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In the grand scheme I know this is just a tiny little thing, but I've been trying to replace my living room carpet for months with no success. We have a little house so this carpet features prominently, so I want something harmonious, lively and well made. I've returned two carpets already. (If you're curious, this one and this one.) Both would have created a huge domino effect, probably an entire redesign of my downstairs and I like what I have going on! I guess the two I chose were attempts to inject just a taste of freshness,
and keep the look I've got.
The whole rug replacement started last October, when our dog Jasper took a small bottle of bleach out of the laundry room and brought it onto the living room and left it there. On the wool carpet! I guess he got a taste of what was inside when he bit into it, so he walked away and it bled into three saucer-size marks. Well today I bought a third carpet (the one Annie is laying on above), and it's not right either Urgh! At least Annie and I had a great day today, driving through the California green hills to the rug store. So...I will return this third rug and go ahead and order the rug that is close to what I have now (the one Annie is laying on below.) Maybe I'll look for some fabric for new pillows. That way I could inject some of the freshness I'm craving without tipping that first domino.
I'm a little self conscious about how trivial and house-wifeish this post sounds...
Below you will find a short dance number, directed, choreographed, and starring Annie. I feature very subltly as background noise, as I sifted (slap, whoosh, slap) through every carpet on the huge hanging racks.
Four Jobs I've Had
1. Teenage salad and dessert girl, Boulder House Restaurant
2. Entertainment industry graphic designer
3. Small business owner, Houseworks
4. Residential mural painter
Four Movies I'd Watch Again and Again
1. The Quiet Man starring Maureen O'Hara
2. Any Merchant Ivory production
3. My Life as a Dog - Lasse Hallstrom
4. Babette's Feast
Four Places I've Lived
1.Born in Berkeley, California
2. Raised in Santa Cruz Mountains, California
3. Colleged in Pasadena, California
4. Worked in Santa Monica, California
Four TV Shows I'll Watch
1. 60 minutes
2. The Dog Wisperer
3. Designed to Sell
4. Flip This HouseFour Blogs I Like to Visit
1. Big + Little
2. No Appropriate Behavior
3. Little Birds
4. Green Kitchen
Four Foods I Like
1. Spinach & Onions
2. Freshly laid eggs
3. Anything Billy cooks
4. Chocolate & Nuts
Four Places I'd Like to go to Again
1. The west coast of Ireland
2. Ubud, Indonesia
3. Swimming in a cenote in the Yucatan
4. Joshua Tree in the Spring
I want to say a big thank you to Marsha over there in Japan, for doing her HTML magic and installing this new header for my blog. THANK YOU MARSHA! I know you have a lot on your plate with your impending move back to the states, as well as everyday life, so I am really appreciating that you took the time to help me out!
Annie's Aunt Janet sent her an almost life-size Barbie make-up head thing for her birthday. Ugh! Cheap make-up and a narrow ideal of feminine beauty all in one gift! Hmmmm. I was delighted to see Annie trying out a more "tribal" make-up look on herself than the packaging was suggesting. (See above photo!) I hope she can continue to find her own definition of beauty as she grows!
Maybe you're saying to yourself, "Oh don't overreact Patrice... she's just a little girl having fun!" Yes, she is a little girl, and even with limited access to media, I see she's getting the media message. If you look skinny you'll be happier! If you just buy _______ you'll feel satisfaction! Just yesterday, Annie expressed to me how she wants to look skinny. Wow!? I asked her why, and she said that she wanted to be a princess and that princesses are skinny. Ugh! She's never really seen much princess stuff at all! So, I tried to guess what it was she was after.
"Hmmm, are you wanting to feel special, and cared about?"
"Yeah!"
"Are you wanting to have fun and attention?"
"Yes!"
Then I asked her if she thought that girls that were bigger were as happy as the smaller girls, and she said
"No."
Whoa! How to proceed? I'm not sure. All I know is that I will continue to share with her what I value, and I value very highly the intrinsic...caring for my own and others feelings and needs, caring for the earth, following my heart, listening to my gut...and that's what brings me peace, happiness and beauty.
I bought some interesting body products for Annie as stocking stuffers in December, and tucked them away so cleverly that I just recently found them! One was a bath "tea" bag called Milky Oats. Wow! Annie and I soaked in it, and it smelled great, plus it left our skin soft and moist. Also, we found that if you put it in the fridge between uses, it seems to last for three baths or more. Well, we were so delighted with the bath tea that we've been concocting our own version ever since. We use the following organic ingredients:
Calendula Flowers, Lavender, Roses, Chamomile, Oatmeal, Dried Buttermilk, drops of Kiel's China Flowers Oil, and a splash of Epsom Salt (I don't think that's organic...hmmm.)
Here's how we did it...We took all the ingredients and mixed them together in a bowl. Then you can either make little bags out of fabric, (see bottom photo) or you can buy the little muslin bags you get at the health food store, (which are shown in photo above.) You might notice, I added a little fabric to jazz up the store bought one's. We finished up by wrapping each finished tea bag in a bit of plastic wrap to preserve the scent and freshness of the ingredients. I wish I could post the scent of these little bags. Mmmmmm.
