Friday, March 30, 2012

Friday Links

Beach baskets on the island of Hiddensee in the Baltic Sea  
Photo by Cristina Nehring via Conde Nast Traveler


It's Friday! I've had a great week- I officially declared my minor, registered for my last semester of college, applied for a summer research fellowship, and met with my adviser and got the okay to graduate in December. Plus I spent a bit of time with some lovely friends, and my Russian midterm went splendidly well. But even with all of this, I'm very ready for the weekend! So I gathered up some lovely links for you to end the week:

This breakfast tumblr looks so delicious

I saw this incredible rug over at Happiness Is earlier this week.

I really want to make these gnudi for dinner on Saturday (Have you ever heard of gnudi before? I definitely haven't, but they look amazing)

April Fools' Day is on Sunday! Do you have any tricks up your sleeve? I thought this prank from Oh Happy Day was especially clever

This house is so relaxed and lovely

Remember that film Laundry from yesterday? I found a Cacti Clothesline that would be so awesome in a backyard, and it was designed to help save energy. So great!

I love this typographic map of D.C.

My boyfriend and I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens last weekend and loved it. Gardens are a great spring outing! Are there any near you?

Are you doing anything fun for summer? I might be in Texas...but these island adventures look awesome!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Thursday's Short Films: Toilets and Laundry- Saving People and the Planet

I found this two lovely little films and felt they might actually go well together, since they both talk about intriguing ideas regarding mundane things that might help make the world a little better. Who knew toilets and laundry were so important?

The film Meet Mr. Toilet talks about revolutionary ideas regarding the simple toilet. Namely, everyone needs toilets (because toilets promote good sanitation, which promotes good health). Mr. Toilet seems like a pretty cool guy actually, and I think he's doing really valuable things with his toilet-promoting. What do you think?


Meet Mr. Toilet | Jessica Yu from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.
For those without access to a simple toilet, poop can be poison. Businessman-turned-sanitation-superhero Jack Sim fights this oft-neglected crisis affecting 2.6 billion people...
Join the conversation and tweet #MrToilet to have your tweet featured on the Focus Forward website. Go to focusforwardfilms.com/films/5/meet-mr-toilet to see the discussion.
Check out more films in the Focus Forward series at vimeo.com/focusforwardfilms.
Downriver Productions, LLC
DIRECTED BY - Jessica Yu
PRODUCED BY - Elise Pearlstein, Jessica Yu
EDITED BY - Adam Parker
MUSIC BY - Jeff Beal
ANIMATION BY - Chris Darnbrough


Second, this short film called Laundry talks about the difference between the American and European ways of doing laundry, and how it makes a big difference in energy consumption. I also love his discussion of the cultural collisions and rethinking that occurs when you spend time in a foreign country and culture. Thoughts?


Laundry from Josh Soskin on Vimeo.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Photos for Wednesday: A Day in Petersburg

I spent this last summer in St. Petersburg, which might be the most beautiful city on earth. (It's up there with Prague in my book.) Since showing is better than telling, here's a few pictures to show you what a summer day in Petersburg is like:

Morning on the Canal
Morning (4 a.m.) on the canal behind Savior on the Spilled Blood. Taken on the walk home after spending all night out clubbing. In the summer, it never really gets very dark, so it's quite easy to miss the metro closing/bridge raising deadline around midnight. So 4 a.m. walks home (bridges come back down just before five) to my island were not incredibly uncommon.

Pausing on Palace Square
Midday on Palace Square. Taken just before my first trip to L'Ermitage. This magnificent palace houses one of the best art collections in the world: hundreds of gorgeous paintings adorn the walls of the intricately decorated and already beautiful winter palace. (And entry for students is free!)

White Nights
Midnight at Peter and Paul Fortress. Taken on a walk to meet up with friends on the main island. Petersburg is famous for its White Nights, the summer months when the sun barely sets. The city's residents love to take advantage of the almost ever-present light to linger on the banks of the Neva into the wee hours of the morning. Midnight sunsets were quite a new experience for me.

So, if you ever get the chance to visit Petersburg in summer, take it! (And take me with you!)

Люблю тебя, Петра творенье,
Люблю твой строгий, стройный вид,
Невы державное теченье,
Береговой ее гранит,
Твоих оград узор чугунный,
Твоих задумчивых ночей
Прозрачный сумрак, блеск безлунный,
Когда я в комнате моей
Пишу, читаю без лампады,
И ясны спящие громады
Пустынных улиц, и светла
Адмиралтейская игла,
И, не пуская тьму ночную
На золотые небеса,
Одна заря сменить другую
Спешит, дав ночи полчаса.
Люблю зимы твоей жестокой
Недвижный воздух и мороз,
Бег санок вдоль Невы широкой,
Девичьи лица ярче роз,
И блеск, и шум, и говор балов,
А в час пирушки холостой

(А. С. Пушкин, Медный Всадник)

All photos taken by Kara Haberstock, June 2011, all rights reserved

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Living with Lewis: Love

Found via Pinterest (if you know the original source, please send it to me)

This quote, from the first chapter of The Four Loves, is probably one of my all-time favorite quotes on love. Lewis describes the kinds and aspects of love we give and experience in this life, though they usually exist altogether. He writes:

"Need love says of a woman "I cannot live without her"; Gift-love longs to give her happiness, comfort, protection- if possible wealth; Appreciative love gazes and holds its breath and is silent, rejoices that such a wonder should exist even if not for him, will not be wholly dejected by losing her, would rather have it so than never to have seen her at all" (17).

How beautiful is that?

I think that in the last year I have begun to understand all three of these aspects of love so much more. And when they come all in the same breath-- that is a sense so overwhelming and wonderful that I cannot put it into words any more eloquent than those of Lewis and the other masters of poetry and prose that have filled our world with books and songs and verse.


Monday, March 26, 2012

Monday's Musing: God is Love

Reflections of Savior on the Spilled Blood

A few weeks ago you might remember that I wrote about some of my deepest fears concerning God, fears that God will call me to do things I hate, that he is disappointed in me, that he wants me to be someone I am not. Over the break, I took a day off from working and had the chance to reflect on this further and spend some time in prayer and in the Word. And I came to this passage:
"We know how much God loves us and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God and God lives in them. And as we live in God our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in the world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first." (1 John 4:16-19)
 God is love, he loves us perfectly, and perfect love expels fear. So if I am loved perfectly by God, I should have no reason to fear. I finally got to this point after reading over 1 Corinthians 13 (the famous love chapter) and substituting "God" for "love" (God is love, thus God=Love and can be substituted). This ended up in my journal:
God is patient. He does not get frustrated and give up on me. 
God is kind. He does not act out of spite. He does not seek to make my life hard or miserable. 
God does not envy. He is not threatened by my love for others. He does not seek to isolate me. He wants me to have deep relationships with other people. 
God does not boast. What he says is true. He does not seek to belittle. 
God is not proud. Again, he seeks a true view. He seeks to develop humility in us; He does not take pleasure in humiliating us. 
God is not rude. Think of how you expect to be treated by a good friend who you know wants the best for you. God will not treat you worse than they would. 
God is not self-seeking. He seeks the absolute best for me. He needs nothing; he lives in total abundance. I am a constant recipient of his grace and generosity. 
God is not easily angered. He is not mad or upset with me. 
God keeps no record of wrongs. God is not disappointed in me. I have been covered by the blood of Christ. 
God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God is not spiteful. He does not seek to hurt me. God seeks truth. He wants to reveal who I was truly made to be. 
God always protects. He wants me to take refuge in Him, to feel safe in Him. He is not out to wound me. He wants to care for me. 
God always trusts. He knows my heart and intentions. 
God always hopes. He sees all that I can be and works to help me realize my full potential for his glory. He has planned out incredible works for me to do since before the beginning of time (Eph 2:10). He looks forward to bing glorified in me. 
God always perseveres. He will not stop until he's done. He will not give up on me. 
God never fails. He will keep his promises. He will not screw up. He will not hurt me. He will not abandon me. He will always be good, He will always be generous, and He will always be trustworthy. 
God wants to shower his love upon me. There is nothing to fear.  
Photo taken by Kara Haberstock, June 2011, all rights reserved

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Songs for Sunday: Noah and the Whale

Noah and the Whale is another fantastic band. I love their sound and the instrumentation of their songs. This song is off my favorite album by them:



(This film was released to promote the album, The First Days of Spring)

And I just can't resist including one of my favorite music videos of all time, which is also by Noah and the Whale



Maybe I'm a little strange in my taste, but I think this music video is fantastic

Friday, March 23, 2012

Friday Links

Castle Staker, Apin, Scotland

I survived! Actually, all of my major midterms got pushed back to next Tuesday (which really isn't even mid-semester anymore), but I'm feeling much more on top of things at the moment. On Wednesday, my mum and my lovely sister came down from Phoenix for a short visit, which was lots of fun. They got to experience the tasty Vietnamese restaurant that is just a few blocks from my house, and they took their first trip to the Lost Barrio, a quirky set of little vintage shops and import shops that always sell the most lovely things. And even with their midweek visit, I squeezed a tiny bit of research in this week.
At this point, my weekend looks pretty relaxed, which will be quite nice. I've learned to greatly appreciate a lazy Saturday. For this weekend, I've rounded up a bunch of links for you. Hope you enjoy!

Easter is in two weeks! Check out this post by Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day for lots of fun egg-decorating projects

This DIY Nautical Bracelet is absolutely lovely. I'm thinking of making one with some leather scraps I have in my craft box. (It won't be quite so nautical, but should still be cute).

I made this souffle recipe a few weeks ago. It's not to fussy and very tasty, perfect for the souffle-intimidated (like me! Anything that requires an electric mixer/beater is scary).

How awesome would it be to visit this castle?

This dress from Ruche is so perfect for spring!

Check out this article about the society-changing metro system in Medellin, Colombia (So awesome!)

This curated photography site always has fantastic and inspiring photos

These Pantone Color Dessert Tarts are awesome

Have a lovely weekend!






Thursday, March 22, 2012

Thursday's Short Film: Yoko Furusho: Live in Barcelona

This fun film from Show Love follows Yoko Furusho, a Japanese illustrator now living in New York, as she does a live painting on the front window of Ikiru, a Japanese store in Barcelona. As she paints, we get little glimpses of her life and her decision as a young adult to run away from home to study art in New York City. I love the composition of this film and its delightful score, as well as watching the joy that Yoko's painting brings to the people who stop on the street to watch her. I hope you enjoy:


Yoko Furusho: Live in Barcelona from Show Love on Vimeo.

JULY 30 & 31 -- Yoko Furusho (yokofurusho.com) is a New York based illustrator from Tokyo invited to show her work in traditional Japanese store, Ikiru (ikiru.es), located in the heart of the Born neighborhood of Barcelona, Spain. She offered to come in person and do a live painting instead to the utter delight of the store's dynamic press officer Irem and owner Guillermo. What Women Make followed her progress over the course of the weekend. Read more about the artist at whatwomenmake.com


PS: If you liked this film, check out the rest of Show Love's films! They are a really cool film-making pair that seeks to tell the stories of awesome people, companies, and organizations. Check out their Vimeo channel here.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Living with Lewis: Worship (a follow-up to beauty)

[Note: Read the "Living with Lewis: Beauty" post before reading this post]

There is a second part to this discussion of beauty, a reason that we appreciate beauty, one that again points us back to God and to the nature of love. Lewis writes:
"And now our principle of starting at the lowest- without which 'the highest does not stand'- begins to pay a dividend. It has revealed to me a deficiency in our previous classification of the loves into those of Need and those of Gift. There is a third element in love, no less important than these, which is foreshadowed by our Appreciative pleasures. This judgment that the object is very good, this attention (almost homage) offered to it as a kind of debt, this wish that it should be and should continue being what it is even if we were never to enjoy it, can go out not only to things but to persons, When it is offered to a woman we call it admiration; when to a man, hero-worship; when to God, worship simply" (16).
 Our love of beauty teaches us to worship. We learn to see things and pronounce them "very good." We admire, we praise, we feel a burden to extol something, to appreciate it because of its inherent greatness. This is worship. Worship is when we turn to God and declare him good. We speak of his overwhelming greatness, we praise his character, we admire what he has made, we seek the goodness in all that belongs to him. Worship is not something to be done at a particular time with a certain sort of music- it is to be an everyday practice. Look for the beauty around you, soak it in, declare its goodness. Then turn your praise to the One who made those beautiful things. With practice it's not a challenge at all. It becomes quite a bit like breathing.

Living with Lewis: Beauty

February Flowers

In the first chapter of The Four Loves, Lewis discusses our "Likings and Loves for the Sub-Human," the things we like, the pleasures we take, and beauty we appreciate. He starts off by distinguishing between "need-pleasures" (things we take pleasure in because we need them- like a cold glass of water on a hot Arizona summer day- that do not hold much inherent value or beauty in themselves) and "pleasures of appreciation" (things we appreciate for their inherent beauty apart from any usefulness- like fresh flowers). And when speaking of appreciative pleasures, Lewis begins to discuss our concept of beauty:
"The objects which afford pleasures of appreciation give us the feeling- irrational or not- that we somehow owe it to them to savour, to attend to and praise them. . . in the Appreciative pleasures, even at their lowest, and more and more as they grow up into the full appreciation of all beauty, we get something that we can hardly help calling love and hardly help calling disinterested, towards the object itself. It is the feeling which would make a man unwilling to deface a great picture even if he were the last man left alive and himself about to die; which makes us glad of unspoiled forests that we shall never see; which makes us anxious that the garden or bean-field should continue to exist. We do not merely like these things; we pronounce them in a momentarily God-like sense, 'very good'" (14, 16).
What do you pronounce "very good"? What do you find beautiful?

Walking the halls of the Эрмитаж (L' Ermitage) in St. Petersburg amongst the paintings of the master artists of numerous centuries created an overwhelming appreciation of their beauty in my heart. Watching the sunrise at 4 a.m. and glint off the creamy white buildings and red roofs over the canals with wrought iron and cobblestone bridges was perhaps the definition of gorgeous.

The sunset over the mountains here in Tucson and the moment with the Catalinas turn all shades of purple and red gives an incredible glimpse of nature's beauty. Those nights when the sky is clear and chunks of rocks are raining down above the earth creating fiery trails that we call "shooting stars"- that is marvelous.

The trees I always walk beneath on my way home from class that have just budded out with brand new green leaves that shimmer in the sunlight are stunning in their simple elegance. The tulips that are growing in the little pot on my kitchen table and any day now will burst forth in colors of pink or purple and release that beautiful fresh smell that new flowers do- those are very good.

There is so much beauty all around us. I try to document just a little bit of it on this blog. But I hope that this week you take some time to sit in the "pleasures of appreciation" that surround you. Take joy in beautiful things, and give thanks.


All photos taken by Kara Haberstock, February 2012, all rights reserved

Monday, March 19, 2012

Midterms...

It's that time in the semester, and I have two pretty major midterms this week. First, I have a massive Russian exam (for which I have to memorize over three hundred verbs). Second, I have a midterm essay to finish. And I still have all my regular research and coursework on top of that. So content is probably going to be a bit sparse this week. I do have a few things already written for you, so do look for that. I'll definitely be back with lots of lovely things for you! So wish me luck...

One Thousand Years of History
Here's a pretty picture from Russia to help make it better...and to inspire me to study more

All photos taken by Kara Haberstock, July 2011, all rights reserved

Sunday, March 18, 2012

A Song for Sunday: Mumford & Sons

Mumford & Sons is probably my most favorite band ever. The instrumentation, the voices, the lyrics, all of the literary allusions in their music...I never get tired of their songs. And I can't really pick a favorite song, but I do love this rendition of "The Cave" filmed in a bookshop:


The Cave, taken from Mumford and Sons' acoustic bookshop session.
Buy the album, 'Sigh No More', here: http://zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/v-v/090924115502

PS: Is anyone else incredibly excited for when their next album comes out?

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Weekend Reading

I'm in Phoenix for the weekend with my family, so I didn't have the chance to put together links for you all, but I did find some fun weekend reading for you. The Spring issue of Sweet Paul, an awesome digital magazine with lots of amazing recipes, DIY, and decorating ideas, just came out not that long ago. And this issue is full of fantastic spring recipes. Check it out!



Blue Tablescape from Sweet Paul Spring Issue









Thursday, March 15, 2012

Thursday's Short Film: The Love Competition

What is love?
Is it a feeling? An action? A choice? A series of chemicals released in our brains?
This film follows a competition that measures love based on chemical reactions on the brain, but it also captures the love experienced by six very different competitors from age 10 to age 75.  I found it quite intriguing:


The Love Competition from Brent Hoff on Vimeo.

Because "Love is a feeling you have for someone you have feelings about."
Get the DVD - wholphin.net/15



PS: Who were you rooting for?

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Photos for Wednesday: Madeo

A few yearsback, I had the opportunity to spend about two months teaching English in Kazakhstan. It was a fantastic summer, and I got to see all sorts of amazing places. If you ever have the chance to go to Central Asia, do it! It's an incredible place. Here are a few photos I took when we went hiking up in the Tien Shan mountains above Almaty:


Dandelion Fluff
What language to ladybugs speak?
Tien Shan blossoms
Through the mountain mist

All photos taken by Kara Haberstock, July 2010, all rights reserved

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Living with Lewis: Loves and gods

Before launching into the real content of his book, Lewis gives one last warning in his introduction to The Four Loves regarding the difference between human love and God's love, one which I find especially helpful. He warns us to be careful not to let love take the place of God in our lives. Love is a good thing: it pulls us out of our own selfishness, it transforms us, it helps us to put others above ourselves, it brings us into deep, meaningful relationships. But love is not God. God is love. If we give love the place of God in our lives, if we obey it completely, if we put it above all else...we will ultimately find ourselves in trouble. Lewis writes:
"We may give our human loves the unconditional allegiance which we owe only to God. Then they become gods; then they become demons. Then they will destroy us, and also destroy themselves. For natural loves that are allowed to become gods do not remain loves. They are still called so, but can become in fact complicated forms of hatred" (8).
Throughout the introduction, Lewis has set up this idea of "need-love" and "gift-love," the first arising from our need and fragility as human beings demonstrated in the love of a child for its mother or our love for God, the second being freely given out of fullness for the sake of the beloved demonstrated by the love of a mother for her child or God's love for us. The need-loves aren't so dangerous- we will never mistake them for God. But the gift-love, so near to God by likeness (not necessarily approach) can get us into trouble. Lewis, in the rest of the book, will continue to repeat this saying by M. Denis de Rougemont that love "begins to be a demon the moment he begins to be a god" (6). Mere human loves, exalted to divinity, will become ugly, selfish, and distorted. Lewis finishes his introduction by saying this:
"The human loves can be glorious images of Divine love. No less than that: but also no more- proximities of likeness which in one instance may help, and in another may hinder, proximity of approach" (9)
Human loves can draw us toward or away from God. We (with God's help) are the ones who decide which way our love takes us.


Monday, March 12, 2012

Monday's Musing: Fears

Alpine Rapids


I am afraid of a lot of things.

I had a really hard time with the chapter I read in The Good and Beautiful God this week. It was about how God is generous, and that he puts no expectation of "earning" on us. Instead, everything he gives us he gives out of grace and abundance with no expectations because he delights in us.  My first reaction was that this couldn't true. I especially struggled with the idea that God wants me to delight in him, that he is not disappointed in me, and that he does not have a list of things he wants me to do. James Bryan Smith writes, “We live in a world where people demand, oppress, wound, and condemn. In our world we earn what we get. So we project that onto God. It is easy to conceive of a demanding, oppressive, condemning, wounding god who must be appeased. The God Jesus knows is utterly generous” (84).  Honestly, I see God as demanding. He is calling me to do these things and to live this way, and he is disappointed because I am not living up to his expectations. He wants to give me these things or bless me in these ways but he can’t because I’m not doing this and so I am missing out. I should feel guilty because I am not devoting “X” amount of time or energy right now to my direct ministry and instead I’m doing other things (such as my internship, spending time with friends, working on my thesis).

Really, I struggle with this in most relationships. I constantly feel that others have expectations of me that I cannot fulfill and thus they are disappointed in me. For many people, that doesn’t matter too much because I’m okay with them not approving of me. But for those closest to me, the painful possibility that they are disappointed in me keeps me from letting them too close at all. I don’t want people to depend on me because I will let them down. People with high expectations of me scare me because I may not meet those expectations. I’d rather keep people at arms’ length rather than risk disappointing them. 


This chapter also raised another huge fear for me when talked about loving God. Smith writes, “If we asked Jesus, What does God want from me? I believe he would answer,
God wants you to know and to love him.” But what does it mean to love God? This chapter talked about how we love God through delighting in him, through knowing his joy and his character. But for me, love has always been much more about surrender, about giving up, about sacrifice. Loving God means I am willing to give up my life- all my plans, all my desires, all my hopes, all my goals and dreams- and do what he wants me to do. And I do want to love God and I try to surrender all my plans. But I am absolutely terrified that God is going to call me to a life that makes me absolutely miserable. He is going to ask me to do things that I hate doing. He will take away the things that I love most, the things I am passionate about. He’ll call me away from the research and the analysis and the ethnic conflict and the things that I’m good at and that get me excited and passionate and ask me to do something that I don’t want to do. Loving Him will mean quitting my internship (which I love) and spending less time on my thesis or seeing my friends less. Honestly, I think I'm terrified that God wants me to be someone that I'm pretty sure I'm not. I'm afraid that God only calls women to be stay-at-home moms or only calls people into direct missionary work (instead of somewhere like the public sector). 

Now, I know in my head that these are lies. God does call women to things beyond child-rearing and to careers beyond direct mission work. But my heart isn't so sure.
In the last week, I’ve rediscovered many of the fears and insecurities I had hidden so well from myself. I’m terrified of really giving my life over to God because I’m afraid he’s going to make me do things I don’t want to do. I’m afraid that God is disappointed in me because I’m not living up to his expectations. I’m afraid that with whatever I decide about my future I’m going to be disappointing a whole host of people. I’m afraid of a lot of things.

But I think that this it is good that I've uncovered all of these fears. It's better than hiding them. I don’t really know the answer to all this outside of this belief, this hope, that God really is good, and really does love me, so much of this fear is unfounded. 1 John 4:18 talks about how perfect love casts out fear. I can't truly say now that I can love God without fear. But I hope to learn to. 




Photo taken by Kara Haberstock, July 2010, all rights reserved
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Sunday, March 11, 2012

A Song for Sunday: Of Monsters and Men

I have to thank my lovely sister and her fantastic taste in music for this week's post. She just recently introduced me to the band Of Monsters and Men, and I really enjoy their sound. So far, they only have a few songs out, but I'm really looking forward to hearing their future music. Here's the music video for their song "Little Talks." (Isn't it so fun and whimsical?)



Directed by WeWereMonkeys

Buy 'Little Talks' on iTunes (US) http://bitly.com/x078dW
Buy 'Little Talks' on iTunes (UK) http://bitly.com/xIo9Nn

http://www.ofmonstersandmen.is/
https://www.facebook.com/ofmonstersandmen
https://twitter.com/monstersandmen
http://ofmonstersandmenmusic.tumblr.com/

Music video by Of Monsters and Men performing Little Talks. (C) 2012 Universal Republic Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Friday Links

Baker D. Chirico store in Carlton, Melbourne, Australia via TheCoolHunter



It's finally Friday! (And that means it's Spring Break for me!). This weekend is the wonderful Tucson Festival of Books, and, provided that all the tents don't blow away with all the wind we've been having, I'm looking forward to enjoying all the fun books and events. I don't know what your weekend plans are, but I hope you enjoy these links I've found for you:

I might make this dish for dinner one night

This story about the "Most Interesting Underpants in London" was quite interesting

You could do so much cool stuff with these stick-anywhere rechargeable lights

This would be an awesome art project for over break

Some of the most amazing beautiful bakeries you'll ever see (I want fresh bread so badly now)

I love this ivy bike lock (just don't forget a u-lock too)

If you're looking for a new moisturize, this is my favorite body butter- it's so nice (my boyfriend steals it too)

One of my dear friends made pelmeni (like Russian ravioli) and another dear friend featured it on her blog 

Last, but not least, check out this gorgeous apartment in Madrid (via Desire to Inspire)


I hope you have a wonderful, restful, amazing weekend! Happy Friday!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Thursday's Short Film: Mr. Happy Man

This award-winning documentary is all about Johnny Barnes, a man who has succeeded in making just about everyone in Bermuda smile. The world could use some more people like him:



Mr. Happy Man from Matt Morris Films on Vimeo.

Come rain or shine, 88-year-old Bermudian Johnny Barnes devotes six hours every day to an endearing traffic ritual that has made him one of the island’s most cherished citizens.

WINNER
Audience Award for Best Short Film- AFI/Discovery Silverdocs
Best Documentary Short Film- Sidewalk Motion Picture Festival
Honorable Mention- Nashville Film Festival
Ideal Award- Adventure Film Festival

Official Selection:
DOC NYC, Aspen Shortsfest, Florida Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, Bermuda International Film Festival, International Film Festival Boston, RiverRun Film Festival, Palm Springs Shortsfest, Mountainfilm Telluride, Gold Coast International Film Festival, AFI/Discovery Channel Silverdocs, Traverse City Film Festival, Maine International Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival

Inquiries: MattMorrisFilms[at]Gmail.com
twitter.com/MattMorrisFilms
facebook.com/MrHappyManFilm
Special Edition DVDs and Mr. Happy Man t-shirts available at: MattMorrisFilms.com

Bermuda production services: Panatel VDS
Color: Company 3
Sound: Skywalker Sound

Johnny Barnes can still be found at the roundabout on Crow Lane outside Hamilton, Bermuda every weekday from 4 A.M. to 10 A.M. You can watch Johnny talk about the film here: vimeo.com/22299643

 Watch Matt's previous short documentary, Pickin' & Trimmin', here: vimeo.com/31066145
Thanks to Samantha Astwood, who is interviewed in the film but not credited.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Photos for Wednesday: Callas in Pink (aka My Ode to Fresh Flowers)

Calla lilies might be my favorite flowers. These pink ones were especially pretty on my kitchen table:

Morning Lilies


I love flowers. I love that in the spring especially you can get all sort of fun, fresh flowers. I love going to Trader Joe's because right by the front door they have bunches and bunches of fresh flowers that won't completely empty out your wallet, and the flowers they have aren't just your stereotypical carnations and roses but rather a whole array of colorful, unusual, intriguing flowers, some of which I have never seen before and almost have a hard time believing that they actually come off a real plant.
Also, Trader Joe's sells calla lilies in the spring (and they're my favorite).

A Better Still Life


Are flowers practical? No, not really. They are cut parts of plant that you stick in water in hopes that they die more slowly. If you're lucky they might last for a week. But in some ways, I think that makes them even more beautiful. For a few days they grace your table or windowsill with the beauty of their presence, an extra-ordinary pop of color that you can't help but notice and smile.
In some ways they remind us of ourselves. Isaiah 40:6 reads,
All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. 
We are fleeting and frail creatures. We must enjoy the beauty of our presence here now. A few days on the table and we are gone.

Curls and Curves


Really, though, the philosophical reminder of my own impending demise is not the root of my love for fresh flowers, as poetic as that might be. Honestly, I think flowers are beautiful and that beauty brings a smile to my face and brings joy to others as well. A little life in the kitchen is always a good thing, a welcome distraction from what is distinctly un-beautiful in the world.
The summer after my junior year of high school, I finally obtained my driver's license and began to taste the freedom that a car and a set of keys can provide. That summer, my mum also fell ill again, and with her particular genetic disorder, coming back from an illness is quite a bit more difficult for her than most. My shiny new driver's license allowed me to take over the errands and the grocery shopping while she recovered at home, and the previously unspent allowances and babysitting earnings from prior years meant I had a bit of money saved up. So most weeks, when I made the errand circuit, or sometimes just on the way home from a friend's house or some event, I stopped in the Trader Joe's on the way home and picked out the most colorful bouquet I could find. Lilies were were her favorite. She always smiled when I brought them home.

Callas in Pink


So, I suppose I love flowers because they make hard days better, illness and pain a little bit more bearable, and generally bring a smile to the face of most who encounter them. Their beauty may be temporary and their life in the makeshift wine bottle vase not too long, but it is a bit of life where there wasn't any before.
I don't make too much of a habit of buying flowers (it's a bit too much for my poor-college-student-budget). But these came home with me on a particularly hard and overwhelming day when it was good to have something lively and uplifting to cheer up the kitchen table. They made me smile.

All photos taken by Kara Haberstock, February 2012, all rights reserved
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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Recipe Roundup: A Five Minute Easy-peasy Treat (Orange-Coconut Yogurt Brulee)


The other day I made this super easy breakfast treat and it was delicious! I adapted this recipe from this brilliant post on Not Without Salt (an amazing food blog). All you need is a few simple ingredients:

Orange-Coconut Yogurt Brulee Pin It

Orange-Coconut Yogurt Brulee

Ingredients:

Round Orange Slices
Greek Yogurt (as desired, enough to cover oranges- I prefer the plain stuff)
Coconut flakes (preferably toasted)
Granulated sugar

Place the orange slices in the bottom of a shallow dish or ramekin (four-inch ramkeins work great!). Sprinkle with some coconut flakes (if desired). Top with an even layer of greek yogurt. Top yogurt with a thin even coat of sugar. Now, if you have a brulee torch, use it to get that nice crust. If you're a poor college student like me, preheat your broiler. Once it's nice and hot, place your dish/ramekins in there for about 2-3 minutes until the sugar carmelizes on top to make that nice brulee crust. Don't leave them in there for too long. Take them out, top with more coconut flakes, and let them cool before enjoying your tasty treat!


I wish I had pictures for you, but I got so excited that I forgot to snap a few when they were done...oops!
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Living with Lewis: Approaching God


As you might know from last week's post, I am working my way through Lewis' book, The Four Loves. Right now I'm still in the introduction, which I highly recommend reading. (It sets up the rest of the book.) In it, Lewis makes a distinction between two types of nearness to God: nearness by likeness and nearness by approach. In order to better explain, he uses the metaphor of hiking back to your home in a village tucked beneath a cliff. If you sit on the edge of the cliff, you are very close to the village in direct distance and space, but in terms of the time it will you take you to hike back from your home safely (jumping off the cliff to your death doesn't count), you are very far from home. To get home, you will have to hike down the trail that will take you farther from home in terms of direct distance and space, but ever closer in terms of the time it will take you to hike home (from page 4).

Lewis writes:
"At the cliff's top we are near the village, but however long we sit there we shall never be any nearer to our bath and our tea. So hear; the likeness, and in that sense nearness, to Himself which God has conferred upon certain creatures and certain states of those creatures is something finished, built in. What is near Him by likeness is never, by that fact alone, going to be any nearer. But nearness of approach is, by definition, increasing nearness. and whereas the likeness is given to us- and can be received with or without thanks, can be used or abused- the approach, however initiated and supported by Grace, is something we must do. Creatures are made in their varying ways images of God without their own collaboration or even consent. It is not so that they become sons of God." (5-6)

We are created in the image of God; in this way we are already like him. We are like God in this no matter what we do or how we live our lives. Nothing can erase the stamp of God, the mold from which we were made. We are near to God through likeness by nature. However, nearness to God by approach is not in such a defined state. We must choose to approach God in order to become like him in approach. It is a process which we undertake, one that may make us seem less near to God in likeness, but in which every step we take towards God places us closer to him. When we choose to approach God, we must lay down our pride and become humble, conscious of our need and helplessness. As we draw near to God we recognize our great unlikeness- our weakness compared to His strength, our flaws compared to his perfection, our futility and failure, His limitless power, our total lack, His completion and wholeness. We are no longer the givers, but rather beggars, lacking anything of value to bring. Such seems far from God, but it is the only way we will only get home.


Monday, March 5, 2012

Monday's Music: Katie Herzig

Yesterday was my little sister's birthday, so I didn't get the chance to post this (Happy Birthday again, Lauren!). This music video for Katie Herzig's song, "Free My Mind," is so creative and lovely. Katies's incredibly adorable, and I absolutely love the stop-motion. Plus the song itself is pretty great. Hope you enjoy:


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Music video by Katie Herzig performing Free My Mind. (C) 2011 Marion-Lorraine Records

Monday's Musings: Rest

Village at sunset

Rest is vital.
However, I am terrible about resting. It makes me anxious. I have so many tasks to complete and people to see and projects to work on and emails to send and papers to write and articles to read and books to skim and meetings to attend and events to plan and research to do and food to make and rooms to clean and time to spend doing this activity and classes to teach and lessons to plan and so many things-I-can't-remember-at-this-time-but-that-need-to-get-done that I have no time to devote to resting. Resting, in my head, equates doing nothing. It's not productive. It's taking time that I could be spending reading, researching, writing, working, doing something that might help ease this seemingly infinite workload.
But really, that's a lie, and I have to constantly remind myself of that. Resting is not "doing nothing." It is not "unproductive." If nothing else, it allows me to keep working. Because if I work non-stop without resting (which is what the last few weeks have seemed like at times) my body will most definitely rebel. Since I have an anxiety disorder, and a few other health issues which can be triggered by stress, if I push too hard for too long, I end up down for the count for a few days due to illness, nerve pain, or something else that confines me to the house.
But rest is more than just a preventative measure to prevent physical breakdown. It is an exercise in trust: trust in God over my own work ethic. At Second Mile a few weeks ago, Chad asked, "Do you trust God enough to rest?" The truth is that I often don't. I believe that the only way to get everything done is for me to work myself till exhaustion, and even then, I probably need to work harder. Worse, much of that work is often "ministry" and any moment I take for myself I later feel guilty about because I should be devoting more of my time to "ministry." Sadly, at these times I am probably quite far from what God is actually asking of me. God commands us to rest (it is not optional). He knows how vital it is for our physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. And God wants us to reflect him: he wants us to be filled with his joy and peace, to rejoice in his love, to love others well, to express compassion and always be ready to serve others. That is difficult for us to do if we are sick, burned-out, exhausted, and on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
This is not an excuse for inaction or apathy. Genesis 2:2-3 reads, "On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation." We do have work to do. But if God, infinite in power, took time to rest, how much more should we, finite and weak, take time to rest as well? Taking time to rest is an exercise in obedience, one that declares that we trust God enough not to rely solely on our own strength and work to get everything done.
This week is going to be another rather crazy week filled with numerous tasks to do and not much time to get them done in. I apologize if my posts are a bit irregular; I may have to wait till the weekend to be able to spare some time for blogging. But I will be taking time to rest, with friends, in God's Word, in prayer, and in time for myself. And I challenge you to do the same.

All photos taken by Kara Haberstock, July 2009, all rights reserved
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Friday, March 2, 2012

Friday Links

Happy Friday! Another crazy week is done. I don't know about you, but I'm greatly looking forward to spring break (one more week!). Spring break is definitely one reason why it's great to still be a student (along with winter break and summer break). As much as I'm beginning to feel ready to be done with my undergraduate education, I will greatly miss all the breaks and the flexible schedule. And the coffee-shop life: for those who don't know, my home away from home is a little independent coffee shop tucked up on the northwest side of campus.  Anyways, whether you have a spring break or not, I've rounded up a bunch of links for you to enjoy over the weekend:

There's a new collection by Marni coming to H&M. This dress is my favorite. (This one is a close second)

Flower nails would make anything you hang up even more adorable

I've been loving Morten Holtum's photography. (Click on the interior tab for my favorite photos).

Japanese masking tape everywhere!

I love how this house in Sydney is such an incredibly modern and light-filled home without disrupting the look of the surrounding neighborhood 

If you like fruit and coconut, make these healthy pancakes for breakfast- they're delicious and naturally sugar (and gluten) free!

One more absolutely incredible and unique house

This new travel magazine is awesome! The first issue of Wayfare Magazine is just brimming with lovely photos and wonderful features.

These grilled cheese sandwiches look so tasty...

Have a lovely weekend!

PS: if you live in Tucson, you can come visit me at the Tucson Organic Garden Fair this weekend! There's going to be lots of lovely plants and interesting things (and I'll be working there!).





Thursday, March 1, 2012

Thursday's Short Film: Two Laps

This might be my favorite short film that I've found in a while. It makes me laugh. I could actually picture this possibly happening, which makes it even better. And I love the mix of mediums that the filmmakers used. I hope this film makes you smile as much as it did for me:
(Do be forewarned: there's a little bit of old-person-nudity)

Two Laps from Passion Pictures on Vimeo.

Two friends. One race. Two laps. No prisoners.

Val and Pete have been swimming together every morning for the past seventeen years. Once a year they have a race, two laps up and back.


Writer & Director - Owen Trevor

vimeo.com/user1733009

lankyboy.com

passionraw.com


Producer - Lucas Jenner


DOP - Hugh Miller (hughmiller.com.au)

Editor - Bernard Garry (theeditors.com.au)
Composer/Sound Designer - Brendan Woithe (klang.com.au)