One word with Mon of Splendid Willow!

Good morning everyone! Today I am so excited to be here with one of my blogging BFF'S, the girl everyone loves. In continuing my One word series...I am thrilled to present Mon from Splendid Willow. I know many of you know her already, being the oh so  popular blogger that she is. But for those who don't yet..think chic Swedish style to the max, and Mon delivers big time! She is so incredibly sweet, warm, full of energy and enthusiasm, and its felt every time I visit her blog or every time she visits me. Her kindness, generous spirit and friendliness  have won her over with so many and for good reason. 
Besides her popular blog, she has her ever so popular store chock full of amazing, beautiful and unique goodies, many from her native Sweden. And might I add some of her most recent additions are particularly fabulous,as in gorgeous boots that I haven't seen anywhere else  (best part of all). Splendid Willow Avenue is a shop you must visit...with its unique primarily Swedish offerings, something you don't see everywhere. I am so happy to have Mon with me today and loved and enjoyed getting to know more about her. Mon, if its possible...love you even more now. And that book? PLEASE consider it...I would buy it in a heartbeat! Many thanks for coming aboard and to all the readers for stopping in. Without further adieu, here is Mon.....

Mon of Splendid Willow

Hi everyone. What an honor to be here today. I am very fond of Tina (who isn't)and find her to be a remarkable lady. She is so generous, kind and inspirational. Tina is everyone's best friend. We need her in blog land for a long time to come.

One quality I love in people is kindness. If my house could only be furnished in one color it would definitely have to be light gray.

One luxury I cannot live without... is a  high quality pillow to rest my head on. If I had to have one designer decorate my entire house with 0 input from me it would have to be.. the design duo Heiberg & Cummings. (I love them! One of these days I am going to team up with them). NYSD

If I had to choose coffee or tea it would be...

green tea in the am and coffee whenever I  start to nod off! Zen to fitness One place I have been that I would love to go back to...is Italy.And this time with my hubby & kids. One place I am longing to visit is... Cuba. And  I want one of my best friend's, Gunilla, to

 show me around. 

One talent I wish I had is.. being able to play a piano. I think most people would agree I am... loyal, authentic and generous.   If I could change one thing about myself it would be...  My flawed sense of time.  I hate it when I'm running late. One career I could see myself having would be..

working for the FBI.I have good people skills and

 intuition. And I love puzzle solving!

If food is therapy, when stressed...I indulge in anything crunchy! Chips, pickles, carrots, Swedish crisp bread, you name it! One of my favorite brands for clothing is.... Odd Molly Just because it is Swedish and relaxed chic.

If my life were a book, the title would be... "Life with a bit of an odd accent " - A guide for enriching relationships with people across cultures and borders" My favorite flower.... peony. I would love to have coffee and a chat session....with Melinda Gates. A favorite TV show is... 24. And it is coming back  for another season people!

  

Hollywood is..... not for me.Too few have their  life priorities right in that area. I lived in LA for 3 years.  Tuscany or Provence? Tuscany in a heartbeat! The next presidential election will be....fascinating.  The one best thing about blogging is.... the real connections. Many virtual friends have become personal friends of mine - who I chat and have coffee with. That is when blogging started to become real fun and meaningful to me. A guilty pleasure for me is..buying a pair of fancy sunglasses every spring. I admit I splurge! A clothing designer I think that has great style is.. Tom Ford. My strongest quality would have to be..That  I bring the best out of people (I had to ask  Hubby for this one!).

The best restaurant I have ever been to.. I  can't even name! There have been so many. The most memorable ones are often small, local restaurants in foreign countries with great food and  no food and no tourists. (I once went to a local snake restaurant in Taiwan)

Most overrated actor/actress is...I hate to say it, but many of the big name Hollwood stars. (who often play themselves) and they can't act! Gary Oldman is an example of a really fine actor.

If my life were a documentary, I could see this actress playing me... Noomi Rapace. We are  both globe trotters and we both speak Swenglish. One thing I like about my appearance is my green eyes. One thing I can honestly say I love about myself is.... that I am really happy at heart. Town or country? Country when the kids are young. Back to city when the kids have left the nest! One person I admire... My Mother-In-Law, Beverly. (She raised 9 amazing children) Pick a decade to live in, any decade.... Now is good. But quite often I want to go back to my  own childhood when my Mom would say "come  home when it gets dark" and we survived just  fine without cell phones and computers! My favorite room of my house is...our formal living room where we have a great reading chair  by a sunny window. If I were an animal I would be... a red panda. A book I would recommend to everyone would be.... Hanna's Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson.  (A very well written Swedish classic). If I were planning a huge family reunion, this is where I would want to have it....In Stockholm! I would want to fly my friends and famiy over (you too Tina)! and unite with friends and family over there. We did it for a wedding and it was one global love fest!

One thing I wish everyone could be more of: Compassionate.                        In one word life is.... treasurable! Thank you again for inviting me over, Tina. I had fun putting it together and I learned a few new things about myself too! Warm hugs.

How amazing is this girl!! Mon, you delivered in a big way here and I know many agree. I loved what you said about going back to childhood, a time when things were not complicated with cell phones, texts and laptops! (though believe me I also could not live without with any of it) I kind of lost track truth be told about how many things I would have answered identically ....having lunch with Melinda Gates, now that would be fun! Heck yes to peonies, crunchy goodies, but sorry unlike you I do not give equal weight to potato chips and carrots, how I wish I viewed them the same way..lol! 

Fell in love with Gary Oldman as Beethoven in Immortal Beloved, his dark, moody edgy character entranced me and made me a fan for life! Loving light gray right now and soft mushy down pillows is practically my trademark for anyone who knows me really well (and travels with me no matter where I go). And you better believe I will join you for your family love fest in Stockholm! So needless to say I love you even more and I know everyone else will too! To visit Mons beautiful blog, Splendid Willow...click here! Thanks for stopping in and have a  fabulous day.