Life memories

And thus we waited for days to come and before you know it they are upon us… days come and just with the swiftness in which they come, they are gone too… gone in a blink of an eye, leaving us with only memories of what they brought, to add to the treasure-house of our heart… 

We all waited for this special day, and now our youngest child had become a married man.  And we have gained a new daughter...

Back at home, days are short. Mornings dark, evenings cold, and the white doves came by the other day.  To the garden.  For just a few minutes.  What tells me that these beautiful creatures are still calling this old garden their ‘home’.  Home in the big bushy pine at the end of the garden.  I so wish I had planted more of these giant evergreens.  One or two Blue Spruce and a Japanese Umbrella pine.  The story would had been so different had I chosen a few pines in my landscape for a natural privacy barrier. As it is around here every winter, the few trees that pose as barriers have thinned out; bared branches exposing open spaces, and the privacy of our summers are gone.  That two-story house on the other side of the fence, what an eyesore it’s always been.  

These days of remembrances and flu season, I am spending my hours sitting in this corner; drinking in the rays of sunshine that, on those special winter days, like today, shine through my window.  Observing and listening to the birds.  The ones that always stay behind and are left to confront the harshness of winter days.  One just has but admire these insignificant little creatures of the air. 

The geraniums are all in bloom and so is the delicate paperwhite narcissus.

 

I love to sit here with my books and a cup of coffee and just enjoy the small, but significant things of life.  These are the true blessings of winter.

Plants that gift you with the green our souls crave and the energy our bodies need. 

 

The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. And this is my little winter forest right here! 

 

I love plants.  I remember my childhood names for grasses and secret flowers. I remember where a toad may live and what time the birds awaken in the summer -- and what trees and seasons smelled like -- how people looked and walked and smelled even. The memory of odors is very rich.

How lucky we are in these natural delights that lie ready to our hands! Every season and every plant offer changing joys.

When mid afternoon sun hit this spot, everything turns sparkly golden

 

I am happy, I have been down with the flu twice since the last couple of weeks.  I feel spaced-out, my mind feeble, my body weak, I am blessed, I am surrounded in light. I have to go back to my new job on Monday and I expect more light for 2020, more hope more peace… a different kind of peace.  Because of the empty tomb, we have peace. Because of His resurrection, we can have peace, and because of His promise of a return to this earth, we can be assured that something marvelous is coming.   

Much blessings to you, and yours for this 2020!

The Wedding

We are getting ready for a very special occasion... a very special wedding to attend this saturday...

so I've been very busy trying on a gazillion of dresses and pretty things to wear...

it hasn't been easy... for nothing looks good enough not pretty enough not comfortable enough

...when you reach a certain age, nothing looks the same on you anymore, and although one may feel the same inside as when you were younger, one must never forget that things have changed on the outside.  And thus, we must protect your self-esteem, be comfortable in our own skin, still be you, be yourself, but without losing sight of one’s dignity and respectability.

when you still want to feel pretty wearing the outfits you chose to wear on this 'new' you, things can get even tougher... old lady's clothing are not what I call pretty, or what can make one feel pretty in it… but then again, our bodies are not the same any more, and it is hard to find something pretty that can still make you look pretty and decently dressed for your age at the same time…

so, after much trouble, and much more that I wanted to spend I found my princesses’ dress... I am happy with it... maturity, confidence, and wisdom are what I want to portray. These are in fact a lot more valuable than physical beauty…. Still…

Romantic Shabby Chic

Do you change things around your house often?  Do you have a favorite decorating style?  Or perhaps more than one?  Many?

I find myself wanting to change the look of my rooms at the turn of every season.  Spring, summer, fall and winter.  Not big changes.  Our furniture is always the same, same rugs, mirrors, and such… but the changes are in the details. 

 ...decorative pillows, and curtains are always changing... and then there are the glass jars, pitchers, baskets and dried flowers with which to create pretty, romantic displays.  

 Miss Frida got a new head... she looks so pretty!

Fairy lights are a must!

In the bedrooms, it is a fresh new change and softer colors, a new bedspread or comforter, new pillowcases and decorative pillows, area rugs and curtains.  Nothing new, just things I already have, but the change makes everything looking like new... I never get bored doing this!  And of course, again the changes are in the details.

if you put your bed along the wall, the easier would be to incorporate more pretty pillows!

It needn’t be much and certainly; it needn’t cost you too much money.

Why do I always seem to gravitate towards the Shabby Chic style in winter?  I don't know.  It is just so much more romantic and cozy... Shabby Chic is decidedly pretty and delicate with its lace and pastel accents.  Flowers and floral prints are also welcome in this decor style.

Home

We got our first snowy day of the season last week and the garden was a white world and an aviary, with birds coming in and out of the garden at every hour to feed from the feeders.  

I sit across the window when they feed and just watch and just meditate upon life as I enjoy the coziness of my home and the beauty of my little jungle inside… cause it is a jungle in here with my many plants in this little corner, and I love it—love sitting on the big comfy chair among my plants and be swallowed up by them; tall and small spiky and lush and just look outside the window and have a cup of coffee while sitting here too.  Little joys that I appreciate so much.

And thus, our house had been decorated for the holidays as much as I can stand—the main tree tall and thin to free some space.  This time, I decided to place it by our fireplace in our family room, rather than in our formal living room where I have been placing it for the last two years since we moved back home.  

Our open floor plan kitchen/Livingroom is where we spend most of our time when we’re home, so this is where my Christmas tree will live this year.  I love seeing a Christmas tree peeking out of illuminated windows at night when I drive by, but if I place our Christmas tree in our living room, which is in the front of the house, I would never get to see it, as I hardly go there.  Our kitchen and family room are on the back of the house.  Nobody will see it from here, but I get to see it lighted up every night, and that’s perfect for me.

The other two smaller Christmas trees are sitting in different rooms of the house… they’re small and only have fairy lights on them.  I love them so much!

This one in particular is so special to me... I had it for two years now and it is a dead bougainvillea plant that I just kept and adorned with lights and other ornaments.  I keep it light up all year.

I keep my fairy lights all year around.  They are everywhere. 

I love being at home. Home is not a place…it’s a feeling!