Martha Beck's Words of Wisdom

Martha's Quote of the Day

"The ultimate lesson of regret, the one that will help guide you into a rich and satisfying future, is this: Every time life brings you to a crossroads, from the tiniest to the most immense, go toward love, not away from fear."

The Telephone Talker Multi-Tasker

When my daughter was a toddler, she would pretend to talk on the phone by walking around furiously, waving her arms and simulating a vibrant conversation. It dawned on me that she was mimicking me. Unconsciously, while talking on the phone, I was also unloading the dishwasher, making the beds, checking my email, even cleaning the toilets. I was a chronic Telephone Talker Multi-Tasker!

In the last six months, I have made a conscious effort to sit down, old school-like, and direct my attention to my telephone conversation. I pretend that there is a short windy cord connected to my phone that keeps me in place. It's amazing what you can hear and learn when you are actually focused on a conversation!

Girl's Weekend In Santa Barbara

I spent the weekend in Santa Barbara with my beautiful friend Deb. It was a breath of fresh air. What a fun, inspiring, breathtaking place. I love a vacation where you can park your car and walk anywhere you want to go.

Deb and I ate great food, drank a little wine and had lots of girl talk mixed with tears and giggles.

I have to give a shout out to the hotel we stayed at. The Hotel Virgina was centrally located, beautifully decorated, very clean and the breakfast was great.

The Amazing Clarisonic Skin Care Brush

I started using the Clarisonic skin care brush about 4 months ago, and have really noticed amazing results. My skin is softer, my pores are smaller and it's like my skin glows a little! It's expensive at nearly $200, but can replace a facial, or two. The Clarisonic is made by the same company who makes the Sonicare® toothbrush. 

Here's what they say about it: "Sonic technology first changed the way we clean our teeth, it's now changing how we cleanse our skin. The sonic frequency moves Clarisonic's soft, gentle brush back and forth at more than 300 times per second, thoroughly clearing pores and skin surface."

2009

In the next couple of weeks we are planning for so much - always looking ahead - Christmas, festivities, birthdays, traveling, gift exchanges, holiday parades, class cookie parties, the list goes on and on and on. However, I feel the need to wistfully look back at 2009 and be grateful. I am thankful for a healthy, happy, busy year.

Washing a Pottery Barn Cranberry Sectional Slipcover

I know this is not normally what I write about in my blog, but I thought this might be good information for some of you moms out there with the popular Pottery Barn Sectional. I love my Cranberry-colored sectional, but after three years, three kids and three dogs, it was looking dingy and faded.

I washed the slipcovers about one year ago, and the result was not great - a little faded. I was afraid to wash it again because I really love the deep red of the couch. I went online and looked for tips on washing the slipcover and found information on washing it with fabric dye. There were lots of ideas that wouldn’t work for me - soaking the covers in the bathtub was one tip. No thanks! I didn’t want a red tub. One idea was to use cranberry juice in the wash, but I didn’t think that would be a deep enough color. I also wasn’t sure if it was even a serious suggestion.

I decided to go for it and try dyeing the slipcover my own way. I figured it would either turn out great, or I would have to buy a new couch. Being an optimist, I really hoped for the first result. Thankfully, I was right. Here was my strategy for my top loading washing machine:
1. wash covers on gentle and remove them before spin cycle so they are very wet.
2. boil a pan of water and add dye to dissolve. I used Jacquard iDye in Crimson.
3. let washing machine fill with water and add dye. Let machine agitate for 30 seconds to mix in the dye.
4. add slipcovers to water.
5. Soak for at least 15 minutes and agitate every few minutes to keep the dye even.
6. after soaking, let machine drain and rinse.
7. restart cycle and add mild detergent. I used Ecos Laundry detergent from Costco.
8. dry gently on low heat until covers are just damp.
9. iron and put cushions on while still a little damp for a better fit.

Last tips: I washed the seat and back cushions at home (one or two at a time), but used the laundromat for the main slipcovers.

Good luck!

Time For Some Meditation

I know that meditating is beneficial. It reduces stress, strengthens the immune system, helps to control anxiety, and much more. It sounds so easy to do - relax, be quiet, focus on yourself...what could be simplier? However, meditation takes work. With all of the noise and business that surrounds us, it is actually difficult to shut it out and it is most challenging to quiet your thoughts. It seems like such a paradox to me.

I've found a website and podcast that has proven very useful in helping to quiet my thoughts and have a few minutes of meditation. The site is called mythoughtcoach.com. It is lead by Stin Hansen and, although there is a membership charge, many of the meditations are free. Some of the titles are: Anxiety, Health and Fitness, Pregnancy and Sleep. Give it a try.