As the first day of the new year draws to a close, I have the shaky stability of a new colt. I’m not quite settled into 2012 yet. It will probably be weeks before I correctly write the date on a document. I’m still in awe of how quickly this last year passed. I haven’t crystallized my intentions for the coming months – where I wish to go, what I intend to accomplish. So many of the facets of my life reflect a different light now than they did 12 months ago, I have no idea what outlook to expect as I contemplate future reflections, and I must laughingly admit that I’m entirely okay with this state of affairs. As long as there are many facets to my life, and they reflect the light, I am content.

I am content.

I hope your 2012 unfolds to let pleasure touch every facet of your life. I look forward to sharing with you whatever may come.

xo -em

Blooming Mondays: Unexpected Greenery (green mums & cattails, 10.24.11)

I simply couldn’t resist this surprising bit of greenery at the market this weekend.

Don’t you just love the unexpected?

striking the match

Lindsey over at A Design So Vast drew my attention to a gorgeous Virginia Woolf quote. I supposed I shouldn’t have been surprised that Woolf’s message moved me. After all, “To The Lighthouse” was one of my favorite books when I was growing up and it was mostly sentiment over story.

I am struck by the gift in Woolf’s words.

“What is the meaning of life? … a simple question; one that seemed to close in on one with the years. The great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead, there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark.”

I used to attend only to the romance in Woolf’s phrases. Now, I understand her nuggets of truth.

Tell me if this ever happens for you, too…

The little bursts of illumination that occur randomly on any given day keep catching me by surprise. I find myself so delighted, amused, even (frequently) flummoxed by them that the overwhelming meaning-of-life query about which Woolf speaks, and which used to plague me with uncertainty and a spinning head, is of less importance.

For this moment, I don’t need the answer to any grand question. I just want to keep playing in the sumptuous darkness of life’s mysteries, and clapping in glee with every strike of the proverbial match that brings kaleidoscopes of light to the dance.

Have you ever been in a similar place?

Blooming Mondays: Old Is New Again (rose, 10.10.11)

Roses. They just never grow old, do they?

These are strange days in my life. I’m in a current of change – experiencing moments I never thought I’d have, appreciating anew qualities I used to find mundane and actually enjoying my time smelling the proverbial roses. It’s a very strange current but I’m loving being in it. I simply hope that if there are rapids ahead, I ride them well.

Take a minute to be in the moment… just a friendly suggestion.

As a white, middle-class, American girl, I grew up in privilege compared to the majority of girls in our world. Even so, I remember being told by an advisor that I should take statistics instead of calculus because “math is hard for girls.” I remember being questioned incessantly by the long-married girls my age in a Turkish town; they were highly suspicious of my intelligence for remaining unmarried and traveling by myself at 22. I remember the story my mother told me of how her highschool guidance counselor refused to submit her application to Stanford because attendance at a university like that would diminish her prospects for a good husband and happy life. I remember how the visiting Econ professor in college would only take questions from the raised hands belonging to men. I share these moments with you not to equate my condition with that of others but rather to connect the dots along of spectrum of experience, to form a thread of compassion and commitment. I have a privileged life. Girls everywhere deserve the same. And eventually, hopefully, being a girl – anywhere – won’t have any strings attached. The world will be that much more amazing for it.

I believe in the Girl Effect.

• 1 more year of primary school boosts a girl’s eventual wages 10-20%; a year of secondary school boosts it 15-25%.
• women reinvest 90% of their income into their families; men reinvest 30-40% of their income into their families.
• of the approximately 130 million youths not in school, 70% are girls.
• 1 in 7 girls in developing countries marries before age 15.
• 75% of those aged 15-24 living with HIV in Africa are girls.

These sobering statistics, and more, can be found at GirlEffect.org.

Blooming Mondays: Ready For Fall (sunflowers & mini-pumpkins, 10.03.11)

This past weekend was a hot one – beautiful, but hot. And I suddenly found myself craving a change of season. I’m ready for an excuse to wear boots, for the feel of a steaming cup of coffee in my hands and its warmth seeping into my bones, for the scent of a wood-burning fire.

Since I’m not leaving Southern California any time soon, I’ll have to find an inventive way to satisfy my cravings while those in colder climes enjoy a true autumn.

In my case, flowers will have to do.

What are you craving today?

by Candace Bahouth

Her fantastical shoes are mosaic.

"flower" by Candace Bahouth

Imaginative.

"china" by Candace Bahouth

Bold.

"mirrored" by Candace Bahouth

Exceptionally constructed.

another stunning Candace Bahouth creation

Utterly gorgeous.

She designs astounding furniture as well. And her grottos – oh my! But the shoes…

I fall to pieces over them. What say you?

Well, I’ve found another alternative to the easily wilted and eventual decaying floral arrangement brides and first communion lambs must carry down the aisle…

camellia bouquet created by The Green Vase

Beautiful bouquets made from paper by Livia and Joanne at The Green Vase. Slightly less expensive than the afore-mentioned vintage bauble option, I find these creations tobe both delightfully delicate and reassuringly permanent.

pastel paper camellia bouquet by The Green Vase

And no, this does not mean I am planning any walk down the aisle.

What do you think? 

Ships Graveyard in Pakistan #3 by GMB Akash

Born to Work #10 by GMB Akash

Smoke and Ashes #2 by GMB Akash

Please go and explore his website. His pictures are stunning; the stories he is telling must be told. I hope, one day, our paths will cross. Til then, I will journey to the places he explores through each image he shares with the world.

Do you know of an artist who brings you breathless pleasure? Let me know!

Blackberry Peach Prumble

Holy shit, I baked again. I know, I’m truly as shocked and confused as you, knowing the infrequent and haphazard nature of this behavior.

I was hit by a rebellious streak today, frustrated that:

• fruit has become a corked grenade in my life, something that must be eaten with caution because my body has given up on regulating sugars as I would wish
• the days are observably shorter and the calendar has stubbornly abandoned its summer months
• i’m bone-weary and needing a nesting weekend

So, I baked.

deliciousness

And I ate.

And it was good… except that one bite of improperly mixed-in salt.

How has spontaneity revealed itself in your world lately?