Socks and Shoes

Ok I HAD to capture this. Matisse (My niece) got new shoes and socks this christmas. They were way too cute. I had to ask her permission to snap these pictures. They are so girly and sweet and cute. I had to bribe her to stand still as i took the pictures. Poor girl, all she wanted to do was ride her new bike!

Behind the glass

Are you a spectator looking into your life?

Peering behind the glass?

Dreaming of all the lovely things you want to do, but not really living?

Come on in, Have a seat.

Take a look around. Life can be grand. Make yourself comfortable.

Look deep inside

Are you the kind of person you'd want to dine with?

Is there peace in your soul?

The door is wide open. Clean house. It can be quite beautiful.

WELCOME.

Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift - there is nothing small about it. - Florence nightingale

(Pictures taken @ the Rachelle Ashwell Shabby chic store in Santa Monica, CA)

Cherished Moments

A few precious moments shared with my family this christmas.

Moments with family should not be taken for granted. Take every conversation, every hug, every smile into your hearts and cherish it always.The years will go by quickly and life changes in the blink of an eye.

It isn't the great pleasures that count the most; Its making a great deal out of the little one's. - Jean webster

Best Gift Ever

Christmas Eve 2005 we picked up this bundle of Joy from a breeder in Pennsylvania. She was my christmas gift. She is a West highland terrier. A Westie.

She has never met a stranger, will greet you with love and kisses, wakes up happy and joyful, loves to play with her toys and eats her 'papa' but prefers the human food she gets in her bowl after they are finished. She sits for snacks, gives two pawed hugs, loves to chase the quack quacks in the park and enjoys wearing clothes.

Her first taste of fashion was a black cashmere sweater with rhinestone buttons and a pink turtle neck she wore for her first snowfall. She has several summer dresses, but loves her after five dresses of taffeta and velvet and fur for those special occasions. and of course her many coats, from fancy fur to hoodies to her padded vests. She is very well rounded and well traveled. She has attended a fundraiser for the animal shelter at a restaurant where she was served a 5-course meal. She loves Fiesta in San Antonio because there are lots of people and People Drop Food. She has been to South Street in Philadelphia for New years fireworks, Has picnicked in central park New York, Walked on the boardwalk in Atlantic City and dug in the sand at the Jersey Shore. Lived in New jersey and traveled between Texas & NJ more times then she can count. She loves the outdoors and enjoys camping, hiking and long walks. Her talents are talking- almost human like, chasing ducks,walking on window sill's and catching flies. She is a love bug, will wake you with kisses,will lick your tears if you are sad, gives good hugs and loves to snuggle buggle. she is a JOY and We cannot imagine our live's without her. She is our family, She is our Bella-Boo.

Savor the days!

I special made fleece scarves for the sweet children in my class. Took the time to package them in a fun and creative way.

Made these for my Christmas party last Wednesday. Chocolate with cream cheese frosting. The show "Cupcake Wars" inspired me to do so. They were delightfully festive.

Does this picture make your mouth water? My mom and I took a break from our shopping trip last weekend lunch at Los patios. Enjoyed every bite. I wanted to check out their new dog friendly patio so we could include Bella-boo next time. Lots of dogs on the patio :) This is a definite do over.

This a blueberry tartlette I made for my work luncheon. Easy as pie.

Mix one 8oz cream cheese with 1C sugar, fold in a large cool whip. Spoon it into Graham cracker tart shells and top with blueberry pie filling. Chill 8 hrs.

A lovely plate to remind you to enjoy the holidays with family and friend's. Savor each and every day you have.

Eyes Wide Open

Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old. -Franz Kafka

Driving into work this morning there was a thick fog that covered the city streets making my commute a bit of a nuisance. I was sleepy and weary, preparing mentally for my day. When I turned down this street, I was struck with how serene and peaceful the fog was. Look at this! I drive down this road five days a week. It was right before my eyes. How could I have not noticed the beauty all this time? Why did I not LOOK at it until it was coated in a thick fog? Wow. Suddenly my eyes were opened and my day was full of purpose. There IS beauty in all of our days we have life.

Don't let a day go by that you don't look for beauty

Find peace in the crazy busy

I cant believe I haven't blogged in over a week. Life has been way to crazy. I have been meaning to get out and take these pictures on my back patio for wks now. I found this awesome ice-skate at TjMaxx a couple weeks ago. I LOVE it. I knew it would photo well with my old door. And the berry wreaths looked best when captured with sunlight coming through. Still working on the decorating this past weekend along with finishing up my Christmas shopping, getting ready for our Christmas party this week,trying to get my Christmas cards out, making felt scarves for the kids in my class and wrapping wrapping wrapping.

Find some solice in your busy days and take time out for some peace as you accomplish each task.

Baking sweets

Every Christmas I crave those great little peanut butter cookies with a chocolate kiss in them. So yesterday I decided to make some. The easy way. I bought the Pillsbury brand mix that come in a small bag. You add one egg, 3Tbsp of oil and a Tbsp of water. In addition to this you roll the dough into small balls and roll each in sugar. Then when they pop out you quickly place a kiss in the middle. Y-UM. So good. Some were too big so I had to place 2 kisses on top. It was the fair thing to do. To all you non-bakers out there, try an easy recipe and impress those perfect bakers out there :)

Delight in the unexpected

So I wanted to put my creativity to use on this years Christmas pictures. I had idea's on what I was wanting to achieve. Something a little more creative then confinements a store portrait. I wanted to think outside the box. So with some difficulty getting my husband to SHARE my vision(He is a true "in-the-box" kinda guy)I dragged him out to the countryside this weekend. And before I knew it he was sold on this bizarre idea. Our friends were gracious enough to take the pictures. I was so grateful. Though I did not use this one for my Christmas picture, it was one of my favorites. As we were taking pictures amongst the bales of hay, a train went by. We quickly shifted around and snapped this as it went by. I loved the graffiti, the random pose and the lighting. Just a delightful surprise. It wasn't even planned.

Delight in the unexpected this week :)

JOY in the journey

If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all. - Dan Rather

Our life is about the journey. The process of who we become in the end is the beauty of it. Don't be afraid of failure and adversity.They are not necessarily bad things in life as they are building blocks that shape our character. Take each experience and learn from it.You will develop resiliency and become strong. Keep the eyes of your heart fresh and don't allow your heart to harden. Life can be Grand. Its a perspective you can choose daily :)

There is JOY in the journey