creativity

One Man’s Ugly

| Melia Alexander

Okay, okay, I’ll admit it. I can definitely be a fashion snob – when it comes to what I wear. You ought to hear some of the conversations I have with myself.

“Really, Melia, those wedge heels sooo do not go with that dress.” Or, “Bare tummy when not in bikini? Just how old do you think you are? Three?” Or, my absolute fave, “Panty lines. You have panty lines showing. Change the bottom or lose the panty.” Only once did I go commando. But that’s a different story….

When it comes to other people and their clothing choices, I give them the a lot of leeway. After all, taste is very personal, isn’t it? So if you wanna show up at the grocery store in your PJ’s, have at ‘er. My attitude on this doesn’t change. Much. Even when I walked past this number on my way out of a shopping center one night.

20141209_172831The Ugly Christmas Sweater Kit. Kit, as in, you get to design your own piece of sweater magic. (Wasn’t some budding entrepreneur on the edge of brilliant when this was created?) And not all of it turns out to be a masterpiece. Which made me wonder if a Create an Ugly Christmas Sweater party – complete with prizes for the top three uglies –  would be a fun idea. What do you think? Would you go to such a party?

Happy Fashionista Friday,
Melia

Le Bake Off

| Melia Alexander

One of the most fun traditions we have at The Male Observation Lab this time of year is the Christmas Bake Off. It’s a chance for the dudes to show off their culinary baking skills with something that doesn’t involve skinning or gutting an animal. Yep. We get a lot of entries from them….NOT.

Fortunately, we dudettes step in. 🙂 And so I present this year’s top three entries:

And, yeah, nothing Paleo eaters would want to nibble on, but they sure looked good!

Do you have fun holiday traditions were you work?

Happy eating,
Melia

Christmas at Grand Cayman

| Melia Alexander

Happy Travel Bug Tuesday!

I’m one of those peeps who loves collecting Christmas mementos when I travel. 20141209_194055There’s something about holding an ornament that, when gathered on a special trip, evokes some pretty powerful memories.

This one was picked up in Grand Cayman several years ago. Even now, I feel the warmth of the water as we played with sting rays on a sand bar….I taste the turtle burger we had for lunch….I feel the Caribbean breeze caressing us as we walked the dock. And it all makes me smile.

Travel mementos are beautiful reminders of happy times. For me, they’re also the promise of what can always be: a lifetime of collecting special memories.

Happy travels,
Melia

Oh, Christmas Tree!

| Melia Alexander

Admittedly, there are times during the holidays when it all becomes a bit overwhelming and just too much. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen very often. Mainly because I truly love all that comes with this time of year: the lights, the baking, the time together with family and friends, and, of course, the tree.

There’s something about the Christmas tree that touches a part of me. Maybe it’s the wonder that once came with awakening on Christmas day to find Santa delivered a present! (If you knew the child-me, you’d know why this was *always* a surprise. Ask my siblings…. On second thought, don’t!) Whatever it was, I’ve always adored Christmas trees.

This one caught my eye on a recent trip to Vegas.

DSC_1046It was the perfect height and was decorated with all sorts of fun ornaments! I was in heaven as I stared at it, imagining what it would be like in a grand hall instead of a Las Vegas boutique….On Christmas morning….With little kids gathered around it….Singing Christmas carols or opening their gifts….Or both! Yep, the possibilities were endless.

And the longer I stared at it, the more relaxed I became. Schedules and deadlines and baking and sending Christmas cards….none of it mattered. All I cared about at that moment in time was the beauty of this tree.

Really, the holidays can be pretty chill. If you let it. And with as crazy our lives are, isn’t it nice to let go and just “be” every now and then? What better time than around a Christmas tree somewhere in Vegas, right?

Happy Mash-Up Monday,
Melia

Christmas Catnip

| Melia Alexander

Welcome to Take Me Back Thursday!

Like most cat lovers, we give our fur babies Christmas prezzies. Their most fave is catnip – natch. I’m thoroughly convinced kitties can smell catnip even through extra-thick layers of plastic. And once a kitty gets his hands on it, watch out! It’s instant kitty love! 🙂 These pics from last year’s Christmas is the latest in a long list of examples.

Memories like these are what make life so much fun!

Are your fur babies on your Christmas list?

Happy almost-Friday,
Melia

The Battle of the Gingerbread House

| Melia Alexander

Welcome to Food and Wine Wednesday!

‘Tis the season of celebrating the beauty and wonder that is life, and those people and things we hold most dear. Not the least of which is the gingerbread house.

Tonight, Niece 2 decided that the two of us would face-off in a gingerbread decorating contest, one whose winner will hold bragging rights (of nearly unbearable proportions!). that clearly means more to one participant than the other (the other being me. Ha!).

We spent a fabulous evening together, talking. I learned that 1) Niece 2 has decided she’s no longer vegetarian, but will not consume a large amount of animal protein; 2) According to Niece 2, Nash Grier is still super-hot! (way more than I needed to know. Trust me on this…) 3) There’s not nearly enough candy that comes in the enclosed packets when a fifteen year-old is swiping at them while decorating (and when you’re not looking!). Just sayin’…

At the end of the evening, care to guess which side had been decorated by moi?

Gingerbread houses – yay or nay? Tell us what you think!

Happy gingerbread decorating,
Melia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bear Country, USA

| Melia Alexander

Happy Travel Bug Tuesday!

One of the traditions I adore is picking up a Christmas ornament when we travel. This one always makes me smile. Well, okay, it makes me laugh out loud, too. 20141202_055954

When I see it, I’m transported back to one of the most amazing vacations I’ve ever had. Road trip 2011. With family. Five adults and two kids in a minivan with ten days worth of clothing and two coolers of food and drinks. Yep, we were pretty tightly packed….

So it shouldn’t have been a surprise when ten minutes out of the driveway, ten-year-old nephew yells from the back seat of the minivan, “Mom! Sister’s in my zone! Tell her to stop!”

And, yeah. This ornament brings it all back. The laughter. The tears. The bonding that took place. ‘Cause, really, how could it not?

Do you collect Christmas ornaments? What’s one of your faves?

Happy travels,
Melia

Operation Christmas 2014

| Melia Alexander

The holidays are finally here!

I love traditions. Especially the festive kinds. So on a cold, Sunday afternoon (the wet kind of cold that seeps down to the bones and begs for us to stay indoors) we decorated our Christmas tree. Yay! Okay, so I was the only one excited, but I know the girls had a blast, too. That’s my story and I’m writing it that way! 🙂

Anyhoo, the nieces and I dragged out the ornaments, indulged in mugs of yummy, steaming hot chocolate, listened to Christmas carols, and spent a wonderful afternoon together. By the time dinner rolled around, we had this:

DSC_0344Next step in Operation Christmas 2014, platters of cookies and loaves of cake that will make the house smell yummy! It’s the next step in bringing the holiday spirit into Domicile Alexander. And I know both Niece and Niece 2 will love doing that with me, too. *snort*

In whatever tradition you follow, this holiday season, celebrate well!

Happy Mash-Up Monday,
Melia

Bridge of the Gods

| Melia Alexander

Welcome to Travel Bug Tuesday!

I’m so fortunate to live in a gorgeous part of the Pacific Northwest. In my world, summers are warm and lush and so inviting that most of us practically live outdoors. It’s glorious!

This past summer I was really lucky to have been able to get in the car and explore a bit. And when I meandered down the Columbia River Gorge, I came across this:

This is The Bridge of the Gods. (On the Oregon side in these pics.) But while it’s all steel now, Native American legend has it that it was once a natural bridge, one eventually torn down over a love triangle. (No kidding!) Don’t you love it? You can read all about it here.

With the steel against the blue of the sky, against the backdrop of the trees and the sparkling Columbia River, the Bridge of the Gods evokes a sense of majesty, of something greater than us mere mortals. There is such innate beauty here that, combined with the legend, evokes the romantic in me. *Sigh*

So while I buckle down and concentrate on the next book series, in the back of my mind I can already hear the characters taking bits and pieces of legend and binding it to their own respective stories. I think that’s cool!

Have you been to The Bridge of the Gods? What were your first impressions?

Happy travels,
Melia