sweetness

tomorrow is april ~ cherry blossoms ~ paisley sundresses ~ daffodil-covered hills ~ dog kisses ~ dreaming about running fast in soft grass ~ the no. 1 ladies' detective agency ~ ripe avocados ~ iphone gratitude journal ~ etc. etc. etc.

mosaic monday

who sings the soundtrack of your life?

{wishes}

a little magic.

renewal.

rainbows in the forest.

tiny green hearts.

retreat + regroup

home

garden.

rainbow lemon love day

I first spotted these amazing engagement photos via design is mine. leo patrone's work makes me smile that smile usually seen only in those rollercoaster snapshots they try to sell you after the ride. leo is a master location scout and the supreme capturer-of-sparkly-love.

and since things have been particularly heavy this week, I'm declaring that friday is officially rainbow lemon love day.

how to celebrate? simple: rainbows. lemons. love.

♥

on mistakes

tiny b talks a lot about perfection.

actually, he talks a lot about the acceptance of imperfection. and how I find this concept so challenging. he is forever reminding me to be more accepting of flaws, mistakes, missteps...in myself and others. I agree with him that mistakes are necessary learning tools in the progression toward enlightenment. the operative word being learning. I am grateful for most of the mistakes I've made in my life and what they have taught me. I put a lot of effort into not repeating them.

but what of those who make repeated mistakes (and I'm not talking forgot-to-pay-the-phone-bill mistakes here)? you know those people who never seem to learn and who expect forgiveness because somehow they think they have this universal get out of jail free card? or those who play stupid and we all are all embarrassed for them as they walk away secretly smiling because they caused some havoc and got their way? or what of those with personal agendas, malicious intent or just plain mean spirits? it's so easy for people to mask these things behind, "oops, I made a mistake." they throw their hands up in the air and act all confused as the rest of us clean up the mess.

some days

I carry it around on my hip.

that's right: tired-momma style.

lolly + gag

it's just that kind of weekend: so very weekendy. a saturday filled with enough sunshine and free time to play with the kaleidoscope; to experience light and mirror and symmetry as they create colorful design in their tiny playground.

to see beautiful spring create colorful design in our giant playground.

to lean against an old door, casually sip a chai tea, gaze at the blue of the sky and daydream about warm days to come. (and not think about work, recession, war, conflict, etc.)

to wonder how something can be so yellow. what scientific fairy magic happened here? how is yellow this yellow actually possible?

to score cheeky vintage record albums at the thrift store to hang as art. a lollygagging weekend allows enough time to sort through the thousands to find just the right combination of color, design, humor and sauciness.

and we still have one entire day left to do more of the same.

happy sunday.

happy holi spring

I am fascinated by the hindu festival holi. each year people come out into the streets and welcome spring with color and playfulness. I just learned of holi this year and I can't believe it's never spread through other cultures. instead of coloring eggs, you color your family, friends, dogs and strangers until the entire community is a rainbow of celebration.

I ♥ holi.

happy spring curious ones.

see flickr creds here.

hump + harmony

tiny b says, "go on ahead and ride out the week with grace and humor."

lush + plenty

"abundance beckons as a state of mind, beginning with gratitude for what you already have and followed by a vision of what you want to create in your life."
~gail mcmeekin, 12 secrets of highly creative women

I have to hand it to gail on this chapter. I had lost a bit of enthusiasm for the book after secret #5 and she really didn't capture my interest again until this week's secret (#10): living in abundance with positive priorities. kismetically* speaking, it appeared at a time when I needed a sort of realignment in my perspective.

in lisa's sparkly basket of plenty:

• not one, but two great jobs.


• down time


• choices


• a healthy body that wants to be more so


• a camera that sees the world like I do


• a husband that gushes over every single thing I create (even the ugly bits!)


• true friends, near and far**


• scissors, glue and lots of magazines to make:
  

• a garden


• an endless supply of wanderlust


• an endless supply of wonder, questions, curiosity, imagination


• good handwriting


• three dogs that fight over who gets to lick my tears


• and so much more goodness and light that I know better to be stuck in a funk longer than one day

what's in your sparkly basket of plenty?

*I made this word up. I kinda like it.

**this means you.

soggy + hopeful

jeez, it's been raining for about three days straight now. and it's that slow, uncommitted kind of rain. the kind of rain that can't be inspired enough to have even one moment of energy or storminess. lazy rain.

yesterday I dove a bit too deep into painful memories for unravelling despite the gentle warnings from our guide to take it slow and easy. so now I'm all restless and jumping out of my skin. I long to get out into sunshine and brightness. but all that's out there is that slow uncommitted lackluster lazy rain.

I reread my post from yesterday to remind myself of my position that I was okay spending time with some of these assignments. it seemed so much more natural and happy yesterday. I think the rain is telling me that there is no better place for me to be right now. there isn't a stronger alternative pulling me away from these things that are dark and heavy and impatient from the years I have successfully avoided looking at them.

the sunshine will arrive soon. it always does. sunshine is like that: dependable, committed, smart enough to know when to take a break so a certain girl can resolve a few things.

unravel + reveal

so I'm currently loving the e-course unravelling. normally when I participate in long term (and for me, that means more than one session) groups or projects, I become bored quickly and eager to move on (yeah, that whole impulsive thingy-ma-jig I got going on). but dear susannah has a knack for this whole self-discovery leadership role she's brilliantly moved in to. the assignments are perfectly paced and just enough to engage and provoke without being all dr. freud or mary starshine. then there are the fellow unravellers: the support and enthusiasm in this diverse group is genuine. add to all this the benefit of practicing photography, writing and other artistic mediums and we have got a winner ladies and gentlemen.

we're halfway through and I'm intrigued by my tendency to represent the positive in photos and save the dark bits for my writing. I also must say that I feel a shift in myself that is good and solid and true. and contrary to my regular speedy style, I feel the need to sit here a while and soak it all up. I want to say to you, if you are not currently unravelling, please visit susannah and explore the possibilities.

if you'd like, you can see my evolving flickr set for the group here.

frothy + bothered

with the full moon, early time change (whacked out circadian rhythms all around!) and sky-rocketing recession-panic-induced child abuse, I've barely kept my head above the surface this week. to top it off: friday the 13th.


the weekend is looking awfully bright in comparison.

time to flourish

while I'm certain the delightful weather is just a little preview and cold winds will roar again before we finally settle into spring, a few days of blissful sunshine does wonders for a girl who was feeling a little stuck.

bitten by the enthusiasm bug, I am diving in to old project lists that are too mundane to list here. I'm also realizing that I better get a move-on on that list of mine. in the next few weeks, I plan to happily check off numbers 3, 4, 8 (!), 24 & 33 (these go together) and 43.

what's not to love about fragrant blooms, waterfalls, babies and inspiration? I heart spring.

what's on your spring list?

mosaic monday

I'm in love with india knight's unique colorful and inspiring home. take a tour at living etc.

oh hi there

it's the kind of weekend that deserves a balloon. I don't think that any other accessory (gold sandals included) could represent my sparkly exuberance more aptly.

sun, warmth, sprouts, buds all urge me to do the same as them: grow.

and just like that

things were good.

glimpses of perfection this week:

• u2's new album. bono acknowledges what I've known all along: 'I was born to sing for you.'
• lauren hutton looking like she's freakin' 30 in the pages of jcrew. my new beauty role model.
• reese's peanut butter eggs.
• gold sandals, daffodils and 70 degree weather make their appearance this weekend.
• two tickets to see david sedaris.
• early daylight savings time.
• mister's out of town=no theatre hours=lisa gets a full night of sleep.

beautiful fridays to you all. xo

the b-list

beautiful brunette leslie invited readers to create a list of ten words starting with a letter randomly selected by her. these words, all starting with the humble letter b, make me smile and feel good on my tongue:

• bijoux. more poetic than 'jewelry', it captures the essence of adornment.


• begin. so much promise, so much energy, so much yet to unfold.


• bangers and birds. quirky british slang that transforms sausages and girls into absolute sauciness. bob's your uncle.


• buddha. just because.


• bicicleta. it's fun to say. go on, try it.


• basquiat. as in jean-michel.


• barista. my favorite person in the morning.


• barcelona. I love it when the name totally fits the destination.


• bohemian. freedom, creativity, acceptance, growth, possibility, funkiness.


• bravo!
  

snow day!

snowball throwing? so not gifted. (how shameful for the child of a professional baseball player!)

luca and simon romped and frolicked. all. day. long. roxy (the cairn terrier) was too short for the snow and did not enjoy disappearing into a well of white.

snow chow: tomato soup and grilled cheese.

back to work today. stay warm and toasty, friends.

mosaic monday

beautiful india, she knows how to seduce me with her brilliant color, fairytale castles, enchanting history and hands painted like the most intricate of saris. thank you flickr for indulging my wanderlust.

and thank you mother nature, for eight glorious inches of the fluffy white stuff. on a monday! you know how to do a girl right.