In Florida

We took another little escape this past weekend and flew down south to FL again. One of the many blessings of not having to go to work as I used to, it definitely is being able to accompany my husband on most of his business trips... and he does loads of travel! 

The day before we left our little white cottage, the sun had come out in all its awe-inspiring, fresh-faced glories and it shone all day long casting countless blessings all over the land... which it gave me the opportunity to finally come out of my little burrow for the first time since I came back home from our last and very exhausting trip and go for a little shopping spree... to cheer me up, and get something new for our trip to FL.

Boots  to be worn in FL?  Ok ok... I get it! ;) But it's been so cold where we live, and they were only $12.  Aren't they the cutest thought!  From Rue 21

I love these Ann Taylor leopard print calf hair pumps 

They're so cool!  Brand new and for jut a few dollars.  

Perfect for the Goodwill Fashionista me! ;) 

Did you know that Goodwill carries brand new shoes?
They do... sometimes they do... 

you will just have to see what you can find
(and that is the adventure).  

Whenever we get to go to FL we always make sure to spend some time with parents and siblings living there. I love to visit my mother in law, who has a lovely backyard filled with all sorts of fruit trees from mangoes to avocados to guavas, plantains and nisperos....

a garden overlooking a lake

where the coo song of the mourning dove is different...

and I'm not kidding when I say this...
the FL mourning doves have a totally different song.

and where you'll always find a large variety of 'orquideas' (orchids) growing...

In every color and shape...

Only just a few of them were in bloom at this time...

When we arrived, my mother in law had a 

specially lovely 'orquidea' already waiting for me...

in a cup of water...

She wanted me to wear it on my hair....

A lo Frida Kahlo style ;)

So I did...

I'm truly happy whenever I get to be with those I love.  I am so blessed to have them in my life cherish them love them... being able to see them more often now that we live south and closer to them it truly is a blessing.  Happiness never decreases by being shared that's for sure!  

And here is a peek into what I'm looking at right this moment...

The view from our Tampa balcony where my husband

is attending some meetings this week...

Enjoy each moment my friend... 

and rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life.

I'm so ready for some serious warmth back home, you guys.... oh oh and for mud all over my skin!!

Yes yes I am so ready for spring!!  

are you ready for some gardening too?   No?  Not yet?

See you super soon
back at the little white cottage

Love!

Snowy day...

Oh... it's snowing...
it's snowing again!!



All day today, it's been snowing on and off and on...
slowly, gently...
truly magical...

The garden is a white cotton field...

when it is in bloom

A place where magic flourish...

as heaven and earth watch in amazement...

 ...white fluffed cotton balls coming down ever so softly from the sky,

cotton balls... that's what snowflakes look like!

Snow... cleaning our world... 

and making you dream! 

a woman dreaming inside a snow globe...

Mr. 'Snowy Owl' out there is loving it too!

And I love seeing him from my sit behind the window
even if he's not real!

...'cause that's just how silly I am ;)

Snow that looks like fine powdery sugar on dried leaves....

 It is magical...
A snow globe of a world..

Is it snowing where you live?

...Here's a little peek into my snowy world,
taken earlier this morning when it still wasn't snowing that much yet...
Lovely, me thinks! 

Enjoy! ;)

Is it snowing wherever you are?

I'm so ready for some serious sunshine and warmth!
Almost there
I hope! ;)

Home!

Go here, go there, sleep here sleep there, do this, don’t do that!! Do what others want to do, do what you don’t want to do, the sniffles, sored throat, body ache, the flu? Pretend you’re fine and keep pretending, do your work, more airplanes exhausting airports, say goodbye to your sweetheart and then take a three-hour shutter to another city all by yourself; night, very dark, very sleepy, more babysitting more work, take out the dog for a walk, it is my fault if she pooped inside? Allergies, some more bad nights, but ohhhhhh…. Oh oh oh, I’m finally, finally home!!

I’m very sensible to stressful situations like too much go-go-go and people’s demands and such. Guess those are the breakdowns of the 'highly sensitives', like me… thus, I’m still feeling somewhat feeble in body and mind and recuperating.

Do you feel like you reflect on things more than everyone else? Do you find yourself worrying about how other people feel? Do you prefer quieter, less chaotic environments? Some time back I learned that I am a “highly sensitive person”. I haven’t really been diagnosed, but I do present all the symptoms of “highly sensitive people”. And always have.

Not all highly sensitive people are introverts. In fact, I’m one of those who would approach estrangers and start a conversation. I have so many friends and I am so extrovert that no one would ever believe me when I say I’m a hermit. But I am. If you think you might be “highly sensitive” read THIS ARTICLE:  16 Habits of Highly Sensitive People.  Perhaps it may help you understand yourself a little better? 

Back to my old self soon!

See you then...

LINKING TO:

ROSES OF INSPIRATION

AMAZE ME MONDAY

INSPIRE ME TUESDAY

TWEAK IT TUESDAY

The magic of snow...

I had forgotten who I was and where I lived...

I had forgotten how those snowy mornings can get into one's soul...

-deep-

And as certain
as a speck of a half moon over snowy mountains

Oh can you see it?

...while time stands still

at that magical event of the day

-sunrise-

Looking out from inside
our daughter's cozy cabin,
located just two hours north to
the house in the roses...

A cold wind is blowing from the north,

and it's making the trees rustle like living things...

 “The snow was endless,

a heavy blanket on the outdoors;

it had a way about it.

A beauty.

But I knew that, like many things,

beauty could be deceiving.”

  ― Cambria Hebert, Whiteout

Is it snowing or, has it been snowing where you are?

"All the world that I see from my tower is draped in white
and the flakes are coming down as big as pop-corns.

It's late afternoon - the sun is just setting
(a cold yellow colour)
behind some colder violet hills,

and I am up in my window seat using the last light to write to you.”

― Jean Webster, Daddy-Long-Legs

It is so beautiful and magical around here and we’re so blessed to have been able to spend some lovely days with our girls... but can I share with you a little secret?  Oh, somewhere... somewhere in the south there’s a magical little white cottage there with my name written on every stone and every wall and my little heart has been feeling the pull already… I’ve been hearing the woods calling and my soul has heard the songs of the turtledove, dwellers of the land… and I can hardly wait to get back… 

"Laura felt a warmth inside her. It was very small, but it was strong. It was steady, like a tiny light in the dark, and it burned very low but no winds could make it flicker because it would not give up.” ― Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Long Winter

See you soon my friends...

And thank you for being with me always...

Love ya all!

I truly do

The house in the roses

“One of the strange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live forever and ever and ever. One knows it sometimes when one gets up at the tender solemn dawn-time and goes out and stands out and throws one's head far back and looks up and up and watches the pale sky slowly changing and flushing and marvelous unknown things happening until the East almost makes one cry out and one's heart stands still at the strange unchanging majesty of the rising of the sun--which has been happening every morning for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. One knows it then for a moment or so." ― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden.

Then, your eyes would focus onto those snow dusted mountains on the far horizon and, all of a sudden you hear a small roar within you, and you know it is your little heart being filled with a marvelous sense of adventure and morning joyfulness and thanksgivings.  Then, you'd remember where you woke up that morning and where you are... and what you feel and see make you want to retrace your steps and go back in time to the past... back to the house in the roses and the garden you loved... 

“However many years she lived,
Mary always felt that 'she should never forget
that first morning when her garden began to grow'.”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

She lived in another girl’s time. 
But she knew all too well that the past
was not something she could live in…
like a well-loved house; like her favorite shoes.

She knew she could always find magic anywhere she'd look
even in places where there was not much to see...

Even in a garden that had fallen under a bad spell... 

where roses slumbered and trees had gone onto a long sleep…

Cause magic it really is in you

...when you hold it like a light within you

And believe that you carry all of the power you need inside yourself already

“Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars? Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic. It is such a simple and such an extraordinary part of the lives we live.”  ― Nora Roberts

And so the girl said her goodbyes to the garden she had loved...

And to the house keeper of old secrets...

And took back onto her journey without regrets…

pockets-full of magic to take with her...

wherever she may go...

"I address you all tonight for who you truly are: wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, and magicians. You are the true dreamers.” ― Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret

See you soon friends!