News Trend Look Who's Three!|Actual

Three years have passed since my bouncy baby, Gracie, wiggled her way into this world. Seems strange to realize that she has still lived most of her life without me, but we are changing that with every passing day.

You may recall that Gracie was born in Florida to a litter of eight - four girls and four boys. At a tender age, she and one of her sisters flew across the country to Oregon, where they settled into life with four other dogs and their mistress on a horse farm outside Portland. In many ways, life there was idyllic - and I know that because I've see the photos - but Gracie longed for more human companionship. So after about a year, she was sent off to live as the one-and-only dog of a man in the Seattle suburbs. Sadly, last summer he was diagnosed with cancer, and through a series of serendipitous connections, Gracie found her way to us.

To me.

My fourth-born sent me this photo when I was away in South Korea for two weeks this fall. For all her blind devotion to me, Gracie thrived while I was gone and I'm proud of her resiliency.

I didn't think I was ready for a new pup. My heart was still wrapped up in the lovely life I shared with my good dog, Ranger; still fragile from fighting the long shadows of death as they had slowly crept up and overtaken him.

Still, I knew right away Gracie was meant to be mine. You should have seen her the first time she came into our house. Wanting to see how she would respond, I allowed her to nose through the front door, pulled off her leash, and turned her loose to explore. She sailed though every room in the house, upstairs and down, exploring every corner, her tail on maximum wag. Happy and excited, she bubbled with enthusiasm and joy.

I do love me a high-energy dog.

My favorite (so far) photo of my dog on the run at Kalaloch Beach.

A few fun facts about dates:

Gracie came to us on July 9, 2017. Exactly eight days after Ranger's birthday on July 1.

And her birthday today, on January 12, is exactly eight days before the day that Ranger died, January 20, 2017.

You may call that coincidence, but I see those numbers as a lovely trail of bread crumbs laid out by God to remind me that life leads to death leads to life.

Taken on our walk today, just after we passed the girls.

Every day with my girl, Gracie, is an adventure in high spirits and infinite spunk. Here is a birthday story that shows exactly what I mean.

We were out on our walk this afternoon as the last light of day was fading from the sky. A damp drizzle fell quietly upon us as we strolled along the deserted sidewalks. Unfazed by the gloom, Gracie bounded up the drive from the high school practice fields, through the perimeter fence, and sprinted up the slope to see if there was any action on the soccer field today.

It's been months since she was rewarded with the sight of humans kicking a ball around but she is an eternally optimistic girl.

I noticed two high school girls walking along the lane toward us, both wearing bulky backpacks and carrying clarinet cases.

I watched them watch my dog putting on her little show, and even in the almost-dark, I saw smiles on their faces.

In a flash, Gracie realized the field was empty yet again, and giving up on that pursuit, came barreling back toward me. As she circled around, she finally noticed the two girls coming toward us, and in her usual instinctive way, she froze in her tracks to observe the girls. Wagging her whole body from her shoulders to the tip of her tail, Gracie beamed at them, radiating happiness and delight

The girls noticed the effect. One of them called, "I love your dog!"

As we walked past each other, I added, "And I can see she loves you, too."

In the darkness, I once again saw their faces light up with smiles.

This is why I celebrate every day with Gracie, and I look forward to seeing what happens in her fourth year of life!

News Trend Life Changing|Actual

Can $18 change your life? Yes. The answer is yes.

Unscrew the lid and breathe in.

Peppermint

Grapeseed oil.

The fragrance is fresh and light and natural.

Smells like clean.

Pour some out into your hand.

Pleasingly silky and smooth.

Rich and just the right amount of thick.

Spread it in your hair.

Feel your scalp tingle

Gently rub it through your hair.

You can almost hear your hair saying, "Ahhhh. Thank you."

Rinse it out and towel dry.

Feel the comb slide through tangle free hair

Look in the mirror and notice an immediate difference.

Know that your life has changed.

* * * * *

Look, I like a good beauty product as much as the next girl. But I'm quite lazy about seeking them out.

You know, it's easy enough to select the first thing that jumps out at me in the Target aisles or more likely, buy whatever my daughters are using. But every now and then, I realize that there has got to be a better alternative to my current shampoo and actually do some research to sort out my current hair dilemma:

Dry, listless locks.

A decided lack of previously springy curls

An itchy, burning rash on any part of my skin that my current shampoo and conditioner touch.

It took me many months to get here but it finally dawned on me that I needed something different.

This realization led me on a happy Google search that has blown my mind.

My hair doesn't need shampoo at all.

What it needs, apparently, is DevaCurl No Poo-Zero Lather Cleansing Conditioner.

And now that my hair is smooth and soft and happy again, it is no stretch at all to say that my life has truly changed.

News Trend Clean Sleep|Actual

Clean sleep.

To me, that means

sleep that is refreshing and satisfying.

Sleep that fits the natural rhythms of my body

sleep that keeps me in tune with the rest of the world

sleep that feels good.

Now I've been a delayed sleep phase sleeper since I was a toddler, so I'm always struggling to maintain healthy sleep habits. But in the past few weeks, that goal has been even more elusive than usual. So I'm experimenting with some changes.

1. Clutter-free nightstand

No artsy stacks of books,

no vases of flowers,

no glasses of water perched on cute coasters.

By sweeping this surface clean of clutter - even pretty clutter - my mind feels equally clean and clear as I prepare to sleep.

Dua. Electronics-free sleep zone

On the best of nights, my phone used to sleep on my nightstand; worse and more often under my pillow. And while the scientific jury is still out on exactly how our devices impact our sleep, Iknow for a fact that my phone exerts a constant if subtle pressure on me to check in what's happening in the world.  I don't need that distraction, so my phone and his charger have been moved on the other side of the room.

3. Old school alarm clock

Yes, my phone has indeed served me very well as a handy alarm clock, but that is a technology rabbit hole into which I will no longer fall. A simple clock with a straightforward alarm suits my purposes perfectly well and my phone can mind his own business.

4. Diffuser at the ready

Eucalyptus-infused air rushes me off to dreamland and soothes my breathing - I've long known that. So rather than house this amazing machine across the room, I've brought him right alongside my bed.

Lima amazon

diffuser

* * * * *

Will any of these changes make the critical difference of getting me some clean sleep?  I can't say for sure. But the simple act of making these changes gives me a calm confidence that anything is possible, and that is a wonderful first step.

clock | amazon

diffuser | amazon

eucalyptus oil | amazon

pillowcase | amazon

News Trend Gracie's Good News|Actual

Great news!

Gracie has lost all her extra weight!

At her six-month check-up with her vet, she weighed in at 81 pounds, down from 99 pounds when we adopted her last July, and was thereby pronounced fit and fabulous.

We promptly celebrated with a post-appointment walk in the rain which allowed a perfect photo op for capturing the svelte new body underneath her shaggy coat.

She's still working on her 'smizing.'

Now Gracie is still a big dog. No slender slip of a thing, as many female Irish are, my girl is steady and strong, broad in the beam, and surprisingly tall.

And all these weeks of dieting have taught me one thing; Gracie loves to eat. It will be a life-long challenge to keep her away from the sweets and savories that she so craves.

But now that we have overcome this first and fairly forbidding fitness obstacle, we can handle whatever comes next.

And for Gracie and me, that is very good news.

News Trend Madame Spring|Actual

Chill winds tore through my sweater and whipped raindrops against my face as I dashed down the sidewalk toward the entrance of the grocery store. Wheeling around the last corner, I looked up just in time to see a glorious display of primrose.

How cruel, I lamented, to set those poor plants outside on a day like this.

And how cruel, my thoughts echoed, to tempt us poor mortals with the idea that spring is just around the corner. We still have many dark and dreary weeks of winter to go.

In spite of my dismay, I dug deep into my rain-splattered purse to pull out my phone and snap a few shots of this discordant beauty before the flowers all froze to death.

The photo shoot only took a few seconds,but as I was finishing, a woman stopped next to me.

She saw what I was doing, paused just a heartbeat, and laughed.

"Oh, they're so lovely!"

"And only a dollar forty-seven each? I want some!"

We smiled at one another as she sailed on into the store.

I could tell you about her face, just beginning to show the deepening beauty of the decades, glowing and generous and gentle.

I could try to describe the lilting melody of her voice, delighted by her find and touched with the trace of an Eastern European accent.

But all you need to know is that in this brief encounter, I felt hope and courage rise up in me as if the warming winds of the new season had already begun to breathe against the land.

And I wondered if I hadn't met Madame Spring herself, just outside the entrance to my grocery store.

News Trend Pink Eye Shadow|Actual

About a month before I left for South Korea, I did considerable research on the best souvenirs to buy in Seoul.

Which is to say I Googled around for a few minutes. But the results I found were quite consistent and comprehensive.

Make-up. When in Seoul, buy make up.

Blah.

I wear make up. But I am not really a make-up person, if you catch my drift. Make-up for me is about like toothpaste: a necessary, important, and somewhat enjoyable part of my daily routine that may be upgraded from time to time but is not really an area of experimentation or shopping inspiration.

And sure enough, when I got to Seoul, stores full of cosmetics and skin care abounded.

Etude House

Olive Young

Innisfree

Tony Moly

Too Cool For School

The list went on and on. Seemed that around every corner was another store full of lip gloss pots, face masks, skin toner, and eye pencils, and my daughters who were with me could not get enough.

I spend a lot of time sitting outside these stores, people-watching and pondering the state of my make-up free universe.

Until we went to StyleNanda Pink Hotel

Okay, if I have this right, StyleNanda began as the handle of a Korean beauty blogger who built up such a following that she created her own line of products called 3CE. StyleNanda played out her fantasies for the ultimate shopping experience by creating the self-named Pink Hotel where one can buy not only her 3CE merk but also clothing, accessories, and snacks at her Poolside Cafe and Rooftop Garden.

The first time I visited there, I was so wrapped up in the fantastical experience that I could barely see straight.

The second time, my head cleared and I was ready to shop.

I didn't buy a lot. But each thing I chose was a treasure.

A pair of creamy white velvet socks.

A tiny hot pink traveling blush brush

And a set of four pink eye shadows.

Now I'm home, wrapped up in the gloom of winter and the repetition of my daily routine. The magic of the StyleNanda Pink Hotel seems like a faraway dream.

But in the mornings, when I pull out my 3CE compact and brush a thin line of pink across my eyelids, right next to my lashes as a sort of sparkly eyeliner, I feel the magic come flooding back. I remember the floating chandelier and the water lilies in the bathtub and the tangible sense of dreams coming true that filled every inch of the Pink Hotel.

And I do believe that when I bought my pink eye shadow, I bought the best souvenir ever.

* * * * *

Wanna go on a tour of the StyleNanda Pink Hotel with me? Check it out here.

News Trend StyleNanda Pink Hotel|Actual

Despite its name, this is not a hotel

Despite its function, this is much more than a store.

The StyleNanda Pink Hotel is a playground for the imagination and a dream world of beautiful images, If you can't get to Seoul to see it for yourself, then please let me show you around.

* * * * *

First Floor: Lobby and  Fine Dining

^ Let's step through the constant crowds shooting photos out in front. And don't let these schoolgirls fool ya; all types flock here: foreigners, groups of girlfriends, couples in love, and older folks with a curiosity for all things pink, like the person in the blue bucket hat standing in the doorway

^ Come through the doors to the lobby and step into a dream. There's an information desk, a glitzy display of room keys, and a pink tile floor for the ages.

^ The main area of the first floor is styled as a dining room, complete with stacks of plates, gilded sneeze guards and chafing dishes, and of course, yards of pink buffet skirts on the tables. At the back in the first checkout counter, and our hosts maintain just the kind of stiff and formal transaction that one would expect at any sort of proper hotel.

* * * * *

Second Floor: Spa

^ Let's climb the stairs to the second floor.. Dominating the space is a huge marble island lined with, you guessed it, sinks. Fitted out with brass faucets, the basins double as product display space. These adorable tubes of lotion double down on their cuteness by repeating the key theme we saw on the first floor.

^But the true highlight of the second floor - if not the entire hotel - is the heavenly claw foot tub full of pink floating flowers, set off by the brass faucets and that herringbone floor.

^ From the second floor balcony, look out on a dreamy hotel room vignette that hangs suspended over the first floor lobby.. The muslin-draped chandelier, elegant nightstand, ancient phone, Parisian bed frame, and fluffy white bedding are all spot though honestly, we would all sleep better with a mattress over those wire springs.

* * * * *

Third Floor: Rooms

Hotel rooms are the feature of the third floor - black paneled doors, a sitting room with velvet and brass, and breezy white sheers set the tone. Mannequins and display racks artfully placed here and there discreetly reveal the clothing and shoes offered for sale, but you'll have to excuse me if I'd rather curl up on a couch and read.

* * * * *

Fourth Floor: The Laundry

^ Sweaters, causal tops and jeans share space with washers, dryers, and endless boxes of soap. This floor captures the vibe of a working space but in the prettiest, most dreamy of ways.

* * * * *

Fifth Floor: The Pool

^ Wait, so it's not an actual pool but a poolside cafe and that's okay. Let's order ourselves up some bubbly drinks and please pass the sunscreen.

* * * * *

Sixth Floor: Rooftop Terrace

^ Settle down into some huge puffy pillows and rest in the soft evening air. The sounds of the city's hustle and bustle drift up from the street, not to disturb but to simply remind us of what a magical place we have found.

* * * * *

Read about what I bought at StyleNanda and how the magic followed me home

 Pink Eye Shadow