The Haven

...to all us Moms out there.  Enjoy your special day any way you like! ~ Heathen

image found on Starbucks.com Have you seen this yet?  Starbucks has a new drink on it's menu...the Mocha Coconut Frappuccino!  This thing is bliss in a cup.  And , they have the coconut flavored syrup so you can add it to any of your favorite Starbucks drinks!  How about adding a shot of it to their Orange Mango Smoothie?  As the barista said "It's like toes in the sand!" Personally I LOVE coconut and there really hasn't been a signature flavor for the warmer months of the year.  There's the Pumpkin Spice starting in October, the Egg Nog starts in November, and of course the Peppermint and Gingerbread for the Holidays.  But nothing for Spring and Summer.  Well now there is and I'm doing a little happy dance about it! As it turns out, they actually tried adding this flavor to their menu several years ago and it didn't last.  But enough people missed it that they finally brought it back.  I know a lot of you are Starbucks junkies as...

Also known as May Day, Beltane is a time for love, union, growth, abundance and fertility.  This month marks the peak of Spring and is time to prepare for the warm months ahead. Beltane is one of the in-between times of the year, it's still Spring but you can feel the lazy days of Summer in the air.  Here are a few things that symbolize this time of year for me: brightly colored wild flowers ferns and ivy embedded candles (the kind with flower petals in the wax) wind chimes cloudless blue skies freshly mowed grass sun dried laundry When changing your decorations for this turn of the wheel, put away the eggs and pastels of Ostara and bring out bursts of color and pretty garden themed decorations.  Hang baskets or cones of flowers from doorknobs, put wind chimes and sun catchers in windows.  Start that windowsill herb garden you've always wanted.  You get the idea here. found at Michaels.com As always, have fun with it and make it personal! ...

Which do I celebrate?  I saw this type of question a lot around the Holidays last year.  Yule or Christmas, then of course there's the current holiday Ostara or Easter, and let's not leave out Samhain or Halloween.  You get the idea. My question is, why choose?  Very few of us grew up celebrating Yule, Ostara, Samhain or had any idea about the wheel of the year.  When we were kids Spring meant Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies, and lots of candy; Fall brought costumes, going out at night, and more candy; Winter was all about Christmas, Santa Claus, presents, and of course...candy.  There were family traditions that were followed year after year, passed down through the generations and some new ones thrown in occasionally.  These are the things that stuck with us as we became adults and started our own families.  So why should we turn our backs on all those good memories and traditions just because we've chosen a different path for ourselves? I sa...

Today I succumbed to my girlie side and went thrifting at a few local consignment shops.  I found some beautiful pieces but my favorite looks something like this... image found at arhdecor.com It is all white, more shabby/vintage than this one, with less glass and the top shelf is open.  I couldn't find a photo of the actual piece.  But alas, it is out of my price range.  Such a shame, wouldn't that be perfect for displaying seasonal decorations?  I figured I didn't really have a place to put it anyway.  That is until I came home and realized I have the perfect wall for it. *sigh*  Even though I didn't come home with this wonderfully perfect piece, I had so much fun looking through all the beautiful things and getting great ideas.  Definitely not a wasted trip! And after feasting my eyes and daydreaming, I just had to re-watch the new Alice in Wonderland!  If you happen to have Netflix, they've finally added it to the instant streaming....

Those of you who know me personally know that I am not your typical girlie girl.  But for some inexplicable reason this Spring, I am head over heels in love with this... and this... and this... and this color... I don't get it and I can't explain it but I have this crazy urge to move into a cottage, plant a garden, and decorate completely Shabby Chic, claw-foot tub and all! **all photos found on Google Images keyword Shabby Chic**

Warm afternoons and cool nights The smell of orange blossoms Blooming flowers and trees More daylight hours Relaxing rainy days A sense of renewal Farmers markets Butterflies Enjoy the season! ~ Heathen