Happy New Year’s Eve !

Well, the New Year is upon us.

I have to say that I haven’t reviewed 2011 to see what I have learned.

Nor have I had a deep thought time about what I wish to focus on in 2012.

I am kind of living in the moment right now.

And man, does it feel good.

Enjoying the down time with my husband being home.

Primping the castle a little bit here and there.

Soaking up the furry kid love.

I am excited about ringing in the New Year at our house, with our friends, Lois and Mike, at our Fondue Dinner/Games Night Celebration.

The time for contemplation will come later in January, I think.

But for now,

in this very moment,

I am so very grateful for this sweet life full of beauty and love that I am living.

So here’s to this New Year’s Eve Day, Beautiful Ones,

and may the New Year bring us all much, much more good Being !

Cheers and big Love !

Celebrate the Good Things !

I escaped Black Friday to Montreal, Quebec where Thanksgiving is celebrated in October, and where shopping and bargains have nothing to do with the traditional festivities.

I instead got to surprise my sister Natalie and most of my family by showing up on Sunday for a birthday lunch in Montreal’s Chinatown.

My Mom and I arrived a little early so we walked around and played for a bit, trying to stay out of sight of the restaurant where we were meeting.

It was a blast to see the looks of surprise on my sister’s face when she saw me, and also to hear Miss Katie yell out “Kimmy !!!” when we made our entrance.

Then it was time to decorate the birthday girl a little.

My beautiful sister, Natalie in her birthday regalia !

(Today is her actual birthday. Happy Birthday, Sista !!! I love you !)

My Mom and I hit the dollar store before the party so we all got to take part in the fun !

Thomas reviewed the technique for eating periwinkles in black bean sauce for those who were new to the game, and for us old pros who have been eating them since we were his age.

It may look a little gross but man, are they yummy !

Kate wasn’t into the periwinkles. Rice was more to her taste.

Check out her special chopstick style !

We sang a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday very loudly in the restaurant, with noise makers hoots as a finale.

Then we gathered in the street for some pictures to document the day.

Thomas really makes this one of my Uncle Charlie, my cousin Mathieu, and his beautiful girlfriend, Nadia. Typical Thomas pose !

I love this one of Mathieu swinging Katie around. She kept her legs pointed straight, like a ballerina !

Charlie took this picture of all the girls and our hambone, Tom.

Lots of happy faces !

It was kind of a whirlwind trip but so worth the time driving there and back.

I love my family very much, and being there to celebrate Life and all the good things about it is very, very precious to me.

Okay, now it is time to buckle down !

The craft fair benefiting the Manchester West High School Theatre Knights program is on Saturday, December 3rd !

Off I go to finish crafting !

Happy Tuesday, Beautiful Ones !

I hope your day has a little bit of life celebration in it too.

Celebrate good times, come on !

Happy July 4th to all my American Peeps !

Here’s to being blessed enough to always find something to celebrate !

Big Love !

Haiku My Heart – Earth Day Child

      

       

Girl with bright blue eyes.

What gifts you bring to my world !

Let’s celebrate you !

********************

Happy Birthday to my Earth Day Child Niece, Kate who is 3 years old today !

Can’t wait to come a celebrate with you, Cutey-Pie !

 

For more haiku my heart, visit the fabulous rebecca at recuerda mi corazon

Haiku My Heart Friday–Celebrating Myself !

the

My heart smiles gently.

Just look at how far I’ve come.

This path is so good.

Everyone seems in a rush to leave 2010 behind and embrace the New Year.

Well, I am not rushing.

The thing is that I haven’t completely celebrated what I have accomplished in this last year yet.

It feels kind of like I need a little limbo space in between where I can focus where I have arrived at in this very moment before I jump into the New Year and new words or plans or dreams…

I plan on spending this New Year’s Eve right where I am.

It is a good place.

I will catch up to 2011 eventually.

My friend Patti Digh says she asks herself two questions as the end of the year arrives.

1) What do I want to create in the new year?

and

2) What do I want or need to let go of ?

I am going to add a third one for myself.

3) What have I accomplished that needs to be celebrated ?

I figure I will give myself at least a month to find the answers to these questions.

January 2011 will be all about making friends with the new.

It looks like it will be the start of a really good friendship…

Wishing you the happiest of New Year’s, Beautiful Ones !

Big, big love to you !

Haiku My Heart Friday

What is right with you ?

Let that be the starting point.

Shine today, Beautiful One !

Head over to recuerda mi corazon for more haiku loveliness.

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A great weekend in the making, I think !

Tonight, David and I are going to dinner and a comedy show at Jonathan’s Restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine. We are seeing Bob Marley, the comedian, not the reggae singer who is no longer with us !

I bought the tickets for the evening for David as part of his (50th) birthday gift. His birthday is actually on Sunday, October 31st ! He is a Halloween Baby who doesn’t really like the whole dress up thing. That’s okay though…sometimes I ask him really nicely and he gives in !

I have organized some other little surprises for Sunday as well.

All kinds of good things to celebrate my sweet, shiny, gorgeous Honey ! Yay !

My haiku today was inspire by a post on Choosing Beauty. Go over and check out the treasure that Liv posted ! She is one inspiring and beautiful chick !

I hope your Friday is full of right-ness !

Big Love !

The Darkest Night...

Winter Solstice...

The shortest day of the year...

The longest night...

The longest darkness...

but also

the reversal of that darkening pattern...

Tomorrow the day will be just that little bit brighter...

for that little bit longer...

So on the Solstice,

it is time to celebrate the coming of the light...

"Winter Solstice also known as Yule, Christmas, and Saturnalia, occurs in mid December. It celebrates the birth of the new Solar year and the beginning of Winter. The Goddess manifests as the Great Mother and the God as the Sun Child. The God also appears as Santa Claus and Old Man Winter. Colors are Red, Green, and White. This is a festival of inner renewal.

Strengthen bonds with family and friends by visiting and/or exchanging gifts and greetings. Decorate your home with lights, greens, and holiday colors. Bless your home with a Yule wreath on your front door and sprigs of mistletoe inside. If you are part of a group, take up a collection of food and/or clothing at your Yule gathering and give what you collected to a social service agency to distribute to the needy. Place sunflower seeds outside for wild birds to feast upon. Greet the Sun at dawn on Solstice morning by ringing bells. Do magic for a more peaceful planet."

from the Circle Sanctuary - Celebrating the Seasons

I am going to celebrate the Winter Solstice consciously for the first time this year.

It makes sense to my heart.

This winter is different for me in many ways

.

The darkness has not been as harsh with me as it has in past.

In fact, I have often found it comforting

Like a coccoon...

Where I can begin a transformation...

My Solstice Celebration is going to include some of the following :

Lighting candles...

Creating a surround of love with things that mean a lot to my heart, like an alter of sorts,

(Included in my alter will be this fabulous gift I got in the mail

from my friend Linda who shared a Rock My World adventure with me at Squam -

a rock heart wrapped with a wire and with a beautiful train of goodies - I love this rock!!! )

Filling up the bird feader with those black sunflower seeds that the birdies around here love so much and getting some suet for the cardinals and jays...

Attending a special meditation class tonight with some other wonderful women, where the focus will be on inner renewal and the coming of the light...

I am bringing little "light" gifties, Rock Fairy style :)

And also, and most importantly for me right now, I am going to shine a light on My Self.

You know, the change has to happen from the inside.

I do a lot of talking about kindness and love and showing those precious things to my fellow woman/man kind...

And yet I still have a lot of work to do to learn to really shower my self with those life-giving gifts...

Time to walk the talk, I think...

So as I celebrate the slow but steady return of the light to our world,

I am going to celebrate the fact that I am loved and I deserve every kindness,

and that I am a child of light

and I am going to let my own flame burn pure...

Art journal page - December 21, 2009 -

"Let Your Own Flame Burn Pure"

Click to enlarge...

Love Echoes...

David and I and Chica made the trip up North this weekend. It was a few days filled with sweet, sweet moments. You know the kind that just keep playing over and over in your mind and fill your heart with joy at being alive, and loved and loving ?

Love echoes you could call them...

Like witnessing the first snow of the season (way up North in La Conception, Quebec!)

No rush down here in Manchester, Momma Nature !

Or noticing that lilac leaves look a lot like hearts!

And feeling the love that happens between two hearts, in this case mine...

and his...

Or moments where you snuggle and hug and kiss and play with angels like this

in spite of runny noses, and coughs and media hyped up germs...

And get close to those you love,

the ones facing big changes and going through rough times...

or the ones in celebration,

like sisters turing 40 and getting blown away by the surprise !

Colorful celebrations

with many warm wishes,

a few tears of joy,

and of course, the loads of laughter !

Yes, I had myself a big dose of

love echoes this weekend...

and they are still ringing in my heart today...

Had a great weekend ! Attended my sister Natalie's 40th Surprise Birthday Bash on Friday, thrown by her best friend, Cindy, and her Man, Dave (Nat's Dave!). It was a sweet blast with lots of family and friends !(her actual birthday is November 29th)

Spent Sat. with my sister Kristina and her hubby John and Thomas and Kate (all of who have been feeling icky and under the weather but were not too bad when Uncle David and Auntie Kimmy spent the day there !)

Spent Sunday Brunch at my beautiful friend Andrea's house with her hubby James, and my gorgeous Darlene friend and her two boys. Yummy food and lovely chatting time.

David and I got home late last night...Monday has me feeling a little draggy and with tons of odds and ends to do...

But it is all good...

as I have all those sweet moments,

those love echoes...

to get me through...

Happy Monday, Beautiful Ones !