Supernatural Botanicals

“We write to taste life twice, once in the moment and once in retrospection.”  Anais Nin

Journaling is my thing.  I started journaling when I seriously started working out, about six years ago.  Initially, it was for tracking purposes only; Wednesday I do cardio, Thursday I do upper body, Friday I do lower body, etc.  Then I realized how beneficial it was to record my meals.  When you start keeping track of your caloric intake, it gives you a huge look inside yourself.  When your skin is starting to look bad, you can look back and see what’s going on in your life.  Are you eating too much junk food?  Too many glasses of champagne?  The answers are all right there, you just have to find them.

My journaling went one step further.  It started innocently enough, just notating if I had a headache that day, noting any blemishes or anything strange happening.  Not only did I get to know my body really well, I got to know my own mind better. 

Why did I always seem to be super moody one day a month and very weepy?  Why do I get a blemish about every third or fourth month right in the same place?  Why did I feel like I could eat like an animal some days, while other days I’d barely take any calories in and felt great?  Why was the libido through the roof on some days of the month?  Well, the short answer is hormones.  But I was never able to understand why my body was doing what it was until I started tracking it in my journal.   It turns out, those problems happened the same day, month after month.  It’s sort of like a science experiment.  Guess, test, and revise. 

You can also go one step further and write your feelings down.  It’s really cool to reflect on old postings and say to yourself, this is where I was, then.  This is what was happening in my life, good or bad, and this is how I dealt with it.  As if it’s a guide saying, this is what worked in the past for me….this is what didn’t. 

Journaling is definitely one of those things that you don’t “get” until you try it.  It’s a huge gift to have that sort of insight, to reflect on yourself.   Try to wrap your brain around it and get started.  You’ll love it once you get going. 

There are online journals, such as www.LiveJournal.com.  I generally prefer to type over handwriting, but in this instance, I like writing things down.   It just feels more cathartic somehow.   I can appreciate a beautiful journal.  I adore beautiful books and journals, and it’s always the perfect gift for me. 

Check out the journal section next time you are at the bookstore and purchase your favorite one.  Get into journaling.  It’s like a window, looking inside yourself.  It’s an easy and powerful way to accelerate your personal development.

Sam Zien, aka Sam The Cooking Guy, has a fantastic cookbook out called Just a Bunch of Recipes.  I picked mine up from the library, but can already tell, this will need to be a purchase for me; this will definitely be added to my massive cookbook collection.  It’s comprised of great recipes, everyday recipes, with a healthy twist.  His recipes are nutritious and healthy, but not painfully so.  Not to mention, Sam is a riot to watch or read.  It’s a fun book.  Thumbs up!

Book Review:  Rinnavation, Getting Your Best Life Ever.

Author:  Lisa Rinna. 

Talk about a pleasant surprise….Lisa Rinna’s book has me surprised!  In Lisa’s new book, Rinnavation, she shares with us advice she’s learned over the years from celebrity stylists and celebrity hair and makeup artists.  She also shares secrets on diet, exercise, beauty, even sex! 

She shares a lot of her life with us in her book, to include her delicious husband, Harry Hamlin, and her two beautiful daughters.  And for the record, she shares lots, and I mean lots, of sexual tricks in the bedroom she and Harry have.   I love that spice about Lisa. 

Another discovery is that Lisa is deep…spiritually, emotionally, sexually, etc.  Beyond the blatant beauty she exudes (and such good hair), girlfriend is a self-help junkie and for that reason alone, one could love her!  When a person reveals their card-carrying membership of the “Self-Help-Club”, you feel they are part of a society that few understand. 

Self-help lovers are continually seeking excellence.  They continually seek making the world a better place to live in for themselves and others.  They continually strive to be more….to create more, to produce abundance.  And they practice being happy beings.  It’s an amazing secret-society, of sorts, that makes you feel more connected to one another.  It’s an unwritten understanding between people who “get” the self-help genre, and those who don’t.

Lisa delves into her personal life and her beauty and fitness routines.  She gives us the skinny on how she looks so darn good all the time.  She even explains the lips…silicone!  She explains the ambition….The Secret and the Power of Positive Thinking.   She explains the happiness….Great sex life with Harry.  She explains the body….fitness-fiend.  She explains the boobs…plastic surgery. 

In summary, Lisa tells you how to get your best life ever.  The basic premise of it is, and always has been, exercise, eating well, big thinking, loving your life, and continual learning.   

Five stars! 

Design junkies everywhere are raving over Metropolitan Home’s new book, Glamour.  Gorgeous interiors to inspire your own design.  Click here for your chance to win a copy of your own. 

For more interesting advice on design, visit my friend Julia over at Hooked On Houses. 

The June 1st edition of BusinessWeek magazine featured the new book, Womenonics, written by Claire Shipman (ABC News and Good Morning America) and Katty Kay (BBC World News America.)  In summary, the book denotes how beneficial it is to employers to exercise flexibility in work schedules, depicting how important it is for women to have this flexibility to accommodate their home life, their life as a mother, and all around multitasker.

While I agree with their theory on the whole, as flexibility in work schedules make life far more enjoyable and makes employees more efficient with time management, my mind was boggled at statements such as this “Capital One thought work flexibility was a key issue only for female employees.  Turns out, it was true for the men as well.” 

Is the fact that a man would like to enjoy his children and home-life as much as women such an epiphany?   Is is too far out of the realm of 9-5 that a man would like a personal day?  While I know the double-standard usually takes presidence in favor of men, on this issue, I’m siding with the boys. 

Perhaps it’s that I have two sons, as opposed to daughters, that I understand the need for equality for everyone.   When my boys have children of their own some day, I want them, too, to have the flexibility in their work schedules that women have.  After all, they’ll want to see first home runs and school plays, too. 

Perhaps having sons teaches one how to be a better woman?   Because of my sons, I have a greater deal of empathy with the boys club. 

Discovering that men would like a little flexibility in their work schedules is a bit simplistic and naive, is it not?  It’s human emotion, a human need.  The fact that BusinessWeek mag and Womenomics feels that this is an epiphany makes it feel like three giant steps back for womankind. 

Have we grown so accustom to men being big strong providers that we forgot that they have feelings as well?

   We’re all guilty of the occasional fast food meal, some of us more guilty than others.  Luckily, we don’t have to write off fast food completely.  If you make better choices, fast food can be relatively healthy. 

The Guide To Healthy Resaturant Eating lists restaurants by name, providing a step-by-step guide on healthy choices, from entrees and appetizers.  This book is perfect to keep in your car for those sudden munchie attacks.  Do quick research before you pull through that drive through.  Learn how to snack and eat wisely and commit to it for a bikini body by 4th of July! 

Robin Feltner and Diane Keaton.

Smart Talk Connected Conversations brought the fabulous Diane Keaton to the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati last night.  What a night!  To my surprise, she didn’t wear her signature hat or gloves.  In fact, she said she’s over the gloves at this point.  She still likes them, but is outgrowing that look.

Physically, Diane Keaton is very tall and willowy.  In the picture above, I’m at least 5′ 9.5″ in peep toe pumps….and she’s taller than me.  She was wearing a black jacket with pearl necklace, a fabulous Prada floral skirt with leggings under the skirt.   Diane walks in the room, and the dynamics change.  There’s something about her that’s electric, it’s palpable.  Her very presence commands your attention.  She certainly possesses movie star quality.

Diane on her first love: You guessed it….Woody Allen.

Diane on her celeb crushes… “Al Pacino, although he didn’t feel the same way.”

Diane on being a cougar, and which is better to kiss, a younger or older man? Diane likes kissing them all!  She says she feels blessed to have kissed so many leading men in her career.   She thinks they are all great (and who can blame her?)  She admits she had a particular fondness for a very young Mel Gibson.

Diane on the toughest director she’s ever worked with: Without hesitation, Diane says “Warren Beatty!”  She dated Warren and felt it difficult to transition from boss to girlfriend with him.  She said he’s very demanding, and required multiple shots for every scene.

Diane on her favorite movie: Diane is not big on watching herself on the big screen.  She claims she doesn’t have a favorite movie, but appreciates what each one brings.  For instance, Something’s Gotta Give, with Jack Nicholson, is a rebel cry for older women and sexuality.  She loves that!

Diane on quotes on aging from her friends: Diane said Meryl Streep once said to her, “I’ve got to tell you something, honey, we both look like shit” in reference to aging.

Diane on her biggest failure:  “Hanging Up”, in which she directed.  (editorial note…I just couldn’t disagree more.  I loved this movie, and adored her style in this movie!)

Diane on her fashion style: Diane says her iconic fashion style is attributed to her sense of “never wanting to be ordinary.”

Diane on her hobbies: Diane is a preservationist and loves to rehab homes.  In fact, she has written a book on Spanish Colonial and Mission Style houses, called California Romantica.

Diane on her earliest influences: Doris Day.  Diane says Doris Day was her inspiration to be famous.  Diane broke into song when she learned that Doris Day actually grew up right here in Cincinnati.

Diane on colleagues she admires: The woman at the top of Diane’s list is Meryl Streep.  She say’s “Meryl has something magical going on, she’s amazing, just amazing.”

Diane on dressing for your age: Diane says, “When you are a certain age, cover up, cover it all up” joking about her love of turtle necks and long skirts.

My thanks to Diane Keaton and Smart Talk Connected Conversations for such a fantastic night!

Here are five great selections to give to yourself, or a friend this holiday season.  Everyone loves a great read, and more so, everyone starts to think about ways to improve their life this time of year (think New Year’s resolutions!)  Here are a few of my favorites.   Extra points if you can turn someone on to the love of reading.  One of these great books will get a non-book-reader headed in the right direction. 

   Quiet Mind by David Kundtz.   More than a meditation book, Quiet Mind is a series of reflections that can illuminate every aspect of life. It offers readers guidance on using the moments between activities, which the author calls “stillpoints”.  As opportunities to focus on becoming more fully awake to who they are. “These times are the ‘spaces in between’ the events of your life,” writes Kundtz, “spaces often lost, or worse, filled with anxiety. And these spaces in between are just waiting to bring you the calmness and clarity that an over-demanding schedule steals from you.” A welcome respite for anyone whose gear shift is perpetually in overdrive, Quiet Mind is an invitation to rest, find peace, awaken, and remember. It offers deceptively simple wisdom to help readers sharpen their senses and make room for life.

    Instant Karma by Barbara Ann Kipfer.  Help others. Help yourself. Be a better person, and make the world a better place. Using the wisdom of the East to instruct and inspire, INSTANT KARMA is a universe of things a reader can do, right now, to accumulate good karma. And, like pennies going into a piggy bank, each is a seemingly little thing-but feed the bank day after day and feel it grow richer and happier.  Created by Barbara Ann Kipfer, the author whose books-including 14,000 Things to Be Happy About, 8,789 Words of Wisdom, and The Wish List-have 1.2 million copies in print, INSTANT KARMA is a compulsive, densely packed, chunky little book of 10,000 or so suggestions, wishes, thoughts, and the occasional heartening quotation.

   It’s Up to You by Karen Casey.  It’s Up to You invites readers to do three simple things: meditate, pay attention, and make choices to change their lives–for a few minutes each morning and evening, one principle a week for twelve weeks. As we reflect on Casey’s insight into the insidious ways we create misery or drama, try to impose will, and suffer needlessly, and as we follow her gentle prompts to make different choices, we begin to see that we can change just about anything in our lives by taking these small steps. Nothing could be simpler, and nothing could be more effective. Or as Karen Casey puts it, “Progress is guaranteed. Perfection isn’t expected.”

   Easy Green Living by Renee Loux.  We are what we eat, but we also are what we use to clean our homes, pamper our skin, and decorate our rooms, according to Renée Loux, accomplished raw food chef, award-winning author, and host of Fine Living TV’s Easy Being Green. In her new book, Easy Green Living, she applies her whole-foods philosophy to home, garden, and beauty routines.  Renée Loux demonstrates that being green at home is easy, affordable, and better in every sense of the word. She discusses the daily choices we face that can keep the home, personal care, and beauty routines free of toxins. She exposes the dirt on cleaning products and common hazardous ingredients and reveals her recommendations for greener options, including her “Green Thumb Guides” for choosing non-toxic, eco-smart, and human-friendly products. Peppered with compelling and inspiring facts, Easy Green Living is full of “5 Step” lists, products and recipes for green cleaning, helpful charts, safer choices for every room, and inspirational advice so we can save the planet–one cleaning spritz at a time.

  The Girls’ Guide To Building A Million-Dollar Business by Susan Wilson Solovic.  Featuring interviews with daring, powerhouse women like Gayle Martz, President & CEO, Sherpa’s Pet Trading Company, and Taryn Rose of Taryn Rose International, Solovic offers frank advice and hard-won lessons including:
-Taking emotions out of the workplace.
-Make business decisions based on what is best for the company, not on your personal feelings.
-Thinking big and bold.
-Believe that you can be successful and be willing to announce your intentions to the world.
-Managing for growth.
-Hire the right people and discover the best ways to keep them.
-Never being afraid to take a chance.
-Boost profits by taking financial risks.

Inspiring and unflinching, The Girls’ Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business shows women that not only do they have the power to earn more money and control their financial destinies – they deserve to.

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen have a beautiful new coffee table book out called Influence.   It’s a collection of photos, quotes, and insight from of all the people who have influenced them in the fashion industry. 

Here’s what Ashley says about the book:  “The book is comprised of conversations my sister and I have had with artists, designers, photographers, writers, and personalities who come from different backgrounds, industries, age groups, and points of view. … It’s my hope each one will remain a constantly evolving conversation that will continue to influence every project that I do – and perhaps by reading, you will be similarly affected by these interviews too.”

I think this is an excellent idea for a coffee table book.  You know why?  Because it’s my idea!   I had the idea for this book some years ago.  Evidently, they did too.  I also had the idea for front loading, entire bottle of detergent holding, washing machines.  I really need to do more about bringing my ideas to fruition.  Turns out, they are good ideas!  ha!

This is a beautiful book with gorgeous photos.  It’s a perfect holiday gift for those fashionistas on your list.