PeaceNic

take two

2009-01-23T22:07:00.010-05:00

And it's now 2009.

April. Wow. That was my last post. Needless to say, as you likely know, a lot has happened. But, here's a quick recap...if for nothing else, myself:

*May - Barack Obama defeats Hillary Clinton in the NC Primary, and damn we had fun doing it! The beehive collective becomes official with a rockin' party!
*June - July - tons of gardening.
*August - Sir Issac Hunter and Captain Kate (seen below) join our family.
*September - 3 lovely ladies take up nest in our backyard.
*October - life is devoted to Barack, the beehive collective, and training the kittens to sit.
*November - A new president is elected! And I get an early start on Christmas present making: napkin sets, aprons, magnets, sets of cards, and more.
*December - time to reflect and be thankful for all we have. The beehive collective makes its first grant of $9,300 to Passage Home!
*January - Ring in the New Year with the decision to make healthy choices. A new president is welcomed along with 5" of snow in Raleigh.

And, so here I am...ready to take two.

It's a New Year. The hobbies have not slowed down. So, a taste of what you can expect: gardening, kitten training, egg gathering, commentary on community building, bird box building, news on the beehive collective, and love for our great state.

So, bare with me as I get this thing back up and running in the next few weeks. And, love to all my friends & Mr. lp for encouraging me to get back on the wagon again.
xo (kisses and hugs, not the coffee flavored tequila).

a busy bee indeed

2008-04-14T22:00:00.004-04:00

There's been so much going on, that I don't know where to start...seriously.

I was planning on blogging on all the volunteer work I've been doing for the Obama campaign here in Raleigh (which has been nothing but fun, amazing, and rewarding!) over the past couple of weeks. But, instead I think I'll focus on a project that is fresh on my mind after a meeting.

A few months ago, a small group of friends came together to create a new organization called the beehive collective. The group is made up of primarily young women, who will be organizing fun projects together in Raleigh by polling our collective talents and resources to raise meaningful amounts of money for the causes we care about. Tonight we had a small meeting of some of our Board and founding members to plan our first kick-off event (to be held on May 1, 7-10pm at White Collar Crime). And, before we got deep into planning, we were asked what about this organization gets you excited. And, what I heard as folks went around the room was inspiring.
*getting young people involved in philanthropy
*building a better community for downtown Raleigh
*having the chance to do good while hanging out with friends
*the opportunity to party and rasie money at the same time!
*lifting up women's issues

But, I think what gets me most excited, is that the beehive collective is already accomplishing it's mission of pollinating community giving and inspiring young women to lead, and we haven't even had our first big event yet (set for May 1, 7-10pm at White Collar Crime)!

It seems a lot of my life has been filled with these kind of moments lately - moments that are inspiring and moving. Moments that took quite a bit of work and patience to get there, but inspire that more be done to achieve even greater results. And, because of all the work that's been going on, I feel like I should be exhausted. However, I'm actually wishing I could extend my day so that I could go out and do more. I just hope this feeling sticks around.

So, what's been inspiring you lately?

under the weather, but inspired

2008-03-26T21:15:00.002-04:00

I've been feeling a bit under the weather the past couple of days. I don't think I've been sick in close to a year, and I start feeling ill just days before our big work retreat - go figure. So, I've been stocking up on EmergenC (such good stuff) and tissues.

However, I did manage to find enough energy after work today to make it out to an Obama event. This event's purpose was to introduce the local (and new) staff of the Obama campaign here in Raleigh. Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect. 40 folks had rsvped for this happy hour at a bar I haven't visited before (it's a bit too Glenwood South for my taste). So, Mr. Love Party and I mozied on over around 5:30 to see what was going on. When we arrived there were already 30 - 40 folks in attendance, and before too long the place was packed. It's a Wednesday night ya'll! The crowd grew to probably 150-200, and was a wonderfully diverse gathering. It was incredibly refreshing. Maybe more inspiring though, was the realization that Mr. LP and I didn't know more then a handful of folks there. This campaign is really something!

We learned tonight that the biggest focus of the Obama Raleigh/NC camp is not raising money, but registering voters. And while usually I am utterly opposed to the idea of canvassing and phone banking myself - I'm actually excited about heading down to the Raleigh headquarters soon to pick up some forms to register folks (before April 11)! On the other hand, I do love to host a fundraiser. Maybe our first cook-out in the new home?

Never, in my lifetime, has a campaign been so inspiring and full of hope. All, I've got to say is, YES WE CAN!

red heads & scooters

2008-03-18T21:14:00.003-04:00

For those of you who prefer red heads:

Does it get any hotter? I mean, besides the fact that she's a cartoon...

This comes from a picture in Scoot! magazine last summer, which featured scooter art. I made this set of magnets for a wonderful woman I know in Raleigh.

new crafts

2008-03-17T22:30:00.006-04:00

This is a fun project I worked on over the past week for a dear friend who celebrated her birthday on Saturday:

And my first cross-stitched card:

It ended up being a great weekend for crafting and hanging pictures after all!

bless this mess

2008-03-16T09:17:00.009-04:00

Life seems to move fast these days (although not fast enough when it comes to closing on the house we're trying to sell). And, with it (and Mr. Love Party) comes...mess. For a couple of months, we had to live in the picture-perfect home, as we put our house on the market and ready for showings. It was beautiful, but horribly stressful. Once we moved into our new home we welcomed the ability to not clean up after ourselves every morning - allowing the newspaper to sit on the kitchen table and the coffee cups to sit next to the sink. However, with downsizing houses, the stress of selling our old home, and just life as usual (but with more hobbies) cleaning has been put on the back burner (or maybe even on the turkey fryer outside) and completely forgotten about.

So, over the past couple of months, our pictures have taken over our soon-to-be dining room, waiting to be hung. And, we've tried to cram what did occupy three rooms into just one room. Which, has resulted in a lot of purging (there is always at least one box ready to go to the thrift store or our next community clothes swap). Simply put, it's been a mess. One that has stared me down every time I walk into a room (any room).

But, I think after three months and a super busy weekend I'm finally coming to peace with this mess. Our bedroom stays littered with clothes and our bed remains unmade. Our arts & crafts room (soon to double as the guest bedroom) stays craft ready. And, for now our dining room is home to all "things to be hung." It seems a little strange that the tidiest room that currently occupies our lives is the shop. On the bright side, the mess has seemed to increase mine & Mr. LP's communication and patience: "Honey, where is my glue stick?" or "Baby Darling, have you seen the lid to my turkey fryer?"

If you're completely appalled at the idea of this much mess, don't worry...there are plans for a clean home one day - Starting after we close on the old house, and officially feel good about putting holes in our new walls. Til then...I'll continue to tread carefully and thoughtfully through our busy, but messy life at home.

ahhh...weekends!

2008-03-08T09:43:00.004-05:00

I love weekends. Ok...everyone Loves weekends.

But, I love weekends not because it's a time to relax, but because there is so much you can get done. Specifically, you can do the work you want (or have to) during the day and then play all night long.

Although, I've never met someone who loves weekends as much as Mr. Love Party. No matter how late we go to bed on Friday night, he's awake by 5am Saturday. Just laying there thinking about everything he's going to accomplish on his day off. Then he'll jump out of bed around 6:30 or 7am to start on his task list. If he's in bed past 7:30am, I know there's a good chance he's sick or super hung over. Usually, by the time I roll out of bed ready to start my productive weekend (what I think is respectable: 9am), he's already read the entire paper, rearranged the shop (tool shed), and started a new major project inside. I can't keep up.

This weekend, while Mr. lp builds a competitive birdhouse, I'm looking forward to:
*preparing my garden for planting.
*hanging pictures (finally).
*cleaning a bit.
*going to 4 different social events (2 saturday night, 2 sunday night); which includes watching the Tarheels beat duke.
*experimenting with some new designs for my handmade cards.
*and getting ready for a meeting on Monday (an extra-curricular project)

What are you looking forward to?

crafting for conservation

2008-03-01T16:42:00.005-05:00

With respect to the current drought our state faces, I thought I would post a craft idea for water conservation. In some sense, this is one that Mr. Love Party and I have actually had in our bathroom for quite some time.

It started out as an empty glass jar with the phrase, "25 cents per flush" written on the outside. A phrase which I remember my father joking with my sister and I about. However, it quickly became more then a joke upon hearing what some of our friends had to say upon exiting the loo, especially since the last thing we expected was a registered reaction.

Most of our guy friends would still be laughing as they exited the john, making sure to tell us that they'd left a quarter - or better yet for us, a dollar (which they would collect upon at a later time).

Most of our girl friends, who did comment on it, would come out of the head with quite the frustrated expression. We'd ask them what was wrong, and they'd explain...they didn't have a quarter, or they felt they had to flush because we were in the midst of a cookout or clothes swap. In the end, most of them would confess they "let it mellow."

That's when we realized, folks appreciated the simple statement more then we thought. So, I did what anyone would do...I turned the phrase into a cross stitch! It really doesn't get much better - a craft that inspires water conservation at a basic level. In hopes of getting others to remind their friends to conserve water in the WC - before we're all forced to use a dunny - here's the pattern I created for the cross stitch.

I think my next water conservation cross stitch will read:
In these times of too much sun
We do not flush for #1
Thanks to our friend Greg for coming up with the cute phrase that even Emily Post would approve of (or at least that my mother-in-law could hang in her own bathroom).

silver lining

2008-02-29T08:21:00.007-05:00

It's been a crazy work week, and unfortunately it's not over. Working Saturdays, no matter how successful or good the day turns out, is never an overall good thing. You still lose 1/2 of your weekend!

However, with the crazy work week - I did manage to find some time to make a few new cards. One of which was inspired by our trip last Sunday to the Biltmore House in Asheville (I was there for work on Saturday, while Mr. love party embarked on a brewery tour).

In other good news, I posted a story to New Raleigh's site earlier this week. If you haven't yet seen it, check it out. And, please feel free to leave a comment.

Finally, Mr. lp went live with his blog this week: BeerSipper. Even if you don't enjoy beer the way Mr. lp does, you'll love his story telling. Truth be known, his story telling is one of the reasons I never find myself bored.

female artists

2008-02-26T07:29:00.004-05:00

A couple of posts ago I added a little quiz:

Based on the tin of magnets, featuring women artists:
Q: Which of these singers is the only one to not write all of her own songs in the album her picture is from. (Bonus Q for ya'll: Can you name all the artists?)

Here are your answers:
from left to right
top row: Erykah Badu, Jewel
middle row: Natalie Imbruglia, Fiona Apple, Lauryn Hill
bottom row: Ani Difranco, Lisa Loeb

The only artist among this talented group to not write all of her own songs in the album her picture is from is...Natalie Imbruglia.

Coming up soon: craft tips for saving water in your home.

barack sent you...

2008-02-21T17:46:00.014-05:00

In honor of Senator Obama, I bring you my new favorite card which got mailed off to f.pea this week.

Sorry about the quality of these pics - I'm still learning how to use the f-stop on Mr. love party's camera. Incase you can't read the above - it says: "barack sent you chocolate...but I ate it."

Word is that there'll be a local Obama t-shirt contest in the coming days...Mr. lp can't wait!

And, one thing that I just can't help but share with you: Shepard Fairey's (the Obey artist) Obama Hope poster. Shepard apparently made it to be distributed before the Cali primary and only made one run of the print. Folks have since been banging down his door to get another run made.

Simple and brilliant! This is hands down my favorite Obama Poster.

a few of the first cards

2008-02-18T19:31:00.010-05:00

As promised here are a few of my first cards, post bird food/recipe card making session with f.pea. They were all made as thank you cards.

And, here's a new one I made this weekend as a sort of late Valentine's Day card:

It's become one of my favorites. I just love the broken tree that the fabric makes. The birds were also made from a picture of a tree.

sending packages = satisfaction guaranteed

2008-02-14T18:51:00.017-05:00

I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day. It feels like a corporate holiday created to tell you when to appreciate your friends and loved ones, rather then simply appreciating them every day. I do support other couples celebrating and single friends cursing the holiday, as it's always a nice boost to the local restaurant/bar industry. Mr. lp and I have decided to dub the holiday another name though: beer & condom day!

On a lighter note, I got to mail off a package today to our dear friend Kris and his girlfriend Whitney in Ventura, California. I'm super excited about this gift: two bags of Larry's Beans (our favorite local roaster), St. Valentino's blend and a homemade gift and card:

It's a set of magnets made from old beer bottle caps in a tin I attempted to decoupage. Under each of the magnets I've cut out the name of the artist from one of her cd covers. In addition, I had a pop question for our friends about the artists: Q: Which of these singers is the only one to not write all of her own songs in the album her picture is from. (Bonus Q for ya'll: Can you name all the artists?) Answers to come in the next post!

And here's the card we sent to Kris & Whitney:

It's a bit more unique then some of my others but it matches our friends' more unique taste. I've found recently, as I've been sending more packages and homemade cards, that dropping off mail for friends and family seems to make the whole day a bit more satisfying. Don't you think?

fresh air on the river

2008-02-13T19:24:00.004-05:00

Mr. love party and I have been quite stressed lately - really for the past four months, since we put our house on the market. And, for some reason this morning our stress peaked. So much so that we started taking it out on each other. However, my mood was altered after Mr. lp dropped me off at the rental car place and I got in the car to drive to New Bern for work.

It's been awhile since I've been on the road (I typically travel at least a couple times of month to destinations at least 1.5 hours away) and this trip was much needed. I got about an hour outside of Raleigh and cranked Mr. lp's recent mixed cd (which includes London's amazing Kate Nash) and at that point all that stress seemed to fall behind the car, left on the side of the highway. It was amazing. Driving down the road on a rather dark morning (thankfully, we need the rain!), I found myself smiling (and unabashedly singing).

The day continued to improve. I got to dine at a local eatery with my colleague and then visit my favorite coffee shop in New Bern for some wireless work. And, to top it all off, before my last visit in New Bern I got to take a short but very wonderful walk along the Neuse River in Union Point Park. Isn't it amazing what a little fresh air, an afternoon walk, and a river front can do for your soul?

handmade cards

2008-02-12T19:09:00.006-05:00

I've started making cards this year for friends & family. It began about four days before Christmas when f.pea and I were frantically making bird food recipes for our loved ones and decided to get a bit crafty and make fun recipe cards to go with them. Since then, I've been obsessed with making my own little cards, and nearly all of them have included birds in some fashion.

I'll need to raid Mr. lp's computer to find some of my first ones, but for now here's one of my favorites from the batch made last night:

This card is going to be sent to our dear friend who is having an unexpected extended stay in China, for work. We can't wait for him to come back to Raleigh!