Birthday Tea

A lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon with friends and family.

I love to host a good party. The tea was fabulous but my lemonade with a "surprise" added was a chart topper.

I love it when a guest goes straight for dessert.

A little parting gift of Shea soap.

Happiness is Contagious

My latest recommended read is The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben. I read it last year and have been giving it to everyone I know. Her blog gives me a daily dose of happy! I had to copy her post about fun in the workplace. I could write paragraphs about why I think it is important to "lighten up" at work but Gretchen does it sooo much better than I ever could. Please read and share a laugh with someone today!

Quiz: How Fun Is Your Workplace? Your Home?

In The Levity Effect: Why it Pays to Lighten Up, Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher make an interesting argument that “levity” is an extremely effective tool for helping people to work better. An atmosphere of light-heartedness, it turns out, helps people pay attention, eases tensions, and enhances a feeling of connection.
When I read this, I thought, “Well, levity would be tough for me, I’m not particularly funny, and I’m not particularly outgoing.”
But what the authors mean by “levity” is really a sense of lightness. It's less about being funny and more about being able to have fun and see the humorous side of everyday situations—especially difficult situations.
Ah, I thought, I’m trying! The Ninth of my Twelve Commandments is “Lighten up." When I posted sticky notes with key phrases all around my office and apartment, the one I put in the master bathroom read, “Tender and light-hearted.”
Gostick and Christopher include a quiz about workplace levity. Looking at it, I realized that most of my workplaces included these elements, which I’m sure contributed to the positive experience I had everywhere (except for the summer I worked as a waitress at Dos Hombres Mexican restaurant, and zoikes, I did not like that job).
For example, I’d assumed that the atmosphere around the Supreme Court would be serious, thoughtful, and grand. And it was. But in her chambers, Justice O’Connor incorporated several goofy aspects that made it a lot of fun, too. Each Halloween, she required her clerks to decorate elaborate pumpkins, and birthday celebrations were always a big deal, and she took the clerks on a yearly outing (we went fishing). And that sort of thing really did make a difference.
How does your workplace measure up? Take Gostick and Christopher’s quiz:

New employees are made to feel welcome
Meetings are positive and light
We have fun activities at least once a month
It’s common to hear people laughing around here
I can be myself at work
We have a lot of celebrations for special events
When brainstorming, we like to have fun
My boss is usually optimistic and smiling
Customers would call us fun to do business with
I have a friend at work who makes me laugh
We have a good time together

Does your workplace have "levity," according to this quiz? Do you think it matters?
This is a great list for home, too. For my next book, Happier at Home, I tried several resolutions that were meant to try to bring more levity into my apartment. For instance, I tried to under-react to problems, and it really did help.
How about you? Have you found that an atmosphere of levity and good humor makes a difference to your workplace or home? Have you found any good strategies to keep things fun and light?

Daily Inspiration

I LOVE Danielle LaPorte. Her messages in my inbox make me laugh, inspires creativity, and makes me think. She is an essential part of my morning routine, right along with my cup of coffee. Check it out www.daniellelaporte.com. My other BIG love is www.livestrong.com. I love a foundation that not only raises money for cancer, but also helps everyone involved.....the patients, their families, and anyone who wants to live a healthy life. Take a look at both their gadgets on my page.

Favorites!

Just a few things I'm into right now.......very cool that they all come from Seattle!

Chooka Rain Boots are the best!

I think this is perfect for Seattle in the fall......

The colors look gorgeous against the black....must have!

So happy they are in Seattle.....

I bought Juniper Berry for the holidays (huge hit with my guests) and my favorite flavor for summer is Lavender. I mix it with a little lemonade and add a twig of rosemary......delicious!

DARK CHOCOLATE.........

do I need to say more?

A little Bosomy?

Stella Mae 2004 Syrah by Sparkman Cellars....check!
M 2008 Mourvedre by Karma Vineyards.....check!
Water Witch 2009 by Mark Ryan Winery...check!

A great start for Christmas Eve Dinner.  Would I describe them as bosomy? I'm not sure, but I laughed when I saw the definition on the coasters below. I would love to own a wine cellar like the one's I found here.

Love this design!

Do not attempt to enter after finishing a bottle of wine......

I draw a lot of vintage wine openers and actually use some to open wine with....really!

Hilarious.....I'm going to use bosomy and see what kind of reaction I get.

Santa Has Arrived

Decorating bonanza has started. Lights, fake snow, Xmas village and of course the many Santa's!

He is my FAVORITE.....44 years old and still smiling that dashing smile.

I don't see my name on his list...should I be worried?

My mom gave us our favorite ornaments from childhood.......60 years old and still has a beard!

Let the Christmas season begin

Black Friday

 I don't even attempt to go out on black Friday. No sale on underwear and socks is that good! So, here I am adding items to my etsy shop http://www.aspotofcolor.etsy.com/.

Santa is my favorite character of the season!

Add a little sparkle to the table.

My favorite wine box...loved this project.

I love the metallic paint especially the black, white, gray combinations.

Spread some joy this Christmas!