Living alone with the holidays quickly approaching can be difficult. I indulged in something for myself this year. It is an advent calender from Lauduree with parisian sweets. I am kinda obsessed with Lauderee. It is a french bakery and confectionery store originating in Paris. I became familiar with it from social media and artists who would paint pictures of macarons. I collected a few cookbooks. And, when Kaylyn and I visited Paris in 2008, it was high on my list of places to visit. It had a line outside and it was very cold. I hate to admit this, but I wanted the bag, tissue paper and ribbon more then anything. I still have it, because I would like to do some crafting with it. I want to decopauge shells and make a mobile as a homage to where I am living.
The name of my apartment is the Versaille Chalet and I have been sharing snippits of my place a little bit in my stories on instagram. I felt an instant connection with this place when I saw it on the internet. I saw it was available as a winter rental. I was so happy when I signed the lease. It is really helping me focus on what I want to keep in the future, and what I am willing to part with. The things that I own, I am definitely emotionally attached to. So, the last few years I have been concentrating on purging. But, at the same time I had broken my buying habits. Ten years ago and especially when I had the store I could visit AC Moore and Michaels two times a week. Mostly it was to buy supplies for the business I had for five years. But, also to decorate my home and use for memory keepers like scrapbooks. I stopped shopping in those stores. Basically, the whole time I was at April Cornell if I did any buying it was there for my clothes and linens for my home. I actually got free clothes from there every six months. Last year I bought some Christmas items at great savings, because of April Cornell closing. So, what do I do with thirty-nine years of Christmas Deorations that are full of Christmas memories? It was challenging until I found out a church in Ocean Grove collects Christmas decoration donations for their annual sale. I made two car fulls of donations. It felt good. Last year I had the time to sort out everything and it was all organized. I had already done a giant purge of what I could part with by throwing a lot away. I thought this process would be really sad and hard, but surprisingly enough it made me really happy. The thought of someone else appreciating what gave me so much happiness through the years has helped me get through this time. The other remarkable part of this is the what I bought last year and why. I bought some things last year and I didn't know why. I didn't really have a place for them. I was hard on myself wondering why did I buy these things. But, they fit in my apartment perfectly. The one purchase was these vintage looking candles that are battery operated. They fit perfectly in the sconces I have in my dining area (or as my landlord calls it: the hall of mirrors). My daughter also gave me an early Christmas present which I am hanging from one of the sconces, which is a peace sign with fresh greenery. I may be alone, but I feel blessed. And, most of all living alone is very peaceful. And, at the end of the day, it is a nice feeling to be at peace.
Song of the Day:
War on Drugs "I Don't Live Here Anymore"
Quote of the Day: “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
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