i wish i had time to fly to australia just to hear this band.

bestest and i had the pleasure of delivering the message at pulse last night.

we often stumbled over our words. the powerpoint misbehaved.

despite all the flubs, someone came up to us after service and said, "i felt like you were talking directly to me."

and that is why God is so amazing. you can listen to to message here.

~~~

this winter, i had the pleasure of meeting two guys with exceptional taste in music.

they both gave me huge grief for my ignorance of sigur ros.

{sister had introduced me to this incredible video, but i was otherwise totally oblivious . . . i'm now ashamed of this fact}

i don't know how i ever got along without their icelandic wonderfulness.

i also thank them for beirut, anathallo {ashlea too!}, explosions in the sky and red light comany.

anyway:

peter, super cool dude from australia, just sent me a list of bands i should be listening to . . . all of which are pretty awesome.

except this group. they're really beyond.

i am officially ADDICTED to the middle east.

i've had 'blood' on repeat since yesterday.

not sick of it yet. not one little bit.

the john steel singers

and

philadephia grand jury are also pretty fun.

apparently, at least one representative beard is a prerequisite for peter's recommendation.

~~~

some fun things coming up this week:

one of my faves, miss amanda, has a birthday today.

saturday is the pulse yardsale!

and we are hosting a hunger banquet during pulse service time on sunday evening at 7 pm

{you should come join!}.

pretty awesome, if i do say so myself.

happy, happy friday!!!!!

if you know anything about my college career,

this will make you laugh profusely.

the embedding for this clip is disabled

{booooo, kj}

but it's worth watching.

i'm not featured

{because i was always the perfect little anchor girl,

annnnnd it was cut the semester after i graduated}

it's still hilarious.

you will understand, after watching this, why my biggest battle is often

fighting my potty-mouth.

~~~

yesterday felt like fall.

this morning feels like fall.

have i ever mentioned that i adooooore fall?

i know many of you {my friends} get angry when i get excited about cool weather.

it is true; summer was not very good to us this year.

but fall is crisp, cool, sunny . . . it feels like new england should and i can't wait for it.

~~~

bestest and i give the message this sunday night at pulse.

we're talking about local missions.

please come!

~~~

happy friday, all.

via papertissue

laundry list

this week has been totally bananas.

the majority of my postings have been written at an hour when i should be sleeping.

but somehow,

writing has been therapeutic and fun in the midst of wacko-week.

this is what i get for being lazy of vacation.

~~~

yesterday was laundry day.

no, no. not my own laundry

{which i desperately need to do . . . i'm running out of clothes to wear after over a month of neglect}.

via flickr

instead, i taught 4 grown sudanese men how to use a washing machine and dryer.

it was a hysterical time.

"abby, you fill water here?" and motions to the invisible line i drew in the washer to show how high to fill the clothes.

"nope- that's the clothes. the machine fills the water. you don't."

"ohhhhh. machine fills water. the line is clothes-es."

"yes. and here is the soap. not too much- if you put in too much, it will make a big mess!"

we laughed a lot.

they did, especially, when i tried to figure out how to use the stupid dial on the machine.

how come those knobs aren't universal???

~~~

aaaand, since i'm running out of clothes,

maybe this is the right time to buy some???

haha- maybe not.

i've since outgrown the days when i bought clothing so that i wouldn't have to do laundry

{oh, how horrible i was}.

BUT

i will need to buy a few key pieces to get me through fall

{moving furniture every other day has made me go down a size since last fall . . . yay for working out for a living}

i'm particularly fond of wren right now.

hmmm . . .

God and i had a beautiful moment

this evening was a great day for driving home.

the breeze was amazingly warm and cool simultaneously.

the sun was bright but fading behind the clouds.

and the clouds,

oh, they were glorious.

fluffy masses hanging in the sky as if made of white and blue-ish cotton candy.

i wasn't deliberately thinking about God or nature or anything of that sort.

in fact, i was pretty much minding my own business as i turned onto the highway

on my commute home.

windows down.

ray lamontagne's "be here now" playing way too loudly to be healthy for my poor little ears.

and suddenly, i was able to take it all in.

it was a moment long enough for me to be so in awe of the artistry of the God of the Universe.

~~~

just got home from working a long monday.

it's 12:34 am and i'm just starting to come down from work mode and none of this is likely to make sense when i read it in the morning.

wait, it IS morning!

apologies for the horrible grammar, spelling errors and lack of logic which will probably make me regret sitting down to type all of this at this hour. ah, well.

g'nite.

via papertissue

addicted to menswear

i've recently become aware that i have a severe love for menswear.

there is something so effortless and chic

about what guys get to put on every morning.

i mean, i love being a girl; don't get me wrong.

i love mixing classic style with vintage, poofy skirts,

barely-there makeup, sparkley lapel pins and ballet flats

. . . the whole nine yards.

but when i saw this recent pictorial of

the 50 most stylish men of the past 50 years,

i thought,

"wow. they are just cool."

pete doherty

{not really a fan of him, but his style kills me}

david bowie

dylan

{ah, wayfarers}

beck

{carried a secret flame for him at the same time as justin timberlake back in freshman year of high school--- 14 is a magic age}

jack kerouac

david hockney

{whose work, btw, is a ton of fun}

but the winner?

michael caine,

you are the man, cigarette and all.

check out the rest of the list.

i want to dance in a bank now

just one more reason why zooey deschanel is lovely

and every man should dress like joseph gordon-levitt.

happy weekend to all!

friends & i did something fun last night . . .

we went roller skating!

we wore knee socks and it was a hysterical time.

mr. dj-roller-rink seriously played nsync, the bee gees AND the macarena.

it is quite possible we may become regulars.

the man at the rink was mean and would not let us snap photos

so i have to use this cute one from the 70's.

sister leaves THIS MORNING . . . 

her connecting flight to tampa from philly was cancelled

and so her entire travel was rebooked for early this morning.

it was kinda great to get her back for another night.

brother's friends,

rick and andy from england who have been living on the floor in our family room for a week,

are leaving today too.

they've been really fun house guests .

life will be a little more ordinary without them:

1. poaching eggs at midnight

2. strutting around in their undies

3. acting like the 2 other younger brothers i never had

{i have suddenly realized how easy my actual brother has been to live with all these years . . . 

he even smells good!}

~~~

okay, now for a story:

i'm helping mother out at the grocery store the other day.

we're in the bread aisle, trying to figure out which yummy, whole-grained, oat-y goodness we want to take home with us . . . 

and we ran into the property manager for the condo where i grew up

{who was always, btw, a rather cranky lady who clearly didn't eat enough cupcakes in her life to be cheerful}.

i kid you not, the first thing she says to me is,

"wow, look how big you are now."

um, excuse?????

~~~

on another note, we also had the most glorious lightening storm last night.

streaks of electricity that filled the whole sky.

even some reds and purples.

it was thrilling, scary and made us laugh a lot as we drove to go skating.

things like that really demand my respect for God's creation,

 do you think?

~~~

off to early-saturday breakfast with bestest and jewell & the beanstalk.

we're giving the message at pulse next week

{come!}

and need to nail out major details.

a few prayers please!

for those of you who haven't been on vacation all week like me,

HAPPY WEEKEND!

this hold out is brutal

j.crew, why must you do me so wrong?

the way you tempt me is almost immoral.

for the sake of my children . . . who are not yet born, that is

it was during julie & julia {which was, btw, adorable}

that i had a horrible realization:

my children are going to starve.

i mean, i can bake well.

not fabulously; i'll get by at a bake sale some day {helloooo, s'more cupcakes}.

but i do not cook and this must change.

{the feminist in me says, "just marry a man who can cook," but let's face it- i want to be a

stay-at-home mom

ican'tbelieveijustadmittedthat

which means i'll be cooking . . . that is, if i don't kill my entire family with my food first}

so, despite the fact that i will often be cooking for one,

learning to cook meat even though i don't eat it {this should be exciting} and overall just be making a mess of an already pretty small kitchen,

i shall learn how to cook for my future children.

i mean, really, this is a humanitarian effort.

{yes, i broke my "must read the book first" rule just to join my friends at this movie --- i'm glad i did;

it was just so darn cute}

last days of summer

today is my last day of vacation

{i don't count saturday or sunday because everyone else will be off too and when i request time away from work, i don't include saturday and sunday in that plea}

so, not only am i a little sad because i must go back to work on monday

{i love my office peeps, but honestly, who doesn't love having nothing to do for a whole week?}

BUT

sister also leaves to go back to school this afternoon.

talk about depressing.

sister, i will miss:

1. laughing with you at the crazy "fitness man" who stretches outside our apartment whilst practically naked

2. drinking chai tea lattes {me-soy/you- skim} at the book store until it closes

3. listening to your music-

the almost and cool hand luke are amongst my summer faves now

4. the look on your face when i play journey, whitney houston or pat benetar in the car

{see below--- your enthusiasm astounds me}

5. late night heart to hearts in random, semi-lit parking lots

6. driving after dark with the windows wide open and the music loud

7. beach walks

8. snuggling with you while you chat on the phone with your boyfriend before you go to bed

9. testing out butter cream frosting recipes

{i will still do this without you but i will get fatter}

10. having the fun that only sisters can have.

i love you; come home soon!

 

what if . . .

i've been not-so-secretly plotting an escape from nh.

especially after bestest and i fled to the upper east side for a

long weekend in june,

i'm chomping at the bit to explore life beyond the town where i grew up.

one of my dear friends also went on a similar trip to nyc just a few weeks ago.

it must be in the water:

Friend:

we can live in east village and bike.

have a fire escape.

Me:

omg- i just bought a bike and heart it big time!

Friend:

yay! i need a basket too.

Me:

i am so happy about this.

Friend:

we can decorate all cute too.

what if . . .

via east village podcasts and 12th of never

s'more cupcakes, please

attempted and succeeded in baking s'more cupcakes over the weekend!

they were delishhhhhhhhhh

and surprisingly easy to bake.

{sister even helped a little, which is a fantastical thing in and of itself}

step 1) line cupcake tins with colorful papers and preheat oven to 350

step 2) graham cracker crust

crush about 20 graham cracker squares into practically dust

mix with about 2/3 a stick of melted, unsalted butter and 1/4 c sugar

pour a small amount of the mixture into each baking cup and pack down tightly

with the bottom end of a small drinking glass

{we used a recycled shrimp cocktail glass because it was the perfect small size}

step 3) finely chop semi-sweet chocolate

{we used ghirardelli- yum}

and sprinkle a pinch on top of crust in each tin

step 4) bake crust for about 5 minutes or until the edges are golden brown

step 5) mix together your fave boxed cake mix or from-scratch recipe

{we bought duncan hines chocolate fudge}

pour mixture over baked crust

{you'll want to fill each cup about 2/3 to the top}

pop into the oven for about 20 minutes or so

tip: you'll want to keep an eye on these, since there is less cake in each cup,

the baking time will be different.

i found they were perfect with 5 minutes less time than the box instructed for normal cupcakes.

step 6) frosting!

2 sticks soft unsalted butter

2 c confectioners sugar

splash of vanilla extract

couple small pours of milk as needed

1 16 oz. tub of Fluff

it was easiest to add the sugar to the butter, milk and vanilla, blend and

THEN work in the Fluff {which, btw, creates a sticky, gooey, very tasty mess}.

this recipe makes a TON

and

they're already gone.

i can't believe i had the self-restraint to eat just one out of the batch

{my waist thanks our house guests, who are essentially human vacuum cleaners}

soundtrack for life

i'm a girl who landmarks moments with the occasion's soundtrack.

sometimes i hear songs and they speak to me of moments in time.

e.g.

gold gun girls {metric}- going out with sister and bestest

glorybox {portishead}- falling asleep head over heals {tears for fears}- night drives with the windows open

so, i listened to this song the other day;

i thought, "i would like to fall asleep on a boy's shoulder to this song."

all of this might sound ridiculously silly.

ah, well. worse things have happened.

isn't it just a fabulous song???

aaaand, you can download it free.

gotta love rcrd lbl.

via le love

let's play like we are children.

vacation day #1

so, after receiving arrival notices for over 50 people this month,

my boss told me i should still take vacation this week!

i am soooo happy

{i did two airport pickups last week to earn this break, so i think it's well deserved!}

today we're going to the beach.

brother has two guys visiting from the UK

{it's like an old school sleepover every night this week}

and bestest might be joining us for a day as well.

i'm pleased.

via papertissue

crave

kate spade, how i wish i could afford you.

dachowski photography- i'm a little bit of a fan.

this is my brother!

i worked for the dachowskis for a little over a year after college.

they are a wonderful couple.

so talented.

so kind.

and

soooo much fun

{get jeff talking about 80's new wave music and it's done}.

~~~

i held lots of babies, reflector and diffusion panels that year.

total blast- i miss it sometimes.

~~~

jeff kindly helped out brother with his portfolio when he was thinking of heading out to LA after college.

brother's plans changed slightly {he flies to leeds in only a month for grad school-- eek!}, but i was so happy to see these gorgeous pictures of my very handsome brother online. definitely check out jeff's work. i mean, come on, doesn't this make you want to trash a dress??? thanks, jeff and carolle; you're fantastic! happy weekend to all . . . sister, bestest and i are going to the mid-eastern festival downtown. hurray for falafel!!!

if i were a boy . . .

attempting to carry off these looks would really take

my love for androgyny to a new level.

{i got so much flack in 6th grade for wearing jeans with suspenders, white dress shirt and tie. 12 year olds have no vision.}

if i were a boy . . .

. . . so cool.

dear future-husband,

seriously. menswear is soooo attractive.

but please do not smoke.

<3

via refinery 29 & the sartorialist

~~~

i swear, i will get around to posting redhead pictures soon enough!

glen & marketa

i am so happy!

today,

frolic posted a link to npr's sneak peek of

marketa irglova and glen hansard's follow-up

to "once."

how lovely.

note to self:

find someone to make beautiful music with,

at least for a little while.

finish

i'm done reading the time traveler's wife.

i have to say,

i ignored many a recommendation before picking this one up.

and i only did because the movie preview is so annoyingly appealing 

{ugh, i hate succumbing to the chick-flick lure} 

that i forced myself to reading it- i have a fundamental rule against going to see movies before reading the book.

excluding the godfather series.

the verdict?

so good.

super compelling, romantic and will probably make the most cynical of ladies

believe in truuuue loooove.

i can now see what all of the hype is about.

hopefully, the movie will capture some of the magic between the two main characters.

we'll see.

i have a hard time passing off eric bana {handsome as he may be} as

 "henry, the 90's punk rock hipster,"

but i've been surprised before.

we love to kayak, part II

more pictures from our saturday of fun!

can you tell laura is just a little bit at ease?

i don't know how many times people sang

"once around the river bend" to bestest,

but it was a lot.

what a weekend.

great times with friends on saturday.

brunch with a bunch of people on sunday

and 

a bike!

i heard the most beautiful testimonies last night-

i cried the whole way through them.

it was incredible to hear people be so venerable about what God is doing in their lives.

it reminded me of the reasons why we have pulse in the first place.

definitely check out the blog and have a listen.

{thank you, God. this weekend was a reallllly good gift.}

bicycle race

i love bicycles.

i love that they are completely green.

i love that they help you get places and keep fit all at the same time.

i love the way their little bells sound when they ring.

i love how cute they look with little baskets at the front.

refinery 29 recently posted a couple of beautiful bikes

that have me drooling:

i just bought a little bike from a lady in concord

for a whopping $25.

since i don't really live in an area that is incredibly

bicycle friendly,

it will suit me just fine until i'm elsewhere.

{thanks, laura, for being a bike guru and helping me tune it up!}

now i just have to purchase a basket

for my library books!