The New Black

Kindness is the

new black!

And it looks beautiful

on everybody!
 

~Jane Lee Logan

 

These are Vintage Barbies.

Aren't they cute?

 

 

 

 

Let Us Be Kind.

 

~Sheri

Hummingbird

Nel told me that she watched a show on tv about this site in Peru where they've discovered these huge crop circles that are only visible from the sky.  She couldn't believe it, but one of them was in the shape of a hummingbird.  They aren't exactly sure why the Native Americans dug a huge hummingbird into the ground, but it's a very special and protected place, and I wanted to share the picture with you.

Speaking of this special bird, while I was at the nursery this week, I saw many lovely flowers, and there were hummingbirds flying all around me.  It was incredible to watch them.

 

Have a good

rest of the week.

 

 

~Sheri

School Bells, School Days

Did school start already?  I saw the school buses the other day and started thinking about those first days of school.  This is a picture of my old high school.  Can you believe I went here and my father went here too?

I remember going to the cafeteria for lunch, and we all bought the yummy burritos they served.  They were soooo good.

The football games on Friday nights.

During Football season, you could buy a BIG MUM for a friend or someone special you knew.  You pinned them on your clothes, and could admire them all day.

Studying, learning, meeting new friends, school bells, and school days.  I wish that the young kids have a very good start to the new school year.

Were your school days

fun or not so fun?
 

~Sheri

Final Stop...An Alpine Adventure in Zermatt!

After spending a week and a half traveling through the hot and humid beaches of Barcelona and Southern France, we couldn't have been happier to breathe in the cool and crisp Alpine air of Zermatt, Switzerland. 

When we decided that Switzerland would be the final stop on our summer tour of Europe, I knew immediately that I wanted to visit Zermatt. 

Living in Southern California, I get to visit Disneyland regularly, and the magic of the Matterhorn has always captured my imagination. I promised myself I would see the real mountain one day...

And that day finally arrived!

While Jess rekindled her love for the beautiful city of Paris, my husband and I took a 12-hour train ride through France and into Switzerland. We passed trees that looked like stalks of bent asparagus planted in gold fields, rows of bright yellow sun flowers and light purple lavender, and rolling green farmland surrounded by craggy hills topped with white wind mills. The train ride was lovely, and the little Swiss village that greeted us at the end of our travel was unbelievably charming. 

Traveling Teddy thought so too...

We arrived just in time for the 150th anniversary celebration of the first ascent up the Matterhorn. We learned a lot about the expedition, and you can too by clicking here.    

Jess joined us on our second day in town, and we spent a lovely morning hiking the Matterhorn trails. We crossed wood and stone bridges spanning milk colored rapids...

fields of lavender and daisies in full bloom...

and historic huts built from wood logs and granite tiles. 

The cliff-side walkways of the Gorner Gorge offer an adrenaline rush for the daring hiker...

like Jessi!

I tell you there is nothing as satisfying after a long Alpine hike as a fresh grilled brat and a local craft beer. 

Of course, then it's time for a nap.

From the stunning natural beauty and Swiss village charm to the warm and inviting local residents, Zermatt surpassed all of our expectations and reminded us of the importance of taking risks in order to follow our dreams. 

What all of these experiences have in common is a balance of joy and fear that only travel can bring. Being outside your comfort zone, absent the defining bumpers of your daily life, forces a kind of humility and openness. 

It is precisely this vulnerability that, ironically, has the power to embolden you to overcome any number of fears—fear of not being able to communicate in a foreign language, fear of feeling like a rube, fear of being a tourist rather than a traveler. . . . 

That we get to break our own stereotypes of ourselves when we are in different places is perhaps the greatest pleasure of all. 

~ Pilar Guzmán, Editor-in-Chief, Conde Nast Traveler ~

Wishing you happy travels wherever your own journey through life takes you!

~ Nel ~

Piles

Meet my nemesis...

the random stack of junk mail and bills. 

 
I have been spending some time organizing the house in order to make the approaching school year a little easier for me. 

And this stack definitely needed some attention. It drives me crazy!
 

I spent the afternoon recycling and filing papers until...the pile was no more!

My plan is to control my stack of mail and documents so that it will fit (only) in this kitchen shutter "organizer."

How do you organize your mail and miscellaneous papers?

~Jess  

August Days

A few pictures of August days.

The newest white beauty on a country road.

You don't see ducks in trees that often.

We have the same taste in clothes and shoes.

Favorite shops around the area.

This guy was just strolling in the front yard of an older neighborhood.

Yikes, glad I have a screen.

Love this country road.

Red roses through my blinds.

There are many blue jays around here.

The front entrance at my church.

I barely noticed this little guy through all the wild grass.

Enjoy the rest

of the

summer days.

 

~Sheri