best 'lil town

these adorably gorgeous ladies are staying at the seagate hotel and they got a taste of the spa today. i massaged patricia and she was a total sweetheart. they're doing an "on the road" traveling tour of small u.s. towns for usa today and delray is on their list this weekend. after they're done they'll be choosing the best town they visited... wonder if delray will win???

business card holder

now that i'm making my own business cards, i figured it'd be nice to have a separate wallet for them to keep in my purse so that i always have them on me to give out to people. i recently bought these two cute holders on etsy. they're the perfect size and also really good for credit cards and cash. 

this crochet holder was only $6 from handanmade.

it holds a lot of cards. even my thick cardboard ones.

and this cute elephant one is from brooklynlove design for $15. 

beauty is in the breakdown

pretty pots 

and pretty cats

business cards

sixlets and frozen wild blueberries

mom's wellness center is alive in delray. more to come on this...

california chip at la bambas

and margarita nails

skype with drewcool in LA

kitty on the deck

arrow leaves at home

making sweet potato leek soup

christalyns baby artichokes

chili by my sweet man. 

replanting oregano and parsley.

herbs de provence make fried eggs better.

monarchs on my flowers

business card stamp

fab.com was having a sale from maemae paperie on stamps. i decided to customize one for my business cards. i got the idea a while back from my friend, sierra, who did the same for herself. i recently got the stamp in the mail and figured i'd try it out on a few different types of paper with 3 different ink colors. i've come up with a few i like... mind you, these are rough copies and i'll be using a paper cutter and all the right tools once i find my favorite types of paper(s) to use. 

the one with the design is obviously gong to be to hard to make out, so i'll just use the back of it instead. (the one on the far left is the back) 

i'm really happy the way the stamped turned it. it's really simple and a creative way to go about it. suits me well. i definitely love the idea of being able to stamp them myself and never having to run out of cards and waiting on and order. 

stay tuned

i gave 3 different reflexology treatments in the past 24 hrs and my fingies hurt now. even to type.

OH and more importantly stayed tuned for my split pea soup recipe and my attempt to grow my own sprouts :)

wellspring massage and aromatherapy center

yesterday my mom held a beautiful open house for her wellness center in boynton beach celebrating 9 years. look at her beautiful aromatherapy bar. she makes her own concoctions!

 my brother iam catered the open house. the food presentation was beautiful. the punch was gorgeous. 

(click photos to see bigger)

if you ever need some awesome smelling lotions, oils, sprays, candles, oils, etc... this is the place to go for yourself or gifts for the upcoming holiday season. there are great therapists that work here, and not only is massage offered but  facials and acupuncture too. 

well-deserved.

• i got a massage yesterday. i'm really digging this arrangement i got going on with mariota, the lovely scottish therapist i met last month. trading massages is A+.

• my new kids. i taught them the body and it was just ridiculous. kids are wild, man. just out of control. lots of "caca" and "baby" talk.... i thought they'd know more when i started teaching them the head and shoulders song, but really it took quite a while to get them to remember all of the words. i may have to continue this same lesson for next class. 

• sushi. SUSHIIIII. i finally got my tax return money and treated us to dinner lastnite. the last time i had sushi was in italy... over 2 1/2 months ago. i never go more than 2 weeks in florida without sushi. we went to sushi tam da--a small, really non special place not too far from us. we shared 5 rolls for less than 20 bucks. soooo tight. and they were delicious. they didn't have a lot of choices there, but i couldn't complain because of the low prices. 

this may happen again, soon.

massage

so as some of you know i obviously took a break from massage because my wrists and hands were in a lot of pain after practicing massage for almost 6 years. i needed some time off and a change of pace... and yeah, i turned to teaching english in europe! i've been missing giving massages more than i realized. yesterday i gave a massage to a grandmother of some children i teach here. she really needed it(she's a nurse)and i really made her feel good. it brings such joy to me to know that i can make a difference in someone's day(or week). it's not often you have a client say "wow i feel really good" after teaching them articles and prepositions.(yeah, those are probably the most common problems with foreign learners) yet, when i massage someone i actually feel rewarded. teaching just isn't my thing, i guess.

anyhow, for my birthday matt and i booked some massages. we had them today. we feel great. it's something you just need every once and a while(every week). the therapist was awesome. she runs a business out of her home just 3 tram stops away from us along the river. it's really cozy and homey. we both got a really relaxing hour and 15 minute massage... definitely well deserved, i'd say. she wants to trade with me, so that's a plus in all of this. she's not far and i would love to get a couple of massages in before our 4 months are up and i come back to florida. she's from scotland and has been living in prague for 11 years. she said she went to the czech massage school here and that it was really tough. she used to be a teacher as well and has moved on to well.... something that pays better. her situation is tight, working out of her home... it's ideal.

on a sidenote... her place is so nice. i loved her kitchen! it was so open and incredible. i wanted to cook as i was sitting there reading during matt's massage. and she had this huge shelving unit filled to the brim with books and movies.

i'm really relaxed right now... and thinking a lot about how tough it may be for me to get back into massage when i move back to the states, but it think it's in my plans. i need to make money again (i can't really say i make much here... i can make the same amount doing massage in a day as i do teaching in a week) and the seagate spa will hopefully take me back and get me back on my feet for my next venture.

i still really want to go to school for american sign language.... we'll see what's next. my only passion right now is cooking. and i don't want to become a chef in a restaurant. so what can i do? hmm.... i've become really lazy as far as work goes and i need a good kick in the ass.

only time will tell.


go get a massage!

melt is the word of the day

today we gave our lawyer our applications for our visas, the money, and passports. we signed some papers and things that were legit so all you worrierers stop your worrying. our only worry is that she'll go to bratislava tomorrow and something will go wrong. i hope not. i hope it all works out.

i gave a massage today. it has been about 4 months since i gave my last one. it was for my friend monicka. i teach her 2 little kids english. she does something called healing touch so we traded services. it was so relaxing. i need a massage though. my body aches and my feet hurt from all the cobblestone!

anyway. i seriously am so homesick it's awful. my sister mani is in florida right now for thanksgiving and whenever i call to try and talk to anyone i almost break down crying. i get all teary eyed, and it's hard to talk. i feel crappy. ugh. i'm in europe... what's wrong with me? 

no more meltdowns. these emotions need to leave.

dessert time at cafe louvre tonite