Author: Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Gina Munsey is a Mexico-born, Eastern Europe-raised missionary kid who ended up being a Californian by way of Florida outside of Nashville, Tennessee. She lives her days full of coffee and adventures while her 12-year-old learns Mandarin Chinese and Greek, her 3-year-old uses all the markers, and her artist-husband creates worlds from pixels and light. A blogger since the turn of the century (ouch!) she's an editor, co-op teacher, and writer who has only completed four chapters of her languishing manuscript. You can find Gina right here at oaxacaborn.com, or in the middle of [home]school surrounded by stacks and stacks of books.

well, here we are. this blog is bit tidier now, don’t you think? i’ve done a bit of ‘virtual curtain-hanging’ and added a few bits and bobs. sprucing up the space only seemed appropriate, as there is general tidying going on around the apartment as well. have a click around — especially on the happy new home page — and let me know what you think! and don’t forget the new about me tidbit!

hello kitty -- little girl chopsticks -- from japan

(Shown are Aveline’s Hello Kitty chopsticks, given to her by our dear friends in Japan. We’re praying for you!)

Travel/Moving

March 16, 2011October 13, 2011 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

We're renovating. Please pardon our dust. Regularly scheduled programming will resume shortly. Thank you.

Life in Photos

what aveline’s room does not look like…yet

March 15, 2011March 22, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

aveline’s room looks absolutely nothing like this at present. the stars are all in a taped-shut box somewhere in the living room. the art piece is wrapped in cardboard and is leaning up against the dining room table. the crib is actually in aveline’s room, but is sans mattress. (hello, moving company? just wondering where exactly you ended up delivering that mattress? thanks.) the lovely white dresser is a brand-new purchase, but like most IKEA items, it came in a package the size of a cereal box. and since the cordless drill may or may not be wherever the mattress ended up, assembling the dresser is going to be quite interesting.

meanwhile, in aveline’s room, there are stacks of flattened boxes. there are unflattened video game console boxes. there’s a shelf of bulk food. there are half-opened industrial size ziplocs holding every size of baby clothes except for the size she’s in right now (the proper size was finally uncovered. half now reside in a pretty green laundry basket. the other half — the clean half — are living in an open box). but hey, the changing table is alive and well, fully stocked with [clean] diapers and wipes. i mean, ya gotta have your priorities.

the house is slowly coming together. it looks more beautiful with every unpacked box. ordinarily the snail’s pace of the unpacking would be driving me wild, but there’s something about looking into the eyes of a smiling cooing baby — a baby we prayed for — that really puts things in perspective. it’s okay if the boxes are being unpacked slowly. it’s much more important to treasure every moment of this. and so here i am, right now in this moment, holding an arm-waving, hiccuping, wide-eyed, refusing-to-nap baby. nothing’s getting checked off my to-do list. but that’s so much more than ok.

This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness. -Elisabeth Elliot

Shown:

IKEA Malm Dresser
IKEA Somnat Crib
Tofu Woodland Family print from 26PM.com
White paper stars

Life in Photos

well hello there, isn’t it a beautiful day?

March 12, 2011March 22, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

unlike me, my daughter actually enjoys mornings.

Poetry & Words, Travel/Moving

POETRY & WORDS :: our love story: how long distance became i do

March 11, 2011September 13, 2013 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Some of you will recognize the following story — I penned it just months after 26PM and i were married in 2008, and published it on my old blog (Remember Xanga? That’s how we all rolled back in the day, ha ha!)

Anyway, I rediscovered these words again today, and realized that I never shared our love story on this blog.

So, here it is. The story of a love that spanned the distance between the Atlantic and Pacific. The story of two people who could not remain apart. The story of our lives.

once upon a time, he saw her. after church, playing football in the grass. she was barefoot. this is his first memory, but she did not notice.

she does not remember, except for the time he could not understand something she said and then she refused to speak.

[we were both sixteen. –yellowcard, ocean avenue]

well, seventeen, actually.

[they had lots of common friends. –dennison witmer, 24 turned 25]

the same church. the same ski slopes. the same junior college.

but they did not notice.

[you never even see me. you look right through me. –coldplay, shiver]

she remembers how he flew before he could drive, and how he drew color and life bursting from grey rubble. she told her mother he thought about things, deeply.

he did not know he was present in her mind.

she did not know she thought of him, even when she did.

Continue reading “POETRY & WORDS :: our love story: how long distance became i do” →

How To

My favourite make-up/cosmetic products

March 11, 2011October 12, 2011 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

I recently cleaned out my cosmetic drawer in the bathroom, paring it down to just my favourite items. I thought i’d share which items made the cut.

oaxacaborn blog - quick and easy cosmetics - favourite make-up products 1- Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer | EWG Toxicity Score: 4

Of all the fancy concealers on the market, this simple stick is the tried-and-true — especially for those of us blessed with dark-under-the-eye genes.

2- Studio Gear Star Dust Loose Powder | EWG Toxicity Score: N/A

I love this as it has no talc, artificial chemicals, fillers, binders, waxes, petroleum, oils, chemical preservatives, or fragrance. After using loose powder, I won’t go back to pressed eye shadows, ever.

3- LA Splash Diamond Dust | EWG Toxicity Score: N/A

I use an eyeliner brush to apply this along my upper lashline. It gives a soft, fun eyeliner look without any of the harsh ‘stripey-ness’.

4- Ulta Eyeliner Eyeshadow Brush (and) 5– Blush Brush

The eyeliner brush is a recent Ulta purchase, but I have no idea where I got the blush brush. I’ve had it for a long time.

6- Alba Botanica Very Emollient Body Lotion – Unscented | EWG Toxicity Score: 3

I can’t say enough about this lotion. It’s gentle enough for the face, and isn’t a bit greasy or oily.

7- Maybelline Volum’ Express Falsies Mascara | EWG Toxicity Score: N/A

Ever since I started wearing mascara, my old standby had been Maybelline Great Lash — but I recently switched to Falsies mascara and actually like it better!

8- Clinique Blush | EWG Toxicity Score: ?

I have had this since high school. The label is worn completely off the back, so I can’t link to the same product. Because I only use blush in the winter — not in the summer — it lasts for years upon years. Especially when you spend your life in places like California and Florida. Winter, what?

Not pictured here is Pond’s Cold Cream. I’m the third generation in my family to use cold cream as a nightly ritual, and I highly recommend it. Also not pictured here is essential oil astringent, which I use to wash my face each morning and night. I’ll share my astringent ‘recipe’ in a future post.

What are your favourite cosmetic, make-up, or skin care products? Share them in the comments!

Life in Photos

my beautiful tiny girl at seven weeks

March 11, 2011March 22, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

oaxacaborn - baby girl Aveline Alenka - 7 weeks old

this is my tiny girl at seven weeks old, hanging out with her daddy. isn’t she gorgeous? i’m madly in love with her.

i love staying at home with her. we’re falling into quite a regular little routine here, and it’s been wonderful. with all the changes to our lives within the first few weeks of her life, routine has been a long time coming. but now our lives are swaying in a gentle rhythm, a gentle groove, and i’m savoring every single moment. every thing she does captivates me. i can’t stop praising God for our Aveline, our little wished-for child.

Inspiration

spring + summer 2011 Toast UK catalogue [house & home edition]

March 10, 2011October 8, 2012 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

it’s time, once again, for a collection of gorgeously dreamy images from the latest house & home Toast UK catalogue. i know the spring + summer theme is a bit of a stretch for most people right now, but that’s the beauty of dreaming, right?

image via Toast UK - House and Home catalogue - Spring Summer 2011