Category Archives: Her Inspiration

Midweek Inspiration: Hafiz


This summer two dear friends, Jake and Enrica, got married.  Printed in their wedding program was this sweet little verse from Hafiz.  It warmed my heart then and still does now.

Hello, Again


It’s been a while since I posted.  Too long.  All of fall has nearly gone by  and there were no new posts on the must-have boots or clever recipes for apples.  (Hopefully you found the perfect boots to wear apple picking in the interim.)  Over the past few months, my favorite past time, this blog, went on an unintended sabbatical.  These things happen, so, no need to twist into a knot over it.  The blog is coming back – I won’t promise there will be a sparkly new post every day – but there will be new posts often.

In the meantime, as I am posting on my 28th birthday, I thought I’d share some lessons from the past year.

  1. My advice as I look back on 27 is to expect the unexpected Life, or the life we plan, is just that, a plan.  Plans change.  The timeline we think we’ll meet isn’t always so and if you allow that to be okay, it will be. **If you stop reading now, you’ll be fine.  If you keep going, you’ll be better.  Here’s more advice, don’t skip around too much when you’re reading you’ll miss things.
  2. Ask questions.  When someone uses words you don’t understand, terms you’ve never heard or a tone you’re unsure about, ask them what they mean.  Be sure.  Being wrong because of your assumptions is worse that being embarrassed because you don’t understand.  Asking questions means you’re still learning.  Learning means you’re alive.
  3. Eat lunch, not at your desk.  Meet with friends, old colleagues, old friends, new mentors, eat lunch and break bread.  Share stories and laugh and really try to do it more often.  Give yourself extra bonus points for walking to lunch.  (This is something I am still working on.)
  4. Set goals and work really hard at them.  Determine what you want to have – a new job, a new title, a new skill, a new triumph.  And do it.  Take notes a long the way, follow up, put your head down and cross off every small accomplishment and relish them.  When you still aren’t at your goal (and the timeline doesn’t line up, reread #1) go back to it and work harder.  P.S.  When you hit that goal and you get that title/job/skill/life change, celebrate like the rockstar you are.
  5. Don’t feel badly about crying or not crying.  Sometimes the best medicine you can give yourself is a moment to cry.  Other times the best thing you can do for yourself is to not cry.  There are no rules.  If you think you’re crying too much, find something to laugh at.
  6. Celebrate, everything.  Celebrate good weather, celebrate small wins (see #4), celebrate friends, celebrate birthdays, engagements, weddings, graduations, babies and all the good moments that bring us together.  The human condition brings us together, if you bring cake the human condition becomes a party.
  7. Don’t be afraid to change things up.  The way “it” has always been done isn’t because it is the best way to do it, but rather because change takes thought, time and a little muscle.  Change is good and so is building up some muscle.
  8. Know in your head, your heart and to the ends of your finger tips, that you’re not done.  What you know at 12, 17, 24, or what I think I know at 28 should only be a shadow of what I know and will accomplish the next time I blow out the candles.

Here’s hoping all of my wishes come true… and yours too!

A Sweet New Year


Last night began the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.  It is a sweet time of the year, dotted with tart apples, golden honey, lots of food and family.

Apple Quinoa Cake

Apple Caramel Bars

Apple Tart

Golden Apple Spice Cake

It is also a time for reflection and renewal. It is a time to look past on the year that is ending and look ahead to the year that is beginning.

A common wish at this time of the year is for a “Sweet New Year.”  I hope that this autumn, and certainly the holiday season is a beginning and the continuation of your happiness, health, and sweetness.

 

P.S. See the recipes above on my Pinterest page!

Ballerina Bride


My best friend got engaged this weekend to her high school sweetheart!  She’s as fabulous as they come and I couldn’t be happier for them both.

These pictures made me think of her, a ballerina and dancer since she was a little girl, as she begins her journey to be a bride!

 

Images from Martha Stewart Weddings

DKNY x FEED: Fashion for Good


DKNY has a new collaboration capsule collection with FEED, the hunger preventing nonprofit led by social activist/designer/model Lauren Bush.

The collection has three pieces: brilliant collapsible (read: easy to pack) rain boots, a city survival tote and umbrella, and a diaper bag.

In the sweetest way, the diaper bag especially makes me smile, with the large ‘FEED’ on one side, I envision a mommy or daddy does a lot of feeding when toting this chic bag about town.

So, what makes this fashion “good”?  Each diaper bag purchase will provide 1 mother and 1 child with a year’s supply of mirconutrient powder through the United Nations World Food Programme.

Be chic, do good.

Glass Houses


I don’t know where my dream house is, or what style it will be, but one thing I know for sure is that it will have lots, and lots, of windows.

I love the idea of a wall of windows and a view outside that rivals anything going on inside.

Some Monday morning inspiration:

Beach views:

 
Traditional views:

 
Rustic views:

 
Industrial views:

See more beautiful (and lust worthy) home inspiration on my Pinterest boards!

What to do this Weekend: Cheer on the Home Team


The Olympics start tonight!  I am a big Olympics fan.  I am a big Olympics fan and I grew up in a house where it meant serious trouble to announce who won a race before their was a chance to watch it on delay… these were the days before DVR.

Every Games has unique stories and stars.  As a kid I cheered on the “Magnificent 7” women’s gymnastics team to gold in 1996, was awe struck by Flo Jo and Michael Johnson and got goose bumps from the pomp and circumstance of the Opening Ceremonies.

Need some team spirit?

– The Gap goes Olympic Vintage

– Nike is Golden

– Ralph is controversial

Olympic images via Daily Herald

Sight Seeing in Colorado: The Double RL Ranch


Last week we were in Colorado, Telluride to be exact, for a friend’s wedding.  It was beautiful, more on that in a later post.  Today is all about what we saw on the road.

We flew into Grand Junction, which is about 2.5 hours from Telluride.  Mark had done this drive before and had said he’d seen the Ralph Lauren ranch on that trip, so as the fence posts started to straighten up and the grass started to appear a bit greener it was clear we were passing the Double RL Ranch, owned by Ralph and Ricky Lauren.

I recognized it right away from the many times I paused and hit play on Oprah’s visit.  I didn’t take any pictures but these are some great ones, better than any I could have taken from the road.

P.S.  How cool to have your own custom Americana teepees, that’s also how I spotted the ranch.

Having Enough vs. Having It All


You’ll have to indulge me with this essay.  This is a topic I have thought about a lot, and after reading Anne-Marie Slaughter’s essay “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All,” in the Atlantic I decided I need to write my thoughts down.
 

Last week, I, along with hundreds of thousands other women, read Anne-Marie Slaughter’s cover story, “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All,” in The Atlantic.  I also, along with millions of other women, worked beyond a 40+ hour week, tended to my house and all that it entails, cared for my relationships, and whether in minutes or hours, carved out time for me.

And, in living my reality and reading about Ms. Slaughter’s, I found that I began to question: why do we continue to have this conversation at all?  Further, how do we define “it all” and more importantly how do we widen it to accommodate today’s women? If Ms. Slaughter is right, and I think she is, about our not being able to have it all, how do we encourage women to have enough?

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Don’t Cry Shopgirl


Yesterday, Nora Ephron passed away at 71 years old from a quiet battle with cancer.

She was a director, screenwriter, novelist, wife and mother.  She created characters like Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly and Harry Burns and Sally Albright.

She created gutsy, brave female characters.  Who were as smart as they were hopeful.  Bold as they were emotional.

Tom Hanks, Nora Ephron and Meg Ryan on the set of “You’ve Got Mail”

She also created some beautiful “happily ever afters”…