News Trend Roll With The Changes|Actual

"o if you're tired of the same old story

Oh, turn some pages

I'll be here when you are ready

To roll with the changes"

- REO Speedwagon

When I was growing up, I loved to change my room around. I had a teeny tiny space all to myself with a bed, a small dresser, and a built-in desk and bookshelves. Doesn't sound like much to swap around but it was amazing how many different iterations I could find. Each rearrangement made me feel like I was living in a whole new space, and I loved the feelings of freshness and freedom that came with each change.

* * * * *

Fast forward quite a few years and my bedroom now is considerably bigger, with several more pieces of furniture. But interestingly, I rarely rearrange the furniture. Everything has kinda worked its way into its logical place, and I don't want to disrupt the self-settled feng shui.

Instead, I entertain myself by rearranging the accessories.

Plants

Candles

Books

Paintings

Bits and bobs

I subscribe to the theory that as long as you gather together things that you truly love, no matter how diverse or mismatched, they will all reflect you own sense of style and therefore work in harmony.

So with respect to that mindset of chaos and change, allow me to present the latest version of my room.

^ Art by me, spheres by Hobby Lobby. I don't know why but geometric shapes make my brain happy.

^ Bought this table at least five years ago from Target; replaced the plastic top with a plywood circle and spray-painted the base.

^ True confession: as much as I love hanging plants, I am super uptight about drilling holes in my ceilings to install the hooks. I am (somewhat) okay with holes in my walls, but imperfect ceilings freak me out. That's silly. I'm working past it.

^ The chair was from IKEA ages ago and my cats love to sleep on the back of it in the afternoon sun.

^ I like to look down on my green things. Pink bowl from Target, terrarium from Hobby Lobby.

^ This pathos is just a few years old and already he has mastered the art of the spill. Love those cascading leaves.

^ Black and white photos from my Instagram feed in the iconic square IKEA Ribba, a Mexican blanket from Gunn & Swain, another wire Target table hacked with a wooden top and some spray paint, and my diffusing station.

* * * * *

Now, if you don't mind me saying so, I will tell you the whole truth. These snapshots capture the state of my bedroom about a year ago. And today, while the basic elements are still in place, most of the details have been swapped around yet again.

As for me, I am still rolling with the changes.

P.S. Spring quarter of my freshman year of college, my amazing new boyfriend got tickets with his friends to go see REO. Sadly, he gbought them before he met me, so on the night of the show, there was nothing for me to do but send him off with a smile and wait out the miserable hours till he came back and told me all about it.

I think I learned an important lesson that night, something about rolling with whatever life sends me. But mostly, I just remember that amazing boy.

News Trend First Impressions|Actual

"Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent."

?Dalai Lama

If you walk into my house, shut the door behind you, and look at your immediate surroundings, this is what you will see. This space tells you a lot about me; it's almost as if you could look inside my brain. Each facet of the room reveals something that I want you to know.

But rather than explain, describe or narrate the scene, I will simply let you look around and make your own first impressions.

And if you haven't been to my house in person, I hope you will come someday soon. Because then you can meet me in real life and form some face-to-face first impressions too.

A firm, hearty handshake gives a good first impression,

and you?Ll never be forgiven if you don?T live up to it.

? P. J. O?Rourke

News Trend Golf Course-Turned-Park|Actual

Among a number of far-fetched fantasies that my fourth-born daughter and I like to discuss is this: what if we bought up all the golf courses in the world and reverted them back to their natural condition?

Obviously, we are not golfers. Seems such a pity to us that large swaths of land are subjected to tedious shaping, sculpting, and surfacing that destroy their natural beauty as much as any strip mall or housing development. And then only a tiny elite of paying customers are allowed to enjoy them.

But if these spaces were parks? The terrain could revert back to its natural state, trees and shrubs would sprout up as nature allows, and all humans would be welcome in these natural settings.

The more we talked about this idea, the more we liked it.

And the more we realized how unlikely it was that our dream would ever come true.

But we were delightfully and decidedly wrong.

Our neighboring city of Bothell, Washington, recently bought up a local golf course and turned it into - you guessed it - a park.

And today, my daughter and I - along with Gracie, of course - popped over to see exactly how our dream came true.

^ We parked at the old clubhouse and headed down the gravel path to the first of two footbridges that lead up and over the Sammamish River. This is a protected watershed for salmon so no swimming is allowed for dogs or humans. But we were happy to stay dry and continue on with our adventure.

^  We explored first along the more rugged terrain on the south side of the river. Though most visitors stuck to the paths, we chose to ramble out and across the old fairways with deep, shaggy grass. The bones of the old golf course - the tee areas, the broad fairways and the manicured greens are slowly fading away.

^ The gravel path gradually twists and turns up a series of hills but following Gracie's example, we just plowed straight up. Though it was mid-afternoon, dew still lay heavy on the long grasses and our shoes  - as well as Gracie's coat - were soaked in minutes.

^ Simple stone benches sit here and there and we found one up near the top of our climb.

^ Gracie lay in the shadow of the bench and recharged her batteries.

^ Back over the second footbridge to the north side of the park.

^ Here the land was level and even, the grasses soft and green. We sat down just beyond the shade of this tree, and daydreamed about what a perfect place this is for kids to play. Gracie dozed in the shade as we talked, and we all agreed that this golf course-turned-park is indeed a dream come true.

News Trend Anemone Hupehensis|Actual

True fact: I am a wildly enthusiastic gardener. Each spring, as soon as the longstanding puddles of winter rain show the first signs of fading away, I'm toeing up to the start line with my tools in hand, itching to get to work.

The passion fuels me all summer long. My family can attest to the many evenings when they have to come outside and all but drag me out of the garden and into the house for dinner.

I truly and genuinely love digging around in my garden.

Until autumn rolls around.

It's the weirdest thing. Sometime around mid-September, I've had enough gardening for the year.

Of course, I still want my gardens on point. I could fuss around with dahlias or chrysanthemums or pots of ornamental cabbage and flowering kale, but honestly, I just cant get excited about any autumn flowers that need my help. I'm all about a fall-blooming plant that will do the heavy lifting for me.

And that is why I love anemones.

You are looking at a path through my garden that has been overrun by sweet pink blossoms on delicate yet surprisingly sturdy stems. I will enjoy them until they are done blooming, and then I will yank out each plant in a single, satisfying tug and heave them into the compost, and my path will be a good as new.

Known as Japanese anemones or windflowers, they wait patiently all summer, lush dark green leaves filling in forgotten corners in my beds and borders. And then just as I am running out of enthusiasm, these pink darlings burst into bloom.

And here's the best thing of all - anemones are ridiculously easy to grow. They spread through underground tubers and honestly, if left unchecked, they can become a bit invasive.

But here's the great thing about them: if I don't like where they are growing, I just reach down through their leaves, grab them down at the base of their stems, and yank them out.

You heard me. Yank.

One smooth, even tug and the whole plant comes out clean as a whistle. This is a species that is a strong self-starter but also takes direction like a champ.

So if your fall garden could use an effortless pick-me-up, trust me. The anemone hupehensis is my friend and yours.

News Trend Fox In The Snow|Actual

So last night I caught a red eye flight to Columbus, Ohio, to visit my second-born daughter. And as soon as I hit the ground, our first plan of attack was to go out for coffee.

Well. That isn?T entirely true.

The very first thing we did, once my daughter unbolted the door and let me in to her apartment, was to crawl into bed and catch a few hours of sleep.

So technically, it was the second event of my visit that we went to coffee at Fox In The Snow.

Fox In The Snow is a lovely name for a lovely shop, but after a good look around, I submit that it is all wrong. Hear me out.

^ First, up, the hidangan did not disappoint. I don?T drink coffee. But after a good long look at the mandatory chalkboard, I discovered that they serve chai tea. And every now and then, I do love me a foamy cup of chai. So bring on the oversized hipster coffee cups and let?S order some food.

^ Though there were loads of gorgeous pastries and rustic breakfast rolls to choose from, I was craving protein. The egg sandwich delivered exactly what I needed - two eggs with a couple hearty slices of bacon, a slice of white cheese and the perfect touch of spicy and lightly sauteed arugula. At first sight, I feared the bread would be dense and chewy. But it gave way beneath my teeth with a satisfying crunch and melted in my mouth.

Yum.

Extra points for serving my sandwich on a chunky bread board.

^ Once I ate up every crumb of my delicious breakfast, I took a good look around. Interior is a post-industrial dream. Huge windows with black trim. Exposed duct work and functional garage doors. Oh, and pretty potted plants in a row of matching white pots. Yes.

^ But. As adorable as the interiors may be, it?S the outside of the coffee shop that really shines. That?S the actual Fox of the Fox In The Snow. But look. He is clearly jumping through a big patch of green ivy. You have to work awful hard to imagine the snow.

^ Back up a few steps and the dilema only gets worse.

Ivy as far as the eye can see.

And a cute front door and another gorgeous black-trimmed window. But no snow anywhere in sight.

^ Side view of the front door. That gorgeous light fixture is distracting me. Oh right, back to the ivy.

^ Go round to the left of the front door and check out the side of the building.

Ivy for dayzzz.

No snow.

^ And if the overall impact of the glossy green ivy alone isn?T gorgeous enough, how about these autumn-tinged babies?

^ So  despite the poetic imagery of the original title, I submit that a much more appropriate name for this amazing coffee shop would be Fox In The Ivy.

And I do believe that Mr. Fox agrees.

* * * * *

I spent an eventful week in Columbus with my second-born - here are all the details:

Suitcase Signals

Fox In The Snow

Picking Pumpkins

The Bean

The Gorilla And The Flamingo

Doughnut Vault

Wells Street Bridge

The Rookery

Flamingo Again

Wabash Arts Corridor

The Berghoff

Glossier Pop-Up

Bookcase Bonanza

News Trend Sunday Morning Munchies|Actual

This week's fare was a kecil omelet with chicken sausage,

Monterrey jack cheese, onion and some salsa on the side.

On Sunday mornings, long before my body clock is ready, I wake up and haul myself off to church. I go because I want to go, but by the time worship is over, all I want to do is crawl back into bed for a nap.

And eat. First I want to eat.

A quick scramble of eggs with some interesting tidbits - whatever is hiding in the back of the fridge. Or sausage on toast. Maybe a toasted bagel and a little cream cheese Doesn't have to be fancy; just warm and hearty enough to help me drift off to sleep.

For the past few months, my husband has been cooking me a post-church pre-nap meal. This is usually the one and only meal, all week long, that someone else prepares for me, and it is quite a treat to be served this way.

Sunday mornings have never tasted better.

News Trend Picking Pumpkins|Actual

^ Nobody puts baby in a corner pumpkins.

^ Seattlites in winter pumpkins.

^ County fair prize-winning pumpkins.

^ Captain Hook and his mateys pumpkins

^ Sunshine and shadow pumpkins.

Here in Columbus, I'm visiting my daughter who wanted some pumpkins so off we went to scout out the neighborhood grocery stores and see what we could find.

Only a few years ago, this task was infinitely more simple.   A pumpkin picker’s choice was limited to the classic orange pumpkins. Some were a bit bigger than others; some more perfectly round than their oblong friends. That was about as complicated as it got.

But in today?S pumpkin marketplace, we find endless variety.

Pure whites.

Tiger stripes.

Lumps and bumps of all sorts.

Mini pumpkins.

Great pumpkins.

And on and on it goes.

It took us a fair amount of searching but eventually we found exactly what she wanted. And so another mother-daughter outing ended with some perfectly picked pumpkins.

* * * * *

An eventful week in Columbus - here are all the details:

Suitcase Signals

Fox In The Snow

Picking Pumpkins

The Bean

The Gorilla And The Flamingo

Doughnut Vault

Wells Street Bridge

The Rookery

Flamingo Again

Wabash Arts Corridor

The Berghoff

Glossier Pop-Up

Bookcase Bonanza