let your heart be light...

whether you have snow or sun hope your weekend is happy.
monday we had 55 degrees and there was a deluge of rain. it washed away the snow. the grass looked so much sadder without its blanket of white. then yesterday there were snow squalls, blizzard like, that covered the ground again in white. today it is sooo cold but bright and sunny. the kind of day when you wake to frost covering the windows. you need to wear lots of layers, but lots of layers make me feel safe and comforted. you have to admit there is something really charming about really cold days. since i was a little girl i loved the first cold breath outside, the feeling of my nose and cheeks turning red and stinging, then the comforting rush of warm when you walk back inside.
stay warm. xo

this is the thing....

something to get you moving on hump day...a mashup of the top 20 billboard hits of 2009.




something to distract you from the gray days of january...



















and sending some love... xo

rainy days and mondays...

today i watched the rain come down and down and down.

little letters...

dear sun
thanks for coming out today.

dear andrew,
thanks for chatting with me.

dear sushi place
thanks for the best gyoza ever.

dear christine
thanks for always making me laugh.

dear fridge,
thanks for being big enough to hold my pictures and even a few groceries.

dear bed with fresh clean sheets and big fluffy quilts,
you are like heaven.

dear hair stylist
thanks for the shampoo and conditioner you are better than prozac.

dear trader joe's,
thanks for awesome french lemonade.

dear sirius radio
i love the pulse.

sweet dreams. xo

a good moment...

there are some days when the morning sun warms your spirit and you find yourself dancing along while doing your morning routines. everything is going along exactly as planned... today started out so nice and how it ended up so lousy is ... well... i guess just one of those things... so to fix it up i made french onion soup with crusty bread and tons of cheese, then some chocolate moulten lava cakes. now if that won't turn a day around i don't know what will... ok well it didn't really turn the day around but it was really tasty. xo

...words by the sweet audrey hepburn...

I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it.”
- Audrey Hepburn

You could always tell what kind of a person a man thinks you are by the earrings he gives you. I must say, the mind reels."
- Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly"



Pick the day. Enjoy it - to the hilt.
The day as it comes. People as they come . . .
The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present and I don't want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future." - Audrey Hepburn

xo

baked scampi 432

ingredients
1 cup butter
2 tablespoons prepared dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 pounds medium raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, with tails attached

directions
preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley. when the butter melts completely, remove from heat.
arrange shrimp in a shallow baking dish. pour the butter mixture over the shrimp.
at this point you can sprinkle on some panko breadcrmbs for a little crunch.
bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque.

serve over pasta ...
and of course, pour yourself some wine.
it is amazing ! xo

winter...

it has snowed in my corner of the world all day today. just light fluffy white snow out my window. it's dark now, winter is long, my world seems to be blanketed in grey wool. today the paths are covered in diamond ice. it would be even more beautiful if i didn’t have to go anywhere. if i could just sit by the fireplace at a cabin in the woods where i could just bake and burrow myself under mounds of blankets. this kind of weather makes me revisit the indoors. hope tonight i sleep under a lucky star. be snug. xo

hello monday...

january is marching right along. i finally got a calendar to record things on. here it hangs with days spread out before me – days to enjoy. some will be hard, some will be busy, some will be boring, some will be happy and some will be sad. but it’s a whole new fresh year to look forward to – whatever it brings i get to live it. 365 days of life hanging on a calendar waiting to be lived. what more could you ask for?


so today it snowed - really heavy, sloppy, wet snow. i had to be to work early. then arrived only to find the power out. so it was dark and cold and uncomfortable. no power = no coffee. not a great way to start the week. but i must say that the heavy, wet, sloppy snow looks beautiful on the trees. tonight i am tired. the snow and bone-chilling cold are taking their toll, and i want nothing more than to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate and a book. actually i don't know if i even have the energy for that. a snooze under mounds of quilts might be just the thing for me. love sent, xo

do what you can...

every so often i look out my cubicle window and wonder how did i end up in corporate america? it's just soo not me. wasn't i going to save the world? it's a little to late to save the world. besides i like my comfy house and family. i look at the devastation in haiti and see those poor people and wonder how difficult life is for them and how much we take for granted. how much of this world is in turmoil and how many children are hungry and suffer every day. for relief efforts and donations remember every bit counts. my company donated 50,000 to project hope. hopefully all companies will follow - every piece counts. sometimes tragedy presents an opportunity for positive change. sometimes the world seems to hold too much sorrow for our hearts to comprehend. where do we start when the bad things seem so very big? the only answer i can come up with is: start with the small things - for giving, go here - give love embrace real life. xo

have a sweet weekend...

my life is like...

a roller coaster that would never be approved by OSHA but hey, i love excitement. days here at work have been at a wild pace. but i guess it's a new year and everyone is gearing up to make the most of it. sometimes i feel like i am flying with one engine. but one thing is for sure it makes the days fly by. my dreams of sitting in front of the fire with a cappuccino will have to wait.


this past weekend while visiting my sister my little niece received this note.
how sweet it is to be 8 and you have no inhibitions or worries of planning a party even if its not yet planned - heck invite everyone anyway. xo

happiness...

happiness is an attitude. we either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. the amount of work is the same. - Francesca Reigler

never miss an opportunity to make others happy, even if you have to leave them alone in order to do it. - Anonymous

we tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. - Frederick Keonig

a good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. - Irish Proverb

always laugh when you can. it is cheap medicine. - Lord Byron

the more one worries, the older one gets; the more one laughs, the younger one feels. - Chinese proverb

kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless. - Mother Teresa

compassion for others begins with kindness to ourselves. - Pema Chödrön

happiness usually sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open. John Barrymore

happy monday...

make it count....

i saw this and thought this is sooo true....

xoxo

winter picnics....

i know you know i love picnics. i mean how can you not? i was thinking a winter picnic could be nice you could pick up some new winter picnic gear. yes, this metal coil can plug into your car and heat up a mug of something yummy (!!) i get bored with the same old meals around the table and maybe it would be nice to pack up for a day of adventure and picnic in the car. these chocolate mugs can be purchased at crate and barrel, perfect sized for a really rich cup of hot chocolate on a stick (perhaps dark and white chocolate, adding cinnamon and cayenne). add some chocolate molten lava cakes....

and you know, the more i think of it the more i’m dreaming of the perfect winter picnic. of course everything should be carried on a sled wrap up in a cozy blanket.











i’d start somewhere isolated but not too isolated. with a chill in the air but still enough winter sunshine to warm my hair and shoulders and back. xo

yum...

happy weekend...

where you find the reindeer after christmas... roaming around locally...






well not really, but i loved the picture... stay warm xo

comforts this week...

well it's the second half of winter. christmas has past, parties are over, winter is in full swing. the white. the glare. piles of blankets on the bed. mittens. warm scarfs. this week has been mostly good. i've eaten at my favorite place. sipped hot chocolate with mint and whip cream. visited with friends. closed my eyes and dreamed of warmer days. spent time thinking of places i've been and places i'd like to go. got lots done at work. wrote notes of thanks. organized and purged. xo

hi monday...

the holidays are officially over.
december called for some thoughtful days. it's so easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle. im glad i enjoyed so much of the holiday. there were some memorable moments. here we are already 4 days into the new year - it's hard to believe. the weekend consisted of snow and snow and more snow. it's pretty and makes everything look beautiful. it was the perfect weekend to purge and organize and take down the tree and write thank you notes (which aren’t finished). i need a calendar. i shouldn't be so fussy about calendars. i bought one and then decided it was not me… how can a calendar not be me? crazy, i know, but i know some of you will understand. i received a beautiful kate libby calendar for Christmas... a tradition, i love it, but it's not one you can
keep dates on, and without having one i am lost… so lost that i overlooked a really important birthday. somehow i am really bad if your birthday falls on the first few days of the month. so please forgive me. maybe i should make that a resolution - get better at looking ahead ….i am not a good planner, but it doesn't mean i love you any less. xo

happy new year...

looking ahead for 2010.. may you keep the picture of your own personal dream in front of you every step of the way this coming year. remember during uncertain times dare to daydream, see yourself in the warmth of a summers day, reflect with fondness the simple childhood pleasures like how it felt to ride your bike down big kid hill or the first day you drove your car alone. hold on to the childhood wonder, it keeps your imagination alive. believe everything is unfolding as it should be. do something new everyday. dream big!



wishing everyone a stable and peaceful new year with a healthy dose of sparkle. xoxo