Bar Cart: let the boozy good times roll

Bar Cart: let the boozy good times roll

This summer has been all about the Artisanal, or craft, cocktail.   You may love a small batch brew, or have a go to beverage already selected but when the sun is hot and fruit is in season and plentiful, mixing up an herb infused crafty cocktail just feels right.  Lets be real, you are not going to find a watermelon lavender martini appealing in December and that natural pink hue is going to clash with your fall/winter burgundy nails.  You might as well live it up (in moderation) crafty cocktail style while there is summer remaining.

As a long time lover of the Old Fashioned  (http://liquor.com/recipes/bourbon-old-fashioned/) I can appreciate fresh fruit in a muddled drink.  This crafty cocktail trend is one I am happy to embrace.  Some of my favorites were featured on self.com (http://www.self.com/body/food/2013/05/summer-cocktails-under-200-calories-slideshow/1).  Summer refreshments that are all natural, low in calories, delicious, and just the right amount of boozy?  Yes please.  However, there is not a shortage of recipes if you are willing to put together a little elbow grease and the fresh summer flavors.

After a few months of many delicious concoctions that require refrigerated ingredients tickling my fancy, my kitchen counter was inadvertently transformed into a makeshift bar for easy mixing.  Apparently, I am not alone in this as the blogosphere is currently trending with decorative bar carts.  It’s a logical follow up to the craft cocktail craze.  Once again, a trend I am happy to embrace.  Sometimes the actual bar is just too far away.  Best to have a cart, on wheels that can be moved in close proximity to where ever you need it. 

Voila, my bar cart:

Let the boozy good times roll

I happened to have all of these goodies on hand employed in different ways in my house.  The cart was designed to hold a record player on top and records on the bottom.  I don’t have a record player that is not attached to speakers so this cart was just waiting for a party.  I happened to have plexiglass on hand for another project that I cut to fit each level to provide a flat surface for glasses and drinks.  You can never have enough glassware and alcohol, the fancier the better for the cart.  Ideally I would have a coordinating ice bucket and bar mixing tools but all in good time.  Vintage flare and flowers seem to be a must based on the blogs so I grabbed a few of those from around the house.  Beautiful.  My kitchen counter is clear again!

If you are thinking you also need one of these party makers you are in luck, it is also flea market and yard sale season.  If you aren’t sure where to start here are some ideas for what you will need:

1. Some kind of cart on wheels.  The more creative you can get with this the better.  If all else fails there is always Ikea and spray paint.  This blogger fashioned an inexpensive bar cart with an IKEA cart, spray paint, and a little magic (http://www.self.com/body/food/2013/05/summer-cocktails-under-200-calories-slideshow/1) 
2. Alcohol.  Start with what you like.  Many summer cocktails will call for cordials or flavored liquors.  These are fun and can jazz up a cart but there are many cocktail options.  You can focus on drinks made with your liquor of choice.  If you aren’t sure go for vodka. 
3. Glasses.  I like a variety because certain cocktails do taste better in different glasses.  The variety is extensive.  At a minimum maybe some tall ones, and some short ones.
4. Tools. You need a shot glass or other measuring device.  You need a muddler (not shown on my cart because it didn’t match), something for stirring, something for shaking, and something for straining.  If you don’t have them in your kitchen you also may need a knife, and a zester.
5. Something to hold ice.  Ideally a bucket but really possibilities’ are endless.
6. Flair.  This could be flowers, stir sticks, a fun book, its flare, it could be anything.

Happy cocktailing!

Here are some other examples:

How to make your bar cart beautiful http://camillestyles.com/life-2/how-to-make-your-bar-cart-beautiful/

Ten best bar carts (obviously they haven’t seen mine) http://camillestyles.com/10-best/10-best-bar-carts/?slide=1

Tattooed Martha’s Bar Cart Makeover http://www.tattooedmartha.com/2014/07/10/tattooed-marthas-bar-cart-makeover/

Of course there is pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/marissallen/bar-cart/

In the mix

From Moda Operandi

In the mix

My mother recently reminisced that as a child I never liked to wear matching clothing sets.  She reminded me that I had a closet full of many cute coordinating shorts, shirts, and sweaters but rarely wore them together.  Apparently, as soon as I could reach for my own clothes in the morning I would have none of matching and preferred to choose the pants from one set, the top from another, and accessorizing with perhaps a sweater from a third.  This is a preference I have not outgrown.

Mary Katrantzou

Dressing is all about finding the mix.  Coordination is great, and a matching suit definitely has a place in life.  However, if I can mix a few unexpected patterns and make it work, I just feel good.  I am not alone.  This love of the mix is currently in celebration on runways all around.  With laser and digital printing capabilities, prints are having a moment and they are having it in triplicate, all at the same time. 

The mixed print trend is exciting but it can also be intimidating.  While I love the thrill of a successful mélange I often take pause before stepping out into the day.  Perhaps that is part of the fun. 

If mixing patterns makes you nervous start small.  Here are a few tips to help ensure a successful pattern mix:

-Keep patterns in the same color family for a cohesive look.  Picking coordinating colors from within the pattern or combining patterns that have similar a similar tone helps avoid distraction from one to the other.  Many designers are also using graduated colors for the same effect.

-Keeping patterns scale similar also creates a cohesive look and keeps the eye moving. 

-Utilizing prints of contrasting color and scale must be done strategically.  The eye will notice a break from one to the other.  This can work to your advantage or disadvantage so position carefully.

This Peter Pilotto for Target dress is a great example of mixing print scale with a purpose.  The small print on the side panels creates a slimming effect as a color block with similar placement would slim. 

-A tone on tone pattern is an easy way to introduce mixing patterns to your life.  Tone-on-tone can read as a texture to create visual interest but in a subtle way that does not compete with another pattern.

-Natural patterns (from nature) can be used as neutrals.  A leopard does not think it is making a statement it is merely blending in with its surroundings.  Leopard or other animal prints can be used as a statement alone.  When mixing a natural colored animal print with bright colors the animal print acts as a neutral.  Try mixing an animal print with a contrasting color and then a print in the same color family as the contrasting color if you are feeling sassy.  Similar to animal print, grass or foliage prints can be used to ground an outfit as well. 

 

Tone-on-tone pearl patterned sweater.

Peter Pilotto for Target dress.

This outfit is a little unexpected.  With a tone-on-tone pearl patterned sweater, vibrant fluorescent print with both stripes and flowers, a large ruffle that looks like it could go dancing, and gold accents there is a lot going on.  The texture, color, pattern combo however makes me feel alive! 

Have fun mixing it up!

The Final Accessory

I went to the mall yesterday.  It was a beautiful day.  The sun was shining the magic of spring on shiny new clothes, accessories, and all accoutrements.  Workers were quick and friendly (special shout-out to Nordstrom’s scent department for letting me take home three sample bottles to test out in different situations since I couldn’t make a decision), and shoppers were decked out in varying combinations of skinny jeans, artfully placed scarves, and statement necklaces.  Things smelled good, the lightness of the day seemed to put an extra spring in people’s steps, and life at the mall seemed good.

Except not everyone appeared like life was good.  That woman just bought her self a gift, a fabulous Michael Kors bag, is she unhappy?  Those kids coming out of the Lego store look happy, and the people in the Apple store look like they are headed to a party.  But that lady just smiled and ordered a latte and now she looks like her dog died.  The girl at the jewelry stand is trying to decide between two sparkling babbles but from her expression you would think she was contemplating peaceful negotiations in Crimea.  Maybe she was contemplating the situation in the Ukraine, but for so many people enjoying living the consumerism dream something else was happening at the mall yesterday.  That something was “sad resting face.”

You have surely heard of sad resting face.  You are not unhappy, you are just relaxed, and happen to look sad.  If you haven’t heard about it just check out YouTube.  There are plenty of examples.  No time for YouTube? Here are some stills:

Warning: The following photos are graphic in nature and may be upsetting to some viewers.

"I just lost a puppy." Sad resting face

"Hey, there might be a puppy over there." Interested or happy resting face.

While this affliction can be brushed off in jest, should it be?  Agreed, not everyone needs to look happy all the time, and no judgment if you don’t.  At home, or hanging out with your best friends, go ahead and relax.  Tired, feeling sick in line at the pharmacy, and just wanting to be left alone; perfect situation for a sad resting face.  Displeased with a conversation or bad service but not quite worth a glare; express your dissatisfaction with a sad resting face.  There are plenty of legitimate reasons for a sad resting face.

However, if you are dressing your best, out on the town, and set to impress, let me urge you to take a moment to put on your best face.  You took the time to artfully drape that scarf.  You pulled out the statement necklace and did squats at the gym to rock those jeans.  What if the famous Tommy Ton snapped your fashion creation from afar?  Would you want that sad face causing his Vogue or Instagram followers to send you condolence cards?  Yes it takes some effort but it is worth it.  Be the total package and put on an un-sad face.

Combating sad resting face, as with any other posture takes time. This is a controversial point.  Some say, “This is my face, this is what it looks like.” Sure some people may not be able to avoid looking sad, some prefer to look fierce, or may wear sad better than others, but the vast majority of people don't need or want to look sad and practice can bring improvement.  During an episode of America’s next top model Tyra Banks drilled the importance of smiling with your eyes and demonstrated, “Now I’m not smiling with my eyes.  And now I’m about to smile with my eyes.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZhRz6DZSrM Honestly not much is different on the pre and post “smiling of the eyes” but if Tyra cared to read this blog she would agree.  There are things you can do to combat sad resting face.

Sit up straight and flex your face.   Start by smiling in the mirror.  Look at each part of your face and what changes.  It is not just your mouth that moves.  Your brow lifts, your eyes move.  Try wiggling your ears and flexing your scalp.  Practice the feeling of a slight upturn of your lips.  Not a full smile, just a slight flex.  Find the expression that says, “relaxed but interested.”  Maybe even find the look that says, “I’ve got a secret” if you’re feeling sassy.  Remember what that look feels like and flex from your sad resting face to that expression.  Start small to avoid headaches but practice often.  In extreme circumstances if you feel you may be facially impaired or have gone too long in a sad expression Suzanne Somers may have a solution to help you flex that face to an interested yet un-sad expression with her Face Master https://www.facemaster.com/story.php Regardless of how you get there, once you learn to sit up straight it hurts to slouch.  Likewise, once you have experienced happy resting face, you won’t want to do the sad resting face again. 

You are living the dream, look like it.  You are buying yourself a present raise a brow.  Contemplating something interesting look interested.  If you are dressing deliberately to put style into the world remember to accessorize.  Your facial expression is an accessory and it can make or break your whole look.

Summer Preparation Considerations

Summer Preparation Considerations

Once upon a time, maybe sometime back towards the end of the 1970s, many societal groups decided less body hair was better than more body hair.  From that point forward many methods of taming nature have been developed. Varying degrees of success and pain have been experienced to pursue this unnatural, but now common, standard of beauty. 

Why do I bring this up?  It is not because I love to wax poetic about the social and psychological reasons for this less is more adoption.  I am totally ok with the resulting poolside scenes and I prefer not to contemplate the alternative.  However, if you are contemplating a new workout plan, a new bikini, and perhaps some permanent hair removal as an accessory you are probably going to want to get moving on the latter.  

I offer this candid personal account for your review and consideration on laser hair removal:

“Last spring I decided I was not spending another summer worrying about bikini zone maintenance.  Enough is enough.  I was losing precious years of my life shaving.  I thought about other options.  Waxing is awkward and has a horrible growing out period.  That no-no-hair-grow hair-burning thing was a front-runner but I was kind of leery of the accounts of a lingering burnt hair smell. Needles are scary to me so electrolysis was moved to the bottom of my list.  Lasers on the other hand seemed like a cool option. 

I mean really, who doesn’t love lasers?  Waves of light adjusted to do just about anything?!  I want to put my fingers together and repeat, “Lasers” with an accent and an eyebrow cocked Austin Powers Dr. Evil style.

It [Laser hair removal] was supposed to be not that painful, quick, and with good results.  Of course, any permanent option was going to be expensive so I was slow to commit.  Then I saw a Groupon that offered 6 sessions of laser hair removal for a little over $200.  Seriously, What is $200 for a lifetime of hairlessness?!  I bought it and made an appointment for my first session early in June, just in time for a large pool party the following week.  

Turns out I was not just in time for summer.  You can shave while going through the process but that is it.  No plucking, and no waxing.  You aren’t supposed to tan, and are supposed to stay out of the sun.  Also, it was a six session Groupon because you have to go six times for the same spot, and the sessions have to be spaced every four to six weeks.  I should have started at the beginning of the year!

They described a rubber band snapping sensation for each zap.  It was suggested I take a few ibuprofen, and the office had a numbing cream for sale.  I decided to skip the $60 Lidocaine cream initially.  I guess the rubber band description was as good as any but it was not ok.  The second session, I tried the Lidocaine cream by itself.  Still not ok.  By the 3^rd round of treatment I had the pain management regimen down.  I took 3 or 4 ibuprofen, and made sure I started my first numbing gel application an hour before, then the second thirty minutes before, and the final application in the office.  The cold packs before and after are also helpful.  Apparently the cold packs both numb and help to prevent scarring and burning.  Yes you heard that correctly, both are not common but could happen if the wrong level of zap is used, or you do something wrong, like go to a pool party right after and lay in the sun.

Don’t get me wrong, I am happy with the results.  I might need a follow up to take care of a few spots that were not as successful but overall my bikini maintenance is much easier.  I just wish I had a better idea of what to expect.  I felt so naïve!  I had a positive experience but there are serious things that could have gone wrong. “

–Anonymous.

There you have it folks.  The month is March.  The future is now, and hair removal is just a flash of light away. Preparation is key to successful and timely results and because “Knowing is half the battle.” (G.I. Joe) here are some resources for preparing to combat rogue body hair:

Laser Hair Removal: Benefits, Side Effects, and Cost- WebMD

http://www.webmd.com/beauty/hair-removal/laser-hair-removal

Laser hair removal- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_hair_removal

As with any medical procedure, don’t forget to ask for experience and credentials of your technician, to observe for cleanly practices, and to consult your physician for specific advice on potential personal health conflicts.

New Year, New Opportunity

New Year, New Opportunity

According to the University of Scranton, Journal of Psychology, the top 10 New Years Resolutions for 2014 are:

1. Lose Weight

2. Getting Organized

3. Spend Less, Save More

4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest

5. Staying Fit and Healthy

6. Learn Something Exciting

7. Quit Smoking

8. Help Others in Their Dream

9. Fall in Love 

10. Spend More Time with Family

(http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/)

Ironically, with the exception of number 7 and maybe number 9, I believe these have been my new years resolutions every year, ever.  While I cannot confirm the “ever” I can confirm, by revisiting the past 3 years of this blog, at least one of the above has been present in all of the previous 4 years. 

U of Scranton also reports that by now, 2 weeks into the year, 71% of resolutions are still being maintained….but by June this number will drop to just 46%.  On a positive note, “People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions.”  Sounds about right.  It is very challenging to achieve a goal you do not have.

(This concludes the statistical analysis portion of the blog.)

Bottom line, life is a journey.  Every journey begins with a single step.  Not maintaining a resolution for the whole year does not mean the resolution was a failure but a challenge to revisit.  I would like to know what happens once you “achieve the resolution.” Do you just give up?  There is no scorecard.  The journey never ends.

A Cheeky Glimpse Into Men’s Unmentionables

A Cheeky Glimpse Into Men’s Unmentionables

A while back I overheard a conversation at a wedding you don’t often catch.  Behind me two men talked over surf and turf.  Between conversations of who would win the upcoming football game and the details of a recent fishing trip it went something like this, “You have to get some of these Lulu underwear.” “Really? What kind?” “They’re Lululemon.  They’re amazing.”  The details were sparse but the conversation said it all.  Good enough for two men to make dinner conversation. 

Later I heard the woman in this man’s life chuckle, commenting. “Evan* is usually a classic tighty-whities guy but I got him a pair of underwear at lulu. At first he was like, ‘I don’t know about these.’ But now he loves them. Crazy about them.” 

My interest was peaked.  Perhaps this is normal conversation I’m just not privy to hear?  As a single lady I have not paid much attention to the fit and comfort of men’s underwear.  I guess it must come up?  Women’s underwear is big business, why wouldn’t men’s underoos garner as much detail?

I decided to do a bit of research.  First I checked out the Lululemon website.  There was talk of special attention to self-drying technology, fit, and lift.  There were fun colors, and special fabric blends promising to keep you active and manly while protecting your manhood.  There were also mixed reviews.  Allegedly, while fantastically supportive and soft they don’t quite have the staying power to hold up to jeans or repeated washings.  The whole of the feedback was inconclusive.  Is it inappropriate for me to follow up with said wedding goers to see if the opinion has changed? Something tells me the inquiry may be ill received.

If the Internet authority has yet to crown Lululemon "best keeper of the jewels" then who is?   “More research is needed,” Said Pandora before she unwrapped the box.  Again I turned to the Internet.  The plethora of information blew my mind.  There is “The Underwear Expert” that weighs in regularly, http://www.underwearexpert.com on the topic.  No doubt this is a full time job.  After hours of Internet searching, the pinnacle of men’s pantaloons still eludes.

The options are endless.  Calvin Klein could prop you up, or Versace, or Tommy John to name a few.  I’m not sure where being “rated M” falls in relation to “PG” and “R” but Mario Lopez could break it down.  David Beckham and H&M partnered up for a little ball handling.  Lulumon is the official underwear of the NHL but many other sports figures seem to be free agents with their own designs or lines.  We all know about Michael Jordon and his Hanes.  Did you know when not wearing a loin cloth Kellen Lutz may be able to “cover your nutz,” http://www.underwearexpert.com/2014/01/kellan-lutz-covers-nuts/  ?  And leave it to Men’s health to help you match the right pair with the right situation http://www.menshealth.com/style/underwear-when-wear Obviously with so many players with skin in the game this is not a new discussion.

I have stumbled into a lap of excitement.  For every “Bombshell” in the ladies isle there are ten “pro stretch” “contour fit” engineered fabric blends to keep your man happy.  All of this talk has barely skimmed the surface.  Apparently there is a revolution happening in men’s underwear (The Underwear Expert). 

 Men are tossing aside bland basics in favor of new colors, styles and brands. This newfound interest in undergarment experimentation is the result of increased options, growing awareness of those options, and the confidence with which men can spend hard-earned money in a resurging economy.

(- See more at: http://www.underwearexpert.com/2013/05/mens-underwear-in-2013-michael-kleinmann-economics/#sthash.FxCkjERM.dpuf)

A $3.1billion dollar industry and growing, the men’s underwear market is big business.  Lululemon is just one candidate fighting to be crowned prince of the jewels (http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB124225793987017277 ).  As I shake my head I close the box to this topic.  I’ll keep my nose out of the business of men’s unmentionables unless, of course, the topic arises over surf and turf.

 *Name has been changed to protect underwear preference

FoundryM Thankful Collection

Foundry M Thankful 

I am thankful for a great family, fabulous friends, a beautiful world, and the ability to enjoy all of it.  Recently we all took time to celebrate what is important to us on Thanksgiving.  This celebration last year was the inspiration for my latest Foundry M collection “Thankful.”  After a year of working on it, I am thankful it is finally worked out, completed, and on display.

Last year I cooked Thanksgiving dinner and roast a turkey.  I loved doing it and it was delicious.  Then I decided to use the remaining bones and bits to make turkey stock.  This was a new endeavor.  After hours of boiling, probably longer than needed, bones began to float to the top of the pot.  As I strained them out I was amazed at the intricacies’ and shapes that emerged.  Fan shapes and curves, sling shot shapes, and vertebrate, so many unique pieces, and such detail and symmetry that normally goes unnoticed as we celebrate our meal. 

I was intrigued to take a closer look.  With gloves and kabob skewers as tools I carefully picked apart what was left.  I separated bone from meat and tendon and marveled.  I felt a bit like an archeologist uncovering some new find and I thought about the many ancient cultures that used every part of their meal for something useful, spiritual, or decorative and was inspired to do something with what I was uncovering.  Before beads, before cast metal and precious gems there were the jewels and the structures nature provided.  I thought about all the cultures that elevated these natural elements to art.

The principals of reduce, reuse, and recycle weigh heavy on my soul.  I accredit this to my family that throws few things away, and especially my grandmother who recycled, composed, and repurposed things long before it was cool.  Foundry M was born when my grandparents passed away and I came across a closet full of 40 years of building materials.  I drew a parallel between my family, and families through history that made use of all they had available.

Not ready to discard all that I had discovered after cleaning the turkey bones I bleached them.  Then I dried them and took a good amount of time trying to figure out what to do next.  I continually envisioned gold bones with bright electric red as a breastplate, or with a dark contrast on a black chain, on a necklace, or glistening bones by themselves as earrings.  A bold vision and very different, was it too bold?  While I was thinking about this I began going through another closet in my basement filled with craft supplies.  I found a plastic box filled with dozens of dried wishbones.  Upon further investigation I learned my Grandmother also had a similar notion years before and had collected and dried chicken wishbones with the intention of Christmas ornament creation.  She felt every tree needed a gold wishbone.  This discovery could not have made me happier, both for a sense of kinship with my missed Grandmother and as a sign of confirmation that this was an idea I should pursue. 

Finally, after much consideration, I gold and silver leafed the dried bones and coated them with a sealer…Then they turned green.  I again spent a bit of time considering what to do next.  I feel like I need to give a word of thanks at this point to the fabulous Cincinnati mixed media artist Tina Westercamp, and the Contemporary Art Center. 

At one of my favorite One Night One Craft events at the CAC focusing on mixed media art Tina gave an incredible amount of information on materials and techniques she found successful.  I described my project tenaciously, “I know this is going to sound weird but I bleached, gold leaf painted, and then sealed turkey bones to make jewelry and they turned green.  I am interested to hear your thoughts on the best mediums to use so they don’t turn green.”  To my relief she had great solutions and started by indicating, “Oh yeah, I’ve done that.  Sounds like a cool project.”  I always knew mixed media was one of my favorite art forms.

Take two on the bone prep: I again sealed them with the medium Tina suggested, re-leaf painted them, wire wrapped them and then applied another sealing top coat of gel medium.  For anyone uncomfortable with wearing animal bones, these pieces are completely cleaned, treated, and sealed.

For the necklaces I used a few different weaving techniques.  I wanted the necklaces to be soft, a contrast to the hard look of the natural shapes, and I wanted them to be wearable in warm and cold weather.  I cut strips of cotton jersey knit fabric and hand wove chains on my fingers using a simple technique I also learned at a Contemporary Art Center One Night One Craft event.  From clouds of jersey fabric dust emerged dozens of soft and cozy chains.  The breastplates are still in progress as the breastplate weaving is a bit more complicated.  I used a weaving technique often used for rag rug weaving and slowly formed the shapes I wanted. 

With the addition of a few bold beads of African brass and mixed metal, the gold and silver bone necklaces came together.  The Thankful necklaces and earrings are surprisingly light.  They are somewhat fragile.  They are conversation starters and not for the demure.  The Thankful collection is an exciting addition to the Foundry M offering.

While each pair of earrings and necklace is unique here are some examples

My new favorite accessories

2012: The year of self-actualization!

2012 The year of self-actualization

2012 is going to be a good year.  I felt it in anticipation of the New Year and continue to have a feeling of optimism several weeks in.  Some feel concern for the possibility of this being the year for the end of days.  I feel, in a slightly new age-y kind of way it may be the end of life as we know it but this is not necessarily bad.  Contrary to many commonly accepted interpretations of the Mayan calendar, the Mayans believed 2012 to be the starting over of a long period of history not the end of forever.  I too believe it is a new beginning, perhaps for a new way of thinking or being.  I believe it will bring good things and so I am dubbing this “the year of self actualization.”

The term “Self-actualization” has been used in different psychology theories over time in different ways.  To boil it down however, in some way, all iterations of self-actualization involve people realizing their full potential, to become all that they can be (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-actualization).

In perhaps simpler terms, this is the year I am actually going to do all of the little things I have been meaning to do, that matter, and this is going to help me achieve my best.  I believe the air is right and this is possible for anyone that wants it.

In my opinion there are several parts to this process that need to be addressed (not necessarily in this order but it kind of makes sense):

First, determining what really matters.  What do I want to achieve?  What things are taking up time and are not important?  This does not have to be an end-all be-all list but a general notion.  This is not easy.  I am trying to listen to my heart, think it through, and not to be too influenced by other popular opinions.

Second, address the clutter that weighs on you as you attempt to be your best.  These are the little things that you have been meaning to do.  Either they are not important so you get rid of or forget them, or you decide they would still be beneficial to you and you just do them, no fuss, just done.

Third, determine the needed steps to get you from point A (now) to B (the best you).  Map these out and be stoic in your process to get there.  Be realistic in the time line and the goals.  Nothing is out of the question but some goals may not really matter, and some may require a lot of steps.

Forth, take it one step at a time.  The air is right not to let fear or ego or discouragement get in your way.  Just take it one step at a time and if the path changes that is ok because you feel when you have reached your full potential.

Perhaps once we have all reached our full potential we will be able to communicate without phones or computers but telepathically.  Haha are you still reading?  Ok, that last part I do not actually believe, but I am going to throw it out there in the event it actually happens you may think I am prophetic and if not, hey just funny…

If you are following me on twitter (pause for effect as you have probably just realized you are probably not following me on twitter.  That’s ok but if you are interested in my sporadic tweets: foundrym) you may already have heard about my early 2012 self-actualization baby steps.  If not here are some early successes:

-January 1, 2012: Actualization item #1: Washed the basket of delicate hand washable items that I have been shuffling around my bedroom for the last few years.

-Actualization item #2: Finally put a flashlight in my car in case of emergency.  Have been meaning to do this for years.  MacGyver would have a flashlight in his car.

-January 2, 2012: Actualization item #3: Stocked up on incandescent light bulbs over 40 watts.  After the shelves are cleared we will no longer have access to purchase the warm butter lighting that brings me great calm.  Purchased 186 boxes of 60 to 100 watt bulbs, and am hoping this lasts me the next 85 years (yes I know this would make me 115years old; once I am actualized I am going to want to be there for a long time).  I might buy more, still haven’t decided.

-January 3, 2012: Actualization item #4 in process: Scrapbooking all of the photos I have been housing in boxes under my bed for the last 5 years, and printing out the more recent photos I haven’t printed because the boxes under my bed are full.  This is going to take a while, as I like to take photos.  I am going to focus on really good photos; life is too short for bad pictures that do not have artistic or humorous value. 

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Here is where my actualization plan started to get derailed a bit.  I was making good progress at home and at work but then started to get sick.  I spent the last eight days laid up with Pneumonia.  Have you ever had pneumonia?  Whoa.  Not to be dramatic but I usually work through illness and rarely have fevers.  With pneumonia, literally there was a 24hour period I did not move.  Scrapbooking was definitely not an option with pneumonia.  It was a challenge to make it to the restroom.  Then the walk to the restroom required a four-hour nap to recuperate.   Had it not been for my mother bringing a variety of chicken noodle soup and tea I probably would not have eaten.  I started feeling really sick Friday tried to just fight through it over the weekend but by Monday with fevers ranging from 99 to 102.7 that didn’t seem to be receding I went to the doctor (in the most embarrassing ensemble I may have ever worn out of the house), had the chest x-ray, the whole thing.  Thankfully I was not hospitalized but was threatened with that or worse if I didn’t continue my sleep/soup/tea regimen for another five days.  I thought this extreme but having just made it through day six, while I am now able to move about, fever free, and managed a short trip to see Tim Gunn, I could still sleep for 16hours out of the day.

At first I was completely bummed by this forced slow down, however, I am choosing to look at this in a positive way.   While I had not intended to address these items so early on in 2012:

-Unintentional actualization item #5: Caught up on my sleep

-Unintentional actualization item #6: Caught up on my FX channel action movie watching,

-Unintentional actualization item #7: Finished three magazines and one book I started but never actually finished reading in 2011 (with more to come)

-Unintentional actualization item #8: Haven’t actually measured but I think the pneumonia may have cause me to drop some water weight and in combination with mild muscle atrophy may help me squeeze into some of the vintage skirts I found in my attic.

-Actualization item #9: in progress but with very good headway: planning of blogging topics, outfits, and exercise regimens’ all to be put into action once physically able.

An organized space and self-reflection will help me prepare for moving forward with becoming the best me I can be.  Preparing for every situation also gets me ready for any unexpected issues that may arise on the way.  Listing my small bits of progress helps with the sense of accomplishment and just may keep me accountable for continuing the progress.  These may be small steps but they are all actually getting done! 

Yeah for 2012!