News Trend My Grow Buddy|Actual

After another long December of picking endless sodden, rotting leaves off my precious houseplants. My brain suddenly fired up.

My wild assortment of succulents, cacti, and tropical types thrives all year... But sometime around Thanksgiving, the class collectively begins to falter. And by January, the whole lot of them looks tired, worn down, and sorely in need of two weeks in Mexico.

The problem, so obvious to me now, is a lack of sunlight.

Winter months here at the forty-eighth parallel are not exactly bright and shining. Can't hardly blame my growing babies for shutting down and turning to mush under these dark and dreary conditions.

And once I saw the persoalan clearly in my brain, the solution popped up alongside of it, just like that.

A grow light.

I need some artificial sun to bring my green things back into equilibrium.

From there, it was a quick leap to amazon.Com and ten minutes later, I had picked out a perfectly suitable light.

Now there were a lot of grow lights to choose from, but most of the features showed up in each description, and the prices were consistent. So I just let my instincts take over and choose the particular product that spoke to me.

And it wasn't until after I placed my order that I realized my new Grow Buddy light was specifically designed for marijuana enthusiasts.

Yep. I bought a light for growing weed.

Now that she's all set up and pouring her sweet magical growing light all over my plants, who crowd around her aura like sunbathers at Cabo. And honestly, my new Grow Buddy's roots as a Mary Jane jump-starter is nothing more than a marketing pitch.

But to tell you the truth, every time I glance over at my new lamp's weird purple glow, I have a silent little laugh with myself.

And now that it's legal to grow weed here in Washington, I'm seriously considering buying a marijuana plant to add to my collection.

Just for fun

News Trend An Invitation To Dinner|Actual

A 'before' shot of the lasagna I made for Aqil and Brian. I tried a new recipe which met with rave reviews. Don't worry...I left out the pork.

On Saturday night, I invited two friends over to join my family for dinner.

They arrived around seven and we sat right down to the table.

We ate a lot of dinner.

We talked.

We played a card game.

We took a deep breath and then plowed into dessert.

We watched a movie.

We talked during the slow bits.

We finished and stretched and mulled over the movie and slowly shook ourselves back into the real world

Then I packed them up some leftovers

And my guests said goodnight.

Now. There are two interesting things about this evening that keep circling around in my head.

One:

This was a perfectly ordinary night. I've hosted my fair share of dinner guests over the years, and the script generally follows this same pattern. There was nothing unusual or strange or even the least bit out of the norm during this particular evening.

Two:

This was an extraordinary night. My guests were not neighbors or school buddies or a family from church but two college freshman born on the other side of the world.

Aqil is the cousin of my best Malaysian friend, and Brian is his Taiwanese/Swiss roommate. The guys met while attending an international high school in Kuala Lumpur, and share the experience of growing up in several major cities around the world before landing themselves here in Seattle at the University of Washington.

Both present themselves as articulate, interesting, and thoughtful young men. They are funny, honest, amazingly well-traveled, and super easy to get along with. My family and I find their company thoroughly enjoyable and they seem to like us too.

And on one hand, it's ridiculously clear that all of our differences really amount to nothing at all.

But on the other hand, this world is full of people screaming about differences as if there is no way on God's green earth that we can ever overcome them and find a way to get along.

Maybe the people of this world could solve all the drama by simply inviting each other to dinner more often.

The evening passed by so agreeably that I entirely forgot to take more photos until the guys had gone  home and all that was left was me and this 'after' sink full of dirty dishes.

* * * * *

More stories about my friend, Aqil:

An Invitation To Dinner

Aqil's Chicken

Chicken Drumsticks

Ready To Launch

An All-American Dinner

Moondawg For The Win

News Trend Hidden Beauty|Actual

Sitting abandoned on the shelf at the thrift store, the object of my attention looked as battered and beaten down as Lord Voldemort's horcruxed soul.

It's alright, I told myself. I'll drill a hole in the bottom, fill it with dirt and use it as a planter. All those nicks and scratches will disappear behind a riotous display of rich, green leaves.

But on the ride home, this wooden bowl began to speak to me.

Look at my contours, she said. You don't see these kind of curves every day.

Check out my undulating grain patterns. To die for.

And you're right. I would make a lovely planter. But I could be so much more.

As I turned the bowl over in my hands, listening to her voice and imagining the possibilities, I caught a glimpse of a mark on the bottom

Sweden. And undecipherable words that surely must indicate the craftsman.

I'm not a label chaser, but that kind of insignia usually marks an item made with quality and care.

We took a detour to pick up sanding pads and finishing oils.

After ten minutes of sanding and a quick rub-down with mineral oil, all of the scratches, dings and dents had disappeared and my bowl's transformation was complete.

As I proudly displayed my newfound treasure, each of my daughters has asked me, "What are you going to do with it?"

I'm not entirely sure.

But for now, it's more than enough to set my wooden bowl out on the table, where I can see it every day and be reminded now important it is to look beyond the superficial flaws of life to see the hidden beauty that lies underneath.

News Trend The Orange-Cupped Daffodil|Actual

If I were a flower, I think I would want to be the single orange-cupped daffodil in this vase.

I'm not afraid to be a little bit different, but I do like to be surrounded by people who get me.

Alone but never lonely. That's the way I like to roll.

News Trend Excited|Actual

I would love to tell you all about my new kitchen counters that were installed today.

But I'm a little busy right now, alternately scrubbing down every dusty inch of the construction zone and turning cartwheels for sheer joy.

I'll get back to you soon.

News Trend My Yelp Review |Actual

"I'm the best there is at what I do." - Wolverine from X-Men

The true magnificence of the marble and precision of the stonework is not fully

revealed in this photo, but you get the idea.

If you are looking for a counter top super hero, choose Mike Cooper.

I'll be honest. When it comes to contracting work on my home, I'm a nit-picking perfectionist. I have ridiculously strong opinions about what I want and borderline unrealistic standards about the finished look. Not surprisingly, I have a hard time finding ordinary human beings who can live up to my high expectations.

Mike Cooper totally rescued me from the sea of average contractors. From our first meeting to discuss my project to the final install, every aspect of Mike's process and professional manner was spot-on. He pays close attention to detail, communicates well, and follows through on all phases of the job.

For seven hours last Friday, my home transformed into a makeshift stone fabrication site. Between the heavy duty trolleys, various saws, and windswept spray of fine marble dust, Mike and his crew were definitely not fooling around.

His wife, Jenna, was also a huge asset to the project. I spent several hours with her in the Lynnwood showroom, mulling over design options and bouncing ideas off her. Her knowledge, flexibility and listening skills are also off the charts.

Ranger is always a little uneasy with workmen in the house,

but he gives our new counters two big paws-up.

I love, love, LOVE my new counter tops. Not only are they beautiful, but every detail of their craftsmanship and installation is immaculate.

When it comes to stone counter tops, Mike Cooper is the best there is at what he does.

* * * * *

Mike Cooper owns Integrity Stonework and serves up his super powers all over western Washington. His wife manages their showroom in Lynnwood on 196th, open Wednesdays through Saturdays. Their young son reportedly loves to play with rocks.

News Trend Sassy|Actual

This sassy Mexican blanket entered my life last Christmas.

A gift from my second-born.

Seductively soft, nappy textured cotton.

Bohemian bits of fringe.

Traditional bold black and white pattern.

Brilliant stripes of orange and pink.

I love every saucy inch.

But until today, I have not been exactly sure where to put it.

Turns out that my living room, with its current blend of neutral and natural decor, is the perfect backdrop for a textile with attitude. This room is begging for a bit of sass which my Mexican blanket is only too happy to provide.

Welcome home, blanket.

In the meantime, a certain someone slept nearby.

Don't let that handsome profile and distinguished silver muzzle lull you into complacency.

This is a cheeky Irishman on a mission.

Somehow, Ranger's internal clock was way off today. We had more than an hour to go before walk time. But that did not deter my headstrong dog.

As soon as Ranger realized my attention had shifted from the blanket to his very own self, he put his full persuasive efforts into overdrive.

He flopped down to a prone position, buried his head adorably in the rug, locked his eyes onto mine, and began to cry.

When I say cry, what I mean is that what started first as a gentle whimper and then a subtle whine soon evolved into a wrenching scream that likely made the howler monkeys at the zoo cover their ears and wince in pain.

To be honest, Ranger's display of attitude was so outrageous that I couldn't help myself. I sat down next to him on the floor and just plain laughed myself silly..

He stopped his fuss to listen to me.

Then I explained that walk time was still over an hour away.

He calmed down a bit more, but still he lasered those big brown eyes onto mine, shooting me with electric bolts of cleverness and clearly hoping to change my mind.

And that's when I realized that my Mexican blanket was no longer the sassiest thing in the room.

News Trend The Magic Of Marble|Actual

Yesterday, for my fourth-born's Golden Birthday cake, I baked her a cherry pie.

She's one of those people who choose fruit pies over cake any old day of the week. And so even though pie baking is far more labor-intensive and straight-up messier that whipping up a homemade cake, I always deliver to her exactly what she wants, pastry hassles and messy kitchen be damned.

But this year was different because, for the first time, I rolled out her birthday pie crust on my new kitchen counters.

The sleek slab of cool marble makes an ideal pastry work surface. Toss on a handful of flour, roll out the dough and the crust practically leaps into the pie plate of its own accord.

And the new under mount sink makes clean-up a breeze. Just grab the dishcloth and shove the whole gnarly mess into the sink with the garbage disposal. Rinse and...No, you don't even have to repeat. One solid wipe and the mess is history

I must confess, I didn't see any of this coming. I chose my counter tops strictly based on appearances. I'm not ashamed to admit that I can be totally superficial like that.

So it has been a grand and glorious surprise to discover how practical and functional my counter top choice turns out to be.

No matter what kind of counters I have, I will always bake birthday pies for my baby.

But now, with my magic marble counters, I expect to enjoy the process a whole lot more.

* * * * *

I like to write stories about pies. If you like to read stories about pies, try these :

My Love Letter To The Kelantanese

Universally Speaking

Now That's A Pizza Pie!

Heavenly Peach Pie

Sweet Success

My Thanksgiving Feast

Coal Miner's Daughter

"Tdanquot; Is For Thanksgiving

More Than Ever

Leftover Pie Dough

tiga.1415926

The Magic Of Marble

News Trend Decorating Advice|Actual

^ This room has seen more trades over the last two months than New York Stock Exchange.

^ The art over the fireplace was recently kicked out of my bedroom and needed a big place to live.

^ Overgrowing its home in the family room, the philodendron in its jute basket got dumped on this table last weekend.

^Trusty old standards, the natural canvas pillows have been a fixture in this room forever.

The botanical bird pillows have been drifting around the house for years, never quite finding a place to belong.

I've been thinking about buying these black and white IKEA Stockholm pillows forever, and when I saw they were about to go out of stock, finally succumbed to the urge. Once I got them in the house, I realized I had no idea where to use them, so I just dropped them down on the couch for the time being.

^ The line-up of  plants against the window has shifted and changed all winter long, as healthy specimens are carried off to other corners of the house, and sun-starved sicklings are brought in to recuperate.

* * * * *

The best decorating advice I've ever heard is this:

Don't worry about trying to buy things that match. Just buy what you love and trust that all your pieces will effortlessly flow into a cohesive look.

My living room has surprised me as a perfect case in point. Since stripping away the Christmas cheer, this space has been left to flounder. I've raided most of the colorful pieces for other rooms and used this room as a dumping ground for other homeless objects. Basically, it's been a catchall junkyard for things I like but don't quite know what to do with.

Imagine my astonishment when running up the stairs yesterday with an armload of laundry, I glanced into the room and noticed not a cacophony of castoffs but a symphony of style. Somehow, all the secara acak odds and ends have come together and I, for one, am digging the look.

Buy what you love. Trust in the flow.

I don't put much stock in most decorating advice, but believe me, this trick of the trade is right on.

News Trend No Day But Today, Bookcase Edition|Actual

Last week, I walked in my bedroom, took one look at my bookcase stuffed with children's picture books, and said, No day but today.

For years, I've been thinking and rethinking a way to keep my treasured collection at close hand while still bearing in mind that I ain't readingGoodnight Moon all that often these days. I'd really like to use this bookcase to store things a tad more relevant to my present life

So, even though I still didn't have a plan, I decided that today was the day to just start yanking books off the shelves and see what might happen.

Here's how the transformation is coming along:

At long last, I came up with a solution to the agonizing tug-of-war over what to do with my books. Considering my two options one last time, to either allow them to continue to monopolize my bedroom or store them somewhere else until the grandchildren show up, I realized that neither extreme made sense to me.

So, as I often do when I'm stuck between two opposite options, I came up with a third choice that falls somewhere in the middle.

In this case, that means I'm decided to devote half of my bookcase to our most favorite children's books, chucking them into baskets to soften their visual clutter. The other half will be vacationing on my garage storage shelves until they are called back into active duty.

And now half of the shelves are opened up for new use.

Let's be honest. We all know that I'm going to arrange and rearrange this space with infinite abandon. I have a well-documented and longstanding bookcase styling obsession and this prime real estate is going to keep me busy for a long time.

(In fact, I'll confess that pretty everything you see here has been changed up since I took these photos thirty-six hours ago. Oops.)

So while I offer very little in the way of guarantees about this project, it's a safe bet that books - more books! - will be primary players in any and all new arrangements.

With no apologies, I've made several rounds of my favorite second-hand shops to gather up some new treasures. Undoubtedly, some will probably drift off to other areas of the house, but for now, here are some new dwellers for my bedroom bookcase.

^ Here's a little gem entitled,Off The Wall, which features wacky fashion shoots from behind the Berlin Wall during the 60s, 70s and 80s. Cold War couture like you never dreamed.

^ This cover is literally on fire, and while I have little interest inNapoleon's Russian Campaign, my husband lives for such military tales so I am calling this one a gift for him.

^ I picked up a book entitledRoad Trip and flipped it open to artsy pics of Seattle's Space Needle. Yes.

^ Never in my life do I expect to purchase a piece at an art auction. But owning a Sotheby's catalog is completely within my grasp.

Toss in a few plants, photos and my sassy Mexican blanket, and these shelves are beginning to tell a new story.

Now I guess it's time that I get around to dealing with this:

News Trend Center Stage|Actual

Spring has sprung early here in the Pacific Northwest - both inside and out - and I could not be happier.

Yes, it is possible, practical and probably more polite to purchase blooming branches at a flower stand, or snip them from your own garden.

But I'll confess that I wangled these branches off a tree blooming along the path of my daily walk. Don't worry - they weren't on private property but growing from a neglected, unkempt specimen hidden by several big fir trees and a tangle of brush. I snapped them off in a moment of passion and have no regrets.

I also have no regrets about sweeping everything else off my living room mantle and letting this profusion of pink steal the show.

Because when pink blossoms arrive after a long, grey, Washington winter, they deserve center stage.

News Trend A Good Sunday Evening|Actual

As I sit down to write tonight, a half-dozen ideas are ping-pinging around in my head:

I could tell you a story about the art I made this weekend.

Or the excitement in my cats' lives as I dragged their favorite old broken-down wicker chair back out to a sunny corner of the patio.

I've got some pretty pictures of fresh flowers on my camera roll that would be perfect for sharing.

Plus I had an interesting adventure to watch the U.S. Women's Hockey team practice for the upcoming world championships. They're working out in my backyard, so to speak, at the Everett Events Cebter and you can go watch them for free any night this week.

But honestly, I don't really feel like talking about any of that.

I'd much rather drink in the last peaceful minutes of this good Sunday evening and wish you a blessedly normal and happy new week ahead.

News Trend How To Style Bookshelves* |Actual

* In Real Life

* * * * *

Today, I tackled the job of dusting and restyling my library bookshelves.

Whoa now. You know I didn't just run a fiber cloth across the whole arrangement, and call it a day.

No, no, no. Bookcases demand much more effort and intention than that.

What we need, here in the new millennium, are bookshelves that are arranged - nay, curated - to showcase artsy collections of carefully layered items of decor in prescribed and complicated ways.

There are innumerable articles and videos threatening to tip over the internet that purport to teach us exactly how to perfect this. And while I'm always open to new ideas, I find that many of the styling tips I read online do not jive with reality.

So allow me to offer my own bookshelf styling hints and tips, starting with the best that the design world has to offer but adapted to work my very own real life.

Step 1: Organize your books

Start by emptying your shelves. Dust them thoroughly and then carefully add back only your favorite and most cherished volumes.

First off, do not - repeat do not! - empty your bookshelves. The teetering piles of unshelved books will overwhelm your workspace and your motivation, and if you're like me, you will either give up and go watch the fifth season of Psych yet again, or risk death by avalanching books. That's a slippery slope we never want to face, Instead, just dust one small section at a time, scooting out a handful of books and wiping them down and the shelf underneath as best you can without ever actually taking them down off the shelf.

Now, at this phase it's important to be realistic about your inventory. In my case, I need to wrap my head around the fact that my bookcases are full of books. Sometimes, I wish I was working with nothing more than a half dozen sleek leather-bound volumes of poetry, or a stack of glossy photo essays on graphic design, but friends, that is simply not the case.

My shelves house approximately one billion sun-bleached, serious-slash-boring-looking books.

Most of this collection belongs to my husband and includes autobiographies of Washington, Jefferson, Robert E. Lee, Winston Churchill and Henry Kissinger. There are handfuls of books about military planes, famous generals and illustrated battles. We also happen to own a full set of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Not even kidding.

The simple truth is that my bookcases are probably always going to be jammed full of these no-nonsense books.

And while these are important books and useful books and books that I am perfectly proud to own, they are in no stretch of the imagination pretty books. So, in the spirit of compromise that marriage demands, I turn most of them around to hide their drab navy and maroon bindings, and work from there.

Step 2: Add artwork

Gather up a collection of framed artwork to be propped up in the empty spaces between the books, or layered in front of the books. These pieces will add visual interest and draw the eye to different depths along the shelves.

This is a lovely idea.

I can just imagine sweet watercolors and hand-drawn pen-and-ink sketches, tucked here and there among the volumes. Truthfully, I've optimistically experimented with this technique, to a single result.

Too cluttery.

Those aforementioned bazillion backwards books of mine go a long way in filling in my available bookshelf real estate, and any framed pieces that attempt to join the mix are simply trampled underfoot and end up as visual clutter.

No bueno.

So, what with necessity being the mother of invention and all, I've developed an alternative approach: I use strategically colored books to fill in the gaps.

I know, I know. Displaying books by color is so 2007, but I'm sold on this trick. Choosing a limited color palette, I drag myself through the thrift stores until I amass a substantial hoard, and then use these treasures to accomplish the same goal. The punctuation of the fresh colors - especially among the backwards books on my shelves - creates the desired visual interest and keeps the eye moving along, just as the framed art is meant to do.

Step 3: Mix it up!

Bring in an assortment of vases, bowls, sculpture, collections in a variety of shapes, materials and textures, to mix among the books and art on the shelves. Shop your house for interesting objects. Edit carefully to achieve a harmonious look.

This step is often a curse and a blessing for bookcase stylists. Because there are an infinite number of objects available in the universe for such purposes, and countless ways to arrange them.  Honestly, the whole process can become a labyrinth of options and on more than once occasion have I rearranged the same ten items over and over, desperately seeking but never quite managing to achieve styling nirvana.

So my mantra here is simple: don't take this part of the process too seriously. The shelves look fine.

Also, beware of the treacherous advice about shopping the house.

No, no, no, I say. This is a terrible idea. Because if I wander past the living room coffee table and lift a knick-knack to carry away to my library bookshelves, I am creating a new problem. The empty space on that coffee table is going to haunt me until I am driven to pull some other curio from my dining room cupboard, to be replaced by an ornament off the kitchen counter, to be filled in by something from some other room...

You see the problem.

Do not - repeat do not! - set off this chain of decor dominoes unless you fully intend to drive yourself mad, and turn every room in the house upside down in the process. Trust me, I have been there and I have done that. It's not pretty.

Honestly, when I find myself a bit short on trinkets for a styling project, I've learned that the wisest solution is to hop on over to Target or Urban Outfitters or Hobby Lobby or Value Village or wherever it is that I'm most likely to find choice tidbits, and drop a few dollars on something new.

My family, who has waited out many a late dinner because of my errant "shop the house" exploits, firmly supports this strategy. They will, on occasion, even drive me to the store and place objects in my hands, saying, Yes, buy it. Life will be so much simpler if you do.

* * * * *

So I made good progress on my shelves today. The basic books are dusted and tentatively arranged on the clean shelves. My arsenal of red-, yellow- and orange-covered volumes stand arrayed across the couch, and my heap of tchotchkes is ready and waiting.

Honestly, I got all the boring work done and was just about to start in on the fun stuff when this happened:

Today's work session was cut short by a red-haired gentleman who showed up at my door, expressing great certainty that walk time had arrived. He was right. I can't say no to that earnest little face.

But come tomorrow, I shall style the crap out of those bookshelves. Just you wait and see.