Drum roll please...

It's official!  The Grateful Sparrow has a new home!

is your go-to place for daily inspiration and a community of 

joyful living.

I want to help you love the life you live and live a life you love.  I'm not talking about fake smiles and forced cheer, I'm talking about honesty and change and opening your eyes to the world around you and all that life has to offer.  I want to share my joys and my struggles with you, and I want you to share yours with me.  Let's inspire each other.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Today I am so happy and grateful for this exciting new adventure.  

xo xo xo xo!  n.

Under Construction.

I know I have been absent a lot lately, but it's because I've got something exciting up my sleeve.

I'm creating a new & improved Grateful Sparrow site at a new home, and you're all invited!

It's set to launch next week, so I've got A LOT to get done; please bear with me and keep an eye out for the official announcement & link...  (might be announced on an affiliate site mid-week... hint hint...)

I'm super super excited about this; I hope y'all like it too!

Today I am so grateful & happy for big ideas and making them happen!!!

xo! n.

Heart a Flutter Friday - I'm a Fan

Dudes!  This week has just flown by!!  I can't believe it's already Friday.  I'm not complaining; I get a 3 day weekend!  Sorry for the sparse posting; it's just been one of those weeks (in a good way).
Today I want to feature the work of an artist I've been watching.  I'm totally in love with her creatures & have every intention of adopting some of them to fill my home with happy chatter.  I hope you love them as much as I do!

Peaceful

Pink Worm Listens to Some Jams

Everything Wonderful Happens Here

 Dubious Orange Kitty

Tiny Village

We Are Intellectuals

You're Doing Everything Right

High Tide

 

And this one is from me to you:

Things I'm Thankful For 

If you like what you see here, you can find much more in her Etsy shop and on her blog.  It's adorable and totally affordable!

Today I am so grateful & happy for:

~ all of y'alls awesome comments on Potential!  Thanks!

~ a 3-day weekend to look forward to!

~ totally rad mixed CDS

xo!  n.

Potential.

I sometimes whinge and whine about being single; most of my friends are in serious relationships if not married, and I sometimes feel like The Last Single Girl (hey, that could be a good title for a movie... cast me!).  But you know what's awesome about being single?

Dates.

Yes!  The actual act of going on dates almost always fades out of a long-term relationship, and even in those that deem "date nights" important, the need to impress each other fades.  Which is a nice thing, comfort is great, but sometimes it's fun to take a chance, to feel nervous, and to have no clue what you're getting into.

Especially when the date hits it out of the park.

Cut to my Sunday.  Now, y'all, I'm telling you this because I'm not embarrassed or ashamed, I'm just 29 and living in Los Angeles -- I'm on eHarmony.  And I'd been emailing with this particular guy, we'll call him B, for about a week.  I'm a big proponent of meeting relatively early on because there's only so much you can tell from emails and a few pictures; to feel someone's energy & real compatibility, you have to spend some time with them.

So I suggested meeting & he suggested LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art).  Perfect.

We met in the forest of streetlamps in front of the building; he looked like his pictures and bought my admission.  The museum was pretty full, which aided our mutual non-reverence; we weren't being disrespectful, but were there to enjoy ourselves & immediately feel into an easy dialogue making up silly stories about the Indian art we were looking at. 

We discovered a Jerry Springer plot in a painting of a nobleman with his handmaidens, and identified India's Siskel & Ebert of the 1700s.  We were cracking ourselves up.  We tried to be quiet, but noticed a few people giggling around us, and one couple even joined in & added to our story.

We stood for a while in front of this painting, imagining the dinners this very dysfunctional family might've had.

As we wandered around, we got to know each other better and the art helped us avoid awkward silences by inspiring questions like, what's your background, and where've you traveled?  It may sound like a stuffy location but because of its somewhat interactive nature, it was actually the perfect place for a first date - boys, take note!

When we got hungry, we headed to a shabu-shabu place down the street (if you don't know, it's a Japanese cook-your-own-food style restaurant), where we talked over the steam of seaweed water boiling our beef & veggies.  Dinner led to a discussion of karaoke (naturally), so we headed to a bar and picked each other's songs over the riot of a very large birthday party.

 very dark small pictures from my phone...

That's right, I said we picked each other's songs.  As in, neither of us knew what we were singing until we were standing up there with a mic in our hands.  So not only did I do karaoke on a first date, I did blind karaoke on a first date.  What am I, crazy???  Eh.  It's all part of the fun.

I had to sing Gwen Stefani, Hollaback Girl, and he had to sing Boys II Men, I'll Make Love to You (just because it's funny, don't go thinking dirty, it's a first date) - and we totally rocked it.

He was a total gentleman.  Besides a few "that's what she said"s (which, let's face it, I probably initiated) and a running Indian-exhibit-inspired joke about the kama sutra, he held doors for me, was hands-off, and even picked up the tab (which the Very Independent Woman that I am fought against, but he refused to budge).

I'm pretty sure it was the best first date I've ever been on.  That's what they all should be: fun, silly, spontaneous, full of conversation & laughter, not an awkward meal & silent movie, or some dude drooling all over you waiting for the end of the night to make a move.

So, I don't know, it may not go anywhere, but there will definitely be a second date and, hey, sometimes it's just nice to be reminded that dates like this DO exist.  :)

Today I am so grateful & happy for:

~ a fun day with a good guy

~ time to write

~ my new phone is working (and puuuurty!)

xo!  n.

Lovely Los Angeles

Yesterday I went to the farmer's market and hiking with some friends & then out for a 3 hour dinner with another friend; it's days like this that make me love LA.

Today I'm so grateful & happy for:
~ great friends
~ delicious fresh food (and eggs worth standing in line for)
~ a new phone!

xo!  n.

Heart a flutter Friday - Get Cozy.

Happy Friday everyone!!  It's been quite a week for me; being back at work after a long vacation is... well... uuuuhhhggg...  But we got through it, didn't we?  So now it's time to celebrate!

Here are some soft and fuzzy things to keep your imagination cozy this January weekend:

Boho Slouchy Cabled Hat by Knittingcate on Etsy

I love all the subtle colors in this hat and the thick cable knit.  Wearing this, you'd bring a little confetti splash of unexpected color to a grey winter day, while still keeping warm and looking cool.

Small Moon Jellyfish in Organic Cotton by Awkward on Etsy

Strange and wonderful.  How cute would this be in a bohemian beach bungalow?  Or just hanging in my window so I can imagine I'm in a bohemian beach bungalow...  :)

Hand Embroidered Pendant by Merriweathercouncil on Etsy

So pretty, simple and tactile.  Vintage inspired but kinda silly and fun.

Cowl Top by Replicca on Etsy

This looks sooooo comfy cozy; it bet it feels like a sweatshirt but it looks adorable!  And ladies, it's built in such a way that will flatter your boobies & hide that winter tummy... just sayin is all...

Campfire print by Groundwork on Etsy

It may be cold outside, but you'll feel warm and safe around this campfire.

Nero Square Crochet Ring by gitte on Etsy

It's like a sweater for your finger!  Finally a big ring I can't knock someone out with!

Well, there you have it; I hope you all have a lovely, cozy weekend and stay warm!

Today I am so happy and grateful for:

~ clarity

~ options

~ strength

xo!  n.

Holiday Recap

My 2010 Holiday season involved...

A fat cat sneaking under the covers, curling up soft next to my stomach and purring so loud I could hear it through my pillow.

Quality time with one of my favorite people, my momma.

All day Christmas eve cooking - homemade pierogies from my great-grandma's recipie, attempted from scratch for the very first time since she made them.

Giving up on pierogi dough & resorting to wonton wrappers with homemade filling. Still delicious.

Waking up on Christmas morning, looking out the window, and saying "aw it didn't sno-- IT'S SNOWING!!" and watching it flurry for a few hours without sticking.  The closest I've ever gotten to a white Christmas.

Sufjan Stevens & Manheim Steamroller & George Winston & Harry Connick, Jr. carols.

Relaxed laughter with family and a Christmas dinner that involved snoring dogs, bra ornaments, snacking for hours, and everyone feeling happy, thankful and loved.

Lots of movies.

Eleven hours driving down the east coast in snow, slush & ice the day after Christmas.

Singing loud to mom's old-school CDs - Barenaked Ladies & Counting Crows - to keep us from going insane stuck in the car.

Emotional upheaval (but ultimately, in a good way).

My brother dancing with my dad's dog in front of a crackling fire.

Re-exploring the town I grew up in and visiting our old house with new tenants, piecing together our family after big changes, thinking about the future and the past.  Bittersweet but calm.

Tons of sweet tea, cookies, pie, wine, specialty beers, and a homemade salad dressing that involved lots and lots of bacon fat.  Mmmmm...

Gathering around the kitchen to watch my brother's awesome knife skills & cooking talent.  Beautiful food.  Needing to audibly groan with every bite, it's that delicious.

Anticipation & disappointment (people, not things), tears, full-on honesty, acceptance, letting go, moving forward from here.  A resolution of communication.  A fittingly big ending on the last day of the year.

Balloons covering the ceiling, streamers covering the floor, vintage covering me.  Champagne, dirty martinis and the people that always make everything better.

Staying in PJs for hours under blankets, watching the Rose Bowl Parade and playing a ridiculous giggle & fake vomit -inducing game of "would you rather."

Delicious, nutritious & charmed Hoppin' John and wassail for 2011 luck.

"The Office" Clue game,  old-school Monopoly, "Fantastic Mr. Fox," rocky road ice cream and staying up too late, sleeping in too long.

Rainy day laziness, holding hands, free lunch and new friends (including a puppy!) on an almost-24-hour-long date.

All in all, it was an appropriate ending to 2010 and a really wonderful beginning of 2011.  I hope y'all had the same.

I'm back, and I promise that not only will I be writing more often, I also have a big announcement up my sleeve this month, so stay tuned...

Today I am so grateful & happy for:
~ spending time with people I love on both coasts
~ beginnings
~ silliness & laughter

xo!  n.