V-Day

Before I start to talk about Valentines Day I think I should start by talking about something non-romantic.  Like eggs.  Devilled eggs to be more precise.  Over the weekend we were at Safeway grocery shopping.  One of my favorite areas of the store is the deli.  They have all manner of favorite foods of mine but quite unexpectedly guess what showed up there this weekend?.....DEVILLED EGGS.  Woah.  That's the bomb dot com.  I was feeling a bit low, a bit blue as one does and for some weird reason their sunny selves cheered me to no end - till I noticed this tray of eggs was a visual of how I was feeling - surrounded by beautiful eggsies filled with sunshine - and one lonely eggsie with a major part missing....its sunshine. 

Rest assured, I am on a sunshine mission.

And now - speaking of sunshine....the weekend.

The weekend was a delight and started with a trip to a vintage market in Seattle.

they host this in an old hanger at Magnuson park - I love the creativity of people, even the way they display everything in their little stores - so impressive

I thought this was really cool, an old outdoor umbrella with a mosquito net over it gave a totally vintage feel to this little store

There was even a little place where you could make Valentines cards

this was wonderful and I am definitely going to borrow this idea

I loved these vintage darts.  I would have purchased the whole lot - but $10 EACH?  I think this was wayyyy more than their actual worth

Mr Big chose to celebrate V-day one day early this year and did a wonderful job in making a lovely evening for us.

First up was getting ready time.  I ended up getting item after item out of the closet and there was a pop up Mt Kilimanjaro in the middle of our bedroom floor following this.  I finally chose nude heels, cropped pants and a top with a sprinkling of beading...the best I could hope for.  Here I am waiting for my sweetheart

I hate the hair right now - and because I took this photo with the light behind me I look like I have all my hair cut off, but it is there....somewhere....next was a drive down to Monas.  The dining room is just gorgeous here

they had candles everywhere which made for a lovely ambiance, but didn't make for a good accompaniment to my carefully chosen outfit when one of them came off the table and splashed up my black trou (adieu lovely black pants, I will miss you)

there was nothing left to do but have a beverage - Basil lemon drop held promise but wasn't basilly sadly

Mr Big is a tres handsome hubs at the best of times, but somehow his gorgeousness is elevated when he puts a freshly starched and ironed white shirt.  Hubba hubba

I love the ring he has on his right hand.  I got it for him last V-day, its silver with the inscribtion I am my beloved and my beloved is mine.  Isn't that lovely?  Its an old Hebrew saying.

After dinner and the candle incident we went to the triple door to a burlesque show

they all had wonderful names - Ruby Mimosa, Fanny on fire, Indigo Blue and I decided I too needed a burlesque stage name.  My alter ego is now Miss Suga Snap.  Love it.

What are you doing this Valentines?

Thursday

Hi friends, sorry its been so long - its been one of those weeks!  Actually - the whole first part of the year have been " one of those ".  Sigh.  I think my needs are pretty simple, so its so frustrating when even the most simple needs in your life are not met.  It leaves a little kiwi feeling quite...deflated.  So I've very much not been myself, and I miss me.

Luckily I've had the good sense to bombard myself with exterior positivity which is a nice quick "fix" and also I've found some great online inspiration.....www.bravegirlsclub.com - ladies, you should check this site out if you havent already seen it.  It's so inspirational and its like a spa for your attitude.  I'm really looking forward to attending their online "soul restoration" class in April. 

Also http://vintagewannabee.blogspot.com/ is just wonderful. 

So, back to me...is what I am looking for, whoever that is!  Maybe its time for the next grandest vision of myself to step forward, a new season of me.

Easily pleased

Mr Big has such a good memory for certain things. Case in point, $5 Friday the Friday before superbowl = $5 for a rack of pre cooked, pre sauced ready to heat and eat pork ribs. A good memory indeed. Here is Mr Big cradling his rib babies

Joy of Love, Day 2 - The Essence

Day Two

Essence

The brief today was to capture the essence of our loved one. 

This is my Gary, my husband, my best friend, my family...my love. He laughs and smiles easily and loves well. This picture is quiet and relaxed and its perfectly the essence of him.  Love you honey.

Breakfast Wreath

AkeeweeGirl is all over the place at the moment .... but I just had to post this genius idea for breakfast....
http://www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com/user_recipe/view/40169/10601/1

Day One - The Joy of Love

Day One

What they do

Its the first day of the photo project with Willette Designs.  My brief was to take a photo of a loved one doing what they do.  Mr Big is plugged in 24/7 to his email.  In the evening he is usually tapping away at his laptop or on his i-phone so on the way home I knew what I would be shooting for day one. 

Wouldn't you know it, today was the first day in a loooong time he chose NOT to work, so this picture is staged but friends, check out the blur of his hand....its apparent he is in a fierce game of scrabble or the like.  Love this man. 

tomorrow my prompt is to capture my loved ones essense....till tomorrow sweet friend

Truth Notes

Im loving the daily truths that come through from The Brave Girls Club and I hope you dont mind if I share them with you - who knows, they might touch something in you like they do for me...

Dear Joyful Girl,

 

Joy is good. Did you know there is a difference between happiness and joy? This anonymous quote describes it perfectly: "Joy is untouched by circumstance."

 

You see, happiness is sometimes fleeting. Joy is a state of mind -- that no matter what happens, no matter how much we had planned on a different outcome, that we will always center our lives on what is RIGHT, rather than what is WRONG.  We will always focus on what is GOOD rather that what is HARD.  We will trust the moment and the unexpected gifts that the moment holds, even the strange, scary and unexpectedly difficult moments.  Especially those moments actually.

 

Go forward in Joy brave girl!

xxxx

 

Joy is untouched by circumstance - this is a great statement to ponder dont you think?

 

What a gorgeous start to the day

View from my place 7:21am this morning.  I decided to proceed with the day as it started and listened to my two favorite songs on the way to work....here they are for your listening pleasure in the hopes that your day will be blessed by these too!

Love of my life - Dave Matthews and Carlos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA266naCH_0&playnext=1&list=PL8BE9642A3D498350

Magnificent - U2 (love you Edge)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi52HjJbwVQ

Enjoy!!

Anonymous

One of you lovely possums wrote a terrific comment on my bloggie following my post about not liking to be in front of the camera - I wish I could chat more with you about this comment Anonymous, but let me say, thank you for visiting with me, and for your lovely comments.  The comments mean SO MUCH to me! If you stop by another time please click the follow me button so I know who you are.

New Beginnings

The new year is full of us trying to make new years resolutions...and two of mine might be viewed as ridiculous but they are what they are.  I resolved to create a sanctuary out of our frat house bedroom AND to replace our rug in the dining room, which while lovely - wasnt really our cup of joe.  So this weekend was the weekend.  SHAKA-LAKA-BOOM - I give you a 90% finished boudair.

Thank you TJ Maxx.  I heart you, especially because you stocked the worlds most delicious linens.  Just look at this lovely detail:

you even had the co-ordinated pillows for us to stack on our lovely new bed (both Mr Big and I were a bit concerned with the sparkly pillow but I actually like it now)

and of course there is the new bed.  Initially when Mr Big put the bed together we stood back and thought it engulfed all the space in the room, but now that its been a couple of days I think its perfect

and of all places to get a rug Costco was the last LAST place I would think of.  But in true all-American style with roasted chicken in hand, case of water in cart we also schlepped a 10ft carpet.  No one was injured during this which was a minor miracle...and Im really pleased with the look of it in the room.  The chocolate brown brings a lovely warmth to the room and the detail is picked out with a buff color that is fairly similar to the walls

Course this is only 2 things knocked off the resolution list of 500 but its a start right??  Have a marvellous Monday friends!!

The Joy of Love

Hi friends!  Have you ever heard the wonderful saying that the universe is in a conspiracy for our greatest good and grandest success?  I forget this truth sometimes, then some sort of divine intervention happens at just the right time and puts me back on track with the knowing that all is well.

I've been having a challenging time lately and then today a couple of things happened.  One, I woke to find a "truth note" in my email from a new found favorite site http://www.bravegirlsclub.com/ :

Dear Spectacular Girl

Life is sometimes really funny....the way things happen.

Sometimes the harder we push....the more resistance we get.

Sometimes the more we obsess over something the further it seems to slip from our grasp.

Then sometimes...when we just let go...when we just choose "to be", everything just falls into place...everything works out beautifully and life just flows without all of that annoying resistance.

Which one would you choose brave girl?

This is the perfect weekend to try it out...just, be.  You made it through yesterday, you are making it through today, and sure enough, you will make it through tomorrow.

Do it joyfully and let yourself be free.

Pretty nice way to start the day huh!  Then I got a reminder of a class I signed up for in December, one I had forgotten about completely and I'm so excited about it.  I start the class on Monday so you will be seeing this little button every day through February all going well

Sigh.  I feel like I am slowly coming back to myself.  So looking forward to the Joy of Love washing over me and letting it be.

Wishing you a peaceful, love filled weekend.

Perfect for the nook

Sad face.  Mr Big and I broke our bed (Ikea, $100 made of plywood bed) several months ago - perhaps even close to 5 months ago and have been sleeping frat style on the bed since then because we could'nt find a bed we loved that was less than $7 bizzillion bucks, that was until Tuesday when we found "Bankrupt Inventory/Designer Warehouse" just down the street from us.  We are now the happy owner of a beautiful new bed OFF the ground. 

Course that means I am now focused to redecorate our passion pit and transform it from frat to fabulous.  With the new bed being so large we had to reconfigure the arrangement of furniture and surprise surprise, a little cozy nook has revealed its good self to us.  A perfect nook for chilling out on a comfy chair, legs tucked up, blankie over oneself, book in hand (perhaps wine in the other).   So I am on the lookout for the perfect chair to put in the nook....I found it, but I cant bear to spend a grand on this....but this is simply perfection

Me

Last year I started a tradition for Mr Big's birthday in which I make a retrospective photographic book full of snaps of our life the year prior.  His birthday is in January so its a perfect gift (at least in my mind). 

January 2010 I made the first book and it was received very well, as was the 2011 book, but you know what really struck me this year?  The book had only 2 pictures of me...and as I dramatically put it "I am dead in this family". 

Over the years I have resisted my image being recorded, I think this is due to my own insecurities and my own harsh judgement of my outward appearance, I ain't no supermodel people (and really I want to be).....but I'm thinking that this needs to change (not my appearance, well actually I am working on not being a fatty mcfatster but that's a story for another day) .. but the recording of me, living my life needs to start.  Perhaps this is a little late...I turn the princely age of 40 in a few months, but I am starting all the same.  Today.  It's starting.  The most recent picture was taken on New Years eve.  So deep breath readers, here I am.............

ok ok, this isn't me, its Penelope - this is who I would love to look like, but instead...this is me

and so it begins

Mt Rainier Splendor

Certainly, this is one for my gratitude journal.  Taken with the I-Phone mid-morning.  Its a pause picture, pause, breath, sigh, come back to yourself.  Funnily enough it was taken from the office - 5 of us were oohing and ahhhing at the window.  Thank goodness for Hailey who alerted me to this!

Question

Can we take a vote on the yay or nay of the new font.  You likey or you not?

Welcome new friends!

I was so thrilled when Miss Hailey hollered "you have more fans" - 18 of you are faithful readers and I love and adore each and every one of you THANK YOU for reading or looking or even just for adding your name as a "follower". 

Blogging is so incredibly satisfying for me and I hope that reading my stuff gives you a little giggle or dare I dream, a little inspiration from time to time.

May your day be filled with delight. 

A cup of Joe

As you have no doubt read, recently it was Mr Big's birthday.  One of the pressies I found for him was this fabulous teacup.  Fabulous because it has a tiny friend inside the cup, permanently.  Gary's is a fox, because that is his power animal :-)  I loved these so much I had to get myself a pressey too so mine is an owl.

You do feel slightly bad pouring molten hot liquid over the top of them, but I like to think a. They are impervious to the heat and infact actually revel in it and b. Have an underwater breathing device that works like a charm.

You should check out their website, they have alot of other tres chic goodies perfect for treating your loved ones, or for a gift for yourself.  You deserve it.

Mr Bigs Birthday

We waited to have a celebration till the kids were home - and so it was deemed this weekend would be Mr Big's Birthday time party -- wild west themed, which is perfect for a 45 year old don't you think?

Here are a couple of highlights....

Whats a party without candy?  Not a party I want to go to that's for sure.  Gary got Boston "baked beans" which are candy coated peanuts, "cow tails" which I misspelled cow tales... which are vanilla soft candy covered in caramel, quite scrumptious,...and also red vines (aka the US take on red liquorice) iccky

We also had loot bags filled with "gold" aka butter popcorn.  My girls Gen and Dot did a great job packing these and tying the sheriff badges on

Kirsten came up with the brilliant idea of making felt moustaches....

and Mr Big himself sourced the cowboy and Indian plasteek goodies

coffee filter pom poms - one of the stars

and I loved these signs!

Here is the man of the hour

the whippersnapper

the whippersnapper's side kick

and the whippersnappers whippersnappers sidekick

the table was set

and the family arrived, we missed you Dan, Elizabeth, Lindz and Laurie and send our well wishes for a speedy recovery.  Dang, the painting is crooked

course it isn't a partee without Mr Rick and Mollie

I think this is a suitable use of the moustaches...Clay Billy, you really should think about wearing one of this style all the time

Miss Betty - you are always wanted

Sophia, so stinkin cute

and Mr and Mrs Sharkboy also shared in the bration, yes dear reader, that is matching boat shoes you see on their toeseys.  I'm particularly in high admiration of Sharkboys color choice of rouge, he rocked it as he did his orange strap on his watch

a nice time was had by all.  Time to start the planning for the kids par tay.