Monday, May 2, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
A few things I have learned
Only purchase things you truly love!
A. Put it back if it doesn't fit or feel right... Something better will come along! I have moved back and forth from Hawaii to the mainland three times and every time it has whittled the items of choice down to only the very near and dear. I know when I truly love something now...
If it doesn't enhance or edify the conversation then don't say it...
A. This was a very very hard lesson to learn! 30 years in the making. I have had to live down some rough stuff with family and friends and now I find myself leaving things "left unsaid" instead.
B. We don't need to hear EVERYTHING about you. Leave a little to mystery.
C. The conversation does NOT have to be a personal retelling of your resume. ( Lord knows I have tried to edge my own "two cents" in about my accomplishments.)
Live and let go...
A. Please just bury the hatchet. The hate, anger, and unforgivness is only affecting yourself!
Have reasonable expectations.
A. If someone does something nice for you is is just the icing on the cake. Not the reason we bake!
B. Let people choose how they can show there affections.
No one is thinking about you. They're thinking about themselves, just like you.
A. Admittedly I stole this form the book Olivia Joules: And the overactive imagination. She has some great rule for life!!!
Very Useful Rules for Living
1. Never panic. Stop, breathe, think.
2. No one is thinking about you. They're thinking about themselves, just like you.
3. Never change haircut or color before an important event.
4. Nothing is either as bad or as good as it seems.
5. Do as you would be done by, e.g. thou shalt not kill.
6. It is better to buy one expensive thing that you really like than several cheap ones that you only quite like.
7. Hardly anything matters: if you get upset, ask yourself, "Does it really matter?"
8. The key to success lies in how you pick yourself up from failure.
9. Be honest and kind.
10. Only buy clothes that make you feel like doing a small dance.
11. Trust your instincts, not your overactive imagination.
12. When overwhelmed by disaster, check if it's really a disaster by doing the following: (a) think, "oh, F*&% it," (b) look on the bright side and, if that doesn't work, look on the funny side.
If neither of the above works then maybe it is a disaster so turn to items 1 and 4.
13. Don't expect the world to be safe or life to be fair.
14. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.
15. Don't regret anything. Remember that wasn't anything else that could have happened, given who you were and the state of the world at the moment. The only thing you can change is the present, so learn from the past.
16. If you start regretting something and thinking, "I should have done..." always add, "but then I might have been run over by a lorry or blown up by a Japanese-manned torpedo."
This last lesson being the most recent and most heartfelt one....
Just let the tears flow, Cry!! Don't worry about your makeup, if it is inappropriate time to tear up excuse yourself and make your way to the bathroom. Don't hold it in, EVER!
A. Put it back if it doesn't fit or feel right... Something better will come along! I have moved back and forth from Hawaii to the mainland three times and every time it has whittled the items of choice down to only the very near and dear. I know when I truly love something now...
If it doesn't enhance or edify the conversation then don't say it...
A. This was a very very hard lesson to learn! 30 years in the making. I have had to live down some rough stuff with family and friends and now I find myself leaving things "left unsaid" instead.
B. We don't need to hear EVERYTHING about you. Leave a little to mystery.
C. The conversation does NOT have to be a personal retelling of your resume. ( Lord knows I have tried to edge my own "two cents" in about my accomplishments.)
Live and let go...
A. Please just bury the hatchet. The hate, anger, and unforgivness is only affecting yourself!
Have reasonable expectations.
A. If someone does something nice for you is is just the icing on the cake. Not the reason we bake!
B. Let people choose how they can show there affections.
No one is thinking about you. They're thinking about themselves, just like you.
A. Admittedly I stole this form the book Olivia Joules: And the overactive imagination. She has some great rule for life!!!
1. Never panic. Stop, breathe, think.
2. No one is thinking about you. They're thinking about themselves, just like you.
3. Never change haircut or color before an important event.
4. Nothing is either as bad or as good as it seems.
5. Do as you would be done by, e.g. thou shalt not kill.
6. It is better to buy one expensive thing that you really like than several cheap ones that you only quite like.
7. Hardly anything matters: if you get upset, ask yourself, "Does it really matter?"
8. The key to success lies in how you pick yourself up from failure.
9. Be honest and kind.
10. Only buy clothes that make you feel like doing a small dance.
11. Trust your instincts, not your overactive imagination.
12. When overwhelmed by disaster, check if it's really a disaster by doing the following: (a) think, "oh, F*&% it," (b) look on the bright side and, if that doesn't work, look on the funny side.
If neither of the above works then maybe it is a disaster so turn to items 1 and 4.
13. Don't expect the world to be safe or life to be fair.
14. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.
15. Don't regret anything. Remember that wasn't anything else that could have happened, given who you were and the state of the world at the moment. The only thing you can change is the present, so learn from the past.
16. If you start regretting something and thinking, "I should have done..." always add, "but then I might have been run over by a lorry or blown up by a Japanese-manned torpedo."
This last lesson being the most recent and most heartfelt one....
Just let the tears flow, Cry!! Don't worry about your makeup, if it is inappropriate time to tear up excuse yourself and make your way to the bathroom. Don't hold it in, EVER!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Before & After
I am quite literally obsessed with before and after projects. I believe this small personality quirk comes from my Grandma. She was the queen of DIY transformations. She could turn a simple, plastic, disposable, fruit basket into an elaborate doll swing! I will never forget the time my Grandmother sat down with me am my sister Jill and we made "Princess Crowns" with used milk jugs. I still have that crown tucked away for the day I get to play dress up with my own children. As I wander in and out of the large world of blogs out there I stumble across a new DIY blog every once and while. My favorites are Centsational Girl (she unashamedly believes a coat or two of pray paint can beautify even the most dreadful furniture), Design*Sponge always gets me hooked, and one of my favorites is Manhattan Nest (He is such an excellent writer, and great designer too!) I pour over these before and after images and wish upon wish that I was not a renter, and that my landlords would please let me spruce the place up a bit. I love this bathroom!
I would like to think that a transformation such as this one is something a "weekend worrior" could do... Maybe even me?
Then there are projects that give me chills... such as this kitchen....
I love the clean lines that he has chosen and the simple counter space with no cupboards. The subway tile floors. I have a few DIY of my own to be showcased later... As they are not finished yet.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Life's Pages
Because this blog is dedicated and written in memory of our grandmother, Dorothy Delilah Dale Tode, it is worth mentioning her passing. She died Sunday, March 13, 2011. Today I'm celebrating her life as I unpack boxes of her journals here in my study.
I'm thinking today of a road trip she and I took to visit her homestead near Ryegate, and I'm trying to remember what year it was that we set off on a whim and a full tank of gas to find her roots.
I've not felt the strength to open any of her journals. Of course, I'm curious. So curious. But I don't trust my emotions. I'm so near to weeping as it is. Do I dare explore and let my emotions go as I wander through her life's pages?
I'm thinking today of a road trip she and I took to visit her homestead near Ryegate, and I'm trying to remember what year it was that we set off on a whim and a full tank of gas to find her roots.
I'll never forget that trip, seeing the little blue and white clapboard church at Lennup, surrounded by a field of yellow mustard-seed weed with a fox and her kits playing at the steps; seeing the home where she grew up that still houses a hard-working ranching family, and the tiny tool shed next to it, that was her father's original homestead shack; meeting her childhood friend, Wallace, and helping him catch his horse, the hot summer wind whipping my long hair into my eyes; and discovering that were it not for the 52 years between us, we might have been the best of friends.
Dorothy with Wallace
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Family Tree
I check Poppytalk Handmade daily, and this is where I stumbled apon these beautiful photo-leaves!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
VW Beetle Fun
Most days I drive a 72' Volkswagon Beetle to and from work.
I must emphasize that most days I try to drive Jezebel (as I affectionately call my bug.. She will love ya then leave ya). Jezebel is a bit temperamental at best, other days she is a "NO GO" type of car.
I have gotten used to turning some serious wrench with this car. In her defense she is a vintage ride and she does need quite a bit of tender loving care. Owning this car has changed me, no really changed me. I wave at all other vintage VW drivers (sometimes even when I'm not in my bug). I take the long way every time I get a chance. Folks know this about me now and realize that I take my sweet time. And any air-cooled Vw driver will agree there is nothing better than rolling down the window sitting back and just cruising. Now I can really appreciate this vintage car thing. When is see a car no matter in what condition I can really see adoration and love in that car.
How long did it take to create that look?
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