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Thursday, April 25, 2013

aloha

No, I haven't been in Hawaii! :) I am sorry I have been MIA. I was on a retreat. It was a fantastic weekend!

And I have been slow at getting back to a routine. Vacation mode is also sinking in as the sun starts to envelope one down here in Miami. It is so amazing how the heat feels so different here. DC can be soo hot and muggy. Here? The sun's rays are just ever present and you can feel them. The nature of the tropics is actually one of my favorite things about living here. The other morning, my littlest one was up early so we sat on the balcony outside to watch the sun lighten up the sky and see the clouds change colors. That was beautiful, but what was striking was the heavy sound of the palms swaying. It reminded me of when we first moved here and the grass would crunch under my feet. Everything has a thickness about it that is close to you. What am I saying? Nature isn't something you appreciate only with your eyes or your sense of smell at a safe and respectful distance. Without touching it, you feel like you are touching it, its that real. Maybe that has something to do with the Latin culture being so unapologetically friendly and truthful.

I hope if you take a vacation to the tropics sometime, you have the opportunity to pick this up. It is another facet of life that I am happy to have discovered. That, and meeting friends impromptu at the beach on a Friday evening and chatting while the sun sets and the kids play...



(blogspot.americanfeast.com)



Have a wonderful weekend, friends!


Sunday, April 14, 2013

the sound of morning

Isn't life busy? It seems like every day we have somewhere to be at a certain time. This is all good and necessary, but sometimes, we need to have a morning where we enter into the simplicity of the morning.

As a child, the sound of morning was that of pots and pans clanking in the kitchen while I lumbered in bed and slowly came to. I knew life was happening downstairs, and it was happening for me, for the family. My mom would be working, starting the day getting organized and on Sundays, making breakfast from scratch, including caramel rolls. mmmm.

The same thing would happen when we visited my grandma's house in Minnesota. The kids would all be piled upstairs and the adults would be sitting for coffee in the kitchen with perhaps the next door neighbor. There was always clanking. Life was happening.

I am not a morning person.

But those mornings stick so sweetly in my memory that I want that to be something my kids remember as well. After my daughter innocently impersonated me one day asking, "Mommy, why do you look like this (aka zombie) in the morning?,"I knew I needed to change my tune and smile, letting them know I was ready for them.

So the simplicity of the morning can be whatever you chose to make it. This morning, it was entering into the process of making pancakes and watching the eggs slowly scramble together, figuring out how to make a friendship bracelet and yes, drinking my coffee. We didn't have to be out the door until well past that snuggly, sacred time of just enjoying being a family.


Enjoy your day, and enjoy this morning's Morning Bird

Friday, April 12, 2013

lightening up

Hello friends! I haven't written about my decorating schemes in awhile, and considering it is a big hobby of mine, let's let the good times roll!

I think a home should be pretty AND cozy. There are so many magazine pictures I look at and think they are so lovely, but when I imagine stepping into the room, they feel cold and lifeless. Why this is, I don't know. Perhaps it is entirely done by someone else rather than having that personal stamp. So I am on that endless journey of creating the home we all love, like so many of you!

Here is a picture I like for the color and the comfort. I realized that I have something similar going on in my own home!


( source ?)



I just added a couple more little frames today with my son and I like that it is more playful now.


Recently, I was considering the lovely lucite and its effects on a room. My furniture is so mixed that a bit of clean and clear modernity would be a welcome addition. I wanted a coffee table, but a) it would have broken within a week and b) both my husband and I like to put our feet up! So, the soft ottoman will stay. BUT, for my birthday, my parents got me this stack of three tables that I put around the house in different rooms and they add the lightest touch! Yay!



I hope you are finding inspiration where you are and are enjoying giving your homes the right feel!

Have a wonderful day!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

'tis the season for giving

Good morning, friends! I find I am most inspired to write a little something in the morning.. but I can't always do that! ;) I have already looked at some magazines or read some books or better yet, prayed, and my mind is  more alert and creative. Yes, this is creative for me. HAHA!

So I know in DC everyone is revving up for showers. Bridal showers and baby showers are in full swing. Here, not so much, but I do have one baby shower to look forward to!

After my post about wanting a gift closet, I couldn't resist getting a few things during my next visit to Marshall's.



And what is so wonderful besides the happy array of colors and variety is that it tallied to less than $20! Can you believe it? I even carved out a little space in a closet for them to be on display rather than shoved in a drawer somewhere.

On another note, my Mom loved her gift.


You can't see everything, but it was all around the theme of helping her as she helps others. There are those fabulous encouraging note cards, some pretty baking papers and boxes, and a few gifts just for her.

Gifts are such a wonderful way to show you care and have taken a moment to step outside of your world and entered into another person's own realm of concerns and happiness.

Have a wonderful day!

Thursday, April 4, 2013

new settings

Hi everyone! Good morning! I hope everyone's day is off to a great start. This morning, I was thinking what "wisdom" we buy into. It seems like everyone has their own brand, something that seems to work for them in their sphere according to what they want to accomplish.

Do I want the admiration of strangers? I had better work out ferociously and pay attention to every meticulous detail.

Do I want others to see my success? Then I'd better buy the most expensive car and house I can.

Do I want others to see how smart I am? Then I'd better work at the best think tank in town.

And so it goes...

But that is only half-wisdom. I'd rather win the love and respect of those that I love and respect. It is a fascinating journey to uncover what values you hold dear and try to live your life according to them.


I think Tolstoy and Austen are the best at exposing the two worlds within the same social sphere, one authentic, and one that is so very superficial, and I can't thank them enough for doing so!

On another note, my husband fixed the settings so that anyone can comment if you like. You no longer have to have a blog account. So lets get the conversation started! I'd love your feedback.





Tuesday, April 2, 2013

downtime

Happy Easter to everyone!

Today I am happy to say that I reused and recycled some beads of mine! A few necklaces and bracelets had broken even up to a couple of years ago and so over break, I had the idea of reusing them for a new purpose rather than trying to fix the old ones to make them look like new. So here are two I came up with:




The one on the right is for me because I like more odd and big pieces of jewelry, and the one on the left is for a friend of mine who is more petite and me. She also has a lot of skin allergies. It made me think creatively about how to make them close, thus the bead and loop. Not bad for an amateur! ;)

So, she is soon to get a belated birthday present. What a great way to relax today. This box is also recycled from cards I sent in my mom's bday package. The box would not have fit in the bag properly, I know my friend will like the little saying.

Have a wonderful day!