Pause In Happiness - Orange Edition

Dear world,

There's a quote out there by Guillaume Appollinaire, where he says, "Now and then it is good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy." Today is one of those days. Today is a GREAT day. :)

What does it take to be happy, you may ask? Well, for me it has been a combination of God's grace (those times where it pours out SO ABUNDANTLY that you just can't help but notice? Yeah, those times.), a shopping trip, wonderful friends, good food, fantastic co-workers, and the reality that today is FRIDAY and I have tomorrow off. :)

One of my friends recently started a blog and in one of her posts she talks about building a wardrobe. You can check her blog out here, if you'd like. In that particular post, she talks about picking a scheme/theme for your season's wardrobe. I decided on my shopping trip last night that my love of stripes was going to be my theme/inspiration for my spring wardrobe. Here are a few picks from my first outfit......what do you think? Do you have any inspirations/themes that you are excited to translate into a wardrobe?

From the front: Shirt ($5.99) and gray skinnies ($12.49), Old Navy; Necklace, Francesca's; Ruffle wedges, DSW.

 

 

 

 

 

From the side.....a little Friday sass. ;-)

Close-up: Lipstick, "Kiss Me Coral", Revlon; Eiffel Tower earrings...I can't remember. Sorry!

"Enough"

"Fear is the original sin."

This quote is from one of my favorite books, Blue Castle, by L.M. Montgomery. I have thought about it a lot, and every time I think about it, I agree with it more.

Every day we are faced with little fears: "Do I have enough time?", "Does my outfit look ok?", "Did I pack enough food for the day?"..........and on top of those daily little fears sit larger, more overwhelming fears: "Will I be able to make rent this month?", "Did I choose the right career/vocation?", "How do I balance life?", etc. You could replace these questions/fears with any others and I think they would all boil down to one, big question: "Am I enough?".

I believe that God created us out of an overflow of His perfect love. There is also a saying, that one of my professors loved, that "everything is gift". However, even if you believe in the Big Bang Theory.....we would still be made from an excess, leftovers from an explosion. With that in mind, my question is "How can that which is, by very definition, an overflow and gift and extra, even be considered in the same realm as 'enough'?" When we consider ourselves, our society, our world....to all be 'extra'/'gift'.....then the word "enough" ought to become an absurdity. And yet.......how hard we try to convince ourselves of it's plausibility! We, who are supposed to be rational beings, spend the majority of our time trying to make an absurdity a reality. And yet, time and time again without becoming weary, God reaches out to us in love when we have fallen from despair and eliminates our fears as He whispers to us: "My beautiful one, YOU are precious, unique, and I love you with an unending love."    

A Good Friend Is A Treasure

"A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter, he who finds one finds a treasure." - Sirach 6:14

I often take comfort in certain Bible verses, and a few find their way back into my mind over and over again. The one that I have mentioned above is one of those repeating sounds in my head. It is also a favorite verse for me and my long-time friend, M.

However, this verse actually applies to all my friends. It popped into my head after a wonderful surprise chat this morning with my dear friend, Louise, from the best ever blog: Coffee and A Cardigan. If you have not visited it yet, hop on over there now and explore the funky fashion of an amazing woman!

Dear readers......you must forgive, and simultaneously realize, that I digress a lot throughout my posts. Which, if I remember, I'll try to remedy and ask forgiveness. =)

The point of this whole post was just to share with you how wonderful and true that Bible verse is! Lou and I have been on opposite sides of the continent for the past (forever!) years, and are therefore hardly ever able to chat due to time zones, and yet this morning we chatted over Gchat for just a few moments and it was as if all the years just dissolved into air and we were back together again at college, talking face to face over tea. *blissful sigh*

People often ask me why or how I spend so much time on FB(can't wait for Lent to be over!) and I always answer simply, "Because I can connect with most, if not all, of my friends." They look on it as a chore, and it is a bit of work, but would not you work to upkeep a shelter to keep it sturdy? To keep jewels polished so that you may wear them proudly? to work well for good wages?

I'm not trying to say I'm so great. I'm just saying I don't look on it as taxing to my strength. Rather the opposite! I get such an energy from people being happy around me that I yearn for time and conversation with friends. And let's be honest......I have the best friends. Sorry all you who are not me or do not know my friends. They are the most amazing and unique bunch of people. I am so blessed. Thank you all for your friendship!

It is also sunny today, which ALWAYS adds to my enjoyment of life. I never used to like Spring all that much, but in later years it has opened up to me quite a few different aspects that I find charming, that I never realized before, or maybe just took for granted. I love the bright, crisp sunshine, not quite as hot as summer, or brisk as fall, or glaring as winter......just bright and happy and new. And, while I may bemoan it most days, I do find the changeable wind that can go from soft breeze to tyrant storm in a few short hours to be quite fascinating. And throughout all of that, everything NEW. New flowers, baby animals, leaves, plants.....everything seems to get a new outfit or rebirth in Spring.

And so dear readers, I will leave you for today. For the sun is beginning it's descent and I still want to go enjoy a bit of it! Thank you for reading (and especially for commenting!)!!!

The Sunny Side of Life

Hi dear ones! (I may not even know all of you who read this, but dear you are for reading!)

It is a very GREY day here, with dreary rain this morning, and listless nothing this afternoon. However, since I promised that this post would be lighter and happier than my previous post, and I am in a foul disposition, I shall have to defer to others' comedy to brighten your day. Below are some of my very favorite YouTube videos, which I cannot, and will not, ever get sick of watching. =) I hope they brighten your day as much as they always brighten mine!

On Bad Days 

On Sibling Rivalry


On The Battle Of The Sexes and Why Men Just Don't Understand.....Or Do They?

On How To Communicate To Men When They Won't Listen

In closing (I already feel much better!) I will say......TGIF!!!! Tomorrow is another day, with no mistakes in it. <3

Requiescat in Pace

Today, dear readers, is a more solemn post. My great aunt, Helen, on my mother's side, died last week. She was on the Greek side of my family and I barely knew her, but I ask your prayers for her soul and for my mom's family, especially my grandfather. Thank you, and I will write a later post on a much more happy or "natural blue" note later on.


One thing I love about the Greek language is how they express things. My great aunt Helen was honored in her church's Sunday bulletin and above her they wrote the words "May her memory be eternal", which somehow has a different meaning to me than "May she rest in peace". Am I alone in this? The Greek seems much more personal and a reminder to us still here on earth that we are to glean the good from others and live by that goodness. I'm not saying this the way it's sounding in my head, but when I hear "May her memory be eternal", I feel like it is a request for us here on earth to make her proud through our lives well lived, and so on for generations. Does that make sense?

At any rate......may she rest with God for eternity and may her life be an example to all who knew her. Thank you for your prayers!

~ Dorie

A Cornucopia of Color

Have you ever noticed, dear readers/fellow bloggers, that I almost *HAVE* to start my blog posts with an opener similar to a letter? I just realized this today, hence the different opener/beginning of this post. And after further thinking, I believe I do that because, subconsciously, this is my way of writing a letter to all of you at one time. A sort of communal epistle, as it were.

At any rate, I digress.

What I wanted to talk to you today was about COLORS. If you know me in the slightest, you know that I simply cannot get enough color in my life. If my sisters would let me, I would leave the house in a veritable rainbow of hues. Thank God for sisters. =)

But on to the point of this post. My friend and dear ex-roomie over at Stained Glass wrote a post a few weeks back that really got me thinking: What if people viewed other people by color? Now, there ARE some people who believe in "auras", a certain color haze or halo surrounding each person indicative of their energy. I don't believe in that, but certain people, by their disposition and personality, do remind me of certain colors.

For example: My friend, whom I shall call Writtle Bear to protect their anonymity, reminds me of a deep purple hue. Now, purple just happens to be one of Bear's favorite colors, but the shade of purple I see when I look at W.B. really does suit them. When I think of that shade of purple, almost aubergine, I immediately see subtlety, a sort of regal air, a slightly veiled but strong warmth, and a sophistication and complexity that is more interesting than stuffy; a color that runs deep, wears well, and is not for the timid. Now, if you know this Writtle Bear of whom I speak, do not you think that suits them rather well?

Take, for example, another friend, whom I shall call K.S, the acronyms for the kind of friend she is. KS reminds me of a deep, true blue color. When I think of this color, I automatically start calming down. =) This color is straightforward, simply beautiful with no pretenses, but deep and full, frank but not "loud". Not quite a Dorie blue. =)

For myself, I identify with these shades of orange and yellow.  Sorry about the hands in the former, but isn't that dress in the latter divine?!?
Also......would you agree with my interpretation of myself? Self-portraits intrigue me and I often wonder if we think the same of ourselves as others think of us. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE COMMENT!!!!

Paid In Full

The most beautiful words I could hear today would be: Paid. In. Full.

Allow me to explain. Due to the nature of my various educational ventures, I have quite a few loans racked up in my name and my mother's name. This doesn't even touch the black hole that is my shopping addiction.

However, today is SUPER blessed as I received my tax refunds this past week and today have paid off the Sallie Mae loan in my mom's name(I'm sure I have increased in love in her eyes for this gesture) AND my remaining balance due to the University of St. Catherine. I have also paid off my Banana Republic card balance, which is pittance when compared to the other two payments made today, but nevertheless adds to the adrenaline coursing through my body and making my heart soar!

If you have so blessed that you have never had to deal with payments and bills and such, YAY for you! If you're like the rest of us Americans who will most probably be straddled with debt until the year 3010.....you know how I feel. I intend to keep this motivation up and continue to pay off a loan each month until I only have my Ave loan left.

I apologize if any of you reading this hate speaking about money. I hate discussing finances too, and usually make it a point not to speak about this, but I also make a point of spreading good news, and this is VERY VERY good news and a long time comin'!

Happy Feast of the Annunciation!!!!:
"Existing before time began, He [Jesus] began to exist at a moment in time." – St. Leo the Great

+ FIAT MIHI +

A Yiddish Proverb with Graphics to Explain!

It is a perhaps unknown or widely held Yiddish proverb that explains "When brains are needed, brawn won't help".

My friend, Thom Peters from American Papist and Catholic Vote
offered this link on his Gmail Buzz.

I promise: If you click on this link, you will be entertained. =) If not, I promise to dedicate a whole post to you. (You will have to comment to tell me who you are. hehe)  

हैप्पी रेअदिंग! (That means Happy Reading in some foreign language. =)

http://www.simoleonsense.com/infographic-how-to-have-a-rational-discussion/

This One's For The Girls

Dear readers,
I found this while sorting through my old email account and, as I don't have current emails for all of you, decided to post this on here. As with all good passages, this still holds true 6 years after I first received it. So for all of you females reading this.....Thank you!

This says it All:
Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Love waxes and wanes.
Hearts break.
Careers end.
Jobs come and go.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Men don't call when they say they will.

BUT...........

Girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you.

A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach.When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it for yourself, your girlfriends will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end. Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you. Or come in and carry you out.

Daughters, Daughter-in-laws, sisters, sisters-in-law, mother, mother-in-law, aunties, nieces, cousins, extended family, and friends bless our life!
The world wouldn't be the same without them, and neither would I.
When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other. Every day, we need each other still.

Pass this on to the women who help make your life work.
I just did.
Friends are like fat thighs, they keep in touch.( I loved this part!)

To all my dear girls......you have kept me sane and kept me going! Please know that you are all in my prayers. May you have a blessed Lent!

xoxo,
Mona

REAL Estates - A Link or Two

I am going to live here one day. It is ugly as sin on the outside (although oddly enticing.....) but just read all about it: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=5

Or I could live here: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=7

This is just weird, and odd, but cool? Yes: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=8

A house that lets you cheat death?....or not: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=10

This would just be neat to walk through, although perhaps to creepy to own: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=11

When you think about it.....these are surprisingly inexpensive for the novelty and awesomeness they hold!

Happy 7th day of Lent!