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Have you been wondering where I’ve been?

Truth is – and I hate to admit this – that I’ve been cheating on you, blog. That’s right…I’ve been blogging elsewhere. Actually, this fall (right when I stopped posting here) I started building a new blog from scratch. The timing was serendipitous for me as I was starting to feel a little stagnant in this venue, and a rebirth was necessary, but I didn’t know where to go. Then fortune smiled upon me and gave me a job that I love. Four years after graduating college with a degree I didn’t really care for, and spending a lot of money to get it, I have finally found something that feels like it’s right for me. I was hired as the Media Specialist for a very small, independent health food store here in my home region.

Not only is it wonderful to be doing something that I love for a living (blogging, social media, design), but I am also doing it for a company that I truly believe in. As you probably know, Ryan and I have been vegetarians for many years, tested out a locavore diet on two different occasions, and we really work hard to spend our dollar votes wisely. This job encourages and engages all of my many interests, from upcycling to reading to eating – no easy task. So my disappearance from this corner of the internet didn’t mean I was disappearing entirely; instead, I’ve been dreaming up, designing, and building this website during my working hours (and also a little in my off time – shhh, don’t tell the boss!). They say that if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. It’s my sincere hope that you all have or find this happiness, too.

I would love for you to follow me there, even if you live out of state. We will be sharing all sorts of eco-friendly tidbits and healthy recipes. I’m going to be doing most of the blogging, but there are several other ladies involved right now and we are working on expanding our blogging team even further. Oh, yes, and I’m still writing for Goodwill International, too!

Anyway, I don’t want to call this goodbye, but it might be goodbye. There’s a chance I’ll come back, completely redo this blog and take off in a different direction, but for now I want it to just stay the way it is while I work on other things. Thanks for all of your support and encouragement over the many years that I’ve been writing here. I do hope we can stay in touch!

xx.

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Happy Christmas!

This is what we have been up to lately. We’re spending time with friends, getting silly to Ryan + Rob’s songs, and wearing Santa suits. Every year I enjoy watching the process of the Rugg Brother Christmas song. If you missed their videosongs from 2010 and 2011 you can see them by clicking those links (It’s Christmas Again is my favourite so far, but all are very silly indeed!). I hope you are all settling in for a wonderful holiday and that these boys bring you a little joy!

Hope you’re well!
xx.

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Our days are filled with comfort.

I hope your days are filled with cheer and joy. Spend as much time as you can with family, and show your loved ones how much you care. This part of the year never neglects me – I always feel the urge to share little happinesses with those around me.

Happy Christmas,

xx.

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Somehow I never got around to posting these photos.

Maybe a month ago, Ryan + I took a boat out to the island where we’re going to get married next September. It was absolutely breath-taking in the fall {these photos really don’t do it justice}. I can’t imagine what a dream it’ll be in the lazy days of late summer. If I could have my way, I’d just live on the darling little island forever.

I’d been going back and forth on whether I want to share the details of our wedding or whether I want it to be a surprise {it’s so hard keeping secrets!}. I get really excited about all of it and I can hardly contain myself. The beauty of the island is so difficult to capture in photographs, one must be there to feel the breeze, smell the air, and listen to the water lapping up on the shore, so I figure – what the heck?

When it comes right down to it, I don’t think I could keep from sharing any longer. I’m so in love with this State and all of her beauty. I feel lucky every day to be here living amidst all of these gorgeous lakes and mountains and trees.

Have a wonderful day!

xx.

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Corresponding with my pen-pal, Felicity (Flick for short) has been wonderful!

Shell of Kitty + Buck has worked so hard with Nat of Modern Buttercup to manage this letter exchange, and I’m so very grateful for the effort that’s been put in! My pen-pal is so much fun! We’re having a blast writing and decorating letters to send to one another and the ice-breakers that are posted for us to try are insanely fun.

One of the tasks we were given was to ask each other 10 questions. I love how Flick packaged up each of my questions separately! Each was so thoughtful and exciting to open. This project has been such an inspiration for me and although I haven’t had much time to dedicate to my letter writing, I try my very best!

When my brother was living in Germany, the letters we got from him had these red, white, and blue stripes around the edge. I was thrilled to see them grace the border of my first letter from Felicity. Somehow that’s what it took to really sunk in that she was on the other side of the Earth from me. Funny how little things like that can make such a huge impression. This is such a big world!

I’ve always loved getting mail, but I think the letters I get from her are my favourite. And even though we’re grown ups, I still think having a pen-pal does something really great for a lady. Check out the flickr page for snapshots of other Lovely Letters!

Have a wonderful weekend!

xx.

Today is the big day!

I’ve heard a couple of people say this year that they don’t want to vote because they don’t feel like anything changes from one election to the next. They say that everyone just gets all riled up around election time, but then once our new representatives and leaders are chosen, nothing feels different for them. The truth is, it takes a long time to make change. Thankfully, we live in a country that has checks and balances so decisions that are made at the top of the hierarchy are approved or denied by other branches of the government and so for us sometimes we can’t immediately feel the difference. Also, the fact that you don’t notice a change probably means that you’re in the majority seeing as a lot of the issues that are being raised in this election mainly effect minorities like the gay community and women’s rights. Incidentally, the two people who told me they didn’t notice a difference between elections were middle class white males – the only population who has had voting rights since our country’s birth. The rest of us had to fight for it.

So even if you don’t feel like this election’s results will effect you, know that they will. And, if you’re not going to vote for the outcome of your future, you should at least decide how you feel about others around you and cast a vote for them. The basic human rights for several populations are still on the table to be decided and you can help determine the outcome. We owe it to ourselves, our neighbors, our friends, and our families to do a little research and choose a candidate whose beliefs more closely align with our own. People literally died to give us that right.

My polls opened up at 8 am today and Ryan and I were there. Do a quick google search to find out where your community is voting and how long you have to get there, then brush up on the issues at hand. Bring your ID, and if you’re unregistered also bring proof of your physical address {a lease, or even an electric bill with your name on it}. In New Hampshire you can register to vote at the polls. I’m sure you already know how you feel about the issues of abortion, gay marriage, the environment, small business, etc., so find the candidate whose beliefs most similarly align with your own and give them your support. Without every person’s vote, our election will not have an accurate reading of the American citizens’ beliefs.

Be proud that you are American – vote.

xx.

Today was a wonderful day to live in a small town.

Snow started falling this morning putting Ryan and I in the most marvelous mood. We love snow and we love winter! I can’t imagine living somewhere that didn’t have all four seasons. Although there was no accumulation, the flakes we saw were all it took to get us all bundled and nearly running out of the house.

While living in Portland we became rather accustomed to spending our days off just walking around town and popping in and out of establishments. It’s much harder to do that sort of thing in an area where the downtown stretches less than a quarter of a mile, but we made our very best effort today for sure!

First stop – the post office. We checked our mail {I got a letter from my Lovely Letters pen-pal, Felicity!} and picked up a package. Our post mistress is the absolute best, so on our way out we decided to pick up a coffee to surprise her! Ryan got a pumpkin coffee and I ordered a pumpkin coffee and a pumpkin latte so Andrea, the post mistress, could take her pick. We always appreciate her kindness and efficiency so I really hope she liked her autumn treat!

Apres ca, it was straight to the antique shop! Our antique shop owner is fantastic. She’s a jubilant thirty-something always excited to help us learn more about the world of antiquing. She asked us to make a list of all our favourites today so she could keep an eye out especially for us when she’s buying. I swear we could pass hours {and we almost did!} just hanging around her store laughing about flask-sized secret compartments in vintage bibles and venting about that time a family member threw away something obsolete (ie. oh-so-valuable) without checking with us first! Next time we visit she said she’ll make us tea. We may just stop by weekly!

Next stop, the library to pick out a few movies. We haven’t been in awhile since we’ve been so busy and our librarian jokingly scolded us, “You could have at least popped in to say ‘hi!’” It was great to catch up a little with her and as we left from there on our way home Ryan and I were glowing with the joy of living in a small town. It feels so wonderful to get out and be social and I love how intimate relationships can be here even just with the post master or librarian.

I hope your day was just as lovely!

xx.

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Tomorrow is the big day!

November 1st – let the noveling begin! Every year I look forward to National Novel Writing Month with such eagerness. The fairytales and characters that climb around inside my head throughout the whole year are appreciated, even encouraged, during November when I, along with thousands of other writers across the globe, type ’til my fingers bleed with the intention of writing 50,000 words in just 30 days. A novel in a month. It is quite the undertaking, but with the assistance of coffee, a comfy chair, and a little inspiration, it’s entirely possible. 2012 will be my fifth year participating and hopefully my fourth year of reaching that lofty goal. Keep up with my progress, or add me as a writing buddy here.

Won’t you join me in this crazy affair?

xx.

P.s. Here and here you can find out a little about the novel I wrote last year!

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I’ve never made a dress from scratch before.

I’ve done a lot of alterations, hemming, taking things in, changing necklines, straps, or sleeves, but this dress is the first one that I’ve ever made entirely myself. It was somewhat intimidating at first, but I managed it and I’m really excited.

The first second I set eyes upon Suzy Bishop’s darling dress, I knew I had to make it for myself. Knowing that I work best with deadlines, I decided to be Suzy for Halloween. I ordered the fabric, zipper, and a similar dress pattern a couple of weeks ago, and got to work on the dress this week. The pattern had to be altered a bit and added to, so, as is usual for me, I was right down to the wire. My Moonrise Kingdom costume was finished around noon on Saturday, right before I went in for work.

We had two parties last night to attend, and both were fantastic. The first was a big bonfire party hosted by Ryan’s and my boss. It was wonderful! Such a fun group of people with great costumes and fabulously fresh air. The second was our usual Halloween party  at Rob + Pam’s. We stayed for the night and today did a bevy of fun fall things like piling up leaves and burying ourselves. I love the smell of crisp and dying leaves.

Happy Sunday,

xx.

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve blogged.

This weekend we were gifted with a nearly perfect set of days, and since we’ve been so busy and spread thin lately, I’m feeling very thankful for each one. Here is what made them up, the ingredients for the perfect day (or days):

I’m expecting things to settle soon. one. Because we’ve put down some deposits for our wedding particulars (which feels so, so exciting!). We’ve made most of our decisions and are now just finalizing the big things. Once those are set, we can just enjoy the process of getting inspired, and making/collecting the perfect decor and details. two. I’ll finally have a consistent schedule at a day job that I love in just one week. My new job inspires me and flatters some of my most basic interests. It feels like me. So next week my life will be organized into a weekly routine and the only things in it will be things that I love. No more working nights. No more of having a different work schedule every week. Without consistency I’ve found that I feel very scattered and can’t focus even on the things I love to do the most.

xx.

P.s. My brother-in-law built that playhouse for LG from scraps! Childhood dream come true! My family joked that he was actually building it for me instead of my niece – ha! (I would have been just as excited as she was.)

]]> http://jeezejulia.com/2012/10/23/ingredients-for-the-perfect-day/feed/ 10 jeezejulia pumpkins. sleeping in. breakfast. pink playhouse. friends outside. island. rainbow over lake. boots on dock. phone booth. squam lake. our wedding will be here.