free at last, free at last.....

can i get a little whoop whoop ;)

happy weekend.

~m

thursdays child....setting sail

so a second job

studying for a mid-term

trying out as many new bikram/yoga/rock your ass classes as i can pack into 24

(compliments of fun, awesome, new, second job mentioned above)

and setting my 1 - 3 and 5 year goals

has turned me into a v. v. v. naughty blogger....

via souled

and i have to say....

i've missed it.

i unapologetically derive great joy in this bloggin thing

so when i go a week without the creative outlet,

without finding my voice

without articulating my souls quest to

find beauty....

spread love...

think positive...

dream big....

sweat and grow

i get a little hole right here in my heart center.

awwwww.

lulu luv bug

on the other hand....i have gotten aaaaaaaa hell ofa lot done!!

but out of all the things i have packed into this last week

setting the aforementioned goals has been one of the most therapeutic.

da lovely crush p

i recently heard that

moving through life without measurable, clearly defined goals

is like trying to sail a boat, god knows where....

 without a rudder.

tru dat.

well peeps,
the sun's a shining and it looks like a glorious day for a sail...
xoxo ~ mrs m

i am....

so many delicious i am's.....

which one are you enjoying today??

~ m

take it to the goal....

i've been thinking about goals a lot lately. 

i've been doing a little reading,

i've been doing a little research

and what i've learned thus far is that....

setting detailed, positive, measurable goals

is the single most important thing you can do to start changing your life.

once you've crystallized those goals

you need to write them down

and you need to share them with people who

support your growth

and will hold you accountable

(aha,um, that would be you).

and then you need to...

so for the next couple of tuesdays....

 i'm starting a goal revolution...

if you're interested, join me

together let's shake some

kick-ass, mind blowing, grandiose, radical  

dreams out of our hair

and let's start now.

if you're in,

shoot me a quick note and i'll share a little goals template witcha.

go get em ~ mrs m 

live...

shortly into our relationship,

mr c took me for a weekends sailing excursion on the chesapeake bay. 

i had never been so excited for a trip.  

and so it was

that with a heart full of joy, a stomach full of beautiful butterflies

and a bag of treats from whole foods,

we set sail on a voyage from which we have yet to return.  

we knew we were falling

but that weekend we tumbled off the edge completely.

that weekend we felt as if the gods,

the universe and all the romantic poets from across the ages

had come together to hang the sun, moon and stars for us alone.

it was perfect
from amazing skies and breathtaking sunsets

to shooting starts and heavenly cloud formations...

to perfect moments strung together one after another like little gems.  

from chilly dips in the bay to cozy moments in the cabin,

from washing my hair to watching him sail,

from cooking dinner to baking scones,

from reading poetry to not needing to read anything else,

from the laughs to the non-stop smiles,

from wondering to believing,

from heartfelt conversations
 to i love yous….

it was a weekend that changed two lives.

fairy tale wishes and v-day love to all
~ mrs m



ok, so the reading above is a weeeeee bit dramatic ;)
but the poem itself was incorporated into our wedding, really is lovely
 and means a great deal to us
as mrs and mr.

our party space between

sometime next week you’ll walk to your mailbox thinking that
today is just like any other day

…but you’ll be wrong.

inside a gossamer envelope awaits.

light and airy and of the palest silver, it rests in your hands like a promise.

you smile as you slide your thumb down the crease,
“a party?”, you breath....

and then a hundred confetti stars twinkle to the ground.

the script is jaunty, the wording melodic, the message clear

….you are invited…..

you gasp and pick up the phone,

“i need two tickets to mrs m’s. yes please, right away”.

all true hostesses, at least the ones that make history,

know that the secret ingredient to the most seductive soirees and the most fabulous fetes,

 is neither the delectable dishes nor the effervescent cocktails

(although no doubt, those will be outstanding)
it's….the guest list.

you’ll look down the invitees and smile…

this is going to be one hell of a party.

at last the day arrives, shiny and bright.

the sky a brilliant baby blue,
the breeze fresh and tinged faintly with the scent of ocean.

you in that outfit…

the one from your blog,

the one that makes you feel

yep

…that way.

and suddenly you’re there
and even though you’ve seen photos of 

the home souled found for mrs m and mr c,

nothing can prepare you for how fabulous it truly is.

by the end of the night you agree
it is the perfect space between…

between the real world and make believe.

and you leave with souleds card ,

giddy in the knowledge that you’re perfect place in the world

is imminent also.

and then they start arriving as you knew they would...

with laughter and panache,

in a wave of vibrant colors and spiky heels….

there’s reverie…whose artisan shop you adore and who rains down wisdom nuggets, like acorns.

and crush party….how does she do it? post after beautiful post….
and to top it off she brought the most swoon worthy party favors she made herself…
and her talented daughter pretty stuff, who we immediately adore.

there’s centered aurajoon and hilarious petunia face…. both glowing and preggers and

wide open spaces who of course spends quality time talking to everyone.

bottles of bubbly come and go
and mackink, who always knows just what to say and how to say it,
gives souled a huge hug when she announces that

…she finally found him….

“yeah”, we all cheer ….as goodnight irene turns up the tunes

 and gets us dancing like only she can.

….and just when we think it couldn't possibly get any better….
they arrive….

amazing men to go with these amazing women...

hunkies and brians, the uncle sugars and mr c’s

even souleds new hottie...
 who just can't get over his luck.

and neither can we....

cuz for a group of women who've never actually met....

we sure know how to party....

xo ~mrs m

whatever makes me happy monday: all that glitters

i would be over the moon, delirious with any of the below

and of course,

the right occasion at which to rock them.....

the anniversary dinner in barcelona

the oscars

the get-away weekend tryst

the dance till dawn girls night out

the natalie portman movie screening

xoxo ~ m

a laugh a day.....

needed a good laugh today and darn if this didn't do the trick ;)

m

far flung fri: i’ll take you there….

if you’re like me…

this is the time of year your thoughts turn to
flying far far away.

and it’s through the amazing power of images
and the mystery of music….

that from the comfort of our own homes
we can be transported…

anywhere.

so on this friday, sit back, take my hand
and journey with me ….

from the sexy cobble stoned streets of paris

EF - Live The Language - Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

(these mini films, from the ef language schools, are magnifique!

check out the barcelona, london and beijing clips as well)

to the soulful, dirt roads of jamaica….

  (i heart their beautiful smiles, don't you?)

and all the way back to your own limitless imagination....

wanderlust kisses and happy friday to all

 ~ m

relationships are easy....................................... ha, i got ya didn't i?

yesterday i slugged through snow, ice and freezing rain to make it
to a new yoga class called radiant flow.

why?

because with the deluge of crappy weather and dull skies, radiance sounded awesome.

radiance in fact, sounded necessary.

"give me some m f-ing, g.d. radiance right now!!!!"

sigh, m needed some zen for snizzle.

as if she knew everyone in class was affected by the winter blah’s,

the instructor began class by talking about the importance of winter

as a time of intense personal hibernation which could,
if we let it, foster introspection.

in other words, the darker it is outside, the brighter our inner light needs to shine.

and then she said,

“ think about what or whom you would like to dedicate your practice to….

and if by chance your own house is not in order,

take this time to work on yourselves
so that you will be ready to help others at a later date.”

whoa

think about my own house?

shouldn’t i be dedicating myself and my practice to more grandiose efforts

like global peace and divine love?

nope, seems the yogis and the smart “relationship people" out there, are in collusion.

it seems like working on yourself…can have a profound effect on a number of important areas;

namely your relationship with your spouse, your parents, your kids, youself and
even the world at large.

we can accomplish this by slowing down and focusing on our
ms not our mrs...wants and desires.

for me, the whole purpose of yoga... is growth.

the whole purpose of this blog... was also growth.

and while i have become a firm believe that growth opportunities can be found anywhere,

at any moment of the day….

there is also no greater opportunity to get your growth on…

than marriage.

interestingly enough…

it seems that by growing up as an individual, your marriage can grow too.

if you don’t believe me…take it from an expert.

growth goodness data found here….

now that, really is radiant!!!

xoxo ~ ms m

ps in case you want a little more, check out corey allen's marriage manifesto

it's some good shit.

bon vivant tuesday: a toast to february....everything is better with bubbles

......or the champagne cupcakes...

just in time for valentines day.....

champagne cupcakes with sweet bubbly buttercream frosting

champagne cupcake ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup champagne (the sweeter the better – even rose would be great!!)

6 egg whites

sweet champagne buttercream frosting ingredients:

3 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons champagne, at room temperature

to make the cupcakes:

preheat oven to 350 degrees f.  prepare a cupcake pan with liners. (this recipe yielded about 20 for me.)

in a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, and then blend into creamed mixture alternately with champagne.

in another large clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. fold 1/3 of the whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining egg whites. fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full.

bake at 350 degrees f for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

to make the frosting:

with an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter. mix on low until well blended, and then on medium for another two minutes. add vanilla and champagne, beating on medium for another minute.  frost....

then call all your girl friends, dress up and re-in-act the below.....

Acid Girls - Lightworks OFFICIAL VIDEO dir. Steven Ilous from Steven Ilous on Vimeo.

xoxo ~ m

feathery champagne luv above

 from cayenne kisses