July 24, 2020

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, covid19, friends, life, quarantine, summer, summer break 0 Comments

haven’t come here in a while to share what we have been up to lately

there have been creeks, swimming holes, pools, neighborhood quarantine hangs but most importantly, mine and Lily’s move into our new west asheville home

the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new one is always bitter sweet and i am just trying to not get overwhelmed and just take everything one day at a time

Lily is being super helpful during this move/transition and although she seems on the upside of things, i know it has to be hard for her

both William and i have reached out to recommended child therapist in order to provide her with a neutral space to share her feelings and thoughts but have had no luck booking one because none of them are taking new patients at this covid time

in the meanwhile all we can do is move forward and keep an eye on her and talk about all that we are feeling/thinking

it feels like the most non-summer summer ever but, one day at a time right?

happy friday and happy weekend friends

portugal childhood beach memories

santa fe memories from last year

monument valley memories from last year

a day at a time… with coffee

all the pretty flowers

i now have three of these

post dinner family walks

helping with dinner prepping

she has painted some pretty awesome things

found out this week that school for her this year will start with 100% remote learning from home

midnight hole

homni creek with her bestie

homni creek with the neighborhood girls

i still prefer and miss the ocean but i am just trying to hang in there you guys…

four weeks of ballet intensive went by way too fast

move in day

#mamaandlilyashevillecasaazul

July 3, 2020

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, covid19, life, quarantine, summer, summer break 0 Comments

i’ve been trying to not think about all the canceled summer travels we had planned for this summer as well as trying to not be too nostalgic about previous summer travels

instead, i’ve been trying to be present in the silver linings of the situation we are all in

this will be our longest asheville summer yet and we are trying to find our way through it

some days are easier

some days are harder…

happy friday friends

i started going on morning walks again and i can honestly say that flowers are my biggest motivation and inspiration to keep doing so

neighborhood hangs

what lunch looks like sometimes

what dinner looks like sometimes

i have re-potted all of my orchids

as well as re-corded and beaded some of my hanging planters

summer reading buddies

miami memories from ten years ago

miami memories from five years ago

portugal memories from four years ago

california memories from three years ago

west virginia memories from last year

inverness memories from three weeks ago

an afternoon spent downtown asheville

an afternoon spent at the arboretum to check out the lego exhibit

an afternoon swimming with friends. this will be most of what our summer will look like since we bought a swimming membership at a local pool

June 26, 2020

#mamaandlilycrystalrivervacay

Claudia according to my phone, around here, everyday life auntie K, covid19, family, Florida, inverness, pool, quarantine, summer, summer break, swimming, three sisters springs, vacation 0 Comments

spring break in miami was canceled

two weeks in portugal with my family in early june was also canceled

so before summer is over and school starts again, Lily and i drove down to inverness florida where we quarantined at a house with a pool with our K

why crystal river area?

well, i have been curious about that area and wanting to visit three sisters springs for quite some time

i also didn’t want a drive longer than 9-10 hours

our airbnb in inverness was exactly what we had hoped it would be

maybe even better

a great house in a super quiet neighborhood with a screened in pool and big lanai

we spent most of our time at home in the pool however, we did get to venture out to three sisters (beautiful), went out to eat a few times and checked out a local produce market

it was the perfect quiet and relaxing getaway

happy friday friends

ps- i love this post so much because it’s filled with all the miami pool blue and it’s been a long time since it has had any of that color/feeling and it’s still the best and the one i love the most

waking up in inverness was the total opposite of waking up in asheville. it was quiet

three sisters springs

May 29, 2020

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, covid19, home, life, quarantine, Spring 0 Comments

today is the last day of school for Lily

the last day of fourth grade

we homeschooled for three months

at 10am she will be having a zoom toast party with her class

in a non covid19 world, she would be having an in the classroom celebration with her classmates and teacher

it’s all bittersweet isn’t it?

school is over and that’s always a happy kid feeling however, she is sad because next year she will have a new teacher and classmates and she won’t have a chance to physically be together as a classroom again with her fourth grade crew

there are tears at the end of every school year for Lily

today will probably be no different despite how different distance learning has been

it’s a strange world we are living in and i don’t want to give into this new normal

because it sucks

regardless of how well we are trying to make it work

anyway, we officially have a rising fifth grader

amazing how time flies….

happy friday friends

our garden has given us the most magnificent peony season. thankful for that

morning coffee with peonies is a new favorite

and so is coffee with banana bread. banana bread all day, every day

i had not caught a sunrise since Lily began homeschooling in march

there are quiet days when i get to enjoy this space. and some when i don’t

have made some new rainbow makers

i miss stitching faces but have not been inspired to paint any new ones

hi

she’s really wonderful about always keeping herself busy. and creative

three mile walks

a distance playdate with her bestie. it’s hard being apart

bitch stole my look

May 22, 2020

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, covid19, home, life, quarantine, Spring 0 Comments

we had quite the rainy week here

it rained nonstop from monday until thursday afternoon

and it was cold too

i guess we had ourselves a wintery week during spring

i think we made the most of it

we cooked, baked, and even had a whole day of homeschooling in bed

in a way, the rain was much needed and suited the quarantine mood

happy friday friends

thankful for all the flowers. outside. and inside

i have been propagating my established plants like crazy with the hope of having even more green babies

she only has five days of school left and she rocked this homeschooling life

we continue to eat all the home cooked meals. not complaining

costa del sol ocean treasures filled with the best of memories

after weeks of nonstop jackhammering, it was finally quiet this week and i enjoyed every quiet second of it

May 15, 2020

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, covid19, friends, home, life, quarantine, Spring 2 Comments

hi friends

how are you all holding up?

we’re good over here but i have certainly had my share of unmotivated and uninspired days

which is ok i think

and once i come to peace with it, i allow myself to be what i am feeling and wanting/needing

there is always the next day right?

i’m just trying to breathe and take it one day at a time

i think that’s what we are all trying to do right?

wishing you a peace filled weekend

i spent some days in the basement going through and organizing my storage boxes. found the nineties

i also found this frida kahlo paper doll book i bought for Lily when i think she was still in my belly. had looked for it years ago and couldn’t find it. we both decided it should stay as is and in our frida collection

and speaking of collections, been going through all my nature treasures trying to somehow feel closer to the ocean

there have been lots of delicious meals

tuna nicoise

grilled octopus

a loaded hotdog with chips and radishes. i never liked radishes before

three ingredient banana, peanut butter, cocoa powder muffins

banana bread

strawberry clafoutis

plenty of time being spent in the kitchen these days

mother’s day

on nice days we take lots of walks around the neighborhood

cinco de mayo

it’s been really loud here all day every day with the hotel construction still happening below our backyard. they start jackhammering at 7:30 every morning and don’t stop until the end of the afternoon. despite all the noise that makes me want to crawl out of my skin (and leave this house), i try to create and focus on the quiet corners

flowers still getting me through the day. especially pink ones

our first peony this year

late night shenanigans with Lily when she asks me to brush my hair out

still trying to keep busy through my hands. ordered some self drying terracotta and made my own beads

a distancing visit to her bestie and her chickens to drop off some books

and a visit to her teacher to drop off some flowers for teacher appreciation day

May 8, 2020

#mamaandlilycovidspringbreak2020

Claudia according to my phone, around here, everyday life Asheville, covid19, home, quarantine, Spring, spring break 0 Comments

i guess for the sake of having a spring break post like in the previous years, i should do one although, it was very much the opposite of all the previous years due to covid19

it was the same for everyone else

i am aware

a stay at home spring break

not worth much talking about but worth documenting and sharing i guess

happy weekend friends

there was baking

there was cake for breakfast

there was an easter folar

there were positive moments

and not so great positive moments

there were many slow mornings

there were creative mornings

there were safe outings

there was safe distance playing

there were healthy lunches

there were many walks around the neighborhood

there was a haircut

there was snuggling with all the loved ones

there was a stuffed animal chair project

there was golden light

and there was a super pink full moon in libra

April 24, 2020

#theguerreiroeilerstribe

Claudia around here family, life 0 Comments

this isn’t an easy post to write and i have been putting it off because of not knowing exactly what words to use but I’m just going to say what comes naturally and from the heart

because so many of you are and have been a part of our journey (personally and virtually) William and I thought it was only right to let you know that as of February, we made the decision to separate

after couples therapy and trying to work out our differences on our own, we made the decision that we are better friends to one another than we are husband and wife

not an easy decision but the right decision

for us

we will always be good friends

we will always be family

and we will continue to always be the best parents to Lily that we can be

as for Lily, telling her was the hardest thing we have ever had to do but we have raised an amazingly understanding and loving human who despite her tears, understood and is dealing with everything in the best way possible

this isn’t the end for us

this is just a different ending to the story we originally started twelve years ago

individually and together we love and appreciate all of you and will need your support and love more than ever as we go forward through this new chapter in our lives

with love, Claudia William and Lily

April 14, 2020

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, covid19, family, home, life, quarantine, Spring 0 Comments

it’s tuesday, 8:47am and Lilian is up, dressed and having breakfast at the dining room table while listening to a fractions video her teacher made for her class

spring break is officially over and homeschooling is back on

supposedly they will go back to school on may 18th however, i highly doubt it especially since the last day of school is may 29th

most states have already declared that students will not go back to school

we shall see

anyway, how are you guys doing?

i have reached the highest of highs and the lowest of lows

i’ve gone from getting up and going on my long walk and being happy about spring to wanting to stay in bed all day with my head under a pillow like it was winter

between the quarantine life we are all living right now, life changes that i have not opened up about on here yet, spring break here instead of in miami, pms and the full pink moon in libra, i cried for three straight days last week

i couldn’t help myself

it was all i could do

it was all i wanted to do

once i did, i felt better

sometimes you just have to cry

i do anyway

miami memories with my brother from 2006

from a spring walk

quarantine roots

our art sofa/wall

did a little cleaning in the basement and found this beauty from 1994

how we do sundays sometimes

it’s all about the beets

she gets ready and dressed for homeschooling every morning

made some of these. it had been a long while

William built two boxes and planted some things

after dinner walks

where we would have started our spring break this year. with our K in st. pete

and then in miami at the same building we have stayed the past three years for the remainder of the time

Lily’s crying rabbit that she painted when she was two, was a mood for a few days last week

April 3, 2020

around here/homeschooling

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, covid19, home, homeschooling, life, quarantine, Spring 0 Comments

this week was our third week of homeschooling and today is the fifteenth day and the last for a week due to spring break

homeschooling has been a pleasant experience for us so far

Lily wakes naturally, has breakfast, makes her bed, gets ready and then sits herself down at the dining room table where she opens up her chrome book and begins her school day

her teacher has been wonderful and very present during the whole process

there are plenty of emails from her, assignments on IXL and live video conferences with all the kids

she has truly stepped it up and is a true boss!

while homeschooling during the day, we break things up with snacks, walks, scooter rides, trampoline time and crafts

being at home doing things is not unnatural for Lily and i

it’s what we have always done

ever since she was born and we lived in the apartment in southbeach

there have been times in the past where Lily was curious and asked to be homeschooled and now she is having an opportunity to do so (silver lining)

and i must say that she is pretty good at it

she is disciplined, focused, gets all her work done…

not any different from how she is when at school really

the hardest part is not having the freedom to see or get together with her friends

but facetiming with her besties makes that a little easier too

when school work will be done today, we will officially begin our spring break

in a healthier and freer world, we would be on a plane to st. pete where we would hang out with auntie K for the weekend and then monday rent a car and drive to miami where we would stay at an airbnb in the same building where we have stayed the past two years until next friday

that was the plan anyway

obviously we had to cancel everything and are staying home

i’m trying to be grateful for all the things we have but in all honesty i am having a hard time being here

may better freer times come back sooner than later

happy friday friends