Serenity from Anthony

I spotted Anthony's ink while biking along the Belt Parkway promenade at the end of May.

Always a fan of word tattoos, I stopped him while he was jogging and he was kind enough to stop and allow me to snap the photo above.

It was only after I got a chance to see it that I recognized the top verse as what is commonly called the Serenity Prayer:

God Grant me

the serenity to accept

the things I cannot change

courage to change

the things I can

and wisdom to

know the difference.

When I asked why he chose the Serenity Prayer as a tattoo, he said, "I think it's a good way to look at life, every day, with a positive attitude."

I am not as familiar with the passage below it

Living one day at a time

Enjoying one moment at a time

Accepting hardships as

the pathway to peace

It turns out that those four lines are the next in the sequence of the verse composed by Reinhold Niebuhr, from which the Serenity Prayer was adopted.

He credited an artist named Omar at a shop on Christopher Street in Manhattan with these tattoos. It likely could have been Tattoo Heaven.

Thanks to Anthony for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Currently.

Loving: the Threads bracelets that Ashley from The Shine Project sent over for me (pictured above). They're so pretty and I've been wearing them almost non-stop for the past couple of days. They make me really happy, and they're even cooler because they're for a truly great cause. A little more about them via The Shine Project: Threads is a cause driven business that changes the future of at risk youth by employing them and instilling values of self reliance and hard work. They are paid fair wages for the bracelets they make, and in turn are able to pay their way through school. Many of Threads employees are first generation college students. Even beyond financial support, your belief in them is symbol of hope and trust that they can achieve what for so long seemed impossible. By purchasing Threads you are wearing more than just a bracelet, you are wearing change. You can buy your own bracelets here- my personal favorite is the neon yellow- so cute!

Reading: I'd like to say that this past week has been full of reading but every time I have a free moment to pick up a book I end up falling asleep and accidentally napping. It's terrible! It's my goal to get my sleeping back on track and go to bed earlier than 11. I wake up in the morning to work out even if I'm tired which is totally counterproductive to being healthy, so I need to just wind down with reading a lot earlier. This holiday weekend will be a little crazy but next week I'm hoping to stick to my goal of a no-later-then-11pm rule. Amber's in town though, so we'll see how that goes...and let's also note that the current time is 11:09pm. Oops.

Watching: The Bachelorette. If you are a regular reader of this blog you know I love this show, and this season has been great. I am so all about Jef- his personality reminds me a lot of Hank's and I think he is the cutest thing ever. Some of my Bachelorette-watching friends disagree that he'd be a great match for Emily but I totally think he would be! This Monday are the hometown dates and it's always my favorite episode of every season. Do you watch? Who is your pick for Ms. Maynard?

Anticipating: A couple of things. One, this weekend. It's our town's Frontier Days which is always such a great time. Henry walked in the Kiddie Parade this morning, and we have the big parade tomorrow morning. Later that night is the rodeo dance, and Sarah and Natalie are coming up to go out with my girlfriends up here. THEN Amber Joy gets into town, and is here for two weeks. So much fun!

Listening to: Right now I've been listening to a couple bands and songs NON-STOP, and they're all really different that it's almost weird. First of all, it's important to note that Hank detests country music. Detests it! I, on the other hand, happen to love it. I'm a pretty strange bird when it comes to music- I go from rap to country to classical all in the same playlist. I tell you this though because the other day Henry and I were playing in the living room listening to music and my current favorite country song came on (Springsteen by Eric Church) as Hank walked in the door from work. The look of disgust that came across his face was priceless. I of course had to turn it up and do a little two step around our kitchen island, and then turn on some Shania. Take that, country music hater! I don't know why I find it so funny that he dislikes it so much, but I do! I think his least favorite country song ever though would have to be that Country Girl Shake it for Me song by Luke Bryan. I get made fun of a lot for that one. But on a different musical note, I also have been listening to the band Such Gold all day, every day. They're a melodic hardcore band, and although I don't listen to much hardcore these days I absolutely love them. They're touring with Strung Out and The Swellers pretty soon and I can't wait to see them live for the first time.

Planning: My trip to NYC! I'm headed out that way in exactly 3 weeks to stay with Emily in Brooklyn, and I can't wait. She already has a million things planned for us to do both in BK and Manhattan, but we are both always open to suggestions. So if you have any must-dos, must-sees, etc. please let me know. I'd love it, actually!

Working on: being less irritable. Ugh, it pains me that I even have to work on that but it's true. Sometimes I can be so snippy with Hank for no reason and I hate it. Or I often find myself getting annoyed at people throughout the day. For instance today there was a woman in front of me at the grocery store who was taking so long to decide what book of stamps she wanted. I literally wanted to scream. And then I caught myself, thinking what the hell is wrong with ME?! When did I become so impatient and easily annoyed? So, I'm trying to just be a bit more light-hearted and stop focusing on weird things that I have no control over.

Wishing: that all of you could join my girlfriends and me at the Rodeo Dance tomorrow night. It's seriously such a slice of Small Town, USA, and it's totally worth experiencing. If I remember I'll try to take some video with my iphone to share on Sunday!

How about you? What are you up to today? Feel free to do your own "currently" post on your blog and link back in the comments for everyone to check out. And thanks again to my dear friend Megan for providing the original inspiration for these posts.

4th of July Kiddie Parade

Every year our town has a 4th of July Kiddie Parade, and all of the kids and their parents get decked out to walk around the square. This was the 71st year of the parade, and Henry's Grandpa actually walked in it himself as a child, many years ago! Neat, right? This morning was Henry's very first time participating. He wasn't too into it- he was hot and cranky (as you can tell in the photos), but overall I think he had a good time looking at all of the neat sights and listening to the band. We walked with our friends, and pulled our little decorated wagon up and around the square. There were so many great floats and we are absolutely inspired to go a little over the top next year and WIN something! After the parade all of the participants met in front of the courthouse for awards and ice cream, and then we headed on home so little Henry could finally take his nap.

Tomorrow morning is the actual 4th of July parade, which is one of my very favorite days ever. I've said it before and I'll say it again- small town living isn't for everyone, but it sure is for me! Today was awesome.

Have an inspiring weekend.

What are your plans for this weekend? We're flying to Chicago tonight (Toby is out of his mind excited for the plane) and are looking forward to hot dogs and ferris wheels. (And wouldn't these be cool at the beach?)

Next week, I'm thrilled to be featuring a second work/baby/life balance series. The first series was about mothers who work freelance, but now we'll focus on mothers who work full time in office jobs. The amazing women will share how they try to juggle everything, from babysitters and bedtimes to meetings and marriage. The interviews were fascinating, and I can't wait to discuss them with you.

Finally, this week's round-up is all about Nora Ephron (1941-2012), who was such a talent and inspiration. In her books and movies, she really captured the voice of a certain type of young woman--neurotic, imperfect, complex, loving. Everyone sees themselves in Nora, and she's the kind of person that you want as a best friend (and mentor). She will be missed...

"I have a theory that children remember two things—when you weren't there and when they threw up." –Nora Ephron.

What she will and won't miss.

Her most recent book, which I ordered immediately. (I loved her other books--Heartburn, I Feel Bad About My Neck...)

14 photos.

Funny wisdom.

Why you shouldn't be a lady.

“And then the dreams break into a million tiny pieces. The dream dies. Which leaves you with a choice: you can settle for reality, or you can go off, like a fool, and dream another dream.” –Nora Ephron.

Tom Hanks remembers Nora. (Love the last paragraph.)

Nora writes about her love affair with her Upper West Side apartment.

10 great movie lines.

How to live life to the fullest.

"Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim." –Nora Ephron.

(Photograph by Linda Nylind for the Guardian)

My new summer uniform

We were packing for Chicago this morning, and I was thinking about summer uniforms. What's yours this summer? I keep spotting beautiful women around town wearing white jeans with grey T-shirts. Fresh, clean, classic. Perfect for day or night. Here's how to get the look...
Grey tee: Get this one. People usually think of tees as basics that you can find anywhere—Gap, Old Navy—but not all T-shirts are created equal. Certain tees can be wildly unflattering. You want to stay away from fluttery sleeves (like this), high necks (like this) and any thick fabrics. Instead, find a thin tee with a lower crew neck or V-neck, which are soooooo much prettier.

White jeans: My favorite pair, hands down. The cut is fantastic. I bought these before a trip to Paris three years ago and have loved wearing them ever since.

(Photos by the Sartorialist and Boden)

Dave's Unusual Skull

Just a quick post for Friday.

Earlier this week, I met Dave on the West 4th Street platform and took a picture of this tattoo on his leg:

I like this skull because it's so unusual. It has the feel of a sugar skull, but it's not quite, It's certainly not your typical piece, and the neon colors really make it jump off the skin.

He got this about three years ago at a shop in Atlanta called the Ink Spot.

Thanks to Dave for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!


This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Thursday giveaway!

Today's giveaway is from 20 Best Twenty, a wonderful website that curates twenty independent shops every month. The site brings together everything from jewelry to baby onesies to stationery. (Above are ribbon-wrapped bangles, for example, and below is a Swoop toy bag.) Today, they're giving one lucky reader a $200 gift certificate to pick out anything on the site.

For a chance to win, please visit 20 Best Twenty and leave a comment below with your favorite items from the site. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow. Good luck! xo Update: Alicia F. is our lucky winner. Thanks for playing.

Have you ever done the "slow fade"?

Back in my dating days...
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Want to be a part of Literate & Stylish?

Everything is more fun when EVERYONE can join in, so I wanted to extend an invite to all of you to submit for my Literate & Stylish series. You'll be submitting the actual post I'll put up, and here's what I'd need from you:

1. Email your post to sometimessweetblog@gmail.com. Please put L&S in the subject area.

2. There are three parts to your submission:

•  Be sure to include your name and blog name in the beginning of the email. If you don't have a blog you can include anything you'd like - your website, twitter name, instagram name, etc.

• a well-written paragraph or two talking about your favorite book, and why it means so much to you. You can give a very short synopsis so readers can get the main idea (no spoilers please), but the bulk of your writing should include why you love it so much/what it's brought to your life. 

• 4-5 photos I can choose from. These need to be high-quality, high-res photos (no iPhone pics, please) that show you with your favorite book. You can check out previous L&S posts for inspiration, but you should have your book in the photos with you. I'd love for these pictures to show off your favorite outfit so we can get a good idea of your personal style. Wear something you enjoy, and feel free to get creative with it as far as location, etc. Think library, park, a favorite nook in your home, wherever you want!

Please send your text in the body of the email, and attach the photos. There's no rush or deadline. Just keep in mind that the point of this feature is to share beautiful photos, showing off you, your favorite book, and your personal style. I'm just so excited to see what you all come up with, and so excited to feature some new friends in this space.

So, are you going to submit?

photo courtesy of Diana from Our City Lights, who was my very first Literate & Stylish feature.

Wedding ring

My friend Abbey went to a wedding recently and couldn't stop staring at the bride's ring. Don't you love this cluster ring?

Let's go...

...and check out this energetic new track Let's Go by Danish act Kiss Me Scarlett...another band playing at the Musik I Lejet Festival on July 21.

Laici's Astrological Cluster

I met Laici last month outside of Penn Station, near the corner of 33rd Street and 8th Avenue. I was intrigued by this design on her upper right arm:

This design consists of several symbols from the Zodiac.

Laici explained, "My dad's a Cancer, my mom's an Aries, my sister and I are Scorpios, and my brother is a Sagittarius."


She designed this piece herself by combining the four symbols into a cohesive design:

The four elements combined on her arm to represent her family unit. It's a neat concept and it is executed rather nicely. I especially like how she combined the last two parts, Scorpio and Sagittarius, to form one fluid symbol that encapsulates her and her siblings together.

Thanks to Laici for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!


This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.

The four Zodiac symbols illustrated above were linked from TattooSymbol.com.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Wolves...

New video by Chorus Grant for the brilliant Wolves; the opening track from the equally brilliant debut album And The Villa Nova, which I wrote a few words about earlier this year. Beware...don't watch it if you're afraid of flies! Don't forget that Chorus Grant will be performing at Danish festival Musik I Lejet on July 21.

Literate & Stylish: Liz from SRSLYLIZ

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Liz of SRSLYLIZ

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.by Judy Blume

Growing up as the oldest of all my sisters has been a rewarding experience over the years. It's been both heartbreaking and awesome seeing them grow up and come of age and witness all of their failures and achievements alike. I often wonder what it would have been like for me to have an older sister to look to for advice and guidance. Luckily for me, I have an amazing mother and I've always had books to turn to and identify with, growing up. Some favorites included The Babysitters Little Sister series and the Beezus and Ramona books. However, the story that resonated with me the most was Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. I swear I must have read it a dozen times when I was 13. It talked about all the stuff I was curious of, but too embarrassed to ask anyone about--boys and starting your period. It wasn't a "how-to" guide by any means, but it was relatable and most importantly, reassured me that what I was going through & feeling at that age was normal--something every pre-teen desperately craves. I'll always be fond of this book & hopefully if I have a daughter someday, will encourage her to read it, too.

 

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here.

Questions for a VLOG (and a little video too)

 

Did my first little "oooooh" freak you out? I just showed it to Henry and it made him jump! But isn't he the sweetest little thing? I just want to hug and kiss him all day. 

Hi guys! Okay sooo, I think I am going to try my hand at video blogging/vlogging (even though I kind of hate that word) in the next month or two. I feel totally weird about it, but whenever I watch my friend Amber's videos I really enjoy them, and she's slowly given me the courage to try it again too! I still feel a little too awkward to just talk to the camera, so I thought questions might be a good way to start. Years ago, before I had many followers on this blog I used to post weird little videos now and again (like this one and this one) but there's something about so many people watching something that makes me nervous! Whatever though, I'm going to get over it and just have fun.

So, do you have anything you'd like me to answer in my first real vlog? Ask away! Feel free to ask anything- life stuff, blog stuff, whatever- and if you want to leave it as an anonymous comment that's okay too. I'll answer them all.

How to do a perfect knot

When you're traveling or running to dinner, there's nothing sexier than twisting your hair into a top knot. It gives you the ease and nonchalance of a classic French starlet. Lucky for us, my hair-genius friend Caroline shares the steps below, and the fabulous Jamie Beck took photos...
Steps and "after" photos below...
Read more »

Words to remember

"No one looks stupid when they're having fun." -- Amy Poehler

P.S. Also, Tina Fey.

(Quote via LOMM)

The Best Avocado Toast You'll Ever Have

In my old age, I've learned a few things: how to trapeze, how to argue fairly and the genius of avocado toast. Avocado toast is delicious, healthy and takes like three seconds to make. It's the perfect breakfast or lunch, and we've even had it for dinner along with tomato soup or scrambled eggs. Lucky for us, the fabulous Jessica from How Sweet It Is agreed to share the perfect recipe...
Read more »

Sierra's Mayflower in June

Last month, I found myself at the corner of 86th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan, waiting for the crosstown bus.

I looked over to my right and saw a tattoo with incredible line work:

This tattoo belongs to Sierra, who was kind enough to send me a photo of the tattoo later that evening. She also told me a little more about the piece:

"My tattoo is of the Mayflower. My parents took me to Plymouth a lot as a child and it fostered a great love of American History. I wanted something to commemorate that. I chose this scale drawing because I wanted something 'antique-ish' and not to 'pirate-y'."

Sierra credits the talented Mark Harada at East Side Ink with this amazingly well-lined work. "I love [his] work," she wrote me, "and do plan to have him do another for me in the future."

Thanks to Sierra for sharing her Mayflower with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

On Being the Mama of a Boy

It's an interesting thing, to think you know what you want, to assume you know exactly what you need, and to then be surprised with something totally different.

Before Henry was even a sparkle in my eye I always thought I wanted a little girl. I'm a girl's girl for sure, and the idea of having a son never crossed my mind, even as a child playing house. But life does as it pleases, and here I am, the proud mama of a little boy, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

While pregnant I just knew I was having a girl. I felt it. And most of my friends thought the same. I was so sure about this that I even had a box full of girl's clothing I started collecting once I became pregnant. Inside the box were vintage dresses, little mary jane shoes, and the prettiest bloomers and hats and sweaters.

So I'm sure you can guess that on our big gender ultrasound day I went into the appointment feeling fairly certain there was indeed a girl in there. I remember arriving at the doctor's office, holding Hank's hand, my 20-week stomach full of butterflies. I remember walking back into the room, so nervous, so hopeful that everything would be okay as they went through the anatomy check. And I remember when the ultrasound technician asked, "Okay guys, do you want to know?" Time stood still for that little moment as we replied, "yes, definitely," all the while both Hank and I silently freaking out.  The technician clicked her mouse a few times, adjusted the probe, and exclaimed "You're having a...BOY!"

I laid there for a second in shock (did she just say boy?!), then started happy-crying as the waves of emotion I'd been holding back hit me all I once. I was happy. Scared. And so, so excited. Our family came into the room and everyone was cheering and shouting and high-fiving each other. I was lost in a sea of eight people's excitement, still stunned and still silently freaking out.

For days I thought about how strange it was to have a boy on the way. How would this even work? A boy? I hadn't planned on this, I had no idea what I'd even do with a boy. But yet there he was, and he was on his way, ready or not.

It's funny to me to look back at the panic I felt thinking about Henry being Henry. It lasted for a few days, and then all of sudden, it became my reality. Of course I was having a boy, of course. I couldn't have imagined anything different.

And now when I hear that sweet "Mamamamamaaaaa!" from across the house, and see my big-little boy come running towards me, full speed ahead, enveloping me into one of his famous bear hugs, I know that this is what my life was meant to be. Trucks and footballs and lots of noise, Star Wars and cut off shorts and Vans sneakers. All boy, all the time.

So for now my box of girls clothing is tucked away, up high on a closet shelf. I'm not sure if I'll ever get a chance to take it down- and really, I'd be totally content if that time never came, much to the surprise of my formerly pregnant self, who couldn't have ever imagined all of these positively "boy" moments that make up my day. In the middle of my tea partying, dressing up dreams, I never thought I'd be playing motorcycles on the ground with a little boy named Henry. And maybe one day he'll want to tea party and dress up too, but for now, motorcycling on the ground is the only place I want to be.

How to break a habit

In his new book The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg explains that just by recognizing them, you can change your habits.

Personally, I have a nightly habit of a glass (or two) of wine. At first I was like, it's cool, it's European! But I've realized that as soon as Toby goes to bed—ding, that's my cue—I immediately expect that crisp glass of wine. Duhigg shows how to snap out of your routine (and this week, I've just had water).

Do you have a habit you want to break? Doesn't everyone?

(Via Swissmiss)

Midwest tee

Thumbs up for this rad Midwest T-shirt, which I've been wearing every weekend this summer. I'd like to bring it on our trip to Chicago, but can't decide if that's like wearing the concert T-shirt to the concert.

P.S. Midwestern dog.

Chicago advice?

We couldn't afford a family vacation to Europe this year, so instead, we're going to Chicago next week! We wanted to go somewhere in the United States where we could explore, eat well and also swim in a lake or ocean. And after my friend visited Chicago and showed me these snapshots of her daughter wrapped in a beach towel walking among skyscrapers, we were sold.

So, I'd love to ask: Any Chicago advice? We'd love to do it right, but we're pretty clueless. So far, we're planning to eat deep-dish pizza and hot dogs, and I've heard great things about this architectural boat tour. Thank you so much for any tips!
P.S. Past family vacations, and 10 tips for traveling with a baby.

(Jumping photo from ChicagoGuide08, via Apartment Therapy)