Gratefully Yours

Should you be hosting a gathering at your home this Thanksgiving, here are some tips from food writer Laurie Colwin (1944-1992) that always soothe me when I become nervous about having a lot of people over.

(My dining table)

From "More Home Cooking: A Writer Returns to the Kitchen":

1. Unless you're that sort of person, don't drive yourself nuts.

2. People are made happy by delicious food, and you do not have to knock yourself out to be thrilling or original.

3. Never try out something you have never made before on a large (or small, for that matter) number of people.

4. Serve a few delicious things in large quantity.

5. Always buy more lemons than you think you need.

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On a personal note, I am thankful to all of you who have visited my blog over the past two years and have made my journey such an exciting and fulfilling one. A blog is a conversation between like-minded friends and I have learned as much from you as (hopefully) you have from me -- the other night, I counted 8 books stacked next to my bed that I bought on recommendations from all of you!

The more I explore the landscape of art, travel and domesticity, the more certain I become that the meaning of life is to be found in every moment of living. "A Bloomsbury Life" is my way of recording all these little beats - a shaft of light illuminating a bunch of peonies, the laughter of friends around a dinner table, the euphoria of the first cup of coffee, the joy of reading on a blanket beneath a tree - that elevate the everyday into something sacred. If, during the final moments of one's life, we really do get to enjoy a personal "highlights" reel, I know it's those things that will flash by me in vivid color, not the job promotions or the corner office I had in New York. The little stuff is the big stuff.

With hugs and gratitude,

xx/lisa