Tucked In

I love chilly fall evenings, they make going to bed so much better. One of my favorite feelings is crawling into bed and pulling the crisp cool covers around me and just sinking into the pillows. It feels so comforting, like all the problems of the day will just melt away as my feet kick away the chills and my chin peeks out from my duvet. It's a wonderful feeling when my bed is as welcoming at night as it is when I don't want to leave it in the morning.

Summer Reading

So wow, its been quite a while since I was so delighted by something that I needed to make a post. However my summer has been fairly enjoyable, with some big occasions like my baby brother's high school graduation and a trip to Fenway with my family. Around the 4th of July I had the sudden urge to check my bookshelf for unread treasures and I found a few books I'd bought but hadn't read. So I started reading. And now I'm on my 5th book in a month. Even though the books I am reading are far from literary masterpieces or classics, I still feel better about spending time reading than I do watching tv. Its fun to picture the scenes and characters with your own imagination and when a story is good it keeps you going for hours and hours! Here's to summer reading- the kind without a required list! :)

Spring Flowers

A few months ago I was talking with my aunt and cousin about the seasons and which ones we liked best. I said Fall and Winter were my favorite and then Summer was my next fave because there are barbecues and beach trips and vacations. Then I said I thought Spring was the most boring of the seasons because nothing really happens. WHAT? I guess I forgot about how beautiful all the trees look when they come into bloom and how all the daffodils cheer up the medians along the road.

There is this gorgeous white flowering tree down the street from my house. Every day for the past week I have driven by it and been obsessed with it. The way it is crooked and falling away from the house it sits beside is just so picturesque. Today I tried to snap a quick picture of it while driving very slowly. Thankfully no one was behind me and I was able to get a pretty good shot. If I were a better painter I would love to recreate this setting. It just has such a beautiful, reminiscent feeling about it.



It's safe to say that I no longer think Spring is the most boring season, but now I don't know how to pick it's replacement. I guess I will just have to love all the seasons equally and enjoy them as they come. :)

Giant Strawberries

The kids I work with love all things unhealthy. I try to get them to choose a healthy snack after school, but like most kids they head straight for the pop-tarts and chips. At supper time I make them eat at least 2 bites of vegetables before leaving the table no matter how much they whine. They do however, love one healthy snack- Strawberries. And who is surprised? They are the most stain-inflicting fruit!

When I came into work one day there were two huge cartons of the biggest strawberries I'd ever seen in my life.

They were so big and cute that I just had to take a picture. Now I can barely wait until summer strawberries come out- the sweetest and juiciest!

Power & Fashion

This weekend I went to NY to visit my friend and of course during the trip we made some time to shop around uptown. We visited Bergdorf's and Barney's and just walking through those stores can make you think you have nothing. There are so many beautiful purses, clothes and shoes by every high end designer you can think of. I appreciate the beauty and craftmanship of these pieces, especially this gorgeous black ruffle bag by Prada.



Unfortunately, the price tag is a little high. The good news is that I have a ruffle bag of my very own, I bought it 2 years ago at Target for $8 and I love it. It is unique and pretty, just like the Prada, but a much better price. And while the Target bag is I'm sure a lower quality, the money I saved can go towards much more important things. Fashion is fun and can make you feel so powerful and privledged, but when it comes down to it, it matters very little. And I kinda feel powerful in a different way knowing that I've been able to rise above the temptation of materalism and realize what's more important.

Valentines

I know that a lot of people hate Valentines Day because they either don't have a romantic love or because they say it's a greeting card holiday. And whether or not those things are true, I think that everyone can still enjoy Valentines Day. It is a day to celebrate those you love whether that is your family, your friends or a lover. I like to think of it as an "ALL love" holiday- that makes it more friendly. It's always a great time to say "I love you."

When I was a little girl I only went to public school during 3rd and 4th grade. So I was around 8 years old when I first discovered the tradition of giving your classmates little Valentines. I thought it was a brilliant idea and I had so much fun making little lacy hearts for my friends. Ever since then I've loved making Valentines and try to make at least a few for my friends and family every year. This year I decided to invite my Grandma to join me in my card making fun and we had a great evening creating together. Why not share the love on both ends of the card? :)

So whether you are single, married, involved or alone- I know you can always find at least one person whom you love. Think of them today and tell them you love them- and if you send chocolates- they'll be sure to say it back! :)

Fabulous From Head to Toe

I have always loved shoes. I remember my first favorites- a pair of pink cowboy boots. They were fabulous on 6 yr old Rachel- most likely paired with a hideous sweat suit or a flowery skirt that didn't match. My mom told me that she used to let me dress myself even if it didn't match because she wanted me to be free to be creative and express myself. But that didn't stop her from trying to throw out those pink cowboy boots on more than one occasion!

When I went to London I took a class on shoe design. It takes special training to become a shoe designer. I not only learned how to sketch shoes but also about the important aspects of a shoe so that when I design I am able to make the shoe functional. Manolo Blahnik does such great sketches of shoes- so whimsical and pretty. However, I've found that a lot of the shoes he's designed lately aren't quite as funky as his sketches. Christian Louboutin is also a great shoe master- and these lovely petal shoes are just delightful.



I can just picture myself wearing them with a fabulously floaty summer dress- dreamy and cloudlike. :) However, I will never own them since they cost more than my car is currently worth. But I can still be inspired by their unique and romantic presence. The yellow and black ones are pretty fantastic as well- I can see my sister wearing them since she likes to make more bold statements with her fashion choices.



So I say, no matter if the shoes are from Bergdorfs or Payless, if they're pretty and make you smile- put them on your feet and show the world your feminine side!

The Icing on the Roof

I've been trained to think that icicles are a sign of bad insulation as well as hazardous to passersby. But what my dad didn't see (or didn't mention) is that these sinister little tapered spikes are quite beautiful and effervescent. The way the morning sun shines through the icy pillars is just amazing. Thousands of waterdrops working together to make a delightful sight for my eyes.

A few days ago I noticed there was a quite spectacular row of icicles trickling over the edge of the roof over the back window where I work. When I first noticed them, they were all quite the same size and length, like cold little soldiers lined up for battle. But as the days went by, some grew longer and thicker and some grew very little at all. It's so cool to see how things grow and change- usually it takes longer to see the differences but icicles are special like that.

All that Glitters!

Have you ever tried Martha Stewart Glitter? It is literally a miracle worker! I discovered its true talents while working in "Santa's Workshop" this fall. We had to transform old ornaments into something new, fresh and different- enter Martha glitter! We would use clear spray paint and then sprinkle glitter on top to transform Christmas balls, snowflakes, branches- practically anything you can think of! The thing that makes Martha glitter so special is that it is very fine. The small specs make the final product much shinier and more polished looking than regular glitter. Although Martha does offer some more coarse glitters, the fine is by far the best.

Today my mom came home from Michaels with a surprise for me! Three 3-packs of Martha Stewart glitter- in fine, coarse and confetti styles! I was so excited! I asked for Martha glitter for Christmas (mostly because I didn't know what else to ask for) so when she saw it today she got me some! Now all I have to do is figure out what around here needs glitterizing!!

New Year

I am going to go ahead and be a little cliche by making my first post of the new year about the new year. I have been searching for things that delight me in my everyday life but lately they have been lacking. But one thing that I have found encouraging is that I am starting a fresh year with new goals (achievable ones of course.) When I was a kid, we would find it endlessly entertaining at the start of a new year to say things like " I haven't showered ALL year!" or "I haven't seen you since LAST year!" And even though as an adult those things aren't quite as funny, it can be a nice way to help myself along with motivation. "Well, I haven't done this bad habit since last year, so if I keep up with it, it will soon seem like quite an accomplishment to say that!" Hopefully that makes sense.

But anyway, a few of my goals for the year are: start exercising more, (another cliche of the new year), find out what I want to be when I grow up, be more positive in my everyday life, and to gossip less. (See, now if I said STOP gossiping, that would be an UNachievable goal, I have to work myself up to it!:)

So for today I am going to delight in the hope that I will meet my goals in 2009 and hopefully tomorrow I can find some other more interesting little things to delight me.

Paper Packages Tied Up With Strings

Aren't presents great? I think I've always had just a little bit more fun giving presents than receiving them. Although it's gotten harder as we've all gotten older to find a present that is just right, it's so satisfying to find something special for a person you love. I remember one year when I was about eleven finding the game "Stratego" at Wal-mart for only $5. I was so thrilled because I knew my brother would love it and because I could actually afford it. That was a very exciting feeling!

One of my favorite things about presents is their wrapping! There are so many wonderful choices of paper and ribbon to use- it's almost an art form! At my seasonal job I had to wrap faux packages for businesses to display under their trees. I got to be quite a professional at wrapping, I must say. One company's theme was black and silver so their packages were dramatic if not very festive. I had to take a photo of some of my favorites because I thought they looked pretty cool.



Sadly, one tragedy of the modern Christmas is the overuse of gift bags. While more environmentally friendly per se, they are much less fun! And although much easier, it isn't quite as satisfying to throw the present in a bag with a little tissue. I think the prettier the present, the more exciting it is to open- and whether you like the gift or not, it was well worth the effort!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cookies

Well I can't believe I let almost the entire month of December go by without stopping by here and documenting my delightful moments! And December is my favorite month, full of wonderfully beautiful things!! How could I have been so thoughtless?



Today my delighful dalliance is devoted to Christmas Cookies! Pretty much all cookies are wonderful, but there is something extra special about Christmas cookies! In my family we have always had "the classics", the cookies we try to make every year. One of our top favorites are Pepperkakker cookies, a swedish cookie that is similar to gingerbread but sweeter with less of a kick. The number one favorite in our house are definitely swedish cremes, but they are so flaky and hard to make that we probably only end up making them every other year. When we lived in Iowa my mom came across a recipe at a cookie exchange for "Butterfinger cookies" which are made by creating peanut butter sandwiches out of ritz or wheat thins and dipping them in melted chocolate (almond bark.) Those became an instant classic. The best part about making cookies is doing it with someone you love, having fun decorating and tasting the "broken" ones.

Every family has different favorites and I think it's fun to see what other kinds of cookies people normally make for their holiday festivities. It's funny what a simple dessert can mean to people, but Christmas wouldn't be quite the same without the old classics. I'll always remember being the "chosen one" to go to the cold garage at Christmas time, open up all the tins and beautifully arrange a plate of all the varieties of Christmas cookies for dessert. Somehow the thrill of that small Christmas tradition still touches me today.