google +

On this rainy (what?? it's not snowing? I think this is a miracle...) morning, I finally gave in and joined Google +. I figured this made sense, since the Google Reader is apparently shutting down in July or thereabouts. So I've been enjoying myself and exploring the various communities. It's cool, finding so many people who are interested in some of the same things that I am.

I apologize for the lack of posts on all my blogs. I'm sort of trying to consolidate them into one blog, which could get interesting. And this week our internet has been cutting out a lot during the day. Makes it really hard to keep up with my social media!! But I got a lot of other things done, despite having a horrid cold.

Easter was wonderful, as always. Nate actually had the entire weekend off, which never happens. We both were at all four of the Easter services at our church, since I'm in choir and he played his trombone. We were exhausted by the end of it, but what a glorious celebration of the resurrection of our Savior!

This week I joined a "boot camp" at the gym, which was probably the worst week for me to join, since I got a cold and then my body was uber weak...yeah, not a good recipe for intense workouts. Ah well, it's actually kinda fun. I like challenging myself! I've always kept my mind in shape, but not really my body, so now's the time to do that. Besides, warmer weather is coming, and hiking days are just around the corner! I hope....

Umm, what else...nothing really has been happening in my life. I applied for a job at Target, so we'll see how that turns out! Since I prefer shopping there to shopping at Wal-Mart (honestly, who doesn't?), it'd be nice to have a discount.

So I guess I didn't win the camera in the giveaway that I entered. Sadly. I usually have good luck with giveaways, but not this time. :( But that's okay. Sort of.

colour my world/a Lenten musing

The first three photos were taken in summer of 2011 (I think) at my family's home in Illinois. Currently,  I miss colour. The world is white and brown, which is beautiful of course, since we all know I adore snow. But February is nearing its end now; I find myself longing to see green buds on the trees and hear birds singing in those trees. We have another snowstorm coming; exciting as always. But as I page through my Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog and pick what I will grow this year, I wish I could open the windows and feel a warm breeze. Spring breezes have a certain scent to them. I don't mean the ones that smell of manure and farms! I mean the other ones, those that smell warm.

Lent is also upon us. We sang the hymn in that last picture both on Ash Wednesday and last Sunday. When Lent comes so early, it's a bit of a shock; we think of Easter as being in the springtime. And it will be -- it comes on the last day of March. Easter, that is. So perhaps Lent being so early isn't a bad thing. As winter holds on and spring struggles to break through, we can be reminded of our Lord and Savior's struggle with Satan and death and how He won, just like spring overcomes winter each and every year.

Yes, I love winter. I kind of hate summer. Autumn is awesome. But spring is a good time to be contemplative, and that's something I look forward to as the weather warms up.

a thrifting journey

I mentioned in this post that I want to purchase only thrifted clothing this year. There are a few reasons for me attempting this challenge. Here they are:

• money (not a huge issue for us, but it's always good to save)
• thinking a little bit more about what I purchase
• my lifestyle change for the better will cause me to lose weight
• I adore vintage clothing
• it'll be FUN!

So, money. It always comes down to that, doesn't it? And unfortunately, purchasing clothes is not cheap if you want quality. Cheap clothes from Wal-Mart and Old Navy don't last. Especially not when you spend a lot of time outside, like Nate and I do. That leads right into my second reason. Impulse buying is something we all suffer from occasionally and on different levels. To be perfectly honest, my impulse buys are usually books, but I'd rather not start being impulsive about clothing. :) And yes, I am eating better, exercising more, not sitting for long periods of time, getting enough sleep, etc, which will have the awesome side effect of slimming me down. Why buy new and possibly expensive clothing that may be cute but I won't be able to wear in a few months? Seems logical. Plus, I do adore vintage clothing. I probably won't purchase much in the first half of the year while my body is changing, but still. It's fun to make awesome finds that you can share with your friends! And the whole process of thrifting is so much fun. It's an adventure!

Will any of you, my lovely followers, join me in this adventure in 2013?

incandescent wanderlust, you ask?

Yes, of course! The blog has been rechristened as an incandescent wanderlust. Being an indecisive person, this could change yet again before I am fully satisfied, but let's just say for the sake of everyone who reads this that it's the new name. Why? First of all, I was born with a serious case of wanderlust. For most of my life I've been randomly planning trips to see the world. (When I was 13 I decided that I wanted to see the Arctic and travel as far north as was possible. I'm not kidding.) None of them have come to fruition, yet, though I have seen much of the United States and have been across the pond to dear old England (which needs visiting again...). And I was going to christen this a bright wanderlust, but decided that incandescent was a much prettier word. Unless you, my dear followers, think bright was more appropriate.

As you can see, the name is new, and the colors on the blog are new. The layout is basically the same because I realised I really like this one. I'm still working on a few tweaks, like side button links to my favorite blogs, links to my Pinterest page, etc. Also, eventually there will be a different picture of me, not just the one in my profile. And hopefully I will have a pretty banner in place of the boring title, though I do like the font.

This is quickly becoming a labour of love, so I would love some feedback and perhaps some advice on how to pretty things up and truly make this blog mine. I have grand dreams for this blog, though I have grand dreams for everything so I guess that's not saying much.

ch-ch-changes (for the blog)

Seeing as it's a new year, I have a few things in mind for my blog. I would really like this to become a regular thing. Granted, I'll probably never be as awesome as many of the other blogs that I follow, but with a little tweaking it might look pretty.

• a new name (not 100% positive about what it will be)
• a new layout
• more links
• more pictures (which will only happen once I have a camera, though occasionally there might be bad quality iPod photos like the one above)

There are a few other things playing around at the back of my mind. It is, after all, the time of year to think "new and inspired" and I wish to carry that all the year through.

here's to making 2013 fabulous!

Happy New Year to my dear followers! I apologize for not posting regularly on here. There have been a lot of ups and downs over the past year, but I am determined to make 2013 better than 2012. We humans, being imperfect sinful messes, always say this every time a new year rolls around. Occasionally it works, and more often it doesn't. We make resolutions to lose weight, read more books, make new friends, stop smoking, eat better food, travel more, etc.... The list could go on forever. And while resolutions can be good, I think it'd be helpful to realize that we will never be perfect no matter how hard we try.

So. I do have resolutions, though I am calling them goals because that just sounds more attainable. Besides, my goals are meant to be habit-forming and thus a change for the better, though a few of them are just fun. So here is my list.

• read my Bible more often
• treat my body better and get it in shape
• drink a green smoothie at least once a week
• eat breakfast
• snowmobile with Nate as often as possible while the trails are open
• play the piano more, and teach myself Claire de Lune
• take up knitting again
• learn how to crochet
• perfect the art of making a latte (I consider it an art anyway...)
• sew a fantastic Halloween costume (gonna be the Miller High Life Girl!)
• take more walks/hikes
• work my way up to running
• plan at least one weekend up north camping trip for this summer
• write something every single day
• purchase clothing only from thrift shops (this is a goal I will expand upon in a later post)
• shop local: both shops and farmer's markets
• write monthly letters to friends and family
• plant a vegetable garden
• harvest dandelions for wine again
• purchase a DSLR camera (I even have my eye on one... ^_^)
• read 50 books, at least 10 of those must be non-fiction
• begin making Christmas gifts at a decent time this year
• BLOG BLOG BLOG 
• don't forget that it's okay to dress up and put on a little lipstick just to do mundane shopping
• always remember that each day is a gift from God and try to enjoy it

There you have it. It's probably not a complete list of goals, but I also tend to overshoot when I plan things out for myself. I think I'm addicted to life, specifically experiences in life. I want to do everything, go everywhere, see all the beautiful sights this world has to offer. Realistically, I know that'll never happen, but I can begin a little closer to home and enjoy what the Lord has blessed me with, which is a fair bit of goodness.
And I mean it when I say 2013 is going to be fabulous!