the happy living Blog

Apartment Therapy Fall Home Cure

I have been wanting to say something about what has been happening with the financial markets but just haven't had my head together enough to put anything down on paper (or on the screen).  But I received a great email from AT today and Maxwell said what I have been feeling and probably said it more eloquently too!

"While the daily financial news couldn't be more dramatic (is someone writing this stuff?), and here in NYC there is a palpable sense of disbelief in the air, I have no doubt that the fall out from this crisis will touch every one of us in some way.

But, unlike many, I think this may be a good thing.

I believe that we're being handed a tremendous opportunity to refocus and rise to a new challenge, for as horrified as folks may be, there is no one in the financial business that I know who is surprised. These problems have been coming down the road for a while now and, if nothing else, it's a clear signal that it's time to change our style.

At AT, we've long believed in the value and gratification of getting your house in order, living with quality (versus quantity) and creating a home that supports you in all of your roles: professional, personal, spiritual. Now, then, is the time to slow down, work off debt, de-clutter, simplify and pare down to those things that are most important.

It's a time to focus on happiness and spend more time at home." - Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan

See the original email here.  And join in on the AT Fall Home Cure.

My own $.02:  I truly believe that our consumer (and sometimes greedy) culture has begun to catch up with us.  We can blame Bush, or the Republicans or the Democrats or Wall Street or the Banking industry.  Or we can each take responsibility for ourselves and how we live and how the way we live contributes to our community as a whole.  We need to take another look, reevaluate, and why shouldn't that start at home?

peace.

silver linings

Read Brene Brown's post about her experiences with good bad ole' Ike.

"Silver Lining: Doing one thing at a time rocks. Going slow is wonderful. Saying no makes my heart sing."

happy comes from inside

I think happy living at home means building our homes as a reflection of who we are rather then letting our homes and everything that is in them define us.  Do we not let enough stuff around us define us already?  Why add our homes to the mix? 

A friend mentioned to me about not letting a person in her life define who she is.  And I started really thinking about that.  As independent as I may feel at times, I still think of myself in the context of my surroundings including the people in my life, my house, my car, my job or career, the places I go.  But when it comes down to it are we not better served by going back to the basics?  Should we not define ourselves first simply as women or men (and all the complexities that come with that!), part of mankind, creative and emotional beings.  Then we add the layer of the roles that we take on as wife or husband, mother or father, daughter or son, friend, companion.  Even within those roles I think one can lose oneself and let the other person's perception of who we are define us instead of making those decisions for ourselves.  That is an important struggle though.  We should not however struggle with advertising or TV or celebrities or bloggers for that matter who tells us what we should be or buy or what kinds of things we should have in our homes.  That is not worth our time. 

This is all a bit further into 'sociology' than I wanted to go and I think there are more qualified people out there who could shed more light into it than I.  I find that life in general gets more full everyday and every year.  In that vein it is hard for me to ignore the impact that my home has on that fullness and how I can pare down and live more authentically.  The biggest compliment that anyone has ever given me about my home is that they feel comfortable in it and enjoy being there.  If I judge my home based on that, I AM FINISHED, am I not?  What more could I do to it?  Will another coat of paint perfect it?  If I removed the blah taupe carpet and outdated wallpaper border in my dining room would it make it more comfortable?  Maybe, maybe not.  I think the people in my life would feel the same about me as a person regardless of how my dining room is decorated.

I am a designer at heart in every way.  I will never stop appreciating great design and beautiful things (and sharing them with you!), but I hope that I can more often look at it all for the beauty of the creativity behind it.  I will never stop decorating my home but I hope that I can look at it more as a continual process of reflecting myself onto it and not the other way around.  It could all go up in flames in an instant.  I would not want to stand in front of a pile of ashes thinking that everything that defined me is a pile of smoke and ash.

entertaining simple by Matthew Mead

"...recipes, menus, and party ideas for every kind of gathering."

I truly enjoy everything that Matthew Meadproduces.  He is one of the main reasons that I initially subscribed to Country Home magazine (he is a style editor there).

Entertaining Simple is his new book and I love it.  The styling and photographs (by Quentin Bacon) are gorgeous.  But even more so I identify with his message, that entertaining should be fun and should be about spending time with the people we care about and not slaving away in the kitchen for hours planning elaborate and overwhelming dinner parties. 

He suggests creating a simple pantry of white dishes and clear glassware that can be used for any occasions, either dressed up or down, storing everything in easy to see and reach places because you'll be more likley to use everything.

  

There are suggestions about how to make dishes multitask to save money and space.

There are ideas on how to personalize the table and create fun and simple themes.

 

 

 

And then there are the delicious recipes.

 

I acquire a lot of books.  A LOT.  But for many, I end up reselling, donating or giving to friends and family when they are no longer useful to me.  This one I can say for sure is a keeper though.  Get your copy here.

autumn

It's almost here.  I love each of the seasons in a different way, but if I had to pick one, autumn is my favorite.  The weather, the clothes, the pumpkins, the leaves (even the raking)...

Matthew Mead always has yumminess to share.  You can preview his new Halloween book here.

 

The Company Store has their site stocked full of their Fall and Halloween collections.

 

 

And very soon we'll be running out to the orchard on chilly saturday mornings for fresh apple cider donuts and coffee.  I can't wait!

bumps and lumps

In the spring I went to my mid-wife for my 'well woman' check-up.  There was a bump in my breast.  I call it a bump because the word 'lump' just sounds too gloomy and doomy.  I had an ultrasound done what seemed like several weeks later and an appointment with a surgical breast specialist.  No abnormalities were found.  I just have bumpy boobs.  Life goes on.  Me and my bumps.

October is breat cancer awareness month.  There is an article in the October issue of Body & Soul magazine called 'Know the Risks'.  The opening caption says "Sure, genes affect our breast cancer odds.  But so does what we breathe, eat and put on our skin."  The article goes on to say that only 1 in 10 breast cancer cases has a genetic connection.  They quote Devra Davis, Ph.D., who says "Genes don't tell the full story.  Genes sometimes give us the gun, but the environment pulls the trigger."  Davis is the director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at U. of Pitt.  The article goes on to talk about many different types of environmental triggers or connections to breast cancer such as air pollution, pesticides, cleaning and beauty products and plastics but also gives suggestions about how to reduce our exposure to these things and therefore reduce our risk.

Chemicals to watch out for around the house:

They suggest 'greening your cleaners'.  I have talked about natural clening products before here and here.  Avoid ingredients like alkyphenols, methoxyphenol and nonylphenol.

Look in your medicine cabinet and makeup bag.  Avoid ingredients like Phthalates, parabens and ethylene oxide.

Plastic: there's been LOTS of talk about plastics lately.  Avoid hard plastics that contain bisphenol A and softer plastics made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

I just paraphrased the article.  I would highly recommend heading to your nearest library or getting the October issue and sharing with a friend (reduce paper waste ;) and read the entire article.  It explains the connections clearly.  For me, the article reinforced a lot of what I have learned and read over the past couple of years about the connections between our environments, the things we put in and on our bodies and the diseases that we now struggle with.  Always do your own research and make up your own mind.

happy living = whole living.

credit: Body & Soul magazine, October, 2008

Menu Verner Panton Brunch Series

from danskdesign.nu's online shop.  Super cute.

ink & peat home + floral

If you live in Portland (the one on the west coast) you are a lucky duck this weekend.

 

housemartin

ink & peat

dead poets society

I'd forgotten how great this movie is.

carpe diem.

WREN handmade : now on Etsy

Hope you all had a great summer!  I am back, unofficially, to tell you that Laura of WREN handmade opened her etsy shop and it is full of crochet hair pins and bracelets, elephants (my favorite!), giraffes, dolls and doll clothes.

 

 

I'll be back officially this weekend.  I have missed you. :)