NEW HOUSE UPDATE! Backyard Plans Unfolding!

Things are moving right along at our new home. The back yard has been started and we both are so excited to see it completed, but enjoying each stage of progress.

The first thing they did was to stain our fence. Since we have an HOA we had two choices. Natural or a darker reddish stain. I had to go back and forth about this decision because my husband preferred the dark one over the light one.

This is how my brain was working....... I know the darker reddish stain will make the green plants stand out and would make a great backdrop because red and green are opposites on the color wheel. I walked around the neighborhood look at fences stained that color.

Then I treated myself like a client and the very first thing I would ask a client is do you EVEN like that color? The answer was a big fat NO, it was to russet for my liking and my home is bright and airy and I did not want to look out my windows and see a dark fence. So it was settled, we went with the lighter more natural looking fence.

Next came the weed removal, boy was that hard work for them. I am sure glad I did not have to do that job.......

Once all of the weeds were removed the digging for the sprinklers, drains and electrical was placed in the ground. Next came the forms for the cement that would make our patio's and walkway at the side of the house.......

 We will actually have 3 patios, one which is a covered area right outside our great room door that the builder provided, then there will be another rectangle patio that joins that one at the back of the house and it will intersect a circular patio that will be all used brick....

You can see the start of the circular formation in this picture.

On each side of the circular brick patio there will be a small lawn area.

After they compacted all the gravel they began finishing up the forms and adding the rebar. There will also be steps in the lawn area that will go to the other side yard.

When the cement truck arrived it was busy, busy, and the men really worked fast and furious to get it all in the forms correctly. An amazing process and a definite skill when it comes to the finish work.

Thursday two big pallets of used bricks were delivered and they start laying the brick tomorrow. This is the part I am most excited about.

We will have brick around the mow strip and framing (brick end to end) the walkways and the steps, the walkway will have soldier brick breaking up the long expanse of concrete. the circular patio will have soldier brick (brick side by side) around the edges and then a herring bone pattern  in the middle.

Here are some pictures of examples of the look I am going for.

The brick on the outside of the walkway will be end to end in order to give us more walking space, but the division of the walkway will be like this is pictured above.

You can see in this inspiration picture the soldier brick around the edges.

 I will keep you all posted as more changes happen in our yard. Next week we get to go pick out the plants. I also get to pick out some boulders that will be placed on the slope behind the lawn area. 

We are beyond excited and grateful to be able to do this. We have never had any project totally done. In fact when we were younger we were the one's raking rocks off the soil to plant a new lawn, digging post holes for fences. 

So you see, we understand the hard work that is involved, and we do not take it for granted that we get to do this in this stage of life, and have someone else do the work for us.

Lots to be thankful for and excited about!!!

I am definitely .......

"Enjoying the Process!"

 

 

I Made A Purchase With My Heart

 

 

 via

In 2012 I did my once a year color prediction for that year and I chose Kelly green.  Kelly green is a color I enjoy wearing as well as using it in my interiors. 

 

via

I still use it 4 years later and to be honest I don't see me not using it in my home as an accent.

 

 via

Even if you are not a lover of Kelly green I am sure you have other colors that you love and can relate to this post.

 

 via

As you all know I am a planner and even when I make a purchase I have a good idea where I will be putting a new element that I want to buy. 

I know most people buy with their hearts, and find a place for their new treasure, but I would say for myself 9 times out of 10 I have a plan.

EXCEPT when it came to a Kelly Green item that I absolutely fell in love with and gasped the very first time I saw it. It was in my friend's home, Terri of La Dolfina.........

Terri called this her cabinet of curiosities and I called it Spectacular on any or all levels. The one pop of Kelly green with that pedestal made this whole composition sing harmoniously. If you cover it up it is still beautiful, but for me, the pedestal made this vignette over the top.

I told her if she ever sold it I wanted to purchase it. At that moment it spoke to my heart and I wasn't sure where I would put it, but I knew it was small enough to work in my home and the color would work well with my black and white base with touches of cobalt blues.

It was a couple of years later and Terri decided to sell it and I was a happy camper and brought it home. I found the perfect spot for it and it was just the right touch in my all black and white guest bathroom....

It was the perfect piece to  hold guest towels.

It has an Asian motif carved into the plaster column, the top is wood and painted the bright kelly green and washed with gold to bring out the design. It has some knicks and chips, but that just adds to the charm of it for me.

In our new home it will not fit in our very small guest bath to hold towels, however I did find the perfect spot for it.

Once I brought out my Spring pillows it was a slam dunk!!

Now it is used to hold a guest's drink instead of guest towels.

When you love something I guess it does pay to buy it. It's interesting to me that the green in the pillow matches the green in the pedestal even though they were purchased at different times for different rooms. If you love something and you are consistent in your design choices and style you will often be able to use some of the same elements in different rooms.

I was so happy to bring out my treasure and place it in our new home. I think it looks as if it has always been here, don't you?

Think about the elements in your own homes. Can you interchange elements from one to another. Are you consistent in your design choices? If you find that you feel as if you are all over the map. Make a vignette of 5 of your very favorite elements in your home and you will see a style emerge and a direction you should go in your own home. I like to do this for my clients. and I make them choose elements that are at least 3-5 years old so it is a long time love, not a new kid on the block kind of love. You can read my post on and Informative vignette HERE to try out my method to see what you come up with.

 

 

A Fashion Post

 Know Yourself

 and No More Self Sabotaging

I don't know if you are all like me  or not, but I will have to admit when I am looking for clothes I see younger, taller, thinner models modeling the clothing, and I can talk myself out of even entertaining the idea of wearing the outfit that I was originally attracted too.

This is  called  self sabotaging. Before I know it I have told myself I am too old, too fat, too short, and there is no hope in even trying. 

Okay, maybe that is a bit dramatic, and to be honest that would only happen on what I call a bad day. But the fact that those thoughts even enter my mind is not a good thing.

Negative messages are a very bad thing for we women of any age. I once read that we should talk to ourselves as if we were talking to our friend. I know for sure I would NEVER tell a friend, 

"Oh forget it, what are you thinking? "YOU can't wear that, you are too old, too fat and way too short."  

So let's talk to ourselves as if we were a friend! What would we say?

 "I love the concept of that outfit and I think that color would look fantastic on you, I bet we could pull together an outfit that is similar that would be just perfect for you!!" 

What I just stated is exactly what we need to do when looking for clothes for ourselves. We need to open up doors for ourselves, not shut them.

We all have to tweak outfits to fit our own style, size and color choices. Very rarely will we find one perfect outfit that fits all of the above criteria.

What I would like to promote is self awareness and making things fit our own style and desires for how we want to look, NOW, not when we lose 10-50 lbs. 

If we wait to do that we will be self sabotaging our efforts. There is nothing worse than feeling fat and frumpy.

Don't wait to feel good about yourself.  Feel good about yourself where you are RIGHT NOW!!

If you are on a weight loss journey still dress stylish as you go along. You don't have to make investments on pieces just buy things that make you feel good about yourself along the way. By waiting we are delaying some gratification that we really do not need to delay.

In order to give yourself positive messages, you must first understand your body type.

Know what silhouette is the most flattering on your body type.

Wear the colors that make you feel like smiling when you wear them. (we all get compliments when we wear certain colors, make those your Go-to colors for your wardrobe)

Figuring out these things will take a little bit of time and effort, but in the end it will empower you when trying to make a decision on purchasing a new piece of clothing.

I know the clothing industry does not cater to our age group at all so it is up to us to find our own niche and go for it.

Since I don't know all of you or your body types, color preferences, or what silhouette would look best on you I will have to use myself as an example in hopes to make you aware of your own attributes.

Let me show you an outfit that caught my eye due to the color combination and the stripes, both of these elements are what I enjoy wearing in my personal wardrobe. Obviously this outfit can not, and will not fit me, however I can use it as inspiration and find pieces that will work.....

She looks adorable, but let me tell you what won't work for me and why. 

Let's start with the top this top will actually work for me, and I have something similar in my wardrobe, but buyer beware, all striped tops are NOT created equal.....

 #1,2,3,4

At first glance I bet you thought all of these tops will work for me didn't you?

 #2 has a problem area for me. This is where we all need to know our own bodies and what we look best in. Most women my age do not like their upper arms to be seen and trust me I am right there with you, my upper arm thinks it is a thigh and I have renamed it THARM.

Even with my larger arms covering them does not camouflage the fact that they are big, big is big whether covered or not. 

I am broad shouldered and not horribly busty but let's say big enough. Now look at #2 more closely. See where the sleeve hits, straight in line with the bust and cuts off right at above the elbow to accentuate the upper arm, kind of like Popeye!! #2's sleeve is not a good length for me, if it were even right below the elbow it would be better.

Since it gets blasted hot here in our California summers I choose to wear #1, and #4 when it is hot and #3 will work for nice Spring days. I always push my long sleeves up at the 3/4 mark, it looks a bit more youthful than an actual 3/4 sleeve Tee.

#1 sleeves are just the right length for a cooler look, and the extra embellishment across the top of the shoulder and sleeve add interest.

 I might mention here I also can not wear a true boat neck if it comes to far towards the shoulder due to my weight right now, that area looks, shall we say puffy, so be aware of that as well.

#4 has a nice V-neck which is always a more slimming neckline for anyone and the sleeve length is at a good point a well.

If you have different sleeve lengths in your closet, try them on and scrutinize which looks the best. Do NOT however start telling yourself how old your arms look or how big they are, NO SELF SABOTAGING IS ALLOWED!!!

Now lets take a look at the skirt. This is an easy NO WAY, NO HOW for anyone over 30years of age in my personal opinion.

Since I am an hourglass figure type my widest point is at my hips so I have found that an A-line or a softly pleated, straight, or soft ever so slight gather works for me. 

My waist is my narrowest point, and trust me narrow is subjective! To accent my waist and take away from the width of my hips I found a very cute alternative.

From  Boden

We probably need to talk about length of skirts here. The prettiest length for most dresses and skirts is just slightly above my knee where my leg dips in.

Look for the narrowest part of your upper leg, above the knee, or right at the knee. 

Since this is a sporty look I would choose just right above my knee for my figure type and age. Here is a picture of the skirt in a different print to show you the length...

The Kate Skirt From Boden

I love this outfit as well and would totally wear it, except for the ankle strapped shoes, because I have very sturdy ankles. I have found the more foot showing the more slimming it is for my ankles/cankles!

In the description the skirt measures between 21-22inches. I know from other skirts in my wardrobe that a 21 inch skirt hits at a good spot on my leg and 23 inches would be as long as I can go, it hits in the middle of my knee.

If you have great legs show them, don't cover them up, but at the same time make sure your skirts are not too short.

So there you have a very long post trying to articulate the process I have learned to go through to evaluate what will look good on me. 

Trust me it has taken me years to figure this out and a lot of research. We all have to go through our own process and I hope this will help you go through your own process a little more easily.

I am not an expert, just a woman of a certain age doing the best I can to look and feel good about myself. I am learning right along with you my dear readers!