HomeGoods StyleScope - I'm an Earthy Casual

This was a fun little quiz and I think the result was pretty accurate, for a change. Usually these quizzes don't get me, because they can't handle a mix of styles. But I think this one sounded about right.

HomeGoods StyleScope - I'm an Earthy Casual

Ramona, you are an Earthy Casual

You're interested in creating a welcoming home where people feel comfortable and happiness flourishes. You appreciate the warmth and individuality of natural materials and handcrafted things and are inspired by colors and forms from nature. You love mixing up different textures and are sensitive to the tactile qualities of objects. Your style is grounded and solid, not flighty or frilly. And you are never taken in by the trend of the moment.

You value comfort. Your home is a warm and open friendly place, and you feel happiest when everyone is cared for and relaxed in your space. Elements like pillows, throws, overstuffed furniture, and good lighting set the mood. You may also enjoy layering different fabrics or mixing patterns to create a cozy effect.

Putting Your Style to Work!

With your style and needs in mind, here are a few tips that will help you make your home a little happier.

 

1. Your Design Challenge: ORGANIZE The front hall sets the mood for your entire home. Consider how to accommodate all the room's functions as beautifully as possible. At the very least you need a console, and if you're short on storage, consider a dresser. Outfit the surface with nice trays and bowls for mail, keys and sunglasses. Keep a trash can for immediately tossing the junk mail. Closet-door or wall hooks encourage coat and bag hanging rather than dumping. If you have children, try to give each a basket in the closet for hats and gloves. It's nice to have a chair or bench for changing shoes, a mirror for last-minute lipstick checks, and a lamp or sconces for warm light.

2. Your Happy Place You can make your bath like your own private spa, an escape from the world—even if you share it! Consider making every useful thing beautiful—from the soap dish and toothbrush cup to a pretty jar for cotton balls and a plush, new set of matching towels (white is the most calming and spa-like). You deserve this! Using trays for corralling perfumes and bowls or cups for makeup will make things look organized and attractive. A really lovely idea, if you have space, is to include some real furniture like a little lamp or a stool for setting towels or even a comfy chair by the tub!

3. Be Party-Ready All the Time! Scent: The first thing you notice about a home is how it smells. Use naturally fragrant cleaning products. If you find a scented candle or fresh potpourri you love, stock up on it. Any scent you like, whether perfume or linen spray, can be used on upholstery, bedding or just spritzed into the air.

Mood: Nice, flattering light makes us feel good. So nix the harsh, direct light from overhead fixtures in favor of the softer glow from floor and table lamps. Also, stock up on some votive candles and a couple of hurricane lanterns for setting around the room.

Food: Devote space in your pantry or on a shelf for go-to party essentials: crackers, dip, chips, nuts—whatever you like to serve. Keep on hand a collection of attractive bowls and cocktail napkins, and you'll be able to set a spread—instantly!

Drink: The simplest and chicest thing is to have a drinks tray or table always set up. Include a mix of pretty glasses, an ice bucket, a lovely pitcher, and bottles of soda and water. When the bell rings, just add ice and limes.

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Cracker Barrel Goodies

Last Wednesday when we had brunch at Cracker Barrel, I found a few Halloween goodies on sale in the store. They were 60 or 70% off, I forget which. They were a bargain, anyway. Here they are:

A jack-o-lantern plate

 

A bat plate

 

An orange satin pumpkin covered in black lace. Trick likes it!

Just a few new goodies to get the new year’s collection started.

A Mini-Vacation

Last Wednesday I didn’t have classes because of Veteran’s Day. Mr. MC decided to take the day off, too (shock and awe), so we spent the day together. We went to Cracker Barrel for brunch and then we went to Mill Creek Park. First we went to Lanterman’s Mill. It was built in 1845 and it still operates as a mill. It wasn’t open, but we walked down to it and took in the scenery.

The mill:

 

Alongside the mill was a bird feeder with at least a dozen birds fluttering around it. I think they were all sparrows. I tried to get a picture of them, but you can’t really see them:

 

It was a beautiful sunny day, although windy and cold:

 

Looking south from the mill was a pretty covered bridge:

 

Looking north was an arched bridge for cars:

 

After we spent some time at the mill, we drove down the park further and found a bench overlooking a lake:

 

There were lots of geese in the lake and some obligingly swam right past us. I tried to get a picture of them, too, but again you couldn’t see them. Too bad my phone camera doesn’t have a telephoto lens.

We sat on the bench for a while, sometimes talking, sometimes just sitting quietly soaking up the sun. It was lovely. Eventually I could no longer feel my face because it was cold, so we got in the car and went home for a nap.

It felt like a real vacation.

Creation Myth

In my mythology class, we had to write our own creation myth. I thought I'd share mine, because I'm really happy with it. We talk a lot in the class about how myths shape culture, so I started mine with the idea of writing a myth that would shape the kind of culture I'd want to live in. Here's my attempt:

Before everything, there was the great ocean, vast and dark. Its depths were still and silent. Countless ages passed. Then the waters began to stir, a great turbulence from which arose a being, neither male nor female. This being was the First One. The First One looked around and saw that there was nothing but the great ocean. "I will make something," said the First One to itself. It stretched out its hands and tried to take hold of the water, but the water slipped through its fingers. The more it tried to hold the water, the faster the water slipped through its fingers. The First One thought for a while. Countless ages passed. Then the First One began to spin and spun itself apart into two distinct beings. One being was male and the other being was female. The male and the female looked at themselves and at each other and saw that they were beautiful. "I name myself, Wisdom," said the female. "I name myself, Love," said the male.

Wisdom and Love embraced and where their bodies touched, light shone. The light grew so bright that they could not bear to look at it, so they gathered it into their hands and hung it far above themselves. Once the light was shining down on them, they bent to their work. Together they cupped their hands in the water, collecting it with gentle strokes. They shaped the water carefully and then they breathed on it. Where their breath mingled, the shape grew firm and the water flowed away from it, so that became land. Love and Wisdom walked upon the land, delighting in the feel of it under their feet. Where their feet touched, plants sprang from the soil. Some plants grew tall, reaching for the light hanging far above. Wisdom and Love named these "trees." Other plants grew to cushion their feet as they walked and these were named "grass." Many plants grew, flowering plants, plants for food, even thorny plants to remind Love and Wisdom to be grateful for the soft grasses and to pay attention to where they walked. All the plants rejoiced in the bright light shining down on them, and so Wisdom and Love named that light "sun."

After a time, Love and Wisdom tired of walking. They lay on the soft ground and embraced each other. Countless ages passed. Their desire grew and they coupled. From their union, twins were born, neither male nor female. The twins embraced and where their bodies touched, light shone. The light grew bright and hurt their eyes, so they gathered it into their hands and hung it far above them. But they could not see their light hanging in the sky for the brightness of the sun, so they separated the sky. In one part, which they called "day," the sun shone, and in the other part, which they called "night," they hung their light and called it "moon."

The twins knew that to honor the First One, whose name was Balance, one of them must take the name, "Joy," while the other would take the name "Sorrow." They could not choose which would bear the greater burden; each volunteered to take it on and spare the other. They went to their parents and asked Wisdom and Love how to make such a choice. "Walk through the meadows," their parents told them, "and that one of you who is first to find a thorn shall be called Sorrow." So the twins walked hand in hand through the meadows until one cried out, for a thorn had pierced its foot. The injured twin, now named "Sorrow," reached down to pick up the thorn, tears of pain in its eyes. To comfort its twin, the other, now named "Joy," touched the thorn, and from its branches grew a new flower, loveliest and most fragrant of all the flowers. This is why the most beautiful flowers always have thorns.

Sorrow and Joy looked around at the earth. Joy cried tears of happiness at its beauty and where the tears fell, animals appeared, horses and dogs, seals and dolphins, all manner of animals which live on the earth and in the seas. Sorrow cried tears of grief at the earth's emptiness and where the tears fell, creeping, crawling, slithering creatures appeared, snakes and spiders, sharks and eels, all manner of creatures which hide in darkness. In some places, Joy's and Sorrow's tears mingled, and in these places, humans appeared, the most balanced of earthly beings, carrying both sorrow and joy in their souls.

The humans saw Love and Wisdom standing in the distance and were dazzled by their beauty. Many of the humans longed to be in the presence of that beauty and throughout their days, they looked frequently to the horizon to gaze upon Wisdom and Love. But other humans could not bear to see such beauty, for their hearts held more sorrow than joy, and so they turned away to look only at what lay in their path. And to this day, seeking Love and Wisdom brings joy to our hearts, while those who turn away find only sorrow.

In the presence of bravery

On Saturday, Mr. MC and I went to a wedding reception for some friends of ours. They got married at the end of October in Connecticut, where it is now legal for same sex couples to be married. The party was their opportunity to share their joy with friends and family back home in Ohio.

It was a nice party. The grooms were giddy, like newlyweds should be. They both looked so happy, it was impossible not to feel happy in their presence. Someone toasted their bravery in making a public statement of their love for each other. He was right, it was brave of them.


But I was even more impressed at how many of their friends brought their children to the party, from toddlers to teens. They were brave, too. How wonderful that they are willing to show their children that marriage is a beautiful, wonderful, normal thing, regardless of the sex of the partners. Those people are truly changing the world. Their children will grow up wondering why gay marriage isn't legal everywhere. "What's the big deal?" they'll say.


In a society where some people might accuse those parents of mistreating their children, I applaud their bravery and loyalty to their friends. I can look forward with hope to a future where such children grow up to be leaders.

Eating the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

Today in my mythology class we talked about the Genesis creation story and I suddenly understood more about "Belonging" and Topher. It was like Topher ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. As Adele said, Topher didn't have any morals at first. He was like a child. Now he's beginning to develop a conscience, to know and feel the difference between right and wrong. He ate the fruit and now he can never go back.

So he really was innocent. And, he was evil. Does that mean Adam and Eve were evil? Of course, we never think of them that way. At least, I've never thought of them that way before. They were "without sin", right? They didn't know the difference between good and evil. Don't we call those psychopaths these days?


Does that make Whiskey/Dr. Saunders Eve? Or maybe she's the Serpent?

Dollhouse: Belonging

We just caught up on our Dollhouse episodes, as we were a couple of weeks behind. Now, after seeing "Belonging" I'm having trouble settling to anything, so I figured I'd come try to write my thoughts about it.

I cried through the last third of it, I guess. It was an extremely powerful episode. I'm not sure yet how I feel about it, other than disturbed. It was supposed to be disturbing, of course. Having been in an abusive relationship with a man who made me think I was crazy at times, I'm not surprised I'm having such a strong reaction to it. Yet, surprisingly, even more than what happened with Sierra, it's Topher that I'm reacting to the most.

Topher. I've said all along he's the most evil person in the dollhouse. That arrogant brilliance. Adele stated it perfectly in the episode: he had no morals, humans were toys to him. We saw the first real crack in him in the first episode of this season, during the fabulously written and acted scene with him and Whisky/Dr. Saunders. Now, in "Belonging", he's turned into an entirely new person, at least in my eyes. His facial expressions all the way through, beautifully acted by Fran Kranz, just ripped my heart open. I think what I'm reacting to is a loss of innocence. Yes, it was an evil, arrogant innocence. Still.

After saying all that, what I have to say is I still have no words for what I'm feeling about that episode. I don't know if I could bear to watch it again. I know I won't be able to stop thinking about it. It must be a Joss Whedon show.

A Few Pictures

Here are just a couple of pictures from our Halloween party. These are either from my phone or Laura’s phone, so the quality is not great. Laura is sending me a CD with all 57! of her pictures on it, so I will be able to share those soon.
The napkins I bought for the party (you wouldn’t believe how many napkins I looked through before finding ones I liked!):

Trick sleeping with the Halloween dragon that Laura, Becky, Michele and Mike bought me. (Halloween dragon! two of my favorite things combined):

A ghostly peep melting in a mug of hot chocolate:

Laura came as Kaylee, from Firefly. Her costume was great, but you can only see a little bit of it here. I hope she got better pictures with her camera. She wore a military jumpsuit and had “grease” smeared on her face. Inspired!

Kevin playing Rummy at the party after he got off work:

Becky as a slightly scary, kinda sexy witch. Her hat was great, it had a little spider dangling off the pointed tip.

Michele as a pirate. She and Rajib had matching pirate costumes which she sewed, because she is talented like that. She’s holding Trick, who was brought down to socialize with the party guests against his will. He has a mean mom!

And here’s Miss Fiona, who also came to the party. This is her back at home and happy to be away from all the chaos.

More pictures to follow. Meanwhile, I’m already thinking about next year’s invitations. . . .

Halloween Party

The party was great! We had lots of fun, several people came, but not so many that I felt completely overwhelmed. Almost everyone wore a costume, which I didn't expect. I didn't have a costume. Doh! But I'm already looking forward to next year and I know exactly what my costume will be. I'm already finding pieces for it online.

Laura and Michele took pictures, so hopefully they'll send me copies soon and I can share them. I, of course, took none, because taking pictures with my phone is not much fun.