New Year.... been a while

With the anticipation of all the new changes that 2012 will bring for me, I have made a list of tasks I can do to prep for a positive new year.

• Call all billing companies and set up automatic withdrawl and paperless: I like to procrastinate a bit. This will allow my stess level to be a bit more minimal. :)
  
  






• Back up computer: Save all those photos and documents that can easily disappear if they are not saved in another location.
  
  




• Sign up for a local farm delivery system: fresh and local fruits and veggies at my doorstep every week! Seriously look into it. So worth it.
  
  






• Buy a Juicer: start getting the pure nutrients of raw fruit and veggies! The best thing you could possibly do for your body!
  
  
  


• Buy a scale: numbers are a reality! Keep focused.
  
  What are some ways you will be starting the New Year to help you achieve your goals for a more positive life?

right on time.

If you know me personally, you know that I will do something when I set my mind to it and when the time is right FOR ME.

Source: blog.grahnat.se via mimma on Pinterest

It may be becoming a vegetarian at age 10, going back to school at 24, or even buying my own condo well, right before the market crashed down on us, or just even changing my hair from platinum blonde to the darkest shade of brown. I contemplate these ideas over and over. I mention them to people around me and take the criticism/support/love/jealousy/sassy remarks/. I center myself and do what I wanted to do from the beginning.

The things I want to do next in life, are exciting. I can't wait! But instead of allowing the delay of these to just sit and weigh on my mind, Im going to jump in!

The time is RIGHT.

NOW!

www.pinterest.com
What about you? How do you let your mind react to ideas or deams you have? I would love to hear any tips or stories from my readers.

Aj

house call

Have you ever had that call that you know you need to make, and you just put it off? Nothing intentional, just get caught up in other things and next thing you know its 1 month later and you STILL haven't called? Ugh. I do this way too often. Anyone else?Been thinking of my grandma for sometime now.

"I need to call her", "grandma would love this...", "I wonder how she's doing?", often cross my mind. So I did it today. I called her and in her voice I could tell she appreciated it. Just a call. Just a couple minutes out of my day.

How easy. But how special.

Who will you call to give someone a smile?

Aj

vaca?

Whoa, I totally took a vaca from this blog. I knew I have been missing something......

Lovin' me some summer here in Seattle.

Sunshine and water=heaven.

I have been taking minutes out of my day to really stop and take it all in. Breathe in the air and the heat. Smelling the flowers blossoming. Most of all soaking up the rays!

new project.

I appreciate all who follow this blog. It feels good to have people actually want to listen/read to what fills my mind on a daily basis. Its a nice outlet to have, that's for sure. I dont feel judged, I dont feel insecure, I just write what I am thinking about at the moment. I love it.

On that note, I have decided to add another blog onto my daily/weekly "to do" lists. This one is more of a professional blog to use as inspiration based on photo styling and the things I come across to push me towards a successful career in the industry that is so minimal, here in Seattle.

Please jump over to my new blog site at

WWW.HOUSEOF-JOSEPHINE.BLOGSPOT.com

to check it out. It's still very new so I apologize for any empty spaces.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to sharing my dreams and thoughts with you!

Adrian

what room?

I am reading this really great audio book (ok, listening to) called The Nine Rooms of Happiness by Lucy Danziger and Catherine Birndorf M.D. It really puts things in perspective when you think about the different elements of your life and the "rooms" you need to tidy up.

{photo via www.self.com}

Here is an excerpt from the book that I got off of their website. Go check it out and read more.

"The first step in figuring out your inner architecture is to draw your emotional house (or you can print out the sketch we've provided here). You can do this in your head, or with a pen and paper. We’ve always loved markers and sketch pads, so we encourage you to commit to a piece of paper for this project. (We promise it’ll be fun.) One note: over time, you may need to re-draw the walls, since as you evolve so will your house.

The most useful model may be a cross-section where all the rooms are exposed at once. We like to draw a three-story house with nine rooms. The basement and attic lie below and above the other rooms and on the first floor, you’ll find the family room, living room, kitchen and office since those are the most public spaces. Upstairs, lies the master bedroom, the bathroom, and the kid’s room, since those are more intimately connected.

Neither Catherine nor I live in houses with many stories and nine rooms. We live in New York City apartments, and you know how cramped those are! But trust us, you need a room for every area of your emotional life, and this drawing doesn’t reflect your actual abode.

Now make a list of all the rooms that will be in your house—include the basics, and your specifics, each corresponding to an area of your life. You may add or subtract a room, depending on your stage right now. So if you know you don’t want kids, the second bedroom could be a guest room or a place you sew, paint or write. Once you decide you are including a room, the relevant question is, how big should it be? And that is directly correlated to how much time and emotional energy you invest there, and how important that topic is to your overall happiness.

For me the bathroom was always large because I was preoccupied with weight, fitness and health in a way that took my attention from other thoughts, and even when I wasn’t in the bathroom these thoughts followed me into every other room. I would walk into a party and think, Do I look fat? Instead of, Oh, there is so-n-so I want to talk to!

Many women’s bathrooms are the largest in their house, since it’s where we scrutinize the number on the scale, the bags under our eyes, and all nature of self-criticism. It’s also where we need to love ourselves, and take care of ourselves (doing a mole check, indulging in a bubble bath, or remembering to floss). The bathroom connects to the bedroom, since feeling fat can torpedo libido faster than you can say, Not tonight honey! It connects to the kitchen, if you are dieting, and your kids’ room if you don’t like the way your tummy sags after popping out a couple of babies.

Meanwhile, you might think that my kitchen was tiny because I don’t cook much. (No domestic goddess here!) But most women’s kitchens are fairly large, whether they cook or not, because the kitchen isn’t just about meal prep or eating or dishes, it’s about all the household chores, responsibilities and upkeep, and we all have to divide up who does what, and if we are married and have families, there is usually a conversation about who will pick up the child at soccer, or take her to the dentist after or any number of other little details that you deal with in the course of a normal day. This is why the kitchen is a multi-purpose room, a place where you cook and clean, yes, but also discuss all the household matters at the kitchen table. It is literally the hub of the house.

For each room, think about the big issues you struggle with there, as well as the little ones. If you are constantly aggravated in one room, it has to be larger than the others because you will spend more time cleaning it up. A room can also be oversized if it brings you an enormous amount of joy, like that newborn in your kid’s room, or that career change you can’t stop thinking about --so your office is bigger than most. "

Happy reading/listening/making positive changes!

http://www.ninerooms.com/read-an-excerpt/

end of the week(end).

SUN.day. Grateful for life, (and the sun).

(photo cred: 1-3 Pintrest. 4 http://lifeiluli.com/ )

Enjoy your SUNday.

Remember, those dishes, that laundry, that messy room.... will be there tomorrow.

No need to waste a beautiful day!

Aj

orange crush.

I am a girl who does not make decisions well. So, when I think of an easy and inexpensive way to decorate, I get pretty excited. Something that can be tossed out if I get sick of it in a month or two, or I can take down without much reorganizing and chaos is the way I like to go with my decorating.

As I remind everyone on my facebook page (just about weekly), I LOVE my magazines. W is my fave. The art in the photography, the dreamy editorials, and the over sized semi glossed pages make my heart flutter. I tear out pages constantly to hang by my desk, but absolutely fell in lust over this editorial spread in June's issue. Mmmmm.....

For a very inexpensive subscription to W, 2 5x7 frames I bought from Kmart about 2 years ago for $1.99 each, and 1 8x10 frame from Target for $16.99, I turned my crush into crushing art!

Hello?? A cluster of art for under $25!! Awesome.

I love the mod colors against the pale blue, and have I mentioned.... Im OB-SESSED with an orange lip? The crisp white frames let the colors pop without distraction. I LOVE!

Now, where to hang these beauties?

Pretty sure they wont be going in my fiance's "Man Cave".

if it makes you happy

{Happy list}

sunny mornings w/ an iced americano with soy

sequins

quality time with my lover and laughing together

thrift store hunting

Farmer's Market Flowers

vintage anything!

MAGAZINES

beautiful images

dreams of success

being able to see the Puget Sound from my house

a walk outside

finding beauty everywhere near me

good friends

my little smiling niece

spending time with the fam

jewelry & accessories

a cute outfit

being creative

makeup

waking up and being able to sip coffee under my big white,down comforter

What makes you happy?

out of office...

{The look}

Coffee, walking gps, & a cute bag and wardrobe. Love.

morning cup of......

My ideas & experiences are the coffee beans. My writing is the brew process. My final post is my morning cup of coffee.

It starts my morning. It starts my week, in a way that a cup of my fave java would do.Let it allow you to sum up what your morning cup would be filled with as well.

Morning Cup of...................

Passion.

Tomorrow, I will be starting a new job. I will be following my passion of Prop & Photo Styling, that I have become so in lust with. Though, this is a career that is merely invisible to most, I found a love for it and followed that love into a position with an up-and-coming Seattle based company.

I am so anxious to learn as much as possible, put in a few of my own tricks, and take this passion to a whole other level.

If you want something, create it.

Aj

memorial day.

This weekend I will take time out from working, barbqueing, and boating to send love and respect to my family members and friends that have helped this country gain freedom and strength, that have now passed.

My grandfathers, my uncle, my friend.

Gone. Not forgotten.

I found this article interesting about Memorial Day. Just a little reminder of what it's all about.
http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

reinventing.

After watching a recent (& super awkward) clip of Lady Gaga on the David Letterman show I found some inspiration that I, myself, would like to start in effect as soon as possible.

Her concept of going into a space (in her case, the infamous egg-like "vessel" seen during her entrance at the 2011 Grammy's) and reinventing herself each time. To continue to grow and be a better person, artist, lover, friend, humanitarian as the day before. Taking as much time as needed to reflect on life and dream of bigger possibilities. Maybe this happens at yoga class. Or maybe it happens on my way home from work every day. Either way, I like it.

I only wish, I could be as creatively free as her. She is not concerned with judgement. She dreams a dream, and the creates it. Inspiring.

live it. love it.

Some amazing words to live by from Oprah herself. Enjoy. Love.

Prepare for Opportunity
"Nothing about my life is lucky. Nothing. A lot of grace, a lot of blessings, a lot of divine order, but I don't believe in luck. For me, luck is preparation meeting the moment of opportunity. There is no luck without you being prepared to handle that moment of opportunity. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for the moment that is to come." — Oprah


Run Your Own Race
"The way you step up your game is not to worry about the other guy in any situation, because you can't control the other guy. You only have control over yourself. So it's like running a race. The energy that it takes to look back and see where the other guys are takes energy away from you. And if they're too close, it scares you. So, that's what I would say to my team all the time: Don't waste your time in the race looking back to see where the other guy is or what the other guy is doing. It's not about the other guy. It's about what can you do. You just need to run that race as hard as you can. You need to give it everything you've got, all the time, for yourself." — Oprah


What Is Real, What Is Lasting
"Everything passes in its time. It doesn't matter how much money you have, how much power you have, how high you sit on the Forbes list, how many times you make the Most Influential list—all of that changes. All of that changes. But what is real, what is lasting, is who you are and what you were meant to bring. What is the gift you were meant to give? And nobody can take that away from you."
— Oprah


Surrender
"God can dream a bigger dream for me, for you, than you could ever dream for yourself. When you've worked as hard and done as much and strived and tried and given and pled and bargained and hoped...surrender. When you have done all that you can do, and there's nothing left for you to do, give it up. Give it up to that thing that is greater than yourself, and let it then become a part of the flow."
— Oprah

Oprah. Inspiration.

After the big finale of the Oprah Winfrey Show this evening, I flipped over to her network to watch her series "Oprah presents Master Class". It turns out, that it is an extended series of all that she said on her last show.

Can I just say...."wow". I have never been enamored with Oprah like most women, but of this series she has created ..... it says everything I believe, think, and dream.

Quotes of inspiration, words of affirmation, and motivation for life. THIS is what I am talking about. How could you not want to take what you have been given, and make your life and yourself the full potential you can be?


I am definitely looking forward to receiving inspiration from this wise woman! Check out the tools and series on her site.

http://www.oprah.com/own-master-class/Master-Class-with-Oprah-Winfrey

name sake.

I live in a small city. The same small city I was born in. I know, boring right?
Though I grew up about 15 minutes north of this small city, I havent lived anywhere else outside of this county. Even more boring.

The thing I do appreciate about this small little area that I live, is that I can find so much beauty that has so much history for the city, my family, and myself.

As I spent the day snapping shots of things that inpsired me around the city, I drove by the inspiration behind my name. As this little floral shop sat quaintly nesteled inbetween houses from the early 1900's, and large draping trees, I sat and imagined that day my Grandma ordered a bouquet for my (not quite, yet) parents for the birth of their daughter, some 28 years ago.

The way my name is spelled is the masculine form, which I despised growing up. I now love it. It's simple. It's semi-unique. It's me.

www.flowersbyadrian.com
photos by me.

Aj

Work it, NO, really. Work it!

I love working!

Yes, I said it! "I love working!"

If you don't, then it's your own fault.

I remember thinking back in highschool, when you are expected to figure out your career of choice, that I LOVE magazines but there is no way that I could ever be published in one, nor work on the pages or photos of a "glossy" on the newstands. BUT, I loved the images. I loved the dreams they created for me.

So I got into an Interior Design program and learned more about myself than actual interior design itself. I met amazing people, had amazing instructors that all supported my dream of doing something different than I originally set out to do.

I revealed to myself that if I love something, I can create a job around that and "work" can be a favored 4-letter word in my vocab.

photos via: pinterest.com

Aj

are you a procrastinator?

I found this great article on Tesh.com (a fave site for self inspiration), about procrastinating.

It's a simple-must read.

The 3 reasons why we procrastinate:

• All-or-nothing thinking





• You want it to be perfect





• You think you are doomed to procrastinate

See the full article at
http://tesh.com/ittrium/visit/A1x97x1y1xa5x1x76y1x2455x1x9by1x245ax1y5x1fdc6x5x1

Aj

Rain vs. Sun

{rain}

no thanks.

{sun}

yes.please

{this small town girl's

"what's hip" list}

{"pics"}
just dont do it if you're over 17.

{"photos"}

yes!

{perfectly prepped hair}

nope.

{tousled, havent-brushed-it-in a few-days hair}

yes please!

{flats}
always a NO for me.

{platforms}

yup!

{spending $$ on drinks at an over-priced bar}

not this season.

{soda water with a lime on the front porch/back deck with your girls}

of course!

{drinking soda pop}

you're kidding, right?

{making your own fresh-squeezed juice}
a big-fat- YES!



{silver & gold}
yup.

{brown & black}

yes, yes, yes, let's mix it up!

{buying newbooks}

no thanks.

{spending time in the library and used book stores}

of course!

*sorry for the big gaps. still trying to figure this all out. :)

Aj

think of all the beauty.......

Today I took a little adventure as I said I would. That is why I love writing this blog. I feel if I type it, and people see it, I need to actually follow my word. Isn't it funny how we don't think twice about breaking promises to ourselves and not follow through with things when it comes to our self worth? But when other people are involved, we are more opt to following through with things?

So, I did it. I took a little adventure. The quote that echoed in my mind the entire time was

"Think of all the beauty still left around you, and be happy"

Anne Frank

I didn't go far. I stayed in my little city and explored the crevasses of buildings and streets. I was on a search for great places for photo shoots for photographers in my area (and for myself of course). It gave me more appreciation for this place I call "home".

Once I got home and looked at the photos and started editing, I thought it would be fun to break them into a rainbow-photostream. You can see this on my Facebook Album here: http://http//www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2022802497578.2123913.1469455677&l=98a79e9bb2

Totally fun!

This day inspired me to go out and explore all the other beauty around that I just pass by everyday.

Aj