when you wake, you shall have all the pretty little horses.

Bearing homemade chicken tortilla soup (the classic and incomparable

Lewis family recipe), I went to visit Lauren and brand new Harper Lily,

born last Tuesday afternoon.

Harper is so dainty and divine. 

With a shock of blonde hair

and tiny details.

The faces she made while she was dozing 

must have been the products of lovely baby dreams.

The pictures below are not of Harper... just small children.

playing hostess.

On Thursday afternoon, one of Augustus's favorites (and mine too!) 

is arriving in Charleston. We're counting down the days, Miss Rachel Glass.

after a few years at Baylor...

Even though Dad tends to take far-away pictures,
he did a lovely job with this one. 

this song is instant love.

"The light was leaving, in the west it was blue

The children's laughter sang

And skipping just like the stones they threw,

the voices echoed across the waves

It's getting late.

It was just another night 

with the sunset and the moonrise not so far behind 

to give us just enough light to lay down 

underneath the stars,

listen to papa's translations of the stories 

across the sky

We drew our own constellations

The west winds often last too long, the wind may calm down

Nothing ever feels the same

sheltered under the kamani tree, 

waiting for the passing rain

Clouds keep moving to uncover the sea,

stars above are chasing the day away

To find the stories that we sometimes need, 

listen close enough

All else fades, fades away

it was just another night 

with the sunset and the moonrise not so far behind

to give us just enough light to lay down 

underneath the stars

listen to all the translations of the stories 

across the sky

we drew our own constellations" 

["Constellations", Jack Johnson]

thank you pictures.

every house needs a porch.

To me, a house is not a home without a porch. It's just... missing a vital piece if there's no porch of which to speak.

And Southern Living agrees with me: 

"No Southern home is complete without a wide front porch."

My favorite porches feature wood floors, blue ceilings, and an assortment of rocking chairs, comfy cushions and pillows, and a bench swing or two. 

step right up.

and to your left...

Yep, there's the beach.

Just step down off the boardwalk and seashell hunt to your heart's content.

Watch out for the sand fiddlers. Unless you're Augustus—in his opinion, miniature crabs are the ideal chasing objects.

the fairy tale.

"My heart is large; it can contain everything at once, 

and the road I'm on . . . can you see it? 

It runs forward and backward and no matter which way we travel on it, 

the direction is the same. You know the direction I mean: homeward." 

[Love Walked In. Marisa de los Santos]

miniature.

I can only describe this book as absolutely divine and my favorite story that will probably never be replaced by another one. It's so clever and exquisite and brilliant and lovely.

This picture inspired these thoughts...

Is that true? Or is that just a phrase we tell ourselves and each other when something doesn't work out exactly the way we pictured?

I think it's perfectly lovely to have that kind of mindset... it's the bright, positive way of looking at any situation. It's like finding the silver lining or declaring a Pollyanna Moment.

What's meant to be will always find a way.

Whenever I'm wondering or spending too much time musing about... what is happening, what has happened, or what will happen, I always remind myself of the wonderful ponderings (apparently I've just invented a word— "ponderings") of Carrie Bradshaw: "can we make a mistake and miss our fate?"

and then ...

"Maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. Without them, what would shape our lives? Perhaps if we never veered off course, we wouldn't fall in love . . . or be who we are. After all, seasons change. So do cities. People come into your life and people go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you're very lucky, a plane ride away."

[sex and the city... clever witticisms and unabashed humor.]

(I can predict my fate at the magazine today: freshly edited events from Anna waiting for me on my desk. Pen in hand, and keyboard in front of me, I'll dash and type my little heart out, and make those blurbs as delightful as can be.)

idle saturday afternoon.

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." [Roald Dahl]

glittering.

I know I must've used that quote before, but there's no such thing as too much Roald Dahl, and this picture made me think of that quote specifically. It's whimsical, magical, glimmering, lovely, la de da, and all of that.
So there.

because i was reminded yesterday...

"I am a writer because writing is the thing I do best." [flannery o'connor]

 It used to bother me like crazy in the dorm rooms when I was a freshman, and throughout college, it was just a reminder of busywork, studying, and research papers at the library or other study buildings, but from daily time spent at the magazine, I've grown accustomed to the background of softly clicking keyboards.
And I like it.
It's definitely the change of setting. Without a doubt. And it signifies some form of productivity to me now. Especially when the tap-dancing typing sounds are coming from my own keyboard.
I think using a vintage typewriter—like the one above—would provide me with a lovely tool to get some creative writing flowing from my fingers. I need to get my hands on one. asap.

 

And this would the ideal writing nook. Obviously, this would be "story writing" writing, not the magazine stuff (how useful is the word "stuff" by the way? it's so versatile and applicable to so much when i can't be descriptive...). I need big, graceful windows. Always. 

And if (more like, when) I have my very own writing barn, tree-house, garden house... this would be an example of the windows and view out.

Fresh, light, simple. 

writer-y, writer-ish. 

 

‎"It's fear of the unknown. The unknown is what it is.

 And to be frightened of it is what sends everybody 

scurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, 
peace, love, 

hate, all that--it's all illusion. 

Unknown is what it is. 

Accept that it's unknown and it's plain sailing.

 Everything is unknown--then you're ahead of the game. 

That's what it is. Right?"

-John Lennon

autumn's arrival.

crisp.sunset.

all of the sudden, fall is here.

the mornings and evenings are brisk.

there's a blustery bit of a breeze.

I'm hunting for sunny patches instead of shady ones.

leaves are changing to golds and crimsons.

kids are discussing Halloween costumes.

crunchy, tart apples from the orchard.

pumpkin patches dotted with orange spheres and

square straw bales.

golden sunsets with crisp air.

sweaters, scarves, hot cider, peppermint sticks.

porches with lit hurricane lanterns.

it's lovely.

Gianluca Gentilini

These are images are by a photographer named Gianluca Gentilini

and I'm pretty much obsessed with his pictures at the moment.

This is my favorite.

more of his portfolio is on this website...

i was meant for daniel island.

Someone who had a part in planning Daniel Island must have had me in mind

without knowing it. I'm in love with this place.

Augustus and I went strolling around Smythe Park yesterday

and then I went out later on the Belleville to take some more photos.

before he tuckered out from the sun.

my attempt at being artsy with a reflection.

the rest of these were taken from the seat of the belleville.

that brick walkway goes almost all the way around the water. it's gorgeous...
and risky if you're anything like me and you tend to fall over unexpectedly.

this was perfect timing for them to be playing.

dancing in the garden.

this kid was practicing his golf swing the ENTIRE time I was there.

dedication.

This house just says "home" to me. 

cooler by a mile...

I have a week up in Avalon where I plan to make up for my incredibly unproductive past few days...

I am now promising myself to get to work on my most developed story

and make impressive progress on some artwork to go along with it.

Augustus is here too, serving as an accountability partner.

I'm positive that I can find endless inspiration while I'm up here.

Avalon's one of my favorite places to take pictures. Today I took 55 pictures of the beach house.

And there really isn't a large amount of square footage here.

I was taking creativity to the next level, let me tell you.