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100th Post Giveaway – We Have a Winner!

27 Mar

And the winner is……

image from the meanest mom on blogspot.

Elaine (@BanieMcBane) who wrote:

A bunch of good stuff has happened to & around me since Nov 1 ^_^ One of them that I’m most excited & floored by is booking a trip to Australia. It seemed to unattainable until we booked those flights!

I’m amazed by how many big things on The List have been put in motion since I made it ^_^ Thanks for the inspiration!

Cheers to 100!

Congratulations Elaine! Email me your address at BiggerinRealLife [at] gmail [dot] com and your prize, Everyday Love by Nidhi Chanani, will be on its way to you.

Big thanks to Nidhi for making this giveaway possible. And thanks to you all for reading along!

Oh, the Angst of It All

15 Mar

I wrote this a long time ago, and it ran in an art and literary magazine. When I wrote it I had the women from John William Waterhouse‘s work in my mind. For some reason it’s been coming back to me this week. Maybe it was all the great art I saw this past weekend. In any case, I thought it a good time to share. I’ll let you guess how old I was when this came out of my pen.

hylas and the nymphs study, courtesy of jwwaterhouse.com

Millicent stood, worn and weary,
Against the dawn, bleak and dreary,
The gods ignoring her bleeding query,
“What have you done with my love?”

Ankle deep in her dreams debris
Her loved ones eyes were all she could see
As the last of her hope ripped its way free
And fell as a broken dove.

Followed the dove against the dawn
She flew in a cloud of white chiffon
Her scream never came as the waves crashed on
And she left, never knowing her love.

image from insuperabledistances on photothing

Mid-February

16 Feb

It’s that time again. Sometime around mid-February I see the weight of the season settle on my man’s shoulders like a bag being slowly filled with sand. He comes home, his walk from the car a little slower. The look on his face when he enters our home – his refuge, his sanctuary – tells me he’s needing more, that the long hours over a longer stretch of days is starting to wear him thin. When he leans into my neck as I reach out for a hug, sinks into my ready kiss, I know that he sees home each time he rests his eyes, weary from seeing patterns in numbers.

My man, the accountant. The provider. My hero.

He works so that we can build a life. So that I can have options. So we can plan a future. He loves what he does, true, but months of all work and little play gets old quickly. He’s proud of his work, and comes home with stories of conquering mountains of tax law. My weary conqueror.

Sometime in February I can expect that he’ll need more hugs, more time lingering over a good meal and a glass of wine, more priority placed on the little time we can call our own. Sundays are off-limits to everything except church. My dutiful man, who makes time for the laundry and still does the dishes, sometimes a day late, but they’re done just the same. He knows that, unlike years past, I have a full plate as well and pulls his weight. My partner, my helpmate.

In February I make sure my bosom is extra soft to catch his weary head; my embrace is extra warm to last him until he comes home again. I miss him, and cherish each bit I get.

The Dream of the 90’s is Alive

15 Feb

Several of you have emailed me to ask about Portlandia. For your information, if you have Netflix watch instantly, season one is available for instant streaming. If you don’t you’ll have to settle for the incomplete, but no less hilarious, clip collection on Hulu.

In the meantime, an appropriate theme song. (As a former San Franciscan, I love the end. So. Much.)

Fair’s Fair…I Put A Bird On It

9 Feb

Yesterday I shared my love of a Portlandia sketch, mostly because I like to put birds on things and love the irony. So I thought it would only be fair to show you how many things I’ve put birds on in my house, and a few things I’d love to have with birds on them. Because I’m such a hipster.

click for larger

From top to bottom, left to right:

1. My mantel clock, bought for me by my mother.
2. Glass bird side table from Pier 1.
3. Bird au natural doormat, bought by my mother at (I think) Target.
4. Vintage cupcake stand, purchased from the yarn shop I used to manage.
5. Owl wallet, bought for me by my mom (she buys me a lot of bird stuff!) from Urban Outfitters 7 years ago. It’s lasted that long!
6. Flying birds wall decal, from Styley Walls on etsy.
7. Bird nest necklace, from ManoCalebrates on etsy.
8. Birds on a Wire painting, from The Dancing Brush on etsy.
9. Clear bird umbrella, from The Cross Decor & Design.
10. Owls of the British Isles Wallpaper, from Abigail Edwards.
(LOVE great wallpaper, and totally regret that my walls are textured so I can’t use any.)
11. Henrietta the Bird ornament, from amyperch on etsy.
12. Birdie teapot, from A Spot of Paint.
13. Bird on a Branch necklace, from hartley studio on etsy.
14. Red Cardinal on Agapanthus Rectangle Pillow, from joom on etsy.
15. Bird Cage Pillows, from Movi Modern Vintage Home.
16. Russian Bird Pillow, from The SoHo.
(I feel like I could make this…hmmm, will have to try one day…)
17. Bird nursery decor, from All Things Thrifty.
(This is SOOOOO my style nursery, for when we’re at a life-stage to start thinking of such things.)
18. Birds on a Wire Photo Clips, from fredflaire.com.
(For the office supply geek in you.)

What about you? Do you like to put birds on things? Seen any good bird decor lately?

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