Friday: Cocoons

This week, all has been quiet.  No, I don't mean quiet in my life or in the world or in my office, or even at my house.  I mean quiet in my mind.  I have been laying low, being still, breathing, thinking, imagining. 

I have found that I go through these periods in my life.  They are off and on like a light switch.  I don't know what brings them about or what makes them go away... but they always seem to happen.  I wasn't even going to blog today, to keep up with my blog-less pattern I have been maintaining all week and with my quietness, but then it suddenly struck me - i figured out what was happening to me and I felt that I had to blog about it.

These periods that I am talking about are periods when I want to hibernate.  I dont really reach out to many people and I mostly feel like staying in.  My phone gets lost in my purse, next to my bed, and I dont think about it very much.  I am not constantly reaching for it. My creative side usually comes out more during these periods and I become very reflective. 

I have a habit of becoming angry at myself during these times.  Guilt also sets in.  I feel that I am not keeping up with my friends as much as I should.  Not calling my grandmom or aunt to say hello.  I look at other people being friendly and outgoing and think that I must be a mean grinch because I am not acting that way. 

What spurred this blog post was my facebook surfing.  I was just feeling that angry guilt with myself and admiring someone for how outgoing they were, when the word "cocoon" popped into my head.  I dont know why or where it came from, but it occurred to me that I am cocooning during these times.  These periods are not bad (although I will have to work on not being angry, guilty, or forcing myself out of these times), they are merely a time for self-reflection and a time to connect with who I really am again.  To go back to my roots and remember where I came from and what I am about.

When I emerge, I will be different.  It may not be noticeable to the human eye, or even to myself.  But I will come out more grown up and sharpened in some way.  I will be able to love more deeply than before and appreciate others more.  My light will shine brighter.  So there you have it folks, I am going through changes in my life and need to rest in my cocoon until I can re-emerge more polished than before. 

Once I come out of these periods, I constantly want to chat with people.  I am on the phone and meeting with people, and letting myself out into the world.  It is amazing how long I have been struggling with this part of me.  Now I can see it in a positive light.

Can anyone relate?

See you when I emerge... :)

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:23-25

xoxo Cori

Wednesday: Gobble Gobble, Cont'd, cont'd...

so, for whatever extremely frustrating reason, my whole post would not publish... hence, the continuation of today's post for your enjoyment :)

If you stuck with me (thank you:)), I would also like to share with you an opportunity to recognize the blessings we have here in American and share them with some people who are not so fortunate. People in Haiti are still suffering in a major way from the cholera epidemic.  This is a disease that is so easily cured, but they do not have the resources to make it happen.  Here is an article from Christ Fellowship's website. At the end I have included a link for more information on how you can give.



Palm Beach County, FL (November 20, 2010) - - - Haitian Educational Community Association is pleased to announce that on Monday, November 22, 2010, a Multi-Faith delegation will be responding to the human suffering and Cholera Crisis in Haiti.

With every hour that passes, people are dying and the disease continues to spread. There are over 1100 deaths known and reported to date and with the recent hurricane flooding the spread of this deadly disease has accelerated.  We cannot stand-by and watch the death toll climb. HECA has the cultural knowledge and relationships throughout Haiti and knows that they can make an impact.

The antibiotic (Cipro) is the most cost effective solution, and typically sells for $29 per infected person. HECA has found a supplier who is responding to the crisis and will provide the antibiotic for $3 per person.  A portal is being set up for the public to donate to this endeavor, for subsequent trips and will be announced as soon as it accessible.

The delegation is privately-self funded and is responding with their limited resources. The team will deliver and assist in dispensing the desperately needed antibiotic immediately.

The delegation consists of Mayor René Varella of the City of Lake Worth, Dr. Pierre Paul Cadet, a physician practicing in Palm Beach County,  Pastor Leo Abdella of Christ Fellowship Church, Mr. Stephen Friedman, The Jewish Friends of Haiti, Mr. David L. Alexis, a real estate broker,  Marcia Gonzalez , News Channel 5 WPTV and representatives of the Catholic Church have come together to respond to the Cholera Crises in Haiti.

To give, please visit: http://gochristfellowship.com/help-people/outreach/haiti-earthquake-relief/

as always,

love

Cori

 

Wednesday: Gobble Gobble, Cont'd...

Well I know that Thanksgiving was last week, but since I did not get to blog about it then, and since today is supposed to be inspirational and SINCE I would like to perpetuate the theme of giving thanks, I would like to share with you some nice little sayings for the thanksgiving and holiday season...

"The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!" -Henry Ward Beecher

"Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action." - W.J. Cameron

"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily." -Gerald Good

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice." -Meister Eckhart

"Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow." -Edward Sandford Martin

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to
live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Blog cont'd on next post...

Tuesday Vintage Fashion Update: Currently Trending, Jackie O?

UGH! I so love the fasion trends of the 50's and 60's. Dont you?! 

If I had to choose any decades, I would choose the 50's and 60's.  I have been fascinated with the look since I was a little girl.  Watching older movies and seeing pictures of people from these times.  I think the looks are timeless.  Everything from the make-up, to the hair, to the clothes.  Everything.  I think of Jackie O.  Her look is one I can only dream of.  I love everything she wore... so elegant.   The 50's and 60's prove to be more conservative, but in a way that accentuates curves and is very appealing and classy.

Lucky for me, and for those of you like me who so admire the style of these times, the trends are coming back.  Take a look at some recent runway fashions that are predicted for the winter season.

I love the knits, A-line dresses, pencil skirts, wide leg pants (as well as skinny).



Jackie O - My Fashion Icon

 

she simply fascinates me :)


hope you enjoyed todays update :) have a great day!

xoxo cori

Monday Life Update: Leftover Turkey

Happy day-after-four-day weekend everyone!

Yes, as Eminem would say, snap back to reality....back to the daily grind that is our lives.

What a nice four day weekend it was though.  Rick and I were busy running around like crazy but we got to spend quality time together and time with the family as well.

Here is the weekend run-down:

Thursday: I made my foray into Thanksgiving cooking with sweet potato casserole.  I think it turned out to be a success.  Next year I have some ideas to spice it up a little... perhaps some pecans or crust.  Something to make it a little more interesting, more than just potatoes and sugar. Then it was off to the St. Johns for feasting where there was no shortage of delicious foods.

SHOUT OUTS: Thanks to Alissa for her delicious pies (especially the pecan... mmm so good). Thanks to Caryn for her squash soup (though I am not an adventurous eater, trying something new was nice). Special shout out to Clare for her awesome crescent roles (the best rolled crescents I have ever experienced) and thanks to Papa Maffett for washing the dishes :) and I know other people made food but I cant remember who made what! Everything was delicious.




The Thanksgiving Feast

 Friday: We were crazy enough to venture out into the black hole that is black FRIDAY. NO, we were not up at 4AM and we did not camp out the day before. We did however make our way to the mall around 12pm. It wasnt bad at all. I was imagining people pushing and shoving and running each other over.  But we got a parking spot right in front of the entrance!! Now that is a black Friday Miracle. Honestly though, there werent many good deals. Maybe we were just too late? Did anyone else notice this? Cause it didnt seem to me like the stores cared too much to entice us with sales.

Friday night we got to eat some turkey gumbo soup thanks to mama maffett --- it was delicious. Made special with thanksgiving leftovers. Then we saw Love and Other Drugs, which was good.  I was expecting a hokey lovey dovey chick flick, but there was actually some depth to it.  There were parts that were funny, some thought provoking, and some moving. There was an unprecedented amount of nudity, which shocked me.  I am sure this movie set the new bar for the amount of nudity that can be shown in a movie without having to make it x-rated. If you are not into nudity, I wouldnt suggest seeing.  Especially not with your parents or grandparents, if that kind of thing makes you feel awkward (flashback to seeing sex and the city I seated inbetween my mom and stepdad).  Otherwise, I would suggest seeing it.

Saturday: We got to take ALL 3 dogs (summer, jake, and bowden) to the beach.  People stared at us like we were crazy as we got twisted and tangled between leashes and were screaming at the dogs not to run into the streets... The pups had a blast though of course. To dogs, the beach is pure heaven. I would compare it to a night at the breakers being waited on hand and foot with a complimentary massage for a human.

Then of course FSU beat the Gators.  I am still working on being an FSU fan.  I did see some hints of it while watching the game I must say. There were times I wanted to get a little competitive.  I think in a few years I will be a hardcore fan and look back on these times of cluelessness and laugh. At church people were congratulating Rick left and right.  At first we would say thank you and start talking about getting married, until we realized that they were congratulating Rick on FSU's win.

Sunday: Rick and I hosted the first ever Maffett Family Dinner at Rick's house.  Despite having a bachelor sized array of plates, silverware, serving dishes, etc, we managed to make it work :) We had to improvise a little bit but all in all everyone had a good time.

So, in short, that was our weekend.  Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving and that everyone gets a good start to their week!

Peace :)

Cori

Friday: Bible Thumper's Anonymous?

I was skimming the pages of Cosmo recently, and saw something that struck a cord.  Crosses.  They were scattered all over the page.  Some were in the form of major bling, some were bedazzled, some were small and some were large.  They were on the page obviously as a fashionable item. But it occurred to me that what the cross stands for is not considered so fashionable.

Seriously?

What is this twisted image our culture has?  The rappers wear crosses bigger than their heads and then they sing about murder and sex and drugs.  Rockers are not excluded from that.  Neither are Christians, by the way (we are all sinful beings and none of us is perfect).  But what I am getting at is the cultural delusion.  We see people wearing crosses as fashion statements with no idea as to what the cross symbolizes, and then people who carry their bibles with them are made fun of or are thought of as bible thumpers, etc.  Um hello, crosses and bibles stand for the same thing.

What is up with that? Why are "bible thumpers" so uncool? Jesus was uncool too by the way. He was in no way fashionable.  The bible tells us that he looked lowly.  There was nothing attractive about him.  I am not saying that being Christian should be cool, I am just saying that this ignorance has got to go.  You cannot wear a cross and then consider someone who loves Jesus a "loser" or what have you. 

So where did this come from? When and how did crosses become a cool, edgy, fashionable thing to wear? What is going to happen if this trend continues? Will the cross lose it's meaning to society altogether? The way it was laid out on the page of Cosmo leads me to think so.  It leads me to think that people who do not even believe in Jesus will begin to wear crosses because they look good.

Well I am going to stop rambling and hope that what I said above makes sense.  I'd like to hear some other people's thoughts too...

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

xoxo Cori

Thursday: To See Saw...

Yep, I was gone for a while.  More like 2 days.  But I missed ya'll and I missed blogging. This week has been a complete blur.  For reasons that I cannot unveil to you right now (stay tuned), I have been a little stressed but for a good reason (again, stay tuned).  So, I have spent my lunch breaks from work worrying about this stress causing thing, and therefore not blogging.  But now I am back.

And I want to talk Saw, yes I said it, Saw 3D.  Rick and I saw Saw last night.  Has anyone seen Saw yet? It is insane.  I mean, some really sick and twisted person had to write and create this movie.  The scenes are so horrifying.  The weird thing is, they look pretty fake.  The make up on the people who have been brutally bashed is really not good.  The blood doesn't even look real.  So on the one hand you can laugh and say ha ha oh look at how fake this is... or you can let yourself get all caught up and be completely horrified (I was the latter).  Oh and if you were wondering about the 3D part, you can barely tell it is in 3D. That was kinda disappointing since you have to pay like 3 bucks extra for that lovely feature.

Here is a Synopsis:

As a deadly battle rages over Jigsaw’s brutal legacy, a group of Jigsaw survivors gathers to seek the support of self-help guru and fellow survivor Bobby Dagen, a man whose own dark secrets unleash a new wave of terror...
The first theatrical feature to be shot exclusively on the cutting-edge SI-3D digital camera system, SAW VII 3D brings the horrifying games of Jigsaw to life like never before.

Anyway, what I really want to discuss is the idea behind the movie (sorry to give it away to anyone who has not seen).  The idea is that this crazy killer, jigsaw, goes around and kills people who did/do bad things.  He kills them in ways that resemble the bad deeds they performed, to teach them a lesson, so to speak.  He basically knocks the people out and sets them up in these crazy intense puzzles/traps, where they usually end up dying.  Jigsaw has some proteges, basically the lucky peeps who made it out of his "puzzles" alive.  So on the one hand you want to say, hey, this guy is trying to get a point across, maybe there is a good bone in his body.  But on the other hand you want to say, you idiot, you are killing people because they told a lie? and you want to call him a hypocrite because what he is doing is pretty darn bad.

So this idea of teaching people a lesson, righting their wrongs, by basically killing them, its like this sick jisaw guy's idea of a good deed. I am interested in people's views on this.  Should we be teaching people lessons (not by killing them obviously)? Doesnt everyone tell a lie once in a while, hurt another person, the list goes on? Whose job is it to right people's wrongs? If you believe in God, you have to say that only God can judge people because we are ALL guilty.  But humans seem to have this inescapable urge to let people know when they have done something wrong and teach them a lesson.  What is that all about? We are so slow to forgive others, yet we expect immunity for ourselves.

Luke 6:42:  How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Just some deep thinkage for your thursday afternoon :) hope you enjoyed!!

xoxo Cori

Monday Life Update: Foggy With a Chance of Antique Adventures...

HAPPPPYYYYY MONDAY!!

Yeah so, somehow this morning I woke up in a fog.  I first realized it while sitting at my computer at work.  My boss walked in and said "Hey!" and for a moment I had forgotten where I was.  I looked up from my computer and didn't even realize how much time had gone by since I sat down. I was in a daze.  Needless to say I have been clumsy and feeling mummy-like all day.  This is a day that calls for the beach.

If I am going to be perfectly honest, I will say that I just seem to be at a crossroads.  I have decided that I really do not like working for people.  I want to be my own boss (who doesn't, really?) but I feel this with a deep, firey, irresistable passion.  The problem is, I have no money. I have to pay rent, for a car.phone.water.electric.schoolloans.credit cards blah blah blah the list goes on! I am trying to get this business off the ground but who knows how long it could take? And I dont know how much longer I can walk around like a dummy-mummy at work without getting fired :) I have a job prospect, and I could make good money, but it's so not what I want. But it is what is smart. 

At what point do you drop what is smart and jump into the unknown? If I wasnt buckled with fear, today would be that point for me. what if i fail?end up homeless on the street?cant pay my bills?and on and on and on.

These are the fears and thoughts I must sort out and overcome.  I have a deep rooted insecurity - "oh I could never make it in my own business, who am i kidding!" or "what a joke! im just gonna lose interest and it will be another failed endeavor!"

Well on another note - this weekend was awesome. My lovely Aunt Ricki came to visit.  This was the first time her and I really got some QT together.  We had a girlie night on Friday and watched sex and the city 1 and 2 and ate ice cream. And Saturday, Flamingo park apparently had (an annual neighborhood) yardsale where people all over the hood put their good old junk out for sale! We did ourselves proud and got lots of goodies for the wedding.

We got some mason jars and some vintage vases, we got an awesome old window frame with mirrors in it (courtesy of the lovely mrs. julie tchividjian :)), we got some lace doileys... and I cant remember what else.  All i know is that we literally shopped till we dropped! I love, love, love shopping for old junk and finding hidden treasures :) So hopefully there is more of this to come as we prepare and plan for our wedding.

So, much love to all.. and here's hoping your day is not as foggy as mine :) stay tuned for tomorrows vintage update :)

Friday Things I Love : (My) Vintage Wedding :)

As Rick and I were talking about our wedding, we were trying to think of creative ways to make it fun. We have an idea to use an old typewriter for our guest book (admittedly, I stole this idea from someone's wedding -- I saw a picture of it, so props to whoever that was).  Also an idea to put polaroid cameras at the tables for pictures.  We could have sharpie markers for people to write their names, etc and put them in some really sweet photo album!

Then I was looking, or rather googling, for more ideas and I realized that what I want is a vintage wedding! Duh, I love everything vintage.  Why didn't I think of this before? I am really excited about the possibilities. So my colors are very muted -- orange, mustard yellow, melon, and turquoise... the orange yellow and melon are very blush colors, they are not bright... think of a really romantic color combo and that is it.  The turquoise is going to be used as the highlight color... hopefully it will make everything pop.  On the tables we will have ivory tableclothes with lace runners (dont know what color yet).  These blue mason jars will serve as the centerpieces with flowers and candles in them. 

Dont misinterpret, this is not going to be a tacky vintage, it is just going to be a regular wedding that is vintage inspired.  Very classy and elegant yet simple and vintagey. And I think I want the dishes to be vintage too -- I have to check into this.  Maybe go to Goodwill and see what kind of dishes they have (depends on pricing).  It doesnt matter if they dont match... I think it will add character and would be cute (havent discussed this with Rick yet :))

Well, so far that is what I have for ideas for my wedding! I dont have any clue how it is all going to come together, but I have to have faith that it will.  Oh and FYI, we have changed the date, but this time it is not going to change again!! APRIL 16TH! April 15th marks our one year anniversary so we thought it was appropriate.  Not to mention that my lease is conveniently up on April 15th :) How well does that work out?

I hope you all enjoyed my wedding inspiration!! Have a great weekend :)

xoxo Cori

Wednesday Inspiration Station: Haiti's Reality

Sometimes I get caught up in my everyday life.  I gripe, I indulge, and every once in a while I manage to find contentment.  And then I hear about things that are going on in Haiti (and around the world for that matter).  I tend to forget that I spent a whole week in Haiti, and living there was no piece of cake.  It is rough. 

There are few or no paved roads (driving in Haiti can give you whiplash, a hernia, break your back, or all of the above, and I am not exaggerating).  Water is scarce, you are lucky if you have running water let alone filtered water in your home.  There are no microwaves or ovens. There is no economy.  Life is hard to say the least.

When I heard that our friends who we visited in August had been affected by the flood, my heart dropped.  Rick and I were talking about it on our way to Whole Foods.  In our nice comfy car, on our way to buy food that most people only dream of. I felt helpless. I wanted to do something, but all I could do was keep driving and eventually have my Whole Foods dinner.  But our beautiful friends in Haiti are suffering. 

Maybe I don't watch the news often enough, but I really havent heard much about how hurricane Tomas affected Haiti.  Maybe it is underreported, I dont know.  But the reality is that it has hit them - and this is where I am going to show a picture (courtesy of Bruce) and a letter from Pastor Maula (also courtesy of Bruce) with whom we stayed when we visited Gonaive, Haiti. 


Hi Bruce! My internet signal was down because of the storm. I just got it back in order. Thank you very much for  your words, your prayer and support. Since more people were aware of the storm, many came for rescue in my house.There were a lot of rain and wind. The city were flooded but not as bad as the last one. Water rose up to a three feet level. When it came to a point to cause death, it was pushed away to the ocean direction by God. It happen that way because of Christian prayers. I went to church this morning to praise God for His Mercy. Most people could not attend the church because of the bad condition of their house. They have been throwing water away from their house. The sad news is that it is reported that an higher rate of people died of the epidemic cholera after the storm. It requires a strict level of hygiene to prevent it. Which is what I'm trying to do with them.


Blessing, Maula

The Flood From Tomas

I cant imagine what the people there are going through.  We are talking about people who literally live in cardboard boxes.  In tents with no floors, or metal or concrete homes with no roofs.  They didnt have running water to begin with, so what are they to do?  And now the Cholera Epidemic is grown worse.  I keep getting flashbacks of Sam, one of my favorite favorite kids I met there. He clung to me like I was his mom everytime I saw him and I totally adore him.  I hope he is safe.

My Precious Sam

 

How dare I go on living my comfy life? But what do I do about it? The question that pops into my head is "so what am i supposed to do, give it all up?" Maybe.  I feel so apathetic and lazy.

I encourage everyone to read more about what is going on there.  What are you gonna do about it?

xoxo Cori

Tuesday Vintage Fashion Update: Friend or Faux?

I realized today as I was reading the article below that not only am I bringing these updates to you for your information, but they also help me! The article below talks about some crazy stuff I never knew.  We all know about the counterfeit chanel bags and the counterfeit Movado watches - but did you know that there were people making counterfeit levis in the 70s? Apparently there are tons more counterfeits, and they were HUGE in the 70s and 80s. The sucky part is, you could be buying these things today -  sure they are vintage cause they are from the 70s etc, but they could still be counterfeit! Read on for more info.  Enjoy!! :)

Vintage Knockoffs-The 60′s, 70′s and 80′s Fakes Could Be On The Market Today

By Hersh

 

A vintage Cartier watch, a pair of Levis jeans, from the 1970′s. A Gucci handbag from the 1980′s. Any of these pieces purchased at auction, estate or a high-end vintage store are indeed “vintage” with the same semblance of high quality workmanship.

“Vintage” referring to the period when theses items were manufactured; where counterfeited heavily during these same times. Many vintage knock-offs could still be circulating today with buyers paying real prices for fakes.

In the 1970′s the counterfeit fashion trade was already estimated in the tens of millions of dollars. ”From 1960 to 1970, we all sold too many licenses,” Marc Vincent, of Saint Laurent, admits. Most designers during this time did not control manufacturing, which was done by licensees.

Several counterfeit Cartier boutiques sprung up during this era selling thousands of watches.
An early opportunist in the Mexico knockoff trade was a man named Fernando Pelletier. Cartier had held Mexican trademark rights, but in 1968 failed to renew them, thus allowing Mr. Pelletier’s company to start its own line of products labeled ”Cartier,” including jewelry and watches. It took over ten years for Cartier to win its legal battle with Pelletier.  Cartier estimated that 40,000 fake high-quality ”Tank” watches had been sold during 1976. Christian Dior, with annual sales of $365 million in 1980, spent $406,000 protecting its 813 registered trademarks.

Rare Vintage Levi jeans can sell today for $3,000. But is the classic vintage pair that you purchased a rip-off from the very same Vintage era the jeans came from?  In the late 70′s two Southern California men offered a private investigator posing as a clothing buyer 50,000 pairs of the counterfeit jeans a month for nine months. During this period in Italy the number one selling jean was Levi. The number two brand was counterfeit Levis.

Jordache jeans estimated their loss from counterfeiters in 1981 was in excess of over $1 million dollars alone. Levi Strauss seized $2.5 million worth of jeans in 1977 from a ring that extended from Britain to Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and Taiwan.

Many fakes of the late 70′s and early 80′s were produced to the same standards as the real deal. Quality fabrics used in counterfeiting were often sourced from the same suppliers. Louis Vuitton bag counterfeiters often used the same French zipper. Early fake Cartier watches were made of solid gold and were indistinguishable unless you dissembled the timepiece. Christian Dior fashion knockoffs were so good that even Dior’s people had difficulty telling the difference.

How can you tell if your Levi’s are vintage knockoffs?  Stitching, labeling and fabric are clues to look for. Often the denim in counterfeits is 10-ounce instead of 12-or 14-ounce; thread may be thinner, stitching sloppy, seams not straight, zippers of cheaper quality.

Jordache says a shopper can be sure about Jordache jeans in two ways: the horse head on the zipper and the initials ”JD” on the back of the button at the waist.

A Cartier watch is better taken to Cartier so that the internal time piece is inspected; counterfeiters used cheap internal mechanisms in their watches.

_________________________________________

Have a great day!! xoxo Cori

Monday Life Update: Party like it's 2002?

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope everyone is making it through this Monday and staying warm..

It has been a very eventful weekend and Monday so far in my world.

Yes, FSU actually has a circus :) 

The weekend started off with my first trip (well, second trip, if you count the time I protested foreclosures on the lawn of the capitol) to Tallahassee for the FSU football game.  Friday was BEAUTIFUL out here in South FL... nice and cool and sunny.  There is nothing I love more than a good road trip, especially on a beautiful day (except after hour 5... then, not so much fun).  It was so refreshing to see open fields, big beautiful trees and lush grass everywhere.  This, we do not have in South FL.  It's a trade off, really... because we do have the beach.  Praise God for that.

Upon arrival we were instantly taken back to 2002, the life of a college student.  I have to say that while it looked like fun, seeing all those college kids didn't make me miss that life as much as I thought it would.  I mean ok, there is absolutely no need for responsibility, you can act like a fool and it is normal, I guess it pretty much is the life.  But if I knew then what I know now (which isn't actually THAT much more)... well let's just say things would be different.

In summary, I learned on this trip that I can no longer party like it is 2002.  I am old. I like bed, and I really really like my sleep (Amen?).  And while watching FSU lose by only a field goal was a disappointment, I have to say it was still fun to visit college land and hang out for the weekend.

On another note, progress is being made with Wild Honey Lady Vintage (for those of you who have not been following, this is going to be an online vintage clothing boutique).  We now have a domain name and I ordered a mannequin!! Still lots to check off the list to get things running, but I am trying my best to keep stamina and persevere!

Hope you all have a great day xoxo Cori

Thursday: A Sweet Poem About Bloggers Block

I had planned on Thursdays being a day where people could win a gift card or coupon to my online vintage clothing store.  Well, unfortunately there isn't one yet. So I felt it was a little premature.  And now, I am drawing a blank on what to write about. So how about a little poem about bloggers block:

Bloggers block,

when it hits, it feels like a rock

not quite as solid,

but quite a shock

when first creating my blog,
i thought it would be easy to write about something everyday
afterall, my life seems so eventful in every way
until you try to write about it.

so what to say?
to an audience whose attention you would like to keep
to whom you want to convey a message

even if its just a little peep.

i want to display passion,

to move people with more than just fashion

i want to tell stories to intrigue

but it's feeling outta my league

so for now, i'll leave you with those thoughts about writers block,

and maybe you will return, cause hopefully tomorrows post will rock...

cheesy? i think so. hope you enjoyed.

<3 Cori

Wednesday: Inspiration Station - Miracles, big and small

Today is wednesday.  Not quite the beginning of the week, and not quite the end (unfortunately) and I figured we could all use a little inspiration to keep us truckin to the end.  I found these while searching the internet... some of them definitely gave me goosebumps.  I hope they can give you that little extra something to finish your day and week strong... enjoy :) Do you have something you think is miracle to share? post a comment! id love to hear (p.s. i think you have to become a follower to post a comment).

The sunrise my father and I watched standing at the top of one of the Smoky Mountains.
—Marilyn M., Huntington, Indiana

Our son fell 40 feet off his barn roof onto cement and didn't break any bones.
—Ladonna S., George, Iowa

All the factors that came together to help me find the daughter I had given up for adoption.
—Sandy M., Soda Springs, Idaho

A bumblebee flying.
—Karen D., Inverness, Florida

PHOTOGRAPHED BY TAMARA REYNOLDS

Read the real-life miracle that brought Marine major Brian Dennis and Nubs together.

My husband getting out of the Pentagon on 9/11.
—Patti G., Fort Bliss, Texas

 The way my mother always knew I was coming home, even when I tried to surprise her. She would always have that extra baked potato in the oven.
—G. E. G., Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Losing my wife and business and surviving bankruptcy all at once, without dying of stress.
—Jack K., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

During a serious kidney stone attack at age 37, I went into a coma and saw a light at the end of a tunnel. I regained consciousness and lived. I am now 88 years old.
—Euphemia R., Arcadia, California

Understanding how and why my grandfather acted like he did, now that I have grandchildren of my own.
—Steve M., Sunapee, New Hampshire

Some would say that my actually getting married was a miracle.
—Don L., Sherman Oaks, California

The Grand Canyon.
—Kimberly V., Orrville, Ohio

I survived flying into a thunderstorm in a small airplane. It required more than my piloting skills. I was being watched over.
—Bill B., Versailles, Kentucky

The births of my children and grandchildren.
—MaryLou M., Ooltewah, Tennessee

The days are filled with miracles: a flower blooming, my heart beating, the purr of a cat, the Internet.
—Barbara F., Penfield, New York

I feel that someone turning his life around for the better is a miracle.
—Susan D., Stanford, Montana

Love for the unlovable.
—Mary C., Mount Vernon, Ohio

Forgiveness.
—Laura W., Aston, Pennsylvania

Our son died of a brain tumor at 17. On the second anniversary of his death, as I was driving to work, a double rainbow appeared in the clear sky. One end was on the road in front of us and the other at the cemetery where he was buried.
—Peggy H., Boone, North Carolina

Microwave ovens. Color TV. Finding someone who actually loves me for who I am.
—Steve R., Athens, Pennsylvania

Our country has gone from slavery to the election of an African American president.
—Colleen D., Bonner Springs, Kansas

Being able to have enough income to share with others less fortunate.
—Carol S., Islamorada, Florida

I was saved in a fire by the vision of my first-grade teacher telling me how to survive.
—Larry W., Pahokee, Florida

Hearts changed.
—Suzi E., Howell, Michigan

A father who wrote poems to his wife and loved her forever.
—Joanne L., Plymouth, Michigan

Surviving two cancers for almost ten years!
—Connie R., Denver, North Carolina

One I haven't witnessed is the Vikings winning a Super Bowl.
—Jann W., Maple Grove, Minnesota

The miracle of friendship.
—Regina W., Columbus, Ohio

From Reader's Digest - December 2009

 

Tuesday Vintage Fashion Update: Adding Vintage To Your Work Wardrobe!

So, this is a dilemma that has hit home for me.

Working in a corporate office does not cater much to the fashion minded person, much less the VINTAGE fashion minded person.  So what are we to do with our wonderful vintage clothing during the week!? This can be so upsetting, wouldn't you agree? ;)  Well, fret no more.  I found this article to help those of you with a similar dilemma out.

Adding Vintage Fashion to Your Work Wardrobe

Update Your Career Wear with Unique Retro Clothes and Accessories

 Oct 9, 2008 Marsha West
Over the years, business casual has become the norm in many companies. This has given workers more leeway to incorporate unique clothes and accessories into their business attire. Additionally, you may have more flexibility to wear different fashions depending on your occupation and company. For instance, an interior designer might be able to experiment with more “edgy” fashion than a corporate attorney. Here are some simple ways to incorporate vintage fashion into your business attire.

Purchase foundational pieces such as slacks, skirts, dresses and jackets. Foundation pieces in solid or neutral colors work the best since a great pair of brown slacks or a black A-line skirt can be worn several times a week.
Invest in classic clothing and accessories. Certain clothes and accessories never go out of style. Classic clothing such as boxy Chanel style jacket or black slacks will last season after season and will always be in style. Think about investing in a great leather handbag in a neutral tone, a cameo necklace, or a black wool suit.

Consider the color and fabric of your garments. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, polyester was a very popular fabric for clothes. In the 1980s, rayon was king. Unfortunately, these fabrics come across as looking dated and unprofessional. Consider natural fabrics such as cotton, silk, or wool. Also, save vibrant colors and patterns for accessories. A pink suit might look fun in the store, but you would probably get more wear out of a neutral colored one.

Don’t wear vintage from head to toe. Unless you work at an indie record shop or a funky vintage clothing store, your supervisor may not appreciate it if you come to work all decked out in your finest vintage. Instead, try combining current clothes and accessories with vintage to avoid looking like you are wearing a costume. For instance, try pinning a few rhinestone flower brooches to a neutral colored jacket or wear a vintage silk flower scarf with a plain, crisp white shirt.
Go with traditional textile patterns. Some textile patterns come and go such as those 1980’s Coogi sweaters. However, others have always been worn to the office. Look for clothes made with timeless textile patterns such as houndstooth, plaid, and pinstripes.


Article Courtesy of Suite101: Adding Vintage Fashion to Your Work Wardrobe: Update Your Career Wear with Unique Retro Clothes and Accessories http://www.suite101.com/content/adding-vintage-fashion-to-your-work-wardrobe-a72559#ixzz149i7q8wq. Marsha West.

I think this lady above has the right idea.  The boots may not be workplace appropriate, but a cute pair of heals would do... and voola! you have a vintage-inspired workplace outfit :) (you might also want to consider leaving out the shades). - Cori

Thank you for reading and hope you all have a superb rest of your day!! XO

Monday Life Update: New Beginnings Galore

I was about to wish everyone a happy Monday, but it seemed like a pretty anti-climatic statement considering the first question that popped into my head this morning was "mondays, why must you even exist?" This weekend went by way way too quickly to say the least.  But alas, here we are, and today is day 1 of the blog schedule! I decided that every Monday is going to consist of a life update.  This seems pretty appropriate, since most of life seems to happen for me on the weekend.

It seems like my life is on the brink of tons of new beginnings.  Like the trees shedding their leaves in the fall to make room for new ones (unless you live in Florida), I am shedding my old skin and preparing to grow new skin.  It is exciting to think of what is to come, slightly scary, and slightly sad to say goodbye to the old way of life. 

Rick and I decided on February of 2011 to have our wedding :) It is really happening! And this weekend as we searched high and low for the perfect venue, it became more real and more exciting to me.  Needless to say we have a lot of planning to do in 3 months.  Venue, food, DJ, etc etc... getting rid of anything that wreeks "bachelor pad" in his house (this may be our biggest chore), and entering into a new phase of life together.

I think it is underrated how big this transition is.  We are letting go of our singlehood... two individual people becoming one.  No longer do we answer to only ourselves and our pets, but we answer to each other.  We are constantly taking each other into consideration.  We are growing together, sharpening each other, holding each other accountable.  It is so much more than what you think of when you are little and talk about getting married. It is a big step, and one I am excited to take. 

So, as the leaves on my tree go from green to orange to brown and eventually begin to shed, I will be planting the seeds for this next phase of my life (and keeping you all updated :)).

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for tomorrow's vintage fashion update.

Enjoy your Monday ;)

Friday: Stick it to the man.

So today has really just motivated me so much more to start this business.  I came in to work and got reemed out by bossman, and basically had no motivation to do my work.  This makes me feel incredibly guity, but what can I do? I just dont want to sit at a desk. I want to make my own rules -- wake up when I want, do what I want and I want... and maybe that is what is wrong with our generation.

Why do so many people dislike their office/corporate/desk jobs? Why are we in these jobs if we hate them so much? and what would happen to our economy if everyone just decided to up and leave their corporate job and start an online vintage boutique? It makes me wonder why more people don't do it. But i guess it's because it is difficult.  It takes a lot of guts, effort, time, money. It is easier not to.

Today I really just hit my breaking point though.  I woke up with my normal, pit of the stomach, "ugh i have to go to work" feeling and thought, "I really think if Obama wants to improve his ratings, he ought to institute the three day weekend." Boom! What would happen to our economy if THAThappened? If you think about it, Chik-fil-a does better than most of the other fast food companies and they are open one day less.  Maybe this same principle could apply to our economy.  Wouldnt that be nice? I mean, Italy has their siestas and such, and they seem to be doing fine.

What if our generation started a revolution.  We could call it the "Work to live not live to work" revolution.  We could all just quit, and live.... somewhere? but if we all did it, we would find a way to make it work.  Maybe it would change the way we live, we would have more joy, spend more time with our family and friends, actually enjoy what this world has to offer instead of just sitting at a desk with artificial air and no windows. If anyone wants to do this with me, let me know :) I dont know about you, but I am sick of living for the weekends and only having 2 weeks a year to actually enjoy the world.

On that note, I am gonna get back to work... and pray that the last 3 hours of the day go by before I know it.  Have a great weekend everyone!!

And stay tuned for Monday --- I have the daily schedule planned out and it is gonna rock :)

Planting the seeds - Enough water to make them grow?? And ideas/opinions/suggestions wanted!

Happy Thursday everyone! We are almost there - to the weekend!

Well I have to say that on the one hand, some progress is being made with the business planning and on the other, it seems I may have hit a wall, or will soon anyway.  I have a logo (as you can see), which may or may not change one or more times in the future.  I have also been contacting wholesalers and figuring out the actual pricing of items, listing costs (going to start out on etsy), becoming incorporated, eventually having a website, business cards - the whole 9 yards!

Now, the WALL.  In my mind, the wall = money.  More specifically, the fact that I have none (on that note, anyone want to become an investor? ;)).  Also the fact that there is a wedding in the future and all the wonderful expenses that factor into that.  So while having my business idea and gathering facts and making contacts is a beautiful thing, where do i get the mula!? I am supposing this is where God comes in.  Is it ok to ask God for money to start a business? I mean - i know it is ok to ask God for money for mission trips and to feed the homeless etc etc... but what about this? Maybe that is something to pray about :)
On another note, I decided that my blog is going to have a schedule.  As in, Mondays are on a specific topic and tuesday are on another, and so on.  So I would like to gather ideas from all of you about what you would like to see on a blog.  WHAT INTERESTS YOU? (it should of course be, vintage or art related or something to that affect).  What cool ideas do you have or what would keep you coming back to the blog world? Id love to hear your thoughts and opinions!

Random thoughts:

- why is it 85 degrees in October and actually, why am I complaining about warmth?
- Pumpkin muffins are incredible.

On that note, back to lunch and back to work! thanks for reading ya'll :)

Could this really happen?

So last night, my wonderful fiance and I began real planning for the business. 

He is the one with the business smarts and enjoys the planning and logisitic side of things.  Me, however, I enjoy flying by the seat of my pants.  In my world, flying by the seat of my pants would equal a totally awesome and successful business.  In the real world though that doesn't "fly" (no pun intended). 

SO, we started writing things down.  How much will it cost, what do we want the inventory to look like, what is the goal of the business in the future, what are the tiers, etc... all that fun stuff!!

It is really scary to think that I am actually stepping out there and trying to make my dream come true. I am so so very excited and it is pretty much all i want to think about and all i want to do (not good for my current employer)! I have doubt floating through my mind pretty much constantly and it is a battle to convince myself that I could actually be successful at doing what i love.  I have been down this road before to try and make a business work (flowerchildcreations) and I kinda gave up because fear got ahold of me.

BUT NOT THIS TIME! Im gonna keep on truckin'.

last but NOT least, I want to wish my amazing future husband a happy birthday.  i love you and I am blessed everyday by having you in my life.

stay tuned for more and thanks for reading!