a vintage girl living a modern life

image via leftpinkytoe

after fighting most of my life to not go to a chiropractor, i finally went. this morning. its weird. my father has gone most of my life, and many people i know go, but i never knew why. until recently…. my back had been hurting to the point that i didn’t know what else to do. i went to my doctor, i went to a massage therapist, i did the exercises they gave me, but it didn’t help. and finally, i went to see dr. dan

he explained to me how closely related all parts of the body were. i had know this for some time, but i actually got an education and now have a much more profound respect for chiropractors. the nerves of our body control everything! those nerves go through the spine and if your spine is out of wack, you could go down the road of disease and further problems with your body. that massive bone structure going from your base of your back to the top of your head is the mecca of your body. it wasn’t until i was standing there, staring at the xray of MY spine, ribs, and neck that i realized all the things going on inside me that i never take a moment to think of.

after some tough adjustments, cracking noises that made me nauseous and ice paks that i am applying now, i am excited to get my spine “back in shape”.

take care of yourself…

while sitting at my local Starbucks having coffee with my good friend Maureen today, i was captured by the art on the walls. these beautiful fish prints were so big and colorful, i couldn’t help think that i wanted at least three! the pictures on the artists site don not do them justice. they are beautiful! if you have a wall that needs color, i picture putting two or three together.

striped bass

red snapper

the artist, John Doherty, spends his summers on Cape Cod, and after he catches his fish and creates a print, he washes it off and fillets it for the grill. his love for the fish of the Atlantic shows and no two are alike. his style of rubbings is known as Gyotaku, which began two thousand years ago in the Orient. it was originally done to document species and sizes of fish. it then transformed into an art form. the Gyotaku technique allows for a truly accurate image of all the details in each fish.

not only are they gorgeous, they are affordable! check him out at Fish Aye Trading Co.

why is it that if i could i would change the rugs around my house the way i change my shoes? if they just weren’t so damn expensive. i’ve always felt that a rug was such an investment. having to spend between $600-$2500 for an 8×10 for my living room always left me in shock. rugs are such a commitment, as with any piece of quality furniture or furnishing for you home. i just change my mind so often. when we first moved into our large 1400 sqft. apartment almost 2 years ago, all i saw were empty walls (lots of them) and bare bare floors everywhere. so i went to the Crate and Barrell outlet furniture sale (they have them 3 times a year) and bought a basic 8×10 RED rug. i needed color! Well, now i am stuck with it. its been a wonderful rug, and we get compliments on it, but i long for style and i want to fall in love. i’ve now fallen in love with Madeline Weinrib Atelier. her designs are beautiful, simple, gorgeous and can be added to any room. my dream rugs:

someday…..

Thanks to brownturtlenecksweater for showing me this super cool store. I wish I lived in England to visit, but in the meantime I’ll have to dream over their website. RE has some wonderful finds. Recycled objects, homemade goods, vintage textiles.

I’m not much of a resolution kinda girl, but I do take the coming of the new year as an opportunity to try to look at my life a little differently. So I spent the rainy, snowy day today looking around at what other people do to live a more simple life. Something I’m going to strive for in 2008 (oopps. was that a resolution?). Here are some links to some pretty cool ways to simplify yourself.

unclutterer.com a manifesto on simple living

zenhabits.com purpose your day: most important task (MIT)

how to slow down now

getrichslowly.com don’t make resolutions - set goals for 2008

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

~ William Morris

We all have our little things we do to get ready for the new year. Some of us start going to the gym again (also on my list). Some us vow to never have ice cream again (this I could never do) For me, its to clean the apartment. So while looking at all the gorgeous blogs that I look a at every day, i found this quote on Modern Country. I think it describes our home beautifully.

photo courtesy of ferkel via flickr
heading north into the woods of maine for a few days for a little r&r with the family.

happy holidays!

Holidays are a time when we think of our loved ones. Especially the one’s from our past. I knew this picture was around in my family somewhere. My mother gave it to me in September when her and her 3 sisters and 1 brother-in-law(Art is the best), stopped at my house on their way to sunny Florida (what a life….)

This is one of my favorite all time family pictures. It was taken in 1980. Chris was 2 and I was 4 1/2. I was ready for the camera and my brother was not. My poor mum. Santa just looked on and thought “this litter bugger is not happy”.

This is a picture of me and my brother. We were best friends. My brother passed away when he was 15 and i was 17. He was the most amazing person I have every met. My mother said he was an angel from above (she was right) and my father said there will never be anyone like him. (they were both right).

I miss you kid! You will never be forgotten.

Here it goes. The first evaaaa post on my “blog”. Never thought I’d ever have one, but everyone is doing it so why not? After spending the last 3 hours getting this up and presentable, its time to go. Wish me luck and we’ll see where it takes me. Thanks Raff!

What I am reading now….

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz talks about how simple it is to be happy just by being our true selves and following the “four agreements”

1. Be impeccable with your word

2. Don’t take anything personally

3. Don’t make assumptions (can’t wait to figure this one out)

4. Always do your best

I’m excited to start reading it, and feel that it is going to be a book I keep with me always.