thursday's ramblings....

thursday catch-up day

hey friends!

☮I hope you enjoyed that awkward vlog I did.  But I'm a product of 1987 and so I've got to rock my status as a 'Millennial' - and I actually had a fun time doing it & I've only gotten positive feedback about it so far.  I guess it is safe to say - EXPECT MORE! haha
for this post, you can just check out my smudged eye liner by gettin' this awkward pic instead ;)

have I scared you away yet?

 ☮ I've been opening up my Bible and reading from Proverbs, Psalm, and Romans a lot lately.  I definitely have my handful of favorite chapters... but it is so comforting to know that the ENTIRE BOOK holds so much truth & comfort.  I like that I've been reading from Psalm lately because it makes me feel like SINGING and being full of joy!

EVERYTHING IN THIS BOOK MAKES ME SMILE

  ☮ Today Mom and I took a "field trip" to  Sam's - which I still get lost in and is NOT one of my favorite places (it's right up there with Wal-Mart for me!)...  But I got to buy myself some presents so I left as a 

HAPPY(ier) CAMPER. 

these will come in handy tomorrow on Momma & I's trek BACK to Bamaland!!! (yes... we are going AGAIN) & (yes... we just were there last week)

one of my very best friends is having a BABY and we are going

to her baby shower that a few friends and I planned for her!

(MORE ON THAT LATER... duh!)

I also bought this bad boy book at the discount book table at Sam's.  It was like an angel was looking out for me and placed it there for me to see.  I HATE going to the gym... but I LOVE working out.  Dad has been on to me since I have been living back at home about going to the gym.  "Big Butch" is a gym buff but I've still got that little cross-country runner spirit in me and would rather do something outside... or by the looks of this book - it says it can be done anywhere, just not the gym.  Hey, hey - how 'bout it!

 and don't forget the keywords: FOR FREE

 ☮ We also browsed a little thrift store that benefits Habitat For Humanity and I found a nifty book, Seabird... it has a pretty turquoise/teal color (my obsession) that caught my eye, but the book is actually a pretty cool little VINTAGE find, I must say... and those are always fun!

I love that the copywright date is 1948!

I'm a book-worm, whether it be children's books or novels... and my FAVORITE PART of every single book is the author's dedication.

NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF WRITER YOU ARE, THERE IS A STORY AND AN INSPIRATION BEHIND EVERY SINGLE THING EVER WRITTEN.

I firmly believe that.

 the illustrations are awesome

and it'll stay right here until

I start and finish my room redecorating and I can find a more permanent place for it. Or, maybe it'll just stay where it is!

Anywho, I really like it! :)

Seabird 

written and illustrated by

Holling Clancy Holling

 ☮ I think it is hilarious that I have seen more of "these" God-awful stickers showing up around town.  Can you say band-waggoners?  I absolutely can NOT stand that Auburn is in the National Championship game this year... I'm sorry - I definitely developed a deep hatred by being a BAMA GIRL and part of that storied Iron Bowl rivalry.  Ugh.  I bet right underneath that sticker was a Gator one from whenever they were on top.  THAT'S ONE THING ABOUT ME: I'm faithful to the Crimson Tide and I will ALWAYS be a Tar Heel. 

 ☮ I love how I requested Hot Tamales to be in one of the candy/snack jars at our house -

and look - what a typical "Southern Mom" 

Such a precious and fitting little touch!

and, umm, sooo yummy too!

the little somethings like this just make my day

 ☮ Oh yeah, while I was OUT and ABOUT today running errands, shopping, playing frisbee with Mildred-Jean, doing my quiet time/devotion outside on my peaceful lanai/porch, and picking up Daddy at the the airport, I was rockin' these new greenie sneakers - they are the same ones that I showed you yesterday.  The ones I got from URBANOUTFITTERS. I must say, I love them as much on feet as I did hanging on the rack.  I mean, I'm not calling myself Rachel Zoe or anything but I am one to invent my own style and love it... and I DO very much love my tic-tac colored tennis shoes!! ;) No offense to all my fashion-lovin' sistas out there (who probably think they are heinous... I know y'all are out there sexifying it up and raising some beauty standards - for sure, but it's my crazy shit that I really prefer to wear and what is comfortable to me, and what is me/my kind of different,

and, most importantly,

what I can afford. $$$$

Can I get an Amen from

you bargain-huntin' divas like me?  

Well there was some random ramblings from me for Thursday.  I'm excited about all my new followers! I'll try my best to blog it up, as much as possible, from my weekend in The Heart of Dixie but I can't promise anything because it is going to be a fun weekend full of reunions with my BEST FRIENDS, a baby shower and that's just a new experience for this group of friends (so I'll be sure to take lots of pics!), and it'll definitely be a time of growing up into women and realizing we really are no longer the party-hardy college gals.  This should be exciting for us all and, of course, it will be something I will ALWAYS remember! I can't wait to see these girls!!!

(And my Sissy again! 2 weekends in a row!)

I hope everyone has a FANTASTIC weekend!

what do YOU had planned??? 

 peace and love

baily jones

My first VLOG!

Well, I made a

"get to know ya" video...

Since I am meeting SO MANY wonderful friends in the blogosphere, I thought I ought to use my new bLoGgiE camera and introduce myself.

I already posted a video of Millie HERE from when we first got the bLoGgiE. 

Anyways, since so many other blog chicks out there have inspired me to go ahead and step in to the "vlogging" world, I figured 'WHY NOT?'

It's always fun to try new things. 

I hope you enjoy meeting me...

It's okay to laugh at me - I've learned to 

laugh at myself 

quite well. I think that is an important thing we must do in order to get by in this 

CRAZY WORLD!

- let me know what you think - 

- leave me a link to your VLOG if ya have one! -

- And don't forget to find a reason to laugh...

so seriosuly, watch that video! haha -

peace and love

baily

the very amateur vlogger

WILW

I'm definitely loving a lot about this new year already.  I love the people that are a part of my days on the reg; but I REALLY miss the ones that I wish I could see more than I do!!! I'm glad that there's sort of a blank slate before me, with this new calendar, and I am VERY eager to learn and DISCOVER what all I am going to DO, SEE, and LEARN.

Just hoping the lessons musn't be learned as BRUTALLY as they were last year... but that's God's decision not mine.  What is up to me is to keep a loving attitude, and continue creating myself with all the things that God's love blesses me with. 

The world is my canvas, right?

What I'm Loving Wednesday is just in time... since I've been listening to The Beatles a lot lately and have love on my mind.

*I'm loving my relationship that I have with this amazing woman right here...

photo by me / edited by me on picnik.com

I've definitely had a great time living back at home with Momma.  She is SO awesome and I'm so glad and thankful that she is as supportive of me as she is. Even though we both share the same wish that my life would have played out a little bit (or a lot of bit) differently, she is still very good to me and always about reminding me that it is never too late to reinvent myself, or regain my strength, and swtich my DiReCtiOn - whenever and wherever that may be.  I'm so lucky that I have a mother who is also my best friend, my main source of comfort, and my sister in Christ.  The BEST part about her is her unwavering faith in our Good and Mighty God.  She is definitely a woman of strong faith and someone I look up and admire in SO MANY ways.  I know Dad, Ash, and I are so thankful for the woman that she is. 

Plus, we're roomies now... and we're growing closer than we've ever been.

It's really groovy. if you ask me! ;)

*I'm loving these kicks that I bought today at Urban Outfitters when I was at Mall at Millenia.  I was able to browse Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, and Anthropologie while I was there.  I didn't do much shopping - just ran in to those 3 stores because M at M is right by my doctor's office.  Speaking of, I really like that my doctor's office is across town - on that side of Orlando.  I always drive by the beautiful and simple skyline of what I always knew as "my big city" The City of Orlando.  It really is a wonderful place and I am enjoying being home in Oviedo - just a hop, skip, and away from the downtown O-town area.  As for shopping... this place is the jackpot and sooooo not Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  Haha.  I like having a variety of places to stop and shop at - especially when I find fun sneaks like these!

photos by me / edit by me at picnik.com

I'm already pretty much in

l o v e

with them!
You should know my favorite color is
TURQUOISE
and my alter-ego's name is Daisy
...but it was still hard to narrow it down to just these two (2 for $30 sale) because they had such cute designs and colors!

*I'm loving the album Speak Now - you know, from our fav girl Tay Swift. I've got quite the music crush on Taylor Swift's new album...
SPEAK NOW 
and here is what I've got to say about it:  TAYLOR SWIFT KNOWS ABOUT LIFE.

She has got the beautiful and tragic life of dreams, devastation, and devotion down to a art.  She's lived, and loved, and run wild, and is full of hope... faith... and love.

I believe in those things again.  I'm glad I am able to BE INSPIRED, still.  Because at one time in my life I thought I had let someonehad completely crush any chance of me believing in love - magical love, crazy love, basically any sort of romantic love. BUT, I DO believe in those things now... especially FATE, DESTINY, and TRUE LOVE.  Listening to this album, I am able to celebrate my open-heart, my bruised-heart, but my heart that still loves.  Despite what it's been through... it loves and it loves madly. That's what I am reminded of when I listen to this new album.  Can you tell that I think it totally rocks?

It's just, like I said, the girl knows about life..... just sayin'.

photo found on google / edited by me on picnik.com

My favorite (well they all are), but right now the fav one is this - and like
OH. MY. GOD. It is dead-on perfect for me right now in my life.  Can you say "repeat?"

Innocent

I guess you really did it this time

Left yourself in a war path

Lost your balance on a tight rope

Lost your mind trying to get it back

Wasn't it easier in your lunchboxes days

Always a bigger bed to crawl into

Wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything

And everybody believed in you

It's alright, just wait and see your string of lights are still bright to me

Oh, who you are is not where you've been

You're still an innocent, still an innocent

Did some things you can't speak of

But at night you will live it all again

You wouldn't be shattered on the floor now

If only you had seen what you know now then

Wasn't it easier in your firefly catching days

Everything out of reach, someone bigger brought down to you

Wasn't is beautiful running wild 'til you fell asleep

Before the monsters caught up to you

It's alright just wait and see your string of lights are still bright to me

Oh, who you are is not where you've been

You're still an innocent

It's okay, life is a tough crowd

32 and still growin up now

Who you are is not what you did

You're still an innocent

Time turns flames to embers

You'll have new Septembers

Everyone of us has messed up, too

Minds change like the weather

I hope you remember.

Today is never to late to

Be brand new

Oh, it's alright just wait and see your string of lights are still bright to me

Oh, who you are is not where you've been

You're still an innocent

It's okay, life is a tough crowd

32 and still growing up now

Who you are is not what you did

You're still an innocent

Lost your balance on a tight rope

Oh, it's never too late to get back.

-Taylor Swift

Wow, right??? She is the bomb.com!

That is definitely a message I enjoy singing to myself in the shower... it ain't a bad one to start my day off to, I mean... did you read it?  Life's going to be ok!  Aight, cool.
But, hurry - go download that song. 

Better yet, download the entire SPEAK NOW album!

It rocks.

*I'm loving my new MAC makeup!  It was definitely time for me to get some new, fresher makeup for my face.  You gals know how it is when winter-time hits and our faces seem to go... blah.  Well, maybe not for you lovelies, but mine does!  It definitely needs a little kick in the ass come winter time.  That's why I got some good Studio Tech Foundation & some other goodies and it's has definitely made me feel better about myself!

So, I'm definitely loving that!!!

photo(1) source: google.com / photo(2) my personal webcam

I took this with my Hewlett-Packard 'youCam' as I typed that up about my new makeup ;) 

hey y'all! 

*I'm loving my growing collection of bohemian/hippie bracelets. 

I have always been a big fan of them and used to have A LOT of them but when you add a house fire to the mix, you end up getting me on a mission to rebuilding the collection

(plus adding more!). 

Here are a few of my newest ones. 

OH BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY

NOT ALL OF THE RECENT BUYS!!!

ohoto by me / edited on picnik.com by me

one day I'm going to

photo-shoot them ALL ...

*I'm DEFINITELY loving all of my

NEW FOLLOWERS! Thanks for hanging out at Picking Wildflowers! 

I'd love to learn more about you!

That's it for

WHAT I'M LOVING WEDNESDAY

don't forget to LINK UP with

THIS KIND OF LOVE

peace and love

baily

p.s. I think I'm about to post a video blog!

Agghhh.. I'm nervous!

WHAT ARE YOU LOVING?

oh, please tell...

☮

travel me, 2011 (travel tuesday)

I know that I do not have the ability - financially or timing in life wise - to go out and TRAVEL THE WORLD right now, but I can still DREAM, stay inspired, and well - do as much as I can to make it happen sometime soon! 

I am capable of making A LOT of things happen if I put my mind to it, I know the drill.  I can do things like planning ahead, working toward that thing I want, and saving up the time, money (so hard for me), and energy in order to do those things.

Like TRAVEL.  Maybe not the world just yet, but TRAVEL.  Experience.  Learn.  Grow.

There are so many places that I dream of going someday.  With dreams of all over the world, I stay grounded by remembering how very very fortunate I am to have already seen many so many amazing and wonderful places.

The love of traveling is part of who I am:

I'm explorative, adventurous, and such an eager gal - always wanting to do new things and see things that I have never seen before. I have a special love for meeting all sorts of people that represent the worlds that I do not know, but crave so much to learn about.

I crave the hands-on journey to learning new things and experiencing other cultures.  And I'm lucky to live in a country that allows me to do that basically in my backyard.  But it also gives me the freedom to go out and learn about the other countries and governments and histories, and that's something that women in MANY other countries can not say...   Sometimes, I may take it for granted that I am not restricted of broadening my horizon or expanding my knowledge and zest for life. 

I am aware now that there is so much to go out and see that shows God's creation in different ways.  And no, I may not have the capabilities to financially go off and travel the world (JUST YET)... but I DO have a new year at my fingertips with SO MANY new opportunities ahead of me.  One thing I want and hope 

2011 

brings to me is many chances to travel.

See loved ones I haven't seen in a while.

Eat foods I've never eaten.

Read magazines on long plane rides.

Take the train if I have to.

Visit people who are in need.

Explore cities and countrysides.

Live life to the fullest. 

I so want to go back to SAN FRANCISCO and experience the Mission District, browse through local record stores, eat sourdough bread, and have a photo shoot by the Golden

Gate Bridge.  'The City' has always had my heart.

I've always wanted to see Alaska.  And now that I am watching 'Sarah Palin's Alaska' on TLC, I am drawn to this adventure even more!

Alaska has to be one of the most beautiful places God ever created.  It seems like you'd just want to stand there in awe and sing "How Great, Thou Art" at the view around you.

So many people can not believe that I have never visited 'the Outerbanks.'  I was born in North Carolina and I am very much a proud Tar Heel!  But, I'm a mountain baby - born in Asheville... I didn't become a little beach chick until I moved to Florida in 1992.  I've been to Wilmington, NC but never to see Cape Hatteras.  I think this one needs to be crossed off the Bucket List soon!  

I could go back to Los Angeles and see my best friend, Justine.  She's got a bachelorette pad in Santa Monica and she and I could make one super fabulous vacay out of me going back out to the West Coast.  I went last year to Pasadena for the championship and I got to hang with Justine in LA.  We saw Reggie Bush, Kim Kardashian, and Brody Jenner and dinner before we went to a club and partied it up beside Kristen Cavallari at her birthday party.  I was super pumped about getting my "celeb fix" while out in LA. 

I could go to London and visit my pretty cousin, Amy, and her beautiful (recently bigger) family.  She just had a baby girl named Camille.  She is going to be spoiled rotten by her two big brothers, Harrison and Hayes, and all the family back in 'the States' that love those little babies across the pond.

I need to get over there soon... I've never been to Europe!  It's on the Bucket List, too!

I could load up my handsome guy, his surfboard, my teeny waheenie bikinis, and head to Hawaii to watch him ride the waves, hike tropical terrain,and drink out of coconuts beneath beautiful sunsets.

Oh geez...

did I just dream out loud?

But seriously, a wonderful family friend offered for us to use her family condo if we got a chance to get down to the Pacific Islands.  I think we should take this offer super duper seriously and get me in a sexy little bikini with a coconut drink in my hand, pronto!  Hawaii, here we come!

what is YOUR favorite vacation destination?  tell me!

peace and love

 baily

forgiveness and love

I have been able to replace a lot of the books/devotionals that I lost, lately.  I missed them for sure!  And in the here and now, I am really diggin' this one...

the uncommon woman

making an

ordinary life

extraordinary

by Susie Larson

But let's be serious... my life is ANYTHING but ordinary.

I have learned a lot from spending a little time in this book & in the Bible, and the one thing that is so universal to living a healthy, loving, and fruitful life is

forgiveness. 

It's the lesson of all lessons, that is for sure. One part in particular has really helped me in some of my personal struggles and battles that I have found myself in lately. 

I have always considered myself a forgiving person.  I like to move on, learn, and grow... but I have recently begun to realize that I've got some major problems about how I go about the forgiving process that sometimes makes situations worse for me. I'm a forgiver, but I'm also a fighter.  I stick up for myself and sometimes that brings upon some of the petty things that turn little situations into big messes... the speaking of my own mind when it is not the nicest of things, and the 'revenge' mechanism of getting back at someone that I felt had hurt me or wronged me, and the twenty-something year old attitude that I sometimes display a little bit too proudly. 

Many of my forgiveness battles would have just been so much simpler if I had just skipped all of that pettiness and lost the attitude and just turned it all over to God and let Him tell me what to do and how to handle it. 

Because we all know His thoughts are A LOT wiser and full of love than fiesty little Baily Jordan Jones's when she's emotionally charged and angry.  If I just knew when to keep my mouth shut and lost the attitude, I think I could and would have avoided some of the struggling relationships I have found myself in. 

I've learned in this book that it's common to have those petty faults, to want to put my guard up and play defense for myself, and to try to hurt someone else when I've been wronged... but the uncommon woman - the one that lives an extraordinary life, forgives by turning it over to Christ and having the Lord show her the way to dealing. 

And trust me, I've learned this:

if i want to win the war,

the Lord must fight my battles.

Susie Larson says this and I highlighted the heck out of it:

"If you have Jesus in you, you have it in you to walk this way: LOVING, FORGIVING, and INTERCEDING for those who don't get you, who have hurt you, and who don't deserve your love.  You have it in you to be tough against the lies of the enemy and tender toward the things of God."

So, I turned a major difficulty in my life over to the Lord and I have already seen Him guide me in more positive ways.  When I was fighting 'the battle' without the armor of God and without regular & daily prayer, I was not getting ANYWHERE.  But after diligent prayer and constant faith in the Lord handling my distress, I took a step in the right direction.  And I can say it is the "right" direction because it was what God laid on my heart to do.

Do I expect my decision to be answered and resolved right away?  No.  I know that in every relationship, no matter the depth or closeness of it, TIME must do it's job as well.  I realize  that all I can do is continue to ask for forgiveness, and to forgive others, and to go on living a life that glorifies God. 

I'm grateful for my devotions, His word, and the lessons that I learn from spending some time in them each day.  It is a wonderful feeling to start your day with scripture and be reminded of all the wonderful things He does for me and has planned for me.

Do you have any

favorite devotionals?

1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under

God's mighty hand, that He may

lift you up in due time.

I love and miss this guy so much! He's been sick with some pretty mean sounding allergies and a sinus infection all weekend - so please pray for him to get better soon! Hopefully I'll get to see him soon... we're in the process of figuring it out but we've DEFINITELY figured out that sometimes things happen and plans have to be remade!  It's nothing he and I aren't used to - trust. Haha, we joke all the time that we are pretty much the King and Queen of Anything But Plan A.  We are good at rolling with the punches and that's why he's my best friend.  It's pretty much magical how well we go together and I'm glad he appreciates me as much as I appreciate him.  Oh, and p.s. I got this really awesome video sent to me via our mutual family friend Lynn of the wedding Clay and I were in when we were like 3 and 4 years old. (Crazy, huh?) The vid is absolutely precious and brought tears to my eyes and reminded me how much the Lord works in such funny and MYSTERIOUS ways... you know, even 19/some odd years later. But if you're reading this Lynn, thank you! And if you're reading this Leisa, thank you for helping me find such a wonderful guy in Clay! :) Love you all...

then

now

peace and love

bai

MM

Happy New Year, folks!!!

I think since it's the first Monday of the New Year

and I am not so much in "weekend mode", it feels

a lot more like a the new beginning dealio is underway.

Except, to be honest, when my life sort of took it's whirlwind the past few months, I was given some big opportunities for that "brand new" attitude.  But now that it's finnally and officially the new year and all, I have like everyone else in the world in 'resolution mode' with me so it feels like a damn good time to start afresh. 

So here's to that...

I mean, I'm not really one to jump on bandwaggons or anything

 but a new year, a new calendar, and a new attitude?

Why not?

I've done some major praying lately and it's helped me make

some bold moves and some bold decisions.  But the boldness came out of postive and not self-destructiveness. 

I have made a lot of poor decisions, probably more bad than

good ones, and so it felt great to start this new year

off with the intention to make better, wiser, more Godly

decisions.  I guess, in a nut-shell, it is back to

what  would  Jesus  do?

Maybe I should add one of those

WWJD braceletes

 to my sleeve of hippie leather and braids.

Here's to Miscellany Monday! ...the first one of 2011!!

one. The Capital One Bowl was an absolute blast!  It was so much fun having Sissy and Tyler in town.  We tailgated and ended up running into some friends from high school, Josh, Will, and Ashley and it was fun seeing them.  We went with a few families from around here that are big BAMA fans like us, so it was a lot of fun... and we put a BUTT-WHOOPIN on Michigan State.  49-7. 

Can I get a Rolllll Tide!?! 

(Can you tell how much I love my Alabama Football...??

All I have to stay is get ready for basketball season!)

two. I'm watching the season premiere of the The Bachelor right now with Momma.  This is probably one of my favorite parts of living back home - our movie/T.V. show nights on the couch.  

three. I've been having an awesome time seeing some old friends, now that I am living back in Orlando from being at school in Alabama.  I never have thought bad about this place, I just wasn't always sure it was where I would want to come back to - a lot has changed and it's very different than it was when I left it - 5 and 1/2 years ago...  But, at the same time, the good things have remained the same.  Friends that are all-out groovy, a Momma who has become my best friend, and the 75-degree weather in Dec./Jan.  After all, home is home. 

I'm diggin' it, for sure!

I went to my friend Bradley's today and enjoyed the view of one of my very favorite places in the world: Long Lake.

It's sort of extremely special to my group of friends.  That little 'party cove!'

no, but seriously - the weather is absolutely rockin' and rollin' in O-town these days...

 

four. I was so excited the other day to spot the infamous "Oviedo Chickens" in their adopted habitat of the little downtown cross-roads of my small, oh so charming Florida town.  See?  I love my town!  Especially when I get to see

 the town mascot!

learn more about the Oviedo Chickens here!

five. I've met so many awesome blog friends here lately and I am just as PUMPED UP about meeting more!  Leave me some links of your favorite blogs that you like to follow & that you think I'd like!  I look forward to getting to know some of my new follwers and then go on meeting even more!  I have to admit, throughout some of these hard times/transition/strange phases of my life that I am going through - this blog & the blogs of those I have fallen in love with have been sooooo therapeautic for me.

So, thanks for the inspiration y'all!

Don't forget to leave me some good blogs to follow.

I'm in the process of making some pages, and adding some buttons to my fav. blogs on here! 

And the "new year/new me" type attitude I have is

V E R Y   M U C H

in favor of meeting even more awesome bloggers

in this groovy little blogworld. 

peace and love

baily j jones

love you, bebito :)

FITBF

 

 

1.   New Year's is (awesome/lame/other)    a little over-rated, but still a ton of fun when you do go extremo in celebration.  The older I get, the less cool the celebration part is and the more cool the starting over and new opportunities on the horizon type stuff becomes. 

 

2.  Last New Year's Eve I  babysat to earn money for my trip to Los Angeles/Pasadena and then met my bestie, Mandy, at the local cigar pub for a beer and a few akward run-ins with our ex-boyfriends.  Then a slumber party at her house like the good ole days.

 

3.  My New Year's resolution is  

art journal entry via me

4.  The best way to spend New Year's Eve is   with the ones you love.

5.  My prediction for an up-and-coming trend in 2011 is     hopefully not the '90s look!  As we get further along... the more "vintage" that God-awful look becomes.  I just hope that's one thing vintage we all sorta skip-over! We all want to forget the 90s right??

6.  This New Year's Eve I will   be with my family at home & loving every minute of the laid-backness.  I won't be drinking... I've given it a rest here lately.  I feel healthy & rested!  Tomorrow I'm bowl gamin' it at the Capital One Bowl - RTR!!

7.  A fresh start is  in progress.