Spring Cleaning?

I can’t let April come and go without passing along a few ideas to use when spring cleaning and re-organizing your linen cupboard: 

• Before returning your linens to the cupboard after cleaning, line the shelves with scented drawer liners or tuck in a sachet. 
• Label shelves in your linen cupboard to identify what goes where; such as “queen bed”; “twin beds”; “main bath towels”; “guest towels”. Alternatively, try to keep linens in or close to the room they are used in. 
• Keep towels in the vanities of the bathroom they belong to. 
• Dedicate a kitchen cupboard for placemats and napkins. 
• Keep the sheets for each bed in a flat container under the bed. 

Now, let's enjoy reading a few “spring cleaning” rules that our grandmothers might have followed (excerpted from Beeton’s Philosophy of Housekeeping). I just pulled the highlights to remind us of how our lives have changed from those of our grandmothers. 

 “In olden days, all fires save the kitchen were left off on the twenty-fifth of March, and the house-cleaning began as soon after as possible. Now, in these degenerate days, it is not until May that many among us began to turn the house out of windows. The first fine week after May 1st is a good rule, but a fine hot April will sometimes tempt us to begin before the sun gains much power. At the end of March all the blankets that can be spared should be washed and hung out in the brisk wind to dry, then thoroughly aired by a good fire for twelve hours, and stored in a dry place. To "begin with the top floor and go down" is not a bad rule. Before the sweeps arrival all carpets must come up, and go away or out to be beaten ; all ornaments must be removed, pictures taken down, and looking-glasses covered. All furniture should be covered with sheets or with dusting-sheets. Those articles which are French-polished should be washed with weak vinegar and water, and the following polish used to them:-- 3 oz. of common beeswax, 1 oz. of white wax, 1 oz. of curd soap, 1 pint of turpentine, 1 pint of boiled  soft water ; mix these, adding the water when cold, shake well, and keep for 48 hours. Apply with the flannel, and polish first with a duster, and then with a silk handkerchief. The bedrooms require a few words. The bedding should be taken out of doors, if possible, and well beaten and brushed, the bedstead taken to pieces, whether of wood or of iron, and well washed with hot water and soap. When quite dry the bedding should be replaced.” 

 Aren't you glad for the 21st century!

Pause

I love this word. It has power. Hearing it makes my thoughts slow down as though by command. After all, this is one of those words that bring an image of resting to mind. 

How odd that the word can be a verb; a word of action. I like the oppositeness of this: to pause is to take action to stop. 

Few of us take advice well. Suggesting that someone pause before they do or say something is a gentle way to offer advice. My favourite is to hear from a dear friend that “maybe you should sleep on that”. I have learned to recognize this means I may not be heading in the right direction. Pausing, then, can save me from making a decision I would regret. Sometimes, though, pausing helps me to become more firm in my decision. Either way, I know that I am better for that moment of hesitation. 

As women, our lives are often filled with running. The many errands we accomplish each day have to be noted, remembered and acted on. All this while still managing the myriad of tasks required in our daily lives. Who has time to pause? If we do, is it constructive pausing or more of a “Phew” as we rest a bit with a cup of tea and book? I see a moment of rest as very different from a moment of pause. One is passive; the other active. I rest to relax my brain; I pause to refresh my thinking. 

“Pause” is genderless but I love that this is a root of “menopause”. As a woman of a certain age, the great, broad impact of menopause on my life is somewhat overwhelming. It’s a time of change; to my body; my career; my relationships; my confidence. In many ways, this is a crucial time to pause and refresh my thinking. Much of what is happening is good for me so it’s easy to overlook whatever negative changes may be happening. My life is getting better in its richness; relationships are becoming deeper. With the kids gone, there is more time for my husband and I to do what we like and explore life as never before. There is a new playfulness to our lives. All of the good changes have been written about by so many. Why then do we collectively dwell on the negative physical changes when we think of menopause? 

As we baby boomer women take over the world just in numbers alone, we certainly should focus on the pluses of achieving this age. Even so, just as at any time in our life, it’s critical that we not overlook our health as we “Pause”. I have found it too easy to generally lump every change under that vast umbrella and to ignore things that should not be ignored. 

As we head into April, make a promise to yourself to have that checkup; take that walk; eat consciously; and take time for those you love.

Gray & Loving It

Funny thing happened at the shop today. Well, it was funny only because of my plans for the blog update tonight. 

I have found it quite amusing that, periodically, as I'm heading to the hairdresser for a trim, my husband will ask me to put some blonde highlights in my hair. For the record, I am gloriously gray and loving it. I don't pretend to be anything other than the age I am and that is that of a grandmother. 

I don't think I look any different than I did at 40, when I was doing yoga daily and taking ballet classes and had quite striking short, red hair. I just feel 'riper'. 

The reason I find my husband's comments amusing is precisely because I love my gray head and everything it represents - a life well lived; beautiful, healthy children; a grandchild; crises survived; friends and family loved and lost. And I love the freedom to be who I am without care of how others judge me. If some should look at me and think "older", I'm fine with that. But, apparently, my husband isn't quite so. 

I do believe that men don't accept aging with quite the relish that we women do. I suppose if I were to be able to get into his head (which I would never pretend to be able to do), I would see a man struggling with his own aging. Where he sees his life winding down; I see my life winding up. I have accomplished life now it's time to accomplish my dreams. Ergo, I am so completely happy with my age because it has brought me to this point. I care not one bit for the past, other to remember it fondly. Bring on the future. I have much to accomplish. 

Because I suspect my husband is not quite happy getting older, I assume he sees this gray-haired woman on his arm and thinks others see him as old. I wish he would realize that others see the beauty in the gray. 

Which brings me back to the funny thing that happened today. A new customer came in to the shop and, in the course of chatting, commented on how much she liked my hair. She had a wondrous head of white/gray hair also which was quite elegant. We shared our thoughts on how freeing it is to go 'au natural' and we were quite surprised that both of our husbands had urged us to colour. 

As always, I get such strength from other women and today was no different. We all should be comfortable with however we choose to live out life's final third; colour / no colour; cosmetic treatments or no, as long as we are realizing our dreams, we should go with pride.

Spent a wonderful week with our granddaughter in Vancouver in September. She is almost two and a delight to the eyes and ears. She can't quite say "grandma" so I'm known as "jamma". I can't think of a more perfect name since I sell jammas.

I think there should be a universal rule that says grandmothers should live within a 25 mile radius of our grandchildren. I have to be thankful for video cameras, blogs and all of the other ways to communicate that weren't open to my parents and grandparents. There is something so wonderful about seeing a young child coming flying across a room yelling "hi Jamma" when she knows I'm on line.

Still, I have a strong feeling that, for all of our technology, we just aren't in touch with people as we once were. I feel as though I share the highlights of my life with those far away instead of sharing my life with them. This applies to old friends as well. Once we may have enjoyed a daily or weekly walk together and chatted in a natural way, telling of the minutiae of our lives and getting instant feedback. Now we are lucky to schedule an hour convenient to each other for a telephone call or e-mail exchange.

I think I will go back to pre-internet days when writing long, newsy letters to my friends was a weekly practice. Writing down my thoughts and experiences for them was almost as good as having them walk by my side. I can't wait to begin writing letters to my Izzy. Maybe I'll begin now and her mother can read them to her at bedtime. It's not a bad thing to introduce these techno kids to a great old way of communicating.

My "Favourite Things"

Oprah has her "Favourite Things" and now so do I. After telling customers for two years how wonderful it is to be surrounded by beautiful things every day, I think it's time to highlight a few of my favourites in each of the product categories I carry. These are items I use myself and have grown to love.

So, here goes.

Clothing - definitely the bamboo clothing from Dreamsacks. It's soft, light on your body and stylish. No more polyester for my yoga class! Natural fabrics are the way to go.

Nightwear - nothing compares to the breathable cotton of Simple Pleasures. The styles are feminine and cover all of the lumps and bumps making me feel beautiful and looking forward to getting into it at the end of each day.

Bedding - hands down it's Pine Cone Hill.

Sheets - the brand is not well known but is called Filari Lara. The Egyptian cotton is 400 thread count; imported from Portugal and my toes loving scooching around in them. I'll warn you, though, they wrinkle like mad.

Throws - again Dreamsacks wins. Their silk fleece throws in solid colours are the softest, most luxurious throws to wrap yourself in.

Duvets - St. Geneve's Lajord. Raised by generations of Hutterites, this 800 loft, white goose down is the most prized of all domestic downs raised in North America. Covered in a 354 Thread Count Long Staple Cotton. This duvet is so light on my body but still plush and cushy to curl under.

Soaps - Acca Kappa takes the award in this category. Creating their beautiful soaps since the 1880s, this Italian company's soap is beautiful as a gift but should be enjoyed by everyone. I've convinced my husband that one of my bars lasts three times as long as his commercial bar of soap.

Surround yourself with your "favourite things" and see how lovely life can be.

The Linen Cupboard presents the Original Reusable Designer Bag

As this is the year that we all have to change our shopping habits to reusable bags, it has become clear that the changeover is not as entrenched for us yet as for those who have always shopped this way in Europe.


Many women have said they often forget their shopping bags in the car or at home. We have even discussed how long it takes for a new practice to become a habit (seven times for my dog). Personally, I often walk to the grocery store or stop in after work on foot and realize my shopping bags are in the car at home.

Imagine my delight, then, when I found these amazing, little fold up bags from Envirosax (as seen in Canadian Living). They take up no room in your purse, unwrap to hold up to forty pounds (although none of us should be carrying that much weight), and can be washed by hand and hung to dry. How much more perfect can it get?

Add amazing style and colour and you really have the perfect little bag for always having on hand. At $9 each, it's worth picking up 2 or 3 in case you're like me and always seem to leave the store with more than you planned on getting.

So, shop with attitude and style while being thoughtful about our environment.

Summertime Living

As June rolls in with warmer and longer days, my daily routine seems to change without any conscious thought on my part. Days now begin with early morning walks to the lake and my laundry is once again on the line. Dinners are later and lighter (not a bad thing) and evenings often include time spent on the porch swing.

My bedroom changes too. The duvet comes off for the summer - a cotton blanket is all that is needed now. The plum coloured shams and toss pillows are replaced by more seasonal celery greens.

The display bed in The Cupboard now wears its summer, cottage look from Pine Cone Hill. The soft sky blue of the sheets and chenille blanket create a soothing backdrop for the blue, chocolate, vanilla and white stripe of the duvet cover and shams. A vintage style bedskirt in eyelet lace makes this a perfect bed just waiting for whitewashed pine walls and windows overlooking the lake.

Pine Cone Hill linens are multi-textured and offer style options for every taste from graphic colours to soothing tone on tone looks.

This month's bed is complemented beautifully by the artwork of Elke Clarke (elkeclarkeart.com), our resident artist. Her piece "Puzzle #1", with its geometric, modern squares is a nice juxtaposition with the classic look of the stripes.

The soft lace robe on the dressmakers model reminds us of a more elegant era gone by.

Here's to great weather, leisurely days and lakeside views.