13 resolutions for this year.

   

 THIRTEEN RESOLUTIONS FOR TWENTY-FOURTEEN:

1. focus on Jesus more. (make Him my top priority)
2. journal more consistently.
3. make macaroons. 
4. write more love letters.
5. learn latte art. 
6. read sixty books. (you can follow my progress here)
7. paint my nails like these little darlings.
8. get my drivers permit.
9. do more watercolor art + design sketching. 
10. complete a 365 project.
11. learn to knit.
12. do more with videography. 
13. start an art journal

did you make any resolutions this year? 

xx. marcia

(p.s. I hope you all are staying warm and safe with all this freezing weather. and they were afraid of global warming... sheesh. ;))

ten things i need to hear more often.

i. be happy, even when things look difficult. (for the joy of the Lord is your strength. nehemiah 8:10)

ii. you don't need their stamp of approval on your life or life decisions to be happy.
happiness doesn't exist in them- it exists in Jesus.

iii. kindred spirits are to be cherished. (they aren't replaceable.)

iv. just because things don't go as planned, it doesn't mean they don't turn out well.

v. everybody deserves a second chance.

vi. your decisions don't only affect you. they affect others around you in ways you will never know.

vii. sometimes love is quiet on the outside, but it's LOUD on the inside.

viii. it's okay to cry sometimes. tears have a way of healing.

ix. someday all the pain will be worth it. (He works all things together for the good of those who love Him. romans 8:28)

x. be thankful for every little thing. cherish the laughter. remember  the good times.

goodbye october, you were quite lovely. 
hello november, please be good. 
xx. marcia

also, i'm back from my trip to tennessee. actually i came back a week ago, but let's not talk about that. but, i have a few posts in the works to tell you all about the adventure. (1:00am flights, redneck flea markets, southern accents- i think yes.)
and a huge shoutout to the ever so lovely mikaliah, who ended up being the only guest poster that worked out, but i think she had enough beauty in that one post to cover the lack of posts in the entire month of october. if you missed it, you can read it here.

10 things to be happy about

(just a photo from camping this summer + one of my favorite worship songs)

i: buying plane tickets (tennessee, here i come)
ii: chilly nights and the smell of fall in the air
iii. fresh brewed coffee
iv. new designs (a huge shout-out to sophie who whipped up this beauty while I was stuck in an inspiration rut. she's the bombdotcom, y'all.)
v. finding new favorite fonts.
vi. reading winnie the pooh books
vii. did i mention adventures?
viii. the chilly nights and the smell of autumn in the hair
ix. listmaking for the previously said adventures
x. good new music

what's been happy about your life lately?
xx. marcia

currently...

listening to:
light me up - hunter hayes
hesitate - steve moakler
home to me - sarah darling
whom shall i fear - chris tomlin
i do adore - mindy gledhill
worn - tenth avenue north
the October Baby soundtrack in general.

reading:
ephesians (did i mention it's my favorite book in the Bible?)
joyfull christian // c.s. lewis
to be a stranger // amy jane
procrasting and a giveaway // katie (ya'll her new lookbook is stellar)

anticipating:
my new camera charger that should be arriving on friday. (because i totally lost the one end of my charger in the first 4 days of owning my camera. #classyiknow)
the set apart girl conference next week
the bazilllion photoshoot ideas I'm planning this summer

loving:
these two gifs
the fact that summer is here, yet this week has been cool. #perfectweather
the little dancing winnie the pooh that i have posted on my desk.
my new perfume.
the fact that my herbs I planted are actually coming up this year.
the occasional afternoon rain we've been having.

working on:
finishing school for the year.
spring cleaning through all my stashes.
a new blog design.
a new inspiration board.

I promise I haven't forgotten about blogging. I'm planning some exciting things, and you'll be getting a bunch of real pictures soon, I promise. ;)

xx. marcia

summer bucket list + inspiration

001. have a picnic at the park

002. paint some chalkboards
003. read 15 books
004. start an art / inspiration journal
005. sew a maxi skirt
006. attempt more web designing
007. plan a styled photoshoot
008. drink these
009. make these for brunch sometime
010. sleep under the stars
011. go through all my stashes and get organized
012. write more often
013. have a sunrise breakfast
014. handwrite my bucket list and cross out what I have accomplished
015. paint my nails like this
016.  grow herbs
017. run through sprinklers
018. eat grilled peaches
019.  give this blog a fresh look
020. listen to Christmas music in july

i made a list for summer the other day. I am actually excited for summer this year.
ALSO, GUYS. YESTERDAY I ORDERED MY CANON REBEL T3I. *INSERT SCREAMING HERE* I AM SO EXCITED!!!  I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN!!

p.s. gracie read my mind and posted her summer list the same day I wrote mine. >>go check her's out because it's pretty much the bee's knees. ;)

p.p.s. all photos are via pintrest and tumblr

twenty-three books to read this year.

Ever since the new year, I've been wanting to compile a list of books to read this year. this is by far not theo only books I am planning on reading this year; these are just the ones that fit into the  "I-have-got-to-read-these-this-year" category. ((also, I apologize for the photo quality, I need some more practice in scanning. :P ))
So here are twenty-three books to read in the year 2013.... 

xxx

marcia.

p.s. I'm planning something really fun and exciting for next week. giveaway + blog party  "I don't say a word, not one single word." ((kudos to you if you got that reference!))

p.p.s. there is the most amazing giveaway ever going on over >>here<<. go enter. now. 

life of late & happy lists

yesterday, I was lying on my bed listening to a few soundtracks when I got a burst of inspiration. I haven't been taking many pictures lately because of just lack of inspiration, time, and proper lighting. ((Most of my free time is in the evening, and since I am such a huge nut about natural light, I almost refuse to take photos when it is dark.)) I grabbed my camera ((or technically my dad's but... yeah)), made myself a cup of peppermint tea, my vintage camera, and two of my favorite books and went out on our back porch. It was rather cold, but it felt like I could breath.

I've been finding more about who I am in Christ and who He has destined me to be. and yesterday, I felt like I was able to grab another piece of the puzzle, and though the puzzle is far from finished, I am gaining more pieces and someday they will come together.

reading:

the book of Ephesians (it's my favorite book in the Bible. #sogood)
October Baby (actually I've already read it twice. it is ahh-mazing)
The Horse and His Boy (I only have one book left in the Narnia series. #yay!)

listening:

"Who You Are" - JJ Heller
"First Dance" - Amanda Falk
"I Love You This Big" - Scotty McCreery
"Everything Falls" - Fee
"Good to Be Alive" - Jason Gray
"Broken & Beautiful" - Mark Schultz

loving:

nail polish.
writing about what's on my heart.
cloudy days.
#hashtags. I use them a lot.
cups and cups of tea.
you might be a homeschooler if... III
my necklace from Clairs. It took me forever to decide on which one I wanted to buy... honestly, why can't I just live in there?

quotes:

"My philosophy for dating: Run as fast as you can towards God and if someone keeps up introduce yourself."   (source)
"Every person's life is a fairytale written by God's fingers." -Hans Christian Anderson
"Be in love with your life. Every minute of it." -Jack Kerouae
"No matter what, nobody can take away the dances, you've already had." - Gabriel Garcia Marquez


xxx,
marcia

a thankful list || thanksgiving day

first of all, I apologize for all the food photos, especially the pie... it's my one weakness [go watch that, it is awesome] actually, I'm not truly sorry either.
Thanksgiving was amazing. It was low stress and we just had a good time.  I know it is a day late, but it's Thanksgiving isn't just a holiday. It's something that should happen every day.

|| MY THANKFUL LIST [a to z] ||


[all photos are sooc]

                                         || MY THANKFUL LIST [a to z] ||

my dearest friend and kindred spirit, Amy. baskets of of fruit. the crazy people who I am blessed to call my friends and c.S. Lewis. happy dreams at night. my church Ellerslie. random facebook conversations that started out with a friend saying that he wants to build a castle one day, and then 88 comments later, we decided that when he is finished with the castle, we are all going to fly to his island and move in and have sleepovers and hot-tubs in our bathroom. God's abundant grace. tight hugs from my dearest friends. indescribable happiness. jelly on hot rolls. kiddo kisses before bed. all the laughter shared with friends.

being branded as mousie, Marcia Mouse, Minny Mouse, Mickey Mouse because I wore mickey ears to costume day at my coop. bird nests. oscar Wilde quotes. photography and pumpkin pie. never ending questions from kiddos. reading books with cups of hot chai on chilly days. silly faces. cups and cups of earl grey tea. adorable polka dot umbrellas. vintage happy things. winnie the pooh. being blessed with  eXtra. happy yellow things. seeing a person with a zealous love for life.

so how was your Thanksgiving?
xoxo,

marcia