Snowberry is for Sale … and Other News

Today on weekend meanderings, Snowberry is for sale, and our home office is transformed into an adorable room for kiddos … take a peek. Also, living with a fewer but better mindset and giving new life to much loved stuffed animals.

Happy Saturday, friends!

It’s time for the weekend post with Kim and Elizabeth. Our weekly roundup of inspirations and goings on.

I’m back! This past month has been crazy-town and by that I mean to lower your expectations for today’s dispatch. Let’s jump in.

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Image: Jessica Brydson Photography

How was your Easter? Believe it or not, we had Easter lunch at McDonald’s. More accurately, we had Easter lunch in our car catered by McDonald’s. Don’t judge. We’d been at Snowberry all morning furiously cleaning, organizing and doing last minute stuff before turning the house over to Dana Green and her team, when suddenly it was 2:00 and our stomachs were growling. We determined we needed to get food into our stomachs by the fastest means possible. I’m not proud. That said, I do enjoy a chicken nugget with bbq sauce and I think everyone agrees that McDonald’s has the best fries.

I stumbled across this quote on Substack. I have no idea who David Keeler is but his words resonate big time. Particularly after the fire drill that was the last two or three weeks. I’ve talked about putting Snowberry on the market for months, and we bought the little house on 4th over a year ago. So why was I scrambling to accomplish 1003 things, with 957 still to go, at the very last minute? It’s true I love a deadline and work best under pressure but it’s gotten out of hand and I intend to take a saner more thoughtful approach to my to-do list going forward. I think the key is eliminating the unnecessary. Or more importantly determining was is truly necessary … and what isn’t. Evaluating what’s most impactful and letting the rest go isn’t easy. But I think it’s essential to do fewer things better.

The same can be applied to stuff. Fewer but better. I’ve been on a decluttering war path for some time and I’ve talked a lot about downsizing my closet. It’s an ongoing process and I finally achieved my goal of containing my wardrobe (with the exception of jackets and coats that have their own closet) in our primary bedroom closet. It’s not a huge closet, but it’s good sized and why do I need more than what fits comfortably inside? I don’t. In full disclosure we did send some things over to the little house on 4th – aka the world’s most expensive storage facility – but for me it was just one garment bag (5 blazers) and some boots and shoes tucked into these shoeboxes (we use the shoe, large shoe and boot sizes).

Don’t worry, I’m not judging, casting aspersions, or making big pronouncements about not buying anything new. I am making a concerted effort to be more thoughtful in evaluating what I need versus what I want, and realistic about what works and is practical for my life NOW. Fewer but better things.

Along those lines, I was in my favorite resale boutique ReChic to consign a few summer pieces and quickly had my head turned by all the wonderful spring and summer inventory. But, I got hold of myself and didn’t buy anything (except for a small gift … Maureen carries new things too including paper goods, cocktail accessories and more … it’s my go-to shop for gifts). What I did realize is that once we’re settled into our new home and it makes sense to add to my wardrobe I’ll make a bee line for ReChic and other local resale shops. It’s economical – and sustainable – way to acquire quality pieces without breaking the bank. Fewer but better.

Guess what? Snowberry is for sale! Talk about burying the lede. You probably knew because I shared a dispatch about it during the week and I’ve been blabbing about it non-stop. In case you didn’t know, now you do. You can view the listing here.

Image: Open Homes Photography

The most thrilling part of getting our home ready for sale was watching our home office transformed into an adorable room for kiddos. I love the twin-bed situation and it’s exactly what my plan was for this room. Shortly after we moved into Snowberry the pandemic hit. Suddenly my cute kids room became Jim’s home office and later Make Mine a Spritzer World HQ. My plan for a cute kids room was shot.

Image: Open Homes Photography

Isn’t it sweet?! It’s exactly what I imagined for the space. Emily of the Dana Green Team oversaw the transformation and I adore her choice of Serena & Lily’s scalloped rattan side table between the beds and the cute new Pottery Barn Sarah’s Garden comforter and shams. What a charming bedroom for littles or teens. I can picture future slumber parties with lots of whispering back and forth during the wee hours.

While Snowberry is on the market we decamped with our pets to a nearby Airbnb. We’ve been here a week and after a lots of running back and forth we’re ready to stay put and enjoy a couple weeks of relative peace. Jim plans to do a lot of golfing and I plan to do a lot of content planning for the blog.

Our Airbnb is walking distance from historic downtown Clayton. We lived in Clayton for about a year and a half (first house we renovated together) in the early aughts so it’s familiar territory and it’s fun to be back for a short stay. Turns out we timed our visit well, the Art & Wine Festival is this weekend!

On our walks to town I’ve been admiring everyone’s roses in bloom. The climate here is a tad warmer than Orinda and apparently the roses thrive.

On Monday, our 22nd wedding anniversary, we walked to town and availed ourselves of the happy hour small plates and cocktails at a newish restaurant, Skylar Bistro. The food is phenomenal – as is the charming outdoor seating area next to the park.

We walked to town again on Taco Tuesday when Moresi’s Chophouse morphs into a Moresi’s Cantina. It was a warm night on the patio and their freshly juiced strawberry margarita was delish.

A few months ago I mentioned my childhood stuffed zebra … Zeebee. Zeebee was a Christmas gift from my grandparents when I was three. How he’s stayed with me all these years I don’t know. He had a close call recently when I caught Jim trying to put him in the trash. You’re treading into dangerous territory, Jim. Anyhoo, that was the last straw, something had to be done and I finally contacted Winey Bears Repair. They asked me to send photos of Zeebee when he was young, and now, so they could assess the extent of the rehabilitation required.

Next I saw him off on his journey to North Carolina. He should arrive today. Neither the rehab, nor the shipping, was cheap (return shipping is included in cost of rehab), but Zeebee has been a loyal friend for 59 years and more than deserves a little TLC.

While preparing Zeebee for his rehabilitation I read an article in People magazine about a Charlotte Lievling, a London woman who gives new life to stuffed bears. Her business, Loved Before, cleans and repairs stuffed animals and makes them available for resale online and at stores like Bloomingdale’s. They also support the Make-a-Wish Foundation. What a lovely and sustainable way to breathe new life to well-loved stuffed animals by gifting them to a new generation of littles to continue loving on them.

 

Odds & Socks ~

You’ll want to bake this yummy – and gorgeous – Candied Lemon Pound Cake recipe from Elizabeth’s Sweet Treat series

Did you catch our fabulous Kim featured on Cindy Hattersley Design?!

How to Live Beautifully

Local friends, it’s not too late to get your tickets to the Lafayette LifeStyle Tour on May 3rd!

Currently Reading ~

Last week I mentioned Graydon Carter’s memoir, When the Going was Good. I finished it this week and didn’t want it to end. I sure do miss the Tina Brown/Graydon Carter era of Vanity Fair and it was fun to read about the behind the scenes of the glory days.

Today I’m starting Maria Shriver’s latest book, I Am Maria: My Reflections and Poems on Heartbreak, Healing, and Finding Your Way Home. I listened to Maria discussing the book on The Oprah Podcast and was moved to tears by poems she wrote about her parents and read out loud. I bought the book immediately.

Michael Lewis latest, Who is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service is particularly timely and I’m intrigued. I’m a huge fan of Michael Lewis’ work, he can make any topic interesting and accessible. I have to admit that my knowledge of public service jobs is limited and ill-informed and mostly based around negative stereotypes. I have two close friends who’ve spent their entire careers in civil service – in big jobs – and would have been more highly compensated had they taken their knowledge and skills into the private sector – and I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for them.

Wine People by Michelle Wildgen, “A riveting, behind-the-scenes portrait of a high-drama industry, from the chateau to the corner office, pour a glass and dive in.”~ Oprah Daily … having worked in the wine industry for many years I can’t wait to read this book.

Currently Watching ~

Bosch: Legacy – we’ve loved the entire Bosch (7 seasons) & Bosch: Legacy (3 seasons) series based on Michael Connelly’s books. It’s sad to see it come to an end with season 3. Apparently the end of the series was a surprise to the Bosch production and it wasn’t decided until season 3 was already filmed leaving quite a few loose ends in the final episode. Apparently there’s a spinoff series coming this summer focused on a new character, Detective Renee Ballard, introduced in the current season. I read that Bosch’s character will make appearances in the new series, and that there may be Bosch full length movies in the future. I hope so. I would have preferred more Bosch, or a Honey Chandler spinoff. The new character is fine, but based on season 3, not intriguing enough for me to be excited about it. That said, we’ll probably give it a try because we love a good police procedural.

If you enjoy British detective series, you’ll love Ludwig on Britbox.

 

We’ve been rewatching Berlin Station – a 2016-2019 series (3 seasons) based in the CIA’s station – you guessed it – in Berlin. Starring Richard Armitag and, well, there are too many wonderful actors to name them all. Fun fact – Rhys Ifans, who plays one of the main character, CIA agent Hector DeJean, may look familiar but you’ll never guess why. He played Spike, Hugh Grant’s wacky roommate, in Notting Hill. I don’t know why but I just can’t get over that.

 

Current Favorites ~

So that’s what I have for you today.

Let’s see what’s inspiring Kim and Elizabeth.

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