flora

God is a wondrous sculptor.

retreat

I got to unplug from my life and duties for three nights and three days and hop on a plane for a trip and have some chai at Starbucks in the airport and stay with friends at their gorgeous botanical garden and home and get spoiled and treated for all of my meals cooked by loving hands from foods picked from the land and rest and meditate and think and wander and take photos and pray and laugh and help out a little and make new friends and think positive thoughts...

...all the while knowing that my children were in good hands back home with their daddy.

It was just what I needed.

sometimes you just have to take a drive around town

With your start bright star light girl.

And bring your camera so your daughter can take some photos of local topography for a school project.

And end up in a seaside chapel where you both go in and say a prayer, pleased at the spontaneous reverence of the moment.

And then go home and make a little lunch.

corner view~postcard

Aren't these vintage black and white postcards from Paris dreamy?  We still send postcards when we take trips.  My family loves to get them, and I have a friend who collects them. I like taking photos and imagining that they are postcards.

Sorry this is late but I spent Wednesday in the air flying from Paris to Chicago.  Here we will spend time with my family.  We are staying at my brother's beautiful new home today, and tomorrow, we head to Miller Beach for a week family reunion.  I get to see my entire family -- my parents, brothers, and sister plus their spouses, kids, the dogs :) 

Special bonus, today is my birthday.  No matter how old I get I do love my birthday.  It makes me feel special.   

corner view~box of tricks

For my 5 months of travel -- my goal is to keep a healthy, balanced, sane body and mind!  Here are my tricks...

1.  Daily yoga stretches (I use a towel on the floor since a mat is too bulky to travel with.  Even 15 minutes a day is really helpful)
2.  Drinking lots of water
3.  Having good walking shoes
4.  Taking time for photography and blogging
5.  Staying in touch with life via the internet, email...
6.  Getting enough sleep and down time (which means my kids are allowed to play some video games).  Yes we put them away all school year, but they are back now.  Everything in moderation.
7.  A box of markers and a pad of paper for the kids for restaurants.

And...I love this tool for massaging hard to reach points so much that I brought it on my vacation with me.
What a smart move on my part!  A gift from God I tell you.

Thanks mlleparadis for this idea!

los angeles ps

Girls' headshots photo shoot with Jeri, retreat with Amma, bringing friends to meet Amma for the first time, Beverly Hills foggy morning, gorgeous flowers everywhere, Sky with her producer, Irene.  Bye bye LA for now!

little missy lou

 
Little Miss Annabel recently won a contest where she got to meet with a person in the entertainment business.  This woman not only offered to try to get Annabel the autograph of Julie Andrews, because she "knows Julie," oh my! -- but she encouraged Annabel to reach and grow as a singer.

"Sing something you would never ever do, and send it to me," was the assignment.

So for the last few weeks Missy Lou, as I often call her, has been studying Chaka Khan, one of the world's best vocalists.  She picked one of my favorite songs to sing, which is a very challenging one, because of the voice range it covers.

Gary plays the piano on this one.  Sky and I made the video of photos we shot of the Missy.  I am learning to use iMovie, it's so fun!!

Here it is: "In Love We Grow."

creative friday

Starting a few weeks ago we have changed the home school schedule.  If the girls work hard Monday through Thursday, they get to focus on creative things on independent study Fridays.  It has been wonderful.  And they are working hard.  Sewing, sculpture, reading, acting, singing, recording, photography, practicing instruments, filming, and making videos.  There are a couple of people in the entertainment industry encouraging and pushing them to grow.  And it has very good for them.  Lest you think my oldest is miserable, she is not.  I have never seen her happier.  In the last photo, she is acting.  Did she fool you?