René of the Day // 12.4.11 // Pinterest Crafts

What was going to be a boring, rainy afternoon turned into a fun and crafty afternoon at my Haley's house. Her family was in town from Illinois and I'd had the pleasure of meeting them at her birthday party at Coney Island in the summer. She and her sister had chosen a few Christmas crafts from Pinterest and they invited me to join them.

First we made Christmas wine bottles - super simple and affordable. Soak the labels off empty wine bottles with hot, soapy water. Spray paint them white or silver. Allow to dry. Spray with adhesive. Roll in a cookie pan filled with epson salts. They sparkle! Stick festive floral arrangements or other decor inside.
[Note: they do tend to "shed" a lot, so place on a pretty tray or prepare to clean up some salt.]

Get full instructions with photos here.

Our other project was Starched String Ornaments - or string balls, you know, whatever. This was a bust (pun intended for the Beck girls but it worked for me!) Blow up a balloon and wrap string all around it... once it's densely covered, paint craft glue over the string until it's saturated. Hang dry then pop the balloon and pull out with a pair of tweezers. (I think because they were hung outside from the porch while it was raining they stayed moist. I took mine home and hung it over the tub then took a blow dryer to it for a few minutes.) It was a little lumpy on one side but depending on how it's hung, you can't see it.

This can also be a great idea for wedding decor and you can make them large enough to slip a light bulb inside for a pretty hanging lamp.

Get the full instructions with photos here.

And to take a break from our busy projects, Haley's husband George made Skinny Taste zucchini enchiladas which are amazing!

Get the recipe here.
[Note: buy enchilada sauce in the can at the store. The time and effort aren't worth it - the can is super cheap and has the same ingredients.)

Enchilada break!

Final product

René of the Day // 11.14.11 // Mirror scripture

When I experienced the Freedom journey with friends through Crossroads in 2010, one of my friends inspired me to write an influential scripture or psalm on a mirror to have an omnipresent reminder of this special message. Although it may sound ‘high school’ to write on your mirror, it really is a wonderful way to begin the day – to read and reflect on this as I brush my teeth in the morning, and also before bed. I’ve continued to change it and sometimes I leave it clean for a while until I find something that really speaks to where I am. It’s a fun conversation starter when friends are over and I love how it encourages my heart and mind every day. Try it - it's the ultimate example of "reflection."

René of the Day // 11.11.11 // Make a wish!

You know what I mean. It’s 11.11.11. Make a wish! That is all.

René of the Day // 11.2.11 // FYI

One of the sweetest blogs I've read is To My Wife - little thoughts to his future wife, introduced with "Things I'll do, things I won't. Either way, you'll be mine and I'll be yours." They're all cute, witty and some sound like things MR may or may not have said. Click the linked text above - you could easily spend an hour reading all of the entries - your heart will go "le sigh." Here's a fav:

APRIL 25, 2011 with 92 NOTES

FYI

I’m making this up as we go along,
along this crazy road they call life. I hear it’s a highway and that
I would like to ride it all night long.

René of the Day // 10.31.11 // LOVE J.A.

For reals, I have a severe obsession with Jonathan Adler - okay, not him - his "stuff." I may be more excited to buy a home and decorate than plan a wedding - it just gets me all giddy! I could browse his website for hours (um, I have) and swoon over his style. Adore all of the "Nixon-abilia." Some of the curiosities are within budget - others, well, a girl can make a wish list, can't she? Below are some of my current favorites.

Lampert loveseat

Personalized acrylic tray

Nixon rug

René of the Day // 10.30.11 // Listen up.

Just sayin'

Via Post Secret 

René of the Day // 10.28.11 // 52 Weeks of Mail

I can't recall how I came across this brilliant idea but I absolutely adore it. 52 Weeks of Mail encourages people to send a letter, card or piece of mail every week for 52 weeks. Staying in touch this way helps us to become more intentional about our relationships, and as I've mentioned before, everyone loves to receive something thoughtful in the mail. (Bills, move aside.) The project initially began on October 9 but I encourage y'all to begin with your Christmas cards - that's easy enough. Maybe split the bulk into groups for a few days to get into the habit of visiting the post box and go from there. Your next week could be thank you cards for holiday parties and/or gifts you received.

I've blogged about it before but I've fallen into the nearly 52-week plan by sending MR a card after every weekend we spend together to say thank you and capture the memories as our relationship grows 300 miles apart. I also love sending notes to say thank you for dinner parties and as a little hello to friends out of state (or the country, for that matter.) It's an easy and inexpensive way to make one's day and gives your own heart a little squeeze! (squeee)

An idea from 52 Weeks is to include a brand new card and envelope with a stamp to encourage the recipient to write back. You could foster a new pen pal relationship - my late grandmother and I did this and I really treasure those letters now. It enhanced our bond in a way I hadn't realized was possible.

So good luck! Send a photo, a long love letter or make a list of birthdays to send cards for. You'll be pleased with the response to your correspondence.

Learn more about 52 Weeks of Mail here.

René of the Day // 10.25.11 // My book club...

René of the Day // 10.21.11 // Quit the QR codes!

For reals - it's unbelievable the way the American society picks up on fads. It's a joke at the advertising agency where I work to just "slap a QR code on it." Of course, we do not do this - it's just disappointing to see how many marketing campaigns have included Quick Read codes on their products and in their marketing collateral in recent months. WHY???

I will vouch that they can, in fact, be a great tool for a well-planned campaign. But I'll get to that later. Beyond recent conversations with colleagues, this post was sparked from an experience I had this morning. I was brushing my teeth and saw a tiny square on the back of the tube of toothpaste. Are you kidding me? This is asinine for so many reasons:

1. I don't bring my smart phone into the bathroom - who does that? Toothpaste is a home-based consumer product. Full-size tube, not travel size. No need for mobile marketing there.
2. Again, I'm using this at home, so I have access to my computer. I don't use my phone to access the Internet at home. So just give me a damn URL and I'll look it up if I'm interested. Crest.com - thanks!
3. Unless you have a compelling campaign or contest, I'm not going out of my way to visit your site.
4. If the site is not optimized for mobile usage, DO NOT use a QR code! It leads to a horrible user experience - you see 1/8 of the top left corner of the site, you have to zoom in to click on anything and it's just a hassle. If brands decide to include these, they need to have the budget to execute properly.

Other instances where QR codes are not well played include billboards - if I'm driving 65 mph (let's be honest - 74 mph) on the highway, I do not - nor do my passengers - have time to pull up a QR code app and focus to snap the code. You go by WAY too fast to capture that! Not to mention, isn't texting and driving illegal and highly unsafe even if it isn't against the law? I'm sure QRs on billboards have led to accidents - and even due to the confusion because many people still wonder, "WTF is that?" Which is also funny -- the messaging marketers include to inform users. I've seen simple messages like "Learn more here" which assumes the consumer is familiar with the technology. To convoluted text that practically insults intelligence: "Download the QuickMark app and use it to scan this barcode to visit our website with more details on this lame promotion." Really? There is no industry standard yet on the language.

I don't think QR codes are a terrible idea - they can be very useful tools when used for the right concept. For example, they're great for events, concerts or even in signage AT the grocery store, when your mobile device is all you have. Again, the site it points to needs to be optimized for mobile and have a clear call to action - why should I go there? Is there a coupon, a recipe or directions or a map for the event? Another great use is for tourism - for example, scan a QR code at Fountain Square for a listing of all the local restaurants and shops - that would be awesome! But it's silly to use one just take people to your general website - just post the URL (simplified vanity URL if needed) or let them Google it. I understand that it increases sites visits and CTR but, if people aren't getting anything out of it, they won't become return visitors or share it with others.

If marketers keep posting them all over, QR codes will indefinitely become advertising trash. People will be annoyed rather than compelled to pull out their phones and see what prize they lead to - because they know they won't. Maybe I will scan the code on the toothpaste just to see if the juice is worth the squeeze.

To provide context, here is one I generated quickly that links to René of the Day.
Try it out if you want to get an idea of how they work.

René of the Day // 10.19.11 // STRONG Challenge

Now I'm stronger than yesterday... Now it's nothin' but my way....

Kidding. I'm sure that is not what Crossroads had in mind for this year's journey. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend the services but if you'd like to learn more, click here to watch or listen (the website with all of the cool cards I'll tell you about is no longer up.)

The experience encouraged members in Community to meet with a group of others to discuss their faith, growth, lives and ideas over a course of 6-weeks. (I truly enjoyed the Freedom journey in early 2010 which had the same premise.) I met with one of my best friends from college, Becca, two good girlfriends from high school, Beth and Elizabeth and a new friend that Beth invited to join us, Holly. It was a wonderful group of women - all strong, smart and on different paths which made it really interesting to share each other's perspectives. Two teachers, two mommies of two, two single career women, one who just bought a home on her own and one who's preparing for her wedding next fall.

Each week we were tasked with 5 "cards" that were action items to challenge and build our strength. The "homework" was certainly a challenge - I struggle to find 20 minutes for myself many evenings when I get home from post-work obligations or social engagements, let alone to focus. Mind you, I do pray every evening but taking the time to think through these was a fantastic idea but I admit I wasn't always obedient with completing them each night - this is certainly one reason why I feel I didn't get as much from this journey as the last.

Each week had a theme: Play, Pray, Study, Train, Serve and Live. To provide an example, here are the five Strong Challenge I chose for the first week, Play:

1. Fill 'er up - Make a list of activities that energize and refresh you
2. Be grateful - Write down 10 things to thank God for
3. Plan a Sabbath Day
4. Share something you love
5. Rest from worry

I truly enjoyed taking on these challenges. Thinking of things you love to do really fills your heart with joy and it's always a great thing to remind ourselves what we're thankful for.

The Sabbath Day was accidental and amazing - MR surprised me and moved his Monday morning meeting so that we could have a quiet night together (something we rarely experience since our time together is always jam-packed weekends.) We had brunch with my extended family, went to the pumpkin patch with them, visited his sister and brother-in-law, had a dinner date at Dewey's, took an evening walk with the dog, he read a book for work as I watched DH and we went to bed early and got ready for work in the morning together before we drove home. I was so thankful for this day because it showed me how strong our relationship truly is and that this long distance thing is so worth it because we will have many, many days like this in our future when it all pans out.

Enough insight on my experience with the challenges. I was really disappointed that they didn't host the Prayer Experience like last time - I'm sure it was cost-related but it was an amazing opportunity with numerous rooms designed with activities for listening, praying and reflecting on the Freedom series. The Strong experience was just audio and I wasn't excited so I skipped out on it - perhaps I should've just given it a shot.

The best part of this experience was the sense of community I received from the girls in the group. They are amazing with their spirituality and I learned so much from the way the pray, think and act. I'm looking forward to re-grouping with them this spring for a bible study every other week, to continue growing together.

René of the Day // 10.18.11 // New York Times Visual DNA

Take the quiz: http://nytimes.visualdna.com

My results:

CULTURE CURIOUS

You are culturally adventurous in all walks of life and love to explore different avenues of tastes and trends. Because your body is also important to you, you look for flavors that are unusual but still healthy and delicious, and you are constantly on the lookout for the next food trend. When all is said and done, you are a bit of an intellect with a tendency to do a spot of soul searching from time to time.

You're sophisticated and inquisitive with a real passion for art and culture. You pride yourself on being an early adopter of the latest music and films and always like to have a good book on the go. Your ability to bring together very diverse and even dissenting opinions is rooted in your appreciation for all points of view. You believe in immersing yourself in interesting experiences that make you look at people, places and opportunities from new angles. Being sensitive and creative you want to feel connected to the world around you and actively seek out opportunities to explore it. It's all about broadening your horizons and living life to the full. Anything else would not fulfill your curious nature. You'll love the list of The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made, the Critics' Picks and Arts Beat.

Collage computed from my choices

René of the Day // 10.12.11 // Cheers!

With celebration on my mind as Kristin's wedding approaches this weekend, I've been referencing my handy stack of books tucked into my built-in desk. Thick ones like "Words of Wisdom" and "Emily Post's Etiquette" are go-tos but I also pulled out "Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things" - a book of 500 fascinating stories that was my grandmother's, full of interesting nuggets that you can live forever without knowledge of but acquiring it can enrich your life at most random of times. I flipped through the wedding chapter and learned that the diamond engagement ring dates back to the 15th century in Venice and that wedding cake was originally tossed at brides, instead of eaten, as a symbol of fertility.

But I especially intrigued when I came across the origin on the toast. I've posted before about Toastmasters, but this is not about public speaking - it's about intimate celebration and acknowledgement of those who are important to us. I toast or 'cheers' whenever I go out to dinner or share a man with special people - MR and my niece Kylie know to expect this from me. And so the story goes...

"Anyone who has ever drunk a toast to a friend's health or good fortune may have wondered how the word 'toast' came to designate a ceremony that involves no roasted slice of bread. The custom of a host drinking to a friend's health originated with the Greeks, as early as the sixth century, BC, and for a highly practical reason: to assure guests that the wine they were about to consume was not poisoned.

Spiking wine with poison had long been a preferred way to dispose of a political rival or suspended enemy, or to circumvent divorce. Thus, a host sipped the first wine poured from a decanter, and satisfied of its safety, the guests raised their glasses and drank. This drinking in sequences - guests following host - came to symbolize a sort of fledge of friendship and amity.

The Romans adopted the Greek penchant for poisoning (the ambitious Livia Drusilla, empress of Rome in the first century B.C. made something of a science of the practice) and the custom of drinking as a pledge of friendship. The Roman custom of dropping a burnt piece of toast into a cup of wine is the origin of the verbal usage. The practice continued into a Shakespeare's time. In Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor, Falstaff orders a jug of wine and requests "put toast in't."

For many years, it was assumed that the Roman slice of toast was a piece of spiced or sugared bread, added to wine for sweetening. More recently, it was scientifically shown that charcoal can reduce a liquid's acidity, and that a blackened piece of bread added to an inferior, slightly vinegary wine can render it more mellow and palatable - something the Romans may have discovered for themselves. Our word 'toast' comes from the Latin tostus, meaning 'parched' or 'roasted.'

In summary: The Greeks drank to a friend's health; the Romans flavored the drink with toast; and in time, the drink itself became a 'toast.' In the early eighteenth century, the custom of drinking a toast took a new twist. Instead of drinking to a friend present at dinner, the toast was drunk to the health of a celebrated person, particularly a beautiful woman - whom the diners might have never met. In The Tatler of June 4, 1709, Sir Richard Steele mentions that British men were so accustomed to toasting a beautiful woman that 'the lady mentioned in our liquor has been called a toast.' In Steele's lifetime, a celebrated or fashionable Briton became known as the 'toast of the town.'

In the next century, drinking toasts acquired such popularity in England that no dinner was complete without them. A British duke wrote in 1803 that 'every glass during dinner had to be dedicated to someone,' and that to refrain from toasting was considered 'sottish and rude, as if no one present was worth drinking to.' One way to effectively insult a dinner guest was to omit toasting to him or her; it was, as the duke wrote, 'a piece of direct contempt."

So there you have it... consider this at your next dinner party or event and raise your glass.

René of the Day // 10.7.11 // Autumn Soup

Continuing my challenge for making food fit for the forecast - a new soup every week in the fall/winter - I had to cook the recipe I tasted during the Iron Chef: Pumpkin Challenge at work. When I requested the recipe it didn't come with a name so I've appropriately named it "autumn soup." I'm loving the opportunity to use my big red Le Creuset stock pot so much and if you don't mind having leftovers (it's always better the next day) or eating the same thing for an entire week, it's a very convenient, healthy and cost effective way to plan dinners. And for me, it's therapeutic. The chopping relieves stress, the creation is exciting and the enjoyment of the end product is rewarding.

I had quite a bit of this soup to share so I bought cute little plastic stemmed cups at The Party Source and brought some of the batch to our Junior League Provisional small group get together and it received rave reviews - it's definitely a new fall favorite for my recipe arsenal. 

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 medium apples, thinly sliced

1 large white potato, diced

1.5 cups chopped, peeled butternut squash, fresh or frozen

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/3 cup apple cider

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup milk

2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto or bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Chopped chives, for garnish (optional)

Crusty bread, for serving (optional)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large pot over medium-low heat and add the onions, apples, potato and squash. Season with salt and pepper and cook until onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in sage and flour. Add cider (pour yourself a cup and add rum, ha) and cook over high heat, stirring until thickened. Add broth and milk, cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring until potato is soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto or bacon and cook until crisp, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Add cheese to soup and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Puree in blender in batches until smooth (carefully - VERY hot off of stove and can easily blow the lid off). Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with prosciutto or bacon, more cheese and chives, if using. Serve with bread, if desired. 

Notes: 

Purchase pre-chopped butternut squash if possible. I've seen it in the produce section before and thought it was a lazy option - until I tried to cut one up. I literally bruised myself. I threw it in the oven to soften and even then, it was a beast to get through. Kroger didn't have any in the frozen aisle, but it's worth searching around to save the time and pain. 

Add a teaspoon or two of curry powder. It gives great color and an additional flavor profile.

Enjoy!

René of the Day // 10.6.11 // Pinning

I've played around a bit on Pinterest. It's easy to get lost in the endless inspiration and daydream over the gorgeous images and build your fairytale in boards. But I'm not yet addicted as some friends say they are and I've yet to find true value in the time spent playing around. Perhaps I need to spend more time digging deeper and pinning items I find on other sites. Another creative distraction is always welcome but to an extent I can't help but feel like I'm just dog-earring corners of magazine pages and wasting time - but it must be managed and my main focus has been my "Dream Home" board. As MR said the other week, "The studio is getting too small for the three of us, Fin." So in the meantime, when I have a few minutes to kill, I'll continue to search and ooh and awh at the endless fabulous photos on the site... But I wonder how often people take action on their pins - design a room based on your board, make a recipe you've liked or put together an outfit or bouquet arrangement that was found on the sight - it would be neat to see how many conversions came from this site.

View my boards here.

René of the Day // 10.2.11 // Dear people...

Disclosure: I may have errors from time to time but this made my brain smile.

René of the Day // 9.28.11 // Shellac

A super shiny, smooth and chip-free manicure that lasts 2-3 weeks - wow! I haven't had acryllic nails since high school - IMO, they're trashy, expensive, high-maintence and horrible for your natural nails. Luckily, I do have fast growing natural nails so I just swipe on OPI polish to wear for a week, take a bare naked nail week, and then do it again. And gel nail polish, also known as shellac, is a perfect marriage between long-lasting pretty polish and reasonable up-keep.

My mom received all the "tools" for gel nails for her birthday and we've had a great time doing DYI manicures - and even a few pedicures. I've had numerous people ask about buying everything so I have to share information on purchasing a shellac nail "set."

The mandatory needs and process are base coat (one thin coat and "bake" under UV nail light for 10 seconds); one coat of polish and bake for 2 minutes (note: the polish is heavier so it can gravitate to globs around the cuticles which is hard to avoid).; second coat of polish and bake for another 2 minutes;  top coat, 2 minutes. To finish, rub a cotton pad of rubbing alcohol to clean away the tackiness - at first I worried this would take the polish off but it actually makes it very smooth & shiny! Ultimately, they don't chip and they keep your nails feeling strong but after a few weeks they do grow out at the base so to remove the polish, you soak a cotton ball or paper towel in nail polish remover and wrap foil around your finger - very cute extraterrestrial look, if you will. After a few moments it should come of easily. My preferred method is to peel it - probably not the best for the nail but once a little lift starts in the corner, it all peels off in one piece. Sort of addicting once you start and afterwards, buff them and they look shiny and natural again.

I have friends who spend $38+ every couple weeks to have gel nails done at a salon. The lamp my mom bought works great and was only $53 and around $11 tax. Check it out here. There are a few different brands of polish that she's bought, some we've liked more than others. They can be purchased on Amazon.com and range from $7-15, since you have to have a professional license to buy them in beauty stores. I also have a group of girlfriends who bought everything together which is another cost-effective way to do it. But it's definitely worth the time and savings for the investment - 30 minutes at home is far nicer than an hour to an hour and a half at the salon - oh and at home, you don't have to tip! ;)

Update: I shellaced my toes and although they looked shiny and cute, it may not have been the best choice. The next night I wore heels out for dinner and dancing downtown and the next morning, I woke up without polish on my little toe on each foot. I looked down and thought, "What happened!" The shoe rubbed against them and popped the polish right off. The same thing happened on my second to last toe when I wore heels that rubbed a different part of my foot days later. It's nice, like I said above, how it just peels off in one chunk but it's not like using regular polish with which you can just slap on a fresh coat. I tried to match it and it worked but it's not the same - I'll stick to the fingernails!

René of the Day // 9.27.11 // Spicy Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup

I've vowed myself to a "Soup Challenge." Forget du jour. I'm hoping that each week through the chilly season (perhaps just autumn, we'll see if I make it through winter), to make a different soup recipe. I love the idea because they're generally inexpensive to make, healthy, fun to cook, taste great as leftovers and last for the week - plus they can be frozen for thawing and enjoying later if I get sick of it after a few days. Plus, I love using my big red Le Creuset stock pot! My other goal with is to share the websites from which I collect a lot of my favorite recipes. I'm often asked for them after posting on Facebook or Twitter and I'd love to share my resources.

My first soup of the season came from the Serious Eats weekly e-newsletter. I've been in a habit of unsubscribing from a lot of emails lately but this is one that I never delete. Each week it features around 10 delicious recipes - from unique (Dr. Pepper ribs) to classic, usually gourmet and never overly difficult or expensive ingredients. When I saw the recipe for Spicy Ginger Chicken Noodle soup it caught my eye because I love making Asain-inspired dishes at home. I keep soy sauce, sriracha, mirin, honey, ginger, sesame seeds and other staples on hand so it's usually a quick trip for produce and I'm good to go. One thing I've started to do for certain recipes like soups is buy the little bags of Tyson cooked chicken chunks - I know my mother would scold me for wasting money and being too lazy to cook and diced the chicken, but it saves at least 30 minutes.

This soup turned out to be so delicious and lasted Saturday through Thursday - a winner! The only thing I'll omit next time are the sugar snap peas - whenever I cook with them, I get annoyed. You have to peel them or the stringy thingy on the back of the bean shreds and the little knob on the end is hard and it makes them a pain to chew. So I picked them all out.

Get the recipe here. And check back for another soup each week!

René of the Day // 9.9.11 // Inspired Ideas: Amy Tobin

My first GMM as a Provisional for Junior League was absolutely entertaining, with a presentation by Amy Tobin, culinary consultant, radio host and author. Her speech, titled "Inspired Ideas" was punctuated with quotes, announced by ladies of the League scattered throughout the audience and followed with heartfelt and hilarious stories by Amy.

I loved listening to what really charges her up - she has great energy and presence and is a fantastic speaker. Perhaps if she had any extra time on her calendar, she could lead a region for Toastmasters? :) She shared a snipit of her personal vision statement which got my wheels turning - this is definitely something I need to create for myself. But I'd like to share some of my take-aways from the evening. These are my thoughts, inspired by her ideas:

What you get is what you see.
Ever so true. I love moments when situations or scenes are explained to me by a fresh set of eyes. In all actuality, the way we choose to perceive something is ultimately what we extract from it. Huh. We can twist it to let a little light shine at a better angle - that's our own choice. Perhaps that may not be what Amy's point was, but that's what this idea says to me. Additionally, we have no choice but to consider that the other person's view may be right. She shared a tale with a coffee cup as an example: if you're holding it, the handle is on the right side; then to the other, it's on the left. Whose perspective is correct? Which side is it on? Who's wrong? Exactly...

Fall in? Swim to shore.
She wished for us all to experience a major failure. It's great for one's empathy, humility and compassion. I couldn't agree more. I had one of these moments or experiences, if you will - one that I thought was epic. Tragic, even. Embarrassing. But as Amy indicated, it provided more clarity and strength then I ever could have calculated.

She talked about the joy of receiving the instant rubberband of good karma - amen - and how the lottery doesn't give us pie. If what you're doing doesn't bring you joy, consider - why the hell am I doing this? And one note that I think is very important for myself and many of the people I know is that there is no action with a balance scale - we beat ourselves up because we fail to achieve work-life balance. Sometimes we will work weeks that make us wonder what "life" is like - and others, we are blessed with the company of our family and friends and enjoy wonderful food and drink and visit incredible places. But the teetering keeps it interesting and helps us achieve appreciation when the other side of the scale drops.

Amy talked about how hard work and passion are hardwired into who she is - I was able to relate to her on so many levels during her presentation. I was truly inspired and look forward to chatting with her more - she will be one of our celebrity judges at the Cincinnati Chocolate Festival. I'm also looking forward to taking one of her cooking classes at EQ at the Party Source - cheers to Amy for sharing her inspired ideas.

René of the Day // 8.31.11 // Mastering the Toasts

You know a great speaker within seconds of them stepping in from of the audience. So that is the goal… I spent an evening in Northern Kentucky with my mentor, eating the longest pizza slices of my life – seriously. (I need to find out where it was from!) But I was there for officer training for Toastmasters. Little did I know that the position I was placed in was the second behind President of the club, but I’m really looking forward to the duties of Vice President of Education and informing our group of ways to excel and propel ourselves towards awards and achievements. Since it’s required of us, and everyone is so busy, it’s difficult to hone in on where we’re there and what the ultimate goal is. It was great to receive guidance on these items and to think about how we can make the best of the experience for our professional endeavors. In college, I always thought Toastmasters sounded so cool. I knew I wanted to join a club when I graduated and it’s amazing how the opportunity eventually presented itself. It will be interesting to see what our club can achieve and I’m excited to have the chance to contribute to our growth and learnings.

René of the Day // 8.29.11 // Give people more...

“Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.”

What a fantastic thought! I believe I caught this in my Twitter stream and it’s an adage that can be applied to our professional and personal thoughts. It’s so easy to think, “That’s not my job or responsibility” or “Do I really have to do this?” But when we choose to make less-than-exciting tasks a good experience for all involved, the outcome is entirely different. How often do we consciously make an effort to do this? I’m going to make it a goal to think about this every day.