Weekend Notes No. 03

The first sip of coffee on an early Saturday morning just hits different. I know I can take my time and actually savor it, unlike any other day when I gulp an espresso while making breakfast and trying to get my son ready for school in a timely manner.

On weekends I take my time and enjoy my coffee in silence. I then make a second cup and pick up my book or a magazine and spend another thirty minutes or more, if I can, doing nothing but that. I usually get up before my husband and son and once they are up, we start breakfast and plan the day a bit.

Outside our usual errands, we have a playdate for baby (he’s three, I just like calling him that) and I have a meeting. This is rare, but if only the weekend works, it’s not a big deal. Since jeans are my go-to in most scenarios, I’ll have to make it work for park and then business coffee, so I’m thinking t-shirt + blazer + jeans + loafers and voilà. Done.

What I read

This week I finished “Fruit Fly” and loved it. I have a few books on the go at the same time, but this one has now my full attention, and as brain candy, as I love too call it, this book is fantastic and it helps me reset, plus, it brings me lots of joy.

Also barely touched, resting on my desk and hopefully getting to it today, is the latest issue of Konfekt. This one brings me lots of joy as well, as it is usually focused on small businesses, arts and crafts that are not yet very well known, and the writing is just so beautiful.

And then, of course, I am always looking forward to HTSI delivery every weekend, such a treat.

On fashion and style

This has become a bit overwhelming for me, as I moved from nine months of winter to nine months of summer. Of course, this was six years ago and I can only use the move as an excuse for so long. Also, after we moved into this new place back in April, I was able to see my clothes better as the closets themselves were spacious and very airy. I was able to see everything clearly, no bulk anywhere, no questioning where something is. And at first I thought this was great, I would be able to get dressed faster, which was true, but I managed to convince myself I have more space now so I can add more things. Turns out it’s how my sartorial mistakes started happening again. So now, I am taking this self imposed break to see how I can use more creatively what I already have and not just decide “I absolutely need this new thing”.

I decided to spend some weekends putting outfits together and see how I can bring myself to focus on this task. I tend to think I absolutely must be productive and focus on work and anything that brings joy is a waste of time and must be reduce to a minimum. And then I did my astrogram and turns out I need this joy and my creativity on a daily basis or I will get withdrawn and so on so forth. Long story short, my analytic brain needs to be balanced with joy, and it usually comes from reading and writing. Ha. Go figure. It was good to see this articulated as I knew this about myself but I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it. So knowing what I have in my wardrobe, I took to AI for visual skills and this is what it came up with. I love how the outfits are a clear representation of my wardrobe, and of how I would wear these items.

I had a lot of fun creating these, and even though the images are not an accurate representation of my items, having the text with specific things to wear and then a close enough visual helps me tremendously. This is also my way of “the rack”. I can visualize everything I want to wear these upcoming weeks in this way and minimize the time spent in my closet to actually pull these things and form a separate rack full of outfits. I think the clutter of it all was putting me off before, as I love having a clean and organized space, not clothes and bags and shoes everywhere I look.

And speaking of clothes and slowing down - while I need the space to clear my (sartorial) head, I do enjoy browsing and reading about fashion, and while doing some research for a work project, I came across an article about RL which, of course, made me look online and after carful consideration, and given the complete lack of this style belt in my wardrobe, I purchased this. I chose the medium size, and it is perfect for what I need. I am usually 80 in belts in case you read this and need this info for reference.

Home front

At the beginning of our relationship my husband took me to meet his family in Upstate New York for Christmas. I didn’t know what exactly to expect, decor wise, as back in Europe we decorate but somewhat with restrained. As we arrived, I could see the giant Christmas tree from the driveway, with all its twinkling lights and gold and red balls. I thought to myself “wow” as we walked towards the house, and then we opened the door and it hit me with a force I will never forget. I think my mouth must have been agape as his aunt asked me if everything was alright. I had never seen such decor, unless you count “Home Alone”. It was a LOT, but in a tasteful way. It was the kind of decor that didn’t allow one to be sad, or skip on generosity towards others. It was home. It was so beautfiul that now I struggle with my European upbringing in how to tastefully display holiday decor without drowning in it. So while I can’t do it to the level my husband’s aunt does it, I try to decorate here and there to get in the spirit so to say. I also struggle with how everything is very commercial here and I can already see Christmas decorations everywhere, while Halloween is next week and then we also have Thanksgiving (my favorite) between now and Christmas. So to get in the spirit, I bought a wreath. Yup. That’s it. That’s all I can do and feel confident it’s not too much, too tacky, too anything. It’s also not too little, in my view, because up until this year I didn’t even have said wreath. So.

Other than the wreath, we are going to take our son to a pumpkin patch and I did buy him a little bucket in case he decides to go trick or treating this year. For table setting I am considering some ceramics in orange and red, and maybe some kitchen towels, but given that all this is happening next weekend maybe I will wait until next year. I don’t think I will be fully American in the way of all this holiday display, but I so enjoy seeing it at my neighbors’, my friends and my extended family. And every time I see it and it’s so cozy and joyful I tell myself “I must buy some decorations” and then I get home and I get annoyed at how commercial everything has become and I don’t buy anything more. So for now it’s the wreath, and a beautiful family dinner to plan for Thanksgiving, and our small tree for Christmas, full of decorations we bought at Christmas markets in Vienna and Salzburg. But if I see something I really love and I want to bring home I will tell you all about it.

Not mine, but similar. You can find it here.

Happy weekend,

Dea xx