Tag: Sarah Ban Breathnach

My Abundant Life 5-29-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 29th, 2026

Favorite Things: Enjoying Cherished Collections

“Each item in a collection has its own story, its own memory—the search, the day you bought it, who you were with, the vacation…”

Tricia Guild (British Designer; 1946) & Elizabeth Wilhide (Author & Novelist)

“One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach, One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.”

Anne Morrow Lindbergh (American Writer & Aviator; June 22nd, 1906 to February 7th, 2001)

“I know that I will be remembered as authentic and love possessed as BEing in my life in every moment allows me to suck every last drop of wonderfulness this life has offered each one of us as a gift. Snatch it and never let go!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 181 to 183 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

My Abundant Life 5-28-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 28th, 2026

By Love Possessed

“Your possessions express your personality. Few things, including clothes, are more personal than your cherished ornaments. The pioneer women, who crossed a wild continent clutching their treasures to them, knew that a clock, a picture, a pair of candlesticks meant home, even in the wilderness.”

Good Housekeeping (August 1952)

“I believe our possessions can be very revealing, offering insights into our personalities in intimate and illuminating ways. I believe surrounding ourselves with objects that speak to our souls can bring us authentic moments of pleasure. But I do not believe our possessions define us. Instead, I believe it’s what you love that expresses the authentic woman you are, not what you own.”

“Today I wish for you, as I wish for myself, that when our authentic adventure comes to a close, we can also be remembered as being by love possessed.”

“I know that I will be remembered as authentic and love possessed as BEing in my life in every moment allows me to suck every last drop of wonderfulness this life has offered each one of us as a gift. Snatch it and never let go!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 178 to 181 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

My Abundant Life 5-27-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 27th, 2026

An Interior Vision Inventory

“We shape our dwellings, and afterwards our dwellings shape us.”

Winston Churchill (Statesman & Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; November 30th, 1874 to January 24th, 1965)

“I think I am my home mold and shape one another.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 177 to 178 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

My Abundant Life 5-26-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 26th, 2026

Let Passion Be Your Decorator

“Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.”

David Easton (Canadian-American Political Scientist; June 24th, 1917 to July 19th, 2014)

“…discovering your authentic decorating style is very similar to the creative stages of writing a book. A book may look inanimate, but like a home, it lives, breathes, and expresses your being.”

“…we need to bring a sense of passion to our work. Let passion be your muse, the authentic decorator. Let her guide and teach you to trust your instincts. Aspire to live surrounded only by those things that you passionately love. Be patient: a magnum opus can take a lifetime to create.”

“I can’t paint. I can’t write. I can’t sing. But I can decorate and run a house, and light it, and heat it, and have it like a living thing…”

Elsie de Wolfe (American Actress; December 20th, 1865 to July 12th, 1950)

“I believe a home reveals who dwells within, so make it a haven!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 175 to 177 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

My Abundant Life 5-25-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 25th, 2026

Passion: The Authentic Muse

“What is passion? It is surely the becoming of a person.”

John Boorman (Filmmaker; January 18th, 1933)

“Passion, after all, means the abandonment of reason in the reckless pursuit of pleasure…”

“Passion is wild, chaotic, unpredictable. Permissive. Excessive. Obsessive.”

“…passion is the muse of authenticity. It’s the primordial, pulsating energy that infuses all of life, the numinous presence made known with every beat of our hearts.”

“Every day offers us another opportunity to live passionate lives rather than passive ones, if we will bear witness to passion’s immutable presence in the prosaic. If we will stop denying ourselves pleasure.”

“Passion is holy—a profound Mystery that transcends and transforms through rapture. We need to accept that a sacred fire burns within, whether we’re comfortable with this truth or not. Passion is part of Real Life’s package because we were created by Love, for Love, to Love. If we do not give outward expression to our passion, we will experience self-immolation—the spontaneous combustion of our souls.”

“The only sin passion can commit is to be joyless.”

Dorothy L. Sayers (English Novelist & Playwright; June 13th, 1893 to December 17th, 1957)

“I must not be a sinner as I live passionately, love passionately and thrive passionately.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 174 to 175 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

My Abundant Life 5-24-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 24th, 2026

The Fullness of Nothing

“Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.”

Nikos Kazantzakis (Greek writer& Journalist; February 18th, 1883 to October 27th, 1957)

“In Japanese culture, the negative spaces in art, philosophy, religion, design, business, and life are not thought of as empty but rather as ‘full of nothing.'”

The empty spaces, or the “Shroud of the unknown surrounding certain events,: is referred to in Japanese as ma, a word for which there is no English translation.

Richard Tanner Pascale (Academic; June 14th, 1938 to May 24th, 2024)

“…the empty space is pregnant with possibility, shrouded by the unknown until the time is right for it to be reveled.”

“Nothing is more real than nothing.”

Samuel Beckett (Irish Novelist & Playwright; April 13th, 1903 to December 22nd, 1989)

“We need either to become more comfortable with waiting to fill what’s empty with what’s authentic or become just willing to accept the exquisite fullness of nothing. Life’s landscape becomes a lot more interesting when we realize there’s an entire dimension we’ve never considered before simply because we couldn’t see it.”

“I don’t feel compelled to collect things for the sake of collecting. Instead I prefer to surround myself with items that have significance to me and my life journey.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 173 to 174 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

My Abundant Life 5-23-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 23rd, 2026

Nurturing Your Authentic Flair

“An interior is the natural projection of the soul.”

Coco Chanel (French Fashion Designer & Businesswoman; August 19th, 1883 to January 10th, 1971)

“The Simple Abundance path is about transformation. But transformation cannot occur without transition. This is a transitional period of liminality when things are barely perceptible—a personal rite of passage, from sleepwalking to awakening, The process is the reality and it cannot be rushed.”

“For me the practical use of space and surrounding myself with things that are significant to me creates my haven to thrive within.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 171 to 173 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

My Abundant Life 5-22-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 22nd, 2026

The Home of Your Dreams

“If I were to name the chief benefit of the house, I should say; the house shelters daydreaming.”

Gaston Bachelard (French Philosopher; June 27th, 1884 to October 16th, 1962)

“It takes literally years to birth a dream, whether it’s a family, a career, a home, or a lifestyle. Dreams exact a price.”

“Take what you want, say the good God, but be prepared to pay for it.”

ancient proverb

“Dreams cost money, sweat, frustration, tears, courage, choices, perseverance, and extraordinary patience. But birthing a dream requires one more thing. Love. Only love can transform a houseful of needy, self-centered individuals into a loving, close-knit family, a passion into a livelihood, or a mere dwelling into a home that perfectly expresses your authenticity.”

“…it had a heart and soul, and eyes to see with; and approvals and solicitudes and deep sympathies; it was us, and we were in its confidence and lived in its grace and in the peace of its benedictions. We never came home from an absence that its face did not light up and speak out in eloquent welcome—and we could not enter it unmoved.”

Samuel Clemens “Mark Twain” (American Writer & Humorist; November 20th, 1885 to April 21st, 1910)

I dwell in possibility.”

Emily Dickinson (American Poet; December 10th, 1830 to May 15th, 1886)

“No matter where I have dwelled, I have taken pride in making it a sanctuary and home haven to gently hug the one inside with love, warmth a coziness.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 170 to 171 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

My Abundant Life 5-21-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant Life2 Comments

May 21st, 2026

A Nest of Comforts

“Ah! There’s nothing like staying home for real comfort.”

Jane Austin (Writer; December 16th, 1775 to July 18th, 1817)

“—the essential spiritual grace of our homes should possess is the solace of comfort. As we discover and express our authenticity through our surroundings, comfort becomes our priority.”

“I simply love a cozy home.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 169 to 170 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

My Abundant Life 5-20-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 20th, 2026

The Art of Puttering

“Puttering is really a time to be alone, to dream and to get in touch with yourself…To putter is to discover.”

Alexandria Stoddard (Author & Interior Designer; November 8th, 1941)

“…puttering is a solitary pursuit, to be appreciated with an unhurried pace for maximum metaphysical benefits. The essence of puttering is rearranging…”

“Part of the pleasure of puttering is free association. Think of puttering as a domestic Rorschach test. Instead of interpreting inkblots, we muse on the hidden meaning of personal possessions until we flow on to dreams, choices, risks, pleasures, authentic preferences.”

“‘Creative puttering’ is actually one of my favorite things to do at home. It helps us to become aware of what’s still important to us, what continues to have meaning. This quiet, private act can…bring the different aspects of your life into sharp focus—and identify your needs.”

Alexandria Stoddard (Author & Interior Designer; November 8th, 1941)

“I pretty much putter every season change.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 167 to 169 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.