Friday, June 29, 2012

Vacation in 3, 2, 1

We leave tomorrow --- yippeee!  I'm trying not to put many expectations on the week.  Just looking forward to relaxing and enjoying...   No alarms, no errands, plenty of magazines, puzzles, friends, ice cream, bbq, naps and all of the goodness of Maine. 

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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Wag More, Bark Less

People that know me might be surprised by today's post heading.  I am by no-means an animal lover, but every time I pass a car with that little sticker, I smile.  How true.  Focusing our attention on the good, remembering that everything we are given is a gift and a tool, finding peace in the storm....wagging more, barking less. 

A mental exercise in changing your thoughts from negative or anxious to positive, grateful and calm:

Today I am grateful for: 
My health and my body's willingness to carry a son for us.  
A simply perfect day outside. 
Feeling good. 
Options.
A plan in action.
Imperfection and knowing that sometimes an unanswered wish is the very best blessing you can be given.
Life  --- it's ceaseless ways to amaze us, surprise us and remind us that there are infinite ways to get it done.
New chapters ~* 

(Nacha, the most exquisite bakery I ever laid eyes on.  Barcelona, Spain)


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

June 26.2012

Almost nothing is as consistent as the message that to achieve greater inner peace and satisfaction, we must focus on what is uniquely great about the present moment.  Holding on too tightly to the past or living for the future, will only exaggerate feelings of angst.  Letting go of expectations for a future that we cannot predict.... having faith that our best effort today will yield results we want tomorrow.... understanding that all we have is here and now.  It's a hard practice but a worthwhile one.

So on this sunny, mild summer day I can say -
It's a good day because I get to wake up next to the person I love every morning.  We share a few brief moments together before we get going on our way.  I come to work in a comfortable space where I am treated well and appreciated.  I go home to a place where I feel safe and content.  I enjoy the comforts of love, reciprocity, flexibility and independence.   To breathe it all in and know what I have is unique and wonderful ~*


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Monday, June 25, 2012

Nursery Inspiration

I like using this blog space as a little bulletin board for myself.  A place to gather inspiration and things I'd like to revisit...  Be it an idea, a well designed space, a recipe, an outfit or just the way I was feeling at a particular time. 

Currently, I'm drawn to this crisp, clean nursery idea from DwellStudio.  It's boyish while still being sweet and serene - which is important for this mama-to-be. 
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Friday, June 22, 2012

45 minutes...

That's all it took this morning to get myself out of bed a little earlier than usual and get so.much.done!  I've long known that the morning is the missing piece to my get-it-done routine... if I can only commit!  I even made it outside and pulled up some weeds and fixed up the front yard a bit. I was on a roll, it really is a great way to start the day...

We have so much going on in our house right now, ripping our "guest room" down to it's studs to make way for our little guy.  And one room out of commission makes a second room a storage holder, so we're actually down two.  But we're hopeful that the end result will make the mess we're in now worthwhile.   In the meantime, I'm trying to do my part to keep some sanity around us. 

Have a great weekend, friends.

Renovation, Week 1:



Thursday, June 21, 2012

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Before there was pinterest...

I would just save random pictures, quotes, design ideas etc. to a folder on my hard drive.   I was looking for a picture of something else today and came across this idea for banquette seating that I probably saved 5 years ago but still really like it.   And sorry, I have absolutely no clue of the source!

Monday, June 18, 2012

A Monday Quote~


...Courtesy of my sister.  Who always has just the right words to share.   xoxo

"Life is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it. To stay with that shakiness - to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness and wanting to get revenge - that is the path of true awakening. Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic - this is the spiritual path."

- Pema Chodron
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Friday, June 15, 2012

Blue!

You had so much to show us.  You stopped to suck your thumb for a little while, gave us a wave, a thumbs up and somersaulted from one side of my belly to the other over and over again.  Your dad and I think you were excited to have an audience...   

He holds my belly every night and talks to you all the time.  Not a minute goes by that you're not on my mind.   Our son.   We have so much to share with you and can't wait to explore life through your eyes.  You have changed our life so much already and we couldn't be more excited...



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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Get it done

It was a rainy cold morning here, the kind that make it hard to get out of your warm bed.  But alas, I arrived to a quiet office determined to make the most of my time here today.  Putting my head down and just doing it.  The sensation of a complete day, productive and worthwhile... that's my goal for this grey Wednesday.  
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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Spontaneous

He said meet to meet him at work, even though he usually works in the evening.  She met him there and was given keys to a borrowed Range Rover.  "My friend is on vacation and told us to use it."   They went to a New England beach town for dinner by the water and thanked each other for the great life they share.  It's the little things, the fun things, the things that turn an ordinary Monday night into something special...  He said, "I love you guys" --- and we love you too.

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Thursday, June 7, 2012

Commencement

An excerpt from Anne Lamott's Speech at Berkley's Graduation:

...Only spirit feeds spirit, in the same way only your own blood type can sustain you...

I know you can feel it and hear it in the music you love, in the bass line, in the harmonies, in the silence between notes; in Chopin and Eminem, Emmylou Harris, Bach, whoever. You can close your eyes and feel the divine spark, concentrated in you, like a little Dr. Seuss firefly. It flickers with aliveness and relief, like an American in a foreign country who suddenly hears someone speaking in English. In the Christian tradition, they say that the soul rejoices in hearing what it already knows. And so you pay attention when that Dr. Seuss creature inside you sits up and says, “Yo!” 

Keep pressing forward.  Whether the storm.  Find the spirit that will sustain you and you alone.

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