The Post About a Sunday Kind of Lovely

Sundays can be quite divine.

Mine started with some quiet time with the big G and a lovely small group meeting discussing dreams and how ours tend to be just a tad too small. Check out the "When Dreamers Dream" free podcast from Church of the Highlands for some lofty inspiration.

Sunday School often brings an increase in knowledge and...

...an increase in caloric intake. Is it even possible to study the Word without simple sugars?

I snuck out of big church early and rushed home to my other favorite pew...

Today has been the kind of afternoon that invites novels, naps and not much else.

And the view from that pew?

Being a landowner is one of the American dreams, especially when it births hydrangeas like these. I must absorb them now since senior ladies will start "dropping by" in their Lincolns and Buicks with clippers in the glove compartment.

I hope your Sunday is a deep breath of everything good...

{images: Jamie}

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.20

Each weekend, I post a readable, a watchable, and a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens next. Earlier volumes can be found here.

Read

"Nobody wants to be here and nobody wants to leave." Cormac McCarthy, The Road. That's exactly how I felt about this novel - I wanted to put it down and I also didn't want it to end. This Pulitzer prize winning book follows a father and his son traveling together for several months across a post-apocalyptic land after an unknown disaster. It is absolutely heartwrenching. Read immediately.

Watch

I've been waiting on Cat, Nigel and Mary to invade my living room for too long. So You Think You Can Dance forces me to think I can dance. Seriously. And that's probably why I love it so. This is my favorite dance from last season with the adorable Katee and uber-adorable Joshua. Mia Michaels choreography makes everything want to dance. Right?

Listen

I'm a sucker for a lovely and sensitive gentleman singing about love and loss. Mat Kearney is the poster child for this weakness. His newest album, City of Black and White, will be perfect for when you need to find your mellow - in hostile traffic or sippin' sweet tea on the couch. Think Coldplay or the Fray with a little less angst.

The Post About Working for Sweets and Swag

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Confucius

I've mentioned before that I work with a team of folks from all over Alabama. We are gathered together this week to huddle and envision even better work ahead. We also enjoy food. And any excuse to eat it. Marriage, pregnancy, confirmation, 3 sneezes in a row - all occasions are observed with yummies.

My coworker "Biff" is expecting a little nugget named Tanner.

I thought dark chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing were in order.


I've also started a longterm relationship with those darn cake pops. Blasted Bakerella!

It's not just food that makes my job a wonderful place to spend 40% of my days.

Gifts. My coworker "Risa" returned from a Hawaiian excursion. She brought back beautiful shell necklaces. Almosttoosmalltofitovermyginormoushead shell necklaces, but beautiful nonetheless.


Another coworker, "Kim" crossed the globe to visit Israel a few weeks ago. She gifted us with olive wood dove pendants that she had blessed at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I cannot possibly blog about how much this meant to me. I may have shed a few tears. The size of alligators.

Do you have something lovely to share about your work? Of course, there's always room at the inn for venting...

{images: Jamie)

The Post About My Noodle

"Move that melon of yours and get the paper if you can! Haulin' that gargantuan cranium about! I'm not kidding, that boy's head's like Sputnik! Spherical, but quick pointy in parts. He'll be crying himself to sleep tonight on his huge pillow!" Stuart, So I Married an Axe Murderer

One time, my friend Joseph and I decided to measure our heads to see who had the biggest noggin. Since we only had a yard stick, we wrapped paper towels around our head and then measured the sheets needed to cover the circumference. Luckily, his upstairs was 2 inches larger. Unfortunately, he's 11 inches taller than me and HE'S A MAN.

I read once that Rebecca Romijn (I miss the Stamos) had a 22" waist at the height of her modeling career. This means I would be unable to pull her pants over my head. I don't know when it would be necessary to complete this task, but it wouldn't matter. It would be physically impossible.

Note: This post is an attempt to assist any readers struggling with jamie-jealousy.

The Post About Beautiful Bird in the House

My best friend Kara won a contest to have singer/songwriter Cindy Morgan play in her living room Friday night. As in the one in Kara's house. She was thrilled. I was thrilled.

Here are some highlights:

My godsons who normally "play" in this living room haven't seen it this clutter free since they moved in. They were absent because they have limited social skills and the oldest hot-glued the youngest 8 hours earlier. Important lesson: when you try to maim your brother, you don't get to party.


Cindy's instrument of choice in concert is the piano, but she debuted her mad guitar skills in public with us. Group photo: crazy awesome cellist Cara, Kara, Cindy, percussionist extraordinaire Matthew, and Joseph.


Remember, I love a great shindig. I also love cheese. This night combined the two cries of my heart.


Since Cindy's latest album is Beautiful Bird, I thought red velvet and red birds were in order. Mucho thanks to Hello Naomi and her inspiration! PS: you wouldn't regret downloading that album as soon as you're done reading this post. Or even now... Go. You can come back. I'll be here.

Another valuable lesson learned this day: Kara and I make divine friends, but we don't make the best partners in event planning. We move at very different speeds. Exhibit A: I'm having a comeapart over the symmetry of truffles. She's painting her toenails. Knowing is half the battle.

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.19

Each weekend, I post a readable, a watchable, and a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens next. Earlier volumes can be found here.

Read

My Mom is fairly conservative. She doesn't drink or swear or rat her hair. But she's the one who bought me this book: America (The Book) by Jon Stewart. We both share a love for The Daily Show, although I'm probably more faithful since her bedtime is a wee bit earlier. Stewart, his show and his book are quite irreverant, but absolutely hilarious.

Watch

Once I got the flashy high speed intertubes a few weeks ago, I was able to fully embrace Hulu for all its worth. And then I stumbled upon Firefly. Of course I like it, because it was cancelled after only one season. But it's a snazzy western set in space with guns, tumbleweeds, a hot captain and all the funny that could be mustered from the mind of Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse, other craziness). You can own it by clicking on the DVD pic above or watch it for free at Hulu. I tend to choose free.

Listen

I remember hearing this Cindy Morgan song "How Could I Ask For More" when I was 16. A sign of a good song is when it still holds up a "few" years later. Her most recent album, the indie "Beautiful Bird" is a lovely mix of bluegrass and ballad and pop and superb songwriting. Plus, she played in my best friend Kara's living room last night and she was even better live. No surprise.

The Post About Pricey Caps and Unflattering Gowns

Ahh... The smell of accomplishment. It's also the smell of paying your own bills and finding watermarked paper so your internships and workstudy jobs will seem more like...experience. I love this time of year because it takes me back to Spring, 1998. I was graduating from Emory University with a double major in Sociology and Women's Studies with a minor in African American Studies. (my conservative WASP-y Dad was so proud.) Here are some highlights of that weekend...

1. My commencement speaker was the Dalai Lama. Yes, that Dalai Lama. The best part was his holiness' speech lasted 9 minutes. Since the Georgia heat was bearing down on a couple thousand overdressed but educated souls, he chose wisely.

2. Often, when you graduate you get a fake folder with no diploma inside (like the one you see to your left). But when you pay upwards of $35,000 a year in tuition, they're able to hire someone to coordinate it so you're handed your actual diploma. Unless you are Chris G., who was sitting next to me. He did the dance of going on stage, having his name called, hearing his family hoot and holler and then stopped for the memorial portrait. However, when he sat down, we simultaneously opened our folders. Mine had a shiny certificate that guaranteed me a difficult job search. His had a shiny letter that guaranteed him summer school since he had failed Chemistry.

3. I proved that weekend I had not inherited the "pack rat" genes of my parents. We packed up Betsy, the Chevy Cavalier (may she rest in peace) and their truck with the big uglies, like furniture. In the midst of this, I contracted some sort of walking penumonia/ebola virus. My parents took off a day before me which left me with clothes, kitchen items, books, and a death-wish illness. Betsy filled up much quicker than expected and my utensils, textbooks, and tchotckes ended up in the dumpster. I've never looked back.

What do you remember about graduation from college, high school, or kindergarten? (kindergarten graduation is technically the dumbest event ever. Yeah, I said it.)

{image: unknown, but overpriced photographer from Atlanta)

The Post About Quick Fixes and Spot Healing

I'm not writing about how to handle a crisis. I'm highlighting two of my favorite buttons in one of my favorite slices of software: Photoshop. Since I recently picked up a Nikon D40, it has become my best friend when I realize I still don't know how to use a camera and need some assistance in post-production. Plus, who couldn't use whiter teeth and less chins?

Recently I saw 15 images that look like they had some work done, but no. Faux Photoshop. Here are a couple of samples:

{image: airliners.net}

{image: Environmental Graffiti}

Visit WebUrbanist to see several more and explanations of how they made the magic happen. I wouldn't mind having the dog you'll see to take out the trash and intimidate the UPS guy to remain on the porch until I get home. And then marry me. Who's a good dog?

The Post About Eating my Feelings

Hi, lover.

{image: Jamie}

The Post About Ten {Essentials} on Tuesday

Ten things I use everyday:


1. Eye Cream: I read once you can tell a woman's age by the state of her eyes, neck, and hands.Therefore, I put eye cream on all three. Twice a day.
2. Flood Lights: I'm post-traumatic from when I was robbed 17 months ago. So my yard is lit up like a baseball field. They're CFC bulbs which makes me feel a little bit better about the massive drain on the city's resources.
3. Deodorant: Believe it or not, there is "fun trivia" about this product. This includes that predators avoided early humans because the odor was too rank. Does "predator" include creepy men at Home Depot? Maybe I should rethink this essential.
4. Blinker: I'm obsessed with my blinker. I always use it. Even to turn out of my own driveway. I also reward and punish other drivers based on their blinker choices.
5. Punctuation Marks: I learned the importance of this handy tool when faced with the following string of words: "woman without her man is nothing." Choose wisely.
6. Curling Iron: I have a mother of a cowlick, which requires a daily does of 400 degree heat and hair spray with the word "freeze" in its byline.
7. Pop-up Post-its: Am I too lazy to hold the post-it pad while pulling a sheet away? Yep.
8. Sleep Timer: Experts say the blue tint from a television can actually keep you awake longer at night and alter your entire sleep cycle. I was clearly an outlier on those studies.
9. Ctrl-S: In many software programs, this lovely combination of clicks prompts a save. I have been burned too many times in the past to not make this a frequent part of my work day.
10. Drinking Straw: Even the rims of my own cups and glasses weird me out. Straws also help battle stainy teeth. However, the tradeoff seems to be more burping. Or at least I've been told.

What are some of your essentials?

(image: Jamie)

The Post About Cups and Pops

I love a good party. For me, "good" is defined as fun folks and fun food. If I can be a small part of even one of those, then my work here is done.

One way I tried to bring fun food to a dear friend's wedding shower yesterday was by trying to copy the sassy stylings of one Bakerella. If you want to see how everything you've ever baked is simply less than, then run, don't walk to her website. You will leave feeling inspired and overwhelmed with only one glance.

My first attempt was fondant-decorated cupcakes.

Pre-tinted fondant is my friend. Plus, my new alphabet set made the graffiti possible.

Then came the leap of faith. Bakerella's phenomenal cake pops.

Here are the suspects. Notice all the things I didn't make from scratch. Like the plastic bags.


First, I baked the cake. For you novices, this picture is technically not "baking."


Then, I crumbled the cake into a bowl and added cream cheese frosting. Mmm. Cheese.


Then I rolled out 50 cake balls. That has be the worst name for these marvels. But it's descriptive.


After a 3-hour nap in the fridge, I poked them with a stick. But I'm pretty sure they liked it.


After a dip, a sprinkle and a wrap - these party favors were born. Welcome to my world.

You too can birth some cakey goodness on a stick. Remember, I have no skills, so there's hope for everyone.

See Bakerella for kindly assistance.

(images: Jamie)

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.18

Each weekend, I post a readable, a watchable, and a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens next. Earlier volumes can be found here.

Read

Jen, my college roommate, gave me mac-n-cheese late at night in our apartment, took me to where Fried Green Tomatoes was filmed in her hometwon and introduced me to Real Simple Magazine. I've been a faithful subscriber since 2001. The magazine's tag line is "Life made easier." And it delivers on that promise in a classic package. Its blog is also much more educational than mine.

Watch

I categorized this under "watch" on a technicality. Have I ever mentioned I love Chick-Fil-A? I have? Well, then you'll understand why I enjoy this video so much. For those of you in the 12 states that don't have this scrumptious peanut oil wrapped delight - I apologize for rubbing it in your cyber face.

Listen

I started watching American Idol three weeks ago. Tuesday, I decided to vote for someone after his second song, Heartless. I hope Kris Allen wins. Even if his wife is cute and living. And he isn't ambiguously happy.

(images: Jamie)

The Post About Don't Look Behind the Curtain

At my Lost 5th Season finale party, a first-time guest was complimenting my little abode and said "It must be easy to keep it clean since you're single and don't have kids." See, Chris. That's where you'd be wrong. I pride myself in being organized at work (although the chaos can overwhelm at times.) The inside of my car is clutter-free and ready for passengers. And my schedule works like clockwork - rarely late, rarely selfish.

However, my home can pile up at times. There are some snazzy benefits of living alone. But there are some costs as well. No one to share the bills with. No one to kill the bugs. And no one to cut their eyes at you when you take off your stilettos in the dining room and leave them there until you wear that wrap dress again. Some might view that as a positive, but when you are hosting a get-together, you need some temporary holding areas for the things you've left to linger throughout the house.

My primary drop-off spot is my bedroom. This is how it looked Wednesday night:

Notice the canvas totes holding groceries and other canvas totes. Note my "cleaning" iPod radio for when the inspiring move-your-booty-music needs to travel from room to room. At the back of the line are five of the 721 handbags that require a daily swap-out. And finally my most private confession: I cannot seem to open the hamper, so the clothes rest wearily on top.

No worries, the door stayed tightly shut and none of my guests were the wiser.

Until now.

P.S. If my future husband is reading this, please go back and read blog posts about how fun I am and how I care about orphans and the hungry.

Any tips for the cluttered home? Confessions?

(image: Jamie)

The Post About Ben is a Pisces

The fifth season finale of Lost aired last night (at the same time Danny was being kicked to the curb on AI...) I sponsored a little shindig at my own personal and mortgaged "Dharma Station." Here are some highlights:


I'm all about people writing their name on their cup. What's nice about RSVPs is that I can control even that small part of the party. Have I ever mentioned I'm controlling? Yes, I have.


No Lost party is complete without Dharma drinks. However, my house is generally a "dry" house (due to my frugality more than teetotality) so we left out the beer.

Look at my great friends who are not afraid of a little curse.

I'm controlling AND competitive, so no gathering is complete without a chance for me to win something. Even if I already knew some of the answers. However, who knew it would be Sawyer to cry and not Jack? Did you know?


Hurley's old stomping grounds provided an excellent array of poultry for the event. Publix grocery stores provide remarkably similar chicken.


More Dharma rations and goldfish make every luau, toddler birthday party and shindig about bizarre time-traveling dead people all the saltier.


May Oceanic flight 815 rest in peace. Or in this case, marblized goodness.


I'm a FIRM believer that every party guest leaves with a favor. I also believe every guest brings the hostess a gift, but who's pointing fingers? Thank you Hershey's for your manna.

What television show finales are you wrapped up in?

(images: Jamie)

The Post About the iTunes Swag Goes To...

...#48 Christy - The Rolling Stones - Let IT Bleed - You can't Always Get What You Want!

Super congrats! Christy - I hope you choose music that lightens your load or shakes your bum...whatever your day requires. Thank you to all who stopped by and shared your faves. My iTunes budget has been busted for the month. When my student loan officer comes calling - I will send him to you.
-------------------------------------------------
LOST FINALE TONIGHT. OMG-ness.

The Post About Ten {Places} on Tuesday

Ten...
...places I would constantly spend my money if I weren't fiscally disciplined and responsible:

1. Banana Republic: Dresses, handbags, and shoes, oh my.
2. Anthropologie: The clothes are pretty, but I'm more interested in dressing my house.
3. Studio One Twelve: Professional haircut and color every 5 weeks. (I currently keep the color to every 12 weeks because I care about the economy)
4. Franklin Covey: I would buy the Jean Chatsky collection to feel better about the obscene amount of cash I would drop.
5. Pottery Barn: Pick a page in the catalog. Any page.
6. Spa One Nighteen: Remove it, exfoliate it, and place hot rocks on it. Every fourteen days.
7. Barnes and Noble: No longer sippin' on a $3 coffee and reading the bounty in the cafe. Everybody's going home with me.
8. 1-800-Flowers: These, and others like them, would be delivered weekly by the hands of an attractive UPS man.
9. Sephora: Hi, Dior Mascara. Welcome to my makeup bag. Get to lengthening.
10. Home Depot: Hi, contract laborers. Welcome to my house. Get to installing.

Imagine you are a bad steward of your money - where are you & your wallet headed?
------------------------------------------------------------
You could be a super steward if you win the $25 iTunes giftcard from Jamie's Rabbits. Today's the last day to enter. Go here.

The Post About J-A-M-I-E

I have a huge crush on my name.

(This hangs in my office.)

It began when my Dad would yell it from the back porch to get me to return from my woodland adventures. That sound always meant a nap or PB&J - things I still covet to this day.

My older brother actually named me. He was a big fan of the bionic woman, Jaime Sommers, and he was the firstborn - you know the rest... However, my parents went with the traditional boy spelling of the name. Jamie Sommers is apparently a well-known adult film "actress." Mom? Do you care to comment?

Because I love my moniker so much, my recent giveaway win from Sweet Pumpkin Noodle was extra special. Ana Stella, the maker of beautiful stationery, provided me with this divine set of notecards.

The crush continues.

What's the origin of your name? I love a good backstory.

(images: Jamie)

The Post About Nurturing with Food

My Mom is great. I could laundry list all the reasons why, but I'll stick to #4.

4. She nurtures our family with incredible food. Not just fun and fancy dishes, but hot dogs rolled up in crescent rolls with sliced cheese. And no one makes better pancakes. She would drop-kick Bobbly Flay back to Bar Americain with her flapjacks.

So today, I tried to love on her with food. And we both enjoy a good salad.

This is an attempt at the Baby Bleu salad sold at Franklin's Homewood Gourmet (a must-stop when you are traveling through Birmingham, Alabama). You can find the recipe here.

Then, I loved on her with stuff. We both enjoy good stuff.

This is the Matryoshka Measuring Cups from Anthropologie. This was a great recommendation from The Pioneer Woman.


You are right. They are adorable.

What about your Mom makes her lovable?

(images: Jamie)

The Post About The Rabbit Recommends v.17

Each weekend, I post a readable, a watchable, and a listenable of which I'm fond. You can choose what happens next. Earlier volumes can be found here.

Read

*moggit is a must-add to your ever-growing blog subscription list. Joy and Janet, the creators of this absolutely guilty pleasure, take snarkiness to new heights. *moggit is to home decor what Cake Wrecks is to cake decorating. Now go on. Read it. Wait - finish this post and then go.

Watch

Yes. I boldly went there. And it was excellent. I'm not a trekker. I don't even think I've even seen any of the original series. But Star Trek, the movie, was well worth the home equity loan it takes to go to the movies - great story, incredible effects, and a nice dose of humor. Did I mention I'm hormonal and Captain Kirk was looking lovely?

Listen

My Mom's actually the one who led me by the hand to the Dixie Chicks (since I don't listen to a full field of country music.) Joseph reminded me this week how great they are, politics aside. The best album really is Top of the World Tour. I've included their live cover of Bob Dylan's "Mississippi" for your listening pleasure.

(images: *moggit / Paramount Studios)

The Post About Love is on the Brain

Rabbit Reader: "Why the string of serious blogs this week?"
Me: "I'm hormonal."

Hormones are crafty lil' buggers. They can make you eat, buy, scream and cry in ways you didn't think possible. With just a tad extra estrogen in your system, you'll find yourself thinking of ways to maim the person in front of you who has 46 items in the CLEARLY MARKED less-than-20 line and text your brother to tell him how much you miss him (all in the same 9 seconds...).

My matchmaker endocrine system has led to me to fall in love three times in the past 7 days. Three. Let me introduce you to my significant others:

1. Raymond: He works at Dell. He loves Italian food and spontaneous road trips. Truthfully, all I know is Raymond made a Nikon D40 camera appear at my house for $40 less than advertised. I'm pretty sure he lives in Bangladesh - my new summer getaway.
2. Dylan: He and I attended the same wake on Tuesday. I actually don't know his name because I didn't even speak to him. I just picked "Dylan" because it sounds mysterious and gainfully employed. He was attractive and needed to be comforted.
3. Vince: He works at GoDaddy.com (the holder of www.jamiesrabbits.com). The call took 10 minutes and he spoke fluent English. He also spoke jcrewkindafunnyandcute English. Our children will think he owns the place.

My friend Kara thinks I need to meet real people. I think she may be right.

The Post About Bargaining with a Diety

Have you ever tried to bargain with God? I have. Let me set up a few scenarios for you:

Me: God, if you make that cop turn right so I don't get pulled over - no more speeding, I promise.
Me: God, if you help me turn this 6 pages into 15 pages - no more procrastinating, I promise.
Me: God, if you keep me from throwing up in the back of this SUV - no more Olive Garden, I promise.

I think God gets as annoyed by this as my Mom did when she would ask me to clean my room and I always yelled back from the cluttered compound in that rolled-eyes, stuck up way "I.....WIIILLLLL, I PPPRRROMMMIIISSEEE."

You see, I rarely kept those promises. To God or the woman who birthed me. Even worse? Those negotiating moments with the heavenly Father were the only evidence of my relationship with Him. Sure, I went to church and did mission projects and said grace before the Olive Garden, but we had no real RELATIONSHIP.

Relationships are built on communication. And if I've learned anything about God - He loves to chat. About anything and everything. He likes to talk about the things that weigh on me and cause me stress and the things that make me laugh so hard my gums show. Like Hurley from Lost. Everything.

Philippians 4:6-7 "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

Who couldn't use some peace?

(image: Jamie)

The Post About Born in 1931

This post is audience-specific. The following are my reactions to tonight's Lost episode "Follow the Leader." Again, these are the things I said outloud in my living room while I watched the show by my lonesome:

**Producers - Thanks for making me relive the loss of my dear Daniel.
**Do you think it hurts more to be shot or hit with a gun while its riding by on a horse and then kicked? Jack - your thoughts?
**Jack. Clearly, the bump on your face is making you less attractive. As are the words coming out of that bloody face.
**Seems like Stewart is compensating for some hair loss by roughin' up Jim.
**The prove-you're-not-from-future conversation between Hugo and Dr. Chang made my insides jiggle.
**It's always nice to run into yourself in the jungle.
**Who doesn't need an Iraqi assassin in their corner?
**Quote Break: Richard: "I'm starting to think John Locke is going to be trouble." Ben: "Why'd you think I tried to kill him?"
**Who knew a love triangle could fit as snug as a bug in a sub?
**I could almost hear them humming "We're off to see the wizard..." And then we will kill him.

Preview: SEASON FINALE. I'm having a lil' shindig in honor of the event at my casa. Dharma rations for everyone...

(image: Entertainment Weekly)

The Post About Point and Shoot

The UPS man brought great tidings of joy to my work yesterday: a Nikon D40 camera. I've been researching for months, plotting, scheming, saving and rationalizing how to bring a camera into my life. Long-time readers will know the only way I've been able to capture anything in "print" is with Sammy, the Samsung. Although he has been faithful, a new day has dawned.

I must emphasize I have NO experience with cameras. I know how to turn it on (if that button is clearly marked) and how to delete the picture when I see the glaring proof I have NO experience with cameras. So needless to say, I was a tad overwhelmed when I first picked up this magnificent monstrosity. Especially when I realized Konrad (remember, it's important to name your gadgets) expected me to actually look through his viewfinder to take a photo. We compromised. I committed to look through the small window and he would do all the work. Here's a sampling of my first photos:

Sammy, the Samsung. You have served me well.

Books are everywhere.

Ikea loves my porch. As do bugs with a death wish.

If only this self-esteem bowl were true every moment of every day.

Now I must learn what the terms white balance and aperture mean. Any photography tips or tricks you can share?

(images: Jamie)