Jessika Goranson Lewand

This is a photo heavy post today so get comfortable first.  Jessika Goranson Lewand is the owner of Holiday Boutique in Beacon Hill, Boston.   She opened her shop in 2002, it focuses on smaller design house and one of a kind handmade items. This is a tour of her home she shares with her husband and newborn twins. They bought the home in 2010 but lived in Manhattan over two years.  They have just returned to their home in Concord, Massachusetts a little over a year ago.


Jessika writes, "I've always loved decorating since I was a kid. My childhood bedrooms were always important to me and my mom went to great lengths to help me decorate them. I've tortured her with wallpaper, upholstery and drapery projects since I was twelve. In college, my dorm room had custom curtains, my antique hope chest and was the "tour stop" dorm room for prospective students on campus. Ha! For some reason I've always "cared"."


It's obvious Jessika was born with a talent for decorating.  Talent runs through the family genes as her mother's talent for making custom window treatments is obvious.  She made most of them hanging in Jessika's home.



Looking into Jessika's living room, we see it is so pretty in pink and blue.



There is lots of layering with pretty pillows, drapes and rugs.



The room is for entertaining and where they enjoy their piano.  They are remodeling their fireplace to a more traditional look and will be enjoying the newly added gas feature on it.

























There are five bedrooms in the home.












The dining room with grey walls and creme curtains.







Her husband is English and many pieces were shipped over including the green chaise. 











May I present Louisa May, a Maine coon, also called Lulu for short.   Lulu is enjoying the tv room.







Jessika's kitchen in white, stainless and black.  I love the wood countertop on the island.



The antique hutch which resides in the kitchen was a gift from her husband.
















Jessika enjoys antiques in utilitarian places.



Wonderful tub in the master bath.





Beautiful wallpaper in the master bath and bedroom. Jessika recovered the master bedroom headboard, using a silk taffeta curtain panel as she couldn't find the perfect color/pattern in fabric form.




The twins pretty nursery.



The twins have a well appointed changing area.



A peek into the corner of the nursery.




This was the nursery before it was a nursery, a pretty guest bedroom with wallpaper depicting European city landmarks.





Guest bedroom in green and pink.




Guest bedroom in pink and cream.




They enjoy concord grapes growing!



They love the screened in porch that is original to the house.





Another view from the porch.



I believe kitty, Louisa May, approves!



Their property includes two acres of field and frontage to a natural pond. They are putting in a dock this summer.




Jessika's English husband and one of the twins.




You can follow Jessika on Instagram here.




Jan

How To Be Content

It's mid June and that means flowers in the yard are showing off.



We don't get a lot of roses but the ones we do get are so pretty.  Blue hydrangeas and roses are blooming.



This variety starts like this....



And turns more orange as days go by.  Joseph Coat roses, I believe.



If you study them closely you can see the different colors on the same rose.  I love to try and capture the beauty of flowers.  It's the act of capturing their beauty that makes me grateful for them.  I have to take the time to study them and really see their beauty.  Their beauty resides in my home for a few days and I make it a point to cherish them.  It's not a big bouquet of flowers, it IS perfect in what it is.

I have not been financially compensated for sharing Rachael Cruze's post that is to follow. I ran across this and I thought it was so important for so many of us to take in.  I was given permission to use her words but only in their entirety so these are her words.

The Cure for Comparisons

The Joneses are broke, so why do we try so hard to keep up with them?
In her upcoming book, Love Your Life, Not Theirs: 7 Money Habits for Living the Life You Want (releasing this October), Rachel Cruze spotlights the danger of comparison living. It’s a trap that leads nowhere worth going.
Today, we’re excited to release the second excerpt from her book—on this very topic of comparisons. Look for more information and book excerpts from Love Your Life, Not Theirs in the coming months here on daveramsey.com!

The Cure for Comparisons

Too many people allow cultural expectations—that is, other people—to dictate their own values and family priorities. I’ve been there too. I know it’s an empty and endless battle to try to keep up. You feel like a hamster on a wheel, running as hard and fast as you can and ultimately going nowhere. Doing that for a lifetime will leave you completely exhausted. But your life doesn’t have to look like that. There is hope; there is an antidote. There is one and only one cure to comparison living, and that is contentment.

What Contentment Looks Like

In our book Smart Money Smart Kids, my dad and I make the point that content people don’t always have the best of everything, but they make the best of everything. Contentment isn’t a place you get to financially; it’s a place you get to emotionally and spiritually. It’s a peace in your spirit that knows what you have, no matter how much or how little, is enough. Contentment is the inner determination to be happy and fulfilled wherever you are with whatever you have. The Apostle Paul put it like this: "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances" (Philippians 4:11 NIV). And, yes, I know this is a lot easier said than done.
I wish I could give you specific steps to take to guarantee your contentment, but I can’t. I will tell you the two big secrets to living a contented life, but before we get there, let’s take a look at what a content person looks like. You may realize that you have some of these people around you already. You may even realize that you are one yourself!

Content People Are Satisfied

Contentment allows you to be in a state of joy and satisfaction. You are happy with where you are in life. That doesn’t mean you don’t have goals for the future or that you aren’t working toward being a better person tomorrow than you are today. It definitely doesn’t mean that you’re stagnant or apathetic, or that you’re choosing to sit around and do nothing new, exciting, and challenging with your life. It just means that you have a peace about your life and a sincere enjoyment about what you have today without basing all your happiness on what you hope to achieve tomorrow.
Since we’re talking about comparisons, I will give you one big tip here: It’s almost impossible to be satisfied with your own life if you’re constantly looking at what someone else has. If you’re struggling to appreciate the blessings in your life and if you’re constantly distracted by the #blessings of other people, it may be time to put some blinders on for a little while.
Shut off the social networks. Stop strolling through the mall. Unsubscribe from all those email newsletters and advertisements that try to convince you how much you’re missing. Spend that time and energy focusing on how much you truly have. Look at your family, your friends, your home, your job, and all the things in your life that really matter. Then rejoice in all you have.
Preorder Love Your Life, Not Theirs today and receive $70 worth of free bonus material with your book! To learn more about Rachel Cruze and her latest book, visit RachelCruze.com.

I do think a key thing with being content with where you are in your life is to be using your gifts you were born with.  There is something so utterly satisfying about using them and when they uplift others.  A while back I shared a post with you about making you feel good with what you have now in your home.  I like to call it celebrating what you have.  That is in essence what I strive to do with my blog.  By focusing on the beauty around us I have become much more grateful for what I have now.  I believe anyone can celebrate where they are if they are able to use their gifts, whatever they may be.











Jan

How To Cool Off With a Sea Shells Vignette

How to cool off with a sea shells vignette is the theme today.  Turquoise watering can that has been naturally distressed by living on the back porch.  Another vessel for holding the pretty pink flowers is the turquoise bucket. The turquoise blue brandy sifter that I ran across on Ebay,has been repurposed to hold a sea shell here.  It all comes together for a summer loving but cooling vignette with sea shells.  If you aren't at the beach, you can still enjoy some of the pretty sights of being there.  I hope you feel a little relief from the heat, as least visually with the following photos.


























Jan