Smells Good in Here

Ugghrhahalkdfaljgakhhgaeeeeeeergh, Bloggggggggging. 

Anyone else feel like this lately? {or every other month, or week, or day of the week}

Imagine the average kitchen stove, except this one has about 29 burners. All with various pots simmering, bubbling, overflowing, and scorching. 

Hi. I am that stove.

No, not one of those sleek, shiny, and fancy stainless steel ones. 

Think olive green, 1970s, spattered with marinara sauce. 

I'm a mess. Albeit, a cute mess.  

Stove Bon Bon Deluxe and her 29 burners of husband-son-family-friends-superfluous cookware set off the fire alarm quite often these days. 

Beeping through the smoky haze with a "Hey you, burners #1 (God Stuff) and #2 (Bon Bon Stuff) are turned down real low. Crank those babies up! 

Just don't forget the macaroni on high and light your oven mitt on fire again."

And that's what it boils down to. 

Contentment. Balance. Priorities. Sacredness. Fulfillment. Eternal. Joy. Life. 

Those are the dishes I want to serve best. 

However, the recipes are always a work in progress.

{Daniel and Josiah, the most faithful of taste testers} 

Thankful every day that Grace is the spice in my life. 

Yum.

...

The past few days, I have eaten waaaaaaay to much banana pudding, solved the cold case of the missing Thomas the train, listened to the rain fall while reading a gloomy novel, purchased a meal for a homeless/hopeful man, and, just "was." In those moments, it was taste and see, everything is good. 

What are you guys cooking? 

xoxo

{Bon Bon}

I Don't Like to Match

Underneath it all, if you get right down to the nitty gritty inner magma encrusted core of who I am, there you'll find that of an old soul. An old nerdy soul. 

Not quite on the Magic: The Gathering level of nerdery. Yet. 
With my past RuneScape account, my present devotion to "A Song of Ice and Fire," and my future LARPing ambitions, well, "yet" is teetering dangerously close. 

Don't be fooled by anything you ever see on this blog or instagram or any other social life facade. 

I used to read the Encyclopedia. For FUN! 

And I also have had ridiculous cartoon crushes on both Captain Planet and Archie Andrews.

You guys, "cool" is not my middle name. 
{It's "Anne." With an "E!"}*

And that's why the window-seat reading nook is one of my favorite spots in our house. 

...

Hopefully we can still be friends?! 
Also, what's the nerdiest thing about you?




FOLLOW ME ON: BLOGLOVIN/INSTAGRAM/TWITTER

xoxo

{Bon Bon}


*P.S. The "Anne of Green Gables" series is one of my all-time favorite things this world has to offer, but have you ever read the "Emily of New Moon" series by the same author, (L.M Montgomery)? They are waaaaaaay darker, more real and less feel-good fluffy and for some reason, I love them over ol' Anne. That must be the dramatic tortured soul in me talking. My favorite book in the 4th grade was "Dear Mr. Henshaw." So deep. 

Renaissance Woman

{the she & him finished products of a watercolor morning with the Bean}

Someday in the future, hopefully in the far far eighty plus years far away future, my iPad tombstone will read..."Herein lies Bon Bon. She had enviable wavy textured hair and the gift of dabble."

{and a morbid sense of humor} 


Music. Art. Writing. Cooking. Dreaming. Mixology. Decorating. Styling. Athletics. Linguistics. Speed Reading. Sewing. Paper Mache Puppetry. Creating. Doing numerous Its by Yourself. 
Basically, everything from Butcher to Baker to Candlestick Maker and beyond.

{The term "butcher" is loosely being used here, due to an unfortunate incident involving a suicidal deer on HWY 212 back in the summer of 2010}


My real hobby is collecting hobbies.
Which is a cutesy roundabout way of saying: I like to quit things.

Once something gets too mundane or easy or boring or unnatural or hard or frustrating, I huff and puff my way off the mountain. {My last ski lesson was in 2001)


So, in honor of now being one of the Bean's "practice what you preach" role-models, and in homage to my collection of Giga Pets in the 4th grade that I starved off because they kept beeping me awake during the night, I am committing myself to a Renaissance Year! A year of trying, re-trying, and most importantly, finishing whatever I start.
{I'm specifically talking to the four books on my nightstand, a ukulele I ordered from Amazon, two baskets of clothes waiting to be folded since last last laaaast Friday, and season 3 of Downton Abbey). 


No more sulking by the ski lodge fireplaces of life for me! 

I'm going to open that unused bag of jewelry making supplies, dust off the out of tune banjo, sew something more substantial than a pillowcase, and re-watch "The Joy of Painting" episodes.



Maybe, first, I'll learn how to roast coffee beans. 
I'm gonna need it. 




I would also like to point out that the Bean beeped me awake for nine months straight and he's still here in one piece, so obviously progress has already been made. 

Keeping a plant alive is another story. 



xoxo

{Bon Bon}

FOLLOW ME ON: BLOGLOVIN//INSTAGRAM//TWITTER 

Penmanship Art

I've seen this handwriting post thing floating around. (I think it was last week or so?) I'm pretty sure it's a real thing and I didn't imagine it up in my Nyquil-induced coma. You answer a few questions, write it down on paper, bada-bing-bada-boom, you're golden.

The Questions

1. What's your name/blogger name?

2. What's your blog's URL?

3. Write "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."

4. Favorite quote?

5. Your favorite song?

6. Your favorite band/singers?

7. Anything else you want to say?

The Answers

I'm a nerd, so, of course I tried to analyze my handwriting. Here's what I came up with via the wisdom of the almighty Google.

*I'm right-handed but my writing slants to the left, (thus I used lined paper for aesthetics sake)= I'm a rebel

*I have larger writing = I have a big personality

*My "l" and "e" loops change, so I'm not sure if I'm an open or closed person. I'm both? = I'm crazy and change my mind often

*Printed "s"= I'm versatile

*Cursive "s" is pointy = I love learning new things.

Hmmm.

true story

Happy March 1st to you! Write someone a little love letter today!

xoxo

{Bon Bon}

a little bit of bon bon

1. I am half-Korean and half-German. In the summer I look Hawaiian. In Hawaii they thought I was local. In Africa they thought I was Spanish. It's a funny world.

2. I am 5'10." I usually wear flats. Sometimes I feel like being a pretend supermodel and I will strap on some heels. Then I tower above everyone and miss my normal life a little lower to the ground.

3. I did model. Back in the day. I was scouted at the mall by Mode Models, when I was 14, pigging out in the Candy Factory. Life is funny.

4. My favorite color is, and will always be, green. I remember picking it one day in the 1st grade, just to be different from all the girls choosing pink and purple. I've been loyal ever since.

5. I broke my pinkie in the 3rd grade while playing leap frog. I'm hardcore like that.

6. My best friend Emily and I have a complete book full of our inside jokes. The Mr. Thomnas and Luigi Jokebook. Our husbands were speechless when we introduced it to them.

7. Daniel and I met on a social outing that our fraternity/sorority houses had planned. Star-gazing trip. He drove. We talked. He sang a Josh Groban song in Spanish. The rest is history.

8. If you wake me up from a nap, I will be grumpy. This happens almost every Sunday afternoon during football season. Daniel gets a kick out of it.

9. My hair is naturally wavy and super thick. I once donated to locks of love, and I'm pretty sure 3 different people could have full heads of hair because of me! Thankfully, I won an amazingly expensive flat iron at a salon party, and my hair has finally been tamed.

10. I have been cooking since I was eleven years old. The first thing I ever made were egg and cheese breakfast burritos, recipe via my dad.

11. I am, and will always be, a daddy's girl. We have a special handshake and he calls me "sweetpea" and "his favorite little girl in the whole wide world."

12. A few years ago, I didn't wear any makeup for 3 months. It was glorious. One of the best true beauty lessons I've ever learned.

13. I am a Christian. Love God and love people. Far from perfect. Broken and been restored. I believe I live a life for something that transcends comprehension, overrules time, and forfeits never.

14. Someday I want to be somewhere in the world working with kids that are hurting and desperate for love. I got a taste of that when I lived in Rwanda.

15. A homeless man once told me, "Tyra Banks ain't got nothin' on you girl!"

16. In high school, my driver's ed. partner asked which pedal was for the gas and which was for the brake on the 1st night. Those nights were long. The freeway night especially. She didn't pass.

17. In college I played on a co-ed intramural volleyball team. We called ourselves "Notorious D.I.G."

18. Daniel and I call each other, "Peep." For 4 years now. Neither one of us can remember where it came from!

19. I put Cheetos in my PB&J and I dip my grilled cheese in ketchup. People say that's strange?

20. My earliest memory in life: When I was barely 3. I saw part of "The Little Mermaid" playing on the tv screen at Target while my mom was shopping. I couldn't sleep that night, afraid Ursula was going to steal my voice. So, the whole family bundled up and went to Costco in search for a Little Mermaid nightlight. I've had an over-active imagination ever since.

Well, there you have it. A tiny peek into who I am. Life is funny. I'm learning to live it fully and intentionally. There is magic even in the mundane.

Hope your Wednesday is lovely and lively!

P.S. Hi new friends! Can't wait to get to know you better.

xoxo

{Bon Bon}

22 Things To Do Before 23

March 19th. I turn. 23. Years. old. Ok, first of all, let's change the "old" to "young." That is a true statement and I'm sticking to it. 23 years young. Getting married this year and slowly becoming an adult, (in some aspects...in others, I'm still comparable to a 14 year old, more on that later), I realize how much of the world I have yet to see and how many experiences I have yet to live. My feet still have a lot of earth to cover, if you know what I mean. Especially before...dun dun dun...kids! I might just have to strap them on my back like they do in Africa, and keep galavanting along. In honor of marriage, new adventures, and the likes, I have decided to venture on a "bucket" list of sorts each year to accomplish before my next year of ME a.k.a. my birthday...hmmmm...what to call it since I'm not literally "kicking the bucket." I guess the "Cake" list: fits within the theme of things and ironically, it shouldn't be a "piece of cake" to accomplish. Oh I am full of clichés. This year my Cake List leaves me only about 120 days or so, (correct me if I'm wrong in my calculations: math is not my gifting, a fact I am reminded of daily while living with my engineer-genuius hubby, and pretty much daily living in general), meaning, I need to get on it! Here goes.

In no particular order:

1. Surprisingly simple DIY tote project found here

2. Go to this concert in January

3. Read one new book a month: Maybe start with this one?

4. Support a child through World Vision or Compassion International or both...too many little faces to love

5. Finish decorating/furnishing apartment

6. Conquer all things post-wedding related: wedding pictures, thank you cards, etc.

7. Trip to Seattle

8. Make sushi

9. Write letters to closest friends and family

10. Have a spa day

11. Cook a turkey

12. Watch "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" (just because).

13. Begin learning a new language

14. Go wine tasting

15. Make feather earrings

16. One day of using candlelight only: a small experiment after watching "No Impact Man"

17. Build a successful fire in our fireplace: successful meaning it is indeed a fire and doesn't smoke us out or burn down our apartment. minor details.

18. Cook a Rwandese meal: cabbage over rice with chips, beans, and a tiny bite of goat meat. amazing.

19. Decide on a church/get involved

20. Have a fondue party

21. Read more about politics

22. Figure out some more life

OK. so that last one is a bit general and a work in progress but everything else is seemingly doable in the next few months.

Piece of Cake! right? right? Right! Positive thoughts!

What's on your "Cake List?"

xoxo

The Most Current Version of Myself

Name: Bonnie Anne

Nickname(s): Bon Bon, Peep, WIFE

Age: 22

Current Occupation: Housewife circa 1950s. I make a mean meatloaf, not gonna lie. Cook-Clean-Shop. All that's missing is the kids, (but I'm babysitting other people's children...so, makes up for my lack thereof).

Near Future Reality: Finding a job and figuring out this adventure of life with my husband. daily.

Dreams As of This Moment: Weekend trip(s) to Vegas and Seattle. Week-ish trips to New York and Kona. Adopting a puppy like this fluff-ball of love

from Family Dogs New Life Shelter. just a few little things.

Highly Improbable Dream: When I take my aforementioned trip to New York, and after I've successfully hailed my cab merely by stepping onto the sidewalk like in the movies, I will enter the car to be greeted by Ben Bailey, music, and flashing lights. Cash Cab. And yes, I would throw down. Go double or nothing.

Current Music Obsession: Christmas. my guilty confession. I had a moment of weakness on Pandora the other day. Definitely music. cheating on November right now.

Recent Movie: Theater: Megamind (verdict: cute) and Netflix: Our Lips are Sealed via Mary Kate and Ashley Olson (verdict: my 9 year old cousin spent the night). We are waiting for "Crash" to arrive in the mail. Worth the watch?

Current Life Philosophy: Life is too short to tiptoe around, being careful not to step on too many toes along the way. I've found that I'm more of a stomping/splashing/squishing person. (translation for those of you who don't speak "bonnie": There is beauty and joy found once you are honest and vulnerable in the world and with the world).

oh happy day to you

xoxo