Discretion IS apparently key....Checking in.

As you know from Friday's Post, I have been trying to find my inner French Girl. Well I have been working on chapter on this last few days, and I will discuss that come Friday as we move on with the "study" of the book. It has really become an quiet little influence in the back of my thoughts and actions since reading the first chapter and doing a post about it.

I will fess up, I could not wait till this Friday to read Chapter 2. I could not sleep last night, I do not know if it was hormones, it is close to that time. Too warm, had to close the window in the middle of the night because neighbors were up smoking and it wafted in . Or just one of those nights I get from time to time....too many to even count..all related to my Fibro and the side effects it has on certain things. But the book was there, on my bedside table. So I picked it up, and my notebook and pen and moved onto reading the next chapter.

This Chapter, and I will not go into all of it, but it was about the body. Our body image, how we deal with our own views on it. It also touched upon American's obsession with what we eat, how much we eat, when, where, every morsel often being recorded. That we also obsess about our weight, measurements/body shape. And of course exercise. THEN we talk about it!!! It is everywhere! All over TV, from ad's to complete shows. There are blogs, there is magazines, there is web sites and chat groups. I am guilty of partaking in all of the above. Most American women are at one point in time. Apparently, even with the book French Women Do Not Get Fat      ,

which of course was really written for American Women, about a French woman that came to America and put on weight (if I recall from when I read it ); there is actually French women who come in all shapes and sizes, even if we typically think of them as perfectly slender. They do not live in active wear, unless it is for fashion. There is only a small part of the population that actually go to a gym, most choosing to gain exercise , like me, putting one foot in front of the other. The biggest thing I gained from reading this section of the book was that they do not talk about it. IF they do talk about it, they use discretion.

    

They do not obsess about it , that is for sure. I put the book down, thinking to myself, "EEEK GHADS" I have a check in post every Tuesday. This clashes with what I am posting about on Fridays. So my mind racing, I decide to blog about it. Talk about it of course. After all I am an American , I am only trying to perhaps add a bit of that French girl 'je ne sais quoi' to my daily life and personality. I already know I am going to really fail on certain lessons from this book. It is the nature of being an American , and well of being a blogger. 

I have also been reading Eat , Pray , Love. I am on the Love part. Now there is nothing about discretion in this book, NOPE! The authors life , all of it is ( and forgive the pun) an open book. She is American after all. Now I LOVED the "Eat" section. I had actually been living my life like that for the last nearly two and half years. I ate what I wanted, I savored it all, and I counted nothing and I just stopped wearing my jeans when they no longer fit. I walked to eat more. I really enjoyed life and took pleasure in each bite. But the reality of it was I was hurting my health. I had to take control. I still wanted to enjoy all my favorite foods...but instead of eating them in huge portions and all day, I dialed back. For me I found, that at this stage of life, writing things down was not going to work. I did not want to loose that pleasure of eating. I did not want to make it what I obsessed about all day. So perhaps with all the health issues and age related issues, I would not loose as fast, but at least I would not be obsessing. That is where check in Tuesday came in. 

I decided to share my journey, just a snap shot, and if someone related or wanted to follow along on the journey then perhaps it would help them. If not, then it was a way for me to get out my feelings and frustration in a journal form. I had no idea it was portraying a typical American stereo type. I hate being a type of anything. To me it was just what I had always done. Be it when I was in Weight Watchers, or going to a gym all the time, or belong to sparkpeople.com   . I was doing what has always worked for me . I became accountable. 

I am perfectly proud to be an American. I just want to say that, so that you do not get the wrong idea and think perhaps by doing French Girl Friday, and doing this post about how they view things dealing with weight and food. I think because I am not going to follow the book to the T in my life, it is ok to not be so perfect with my discretion. I mean being who I am ( Chatty Cathy) and a woman ( most of us like to gab and spill the beans...let's be truthful) and especially being a blogger , IF I was discreet, well then I would not be me and well this blog would not exist. So ...WALA problem, if there was one , solved. I can embrace somethings and let others just be. 

So in that spirit , I have lost a pound in the last week. I do not know if it will stick, but I am doing the happy dance. I am at 127.2, and I have not seen this weight in over two years! My measurements have not changed. I am ok with that, I know they will not till I drop, if I drop, another 5 pounds. OR if I all of a sudden became a gym rat ...UM yeah , not happening. BIGGEST NEWS..... I am now more comfy with tucking my shirt in and I have to wear a belt with my shorts....OH and my pooch is smaller ( so much for discretion ) !!!!

 

Playing Tag

I was recently tagged from a fellow blogger From Chaos Comes Happiness, and asked to tag fellow bloggers..I am to answer these questions and then ask 8 questions. I normally do not do too many of these, as I never can figure out how to answer or what to ask.

Well I have had no sleep as I am suffering from quite a few mosquito bites , and I am VERY allergic....when I get these things, the spot I am bitten, it swells to the diameter of a coffee cup , it itches and is painful and does not go down for days. I got bitten in May and I still have dark , bruise like marks on my legs from where the bites were. This time it is on both legs, two bites each and I have three on my left arm.

 Anti itch cream did no good. I searched online for a natural remedy, garlic, frozen banana peels, vinegar, tried them all today, I do not smell so great. I am told limes and then also told an oatmeal rub...I shall try limes first , less messy. The point is , I can not concentrate past the itch , pain and discomfort I am feeling at the moment, so coming up with 8 questions is just not going to happen. But I want to play. So I shall answer the questions below, and then tag a few others with the same questions. I hope you will click on the blogs and visit these wonderful women that I have tagged.


 1. What is your all-time favorite movie (the one that you can watch over and over, when just hearing it in the back ground is enough to imagine exactly what is happening on the screen)?WOW! That is VERY hard, I have several movies that do that to me. But I would say Hello Dolly would be the number one.

2. Tell me about one Halloween costume you remember wearing as a child.I went as a dog one year that was from a play that I was doing. My Mom had made it for me, and it got accused of being a pony all the time, but I loved it and was very proud. It was white with brown spots, and had yarn for the ears.

3. Why did you start blogging?I was urged over and over by friends and so one day I took the leap, but did nothing with it , just created the page and the name. Then my daughter made it all pretty for me and I figured now I had to get going with it , and so that is how I got started.

4. What makes you happy?Loaded question, how many hours do you have? Simply, past the love of my hubby, and family and the love of simple things, too many to list, security would be a biggie....we have only had that for brief periods of time in our family over the last 24 years, and when we do have it, I am VERY happy.

5. If you were able to go back in time, where would you go and why?Hmmmm, I think the early to mid 50's. I loved the hair, the clothing, the movies, the music, and I love being Susie Homemaker, and it was simpler times....that appeals to me.

6. What was the last thing you bought at the grocery store?I shall count today...LIMES!

7. How do you take your coffee? (If you don’t drink coffee … wait, let me get a handle on that … YOU DON’T DRINK COFFEE??? Ok, if you don’t drink coffee, then what is your favorite beverage?) I like splenda and cream. I am also a HUGE tea drinker, all types, with cream and without.

8. Brag a little . . . tell me about a recent RAK (random act of kindness) that you took part in. As you know, our youngest moved out of our apartment. She is moving in with her boyfriend and another young couple. The other couple, the husband was in the military and just got out. His young wife is just the sweetest girl, and my daughter is very fond of them both. They do not have much to feather this new nest, and the wife, Kim, loved all my decor in my living room. The teal color, the Asian feel, so I took down my art work, knowing that I wanted to redecorate, but was not going to really start on it for a while, as money would allow. But , I took the art work down, donated a chair from my bedroom, loads of candle holders from Zgallerie, an area rug, as well as a brand new vase that I had won in a contest. I gathered place mats and coasters and just wrapped it all up so that they could have a few nice things in which to build upon.

Readers, PLEASE visit these blogs and let them know how you found them !!! And that you saw them in a game of "Tag"( Thanks)...going back to trying to find a way to stop the itch!!!
OK, Now your turn .....
A Beautiful Mess
Kendra Payne
Living in France
Things I Can't Say
YaYa's Home
The Frump Factor
1. What is your all-time favorite movie (the one that you can watch over and over, when just hearing it in the back ground is enough to imagine exactly what is happening on the screen)?

2. Tell me about one Halloween costume you remember wearing as a child.

3. Why did you start blogging?

4. What makes you happy?

5. If you were able to go back in time, where would you go and why?

6. What was the last thing you bought at the grocery store?

7. How do you take your coffee? (If you don’t drink coffee … wait, let me get a handle on that … YOU DON’T DRINK COFFEE??? Ok, if you don’t drink coffee, then what is your favorite beverage?)

8. Brag a little . . . tell me about a recent RAK (random act of kindness) that you took part in.

French Girl Friday....

So as promised , I am starting a new series. Based on the book Entre Nous, A Woman's Guide To Finding Her Inner French Girl. Written by Debra Ollivier . Each week I shall read a chapter, seven in all.

I decided to start the day off with a French feel...well a kitchy idea of it. I had my coffee, "Fine European " coffee from , well , a not so French place, the corner gas station....what can I say it fit my budget. I then had a Croissant for breakfast , while I sat outside, in the warm morning sunshine , watching people, and sharing my breakfast with the birds. The music of Celine Dion playing over the speakers ( she is at least French Canadian LOL) . It was a great way to start my day. I shall not bore you with in betweens today. 

When I finally had a chance to sit and get started on the book, I set the stage. I popped in the Edith Piaf CD, MA VIE , and gathered my book and a nice cool drink and began reading. Chapter One La Tete. 


Each chapter is divided into several subjects, with interesting little boxes with notes about music, movies, French ladies, American ladies that had thoughts on French ladies and summations of the sections the chapter is divided into; making my posts easier to come up with. I shall share the summations and perhaps a portion of the actual sections here and there, and then my thoughts. This seemed the best, other wise you are just reading Cliff Notes, and what fun would that be ? 


~"Borrow A Page From The French Girl's book: Self Possession....
Find your center and live there. Resist the pressure to be some one you're not; instead focus on fully developing who you are. Don't get thrown off course by the prevailing winds or trend . Engage in real in the moment pleasure, not mindless entertainment. Feed your mind . Cultivate impressions and opinions . Know what you think." 

** Now I think I have some of this down, and quite a bit of it , well I just do not. I think maybe that has been my problem all these years. I did not know who I was. Or I thought I did not. 

I was a daughter. I was told who I should be, what to do, who to become, and I rebelled as most teens do. Always just searching out the worst friends and boyfriends to be with , and morphing into who they were on some level. 

Then I was a wife. Very quickly after a Mother, and I tried to be who society, and family members and then my Church family said I should be in that role. I changed to fit their rules, expectations. I just have always done this. Through my entire life. I even had a friend once that kept telling me she "KNEW" who I was , what I liked and did not like, and what was me and not; I was so confused and even still rebellious that I kept trying on new "hats" and yet nothing really fit. I thought as I had often done , " who am I?" And I would continue to change to fit others ideals of who I was. It makes for a very confused and upset inner being.  

Just yesterday I was posting that I did not know who I was , simply because our youngest was moving out, and my husband no longer needed me to be the perfect little wife as he is never home, and I do not have friends here locally to dictate how I behave, dress, and do in my daily life. I was searching for me. Yet, as I turned each page of this book, I was reading sentences that sounded as if she was describing me....HMMM, maybe I have known me all along, and "she" has been suppressed on a regular basis, and just needed to be let out. 


~The second part to that initial section was actually titled "She Seeks Sensuality".  It is actually not what you think. It touched on it in that latter part of the paragraph. The book says " ...a premium on experiencing pleasure: pleasure in ordinary moments. Pleasure in extraordinary moments.
.....Sensual satisfaction in the moment, from feeling an almost tactile pleasure and evocative power in the seemingly mundane. " 


* This is the part I think I am doing quite good at, and nearly always have. I love the simple things, I always find pleasure in them ( well except grocery day when I have to go to Wal Mart and fight the noise and the crowds) ; it is even reflected in the subtext of my blog. I just have never been a girl who needs all the hoots , bells and whistles to enjoy things. So Good for me!!! 


~The next section of Chapter One.... "Borrow A Page From The French Girl's book: Discretion. 
Think before you speak . Leave somethings unsaid. Respect secrets. Consider your life your personal currency- and invest it wisely. Resist the impulse to turn over other people's stones. Cultivate the art of saying NO with mindfulness. Make decisions from your own center. Be wary of shoulds. Exercise deliberateness in all decisions. Stay on the high road but make room for compassion. Bring unconventional  wisdom into your life. Go gently against the grain. "


** Now, as both an American, and especially a blogger, I really have to work on this. I can see the validity of this, I truly can. It is just easier to say you can be this way than to do it. One part had mentioned putting two American's together and you will know the other's life story in 5 minutes. Goodness, how true this is, and I have experienced it time and time again...it can happen in a chair at the doctor's office. In line for coffee. On Facebook and time and time again in reading blogs. I am not sure I shall want to adjust this fact too much...whatever would I blog about if not including my life, just all fashion, travel, food, decor perhaps....there is enough of that out there. 


I am however getting better at saying NO. I used to be a door mat, and never liked being so. I said YES, even if my head , heart and mind was doing quite the opposite. That is not to say I do not sometimes still give in. I am a work in progress on this front for sure! 


~"Borrow A Page From The French Girl's book: Time 
Don't take short-cuts. Don't multi-task . Do one thing at a time. Remember that time is not money, it's your life. Let go of the desire to fit everything into one day. Take time for yourself. Invest your time in what is personally relevant and meaningful, because investing time , in the eternal scheme of things , passes swiftly. ( Remember how fast you grew up, how fast your children grow up?) Keep each thing in it's place. Work at the office, play at home. Toss the digital watch; go analog. "

**My gracious!!! How as American's are we going to master this?? This is a toughie for sure. I am far too ADD not to do several things at once, split my time in so many ways that I need more of me and making my head spin. But I shall try. I really do have it quite easy now, with no one home and not too many things on my plate each day demanding that I try to achieve them all. So , maybe , just maybe I can master this rather quickly.

So that is basically the first chapter, in the proverbial nut shell. OHHHH WAIT! There was one more section ...
"Shop Like A French Girl " 

~The basics that I got from it, " Buy less and buy the best you can afford" . It  is something that is hard for me as well, not only cause of being raised  in America, but also being a bargain hunter; wanting more bang for my buck . I love all my purses and shoes and shiny pretties in my jewelry box. So this will take some work for sure!! 

So until next Friday please enjoy this classic .....
 

Jusqu'à notre prochaine rencontre mes amis , au revoir (  Till next we meet my friends, good bye ) 

* Thank Goodness for iGoogle for translations!!!

In a Funk

I have not been writing much this past week. I think I am in a funk. It happens from time to time. So much is changing in my world. I like change, but I like when the band aide is pulled of quickly , not slow and painful. I want the changes to be over and let's move on.

What changes you might ask would cause such a funk? Well there is a major one and many small ones. Our youngest daughter Angel is moving out, most likely this weekend, having found an apartment with her BF and another couple...they signed the papers yesterday, and get the keys tomorrow. We have known since she was 16 she would move out as soon as she could manage it. She has always been independent. Since she was a toddler she has been this way. She started working at 10 at a friends burger place, managed to run a Teddy Bear store on her own quite often at 15, and as soon as we moved here, got a job at a grocery store at 16, taking over her own bills, food , clothing and is saving for a car...so it is not like we have even raised her for the last couple of years.She has a mind of her own, goes after what she wants and achieves it.

  This is her, hamming it up recently at a family dinner. Yep, she is my mini me, or so everyone says. The last one in the nest. She rarely is here, always staying with her boyfriend ( who we adore) David. BUT her stuff is still here. I tease her that I shall miss the rent she pays to store her stuff here, as that is my fun money. In reality, I am going to miss seeing her, even if it is for fleeting moments, and just knowing she is in her room playing video games.

Her room is right behind my desk. It is nearly always a mess, and it drives me bonkers , and I can not say how often I go in and spray Fabreeze and grab dishes and take out the garbage. But it is my babies room. In the last two and half years I have had all three of my girls move out. One by one.

My oldest, Chanda, we rather ushered out, not the first time, but the last. It had to happen and it ripped my heart out, even if she does not believe me. It was for the best. We have a wonderful relationship via phone, but drive each other nuts instantly in person. Too much alike, and too different all at the same time. I still wish she was in California, so we could have time together, but not live under the same roof. She lives in Texas, it has been a real growing and maturing time for her, not always easy, but despite that, she is making it. We are proud of her, something else she does not believe I am afraid.

Our Middle daughter, Rebecca,

my partner in crime, met her "Mr." ( he would rather not be mentioned in blogs) not even a year into living back in California , via E Harmony...and quickly she was not often at home, and a year of them being together she officially moved in. They have lived together for just over a year now. But I see her often, and she really is my best friend past my hubby, and she has really stepped up during this last two years of being in turmoil over the loss of income and our home. She does all for me that I wish I could, should be doing for her as a parent, and I am humbled by it for sure...far too soon for her to step into that role .

I fear that we will never see moments like these with the girls, goofing off, enjoying each others company and not clashing because they have all changed so much and have very different lives..... no more together time, other than maybe a yearly visit from the oldest, which cause of the distance in miles has unfortunately created  even more of a distance in relationship.

 they barely posed for this , this past March.... they are very good at faking it for the camera .....

   No more family time where it is just us....

 I can not say I miss all the difficult years, but I really do miss all the good, even great times we had with our girls, and I miss having that built in circle of friends, shopping , lunch and travel buddies. And now, my last one, is flying out of the nest, and I am left with the cats.

Don't get me wrong, I am very happy for Angel. Excited for her. Scared out of my mind for her and will be praying daily that it all works out for her....but we are going to stay in the apartment, with two bedrooms for another year, walking distance from where she works just in case our little bird needs to fly back to the nest. That offer is always there for all our girls....even the oldest ( would just have to bite my tongue, a lot!) This is all just another change , on top of all the other changes this past year has brought...some good, some just ok, some we just have to wait and see what will happen.

But add these changes all together and it creates a funk. It creates writers block. Lack of funds because of hubbies new job taking a while to gear up money wise, creates less time out of the apartment, and that creates less things to blog about. I have decided to change our apartments decor in the LR (donating a few things to Angel and her roomies to feather their nest), but that change will take time, once again from lack of funds. I changed my hair, cutting and coloring, but it needs to be fine tuned, so that will take time. I am trying to change my body, but that too will take time...it too requires funds to afford what is needed, as healthy is not cheap. One thing as mentioned is not changing, and in an odd way I was hoping it would, even though I like it here well enough... and that is our apartment. We can afford now to stay with hubbies new job. Again all the changes, and well lack of changes happening quick enough has me just sitting in idol , and I do not handle that well.

I like to know what is happening , have a plan, my duckies in a row and no surprises. I have no idea what life will bring for the next year with an empty nest, a hubby whose work has made me a major work widow, no real money to entertain myself, and let's face it, alone time is nice, but it gets old very quickly. I can not get a job due to my fluctuation in health, I have no real hobbies past this , I truly do not know what I am or who to be. I was a Mom and a Wife all these years, now my girls have their own independent lives, and rarely need me, and my hubby cause of his work leaves early and comes home very late and heats his food up and then it is bed time for me. So I am little more than a maid...not what I want to be. I need to make more changes myself , to myself, for myself, I just do not know.

So yep, that too creates a funk...I did not realize all this was really brewing in my head and my heart until Angel's moving out became official. So that is why I have not been writing much, and just kind of taking all things slow in my daily life. I am sure this will pass. I have had funks before. I just need to get used to the current changes and then I will be just fine...I am good at bouncing back....it might just take awhile.

Tuesday Check in & The Adventure that almost happened.

IT'S TUESDAY ALREADY??? GHADS! The days got away from me. I was under the weather a bit and then just did not feel motivated to post over the weekend...I vegged all weekend. Yep , rooted to the couch. Then yesterday...well it was a day of almosts, but will get to that very soon. First CHECK IN...

Sound the trumpets, drum roll please, do the happy dance in a virtual circle and applaud after that...ARE YOU READY???? 128.2! Now I do not know how long that will last. Especially since I ate at Mel's Diner....the steak and eggs special, and I did not work out all weekend...not even the 10 minutes with the DVD. So I may fight all week long to see it again and then it will be time for Mother Nature, and then....yeah that is life. BUT, I DID see it. So I shall celebrate today. I will get back on program right now, never put off till tomorrow what you can do today, that is where one gets into trouble on diets and such.

I have been noticing changes, new dips and dents on my body...some good, some " WHAT THE HECKS"  apparently when you start to loose fat, at this lovely thing called middle age, the skin does not bounce back the way it once did. But the places it is happening, I am ok with cause in clothing you can not see all the crepe skin that now is topping my cottage cheese ripples. And as long as we keep the lights off, hubby will not see it either ( YES I SAID THAT!) I mean my days of a bathing suit are gone, short shorts, a thing of the past. It is all about trickery of the eye, divert the attention ...go ahead an stare at my breasts, they do look very nice....well in clothing, with a great bra! Pooch, what pooch ( tell me you can see it under that sausage casing???) Look at my amazing eyes....so you get the picture. So , now what ? I am looking better, and am back at the weight I was at 18 , (of course I had gained 30 pounds out of high school) and most of my adult life ( not counting the few times I was able to loose an amazing amount of weight by nearly killing myself with diet and exercise) ...but I want more! I want to see 125 again, give myself some breathing room so when the scale goes on that roller coaster ride that comes with fibromyalgia and middle age female hormones, I jump to THIS weight, and not over the 130 mark.

I am not sure if I will see it, and the arrival of Fall is right around the corner ( although the 106 degree temps we are having would protest to that fact) and that means baking, hot coco, rain keeping me inside, birthdays and holidays....all traps for weight gain! But right now I am motivated. Of course being a woman , that could change!

Getting used to less calories, less sugar, less wine, less, less, less, and more fiber and water and exercise has been pretty easy ( except my belly protests on some of that...OUCH!) . I won't say that I do not miss my goodies. I do, daily! I think my sweet tooth is just not going to die, and well I did fudge a lot on that day I was being a couch potato. But all I have to do is look at my slimmer waist line and on the few occasions the scale is kind to me and it re-motivates me all over again to behave myself....very hard as my daughter keeps baking Whoopie Pies and giving them to us, and I love them, but have no will power ...something that takes me forever to accomplish.

So that is where I stand today. Still needing to get more fruits and vegies in , living on far too many  bread carbs, though they are all high fiber and high protein based carbs, and doing quite well with my water and basically leveling off on the exercise, so needing to increase that back up to get to the next set point...(if THIS is a set point ..we will see) . Thanks for cheering me on and making supportive comments. I truly believe all you readers are what are keeping me going....that and being able to breathe in my jeans again!!

PART TWO~
Ok , so you know each week on either a Monday or Tuesday my hubby and I take adventures. Mostly it would seem all over Historic 49, (though one day we hope to get over into the bay area and explore that)...well yesterday was to be the same. We had to go grocery shopping, the cupboards were so very bare! Plus it being a smaller check at the end of the month, we needed to see what groceries would come out to , to see what would be our funds...extra always goes to fun. We were over with it early enough, but not early enough to go to 49. So we decided on Sacramento. We would go to IKEA, I wanted to see if it would be Audrey Hepburn or Greta Garbo that would be coming home with me for the living room re-do.

Apparently Audrey has been replaced with Greta...I was disappointed at first, had this whole design idea in my head, but decided I really did also like Greta...

  
She is chocolate brown with a beige/tan background. And she does look lovely in the space. Not sure where it will lead me...being as I am so inspired more so by Audrey and the whole Breakfast at Tiffanys theme. Anyway, this is a discussion for another day.

We had our lunch there, I love the tubular ice they have, and so while hubby had hot dogs and chips ( it is so cheap there...2.00!)  I had the ice and ice tea , having eaten at home. Then it was off to our first adventure. We were off to an old historic cemetery. It has been in a flier , which of course I had forgotten at home, that had mentioned a museum..we drove all over this beautiful place, looking for a place to park and this museum....did not see either. So as it was hot, we agreed to abort this adventure and come back in October for the lantern tour they off...me having wonderful plans for many blogs about haunted and creepy places for September and October on my mind. Note to readers...IF you go on an adventure, remember your information to refer back to!

So , when coming out , back to the street, we noticed it was the street that many of the apartments we had been considering, if we move to Sacramento, and were located. Taking a lovely drive through this area, we decided if there was a Wal Mart near by for grocery shopping, we would indeed one day consider it. There was lovely old homes, the American River trail is close by....yep, and I would even love walks through the Cemetery and not mind needing to drive a bit to get to normal girly shopping.  That drive was not what I considered an adventure , so it was on to the Wells Fargo Museum. It was on our list as it would be interesting and it was free and it was only 7 miles away from where we were . Hubby forgot the information he had written down, but we recalled the street and the basic address. BUT!!! When we get there, all excited as there is even a place right next door to go for a small happy hour, we had forgotten to bring quarters. Sacramento is all about metered parking. A quarter only gets you about 12 minutes, hardly enough time, and well who carries all that change??? So, we drove on past. Note to readers: Remember your adventure travel kit, fliers/information, addresses, quarters for parking meters and or a few dollars for other forms of parking that may charge. 

So, then as my hubby seems to always do, he just drives. All over. All around. I love the older portions of Older Sacramento, the homes are divine, but I have seen them over and over and well over. I am kind of over it. Finally over a half hour later, he hits "home" on the GPS and we get on the freeway, just in time for the rush hour traffic.  THAT is ALWAYS an adventure LOL ! And in a while, having survived the free way and the time of day, we came home. So no adventure to share, well not of the interesting, historical or shopping type.

Hubby and I were discussing what my blog would then be about and we agreed it would be a check list for people out seeking their own adventures. AND for ourselves, as we need to have an adventure kit. So here it goes.

1.Do your research ahead of time. Gather all said info and put in place where you will not forget it when you leave. 
1A. This info should include fliers, brochures, directions/ adresses, all fees that may incur. A detailed list of where you want to go and what you would think you would like to see in these places. Maybe even a real map for the times when GPS can not find said location and keeps trying to recalculate .

2.Bring money, actual cash and coins for parking or places that do not take CC's ( yes there still is some of those) 

3. Pack you camera, with two sets of batteries. 

4. Bring a notebook and a pen so you can take notes of where you went, what you saw and what you took pictures of and in what order. It is a bit of work, but really helps, even if you are just sharing those adventures in a scrap book. 

5. Bring an ice chest with snacks and water. You never know when places to eat will close early, or not be open at all. Some towns close on weird days, roll up the side walks, especially the small ones where you are more than likely to take an adventure in. We have run into Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays having nothing open....never the same day in all the towns. There will not always be fast food to be had,  and well if you take wrong turns as we often do, you will often miss meal time and want that snack and that cold bottle of water .

6. Dress in layers, and bring extra shoes . You might just end up in a place you did not expect that is cooler, or you need walking shoes, or switch to flip flops or even heels for you ladies. 

7. Pack that breath mint pack, lip stick and powder and hair brush ladies, cause you never know if you will end up being a mess cause of wind or perspiring and then have to freshen up because you suddenly want to go into somewhere for wine tasting, or a nicer meal than a diner on the side of the road. 

8. Of course, make sure you car is gassed up...or the adventure will not get off the ground or you will create one that you never wanted in the first place. 

So I think that is a great start . My hubby and I are going to call this "The Back Yard Adventure Kit" and have our own check list and ice chest at the ready, so that next time we can make that adventure happen. We will not be going on one for a couple weeks, work is just going to be getting in the way too much, but we have some real nifty ones picked out that we are really looking forward to...and hopefully we can make them happen!!

Inspired....

I am always looking for things to inspire me. Inspiration in my life, as I have from time to time discussed, comes from all over. ANYTHING can inspire me. Since recently I have been wanting to better myself, or find myself again ( gosh how many times have we read or heard someone say the "find myself" phrase?) . I have been working out, changing my diet, expanding my horizons from what I read, what I watch on tv, even where we go on our day out adventures. I cut all my hair off , though that was a bit of an accident...was not to go as short as I did. I colored my hair after not doing so in about two years. So, it is not surprising that my focus on finding something to inspire me in continuing the bettering of me has been so strong.

I go through phases. I get obsessed with fitness,baking( that is coming this Fall/Winter) or decoration of my space, and right now it is as it always is when the cooler temperatures start arriving new Fall fashion, for both myself and home decor. But tied into this is a need to find inspiration to make life more interesting, more refined, even more pleasurable. After all, this blog is supposedly about my musings on all things pleasurable about life.

The other day, on one of my normal haunts around a local shopping center , The Fountains, and poking into one of my dream stores, I found just the thing!  This book:

  Now, I have ALWAYS been a bit of a Francophile. I have done my decor from time to time based on both the kitch of Paris, and the more refined ( when I could afford it) . I have tried to learn to speak French, yeah that did not go so well. I went through a time when EVERY Saturday we watched French films while drinking French wine, while eating French cheese....yeah, obsessed. We even stay in The Paris when we go to Vegas...I can not tell you how much I LOVE that place.  I even own many, many music CD's of French music. I adore Edith Piaf So when I saw this book, I decided "WHY NOT" , could be fun.

Now I have done "How to find your inner Bombshell" and books about finding your inner fashion diva, and soon I want to do this one book I saw about finding your inner lady....one can always brush up on manners.OH I loved one that was based on Audrey Hepburn on "How to be Lovely". I have done a book on how to find inner happiness....and the list goes on. So this seemed like a neat idea, an easy read for those times when I am sitting out at the local cafe with no one to talk to ( ghads I need to meet a gal pal here!!) and well of course it gives me blog fodder.

Each Friday, maybe a bit more often , depending on my mood, I will blog about what I did , based on the book to find my "Inner French Girl". HMMMM...Sounds like that blog about Julie Child. But hey , why not?? I have yet to start the book yet, but I have started looking for what inspires me or reminds me of what my idea of a French girl/ or woman is ...from scent to food, to clothing....even decor. I am following some blogs, may even start cooking some of Julia's recipes myself. I have some books picked out to read as a compliment to the guide....like this one:

And since I adored reading "A Year In Provence" by Peter Mayle ...on Amazon, he has a whole lot of other books to choose from, even a mystery book, and I do love mysteries!! So there is a lot out there that can feed into this inspiration. And I am excited to get started !! You could even call it sort of a hobby in a way I guess and being that I am a work widow and an empty nester and know not a single person in this town, I NEED hobbies!

When I was at Anthropologie the other day taking pictures of the few items I could bring into my home, I had a bit of fun day dreaming what I would wear, what I would bring home with me if given the chance to tweak my decor and add that touch that to me speaks of France.....so I thought I would share some of the goodies I saw....YES they are all mostly out of my budget and well the budget of many readers, but it never hurts to dream...and plus I have been known to find awesome sales there and then find things that look like what I am dreaming of in other places....Just the other day I found those black patent crocodile pumps I saw at Macys, at ROSS! 8.99!!! 41.00 off the Macy's price, and yeah there was a tiny flaw on the heel, BUT a little black marker and all gone! So it is achievable, and nothing is more pleasurable than creating the look for less. So sit back and enjoy the eye candy!

I adore the head bands and hope to buy at least one very soon, even my profile photo on FB is of me with one of them on. A two for one, the necklaces, AND that Mercury glass that I do adore! How about clothing.....

I could not help but try on a couple hats that I would be happy to wear with a cute stripped T and cardi and a pear of jeans on my walks... This is before I really cut and colored my hair....and excuse the lack of smiling, as it is hard to take a pic of yourself and not have a camera in your face. Here is just a few small things I would bring in for the home....

Can not cook without a great apron!  Then of course you have to have a new mug to sip coffee out of ....

 

Another research book....would look lovely on my kitchen shelf!

So there you have it, the start of  it all....let the inspiration flow, and see where it takes YOU!

Wanting just a touch of Glam...

It has been nearly a year since we have been in our apartment , and we are planning on staying at least another year. So , now having lived with the current decor for nearly a year and slowly upgrading, and fine tuning, I am getting bored with my surroundings. I am not used to decor staying the same for very long. I am itching for a change. I do not wish to paint, cause it would cost us 200.00 a wall when we move, and that is what I used to do when I wanted to make a change of some sort to my surroundings. So changing accessories is the way to go, plus we can not afford to change any of the big items.

Our youngest daughter is getting ready to move out and it would seem that her future room mates love blue and Asian decor as much as I do. So being the kind person that I am , I have told them as soon as I can afford to switch out things, I will donate the current art work if they still want it ...builds good Karma, to pass it on to others who might be living in a blank space. So as I have a taker , an eager one at that, I am hoping that I can nip a little here and there from the grocery fund to get started.

I always get excited and eager when it comes to changing my decor. It is a project, something to occupy my time.  The daughters all say I need 12 homes or a big warehouse to store things to rotate them in and out. I just get very bored with my surroundings, seeing them day in and day out ....I know there are people out there that just do not care. They can live with the same thing day in and day out. My husband is one of those people, as was his parents. But he is ok with me switching things out, he is used to it and well always likes to see what will be next. He has given the green light, and told me I can go as girly as I like too! He works 12-14 hour days and most times is up for an hour or two and then goes to bed, only to leave again in the morning, he sees little past the TV, the computer screen, and the back of his eye lids.

So what is the plan ? Well , this time around I think I want to do Old Hollywood Glam. With maybe just a touch of Modern, and a touch of Parisian flair ...and just a dash of traditional thrown in , cause I do love my rescued and painted pieces. Oh and let us not forget a bit of romance for good measure.

So what is first? Well I want new art. I have my daughters art, and that will go to my bedroom, but there is not a lot of wall space once everything is put in there. So all the Geisha drawings she has done for me will go in there. I do still love all my Asian items. I might dial some of the knick knacks back...need to keep it restful. I tend to buy a lot of those type things and then tire very quickly of all the clutter. Preferring clean surfaces, with just enough.

So I have picked out a couple prints from IKEA, not sure which one I will go with, or if I want both!

   

Both would mean going very Hollywood...less Parisian. I am ok with that...but I do love a touch of the OOLALA! I could see switching out my teal blue sheers with black sheers, creating that swanky, romantic , LBD moment for the windows. I would leave all my current white Zgallerie accessories in place, and just continue to build on what I have . My current home made sconces on the walls ( silver boxes with blue ceramic lotus flower tea light holders sitting in them with blue paper backings to the boxes) would get new backings of perhaps leopard print and use clear tea light holders or when I could afford it diamond shaped, crystal ones for the glam bling ...like these IF I can grab them before they are no longer available as they are on sale
Then I would add to my white vase on my entertainment dresser where our TV sits ........

 A feather bunch like this, but with Pheasant feathers and Peacock feathers thrown in ....
Then on that wall, would love a bunch of empty frames in all sizes and shapes in gold and silver and maybe just one or two in black for visual interest. Would certainly be fun to hunt for. 

To replace the current light shade in the dining area I would love to have this ......
Talk about a statement piece! A bit modern , a bit glam....I mean I would love to replace my lighting all together, but we are rather stuck with the over head pendant light, it being an apartment, but as this uses the same style light kit I think it is doable. 

And for my shelves that are in the LR at the moment that need just a touch of sparkle and something special to fill them in...I adore the Mercury Glass Votive holders from Anthropologie. They come in several colors and shapes and I think a collection of them would be so pretty...

I already own the silver one. I have seen them in green, a goldish orange, and then of course the blue. They are not pricey and would be a fun treasure to collect. I also spotted these plates, and I think at least one big and one small are in order...they too are from Anthro....

 I just love how they are both a bit retro and a bit modern and it would feed into the adding in of more black and keep with my love of white. I also spotted these two plates if I wish to go a bit more towards the French spirit of things....
Though they are a bit too country, and not the right colors, I bet if I keep my eyes open I can find something similar that would work. The trick is to not become too themish, a trick I have yet to totally master. Also , not too kitch, and I am learning. Cause if you avoid both those two pit falls when you want to switch up your decor , change the look and feel with a small investment, and very little work, it makes it easier as you do not have to switch out as many things.

I can still keep my pillows, I can still keep my area rug, and my white Parson Style coffee tables, and my Tiger foot stools. I can keep all my white accessories and it will all still go together with the new theme with just a tweak here and there. When I buy big items now, that is what I keep in mind. What can I keep that will go with any style of decor. I always have an eclectic look, so a mix from all eras helps in my goal to not have to replace big pieces. It is not that I do not dream of a new couch or a new side chair, and one day I will have them. But for now just changing out a few key items will give a whole other look and feel and I can do it over time and with my small budget...always a great thing.

So what do you do to spruce up and change your space on a budget?? Or do you care? I would love to hear input about my choices, new ideas and tips....I promise I will read them all and respond.  Till then, I am off to tear out pages from magazines and paste them in my dream look book.