Are you enjoying this first week of the year as much as I am?  It’s cold and rainy here in the Bay Area.  Perfect weather for packing up the holidays and unpacking plans for the year to come.

I’ve spent the last few days moving things from one floor to another trying to restore order here at home.  We had holiday house guests for nearly three weeks—so fun!  But that meant that every room (including our glamping tent), every dish, and every linen was pressed into service.

Also, things piled up.  Papers, mail, recycling, laundry. So the last few days have been spent sorting and savoring the season (not to mention the remaining holiday treats.)

My mother-in-law always says “a change is as good as a rest.”  Vacations—and aren’t the holidays a vacation from our everyday life?—often leave me energized and ready to tackle old projects anew. This week as I put things right I’m already scheming about new design projects. Specifically I’m ready to start feathering our new nest with furnishings more appropriate for the home’s era (contemporary) and feeling (spare but comfortable).  First up—some Pinterest planning sessions and then the hunt will begin.

But before I dive in I’m taking a moment to enjoy a few new items that found their way under the tree.

First, a Pendleton wool blanket as a winter topper for our bed. We bought one in the Yellowstone pattern for our guest bed years ago and I’ve always enjoyed the weight of it when mid-night insomnia drives me to the guest room to read.  Wanting to enjoy the same cozy sensation in my own bed I chose the graphic San Miguel pattern to enhance my winter’s sleep (and M.J.’s, of course, which is why I gifted it to him).

Next, a beautiful new pot to make winter stews. Over time I’ve gravitated to Le Crueset cookware for most all my stove top stewing and braising.  However, the LC pots I owned ranged from small to medium in size and were purchased in Cherry Red to match our old red-accented kitchen.  I was making do with some well-worn stainless steel pots for larger cooking projects but hinted that I might be ready to upgrade.  M.J. picked out this beautiful 7.5-quart model in Ocean (exclusive to Williams-Sonoma) to match our teal granite countertops.  What a luxury to make winter soups without worrying about them spilling over onto the stovetop. Eventually I may find a place to store this dreamy enameled pot, but for now I love how it commands center stage on the cooktop.

And finally, some hand carved “toaster tongs.”  This is a little kitchen tool that I bought in volume for gifts this season after picking one up while reporting on the ACCA Craft Fair here in San Francisco last summer. These may seem silly (after all, can’t we all fish our toast out of the toaster with a fork?) but these ingenious little tongs are pleasant to the touch and—due to a little magnet that keeps them attached to the toaster—always accessible.

How about you?  Were there any home gifts under your Christmas tree that you’re savoring in the hushed aftermath of the holidays?  And what plans are you cooking up for your house and garden in 2016?

Well, here we are again.  First couple of weeks of December done.  Holidays in full swing.  To Do lists hopefully getting shorter and shorter or abandoned entirely.  After all, at some point you just have to say enough is enough, right?  Otherwise you miss it all by racing to the finish line.

I still have some wrapping up (and wrapping!) to do but I’m trying to invoke my “Word of the Year” every time I start to feel that familiar holiday panic over demands on my time, energy and resources. I’ve used the word “Ease” as a guiding principle throughout 2015 and though it’s not been a particularly easy year, invoking “ease” when called upon made a real difference. Even if a situation was challenging, just thinking that I wanted to tackle it with “ease” has helped me take a step back, analyze what needed to be done and try (not always, but mostly) to calmly take in the moment. Of course, the word “ease” also nudged me to simplify some things in my life and not obsess about what didn’t get done.  Helpful practices both.

If you are interested in setting some intentions for next year by choosing a single word for direction you might want to work through some of these exercises provided by London photographer and writer Susannah Conway.  Her free five-day Find Your Word course started today.

Hope you’re well, finding some sparkle in your life and taking everything in stride.  Wishing you peace as you ease on down the road toward’s the New Year.

Happy Weekend All!

]]> http://thingselemental.com/2014/07/happy-4th/feed/ 0 http://thingselemental.com/2013/12/winding-down/ http://thingselemental.com/2013/12/winding-down/#comments Sat, 28 Dec 2013 02:59:32 +0000 kathryn http://thingselemental.com/?p=2926 Merry Christmas all! Here’s hoping you’re resting from your holiday labors this weekend.  Feet up, book in hand, take-out menus or a no-fuss slow cooker recipe nearby.  Me? I’m perusing a new collection of essays on knitting, finalizing Peru plans and playing with the kids when they’re around. Just doing my best to slow down and enjoy a few days of reflection. Here’s wishing you the same.

At a recent gathering a friend mentioned how much she was anticipating Christmas and another responded that as a child she could hardly sleep because of the anticipation.  I remember feeling that way as a kid, but as a grownup it’s easy to become more anxious than excited about Christmas.  I still lose sleep, but now it’s over my own Santa duties.

The holidays tend to amplify that old Martha/Mary conundrum.  I’d like to immerse myself in the magic of the season, but frankly, someone’s got to hang the holly and bake the Buche de Noel.  And though I like doing those things, there’s just a lot of Things To Do. So I’ve found that I’m at my most merry and bright when I approach my Martha tasks with a little Mary perspective.

For example, I’ve winnowed my Christmas card list to friends and family that I genuinely want to stay in touch with–even if it’s just this one time of year–and as I assemble our cards (this year’s, above, from Minted) I try to slow down and recall good times together.

When the crowds get too hustle-bustley, I envision all the shoppers thinking about how to make others happy. I also think of all the craftspeople hoping their work finds a receptive audience.

Tree-trimming is not for the faint of heart or feeble of backs, but the pairing of woodsy greens with sparkling lights seems like a manifestation of the divine and our house feels blessed when the tree is shining. So I consider putting up the tree a gift of love to my family, the friends we host and, most especially, to me.

With Christmas Day a week away, I’m jettisoning non-essential Martha projects (which helps me sleep better) and anticipating the mystical Mary moments that might manifest each day.  Today, I’ll look for them as I wrap and bake and prep for my kids’ arrivals (starting tomorrow!) I’ll also think fondly of old friends as I track down missing addresses to send off the last few cards. You see, my inner Martha and Mary both like very much to keep in touch.

If you’re still looking for some last minute Halloween decor ideas–simpler than this front yard fright fest I spotted in Virginia last week–consider combining seasonal votives and an exceptionally gnarled pumpkin with a black tablecloth.

Or add a string of spooky black cat lights to an all black tablescape like the one Design Within Reach put together for this week’s Dining by Design DIFFA fundraiser in San Francisco.

Then break into the fun-size treats and check out the silly costumes worn by talk show hosts (this is the one time of year I pay attention to morning TV) and this creepy cool new video by David Bowie.

Here’s wishing you a boo-tiful day full of more treats than tricks!

True confession: I like Peeps.  Yes, those Day-Glo sugar-coated marshmallow chicks are a taste treat I actually look forward to every Easter.  To enhance the texture, I open the package a few days early to let them get a little crunchy on the outside and set them out as part of my holiday display.  Look at how they complimented this year’s Easter table bouquet.

Another thing that graced my Easter table was a citrus and avocado salad by my favorite vegetarian cookbook author Deborah Madison.  The salad was an interesting mix of sweet and savory due to the shallot-laced dressing and peppery watercress greens.

Washing and trimming the watercress reminded me of the time my Grandma Kate ran into our house when I was a kid exultant that she’d found some wild watercress on a nearby riverbank.  I would have preferred a batch of her famous cinnamon rolls, but obviously, she thought this handful of spicy greens was the best thing going.

My husband remembers his Grandpa Mel telling him that Mel’s father loved the taste of the first dandelion greens of the season even though they tasted awful to Mel. Mel’s theory was that when his father was a boy (in the 1870s) he got nothing green to eat all winter so by spring even dandelion greens tasted great.  This, of course, seems remarkable to me living in modern-day California.  I can eat pretty much any green any time of the year.  And yet, there are some things that just taste like spring and are best imbibed this time of year.

Including:

Asparagus

Carrots

Green Garlic

Lettuce (really, it’s better now than at any other time in the year)

Rhubarb

Turnips

Oh, and Peeps.  They’re meant to be eaten this time of year.  Ignore the jack o’ lantern and snowman-shaped imposters.

Citrus and Avocado Salad

(From Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison)

1 lime

2 tangerines

2 navel or blood oranges

2 ruby grapefruit

2 ripe but firm avocados, preferably Hass

1 shallot, finely diced, or 2 scallions, including an inch of the greens, thinly lsiced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly milled white pepper

1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped mint

1 bunch watercress, large stems removed, or the inner leaves of 1 head Boston lettuce

Grate the zest of the lime and one of the tangerines.  Peel and section the fruit letting the pieces fall into a bowl.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of the juice and drink the rest.

Slice the avocados into the citrus.  Combine the shallot with the citrus zest, reserved juice, lemon juice, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; whisk in the oil. Pour the dressing over the fruit, add the mint and a little pepper, and toss gently.  Garnish with the watercress or tuck the salad among the lettuce leaves.

Like a tipsy party guest, oxalis—with its day-glo yellow blossoms and exuberant growth patterns—can be a pain to those attempting a manicured springtime garden display. Here in the woodland hills of Oakland, however, outrageously cheery swaths of oxalis are as welcome as a sunny patch of daffodils in a proper English garden. Also, did you know that another name for oxalis is false shamrocks? So just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day, I’m counting my good fortune that my backyard is lit up with oxalis like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Here are a few other things I felt lucky to come across this week:

1. Peggy Noonan’s advice for a new pope could apply to all of us.

2. While we’re on the topic of religion, I loved what Anne Lamott had to say about being a Christian.

3. Ever wonder why you seem to encounter the same issues over and over in your life? Martha Beck’s musings on labyrinths resonated with me.

4. Speaking of mystical practices, I’m enjoying tracking the stages of the moon with Deluxe Moon.

5. And though I don’t have a smidge of Irish blood, it’s still fun to celebrate St. Paddy’s day—perhaps with some Irish soda bread or these fun rainbow jello parfaits.

Luck o’ the Irish to you all this weekend!

We’re down to the wire now people.  Less than a week ‘til Christmas and if your house is anything like mine, it’s covered in a staggering mix of wrapping paper scraps and powdered sugar. Time to take stock of what we realistically can do and what needs to go into our dreams of Christmas future.

Here are a few of my favorite, easy ways to pull your house together in the “Nick” o’ time.

Mix it up.  A hotshot professional florist once told me the best way to light a tree is to pick a color scheme and then vary the size of lights.  I’m a white lights kinda gal, but I love adding different shapes and sizes to my tree to add depth and sparkle.  Even if your tree is already decorated, think about adding one or two more strands of lights in larger or smaller sizes or shapes and see what a difference they make.

Simplify. Christmas decorations may be “driving the dark away” but they shouldn’t totally obscure it.  I like having a few spare decorative elements around to remind me that underneath all the fuss and muss this is the quiet, meditative time of the year.

Deconstruct.  In a similar vein, I prefer simple seasonal floral arrangements.  Gather 2-3 related vases and buy seasonal foliage in the same numbers, then instead of mixing them together place them side-by-side.  Breathe in, breathe out.

Light it up.  Years ago I went to a party where the host and hostess—young, broke artists—had gathered dozens of junk store glasses and filled them with white candles.  I loved the miss-matched nature of the holders and started gathering a few of my own. It was a sad Christmas Eve when a small snifter monogrammed with the name Audrey fell off the mantle and shattered.  Burn one fragrant candle as well. I adore Diptyque’s Pomander.

Decorate to Delight.  My inner child is completely entranced this year by a simple paper mobile by Danish Design.  When the stress of the season starts to get to me, I pause to watch it slowly turn in my entryway casting shadows by day and swimming in the reflected lights of my own Christmas tree and the neighbors’ porch decorations by night. Joy.

***

Congratulations to Julie Woodfield of Simply Julie who won the ACE Hardware giveaway—she plans on using her $100 to add more garlands and window lights to her home—lovely.  Here are two other ideas for simple holiday decorations using things you find around your house or your own back yard from ACE’s design expert Julie Richard.

–Gather all the clear glasses vases you own. Fill them with either silver or glass balls before adding freshly cut tree branches.  If you want to give them a snow-kissed look, spray the branches loosely with white paint.

–Pinecones look beautiful painted as well.  Paint them with silver, gold white, or a combination of all three and mound them in glass, wood or metal bowls for an easy, elegant craft project.

Merry Christmas everyone!

See you in the New Year where I’ll be one son-in-law richer.