the entertaining house

Pay it forward - National Compliment Day

2012-01-24T07:05:00.000-05:00

PS. You are beautiful, kind, intelligent, funny, smart, gracious... Pass it on!

XOXO

Jessica

Bullying. Something to think about.

2012-01-23T22:27:00.001-05:00

As many of you know bullying has hit close to our home.
I was incredibly taken with this. Touched. Moved. Practically to tears.
I copied the photo and the text below from Pinterest.

A teacher in New York was teaching her class about bullying and gave them the following exercise to perform. She had the children take a piece of paper and told them to crumple it up, stamp on it and really mess it up but do not rip it. Then she had them unfold the paper, smooth it out and look at how scarred and dirty is was. She then told them to tell it they’re sorry. Now even though they said they were sorry and tried to fix the paper, she pointed out all the scars they left behind. And that those scars will never go away no matter how hard they tried to fix it. That is what happens when a child bullies another child, they may say they’re sorry but the scars are there forever. The looks on the faces of the children in the classroom told her the message hit home. Pass it on or better yet, if you're a parent or a teacher, do it with your child/children.

I just love this.

XOXO

Jessica

Saturday Snowstorm and a 13th Birthday!

2012-01-22T08:49:00.000-05:00

It's one think to wake up to a blanket of snow during the week. Our immediate reaction is to curse Mother Nature who has put a wrench in our plans. Kids love snow days. Parents don't! But, when the snow falls on the weekend we parents sing and do our happy dances. Especially when snow days fall on the same day our daughter turns 13! All activities and sports are cancelled. We can have a nice ~~relaxing~~ morning at home. We can move about slowly and not have to rush around. We can take our time and enjoy our breakfast.

image via The Entertaining House

~~We relaxed for a couple of hours~~ The kids hung out for a couple of hours while I tidied the house.

Before I knew it, it was time to start thinking about lunch. The Birthday Girl requested grilled salmon, petite peas, and orzo with garlic, lemon and Parmesan. We always eat our nice meals in the dining room. I wanted to decorate a little for her. But how? What to do? I wanted to save the items I had purchased for the evening. I had a fun surprise planned for her. I grabbed odds and ends... I went down to the basement in search for inspiration...

image via The Entertaining House

With a table filled with ornaments, grosgrain ribbon an a few leftover party decorations I was pretty sure I could come up with something creative. I mean, ornaments aren't just for Christmas anymore!

image via The Entertaining House

When hanging from a chandelier it's evident that the're perfect for Birthdays too!

image via The Entertaining House

I created a centerpiece with more ornaments and party decorations we'd used for past parties and even those inexpensive pre-fab bows! It looked lovely, pretty, girly!

image via The Entertaining House

And then I got another wonderful, awful idea! I took some of the ornaments and found a fabulous new use for them!

image via The Entertaining House

I simply must remember to do this again, especially during the holidays!

image via The Entertaining House

And I found a use for the ribbon and some old gift tags...

image via The Entertaining House

How a few simple objects really dressed up the chandelier for the Birthday Girl!

image via The Entertaining House

And we had a lovely, delicious relaxing lunch and watched as outside the snow continued to fall... and fall and fall and fall. I still had one errand to run and I worried about being trapped at home. Ah, yes the downside of having a January Birthday. (We've had to reschedule more than we've liked to have done due to blizzards, flu and nasty stomach bugs.) I was determined, however, to go on with our plans. A little snow would not stop me! The only thing that would prevent me from going anywhere was the town plow. When they plow our street they plow us right in! Last year we had piles of snow as tall as I was! Granted... last year was extreme!

Suddenly I heard a a beautiful sound, that of a snow plow... not just any plow but our snow plow right next door!

Once the dishes were done I hopped into my truck and navigated the slippery roads, many of which remained unplowed. I got to my destination and fought with the wind and slippery sidewalks and managed to wrangle 3 dozen purple balloons inside!

image via The Entertaining House

I made it home in time to turn the playroom into a Purple Paradise!

And surprised my daughter with a Justin Bieber (Ugh, gross!) overkill! She absolutely loved it!

This post was made possible by Instagram... what would I do without it?

I hope you all have a delicious and relaxing Sunday!

We're off to celebrate Day Two of Turning Thirteen!

XOXO

Jessica

"Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror" Khalil Gibran

2012-01-19T08:21:00.002-05:00

I've always had a fondness for mirrors, large, small, tall, wide... singularly, paired or grouped together. Mirrors are musical, magical, delightful. They serve so many purposes. When used in your home they can accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative ... They can add a sense of height, they can increase daylight, increase a sense of intimacy and coziness. Mirrors, in all their shapes and sizes, colors and textures have perhaps the single greatest ability to recreate a space and maximize it's potential.

I remember the mirrors in my grandmother's homes. They were large and elegant and stately. They served as a form of art... as a source of light, and to me, as a young child, a source of delight and entertainment.Almost from the time I knew that my fork should be on my left hand side and my knife to my right, I knew that, whenever possible a mirror should be placed directly across the window. It seemed to me that the mirrors brought the weather inside with them. The natural light would alter the color and shape and shadows in the rooms depending on the time of day, the weather and the season. (This effect more dramatic in rooms with color.)

Mirrors have, to me, always been so very much more than something we peer into to check our hair, teeth, lipstick... They've been statements, objects d'art and even, as a young child, a source of entertainment.

In the South of France I had a bathroom wall lined in mirrors from the front to the side. The mirror wrapped around from one side to another. If I looked to my right there were dozens of me... all wearing and doing the exact same thing I was doing! If I looked to the left, there were also dozens of me, all looking and doing just as I was. As an only child I could play like this for hours!

In Oxfordshire I had a large, stately and elegant mirror next to the bathtub. Ordinary one would not choose to put a mirror there - how unkind! Yet, for decor it was a perfect fit. The large, claw footed tub looked out over miles and miles of English Countryside. The mirror reflected the vast field. I used to lie down, close my eyes and imagine my tub was outside en plein air! I could bathe in the sunshine, in the rain, in the snow!

I will always think the mirror to be magical and beautiful. They will always be an integral part of my homes.

There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. - Edith Wharon

You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use your works to see your soul - George Bernard Shaw

Look in a mirror and one thing's sure; what we see is not who we are - Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Who sees the human face correctly, the human, the painter or the mirror - Pablo Picasso

Poetry is the mirror that makes beautiful that which is distorted - Percy Bysshe Shelley

Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in the mirror
But you are eternity and you are the mirror - Khalil Gibran

The face is the mirror of the mind, and the eyes, without speaking, confess the secrets of the heart -
St. Jerome

Life is like a mirror; we get the best results when we smile at it - Unknown

He reproduced himself with so much humble objectivity, with the unquestioning, matter of fact interest of a dog who sees himself in a mirror and thinks: there's another dog -
Rainer Maria Rilke

Shadows cannot see themselves in the beauty of the sun - Eva Peron

Take care that the face that looks out from the mirror in the morning is a pleasant face. You may not see it again during the day, but others will - Anonymous

The world is a looking-glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. Frown at it, and it will in turn look sourly upon you; laugh at it and with it, and it is a jolly kind companion; and so let all young persons take their choice. - William Makepeace Thackery

It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors - Oscar Wilde

I should think he must be rather a dressy man for his time of life. Such a number of looking-glasses! Oh Lord! There is not getting away from one's self - Jane Austen

Mirrors on the ceiling, pink champagne on ice, we are just prisoners here of our own device -
The Eagles

all images via my Pinterest Board, all original sites can be found there.

Wishing you all the sunniest of reflections today!

XOXO

Jessica

Give the ol' weather the boot!

2012-01-17T08:24:00.000-05:00

Many schools here in Southern Connecticut have decided to delay their opening by an hour and a half to two hours. Now, you may think this insignificant... a great excuse to sleep in... a perfect opportunity to let the kids sleep in... make a hearty, warm breakfast, relax a bit and not have to rush out the door. None of this is the case. When school is delayed the phone rings. Early. When school is delayed the children are up. Early. When school is delayed you still don't feel like cooking a full bacon, eggs and toast breakfast. When school is delayed someone still manages to forget something only to remember theveryminute you pull out of the driveway. When school is delayed the children are happy. Read hyper. When school is delayed mothers are in pissy, foul moods. We are easily annoyed. Especially when these 2-hour delays come after a very long (indeed) 4 day weekend. We want to resume our lives. We have work that we want and need to get done. We want our children as far away from us as possible. We even consider dropping them off at the school's front door at the regular start time. We want to enjoy our coffee in peace. We want to go to the gym...

We know a little dusting of snow isn't going to hurt us. We are creating soft children. We are creating lazy children. A little snow, rain and sleet never stopped us as kids. We had to go to school... uphill, without a car... in bare feet! We're tough and our kids are going to be wimps! Offices don't close because there's a dusting of snow on the ground. Can you imagine? Let me tell you some of the conditions in which I had to drive... in my non 4-wheel drive-slip-sliding-cherry-red Red Volkswagen Jetta. Puhleeze! Can you imagine if they did this in Canada?

Seriously, this is insane. I am starting to think that all these school delays and cancellations are the true causes behind the sudden rise in peanut allergies!

I'll quit bitchin'... I'm lucky I do have 4 wheel drive. I feel safe and comfortable in my car... But I'd love to ride in the one below... I'd say it's probably as comfortable as an old pair of boots!

***

And to the kindness of the wonderful and stylish Suze Stephenson of Well To Do You for sharing this picture with me... and to you Suze, cheers to Bubbles in a Boot!

Photo: L.L. Bean, Lincoln Benedict / AP.

Stay warm and dry... and if your kids have a delayed start too, Stay Sane!!!

XOXO

Jessica

It's Monday... relax!

2012-01-16T06:12:00.001-05:00

Many of us get to enjoy an extended weekend. We have the day off as we celebrate and remember Martin Luther Jr. So let's really take a day off.
Let's take some much needed and well deserved time to relax.

As the winds howl and the temperatures plummet, there's no better place to be than at home.
Warm, cozy and relaxed...

via Pinterest

Come grab a blanket or two or three and wrap yourself in comfort...

via desdemventana.com

Let's make a fire... You can take one couch and I'll take the other...

via cocokelly.blogspot.com

Unless you'd simply rather not get out of bed... I think this could be the day. There's no place I love more than my soft downy bed piled high with pillows (too many to count - the more the merrier!) and my not one, but two fluffy white duvets...

via eldoradostone.com

I may need to get up and move around today... but not too far... and I mustn't forget that the purpose of the day is to relax... I'll just need a few bubbles...

via weheartit.com

and something warm to drink... A soothing cup of tea will suit me perfectly!

via becomngbetty.com

and I'll need something to eat...

a snack that I can manage as I finally get the chance to pour over my magazines...

and pick up, and not be able to put down, the book I've been meaning to read for some time.

via theentertaininghouse.com

The beautiful, haunting tale of Sarah's Key... If you haven't read it yet, you simply must!

via newsoverseas.com

And then, you know, as the sun sets, and the skies darken, I'll need to move on to something a little bit stronger. I've been unplugged almost the entire day. I haven't left the house. I've crawled out and back into my pajamas. I've crawled out of and back into bed. I simply could not be more relaxed... It's been a perfect day. Unfortunately, I want another one just like it!

Have a warm and Happy Day!

XOXO

Jessica

A visit to Abigail Fox Designs in Old Greenwich, Connecticut

2012-01-12T07:51:00.002-05:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to visit my friend Abigail's store in Old Greenwich yesterday. I first met Abigail last Spring at the famed Brimfield Antiques Show in Brimfield, Massachusetts. I've been wanting to stop by for quite some time but our busy lives and often conflicting schedules have not permitted such until yesterday.

If you are in the area or near the area and have a passion for beautiful things for your home you simply must stop by. You will not be disappointed! Abigail apologized in advance for her low inventory. "Christmas wiped me out!" She told me. Yet, I saw goodies galore... on the walls, on the floor, on shelves, ceilings... Every nook seemed to house something more delightful than the next. I wandered through her shop over and over again, each time my eyes caught something new, more wonderful than the next!