. might as well put them to good use. have a look-see.

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better than beads in a dish-earrings on a jar!

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i love the color combinations here

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these earrings make me think of chips and black bean salsa. i think it's the turquoise. 

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these guys are headed to swank!

the colorful beads make these earrings look so summery, and even though i'm not in love with this season, i think i can at least pretend to be when i have these babies hanging from my ears.

i've recently been following a new blog and etsy store that has the prettiest handmade earrings ever. the artist, megan, is totes adorbs and is a wiz at making pretty little things. her earring designs are very simple but so gorgeous. check her out!

do you have any new blogs that you've discovered? what's been giving you inspiration?

a list of gifts

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"joy is the realest reality, the fullest life, 

and joy is always given, never grasped. 

God gives gifts and i give thanks and i unwrap the gift given: joy...

do not disdain the small. 

the whole of the life-even the hard-is made up of minute parts, 

and if i miss the infinitesimals, i miss the whole...

wherever you are, be all there...

i want to slow down and taste life, give thanks, and see God." 

-ann voskamp from one thousand gifts

on this sunday, i am thankful for much. mostly small things, "minute" things, but these small things are what makes up my day, my week, my life. i am thankful for waking up to no alarm, french press coffee, time with Jesus before my days begins fully.

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i am thankful for my mom and step-dad's unconditional love and support, for my dad's generosity and my step-mom's loving nature. for new music, gift giving, baked goods coming out of the oven, kindness in all of its many forms, unexpected compliments, beauty in simplicity.

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i am thankful for employed brothers, authors who can pen books that speak directly to my heart, memories, goals that i have met, cream cheese frosting, adventures, chilled watermelon, looking back at old prayers and seeing how many have been answered, my roommate amy and her sweet boyfriend, visits from friends, rainy days.

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i give thanks for running in the evening, surprise gift cards in the mail from my dad, successfully completing a project, using what i have before i buy something new, baseball hats, laughing, laughing, laughing, finding what i'm looking for...

i'll elaborate more on this list soon. until then, what's on your list?

it's the freaking weekend, baby...

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i'm about to have me some fun! yeah, yeah. i can hear your underhanded comments. "how can she be excited that it's friday? she's unemployed. every day is friday to her." blah blah blah. sticks and stones. pish-posh. nonsense.

it doesn't matter that i don't have a job and can sleep in most days. it doesn't matter that i can wear pajamas for half of the day and gym clothes for the other half. it doesn't matter that i can go to wal*mart at noon on a tuesday. (and for the curious, it's not exciting. although, there are less crazies on a tuesday at noon than on a saturday at noon. truth.)

the reason i get excited that it's friday is because it means my responsible, employed friends can PLAY! with me! all weekend!

my plans for this weekend include: hanging out with good friends, crafting, yard saling, being up in the gym just working on my fitness, coffee bar at church, laying out by the pool, trying out a new recipe involving sweet potatoes (stay tuned), and whatever else comes my way. nothing too exciting, but that's fine with me. sure, i like weekends with concrete plans, but i really enjoy weekends with no big to-dos.

what are your weekend plans? hot date? awesome concert? justin bieber's never say never movie? (if you're doing that, you need to call me.) tell me. i'm dying to know. 

one more random thing. if you have plans for trying out a new recipe this weekend, or if you're reading this at work, and you want to spend some company time browsing the web, these foodie sites are excellent. take a look!

matt bites -food stylist and cookbook author. plus, he's funny. like me.

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recipe girl -whaaaat. is this a chocolate chip cookie dough brownie? i'm in love, i'm in love, and i don't care who knows it.

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smitten kitchen-the author behind smitten kitchen makes all of her recipes from scratch in a teensy tiny kitchen in nyc. also, she has a crush on matt from matt bites.

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bake or break-lots of yummy baked goods and drool worthy pictures to match. like the author from smitten kitchen, she also lives in nyc. unlike the author of smitten kitchen, she does not have a crush on matt from matt bites. 

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happy cooking/baking/making a mess in the kitchen/dining out instead of making a mess in the kitchen weekend! enjoy whatever you do.