In Love

A Flower Blooms in Winter..A Re-post.

A Flower Blooms in Winter..A Re-post.

The strangest thing happened yesterday. Well, at least I thought it was strange. Actually, not as much strange as it was inspiring. On an otherwise cold and gloomy winters day, it seemed as though spring had taken a giant exhale into our home and left us with a wonderful treat. 

Earlier this winter I brought a very dead and snow covered plant into the house from our patio and stuck it in a utility closet. My only reasoning behind this was to savor the wonderful pot (purchased at Sprout - favorite store of all times) before it got pounded by another blanket of snow and started to loose its youth. While not thinking to really do anything with it until spring arrived and I could re-plant it, I asked my husband (John) to grab the vacuum for me yesterday. Instead of opening the door where the vacuum normally sits, he opened this random little utility closet. In it he saw the pot. "Babe," he yelled. "Are you growing a plant in this closet?" "What?!" I answered. "You should see this." "Bring it up," I replied.

Up the stairs he comes with the most gorgeous pot full of blooming magenta flowers, nearly a foot high. 

I, being a somewhat cheesy and glass-is-always-half-full-type-gal, immediately thought of the miracle of life. I said to John, "I could cry."  "why?" he said. "Because that grew into the most beautiful pot of flowers and it has been sitting in a utility closet all winter." Furthermore, I was sure I hadn't seen any buds amidst the sticks and dead leaves several months ago as I brought it in from the snow. "This is just strange to me." I said. My thoughts then turned to my late uncle who was a florist. I thought maybe he had a hand in this. Was he just saying hello? This I will never know. What I do know is that for a moment yesterday I believed in something bigger than my everyday life. My thoughts turned to the notion that we can all come back. For all the storms we weather and the deadness that often seems to exist in our lives (especially after a very long and gray winter) we can come back. There will always be an opportunity to feel alive again - looking beautiful, feeling magenta, standing taller than we were before. 

Time Out Memories

So this is what happened the other night when Sofia was told to go to her room for putting Johnny in a chokehold. She found the ONE magic market we own that just happened to be in a drawer in her closet (clearly our fault) and designed a lovely mural on her wall. I have to say, after going downstairs to check on her because it was a little too quiet and seeing what she had done, I didn't know whether to strangle her or hug her. I didn't do either..instead John looked at me, as we both tried to hold the serious face, and said, "So which one do you like best?" "Bottom, first one on the left" I replied. "Me too" he said. Oh and I wonder where she gets it..We love you Sofia!

Festivous for the Rest of Us!

OH JOY!!!

Happiest Part of Your Day..and Other Gratitudish Stuff

There's a section in the book I'm reading that talks about ways to feel more fulfilled in your everyday life. It talks about being present (which is SO wonderful in theory but SO effing hard at times- especially when you factor in being a stay-at-home mom to a 3-year old and 18-month old..because I'm not gonna lie..there are times I just wish the whole gosh darn day away). But it also talks about being thankful for the monotony of our daily lives. While at times rather, well..monotonous, it reconfirms the fact that your life could forever be changed by a mere phone call..in seconds. So basically, don't underestimate the ease in which you sailed today.

Okay, so the part I found a little more light-hearted and easy on my central nervous system was a suggestion she had on gratefulness. No, it's not a gratitude journal. Even the author admitted to those being a little redundant at times. I agree. So in lieu of the gratitude journal which I could see becoming highly repetitive for a person like me, she suggests simply writing down the happiest part of your day. Everyday. So I am going to try it.

It just so happens that we have this wonderful chalkboard in our kitchen that is usually filled with awesome things like, "milk. paper towels. bank" So I am dedicating the rest of the month to no more boring shit and instead writing down the happiest part of my day. Everyday. I might even let my family members chime in every once in a while if they are nice. I'm excited. I think this will be a wonderful little way to remind us all of how truly lucky we are and how good this life is. Everyday. Even if my three-year old doesn't take naps anymore:)

So I know it's only 3:27 but here is my list for the day (and of course because I, too, am redundant I have like 75 things instead of one).

1. Sitting at Hobbitland this morning in my cozy socks with an ice cold sparkling water, watching my kids play, checking my email.

2. Turning the Christmas tree lights on.

3. Checking on Sofia in my bed this afternoon to see that she had actually FALLEN ASLEEP!

4. Thinking about the spinach and chive linguine I am going to make tonight and the bottle of wine that is going to accompany it.

5. It's Friday.

"There are times in the lives of most of us when we would have given all the world to be as we were but yesterday, though that yesterday had passed over us- unappreciated and unenjoyed." ~ William Edward Hartpole Lecky

Home Is Wherever I'm With You.

I recently entered our home into an apartmenttherapy.com contest for Jonathan Adler "Why Is Your Home Happy." I didn't do it because I think our home is super incredible but more because I think it is super happy.

After recently taking our condo off the market and making the decision to stay put for a while we kind of feel like a whole new light has been shed on our feelings about the place we call home. It's amazing how you learn to embrace something once your mind realizes that there is no greener grass on the other side and that everything about your life is well - pretty darn perfect so long as your family is healthy and love and smiles are constants in your home - so we couldn't be happier with our new found love for the place we call home and most importantly one another.

For today, our simple little morning walks seeing John off to the train or stopping by Olivia's for a gallon of milk have taken on a whole new meaning. And yes, I'm sure as long as I live there will always be a million and one too many glamorous "what if" type thoughts hopping around inside my brain - or a much more amazing home that will forever exist in my mind. But for now, we're pretty darn happy..so I'm just going to live with that.