personal style

I know I am not alone in constantly tweaking the house, so I won't feel bad about writing about decorating and my living room.... again! :) I came across this picture and liked what it said to me:

(source unknown, designed by someone with the last name of Berkley)

"I like color, I like classic and girly things, but I am most comfortable in jeans." A room with this combination is hard to come by in decorating magazines. I find most either formal or casual. I think it is so interesting because it falls just short of bohemian, definitely can't be called formal, but is definitely styled with precision. I think I remember reading from the article that this decorator uses the philosophy of using things you love and making it work.

I didn't plan to imitate it, but as I was home for most of last week, I naturally felt the need to rearrange
things. :) I wasn't feeling what I'll call my 'piano wall,' and I also didn't like the view from the entrance. I knew I wanted one of my buttoned chairs with a fun pillow to be the first thing I saw when I walked in, but remembering the picture above ( not actually looking at it, but the feel of it), I set to work looking around the house to fill the space in more during nap time.

The space used to be purely formal because I do like that refined feel, but it is a better and true mix, now. I think my favorite things are the cow pillow and the slightly edgy printed sign. They relax the space and the formal piano and clock so much, and the pillow reminds me of my wild horseback riding days through field and forest. Because I am a precise math teacher and classical pianist and sports player and lover of the great outdoors. And this is my house, and it has to reflect me. I think this is why we all change our homes so much. We want it to really reflect us, not just represent more or less our taste, just like an outfit does:

(Talbots)

And is there anything wrong with that? I don't think so. We are, after all, the heart of the home. So we need to be comfortable there, and in our own clothes. ;) I feel a song coming on: phil collins' version of true colors. I just love those bagpipes!

Have a good day, friends!

Mom and Me

I recently got off the phone with my mom. In our conversation, we came to the conclusion that taste combined works wonders for both of us. For example, the things i get complimented on are the things my mom has given me. See below:

My taste is more tailored, so adding a bit of trendiness is just the right finish to the look I like. Funnily enough, her home decor is very formal, which she is not. So over the months, via picture texts, I've been suggesting certain purchases and colors complimenting what she has. I've been looking at enough decorating magazines that the information needs to get put to use! During my recent visit, we could really fine tune it and here is what her living room now looks like:

Beautiful, fun, unique, no? Just like her. :)

I hear there is a navy jumpsuit headed my way. Thanks mom! :)

Have a great day, friends!

what a week!

I just wanted to say a quick hello there! I'll be posting more this week. FYI- recovery for tonsils and adenoid surgery is rough! Thankfully, my little guy is over the hump.

Have a great weekend!

child o' mine

Counting when I had to have surgery with my second still inside of me, yesterday's surgery for my youngest is number 4 for us to accompany our children into. Those of you who have experienced this can commiserate. 


What does it feel like? It feels like you are stripped from your customary way of thinking that you can control things for your kids. And you enter into reality; that ultimately, their life is not in your hands alone. And you hand them over to God and Mary, His Mother and Ours, and await them in the waiting room. In a way, it is not only a precursor to them growing up and leading their own life, but something to remember every day. As Catholics, we asked the Church to make our children a priest (shared common priesthood, not ministerial), prophet, and king through the sacrament of Baptism. They become real Children of God. And their entire life is the unfolding of this drama.

Now we are onto the next trial- taking care that he recovers well. Wish me luck and say a prayer! 

showers! showers!

I am off to a wedding shower this morning, and I just wanted to share the gift! If finding gifts could be a hobby, it would be one of mine. I thought that shell earring holder with the gold rim was so perfect for a bride-to-be in Miami. In case you can't tell, the lavender paper is drawer liners, and I wanted to add something but couldn't think of what. The "MR. & MRS." pillows came to mind, but I turned it into a mini frame with their wedding date below. Fun!

Have a wonderful weekend!

georgia on my mind

I have had the great opportunity to travel and see many different beautiful places. There are some I'd like to visit again, like Lake Como and the Swiss Alps ( hi Elizabeth!:). But on this recent trip to DC and back, I felt a connection with the state of Georgia. Now I am clued into why there are so many great songs with this state as its theme. ;)

Georgia on my Mind
Midnight Train to Georgia
Tall Trees in Georgia

We merely drove by, but the landscape was intriguing, with gray-blue marshes ( not swamps) and tall lush trees. I think it is safe to say there is no other place I have felt as drawn to as Georgia, or maybe not recently. I look forward to spending some time there.. whenever we make that happen.

Is there a particular place that stirs you? Have a great day!

we're back!

What a range of thoughts and scenes I have been exposed to from our journey to our old stomping grounds and back again. I can't help but reflect on the year since our move and was stirred to do so by the striking change in scenery as we drove back up to Maryland last week. We have moved to another world. And we have learned and grown from the exercise. I won't call it experience, because it was more than a passive year- we had to stretch and grow. Or I should say, we got to, because it was an opportunity, an adventure.

Did we enjoy being back? Oh yes. There were a few important people we did not get to see, but we made the effort to reconnect. After all, Maryland is a part of us, and they are too!

I can't help but trust that God has a plan for us in Miami. Shortly before our visit to Md, my husband signed on with a new firm down here. It is comforting to know that there is a purpose to this relocation, actually there are many. I think that goes for anyone and where they currently are. It's when things changed so much that you are faced with trust or bust. :)

So here's what we left,

Beautiful, no? And here's what we came home to!

Buenas Dias, Miami.

Happy 4th!

(picture taken from provincetowntourismoffice.org)

Sorry for being so blank, but I literally was blank ;) in that I was focused on tasks at hand and didn't have too many ideas floating around!

I don't have much of a theme to this post, it is more just about my week. I can't remember the last time I was this excited for the 4th. I actually feel the excitement! I don't know if I am enjoying what Miami has to offer, the friendships we've made, the fireworks being over the ocean... I'll say all of the above! Miami can really celebrate, and I don't mean in the way people sometimes characterize it. It celebrates in the best sense. :)

And on the 5th we are off to DC for a visit! We haven't been back since we moved, and we are driving! That means good music mixes, and today I was reminded to keep opera and classical in the mix. I not only love it ;), I want my kids to be used to it, understand it, and hopefully grow to love it. So, needless to say, Luciano's greatest hits will be in the mix as well as a little Evgeny Kissin, a pianist who always gets it right. Can you hear it now? "Mom, can we listen to something else?" :) Have I mentioned that my second child knew his Luciano when he was just months old? He would cry in the car unless I put his favorite Luciano pieces on! There is just something about it!

And what would a road trip be without Van? I was recently listening to a string of Van Morrison songs, which made me want to write a bit about why I hold him in such high regard. Music is a touchy subject, so I won't venture to say you can't have your own favorite ;), but I will share some things I find remarkable about him, setting him apart for me.

Van has a great capacity for writing music that perfectly intertwines the instruments and voices.
But, what I find so captivating is his ability to change the melody so many times within a song. Take Tupelo Honey, for example. We all know it well. But, like with Jane Austen, when we listen/read past the dreamy words/plot, his talent shines through. He doesn't sing the versus or the chorus in the same way twice. That is very hard to do, considering most singers vary the melody by one note. And when Van starts going off with his "la la las" in his songs, like at the very end of Tupelo Honey, I see it as his musical creativity just needing to find more musical combinations that work together. I don't know if that added anything to your day, but it certainly has given me an opportunity to express my gratitude!

I so look forward to being with family and old friends I've missed.
I will, however, miss my palm trees and ocean! Could it be that Miami feels like home?

Have a wonderful 4th, friends!