January 22, 2021

around here

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

what a wonderful week filled with light, hope and change

a new president and the first female vice president

so happy i had pod this week and was able to share the inauguration with the girls

it was filled with female empowerment

everything feels shifted in the best of ways

on another note, i cooked a lot of new to me recipes this week

from half baked harvest i cooked:

healthy slow cooker chipotle bean chili

indian coconut butter cauliflower

healthier slow cooker creamy tortellini vegetable soup

from skinny taste i cooked:

garlic shrimp in coconut milk, tomatoes and cilantro (over pene pasta)

all delicious and easy

so happy i finally found food bloggers that help me cook healthy delicious meals without having to be in the kitchen for hours

i’m not a natural cook nor do i like to cook necessarily

but i do like good food

Lilian’s favorites were the garlic shrimp in coconut milk and the indian coconut butter cauliflower

happy weekend friends!

tonight we order in

because it’s friday….

new bedding

breakfasts

lunch

daily ritual

i have fifty three green babies now. not counting the orchids

a surprise snowfall

colorful flowers still brightening every winter morning

selfie moods

an outing with a friend on a snowy day

a long five mile walk

pod takes. it was mostly just two of them this week

January 15, 2021

around here

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

not much to say… it’s been a quiet week with Lilian at William’s and no pod

i have spent the week mostly at home

re-centering and nesting

looking forward to having Lilian back on sunday and enjoying monday as a holiday

happy weekend friends

one from last weekend when all was snowy

ballet saturday

sunday

1000 piece puzzle. i spent a lot of time working on it. was not about to give up

took many hours (and days) but i finished it and framed it

these colorful beauties have brightened my winter mornings every day

did a little repotting and turned my dumbcane into a pineapple

ended up having two separate outings with girlfriends. a dinner and a lunch

January 8, 2021

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, covid19, friends, home, quarantine, Winter 0 Comments

for some reason this first week of this new year felt short

which i guess is not a bad thing

the girls kept busy with school work and because the weather cooperated, we managed to go to the park just about every day for recess

it’s friday and i’m sitting in bed sipping coffee, putting this post together while i watch it snow out the window

because we knew snow was coming, my pod girls opted to stay home today and i am letting Lilian sleep in

you know i’m not a big fan of winter or snow but, today it all feels quite nice

happy weekend friends

took my time getting out of bed on the first saturday of 2021

my obsession with pomegranates continues. and while many might find the task of deseeding them tiring, i find it relaxing and meditative

new year, new art adventures

speaking of art adventures, sold and shipped this one off to her new home this week

i invested in a calendar this year to remind myself that small achievements are better than no achievements

sunday’s coffee corner

a quick burst of sunshine on a gloomy day

a quick but comforting noodle bowl

pod days

a covid safe but very cold date with her bestie

birthday paper whites for my bedside

first selfie of 2021

this morning

January 2, 2021

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, Christmas, covid19, friends, home, quarantine, West Virginia, Winter, winter break 0 Comments

happy new year friends!

may 2021 be everything that 2020 was not

in the best of ways

sunny winter walks

west virginia. our holiday there was cut short due to unfortunate events that i choose to no longer talk about

a happy and sweet new year’s eve day moment before it turned into shitmas eve

we drove six hours through snow blizzards on christmas day to find asheville covered in a white blanket

on the 26th we gifted ourselves the christmas we deserved and the one we should have stayed in asheville for to begin with

William and Lilian gifted me some beautiful hanging planters

sister cousins 2020

the morning i turned 48 and had the loneliest and saddest birthday ever

10 month young me in luanda angola

celebrated my birthday the following day with a friend on her front porch with a burger and some white wine. perfect

last wednesday of 2020

took me a while to bounce back after the christmas trauma but a lot has to be said for what getting “dressed” does for the esteem

last morning of 2020

despite the many things that 2020 was (and was not), it was indeed my most creative year yet

new year’s eve. happy 2021!

first day of a new year with new art that i treated myself with for christmas/birthday

December 23, 2020

around here

Claudia according to my phone, around here Asheville, autumn, covid19, friends, home, quarantine, Winter, winter break 0 Comments

i’m headed to west virginia for christmas so i thought i’d come here and round up the week

i can’t believe christmas is in two days, my birthday in five and new years in eight

unlike most previous years, i don’t have big plans for my birthday or new years

the thought of having no plans makes me a bit sad and nostalgic for previous years but under covid, i am too uninspired or motivated to plan or do anything

and the point is to remain safe anyway right?

happy holidays friends!

stay safe

my orchids have been reblooming just in time to make winter more bearable

thankful for pink flowers. and banana bread

a sunday outing

a painted jean jacket

december 21 2020. winter solstice. the shortest day of the longest fucking year of our lives

excited to go see and be with this girl again

distant miami memories. becoming more distant with every passing year

too late for 2020 but just in time for the holidays

March 20, 2020

around here/social distancing

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

spring!

it is finally spring

despite everything that is going on in the world right now, yesterday was the first day of spring and it was a glorious one

i have been waiting for spring for so long….

i am happy she is finally here

this was Lily’s first week of homeschooling and we were mostly home with the exception of some walks in the neighborhood

she has math/reading packets to work on as well as planned lessons by her teacher online along with daily independent reading and journaling

once school work is done we occupy ourselves with artsy/crafty projects, cleaning, organizing, short dog walks….

so far we are ok

the social distancing comes somewhat naturally and is not the scary part

but let’s just stay indoors and take it one day at a time shall we?

with the windows open

because it’s finally spring!

hope you are all well friends

a dress day

she finally had her audition but because everything has been canceled we are not sure of the outcome

still a favorite family game

there have been a lot of dog walks

homeschooling day one

homeschooling day two

homeschooling day three

homeschooling day four

there have been lots of artsy projects

March 13, 2020

around here

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

so… the coronavirus…

although there have been no reported cases in our area, the board of commissioners declared a state of emergency in our county

these are testing times

anxious times

and to think we almost went to rome for spring break

hope you and all your loved ones are well

all is good on our side

happy friday friends

i’ve been going on my long morning walks again and to be honest, the biggest motivation is getting to see all the tiny signs of spring on her way

when my mom sends me pictures of herself

a constant work in progress. emotionally. mentally. physically

saturday morning

a family night out at the ballet

a sunday morning with beignets and friends

a sunday afternoon

this week’s warm and sunny weather felt like true hope that spring really is around the corner

after school walks with ice cream

closer than an ocean, where i go sometimes to soothe my mind

hanging in there

when it’s seventy degrees and your bestie comes over after school

practicing her arabesque for ballet auditions tomorrow in order to make it to pre pro

March 6, 2020

around here

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

change is coming

sometimes you make change happen

sometimes change happens to you

this time, change is happening and i will just have to hold on, be strong and hope for the best

winter out of our bathroom window

the last of february out of our bedroom window

the beginning of march out of our kitchen window

a two hour delay kind of look

a snowy saturday

when i wake up starving

a bright kitchen corner on a gloomy rainy day. it’s been that kind of winter

but every now and again the sun comes out

wednesdays with her bestie. post school, pre gymnastics

the always inspiring marc jacobs

west palm beach memories

carolina beach memories

February 28, 2020

around here

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

nothing too relevant to share this week

just some pictures from this month of february that is almost over

it was an ok/easy week i guess

last week by the ocean was better

happy weekend friends

pink always makes everything better

valentine’s day seems like forever ago already

we drove one hour to greenville to see cirque du soleil’s axel. it was amazing!

been trying to wear jeans less and make more use out of my dresses and tights

sunny days

and not so sunny snow days

wilmington nc. i love schitts creek

souvenirs from carolina beach and wilmington

i continue to paint. and stitch

post school, pre ballet

February 26, 2020

carolina beach, nc

Claudia according to my phone, everyday life Beach, carolina beach, family, life, wilmington, Winter 0 Comments

one week ago today we packed up the car and drove six hours to carolina beach after we picked Lilian up from school

due to parent/teacher conferences and a teacher working day, she had a four day weekend so i planned a beach getaway for us all (foxy included)

i got a pet friendly airbnb right on the beach where we comfortably stayed for four nights

being right on the ocean was a must

for four days the first thing i saw was the ocean and the last thing i heard was the ocean

nothing better as far as i’m concerned

if i could go back to living in miami, before making the decision to move to asheville sight unseen, i would hold that decision and explore more places

like wilmington

a place close to the ocean that right away felt more like home than asheville ever could even four years after living here

but such is life

and in life mistakes are made

and lessons are hopefully learned

i now know that this is the farthest i will ever live from the ocean

but i also know that one day i will live close to the ocean again

because it’s what feels right and natural to me

and i may not always be certain of everything

but i am certain of that

it was night time when we arrived but, woke up to this. and regardless of how cold and rainy it was that day, i stood out on the balcony and took it all in