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by Angela on January 2, 2012
On New Year’s day I was cleaning up my kitchen after lunch and I asked my girls if they wanted to finish“washing” the dishes? They love playing in the bubble water and quickly said “YES”! So I made sure it was only a few dishes and they were pretty clean already. I finished cleaning the counters and putting the groceries from our morning grocery run away. We had music playing from the Beatles as we worked. As they were playing my oldest Ella asked my youngest “would you like some words of wisdom”? My youngest: “Yes, please”. Ella: “Here’s your words of wisdom” as she was pouring some bubbles from one cup to another. This went on and on. They kept passing words of wisdom back and forth, as two sisters probably do throughout their lives. I just soaked it all up. It was the cutest thing.
It made me think for a minute: wouldn’t that be great if we could just pass on words of wisdom like that? Wouldn’t it be great if when we did pass on words of wisdom that the other person would say “Yes, please” and openly receive them?! So then I was curious and seeking my own words of wisdom I decided to get all philosophical on the topic. I searched for the lyrics to the Beatles “Let it Be”. So for 2012, what really struck me were these lines:
“There will be an answer, let it be.”
And
“And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow, let it be”
Happy New Year 2012, I hope it brings the words of wisdom you’ve been searching for.
Shine until tomorrow!
by Angela on December 2, 2011
I love this picture of Jennifer Garner truly enjoying her new found DREAM closet from the moving 13 Going On 30. Isn’t this every girls dream? I actually had a client tell me that she wanted her closet to be like the one from 13 Going On 30! I had to go through my DVD’s to find this scene and watch it!
When we can be inspired enough to dance in our closets with joy, that’s a great thing! So each Friday I will be bringing you pictures from different “Dream Closets’ to help inspire you.
I’ve been so inspired by closets lately that I have started working on an e-book on closet organization! I should come out in January!
So enjoy this bit of fun and start working on your own closet. I challenge you to find 5 things that don’t fit who you are and let them go. You deserve to dance in your closet!
by Angela on November 1, 2011
There is still time to register for the Austin Women’s Conference. I am going to this conference on Wednesday and I cannot wait! I’ve attended similar conferences in the past and always leave recharged.
This conference will be Wednesday, November 2, 2011 and one of my favorite speakers will be there, Renee Trudeau. Renee is an international life balance coach and wrote the book “The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life”.
Other speakers include Carson Kressley, “America’s Favorite Hintologist” Heloise, and many more.
If you need a little inspiration this fall check out the Austin Women’s Conference. I can’t wait to share some of the things I learned with you!
by Angela on October 16, 2011
Sunset from the Oasis in Austin
Every night when I’m tucking my girls into bed I ask them “what was your favorite part of the day?”. It’s always fun to hear what they really enjoyed each day. After a while I also started asking them “what was your least favorite part of the day?” or “was there anything you didn’t like today?” for my youngest. I found this question to be a very important one. I really LOVE hearing what their favorite part of the day is and sometimes it’s many things. But, the least favorite part tends to give me more important clues into things that might be bothering them or things we might need to talk about. I have found these two simple questions create better discussion than the standard “how was your day today sweetie?” type question.
This being said, it took me by surprise when my oldest daughter asked me one night “what was your favorite part of the day Mom?” “Uh… I don’t know” I said. I was actually so surprised I had never really given this any thought. It was almost like I forgot I could have a favorite part of the day too. Sometimes as parents we are so busy volunteering at our children’s school, working, taking kids to after school activities, making diner, helping with homework, and more that we forget we are important too.
So the next night I was prepared. I thought about it throughout the day and gave her a real honest answer (and one she had actually heard me say many times before) and that was: “sitting on the swing watching the sunset with you”.
So what was your favorite part of the day today?
by Angela on October 14, 2011
Photo Credit: Angel Chevrestt
Do you ever find yourself dreaming about Carrie Bradshaw’s dazzling closet from the movie “Sex and the City”? Well for one woman, Carrie’s closet is her dream come true. I just ran across this article from the New York Post on how “Sex and the City” set designers Lydia Marks and business partner Lisa Frantz designed a replica of Carrie Bradshaw’s walk-in closet for a client in Long Island. That’s right, there is a real woman out there living with one of the most coveted closets. It’s like closet nirvana! With a price tag of $175,000 you may not be able to duplicate Carrie’s closet, but let’s see what little gems we can take away from the closet of all closets.
1. Before you can figure out what your dream closet will look like be sure to reduce or purge what you don’t need and then take an inventory of what you have. The New York Post article states “Before building the closet, Marks and Frantz had measured and inventoried every item of the client’s wardrobe to create an individual space for it.”
2. Everything has its place. When everything has a place to go, there is no need to clutter up counters because you don’t know where to put something. “Sunglasses have their own drawers with specially sized compartments, and even the vanity was designed to accommodate specific hair dryers, curling irons and flat irons,” Marks said.
3. Quality is key. If you are really trying to build your dream closet try to choose quality items that will last. You would hate to spend a lot time and money into something that will look shabby in a few months. “you want to consider the quality and longevity of everything you bring in,” said Marks”
So what does your dream closet look like? You have to start with a vision. Would it be wood tones, white, or painted a bold color? Would it have drawers and shelves? Wooden hangers? Post a comment below and share what would make up your dream closet.
by Angela on May 10, 2011
How simple a life can you live? I was watching the show The Human Planet the other night and was intrigued by a story of a family that lived in the Himalayan Mountains. The family lives in a village that is inaccessible for six months out of the year due to snow and ice. If you want your children to attend school past elementary, you must take them 50 miles to the nearest school. It is a six day walk along a frozen river, and the children will stay at the school for six months.
So how does this relate to organizing or living a simple life? Although the story was very interesting, what caught my eye was that the children who would be gone for six months only had a single backpack. That is impressive! I realize that we live in an entirely different world here in the USA, but it is still fascinating to see people living a life with so few possessions–a life were you can fit everything you need for your six month trip in a single backpack.
Is there a way you can simplify your possessions? Is having more always better?
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