House of 305 – GerMichael Cole

Afternoon Tea ☕

Allowing space to sit in introspection with gratitude. 😊

When I first moved into my apartment, I had a certain specific image for my home. While I was appreciating my progress, I felt like my original vision was not coming together as I planned.

One day I had to come to the place in me, that my place is perfect right now, just as it is. Once I was able to accept that, I started seeing my home come together on its on, and guess what? I’m loving it! It’s nothing I would have ever imagined for myself. I’m so grateful for following my instincts in the moment, even though it didn’t make sense at the time, but to see it all come together is so magical. 💜💫

But you know what? By me being able to see this about my home, it has allowed me to see how I look at me, myself. I’m perfect already right now, just as I am. And I’m continually evolving. So learning to love and appreciate the person I am through each process of life. It’s such a beautiful place of liberty and freedom. 🔵

Hope you’re having an amazing Saturday! 🌻
Love you! 🤎😘

September 12, 2020August 23, 2022 by GerMichael Cole Categories: House of 305, LifestyleTags: at home, autumn, calluna heather, decor, fall, fall vibes, home, home & garden, home decor, home design, horticulture, House of 3o5, hydrangea, interior design, Lifestyle, living room, mid century, mid century modern, minimalist, modern, monstera, orrgano, perspective, Plant Boy Joy, plants, white pumpkin Leave a comment

It’s just about that time again! 🍂

While I love all the seasons, Autumn is my second favorite. Of course Summer is my first love – I’m a Summer baby! 😁

This year I’m even more excited to be able to incorporate more Autumn themes around the house. One thing I enjoy is not only being a plant dad, but also being able to bring seasonal elements into the home in the sense of live decor.

Can’t wait to share some of themes and visions I’m cooking up this year. 🤩

Happy Autumn prepping! 🧡🧡

September 12, 2020August 23, 2022 by GerMichael Cole Categories: House of 305, LifestyleTags: autumn, calluna heather, decor, fall, fall decor, fall vibes, home & garden, home decor, House of 3o5, hydrangea, monstera, Plant Boy Joy, plants, seasonal decor, trader joe's, white pumpkin Leave a comment

A Guided Morning Meditation

Inhale deeply… and exhale slowly.

Breathe in… and out.

Breathe in again, breathing in energy… and exhale.

Keep breathing deeply, slowly, and calmly.
With each breath, you can take in the air your body needs, and become filled with energy. You can exhale any tension or fatigue you may be experiencing.

For the next few moments, focus on your breath, and concentrate on breathing energy and positive feelings in, and breathing negative feelings out and away.

_ _ _

Often times we get so busy so, we’re continuously giving from an empty well or fountain.

It’s impossible to give your best during the day when you have not taken the proper time to refill your well.

A simple 7 minute meditation exercise each morning when you awaken can fill you in so many ways.

Meditation will show you that busyness does not always mean productivity. In fact, stillness is productivity on a whole other level.
Allow yourself to be guided throughout your day.

Sending you love, light, healing, blessings & abundance. 💙🌞🌻

September 10, 2020August 23, 2022 by GerMichael Cole Categories: House of 305, LifestyleTags: breathe, escheveria, haworthiopsis, Himalayan salt lamp, home, home & garden, home decor, home design, horticulture, House of 3o5, Meditation, molded wax agave, mood, Plant Boy Joy, plants, succulents, vibes, zebra plant, zen Leave a comment

You are Love. 🤍

Allow that to sink in. You are love. No need in looking for it or trying to find it in anything or anyone else. It’s an inside job.

Everything is an inside job. Your life is an exact replica of what’s going on inside of you. How you love yourself, how you treat your own self, how you think of yourself, how you feel about yourself, how integral you are to yourself, and the boundaries you set for yourself reflects in the external relationships you have with others and how others deal with and treat you.

Love on yourself, and see just how magical your life can truly be.
GerMichael M. Cole

September 10, 2020August 23, 2022 by GerMichael Cole Categories: House of 305, LifestyleTags: home decor, horticulture, House of 3o5, house plants, hydrangea, Life, Love, Plant Boy Joy, plant dad, plant daddy, plant lover, plants Leave a comment

It’s My Anniversary!!! 🤴🏾🌿💚

Eleven years ago today, August 31st, 2009 I packed two weeks worth of clothes & I moved to New York.

In 2008 I visited for the first time and I knew immediately in my heart that this is where I’m supposed to be. A little over a year later a made that plunge. I stayed with an aunt in Long Island for about six months, then my grandfather passed, and I used all the money I had to get back to Michigan. I had no money to get back to NY, so my youngest brother paid my way back to NY, but I still didn’t have enough to get back to Long Island. After being in Long Island for those six months I knew I didn’t want to go back there. I moved to NY to be in NYC. So I decided to check myself into a shelter.

While in the shelter I had a caseworker whose office was full of plants. I asked my caseworker for a stem of a plant. He gave me a stem of a pothos plant. That was in 2010. I got my first very own NYC apartment in October of 2010.

Not realizing it until just recently, but my pothos has been with me my whole NYC journey. We have been through a lot of things together, but we grew, and grew, and kept growing. Here it is ten years later, and eleven years all together I’ve grown one single stem into ten plants. 💚😁

I’m so grateful for the journey! It’s truly been an amazing one! 💙

Here’s to the next 10 years! 🥂

August 31, 2020August 23, 2022 by GerMichael Cole Categories: House of 305, LifestyleTags: anniversary, black men with gardens, black people with plants, boys and girls with plants, boys with plants, horticulture, House of 3o5, house plants, new york, new york city, nyc, Plant Boy Joy, plant dad, plant daddy, plants, plants brings me joy, plants make people happy, pothos, pothos plants Leave a comment

Morning Bliss! 💙

May your day be filled with love, peace, joy & serenity. 🤍

May you experience divine connections, alignments, serendipity & synchronicity. 💜

May you be guided, protected & shielded by the Universe, your Guardian Angels, Spirit Guides, Ascended Masters & Ancestors. 🖤

May you receive & accept love, light, healing, clarity & abundance throughout your day.

Namaste. 💙
GerMichael M. Cole

August 27, 2020August 23, 2022 by GerMichael Cole Categories: House of 305, LifestyleTags: affirmations, bedroom, hgtv, home, home & garden, home decor, home design, horticulture, House of 3o5, house plants, indoor plants, Lifestyle, mantra, mood, Plant Boy Joy, plants, plants brings me joy, plants make my happy Leave a comment

My Joy!

2020 has been an amazing year for me. This year, July 25th I turned 40 years old! I’m just so proud of me. I knew that I would finally get here, to a place of love and freedom. I’m so proud of all the hard work that I’ve done to become the best version of me. I now fully understand that I am perfect just the way that I am, and I’ve always been. I no longer seek for attention, to be validated, accepted, approved or affirmed. Why? Because I’ve learned how to give my own self those things, and it feels so so so good! There is such a liberty there. I’m proud of my skin, my body – me! I love every bit of me. None of that was the case before though, but I’m here now b*tches! Naw, but I’m very very happy. Life is and has been amazing to me. Trust me, there is a back story to all of this, but right now I’m appreciating where I am currently. I’ll be bring you up to speed in other entries, okay?

Well, I love you! Have the most amazing day!!!

Oh, and get into my Mottled Spurge!

August 25, 2020August 23, 2022 by GerMichael Cole Categories: House of 305, LifestyleTags: black, black men, boy, energy, freedom, fun, GerMichael Cole, happiness, happy, horticulture, House of 3o5, house plants, indoor plants, joy, Life, Love, male, mottled spurge, plant, Plant Boy Joy, plants, tropical plants Leave a comment

Swiss Cheese Monstera

The leaves of the swiss cheese plant are large and heart-shaped and develop slits as they grow. These slits function in nature to help the plant survive gusty winds and heavy downpours in its native rain forest environment. The swiss cheese plant has aerial roots that support the growth of this plant up to 10 feet and hang from the stem.

Swiss cheese plants require full shade, and soil that is chalky, loam, clay, sand; well drained; slightly acidic, neutral, slightly alkaline. It has average water needs. Watering should be done each week or when the top 3 cm of soil has dried out. Water thoroughly until the soil is saturated and excess water is fully drained from the drain hole.

A Monstera! Smh…, listen there are two plants in particular that gets me all in a frenzy; a good frenzy too, and that is a Fiddle Leaf Fig and a Monstera. Let me tell you. So when I saw this little baby swiss cheese plant I was too through. Baaby! It hasn’t developed its slits yet, so that’s why I felt I had to have this one. I want to see it grow into the mighty Monstera it will be. So this won’t be the last time you see her. And oh, her name is Her Royal Highness!

August 25, 2020August 23, 2022 by GerMichael Cole Categories: House of 305, LifestyleTags: GerMichael Cole, green thumb, her, highness, horticulture, House of 3o5, house plants, indoor plants, monstera, monstera plant, Plant Boy Joy, plant daddy, plant lovers, plants, royal, swiss cheese plant, tropical plants Leave a comment

Tree Aeonium

Tree aeonium (aeonium arboreum), also known as Irish Rose or Houseleek Tree, is a succulent dwarf shrub, up to 2 meters high, endemic to the western Canary Islands. It grows on weathered volcanic soil in full sun or partial shade. Tree aeonium can also be grown in a glasshouse. There are several attractive cultivars such as the purple ‘Zwartkop’ and variegated ‘variegatum’. Yellow flowers appear in the spring.

They prefer full sunlight, sand, loam; well drained; slightly acidic, neutral, slightly alkaline soil. They are drought-tolerant. Allow soil to dry between waterings. Water thoroughly until the soil is saturated and excess water is fully drained from the drain hole.

When I first got a Tree Aeonium, I felt that it would be very easy because duh, it’s a succulent, but that wasn’t necessarily true – at first. Through many of the leaves falling off, and moving it to another space in my home I was able to figure it out and it’s doing fairly well. It’s actually grown about a half inch. So I’m a very proud plant daddy!