Turn the Page!

When I was pregnant, the hubby and I would spend Sunday afternoons at our local Borders bookstore scouring the shelves for books that would teach us how to breathe during labor, the right baby name to choose, how to avoid scarring our unborn child for life and other fun reads.

In fact, throughout my life, the bookstore has always been a place of refuge for me. I LOVE the smell of new books, the Black ink on paper, the front cover designs that give you a peek into what the book is about, the feel of a new book in hand...amazing!  Oh, how I adore the possibilities that lie within endless shelves of books... the worlds they behold and the stories and information just waiting patiently inside for someone to...well, turn the page.

So this week, when I decided a trip to the bookstore would be the perfect outing for my almost-three year old, my heart sank when I remembered there was NO bookstore.  Our closest Borders, my place of refuge, the actual place we agreed on our son's name while studying "1,000 Best Baby Names" was gone!  Yes, Borders was a victim to storm of online book sales and the changing book industry.

I was seriously sad when I realized that I had to add bookstore to the list of things that my son's generation will probably have no use for: Boom box, Cd's, VHS, Post Office, and now bookstore :- (

Then, I remembered the library...oh yes, the next best thing to my lovely Borders.  Even though the library doesn't serve the great teas or coffee I enjoyed at Borders, they do have the obvious advantage that their books are F-R-E-E!  So off we went to explore the library on a Monday evening.

K was just as excited about the endless shelves of books at the library and so we skipped to he children's section to find the some books.  K grabbed as many picture books as he could in his little hands, he was just that excited!

We sat down and with a Cheshire cat-like grin, K asked, "Mom, can I please turn the page?!"  

"Yes, please do...please turn the page!"                           

                                                                                      

Life is Fun When You're Pinning!

So, a couple of months ago, a website changed my life (thanks LZ.)!

Well, OK, I may be exaggerating just a little, but it sure did make a huge impact on some of my life activities.  For those of you who are still carefully cutting out interior decorating photos, menus, crafts and must-have outfits from an assortment of magazines or newspapers...there is something better, much, much better.

It is a website called Pinterest and I am seriously addicted to this website.  You see, the premise of this website is to create an online pinboard of amazingly cool things from websites, online stores and Blogs.  Things that I live for like fashion, shoes, craft projects and too much other cool stuff to mention.  Oh and there's the inspirational quotes that seem to say exactly what I need to hear at just the right time.  Amazing!

I could get into the psychological reasons of why I think Pinterest is so addictive, but really it's about sharing.  Sharing ideas and things that make life easier, more fun, more creative, more stylish, and more inspiring.  In similar fashion to other social sites, you can "follow" friends and other Pinners, which makes the sharing more intimate.  You create your own "Boards" that store your Pins, so it is easy to organize and store your favorite things.

Just some of the things I have gotten from Pinning in the last few weeks:
--Found my perfect Kenneth Cole belted winter coat
--Learned how to 'glitterize' a pair of patent pumps (stay tuned for future tutorial)
-- Finally mastered some crock pot recipes for the first time ever, including a mouth-watering jerk chicken recipe
-- Found some possible bridesmaid dresses for my sister's wedding
-- Began a list of toddler craft projects for my budding artiste.

So, yes, life may not be about winning... but it sure is fun when you're Pinning!

Peace & Blessings,

Fiona Olubunmi

Make Your Countdown Count

So, the Champagne has been popped, the countdown is over and a new year has begun.  If feels new, fresh and exciting to anticipate what 2012 will bring our family and friends.

I have always loved the countdown on New Year's Eve.  There is something so unifying about the world over celebrating the same moment in time (even at different time zones).  10, 9, 8....

So what goals and dreams would you pursue if they had the same pressure of a countdown?  In a way, this journey of life is our own personal countdown.  A countdown to celebrate happiness, love, redirection and the many other faces of life.  7, 6, 5...

This year, I am am going to make my countdown focus on living in the moment, worrying less, educating myself, fitness and making time for the wonderful people that have crossed my path. 4, 3, 2...

As the lyrics in one of my favorite songs says it best:

Five hundred twenty-five thousand

Six hundred minutes, Five hundred twenty-five thousand. Moments so dear. Five hundred twenty-five thousand. Six hundred minutes. How do you measure, measure a year?

So cheers to life and creating moments to measure.  1, 0... let's go and make 2012 a countdown that truly matters.

Peace & Blessings,
Fiona Olubunmi