Still have lots of work to do…

I have a bit of a lull in my workday (weighting [OMG, see how I typed “waiting” – is that a Freudian slip?] on someone else to finish a part of a project so I may proceed) so I thought I’d do a little blogging.

After looking at the photos of our new home, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no part of my personality in the décor whatsoever… I try not to get caught up on the little things – like whether or not I HATE those curtains or whether or not I think things look a little too hard and masculine. I try to take on the stance of a Buddhist monk, because in the big scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter much. I literally say to myself, “I am a Buddhist monk” and it brings me to a peaceful place and I think about the big picture vs. the small details. I know, I’m a nutcase… but I’m telling you, it works! What’s important is that we’re both happy and healthy. We have a lovely roof over our heads. Who cares if my personality doesn’t come through in the decoration of our home?

Or does it matter? Should I take a more dominant stance and create something that reflects both of our personalities? Will I lose myself if I step back and allow J to make the decisions? Hmmmmm. See, I confuse myself when I over-analyze…

OK, I’m back to it doesn’t really matter. Remember my greatest fear being that J would inherit his mom’s early on-set Alzheimer’s? That’s another motivator in my letting J make the decisions… what if his time is limited? His mom is in her mid 50’s, has been diagnosed for about 8 years and is already to the point that she no longer has lucid moments. She’s a shell and doesn’t even recognize her children or her husband. Her and J were as close as mother and son could possibly be… I’ve spent 10 weeks with her over the last two years, but her disease is so advanced and she’s so far gone that I don’t even know if she would like me as a daughter-in-law. It’s really the saddest thing I’ve ever experienced.

On to the photos…

If you look to the lower left of this first photo, you can see my little dog, Max.









We bought the masks, elephant head, black and white artwork, black and white Balinese doll prints (my husband has a thing for black and white art) and most of the stuff hanging on the walls while we were visiting Malaysia. The sailboat was my gift to J for our first anniversary.

When we got married, I sold most of my furniture and most of my stuff because I was under the impression we would buy things together with both making equal decisions… sigh. I am a Buddhist monk.

The artwork I brought into our marriage is currently located in one room of our house – it’s the polar opposite of J’s taste (which is why he’s relegated it to the spare room which will eventually become our home gym) and full of vibrant colors. It’s a little over the top. I bought it from a local artist as a gift to myself to celebrate the one year anniversary of breaking it off with my ex-boyfriend. We’d been together for nine long years (he’s the same man that I allowed to come between me and my best friend – why do some women make the worst decisions about certain men???). Anyway, the artwork kind of represents life and fun and freedom to me. I’ll take photos of the artwork in there and you can see for yourselves how completely different it is from the rest of the house. The mirror on the easel stand is mine from my single days, but I really think it looks atrocious where it is right now and would prefer to replace the existing console in the entryway with a much longer console and get rid of the mirror all together. It just doesn’t work as it is.



We’re temporarily trying out a Japanese style dining table (floor cushions need to be purchased) because the coffee table we have is too large for our living room and it’s such a beautiful table that I didn’t want to get rid of it. On an episode of Great Hotels, Samantha Brown stayed in a hotel that had a Japanese style dining table and it looked so cool, but I’m not really excited about the way it looks in our dining room…



J is so sweet. He bought me a little TV for the kitchen so when I’m spending all my time cooking separate meals for each of us I can be entertained…



Our current plan is to buy the Greenwich sectional from Pottery Barn and I’d like to replace the console with the Raleigh Console (also from PB). My beloved J has already decided upon our bedroom furnishings… it’s beautiful, but wouldn’t be my first choice. I am a Buddhist monk. I am a Buddhist monk. I am a Buddhist monk.

More photos to come soon.