I woke this morning to snow falling quietly outside my windows.  The children are still sleeping, and with my hot coffee in my hand, it gave me a moment to ponder the peacefulness.  The snow fall has muted the cars that are passing my home on their morning commute, and there is a type of magic in the air.  The magic that comes from nature doing her best to remind us that she's still here.

Yes, I cringe when I see the white stuff falling, knowing that in a very short time, I will be piling on layers of clothing and thick boots, to go out and make a path from the door to the cars.  After that comes the fight to get out of the drive way, the sliding onto the road, and the careful turns and stops to keep from meeting other drivers on the road in an unpleasant manner.  I know that the plows will be by shortly and push all the snow off of the road, and into the little dip at the end of my driveway, effectively creating a dam that my car will need to barrel through.

I know I will be cold and somewhat miserable, and that there is a very good chance that my children will come home from school today damp and carrying a cold.

But, despite all that, right now, in this moment, there is peace.  As each flake falls, effectively covering the world in an icy blanket, there is the promise of beauty.  Beauty that has not been marred by the footprints of men, or yellow snow, or dirty trucks.  Beauty that signals a new start, fresh from all expectations.  Beauty and quiet;  quiet and peace.

So as we go out today, try to capture just a second of the tranquility of that very moment.  It may not be staring out the window at fresh snow with a hot cup of coffee.  You may be looking at the sun peaking over the mountains, the ocean, or even the beauty of the desert.  Just remember to take a moment for you to breath it in before your day begins and feel the magic of the moment.  Enjoy.

I was scrolling through the latest fashion trends for 2012, and have to say that for the most part, I am sadly disappointed. More skin, less function.  What a sad spring.  [Although I will not give specific names of designers, as I expect you will decide for yourself if you like them or not, I think that someone should graduate from Fashion design and go against the grain.]  For photos and specific designers, go to http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/010912_Trend_Report/

 Ladies, if you don't have great abs, skip spring trends all together.  The Crop Top is making a comeback. The idea is to show everything from right below the bra line to just above your belly button.  If you live in cold climates like I do, the designers have come up with some very bizarre over coats to cover your bare stomach.

 Sports gear is now being worn as everyday wear, or at least, that's what I could tell from the items on the runway.  No one would actually be able to workout in the sports wear that the major designers have come up with this season.

And they say that the 20's are coming back, which, in my opinion, was the only line that had the most tasteful clothing.  However, many of these ideas were evening gowns, and truly, how many people go to black tie events?

Colors are turning from the loud and blaring to pastels again. Does anyone actually look good in pastel?  On second thought, some of the pastel designs are quite pretty.  Score 1/2 for the designers.

The last trend for this season is an underwater theme.  Many clothes will have the colors found in the ocean, and the cuts of the clothes will be very flowing.  Again, nothing coming off of the runway seems to be practical in any way.

Why is it that all of the clothes that come off of a runway have to be strange and lacking in coverage?  Who are these people designing for?  Not the general public.  I admit, I am usually the one who lives in blue jeans and a sweat shirt, however, I have a 12 year old daughter, and I truly wish that the designers would think about the people that are going to be affected by these designs.