Sauveteur's Profile

For me, a single mom of three.
I kept my childrens' toys to a minimum and the minimum was decided by the amount of space they occupied, not the number of toys. I had 3 boxes 18x18 and 12 inches high because I cut it in half. Whenever their toys exceeded that area I would pick up what had failed to stay in the box and put it in a larger box in the attic, garage or basement. Then I would rotate the boxes every quarter. I did not, however, do this because I thought of keeping the house cleaner. I did it because I know that the ability to imagine and be creative and to problem solve is diminished by too many visual and sensory diversions. I wanted my children to build an imagination. My children were given chores almost from the moment they could walk. They accepted it as something one does in a family or even on their own. The only thing they had unlimited access too was books. I don't know what parents do now? I think the library was the greatest thing ever for raising children. Now I have my kindle and I wonder if we didn't just rob the future.

What kind of invitations do you send?
If it is a private party with only certain people I ask in person or on the phone, and follow up with a snail mail invite that includes a self-addressed stamped envelope with small blank card for a yes or no response. If I don't receive the envelope back within 2 weeks I call or email the person telling them I regret they won't be attending but perhaps a rain check. I do not want them showing up if they can't respond.
Electronic or printed? Handwritten.
What has been your experience with RSVPs? Most people who know me respond rapidly, even if it is with regrets. I think that is because I enclose the means by which to respond.
What do you do when people fail to respond? I already wrote about that.

I am old enough to know that it is a busy world. But I also know that my time is no less busy than any other person's time, nor is my time any less valuable to me. Yet I want to ease the way for my friends and family not complicate them. Hence, the written invite which includes the response.

The article is much-a-do-about-nothing. I have been decorating my own space since I was 16 because that's when my mother allowed me to paint my walls. Granted, she didn't know I was going to paint one wall large blue and white checkerboard. Ah, well. It looked great although the blue didn't go with anything else in the room because my mom thought I looked like the pink daughter.

I'm an artist. I also sew. I even make quilts. My great grandmother also made quilts. I knew her for 16 years. Her daughter made quilts also. They changed the quilts on the beds with the seasons. The crocheted doilies they made also changed regularly. The embroidered tablecloth and kitchen towels, bed linens and even the kitchen curtains change whenever the mood hit them. My mother made crocheted afgans, bedspreads, doilies, edgings for drapes and towels. She embroideried and even needlepointed. All of these women changed their decor to match their moods or the seasons or both. Considering that my great grandmother was born in 1860 I would say that pretty much rules out decorating addiction.

My husband is a geek. He rented an apartment full of furniture and thought it was just fine. Apparently his X was the same. When I moved in with him the first thing I did was hang some of my art on the walls, buy some plants, put an afgan throw on the sofa, make some throw pillows and buy some quilted placemats. I have heard him tell people that I am a talented homemakers.

Do I have a low self-esteem? Errrr... I am a type A personality. I've been called aggressive and unyielding. I can't think of a single person walking the face of this earth who would ever so much as suggest that I have a low self-esteem. I like to change things. Plants in the garden pots, clothing I wear, my hair style, laws that are unfair, etc..

As I said the journalist and Ms. Brandon just have nothing better to do than to find smoke where there is no fire.

BTW, Grats on getting your site link into another newspaper.

Our pets are not allowed on any furniture or rug without their blankets being in place first. This includes even our cat. We trained them when they were young and now have no problems. This is why our suede sofa of 10 years still looks showroom new. And it is also why I don't have clawed drapes or furniture anywhere in the house. The blankets take the abuse.

I simply rotate everything out every month. I just left an apartment that had a freezer I still had to defrost. I had that, don't you?

If this is your case, turn off the frig, open the doors. Set everything you intend to keep in the sink with about an inch of water. Of course everything you don't intend to keep should go in the trash. Then take out all the shelves (don't forget the ones on the door) and the drawer. Go put them in your bath tub and turn on the shower for a few minutes. Then just turn it off and walk away. In about 30 minutes go back to your frig with your steam cleaner and clean the frig with the steamer; dry it with a clean rag. If you really feel the need to wash it down use baking soda mixed in water. But if you use your steamer there is no need. Leave the door open and take your steamer into the bathroom. Steam all the shelves and drawers and dry. Leave the steamer on while you are carting it all back to Frig and reassemble. Now return to the bath room and clean it with your steamer before you turn it off. Great! All Done? Brew yourself a tea, open a beer if you wish or pour yourself a glass of wine. Fill the bathtub up again, pour in some bathsalts and relax. This entire process, except for the bath, will take you less than 45 minutes every month if you have a steamer. Your mom will be impressed.

ta-taa!

My husband and I chose to marry because in the year of 9/11 and after the French were not welcomed in the USA and my husband is French. He was in America working as a contracted consultant. I knew he would soon be 'let-go' and when that happened he would have just a short time to remain in the USA. The way it worked, regardless of who went to the other's country the stay could only be 90 days. Sure, it was possible to round trip back and forth but what an expense and look at just how time consuming that has become. We chose to get married. The week following our marriage he was 'let-go'. We packed up and moved to France because the social environment was so negative towards the French at the time. I can honestly say, I never experienced in France the type of rudeness and nationality slurs that he sometimes was recepient of in the states. Will we move back to states? Anything is possible and I do miss my family there. But I do love France and right now I want to stay here.

1. Clean all the things: Absolutely! A little more than a year ago I purchased a Polti Steam Cleaner. It has been the best investment I've made in a very long time. I no long buy any type of cleaning products other than for the laundry and the dishwasher. We just moved from a rental apartment to a leased house. After the movers left the apartment I went over everything with the Polti. I cleaned the refrigerator, the oven, the ceilings, walls, windows and floors with it and absolutely no cleaning products. The 625 sq ft apartment took 4 1/2 hours to clean. The owners came in to do their walk through with the realitor and us and they couldn't believe that it was so clean. The realitor even asked if I had ever used the stove. The owners said it was perfect. That they were use to major cleanings and repaintings when other tenants moved out after only one year. Not only were we there 5+ years, but we have a dog and a cat and we entertain for pleasure. Steam cleaning is the way to go for a house that doesn't smell like a hospital yet the Pope could still eat off the floor without offence.

Unfortunately, we didn't have our steamer when we moved in that same evening. It seems that while packing the last bits in our car the steamer was left behind the car. Amazing what a big heavy car can do to a poor little steamer when it backs out of the space. Not to fear though. I've order another one today from the same manufacturer. Another thing, that you may not be aware of with steamers is that if a garment is wrinkled you and steam it. Most of the time the wrinkles just fall out.

"as exciting (or baffling) as this facet of blogging is to most of us, it's here to stay — it's part of our culture"....

no, hun, nothing is here to stay except birth, sex and death. In the 60's I braved being arrested by protesting the war. I believed that my generation would change the world to make it safe, peaceful, democratic, and generous. Instead the majority of my generation protested the war but went on to become bankers who sent their sons and daughters to die in Iraq and Afganistan. They broke the economy because of their greed and they have crippled democracy. What is true is that the world is always changing. Or, if you prefer, the pendelum swings back and forth because time doesn't stand still. Remember, at one time people liked to read novels; now they like to look a pictures on the internet.....is it really that different than our ancestors looking at images on a cave wall?

Not guilty. Both the clothes I wear and the clothes that I sew for myself and my husband are worn until they are rags. Then they are used as rags. When they are ragged apart then they are torn into ever small pieces and put into the food processor where they are turned into mulch. From there they make it into the gardens, as an addition to homemade paper projects and into the walls as insulation. There is very little that can't be used up long before it ever reaches the stage to be put into the food processor. I just don't buy anything that can't be used. BTW, plants seem to be doing well.

I love your rendition of Starry Night. It inspires me to try twirling paper to recreate Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night.

It is also called twirling you can see some more images of it if you google 'twirling paper images'. Some are quite impressive. Yulia Brodskaya's working is drop dead gorgeous!

http://www.artyulia.com/index.php/Illustration

@ ASDF3001 I wasn't aware that twirling was also listed under quilling. I thought quilling pertained to the same style but was worked in thin strips of metals. I know that twirling is not worked in metals. It's been so long ago that I learned to do both in art class, I probably forgot that piece of information. Thanks for the reminder!