It Matters

Today was full of delights.

Small moments to treasure had been happening all day, but I didn't stop to take an inventory of them as they were happening. It wasn't until I was listening to Andy and Jack and Joey laugh in the bathroom as they all took a bath together that I discovered that today was a good day.

As I was listening to them, I finished putting away the trappings of Christmas.

I tucked a luxury chocolate bar into my underwear drawer for the next sweet-tooth emergency. Isn't it nice to know that you have something scrumptious to indulge in on a day when you really need it?

I also cleared of my dresser, which so quickly collects clutter and lit a few candles. On top of my dresser I carefully placed my beautiful Christmas gift.

A several months ago I went shopping with a few girls with the express purpose of admiring beautiful things and celebrating our homes. Most of us have a tight budget, so we planned on finding something small that we could take home that would remind us that the tasks of our simple lives matter and that looking for beauty in the mist of those things is not only okay, but necessary.

We wandered the paths of Pier 1 and talked and laughed and each gravitated toward the sections of the store that might hold what we were after.

As I strolled my eye caught a beautiful lamp. I am not sure why it was so overwhelming to me, but the moment I saw it, tears came to my eyes. I know that is SO cheesy, but it is true. I've been living a long season where beauty feels hard to come by. I've felt outnumbered by people who love facts and reality and who have trouble seeing the value in the frivolous. In that company I've tried to think like I imagine they do. But I'm not built that way. I wasn't created that way. In trying to force myself into that kind of living, I've become disjointed, depressed and unable to find any footing that feels solid. Something about that lamp reminded me how important the lovely aspects of life are.

Not having a home of my own, while the lamp reminded me of the importance of beauty it also pressed on the tender part of my heart that believed that for now, my life - including beauty, is on hold. I so longed to claim the beauty of that lamp for my own and declare that beauty matters NOW, but I was still intimidated to say, out loud, that I need beauty for its own sake.

But I did say it. I told Andy that even if it sat in a box until we moved into our own space, I wanted to have it. I wanted to know that there was something to look forward to, even if it was just putting a lightbulb into a lamp.

So, like the wonderful husband he is, Andy bought me the lamp. It couldn't matter less to him what provides light to our home, but he is pretty smart about knowing when something matters to me. So even though he thought it was over-priced and not terribly sensational, yesterday morning I received a large box, with my reminder of beauty inside.

My original plan really was to just tuck it away. To hid it until everything in my life was just perfect. But that wasn't right. Didn't I just say that beauty matters now? If I keep putting it off and pretending like I can live without it, soon I won't recognize it when I see it. So I pulled it out. I put it together. And I remembered that life is good and that beauty is essential.

In the same way that I have suddenly realized that I need to actively invite beauty into my life, I recognized that creating is equally important. For me, to admire beauty is only half of the equation, creating it is the other.

So today I went and bought a canvas. When we moved I put all of my paints into storage but tomorrow I will be retrieving them.

I'm not sure what I will end up painting, but it will probably be purple. I'm really into eggplant these days.

And now, I'm sitting at the computer, watching the Biggest Loser finale and admiring a tiny box of Grey Salt Caramels that one of Andy's customers sent home for me. A woman I've never met. She was asking Andy about himself and after hearing his story she tied a bow on a tiny box and told him to take it home to his wife with a "bravo" and the encouragement that mothering is an important job.

Can I please be a woman like that?

It really was a good day. And tomorrow, when I wake up, expecting another morning of brain-fog and the familiar struggle of finding my footing an a season that has previously looked dreary, I will see my lamp, a true symbol of light in the dark and beauty in the ashes, and remember that there is hope.

And that beauty matters.

Sunday Brunch

You may have surmised, from my last few posts, that this whole two-kid thing is difficult.

Let me clarify.

It is the hardest thing I have ever done.

Okay, now that we have that cleared up, I am ready to celebrate a beautiful morning.

Andy woke up with Jack and took care of breakfast (a cookie for each of them) and entertained Joey until he said that he was hungry, at which point Andy brought the wee babe into bed with me and I snuggled and nursed and listened to Andy and Jack laugh and talk about Dora's latest adventure.

When I finally got out of bed we all played on the living room floor. Andy kept one hand busy bouncing Joey in his seat and the other tickling Jack. I laid on the floor in the midst of the sweet chaos and participated in the classic Jack sandwich game with Andy.

Then I made a shopping list and Andy took Jack to the store to get ingredients for a yummy Sunday brunch (because a cookie does not cut it), as well as coffee to fortify us for the day ahead.

As I made vanilla french toast with homemade blueberry syrup and whip cream...

Prior to going to the store

Andy and I had a long

heated conversation

about the merits of

whipped cream

vs.

cool whip.

He reviewed my list before

leaving, in case he had any questions

and when he got to the

"whipped cream"

he said,

"You mean Cool Whip?"

As if the two were interchangeable!

Never!

Despite his arguments that

Cool Whip is the greatest invention of all time

he brought home whipped cream.

Can you imagine desecrating

a beautiful fruit topped french toast

with COOL WHIP?!

Thankfully the Aichele house did

not witness such an

atrocity today.

Jack sat on the floor and read a book to himself (he has been doing this almost every day and it makes little bursts of joy bubble up inside of me)

Did I tell you that when

I was pregnant with Jack

my first totally out-of-control,

no-foundation-in-reality,

breakdown

happened when I was home alone

one night and I started thinking

about Jack as a little

elementary-schooler.

I got a vivid picture of him in my head

talking to Andy and saying,

"Dad, can you ask mom not to read to me anymore?"

And I burst into tears!

I have always looked forward to reading

to my kids

and the thought

(though totally imagined)

of him not wanting me to

was crushing.

So, now that Jack loves to be read to

and to read on his own,

I am truly delighted.

... Back to the story of this morning.

As I made french toast and sipped my iced coffee, Jack charmingly entertained himself and Joey rested peacefully on Andy's chest. The house was quite, in a restful, soothing way and my kitchen smelled delicious.

It was so many simple and small pleasures, rolled in to one 30-minute window. I felt refreshed by the break from the frantic, sleep-deprived fog that has seemed to hold me captive for the last month.

I realize that later this afternoon there is a good chance of the fog rolling back in, but that is why I put my baby down and let Jack run around unattended in order to capture the moment in writing.

When I look back on these difficult days, I will see that in totality, they have not all been painful or exhausting. Tender and delicious moments have peppered themselves throughout. And some day soon, the sweet will begin to overtake the sour and once again, I will find myself smiling at the prospect of each new day.

And now, Joey is frantically screaming to be held or fed, or some mystery something that I don't know about... so, back to the order of the day... but at least with a full tummy and a calm heart.

Guilt Free Days

Some days I wake up and just know.

I know that it is a day for lounging and snuggling and ignoring the dishes.

There are things I do every day that are sort of my "job." I feed my family and keep the house in a reasonable state (I really try, but am not always successful). I make sure we have toilet paper and milk. Those things sound like job to me.

But there are other parts of my role as a housewife and mom that are just as essential that, on occasion, get forgotten or put off in favor of the to-do-list tasks. The reading to Jack, listening to his cute sayings, laughing really hard with my husband and letting my attitude and demeanor build an atmosphere of love, peace and celebration in my home.

So this morning, when I awkwardly pushed myself out of bed (I am not very graceful these days) I made a mental declaration that today the fun, the restful, the beautiful things of life get to win out over the usual activities that keep life running smoothly. If the dishes pile up in the sink, I'm okay with that. If Jack and I play really hard and his toys end up in every room, well, I'll just pick them up tomorrow. When Jack snuggles in to nap, I'll cozy up too with a book or a paintbrush, or just my pillow.

I love my life. I love that I have the liberty to enjoy each day, the luxury of putting chores off. I love my home and my family.

Sigh.

While I sit typing this, the sun is shining, Jack is balanced on what is left of my lap and I am sipping homemade iced chai.

In a few minutes I'll hit "publish post" and then I'll pull up videos of babies sneezing on YouTube (Jack's favorite thing to watch). After that, we'll see. The possibilities of the day are endless.

If you haven't decided what you should do with your day yet, declare it a day to just ENJOY, guilt free. I bet you won't regret it!

Stocking Lunch

Growing up, one of the most anticipated traditions of Christmas was the stocking. My parents made such an event of the little gift appetizer.

My dad would come up with elaborate ways to hide the stocking. Each Christmas we had a list of rules we had to follow and clues to lead us to the hidden treasure. The whole lead up was thrilling, but the stockings, oh the stockings! My mom was a master of cramming as much good stuff as she could into the foot-shaped sacks.

I think we did the treasure hunt until I was about 22 (my dad does it now for Ellery). When we gave up the hunt, neither Liz or I could quite bear the idea of giving up our mom's amazing stockings.

Side Note:

When Andy and I got married

I think he was REALLY intimidated

by my mom's stocking.

We've had to make new rules for

stockings in our house.

As adoring and clever as Andy is,

I just don't think a boy can

stuff a stocking the same way

a girl, especially a mom, can.

The solution we came to was what we call our Stocking Lunch. We put an afternoon date on the calendar and meet to exchange stockings. My mom makes one for Lizzie and one for me, and Liz and I work together to fill up a stocking for my mom.

To this day we have never achieved as awesome of a presentation as she gives us every year, but we keep trying!

Today was our Stocking Lunch. Oh how I love being with my mom and sister!

Lunch was yummy and our stockings were lavish and we laughed a lot. There is something wonderful about sitting in public, digging through one of the icons of Christmas that is usually reserved for children and surrounding yourself with heaps of festive wrapping paper (my mom wraps each individual item that goes into the stocking).

We all ordered the same thing for lunch so when the check came we asked the waitress to split it an even three ways. It was then that, gasp! I realized that my mom and sister had ordered sodas and I only had water.

Oh the injustice!

Not like it was a big deal at all, but we decided that they would put the tip on their cards and everything would even out. Which it did.

But after all of our stocking jollity I think we were a little rummy. I started babbling on about how I had to leave my tip line blank and I didn't want the waitress to think I was cheap or mean. Then I rambled about leaving a note to explain the arrangement we made at our table:

"Dear Waitress, your service was excellent. I'm sure you noticed I didn't leave a tip, but it is because I didn't order soda and my dining companions did, so my tip is included on their tab. Thanks for the great meal!"

We were all laughing at the ridiculousness of it and then my mom and Liz ganged up on me and kept saying, "Do it!"

And you know what...

I did.

I put an asterisk on the tip line that lead her to the back of the receipt and to my explanation. Regardless of the fact that I feel really silly and totally suckered by my mom and sister, I'm finding solace in the fact that the waitress probably had a really great story to tell when she went home.

That's what I'm about. Making other people's day.

Thanks for another amazing stocking mom!

Open Arms

Sweet autumn, welcome!

Today I woke up to a thin fog and air cool enough to make me slide my windows shut. Later, when I ran my errands the sun was out, warm enough to cause me to take off my scarf and drive with a breeze blowing through the driver side window.

As I ate my lunch, I watched as the sun became less bright and a delicious wind shook the trees outside.

And as if all those delightful meteorological conditions were not enough, I get to fall asleep to the comforting sound of rain. Big, fat, cold drops of rain falling outside while I am warm and dry in my bed.

Oh Washington, it is good to be home. Oh Fall, I am so glad you have come!

Two Things I Love

1. Slicing cantaloupe

2. Flat Earth Baked Veggie Crisps in Tangy Tomato Ranch

The Sweetest Thing

Lately I've really been craving to have my own vegetable garden. 

I'm not sure why, since I have abhorred all my previous experiences weeding and doing any other sort of yard work. And I detest the feeling of having grit under my fingernails and tucked behind my cuticles. 

But nevertheless, I want to grow something.

Ellery has been very interested in growing things lately too.

Since we live in a condo, there is really no plot of earth to claim as my own.  But my mom volunteered a space in her back yard.  

Yesterday, although it was quite chilly, it was clear, so Ellery and I went out to dig up the weeds and pick out the rocks that were in the bed.

The whole thing was pretty much as un-fun as I always imagined gardening, but not quite.  I guess more unproductive than un-fun.  It was more just a big silly show.

Ellery was very excited to help and kept asking me what we were going to put in there and what her job would be.  When we were picking out weeds she asked me why we were taking them out and we had a long talk about why we get rid of weeds.

I made everything up, but it worked for her.

She took to calling the weeds, "The evil guys," and saying, "Take that!" when she pulled them out.  (I told her the weeds stole all the food from the plants that we wanted to grow, so I think that is where the "evil" came from.)

After about 20 minutes I was thwarted.  The wheelbarrow had a flat tire and the place I had been directed to move the dirt was, upon further consideration, deemed unacceptable. 

So, with cold fingers and a disappointed little sister I went inside.

But, never fear!  Dad to the rescue!  

Let it be known, that I might possibly have the most gentle and kind dad ever known to a girl.  

Even though he was feeling a bit under the weather (more than a bit I surmise) he went right out to the patch of weeds and cleared everything away!  Everything!

So now I have freshly cleared plot to plant my carrots and strawberries and herbs.  

Ellery and I are going to have a blast this spring!

While that was sweet, it gets sweeter still!

Now friends, I'm not sure if you are prepared for this...

I wish you could have seen it...

Andy planned to meet us at my parent's house after work and some errands.  After the gardening, Ellery and I were coloring pictures and my mom was playing with Jack.

We heard Andy coming up the porch stairs and all looked up, eager to see him.

Do you know what that boy did?  He walked in with three single stem flowers.  He presented a white carnation to my mom, a pink one to Ellery and a red one for me.  

Ladies, you would not believe the smile on Ellery's face.  She just GLOWED!

She kept saying, "My very own rose!" 

My mom and I put ours in a vase, but Ellery carried hers around for several minutes, periodically smelling it and smiling. 

On the pictures we had been drawing earlier, I had put a pink flower.  Ellery looked at it and said, "and that can be my rose."

So, Ellery has received her first flower from a boy. 

Cheers to the sweet men in my life, Andy and Daddy!  Thanks boys for loving your ladies so well! 

Softer Side

I have to apologize.  Again.

My post yesterday was very snooty.  I don't like it when I'm snooty.  

I try really hard in my real life to be approachable and kind and somehow my words just ran away with me.

I never want to think that my way is the best way and other people are silly.  Well, maybe I'll think they are silly, but I don't want to say it out loud or broadcast that opinion to anyone who will listen (read).

Please forgive me.

Maybe I need to flex my celebrating muscle a little more and embrace the lovely aspects of birthday parties.

I much prefer to think of myself as sweet and whimsical instead of sassy and sarcastic.  So let's move on from my soap-box tirades, shall we. 

Let me tell of the simple pleasures of today:

• Jack feel asleep on my chest this evening.  I know it is better to let him put himself to sleep in his crib, but I just eat it up when he snuggles into my neck.
  
• I have white tulips all over my house.
  
• Andy brought home Thai food so I didn't have to cook.
  
• I ate two giant brownies.
  
• I wore my red heels out of the house, finally. 
  
• New friendships are growing in my life.
  
• New ministry opportunities have presented themselves and I'm walking into them with Holy Spirit courage.
• Andy and I watched a movie on Monday and he cried!  I know it is terrible, but I really like it when he gets emotional.  His tender side is just so... tender!
  
• I used a new shampoo and my hair is extra soft.
  
• I spent all day with this lovely boy and his funny faces:

Happy Sigh

Have you ever had a moment when you think to yourself, "Who am I that I get to lead this beautiful life?"

I hope you have.

I hope you have had them often.

I had one this afternoon.

I spent a leisurely morning with a ridiculously happy baby (whose new game is to flush the toilet and dance wildly to the sound of the running water) and a dear friend.  I had a filling breakfast in a new and quaint cafe.  When we got home, Jack went straight to bed and I lounged on the couch with a new novel.  

Happy sigh.

Jack woke up with a grin and spent ten quite minutes snuggling in my arms and bestowing on me his sweet smile.  

Andy came home from work and took my face in his hands and reminded me that to him, I am incredibly beautiful.

I spent an hour out of the house, leaving Jack with dear and trusted friends.  When I came home, he was waiting for me and greeted me with giggles, hugs and slobbery kisses. 

In a time where so many feel insecure and unsure of their jobs or frustrated in their relationships, I feel safe and loved. 

My heart is full.

I never want to take these simple, lovely, overflowing days for granted.  

Who am I that I live this beautiful life?

Five-year Plan

I want these.

Jack's latest antics:

• At this very moment he is rolling and chasing a foam soccer ball all over the dining room floor and sort of singing to himself.  I love watching him play!

• Yesterday while I was feeding him lunch (little pieces of leftover dinner, because he's so grown up and can feed himself) he picked up a piece of chicken and held out his hand to me.  It took me a second to connect the movement to the intent, but he was offering me his food!  Awww!  Thanks baby!  So now I am in that "pretend eating" phase.  That's right, I'll be the mom making exaggerated chewing faces and swallowing noises for the next few months. 
  

• When I'm bustling about the house, especially when I'm making dinner, I still have a little shadow.  It is so, so endearing!  It makes it a little hard to move though, because if I stand still for too long Jack climbs right up my legs and stands that way, gripping my pants.  His balance is precarious enough that if I move too quickly, down he goes.  So I stand motionless or do a VERY slow motion shuffle across the kitchen floor.  But mostly I just laugh and then carry him back into the living room so that I have about three minutes to stir, taste, plate, before he is back, clinging to my leg.  
  

Perhaps it is an indicator that Jack will be more proficient in the kitchen than his father.  

For the sake of my future daughter-in-law, I sure hope so.

Although, GUYS, Andy made me dinner last week! It is true!  And, I think with a some slightly modified grocery purchases, he is willing to make dinner once a week.  I cannot even tell you what a giant leap this is for all of Aicheledom!  

I used to joke that I had a five-year plan to get Andy in the kitchen.  (His joke has always been that he married me for the food - It's only a joke people!)

The first phase of my plan was to send Andy on little grocery runs, all by himself.  For nothing too crazy, but things not found in the Hamburger Helper isle.  Maybe some garlic.  Maybe some olive oil.  Maybe some pimento peppers.  

An example of items on the list I give him looks like this:  Fresh basil - it is in the produce section, in the refrigerator case, on the top left hand side, in a little plastic box type thing, it should be 2.99.  Avocado - not rock hard, not too squishy, it should just give a little when you squeeze it.  

One time he OFFERED to get my whole list (double digit items people!).  I re-wrote the list in order of how he would find it in the store, isle by isle.

You may think I'm over the top, but the point is for him to feel like HE CAN DO IT!  Make it easy.  Make it not a chore.  

This was the first step.

Truthfully, I didn't know what would come after that.  But I thought, hey, five years is a good amount of time, I'll come up with something.

The next step ended up being Eggs Benedict.  Almost every Sunday morning we sleep in, get up and make coffee and toddle around for an hour or so, and then I make Eggs Benedict.  It is not a good thing to eat if you are watching your calories, or worried about cholesterol, but if you want to make your taste buds happy, give it a try.   

Anyhow, Andy KNOWS how happy it makes me to cook with people, especially him, so one morning he volunteered to help.  SERIOUSLY!?  YES YOU CAN HELP!  Be still my beating heart!

His big thing is he says he's not creative, he needs rules, instructions.  Well, the part of our brunch that has instructions is the sauce.  It is just a packet of sauce mix to which you add milk and butter and stir.  

So now, Andy squishes in the kitchen with me to man the sauce.  I love it.  I am grinning ear to ear just thinking about it.  

So I guess sauce mix was stage two.  

Thanks to Trader Joe's, we now are in stage three (I have no idea how many stages it will take to be cooking buddies, but I am now VERY optimistic that it will happen in my lifetime).  TJ's has very yummy frozen food.  In particular, I am thankful for the Orange Chicken and the microwave rice.  Andy has made this twice now, very successfully (I did sneak into the kitchen and add some broccoli, but veggies are a few steps away I think, so I'm okay with that).

I wish you could know the multitude of emotions that swell in my heart as he brings me a plate of food that I didn't have to lift a finger to prepare.  Gratitude, adoration, pride, victory, burning desire (after all, it has to be worth his while, no?).

Ah. Happy sigh.

The fine and tender nuances of married life.  

Andy, thanks for being willing to try something that you think you'll (and probably do) hate, just to make me happy. I appreciate you, and your efforts, very, VERY much.

Muah!

For those of you not in the know, 

that is a kiss noise.  

Like a highfalutin pair of ladies 

holding each other on the shoulders, 

with pinkies up 

and leaving an air kiss on each cheek. 

 "Muah, muah.  How aaaree you daaahhling?"

In our case it simply means,

"If you were here right now I would kiss you!"

Feel free to borrow it for all of your lovey-dovey needs.

Oh the Wonder of it All

Here are the highlights of my weekend:

Jack

• Being followed by a crawling baby into every room that I go.
  
• Discovering that Jack snuck into the bathroom, overturned the garbage can, and was exploring the contents with his mouth. 
  
• Listening to the new, constant stream of syllables that come from my baby.  He even is practicing his "ma" sound!
• Bringing Jack into our bed in the morning for family cuddle time.
• Having raspberries blown on my shoulder and cheek as Jack snuggled in our bed in the morning.

Andy

• Went out on Sunday morning and did the grocery shopping.
• Came home from above shopping with a delicious Starbucks beverage, just the way I like it.
• Remembered to buy organic, even the eggnog!  Even though he could care less.
• MADE ME BREAKFAST!!
• AND DID THE DISHES!
• And folded about 8 loads of laundry.
• And fed Jack dinner and dressed him while I got ready for church.
• And declared that he will not watch any more Seahawks games this season because they are so terrible.

OTHER

• Getting a manicure and massage with my mother-in-law.
• Having the best deli sandwich I've had in a long time... turkey, avacado, facon (fake-bacon... you know that non-meat, supposed to be bacon stuff) and grilled red onions.  Yum!  
• Ordering Christmas cards - I'm so on the ball this year!

It was a great weekend.  Now, on to the week!  

Permission

At 11:00 this morning I was pretty sure that I was a domestic wonder woman.  I had already been to the gym, done a load of dishes, baked whole wheat pumpkin muffins (which I have yet to taste) and made my own pumpkin spice latte to save myself $3.40. Mentally I was making plans to walk Jack to the store to pick up some fresh, crusty bread for the gourmet dinner I plan on making this evening, clean Jack's room (a project that has been on my list for... um.. about three months) and tackle the laundry.   

A beautiful autumn day can inspire like that.

However, it is now after 3:00 pm and I'm tired folks. My sink is already full of the next load of dishes which has squelched my cleaning motivation and Jack is uncommonly cranky and needy which makes it very difficult to settle into a major project. 

Sigh.  

So I've changed my plans.  

I'm just going to go with the flow.  

No one has asked me to be a domestic diva.  That is all my own ambition (and perhaps not a holy one).  

I have a sweet boy who I think would really enjoy a walk to the park and a ride on the swing.  I have a loving husband who will be home soon and will rave over whatever meal I put in front of him.  I have a house that is warm and will survive yet another day of disorder. 

So why stress?  I made muffins right? I say that is a pretty great accomplishment for the day.  

So if you are having one of those days too, where your "I'll hopefully get this done today" list is woefully un-checked, I hereby give you permission to set it aside.  Order is good.  Accomplishment is good.  But friends, let's be okay with just having fun once in a while.  

So, be free!  Frolic and delight in the simple pleasures of today.  The lists can wait until tomorrow.  

Good Tidings or Fall Is Here: Part I

Yesterday I ordered a Pumpkin Spice Latte (two actually, but I was REALLY excited).

I also wore a scarf (which I had to remove because it is still too warm) to a high school football game (Who rocks the house?  The Panthers rock the house!).

So you do know what that means?  Pumpkin Spice + Scarf + Football = FALL!!!

It's here!  It's here! *Little prancing circular dance to commence after I press "publish post"*

Hooray!

If You've Ever Wanted to be Fancy

What I really wanted to write today was an ode to Fall On Its Way, but to be perfectly honest, the autumnal feelings haven't hit in full force.  So I will save my emoting about the smells of cinnamon and clove and the perfect orange of pumpkins until the mood is just right.  I refuse to risk under-exclaiming about the most glorious of seasons.  

However, there is another topic that is near and dear to my heart and that I believe warrants reflection:  Fancyness.

I first discovered the power of "fancy" when I was spending my days with two tiny British dolls.  Olivia and Lauren, age one and two.  Anything that inspired awe, was lovely to see, smell or feel, any object or person that was better than good... received an exclamation of "FANCY!"  

Upon returning to The States I kept the word as an active part of my life and vocabulary.  An all-encompassing declaration of, "I love it!"  I have considered it not my own treasure, but have accepted the mission of sowing seeds of fancy and watching them bloom, bringing beauty, laughter, gentle teasing, and delight to the most ordinary of days.

You too can embrace the fancy lifestyle.  I am here to help.  Follow these simple tips and you too will soon be declaring, "How Fancy!"

#1: Believe it!  Fancy is a mindset.  Look at yourself in the morning and say, with conviction, "I am fancy!  I am fabulous!"  Don't be surprised if after a few days you start walking with a little extra swish.  Here comes fancy!

#2: Accessorize!  Fancy is all about making the ordinary special.  Take a white tee-shirt and a pair of jeans.  Alone, the combination is a little timid.  But add a dash of "something extra" - perhaps a turquoise beaded necklace or a great scarf, and you suddenly have Fancy! My personal favorite from the accessory world is a pair of giant earrings, but you could decide that you are more of a bangle gal, or that a really fantastic handbag is what makes you feel fancy.  Whatever it is, go for it!  If you are new to the world of flair, feel free to start with one piece.  Before you know it you'll be pairing dangly earrings with great heels or purchasing a pair of white sunglasses.  Watch out!

#3: COLOR, COLOR, COLOR.  Use it, love it, play with it, never fear it!

#4:  Develop your vocabulary.  After you have adopted the fancy mindset, you find that ordinary words like "nice" just don't convey what you want to say.  Make friends with the thesaurus and begin using less-common words.  Instead of nice, try agreeable, charming, or delightful.  Instead of funny, try droll.   Instead of grumpy, try peevish.  An interesting sentence always attracts attention.

#5:  Enjoy simple pleasures.  Simple pleasures are those moments that you want to share.  A quaint scene that you talk about at the end of your day, or a private moment that makes you smile as you remember it.  They happen every day, we just need to be looking for them.  Set a goal of sharing one simple pleasure with a friend each day.  You can increase your capacity by adding the number of friends you share with, or trying to increase the number of simple pleasures you identify during the day.  I will share with you that today, my simple pleasure was seeing a white-haired man driving and eating an orange popsicle!  I was also pleased to notice that my refreshed hair color happens to be a near-perfect match to the interior of my car.  Oh what delights! 

These are the bedrocks of living fancy, however other simple practices can advance your study of this lifestyle, should you choose to employ them.  Additional recommendations: wear dresses as everyday clothing, learn to walk in heals, smile as often as you can, spend time doing something interesting, learn a new skill, compliment others on their fancy attributes.

Please know, I am simply a student like you.  I welcome tips and tricks you have found helpful and am comfortable in the fact that there is always more fancy to be gained.

So from one life-lover to another I say, "Eat, drink, and be Fancy!"