miscellaneous ramblings.

i missed you.
My blogging break has come to a close and I'm ecstatic to be back. You don't know how much I missed y'all! However, I'm thankful for the time off. I was beginning to suffer from blogging burnout and it was losing its fun. During my hiatus I was able to renew inspiration and am now greatly refreshed.

sponsoring.
While I'm on the topic of blogging, I'd like to put a little word in about sponsoring. I've been neglecting that little advertisement button and want to reintroduce it. When the option first became available, I set the price far too high, a mistake of naivety. The price per month has drastically dropped, less that half of what it originally was. Now, for a mere eight dollars per month (or twenty for three months), you can advertise on pastor's girl's ponderings. If you're interested, please email me for more information.

pearls are my favorite.
Pearls are my new favorite accessory. They conjure up an image of a housewife in the nineteen fifties vacuuming her home in heels, a perfect dress, and a strand of pearls adoring her neck. It evokes thoughts of sophistication, of elegance, of flowy, whimsy dresses. When I wear the pearl bracelet above and my pearl studs, I feel a little fancier and my ordinary outfit becomes more special. 

come back, spring.
It seems that just when we were getting used to dreamy weather filled with piercing azure skies, warm rays of sunshine, and deliciously soft temperatures, winter decided to taunt and tease us by returning. And so we were plunged back into grey, drizzly, bone-chilling days, leaving everyone with no choice but to reluctantly pull out the winter coats and pile comforters on the beds. I love a dreary days every once in a while, but I'm a girl that needs – craves – her warm sunshine.
But for now, I suppose I'll be content gazing at the springy photographs I took last week.

Please come back, spring! 


the travel bug.

{via}

The itch to journey somewhere has been strong lately. Whether it be a weekend camping trip or a few days in another city, adventure and a little change is what I'm looking for. A new place to explore, different things to photograph...I've got a bad case of the travel bug.

a good book and some ice cream.

Love.

hand stitched love.
Inspired by this amazing Etsy shop, I embroidered a camera of my own design onto some fabric. Sure, some of the lines are a bit crooked and the circles aren't perfect, but it provides just the right amount of kitsch and quirk. I'm smitten. 





What do you think?

little miss pioneer.
Ever since she began reading the Little House on the Prairie series (one of my old favorites), MeMe has been head over heels in love in all things pioneer. She built a house in the bushes in our backyard, complete with a kitchen and an escape plan – courtesy of Jeremiah. It's positively adorable.

(wearing the dress my mom made me when I was her age)

It's good to be back. Oh, so good. How have you been? I feel like I've missed so much in my time away ;)

-carlotta

PS The frequently asked questions page will be up in the next few days!

a hiatus

I'm going to be taking a brief hiatus from blogging, a time to replenish inspiration and just take a break. Blogging shouldn't be a chore, and when I lack inspiration for posts, that's exactly what it becomes – a chore. 

As I'm going to be away, I'd like to ask a favor. I'm in the process of putting together a frequently asked questions page. I'd love it if you'd leave a question or four...I'll select some and answer them in the page which will be up after my break. Thank you! :)

While I'm not totally sure when I'll be back, it most likely won't be longer than a week or so. I'll miss y'all and love each and every one of you, but I know that a little time away will be just the remedy I need.


Have a lovely rest of your week!

-carlotta

carpe diem

Carpe diem – seize the day in Latin.

Seizing the day is something I've been pondering frequently through out the past few weeks. When I'm on my death bed, I don't want to be that person who regrets all they didn't do with their life. When that time comes, I want to look back on my life satisfied and content to leave this earthly world to joyously meet my Creator.

While looking forward to something big is exciting, I find that the days I'm happiest are the ones filled with the simple sweetness of everyday moments. 

Seizing the day doesn't have to mean accomplishing huge tasks every day. It means savoring the feeling of tiny arms wrapped around your waist accompanied by the faint whispered “I love you.” It means throwing away the reluctance of getting dirty and relishing the feeling of cool mud squishing between your toes. It means splashing about in the water, not caring that you'll soon be left with wet clothes. 

It means enjoying the delicious taste of your first cake ball. It means breathless laughing on the trampoline with your siblings and forgetting about how bouncing up and down will mess up your perfectly put together hair. It means standing outside, eyes closed, listening to the wind rustling through the trees and the sweet symphony of birds chirping their melodies.

Carpe diem. After all, we only have one life to live.

-carlotta

in place of words.

Sometimes, I have days where I want to write, but it seems that instead of forming sentences, all I do is hit the backspace key. The repetitive cycle goes on and on. Write a few words, erase three out of four, write some more, and consequently erase some more, until you're left with what you started with – a blank space.

When faced with this frustrating predicament, it seems that the only remedy is to use photographs in place of words. After all, don't they say that a picture is worth a thousand words?

(Taken in January...until I stumbled across them on my hard drive today, I'd quite forgotten about them.)

-carlotta

skirts & a few rambles.

tanktop: Target // necklace: Barberry and Lace // scarf: Target // belt: thrifted // skirt: thrifted // shoes: Target

Sometimes it just feels like a skirt day. The feel of the soft material gently swooshing around my legs is a welcome change from the winter standard of jeans. I suspect the spring weather has been a large factor in this, but I've been loving skirts lately. And how can you resist a cheery floral pattern? They're super versatile and can be pared with virtually anything. I currently only have a few skirts, but I'm working on slowly building my collection.

How do you feel about skirts?

(I couldn't resist putting together a collage of all the outtakes that resulted from the photo shoot... ;))

Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking. Like Arielle mentioned recently, it's so easy to portray a life that is absolutely perfect through blogging. A life that is free of arguments, messes, stress, and sadness.  It's not hard to become jealous of someone else's life, especially via blogging. But I'd venture to say that not a single one of us always has it all together. We all have our low points, myself included. While I'm not saying it's a bad thing to have a positive outlook on life, bloggers often share only part of their life, the more pleasant parts. Where am I going with this? I'm honestly not really sure. But I'm suppose I'm just trying to say not get discouraged. It's okay to have bad days. And blogging isn't exactly the most realistic portrayal of life.

On a lighter note, I want to introduce two new blogs.

The first is called The Dressing Room Door. Written by some of my friends, they take turns sharing their outfits and their thoughts on fashion. There's also a giveaway going on at the moment, so feel free to take a look! :)

The other is Life of Sarge. A blog dedicated to the life of our black Lab, Sarge, it's penned by my brother Jeremiah. While the stories aren't totally true to life, it's always a humorous read ;) Jeremiah would love if you'd come visit!

Happy Thursday!

-carlotta

favorite things about today.

Some of my favorite things about today...

...the perfectly juicy orange I had for lunch.

...the birth sweet Levi Ryan, the new son of dear friends of ours. He was actually born yesterday, but the thought of it filled me with joy today. I had the pleasure of holding him yesterday while he was only a few hours old. I was giddy with happiness. There's nothing like cradling a tiny newborn in your arms.

(our reflection in a mirror affixed to the ceiling)

...going to a local park to the afternoon. I found a mirror mounted on the ceiling in a teacher garden center and got a bit snap happy ;)

...daylight savings time. The extra hour of daylight in the evening is the best.

...a strawberry smoothie.

...the sun. I always seem to have good days when it's sunny.

(I should do something about that nail polish. And my toes are creepy.)

...relaxing in the sunroom. And okay, I was doing some biology homework, but that's okay ;)

...the afternoon sunlight streaming into my room.

What were some favorite things about your day?

-carlotta

confessions.

confession: Sometimes I turn up my music really loudly, open the window, and have a dance party by myself while picking out my outfit for the day. Heck, I have a dance party when I'm cleaning my room, too. And when I'm doing school. Dance parties are essential to life, y'all.

coral love by carlottacisternas 

confession: While I still love the color grey, I've made room for the bright cheeriness that is coral. As evidenced by my new Polyvore collection, it's adds just the spunk I need to get out of winter's earthy palette.

confession: I maybe kind of sort of want to see Justin Bieber's Never Say Never movie. Just a little bit. I'm not his biggest fan, but I don't really mind him either. And it's gotten some pretty good reviews. In other words, I'm such a girl.

office space via cocoa & hearts

confession: If my office space looked like this, I think things like doing homework and studying for tests wouldn't be quite so bad. Love.

confession: I'm pining for summer. School seems to be dragging on eternally and I've hit that slump where all my energy is depleted, making it difficult to keep trudging through the seemingly endless pile of work to be done. Sigh.

confession: Even though I've had my braces off for nearly a week, I'm still smiling at my reflection every time I catch a glimpse of it. While I still had metal on my teeth, I trained myself to smile with my mouth closed for photographs...now? I have to keep telling myself it's okay to show my teeth ;)

confession: Following one more class next week, I'll be done with Latin. Forever. After six, nearly seven, long years of a subject I admit I don't exactly enjoy, I'm pretty darn happy.

confession: I'm unabashedly in love with spring and all the flowers that adorn it. The flowers in the above picture currently grace my coffee table and it makes me smile every time I walk into my room.

Do you have any confessions?

-carlotta

the soft colors of sundaes

It seems that no matter where I turn, I'm surrounded by soft tones of every color. From the light green leaves shooting up to the pastel shade of pink my nails are sporting, it's a sure sign that spring is here.

I'm even finding pastels in ice cream sundaes. Sweet, glorious, delicious sundaes.

Freshly whipped cream, sweet strawberries, and ice cream piled high in curvy glass dishes equal a combination akin to heaven.

From the first bite to the last scraped up spoonful, it's something I honestly could eat everyday without fail. I can't get enough of it.

What's your favorite treat?

-carlotta

awkward and awesome thursday.

(self portrait photo challenge winner and finalists announced below!)

awkward

– Having a little girl come up to me and say, "I like your clothes. They actually match your skin!" I was wearing white. Thanks for letting me know that I'm really as pale as I feel.

– Pulling a door that says "push" in huge letters.

– I was sitting on the couch while watching a movie and leaned forward to put my plate of apples and cheese on the coffee table. As I was leaning forward, I fell face first on the floor. And my legs were still on the couch. Have I ever mentioned that I'm a total klutz?

just because it's pretty ;)

– Giving up having a messy room for Lent and having a (somewhat) messy roomy two days into it.

– I woke up in the predawn hours yesterday to Sarge barking nonstop. I looked at my clock, saw it was 6:45am, and got up (much too early for my taste, but I had to be somewhere early). After I'd been up for about ten minutes, I realized my clock was an hour fast. Sigh.

awesome

– Getting my braces off. Having had them on for two years, I was more than ready to get them off. I can't stop smiling! (psst...watch the video! ;))


braces no more from carlotta on Vimeo.

I am so ridiculously pale. Man. And I apologize for the loudness of the music in some parts...the movie editor I was using refused to cooperate. Also, I've been planning this little video/vlog for about a month and a half...and then the vlogging craze began in the blog world. Ha. Oh well ;)

– Finding a shirt for seventy five percent off. Score.

I didn't zoom or crop at all...this is really how close I was. (unedited)

– Seeing Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman), along with her two daughters and her brother Mike at her local book signing. Hello, dream come true?
Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet her – though I did get some pictures – as we didn't get there early enough and it would have taken at least two hours to work my way through the line. She only lives about an hour away from me, though, so I'm sure our paths will cross again somehow.

– Spring. Following a long, snow filled winter (though I really can't complain about winter...some of y'all up north have it much worse!), I'm always ecstatic to see the world burst into pastel blossoms.

– Thread. When the world was cloaked in a drab grey, I found myself reaching for a Mason jar and some colorful thread. Love.

––––

The finalists for the self portrait photo challenge are Mikayla, M, and Carmen.

The winner is...

Carmen! Congratulations! I was enthralled by your photo...the tones, the creative pose, it's all so gorgeous.

-carlotta

granola.

Since I was young, granola has been my thing. I was forever stealing my mother's granola – the nutty taste of the oats and the sweetness of the raisins kept me coming back for more. While the granola that can be purchased in grocery stores might seem the quickest and easiest route, it's often so expensive and isn't that nutritious. The remedy? Make your own.

Homemade granola is what I find myself eating for breakfast nearly everyday, usually studded with raisins and chocolate chips. A good, basic granola recipe is so versatile – the taste can be completely altered depending on the toppings. From plump, succulent berries to petite chocolate chips to dried fruit, the possibilities are endless.

Make this granola. I promise you'll love it. Not including roasting time, it only takes you about ten minutes to obtain premium granola. And when you taste the results, I think you'll know why I love it so.

What's your favorite breakfast food?

homemade granola

– six cups plain uncooked oats (such as Quaker's)

– 1/2 cup coconut oil

– 1/4 cup white sugar

– 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup

– 1 teaspoon sea salt

– additional spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg if desired

Preheat the oven to 250°. Pour the oatmeal on a large cookie sheet with sides. Add the sugar and salt to the oatmeal and combine. In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt together the coconut oil and honey or maple syrup. Once melted, pour over the oatmeal mixture. Stir until everything is coated.

Roast for one and a half hours, stirring occasionally. Wait until cooled, then transfer the granola to a container. Store at room temperature. 

-carlotta

(Psst...what do you think of the new header? Feel free to grab the new button as well...what can I say? I've got a bad case of spring fever ;))