Simply Liv: May 2012

DIY Inspiration: Lace and Denim

Happy Wednesday! (Is it sad that I had actually had no idea what day it was today until I checked on my computer?....C'est la vie in the summertime...). Today I want to share a little project I made last week.
Right now, I'm a lover of all things lace. I'll stop at nothing to lace-ify anything and everything in my path- so I thrifted a lovely denim button down (from the men's section, in fact) with the intentions of doing just that. After scavenging through the basement for my sewing machine (that I haven't used since I was probably 13) and "brushing up" on my sewing skills, this is what I came up with:

Inspiration from here

It was actually incredibly simple and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I'm excited to mix up my wardrobe with an unexpected pop (or overload) of lace whenever possible.

Here's a little peek into the process:

Before it went under the knife

What fun projects await you this summer?

Simply,

Liv

A Time To Remember

They are dead; but they live in each Patriot's breast,
And their names are engraven on honor's bright crest.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Happy Memorial day, everyone! May we never think of it simply as a reason for a three day weekend or an excuse to sleep in.

Ps. The third photo is of my Uncle Sam's headstone. I'm proud to call him my uncle, though I never even met him.

It's Simple Really...

Don't worry, my blog hasn't been hijacked.

It's still me. However, you may have noticed a few changes since the last time you stopped by. And by "a few changes", I mean "everything is changed". But before you click the "unfollow" button or send me angry emails, let me explain myself-

What once was Life Out of Grey has become Simply Liv for a few reasons:

1. I felt the need to narrow my blog's topic to make it more readable and welcoming for new readers. I want to reach a wider audience (sorry mom and dad, I love you, but its time other people read my blog too ;)...) and develop this here blog a bit more. I'll still share about my day-to-day adventures, but I want to branch out and share more about what inspires me (focusing mainly on "the small things in life") in hopes that it will inspire others.

2. "Simply Liv" is just plain clever. The title Life Out of Grey was based off of a song I recorded a few years ago, and while the phrase still means a lot to me, it doesn't roll off the tongue or sum up what I want my blog to become as well as I wanted. Though I've never gone by Liv, I thought it was a convenient mix of my name and a motto I try to live by.

I hope these new changes will create an atmosphere of inspiration and a new appreciation for the simple joys in life. As always, thanks for reading and I hope you stick around for the ride. (You could/should even hit that lovely follow button if you so choose!)

I'd love to hear feedback on some of the changes!

Today

...beauty is curling up on the couch with an enormous red blanket and putting myself in Jane Eyre's shoes as I read her story
...beauty is sipping a homemade almond milk latte and snuggling with Lucy as I read
...beauty is watching my brother laugh at the computer and imagining whats happening on the screen
...beauty is cleaning the entire house without even one person complaining
...beauty is the cloudy sky and the wind in the trees
...beauty is having a dad who can fix washing machines, bathrooms and necklaces
...beauty is lighting a cinnamon apple candle to reward the kitchen for being so clean
...beauty is pushing myself to run when I'd really rather be able to breathe at a normal pace
...beauty is the normal things that never get noticed

Today was normal...but it was beautiful.

For the List-Makers

Ever the goal-setter and list-maker, I never pass up an opportunity to write my aspirations down. I'm afraid that without the help of my journal, I'd forget all about my brilliant ideas and thoughts. It's very easy for me to get complacent and lazy, and so when I write things down I somehow feel that they are set in stone and must get done. It's like accountability with myself, I guess. And now I'm publishing them on the internet for the entire world (yes, you, dear readers, are my entire world) to read. I think that should at least quadruple the accountability.
I grew so much this past year and I'd hate for summer-time, a time to relax, return to my "normal life" and unwind, to be wasted. It's an incredible chance to grow, reflect and make changes, so I want to be really intentional with how I spend mine.

Here's (part of) my list of summer goals:

I'm going on a trip to Latvia to put on music camps in a few weeks, and so I have a really unique chance to impact other people. I want to love people well and be the kind of person they can relate to and confide in. I want to especially be this person for the girls I'll get to know at the camps in Latvia.
I want to get comfortable with not knowing all the answers. (Anyone know an easy fix to that one?)
I want to improve musically. Piano, guitar and singing are my passions and summer is such a great chance to focus and practice!
I want to work of the rest of my "freshman 15". Darn the dining halls! I'm not sure I gained the entire 15...but I want to get back in shape and stay that way for next year!
I want to further this here blog and refine it and "professionalize" it.
I want to camp, backpack, rockclimb, stargaze, sunrise and get muddy
I want to have deep discussions
I want to craft my heart out!
I want to read, read, read. (There's a completely separate list for books I want to read this summer...sometimes I think I'm too organized...)

Here's a few of the books I'm working on now: Captivating , Worship Matters,
Fresh Brewed Life (This one's for breakfast dates with my mom), and The Help

Do you have any goals for this summer? Or any books you're reading/think I should add to my enormous list? I'd love to hear from you!

My Summer-Self

Since school got out, I haven't had many excuses to get dressed. By my normal standards. I've pretty much lived in running shorts and t-shirts thus far, which makes me a little nervous. My goal during the school year was to never go to class in sweatpants (I caved and wore sweats once during midterms), so my school-year-self would be quite disappointed in my summer-self. But hey, when all I do is sit around the house, I don't see much need to curl my hair or put on a maxi skirt. So speaking as my summer-self, when the chance arises, my mood is right, the stars align and I decide to look semi-presentable, it calls for documentation.
As luck would have it, this morning was gorgeous and sunny so I took Lucy (our Yorkie puppy) out to the back yard and we snapped a few photos before I left for church. I've been experimenting a lot with my camera and really want to improve, so it was fun to mess around a little bit. Here's what we came up with:

Isn't she the sweetest??

I'm off to a dinner date with my dad. Happy Sunday, friends!

Diary of a Secret Foodie

Maybe it's because I haven't cooked a single meal for myself since last August, but for some reason I've been on a cooking and baking spree since I've been home. I think my feelings about dorm food probably have something to do with it. Just maybe....
Regardless of the cause, I've been baking up a storm and wanted to share some of my favorites so far with you.

Last week my mom and I did Dr. Oz's 48 hour cleanse (which you can read about here) just to see how effective it would be. And mostly because I felt the need to "cleanse" my body of a year's worth of dining hall cuisine. Basically, for two days we ate nothing but jazzed up veggies and quinoa, and by the end of it I was pretty ready to make 2 dozen cookies and eat them all (which, as luck would have it, I pretty much did). Over all it was definitely beneficial and I'd recommend the cleanse to anyone looking for a quick re-start.

This is the "between 'meal' snack"- veggies, and "dressing" (lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper).

This lovely drink is nothing but pomegranate juice, lemon juice, pineapple juice and water. It was actually quite tasty.

So after our adventure with Dr. Oz, I decided to counter-act everything I had just accomplished.
First up, came this gluten-free lemon bread. I made it for my mom for Mother's day and let me just say, it is super simple and very dee-licious.

After my mom left for the week on a trip for work, gluten-free wasn't a requirement anymore and so I experimented on my dad (who is more than willing to eat anything I throw together) and found a recipe for an apple-pie-bread that was to die for. I highly suggest you all go make it right now and save an entire loaf for yourself, because it will be gone within a half hour.

You can find the recipe here

I also made a few other things, but felt silly taking pictures of my food all the time, so I failed to document them. But you can find the recipes here, here, and here.

Have you all tried any recipes worth sharing lately? I'd love to have them!

Thanks for stopping by, friends and I hope your weekend is off to a smashing start!

Sweet Summertime

I'm done with my freshman year of college! The words still don't sound right when I say them. It went so fast that its hard to believe its actually over.

I couldn't have asked for a better first year. I fell in love with the people, the town and the school and it was hard for me to leave for three months. However, I have an amazing summer in front of me and can't wait to see what adventures are thrown my way! For the first few weeks, I'll be in Nebraska with my family. It will be great to just relax and catch up with them after the hectic stress of finals week. While I'm here, I'll be preparing for my trip to Latvia in June.

While I'm excited for next semester, reuniting with my friends and moving in to a new apartment, I'm going to try and be very intentional with my time this summer. Summer is a unique chance to focus on things that tend to get lost during the business of the year, and I don't want to let that pass.

Before I get too far into summer though, I wanted to share some pictures of the last few weeks of school...the "how finals week really looks" side...it wasn't all stress and tears and tests. I tried to cram as much last minute fun in as possible.

Studying in the library till 2 am results in some embarrassing pictures, too many inside jokes, and not enough studying.

Victory photos after acing our astronomy final.

"Study breaks" in Old Town for coffee and scones

Searching my memory for songs I know to entertain passersby

Thank you, Fort Collins for an amazing year. I feel blessed to go to school somewhere I love so much. See you in August!

Happy summer everyone!

Olivia

Early Morning Musings

Brace yourself, because what I have to say may shock you. Ready?

I (think) I (maybe) am (slowly) becoming a morning person.

The kind of morning person who still loves to sleep in, but can function like a mostly sane human being at early hours of the day.

That doesn't qualify as a morning person? Ok fine.

Nonetheless, I've been sleeping less and less, but feeling more and more awake. Which is good considering I have two papers to write and three finals to study for this week.

Here are a few shots of my early morning excursions:

Every Friday morning I meet with my friend Jacquelyn to discuss Captivating (a book I highly, highly, recommend if you are or know anyone who happens to be a woman). But I've been getting to the Coffee shop early to spend some time alone in prayer and to prepare myself for the day. Nothing quite prepares me like a dark roast, some granola and Worship Matters (another book I highly recommend).

A few hours ago, Taylor and I went sunrising for the last time of the semester. As always, it was beautiful and a grand start to a homework filled Saturday.

With that, I'm off to write a 8 page paper about the beginning of American Literature.
I hope your weekend is off to a wonderful start so far!

Happy Saturday.

THE BLACK KEYS!

Monday night may or may not have been the greatest night of my life. I'm still deciding. I took a much needed night off from studying with my roommate Madi and our friend Liz to see none other than the Black Keys. If you've never seen them (or heard their music for that matter), I suggest you do so immediately. They put on such a great show. Here are some photos of the night so you can re-live it with me.

The Arctic Monkeys were the openers. I wasn't too familiar with their music, but I must admit, their British accents and suave style won me over. If you haven't heard their music (or seen the lead singer's hair) I suggest you do so immediately.