Thursday, August 6, 2020

On Stress and Serendipity

My Master Bath Progress

Yesterday was wonderful. The lighting fixtures all all hung, the bathroom sinks and faucets are all connected, and the house looks great. I have been in the house one week and it is 90% done. I had a couple ideas rattling around in my brain yesterday that I wanted to share.

First, listen to your body. I have always been incredibly healthy with zero medical conditions and I have great skin. The week I moved to Florida with GG I developed a skin condition that started on my feet, and as then progressed to my legs, arms, groin, chest, and finally my hands. I went to five doctors including top dermatologists and got 5 different diagnoses and crazy expensive prescriptions and nothing helped. They wanted to put me on prednisone and experimental drugs costing $30,000 a year. I declined. Nothing was helping, and I stopped taking it all and tried natural remedies which helped just a tiny bit. Then THE very day, after months of misery, that I decided to get the hell out and started house hunting, it started going away like magic overnight. It is now completely gone. The point is, listen to your body - it was all stress from my living situation and no prescription in the world could fix it. I had to fix it.

My other point is that in spite of all the horror I have been through - and it was much worse than I have revealed here, I ended up in a wonderful place that I love. I never thought of moving to Florida. To be honest, I always end up loving where I live I guess. I grew up in Lake Forest, Illinois and thought it was amazing. It is. Then I was in Philadelphia - actually Bryn Mawr on the Main Line and adored it. Then in the DC area for law school and then settled there, and never intended to leave, but life had other plans for me. And despite the fact that this past year has been horrific, I ended up in a truly marvelous place. I love Florida, I love Venice, and I love my home. It may have been a crazy way of getting here, but no regrets. I intend to be deliriously happy. This past week was a great start.

I am taking the day off and enjoying paradise with a swim, a walk with the dogs, a HomeGoods run, and whatever strikes my fancy. I promise more photos starting tomorrow - and my handyman is a photographer and is doing a photo shoot for me when everything is done. Still waiting on furniture, wallpaper, and art installation.

64 comments:

  1. So happy for you! Love the sinks!

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  2. Your sinks are just beautiful. As a collector of blue and white porcelain, these sinks are a stunning master bathroom look that I just love.
    Enjoy yourself today. You deserve it!

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    1. The bathroom reno cost next to nothing and I love it.

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    2. I adore those sinks!! Are they just bowls that you are using as sinks? And your positive outlook is so inspiring!

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    3. The details and link are on my next post - they are sinks.

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  3. The way you have handled the difficulties that came your way really reflects so well on you. I've been reading your blog from early on and for me, it's a form of escapism. Much like reading a pretty glossy magazine. It was jarring to suddenly read about the recent drama, but I actually think you have untapped content for your blog. Very few blogs these days focus soley on a single aspect (fashion/decor/food/etc.), they tend to be full on lifestyle reflections. Besides your stunning home decor, you are so intelligient and emotionally intelligent. This post alone is about shopping, your pups, medical issues and you have mentioned cooking, clothes... I wonder if this time in your life might be a catalyst to expand your blog to writing about so much more. And there are few voices out there reflecting a a beautiful and resilient midlife for women. No pressure, I'm just thinking out loud, feel free to delete this comment. But please know how appreciated your blog is - I've gone through some difficult years and your posts and photos always manage to cheer me up. :)

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  4. These sinks are amazingly gorgeous Beth! 🤩

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  5. Location, location, location! My husband and I lived in NW Pennsylvania our entire lives. We would talk about why we just lived where we ended up, never actually choosing where we would live. We talked about moving to Florida “someday maybe” we would talk with our daughter and her husband(who were living in Buffalo) about how much we would like to live in sunny Florida as they did also. Long story short, they up and moved to Wesley Chapel, Florida and we followed to Ocala, Florida three months later. We have finally chosen our location in which to live AND WE LOVE IT HERE! Sorry I didn’t mean to yell......
    Your home is looking lovely! I can’t wait to see your Homegoods score for the day!
    Blessings,
    Michelle

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    1. Your Vessel sinks are heaven, absolutely gorgeous! Enjoy the day for yourself! So glad your stress is evaporating each day.

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    2. Michelle - Hope you like my score - LOL
      Anonymous - Thank you, I had a great day.

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  6. Hopefully no more stress and healthy days ahead. Looking forward to see photos of the new and glorious home.

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  7. Your post makes me so happy for you! Stress can manifest itself in so many ways and once the stress is gone, wonderful things happen! You go!

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  8. LOVE your blue & white vessel sinks. To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of the style, but your sinks are changing my mind,

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    1. I think they are a great look. They are also sized really well.

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  9. May i ask the source for the sinks? They are gorgeous!

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  10. WOW! I am swooning over those incredible sinks!! Love the light fixtures and the rattan knobs. I am completely ecstatic for you, Beth. This is the "happily ever after" folks dream of. You deserve it ALL!!!!!

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  11. Always listen to your gut and your skin, the intuitive companions of your rational mind. They always “speak” the truth. Best wishes.

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  12. You exemplify "Bloom where you're planted".
    I have a serious case of "sink envy"

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  13. It is so great how well you have come out of a horrible situation! Looking forward to seeing all of your beautiful plans for your home and garden!!! There IS a rainbow after the storm!🙌🏻

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  14. Stress does do a number on your body in many different ways. I’m so glad you are now so happy and ready to live your best life in Florida. I, too, have sink envy!

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  15. Love the sinks! They area dream. I had atopic dermatitis throughout my first marriage. It left when I did. Congratulations on a new life.

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  16. I am so happy for you in your new home, have fun today!

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    1. I did - another great HG score - details tomorrow.

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  17. OK! Those vessel sinks are absolutely beautiful! And deep enough to be practical and useful. I knew you had something good in mind.

    It's not "all in your head". Stress is a very real thing and it can be a killer. Our medical system is so far behind on treating the whole person. To make it short, you listened to your body and you know when things aren't right. You also kept a positive outlook. You knew the situation was wrong and you had the strength to do something about it.

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    1. Thanks so much. All's well that ends well. Posting more on the sinks tomorrow - they are a steal.

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  18. The blue and white vessel sinks are stunning! I agree with Mr. Sterling about the great division in American health care of mental and physical and how we approach healing. Stress can bring about serious illness, but it can also mimic serious illnesses. When I left my toxic job—working with therapists, ah the irony—I knew therapy wasn't the answer for me. Instead, I started terracing my sloped property and laid over 200 tons (yes, tons) of stone. Nothing like creating a garden with your own hands...and a 10 pound sledge hammer!Have a sunny, happy day. You've earned it.

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    1. Would you like a gardening project in Florida perhaps?

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  19. I live in Sydney Australia, where can I source these beautiful basins in the US, my son lives in Charlotte NC and I would love to be able to get two sent to Sydney Australia.

    caseinteriors@gmail.com
    Susan Case Interiors

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    1. I am providing all the details and link in tomorrow's post.

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  20. So upset that GG got to you physically as well as emotionally. Those vessel sinks are amazing. I love them and have the perfect powder room spot but,alas, my husband doesn’t. The blue and white makes the room. Thanks to a long ago post, I have the same exquisite tray from the N.Y. Botanical Garden collection and enjoy it daily. It’s on my bar and holds a collection off scotch. Your attitude is amazing. This will be the best time of your life and you are already making the most of it. Hope your HG visit was productive.

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    1. Who is the scotch drinker? I love single malts but not so much here. That entire NYBG collection was amazing.

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    2. My husband collects single malts. Agreed-difficult to find esoteric ones in FL. Whenever we travel to Europe, we would pick up some interesting ones. There is a marvelous small shop near Covent Garden that stocks small batches from largely unexported distilleries. Our best friend is the expert. Loved that collection and was very upset that they didn’t continue it. I bought two of the trays on sale but couldn’t bear to give one away. Every item was a winner. We had the Chinoiserie silver tea cups as well but, sadly, one broke when we moved.

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    3. I just find browns a bit heavy with the heat. I sent you a link to the silver Chinese Chippendale cups to replace.

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  21. Love your sinks! So glad you found our little piece of paradise. When we first moved here almost 40 years ago, we planned on staying one year and look at us now. It is a very special place.

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    1. When are you coming over to see the house and give me some advice on the garden? Hint hint.

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    2. I would love to see your house! That would be so fun! Unfortunately, I am in several of the high risk categories for this stupid COVID, so I am pretty much home bound right now. When it is safe, let's make a date!

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  22. I was never a fan of "above ground sinks" until I saw your vessels. Truly the first time I thought to myself, now I can do that. They are beautiful and so timeless. They can go into a super contemporary bathroom for an eclectic look or a super traditional bathroom for the classic feel.

    Even though your symptoms turned out to be psychosomatic you checked them out out because one shouldn't ignore stuff like that. But ultimately you were in tune with your own body to be able to stop the meds you knew weren't right for what ailed you. And a good thing you did. Imagine the side effects if you stuck with them? You'd have a slew of problems where none existed before.

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    1. I love these sinks - a super high end look and a bargain. I am posting the details tomorrow.

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    2. Beth, we're all standing by to duplicate this gorgeous look so, when you're back with details tomorrow, please be specific about the exact number of inches you had to lower the counter height to compensate for the raised lip of the bowl.

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    3. I kept the counter height exactly the same as it was and it's perfect.

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  23. Love the vessel sinks but wonder about water splashing out onto the counters. Is that a problem? Also, what is the best day to shop Home Goods?

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    1. Zero splashing. I like Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

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    2. Completely agree with you re vessel sinks. Our counter tops were low at our previous house, and I installed them precisely because I wanted to raise the sink to a more comfortable level. I bought bamboo-style chrome faucets that worked well with the chinoiserie bathroom design. The sinks never linked, although I did have a bit of an issue with the pop-up drain. Your plumber needs to install the sinks correctly so that the sink and pipe pressure works correctly with the popup drain.

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    3. Agree completely on the height. The faucets sound wonderful. And my popups work great!

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  24. I am not a fan of vessel sinks, though these are quite beautiful and unique. They suit CC to a tee and appear to be made just for you. Great choice!

    Seems GG was more of an "itch" than originally thought. ;) Glad your skin issue is gone as is GG.

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    1. You are funny. LOL
      And thanks regarding the sinks - I really love my bathroom - a nice refresh for very little $.

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  25. Ha, ha, teaorwine!

    Beth was definitely itching to get out and once she did she was as good as new.

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  26. Just love following your blog, although I came in a bit late from the real drama, but get the gist and so glad that you have moved on to create a new life for yourself. LOVE what you are doing with your new home, love the blue and white vessel sinks. Wishing you much peace and happiness in your new home. Venice is a lovely place!

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