designing fool!

Here's a picture of the fabric I just purchased for my dining room chairs. I want to reupholster the seats since they're bland. My dear friend Mindy is giving me a great dining table that will be painted to somehow coordinate... any ideas for the color? I think I like the eggplant color.

This is Amy Butler Nigella Twill "Water Lotus, Ivory" for those of you who keep up with fabric designers. Thank you fabric.com!

It coordinates with my Ikea fabric for the den. And since the den and dining area open into one another, it had to look good together!

I bought 2 lamps very similar to this from Target the other day. Isn't it fabulous!?! They are for the "buffet table." Aka- my old dresser to be used as a buffet.

Here's the rug I bought for the den with my VERY GENEROUS birthday gift cards!

I also bought a "vertical organizer" to serve as end tables. The one I got is a bit different, it has a back on it and looks more substantial. I'll be using fabric drawer cubes in the shelf for a bit more storage. I really hope it looks OK. Otherwise, I'll use it for it's intended purpose ... in a closet!

OK, gotta run. Nap is almost over. Talk to you soon!

the sign of a content life?

Don't get too excited. I really only have about 20 minutes to compose this post.

Wow. Life is crazy, hectic, and pretty nice these days. I would like to think that the reason I haven't posted is because of my general contentment with the way things are going nowadays. Maybe it's the sign of a content life.

Here's a list of things that are going on, excite me, and generally take up my time...

1. I have been bombarded (or blessed) with a ton of babysitting work this summer. Not bad!
2. I start working for a wonderful family from church in the next few weeks, I'll be their nanny AND chef!
3. I also start chef-ing for my dear friend Susan and Fr. Basil next Monday. The Ruffled Apron is really happening. I am absolutely thrilled! (Check out this post Susan wrote about our initial planning session.)
4. I got Ruffled Apron business cards! My friend Ben designed the logo for me, and I love the way it turned out! (Sorry I don't have the file with me right now, I'll show the logo to you later.)
5. I'm probably going to get to move out soon!!! My friend Ashley and I have found the perfect apartment, with a pretty nice landlord (our priest.) I will DEFINITELY show you photos soon.
6. I have spent hours upon hours looking at home decor. I know that most people wouldn't consider renting to be a great situation for decorating, but I do. I'm thrilled to make the apartment beautiful... even if I can't paint the walls. I while the evenings away looking for great items and on design blogs. Design*sponge has become a favorite, thanks for introducing it to me Andrea!) I've also made some fun purchases for the apartment, including dining room chairs (hello, I have to be able to host a party) an incredible rug, and the prettiest two acrylic stacked ball lamps you ever did see!
7. Sally and Jason got married! I got to help decorate the Hi Tone for their reception, fun venue huh!? I don't know that I've had that much fun at a wedding reception ever! Many years Mr. and Mrs. Boyle! (Very exciting, and sad. They moved to Jason's house in WI.)
8. The Harveys are moving. Charlie got a job as an administrator and teacher at an Orthodox school. How awesome is that!? The only problem, is that they're moving to Yakima, WA. NOT AWESOME! (But exciting for them nonetheless.)
9. Trisha, my sweet goddaughter Cailyn's mom, is going to do Meribeth's job as church secretary. Congrats!
10. The O'briens hosted a pretty awesome going away bash for them. They're pretty sweet.
11. I'm housesitting this week. It's fun.
12. Brandon is on a pilgrimage to Holy Cross Hermitage in WV. He's more than welcome to come back ASAP. I haven't been able to talk to him at all since Sunday afternoon. (No cell phone reception at the Monastery.) It's tough when you're used to being able to call or text someone (for the past two and a half years) and suddenly you can't. But, I'm so happy he got to go, he hasn't ever been to a Monastery before. They are wonderful places to go!
13. Hannah, Matthew, Peter, (and not yet born little Ada) are here for the summer. (Exciting indeed!) (Except for when they have to go back to St. Tikhon's when seminary starts for them again.
14. Stacy came to visit. She's been living in Africa. It was great fun to have her here. I only got to know her a bit when she lived here 2 years ago, but we've gotten to know one another even more since she's been gone. (Exciting.)
15. Clark made me a St. Phanorious cake! Thanks Clark, and St. Phanorious for helping Clark find 7, yes 7 pairs of shoes. Also, congrats to Clark for finding a job!!!
16. Brandon took me to see Wicked and to Circa for my birthday. Good grief, could I ask for a better boyfriend?
17. We went to Smithville, TN for the Fiddler's Jamboree and to visit Brandon's grandparents. It was so much fun. We even made a pit stop at the Appalachian Center for Craft and also at the Russel Stover's outlet. Two very nice excursions on a very fun trip!
18. Ashley and Nathan got engaged! Many years you two crazy kids. I'm so glad I've gotten to know you two, I love you both dearly. Nathan, I'm a little mad that you're taking away my roommate.
19. New friends, and old friends. I have gotten to spend a lot of time nurturing relationships with my girlfriends lately. I love it! And, I've made quite a few new friends this summer. I love a new friend! I also really love girls nights and dinners out with the girls!
20. Shell concerts. They may be over, but they're coming back in September. Goodness I love them!
21. Rhode's pool parties. I love this summer tradition at St. John. It's such a great way for our Parish to bond outside of church!
22. Some good friends are going to have a baby! I'm so thrilled for them! (Not totally sure it's public yet...)
23. Claire and Ethan got a house. It's awesome, and is starting to look better and better every day. (The house needed a bit of work, and the ever industrious Van Drims were willing to do it!) It's going to be an awesome house. That Claire, she's got style!
24. <--- That's how old I turned on my birthday this Saturday. Abby was in town for once. (She's been out of town for my past several birthdays.) She took me to Target to buy some bathroom accessories for my new apartment. Bestest best friend... EVER! Brandon took me to Brother Juniper's on my birthday morning. Brandon's mom made a fabulous birthday lunch for me. And the night before the girls took me out to Noodle Doodle Do (ridiculous name) and then to The Beauty Shop for caramel cake. Such a fun birthday. Thanks for all my presents and birthday wishes everyone! Basically birthday=pig out!
25. Ooooo, Andrea had a birthday too! It was so fun to catch up with everyone. We also got to see their new house. We're so happy for them, it's beautiful! (PS- Happy 3 year anniversary Andrea and Aaron!
26. Life is generally pretty great.

Ok, so you all see why I haven't had time to blog. This is why!!! Things are busy, wonderful, and lots of fun.

Talk to you soon. Maybe this time, sooner than two months!

PS- Look at how much I wrote in 20 minutes. INSANE!

ikea.... ya!?

We're here in Atlanta!  We'll be home tomorrow.  I've had a great time at the beach.  My sunburn is almost completely healed, and I have a pretty nice tan.  

My favorite "Patricia" fabric was not to be found.  I QUICKLY regrouped.  For only $7.99 a yard, I was able to get this amazing fabric.  Honestly the picture doesn't do it justice.  I hated it online, but I love it in person!  The green is perfect, and it's a really funky pattern.  To me, it looks a bit dated in the photo, but it looks really decorator-y in person.  LOVE IT!

My parents recently finished the renovations in my bedroom and were sweet enough to e-mail me photos so I could see it on vacation!  I love those two!  

Note: All of the items purchased on this Ikea run were to outfit my current bedroom are also for my future apartment....  

Meet Majken.

Say hello to my accent fabric: Katrin.  They look amazing together.  I promise.  These two together will make throw pillows, maybe a cushion for a bench, and I think I'm going to stretch a few over canvasses to make some accent wall art.  

My curtains: Matilda.  They're kind of sheer, not usually something I'd go for, but they're neat because they have this little bit of texture.  There are these little knots throughout that look really cool in person and the color is more off-white that bright white.  (Again, you're going to have to trust me on this.)

I got my lamps.   They're awesome! 

I don't have a ton of storage space, so I bought these boxes in lots of sizes in green and black (don't worry, they're currently collapsed, I promise I'm not squashing the Harvey fam too much with all of my purchases!)

This is a quilt to use as a bed-spread.  It's very plain.  I plan to accent it with the throw pillows.  I bought taupe colored sheets, but I figured you didn't need a picture to understand those.

How much do you LOVE these pillow covers?!  Meribeth found them.  I bought two.  They're absolutely perfect for what I need.  They're embellished with crewel embroidery that complements the very 2D fabrics.  

I would like for you to meet my impulse purchase for the trip.  Come on, it's perfect and it was only $6!  I can't wait to invite you all over (at least with photos) to my beautiful new bedroom. 

We ate at the cafe at the store.  They serve Swedish meatballs!  (Don't be too disappointed in me, I tried them.)  It was a pretty cool/ intimidating place to visit.  I can't wait to come back when I have a whole lot more car space, time, and money (I sort of spent WAAAAAAAY too much.)  The place is simply daunting.

don't i owe you at least 1,000 words?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this post pays you back in several thousand words.  Sorry I haven't been up to blogging lately. 

Well, I'm pretty sure my camera is kaput.  I'm devastated about this, because I really love being the friend who takes pictures.  This summer has already meant a few Redbirds games, the free concerts at the Levitt Shell, other great shows, Memorial Day festivities, the farmer's market, Greek Fest, and a few memorable meals I'd love to photograph.  I recently ordered a bunch of prints from iPhoto because I love being surrounded by photos of the people I love.  (I could totally turn this into an argument for the reason why I pray with icons, but this is not the time.) 

Here are a few photos from some recent events.  Some have been shared by others and some of these are from my photo booth application on my mac.  

Enjoy:

During Bright Week, Claire invited a few of us to participate in her yearly Bright Week tradition of getting a pedicure.  Most of us got both mani's and pedi's!  It was so much fun, and we ate at The Happy Mexican afterward.  Delicious!

Speaking of buying prints, I ordered the one of the 5 of us above in a 5x7 and now it's in a frame.  Isn't it precious?

Marjo, Claire, and Christine all took an online class together this semester.  They were kind enough to invite me to have celebratory end of the semester margaritas at Marjo's.  She made Texas Margaritas.  Very yummy! 

Sadly, my euphoria (aka, really silly face) in this picture was premature.  Since I later found out I had not, in fact, completed my semester.   Oh well, the celebration gave me the strength to go on!  

Pardon the narcissism.  My friend Ashley Newton gave me this wonderful haircut.  I really love it!  She is a great hairdresser, and you should call her.  (She works at Allusions Salon in Bartlett.)

Ashley and her boyfriend Nathan have been visiting St. John for a little while now.  I think they're just great!  We met up with them on Friday night at a show, and we had the best time hanging out together.  

I wish I had a picture to show you, but I have a new goddaughter.  Her name is Cailyn (yes, just like mine without a T, isn't that neat) and she is 9.  Her family enrolled as catechumens recently, and she asked me to be her godmother!  She is absolutely wonderful.  She has already decided to take St. Catherine as her Patron Saint.  I was thrilled to hear this, because St. Catherine is my Patron as well!  (Caitlyn is the Welsh form of the name Catherine.)  

I ordered this book for Cailyn.  It's from a really neat company that sells Orthodox children's books.  I love the illustrations.  They are based on St. Catherine's icon!  So cool.  (Also cool, they shipped the books, yes I ordered one for me as well, all the way from Greece!)

Remember sweet Cailyn in your prayers, she broke her finger this week while hanging out at her uncle's house.  Poor thing!  

Team Harvey/ Camp Caitlyn went to swim in my family pool this past Friday.  It's nothing much, mostly cool and wet!  

My sister Clare and Grace now have matching swimsuits.  So sweet!

Little Fiona.  I could just eat this child up!!!

Male model Pavel.  He really enjoyed my mom's hammock.  I thought his godmother, Claire, would appreciate this!

En route!  I got to come to the beach with Team Harvey this summer, poor Charlie couldn't come because he just started a new job.  These are some pictures from the car ride from my laptop.  Sweet Fiona is so happy to be on her way to the beach, and poor Gracie is not happy that I'm taking her picture.  

Meribeth.  Seriously, this woman is a Saint!  Two days in the car with 3 kids and a babysitter.  She's insane.  We stopped and got Gigi's cupcakes in Nashville, of course, and then went to Alektor Cafe.  Pretty funny, we made my typical Nashville rounds! 

Pretty typical for the car ride.  We stopped in Atlanta on Saturday night and ate at The Varsity.  The Harveys are pretty genius for NOT attempting to make the 12 hour+ trip in one day!  We'll be spending the night in Atlanta again this next Saturday on our way back, complete with an Ikea run!  My mom said "watch out bank account!"  

Here's what I want from Ikea so far.  (Since I spent most of the day yesterday indoors, I made a pretty lengthy wish-list.)

How much do we love this lamp!?  I'm not crazy about the shade, too small in my opinion, but for $39.00 I can afford to buy another shade in the future.  
I love this fabric, it's called Patricia (my mom's name.)  I just want to see it in person.  The pattern may be too large, and the green may be too yellow for my liking.  

This is my backup print.  I like it, but I'm not totally sure about the flowers, but I think it's smaller than the other one. 

We're here at Amelia Island.  We all have sunburns somewhere.  I have one on my face, even though I wore SPF 50 on my face and only donned SPF 30 everywhere else!  Fiona has a pretty rough burn all over, so Meribeth is going to pick up some medicine for her this morning.  Gracie got a pretty bad burn.  Pavel, the one who never burns, has a nice shade of pink.  Meribeth has a nice burn on the tops of her feet.  Even though she was adequately sunscreened, a "sand treatment" on her feet (by a certain pre-teen) removed the sunscreen.  Oops!    

Sometimes, no matter how many precautions you take, you get a burn.

We're having fun regardless.  I'll keep you updated. 

pretend the ball is someone you really don't like...

This is the advice I was given when I was a kid playing softball (for all of two weeks.)  Pretend the ball is someone you really don't like and swing with all your might.  Currently, I'm not having much trouble envisioning faces I dislike when balls are flying toward me, it just happens that the sport has changed.  

I have had the most horrific experience with a group project in my online course this semester.  I couldn't seem to wrangle my other group member, she chose to stand me up multiple times before appearing 45 minutes late to our last appointment.  In the end she decided to forgo submitting her portion of our final project.  

As a result of this experience I was given my very first "I" grade, meaning "incomplete."  I was devastated.  I called my professor (still in tears) to ascertain what the "I" meant.  I found that it's actually a period of grace.  It allows me somewhere around 90 days to complete the project.  I really hate that I'm having to do the rest of the project.   

At this moment, I hate online courses, group project, and one particular group member.  

In better news, I have taken up tennis.  I love it.  I bought the gear the other day, including a cute little white skirt and beautiful racket case.  I'm really NOT good at it yet.  I'm currently having so much fun though, even if I do spend way too much time chasing the balls around the court.  

Here's what the bag looks like (my poor camera is messed up lately.)

It looks like this bag, only with the floral pattern below...

I also purchased the matching tote bag and also makeup bag.  I love this pattern, so fun.  

And yes, my mom will be monogramming it for me on her machine.  Duh.     

Tennis anyone?

i don't know that i'm cool enough...

NOTE TO READER:  In my Feature Writing class, we're talking about blogs, and I'm writing this for an assignment.  I promise I have a post about Pascha in the works.  I'll post it soon.

I have been dating a serious falafel snob for the past two years.  One trip to Jerusalem and he thinks he's an expert.  Brandon loves falafel, and we have made it a quest to find the best offering here in Memphis.   

I have learned quite a bit about the green and delicious balls of chickpea.  Fried up crispy, yet tender, I don't like one that's too crumbly, served with all the fixins.  (Don't know what falafel is?  Read HERE.)

A few of the places I've eaten falafel around Memphis:

• Sean's Cafe (on Union)
• Casablanca (Cooper-Young)
• Kabob Int'l (in Cordova on Dexter Rd.)
• Mount Olive (also in Cordova on Dexter Rd.  What are the odds?)
• Jerusalem Market (on Summer)

Add another to the list: The Kwik Check on Madison.  My friend Claire took me there during Lent, falafel is quite the fasting staple when meat and dairy are a no no.  This place is a convenience store.  It's is as much a dive restaurant as any, including the cool hipster kid clientele.  I was terribly skeptical, but trusted her judgment.  (I had good reason, she introduced me to Sean's Cafe last year and I occasionally dream about the hummus they make.)  

The Kwik Check is pretty bare bones, there's a cash register near the door with the usual tobacco offerings, a few refrigerated cases, a couple of rows of grocery items and a long high table with bar stools next to the window facing Molly's La Casita across the street.  It's a fun place to people watch, the Memphis College of Art crowd likes to frequent the restaurant.    

We ordered the falafel and sat down to wait for the cook to notify us it was ready.  Pretty soon we heard "two falafel," grabbed our handheld meals wrapped in white butcher paper, picked out a few bottled waters and took our seats.  I had to get back up and search for napkins, there were none to be found, obviously this is a problem they have on a pretty regular basis, the cashier knew exactly what I was looking for and handed me a stack.   

I opened up my falafel and found a round pita with a small opening cut into it.  They kindly include the small bit of pita that is left over with the the wrapped up sandwich, like it's your sandwich's little hat.  It was stuffed to the brim with hummus, lettuce, tomatoes and my personal favorite falafel condiment bean sprouts.  The actual falafel balls were glorious.  They could never be confused with greasy, the were fried crispy and just tender enough on the inside without being mushy.  It was relatively simple to eat, which you will probably know if you've ever eaten falafel, is no small feat.  The best part?  The sandwich cost only $4.50, no wonder the starving art students love the place.  

I fell in love and notified the falafel snob, Brandon, immediately.  We at there the following Sunday and he was hooked.  I think we've visited at least five times in the past month.  

I highly recommend trying the Kwik Check,  they make great falafel and baklava.  And don't worry, I'm not cool enough to fit in either.  

i found it!...

This will be fast, I promise...

First thing: My comfortable Holy Week shoes arrived today, they're cute... although a bit boat like.  But honestly, they're more for form than function.  

Second thing: I saved $14.80 on Pascha candy last night.  One of the many reasons I'm so happy I'm Orthodox!  (Sadly, we'll be sharing the date with western Easter for the next few years, no more 50% off candy for us until 2013, when Pascha is, I believe, 5 WEEKS later than western Easter!)

In the Church many times people ask for the intercession of certain Saints for assistance with specific tasks.  This post is NOT a post about the theology of praying to Saints.  Just know, as Orthodox Christians we pray asking for the prayers of the Saint, we do not worship the Saint.  It is often said "what protestant Christian wouldn't ask for the prayers of one of their heroes of the faith, such as Billy Graham?"  How different is it for us to ask the intercessions of those who have actually finished the race? 

One Saint that I ask for assistance on a regular basis is St. Phanourios.  He is known for helping people locate things that are lost.  I have not needed to pray to him for help finding anything "big" although his prayers help me find my keys on a very regular basis!  

Here's how the story usually goes: I look, and look, and look... then, rather exasperatedly, I pray "Most Holy St. Phanourious, well pleasing to God, pray to God for me."  And pretty soon, I find whatever I'm looking for.  

So today, I was looking for two somethings in multiple stacks of paper, needles in haystacks.  I looked and looked and looked.  Nothing.  Then I asked for St. Phanourious' prayers, and it was the very next item I look at.  This happened twice, and I found both of the papers I was looking for!

There is a tradition in the Church of baking a St. Phanourious Cake to honor him.  Since it's Holy Week, I will not be baking the cake this week, but plan to make one next week.  It is traditional to share the cake with others in honor of the Saint, I think I'll bring it to church at some point to share!

Thank you for your prayers St. Phanourious!