Today is my second favorite holiday of the year and it’s all about three of the best things in life: tradition, gratitude, and food!  Today, I am thankful for so many things, for my family, for my friends, for my health, and all the little blessings that bring happiness everyday. Today I am thankful for those of you who continue to visit here, you make my dream job a reality and I am forever grateful to you.   

I’m so looking forward to the traditional meal we prepare every year, and the opportunity to spend the evening with family and friends. Today is a day of reflection and relaxation and I plan to savor every moment and morsel from the stuffing to the pie to the conversation around the table. I’m wishing all of my American friends the very same as we celebrate on this holiday.         

Cheers to good food and great memories!  Safe travels too. 

xo,

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my baby brother Nate today. How cool to have your birthday fall on Thanksgiving, he gets his own personal pumpkin pie all to himself.  Awesome.  

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Last weekend we had some friends and relatives over and in mid conversation, one of the friends asked me out of genuine curiosity, "Why do you choose to make so many things by yourself?  Why don’t you just buy these things, or pay someone else to do it for you?”  The best short answer I could come up with at the time was “I just like it.” 

The longer answer, and what I wish I’d explained much better, is that DIY projects give me a sense of accomplishment. It makes me feel good to design and create all kinds of things, whether I’m crafting or cooking, styling or decorating. Frankly I’m just one of those people who likes to dream up things in my mind and then make them with my own hands.

I’m not a fine artist or an especially skilled carpenter, but I love working with paint and building things and that makes me a creative. It took me over 30 years to finally acknowledge that fact, but then I realized I possess many of the attitudes of creative people. I believe in reinvention, perseverance, and I have an ongoing curiosity about how things are made. 

There’s always a calculation I make before undertaking any DIY project. Do I have the time?  Do I possess the skill?  Will taking on this project teach me something new?  How much money will I save?  Will it look good in the end?  If you’d asked me ten years ago whether I’d tackle a staircase remodel or install a new stone patio, my answer would have been “Do what?  Heck no.”  How did I end up taking on those projects?  Because I’d read how others had gone before me, I was inspired, and had the desire to learn how.

As a creative, it’s important to surround yourself with people who share your passion so I feed off of the inspiration and knowledge that comes from others in the DIY community. When I read about other creatives using their hands to build something amazing, I can’t help but feel admiration for their skills and DIY savvy, which is why I began the ‘Best of the Blogsophere’ series so many months ago. Not everyone has the time, inclination, or skill to take on major DIY projects, and that’s fine. But I believe those skills can be learned if the ‘can do’ attitude is there.

It frustrates me when I hear people say “I’m not creative.” I don’t agree with that. Every person possesses the innate ability to be creative. The naysayers simply have yet to tap into their creativity. Perhaps they lack confidence. Perhaps they’re afraid they won’t be any good. Mostly I think they just haven’t tried. We’re all creative to one degree or another, it just has to be discovered deep within. Life hasn’t been the same since I tapped into mine. 

That’s my long answer.  What’s the short answer to the question, “Why do I DIY?”

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Do you see yourself as a creative person?

Why do you or don’t you DIY? 

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“Happy Holidays!”

Doesn’t that sound weird? And a little premature? It does to me, but I was reminded yesterday that Thanksgiving is four weeks away, and Christmas is eight weeks away, which is just a little frightening. 

Isn’t it crazy how the time between Halloween and New Years Eve goes by in the blink of an eye. Cah-ray-zee! I love this season more than any other but it always seems so rushed unless I make serious efforts to plan ahead. I wrote an article on holiday housekeeping last year as a reminder that I need to start pacing myself in October and get to planning.  I revisited the topic again over coffee this morning and thought I’d share.  Here is a condensed version of last year’s article with a few tips for holiday housekeeping:  

I was at Michaels today and noticed already Halloween is on clearance and the flashy Christmas decorations are all on display. And it’s still October. This is no surprise, it happens earlier every year, but there’s still that moment of “O.M.GEE, it’s almost Christmas!" that makes my head spin. I’ll look on the bright side and interpret all those sparkly ornaments as a nudging reminder that the holiday season is about to descend with all of its magic and mayhem.   

In the last few years, I’ve learned (the hard way) that this season is far more joyous the better prepared I am, so I’m taking some steps in the next two weeks to brace prepare myself for the frenzy:  

1. Swap out the Wardrobe.  I still need to put all the summer attire away in baskets and clear out the shelves of any summer footwear (me thinks it’s this weekend’s project…)  I find having a closet consisting of only cold weather clothing helps me keep it cleaner and more organized.  As the temperatures drop, the entire family will be needing to keep their toes warm.  Matching up all the lonely socks is a laborious task that I would gladly trade with anyone who needs something painted.  Any takers?  :D

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My parents generation will never forget where they were the moment they heard that JFK was shot. This generation will never forget where we were on September 11, 2001. 

On September 9, 2001, we boarded a plane bound for Puerto Rico.  We originally had plans to spend September in New York City but switched our plans earlier that month and decided to visit New York City later in the fall instead. 

I distinctly remember going through security at the San Francisco International Airport and both of us noticed and commented that the security agents weren’t paying attention to the items under surveillance, they were more interested in their own conversation.  It was disturbing, but all we could do was shrug our shoulders and continue on our vacation.

Then came September 11th, 2001.

We’re west coasters, but that morning we were on east coast time having arrived in Puerto Rico two days before.  That morning, I went to the hotel’s workout facility, placed my headphones on my ears, and started my run on the treadmill.  I looked up to see the television in the corner of the room and saw what looked like an airplane that had hit a tall skyscraper.  I thought to myself Hollywood was trying to market another blockbuster movie with an airplane that hit a building and it was some sort of evil character involved.  I kept running on the treadmill.  It never crossed my mind that it could possibly be real. 

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