Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Older and Wiser Now

Last March I posted an exercise I had done in 2004 about creating a perfect day in my life which is used to help you focus on what you really want.  In March I wrote that most of it still rang true but that I would probably update it now that I'm older and wiser, and the beginning of a new year seems like a good time to review it.  So here we go ~ my older and wiser version ~ with commentary this time.


Let me introduce you to ~B.  At first glance she may seem like a traditional sort of girl, but upon closer inspection, you will soon realize that she is quite unexpected with her jazzy sense of style.  Let’s take a peek into what a typical day is like for her. 



Unexpected and jazzy sense of style. I still like this! I like to think my new, emerging DYT T1 style is starting to bring this out more and more so that it doesn't seem to take you by surprise. I feel like my outsides are beginning to match the inside of me finally!


One thing you will notice immediately about her, is that she takes the time to indulge herself in the little luxuries of life.  The fresh cup of hot cocoa in the mornings before pulling on her wellies, fetched from a neat little row, as she heads out the door into the crisp morning air with her chocolate lab hot on her heels ready for a brisk walk along the river near the nature preserve.
  via
 
Little luxuries? Heck yeah! I'm all about mindfully chosen little indulgences! But that dog stuff~I'm really just not a dog person and I'm glad my family realizes that now! So that part is now out! I will still take that walk please, thank you very much!


On her way home, she can be spotted at her local neighborhood farmers market,  where they know her by name and set aside the best produce for her, knowing that she will soon be there.  Today she has collected some fresh eggs and veggies for a delightful omelet she will savor outside on her brick patio underneath the grape filled pergola.



This paragraph is my lovely little provincial dream! I love to eat as locally as I can and with the freshest produce possible! It was a huge focus for me back then and still is. I love supporting and knowing my own farmers. It just feels gooood and makes me all warm and fuzzy inside! And I'm happy to say since originally writing it, that I do have my own grape filled pergola on a brick patio ~ this one has been a dream come true!

She relishes the change of the seasons as she sips a cup of fresh apricot nectar she made herself, listening to the many flocks of birds and geese honking overhead as they migrate along the major flyway she lives under.



Yep! The seasons are lovely here and I still love to hear those geese honking by. Oh and by the way, fresh apricot nectar is like summer in a glass! It is the nectar of the Gods! Just sayin'....


Her home sits on a green and leafy estate and is filled with a mix of traditional and quirky items that hint of a surprising swank little European hideaway.  It nods to her rich Danish, English and German heritage and love of history but has a very forward thinking approach as she contemplates her own legacy. 

This and the following home decorating paragraphs are still a work in progress but are a good reminder to me of my focus and what I like.

She has thrown open her large, tall leaded windows so that the breeze will gently blow the beautiful window treatments in a graceful manner as she contemplates what to read from her beautiful collection of classics, and charming old etiquette books. 




Her house is not cluttered with ambiguous items, but each thing is carefully chosen with an eye for aesthetics and function, as in the leather bound photo albums she has created with beautiful gold embossing their spines.  Because if there is one thing she understands keenly, is that the details make all the difference on the whole. 



Leather bound photo albums ~ check! Details definitely do make a difference and is something one must constantly be aware of. I need to refocus on this as I whip my house back into shape again!


Her closet is neatly organized and one gets the feeling of stepping into a chic little boutique.  It is filled with classic clothes with clean simple lines, yet the first impression can quite deceive you for while it is classic, it is never stuffy or boring.  Upon closer examination you will notice that each piece is set apart by exquisite and unexpected details that make them truly as unique as the girl who wears them. 

This paragraph is very interesting to me. It was written pre-DYT when I really wanted to be the perfect little Audrey Hepburn. But I'm not Audrey Hepburn and I think I knew that. I knew I wanted unexpected details. I think I wanted to bring the fun back into my wardrobe and life even back then. I am much happier with a jazzier, fun wardrobe.  I guess you could say I'm more like Muzzy Van Hossmere from Thoroughly Modern Millie ~ ha!  But not quite as crazy!  ~wink~wink~ 

The majority of her wardrobe is filled with casually elegant clothing that give off the air of being on holiday all the time.  It is what she considers “Park City Chic”, resort-like, casual and comfortable.  For this truly fits her active lifestyle as a mother.  She looks equally at home whether casually strolling the streets of Park City galleries, chasing children and dogs, or running to the local PTA meeting. 

I still like the idea of "Park City Chic" because it can be outdoorsy, casual and still look appropriately grown up. And who doesn't want to be on holiday all of the time???  Hello!  Sign me up!  I just need to translate this with a a lighter fun factor in mind. :D


She treasures her friends and family, and often you will find multiple people and impromptu festivities going on.  Tonight however, she will spend a quiet night with her family, helping her daughter with her homework after a lovely dinner of butternut squash soup, crisp salad and bread.  Later they will play quiet board games and  maybe take a peek into the telescope before the children head off to bed.

Oh yes! I love a good party with my close friends and family and I still love those quiet evenings with my family. But I don't really like board games ~ sorry! I tried to like them, but that part has to go! This part also reminds me that it has been way too long since we pulled out our telescope. Isn't there a meteor shower sometime soon? I hope I didn't miss it!

Once the house quiets down, ~B. settles into her cozy little nest of a bed with her sketchbook and sketches out the details of her new eveningwear collection.  And of course, she snuggles with her husband while sounds of Paolo Conte waft through the air.



Aaaahhhhh! I love to snuggle with my husband!  But that eveningwear collection has never materialized onto paper yet, but be assured, it is absolutely exquisite in my head!

~ ~ ~
This was good to reflect on.
All in all, this still shows what is important to me
and is still how I endeavor to live my life.

In lieu of resolutions, this is another method
you could use to map out what you want this year.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Making My List...

The new year is rapidly approaching, and I don't know about you, but I'm a total resolutions kind of girl!  I have been thinking about them since mid-October so that I could get real clear on my intentions of what I want to accomplish this year.  I usually make my resolutions with a theme that tries to embody everything into one little word.

In 2010 it was...health
In 2011 it was...peace

This year it will be ...

{drumroll please}




CLEAN!




Clean?  What does that even mean in regards to my resolutions you wonder?  Well a lot of things really.  This year I want to clean up my act in a lot of ways:


I need to clean up around my house.  



Well, this one seems like an obvious one, right?  Things have started to get a little out of hand as I've lost my focus on cleaning and organizing around here lately.  I intend to get things back under control.  It makes me happy, my family happy, and my house happy when it's clean and organized around here!



I want to clean up my diet even more.  



I'm already pretty good about not eating a ton of processed foods and getting rid of processed sugars from my diet but I'm ready to take it up a notch.  Now I'm getting serious about how my meat is raised.  I want grass fed, free range, happy animals that got to live the life they were supposed to live rather than pumped full of steroids and growth hormones and bla, bla, bla!  I also want to get rid of the amount of my exposure to pesticides on fruits and veggies.   I also really want to start making my own sourdough breads and get more of the good bugs into my diet through homemade yogurts and kefirs.



Clean up my style



This means further refining my style to more accurately reflect who I am inside.  I feel like I made some huge leaps in this area this last year but there is still more I can do and learn.  A few of the items I would really like to do is to keep editing and upgrading my wardrobe, find an awesome pair of jeans and to play with scarves more to name a few things.



Cleaning up my spirit.






Aww! David Archuleta is such a cutie {with a dreamy voice}! And I'm a sucker for a good song and this one illustrates this aspect of my goals perfectly!  This is an ongoing goal as I try more and more to become more Christlike.


So there you have it!  Some of my goals for 2012.  How about you?  Do you make resolutions?  Care to share any of yours?

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

A Quick Christmas Recap

Well, the remodel still isn't done but we are on the home stretch.  The kids did get a small Christmas tree {finally} about a week before Christmas which promptly came down yesterday so we could finish painting in the room. 

Despite the remodeling mayhem, we had a lovely Christmas together.  I loved watching the kids open their presents and seeing the smiles on their faces!  We had to open presents in two parts though because church started at nine and the kids were still sleeping in at eight ~ we ended up having to wake them up!  {We are definitely not a family of morning people!  LOL!}

Just before heading out the door, my son gave me this fabulous red, sparkly present which required a quick change on my part because hello!  That is a totally fun red top!!!  How can you resist???


Earlier this month I had said I wanted something sparkly and this is it!  I may, or may not, have really stood out in the choir in this outfit though!  ~wink~wink~

Anyway!  

We had a lovely day being with family!  

I hope yours was just as wonderful! 

Friday, December 23, 2011

Merry Christmas!

I hope you have a fabulous holiday with your loved ones!

Enjoy this latest version of 
Where Are You Christmas?






Merry Christmas! 

However you celebrate,
I hope you have a safe and happy holiday 
wherever you may be!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Danger! Danger!

Today I found myself in a dangerous part of town.

I entered the world of Tony Caputo's Market & Deli.

A place offering dangerous regional, Italian and 
Southern European culinary delights


I found myself taste testing so many fabulous olive oils 
and balsamic vinegars!  

Oh my gosh!  

The flavors of good oils and vinegars are unbelievable!

You will never go back to the regular ol' supermarket varieties again!

I had to stop myself before buying the small,
perfectly aged {for 12 years!} bottle of $75 balsamic vinegar!

Someday I will go back for it!

So we ran away to another part of the store 
to buy some grass fed beef that
Canyon Meadows Ranch was offering.  

But along the way we found...


Chocolates!!!


The pictures do not do these chocolates justice.

They sparkle like jewels!

And taste divine!!!

Someday I will learn to make my chocolates
look and taste as fabulous as those!


I had the kids with me and they each bought
some special treats.  

I'm wishing we would have bought some of the
specialty hot chocolates to sip.

Guess I'll just have to go back!

Bummer.


Stores like this make me want to go to culinary school.
I absolutely adore fabulous foods!

If you were to go to a culinary school,
what type would you attend and where?

Friday, December 16, 2011

Look Kids! A Christmas Tree!


Sadly, it's not my own Christmas tree!  My kids are still sad we don't have our tree up!  But I found them one at our hotel we stayed at during our family medical crisis this week!


I ended up on kid duty while all the siblings attended to their mother in the ICU.  As a result, I found myself paying attention to the hotel decorations a lot. 


We stayed at my favorite budget friendly hotel in St. George.  Once they found out the reason we were there, they upgraded us to a suite so that we would be more comfortable.  Isn't that nice???



It's a beautiful little hotel with great rates and a really nice hot breakfast buffet where you can dine on eggs, omelettes, waffles {with a selection of tasty fruit syrups as well as your standard maple}, oatmeal, fresh fruits and more! 


One of my favorite things about St. George is that they have palm trees!  Yes!  In the hot, dry Utah desert!  They're not native, but they somehow survive down in that climate.  In fact, when I was a kid we used to drive down to California to visit my grandparents and we always looked forward to seeing our first palm tree because we thought we were getting close to grandma's.  Now I realize those first trees were in Utah and we still had a loooong ways to go to get to Pasadena!  Hey, I guess whatever helps make a long trip shorter then GREAT, I guess!  LOL!

If you ever need to make a stay in St. George, 
I highly recommend our favorite hotel:

Christmas Miracles!



I eluded to this in my last post, but a few days ago we were rushing to Southern Utah to say our goodbyes and begin planning a funeral as my sweet mother-in-law was in respiratory failure.

But she's one tough cookie.

We were able to pull her off the ventilator 
and now we're discussing long term care!

It's a Christmas miracle!  

We're not out of the woods yet, 
but we have her here with us 
for just a little bit longer!

Sing with me now!
Let's hear the Hallelujah chorus!