inspired life, day 2

Today we're going to focus on health. I think this is so important because it seems to get overlooked more than anything else. Sure, we'll eat better next week, exercise tomorrow and take some time for ourselves after...(insert excuse here).


image courtesy of storm communications

The thing is, if we don't have our health what do we have?

So my assignment for today is to ask yourself: How do I feel? Take a look at your physical well-being and make note of what's going on. If there is something that you know you could improve, come up with some simple changes to start.

For example, if you've been feeling tired a lot lately and you've become a caffeine addict as a result, make a promise to get yourself to bed a half hour earlier for a couple nights (Note: I won't tell you to ditch the caffeine, so don't worry...). In a couple of days ask yourself the same question and see if the answer is any different.

Feel free to share as much or as little as you want. We've got two days left to our giveaway so let's keep it up! If you're still feeling inspired when this is over, check out the whole living total action plan for wellness

Note: I received some emails from readers that were unable to comment via blogger due to a technical error. If you run into that problem shoot me an email at linsi.brownson@gmail.com. Each day you comment is one entry into the drawing so comment away! Plus, get a bonus entry if you re-post this on your blog.

This giveaway is brought to you by Living Rooms Direct, with a prize from allmodern.com

in with the new...and a giveaway!

A recent series of events has reminded me how important it is to take care of ourselves and to nurture the elements that make us feel whole. I created this blog to be a place of inspiration and I try as much as possible to keep thing interesting. But we live in very busy times and it's easy to get too focused on the external demands in our lives and not pay enough attention to what is important.

Over the next week I would like to spend some time looking at those important things: our health, our personal connections and our passions. I believe these elements are key to living a happy, balanced life. And what could be more inspiring than that?



Today's Topic: Stress

The one thing that has always helped me when things start to feel a little crazy is to breathe. There are so many times when things like yoga, meditation or a hard workout are out of the question (like after a stressful office meeting or when you're in line at the grocery store) but breathing is something you can do anytime, anywhere. Check out this great article on coping with stress through breathing.

Now that we're breathing, let's talk about the giveaway! Monday through Thursday this week I will post a small assignment to help get you more focused on your needs. Post a comment to let me know you're participating (you don't have to share unless you want to) and at the end of the week I will enter your name into a drawing. The folks at allmodern.com have graciously donated a gift for me to giveaway to the winner of this little challenge. Exciting, right?

List up to 5 things that are stressful for you right now. Be very honest: if you break down the obvious things (love, money, work, etc.) you will find that there's usually more to it. My biggest stressors typically come from guilt.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Now look carefully at each of these things. What about it can you control and what can't you? I've always been told that if you can change something you don't like, do it and if you can't, let it go. That's easier said than done, and this will take a little work. But it's totally worth it.

Think about it and let me know. If you have some insight to share, please do. Happy Monday!

in the library 12.28.09

This Christmas I found some great books for my collection under the tree. Unfortunately my scanner is out of commission until late January (technical difficulties with Windows 7) so we're going to do this the old fashion way...

My book pick this week has nothing to do with design, but I would be doing a great disservice to my readers if I didn't share. It's called Vefa's Kitchen and it's all Greek to me.

With recipes like cracked potato tossed in coriander and cheese pastitsio, this book truly is the bible of Greek Cooking! I'm inspired just by looking at the gorgeous photos.

Many of the recipes are surprisingly simple. I guess that's the beauty of Greek food: simple, natural and delicious. Everything has a 'thrown together' feel to it, something that inspires my earth-mother sensibilities.

I can't wait to try some of these recipes, though to be honest it will mostly be David doing the real cooking...I'll probably stick to the lentils and rice. Either way, this book is a must have for your library.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays Everyone! Enjoy the time with family and friends, and when you've had enough quality time check out this video of things do when you're bored over the holidays.

Disclaimer: I do not actually recommend doing any of the ideas mentioned...so if you get in trouble, it wasn't me :) Enjoy!

in the workshop

I am extremely impatient. I hate traffic. I hate waiting in line. I hate not having what I want now, RIGHT NOW. It has always been in my nature to try something once, then dismiss it as "stupid", when it didn't work. When I became a carpenter a few years ago (officially the "cabinet guy" at our remodeling company), I really had no idea that I'd frequently be putting myself into a world of hurt. This is a craft that requires a level of patience that I simply don't naturally have. But our nature, bad habits, and excuses must be worked on when the alternative is even worse. I pushed past my urges to give up over and over, and found that the satisfaction in the end makes up for the sometimes challenging points along the way. Somehow things always seem to work out.

In my posts I will share with you what's going on in the shop: inspiration, design ideas and drawings, prototypes, and hopefully a few finished pieces.

The latest, is a media center made of walnut. I love walnut, that rich gray/brown color right out of the box just makes me happy. I have a sheet of plywood sitting around that was going to be used for this, but I stopped by Builders Surplus in Santa Ana the other day and found some 10' long walnut stair treads for about $3 a linear foot. Perfect! Reclaimed and CHEAP. This works out great because they are substantially thicker than 3/4" plywood and will give the piece a nice chunky look. Stair treads are normally about 12" deep, so I cut one of them in down the middle, and glued it to another whole one, making the media center nearly 18" deep. Being an impatient fellow, I just started building this thing with no specific vision in mind for the base. I've changed my mind about ten times so far, but I think it's getting narrowed down. Sometimes I just have to sit and stare at things for a while before a solution becomes clear.

Here it is so far:

The frame is built and has been stained. I made lots of samples with water based stains from General Finishes, but wasn't happy with the 'muddy' look and the fact the pretty grain was obscured too much. Dark Briwax gave a nice look, but had a little more yellow than I wanted. Ultimately an old can of Minwax-Dark Walnut gave me the look I wanted after being thinned 50%. The sealer will really bring out the colors, but I'm off to the store for something different, because the stuff we normally spray looks a little too "factory perfect", if you follow. I want this to look slightly rustic. You'll really see what I mean next week, when we experiment with forced patinas on the metal sheets that will become the doors of the cabinet.