What I’ve Been Working On. . .

April 1, 2020March 30, 2020 Mstldelano2 Comments

Let’s just take a moment to smile at the fact that we’ve made it to April. How blessed are we to see a new month and to know that things will only get better from here!

Untitled design (1)

I know that I’ve taken a couple of mini-hiatuses from the blog. As you all know, I’ve been nurturing my body after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia last year, but I haven’t allowed my diagnosis to stop me from pursuing my passions. At the beginning, this diagnosis felt like a hard stop: I had to relearn so many things and find a new normal.

I’ve had to adjust the pace at which I work toward my goals, but I am happy to report that, as I get better, I have more energy to work on the things that delight me. I still struggle with chronic pain, fatigue, and the mental fog that comes along with fibro, but those symptoms are not as pronounced as they used to be, which is such a blessing!

One of the biggest projects that has given me joy in the past year has been my publishing company, Bronze Butterfly Books. This precious project has allowed me to channel my creativity into designing beautiful notebooks and journals. I would love if you check out my website and let me know what you think.

Untitled design (2)

The bookstore is open!

I’ll have more special things coming from the book shop in the weeks to come. Thank you all for your continued love, support, and good vibes. Have a great day!

health · life curation · relaxation

NOW is the Time to Make Self Care a Priority

March 30, 2020March 29, 2020 MstldelanoLeave a comment

In light of current events, I have more free time and energy to devote to this blog. And now, more than ever, I’ve been called to resume my posting and offer encouragement and advice.

Our world has changed drastically in the past five months. I recall tutoring ESL students from China and they mentioned the effects of COVID-19 in its infancy. In a way, I was aware of the virus earlier than many of my family and friends, due to my students that provided me an inside view of what life in quarantine is like.

In the US, many of us are experiencing quarantines and mandatory shelter-in-place while we brace ourselves for the impact of the virus. This is a drastic change from life as we knew it, and the store shortages, sudden school closures, economic instability and unexpected loss of employment are devastating for many.

Untitled design

I cannot emphasize enough that NOW is the time to invest more in your self care. If you are able to read this post, you’re likely more fortunate and privileged than you realized. Investing in taking care of yourself in small (or significant) ways can do wonders for reducing your stress levels (stress negatively impacts the immune system, which you need to be at peak performance during this time). It also helps you to relax so that you can come up with solutions to your problems or, at least, to simply appreciate the good things that are already present in your life.

I don’t write this to sound dismissive and flippant: certainly plugging “self care” when people are suffering around the world may not come across as the most politically correct position to take at this time. However, I’m an advocate for self care in its minutest forms: that can mean doing some deep breathing to help calm your nerves, or stretches in the morning to loosen the tension that your body is holding, or even reminding yourself to drink more water (hydration is important).

Please continue to take care of yourselves, and I look forward to sharing more with you all tomorrow. Goodbye for now!

life curation

The Most Delightful Season Of ALL!

December 31, 2019December 30, 2019 MstldelanoLeave a comment

It’s no secret that December 31st is my favorite day of the year. I dare say, I prefer New Year’s Eve over any other significant days (including my own birthday!) during the year. The energy of a FRESH START is the best feeling in the world!

Untitled design - Edited.png

I will be working on my vision board tonight, and setting the tone for the experiences I desire in 2020. This is something I’ve done for the past few years, and I’m delighted to confirm that many of the things I visioned have come to pass. Since it’s worked well over these years, I decided to go ahead and keep it up. I enjoy the practice, and it works, so there’s no need to stop LOL!

I started clipping photographs and quotes a few days ago, and I’m picking up my poster board today. I already have my decorative supplies (glue, glitter, construction paper, etc.,), so I’m looking forward to putting it all together. With that, I’m excited to cut, paste and daydream this evening as I create my board!

Do you have any New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day rituals? I’d love to heard about them in the comments below!

life curation

It Feels Good To Be Back!

December 30, 2019December 29, 2019 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Hi everyone! It’s been three months since my last post. I had to take another break to get my health back on track. This past year has been challenging (when it comes to my health) but I’m determined to improve my health, get back to the things I love (like this blog), and move my life FORWARD!

I’m be resuming my Monday through Friday posts, with the occasional weekend post thrown in here and there. I have made a lot of decisions for how I want to live my life in the months to come, so I’m excited to share those ideas with you all. I’m thrilled for what this year has in store for me!

I hope you all are doing great! Talk to you tomorrow.

art · life curation

My (Not So) New Hobby – Painting!

September 18, 2019September 13, 2019 MstldelanoLeave a comment

During my time away, I had a chance to resume one of my interests: painting! There is something so therapeutic about applying paint to a canvas . . . The brushstrokes, the blending of color, the magic of taking a concept and turning it into a tangible work of art. I love to paint and I can’t wait until I have more time to devote to my craft. Until then, here are a couple of pieces that I’ve created:

Me with a piece I completed earlier this year: I premiered it in Los Angeles in June 2019

Recent piece in progress

I’m so eager to see where this curiosity leads me. I would love to continue developing my skill, take a few classes, and work with some new techniques and materials. This hobby relaxes me and gives me a much needed creative outlet, so I’m sure I’ll have more paintings to share in the future!

life curation · Uncategorized

It Feels Great To Be BACK!

September 16, 2019September 13, 2019 Mstldelano3 Comments

Hi my dear friends! I’m so happy to be BACK on the blog! As you may recall from my last post, I’d been experiencing some health issues that were making it difficult for me to keep up with my blogging schedule. To be honest, I didn’t feel like getting out of bed on most days, and even little tasks felt like huge chores, so blogging fell WAY down on my list of priorities.

caef757f-2fe2-48f2-af30-d08ee7be58d1

Smiling because it’s great to be back!

After experiencing some pretty dreadful symptoms for several months, I was relieved when I finally got a diagnosis. I have fibromyalgia, a disorder that affects your entire body and causes widespread pain, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and a host of other symptoms. I’ve read countless articles and found that most doctors agree that this is a neurological disorder and not a joint/muscle issue. I often find myself needing a lot of rest and even small, stressful situations can lead to a “flare up”, where my symptoms are more intense and I find it difficult to function. When I experience “flares”, I have to rest more and use stronger pain medication in order to get some relief.

Through all of this, I feel truly blessed. Yes, this condition is annoying and I wish I didn’t have it. But, I have a wonderful support system, and I recently moved into my first home, which is much closer to my care providers. My new home is beautiful and serene, and being in this setting has contributed tremendously to my overall health. I’m so fortunate that I have an understanding workplace that allows me to work from home as needed. And now, after making a few changes with my providers, I finally have a healthcare team that has given me the treatments and tools to feel better daily.

This experience has taught me SO much and I am excited to share these lessons with you all. I feel like I have a new lease on life! Now, I still have pain occasionally, and I have to monitor my symptoms daily so that I know what I need and how to best care for myself. But simply KNOWING that I’m not just tired or stressed has been such a relief. Knowing that I have an actual condition that is medically recognized and treatable means that this isn’t “all in my head”, and if other people are experiencing this, then that means I’m not alone, and there’s a good chance that that are treatment options that can really help me minimize my symptoms.

So I’m BACK! All of my posts won’t be about fibro: I’m going to leave those discussions strictly for Fridays, which will be (for now) Fibro Fridays. I’m excited to share self-care tips, lessons, and more information that I’ve gotten since learning about this condition. I look forward to sharing this journey with you all, as well as resuming my art, music, luxury, and lifestyle posts! Take care!

art

A Slice of the Congo in Richmond, VA: Congo Masks Exhibition

January 30, 2019January 30, 2019 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Happy Hump Day, friends! While I haven’t been able to get to the Smithsonian Institute or National Gallery of Art for several months ( it’s been awhile since I’ve been in Washington DC, and then there was a shutdown), I have had a chance to check out local museums. Recently, I went to Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to get a dose of African art. I viewed the Congo Masks: Masterpieces from Central Africa exhibition. This collection of masks from the Democratic Republic of the Congo offers Virginians a rare glimpse into the mystical and captivating world of African art, celebration, and ritual.

I am so glad that VMFA is displaying these treasures. I’ll do an in-depth analysis of the exhibition in a future post. In the meantime, here are a few photos from the exhibition. Enjoy!

I’ll talk to you all tomorrow. Take care, and stay warm!

luxury

Little Bit of Luxury: High Quality Dinnerware

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Happy Monday friends! This past few days has been quite chilly, but here’s hoping that getting through this period of cold weather will lead to much warmer day sooner than we think.

Recently I purchased a few things on Amazon that I both needed and wanted. I love to inject luxury into my life and small ways, and one of the ways that I do that is by using the best quality dinnerware and flatware that I can afford. I love eating off of beautiful plates and using lovely knives, forks, and spoons when eating my lunches, so I have a set that I use exclusively in my office.

But, one of my worst nightmares occurred when I broke one of the pieces to my dinnerware set. I look to see if I could find a replacement piece, but I couldn’t locate the singular item that I needed to complete my set again. I also misplaced one of my spoons that was part of my flatware set. These two things happening within a 2 month timeframe signaled to me that it was time to upgrade.

So I treated myself to new flatware and new dinnerware for my desk. Behold!

I saw Mikasa’s “Love Story” design and had to get the set. I got the Mikasa Love Story 5-Piece Place Setting, Service for 1. The set has a salad plate, dinner plate, dessert plate, saucer, and cup.

To flesh out the set, I also bought the Mikasa Love Story Coupe Soup Bowl, 8-Inch. When I purchased it, it was discounted a bit, so I purchased it for a great price.Of course, I couldn’t forget flatware! I also got the Ginkgo Royal Chippendale 5-Piece Place Setting, Service for 1. My original set was Oneida, but I couldn’t find the design that I had previously, so I got a brand new set.

There’s something exhilarating about using your personal best as much as you can. You deserve to feel luxurious, pampered and distinguished at all times, and it can start with something as simple as what you use to eat your meals. Treating yourself includes investing well into things that you use regularly and enjoy. So, maybe dinnerware and flatware isnt’ your thing: whatever makes you feel amazing, make sure that you invest in it. Don’t save it for a “special day”: use it now!

I hope you all stay warm and cozy! I’ll be back tomorow with a VERY special post: I’m so excited! Talk to you all soon.

life curation

Will My 2019 Goals Fail?

January 16, 2019January 15, 2019 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Happy hump day friends! As I look at my beloved planner, I think to myself how, every week, I set out little goals that will feed into some of that bigger goals for 2019. I’m only a couple of weeks into the new year, but I noticed something that I wanted to share with you all. I’m concerned that maybe my goals don’t have enough “umph” to them.

The problem with tepid goals is that they’ll usually fall flat. That isn’t intentional, of course: no one sets a goal with the plan to fail. But in my experience, goals that don’t fire you up rarely have enough steam to be fully realized.

screen

So I had to ask myself, will my 2019 goals fail?

I’d like to think that they won’t: I’m beyond the phase of life where I’m at I’m okay barely making the mark. At this point, only success or major progress will do. That brought me to the realization that, for my 2019 goals, I have to find some fire for them. Specifically, I have to make them bolder and bigger. Everything will have to be taken up a notch if I want to ensure that the goals will be accomplished.

Last year’s goals had a measure of success to them. Nothing was a complete failure, but they did not have enough fire to keep me working hard on them all year long. I figured that might be somewhat normal: working non-stop for an indefinite period of time on anything is nearly impossible. One of the reasons that I was really thankful for getting the 21 Day Challenge book was that I figured I could work on anything fervently for 21 days.

But after I took some time to examine my current goals, I don’t even think that 21 day challenges can keep me lit up all year long. So this year, I’m going to take a little more time and figure out exactly how to make my goals bolder than they were last year. I want goals that light me up and that excite me as I discuss them. I start my first 21 day challenge in February, and I want to make sure that I’m ready and raring to go at the beginning of the month so that the 21 days I pour into a project will be some of the most inspiring days of my 2019.

So I’m going back to the drawing board for my goals, and I’m going to make them bigger and bolder than ever. I can’t wait to share them with you all soon!

That’s all for today. Take care, and I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!

international · travel

Cruise 2018: Ports of Call

January 14, 2019January 13, 2019 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Happy Monday friends! If you reside anywhere in the Mid-Atlantic region, you may be digging yourself out of the snow that fell over the weekend. Here in central Virginia, we didn’t get that much snow: we did however get a good amount of slushy rain. We are expecting some more snow and ice in the upcoming days, so stay warm and dry if you can!

With all of this cold, wintry weather, it’s only natural that I might look back on some warmer days. Specifically, I’m thinking about my last vacation to the Caribbean. If you all recall, I went on a Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean. I posted about the ship itself, and I also wrote about the exquisite cuisine that I enjoyed on board. The ports of call for this cruise were Nassau, Bahamas; Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; and Costa Maya, Mexico. I’ve been to most of these ports before ( Honduras being the only exception), so I was already familiar with the locations. That being said, I still enjoyed being somewhere warm and sunny for a change.

I don’t have much to say about the locations: because I only spent a few hours at each port of call, it’s hard to distinguish between them. As a result, this post will be mostly pictures. I always get so excited to see the beauty of the Caribbean. The crystal clear water, the striking buildings, the unrelenting sunshine … There’s nothing quite like an

island vacation. Enjoy!

KODAK Digital Still Camera