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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Alexandra Stoddard, A Wonderful Read

I just love this fall button Sue made for Rednesday, it has such beautiful colors in it. Please visit her at It's a Very Cherry World to see what everyone is sharing today!





Hmm...I wonder, is it coincidence that most of my favorite design books have red covers? Or is it just that great minds think alike?


I recently found the Alexandra Stoddard book at an antiques and collectibles mall. Barb, at Bella Vista, had recommended her to me at a time when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed with my house. This is not a design book full of photographs, although there are lovely illustrations. This book is meant to read and read I have.


Stoddard wrote that our homes are , "...an attitude and a mind-set you can create and live in and love everyday."


She says that houses become homes when they "envelop our personality".


"Whatever is right and good about our lives, whatever is authentic and beautiful, will be reflected in the atmosphere as well as in the details that mirror our souls in meaningful, tangible, physical ways."


Wow! Do you think bout reflecting your soul when you're hustling through the store or fighting off a crowd of like-minded bargain shoppers at a yard sale? Me either! Frankly, I've done enough compulsive shopping, thrifty and otherwise, that I could probably reflect several souls without spending another penny. Instead I'm taking stock of what we have, what we love, and how we want to really live in this home.

Part of that assessment for me is time management. Blogging became an addiction and I was spending so much time at it that I lost track of why I started doing it. I've seen that a few bloggers have signed off permanently, feeling that blogging has become a drain on them for one reason or another. Others simply take a break and return when "real life" allows.. some don't return for months, if at all. Blogging does take a lot of time and that has been the subject of many, many posts lately.


I would say that blogging should be another reflection of your soul and as such it changes with the daily challenges we face. There are no rules. Don't feel that you must post often or on any schedule. Don't feel that you have to trade comment for comment. Post when your soul stirs you, be it serious or lighthearted. Visit when you have time, comment if you have something to say, and just hang out without commenting if you feel like it. Enjoy the experience as you would enjoy a chance meeting with a friend. Let it brighten your day, not weigh you down. Let it be part of all that is " authentic and beautiful" inside you.
Hugs
Dawn