Monday, April 30, 2012

XYZ is for Examine Your Zipper

"XYZ, Heidi! XYZ!!!!" The round faced girl pointed and looked at me smugly.  I stared back, in complete and utter confusion. "What on earth was she talking about?" I could feel my face burn into a blush and my mind raced through the ignorance of this situation. I turned around and stared into my locker, my mind still trying to figure out this secret code. How I managed to get from elementary school to middle school without obtaining the translation to this popular teeny bopper lingo, I don't know. It would be like not knowing what "LOL" means in todays vernacular. But alas, I stood there, dumbfounded. Until the voice of an angel whispered discreetly, from the next locker over "Your zipper, Heidi, it means "examine your zipper".

The lightbulb turned on. And my zipper went up. To this day, I periodically check, just to make sure I'm never caught in that awkward situation again.

But it makes me think this morning, about life, and what periodically needs to be examined. Because my husband and I are saving for our first home, finance comes to mind. We were blessed early in our marriage with a small fortune. From various sources for various reasons, we were sitting on a nest of golden eggs. But we didn't own a goose. And after that "honeymoon" year as we call it, my brilliant husband with an honors math major, did a little counting and said to me, "Sweetie, either we need to figure out a better way to handle our money, or we're going to have to open up some credit card accounts. Yes, in just one year we blissfully blew through thousands and thousands of dollars. Our budget sheet was nothing more than a track record of what we'd spent that month. Sometimes that number was astounding. We laugh now as we look back on that record and read things like "Whole Foods, 1,000 dollars, groceries." Or "Target, 3,000 dollars, stuff". Or "March, forgot to budget".

We did not open a credit card, instead, we figured out how to budget, and got pretty darn good at it. We quickly realized that the situation needed some serious examining, or we'd be caught with more than our zipper down, and not in a good way.

And just as I learned my lesson in the 7th grade, to always check your zipper, my husband and I learned to always check our finances, goals, and progress. It was a lesson we'll never forget and one that set us on a path of success for the future.

What are some of your life's XYZ moments, what lessons have you learned by taking the time to look at and examine a situation that needed altering?

-The Domestic Diva

Thursday, April 26, 2012

W is for WOOOO HOOOO!

Blogger has corrected whatever little glitch was barring me from returning comments on my posts, so today I will be spending a great deal of time replying to all of the fantastic comments I've received from my readers!

Thank you readers! I'll see you tomorrow with the letter X. Huh. What words start with X? I may also be spending some time with a dictionary looking up some literary inspiration for tomorrow's post!

-DD

V is for very very extra-ordinary

When I was young, I lived to sing. I began voice lessons at age 12 and chased after the dream of stardom into college. I imagined an extraordinary life for myself, filled with standing ovations grand performance gowns and full orchestras, my voice reaching the ears of millions and a name in lights.

But life is filled with ordinary choices that lead us to today. And my choices landed me into a very ordinary life, a far cry from the glamorous song I once imagined I'd sing.

Or did it?

Last night, as I gave a private concert to my four year old son and his one year old cousin while they were taking their before bedtime bath, I found myself gleefully performing to these two bright eyed boys, both of them totally in rapture over the sound of my voice.  Covering their ears as my notes soared into the epic stratosphere of the coloratura, and then jumping up into a standing ovation and calling for "More singing, more singing, again, again!" After every performance I bowed in rapid succession blowing kisses and telling my audience how much I loved them, as they laughed and clapped and blew kisses back to me. No  other audience could have loved me more. Puccini, echoed off the tiled floor, followed by Laurie Berkner's "We are the dinosaurs". (With a slight adaption to include notes Laurie could only dream of singing into my "roar").

As I stood there, singing my heart out, hair frazzled from an evening of cleaning the house in between playing, feeding and entertaining two little boys, my yoga pants splattered with bath water, watching those little hands clapping and calling for more, I realized something incredible, my life is extraordinary. And if all those years of practicing scales and pouring my heart into music was all to lead me to this moment, so that when I sang to my son and my nephew they could truly hear the voice of passion, and artistry, then it was worth it. I lived for the right reason, because it led me here.

There is nothing ordinary about your life if you live it with passion. Whether I am singing for two little boys or a booked opera house, I sing with passion. I think that sometimes we long for the extraordinary because we believe that it will wake us up to the passion and the life we have always dreamed of, it will show the world who we really are! But you are already that person, you have nothing to prove to anyone, but yourself, right now. You are living it already, we simply have our eyes and hearts closed to the extraordinary in this moment.

What is your passion? What turns your life into the extraordinary?

-The Domestic Diva

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

U is for Uncle

My Uncle Doug is amazing. I can not remember a time he came to visit that he didn't make me feel like he flew across the country just to see me. Uncle Doug is the kind of person who makes me feel like I am the only person in the room, even if there are fifty other people there. And when he is talking to me, everyone else disappears and I feel, that despite any distraction, the only thing he cares about is hearing me. He holds me in his gaze and listens. He asks questions, he smiles,he nods, but most of all, he hears me. Uncle Doug is the definition of a good man, he is understanding and kind. He is a dedicated husband and father. And trusted by those who know and work with him. I adore my Uncle Doug.

When I was young, maybe fifteen or so, my Uncle Doug came to visit our family for the week. I was learning to sing, and he asked me to sing for him. I turned on my practice tape and he sat in a big comfy chair and just listened as I ran through warm ups, scales, and a few songs I was working on. Sometimes, he would close his eyes and just seemed to be floating on my little sea of song. When my mini concert ended, he thanked me for singing to him, and he told me my voice was so beautiful that all I needed to do to win any man's heart, was to look right at him, and sing. He told me that if I did that, that man  could not help but love me forever.

I held on to that, and I never sang to any man, until my wedding day. On that day, from across a room filled with people, I locked eyes with my beloved groom, and sang. I never looked away. Every note was for him, every word an expression of my love, and I knew from the gaze he returned that he would, indeed, love me forever.

Out of all the memories I carry, these two are among the most dear to my heart.
A diva never forgets, when someone really hears her voice.
Uncle Doug, has always heard mine.

-The Domestic Diva

Monday, April 23, 2012

T is for Truth

Looking into my son's eyes for the first time.


I am a woman of conviction. I am a woman of truth. And if there is one truth I have discovered, and strive to live by every day it is that everyone is worthy of love.

I had an experience that taught me this in a way so profound I know it will never leave me, and I know I have changed forever because of it. I was attending Land mark, a wonderful course designed to help people become the best version of themselves. In a particular exercise we were asked to do, we were given the instructions to look into a person's eyes for a certain amount of time. It began from a distance, first we stood in front of the group of 100 people or so, and had to find someone in the audience to lock our gaze with. This seems easy, but trust me, it takes a tremendous amount of faith. We all stand there, wondering, hoping, praying that someone will catch us as we throw our trust out into a sea of strangers. When that gaze is caught, you feel such a tremendous relief. I will never forget the man who "caught" me. He was an Indian man, and he never looked away. His eyes were so golden brown. He had a beautiful soul. When that exercise was over, he came up to me and said "Thank you for your eyes." I will never forget that.

After this exercise we were then lined up, face to face, just inches away from another person, a complete stranger and asked to look into their eyes. It's one thing to do this from 15 feet away, its another to look into a person's eyes for five minutes when they are no more than three inches from your face. It is terrifying. And I'll tell you why, because when we are asked to expose our soul like this, and that is truly what happens, we are scared to death that the person we are looking at will not see something worth looking back at, worth loving.
I was assigned to look into the eyes of an older woman, she was shorter than I am. She had blue grey eyes.

At first your mind races. "Do I have a zit?" 'What does she think of me?" You laugh and giggle a little to cover up the awkwardness. A minute passes which feels like a year. And then another minute. And another. Soon, your mind quiets and you start to look back. You look at the eyes, and stop thinking about yourself and how you are perceived by those other eyes.  Once that gate is down, something magical happens. You forget all the stories you had about how you should look to others, and how they should look to you. You forget about race, age, color, gender, religion, lifestyle, wealth, poverty, education, and all the other little boxes you categorize people into and you see only eyes.

And your own eyes fill with tears, you can not explain. And your heart wakes up, when you didn't even realize it was asleep. You feel compelled to love. It is no longer a choice it is simply the way you live. It is like breathing, you simply love that person because you are alive and they are alive and there is nothing standing before you NOT to love.

We come into this world and the first thing we do is look for eyes. The eyes of a mother. Why? Because when we are seen, we feel loved. Children are not afraid to look into your eyes. They are not afraid to love you and they are not afraid to be loved. They know no other way yet. That is innocence. As we grow up, we are told not to look, we are trained into blindness. The truth of the soul, the truth of seeing, is forgotten.

But it is easy to remember once you look. Really, look. Every person you have ever hated, was once held in the arms of a mother who looked down into their newborn eyes and met them with absolute love and acceptance. I believe this is how God looks upon us, waiting for us to return His gaze. Imagine, looking into the eyes of God. He created your eyes, your eyes are His work, as are the eyes of all the people around you. Look into the eyes of another, and you will start to see God's eyes. And love will no longer be a struggle, it will simply be the way you exist.

That is the truth I strive to live by. The truth I see, is that we are all God's children, and we are all worthy of love.

-The Domestic Diva

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Family Photos

Soooo, My mom went to Utah to visit family, and forgot to bring pictures, and can't remember her facebook password, (My mom is never online)  and all of our family is asking to see photos, so I told her I'd post a few on my blog which she can get to easily. So, here are some of our latest and greatest family photos! Hugs to all my Utah Family! I love you!













S is for Serenity


In a world of fast food, instant messaging, credit cards, online networking, and phones that travel everywhere with us, I am a huge advocate of serenity. 

Serenity to me, is getting in touch with what is real. Not a picture, not a face on the computer screen. As much as I love social networking online, I take it with a grain of salt. It isn't completely real. You never see, or feel the whole picture. This blog is created of highlights of my very best, even when I write up my little reality checks, or personal experiences that may move you, it's still only the side of me I'm willing and able to share with a person I am not actually seeing face to face. And so, the impression of me you get online, is jaded, not by intent, but by the nature of the medium. There are some experiences that can not be simulated, company and conversation is one of them.  Serenity is standing in the presence of another and feeling their spirit interact with yours. Serenity is personal.

Serenity is the deepness and richness of experience, the taste of real food in your mouth which can be imitated by nothing. No grape flavoring will ever come close to the magnificent burst of flavor a little muscat grape holds within it's beautiful sheer orb of perfection. 

Serenity is that feeling of accomplishment you achieve when you've saved your money to buy something you have wanted for months and months, and you can hand over hard earned cash in place of instant gratification and that gut wrenching prod that urges you to be stronger than your momentary desires.

Serenity is stillness, it is turning off the phone long enough to hear silence. And in the silence, other voices can finally be heard, the song of a bird, the whisper of a new bud growing for you to admire, your heartbeat, your thoughts, your truest appetites and needs emerge when you are still enough to ask your body what it needs from you. 

Serenity opens your heart and allows you to feel the beauty of the world around you, because you are no longer distracted from it. We are all connected, always, we do not need the internet to imitate that for us. I, like you, appreciate it as the tool that it is, but never let it distract us from our serenity.

-DD

Friday, April 20, 2012

R is for Romantic






SEPTIMIUS AND ACME
Translation by John Anthony Bernard Harrisson (1909-1983)
Written by Roman Poet Catullus (83 BCE-54 BCE)
Painting, inspired by this poem, by Fredrick Leighton

He held her close against his breast and whispered soft and low
"Heart of my heart, my little one, I love you, love you so!
For ever and forever, dear, no matter where I stand;
In darkest Africa maybe, or India's coral strand,
Or even should I chance to meet, while wandering out there,
A green-eyed lion, I'd think of you, and thus confound his stare"!
And as he spoke these words, Love smiled; the god was very pleased,
And from the left toward the right in approbation sneezed.

Then Acme, tilting back her head to kiss his tender eyes
With lips like parted rose-buds which the golden sunlight dyes,
Said, "Constant slaves of sovran Love we'll be, for in me glows
A greater and a fiercer fire than e'er Vesuvius knows.
Your love for me is very great I know, but it is true
That yours is no whit greater than the love I bear for you"!
And as she spoke these words, Love smiled, and delicately sneezed
From left to right to indicate that he was very pleased!

Now started on their favoured way they render love for love;
Septimius prefers his bride to all your stars above.
Your Britains and your Syrias, your rich and fertile fields,
And to Septimius alone his loyal Acme yields
Herself in love, for love's delights and passion's pleasures rare
Afford a never-ceasing joy to this delightful pair:
None ever saw two people happier than these two are,
For love could not have flowered 'neath a better omened star!

My favorite poem.
-DD




Thursday, April 19, 2012

Q is for Q.


I love Star Trek, and yes, my husband and I frequently discuss which alien species we would be if we lived in the Star Trek universe. For me it's always a toss up between Beta Zoid and Q.

Q always wins. 

How could it not? I mean, they are practically Gods, their only obstacle is BOREDOM!  Boredom, riiiiiiiight, you give me all power and an eternal existence and I would NOT get bored.  I mean, come on, some things just don't get old, EVER. Like kissing. Kissing is awesome, and can lead to a lot of other spectacular things. That alone would keep me a pretty happy Q as I cruise through my eternal existence. I know, I know, all you trekies out there are like-"What, they just touch fingers-REMEMBER?" I know, I'd be a rebel Q and do things the primitive, FUN way. I mean, THAT is why they were bored. Seriously. 

But there's more! You could run around the universe making people smile. I mean, you don't even have to do earth shattering, life altering acts of goodness to make people smile. You could just walk around wishing people a good day, smile at them, make a game about how many smiles you can collect over the course of, oh say, 100 years. Or you could do something stellar like clean up an oil spill, or feed starving children, or rescue abused animals, or sing to babies in orphanages. Boredom, pfft.  Not likely. 

So, that is why I'd be Q. 

Also, every single episode they show up in, is inevitably awesome. 

Thank you Gene Roddenberry, for creating that perfect conversation topic, after we've already discussed which wizarding house we'd be sorted into.

-Domestic Diva

(I'd be in Hufflepuff, by the way, what about you?)

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

P is for Pickle


Ever since I was a little girl our family has held the Christmas tradition of the "Pickle present". We have a special pickle ornament that mom hides on the tree, and whoever finds it gets to open the "Pickle Present". Usually, the kind of gift everyone would enjoy like a new game or movie. We LOVED this tradition, and it was quiet a race to see who found the pickle. We always opened the pickle present first so this marked the anticipation of present opening time. No pickle, no presents. You better find that pickle!

As the years passed, the pickle found it's way off the tree, to make the game more challenging and anywhere in the house became fair game. One year, we couldn't find the pickle ornament in all our Christmas decorations. Of course, we were crushed. But mom, being the resourceful, clever mom she is,  just smiled and told us there would just have to be a new pickle this year, and we'd know it when we found it....

GAME ON!

That year, my husband found the pickle. A banana, labeled "pickle" we all got a good laugh over that one. My husband ALWAYS finds the pickle. I think he likes opening the first present. We brought home a giant chess set that year, thanks to that little pickle banana!

Oh, and yeah, my mom is AWESOME!

What are your favorite holiday traditions?
-Domestic Diva

NO.

I'm a bit behind on this challenge, thanks so much to Jarm Del Boccio for encouraging me not to give up!

To catch up, I'm going to combine Monday and Tuesday N and O into my topic, No.



No is such a powerful word. I have a four year old son, and anyone who has had any contact with a preschooler, understands the power a kid discovers with the word NO! Just the other day as I was returning something to a store my son saw a play table that caught his fancy. As I said "No" to the play table, we were already standing in line, he screamed "No" to cooperate and stand, be quiet, or stay in one place. As a parent, this is a critical moment, to stand strong or just give the kid ten minutes at the play table. Then the word takes on a whole new dynamic in my mind.

"Noooo, stand strong, you'll train him to behave like this if you give in, it will be a living nightmare you've read it in ALL your parenting books!"

"Noooo, give the kid a break, let him have ten minutes, you have ten minutes....

I vacillate for a little while trying not to guess what the other people around me are deducing from my parenting methods. In the end, the "no" to stand my ground wins, I am after all 25 years older than this kid for a good reason. And once we are out to the car and Scotty realizes the battle is lost he gets distracted by the little car he left laying on the seat.

And then, once it's quiet again I find myself contemplating the situation. So, I ask myself,  "Am I so different from this little kid screaming "Nooooo, I want the toys, let's play with the toys" as we're standing in line at the store?"

How many times have I fudged on the family savings plan just a little because, Noooooo, I'm tired of saving, and I really NEED (want) that new shirt?

How many times have I committed to a healthier lifestyle and yet scream "Nooo, I want that piece of cheesecake, NOW" when I'm out to dinner with my husband?

"Nooooo, I don't want to finish this blog challenge I am SO busy (even though I committed to do this)"

"Noooo, I don't want to clean the bathrooms." They are disgusting by the way, I'm still fighting over that one.

Who is in charge? Me, or that inner child who wants or doesn't want everything now, the queen of no, the master of justification? How is she being parented? What am I training HER to act like?

Just a thought.
-Domestic Diva

Saturday, April 14, 2012

M is for Monkey

See this and more of my work at my etsy shop here!

The Monkey 

By Shel Silverstein

1 little monkey
Was goin’ 2 the store
When he saw a banana 3
He’d never climbed be4.
By 5 o’clock that evenin’
He was 6 with a stomach ache
‘Cause 7 green bananas
Was what that monkey 8.

By 9 o’clock that evenin’
That monkey was quite ill,
So 10 we called the doctor
Who was 11 on the hill.
The doctor said, “You’re almost dead.
Don’t eat green bananas no more.”
The sick little monkey groaned and said,
“But that’s what I 1-2 the 3-4.”


Who didn't read Shel Silverstein as a kid? What a poet! To this day I'm put in my place when I remember "Prayer of the selfish child". There isn't even a reprimand in that poem, but STILL teaches a kid a lesson. At least this kid!


-The Domestic Diva

Friday, April 13, 2012

L is for Love Letter


I know, that just about everyone participating in this ABC blogfest probably thought "Love is the last thing I'd choose as my topic for L, SO cliche" so I'm banking on that, and choosing love for L. Not just love, love letter. And again, you'll have to bear with me as I gush about my husband, because he is deployed right now, and he's on my mind pretty much every second. Especially today, as I rushed our son into the ER and could have really used some help with a four year old who has a severe phobia of doctors and emergency rooms in general. I blame the stitches he had to get two months ago...or perhaps his latest round of shots. At any rate, there's no letting a guy off work to help out his wife and sick kid when you're on a submarine. So, I figure, in exchange for my husband being off too sea, defending our freedom and all, while I'm at home pining and taking care of a really sick kid all by myself....you can read one of the most beautiful things he ever wrote to me, and we can all gush over how romantic he is, deal?

July 28, 2004 (Amazingly, he proposed to me two years later, to this day)

"Thousands of times the wind and sunlight whispered your name to me, and the stars spelled it out, a chorus of birdsong at dawn, and all they can sing about is you. How amazing that you could see yourself with me forever, forever is such a long time. With you at my side there is no place I'd rather be. Let the gates of eternity open, let the centuries pass like seconds, let the sun grow cold and the universe expand and contract in a cosmic heartbeat, my love for you will outlast them all."

-Josh Nickerson

How on earth, could I ever say "no" to a man who writes like that? Ah. I swoon. That is a real love letter.

The Domestic Diva

PS-The kiddo is fine, He's just had a BAD cough and fever for the last week and the hospital was concerned about dehydration and the possibility of pneumonia, but they sent him home since his lungs look fine, and he's been authorized to eat as many popsicles as his little heart desires :)

Thursday, April 12, 2012

K is for Kookamaniafroofroohubalazoo!

I never swear.

So I thought I'd make up a word to express my extreme frustration with blogger right now. I am having SO much fun with this ABC blogfest, and I'm getting more comments on my little thoughts than ever before in all my blogging life, of three years. I'm a very social, friendly, happy person, and I would LOVE to reply to all the awesome comments I'm getting, but I CAN'T! I don't know what blogger is doing, but it won't let me post any replies, as soon as I type something, click "preview" or "post", in whatever order I try, it ERASES my comments! GRRRR!

So, that is why I'm not responding to all these amazing comments, I promise, I am not anti-social. I'm probably the least anti-social person out there. I suppose, the best I can do until I figure this out is send out a big old blanket THANK YOU!!!!!! To everyone stopping by, visiting, leaving me a note, and even following me, you guys are truly making my day!

Blogger is not.

Although, it did inspire me with the word "Kookamaniafroofroohubalazoo" and I'm actually kind of proud of that. Will use it next time my four year old paints the carpet with my acrylics.

Until tomorrow...
The Domestic Diva

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

J is for Joshua

See this and more of my work at my etsy shop, here!


There was a guy I called "Prince Charming" when I was a little girl.  I thought of him as I skipped around the house singing "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream". I wrote letters to him "to open when I'm married!" I was waiting for him when I envisioned myself in white. 

And I dreamed of tuxedos and kisses, not steel toed boots and deployments. I dreamed of date night at the movies and sweet nothings whispered in my ear, not courting over the span of 3,000 miles and hours lingering on a telephone.

But, I never imagined the intense joy of a homecoming, that first kiss after so many thousands missed, I couldn't read the hundreds of letters that would fly back and forth across the country as two people fell in love through their written word. The thrill of being escorted across the red carpeted bridge spanning the water and leading us to the Ring Dance. 

That look in his eyes as I sang to him on our wedding day, the room filled with people, but the only person I could see was him. The reverent awe surrounding us as we gazed upon our newborn son for the first time. The tears that wouldn't stop as I lost myself in his embrace, for at last he was home, after being gone for so long. 

Nothing is as I imagined. But as I look back, 
I see that for all I imagined, it was nothing.
Not even a shadow of the greatness, of this day.

No, he is not prince charming. He is Josh. And he is the one I love, today, and forever.

-The Domestic Diva

Monday, April 9, 2012

I is for Imagination

See this and many more of my paintings at my etsy shop here!



















"Imagination is more important that knowledge" -Albert Einstein.

Smart guy.

DD

Sunday, April 8, 2012

H is for Happiness

See this and many more of my paintings at my etsy shop here!
















Happiness is acceptance.
Let go of what should be
love what is.

Happiness is truth.
Open your eyes
allow what you see,
to simply be.

Happiness is peace.
Resistance accomplishes nothing more
than a fight.

Happiness is now.
Your joy lives right here
you can't find it tomorrow, 
you didn't leave it behind yesterday.

There is happiness in the very air you breathe.
Please, 
stop holding your breath.

-Heidi Nickerson



Saturday, April 7, 2012

G is for Gone.

See this and many more of my paintings at my etsy shop here!

Kids say the funniest things when they are trying to figure something out. My son, who turned four this week, is currently trying to process where daddy has disappeared off to for the last few months....



"Daddy's on a sub-ma-mine."
"Are there sharks?"
"Can we go get him?"
"He's in the ocean?"
"Daddy has the i-pod? On the sub-ma-mine, in the ocean?"
"Are there monsters on the sub-ma-mine?"
"Are there monsters in the ocean?"
"Is he lost?"
"Can I swim over there and give him a hug?"

Mommy: "So, sonny, what is daddy's job on the submarine, what do you think he's doing?"
Scotty: "He's jumping on a trampoline!"
Mommy: "Daddy is jumping on a trampoline, on a submarine?"
Scotty: "Yes, in the ocean."

Mommy: "Do you miss your daddy?"
Scotty: "Yeah, he's on a sub-ma-mine"
Mommy: "Do you want to play with daddy?"
Scotty: "Yeah, but he's on a sub-ma-mine."
Mommy: "Do you think daddy gets to play on the submarine?"
Scotty: "Yeah. He plays with Lightening McQueen."
Mommy: "Scotty, do you wish you were on the submarine with daddy?"
Scotty: "No, Scotty has to go to gymnasitcs."

We love you daddy! 
We miss you! 
Come home soon!

-DD











Friday, April 6, 2012

F is For Fashion

See this and many more of my paintings at my etsy shop, here!
1997 Journal Entry:

"When I'm married, I will never wear the same dress twice. I will probably have the biggest wardrobe in the world. I will spend millions of dollars on JUST clothes." -Heidi Kohler age 13

Today's theme is fashion. Something, I have always loved. And while I do not spend millions of dollars on clothes, and certainly do not have the biggest wardrobe in the world, I do have a great fashion tip for your wardrobe today. I call it the rule of three, and it works like this.

If I have one pair of pants, I will only keep it in my closet if it coordinates with at least three shirts.
For instance:

 One pair of adorable cut offs in salmon pink, definitely a keeper in my closet because it pairs up with 3 or more shirts. 

In fact, these pants are not only adorable with three of my shirts, but six so they really pull their weight. The rule of three is fun, because it only allows colors and styles you really love to remain in your closet. I apply this rule to all of my tops, bottoms AND accessories.  You never have to wonder what to do with that impulse buy that doesn't go with ANYTHING else you own. The magic in this rule is that pretty soon, your wardrobe is focused in such a way that you only need two or three pairs of shoes because they are so versatile, without spending all your money on 50 pairs of shoes to go with a kaleidoscopic of color in your closet, you can splurge on a nice purse instead, because one color goes with the majority of your ensembles.

 Another delightful result of this practice is that your closet is not over crowded. This is especially important to me as I do NOT have room for a huge wardrobe. However, everything in my closet is something I LOVE to wear. I periodically try on all of my outfits and move along anything I feel no longer tickles me pink. (Which, as you can tell, happens to be one of my favorite colors to wear!) You will also find when you shop that you exercise a lot more judgment in deciding if something should come home with you. Your wardrobe will express a very clear style, and it will be obvious when something belongs there or not, regardless of the current fad.

So, as you jump into your spring cleaning, try applying this rule of three and see the wonderful results you get!

What is your favorite color to wear?
What are your best secrets for keeping your
 wardrobe under control and filled only with things you LOVE to wear?

-Domestic Diva





Thursday, April 5, 2012

E is for elephant

See this and many more of my paintings at my etsy shop, here!

My Elephant is Missing


I cannot find my elephant.
He must have run away.
He isn't on the sofa
where he promised he would stay.

I've looked around the living room,
the kitchen and the hall.
My elephant is missing
and I'm not sure who to call.

I'll need to get a bloodhound
who can track him by his scent,
or hire a house detective
to discover where he went.

He isn't in the basement
or the attic or the yard.
You'd think, to find an elephant
would not be quite so hard.

Perhaps I'll make some posters,
and I'll offer a reward.
I'd make it more, but fifty cents
is all I can afford.

If you should see my elephant,
he answers to "Jerome."
Please tell him that I miss him
and I wish he'd come back home.

He knows the way. It's up the street
and down our garden path.
And next time I won't warn him
when it's time to take his bath.
--Kenn Nesbitt



Wednesday, April 4, 2012

D is for Dinosaur

See this and many more of my paintings at my etsy shop, here!

One of my very best friends growing up was a boy named Jacy.
When we were very little, he wanted to pretend to be dinosaurs, and I wanted to play house. So together we learned the great lesson called compromise. Jacy tromped about as the great "Daddy T-Rex" while I, "Mommy Long Neck"  pretended to cook dinner. (Jacy of course knew our proper names in Latin, and could probably spell them, 20 years later, this is still beyond my capability.) We claimed the great dirt mound in his grandparent's back yard as our mountain. There we built our nest, I would protect our unhatched dinosaur eggs while he hunted bad dinosaurs, and the two of us would come home from the end of a day playing outside, our pockets filled with dirt and our hearts filled with memories.

Now, my dear friend is married to a beautiful woman and they are expecting their second "Baby-a-saurus". I still dream that one day life will magically bring them to live next door, and our children will enjoy childhoods filled with new dinosaur adventures all their own! 

Every girl needs a boy to teach her how to play dinosaurs.
And every boy needs a girl to teach him how to play house.
That's how we learn to grow up.

What friendships do you cherish from your childhood? What were your favorite games to play when you were little?

-Domestic Diva


Tuesday, April 3, 2012

C is for Cat.

See this and many more of my paintings at my etsy shop, here!

Oh to be a cat. Just for one sweet day. The hours would pass into dreams curled up in my plush window seat.. The sun dancing off my rhinestone collar. People shuffling by, stopping a moment to stroke my back, I open my eyes into little slits and decide if I want to wake up for a stretch or not. Usually, not....why would I?

No grocery shopping to do.
No rush to the speech therapist "We're late kiddo, come on!"
Only to turn around and race from that office door to the doctor's. "Noooooo! I don't like shots!"
No cooking. "Mama, I don't like it, chocolate chips."
No cleaning. "UGH! That organic carrot juice you just dumped all over the carpet cost $10.00!"
No bills. "How do I only have five dollars left in gas?"
No bribing a little boy who doesn't want to listen to anything mommy asks,
With more chocolate chips. "Paleeeeease, son!?"
No more explaining to a sad little face that his daddy is on a submarine, but he will come home again...
"Pinky promise."
No more Thomas the train ringing in my ears from dawn until dusk,
Whether the show is actually on or not....

Just a sunny window, and a nice long nap.
That is the life, of a cat.

What animal would you choose to be for a day?


Domestic Diva!


Monday, April 2, 2012

B is for Bumblebee

See this and many more of my paintings at my etsy shop, here!




















I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee...
Won't my mommy be so proud of me!

I was terrified of bees when I was a little girl, and I still prefer they keep an adequate buzzing distance from me today.  One thing I'm not terrified of however, are flowers. I love flowers, and I've come to understand that when it comes to flowers bees tend to have a significant involvement in their existence and so this redeeming grace causes me to appreciate them for their delightful service of pollen spreading. Oh, and making honey. So, they aren't all bad. Those bees that do not spread pollen or make honey are a mystery to me. If only they would all participate in something useful, I may not find them so threatening.

What were you afraid of when you were young?
And does a hint of the fear linger still?

Enjoying the flowers,
And the honey on my toast,

Domestic Diva

Sunday, April 1, 2012

A is for Alligator

See this and many more of my paintings at my etsy shop, here!

Alligator pie
Alligator pie,
If I don't get some
I think I'm gonna cry!
Take away the green grass
Take away the sky!
But don't take away my
Alligator pie.

"Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.
When you start to read,  you start with ABC..." ("Do Re Mi" from Sound of Music)

So for this ABC challenge, what better thing to share,
Than my favorite Kindergarden song!


Hugs!
DD

Be sure and check out some of the other bloggers joining in on the ABC challenge by clicking on my ABC button at the side bar! I am number 685 And I will be sharing my paintings and a thought for the month of April! :) Enjoy!





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