sometimes when i'm driving...

and i run over something in the road...

.i think.

i hope that wasn't a bag of nails

pottery barn is after me.

once upon a time i had this brilliant idea that it would be "fun" to have pottery barn send me emails.  you would think that being handed a bunch of goregous ideas & being alerted to sales would be a gift that would make one smile.  well, if you're kinda broke & wouldn't spend what they are asking at PB even if you had the dollars, you would not smile.  you just covet.

well this week PB sent me this: "design dilemma? ways to decorate your wall and save."  of course, {against my better judgement} i clicked the link and cyber-ported in to the land of expensive & beautiful trinkety junk.

turns out the "wall storage" section is my weakness.

look at this darling {linen pinboard}

used in your office as an inspiration board

or in your living room to create a cozy, home-y, personal feeling.

{please excuse the christmas themed decor}

my next love?  this {cubby organizer}.

you may remember {this post} where i shared my love for vintage card catalogs.  with these little cubbies, distressed sides and little numbered tags it gives off a very similar vibe i think.  benny, will you make me one please?  do i know where it would even go yet?  no.  but i could find a place.  promise.

how about these precious little {jewelry display frames}?  real real cute.  i love the collection of them too!

i am a terrible organizer.  ask anyone.  but i love for things to be organized.  sometimes i think...if i just had that adorable organizational tool i would be much more obliged to be an organiz-er.  here is something worthy of that title - a {rustic wall organizer}.  i love the stamped detail and the extra little elements that are thrown in there.  i think i may want one of these over the dresser in the guestroom instead of a traditional mirror option.  the pretty pretty chandelier in the corner doesn't do anything to wane my coveting either. thanks a lot.

this next gem isn't from the wall storage section.  it is just art. art that i love.  its just typewriter letters.  its perfect. {typewriter keys}

but would you like to know a little secret friends?  something truly great?  i'm about 99% sure that each of these pieces could be recreated for just a few bucks.  i have already made plans {in my mind} to make the typerwriter art for the office, an edited version of the jewelry display frames for the master bedroom & the linen pinboard {with fancier frame} for the office & guest bedroom too. 

don't hold your breath but i really do think that it will happen - i already have some of my supplies collected.  it may just take a while.  so many projects, so little time right?  never fear, i will keep you updated on any pb knock-off progress occuring at the brzinski household!  please let me know if you have {or are about to} take on any 'get the look for less' projects too!  i love the encouragement other do-it-yourself-ers bring.

lots of <3 & pretty things-

jen

sometimes...

{owner}

sometimes there are all kinds of things going on

but i still have nothing to say.

sometimes there are 1 million things that i'm excited about, encouraged by, working on, pondering & still i've got nothing to say. 

sometimes there are a bundle of questions, concerns & thoughts and still...

i've got nothing to say.

sometimes my mind is completely blank & not surprisingly...i have nothing to say

today is one of those days...& lately i've had a lot of those days.

maybe it's a season; maybe it's a phase.

maybe i'm getting anti-social in my old age.

i'm so used to being frantically busy that i don't quite know how to deal with 'free time' any more. 

i know that i should be filling that time with my long list of goodies i have been hoping to do,

sometimes i get frustrated that more doesn't get 'accomplished' 

but sometimes in my 'free time' i don't much care.

maybe it's a season; maybe it's a phase.

maybe i'm becoming a lazy bum in my old age.

sometimes i hope it passes & sometimes i hope to get back-

i'm normally a chatter box who can barely shut her yap

i love a life filled with conversation, with deep talks & deep friends

i like to feel interested in people, i like to share life, i love to dig in

i enjoy getting things done, not being lazy, reading books & cooking up projects.

sometimes i just feel a little off.

maybe it's a season; maybe it's a phase.

maybe tomorrow i will feel like myself in my old age.

{completely unrelated}

we're going ice skating tonight with l.h.s. young life for our 1st event of the season.  please pray that some friends will join us and that relationships with be built.  please pray that all of the above is not the case tonight...that i can speak grace & truth into the lives of girls, show the joy i have in Christ & not the tired, lame self that i feel like today.  i appreciate your prayers for students & their hearts more than you know.

that's amore monday

today, that's amore monday is coming a little later than i'd like.  it is also a little hurried because benny boy is being really insistent on using the computer...pushy pushy pushy little student.  today i honor my new love day wreath.  ben doesn't like valentine's day; he says everyday should be valentine's day & while i agree with that sentiment i really really really love all the heart-covered love-filled goodies that come along with the holiday.  SO i made a little something to make our home more LOVE-ly.  my homemade wreath is very "homemade" looking but i love it nonetheless.  

i didn't realize that these pics were a little blurry until i uploaded them & now i don't have enough time to take new ones {ie pushy student}.  squint your eyes and wiggle your head a lil & it will look juuuust right.

i had everything lying around the house so i didn't have to spend a penny.

our entryway is full-o-love.  i bought this red & cream rug at target during the post-christmas decor sales.  it was 75% off of $7.99 i think.  it is the perfect love day rug.  and cheap to boot.  for the wreath i used a grapevine wreath that was given to me from momma steph from michael's & was originally purposed as a fall wreath.  the hearts were just two different types of scrap cardstock & i used 3 different types of ribbon {two super skinny & 1 fat one for the hanging bow}.

i wanted it to look like some kind of 'love nest' themed wreath & i think that was accomplished.  the grapevine alone is nest-y & wrapping the skinny ribbon around multiple times makes it all the more nest-y-er in my book.  yes?

hope you all are feeling all lovey-dovey too.  there may be some heart garland in the works too for a couple doorways.  my husband may hate me.  HEART!

makin' babies

i'm not being vulgar but i have been making babies all night.  i found this site where you can morph you and your partner's faces together to make babies.  it is hysterical.  its just like my favorite scene in 'how to lose a guy in 10 days,' i got to be andie tonight.  hopefully my ben will be more excited than her ben about our non-existent kids !!

here's what it came up with for benny & i.

this lil lady is the one i thought could actually maybe be part of our family

and these little chubby cheeks are a possibility too...

i think this lil guy is real creepy & i hope he isn't our spawn.  i think it is because he looks like a tiny baby BUT has teeth.

this was on "auto-detect" for ethnicity.  apparently benny & i are kinda black...

this is another little babe that i'm not sure that i see coming from us BUT i would definitely dress my babe in a giant duck suit so that is a pretty great guess...

if you know me, you know i love asians.  i chose to have an 'asian baby' and this is what happened....TREAT!

while i'm not sure that this site is very accurate, i did have a lot of fun playing on there.  i guess we'll see in a few years if makemebabies.com was right!

craigslist

things i need off craigslist:


a daybed frame who's headboard & footboard is the same height so i can set it up like a couch.  i want something that feels like this...but i know i want to pay about $40 so i'd settle for something FAR less gorgeous, paint it & cover it in pillows.

{images are linked to their source}

ben wants bookshelves for the office.  we don't have any room in the office for bookshelves but we DO have a lot of books so we need to figure something out.  someday i want two huge bookshelves in our bedroom on either side of our windows and then make a window seat between the two.  i think that is a custom job...not to be found on craigslist.

huge mirror / frame for pennies that i can convert into my kitchen chalkboard discussed {here}

chairs.  lots of chairs. 

          i would like a small dainty chair, something vintage-ish looking for a lonely corner of the guest room. maybe something that could be recovered or reupholstered by a novice is what i am looking for.  i know it would be awesome to get exactly what i'm looking for "as is" off craiglist but i'll try and have a more open mind than that. 

          i would like a big ol' comfy yet pretty chair for our master bedroom. this chair would most likely not have a home if i ever did get my bookshelves/window seat dream. maybe something simple like this lands' end country luxe upholstered wingback chair would suffice with a sweet little ottoman to live under your feet.  anyone trying to give one away on the list? 

or if i start really dreaming one of these....

{phobe howard}

          

          i would like a chair for our desk in our office. i showed you the desk {here}. i really like the idea of having a really gorgeous chair like the one pictured below placed underneath the desk but i think...

{domino}

we will probably end up with something more like this:

{but in black}

we already found one at gordman's that wasn't too expensive & with a little pillow on it...it would be cute enough for me.

        i would also take a bench or two 
        & patio furniture for our deck.

on to the next...

we also are in need of a dresser for our master bedroom & for a nightstand for benny.

i know you all are looking on craigslist often...please keep an eye out for us.  OR even better...if you have one of these little gems that you are looking to get out of your home i'd be happy to take it off your hands.

i just have to ask...

i've shared this with a couple really close friends but while perusing the web today i stumbled upon mr. eddie ross once again & i just have to ask...

are our dear friend {BRYAN DORSEY}...

and designer {EDDIE ROSS} one person?

tell me they don't look...like...identical?

eddie, are you bryan's father?

hope everyone has a great day. 

<3

jen

living intentionally ch. 2

i wanted to dive deeper into my commitments for 2010 & i wanted to bring you along for the ride. please feel free to share any thoughts, suggestions, comments, encouragements or questions as we go along. 

2. give freely in all circumstances

why in the world am i so stingy?  i have contemplated this question many times over.  i don't know if it is because i am overly thrifty, that i was taught sound & responsible practices, that i'm selfish or that i don't trust the Lord enough - more than likely it is a wretched mix of all of the above.  when i speak of 'giving' i don't solely mean giving in terms of money, being tight with time or resources can be just as detrimental to your heart towards others but the way we use our funds is often the most obvious, external way to check what is really going on inside.  

we were created to share with one another.  we were made to depend on the Lord for our every need & bless others with what we have been entrusted with.  why is that such a struggle?  do i think that if i spread my resources too thin for the cause of Christ that He wouldn't come in and bless the situation?  i know that He would, but i live, i give, like he wouldn't. 

it reminds me of the parable of the talents from matthew 25.  the master gave each servant talents (or money), they were entrusted with to do 'good' with the funds until the master returned.  when the master returned two of the servants had taken risks with their funds, they were bold & had earned for their master double what he had left them with.  the third servant was fearful and timid & had just buried the money until his master returned.  the master was so thrilled  by the confidence & boldness of the two that their "master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 

i don't know about you but i want God to be able to look at me, see what i did with what he had entrusted to me & be proud of the way i used it, the way i gave it.

my second 2010 commitment is to give freely in all circumstances.  this is going to be a huge struggle for me but i know that having this plastered on my heart will help me to serve others rather than store up treasures here on earth for myself.  i know that if i don't take risks, if i am not obedient in this, i am not living up to my "#1" 2010 commitment either; i would not be living out the gospel.

i'm going to take my cue from acts 2:42-47:

"they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.   all the believers were together and had everything in common. selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. they broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

i know there is joy in giving.  i know that there is freedom in understanding that "things" & possessions don't make you happy & don't make you secure.  i know that i am called to give.

here is a whole bundle of scripture that has encouraged me in my commitment.   i hope it encourages you as well.

jeremiah 17:17

“...blessed are those who trust in the Lord

and have made the Lord their hope and confidence."

luke 14:12-13

"then Jesus said to his host, "when you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. but when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

2 corinthians 8:1-7

"we want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. for they gave according to their means, as i can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. accordingly, we urged titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you— see that you excel in the grace of giving also."

matt 25:34-45

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

 

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

2 corinthians 9:6-8
"remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. and God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

{links to things you may have missed} 2010 commitments:
1.  live out the gospel daily
2.  give freely in all circumstances

how much fun can one girl have? this much...

about two weeks ago we got a lot of this...

sparkly, beautiful, freezing cold snow.

.so i thought that it was only appropriate to lace up some of these.

ice skates, not my finger...duh.

& put on lost of these...

super warm cozy clothes.  leggings, scarves, hats, gloves, ear warmers, wool socks...you name it....we wore it. {ben & i were BOTH wearing a pair of his mom's leggings...perfect.}

.and bring a couple of these.

my crazy brother-in-law chris & his sweetie, morgan.

& go here...

ice skating in fountain square in downtown cincinnati.

it was such a blast.  basically we were all terrible.  i was by far the slowest in the rink.  chris was the wildest.  he was trying to do tricks far beyond his skill level which resulted in many trips on his rear.  very brave.  morgan was the most steady.  and benny was the most cute.  he ran into the walls because he couldn't figure out how to turn. awww.

now the snow has melted & the temperatures have risen but i still would like to go back!

{family}

a pat on the back

last friday i shared a little taste of everything i hoped to accomplish over the weekend {here}.  when i looked back on it -post weekend- i was so proud about all the things that actually had come to fruition!  i even took the time to check them off in 'paint'.  i told you i love that {sense of accomplishment} that a checklist brings! this post is much more for my benefit than it is for you...sorry.

1.  we didn't end up painting @ mad potter but some girls did get to come over to the house & we had a blast laughing and carrying on.  i also got to have some awesome conversations with the bstudy girls before the lot of 'em came over & was so encouraged by what the Lord is doing in their life.
2.  our saturday morning mission got rescheduled to a saturday evening mission & cleaning is not my idea of a date night but it did get done. hallelujah!  now let the painting & decorating begin!  i have so many plans for this office / craft room.  i can't wait to implement some all one of  them. 
3.  on, on u of k...to another victory.
4.  baby shower projects - bought supplies.  i'm considering that enough effort to give myself a check.  
5.  i didn't start one single furniture project.  mainly because i knew we were having campaigners at our house & that baby silas might be coming over.  he hates when i fill the house with stinky paint & primer & i just couldn't stand to be out in the garage painting in this cold.
6.  super mario bros = sore thumbs
7.  i got to go to the habitat restore & bought nothing, went to bed bath & beyond & bought nothing, went to the fabric store, saw lots of pretty things...and bought nothing.  FAIL.  but i did go {so check}.
9.  benny did some cleaning & i was a lazy bum :(  the bedroom & bathrooms didn't get touched.  sad.  BUT i did hang up our new PB shower curtain & i love it now that it is hung.  keepin' it!
10.  snuggled in bed until late in the day sunday and then...off to waffle house...that's a good morning.
13. read 2 & 3 john & galatians.  the Word is such a blessing.

hope your weekends were filled with people & activities that you love.  now on to another week, another checklist & a lot of opportunities to live intentionally!

-with LOVE-

jen

that's amore monday

oh that's amore monday...you are so faithful.  you always usually show up right after sunday & bring me such joy.  today, my blessed amore, we honor a warm & fuzzy, cozy & comfy bedside nook.  having an inviting & comfortable space in the bedroom, whether the master or guest, is a great way to enhance the feeling of the room.  this space could make you feel relaxed, welcomed & inspired.

::images::

1-5 {apartment therapy}

6-7, 9-11 {phobe howard}

8 {martha stewart}