Project Style ~ 2012 ~ Summer Update

Remember Project Style 2012...my New Year’s resolution to bring more style into my life…my noble stand against blandness, apathy, negligence and sloppiness? Well, I haven’t forgotten. In fact, I‘ve become particularly interested in style…not just mine…but other people‘s style as well. When I say style, I’m not just referring to superficial appearances.

However, I have noticed that personal appearance is usually a reflection of how we feel about ourselves, how we care for ourselves, and how we express ourselves. Before I know anything about someone’s “inward” personality, I’m aware of their “outward” style.

So what have I discovered about style? Regarding others, I find that I’m drawn to creative, artistic, quirky people…friendly, outgoing, open-minded people…non-ethnocentric, animal loving, non-picky-food-eating, fully-engaged-in-life people, with a natural curiosity about life. I admire adventurers who take the road less traveled.

On the other hand, I’m turned off by the ones who try too hard. There has to be a relaxed confidence in their artistic-ness…their quirkiness…without that strident “in your face” “pay attention to me” quality. I’m attracted to people who are focused on the positive, enthusiastic about their interests, and dedicated to their causes…people who ARE what they appear to be, and not just playing a part. In other words, there has to be substance to back up the style.

And what about my own style? It’s a work in progress. I’ve been keeping a journal…writing down my thoughts, ideas, and things I want to read, see and do. I’ve discovered that my thought processes tend to be scattered. Ideas blast through my brain like rounds from a machine gun, and my abilities to focus and follow-up are not always the greatest…unless I write them down.

Here are some of the thoughts and ideas that I’ve written in my journal…in no particular order…but they are thoughts and ideas that influence me and my style…

Watch TV less ~ And yes, I’ve been doing this. I have stopped watching the news in the evening…too depressing. I have been watching old movies though…the good ones that make me laugh…like “Barefoot in the Park,” “Auntie Mame,” “The Thin Man series,” and “Harold and Maude.” I bought the dvd set of the seventies TV series, “MacMillan and Wife,” with Rock Hudson and Susan St. James…witty and quite stylish! I’ve been watching Andy Griffith’s “Mayberry” a lot lately…takes me back to my childhood, in a good way. And I do love HGTV and The Food Network.

Read more ~ I’ve read several of the books listed on my Project Style 2012 post, and I plan to read them all by the end of the year. And I’m reading Jim Donovan’s “Don’t Let An Old Person Move Into Your Body”…a fabulous “wakeup” book to read when you start to feel melancholia about getting older.

In honor of my Mom, who passed away earlier this year, and my maternal grandmother, who taught Mom how to cook, I started a blog of Southern desserts called Sweet+Sophisticated+Southern. I’ve been translating the recipes from Mom’s cookbook for the blog. I say translating, because these Southern ladies baked from scratch and memory, and didn’t write down too many instructions. It’s a bit of a crapshoot/experiment, but lots of tasty fun!

In the process, I’ve acquired a new fascination with the culture and history of the South. I daydream about sheets drying on a clothesline in the hot summer sun, screen doors, magnolia trees, crepe myrtle and honeysuckle, old pickup trucks, town squares, and sitting on the front porch watching the sunset with my grandfather, drinking big glasses of sweet iced tea. I guess you could say I’m getting back to my roots.

This summer, I’ve been re-reading some of my favorite Southern literature…”To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee, an anthology of stories by Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers, William Faulkner, and Willie Morris. (“My Dog Skip” rips my heart out) I’ve also discovered “Garden and Gun” magazine. I know, it’s a strange name, but it is a really interesting magazine about all things “Southern.”

Since I live in Texas now, I want to explore the state more. I particularly want to go to San Antonio, Marfa, Austin, and Fredericksburg…when the weather gets a little cooler! Also, I want to find all of the best barbeque joints here. I grew up on BBQ pork in, and around, Memphis. BBQ here is beef brisket. It took some getting used to, but it’s really good…and “when in Rome…” Eventually, I’d like to write a book about BBQ…Tennessee vs. Texas..:-)

Which brings me to getting in shape…my standard New Year’s resolution for the past twenty years. I want to be trim and healthy, but I don’t want to analyze every bite of food that goes into my mouth. I just can’t. I can eat in moderation, but I simply do not want to maintain a rigid diet…even if it’s better for me, and even if I might live longer as the result. I love food too much, and life is just too short. Moderation is the key…

Exercise…ditto. It has to be fun. I enjoy yoga, playing with Ralph at the dog park, hiking, biking, and bowling, but I’m not interested in killing myself at the gym. I love to dance! I don’t mind thirty minutes on the treadmill and a round of weights occasionally, if the weather’s not cooperative.

I’ve been taking a little time to “stop and smell the roses.” I relax more, and enjoy things like fluffy, white towels, clean French bed linens, and fresh flowers on the table. I like to stroll through the Farmer’s Market downtown, go to art museums and galleries, and catch a matinee at The Angelika Film Center on my days off. And I love having a cappuccino in the afternoon at my favorite bakery/coffee shop.

My personal style? As in, appearance? Also a work in progress. It’s still a tad lazy. Not much makeup. Hair blown dry in the car on my way to work. Lot’s of black, no iron clothes. I’m attempting to put myself together with more flair for my job, but I still wear yoga pants and flip-flops to the grocery store. But that’s me! My style suits my lifestyle. I’m happy, healthy, and having a great time! Hopefully, that shows…

I suppose what I’m saying is, life is what you make it…style is how you live it…and if you are living life to the fullest, your life will be reflected in your style. And your style will be AWESOME!

C

Recipe ~ Spinach Artichoke Casserole

This is one of my favorite "go to" recipes. It's quick, easy, healthy, delicious, and I have leftovers for lunch the next day! It's also possible to buy the ingredients ahead of time and just have them in the pantry for those nights when you come home tired and realize that you should have stopped by the grocery store on the way home from work..:-)

INGREDIENTS

2/3 package egg noodles

1 jar pasta sauce

1 10oz package of frozen spinach

1 can of artichoke hearts

1.5 cups shredded cheese (I use 2% finely shredded, four cheese blend)

salt and pepper

Italian seasoning

DIRECTIONS

Cook the egg noodles according to package directions and drain well

Defrost spinach in the microwave and then squeeze out excess water

Drain the artichoke hearts and chop coarsely

Layer ingredients in a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish as follows ~

Half of the noodles, half of the spinach, half of the artichoke hearts, half of the cheese, and sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Repeat, finishing with the cheese, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cover with foil.

1. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes ~ or
2. Can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator

Either way, eventually you will bake it at 375F for 30 minutes. Keep it covered in foil the whole time you cook to maintain the moisture so you don't dry it out.

Enjoy! C

Summer Memories...

Remember the fifties and sixties? Those days when life was so innocent and uncomplicated, and summer seemed like it would last forever? These are some of my favorite images/remembrances from the summers of my youth...

Saturday afternoon... six o'clock. I knew where I would be. In the knotty pine paneled den, eating Frito's and onion dip on a tv tray, glued to the television, watching cheesy horror movies.

I miss screen doors...just plain old screen doors. How many times did I here, "Carol Ann! Use the handle...you're going to punch a hole in the screen...Carol Ann! Don't slam the door!"

Oilcloth tablecloths...apparently indestructible and child-proof.

I remember standing in the theater line one night in downtown Memphis with my parents and two of my girlfriends, waiting to see this movie. It was so exciting! I wanted to be Ann Margaret! Afterwards, Dad took us to Leonard's for BBQ.

Downtown with my girlfriends on Saturday morning. We rode the bus. First stop...the fountain in Court Square. We shopped on Main Street...Goldsmiths, Casual Corner...ate lunch at Britlings cafeteria (always sat upstairs)...and then went to one of the old, fabulous movie theaters for a matinee. Magical!

We cooked burgers on the grill most weekends. The dads would sit around and drink beer on the patio, the moms would sit around on the carport and gossip, and we kids would play softball until the burgers were ready.

Mimosa trees. My grandparents had two huge mimosa trees in their front yard. We would climb as high as we could and just hang out...

No summer day (or any day, for that matter) was complete without a fresh pitcher of sweet tea.

Remember walking through the sheets hanging on the line to dry?

Happy Summer! C

Thanks, Mom...

I woke up yesterday feeling blue. It was my Mom’s eighty-sixth birthday. She passed away a few months ago, so this year I had to celebrate her birthday without her.

I just got back a few days ago from a visit with my Dad in Mississippi. While I was there I went by Mom’s gravesite for the first time since her funeral. It was so strange being at their house without her there. And it was even stranger to sit on a headstone and realize that my mother was under that mound of still-fresh earth. Yesterday, on her birthday, I just missed her.

I thought about her off and on all day. The weather was relentlessly hot and the air-conditioning at work wasn’t working properly. When I got home last night, I was hot, sweaty, and tired. All I could think of was a cool shower, and iced tea and pizza in bed, watching HGTV. I dug through my dresser drawer for a clean tee shirt and leggings. I haven’t slept in pajamas or a night gown since I was a kid.

Underneath the usual stack of black tee shirts, I found something odd…something pastel pink and blue and plaid. Strange…I never wear pastel anything…especially plaid. I pulled it out of the drawer.

It was pajamas. My Mom’s pajamas. My mind drifted back to a time, several years ago, when my parents came to visit me at my home in Nashville. Mom was always worried about the fact that I didn’t sleep in pajamas. She didn’t think yoga pants and a tee shirt were proper, comfortable sleeping attire. On this particular trip, she brought an extra pair of her pajamas for me to sleep in. She was adamant. I was exasperated. But I wore them that night to make her happy, then I put them in the drawer after they left and never wore them again, But I kept them…

So yesterday, after my shower, I put on Mom’s pink and blue plaid pj’s. They’re so “not me,” and yet…there was something so comforting about wearing them. They are light-weight, cool, and comfortable…and they look like my Mom. Somehow it felt like she was there, taking care of me. I slept in the elastic waisted pants and a camisole, and hugged the baggy top while I watched tv. I’m so glad I kept them…

Thanks, Mom. Hope you had a Happy Birthday! I love you…

C

Happy Fourth of July!

The Way We Were...

The Stafford family clan. Don't you love family photos? Just when you think you really haven't changed that much through the years, you pull out the old family photos and realize, "wow, I used to weigh 105 lbs!"

Moby's Los Angeles Architecture Blog...

Channel surfing the other day...came across a visit to the LA home of Richard Melville Hall. You know him as "Moby," electronic techno musician, DJ, and founder of Teany, the vegan, tea cafe on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Did you know that his middle name and the nickname "Moby" were given to him by his parents because of an ancestral relationship to Moby Dick author Herman Melville?

Anyway, he was born in Harlem, grew up in Darien Connecticut, and lived and worked in NYC until a few years ago when he purchased a 1920's "castle" in the Hollywood Hills. (pictured above) Since moving to LA, he has developed a real fascination with the architecture there, and has a blog called ~ mobylosangelesarchitecture.com

Interesting guy...interesting blog. Check it out.

C