Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Creativity: Amy of Happily Ever Now

Post 6 of HEIA: Creativity.

So I've never met Amy of Happily Ever Now, but her blog has become one of my favorites: it's clear full of joy and optimism. Finding the silver-lining (and then writing about it) is how Amy is creative. Read on to discover a little more for yourself:


Attention: this is not Hannah.

Don’t click away yet! My name is Amy, and Hannah graciously invited me to write for her blog today! And I am absolutely excited that she did. I’m twenty years old, a college junior studying elementary education at BYU, and I write my own stories over at Happily Ever Now.

this is the only non-awkward picture of myself I could find.
just kidding! ...because even this one is kind of awkward. baha


Monday, August 29, 2011

Fishtail Braid How-to

Obviously the braid trend has been gaining momentum over the last few years. I must admit, at first, I wasn't feeling it. Now I love it. Although, I used to think fishtail braids were really tacky. There was something about the hair tie at the top that, to me, was gag-worthy. Take the lovely Blake Lively, for example:


She's obviously gorgeous, but I feel like the tie at the top is just...juvenile. Without the tie, I think a fishtail braid can be both bohemian and elegant. Which was the exact feeling we were going for with Kourt's bridal hair:

Friday, August 26, 2011

Creativity from Yours Truly: Steps to Creativity

Day 5 of HEIA: Creativity.

I am a creative person. As a little girl, I would play pretend for hours. I was a mother during the American Revolution. A mermaid in the midst of a deep and mysterious sea, a playful puppy, and even a gardener. I wore elaborate crowns and ruled my country in humility. I painted masterpieces. I educated young pupils in my classroom. I built fortresses and flew airplanes. I was anything and everything I wanted to be.

It often surprises me now when I hear anybody, young or old, say they aren't creative and that their imagination is lacking. Now that just seems absurd -- no creativity? Bah.

As adults, whether we are artists, teachers, doctors, politicians, pastors, parents, fashionistas, chefs, or athletes, we share one thing in common: the ability to create something where nothing existed before.

And so my friends, I created a list of pointers on how to become a more creative person:

1. Believe in yourself.
Back when I started working on my art minor, I walked into my first figure drawing class and felt very much like a journalist in a room full of artists. I was sure I wouldn't stack up against the rest. My teacher, Terry Morrow, was a tough grader, too, but told us almost every class that we were the "creme de la creme," that our minds were brilliant and we were capable of learning. I needed him to have that confidence for me when I couldn't, but I quickly learned that I really am capable. In fact, by the end of the semester I had won the title of "most improved."

A drawing of the same model on the first day of class and then towards the end. In the words of Terry, the "Big Mich" would have been really very proud.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Creativity: Elizabeth of Riding in the Sun

Day 4 of HEIA: Creativity.


And now, a word from a fellow journalist, my beautiful (and resourceful) cousin-in-law, Elizabeth. She uses creativity to enrich her day-to-day life, and improve her relationships with others. Read on:

Swinging on a shoestring

As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. Everyday life takes you places and demands results often when you have the least resources. When this happens- I wing it. Whether I’m camping, cooking a new dish, planning an international trip or searching for a new job, something always happens that requires me to improvise with however little (or much) I have.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Creativity: Meredith of Yours, Mine & Ours

Day 3 of HEIA: Creativity.


Meet Meredith: fashion blogger, mama, and the greatest cheapskate I have ever had the pleasure of knowing (at least through cyberspace). She uses very creative financial solutions to indulge in fashion. Let's all learn a little from her wisdom shall we?


 Hey guys! 
I'm Meredith and I blog over at yours, mine & ours where I cover freepiled mama style.
Woo hoo!
 Today creativity is on the brain. And more specifically: creativity via how I dress on the cheap.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Creativity: Kristi of Live. Laugh. Read.


Day 2 of HEIA: Creativity.
Kristi is easily one of my favorite people in the entire world. She is brilliant and absolutely hilarious. She'll tell you herself, but we're camp friends (are you tired of hearing about camp yet?!) and have a million fabulous memories together.
Me and Kristi when we were...16? 17?
Today, she's inspiring us by reminding us that we all possess the ability to create. Enjoy Kristi's brilliance:
Hey darlings! This is Kristi from Live. Laugh. Read, and I’m so excited to be guest posting on Hannah Explains It All today!  Hannah and I go way back to when we were both young 12 year-olds going to girl’s camp together.  Hannah has asked that I write a little somethin somethin about creativity for all her lovely followers. Seriously, you’re all lovely.
Hannah and I (we’re in the middle) when we were what, 14 maybe? I’m in the pink shirt and obviously need a better bra. Hannah looks awesome as always.


Monday, August 22, 2011

Creativity: Alyssa of the Happy Pear


Day 1 of HEIA: Creativity.


If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm all about creativity. I've asked some of my favorite people to share with us what creativity means to them. I'll add my thoughts later, too. This week is the "kick-off" so come back every day this week to hear from another blogger about creativity.


And if you have something to add to the discussion, just let me know! I'm sure we'd all love to hear from you. E-mail me at hannahmoore2007 at hotmail dot com.

Now... my wonderful readers, meet the always adorable blogger-photographer-dancer extraordinaire: Alyssa of the Happy Pear.

♥ ♥ ♥ 

Hi, friends! Super grateful to the lovely Hannah for suggesting I write a little bit about something I'm already very passionate about: ever since I was a kid I've always loved using the creative side of my brain. I remember having backyard experiments and adventures, but it wasn't until I was an adult that I realized I really have a passion for creativity. 

My favorite way to use creativity is easily found through the arts; I'm an avid photographer, and enjoy trying to find unique ways to capture lovely moments and sweet personalities. There's something special about being able to stop time for just a moment and document it. Take this photo: 


Sunday, August 21, 2011

(Almost) Silent Sunday: The Temple

I love Sundays because every Sunday is the Sabbath day -- a day set apart from the rest of the week to rest from worldly concerns (like work or school) and focus on the Lord. It doesn't always mean the day is literally silent, sometimes I am with not-so-quiet family or friends or sometimes I am serving or teaching, but somehow it always restores my spiritual batteries and prepares me for the week of work ahead.

Sundays are peaceful. So was the morning we went to the Sacramento temple to get married. The temple grounds feel like Sunday every day -- peaceful and always set apart from the concerns of the world. I found the following lil' beauties on my mom's computer. It's us in the parking lot the morning we got married before our marriage ceremony. They're just snapshots my mom took, but they definitely make me smile and help me feel a tiny bit of that peace I felt that morning.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Giggle Giggle

I love baby giggles, and I especially love my nephew's baby giggles. I miss him!


Always,

P.S.
I have something exciting coming next week! Keep your eyes peeled for some guest posts from some of my favorite people!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Classic Apartment Living

I love our hot tub.

Apartment living is definitely something special. If you haven't experienced it, you're missing out. Yesterday a chunk of our ceiling fell out and started dripping water. We also went to do our laundry for the first time. After a few dollars and hours in the apartment's laundry room, we discovered their driers don't work very well. It resulted in three loads of laundry sprinkled around our tiny apartment -- which was mostly just funny. This morning our water wasn't running (due to an emergency, the office said). Have I mentioned our "ooooh yeah," neighbors?...I'll let you use your imagination on that one.

*Sigh*...good times.

What's your best apartment-living story?

Always,

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

California Summer: 20SB Blog Swap with JacquelineParis


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Today is the 20SB Blog Swap! JacquelineParis and I are talking about summer on each other's blogs...so read her post then swing on over and check out my musings about my favorite season!

I Know What I Did Last Summer: Tales from Summer 2010

California. Always wanted to be a “California girl”. When I was a senior in high school and looking at schools to apply to, I automatically flipped open Princeton Review’s tab to “California”. That’s all I wanted. Pepperdine was by the beach, and students at UC Santa Barbara surfed in between classes. Is there any school in California not within walking distance of delicious soft sand bliss and crushing waves?

Turns out there is. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. Turns out it’s much more “Pebble Beach chic” than “Cali surfer dude”. When I moved to Monterey last June to help my boyfriend (now the fiancé yay) move into his first non-Naval Academy abode, and effectively play house for six weeks, I discovered the best parts about California had nothing to do with the beach.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Gold, Rafting, Burgers & Pie

After all the wedding festivities were over, my mom, my brother, Dallas, Nathaniel and I, spent a morning white water rafting on the American River.

We looked a little something like this:

Aaaawesome.

The only thing holdin' you in the tube is your feet shoved under portions of the tube. Which, surprisingly, feels really secure. My butt only flew off the tube a few times; although, by the end of the day my booty was definitely a little tender.


Before we hit the river, we drove up the street to Coloma to see the site where gold was first discovered (eureka!) in California. In the second photo we are standing in front of the sawmill that led to the gold discovery. If you weren't a 4th grader in California, you can read all about gold rush history here.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Febreze and Futons

Remember that one time where I didn't have a kitchen table and I'm dumb enough to eat on the floor and then roll around on that same floor I'm sitting on to eat my food? That one ketchup incident? Oh, you don't?! Yeah, me neither.

Theoretically speaking, if someone was dumb enough to eat on the floor and then proceed to roll in their left over dinner, they'd probably be pretty excited to find a perfectly usable futon on the side of the road. Theoretically speaking, of course.

We were driving home from church, and were so excited that Nathaniel just jumped out of the car and carried it home right then and there. No need to change clothes!

And now, my friends, we have a thoroughly Febrezed futon to sit on. Pure bliss, I say. God bless college towns.

Always,

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Where you going? Mormon humor.

By now, you've probably figured out that I think my Grandad is a pretty cool guy. He makes chocolates and ice cream, he used to be a river guide on the Colorado River back when they floated in wooden rafts, he sings silly songs, he's a fabulous story teller, and on top of all that, he has a fabulous sense of humor.

Before a marriage ceremony in an LDS temple, guests sit and wait to be escorted into the sealing room, where the marriage ceremony takes place. This is exactly what happened at Kourtney's wedding. A temple worker came in and asked for Grandad to follow him.

As he stood up someone asked: Where are you going?

And without missing a beat, Grandad said: The Celestial Kingdom.


My grandparents. 

Always,

Friday, August 12, 2011

Kourtney's Green Smokey Bridal Makeup

I did Kourtney's makeup for the day of her wedding, but she was left on her own for her second reception in Texas. So here are her step-by-step instructions on how to get her look. I didn't have her exact eyeshadows, but it was about the same...you can do this look with any four colors: a highlight, a light base, a medium tone, and a dark tone. The other great part is, the amount of drama you'd like is totally dependent on how heavily you apply all the make-up.

What you'll need:
-face makeup, i.e. foundation, coverup, blush, bronzer, powder, etc.
-eyeshadow: a highlight, a light base, a medium tone, and a dark tone.
-eyelash curler
-mascara (preferably water proof)
-several eyeshadow brushes

The brushes I used, and Kourtney's eyeshadow pallet. And yes, we just used good ol' Maybelline!

Kourt + Alden = Forever

Once upon a time Kourtney was single. And around the same time Nathaniel and I were getting ready to get married. We reassured Kourt that if she came to Lubbock, we knew a boy that would ask her out in the snap of a finger. She laughed. Six months later we reassured her of the same thing, but she still didn't take us seriously. Soon after Nathaniel and I were married, Alden was at our house, flipping through the contacts on my phone looking for any girl names, then looking up their pictures on Facebook. If they were cute, he'd send them a text from my phone. Kourt texted back. Long story short, Kourt eventually moved to Lubbock, became our roommate, and Alden and her decided to get married.

A year after our second attempt of convincing her to come to Lubbock to meet the love of her life, Mom, Nathaniel, Grandma, Grandad and I, found ourselves spending a day decorating for her and Alden's wedding reception. Funny how life works, eh?

The theme was kind of outdoor/patio/bird-esque...and purple and yellow were the colors. This is what we came up with! 1. Lights and lanterns Nathaniel worked all day to hang. 2. A vintage door as the gift table. A clothes line with photos and birds behind it. 3. Center pieces. 4. Guest book table.

The love birds were married in the LDS Oakland Temple on August 6th, which is beautiful in and of itself, but the weather was wonderful to match!

The LDS Oakland Temple. My parents were married here, too!

I did Kourt's hair and make-up the morning of, and she was as cool as a cucumber.

 The gorgeous bride...she made my job easy. BTW, her hair was really simple...swear.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Stressed Spelled Backwards

While Nathaniel and I sat in the Colorado airport last Tuesday night after the first leg of our trip back to California for Kourtney's wedding, we started visiting with the other travelers in the terminal. We didn't expect that our casual visiting would soon lead to a small adventure.

Cookie from our hotel. Yum.


Friday, August 5, 2011

By Any Other Name

When we were little girls, Kourt's brothers and all the boy cousins, used to very rudely call her Kourtney Shnortney. As you can imagine, she didn't like it very much. Strangely enough, when we got older that silly nickname turned into a term of endearment. Nowadays I call Kourtney, Kourt, Korny, my Korny, and of course Kourtney Shnortney. Regardless of what I used to call her, from now on I can happily call her Mrs. G

Happy wedding day (tomorrow), my Korny, I love you!

 At cousin Philip's wedding.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Lucky Coin

Sometimes lucky coins work, and sometimes they don't work until later.

So I didn't get that job I really wanted. I thought the interview went swimmingly, but I suppose you never really know what someone is looking for. When I left the interview I felt pretty good about it, I didn't stumble over myself nearly as much as I could have considering I had three people staring, smiling, and nodding at me as they furiously scribbled down who-knows-what kind of notes. I even thought I answered all the questions thoroughly, but hey -- if I'm not the one, I'm not the one.

A few days before my interview my dad told me a story about my great-great-grandmother, Valli Walker. When she was a little girl Valli and her family trekked across the country, through Oklahoma and on to Texas. As the around 8-year-old Valli was walking through the then Cherokee territory, she glanced down and saw something shiny. Valli had found a $20 gold coin. Her father, instead of claiming it as his own, told Valli it was her lucky coin and she should never, ever spend it.


The tiny home in West Texas where Valli would eventually live as an adult. My grandma lived here with Valli when she was a little girl, while her mother went to California to pick fruit. 

Monday, August 1, 2011

Ketchup, Catsup, Whatever

We don't have many things in our little apartment furniture wise, including a kitchen table. This last week has meant eating all of our meals sitting on the carpet, and surprisingly it has only led to one accident...

*Sigh*...ketchup on the shoulder. At least I wasn't wearing white.

P.S.
If you must know...I totally ROLLED onto my plate with the ketchup on it.

Always,
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