Iris Grace

I was recently introduced to something absolutely amazing, inspiring, and incredibly adorable!

Iris Grace.

She is a little girl from the UK that has autism. Her mom writes a blog and runs a website about her and her incredible paintings. On the website (irisgracepainting.com) They sell Iris's paintings to help pay for her therapy and medical expenses. These are no finger paintings or random splatters on paper; they are truly art! For example...

"Octavia"
http://irisgracepainting.com/paintings/

When my friend Bethany told me about this little girl I immediately whipped out my laptop to check it out- a total sucker for warm fuzzy news stories. I looked through the website and marveled at her artwork- amazed that a little girl could do that! 

Later in the day I thought back to Iris' paintings and I decided to look at the blog posts to learn more about her (and how on earth she makes such beautiful paintings!) As I started reading though each post I felt more and more content. I cant explain why this little girl meant so much to me, I just felt happy that she was so pure and was not burdened by her autism. Before I read about Iris I, just like many others, viewed autism as a disorder. When Bethany told me that Iris had autism I felt sorry for her. As I read about Iris, about her violin, her cat Thula, her morning bike rides, and her love of African nursery rhymes I felt ashamed that I had ever pitied such a beautiful life. I kept reading and reading until I ran out of words. Then I sat back and thought about it for a second and I realized why I felt so content reading about her. God was trying to talk to me. He was speaking through Iris to help me understand that he made each and every one of us different for a reason. (That sounds so cliché but I've learned that things become cliché when they are said a lot- they are said a lot because they are true.) Through Iris's story it became clear to me that Iris's autism was not meant as a challenge from God. It was a gift.

a little bit obsessed: laptop accessories

I am going to be receiving a Macbook light from my school in the fall! Eeeek! so pumped! Lately I've been goin' a little crazy on Etsy looking at cases, skins, sleeves, and stickers. Everything is just so darn cute! Here are a few of my favorite laptop accessories!

1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6.

with love,

Madison

I'm pretty weird...

Disclaimer: this tag was created by @LifeWithKolbiTV on YouTube.com

1. what's a nickname only your family calls you

Maddie Grace

2. what's a weird habit of yours
I guess it's not really a habit but sometimes when I sleep I wrap my big toes together without noticing it!
3. do you have any weird phobias
I don't anymore but when I was little I was scared to walk near rain-drains because I thought cougars lived in them. (I was a very imaginative child)
4. a song you secretly love to blast and belt out when you're home alone
whatever is stuck in my head (currently "Shake it Off") or I just make everything I say into a song
5. what's one of your biggest pet peeves
people who ask for help without trying very hard themselves
6. whats one of your nervous habits
smiling obnoxiously
7. what side of the bed do you sleep on
well... I have a twin bed so...both I guess?
8. what's the drink you always order at Starbucks
I actually don't go to Starbucks enough to have a favorite drink but I love fruity tea like peach or raspberry!
9. which way do you face in the shower
away from the water
10. what was your first stuffed animal and what was its name
my first stuffed animal was a very generic looking teddy bear except that its "fur" was this rainbow watercolor print. I actually don's know where it is currently to take a picture but I found one on ebay! It's name was (is) "rainbow bear".
11. do you have any weird body skills
Yes! I can pop my shoulder blades out like wings. (haha sorry some people think it's gross)
12. what's your favorite comfort food that is bad but you eat it anyway
oooh! Definitely meatballs in cream of mushroom soup. yum.
13. what's a phrase or exclamation you always say
Ohmygoodness!
14. what do you wear when you go to sleep
t-shirt+pajama+pants (and sometimes a sweatshirt too!) 
 15. what did you used to wear that you thought was cool but now you realize it 
isn't 
In fourth grade I wore dresses over jeans or colored yoga pants with mary janes and socks. Yeah, I was cool

with love,
Madison 

cherry lemonade.

One of my favorite parts of summer is the local jazz festival. I've grown up listening to jazz. I will always love sitting in the living room in the evening listening to the smooth jazz channel on the TV, talking and laughing with my family. Jazz is so calming and relaxing and just a really comfy place for me. I also love this event because the artists never disappoint! My favorite band tonight was The Elders!

But what I love the most is seeing all the different people coming together to chill and enjoy great music.

It's one of the things that makes my heart so happy. People tapping their feet and sipping cherry lemonades and scatting and belly laughing and dancing and clapping they're hands. Purely enjoying life. That's how life should be all the time. Don't you think?

Tonight I would like to propose a toast to a life full of tapping feet and scatting and belly laughing and dancing and clapping hands. So let's all raise our cherry lemonades and just 

purely. enjoy life.

with love,
Madison

classic

I don't know about y'all, but I always have a song stuck in my head! Lately I've been loving the song "Classic" by MKTO. Usually I absolutely hate having things stuck in my head, but I really loving singing this song over and over! It has such a great message-
One of my favorite lines of the song is "One of a kind, in a world gone plastic, Baby you're so classic". I love these lyrics because they are kind of a breath of fresh air in today's "world gone plastic". Being a blogger I greatly rely on media to share my blog with the world, however, I 'm disappointed with how it is so often a bad influence. For example Instagram. I love to share little bits of my life with my followers, but sometimes I wonder if I am deceiving people by only posting the pretty things. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the appearance of things and not their quality. Another line from the song says "Ooh girl you're shining, Like a 5th avenue diamond, And they don't make you like they used to, You're never going out of style". These lyrics are a really great reminder to be classic, don't surrender to the temptations of this fake world, because although it make look pretty it is probably not real.

with love,

Madison

simple elegance

This was my #ootd yesterday! I recently bought a similar white peasant style shirt with a gorgeous embellished neckline from Marshalls. I paired it with some dark skinny jeans and nude flats. so simple. so elegant. love it!

p.s.  I just got a Polyvore and now I am obsessed with it! So y'all can be expecting some major collaging  in the future! 

with love,

 Madison

100 happy days

Hello friendlies! I recently came upon a really cool challenge! It's called 100 Happy Days and it is super simple so I would love it if y'all could join me! I learned about it on one of my favorite blogs. Basically you just post one picture everyday on your favorite social media site of something that makes you happy, with the hashtag #100HAPPYDAYS. Now I bet you're thinking "Oh, that's nice but I just don't have the time." That's the point! The purpose of this challenge is to be more aware of the happy moments that we often miss in our "busy" lives.
So please join me in 100 days of happy! You can register here.

with love,

Madison