over the past week i was blessed with a few surprises that brightened my day: a gorgeous pink paris scarf (currently worn in my hair) from a dear yogini at tranquil space, a snail mail letter from katharine, the book paris chic & trendy from kenya. these goodies warmed my heart and i wanted to share photos of sir louis modeling by them. merci beaucoup for such thoughtful, generous gestures. j'adore snail mail and sweet surprises.

getting into the groove of graduate school has been a full-time transition. from launching the fall TranquiliT collection to starting grad school, it's been an exciting past few weeks. to balance out to-dos, i've been savoring small induglences: last saturday i savored reflexology and a wax, mani, and pedi which felt SO decadent. this saturday is an afternoon of hair coloring and sunday i'm dashing up to new york to check out what's hot for spring 2010. time to start choosing colors (will be sure to post choices as they're ready) and designs.

to help balance my passion for self-care while juggling projects and to-dos, i'm finding the following to be helpful tools:

* go to bed by midnight (sooo hard for me to do)
* get up b/w 8-9 (i could sleep until noon if allowed)
* set priorities. of course i have them all outlined in my planner but now i'm finding i have to highlight (in pink) the top, top priorities. aka deadlines.
* create timelines. have to-dos you've been carrying over for weeks, maybe months? me too! so, i'm trying to set timelines to make them happen or remove them altogether.
* savor a matinee. went to see the september issue and loved it. seeing a movie mid-day is the perfect shake-up.
* send a love token. let someone know you're thinking of them by reading out via e-mail, snail mail, twitter, facebook, or (gasp) in person. only takes a moment and means so much!
* recognize what you have to let go of - clean house, sleeping in, project. this one is the HARDEST. still trying to figure it out but having been playing with "i'm sorry, i can't commit/handle at this time" and it feels empowering.

a BIG thank you for your support during this exciting transition. i hope these tips are helpful as we're moving into a new season that encourages reflection and down time. in the interim, send a snail mail note or surprise to someone who has made you happy along the way. it does a heart good!