Charlotte sometimes….

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A room with a [rainy] view

I always have the travel itch, and lately I’ve been scratching it in an unusual way: driving to Charlotte to watch Major League Rugby’s Anthem RC play. I dislike flying so I’ve been making the trip over a three-day weekend, with two days basically sacrificed to the road. To avoid construction work on I95, which can add hours to the drive, I’ve been taking smaller, old-timey highways which take almost the same amount of time, but allow me to cruise along roads a lot less traveled….

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Doctor My Eyes, Tell Me What You See..

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The Parable of the Mote and the Beam – Domenico Fetti (1619)

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”

If you have visited this site more than once lately you’ve been met with the same long-outdated post from January 2025. That’s because 2025 turned into one of, if not THE, most chaotic years of my life. It was full of the most unbelievable extremes, both good and bad.

I won’t bore you with the details except to share that exactly one year ago to the day I experienced sudden onset glaucoma, a near death experience from the eye drops used to treat the condition, and a long recovery period before cataract surgery in both eyes. I am happy to report that I see better now than I ever have, and that’s saying something for someone who’s been wearing glasses since age 2. 

It would be nice to blame my posting absence on my eye health, but in truth it actually has more to do with the world right now. I am an eternal optimist and the world is anything but. Everything feels so heavy. 

I won’t say I feel hopeless but the chaos no matter where you look is hard to navigate.  What could I possibly write that would bring even a modicum of calm to anything? 

And yet.

Now that my eyes are functioning, and I’ve begun to slowly create again, I’ve decided to resume blogging on a more regular basis than once every sixteen months. Whether I am sharing travel, or books, or art, or anything else that captures my attention, I will do so from a place of love and laughter, with the hope that what your see and read might make your day a bit lighter.

Doctor My Eyes – Jackson Brown

Singing Our Birthday Song…

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Earrings | Chunky Coat | Maxi Dress | Chiffon Scarf | Boots

I am happy to say I’ve just finished one, and begun another trip around the sun. My celebration included all of my favorite things, including listening to live music at a hidden gem of a club  and wearing an outfit that had me feeling like a 70’s rocker chick. I enjoyed some of my favorite foods, like homemade french onion soup and football-chuterie (which is really just charcuterie eaten during the NFL playoffs), spoke with the peeps I love most in this world, and even carved out time to swim, read, watch a movie, and dream about what I might accomplish in the year ahead… Continue reading “Singing Our Birthday Song…” →

The Sweetest Gift…

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1-Advent Countdown Calendar | 2-Christmas Flannels | 3-Candle | 4-Chocolate Peanuts | 5- Paint Your Own Nutcracker Craft | 6-Bandana | 7-Popcorn | 8-Tree Ornament  | 9-Leather Bound Journal | 10-Puzzle | 11-Hot Chocolate Mug & Spoon | 12-Hot Chocolate |13-T-Shirt | 14-Cookies | 15-Make Your Own Wreath Kit | 16-Mini Cinnamon Broom | 17-Chocolate | ­­18-Gift Card | 19-Diffuser | 20-Book | 21-2025 Calendar | 22-Candy | 23-Bath & Shower Fun | 24-Money

A few years ago, I began making advent ‘calendars’ for the people I love most. I use the term ‘calendar’ loosely, since what I really create are advent boxes filled with 24 wrapped and numbered gifts, to be opened starting December 1st.  I began making these boxes for my children and a sister who lived thousands of miles away from me. Over time, I’ve added a box for my hubby and our daughter-in-law too.  It’s such a fun way to provide child-like excitement to the adults in my life and has quickly become a beloved family tradition. Read on and learn how to start an advent box tradition of your own…

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He’s the Fire Prevention Bear…

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Do you remember Smokey the Bear? He recently celebrated his 80th birthday, which made me think he might be one of the most successful advertising ‘campaign ‘faces’ ever. Hotfoot Teddy, as he was once called, evolved from a cub in the 40’s to a stud in the 50’s, before settling into his current look, which hasn’t changed since the early 1960’s. His message hasn’t changed either, and remains as important today as when Smokey first said it: only YOU can prevent forest fires.

The endurance of Smokey and his singular message got me to thinking about which other advertising characters have stood the test of time. I went down my memory rabbit hole and came up with the following list. While their messages, their products, and even their looks may have changed over time, just like Smokey they are all advertising icons.

What about you? Do you have a favorite ad character? If you do, what is it you like about them? Drop me a line…I’d love to know.

Smokey the Bear – Canned Heat

The angels wanna wear my red shoes…

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Red [Mary Janes], white and blue

One of this fall’s hot fashion trends is the Mary Jane shoe (preferably in red) which works out well for me since I’ve always had a thing for red shoes.  I selected three pairs on my ‘things to buy’ wish list and then went virtual shopping for some clothing to compliment each.

For some reason, red Mary Jane’s led me to search for wide leg pants, plaid skirts, tennis sweaters and varsity jackets, all used to build the 1-2-3 wardrobe pictured above.  What is a 1-2-3 wardrobe?  It’s all about getting creative with your fashion choices, and making less do more (see past versions of 1-2-3 dressing here and here). A few pairs of shoes and/or boots, 2-3 bottoms, 3-4 tops, 1 dress, 1 killer coat and some accessories allow you to create endless combinations you can wear for work or play. Wanna go casual? Pair the pants, red sweater, scarf, bag, and round toe flats for a day out with your friends. Looking for something for a night out? Pair the dress, pointy toe flats, and varsity jacket for dinner, a concert, or dancing at a club! With a 1-2-3 wardrobe your outfit possibilities are endless.

*The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes – Elvis Costello & the Attractions

C’mon and Tease Me….

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I used to wear t-shirts all the time but got out of the habit when my work demanded more professional dress. A few years ago, I went to grab a t and realized my collection was practically non-existent. That’s when I made a conscious decision to start rebuilding with shirts picked up from my travels. Here are the 9 shirts I recently added to commemorate Crosscountry Trip #8.

Greencastle, IN – DePauw University | Uranus, MO – Uranus Fudge Factory | Springfield, MO – Springfield Botanical Gardens | Route 66 Main Street of America | Santa Rosa, NM – Blue Hole | Gallup, NM – El Rancho Hotel | Palm Sprigs, CA – Mid Century House | San Diego, CA – San Diego Legion Rugby | Cardiff by the Sea, CA – Surf Cardiff

*Squeeze Box – The Who

Get your kicks on Route 66…

Kimberli Simon1 Comment
Travel bric-a-brac

Have you ever driven cross-country?  I recently completed my eighth trip and no matter how many times I drive from one side of this county to the other, it never gets old. These treks demand a co-pilot to share the adventure with, and this time around I was joined by a sibling with whom I love to travel. We only had five days to reach our ultimate destination in San Diego, so I created a loose itinerary which considered how many miles a day we needed to drive, identified touristy things to do along the way (because all driving and no play makes for very grumpy travelers), noted some coffee and food possibilities at various stopping points, and identified a few potential places to stay each night (depending on how far we actually drove each day). Read on to see how it all played out…

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