fresh ideas

 

Since I get so many requests about handling a low income I thought I'd share a fresh way I'm thinking about my money these days.  I watch a lot of finance YouTube people like Ramit Sethi and others like him.  They go over couples/singles finances and come up with a game plan to get out of debt or achieve other goals.  It hit me one night that my "bills" are actually my luxuries.  It's a fresh way of looking at an old topic.  

I will give you few examples...walking into a hot room and pushing a button and cold air pours out of vents to cool me off.  That is a luxury.  Drawing a hot bath on a cold night.  That is a luxury.  My cell phone.  Luxury.  When I began looking at my bills in a new light, I suddenly felt very very rich.  Literally everything in my life seems to be a luxury.  Have you ever felt like this?  Please do tell!  xo

calm

 

Staying calm is my number one priority as of late.  Maybe for you too?  Relax and be assured that this is a calm space.  No ads of any sort, I hope just a dose of loveliness to calm frazzled nerves.  I baked bread this morning and worked in the garden.  I'm going to be focusing on activities whose main purpose delivers peace and tranquility.  I'm not on IG at the moment because it's too much for me these days.  Wherever your political preference lies it'll always be ok to pop over here.  In fact, I will not publish any comments with any bias whatsoever.  So lets celebrate all we have and all we don't have.  xo

the simplicity of one

Reposting this because I'm still doing this and it works!

Before I get started writing about the simplicity of one, can I just say how much I love the above arrangement?  Seriously, since we moved here that area, situation, whatever you want to call it has made me crazy.  For the record, that spot isn't crazy, I am 😁.  Anyway, there is just something about the unfussiness of it that soothes me everytime I walk in the house.

Ok, soooo, the simplicity of one is nothing new.  Like why do we keep 2 potato peelers, or 25 pairs of black shoes or 52 tubes of red lipstick?  I understand the less stuff lying around makes life a lot easier and peaceful.

But since Larry passed away I'm now on a fixed income.  Can't believe I even typed that but it's true.  Ugh, not the fixed income, I just miss him so much😞.  Being on a fixed income means I now have limits on my money.  I quit my job to take care of L and really don't want to go back and re-build my clientele and all that goes with that.  So I've decided to learn to live within the limits of this income and the limits of my home and garden. 

When I wrote out my budget I thought of several different ways I could go about it and settled on the idea of one.  What if I just filled my gas tank once a month?  Could I live within that limit? Turns out I can.  Can I do one load of wash per week?  Why yes I can.  Can I go to the market once a week, that's easy.  What else can I cut down to one?  The list is endless and it has simplified so much for me.  I used to run errands and toss clothes in the wash and ran to the grocery whenever I needed anything.  Now a lot more thought goes into my daily routine and it works for me.  I realize this won't work for everyone but maybe it could be the simplicity of 2 or 3 or what works for you.  The idea is to live purposefully and think before just mindlessly going about your day.  The best part is, with a little thought, I'm making it on my one paycheck a month.

Also, before I go, I want to thank you all again for your love and support.  Would you like more posts about money?  It's one of my favorite subjects but talking about it is generally frowned upon by society.  So let me know what you'd like to see more of here on the blog.  I make a v small amount of money writing it and will even tell you exactly how I make money here if that interests you.  Take care and have a great Sunday.  x

winterizing

 

It's hard to believe that in Southern California you have to winterize but we do!  I've been filling sandbags for the last 3 days for an impending atmospheric river.  Because this house is 135 years old there is no insulation and most of the windows are the original ones.  I love the old wavy glass but it isn't v climate friendly.  So I get out lots of thick blankets, put the insulated drapes up and make do.  If you look closely in the top photo you can see where I keep my 2lb weights.  I'll lift those while watching tv to help keep me warm and strong. 

I adore how the glow from the lamp lights these walls.

It has been ages since I've done a wardrobe post.  I used to do so many I made myself and many of you sick to death of them.  But lately, probably bc I'm now 66 I need to see what looks good on me and photos work best for that.

All these clothes are so old and I still love them.

And one last note, aren't you thrilled to be on a website without ads?!  We are all deluged with them now.  It's karma for all the ads I used to do!  I'm taking a break from instagram bc every other post is an ad or 3.  So enjoy!  xo

this yellow house

 

Hello dear friends.  Today I'm sharing photos of a house I decorated during the pandemic.  I originally was not going to post because the owners are v private people.  But they just gave me the go-ahead and so 3 years later here we are.  I apologize for the copies of the photos from my iphone but over the years some were deleted and this is all I've got.  Also, I don't have all the befores but hopefully you will get the gist.  There are no photos of the new gorgeous kitchen because it has not been styled. 

A few facts about the house...it was built in 1902 and is a true gem of Redlands.  It was in the same family for many decades and even a Barnaby Jones episode was shot here in the 1970s!  The new owners took great care with its restoration.  This was no small project at 6000 sq ft, 6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms.  All the major systems of the house were replaced with staggering attention to detail.   Then the house had to be decorated.  That process will continue for many years but what you see here is the first layer.  Enjoy!

This is the garden room to the left of the entry.  The photos don't do it justice.  The yellow wallpaper is probably from the 1940's.  I should inject here that the owners don't like a lot of clutter which is music to my ears.

This is a before of the entry.  

The woodwork throughout the entire home is exquisite.

A before of the dining room...

What a difference!  Ralph Lauren Marlowe wallpaper in Prussian Blue.

 

This is a little powder room across the hall from the dining room.  How charming is that sink?!

This is the family room to the right of the entry.  

Here are a few photos of the bathrooms.  All eight were entirely remodeled using lots of period correct details.

This is the only photo I have of the primary bedroom.  In person it is so fabulous!

This is the primary bedroom fireplace.  The house has 4.  

Isn't it gorgeous?!  It's one of those houses that you don't know where to sit because there are so many beautiful choices.  There is soo much more to the house but I thought you may enjoy this glimpse.  

Take care and stay cool...x