This is a photo that my sister, Valori, sent to me of her son's (my nephew), Aaron, recent class photo at the Monterey International School in Monterey, CA where Aaron has always attended school. If you look at the girl at 6 o'clock and then count three to the left, that's Aaron (long reddish brown hair). My sister and her life partner moved last May from Monterey after 30 years to Corvallis, OR where her daughter, my niece, Maya and her husband Eder and their baby Ben and our mom all live. After a lot of meditation and discussion it was decided that Aaron would stay in Monterey with his dad Eric at least for the time being. One of the main reasons (other than Eric is a great dad) was this school. It is an exceptional school and it's an honor for the students and parents who get to be involved there.
Eric was just notified that, after managing an inn for almost 10 years, he is being laid off. Valori, Eric, and Aaron are Buddhists (I only mention it because it strongly influences them, as any religion is designed to do, in how they operate their lives). Eric, in addition to running the inn, has been studying for many years for his Chinese Medicine Degree and is almost finished. The plan had been that when he and Aaron finished their schooling then would make the major changes they had so long been working toward. Now they have 2 months in which to decide what to do. Most folks who have visited and not lived on the Monterey Peninsula see it as a dream come true or a blessing. There are many blessings and wonderful things about living there just as there are in many other places but there are also a lot of curses. The cost of living is insane (not so different from living here, but it was not like this when we moved here, thankfully). It is not set up for those who want to live simple, decent lives. It is for the very wealthy, others must work 2, 3, or 4 jobs to survive. My sister worked 3 jobs for many years there just to get by just as I worked 3 jobs as a single mom of two when I was there. It's not a realistic option for them to stay there. The only reason they were all there for so long was that they had jobs that also included housing which is very hard to find.
Oopsie, I'm getting long-winded as usual. I'm asking for prayers for them now and in the coming months as they make all these hard decisions with very little, if any, room for error. And as they begin to have to say good bye to the only home Aaron's ever known in his 11 years plus, of course, their friends, and the usual angst that goes with leaving all the memories and comfort. As they say, "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't know". Which, in hindsight, is not necessarily true, but certainly feels that way going in.
They are a caring, sensitive family who, obviously, mean the world to me and, factoring in all worldly relativity, I would appreciate your prayers for them. Thank you, in advance, for your kindness.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
This is a photo that my sister, Valori, sent to me of her son's (my nephew), Aaron, recent class photo at the Monterey International School in Monterey, CA where Aaron has always attended school. If you look at the girl at 6 o'clock and then count three to the left, that's Aaron (long reddish brown hair). My sister and her life partner moved last May from Monterey after 30 years to Corvallis, OR where her daughter, my niece, Maya and her husband Eder and their baby Ben and our mom all live. After a lot of meditation and discussion it was decided that Aaron would stay in Monterey with his dad Eric at least for the time being. One of the main reasons (other than Eric is a great dad) was this school. It is an exceptional school and it's an honor for the students and parents who get to be involved there.
Eric was just notified that, after managing an inn for almost 10 years, he is being laid off. Valori, Eric, and Aaron are Buddhists (I only mention it because it strongly influences them, as any religion is designed to do, in how they operate their lives). Eric, in addition to running the inn, has been studying for many years for his Chinese Medicine Degree and is almost finished. The plan had been that when he and Aaron finished their schooling then would make the major changes they had so long been working toward. Now they have 2 months in which to decide what to do. Most folks who have visited and not lived on the Monterey Peninsula see it as a dream come true or a blessing. There are many blessings and wonderful things about living there just as there are in many other places but there are also a lot of curses. The cost of living is insane (not so different from living here, but it was not like this when we moved here, thankfully). It is not set up for those who want to live simple, decent lives. It is for the very wealthy, others must work 2, 3, or 4 jobs to survive. My sister worked 3 jobs for many years there just to get by just as I worked 3 jobs as a single mom of two when I was there. It's not a realistic option for them to stay there. The only reason they were all there for so long was that they had jobs that also included housing which is very hard to find.
Oopsie, I'm getting long-winded as usual. I'm asking for prayers for them now and in the coming months as they make all these hard decisions with very little, if any, room for error. And as they begin to have to say good bye to the only home Aaron's ever known in his 11 years plus, of course, their friends, and the usual angst that goes with leaving all the memories and comfort. As they say, "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't know". Which, in hindsight, is not necessarily true, but certainly feels that way going in.
They are a caring, sensitive family who, obviously, mean the world to me and, factoring in all worldly relativity, I would appreciate your prayers for them. Thank you, in advance, for your kindness.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Mo Paris Flea Market
Just got this in the mail today. Isn't it totally fab? As I mentioned before you can go to www.thecottage.com and find out more about this market. I already waxed so poetic on the previous post regarding this that I'm afraid I'm going to get into the Brazilian zone should I continue to obsess. Suffice to say, drop everything and go...The Washington Post did a blurb in their Style section...the dates are Friday, April 27th and Saturday, April 28th... see you there!
This is last year's advert that I wanted to share. Too fab, too, huh? It just give you a little hint of all the fun.
This is last year's advert that I wanted to share. Too fab, too, huh? It just give you a little hint of all the fun.
Nene's Abode ~ The Last Stand
This is the swirl of encyclopedias with the beautiful bust in the powder room that I had mentioned in a previous post. 
This is a better photo of the Matisse that J's friend, Gabi, painted and is in the powder room.
Last stand because the home is not at all as it was before these vulturest swooped in several days ago and took her perfectly appointed home and tore it limb by limb . Left is Nene and me. Right is Nene, Nancy, and Karen. We are equal opportunity grab~and~buyers but we were very polite and took time to assess what was most important to whom. There was a time or two of grabbage but there was also plenty to go around. Nene (Nene and Janine and J are the same people~it's random how I use them~deal) and Woody had a lot of stuff in storage for a long time and this house allowed Nene to empty storage, go through boxes, and spread out all her fabulous collections. Now, suddenly and quickly they have to cram all their treasures into a house half the size. That's where the benevolent vultures come in. I had been phoning and emailing Karen trying to coordinate a caravan with her and Nancy out to J's and hadn't heard back from her. We had tentatively set it for Tuesday but I hadn't gotten a confirmation. So I tried to call Karen about the time I had suggested and when she didn't answer I called J to see if she'd heard from them and she said they were on their way! Well, I jumped in my car and drove the speed limit as fast as I could and thankfully got there while they were still in tour mode. Okay, a couple of claims had been made but nothing I couldn't live with. But by the time we left with our car loads of wonderfully priced treasures, the house was not the same. That's how I can make the promise of this being the last installation of this house. 
Above left is a photo of a vignette that I had tried to place on the previous posts but the pic hadn't come out. It's just little wooden stand that J "No.5'd".
Another book vignette that's tucked in beside teh piano. This is the wonderful piano that Woody surprised Nene with for her birthday. It's electric and can be played traditionally or many manner of instrumental sounds~it's so great.
This is a better photo of the Matisse that J's friend, Gabi, painted and is in the powder room.
Last stand because the home is not at all as it was before these vulturest swooped in several days ago and took her perfectly appointed home and tore it limb by limb . Left is Nene and me. Right is Nene, Nancy, and Karen. We are equal opportunity grab~and~buyers but we were very polite and took time to assess what was most important to whom. There was a time or two of grabbage but there was also plenty to go around. Nene (Nene and Janine and J are the same people~it's random how I use them~deal) and Woody had a lot of stuff in storage for a long time and this house allowed Nene to empty storage, go through boxes, and spread out all her fabulous collections. Now, suddenly and quickly they have to cram all their treasures into a house half the size. That's where the benevolent vultures come in. I had been phoning and emailing Karen trying to coordinate a caravan with her and Nancy out to J's and hadn't heard back from her. We had tentatively set it for Tuesday but I hadn't gotten a confirmation. So I tried to call Karen about the time I had suggested and when she didn't answer I called J to see if she'd heard from them and she said they were on their way! Well, I jumped in my car and drove the speed limit as fast as I could and thankfully got there while they were still in tour mode. Okay, a couple of claims had been made but nothing I couldn't live with. But by the time we left with our car loads of wonderfully priced treasures, the house was not the same. That's how I can make the promise of this being the last installation of this house. 
Above left is a photo of a vignette that I had tried to place on the previous posts but the pic hadn't come out. It's just little wooden stand that J "No.5'd".
Below is another photo that had previously not come out. This one depicts well J's craft paper roll-ups, handmade curtain panels, custom No.5 chandelier, and custom put-together clock table in the living room.
Another book vignette that's tucked in beside teh piano. This is the wonderful piano that Woody surprised Nene with for her birthday. It's electric and can be played traditionally or many manner of instrumental sounds~it's so great. Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Howdy Pardner, The Sequel
Yes, Virginia, this is a clarinet lamp that J made. If you are just tuning into the Howdy Pardner Show, please check the original post futher down so this makes sense to you. Some day I might get this photo thing down. Until then, we'll see you back here after you check out Howdy Pardner...
Here's that danged-old master bedroom picture I was talking about. Did I forget to mention that J likes clocks, too? She may have more than even me in her house and this is pretty good proof. She took an antique screen, reupholstered it, added the criss-cross ribbon, then topped it all with black and white photos, clocks, etc. 
I went home and shamelessly duplicated the scale thing. I had gotten an antique standing doctor's scale from one of the show houses we did and I added a wire basket that holds the spare rolls of toity paper in our powder room. Shameless! 
This is one of the guest rooms which includes one of the many chandeliers that J makes herself. That's a main focus for her creatively professionally, the beautiful chandeliers. The room also includes the requisite Santa Fe cowboy hat that the girl will slap on and strut about in anytime.
Right is another accidentally deleted from the previous post. It's one of her vignettes in the kitchen. And a vignette from the living room...
Don't forget that this house is under contract so rest up as there will be another tour of the new house when it's "done".
I'm lucky!!!!!
Toss out my recipe for tassels, there is better cure for WHATEVER. I knew it, I'd experienced it, but occasionally I forget to check in often enough. It had been since Valentine's Day (can you believe my husband knew to buy one of Amy's cupcake charms for me for VDay? Good, that means you aren't gullible.) that I had really checked out the shopping at Inspire Co. http://www.inspirecompany.com/ . Actually that's not true~it was just a couple of weeks ago when I checked it out and I had missed out on the perfect charm bracelet Amy was offering. The picture was there but it had been sold. I continued to keep clicking on "buy" for a couple more hours but eventually I got discouraged and it was time to start dinner...ANYWAY, great timing this week. The very fabbest photo album was available. And, little pink plastic ballerinas, well, duh, they are an ordering must...
Okay, so you're feeling a little down, maybe a lot down. Maybe you are perfectly fine and want to celebrate that. Maybe there's no reason other than to celebrate life~buy yourself a gift~whether you need self-nurturing or not. And there's always a friend who should be told in a special way how you feel about them. Okay, no more waxing~you can feast and figure for yourself~above is a party pic of what it looks like inside the box when you open it (it's really speedy delivery in the first place), like a gift from your best friend (Amy IS a good friend, but I'm speaking somewhat objectively here)!!! There's not a better way that I know of to self or otherwise nurture than a treat from Inspire Co.
Then, here's the inside!!!!! It's all so yummy. Even the thank you note that was included went directly onto my china cabinet in my dining room, just my colors in there~robin's egg blueand brown~all ribbony...
And here's just another of my put-togethers I wanted to share. It is a really nice planter I got from Nene~No.5, a wonderfully-shaped cloche I bought from Fran from her Emporium Antiques booth in Frederick (doesn't it look like a game piece?), the fab pic that my cousin, Carol, gave me of her aunt taking a tour to a Broadway play from Texas (see previous post with full pic and story), along with a silk flower and an amazing nest I just bought at Flowers By Jim in Frederick. I had always wanted to stop at FBJ when I drove by on my way to Emporium so, for some reason, I decided last Saturday would be the day to stop in. Nene had told me it was a great shop and it is. Jim wasn't there (unless I'm stereotyping) but kudos to you buddy! I am particularly fond of this nest as it has lichen all over it. I LOVE lichen. Has to do with growing up in Texas with those big oak trees with lichen on them~similar to my love of acorns. Okay, to make a short story endless~I wanted to make a vignette for the historic, sentimental photo that our cat couldn't get to (she likes to tear up paper) and voila!!! Now the photo is out on my dining room table where I can enjoy it all the time and safely under glass.
Thanks for "listening" and have a blessed day. Don't forget to watch Roots being aired on TVOne in celebration of the 30th anniversary of its first airing. Tonight is night 3 out of 6 so it's not too late.
And here's just another of my put-togethers I wanted to share. It is a really nice planter I got from Nene~No.5, a wonderfully-shaped cloche I bought from Fran from her Emporium Antiques booth in Frederick (doesn't it look like a game piece?), the fab pic that my cousin, Carol, gave me of her aunt taking a tour to a Broadway play from Texas (see previous post with full pic and story), along with a silk flower and an amazing nest I just bought at Flowers By Jim in Frederick. I had always wanted to stop at FBJ when I drove by on my way to Emporium so, for some reason, I decided last Saturday would be the day to stop in. Nene had told me it was a great shop and it is. Jim wasn't there (unless I'm stereotyping) but kudos to you buddy! I am particularly fond of this nest as it has lichen all over it. I LOVE lichen. Has to do with growing up in Texas with those big oak trees with lichen on them~similar to my love of acorns. Okay, to make a short story endless~I wanted to make a vignette for the historic, sentimental photo that our cat couldn't get to (she likes to tear up paper) and voila!!! Now the photo is out on my dining room table where I can enjoy it all the time and safely under glass.
Thanks for "listening" and have a blessed day. Don't forget to watch Roots being aired on TVOne in celebration of the 30th anniversary of its first airing. Tonight is night 3 out of 6 so it's not too late.
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