08 November 2007

evolution on the homefront


01. ate an orange yesterday. {part of my no treats at work for as long as i can stand it rule} and shared it with pete and jim. i can never eat an entire one myself. oranges are for sharing. fresh sweet citrus reminded me of christmas.

02. saw my old car, the toyota camry circa 1980s. my heart hurt and i immediately remembered the sound the engine used to make, the unwieldy door handle and the feeling of those soft seats. not to mention, the pile of cds stuffed into every interior crevice. no doubt that little car heard it's fair share of counting crows, indigo girls and dixie chicks. it reminded me of days past.

03. received two pounds of red + white baker's twine in the mail yesterday. oh boy, that is really, so much beautiful simple twisty twine. i jumped for joy at the heft + mass of possible creativity on one spool. methinks it will last me into forever. which reminds me of future possibilities. what will i think of next year that has yet to cross my mind this year? i love thinking about how moments in life evolve.

i can remember 6 years ago, late nights in our little provo apartment making stacks of handmade cards, while dan would study under the light of a lamp in the corner. not much has changed. we no longer have those cinderblock homemade bookshelves or that scratchy long brown and orange plaid couch. oh, how i wondered if i'd be stuck with those items forever. i so wanted my first apartment to be cute. i even purchased some brown/floral (also ugly) throw pillows to go on the brown and orange plaid couch. i should have saved my money. and came to grips with my tiny non-coordinating abode. i should have embraced the poverty, the handmedowns, the cinderblocks. because now we talk of the brown and orange plaid couch as if it were a child we took to the d.i. and left sitting so lonesome on the curb. now we discuss it as if the days with that brown and orange plaid couch were our salad days. if i knew then what i know now about life and silly apartments. i would realize that the brown and orange plaid couch was a representation. of a simple life. i am still in the embracing life as is phase..

now, to think that i'm staying up these days to actually sell goods online, to people who don't even know me and don't feel (hopefully) any sort of obligation. this fact helps me feel as though i've evolved in some way. someday i will look back and remember the november day when i got my 2 pound spool of glorious twine. the day that i had dishes in the sink, spinach salad on my plate, a happy husband in my arms and clogs on my feet. i'll think about this old fashioned apartment with the charming post box, the moths that flutter around the porch light, my overstuffed cozy mismatched furniture, my beloved studio desk, the heating vents we gather around to warm up on winter nights, and my kitchen with no dishwasher (which continues to be the bane..) and i'll think, man, those were the days. i'll think of all the silly things that i obsess over now and think i'm so over that. and begin to realize, without trying, i've evolved once again. (hopefully).

Knowing others is wisdom;
knowing yourself is enlightenment. — Lao Tzu

22 comments:

Unknown said...

i love your posts!
i'm so glad you found the bakers twine. i was meaning to send you that link forever ago... so sorry.
it's fun to have endless supplies of that stuff at your fingertips huh. ... no thanks to martha and her teeny little spools.. ha ha

onesilentwinter said...

I wanted to let you know that you write beautifully, sometimes I see what you write around me like short films and other times they play as if they where the sweetest instrument....

I thank you for sharing your kindness and your thoughts, truly.

Ann said...

i love your written entries, they remind me that it's okay to just write in a blog sometimes - no flash necessary. where did you order your baker's twine from? i've been looking for a credible place online to place an order!

jamieanne said...

Mart, I've been around long enough to know -- the long man days really were the salad days! Kind of sad he's gone.

marta said...

thank you, thank you.. ann i actually googled baker's twine and a million options came up. i chose the top one. it was a baking company and seemed a bit iffy. but lo and behold, a big bad fat spool showed up! so i am happy.

but i do know that jordan from oh happy day and sally from shim + sons both carry them in their etsy shops! best of luck.

Anonymous said...

do you sell that to-die-for wrapping paper? the brown with pink alphabet? i'm so in love, you always inspire and delight me.

thank you

Lacey Jane said...

What a sweet post! You have such a way with words...

Tara said...

Once again you have blown me away with your words. :) I love reading your post, but every now and again one in particular takes me to another place and I can envision it all. This was one of those post. Thank you so much for sharing your world with us. It's so beautiful!

Jen said...

I completely understand what you're saying. Sometimes I feel the same way.

Unknown said...

beautifully said, as always; and isn't that the truth...? as my most favoritest singer patrick park says "there's no telling where we'll be in a day or in a week." so it's best to thoroughly enjoy NOW as much as we possibly can.

brooke said...

Marta,
I recently found your blog and I love it. I am Brooke Warner from the old Wasatch 3rd ward, by the way. I, too, had a brown and orange couch in the early days of marriage in a tiny basement apartment in Provo and now I live in the burbs with 2.5 kids and a minivan and I can attest that the apartment in Provo was the salad days. Your writing is so poetic. You have a way with words!

Alicia said...

I received baker's twine in the mail the other day & got very giddy with excitement... That along with the ribbon that my Mom picked for me in the NYC ribbon shops is enough to make a girl happy for a whole week! Now I just need to figure out what I want to wrap with all the lovelies I now have in my possession...

Jessica said...

I went and purchased my Christmas card making supplies and pretended I was you.

EliseBlaha said...

what a lovely little lowercase post.
thank you for that today!

(and your map cards will be speeding towards you tomorrow!!)

{natalie} said...

i love how you write. baked goods all wrapped up and tied make me happy. of course that twine will have plenty of uses i'm sure.

love.boxes said...

You are so right.. be happy now and read Choosing Happiness by Alexandra Stoddard.. you'd love it!

Travelin'Oma said...

Someone once told me to appreciate the now, and you'll never look back with regret. I think it's a secret you have discovered.

Jane said...

the way you articulate emotion makes it a joy to read. (and boy, was that a poorly worded sentence. can you re-write it for me?)

add me to the list of people wondering about the brown alphabet paper. it's delightful!

laina kay said...

So true and, of course, beautifully written.

I have a huge spool of baker's twine that I bought a couple years ago for my Christmas cards. I had to mooch mine from a local bakery! I love that stuff though and use it for everything... the spool lasts FOREVER! Enjoy that stripey goodness!

Jake said...

Isn't it great when something simple will make you happy?

You have come a long way...and look at all the fun ahead! Enjoy...

Chelle said...

Sigh. Your thoughts spill out so beautifully! I love coming here.

lauracrow said...

what a lovely post. happy weekend! xoxo

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