things that made me smile this week

it was a rough week, but there was plenty to smile about.

* a gorgeous spring-like day with birds singing, trees and flowers starting to bloom, sunshine and warmth all around. it was an absolutely gorgeous day.

* i recently bought this lovely jacket. it makes me smile whenever i wear it, and everywhere i go, i get the loveliest compliments on it. it's so much fun to wear.

* a friend and i took josiah out for a walk and watched him play at the dog park. he's so funny and the other dogs are fun to watch as well. some are so friendly and while others are so skittish. plus, it was nice to stand with my friend and chat as we watched the stars come out as the sun went down. venus and jupiter are so bright this time of year in the western sky.

* i worked from home one day because i was sick, and in between emails and phone calls on my dreaded blackberry, i also planned out my front garden for this year. i can't wait to get started. it's going to be an explosion of color.

* oh, and josiah is really great at warming up my feet too.

* an early birthday present from a friend, who knows and appreciates my love of star trek. yes, it's a star trek door chime with a motion sensor that sets off a klaxon. this will be great fun in the office! oh, and the hat fit him.

* on friday my roommate left close to midnight to drive up to new york because her baby sister was in labor and she was about to become an auntie again. this meant i got josiah all to myself this weekend. woohoo! while on a walk sunday morning, there was this cute little boy, probably about 18 months old, with blond hair, blue eyes and a brilliant smile who turned the corner in front of us, saw josiah and fell in love. he was soooo cute and excited to meet him. he wanted to pet josiah and instead of reaching out to pet his face, he knew just what to do. he walked over so that he was standing behind josiah's face, and reached out and tentatively touched him with his fingertips. he had the biggest smile on his face as he looked up at his dad. i loved that little kid.

* shakespeare is always fun, and the production of two gentleman of verona i saw on saturday night with some great friends was certainly entertaining.

* i watched this documentary on Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey. it's the loveliest film about following your passion and being supported by family and colleagues. i laughed and cried. when i grow up, i want to be like elmo.

thoughtful thursday: adventure

The test of an adventure is that when you're in the middle of it, you say to yourself "Oh now I've got myself into an awful mess; I wish I were sitting quietly at home." And the sign that something's wrong with you is when you sit quietly at home wishing you were out having lots of adventure.  -Thornton Wilder

things that made me smile this week

* a south facing yard across the street is in full bloom with bright, sunny yellow daffodils. it makes me smile every time i go outside.

* meanwhile, my daffodils, tulips, crocuses and hyacinths are sending forth green shoots of plant life. my yard is north facing and doesn't get quite as much sun, so it's a little more slow going. but there are signs of life.

* reading four books in 4 days last week. i haven't done that in a while.

* dinner with great friend MJ. it was so great catching up with him and reliving a couple of funny moments from chief's training. plus the food at rosa mexicana is amazing.. the crab enchiladas are to die for.

* so, i'm chatting with a friend who tells me my birthday present is on order. i tell him that i have his birthday present and in fact had tried it on the other day, and it was pretty snug on my head and i was hoping his head was smaller than mine. he looked at me and said, "sooooooo, i'm getting a hat..." doh!

* a friend's birthday party with sparklers for candles on her cake. so much fun!

* almost a full week without desserts and other kinds of sweets. i like observing lent in my own little ways. helps me refocus energies and thoughts.

* my roommate brought this recipe home last week for kale pesto. it's like eating green sunshine. scramble a spoonful into scrambled eggs. eat it on baghette. add it to stir fry. stir into pasta. seriously, it's sooo good.

* my mom is almost committed to coming for a visit. please keep her in your prayers, as physically she's feeling a bit frail and not sure she's up to it.

* and finally this little picture from here. ha ha snort....

thoughtful thursday: love is awareness

"Awareness born of love is the only force that can bring healing and renewal. Out of our love for another person, we become more willing to let our old identities wither and fall away, and enter a dark night of the soul, so that we may stand naked once more in the presence of the great mystery that lies at the core of our being. This is how love ripens us -by warming us from within, inspiring us to break out of our shell, and lighting our way through the dark passage to new birth." -John Welwood


from here.

reasons i love dc: the national cathedral

This past weekend a spur of the moment trip to the National Cathedral provided the perfect amount of being outside in the beautiful sunshiny weather, time spent with friends and being a hometown tourist. 


I love the National Cathedral. Planning began in the 1890s, with construction beginning in 1901 and completion in 1990. I think it's remarkable that it was built entirely in the 20th century. The craftsmanship and architecture rivals any cathedral I have visited in Europe. It's a beautifully crafted building, and it makes me happy that even in our modern age we still take the time and have the inspired talent to create such a wonderful work of art. It's a favorite place to visit and it had been far too long since I visited.


We discovered that Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan are interred in the columbarium located in the downstairs of the cathedral. We also took the elevator up to the west tower's viewing galleries which provided beautiful views of the city. We could even see the distant white spires LDS Temple to the north. It was a beautiful day!

the west entrance

spires that fell during the earthquake in July 2011

the space window

a beautiful gate

close up of the gate

a chapel entrance

one of the hand made kneeling cushions in the Resurrection Chapel

mosaic detail in the Resurrection Chapel

the end of the rainbow... so cute. 

fishers of men

a little prayer corner

whale detail on an archway

looking out the window of the west towers

repairs are underway to fix the earthquake damage

looking south

all photos taken with my droid incredible 2 phone. love this camera!

stuff that made me smile this week

* valentine's day! i love this holiday. yeah, i know we should tell and show our friends and families how much love them every day, but i like stopping for a day to really focus on the love. it's kind of like thanksgiving for me--give thanks every day, but stop for one day to really focus on it. focusing on the love always makes me smile.


* a valentine's date. :)


* receiving valentines from family and friends. (on a not so happy note: the valentine from my mom still hasn't been delivered. boo usps!)


* winning a couple of battles at work that are in the best interest of the boss. yay!


* brunch with some fun ladies, followed by a bus trip to the national cathedral and some sweets.


* gorgeous, gorgeous warm weather (temps almost in the 60s) followed by cold, rain, and snow. such a weird winter we're having.


* watching a friday night movie from the comfort of my own couch. 


* a fun evening with sisters from church making individualized quilt blocks. i loved being around such fun and creative sisters. i need more time like this in my life.


* i'm loving this season of downton abbey. 


* good books, hot tea and warm slippers.


* learning.


* skinny jeans and boots. my green leather jacket. cuddly sweaters. cute colorful flats.


* church singles potluck with good friends. i really love this group.


* the swedish chef makes me laugh every time: bork! bork! bork!





* and for more fun, check out this site that translates web pages into swedish chef, redneck or even pig latin!


have a great week.

cleaning my face

via

So, I've been reading about new options to clean my face. I've been using this popular facial cleanser for several years and I feel like it's just not working as well it used to. I've been struggling lately to manage some pretty huge breakouts and my face just felt irritated, dry and angry. This isn't uncommon in the winter time when the humidity drops to under 30% here in DC. I needed something that wasn't going to irritate or dry my skin out.


The Oil Cleansing Method first caught my eye here. And then I read a review here and here. All of which led me to consider trying this method. After all, oil dissolves oil, so I thought why not and I was pretty sure that putting chemicals on my face wasn't going to fix my face. Plus, I wanted to try something I was pretty sure wasn't going to irritate my eyes any more than they have been lately.


So, yesterday I tried it for the first time. I created my facial cleanser by mixing 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of castor oil in a small container. I rubbed the mixture, using a liberal amount, into my face and watched as it dissolved my makeup. 


I let it sit for a minute and wet a wash cloth under hot water. I put the hot wash cloth over my face and let it sit for a several seconds, and then wiped my face off, rinsing the wash cloth out a couple of times until I had wiped the oil off my face. The reviews recommend using a clean face cloth every time you wash your face, so be sure to have a supply on hand.


I used a tiny bit of this eye cream and didn't use any other moisturizer. Honestly, my face didn't even feel like I needed any. My face felt amazing and in the morning, instead of an oily mess, it felt perfectly moisturized and looked less irritated. Even my eyes looked less red.


So, after one use I'm pretty much sold. I'm interested to see how skin manages the change over time and will keep you posted. I'm also interested in finding a good, natural exfoliation method as well.

thoughtful thursday: life's change agent

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.


"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.


"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent.


~Steve Jobs, 2005 Commencement Address to Stanford University via cnn.com