goosey goosey gander

1) the geese and gulls in the commons paddle through the pond - maybe they're looking for fish that aren't there. a gull flaps his wings, rises up, and bobs down into the shallow water, trying to get something. a bug?

2) a child and her mother walk by, the little girl squeals and claps her chubby hands in glee at the birds so close by. she toddles down the steep incline - almost too steep for her little legs - hands outstretched, grabbing. the geese move away from her reach slowly, waddling along to safer terrain.

3) the groundskeeper is filling water in buckets at the far end of the pond; he pours powder solvents into them, and then pours them out splashing around the pond. i like the sound; it startles the geese. they line up on the other side of the pond, as though in a face-off, and stare down the groundskeeper as he wheels his cart and buckets away. territory successfully defended.

check out the original three beautiful things blog.

wait a minute, mister postman

these are just too sweet for words. i need them. in my mailbox, and in my mouth.

yesterday was an awesome day for getting myself back into the right headspace (that is, the one for productivity); and then it got put to great use with cleaning and filing and a general all-round organizing catchup... and then a good unwind with a glass of wine and balcony chats with Kelly. mm.

today: momentum continues. i'm not sure how, but i've got a few new projects on the brain that i want to get started. it's gonna be good. stay tuned for details, once i figure them out.

image via slash food

just what the doctor ordered.

take this moment.

stop. turn off your music, if you have it on.
straighten your back.
close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you, whatever they may be.
take a deep breath in. keep going until your lungs fill with air.
hold it there for a second; feel them stretched to capacity.
let it out slowly, and then open your eyes.

chances are that this day may not be the best day of your life; it may not be the worst either. it's likely to be somewhere in that vast expanse of the in-between. either way, this day is your life. not tomorrow, not yesterday.

live it the best way you know how. you're more than worth it.

xo 

for sale

so one of the things i've been talking quite a bit about recently is being more authentic 'round these parts. most seem to agree that it's altogether too easy to throw up posts about pretty furniture and decor, or just not post that day because you didn't quite feel like putting on a happy face. or delay in putting up pictures of your pretty new apartment because it's not quite the way you want it to look yet, or because you don't have the energy or inclination to get it presentable. (who, me? i've definitely never done that. ever. pssshhh.)

but sometimes people need to see a bit of that. the clutter. you know? it makes the blogworld seem a whole lot more human, but it also (i suspect) makes us feel a bit less inclined to be perfectionists ourselves. life isn't about perfection and constantly looking to the future for what's to come. it's about living it in the moment. about being mindful about the state of the present day, and what's more - being okay with it, even if your windows are dirty and you feel messy inside.

or maybe it's just me.

either way, this week has been a week of more changes in my life.. ones that i don't have control over. (blech - my favourite!) after 24 years in the same space, my mom put her place on the market on monday. and then my dad did the same thing with his place, our family's cottage. that's a whole lotta memories going up for sale all at once. and it sucks, and it's sad. saying goodbye to both when they've been such a big part of my past is going to be tough. it's not as if it's a total surprise given the circumstances, but something really drives it home when you see it listed on the real estate website, the bits and pieces of your former life broken down into things like square footage and a two-car garage.


i know that those memories obviously will stay with me, and i know that both places have changed since i was little and are much, much more different than what i remember them to be for very different reasons. i know that there's awesome things laying in wait for us, in the future. but for now, i'm gonna take a little bit of time to look over my shoulder at the places i've come from.

hello, i'm new here.

Today, I'm sitting outside and have just finished reading the tail end of The Other Boleyn Girl, enjoying the summer breeze and the warm sun on my back.  It's days like these that you want to remember in the middle of winter when it's minus forty degrees with a windchill factor of minus stupid and snow up to your shoulders.

Let me take this opportunity to introduce myself. I'm an avid fan of wunderbug. I love to drop in and see what’s shaking ... but as we all know, very little actually has been. Shaking, that is. Hence, I came along to shake things up a bit.  I'm Courtney’s youngest sister, Arianne.  I like dinners by candlelight, long walks on the beach, fruit salad, and llamas.

It's days like today that you wish you could hold on to - those days where you take a minute, breathe, listen to the wind in the trees, the waves calm and lapping at the shore; to close your eyes and just be.

triple heart.

i'm loving:
these pictures
this blog
these brownies 

also: 
a lovely little guest blogger will be doing a few posts here very, very soon.
stay tuned.

image via abby.

just blank.

how many times do we create a vacation that we need to take a vacation from? i think i forgot to leave a day of nothingness at the tail end of my vacation; instead, i cleaned my apartment and balcony from top to bottom. and then was even more dead tired afterwards. oops.


i need an intentionally blank page. i used to do the same thing when i was journalling all the time. it's a good idea. a moment to be quiet and reflect and just ... do nothing.

image courtesy of zutaten