Ah...the Deep Thought for the Day

Not Wrong

Here's what I learned from last night's women's study:

When both parties are well-intentioned, because of the way men and women see things differently, they both can be right, because they are approaching the issue from different angles and perspectives.

The illustration that was used really hit home for me.

A home designer goes to a couples' home for a consultation. He wants granite counter tops, wood floors, and porcelain sinks. She wants Corian counters, tile floors, and acrylic sinks. Neither is wrong, but their preferences are based on expectations, things they have seen in the past, and sometimes, deep-seated desires.

The designer has a tough job. He has to take each persons needs/wants and merge them with the others to make both happy and satisfied.

We don't get a designer. Darn it. But we do have the tools available to merge our needs and wants so that both are met.

Word of the Year for 2013

This year I do not want to make resolutions at which I inevitibly fail, or at the very least, fall short.

 

This year I want to make changes in my lifestyle.

 

My word for the year is: CREATE

 

Things I want to CREATE:

• deeper friendships with a select group of ladies.
• a peaceful refuge for my man.
• an organized and useful space for my artistic endeavors and projects.
• all of my Christmas gifts.
• a repetoire of recipes for both of our dietary needs.

The world is but a canvas to the imagination.
~Henry David Thoreau

How to Not Be Depressed

According to today's news reports, the third Monday of January is statistically the most depressing day of the year. Well, how lovely. Apparently a group of psychologists came up with this a few years ago  and have decided that poor weather (unless you live in the southern hemisphere), incoming credit card bills from overexpenditures at Christmas (unless you pay cash), and failed New Year's resolutions all contribute to this sad and pathetic day.

I wish I had known this earlier. I could have really milked it.

It made me think back to a list that was posted in the church library years ago. One of the keys to fighting depression?  Go out and do something nice for somebody else. I think I will.

Disclairmer: Lest anyone think I am mocking people with depression, I am not. This is fuzzy science at its best, based solely on conjecture and without numbers backing it.

Oh, The Shame

Well, hello!  As about half a dozen people have pointed out to me in the past week, I am a horrifically inconsistent blogger. I do have a lot of ideas to write about, as well as some new projects that I have been working on (and actually completed) to post pictures of.

With that in mind, I will attempt to keep the following rules in mind as I forge ahead:

Happy 100th, Julia Child

Julia Child would have turned 100 today. As it was, with her butter and cream-filled diet, both she and her beloved husband Paul both lived well into their 90s. No comment about that, here!

I, like many people of my generation, really became interested in Julia when I watched the movie Julie and Julia. Then I read My Life in France. And I fell in love with their love story as much as with her cookery.

Let's face it, she was no raving beauty. Tall, rather ungainly, yet they had a passion for each other that is not exaggerated in the movie. Sure, looks are great. But they fade. The passion doesn't have to. That is the marriage I want!

A couple of Julia-isms:

Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.

The secret of a happy marriage is finding the right person. You know they're right if you love to be with them all the time.

That must have been a really long tub!

Why, Yes....Please!

What?!

A book that combines some of my favorite things...
Mr. Darcy,
Elizabeth Bennett,
PD James,
and a good murder mystery?



How marvelous!

Winner, Winner....

When it comes to decorating, I have definitely been gifted (if I do say so myself) with my mom's eye for eclectic styles, furnishings and colors. If asked what color my decor is....I have no idea what to say. There is a bit of everything. Nothing appeals to me less than the 7 piece matched set of livingroom furniture.

Last fall, mom and I were wandering around an antique store in Mount Vernon. My eyes found a striking mid-century chair.

"Come look at this chair, mom!"

She replied from the other end of the loft, "I found a chair I like, too."

And she had. The mate to mine.

But guess what! I live here and she doesn't...so they are living with me!

I love the simplicity of the danish modern styling and the fun cutout on the back. Joe picked out the new fabric for the cushions, and I added fresh foam.

As I write this, I am thinking that too much gloating might be a bad idea. Since the great chair arm-wrestling tournament, mom has found a simply gorgeous sideboard that just would not fit in tne overhead bin on my flight back home.

Oh well. You can't win them all.

The Hunger Games: or, Why I Usually Avoid Books on the Bestseller List

I won't try to add anything to deep and meaningful to what many others have already written about this series. I will say that the book was a page-turner and a good read...and that I finished it in a day and a half...the first soaking up spring sunshine and the next curled up on the couch in a more typical Washington-rainy-day-weather pose.

Biggest concern: how the book was marketed to kids...and it is all moral relativism. No definite rights or wrongs, just big patches of gray. These are hard enough areas to conquer as an adult; and to be frank, the youth of today, without the responsibility and critical thinking skills gained with maturity, usually lack the depth to be able to navigate these issues.

Decluttering...ad infinitum

I seem to have a never-ending supply of stuff. I'm pretty sure that when I leave the area, it reproduces (asexually, I hope).  I have figured out the biggest problem: Whenever I move, I declutter rather ruthlessly.  But as the day of the move approaches, the last 10 boxes or so get filled up with all the small random stuff that is somehow, possibly, useful. And those boxes are in my garage. Ick. I hate the thought of going through them. Terrible laziness has set in and my ambition has atrophied. And that is the danger of out-of-sight-out-of-mind.

I did finish cleaning out the master closet, for now. I have organized and sorted my clothes until they only take up one side, including my seasonal items which are boxed up.

What I really need to do is watch Hoarders, then set the timer for 20 minutes, and see how much stuff I can get through every night in the garage.