If you are looking for me . . .

Hello beautiful Blogger friends and all!

After I moved from here last year, it has been difficult for me to leave comments on many Google Blogspot blogs.  Some of you have your settings set so only members of Google may leave a comment.

If you are looking for me, I am now residing at dreamson34thstreet.com

I hope to see you there!

w/L

m o v i n g d a y . . .

b o n  j o u r L o v e l i e s ! 

if you are looking for me . . .

please visit me at my new address, dreamson34thstreet.com.

. . . still working on a few logistics, but the lights are on, the coffee pot is

brewing and the french bread is toasting.  

withLove

f r o m t h e C h r i s t m a s B l e n d - t o - C a f e V e r o n a . . .

h a p p y f r i d a y L o v e l i e s !

 today just happened to be the day . . .

. . . a very simple little once a year ritual.

. . . when the first three scoops of Cafe Verona are added to

the last two scoops of Christmas Blend.

 this brings to mind that silly old movie "Ground Hog Day".

       Rita: You speak French!

Phil Connors: Oui!

there are mornings that i d-r-e-a-d the rise at 4:30 am.

we have been doing this gig, together, for over 40 years.

i admit that i have a bit of a negative attitude until . . .

the first whiff of the day's brew.  the fragrant brew always triggers the immensely comfortable

feeling of . . . "i am so happy and blessed to be standing here in this place once more".

mr D heads downstairs, stopping to sit on the bottom step, where he puts on his work shoes,

 intermittently petting The Chocolate Gousse, who is begging for her "every work day

after he puts his shoes on" biscuit.

   bit's of small talk shared in between toasted bites.  still holding the last couple

bites in his hand, we exchange our good wishes for the day.

see you tonight!  have a good day!

( then he's off again . . . a long commute to Seattle.)

 today . . .  it's a load of  the basket of lights.  ( oh you groundhog! )

 now, in this hour, with my white hot one day in January blend and a mini three bite,
(french bread on friday), pan au chocolat, i'm as close to a sidewalk cafe' as i can get, writing to you.

both lucky and honored am i to have the most amazing and encouraging blog friends.

( i wrap every one of your amazing words around me.)


with reference to comments from my last post:
one day i will take flowers into the gym for a sweet 
bike ride, in the daylight, so i can take a photograph,while likely taking in some strange looks!

when i do, i promise to share.  please do not count on stilettos.

 after 40, due to a bump under my big right toe, i had to drop to under two inches.

the closest i have now is a kitten heel and a wedge.

  . . . and if i were to wear heels to a work out,

 there would be "no doubt" that i could be deemed a little crazy.


* * *

this is a pivotal "i'm aging" year for me. the next couple fridays, will likely be

subject to that coming of  "age", that is very near, as in next month.

i am already singing with Paul. ( hint . . . hint . . . )


* * *

last year i shared this article from apartment therapy published in the summer of 2014.

the simplicity of the article resonated with me so much that i placed it on my side bar within my

esteemed collection of perpetual inspiration.

this year i printed the list from the article for the inside cover of my 2016 planner.

here is my abbreviated  version of the list.

take pleasure . . . ( treat yourself,  french bread ( et chocolat! ) on friday )
  "this may not be the house of your dreams, you can make beauty in every space."

eat everything . . . ( whole food fresh, in moderation)

"save for quality, decorate to support your life."

drink water . . . ( 40 ounces a day )
"hydrate your home with life."

move a little every day . . . ( goal 10,000 steps )
"puff the pillows, light the candle, fill that empty vase in the cupboard with fresh flowers,
build a fire, primp, paint. "

play to your strengths . . . ( a new "lighter" look! )
"find the good features . . . celebrate them."

( just a simple little daily dose of common sense from the french for "34",
and my almost "64" year old mind, spirit and body. )

thats right!  

sixty - four! 

sing it, Paul!  

withLove!

:: all images with the exception of my planner and our paper heart decked chandelier may
 be found here.

a f t e r t o d a y . . . f r i d a y o n l y

h e l l o L o v e l i e s !

 in all honesty, it must be said, i have been falling away from blogging.

though unintentional, my posts were cut in half in 2015.

for me, Blogger has turned into a beast.  it's slow, and half the time my posts do not 

publish for hours.  when i push the publish button, it's any one's guess when

it will appear in blogosphere. i have considered switching to Wordpress or Squarespace.

(i am very intrigued with the format of Squarespace, as it gives the option of responding

by liking as well as leaving a  comment.)

* * *

 the primary reason i pried myself away from my blog

spot was the grim reality of my sedentary obsession, confirmed by my  Fitbit.

i am moving more.
~ this is my visual as i cycle at the gym! ~
( i once owned a racing bike, though i never donned stilettos when i rode.)


do you think that i would get a few "she is a crazy woman" looks
if i tucked a bouquet of fresh flowers into one of the water bottle compartments
of the exercycle at the gym?

i am sleeping, longer and better.

( so my little device tells me . . .)

* * * 

i am not quite ready to abandon my obsession called blogging.

 the inspiration . . . the friendships . . .  the "spot" for me to share my whimsies . . .

. . . and as my family says, blogging feeds "my creative side".

 YOU understand my kind of crazy!

* * *

Instagram has become "my patch" to help overcome my daily sedentary addiction.

it gives me my "just one pic" fix, and i can participate "on the go".

through the miracle of my smart phone, i am able to ride and

visit you via that "god-forsaken" bike at the gym.

(one can peruse blogs and click {I HEART} on Instagram on an exercycle!)

in twenty ~ sixteen,  i will be writing and publishing less

 often, so can make time to visit and comment more often.

  . . . f r e n c h  b r e a d , f l o w e r s , 

f a m i l y and f r i e n d s h i p s on f r i d a y.

withLove!

:: sources to all images above can be found here,

w o r d 2 0 1 6 = e n g a g e d

" b l e s s e d is the 

season which e n g a g e s 

the whole world in a 

conspiracy of l o v e ." 

                                 

                                     ~ Hamilton Wright Mabie

 h e l l o L o v e l i e s !!!!

  

   i'm here, under my cozy throw, writing and catching up with all of you.

 since we are birds of a feather . . . i know you are as likely to be in "recovery mode" as i.

you may be wondering . . . where the heck has Lynne been?

let's just put it this way . . . since the last week of October, i have been fueled for a joy ride.

a ride special enough to be tracked by Norad itself.

lift off was at the arrival of grand # 3!

there was the fabulous trip to Boise for Thanksgiving that i told you about here.

   Ben had a MONSTER TRUCK of a birthday celebration.

we LOVED the new version of  Pacific Northwest Ballet Nutcracker.

we cracked up at this facebook post by Chrislyn . . .

"Please tell me we are not the only family who breaks out costumes to look like characters 
from our favorite Christmas movies. Holland had me rolling wearing Jason's mullet 
wig....anyone else see Ruby Sue from Christmas Vacation?"

it was a wonderful Christmas!

for the record, our hearts have officially outgrown Santa's lap!

two kids were in the house on C h r i s t m a s  morning.

i caught them Camille and Jay, piggy back on the stairs,

engaged in their respective social networking,

 sharing the joy and good cheer of this blessed day!

( e n g a g e d  . . . ? )

on December 28th, Jay asked Camille to marry him.

she . . .  said . . . YES!

Camille's parents flew in for the surprise proposal and engagement party.

* * *

on the 30th, we drove Camille and Jay to the airport. goodbyes are always a bit difficult.

  after we left the airport, Chrislyn texted us this image of  Cam as

she knew we would be sad.  ( thank you, Chrislyn.)

* * *

we were back snug on 34 when Jay texted us this . . . 

. . . they had boarded.

"Pretty sweet way to cap an amazing week!"
"Bragged about my new fiancée Camille and got upgraded to first class." 💍✈ 
"Thank you, @alaskaair!"  — at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac).

an lastly,  an update on my mom and dad . . .

we were blessed that the health hurdles of 2015 were behind them so

they could be . . .  "here for the party"!

2016 = engaged!

with gratitude for your friendship, your daily inspiration and love,

i wish you a Happy New Year 2016!

withLove!

on the way to Christmas . . .

h e l l o L o v e l i e s !

for me, the journey began last week with this adorable scene

of  Daniela Andrade singing Christmastime Is Here to her pup.

( just a sweet and soft love song on a bed of not so perfectly placed twinkle.)


it sent me into daydreams of 

warm toasts and snuggle movies,
( note to Mr D. . . LED lights ready to go for beverage trays)

and sipping sparkle with pomegranate jewels and sprigs of

 rosemary while singing our most favorite familiar love songs.
( note to Lynne . . . more sparkle, jewels and aromatiques vivaces !)

(there is "no - such - thing" as not so perfectly placed twinkle!)

withLove!

:: twinkly images from "a ButteryPlanet" here! ::

o n t h e r o a d . . . f r o m N o v e m b e r . . . t o D e c e m b e r . . . w i t h L o v e !

h e l l o L o v e l i e s !

. . . just returned home from Thanksgiving in Boise, Idaho.

it was the very first time Mr D and i travelled "over the river (s), (mountains), and through the 

woods" for Thanksgiving. i kept cozy in the Expo, and in our hotel room under 

the quilt my mom made for me two Thanksgivings ago. 

it has been six years since we spent a Thanksgiving Day with our son Jay,

as the holiday falls smack dab, in the height of football season.

we chose a hotel suite with a full kitchen so he and Mr D could prepare 

appetizers for grilling. we had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at Jay's

girlfriend Camille's family home.

Friday, ( Apple Cup morning) Jay greeted us with warm CRIMSON cups from Starbucks.

( we have embraced the controversial RED CRIMSON cups from day one . . . laughing all

 the way . . . likening them to the RED CRIMSON SOLO cups on those

"COLLEGE" weekends at WSU!  )

we grabbed our coffees and headed to the television station where Jay transitioned

into Boise State colors for a one hour pre - game show.  it's amazing what a green screen can

 do. before we knew it we were on the sideline at San Jose State. 

the "Mom" in me asked to see the Edward R. Murrow Award Jay earned for his station this

year.  we checked it out . . . the award had arrived . . . not yet unwrapped. Jay studied

 broadcast journalism at The Edward R. Murrow School Of Communications at Washington

State University. to see his award was a big deal to his dad and me. 

behind the scenes at a sports director's desk.

breaking news . . .

we then set out to Dave and Buster's where we could watch the Apple Cup, Boise State vs San

Jose State and have a plug in for Jay's laptop. Camille and her mom and dad met up with us.

Mr D and i  each had a glass of  "Angry Orchard" in honor of Apple Cup.

we lost.  the loss was predicted as our starting quarterback was injured.

despite Falk's injury, and the Apple Cup loss, WSU had it's best football season since 2003,

achieving a national ranking and a bowl bid. Go Cougs!

on our last night in Boise, Stephanie and Craig, ( Camille's mom and dad), treated

us to one of my best meals ever, at an amazing Brazilian restaurant called Barbacoa.

my phone takes very poor images in dimmed lighting, but i went

crazy with my little camera, as i wanted to capture every inspiring detail of

this  amazing restaurant.

i LOVED how it was decked for Autumn! i can only imagine how it will transcend into

Christmas!

at last ! 

a sweet night out away from sports and breaking news.

yes, my lemon drops were dropped into a glass made of ice!

(i also tried a sip of  Mr D's "new age wine".)

a peek into the bar.

. . .  and a peek into my powder room stall.
( there is a shadow box with an amazing shoe in each.)
check out the reflection!
(pink marble . . . chandeliers . . . mirrors . . . chrystals)
i was in . . ."i have to share this with my Lovelies heaven"!

hello dearest December!

chapter 12 of 12!

to a blessed and sparkling ending chapter before we begin our next new novel !

 withLove!

f r o m f r i e n d s g i v i n g . . . t o t h a n k s g i v i n g . . . w i t h L o v e !

 morningtime . . .

. . . sitting in silence with my Lovelies.

 maple bourbon burning . . . 

Verona brewing.
(t h o u g h t . . . why didn't i gather more maple leaves to go with my café noir?)

gather doormat . . . Target 12.99 . . . tried to find one . . . hauntingly wicked boots? only Heaven knows.

 viewing and reading the "amazingness" of you!

where i . . . always . . . 

i really love my silence with you.

i cannot tell you how many times you have set my sails for the day, by showering me

with your love,  tweaking my make up, lifting my self esteem, and making me laugh out loud.

happy friendsgiving!

friendsgiving: when friends and family members gather around before Thanksgiving. 
an assortment of food is prepared and stories are shared of why everyone is 
friends and thankful for each other. 

~ blog land is a place where the table is always set to pass the blessings.~

:: ici ::


i wish you a blessed Thanksgiving!

withLove

:: sources to all images can be found here ::