Writing of Washing Machines

Today I wrote long and hard about the nuts and bolts of the best front-loading washing machines. By that I mean the superior models as judged by professional colleagues in thorough hands-on testing. The smartest front loaders, with intuitive sensors and features, apps to control cycles from the living room, etc. And just like wanting a new winter coat, wool sweater or dark chocolate brand when writing about those, I want one of these, too. Hell, all the ones the editors picked are excellent, but the four below stand out for me. I also love the color choices like Candy Apple Red, Champagne and Forest Green to elevate a drudge chore to glory. 

Our old white Whirlpool top-loader keeps powering on, so I will not be getting one of these any time soon. But when I see my sister's neatly stacked washer and dryer off the kitchen; my sister-in-law Eileen's handy setup of two big, nice-looking front loaders right off the bathroom; and my sister-in-law Martha's side by side machines, also near the bathroom, I want that. We have to walk from the top floor to the basement--4 flights of stairs--to get to our very basic laundry setup. We have lived in our home since 1994, a full 30 years this coming November. We inherited/purchased the previous owners' washer and dryer and had to replace both at least once in these three decades.

Noting sexism: Why do I say "Martha's" machines when she lives with her husband/my brother-in-law Pat? Laundry is not only a woman's domain anymore, not even in my house. And I think it's the technological advances, the bells and whistles, that are drawing more and more men into the laundry room. That and the fact that they need clean clothing and towels and their partners are busy living life, whether they work hard (chore and family wise and/or professionally) at home or away. 

LG WashTower in Candy Apple Red, about $2,500 or more. The washer and dryer are connected, with one control panel in the middle.

 Beko RecycledTub front-load washer. The eco tub is made from 60 recycled plastic bottles. In white, it costs about $1,400 online.

Miele washer in Lotus White with QuickIntenseWash cycle, over $2,000. I also want a pretty Miele canister vacuum in Curry Yellow. I've gone into the vacuum store on Valley Road to fawn over one. But it costs over $800. Maybe one day, bc I believe it will work and work and last and last. It will add fashion and beauty to our home, and our home will be cleaner.

GE Profile 2-in-1 Washer/Dryer Combo on sale on Amazon 

for under $2,000 but about $2,500 on GE.com. Take a look at this great video, featuring a model who is definitely not June Cleaver but very modern. Love it.

Speaking of wringers, wringing and wringing one's hands, I'm trying to keep my distance from teen drama. No amount of hand wringing and stress can stop it.

That's it, that's all. Good night, let's float off on bubbles to dreamland.

A Second Chance for Furniture Factory Scraps

Above: Artist Kajsa Willner with furnishings she made from furniture factory remnants.

Photography by Robert Våhlström.

It was fun Zooming on Monday morning with this deep thinker and eco-conscious artist who colors outside the lines. 

This digital age allows lightning-fast publishing. I sent the story to my editor Thursday evening and two days later, it’s live. Today's lightning press can of course travel MUCH faster than that. But back in the day in the magazine world (1980s to early 2000s), we waited three months to see the print issue after putting it to bed! Such a long wait, but it felt worth it. We didn't know anything else yet.

It was an enlightening interview for me, as I try to consume fewer short-lived fashions and plastics and more local groceries (when budget allows).

LINK below.

https://aspiremetro.com/kajsa-willner-crafted-potential/

P.S. Note to my friend Kim. Because Kajsa is Swedish and thinks outside the box as an artist, she reminds me of your Maya.

Now I See It, Now I Don't

Above: I love the Classic Fit Oxford Color-block Shirt in Multi ($110) by Polo Ralph Lauren--saw it in the Polo window here. Texted to Dan to see if he would like for late/better Father’s Day gift but he said "That shirt looks like a circus clown’s" and then he put the clown emoji, which is one of our personal favorites. 🤡 He always loved the Polo oxford shirts I got for him in all of those colors separately (except pink), so I figured I would give it a try.

Now I see the Kipling bag store and the Swarovski shop across from me, the latter with a glittering crystal curtain suspended from a bar. I see signs upstairs: BURGERS SHAKES FRIES FUN.

Now I don’t see it, head down to write, not daydream.

Sitting in The Mills at Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth (six minutes from the program Skippy attends 9 a.m. to 1:15 daily) with my laptop to work...quite a place. Thanks to a romp through with Skipper on Friday afternoon--much to her delight--I now noticed some good stores here. As in Polo Ralph Lauren, Coach, Kate Spade New York.

Skippy loved H&M, Hot Topic and especially Zumiez (pronounced zoomies/hoping for new skateboard for tricks). She has a longboard but there is a new(ish) skate park in town. In the food court, the sushi place and Häagen-Dazs caught her eye for future visits. I remember being her age and the same ice cream brand catching my eye at Paramus Park Mall. It seemed like such a luxury, and the best of the best on a cone or in a cup. (Now, when I see ice cream, I generally look the other way. Interesting American artifact.)

I’m grateful for the WiFi connection at Starbucks; this little round wood table; a side stool to hold notebooks, earphones, chargers etc.; and the spinach-feta-whole-grain wrap I ordered with siracha hot sauce for lunch.

At 11 a.m. my time (5 p.m. Paris time), my cell phone will ring and it will be a sophisticated man from France who lives at a storied, gorgeous château and gardens one hour’s drive from the city. I will interview him for aspire design and home Magazine, ask questions about the estate and the trees--he actually grew up there--and he will talk and I will write as fast as I can. I generally still prefer to take notes by hand. I have my own shorthand after so many years.

Sorry, I’m just writing, I say. The sources understand. After the call, I go over my notes and flesh out the shorthand to be sure I understand it all in detail.

I better get going because I came straight here to be productive--to write one article about a beautiful Charleston home and to do that phone call.

Enjoy your day. I always feel better connected and settled and accepting/honoring my work when I post here, just like last summer, on some days I was writing on Cape Cod instead of swimming in the sea. So, I say merci. (And since I’ve been writing more frequently about French things for aspire, I added a new post label: French.)

Writing Muscles & 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

Above: I’ve written about a lot of beautiful homes, but this Brooklyn space really impressed me. I would love an organized mudroom like this, with pistachio, custom-built cabinetry and a rolling library ladder to reach the skis and suitcases--and the life to go with it. Wow! Design by Jenny Dina Kirshner. Photography by Ryan Dausch. Article link below.

I’m using my writing muscles a lot--is plural right?

I can’t say I’m flexing them, because that would connote a muscle man (or woman) holding up a bulging arm to show off their strength, am I right?

No, I’m not pumping iron and boasting to impress you or anyone else. I’m more building up my writing muscles to get in faster, more honed sentence-structuring and storytelling shape to better use my tools.

I have an assignment from ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME Magazine for the summer issue. Another place in Southwest France! I do hope to wing to a faraway place in the not too distant future.....

Magazines are a dying breed, and it’s sad. I’m grateful for this work.

Here is a link to my latest feature in the Spring 2021 issue:

https://aspiremetro.com/jenny-dina-kirschner-brooklyn-duplexes/

I’m also trying to place some essays and story pitches, to earn more dough. 

And I’ve joined a weekly Journaling Night, a spinoff of the Montclair Healing Huddle I attended for mothers/caregivers. I like the Wednesday night group (8 to 9:30 p.m. on Zoom). It goes on for five weeks, and involves getting in touch with our feelings, and the way we perceive them, through writing prompts. Tara, a therapist, skillfully leads us.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, lassies, lads and others. I’m remembering my parents on this day. They listened to Irish music (lyrical but often mournful, about the potato famine etc.) and cooked corned beef, cabbage and potatoes in an old, tall silver-tone pot. I miss them both, and their legacies (she, Irish; he, Italian). Good night.

My Latest Magazine Stories: French Chic, a Farmhouse---and Upcycling Timeworn Men's Shirts

A SHIRT STORY 👕👕🧵

NEW LOOK FOR OLD FARMHOUSE KITCHEN 🥚🥚🐐🐐

ANCIENT MARINER'S HOME NOW A BORDEAUX APARTMENT 🚢 🌊

PARISIAN SHOP WITH BLUE DOORS 🦓 🦓

Catch-up--and Then Must Flatten/Punch Down the $$Dough Curve

Boy, this is a lot of info to record.

This food tracking reminds me of when I was a teenager on New Year's Eve--and, incidentally, slim, wearing slender brown jeans [yes, brown, I think a hand-me-down from my brother Will?]--and vowed to stop eating desserts/chocolate for the new year.

It was mainly a wish for better, Bonne Bell skin, no breakouts. Then, after the clock struck midnight, sweets would appear at the Bergaminis' lovely family party in New Rochelle, New York and my resolve was fleeting. The main attraction in the dining room was a local bakery treat that the Bergaminis, who had nine kids, called a meltaway--a Danish pastry with  a thick, buttery crumb top.

It would be easy to lose my resolve in recording all of this diary tracking on my blog, too. It is a big commitment.

Here is Wed/Thurs/Friday

TCOY

1. Figgy colored my hair.
2. Good facial care.
3. Taco night, thanks to Dan. Included fresh tomatoes and onions, ground turkey.
4. Thursday afternoon, sat in backyard for my call with therapist [Private Benjamin]. I was trying to emerge from a dark place and really didn't want to make the call at 3:30  pm. But I found wisdom, calm, perspective and compassion in that hour. And he and I heard the birds calling from the trees.
5. Walk with Dan, Sug and Punch on Thursday eve.
6. Spoke to P's counselor for help.
7. Walk in rain by myself on Friday eve.
8. Bought prepared vegs at good Italian store--broccoli w garlic, grilled and marinated artichokes.
9. Hot shower with Caffé Cacao Cellulite Scrub from Vesta! Felt good. Vesta brings local deliveries right to your door. 
10. Sitting on this couch for two+ hours and writing this post.

FOOD [really hard to remember the days after--jotted some down on Wed.]

Wednesday

• Iced coffee w half and half.
• Breakfast? oh, had to test one chilled lemon panna cotta in wedding china cup.
• lunch, leftover flounder, broccoli, rice.
• Individual Cozy Shack rice pudding.
• Some dark treats.
• Taco shell, ground turkey, cheese etc.
• Dark bark with low sugar, etc.
• Forget what else

Thursday

• Iced coffee w half and half.
• Split a prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula sandwich with Punch--curbside pickup from Sal's Gastronomia Cafe on Walnut Street.
• Made vegan beet brownies for Fig, with brown rice flour, pure maple syrup, dark cocoa. Had a couple with glass organic whole milk.
• Made broccoli-Swiss quiche for late lunch.
• Breakfast for dinner; 3 small pancakes, 3 pc. bacon, butter, pure maple syrup.
• Ritz crackers, cheese.
• Glass of organic whole milk.

Friday

• Coffee with whole milk.
• Late breakfast, 11:30, 4 small pancakes with butter and syrup.
• Late lunch, early dinner: Roast beef, melted Provolone, hot pepper sub.
• Some pasta with greens and sausage.
• Some sourdough bread with butter and some dunked in very good Italian pesto.
• Small chocolate croissant.
• Half of a small eggplant rollatini.
• Second coffee w whole milk.
• Another piece of beet brownie.
• Plan glass of local whole milk for nightcap.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

I received two payments. I paid the dentist a lot {we are still paying down a VERY BIG family bill, don't ask}. I caught up with payments to my therapist, which felt good. And of course a lot of the money went to our family bill account.

1. USPS.com, 2x Forever Earth Day stamps and some things I need as I plan Fig surprise, $44.
2. Sephora.com, 

Givenchy

Le Rouge Perfecto Beautifying Lip Balm in

01 Perfect Pink and  Lancôme HYPNÔSE DRAMA Instant Full Body Volume Mascara Excessive Black  I haven't worn makeup in about 8 weeks? except lipstick or lip balm. Want to define my eyes again. With free shipping, $68.77. 3. Araks.com, pretty white floral face mask for Sis, with 10 percent new shopper discount. Total with steep $10 shipping to Stamford, CT, $46.  I liked and Sis will like: In an effort to contribute to frontline workers’ safety and well being, for every face mask purchased, a medical-grade mask will be donated to a healthcare professional.  4. LottaJansdotter.com, two pop-of-color pillow covers from her pop-up sample sale shop, $59.71. Since Lotta lives down the block, curbside pickup. All profits go to a local Initiative here in Montclair called "Shield Our Heroes " Visit online shop: www.jansdotter.bigcartel.com 5. KINGS, I had an offer for free first delivery and filled my cart with 21 things the family will enjoy, from vegan to nonvegan to no-sugar-added, also large jug of Woolite and fancy Stonewall Kitchen Black Raspberry Jam, but with $8 tip, $182.06. Should arrive by early next week. 6. Rosario's, this place in town where foodies go for great Italian food and organic meats. I got a large organic marinated turkey flank (right word?); 4 organic housemade chicken sausages; large container mascarpone; broccoli w garlic; grilled and marinated artichokes; gnocchi; eggplant rollatini; large excellent housemade pesto; roast beef/hot pepper sub; large wedge imported Provolone; jar of capers. My family really enjoyed it, and plenty left for tomorrow. It was like eating out,--plus stocking up on ingredients--but a definite, infrequent splurge. $140.13. 7. Sweet Laurel in California, 3-pack of 100 percent cacao [no sugar] craft chocolate bars, plus shipping,  I love this label and this brand and have been waiting months to place an order. I love the bakery's aesthetic--roses on the labeling, flowers on the cakes. The shipping was really steep, $11, total $47.19. The Cake Shop is located on Sunset Blvd in Pacific Palisades....wow. 8. VESTA Chocolate, jar of homespun cacao cellulite scrub, other dark treats, free delivery, $53.31. Honestly trying to keep my fave Montclair small businesses afloat with orders here and there.

Total spend for 3 days: $639.11.

Ongoing monthly spend as of May 8: $859.25.

Avg daily spend: $107.41.

________________________________________________

Keep an eye on/compare to previous months:

April: Total monthly spend: $2,143.19.
Avg daily spend: $71.44.

March--the effect of coronavirus quarantine and not working in NYC for now

Total monthly spend as of March 31: $1,916.15.

Avg daily spend: $61.81.

February

Total monthly spend as of Feb. 29: $2,480.34.
Avg daily spend: $85.53.

January

Total monthly spend as of Jan 31: $3,063.60.

Avg daily spend: $98.83.

December 2019 [Christmas and all that entails]

Total monthly spend as of Dec. 31: $3,998.16. 

Avg daily spend: $128.97. 

November

Total spend for November (30 days): $2,979.03. 

Average daily spend: $99.30. 

October

Total spend for OCTOBER 31 days: $2,495.36.

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $80.49.

September

TOTAL SPEND FOR SEPTEMBER (30 DAYS): $2,214.43.

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $73.81.

August

TOTAL SPEND FOR AUGUST (31 DAYS/PLUS VACAY IN HERE): $2,895.06. ⬆️

AUGUST AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $93.39.  ⬆️

$ Catch-up for Wed, Thurs, Fri

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Joyist, Dan asked if I could do early chess class drive [bait and switch!] and I was bleary-eyed. Punch and I stopped on the way for Joyist to go. One Greg for me [with Java Love cold brew], The Luke for Punch, avocado toast for her and coconut energy bites to bring Figgy, $37. Expensive breakfast, I know, but at least it was for three of us, and that avocado toast was going into P's lunchbag, too.

  

  I love this Tupperware Treasures of the Sea insulated lunch tote.
  Punchy's Aunt Christine [Mimi's long-time friend] just gave it to P and she takes it to school.
  Christine knew Punchy's late daddy very well when he was a boy--her son was his playmate. Nice link to him.

• Montclair Bread Company, fresh sourdough loaf, $7.50 plus 50 cents tip, $8. I know, pricey. But every now and then, I like to get good bread because it's vegan and we all like it.
• Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence, tickets for Dan and me to attend Toast to Teachers for Punchy's teachers [adults only, fancy pool club Friday night] and for Punch and me to attend a toast to the dance teachers, including her good Ms. Smeriglio. $40 plus $30 plus $4 to help cover fees, $74.
• Parking meter, 75 cents.
• Valley Girl, store closing in town, all merch 50 percent off, necklace for Fig and shirt for me, about $37.
• Gus & Co. large container shrimp salad, $19.
• Bartlett's, picked up gorgeous dance show flowers for Punch, got pretty bouquet for dance teacher, $25.
• Uber to get from florist to schoolbus stop, $7.80 + tip, $9.30.
• Uber from schoolbus stop to P therapy appt, $7.80 + tip, $9.30.
• Java Love, Love Child drink and biscotti for Punch, small decaf iced coffee for me, plus tip, about $11.
• Let's Yo jar tip, $1. [Moey generously treated us to fro yo after dance show.]

Thursday, June 6

• Montclair Bread Co., prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich, large cold brew coffee, 2 small chocolate chip cookies plus tip, about $15.
• CVS, special Oprah issue, 2 Secret deodorants on sale, $23.
• Joyist, faux [vegan] Twix bar, much healthier, $5.
• Williams-Sonoma, all Aerin table linens were [still are online, check LINK] 30 percent off. Beautiful Seville [lemon pattern] oilcloth, plus two cloth napkins and melamine bowl, about $78.
• Kings, roast chicken, whole milk, Fairlife chocolate milk, coleslaw, 85 percent Divine dark chocolate bar, $24.28.

Friday, June 7 car still at shop! We just got it back this evening. Needed new alternator [about $400, ouch].

• Uber to get Sug to vet/car was at shop, $10.68 + $1.50 tip, $12.18.
• Uber to get Sug home, $12.76 + $1.50 tip, $14.26.
• Vet technician who took care of Sugar, thank God, $30.

TOTAL SPENT OUT OF POCKET FOR 3 DAYS: $433.07.

MONTHLY TOTAL AS OF JUNE 7: $855.39.

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND SO FAR: $122.19.

MONEY THOUGHTS: Big spends include Ubers while our only car was in shop; Joyist, $37; teachers' toasts, $74; and Aerin sale at Williams-Sonoma, $78.

KEEPING AN EYE ON PAST MONTHS

MAY TOTAL SPEND: $2,348.24.

MAY AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $75.75. 

APRIL TOTAL SPEND: $3,634.28.

APRIL AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $121.14.

The Little Lake House That Could

Take a look at this tidy Connecticut cottage I wrote about for ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME Magazine. I love the cozy style edit. And check the story for the designer's favorite Home Goods store location!

THE LITTLE LAKE HOUSE THAT COULD

xox

Money, Found & Lost

I remembered a $200 check I had misplaced. Money found & lost, but not wasted. See yellow highlight below. Thanks, John Keats, via PoetryFoundation.org.

from Endymion

BY JOHN KEATS

A Poetic Romance

(excerpt)

BOOK I 

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: 

Its loveliness increases; it will never 

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep 

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep 

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. 

Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing 

A flowery band to bind us to the earth, 

Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth 

Of noble natures, of the gloomy days, 

Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways 

Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all, 

Some shape of beauty moves away the pall 

From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon, 

Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon 

For simple sheep; and such are daffodils 

With the green world they live in; and clear rills 

That for themselves a cooling covert make 

'Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake, 

Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms: 

And such too is the grandeur of the dooms 

We have imagined for the mighty dead; 

All lovely tales that we have heard or read: 

An endless fountain of immortal drink, 

Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink. 

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Uber for Sug + me to groomer, since Dan had our car at Science Day at Punchy's school. Thanks, driver Pedro, with $1.50 tip, $9.20. Poor Sug was shaking like a leaf. She knows very well when she is headed to the vet or the groomer, in an Uber or not. She's nobody's fool.
• Uber for me to get from groomer to Joyist to work [and step outside to sit at tables there to do phone interviews]. Thanks, driver Yasmin, with $1.50 tip, $9.27.
• Joyist, latte, free, with my unlimited weekly coffee card. Delicious breakfast bowl w mashed root vegs, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, crispy kale and 2 eggs. Costs $11 but free, with my 10th punch on rewards card. Chia pudding w raspberries, $6.
• I now ordered the Mini Warren Lamp from Aerin.com to go with my beautiful Liberty of London lamp shade, which does not, in fact, fit with my little $3 Cape Cod thrift-shop lamp, as I hoped it would. I put the shade on a small lopsided white Laura Ashley lamp I bought in the 1990s! It will look so much better on its true partner, on sale 50 percent off [so $125] and comes with a pretty cream linen shade. Then I will surprise Figgy by putting lopsided lamp w perfect new cream shade up in her room. I think she will like it. Lamps are alluring accessories and casting light is a beautiful thing. Free shipping, but $8.28 tax. $133.28. I have the best news! I checked my email around 5 p.m. and found one re. Aerin warehouse sale! My order went through at 11:49 a.m. and at 2:39 p.m., the little lamp was marked down to $79. I called customer service and will be charged the lower price. So glad I caught that email ON SAME DAY. Adjusted price: $84.23.
• Williams-Sonoma, lovely Floral Meadow Easter bunny mug to give Sis [she is coming for Easter dinner; all Easter items were 20 percent off] and jar of organic veg stock marked down from $19.99 to $4.99. $16.04. 

  

  I got this mug to give Sis on Easter. Here is the LINK.
  When we see a bunny in the grass, we say it is our Dad visiting.

• Uber back to groomer to get Sug and then deliver her at home, all fluffy, clean and pampered. Thanks, driver John, with $2.50 tip, $13.69. This was a madcap + stressful Uber day but Sug was overgrown. I didn't know the groomer was closing early and needed us there by 2; Dan couldn't get there by then from Science Day. But I did get our car again by 2:15.
• Parking meter, $1.50.
• Montclair Stationery, two legal pads for article interviews, one pink, one blue; 2 fine-point Sharpies for taking notes, one green [embracing my Irish] and one royal blue; and one large, old-fashioned interoffice envelope that says INTER-DEPARTMENTAL MAIL. I think Punch and I can send notes back and forth to each other under our bedroom doors. You know, retro envelope also says, Cross out previous address. Use repeatedly until all spaces are utilized. $13.84.
• I FORGOT TO PUT THE COST OF GROOMER FOR SUG'S BATH AND HAIR STYLING. ADDING TWO DAYS LATER, $65 + tip, $75. BUMMER. I'M GOING TO ADD A PETS/VET $ BREAKDOWN STARTING AT END OF MONTH.
• Joyist to work again while Dan handled Punch, free cold brew; hazelnut energy bites, $7.

DAILY SPEND: $235.77.
MONTHLY SPEND AS OF APRIL 4: $605.64.
AVERAGE DAILY SPEND SO FAR THIS MONTH: $151.41.

Magic Lamp [Shade]

TCOY

1. Healthy hot cereal for breakfast, with sliced almonds and a little fruit, a bit of brown sugar, some cream.
2. I've been determined to get back to both yoga and walking. Sunday was a yoga class and today I walked 20 minutes into town, then walked all the way home from Private Benjamin appointment on the other end of town. I left at 5:50 p.m. and got home by 7:20, but that counted about 10 minutes off to stop and chat with a nice mom I met when Fig was in elementary school with her son. Proud that I walked so far today.
3. The Private Benjamin appointment itself.
4. Nutritious food at Joyist.
5. For delicious dinner, made my friend Rachael's Quick Chicken Piccata. Heat some butter and EVOO [just eyeball it, enough to brown chicken] in skillet. Dredge cutlets in flour only. Brown on both sides, adding fresh-squeezed juice of one half lemon, salt and pepper. Slice lemon half and add slices to skillet. Pour in white wine to deglaze pan and, if you have them, add capers. I also ate with artichoke hearts on my dinner plate. Punch prefers classic breaded cutlets, so I made some that way, too.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Aerin, adorable + beautiful Liberty of London* lamp shade. I love Liberty of London--though I've never been to the store, Sis brought me back a jewelry roll in pretty fabric once. I've admired this petite lamp shade before, but it was too expensive. Now it is half off. I already have a tiny lamp that I bought at a thrift shop on Cape Cod last summer for about $3. Shade + shipping, $33.06. 

  

  The cotton shade is only 7 1/4 inches  high.
  I can't wait to put it on my
  tiny thrift-shop lamp. Check the LINK.

• Kings, 2 packs chicken cutlets, a lemon and fancy dish soap that was 50 percent off, $18.99.
• Joyist, The Greg blend [with Java Love coffee] and avocado toast, $17.
• Uber to Private Benjamin appt. + $2 tip, $10.05.

DAILY TOTAL: $79.10.

RUNNING TOTAL FOR MONTH AS OF MARCH 26: $3809.22.

SO FAR, THAT'S AN AVERAGE DAILY SPEND OF: $146.50.
MONEY THOUGHT: That little lamp of mine, I'm gonna let it shine--probably balanced on a stack of favorite books on my grandparents' old mahogany table by the living room window. I remember that table in their garden apartment in Dumont, remember my grandmother making lamb and mint jelly one Easter. It was Sis's favorite.

*Per Wikipedia:

$$$$ Department store in London, England

Description

Address: Regent St, Soho, London 

Opened: 1875
Liberty is a department store on Great Marlborough Street in the West End of London. It sells luxury goods including women's, men's and children's fashion, cosmetics and fragrances, jewellery, accessories, homeware, furniture, stationery and gifts, and is known for its floral and graphic prints. 

You Can Judge a Mag By Its Cover

Isn’t that a beautiful cover on the autumn issue of ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME? And that is the "Dinner Guest" interview and RSVP, something I do for every issue--this one with a visionary who started at Sotheby’s in NYC and now opened an art gallery in Detroit. It’s a city on the rise in many creative ways, from art to interior design.

ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME is bucking the magazine decline--for years, it was distributed regionally to upscale destinations [in NY, NJ, CT] and it recently went national. Look for it on newsstands. I even found it in a sprawling suburban ShopRite with a big magazine section. Or you can subscribe to the quarterly at aspiremetro.com.

Until tomorrow.

TCOY

1. Biked in and out of town, wearing a new sweater. This brisk fall weather is ideal for biking.
2. Worked at my spot, Joyist, from about 9 a.m. to hard stop at 3 p.m., when I had to bike back, get car and drive back across town to pick up Punch. I worked productively and #3 helped fuel me.
3. I had The Anthony, a soothing, filling hot blend of Java Love Coffee, steamed house-made almond milk, coconut milk, local honey and Reishi mushrooms and then--on my 10th punch on the rewards card--a free warm, organic greens & grains bowl, the Asian-style one, w kale, brown rice, red quinoa, edamame, hard-boiled egg and a fabulous sesame-ginger dressing and chili garlic sauce. Yum.*
4. For dinner, I craved a nice big triangle of NYC pizza, the kind you can flop and fold, but had homemade chicken soup packed w vegs--and some buttered Ezekiel toast.

*The menu is so good, I’m listing the link again so you can see it: Joyistnation.com.

Postscript on Friday morning: I texted Dan in NYC yesterday afternoon and said I was craving a big triangle of pizza. I also left him a voice mail. When he got home, he drove out to get groceries and a single plain slice for me. That was kind. It was delicious, and much better than eating half a pie on a Friday night, right? But...I was so tired after rising early to bike to school with Punch and then work in town all day....I was a couch potato, watching "Andy Griffith" and "Gomer Pyle" on ME TV from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., while Punch watched her favorite, "Supergirl,"on Netflix on my laptop in our bedroom......anyway, I devoured the slice but then got cranky and lost my patience....so maybe a pizza slice carb load at 9 p.m. is not such a good idea for me. Or maybe I was just exhausted. But that carb spike did not help shepherd a fifth grader to bed when she didn't want to part with her superhero.

Writer Dreamin'

Photograph by Lauren Hagerstrom.
Interior design by Butler Rambusch, Summit, NJ.
Link from ASPIREMETRO.COM.

Links to some articles I wrote. Since I shared a couple on Facebook, I didn't want to oversaturate and link to my blog, but should have.....I like having them here, organized under the "ARTICLE ARCHIVE" tag. As always, I am grateful for my work, and to you for reading it.

1. HANG IN THERE [new grasscloth wallpapers from a cool designer in the South]
2. DINNER GUEST: BRAND IDENTITY GURU [check out this New Yorker]
3. AMAGANSETT ON MY MIND [dream house in the Hamptons, above]
4. DALI AND THE LITTLE FRENCH GIRL [she rubbed elbows with the painter]
5. THE SECRET GARDEN [beautiful bedroom for a princessa]

Have a good one.

The Only Thing I Exercised Today Was My Fingers

Working on tight deadlines for ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME Magazine. It's quarterly, but the deadlines seem to come up so fast every time. Also, I'm writing six pieces for this issue. When I worked on staff at monthly magazines, we must have had zero down time, or been very, very organized [the latter]. Plus, I have to fit in work for three other clients, too, and one is pretty demanding.

I won't lie, it's fun to write for the magazine about a Brooklyn soft-sculpture artist; an artist and shopkeeper in the Catskills; and an architect and designer based in Montclair. Writing is a craft, and that parts feels rewarding and proficient. Besides, magazines are my first love, and you never forget your first love.

But my shoulder wings are tired, and I swapped my beloved heels [which I even wear to work at home] for sneakers, for better grounding. And my babysitter/friend Elaine said I look tired.

I'm ready for a good night's sleep.

TCOY

1. Figgy made us a healthy, yummy vegan supper. Wraps filled with pan-browned, curried tofu slices, red cabbage, cilantro, pickles, tomatoes.....really good. H., Punch and I all really liked them.
2. Healthy snack: almonds and raisins.

New York Minute [Well, 7 Hours That Went Fast]

Hopped 1:42 bus to NYC for Architectural Digest Design Show at Pier 94 [55th Street and 12th Avenue]. Went to tweet for Aspire Magazine [@ASPIREmagazine on twitter]. Key words: Fast. Fashionable. Frenzied. Furniture. Foodie. Fun.

When Figgy heard I was going to be in the city, she asked if I would come visit her at work in Brooklyn. So I walked to 57th and Seventh Ave., took the Q train to Union Square and connected to the Canarsie line L to Bedford Avenue.

Had a fine scoop of Fluffernutter at her workplace, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream in Williamsburg. When her shift ended at 8, we doubled back to midtown on the L and then the N. I was back in Montclair at 10 p.m.

More tomorrow. Good night.

In My Dreams

At my old nicked wood desk, a cast-off from the Good Housekeeping offices in the 1990s. The desk with the two Art Deco drawer pulls that look like earrings. It has a lock, but the key has gone missing.

I love this desk, and the stories it must hold.

Several pieces due today...about homes in exclusive Saddle River, a bucolic town Mary Higgins Clark, Mary J. Blige and Richard Nixon have called home. A town where John Travolta went house hunting.

I'm writing about homes that are selling for about $7 million each--well, one is $14.9 million.

One in particular caught my eye when I toured it on a recent Saturday; it was built by the president of Motown Records, then sold. The second owner is an interior designer with an exquisite eye, and I had to breathe in as I walked from room to room....the Artistic Tile in the kitchen, mirrored and glittering.....the chic little diamond of a butler's pantry, with Sub-Zero refrigerator drawers and a gorgeous floor....the dining room, a fashionable space with turquoise and silver wallpaper so pretty that I would wear it as a wrap skirt....the music room, with a piano Stevie Wonder played on...and, oh, the breakfast room, with a soaring dome ceiling that is hand-painted to look like a beautiful blue sky with floating white clouds.

See why I was taking deep breaths? It was like opening one Christmas gift after another.

Didn't blog yesterday because I was busy working, plus had a dr. appt., plus got Rxs, plus H. and I were invited to go into Punchy's classroom and talk about being writers. [H. wrote 60-Second Novels for two of the children. All of the kids seemed sweet and smart.] Then at night, Fig watched Punch at home while Sis and Don treated H. and me to Saint Patrick's Day drinks and dinner at the elegant Water Club in Cos Cob, CT. I had the best Bloody Mary, a jumbo shrimp cocktail that would go nicely with that $7 million home, a petite filet mignon. Everything was delicious. A lot of people were wearing green--sweaters, ties, shirts, hairbands. I had such a hectic day that I didn't have a chance to hunt for green, just wore a blue dress. Didn't have time to add my shamrock necklace.

Happy Friday to us all. Off I go, polishing and expanding my vocabulary of words such as stunning, breathtaking, chic, glamorous, bespoke, hand-picked, tailored, modern.....

TCOY

1. Always have tall glass of ice water by my side when working. On my third one now.
2. Took a nice lavender bubble bath.
3. Looks like I'm driving Punchy down to her mom's for an overnight visit tonight while H. plays poker here with his friends. I hope to then be back in time to go to see the movie "The Lady in the Van" starring Maggie Smith.