January 17, 2020

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, family, friends, home, life, Winter 0 Comments

is it spring yet?

just kidding (not really)

although i can’t complain too much about winter due to the warm weather we had this week, i’m still going to because we are in the thick of it aren’t we?

and well, winter just depresses me

it’s cold, dark, the trees are bare, there are no flowers, no color… it’s the total opposite of who i am and what i love

but you all know this already

no need to rant about it

happy friday friends!

this past holiday season was a busy one. there was the nutcracker

a girls night out

a little party to put together the music list for new year’s eve

christmas in west virginia

sadly as of three years ago his passing is also part of christmas (and as of this past christmas, his sister’s passing as well)

a trip to st pete florida

new year’s eve

new year’s day

a playdate with an old friend

naps

a visit to winter lights at the arboretum and a farewell to the holiday season

we went to see the movie cats

new year cleansing

back to school

back to ballet

what our wednesdays look like post school, pre gymnastics

my high school friend sent me books he no longer wanted but knew i would love and cherish

new green baby hanging

where i spend most of my days

the beginning of a new art adventure and the sick chronicles

already cheering for spring (sorry not sorry winter)

December 20, 2019

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, family, life, Winter 0 Comments

tonight Lilian will perform in the nutcracker for the second night in a row and for the third year in a row

all the hard work she has put in is finally up on stage

today is also the last day of school for quite some time and for that we are thankful

it’s been a busy and long stretch and a long break is much needed

happy friday and happy holidays friends!!

a corner in our bedroom

a corner in Lilian’s bedroom

a corner in the kitchen with an unfinished painting i did in nineteen ninety six

winter mornings

a twenty six degree sunrise

a sunset

somewhere over the rainbow…. or under

stripes. always stripes

someone connected with her and bought her. it was hard letting her go but thankful for all the years she was with us

a lost cove studio visit

last sunday when it was sunny and warm enough to not wear a coat and William’s soccer team won the trophy

December 13, 2019

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, family, friends, home, Winter 2 Comments

it has felt like a really long week for some reason

maybe because we are all sort of under the weather just trying to push on through?

maybe because by this time we are all run down and need break?

maybe because it’s been extra cold and rainy?

yes, all of that

next week will be the last week of school for winter break and we are all ready for it

happy friday friends

mornings

morning dog walks in twenty degree weather

afternoon dog walks

the tree is up. now wake me up when it’s april

the big crafty was a success

shades of blue

fuel for a sick day home from school

george michael forever

Lily dropping off some merch at garden party

the end of the day

all i want for christmas is summer

the last full moon of the decade. hard to believe

December 6, 2019

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, family, friends, home, life, Winter 4 Comments

december

can you believe it?

we are so close to the end of twenty nineteen and the beginning of twenty twenty

twenty twenty

it seemed like a date that was so futuristic and so far to reach and now here we are

december has become a bit of a crazy month for us since Lily joined the nutcracker with her ballet school a few years ago

extra ballet classes (even on some weekends), nutcracker itself (two performances the week before christmas) and for the second year in a row, she will be participating in the big crafty (this saturday and sunday)

we are busy, busy, busy in december and before we know it, we are in west virginia and it is christmas

although i am always in awe (and complaining) of how quickly time goes by these days, once november comes, i always want to just fast forward to january when everything feels calm once again

everything just feels so overwhelming this time of year

maybe that’s another reason why i love summer so much

happy friday friends!

we spent thanksgiving cooking. just the three of us for the most part. it was great

how we spent black friday

Lily made a delicious mixed berry cobbler mostly all on her own and it was the best i have ever had

she flew in on thanksgiving night and for that we were all thankful. it had been a while

the best mirror is an old friend. twenty eight years and going

a beautiful sunday out and about in town

i was sick and spent a lot of time at home this week. there were rewards though. sunrise

sunset

dog walks

flowers help. always

so does hot oatmeal

post homework, pre ballet

November 12, 2019

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, autumn, birthday, fall, family, life 2 Comments

i’m currently sitting at our dining room table, drinking some hot tea, looking out the window while Lily plays with the neighborhood girls at a neighbor’s house

it’s a school day and she would normally be at school at this hour but what started out as a delayed opening, turned into a full on snow day from school today

mind you, there is no snow on the ground and when it was snowing, it was very light

this will be our fourth winter here and their call on snow days still blows my mind

i don’t understand and i probably never will

anyway, i decided since i never posted around here last week and pictures keep piling up on my folder, i’d share a post of very recent happenings

hope you are all enjoying this day

snow or not

this snowy morning (that’s a sarcastic joke)

at least she got to sleep in until almost 9am

yesterday at ballet

Lily turned ten and we have had the most time celebrating her

owning ten on the morning of turning ten

surprised her with a visit to the nail salon after school. her first time getting her nails professionally done. my fourth

we took her to her favorite restaurant where she had her traditional birthday dinner

we stayed with friends in belmont friday-sunday and went to the renaissance festival on saturday

tired and sleeping kitties from a super fun weekend

our camellia bush is loaded with buds and it makes me so happy

fall has fallen

beginning of fourth grade school picture when she was nine. because she is ten now

November 1, 2019

around here. halloween

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, autumn, fall, family, friends, Halloween, life 2 Comments

this year halloween was celebrated for a week

it started last friday when Lily got dressed up to go to her halloween lock in at her gymnastics

then on saturday we had our neighborhood halloween party

and finally yesterday on the rainiest and coldest day of the season we finally went trick or treating on actual halloween

phew!

all fun but, dare i say that i am a little halloweened out???

happy friday and happy november friends

it is currently thirty degrees

temperatures have really dropped and will continue doing so for the weekend

we are staying in!

all dressed up for her halloween lock in

getting ready for our neighborhood halloween party

some of the neighborhood

with her bestie since first grade all ready to go trick or treating on halloween

October 25, 2019

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, autumn, fall, family, home 4 Comments

and just like that the end of october and halloween are here

this saturday we have our neighborhood halloween party and it feels like it was talked about forever and now here it is

i know i have said this before but i really do feel like this time of year goes by way too fast

there just seems to be one thing after another and before i know it, it’s a whole new year

anyway, we had ourselves a pretty easy week keeping busy with our regular every day routine

William has actually been in nyc since wednesday morning so it’s been just Lilian and i

happy friday friends!

autumn is absolutely glorious this year. outside

and inside

a selfie

all the portuguese memories that sit on our kitchen window sill

and in my phone

our kitchen is by far the most used room in our home

weekends are for sleeping in

weekends are also for finding new delicious places to eat at

i painted eight faces

Katya was already sent to her new home in seattle washington

and Bella was sent to her new home in st. paul minnesota

hat weather

leaf love

rebel girl

October 11, 2019

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, autumn, fall, family, life, My Art 2 Comments

this week we were all a little off trying to fight whatever little cold was trying to get us

we were all a little slower, a little achy and a little sniffly

but, we pushed on through and kept going with our regular routine

looking forward to the weekend so we can just take it easy and get some extra sleep

happy friday friends!

last friday’s happy hour with my favorite girl

our hibiscus keep on blooming and it always makes me so happy

obsessed with being a contortionist

we took Lily to the circus and not only did she dress the part but she found her second family

i took my things to the sunday market and sold a bunch of stuff

i also brought home a new pitcher (it was free)

orange season

panama city beach memories. so good!

miami dog who always finds the sunny spots

i started painting with acrylics this week. felt so freeing!

new stamp and blockprint by Lily. she’s slowly getting ready for the big crafty fair in december

September 27, 2019

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here adventure, autumn, fall, family, lake placid, travel, traveling, wedding 2 Comments

last saturday morning William drove Lily and i to the greenville airport (1 hour away) where we got on a plane to d.c. and then on another to burlington vermont

once at the burlington airport, we picked up our rental car and got on the road for a two hour drive to lake placid new york where my goddaughter got married on sunday

half way through the drive, the gps took us straight to a ferry boat where we got on with the rental car

it was a twenty five minute ride on the water with the most amazing views and the nicest road trip surprise Lily and i have ever had

between all the leaves already changing up there and the ferry ride there and back, it was a beautiful and unexpected experience

a quick trip (back monday) but a super fun and memorable one

happy weekend friends!

although i am excited for fall, i hope these beauties continue to bloom

early fall morning light in a favorite corner

panama city beach memories. the seagull is my spirit animal

all the pretty veggies for making minestrone

that fourth grade homework life

that rainbow life

girls trip!

lake placid ny. not only was my goddaughter’s wedding beautiful but so was lake placid. we got to have a look at early fall since everything there is already changing

rehearsal dinner ready

wedding ready

so happy for my goddaughter!

wednesday afternoons with her bestie. post school and homework, pre gymnastics

September 11, 2019

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, family, friends, home, summer 2 Comments

i always think i keep up with what’s around here and then i look to see when the last post was and… well, it’s been a while

i still have so many summer break pictures to share

monument valley, grand canyon, sedona, vegas, panama city beach….

but as much as i’d like to stay in vacation mode, life just keeps moving forward

these days faster than ever before

at the end of this month summer will be over and it will officially be fall

i enjoy fall

but i dread what comes after it

it will also be four years since we moved from miami to asheville

four years!

it’s hard for me to believe it’s been that long

i still miss our miami life in the red house with the pool and our dear friends near

perhaps i don’t miss miami as much as i miss us in miami

and regardless of how good life is here, how great the house we live in is (we have paid our price) and how many friends we have, i still feel landlocked, like i don’t belong and want to head towards the ocean just about daily

asheville makes me feel the loneliest i have ever felt

it’s a feeling i can’t seem to shake off

even after four years

thanks for listening friends

hope you are all having a good week so far

flowers, flowers and more flowers. i don’t think i could (or would want to) live in a world without flowers. which makes winter harder than it already is