I opted, instead, for an old-school note written on notebook paper. I wrote the letter then sealed it up in a letter-sized envelope…

I addressed the envelope, then I drew one little flower on it.
Then another…
Then another…

Which led to markers…

Now, I’m just hoping the post office will clear the envelope as “legal” and actually mail it!

Too much time on my hands?
Yeah; you’re probably right.

But it was a fun afternoon, mindlessly doodled away…

Then while it was all right there in front of me, I did the same thing for a thank you note to my ‘rents-in-laws!

I put it all away after that, though…before it got out of hand and I was working on these white walls next!

The goodness of social networking…

January: Own Your Truth

People who are rising to the top in business tell their truth and live their lives with conviction. This is the month to own your past, recognize old patterns, exhibit faith, and show compassion for yourself and others.

February: Quiet Your Inner Judge

Let go of good and bad, right and wrong, black and white, and the person you think you should be. Ask yourself, “Is what I’m obsessing about really important?” This question could save your business and your life.

March: Make Your Own Luck

Build a relevant brand to help you stand out and attract opportunities. Being solidly grounded with who you are—without apology – you’ll become the Lady Gaga-Steve Jobs-Oprah-Ellen-Einstein of your world.

April: Become A Rainmaker

Instead of hiding behind e-mail, go to a conference and connect with prospective partners, clients or employers. Confidently tell them why you’d be an asset to their business. Remember, you’ve got to get out to get in.

May: Declare Your Specialty

Being a generalist is very old news. Narrow your focus and carve out a niche that attracts opportunities and higher fees. This month, turn your skills into your area of expertise.

June: Leave a Bad Work Situation

When the culture or situation isn’t the right fit, leave with grace and without burning bridges. Avoid getting into the blame game, or lost in details and gossip. Let go of resentment. You deserve to be happy!

July: Travel to Find Yourself

Want to be more inspired at work? Travel. To experience a career rebirth, you have to leave the office. Make your journey an expedition to the soul and you’ll discover who you really are, and what you want to do next.

August: Get Your Swagger Back

Every morning think back to when you aced a presentation, won a project, received an honor, or captured a major piece of business. Now, stand tall, speak with authority, and smile big from that place of strength.

September: Tell Your Greatest Story

Making a strong impression starts with being authentic–not by performing or being emotionally manipulative. Proudly share your mission and your accomplishments in a way that serves others and you will instill confidence.

October: Get off the Hamster Wheel

If you’re feeling overworked, let the season inspire you to shed some leaves. Be willing to let go of whatever is not working. Stop going round and round with projects or people that will never materialize or monetize.

November: Bust the Myths About You

Let’s face it, you’re branded the minute you walk through the door. If you’ve been viewed negatively, change perceptions by showing up in your essence and focusing on the unique qualities that make you valuable.

December: Make Peace with the Past

Self-doubt will always stop you from moving forward. You could be drudging up the muck of your childhood, a bad break-up, or a co-worker that went negative on you. Look at it as a gift and stay in the present.

We try to get together for lunch periodically – so the Chinese New Year and my upcoming birthday (more than a month away!) was a good enough excuse!

We met at P.F. Chang’s on the Plaza and, as usual, enjoyed a good conversation (and GREAT food!!)

Wendy has two incredible Pandora bracelets – as most Pandora owners, it’s fun to compare charms…

Then, Wendy gave me my birthday gift.

Some of you know my deep love for Rachel Ashwell…
She is my holy of holies.
The sandpaper to my distressing.
The white to my trim.
The ranunculus to my tea cup.

She was the first designer that I fell madly and forever in love with. I have every one of her books and they are as proudly displayed in my house as they were the first day I bought one over 5 years ago.

So, she’s kind of a big deal.

The birthday present bar has been set high this year. Rachel’s latest book -

…and tonight I will have some FABULOUS leftovers for dinner!

It was fun to be the Ladies Who Lunch today on the Plaza. Even broke out the vintage fur for the occasion! -ha

If you need me, I’ve found a spot of sunshine, brewed some tea and am curled up with my new book

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOUUUUUUUU, Wendy!!!!!
And I mean this from the bottom of my heart…even better than the book, was the time you took to make today special. I loved spending a few hours with you!

Then my daughter started taking a class…
Again; too campy. Don’t think about it.

Then a movie…
Too emo.

A book…
A museum showing…
A taste…

I can’t help it. I admit it:

I am a silly American with a fascination for France.

The interior decorating.
The style.
The food.
Ahh…the art.

Perhaps to be most efficient, I should say the perceived decorating, the perceived style, etc. I have never been. I do know that friends, Melanie Jackel, Stan Williams, and Tiffany Smoot would loudly echo my mini-obsession as they have been there and experienced it first-hand. Or my friend, William, who has traveled there numerous times for his essential oils business.

What an incredible country to capture the imaginations of so many people who dream to experience it Someday.

Scott and I watched a movie this past weekend, Taken, which whet my appetite again. And as I do with every obsession (they don’t call it obsessive behavior for nothing!), I went to the online library catalog and ordered every book I could on the subject: from The New French Interior to Nineteenth Century French Art to Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

And of course, my biggest source of visual inspiration: Pinterest.

And a few more here.

Channeling Sabrina today…
J’aime la France

I find that remarkable.

She is (quite literally) fading away. She keeps getting littler and littler. She told us about how her girls had to take her wedding rings and put them in a safe because they kept slipping off her fingers. She has ‘dementia’…whatever that means. SHE WILL BE 91 NEXT MONTH! – so it seems ‘dementia’ is okay at that age! She tells very clear stories about the here and now, though. My own mother had Alzheimer’s so I look at Grandma and wonder how she has stayed so sharp for so long. She seems quite with-it to me.

The day we visited she told us about her many travels around the world. She told us that she and her husband had visited all 50 states and had been on every continent except Africa. She relayed how they financially adopted children overseas and then would take their own children (5) to go visit them so their kids could see how others lived. Grandma told about a friend of theirs that had family overseas and that they (Scott’s grandparents) used that has an “excuse” to travel – so they took their friend to meet her family in London.

Her eye contact with us, her hands as they talked along with her words, her delicately crossed ankles, her gold chain bracelets…it was easy to see her as a young wife and mother, traveling the world and finding adventures.

She stopped suddenly. Her arms went way up in the air in a very gregarious motion as she half-laughed and said,

“If I die tomorrow, I don’t care! I’ve had a good life.”

I looked away – fat, hot tears teetered on the edge of my eyelids. Not out of sadness. Not out of fear. But the fist-in-the-heart challenge to be able to come to the end of your life and be able to say, “I’ve had a good life.” The wonderful realization that you’ve done what you were meant to do. You’ve helped who you were meant to help. You’ve seen and done many things and have been wise enough to recognize it; fortunate enough to have experienced it and allowed those events to settle into your mind as gratefulness.

What a legacy.

A life story is like an impressionist painting, a riot of tiny brushstrokes when viewed up close. There is a great deal we are unable to discern about our lives while we are still caught up in the small exertions of living. Getting older allows us to step back far enough to recognize the overall shape of things, the full picture that can only be seen from the distance of an elapsed lifetime. – Wendy Lustbader, Life Gets Better: The Unexpected Pleasures of Growing Older

All last year the family celebrated Grandma’s “last Christmas”, “last birthday”, “last…”. I imagine the young girl inside her is laughing as they are now celebrating all those occasions AGAIN as Grandma stubbornly outsmarts death. I’m glad she has. I still have a lot to learn…

We offered to take pictures around her chair where she was sitting. “Oh no!”, she said. “I’ll stand up with you.”

As she and Scott got into position, Scott crouched down a bit to get into the picture frame better. She immediately scolded him, “No, no. Stand up! Let them see how tall you are!”

Be yourself.

I’ll tell you what else… If I am allowed to live to be 91 years old, I’m having a bedazzled fingernail file too!

She lives in The Sweet Life Retirement Center.
At the end of life the car payments and job advancements and hardships don’t matter as much. It is the fortunate few who are able to summarize their life with a big gesture, a half-smile and to emphatically conclude, It’s all okay; I’ve had a good life.

A truly sweet life, indeed.

73 lbs vs 93 lbs.
We all need for them to get along!
It would NOT be pretty otherwise.