I’m busy catching up with work but here are some photos of where I went for the wedding last weekend:

 I spent Saturday morning in my pajamas posting some of my art on etsy. It is something I have been meaning to do forever and it is hopefully a way to raise some money. I sold a lot of my art at my art opening last January and so it was sort of difficult for me to bring my pieces down to a price that would sell on Etsy.

As soon as I finished listing my items I checked my email and was shocked to see a payment from someone into my paypal account. It wasn’t until I actually read the entire email that I figured out I had sold something on Etsy. I was very pleasantly surprised, but then realized I had sold possibly my best art piece for $20. Probably not very smart of me. Well, it was just sitting around here anyway. But it did make me feel a little weird. I probably underpriced a few items and overpriced others. It’s a hard judgment call. And then shipping is a whole ‘nother matter. I always blow it on shipping and lose money on the sale. Hopefully I didn’t overprice or underprice shipping on Etsy. We’ll see.

If you would like to check out my shop you can find it at:  mammaitaliana23.etsy.com

 If you look under sold, you’ll see the piece I’m talking about. It was my favorite one, but I know it will go to a good home!

 Saturday:
This NEVER happens. At least not when I am not sick! I spent the day in my pajamas. I actually took a shower and put them back on and never left the house! As I mentioned above, I spent the day in productive indoor ways.

Menu:

Breakfast: banana; cafe au lait

Lunch: leftover roast slice with gravy

Dinner: Papa Murphy’s pizza; wine

Finances:

$ 0  free pizza after buying 12!!!!

Sunday:

Outfit:

Black Dress (H&M) thrifted

Navy cashmere sweater

black tights

black boots

red beaded bracelet (garage sale)

wore red pashmina with trench coat out

Menu:

Breakfast: one slice leftover pizza; cafe au lait

Lunch: usual snacky Sunday lunch at MIL — hunk of pepper jack cheese; hunk of summer sausage; 5 double stuff oreo cookies

Dinner: grilled salmon and asparagus at SIL’s house; bread I baked; romaine and avocado salad

Finances:

$0

 FRENCH WOMEN SHOPPING

Also, check out this blog posting that I found via Foggy on French Chic. Thanks Foggy.

http://passagedesperles.blogspot.com/2009/09/when-french-women-shop.html

It was a very inspirational read. Thanks passagedeperles!

Here is a guest post by Marsi, a fabulous writer and editor many of us have begged to start her own blog, but she is probably too busy, so we’ll have to be satisfied with this wonderful guest post. Thank you Marsi!

The Money Diet Does Laundry

“After enlightenment, then laundry.” (Zen proverb)

          Although the U.S. is showing signs of emerging from the serious recession of the last two years, many of us still feel its effects in our own personal economies and are looking for ways to save money where we can. When you consider that major appliances (such as washers and dryers) consume approximately 9 percent of the average household’s energy, the laundry room is as good a place as any to make small changes that can save you money. Today, I share with you some of my tips that might help you realize some savings and, I hope, make the drudgery of laundry a little more pleasant.

Wash in cold water. Would you believe that 95 percent of the energy expended in using your washer comes from heating water? According to the Saving Electricity website (http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/laundry.html), a warm/warm wash-and-rinse cycle costs 39 cents per load, whereas a cold/cold cycle costs a mere 3 cents per load — for an average annual savings of $143. In my experience, washing in cold water gets my laundry just as clean as warm water, while better preserving its colors and sizing.

Consider buying a front-loading washer. Because front-loaders use significantly less water and energy to operate, the long-term savings of replacing a top-loader with a front-loader add up over time. If you need to replace your washer, it’s best to do so with a front-loader. Although it may cost an extra $200 up front, it will pay for itself in long-term energy savings. Also, a front-loader is much gentler on your laundry because it doesn’t use an agitator, which can pull and damage clothing, so your clothes last longer — a hidden savings itself.

Drip-drip dry your laundry. Kick it old-school by installing a clothesline in your backyard. My rowhouse has a huge balcony in lieu of a backyard, which is perfect for a multiple-line retractable clothesline. I use it three seasons a year, from spring to autumn. Indoors, I also use a folding laundry rack for smaller items (such as socks and underwear) and delicates. I have found that not putting my shirts in the dryer keeps their color and texture intact for much longer, which saves me money as well.

Make your own laundry detergent and fabric softener. I came across great recipes for homemade detergent and softener two years ago on Modern Cottage (http://modcottage.com/?p=117) and have used them ever since. Modern Cottage estimates that each batch (which yields approximately 35 loads) costs a mere $2 to make, versus nearly the $10 for the equivalent in Tide. My family and I have detected no difference in the cleanliness and freshness of our laundry; if anything, our clothes seem fresher and less dingy because they don’t have build-up from fabric softeners. The cleansers are so mild that they’re perfect for baby clothing, and if you have sensitive skin or allergies yourself, you’ll be pleased with the results as well.

As you can see in the photo, I store my laundry detergent in a cute tin from Cost Plus World Market and have decanted my fabric softener into a decorative bottle. They add a nice touch to my laundry room and are more aesthetically pleasing to the eye than big plastic jugs of detergent. Although young Wolfgang doesn’t contribute much in terms of labor to my laundry efforts, he — along with everything else in my Laundry Room Still Life — certainly improves the view while I go about my task. 

Laundry Detergent (adapted from Modern Cottage)

2 bars Ivory soap, grated (comes out to about 2 cups)
1 cup borax (available in the laundry aisle of grocery stores and Target)
1 cup washing soda (in the laundry aisle of larger grocery stores, also may be available in some hardware stores)

Blend it all together into a bumpy, granular mix. Add drops of essential oil (lavender is my favorite) to scent your detergent, if you wish. Use 1 tablespoon of detergent for a light load, and 2 tablespoons for a large or dirty load.

Note: I urge you not to destroy your food processor by using it to grate bars of soap. Please trust me on this. If you have a standing mixer (such as a KitchenAid) that comes with a metal grating attachment, you’ll make quick work of this task. If not, please do it by hand with a cheese grater and enjoy the firmer biceps that undoubtedly will be yours after this exercise. Do not use any appliance that has plastic moving parts because grating soap overworks the motor, causing the plastic parts to break or melt. Please, use only an appliance that has metal moving parts to grate soap.

Fabric Softener (adapted from Modern Cottage)

1 gallon distilled white vinegar

25-30 drops essential oil

Use 1/4 cup per load to eliminate static, soften laundry, and rinse away soap residue.

I am thrilled to have Stephanie from Bonjour Madame, someone I admire enormously, write my first guest post.  Thank you so much Stephanie! You are always an inspiration to me. I won’t waste time with my words, but rather defer to hers. Enjoy:

The Money Diet

Kristi graciously asked me to guest post on the topic of money. Specifically “The Money Diet.” I would like to state that The Money Diet or Regime Fric is something I read on the French Chic (Yahoo) boards years ago and it was originally written by a talented writer and board member, Marline. It inspired me so much to change the way I treated money and that change stuck with me and changed my financial life for the better. I’d like to share why it inspired me so much.

Marline approached this strategy in such a way that made the project fun. She related the money diet to strategies outlined in Mireille Guiliano’s “French Women Don’t Get Fat” book.  As women, we can probably all relate to an actual diet.

Step one …”round up the usual suspects”. What are you buying repeatedly? Especially those things that you already have enough. If you don’t know what these are, keep all of your receipts for three weeks. Review all of your receipts and start writing down the trends. Take note of not only what you are buying, but how often and how much. For me, it’s lipstick, skin care, books, magazines,tea from the coffee shop, and clothes. Write it down.

Step two … where are you spending? Is it online, the mall, extra items in the grocery store, bookstores or coffee shops? Write it down and devise a plan to avoid these temptations. These are your offenders and while you are paying off debt, should probably be avoided. Stop going to the mall. I’m being sarcastic, but it’s amazing how well this works! Just avoid that particular place that you overspend. Realize mindless shopping is an attempt to fill a void in your life.

Step three … have patience and develop rituals. While you are not spending on needless items, put that money toward paying off debt until it’s gone. Embrace organization and cleanliness. If you take care of what you own now, you will appreciate it more and realize you have everything you need already. Organize your bills. Make bill paying a pleasant experience. It can be done! Fix a cup of tea, put on relaxing music, place your bills on your clean table, use a nice pen, and relax a little.

Step four … picture yourself where you want to be financially and have a goal. It’s important to have a dream for your future both involving sound finances and a splurge. What do you want to do? Take a trip to Paris or Rome? Buy a fabulous pair of shoes? It can be big or small but it must motivate you. Mine is another trip to Paris. I think about strolling along the Seine, sitting at a cafe, shopping for something special in Paris (and paying cash) and it always stops me in my tracks with whatever I’m about to buy.

Consider writing down on paper your new story. How do you want to be financially in the future? Write down how you will treat money, organize your finances, live stress and debt free, and have extra money to do the things you’ve always dreamed about. Make it fun and be specific. Use your imagination!

Finally, these are a few of my tips that I’ve learned throughout the years from experience. Always live below your means. It’s the only way to have extra cash to save for your future goals. If you are constantly spending everything you make, it will never happen. Resist the urge to continue trading up your house and know that it is possible to pay off your mortgage in much less time than your original loan. Aim high!

Learn that it’s OK to be different. Even when your friends think your decisions are strange, learn to be at peace with it and know that what you are doing is the right thing for you. Make a list of free and inexpensive things you can do that enhance your life and do them regularly. Create a savings account for your specific short term goals. I’ve got one titled “Paris” and it’s an absolute joy to make deposits into this account. It’s separate from other investments and savings accounts.

One of the things my husband and I do too often is eat out. I actually prefer to eat at home because it’s healthier and more relaxing. I can control the ingredients and practice becoming a better cook.

If you like a more technical approach, I highly recommend Dave Ramsey’s book “The Total Money Makeover”. It will explain how to get out of debt and approach it with great intensity. It’s a great book. I tape his show on the Fox Business Network every day and watch them when I have free time to continue to stay motivated, even though I am debt free. I need constant motivation to continue to save for what is important and staying focused on a more frugal lifestyle helps.

I also recommend that you visit the FC boards and search for these older posts by Marline. They are treasures and I hope that she knows how much of an impression they made on me years ago.

Stephanie

http://bonjourmadamestephanie.blogspot.com/

Outfit: This photo is awful. Sorry. It was really dark this morning.

Teal Tee (J.Crew)

Navy cashmere sweater

Levis rolled up

Turquoise sandals

Vintage Mexican silver choker

Menu:

Breakfast: toast with peanut butter, sliced banana; cafe au lait

Lunch: green salad with tomatoes and red wine vinaigrette; two oatmeal cookies; chips and salsa; two slices parrano cheese; water

Dinner: grilled cheese sandwiches; chopped roma tomatoes from my garden made into my Nana’s salad (add garlic and olive oil, salt and let sit); wine

Finances:

$45 at market

$17 at thrift store. I bought some black pants for $9 and some toys for my kids

Art Around The House

Sunday:

Outfit:

Black dress (H&M) thrifted

Navy cashmere cardigan

Black Boots (Naturalizer) thrifted

Vintage amethyst pendant necklace

Menu:

Breakfast: small dish whole milk plain yogurt with blueberries: cafe au lait

Lunch: pulled pork sandwich; mashed potatoes; green salad; wine

Dinner: 1/4 stuffed zucchini; baked beets

Finances:

$90 at market

Saturday

Outfit:

Black crochet bodice tee (Marshalls)

Levis

Black bead necklace looped three times (Target)

Black sandals (Lauren by Ralph Lauren) thrifted

* by noon, I had to thrown on a navy blue cashmere cardigan to ward off the chill

Menu:

Breakfast: two slices of toast with butter; cafe au lait

Lunch: two slices of bread sprinkled with olive oil, topped with slices of homegrown tomatoes, parmesan cheese slices; one ear of corn

Dinner: one pork chop broiled; romaine salad with avocado, baked beets with butter; wine

Finances:

$0

 Outfit:

Teal tee (Jcrew) (I have some water from the sink on it. Whoops!)

Navy skirt (Target) this one is almost at the end of it’s lifespan!

Turquoise sandals

Vintage Mexican silver choker

Menu:

Breakfast: I was not in the mood for regular breakfast food so I had pepper jack cheese slices, raisins

Snack: Oatmeal cookie and coffee with milk

Lunch: Green salad with blue cheese crumbles; leftover green beans

Dinner: leftover pork chop; brown rice (I made a balsamic/maple syrup/dijon sauce for the rice and pork chop; green salad with avocado; pinot grigio

Finances:

$5 cute nearly new leopard print pants for daughter at thrift store

$16 at target for toiletries, such as hand soap

Coterie/Friendships

Today is a glorious day in history. Both my Dad and best friend were born on this day, albeit in different years, of course. My best friend lives in L.A., where we met in college. She is exotic, beautiful, funny, loyal, brainy, sexy and above all generous. She shares herself, her time, her energy, her belongings, whatever someone needs. I feel very lucky to have one close friend in my life. Unfortunately, she lives far away and we see each other only once every few years. We do talk on the phone often, though.

I am recently re-reading “French Women Don’t Sleep Alone” and one thing that struck me is the need to create a “coterie” — a group of friends you spend time with. I moved to the Midwest a few years ago and fortunately when I got here, I had a built in “family coterie” a giant, instant social life. It is still there, and still wonderful, but I have realized that I need my own friends in addition to family members.

Now I am working on creating a coterie, a group of friends we hang out with, usually for dinner parties. My first impromptu attempt to get them all together on Saturday didn’t work very well. Off the cuff, I invited three other couples to a bbq later that day.  One couple was able to make it. But I understand it was last minute. Two other couples I want to include in my coterie were both out of town (one in France!). I will try it again with a little more advance notice.

Coincidentally, during  Saturday’s bbq, there was a discussion about how the older we get, the pickier we become about who we spend time with. When you are busy with a job, house, family, you value your free time more and become more particular about how you spend this time.

A great night for me is having friends over for good food, good conversation and good wine and even though I know this, I don’t do it enough. I have made it a goal to start creating a coterie of friends I can get together with at least once a month and indulge in these small pleasures.

Outfit:

Turquoise SO tee (garage sale)

Levis

Turquoise sandals (Target)

Turquoise and brown dangly earrings (Target)

Menu:

Breakfast: slice of homemade bread toasted with peanut butter; cafe au lait

Lunch: leftover green salad with leftover  creamy tomato fusilli mixed in; water

Dinner: 1 large slice of Papa Murphy’s pizza with pepperoni, olives and mushrooms; wine

Finances:

$8 for pizza

State of Grace

Sometimes, I have to remind myself of all the blessings I have in my life. I can’t believe I ever forget this or think that anything else matters:

If you and the people you love are healthy and safe and you have a roof over your head and you have food on your table, then remember: Right now, right this moment, you are living in a state of grace.

Outfit:

Levis

Red Mossimo Tee (Target) (I like how soft and comfy this tee is, but lately every time I see a picture of me in it on my blog I think it looks sloppy — a little slouchy/sloppy is OK if you are in your 20s and 30s, but I don’t think it works as I get older)

Black Dansko sandals

Multicolor beaded necklace (garage sale)

Menu:

Breakfast: onion bagel with cream cheese; cafe au lait

Lunch: small bowl of leftover North African Carrot salad; slices of salami and parrano cheese, crackers (leftovers from last night); water

Dinner: Greek salad; wine

Dessert: Three Oatmeal cookies and a small bit of ice cream (This is why my pants are getting tighter. I have to remember moderation. Why not 1 cookie? I have to get back on track.)

Finances:

$10 bottle of wine

Discpline is the key to everything

I have neglected some of my best habits and it is starting to show. My clothes are tighter and don’t look as well as I’d like them to. The two biggest habits I’ve let slide are: walking daily and not snacking between meals.

Both result from a lack of discipline in my life. I can blame the not walking on the strange spring and summer season (it is either raining or in the 90s). I can blame the snacking on — well, I guess I can’t blame that on anything. But the fact is, I have not been as disciplined in my habits as I’d like to be.

Discipline is the key to everything in my life.

* How and when I spend money

*What I put into my body (food, alcohol)

* What comes out of my mouth! (This is key in all my relationships, with friends, with family. What I choose to say, what I choose to leave unsaid. HOW I say things.)

*What and who I allow into my life and home (purchases, people, new clothes)

* How I maintain my household (from creating set routines for my children — to cleaning and organization — to making sure the dinner hour is sacred every night and a strong family tradition every Sunday — big family dinner!)

It seems whenever my life seems slightly out of whack, it all comes back down to discipline.

How does discipline affect your life?

Outfit:

Target Mossimo black tee

Black Target skirt

Multicolored beaded necklace

Black Dansko sandals

Menu:

Breakfast: Toast with apricot Bonne Maman preserves; cafe au lait

Snack: I had company today and snacked! 12 dates; 10 tortilla chips; handful of golden raisins

Lunch: 4-5 pieces of colby cheese; 20 pepperoni rounds

Dinner: Taco salad; wine

Finances:

$11 for a bottle of wine

$3.50 for Dairy Queen for the kids

The Price of Happiness

I came across this article in the July 2009 Good Housekeeping magazine that summed up a lot of my philosophy and views toward money.

The article basically says that you can find joy, happiness and contentment no matter what your budget is.

But you have to think carefully about how you spend your money to make this happen.

“The golden rule: Devote your dollars to things that further your goals and beliefs,” said one researcher. “It’s now very clear that nurturing the things that YOU value — whether that’s becoming more cultured or redesigning your garden — is what makes people happier.”

Buying material goods usually only provides temporary happiness and when you set your sights on acquisition, you often only gain the feeling of wanting more. “Purchases that support your own values, however, are more satisfying because they help to boost your feelings of self-worth.”

To “get the most bliss for your buck” you have to think long and hard before you spend your money.

* “One of the best ways to invest in happiness is to focus on DOING rather than OWNING … 57 percent (of people asked) said they got more happiness from things they had done — taking a vacation, riding a bike, strolling through a museum, eating a pretzel with a friend — than from stuff they had bought.”

It’s not only that these activities are fun while we are doing them, it is that we are creating longlasting memories.

One mother of two interviewed in the article said she has “set her financial priorities to create happy memories.

“She isn’t interested in replacing the television she bought in 1988. Instead, she saves her money so she can buy airplane tickets and travel to new places. The jaunts, she says, are exciting stress relievers — even well after they’re over and she’s back at work: ‘I recently spent five days in Paris with my husband, walking down old streets steeped in history. Thinking back on that during an otherwise difficult day relaxes me.”

These memories will bring her happiness for years to come.

“Material things, on the other hand, quickly lose their luster. You may spend hours fantasizing about buying a silk scarf, several days shopping for it and perhaps even some time enjoying it, but not much. Your brain quickly adjusts to the fact that the scarf is folded in your drawer, and before long, you’re so used to its being there, you can barely remember when it wasn’t.

“Once the object of your obsession, now the scarf blends into the background and becomes as normal to you as hot water, Internet access or automatic-drip coffee.”

* Splurge on mini treats. “It may sound counterintuitive, but researchers have found that over time that small, inexpensive indulgences have virtually the same emotional impact as big, pricey ones — making the little things a much better buy.”

Another study examined the purchase of big items versus small ones and the happiness quotient.

“It was the frequent treats of chocolate bars or bottles of wines with takeout dinners that made both groups happy — not the pricier purchase of artwork, designer luggage or CD players.”

So, I’m off to buy my bottle of wine.

Salut.