Homestead

After the Thanksgiving festivities were over on Friday I spent the weekend in what I think is my most content element-  just hanging out at home- cooking, making things, and chilling out. After a year of many changes in my life, it feels comforting to feel more at peace.

Our oldest was home from college with some friends, our youngest returns from Guatemala soon, and my mom has settled in beautifully in her retirement community nearby. At Thanksgiving dinner I thanked her for being so low-maintenance and praised her for being so brave while her life got tipped upside down at the ripe age of 90. She continues to set an example for all of us.

Thank you again mama.

One of  the things I made this weekend was a bean soup made from Trader Joe's dried 17 Bean and Barley Soup combo. Oh man is it good, and so good for us. I altered the recipe a bit by adding some bacon and crushed red pepper, but I've made it before without, and it's still delicious.

We also all played several rounds of the board game The Settlers of Catan. I love this game and highly recommend it for holiday gift giving. Players assume the roles of settlers, each attempting to build and develop holdings while trading and acquiring resources.

I cannot wait to play it again and beat Mr. Fix-It who is so competitive I want to strangle him sometimes.

Hmmm but what does this say about me???

....Also this weekend I started knitting some great little sweater ornaments (above) for holiday gift giving and organized my studio, which has been sorely ignored this past year. It was so gratifying that I also organized Mr. Fix-It's workbench out in the garage as well.

The pattern for the sweater ornaments is here. They are easier to make on 3 needles, I think, rather than 4. Also 12 rows for the sleeves seems better than 14.

For you crafty non-knitters out there stay tuned for my candle holders made from gingerbread. Ou la la. They make the best gifts, and are so cool, and easy to make.

Lastly I leave you with a quote:

When we let go of who we think we are, it is easier to become who we really are.

For help on "Unlearning" who we are, see my friend Cindy Brennen's video here.

Have a nice week everyone.
xo

From My Home to Yours

Double click to enlarge

Before I start the holiday prepping I wanted to stop and say Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Travel safely, if you are.

Hug those that are near and dear.

Oh how very lucky are we.

xo, Louise

Fear of Success

Greeting card by CurlyGirlDesign.com

Life has slowed down here to a more much manageable pace since taking on a job as design coordinator for a project that Tom's construction company has been working on since May. The project is nearly done, and I learned a lot, and actually enjoyed it for the most part. But boy is it scary picking out so many design elements at once, and worrying about how they will all look together.

I can't tell you how many nights I laid in bed fretting about whether different tiles would look good together.

Aside from this I've been percolating a business idea with a partner for about a year now for a natural food product. We've made great progress, but still have obstacles to overcome. As one person that we've consulted said, "Oh you've done all the fun stuff (the concept, branding, and photography etc), but now you have to deal with the nitty-gritty, the not-so-glamorous details of launching a business."

Exactly.

And aside from this I am being hit almost daily with two fears: 1.) the fear of failure and 2.) ironically, the fear of success. The fear of success is actually the greater of the two because if our idea is a hit we are going to have to learn as we go, while growing.

Yikes.

Stayed tuned for more updates.

Also this week, I want to introduce you to Curly Girl Designs. I'm not getting a commission or anything, I just love Leigh Standley's witty art. I can't remember if I met her at a Boston Design Salon meeting, or at the Sowa Market, but either way her store called Marmalade recently relocated to an adorable new location in Belmont Center, MA, if you happen to be in the area.

If you aren't, here is an easy way to see her work on a  Google image search. Everything is available for sale on her website above.

The Truth Will Set Us Free

I remember hearing the above quote years ago and have never forgotten it. I don't think it necessarily refers to truths towards others (as in criticisms), that can so easily kill love, but rather truths about ourselves, that we finally have the courage to share.

Telling it like it is.

Truths set us free, because in telling them, we get to live a more alive and authentic life.

I think we all just want to be who we really are. No sense getting to the end of our lives and realizing that things didn't get fully expressed.

I hate regrets.

My friend Brenda Stanton, who coaches people to claim their worth, said in order to be our own person, we must rely on our inner knowing vs. the judge/jury outside of ourselves.

Bascially we need to stop worrying about what other people think of us.

And how wonderfully freeing is that?

As I sit here now, I can't think of anything more refreshing.

On another note, I've been fighting my first bladder infection in years, with cranberry tablets, instead of antibiotics. I found them at Whole Foods. Please drop me a line if you have been successful with these or any other ideas!