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a slice of life
a slice of life

two years ago today…

Two years ago today, we moved from Biglerville, PA to our current home in Rochester, MN.  Can you believe it’s been two years?!  In some ways, it feels like we’ve been here longer than that and, in other ways, it seems like we just got here. There are certainly things I miss about PA.  I miss living close to my parents and an easy 6-7 hours away from Jeff’s family.  There are, of course, people that I miss.  And, I miss my favorite antique stores.  I had some pretty sweet honey holes and some great business connections who consistently helped me find good stuff.  (If you’re in the PA/MD/VA area, you can check out my list of favorite places HERE and HERE.) Even with those things that I miss, I’m so glad we moved.  This is the right place for us in this season of life. Jeff loves his job

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July 24, 2019 25 Comments
a slice of life

mastery & all things worthwhile

Mastery… I’ve been thinking about that word a lot lately and have been challenged by it as I’ve been reading books like Essentialism and The Creative Habit. If I had to draw a diagram of my creative journey, it would probably look more like a spiderweb than a straight or even meandering path that heads in one direction.  And, I have to be honest, these books have made me feel like that’s wrong. I once was on a straight path that led to Broadway. The markers on that path were plays, voice lessons, dance classes, monologues, auditions, stagecraft, improvisation, and hours of rehearsals. It was practicing a routine until I could do it without thinking and rehearsing a script until I could mutter it in my sleep. It was singing scales to improve my range and learning how to stand in the hotspot of a light without looking at it. 

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July 16, 2019 95 Comments
a slice of life

Maison

I will admit to being a bit of a book junky.  You would think, then, that I love frequenting the local library.  But, the books I read are typically for reference, so I want to be able to make notes in them and fill them with sticky bookmarks.  I want to be able to revisit them again and again.  So, one of my favorite places to hang out is the local Barnes & Nobel.  A trip there is almost always included in an afternoon out of the house or when Jeff & I are on a date night.  And I often come home with a bag heavy with a book or two and maybe a magazine. In our most recent trip, I came across a delightful book I had never heard of – Maison.  My interest was immediately piqued because it was a collaboration between a watercolor artist and an

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July 11, 2019 21 Comments
a slice of life

june favorites

As I was compiling this list, I realized I had a lot of favorites in June!  I ended up editing the list down a bit more because it was getting pretty long.  I think that’s a sign that it was a good month. That doesn’t mean everything went right or smooth, but it was full.  Full of learning and doing and finding new favorites and things that moved me. Here is a smattering of those things… Jamestown If you’ve been with me for any amount of time, you know I love period dramas.  So, of course, I’m always excited to see what projects PBS/Masterpiece/ITV/BBC are working on that involve corsets.  A show I’ve enjoyed for a few seasons is Jamestown.  It’s the story of the Jamestown settlement told primarily through three women.  Now, this is not a show for those who want pure historical accuracy.  From what I’ve read on

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July 7, 2019 16 Comments
a slice of life

born on the fourth of july

For most Americans, the fourth of July is about celebrating our independence.  As I was growing up, that was the same for us, but there was an added celebration in our family.  It was my Opa’s birthday.  And he didn’t shrug off his birthday as most people do when they age.  He declared his special day to everyone within earshot and made sure they all knew that the fireworks were for him.  I remember watching the explosions of light and color while sitting on his knee when I was a little girl and he would say things like, “Isn’t it great that the whole country celebrates my birthday?”  The fourth of July party at their local country club was also know as Marshall Johnson’s birthday party.  He was a charismatic, well-liked man, so not only could he get away with it, but everyone played along. It’s a game that’s been

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July 4, 2019 50 Comments
a slice of life

number one

On my @marianparsonsart Instagram, I shared my very first oil painting along with this caption… Number one. This was my first attempt at oil painting just over two years ago. You can see my tentative use of the paint. The barely-there stippled cloud declares my uncertainty. The mishandling of the colors and weak composition show my lack of knowledge and skill. ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But, you can’t get to painting number 500 or 1000 or 10,000 without having a number one. ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Don’t compare your number one to someone else’s number 500 or 10,000. Let your number one be your number one…in all of its embarrassing artistic immaturity. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You have to start somewhere and this is where I started. ⠀⠀ As a comparison, this is my most recent landscape painting, almost two years and around 400 paintings, a dozen online art courses, and 100 art books later… I felt

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July 2, 2019 50 Comments
a slice of life

all things lavender

When I shared my “secret” for making my house smell nice,  I received several requests here and on Instagram to share the exact lavender products I use.  Well, I aim to please, so here are the products I use in our home… Actually, before I show you the specific products, I’m going to make a request.  I have learned that, for some reason, discussions about cleaning products can get heated.  This is just one of those things that you learn after 10 years of blogging!  I think the reason is how we chose the products we use for cleaning, laundry, and bathing can be heavily informed by our convictions about the environment and health.  If someone is using a product we feel is wrong or bad for general health or the environment, we can get opinionated and verbal about it, because it doesn’t align with something that important to us.

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June 24, 2019 64 Comments
a slice of life

ecridor retro fountain pen

I used to spend my birthday money on clothes.  It just seemed like the thing to do.  Go out, do a little shopping, buy a few new things.  But, a few years ago, I realized that those clothes just got lost in the rotation of articles pulled from my closet when I needed something to wear.  I didn’t remember what I got for my birthday or what I bought when I needed or wanted something.  My birthday money wasn’t being spent on something that was truly special and I didn’t like that.  It felt wasteful. So, a few years ago, I decided to pool all of my birthday money together and buy something memorable.  I bought my 1800’s ironstone cake stand… Even as I was bidding on it on eBay, I was nervous; literally biting my nails.  I kept waffling and debating with myself.  I shouldn’t spend this much money

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June 17, 2019 61 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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