First Up - My Dream Outdoor Space

Apparently there's a guy - Jamie Durie - who has a show on HGTV called The Outdoor Room. I really didn't need to know that. If there's anything I could be addicted to, it's HGTV. I haven't watched TV (other than the occasional late Saturday night Criminal Minds re-run) for well over 2 years. But now that I work from home, it's just not right that I should discover a show on how to create something I've wanted since we were able to buy a house of our own ... an Outdoor Room.

So I chose the article about how Jamie Durie can advise me on creating the perfect Outer Sanctum in the September 2011 issue of Better Homes and Gardens as my Project "Good Advice" 1st try.

"Jamie encourages everyone who has a small patch of earth - or even just a patio or deck - to re-imagine their exterior environment as a functional, eco-friendly living space."

OK … Here's what I recently tore out of a magazine as my OMG-I-Want-That outdoor space.

Nice, huh?

Jamie’s featured space in BH&G is also quite nice.  I was particularly interested in the pictures of his “green roof” pergolas.  He made planter boxes at the top of the pergolas to hold plants of all sorts, that beautifully, elegantly and naturally hang/sprout/blossom around the edges of the roof.

Well, I think I have this one nailed.  I don’t even need to read how to do it, ‘cause we already have that going on.  See that, at the top of our roofline?  It’s vegetation my friends.

Yep, we are avant-garde at our house, and now boast an eco-friendly, green roof of our very own.  So it’s a little brown now, and I’m pretty sure that what’s growing in the gutter isn’t supposed to, but I interpret this as a start to my new and improved outdoor space.  Whaddya think?
We are constantly trying to re-imagine our spaces.  We’ve been in home improvement mode since 1998. These last 2 years we have been outdoor focused.  Taking out a crumbled and broken old driveway, expanding and re-paving it, and slowly (for real – very slowly) have been reconstructing our front space to include little luxuries such as steps and walkways.

How close are we to getting my dream outdoor space?

Yeah … even my favorite tree just up and died this summer waiting for this to get finished.

When Mr Durie tells me to grow a green wall, I’m pretty sure he isn’t thinking NW Moss.  Or to get comfortable and set out a day bed with soft luxurious cushions as a must-have, we’d be talking moving furniture out of the house or garage for about 10 (non-consecutive) days out of the year (the rest of the year it would just take up space we don’t have). Or to add fire as a sensual element, but comes with a huge caveat: not if you own any of these!

I remind myself that he lives in sunny southern California, is a TV Host who can write off his hobby as business deduction and was born with wicked creativity and imagination – none of which are part of my particular situation at this time (and unlikely to be in the future).

Here’s my take away though:  our spaces should accommodate our life, not the other way around.  I will work on that piece of advice for all the projects we undertake.

And if anyone knows Jamie, tell him to stop by … and lend some much needed specific advice I can really hang a flower basket on.

Cheers!

Let Project "Good Advice" Begin

Like thousands of others, I love to read. As a kid, I devoured books. I'd read in the morning; while making/burning lunch for my family (we lived in Europe where our school lunch breaks were 2 hours long at which point we ate our main meal of the day – more than once my reading resulted in charred meats and inedible food); at night with a flashlight under the covers; in the car; on hikes in the Alps ... pretty much everywhere and anytime. That is, up to the time when I transferred into an American High School after moving to the States. Having to make friends, adjust to American living, schoolwork and a job left little time for pleasure reading. Even less once I started college and held 2-3 jobs simultaneously to pay for it. With responsibilities and loans to pay back after graduation, jobs and my own business became my obsessions, my ambitions, serious business ... no time for childish whims or activities, like reading books that weren't, you know, serious business.

But like any "addict", I found myself needing a reading fix and my love of magazines was born. With little time for lengthy books and unable to shoulder the guilt of, god forbid, indulging in a novel, the magazine article became my perfect mental holiday.  So it has been for the last few decades that my apartments, offices and now house are littered with a variety of magazines, many that I can’t part with even after reading cover to cover.  There always seems to be some nugget of wisdom I’m meant to absorb and fold into my life.  As a chronic malcontent, I am lured by the promises each cover of Self, O, Shape, Fast Company or Entrepreneur make to me each month.  They tell me there is a better way, a better life just waiting for me just inside the front cover. 

Well, because I’ve now invested a small fortune in subscriptions and considerable time and space to my beloveds, I’ve decided that maybe it’s time to put some of that good advice to work.  Can I actually live a balanced, fabulous, healthy, beautiful, delicious, organized, inspired, wealthy life just by taking the counsel offered so readily month after month?

I am challenging myself: starting with four September issues, I will attempt to apply the guidance proffered in these magazines and track my balanced life quotient.  And I will blog about my experiment.  I can tell, even as I write this, that I may be setting myself up for failure.  Reading the words is so much easier than actually doing things to tangibly improve my life, but to add the writing about the process … uh, yeah … well I can only try my best.

Just so I can come back to this post in about a week or so and understand what the heck I was thinking, my purpose in doing this is to gradually improve my life and inch towards happiness, contentment, satisfaction, fulfillment.  For my practical self, it’s to finally make use of the investment of time and money into these product-mongering publications.  And to be totally honest, it is practice for what’s coming up in my new business venture and the blog, newsletters, articles, products, reports that I have committed to putting out there for people to avail themselves of to improve their lives and their small businesses.

I’m already late in the game since the October issues are pouring in, but to stay true to my idea, I will start with my favorites in the September issues of Self, O, Prevention and Better Homes & Gardens.  September is my mental new year, the time when I try to get clear on my intentions and take actions to move them forward.  It’s my renewal time in a way.  I know that for many people Spring is renewal, but Fall for me tends to be ‘buckle-down’ time, ‘get-productive-and-get-‘er-done’ time, a relic of my school training and habits formed early on and drilled throughout my academic career.

I don’t think there’s anything in this month’s issues that says drink after you post on your blog, but I may start my own first tradition and pour some bubbly to celebrate.  Cheers!!

Tini's & Tata's

What should one do, say, when they've lost the equivalent of a small child in weight? When they now need some body-enhancing and spirit-enhancing feminine goodies? When it's been decided that The Girls need a boost? When one needs help walking through the ultimate intimidation of the House that super beautiful (and well-endowed) models built ... for the first time ever?


That's right ... one gathers 4 of her besties, sucks it up (literally) and heads to "Vicky's" (VS, Victoria's, whatever you call it). And it takes no less than 4 lovelies, people, plus the helpful sales assistant, to achieve the goal of walking out with the right stuff:


- The organizer to make sure the sales gal understands what stage of sizing we're at and to ask her to bring more to get the perfect fit (even if it's more than 20 different kinds)

- The caretaker/shopper to go out onto the floor and search for the perfect color and make suggestions once the perfect style is found

- The artist to make you try on the top contenders over and over, shirt off/shirt on, sizing up boobs-to-waist ratio and proper cleavage visuals

- The agent to adjust, perfect the fit, negotiate the look, represent the husband's perspective

Once the pretty pink bags were all filled, the next best thing is heading to the bar for GNO Martinis and some down and dirty girl talk.

Tini's & Tata's field trip = total success (especially the from the feedback on the homefront)

Thanks ladies!!!

My Crazy Heart is Distracting Me

I don't know what it is lately, but I'm having feelings. The kind of feelings that are hard to describe in words, especially for me since I rarely let feelings get anywhere near me (except anger and impatience - those I'm real familiar with).

What do these feelings mean??? And am I supposed to be feeling this all the time? Usually I can name it, claim it and move on. Now even my dreams are manifesting weirdness, and you know how I love my dream world!!!

I feel anxious, almost like a worry, like I've forgotten something or need to fix something. But at the same time, it's an eager anxious, not ominous. What's that about?

I have butterflies in my stomach - but I'm not nervous. It's more anticipatory. But I have no clue what I'm anticipating. It's like I'm looking forward to something all the time ... just wish I knew what it was so that when it gets here I'll know to be ecstatic.

I get short of breath - not in a physical, heart-attacky way. Its just that I have to remind myself to breath, in and out, deeply, just to stay grounded. And alive.

I'm about ready to jump out of my skin more frequently. Like my need for speed and to just get going. My fantasies about getting a motorcycle are more frequent than ever and with summer coming up ... just don't be surprised if you see me heading for the hills on a Honda Shadow or something like it.

And my crazy heart is distracting me. My concentration is at times sharper and sometimes nowhere to be found. It's like someone is trying to pry my heart open with the jaws of life to get at something that I really can't fathom is there. It races (not in the hormones-gone-awry way), and flips and sometimes just hurts from whatever internal battles are raging in there. It feels strange, not bad, but definitely not usual for me.

But I'm also the most calm, clear and happy I've been in a long time. Never content mind you (I'm always looking for what's next), but I seem to be ready for something.

Could it also be that I've opened my heart to others, when it's been closed off for so long - a protective shield built way back in my childhood, finally breaking down to let other's hearts touch mine? One of my internal voices is telling me it's emotional suicide to make myself so vulnerable to others, yet another voice is rejoicing that I'm finally making true connections with my friends - old and new.

I'm good sitting with these feelings for a while, not ready to make them go away just yet. I'd have eaten them away in the past, but those bad habits are thankfully vanquished. They make me feel hopeful, connected to something bigger, able to give more of myself to others.

And maybe, just maybe, all of my recent self-reflection is guiding me finally to learning who I am and what I want in my life and that is the most exciting thing of all!

5 Ways To Find Happiness Today

Funny - I realized in re-reading my blog posts that I rarely blog when I'm happy, just mostly when I'm overwhelmed. So I won't feel guilty about not blogging much in the last year - means I was mostly very happy. Friday is tomorrow and I thought a nice way to kick off the weekend would be to share 5 ways to get to happy!

1. Find time to get together with friends.
Nearly every weekend since before Christmas we have spent time with friends and/or family. The charge you get from spending time with people you truly like and love is an immediate happy booster. This is your open invitation to give us a holler - we'd love to see you. I think we get to spend time talking vacations with the Delano-Sprombergs Saturday night as well as celebrating J's end of basketball season with his longtime Shark team pals. I'm jazzed already!

2. Recall an achievement you made in the last 7 days and be proud.
No matter how small (if the dishes or the laundry got done at least once, that counts), accomplishments make us feel good about ourselves and give us a boost of energy and confidence that can last all day. I managed to get re-finance paperwork together for our broker AND I got our nice City inspector to sign off on our traffic control inspection for the work we're having done in our yard. She even commented that my drawings submitted with the permit app was better than most contractors. Well thank you VERY much!! Oh, and bonus for me, my dentist and dental hygienist both gave me huge kudos for flossing regularly and gave me an A+ for a beautiful set of pearly whites. See, it's the little things.

3. Recall something you learned in the last week.
Again, it doesn't have to be huge to have a beneficial impact. What's something you know now that you didn't know before? This week, I learned about excavating. I know, you can hardly contain your excitement. Me too!!!

4. Continue to work towards a goal, even if its one teeny tiny step.
Do at least one thing that will bring you one step closer to a goal you have. I think I have a date wtih Home Depot to start shopping for our house projects. Yay!!

5. Tickle your kids. And kiss your spouse/significant other/closest stranger on the street (Ok not the last one really unless you are really happy) for at least 60 seconds ... Deeply, passionately, continuously.
I cant wait for tomorrow already!!!

Have a happy Friday all!

You Know You've Found Your Way When ...

...You can blog again! Was it just me or did 2009 fly by? It was quite the year, but one accomplishment in particular - and still in the works - has me celebrating and was a big part of what I spent time on in the last quarter of the year.

I was determined once and for all to stop the weight gain madness and get healthy. I was starting to worry more about being an invalid in my retirement, which isn't all that far away nowadays. I really didn't want to have the opportunity to stop work someday only to realize that I couldn't walk anywhere, play golf or swim in a pool. I didn't want my hard earned retirement savings to be eaten up by meds and dr appointments. I didn't want my kids to learn my bad habits and be tortured by their unhealthy habits and poor health because I wasn't disciplined enough to figure out how to be more healthy myself.

So I get to celebrate some today. I hope this is not my last celebration of this kind, but I am proud to have lost 28 lbs since October. It's not close to my goal, but it's that much closer and I am happy to have found a way to eat that is natural and healthy and that works for me. And I have hopefully imparted my family with some healthier eating habits as well along the way. Trips to the grocery store can take up to three times as long, but Mac and J are both reading labels - particularly if they would like me to buy something. More often than not, they will realize even before asking me that what they want isn't healthy and they will make the decision to forego said item. Doesn't always work (I didn't say they were perfect), but we've changed a lot about our habits that is making our clan happier all around.

I found my way by "bumping" into Jorge Cruise several times over the course of the year and after the third time I decided it wasn't a coincidence. I signed up for his online 12-week program and while his delivery needs help, I stuck with it. I had to invest time and money to make myself do it, but it worked for me and by eating low-sugar and low/healthy carbs I've been able to steadily get down 10lbs per month.

I know that weight loss blogs are boring, especially in January when everyone is being bombarded by resolutions, trips to the gym, and just trying to find the silver bullet to get this monkey off our backs once and for all, but I'm happy to "be back", grateful for all of you who kindly encouraged me to continue and didn't push those sugary lovelies at me for just a taste. I still have quite a ways to go, but I can confidently say I know how to get there and will keep working at it till I get there.

One Word, Two Words, 25 Things Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Me

BEWARE SUPER LONG POST!!!
I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but just really trying to be efficient here. And to stop feeling guilty.

This will be overwhelming if you read it all, but with all the FB tags (I love reading all about everyone else, believe me!), I just needed to get this all out once and for all so I can stop feeling guilty about not tagging people back in a timely manner. Also, I tried to get all of this in Notes on FB and the stupid thing made me lose the entire notes at least 4 times. I should have quit after one, but I am nothing if not persistent. So read at your leisure ... or not. But I will be referring back to this next time I'm tagged. My alter ego Sarcastica may put in an answer or two, beware.


ONE WORD

1. Where is your cell phone?

2. Your significant other? loved

3. Your hair? pulled

4. Your mother? friend

5. Your father? which

6. Your favorite thing? dreams

7. Your dream last night? real

8. Your favorite drink? cosmo

9. Your dream/goal? independence

10. What room you are in? bedroom

11. Your hobby? parenting

12. Your fear? none

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? passionate

14. Where were you last night? meeting

16. Muffins? popyseed

17. Wish list item? lottery

18. Where you grew up? Switzerland

19. Last thing you did? dinner

20. What are you wearing? sweats

21. Your TV? off

22. Your pets? old

23. Friends? real

24. Your life? unfulfilled

25. Your mood? weary

26. Missing some one? no

27. Car? dirty

28. Something you're not wearing? bra

29. Your favorite store? none

30. Your favorite color? all

33. When is the last time you laughed? Sunday

34. Last time you cried? unknown

35. One place that I go to over and over? daycare

36. One person who emails me regularly? DailyCandy

37. My favorite place to eat? out

38. Why you participated in this survey? guilt

39. What are you doing tonight? work



TWO WORDS

No more than 2 words can be used...

1. Where is your cell phone? hopefully trash

2. Your significant other? best friend

3. Your hair? still attached

4. Your mother? spritual creative

5. Your father? have several

6. Your favorite thing? two kids

7. Your dream last night?always fabulous

8. Your favorite drink? lemon drop

9. Your dream/goal? total freedom

10. The room you’re in? master bedroom

11. Your ex? maybe dead

12. Your fear? dying unfulfilled

13. Your worst enemy? nope none

14. Where were you last night? basketball practice

15. What you’re not? proactively thoughtful

16. Muffins? if available

17. One of your wish list items? win lottery

18. Where you were born? Spokane WA

19. The last thing you did? cooked dinner

20. What are you wearing? comfy sweats

21. Your TV? not on

22. Your pet/pets? arthritic sweetheart

23. Your computer? Necessary evil

24. Your life? lacking passion

25. Your mood? anxiously weary

26. Missing someone? no one

27. Something you’re not wearing? warm socks

28. Favorite Store? anything scrapbooking

29. Your summer? favorite season

31. Your favorite color? love all

32. Last time you laughed? Movie theater


25 THINGS

1. I can't live far from the ocean

2. I love disco and I just decided that we were going to have Saturday Night Fever open houses once a month at our house

3. My first car was a '69 Fiat Spider convertible as a senior in High school - bright yellow - and people used to break into it (real easy) just to sit in it. Annoying, but no harm no foul.

4. I love to travel and go to other countries to learn about and experience other cultures - have been to over 20 countries so far

5. I have a real hard time with any person harming or killing another in the name of a deity. I actually think they are the epitome of ignorant and evil.

6. I'm fascinated by religious data and history and would love to know the truths, but even if I knew I would never be religious (rather I am spiritual)

7. I worry that my newish circle of friends will dissolve or stop including me once our kids don't go to the same school next year. They feed my soul.

8. My husband won't share his music with me

9. I really don't get technology at all. Can't get my family movies off mini DV's, have no patience to troubleshoot any problem, can't get my iPod to do what its supposed to do, haven't been able to get my company's web site up and running in two years, etc.

10. My kids amaze me; just watching their everyday comings and goings when they don't know I'm watching is amazing. The way she sticks her tongue out when she concentrates, the twist of his feet when he's getting candy, the happy hip hops down the hall ... its all quite joyful.

11. I hate do-overs. Never dated a boyfriend twice, hate having my work edited and given back to me, was dismayed when Juice turned out to be much like Mac - felt like a do-over at the time.
12. I have the worse time starting conversations with anyone - people I know and people I don't. I'm not great at chit chat conversations preferring in depth interactions.

13. I'm super interested in how others live their lives. Sorry if I ask really personal questions, but its how I learn new things for myself

14. I'd love to be a magazine editor

15. I have over 20 half started books & magazines by my bed

16. I love mid-century modern decor - actually I love watching HGTV's decorating shows, particularly Color Splash and Myles of Style. I wish someone would help me cause I'm seriously color challenged (as witnessed by our purple house - not intentionally that way)

17. I keep looking for my life's passion

18. I'm a risk taker even though it always pushes me out of my comfort zone

19. I have a thing about not wanting to eat the same thing twice in the same quarter, so I make dinner menus that are different for at least 90 days - I actually have 180 options to pick from or more - I love going through online recipes or cookbooks for things my family will like

20. I will write a book

21. I'm not very lucky but I will win the lottery someday

22. I'm not a fan of hot liquids - not coffee, tea, soups, and while I like hot chocolate, I like it lukewarm

23. My one regret is that I wish I'd done college differently

24. I worry about having enough money in retirement and living poor

25. I toured with a major R&B star in my early 20's

More About Me .. Me Me Me ... Yay Me!

What time did you get up this morning? 8:10a – Juice climbed over Myron and pushed me off the bed to get under the covers between us.

Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds – big ones if possible.

What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Hotel for Dogs - quite funny

What is your favorite TV show? Can only watch one regularly off DVR – Heroes; but love the décor shows on HGTV if I get to indulge in more than 10 minutes at a time

What do you usually have for breakfast? Kashi cereal or toast

What is your middle name? Sue (mother’s name is Suzanne – could be after her but never asked)

What food do you dislike? Fruit (especially orange) on/in/with stuff like burgers, pizza, chicken, chocolate (only some fruit dipped in milk chocolate works); white asparagus; sweet pickles

What is your favorite CD at moment? I only have a couple in the queue in my car stereo – mostly Beatles, the original score to Hair; like everything on my iPod, but rarely have it with me and haven’t figured out how to move the library over to my laptop so I can add more songs (anyone feel free to offer to helpJ)

What kind of car do you drive? VW Passat (just hit the 100,000 mark!!!)

Favorite sandwich? BLTA, but love a really good tuna, egg salad or grilled cheese.

What characteristics do you despise? Lack of integrity

Favorite item of clothing? not a fan of anything I own at the moment

If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? can't pick just one – Australia, Vermont in the winter (or Davos, Switzerland), Alaska cruise, China, Turkey, African safari, The Maldives. Anywhere with a nice pool in warm sun

Favorite brand of clothing? None – don’t even know what kinds of brands exist

Where would you retire to? Friday Harbor – San Juan Islands with a view of the Sound

What was your most memorable birthday? My 16th – my mom took me to London for some shopping and to see premier of Grease. By far my favorite birthday!

Favorite sport to watch? Baseball, finals of any sport, Olympics

Are you a morning person or a night person? Night

What is your shoe size? 11

Pets? 1 – Merlin, the 11 year old great Dane who is still hanging around

Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? We bought our first rental/investment property!

What did you want to be when you were little? I just wanted to survive

What is your favorite candy? Almond Joy

What is your favorite flower? Dahlias

What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? The day we get to decorate the house for the holidays as a family

What are you listening to right now? The news on TV, the kids swiftering the playroom and bickering about who gets to do what, Myron trying to get them to stop and the dog barking

What was the last thing you ate? French Dip, fritos, grapes

Do you wish on stars? Absolutely

If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Don’t know any of those colors and could never pick just one

How is the weather right now? Freezing!

The first person you spoke to on the phone today? My mom

Favorite soft drink? Diet Coke

Favorite restaurant? Met Grill, Seattle

Real hair color ? Dirty Blonde

What was your favorite toy as a child? Books, Chinese jump rope and 2 friends (to hold it); my records

Summer or winter? Summer!

Hugs or kisses? Kisses

Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla

Coffee or tea? neither – don’t drink hot beverages much although I love a good hot chocolate as long as it's only lukewarm

When was the last time you cried? It’s actually been a little while. I tear up at the drop of a hat, so likely I did that 10 times today, 20 yesterday, etc, but haven’t had time to cry much lately

What is under your bed? I’m not even going to look – the things I know for sure are my stash of my very own tool box that no one is allowed to touch but me, a storage bin with shoes and lots and lots of dust and dog hair I’m sure. Could be other stuff, but ‘m not willing to look otherwise I will feel compelled to clean it out and I don’t feel like doing that today

What did you do last night? Went to see The Drowsy Chaperone at the 5th Ave – great show!

What are you afraid of? I try not to spend any time being afraid of anything – very unproductive
Salty or sweet? both... and together!

How many keys on your key ring? 6-7 I think

How many years at your current t job? 2

Favorite day of the week? Saturday or Sunday whichever has the least chores to do

How many cities have you lived in? 6

Do you make friends easily? No – I’m shy and not prone to talking first; but once I do make friends they are friends for life


Then (High School Senior Year) and Now - Share!

1. Did you date someone from your school?

No. I was too mature and too cool to date those "boys."


2. Did you marry someone from your high school?

No. Married in my 30's to someone not from my school


3. Did you carpool to school?

No.


4. What kind of car did you have?

'69 Fiat Spider convertible


5. What kind of car do you have now?

2000 VW Passat


6. It's Friday night ... where are you? (then)

Sneaking into a club with fake ID


7. It's Friday night ... where are you? (now)

At home in my jammies


8. What kind of job did you have in high school?

Cashier, Jack In The Box


9. What kind of job do you do now?

Director of Operations, Meetings industry


10. Were you a party animal?

I went to parties, but was the sensible one


11. Were you considered a flirt?

Not in high school - learned that skill in college


12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir?

No, came into high school from another country as a senior so had not idea there were these kinds of things


13. Were you a nerd?

I was a good student, but not considered a nerd


14. Did you get suspended or expelled?

Never


15. Can you sing the fight song?

Definitely not


16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)?

Teachers were the enemy, by my Chem teacher (can't remember her name) was really caring and the english teachers were both cute to look at


17. Where did you sit during lunch?

Cafeteria or outside


18. What was your school mascot?

Kangaroo (you heard me ... now stop snickering)


19. If you could go back and do it again, would you?

Only if circumstances were different (coming into High School before my Senior year) then maybe.


20. Did you have fun at prom?

I think so. I was glas to have been asked


21. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with?

Never saw him after graduation. I think he moved back to Japan and became a doctor


22. Are you planning on going to your next reunion?

Nope - didn't know anyone then and don't know anyone now (except for Linda who found me on FB recently)


23. Do you still talk to people from school?

No - see answer above.


OK - I'm done now!