Monthly Archives

February 2019

beauty, goals, home

The most beautiful home I could ever imagine…

February 12, 2019

the most beautiful house ever

Okay, I know that I get over-excited about things, but I just need to tell you in all caps to GO CHECK OUT THIS HOME TOUR if you care even one little iota about home design. They won’t let me pull down photos to share in this space, so I literally had to screen grab the above photo to intro this post and entice you to click through. I’m the biggest plant lady ever, so that photo of the plants framing the door is one of the prettiest things to me, ever. Can you imagine what it would be like to walk out that door to the beautiful outside space? My heart literally beats with joy just thinking about it and I am so weirdly thankful for the opportunity to see this home from Australia with my own eyes.

I know, I’m a total freak. I love interior design so much. I have never felt about an interior space as much as I feel for this space. It is just so layered, so imbibed with texture and nuance, so exceedingly well-appointed and yet so incredibly livable. This is what I want for my own home. I am coming up quite short these days, but this is the goal. Just knowing it exists out there makes me happy.

This quote from the article spoke to me because it illustrates for me how it can take time to manifest our heart’s desires:

Mardi came across the building almost twenty years ago when walking around the area with her eldest daughter Mia (now 20) in her stroller. ‘I was enamoured with it at the time, and knew that I definitely wanted to live here someday.’  The stars aligned as the apartment became available at just the moment Mardi was looking.

The apartment became available at just the moment she was looking. Just the moment!!

One last note that I have to make: I never knew that my heart would stir over a collection of vintage mushrooms. I know that it’s probably a super valuable collector’s item that I know nothing about, but I can just imagine her FREAKING OUT when she found another mushroom for her collection over the years. They probably just sat in a storage closet or random area of her previous home. She probably had a little thrill at herself every time she bought another mushroom, wondering why she felt this weird compulsion to keep buying vintage mushrooms. As her collection grew, she probably had friends looking at her weird but she just carried on, knowing that someday her mushrooms would find their perfect home. Don’t those mushrooms just look like they were meant to be in this home? I couldn’t imagine the space without them.

Do you ever get so juiced off of something that you rush to your computer to share it with your internet friends? That’s what I do basically every day here in this space. If you have something you love that you want to share with someone just because you love it, consider this a written invitation to share in the comments.

Image via. 

adventure, deep thoughts

Raising kids…

February 11, 2019

DSC_1017

I love this photo. This day on the lake with the boys about six years ago is etched in my memory forever. They were so happy that we rented a little boat and explored together. I can feel the sun on my skin when I think about it. I clearly remember the moment I jumped in the alpine water for a swim, how I momentarily lost my breath because the water was so cold. I felt so alive and so, so happy.

I hope the kids remember this day and all the other days we had together where we just enjoyed each other. I hope their memories are crowded with the happy times and the positive intent we brought to parenting them. This is my singular hope. I’ve never really wanted anything other than to be a positive force in their lives, living through example and full of love. When I read Zen Habits‘ post this week on parenting, I nodded my head again and again. Leo has such a gift for getting to the heart of the matter, of bringing out the essence of what’s most important in this life. Sometimes I worry that I’m not doing a good job with my role in their lives. That post calmed me because I know that I have, in the very least, loved them a lot. I know they know that and I know that that is enough.

Are you a parent? Do you agree with Leo’s advice? I am no parenting expert – just fumbling along with it, so I appreciated his insights. I’d love to learn from you, too!

adventure, just for fun, travel

Take me away to Stinson Beach

February 10, 2019

stinson beach 2

I went to Stinson Beach for the first time for work a few years ago. I worked on the Barefoot Wine & Bubbly brand and we did a whole lot of beach imagery in our social content, so Stinson was our popular place here in Northern California for video shoots. I remember driving to the beach and literally pulling my car over to allow myself to look at the views off of Highway 1. Gosh, it was so beautiful.

Ever since then, Stinson has had my heart. It is literally one of my happy places that I think about when the going gets tough, like when I’m freaking out at the dentist’s office and need to transport myself to somewhere peaceful.

I’m craving a getaway this morning so I found myself on VRBO looking at the cute little cottages on the beach. I want to go for a long weekend. I would love to wake up in the morning to the sounds of the ocean, to cook delicious meals with Keith over an aperol spritz, to take long walks on the beach to watch the sunset and then spend late nights in the hot tub. How perfect does that sound?????

stinson beach

I found this lovely little place that has my name on it. Just had to share with you all in case you’re interested in a little mind getaway this morning.

stinson beach 3

Can you imagine how fun it would be to cook in that cute kitchen?? I’m all heart-eyes emojis over here, guys.

Have you been to Stinson? Are you dreaming of a getaway, too? Where do you want to go?