i married my math teacher and it was no problem. {get it? lol! i crack me up}

from the corner of an elephant grey room i spy my favourite blue curtains (which aren't actually mine but they are in my spa in the hair salon and they are the brainchild of one of my favourite people Natalie!).  i don't think of blue as cold at all...in fact the opposite...of healing and refreshment and life! just wanted to share something small that makes me happy. 

yet another....

...i'm in love with the winter right now as strange as that sounds because i love hats and layering and funky gloves and i like the snow falling outside my window while i'm cosied indoors with a hot chocolate and this book which is as intriguing as it is entertaining me...it would be a super fun screenplay.

one of life's joys....

...a suprise visit from a very kind, and very funny man I haven't seen in fifteen years or so...my once-upon-a-time math teacher who is so spirited and as I said already...funny...popped in to my husband's tobacco shoppe to pay us a visit.  his son is an author of a very popular blog and has sold several books of sheer awesomeness to go along with it...read this blog post Neil wrote about his father.  as i read it I kept nodding my head in agreeance because Neil's father is exactly that. and then some.

surprise visits are the greatest things...and to see a familiar face after many years is a form of pure joy.

the next time you get a feeling come over you something like...'i should drop in on so-and-so...' or 'should i call ____?' then do it!

just do it and make their day.  i'm thrilled that Mr.Pasricha popped by to say hello to us...he taught alongside my husband for many years. though he is retired now he seems as active and curious about the world as ever.

he's an example to us all...!

{now go make someone's day}

xo

Gillian

p.s. for those of you who are keen observers...yes, i married my math teacher.  {not Mr.Pasricha! ;) }

something new under the sun

in as much as i can gauge the state of the economy based on the ebb & flow of my small business...i can also turn that spotlight on myself when it comes to the current state of my mind. i don't need to read the financial pages to know that things are tough out there.
by the same token, you need to only look around my home to tell how things are internally for me.  chaos.  pure unadulterated chaos. large to-do lists undone, piles of undone laundry (i despise ironing, as you can see from my wrinkled table cloth) and the most accurate indicator of internal neglect is the state of my houseplants.  my beloveds. they seem to wilt, dry up, drop leaves, turn black or orange, and just in general...suffer.

my favourite thing to do is tune in to this and go into rescue action.  i cater to their needs first: warm water with food, deadheading, turning the pots, maybe relocate some that aren't faring too well...then i slow down and take a look around and realize that the priorities need to change in many arenas.

these fresh pink tulips were from a friend, for my birthday, hand delivered to my place of business with a hefty side dish of well wishes and a parting hug.

you know, it's the little gestures that really make me WAKE UP.

on that note, I wanted to order the new TOAST catalogue and was saddened to discover they no longer ship to Canada.  woe is me! if you are ever in need of pretty inspiration for your home or personal style, this place has it in spades.

homemade wild mushroom soup tonight...a good book...readying my satchel for work tomorrow.  my lists are back in action and begging for things to be scratched off.

here is a great link for soup {avocados, hello!!}
here is a great link for a workshop these lovelies are hosting at my wee shoppe {see also 'self love manifesto', sidebar}
leaving you with prayers for saddened hearts, hope for better days, inspiration for action, and love. lots of love in droves.

ever notice the balance in nature...? she always knows how to care for her plants.
xo

handwashing scarves & watering green things

it's a crunchy, wintry day out there.

i am hand washing scarves in hot soapy water then laying them flat to dry. they smell so good.

all things green and gorgeous like this tiny Christmas fern had a good warm drink with fertilizer this morning.

i just wanted to see how you are all doing, as you know i'm a scarcity these days...

walking dog

snuggling children

working

celebrating

Tony Bennett-ing

deciding which fairy lights to keep up all year and which to bin away

jetting about town in new shearling lined boots that go with all kinds of skirts and pants

making resolutions

planning a Christmas party (yup, you heard me! Christmas in January)

adoring my eldest in her new eyeglasses

iPad apping

painting

dreaming

layering jewellery to indicate that i'm entering a room (loud and tinkly)

loving my negative ion bracelet that helps me sleep so well it isn't funny

going shopping now for birthday presents,  new slippers (i think red) and fiesta ware bowls for cereal

going to stop along the roadside somewhere to shoot a wintry photo

then

a matcha green latte smoothie with lychee and strawberries

up to now I found my muse had taken me by the hand and we were off musing together so much so that i had little to report because my days were stuffed full with stuff!

now it is my hope to shine online once more with regular updates because that THAT is part of what brings me joy.

(other than playing scrabble at night while wrapped in warm blankets.)

xo

My life is my shrine.

Today I am celebrating Dia de los Muertos the best way I can, with marigolds grown from seeds, planted back at the start of the summer when the sun was Mexican hot. I hold loved ones dear in my heart, where they will live forever until one day I'm walking that familiar sand beach with them once more. 

I am not sick with grief; life is for the living.  I know this.  I also know that where they are now, they would embrace this with their entire being, this sentiment of mine.  This sentiment of my life as my shrine.  I honour who I am and those who've gone before me by being fully immersed in the everyday goodness that lies all around me. I drink it in, so thankful and laden with gratitude for;

My renewed sleep as of late, for my bountiful harvest of two gorgeous outdoor planters bursting with marigolds, for feeling refreshed. 

For a hearty Mexican feast tonight complete with hot chocolate & spicy tacos.  A pen and journal to keep up with my own barometer of thought; how ever the ever changing and wild currents flow abundantly into the shrine {that is me} and back outward again.  Turquoise and sea green beads that need threading.  I'm too enthralled with their colour to know quite what to do with them. 

Self portraits are showing age and yet wow I don't care! I'm so happy to be me because as of late the Universe has shown me with flying colour who I do not want to be. Yes, a gift. {Gifts strangely disguised, love it.} For these things I am grateful and so much more.  Oh!! Dia de los Muertos also gifted me a dream.

And by the way, it was the second time I've had it, and it was of a Golden Goose. I was a Queen...I bent down to pick him up and he was honking like mad, really quite funny and sweet.  He followed me around and wouldn't stop honking with rather a smile on his beak if I'm not mistaken! So I stroked his feathers and he nuzzled my neck and I've never seen such a true gold in nature like that not even in a dream.  I looked into his sacred and divine eyes and I said I can't keep you, I must let you go. He honked a wee protest at first but then I threw open my enormous front door (this dream was pure magic! I lived in my real house only it was a castle in the dream, with all of my loved things inside but only larger than life...) and I released him into the air of night with a rush of golden wings and a sublime honking song only the true friend of a goose would understand.  Ahhh.  He was better off in the wild open skies to live his gorgeous golden life.

The dream theme is kind of akin to the thoughts of our loved ones when they pass.  Though we treasure them more than mere earthly gold and don't want them to ever leave us...we know, in our heart of hearts...in our soul of souls...that they belong to the wide open skies. So to end this day, I'll paint, I'll light candles to honour my passed loves, I'll soak in a tub.  Enjoy all the things about this wonderful beautiful life that I can while I'm still here. 

A joyous song for the living and the golden geese {dance, g'head.} (Well the beat is uplifting anyhoo. Makes me wanna boogie.)

xoxo Gillian

The air here is peace. Is light.

There is contentment in the Universe finally.

Breathing room.

I love this feeling of peace that has settled over our house, our hearts.

Out with the old.

In with the fresh.

Feels good.

Hot chocolate time, see you again real soon.

Missing blue jeans & living the life that is waiting for me; A lesson in blessing counting.

Hello! It's a sweet sunny Tuesday and well I just can't find my favourite new jeans. And I'm so bummed about it!!
I've searched, I've hunted and pleaded with the jean's Gods...to no avail.  Do you have a pair of jeans that are your go to pair? I do! And this makes me sad that they are no where to be found.

It disappoints me like I were a twelve year old again, and I just can't explain that! I allow some of the smallest most trivial things tip my scale.  I could handle major and I mean MAJOR crises with ease and grace but small things really jangle my wagon.  I guess I need to just breathe. 

Yesterday being a holiday Monday, we wanted to really embrace the day so we did only things that brought us joy! We read, with hot cups of tea.  My daughter taught me to "ripstik", and man you should see me go! It's like snowboarding on the road, and its so much fun she had to beg me to give her the stik back! I suggest if you want to keep a spring in your step and a lightness in your being you give ripstikking a try.  You won't regret it.  I was laughing so hard and really surprised myself with my skills. ;) {Although nothing like the video, yet. Insert nerdy giggle snort here----> tee hee!}

We washed the car and cut the grass underneath a warm and blazing October sun...thinking that just maybe we had been transported to the Bahamas, the weather was that beautiful! 

I had put a sweet onion basted turkey in the oven and surrounded it with halved apples and it smelled simply wonderful.  Since we had our holiday meal at my sister-in-laws place the day before, this was a small turkey so that we'd have our own "leftovers".  For that alone, I suppose I'll count my blessings right? Yes, absolutely.  Having hot delicious and nutritious food is something I will try to never take for granted. 

And joy of joys two friends from the trip to Jordan are joining me once more in Morocco! I am so happy I could sing! In fact I did sing, when I read their messages.  These two girls are among some of the best people I've met in my life and I am thrilled to be spending nine spicy days and eight starry nights in Morocco with them.  I just know you would love these ladies too, and the greatest thing about a trip like this is the connections you make with new people you meet in your travel group.  It bonds you like nothing else, a journey to a new country to see inspiring new things with like minded people.  If you want to go to, why don't you? Just click the link and follow the directions. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

I think people need exotic trips.  It keeps things interesting and inspiring along our river of life.  On that note, I'll leave you with my favourite quote of the week...from Joseph Campbell, "We must forget the life we planned in order to live the life that's waiting for us."

The ripstik is waiting.  I must go learn to turn.  Seriously!!! xo

p.s. Have you tried these chips? I wish I never met them. ;)

Thanks-Giving...Sunday

Thanks.  I love this space.  I love you all, thanks for reading, for your support.  I hope you all enjoy a lovely Thanksgiving weekend, I know I'm off to enjoy mine! With love, Gillian xo

Almanacs, typography & birdsong



Give thanks for Sundays, birdsong, children & wine

This is a thankful Sunday.
I want to thank the Universe for good food, hearty red wine, magazines and almanacs.  There are ten rather large red Courtland apples awaiting their fate in a white bowl on the kitchen counter-they will dance with cinnamon & nutmeg tomorrow morning and for that, I am thankful too.

Thankful for goal setting, and perseverance, and Edgar Allen Poe.  For bootleggers, for Suffragettes and sugar scrubs.

Family (super thankful) who love me be me thick or thin; for children that grow up tougher than we can imagine, again thankful. 

The list is enormous; {and by no means complete.  life just keeps on dishing up things to be thankful for....a work in progress}

Julian
my girls
grasshoppers
moms
dads
brown leather boots
blue nailpolish
sleeping deeply
sleeping late
sleeping in hammocks
swimming
birds
Morocco
Jordan
Boston
home.

jitterbugging
bicycles
baskets
roses

business
economy
love
trifle (the dessert)
s'mores
cheddar
lentils and of course, tofu.

weariness
failings
dread and calm, all have served me well---& thank you.

hindsight
Ralph Fiennes
scarves
maps
whiskey.

confidence
knowing
aging
wrinkles.

Yes, wrinkles.  Defining the age I'm at.

dinners with family on a special Sunday.  Yes, most thankful.

buttertarts!
feta cheese!
coffee! (Only Keurig)

wooly blankets
boats
seagulls
lapping waves.

beautiful type fonts
circadian rhythms
clocks
the ocean
the man with the long white beard at the top of the mountain

Have yourselves a thankful Sunday too...and remember; the more thankful you are, you more you will have to be thankful for.
xoxo

BEST DAY EVER.

Head in the clouds...



October monarch taken with Camera+ on iPhone 4. Thank you, Steve. RIP.

...I go looking for words.  For peace, for green.
I seek answers where they lay. 

I'm answered, on occasion.  By a tiny winged October monarch or a silly little frog.
Then I'm quiet.  I go in.  That which I seek has been tucked in a pocket or shelved on a bracket internal and I've just not seen it.  Just been too busy looking at the distractions.

Head in the clouds, heart on my sleeve, hand in your hand.
I'll continue looking for words, for peace, for green.

The dreaming is smooth, so smooth. 

fare thee well, green!

I love fall! But will miss the Kermie-hued greenness of summer.  Will miss the freshly scented cut grass and the upturned leaf. Will miss fresh basil, mint and sage.

Will miss delicate shoots, tiny worms, moss.
So instead of longing for summer, I'll dig in.
Digging out coats, crockpots, fingerless mittens, dog sweaters, and of course, hats. Getting ready for snuggle mode.  Movie nights.  Hot chocolate.  Fall cleaning begins tomorrow.  Chucking and sorting.  Can't wait. xo

This organic mood.

Sitting down after a long and somewhat tiring week I painted my nails indigo blue and had a hot cup of tea.  That was it.  I flipped through a magazine, gazed around at the mess my house becomes by this time of the week, and sighed.  I was never meant to have a showhome! That's okay by me. I snapped this photo with my phone of the flowers on their way out.  I have a new *thing* for white roses. 

I roasted beets, added a splash of lemon juice and olive oil for good measure.  I'll eat them for lunch tomorrow and savour their deep wine hued goodness.  A movie with the kids before bed was enjoyed with a platter of cheese & pineapple.  {No, we didn't miss the popcorn...not one bit.}

It's cold outside so I'll plan for some butternut squash soup this week.  I'll see if my husband will whip up some of his famous garlic bread to go with it.  He's become quite proficient at making his signature dish.

The apples we picked last Sunday made a brilliant applesauce.  We used courtlands, naturally sweet so next time we'll leave out the added sugar.  They would have done just nicely on their own. 

To accompany this organic mood I'm in I added a super hydrating and delicious Thai Honey & Cucumber facial to our menu at the spa.  I can't wait to do this treatment, it uses fresh organic lime juice and English cucumbers...so good you could eat it! We've been looking to add a fresh fruit facial to the menu for some time, and with summer skin needing a good sloughing and remoisturizing, what could be nicer than nature's own humectant? Honey! I'll let you know how it goes. 

Be well.  Keep sane.  Bake something! xo

Make your own music...

Kaitlyn Zarzour: a local (young) performer, who's star is rising :)

Why, I know I do.  Especially when it comes to composing my life.  Travel, is my music of choice. I get kind of crazy if I don't get to squeeze in a flight or a road trip a couple of times per year. The trip I most look forward to, the one that is nearly sold out (insert YIP here!!!), is Magical Morocco.  In October 2012 a group of us are journeying to Morocco for the most grand adventure.  You can read all about it here.  If you are quick, you could also sign up to join us.  Please do! It will be amazing.

Currently my friend Debbie Ross of the Women's Travel Network, is leading a group of ladies through Italy.  They are having a grand old time, and if you like you can follow their adventures here.

Life exists outside your front door, really it does.  Home is the comfort zone, of resting tired legs, feeding weary spirits, and of regrouping and reenergizing.  But out there, where the songs of your life have yet to be written and the duets between you and the world are simply waiting for you...well that is where you belong. 

I can't wait to ride a camel, eat tagine chicken, drink authentic Moroccan mint tea and see the stars at night from the desert.  All of those things are on my bucket list.  What about you? Do you have any songs you'd like to write? Any destinations you will be thrilled to visit one day?

mystical | lovely



mystical | lovely | wishmaking

Have you heard these men sing?
Well each have an angelic quality to their voice that {if you are attuned to such beauty} will bring goosebumps to your arms and chills up your spine.

Are you enjoying the mystical month of September? The month of new beginnings, crisper air and wilder dreams? {I hope so.}  I'm nesting and crockpotting and walking outdoors-the air is mystic and light and seems to bring forth a hope of cinnamon baking mixed with longer nights slumbering. 

We always wish upon a dandelion. Whispering silent longings then whoosh! off they go...the little light parachutes are carried off on some wayward blowy breeze to wherever.  We are bringers of magic, hopers of goodness (tenderly) and well just plain in love with laughter, climbing and time shared in each other's company. We embrace the breath of living fully now.  Senses alive with the seasons change.

September has been a season of two loved ones passing; they've chosen this sacred time as their window of divine opportunity to pass onwards.  Is there a time to choose such a thing? I suppose we'll know the answer to that ourselves when we get there.  It's all planned, we've mapped our destinies and the rest is up to the stars.  Know this; each of us is a gift and when we are no longer here it leaves an unfillable void.  An emptiness that cannot be cured with the earthly things we prize so much.  Life, the living of a good one, is the prize.  I've often felt when someone passes on that they leave a smattering or lovely sprinkling of magic in our very soul-that enables us to grow.  It's like their essence becomes a seed of wisdom that wasn't there before they left.  They are planters of understanding. It then becomes our responsibility to water the seed.

We touch each other in ways we cannot imagine.  All the little gestures count.  They do.  It's so wonderful.

a thousand new roads



Add caption

After a break, my entry for the 21st prompt in the 52 Photos Project.  Rumi has an eloquence and simplicity that resonates deeply for me, so I chose the words of the master himself to accompany my photo.

The Universe

What if someone said to an embryo in the womb,

“Outside of your world of black nothing

is a miraculously ordered universe;

a vast Earth covered with tasty food;

mountains, oceans and plains,

fragrant orchards and fields full of crops;

a luminous sky beyond your reach,

with a sun, moonbeams, and uncountable stars;

and there are winds from south, north and west,

and gardens replete with sweet flowers

like a banquet at a wedding feast.

The wonders of this world are beyond description.

What are you doing living in a dark prison,

Drinking blood through that narrow tube?”

But the womb- world is all an embryo knows

And it would not be particularly impressed

By such amazing tales, saying dismissively:

“You’re crazy. That is all a deluded fantasy.”

One day you will look back and laugh at yourself.

You’ll say, “ I can’t believe I was so asleep!

How did I ever forget the truth?

How ridiculous to believe that sadness and sickness

Are anything other than bad dreams.”

RUMI

four leaf clovers & harvest moons

I found this four leafed clover the other day after my little girl suggest we look for four leaf clovers! I bent down to seek out my treasure enthusiastically-just wanting to participate in this event and not expecting anything.  The very first one I laid eyes on had four leaves.  I shouted "woot!" and startled my little one who promptly burst into laughter, "You've gotta be kiddin me mom!" It is now being pressed  into posterity into an old passport and nested between rather large and heavy photography books.  Then? I suppose I'll start my collection.  I expect I'll find many more now.

My magical discovery has started off my sparkling new year so appropriately-for me the new year begins in September and always has.  Fall is a beginning of sorts, and with this harvest moon I plan on beginning lots of new things (hey sooo good at starting...it's finishing I have issues with...that's another post!).  My meditation tonight will be very good for my seeking soul, as full moon meditations are.  The girls and I will make our vision boards with the intent on manifesting all the good the Universe can muster. 

I've handfuls of cigar bands, artful! colourful! cigar bands to decoupage onto the boards for beauty and an exotic touch.  Let me know if you want some for your art; I ask my husband to save them all for me and he does, faithfully.  I'll send you some, and heck I'll even photograph some of them for you here so you can see what I'm talking about! They resemble the tiniest most minute paintings. 

My wishes will be cast out tonight, I'll write them all down...meditate on them...then paste them on to a board.  Just the very act of doing this is so good for my spirit and my heart.  Then a lonnnnng walk with the dog and a glass of wine will be the cherry on the cake.  Lately simple is my mantra.  If it keeps my life simple, happy, glee-ful...then I'm good with it. 

Have you any full moon plans? If so could you share with me...?  I'm always open to learning new & beautiful rituals.  One of my favourite things for this time of year is digging out my boots and sweaters in anticipation of cooler days.  Part of me embraces summer to it's very end but fall is always always welcome in my neck of the woods.  Here is a brilliant song to accompany my mood today. I hope you like it too. :)
Oh, here is another of my fave's from this band...oh they are simply wonderful in every way.

with raspberry fonts & a happy heart I'm posting to blogger again

I have little to say these days. Between laundry loads, drive-in movies, hot cups of tea while reading a magazine...and of course running my business which at times makes me a little loony...I've barely any time for my beloved internet anymore.

I am saddened by this and yet enlightened at the same time. I hope to post more frequently to this space and with the transition back here I also hope to rekindle my love of the created word. I used to find such deep joy in writing...but seem to have lost my spark over at the other space. It feels forced over there. Yes I know, it's mind over matter. Really it is. It's like saying you need a vacation to get away from it all. Then you come home and you are so happy to see all your familiar things waiting for you. This space has been and always will be that for me. My home. My internet home.

I don't find myself aching to be as creative over there. I love that space for what it is but the time has come to pack my suitcase, neat rolls of film, journals, books, memories, loves, and dreams and head back to the ranch.

I don't know how often I'll be around here, but I'll for sure be checking in with you, basket of muffins in hand, pitcher of lemonade in the other-so if you hear a knock at your door you'll know it's me for a little porch time.

xo