My Paris Trip: The Musee Rodin

I've been so busy here as of late, I'd completely forgotten about sharing pictures from my Paris trip in March.  On this adventure out, Deirdre and I visited the Musee Rodin.  It was absolutely incredible!  I loved the gardens with all of the statues.  My only wish is that the garden would have been greener and in bloom.  It was cold and gray, but that didn't damper my day at all.  The Musee Rodin is by far one of my favorite museums.  One of the reasons is because you can actually get through the museum and see everything.  Auguste Rodin was truly a master.  Although, there was some controversy surrounding not only his works, but his personal life...hmmm.  Isn't that always the way it goes?  Anyhoo...

 

The Gates of Hell.

 

Up close view of the Gates of Hell.

 

Statues of The Slaves in the garden.

 

The backside of the museum.

 

A closer view of the backside of the museum.

 

One of very few bronze female statues.

 

 Another wonderful bronze statue in the garden.

 

My personal favorite, "The Thinker"!  I can so relate to him.  You know there are different schools of thought on what he is thinking.  He also sits high and center on the Gates of Hell!  Scroll back up and take a look.  I found this very interesting.

 

The front entrance to the museum.

 

The grand foyer.

 

 The stair railing is exquisite, not to mention the marble and the chandelier!

 

This statue is found in the garden across from the Gates of Hell also.

 

 Another beautiful bronze female statue.

 

 The details of the statues in bronze and marble are phenomenal!

 

On this particular day there were children going from room to room sketching and working in textbooks.  I thought this was totally amazing!  I loved how immersed they were in their visit to the museum.  I'm sure it is a way of life for them, as you can see their pride and patriotism! 

 

The Hands have always been very moving and romantic to me.

I wanted to take pictures of the marble statues, but cameras weren't allowed.  Absolutely stunning, they were!

 

 

Make it AMAZING!

Rhonda

 

*Quote



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My Countdown to Paris has Begun!

Wow!  What else can I say, but WOW!  Last year was a fantastic year for me!  Not all of it smelled like roses; but does it ever?  Anyhoo, it was just a year where Rhonda E. Peterson experienced tremendous growth and incredible awakenings.  Now, here it is barely two months into 2013, and I am already realizing dreams and goals that are taking my breath away.  One such goal is my trip to Paris next month!  I am finally beginning to get very excited about going!  As I was browsing through my Pinterest boards searching for images, I became totally giddy with excitement, so please excuse me if I just show pictures of places, architecture, and elements that will cause my heart to skip a beat everyday that I am there!

 

 Paris vista

 

 Eiffel Tower

 

 Champs-Elysees

 

 Musee de Louvre

 

 Paris Pont (Bridge)

 

Montmartre

 

 Palais Garnier (Opera Garnier)

 

 Cathedral of Notre Dame

 

The Gardens at the Palace of Versailles

 

The River Seine

 

 Pont Neuf (Paris' oldest bridge)

 

 Le Procope (Paris' oldest cafe)

 

Parisian residence (Art Deco at it's finest)

 

I can totally see myself standing here wanting to split myself into, so that I can see it all!

 

The best part of all is that I get to share this experience with a person that has truly supported my dreams, goals, aspirations, and all those things that make us who we are at the core of our being.  Those types of friends are so rare, and I'm so glad Deirdre is mine!

 

 

Make it AMAZING!

Rhonda

 

*All images via my Pinterest boards



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Monday's Office + One More

A light and airy space does wonders for the creative mind!  My favorite elements of this office are the etagere's, the glass desktop supported by two medium-sized pedestals, and the lighting fixture.  I also really like the selection of colors with the very soft blue/gray and punch of salmon pink.  This office is a great balance of color, light, and textures.  I would imagine I could get a great deal done in this space and when I need a break, all I would need to do is sit back in that comfy chair, look around at the soft muted colors, and let my mind take it all in until inspiration finds me once again!

 

 

It was such a beautiful day Sunday, so we headed to the basketball court to shoot some hoops with Noah!  I haven't shot around in a long time and was fully expecting to be quite sore this morning!  Surprise, surprise!  I was NOT!  Hmmm, I must not be in as bad a shape as I thought!  We didn't play full court or anything, but anyone who's even played half court can tell you with the rigors of defense, starting, stopping, running, jumping, and shooting; basketball in any form can be a bit exhausting!

 

 

 

To cool off we took a walk on one of the trails just beyond the courts.  It was really nice and cool walking in between the trees.  We were all a little disappointed in not seeing any deer or wild turkey.  The turkeys, I can understand, as it is getting a little too close too Thanksgiving!

 

 

Gillian getting in a little one on one time with Dad.  No, I didn't let her dye her hair blue and purple!  She has blue and purple hair mixed in with her braids.  Hey, I try to let her express herself when it comes to hair and clothing!  Some things I'm just not ready for and it is a definite NO, but other things, I'm pretty okay with!  My mom trained me well.  Pick your battles and be very watchful!

 

 

It's Noah's time for a chat with Dad.  I'm sure there wasn't much talking going on.  I don't know, guys just seem to be able to communicate through their silence!  It's kinda weird, almost like mental telepathy or something? 

 

 

Make it AMAZING!

Rhonda

 

*Image



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A DIY Project: Pickle Jars, Burlap, and Twigs

Okay, so last weekend the kids and I began our Fall decorating.  I've been saving pickle and olive jars for the last few weeks to use for school projects (there's always something going on), arts and crafts, and just basic organization of crayons, markers, yada, yada, yada.  Anyhoo, I thought maybe I would just place tealights and votives in the jars and randomly scatter them around the house; mainly in the foyer, hallway, and loft. 

 

 

I'd remembered I had some burlap left over from a table covering that I'd made a while back and decided I would use it to cover the jars.  I didn't want to use glue because I may want to reuse the fabric for something else and I only had a little bit of double stick tape; so my mind went to the spools and spools of ribbon that I've accummulated over the years.  But then I thought to myself; no, no, no use the Hermes or Louis Vuitton ribbon that you have.  Hermes looked better as the LV ribbon was much too wide.

 

 

I already had birch twigs from years ago that I purchased at Pottery Barn for little to nothing at the end of the season.  Always the best time to buy!  Whenever we're in Little Rock during the Fall and Winter, the kids and I go out into my parents yard and load up on pine cones, acorns, fallen leaves, and branches.  The center canister is just the glass from one of my hurricanes.  I placed a simple pillar candle inside and when it is lit, it has the coolest glow!  Needless to say, it is lit every evening.

 

 

The leaf garland is from Hobby Lobby.  Again, on sale!  I know some of you would rather make your own garland from real natural elements, but obviously not me!  I don't particularly care for silk flowers, but they do have their uses.  Real florals and botanicals are ALWAYS best!  They can be pretty costly if you're changing them out frequently, but so are some silks! 

 

The decorating will continue this weekend as well!  I know that sometimes the idea of decorating can seem a bit too much and can kinda be a little overwhelming, but do a little bit at a time and maybe keep them contained to a particular area.  This will make clean up go much quicker and easier!

 

*I used the Pixlromatic app for these images. I enjoy using this app because it has several filters and frames that you can use to enhance your photos. Image 1: Greg filter with the Clean frame.

Image 2: Samantha filter with the Rustic frame. Image 3: Hagrid filter with the Dirt frame.

 

Make it AMAZING!

Rhonda

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Happy October!

Wow!  Today is the first day of October!  I love this month!  The Fall season begins officially for me in October!  I cannot wait to see what this month holds.  Let's kick it off with a few pics to get us all in the mood for what I know is going to be an amazing month...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make it AMAZING!

Rhonda

 

*Images

 

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Color Inspiration: Black, Gray, Orange...

My apologies for posting late today.  I am a bit overwhelmed by opportunity (as a very good friend of mine would say)!  Therefore, this posting will be brief and without it's usual story.  I'm not quite sure how I happened upon this topic, but oh my gosh, how lovely are these colors!  Fall is my most favorite season and living in an area where I am able to see the changes in the landscape, and appreciate all that it is is an incredible delight.  Have you ever driven down a tree-lined street and found yourself held hostage by the beauty of the warm, glowing, and sometimes moodiness of the colors?  Do you pause for a moment to really take in how humbling a sunrise or sunset can be?  Perfection, pure perfection.  Hmmm, maybe it's just me and maybe you need to...just maybe!

 

 

 

 

 

The source of my color inspiration.  Isn't it breathtaking!  How can one not appreciate the beauty and magnificence of all that the eyes are able to see?  It is a blessing; one not to be taken lightly, and one that needs to be acknowledged and enjoyed every second of every day!

 

 

 

Make it AMAZING!

Rhonda

 

*Images via Tumblr



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