Conscious daily effort…..which are you on board with?
last month
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (17)
- last month
Related Discussions
All of you have xeriscape Gardens?
Comments (27)We've had more dry years than wet years since owning our cottage in the San Francisco Bay Area. The soil is heavy gray adobe clay. We had it dug out about 8" down after killing off the Bermudagrass and yanking out the contorted junipers and nandina that the PO had put in. Those were the "low maintenance" shrubs du jour of the '50's. The clay was replaced by top quality compost and mulched after planting. Contrary to the usual xeriscaping, we have about 3000 sq. ft. of cottage garden beds. I never watered more than once a week in the beginning to get everything established. Since we are fortunate to have relatively cool summers, now that the plants are established, they can generally go 2-3 weeks between waterings, which are done with soaker hoses. When we get our rare hot spells I do have to water every 7-10 days, but the moment the fog comes back in, it's back to the usual. I have hundreds of different plants, but eliminate any that attract too many pests or take too much water. If it can't live on my usual summer watering schedule, it goes into the 'greens cart' when it dies. It's surprising how many plants have done very well on this infrequent-but-deep soaking regime. There's a twenty-year old stand of yellow cannas by an empty lot. Well-established, obviously, and gets no care except being mowed down once a year by the absentee owner. It survives our six-month summer drought with no trouble. Looks a bit tired by August, but perks right up again when the rains start in October and blooms its head off during the winter. It's on a downslope and must survive solely on any runoff from the neighbors, who don't seem to have any gardens to water at all. Surprises me every year, though; a lot tougher plant than it's supposed to be!...See MoreNips and tucks... would you? did you?
Comments (36)I just had my *second* eye job. I inherited the big fat bags and loose skin under my eyes from my dad, and the drooping uppers from my mom. They actually rested on top of my lashes. I always looked tired and looked older. I wore glasses all the time to disguise the bags underneath. I had the first done at 32. Doc told me it would last anywhere from 8 - 12 years. He was right. I'm turning 48 next month and got my second job in June. I don't look 'plastic' at all. I still have small bags under my eyes, but they are minimal and make my eyes look natural for my age. I don't regret either surgery for a second...I hated the way my eyes looked so I fixed them! For anyone seriously thinking about getting surgery, try to talk to people who have had it done. If you like the way they turned out, get their doctor's name. The docs show you before and after pictures of people they've done, but obviously they only put the best results in their sample book! Also discuss your expectations vs what can actually be done with your doctor. ie, a tummy tuck will definitely improve your overall look, but don't expect the washboard tummy of a 20 year old :) Finally, if you smoke, you must quit! At minimum, 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after the surgery. People who smoke are not only at higher risk during anesthesia, but they do NOT heal as quickly or as well. I also did the teeth whitening thing. $200 for the tray and gel. I only did my upper teeth because my lower teeth don't show, even when I smile. Made a huge difference, and I can do a 'tune up' if needed in the future. Otherwise, I would like a neck lift - getting pretty crepey there - but it's not terrible, so I'll leave that be :)...See MoreLife events that changed you as a person?
Comments (40)In 1998 DH had a really good-paying job for that time (actually even for now) & a pretty big 401k for someone not yet 30 years old. I had a pretty good job & fair balance in my 401k. We also had a house payment & one car payment. Then DH decided he wanted to leave the security of his job & start his own business. I didn't want to do that, but that was his dream. I worried that if I refuse to even try that he'd always resent it. So he left to start the business, which actually went very well at first. We weren't as prepared as we should have been with savings in the bank, etc. But we needed to make a fairly quick decision due to a large project that we would lose if we spent too much time considering. Then he decided that he should start another related business. I worried that the time he would have to put into the startup would take him away from our main business, but he was sure it would be okay. Several months before DH left his job, we found that my mom's cancer had spread again. She was given only months to live. DH left his job in Aug, my mom died in Feb, & I was laid off from my job in April. That's a lot of major life events in a short time. For quite a while, my life involved working full-time, helping my parents at night & on weekends & doing the accounting for DH's businesses when I had time. I admit that I was distracted by the demands of working full-time & helping care for my mom. My dad was very difficult to deal with during this time. He was having a hard time accepting that mom was going to be gone & he was very angry & demanding. This made my life even more stressful. After I was laid off, we decided that I would work with DH managing the office & doing the accounting. So I sat down one day & really began looking at the bills. I knew we had been charging a lot on our credit cards. DH's original business, which had done well at first, was indeed suffering because he was spending too much time getting the other business started. He was putting off projects & the cash flow had really decreased. We were more deeply in debt than I had imagined. Things began to turn around some, but we were unable to make any progress on our debt. I kept the bills paid & made sure that our credit rating wasn't affected, but I was paying minimum payments on most things. We eventually ended up forfeiting his 401k to help pay some of our debt. Even so, we still had problems because business had dropped off. I sank into a very deep depression & was suicidal. Those were really dark times. My doctor believed that it was just too much happening too close together. He felt that I might have been able to handle things better had they not all happened one right after another. I did go on medication & it helped a great deal. I finally got up the courage to ask my dad for a loan. I was raised to be very private about finances & to not get into debt except for something major like a house or a car. It took a lot for me to admit to my dad that we had so much debt. After I explained the situation, he had one question, "Why didn't you come to me sooner?" He wasn't happy that we had gotten in so deep, but he was more than willing to help. He told me to get him a list of everything we owed & bring it to him. We then went to the bank, where he used one of his CD's to secure our debt. Consolidating it into one monthly payment with a much lower interest rate made it so much easier to deal with. DH went back to work with his old company soon after. We closed one business & sold the other to a competitor. I learned a lot from those bad times. One thing is that I make sure to pay close attention to our finances regardless of how busy or distracted I am. The other is not to let my pride get in the way. My dad would have helped us much earlier if I'd just swallowed my pride & asked, instead of pretending that everything was fine. I also learned that depression is an illness & not something that you can control. I used to think that there was no such thing as real depression & that people were just weak because they gave in instead of forcing themselves to be happy. I now know the truth about depression....See MoreQuotes 11 - 8 - 17
Comments (1)I miss the old style reporting, even though it was policy to be unbiased, their look at news was neutral, but biased by what the general culture approved and it was based on the event and not on the personality...See More- last month
- 27 days ago
Related Stories

DECLUTTERING5 Ways to Jump-Start a Whole-House Decluttering Effort
If the piles of paperwork and jampacked closets have you feeling like a deer in the headlights, take a deep breath and a baby step
Full Story
KITCHEN DESIGNOpen vs. Closed Kitchens — Which Style Works Best for You?
Get the kitchen layout that's right for you with this advice from 3 experts
Full Story
KITCHEN DESIGNHouzz Quiz: Which Kitchen Backsplash Material Is Right for You?
With so many options available, see if we can help you narrow down the selection
Full Story
FUN HOUZZHouzz Quiz: Which Midcentury Modern Chair Are You?
Have a seat for a little fun. Better yet, have a seat that has you written all over it
Full Story
MATERIALSRaw Materials Revealed: Drywall Basics
Learn about the different sizes and types of this construction material for walls, plus which kinds work best for which rooms
Full Story
KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS7 Low-Maintenance Countertops for Your Dream Kitchen
Fingerprints, stains, resealing requirements ... who needs ’em? These countertop materials look great with little effort
Full Story
HOUSEKEEPINGHow to Clean a Glass Shower Door
See which tools and methods will keep those glass shower walls and doors sparkling clean
Full Story
INSIDE HOUZZA New Houzz Survey Reveals What You Really Want in Your Kitchen
Discover what Houzzers are planning for their new kitchens and which features are falling off the design radar
Full Story
HOUSEKEEPINGHow to Clean Your Range and Oven
Experts serve up advice on caring for these kitchen appliances, which work extra hard during the holidays
Full Story
LIFESlow Down and Ease Up: A Sanity-Saving Approach to Life
Why not take the pressure off and live a little more consciously in 2017? The challenging goals can wait
Full StorySponsored
Virginia's Award Winning One Stop Kitchen & Bath Remodeling Resource

Annie Deighnaugh