Happy Friday, Readers!
Eloise and Hubby are celebrating 21 years together!
We were married in 1994,
and the Lamp Post was established in 1998.
To recognize our anniversary
we tested some home brews from Arundale farms in North East.
Beer and keys?
No better way to celebrate if you ask Eloise.
Does this spark joy?
Yes,
Yes,
Yes,
Yes,
and YES!
We tested all four and they were great!
Even the dark chocolate stout,
which I typically don't like.
Train Wreck was my favorite,
Rebel Blond was hubby's.
Fitting, I suppose.
Hubby even picked me some flowers.
He brings some in nearly every week for me.
Even in the depths of the winter he'll bring in some sticks.
Once, I spray painted them with glitter
in an attempt to bring some life to a
dreary,
Erie winter.
For you singles afraid to take the plunge,
Eloise says, GO FOR IT.
There is no perfect person,
no perfect scenario.
Marriage is about give and take.
Often, it can be a tug of war,
but the joys always outweigh the frustrations.
Life is much better lived in a pair.
Eloise was flying high in the middle of the big woods again.
Time spent in nature
always sparks joy
(and sometimes makes a splash).
This trip was picturesque.
We found this spot in the middle of the state game lands.
We went back later that night looking for Sasquatch.
No luck.
The brave of heart were all talk of what they'd do if they found one.
Bound and determined to find a big foot,
we headed out again.
Their resolve weakened
as we drove away and left them 3 miles deep in the woods, however.
They all made it to the van in time to hitch a ride out,
but they all got a tongue lashing for leaving poor Natalie behind,
sunhat and all.
Sam had a ball with his pack of temporary tattoos.
Note to parents:
Not quite the "easy clean up" the package claims.
Mother Eloise ran out of steam trying to feed them all.
Noah built the ark.
Eloise made a trough.
I'm perfecting my design for next summer.
Something long and narrow,
with seats on both sides,
that could feed up to 8 children,
with or without utensils.
Just dump the cereal in,
pour the milk,
eat with disposable spoons,
and hose it out when done.
Does this spark joy?
Oh, yes!
Oh, yes!
The Blue Moon appeared last Friday,
and I caught it as it was peeking over the mountain.
I voted for my favorite 20th anniversary label for Blue Moon beer.
I'm partial to lamp posts,
out of the 20 choices,
this design is way behind the others.
This label was designed by a Pennsylvanian,
and I couldn't help but wonder if she spent time
in the very same place I did.
This is the label design that is leading as of tonight.
I really do like this one.
Check them all out for yourself here:
The couple of weeks of company that I had,
along with some across the state jaunts,
left Old Eloise mentally drained.
I needed a day to recollect,
so I declared Monday, August 3rd,
Don't Bother Me Day.
Hubby and the kids really did leave me alone.
I quietly began my big project of the week,
the Annual Lamp Post Purge.
I've called the hoeing-out process many a thing over the last decade:
Power Scour
Operation Clean Sweep
Hurricane Elaine
Every year I convince my family to help me weed things out.
I create games and incentives and try very hard to make a tough job fun.
This year I tried a very different approach,
one I gained from reading this book,
recommended by Cousin Bonnie.
Japanese writer Marie Kondo does suggest purging your home,
but it is the rebuilding process after the purge that is so different from what I am used to.
I HIGHLY recommend this book.
It's a quick, easy read, and inexpensive:
$10 hard cover
and $7 kindle version.
I loved it so much that my copy is already out into circulation.
It's my bitched up copy with my personal notes,
so you will know if it is my book that falls into your hands.
After you read her work, you will continually ask yourself this question:
Does this spark joy?
If your answer is no,
her answer is simple:
She has very good advice,
and some of it goes deep,
and even deeper.
As a Japanese writer, Kondo comments on the differences in American culture.
She says we are obsessed with creative storage solutions.
Marie Kondo says the simplest and best storage aid is a standard shoe box.
After weeding out,
and operating on the
"less is more"
"less is more"
philosophy,
you attack HOW and WHERE you put away your things in the storage already available to you.
This is an example of how the Japanese fold and store their clothes--
on their sides--
not in big, flat, stacked squares like Americans typically use.
Here are a couple of examples of how Marie Kondo recommends to fold your clothes:
Grass doesn't grown on this a$$--
I did it to my underwear drawer!
Hubby to his closet,
and we did every clothing drawer in the entire house.
It was simply unbelievable how much space we saved.
In the weeding out process,
I found this little number that I didn't recognize as my own.
This was the source of a little firestorm at the Lamp Post.
When was I ever a size medium?
No, this didn't make it into the bin for the first ever,
one-and-only,
never to be held again,
Lamp Post yard sale.
Sam begged.
I caved.
Stop by on Saturday, August 8th from 9-noon
for a peek at the quirky Lamp Post cast-offs.
The surf was up on the lake this week.
No fish tales to tell.
The poor boating weather got my Dear Old Dad thinking about music.
I got him an iPod for Christmas,
and he's just getting around now to see how it is used.
Dad asked me to purchase some songs by the following artists for him:
(Rod Stewart????)
I would have loved to set my camp photos to Merle Haggard for you,
but Merle leaves me feeling haggard and does not spark joy.
Instead, the photo video is meshed with a little Jake Owen instead.
Enjoy your week.
Homework:
Check out Marie Kondo's book or videos on-line.
Prizes to those who send me photos of their drawers, Japanese style.
Does this blog spark joy?
If not, hit delete and spend your time on something you love.
If not, hit delete and spend your time on something you love.
If the answer is yes,
see you next week.
ELOISE
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