Watch Hill, Rhode Island

Ocean House, Watch Hill by Alexander Farnham

Ah! Summer at the beach! Last Saturday we crammed the kids in the car and headed for Watch Hill, Rhode Island - a little over an hours drive. You know how kids are - they all get along for about 3/4 of the trip and then it turns ugly ;-) But soon we arrived - no blood had been shed. We paid our $20 for parking - OUCH! and headed for the dunes, and the beautiful sands of the beach at Watch Hill.
THIS is what summer in New England is all about!

My girl's walking through the dunes to the beach.

How's this for a summer house?


Or this one!


Olympia Tea Room - Carousel - Beach - Dunes


Watch Hill Light House

Sunset, Watch Hill

My Artist!

I recently attended the 7th Annual Brew Fest at The Old State House in Hartford. It's just steps from my workplace and on a warm June evening, a relaxing way to pass the time. My own in-house artist, my husband, does the art work for the event. He has his own advertising & design business and works from home in his newly renovated studio. His creativity and life style are my envy and inspiration! Here are some fun pics from the event...





My co-workers: Joe, Arkeya, Angela, Christian Roby

The T-shirt!

Paris - La Ville-lumière!

It's been one year since I married my wonderful husband and I can't help but think back on our honeymoon in Paris - the City of Light, the city of love. We rented an apartment online with Isabelle's Apartments and chose a place in the 5th arrondissement near La Sorbonne University called "Moliere". In the month of July the sun is up until 10pm. We walked the streets, sat in cafes, drank wine and truly enjoyed ourselves. I spent three years in Paris in my 20s and the city was as magical as I remembered it. Even my French returned to me and seemed to float effortlessly from my lips - especially after a glass or two of Bordeaux!


"Moliere" Apartment near the Sorbonne University

Cape Cod Vacation!

Three weeks and counting...until my one week of rest & relaxation...because as the world knows, we Americans love to work practically every week of the year! After all, we might miss something, lose something...might not be productive, competitive...make enough of the almighty $$ dollar! This is where I go looking for a cocktail at about five minutes past noon.
I am obviously in dire need of my Cape Cod vacation. We have rented a lovely, house in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, on the edge of a beautiful marsh, just five minutes from the quaint, old New England town center and more importantly, the beach. My husband, my three daughters, one of their girlfriends and I, are heading to the Cape this July to spend a glorious week of sun and fun. (I know what you're thinking, all that estrogen, lucky guy!)
The house is an 1849 Greek Revival Cape built by Captain "Scotto" Foster which was later purchased in 1912 by American Impressionist Painter, Lillian Meeser. She is the grandmother of the present owner and in the house still hang some of her paintings. Needless to say I can't wait to go. I don't know how America will carry on without me!

Lillian Meeser Painting of the Cape

Our Wellfleet House





The Marsh

Photos of the Cape by Steve Pinker

To Market, To Market, To Buy A Fat Pig...

We were off to the Coventry Farmer's Market at the Nathan Hale Homestead this afternoon - my husband, two younger daughters and I - in search of fresh vegetables and whatever other delectables we might come across. (Howard Valley Fudge Company is always there with homemade fudge in lots of different flavors!) We were running late and racing an arriving thunderstorm - by the time we got there, it had rained already and most of the vendors had packed up. No worries though - we wandered around, heading back to the old barn where there is a little shop that sells penny candy.


We were not ten minutes in the barn, my girls having purchased their candy - when we found ourselves leaving with more than we had bargained. A conspiracy between the kindly woman who ran the shop, my two enthusiastic daughters, and my husband who I will now refer to as "Softy". No, no fruits or vegetables, nor yummy fudge but "Haley" named after the homestead. An abandoned kitty the staff had adopted has found a new home.

An hour after arrival, just snug as a bug...

Peonies are in Bloom!

Got a fab new Sony Digital camera for my birthday from my wonderful husband. The first thing I snapped were these 10 inch peonies growing in my garden. Can't take the credit for them, the previous home owner did the planting. The hubby says all my flowers having sex is wreaking havoc with his allergies!

Are you in the.....212 Zone?

This was the email I got today from my Regional Manager. Just that single sentence.
212: The Extra Degree
(Click link to view) Have you heard of this?
The company I work for (a large corporation) shoves this motivational concept down our throats annually at our sales conference. Don't get me wrong - it looks great on paper and initially is very inspiring. In fact the music track is quite catchy. "At 211° water is hot. At 212° it boils and transforms into steam. That steam can then power a locomotive! "
You see what we could all accomplish if we just pushed ourselves that extra degree?! The only problem is, between my demanding job, large home, three kids, new husband, and everything else I have going on - I'm not sure I have an extra degree in me. And why is it we are pressured to push ourselves even more? Isn't juggling my work and family enough. Aren't I already doing two jobs when my mother was only expected to do one.? I once heard an interview with the actor Jeremy Irons (a Brit) where he mentioned that he had moved back to England from L.A. because he didn't want his children to grow up with the American concept of what being "successful" means. Let's face it, in this country, one is judged by their success in business. We work crazy hours and consider a week or two to ourselves all year adequate time to get over the stresses of the other 50 weeks. None of those silly siestas for us. The month of August at the seaside? Bah Humbug! Going the extra degree...For me that could be shaving ABOVE my knees in my morning shower, even though I'm running late. Do you think that would count?
Okay, I'm done ranting. I think this is just my reaction to it being Monday and me feeling like I've used up half of Tuesday's degrees.

Living my Dream

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.“ - Henry David Thoreau

I have this quote posted on the cork board in my office - which is a closet by the way.It's hard to be inspired, or for that matter, inspirational, in a closet. It's a space that if in your home, you would not hesitate to store your brooms, recycling bins, cleaning supplies. I've painted it "Melon", a bit of a creamy orange, but alas, it's still a closet and my co-workers love to ask me if I feel as though I'm sitting in a pumpkin.
I have changed many things for myself in the last three years - I have a brand new husband and a new home. I am closer than ever to the life I have always wanted for myself. The last piece of the puzzle is to leave my corporate job, and finally work for myself. In another life (read: When I was younger) I went to art school, worked in the fashion industry, lived and worked around the world. Then I had three wonderful children and after spending several years as a stay at home mom, I found myself in the job market, looking for a good salary and benefits. And I found one! But the pressures of a corporate sales & marketing job with a public corporation have after five years, grown tedious, time consuming and stressful.
Now I have found myself needing to rearrange my life once again to find that last piece of
the puzzle.
I am on a quest to complete my dream.
Another one of my favorite quotes:
"It's never too late to be who you might have been." --George Eliot



The world is my oyster!



The "youth" that I mentioned.
I'm ready for the next phase of my life!!

How Motherhood Changes One's Life...

...As told by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen.
I have just read the most poignant story about motherhood that I have EVER come across in this post by Faboolosity. If you are a mother - or mother to be. Please read.

We are sitting at lunch when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family." "We're taking a survey," she says, half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?" "It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. "I know," she says,"no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations...." But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but that becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.
I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die. I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a souffle or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation. I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell.
She will have to use every ounce of her discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right. I want my daughter to know that everyday decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother. Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years -- not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs. I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor.
My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic. I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. I hope she will understand why I can think rationally about most issues, but become temporarily insane when I discuss the threat of nuclear war to my children's future. I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or a cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real, it actually hurts.
My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reach across the table, squeeze my daughter's hand and offer a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all of the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings. This blessed gift from God . . . that of being a Mother.