Summer 2007

Dear Friends,

“Summertime and the living is easy,” a line from one of my favorite Gershwin songs, is one that I just can’t seem to get out of my head this time of year.  Although work-wise, I am busier than ever, it somehow feels different—easier—because of the season. There’s just something about the summer—even beyond the heat—that magically triggers the desire to keep things simple and, yes, easy.

Maybe it’s partly from childhood and the freedom from school and schedules that creates that feeling. While it’s been awhile since I’ve been in school, I am loving not having to set an alarm every morning since my daughter is out for the summer. I can allow myself to be more attuned to my own natural sleep cycle and when you are able to honor your body’s rhythms and go with the flow, life is much easier!

This summer, we have been incredibly fortunate with the weather.  Although it has been a bit hotter than usual here in St. Francisville, afternoon showers are cooling things off most days—a refreshing treat that we really missed last summer—and definitely conducive to easy living!

New!  Sun-drenched Summer Brights & White Linen Nights!

Now that I have a great office team at Full Spectrum Paints, I am working on a few decorating and design projects and I’m happy to report I’m having a lot of fun and gaining inspiration from them!

One client who loves vibrant colors inspired me to create seven bright new summer colors:  “Monet Soleil,” a take on the name of my property, Mon Soleil, is, as you might imagine, the yellow of Monet’s dining room at Giverny.  “Giverny Blue” was taken from the blue used in his dining room.  “Giverny Green” was taken from Monet’s exterior window trim, shutters, steps and railings.  “Mykonos Blue” and “Mykonos Red” are those exterior colors seen accenting white stucco homes in the Greek Isles.  “Monteverde” is the bright green seen in the Costa Rican rain forest.  “Del Sol” is another yellow that is deeper and more orange than Monet’s yellow (I was having a hard time trying to decide between the two). 

Since then, four of them (Del Sol, Monteverde, Mykonos Blue and Giverny Blue), along with three of our Magical Gem colors (Sapphire, Carnelian and Amethyst), have been selected as backdrop wall colors for Hunt Slonem’s upcoming exhibition at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans.  Opening night is in conjunction with White Linen Nights on August 4th (6-8 pm) where all of the art galleries in New Orleans will be having art openings.  If you’ve been thinking about visiting New Orleans, this would be an excellent weekend to come.

Hunt’s show, entitled “Hunt Slonem: Artist and Collector” features not only his paintings, but also antiques and furnishings from his many collections. It will be up the entire month.  CBS is coming down to film a segment on Hunt, featuring his show, two plantations and new book, “Pleasure Palaces: The Art and Homes of Hunt Slonem” for CBS Sunday Morning.  I’ll keep you posted on the air time! 

Little Cabin in the Woods

Lately I have found New Orleans’ photographer Kerri McCaffety in my thoughts quite a lot in association with some ideas I’ve been developing. I met Kerri when she came to take my portrait for the Southern Accents article a couple of months after Hurricane Katrina.  (Kerri is much more than a talented photographer. She has written, photographed and published several of her own award-winning books.) 

I knew I wanted to talk with her about helping me with a project I’m working on, but had not had the opportunity to get together with her to talk about it.  It’s true what they say about like thoughts attracting because she telephoned me out of the blue to tell me she was the new Managing Editor of Louisiana Homes & Gardens Magazine and wanted to come do a story on my home for her first issue as editor! 

Needless to say, I had her attention for two whole days while she took incredibly beautiful photos of my home.  The article, entitled “Little Cabin in the Woods” is in the July issue which is spectacular.  Definitely a keeper, it also contains articles by Kerri on the history of the crystal chandelier and beautiful photos of Gallier House Museum in summer dress.  For condensed versions of the articles and to order a subscription, visit their website, www.ourhouse.biz.

I Choose to Live in Easy World Where Everything is Easy

If you need some help in “living easy” this summer, you may want to visit author and spiritual guru Julia Rogers Hamrick’s popular “Easy World” web site.

Long a fan of affirmations and mantras, I had been noticing quite a buzz about Julia’s affirmation, “I choose to live in Easy World where everything is easy.” (I frequent her web site and subscribe to her newsletter for tools and reinforcements to help stay centered).  After reading the numerous glowing testimonials about Easy World from easy-living fans from all over the globe, I telephoned Julia to find out more about how it works.  Let me share what I learned. 

Julia first pointed out that when most people hear the words “Easy World” they don’t even need an explanation—they just “get” it. We somehow innately understand that life does not have to be hard and that there is a different reality we can create from where things work out in harmony and perfect ease when we allow them to.

She shared that we were meant to live in harmony and align ourselves with the design for ease which is already in place and always available.  So why is life so hard? Our ego minds want to complicate it. The ego mind has a complication addiction! When we allow our complication-addicted, worry-wart ego minds to “drive,” we find ourselves in “Difficult World.”

While at essence, we know things are designed to be easy, we have been taught that life is hard, and so, with that as our mindset, that’s what we create! But things are always working out harmoniously in the parallel reality of Easy World, and in order to have the experience of things working out with ease, we just need to align with it by choosing it.  The magic words for choosing Easy World are “I choose to live in Easy World where everything is easy.” (Read the fascinating story of how Julia received this key to Easy World here)

Once you choose Easy World, you simply allow (the big watchword for Easy World) and expect ease. Trust that Universal Forces are always working on behalf of your joy, and don’t let your mind get caught up in working it out. “Breathe…relax…allow…enjoy.” Those are the instructions for moving into Easy World once you say the Easy World “mantra.”

It is that simple. But of course, if you find your mind wanting to understand this better, you can learn more about it by visiting Julia’s “What Is Easy World?” page.

I have to say, every time I find myself caught up in a complicated situation, I say the magic words, “I live in Easy World where everything is easy” and it works! Try it—all you have to lose is your stress!

(Julia’s next free teleseminar will be August 14 “The Only Kind of Action That Works in Easy World,” and you’re invited. For more information, click here.)

I wish you all the best this summer.  Live easy and well!