light show

Being a homeowner is wonderful and...well, troublesome all at the same time. I live in an old home...not historic but...60 years old. We've lived here for 9 years and have gotten to know these old walls pretty well. For instance, if you run the vacuum and television and lamps in the den at the same time it'll all shut down. So, I find it best to vacuum in the middle of the day...full sunlight. Then there's the issue of two people showering at the same time...while fun if you are actually in the same shower...if you are not, then someone will get the shaft. And by shaft I mean barely-there water pressure and water temp the equivalent of turning on the hose mid-winter...in the yard! Same with showering and running the dishwasher, washing machine, flushing the toilet, etc. These are little nuances that we've become accustomed to...altered our life for...in and around to keep our house from revolting. There have been updates...some by us...some by those before us and we love our house a little more with each passing year. We know it well...every creak in the floor, every sound in the night, every crack and chip in the paint...but there it was...flickering ever so lightly. What was it? Recently I sat frozen in bed peering through our bedroom door...through the hall...into the den. There it was...by the front door. What was it? I nudged the Husband...as it was late at night and...well, I am useless at defending myself in the night without first knowing what I'm going up against...this is where the Husband comes into play (as he has many times before in our 11 years of marriage). Finally he agreed to look...and with a quick flip of his hand dismissed it...tells me he's seen it already. "It's the light switch on the wall next to the front door, the one that turns on the front porch light." Not satisfied, I further interrogated him about it and why I have never noticed it in our 9 years of living here. He said, rather nonchalantly, "it just started doing it". Please note that this is one of the un-updated items...a light switch from the 50's. One that, in it's prime, would glow orange so that you could easily locate it in the night or whenever dark. I know it's an electrical issue as it's not fully illuminated...just a flicker...something that I'm sure needs addressing given it's sudden rebirth...but, it got me thinking. There are people in our lives that...flicker. They may not always be visible but they make an impact. We are better because of them and though we may be unaware of their presence for a lifetime, they are there...ready...in an instant to flicker...to show us the way. The switch has been flickering now for 2 or 3 months. I like it now...it is the little beacon that could...that could change a thought process, remind me to remember others, those already in our lives and those we've yet to meet. Maybe I'm enjoying a little reflection on this the last day of November but I'm super thankful for the little light that beams at me...sometimes brightly...as if our sweet home is telling us "thank you" and reminding us that sometimes we have to change our ways to make things work right, we have to be nice when it's not always convenient. Maybe we have to vacuum in the dark sometime, or wait for others, but it's a reminder that sometimes YOU are the flicker...the little beacon...in someone's life. And so I say this...take time for others...take time to shine when someone needs you. I suppose I'll have to take time for the electrician at some point but until then...Shine on. "...and we all shine on..." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqP3wT5lpa4

pass the gravy, please

It's happening again. As it always does. That time right before Thanksgiving but...way ahead of Christmas. That time where we are met with a brisk air...a leaf filled breeze...a rush of plans...that time where we are supposed to be making menus for Thanksgiving, gearing up for the Macy's parade, a good nap and full bellies but instead we are confused, at a crossroad. We are force fed Christmas music, greeted with trees aglow and bells ringing. Every year it seems this "skip the turkey" rush begins earlier and earlier. It seems we are forgetting Thanksgiving to focus on gifts for loved ones, holiday dressings (I'm thinking sequins and navy silk faille...in case you're wondering), grand soirees, and mistletoe. I remember when I was a kid thinking that Christmas would never come. It was such a long anticipated wait that would instantly fill me with anger when my mom would lovingly tell me...in May..."maybe you'll get it for Christmas". And then by Christmas I didn't even remember what the item was. But now as I head up the hill from the mailbox, ride in the car, turn on the television, glance across the street at the mall...I am amazed how I can't seem to get away from Christmas. It's everywhere and it's only mid-November. And so, here I am...thinking back to May...and June...and July and every subsequent month following trying to remember...as I did when I was a child...what I want for Christmas because just yesterday the Husband asked... "what do you want for Christmas". What do I want? I want to go back to the time where Christmas seemed like forever away...where we celebrated Thanksgiving, ate mounds of turkey and cranberry, were bored watching football (I mean, there are only so many hours in a day), and put our tree up in December. You see, from my perspective...when you are greeted with Christmas every single day of November it takes away from the glitz of December. I want to put my tree up in December, not eat Thanksgiving dinner around it. I want to buy presents in December, send cards in December, take photos with Santa in December, and well...stay up all night in anticipation on Christmas eve. I want to go back. Maybe it's because I'm older, maybe my parent's felt the same way, maybe I want the long awaited...come once a year...excitement that I remember as a child or...maybe it's because the tree will be dead if I put it up now! Whatever the reason, I am counting the days... "I have glimpsed our future and all I can say is...go back" - Diane Court- Say Anything

stylephile

As mentioned before, I am a lover of fashion. I read fashion magazines cover to cover over and over again...browsing...comparing...wishing...wanting. Recently I thumbed through a book at our local uber cool Urban Outfitters. Before I continue may I just say...Urban Outfitters is a great store but, I wonder if any of the designers ever use a ruler or tape measure when designing, constructing, and assembling the clothes sold in Urban Outfitters. I am a size "small" I can usually wear any size "small" unless of course I want a different fit and then I'll opt for a "medium"...however, I tried on a long tunic sweatshirt yesterday and was shocked that the sleeves fit as if I were the Incredible Hulk while the rest of the tunic fit perfectly...and since I'm not shaped like a caricature I can only blame this on design. Back to the book...I thumbed the pages for a mere second before deciding that I must own this book. As a lover of fashion and all things related I had to have this book in my repertoire. And as I've been reading it diligently I have come to realize that fashion itself isn't necessarily what I love...style is what I love. The book is titled I Love Your Style by Amanda Brooks. This book delves into different styles that have stood through the ages as trends came and went...and come and go. It's a handbook so to speak in developing and redeveloping your style. Because, after all...your style can change and that's a good thing sometimes. Depending on your age and trends it's a good thing high top Reeboks, layered socks, and stirrup pants evolved into Louboutin ankle boots, Wolford tights,and Chanel apres ski pants. In the short time I've had the book I have surmised...and to no surprise, that I am a "Classic" style. I grew up a prep and therefore will always have deep roots and affection for penny loafers, Bean Boots, boat totes, all things nautical, grossgrain, Lacoste, and well...you get it (see: True Prep...or Official Preppy Handbook...also a favorite...and on my bedside table). I have...as Mrs. Brooks suggests, been able to redevelop that style by adding some unexpected items and in turn keep my "style interesting and current". Although I am a true "Classic" style, I do love a splash of Bohemian and Eclectic. It's nice to keep people guessing and sometimes depending on the season I might need a breath of fresh (style) air. And so, my question is this...what is your style? What influences your dressing decisions? I must say that my style went out with the evening tide during my pregnancy and subsequently afterwards for a while. It's hard to pick things that won't show spit-up and...er, sweat! But, as any southern girl would do...I got back up...got back on the proverbial horse that bucked me off earlier and reworked my wardrobe. I love the excitement of pulling together a new outfit out of things I already own. Unexpected items worn, well...unexpectedly. Maybe not as brazen as Miss Bradshaw (think...Carrie), but a soft leather skinny belt as a wrap bracelet (think...Hermes-esque), saddle oxfords with "worn in" jeans and a sequin shirt, a boyfriend blazer with a graphic tee or a plaid skirt with a polka dot shirt. What drives you in your choices? Who is your style icon? Who wears the clothes you love? These are things that Amanda so perfectly addresses in her book. You'll love her style...her effortless advice to developing or redeveloping your look. Because after all..."You gotta have style. It helps you get up in the morning." - Diana Vreeland (former Editor in Chief at Vogue and later curator of the Costume Institute at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art) I Love Your Style - How to Define and Refine Your Personal Style - by Amanda Brooks http://www.amazon.com/Love-Your-Style-Define-Personal/dp/0061833126#_ Also mentioned and worth checking out: True Prep http://www.amazon.com/True-Prep-Its-Whole-World/dp/0307593983

dis-connected

What causes people to stop living in the present and start living in a bubble? Or...with a proverbial bubble, so to speak? You know them...they're the ones that walk around aimlessly, sit at our dinner tables, "listen" to our troubles, all the while glued to their phones...texting continuously. Don't get me wrong, I am not living in the dark ages, after all, I do have a blog and consider myself tech savvy and text...er, smart...but I am not willing to give up on my present life, my friends, and my family to live with those who's faces I can not see, voices I can not hear, and tone that is deaf. These are the people I picture living in the comics,virtually motionless with word bubbles above their heads...pecking away...consumed...ironically detached and yet so attached...but to what? To words? Or to the people they are texting? So, my question is this, what is so important, so pressing, so enveloping that makes you miss out on the present...on your life? Social networking is great...I get it, I use it myself and I am grateful for the ability to reconnect with old friends and new friends alike...but, connecting with friends without any work or ironically any "face" time isn't really acceptable ALL the time...especially when you are WITH the friends that you are, well, "friends" with. I've sat quietly at lunch, in the car, and at events completely alone yet surrounded by "friends". Don't be this person. Live your life in the present...be there for your friends...in person. Be accountable, be vocal, be unplugged. If just for a minute, look up from your keyboard, think about life before your thumbs were begging you for pain reliever, and before you were so "connected"...take a deep breath and...tell your "friends" TTYL, roll on the floor and laugh your ass off, and then...tell your friends "What's on your mind", after all...it's quite possible they are standing right next to you! p.s. please don't "delete" me as a friend...this post/rant was not intended to belittle the connections...just as a reminder to stop for a minute sometime...don't miss out on your life and those who share it with you...in person. BFF...right??? image credit: freeimages.dimag.no