Old & New

First, the new...

I tried this recipe for Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos over the weekend and it was AMAZING!  So easy - dump everything into a crockpot and walk away (the only way I cook).

I've eaten it as tacos and as nachos (just throw some tortilla chips on a plate, top with this chicken and some cheese and microwave).

SO good!

Source

Now the old...

Lili is going vintage!

I've been stockpiling vintage clothing and home decor for a while, and the time has come to try to part with some of those great finds that I have no use for (but couldn't pass up!).

We'll see if I can bring myself to actually do it...

Back to lili

I recently reread The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and remembered my vow to start eating better. Back then, I was feasting on stale microwave popcorn. Lately, it's been chex mix and sweet tarts.  Delicious, yes. But not for dinner. (Not every night anyway.)

So I went onto Pinterest, pinned a bunch of recipes and headed to the grocery store.

I started with this mushroom pizza with havarti cheese, fresh herbs, and white truffle oil.

It was AMAZING!

The recipe says it takes 8 minutes but that's a lie. It takes 8 minutes to BAKE. It takes longer to cook the mushrooms, grate the cheese, etc.  But not much longer.  (And it was worth it!)

My little shop is doing well in its new location. Changes may be afoot (I swear I'm cursed!), but until then I'm continuing to proceed (with caution).  Worse case scenario is still ending up with a house full of cute stuff.

That wouldn't be so bad...

Minimalism Resolution

This past New Year's Eve, I celebrated by going to bed early and watching Netflix (and I have zero regrets).

After finishing The Crown (SO GOOD!), I decided to try Minimalism, "a documentary about the important things".  It was created by two guys who left successful (but unfulfilling) careers, wrote a book, and went on tour.

I loved it.

I'd scrolled past it a million times, and have no idea why I didn't watch it earlier. I have A LOT of stuff, and I've been consistently trying to get rid of things I don't LOVE, dating back to (at least) August 15, 2010.

I was so inspired, I jumped out of bed and emptied a dresser that has always bugged me. (I bought it in New York and just couldn't find a place for it in this house.)

Turns out, I could not only get rid of the dresser, but also about 90% of the stuff in it. (YAY!)

The next day, though, I started thinking...

Can I justify running a retail business that sells STUFF, and support the concept of minimalism? 

Yes!

The point isn't to just get rid of material possessions. Instead, it's about getting rid of the excess, the stuff we don't LOVE.

So, I'm trying to get products in the store that I think people will love - high quality, reasonably priced, and (as much as possible), products that are somehow sustainable, recycled, cruelty-free, environmentally friendly, or do something (anything!) good for the world and won't end up just taking up space.

So, keep an eye on lili as I continue to add new products, and check out The Minimalists if you need a little inspiration to clear out your excess stuff!

And if you have Netflix, watch The Crown and Stranger Things too!  

SO GOOD!

Happy 2017!

I know.

It's been a while.

I kept waiting for things to settle down, but realized that may never happen, so long story short...

I turned down a permanent position at the mortgage company, and finally accepted a position managing the office of an insurance agent in a nearby town.

I say "finally" because we've been talking about this for over four years!

I really wasn't interested (Insurance?  Ugh, no.), but eventually ran out of excuses so agreed to give it a try.

One year.

The thing is, I actually like it...

The people are nice and the agents (husband and wife) I work for aren't pushy - they actually care about their clients (maybe all insurance agents do?). And I really feel like we're helping people, which I like.

It's only been two months, so we'll see.  (Although, with the last 3 jobs (!), I've known way before the two month point that it wasn't going to work.)

In other "finally" news, I finally launched my shop! (Again, that took much longer than expected!)

I created a website, and also have a Facebook page and accounts on Instagram and Pinterest. A friend suggested I call it "lili" and I couldn't think of anything better so "lili" it is!

I started in mid-September in a storefront that also includes an antique store and a bakery.  That was going well, until the people who ran the antique store didn't think we were busy enough, so started closing the shop to work another job.

I moved out of there at the beginning of November and into another shop in town. We agreed to go through the end of the year, and I recently decided I just couldn't afford to continue in that space.

Now I'm in the process of re-opening the gift shop in a historic, boutique hotel called The Decker Hotel (conveniently located in the same town as the insurance company).

The Decker is a beautiful old hotel and the restaurant and bar are more upscale.  And, a lot of the musicians who perform at Codfish Hollow (SO COOL!) stay there, so it's turning into this really hip place to be!  I'm hoping to add to that upscale, cool, hipness!

I'm also hoping that things do eventually settle down and Lord Tennyson is right!