“The main thing is to be moved, to love, to hope, to tremble, to live.” Auguste Rodin

Yesterday was special. My husband and I got this amazing painting that is now the main image and anchor in our home.
 

It inspires us both, for different reasons.

I see this beautiful young lady as a woman who exudes power and confidence. It is Opulent. That was the first word that came to my mind when I first looked at her. Opulence. And it still is.

My husband sees this young girl as someone who is beautiful and has beautiful dreams. Looking at this painting  makes him wonder who this girl is -  perhaps the daughter of the artist, or a young girl whose parents could have commissioned the work.

This painting now looks at us majestically as we enter the living room, and we‘ve stopped many times looking back at it and letting our imaginations run freely.

I suppose this post is about following your dreams.
Those dreams then become goals and you work on them until you achieve them.

I always loved art; I was certainly very curious about art since high school and college, when I wondered about the state of mind of someone like Salvador Dali and his crazy, crazy paintings. I then loved hanging out at the art museum during its discounted price evenings. Later, when I got married, my husband and I became members of the local museums and  we check out their exhibitions regularly.

Since yesterday, I get to actually own one piece of art that inspires me so much.

Whatever your passion is, follow it. You can have it all! Work at it, because the journey until you get there is half the fun.

“What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.” —Miuccia Prada

Hello again!

Another quick message to tell you about my dressing room!
Not too long ago, I posted about my old back room, now dressing room, and how happy I was with all my dresses fitting in one rack I got at IKEA.
Well, since then, the issue became about “where do I store all my shoes?” They were scattered all around the closets in the home, and it was hard to really realize what shoes I actually own.
So yesterday I decided to take a trip to Target and buy a 50-pair shoe rack! It was the best thing ever did! I carefully assembled it, and started loading up all the shoes on sight! Take a look!

This morning, dressing up was much more pleasurable, and I couldn’t stop but looking at my rearranged dressing room!
As the quote I picked says, a whole deal of personal image conceptions and theories goes on daily in our lives; be it at work, or on a social occasion. So don’t neglect your personal image - that is the first impression someone is going to make of you when you meet them for the first time!

Until then, stay cool in this blazing hot July day!

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” -Hippocrates

Happy Monday!

Hope everyone had a nice weekend and is enjoying the summer!

I have been very busy and extremely interested in this online class I am taking from UC - San Francisco on Nutrition through coursera.org. It focuses primarily on the relationship between food and disease and its prevention. From heart disease, to cancer to diabetes, and the list goes on. That is why I thought today’s quote was appropriate - food is the ultimate medicine for most maladies, and humanity has been saying that for a long, long time.

From all the great learning in this class, I am most impressed with the introduction to a great government web site: https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/.
This is a tracker that counts calories like many others out there, but aside from tracking your daily calories, it gives you great reports that educate you on the food choices you make every day.
If you track, you see in real time if you are meeting your nutrient needs. Not only your  caloric needs, but most importantly, it tells you how you stand in terms of your intake on fat, fiber, vitamins, calcium, potassium and all the other important nutrients you need to have in your system for a healthy diet and a healthy life.
I found this tracker extremely educational, and my husband and I already made some changes to our menu plans based on the fact that we realized we were not getting enough carbs and fiber. We are now working on  taking in more vitamin A, calcium, potassium, and iron! Bring on the leafy greens!
Another perk of using this site  is that every day you get an email with motivational comments on how you are tracking on your goals, and tips to overcome any obstacles you might be facing.

Aside from having been working on better nutrition for my family, I have also been trying to run more. I am at an 8 miles per week point, and I am planning to increase that mileage a little more. The nice warm weather really helps me want to get out there and enjoy!

Until next time!

"It is necessary to try to surpass oneself always; this occupation ought to last as long as life." – Queen Christina

Hello there!

Long time that I haven’t visited with you, but a stream of different happenings in my life kept me very busy. From starting a new job to starting a new class to everything in between!

Under the topic of trying something new, I want to tell you about this great new form of learning - it is called massive open online course (or MOOC).

These are college level online courses taught by the best in class universities around the world, and they are free! There are classes in every topic you can think of, from art and history, to advanced calculus, to all sorts of exact sciences you may be interested in.
You get top notch education just by attending a 1-3 month class, where you have the chance to interact with instructors and fellow students from different parts of the world!
And if you wish and successfully complete the program, you get a certificate - although these cannot count (yet!) as regular credit courses you might take in the regular university setting.

I am taking a nutrition course from coursera.org (there are other sites offering MOOC’s) and I am loving it! I will tell you more about this course this week!

Until then, happy learning!