enjoy cleaning your home

It's Saturday. The skies are a lovely Cleveland gray, so I have the windows open. I had a hard week, and my racing brain won't shut up. I was away from home all week. Difficult for a homebody like me. It was at times wrenching. The kind of wrenching that comes with lessons flooding in at a speed I can't keep up with. Did I mention, the election ads and the pain in my body were almost unbearable? I know, I'm whining, but I don't mean it that way. That's just the reality, and I haven't mastered the art of writing the way Woody Allen can.

I sat in the bathroom longer than necessary. At least there are a ton of glorious magazines here! I read Men's Health from cover to cover. I learned some strategies that would have aided me in my last job. Intelligent, shrewd advice for handling a bastard boss. These tips could have helped me succeed. Who am I kidding? I don't have the heart. Furthermore, I don't want the things I'm supposed to want. The things that come with the six figure income. I see these things as fatiguing. Read a great article about the sublime Cher. She said she's yelling at her family to work out, "Old age is coming!" she says. She says, did you ever think we'd get this old? Cher, baby, I feel you. You are too fab, you go girl!

I took several beautiful walks. I felt guilty that I am unsuccessful. I called a friend who reminded me that I give in my way. I wonder why we never feel as if we are good enough? I saw a psychic. I helped my nephew clean and rearrange his bedroom, I learned a better strategy for dealing with a precious loved one I feared losing. I spent time with a friend who pampered me. A rare occurrence.

I am cleaning my home, and I keep lamenting that I need rest. Stop! I wish my meddling brain would just shut the hell up! I remind myself, this is the rest. Cleaning the home is a wonderful thing to be able to do. It takes strength and time. Two precious things to be savored.

So why not enjoy being at home and clean in a meditative way? You've heard of walking meditation, why not cleaning meditation? You can talk to God the whole time, if you like. God enjoys the mundane details. Clean the dishes slowly, contemplate the lovely warm water and soap. Enjoy the scent. Contemplate the exquisitely complex movements of your hands and fingers, such a miracle. Do what you can, don't worry about what you can't. Go at your pace. The monk Thich Nhat Hanh, reminds us to stay in the moment. If you cannot enjoy washing the dishes because you are racing so you can watch a movie, you will not enjoy that movie either. You will always be planning what is next and you will not be present. You will miss the moment and there is no getting it back.

What's the hurry? I'm reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. She said, "The days are long, but the years are short." I didn't get that at first. When I did, I felt like I had gotten a blow to the head. I can be so slow and stubborn.

We think the days are long because they are so full of stress. We just want to get through the day. So we rush. All day long. We rush so we can do too much in too little time. How much of that rushing actually accomplishes anything? Rushing doesn't make the day shorter, it just squeezes in more things to do. I could be wrong, but people don't seem happy to me. We reach for crutches to get through that long stressful day. Caffeine, sugar, tobacco, alcohol, gambling, sex, overwork, etc. We poison ourselves because we hate our lives. Then one day you look back, and ten years have passed in a blink! The days are long, but the years are short. Ten years of abusing yourself has now added up, and your health is at risk.

Time is precious. Why not slow down and enjoy it. It occurred to me, cleaning my house is rest. Your home is where you rejuvenate. It is a living, breathing entity that loves us. Think of how it's cradled you in bad times. It has kept you warm in the cold, cool in the hot. It's also there celebrate your good times. We love our homes. We are all curators. Each home becomes a testament to its owner's unique personality.

Thank you God, for this beautiful day. Maybe I'll take a walk, and clean when I get back.

mundane details or styling indecision

I've been a renter for many years, so when it comes to decorating it's always been about accessories. As you know, my favorites are pillows, pottery and paintings. When it was time to decorate my new bedroom, I took stock of my accessories.

I have some beautiful pillows that were cheap from Old Time Pottery. I love this scheme of various blues and greens. I'd love to do a room in these colors. But for me, it's gotta be a scheme that starts with pink.I have a little corner in my bedroom, where I keep changing the accessories. Here's its incarnation with one of my favorite paintings. I adore hot pink, but it's so hot in the house already. Maybe I need to go with cooler colors for summer. Here's some previous styling of this little corner:
This is how it looked last weekend when I was playing with my new thrift finds.

And here it is with one of my spray painted vases, and my turquoise painting. This is one of my favorite paintings, it has an interesting texture to it.
You've seen this version before. This might be my favorite so far. I think the next look my bedroom will take is cool blues. Man, I'm melting.

a cute little table

The previous owner of my home had great taste and was very chic. She left behind some cute things, including this table that I am using as my bedside table (and also those fab curtains, see post below).

I'm thinking about painting it yellow. Whenever contemplating paint colors, I turn to my very large inspiration folder.

Love this little table. Image ATLITW.

The Parsons table in yellow! Love it. Love that chair as well. I adore a yellow pop in an otherwise all white room. Image West Elm.

These yellow floating shelves look great against the gray walls. If I paint my table yellow, I may need to do a gray accent wall. My next apartment will definitely have accent walls. Love the silver and yellow Buddhas.

A pop of yellow looks great against stainless steel.

Or maybe I should paint it white. Love this coffee table and sofa. This may be the best example of granny chic I have ever seen. What really makes this room work is those white floors. As you know, I love white floors.

I love this image from the Toast catalog. Love the turquoise blouse with the yellow beads. Love the silver pillows. Hmm. Maybe I should paint the table turquoise.

Remember Pink's turquoise table? I've been thinking about a turquoise table ever since.

I love this blue coffee table. Doesn't it look great with the red rug and yellow walls?

Look at that cute little dresser perched under that window. I am in love with painted furniture. What do you think, dear readers? Yellow or turquoise?

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All images not credited from Apartment Therapy.

a corner of my bedroom

Here's a little corner of my bedroom. I love the curtains left by the previous owner, and the light was enchanting at that time of day. I adore the juxtaposition of the old watercolor with the graphic punch of the love print. I seem to have two styles, one is soft and calm. The other is vivid. For example, the same day I put this little vignette together, I also did this very different work .... the trick is how to reconcile the two styles into one cohesive whole.

home tour

Dear readers, as you know I gave up my beloved studio apartment almost two months ago. It's been an adjustment learning to live with someone. It's all good, but I do miss decorating my apartment and fantasize about decorating my own place once again. I have a small, cozy bedroom, so I've been having fun styling it. Of course, I keep moving my pottery around. I hope one day to hit on an arrangement I love so much, I never feel compelled to move it again. I just know that Nirvana can be found in the perfect arrangement of vases. Here's a tour of my new digs.
The best part is I have a studio set up in the basement. Now I don't have to worry about making a mess! I also have an office set up. It's not very glamorous, but it is very organized. I can find anything. I'd like to have some industrial shelving to put my bins on, but I'm not sure how long I will be living here, so am not really purchasing anything.

One of the hardest things about learning to live with someone is their knick-knacks. Fortunately, my brother is very neat and lives simply. He has his collectibles centralized, and they are actually kinda cool. I'm learning a lot about Harleys and tatts.

One of the nice things my brother did for me is make room for my stuff. Here is my little corner of the living room. I let him pick out which of my paintings to hang. This is his favorite. He's very proud of the modern black lamp, which he found at a garage sale. If this place were mine, I would paint and rip up that carpet.

Here's my little, cozy bedroom. It's hard to photograph because it's so small. There's a dresser from the previous owner which I love! Since I lived a small studio, I went without a dresser for a long time. I'd love to put a fresh coat of white paint on it.

Some days it looks like this, depending on my mood.

I am constantly restyling this little corner, and this is where I display my latest painting.

Some vases on the dresser. Love print by Jessie.

This cute little table is also from the previous owner. I'd love to paint it in a funky color, like hot pink or yellow.I have my prayer beads hanging in the corner. Also the previous owner left the cutest curtains. I like living simply, but I also like beautiful things. The home is humble, but very comfy and I am grateful to my brother for inviting me to stay.