I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. – Ephesians 4:1-3

I’m going back to memorizing scripture.  Scripture to me, surpasses any trendy saying or motto, even though some are very good, very short, and easily memorable, there’s something about Scripture that genuinely comforts my soul.  It’s God breathed.

There’s a lot going on in my world, getting settled back into our house (we’ve officially  moved back from Albuquerque where we’ve been living for the past four months yet I’ve tried to hide since I knew it wasn’t permanent), diving into my spring weddings, and also deciding where I want to take my business in the future.

Married life continues to be fun as Mr. Wonderful knows how to make me laugh, and in any midst of frustration, disappointment, or me about to turn into a monster, he brings me back and he makes me more Christ-like.  This is exactly what I need from the leader of our household.  He starts praying out loud before I even think that the issue needs prayer.  Emotions are fickle, and the older I get, the more I have refined my life – who I spend my time with, the items I allow into my home, and what I spend my time and money doing.

And while I’m absolutely loving “nesting” (no, not pregnant), planting new seeds, plotting the new garden and shooting in the beautiful sun, there are days you wouldn’t want to be me.  There will always be hard days, but it’s how you withstand them, where your foundation is that firms your ground and reassures you that you can weather the storm.  Being a Christian does not mean that you won’t have storms. And, what might be an issue today, will not be given another thought by next year.

I choose my attitude.  I know that I am responsible for my feelings of contentment.  I choose to be not only be satisfied with what I have, and what I do, but joyful.  I can only control myself and so, scripture reminds me of where I am to be grounded, and that, gives me peace and perspective.

I’m also memorizing scripture because I listened to a Mark Driscoll seminar while editing a wedding.  He spoke about women as homemakers and that children will know as much scripture and as much about the bible as the wife does.  She is, after all the one who is the caretaker.  No, no babies for 2-3 years at least, but my friend Angel‘s little one Oliva sure has me happy and anxious to have one that might look just like her (hopefully).

Renew your perspective on everything, and every one constantly.  I find that doing so makes me move forward, and has also allowed me forgive offenses quicker, and embrace what the future holds.  After all, it’s kinda like eating dinner.  You gotta make room for the good stuff.  You know, like dessert.

Diana Elizabeth has about 20+ blog post drafts.  She starts them, but at times forgets to finish them.  She needs to wrap them up and just post them!

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I was just putting away the dishes one night and I turned around to see this.  Sometimes, do you ever see a set up that makes you stop and think about how beautiful your life is?  Something that moves you to have a tremendous amount of gratitude?  Typically those things for me include anything that shows proof of life of the husband, a recently mowed backyard, receiving mail with my new last name, and glimpses of scripture or a glance at my bible to remind me that I am a child of God and my relationship I have with Him.

Whether it’s a messy pile of dishes because you just entertained friends, toys laying around on a floor because you have children, or even this, just a romantic gesture from Mr. Wonderful paired with a quiet night, take those moments in, bookmark them in your mind or even better, take a photo.

Diana Elizabeth’s Mr. Wonderful was recognized last week. He was quite shy when he realized people read his wife’s blog and that in return, meant he really is known as Mr. Wonderful.  He is now hesitant to tell new friends who his wife is just in case.  She’s pretty sure that deep down, he likes the attention.

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If you want to know how good of an online photography instructor I am, I’d like to show you what one of my students, Brenna Heater took of me this week.

We explored, we laughed, and she’s pretty darn good if I do say so myself.  She knows manual mode and how to look for light, I couldn’t be more proud!  It also helped that she’s a fellow FORD Model/Robert Black Agency sister so she had a great eye for good posing techniques.  Many times we have shown up at the same audition which is nothing but fun.  One day we’ll finally be in a commercial together.

And, because most of you might ask about the wardrobe, purple top and white cuffed shorts from Target, gold wedges by Jessica Simpson found unworn and new at Last Chance (I rarely have good luck there), necklaces from J.Crew.

Diana Elizabeth has two online workshops scheduled for summer – Marketing Momentum on how to build a photography business, and Wedding Crasher, a crash course on how to get into weddings!  A new domain has been purchased if you ever forget, www.dianaelizabethworkshops.com to see what’s on the calendar!  Hope to see you in class soon!

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I am aware this is a very real and serious disorder.  I know people who have this who swear that they just “love to organize,” yeah, to death.  However, I’m not making fun of them, but I am going to tell you that I am definitely not clinically OCD, but I am clean, organized and I enjoy any excuse to buy cute organizational crap.  I am not a hoarder. I am an organized hoarder.

Just kidding, I’m a crazy purger but I do like having every thing in its place.

Anyway, after replacing and organizing this weekend – it is definitely spring cleaning in my life, I have realized what the culprit was that started this insane nonsense.  It all started with a Martha Stewart magazine.  Go figure.

Here are some ways to make yourself OCD:

1. First, buy The Best of Martha Stewart Living – Organizing 2012 magazine at the grocery store to get ideas, then realize you need to organize every part of your house, so then you make a list of some of her suggested items she gave in the magazine and then,
2. Visit Staples and load up on all Martha Stewart Home Office accessories, including the Avery ElastiNote Tags for all of your cords, chalkboard labels and proceed to label every single one of your bins including the storage bins with the new labels,
3. Then visit the Container Store online’s site to buy 5 hooks to install behind closet doors to hang more bags, medicine cabinet organizers, magnet hooks for behind the medicine cabinet, and realize you need more organizing bins to organize your stuff and put more stickers on,
4. Which then leads you to examine your closet and want to go to Bed Bath and Beyond to buy chrome hangers for your skirts so they don’t touch the floor any longer,
5. Then you decide hey, why not organize the storage room more and buy more 4-shelf steel shelving units from The Home Depot,
6. Then you see random unmatched boxes so you decide to go to Staples and order not only the Velcro Brand Reusable Ties, Black & Gray 50/Pack and decide to “tie” every one of your cords around the home with them, but also buy four plastic hinged  file boxes with lids so you can stack them and put on those Martha Stewart chalkboard labels that were seen in the Martha Stewart Organizing magazine you bought.

Oh sure, it starts with $9.95 to get organized.

Diana Elizabeth says by the way, The Container Store is having their Spring Organization Sale until May 6.  Eeek!

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Which will come first, the chickens or the garden?  We’re not sure yet.

No, that’s not AutoCAD, it’s actually Illustrator.  Hey, I’m a graphic designer.  This is how you do it, 1 pixel = 1 inch.  Yep.

There’s a ton to do here as it’s bird chirping weather.  Speaking of birds, Mr. Wonderful and I saw the movie The Big Year which was pretty light hearted and brainless which is exactly what we wanted.  Back to the backyard.

1. We’re going to build a backyard grill.
2. Then we’re going to take out the entire east side of our backyard (last picture in the trio) that is divided by a cement path and make it a garden. I will have vegetables and a flower bed.  We already have an Asian pear tree on that side.
3. I want a worm farm.  But as Ricki pointed out, they might bake in the summer.  They probably in fact will.
4. I want to start a compost.  But I’m pretty sure I won’t take care of it.  But the idea sounds good.

This is all experimental, clearly.  Something happens when you get married. You suddenly become domestic.  I have always been so defiant about the matter.  For years I’ve had Martha Stewart’s Living magazine arrive and never looked at it.  Now, I’m reading it cover to cover.  I’m researching all over Martha Stewart’s site and asked my good friend, Caroline of Boho Farm and Home to teach me everything about gardening.  And well, cooking, that’s all on the back burner for now.  Get it?

Speaking of, this past Saturday Mr. Wonderful and I went to Caroline’s 2nd Annual Boho Farm and Home Farmers/Flea Market which was super crazy packed.  It’s wonderful to see how popular she has become in the city!  We picked up some rose petal jam made by Caroline herself, and some whole wheat garlic bread made by a local.  We love to support local!  I realized I wanted to take a photo of the jam after Mr. and I decided to devour it during out boxwood planting break, hence the low jam content.

Oh yeah, we have boxwoods in the front of our house now.  Our conversations while hole digging, grapefruit picking, and picking rocks out of the soil, went something like this:

“I wonder if worms have fear.”
“This outfit was not made for me to sweat in.”
“I don’t like all of these bugs on my plants.”
“The birds are eating my worms!”
“Watch, I’m going to make this look like a Japanese garden.” – Mr. Wonderful.

The first four are naturally from the horses mouth.

Diana Elizabeth loves visiting nurseries.  There are so many different types of plants and now she drives around looking at every one’s landscape for ideas.  Oleanders are next!

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This blog might turn into a home decor blog.  It might turn into a gardening/hostess/Martha Stewart wannabe blog.  At least that’s what it feels like right now.  Welcome to all the facets of my life!

I was inspired by this pin on pinterest of frames starting on the corner of a wall and spreading out on both sides.  We have this wall that is part of the kitchen/dining room/living room.  I wasn’t sure what to put on it but then I thought after collecting a few vintage frames, this would be perfect!

You can start this look in a corner that goes in and put a chair in the corner.  I love pinterest!  I’m on there if you want to look for me, I think I have a board for nearly every thing.  It’s like the online filing system of ideas for all areas of my life.

I love antique store shopping.  I sneeze up a storm in them with all the dust – I once was by a trunk of blankets and as soon as I leaned closer I let out a huge sneeze. Probably had cat hair all over it.

I love going to the real antique stores when old men come in looking for things that remind them of their childhood and hearing their banter.  Old men are absolutely charming with personality, I can’t explain why I love their sense of humor, but I feel like it’s refined with age to a clever sweetness.  Anyway, a real antique is 100 years or older, did you know that?  So 90% of things aren’t yet antique, but we’re getting there.

I found these lovely pieces all over the city, mainly near Camelback Road and 7th Ave.

• Antiques on Camelback
• Rust & Roses
• For the Love of Old

The pieces range from $6 to $85.  When it comes to picking things out for my home, I have to absolutely love it to the point where I don’t care how much it is, and I will forever think about it.  The bird frame was one of them.  There is no impulse buying at my age.  In my early twenties, I was unsure of my style and had a rigid budget so I did the IKEA thing and threw in a few Pottery Barn pieces.  I’ve gotten to the point that I like things that are unique and one of a kind, as well as quality if it has to do with hardware (so Anthro and Pottery Barn it is!).  That typically leads me to refurbished furniture or artwork that can’t be reproduced.  If you’re decorating your home, I want to encourage you to bring in things that make you feel comfortable and warm.  The investment is so worth the happiness you feel when you walk by and see it!

Diana Elizabeth is ready to rip out a huge chunk of her lawn in the backyard and make it a garden.  Flowers, veggies and all.  Oh, heat, stay away for three more months, will you? There’s just so much to do!

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One of the best things about my husband is that he never makes me feel dumb or embarrassed about anything.  If I say the wrong word that sounds like the word I wanted to use – which happens pretty often, or if I don’t know about the latest world issues, he simply let’s me be, doesn’t care, and still thinks the world of me.

Lack of correction only makes one feel more safe to be who they are, flaws and all.  And let’s face it – in life, often if you correct someone just for the sake of correcting, you are either, 1) a jerk, and/or 2) you just end up making the other person – most often your friend, feel stupid, and it serves no purpose other than to make you look like a correctional officer. (However, I am all for correcting someone if it’s detrimental for them to no longer use or pronounce the word like that for the rest of their life!  I kept saying the word “equine” incorrectly that my girlfriends who were horse riders had to tell me the right way so I didn’t make a fool out of myself!)

Anyway, Mr. Wonderful is so wonderful about being so incredibly nice and protecting myself from well, myself if that made any sense.

Case #1

“What is this?!” I screamed as I ran into the other room, my hair half done in a chignon bun.

The center of my head of hair rarely sees light so I came across an almost 4 inch long strand of white hair.

“It was just a string honey,” he says as I feel a yank from my skull. He always tries to make me feel better.
“Um, I felt that, pretty sure that was attached,” I said.
“I pulled another brown hair out with it, so it was probably a string,” he smiled.

Let’s be honest.  The fear isn’t getting white hair.  We all collectively as humans get to participate in getting white hairs, wrinkles, and saggy somethings.  The question that raises the fear is more along the lines of, how long have I been this way? That creates the ultimate shock response.  But now, I’m over it.  I’d much rather have white hair than deep crows feet.  I’ll probably get that next year for my birthday gift anyway.  Whatever, beauty is fleeting.

Case #2

“Do you want a score card?” asked the woman as she gave us our golf clubs.
“Yes!” I quickly said. I wanted to dominate a challenge.

First hole. Par 2. It took Mr. Wonderful 3 strokes. It took me 6.

“Let’s just play for fun babe,” he says after my ball finally made it in the cup.

I married a good, good man.

Diana Elizabeth and Mr. Wonderful agree that you don’t always have to play by the game rules.  Sometimes making up your own rules is way more fun.  Don’t be a game rule stickler.

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Not to brag or anything, but I really have a bomb handyman named Dennis Strahm of Lowan Handyman Services, LLC (602) 321-1367.  Which then leads to us having a bomb everything in the house including the laundry room, as I am going to share the first part of our house with you. Finally, you’re thinking.

Mr. Wonderful asked once we were married, “So what’s left with the house?  What’s left to be done?” and I asked for custom shelving and cabinetry in the laundry room, hopefully to be done before our backyard reception.  ”Ok, call Dennis,” he said.  Words I love to hear.

And so, after many Pinterest pins later (some of you asked what was going on with my crazy shoe rack pinning), I sent them all to Dennis, drew out some crappy sketch and then he used his noggin and made it come to life in a very real and functional way, creating this wonderfulness that is now our laundry room/mud room.  He even stained it a gray stain and put the imperfect wood on the outside to give me the rustic look I was going for.

Inside the cabinets on one side is shelving to hold the iron, laundry detergent, all the cleaning supplies my wonderful cleaning lady uses, and the other has several coat hooks for friends purses and my aprons for now. As for that cool shoe rack – I measured a few pair of shoes and we determined height for a bench and how many shoes we could hold, as well as a high heel area for my shoes, thank you Pinterest for all the cool ideas!   Yes, our 1952 brick home has flagstone flooring in the laundry room and kitchen while the rest of the house is maple hardwood.

Denis also built the tops of the washer and dryer and covered it in galvanized metal so we can fold clothes on top!  I even put my groceries up there when I come through the door.  The theme of our laundry room is transit – hence the area rug which is how it all began, then I found an old New York Transit map I had for years, and came across a train station style mirror and hook rack from Anthropologie.

Dennis knows my style, which is essential.  He’s built us tables for backyard entertaining, a mailbox drop box (we have an old mailbox slot), wood doorbell cover, a side table inspired by a Pinterest post, and frames for me out of old pallet wood.  I have my mother to thank for finding him on BBB online when I first bought the house this summer.  Since then he’s painted, repaired, and worked on the house to make it the way it is.  We love his company and he has become a very good friend – I like to joke we practically have him on payroll!  I’m happy to share him with you, but if he becomes too busy for our home projects, I’m going to be a little peeved.  But, a good talented man like him deserves to be busy!  I wholeheartedly believe in self employment and sharing other people’s skills with the world – Dennis is a problem solver and he’s meticulous when it comes to detail which is hard to find for a craftsman.  He does everything to perfection and he enjoys a challenge.  Mr. Wonderful says we are so lucky to have found him!

Hope you like our laundry room, I’m absolutely crazy about it!

Handyman and cabinetry craftsman:  Dennis Strahm of Lowan Handyman Services, LLC (602) 321-1367 / Rope handle, mirror with hooks, “S” hook and garden hat: Anthropologie (of course) / Subway rug: Pottery Barn / New York Subway Transit Map: Paper Source / Handwoven basket: IKEA / Black and white tin cans: The French Bee / Appliances: LG

Diana Elizabeth just needs to finish sewing curtains.  She hopes she has enough fabric that she ordered from Pottery Barn!  Or else she’ll have to start over with another fabric!

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Dear John Mayer,

I heard you were sick after my friend Lie Shia posted this article on my Facebook wall a few days ago.

1) I am sad that you are sick because this has caused you to…
2) Cancel your tour which I was so looking forward to which now means…
3) I cannot get a new I (heart) JM shirt because my current one really needs to be replaced because it has become raggedy…
4) I am also, still sad, that can’t tweet at you @johncmayer because you deleted your profile.

What am I going to do?   Now I am definitely dreaming with a broken heart.  I hope you get better soon.

Love, your #1 obsessed girlfriend fan,
Diana

P.S.  Can you maybe just bump up the latest release of your upcoming album?  May 22 seems awfully far away…

P.P.S. Oh yeah, and make sure you stay away from drugs.  If you have an Elvis death I am seriously going to be upset at you for like, ever.  And I am not kidding.

Diana Elizabeth may have to just buy a new John Mayer shirt online.  Inside her camera roller bag is a John Mayer sticker.  It’s the heartbreak hotel album sticker.  Yep.

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Yesterday was an errand running, ironing, leave the screen door open, and blaring Dixie Chicks type of day.  The birds are chirping, the smell of ripe citrus tree flows through my backyard, the herbs are greener than ever, and the flowers, oh the flowers are all at Trader Joe’s!

This makes me want to have my own flower beds, which will be made hopefully by this summer if not by fall to grow my own pretty flowers.  For now, I grabbed two bunches from the store and tried to not look at all the other lovelies that were on my way out.

Even though I’m totally allergic to pollen, I love flowers.  I put a bundle in the living room, on the kitchen island and a little surprise in the bathroom too.

Diana Elizabeth thinks she’ll get in the habit of always buying a bunch of flowers whenever she visits Trader Joe’s.

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