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)
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
i have been anxiously waiting for this month for so long
not just because spring is usually in full bloom in april but also because our spring break will finally take place
which means miami
yes we are going back
forth year in a row
this time we are staying the whole week and i am so looking forward to beach time, pool time, sunshine, palm trees, old friends, old hang outs…. i am looking forward to going home
yes, home
after living in miami for almost fifteen years (the longest i have ever lived anywhere), i still consider miami my home
i cannot wait
just one more week…
happy friday friends!
february
all the pretty cardinals
i photographed a small intimate wedding and this was the super sweet bride
walks in the sunshine
these tiny blooms that Lily gave me lasted over a month
afternoon light
march
strawberry crepes in the making
glimpses of light
and rainbows
winter red
this guy we found on the streets of miami six years ago
mirror laughs
an owl by Lily
and an anime mona lisa also by Lily
i started painting a mural in our dining room wall
daffodils from our garden
sunshine
there are now fun things to do in our backyard
i have taken the rainbow makers onto necklace levels. the shop is now open
after school banana/strawberry smoothie, tiger straw and new reading glasses
i once heard that it takes half the time of a relationship to get over that said relationship once it’s over
if that’s true, which i sort of found it to be after my divorce to my first husband, i still have four more years left to get over our break up with miami
i am not going to lie, it has been a struggle
especially during this eternal winter (and the previous ones)
there is still not a lot that sparks joy for me in this town surrounded by mountains
there are days when i curse ever having moved here and i miss everything about miami (minus the humidity and the roaches)
since living in ashveille for the past three years, i have never felt so lonely and depressed (and angry)
sure there are good days
but it truly feels like they don’t outweigh the bad days
regardless, i try to push through and i function
i smile, i parent, i get house chores done…. i do like i’m supposed to and expected to
some days better than others (like all of us i suppose)
that sad feeling deep within me of not being where i want to be never leaves me though
sunny days help lift my mood
but i have realized that i am a tropical girl at heart (regardless of complaining about the humidity when living in miami)
i like tropical greens best
and tropical fruits and foods to go with it
i prefer summer layers to winter layers
i am inspired by (and more motivated by) bright colors rather than the sad browns and greys that surround me for far too long every single year living here
when i visit past miami posts, i am reminded of how full of color and friends our lives were there
family life aside, everything here takes so much effort for me
i am of course the only one who feels this way
both William and Lily are thriving here
and because they are thriving the way they are, it makes the thought of moving selfish and impossible
in the meanwhile i am going to keep trying to just do
and to look forward to those tropical greens and sunshine which are coming for spring break
happy friday friends
the first day of a new year
my favorite rainbow
a kitchen moment with ginger, her favorite red panda
there are many faces and moods to this wild nine year old
for some reason christmas feels like forever ago already
to tell you the truth, i had forgotten all about these pictures and the fact that i hadn’t written about it yet
Lily began her christmas break from school on wednesday the 19th and she and William drove straight to west virginia to go spend some days with family
because i was still working full time, i was originally supposed to be working during the holidays so they were to return on the 23rd and we were going to have a quiet family christmas at home here in asheville
however, my work schedule changed (i am no longer working full time) and because they were having such an amazing time with family in west virginia, i ended up driving there myself on the day they were supposed to leave
it must have been around november when Lily told us that she no longer believed in santa because all of her good girlfriends in school had told her he was not real
that she knew it was William and i who were the real santa
fair enough. she found us out
we told her that although papa and i help santa, his magic and the magic of christmas is indeed real
on christmas eve, surrounded by family, snow falling and with her smaller cousins believing and excited for santa, her views changed
out of the blue she felt excited about the magic of santa and just like all the previous years she could not wait to get home to her grandparents house, write santa a note and leave milk and cookies for him and carrots for the reindeer
i am not going to lie, it felt good to have her believe once again
it made me feel like she is still the child i see in her despite how big she seems these days
although i was less invested in celebrating the holidays this year, we had ourselves a magical white christmas in west virginia surrounded by family
with all sorts of meat, sausage…. my favorite way is to keep it loaded with veggies
the last time Drea and her family came to visit us, i cooked it as meal for us and she has been begging me to do a post with the recipe since then
so, this one is for you Drea
happy weekend friends!
ingredients: 1 whole head of garlic, 3-4 bay leaves, 1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes, 3-4 cans of red kidney beans, 1 small green cabbage, broccoli, 5-6 carrots (olive oil, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes not pictured)
peel garlic and cut cabbage. put garlic, bay leaves and cabbage in large pot with olive oil, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. cook until cabbage is soft but not wilted
add large can of whole peeled tomatoes and cook in low heat with lid on for about 10 minutes
once the tomatoes are cooked down, open the cans of beans and pour in the bean sauce only. cook in low heat for another 10 minutes with lid on and occasionally stirring
add peeled and cut carrots and raise to medium heat. cook for 10 minutes with lid on
add cut broccoli and cook covered for 5-10 minutes
add beans, cook for 5 minutes et voila!! a hearty and healthy meal
