A little challenge creativity.

Amiee and I both agree that one of the fun parts of this year's challenge has been the element of creativity that we've discovered. I think I've mentioned before that the clothing challenge has definitely caused me to use my sewing machine more. That's been a lot of fun, actually! I inherited several pieces of clothing from various family members and friends that just needed a little tweaking here and there to make them Erin-ready. I'm definitely improving my skills.

One of my favorite "tweaks" required absolutely no work whatsoever. I had a skirt from my high school days that I absolutely loved. I didn't really want to get rid of it, but it was a little too short (like, hitting that awkward spot between calf and ankle) to be socially acceptable. I toyed around with some ideas for hemming it or turning it into a scarf or a headband.

Then, I had a breakthrough. I landed on my favorite option, and every time I wear it, I think that I'll never take it off. Yea, creativity!

My Life in Scarves

I'm down to packing in earnest now; my last really big work project is finished, and I'm essentially done with my job at Union. I'm rather sad about it, so I'm trying to stay busy and not think on it. The house is still very disheveled, but I've covered a lot more ground. Yay!

In the process so far, I packed up (most of) my scarves. Anyone who knows me well knows I have a LOT of scarves. A ridiculous amount of scarves. It's an addiction that I can't shake.

I love my scarves, though. Almost all of them carry a neat story or memory that represent little pieces or eras of my life. I thought I'd share a few of them.

My mom made this off-white scarf for me when my grandmother was in the hospital my junior year of college. I wasn't able to be there with the rest of the family because I was taking two English classes during Jan term (which was a little bit crazy). My grandmother passed away shortly afterwards, but this scarf reminds me of her. My Ukrainian friends loved this scarf. It's really long and wraps around my neck 3 or 4 times (which is definitely Ukrainian approved). I'm guessing it will come in handy in Boston, too.

Kat brought me this scarf from her trip to London during our sophomore (?) year of college. She gave it to me for Christmas that year, but it reminds me of right after she got back from her trip (which, I think, was actually in October), and we went to lunch for several hours to talk about it. We did that several times while we were in college, but I think after her London trip was our first super long lunch chat. Kat's one of those friends who I'll be in touch with until I die, I think, and let me just say- she picks out the BEST gifts. (Not that that's why we're friends...)

Molly, one of my college roommates, brought me this scarf from Peru (I always get this part confused- she grew up in Ecuador, but I'm pretty sure that she got this one from a trip to Peru). Firstly, it's very soft. Secondly, she brought it to me after Spring Break of our senior year, which happened to be the semester of the tornado. Molly and I were sharing a bedroom in an off-campus apartment, with thrown-together furniture and completely opposite schedules. It was a rather bleak semester overall, but it was so cheery and encouraging for her to remember how much I love scarves and to bring me one (she also brought me a little crocheted lamb, but as he's not a scarf, he doesn't make an appearance right now).

My mother-in-law made me this one. She actually made it before she was my MIL, and it meant so much to me- not just that she made me a scarf, but because she made me a Harry Potter Gryffindor scarf. At that point, I had spent very little time with her, so this scarf was such a friendly and kind gesture. At this point in time, we've spent a lot more time together, and I just love her! And, it's not only because of my scarf. Bonus: anyone who loves Harry Potter is jealous of my scarf.

This scarf was a sale purchase from Ross while I was in college. I just liked it, and it was only a few dollars. I took it to Ukraine with me, and it served as one of my primary scarves for quite a while. I feel like we went through a lot together, this scarf and I, as I went through the rocky transitional period of language and culture learning.

This red scarf was my very first purchase at the "big bazaar" in Poltava. I just decided one day that I would go alone and see what I could do. I wandered around and got lost (the Poltava bazaar is a maze that eats people and won't let them leave), and before I could decide to sit down on the ice and cry, I found a lovely scarf stall run by a very kind woman. I purchased this red scarf, turned the corner, and found the exit. It was like a sign.

This blue scarf was purchased from the same lady, but I got it for about 50% off! Why? Because I took a volunteer team to the same lady, and they all bought scarves. From then on out, I always took visitors to that vendor, and she always gave me deals.

This scarf came from my visa trip to Budapest. I got to spend the whole week in Budapest, hanging out with my friend, Wendy. The trip was business-related, but I got to spend a week there, followed by a week-long conference in Germany. This ended up sort of making up for my vacation-that-never-happened to Austria. And, this scarf is my souvenir.

Mom and Amiee brought me this scarf from New York City. They went for Amiee's senior trip (without me), and brought me this souvenir. I had more than one Ukrainian friend hint that she would be happy if I left this scarf with her.

Both of these scarves came from Turkey. Brad brought me the one on the left, and my parents brought me the one on the right. I've wanted to visit Turkey since I was in 4th grade. The ironic part is that I literally lived across the Black Sea from Turkey (for two years) and never made it there. Brad and my parents lived halfway around the world and all three made it there. Sigh. At least they each bought me a scarf.

Brad bought me this scarf, too. It came from Belk, so that's not terribly exotic. I love it, though, because he bought it on his first multi-day trip as an enrollment counselor. I think it was in September, and he knew I was bummed to have to stay home alone. Isn't that sweet? It was a consolation prize.

Nastia (Ukrainian friend) bought this scarf for me and gave it to me when Brad and I were in Ukraine last November. A. I really like it and B. it meant a lot to me that she thought to get it for me.

This is a very small portion of my scarf collection, but I thought it was fun to think through why I love them (ahem, and why I can't get rid of any of them...sorry, Brad).

Back to packing. Here's hoping for progress!

The Foxy Challenge

This title is such a misnomer for this week's picture. It's perhaps my least favorite picture I've taken thus far. I ended up having this picture taken at the end of a work day rather than in the morning beforehand. Thus, I'd already ditched the short-sleeved cardigan that I'd donned for work (I mean, the dress guidelines are more casual in the summer, but they're hardly this casual), and my hair had succumbed to the awesome humidity Jackson has been rocking recently. Boo.

The title is, however, very appropriately descriptive of my character:

Any guesses (based primarily on the blog title, seeing as how this isn't a terribly obvious outfit)? 

Maid Marian! I loved Robin Hood as a child. I very specifically remember loving how shiny and pretty all the loot was that Robin Hood and Little John scored. I really should re-watch it now, as I've been all the way through World Civilization I and II; I think it would be interesting to catch all the historical references and faux pas. Movie night, anyone?

Character: Maid Marian from Robin Hood
Outfit:
*Purple dress from Target 2011 (you may remember seeing it surface for this character back in February)
*Pink bracelet courtesy of a Mary Kay consultant many moons ago (it's really sparkly and I LOVE it)
*Pink necklace was a gift from Mom and Dad for a Valentine's Day when I was in college.
*Awkward pose is gratuitous. Sigh. I was trying to make sure my bracelet made it into the shot, and also channel the shyness of Maid Marian. Let's just say it's good I went into academics rather than striking poses. Unlike Amiee. It's totally her thing.

Disneybound inspiration board:

My self-imposed assignment this afternoon is to stay in my closet until I've chosen all of my outfits between now and moving day. Someone hold me accountable, please. By the way, if you've never checked out the Disneybound tumblr site that our outfit inspirations come from, you should take a quick peek sometime. She's terribly creative!

Also, I've already had one friend tell me she's begun perusing a Boston guidebook, with the intention of visiting. Woo hoo! Anybody else want to schedule a stay? :) (You know, other than both sets of parents and Kat. Of COURSE they're on the list!)

Images from here and here.

Let's go to the movies!

Let's go see the stars!

There's a local little cafe that's doing something COOL in Jackson. Anyone will tell you that there's a paucity of unique or cultural experience opportunities in Jackson. If you're a Union student, you have access to a lot more stuff to do for fun, but outside of that (and eating at the gazillions of restaurants we have here), there's not much.

However, Soup du Jour decided to do something about that this summer (and no, I'm not some kind of representative for them)! Brad came home a few weeks ago and mentioned to me that Soup du Jour was going to be hosting movies this summer. We missed the first one (Casablanca) but definitely made it to the second (Lady and the Tramp)! It was great fun. The concept behind it all is that local restaurants sponsor an evening and provide a limited menu for those wanting to eat al fresco while watching the feature. This past Friday, the Old Town Spaghetti Store had spaghetti and meatballs (get it? Lady and the Tramp? so cute).

If you're not eating the official meal, you just take your chairs (or blankets) and set up in the street. You can also purchase snow cones, nachos, or popcorn. We went with snow cones this week, but we'll probably give popcorn a whirl this next week, which will be Grease.

So much fun. Looking forward to this week, too! Bonus: they're hosting a Grease sing-off before the movie!

The Belated Challenge

Sorry for the lateness of this post. We've been busy around here. Thankfully, we're making progress! Woo hoo! I may or may not include pictures of the progress. I do love a good before and after, but I'm not quite to the full-on "after" stage.
Remember a while back when Amiee did this outfit? Well, she borrowed my necklace for it. So, when I found this week's inspiration board, I decided to dust off my necklace and give it a day out of the closet. Here's my version of this character:

My character of choice?

Obviously, I wasn't going for Harry. :)

Character: Hedwig from Harry Potter (the owl)

Outfit:

*Denim shorts from Ann Taylor Loft...hm. I don't remember. Sometime before I went to Ukraine. 2008?

*Flutter-y (you know, wing-like) white top from Ross 2010.

*Silver owl necklace was a gift from my grandmother back in 2006/2007.

*I'm pretty sure that I ended up wearing silver shoes, too, which were a gift from my mom.

Disneybound inspiration board:

Brad pointed out that I need to be careful to plan out my characters for the next few weeks so that I don't get off schedule by packing all of my clothes. Gulp. He's very right, which has me panicking a bit- thinking I may have to go digging!

Images from here and here.

(Some of) Brad's Thoughts/Reflections on Food

I know I promised a while back that Brad would guest post about food. It didn't happen.

Best of intentions, right?

Good news: He finished it! Well, he finished the first part. So, while I'm dealing with this...

...I'll let you read through some of Brad's thoughts. Unless you want to come here and help...?

My dad likes to tell the story of the first time I ever ate solid food.  He thinks of it as the quintessential example of the way I regard food.  Until that first bite, I had consumed only milk, as you might expect.  As I grew, my parents noticed that I was becoming more and more discontent at the dinner table—I with my bottle and they with their plates of food.  Eventually, they decided that perhaps I was fussy because I wanted what they had.  They decided one day to let me try a bite of cereal.  I am told that, after receiving the gift, I stopped for a minute to ponder this new delight, then anxiously opened my mouth and stretched it towards the source of the food, not unlike a baby bird looking for its next bite of worm.  The rest is history. This is Erin: I really wish you could all see Brad's dad reenact this story. It's hilarious.

I love food and have (apparently) since I first tried it.  In more recent times I have begun to take an interest in food beyond the mere act of eating.  What meaning lies behind this activity that is at the same time a brute necessity for continued living and one of the highest joys of life?  I have more questions and musings than concrete answers, but as I have mulled over the topic, it has led to the occasional (slight) change in the way I think about eating, and thus in the way I eat.  Erin has been in on quite a few of these conversations and changes (don’t worry—we’re not vegan or anything like that) and she asked me to guest blog with some of these thoughts.  So here I am!

Rather than blather on stream-of-consciousness-style about my sometimes aimless thoughts about food (inevitably punctuated with something pointless, like “Oh, I do like a good hamburger”), I’ll highlight two influential books on food that I have recently read.  The first is “The Hungry Soul: Eating and the Perfecting of Our Nature” by Leon Kass and the second is “Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating” by Norman Wirzba.  Out of fear of my editor (a.k.a. Erin) and the slashing powers she holds (muahahaha), I’ll break this up into two entries—the first on Kass, the second on Wirzba—and try to keep things to a reasonable length.

I was first introduced to “The Hungry Soul” in an ethics class on Personhood, which turned out to be an appropriate setting.  The author, Leon Kass (who is a self-proclaimed “strange author”—trained as a “physician and then a biochemist” but practicing neither, and “untrained in philosophy and literature,” yet teaching both at one of the world’s premier universities) proclaims up front that his quest to search out the meaning of eating is merely a case-study.  His quest is not driven merely by an interest in eating but rather by an interest in the lofty question of what it means to be human.  Talking about eating is a great place to start.  Through this case study of eating, he is “hunting bigger game,” as he cleverly claims.

The thesis of this work revolves around philosophical words and concepts like “form,” “nature” and “science.”  In layman’s terms, Kass is convinced that a merely “scientific” understanding of eating does not do justice to the practice.  To properly describe eating, you must do much more than simply explain the mechanics of the mouth and digestive system; you must go further than merely fitting the consumption of food within an overall schema of survival.  Rather, you must look into the form of humans.  By “form,” Kass means at the most basic level (but certainly not the only level) the shape of the human body.  The fact that we stand upright or eat at a table or eat and speak with the same body part is meaningful to Kass.  Thus the shape of our human bodies as well as universal practices associated with eating tell us something about how we should live.

So, for example, one of the recurring themes in “The Hungry Soul” is that human eating sets us apart from other animals (I know this seems really self-evident, but I do think there’s more to this point than may first appear).  At the most basic level, our ability to lift food precisely to our mouth with our hands sets us apart.  As is seen in the way that humans “eat” and animals merely “feed”, says Kass, human nature is something loftier than animal nature. The way we take in food reinforces that separation.  Kass takes issue, therefore, with eating while walking or supping while watching TV (like animals at a trough, says Kass) or eating an ice cream cone (like a cat licking up milk).  Even if you don’t agree entirely (Erin and I still have the occasional dinner on the couch while watching a movie...and Erin still really likes to eat ice cream from a cone), I do think these points highlight something about right living.  What Kass is driving at is the idea that (1) the shape (as in actual, physical shape along with habits and “patterns” of daily living) of our lives tells us something about what makes for truly good living, and (2) insofar as we can, the ways we choose to arrange our lives in turn shape the kinds of people we are. 

Think of a lazy, lives-in-his-mom’s-basement scalawag.  Surely his messiness reflects some character problems, but does not his created surrounding further shape his character into something more and more like an animal and less and less like a virtuous human?  By choosing to live in squalor, to eat old leftover pizza directly from the pizza box while lounging on the couch, and to refuse to bathe on an appropriately frequent basis, does he not lower himself further into an animal-like state?  I think so.  Not only is his personal character demeaned, but he also harms himself as a social being.  He moves further and further from being able to truly enjoy the wonderful experience of dining at a table (or especially experiencing the elevated celebration of a true feast) with other humans in a joyous and orderly way that can never be attained by the animals.  On the same token, does not the child who learns proper table manners and customs from a young age prepare himself for a better, nobler future life?  Although the good practices do not guarantee anything, such efforts do help to solidify certain virtues—personal as well as social.  The way we shape our world (including our practices of eating) in turn shapes who we are.

I have promised not to blather on, so I will draw this entry about eating to a conclusion.  There is much in Kass’ book that I have not even touched, but hopefully I have given you an adequate introduction to a truly fascinating read on what it means to eat, and in turn, what it means to be human.  If you’re interested further, pick up a copy of the book!  Although it will seem a little slow in parts for those who don’t prefer philosophical books, “The Hungry Soul” is certainly accessible to a wide audience and, in my opinion, well worth the read!  As Kass would say, Bon appétit!

Erin again: Brad made me promise to include a picture of Kass's book, so here it is:

Have a happy Friday...I should be back soon with my weekly outfit update. Assuming I can still find my closet through the boxes.

Oi.

I wish I had more interesting things to write about, but alas, my days look kind of like this right now:

1. Wake up- don't bother showering immediately because it will be nullified almost instantly.
2. Decide which room of total chaos and upheaval to tackle first.
3. Tape up packing boxes and assemble markers and newspaper to begin packing up boxes.
4. Pack a box.
5. Realize that it needs to be reorganized to include one thing or another and to exclude something else.
6. Add things to the give away pile.
7. Reconsider the items from number 6 and throw away a few of them.
8. Add things to the box of stuff to be stored at parents'/parents-in-laws' attics.
9. Become TOTALLY overwhelmed with the disheveled state of the room and quit- mid-repacking of box- and switch to a different room.
10. Repeat steps 2-9 several more times.

I've been mulling over the different moves I've made in my life, the lessons I've learned, and how very different each one has been. This move to Boston is, in many ways, more similar to moving from Ukraine to the U.S. than it is to moving within the U.S. Since we made the decision not to take our cars and considering my parents/Amiee are flying to/from Boston with us to help us move, we must err on the side of taking less than taking more, as there will be no way to return it back South to store. Kind of like how moving home from Ukraine meant that everything I wanted to bring home HAD to fit in the suitcases or it just wouldn't make it home. In a weird way, there's a kind of packing ultimatum that has me quaking in my boots a little bit.

I'm trying hard not to get buried under all of my boxes. Oi.

The Not Much of a Tail Challenge

I'm a little behind on the blogging this week. Reason? I've started packing. That's right. We're about 5 weeks out from our big move (yikes!), and I felt the need to get started/lower my impending stress level. 

I did not forget to do my character, though. Here's this week:

Did you guess it? I was going for this guy (even though my picture is sort of dark):

"It's not much of a tail, but I'm kind of attached to it..." I'm not really feeling very Eeyore this week, but I was able to make a character outfit for him, which is becoming more challenging as I've started slowly packing my clothes.

Character: Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh


Outfit:
*Gray top from NY & Co. 2010
*Black skirt from Old Navy 2000
*Pink flower made my me

Disneybound inspiration board:

I'm starting to wonder how my next few weeks' outfits will play out...

Images from here and here.

The Lady with the Tiger Challenge

When we were little and preparing to move to the Middle East, someone gave us a certain video tape that Amiee watched over and over and OVER until it suddenly went...missing. I think my mother may have had something to do with its disappearance. Shady...

Here's last week's rather paltry attempt at the chosen princess:

And here are my shoes:

In my defense, I was traveling with my family last week and was a bit more limited in what I could pack. It's just barely picking up on the colors and themes of this gal:

She's so exotic and skinny! My goodness. So skinny. I do think it's kind of awesome that she has a pet tiger.

Character: Jasmine from Aladdin


Outfit:
*Blue top was a gift from Amiee in 2010. No idea where it hails from originally. I really love it, though.
*Gold/blue earrings from Santa 2011.
*Gold sandals from Ross 2010.

Disneybound inspiration board:

I realize that this outfit is very much a stretch. Interestingly, my Easter dress looks a little Jasmine-esque, so I thought I'd include it (in an attempt to redeem this week's sad attempt):

Here's a board to go with it:

See? Isn't that a bit better? The dress was a gift from my mom. She got it for something like $7. Crazy.

I think this week's outfit won't disappoint quite as much. Here's hoping!

Images from here and here.