Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, 

     or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, 

     or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?

Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD, 

     or instruct the LORD as his counselor?

Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, 

     and who taught him the right way?

Who was it that taught him knowledge, 

     or showed him the path of understanding?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.                                                        

         Isaiah 40:12-14, Proverbs 3:5-6                                    

Grace

Thursday was my firstborn daughter's 27th birthday!!! It seems like she was just turning seven and today she is a a beautiful young woman whose beauty radiates both inside and out; she is truly full of grace.

She said she was in the mood for Oreos!

We celebrated with a nice Italian dinner out and cake and presents afterwards. (Joyfully celebrating but missing her sister who is still in Ireland).

One of the gifts she received tonight was from a good friend of mine who is always so generous to remember both of my daughter's birthdays. The gift was a bottle of Philosophy bath and shower gel and the scent was amazing grace. It has a lovely scent but what impressed me the most was what was written on the bottle.

philosophy: life is a classroom.  we are both student and teacher.  each day is a test.  and each day we receive a passing or failing grade in one particular subject: grace.  grace is compassion, gratitude, surrender, faith, forgiveness, good manners, reverence and the list goes on.  it's something money can't buy and credentials rarely produce.  being the smartest, the prettiest, the most talented, the richest or even the poorest can't help.  being a humble person can, and being a helpful person can guide you through your days with grace and gratitude.

We always look at the baby scrapbooks on birthdays!

I really love that. And I think it is the perfect gift for this girl who is a teacher by profession and knows very well about passing out grades in all kinds of subjects ... but also someone who receives more than a passing grade in the subject of grace.  She is full of compassion and gratitude and good manners. She is quick to forgive and she is the most helpful person I know. This beautiful girl made me a mother 27 years ago and very soon will be a mother herself. She will be such a great mother - and I know she will guide her children through life with grace and gratitude. Happy Birthday sweet girl! 

A book giveaway

© Deborah Melmon 2011

Do you remember a couple of weeks ago I wrote about my sister, Deborah Melmon's latest book, Picnic at Camp Shalom (if you missed it you can read the post here). I wanted to let you know about a book giveaway (her new book!) on a blog she contributes to, PBJunkies. PBJunkies (which is short for Picture Book Junkies) is written by a group of professional illustrators who share their common love of children's books. This week they are giving away a copy of Picnic at Camp Shalom. In fact, the entire week is devoted to Deb's book. You can check out the blog here, and the giveaway post here. Just leave a comment on any of their posts this week and you will be entered in the drawing. The giveaway ends Saturday night so hurry on over!

A peek inside:

How is your week going? Mine is just flying by ... 

"Our house isn't perfect, nor is it finished.... 

Horchow

I spent a couple of wonderful hours last weekend with my sister visiting some vintage stores in Long Beach. She was looking for some props for a party she was helping with and I went a long for the fun. We found some wonderful things. She picked up some incredible stitched leather swivel bar stools (Ralph Lauren) for $100 each for her kitchen island (if I had an island I would have fought her for those!!!), a couple of great jackets, a patent leather purse from the '50's that will be the perfect accessory to wear at her daughter's presentation ball next month, and a pineapple ice bucket to give to a friend who has a house on the beach. I had so much fun helping her shop.

Horchow

There were a ton of things I could have brought home myself but I showed great restraint. The hardest thing to resist was an old turquoise leather tufted chair and ottoman. It was one of those great statement pieces that don't come around often. And it was only $300. I could not justify it though; I had no place to put it. But oh ... even just the ottoman (and I do have a thing for ottomans) was worth the $300.

1st Dibs

I did come home with a copy of Architectural Digest from January / February 1975. Ah, what a great year! It is fun to go back and read those old issues and see how things have changed. And how some things have not. My favorite part was an article about the then Robert Redfords and their New York home.

"Joining her husband with a tray of rose hip tea and honey, Mrs. Redford sums up her feelings about their New York home and her responsibilities as the decorator of it.

"Our house isn't perfect, nor is it finished. I know I shouldn't have bought that rug there or this sofa, which somehow looked different when I picked it out. The mistakes are mine, but I don't mind. Striving for perfection, especially in something as subjective as a home, is an American hang-up. I think about what John Denver said to me - 'Perfection has nothing to do with not making mistakes.' I like that."

- Lola Redford, 1975 

I like that too.

My Monday to do list

If you have been reading my blog very long, you will know how much I love "to do" lists. They are what drive me. Today my list was overwhelmingly long. All I really wanted to do was curl up on the sofa and read a good book and listen to the rain. But there is something that motivates me even more than my lists. A deadline. I think that without a deadline I would probably never get much done. But today I didn't have a choice - I have a client presentation due this week and a full calendar which left me with "today" only to get done what I needed to do; carpet to select, fireplaces to design, stone to pick out, that kind of thing.

But since I was out anyway, I added a few things of my own to my list - pick up soap, return jeans to Marshalls, purchase that Ikea rug I saw last week that will hide the dog hairs better than the black and white one did ...

Tessa Ivory Quilted Leather Chair @ Overstock.com $295.99

I did really well until I got to Marshalls. That is where I got side-tracked. I took a little spin through the store. I didn't need anything. I was almost out the door and then I saw it. Right there in the swimsuit department (go figure!) was the greatest looking leather chair.
I don't need another chair.
And I am not supposed to be spending money these days.
At least not on a chair that I don't even need.
But I was curious.
It was pretty cute and honestly,
I just wanted to know how much it was.
I was thinking ... maybe $299?
And so I checked.

It was eighty dollars!

Don't you just love a bargain?

A day at the Getty

It is officially Spring, or so the calendar says. But I can hear the rain coming down with a vengeance as I sit here in my office. It is cold and windy and not very "Spring-like" for Southern California.

But last weekend Spring had already arrived in Malibu.

We went to visit the Getty Villa - our first time - to celebrate my daughter's birthday and it was spectacular! If you have not had a chance to visit - it is a "must see"! We have been to the Getty Center in Los Angeles many times but this was our first to the Villa. Admission is free (hard to believe) but you must have reservations and parking is $15. You can get reservation tickets online by clicking here.

The grounds are absolutely beautiful. The villa sits on a sixty-four-acre site that J. Paul Getty purchased in 1945 and where he built his home and adjacent gallery that served as the first J. Paul Getty museum. It sits on a hill overlooking the ocean which is just about 100 feet from the entrance. 

In 1968, needing more room to house his growing collection, J. Paul Getty decided to re-create a first-century Roman country house, the Villa dei Papiri. It took seven years to finish and unfortunately Getty never saw it completed. The Villa dei Papiri was a Roman country house in Herculaneum that was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.  Even the Villa's main driveway, paved with large, irregular stones, is patterned after the ancient streets of Pompeii and Herculaneum. 

Spouted jar with Lion-Griffin handles, Achaemenid, from ancient Percia 350-325 B.C. 

The collection includes 44,000 Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities which date from 6,500 B.C. to 400 A.D. That is impressive. I get goosebumps when I see artifacts that ancient. But besides his extensive collection, the building itself is a work of art. Not a detail was left unattended from floor to ceiling; it is perfection.

My favorite exhibit was, Molten Color: Glassmaking in Antiquity. It features the Oppenlander collection which includes over 180 ancient glass objects made in Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Greek world, and the Roman Empire from 2500 B.C. to eleventh century A.D.

Blue splashware cup, Roman, A.D. 1 - 100. 

Perfume flasks

If you live local, or if you are planning a visit, be sure to put this lovely museum on your list of "things to see and do"!

Spring begins

My friend Stephanie sent me an email with these photos the other day and they are so beautiful I wanted to share them with you. And how perfect to share them today, this first day of Spring.

"My beloved spoke and said to me,

"Arise, my darling,

My beautiful one, come with me.

See! The winter is past;

The rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth;

The season of singing has come,

The cooing of doves

Is heard in our land.

The fig tree forms its early fruit;

The blossoming vines spread their fragrance.

Arise, come, my darling;

My beautiful one, come with me."

- Song of Solomon 2:10-13