Here I created a collage of my recent photo shoot in Golden, New Mexico, adding a few pictures I haven’t shared with you. I love doing collages. They are so easy to make with Picmonkey. And it’s free!
You can find the previous pictures I posted from this photo shoot here.
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
My favorite drive to Santa Fe is through the mountains on highway 14. This little church is on the way in a tiny town called Golden. Every time I drive by I am compelled to stop and take pictures. Did I mention to you that I am drawn to the Catholic Churches in New Mexico? They are so beautiful.
You can find the pictures I took last winter of the same church here.
-Sofija
Friends,
Our state is breathing a huge sigh of relief. We have gotten enough rain to open up the forests and open spaces again. That opens up a lot more options were you can exercise. The weather has also been slightly cooler; I was able to turn of my air conditioner for the first time since June. Cooler weather also means the kids can spend more time outside. We have 14 children in our cul-de-sac. This summer they all have been outside and playing elaborate capture the flag games. Kind of reminds me of my childhood, you know the classic you-are-out-playing-all-day-and-come-in-only-for-meal-times? I am so blessed that my kids have friends in the neighborhood. It makes up for the fact that they really can’t visit other friends without me driving them. And this way they don’t realize that we haven’t gone on a long vacation either. I just need to stock up my bandage supply to keep up with the endless crashes.
How do you feel about your kids playing outside for hours and getting hurt in the process? When my 12 year old had a bad crash going down the hill on a homemade four wheel contraption my husband and I looked at each other and thought: that was nothing. We got hurt like that all the time it’s a miracle we are still alive. But all that has changed a lot hasn’t it? Kids are a lot more protected and sheltered today. Getting hurt is a big deal. We know at all times where our kids are.
It griefs me to think that my kids might not have that sense of discovery and exploration that we had.
-Sofija
P.S. The picture above is a rare shot, even my 15 year old came out to play…
Friends,
I have been meaning to share the Misha Lulu’s summer line with you, and I better get to it before this summer is over. I am a big fan of Misha Lulu. I like how they combine the vintage look with fun modern designs. Here are my favorite three outfits.
The whale dress is so fun and the yellow and red checkered skirts are just so cute!
You can find last year’s fall line here and here.
-Sofija
Today I’m sharing with you the look I am envisioning for our front room/library/school room. Here is what it currently looks like.
For the back wall I would like to have a long desk that would seat about 2 to 3 people. This Pottery Barn picture captures the look I like. The cabinets in between the desks offer lots of space for my office stuff and the kid’s school and craft supplies.
In addition to that we need lots of bookshelves. I can’t wait to get rid of my cheap Ikea shelves and maybe get some built ins. It would be nice to have doors or drawers on the bottom of the shelves because they tend to get messy. My husband likes the idea of having a table in the middle of the room for multi purposes, schooling, crafting, working on your laptop.
I like mixing styles like the Pottery Barn look combined with the industrial look and some modern touches. Kind of like below. That modern desk chair fits perfect. I really like our round table. It so versatile. You can fit a lot of people on a round table because there are no legs in the way. It works well as a side table, work, and extra dinner table.
How about you, do you have a craft room or an office? A favorite spot where you get creative?
-Sofija
Picture credits:
2. Pottery Barn
3. Style Files
4. brookegiannetti.typepad.com
I can’t believe two months have gone by already and we only have 4 more weeks before school starts up again. My mind is seriously turning towards planning the next school year and organizing our school supplies.
I found some work spaces I wanted to share with you. These spaces work for home-schooling, doing homework, or office work.
While I school my little ones on the couch next to me, my middle schooler and high-schooler definitely need a desk these days. I know a lot of home-school families do their work on the dining table, this hasn’t worked for us. Our table is always sticky and we eat too frequently to really spread out with school books. We decided to use our front room as a library/school room. We are really not formal so entertaining in our family room/kitchen is more natural for us. Not everybody has the luxury of using a whole room so I looked some ideas for work spaces that can tuck under stairs, on landings, or in a bed room/living room.
Here we go.
The first one is a great idea. I would have never thought to put a table in that tiny corner. It is also a great place to monitor what your kids are doing on the internet.
Next for those of you you have a loft or a landing.
Another great use of space under a staircase.
This idea works for any narrow hallway or attic spaces.
Do you have an unused closet? I like the idea of using a door to hide the mess.
Drop leaf tables work great in small spaces.
Lastly another closet idea.
Photo credits:
1. Better Homes and Gardens
4. Duitang.com
5. Rolindawindhors.nl
7. lifo.gr
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
Friends,
How was your week? Ours was pretty packed, but also fun. On Wednesday we got to drive through the mountains and visit my friend’s mom’s garden. Beautiful gardens are rare in New Mexico and you won’t believe what you have to go through to have a garden look like this one. You need double fencing. One sturdy one plus a rabbit fence that goes under the ground, cause critters can dig, you know. The fence protects not only from animals like rabbits, gofers, and squirrels but also from the incredibly strong winds. Don’t even try to use the clay soil, you’ll need to buy top soil, manure, peat moss, etc. And water twice a day. Then you might have a chance to grow something. Believe me, I have tried most of the above and still can’t grow anything big enough to get a decent harvest. My friend invited the girls to harvest her lettuce, kale, herbs, zucchini, carrots and peas. They were so thrilled!!
It was a great learning experience for sure. Connecting with where our food comes from and how to harvest it. Now I need some ideas how to make cook with kale…
How about you, do you find it easy to garden? Do you live somewhere where a Secret Garden just grows naturally? Or are you like me, stunned with how much work it takes…
Have a great weekend.
-Sofija
My sister in law is graciously flying my 12 year old to California to spend two weeks with them. My Esther is sooo exited! They live about an hour and a half away from the beach and half an hour from the beautiful Napa valley. I imagine they will make one trip to the beach and a trip to Napa. But mostly they will hang out at home, at the pool, or at their grandparent’s house. Here is what I thought might be useful for going to the beach or pool.
Gap is having a great summer sale right now. Number 2, 3, and 4 are from the Gap. Number 1 and 5 are from H&M.
The next outfit would be great for a Sunday afternoon in Napa.
Gosh, she would look cute in this outfit. The dress, shoes, hat, and tote are from Zara. Zara is having a great summer sale right now as well.
I will miss her like crazy but I’m glad she gets to spend time with her cousins.
I’m a little nervous about her flying all by herself. She has flown without us before, but she always had her older brother or cousins with her.
Have a great day,
Sofija
Dress: Tea
Boots: Naartjie
The Rio Grande Gorge bridge is located 11 miles north of Taos New Mexico. Crossing it is not for the faint of heart, but the views are rewarding. Next to the bridge there is ample opportunity for shopping, Native Americans and hippies are selling their jewelry, clothes, and food. A colorful bus (first picture) is selling smoothies.
Go here to see my Taos Pueblo shoot.
-Sofija
These are my favorite pictures from our recent trip to Taos. I’m thinking this girl could be a model. There is just one tinsy problem, this girl doesn’t like clothes…she hates seams, threads, and everything that itches. I have to catch her on a day she can tolerate an outfit that works for a shoot. Here she is wearing a dress from Tea and crocks. Earlier she wore some really cute moccasins but they had gotten too itchy. It was either the crocks or no pictures…
-Sofija
You can find more pictures from that day here and here.
Teach Where You Live 