Author Archives: kristen

Postcards

There’s something very nostalgic about postcards. Sending a small greeting on a little card that anyone can read is thrilling. I think that has contributed a little bit to the wild success of postsecret, the medium as well as the practice of sharing secrets.

I love receiving postcards in the mail, and sending them too. It’s great to save on postage, if you are mailing a large quantity of items, $.15 off each piece can add up, especially if you get a great deal on postcard printing. 500 postcards for $33 would certainly qualify.

A few years ago, I designed some super cute birth announcement postcards for a few families, and I think a postcard could make a fun Christmas greeting as well. If it’s too informal for Christmas for you, perhaps you could do a special Thanksgiving or Valentine’s postcard. Get creative, people love seeing pictures of your family any time of the year and the space constraints for messages will keep your updates pithy and interesting!

Consider the humble postcard for weddings as well, they are great for save the dates and RSVPs. Even though some people are going smaller with business cards, a postcard could be great as an oversized business card / small advertisement for your small business. A good design is worth spending time or money on, even for something as small as a postcard. Make it memorable, and send it off!

I was compensated for writing this post. That doesn’t mean I don’t love postcards. I really really do.

#sundayread tweets

Most Sundays I share some links on twitter with the #sundayread hashtag. Here are this week’s.

A State Grooms Its Best Students to Be Good Teachers http://nyti.ms/ogE7jb {a program that should be duplicated, not cut.}

Riots erupt as Christians protest in Cairo, 6 dead http://bit.ly/nSJaso

A tough new Alabama law targets illegal immigrants and sends families fleeing http://wapo.st/rmYb5r

The Shame of College Sports http://bit.ly/mUmXcH (from @theatlantic)

Bonus links from the week:

Interesting thoughts on Occupy Wall Street from America (the Nat’l Catholic Weekly) http://bit.ly/p4z6hk

Suburban sprawl can work like Ponzi Scheme for city budgets. http://bit.ly/ppPII1

This is Not the End

This is not the end
This is not the end of this
We will open our eyes wide, wider

This is not our last
This is not our last breath
We will open our mouths wide, wider

And you know you’ll be alright
And you know you’ll be alright

This is not the end
This is not the end of us
We will shine like the stars bright, brighter
{GUNGOR}

The Ides of March

The Ides of March invites you to speculate about betrayal and compromise right from the very title. The candidate whose campaign we are entering is progressive and hopeful, a democrat who makes Obama look centrist. But from the beginning it seems clear that something more sinister is lurking somewhere beneath. The cinematography is dark, brooding, setting the tone.

Ryan Gosling is extremely strong in the role of young press secretary Stephen Meyers. Idealistic and driven, he carries the movie and makes it look effortless. Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman are fantastic as seasoned political operatives and rivals. The dialogue is expertly crafted, believable, and with how well the film was shot, I felt transported and engaged in this high-stakes political world.

As well as this film was acted (and it was), the plot is probably its weakest point. I’d encourage you to learn as little about it as you can about what happens before you see it to prevent it from seeming too cliched. I really enjoyed The Ides of March, in spite of its weaknesses, and I think it has something worthwhile to say both about the political process and about human nature. See it before it gets spoiled for you. (8/10)

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

The girls and I did some food styling to shoot my pumpkin chocolate chip “brownies” after I baked them yesterday.

Music

Aldous Huxley once wrote, “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” In the margins of life, and when thinking deeply, music often expresses things better than I ever could. It also gets me out of funks, so I am listening a lot lately.

I am so grateful for Spotify, which makes it easy to listen to anything I want. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s open to the public now and you should try it out if you like music.

I’ve chosen a song or two from 2011 albums of note (to me) and made a playlist. I listen to a lot of these as entire albums, but the playlist is a good launching pad. Also, going to the playlist will help you find me, as Michael and I are sharing an account and it is not linked to my facebook.

That’s a common theme lately, apparently, as my main pinterest is linked to twitter, not facebook, so everyone adds my boring account. Here I am! I can also invite you if you need the hook up.

On Homesickness

Yesterday, during the communion liturgy, Lexi leaned over to me and said, “I feel the most homesick during church.”

I had told a friend the exact same thing during my Birmingham visit. For me it is not the differences in hymn selection or preaching that make the biggest difference, but that feeling of looking around and realizing how few people I recognize, let alone know.

It is a hard thing to leave behind community, however imperfect. Even at five Lexi knew church as a place where she was known and loved, where she could run and play and be herself. Where her pastor would throw her up in the air moments after she received the benediction.

I hope she holds onto her fond memories, but makes room for new ones.

#sundayread tweets

I headed to Birmingham a few days ago, saw friends, ate Greek food, and had a great time. Sorry for the blog neglect.

Most Sundays I share some links on twitter with the #sundayread hashtag. Here are this week’s.

The man who ate New Orleans can’t live by bread alone. http://wapo.st/mToRLx

Does empathy lead to moral action? David Brooks on the limits of empathy in the @nytimes http://ow.ly/6KLbp

Is ‘Moneyball’ right about major league baseball? (from @TheAtlantic) http://theatln.tc/ruzyYK

After immigration ruling, Foley students cry, withdraw, no-show. (via al.com) http://bit.ly/q9h8a8

Wordless Wednesday

Moving Thoughts

I think The Head and the Heart provide a glimpse into what it means to live in a transient society in this song:

Rivers and Roads on YouTube (in case the frame doesn’t load for you.)

Telling Stories

I love a good story, and I love to tell good stories. In theory, I’d love for this blog to be filled with great stories, vignettes of our life.

The trouble is that I have a hard time with finding a balance in these stories. When the kids were small, I sometimes told cute, positive stories about them. I didn’t want to leave a trail of all their worst moments online to embarrass them in the future. But honestly, I felt like that painted an incomplete picture of motherhood and family life, even though I appreciated preserving joyous moments.

Have you ever read a blog and after awhile the perfect husband, the gorgeous, fun children and the mom who cooks and crafts and looks fantastic just make you feel small? Realistically I know everyone has their struggles and demons but when all you see is someone’s best, it can make you feel discontent and unaccomplished.

Lately I have tried to post a little about moving and how we’ve struggled with that. It’s very real, but it’s also somewhat depressing. I’m not fishing for pity, but sometimes it comes off that way. So, I get quieter and I stop telling those stories. Then my blog gets filled with fluff, I get bored, stop blogging and I don’t tell any stories at all.

I feel more compelled than ever to write. I don’t know why, and what will come of it, but I think telling stories here is part of what I need to be doing, for my sanity. So I am going to give it a try (with some fluff mixed in for good measure.) Inevitably, some of them will be sad or a little self indulgent, I hope you won’t mind too much.

How to Get a Job… by Me, the Boss

Earlier this summer, Sally Lloyd-Jones graciously offered to send me a copy of her newest book to review. We received it the week we were moving, and it got misplaced for awhile. Here is our long overdue review!

The third in a series of fun books narrated by a know-it-all little girl, How to Get a Job… by Me, the Boss by Sally Lloyd-Jones is child’s eye view on the process of employment. From brainstorming about what you’d like to be to the practical steps to get there, it’s all covered in this volume. Both Kate (7) and Lexi (5.5) really enjoyed it. We have read the other books in the series, so they were familiar with the concept, lots of insight wrapped in wit and child-like goofiness.

The girls comprehended enough to laugh at all the right places and to ask good questions. However, the ground covered was more complex than How to Be a Baby… and How to Get Married… so I am not sure it will be as easily understood by preschoolers as those are, but now my kids know about resumes!

Both my girls are very interested in art, and they loved Sue Heap’s illustrations. Kate spent a while studying to try to decide what mediums she used (Publisher’s Weekly says crayon and acrylic paint.) Of course, this is great fodder for talking about what kids want to be when they grow up, and the steps it will take to get there. Sally Lloyd-Jones is a great storyteller, and we are all glad when we share her gifts together. We’ve read this several times already and I’m sure we will continue to enjoy it for many years to come.

[As I mentioned, I received a review copy of the book from its publisher, which in no way influenced my opinion.]