Triple milled soap, beeswax candles, body lotion, high thread count cotton sheets, a down duvet, linen tea towels, fresh herbs, flowers inside the bungalow, fluffy white towels and hot water for bathing everyday.
Pure linen tea towels
a Bungalow staple.
My tastes are really very simple.
I do have a passion for fashion and the price of so many luxe lines are really beyond my reach.
After all one can only carry one bag at a time!
The desire to acquire is waning...
I feel that this is because I am feeling more at ease with the choice of lifestyle that I live.
I do not need to compete with anyone.
It is very freeing for me coming to this conclusion and it has taken me many years to get to this place.
Getting off the spending treadmill and consuming less feels appropriate for me right now.
My minimalist wardrobe is working for me.
Getting dressed is much simpler as there are fewer items to choose from and the pieces that remain are the ones that fit well and make me feel comfortable and confident.
Food is an area where I need to be more mindful...
I have a tendency to over eat as I love to cook and love the tastes!
If I approach eating with that same philosophy that I applied to my clothing
"less is more"
I might be able to embrace the concept more readily!
I read constantly about Chic French femmes staying slim by eating mindfully and walking daily.
Fresh homemade Batard
oil and balsamic vinegar
I am working on improving my eating habits....
Eating slowly and savouring each morsel, putting the utensils down between bites.
New habits take a few weeks to enact,
so I will persevere and see.
Rome wasn't built in a Day!
I have been very inspired by Adrienne at Rich Life on a Budget
I think that you might be too...go over and say hi, please tell her I sent you!
Breaking bad habits is done one step at a time
baby steps, that's where I am at.
Putting one foot in front of the other
a work in process....
Fresh Heirloom tomatoes and basil are a match made in heaven!
I love a bit of salt, pepper, and balsamic drizzled over top.
A simple salad that is pure luxury.
What says luxury to you?
19 comments:
Everything that you have described above!
The lure of luxury is so captivating at times but like you said we must hold fast and tight to the things that really matter to us, those are truly life's simple luxuries that we can all afford without breaking the bank!
Oh, what I wouldn't do for a garden fresh heirloom tomato warmed from the sun! Just magnificent!
Lily Lemontree
xoxo
Chic French Femmes live on cigarettes, wine and coffee because their husbands are constantly off with other women and so they feel the strain to maintain their figures all the time. It's a horribly sexist society and I would never envy them, they have to make an effort all the time because they are at war.
All of your luxuries are mine too, they really make life worth living.
I love your philosophy of luxury, and agree entirely. I'm with you on the food ideals, and am trying hard to eat less but better and more mindfully too. Let us know how it goes! x
......three days, stretched out in front of one, with no plans, no obligations.
......wonderful coffee, ground by the cup, poured into a favorite Russian mug and sipped in the comfort of a wicker chair on the veranda.
......line-dried sheets, a few sprigs of lavender on the pillow and the curtain moving gently at an open bedroom window.
......time, time with loved ones, laughter, quiet.
These are some of my small luxuries.
Hostess - We have similar luxuries.
BourbonandPearls - this is why I enjoy your posts and comments :)
J.W.
I'm experiencing the less is more trend in my life, too. I want to acquire less, but at the same time I have the urge to focus more on the little luxuries I do have. The cozy warmth of a cashmere sweater, the taste of a really great olive oil. Thank goodness that urge applies to food or I'd be in trouble!
Oh, how I agree with you and the other ladies! I spent the day sorting through my closet, pulling items I love to look at, yet never wear, and will take them to the consignment shop this week. We are slowly, slowly trying to eat better, too, focusing on more veg and fruit, with meat a once in awhile splurge. Tough going. My brain keeps reminding me how I love chocolate, wine, and baked goods!
I so identify with the diminishment of the urge to acquire. Pared down is good. Thanks.
couldnt agree more! As I get older and lost a lot of money in recent years it is the little things I value, like linen tea towels, and best quality chocolate
Janey
Oh I so agree. I picked up some linen dishtowels today and scented French Milled soap at Trader Joes. My needs are not what they were (or I thought they were) 20 yrs ago.
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Dear Hostess,
it is so right: if one does buy less one has more money to spend on a few good things (which usually last longer and give more joy). Healthy eating habits are a joy.
But in one thing I can reassure you, being often in France (and having a brother-in-law who is French): that French women are more chic or slimmer is definitely a myth! Some are - as in other countries. A good headline sells books:-) The only nation I saw where people are really slimmer as a whole are in Japan - though even there young people start to become obese, when having changed their diet)
So: eat healthy, feel well - and don't compare/compete in that section either!
Just right now, a real piece of luxury, would be to wake up in my own bed in the morning, after a really well slept night!
Hostess, I love all your luxuries too. This post is luxurious in its simpleness. Your basil is blooming, looking better than mine. The holder looks great, is it a tin, or something fancier?
Fiona
http://howtobechic.blogspot.com
Luxury to me is knowledge that I am truly feeling deep and real contentment in exactly where I am at any single moment. They are fewer and farther between than I'd like so when I do recognize the feeling, I feel it's the most delicious luxury. :)
wow.i totally agree with you.plus laughing with beloved ones and playing with darling pets,watching old classic movies in an open summer cinema[last night i watched Mogambo].what about few book titles?what are you reading now?
Dear Leslie, There is something about not having too many things and really getting pleasure from what one has. I always have the strong sense that you relish what you have and that is a happy place to be. My husband and my youngest daughter regularly stop at the flower stall on their walk home on Tuesdays to buy me lilies. I get a happy feeling every time I wander past these flowers. The other day, I felt filthy rich when I bought some wonderful spices from the local delicatessen. Opening every package to spoon out the heady spices to bake a cake made me feel joyous. love Lindaxxx
For me, luxury is taking a particular thing/food and enjoying the best that is available in its purest expression. I adore my meyer lemon olive oil - it's pricey, but I enjoy it drizzled over vegetables (with a little maldon sprinkled on top) versus gloppy sauces or rancid, cheap olive oil. I like nice, nice sheets on the bed, and so I only have one set which I air dry on laundry days.
Luxury items compel me to be a better steward so I can enjoy them for a long time. I have to be selective and judicious on how and what I spend my money. In the end (and I've been tracking my spending for over 10 years), I spend LESS when I buy the luxury item versus a dozen or so mediocre items.
Fiona- The pot with the basil is a newer glass container fabricated like those olde mercury glass vessels. They were available at Christmas time here and I had my centerpiece of roses in this on the dining table.
anonymous- I am reading Kate Morton! I splurged and bought all 3 of her delicious books!
Hi Leslie, Just cruising through and found this post....didn't realize at first how old it is. And still so relevant! Hubby and I have just begun a house hunt so paring down is a priority (except for books-which makes room for a library a necessity). Working on eating better. Trying to get back to my reading, and sewing, and writing, and ... the list is endless! First order of business, when we do get moved, try to be more bold-shyness is a curse. Love your blog and your outlook. Jen in NY.
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