A Gift

I've been thinking a lot lately about my future travels, and Bali keeps coming to mind. While researching eco-retreats in Bali I came across Surf Goddess Retreats and instantly fell in love with the place. It would be an 8 day all inclusive retreat where I would learn surfing, practice yoga, have six hours (or more) worth of massages, a bike to get around on, and all in all a place to relax, rejuvenate, and explore Bali. The thing is though is that it costs almost $3,000.00 for the retreat, and airfare is another $2,000.00. So as soon as I have an extra $5,000.00 laying around you'll know where to find me! I'm hoping I'll be able to take this trip as my 30th birthday gift to myself. Here's a link to a video about what a day at the retreat is typically like.

Seeds

Yesterday (Monday) I was having kind of a lousy day, mainly due to being splashed/drenched head to toe by a passing car that hit a puddle of snow slush. So as I ambled up my stairs weary from the long day, my mood was instantly peaked when I noticed a brown box at my door. Not expecting any sort of mail (besides junk mail) I was ecstatic when I saw that the box had come from Seed Savers Exchange! I had written to them awhile back about possibly donating seeds to the school gardens I help out with. They ended up being able to donate to our gardens, and gave us 82 seed packets! Now I have thoughts of garden designs, compost, seedlings, veggies, and summer filling my mind. I am very excited to start planting, but am saddened at the same time because I won't be able to see the plants grow and be harvested. Anyways, photos of the precious seeds are bound to appear on my humble blog in the spring. And just to ease my thoughts of vegetable gardens, here's a photo from Sustainable Settings (near Carbondale, CO) that I spent a few weeks at this past summer.

Kitchen + Fireplace

I recently came across a post on Desire to Inspire about kitchens with fireplaces. I'm not exactly sure what the purpose of having a fireplace in the kitchen would be, seems like it would make the room even more hot then normal when cooking. Nonetheless, I like the look of the added fireplace.

My personal favorite! (the one above)

Winter Picnic

Came across this today on Design Sponge, and I have to say that I really love the idea of a winter picnic. Check out the Design Sponge website for all of the photos, but here are my favorites:

Scandinavian Love

Let me just put it out there that I think the Scandinavian's have design down. I have yet to see an image of a Scandinavian house interior that I didn't fall in love with. Hopefully my future house will be even a fourth as amazing as these houses. So, here are a few of my favorites!
(Click on the photo for source)

The mix of farm house and industrial is fabulous.

Lovin' the Kachelöfen in the corner there. Actually, I just really love all Kachelöfens.

I definitely need to remember to make a coat rack from a branch . . .


Ok, I think I figured it out, why I love this type of interior. It's simple, it's clean, it's bright, and it's functional.

One more before I leave. It's not a Scandinavian home, but it is one that I really love. You can find more photos of this house and garden on The Selby website. But here's a few of my favorite images of this home.

Skiing

The other day a few of my friends and myself went cross country skiing just south of town. It was my first time doing any sort of skiing, and I genuinely enjoyed myself. It was a beautiful winter morning and being outside sure beat sitting around inside! I think next weekend I may have to rent some snowshoes and try that out, and I will definitely be going cross country skiing again this winter. Here's a few photos from our excursion:

Sarah and I on the trail.

The trail followed Salt Creek, and we came across turkeys and a few deer at one point that were down by the creek.

Fur

Alright folks, just a quick post for today. I realize it's been a few days, but I'll blame the fact that I started back up with classes, not the fact that it's just laziness . . . Lately my mind has been on having a pet. A dog, to be specific. At one point I had planned on adopting a dog as a graduation gift to myself, but now I'm beginning to think that will have to be put on hold. In any case, here are a few pups that Free People has blogged about that I absolutely adore.

It's Toby! I love this guy! And his saddle too . . .

Toby and Grizzly Bear (cute name for a little dog).

I've also always loved rabbits, he's so cute!

Have a lovely weekend! Ps. Click on the photos for their sources.

Snowy Day 2

Well, it's officially a snow day. Classes were canceled as of yesterday afternoon, but I had planned on working today. Such was not my luck. My car is great in the summer, but in winter it's a different story. The poor thing has an engine about the size of, oh, a lawnmower and can barely get around in heavy snow. So this morning, with high hopes, I ventured outside to un-bury the thing to go to work. I made it all of six inches before it got stuck. So I called in to let work know I won't be going anywhere until my street is plowed, which probably won't be until tonight since it's still snowing. So my plan for the day is doing some homework for my online course, Women of the Great Plains, and do some cleaning.

That's my car looking all pathetic in the snow.

Views from my back porch of the snow. Also, UNL just announced that tomorrow's classes are canceled as well. I really hope that I'll be able to move my car by tomorrow! Well, you'll probably be hearing from me later today.

Snowy Day 1

Lucky you (whoever 'you' are)! Two posts in one day! It's still snowing outside so I've been stuck in my humble abode by myself today. To pass the time I've been watching old episodes of The Office and catching up on my favorite blogs, as well as discovering a few new ones. My new favorite is Design Sponge. Thanks to this blog I now have an even longer list of crafty things I want to do . . . I'm really loving the chalk globe, and will have to remember this/acquire a globe.

Speaking of globes/maps, here's another one that Free People posted on their blog that I absolutely love. I think I may have to make a map like this for my future road trips (ahem, this summer . . .).

I actually have a map of the US that came from a set of vintage National Geographic maps (circa the 1970s) that I found in a thrift store in Carbondale, CO this summer. It's a pretty cool set of maps, and I was ecstatic to have found it. I've hung up the map of the entire US (the set has a map of each state as well) and marked where I've traveled to on it. It's a constant reminder that I need to travel more!

(Sorry about the poor quality of the photo, my hall doesn't have the best of lighting and the flash makes it look weird.)

Seattle

To welcome in the new year I flew to Seattle, Washington to be with my boyfriend and to enjoy my semester break. I was expecting Seattle to be a dark gray place with bustling crowds of people. But I was pleasantly surprised that the sun shined most of the days and that the crowds of people weren't too overwhelming.

One of my favorite places that I visited wasn't the downtown area, but Alki Beach. I was amazed at how much drift wood there was (and about all the possible crafts I could use it for).


For my birthday we went on the Bill Speidel's Underground Tour of Seattle in Pioneer Square. I'm kind of a dork when it comes to these kind of tours and really enjoyed learning about what all happened in the underground. Though if I were to go on it again I would have done the 21+ tour (cocktails are included!) that goes more in depth about the 'seamstresses'. One really cool thing about the underground sidewalks is that the sidewalks above often have glass tiles to let light into the underground.

Most of my time in Seattle was spent walking around Pike's Place Market and the downtown area. I enjoyed shopping at Lush, All Saints, and Free People, as well as eating my way through the market. Here are a few of my favorite shots from my wanderings.

The gum wall near Pike's Place Market.

A giant squid I came across in an atrium. One of my favorite things to do when in a new city is to buy a cup of tea and maybe some sort of croissant and just meander the streets. The day I cam across this guy I had spent most of the day walking down interesting alleys, popping into spice stores, and munching on street food.

Ok, so obviously there isn't a 270 foot waterfall in Seattle, but there is one just a few hours drive away. We went to visit a farm near Carnation, WA and came across Snoqualmie Falls on our way back. It was gorgeous there - the air was crisp, the sun was out, and a rainbow appeared.


If I had the money to I would definitely want to stay a few nights in the lodge/spa that sits near the top of the falls. I believe that each suite has a fireplace and a hot tub, plus an awesome view.

Anyways, I'm now back in Lincoln watching snow fall and enjoying the fact that classes were canceled for tomorrow. Seattle was an amazing city and I am looking forward to future strolls downtown and being able to explore more of the city this summer. Oh, did I forget to mention that I was offered and I accepted an internship at the farm I visited near Carnation? Yes, that's right I will be working and living at a small organic farm (Growing Things Farm) for the summer/early fall this year. But more on that later . . .

A New Year

It might be a cliche to see the beginning of a new year as the starting point of doing something, but what the heck. For no profound reason I've decided to start blogging this year. Why now? I could give you a list of all the changes that are bound to occur this year (graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, accepting an internship on a small organic farm, moving across the country, and so on), but those things are yet to even happen. I think deep down the decision to start a blog has something to do with the few blogs that I follow. I've been reading a few blogs for awhile now and am often inspired by what I've read and the photos I've seen. So there it is, I'm taking a chance and imitating what inspires me, and sharing a few stories from my life along the way.

Ok, so why 'Tilth'? Again, there's no real profound reason behind this word. I like the way it sounds and the imagery it conjures up. Tilth is cultivated land that makes the soil suitable for crop growth, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. But tilth to me also means of the earth and growth, and in turn life.

So there you have it, the beginning of this blog, of this story.