Wednesday, October 24, 2007

I'm Lovin' It...

No, not McDonalds, but I've recently been surrounded with things I love, and thought I'd share that with ya'll.
-Heroes, Season One. SO.OBSESSED.WITH.THIS.SHOW. It confuses me, it annoys me, it scares the crap out of me, it baffles me, AND I CAN'T STOP WATCHING IT! It's so stinkin' good.
-Boba. Britt and I have a weekly date at our Boba House, and it's most certainly one of my fav parts of the week.
-Pumkin Butter. Good ole' Trader Joe's.
-Sewing. I was on a knitting kick for awhile, but this season is surrounded by sewing. It's in my blood, and I love it.
-Thrifting. Jon and I have been on a role hittin' up the thrift stores and garage sales, and we've been finding some awesome stuff. Good vintage finds + small amount of money= Happy Morgan
-Fall. Joy.
I hope you all are surrounded by things you love as well!
Edited to add: Gopher Glen Apple Farm. I can't believe I forget this! Their apples are amazing, and the cider, transcendental.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Hip hip, hooray!

On Saturday, Jon got a letter letting him know that he has now passed ALL 9 written exams for his state Architecure License, and only has the oral to go. Yeah! So it looks like he'll be taking the oral exam in March or May of next year. It's super hard, but he's done so great at all the rest. Good job, baby, I'm proud of you! Oh, and thanks to Ruth and Eric, who let us crash at their place before and after almost everyone of those tests!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Peace in the Middle East

WARNING: This is a really political, opinionated, controversial post. But it's really important to me, so please do read it, even if it's not your cup of tea. Thanks guys.

Those of you that know me, know that I'm more wrapped up in the Middle East than the average person walking down the street. So I've been really disheartened by everything that's been happening over there lately, especially in regards to Turkey.

Turkey was founded in 1923 by every Turks hero, Mustafa 'Ataturk' Kemal. Before that, it was the Ottoman Empire, which in it's hey-day stretched through Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, Iraq, Iran, even all the way to Ethiopia. The Ottoman Empire was slowing dying out even before Ataturk came in, paving the way for a new secular state, and boy oh boy did they go out with a bang. There was a huge massacre, a genocide in fact, of Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. It seems that as they realized they were dying out, maybe they thought, "Hey, lets take as many of our enemies with us as we can." Maybe I'm wrong.

Last week, the new vote that was going to the House was on whether or not to label Turkey as a 'Genocide Nation'. Apparently, we've been getting some pressure from the Armenian Americans to recognize the horrible atrocities committed almost 100 years ago. And I don't necessarily blame them, it was horrible. But really, Genocide Nation? What's the point? Turkey is an ally, and a strong one at that. We have many military bases there, and they've been a big help in the War on Terror. So why go and label them a Genocide Nation now? We don't seem to be making friends as fast as we're making enemies, so I think we need to keep the ones we've got (and working on making friends with the enemy wouldn't hurt either...). Do we consider Germany a Genocide Nation. Because they were (I'm mainly German, so don't think I'm getting racist. I'm just trying to establish a point.) What about Burma? Sudan? What about ourselves? Ever heard of these people, they're called the Native Americans? Oh, you haven't? Right, that's because we killed them all. I don't see anyone trying to label us a Genocide Nation. Maybe I should start the letter signing?

Turkey is now, understandably, upset. They probably feel a bit betrayed by us, and are wondering what we're trying to prove. For those of you that don't know this, Turks (this is a generalization, but a true one...I swear, this post is going to get me in trouble, I'm being way too bold) hate the Kurds, probably more than they hate the Greeks, and that's saying something. Currently in Northern Iraq there is a Kurdish state that is living in relative peace. It's the only area in Iraq right now that isn't consumed with war. It's pretty exciting actually. The Kurds have been attempting to form a nation of their own for over 80 years and keep getting, well, screwed over by lots of countries, us included. And now, they pretty much have one. But, not for long. Now that we've gotten Turkey on our bad side, they don't feel a need to appease us. So, they're planning to go into N. Iraq and attack the Kurdish "rebel" basis (whether they are rebel or not, I'll never know. The news is never going to give me the full story.) Hello, why cause more war in the one are in Iraq that's doing good. Bah!

Do you see how bad this is? I'm just so frustrated that this stupid phrase is causing all these problems. I mean, honestly, we should be mad at the Ottoman Empire, not Turkey. Do we have Italy labeled as a Genocide Nation, because Ancient Rome was pretty bad. Every country has so many horrors and mistakes in it's past, why bring them up and cause more horrors now? So, here are my wishes:

1. World Peace (Stop laughing)
2. Turks to not attack the Kurds. (pretty please?)
3. The House to vote against labeling Turkey as a Genocide Nation.
4. For us to actually do something about the genocides that are taking place in regions like Burma and Darfur, RIGHT NOW.
5. For the peace of God, which transcends all understanding to take hold of us Christians so we can rock the world. Jesus said he gave us His peace, not the "peace" of the world, but actual, true peace. We need to claim that peace and use it to make a difference in this world.

I know this is a very bold post, so thanks for reading it. World history is happening right now, and we can either sit back and let happen what will happen, or we can make a difference. Find an issue you care about, and write your representatives. Go to http://www.house.gov/Welcome.shtml to find your Rep! We can change the world!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Beautiful


Hope your day is filled with love, health, color and freshness!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

It's About Time!

I originally started this blog to be a showcase of crafty things I do, but that hasn't happened yet. However, I am proud to now show you some items I recently finished, and am super excited about! Without further ado, crafty fun...

A way fun shirt! It's this old cord my mom bought forever ago, and I love it. It's this beautiful Moroccan Mud color, and that's perfect for fall. It's great to rock with a long sleeve shirt underneath. It's Simplicity Pattern #3887. It's supposed to be gathered, not pleated, but I don't know how to gather. It's on the list of things to learn from my mom, soon.

And in other craft areas I am pleased to present...socks!


This is the first pair of socks I knit, and they were a blast! I got the design from Knitty and they were pretty self-explanitory. They're a seed stitch rib, but the stitch definition's not great with this yarn, which is just a simple acrylic. But they're super soft, fit well, and are made with love. Good enough for me. And for Jon.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

The first day

Today is the first, official day of fall in the life of Morgan, 2007. I woke up to a bright blue sky with lots of clouds, and lovely, crisp air! I put on a long skirt and sweater, and still being cold (here that? STILL being cold!) I put on a pair of (lepord skin) tights and headed out the door.

It was the perfect day for a warm drink, so I headed to Starbucks. Actually, 3 Starbucks to be exact. The first one had a long line, so I headed to the next one, which had a REALLY long line. Luckily, the 3rd Starbucks was not crowded, and I quickly got my decaf, organic milk Cinammon Dolce Latte (yeah, I'm complicated, so what?) AND my free download for the day. Have you heard about this? It's pretty sweet.

I also just found this amazing little farmer's market type deal that happens in town on Thursdays where they have beautiful produce and flowers, and it's all really cheap. How is that for a wonderful fall day?!?!

So as we move into the season of pumpkins, warm socks, grey skies and crisp rain, apples and cozy blankets and homemade desserts galore, I wish you love!

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Ponchos are cool (or maybe I'm not).

Jon and I are having a garage sell soon, so we've been going through random boxes full of junk, old school papers, family heirlooms, and photos. It's actually been quite fun. I came upon a huge box full of old fabric that my mom had given me. Man oh man, that was fun, there was so much neat stuff in there, including these really vintage Vogue Patterns. But one of the things in there was this hand-crocheted poncho that is immaculate. Really, it's amazing. It's perfect, without one mistake, and done with such loving care. It has these beautiful pewter antique buttons, and is this lovely stormy blue color. I think my Aunt Jane made it, and I'm so glad if found it's way into my possession. I've been wearing it around the house, and luckily I have an understanding husband that doesn't make fun of me (to my face) about it. When I'm not wearing it, it's acting as a blanket on our armchair. And I really like it. I probably won't wear it out, but if you come over, you can bet some money I'm in it. Wouldn't you be???