Permission to Rest

I haven't written a blog post in a week!  How is that possible? But I've been thinking about my blog every day. Thinking I can't wait to get back to my keyboard. I want to write something...it's been too long...But, after work functions and the need for sleep overruled my desire.

I had to give myself permission to rest. My doctor(s) give me a very hard time about my sleep habits. They tell me that my sleep habits MAY be contributing to my {very minor} health issues. I am "healthy", don't get me wrong. I have great blood pressure, my cholesterol numbers were as good as ever, etc. Only real health complaints are Asthma (we are getting this better controlled) and fatigue. Oh, and weight.

I just hate always thinking about weight. I had been a Jenny member for two years (or longer). I lost weight and plateaued. But (same old story) as soon as I decided to eat "real" food, my weight crept back up.

This could very well be because my definition of "real" food isn't a nutritionist's definition of real food.

I did do something that has helped me feel good about myself. I broke down and bought new clothes. Yes, they are a size larger than what I had been...in fact my body returned to a previous size. But the clothes are flattering. The dress I'm wearing above and to the right is one of my favorite new pieces.

I purchased a few things that I need to take back. They didn't fit the "perfect" bill. I've been meaning to get back to the store with these pieces for over a week. Somehow the idea of taking back is not as appealing as bringing home.

Weekend Fun

Flowers in my kitchen are one of the things I'm really enjoying this year. It does remind me of Seattle...because so many people stopped by the "market" to get flowers. We never got our flowers from the actual market but definitely had flowers on our table quite a bit.

My weekend was fun. It included a fun little visit from my daughter. I don't remember what we talked about...but remember lots of laughter. She makes me uber happy.

Saturday night was a night out with my GURLZ. Again...good time! We had dinner and drinks and LOTS of laughter. You know the kind of laughter I'm talking about!?! For me, it was the kind where I should have broken out my asthma inhaler. Yep, asthma, I have it. I just didn't want to pull out the inhaler in this really nice restaurant (the kind with tablecloths). Nothing says "That's so funny I laughed my butt off" quite like pulling out the asthma inhaler.

So, yeah...lots of laughter. I need to figure out how to spend so much more time with these very special ladies. There are four of us that are local now and have been getting together since I moved back to town. These are friends that I've had since Jr. High School. It's really neat that we still click. Of course, we also have the luxury of "being real" with each other. So, not every moment is funny stories. Some moments are for hearing the stories that challenge us. Sharing moments that made us sad helps the healing. {At least it helps me.}

I hope your weekend was amazing! 

Talkin' to my Sis...

Sis & I talked on the phone tonight. That's unusual...neither one of us are really "phone" people. Mostly we talk when we see each other. Phones are for setting up the time and place to hang out. Oh, and texting... phones are for texting.

Sis texted me tonight. But after I asked way too many text questions she called and we talked. Just sister chit chat stuff. But then the conversation turned to something we are both passionate about... Brenda Leigh Johnson! Mostly, Sis and I talked about Brenda Leigh's team. Neither of us knows (I mean really knows) who the leak in Brenda's department is. But we both have our suspicions.     Actually, Sis has a better-formulated hypothesis than I do. I can't actually "name" a leak because I like all of the people on the team. I know that when the "leak" is revealed, it will break my heart. I'm going to be so sad.

So who can it be?

I told Sis I thought I figured it out but it was sort of cheating and did she want me to tell her. Of course, she said yes. --Actually, neither of us have a problem with "cheating". We both openly admit that we (sometimes) read the end of a book.  You know, we read it before we actually get to the end. We don't do it with every single book. Just sometimes, when we aren't sure the book deserves our time...we just jump to the end...just to see if the book actually goes somewhere interesting. Sometimes knowing the end propels us to finish the book...(because we want to know how the characters get there). Sometimes reading the end will confirm: "Yep...this book is cheesy and it doesn't get better".

So, yeah, both Sis & I are okay with spoilers. --I know not everyone feels this way. In fact, Sissy (younger sister, I have two sisters) is completely appalled that either of us would read the end of a book before we "legitimately" reach the end.

Anyway, Sis said: "yeah, tell me who you think..." and I told her. She rejected my hypothesis on the basis that she really likes this character. My cheat...I saw this actor on another show...and thought he can't be on two shows...so he must get written off this one.

Sis told me who she thinks and one of her guesses sounds spot on. But again, sad. So, after hanging up, I tried to find the answer on the internet. I was actually trying to find a spoiler. I spent way too long on this obsession. And did not find a clear answer. I did figure out my original guess was wrong. I wanted to call Sis. But Hubby is in the room and he REALLY hates spoilers. So I can't discuss them in front of him.

So I used my phone for what phones are designed for...I texted.

A HAPPY {Meal} Day

What do you do when you had a hard week and you want to unwind on a Saturday? You have a Happy Meal, of course! {Or maybe that's just me.}

The plan for Saturday:   1) Go to Sis's House.
2) Do something crafty.

Before heading out to Sis's, I needed to go to the craft store. The store had an awesome deal on large canvases. But I just couldn't bring myself to buy one. I wanted to do something different.

I found a SMASH book and decided to get that to play with. I've seen other bloggers write about SMASH books, so I thought I'd give it a try. It's really a combo of Journaling and Scrap-booking. Pretty appealing, actually. After getting my crafty fix necessities, I headed out to Sis's house.

I had to stop on the way because my tummy was complaining. I decided to stop at the drive through that everyone recognizes. I got a happy meal because I just wanted a small lunch. I ate the fries while driving. The kid's meal fry container is so stinking cute! I was not expecting a miniaturized fry box. It totally caught me off guard...causing me to laugh like an idiot as I drove down the highway.

I got lucky. They gave me two Happy Meal toys. I gave the Ice Age toy to Sis but kept the blue girly whale. The girly whale creeped out my Sis...I think it was just because I can make her eyes open and close.

I just had to share the Happy Meal cuteness with you. Hope you have a HAPPY Monday.

They Can't ALL be Good Days Can They?

I found a new quote today and want to share it with you here. 

"And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is."
-Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country

I'm super in love with this quote, and needed to hear it {read it} today. 

Let me explain: I had a hard day today. In fact, it's been a difficult week. I'm sure you know the kind of days I'm talking about. The kind where you work {in my case at a job I love} and things just don't go smoothly. That happens, right? Things don't go well ALL the time. And this week things just got the best of me. 

My lovely husband is so good at making me feel better. Last night when I was not feeling my normal self he said something like: "I'm sorry you are going through this..." And I stopped myself from wallowing. I said, "Yeah, a couple of sucky days...but I'm STILL as happy as I've ever been in my life." 

The few days that didn't go as smoothly as I would like...doesn't change the fact that I have a happy life. I have a loving Husband. I also have a delightful Daughter that I live close enough to be able to drop by so we can just hang out.  I am living in the same town {finally} with my Dad, Mamacita, and Sisters. There is so much about my life that offers pure joy and happiness. 

It's important for me to remember NOT to dwell on the single thing that didn't go well. Dwelling on the "one thing" only magnifies it. In reality, this is a very small piece of my life. Those things that I listed that give me joy?  Those are the things that matter.

Gretchen Rubin, the author of The Happiness Project, discovered Vonnegut's quote and explored it in her post, A quotation from Kurt Vonnegut.  Rubin says that Vonnegut's words are "wise advice backed by science".

Today when I was checking out my daughter's facebook page (yeah, we're that close), I saw this picture of her doggies. Let me just say...LOVE THEM!  Just looking at this pic makes me smile. Which reminds me that I'm happy.

I just simply had to share this cuteness with you. Next time I have a bad day...I'm going to take another look at this picture and maybe say:  "If that isn't nice, I don't know what is".

Design Tips {#2 in the Series}

This is the second in a Series of "Design Tips from Kenneth Brown". {The first in the Series is here.}
So, as I was saying,  that time I met Kenneth...I discovered he is not only a good designer but a very entertaining speaker. When I was in college presentations were marked down if there was a lack of visual aids. Kenneth would have gotten an A from my college instructors. One thing I enjoyed seeing was the diversity of his designs.

You'll remember that when Kenneth gave his keynote, he explained that his HGTV show "Redesign" was no more. It had a good run. He explained that the show's budget was the issue. Candice Olson's show "Divine Design" was the biggest budget show for the network and they could not (would not) afford two high budget shows. The network was making a change to lower budget shows with quicker design completion and making the show quicker to get "into the can". {That's TV talk for film ready to air.}

I suppose it makes sense that the network would make this change. I mean, it doesn't matter how much it cost to create the design and the show...it's still a 30-minute show and I don't think there's a big enough audience in general to impact this decision.  {Kimberly's opinion only}

SOME OF THE TIPS I REMEMBER:

Choosing a Designer

Of course, this means we've already accepted the advice to use a designer.  Kenneth encouraged interviewing several designers before deciding who is right for you. Style, communication, and personality fit are all key to making a relationship with a designer work.

"You have to find the right person to fit your personality. Take a look at the homes they've done to make sure their style matches your own. Also, if the designer is talking more than you are, that's a bad sign."

Design Tips

One of my favorite things is Design.  I am not a designer but have really enjoyed updating the house that we live in. So, I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you about that time I met Kenneth Brown.

Yes, I actually met Kenneth Brown.  He may not remember me, so if you meet him, please don't embarrass him by asking.

Now, if you are not an HGTV fan, you may not know who Kenneth is {or why it's so cool that I met him}.  I know his show hasn't been on HGTV in quite a while.  ~~Kenneth included a discussion about this fact in his talk.  {He was may have been a little bitter.}

The meat of Kenneth's talk began with a slide show that talked about his history and what led him to design.  I didn't realize, until his talk, that he was from Louisiana.  He has southern roots!  {I knew I liked him.}  One of the pics in his slide show was him as a young boy raking leaves in his backyard.  He shared that even then he had an eye for design. He remembered the colors of the leaves making an impact on his experience.

Kenneth also discussed the new {ish} trend in design to create hotel luxury in residential projects. He showed pictures of hotel rooms, circa the 1970s.  These rooms were not "spa" inspired but simply places to put your suitcases and lay your head at night. He even chuckled as he showed these pictures.  He said he thinks it's funny that hotels have come up in the world of design and are now considered something to emulate.