I love fall … new activities, cooler temperatures and new fall clothes. What I DON’T love are some of the new fall clothing prices. A cardigan sweater for $250? I don’t think so! Heck, with one child in college and another soon to follow, I need to create the whole outfit — shoes included — for far less than $250. Which got me to thinking …
With some careful shopping at a few favorite discount shops, whose to say I couldn’t pull together that latest J.Crew look for less. Here’s a bit of what I’ve found:
J. Crew Outfit -- Skirt: $118; Tank: $35; Cardigan: $158; Necklace: $85; Belt: $32; Shoes: $498. Total = $926
It’s not that I don’t like J. Crew. In fact, I LOVE J. Crew. I just don’t have a J. Crew budget. Drastic economic times call for drastic shopping measures.
Alright, fellow shoppers. Get out there and make us proud! Do your part to stimulate the economy. Just do your best to stay within your budget. Then you won’t have to hide the receipts from your ahem … dear husband!
We at Uncommon Lifestyle have been bitten by the travel bug and we’ve got it bad! Our travel affliction has come to the attention of other blogs — namely blogs dedicated soley to the topic of travel. We’ve been asked to guest blog on their site and we were happy to oblige. Check it out at One Travel. One Travel offers cheap tickets to people who are looking for a great bargain.
Vacations fall into two categories: Those in which you say, “Yes, that was fun but I’ve spent enough time at Disney World (my mother-in-law’s house or fill in the blank) to last me for awhile” and the “Wow, that was a blast and there’s still so much left to do.” New York City fell into the second camp for me and here’s why.
Pop culture everywhere:NYC is the place where EVERYTHING happens. I think the rest of the continent is asleep. Our stroll
Zac Efron nonchallantly showed up while we were watching a taping of the Today Show.
down Fifth Avenue was a case in point. One one street corner, a crew was shooting Justin Timberlake in the upcoming movie Friends with Benefits. Just a few blocks down, we walked through the middle of a fashion magazine shoot as a towering female model dressed in a fur coat and boots walked between taxis on a crowded street (again and again). Then when we were watching filming of the Today Show outside NBC Studios, Zac Efron strolled up to the crowd. (My teenage daughters were quite delirious!)
Art on every corner:The Museum of Modern Art was good but Christie’s, the famed auction house, also had a wonderful gallery of paintings open to the public and free! We also saw the Alvin Ailey Dance Company perform in Central Park. Even the subway was the site of impromptu jam sessions with local musicians.
The city that never sleeps as seen from the top of Rockefeller Center. Magic!
Amazing architecture: Since the city encompasses so many cultures and even time periods, the architecture on each city block is unique. From the cast-iron structures in Soho to the quaint brownstones in Brooklyn, NYC has it all. The best place to see this architectural diversity is from the top of Rockefeller Center at night — pure magic!
Unique neighborhoods: Since all roads lead to Ellis Island, countless ethnic groups call NYC home. The neighborhoods settled by these immigrants are rich in history, good food and shopping. My daughters, who each earned a black belt in shopping, heard the magic words every shopper longs to hear in a Chinatown shop: “Would you like to see the back room?” The bargains they found made them giddy.
Give my regards to … I’m not a huge theater buff but then I had never seen a Broadway play. After seeing Mama Mia (great show) and Wicked (words cannot explain how good it was), I’m a believer. Both shows got standing ovations but the audience at Wicked rose in one accord at the end of the show and people were weeping! It was that good! The music, the acting, the creative story line … Wow!
You may want to add "Taking pictures from the Brooklyn Bridge" to your bucket list.
But our trip barely took a bite out of the Big Apple. There’s still Ellis Island, bike riding in Central Park, watching the taping of a live TV show … Ah, well. We’ll start saving for our next trip.
What are your favorite things to do in New York City?
Amanda Dye is just like any other 26 year old except for the fact that she is the legal guardian for twenty-one children… in Africa.
Amanda and some of the African children she has adopted. Amanda writes: "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, loving somebody deeply gives you courage."
She didn’t intend to do anything so dramatic when she took a trip three years ago to teach English in Zambia. Once she saw the abundance of orphaned children on the streets though, she knew her life would be different.
“I knew that I would never be okay with myself if I didn’t try to do something,” Amanda said.
After seeing the needs of the vulnerable children in Africa, she returned home to the United States to complete her college degree and work multiple jobs to raise money. In 2007, she started the orphanage, Energy of Hope, with a team of seven other individuals. She hopes to help the children, ages five to 16, escape poverty and become positive role models in their society.
Now local children can contribute to this work. Through “Summer Challenge for Local Kids,” children create projects to raise funds for the orphans in Africa. Projects might include lemonade stands, bake sales, dog walking or other grassroots efforts.
If you’re interested in participating, contact Amanda at info@energyofhope.org. Send contributions to Energy of Hope, PO Box 372 Liberty, MO 64069. Energy of Hope is a 501(c)3 non-profit so all donations are tax deductible. Awards will be given to the most creative projects. Last year, the winners and their projects were profiled on Fox 4 News in Kansas City.
Energy of Hope is also sponsoring a photography contest and provides educational materials for school teachers. Details are on the website.
Amanda writes: “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, loving somebody deeply gives you courage.”
Amanda Dye must love deeply because she is one gutsy gal.
You know those times when you are pounding away on a project or running around like a wild person and you just need a bit of down time. When I need a quick break, here are my top ten go-to blogs:
A kitchen remodel from Hooked on Houses, one of my favorite decorating blogs
Hooked on Houses: If you enjoy interior decorating, you will love this site that features celebrity homes, TV/movie houses and before/after projects. CuteOverload.com Adorable pics of all things fuzzy (and some fuzz-less) critters with hilarious captions. The readers’ comments are equally entertaining.
CuteOverload.com has the corner on cute.
Dave Barry’s blog: The newspaper columnist and author offers side-splitting observations of life and links to crazy news items.
Domestic Bliss: The creative blog of an Arizona shop by the same name that covers interior decorating, clothes, creativity, handmade things, cooking … what’s not to love!
Just one of the exquisite photos on photographer Kelle Hampton's personal blog, Enjoying the Small Things
It’s Me, KP: The blog of scrapbooking graphic designer Kelley Purkey, a single gal living the life in NYC who loves travel, eating out and exploring her city. (Can I please live her life just for one day?)
Polyvore: Explore styles and trends in fashion, create looks and find sources for great clothes, often at a decent price on this fun site.
Enjoying the Small Things: The personal blog of photographer Kelle Hampton showcases her amazing photos, daily escapades as the mother of two small kids and great photography tips on her related photography site. Her story of learning that her newborn has Down’s Syndrome, told with words and photos, will touch you deeply.
Dear Daisy Cottage: When you’ve had a bad day, click on over to Daisy Cottage. You will warm your soul with cozy decorating, beautiful gardens and gentle words.
Just Us: The personal blog of scrapbook designer Elizabeth Kartchner that features creative projects, fun photos and sweet stories.
Design Sponge: A great site packed with city travel guides, recipes, DIY design projects, podcast interviews with a variety of creative types … all the things we love at Uncommon Lifestyle!
What are some of your favorite just-for-fun blogs and websites?
Sometimes profound moments come when you least expect them. A group of friends and I volunteered to spend time doing crafts and other activities with some children living in a group home. This is a home for elementary age children who have been abused and neglected. The group home is a wonderful place staffed by caring therapists who are trying to help these children, and their families, get their lives on track. Still, it can be a pretty bleak place. Young children who should be snuggling in their own homes with loving parents are instead living in an institutional setting.
In the midst of decorating journals with stickers and markers, the two girls at my table were chatting with me. We were discussing the kinds of things they enjoyed doing for fun. These two girls were roommates and fast friends. Imagination played a large part in the fun they had together. They said that they imagined that their tiny room was a fabulous apartment that they shared in California. They were career women living together.
That’s when it struck me. These girls were using their imaginations to create a better life for themselves. They were transforming their difficult situation into an adventure. They were thriving in their minds and, God bless them, they hoped to live into that life they imagined for themselves.
The movie "The Little Princess" has a similar theme of using your imagination to transform your situation. Perhaps the young girls I met were inspired by this movie.
I have a dear friend who feels stuck in a dead-end, high-stress job. She’s having difficulty seeing beyond her present situation to something new. She is at mid-life, the reinvention stage of life and I suspect that she will need to imagine a new life for herself and then take steps to live into that life. It certainly isn’t easy — I’m experiencing a bit of the same thing — but it’s necessary in order to create the next chapter in your life.
Sri Kumar Rao, a teacher at Columbia University, wrote an article in Success Magazine along those lines: “Examine your mental models, the things you think are true about your situation. Then look at new ways of thinking and ask, ‘Will this new model serve me better?’ If the answer is ‘yes,’ then try it on for awhile and adjust it to fit you. Through exercises like this, you will create the change in your life.”
Two little girls living at a group children’s home are living that.
If you need some joy to get you through the mid-week hump, check out the FUN music video by NYC-based singer/songwriter Ian Axel. We plan to be in that fair city later this summer (Woot! Woot! More on that amazing adventure later!) and I would LOVE to catch him in concert. Here are the lyrics to This is the New Year, the song featured in the video:
Another year you made a promise
another chance to turn it all around
and do not save this for tomorow
embrace the past and you can live for now
and I will give the world to you
Speak louder that the words before you
and give them meaning no one else has found
The role we play is so important
we are the voices of the undergroud
and I would give the world to you
Say everything you’ve always wanted,
be not afraid of who you really are,
cause in the end we have each other,
and thats at least one thing worth living for,
and I would give the world to you
A million suns that shine upon me
A million eyes you are the brightest blue
Lets tear the walls down that divide us
and build a statue strong enough for two,
I pass it back to you
and I will wait for you,
cause I would give the world
and I would give the world
and I would give the world to you
This is the new year
A new beginning
You made a promise
You are the brightest
We are the voices
This is the new year
We are the voices
This is the new year
After a three-day weekend, do you need a little help jump starting your creativity? Dewitt Jones, a National Geographic
National Geographic Photographer Dewitt Jones
photographer and filmmaker, has some great ideas to get you started. I watched his video, Everyday Creativity, years ago and was so inspired that I jotted down his key ideas in my journal. He combines his breathtaking photos with some profound ideas. Here are a few:
Creativity is the ability to look at the ordinary and see the extraordinary.
Every act can be a creative one.
Creativity is a matter of perspective.
There is always more than one right answer.
Reframe problems into opportunities.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
Break the pattern.
Work on your technique and skills.
You really have to care about the people who will be connected to your project.
And a great closing thought: “We are all faced with challenges. How we view these challenges and devise their solutions can mean the difference between just getting by and being successful.”
For further inspiration, go to his website and watching his video as he shares how he was inspired to go the extra mile in shooting photos for a Dewar’s Scotch ad. Amazing!
Marci, who wrote: “Beautiful books! I loved Charlotte’s Web and All of a Kind Family.” Congrats, Marci! You will enjoy this collection of Little Fables books!
I have warm childhood memories of reading the Little Prince, the Secret Garden and To Kill a Mockingbird, among other well-loved books. These early favorites often shape who we become later in life. I believe my interest in social justice issues was first inspired by reading the latter book. So when an author of children’s books hired me to do some pr/marketing work for his collection, I was thrilled. Not that I DON’T enjoy writing about hydropower turbines and power plants … (sigh!)
Rick Moser’s Little Fables books are a delight. Each book spins an imaginative tale with a warm life lesson (kindness,
An illustration from the Chocolate Story, one of the books in the Little Fables collection
compassion, etc.) and lovely illustrations resembling woodcuts. Even better, a portion of each book sale goes to a children’s cause related to the theme of that particular book.The Chocolate Story benefits the International Cocoa Initiative to support their efforts to end forced and child labor in West Africa. The Lemonade Story benefits the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation which raises funds for childhood cancer research. The Pillow Story benefits Lazarus House, a homeless shelter in the Chicago area. A fourth title, The Scarecrow Story, will be added to the collection in August.
A scene from The Lemonade Story
Okay, here’s where it gets fun for YOU! We are giving away a free set of the first three books in the Little Fables collection, which will be signed by the author. All you need to do to register is post a comment at the end of this post, telling me the name of your favorite book when you were a child. (If you were a big reader as I was, you can list more than one book!) You have until May 27 at 9 pm Central Standard Time to register. Then we will post the name of the winner (US residents only) at 8 am CST on May 28 and contact them to get their mailing address.
