Jen Russum

so long sweet summer

so long sweet summer

It's over. All over. The sweetest time of year. Precious summertime. I mean, summer is not really OVER. It's still 100+ degrees outside and the season doesn't officially change on the calendar for another month. But as far as I am concerned, summer is finished. Because school starts tomorrow. Reading article upon article upon book starts tomorrow. Grading student homework and essays starts tomorrow. But I don't want to wallow in grief, so I thought I should look back on all the goals I accomplished this summer... Reading: -Finish Future Grace by John Piper (over halfway done)-Finish Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins FINALLY! (almost done, but I have to finish The Help first!)-My Name's Not Susie by Sharon Hamilton-Catch up on reading recent additions of Real Simple that are sitting in a box next to my couch-Read remaining issues of Domino (R.I.P.) that have been sitting around my house for a couple years now Computer:-Upload old pics onto facebook (you know, Erin's wedding, my wedding week, etc. Basically, all the pictures I've taken in the past year)-Blog (approximately) five days a week-Tweak blog designs/functions Crafts/Design:-Get basic sewing supplies and fix/update a few articles of clothing in our closet-Sew Pillows with Anne-Make "R" plaque for shelf-Frame wedding pics (does one count?)-Make a modpodge bird Kitchen:-Make deviled eggs for Micah-Make homemade moonpies-Organize my recipe binder-Start my herb garden (I also killed my herb garden, which consisted of one basil plant. Oops...) Misc:-FINISH WEDDING THANK YOUS!!! (praise Jesus!)-Go to Last Chance-Print and frame a picture for Micah's desk at work-Find a free or cheap TV-Get my free facial from placing in a 5K last fall-Make a jeopardy study quiz for Kristin Hines-Return our busted, disappointing espresso machine-Begin a Scripture memorization plan And here is photo proof of some of these accomplished goals: Top L: Wordy Bird :: Top R: Dyed my dress Bottom L: Lots of pillows :: Bottom R: "R" plaque {tutorial soon}   I used to like Deviled Eggs until I found out what goes in 'em. Ick. $38 Uggs at Last Chance. I just might have bought a pair for my favorite Ugg-wearing sister... And may I introduce you to my new espresso machine? And my new sewing basket? Can it be anymore perfect for me? Gray, yellow and paisley. And it cost $7.00! Summer, I love you! I can't wait until we meet again! ... Read more

Yoga

Yoga

Yoga. My worst enemy. But it's sooooo good for you, they always say. What about it is so good for me? The falling over? The aching wrists? The weird sore muscles for days afterward? Maybe it's the humility that's good for me. Because every time I go I definitely make a fool of myself. However, I always get talked into going again. I don't know why. Every year(ish) a friend asks me to go to yoga, I take her up on the invite, I go, I hate my life, I take a year-long break from yoga until the next friend invites me. And so the cycle continues. Here is my history with yoga: Spring 2003. The brand new beautiful rec center opens at TCU. All the group classes are free for the first few months, so my friends and I try out the yoga and Pilates classes. I go to each class once and then I go find a treadmill as soon as I can. I never go back to yoga or Pilates for the rest of my TCU career. Some people think running on a treadmill is torture. I think downward dog is torture. To each his own... Spring 2008. I go to yoga at my hometown gym with one of my best friends from high school. She has birthed four children and still has a rockin' bod. She is my hero. I decide to go to yoga with her and learn her secrets. As I struggle and gasp my way through the session, I look over to see Noelle standing on her head with ease... Spring 2009. Now that my one year sabbatical from yoga is complete, I agree to go back to a session at the same gym with a different high school friend. I suffer through the session longing to be on one of the treadmills just outside the door. When we leave, Macara says, "We should do this again! I have an extra yoga mat in my car; do you want to borrow it for our next class?" I reluctantly take it. Macara moved to Germany last year. Her yoga mat is stuffed inside our coat closet to this day. Our next yoga class never happened. Last week. Okay, so I extended my sabbatical to two years this time. Our friends from church, Darren and Veronica, invited us to go to yoga with them. Since I had reached the point in my cycle it's time to fearfully and reluctantly attend a yoga class, I agreed. The funny twist this time is that Micah went with us and I got to watch him struggle through it as well, although he was still way better than me! Let's just put it this way... when the instructor told us to meditate on two things we were thankful for, this is what I thought: "I am thankful my best friend, Camille, was in town this week and I am thankful that this class is halfway over and I don't have do yoga again for at least another year." But that's the thing. In another year, I will go back. Someone will rope me in again. And I know if I would go often enough I would get better at it and probably enjoy it, but until I find the motivation to do that, I am sticking to the treadmill. That downward dog is a real killer. I always knew I didn't like pets... This is what I look like when I am about to attend a yoga class... These girls love yoga apparently. I'm sure it's really hard for them to do a plank with their eighty pound bodies... Hey, I think MK and I have matching yoga mats! Except I don't use mine... P.S. Noelle, Macara, and Veronica - please don't take any offense. It's not you; it's the yoga. Only people I absolutely adore could convince me to do such a despised activity willingly! ... Read more

On Crafting {proof that I made pillows}

On Crafting {proof that I made pillows}

I don't craft very much. I admire crafters. I think DIY is cool. I love etsy and lots of handmade goodness. But it's just not me. Mainly because I don't usually have the time or the patience and I don't like messes and projects sitting around my house {especially when my house is a 900 square foot apartment}. In my dream world, I will someday have a house with a craft/project room where I can indulge in DIY projects and my kids can work on book reports and Micah can have all his ish out for whatever he is working on at the moment and it can be our messy, happy, creative place. And we will shut the door when guests come over and pretend it isn't there. But until that dream room exists and I have a bajillion extra hours in my schedule, my crafting is condensed to the summer. I pick one or two creative little projects during the school year that I would like to accomplish and I wait until summer and then I attempt to conquer them. I am a moderately successful crafter for about two months out of the year. And that is that. The main project on my agenda this summer was PILLOWS. I found myself sick and tired of how much throw pillows cost. You know... like $20 for the pillow form itself and another $36 for the decorative case. Annoying. Even on sale, I rarely find decent pillows for less that $15 or $20 and that just seems like a lot to spend on a pillow that has no purpose other than adding a pop of color to a couch or bed. Somehow this complaint came up in front of my friend Anne and she convinced me I could sew my own pillows on her sewing machine.  Soon after this conversation, I found myself here... buying this kind of stuff (pun not originally planned, but now completely intentional)... These supplies sat in my closet all summer, but about a week ago I finally went over to Anne's and sewed my pillows. My sewing experience is VERY limited. As in the last time I sewed was in second grade when I made a tiny quilt for my American Girl Doll. My mom taught me to sew at that age, but my career was short-lived. After Kirstin's bed had a quilt, I was pretty much done sewing until... last week. I really didn't know if I would be able to do it, but Anne gave me a quick tutorial on how to use her sewing machine and I just started making pillows. All. Night. Long. {practicing} I planned to make five pillows, but when I got done I still had more fabric and filling, so I decided I would make two more. When I made two more, I figured I would make one more, because I didn't really foresee myself going through the process to get fabric and use Anne's machine in the near future. It was now or never. So I got into my car at 11pm with two bags full of throw pillows. Eight pillows total. {the pile at the end of the night} And I must say I am very happy with the result for being such an amateur. I mean I'm not giving you a tutorial or anything. You sew up the edges. You leave a fist-sized hole to add your stuffing. You fill it {most time consuming part}. You sew up the hole. You are done. Just don't inspect my work closely. It's not pretty. But from far away, it looks like this.... {sofa - i didn't make that back one... obvi?} {love seat} {guest bed - i made the black one to go with the gray one i already had} {our bed} I love the result! I encourage you all to MAKE SOME PILLOWS! We actually have another pillow on our bed now too, which was a really fun project and one I will give an actual tutorial for later this week. ... Read more