June 27th, 2008 kellyschnell
Stuff I’m into these days…
*Art and design blogs. I have come across some amazing talent via the internet and am inspired by people like Amanda Blake, Cynthia Ona Innis, and Anne Wilson. Beauteous.
*The taco bus located less than a mile away from our house. Spicy, meaty goodness wrapped in a homemade corn tortilla and topped with fresh cilantro, to the tune of $1.20 (granted, I can usually scarf down at least 4 of these tacos, but still a good deal).
*Glorious sunshine and its resultant plant growth.
*Looking out the window while riding the bus home, rather than burying my nose in a book.
*Our neighborhood. We live next to some genuinely wonderful people and I’m enjoying getting to know them better.
*Green tea ice cream.
*Nantaka Joy’s stationery. Simply elegant. I’m a sucker for pretty paper.
*Looking at ideas for decorating our bedroom. Shane will cringe when he hears that I want to repaint, but I’m ready for something new. I’m really liking the combination of steel gray with orange or bright yellow.
*Weekends! Hooray for Friday nights.
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June 26th, 2008 kellyschnell
Trying to stay on track with my sketchbook resolution…
remembering hawaii (06.18.08):
from the window of my favorite cafe on n. mississippi ave in portland (06.20.08):
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June 22nd, 2008 kellyschnell
Shane and I have enjoyed spending the last couple of evenings working out in the yard, doing some weeding, planting, watering, and general clean-up. We are completely new to the yard maintenance game, so we’re asking our neighbors for advice and making the rest up as we go. My little back porch herb garden isn’t quite thriving, but it is at least surviving, which is enough to keep me happy. I did break down and buy a full-grown basil plant from Trader Joe’s, since the basil I grew from seed still hasn’t really taken off. But my dill, on the other hand, is going crazy and has produced these beautiful firework-like flowers. The trick now is to figure out what to do with all these herbs, since my cooking skills are as rough as my gardening skills…
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June 21st, 2008 kellyschnell
Just got back from a fantastic couple of days in Portland, visiting with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece. Elise continues to be precious and beautiful and wonderfully good-natured. She patiently endured my incessant photo-snapping and even cooperated with a smile or two. These are some of my favorites:
I have become quite the mommy-in-training, under the tutelage of my brother and sister-in-law. I think I have bath-giving, bottle-feeding, and burping down. But I’m saving diaper-changing for later…
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June 15th, 2008 kellyschnell
Brave New World was another stab at reading something from the Modern Library’s List of the 100 Greatest English-Language Novels of the 20th Century, and though it was more enjoyable than James Joyce, I was still a little relieved to wrap this one up and be able to move on to something else. Huxley’s take on the future is certainly intriguing (babies conceived in jars rather than wombs, the dissolution of the family structure as we know it, emotional engineering through the use of drugs and subliminal messaging), but I’m the kind of reader than needs even the tiniest glimmer of optimism in a novel, and he just wasn’t giving it. I’m sure I could appreciate his perspective if I better understood the political climate he lived in when he wrote Brave New World, but as I feared, his underlying social/political commentary was lost on me. This is one of those books that I’m happy to have read, but probably won’t ever feel compelled to read again.
And now, here comes the fun part: choosing what I will read next. I love to stand in front of my shelves full of read and unread books (the product of numerous gifts and my brother’s employee discount from the days when he used to work at Powell’s), feeling a sense of accomplishment over the books I’ve read and a sense of anticipation for the ones I have yet to read. I’ve narrowed the selection for my next undertaking down to Into the Wild, Summerland, or The Glass Castle (I’m now in the mood for a quick, fun read).
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June 11th, 2008 kellyschnell
I have expressed my disappointment in my lack of creative productivity lately, and so I have set a small but significant personal goal. I’ve been inspired by the ’skine.art blog (a new fave) to make more use of the Moleskine that I carry around with me and have committed to doodling/sketching/collaging/creating in my sketchbook at least once a week. Here are my last couple of endeavors:
lamp/couch/light-washed wall (06.01.08):
abstract still-life collage (06.07.08):
It’s a start…
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June 8th, 2008 kellyschnell
With work being as busy as it is, and my next licensing test coming up in a couple of days, and my list of “free time” projects growing all the time, my mind feels like it’s stretched very thin. I feel like I have lost my ability to focus. When I’m at work, I’m thinking about all the studying I have to do. When I’m studying, I’m thinking about the unfinished painting or sewing project that I have sitting upstairs. I try to set aside time in the evening to work on these projects, but I never get around to it, because I am worn out and exhausted by 8 pm. And then as I’m trying to drift off to sleep, I find myself composing my task list for the following work day. I am one big, neurotic stress-ball. I find it impossible to relax. It’s frustrating. And tiring.
Thankfully, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, as my test will be over on Tuesday and my big project at work should be wrapped up by the end of the month. But then again, come next month, there will be another test to take and another project to work on. And will I allow myself to become consumed by these things once again? I desperately hope not. I just haven’t figured out yet how to avoid it. I have not been dealing well with deadlines and pressure and stress. Ideally, my feelings of stress would drive me to productivity, and my productivity would allow me to feel that I’ve earned the right to take a break and relax, but it seems instead that my stress is just frazzling me to the point that I’m not getting much of anything done. And so my frustration compounds and compounds and compounds. Goodness, I’m a Debbie-downer tonight… I think I’ve got a case of the “Sunday night don’t want to go to work tomorrow didn’t get much done at home this weekend” blues. Sigh.
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May 31st, 2008 kellyschnell
Satisfied my French Toast craving this morning with the delicious little number shown below. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, paired with the sweet tang of fresh blueberries… Weekday mornings always involve a mad rush to get out the door and catch the bus, so it’s nice to be able to prepare a leisurely breakfast on Saturdays. This egg-soaked, butter-fried bread was definitely an indulgence, compared to my usual fare of low-fat yogurt and granola, but it was well worth it.
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May 29th, 2008 kellyschnell
I’ve had a hard time “embracing the present” this week, and so I’ve been focusing on all that I have to look forward to:
Getting up late this Saturday, then making French toast for breakfast (I’ve had a craving lately).
Seeing my Kindergarten class at church this Sunday. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve taught, and I’ve missed those kids.
Finishing up the punch lists for the project I’m working on in just a couple of weeks. Time to move on. My feet hurt.
Receiving the new cool, modern, wood bed frame and headboard that we just ordered from West Elm. Good-bye, squeaky old metal frame.
Heading down to Portland in a couple of weeks to visit my niece. Gotta say, I’ve got the baby itch (we’re not ready for our own, but it’s wonderful to enjoy other people’s kids!)
Checking out “First Thursday” (local Seattle art gallery walk) with Shane next Thursday. I love that he works downtown now, just a few blocks away from my office.
Planning our week-end getaway for the month of June (a new summer tradition). Camping? Vancouver? We need to get out of town.
Completing my third licensing test in just 12 days, after which I am allowing myself to take a one-month break from studying.
I know I shouldn’t resist dwelling in the present, but future seems so much more fun right now…
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May 28th, 2008 kellyschnell
For better or for worse, I can be incredibly sentimental. I am that person that insists on holding onto old Barbie dolls and stuffed animals on the chance that my future children will want to play with them someday. I am constantly trying to instate new traditions in our family that can be carried on for generations to come. I am nostalgic, romantic, and (sometimes) sappy. My sentimentality is why I love visiting my grandparents’ house and hearing the stories of all their belongings. It seems that every piece of furniture, every vase, every dish has a special story behind it about who made it or where it came from. Many of their things have been in the family for generations. In contrast, a tour through Shane’s and my house would go something like this: that table came from Ikea in 2007, those dishes were on sale at Crate and Barrel a couple of years ago, and that vase from Pier 1 is almost 6 years old (practically an antique by our standards!). This is the price I pay for enjoying a simple, modern, clutter-free home, and I’m ok with it. I’ve found a way to compensate for our lack of meaningful decor items - I’ve sprinkled our walls with photos of people we love and places we’ve been. One of my projects this weekend was to update our living room photo wall. The ones of Paris had to stay, but I printed out a couple newer favorites from our wedding and our Thanksgiving road trip. It’s nice to be surrounded by reminders of the people and places that have blessed us. I’m a sucker for a happy memory.
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