Tag: style

Jan 3 2025

“A cardinal lives in a tree of hope and love. (S)He is the guardian of all our wishes and dreams.”– Unknown.

Photo by Dmitri Sotnikov

Day three. What have I added to my day? Exercise. A gym trip today is needed, and I will go with B. – maybe even N? Need a moment to do some college work for B.

I am glad for the holidays, yet I am eager to return our home to its normal undecorated state. The incoming cold temps coming to the NE make me eager to hibernate this weekend while also including time to see visiting family tonight and Sunday. Fireplaces, red wine, and a good book are on my mind. Also, there will be another viewing of Wicked, if I am being honest. 🙂

WEAR: Gotta be honest. All the hype around expensive leggings has me appreciating my Crzy Yoga Amazon find. These are in heavy rotation: a great deep brown color for the girlies staying on trend.

EAT: Dinner plans tonight: homemade pizza! Great dough recipe here. B. made one NYE and topped it with ricotta, fresh figs, mushrooms, and prosciutto. Immediately a fam. favorite.

GRATITUDE: Coffee with Hubs., communication with my BILs, a plan to see my parents before they fly to warmer climes, and an unexpected morning visitor…

As I sat here this morning, I was visited by a female cardinal with a perfect red-orange plume. She landed and paused on the windowsill, looking into my office and watching me for a moment before taking flight again. It felt extraordinary to have a personal visit from her, and it served as a reminder to put some birdfeed out.

There is lore about cardinals being a divine visit from angels or someone you loved who passed. Female cardinals hold their legacy as symbols of the strength and resilience of women, encouraging their humans to embrace their unique qualities and stand tall in their endeavors. Her presence hints at hidden strength and the courage to tackle life’s challenges.

A beautiful message for the day and one I am grateful for.

Jan 2, 2025

A goal without a plan is just a wish. – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Planning.

We are on day two of this new year, and all those ideas need to be put into a plan. How do you break down an idea or a dream into a plan? What is the first step? Beats me. I am sitting here writing this entry, surrounded by my notebook, coffee, and lists of to-dos I’ve blissfully ignored during the holidays.

I guess the first step is just that: starting. One step at a time will bring more creativity and more ideas, and with the help of Google, my trusty notebook (instead of a yearly planner I am fighting the desire to purchase), here we are…

BUYING: Planners? Oh my. This article from The Strategist is living in my head rent-free. Many are available on Amazon. Happy planning! And please let me know if you make the purchase – I am close to losing this battle…

WATCHED: Did you head to the movies to catch Wicked? Did you watch it streaming this week? It’s now available to rent or buy on many outlets, including AppleTV and Amazon Prime.

PLANNING: The last regular season of NFL games is this weekend, and I am excited to watch my team: Go, Bills! I grabbed this sweater to support The Bills in the playoffs!

WORK: I am again between roles while doing some advisory work. Organizing interviews, tracking roles, and networking will become my FT job next week. Maybe this is a good justification for that planner? :). The white-collar recession you may have heard about is real: middle managers and executives who were let go for budget savings. I am optimistic, though, and will update regularly.

What movie recs are on your to-watch list?

2025: New Year, New Focus.

Photo by Viridiana Rivera: https://www.pexels.com/photo/minimalist-2025-chalkboard-sign-on-vibrant-background-29996961/

Happy 2025!!

It’s been about a year since my last entry. Journaling has always been a struggle. This time, I want to flip this on its head. I am archiving posts to move into gratitude and positive thoughts. One of my firm beliefs is that you get what you give. Another more straightforward way of thinking about this is Karma. With this in mind, I want to focus on sharing joy, gratitude, and appreciation for where I am. I will walk away from what I perceive to be missing. I would love your thoughts: the inbox is open, as are comments.

Gratitude: I am grateful for my healthy parents coming over for the first dinner of 2025 and watching Wicked with us. N is home from school, and his girlfriend is here enjoying the time together for this fresh start. I am thankful for T., who handled our New Year Balloons with zeal, creating a festive vibe for us that lasted long after the kiddos left for their evening plans.

Reading: I recently started reading Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. Still working through character dev., and am getting to the more interesting characters. Hope to find a little reading time today. Find it here.

Wearing: Still in these star PJs, which seemed the right way to bring in the new year!

Eating: I made sausage lasagna yesterday for today’s dinner – understanding that after a late night, I would not be up for anything more than reheating. The recipe I followed is one part courtesy of Alison Roman and the NY Time Cooking app and one part experience making lasagna for others.

What are you doing today?

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone.  Wondering what your wearing tonight? Whether its you & your friends or you & your sweetheart – hoping you have a day full of reminders of how important you are.

My outfit for tonight includes:Equipment silk blouse, $400 / TIBI heart sweatshirt / TIBI pleated skirt / Prada handbag, $265 / Gucci heart charm bracelet / Fine sterling silver jewelry / Bobbi Brown Cosmetics red nail polish / Chalkboard A2 Valentine Card

Are you settled in and ready for this Nor’ Easter?  Here are some essentials I keep handy (or pick up) to deal with chilly winter nights like tonight.  Must haves:  red wine in a great glass, a great book – old school style and a funny movie.  How are you getting ready?  

Are you getting ready for Valentine’s Day?  I am definately getting in the mood.  

Are you ready to play?  Sunday will be a great match up.  This polyvore set shows you exactly what I have in mind to wear to the round of parties.  Can you guess who I am rooting for?

I have so much to do this weekend.  Do you?
Wrapping, some last minute cards.  Today’s post is a mash up of things on my mind that I’ve either picked up while gift shopping or have made a mental note to come back to buy.  Definately making these cookies from the Food Network.  Here are some gift ideas for the eleventh day of Christmas by ebc0314 including: Lego – Storage Brick 8 / Kathe Kruse Waldorf Mini It’s Me Elf Bakery Set  / 18 in. Clarice from Build-A-Bear / Wood Helicopter from Waldorf Imangination