by Roxanne -

Lent – Into the Desert

How Will You Spend Your 40 Days in the Desert?

We are entering into our time in the desert. We don’t go to an actual desert.  We create a desert in the midst of our lives. The forty days of Lent is an ancient practice (older than Christianity) of fasting and preparing to go deeper within ourselves. It is a time of reorientation and transformation.

Traditional practices include service, almsgiving and fasting. Why fasting? Fasting is a way of practicing detachment, letting go and opening oneself to the transcendant or the sacred.

Fasting is also a way to be in solidarity with those who are hungry (two thirds of the world). Ideally, we take the money we would have spent on richer fare and donate it to those who are hungry.

Once a year it is good to stop, reflect and resist meeting every desire. Going deeper helps me to see new patterns, make changes and listen to God or my deepest interior voice. There are many ways to go deeper. Here are some suggestions I wrote with a colleague a few years ago.

1. Turn off the radio or car radio. Get used to silence.

2. Commit to praying or meditating for peace each day.

3. Keep a daily gratitude journal.

4. Fast from overwork and busyness during Lent.

5. Fast from consumerism. Check out the true income disparity between the top fifth and bottom fifth in the U.S. Scroll to the graph at the bottom.

6. Use less water. Recycle more.

7. Carpool, take a bus, ride a bike, or walk at least once a week.

8. Shop at more socially responsible stores. Find out which ones.

9. Fast from TV and video games – read, meditate or walk instead.

10. Fast from impatience – at home, while driving, at school, at work, in political discussions.

11. Fast from interrupting – commit to really listening in order to understand others.

12. Fast from a favorite luxury (e.g., drink water instead of coffee or soda). Donate what you save to a cause of your choice.

13. Fast from judgments about people who don’t always have enough.

14. Go to: www.nccbuscc.org/cchd/povertyusa/tour2.htm to learn what our government considers poverty level and how hard it is for some families to make ends meet.

15. Read Nickeled and Dimed, the true story of a woman who tried to live on a minimum wage job at Wal-Mart in the Twin Cities.

16. Learn more about why many people can’t afford market-rate housing.  Go to: www.micah.org (click on fact sheets) or www.dakotacda.org (click on market survey).

17. Watch the movie Chocolat and reflect on ways we exclude people.

18. Take a concrete step to fight racism or another form of discrimination. Check these links to learn how.

19. Shovel snow or fix a meal for someone who could use extra help.

20. Perform random acts of kindness in your family, at work or school.

21. Cheerfully share something of value (time, possessions) or give to someone in need, anonymously.

22. Over 800 million people in the world go hungry each day. Nearly 6 million children a year die from hunger. Take part in Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters or go to: www.bread.org for ways to help.

23. Of course, you could read my book Living a Luxury Life and learn about many ways to add depth to your life.

24. Finally, fast from any habit or activity that keeps you from being your most authentic self – the person you want to be.

25. Add your own item in the comments here.

Peace to you as you journey this Lent.

Roxanne

You may also like The Great Liturgy Begins, Walk Out of the Tomb, and Visio Divina Reflection.

by Roxanne -

Romantic Dining Area Before & After

So why shouldn’t I give the same romantic treatment to our dining area as I did to the bedroom? Afterall, this is the space where we share food and wine with friends, conversations over espresso, and dinners for just the two of us.

We have moved our dining table around the townhouse. Sometimes it is placed near the server, but not always. It has been next to the fireplace – this was very romantic. It has also been near the living room window which was lovely on warm summer nights. Last year we took it down and used my desk as both a work place and a dining table when necessary. With my desk now in the bedroom, the dining table is currently under the chandelier where you actually might expect it 😉

But what to do now??? Romance calls for layers, varied textures and a punch of unexpected color. So that’s what I attempted to do here.

Here’s the uninspiring before photo from two years ago:

Photo R. Meshar

Here’s the more romantic after:

Photo R. Meshar

Again, I only used what we already had. I anchored the space with the server. It also provides a platform for adding additional textures and color in the glass bowls, metal lamp and picture frame. The lamp adds another level of lighting which also warms the space. Adding layers of textures such as metal, glass and flowing fabric along with a punch of color makes it much more romantic and inviting. The space just seems more lively – but not cluttered.

What do you think?

Soon I will post on the bathroom re-do, before and after. Stay tuned . . .

You may also like Romantic Bedroom Before & After.

by Roxanne -

Simplifying My Wardrobe

Photo Savvima

In this year of not buying clothes, I’ve been trying to simplify my wardrobe. Much has already been accomplished. Clothes I rarely wore or that didn’t fit comfortably (read didn’t fit flatteringly) were donated. That freed up tons of space in my closet. Then I looked at color. Colors that worked together and looked good on me, I kept. Items in colors that worked with only one or two other items were banished from my closet.

Next I took a good hard look at maintenance. In the apparel industry almost all beautiful fabrics can be made to be machine washable. Even cashmere is now combined with cotton to retain the luxury feel but allow for machine washing. The same goes for wool and silk. So items that need dry cleaning or ironing are really not worth it for me anymore.

So a maintenance view of my closet allowed me to remove items that required dry cleaning or absolutely needed ironing. There are a couple of linen blouses that I sometimes iron. However, they still look good and are wearable even in the “washed linen” state – so I kept them.

Then I took a close look at blazers, dresses and skirts. Basically, I almost never wear them. Recently we went to a wedding – and even then I wore dressy wide-leg slacks. So blazers, dresses and skirts were donated. Without dresses and skirts you really don’t need hosiery, slips and high heels. If I don’t wear them why have them?

Where to shop? I look for local clothing stores and Fair Trade whenever possible. Trade Winds is a shop I like on Grand Ave. in St. Paul. Beautiful clothing AND Fair Trade. Nearby is Ten Thousand Villages – also Fair Trade.

(As the commenter below mentioned, consider consignment stores and reuse clothing stores. Encore and Elite Repeat in St. Paul carry a nice selection of current women’s clothing.)

Currently I don’t worry about purses or handbags. I simply don’t use them. It’s easier to carry a small wallet and my phone in my pocket. Ta da! That eliminates shopping or maintaining a wardrobe of purses.

Numerous pairs of shoes are off my list too. I really only wear the negative heel of Earth shoes because as a professor I am on my feet for three to six hours at a time. They keep my back feeling great. So great, in fact, that I wanted to wear them all the time. In the end about six to eight pairs of shoes (boots, sandals, oxfords, dress, mules and beach sandals) cover +95% of my life. Leather items will be the next place where I take a good, hard, look.

What did I keep were scarves. I adopted the idea of wearing scarves when I lived in Paris many years ago. French women make excellent use of scarves as they have high quality – but limited item wardrobes. Scarves are a great way to add the latest color or look to any wardrobe inexpensively. They can work as a necklace or around your waist or over slacks as a sarong. They protect my neck and shoulders from the sun in the summer. As a fair-skinned person this is VERY important. And of course if you saw my furoshiki post, you know that scarves can even be pressed into service as a shopping bag or evening bag.

The end result of all of this is that getting dressed has become really easy. I enjoy what I wear and feel good in it. It looks good too. Space and time have been added to my life. I like that!

Maybe my next post on simplifying my wardrobe I will post an actual picture of my closet. It’s getting to the point where I really could!

So this is what I’ve accomplished so far. These ideas work for me – but certainly won’t work for everyone. What do you think? Do any of these ideas work for you? Do you have other suggestions or ideas?

You may also like Simplify, Simplify, Simplify, Closet Check and Easy, Summer Travel Wardrobe.

by Roxanne -

Romantic Bedroom Before & After

Romance is my word for the year. You may remember this picture that was my inspiration for using what we already have to create a more inviting and romantic bedroom.

Photo Apt. Therapy

Of course it’s not about literally duplicating this room. Rather I hope to improvise key elements of this room to create a similar warm, inviting, romantic look using what we already have. We already have a bed that is in keeping with this look, but slightly more modern with medium toned wood.

One afternoon I moved a red wool rug (a generous gift from my cousin) from the living room to the bedroom. This really set off the lighter toned wood of the bed and the white linens. Scouting around the house I gathered a collection of pictures in deep rusts, oranges and reds with wood and metal burnished wood frames. I hung them over the bed. A bookcase was moved to flank the bedroom window.

What else? I love the white bedding and the casual “unmade bed look” in this picture. Currently we have a white quilt (also a gift from my cousin) and comforter, cream flannel sheets and khaki colored pillows on our bed.

As it happens, a while ago DH gave me a gift of an extravagant down comforter. I had never used one before and they seemed expensive. But once you experience how incredibly light and warm they are I wonder how I ever lived without one – especially in Minnesota where temperatures easily dip to 20 or 30 below. We can set our thermostat even lower at night. It is a gift I truly enjoy. So topping the bed with this fluffy, but light, down comforter really adds to this look – and we already have it.

Since I’m a writer and voracious reader, as is DH, my desk has the usual writer’s articles, books and notes. This desk already functions as a bedside table.

Next I will finish one side of the window with a panel of cream velvet or white linen. I don’t think it’s necessary to drape the entire window which is large in this case. A panel hung to the floor will provide the same look for minimal or no cost. The fabric – velvet or linen – will most likely depend on how close to warmer weather we are when this update is finally finished. I already have cream colored linen panels, by the way.

Then hopefully I can post a picture of the finished project. It will have a slightly more modern look and feel. But the romantic vibe should come through. Here’s the before from a photo taken two years ago:

Photo R. Meshar

And here’s where we are so far, basically  almost done:

You may also like Isn’t It Romantic?, Romantic Dining Area Before & After.

Ciao!