a little of the bubbly for 2010

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/anjiejoon/4231218469/

a tidy little list of my resolutions for 2010:

*drink more champagne
*learn to converse in german
*finish the decor projects for alesia's bedroom
*meditate every week
*tango every week
*practice budo every week
*build the savings account
*go camping
*grow successful container gardens
*win my boyfriend at chess
*launch a fulfilling career
*make decisions from a place of gratitude, not fear
*above all else: love with my heart wide open, learn with my mind wide open, seek truth with my eyes wide open

please, dear friends of the blogiverse, oh please tell me what your resolutions are for 2010 ~ either list them in the comments section or just toss in a link to your own post of resolutions.

{where i really, really want to spend nye! taken by obni in besancon, franche-comte}

may blessings and joys abound for you & your families in the new year!

there is only one peach for me

have you noticed in the last year or so how everything has completely changed ~ as in 100% different than 365 days ago ~ or is it just me?
ok, perhaps the wild ride of my life is doing the flip-flops more than most, but i have absolutely no complaints.
although some things have been the most challenging i've ever faced, others have been the most soulful enlightening and awesome experiences i've ever been blessed with. i'm in complete awe that one year ago today i gave birth to alesia marie. i've been emotionally overwhelmed for the last 24 hours with my thoughts consumed by the incredible memories and delightful realities all around me just because of one little girl.
and so today, as an ode to my beautiful, vivacious, flirtatious, cautiously curious, head strong and very loving daughter, i'd like to show off some delightful peachy goodness.

{super delightful etsy finds ~ peony headband & peony hat by pretty baby bowtique. peachy dress by my sweet chickadee . crocheted hat by sparkle berry crafts. shoes by gracious may. peach clippie by sweet bitty bows. bloomer set by 3 lil muses. burp clothes by buttercup forrest. leggings by mama runs with scissors. }


{up-and-away & retro posies prints by crimson peachy art}


{peach ginger icecream cakes & sorbets by whimsy & spice ~ i'm sure even more yummy to taste than to look at!}



{these lovely table setting photos are from peach is the new pink ~ a design*sponge wedding idea post today, of all days!}

you've come a long way in one year baby, and i'm forever grateful for being there with you. happy first birthday peachy star!
oh and thanks to the ever-amazing jenni for this awesome video tribute to the peachette!

i wish . . . . .

. . . . i could swing on the tire swing in my grandma's backyard like i did as a child. . . . "my village" {closest group of friends i've ever had} lived right next to me still. . . . i could spend at least one year in italy with my daughter. . . . my newest design career dreams would come true {soon}
. . . . i could dance tango all night long. . . . there were fireflies on the west coast
. . . . it were possible to smell roses & freesia growing in my garden year round. . . . for alesia to always know the incredible beautiful gift she is to the world
. . . . to ride in a hot air balloon with my sister for an afternoon. . . . people would respect each other's differences and listen with their hearts more. . . . i could ride a ferris wheel in downtown san francisco. . . . bubbles could float around for hours without popping. . . . siestas were acceptable practice for anyone, any time. . . . everyone could love themselves more

thanks so much to relyn for this idea ~ her incredible wish list inspired me to make mine!



{tire swing by mmgoode. my village by jennib. siena landscape by ahsan. buddha stairs by ramona d'viola. ney and jen tango by houston tango festival. fireflies in park by goldring. roses and freesia by beakee . alesia photo by me. balloon ride by quasebart. circle of friends by lifetime. ferris wheel sunset by calzean. soap bubbles by floridapfe. group siesta by marek barczyk. jump for joy by krish tipirneni. }

gems & news for friday

this awesome sign, right on the money in my opinion, was found on graphic-exchange {more on this entirely awesome place later} by holly at decor8. i was so taken with it i just had to get it up on my swellspring too! it has inspired me to start re-thinking a lot of my old stand-by design choices. i've got a very tight budget and a whole lot of interior designing to do in the coming weeks. let's call it design-on-a-dime, but with surprising & refreshing pizazz! ooo la la!
ever since i was born {in july in arkansas} i've been known as the sunshine girl, and so my adoration for almost anything with some sunshine in it. i say "almost" very intentionally since some sunshiney things can be a bit too cheesy or hippy for my taste. but even those do evoke a smile. i just wouldn't include them in my own decor. so when i found this sweet little sign made by freya art & design {also 1st seen on decor8 ~ had fun there today!} i got all excited as it seems like some perfectly wonderful inspiration for alesia's bedroom. the daughter of a sunshine girl! i think i'll include this in a little inspiration-board-collage very soon.
new art for alesia's room already on the way is this utterly fantastic print designed by robert david bretz. she has this thing for giraffes and i thought it was the perfect addition to her wall ~ but should it be the beside the crib wall or the beside the changing table wall? ah decisions, decisions!

oh yeah, and by the way, in case you've wondered what's kept me away from blogging for the past while. . . . .we've been moving in to a new home! so much excitement and change ~ it's been a fairly smooth transition and we're settling in very nicely in the new 'hood. but boy are there a ton of projects! daunting & exciting all at the same time.
this weekend ~ painting!
how about you??

look who's turning 10 {months that is}

nowadays my sweet little peach is standing up, starting to crawl, getting a little more hair, and trying to pop a tooth or two thru. there is more joy in this wee bundle of baby than i ever thought possible. thank heavens for such tiny surprises and momentous discoveries!

these are the days

we've been traveling around and having lovely adventures....so blogging is way behind. will catch up when we're back home again! meanwhile, please check out these gorgeous photos from my birthday party, taken by mr. tom connard!

what's been given

people have always said my mom and i look a lot alike. i suppose the proof is in the pudding ~ and your pudding is the photo pairing above. {that's my mama on the left in 1945, and me on the right in 1975.} growing up i didn't like this similarity because i wanted to be *just me* {yes, i was a very independent girl}, but now that i'm older i don't think it's so bad. . . . . she has aged incredibly well ;o)
although it's true she has nary a grey hair and skin that looks 20 years younger than she is, of course my appreciation goes way beyond any physical attributes i may have inherited. generosity, thoughtfulness, craftiness, musicality, supportiveness, and being a very good friend are all things i'm so grateful to my mother for giving me. and now that i am a mama too, i can hope with all hopes to be as wonderful a mother as mine has been for me.
and, my darling daughter, i hope to give you the ability to see rightly what is true and good, full awareness of your sublime beauty, unfaltering respect for your inner divine nature, and the ability to laugh deeply and often.

{alesia at 7 mo's ~ and wearing the beautiful dress sent all the way from paris by sweetheart tara!}

baby name suggestions all-call

update: a name has been chosen!niana faith

{nee-ah-nuh}

i found it researching exotic names and maps ~ it's an old town in mali, in western africa.

thanks so much to everyone for all your great suggestions!

oh dear friends of the blogiverse ~ my family needs your help!

my sister & bro-in-law are having a very difficult time deciding on names for their brand new daughter. the two they had originally prepared don't quite seem to fit now that they can see their little bundle of joy in person. they have asked me to help, but so far nothing i've come up with has been it either.

and so, i'm sending it out to all of you for more suggestions. the middle & last names are determined. so far she is _____ faith king.

as you may know, her sister's name is ilia grace king {pronounced eye-lee-uh}, just as an additional reference point for suggestions.

if you could please leave comments here we'd all be ever so grateful!

i'll pass along your suggestions immediately to the new mommy & daddy and will let you all know as soon as they've made a decision.

xxoo!

{niana photo by me; name plates photo by the idealist; whats in a name photo by jack dorsey}

i saw god today

witnessing the birth of a brand new being into this world is pretty much the most incredible thing a person can experience. i experienced it for the first time myself when i had my daughter, and less than a year later i have now gotten to experience it again with being at my new niece's birth. i am truly awe-struck at this moment of the divine meeting the human, of the transformation from entirely internal and mysterious into the external and curious. my new niece {she doesn't have a name just yet}, born on april 27th at 10:23am, after a very intense 12 hours of labor, weighed in at 7 lbs-11 oz and was 21-1/2" long. no doubt she'll be tall thin & beautiful just like her parents and her older sister.now alesia isn't the smallest one in the room anymore. . . . and she's very excited to have a new playmate!
boy, howdy, aren't we all.
welcome to the world, sweet baby-girl king. the world is such a better place now that you're in it!

trying to catch up

new post, new post!

oh my, how did an entire month go by without me updating my swellspring?

what with christmas, visiting family, new years, road tripping from oregon to san francisco, getting laid off {while on maternity leave, imagine that!}, designing myself a website and raising a newborn, my blog has kind of taken a back burner. so this is just a triage post, to let you know i'm still alive, and to try to get us caught up.

so what's new & noteworthy.....

{alesia's new quilt made by her grandma....and she's 3 months old now, by the way}

{a new addition to my family: a mini cooper in peacock teal! ultra-fabulous! i took this photo at a look-out point on highway 101 on the oregon coast with one of my most favorite spots in the world in the background: heceta head lighthouse}

{alesia's 1st tango lesson, with none other than my favorite tango teacher, ney melo, at his studio tango vida. also note jennifer bratt's incredible collection of come-il-faut shoes displayed in the background....jewels for your feet!}

{speaking of feet....i'm able to wear hottie heels again, and am loving it. oh and i've only got about 5 more pounds to go until i'm back at pre-pregnancy weight. phew!}

{my first manhattan since getting pregnant. it was a long time comin' and i loved every sip!}

{i got a new queen mattress set & alesia got a new bumbo.... moms if you haven't heard of the bumbo baby seat trust me and go get it right away. it is the best baby docking station i've found so far. so now both alesia and i have new comfy places to chill ~ ahhh!}

{vicente wolf's book "crossing boundaries, a global vision of design" is a new favorite that i highly recommend ~ lots of design eye candy and gorgeous photographs from all over the world, madagascar to myanmar}

what's new with you? goodness gracious i've missed blogging, and i've missed you!

spreading joy, seeking inspiration

alesia's first grin captured on camera. . . . and my first christmas gift. so i just had to share the joy with y'all too. things have been busy over here with alesia learning to feed from a bottle, playing with new toys, and starting to explore the big world more & more. such an incredible thing to witness. here are a few images of her going's on:

{dreaming apple dumpling sweetness}

{so curious about the world all around}

i've been enjoying the holidays with my family and trying to get motivated to do something with my life other than being 100% focused on my bundle of joy. exploring the oregon coast & the oregon woods is always a blissful sensory experience and is filling me with inspiration for things to come......

{two photos i took of our table at thanksgiving, centerpiece made with found treasures from around my parent's property}

{two photos i took high atop cape perpetua on misty mystical day that rejuvenated like no other}