Follow my blog with Bloglovin Casa Bella: 2013

Mar 24, 2013

Happy Weekend...

I would love to be doing this today...


...but I'll happily settle for a relaxing Sunday in my beloved home with my hubs...
That's just as good as being in Paris.

Sometimes we spend our lives dreaming of a different life instead of 
being thankful for what we have. 
Enjoy what you have...
and if you don't like your situation today, 
then take the first step to change it. 

Enjoy your Sunday..enjoy your life.

Live happily, darlings.



All images from my Pinterest boards.

Mar 20, 2013

Hello Spring

The calendar shows today is the first day of Spring here, in the Northern Hemisphere.
Apparently, no one told the West of the Rockies.
We'll probably have snow these next few days.

But in my mind, you are already here, beautiful Spring.
Welcome...








Enjoy your day, wherever you are.

Kisses,



All images from my Pinterest boards.




Mar 18, 2013

Beautiful Bathrooms

It's Monday morning and I'm thinking about the many changes I need to make to my home. 
The list is long...but I have to start somewhere. 
Definitely, the main floor bathroom needs a coat of paint. 

I love the white walls and white decor I see in images from Nordic blogs.
However, I don't think I can pull that off.
It doesn't fit my lifestyle. I need color.

If I could have the bathroom of my dreams, it would look like one of these... 






 (all photos from Pinterest)
At times I get overwhelmed with all the things circling around in my head. 

I have so many ideas...I would need to dedicate my entire life to accomplish them.
I think I just have to be smart and choose a few to do this year.
A girl needs to have fun too...

Definitely, painting the bathroom walls is one of those I've got to do this summer.
At least, the paint color has been chosen.
It's a matter now of prepping and start painting.

Contrary to most people, I love Mondays.
A new week, new plans, a new beginning.

To a happy Monday.
Enjoy life.


Mar 5, 2013

Yesterday meets today


It is interesting for me to notice that as we grow older, some of us learn to appreciate 
and are drawn back to the very things we wanted to run away from when we were young(er).

A lot of what I considered old or ordinary, I now see as charming and relaxing...
almost as necessary. 

 For instance, our darling elderly neighbor MarĂ­a had moved with her children to another city.
The little home she had left was right next door to my parents' and she asked them to 
watch the house while she was away for the springs and summers.
My friends and I would use the tiny rundown home to play house while my parents 
gathered pomegranates, kumquats, and tangerines before they'd fall to the ground and go to waste.

 I still remember the beautiful wisteria vines that cascaded off the porch. 
Their fragrance was deliciously intoxicating. 

 Yet as a little girl, I thought the place was all quite gloomy and depressing. 
I wanted luxurious, elegant, and grand. 

Now, it seems that the changes I make to my home lately,
are a poor attempt to imitate the atmosphere I enjoyed when
being around that elderly woman's home.

This image I saw on Pinterest last week reminds me of that place...

   

And these, remind me of my grandma´s home.
She was Italian.
In her patio, under the shade of overgrown trees, 
the very large family would gather for the long Sunday lunches.
Pasta, pasta, and more pasta.




  I bet that you can close your eyes right now,
and for a moment remember something that brings you peace.
A memory of a place that made you feel home.

Wherever that place is, I hope you can go back to it, even if just only in your thoughts.

Be good to yourself.
Celebrate being alive today.

Cheers,

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Jan 23, 2013

Loving Winter

A long time ago, I used to dread winter. The freezing wind that dried out my skin, the snow that made it easier for me to slip and fall, the cold weather that made it harder to go out for a walk, the fact that all I could see outside was either white snow or the brown and semi-dead naked tree branches.
Blaaaahhh...bo-rinG. I wanted spring to come. I couldn't wait for it.

Thank goodness, us humans can change.

One day, I decided to stop being a complainer and instead I chose to start living and enjoying whatever the present day or the present moment happens to be, without judging it. Instead of looking for something better in an uncertain distant future, I began to appreciate the now. The change didn't happen overnight. I had to work at it...but now...


  • If it rains, great, I get to use my cute boots and that darling bright green umbrella I bought last year. 
  • If it snows, awesome. I make plans to go snowshoeing. 
  • I now love walking on the icy snow and hearing the crackling noise my boots make with each step. 
  • I love peeking through the window at night, like tonight, with the thermometer showing 20 below outside, and seeing the mass of sparkling snow in my backyard. It looks like someone sprinkled glitter over it. It's so spectacular. Can't see that in the summer. 
  • If it's freezing cold as it has been, I thank heavens I can be warm and cozy in my home or that I have a car that takes me from point A to point B without breaking down.
  • I make the most wonderful tea I can find, I savor it (even in a busy work day, there has to be time for tea...if only 5 minutes...for yourself). 



Hope this post serves as a reminder to live happily without letting bad weather get to you.

If you live or are visiting a warmer climate, great! Hope you enjoy that as well.

Wherever you are today, I hope you find something wonderful about the weather and the day you are experiencing. 

Cheers to you all from the west side of the Rockies.

Brrr... Serving myself more tea now...
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