10 reasons why I still love "You've Got Mail".

1) When it's 107 degrees in Dallas for months, I can immediately be transported for a few heavenly hours to a crisp New York autumn.

2) Creative gift ideas.I have given a "bouquet of newly sharpened pencils" as a fun little gift to several friends since this movie.  Who doesn't want to receive one of those?  "Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."  - Joe Fox.   

3) Café Lalo - one of the most charming little cafés in New York.  Nothing like sitting by the open casement windows there, sipping a warm latté on a mild October day.  My friend Suz and I have done it multiple times.

me and Suz in front of Café Lalo in 2005

4) The scene where Kathleen Kelly is shopping for groceries at Zabar's on Thanksgiving.  I don't know what's better...Rose the annoyed cashier, "Get-in-another-line."  Or awnery HAYN-ry who is behind Kathleen in line. "So SIGN already!  I'll hardly get home in time to watch the Thanksgiving parade!"

5) The fabulous Parker Posey.  Quirky, exotically beautiful, and the perfect dry humor.

6) Their ancient Mac computers and Instant Messenger.  Don't you miss those simpler times before our lives were taken over with things like Facebook and Twitter?  I actually remember getting in AOL chat rooms in college. HA!

7) From a pier on the Hudson River, Joe Fox and the kids wave hello to New Jersey, my homeland.

8) The "George" character.  "This place is a TOMB!  I'm going to the Nut Shop where it's fun."

9) Christmas in New York.  Period.

10)  How can I not mention Meg Ryan's choppy pixie haircut?  If I could pull off short hair, I would rock that hair style like it's 1998.

This movie just makes me happy no matter when I watch it, at any time of year.  And I'll never tire of it, never.

3 simple joys: old hymns, peas, and great-grandmas.

After posting my 3 simple joys recently, I decided to make it an ongoing thing. Fun!  Here are my most recent simple joys...

New doorway decoration.

The hymn prayer garland was a sweet Mother's Day gift from my sister-in-law Michelle and brother-in-law Cody who are currently serving in the Middle East with Preemptive Love Coalition.  Michelle, who Steven and I affectionately call "Big Sis" even though she's younger than both of us, always selects the most perfect, thoughtful gifts!  You can read it from either side as you're passing from the living to dining room, and I love having such beautiful, old worlds about Christ adorning an important doorway in our home.

* * *

Harvesting fresh food from our own backyard for dinner.

We grew peas!  And luscious, juicy heirloom tomatoes.  They were perfect garnished with a simple drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper.  There's nothin' like eating fresh food that you grew with your own hands and harvested just minutes before.

* * *

Visit with an older generation of family.

Luci Belle got to meet her only great-grandparent recently, Steven's "Gran" from North Carolina!  It was such a sweet time as we got to share lunch, and then Gran read to her great-granddaughter from Moo, Baa, La La La. 

* * *

Won't you join in, and share 3 simple joys you've experienced lately?

3 simple joys.

More to come soon from my recent Nashville trip, but until then...I was inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Walk Slowly, Live Wildly, to share 3 simple joys I've experienced lately.  Won't you join in?

A luscious green smoothie first thing in the morning.

I've been craving these lately...first, I juice apples, oranges, carrots, pineapple, lemon/lime, broccoli, peaches, or whatever fruits & veggies I have in the fridge.  Pour the fresh juice into the blender, and add a few handfuls of fresh spinach leaves on top.  Give it a good whazz {as Jamie Oliver would say} until the mixture is grass-green and frothy!  I feel so energized after gulping this down.

The perfect table setting for a country lunch.

A simple Mason jar filled with dainty flowers greeted us as we sat down for lunch at Joe Natural's in the tiny hamlet of Leiper's Fork, TN. The lunch was out of this world!  They grow many of the ingredients at their own farm down the street and use other local vendors as well.  My friend Angela and I split the Miss Mary Bobo {all-natural roasted turkey sandwich with roasted fig, garlic chutney, and grilled onions} and the Organic Veggie Bowl with Grilled Chicken {avocados, quinoa, olives, fresh seasonal veggies, hummus, grilled chicken, and sprouts, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette}.  Can you say YUM?

The luxury of our own row on the plane.

Traveling alone with a wiggly 10-month-old is what I would call "challenging"; holding her on my lap for the entire plane ride is nearly impossible.  Thankfully, we found a row all to ourselves where little Luci Belle could have her own seat, look out the window, climb on everything in sight, and play with the emergency instructions booklet to her heart's content.

What are  3 simple joys you've experienced lately?

Food As Gift.

Image: Art House AmericaI'm honored that my essay "Food As Gift" has been included on the Art House America blog today!  I hope you'll meander over and check it out...

While you're there, don't miss the lovely essays "In High Cotton" by Kierstin Casella and "Believing The Seeds of Wonderland" by Alice Smith, two creative and inspiring friends and fellow mamas from Nashville.

"Somehow, my little family’s efforts combined with that of so many others is a gift to the community, a voice shouting over the din of this big city that knowing where your food comes from does matter..." read more

Studio Mela on Etsy.

I have to introduce you to one of my favorite shops of delightful handmade items on Etsy, Studio Mela.  This woman speaks my language in a major way.  You might remember her "It Is Going to Be OK" print that I have hanging above the changing table in Luci Belle's nursery.  It's right across the room from the nursing chair, and I must look at it ten times a day and smile at the reminder. 

Studio Mela is having a spring sale right now, and you'd best take advantage of it!  I'm pretty sure I need this print...

"The Sweet Life" by Studio Mela 

Or how about this one?

"Live Simply" by Studio Mela

And who doesn't need these words of encouragement?

"Sing Your Song" by Studio Mela"What A Day" by Studio Mela

"In The Garden" by Studio MelaSee more of my Favorites on Etsy.  What are some of your favorite Etsy shops?

If...

Another beautiful day.

Apparently I'm on a continuing search for beauty here in this big city, and I'm going to find it all! After soaking up the Cedar Ridge Preserve, I recruited my friend Bre {and her baby Jack} to journey with me to the Trinity River Audubon Center to see what we would find there.  It was open wide and centered around a lake.  Very Walden-esque. 

Here we are with our koala babies...

It was rather windy and a bit overcast so we didn't stay too long, but I'd love to return on a beautiful sunny spring day to enjoy the wooded forest path.  It seemed the perfect place to curl up with a journal, waiting for birds and butterflies to make their appearances.

And the best part? Right before leaving, we stopped in the nature center's "Art251" gift shop to peruse the shelves of gifts and handmade items by local artisans.  While I was swooning over a set of large handpainted bird postcards and a baby onesie that said "Small Footprint," Bre called me over: "Look! There's my photo!" Indeed, in the back of the shop, next to a display of locally roasted Oak Cliff Coffee, was a clipped article about our store, Urban Acres, from a past issue of The Dallas Morning News.  The article shows a photo of Bre working the counter while pregnant with Jack.  It was encouraging to meet the director of the store who knew about us and to connect with other like-minded folks in Dallas.

I didn't leave the store empty handed.  In a back corner, there was a display of handmade clay plaques with inspirational sayings on them. I dug through the pile and knew immediately this was the one I wanted:

It's now displayed on my kitchen windowsill where, amidst chaos and disarray and a nonstop agenda, I can always stop and remember - it is another beautiful day.  And I must continue to search for and find the beauty all around me.

Free download: spring butterfly desktop wallpaper.

This photo I took last week at the Cedar Ridge Preserve is making my desktop very happy lately. Thought I'd share it with you too! Choose your screen size to download below, with or without the quote...

1280 x 960 | 1024 x 768 | 800 x 600 | 2048 x 1536 {full size}

1280 x 960 | 1024 x 768 | 800 x 600 | 2048 x 1536 {full size}