A Tiny Bit of Normalcy

Danielle Rollins

 Yesterday, after the appropriate waiting period after my second Moderna shot, I got my hair colored, cut and blow dried, my eyebrows threaded, a manicure and pedicure. I am thrilled. I feel like me again. (BTW we were all masked).

On the way home, I ran into HomeGoods. I have been wanting to find a blue and white Suzani to cover my Warren Platner table in the breakfast room to change it up sometimes. I love a beautiful skirted table. So far, I have found the right size and color of Suzanis to be quite elusive. Here was my one of my inspiration photos below.

Miles Redd

I found something at HG that might just work. So today, I am going to have some fun and try to transform my breakfast room in one day. I will take some before and after photos of the breakfast room and try to do a one day makeover. Hopefully I will post tomorrow. Hopefully being the operative word. 

Here is a hint on my HomeGoods find. India Hicks has used a tablecloth on this bed as a duvet.

India Hicks

More Palm Beach Style

Thibaut Palm Frond

 Without a doubt, my favorite thing about Florida visually is the palm trees. I can't get enough. My property is also filled with palm trees indoors and out. This Thibaut powder room is a great example of bringing palm decor indoors. I also love the wonderful mirror. It reminds me of these coveted Aerin Lauder raffia placemats.

I feel fabulous today - no side effects whatsoever from my second Moderna shot yesterday morning. Yesterday afternoon I played tennis, walked the dogs, and pruned shrubs. I feel like a million bucks today - not even a sore arm. 

Aerin Raffia Placemats

The Rattan Bar Cart/Today Show/Second Shot

Emily Painter Interiors

Did you see me on the Today Show this morning? I was interviewed by Gabe Gutteriez about problems getting the second Covid shot in Florida. BTW, I get my second shot this morning. Exciting morning!

I love a rattan bar cart, whether vintage or new. I have two - one in my lanai for accessories and a second in the guest bedroom as a bedside table. But there may be a new one in my future. 

Both of these are great deals. This Opalhouse Cassia Rattan Bar Cart is $150.00. I have many Opalhouse Target pieces and I have found the quality and style to be excellent.

Opalhouse Cassia Bar Cart

This navy blue one from Urban Outfitters would be perfect in my house and for any lover of blue and white chinoiserie and at $299 is a great price for a designer look. UO is a great source for rattan pieces.

Urban Outfitters Rattan Bar Cart

 PS - A follower kindly commented leaving the link for the Today Show here while I was out getting my second shot. Thank you!

Winning the Lottery

The system in Sarasota County for Covid vaccine distribution is quite bizarre, with tickets being made available on Eventbrite in small groups and selling out in seconds. Last Sunday, 800 tickets were going on at 3:30 in the afternoon. I signed on to the Department of Health site for the first time to check it out, and 60 seconds later I got a ticket and printed it out for the next day. So I went last Monday, got the Moderna vaccine, and returned home. I cleared my calendar for a few days in case I had side effects.

As it turns out, there were 167,000 people signed on at the same time for one of those 800 vaccines!!! It was in all the press. And I had no side effects whatsoever. Not even a sore arm. I feel like I won the lottery. I have my second shot in three weeks and I will be a huge step closer to life returning to normal. And my daughter should be receiving hers in Virginia any day.

I may have to start playing the Florida lottery.

P.S. Two important tips to help avoid side effects after the vaccine.

1. Drink plenty of water starting immediately after the injection for several days.

2. Move you arm around immediately to increase blood flow and oxygen to the muscle. They will likely not tell you this. I ended up teaching 50 strangers in recovery how to do this - raise you arm and do big circles - I did this in the 15 minute recovery period and every few minutes for several hours and had ZERO redness, inflammation or soreness, and the vast majority of people do.
 

Strong Women

Women Life

 I was so happy to read the many comments from yesterday's post that almost everyone is planning on decorating for the holidays in spite of these extraordinary times we are living in. My mother always said, "Don't let the bastards get you down." I urge you to go back and read the comments from yesterday - I think they will be good for the soul.

Every single one of us is dealing with loss this year. I get it. On a personal note, in the last few years I lost my closest friend to stomach cancer, my husband to a heart attack, my beloved pup Izzy, sold my home I loved, and have moved twice in the last year, most recently to escape an abusive relationship with a narcopath. And now the pandemic. BUT - I have designed a life I truly love, and I know on the other side of this, things will be wonderful.

Be good to yourself. Please stay safe. We are strong women and will persevere. And if you don't feel like decorating for the holidays, don't. There are no rules this year.

Displaying Face Masks

Danielle Rollins

 Here is an idea for these crazy times we live in - Danielle Rollins displays her and her boyfriend's favorite face masks on a silver tray. Note the monograms on many of them - I love that.

Masks are not going anywhere anytime soon - I like the idea of making them fun and stylish. I have two really nice chinoiserie ones in my collection. This has motivated me to expand my stash. I refuse to wear those disposable ones. Luckily, every designer seems to be offering great choices, many with profits going to charities. Have you found any you really like? 

We are all in this together - wear a mask. Stay safe and chic.

On Covid Shaming

I have not mentioned this on the blog much, but this whole move with the backdrop of Covid has of course made it even more stressful. I did everything in my power for four months to stay safe hunkering down in my home, but realized I was not safe there in any way shape or form because of GG. So house hunting, home inspection, closing, and home reno was stressful enough interacting with others in and out of my new home. But this past week, add to the mix dealing with six police officers, all sans masks, and movers, Comcast, and home security.

Then yesterday I decided to get my hair done and go to Costco since I actually have to eat and have no food here, and I get a nasty comment that I did not publish about how I am being irresponsible.

My hairdresser is a single mother of two. Her kids are going back to school because she has no financial option. She shared yesterday that a customer of hers responded very negatively that she will not be keeping her children home and the customer would not be returning. Wow.

Let me offer a few things from my perspective. We each need to choose how to live our lives in a socially responsible manner. I wear a mask 100% of the time I am in public. I wear a mask in my home if a worker is here. I have not been in a restaurant since March, nor a bar or movie theater. I grocery shop once a week and only at stores like Costco and Publix that require masks, sanitize carts, etc. etc. When I meet neighbors here, we have been outdoors and 15 or 20 feet apart. The Happy Hours here are in a driveway outdoors with chairs 6 feet apart.

BUT, I choose to go to HomeGoods one time a week and I wear a mask. I get my hair done once a month - my stylist has left her salon with other stylists and has her own place and we are the only people there and we are both masked. And at my nail salon everyone has masks, gloves, and there are plexiglass dividers. It is a huge space, and they space appointments far apart and I am usually the only customer. I need this self care for myself and I am supporting two small businesses of people I care about, each with young kids to support.

This pandemic is not going away IMHO. This will be our lives for a very very long time. Each of us has to make decisions for ourselves and our families about how to live. If my leaving my house a handful of times a month for non critical things offends you, so be it. I have ZERO health problems, I wear a mask in public always, and have hand sanitizer everywhere that I use all the time. Stop trying to shame me and for God's sake not folks like my hair stylist who is the sole support for her family. It would not be safe for her family if the kids were home schooled but they we are homeless and hungry either.

Well, I got that off my chest. I think each of us has to decide what is right for us. I do not mean this to include not wearing masks and pretending this does not exist. But I think this is a balancing act. I have a friend back in NOVA who is a divorced single older guy. He has not seen his children or grandchildren, he has all his groceries delivered, he only goes out for walks at night. And he is a very social person. IMHO he will be physically ok but not mentally. But as I said, let's try to support the path each of us chooses to navigate these insane times we live in, provided we are being socially responsible with masks and social distancing. This is not school. There is not only one right answer.