i wish you a brave new year...

as i was getting ready for New Years Eve festivities, i couldn't stop listening to this song on repeat:



oh no one can sing it like Bono.


and that last bit... i kept wanted to loop and replay.
my wish for you in your magical glittery 2010 are these words that seem to have been spoken for my heart:

"I wish you a brave new year
All anguish pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear.."


i want a brave new year.

see you in 2010!
xo micaela


(thanks again Kaileen for my holiday mix! as you can see, i can not stop listening to it!)

& darling friend, next year my lips will be on yours, i promise. don't forget "new years day" also by bono is ours.

"I will be with you again. I will be with you again...."

2009 was a learning year.

i have never been a big fan of this night. i told Max that i would be fine staying at home, dancing in our undies every new years eve.


last year broke my heart. i am nearly put back together.


there are so many new years eves i want to forget.


but once upon a time there was this girl who knew she wasn't going to be with the boy she wanted to kiss at midnight.


she was dressed in a fluffy white snow coat and boots, with home made cookies in her hand.


she met this boy on a crowded street on new years eve and told him that although it wasn't midnight their time... it was New Years in the city she loved (Italy).


it was a very "Love Actuallly" moment.

and that... that is a new years eve story i will cherish.

Happy New Years Eve lovies!!! be safe, celebrate with friends or family, and if you get that midnight kiss... i hope it's with someone who makes you feel like this certain boy made me feel on that crowded street.

PS. thank-you for all your very sweet and heartfelt messages on my post yesterday. It's so good to be your friend, and knowing i have you always. you have all my love. xo

(pic 1/2)

packing up my life...

to start my future. my new adventure, the next chapter in mine & darling friend's life.

it feels strange packing up our first house together. we loved this house. i bought this customized print to frame in our new house, to remember our beginning.

January 9th would have been our one year at Casa di M. i still have the card Max wrote me, when we signed our lease.

we were both so excited and yet very scared.
i'm feeling that same way right now, as i start to pack.

don't get me wrong, of course, i'm thrilled to be with my technical husband (remember how long away it all seemed when he left months ago?) but as i pack, it's slowly hitting me what a HUGE change this is.

I will leave half my heart behind with my twinkie who i can't imagine being without. We've never been apart, and i've never been away from home. I am SO close to my family, especially twinkie. I worry more for her than me (i'm the older twin by 5 minutes so as the older seester i'm constantly worried about her).

i know people do this every day and i know a thousand miles won't change our bond, but it's heartbreaking to think i can't just hop in my car and drive a few streets down to her house.

i love you twinkie, and we will both be okay. i just know it. we will only be a plane ride away and always a daily phone call (or two, or ten). i love you!

oh it's going to be a tough last few days in my beloved texas....

but my beloved is waiting for me.

and so with even sad eyes and a heavy heart to leave behind all i've ever known, i'm reminded of this quote once shared by our dear Meg Fee:

"Pitiful is the person who is afraid of taking risks. Perhaps this person will never be disappointed or disillusioned; perhaps she won't suffer the way people do when they have a dream to follow. But when the person looks back--she will hear her heart."

-Paulo Coelho

(pic yvetteinufio etsy)

Ornament Showcase #4.

To Holly / From Rebecca

To Lindsey / From Jackie

To Maddy / From Sarah K.

To Gracie / From Karyn

To Rhianne / From Anna

To Karyn / From Caitlin

To Megan / From Stephanie

To Cristie / From Rhianne

To Summer / From Megan

(megan surprised me by sending me one too. SO sweet.)

as the host of something i just delighted in putting together, i was overwhelmed by those who sent me an ornament, thanking me for putting this exchange together. How much sweeter can you girls get? Wendy Weagle sent me this gorgeous bird carved ornament below:

Iris blogged about the cupcake ornament (below/left) she made her exchange mate, and i commented how much i loved them. She made my day by sending me one of her oh so cute ornaments! next to them are the ones i sent as a thank-you, explaining i love keys and anything glittery.

For all those that joined my first ever Ornament Exchange, thank-you once again. I do believe it will be an annual thing on my little corner of the internet, thanks to you fabulous girls who made it SUCH a delight.

another HUGE thank-you to those who sent me Christmas cards:

Dearest Gabby, Marisa, Megan, Kaileen, Rhianne, Chels, J, Jenni, Krissa, Iris, Erin, Belen, Gracie, & Wendy.

i loved each of them and seeing your handwritings. So cute. xo

"And taken by light in her arms at long and dear last."

i have to see this movie, thanks to my M's beautiful post.

i fell in love with the way she saw this film... i had to share.

doesn't she describe things so romantically?

and always with emotion.

She shares pieces of herself so magically,

without even realizing it...

of course i love this girl.

Gratitude.

My giveaway win from the beautiful bride-to-be Gracie arrived today! I'm the proud owner of a Compendium journal. I absolutely love it. It's full of inspiring quotes on the corners of each page.

I was drawn to this one by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "For everything you have missed in life, you have gained something else."


She enclosed a card with the nicest message, saying she hoped my new journal would help in my move. Thank you Gracie for the giveaway, the extra cute notebook that reminded me of my niece, and the pen.

I chose the Gratitude journal to be reminded of every day blessings.... I already filled out a few pages:

I'm thankful for my cute nieces and their unconditional love. Sophia says, "my Mickey" when talking to darling friend on the phone.

darling friend... he sent the sweetest Christmas cards to my family, even my little seester. It was unexpected (maybe he didn't tell me cos he knows i can't keep a secret, ha) and warmed my heart. I have a good man in my life. I am SO thankful for that.

I'm thankful for my snow boots.

I'm thankful for fluffy covers.

I'm thankful for my will-power to not eat my weight in Milano cookies (this, this was hard).

I'm even thankful for the things that frustrated me; like having bestie's Christmas pressies sent back to me because i wrote the wrong address. {It's going to be late, i have have to repackage it, it's going to be late, and i will pay more in postage. Oh and it's going to be late. lol} It's my absolute fault and i was upset at myself for it... and then i remembered i should be thankful that at least it didn't get lost in the mail. Moreso, I'm thankful to have a best friend who understands and is not worried over the mistake i was SO worried over.

I'm thankful.

I'm thankful to record these little blessings in my life in a beautiful journal.

Thank-you Gracie!

Sharing Sundays (on a Monday) ... CHARMLY.

i wasn't able to write up my usual Sharing Sundays post yesterday, so here's a belated Monday treat: today i'm excited to share my dear friend Lindsey of

She keeps in touch with the girls she went to college with in Vermont...

delights in what's underneath the cover paper of hardback books...
saves her birthday candles for luck (lindsey, i believe in those wishes too)...

is a New Yorker who always has her camera on hand and loves capturing treasures of the City. She believes gems can be found anywhere, even on the sidewalk.

there is so much i love about her- that she taught herself calligraphy & embroidery because she has this constant desire to create things.

{i mean i can't tell you how many times i've wanted to do both and yet, haven't found the patience to teach myself. She's pretty fabulous like that.}

In another life, i believe she was Marie Antoinette.

Lindsey, you are a wonderful person to know. i love our shared movie suggestions, learning about your charming life, and how close you are to your girlfriends. There is so much about you i could have shared easily (like that you collect vintage cards... i mean seriously, love that).

Promise to always be fancy? *wink

xoxo

"I woke up one morning and I just knew."

this movie was the one thing i asked for Christmas.

(twinkie's mother-in-law gave it to me)

i loved this movie. every bit of it.

it was refreshing.

because it reminded me of moments in my own life.

Tom: Look, we don't have to put a label on it. That's fine. I get it. But, you know, I just... I need some consistency.

Summer: I know.

Tom: I need to know that you're not gonna wake up in the morning and feel differently.

Summer: And I can't give you that. Nobody can.

(images from we heart it search)

Give to an AMAZING cause + be entered in Jackie's awesome giveaway!

The Beautiful Jackie of Exposed Brick is hosting a FABULOUS giveaway. You can be the lucky winner of a Holga camera, her gorgeous print below, & other surprises.

as FABULOUS as her giveaway pressies would be, what i love most is to enter you get to do a pretty wonderful thing. You can help sponsor her sister Carrie's trip to Kilimanjaro.

In Carrie's words: "I will be volunteering for twelve weeks teaching conversational english to school age children; meeting with a local women's group to discuss and encourage entrepreneurship and caring for orphaned infants and children diagnosed with HIV and AIDS."

Can you imagine how awesome it will feel to know you helped out in spreading love and kindness through her, to people who need it most? She will document her life trip on her blog.

I know how kind this blogging community is and have been personally thankful for the friendships i've made through it. Please head over to Jackie's giveaway and donate $5 dollars or more.


I have a feeling you will be instantly happy giving to such a wonderful cause.


PS. i think it's so cute how supportive these sisters are of each other. i love it!

Snowed In Christmas.

It snowed nearly 8 inches in a matter of a few hours in Texas. It was unbelievable. The most snow ever in December! Darling Friend couldn't believe that the first Christmas he leaves, it's a white one.

I wouldn't mind the snow, but it snowed everyone in... the roads were too dangerous to drive on, and some Christmas plans were canceled.

But we made the best of being "stranded." The girls got to play in the snow and we made brownies. look how cute they are! (below is Frank- my older seester Maria's boyfriend that we met this holiday season.)

an unforgettable Christmas indeed. How was yours? what was the best thing you got this year?

momma got me and Max the Rachel Ray pots and pan set, along with 2 casserole serving trays. I love them!!! esp. that she was thinking of our new house together.

Twinkie got each of us girls a sweet book about the relationship sisters have. She also got me a "dear old love" book, "love letters you weren't meant to see," and the most recent "PostSecret" book. i had a really really great Christmas! My M spoiled me too (can't wait to show you what bestie got me).

I can't wait to read all about your holiday seasons.

I just know it was magical. xo

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...

I actually had to work today but because of unexpected thick snow (in TEXAS!), we got to close City offices at 11 this morning.

I am about to leave and go play in the snow with my beautiful nieces. Darlings, have a magical Christmas, laugh a lot, and feel absolutely blessed.

love to each of you,

Micaela xo

(pictures via niotillfem)

I'm ready to get Carried Away again!!!!

THANK-YOU jessie for making my day with this:



oh.so.excited.

i went to the midnight showing for the first SATC movie. me and my gf ann were sitting in folded chairs, smoking a cig outside- the first in line.

i'm a self-proclaimed carrie wanna-be

and i have always been Team BIG.

"I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say 'he feels deeply, he feels tenderly.' - Van Gogh

i feel as my niece Sophia does in this adorable pic:

and it's all thanks to Camilla (i bragged about her here)!!!! I love her Mom's artwork. And now I'm a very proud owner of a beautiful piece!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe her kindness!

isn't it BEAUTIFUL? i love the colours and the line of glitter. of course, the message!!! i told Camilla i'm already excited to pick out a frame for it and hang it in my new house in Virginia. oh i love it! love love love love. and the hand made card? a bonus!!!! "the Salem Girls"--- CUTE!

and since Camilla is celebrating a Parisian Christmas (lucky), i will say as the french say,

Cheri Camilla, Merci Merci Beaucoup!

Bisous, Bisous xo

classic never goes out of style.

"Pierre, who had done more than any human being to draw her out of the caves of her secret, folded life, now threw her down into deeper recesses of fear and doubt. The fall was greater than she had ever known, because she had ventured so far into emotion and had abandoned herself to it..."

pic 1 & 2.

(i also want this tote for small grocery shopping)