Women's Herbal Symposium and More

Last month I attended the Northern California Women's Herbal Symposium with Missa and Milla. It was such a wonderful experience and I've been at a loss for words since I got back which is why I haven't posted about it until now. I don't think I'll try to write too much and instead will keep most my thoughts and memories in my heart because whatever I write will not do it justice. I didn't take a lot of pictures, which I knew I'd kick myself for later but I wanted to be as present as possible and I also had Maggie to chase after which made picture taking hard. That being said, I did manage to capture a bit of layout and the magical-ness of it all.




Our first class was on basket weaving which was awesome! (Here is my finished product.)


I also took a class on making twine from natural fibers. We used dogbane for the class and since I got home I've been experimenting with yucca. It was fascinating!

The last class was on the moon phases and I'm still thinking about all that was said in this class. I wish I had taken notes!

After our weekend at the symposium we headed to Santa Rosa to Missa's. Heather and her girls and Amber met us there and we all spent the night. The next day we had a quick but sweet visit with Mary and then I had to head home.






I love all these ladies so much and am grateful to have them in my life. (I stole the picture below from Heather )


Check out their beautiful blogs and Instagram accounts-
Amber // Aquarian Dawn @aquarian_dawn
Heather // Moonshine Junkyard @moonshinejunkyard
Mary // The Splendor and Travail @the_splendor_and_travail
Milla // The Woman Who Married A Bear @thewomanwhomarriedabear
Missa // no longer blogs but Thrift Candy still offers much inspiration! @missamoments

♥ anne

mary's birthday weekend

last friday marianne and i found ourselves heading off to san francisco to celebrate mary's 40th birthday with her. it was babe's first trip on an airplane and i'm glad to report that she did great! it didn't hurt that we sat next a very nice couple who were more than happy to have a baby sitting near them. we had an early flight so i was fortunate to see the sun rising over the mountains. it was a beautiful beginning to a super fun weekend!

mary and fern greeted us at the airport with smiles and hugs. i had an immediate sense of calm being with mary and after spending a few hours together i felt right at home. mary and jeff are wonderful hosts and really make you feel part of their family when you are with them. their home is amazing and i had to stop myself from photographing ever single nook and cranny! fern's play/sun room is very ideal for a little person. a wide selection of books, toys and crafts are at her disposal. perfect for a growing mind and imagination!

fern is as adorable in person as she is through photos. she has a wonderful imagination, talks in cute voices, sings clever made up songs, is a master at puzzles and is overall a very creative little girl. she did good dealing with a baby in her home which was a new experience for her.  she was understandably pretty uncertain about it all but i think she got use to marianne by the time we left.

mary's room/closet (above) is a bohemian dream! we stayed in a housemates room, who was kind enough to offer it to us since she was out of town, at the front of the house. it was peaceful perfection!

mary made one delicious meal after another the whole time i was there. i am definitely inspired to make more vegetarian dishes after spending time with her in the kitchen. i also want to add that she does a very good job of representing her true self on her blog. i chalk that up to her wonderful writing skills and incredible talent of being able to express her thoughts and feelings so perfectly in word. so, while she was surprised by my sassiness ;D i found her to be pretty much how i had imagined her to be. and that's a good thing!

 friday afternoon brought the lovely missa and clover and the dia de los muertos festivities. it was joy to spend time with missa again and get to know her a wee bit better. i wish i had gotten more pictures of this night but sometimes i have a hard time carrying babies, taking pictures and socializing. oh the hard life of a blogger! hahaha!

mary's outfit was adorable! i wish i had a better picture but she wore a gunne, a red velvet cape, an amazing pair of boots and marigolds behind her ears. hello beautiful!

the next morning brought gifts, yummy coffee (mary got a taste of my love for coffee and beer! this may have been another aspect of me that surprised her!) and tasty berry muffins that our three cute little ladies were ready to fight over.

milla, our gal from the north country, who was with us in spirit (as was elizabeth who was unable to make it after all), sent us each a sweet package! below are a few of the goodies i recieved. thank you so much milla! i already wore and started using everything you sent and have the charm hanging on my neck as we speak/type.

mary knew i was in the market for some clogs and she sneakily bought these for me while we were thrifting! thank you SO MUCH, i've worn them everyday since i got home :D

sunday brought brunch and fresh veggie pickin' at bloomfield farms in petaluma.

jeff and mary are wonderfully attentive, caring and understanding parents. leo and fern are two lucky children indeed! and i can't fail to mention how enjoyable jeff is to be around. he's very easy going and i got a kick out of his honesty when we were discussing this terrifying occurance. you got yourself a winner mary! thank you both for a beautiful visit and if you ever find yourselves in the orange county area our home is open to your family!

♥anne

are you here for an affair?

 fall style inspiration for me equals one movie, the graduate. it always has and i know i have posted about it every year so why break tradition? here goes yet another katherine ross / the graduate post.

this movie never gets old to me. from the music to the wardrobe and make up, the hair, the cinematography... it's all perfect. after watching it again last night, i was pining for some skinny jeans, loose pullover sweaters, boots, a raincoat, oversized barrettes, big hair and false eyelashes. i have the false lashes and the boots but what i really want is a jacket like the one in the horrible movie still i took above. so, if i suddenly start trying to morph into elaine robinson, you'll know why ;D

who is your autumn muse?

 

♥anne

supermodels of the 90's part 1- linda evangelista

i'm not the first to do this type of post, and i know i won't be the last.

i no longer follow models or even know who is popular in the fashion world, but back in the 90's i totally did! i got all the magazines and cut out the pictures i loved and made scrapbooks and poster boards filled with my favorites. and who was my fave? none other than the stunning linda evangelista!

whether her hair was brown, blonde, red or black, short or long, she was beautiful!

she could be androgynous, glamorous, sexy or girly.

just plain gorgeous!


kate, helena, claudia, christy, naomi, shalom....will be appearing here in the near future.
until then, i leave you with this video.

♥anne