Living Grace

I just love this quote from philosophy Living Grace, and find it so beautiful. I honestly believe that the beauty of life is that our tomorrows are never promised. XOXO, Tara

Philosophy: Living Grace

The deeper we dive the more remarkable we become. And in the end, the one truth that rises to the top is that our tomorrows belong only to this day. The lesson we learn is to passionately express our daily moments with living grace and gratitude.

Childhood Memories

When I was a little girl we used to live in a old white farm house in Illinois, and on the side of that house grew these beautiful lilac shrubs. I can still remember picking the lilacs for my mom whenever they were in bloom throughout the spring and summer. The lilac shrub has the most amazing fragrance, and whenever I smell that aroma it instantly takes me back to when I was little.

I only have two things that I ever really wanted in my life, and one of them is a large garden. A garden somewhere in the middle of nowhere that is filled with lilacs and roses. I want to be able to walk outside in the morning and pick myself some flowers and just consume myself in their scent. I would spend my whole day out there if I could, and would be as happy and as content as could be. These pictures take me back to a much simpler time. They also make me dream of that day when I will have a lilac shrub of my own again, and be able to pick their flowers every spring just like I did when I was a little girl. XOXO, Tara

St. Patty’s Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! So I may not have any Irish in my blood, only Scottish and Yugoslavian, I can still appreciate the spirit of St. Patrick’s day this Sunday. I remember growing up, my mom would always make corn beef and cabbage every St. Patrick’s day for my family. I bet she is probably planning on making it this weekend for my daddy. I hope these Irish Blessings can fill your day with some love and happiness. XOXO, Tara

“May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day. May songbirds serenade you every step along the way. May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that’s always blue. And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.” Irish Blessing

“I believe there is a sun when it is not shining, I believe there is a God when I cannot see him, I believe there is love when I feel it not.” Irish Blessing

Fragrance and Your Mood

Everyone who knows me knows that I love everything girlie. Flowers or perfume are definitely the way to this girls heart. The moment I encounter an uplifting scent, it can instantly boost my mood and I feel serene and happy. Sniffing perfumes that have fresh, familiar scents—powdery notes à la baby, or springtime florals such as hyacinth, jasmine and lily of the valley—could have you thinking the glass is half full. Or seek out amber or vanilla, which can go hand in hand with that recent happy occasion at which you devoured cupcakes and maybe a root-beer float, or maybe received that bouquet of lilacs, or roses. For myself, there is nothing like getting out of the shower or bath in the morning and using my favorite lilac perfume La Perouse by Gilly Hick’s or Jo Molane’s Blue Agava and Cocao perfume, to instantly make me feel feminine and happy. Remember, not everyone has the same ideal scent that works for their bodies chemistry. Try out different scents such as citrus, vanilla, or floral’s to find one that transforms your individual mood. XOXO, Tara

Jo Molane Red Roses Cologne available at Nordstrom’s or (www.jomolane.com)

Eating Your Way To A Tan

I think I got my love for orange vegetables from when I was a baby. Sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, if it’s orange I would eat it. To this day, I can go through a half gallon of carrot juice in about three days and can pretty much put away a bag of baby carrots in one meal. I often times notice when I’m eating my vegetables that I can develop a tan. My drivers license is proof that you can get a tan through what you eat. My picture looks like I was in Aruba for a week, and really it was the middle of December in Georgia. Not exactly tanning weather. So how this works is that skin color is produced by one of two skin pigments: melanin or beta carotene. Your skin’s melanin content is partly determined by your genes, but it also increases with sun exposure. When you eat a lot of carotenoid-rich produce those excess carotenoids are stored in the fat just beneath your skin, where their pigments peek through and give you a healthy glow that mimics a tan. Foods with lots of beta carotene include carrots,sweet potatoes, butternut squash, cantaloupe, and some green leafy veggies. So as the spring season quickly approaches us in the next few weeks, remember to get your tan the safe and healthy way. So eat your vegetables! XOXO, Tara

Life is too short….

I just love this quote about living life with no regrets. I never want to look back and think what if? So let today be a start of something new, beautiful and most of all… a day with no regrets. XOXO, Tara

Beating the Winter Blues

After the excitement of the holidays are over I often find myself dreading the last few months of winter. With the days being shorter and the nights getting colder, I find myself often times in a funk. January and February just take my spirit down a few notches. However, if you find yourself feeling a little blue, here are a few things you can do to help perk yourself up.

1. Getting your Vitamin D. The sun provides your body with Vitamin D that can help boost your mood. In the winter months the days are darker and shorter and your body doesn’t get the proper amount of Vitamin D that it needs. Ask your doctor about taking a Vitamin D supplement during the winter months. You should find that this will help improve your mood.

2. Exercise. In the summer and spring months our bodies stay more active with the generous amount of outdoor activities that are available. When winter comes around we often times become more sedative. You loose those “feel good chemicals” that exercise provides you. Yes, exercise does make you happy!

3. Eating a proper diet. Staying clear of heavy meals and the processed foods will not only help your waistline but also your energy. When your body is given the proper nutrition, it can receive the real food it needs to keep you going. Eating foods like almond’s, banana’s, and Greek yogurt can provide you with lasting energy. xoxo, Tara

Enjoying Your Workouts

Good Morning! The other day I wrote about how we shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves, and that we need to find enjoyment in the things that we do. I wanted to share my experience with exercise and fitness. First of all I love to workout and stay active. It can be taking a long run, playing some golf or doing some Ballet Beautiful in my workout room at home. I find true enjoyment in these things. Every morning at 5 a.m I wakeup and find myself motivated to do a session of Ballet Beautiful. It wasn’t always this way. I used to set my alarm for 6 a.m on days that I worked early and struggled to get out of bed and head to the gym. Don’t get me wrong, I like going to the gym and lifting weights and running on the treadmill. However, at 6 a.m my body and mind just wasn’t feeling it. I would often times just skip the workout entirely when I didn’t make it to the gym. A while ago, I was reading INSTYLE magazine and came across an article about Ballet Beautiful. The women who teaches it was Natalie Portman’s trainer for Black Swan. So I immediately went to her website and downloaded my first blast video. I was hooked! Not only was my workout relaxing and fun, but also strenuous. The next day I was sore, and looking forward to my next workout. For the last 9 months I have done some type of Ballet Beautiful session 5 or 6 days a week. The whole experience has taught me that I don’t need to torture myself with workouts that I’m not excited about or loving. Time is precious to everyone so it’s important to make sure we enjoy life and the things that we do everyday. Next time you find yourself not wanting to head to the gym or lace up your sneakers, think of something active you can do that you really love. Hopefully, this will help you find enjoyment in your exercise.
XOXO, Tara

Mary Helen Bowers , founder of Ballet Beautiful -Photo© Kate Elson

New Year and New Beginnings

With the start of the New Year I often put pressure on myself to get more things done, workout harder and more often, and swearing off sugars and sweets. How about we all take a different approach this year? Let’s start the New Year off with pampering ourselves. This year I want to take a few extra minutes in the morning to relax and sip on a cup of my favorite chai tea, instead of running out the door with my coffee in hand. Sometimes the little things like reaching for my favorite body cream after I shower, makes me feel feminine and pretty. Plus, my skin can use the extra moisture in the cool winter months!
Often times, we just need to respect and love ourselves a little more and stop being so hard on ourselves. These small luxuries can help make your New Year more relaxing and happier.

Here are a few little luxuries I like to do when I want to show myself some love. Best Wishes, Tara

Taking a hot bath with some lavender body salts.

Taking a few extra minutes in the shower to exfoliate my arms and legs with a sugar scrub.

Lighting my favorite Yankee candle in the morning when I’m getting dressed helps make my mornings sweeter.

Stopping by the store after work and treating myself to a bouquet of flowers. Buying milk is not allowed!

There are countless ways we can treat ourselves everyday that will make life more relaxing, I would love to hear in the comments what ways you indulge when you want to pamper yourself.

Best Wishes,

Tara

Are you thinking about Valentine’s Day yet?

Valentines Day is probably my all time favorite holiday. It beats out Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and Halloween. Every year right after Christmas I go to Target and Michael’s in search of Valentine decorations. I may be the only one who enjoys them hanging up around my house, but it makes me happy. I’m not sure what the plans will be for this Valentines Day, but I’m sure Bluefern will be filled with dark chocolate, flowers and everything I adore about Valentine’s Day. Here are some pictures of my current Valentine decorations and the cute cupcakes (notice the heart sprinkles) I made last week. I will post later about the awesome cupcake maker that I recently got as a gift from my little grandma that I used to make these cupcakes. XOXO, Tara