The French 75 Journal

cotton candy-colored clouds in lucca ornate entry in lucca view from the pool our villa opera-bound {sans patricia who was getting a massage} art journaling playtime pensive in cinque terre    views of cinque terre accidentally photobombed tim’s pic snapping the above image sweet selfie more colorful cinque terre ornate tranquility near the top of […]

Week 41: Create Ah, the elusive practice of creating. Until early adulthood I believed only a few were blessed with the creative gene and it had clearly passed me by. Art class was as awkward for me as gym class and I couldn’t help but notice that my painted birds, rainbows, or landscapes never looked […]

The Last Pig Part 2 with Bob Comis. Hear his journey from pig farmer to vegetable grower and the challenges that came with the transition. Learn the truth about “humane” meat and slaughter and what he means when he says “it’s about emotions, not logic.” Direct download: Tranquility du Jour #350: The Last Pig, Part II   […]

  Locally-sewn in artisanal small batches, TranquiliT’s fall collection has launched in four new colors {midnight, teal, rose, slate} and four new designs {2in1 crop top, turtleneck, mini flare skirt, and wrap jumpsuit}. Here’s to layers, beanies, scarves, tights, and tall boots!

  Week 40: Volunteer After filling my plate with formerly frozen pieces of cut fruit and mini pastries, I took my seat in a windowless conference room at Washington Hospice. I was honoring the three-year anniversary of my Gramma’s death by going through a two-day volunteer training to work with people during their final days […]

Swing sets lure me like a moth to a flame Nature’s canvas Powell’s books makes me swoon A worthy motto Tea time with a former Tranquil Space teacher   Thursday afternoon I dropped sweet anxiety-ridden Mookie at daycare, hopped in an Uber, and headed to the airport en route to Portland. Many hours and time […]

Week 39: Budget Spend less than you make. While this is the basic premise of budgeting, it gets more complex. This image is a peek at the budget page forthcoming in the new Tranquility du Jour Daybook {launching next month}. For those of us who still love and use paper, it’s a simple balance sheet for regular […]

Saturday night I settled into the pew with a few Tranquil Space teachers in great anticipation for Elizabeth Gilbert’s talk. Since devouring Eat, Pray, Love before it was a hit and hearing her TED Talk on creativity, I’ve been a fan. She spent the majority of the event reading from her new book, Big Magic, […]

Bonjour. Welcome to the 349th edition of Tranquility du Jour: Filming The Last Pig with Allison Argo. Hear her non-traditional and award-winning filmmaking journey, path to creating The Last Pig film, and touching tales from working on this project. Direct download: Tranquility du Jour #349: The Last Pig, Part 1   Featured Guest: Allison Argo’s […]

yay yellow mums + wooden clogs parfum fulfillment ready to go to its new home   mookie at the vetmookie post-retreat in the woods   contents of my writing desk in the woodswriting desk in the woods slow start to recent morning with pug, journal + cuppa tea Week{s} in Review Packed up living space into […]

Week 38: Entertain Light candles. Display flowers. Create a libation station of wine, tea, and water with mint sprigs. Set out finger-friendly hors d’oeuvres on silver platters with doilies. Dim the lights. Remove pet hair from everywhere. This is my basic day-of entertaining checklist and what runs through my head continually before greeting the first […]