The Blessings of our Lives

Do you take the time out of your busy day to stop for ten minutes and reflect on all the little blessings that have occurred throughout your day? your week? your weekend?

Why is it that we "count our blessings" when they are only something "big" like a promotion, or getting a new car or a graduation.  What about the family birthday party in which you are surrounded by aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews cousins? The hours spent together watching the baby try to walk and hear his belly laugh. Listening to the stories told of times past by the elders of the family. Listening to the good jokes and the bad ones too! These are the moments that feed our souls. We celebrate with food and the giving of presents.  But I think the real present is the time that we all spend together.  Time goes by so fast.  Our lives are all so busy, full of the daily obligations of life.  These are the hours in which we feel love, comfort and contentment.

And what of the blessing of squeezing in an hour or two to catch up with one of your dearest friends?  True friends last a lifetime.  True friends can reconnect with you in five minutes even though you haven't seen one another in six months.  True friends that love you despite your faults.

Did your pet come to greet you when you got home today? How many times we take this small act of love for granted. Yet, this unconditional love shows itself to us each day.

How about that check that came in the mail when you weren't sure how you were going to pay that unexpected expense?

And what of the friend that you ran into and unexpectedly danced all night with?

I am certain if you stepped back and reviewed your day, your week, your month... you would find countless things to be grateful for and to appreciate.

Will you look for those little things this upcoming week? Feel free to share them with me on this blog. I would love to hear about them.  Remember, they do not need to be big to be blessings.






With Gratitude and Love,
Kimberley

Trina Turk's New Coats for Fall! - Love it!

This is a new designer I just discovered on Neiman Marcus's website.  Are you a coat lover like I am? Do you have a closet dedicated just to your coat collection? I have to admit - I do! Hahaha.. How fun! Check out Trina Turks coats for Fall 2011:

http://blog.neimanmarcus.com/womens/trina-turk





Doesn't this remind you of an Era gone by? There is a bit of romance to this photo don't you think? Oh..the stories I could write just from this great picture!

Here's to buying new coats for the Fall!

Kimberley

Decorating Your Home for Fall

The leaves are beginning to turn, the air is crisp, the chrysanthemums are in all the garden nurseries, the apples are in season.  Time to start thinking about fall decorating for your home.  Will it be wreaths made out of leaves? Pumpkins that adorn the tables? Or perhaps and this is my favorite decorating "go to," new paint on the walls! Haha.. Tired of that stark white? or that neutral tone?  Be bold this fall!  Check out this fabulous orange color called Baja Orange featured in an article on House Beautifuls' website:

http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/colors/fall-paint-colors




It is so very fun! Time for a change? Wouldn't this color liven up your living space? Just in time for that Halloween Party?  Check out this color and all the ideas that House Beautiful has to create with this color.

Have fun! Let me know how it works out for you!
Kimberley

The Dream of Becoming a Writer

Should I title this the Dream of Becoming a Writer or Believe in the Magic of Your Dreams?  I prefer the later actually.  The novel has been written.  That was the easy part! I thought it was the hard part but boy was I mistaken! The editing process and all the rest after that is more challenging than I ever dreamed of.

I have been blessed to have a great friend help me through the editing process.  God love her for doing this with me.  Truly she is a Saint! Many of the published authors who have written their own best selling novels have said they do their own first edits and Danielle Steel, well she edits each book six times! Just shoot me! That is not the process I want to go through with each novel I write.  And I will write many.  Just have to get this little baby born to the world , then the other stories will come.  One right after the other!

To all you aspiring authors out there in the world.  Keep writing! Don't let go of your dream, no matter how slow the process seems.  When the road seems long and the finish line seems far off in the horizon, look to all those wonderful motivational people in the world who inspire us.  The people like Oprah, Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey, J.K. Rowling and many more.



I write this tonight because sometimes I too need a bit of support and encouragement from the world.  My dream has been many years in the making.  The dream is being born, perhaps a bit slower than I would like.  But God/ the Universe has its own timing.  We just need to trust.  Sometimes its hard, I know. Listen to that still, small voice inside that tells us " It will be alright your dream is closer than you think."

Good Night,
Kimberley

The Rhythms of Our Lives

This past week has been quite a time of reflection for me.    My mind has been lost in the light of the night sky and some of my favorite music by Sting and The National.  I have needed them to take me to the place beyond this physical world, to give me reassurance that there are rhythms to our lives and that there is a formless substance working on our behalf.  I often wonder how life operates on the non-physical  plane and how the order of the Universe comes together to create the events of our lives.



This painting called Rubric Rhythm by Juanita Hagberg gives me a visualization of these thoughts.

As a writer, how do I express in words, this feeling of desire to relax into the ethereal rhythms of music? To step away from the world after a time of great growth and some intense challenges and bask in this meditative state of mind. I have found that it takes great courage to be selfish enough to say no the people and obligations of our everyday lives to recoup, rest and rejuvenate oneself.

Life's rhythms are oftentimes intense, then quiet, chaotic, then peaceful, Much like music, they repeat themselves. Hopefully we learn a little more each time and become a more sculpted version of ourselves.  And maybe, just maybe, we will begin to appreciate each cycle.

On this last day of a beautiful, late summer weekend, I hope to grab a few more hours of solitude, immersing myself in the sunshine and ethereal tides of music.

Kimberley

It's Fashion Week! And Buffalo Rocks at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Show on Saturday, September 10

It's Fashion Week! How exciting! Designers in New York are showcasing their Spring 2012 collections,  Check out this most amazing dress on the Neiman Marcus September book!

It's a Gucci dress! Isn't that exquisite! And the cover was amazing! They had this model flying in the air over buildings in New York and it looks as though she is only being held up by a little butterfly! Quite the photo!

 And while I love New York City and all of the Fashion that goes with it... Buffalo Rocked the House this weekend at the Buffalo Convention Center on Saturday, September 10, 2011!  This was my first year attending the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Main Event show and it was a whole lot of fun!  The designers were not Michael Kors and Versace, instead, they were young up and coming designers whose hopes and dreams are to make it in the Big Apple.  And some, like Jimmy Lee were very happy to place Buffalo on the map as a fashion stop as well NYC and Chicago.! One of the designers that I personally loved at the show was Koriana Chichocki.  She is very young and very talented and I love the dress she designed!  Here is a sample of what this little powerhouse can do!

And she is little! Here she is walking down the runway holding up the end of that gorgeous dress that is worn by her cousin Alexandra Notaro.  

The best part of it all - she won $1000 for her show stopping dress, competing against many other designers.

Congratulations Koriana - well deserved.!