Outburst of Joy

I’m such a sap. If this clip doesn’t get your...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:57:55 -0500

I’m such a sap. If this clip doesn’t get your teary-eyed, I don’t know what will. Loved this guy and the hours of goodness he brought to the TV when I was growing up.

Spring is here. I don’t care that earlier this week...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 23:44:00 -0500

Spring is here. I don’t care that earlier this week we’ve had an ice,lightning, and thunder storm all in one night. It’s going to get here soon enough, and I’m not waiting for it any longer.

This past month I’ve enjoyed

ONE beautiful day of spring weather for sitting outside on the patio and reading a book.

ONE amazing game of ping pong with friends that won’t be soon forgotten.

ONE awesome watercolor manicure by moi. DIY here.

More to catch up about soon..

-JVB

Have you joined vine yet? I wasn’t quite sure what I...

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 23:50:00 -0500

Have you joined vine yet? I wasn’t quite sure what I thought of it, but decided to give it a try for a while anyway. You can only shoot 6 second videos but can edit it a bit by starting and stopping while filming.

We’ve had some amazing spring weather these last couple of days and I decided to take a walk and grab an iced latte. Here’s my clip!

-JVB

P.S. You will most likely see a lot of baby and pet videos on vine; which can be awesome or not depending on who you are. :)

Smelling this lovely candle today at SILO. The style of it is...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 18:58:00 -0600

Smelling this lovely candle today at SILO. The style of it is completely up my husband’s alley, but we couldn’t agree more on how much we both love the scent. With hints of African ginger, rich mahogany, deep taboti wood and grains of paradise; this candle has a solid presence.

Also, if you don’t happen to know about their amazing denim company, Imogene+Willie, you’re in for a treat. They use cone denim, which is made in Greensboro, NC in the oldest running mill in the U.S.A. The quality is amazing. While not inexpensive, the longevity of the jeans will prove they are worth it. Check out their “story” page for more inspiration on the company.

Cheers!

-JVB

A cup full of gratitude

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 18:21:00 -0600

I was blessed enough to enjoy a few days with one of my closest girlfriends and her husband this week. Sometimes you just NEED this time to chat about things you hold dear to you with friends that you’ve known for almost 15 years. It’s good for the soul I think. It definitely was good for mine. There was a good amount of laughing, espresso, amazing food, and talk about what God holds for our futures.

My only wish was that Brant could have taken this trip with me. If you can’t tell in the photo. I was quite anxious to see him on my drive home from the airport! Man did I miss that guy.

I hope you get a chance to seek & cherish a few friendships in life where no amount of time can break that bond.

-JVB

P.S. Safety first with those seatbelts! ;)

To all those who love.

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:43:00 -0600

To all those who love.

While everyone else is getting Nemo’d (is that a verb?...

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 02:10:00 -0600

View towards the street. Brant with his umbrella.

View from our front door. When it wasn't raining, there were chickens, ducks, and ponies out there.

Our restaurant window with rain pouring on the single pane glass.

Our lovely cottage with so much natural light!

While everyone else is getting Nemo’d (is that a verb? yes), we are getting rain. It was so refreshing to hear those droplets outside our window. A sign of spring or maybe just a momentary lapse of winter’s judgement… either way, I’ll take it.

It did however make me long, just a little bit, for Clearwell, England. This village had to be smaller than 500 people. My husband even thought there were more goats than people there; he might have been right. Last September we had THE perfect two days in an English village. Our first night, we ate dinner at our cozy little restaurant. This may be cheesy, but it couldn’t have been more out of a scene from “The Holiday”. One of the days was mostly pouring rain, which we enjoyed head on during our bike ride through the forest. It was such an awesome experience! We went back to our cottage and spent part of the day drying our soaked clothes on the heaters and listening to the rain pouring off and on (do you call that scattered showers?) through out the rest of the night.

So yes, tonight feels a little bit like Clearwell and I’m staying inside to listen to it.

If you’re a fan of Beirut, then you’re missing their...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 18:27:00 -0600

If you’re a fan of Beirut, then you’re missing their tunes about right now. They always bring some sort of warmth to the day that wasn’t there before, and it’s 35 out, so this song was perfect today. Their last album “The Rip Tide” came out in 2011. I discovered this song recently and had to post it. If you want to skip the bit of chatting, then go to 2:15 in the video, but I recommend the whole 6 minutes and 43 seconds.

You’re Welcome.

-JVB

Love smelling these by my bedside. #28isnotsobad

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:37:22 -0600

Love smelling these by my bedside. #28isnotsobad

This is also a really great song.

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:49:46 -0600

This is also a really great song.

From where I stand, this has been a great year. A Year of new...

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:29:03 -0600

From where I stand, this has been a great year.

A Year of new adventures, travels, spiritual growth, smiles…

I try to keep my outlook fresh, regardless of my surroundings being familiar. It can sometimes be a struggle, but that’s my goal…and I’m stubborn…so it makes me want to pursue this all the more.

I’m looking forward to this 28th year. It’s been a pretty great 27 really…I can’t complain. The Lord has blessed me in ways I don’t deserve. Giving me a Godly husband with a pretty great life and family.

I may always insist on a “birthday week” and my husband may always “think it’s ridiculous”…but I guess that’s how things go. :)

-JVB

We took photos for our Christmas card a couple of weeks ago and...

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:12:27 -0600

We took photos for our Christmas card a couple of weeks ago and couldn’t have had more beautiful weather. It can get tricky when taking your own photos…but my husband did an awesome job! He even took one without my noticing..

-JVB

I feel like our England trip got gypped on this blog for many...

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:58:27 -0600

View from Westminster Abbey

Paddle Boating on the lake at Regent Park

Enjoying our view on the London Eye

Absolutely in love with Kew Gardens

Getting his english muffin

The London Eye

another amazing view at the gardens

I feel like our England trip got gypped on this blog for many unknown reasons. So here I am to share a bit of it… in no apparent order. We were so blessed to be able to go on a trip like this and to have so many great memories from it!

There’s something wonderful about picking out a tree....

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:56:51 -0600

There’s something wonderful about picking out a tree. Walking through rows of trees to find the perfect (imperfect) one, smelling the sap when you’re watering it, and then getting to flock it with tons of lovely little sparkling lights. AND I get to have a whole month of it!

-JVB

A Perfect monday song.

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:26:00 -0600

A Perfect monday song.

Today was the perfect Fall day. 70 Degrees. My mint and basil...

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 17:18:46 -0500

Today was the perfect Fall day. 70 Degrees. My mint and basil could breath outside again after being cooped up in the house from the last few chilly days. As this season is coming around, I can’t help but think about the perfectly fall trip I took about a month ago. I haven’t had much time since to write about my experiences and travelins, but they are fresh in my head.

London & (especially) Paris were already headed into their Fall weather and it was a pleasant surprise. No matter what the trip, it’s always nice to see some fresh perspective and inspiration. I felt like each day I soaked in new beauty that will forever be a part of my being and for that I am so grateful!

Also…can you believe it’s November already?

-JVB

Apple Season. (at Wildwood Park)

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 18:23:41 -0500

Apple Season. (at Wildwood Park)

View from the Seine River. Photo by Brant

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:58:00 -0500

View from the Seine River. Photo by Brant

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. A perfect wind down to...

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 21:48:00 -0500

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. A perfect wind down to this crazy week!

Sacré-Coeur peekin’ through. No matter what the angle,...

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 14:35:00 -0500

Sacré-Coeur peekin’ through. No matter what the angle, this place looks glorious.