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Note to self: read this 97 times daily

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Naomi

Be kind

Posted in Creativity, Kindness, Mindfulness | Tagged perfectionism | 2 Comments

50 shades of gray? No way!

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Naomi

shades of gray We moved into our house almost 5 years ago and we have repeatedly wondered what to do to arrange our living room in a comfortable way so that we could all hang out together and talk to each other.

For years we had our couch facing the back wall, which did not seem very welcoming or conducive to engaging with anyone in the rest of the house. Finally somebody had the idea to flip the room around, which involved moving the tv and satellite dish to accommodate the TV being on a different wall.

This allowed us to buy a sectional, something we have wanted for a while but didn’t think we had the right layout for. We love our new couch, especially the fact that we can all sit or lay on it and not even touch each other. The room already feels much more open and welcoming.

Living room new sofa

But this is going to be the new “before” photo. Now that I’m on a roll, why not change a few things?

The color paint that we chose when we moved in makes the house feel a bit like a cave so I decided to paint. It was just a matter of figuring out the color. Ha ha… it’s not ever that simple is that?

Gray? Beige? Greige? There are maybe 7000 different paint colors depending on which brand you go with. It became a minor obsession, I admit. I would test samples on several walls and watch it throughout the day finally admitting that I didn’t like it, then go back and get another color to repeat the process. It was very very frustrating for someone who just likes to get it done!

Anyhow, to make a long story ~~short~~ slightly less long, we ultimately chose a color and our painter will have it done soon. Another way to lighten up the room is to change out a couple of the pieces of furniture and some decorative items. We are even thinking of putting in two more windows to add more light.

Of course if you paint the living room, you have to paint the kitchen and the dining room and the hallway and the doors and the trim. A small project turns much bigger.

I will have some before and after pictures (which we all love) as we go forward making changes. Decluttering is a huge part of this process. I thought I’d done a good job but there is soooo much more to get out of here. I’ve often wondered when looking in magazine photos… where do people put their stuff????? Turns out, they have LESS on purpose! And furniture pieces with storage. 😉

Posted in Creativity, Home | Tagged Benjamin Moore Light Pewter, change, color, house, paint, redecorating | 7 Comments

What light through yonder window…

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Naomi

These are a few of the Saint-Paul-de-Vence doors and windows I fell in love with…

Shuttered Hearts Double Shop 2 doors Greenery Door handle Blooms St Paul window

Posted in Photography | 1 Comment

My one-sided, long distance love affair

Posted on June 9, 2016 by Naomi

1 Welcome

The goal: Show you how amazing Saint-Paul-de-Vence is.

The hiccup: I narrowed down the photos I want to show you to 88. Yeah.

The solution: Lessen again (and again) and then divide into multiple posts!

2 Square

Mr. B and I visited Saint-Paul in 2007 for about 45 minutes. I loved it and immediately felt I would return someday. Since we knew we would have a free day when our cruise docked in Monaco, we chose to spend it in Saint-Paul. Even with only 3 hours of sleep the night before, I didn’t hesitate when our alarm rang.

3 kids at play

4 boules

5 St Paul people

6 lavender

The town dates back at least to 1388. The name helps distinguish this St. Paul from all the others in the world. This one is in Provence! Throughout the 20th century, actors, artists (Marc Chagall) and writers (James Baldwin) made Saint-Paul into an active cultural centre. Since it is perfectly located between Nice and Cannes, movie stars were drawn there and it has been a film set more than once. We were there during the Cannes Film Festival, but I guess the stars were busy elsewhere.

7 walking

Today Saint-Paul is home to many galleries and working artists’ studios. The winding lanes, the smells of all the fresh herbs, the view to the sea… I think this village is magical. I kept asking the shopkeepers if they know how lucky they are. They said they do.

8 bench 9 Streets trio

The French Riviera gets about 300 days of sunshine each year because of mountains block the clouds.

Overlooking the cemetery where Chagall is buried. Snowcapped mountains in the distance.

Where we had lunch at Alain Llorca

St. Paul is said to look like a boat from a distance

Saint-Paul is said to look like a boat from a distance

13 Narrow passages trio

We’d love to return and stay there for multiple days. There are village walking and biking tours, 5-star restaurants, many cafes, craft shops, markets, wineries, spas, cooking classes, and concerts. I was in heaven having gotten 2 hours there. Imagine multiple days!

Thanks for reading, friends! Do tell if you’ve ever been there!

Posted in Photography | Tagged boules game, children, French Riviera, lavender, St. Paul de Vence | 5 Comments

May reading: secrets, going undercover, grammar, and music

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Naomi

May books

May is always such a busy month, filled with endings and emotions. It was full and memorable for us again this year since we had the bridging ceremony from Daisies to Brownies, the end of first grade, a dance recital, a trip to Europe, and my birthday. In between, I read a few books…

The Paris Architect: A Novel by Charles Belfoure

In WWII Paris, an average man gets an opportunity to be a hero. Mostly its characters are cliche, but I found myself on the edge of my seat to find out what happens. The transformation of the main character made the book worth reading for me.

“Let me explain something to you, Monsieur Bernard. Back in 1940, when this hell began, I realized that my first duty as a Christian was to overcome my self-centeredness, that I had to inconvenience myself when one of my human brethren was in danger—whoever he may be, or whether he was a born Frenchman or not. I’ve simply decided not to turn my back.”

A Woman of Note by Carol M. Cram

This story is based on the lives of three women composers: Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Louise Farrenc. Cram writes about a serious, plain young woman who composes her own music, something quite scandalous in 19th century Vienna. Her relationships and her music create a most riveting tale. I recommend this one.

Gorsky: A Novel by Vesna Goldsworthy

This is another telling of The Great Gatsby, telling about the exploits of the rich, this time about expatriates living in contemporary London.

“The true luxury of wealth is to be solitary in places where you least expect it.”

“Whenever I entered Gorsky’s world I lost my bearings, as though money created its own decompression chambers in which even the laws of gravity ceased to apply.”

“Everything around me… was harmoniously orchestrated, beautiful to look at, yet the cumulative effect was melancholy, as though some unquenchable thirst lurked at the heart of it all.”

“He stared at Natalia’s face as though bewitched. If I hadn’t been jealous, I might have found it almost funny. And I was indescribably, immeasurably jealous. Not of the idea, which now seemed certain, that he might soon have this woman for ever, not of the building nor of the money he possessed, but of his capacity to feel.”

The American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee’s, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table by Tracie McMillan

After reading The Food Babe Way, I had to read this book recommended by Vani Hari. There is a large human cost to America’s cheap food and I’m more convinced than before that it needs to change. Eating healthy food should not be this difficult. McMillan calls it “an abandonment of America’s great promise.”

In order to learn the true workings behind our modern food system, McMillan went undercover for a year as a California farm worker alongside migrant laborers, as a Walmart produce handler in Detroit, and as a kitchen assistant at a New York Applebee’s. In each job, she struggled to live and eat off the wages she earned, paying rent and buying groceries as if it were her real life.

The book reads like an adventure with the main character working, eating, and living alongside the working poor. McMillan’s commitment to social justice for those she worked with and for consumers is what kept her going during situations when surely you or I would have thrown in the towel and returned to our air-conditioned, middle class ways. Highly recommend this one!

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris

Having spent more than 3 decades at The New Yorker, specifically in the copy department, Norris is highly qualified to instruct us about good grammar. It was a fun read and I learned quite a bit about the history of language. Admittedly, I am much more interested in punctuation and grammar than the average person, but I still learned quite a bit about proper usage. And Norris is quite funny: “Chances are that if you use the Oxford comma you brush the crumbs off your shirtfront before going out.”

“One of the things I like about my job is that it draws on the entire person: not just your knowledge of grammar and punctuation and usage and foreign languages and literature but also your experience of travel, gardening, shipping, singing, plumbing, Catholicism, midwesternism, mozzarella, the A train, New Jersey. And in turn it feeds you more experience.”

Maybe in Another Life: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid

OK, this one was totally cheesy but light and fun to read. I got quite invested in the main character’s story. It’s sort of a Sliding Doors-type story and the chapters alternate with two possible outcomes of the life of a 29 year old girl.

“Life is long and full of an infinite number of decisions. I have to think that the small ones don’t matter, that I’ll end up where I need to end up no matter what I do.”

Posted in Books, Books - Monthly Reports, Quotations | Tagged Carol M. Cram, Dinner Table, Farm Fields, Gorsky by Vesna Goldsworthy, Mary Norris, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Tracie McMillan | 1 Comment

You say it’s your birthday???

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Naomi

To me, a very happy birthday includes some meaningful recognition from your family and a few close friends that you matter to them. It includes a bit of reflection along with looking forward to the year ahead. I don’t need fanfare and presents.

As I approached this birthday, I would be reminded of it by my daughter or my mother, but mostly I forgot it was coming! Turning 41 is not as milestone-ish as turning 40. I’m content and blessed and fortunate to be living the life that I am and I don’t need or want anything more.

But.

This Facebook thing is really great!

I’m now ashamed to admit that when I see notifications on there that it is someone’s birthday, I either call/email/text them directly if they are important to me or, for long lost elementary school friends, I think, “What would two little words from me possibly mean to them? They have their own life going on with people who they see all the time.” But I am wrong. It matters. It really does. Even with someone who is a remote connection, meaningful words can make a significant impact when someone needs it most. A birthday is an affirmation that you are happy someone was put on this earth. That’s sort of a huge deal, right? No matter who it is.

I’ve probably said this every year since I joined it, but I cannot believe the number of people that my life has touched. That 134 people thought that I was worth their time on a random Tuesday to wish me a happy day and year ahead really struck me. Some were from friends I made last week! Childhood friends and even their parents, my daughter’s elementary school’s office staff, blogging friends, PTO friends, friends of friends that I have met once, friends I used to work with, neighbors, teachers, college friends, and on and on and on. I even had a friend/musician sing happy birthday to me on FB! I think that was my fave. I mean, how special can I possibly feel?!?!

In some ways, FB could be a detractor. It makes the numbers seem to count. It makes you wonder… if I have 694 “friends,” why did 560 of them not say a peep? But I’ll take the positives. I got to hear from people I otherwise would not have. And since I hugely dislike talking on the phone, I didn’t have to do that much at all!

I try to give my best self to everyone that I meet. I genuinely care about each person. I also try to see their best selves and let the rest go. (That’s far easier to do with some people than with others.) There have been many times, especially in my teenage/college years, when I felt that I was giving, giving, giving and not getting much in return. I haven’t felt that way since my early 20s, probably because what we need from each friendship or relationship lessens as we mature?

I value my friends because we see the world the same way. Because we treasure our children as well as get annoyed by them in exactly the same way. Because we don’t hesitate to drop off Gatorade or a handmade card when one of our kids are sick. My connections and relationships really matter to me, so it’s lovely when people speak up and say that it’s important to them as well.

Still, the best friendships endure no matter what life events stand in the way. And they always will.

And I am beyond content with my awesome husband, daughter, and kitty, living in our cozy home. I get to watch Sweet Girl grow up. We get to travel. I get to paint, blog, and take pictures and sometimes people even find meaning in them. I have a loving extended family and a few significant friendships. I am swelling with happiness just getting to be me.

My sweet girl and Mr. B woke me up with singing, cupcakes, and a homemade card (my fave). She filled my day with little reminders that this day was very important to her and I could tell she has spent a lot of time thinking about my birthday. She took me to the book store to buy me a book. She insisted we go to Baskin Robbins for my annual PB and Chocolate scoop. She even apologized that she didn’t have anything wrapped to give me. Please! It was the perfect opportunity to tell her what is most important to me and what I truly value. When she asked to play Go Fish before bedtime and I was busy with something else, I saw in her eyes how much she wanted to spend time with me and how happy such a small thing could make her. I said yes. I wonder if she sometimes thinks I’m some sort of superstar.

Sweet girl is very proud to almost be 7 1/2. Right before she closed her eyes at bedtime, she told me to appreciate being 41 because it only happens for one year. I loved being able to tell her the same since she is always wishing to be older. She said she knows, and this time, I think I believe her.