another note from my hubby...

my husband has always liked leaving sweet notes for me to find around the house. since i started falafel for the soul, he's taken to writing his mini love notes on post-its.

this one stands out among the sea of yellow and pink sticky notes littering my desk... it is so nice to look down from whatever i'm working on and be reminded every day that i am loved :)

valentine's day is almost here... and even if you aren't a fan of the holiday, it's the perfect time to tell someone you love them. try leaving a little note like this for someone you care about, just to remind them why they are so special to you. your significant other, your best friend, your kids, your crush, your teacher, your mailman... they all need love, and finding a note like this just might make their day!

xoxo,

lesley

you are beautiful part 2

i was so very inspired by the you are beautiful project that i decided to contribute to it in my own way. this sign has been hanging in my window (facing out, of course) for the past few weeks...

see it? move in a little closer...

my husband and i live in a second floor apartment overlooking a busy intersection. lots of people walk by every day, but i have no way of knowing if anyone has noticed it. i do know that it always makes me smile when it catches my eye as i'm walking home.

i added the smaller pink sign below it as an extra piece of encouragement... it reads, "keep your heart open."

xoxo,

lesley

you are the coolest kid in school.

posted at the mall in a teen clothing store.

i might be all grown up now, but i still remember what it's like to be an awkward kid trying to fit in... sometimes it just feels good to know that *someone* out there thinks you're cool.

xoxo,

lesley

p.s. i'm so glad to be back, more posts to come this week... :)

you are beautiful.

if you haven't yet seen the you are beautiful project, please, please go visit the site today. i promise it will make your day better.

here are some words from the project's statement:

the intention behind this project is to reach beyond ourselves as individuals to make a difference by creating moments of positive self realization. we're just attempting to make the world a little better.

intention is the most important aspect of the you are beautiful project in its idea of purity. nothing is sacred. everything that has a perceived value becomes commodified. we work extremely hard that this message is received as a simple act of kindness, and nothing more.

basically, the idea behind the project is a group of anonymous people who go around putting up installations with the message "you are beautiful" in public places. and i have to say, this is one of the most beautiful things i've seen in a long time. here are some of my favorite images of the you are beautiful project in action...

click here to see more beautiful photos.

xoxo,

lesley

shopping season

it's that time of year, folks... the time when the idea of setting foot in a shopping mall gives you a migraine.

braving the crowds to hunt for the perfect gift or a festive party dress can be super stressful... so the other day i decided to leave some encouragement for frazzled shoppers.

hopefully my notes helped make someone's holiday shopping experience just a little more bearable :)

xoxo,

lesley

a note from my hubby

check out this note my hubby left me on the inside of my car window the other day... isn't he sweet?

xoxo,

lesley

you are awesome!

here is a note i left in my shopping cart at the grocery store last night.  this was actually one of my favorite submissions from the free encouragement project, and i thought it would be a fun message for a disgruntled cart boy or stressed out shopper to find.

xoxo,

lesley

l'as du fallafel

a lot of people might not know this, but paris - specifically the marais district (and even more specifically rue des rosiers) - is known for serving up some amazing falafel.  and since i'm (obviously) mildly obsessed with falafel, my hubby and i were determined to find out who made it best.

we sampled many delicious pitas filled with the crispy, golden-fried chickpea fritters, each one overflowing with accoutrements like freshly made hummus, tahini, roasted eggplant, spicy red sauce, and vinegary cabbage slaw... but we found the king of all falafel at the famous l'as du fallafel.  just to make your mouth water a little bit before i get to the point, here is what their falafel looks like:

can you say, yum?

anyway... after discovering the greatest falafel in the land, i was on a mission.  with my post-its and sharpie in hand and armed with a remedial knowledge of the french language, i ventured back to l'as du fallafel to leave the note i'd been waiting to post...

you are falafel for the soul.

- - -

tu es comme le falafel pour l'âme.

they might be hard to spot at first in this shot... see those two little tiny yellowish squares on the lower left-hand side?  i was actually kind of nervous to post them because i was in a foreign country and i don't know what type of rules they have about posting signs and whatnot... plus l'as du fallafel was super crowded (as always), so i did it hastily and ran off to hide.  

later that night, we came back to eat our final falafel dinner, and i realized that someone had moved my english post-it right onto the middle of the menu board!  i was so excited.

a couple days later, nichole (the amazing writer and frequent paris-traveller behind the blog littlebrownpen) sent me this photo via twitter:

she said, "your post-it note is still at l'as du fallafel!  the owner is very proud of it."

how cool is that?  it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :)

xoxo,

lesley

pocket door

"i wish i could keep you in my pocket."

sorry for the lack of falafel lately... i've been super busy getting ready for my trip to paris!  just wanted to do a quick post to show this note i left in philadelphia recently... now i have to get back to packing!

xoxo,

lesley

philly falafel

my sister donica and i had some fun falafel-ing all over center city philadelphia this weekend!  it was fun to have a partner in crime this time around :)  here are a couple of my favorite post-its my sister and i put up...

never underestimate the power of your dreams.

posted on a sign outside a parking garage.

i love your hair!

posted on the bathroom mirror in a pub.

hopefully our notes helped spread some encouragement and positivity to the city of brotherly love!

xoxo,

lesley