Let's do this again!!! #girlpower

 Several years ago I came upon a Instagram post that had a profound impact on me. 
I was made aware of the 

Kenya Drylands Education Fund 

(formerly The KERA Project) that was co-founded by Sarah Hadden, in Vermont, to help girls that live in extreme poverty in northern Kenya who do not have access to the most basic of sanitary products. 
KDEF provides menstrual hygiene kits to girls which contain 4 reusable menstruation pads, underwear (since many of the girls do not own underwear) and detergent - a kit will last each girl a year or more.  

Many girls are deprived of an education because of the lack of this basic necessity since going to school without any form of menstruation protection subjects them to the shame of staining their clothes.  Very often menstruation caused girls to miss school, drop out altogether and then to be married off at a young age.
Being one of millions who enjoy the the bountiful excesses of a lovely life in a free country, until I read about this fund it never even dawned on me that this is a need for these girls.  For a mere $25 your kindness will be giving the gift of personal hygiene to an impoverished girl for one year. 

Please... stop, think and take in the entirety of this situation for one single moment.  

can. you. even. imagine???????????????

To donate one Menstrual Hygiene Kit, or more!

Please click
HERE

When I first shared this with you you were all AMAZINGLY GENEROUS.  We raised enough funds to donate 250 kits!!!  I am hoping that this year we can beat that total!! 

Kenya Dryland Education Fund is a wonderful non-profit that has expanded to supporting High School Scholarships (If you'll recall, back in December I asked you to donate to a full 4-year secondary school scholarship for a deserving young girl, Catherine.  Myself and 49 readers donated a full 4-year scholarship for Catherine!), Mentoring Programs, and water and class rooms for their students and surrounding communities.  I hope you will take a look at their website to see all the amazing, important work they do.

From the KDEF website:

"KDEF is committed to supporting menstrual hygiene programs in schools by donating menstrual hygiene kits and providing training to school-going girls. Through the program, KDEF also offers instructional training on use and care for the hygiene kits.In this poverty-stricken part of the world, girls have limited access to sanitary products. Having protection during their monthly menstrual cycles is essential if females are to stay in school. With these kits, girls can attend school without interruption — no longer missing one week of classroom instruction every month. Girls can have a chance to achieve their full potential, getting the education they need to obtain jobs that contribute to the economic stability of their families and communities. 
The Deputy Headmistress of Korr Primary School reported that prior to 2014, 50% of her female students missed up to one week of school each month due to menstruation. After the kits were distributed, absenteeism dropped to 10%. The kits are an essential part of helping the girls be able to pass their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams in order to be able to go on to high school.
KDEF currently supports 32 primary schools in Marsabit and Samburu Counties of Northern Kenya – a 91,000 square kilometer area that is rural, remote, and impoverished." 

KDEF is a 501(c)3 organization, and Kenya NGO.  All donations are tax deductible.

KDEF also has a Guidestar Goldseal of Transparency for 2020.

Please join me in donating: 

HERE

All donatiIf you are more comfortable sending a check the address is:

KDEF

535 Prospect Street

Manchester, VT  05254 USA

Also, please share this post if you can.  What a wonderful gift it would be to have young girls/teenagers (it would make a great Senior Project!) who take this necessity as normal, or for granted, to see this need and want to help these girls who have so much less than they do too!

thank you. 
xxojoan

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” -Nelson Mandela

Please Help and become part of a "village" for this lovely young girl in Kenya...

Catherine Letipo, surrounded by her uncles in northern Kenya

In this season of giving I am hoping we can all come together to become a village and give the gift of a high school education to this beautiful girl, 

Catherine Ntasanwa Letipo, who lives in northern Kenya. 

(Her story below)

In support of the Kenya Drylands Education Fund (KDEF) which offers a High School Scholarship Program to promising secondary school students from vulnerable, impoverished families in Marsabit and Samburu Counties in northern Kenya with resources they need to complete four years of study in high quality boarding schools, without distractions or want for food, clothing, supplies, and safe housing I have started a GoFundMe for Catherine!  Secondary school is expensive, especially for families living on less than a dollar a day. A four -year scholarship provides for full-board tuition, uniform, bedding, books and sanitation supplies for girls.   

A full four-year scholarship costs $3,400.  

The new school session starts in January 2020.

Please donate (and share) this GoFundMe  

for Catherine  

HERE !

Won't you please join be in becoming "a village" for Catherine, to empower her through education, to make her dream of becoming a nurse a reality so that she can help herself, her family and many others out of poverty?  Imagine how wonderful we will all feel if we can give this young girl an education all because we came together because we love houses!  

KDEF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and a Kenyan NGO.  Any donation is tax deductible and all money raised goes directly to KDEF. 

 

You were all SO wonderful and SO very generous when I posted several years ago about KDEF (formerly KURA Project) and their Menstrual Hygiene Program  HERE which gives "opportunity kits" to girls who attend school (and their mothers) that live in extreme poverty in northern Kenya who do not have access to the most basic of sanitary products.  Many girls are deprived of an education because of the lack of this basic necessity since going to school without any form of menstruation protection subjects them to the shame of staining their clothes.  Very often menstruation causes girls to miss school, drop out altogether and then to be married off at a young age. "Opportunity kits" contain 4 reusable menstruation pads, underwear (since many of the girls do not own underwear), soap, soap sack, and a nice bag.  

One kit will last each girl a year or more.

KDEF is an amazing non-profit that is doing remarkable things for the people who live in northern Kenya . Please read about all of their projects HERE.

 KDEF's High School Scholarship Program provides promising secondary school students, both boys (about 20%) and girls, from vulnerable families in northern Kenya with the resources they need to complete four years of study in high quality boarding schools.  The students must score above 280 on the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam in grade 8. 

 Catherine's story:

When I contacted Sarah Hadden, co-founder of KDEF, regarding starting a GoFundMe for a scholarship she was literally on her way to the airport to fly to Kenya attend one of KDEF's Mentorship Programs.  She informed me that all the scholarship slots had been awarded for the start of the school year in January 2020.  I asked if there was anyone we (you and me) could sponsor at this late date and she immediately contacted their Kenya Country Director and he said there was a girl, Catherine,  who had just been told by her father that she would have to drop out of school and forget pursuing her high school education because her father had lost everything.

After 18 months of severe drought, the rain finally started falling at the joy of the pastoral communities of northern Kenya.  The kinsmen could finally return to their homesteads after having been gone for 18 months herding their cows, camels and goats to find water.  Catherine, 14 years old and the only girl in her village to get a secondary school education, had just passed (with flying colors) her Primary School exam.

 Catherine wants to become a nurse.

When her father returned home she received the very sad news that her older brother had died, and that bandits had stolen all of her father's livestock. Because of these tragic, life-altering events Catherine was told she could no longer pursue an education.

And this is where we- you and me- come in!  Together, we can change her life and her future.  We can empower her through education and raise her up with love from around the world.

Please donate HERE!

Catherine with one of her uncles

If you are more comfortable sending a check their address is:

KDEF 

535 Prospect Street

Manchester, VT  05254 USA

(Please note your donation is for Catherine in the memo line)

Much love,

joan

Pop-Up shop: Artie Vanderpool

I am very excited to invite you to a pop-up shop I am hosting from my friend, designer and artist, Artie Vanderpool.

I am honored that this beautiful collection was "inspired" by the farmhouse and our property.  Artie has been our guest and seen the farmhouse in person!

Artie's works are about movement and color.  He paints with feelings, starting with abstract line making and moving into broad and energetic brushwork. His paintings have a rhythm and conversation.  What you see in a painting is what the painting can be for you.  Many pieces are signed on the back allowing for framing options in either horizontal or vertical display. These are original paintings at price points for every collector.  Prices start at $35.

Below is just a sampling of the beautiful paintings being offered in this pop-up.  We are in "the season" so keep in mind that art makes for a fabulous Christmas/Hanukkah present!

To purchase please go to Artie's blog page HERE

(Fair Warning... Artie's pieces go fast and I mean FAST, so if a piece speaks to you do not dally as you don't want you to lose out on owning one of his paintings. Also note that simply putting a painting in your "cart" does not make it yours.  The first person to actually purchase the piece gets it. Pop-up runs through Wednesday, November 13)

Whether you are buying fabulous paintings for yourself, or as a gift,  you are also helping to support animal rescue- win/win!!  Artie and I are both native Texans💗 so he has chosen to give back 10% of all sales to CCPAL (Cowboy Capital Pet Assistant League) a no-kill, 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization just outside of my hometown of San Antonio, in Bandera County Texas.  CCPAL pulls dogs, most on euthanasia lists, from high-kill shelters and city pounds in and around San Antonio.  My dear friend, Alice Lang, volunteers to get these sweet souls adopted to families all over the country.  Please take a look at their available dogs HERE and adopt!

 

To purchase please go to Artie's blog page HERE

you can never have too much art!

Art makes me happy!  

Every time I look at my bedside table filled with favorite things my heart races a bit.  That's the magic of living with things that you love💗

A new favorite is the small painting done by my friend, designer and artist Artie Vanderpool, on an antique envelope.  Artie happened to show me several pieces he had just completed and when I saw this piece my heart went "thunk" and it was true love!  I asked him if it could be mine... please! As I was fawning over it I thought it would look good on my bedside table next to an antique oil painting I had there, but I had no idea just how perfect these two pieces of art would look together.  It's as if they were made for each other.  I framed it in an acrylic frame to keep it simple and your focus on the painting.  

I am excited to host a pop-up shop tomorrow featuring a collection that Artie did which was "inspired" by the colors and energy of the farmhouse and property.  Artie has even been to the farmhouse himself! 

Come back here on the blog or over at Instagram tomorrow, November 11, at 12 noon EST to hear the deets on how you too can become a proud owner of one (or more;) of his paintings!

xxojoan

my mother...

post script

I thank each of you for your kind comments, thoughts and prayers for the loss of my mother.  Your love and support was very comforting to me, thank you.  

We live in the Monadnock area of New Hampshire, i.e. mountains, as opposed to the seacoast. The other day while raking the grass area in front of the stone wall at the road I found behind one of our huge antique maples a seashell.  A seashell... just sitting there.  This is an area that Dan mows regularly and we tend to, but there it was, out of the blue, and definitely out of its natural environment... a seashell.  A sign from my mother, born and raised in Hawaii, who loved the ocean and the beach??  I brought it to Dan and showed him and said "Mama,"  and he said "oh, I've found two in the last couple of weeks."  He hadn't mentioned it to me as it didn't resonate with him, but he had saved them and went to retrieve them for me.  They too, were in bizarre places on our property just sitting there like they had been gently placed.  A sign from my mother?  Of course they are.  In ten years of tending to the farmhouse I (we) have never found a seashell - ever.  I think my mother knew that I would try to write it off, so she placed two in Dan's path, so that I would know without a shadow of a doubt that she was here visiting.  She never made to New Hampshire, never saw our farmhouse, but now she has and that makes my heart happy. 

Much love,

xxojoan

My mother died last Friday.  

She was 91 years old,  three months shy of 92.  This is one of my favorite recent photos of her taken last Christmas at my cousin Kim's house.  My sister and nephew had planned a trip to visit her last week.  My mother was excited to have them take her shopping and take her to Ulta so she could buy some makeup and nail polish!  Instead they arrived for her final hours. She was sharp as a tack and lucid until the last week when her health failed her.  She died peacefully listening to a tape of her late second husband, Tim (her high school sweetheart whom she reconnected with at a reunion after my father's death twenty four years ago), singing songs and playing the ukulele expressly to her. My mother was born and raised in Hawaii, and Tim grew up there.  You might remember a blog post I did on my mother being a child in Honolulu when Pearl Harbor happened (here)  Per her request, her ashes and Tim's ashes will be spread together in their beloved Hawaii.

I attribute, as I told my mother many times, my design aesthetic to her.  My childhood home, albeit modest, didn't look like my friend's homes.  I didn't know, nor think much about the "why" until I was in my twenties, but it was different because it was decorated with antiques (she had many antique Chinese porcelain pieces which she learned to love and value from her own mother) and collections and things that meant something special to her.  It just had a certain je ne sais quoi that my friend's homes didn't have with everything being brand-new inside of them.                                                                                                                                                                    

I learned about the love of houses from my mother, because she loved hers.

My mother taught me that you didn't have to have money to have a pretty house.  Since my sisters are eleven and twelve years older than me I basically had my mother to myself growing up in the 60's.  Several times a week we would walk to a decorative shop called Gizmo's in San Antonio.  At 5 and 6 years old I learned the power of interiors and have magical memories of the big spiral staircase and indoor fountain at Gizmo's and all the beautiful "do-dads" (as I grew up calling decorative items) and how happy my mother was shopping for her home.  She taught me how to collect.  She collected Blue Danube, which was a gift to her children and my father as we always knew what to get her for birthdays and Christmas.   She taught me patience in design, that a home is an ongoing project.  I remember as a child her putting two porcelain ducks on layaway at Ethan Allen, and how it felt every month when we went to make a payment.  I always felt very fancy walking through the store and imagining living there  I realized at an early age how I felt different just being in a beautifully designed space.  One weekend in college I came home to find that she had had a contractor take part of the living room to create a huge walk-in pantry off of the kitchen. If you ask any of her grandchildren what their favorite place in their grandparent's house was- they would all state the Pantry!  I learned from her example that you kept your home pretty, neat and clean.  She loved vacuums.  I love vacuums!  One Christmas when I was in college she gave me my first vacuum- I was over the moon!  I came back to school to all my sorority sisters talking about the clothes and purses and jewelry they got for Christmas and I was going on and on about my vacuum!!  They thought I was nuts-  ha!  My mother taught me by example early on that you kept kleenexes  and other utilitarian things in drawers not out on the counter.  That you fold the towel after you use it in the bathroom.  That you set the table for every meal and you use cloth napkins.  That you use her bamboo flatware that she had brought with her from Hawaii every summer.   That you ALWAYS light the wick of a new candle even just for a second to give it a used look.  An unlit wick on a candle is a huge pet peeve of mine to this day:)  She gave me my love of fishing floats!  She had found several at the beach in Hawaii growing up.  She loved to paint and my love of landscape oil paintings comes from her no doubt.  She taught me how to garden and my love of being outside and tending to the yard and garden. She always had a beautiful yard.  She taught me to always.... always write thank you notes.  

So, I write this post as a thank you note to my mother.  Thank you Mama for teaching me the importance and love of home.

Miss you Mama...

                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Jalapeño Crab Dip and the "farmhouse" margaritas!

When I posted this photo of a margarita happy hour we had last weekend over on Instagram I had lots of requests for the Jalapeño Crab Dip recipe that is seen in front of the basket of chips (fyi- the recipe made two poreclain baking dishes, only one is shown.)  I've been making this dip for over ten years and it is always a crowd pleaser!  If you try it be sure to come back and tell me what you think!

And "yes," you're all invited next time!😉😆

Jalapeño Crab Dip 

1 med-large or large red bell pepper, diced

1-1/2 t. extra virgin olive oil

1 (14-oz. approx.) jar/can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and diced

1 cup Mayo

1-1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (I either grate my own in the food processor or buy it aged and grated from Costco)

3/4 cup green onions- thinly sliced, using both the white and green parts

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

2 or 2-1/2 T. minced jarred jalapeño (not fresh, this makes a big difference)

1 t. fresh lemon juice

1/4 t. celery salt

8 oz. fresh lump crab meat, drained

kosher salt

pepper

Saute bell pepper in olive oil over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes until softened and lightly brown.  Cool slightly, then place in mixing bowl.

Add remaining ingredients except for crab meat and mix well to combine.  

Fold in crab meat.

Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Spread mixture in an 8" baking dish (or similar equivalent.) 

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes (depending on your oven) until lightly golden on the entire top.

Let the dip cool to barely warm before servivng (about 15-25 minutes) to let all the flavors meld.

It is wonderful on crostini, but my favorite way to serve it is with tortilla chips!  The flavor combo is perfect.  Oh, and cold leftovers are amazing! 

And, since it was a margarita happy hour I will include how I make my margaritas!  These are my favorite margarita glasses (and favorite glasses period, which is saying a lot because I have a "thing" for glassware:) HERE.

I make a sugar, kosher salt and cayenne rim.  I do this in advance so the mixture sets up and hardens on the rims.  Sorry... no exact measurements, just to taste and sight.  Go lightly on the cayenne as you just want a hint of heat!

I use a 1-1/2-1 formula.

1 part Tequila (we love Costco's Silver, and also their Anejo if you can find it

1/2 part Grand Marnier or Cointreau (Dan & I are Cointreau fans;)

1 part Dr. Swami & Bone Daddy Top Shelf margarita mix 

and a squeeze of 1/8 of a small lemon AND lime, 

with lots of ice!  I like to add a straw- the perfect straw to me is a McDonald's coffee stir!  I wash and reuse mine, but open a new one for guests!

Cheers!

(Please reuse your personal straws.  When we are at a restaurant and ask for water we always say "no lemon, no ice, no straw, please" (your sever usually garnishes the glass and they are not washing their hands every time they pick up a lemon slice- watch and think about it;), and ice machines... well, enough said;)  and straws because of the following..... Please read...

SOURCE

Q: You say 500 million straws are used in the US every day, but I can't picture that--what would 500 million straws look like?

500 million straws could fill over 127 school buses each day, or more than 46,400 school buses every year!

500 million straws per day is an average of 1.6 straws per person (in the US) per day. Based on this national average, each person in the US will use approximately 38,000 or more straws between the ages of 5 and 65. So the sooner we can begin to use fewer straws, the better - it is never too soon (or too late!) to start!

Also this article from National Geographic

Hope you are having a great summer!

xxojoan

We have, officially gone to the dogs!!

And then there were Four.

photo by Richard Ortega

Meet our new rescue girl....

Bunny!

Given (by me;) name... Bunny Williams!  

Bunny, because of those ears, and Williams, well- because of my adoration of the iconic designer and dog rescuer Bunny Williams!!  You can read about my birthday lunch with Bunny Williams  HERE .

Yes, I name all our girls with a middle name, my maiden name and then married name!  Because rescued princesses should all have long, fancy names don't you agree?!💝💝💝💝 

photo by Richard Ortega

When we adopted Magnolia and Louise three and a half years ago HERE it changed Ella's life in all the best possible ways!  Ella was 11 and she became a puppy all over again, playing with Magnolia all the time- running and chasing each other.  (Louise loves all, but isn't a big "play" girl; she loves to be chased though and she runs like a greyhound!) Ella is now 14-1/2 and can still keep up on 2-1/2 mile walks with her younger sisters!   She still plays with Magnolia some in the yard, but over the last six months it became apparent to me and Dan that it wasn't enough playful interaction that our silly-billy play-girl Magnolia wanted and needed.  It made us sad, and we realized that we owed her a playmate.

I started looking on at my Texas rescue friend, Alice Lang's Ltyle, Texas dogs and now CCPAL Dogs and, of course, on Petfinder.  You know how I love me my southern💓 girls!  I also started following several rescue groups on Instagram.  

One of the rescue groups I started following was
Second Chance Rescue NYC. (NYCSCR) Over the months of following them I came to realize what an amazing rescue group they are.  They rescue from NYC animal control, all around NYC and also dogs from high kill shelters in the south.  They also take in the really difficult abused and/or critically injured animals. (All people who work/volunteer in rescue are angels on earth in my opinion.  The horrors that they see must break their hearts on a daily basis and yet they continue on and on and on... sadly, because they have to.  There is a special place in heaven for each and every one of them🙏 )   NYCSCR is an all-volunteer 501c3 rescue and the majority of their dogs are in foster homes, but they do have their own Center where they board the dogs that they don't have enough fosters available for.  You can read their mission statement HERE .  And see their adoptable animals HERE


About a month and a half ago, maybe even two months, I saw this face on their Petfinder page and I gasped.  She was so beautiful, and those ears- swoon.  Her name was Momma Misty.

photo by Richard Ortega
  

She was rescued in early fall of 2018, along with four of her pups, from a high-kill rural shelter in the south, heartworms and all.  They were saved just 24 hours before they were ALL to be killed.  Sadly, in some states puppies are euthanized.  Second Chance Rescue NYC pulled her and all of her babies and brought them to NY.   All of her babies had been adopted, but Misty still waited.   She was about 2 years old, they guessed, and was very good with other dogs.

I kept her page pulled up on my computer (I'm that crazy person who always has no less than 25 tabs open at any given time- welcome to my brain😱 ;) then I would save other dogs, then would overthink it and tell myself we were crazy to adopt a 4th, could we fit 4 in the backseat of the car?, and on and on.  I was really good at talking myself out of getting a 4th, so I would delete the dog pages, only to go back and look days later and once again fall in love with her face and have her back and several others in my open tabs.  But it was always her.  That face.  Those ears. That sweet little snow-ring marking on her nose.  But, then I would think- she's so beautiful and sweet and good with other dogs certainly she'll get adopted.  But she didn't.
Then a little over a week ago I saw this image and post on Instagram and my heart just broke for her and I thought "give her to me." Dan, of course, was right there with me, so I submitted an application.

Come to find out she had been in boarding at the Center for the past five months, not in a foster home.  My heart broke for her again.  There are only so many fosters and at the time when she came in there were no fosters available for her and her babies, so she went to the Center.  Now, the Center is a nice shelter mind you, but it's an industrial park setting where there are many dogs, barking dogs just as in any shelter. And, these are the lucky ones!  They are loved, walked four times a day, fed good food, have social interactions with the volunteers who are there every day, but still it's not a home.  

NYCSCR will adopt to within a 6 hour radius of NYC.  So, after talking and texting with the rescue we drove to Westchester, NY to meet her this past Saturday.  The meet and greet went well and the dogs all had really good body language between them; she and Magnolia just wanted to play, and wasn't that how this all got started?!!

So, they suggested we foster to adopt, which we did and is a fabulous option, by the way, to make sure a new dog will fit into your existing pack.   Two days later (even though we really knew the first night;) we told them to send us the Adoption Contract- she was "home."  She needed us.  And we needed her.   She needed a home, sisters and us as parents.  She is such a good girl, but doesn't know any commands or directions and we are good alpha-dog parents and will have her well mannered and polite, like her sisters, in no time (fingers crossed!)  She pretty much learned sit within the first 24-hours.  If you saw my video of feeding time on Instagram/Facebook Bunny is well on her way to having that down too.  She is pure muscle and very strong.  At the Center she was pulling super hard to the point where she kept choking herself.  We stopped at the first Petco we could find and bought her the same harness that we have always used for Magnolia and Louise- the PetSafe Easy Walk Harness HERE (this is a good price, we paid $29 at Petco.)  And, omg, it instantly made a huge difference.  I highly recommend this harness with the lead-ring at the chest.  If you have a harness with the lead-ring on the back it actually encourages pulling as it's a natural reaction for them to try to pull harder when pulling forward and being held back.  The rescue called her momma, but I thought it was time she passed that baton to me, her new mama, and she could just be a happy, balanced, loved little puppy girl.  The first time I saw her I thought "Bunny," so Bunny it is!

The girls are getting along great.  Magnolia and Louise have given her some corrections when she gets a little too excited and she takes their advice;) very well with no reaction.  She follows me everywhere, but don't worry Dan will soon enough become her favorite;).  And is quick to understand our "aant" which is the sound we use to correct them from doing an undesirable behavior.  We are all learning to trust one another and create a routine.  So far, so good.  One of my favorite things I do with all the girls is to let them "smell" things.  I learned from Cesar Millan that a dog experiences the world through their Nose, Eyes, Ears- in that order.  So to show them respect I present an object, be it a votive candle to a apple or anything else and say "smell" and they all come up to give it a whiff.  I do it a good 5 inches away from their nose so they are not being presented with it and try to eat it, but instead they learn that smell means to simply smell but I am honoring/acknowledging their incredible sense of smell HERE


Bunny is probably 2 years old, is a pitty-mix (heavy on the pit!), she is more grey in person than black, weighs about 43 pounds, and is very smart and loves to play.   And, I'll be damned... she's a southern girl!!!  She was found as a stray in Yazoo City, Mississippi!  So, we're all still speaking "y'all" around here!  Isn't that the darndest?!!!  And would you look at this Texas Longhorn blaze on her chest!!!  Do you see it?!  I'm thinking this girl has some Texas lineage😍
Hook 'em Horns!!

the first walk!

playtime!

sisters!

Our first walk!

Checking out the fireplace in the living room.

Poor baby, her little elbows are worn from laying on a hard surface.  Louise had this too, the fur will fill in with time.  Ohmy, looks like my cuticles need some CeraVe lol!

snuggle Bunny!

Over on Instagram and Facebook I asked you to guess what her name is!  Boy, did y'all have some great (and some lol funny) names!  Thanks for playing along!!
The top contenders you named were:
Valentine, Pinky, Pink, Violet, Rose, Olive, and four of you guessed correct with BUNNY!!!  (and two of you had Misty, so y'all were correct too;)
Here are all the great names, so go out and adopt some dogs & cats
!
Lucky, Bunny, Rose, Maura, Miss Luna, Precious, Suzanna, Misty, Greta Cocoa, LouLou, Olive, Valentine, Louise, Rosie, Papillion, Violet, Pinky, Pink, Thelma, Bella, Sweet Pea, Petunia, Peaches, Betty Jean, Lilac, Pinky Tuscadero, Maggie, Sugar, Abliene/Abby, Clementine, Camellia, Annabelle, Scarlet, Pru, Gray, Joy, Heidi, Lilly, Lucy, Lola, Jubiless, Ouiser, Truvy, Gloria, Savanah, Georgia, Augusta, Charlotte, Sally, Ears, Floppy Ears, Gretchen, Clara, Babe, Grace, Abigal, Shelby, Cerave!, Hazel, Angel, Gracie May, Ruth!, Maud, Millie, Daisy, Penny, Sweet Caroline, Beatrice, Steve!, Pepper, Martha, Lexi, G.G.(for GreyGirl!), Lacy, Pippa, Piper, Claudia, Rosebud, Delta, Valentina, Blackie, Adelaide, Bugs, Floppy, Lovey Dovey, Myrtle, Ruby, Happy, Fancy, Hope,  Lark, Bella, Alice, Breezy, Helen

If you are so inclined, please consider a donation (or perhaps a monthly gift, as we have done) to Second Chance Rescue NYC 
HERE
 to help them to continue to rescue the unloved, abandoned, abused and injured dogs and cats.  Also, if you are within a 3 hour distance from NYC, you can apply to foster, and within a 6 hour distance ADOPT!!!
thank you. xxojoan

A very special thank you to Dana at Second Chance Rescue NYC for loving our girl so much and being her advocate and biggest fan. xxo

a simple skincare tip...because I love you!!

While for the love of a house started as a renovation blog some 10 years ago now; I feel it has morphed into a lifestyle blog at this point.  I love sharing our life, our girls, our home, my designs, projects, the gardens, my favorite things, et cetera with you.  I have several "favorites" posts that I've been compiling for over a year that I'm excited to share, but this one simple tip deserves it's own quick post because it has had a huge impact on the health and well-being of my skin, not to mention my daily comfort level since it has been over a year now since I've experienced a single day of dry skin, I kid you not!  I'm sure you can imagine the toll a winter in New England can take on one's skin;)  I hope this tip will aid (at least some of) you too if you suffer from dry, itchy skin. (fyi- we do this year round, not just in winter)
Sometimes I feel foolish sharing such random little things with you and I will question myself and talk myself out of sharing, but I always revert to the old adage "if it helps one person... ." I have found over the last 10 years of blogging that those little random tips/shares are often the things that I get repeat feedback/thanks about even years later.  I'm also trying to post more on what's on my mind instead of overthinking posts which I usually do and then end up not posting at all.... you know, like for over a year😲 ;)  Enough of my rambling...


Does your skin look or feel like this?!

Are you ready for this wonderful tip for your body's largest organ?!  It is simple and will cost you zero, nada, zip....nothing (except for the moisturizer ;)

I learned this from a board certified dermatologist that I follow on YouTube,

 Dr. Andrea Suarez aka, Dr Dray 
She is like having a best friend who is a dermatologist and goes into depth about all the things you want to know from your own dermatologist, but there is just never enough time in your annual exam to ask everything!
You DO get an annual exam from a dermatologist yes????????
If not, find one and make an appointment now as they can easily book be booking now for an appointment 6 months down the road.  

After you shower/bathe apply moisturizer IMMEDIATELY to wet skin.  

Do Not towel dry or even pat dry- simply apply moisturizer and air dry.  Yep... that's it. 
Mike drop🙋!!!!!! hahaha  
Yes, it is a wee chilly to air dry (even in the summer), but I promise you your skin will feel amazing and it is totally worth it!  (I will address this more below;)


By doing this simple act you are preventing transepidermal water loss (TEWL) from taking place.  TEWL is the process in which moisture from the deepest level of the skin (the dermis) evaporates through the outmost layer of the skin (the epidermis).  TWEL is a continuous, passive process that is not to be confused with sweating.
Towel drying or pat drying your skin and then applying moisturizer allows for transepidermal water loss to occur, because TWEL happens very fast!  In less than a minue (between the time you have towel dried then applied moisturizer) the TWEL may have decrease by more than 50%  SOURCE

This is an excellent article that explain TEWL
HERE

(Also, for those of you who use olive oil as a moisturizer you should know that Dr. Dray has stated that when olive oil is used as a moisturizer (i.e. left on the skin) it has been shown to increase the TEWL.  It impairs the skin barrier.)


We use CeraVe moisturizing cream in the tub HERE,  We use this on our face and body, but they have lighter moisturizers, and daytime with spf/nighttime moisturizers as well.  (Check with Dr. Dray for more recommended moisturizers- she has many favorites and gives honest reviews on all.)
Yes, it's a bit difficult to get on your back, but the application helps you get much better with the reverse prayer pose in yoga!!

Why CeraVe,  because it contains ceremides, it is readily available and is inexpesive.    "Ceramides are lipids that help form the skin's barrier and help skin retain moisture.  Ceramides make up 50% of our skin barrier.  They also help the skin protect against environmentail aggressors like irritants, and pollution.  Without the proper ration of ceramides, the skin's barrier can become compromised, leading to dryness, itching and irritation." SOURCE
As we age our body makes less ceramides.  But the amazing thing is that if you apply ceramides topically (i.e. in the form of a moisturizer) your body will start to make more of your own ceramides!


 
(Yes, yes I know-  it contains petroleum and I got on my high-horse and told you how I quit using mineral oil (a petroleum based product) on my soapstone kitchen counter tops for a natural wax product, and here I am using it on my entire body!  WTW?!!  I am a hypocrite😁 and I accept all responsibility 😂 But here's the thing... upon researching petroleum it is an organic compound that was formed millions of years ago from the remains of ancient marine organisms.  So doesn't that make it organic?!
It you are worried about the use of petroleum based products, and/or mineral oil I highly recommend you read these articles
HERE
HERE
HERE

Okay, so the mere thought (much less the actual event) of getting out of the shower with still-wet moisturizer in the dead of a freezing New England winter makes me have goose bumps!  To make it bearable I purchased this little heater HERE (I found mine at Costco) that I turn on for only a couple of minutes to take the chill off.  (The heater part is SO NOT Dr. Dray approved, but if I didn't do it I wouldn't moisturize on wet skin, and then my skin would still be dry and itchy, so I figure it is a motivational tool for me!:)

I am a skin care junkie, and I'm not going down without a fight with this whole aging business!  Dr. Dray's YouTube channel has been an eye-opening fact-based education as she teaches what actually works, what doesn't, reminds you to wear sunscreen every single day of the year and in the meantime saves you tons of time and wasted money on ingredients/products that don't work and actually harm your skin barrier (i.e. anything with fragrance.)   She has topics on all types of skin issues/diseases and cosmetic procedures, suncreen ingredients, etc, etc.  If it has to do with dermatology she talks about it!  The following are links to two vlogs she did on how to moisturize skin and on mature skin.  (And to my sweet young things reading this, you can NEVER start taking care of your skin too early!  Moisturize and use sunscreen daily! xxo)
don't forget to follow her too!

HERE
and
HERE

I will leave you with this cute story...
At the end of October Dan and I flew out to Portland, Oregon where my mother lives in a lovely retirement center, to surprise her on her 91st birthday!

When we arrived my mother's skin looked like a peeling onion, even her ears😰 I took out a tiny tube of CeraVe Healing Oinment (which I keep in my purse to use on cuticles) and started applying it to her face.  Her skin went from peeling onion to peach and looked ah-mazing! (Look how great it looks in the photo above!)  I then went out and bought her literally 6 tubs of both the moisturizing cream and the healing ointment and had her start applying it herself.  She looked, and more importantly, felt so much better- no more itchy, peeling skin.  So about a week later my 50-something cousin, Kim -aka Saint Kim as we call her;), went to visit my mother like she does most weekends, and she could not get over how "incredible" my mother's skin looked.  Kim told my mother that she looked like she was only 70!  My mother told her about the CeraVe that she had been religiously applying.  Kim said she needed to get some!
Kim then went to visit her 23 year old daughter and her roommate and told them how her aunt got this great cream and her skin looks amazing , like she's 70.  The twenty year olds laughed and said "that's great, if you want to look 70!" 😄😜😀
Then a couple of weeks later, after Kim had been using CeraVe she was back visiting her daughter and roommate and was bragging how great the product was and that they should try it.  They teased her and said that now she looked 70!
Fastforward a few more weeks and Kim is visiting her daughter and roommate again, and the roommate thanked Kim for telling her about CeraVe!  She said her skin had never been softer!  The other girls laughed and said they wanted to look 70 too!!
 My mother loved the story and Kim told her that she had started a trend because now everyone wants to look amazing like her and look 70!!

Now go on...and make that Dermatologist appointment, moisturize and apply sunscreen every day-  because I care about you and Dr. Dray said so!!
xxojoan