Holidays

Daniel named him Stewart.

I wont eat him. He is too cute!

Our new fireplace mantle. Courtesy of my creative husband!

Picking up...

where I left off 10 years ago.

Oliver

Daniel woke me up the other morning laughing out of nervousness because Oliver had jumped up on the countertop (from there he goes to hanging out above the cupboards) while Daniel was busy lighting the burner on the stove for tea. Well, Dan hadn't expected Ollie to be walking by the stove (his back was turned to the refridgerator & Ollie) and as soon as the gas lit on fire Ollie was right there and his whole chest went - POOF! Dan said Ollie jumped backwards because his little white fur was flaming and whiskers were scorched and Daniel immediately grabbed him and started smacking his chest to put the flame out. Daniel felt so bad! Ollie's never been on that side of the sink on the countertop before but now we will be super super careful when we are starting the stove!

This is me holding Ollie in my tote. Every day when I come home from Pilates or being out, no matter how much I have stuffed into that tote, he always tries to squeeze inside. His favorite thing is to be held on your shoulder in a bag and walk around with you! Kind of like baby-wearing, but Ollie-wearing!

Winter Wonderland

So Heidi came bounding up to the window this morning like she usually does to look outside at passersby. Only this time, she bounced backwards because she was afraid of the snow piled up on the windowsill! It was hilarious! It wasnt the first time she'd seen snow but something about it made her afraid!

Here's the view of our *frosted* tree outside our window!

Schneefloeckchen, Weissroeckchen...

Schneefloeckchen, Weissroeckchen

First Snowfall...

May your longest list this holiday season...

be the one that counts your blessings.

Happy 1st Snowfall Everyone!

The Unknown

"When we step into the unknown, we are free of the past. When we step into the unknown, we are free of every limitation because fresh choices are available in every moment of our existance."

- Deepak Chopra

What is your unknown?

Decorating

Seasonal yummies: homegrown sage - dried, and locally grown chestnuts.

Last years art project...

Can you see me in the bulbs?

my newly recovered chest...

Holidays

It was a great weekend with the families. We brought our babies with us and they really enjoyed the extra space to run around. Heidi and Ollie particularly liked these grassy reeds that they were allowed to shred and pounce on and mince to pieces.

Even ol' Coug seemed perky and appreciative of all the festivities. Here he is showing off his uber relaxation. Can you believe that belly?!

And, once home again, we set up our own little Christmas tree. I was so excited to be able to have one of these beautiful rosemary bushes! I've been admiring them for years. Daniel named him Harold. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous for Harold because Oliver LOVES to chew on plants. But, I was hoping since Harold tasted a little spicier than most plants that Oliver wouldn't appreciate that. Sure enough, as Oliver bit Harold and made a sour face, I felt at peace knowing that we would enjoy our little Christmas tree all through December!

Joie De Vivre

I don't really know how to pronounce it but this is my favorite tea when the chilly weather sets in: Genmaicha. Mmmm. My german girlfriend introduced it to me (without even really knowing it) after she had gotten a few bags of it from her sister in New York. Its really earthy and nutty and, mmm, perfect.

Brewing in my french press. If you don't own one I highly recommend it because it makes a little task like this so much fun! And its great for teas and coffee. :)

My steaming cup and a little people-watching out my window. :) Perks of being in the city.

In spirit of: GRATITUDE

So, I accidentally came across this book in my library called Treasury of Spiritual Wisdom: A Collection of 10,000 Inspirational Quotations By Andy Zubko. I loved the thoughts that were in it and I decided to buy it for myself. In 10,000 quotes you can probably imagine that it covers a huge range of topics. I wanted to start blogging some of them once a week and I was trying to decide on a day that would be really nice for a little uplift. I figure, since many people do something on the weekend to renew their faith or spiritual awareness and mid-week we often feel a little forgetful or soggy, that Wednesday was the perfect day for a little reminder and a boost.

I plan on randomly opening the book to a topic each week and seeing where we land. Quite fitting that I just opened to....

GRATITUDE

We are, thankfully, again, in the season where we take time to draw our awareness to those things we are grateful for, to give show others our appreciations and to conciously create conditions to be thankful for in each moment of our days.

Now, given the "tough economic times" these days, it is really easy to understand how folks could feel a little like their list of desires is a lot longer than their list of things to be grateful for.

And following that thought...a little divine interjection for me and you. So, as I was thinking of how grateful I am to have been able to visit, this year with my husband, Plymouth, Massachusettes, the Mayflower II, and Plymouth Plantation and learn more about our history, I decided to search for a photo of the Mayflower. While posting it here on the blog I accidentally stuck it in the middle of the word GRATITUDE, which made, ATITUDE. I've heard, before, the phrase "attitude of gratitude," and this moment here caught my attention and reminded me of that in a stunning way. Is it not so true, the difference between fulfillment and not is really in our attitude? Having something to be grateful for is really a mindset, not a specific state of having (for lack of a better phrase). If nothing else, each one of us could pause and become thankful for the state of being on earth, a spirit in a living body, able to experience a lifetime's worth of human experiences. How fabulous of a gift?! So, cheers to sharing that gift with all of you. I am grateful for that.



When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilage it is to be alive--to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love...
- Marcus Aurelius

None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude...Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy...
-Fred Van Amburgh

Seeing a glass half empty is resentment; seeing it half full is gratitude...
-Anonymous

If the only prayer you say in your entire life is "Thank You," that will suffice...
-Meister Eckhart

There is an inherent law of mind that we increase whatever we praise. The whole of creation responds to praise and is glad. Animal trainers pet and reward their charges with delicacies for acts of obedience; children grow with joy and gladness when they are praised. Even vegetation grows better for those who love it...
- Charles Fillmore

Most people don't realize the good they had until they lose it, and by then it's too late...
-Anonymous

Praise expands everything. People, plants, children, animals, even inanimate things, respond to praise. I cannot tell you how, but try it for yourself. If you want more of anything, praise and give thanks and you shal have it...
- Sue Sikking

It is impossible to be negative while we are giving thanks...
-Donald Curtis

Some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns...
- Anonymous

Wise Woman...

I wish you a beautiful weekend!

Making up costumes...

My cool mom and dad (the two on the right) looking snazzy in their costumes. So cute, they really did put in a good effort this year. No grumpy scrooges this year for Halloween! So Daniel and I were invited to a costume party on Halloween this year, and D was pretty excited to dress up but I really wasnt feeling it after the move. I just wanted to sleep for days...well, I wanted to go see everyone but I wanted to skip the costume party...unless mine could be my pajamas. :) D wouldnt have it, and neither would my mom. I had absolutely no creative energy....scratch that, energy left at all so I was lucky when my sister decided that she needed help designing her mermaid costume and we were going to do that at JoAnns.

She was hoping to be more of a of grunge-type, barnacle encrusted, natural sort of mermaid. It was actually fun!

We found a really great green stretchy velour (?) type fabric that we could wrap around her waist and cut into strips to tie at the side - looking like seaweed! Super easy too! Then we took two different sheer, tulle-type fabrics in taupe and brown colours and layered and tied them over a tank top to make her upper body and fins in the back.

The colors were less sparkly than the turquoise bright ones that Ariel or other disney mermaids wear but they ended up being really beautiful together...kind of the opposite of what she expected. We found little gold/pearlescent shell-looking chips and decided to use elmers glue to put them all over her body and face to look like barnacles. It was such a neat idea and really fun. And those turned out to be the most noticed and appreciated part of the costume on Halloween. A little bit of hot glue, an old ring, a few saftey pins and some sea shells and we were done! Super cute idea for anyone wanting a homemade, cheap, creative costume!

The best part was that after she wore it on the 30th she was kind enough to let her lazy sister wear it for our Halloween party!

While Kendra and I were at looking at fabrics at JoAnn's D was running around looking for idea for his own costume. He would pop up enthusiastically, show us an idea and dart off again to find more goodies. He was really cute and I was, again, impressed with his creativity. His Batman costume was born from a childsize Batman mask he found at JoAnns. He also decided to buy this really great shiny black material to make the rest of the face mask and his cape...he sewed it all himself too. Check out how creative he was with his underarmour underwear and tshirt, a belt, his bike pants, and (the best part) his little black work shoes. :) So cute! He had so much fun. And everyone wanted a picture with Batman :) Superheros are always a great way to go. Everyone loves them!

My first walk in our new neighborhood...

The first Saturday we were in our apartment I decided to take a walk through the mall to see what kind of businesses and people were in the area. I am really suprised by the treasures I am finding around this city. There seem to be a lot of unique, creative people with good ideas who are sharing a lot with the community. I found an organic co-op about 7 minutes away (by foot!!! so exciting to be able to walk places!) and I bought Daniel and I some Kombucha to balance out our stressed and pressed little bodies. It was delicious and fun to be able to suprise him with that. :)

I also found a cute vintage shop with lots of jewelry called Vintique and took an hour or so to talk with the owner and play with the jewelry. So many really cool pieces. I found these earings and I knew we were meant to be together as soon as I saw them! Ha, ok, so seriously, I never buy gold. I used to love it when I was younger...when I had these gold skinny hoops that I wore everywhere. So when I loved these, I thought, doesnt happen very often! Unfortunately the really nice consignment shop down the way from me was closing but I did get a great deal from it. I found this winter white sweater and bronze purse... and they were 75% off!

The Place We Call Home...

"Lincoln Park" as Daniel calls it. It's really Bronson Park but Lincoln spoke here 4 years before he became president. How amazing to imagine him giving a talk here in the park. History is so romantic! Do you ever feel enchanted by such things? The holidays are starting here! Last week all the flags were changed and the trees were decorated with lights...those really great LED ones...so sparkly and pretty!
Walking mall and Kalamzoo Valley Museum, all right out our door!

Thats me in our window!

Hugging a sweet LuLu B :)

My super orange kitchen. Its interesting that we picked this place considering I feel orange is really best left to pumpkins and squash.

The free-standing "closet" my sweet and handy husband built for me...since we only have ONE tiny working closet.

These are photos from the day or two after moving in...not much decorating had been accomplished yet. Those fine little touches that I love to spend time on hadnt happened yet. But it was a great start!