I'm loving this book I received as a late Christmas present from my parents. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work. It's an adorable compilation of stories and writings by artists, about the little things they do to get them through each day as a creative. I love it because I love the little things in life, and I think they should be celebrated. I don't think repetition is always boring, I think the little moments you cherish each day are a part of how you're defined. The more you change and travel and switch things up, the more you need those little things to help reconnect you to yourself. As someone who has seen quite a few changes in the last few years, I admire the thought of people doing the same thing every day.  I don't have many daily rituals but one that I love and hope never changes is the particular pre-sleep snuggle pattern than Jimmy and I have developed. It's the most comforting thing I've ever known :).

What are some of your daily rituals?

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Speaking of regularity and creativity, here are some great links, including how to stay physically and mentally organized and how to get your creative juices flowing!


I love Shannon's 15-minutes-a-day creative challenge! It can be so tough to make the time to pursue your creative efforts, but if you set a goal to start small, at the very least you'll have begun. I've been starting very small, trying to journal and/or read each night before bed, but next week I'm planning to amp it up by adding in some scrapbooking and DIY projects that have been on my list for ages.

Um. If you were ever a Full House fan, you just can't help but love this. It makes me chuckle every single time.

Jimbo and I live in a very small space. We've grown to love it dearly; the "coziness" keeps us very tidy. Here are some awesome tips on small living from Erin Boyle.

I'm glad that recently everyone is becoming more aware of our society's phone-addiction problem, and I loved Jarrid's 2014 challenge to divorce your phone. Count me in.

I love this journaling challenge - 31 days worth of great ideas to stimulate your writing from the Art of Manliness blog. 

From Art of Manliness again (obviously not for men-only, I love it!), here's how to effectively manage your attention.  Thank you! This seriously could not have come at a better time. My mind has been an explosion of thoughts lately. 



Tomorrow I'll be in San Francisco for work and then play - can't wait. Have a good weekend, everyone!

A Lil Piece of Home

I've been getting back in the groove after a trip home to Massachusetts last week. The visit was half-work half-play, but even the work parts felt wonderful. I had been craving the snow, not truly believe it was winter yet despite the date on the calendar. I needed to see my family's holiday tomtes and slurp my mom's homemade maple syrup. I needed some snowfall on red barns and warm kitty snuggles. I needed my besties in matching New England-girl boots, and even slushy Boston sidewalks, which warmed my heart this time around even though I used to despise them. And I needed my soothing Atlantic ocean, which is so, so different than the Pacific.

Thank you family and friends for giving me so much warmth and love that I think it might just last me until next time :). 

    

     

Your Tuscan Dream Job

Attention travelers, nomads, adventurers!

Remember that time Jimmy and I gallivanted around Tuscany for 5 months, exploring, farming, drinking, working and eating? It was a dream come true. Life was simple. 

Well this summer, it's someone else's turn. And if you're really up for an adventure (and know a bit of Italian), there's a long term opportunity here. The agriturismo that Jim and I worked at in 2012 is hoping to sign on a new manager for the next few years, but at the very least, they'd like someone(s) to help out this summer. Here's the description from the farm:

"Barbialla is a very special wild and natural place that is looking for someone to come live on the farm and help run the tourism side of the business. The job is quite flexible and could vary depending on your skill sets and interests. Our ideal situation would be to have someone arrive at the beginning of tourist season (anywhere from March to May 2014) and assist through summer before taking over full-time in the fall of 2014.

The duties range from assisting with bookings to assuring that houses are ready (we have a separate cleaning staff) to maintaining gardens to interacting with guests at various functions to simple admin tasks. Barbialla also has a small store where we sell our own beef, truffles, honey and olive oil as well as other local and organic products. The work requires a good deal of self-motivation; the idea is not to guide you through each day but to give you general tasks and teach you how to run the agriturismo. We therefore are looking for someone who is competent, proactive and responsible.

Our ideal candidate:

• Has excellent people skills, both from a management perspective and a customer service perspective
• Has a great love of nature and respect for slow travel/food/life
• Has a strong work ethic and good organizational skills

The estate has many forests and pastures, walking and hiking trails, a small lake and various animals and wildlife. The farm is close to the major Tuscan cities, such as Florence, Siena, Lucca, & Pisa and has two international airports within an hour's drive."

Does this sound like you?? If so, give me a shout, I'd love to help connect you to our dear friends so that you can learn more about the possibility of working in this idyllic environment.  If not, please help spread the word!! We want to make sure our beautiful farm gets the very best helpers it could ever ask for :).  Reach out with questions, interest, or even just to chat about how amazing Italy is. I could do that every day.

Ciao miei amici!

Happy New Year To You

Don't you just love fresh starts?? I do. And I love goals and beginnings. And I love sparkles and champagne. So naturally, I'm a sucker for New Years.

It's exactly a week into 2014. Mine started with teeny tiny firework show viewed from a peak 11 miles away. Then with a bit of a cold, a lot of nice relaxation, and then a great start back at work. Now I'm ready to dive in.

I have a lot of goals for this year. Did you know that if you write down your goals, you have a much higher chance of achieving them? So here we go, I'm writing them down, everything from the vague to the dreamy to the weirdly specific.

This year I'm going to do a lot of yoga, eat an almost-paleo diet (I'll post on that soon), and hike and run more than last year. I'm going to get to bed earlier and wake up earlier. Last year was the year of exploring our new home, this year we'll go a bit further - I'm going to travel to Hawaii or Alaska, or maybe even both. I'm going to keep developing my mindfulness practice. I'm going to absolutely rock it at work. I'm going to be purposeful in everything that I do. I'm going to get my darn wisdom teeth out once and for all (it's been on my to-do list since 2008). I'm going to print more photos and put them up around the house. I'm going to make sure Jimmy knows how much he's loved and appreciated every day. I'm going to do more hike-in camping, and improve my photography skills and keep learning Italian. And I'm going to keep writing about it here, because I love it.

It's going to be a good a year, right? I hope yours is starting off with a bang!