Inspiration

Inspiration vs Influence.. is there a difference?

I've come across these two words alot recently.

Inspiration is claimed to be a stimulation or arousal of the mind or feelings to something special..
Influence, the capacity or power of persons or things that give a compelling force to produce effects from others actions...

I would like to believe that I am inspired by others rather than influenced. However this requires great strength and awareness from you to allow others to inspire you, rather than let them lead you.
I hope that I am pretty aware enough to know what is good and bad for me, but often we can get knocked off the track and others who truly love you and know you, will only hope to guide you and support you back on your own track, rather than stear you down the path they learnt from.
You can't put an old head on young shoulders.. as I'm told.

I realise I am most influenced in life by women. Strong and independent women. Those that know who they are, and know their best assets and what their purpose is in life. 

I think and hope behind every great woman, there is a man with acceptance. A man who provides love and support, and who lets his wife shine for who she is.

I believe this is how a true relationship is. Acceptance and support, love and giving, and room for each other to be who they are and room for each other to become who they are.

I think there are key points in life when you need to stop, look around and assess where you are, and how you got there. And ask if you are on your track?

I can remember certain significant points in my life very clearly.. the day I left for University, the early morning I left for Lisbon, the moments I realised I was in love with someone.. and the days when I knew what I wanted to aim for in life, and the places and times when I really felt completely myself.

I hope in life I remember these things, and am able to keep strong in myself to follow who I am, and believe that if you are true to yourself, then everything else will hopefully follow.

And continue to be inspired and learn!

Be strong, believe and live for who we are..

 Happy 2012!

xx

Sweet Love

I have been thinking about this post for a long time.
I don't always imagine the title of my writing beforehand, but this one I knew. With my heart.

After a hard month making decisions and spending my emotions, I was ready to smile at others and wish love and happiness to those close to me.

The perfect beginning for me, and for her, was my close friends wedding. With our names embroidered into her dress and our hearts glowing for her, we prepared her for her journey into the world, joining together her sweet love to that of her even sweetest husband.

The wedding was everything that she is, that they are... Sweet, beautiful, kind and happy. As we toasted our glasses overlooking the river Tejo, and smiled to our close friends over the candle lit dinner, I smiled and knew my heart was open for love and happiness, and contentment again.

Love has so many different forms, and is most beautiful when we just let it happen. There are no boundaries, no limits, no right or wrong. Our hearts are here to keep us alive, to open and give ourselves to others and to share and hold others within it.

These past few weeks, I have met love on many different levels. The love and strength of those who move away together to begin a new journey. The love of a parent, who's heart breaks when we leave, but who know that a part of their heart is always within us. The love of one's work and commitment in reaching their dream. The love we share and give to our friends, who build us and help guide us in life. The love we share and gain from our teacher, who shows us the way and helps us be who we are destined to be. And the love of those who we choose to give our hearts to, who lives we inter-twine with our own.

Love has no limits and one type is no more precious than another. Every one of them makes us who we are.

This week we have been taught to open our hearts to love. To accept ourselves and others and give our love and emotions to them.
Love is strong and takes us for many rides. We can not hinder it but neither should we hard upon it. Love should be true and honest.

*

Tonight we will give our hearts to a very special ceremony. Many of my loves will be there in that room, and my heart can barely settle in the preparations.

Our love is unique, special to each one of us. What my heart beats for will be different to another's. But listening to it and allowing it's rhythm to guide us, will lead us to where we should be.

***

The sweetness of Love

Winning Hearts

A beautiful spring photo from Cannelle Vanille
(All copyrights to Cannelle Vanille blog)

It's Easter.

It's an excuse to eat chocolate, well more chocolate than usual.

It's spring, and here we have cherry Blossoms and their cotton slowly drifting in the spring air around our work place.

It's the holiday, like Christmas where it's completely excepted and alittle strange if you don't, to eat chocolate as your breakfast or alongside it with a good cup of tea.

And of course its the time of year for mini eggs. Huh?? Mini eggs are delicious, moreish, chocolate shaped little eggs in a crispy sugary coating. They are everywhere in England now.

My favourite word I heard the other day describes them perfectly... nom.
As in nom, nom, nom.. oh no I've just finished another bag!

***
Easter and chocolate, led me to bake the perfect chocolate treat last weekend. It is the perfect chocolate cake if your looking for deep, sillky smooth, truffely softness of chocolate melting slowly in your mouth with each spoonful.

This cake is amazing.
And of course it is by Molly, everyones much loved friend from Orangette.

Christmas Cookies and Chocolate

I think most people are out there now, baking cookies.

And I am about the join the list, in a few days that is. Sorry for the suspension.

I am still researching which to make, but I think I've found the ones that promise to be THE best, the most amazing and seriously worthy of World domination...

The World Peace Cookie.

As previously written about here (great blog I recently discovered, love that!) and here (one of my favourite go to recipe people).

I am just dying to make them.

Sneak preview...

All copyright to CafeFernando

I am also waiting for those days when all you want is chocolate.
To eat it, devour it, bathe in it...

You know those days.

Because until I feel like that, I think baking these cookies and not thoroughly wanting to wolf down the whole rack is abit of a waste.

You see, I'm not an 'eat chocolate everyday' sort of girl. I prefer to wait till that feeling 'must eat chocolate now' comes on and when it's all I want. And eat ridiculously large amounts of it.

Have I just admitted I am one of the worst kind... A binger?

Which I did with these. The first time I baked them, I resisted eating any as I was making them to take to a friends get together. Silly me... I should of tried their gorgeousness there and then, and saved a good lot to keep at home. Bad me.

And since then, I get requests to make these and get pleads for the recipe by anyone who tries them.

So these World Peace things have got ALOT to live up to.

***

I'll be back in a few days with the report. And in the mean time, if there are any other cookie recipes you think are worth giving a try this time of year, please let me know.

I am still drooling over a recipe for Stollen that I just read here...

All in the name of research and Christmas, hard life!

Wedding Love

Last weekend i went to the wedding of a very special friend of mine.

The place was beautiful, a chic, nature inspired hotel by the beach, in the mid-north of Portugal, Santa Cruz.