Monday, March 14, 2011

Thankfulness Produces JOY.

Today is Monday------> 4 Days after the tragedy in Japan.  I'm literally SOOOO selfish & self centered<-----Notice all those words have the word self in them. Let's not focus on our selves any more, lets focus on Jesus & Others, Let's LOVE all! One thing I've been learning is that the only way to reach people is to LOVE them. I have no clue why people think they are superior to anyone, the tragedy in Japan or any tragedy for that matter should make people realize that what we can't control anything, possessions can just disappear, status can disappear.

Let love be without hypocrisy, Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. Romans 12:9-10 


After seeing the before and after photos of japan and the photos of people searching for the bodies of family and friends, trying to cope with the situation and doing the best they can to face the unknown,  makes me Thankful for ALL I have, I shouldn't be such a complainer, someone who wants more when I already have so much and discontented to be where I am in my life.

I've been learning over the past year that Thankfulness produces JOY,  I challenge everyone to think of at least one thing daily they are thankful for and see if you become more joyful.

Now let's see if we can reach out to others & Love others.

Love,
Jesse's Girl

--------> keep your eye out for a new featured artist post!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Guilty Pleasure, Favorite Band, & Everything In Between

Let me start off by saying that I not a huge fan of POP music, I was such a music snob at one point that I criticized a friend for having a Beyonce CD in her car, I don't even know if Beyonce is POP but I just don't dig that whole vibe.  It's funny that I would be so judgmental when I have a super minimal knowledge of music and not a very good taste myself but I did. Anyways here is my thought on my music taste as of late. Nothin special just a blurb.... ENJOY!

GUILTY PLEASURE: Currently I'm obsessed with the following------> Katy Perry, Lady GaGa & another person who I'm ashamed to fess up to so just guess. I know Jesse is pulling his hair out because every time he gets in the car I have California Gurls turned up super loud for the whole world to hear! You cant listen to this song on any one of Katy's songs and not have a smile plastered across your face and have the urge to dance!

My ALL TIME FAVORITE BAND would have to be Dave Matthews Band, again I don't know what it is about Dave but I love him! I remember the first  time I heard him when I was a kid and my brother had bought and played CRASH  [favorite song was Too Much], after that I stole the CD and kept it for my own. I don't listen to him often, but when I do get a chance to it's amazing!!! It brings back lots of memories!

EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN if your looking for something new to listen to this is what I currently enjoy: The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, (any kind of classic rock) The Beatles, Devendra Banhart, Mumford & Sons [side note: although I'm happy they are making lots of money it's a bummer they are super main stream now! I heard them on 102.7 as I was flipping through the stations! icky], The Head and The Heart, Andrew bird, Sigur Ros, Aaron Lee Martin, Radio Head, Beck, Gram parsons, Woody Guthrie, Townes Van Zandt, NICK CAVE <3, and the legendary Leonard Cohen! HANSON is good <3


Musically inspiring move ------------------------------->
this movie makes you want ALL of your music on vinyl!


People I need to thank for making this Blog possible:
Matt & Nicole for burning me my guilty pleasure mix along with one of my favorite of all favorites right now THE BLACK KEYS (brothers)<----- not a guilty pleasure , Jesse for showing me some GREATS like Mr. Cave & Cohen, & Brother Bear for buying that Dave CD back in the day!

[SPEAKING of GREAT MUSIC] check out this new upcoming band and their amazing video!!

Love,
Jesse's Girl

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Textiled Style.

 I'm not a fashion columnist or even a fashion forward person, I'm pretty dorky actually but I just wanted to share my thoughts on one of my favorite looks of this past season and still love!

Some of my favorite pieces of clothes would be the ones with an Indian Textile design, I LOVE it, it's super folky and fun! I recently spotted a super cool rug at Ikea that I desperately wanted but couldn't justify spending $100 on. I adore my slouchy sweater that I purchased at H&M for $34.00 it's navy blue, light pink, and light blue , I suppose this will make up for the rug!
Anyways, the fashion world has been inundated with this type of pattern along with leather bags, fringe & feathers all last season, again another style from another era has burst on the scene and adopted as our own and like I said in a previous post, created it into own personal fashion. The perfect example of this will have to be this leather purse I found at a thrift store in my area it has little painted flowers it from the 70's, it was approximately $12.00 (purchased before forever 21 came out with the same one, not vintage I might add a year and a half later) I seriously get every women over the age of 45 commenting on it saying how they used to have the same exact one when they were my age except they always add the tag line "except I also had a belt that matched!". This was one of my favorite finds! Anyone can create a statement with just one piece they are proud of, this purse was just one of mine!

Next Season---->full of color!

It's always fun to share your most prized finds and hope to share more in the future! Hope you liked this little blurb today, I just had it on my mind!

Love,
Jesse's Girl

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Pretty In Pink, Purple Eye Liner, ETC.

 Pretty In Pink is a classic movie but I've never really taken the time to watch it all the way through until a couple of nights ago. It's crazy to me how fashion comes in later era's in a more refined way, usually. I'm not big on the bright blue eye shadow (that was definitely a mistake of that time) although I'm pretty keen on my purple eye liner! Anyways, as I was watching that movie it definitely stirred the created juices! I'm so happy that this time in fashion it's a little more exceptable to have your own unique style, and not have to conform to one kind of look.  I'm not saying I wouldn't go as far as wearing a MEAT DRESS like Lady GaGa but maybe I'll experiment with other accessories (I'll keep you posted with some finds). Over the years Ive learned that you should invest in a few KEY pieces of clothing, i.e. a jacket, a pair of shoes, and a trusty pair of jeans and your set! I recently invested in two pairs of shoes, one of them was from target @ $19.99 & the other was a pair of platform clogs on sale from Forever 21 for $19.00, I cant event tell you how much these two pieces have changed my wardrobe and inspired me to be more creative and bold. I hope this was a fun little read! Now go watch Pretty In Pink! Duckie is my FAVORITE!!!!

Love,
Jesse's Girl




Oh and here is another photo of my handsome husband and myself by the AMAZING artists
Mark Brooke Photographers check'em out!


Tuesday, February 22, 2011

---A Modern Day Troubadour---

Hello fellow artist, I'm SO excited to be sharing with you my first "Featured Artist" on the blog! I hope you all like to read about new local artist around our town, I know I do!!! Their is always so much inspiration and talent to be FOUND and it's a pleasure to be able to share a small bit with all of you!

Let me know if you like what you see!!

Introducing some writings from my favorite author, Jesse A. Dunstan:


Hades Tailgating
A friend of mine died 
singing Sinatra's "My Way".

Didn't look so autonomous to me;
tubes exiting every orifice; more like a
marionette, tangled up in his own strings.

We work after midnight, my partner and I,
when most debtors are asleep and unsuspecting.

We get-around in a pale Ford Mustang,
'PLEASE WASH ME' written in dirt on the rear window.
Most of the time it's me talking, him swerving to hit rabbits:

Hindus say Death rides a black buffalo, 
uses a lasso to round up his victims...

Then Death's a cowboy, he realizes, 
his massive arm sailing out the window, like you and me.

People reckon us thieves, 
as though what we're stealing
were rightfully theirs in the first place.

Others aim to kill us, like that old lady
with the shank taped to the end of her cane,
stabbing at me through the passenger side window
as I struggled to rig her car with a screwdriver.

I could hear my partner laughing clear across the street.

We go out drinking and he shows the gals
the stretch marks on his lower back.
Says he was attacked by a mountain lion.

Meanwhile, I'm slumpled over the bar
like a wet coat, always watching the clock.

Realist like me take their whiskey straight. 

Morning comes and I visit the church
where I was baptized as a kid, 
only now it's a .99 cent store.

There's a section in back 
where you can find switch blades
and lighters with naked ladies on them.

I set myself down on a curb in front, 
asphalt hotter than a seat in hell.

A little girl passes, tugging on her Mother's dress.
Mommy, she asks, whats wrong with that man?
And I almost wish Mommy had answered,

because I too would like to know.

But if there be any angels
eavesdropping over those amorphous
balconies of clouds, I'll have them know:

when the 'Repo-Man' comes for me-
that intrepid specter of death-
whether with slim-jim or scythe-

he can have what he came for.

I won't fuss or fight
or bite off a piece of his forearm
like that cannibalistic mother-of-three did to me.

I only aim to ask, before I turn up my toes,
if I may pause and take a moment

to say I'm sorry for a few things. 


 Originally published in Coe Review, 2009

***

 The 7 Cups

The psychic told pat he would have to
finish his frozen yogurt outside
while she read my palm.

She traced my lifeline over the plain of Mars
all the way up to the mount of jupiter
where a strange wart, or blister
broke her concentration.

I returned to find Pat at the center
of a solar system of bees.

In high school he was the kid everyone laughed at
for accidentally calling the teacher "Mom".
He didn't know it yet but he was my disciple.

That summer temperatures reached the same digits
as my favorite radio station, and the flight patterns
of grocery bags in the wind revealed no signs of relief.

Was I suffering from prophet's block?

I had just finished tearing apart my computer,
bits and pieces neatly arranged over the carpet,
when  my girlfriend walked in:

Ancient Babylonians believed
one could foretell future events by
examining the entrails of an animal, I explained.

Later, at the Laundromat, I found myself
alone with a black guy named stacy
who once beat up three cops.

My psychic drew the 7 of cups, I confessed.  
Don't you see, Stacy? That's card of deception...

He was so still. He could have been dead.

***

For more work by Jesse please email jessedunstan@gmail.com or find him on facebook




 Thanks for reading!

Love,
Jesse's Girl

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

{LOVE}
Galations chapters 5-6

A good reminder for me. I want to be more like this. <3

Monday, December 20, 2010

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas...

And I got one!
Introducing the Rourke family Hippo!!
 This hippo has been in the Rourke family for as long as I can remember...when we were kids we used to play with this guy and growing up he was always just there. I have no clue where this hippo came from
(I need to investigate!) 
...
 FINDINGS: My Grandma and Grandpa were friends with this guy who made these animal figurines and my grandpa decided he liked this hippo! It's definitely a good focal point/conversation starter for our home and are looking forward to many more years with our HIPPO!