needless to say my writing style has adapted.

this is officially my 100th post. on this momentous occasion, come with me if you will as we stroll through memory lane back to my very first post from april 12, 2009:

"As I sit on my well worn little blue foam coach and stare at the empty bookshelf I think to myself, “They’re gone. They’re really gone.” I pack them up last night and sent them with my parents to Texas. Well, all but 9 of them. Only these remain:

• Walden by Henry David Thoreau
• Lila by Robert M. Pirsig
• The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint – Exupéry
• Flores para Hitler by Leonard Cohen
• James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
• A Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
• Night by Elie Eiesel
• The Art of Life by Edith Schaeffer

I chose Henry and Robert because I’ve already started them. Henry to remind me of my desire to live simply. Robert to remind me how I used to think about the philosophy behind morals. Robert affords me some great memories … even in the sequel.

I chose Antoine because I heard about his book 3 times in the same week. Whenever that happens, I go to amazon.com and buy the cheapest version. That was three months ago.

I am on a quest to discover if I have a love of poetry besides what Garrison Keillor has chosen for me. Leonard has graciously included the Spanish translation of each poem next to the English one. I can read a poem in Spanish, then fall back on the English version to see how close my translations are. I believe poetry is not intended to be read in your native language. Other languages are so much more beautiful sounding than your own.

Roald and I have long been friends. I have been neglecting him as of late. This will be remedied in the next 2 months.

A.J. Jacobs is the author of The Know-It-All: One Man’s Quest to Become the Smartest Man in the World. Recommended by my friend Robyn whose literary suggestions I’m constantly trying to catch up with. Loved the first, can’t wait for the second. An early summer must-read. A little of what you can expect:

The Year of Living Biblically answers the question: What if a modern-day American followed every single rule in the Bible as literally as possible. Not just the famous rules – the Ten Commandments and Love Thy Neighbor (though certainly those). But the hundreds of oft-ignored ones: don’t wear clothes of mixed fibers. Grow your beard. Stone adulterers.

Business books seldom make the cut these days. I bought Outliers on a whim. I’m hoping that reading this will give me a shot at success. Don’t let me down, Malcolm. I wisely knew that if I didn’t leave this book with me, it would never be read. I can almost guarantee that Malcolm will be bringing up the rear of the book list.

Elie. Similar to watching Slumdog Millionaire or reading Sold I get the impression that Elie will be a powerful yet haunting read. I was given Night as a generous gift for facilitating. I think that books are the perfect “thank yous.”

Edith was also a gift. A friend from high school. I started reading it then, but didn’t understand it really. I recently thumbed through it to discover that it really does have incredible advice on how to master the art of living. Besides, Francis Schaeffer, Edith’s husband, is one of my high school heroes.

Well, I must go read now. But do I pick up Henry or Robert…?

>sigh<

Life can be so full of difficult decisions…"

november 30st update:
• Walden (pending)
• Lila (pending)
• The Little Prince (check)
• Flores para Hitler (pending)
• James and the Giant Peach (check)
• A Year of Living Biblically (check)
• Outliers (not even started)
• Night (not even started)
• The Art of Life (pending)

and i'm SO behind on club dread.

small yellow bud - oh how you taunt me.

as i prepare to leave my little apartment for the thanksgiving holidays, i find myself stalling a bit. now don't get me wrong, i am so very excited to see my family, to eat my mother's amazing holiday staples (squash among other things i love!), to throw the football with my dad and brother, to go on bike rides, root for the cowboys, hand wash piles of dishes wearing my grandpa's really old apron, help put up the christmas tree while listening to the classic *nsync chrismas album amidst my dad and brother's over the top eye rolls. i'm even looking forward to the drive because the weather is absolutely stunning today.

i am dragging my heels because i have a bud on one of my flowers on my porch and i keep thinking that if i just wait a few minutes longer, it'll bloom. while this may be slightly crazy, i can't help but think what a shame it would be for me to come back sunday and it to have already bloomed and i missed it. what's that phrase? something about many a flower is destined to bloom unseen.

is it dumb that it makes me a bit sad?

back to packing. focus ardill.

the line of acceptable behavior may now be behind me.

when i was a little girl and my mom would cook spaghetti, she would hand me a raw noodle when i came in the kitchen to "help."

recently, i've really been enjoying eating a raw noodle here and there as i wait for my oh-so-slow computer to upload something for my etsy page or while i'm waiting for something to finish cooking in the oven.

this evening i think i crossed the line. i'll let you be the judge of me. think an open box of noodles, the december issue of vogue, a cup of hot tea, and a pink floyd soundtrack.

what have i become?

come one, come all.

this afternoon (starting at 4:00) marks an important day in history for multiple reasons i'm sure, but i'm refering specifically to the launch/re-launch party happening at obee's on w. anderson ln.

i'm super excited for multiple reasons:
*i'll be showcasing some of my etsy store's (jen's whims)new stuff.
*free food and drinks (and i know for a fact that obee's has incredible lebanese food - yum!)
*live music.
*a raffle (with a scarf i made as one of the possible prizes).

i could go on, but i have a lot to do to get ready.
hope to see you there (yes, that means you too, ryan ransdell).

weather update.

the coldest it's gotten here in austin overnight is about 45 degrees. never mind about it being that time of year...i guess i'm still used to living a bit further north...!

here's a thought:

do you move to a city because you value the same things or do you value things because the city you live in values them too?

for example, living in austin has made me realize that i really like the concept of supporting local businesses. although i always tended towards buying local when i lived in arkansas when the opportunity presented itself, i can't tell if i am more intentional about it because of it's popularity in austin (did you know that the "keep austin weird" slogan is pushing local businesses?) or if one of the reasons why i really like austin is because we share a similar mindset.

a little ditty for you on this thursday evening.

this afternoon a self-proclaimed gay man gave me a back massage. when he asked me why i was tense, i simply declared that i was unemployed.

plant perils.

as i'm sure you know, it's that time again.

the time of the year when every night threatens to freeze, but you never really know whether or not it's worth the considerable effort to bring in all 13 potted plants on the back porch or whether the newscasters are guilty of sensationalism yet again. if it's not going to freeze, there's no way i want so many leaky plants in my oh-so-small kitchen. that being said, i am committed to my plants and their physical health and am more than willing to save their vulnerable lives if the occasion calls for such heroism.

if only someone could invent something to predict whether accurately. i mean, it is the 21st century, right?

does this make me weird?

i love reading the backs of hair care products.

i read the directions to see if i'm washing my hair correctly. i read the ingredients to see if i can still draw out the molecules. i read the suggested products to use alongside the one in my hand. i love reading the description of what the product boasts to do with my hair.

so. does this make me weird?

smile at the moon like you know her.

forget the past, my new life goal is to be as adorable as regina spektor.

adventures in photography.

have you tried taking a picture of the back of your head recently? it's a doosie.

these always make me laugh! i bet for every etsy item i post, i take about 35 pictures. i hate it when i go through and start deleting the ones where i completely miss the product i'm selling and then i end up deleting all of the picture and have to start over! here's a few of the most recent bad photos:

what i ate.

my recent discovery of fashion blogs has given me an idea. it clearly wouldn't be interesting or inspiring if i took a picture of what i wore everyday. so i started thinking about what would be interesting. and then it hit me: what i ate. not in the "look at this fabulous meal i cooked this evening with small green leafy garnishes" way but in the "wow. i would have never though about putting those things together" way.

for example:

yesterday i woke up and had a bit of condensed chicken and rice soup from a can. a few hours later, i popped some popcorn and added a considerable amount of dark chocolate peanut M&Ms to the bowl. mid afternoon, i baked a piece of chicken with garlic herb marinara sprinkled over it, made a smoothie (soy milk, a banana, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg), and then joined some friends for chips and salsa.

yeah, maybe i'll stick to my random stories of my day blog.

november learnings (so far).

* if cooking breakfast for people who have spent time in prison, don't serve pancakes.
* it is not necessarily uncommon for a 25 year old to have a daughter in 6th grade.
* like-minded people are refreshing.
* people who think differently are refreshing.
* the most cost effective way to de-chloronate water is with sodium thiosulfate if excess levels of ammonia aren't a problem.
* you can cook microwave dinners in the oven if necessary.
* tennis is fun.
* i have somehow managed to surround myself with a very supportive, kind group of friends.
* i'm exponentially happier when i have an outlet for creativity.
* i'm exponentially happier when i am serving people.
* community doesn't happen naturally, but everyone has a deeply embedded desire to live in community.
* french press coffee really is a better way to begin each day.
* book club is a necessary component of my lifestyle, an important accessory if you will.
* 2.5 x (supplies + labor + overhead) = retail price

nice to meet you.

i consider myself a happy person especially as of late. great friends, great weather, great family, great amounts of free time to pursue the things i love doing.

but even so, it is a rare occurrence when i find something that makes me so joyful that i can only clap my hands and emit a high pitched squeal.

this happened to me twice today - and both while i was watching 30 rock. and i don't even really like tv. or general electric.

i can now die in peace.

are you aware that shortbread cookies only contain three ingredients? and that those three ingredients are common kitchen items?

do you know what this means?

i'll tell you what this means.

it means there there is a recipe that i can pretty much always make. i'm constantly frustrated at wanting to make a dish that i don't have the ingredients for. no longer. never to be disappointed again!

i'm totally bringing shortbread cookies to dinner tonight - no running to the grocery store for one thing that i'd never know how else to use.

all my problems have been solved with this one discovery.

fruit with pits.

between writing, painting, crocheting, and gardening, i'm plumb out of creativity.

plumb out.

i thought time flew.

how am i still in my 20s?