falling for fall

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is anyone else ECSTATIC that the weather is in the double digits? i wore a cardigan the other day without sweating. it was an out of body experience. fall is my most favorite season. it make me all giddy and inspired and wistful and hopeful and a little sad and romantic and optimistic and confident.

to me, it means new beginnings. it heralds the upcoming holiday season. it makes me think of weekends away in the mountains. when it's chilly outside, you want to snuggle up reeeal close with someone. fall brings the state fair into town. boys wear long sleeve red plaid shirts.

i love boots, layers, scarves, textured tights, pumpkin spice lattes, crisp mornings, seeing my breath in the air, hot soups, the colors of changing leaves, pumpkins, wrapping up in a blanket, the way the sunlight turns everything gold. 

these autumn inspired images make my heart beat a little faster. each day of summer that passes brings us closer and closer to the official first day of fall. 

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homemade soup with croutons. mmmmkay. 

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textured tights? yes. yes. yes. 

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apple picking. best fall date that i have never been on. 

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bob ross is good and all, but i doubt he could make this look better.

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i hope one day i know someone who has a house that looks like this. 

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if fall were a boy, i would probably hug him like this. 

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p.s. this is not the last post you read about fall. promise. 

there's no such thing as a stupid question

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riiiight? week one of training is in the bag, and i think i asked 7, 842 questions. approximately. i'm definitely not the kind of person who is afraid to ask a question if i don't understand, but i already want to know everything about my position so i don't have to wait for help. i have to realize it's going to take time to figure everything out. i have to take one day, one hour, one minute at a time or i find myself getting overwhelmed. i did, however, only have to ask where the starbucks was once. take the elevator to the 1st floor, turn left, turn right, turn left, you're there.

when i look back at my last jobs, i remember how routine everything became over time. instead of being stressed out during a busy day, it was more like an adrenaline rush. i knew what to do, i knew the process, i just had to prioritize, balance, and multi-task. i feel myself already wanting to be at that level at my new job, and i've only had one week (three 12 hour days) of training. i have to remind myself that i couldn't possibly know everything there is to know about my new job yet. i'm trusting God to give me the patience i need and the ability to retain new information. i'm also using my handy dandy notebook to write down everything. i write really fast and use shorthand so when i look back over it throughout the day sometimes i don't understand what i've written. "pulmonary entry zm10"? anyone?

anyone else know what i'm talking about? it's always exciting starting a new job but a little scary, too! there will come a point when i will be on my own, and people will expect me to do things things that i may or may not know how to do. maybe i should look into what "pulmonary entry zm10" means. i'm sure that will be on a test later on.

when you've started a new job, what has been the most challenging part? do you feel like you should know everything on day one? do you prefer to ask questions or find the answer on your own? does the workroom refrigerator scare the jeebers out of you?

indie rock

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on a recent trip to paper*source (love, love, love that place), i ran across this super fly book. the indie rock poster book is the freshest of the fresh. it combines funky art and classic indie songs in perfect harmony.

lets break it down. the book contains 30 removable, ready-to-frame art posters designed by the country's top graphic illustrators. their inspiration? only the sickest/coolest/most swell indie songs out there. this sweet little vid explains it well.

here are some of my favorites. click on the song title to listen to each song (and/or watch the music video) and see if you think the artwork is a good fit!

dancing choose

tv on the radio

illustration by julia rothman

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your ex-lover is dead

stars

illustration by jenna holcombe 

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your protector

fleet foxes

illustration by mark weaver

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tonight

lykke li

illustration by chris gray

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take care

beach house

illustration by will bryant

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the brains behind this genius idea is the non profit organization yellow bird project. their mission statement is "helping those in need via a few indie rock bands and a lot of creativity." awesome much? 

proceeds from each sale go to nonprofits of each artist's choice. go to their website and read their story. there is so much information that i can't possibly cover it all. if i had to sum them up one one word, it would be intensely awesome and epic. also, unstoppable.

indie rock for life! *fist in the air*

little banners

i think banners are the single greatest decoration for any occasion. birthdays, baby showers, congratulations for breaking up with your old jerk boyfriend, congratulations on your new boyfriend, etc. these little cards are my new favorite to craft. so simple and easy, and the cute factor is off the chain.

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forget the lipstick

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there is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness. 

-lady blessington

southerner

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hey yaaaaa'll. although i have lived in the south for 17 years, i don't really consider myself a true southerner. i don't have an accent. i hate our sticky, unbearably hot summers. eating at cracker barrel does not make me swoon. BUT, that being said, i really do love the south in general. people are friendly. we wave and nod and give you directions. the south is where small town america is alive and well.

but, i digress. this post is not, in fact, all about the south. it's really all about free music. free. what a stellar word. noisetrade is one of my favorite music websites. they have thousands of artists and albums available for zero dollars. i know what you're thinking. "if they are available for zero dollars, they must be artists who record in their basement and play instruments that no one has ever heard of before." that's where you are wrong. these artists are amazing. ever heard of katie herzig? ben rector? the civil wars? not everything i listen to is my personal style or taste, but when you're not being charged to listen and download, you can afford to take that risk. 

trent dabbs is currently giving away his album southerner. it is my new favorite download. perfect for road tripping. if you don't have any road trips coming up, you can also play it on your way to the grocery store or the car wash. same effect. go ahead and make your way over to noisetrade and discover some new music. you will not regret it. i'm willing to bet you'll find a new artist you'll really like.

happy thursday. see you soon! or, as we say in the south, ya'll come back now!

baby boy you stay on my mind

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big news, HUGE news. 

my bestie sarah and her sweet hubs jason are having a BABY BOY! 

wooooooo!!! i'm going to be a pseudo aunt! 

quick, what are my responsibilities? 

*knit booties buy knitted booties

*crochet baby blanket purchase crocheted blanket

*build wooden horse rocker leave this to someone with carpentry skills

*record myself singing lullaby tunes and put together a mix cd done

sarah has been my bestie since college. she's gorgeous, hilarious, so very kind, has kil-ler skin, and is married to a sweet, southern gentleman. i'm so excited that they will be adding a sweet baby boy to their little family! congratulations sarah and jason! 

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(are they not freaking adorable?)