More Yoga ~ Less Grumpy

    According to Redbook magazine, “Yoga may be the most effective OTC happy pill around.” Well you know I firmly believe that! There are now even laughter yoga classes you can take! So why will yoga make you less grumpy? Besides the stress reducing benefits, yoga boosts your levels of gamma amino butyric acid, a chemical linked to mood improvement. I believe it. Who doesn’t lie there in shavasana, after an hour workout, and say, “I never want to get up.” (because I’m so happy & relaxed!) So here are three postures you can try to reduce those crabbies:

~ Downward-facing dog ~ Start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders, palms pressing evenly into the floor. Tuck your toes under & lift your knees off the floor as you straighten your legs. Hold for three to five breaths.

~ Dolphin Plank ~ Start on all fours, then lower onto your forearms & slowly step your feet out behind you & tuck your tailbone slightly. Pull your abs in tight. Hold for three to five breaths.

~ Legs up the wall ~ Get yourself into this posture with a folded blanket under your butt & lower back if you like. Lay on your back & scootch your butt as close to the wall as possible with the legs stretching upward. Point & flex those feet. The hard part now begins: you need to relax & breathe for 5 to 10 minutes!

See link below for more yoga info & postures. Enjoy & beat those grumpies!

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/finder/browse_categories

Mottos & Mantras

    So just about every product has a tagline and every company a mission statement. When did all that start? Although a wonderful idea to keep a company on track, a mission statement is probably a bit wordy for you and me. I do, however, believe in a motto or mantra to keep yourself on (life’s interesting) track.

     Maybe it all began with Bobby McFerrin’s catchy little a capella song of the 80’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”. I mean how can that not resonate with everyone. Today’s ever popular mantra “Stay Calm & Carry On” is also very relatable. Oprah reveals in October’s issue of ‘O’ the Bible verse mantra that has been with her through all her experiences: “Delight thyself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” You know, after reading my blog, that I love inspirational & funny quotes and always place one at the top. These change with the topic. I feel we all need something inspirational or funny to keep ourselves on topic with our days, weeks, years. Or, a motto that keeps us in the present or moving forward with our future. As with the seasons of our lives and the seasons of the year we need to first: find a motto or two and second: be flexible with it. Remember that we are ever changing. My daughter has Carpe Diem as her motto. (I had the same one at her age). Had this been the reason for her to skydive recently? I have a few Carpe Diem moments left in me too (but mine have only gotten me to zip line height so far!) There are a few, however, I always seem to come back to as time marches on. One of my favorites: “If God leads you to it, He will lead you through it.” A new favorite as today’s blog quote: “If I believe it, I will see it.” Sometimes it’s as simple as something nice that a friend says to you like “you continue to amaze & inspire me.” Now that’s a mantra to strive for your entire life!

    So think about some quotes or mottos that may resonate with you right now and where you’d like to be in the future. Post in your cubicle or office, at home, on your phone. Keep wherever you can find them when you need a spirit lift some days!

Mums for the Fall

    The Chrysanthemum, the most popular plant of the daisy family & is the quintessential plant of the fall garden. I get this question often: will the mums (cutest flower nickname) I plant this fall come back next year? Well the bad news is ‘no’ but the good news is the low cost of these plants shouldn’t sway the gardener one bit. Who isn’t drawn to decorating with corn stalks, hay bales, pumpkins, gourds & mums!

    So, the reason these won’t survive is that if planted in the ground, they will not have enough time to establish a root system strong enough for them to survive. (We also leave them in their containers for decorating purposes – so not a chance there). To complicate things more, there are two kinds of mums: Hardy (Garden) & Florist mums. Florist mums are produced for cuttings mainly & will never develop a stolen that would help produce those necessary roots. The hardy mums when planted in the spring, however, do stand a chance at coming back for years to come. These contain the stolen for developing roots. These need at least 6 hours of sun a day, need a well-drained soil, water them well & provide plenty of mulch for over-wintering. They need to be pinched in spring/summer to encourage that round shape & not the leggy look. They may produce blooms in spring but can be pinched off until summer to produce a fall-fabulous set of blooms. Use beautiful grasses as a backdrop for your hardy mums. Enjoy the link below that shows some new varieties. The sky is the limit when it comes to color. My suggestion is to buy what you are blown away by & not worry about next year!

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/perennials/all-about-mums/?page=3

Garden Surprises 2013!

     I purposefully entitled this blog Garden Surprises. This will not just include my surprising successes, but my surprising failures as well.

     I would have to say when you grow something from seed & it goes gangbusters, that is a success & it gives you satisfaction beyond compare. For me, this year it was the decorative hyacinth bean vine. It is still going strong & so beautiful, from the leaves & stems to the flowers and the pods now forming. I have it in many spots & its doing fine everywhere! It was easy to grow, hummingbirds love it & it didn’t take over. Yay, a success. For my first failure, my Felicia plant. (the woman said it was easy...) I haven’t gotten it to bloom since the original blooms I bought with it fell off. The pretty variegated foliage kept it from being a total bust. It is supposed to be a houseplant too so I may try again with it next summer, perhaps some research... Another surprising success was the dragon wing begonia I planted in the spot with hot afternoon sun. I know this plant handles shade & sun but one plant, in hot, hot sun got ginormous! See photo to left. Very much a surprise. One of my surprise/failures was the Butterfly Marguerite Daisy. In going with the simplified containers this year, I had one per a container. The one that got more sun grew beautifully, the one with less sun/more shade, not so much. They were in identical planters. It looks like a miracle grow commercial! I will definitely plant ‘Butterfly’ again; it was easy care for sure & so pretty. Next time I will plant in lots of sun. I’m disappointed in my usually robust campion but so happy with all the rain that my phlox, blackeyed susans and coreopsis did well (although with a some powerdry mildew problems) Rain =Success! Lastly is the success of the Pocket Hose. It was a gift & I was skeptical that it could be so great, but it is! Forget the shorter 25 footer (I was given two). I used the 50 ft. & was so pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. It’s so light that there was no flower destruction! It’s a must.

    So we come to the time of year where we take a deep breath & enjoy what’s left. Cut a few flowers & enjoy them inside. With the cooler nights now, have a fire in the fireplace, with a cup of tea & enjoy your cuttings. Don’t even dream of next year. Stay in the moment, there will be plenty of time for planning your successes...

Damn Auto Correct!

     So how many times, do we plink away on our cell phone, swear & mumble, “Damn auto correct?” Really, it lends itself to frustration & depending on the good-sense-of-humored recipient, lots of laughs. So I was thinking about our lives. What if your life came with an auto correct feature? What if we were born with a compass always pointing due North that would bing every time we veered off course?  Would that make our lives a safe vanilla? In the end, we would have much less stress because we wouldn’t be making poor choices. It would make our lives safe & predictable, not much flavor or excitement. That would work for some I’m sure. I, however, prefer no auto correct whatsoever. Reflect on this passage from Gail Godwin’s novel The Finishing School:

    There are two kinds of people... One kind, you can tell just by looking at them at what point they congealed into their final selves. It might be a very nice self, but you know what you can expect no more surprises from it. Whereas, the other kind keeps moving, changing. With these people, you can never say, “X stops here,” or “Now I know all there is to know about Y.” That doesn’t mean they’re unstable. Ah, no, far from it. They are fluid. They keep moving forward and making new trysts with life, and the motion of it keeps them young. In my opinion, they are the only people who are still alive.

Ah yes, I think I’d rather like to explore East, West & South too...

Carmindy & Ted's Tips ~ What Not to Wear

    With 10 seasons of What Not to Wear under my belt, I can safely say I have learned a few things. (I think they actually threw a boxy, boiled wool jacket that I also owned, into the can!) I am so sad to see it all go. Finding a style for yourself & never taking it all too seriously are good lessons to be learned. And yes, the right shoes can make you feel wonderful!! We have also learned much on hair & makeup from the show.

Ted & Carmindy chimed in with their rules too! For hair:

1)   Get your hair cut every 4-6 weeks.

2)  Use the right product for your hair. Ted also recommends a finishing shine spray.

3)  Every woman should color treat their hair. (to help their complexions)

Carmindy suggests:

1)   Carmindize your face buy highlighting the cheekbones, brow bones & tear duct area.

2)  Blend foundation using a non-latex sponge.

3)  Use her 5 minute face so there are no excuses that you lack time to look fresh & beautiful: Even your complexion with foundation, dust translucent powder & Carmindize you face: (apply eyeliner on the upper lash line, lots of black mascara, blush to the apples of your cheeks & a tinted lip balm). See the video link below of Carmindy showing how it’s done. No excuses!

http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/what-not-to-wear/videos/the-five-minute-face.htm

What Not To Wear ~ Ultimate Rules Book

    So sadly, for this blogger, we are in the midst of the final season of the iconic style show What Not to Wear. Stacy & Clinton, the co-hosts, have taken us through 10 educational season & hundreds of makeovers. That knowledge has spilled over into thousands & thousands of better dressed viewers! Yes, this is my favorite show, and I am not even a fashionista in the true sense. I’ve loved 10 seasons of their humor, patience, empathy, talent & warmth. The show will so be missed by this blogger. So this week’s episode, which aired Fri., Aug. 30^th on TLC at 10pm, gave viewers the opportunity to once-and-for-all compile their Ultimate Rules Book. See the link below of the video from that episode. Here are the rules:

10) Keep the girls locked & loaded. Yes, get a professional bra fitting & reveal your waist & ribcage!

9) Dress your age. Dressing too old is as bad as dressing too young.

8) Your clothes have to fit the body you have, not the body you want. Ignore sizes, just a number.

7) Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have. Never underestimate the importance of a first impression.

6) Color, texture, pattern & shine all create visual interest. Stop the beige blahs & have some fun.

5) You don’t have to show a lot of skin to feel sexy. Choose showing skin on one part of your body.

4) Jeans are supposed to make your butt look good. No more ‘Mom’ jeans!

3) Mom does not equal Frump. Get rid of the ‘Mom’ uniform: oversized t-shirt & hoody, mom jeans, and cross-trainers. Go from Frump to Fab!

2) You can show off your personality without looking crazy. No costumes... people need to notice you & not just your outfit.

And last but not least...

1) We’re always right. (Funny & so true. You will be sorely missed!)

http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/what-not-to-wear/videos/the-rule-book-videos.htm