Cheating

I had every intention of making my own Christmas cards this year. But then I started crocheting gifts, stringing lights, baking biscottis, road-tripping to Montreal and packing for India and... POOF...it was too late. So I am cheating this year. I am sending out store bought cards. Ahh, I feel so much better now that I have fessed up! So tell me, what was your 'cheat' this holiday?

Wishing you a lovely weekend...try to keep warm!

Elevating the Ordinary

What I love most about my new camera is the way it helps me see the world. Suddenly, the ordinary, mundane objects of everyday life are elevated. From the corners of my studio, to the winter berries lining a worn fence...there is true beauty in the details.

Totally and Completely Addicted

My new camera arrived this afternoon, and needless to say, I am totally and completely addicted. I am downright annoying, snapping pictures of every little corner of the house, from the Christmas decorations, to the biscottis that I made last night...nothing is safe from my lens. My poor husband. I'm all, "Okay, move your hand there and hold it, right there, don't move." And he is all,"Back off and let me enjoy my snow day you crazy camera wielding wife of mine."This is only the beginning, don't say I didn't warn you!

Handmade Holidays

I am making all of my gifts by hand this year. In years past I only made a handful of gifts, buying the rest once I ran out of steam! However, I believe that as our economy remains on shaky ground, the spirit of simplicity, thriftiness and handmade is more important than ever.

In an age when faster, bigger, better seems to be the motto, it is all the more essential that we embrace a simpler lifestyle...for our earth, and our own sanity. While mass-produced material goods may come and go, it is important to remember that it is handmade items, with their lovable quirks and imperfections that become beloved keepsakes, handed down generation after generation. They were created stitch by stitch with love, and that sentiment is something that cannot be bought in any store.
One of my favorite items to make for the ladies on my list are these fingerless gloves! They crochet-up very quickly and are so stylish, especially when accessorized with polished nails and pretty rings. Crochet is really an easy skill to learn, so it is not to late to add these to your list (if Elizabeth can learn, see below, than so can you...teasing, of course!). P.S. I can't stop listening to this song, introduced to me by the fabulous Jonatha at September's SAW. I can't find a link to the version I like (minus the choir) but I have it on Itunes, and I would recommend it highly; Love Me Still from Epiphany; The Best of Chaka Khan, Volume 1.

(first photo: me, second and third photo: Jeanine)

Dr. Seuss Decorations

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons.
It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
I am on a quest to make this a simple Christmas. So I decided to forgo the big evergreen tree in favor of my tiny, gold tree, which looks like it belongs in Whoville! I strung lights around the house, and brought out my favorite holiday knick-knacks. But that is all for this year...

BECAUSE...we are going to be in INDIA for Christmas this year. Finally, after two years of marriage, my husband and I are going to India together. My family will be joining us there, and for two weeks we will be exploring New Dheli, Jaipur, Udaipur and Agra. Now you know why I was so excited about my impromptu photography lessons. Can you imagine the pictures that I will be able to take in India...can you?

So this will be a simple Christmas, as far as the decorations go. I will wait for the lavish colors, people, places and scents of India to get me into the holiday spirit!

Sigh...

I must copy Elizabeth here and start my post with a "sigh" because really, how else do you sum up the most perfect of getaways? Montreal was just that...perfect. Shall I take you on a journey of the highlights?Escaping a near-death, one-way street driving incident with Elizabeth, and arriving at Jeanine's house. The most cozy, colorful and welcoming of abodes.
Discovering the joy that came from the easy company of my traveling companions.Settling into the funky corner cafe where we brought our computers, plugged in and worked together in quiet comfort.Agreeing that vegan/vegetarian food can and should be both healthy and delicious. Pausing for a midday coffee break at a sweet cafe, complete with rustic sacks of fragrantly roasted beans and the perfect cappuccino.Uncovering my new-found love of photography, a gift (from the lovely Jeanine) that will keep on giving.Sigh...back home in Providence now feeling completely satisfied.

Breaking Through

A few months after starting this blog, I bought my first camera, a simple Canon point-and-shoot. I had never been much of a photographer. In fact, I had traveled to incredible destinations (New Zealand, Paris, Kenya, Ghana, Spain) without ever taking a picture. It's enough to make me cry now! After a year of my point-and-shoot, I began feeling disappointed in my photography skills. I knew the shots that I wanted to take, but I could never get my camera to cooperate. I believed that this was my fault, that I lacked the skills the be a good photographer.

But this trip has changed everything. Jeanine gave me her camera, a few simple instructions and sent me off into the world. I spent an hour wondering the streets, soaking in the details through my lens. I discovered that I can take great pictures, I just needed the right equipment. Something inside of me has broken open and I feel this creative energy pulsing through my every fiber. I can't wait to upgrade my own camera and begin growing as a photographer. This has been a great trip, indeed. A starting point...

Montreal

Oh to be in the city, with the magical twinkling light, the hustle and bustle, the enticing smells, the holiday decorations in all their splendor. And the company...there is nothing like the magic of good girlfriends, both new and familiar.

Photo by the fabulous Jeanine

The Vagabond Life

My bags were barely unpacked, when I hauled them out again, loaded 'em up and took off for another adventure. The fabulous Elizabeth and I are heading up to Montreal to visit Jeanine and spend some time wandering around her home town.

I arrived in New Hampshire well into the night, so I missed seeing the incredible views from Elizabeth's palace in the sky... but this morning, with the fog rising over the mountains and the sun streaming through the clouds, I could have sworn I had dreamed my way straight to heaven.

This world of ours is filled with such beauty.

Literary Crush

I am a huge fan of Pulitzer Prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri. I have read all of her books and enjoyed each one immensely. Being married to an Indian, I have experienced many of the cultural/relationship struggles that Lahiri often writes about, so her writing holds a special place in my heart.

Last night, thanks to Brown University, I was able to attend a reading and discussion with her, as well as a private reception afterward. It was such an honor to hear her read and discuss her work. One of my favorite quotes from the night was when someone asked Lahiri if her characters were based on people that she knew. She responded that they were not and that it is "a writers job to imagine their way into alternate realities." I also loved her thoughts on being a writer. She explained that all of her schooling does not make her a writer, but "the true mark of a writer is someone who sits down everyday and writes."

I was able to get a picture with her at the reception. I was so embarrassed for asking, so I am blushing like crazy in the picture and grinning like a fool! My husband, who is camera-impaired, took the picture, so excuse the poor quality and blurriness!
I will leave you with a final thought from Lahiri's talk; when she was asked about the writing process, how she comes up with story ideas, she responded: "There is no way to explain it, it is a very instinctive and haphazard thing. When you live as an artist, you open yourself up to the creative process. You live with it everyday. You have to make room in your head for your thoughts to ebb and flow, percolate and come to fruition."