I had the pleasure of seeing a very chic woman in her home this morning. She was slender, in slippers and yoga pants with a white cami/bra under, no makeup, rather large-ish dangly earrings, hair pulled back, green pashmina the same color as her eyes around her neck. Her home was equally stark, luxe and elegant: highly polished dark wood floors, immaculate white molding, colors of green and nature. I loved her laquered floors with lust!
She appeared to be a stay at home mom of 4 young ones(!) and was very gracious in conversation.
Nice to see a role model in everyday life, makes the day brighter.
cheers,
La
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet (2009)
This movie combines ballet and Paris. How can it not tempt me?
From the NY Times:
http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/movies/04danse.html?ref=movies
From the NY Times:
http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/movies/04danse.html?ref=movies
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Regime Fric Overdrive
The next few months (weeks, days!) are going to be interesting. In order to shore
up ourselves financially both Monsieur and I have taken on part time jobs. We've been thinking of doing so and suddenly a job each came about that seem to fit the bill (so to speak!). Within a week we've taken on 40 or so extra hours of work outside of our normal work/household life which is daunting and will be challenging no doubt. But the energy I feel when I think of how we're doing, instead of stewing, is intense and inspiring. Rudimentary calculations seem to point to 6 months.....we're going to give it that long before we even think about quitting and we should have knocked off most of our smaller debts (some medical, dental) by then and acquired some savings. We can then reassess our situation and move accordingly. Move is an interesting word choice as I've actually been proselytizing a possible move to a smaller home with a smaller mortgage. I'd also be happy downsizing to one vehicle - if we lived where that would be appropriate for us with jobs that didn't require solo transport such as we both have now.
Organization is key, now more than ever. I've seen in one week how the added
work has had me overeating. So before it gets out of hand I'm mentally reviewing my french chic attitude bank and start today to make sure I employ all the trucs so that I can reach my goals (and the end of the holiday season) in jeans that fit! Of course the mindset/organization/dedication that the french chic lifestyle requires
will not only assist me in areas concerning la cuisine, but throughout the home/life continuum. Weekends (in my case F/S/Sun) are, henceforth, primarily for getting laundry, grocery shopping and week ahead planning/stray appraisals done. I will chop celery and carrots in a quantity for the fridge - great snacks, starter course and starts to soup/stir fry etc. I'll munch those, with fruit or a few olives, instead of cookies/chips/candy etc (horrible time of year in an American household with Halloween candy ubiquitous). Make a big pot of rice, a pot of soup or stew....clean some lettuce. I ordinarily bake some bread, but that's one thing I'll give up for now as we've got options for good bread. I'm considering adjusting my mealtimes to 10 - 4 - 10 to accomodate my schedule, keeping the rest of the family on 6 -12-6 because of school etc. Usually I hang lots of my laundry - and put it straight into the closet on the same hanger - but weather changes and time constraints may cause more frequent dryer use than I like. We have an excellent aluminum rack from Aldi and a short line in the basement, but nothing beats the backyard when possible. My teenagers, as they do, have lots of things going on in their lives, including some jobs of their own, but they are aware of increased responsibility looming! They have their chores and are old enough to do many things - including cooking, as they all have skills/experience.
I'm going to take my weekly allowance out on Friday. Keeping it in an envelope and placing receipts inside as I go thru the week, marking the amounts spent on the outside. Very good method for me. We'll gas up the vehicles on Mon/Tues when it's lowest price usually.
I am realistic enough to know that this regime will require some cash outlay - most notably for a cleaning lady. I'd been researching this but put it on the back shelf until today. Only one day a month, she won't do the kids bedrooms - that's their responsibility - and it'll be worth every penny.
Of course you may recall I am starting my own business and, bien sur, I've got some work coming in. This is good, but requires my attention!!
Another big item is that we are starting to liquidate/assess our rental properties. The condo has an interested buyer. As we move closer to college/retirement we are
not poised exactly in the catbird seat so the regime is tres important for yet another reason. We can make some good decisions, not panicked ones, concerning the properties.
As you can see, I will still post. It clears my head! If you have any good ideas for
me, bring 'em on!
Optimistically, La
up ourselves financially both Monsieur and I have taken on part time jobs. We've been thinking of doing so and suddenly a job each came about that seem to fit the bill (so to speak!). Within a week we've taken on 40 or so extra hours of work outside of our normal work/household life which is daunting and will be challenging no doubt. But the energy I feel when I think of how we're doing, instead of stewing, is intense and inspiring. Rudimentary calculations seem to point to 6 months.....we're going to give it that long before we even think about quitting and we should have knocked off most of our smaller debts (some medical, dental) by then and acquired some savings. We can then reassess our situation and move accordingly. Move is an interesting word choice as I've actually been proselytizing a possible move to a smaller home with a smaller mortgage. I'd also be happy downsizing to one vehicle - if we lived where that would be appropriate for us with jobs that didn't require solo transport such as we both have now.
Organization is key, now more than ever. I've seen in one week how the added
work has had me overeating. So before it gets out of hand I'm mentally reviewing my french chic attitude bank and start today to make sure I employ all the trucs so that I can reach my goals (and the end of the holiday season) in jeans that fit! Of course the mindset/organization/dedication that the french chic lifestyle requires
will not only assist me in areas concerning la cuisine, but throughout the home/life continuum. Weekends (in my case F/S/Sun) are, henceforth, primarily for getting laundry, grocery shopping and week ahead planning/stray appraisals done. I will chop celery and carrots in a quantity for the fridge - great snacks, starter course and starts to soup/stir fry etc. I'll munch those, with fruit or a few olives, instead of cookies/chips/candy etc (horrible time of year in an American household with Halloween candy ubiquitous). Make a big pot of rice, a pot of soup or stew....clean some lettuce. I ordinarily bake some bread, but that's one thing I'll give up for now as we've got options for good bread. I'm considering adjusting my mealtimes to 10 - 4 - 10 to accomodate my schedule, keeping the rest of the family on 6 -12-6 because of school etc. Usually I hang lots of my laundry - and put it straight into the closet on the same hanger - but weather changes and time constraints may cause more frequent dryer use than I like. We have an excellent aluminum rack from Aldi and a short line in the basement, but nothing beats the backyard when possible. My teenagers, as they do, have lots of things going on in their lives, including some jobs of their own, but they are aware of increased responsibility looming! They have their chores and are old enough to do many things - including cooking, as they all have skills/experience.
I'm going to take my weekly allowance out on Friday. Keeping it in an envelope and placing receipts inside as I go thru the week, marking the amounts spent on the outside. Very good method for me. We'll gas up the vehicles on Mon/Tues when it's lowest price usually.
I am realistic enough to know that this regime will require some cash outlay - most notably for a cleaning lady. I'd been researching this but put it on the back shelf until today. Only one day a month, she won't do the kids bedrooms - that's their responsibility - and it'll be worth every penny.
Of course you may recall I am starting my own business and, bien sur, I've got some work coming in. This is good, but requires my attention!!
Another big item is that we are starting to liquidate/assess our rental properties. The condo has an interested buyer. As we move closer to college/retirement we are
not poised exactly in the catbird seat so the regime is tres important for yet another reason. We can make some good decisions, not panicked ones, concerning the properties.
As you can see, I will still post. It clears my head! If you have any good ideas for
me, bring 'em on!
Optimistically, La
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