It is that time of year again, and I need to get my act in gear.  How can I possibly pick a single New Year's resolution out of the myriad improvements that I need to make?   Happily, I recall that a wise man once told me, "When in doubt take a quiet overview of yourself, then do the next right thing". In other words, what sort of person do I want to be and what will I do next to get there?  The first time I heard this, I thought surely this exercise would overwhelm me; surely I would disappoint.  But in truth I found the exercise to be strangely liberating and invigorating!  So here goes:

 On the world stage, I would like to continue to learn about other cultures, to stay alert to what is going on, to send prayers to those who suffer, and to make educated decisions at the polls.  Last year my resolution was to participate more with family and friends and see each other more often, and I am happy to say that I did (learning how to buy airline tickets with "miles" really helped realize that dream!).  How about you?  If you had success, spread the word; if not, what is your "next right thing?"  Keep it simple and doable!

 This year, my goals are right here at home.  I would like to be a better volunteer for the EmilyAnn, helping to support the community in which I so joyfully live.  But I will definitely need more stamina proceed!  To stay close to friends and family, focus on River House, and participate in the community, I am going to have to build up my energy level and address some physical challenges that age has brought to bear.  Oh #%*- this means exercise, self discipline, walkin' the dog!  Well, I never said that moving forward was painless.  But if from this simple deduction, I get energy, health, time and focus, then, good grief, it's a no brainer!   I hope that you choose well and have a very Happy New Year!

HoHo!  It is already time to ready our homes and hearths where our families and friends will soon gather in celebration of Christmas or of the holiday season.  We must slow down a bit to reflect on the joys of Christmases past and on the loved ones with whom we hope to celebrate next week - yes, next week!

 I have found that some family traditions are well worth keeping.  Every Christmas Eve, my parents hosted an open house for all of their friends and their families.  Dad set up games and a train in the family room for the kids.  The "Growns" had a delicious spicy milk-punch and other libations to choose from, while we youngsters sussed each other out, and became shyly reaquainted. There was food and fun and lots of friendship shared.

 My Christmas Eves here in Wimberley are a conscious continuation those traditions - faith, loving family, and friends at the center of it all.  Setting up my collection of nativities is first on my home agenda - a delightful process, requiring much thought and adjustment.  Trimming a fresh cut tree, hanging wreaths and stockings, and deciding what in the world to do with the table come next.  And as it happens, the Hays County fire ban has been lifted at long last- so we can even get the fire screen cleaned up and the logs set too!

 A tasty ham with a nice Russian potato salad, homemade chile and rice with all the fixin's,  a lemon cake from The Sugar Shack , pecan pies from Wimberley Pie Company topped off with some delicious spiked milk punch, and aromatic coffee from Sip ought to get my group in the mood for the long winter's night, and for celebration on Christmas day.. 

 As you prepare for your family celebrations, we at River House thank you for your patronage and wish you love and joy this season. 

 PS Hope to see you at the EmilyAnn on the Trail of Lights- what fun!!

With the cool weather, I am always thrilled with the variety of textures that fall insinuates into our lives.  Great looking accessories are pulled out of our drawers: nubby scarves, rich leather hand bags and cozy mittens.  Beautiful fall-colored clothing comes out of storage- exciting after the siege of summer.  As in spring, the wonderful weather gives each of us a sense of renewal as we march into the holiday season.

Creating a fresh fall/winter look is easier than ever these days, and accessories are the name of the game.  With wonderful textiles in plentiful supply, a new scarf can resurrect a favorite jacket or outfit.  LowenHide and Spartina hand bags have tickled my fancy this season, with Spartina’s handsome fall prints and LouenHide’s luscious soft-to-the-touch barrel bags.  And at the international Folk Festival in Santa Fe this summer, I found some terrific wearable treasures from India as well.

As a buyer I am always looking for the best in all price ranges, and with this economy, I really look to cover all the bases in the wearable accessories that we offer.   What has caught my attention these past few years is how many really well made products are available at every price point.  With the cost of precious metals sky rocketing, some superb jewelry designers like Susan Shaw and Jill Fannin have put time and technology to work to make some extremely tasteful plated pieces.  Several other artists provide us with exquisitely fun jewelry using a wide variety of non-precious colorful materials.  One of the things I love best about my work is the surprise of discovering  new product lines in unexpected places.  For example, my niece from Santa Fe showed up to visit wearing a very distinctive Minetta sterling silver necklace that I could not take my eyes off of, and another evening  my neighbor arrived for a dinner party wearing some fantastic Alaya Barr earrings – River House now offers both lines! 

Picking up just a few great new accent pieces can make our trusty old wardrobes feel new again, and put a fresh lilt to our step.  So, what are you wearing?

At this point in the hot Texas summer, even I have had to cry uncle. I normally chide folks who complain too loudly about the Texas heat as if it were somehow novel, but this year's high temps arrived in spades, testing the resolve of even the toughest Texans.  To my way of thinking, a little get-away is nothing at all to be ashamed of!

Having just returned from just such a respite, I can tell you that a change in temperature, if only for a few days, can renew the spirit and refresh one's attitude considerably.   This year I traveled up into the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico to visit old friends who have built a totally green, self sufficient summer house at 8,000 ft, in the Santa Fe National Forest.  My friend John first heard about land conservation as a child,(long before "going green" was fashionable)  from his Cub Scout master Bill Clements , our former Gov.  Some 50-odd years later, John, his wife, and a bevy of friends have designed, engineered, and hand-built  the perfect little cabin-in-the -woods.  Having a chance to breathe fresh mountain air and participate in this adventure with my friends really made my heart sing, and I returned home, not only refreshed, but inspired.  John suggests "going green" at my house, bit by bit, so as to chip away at the expense in a manageable way.  Solar panels here I come!

Make travel this summer easy:  I used airline miles to buy my ticket- perfecto!  I absolutely love my 4 wheel, hard sided carry-on that glides comfortably along beside me instead of dragging behind me - something to think about when replacing older luggage.  When the time comes, top your experience off with a  spacious Baggallini tote slipped securely onto the handle of your suitcase,  grab a River House sun hat, and have a refreshing time out there!

It really is a hot time in the city.  Every Texan that I see is sporting cool, loose clothing and flip flops, putting it all together according to his or her original style [at River House the ladies are loving Lindsay Phillips' wide array of "switchable" fashion sandals and shoes!].  But once all dressed for the heat, what's a girl or guy to do to stay engaged with life in the dead of summer?

The first thing that comes to my mind is "let's go feast our eyes"!  Creative people are forever making original art work that is wonderful to the eye and nourishing to the soul.  Local galleries and summer art fairs are prime targets for fun outings, and who knows, you might find something extraordinary for your home.   Here in Wimberley, with the Berman Gallery and multiple fine artists represented around town, we do not have to go far to become inspired.

But before heading out, it never hurts to do a thoughtful study of the rooms in which we live or work.  We spend a huge amount of our time in these spaces, so we should really enjoy what we see there.   As I write, I recognize that I have a couple of  places on my walls where paintings that no longer engage my interest currently hang, and where at least one picture frame is begging to be replaced. We each have a couple of prime spaces in our homes that are filled with items that we have never particularly bonded with. We can plan to gradually replace these items with art work or well crafted items that truly make our heart sing!  

Our personal tastes in art will always be evolving, and require exposure - window shopping as we discover work that really floats our boat.  Museum visits and gallery hopping are great ways to continually enlighten ourselves about what is out there. It is a virtual movable feast! Let's get out there and drink it all in - a stimulating pass-time on a hot summer day.

My mother was a woman of great taste and frugal habit, and at her side I learned to enjoy the hunt for a wonderful treasure to grace my home - something beautiful or just plain cool!  Antiquing with her was always a blast, and learning to assess the good, the mediocre and the flat out ugly with efficient speed is a skill that I have appreciated all of my life.  As a result of my dear mama's influence, and my own curiosity, I am insatiably drawn not only to seeing what is being made, but how, and with what materials. In my personal life, wandering through an arts festival or an interesting store is a fun pass time in and of itself.    How about you? How do you go about collecting for your home?  What is your favorite new find?

Folks frequently ask how I find the merchandise for River House. For this, the hunt can be a lot more arduous.  Sure, I find individual vendors here and there, but the huge wholesale home & gift "markets" (housing hundreds of showrooms, featuring thousands of vendors showing their new products, with the merchandise constantly changing) are also part of the job. For this hunt, good shoes and moving at a quick clip is the mode of pursuit.

You never know where a great find might lurk.  At one such market, I entered a showroom which showed nothing out front to recommend it, but inside I made my favorite find of the year- Rose Ann Hall's candles and glassware.  I personally owned one of the wonderful Santa Rosa candles, so I recognized them, but the real surprise was their fabulous etched glassware.  I love it when a find makes my heart jump, and this glassware does!  I was doubly in luck because co-owner of the company Charlie Hall was there to tell me all about the processes they use.  Charlie personally operates their factory in San Miguel where artisans (paid a living wage) blow and hand carve the glassware from recycled glass, make candles, and craft copper.  Upon investigation, I learned that the Halls are well known for their fair trade practices, employing a growing number of physically handicapped artisans.  A true find for River House!

I love it when that happens, don't you?!

I am excited to see the current American trends in dinnerware selection- more open minded and exciting!  It used to be that a bride and groom registered for one formal china pattern, one pottery pattern, one crystal, etc, and that was it-they were done.  Serving pieces, everything, "matched" in the same patterns.  While a table filled with a single pattern can look beautiful, it is inevitably boring, boring, boring.  I cannot count how many people have told me that they haven't pulled their china out in years!

Now, couples of all ages seem determined to put their own marks on their dining styles and add some pizzaz to their tables- what fun!  The beauty of a fine traditional china is complimented and softened with a richly glazed pottery charger rather than with a tablecloth.  Hand thrown pottery is dressed up with sparkling glassware or formal crystal.  Beautiful ceramic and pewter platters and bowls bring a splash of color, texture and individual style to the table. The addition of a single textile from African, India, New England or the American Southwest changes the look of the table from one meal to the next.

No longer are we following the staid British mandates of what is proper, but we are back to our adventurous roots!   Many newly weds forgo the fine china altogether, choosing a beautiful, microwavable pottery for everyday and special occasions.    And at least part of the credit for the change in attitude may come from the designers themselves.  Fine lines like Vietri, Match and Jan Barboglio have been designing dinnerware which encourage the imagination and lend themselves to individualistic interpretation.  International trade has made gorgeous Mexican, Italian, Indian and Asian lines accessible as well.   Mixing ceramics, pewter, iron and hammered metals into the equation makes setting a buffet a much more interesting proposition as well.  Ah, life is good, and sometimes it only takes a small addition to make our dining experience seem fresh and new.

I have always been amazed by the sheer number of good, interesting folks that populate our world; they are there at every turn.  What's hard is finding time to get acquainted.  Don't be shy, ask them over and share the wealth that fellowship offers!  Stir them into your mix of friends and assume the best.   Easter is upon us - what better time than this to make room for one (two or seven) more at your table?

First, forget about the limitations of your dining table.  Plan to pull out your light weight folding tables and chairs.  If you don't already have some, they are inexpensive and well worth storing for occasions like this. Yes, they are less than lovely, but are just the ticket for an expanded guest list. Then call around to your favorite people, and get the guest list rolling.  Plan a menu of spring time favorites:  spiced iced tea, excellent cheeses, deviled eggs, a Mexican shrimp and avocado dish, carrot salad, and a nice ham from "Ham I Am".  I usually ask my guests to bring desserts or finger food to keep things Interesting. 

Next, get out the brooms and brush down the entire porch, ceiling to deck, eradicating all signs of red wasps and winter webs! Fill planters and vases with potted plants (be sure to select plants that will later grace your garden like dianthus and lilies) and lively bouquets.  Line the tables end to end on the porch or in your garden and dress the them with your favorite textiles- a variety of style and texture can be fun on a day that is traditionally celebrated with so much color. 

When guests arrive, oversee or delegate introductions for new comers, an all important feature of broadening your mix of friends, for sure.  Before you know it, the afternoon is full of good conversation, good food, and good fun.    Enjoy!