creative / stylish

L - Nikon / T - Nikon

"Express your unique creative spirit."

This is one of the keys to happiness. * Lately I have been expressing my creative spirit with new ring designs inspired by nature. This one is inspired by the gently-flowing creek I hike beside on the weekends at Big Trees Forest. / I believe Taylor expresses herself creatively partly through the clothes she chooses to wear. Putting items from thrift stores together in such a unique way. I love it.

/ the weather was perfect this past weekend and that was a very nice birthday surprise [: so on sunday we decided to take advantage of it and go visit our tried and true abandoned house. we hadn't been back for over a year and it seemed like the perfect opportunity. everything was mostly as we had left it – there was something comforting about that. something very settling about the presence of something that hadn't changed in over a year when i know that i definitely have changed from year 20 to 21. this week we've had such warm temperature which makes me a little sad since i have so much studying to do. i would much rather be outside enjoying the sun! but spring will come soon and i'll get my chance.

*I found a book at the Goodwill store titled "Choosing Happiness" by Alexandra Stoddard. I just picked it up by chance and started flipping through because I saw highlighted quotes that I thought would be good for the heart garland I was making for Taylor. So I bought it. Later I found at the back of the book was a list of 54 keys to happiness. I liked them so much I decided to keep the book intact and to copy the key phrases in order to create 54 hearts - each one having one key to happiness - one a week for a year. Georgia B. suggested I do a series using the 54 Precious Keys to Happiness. I think that is a good idea. do you?

outside looking out

solo post - T, Nikon, collage

"Inside yourself or outside, you don't have to change what you see, only the way you see it." - unknown

imagination in Athens

solo post - L, canon

I visited Taylor in Athens today to look at an apartment for next semester. Expecting it to storm all day, I was pleasantly surprised that we had no rain - nice enough in fact to eat brunch outdoors at a colorful cafe. There were buckets of sidewalk chalk placed about for anyone who felt inspired. I have a feeling it was children that left their marks on this wall - creating a pretty nice effect of wildflowers I think... if you squint your eyes and leave your imagination open. / Taylor is wanting a bike now. I think it must be spring fever - Spring has it's way of giving people the urge to get outdoors - to be more active doesn't it? The wall on the side of the bike shop was really striking and I wanted to show you but I did a poor job of getting it all in (must be my old eyes). I cropped off her T's feet, birds beaks and wings... but you can imagine... it was pretty spectacular.

fancy / treat

solo post - L
I'm a spoiled rotten mother. I have a daughter that has dinner on the table when I get home, that cleans out the dishwasher, cleans out the refrigerator and keeps her room clean. Many times I come home to fresh baked goodies – like these raspberry crumb muffins.

Several years ago we started a tradition of having my parents over one night a week for dinner. Many times Taylor would be the one to cook. When she was younger, 11 yrs. old, she decided those night would be real special – "welcome to the Pepper Cafe" she would say (Pepper was her first cat) and would give them a hand drawn menu for them to choose from (options for beverage or dressing, etc). Generally there was a theme ie. seafood, mexican, etc. The best part of it was she dressed up for these dinner nights, and I don't mean just cleaned up – she dressed according to the theme. Her seafood one was one of the best. She wore goggles and flip flops to serve dinner in. This is making me laugh out loud now as I'm writing this, thinking back on those creative years. (I would love to show you a photo but I know how embarrassed she would be if I did that – she'll probably be upset with me for mentioned this much.) She even had the waitress apron and note pad and pencil to take their orders. Anyway, it was a treat for my parents and she cooked some really nice meals - always something new and different.

These days she uses Everyday with Rachel Ray's $10 spot recipes and does the shopping but she no longer takes orders on a pad. And even though she no longer dresses up special for the occasion she does present the dish looking as if it came from a fancy restaurant. And it taste even better.

I tell you it's a treat, and I'm one lucky mom.

Last night she cooked Salmon Cobb Burgers . It was one of her simpler meals but she had cleaned the entire house and did the shopping that day as well. Can't beat coming home to a clean house AND dinner on the table.