Venice, Quickly

December 6, 2011 By in To Arrive, To Be Patient, To Travel Tags: , , , , , , 1 Comment

I’ve been to Venice twice.  The first time I stayed at Hotel Danieli in a beautiful blue and gold room overlooking a small canal.  The Gondoliers sang as they passed by my window.  Good thing it was a nice room, because I spent almost all of my several days in Venice in it and in bed.

I was sick in Venice.  It wasn’t because of the sewage in the water, the dampness, the warm air.  It was the summer flu — vicious and untimely.  My only memories of the trip are walking in Piazza San Marco for about two minutes, and weakly eating one dinner at a small restaurant tucked away on a side street.   I never lingered on the piazza in a misty light, with a cup of coffee, listening to the gulls.  My husband saw the sights on his own and reported back to me each day.  I studied the blue and gold wall paper, and watched the sun make light and shadows across the elegant room. And I slept.

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Detox your Makeup and More

November 27, 2011 By in To Decorate, To Detox, To Go Green, To Play, To Review Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments

As I continue to clean up my act and my makeup too, here are some tips and books and fun things to ponder and play with.  (And, as we approach the holidays, any of these products mentioned would be great stocking stuffers for the sweet women in your life).

This is an interesting video about all the toxic stuff we slather on our faces and bodies:

These are some good books on the topic of safe cosmetics:

No More Dirty Looks by Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt — These two lovely women explore the cosmetic industry.  Lots of good information and tips.

Not Just Another Pretty Face by Stacy Malkan — Information about specific toxic ingredients, and a look at the cosmetic and beauty industry as a whole.  Informative tidbits and more about specific companies.  Interesting fact:  Weleda is the largest consumer of Organic Rose Oil.  An interesting piece on the history of Dr. Bronner’s Soap — even though it purported to be all natural (and currently is), that wasn’t always the case.

The Truth About Beauty By Kat James (a long time favorite) — lots of ideas for living in a healthy and holistic way.

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Yoga on the Go

November 18, 2011 By in To Balance, To Breathe Tags: , , 1 Comment

I am several weeks into my forty day yoga challenge, but I’ve pretty much lost count because I am having so much fun.  At first I had a hard time finding podcasts to guide me — I need that extra guidance and there is no yoga studio nearby.  I tried iTunes, and there are a couple of good (and free) podcasts there, but then I found yogadownload.com.  Also a friend turned me onto to yogaglo.com (love, love). Lots of great podcasts and videos on both of these sites.   I can find just the kind of class I am looking for (vinyasa and sweaty, or restorative and relaxing) anytime.  So if there is no yoga studio nearby, do not despair  -these are some good online tools to help you on your mat.

Yes, I’m having fun, almost just as much fun as this guy, but in a different way, of course!

Postcards from Portofino

November 8, 2011 By in To Travel Tags: , 6 Comments

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Lake Como: Interiors

November 7, 2011 By in To Explore, To Nest, To Observe, To Play, To Travel Tags: , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

The colors and luxurious interiors of the Villa d’Este are varied and rich.  And the history of the villa is as interesting as the beautiful rooms and the stunning lake which sparkles outside.  My children loved to hear of the noble woman who once lived there and married a general.  In order to keep him busy during times of peace, she had a fortress built on the side of a cliff (the ruins of the fortress are still there today).  He and his soldier friends would stage pretend battles there.  Pretend battles.

My own son was telling me tonight how his skill at making bows and arrows has greatly improved in recent months.  Now his arrows will shoot straight through a pear, or will stick in the ground.  Whereas formerly the arrow just flew through the air with little force.  Yes, he loved the story of the general and his pretend battles on the cliff.  Other weaponry my children enjoy:  they all love to play knights with swords and shields.  If you are looking for some special wooden swords, check out Bella Luna Toys.


One of the reasons that Italy has captured my children’s imagination has to do in part because of this rich history here –knowing that once knights and kings and queens rode through these hills, marched through these cobblestone streets, rested their weary heads at the Villa d’Este.

Stuff for fairy tales.

Lake Como even had a dragon once.  For a time, there was reportedly a monster that lived in it’s deep waters.  Sometimes it was sighted by those who lived around the lake.  However years have gone by now, with no sighting of the dragon in the lake.  I didn’t see it either.

Exteriors: Lake Como

November 4, 2011 By in To Be Thankful, To Breathe, To Travel Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

I took these pictures while visiting Lake Como recently.  What a beautiful place!  The sun sparkled on the lake, the mountains rose up above the clouds, the air was crisp.  With the shimmering of the water, the turning of the leaves to red and gold, and the huge thrust of the mountains, and it is beautiful wherever you look.  It’s the kind of place that you look out onto the lake and up into the mountains and you can’t help but breathe deeply and slowly.

We stayed at the magnificent Villa d’Este.  A grand villa on the shores of Lake Como.  Very beautiful.  Most of the pictures above were taken there.

One day we took a ferry across the lake and had a lovely lunch in a town called Bellagio (see the picture of the colorful buildings above).  With a bottle of wine, and the children (and us) well-nourished by the wonderful meal, we whiled away the afternoon with no sense of time and a feeling of contentment.  Italy is beautiful.

Mini Reviews: Aftelier Perfumes (something for the sweet life)

November 1, 2011 By in To Dream, To Go Green, To Love, To Review, To Smell Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , 6 Comments

It may be too soon for Christmas lists (or maybe not), however I have recently been exploring and loving fragrances from Aftelier Perfumes.  I think any of these will be on the top of my wish list.

Weeks ago I ordered some samples.  Since they arrived, I have been savouring them slowly.  Each fragrance is unique and stunning.  I love all of these scents, which may come as no surprise — remember my rhapsody for Jasmine?  They are wonderful, each one.

Here are a few of them, in no particular order:

Honeyblossom — so sweet and soft and lovely, with that poignant intriguing background of ambergris, which adds a depth and mystery.  Pure honey, light and sweet and clear and pale gold.  When I was little I used to suck the honey from the honeysuckle flower, and bury my face in the sweet scent which wafted from the flowering branches.   I love finding these same scents here — something honey and something honeysuckle — along with a light orange blossom, and a floaty mimosa.   And anyway — my last name is basically Honeyblossom, kind of.  I love it.

Prive Parfum has a delicious powdery fruitiness.   And it’s light scattering through a prism — all the different colors of the rainbow glowing.  It’s the sunset sparkling on the water — a shiny glowy sunset, sparkly and rich.  It is a beautiful flowery and mysterious tapestry — intriguing, sexy, inviting.  Amazing.

Wildflowers Solid is innocent and free  – the meadow covered with flowers, fresh grass and newly mown hay. I am lying in the grass in the sunshine, a little sweat and a lot sweet, and a touch of lime.  I could lie with Wildflowers for hours, forever maybe.

Rose and Fir Solid: I have the double solid, one scent on each side.  The rose is layered: it is gentle like delicate petals opening, but it also has a depth which draws me closer.  It’s the archetypal rose which means love over and over again. The fir scent is a forest with dappled light, a thick fruitiness mixed with trees and earthiness and sunshine.

Layered together, fir and rose are a wonderful combination — the evergreen scent lifts the sweetness of the beautiful rose.  It’s the perfect feeling of togetherness and warmth.   It is a straight, tall and deep green balsam fir-tree in a snow-covered forest, which in your dream is suddenly covered with velvety red roses and flickering candles.

Lumiere is soft, sweet, sexy, dreamy.  Like falling in love.  Fresh and tender and grown up all at once.

Candide is fruity and delicious and yummy and joyful to me.  I love jasmine, and here it is in my favorite combination — with some fresh and sunny citrus.  It’s like being covered with joy, and tasting laughter and smiles, and hearing happiness.

Fig is luscious and rich and fruity and a little spicy.  It is sexy and poignant, and little dark. I ate a lot of figs this summer.  They hung heavy from the trees around my house.  I picked them from the branches and ate them on the spot — warmed from the sun, sweet to taste — red and jammy inside, tender to touch.

For me, Haute Claire  begins green and fresh, like a beautiful bright spring morning with a citrus lift.  and then I am surrounded by rich and sweet flowers — ylang ylang and honeysuckle — and the green herbiness of clary sage. All this balanced by the earthiness (and that deep-breathing-feeling) of vetiver.  I find the scent lifting and happy and grounding at the same time.  Also it feels flirty to me at first:  a wink.  And then the earthiness comes: after the wink, holding hands.

Simply Put: Best Pound Cake

October 28, 2011 By in To Bake, To Be Happy, To Celebrate, To Create Tags: , , , , 3 Comments

I miss my friend Rebecca, and all of my friends and family that are far away.  But baking is one way to bring them closer.  When I make my mother’s banana bread, I think of my mother. And awhile back Rebecca shared with me her wonderful, rich cream cheese pound cake.  It has now become a family favorite. I think of her every time I make it.  It is really delicious — a perfect birthday cake, afternoon tea cake, holiday cake, or cake just for no reason.

Enjoy! (Thank you Rebecca)

Rich Cream Cheese Pound Cake

3⁄4 cup butter (at room temperature)

6 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)

1 1⁄2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla 4 eggs (at room temperature)

1 3⁄4 cups flour

1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

Powdered Sugar (optional, to sprinkle on top if you want to)

 Pre-heat oven -325

 Using electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy

 Gradually add sugar, beating on medium speed for 4-5 minutes

 Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition

 In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt

 Gradually add flour mixture to cream cheese mixture – beat at low just until blended

 Pour batter into greased 10” Bundt pan and bake for 55 minutes (actually, I often use a loaf pan — that works too)

 Cool 10 minutes in pan

 Remove from pan and cool on rack

 Sprinkle powdered sugar on top

Serves 10-12 people

Pretty Stuff: Fun with Organic Makeup

October 20, 2011 By in To Go Green, To Play, To Review Tags: , , , , 3 Comments

Playing with makeup is fun.   And I try and stay organic with what I put on my face and my skin.  It’s healthier for me and for the earth, and also my skin is sensitive to chemicals in regular skin products.

These days, there are lots of great organic makeup lines to choose from.  Old staples like Dr. Hauschka have wonderful products and colors, and new lines such as Kjaer Weis, are leading the way with beautiful tints and stunning refillable packaging.  Right now those two are my to go to brands for natural makeup.  I love the Kjaer Weis lip and cheek tints.  Her eye shadows are lovely too.  Dr. Haushka eye liner and mascara and concealer are long time favorites; and they also have really nice eye shadow pallets and powder blushes.

There are some good beauty blogs that focus on natural makeup,  such as Scent Hive, and Fig & Sage,  and some nice websites that sell only natural products  – including Saffron Rouge, Spirit Beauty Lounge, and Slow Fashion House (the latter one if you are in Europe).

And if you are looking for tips on how to put on makeup, check out Lisa Eldridge.  This is her tutorial using organic makeup.

What to Read: Two (very different) Books

October 18, 2011 By in To Bear Witness, To Read Tags: , , , ,

At first there was no way I was going to read  a book called Lives Other Than My Own, by Emmanuel Carrere (also a screenwriter and director).  I felt it would be too painful to read.  It’s framed around the death of two people — a four-year-old girl who died in the tsunami in Sri Lanka, and the author’s sister-in-law —  a thirty-three-year-old woman who died in France.  But somehow I picked it up anyway, and once I began, I continued.

I continued to read because once I started, I had the feeling that I was also bearing witness to the lives of a group of wonderful individuals, just as the author does.  And he does it beautifully.  Yes I sobbed reading the story of the child, a girl named Juliette.   And watching the parents in their grief was excruciating, especially as the mother of a young daughter myself.

The majority of the book traces the life of the sister-in-law, also named Juliette.  Her story, as told to Carrere by the people who were closest to her, is incredible and moving.  Carrere writes with humility and kindness and compassion of her life and death.

From a distance, the story of her life is a small, suburban tale.   But up close, and the author takes us very close, it is a life of courage and hope, loss and love, strength and beauty, grace and incredible dignity.

I guess I hope and think that we are all like that in a small way.  We all live our little lives with our petty concerns, our worries, our daily tasks.  But hopefully, when all is said in done, we have lived with grace and strength and that if someone were to look closer, they would inevitably find the vulnerable humanity in each of us, and celebrate the tiny strides we each make every day.

Missing my puppies, who are currently on extended vacation with grandma, I came across The Puppy Diaries, by Jill Abramson (now the executive editor of the NY Times) on my kindle.  Dog memoirs would seem to be a silly genre,  But I’ve read several and they can be quite compelling.  Books about dogs are books about their owners, and about the trials and tribulations of life as seen through a particular relationship.

Scout, the dog in this instance, is a beautiful blond golden retriever, and her owners, Jill and Henry, are empty nesters.   Jill is recovering from depression and a series of serious accidents, and her family urges her to get a dog.  So along comes Scout.  I know something about the healing powers of animals.  My own dogs are wonderful and sweet companions.  So I fell in love with Scout too.  The Puppy Diaries is a sweet and entertaining book which describes with much humor and joy life with Scout.  It made me miss my pups all the more.