to create inspired healing, wellness & live out loud joy beyond cancer
True hospitality comes from the heart, and is not the product of ostentatious and expensive material surroundings. Eleanor Roosevelt Opening your nest to friends and relatives during the holiday season should not be a stressful ordeal. You can make your home party ready and still have a great time by following my five tips: 1. Don't [...]
"Home is where one starts from." T. S. Eliot "There's a big world outside those hedges," she said with some unkindness. We were young college commuters and her words stung. Sure, I was naive and sheltered, but life beyond the landscaping was only a matter of time. It's many years later and now I'm the one [...]
My garden is a work in progress that I see through a decorator's eyes. Its color palate (chartreuse, orange and purple), garden rooms, focal points and accessories extend the living space of my home. Most importantly, however, I love the history of the garden. I remember what plants came from where and which rhododendron I [...]
“To those whom much is given, much is expected.” John F. Kennedy For those of us with safe, comfortable homes much has truly been given. Our gratitude propels us to give back, but sometimes we don't know how. I just learned about a horrible statistic with an easy, inexpensive fix that I have to share with [...]
Survival > Existence, Debbie
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. Edith Wharton I did a lot of reflecting this week so, of course, I thought I'd talk about mirrors in today's The Survivor's Nest post. Looking around my own home, I realized I'm surrounded by wonderful examples I'd [...]
A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. James Keller It was my pleasure to commemorate my friend Terri Wingham's birthday a couple of weeks ago by contributing to her Adventure of Hope. Imagine my surprise when she contacted me a few days later at my Facebook page to tell me I won the giveaway from CV Skinlabs and O&N Collective, Inc. I won [...]
I believe in serendipity, especially in decorating. Despite my natural inclination to plan, there's something about making desirable discoveries by accident that brings a spark of surprise and life to any decorating project. I'll give you a great example from my own decorating life. About 18 months ago, I was in the middle of a [...]
Where We Go Now 