Lovely Lavender

"Nature is the art of God"- Thomas Browne

I woke up a few day's ago to a dead lavender plant in my living room and I thought it would only be fitting that I write about lavender. I had purchased the plant at a local farmers market by a very patient man. After answering a thousand of my idiotic questions, he finally slipped me a piece of paper on how to care for the lavender plant. He emphasized the fact that the lavender plant is not intended to grow indoors but I quickly dismissed him and his care sheet. Low and behold several weeks later my purple leafed plant turned into a vile putrid brown. I am now content on purchasing lavender in the future!

The lavenders (Lavandula) are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants. They are actually in the mint family. The lavender cross-pollinates very easily, which allows the plant to have many variations within the same species. The Lavender plant is thought to have originated in Asia but is typically associated with Western Europe. It usually grows best in dry, sandy, or gravelly soils with a lot of sun (my plant did not stand a chance of survival). Unlike most plants, the lavender can be used for food, fragrance, and as an sleeping aid. There are very few downsides to this plant. However, it is suggested to avoid eating this herb during pregnancy and while breast feeding.

While researching the lavender plant I came across some interesting facts. Ancient Greeks named the lavender herb after the Syrian city of Naarda. It was also referred to as "nard". There are also several Biblical ties to the lavender herb. Lavender was used in the Biblical Temple to prepare the holy essence and was also mentioned in Song of Solomon.

I have learned several valuable lessons from the death of my lavender plant.

1. Lavender can not be grown indoors!

2. Read instructions and follow advice accordingly.

3. Retire my green thumb until I have a place to garden!

Have a wonderful Labor day!

Love, Lili

Art From The Heart

"As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life"

-John Lubbock

What is a home without art on the walls? Art not only fills the wall space in a home, but provides both a warmth and a emotional connection to the space by making it inviting. I often go to beautiful houses where they are decorated to the tea but they only have mirrors on the walls. The absence of artwork on the walls makes the entire home feel very cold and incomplete. Currently, with the economy in dire straits extraneous spending is out of the question. So, how does one acquire artwork on a limited budget? There are several options to buy artwork at a reasonable cost. The best way of course would be to purchase a painting by an emerging local artist. Typically, emerging artist are just as qualified as established artist but their work is not well known so the cost of their work is significantly less. My next suggestion is to visit a website called, www.dailypainters.com . This website was founded in 2006 by painter, Micah Condon. Daily painters features over 150 different artist with more than 30,000 paintings to chose from. I recently commissioned the artist, David Boyd Jr. to paint my boyfriend's childhood home as a present. I reviewed other paintings by David and loved the color palette and texture of his pieces so I knew he would do a wonderful job. Needless to say when the painting arrived it was better than I could have ever imagine and my boyfriend was thrilled. Even if you are not in the market to buy artwork or lack wall space it is always fun to see what is available.

Love, Lili

All About Austen

Everyone loves Jane Austen, but how much do we really know about her as person? There have been numerous biographies and movies that provide a glimpse into her life but they often fall short by only focusing on her romantic past, thus creating this mushy pseudo emotional character who defines Jane entirely. So, after doing some research I put together a list of interesting facts about her life that I hope you enjoy.

1. Jane Austen was born on December 16th 1775 in Hampshire England.

2. Her father George was a country clergyman.

3. She was the seventh of eight children (6 sons and 2 daughters)

4. Jane's nickname was Jenny

5. Her best friend was her older sister Cassandra, who was 2 years older.

6. Jane never lived away from her family. Even when she went to boarding school for a couple of years her sister, Cassandra came with her.

7. Austen detested cities. She preferred the countryside over the hustle and bustle of the crowded streets.

8. She loved to dance, play the piano, and perform in plays for her family.

9. In December of 1795, when Jane was 20, she fell in love with Thomas Langlois Lefroy, a graduate of Trinity College of Dublin. Thomas was visiting his Aunt, Madam Lefroy whom Jane was friends with. Unfortunately for the couple, Madam Lefroy sent him away because the family did not approve of their courtship and threatened to disinherit him. Thomas would later become the Chief Justice of Ireland.

10. While on vacation in 1800, Jane met and fell in love with a young clergy man. Sadly, he died before they could marry.

11. Later that year, Jane accepted a proposal from Harris Bigg-Wither, who was the brother to one of her closest friends. The morning after their engagement Jane called it off because she felt like Harris was too young and immature for her.

12. Jane was not very sociable. She was known to be somewhat reclusive.

13. While living in Chawton, there was a swinging door outside of her room where she wrote that creaked terribly. She refused to have it fixed because it gave her warning when anyone was entering.

14. Austen always wrote on small pieces of paper so she could easily hide what she was writing or discard it quickly.

15. In her late 30's, Jane contracted Addison's Disease, which is a tubercular disease of the kidneys. John F. Kennedy also had this disease.

16. Addison's disease made it very difficult for her to walk so she used a little donkey carriage to get around. The carriage is now in a museum in Chawton.

17. On the morning of July 18th 1817, Jane died in her sister's arms. She was only 41 years old.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! Enjoy the last bit of summer!

Love, Lili