santa baby

 courtsey of caitlin korn

We had the opportunity to go to San francisco to visit with Alec's brother and his  wife and their sweet little family, Mimi (almost 2) and William Jude (5 months).  Exactly Danville a cool suburb of Walnut creek which is 40 minutes away from San Fransico.  But when I say suburb it is understood it is a California suburb. And everything is different in California. It feels like cool originated out here.... Above, is Maddie with Santa!!! She was so shy at first but when she got the candy cane she was in awe... 

CHANGING THE WORLD, ONE PURCHASE AT A TIME

BelleStyle jewels is proud to support www.buildanest.com in their plight to help women around the world achieve their dreams. Check the site out for yourselves there are a lot of amazing designers, amazing one of a kinds and imports directly from the women whom the program supports.  They also have blog : www.nest-buildanest.blogspot.com

Everyone needs beauty as well as bread. (John Muir)

Like two lovers...

A Chagall moment:  

Just like music for me, different Artists come into my love affair from time to time. Of course there are always the staples (like Van Gogh).  Whenever I see his work I get a little sick feeling like I love it so much.  I want to crawl into the warmth yellow sunflowers.  Same with Led Zepplin or Van Morrison, I never ever get sick of listening.  Chagall has been quite a recent love affair however.  He paints lovers floating, dreaming. " we float like two lovers ina a painting by chagall"~ the weepies~ (alternative band) touches on Chagall in a song and it sparked me to share my love affair with this artist. Why is it that the full moon brings about romance, and the sound of birds chirping insights love?  Why is the addition of feathers= romantic? cupid? angels?

I feel like I am in a dream with Chagall, a dream that no sleep could ever bring me. Only this paint and a canvas structured by this hand.

Hold on tight for love is fleeting, flying up and over and away.

each time I look at this painting I see something different.  Great painting are like great movies. You always are surprised. 

 

 moon  music  bright  night   sky

More info? check out:: www.chagallpaintings.org

I wish I was,

a better blogger.  I find myself weeks away from the last post wondering where my time has gone. I want to try and add some beauty to your life.   I have to try and pull myself away from the disastrous news and remember there is art everywhere. even with your tiny camera phone, you can capture this...

"change is right" c. alec matthews 2008

and this....

"peace on earth" c. alec matthews 2008

and THIS. Curtsey of california sunsets... You cannot tell where the ocean begins and sun sets.  We jumped in the car and took a journey up coast to explore.... Alec took this on his camera phone and I am in love....

the PEARL POST

Every few years I happen to the Tiffany's website just to check out their wares.  I stumbled upon their "Cultured Pearl Earrings" in white almost like BelleStyle's new POST PEARL earrings... check out: www.tiffany.com

 I am happy and proud to announce their earrings are available for $1125, and BelleStyle is offering them for $359. Maybe at Tiffany's  the diamonds are larger then the Bellestyle ones, I am not sure their description did not say, but the ones above have two, 4pt. diamonds!!! Super!

check out: www.bellestyle.com

Angels and keepers

Maddie is my angel-from-heaven. The first time I ever looked at her  I knew that God loved me so much, that he wanted me to have her and only her at that exact moment. That is why I had a miscarriage the first time I ever got pregnant, that is why I went through so much hell from her daddy, that is why I moved out to LA at the time I did and moved on to Westmount Dr. the time I did, and went walking with murphy (my beagle), when I did to meet her daddy. That is why everything and every person I ever met happened the way it did. To give me and bless me with Maddie.   She wears an angelface 12" ball chain necklace at all times (so does Morgan and I) to remind her as well as everyone that sees it, that this girl is my angel. Yes, she might get into all my gum, and climb on the counters and hide in the dryer, and overflow the bathroom sink and poop on the floor (not anymore now that she is potty trained) and bit her sister and scream at the top of her lungs. But she is my angel-from-heaven. She is my best friend on the earth (besides her dad) and she is my lover. She is the maker of our family and she helps me to be happy. She is the reason for everything I do and work for, she is the reason for my life. When i look into her eyes, I know why God kept me alive thus far...

~Maddie at the Ritz (Marina del Rey) hottube smiling at Uncle Buddy~

~Morgan-Rose Marie (left), Maddie-Ann Elizabeth (right)~

My Rose- petal, (aka: Morgan-Rose, Rosie, Mor, Morgie) is the family keeper. if it was not for her, I would be a single mom trying to make it all alone, crying through my tears everyday to not show the pain. Trying to show happiness to my little girl that deserves so much, the world, but I could not give it.  My Rose-Petal, the first time I got an ultrasound was smiling in my tummy, waving, so happy. As if she knew she had the power to fix our family before I knew. My sweet Rose, that has been through So much, and was almost born at 26 weeks weighing 2 pounds. I was so sick. Alone in the hospital sacred that this little girl would not make it. Looking back if I had not gotten so sick when I was pregnant with her, Her daddy would not have had to be super-dad and take care of Maddie and work and do everything....

~the san-fran sweater on maddie at the old apartment~

My mom and sister, Caitlin, find the most amazing things on the streets on San Francisco, our nation's leading city as far as I'm concerned. I watch every news station daily because one cannot receive the news from just one source anymore as we all know. It is highly concentrated for a particular audience. So when I constantly hear Fox News (O'Reilly) always insulting San Francisco,  (referring to "San Francisco values") as bad and constantly putting down their progressive thinking. I get offended. I love San Fran, I think San Fran is one of the best cities in the world no doubt the cleanest, best transportation, beautiful, eclectic, most free and equal rights anywhere in the United States.  This sweater on Maddie was made by Guatemalan women hand sewn and beautiful.. Walking the chilly streets on San Fran one can find many amazing hand made items from people around the world. Love New York too, but all you find there is fake Louis Vuitton and Prada, sorry O'Reilly.

Somewhere, actually St. Johns U.S.V.I. ,where rainbows bloom everyday (well anytime it rains). I have to remember to come look at this picture whenever I feel down. Maddie has always been a lover of "Somewhere over the rainbow" by Isreal kamakawiwo  . When traveling in Hawaii it plays on the radio all the time.

My happy girl. my girl who never complains or causes drama. My sweet girl that falls a lot and loves to eat and try new things, and dance to pop music. And who loves beats and the drums and to be on top of the world. 

Oh, so now I know why Maddie would not stop saying "tiger" when she got home from Grandma and Grandpa's. This Merry-go round is so great and clean. The one we went on at Griffith park was os dirty beacuse it was outside.  And I felt like it was a little demented. the music kept speeding up and I felt like we were going to have a Clown pop out at us at any time. 

~yes, she is 2.5 years here, not 25...~

~One thing that is so great about daddy, he can really take a great picture~

I think what makes this pictures so great is the fact that Maddie is looking at her daddy and he could capture that moment of her happiness.  This was on her birthday last year for her 1st birthday. We have a pack with Maddie to take her to the Zoo each year for her birthday...

just found

Randoms: "and horsey" 

These small cheap plastic animals we got on Hollywood boulevard at that random costume store. Despite the fact that Morgan has bitten off all the feet, these animals were the birth of the "and horsey" comments of Maddie. And funny Ellen just so happens to go to this exact store to play around on her show all the time.

Look at the head of hair on Maddie! Maybe morgan will have curly hair...

Morgan (below) the same age as Maddie (above). See the hair amount difference?

Thank God for macaroni and cheese, without, this picture would not have been possible. Thank you Kraft(below).

~My dad and Morgan-Rose in april 2008 for our Hollywood~

Both my children look like boys before they hit 2. It does not matter if I have them covered head to toe in pink, people still just always think that they are boys.  if i ever have boys, will they look like girls?

Misty!

Maddie has been asking to go "on horsey" ever since she got back from Grandma's this summer and she went on the merry-go round. This past weekend she just got the real thing... "misty!"

naked bottles babies shelly strawberries

curling up by the pool

Marina Del Rey 2008

enjoy family...drag the pictures you want to your desktop

Mom enjoying "The Wall Street Journal"

stylish curved  hat

But I'm tired

funny monkey buddy piggy keiffy morggy shelly belley

Misty!

  

The city of Dreams

If new York is the city that never sleeps, Los Angeles is the city that dreams. Daily reminders of the normal are forgotten. No one is normal, but here, everyone knows it.  Based on different neighborhoods there is architecture and streets that resemble every city in America. It is as if a little piece of every state, foliage and all, were all collected here in the Birth of the City of Dreams.  Just by looking at the trees, you can feel like you are in another state, maybe because Los Angeles is like every state, and is collected of the most individualistic people of the great 50 states this country is made of. But do not be mistaken, there are the "lost" as well. With the recent economy there have been certain occasions where we meet with the bottle collectors.  Unlike Miami, where I once dwelled, the bottle collectors here, are a lot like angels. And they work hard. Here me out. In Miami, most that I saw talked to themselves and lived in alternate realities where I would try to join to ask why they were not in a shelter or getting the help they could. Here in LA, collect recylebles on each street as early as 4 a.m. to get bottles, cans. Do not be mistaken some do talk to themselves and are like the miami street dwellers. But more often they are hard working bottle collectors.  I have had one man follow me up the street to give my little Morgan her hat back that she threw on the street and I did not notice. We since have started separating our recyclables for them and leave them out to help their work a little. The other day there was a mexican woman with her grandson working hard to collect. Thanking me for the bottles. I only wish she could get all our bottles but we never know when she will be by. Here in LA you can really make some money collecting cans and bottles, and most collectors have a way to carry hundreds of pounds of recycles. Ugly carts yes, but at least they are working for something instead of begging.  A sweet man told me the other day that he had 5 children and was down on his luck, but tried to help me carry my stroller up to my door even though he looked like he did not have the strength.   Another we smiled to on our to  the park. I felt a breeze of peace as he walked past us. It was as if he was watching over us.  This city of Dreams surprises me daily...

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the space between

~the space between, 

the tears we cry, 

is the laughter that keeps us coming back for more~

-dave matthews

Who knew having two little girls so close together, they would be so different? But when they meet in the space between and play and laugh together it all makes sense. Yesterday, Maddie climbed in Morgan's crib and held her and kissed her feet and said "ah, I love you morgan" and she kept kissing her and hugging her. 

I felt so happy.

Caity comes to dance

~Did I mention The Women Love Anthropology~

~God Bless our America~

The farmer's market is beautiful. It really is a gem of a little place. Usually we avoid it like a plague on weekends. The massive amounts of tourists, and it can get so crowded that you can hardly move but who knew it was 2 year old dance-a-rama on Saturdays? Aunt Caity was in for the weekend and she wanted to go on saturday night so the women (Maddie, Morgan, Caity and I) packed up, found a great spot to park and went in. There was live music, and who knew? A field of 2 year old dancers with proud parents of all kinds. Maddie danced with a little girl in a princess outfit, and ran around with the boys. Morgan was into it for a second then decided that the Micheal Kors store was way more interesting. She kept running up to the glass doors begging to go in. Of course, the 2 guy associates of the fashion persuation said I must be so proud that she has taken a liking to Kors already. But when I went in with Morgan to give a quick lookie, everything was made in China, Sorry Micheal Kors, not going to support you anymore now that you have taken your manufacturing off America's Soil:(

I took an oath.

~ oh no, its not raining~ 

I signed a petition, 

really 10 years too late, to only buy handmade. If you really stop and think about it, wow, Everything? Am I allowed to still buy not hand made computers? I hope because my wonderful beautiful G4 (that was a graduation gift from college in 2002), has died. I will never get rid of her, she got me through so much. I started BelleStyle with her. All the pictures the hours all the project, designs, logos, necklaces, videos, everything for well, 6 and a half years. We have to get another because as some of you know, Alec and I do not have tv. For those of you just finding out, yes, we do not have tv. We never have together. We have never sat in front of the tv for hours on the couch (movies, of course, are another story). 

I live with a movie man, who for all intents and purposes in the visual art field is really the man. He knows it all. His favorite movie, Being There, is what all my friends who were majoring in film had to study at University of Miami. And he just naturally loves that movie. If he ever wants to put me to sleep really, really fast, he knows all he has to do is just slide in the dvd, and I hear Chauncy Gardener's voice, and I am out. He is so visual, that if I really want something to process in his brain instead of just the "yes" he will and actually "do", I just Show him. So, our entertainment/work/visual learning is our computer systems. So Mac, here hopefully come soon or else we are compelled to reading our book and books and books. Though, I really miss playing my Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Live at Radio City Music Hall dvd in my family room. The girls and I have spent hours upon hours listening to the wonderful piece of work. The best song on the planet? "The Maker". 

listen to the mustn'ts

Listen to the musn'ts child, Listen to the don'ts

Listen to the shouldn'ts the impossibles, the won'ts

Listen to the never haves...

Then listen close to me,

Anything can happen child,

Anything can BE.

~shel silverstein

Happy Birthday Shelly Belle!

~Happy Birthday Aunt Shelly!~

we Love you:)

Look you guys...

Photo Documentation of uncle Buddy....

~Hey "pollo fritos, look at the camera", says uncle buddy~

~"that's NiiiiiiCEEE"~

~"Ahhhhh"~

~I love to cuddle with you aunt cayyyeee.~

~So come over,

just be patient,

 and don't worry."~

(coldplay)