practical and meaningful

moving, more moving, and moving yet again

For someone who does not really like change, the past six months have been utter chaos with moving things from place to place, into storage, out of my warehouse, into a new space, & into new storage.

I keep settling in, organizing, and then moving again.

This time, it is to start construction on the Cafe which will be next to the Hollywood Art Studio. We should be open in a few months.  Wish us luck !

Affirmations

When I love everything around me, I am constantly inspired.
When I have money in the bank, I am more able to think, feel, and live life.
When I invite people into my home, I am more connected and loving in the world.
When I am taking care of myself and eating right and exercizing, I have more to give.
Creating jobs and making money connects me to my community and my purpose.
Appreciate your life, find meaning in everything you do.
Eliminate what does not support your true self.
Love your life, work hard, play hard, be AWAKE.

painting by Adele Sypesteyn

productive and beyond

Most of my days are fragmented and super busy with too much to do and not enough continuous time to get it all done.  Yesterday I accomplished so much due to the fact that I had the full day to work and lots of people to help.

In twelve hours, I met with the architects and finalized plans for the cafe, met with an artist and created a workshop series for the art studio, reorganized various parts of the crafty warehouse, donated big heavy file cabinets, reconfigured the entire supply room at the art studio to make room for a knitting circle seating area with better light, moved a couch into my office, tore out the ugly counter and shelf in the bathroom, worked on new software system, relocated all the cake boxes to better storage, rearranged all the fridges and set up a mock layout of the cafe based on our finalized plans, decided to donate the big desk, shelves, and extra fridge and freezer, went to the tailor to get my jeans hemmed, taped crafty receipts, did banking, finalized payroll, booked a new show, worked on scheduling, had lunch with my husband, cleaned off all the sticky labels on the trashcans and fridges, with goo gone, cleaned the windows and swept, reduced some clutter, found some money, booked a party, bid on some restaurant supplies, worked on our budget, tightened up the operating agreement, got extra sets of keys made, replaced the broken fridge lights, booked someone to detail and wash the van, paid rent (x4), and strategized about ways to make it all work together and work well.

DONE.

 

evernote

I am commited to figuring out what evernote can do for me.

I need more brain space. I need more space to work. I need more time to think.

Wish me luck!

unsubscribe...it's not personal

An ongoing purge I have been working on is to reduce the clutter in my email box and I have been systematically unsubscribing from most mailing lists. As I go thru the tedius steps to politely asked them to remove me from their mailing lists, I feel a pang of hesitation. I am very clear that I need to reduce the amount of unnecessary emails that fill my inbox - but we all have an innate need not to hurt anyone's feelings.  unsubscirbe...it's not personal. it is practical.

Happy New Year from Practical & Meaningful

Practically speaking, here are some resolutions for the new year.  Meaningfully speaking, here is what I loved most about last year. 

PRACTICAL Resolutions for 2012 - Tighten up my systems, simplify, & be more organized. Exercise regularly.  Take more photos. See more movies. Spend time with the people I love. Enjoy more music.

MEANINGFUL What I loved most about 2011 - My Think Days. our Valentine's Dinner Party. the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love. My daughter singing at David's 40th birthday party. Bring your dogs and parents to ART CAMP day. Moving Crafty. Hiking the Stairs in Culver City. All the great press I got through HARO. Being a moMPreneur. The Egg Project. my TWEEN.  Going to PSV.

Practical and Meaningful. Resolution and Review. Action and Appreciation. Work and Play. Friendships and Friends. Places and Memories. Systems and Recall.  Happy New Year!

the in be tween

Our house and our lives are at this interesting intersection of in be tween.  Our daughter is eleven , and we have lived in our house for twelve years.  We are both in our tweens.

There are many things in our house that we have, that we have outgrown. Our daughter is ditching all her childhood things, and transforming her room into a shrine of who she is today. There is an accumilation of memories and trinkets that have to be sorted and then saved or discarded. There are kitchen gadgets that we do not use and therefore, we do not need.  There are clothes that do not fit.

I have spent the last 36 hours purging stuff from our house. Books, clothes, linens, gadgets, electronics, appliances, and furniture.  I have filled 22 large garbage bags of stuff to donate, distribute, give away, or throw away.  Every drawer, room, closet, space has been reduced.  It is a great way to start the new year.

Onward...........

loving is daunting but kind of nice too

As i pack up the warehouse near downtown Los Angeles where i have run my business for the past 5 years, I am feeling a little melancholy and so excited at the same time.  Consolidating and expanding. Moving to a space closer to the art studios in Hollywood - which will make my life more efficient and also expanding the business in new ways.

I text my husband today saying "loving is daunting but kind of nice too"....then realized I meant to say "moving is daunting but kind of nice too."

He reponded " I think it is also true of loving". Well said.  To new beginnings, a fresh start, shedding the old, and embarking on something new.

hiking the stairs in culver city

Every day I drop my daughter off at school and go hike the stairs and trails in the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook.

The view from the top is incredible.

It is an efficient way to get my cardio and constant exercize. I do it every day- rain or shine - and if I have time, I will go up and down a couple of times.

It is such a practical way for me to start my day! 

Bonus - Free parking and a drinking fountain and bathroom at the top of the hill!

purge before you splurge

The best way to curb unneccesary shopping (and to  "save" or "not spend" money) is to spend time going through your closets and drawers and purge what you no longer want or need BEFORE you go on a shopping spree. 

The process of doing this dulls the need to splurge.

                            -From Math for Life - my book on finances and money lessons