Ok, so yesterday afternoon I get an email from Melanie, a friend I met through this blog.  She tells me about this blog called Have Some Decorum and that I must read it.  So I did.  I started with her about page and was sucked in immediately and then went on to read her hilarious post about tinsel. The next thing you know 4 hours have passed and I've just about read her whole blog. To say Ellie is an inspiration is like saying the Sistine Chapel is just okay.  Seriously, I cannot believe that people exist in this world that have the kind of spirit and humor that she has.  She is beautiful beyond description and when I clicked on her blog this morning (after dreaming about her all night) and saw Ellie's post today, well I just cried.  Please, please, I beg of you, and I never beg really, to click over and read and pray.  Pray hard please for this person I just met virtually yesterday.  Stephen Andrew, I think you will particularly love Ellie.  I don't know why but I just think you will.  You all will I know. If you would be so kind, please leave her a comment, sending love.  If you are not in the Christmas spirit or if you think you have it bad, maybe have an illness or job loss or divorce or death recently, please read and it will put everything in perspective.
Thank You.  x

This past weekend M and I went to 2 wonderful estate sales.  One of the best things about going to estate sales is getting to see how people really lived their lives.  It used to make me sad, watching a bunch of strangers rifling through a deceased persons belongings. Now my focus is on the beauty that was woven into each of their lives.  You see the dishes they used each day, the art they looked at and the wear marks of a favorite chair.  It really is an absolutely fascinating glimpse into a life lived.

The first sale was a home in Sierra Madre, a pretty little town near Pasadena.  The gentleman that lived here was a collector extraordinaire. The company that organized the sale said it took them nine, 15 hour days to get it only partially sorted.  Imagine that. There is still a great deal that will have to be gone through and another sale will take place in the future. One of the rooms in the house was dedicated to his work and love of the Navajo. There were gorgeous rugs, baskets and a museum worthy photography collection. But there were also collections of butterflies, arrowheads, shells and axe-heads that he cataloged with painstaking detail.  Just check this out...













Above is just a small sampling of his shell/arrowhead collection.  Each and every one of these tiny shells and arrowheads has a notation on them as to the location it was found and the date. There are thousands of them!  Each arrowhead, each butterfly...everything was recorded in this manner. It's an incredible collection and the attention to detail is staggering.

The other sale we went to was in swank San Marino, an upscale town also near Pasadena.  It appears the lady of the house was at one time an antique dealer specializing in French antiques.  She was a lover of beautiful art, books and gardens.  It was pure joy walking through her home.  I picked up an old teak garden chair, a couple of old books to give as gifts and a lampshade that I thought might fit a lamp I had gotten at an estate sale about 2 years ago.  The shade is beautifully made but I wasn't sure it would fit.  For $3 I took a risk.

Here is what the lamp looks like...









The lamp was $5 and so pretty but I failed to realize how hard it was going to be to find a shade that fit it. But low and behold, 2 years later a perfect match was found.











Everything in this cabinet, including the cabinet itself was obtained 2nd hand.  I think that's why I love shopping this way.  It's a slow, steady and mindful path to beauty.

Just thought I'd pop in and say hello.  I've been taking the word relaxation to a whole new level. I've cut my computer time down to about 1/4 of what it used to be.  Forcing myself to not turn it on first thing in the morning is getting easier.  When I do come on-line, I try to quickly attend to emails and then go cruising through my reader list to see how everyone is doing. Glad to know you are all fine.:)






I've been having afternoon tea with my neighbor Mrs. Howell.  I've known her for many years as her daughter was our neighbor in our old home.  My sons and her grandsons all grew up together so we have lots to talk about and I love sitting and chatting with her.  We sit by her pool and gossip for about an hour before her/our afternoon nap.  Yes, I've been taking a nap.






This morning I was in the rose garden having a bit of a walkabout when I began to notice the interior structure of these roses.  Far away they look ordinary but up close it's like a symphony of petals, each one working with the next to create such beauty.







I've added 2 Yin yoga classes to my weekly schedule too.  If you've never taken a Yin class I highly recommend. The part that sold me was that the whole class is either sitting or lying down. For instance in a 1 hr class you will hold maybe 4 poses.  It sounds a heck of a lot easier than it is. It's about relaxing into the pose and letting go of expectations. The expectation of a typical yoga flow isn't there.  It's about being still and quieting the mind.  It's incredibly calming and somewhat emotional and I'm quite in love with it.

Ok, so what on earth have you guys been doing?  Fill me in.

I have blogged through the holidays for the last five years and I just want to step away from the computer and enjoy some time with my family.  I suggest maybe you try it too.

But before I go, here are a few things of interest.

I am a Goodwill Industries shopper.  I always thought shopping the Goodwill was a responsible thing to do.  That is until I saw this report on Nightly News.

Before you buy your free range turkey, read this.

And finally if the stress is getting to you...this.

Have a simple and beautiful holiday!


*edited note.  it was brought to my attention that the uggs story was not true so i deleted it.
thanks little edie for bringing it to my attention!

joshua tree last saturday morning

have you ever daydreamed and imagined what it would be like to start over?  i mean from scratch.  what would your choose today to live with?  what would your home/wardrobe look like if you could wipe the slate clean and start fresh?  what would your essential list look like? i mean the rock bottom basics that you really wouldn't want to live without.  mine looks kinda like this...

a good mattress
soft linens
a comfy sofa
a couple of good reading lamps
good cookware
books
music

for one of my dear, sweet readers this isn't a daydream, it is actually a real life nightmare. i noticed she wasn't around and commenting like she used to,  so i sent her a email asking how she was.

this is part of the chilling email i got back...

janet,

i'm happy to report that she is out of the hospital, improving everyday and living with her in-laws.
and all she is asking for is some help with putting together what she is calling an essential list.
maybe you can help?  can you think about it for a moment and share what your essential list would look like?  thanks so much.  think about wardrobe too b/c i'm gonna ask about that next week.:)

well yes, where have i been?  busy that's where.  busy is something i usually don't do but lately i have been helping a friend organize and simplify her house on a teeny tiny budget.  it has been a great deal of fun for me but b/c we are on a tight budget, it does take a lot of time looking for deals and losing my hardrive has made it worse because i lost all the pictures i had taken of her house.  luckily i had downloaded most of the befores onto blogger so they were saved.

also, i will not be cooking this thanksgiving so i thought i'd give you this definitive list of things for creating a compassionate thanksgiving in your home.  or here is my menu from last year.  and if you are overwhelmed by the idea of a complicated table setting, don't be, you can see mine from last year, right here.  and if the stress of the holidays is mounting, you can read this and know you are not alone.


so here is a peek inside karen's living room and also a peek at one of the outfits i'm putting together for the holiday season.

enjoy your weekend, you know i will.  have a happy, peaceful thanksgiving and lets all do the next right thing, shall we?

xo
janet

karens living room before

after

karen has 2 sons and one just graduated from princeton and the other from yale. i know.

sequins and chambray i know.

photo from last fall