Archive | February, 2012

you have options & turbulence is good

29 Feb

i’m going to be kind of all over the place. i’m sitting in chicago o’hare airport waiting to board a flight this morning and just reminiscing about a nasty email i received yesterday. why do we laser focus in on the negative and brush by the positive? there is this little voice inside my head that has been there for a while that i need to start to listen to

you have choices.

in this case, i have a choice on how much space i want to give this email in my head. in this case. just a little.

so many times we feel locked in a situation, locked in a routine, locked in because “that’s just the way we are” or locked into a negative remark or assumption someone has made about you. that’s so powerful. i think of remarks my dad made to my mom, that she was not a “planner” and i think that actually she was but because he said that so often, she began to believe she wasn’t.

SIDE BAR: people think i’m weird because i like turbulence on an airplane. flying to me is such evidence that there is a God because i feel so close to him when i fly. and a little turbulence doesn’t scare me but jolts me out of my “locked position” of my daily routine of flying. it makes me feel alive, a little vulnerable and in the moment. are you seeing how locked position, you have choices and turbulence all work together?

sometimes we need to be jolted out of our locked position of safety – what we know- to realize HEY WAIT! I don’t have to put up with this! I have choices.

how great is it to be an American, huh?

off to my plane… hope you have a great day.

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i want what i want when i want it

25 Feb

what do you want?

I’ve been challenged by a handsome fellow whom shall remain nameless with the question WHAT DO YOU WANT?

that question is not pertaining to marriage, but it could.  what do you want?

with your health?  
with your house?
with your career?
with your family?
where do you want to go on vacation

do you have that voice in you?  or has it been smooshed out?   you may think “that’s ok, i’m a mom/dad and i’m now about my kids and my husband/wife”.  having done no research on this answer, i will say that you’re wrong.  the only way anyone around you can grow and learn from you is if you know who YOU IS.  say that 5x fast.    it’s a hard question to answer the older you get.  i think your hopes, dreams and wishes get a little smuggled.  even i struggle with that question.  and i have a strong point of view on things.

the question is not:

what do you think is right
what do you think your spouse will like the most
what have you always done
what do you know
what is in
what is cool
can you do it
does it make sense

it’s what do you want.  the reason that question is so hard to answer is because in order to answer it, you need to be vulnerable.  you need to be able to put it out there and not pull it back if it gets criticized – after all it’s what you want.

ok, so i’ve put together a little test for you.  you need to answer the following questions but the deal is this – you need to answer honestly WHAT DO YOU WANT (promise me):

the best vacation in the world would involve these three things:

if you could be anything in the world, what would you be?

my perfect day would play out like this…

you have $1000 to spend on yourself, what do you buy for yourself?

i’d love to hear your answers.  put them in the comments below or email them to me.

love the magazine fast company and found a great article on why this is so challenging.  read it, you’ll like it!

making the perfect souffle and other missed resolutions

20 Feb

alright.  so it’s almost the end of february and i need a do-over.

might have been a leetle zealous with the new years resolutions.  first, there were the resolutions. then came “things i want to do in 2012”.  then finally, my post  do something for 30 days.

i forgot what i was going to do.   it is all too overwhelming now.  i’ve got plenty of excuses why too… went to vegas for sister’s birthday and got crazy. then came home and promptly got sick – pneumonia – and think i went a little brain dead in the meantime.  so do-over please.

in front of all of you, my fans, my supporters, my loyal reader (mom) i’m going to set up new things to accomplish this year.  and you can all hold me accountable.  i’m going to resolve to not call them resolutions.  i don’t know what to call them but let’s come up with something positive because sometimes i think that because you have resolutions it indicates that something is wrong with you that you have to fix.  and one of the hardest lessons for me to learn is that i’m loved just the way i am.   that phrase doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be constantly striving to learn and to improve yourself but it will always come back to this:

i’m already loved.

this goes much deeper than my husband loving me or my family.  it’s the kind of love that  fills that hole inside you that is so empty that you try to fill it with so many things:  food, over concentrating on your kids/job/self, drinking, and the list goes on.  if you want to know more about that, then click here.  otherwise let’s get back to the discussion at hand, shall we?

2012:

1. lose 50 pounds.  getting serious now.  i’m going to look really cute, so those that may be intimidated, watch out. i’ve got new gym shoes to show that i mean business.

2. make a perfect souffle. (they are low fat)

3. watch one TED video a week and document it.

4. to thine self be true.  take care of myself.  stop worrying or concentrating on other people’s happiness – get what i need for me to be successful/happy.  this will then rub off positively on ROF.

5. take a class that enhances this blog.  yep, i’m liking writing. 

6.  know where i want to be in 5 years.  this will take some time figuring out.  i’m really liking the idea of opening a modern day diner called griddlers -inspired by ROF’s really delicious grilled cheese sammies.

well, those goals don’t look so different from my original ones, but i feel so much more organized now.

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t-shirt quilts

18 Feb

my sister-in-law made these two beautiful quilts out of t-shirts.-

these are great to throw on a bed or wrap up in on a chilly evening

i think these are incredible! sarah, susan’s daughter, was a chi omega at ohio university and had a ton of tees that held great memories for her. to tie them all together in one place is a brilliant idea! check this quilt out. click on the picture to make it bigger.

then she made a gift for some friends of her son this quilt made from t-shirts of the colleges and schools that their kids attended. they have it at their lake house.

don’t you have a ton of t-shirts you want to keep because of good memories but are taking too much room in your closet?

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insta artwork

17 Feb

i love instagram – the app that let’s you take pictures and transform them to fantastic pieces of art – all on my cell phone.  really not a huge need to even have a digital camera now.  here are some of my shots.

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appreciating: on-line magazines

6 Feb

as we all know by now

i’m a fan of magazines. to me, there is nothing like snuggling down with a good mag. but now, all the good ones – most of them – are on-line. here is my link list of some of the ones i like. click on any name to link to the mag direct. i’ll let them describe themselves…

est magazine is all about inspiration, giving readers a contemporary interactive resource and providing a platform to showcase the very best in the world of design. est is relaxed and stylish, is not self conscious and does not take itself too seriously. est loves the sun but appreciates the seasons. est loves looking to the past but also likes shiny and new – this is what gives est an Australian twist.

rue magazine just had a new issue released. this is their “about me”

WE BELIEVE

  • That every color can be your favorite color.
  • That great taste comes in many forms: the fringe of a carpet, the pull of a drawer, the lines of a sofa, the curve of a smile.
  • That a good can of paint atones for a multitude of sins.
  • That friendship can be forged across continents by only a kind word and a shared lust for leopard print pillows.
  • That a glass of pink champagne really does a party make.
  • That everyone has the talent and drive to design their most beautiful life–we all just need a little nudge in the right direction.
  • That inspiration is everywhere.

llama valley magazine from lithuania says they are:

chatelaine magazine women’s magazine that builds communities while providing leading-edge insights into the concerns of women in the areas of health, food, social issues, decor, fashion, money and beauty.

adore home magazine is this:

Australia’s first online only home and lifestyle magazine available exclusively online. Founded and created by designer Loni Parker, Adore Home invites you into inspirational homes, looks at the latest products on the market and whisks you away to gorgeous holiday destinations. Adore Home’s mission is to bring you beautiful homes from across the globe, tips and design advice from interior experts, as well as easy online access to the latest home treasures. Our magazine makes design resources and products just a click away.

covet garden:

Covet Garden is for folks who are curious about real spaces. We take a peek into the homes and lives of some of the city’s most interesting people—spaces that have not been styled by interior decorators. Covet Garden is inspirational, not aspirational
frankie magazine: is a national bi-monthly based in Australia, aimed at women (and men) looking for a magazine that’s as smart, funny, sarcastic, friendly, cute, rude, arty, curious and caring as they are. We cover design, art, photography, fashion, travel, music, craft, interiors and real-life stories – we aim to surprise and delight readers with every turn of our beautifully matte pages, and have a good old laugh while doing so.
modern ink: just a cool mag!
check out N.E.E.T. magazine. this is what the folks in the UK say about this awesome mag:
“A box of tasty visual bonbons and a brilliant take on the magalog genre” BUST Magazine
“N.E.E.T. is highly addictive.. you’ll think you’ve stumbled upon NYLON’s funkier, thrift-store chic little sister.” Venus Zine
“Neetmagazine.com features all the best vintage clothes on the internet and makes them look special.” Katie White, The Ting Tings (in Elle UK)

liking: clean white design

3 Feb

some may say white is boring…

i say pshaw.

i would describe my style as eclectic, modern vintage with a twist of odd. or raised eyebrow. if a piece of art makes me go “hmmmmm” that typically means i’m warm towards it. but off the subject we go.

today i want to talk white. i love waking up surrounded with white sheets, white duvet and white pillow cases. if it were up to me white would be the blank canvas in which to view everything. pops of color that can be changed out every now and again are good too.

this first picture actually speaks to all above interests:

from houzz.com

yes, the photo is a bit haunting but interesting nonetheless. if i were to design my own room, this is what i would choose. click on any photo to make bigger:

check this out at spunkysprout.com - it's for kids!

here are some more white rooms i’m digging right now. all can be found here on my pinterest board.

of course i like more than just white.

click here for my post on orange! or even green.

appreciating: 30 days to change

2 Feb

well, well, well… we’re already into february

and here i am still thinking about resolutions. luckily, i watched this short TED video that lent a new spin on it all for me. it’s about trying something new for 30 days. i dig it because it’s a fresh thought on a resolution. first watch this before we discuss more:

ok, so now the challenge.

30 days are going to go by no matter what. why not feel real good about the end of those 30 days? before we talk about our own ideas, i went to matt’s website to get an idea of what he has done for 30 days. here is what he has done:

1. grew a mustache in 30 days

2. learned 30 new words

3. didn’t check email after 10pm

4. thankful for one thing every day

5. read the new testament of the bible

6. meditated

7. no twitter for a month (yikes!)

8. no TV

9. wrote a novel

10. rode bike to work

you can see more here

this idea of 30 days scares me

because i always have great ideas but follow-through is a problem with me. being somewhat fairly newly married – the fact that i’m actually accountable to someone else has revealed a certain vulnerability in me in regards to follow-through. there has been several examples of this but most recently and notably the groupon example. i bought a groupon last october for the YMCA in dallas for a low rate of $29 to use through December 31st. what a deal. right? wrong. i might as well just flung $29 out the window of my car in the direction of the Y. didn’t go once. now, sweet ROF, does not ever call these things to my attention. which i appreciate (it’s not just a blog…) but now i’m very uber conscience about following through.

what should I do for 30 days? for february?

i’ve given it some thought. not asking for a vote here. i am going to drink 5 glasses of water a day AND i’m going to finish a book. yes, i know that you are supposed to have 8 glasses of water a day. thank you oprah for reminding me. but i barely get in an ounce with my vitamins in the morning.

the big question here is… WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO FOR 30 DAYS??

please tell me in the comment section below…


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