Saturday, May 15, 2010

My Inspiration

This post was written by me for the Housewife Bliss series on housewife inspiration, published in April of this year.  I thought I’d share it here with you all, in case you didn’t have a chance to read it.  Enjoy..

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Hello you all!  I hope you enjoy the read and are inspired by it...

This picture reminds me of a childhood song that roughly translates: “… a sailboat seals the sky and ocean with a blue kiss…”

Have you ever been to the beach and heard the roaring ocean, saw the seagulls crossing that fantastic Technicolor blue sky, smelled and tasted the seasalt from the foamy spray and felt the tiny bits of sand tickle your ankles? How did that make you feel?


I grew up by the sea. I remember walking to the beach with my family only minutes after the sun had come up. The sand looked amazing… as if tiny bits of gold had been left behind by the receding tide and glittered gleefully as the cool morning sun struck them. It gave me such joy to feel the wet sand creeping up between my toes and hear the wind violently sweeping my hair against my ears…


I moved away from those shores a long time ago. And even though my world is different now I have found joy and inspiration in nature -  EVERYWHERE in nature.  I ended up getting a degree in Biology, because I wanted to "see" nature thru different eyes.  It amazes me that most of us will look at a wildflower and never know how beautiful it is in the molecular level under a microscope.

Photo from The Shiny Pebble

Throughout my home, you will see this adoration for natural things:  seashells, naturally shed feathers and quills, fossils of extinct animals, live plants… fresh herbs. I have surrounded myself with bits and pieces of the natural world. I look at swirly patterns in objects and see a winding nautilus or an unfurling rosebud.  I love granite, slate, woods… and whenever possible, I will pay for natural materials over synthetic.


Even my blog name is derived from Nature's stronghold: The Shiny Pebble.  Most people don't notice the tag line at the very bottom of my blog.  It reads:  "I know not how I may seem to others, but to myself I am but a small child wandering upon the vast shores of knowledge, every now and then finding a small bright pebble to content myself with." - Plato


Gardening has also become part of my daily routine. It calms me down. It re-energizes me.  I would love to share a little project with you.  Herbs are such a fun little luxury and so easy to grow.  You can buy young plants from the hardware store or garden center and pop them in a pot, set them in a sunny spot to enjoy for the whole Summer.  But, they are also very easy to grow form seeds and are a fun project to do with the kids. 

Here is a short tutorial on how to grow herbs from seeds:
Materials List: 
A medium size pot
A bag of Potting Soil
One pack of seeds
Plastic wrap
Spray bottle with clean water
Directions:
Fill pot 4/5 of the way up
Water it thru
Sprinkle seeds on top
Tap them down lightly with your finger tips
Spray the whole surface with water
Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a corner loose to vent
Set it in a shady spot and spray water on it whenever you think it may be drying up. You want the surface of the container to remain moist in order for the seeds to germinate.  So keep an eye on it. After a week, start moving the pot towards the light.  Once the little green leaves start to sprout water it through whenever it needs water.  In a few weeks you will have wonderfully fragrant herbs to use and enjoy around the house.

When I am digging in the dirt and a drop of water touches my face or a light breeze tousels my hair, something misfires in my brain and takes me back to those sweeping winds, foamy sprays and sandy toes.


While the Housewife is making her final preparations for the move back to the States, she will be hosting a series of guest bloggers in the upcoming weeks.  Please tune in.  I will be posting there on June 14th, with an article on Xeriscaping (wish me luck!).

Linking to:  Outdoor Wednesday

17 comments:

Blondie's Journal said...

This is a beautiful post. You have perfectly described exactly how I feel when I am near the ocean. You have a wonderful way with words.

Thanks for the info on growing herbs. I love a window sill garden!!

Have a lovely weekend!

xoxo
Jane

Jen said...

Hey Sweetie! Thanks for the reminder! I almost forgot about the herbs that I was going to grow this season! I've never grown any before but since I'm doing more cooking and trying new receipes I thought the fresh herbs would be a great idea!

Karena said...

Catherine, how lovely. You are so intuitive!

Giveaway by Beth Cosner Design is up on my site....come visit!

Karena
Art by Karena

Marija said...

This is a beautiful post, Catherine. Easily one of my favorites. And that's saying a lot because you put out some consistently good content.


xo
Marija

Anonymous said...

What a lovely post. I have the same love of the sea and constantly dream of living on one one day. :)

Unknown said...

I could get lost in those photos! I'm so jealous that you lived by the beach. Beautiful post!

Cathy~Mille Fleur said...

Definitely check out Fredericksburg...we love it! We are ven going this weekend for our anniversary! We had a place there for a while and are looking for something else.

I have never been to Suefside...isn't that sad. We lived in Ca. for along time and we go back every July...my kids think that Texas doesn't have beaches...they are so spoiled to Cali. I have been wanting to try it...do you have any suggestions on places to stay and see?

Your post is beautiful...I love the collage with all of the natural beauties you collect! I have a small collection of turtle shells hanging on the wall in my livimg room...I love them too!

Thanks for your sweet visit earlier. Have a wonderful evening!
Cathy

Anonymous said...

It's a beautiful post! I want to go to the beach now so badly.. sadly there's no beach in my city..

xxx
- Laura

Unknown said...

This was great! I am always drawn to the sea as well.

The Buzz Blog said...

What a wonderful way to start the week - dreaming of the beach and sand between the toes. I love coming back from a day by the sea, my skin glowing with sun and dappled with dried salt water.

Unknown said...

Such an inspirational post, with gorgeous photos to match. I love the beach so much, we live only 50 miles from the Atlantic, just don't visit it often enough.

Silvia C said...

What a lovely post. That's also how I feel when I am near the ocean. We lived in the California beaches a few years ago. I sure miss the sound of the waves, the seagulls, and all those things you reminded me of with the beautiful, inspired post.

Emily A. Clark said...

Hi, Thanks so much for visiting my blog. Glad to have found yours now, as well :)

Will go back and look at the designer challenge posts. Sounds fun!

Pemberley said...

Love the sea. What is it about the sound of waves? Very nice post.

Anonymous said...

Hello Beautiful,
I've given you two blog awards, so run over and check my site! Cheers!

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

What a beautiful and descriptive post. I could feel all the things you were writing about. You connected so well to me through your words.
PLease show some of your wonderful natural elements that are in your home!
Yvonne

Ms. Bake-it said...

Great post and pictures. I love the ocean and go as often as I can.

~ Tracy

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