What kind of content I want to bring to my blog

 In a mundane world, let there be art

inspiration

purpose and style

~Lilac

Photography by Annika M. Salgado January 25, 2021

        Good day to all!  I often spend my JANUARY (month) exploring the possibility for the year- things like travel and vacations, and how I will mark certain passages throughout the year such as anniversaries and birthdays.  This year is no different- even with Covid-19, I find my mind eager to create these "fantasy-into-reality" experiences.  Why not?  Ever the optimist, I will plug on!

I have found that in place of vacations, I am exploring hiking trails and other outdoor experiences in the state (Rhode Island).  Instead of long distance travel, I am looking at ways to integrate shorter travel where we get out of the house...do something fun and then return.  As for the anniversaries and birthdays, those have forced me to become my MOST creative ever!

I have never been the crafty type...making things by hand.  I am also not particularly artistic at all.  I often feel I have no sense of color or style, cannot properly recreate something I am looking at and just in general lack anything to do with artistry.  However...I have been told that I create a feeling with how I decorate, how I interact with my home and any environment in which I spend a fair bit of time (such as my workplace offices).  I have been told that being around me is like being in the presence of a lovely scented candle which alters the environment in a subtle yet emergent way...where one cannot help but feel loved and embraced.  These are the greatest compliments of my life...and were actual statements made to me by people outside of my home.  One of my former bosses, a Regional Property Manager of an Affordable Housing Community once described me in an annual review as:

"AngelMarie creates a warmth in her office space that invites people in and immediately puts them at ease.  It feels more like home than like work, and people respond very well to the energy that is created in such a place".

I really believe it is the littlest touches that mean the most to people.  This photo was just a regular school day at home with my son.  He needed some inspiration to eat since his ADHD medication takes away his appetite in the daytime.  He could not resist sampling smaller bites of food...and actually ate something.  Also, he was moved that I presented it all on a tray with a winter theme.  It's not hard to do these things.  It just takes attentiveness and opportunity.

I enjoy expressing myself through cooking food for my home and family.  I am home and not in an office working, due to Covid-19.  This Fritatta was a Sunday morning breakfast which I made using leftover ham from the week's lunches that was not used.  I didn't have cheese to shred so I used the sandwich cheese.  You cannot see it in the photo but I actually lined the pan with somewhat stale Italian bread (leftover from my daughter's bakery) It was delicious.  

Another time when I used bread that Ani brought home from her job at a nearby bakery:

She will bring many loaves home occasionally- like on the last day before a 3-week closure.  I took all the loaves and double Freezer bagged them.  They have been in the freezer since Christmas!  I simply sliced; dipped in herbed olive oil and baked to perfection!  Annika took this gorgeous photo and sent it to her workplace to show them how innovative we were with their generous gift of bread...they loved the photo.  

Photography is one of the types of content that I want to use on my blog to help create an understanding of how things work.  My Gramps used to say, "A picture is worth a thousand words".  He passed away in 1997- before the era of widespread photos on Facebook, Instagram and the internet in general.  But still, I find that people under-use this experience that photography can bring.  I often think to myself how I wish I could "take a mental snapshot" of the way everything feels or smells or looks or all of those things.  I have these beautiful memories from throughout my life that are just impossible to explain to anyone, but that drive me to create the things I create!

My daughter is the best photographer in the house.  My husband is 2nd.  They see the same thing through the lens that I see, but somehow they capture something that I cannot.  They both also are very artistic.I plan to incorporate that beauty they capture.  They are happy to lend me there skills.  

Gardens and Growing things in dirt is another passion project of mine.  Recently, in a Facebook post, my friend Sam asked the question:  "What is everyone growing in their garden this year?".  I did not answer his Facebook post...but I did immediately start to plan.  I actually sketched out the gardens I wanted to create and then yesterday, I was out at OceanState Job Lot and decided to get a little jump-start and buy seeds.

The question now is going to be, "How can I start seeds indoors with cats roaming about?"

(also note that I plan to grow catnip and cat grass)

I plan to bring forth content on my blog that reflects the growing and cultivating of herbs, flowers and vegetables and fruits. 

Our dearest pets are also an inspiration to my blog writing.  You will see that I add them as additional flair to any situation. At present, I have four cats and one dog.  We are currently looking to adopt a 2nd dog!  Here photographed by me, is my youngest, Daisy.  She is 3.

She is my baby.

Why Subscribe to this blog?

1.  Video Series with free Tarot Card messages for all signs of the zodiac.
2.  Video or Blog articles detailing how to integrate hobby and home.  These will include growing flowers and then using them to create centerpieces for your table at home or growing herbs and how to dry them and then package them for sharing or for using in your own culinary experiments! 
3.  Tips and articles on gardening for beginners, crafting for beginners and clever home cooking for those of us managing a family.
4.  Articles that detail how to travel on a budget with a family or even as a couple.  Maybe local travel will become a real buzz-phrase in 2021!
5.  Basically, if you are at ALL interested in the Homesteading lifestyle, this blog will have some content you will be interested in.
6.  Showcasing my family's journey and talents as they bring out the best in our home and my life!  At times, I will use my forum to display photography or other amazing creations and share how you can do it too!

Any way you look at it...there will be quality.

Thanks for stopping by! and Stay tuned for my schedule of releases where I outline which days I plan to publish which "types" of blog entries.  

~Namaste

Lilac