sunday simplicity.

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after Thee

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship Thee

Tracy Enoch Photography via Southern Weddings

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship Thee

- Martin Nystrom

#5FandomFriday - Make-Up Friday - Geeky Clothing and Accessories I Need

5 Fandom Friday is a weekly prompt challenge hosted by The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick. This week, our prompt is "favorite stores to get geeky wears/wares." My answers to that question were very boring... um, Barnes and Noble? Campus bookstores? Instead, I'm revisiting an early prompt I missed - Geeky Clothing Items I Need Want In My Life.

1. Uhura's earrings - In the new Star Trek movies, Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana) accessorizes her Starfleet uniform with Alexis Bittar earrings that look suitably futuristic. I've been obsessed with these for a while now - such a subtle bit of geekery!

2. Sunnydale tee - Another subtle way to participate in fandom - anyone who's a Buffy fan would instantly recognize and appreciate this Sunnydale tee from Redbubble, anyone else will just think it's a high school they've never heard of.

3. Marauder's Map shoes - I'm not sure if I've ever shopped at Hot Topic, and I totally missed the point when it shifted from being a Goth kid store to a haven for geeks! These Harry Potter Marauder's Map sneakers are amazing.

4. Empire Strikes Back tank - Junk Food has a great collection of Star Wars tees, and this tank is so retro and cool. I would wear it to the gym, around town, and probably even try wearing it with a cardigan to school.

5. Raven Boys tee - Emgrav is a Society6 designer who creates quirky art based on Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle books, and this tee is my favorite - each of the sketches represents something significant from the story, and it somehow manages to be creepy and cute at the same time (just like Blue Sargent's life).

What geeky items are on your wish list? What are the

geekiest things in your closet or jewelry box right now?

[the circle] spring break: loss and reunion.

This month's theme for The Circle link-up hosted by Kiki from In Its Time is Spring Break Plans. As a teacher, I'm part of the minority of lucky adults who still get an official spring break, and mine is next week, so this prompt was very timely.

I haven't written about it on the blog yet, but we suffered a loss in our family earlier this month. Mr. Q's beloved Nana passed away peacefully after developing Altzheimers several years ago. I consider myself very lucky that I had the opportunity to meet and get to know Nana before the disease took hold and even share some time in her favorite place, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, on a family vacation. Due to the nature of Altzheimers we were able to grieve together when she still understood that she was ill, which was a unique experience, and it's so comforting to be certain that she is no longer suffering. She and her husband wrote out specific plans that made her wishes very clear. She did not want a funeral or memorial service; instead, she wanted a celebration of music with wine, music, and dancing - she even specified the songs she wanted us to sing! My Spring Break will begin on Friday evening with a celebration in Nana's honor. Since she loved the beach, we are going to have sand and seashells on the table and give her closest friend lighthouses from her collection. I'm sure that tears will be shed, but I know we'll feel a sense of closure. 

I'll also have the opportunity to reunite with my dearest college friends, my sisters from the Christian fellowship I was a member of (IVCF), over break. My beautiful graphic designer friend will be shaving her head (so bold!) for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, which supports research to find cures for childhood cancers. I can't wait to spend time with those girls - they always lift me up, and visiting Charlottesville will feel like a mini vacation even though it's only a few hours from home!

What are your Spring Break plans? Link up with us!

Pinspiration: The Dramatic Side of Rose Quartz

Now that everyone has had a little time to adjust to Pantone choosing two Colors of the Year for 2016 (seriously, it was apparently a huge deal in design circles), I'm still finding myself much more drawn to Rose Quartz. I've shared some inspiration featuring the sweet side of Rose Quartz already, so today I'm turning the tables with some Pinspiration that puts a dramatic spin on this color trend that blends mauve, blush, and rose gold. 

this week's clicks: Hippity Hoppity

get your week off to a colorful start..
LISTEN.

• The Paper Kites' "Featherstone" is airy, peaceful, calming, and exactly what I need this week - and the video reminds me of Where the Wild Things Are. Things are finally looking up, I think.

SWOON.

Kasey Ivan Photography via Bridal Musings

• You must see this candlelit barn wedding.
• A mod City Hall wedding from S+I's archive.
• Love this joyful wedding with floral 'maids!
• On Wit + Delight, Kate's chic home tour.

SMILE.

• Desktops from Lily and Val and Shannon Kirsten.
• A quick cold-shoulder DIY from Hello, Maegan.
• Kelly Christine's colorful round-up made me smile.
• Lots of ideas and inspirational Pins for spring.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I turned my blog into an outfit, rounded up teal and chambray wardrobe updates, pretty watercolor stationery, and recapped life in IG and in entertainment.
• Two years ago I featured garden-inspired wardrobe ideas, rounded up inspiration for a French lavender wedding, and recapped February and March in entertainment.
• Three years ago I reflected on the course of this blog, and shared my blog loves.
• Four years ago we designed our invitations and found our flower girl's dress.

sunday simplicity

Larissa Cleveland via Style Me Pretty

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

- Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

#5FandomFriday: Geeky Tattoos I'd Want to Have*

*If I wasn't terribly afraid of the pain.

5 Fandom Friday is a weekly prompt challenge hosted by The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick. This week, I'm rounding up Geeky Tattoos I'd Want to Have. Maybe one day I'll actually be brave enough to make one of these a reality!

1. A quill pen - If I was to get a tattoo, the most likely choice is a feather. My maiden name led to my dad and I having nicknames of "Bird" and "Birdy," my online alias has been "heatherbird" since the 1990's, and since I'm part Native American, feathers are also culturally significant to my family. I love the beach, so a seagull feather would be a nice touch. Since I'm a writer and English teacher, a quill pen gives the feather another dimension and turns it into a Harry Potter reference! Oh, and who has two giant feather tattoos by Kat Von D? Just my spirit animal, Dave Grohl.

Take #PeggysPledge at SDCC w/ these limited edition free "I Know My Value" temp ring tattoos! We have 100 to give! pic.twitter.com/rRPRZAnTLY

— *Lauren Gallaway* (@LaurenGallaway) July 8, 2015

2. "I Know My Value." - Agent Peggy Cater is my everything right now (my Halloween costume is STILL my Facebook profile picture) and I'd love to see a tattoo of her most famous line in a pretty script on someone's ribcage or bicep (the temporary version shown here is pretty sweet!).

3. Something Once Upon a Time related - I loved reading Peter Pan when I was young, and I've fallen head over heels in love with Once Upon a Time - it reminds me why I loved stories so much as a child and how important hope is in our lives. I'm also a total Captain Swan shipper, so I love both of these sweet little tattoo ideas.

4. A 4-leaf clover - Not necessarily geeky, but definitely nerdy. This is another symbol that has multiple meanings for me; I've been a 4-H member since I was nine, my birthstone is the emerald, and my first time traveling away from my parents (and first trip on an airplane) was when I spent two weeks in Ireland to study literature. I also have an Irish married name and love my family so very much. I think a tiny emerald green clover tattoo would be lovely.

5. A coffee spoon - It's about to get really nerdy up in here - in high school, the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot pretty much blew my mind (modernism can have that effect on a sheltered Southwest Virginia girl). In time, the "coffee spoons" in the poem came to represent the part of me that tends toward being a control freak and not taking chances, so the next logical step was to take that symbolism a step further by getting a coffee spoon tattoo. Until my mom told me people might think I was a heroin addict. True story. Thanks for crushing my youthful rebellion and saving me from potentially awkward situations later in life, Mom.

Do you have any geeky tattoos? I'd love to see them!

spring reading challenge ideas and recommendations

I've read fifteen books so far in 2016 and feel like my love of reading for pleasure has been re-ignited by reading a wide variety books. Reading challenges really help me mix it up and avoid falling into a reading rut or getting series fatigue! Here are a few books that are on my to-be-read list this spring, and a few spring break reading recommendations for you (titles link to Goodreads), inspired by my favorite challenges.

From The Modern Mrs. Darcy's 2016 Reading Challenge: A book you should have read in school

 

• My pick: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - As an English major, I often felt like I was the only one who hadn't read this novel in high school; it seems to be part of so many readers' lists of favorites.
• My recommendation: Antigone by Sophocles - We read this play in tenth grade English and it was A Moment for me. I love that waaaaay back in Ancient Greece, Sophocles was writing about a strong, powerful woman, but the character who really mattered to me in high school was Ismene, Antigone's meek sister who must decide whether to follow tradition, follow her sisters' lead, or forge her own path.

From Popsugar's 2016 Ultimate Reading Challenge: A book set in Europe

• My pick: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - This book set during World War II was on all the must-reads last year, was a NYT best seller, and won the Pulitzer Prize. The plot, about a WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE blind French girl and an orphaned German boy working for the Nazis, sounds intriguing. 
• My recommendation: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - It amazes me that I've studied World War II for years now and there are always stories and aspects of that span of time that I realize I know almost nothing about; this YA historical fiction novel is about a Lithuanian family sent to a work camp in Siberia under Stalin's orders. It is a heartbreaking book and a favorite among librarians, teachers, and students at my school.

From Stxrybooks' 2016 Reading Challenge: A book with a character that is similar to you

• My pick: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly - I put out a call for books featuring characters like me on Facebook and my friend Marci, a librarian I've known since sixth grade, said Calpurnia's a lot like me when I was younger - a girl who loves nature, learning, and her family. I'm really looking forward to this one.
• My recommendation: The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich - I think the reason I'm so addicted to this mystery series is because Stephanie Plum is such a real woman - she'd rather have Twinkies than a salad, her family drives her crazy, she's comfiest in jeans and a t-shirt, and she knows her attraction to bad boys is no good for her. It's so much fun to read about a lady who's kick-ass in her own way, not because she's a superspy but because she trusts her gut.

From Worthington Ave.'s 2016 Reading List: A book that's becoming a movie this year

• My pick: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - The trailer for the film based on this book makes it look heartwrenching and amazing.
• My recommendation: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness - We added this novel to our eighth grade curriculum after one of my colleagues fell in love with it and realized it would fill a big "magical realism" gap in our collection. Conor's mother has cancer, he's being mercilessly bullied at school, his father is basically absent from his life, and he's been sent to live with his overbearing grandmother. When the yew tree in his backyard comes to life on a nightly basis, Conor doesn't know whether to be terrified or vindicated. Liam Neeson is going to be the voice of the monster in the movie, and I can't wait!

What are you looking forward to reading this spring? You can see 

my first list of reading ideas and recommendations for 2016 here.