desk envy

lately my room has been looking like my closet had a bad case of food poisoning (aka my room is a disastrous, unclean mess)! i can't help but feel jealous of the tranquility this person must have with a desk as neat as it is.

"about benjamin he said: 'let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.'"

deuteronomy 33:12

finca bellavista

how magical would it be to live in this place?

check out finca bellavista, a community of people who make their homes in tree houses and are committed to being stewards of the environment.

they swap mini-malls and movie theaters for ziplines and kayaks. plus they utilize the rainwater for their water needs, get their energy from the sun and the river, and build their huts out of all natural materials. sweet life, huh?

"the earth is filled with your love, o LORD; teach me your decrees."

psalm 119:64

p.s. easy ways to add recycling into your life.

kitchen art

oh how i love simple paintings of food to spice up kitchen walls.

i once tried to do just that - paint a pear for the kitchen of my college house. but it ended up being a disaster and was hidden in the stairwell and dubbed the name "the pear."

but how lovely are these? i'd use these over the pear any day.

"and so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."

1 john 4:16

wall decals

i'll admit it. i used to be so against wall decals as decoration because i thought they looked...well, tacky. but have you seen what's out there now? these wall decals can transform a drab wall into a piece of art.

"this is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

1 john 4:10

(decal numero un, decal numero deux, decal numero trois, decal numero quatre)

eat up these kitchens

my parents are about to embark on the very large task of updating our kitchen. the whole peach, cream and gold look is OUT! the kitchen always seems to be the most popular spot in our house, so this task is going to take some serious planning.

being the great researcher, i dug through martha stewart's 26 home tours and found these kitchens. of course none of them fit our house. but someday i'll be having a house of my own to decorate, and i'm totally planning ahead!!

"sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you."

hosea 10:12

birds and the houses they live in

i love birds (i have owned a total of 7 over my lifespan) and i love art. i am always looking to incorporate both in my room at home. doesn't this children's room look magical? if that were my room, i would have spent hours in "lala land" (which i commonly refer to as my childhood)

and wouldn't you love to have a cute little songbird in this bird cage i found on etsy?

speaking of etsy, you may have caught me wearing my favorite bird necklace i bought from that beloved web site.

"for great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies."

psalm 108:4

p.s. check out this stylish bird.

bookworm here

since i am nearly a grown up and go to lunch by myself almost everyday, i go through books like they are diet coke. so today during my lunch break (all the exciting things in my life happen then) i stopped by half price books to pick up something new.

i absolutely love that store, but can't help feeling overwhelmed every time i browse. there are just too many good books to choose from! imagine picking a book from this library.

but isn't it facinating how a person selects a book? some read the very last page, some dive into the first chapter, some find pretty covers, and some stick purely to the summary. i chose the latter and went with atonement by ian mcewan.

i hope it's a good read, because i might just have to purchase this bookmark.

"and this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ"

psalms 1:9-10

p.s. liked yesterdays post all about balloons? then see more here.

porch crush

yesterday i had dinner at breadwinners with some friends i have had since elementary and middle school. we chose to forgo the plush air conditioning and enjoy our meal outdoors. out of the 24394 reasons of why i love summer, one of the top 5 is eating outdoors. i love the serenity that is present in being outside.

one element that most certainly WILL be in my future home will be an outside porch - perfect for reading, eating, or spending time with the ones you love.

i have a crush on these two porches below. aren't they just divine? and the view from the second makes it all the better...

"whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."

psalm 34:12-14