Green Sea

Joel said that watching the stormy winds whip across The Palouse was just like being at the ocean shore. I quite agreed. Possibly one of the most beautiful things I've ever experienced.

Detox

Since being sick, I've been taking lots of supplements, avoiding sugar, had no alcohol and generally feeling really healthy. I'm craving some yoga. I can tell my body's ready to go even further toward health and feeling wonderful. I miss this. When I return to Portland, from my visit in Spokane, I'm going to sign up and do a 30 day Bikram challenge. Pure detoxification, here I come.

Beautiful Bride

I was so completely nervous on my wedding day that in looking through the photos as I assemble our wedding book, I don't even look like myself in many shots. Except for this one. This one is definitely the real me. Enjoy a good laugh from me!

Eat Pray Love

I have not posted for a couple of days because I was on a mad hunt for some books. It all started when I went to Powell's and spent $40 on books! OMG. This is something I just do not do - books are something you get at the library and then when you're done with them, you take them back to the library and your life remains happy and clutter free. In this particular instance, I was feeling a bit impatient with the library system, but the regret of spending that much money on something I would want to purge immediately after reading was too much for me. I returned all $40 worth of books to Powell's and returned my efforts to the library.

I searched for Eat Pray Love and the system said that I could place a hold and would be behind 8 other holds. With a total of 94 copies, I figured I would get the book quickly, but not quickly enough! I wanted the book then - as in now! Then I happened to notice that there were copies listed as "available." Why am I being asked to place a hold when the book is available? After a number of phone calls and a visit to the grand Central Library, I emerged victorious with my book. Joel and I drove straight to Cannon Beach and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading on a blanket on the sand. So heavenly.

Smoothie

Our blender has been turning out some fabulous smoothies as of late. My recipe of the moment? Mango Banana Orange. Mmmm. To get the smoothest, creamiest, protein rich smoothie around, pick up some Fage Greek Strained Yogurt. It's also exceptionally tasty with honey and berries. I think I'm off to whirrrr up a few smoothies right now!

City Walk

Today I took a stroll through downtown and the Pearl. On my way home I stopped in at Oblation Papers & Press. It is quite possibly the loveliest paper store in the world. Go look and be inspired.photo credit Oblation Papers & Press

Touch

Touching base with a longtime, close friend can have such a positive effect on one's day. I feel a great deal of gratitude for the truly wonderful friends I have in my life. One such person I could not live without is my dear friend Helen. She and I have shared many experiences in the 9 years we've known each other and I'm thankful to have such a vibrant, intelligent, interesting person in my life. Here's to you, Hel!

To Die For {Close Second} Design

A gorgeous Pearl District showroom full of to die for pieces, EWF Modern, was dubbed by one reviewer as "...what West Elm wants to be when it grows up." I routinely drool when walking past its windows on my way to West Elm.From ewfmodern.com

But I must say I am relieved that West Elm has not yet grown up. Our living room is looking so good with the addition of a new rug and coffee table. And we managed to do it for a song! When we purchased our couch, we used the West Elm credit card and got 100 Design Dollars in the mail. The rug was on sale, plus a 10% discount for being a hanging (not on the floor) store model. We loved West Elm's white coffee table, but the Lack model from IKEA for just $12 is a perfect fill-in. So modern, yet cozy enough to call home. That's what I call good design.

Frugal {fancy} Spa

On Thursday, my friend Andrea and I went for luxurious, essential oil scented spa pedicures with a sea salt scrub and parrafin dip with hot towel wrap for only $19! Where, you ask? Aveda Institute Portland! Unlike going to conventional nail salons that smell really awful and toxic, Aveda's products are so gentle and eco-friendly you can actually feel good about using them. One unique part of the Aveda pedicure is that they don't ask you which scent you'd like. Instead, they have you smell each one without seeing the label and you choose based on scent alone. That way you choose the aromatherapy that best suits your mood at that moment. So lovely!

Aveda Institute Portland has an amazing line up of services. It is students who are working on you, but it has nearly always been my experience with students that they are extra careful and attentive, making the experience a positive one. Be prepared that after your services, you will be guided through the retail section by your student with a cute little wire shopping basket in hand. And they will proceed to load up said basket with all the products that were used on you during your services. In the past, when paying $16 for the haircut, I've always welcomed this part of the visit. But with the pedicure, it's a little silly and I'm definitely going to go back to experience the lavender scented footbath before I buy the oil myself.

The only problem now is that I'm having a hard time deciding what I'll do on my next visit. I think I'll be unable to resist the Botanical Skin Resurfacing Facial for a mere $30. 90 minutes of pure bliss! It truly is the best thing around.

Lesson

Joel has been completely uninvolved in our finances since we tied the knot. This is not entirely his fault. After we moved into our new place, I took the reins and handled everything. Then, as it was Joel's first year teaching, it made sense that he was extra stressed and busy. But, over time this has become somewhat irritating for me and more recently I have begun to feel resentful about it, so it had to come to an end.

Yesterday Joel got a lesson (from me) on our online banking Budget Management tools. He now knows how to track spending and assign categories. After that, he got an equally valuable lesson on how to file statements in our at-home filing system. He didn't enjoy his lessons. Not one bit. But he agreed with me that it's better he do these things himself than have me annoyed with him for not doing them. Here! Here! Tomorrow he's getting a lesson on internet bill pay and how to call and set up electronic debit. My life is getting a lot easier. Three cheers for summer and having the time to organize our household -- together!

Conquering Debt

All posts up until now on this blog have been fluffy and noncommittal. There has been no true purpose to what I've been writing about and as a result my posts have been sporadic and disjointed. Folio Rose has a focus at last! Since our wedding last summer I have been fine tuning Joel's and my modest salaries to do my bidding and point our lives in the direction of my choosing. It's not easy. And, up until the big economic burst, being in debt was something that people didn't talk about. Hilarious considering just about everyone was in way over their heads! But now, my day to day struggles with wanting, restraining, economizing, budgeting and credit card conquering will be shared with you here on Folio Rose. As a practical slave to beautiful things, I can guarantee you this won't be a boring journey. I am a true American in that I am a consumer of the finest quality. I love to shop and bring home lovely new things. But you could also say that I am a true American in my persistence and willingness to stick to a difficult, drawn out task. And that is exactly what getting out of debt is. Here we go!

Elusive Summer

Just as the school year came to a close, I came down with a dreadful fever. I have now been sick for five days. I'm starting to feel much better at last.

Oddly enough, having the time to reflect while lying in bed has been nice. I feel relaxed and ready to enjoy my summer, and I know I'm not going to cram too much in. When you're sick and resting time moves differently. More slowly and naturally. It's easy to become stressed out about enjoying one's vacation enough or resting enough or getting out of town enough. All sorts of 'enoughs' can get in the way of actually doing things. I don't feel that I will start my summer wanting it to be enough. It's not something I have to go after, grab at and force into place . If I simply relax, it will come to me. I feel very grateful for this time to enjoy the simple things in life and leave my worries behind.

Neighbors

Tonight Joel and I went to our neighbor Beth's apartment for a casual soirée with Emily and Vince from the 3rd floor. When we got home, I said to Joel, "I feel like a real adult!" Beth had a delicious spread from Whole Foods tastefully served in gorgeous ceramics from Twist. The conversation was easy and light and we chatted away through three bottles of wine. Knowing one's neighbors is truly a wonderful thing. I must say, the longer we live in Portland, the less I want to go back to Europe. There's just something about being here that is so good. I love it. I love it completely and throroughly and I feel loved in return. Portland really is the greatest city on earth. It attracts interesting, cultivated, intelligent, creative, curious, conscientious, thoughtful people. Being here is exciting and comforting. I love this city!

Geranium

Alright, I'll admit it. I haven't come up with my blog focus just yet. But this was too good to pass up posting about. Mrs. Meyer's Countertop Spray is simply marvelous!

I fell in love with the Mrs. Meyer's Geranium scent when visiting a colleague's classroom a while back. She had set up Sink Scrubbing and the children used the Geranium Surface Scrub to that end. It delicately scented the entire room. My children also use the Surface Scrub and it makes the entire classroom smell heavenly. La.

Since that chance discovery, I've been waiting for things to run out so I can switch over to Mrs. Meyer's at home. Not only do these products smell spectacular, but they're plant-derived and non-toxic, too! Best of all, Mrs. Meyer's actually outperforms Mr. Clean spray making my tile countertops gleam. Splendid.

Focus

I really need to narrow the focus of this blog. It needs to be about one thing, but I'm not sure what that one thing should be. It makes sense though because I think to myself, "Oh, I should update the blog." And then I think, "But what with?" Hmmm, that's a problem.

I'm going to put some real thought into this conundrum. I have some questions that need answering. What is my life really about? What is my life really about that everyone else's life isn't really about? What is my life about that everyone else's life isn't really about and is also interesting? Yep. Good questions. Now to go off and find the answers.

Summer is Here

For the past ten days the weather has been gorgeous here in Oregon. We've taken advantage by camping at Bagby Hot Springs, enjoying many evening walks through the Pearl District and down to the Willamette, and going out to the beach. Yesterday I accompanied Joel and our neighbors Vince from the third floor and Beth from the first floor to Indian Beach at Ecola State Park. It was a rare hot day at the coast and I set up camp on a little blanket and watched them surf from the shore. There was a cool breeze that kept the temperature just right. Not too hot, not too cold. Today Joel is on a bike ride in the Willamette Valley. Having just woken up half an hour ago, I'm not sure what I'm going to do today. Whatever I decide, I'm sure it will be heavenly. This weather is hard to beat.

To Die For {Close Second}

While out shopping and strolling with my friend Samantha along 23rd Avenue a couple of months ago, I discovered this body cream which is no less than to die for! It has a subtle yet heady scent that is comforting while almost exotic. I'm no stranger to Santa Maria Novella, having a bottle of their luxurious rose water my brother gave me as a gift following his sojourn in Florence. On a hot summer day, nothing beats splashing rose water all over my arms, neck and decollete. It makes even the stickiest summer days feel fresh and intoxicatingly rosey.

But even Italian prestige coupled with that je ne sais quoi scent can't justify the $88 price tag on this covetous pot of cream. Then I happened to be poking around in Anthropologie yesterday when I came upon a {close second}.

Tocca solid perfume in Stella is very similar to the scent of Idrasol and at $30 is much more affordable up front. It is much, much smaller than the Idrasol and it's just a perfume solid, not an extravagant, silky cream. However, the Tocca solid contains sparkles (!) and it's small enough to get through airport security.

Trust and Proceed

I came upon this magnet and was surprised to see that this mantra of sorts is actually a Cadet Maxim. Over the past week I've put a lot of thought into how I live my life and what makes me who I am. I have been contemplating a big change and confronting all of the questions and fears that come long with such consideration. Along my train of thought came an apparently defining moment of my childhood. I've always been very small. At Catholic school a common PE activity was Dodgeball. Naturally, my strategy was to hide at the back so as not to experience the inherent discomfort in being hit with a ball. And, naturally, I then discovered that once my team was down to two or three people, I was completely vulnerable and totally exposed. So, I came to the logical conclusion that in fourth grade, as a burly girl of 3' 10" I had to put myself out there. I walked away from dodgeball unscathed, exuberant and vitalized.

I strive to move through life with unwavering intrepidity. As I stumble through the Meisner class I'm currently taking with Michael Mendelson at Artists Repertory Theatre, I am called on as an actor to reveal myself truthfully and vulnerably. I can honestly say that I began the class with my usual gusto, but then, inexplicably, I withdrew deep within myself and stayed there, feeling insecure, and even fearful for several weeks of class. Last week I resolved to go into class and confront the work. In what followed, I revealed and uncovered a self in which I feel immensely proud. I walked away feeling light and humble. In my entire life, I am comfortable taking great risks, making mistakes, discovering the truth and finding my own way as I advance into the unknown.

Skin Change

Perhaps it was moving back to lush Oregon from Arizona that did it, but my skin is a mess! I never dealt with pimples or blackheads throughout high school or college and now I find myself needing a completely new skin regimen because my skin is no longer dry, but actually a bit oily! Ick. I picked up a few samples of Kiehl's Herbal Blue face wash and moisturizer last week and have used it for the past few days. I don't dislike it, but I'm not completely sold either. Another product I'm considering is Clinique's 3-step System with Mild Soap, Clarifying Lotion 2 and Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. For the time being, I have a few Biore strips drying on my face. Does anyone have any other good suggestions for combination skin? Or maybe an answer to the question "what is going on?"

Tupperware

So maybe it's a little crazy, but I attended my first Tupperware party in Switzerland while working abroad and absolutely loved it! We had a blast and made some delicious treats with the nifty Tupperware contraptions all while we drank wine and chatted away. It's been nagging at me for a few months that maybe I could have a lot of fun being a Tupperware Consultant. It would kind of be like joining a cult devoted to leftovers, I know this. But just look at those little pepper, garlic and onion keepers. Tupperware is not all puke green and burnt orange square containers anymore. They actually have some really great stuff!