“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. […]

“Every time you think you are broken, know this: you are never really breaking. No one can break an ocean.” -Nikita Gill Here’s to the ocean that is you! XO Layla

“Deep and simple is far more essential than shallow and complex.” -Fred McFeely Rogers Hello and happy Thursday! The flooring we’re installing this week is looking GREAT and I’m looking forward to sharing some photos of it in tomorrow’s blog post. Isn’t it fun to have new floors? Even Steevenson is excited. 🙂 In the […]

“The human heart was not designed to beat outside the human body and yet, each child represents just that – a parent’s heart bared, beating forever outside its chest.” – Debra Ginsberg Scrolling through my photo stream and landed on these pics that I (quickly) snapped one year ago. April  2017. I don’t remember where […]

“I spend a lot of time these days focusing on all the different versions of myself, getting to know and better understand my own complexities. But if I had to be just one thing, just one singular person, if I had to choose, it would be this- someone who is constantly in the middle of […]

“Art is a feeling of love and enthusiasm for something.” – Brenda Euland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creativity is like a butterfly bursting from its cocoon. It can’t […]

“And each day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, “No. This is what’s important.” – Iain Thomas Hands on hearts, friends. Hands on hearts.   Layla  

“As I enter this holiday week, I am going to strive to not assume other’s truths OR compare myself to others’ projections of truth. Instead, this week, as we all try to make it through as our best selves, I vow to be my most true self. For when I live as I am, I […]

“The way to create art is to burn and destroy ordinary concepts and to substitute them with new truths that run down from the top of the head and out of the heart.” -Charles Bukowski Such a powerful visual of how it works, don’t you think? Happy creating, artsy friends! Layla

“Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.” -Zelda Fitzgerald It’s been a while since I shared a “Meet:” post, and I’ve been watching “Z: The Beginning of Everything” lately, so I thought I’d start putting one together about F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. He grew up in Minnesota- like […]

“Our children are not going to be just “our children”— they are going to be other people’s husbands and wives and the parents of our grandchildren.” -Mary Steichen Calderone I was talking with a friend this week about how, when it comes to parenting, the goal is “not to raise great kids…it’s to raise kids who […]

“We are all just stars that have people names.” – Nikita Gill Happy Thursday, star-friends! Layla

“A real good love story isn’t free of brokenness. But it’s full of healing and redemption.” #SoulScripts Someone recently commented (on my last adoption-related post) that they would be interested in hearing how Kevin and I worked to “maintain a healthy and loving relationship during such stressful and emotional times”. She said, “I know you […]

“Paint your personality a million different colours. Leave them scratching their heads, unsure of how to handle the magic that you are.” -Nikita Gill Happy Thursday, colorful, magical friends! Layla

“Never pass up the opportunity to laugh with yourself, to delight in your own presence here, to welcome yourself home.” -Ash Parsons I loved what Ash Parsons had to say about ‘self-friendship’. In other words, treating yourself as you would a most beloved friend. She said, “The more I laugh with myself…care for her, give […]