“Soft rain drops falling,
Fragile petals kissing the earth.
A whisper to greet the morning.
… and then a sigh.”

We all have a Valentine, whether it is a romantic one, a family member, a friend or passer by that smiles… but each one of us has the world around us to say: Will you be mine?

1. A “Cat Weather/Tea-For-One” Campfire in Atlanta:

Sunday a week ago was a dreary, dark, rainy day. The kind that you dread going out in. Even at 10am, it felt like the sun had already gone down. I call it “cat weather”, the kind of weather that makes cats find a warm spot indoors where they curl up and chillax for hours. And hours.
I have found that nature often gives us the best solutions to problems. So when it’s cat weather outside, I try to follow suit with the following tools:

- Sound:
I loaded the cd player with 5 of my favorite CDs (or perhaps you might create a ‘cat day’ play list on your i-phone). It started with monastic Gregorian chanting and was followed by some lazy jazz and moved into some chamber music. Easy music that would serve as a calm backdrop to the day ahead.

- My Campfire:
I created a Campfire, a center of energy made up of a few treasures that would make me content and keep me company for the day. I gathered a few treasures and a few non-treasures – our cat, Missy, Jane Fonda’s fabulous book, Prime Time, signed signed by her earlier in the week, some thank you cards that had been waiting way to long to be written, my laptop and my phone. It was all there. All I had to do was tend it. So I made myself a pot of tea and settled down for a quiet, peaceful day.

- My Routine:
So there I was for a good part of the day, in my favorite chair in my favorite room in the house, with a fire going in the fireplace, wonderful music and my tea. So picture me, petting Missy, reading Prime Time, writing my notes, confirming some upcoming meetings, and reaching out to a few friends on the phone.
I was alone, but not lonely. Completely comfortable and in a world of my making. It felt like my brand of Comfort Living… So what might yours look like?

While you think about that, here’s another one of my Sundays, today, in fact.

2. A “Waves and Palm Trees” Campfire in Sarasota:
Another day on my own but with a very different feel to it. Unlike in Atlanta, when I woke up with soft rain and a poem (see the end of this blog), today the sun was streaming into the bedroom and the sounds of the waves were my alarm clock. I woke up thinking “it’s time to connect with nature” In fact, I spent the entire day down the street, at the Longboat Key Club and only now just got back in. Not only was able to find that re-energizing down time, but I was also able to connect with the wonderful people that are there.

- Sound:
The waves were my sound for most of the day, but first there was Mollie’s yoga class, with soft chanting that serves as a perfect start to the day along with a view to the water just outside the windows. I’d say for most of the rest of the day, the waves were my music, except for short stops at the driving range (yes, I’m taking up golf… if you can say that!), the weight room at the fitness center, and the resort store where I picked up a couple of small gifts, rough-hewn soaps infused with minerals and sand from the LBK beach. What a perfect gift to go with a message!

- My Campfire:
My campfire for the rest of the day was in a shaded lounge chair on the beach, with my book, my phone and not much more — except for one of the club’s mouthwatering gruyere cheeseburgers (Thanks for the tip, Lynn;)… I got it “to go” (Thank you LBK Club for not using styrofoam!) and found just the right spot on the beach.

- My Routine:
So with just a few treasures, I settled down for a lovely, truly lovely afternoon, tending my campfire and with a beach walk to cap it all off.
Again, not alone, because I had my own company (and that of my phone buddies). Total heaven. (Thanks to the wonderful people at The Longboat Key Club.)

… and now I’m back, with the sun about to set, and those waves still singing to me.

So I ask you again, what might your campfire look like? Think about your treasures and how you can bring them to the center of your world, even if it’s only for a day, or an hour.

Have a lovely evening — and here’s to next Sunday!

Actually, when I woke up on the Atlanta Sunday, I had dreamt a poem. Here it is:

A New Day

Soft rain drops falling,
Fragile petals kissing the earth,
A whisper to greet the morning…
and then a sigh.

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Click here for the listing and click on the photo to see the photo gallery. Meanwhile here’s a recap of the process that brought about a sale (for a profit, in a down economy) within 3 days of going on the market. What isn’t is in the day-by-day recaps is the great energy that was among all of us. Everyone knew what we were trying to do and was into it, with ongoing banter and lots of “oohs and ahhs” about small victories and the occasional “Houston (that was me), we have a problem.”
The day I left town (with the open house set for the next morning), I texted thank yous to all involved late last night (one of the guys was at his second job delivering pizza and whose girlfriend was in from out of town for the weekend. They remet on Facebook after 16 years and had been engaged and are now madly in love …). His reply was: “it was fun. I wish we’d had more time on to do the job.” Music to my ears (but for me, I’m sure glad to be moving on!!)
So here’s the story and at the end you’ll see the final outcome. A sold house, for a profit, in a down market… in less than 3 days on the market!

Comfort Living College Edition for Sale: 3 Days til Liftoff!

Here is story of creating home for the present as well as the future owners:

SATURDAY, Midnight:
4am woke up in sarasota for a 6am flight through atlanta to Detroit. I’m not a morning person – at least, I’m a firm believer in sunrise!
I slept on both flights, knowin what these next 2 1/2 days have in store for me.
On the drive to ann arbor, in running through my to do list on my mind, coordinate with the window cleaner,de-junk (not even clutter), mulch under the big beautiful tree in the front yard, pre clean for the cleaners comin first thong on Monday, buy an hang art, get the lighting in shape, replace the light fixtures on the living room a d entry, check the paint job and sign off wig the painters, bed skirts on the beds, talk with the kids about their rooms and how they need to be in decent shape for showing — and hopefully get them to lend a hand.
Find the rug that used to be in the dining room along with the missing window treatment on one of the windows, buy lamps and other accents for rooms, etc etc.

When get to the house, I fin out that my hero, pat the handyman is out of commission, but fortunately he has sent Tom as his replacement, who gets right to work, fixing a couple of doors, touching up some paint, putting to door to the laundry room back on and a host of other things that were on the to-do list. Thank god!
Matthe takes me around and I see tape still on the floor from the painters and he shows me a couple o areas that were overlooked. I tell him everyone’s human and that’s why it’s important to check things over. So I text dan the painter and he says he’ll be by later with one o his guys to get things done tk our satiafaction. Good for him and his company, Action Painting, which he just bought from the guy who paint the exterior over the summer!
Matthew and I get started… Or rather I join in on the efforts he’s been doing over the past couple of weeks – but not before going out for one of the best burgers I’ve had in ages (hungry much!!?!),
The rest of the day, from 2-11 is spent at the house, cleaning, moving, shifting, texting key people and workin with Tom, my new hero – who at the end of the day, Fonda out that pay ha committed him to the next day – Sunday — when his girlfriend is in town for the weekend!! I feel lousy, tell him to being her along, promise we’ll be quick… But he’s on board. What a sweetie! I love him already!
The painter come by, do touch ups and “while your at it’s” and find that they need to come back tomorrow with matched paint for an overlooked (peacock blue) window and the back door (evergreen).
At about 9, Matthew joins me in a heap on the couch and we look around. We’re doing it, but there’s alot to do between now and my 3pm flight. On Monday, in 2 days….
Then at 10pm, it’s off to the salvation army for me at 10pm (close Sunday’s) as I drop matthe off to study with friends.
For me dinner is potato chips, pretzels and the turn down Chocolate at the hotel. Not typical, but after such a long day, nutrition will happen tomorrow.

SUNDAY, 830am:

Just getting ready to head over to the house in about 15 minutes.
Last night’s salvation army taid was a hit! Bought 3 lamps, 5 framed pieces or art and candle holders and a bunch of other things for about $215.
Today will be a big leap – I hope. I need to get welcome mats, light bulbs, logs for the fireplaces and get art on the walls, the kitchen happening etc etc.
Also a trip back to my buddies at the reuse center, maybe I’ll find a rug and who knows what else… It a work in progress.
Here goes!

Sunday, Midnight:

We were at it from 9 to midnight. What a day. Joining Matthew, Tom and me, were Larry and brad. Also two of the kids in the house pitched in before classes as well, which was really appreciated.
Where to start? While Matthew was sleeping and Tom was at home depot picking up light fixtures for the living room and entry (and a bunch of other things I added to the list like switchplates, brighter light bulbs, etc), I tackled the kitchen. Cleaned up the shelves, put stuff away, threw away empty food boxes, oiled the built in chopping block and basically pre-cleaned so the cleaner tomorrow could make it “q-tip clean”, etc etc. I felt like the Karate Kid waxing all those cars. The acing grace for at least part of it was vein on a phone call, so part of the time I had “company”, but it was actually a bit zen to be breathing life back into the kitchen. (at the end of the night, when Nick drive me back to my hotel – so sweet of him to offer – he thanked ms about 4 times for making it more of a home and for all I was doing.)
The day took me everywhere, — – Tom put up the light fixtures — a night and day difference!!
- of course, the ring left by the ok living room fixtures was bigger than the new ones, so I came up with a great idea – since we didn’t have time to paint the ceiling, and frankly, it didn’t need it. I had dan, my Action Painting hero, paint the ring the same yellow as the walls, so it actually warms the light even more that the lights put out! And brighter bulbs in the bathrooms and on the lamps will make for a brighter space.
- Matthew swabbed the deck of the front porch, hauling tons of water in a huge bucket to rinse it off. He also gave both stairwell and the upstairs hall a good pre vacuuming with the dustbuster I bought last night at the Salvation Army for $4.99.
-Larry closed the dampers in the now-opened fireplaces so no more drafts. Tomorrow he’ll be back to paint the insides black to make them look good and I’ll add wood so that we have campfires ready to go (but closed off except for showings so the renters aren’t tempted to light them.. We don’t want to take that risk.)
- Dan from action painting came back and finished up a window, the front and back doors, etc. He also was ready to step in to touch up some of the stuff the other guys marked up. I took a paper towel and touched up some marks on the exterior paint.
-meanwhile I wiped down the art that I bought at the SA as well as some some other pieces that had never gotten hub up by the guys, windexed the glass and placed them in the spots for them to be hung. Still looking for a couple more, which hopefully find at the ReUse Center tomorrow.
- my helpful hint for the day came from Tom: to get labels off items, no need for Goo Gone o nail polish remover. Windex makes it easy!
- stuff that wasn’t getting use and was just getting in the way was brought out for the scrap guy: the elliptical machine that was living in the living room, the old futon that had come with the house that was taking up space inthe sub room, a broken desk chair, and on and on.
- in one of the bedrooms, I switched the location of a standing lamp from by the door (!) to next to the bed. Finding a swarm of cords, I made some peace with them and swapped out the broken shades with some curtains that we’d taken out of another bedroom yesterday. Instead of worrying about curtain rods, we just pulled the shade material off the wooden rod and slid the new ones over it. Presto!
- the art went up – what a difference!
- in the kitchen we took off the outdated valence and instead I put in a set if cafe curtains on springrods that I’d found in the hall closet, a second set for the dining room, but perfect to focus the eye on the trees next door, as opposed to the wall of the building.
…. Still trying to get someone to wash the windows!!!
At about 4, dick mattie, the real estate agent comes by with the listing agreement and more for me to sign. We go over it all (I have video of his comments after walkin through the house. He was shocked at the change: “800% better!” I put a heart by his name on the listing agreement, saying that I wanted to be under contract by thanksgiving. A first for him. No hearts on contracts til now!
At about 9 pm I headed to Meijhrs, a Wall-Mart clone and found almost everything on my list. Some microsuede throw pillows for the living room sofa, shower curtains to swap out with the old ones, an iron for those kitchen cafes, rug tape to secure the living room rugs (which we’d flip flopped ao that the dark one was in the brighter half of the room, and visa versa), even firewood for the fireplaces (!), welcome mats for the front and back door (i got a “C” for the front door, with a larger frame for it to sit in, to emphasize the historical aspect of the house as The Campbell House, new pot holders and a kitchen towel in red, a nod to the holidays as well as a door decoration (not too chriatmassy, but just enough)… and a couple of Greek yogurts for me, since food seems to have become a scarce commodity for me;).
So $210 later, I load it all up and head back to the house where Matthew helps me load in and finish up for the night. 1am, pooped!
Tomorrow the cleaners come at 10, I still need to find some drawer pulls for the kitchen and maybe a couple more piece of art… And flowers.
The yard guy is supposed to finish raking leaves and I want to get him to lay some mulch down, a good suggestion of Dick’s — and Victory — The cleaners are goin to wash the insides of windows and pat’s guys will do the outside. This just might work!!

The open house for agents is the next day and the open house for the public is on Saturday!

Off to the races!

MONDAY, 7:30am:

My flight to DC is at 5:40. I need to leave by 3:15, the latest. The house is far from done. Actually, it’s not even clean…
First stop is Home Depot to try to being back unused rods from january and get cabinet pulls for the kitchen. They take them back and with $100 in store credit + $30 cash, I leave with 30 pulls at $2.50 each and a rug pad to keep the dining room rug secure. I am trying to meet the cleaners when they get to the house at 10, but the lure of the ReUse Store is too strong, especially knowing the empty spot over the sofa in the living room. Sure enough, waiting for me for a mere $25 is a mission-style mirror. Which will be the perfect counterbalance to the mission sofa that is actress from it as well as the mission loveseat on the entry hall!
So with that and a quick stop at Kroger for fresh flowers, a bag of green apples and a box of clementines, total bill $32, I’m race home to catch up with the cleaners.
Cynthia and Todd of DeMedeci Domestics are in full swing and Tom is back to do final stuff like fix electrical outlets, spray paint the insides of the fireplaces black, repair the desk ms dining room table and any other things that come to mind.
Randy the yard guy is out blowing the leaves in the back yard and I’m under the impression that the windows (at least the inside) will be done by Cynthia and Todd and Pat will do the outside…. A bit of a miscommunication, but Cynthia and Todd stepped up to do the interior, which was the worst of it.
With most of the back yard done, the skies open up, winds pick up and some pretty serious thunder, for several hours. Randy takes off and I see things starting to deteriorate….
But we keep cleaning. I tidy up the laundry room and get some of my clothes in so that, during my trip to DC, i won’t look like Pig Pen. All the while, II try to stay one room ahead of Todd (Cynthia spends a chunk of her time doing a deep clean of the kitchen, and then the bathrooms, while Todd’s first challenge is cleaning the dark green carpet on the 2 sets of stairs. (dark green carpet is pretty impractical on high traffic areas!)
With the fireplaces painted, I put logs in each and even load up the log carrier to the side with the leftover.
As I said to Dick, the real estate agent, I don’t believe in staging for appearances. I help people create lifestyles that allow them to live the lives yet want to enjoy. That’s why the fireplaces are laid with real, not birch logs. That’s why the towels in the bathroom are NOT tied with ribbon or raffia. That’s why there’s fresh fruit, not flowers on the kitchen counter and on the dining table. (that’s also why there are candles nestled among the apples on the sonic table.). Same with the coat rack in the hallway. It’s meant to be put to use in the every day life of whoever happens to live there, now or in the future.
I out the doormats out and arrange flowers for the desk in the living room and the powder room and set out the holders for votive candles… As it turns out, I didnt pack mine, so it seems like a final store visit is in order. But I’ve only got 1 1/2 hours before I have to leave – and I want to see the cleaners off before i go, of at all possible.
So I race to kroger and the only candles they have are in the kosher section, for sabbath. Of course too wide for the various votive holders I brought, but I buy them anyway and, strategically placed, the label doesn’t show.
So. Back to the house where I see Tom off, who has been so amazing, as well as DeMedeci Domestics, from whom I’ve been learning little tips through the day:
- lemon removes coffee stains
- cotton cloths are the best for washing windows (now that newsprint ink is made with soy oil) and more. They know their stuff, that’s for sure.
Cybthia’s parting words are: “Aquanet hairspray takes out any ink stains!”.
I just love the midwest!!
So with that dash around, snapping a few photos, taking off some painters tape in one of the bathrooms, etc etc.
And at 3:40, I make tja mad dash to the airport… Even almost a half hour late, I make the flight (and even have time to replenish the tank of my Avis rental!)

2 emails to share: one from Dick, the agent and the other to the agent, and a text frm Matthew. I think we have liftoff!

Email #1
From: DM
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:55:08 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Update and Photos

Good evening,

The house looks amazing! thank you.

Attached are my top 20 photos for your review, they will be downloaded into the system in the morning. Also no sooner did I put the sign in the yard than an agent called and wants to hold the home open on Sunday from 2-4. Let me know if that will work. 2 open houses on the weekend should generate a lot of interest however it might be asking a lot of the young men living their. Let me know.

Matt I will see you at 10:30 tomorrow. feel free to pass along the photos to the young Lady you mentioned who might have an interest.

Have a Great Night! Amazing work Christine and Matt!!

Dick M
Associate Broker, Charles Reinhart

A text from Matthew:

That girl and her family are very serious about the house FYI, I’ve talked to dick about it, but I’m going to try and see if we can work something out there, because they would WANT us as lessors. I’m sending info to her dad and hope h follows through.

Email #2:
As I left, I sent this to Dick:

A few notes about showings
Entry:
The front rug, when you show the house, can be places directly over the rain mat, with only a 1″ overhang, so no need for a rug pad

Candles:
Candles to light prior to each showing, are located:
- front bedroom side table (also 3 lamps to turn on there)
- dining room table
- green bathroom
I think that’s it all of them. Pls bring matches.

Fresh flowers:
-n There are vases in the powder rooom and on the living room desk. Bear in. Mind that they will need to be swapped out!

Kitchen:
- kitchen bulletin board:
Please use this for the main and 2nd floor furniture plans and any photos you want to display. (maybe the house with leaves on the trees?)
(floor plans are displayed on the counter)

Bathrooms:
- The light blue towels are the only ones to remain in the bathroom during showings.
- The white mat in the powder room should be put out for showings and then stored.
- Use your judgement on the mats in the other two bathrooms.

Tonight:
- I just spoke to pat and he assures me that the Porch swing, mirror and towel rods in green bathroom will be done this evening.
- Also the debris in the garage, basement pile, the hammock, the old piece of yard fence and the contents of the closet at the base of the back stairs will be hauled away tonight, according to Pat.

I think the rest is in good shape.

TUESDAY, morning:
Today at 11 is the open house for agents. Saturday is one public one, and Sunday is the other.
Gentlemen, start your engines!!

WEDNESDAY, 11pm:
We have a contract!!! The offer came in on Tuesday and we the deal was finalized just now. All cash, 576k, closing on Jan 4th and all the leases will be honored through their term, so the kids get to enjoy and matthew gets to be a tenant as opposed to a manager!

In a nutshell, assuming this is the deal that goes through, though there are other interested parties, we sold the house in a year for a profit in a very poor economy. Our son got the experience of managing it and learning, first-hand, the “life 101″ lessons that go into owning property. During that time, he lived rent-free for a year in college as well and gained experience that will have relevance as he heads out into the job market having graduated from University of Michigan’s undergraduate program at Ross Business School.

Mission Accomplshed!
In all, with painting, cleaning, handy-man stuff and miscellaneous expenses, we put in about $6,000 to get it ready. Along with that, was a lot of tlc to make the residents as well as house hunters feel welcomed in to the experience of “home”.
Click here to view the listing and photos again… Do you need help moving on to your next home. That one that will help you live the life you really want to live?
Let me know!

4 Tips for Realistic Resolutions:

1. Scale Back:
Choose ONE resolution. (Think lazar, not shot gun)

2. Think Specific:
Forget broad-reaching goals. Go for smaller, measurable steps.

3. Get Physical:
Make changes to your living spaces and daily routines that support your resolution.

4. 20-20 Hindsight:
Make your SINGLE resolution in early December and start getting into the groove so that you’re up and running by Jan 1st.

3 Resolution Makeovers: — Not only is it about focusing on one task, it’s also about making changes to your surroundings and lifestyle that move you toward success.

1. Smoking:

Instead of:
“Quit smoking.”

Try this:
“I will cut the # of cigarettes in a day by half — and keep them somewhere where they are less accessible, in the garage, in the trunk.

2. Weight Loss:

Instead of this:
“Lose 20 pounds.”

Try this:
“I will drink 3 more glasses of water each day – and keep a pitcher of “spa water” in the fridge, with some washed fruit ready to eat, in a bowl on the counter.”

3. Fitness:

Instead of this:
“Get in shape”.

Try this:
“I will exercise one more day a week or add 10 to each session – and listen to music or catch up on the news while I’m doing it.”

And now let’s talk about other holiday messages.

For some people, they can be elaborate undertakings, with family portraits taken in far-away locations. For others, they take the form of boxed holiday cards from the corner store, UNICEF or other vendors. Depending on the person, your holiday card list might include hundreds of friends, clients and acquaintances or as few as your closest family members.
The bottom line is that there’s no right and no wrong. The bottom-bottom line is that whatever you do needs to come from the heart.

With the ever-increasing cost of postage and the time it takes to sign, stuff and stamp letters, many people have stopped traditional holiday card mailings (which is fine, and actually, I count myself in this group, after about 30 years of mailings). Whether it’s for cost or convenience, more and more people are turning to e-cards, which is a great way of getting the word out to people.

BUT there’s another option that can be even more personal, which is to send a “from the heart” e-mail to a few people each day. Just think, if you send 5 a day over 10 days, you’ll have connected with 50 people.

Last week, I received a holiday e-mail from Sally White, who writes the community/social column for The Neighbor Newspapers and probably has thousands of people on her list. What ensued was that I responded and it led to a dialogue between us, which turned a “send” into a conversation and made it much more special to connect for both of us.

In response to my telling her how much I appreciated her message, here’s how she replied:
“Your book reminds me that, as the years go by and I keep in holiday touch with very long-time friends around the world, that we “connect” with on-going memories and experiences and how I value the little hand written notes. Please tell your folks to mimic hand written notes with their holiday emails. It may see folksy, but I like to add a P.S. for the old-timers!”… and the conversation continued.

It really doesn’t matter if you write by hand or by e-mail, what’s important it to just reach out and connect — and make it easy for people to reach back and connect with you!

Happy holidays — I hope you enjoy this season to it’s fullest!

So here it is again: How an empty house became a home… in 4 days:

I’m in Ann Arbor this week, til Friday morning, to help “tame” the house that my son will be moving into with friends of his and managing as of… now!  The others will be coming in this weekend.

The plan is that they’ll share in the repairs, lawn care, and gradual improvement of it as well as the housework and dare I say, cooking — sort of a cooperative effort that allows them all to feel a sense of “home”-ership, so to speak .  Along with it, and under the mentorship of “Pat the Handyman”, they’ll end up with more than just an academic education by the time they graduate.

But the bottom line is this become a place that they will enjoy, respect and have fun in — I don’t want to take over.  It needs to be theirs, so I’m putting my Comfort Living hat on and, for the next few days, I will be focusing my efforts here.

So I’ll be taking you with me these next few days and sharing my approach to quality of life along the way process which is, first and foremost, about behaviors and experiences — and not about how things look.

I’ll be adding to this blog each day, so instead of looking for a new blog, just go to the end of this one for the next “chapte

r”.   Here we go!

Day 1 (Monday)

We bought the house for Matthew to manage and live in. It’s pretty empty but with a few pieces of furniture and other stuff left behind by the prior owner – a lot of junk, but still, some we can work with. At least I think so.

We got in to Detroit at about 230 and rented a BIG Tahoe. Even before coming home, we stopped by 2 stores, one a thrift shop and the other called Re-Use, a donation center (huge!) for all sorts of junk – sort of a “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure kind of place” – just to scope things out and start to get a feel for the kinds of things Matthew is liking – even though he really just wanted to be back at the house.

We spent maybe 20 minutes spent breezing by each place. I mean FAST. Quick impressions are all I needed to see what resonated with him and what didn’t – which now I have, for example, we have a jade green retro love seat sofa and a cool glass-topped coffee table from the late 60s in mind for the seating area that Matthew wants for his bedroom.

ReUse Center Manager, Gary Urich and Kellie, who checked me out, just minutes before closing! ReUse is part of Recycle Ann Arbor, www.recycleannarbor.org

The prices at this place are amazing, like under $100 for a sofa, $20 for side tables… The idea is that they take donations and sell them cheap to prevent them going into landfills.

….Then we hit the grocery store for food and more importantly, the staples that will empower  he and his house mates to cook for themselves instead of just doing take-out or frozen food. Spices, vinegar, oil, garlic, onions, cans of diced tomatoes, pasta, rice… And of course, cleaning stuff – white vinegar for the wood floors, pine sol, comet and Windex, paper towels and tp (I put several extra rolls in each bathroom and 2 sets of cleaning stuff, 1 for upstairs and another for downstairs, to minimize the obstacles that might get in the way of keeping things up.)

Back at home, (of course, we were locked out of the house, tried to break in and ended up having to drive to get the spare), I started to “tame” the kitchen while Matthew turned up the heat (!) and got things unpacked.

With pasta cooking, cabinets being re-organized and groceries being unpacked, we created a “mealtime campfire” in the dining room (fork knife plates, lights on dimmer, a candle that we found in a cabinet, salt, pepper, napkin stack – I need a book of matches and I also found some place mats).  Matthew’s friend was in heaven with a home-cooked meal – and classes haven’t even begun! Just chicken parmesan and pasta and salad at the dining table, with an old candle lit… Hopefully we’ll continue to eat there while I’m here and we will re-energize that area. But we’ll see. Its their house and their routine.

After dinner I made a “meal prep campfire” so that the kids might actually be subliminally invited to cook for themselves (like shifting spices and cooking basics, etc, near the stove).

I’m thinking to have cable put in there for a tv so the dining room becomes a place for them to sit down an eat face-to-face instead  of on the fly or not at all. We hear more and more how food is a major key to good health and sitting down to enjoy it makes it something that nourishes more than just the body.

The lighting in the kitchen is all vintage compact flourescent, so it is blindingly blue white. When that’s changed, it will feel much better. It just shows how far things have come on that front.

Energy audit and more thrift and resale stores tomorrow. I can feel it coming together, but it’ll take the full 4 days. So that was day 1, though we only got to the house at 530pm (getting locked out took time away). Ok, so with that, we’re off to the races and I’m off to bed!

Day 2 (Tuesday)

It was a long day and with not enough food for me, though I was SO grateful for the chicken salad sandwich that one of Matthew’s future room mates made for me (he even used the toaster which is now next to the stove, in hopes that it might attract some use away from the micro

wave)… and they were the ones that sat at the dining room table, which is already becoming a campfire that they are enjoying and tending through their use of it (I watch for these things).

I woke up and the furniture dilemma (how to furnish this place in 3 days In a durable and college way — and get it feeling like “home”) was much more jelled in my mind. I made some notes and headed back the ReUse store where Matthew and I had gone for a quick scan yesterday after getting here. I found my new buddy, Joe, and went through the donated furniture warehouse with him following and putting “sale pending” stickers on things. I only had an hour before the guy was to arrive for the energy audit.  …So stickers are flying…a sofa ($75), 2 armchairs ($35 each), a coffee table ($15 each), a desk, a night table ($3), a rug ($10), another coffee table, 5 lamps ($10 each)… and a partridge in a pear tree (just kidding, but you get the picture.)

On the way back to the house, I cal the # for a delivery company and as snow is starting to fall, planning to come back by 445, 15 minutes before closing for final decisions and to pay. (I have no idea about what it adds up to or even if I’ll take it all, but it feels good)…. And as it turns out, a truck can be there at 430!

Some of our $480-ish in purchases waiting for loading

So I come back to Matthew and nick, the energy auditor, from Clean Energy Coalition has already gotten started on the audit.

An infra red photo of the bottom of the attic door. The blue shows all the cold air that is coming into the house. With insulation on the attic floor, the energy savings will be significant. Add that to the top of the list of things to do, that's for sure!

As for me, first things first, thanks to one of Matthew’s future housemates, who made chicken salad sandwiches on toast, which we had at the dining room table (it’s being used!)… The audit is a very interesting process and it seems that most of life’s problems can be solve with weather stripping, caulk and insulation — and some compact florescent bulbs don’t hurt either. The house is actually pretty food on that front, but a few things need addressing. A fan and an infra red camera shows where cold air comes in, and he walks us through to explain and will send a comprehensive report with recommendations. All for about $350 — which we will reap in terms of energy savings easily!

Then I drive back to Re-Use, a bit more slowly since snow is coming down strongly and make it as things are starting to close up. I pay the whopping total of $475, after adding a 4-piece wicker set, thank Joe, the other guys and the manager, Gary Urick and head to the house to meet the truck, where Matthew and his friend are waiting to help the movers.  So I tell them what goes where and ,they oblige and like magic —  it works!! (Every time I do this, I am amazed at how a space can change with just a few things placed in the right way, with attention to the way it’ll feel, instead of the way it looks!)

… Two comfortable seating areas in the living room which can seat 12 in all (we need a lamp and a side table), the bedrooms now have their desks and chests of drawers and night tables – I need one more lamp in there and some light bulbs). There’s now a lamp on a timer at the front entry, to turn on at dusk and off at 3am (a gentle hint to get to bed perhaps!!?) and another candle — and the feeling of the place has dramatically changed!

So, tomorrow we look for thermal-lined window treatments and the small but essential things that will make this a place where these kids can relax, study and have fun.

Expenses Tally:

Groceries @ Kroger:      $321.28

ReUse:                         $475.84

Energy Audit:                $350.00

Ann Arbor Thrift Shop    $4.88  (a candle, candle holder and a couple of other things)

Total:                        $1,152.00

As an aside:  Over the years I see that when I do this with people , the part that’s key is to have the person involved WITH the process so that, over the course of time, whether its hours in a workshop or  days like this, it gives me the chance to help them gradually re-think and re-create their lifestyle and re-balance their rhythms and routines and understand the “why” of seemingly insignificant changes… (Like moving the spices and cooking stuff to the glass cabinets over the range instead of the solid ones near the dishwasher – even though it might not look as “pretty” as the glasses that were on “display”) will energize  their muscle memory going by actually living it for a few days in their space…. In a way, sort of like when an artist would come to their patron’s house and live with them while painting. That way the people got more of an appreciation for the process, the thinking and had more of a “relationship” with the end product. I do this in my workshops and retreats and in consultations, but thus longer stretch of times allows for more of that to happen. This makes me see the validity of a show and dvd that dips in and out of a person’s or family’s life.

Day 3 Recap (Wed):

I’m writing this on Thursday morning, since last night was late and today started off early (and 8am radio interview on Realistic Resolutions:  3 Do’s to Make them Happen). I It’s almost noon and we’ve already met with Alex (or Vick, depending on your mood), of Action Painting Company, who’s going to be painting the exterior (we’re  having this done professionally, since there’s lead based paint that will be getting scraped off and want it done as efficiently as possible.)

So, back to yesterday… I’ll keep this short, btw.  This was Matthew’s full day of classes, so while he was out, I went to the Salvation Army — still on my list were a couple of more lamps and ideally a love seat and coffee table for Matthew’s room and some other stuff.  I scored on two lamps and two end tables, and after checking with Matthew later, found the love seat there too!  Back at the house, Pat was there and we walked through the high priority punch list.  Safety and energy savings/warmth are the most important, so smoke detectors will be going up as well as insulation in the attic and caulking and weather stripping.  With Matthew back, we discovered a working vacuum cleaner in the house (cross that off the shopping list!) and finalized the design for a desk that’s going to be built-in for Matthew’s room.  Then, in prep for a trip to Home Depot and my beloved Target, we double-checked window measurements for curtain rods and thermal curtains for Matthew’s room (we’ll let the others get their own).

So with more snow falling, we head out for basic tools, picture hanging hooks, mops and other cleaning essentials, light bulbs (mostly compact florescent), night lights, a basic tool box (with a rubber hammer, introduced to me by my husband a few years ago and GREAT for preventing damage to the walls), a lampshade to replace one from the ReUse lamps, pot holders, dish rags, rug pads, frames for posters, toilet brushes and plungers and all that other stuff that makes a house easy to run.

Given the chance to eat out, once again, Matthew opted to have friends over for a home-cooked meal.  Since it was late, and we were both exhausted, we couldn’t bear another stop for meat at the grocery store, so I picked up a dozen eggs, bacon, english muffins and shredded potatoes at Target and headed home for “breakfast for dinner”… oh, and some frozen buffalo wings to have during meal prep.

So, while Matthew’s unloading the car with his friends,  I throw the wings in the oven while hanging light bulbs, moving lamps, putting the two Salvation Army end tables in place…  Two friends come over and the help get dinner together and there we are, back at the dining table, candle lit, place mats down and the guys are in heaven.  It’s just eggs, bacon, bread and hash browns

The love seat made the cut for Matthew's room -- it was his idea to have one there. This one's a twin sleeper as well!

(though I did make them with sauteed onions and garlic and topped them with cheddar cheese).  A really nice end to the day… but not quite.  It turned out that Matthew liked the love seat so I headed back to the Salvation Army (they close at 10pm) to make our claim on it.  It’s actually a twin sleeper so it’ll come in handy, no doubt.

A friend had a great idea… to put out a “tip jar” where kids who don’t live in the house can throw in a few dollars as a way of contributing to the cost of a meal or snack.  So of course, I found one at the SA for about $3.

Expenses Tally:

Salvation Army:$  95.34

Home Depot:  $498.83  (but I’ll be returning about $70 worth tomorrow, no need for curtain rings with the curtains I bought)

Target:  $632.93

Total for the Day: $1227.10

Running Total:  $2379.10

That’s all for yesterday… today is putting up window treatments, putting art in frames, and hanging them, getting a couple of rugs for bedrooms and hopefully a small table to go with that love seat.  All in all, we’re in good shape for me to get on a plane tomorrow morning!  I’ll hope to load up some photos tonight

Day 4 Recap (Thursday):

Whew… I can’t believe I’ve only been here for about 80 hours, since Monday at 2:30pm.  I’m tired but it’s the kind of tired you have after a day of skiing or a hike up a mountain.  I leave for the airport at about 10am tomorrow, so I still have a few hours to go in the morning, starting with an early morning trip to Home Depot (light bulbs and a return) and Target (exchanging a broken picture frame).  So I’ll keep this pretty short.

The bottom line is that even without tomorrow, we have truly created a home out of what was a virtually vacant house. I just was in Matthew’s room to say good night to him. His lights were out and I sat with him for a bit in the dark.  Without even seeing anything, it just felt good – calm, relaxed and comfortable.

So I’m in the dining room, with the lights dimmed and a candle on and except for the lack of sound (no stereo yet — I miss the music – and it’s too cold to open the windows), it feels so good, like “home”.  One of Matthew’s friends who will be living in the house as of this weekend, came over and was so excited about everything.  She told me she’s looking forward to cooking and sitting down to dinners.  I’m so glad that this house will have a chance to communicate in a good way with the kids who will be living here.

So, another day of snow… the kind that is in the movies, soft and pretty.  Meanwhile, things were busy here.  It was a combination of hanging art (Matthew is better at the :science” of it than I am, that’s for sure!), tweaking stuff here, lighting, light bulbs, creating “bridges” to allow for maintenance routines to come easy.  Here are a few:

- The kitchen counters are laminate.  Matthew had no idea that a hot pan would burn a ring into it… I’m sure the other kids don’t either, coming from a world of ceramic tile and granite counter tops. So 2 of the straw place mats flank the stove.  Essentially they’re over sized trivets.  Another is in the dining room.

- A bucket, with cleaning essentials, including a sponge and rubber gloves, is under the sink.  Mops are hanging inside the door that goes to the basement… hopefully it’ll make crossing the bridge to clean-up that much easier to cross.  There’s another set up cleaning tools in a closet in the upstairs hallway.

- The back door seems to be the way people come in.  It’s looking like Matthew’s instituted a “shoes off” rule (one of the easiest ways to minimize cleaning).  After someone left last night, I saw him wipe off the mud from where they’d taken boots off.  So today, I moved a rack by the back door, with an all weather mat underneath it.  That way, people can take shoes off right at the door and put them out of the way, on the rack and the mat underneath will catch the mud.

… does this sound crazy? Maybe it is, but I’m actually pretty lazy, so creating these Bridges allows me to have to do less and almost have it done for me.  At a beach house that we had in Florida, I put “foot baths” outside the doors (actually they were the ceramic bottoms that go under potted plants).  Filled with water, all you had to do was dip your feet in and there was almost no sand in the house.

So, I did a ot of stuff like this, also related to lighting and rugs placement.  As I was doing this, I was keeping track of the final things that I’d be looking for on my quick tour of my favorite places… The ReUse Center, the Ann Arbor Thrift Shop, the Salvation Army and a newcomer, GCO Carpet Center (actually, I’d stopped in yesterday, but only quickly).

Ted, carrying the two nesting end-tables ($15) and Kellie, who helped me on Day 2 as well. Thanks so much everyone!

At the ReUse Center, I found a pair of nesting side-tables (stained brown wood, with black centers — a perfect color Bridge.

e between two leather sofas, one brown and one black, in the open plan living room/front room). I also picked up two amber beaded lampshades for one of the upstairs bathrooms and a few great books so that text books wouldn’t be the only kind of reading around:  The B

est of Life (magazine), 25 Years of Saturday Night Live and a copy of the DIY for Homes book that we have at our house in Atlanta.  At $3 each, I took the risk that Matthew might roll his eyes.

Then at the Thrift Shop, I totally scored with a rug for the dining room!  I wasn’t even really looking for one since there was an existing one in the house (one of those indoor/outdoor ones, not great but ok).  Perfect colors and perfect size, though I admit, I just bought it without even opening it up.  The colors were great and I figured I could use it somewhere.  For $50, why not?!  I also found the one last side table I’d been looking for and 3 more lamps for the bedrooms.  Now each room has 2 lamps, one for studying and one for their night table.  They may well bring their own, but sometimes lighting is the thing that goes by the wayside.  For me, lighting is a Campfire essential, so I’d rather be safe than sorry.  And again, the prices were right.

2 Guys (Rick and Todd), a rug and an Avis Tahoe!

Already the dinning room is becoming a Campfire, made personal with things like the uber-present laptop, food and for college guys, Victoria's Secret!

Hopefully there'll be less take-out and processed foods and more cooking with cooking essentials nearby - utensils on the counter, oils and spices above the stove and the toaster and dishes in the wings.

* Updated for Day 5, Saturday @ midnight.  (Excuse the delay but I was a bit pooped and deeded to rebalance myself!… I still need to add photos, and will, but that’ll be tomorrow.  Time for bed!)

Next stop, GCO Carpet Outlet, where I’d seen some rugs, cut at 8 x 10 and 9 x 12.  Nice pile and good prices and colors. With Matthew’s love seat bought, I found a great dark slate blue and my buddies Rick and Todd threw it in the back of the Tahoe and I was off to my last stop.

The Salvation Army.  All of these places are within 2 minutes or less of each other, so this whole circuit took me about an hour.  I was looking for, believe it or not, that Tip Jar that Matthew’s friend had mentioned.  And there, on a shelf with a lot of kitchen stuff, was a perfect jar.  Wide at the bottom, amber glass (so that people could see that there is $ in there) , but narrow at the mouth (so that it’s easier to put $ in than it is to take it out).  It even makes that scraping sound of a cookie jar so that people can put money in and the sounds will let the house mates know that someone was saying “thank you”.

Back at the house, Pat the Handyman and his son, Jason had been busy putting smoke alarms in each bedroom, and on each floor.  We bought the interconnecting kind so that if one goes off, they all go off — that way no one would be left unawares if there was an emergency.  We also put a carbon monoxide detector up as an added precaution.  The love seat made it up into Matthew’s room — a perfect fit, thanks to Jason, Pat and Matthew.  They’ll be back tomorrow to put curtain rods up in the rooms, secure some windows, do some weather stripping and caulking and whatever else I can throw at them in the couple of hours before I leave.

After they left, we put down the rug (and the rug pad) in Matthew’s room (a direct hit) and the other one (+ rug pad — these are key!)  in the dining room. Even though I don’t believe in “perfect” – I have to say, both look as if I waded through stacks of rugs and the D & D building, ADAC or the Pacific Design Center to find just the right ones.  The mystery rug purchase for the dining room is truly ideal in size, color and texture!

The dining room, after I found this great rug for $50.

Those beaded lampshades were to warm up the light from 2 compact florescent chanedlier bulbs in one of the bathrooms.  It works beautifully, softening the light while saving energy.

I plan to take photographs tomorrow during the day, but I did take some pictures tonight.

So that’s it for now, except for the day’s tally.

Expenses Tally:

ReUse Center:  $40.81

Ann Arbor Thrift Shop:  $24.38

Salvation Army:  $14.80 (but $5 was for a cool necklace for me!)

GCO Carpet Outlet:  $126.14

Total for the Day:  $206.13

Running Total:  $2585.23

I don’t I’ll have the time to spend much more tomorrow, but I will update the tally add photos and close this blog either tomorrow or the next day.  (I might take time off to re-balance after what has been a whirlwind week!)

Good night!

c
So, when I left for the airport, only 11 minutes late, I might proudly add, I left a home that functions, with lots of bridges that allow easy access to quality of life.  Now its up to matthew and his friends to add themselves to it – to make it theirs.
For what its worth, and I do this with clients, I’d be happy to talk with them or skype with them on their rooms individually. If it would help them feel more grounded as they get settled in.

Day 5 (Friday) — In some ways, this should be looked at as Day 4, since we only got started at about 4pm on Monday, and as you can see, every hour counts big time!

I got to bed last night at 1:45, with the alarm set for 7am and a flight from Detroit at 12:15.  That leaves only 3 hourse before my 10pm deadline to be driving out the driveway to the airport.  Still a bunch of stuff to do…   In particular, how can I possibly leave without one of the key essentials to any modern day “campfire” – the TV?!?  So Target is at the top of my list for today!

I can't think of a home that can't benefit from a Target run!

So, with snow continuing to fall and after packing and bringing my suitcase downstairs (I’m taking this really cool $5 lamp with me, my bonus since Matthew didn’t fall in love with it for his room), I make some notes for my last round of stops and head back to Target and Home Depot.
At Home Depot,  I return about 10 packets of curtain rings since the thermal curtains have gromets and made them unnecessary.  Those little packets add up to a $118 credit – not too shabby!.  I also buy a legit hammer after the art-hanging escapades of the day before.

Since the house only has one pretty ratty trash bin, how can Matthew expect people to recycle? So, I buy 2 trash bins, one for trash and one for recycling.  Labelled clearly,  I cross my fingers that throw-aways will avoid the landfill. 15 minutes later, I’m off to Target.

The guy in the electronics department makes it easy and I know how big the area is above the living room fireplace where the TV will go.  I also get the 3-year service plan, with a houseful of college students, it seems like a no-brainer. I buy a small bin to put beside the back door for the rock salt so that after snowfalls, it’s an easy thing to access … another Bridge to safety, just like the night lights, lights on timers and refilled fire extinguishers (thanks for that one, Pat the Handyman!). And yes, I exchange the picture frame that fell apart in our art hanging fiasco of yesterday. (Matthew, I have complete faith in your ability to hang Miles Davis over your bed.  You are far better at it than me — and now you have a “real” hammer!”)
What a bonus that these places open early — I get back to the house at 9:15 — 45 minutes to go!
Pat is already there, getting the curtain rods up in matthew’s room (those thermal draperies will really help the heating bill!).

Pat and Matthew in his room, putting up thermal window treatments. Here's to a lower electric bill!

While Matthew brings all the stuff in from the Tahoe and puts my suitcase in their place, I get to meet Julia (or was it yesterday?!) who has decided (wisely) to take the room with the bigger closet instead of another that had more shelves but less hanging space.  We give her the lay of the land and I go around changing out a few light bulbs, putting a bucket in the upstairs cleaning Bridge (that way, they load the bucket with what they need to clean the bathroom, their room or whatever)…

Everyone knows that house cleaning isn't a priority in college, but hopefully easy-access will make it more likely. We'll see!

Along the way, I check in on Pat and tell him about my idea to string together and hang Matthew’s nautical flags around the stair railing (which is a bit low)… Partly decoration, but more importantly a subtle sign that says “beware!”. It’s nice that both he and Matthew like the idea… If matthew didn’t like it, it wouldn’t be a “go”.  After all, it’s his place, but as a sailor, it seemed to be a way to combine one of his passions with something that made sense on a functional level. Pat shares the name of a friend who can clean the love seat and any other furnishings that might need it and we put the trash bins and rock salt bin in place (oh yes, I also bought a set of hooks for coats by the back door).

dust pan hanging on the back door (it was actually already there), a bin for rock sale, hooks to hang jackets and a rack to put boots, with an all-weather mat underneat.

I have just a few minutes to take some final pictures and give Pat a thank-you hug for all he’s doing and simply the fact that he cares .

Being a "handyman" is about as underrated as being a teacher. Both professions are as much about art as they are about science. Pat is one of the greats. I'm so glad we found him. Thanks, Dick Mattie (our real estate agent) for sending him our way!

Most importantly, I give Matthew a hug and I head off to the airport, only 11 minutes late.
What a week!

So his friends will move in over the weekend, I think. I’m not sure when, but I leave knowing that because of the set-up stuff we’ve done, Matthew’s role as “house manager” will be easier because the house will be able to speak for him, in the form of all of the non-verbal cues that make it easier for them to live together — and live well.

Now don’t get me wrong, we are FULLY expecting for things not to be “perfect” — they aren’t perfect now, and that’s on purpose.  The most precious thing in that house will be the people who live there and the experiences they will create for themselves and each other, and I can’t help but think that they will do a bit more in response to the respect and comfort that their surroundings will be communicating to them.  It’s sort of like graffiti or chewing gum.  If it’s on a wall, others feel invited to add to it. If the wall is clean, it’s a lot harder to be the first to make that mark.

So, the photos of the house as I leave it are below.  What I did this week was to bring Matthew into the process of setting up his home.  I watched and listened to what was important to him and those soon-to-be housemates that stopped by to say “hi”.  Aside from the framed posters in his own room, we intentionally did nothing to the walls.  They are a blank slate, waiting to be written on.

Thanks to Matthew, these got hung up... I was the one that confirmed that they were level, but he did the hard labor!

So, when I left for the airport, only 11 minutes late, I might proudly add, I left a home that functions, with lots of bridges that allow easy access to quality of life.  Now its up to matthew and his friends to add themselves to it – to make it theirs.
Just as I do with clients, I’d be happy to talk or skype with any of you on your rooms, your routines and the rest of the house.

… Have fun everyone.  I can’t wait to see where you take it!

So here’s a look at the house as it is now:

The dining room is already being made into a Campfire, with personal additions including the essential laptop, food, a Victoria's Secret Catalogue and...

Here's what you see as you enter the house. The lamp on the table under the stairs is hooked up to a light timer that turns on at dusk and off at about 3am - a gentle reminder for everyone to head to bed. This is what I call a "Campfire for Re-entry". Instead of coming into a dark house, you are welcomed back.

Here's a place to hand out, play some music or do some studying. A leather loveseat (leather is totally stain-resistant!), a totally comfy lazy-boy and a rocking chair... and a candle too.

The living room: the fireplace is closed off for safety reasons, but the tv is ready to be mounted above it and is visible from the dining room as well. Comfy seating and a coffee table that can withstand wear-and-tear (at least, I hope so...)

Buckhead:

No need to head to the malls. All of these stores are outside of that area that gets such high traffic during the holidays.
Stores:
- Hermes (need I say more? quality, style, creativity!)
- Mitchell + Williams (wonderful furniture. Say hi to John Waluskiewicz. He interned for me when he was studying interior design at SCAD, very talented!)
- Peachtree Battle Antiques: http://www.peachtreebattleantiques.com/ just south of Lindbergh and north of Peachtree Battle shopping center. (It’s on the right, as you head south on Peachtree Road (and say hi to the manager, Michael Daehn for me!)
- The stores around ADAC (Atlanta Design and Accessories Center is for trade only) AND the ones on Miami Circle and Bennet Street bring many wonderful perspectives on design in one place with only one parking space and are frequented by top interior designers.
Restaurants:
- The St Regis Hotel wonderful for lunch or dinner)
- Portofino (same, a bit more casual than the two below)
- Restaurant Eugene (dinner, I love this place)
- Aria (dinner, this one is a favorite, too!)
- Souper Jenny or Cafe Noah (These too!!!! Lunch, very casual… terrific with alot of “heart”)
- Cafe Lapin (lunch, sort of ladylike, but not too, too fancy. In the Peachtree Battle Shopping Center)
- Paul’s (on a side street, for lunch or dinner. Very nice but comfortable too)… it is between ADAC and the Peachtree Battle Shopping Center

West Side:

(From I-75, head south on Howell Mill Road and it’s just after Huff Road… or take the 14th street exit off of I-75 South, and head west til the end of 14th and take a right and you’re there)
Stores:
- Belvedere (lovely lovely store! as well as all others in that area)
- Terra Cottage (say hi to Sandy, the owner)
- Bungalow Classic
- Kolo (Totally GR-8 outdoor furniture! Say hi to them from me too!)
- 14th Street Antiques (the sister store of Peachtree Battle Antiques – Michael Daehn splits his time between the two stores) — on 14th Street, if you are at West Side area, turn left on 14th Street and it’ll be on the right, after Northside Parkway)… huge, wonderful, great vintage jewelry and handbags as well as furniture. Great for gifts!
Restaurants:
- JCT Kitchen – Yum… not “fancy” but nice is a low key kinda way.
- Bacchanalia – fancy, one of Atlanta’s best, thanks to Anne Quattrano! (and if you really want a treat, her other restaurant Quinones is 10-star!)
- Star Provisions – casual lunch (another one of AQ’s creations, with great gifts and home items for sale as well)
- Taqueria del Sol (wonderful, casual, fun)

Midtown

There are a number of great design stores to the north of the Fox Theather on Peachtree Street… they tend to be contemporary, and I love the fact that this area is growing in such a cool way. It’s a bit harder to find lunch spots there, but here are three, all fablulous:
- Ecco
- Nan
- South City Kitchen

Back in Buckhead, I would also suggest visiting Swan House and the Atlanta History Center (they have the exhibit for the 100 years of the Olympics)… if you haven’t done that yet, that’s a “must” — and you can have lunch at the Swan Coach House, another “must” for Atlanta!

Now that I am hungry, with all of these restaurant suggestions, I’ll leave it to you and look forward to hearing of your adventures! So grab a friend or head out solo and treat yourself to an afternoon of inspiration and maybe check a few things off your gift list while you’re at it!

Perhaps because I’m a brand partner (I designed the activity in the On Your Mark section for kids to create “Their Own Zone” so that as they go out and change their world, they can be sure to have a zone to return to at the end of each day), I was on the tour with Gina Otto and the cast of her musical at the beginning of the month. How inspiring to see, first-hand, the impact that this message is having, not only on girls AND boys, but on adults too.

Gina and Rossville Middle School Principal, Glen Brown

It isn’t often that you get to see a movement in the making, but I think that’s what’s happening here. Here’s just a glimpse of what’s happening:
- In just a couple of weeks, one of several u-tube videos has had over 32,000 views.
- In the 3 weeks since publication date, Sterling Publishing is into it’s 4th printings of Cassandra’s Angel (unprecedented) — and now, it looks like it is headed into it’s FIFTH printing (unheard of)!
- This morning it was THE book on Barnes and Noble’s home page (see below) with Walter Isaccson’s Steve Jobs book behind it. — For a picture book and from a single- title author is totally, totally extraordinary!
- The ChangeMyWorldNow.com website is having huge success with I-can’t-rememember how many hits — and more importantly, a lot of exploration within the website.
- Principals and teachers are planning to engage their students in CMWN activities as a class, grade or school, in addition to having kids post their “global wishes” for the world.
and finally,
- In the gathering that I co-hosted earlier this week, along with Laura Heery Prozes, Brooke Jackson Edmond, Ginny Brewer, Rebecca Heery and Rebecca/Becky Young, some of Atlanta’s most prominent and effective youth organizations are planning to share this with the youth, adults and families that they serve — as well as becoming brand partners, themselves!

For those of you who were part of that week’s events, I’m so glad that you got to experience it first-hand. For those that weren’t, take a look at their website (ChangeMyWorldNow.com) and pass it on to people who you think might be interested.

After NY, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and Atlanta, this week they wrap up this half of the tour in Miami and after that, Gina will be opening the centennial conference of Girl Scouts of America… In the new year, the tour continues in middle-america and on to the West Coast. As I said, pretty amazing.

4 “Facts of Life”

“How cool that you get this collective hug from people who love you and think you are FABULOUS! I’ll bet that, between the bunch of us, you’ll have the benefit of close to 1,000 years of female experience – and hopefully you’ll not have to go through some of the stuff that we did when we were youngerJ
So, even though we grew up in the era of dinosaurs, typewriters and phones with cords attached to the wall, there are some things that, truly, never change:

- Fact #1: What the #$*#??!! Is “Perfect”??!!
Forgive my French, but we’re not perfect – and we’re not supposed to be!! I can’t think of anyone who isn’t at least a little insecure about their looks, meeting new people or learning new things from scratch. So don’t think that you’re the only one that feels that way. No one, absolutely no one is perfect. ☺

- Fact #2: Fact #1 is TRUE!
The truth is, even THE most popular girls and the biggest celebrities aren’t comfortable with who they are. No one, not even Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber or Beyonce, is totally in love with themself. You are who you are, and though there are parts of you that you might want to change, you can change some of them, but please (!) don’t try to become someone else, because if you do, you’ll lose that “you” that is so magical and so totally enchanting!

- Fact #3: You, Too, Have an Angel
Cassandra has her angel, and Sleeping Beauty had a whole bunch of fairy godmothers. When you think you’re all alone, remember those people who think the world of you, and go to them for help, encouragement or just a hug. They’ll always be there to take a call, e-mail, text, skype or however you want to reach out. After all, that’s what friends are for!

- Fact #4: Love Yourself
Finally, and most importantly, It has taken me years of living and learning to learn that the most important thing is to LOVE YOURSELF. That means the parts you think are totally cool as well as the things you’d prefer to change. What makes you who you are is the combination of everything, all mixed together.

So trust yourself and appreciate – and LOVE the person you are!