Atticus Finch My New Hero

Last week I read To Kill A Mockingbird for the first time, and I will never be the same again. I have never read a book so quickly, so feverishly. I fell in love with the Finch family and with Maycomb County and now I am yearning for a small southern-town life. Atticus Finch is my latest hero and when I think of him I just hope that I will be as good a parent and as good a person as he. This book was encouraging, inspiring and most of all extremely captivating- I am itching to read it again and it hasn't been but a week since I put it down!

I have seen the movie several times, but it never did resonate like the book. If you haven't read it yet, or if you haven't picked it up since jr.high- I suggest you do so now, before Summer is over. It was a great Summer read, and a quickie too!

xoxo,

H

i love you both

The best etsy news in a very long time... Ginny B. Stelling has opened shop and it is yummy! Don't get too excited about these fab items for some of them have already sold (piss-ants for me, yay for ginny). I would just die to own that pair of married sea-horses! Enjoy & congrats G.B. Stelling...

xo

Bringing Back Decorative Shelf Edging

Check out my latest how-to project on D*Sponge. A d.i.y. on shelf edging, a good trick to hiding unsightly shelving or just for a fun flare in your home. Imagine this zig-zag cork in a kids room or over a desk to tack up notes and photos. It is super simple and takes very little time. Enjoy!

The Yearling

I have just finished reading The Yearling, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' most popular book about a boy named Jody and his yearling fawn, Flag, growing up together in the Florida scrub. Jody and Flag live on Baxter's Island with Ma & Pa Baxter (Ory & Penny). I didn't want to leave Baxter's Island- for about a month and a half I felt like I had moved right in with the Baxter family. Marjorie does wonders with her words, describing every little inch of the scrub in a way that brings tears to your eyes. This was a beautiful book and I certainly wish I would have read it as a child, like my father suggested. The Yearling is one of his favorite books, and now I know why.

Though I have seen it before, I have just rented the 1946 blockbuster The Yearling to watch, though I know that it won't be nearly as good as the book. The thing that bothers me most about the film is that Ory Baxter in the book is supposed to be one round brute of a woman and she has the personality to match, and in the movie she is played by Jane Wyman- a slight blonde woman- hardly fitting. Also, Penny Baxter is supposed to be a puny and unattractive figure- yet he is played by the anything but, Gregory Peck- Oh Hollywood!! With that said, I do remember the movie being pretty magical itself and I can't wait to watch it again and to relive my Baxter's Island imaginary vacation!

A "Pit" Stop...

.... to see Georgia Peach, Ginny! I left the mountains to head to the airport, but I couldn't fathom being in Hotlanta without seeing my Ginny B., so we met up for a very short visit. Ginny took my mother, my aunt Carmen, Jacki and me to her favorite antique shops in Chamblee and of course she gave us the grand-tour of the new Stelling home, and it was marvelous. I wish I had more pictures- but I was in a real hurry. My mother was literally honking the horn in the car- in fear that I would miss my flight- so I had to run! I can't wait to make more visits to Atlanta, longer visits of course. Thank you Ginny B. Stelling for showing us around town.

xo

P.S. before we met with Ginny, we had an incredible lunch at Star Provisions, if you are ever in ATL looking for a quick, inexpensive, yet relaxing lunch- go here. I am over the moon for their pork Banh Mi sandwich!!

P.P.S. did I ever tell you that Ginny is responsible for my nickname, HaylieBird? My middle name is actually Beth, so when people see my initials they assume my name is Haylie Bird Waring- I wayyy prefer Bird over Beth, but I think it would be hard to keep my family from calling me Haylie Beth (imagine with a southern drawl). Do you think it's too late to ask??

Revealing Humankind

Last night I watched this documentary on Alice Neel, a 20th Century american artist known for her portrait paintings of friends, neighbors, family, and lovers. Neel's grandson, Andrew, is the documentarian of this film and I really enjoyed the exposure of his grandmother's past. The best addition to the film are the clips of Alice being interviewed- sharing her acute views on art and life. I found her inspirational and bold- never letting her faults get in the way of living life. I love the part where she talks of being Dr.Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde, even though she is smiling in her face- she is torn and bitter on the inside and painting is her only release of that pain and humility... this film puts a lot of things into perspective for me as a woman, as an aspiring artist, and as a person. By the way, I also love Neel's work. I love portraiture in general, and the way Alice capture's the intense gaze of each subject, her use of line, and color choices are all striking. I am thinking of dabbling in portrait painting myself- I'll let you know how that goes, if it goes.

xo

p.s. the film is available on netflix instant!!

In a Cabin, On a Mountain, Overlooking a lake. Welcome to Tuscarora

What a beautiful 5 days I spent in the Smoky Mountains with a small portion of my family. My parents, my aunt Carmen, my cousin Jacki, and I all met up in honor of Carmen's *0th birthday (she will kill me if I actually tell you her age, but I think she should be proud- she looks marvelous- I wish we were of the same blood). Carmen had never been to Tuscarora, my parents cabin, and it was her one request to have us all together there to celebrate with her- and because she means the world to us, we made it happen.

August is beautiful in the mountains. It is hot, but nothing like NYC heat- it is fresh and breezy, not blistering. Also, everything is green and lush, and our mountainside was badly in need of a trimming. During the day the birds sang and hummingbirds buzzed by, and at night the crickets and toads were happy to be alive and in love and they lulled us to sleep, like one monumental orchestra chirping and croaking through the night (though I must admit, these fellers kept me awake more than they put me to sleep, but I still enjoyed their efforts).

During our mountain-time days we read some, we baked some, we ate a ton, we shopped and ate well in Asheville, my daddy chopped down over-grown weeds and trees while we replenished his water pitcher and watched, we explored downtown Sylva, and drove around the mountains until I was sick. And then at night we ate some more, we drank a little wine, we watched movies and played games, and every night before bed we watched an episode or two of Mad Men (Jacki and I were on a mission to get our parents hooked, and i think it worked! my mother & dad are watching season 2 already).

Overall this trip was blissful and I hope my Aunt Carmen will agree. I wish you could see her in all her beauty, but along with no age discussion, Carmen has a rule about photographing her too- no pictures! Well, I did sneak the one above, of a typical mom and daughter moment on the couch- Carmen has totally called Jacki out on something, and Jacki can't even deny it! I know that look well, perhaps its a Waring thing...

xoxo

p.s. I can't wait for another excuse to head back to Tuckasegee, I miss it already.

p.p.s. if you are interested in renting out Tuscarora for your own family vacay- just contact me and I will put you touch with the owners (i know them well)!

North of Atlanta is a Gorge

The day after my move I flew south for a quick mountain vacation with my family. I met my parents, my aunt Carmen and my cousin Jacki in Atlanta and from there we drove up to North Carolina where my parents have a little cabin in the Smoky Mts. On the drive up we stopped at this amazing little general store in Tallulah Falls, overlooking the Tallulah Gorge. It was gorge, as in gorgeous! We also had a little fun in the mountainside shoppe...

Oh yes, and did I ever tell you that I got a Fleabag!?? It was my parting gift when I left Fleabags as an intern, a token of thanks for the Fleabag toting and sweating that I did in the Spring and early Summer. I miss my days of work and learning there, and most of all I miss the days where work didn't feel like work and the girls were kind enough to take popsicle breaks with me and turn on an episode or two of Millionaire Matchmaker or Hoarders while we "took inventory"! Well, thanks to Fleabags- I am traveling in style now. Only if you could have seen my carry-on luggage last summer- yikes!

Check back tomorrow for more on my Mt. Vacation!!

p.s. i had just uploaded fxcamera on my fancy phone before this trip, hence the poladroids- i just couldn't resist!! i love the look, especially in the mountains.

p.p.s. my cousin jacki and i have very similar noses, as you can see above. it makes me smile. jacki is a little more like a sister and little less like a cousin. she is also one of my best friends, since like birth. xo