Cheers ta Halloween

Hello, Cheers, Good morning to you,

It's a grey, rainy, fall day and I can already feel Christmas coming. My friend and I are with our babies today, who just woke up and are watching shows all cozy on the couch. We're sitting at the table, post-toast consumption, working on our things and from the corner of my eye, I see seven pumpkins waiting to be decorated and carved... except possibly the pinkish, Cinderella pumpkin- which will probably remain the same until it turns into a carriage for the model. (Just in case you're wondering, the model is the 6 year old beauty who goes to school now but comes home and has coffee- talk with us.) Pretty sure the white pumpkin is off limits too. From the corner of my other eye, I see the three little kitties sitting boldly on the picnic table outside. The kittens are a couple months old now, they were born at the end of summer and we've watched them grow into adorable, alert, and sometimes fierce little felines. It's getting close to Halloween and the kids have their costume picked out. They are going to look adorable. Halloween for these kids isn't really about the scary ghosts and ghouls, or even the candy, it's really about getting to dress like their favorite, and most admired character. The model is going as Ariel- The Little Mermaid. She's her favorite Disney princess at the moment and she will be wearing a long wig and sequined tail. She says really she will only just be a little shorter than Ariel. The now 4 year old Chunk will be Superman... or Spiderman... we aren't really sure, and the little Hootie baby will, of course, be Elsa, "eh-go."

So then there's the question of: What will I be for Halloween? I still don't have a clue. I've always enjoyed dressing up, but I have to say, I struggle with deciding what to be. I started looking at it with the same approach the kids take. Who or what do I most admire? What is my favorite right now? These are important questions. Last year, I threw together a surfer outfit from my closet to go to a family party last minute. I don't want to get stuck having to throw something together this year, but it's already October 21. I've been leaning towards something princess-y or girl-y. Something I have always wanted to wear that I wouldn't be able to pull off in everyday dressing. But what? ...I'll find something.

In the mean time, my friend and I are busy crafting and planning for Christmas presents. This is so exciting- there's so many creative things you can do for presents, and truly, I believe they are the best kind. The fall flies like the wind and then all of the sudden it will be Thanksgiving, and BAM Christmas. All I have to say now is, where is my Gingerbread Latte Starbucks?

That's all for now, I have to go, I have succumbed to a Latte craving.
Cheers

Free Door

Cheers, Good morning!

My friend and I just made a beautiful pot of fresh, french press coffee and it's grey and breezy outside. This combination and mood is serving us well because we are cozy and working on brainstorming. We have been searching Pinterest and home magazines for the past year for dream house inspiration and decor, which we enjoy very much and pretty much consider a hobby by now. Pinterest has been particularly helpful in our endeavor. Or has it? It leads us down a dangerous path of desire. 

Designing our dream house began a year or two ago. We made a sketch and discussed the construction and layout. Now we have been slowly collecting things at flea markets, and home furnishing stores that we find affordable and irresistible. 

Last winter, we were eyeing up this door that was out in someone's yard. The sign said it was free so we both had that urge. The one where you see something free so you automatically take it even if you have no use for it, but in this case, we saw the use. It was a nice, sturdy, well built door. It was painted white and had a large glass window in it. We passed by it 3 days in a row, saying the same thing everyday- "we should take that door." As the days passed we decided we needed to move on this because, good grief, what if someone else took it?? The door was ours in our minds already so it was time to take action.  Here is how it went down: We were driving home from dinner on a cold winter night, in my small, red, KIA rio, approaching the house with the free door, and suddenly the acquisition of this door became a now or never situation. We went from 35 mph to 0 as we pulled off the road. We zipped up our coats and prepared to make our moves. It was below 0 degrees on this night. The kind of weather that the news stations warn you about. So we got out of the car, glove-less, opened the trunk, and ran towards the door. It was heavy, and FROZEN to the ground. We managed to lift it and carry it to the car, our hands sticking to the paint, and our eyes so watery we could barely see. There was a moment of doubt as we struggled to carry it to the trunk. We were freezing  and shouting to each other, "Should we do this?? I'm SO COLD!" and it was so heavy... but we prevailed. We were not about to leave it for someone else. We shoved the door in, as best as we could, but couldn't close the trunk, thank goodness we didn't have far to drive. We jumped in the car and slowly and steadily made our way up the road. Chloe had to hold on to the corner of the door, which was wedged above her head, so that it wouldn't slip out of the back of the car. Every bump and hole was a threat. The cold air whistling in through the back of the car was chilling and wild. We finally parked and made it to the driveway and then came the unloading- another struggle, as we hurriedly took it from the back of the trunk to the garage. Woo. We got the door. We were FREEZING, but we got the door. 

We are very proud of this door and it now sits in the basement, awaiting its glory-filled day of installment in our dream house. It's in consideration for the highly prized position of Front Door to the dream house. It's adorable and very sentimental already. Every time we look at it, we smile and nod. We've acquired other items as well- a hand-painted night stand, a mirror, side tables, dishes, glassware, pillows, blankets, and decor of all sorts. Our plan is to have the most beautiful, aesthetically pleasing house on the planet, with very happy and fun inhabitants. I believe we are close to our dream, and will be finding the perfect place soon! 

Cheers ta dreams,

Cassie

This Season

Yesterday I proclaimed that this fall has been my favorite fall out of all the falls I have ever fallen into. This season is really effecting me more than I have ever noticed before! The look and feel of it, and also the subtle energy it holds. I haven't been able to find the write words to describe it completely, I'm still searching for them, but maybe over the course of this post, I will be able to find them. It's been important to me to recognize this season and appreciate it, and describing it helps me to do that. What's felt different this fall is partly, the absence of anxiousness.

In previous falls I had been more focused on what was ahead of me and things I had to accomplish. I had felt an unpreparedness due to the sweetness of summer ending so fast and the beginning of schedules, expectations, and deadlines. My relationship with the ultimate frenemy- procrastination- had picked right back up where we had left off. I had felt wary of winter weather and lack of sun, my tan fading, missing the beach. Ugh. Overall- I had felt somewhat unsettled. The energy of fall moves inward. It causes you to reflect and go deeper into yourself. I guess, in previous years that energy intimidated me. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is a time of letting go- physically, mentally, and spiritually. This year, may be one of the first that I have been able to do that more confidently and naturally. This season has, just as in years before, been a season of starting something new. Early in September, my friend and I started an Ayurvedic Healing course and so far it has helped us tremendously in knowing the human body, and knowing ourselves- every physical, mental, and spiritual aspect. I'm sure that what I have been immersed in this fall has helped me to more clearly realize the beauty and necessity that exists this time of year. 

Our culture, and many others define fall as a harvest time. There are so many feelings and images that come up when I think of the word harvest. Naturally, I imagine crops, farms, pumpkins, apples, and scarecrows. I feel warm, bundled, cozy, quiet, happy, and "glow-y". All the holiday feelings with family around and plenty of food. I like that this time of year is also a time for gratitude and generosity. I believe that people are generally good, and that we all want to be kind and share what we have with others. That's how life is created and sustained. I think fall, by it's energy flowing inward and stirring up what you bring to the world, prompts the actions of first thanksgiving and then giving. Civilizations for centuries knew, and felt this, hence the celebrations of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Much like nature, we as human beings respond to the energy that each season brings. We grow, expand, contract, and descend just like plants. Recognizing and understanding this has a harmonious effect on us. 

So this fall, my favorite so far, has allowed me to take in what has been around me, and what has always been a part of me, but has gone unrecognized and therefore unappreciated. The images and feelings that I have enjoyed and embraced since childhood, are actually in me and everyone around me.  So to anyone else reading this, I hope you can relate and let the breath of fall move in, so you can harvest your gifts and share them with others. 

Side Note: Do go out and collect the brightest and most striking leaves that are now changing so fast! 

Love,

Cassie

Little Rascals

Hi,
Cheers,
Salute,
Long time, no post. I have taken a long hiatus from the world of blogs, and now, after little- to no- time to write, I'm back! So what has been going on? What adventures have we had? Did my friend and I travel to Bali, raise baby tigers in the wild, sail back through the Indian Ocean and around the Cape Peninsula, surviving shipwrecks and sharks? Did we successfully start and run a high-end fashion line, show casing our break-through designs at Paris Fashion Week? Did we take time working for a construction company, building new homes for families all across the nation? Did we travel the world searching for precious stones and artifacts from ancient times? Did we fall in love with Arabian princes, then discover that our love story extends back into thousands of years of past-lives? Well, pretty much.

There is so much to write about; to fill in the missing pieces of our stories, but to start, I'm going to share some stories from our adventures with three little rascals. Three little rascals who give us the best and most useful gifts everyday. The rascals are ages 6, 4, and 2. We've been in their lives almost everyday now for over a year, and they have never failed to deliver their gifts. One of the most valuable gifts they give us, is laughter. Whether we are laughing out loud at their silly antics, or suppressing it so that they don't get the wrong idea, we are continuously laughing. Just today, during a complicated and rapidly changing game of Barbies, Ryan, Barbie, Kelly, Ken, and Belle were figuring out their Halloween costumes. This became such a drawn out and difficult decision because of a loud and commanding interruption of a screaming, martial arts fighting, action figure, played by the 2 year old:
(Name: Hootie.
Age: 2.
Personality: Does not share well with others. Does believe she is Elsa from Frozen. Has "marine-like" responses to pain, threats, and discipline of any kind. i.e.  -pinches contusions and/or abrasions, - maintains eye contact during "firm talking-tos.")
Needless to say we pushed through the distraction and continued with our Halloween planning, but not without my friend and I looking across the room at each other to share another moment of hilarity. That is probably the best thing about being able to take care of these rascals together, we get to share the moments. There are so many moments, and each one teaches us more about these little people that we watch and feed and play with.

So now you have a very basic knowledge of Hootie, but moving up in age, you have the recently turned 4, Chunk. Just glancing in on him now, after he returned his Cars cup whispering that "he will have just a little more soda later", he is silently staring, hugging a giant, blowup, Spiderman punching- bag. He, himself, is punchy after playing hard with monster trucks and finishing half of his burger. Now he has switched to slowly bouncing a regular sized, red balloon- still silently staring. The house is still decorated from his birthday party. Self-created theme of Spiderman-monstertruck-choo-choo train-Christmas tree birthday! There is a small, decorated Christmas tree in the corner, spiderman balloons, monster truck cake with left over chips and soda, and train tracks set up. We are living in a little boy's dream world right now. We've been through a lot with this little rascal. Having long conversations at the kitchen table about birds, trains, planes, "baby cars", and vacuums taught us that this kid has a deep appreciation for  the things he finds fascinating. We helped him to use the potty and taught him how to be a complete goof. We've had manly talks with him about sharing, saying please and thank you, and closing the bathroom door, and he's made us blush by complementing our hair, outfits, and make-up with his famous catch phrase- "Lookin' gewd gurls!" He is many things, but most obviously, he is a heartbreaker.

Now, I began by saying there are three little rascals but really, sometimes there's three, and sometimes there's two rascals and another girlfriend to sit and chat, paint nails, do hair, and take selfies with. This third, and oldest, is the Model. She is everything. She is an artist, a fashion designer, a vet, a rockstar, a cook, a student, and the most beautiful girl you will ever meet. She brings out everyone's inner Barbie. She's 6 and in school now, learning everything and loving her life. We catch up with her after school over coffee and snacks. And we mostly giggle, which by the way, she has the best giggle- better than Barbie's. She's going to be Ariel for Halloween and she's every bit a princess.

Those are the three. Our three, whose loving parents allow us to take care of during their work hours. We leave everyday played- out, but wishing we could be with them all the time. They are our friends, our most funny, real, down- to- earth friends, who we can count on no matter what.

So that's part of what we've been doing... and I'll write more, if only just to document the moments.

Love and Cheers ta fun,
Cassie