March 20, 2020

around here/social distancing

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

it was really cold and rainy that first full day there. but it didn’t stop us from going to the beach

because it was so cold and rainy, we took shelter for a few hours at the north carolina aquarium in fort fisher

favorite books and new author found at the aquarium’s gift shop

friday started out cold as well but i went on a morning beach walk regardless

while William worked at the apartment, Lilian and i drove to wilmington where we explored downtown and saw snippets of spring

afternoon beach walk and the beginning of a sunset

i woke up early enough to catch the sunrise both saturday and sunday morning. right off our balcony. no way better to start the day

my early morning beach walk buddy

beach treasures

a photo shoot in wrightsville beach after exploring wilmington all together

sunday. one last morning beach walk before we left

February 14, 2020

around here

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

maybe it’s because mercury retrograde is around the corner

or maybe it’s because it rained almost all week long

whatever the reason (life lessons most likely), life kicked our asses a little harder this week

may we rise above it all

happy friday friends

a highlight. the broom challenge. did you try it? who knew?

a snow day

i do not know and do not want to know a world without art

sunday’s chefs

things i eat on my own

early bed times for the win

rainy dog walks

early morning school hustle

Lilian is all about marvel and black widow these days. here she is in the middle with her two besties

winter skies

i hadn’t showered or left the house in two days (winter) but, got invited to an oscars party so i pulled it together

and although i spend most of my days in loungewear (pajamas), i pulled it together this week (sorry closet full of clothes)

miami memories. still some of the best memories

February 7, 2020

around here

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

it’s been a strange week

filled with sunshine and warm days

as well as two days filled with non stop rain

funnily enough my moods have been the same way

sometimes making me feel like they are controlled by the weather…

happy friday friends

color always brings happiness

st pete memories

superbowl ready

rainy day procrastination

yesterday

sunday

a saturday downtown

a sunrise

slowly making progress on this one

goofing around while cleaning out her drawers

miami days have been heavy on my mind and heart, especially since Lily cried over it on sunday

January 31, 2020

around here

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

who else has started planning their spring and summer break?

it’s that time of year for me

not just because summer camp schedules are out and fill up fast but also because by the end of january, i need to start looking forward to warmth and sunshine

there are a few destinations being tossed around for both breaks

we might actually go on spring break as a family of three instead of just Lily and i but there is also a possibility of it just being Lily and i in miami like we have done for the past four years

and summer is a bit trickier this year with Lily wanting to do a month long summer intensive program at her ballet school in order to make it to a pre professional level (she really wants to get into those pointe shoes)

we will see how it all goes

plans are in the works so that is the important part

happy friday friends!

still learning how to play the guitar on her own

i’ve been trying to make art every day

sunday’s rainbows

there are have been a lot of gloomy days. but at least they start off with some sunshine

we have a big house. but this is where i spend most of my time/days. i could probably just live in this room

meal planning for the week on a sunday morning

speaking of sunday… she slept until 10:45

she also grew almost four inches again this year. third year in a row

st pete birthday memories

January 24, 2020

around here

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

nothing too eventful to report about life this past week

it was a really cold one (around 18 degrees every morning) so it was spent mostly in the house and in the car running errands

by thursday S.A.D. was definitely hitting me hard and winter had already gotten the best of me

same shit every year/winter, right?

happy friday friends

a visit to the asheville art museum since its big renovation/reopening

really cold but pretty sunrises

speaking of cold mornings…

rainbows

stitching, stitching, stitching…

said farewell to this one and sent her off to her new home

ronda memories

the most tropical yet completely unnatural breakfast for freezing weather

i’m going to continue to cheer for spring

a sunny corner

a reading corner

sunset

st. pete memories

January 17, 2020

around here

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