Happy Weekend

xoxo

wordless

hello lovelies,

I hope this post finds you all well:). I haven't had much to say on my sweet little blog this past week. I've had a busy week at work and by the time I get home, all I want to do is have a nice dinner and take a dreamful nap.

I'm very much looking forward to this weekend, which is slated to be filled with sunshine, open windows, the painting of a birdhouse, family walks and hopefully the re-emergence of bare feet. Wouldn't that be nice? :) I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. I leave you with a photo of Matt and me dancing the night away at our wedding.... just because (also, it ties in with the whole bare feet theme :)).

xoxo,
Blair

L-O-V-E (pink~wedding~a wise skin horse)

No matter how hard I try to avoid it, the month of February fills my brain with thoughts of two of my favorite topics: pink and love. In honor of St. Valentine, I thought I’d share a few photos from our wedding (we’ll be married two years this coming June), as it was an occasion that was also filled with both pink and love.

May this Valentine’s Day find you all feeling loved (in the real sense), whether it be from a significant other, a secret admirer, a loyal four-legged monster;), a friend who has seen you through your best and worst times or a family member who has loved you inside & out during those best and worst times. Happy Valentine’s day, dear friends.


EXCERPT FROM THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
~ By Margery Williams ~

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but Really loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get all loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

xoxo,

Blair

SiMpLe ThInGs

Dear sweet friends,

As I was away, I was unable to partake in the Simple Things postings of late January. I thought it was such a lovely idea, so moving and inspiring, that I created my list, albeit a bit late. So, I welcome February with my list of simple things and hope that this month brings peace, love and health to those around the world, including you.



My SiMpLe ThInGs



My husband’s voice
Daily phone calls with my mom
Being my father's daughter
Friendships that have lasted and grown throughout the years
Having an older brother
Having a younger brother
**
Sand between my toes
Being a woman
Being healthy
Rosy cheeks and freckled faces
Good conversation
My dog’s rare and random bark
**
Old-fashioned street lamps and cobble-stoned roads
Being snowed in
The first sign of spring
Christmas Eve
Opening stockings
**
Gruyere Cheese
Beet & Goat Cheese Salad
A pretty glass of pink wine
The sound of my husband playing the piano
A book that I can’t stop reading
**
Naptime with hubby and Luna
My lovely new couches- just the perfect shade of pale blue
Classics and Jazz- a French radio station that we stream in our home- plays the perfect blend of music, no matter my mood
Hand-written letters
Leaving little notes for hubby
**
The blonde curls and big brown eyes of my lovely nephew
My nephews & nieces (and how they all call me auntie Blair:))
The long driveway leading to my sweet home
My husband’s singing voice
My husband’s dancing face
**
When Luna greets me as soon as I walk through the door, like I’m the most important thing on the planet
Filet Mignon and Lobster
Autumn in New England
Birds eating from my bird feeder
Composting
**
Fresh Flowers
Shades of Blues, Pinks, Whites
Flicking through Home Design and Garden magazines on a Saturday morning
Our Saturday morning routine of eating egg sandwiches, drinking big mugs of coffee and listening to NPR
A pair of shoes that is both cute AND comfy:)
**
Outdoor speakers
Outdoor showers
Canoe rides
Singing out loud to myself
Laughter
**
Watching my parents dance together
*
Dancing with hubby
*

Happy 101!

I was given the opportunity to think of and share a list of 10 things that make me happy. This was actually a fun exercise because for the past few days, I’ve been focusing on things that make me happy, smelling the roses of sorts:). There are so many things that bring me joy, in one way or another, but I’ve captured just a few of them below (small and large :))…..

1. My Husband/ Marriage: I fell in love with him for many reasons, but one of my most favorite things about Matt is that he makes me laugh. Every single day he does or says something silly and he has me laughing even after he’s left the room. He also thinks I’m funny (even during those times when no one else does). Being married to him is the best thing in my life. I don’t usually even think about it because it’s just so natural. Right before we got married I told him that I love being with him because it’s just like being by myself. Had I actually thought about it before I said it, I might have said it more eloquently, but he knew exactly what I meant. I don’t feel like I’m compromising on anything, I just feel that I’m doing what I want to do, with him by my side.

2. Luna: This dog was made for our family. We got her from a local shelter. When we got there, we were faced with about 30 black lab/mix puppies. At first glance, they all looked the same. When I went over to her crate (which she shared with a little white & black polka-dotted male puppy who bit her ears), she pawed at me, as though she was hand-picking me. She uses her mittened-hands all the time as a way of communicating with us and it is just as endearing as it was that first day.

3. Family & Friends: I’m so very fortunate to have such an amazing family. I’ve always been so close to both my mom & dad, though my relationship with each of them has evolved throughout the years. They’re a huge part of my life and I’ve learned so much from them, along with my two lovely brothers and their families. I have a few very close friends who’ve also known me throughout the various stages of my life and we’ve remained close. My life has been shaped by each of these people and it is in part, because of them, that I am who I am.

4. Photographs: I love taking them, documenting my life and the lives of others and being able to replay captured moments, with just the click of a mouse (thanks to fabulous modern-day technology, although there really is nothing like an old photograph with worn edges, showing years of love).

5. Art: All forms of it; music, writing, drawings, paintings, theater, decorating, fashion, movies, poetry. I find comfort and satisfaction in being lost in a painting, a good book or hearing a song that perfectly matches my mood.

6. Good Food/ Wine: Matt and I have recently deemed ourselves as foodies. Whether we’re cooking in (mmmm…. Filet with gorgonzola cheese sauce?) or going out to dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants (going out to dinner on vacation to experience local cuisine also makes my heart skip a few beats:)), eating is such a pleasure. Pairing food with a good wine…..well, that’s the icing on the cake.

7. Plush Slippers & Throws: Though I’m a New England girl (I can brave winters with the best of ‘em;)), I get cold so easily. Even in the summer, you’ll find me curled up on the couch in the evening, under a lovely soft blanket, slippers not far from feet.

8. Gardens/ Harvesting: Having fresh flowers & produce, bringing nature inside, makes me feel calm, at ease. I love the smell of fresh flowers (they seem to smell even better when they’re freshly cut from my garden:)) and I love the taste of the veggies (again, veggies from my garden seem to taste so amazing to me; maybe it’s because I know the time & love that went into growing them).

9. Traveling/ Exploring/ Learning: My life feels more enriched the more I travel. It’s so enjoyable to experience other cultures, forms & styles of life, to see the beauty of places other than home.

10. Coming Home: But then again, it is so good to come home, whether it be after a vacation, a work trip or just an errand run. There really is no place like home:).

Thanks to Dawn from May All Seasons Be Sweet To Thee and Rachel from Mozart’s Girl for sending me the ‘happy award’, forcing me to relax and focus on the little glories of the world. As a recipient of this award, I’m to pass it on to bloggers that make me happy :). Each of the following blogs provide me with a little slice of happiness with each read, so here they are, in no particular order:

1. Amber @ Sunshine Flavored Kisses
2. Dawn @ May All Seasons Be Sweet to Thee
3. Kat @ Kat’s Cradle
4. Heather @ A Day in the Country
5. Koralee @ Bluebird Notes
6. Rachel @ Mozart’s Girl
7. Morwenna @ Bluebells and Butterflies
8. Tracey @ French Larkspur
9. Katie @ Katie Slater Photography
10. Courtney @ Scattering Lupines**

** I seem to not be able to hyperlink the blogs..... if anyone knows how, please feel free to send me a note so that I can direct you to these adorable blogs! I guess I'm still working out the kinks. Thanks:)

Our little piece of the world

We live on a 10-acre plot of land, about 35 minutes outside of Boston. Most of our property is wooded and our house sits on a little perch, right in the center of the lot. We're surrounded by town & conservation land and we can't see our neighbors in the summer, but in the winter evenings we know they're there because of the lights dotted throughout the woods.

It's hard to believe that we own each of these trees; I like to think that they're ents watching over us, guarding our home as we sleep. Our dog, Luna, has a field day, running through the woods and chasing the critters until she's passed out by the fire at night.

We've been living here for over a year now, so we've experienced the pleasures of each season. In the spring, we relish in the beauty of our newly budding trees and take daily walks to look for the first signs of new life sprouting up from the ground. In the summer, we navigate through the woods and pick blackberries for our morning shakes. I've started a garden, so we'll go out to get chives for our scrambled eggs, fresh tomatoes for our caprese. In the fall, we decorate with pumpkins, we admire the beautiful colors of the changing leaves, trying not to blink so we don’t miss any part of the transformation. We breathe in the scents of autumn, watch as the little chipmunks gather their nuts in preparation of the cold to come. Each of the seasons seem to peak up here on our little home on the hill, but it is winter that really makes me feel like we're worlds away from civilization. When it's a cold, white world outside and we're sitting inside by the fire, wrapped in the warmth and love of our home, I feel like we're in our own little snow globe, just Matty, Luna and me.

It's so cozy, this home we've made for ourselves. Matt says that we're going to live here until we're 'carried out' and I have to say that I am in 100% agreement. It really is our little piece of the world.