For the New Year

Hi everyone! I hope all of you are having a wonderful holiday. As I get ready to wash away 2011 amongst my family and friends, I quietly sit here at my computer and write to all of you. This was a different holiday season for me, and as much as 2011 had a lot of smiles, tears, laughter, lessons learned, heartache, pain, comfort... basically the whole gamut of emotions, I am also thankful for the many things that have brought me back to myself. We are all given choices in life. Everyday we wake up and decide to either stay true to who we are, or let our fears drive us. We decide each day if we are going to listen to sabotaging thoughts that we all have or push them away and love ourselves. For the new year... (I am really terrible at making resolutions), but for this year instead of thinking about what I need to do, I am going to think of all the things that I simply do not want to do anymore. All of the scripts that I have about how things are "supposed" to be, I think I might just burn. I am often terrified of revealing myself, my thoughts, my words, basically who I am out of fear. Fear of not being enough, looking stupid, failing and I think I'm going to throw away all of those thoughts, because they aren't really working for me very well. So, for this post I have to thank all of you for stopping by and letting me share myself with all of you! And I mean truly share what I think and how I feel.

Thanks for listening! ;)

Now, it's time for champagne, wine, cheese and brie!

Cheers! To truth, honesty, loving yourself, allowing others to love you and being thankful for every breath taken! Forgive yourself for any mistakes-- anything that may not have aligned or had the outcome you intended. Wishing you all many blessings this year!

PS- I got my mom a chalkboard cheese tray for Christmas and I have to say that I'm a little obsessed with it! I want to have a party every night, just to bring it out.

The Perfectly Imperfect Home

I saw this book a couple of weeks ago, and fell in love with it. I gave it to Meg for Christmas, and my mom happened to give it to me yesterday. I love it. Deborah Needleman does a great job in creating cozy spaces.

"The point of decorating, as far as I can tell, is to
create the background for the best life you can have."

~From "The Perfectly Imperfect Home"

Wellness

On Monday, I started not feeling so great and by the time I landed here in Colorado yesterday, I felt as if my head was going to explode and I might pass out walking through the airport. It was not a fun feeling. I was burning up and then freezing cold. When I landed, my mom, grandfather and I immediately stopped at Whole Foods to pick up some soup. While in the produce section, I came across some tangerines, which have never tasted so good to me. I will be on the antibiotic, broth, tea and tangerine wellness train for a couple of days! Hoping to get better before everyone gets here on Christmas!! I honestly can't wait!

I hope all of you have a wonderful Friday! Christmas is on Sunday and I haven't finished all of my shopping. What to get my mom has me a little stumped. Any ideas??

White Winter Wonderland

Heading off to the snow!! Houston, as much I love the rain, give me snow and mountains any day!!

Release, Rinse and Receive

Good Tuesday morning! I hope you're having a great week. Yesterday in my yoga class, I found myself feeling a little weak, but not in a physical way. We did a lot of heart openers and a lot of twists for rinsing out our bodies. I tend to keep a lot of energies and stresses in my stomach. Every time I do heart openers, I can feel the energy pouring out. For all of you who do not do yoga, I swear, I never in my life thought I would be saying these things. But, in yoga you can literally move the energy that is within you. When you hold your stress, your anxieties, fears and even joy, love, passion, etc. I think sometimes I get very, very fearful of letting go of things-- of releasing messages that I used as defining characteristics about myself. A few years ago, I built up a lot of layers around me and within me. Terrified of any sort of vulnerability I held onto these layers for a pretty long time. I guess starting about three years ago, I began letting go of them and as I began to "feel again," it was almost like coming out of hiding. Well, yesterday I had another one of those moments. As I changed poses from tree, to camel, to a wheel, I was quivering and feeling like I needed to go into child's pose. The sweat poured off of me and I could hear the rain outside on the windows, I felt myself let go a little bit more and vowed to stay open, even as I was shaking. Sometimes, it's very hard to stay open, to release and let go of any old definitions of ourselves. But, it's necessary. Necessary for growth, renewal and well being... although I have to say when you are used to certain thoughts in your head they almost become comforting, but it's nice when you realize they aren't working for you anymore. If you are taking up space with old patterns, you don't really have space to receive. So, rinse out, release and renew...

Don't hold on so much.

Hard as Nails

Lately, I have been changing my nail polish about as often as I've been changing my outfits. For the everyday, I have been loving Essie's Brooch the Subject. To mix it up a bit, I've been embracing my dark side and wearing Over the Edge and Midnight Cami. I usually never choose to wear trendy nail polish, but sometimes you've gotta go out on a limb... For my toes, I've been going with the Scarlett O'Hara red, and that is one thing I haven't changed!

Top to Bottom: 1. Scarlett O'Hara 2. Over the Edge 3. Brooch the Subject

P.S. Last Saturday I wore this- Boom Boom Pow and LOVED it. I highly suggest it for a little holiday cocktail glamour.

Wooden Beams

I love wooden beams in a house. I am such a sucker for them, but I think they add so much character to a house!

image via country living

Cozy & Creamy

I love these two looks from Anthropologie. From her boots, to the plaid shirt and skirt in the bottom picture, I could definitely take some inspiration from these wintery outfits.

images via moodboard

For the love of: Bookshleves

I have a very strong affinity for well endowed bookshelves. I love the way they can make a home feel a little more comfortable and it always adds personality. I love pouring over the pieces of what someone else brings into their life. Sigh, I need more bookshelves.

Elle Decor, Pretty Stuff, Martha Stewart

Take your time...

"Let the pieces be. Let yourself be. Let life be. Sometimes, chaos needs to precede order. The pieces will come together in a picture that makes sense... You don't have to force the pieces together if it's not time. You don't have to know. There is power sometimes in not knowing. There is power in letting go. Power in waiting. Power in stillness. Power in trust. There is power in letting the disconnected pieces be until they settle into a whole. The action you are to take will appear. Timely. Clearly. What you're to do will become clear."--A Journey to the Heart

In a dreamy way...

I stumbled across Paper Kites last night here, and really liked their folksy sound. This is a sweet song, with a melody that sweeps in and out like a dream. A nice little way to start this Tuesday morning...

Good Monday Morning

Hello all! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I feel like it was the weekend for Christmas parties, anyone else feel the same? I can't believe Christmas is almost here. I wish time would take it easy and not race so much. Anyway, I am loving getting dressed and cozy. Give me sweaters, fake fur vests, coats.... mmm, yes!

Happy Monday! : )

Traditional Twist

What do you think? Yay or Nay?

I'm thinking... yay.

The Great Kate

Kate Bosworth has such an incredibly effortless beauty... and she can wear anything well. I love this editorial from the November issue of Instyle. It's one of my favorites from this year, so I thought I would share! I hope all of you are having a wonderful Wednesday!

Loving this Song

Happy Monday! Enjoy!

Tis' the Season

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope that you are having a wonderful weekend. Each month has flown by so quickly, I can barely keep up. As we move into the holidays and get in the spirit of things, I can't help but ask, what's on your Christmas wish list? I am thankful for so many things this year. Although, as many of you have probably noticed, the past few months have been rather rocky, I am so looking forward to Christmas. I watched "It's a Wonderful Life," last night and the movie just never gets old... It has such a good point about life and being thankful for what we have. As we get ready to close out the year, I have been forced to reflect upon my entire life, and the ties that bind us to our family from generations and generations before. I am ready to let go of the things that are/were not so great, that have been passed down for many years, and only keep what was done right. Does that make sense? I will explain more in depth later, but think about it. Is there a running theme within your family system? There is in mine! And it's pretty interesting when you step back and think about it! Why people marry who they marry... there are some pretty good insights to it and I find it fascinating. Most of the time it's about healing something within your family system... either with your mother or your father and we often repeat, the same mistakes. But, with that said there is a way to avoid it, and that is to recognize it, and deal with it as it stands now. Who would have thought? I know it probably sounds like a no brainer, but it happens... we make mistakes and there is often a reason for it! Interesting... more thoughts on this to come! For now, it is time to put up the tree and take in December! : )

This December...

The last two months for my family, I have to admit have been challenging, but it has only been through these challenges that we have really begun to know each other all over again. As individuals. As my brother and I become separate from our parents and our parents begin anew, there has been a healing process taking place. It has been painful, as most healing processes are, right? You don't break your arm and not feel any pain, no. You get through the pain and there isn't any real way around it. For us, it has been an experience of ups and downs and a lot of tears. When the tears come up and it seems almost so painful that you want to either stuff it down and push it away or walk off all together, we have been told to breathe. It sounds simple, but when I think about it, sometimes, it is really hard to breathe. When things get difficult, I tend to hold my breath. Perhaps, I think in some way it will help me to hold it together, but actually it does the opposite. Even in my yoga class, the harder the poses are, the more often I hold my breath. What I have found to be so valuable this week, is the importance of not being afraid to feel the pain, breathing through it, saying your truth and letting yourself feel self-love and acceptance. It is important to reveal yourself to others, all the parts of you!

I came across this today as a meditation for December 1st and thought I would share:
It's difficult to be around people who are trying to be perfect- perfectly healthy, perfectly polite, perfectly poised, perfectly controlled. Remember that being human means being imperfect, being flawed. Let yourself be. Let others be.... Stand up and reveal who you are and know that you are good enough. Stop worrying that people will find out who you really are. Instead, hope that they do. Help them by openly sharing yourself and being not who you think you should be, but who you really are.

Freedom is just a small step away- a step into self-love and acceptance. When you take it, others will follow. And they'll be grateful you led the way. -Melody Beattie

And to those people, who have been by my side, supportive and there without even saying anything during this time, I don't even know how to thank you.

via sundayinbed

This is kinda Great.

Had to share...

Cozy thermals, plaids...

I love this photo shoot from Teen Vogue that was done a few years ago. I have a thing for cozy outfits that make you look as if you've stepped out of a log cabin. And, I'm especially loving these romantic skirts. : )

Must Love,

Mountains. I swear, the love of mountains must be in my bones and in my soul. I always think it's so funny when people say they love the ocean more... I wonder what that is? (Why people love one or the other more?) Perhaps it's what we grew up with? My best friend is definitely a surfing, ocean girl. She loves it! I like a little of both, but mountains are my favorite!

Wishing you all a wonderful Turkey Day. We're going to do a little skiing (but, there isn't much snow yet) and some cooking!

image via Ruby Press

Wish you May, Wish you Might

Tomorrow, we are heading to Colorado for Thanksgiving and I was thinking... that I am ready to play and celebrate. I know, I have been writing "heavier" things than normal, but that's just what happens when you're going through something. There are ups and downs, good days and not so good days. But, I also believe in surrounding yourself with the people you have the most fun with, drinking a lot of wine, skiing and having some fun. Yea, not just some... a lot! Wishing all of you some sweet family/friend time!

images via pretty stuff

Sometimes it's okay...

Often, I get into the habit of pushing myself until I physically, mentally, emotionally can no longer move, make sense or pretend to be alright. Sometimes, you just gotta say, I need a moment to myself to take care of me. And sometimes, it's longer than a moment. Sometimes, you need a few days, a few weeks, even a few months. And well, that's just okay.

images via sunshine traveler and we heart it.

Marie Claire, Russia

I love this editorial with Julia Dunstall. The colors, the coats, the hats are perfect. I hope all of you have a great weekend! I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving!

Crazy!

(images via MagXone)

Time to Celebrate... A little...

I hope all of you are having a great day! I got some pretty exciting news today. I was accepted into a writing program and I can't even believe it... Wooohooo! Ready to celebrate "Great Gatsby" style tonight. Wearing a sparkly dress and dancing on tables might be in order. :)

Simple & Lovely...

Last night, when I couldn't sleep and found myself searching for inspiration to keep writing, I stumbled upon this and it made my night! It is so simple and lovely. The life of an artist is quite different. Us creative types have to have our solitude at times. There comes a time when it is necessary to reflect and you really have to unplug. There is often this weird lull and when life gets too busy, or you start to focus on other things, it becomes messy in the mind, but with solitude there is time, time to soak it all in. I love when she mentions driving... how it pushes everything unimportant into the back of your mind and you think about the good things. I feel the exact same way. I drive from Houston to Arkansas, Arkansas to Houston all the time. People often ask me if it's exhausting, how I could possibly do it so much? But, I'll let ya in on a little secret... there are times when I cherish those moments, alone, in my car, listening to music, thinking and thinking... it gives time to digest life. We have things thrown at us all the time. Sometimes it's nice to take a step back.

Loving Tuesday

I hope all of you are having a great week so far. Sorry for the missed post yesterday. I was traveling all day back from San Francisco and arrived home a little exhausted, but the kind of exhausted that's after a long weekend spent with your BFF having a whole lot of fun (and reliving what it was like in college?) We had a great weekend with lots of wine, lots of food, shopping and some music... ohh yess, my favorite things!

San Francisco's Best Breakfast: Plow

I arrived in San Francisco last night and already, I think I've had the two best meals of my life. Last night, Jana took me to Chez Maman in her neighborhood in Potrero Hill. It was the coziest place I've ever been to, with the best butternut squash soup and french fries. This morning we woke up, and headed to Plow. Owned by the same person who happened to give us a free bottle of wine last night (Ruby Wine, thannnk you).
Plow is a tiny, unassuming breakfast hotspot. We got there at 8 this morning and it was crowded! If you happened to be in San Francisco, you must go to these two places. Try the pumpkin pancakes at Plow, I swear they will make your life so much better. :)

Starting the Weekend...

Happy Thursday all! I am heading off to San Francisco today to visit my BFF. I am so excited! I haven't been out to visit her since I lived in New York, which was about 3 years ago. I know... too long! Enjoy the day, hopefully there won't be any travel delays! ; )

PS. I love this picture. My leather jacket is in tow...

A little bit of honesty...

Have you ever thought about the word "honesty?" What it means exactly to be honest with yourself and with others...? Sometimes, I find it to be very challenging. I am a pro when it comes to acting like everything is okay, like I have it handled, like I have a grasp on it when in truth I'm a big mess. Yep. This brings me to the next word: "vulnerability." I think I actually might be allergic to that word. But, in yoga class yesterday, Maria, our teacher spoke to us about both of these things and I thought, my gah, here I am trying to pretend that everything is okay and here I am lying to myself and not making any sense to anyone else, all because in some way I feel weak if I were to say, "I'm not okay. I might cry. I might fall apart a little." If I do ever say these words, I immediately start apologizing for myself. So, here's to honesty.

And a little bit of an excerpt...

"The more honest we are with ourselves about how we feel and what we really think, the more power we will have. We may have once thought that being powerful means not giving into what we felt, what we thought, or how we really were. But that attitude didn't garner power for us. It caused life, the universe to continue creating situations that would help open our hearts, help us to feel, help us to learn the lesson of vulnerability. The sooner we become honest with ourselves, the sooner we can be honest with others. The sooner we become honest with ourselves, the more quickly we'll grow and move on to a new place. Become vulnerable, at least with yourself. Be honest about what you think and how you feel. Write it. Speak it. Feel it. Release it. Then you will know where to go, when to go. What you are to do next will emerge naturally, quietly, and clearly."- Melody Beattie

Wednesday Musings

Currently loving all of this! The bottom picture is from Kate and Andy Spade's apartment. Have you all seen it?? I posted about it awhile back, a lonnnng while back! Check it out HERE if you haven't yet seen it. It is probably one of my favorite spaces. I love everything about it.

images via sparkling glitter tumblr