A lion's mane

 
 
 “At most, a hundred paces separated him from them. The powerful beast, seeing the riders and horses, rose on his fore paws and began to gaze at them. The sun, which now stood low, illuminated his huge head and shaggy breasts, and in that ruddy luster he was like one of those sphinxes which ornament the entrances to ancient Egyptian temples.” ― Henryk Sienkiewicz,

I love lions.  Their large golden bodies, their growl that shakes the antelope, their bravery that spooks the buffalo herd,  but mostly I love the lion's mane. It's quite something to catch sight of, how it silhouettes and curls around their heads. I've always thought the lion's mane to be one of the most ethereal images of the animal kingdom. 

Sadly, I'm one of the unlucky ones who has only seen a lion behind bars in the zoo.  Have you ever witnessed a lion in his natural home? The lion may never lay down with the lamb, but one day I'll wander to the plains of Africa to visit the lions.  Mind you, I'll keep my distance. I think antelopes run much faster than me anyhow.

When I came upon this lion shirt, I actually roared with excitement. If you can picture that!   I thought it must have been designed by a lion tamer who also cares for a flower garden.   If you look closely into the flowers, you'll find hidden animals. So far, I've found a rabbit and a bird!

Well, I've got a million thoughts running around my head, and a to-do list that seems to be climbing faster than an annoying weed. I'll see you soon!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway here

 
 
floral skirt - vintage from shoppalu - sponsor
flower printed lion shirt - romwe - sponsor
brown floppy hat - jc penny - $5
fur boots - atseoul - sponsor

a giveaway: oasap dresses

giveaway ended 

Hello my lovelies!  
One of my favorite online shops and beloved sponsors Oasap.com is having a GIANT giveaway. The above collage is an example of some of the delicate dresses you could win. 
◕‿◕

To be eligible for winning: 
1. Sign into your account on oasap.com
or register an account for a 20% off coupon code

 2. Visit the giveaway page here  (You *must* enter through this link for eligibility) 
 Choose size and then vote for your favorite items
you can vote a maximum of 3 times

3. Leave a comment if you wish but it is not required

For bonus entries: 
Follow Oasap on Pinterest

There will be one winner for each 100 entries that enter through this link so make sure to invite your friends!
We will select winner(s) at random and contact winner(s) through the email(s) that are used to register on Oasap

  Giveaway Runs Until July 10th
Good Luck xo

The rainbow dress

 
☻♥ ☻ Hi! ☻♥ ☻

On the back porch, there hangs a strawberry plant. It's been there for weeks. I keep looking at it, talking to it, and wondering when it will give birth to bright red fruits.  Two days ago, I found an infant strawberry. It was green like an olive and shaped like an upside down triangle.  I knew it wasn't ready for pulling or snacking on, so I waited a few days. . . . . 

Then yesterday arrived and I found something quite magical! My baby green strawberry reached adulthood! I went outside to water flowers and sitting there, staring me down, was a beautiful bright red fruit! I took the strawberry, kissed it myself, and then shared it with my Mom and Carter.  
Each little nibble tasted like candy for the tongue.

Nothing is quite as sweet as fresh fruits growing in the backyard!

 

Today I feel like I've been doing a lot of uphill crawling. Physically and mentally. I have dreams as large as the Caspian sea, and all I seem to do is move across the daily commute instead of across the 
world.  If my dreams did come true, I'd be turning up toes in sand-rimmed waters everyday, with berry stained hands and the smell of apple wood in the air.  Instead all I do is nap, wonder, eat, see my dogs, say hello's, look out windows and write stories. I don't want to be a tenant of habit anymore.

It's been raining here for days and I know the fair sun will soon arrive to dry the crops and feed the pale skinned. Sometimes it's just hard to watch the days travel on without doing much about it. Maybe I should stop looking through National Geographic everyday. I'm sure pictures of faraway places will not help my current condition. 

When the sun returns, I know I'll be pleased as punch, and I'll probably forget I ever complained about this daily commute I'm on. The sun is always the best medicine for my restlessness or my blues.

 

I may be wearing a long face and carrying the "I want to be the person in this national geographic photo" attitude today but I know it wont last long.  There is something big happening for me when June ends, I can't tell you yet, but it's wonderful! 

Now with the rain and all, I thought it'd be fitting to bring out my rainbow on the only sunny day of the week. Dresses like this give us reasons to dream, don't they.....
l



white blouse - value village - $6
glitter wedges - aldo - $50

there's a sale on romwe.com

My darling sponsor Romwe is having a major clearance sale!
Time to stock up for Summer!
(❀◕‿◕❀ )

 


the sunhat and my girl dog,

 

Everyday there are clouds on the roof of our city.  It's as if the sky is wearing a closed window shade. Pebbles are coated with cold rain while arm hairs turn into goosebumps. The weather certainly doesn't match my ambition. I want to make harmonicas out of blades of grass while insects warble like tenors to my orchestra.  (❁◕‿◕❁)

(These pictures were taken before the rain)


As we were taking these photographs, my little diva for a dog wanted to join the party. Her name is Tegan. She is a Pomeranian but I'm convinced her mum bred with a fox. Her bushy golden tail brushes against kneecaps every time someone returns home.   She has a greedy lust for playing fetch,  it's as if a million little "pay attention to me" songs camp in her fur.

She knows the geography of our backyard and below our beds better than anyone else. She'll bark at the sight of the mailman and other passing strangers.  When small birds sigh, she sighs back.  Her tiny black nose is your lead and if you don't follow she'll pounce on your toes like a lion cub.

Sometimes I imagine what might happen to her if she ran away from home. In my mind, there is a moving picture of Tegan and a baby fox wandering the woods together. Hidden below the green boughs, catching glimpses of the sky. Together in search of daisies to sniff and puddles to roll into.
  
I hope Tegan finds a magical moonstone that makes her live forever.
I don't ever want to be without her >.<

 
 

glitter blouse - Romwe - beautiful sponsor
black tutu skirt - forever 21
glitter wedges - aldo - $50
sun hat - value village - $10