Fulfill: Our Vexing Living Room

In the year of Fulfill on my list of tasks was to pull together our vexing living room! Until now it's been a brown/ tan blank canvas room in waiting and I haven't been sure what direction to take it in. We have really big furniture (I love big furniture and little cars, ha) so there's only a few ways the room can be arranged.

First step was adding some color with accessories and a blue background wall.

Next was on the list was to help my fabulous fabric finds grow up to dress the space! Under the guidance of my mamma we had one mega craft weekend!

We:
covered a chair (mmkay this is a she, my mom did all the work on this one and it's flawless! It was her first chair to cover and you'd never know! The woman can do anything)!
made 7 pillows
painted a wall
painted picture frames
made camera straps from the Michelle Allen tutorial

Drum roll please!

What was once a tired old chair is now the center piece of chic in our living room! It makes me SO HAPPY! Isn't it FUN! Thank you thank you MOM!

This fabric was so worth the wait!
This is how the chair looks now with a little roll pillow in her lap.

Isn't the back stunning!

The underside of the chair revealed one of it's early (if not the 1st) fabrics!

For the couch and the chair we covered all the pillows that came with them.
It made a HUGE difference!

BEFORE

AFTER (with my team of designers) :)

It has all been Ned approved, of course.

Mom at work. Sangria on the ready next to her ;)
To make your own Sangria use: Cabernet, Grand Mariner (a shot and a half), OJ (til it turns burgundy) and Lime (just a squeeze)! OHHHHH It is yummy goodness!

The new wall being painted. You can see the old yellow and taupe and the new yellow going up. Cliff wanted something cheery but once on the wall it was a little too much. Sooo 2 years later we've replaced it with a really easy on the eyes buttery yellow and it makes me so happy! The hallway will still have that cheery sunshine feel but now it says, 'pssst I'm so delightful and you are too' instead of 'HEY I'M YELLOW AND HAPPY OKAY!'

Wall done and art going up! I painted four frames a blue that I had from the free Glidden paint a while back. I will fill them at some point (and probably add a few more) but for now even the empty frames are making me happy. That wall has needed something on it for so long! The center picture reads "come it sit back relax and make yourself wonderful" it's the color inspiration for this space.

BEFORE

AFTER

Just in case we couldn't get my sewing machine to work mom brought her fave vintage machine aptly named Fancy. Isn't she beautiful!

Aaaand with the last few hours we had before taking mom to the airport we made camera straps from Michelle My Belle's tutorial. They are sooo cute, thanks Michelle!

Look at what we did in a weekend, give us a week and I betcha we could save the world!
Have a wonderful week!
THANK YOU MOM!
Lacy

One of the coolest

things about life is that we each get to choose how we live ours.

It's one life to a person (as far as I know). You decide if your life will have rules, how you will define success and what drives you. Now of course you might have to negotiate the 'usuals'... like how to earn money so that you can participate in polite society by doing things like owning a house, raising a family, etc... but even then you get to choose what you do to earn money, if you want to own a house, have a family, etc. You get to craft every nook and cranny of your world and that's the coolest.

What I know for sure is at the end of my life I won't say I wish I would have worked harder at earning money. For me life is about moments, relationships and how we change each other along the way. It's about happiness. Happiness won't pay the bills you say? I beg to differ. I'm out to prove otherwise so I'm off to increase my happiness and the happiness of those around me and in doing so I betcha somehow the bills get paid.

In my year of Fulfill I am off to Fulfill again. I am headed to Virginia to spend time with my dear friend Bart because my gut told me too and the universe conspired to get me there. I said it out loud and things fell into place. Someone dear gave me her airline miles so that I could go without my ever knowing they existed or considering asking for help.

And one more thing********Just as I finished typing this Bart called and offered me an opportunity to teach a private yoga/ massage session while I am there for a burn victim that he met a while back. What's so crazy, cool, amazing is that I'm more excited about offering healing and helping this man than the money but I will get paid which is precisely what I was just talking about! HELLO UNIVERSE, YOU'RE AWESOME!************

I'll talk to you guys in Virginia, I'm leaving on a jet plane to see these beauties!

Much love in the year of Fulfill and increasing happiness!

Lacy

I'm off to ARTFEST!

My bag is almost packed. I love traveling, hate packing!

My heart is super happy for another new experience in this year of fulfill!

It will be my first time to Washington and my first time to get to spend any real amount of time with the lovely Leigh.

My love is cutting up pieces of paper for one of my classes as I type! Ned and The Hinge are sitting looking at me ears pointed my direction. The entire house is helping me get ready for this magnificent adventure.

I am headed to Artfest to make strangers new friends and encourage all my imagination and creative urges to run amok!

ta ta!
Lacy
P.S. I've scheduled a few posts and am taking my laptop to post from Artfest too!
Talk to you later gators!

Fulfill: From the supermarket to the farmers market.

My word of the year this year is Fulfill.

I've been really focused on bringing good things into actuality and so far this has been my most productive word of the year. I've definitely had fun ushering it all into being!

When I started school at Integrative Nutrition I knew it would change me beyond what I could measure in my mind and I was spot on. On our sister trip Kayla and I watched Food Inc. for the first time and I keep replaying our conversation in my mind. NOW that we know better we have to DO better! It's not one of those documentaries that you watch and then go about your 'normal' life.

So part of fulfill, doing my part for supporting local and supporting our health is going from the supermarket to the farmers market for produce! Sunday marked our 1st weekly trip!

Another pro for going to the farmers market is that you have to use real money! What a concept! It's my favorite thing ever not to have to re live a purchase later reconciling my check book or credit card. Down with the credit card companies (can you tell I learned some plastic lessons the hard way)!

Everything is so beautiful!

I was so comfy in this sweater and then I see the picture. Umm frumpy mcFumperson! Don't worry Jenn it's already in my craft room ready to grow up to become something else I can't believe it's been over a year since our first What Not to Wear!

This little strawberry plant came home with us :)

Part of healthy eating is eating with the seasons. Nowadays it's so hard to know what's actually in season when you are in the supermarket. At the farmers market if it's not there it's probably not in season!

We had 40 bucks to spend and we spent every last dime. Our splurge was on local honey for $8 and eggs from very happy chickensfor $8. I know! $8 bucks for eggs, I just kept saying it over and over again but I have to tell you they are the best eggs I've ever had!

It was a perfectly perfect California day, not a cloud in the sky!
I shared my sunglasses with Cliff. I don't think they look half bad. LOL

Here's the take for 40bucks. 12 eggs, 4 lemons, 1 garlic, 1 onion, 1 bag of spinach, brussel sprouts, asparagus, green onions, broccoli, honey and a sweet little strawberry plant! Not sure the $$$ eggs will be a staple in our house and the honey will last a while so next week we should be able to get a few more pretty greens in exchange for our green.

Do you go to farmers markets?

Fulfill: Getaway, Grow

My word this year is Fulfill and this last week did just that! I just returned from the most amazing week. It was transformation and love in it's purest form. We came together strangers and left friends who will forever celebrate each others light and beauty. It seems only fitting to share it with you on Valentine's Day! It was a week of pure love! The only other time I felt this loved and supported was when I had surgery on my trachea in 2008 (yay yay yay It's almost been two years of amazing breathing! woop woo!)

It took a major leap of faith to take this trip but I KNEW that I had to do it and struggled well to make the decision to go! Financially speaking it was the complete wrong decision but I listened to my heart and soul and went! I feel so grateful that I have a love who encourages me completely and sees the importance in my taking time for me. Thank you, Cliff! And the moral of the story here is FOLLOW YOUR HEART at all cost! It's the best decision. PERIOD. It will change you for the better. I am certainly changed in the most beautiful ways!

The setting:

Esalen can be likened to the garden of Eden. Seriously beautiful and serene. 28 acres on the Pacific coast line and the home of the Esalen Indians. It's sacred land and you can feel it. The garden accounts for 30-40% (I forget the exact number) of the food that is served. I didn't fully realize how tranquil it was until we left and hit traffic and stressed out people honking.
Monarch butterflies were all over. Esalen is one of the stops on their way to Mexico. I can't blame them, it would be one of my stops too.

Each night we'd go down to the baths (natural hot springs carbon dating 6,000 years back) to soak, talk and look at the night sky. Isn't it beautiful cut into the cliff that way! They are clothing optional which translates to naked and after we all got over that the first day it seemed really fitting. We were bearing our souls to one another and sitting naked together was safe and natural.

Three water bodies collide here and head to the ocean. Each day we'd walk over a foot bridge over the rushing water. I am missing the sounds of that place already.

The lawn mower!
There are two goats that we'd see tied up in different spots to munch. Seriously so cool!

The California Condor

I have no idea what this plant is but it looks like something out of Dr. Seuss and I love it.

The Garden

My favorite tree.

The schedule:

Each day it was meditation at 7:30. Chanting with Girish and then vipassana meditation (the kind you think of when you think meditation, comfy seated position, eyes closed, quiet) lead by Rolf. Then breakfast and back for yoga at 9:30. Then lunch and a break and back for yoga at 2:45. Then dinner and back for the evening session at 8 pm (Rolf speaking or Girish playing or both).

Girish is the real deal!
He's passionate about his music and has THE BEST sense of humor to boot. Yeap, I'm a fan!

Rolf is my all time favorite yoga teacher. He smiles from deep in his soul and just looking at him you can tell he is living his bliss. He inspires me tremendously by just being himself. I hope that people can say that about me.

The people:

There are a rare few occasions in life when you meet people and it's completely pure. It was such an honest space where we dropped all our barriers and just were ourselves and that was embraced with total love, zero judgment and beautiful recognition of each others gifts. It was all so effortless, so lovely.

The asana:

Twice a day we practiced yoga together. Sweaty, challenging, relax and prepare to flow! We practiced alignment, faith and flow and became total in each moment, each movement, each pose.

Here's to a week of no make up, frizzy bun hair and feeling beautiful, feeling loved and emerging bright, shiny, happy!

xoxoxo

Lacy

p.s. Happy Valentine's Day! May you feel loved completely today and tomorrow and the next day!

Fulfill: Projects

Part of my word this year is completing little projects around the house that I've had on my to do list for far too long!

I am slowly (re)decorating the living/dining room. Changing the accessories is always an easy and inexpensive way to start. It's out with the red and in with the blue! One day soon the living room will be teal, yellow and orange.

Tip:
When spray painting it's a good idea to ruff up the surface with a little sandpaper to help the paint stick. You'll end up having to do way less coats.

This is after the first coat! I was already so happy with it! I really believe that you should decorate with things that make you happy. For so long I wanted to be sophisticated (whatever that means) in my decorating style and it just didn't feel lacylike. Color is so powerful and changing this vase from red to blue all of the sudden makes me feel so much better about our living room.

Two easy changes... new vase color and getting rid of a burgundy chenille throw (you can see it on the back of the chair in the before photo) that was making me crazy and I am happy as a June bug (I am assuming June bugs are happy til they get stuck to the screen door and well, you know)!

Give yourself permission to change or get rid of one thing that is making you crazy in your home!

Do it today!

Note to self... next time wear shoes.

I'd love to hear about what you decide to change or get rid of and how it changes you!

As Oprah says, may your home rise up to meet you!
xoxo
Lacy

New week, new world!

This week in lacylike land...

I'm off to a yoga intensive where I will have NO access to internet or phone!

Oh MUH god!

It's a total unplug and I am so excited! It's a part of Fulfill this year and I can't wait to share it with you when I get home! I've been a busy little lady preparing posts for while I'm away so check back each morning at 8 am PST for what's new and think of me sweating profusely in yoga or trying my best to meditate.

Leigh-Ann will be continuing the blog makeover this week and I'll be giving the final ta-da when all the buttons are working and the finishing touches have been added. Thanks for your patience during the reno! It's going to be so cool!

Here are a few of our most recent acro picts from a demo last week.
It was the most exhilarating fun I've had doing acro to date.

The photo doesn't do this one justice, he's literally throwing Cliff in the air!

When we pushed up into this one you could hear an audible "ohhhhhh" in the room! It was pretty much the coolest feeling ever!

Have a wonderful week!

Love love sweaty blissful yoga love,
Lacy

If you haven't picked your word yet

and you want to have a word of the year Ali did a huge post of all the words that people picked. Check it out.

Happy Saturday!

2010, I love beginnings!

My word this year is FULFILL! It's all about action. It's about bringing plans to fruition and shutting up about it and getting it done already! When I started thinking about what I wanted to accomplish this year it was all about satisfying old goals, goals that seem to carry over year after year and fulfill found me. So here we go... 2010 I'm ready for you! I'm so happy you're here, I've been anxiously waiting for your arrival and I can't wait to get to know you better!

Cliff's word this year is NEW! He's looking forward to embarking on a lot of NEW beginnings and opportunities abound!

Happy New Year everyone!

Much love,
Lacy

Recents and word of the year!

As the days pass by I am more and more excited for 2010 and all the possibility that it holds. I am still working on formulating a new word of the year...hey maybe possibility! For the past few nights, each night when we lay down for bed my mind starts racing on what my word should be and I call out options in the dark to see if anything sounds and feels right. Cliff has already selected his. I'll wait to reveal ours together. : )

2008's word was perfect in every way and 2009's word might as well have been survive or something like it b/c fleruish didn't happen. Perhaps in some small ways it did and of course I could romanticize it up to make it seem like fleurish worked but it just didn't soothe as a year long mantra in my mind. So here I am again grappling with what my word of the year will be. I can't wait to hear what Kayla's word will be.

Did you pick words last year? Did they suit? Will you pick again?

These are from a recent getaway to San Luis Obispo, Morrow Bay and Avila Beach, California.

more picts here.
Still trying to properly add to and manage my flickr! Erg it's been a work in progress for
sure!
Love love love!
Lacy