West of Whimsy

The Cookie Trials . . .

(Alternate title "If at first you don't succeed . . . try, try again!)

For any of you that follow me on social media, I'm sure by now you've seen the series of photos I posted this weekend about a cookie project I came up with as a way to market myself and my new business - in the form of favors at my friends' party last night.  Here is a little bit of the back story . . .

• Last month I got an invitation to a party from a really lovely woman who I've known for years (our kids played basketball together I think?), but who I haven't SEEN in years, and who I wouldn't necessarily consider a close friend.
• I initially replied as a "maybe" (sometimes I'm not sure I want to socialize with a bunch of Mom's from my old neighborhood - I know that sounds bad . . . but there's a reason I don't live on the hill any more!)  After I got laid off from my job, I switched it to a solid YES.  I knew it might be a chance to meet some new people and get my business info out there!
• Then I had an idea that maybe I could bring cookies as a party favor and include my business card . . . I was on a roll!

So that is how this whole thing started.  The party was originally planned for February 5th, but got re-scheduled to last night which was very fortunate because my first plan was a total FAIL.

"Marketing With Cookies v1.0" was based on something I saw on Instagram - an amazing ceramicist named Demetria Chappo from Brooklyn, NY makes these little dishes called "Spirit Eyes", they are so beautiful!

Shortly after seeing these I had a brilliant idea . . .  I decided that I wanted to make cookies in the shape of an Eye (based on the above), and I would package them with a tag that said "What's Your Vision?"  Gosh I felt so clever!  I powered through using a fantastic recipe for chocolate almond cookies from my Mom, and this is how they turned out:

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Yep - those are some ugly (albeit super yummy) cookies.  And I'm sharing with you because after being deterred for a few days, I went back to square 1 and brainstormed some more.  Could I find an Eye cookie cutter?  How about some kind of Stamp?  Could I make my own?  Hmmmm.  Eventually a search at Sur La Table resulted in finding this cookie cutter word set from Chicago Metallic.  GENIUS.

The set comes with some pre-made phrases (Happy Birthday, Congrats, I Love You, etc.), but also has three full sets of Alphabet letters, plus some additional E's and other popular letters.  I could make my OWN messages - YES!  

At this point because I'm on a budget, I thought it might be a good idea to actually ask my friend if it would be OK if I brought party favors to her party.  (Details people!)  Thankfully she said YES and I found a recipe for sugar cookies and went to town . . .

Before they went in the oven I was still skeptical that the words wouldn't somehow melt together while baking . . . 

But they turned out GREAT!  Well, great looking - sadly they were not very tasty.

I packaged them up with a business card attached, and took them to the party where they were well received by the lovely women who were there.  Cookies for the WIN!  (Well sort of, as I mentioned they didn't taste very good - oops!).

So . . . there will definitely be a version 3.0 of the Cookie Trials, and I'm excited to try different recipes (shortbread, ginger, chocolate!) and to really perfect this goal because I think it's fun, creative and memorable - all things that I think describe ME!  And when I feel good about my marketing efforts (as opposed to doing sales-y things that don't feel in line with who I am), I think I have a better chance of attracting my ideal clients.  YES!

Happy Weekend!

xo eileen

On To Something Good . . .

This showed up on my Spotify "Mood Booster" playlist tonight . . . I think it's going to be my new theme song - at least for this week!

 

On To Something Good - Ashley Monroe

Wheels are gonna rust if they don't turn enough,
And so the story goes
Hell, I've been one of those worn and faded by the rain
Days are gonna fly
Draw lines around your eyes
It'll make you bitter, or it'll make you wise
It's coming either way

Lost and found, I'm better dancing when I don't look down
Hard times roll up but they don't hang around
I feel like I'm on to something good
I'm better moving on than going back
I'll ride this train till it runs out of track
I feel like i'm on to something, something, something

I can't tell you how or where I'm heading now
But, the winding of the road is steadying my soul
Feels like I'm coming home
Oh yeah
It's in the wind that's blowing, it's in the red wine
Life's got it's way of showing when it's the right time

Lost and found, I'm better dancing when I don't look down
Hard times roll up but they don't hang around
I feel like I'm on to something good
I'm better moving on than going back
I'll ride this train till it runs out of track
I feel like I'm on to something, something, something . . .

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I am onto something good people . . . crazy brainstorming is happening right now!!  Stay tuned!

xo eileen

2016 - TRUST . . .

Every year I choose a word for the year, something to guide me through the 12 months ahead.  It's less of a commitment than a "resolution", and as a lover of words it's always fun to find just the right word to set the tone for the whole year.

This year I struggled.  I wanted a word that embodied "go!", "move!", "manifest!", "launch!" and "kick ass!" - all at the same time.  I told a friend that I wanted my word to be "getshitdone!" - was that a word?  Not a word (she determined), followed by "that sounds exhausting."  Ummm there is that.  O_o  What she offered up instead was . . . Trust.

And just like that - I knew it was my word for 2016!  Given the events that have unfolded in the first six weeks of the year, I've already had ample opportunity to lean into my word, and Trust that everything is happening for a reason and going to be OK.  Better than OK actually!

Do you choose a word for the year?  I'd love know what it is, and how you found it . . .

Happy New Year!

xo eileen

Back To School - A Retrospective . . .

** This is the last year of "first day of school" photos for my older son - so I'm re-posting this with the updated photo from today. **

After a five day teachers'  strike, last Thursday was the first day of school.  The boys were with their Dad, so we did photos this morning.  To honor the first week of 12th grade (older son), and 9th grade (younger son) here is a "Back to School" photo retrospective from the last ten years!

2006 (Kindergarten & 3rd Grade)

2007 (1st Grade & 4th Grade)

2008 (2nd Grade & 5th Grade)

2008 gets an extra photo shout out because the little one had an excellent broken foot + boot!  (That was one crazy outfit he had on . . . right now I'm thinking, "Did I really let him go to school like that?"  Apparently I did.)

2009 (3rd grade & 6th grade)

2010 (4th grade & 7th grade)

2011 (5th grade & 8th grade).  I think they're starting to get annoyed with my tradition . . .

2012 (6th grade & 9th grade)

(7th grade & 10th grade)

My mistake last year was not realizing that on the first day of school only Freshman have to be at school at regular starting time.  My kiddo was SO MAD at me for making him get out of bed two hours early - and all he could muster as far as an outfit was a wrinkly t-shirt and slippers.

(8th grade & 11th grade - someone is going to be way taller than his brother.  Just saying!)

Last year I actually did photos on the second day of school.  Clearly my older guy was still not amused, but at least he wore something on other than jammies.

And here's the best one from this morning:

(9th grade and 12th grade.)
Let's just say I'm going to keep trying and this post may change in the next couple of weeks.  Last years' photo turned into our Christmas card - it's one of my all time favorite pictures of my boys.  This one?  Not so much.  But here they are in their glorious grumpiness, running late as usual.  

These two are my reason for getting up every morning, and I'm pretty sure they're going to do amazing things with their lives!  Love them so . . .

Happy Friday . . .

This beauty followed me this morning on Instagram (Yay!), and I am loving her music.  Perfect for FRIDAY!

Happy Weekend . . .

This Is How We Do It . . .

I had an interesting conversation with my 13 year old last night - about drinking and smoking pot - at the end of which I was reminded that not everyone shares my special method of parenting this age, and that is totally cool.  What wasn't cool is that I felt completely judged.  Bleh.

 Here are a few things you might not know about our little family . . .

1. These are my boys - 13 & 16 years old.  They frequently have their phones out at the dinner table when we go out to eat.  I make them put them away when the food comes.  Sometimes they show me really funny things and we all giggle.  Nothing like having a "shared experience" over a goofy Vine.
2. I am a firm believer that it is better to know the truth about what they are doing than have them lie to me.  Sometimes this leaves me walking a bit of a gray line, since I also have to be clear with them about what isn't great about some of the things they do.  For starters, it's illegal - but we also talk about a lot of the physical things that can happen too.  Just because they tell me the truth doesn't mean I am condoning the behavior.
3. I don't drink or smoke pot - because it doesn't make me feel good.  Which means that there is never any alcohol or anything else in my house.  To be clear, I don't care if my friends drink or smoke pot (in moderation of course), I just can't do it.  I do love a good Gin & Tonic . . . but it's usually not worth the stabbing stomach pains later.  Boo Hoo.
4. My ex-husband works in the booming, newly-legalized-in-Washington-State Marijuana industry.  He was unemployed for a long, long time - which is part of the reason we had to sell our house.  I am so glad he has a job, especially one that involves two things he is passionate about - Sales and Pot.  Just keeping it real - the dude is 54 and grew up in Hawaii in what he likes to call the "Just Say Yes" era.  It's in his blood.  (& no he's not selling weed, he works for a company that makes Vapes and another one that is now producing oils.)  Like I said, I'm thrilled he has a job.  I don't know what he does in his free time when the boys are with me, but I'm fairly certain that he's keeping the work thing professional when they are around - and in no way is he endorsing underage use of Marijuana.
5. The combination of #3 & #4 allows for some really, really funny conversations.  The older one told me that he was out last night and met a girl whose Dad is a politician.  He said "Oh that's cool . . . my Dad sells Vapes."  I'm so glad we can laugh about our unique family/work/life situation.
6. I never drank or smoked pot in middle school or high school.  Most of the parents I know who are super hopped up about their kids NOT doing those things, DID do crazy things as teenagers.  Isn't that ironic?

The bottom line is that keeping an open line of communication about all things works for our family.  And as such, I really don't care what other people think.  (Thank you Martha Beck for the amazing insight last weekend!)  I know it probably isn't very popular, and I also know there are parts of it that can be dangerous, and I'm going to keep doing what I do.  And I will never, ever judge another parent for doing things a different way that works for their family.

Have you seen that new breastfeeding vs. formula commercial that came out not too long ago?  At the end of the day can't we all just support each other in raising our kids to be good adults?  OK - maybe it's a little bit of a different conversation, but I think the end results are the same.

 
I have a great relationship with my boys, and they are amazing teenagers who are turning into really cool young adults.  And on this Mother's Day - I couldn't ask for anything more.

A Little Tax Day Humor - From Me to You . . .

Three years ago, upon the advice of my dear friend Maya - I embarked on a crazy project of making 30 videos in 30 days to get over my fear of video and looking like a complete DORK.  This was Day 2 . . . clearly I hadn't made it to "Not Dorky" yet, but if you watch until the very end it is pretty hilarious.  I'm giving 2012 me a gold star for bravery . . . even though this video was only made public about five minutes ago.

Happy Tax Day!  Now go eat lots of chocolate . . .  :) 

A 16th Birthday Adventure to Los Angeles! (part 1) . . .

I know many of you follow me on social media, so (again) some of this is old news - but my son and I took a little trip to Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago to celebrate his 16th birthday.  To be clear, his birthday was last July, but there was some additional criteria that related to improving his grades which had to be achieved before airline tickets were purchased.  To his credit he is really trying this year, and it is paying off!  There's no shortage of smarts with this kid, it's all about applying himself.  I'm proud of his hard work and happy this worked out.

 
We flew down in the morning on Friday - probably a little too early for our own good.  I have no idea what I was thinking!  Maybe I was thinking that we'd have the whole day to shop, which is exactly what we did.  (In our awesome upgraded rental car.)  

It was cra-zeeeee!

Here he is at the Undefeated store after doing some serious damage.  I rolled my eyes and let him spend his money.  O_o

 

There was lots of cool street art on the sidewalks of Fairfax & LaBrea . . . nothing like a good excuse to take pictures of my feet!

It was actually raining by the end of the day - so we headed back to our little VRBO in MarVista, and had dinner at Status Kuo - fusion Korean - as recommended by our cute host Jill!

   
They had great decor, I had cauliflower soup, it was Tasty . . .
And then we went home & went to bed!

More photos from the rest of our trip coming soon!

Photo Therapy . . .

Today the weather was ridiculously beautiful, so I took my grumpy, tired Monday-self out for a photowalk at lunch time.  My neighborhood never disappoints!

 

  
  

Seriously people - these were all taken in less than 15 minutes, within one block of my house . . . imagine the whole big world out there just waiting to be made into photos!

And I was much happier by the time I got home - there are few things that a little sunshine and a dose of creativity can't fix.

xo

Redecorating . . .

I may or may not have mentioned that I am currently enrolled in Martha Beck's Life Coach Training program, which is so amazing!  I have known for several years that I wanted to be a Life Coach, and as I learn the tools and get to practice on "real" people - I know with the kind of clarity that I am rarely blessed with that this is the field I want to be in . . . it is my true calling.  Very.  Cool.

One of the assignments for the program was to read Martha's book, "Steering by Starlight".  I have a terrible history of failed relationships with self-help books, so I was very proud to make it all the way to the end!  (It was really good . . .).  There was one chapter in particular that related to creativity, that I actually read twice.  And I think it was in that chapter where she encouraged her readers to re-decorate their space, shift the energy, move things around, switch it up!

What more perfect time for some redecorating than after a collosal purging?  (I'm not done yet, but have made incredible progress!)

This morning I had a vision right before I woke up that I wanted to display the cover of a journal I made last year at an art retreat in California, on my bathroom wall.  Crazy?  Perhaps.  But at lunch time I got out the scissors and cut up my journal and did exactly what I wanted.  I think it looks awesome!

One of the things I like best about the art is the quote that surrounds her head like a crown:

"I have always been delighted by the prospect of a new day,
a fresh try, one more start . . . with perhaps a bit of MAGIC
waiting somewhere behind the morning."  J.B. Priestly

New clock from Crate & Barrel, Milagro Heart Art brought back from Mexico by my best friend Merrilee, tag from the lovely ladies at Wild Roots Sacred Wings (lettered by Christine Mason Miller) reads, "your Laughter moves around a room like a Hummingbird dipped in Glitter".  How lucky am I to be surrounded by all this beauty when I get ready in the morning?  Truly Blessed! 

In other news, I went back to the Social Security office this morning (after a failed attempt on New Years Eve), and managed to get my name changed in nine minutes.  I actually took along Beautiful Ruins which I bought at the airport over a year ago when I was coming home from North Carolina, and had never gotten past the first few pages.  Turns out it's really good!  (The name change only took nine minutes once the office opened, but I did get there 45 minutes early just to get in line.  Lots of time to read!)

AND . . . my Swing Dancing class is so much fun - I just need to find a partner.  Anyone?  Anyone?

I'll let you know how that pans out for me . . .  :)