friday flicks - style your scarf.

keeping in this week's theme of all things fashionABLE, i thought i'd share our 2 "style your scarf" videos, staring the lovely amber lehman...

fashionABLE.

so, if it's possible to spend every waking moment working on something and have the sweetest love/hate relationship with it... that's where i am. with the perfect blend of feeling both excited and exhausted, i'm proud to say we have officially launched our newest venture from mocha club, called fashionABLE: handmade ethiopian scarves that create sustainable business for women in africa. it's been so incredible to watch each piece of this puzzle come together so perfectly. people are seriously throwing their gifts & talents at this thing, and i have a crazy feeling it could get nuts as the word spreads.

did i mention that each scarf tells a story of a woman who the program supports? watch sweet bezuayhu's story. she is precious. and this is just the beginning. there are so many more women we can help. we are ABLE to provide these new opportunities...ABLE to do our part and give back.

so, you heard it here first, guys. fashionABLE scarves at livefashionABLE.com...

get yourself one...or two...or ten. and feel good about lookin' good.

tuesday tunes- new alternate routes.

not a whole lot of time to blog this week (because i have literally spent every waking moment working on livefashionABLE.com - more on that to come...)

...but i did want to give y'all a little tune for this fine tuesday.

i've mentioned the alternate routes before.

well, this just in: they're still awesome.

and they have a new record that just came out called lately.

they also happen to be playing tonight in nashville!

so, here's some songs off the album... happy tuesday & happy listening :)

give me faith.

faith. such a common word, but something i'm constantly trying to understand more. i know the bible tells us it's being sure of what we hope for and certain of we don't see (hebrews 11:1) - but what does that really mean?

i love the definition of faith as "confident belief". and i've heard hope defined before as "joyful expectation". so, can we really be certain and sure? confident? expectant? and if so, what does that look like? my pastor this morning said that faith really just looks like showing up. being present... despite what you feel, and even when you have to fight to believe.

and i know for me in means surrounding myself with people who can encourage me and remind me what's true. it means prioritizing moments in my day and my week for worship, for stillness.

in her book, a royal waste of time, author marva dawn says this: "worship is a royal waste of time, but indeed it is royal, for it immerses us in the regal splendor of the King of the cosmos... it provides opportunities for us to enjoy God's presence and take us out of time and into the eternal purposes of God's kingdom. as a result, we shall be changed - but not because of anything we do. God, on whom we are centered and to whom we submit, will transform us.."

so that's what i'm doing today. i'm allowing myself to worship. to sit in God's presence long enough to be confident that what He says is true. to joyfully expect Him to transform me.

and i'm ok that my sundays are a royal waste. not accomplishing anything useful in the world's eyes, but just allowing myself to BE.

praying your sunday is, too.

and, i'm loving this song... "give me faith" by elevation worship: {this version is amazing, too}

friday flicks - marcel the shell with shoes on.

happy friday :)

tuesday tunes - kings of leon

today is the day, people. the new kings of leon album is out!! (cue: excitement!)

i'll admit it - i didn't jump on the KOL band wagon until this last album, only by the night, when they went a little more mainstream. so, yes, i missed the first three records (youth and young manhood, aha shake heartbrake, & because of the times). but i think i made up for it with how much i loved (and played) this last album. and not just the singles like "sex on fire" and "use somebody" (though those were great for my spin classes!)... i seriously loved that entire thing.

thanks to the KOL website, i've been streaming this new album, come around sundown, in its entirety all week -- and i promise, it delivers. grab a copy & happy listening!

and here's the video to the first single, "radioactive"...

bittersweet reflections - number five.

remember, a full review on shuana niequist's newest book, bittersweet, will come later, but for now, i'm using some quotes from the book as windows into my own story...

from "ravenous" - p. 166-167:

"so i say yes, yes to everything, to that meal and that event and that trip and that person. it's so delicious, and i don't want to miss out on even one moment of it. and that's the point: i miss all sorts of sacred and significant moments, because of my frantic insistence that i can do it all, and that i don't have to miss anything. i run from thing to thing, and then i fall into bed at night without even the space to think about the day."

if there's one chapter in this book that just screams "marisa"...it's this one. you may remember my post last year about a syndrome i call "ATMS" -- afraid to miss something. piling on more and more stuff and people and commitments and things. most good, some awesome, but not all necessary. you'd assume i honestly think i am superwoman with the ability to do more than most. but it's just not true. because the truth? the truth is that i am exhausted. worn out. depleted.

in this chapter, shauna talks about practicing the idea of enough. of living well, and a little more slowly. of resting. breathing. being. all things that i don't do very well.

our church had a leaders retreat this weekend {which was super restoring to my soul} and my favorite part was the hour on saturday morning when we were told to go off in the woods by ourself, and be still and spend time listening to the Lord. and what did the He tell me so clearly?

marisa, you don't have to do it all. really. I'm grateful for all the ways you serve and all the things you do, but you're kinda missing the point. remember that just being with Me is the most important thing you can do. you are allowed to just be.

cue my life-theme-music. yah, i've heard it all before. but for some reason it's resonating a little bit deeper this time. maybe it's because i'm more exhausted than i've ever been. but i'm ready to start saying no. sure, i may miss out on some things from time to time. but the things i am a part of will be that much more rich and rewarding, because i'll have the energy and capacity to savor and enjoy them. i know the question i need to start asking myself is if i'd rather have a full life, or just a full calendar.

because the saying is true... sometimes less is just more.

"i think exuberance and celebration are wonderful things, and i'm thankful for the ways that they play out in my life. but there's a darkness under that shimmer, and it keeps me exhausted and running, year after year, always thinking that maybe this time, maybe this time, i can fit it all in, and nothing will fall through my fingers... we all have a kooky set of fears and loves that makes us do what we do. for me, i love experiences, and it makes me scared to think of missing out on anything at all. so that fear drives me and takes over my life, pushing me to do more, buy more, eat more, try more..." (p. 167-168)

friday flicks - smell like a monster.

so remember these ads from old spice?

well, sesame street has made a little ad of their own...

blog action day - clean water.

today is blog action today, sponsored by change.org.

and today, the whole online world is talking about one thing: clean water.

right now, almost a billion people on the planet don't have access to clean, safe drinking water. that's one in eight of us. water is a global issue, and it affects us all. {from blogactionday.change.org}

you've heard me talk about the water crisis before {here and here}, so this isn't new news. but it's a problem that continues to exist; a problem that we can help.

there are many organizations out there doing some awesome things for water (as annie and i would say, we have a non-profit crush on charity: water) but of course i'm going to highlight who i work for -- mocha club. one of our 5 strategic project areas in africa is clean water. and giving up the cost of 2 mochas a month - or $7 - can provide clean water to seven africans for a year. pretty cool.

we also have this snazzy water bottle that gives 15 africans clean water...

so do something today. sign the petition for the clean water treaty. choose a charity and give. blog about it & spread the word.

just take some action!

say hello to my little friend...

well, technically we're not friends, me and uga viii, but we would be if i lived in athens. and if i could communicate with dogs. but, that's besides the point. if you are a university of georgia fan, you love these little english bulldawgs like they're your own.

uga viii is only a little over a year old (born sept 12, 2009) and is the grandson of uga vi. he gets officially collared on saturday before the georgia-vanderbilt homecoming game in athens!

{more info at georgiadogs.com...}

tuesday tunes - new brooke fraser!

brooke fraser is no stranger to tuesday tunes.

she is definitely one of my favorites.

so when her marketing company sent me an advanced copy of her newest album, flags, i was pretty stoked.

i had heard the first single, "something in the water" (see video below - warning: it really gets stuck in your head!) which felt completely different from anything she had done previously.

so, i really didn't know what to expect with this album.

and i'll admit - first time through, i wasn't in love. but - that's pretty normal for me. it usually takes a good 2 or 3 times through the whole album before the songs start jumping out at me.

and, this was true for flags. on the 2nd or 3rd listen (i was on a long car ride!) i started repeating songs, because i just couldn't get enough.

the first song that i fell in love with is the last song on the album, the title track, "flags". i'd say that the last 2 minutes of that song are my favorite on the album, as they stir some pretty deep emotions with amazingly powerful lyrics. i also love "who are we fooling" - a beautiful co-written duet with aqualung's matt hales - y'all know i'm a sucker for great harmonies!

many of the other songs on flags tell stories, each coming alive with their own characters. and you can tell brooke had a lot of fun with this album, sticking to her beautiful melodies and heartfelt lyrics - but this time with a little more alt-pop mixed in. she also helped to produce this one - a first for her.

though she calls new zealand home, brooke is touring in support of the album in the states this fall. as good as flags is - i'm pretty excited to see her play these songs live!

AND... in celebration of the album's release today, there are a couple of exciting things in store for you, my lovely readers...

on tuesday, november 9, i will be offering a way to win a free copy of flags AND 2 free tickets to brooke's sold out show here in nashville at the belcourt on november 14th!

yup. free album + free show for you and a friend.

so keep checking-in to tuesday tunes, & keep supporting great music!

bittersweet reflections - number four.

remember, a full review on shuana niequist's newest book, bittersweet, will come later, but for now, i'm using some quotes from the book as windows into my own story...

from "love song for fall" - p. 162:

"fall is harvest, when we're getting all the good stuff that someone took the time to plan many months ago. someone planted it, and now we benefit from it... plant something today that will feed someone many months or many years from now...because you've feasted on someone else's carefully planted seeds, seeds that bloomed into nourishment and kept you alive and wide-eyed."

i've said it once, and i'll say it again: i love fall. there's just something about this season that makes everybody so full of joy. personally, i think it has a little somethin to do with the fact that we're celebrating the end of a miserably hot last 3 months, and as soon as the air turns crisp, it's like the cool wind is literally relief to our so-sick-of-being-sweaty selves.

but, i also think shauna's right -- it's something about the harvest. the harvest marks the end of a growing season or cycle, and is often the cause for seasonal celebrations: aka harvest festivals - which "typically feature feasting".

what are you feasting on this fall that others spent time carefully planting and cultivating for you? i know i'm feasting on the community that has been rooted into my nashville life. i'm feasting on months of time and energy poured into ministry and relationships that are beginning to bear fruit. i'm feasting on the birth of exciting endeavors at work (after what feels like a very long, labor-intensive season of preperation)...

and what are you planting in your world? how are you using the vibrant energy of fall to bring life to those around you?

let this change of season push you forward. as the leaves shift their color and fall to the earth, make some adjustments and let go of that which is robbing you of pure joy.

*and if you aren't familiar with this "fall joy" i speak of - i recommend jumping in some leaves, throwing on a scarf, and drinking a pumpkin spice latte. (maybe not all at the same time...or maybe so.)

"use the first day of fall: bright flame before winter's deadness; harvest; orange, gold amber; cool nights and the smell of fire... the leaves as they spark into wild color just before they die are the worlds oldest performance art, and everything we see is celebrating one last violently hued hurrah before the black and white and silence of winter. fall is begging for us to dance and sing and write with just the same drama and blaze." (p. 162-163)

i heart it.

weheartit.com - u know it? a site that collects the images + videos that you love.

here are a couple i'm loving today...

happy saturday! :)

friday flicks - history of hip hop.

history of hip hop duet with jimmy fallon + justin timberlake.

(non)extreme home make-over continued - VOTE!

ok blog friends... i need your help!

remember my newly painted yellow kitchen?

i'm going to add a design to that big wall. and i'm down to 2 choices:

#1: tree + birds.

#2: birdcages.

so in the comments, pick #1 or #2 -- and if you have any color choices.

help me decide!! :)

tuesday tunes - sufjan stevens.

sufjan. (pronounced: "souf-yawn")

if you're not familiar with him, i encourage you to read this article on npr. they do a much better job summarizing than i ever could!

the big news is that his new album, the age of adz, comes out next tuesday (YAY!!), and until then, you can stream the album in its entirety here at npr, too.

and here's sufjan performing one of my all-time favorites, "chicago"...

{he has some pretty amazing christmas songs, too, like "put the lights on the tree"}

friday flicks {encore} - hunter vs. bear.

click here to watch one of the coolest advertising campaigns i've ever seen.

friday flicks - stark county treasurer.

i can't believe this guy is real. totally worth the next 6 minutes of your life...