Beyond Words

I’m hunkered down indoors today due to freezing temperatures and drizzle, but that can’t keep me from thinking about fashion.  I’ve recently written about New Year’s resolutions and 2015 weight loss tips and now it’s time to write about the “official” color of 2015…drum roll please…MARSALA!  Huh?  What’s that you say?  Marsala?   Yep, according to Pantone, the global color authority, 2015’s color is Marsala.

 

“It’s a deliciously warm shade you can almost taste just by looking at it.”

Pantone Color Institute’s Leatrice Eisman

 

That’s what she says, but you’re probably thinking, “I’ve heard about the Italian wine called Marsala and I’ve heard it used in chicken and veal dishes, but fashion and décor?  Not so much.”  Hold on though, it’s actually do-able!

 

My daughter Kristen recently purchased (okay, I purchased!) this simple yet stunning leather sheath at Hemline in Austin.  She chose it because of its style and fit, but it’s actually the color Marsala!  It’s also kind of amazing.  Who knew?!

 

This is the 15^th year Pantone has chosen a color of the year.  Its annual announcement influences product development and buying in a variety of industries, including fashion, home décor, beauty and cosmetics, and graphic design.

 

 

Despite grumblings heard upon the proclamation of its “now moment,” Marsala is actually a very versatile color.  Just like the wine that shares its name, the tasteful hue embodies richness and earthiness all at once.  It is a long, cool drink of sophistication.

 

The shade is also appealing to both men and women, unlike Pantone’s 2015 color of the year, Radiant Orchid, and its red-brown roots make the flavorful shade the perfect pick for apparel, accessories, beauty products, and home décor.

 

“Marsala enriches our mind, body, and soul, exuding confidence and stability,” Eiseman adds.  “It is a subtly seductive shade and one that draws us in to its embracing warmth.”

 

Okay, maybe a bit dramatic being that we’re talking about a COLOR, but we’ll go with it anyway.

 

FASHION’S NEW FRIEND

A hit on red carpets and runways, Marsala is an elegant statement color that works on everything from clothing to jewelry, handbags to shoes.

 

 

I recently saw these two cuties at way affordable H&M:

 

 

This “bandage” dress by Herve Leger may not be for everyone, but these Gap jeans and low-top Cons are!

 

 

 

And since I’m never one to walk away from a good plaid, let’s not forget our men friends!

 

The color compliments all skin tones and is best paired with neutrals such as navy or black or complimentary hues like mustard and metallics.

 

 

 

 A BEAUTIFUL SHADE FOR BEAUTY PRODUCTS

Sultry and subtle, Marsala is a great “go-to” color for highlighting cheeks or adding a pop of color to eyes, nails, and lips.  It pairs beautifully with gold metallics and bronzes.  I recommend using it in one area on the face only, adding punch to either your eyes, lips, or cheeks but not all three.

 

 

AT HOME WITH MARSALA

When it comes to home décor, you could say hints of Marsala have been around for years.  Remember the popular green and burgundy trend?  What about painting those dining room walls red?  Maybe Marsala has been lurking at home all along!

 

Today’s tone, however, is complex and full-bodied without being too dominant or overpowering.  Marsala is bold yet understated.  It’s not an Asian red on the walls and it’s not green’s best friend anymore.  It adds elegance to a room and is best reserved for accent pieces, accessories, and paint.  Again, think subtle.  Think throws and pillows, bedding and rugs.

 

 

 

Not surprising, Marsala is perfect for kitchens and dining areas.  The color is great in a stripe pattern, making it terrific for tabletops, dinnerware, and window treatments.

 

Two things to also consider when choosing Marsala products are matte and sheen.  A matte finish will enrich Marsala’s organic nature while adding sheen with convey glamour and luxury.  In short, 2015’s Marsala is both dramatic and grounding.  It is a full-bodied and earthy tone that brings warmth to any home or office.

 

Marsala is definitely a statement-making color and one that is both tasty and trendy right now.  As with any “it” thing however, I don’t recommend going crazy with it but I do recommend having fun with it.  Maybe even enjoy a glass of Marsala while doing it!

Although I have no intention of being in a bikini any time soon or even at all…ever…I saw this and thought it was interesting.  Substitute your own cravings or weaknesses as you like.  Be happy and be healthy!

 

As a writer, blogger and lover of all things current events, I follow several blogs and am an incessant reader.  As a human, I often find myself between a rock and a hard space.  I share a lot with you and I recently posted blogs sharing some of my New Year’s Resolutions and goals.  Today I’m taking a break from my writing and am instead sharing with you two recent posts from fellow bloggers that really resonated with me.

 

Expecting to win without preparation and hard work is arrogance. Expecting to win because you’ve prepared and worked hard is confidence.

 

I am a huge fan of “Marc and Angel Hack Life” (marcandangel.com) and loved their recent blog entitled “15 Ways to Live a Year with No Regrets.”  In it, they instructed readers to “forget the past year” and suggested instead to adhere to the following ideas “with a smile on your face and a sense of accomplishment in your heart.”  (I’m including a concise edited version of their original post and have added a few pull-quotes and photos of my choosing.)

 

15 Ways to Live a Year with No Regrets

• Be the leader of your own journey. Too many capable people don’t pursue their dreams and goals because they let their fears or others talk them out of them. Choose to be stronger than that. Choose to do the things in life that move YOU. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not YOU.
• Embrace uncertainty. Sometimes what you don’t want is exactly what you need. Sometimes what you’re most afraid of doing is the very thing that will set you free.
• Take calculated risks. Life is short. The risk to remain perched in your nest is far more detrimental than the risk it takes to fly. Spread your wings. Fly! What a disgrace it would be for you to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of your full potential.

 

 

• Don’t just study it, do it! Combine your knowledge with intention and action. Life is all about learning AND doing!
• Put diligent effort into your biggest goals. If you want the benefits of something in life, you have to also want the costs. Expecting to win without preparation and hard work is arrogance. Expecting to win because you’ve prepared and worked hard is confidence. Laziness does not pay. Effort pays.
• Think you CAN. If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you. Change breeds growth. Step by step you can get though anything.
• Respond with the power of your positivity. Talking about our problems can be an unhealthy addiction. Break that habit and talk about your joys, victories, and blessings instead. Envision problems no longer being a problem to you. Envision the frustrations around you no longer frustrating you.
• Flow with life rather than against it. Transform the energy of resentment into the satisfaction of achievement. When you choose to love what you’re doing, you’ll be able to do more of what you love. Allow your actions to add positive value to the moment. Make the choice to simply enjoy what is.
• Be extra kind to people. All people, but especially those closest to you.

 

• Value what money can’t buy. People who spend all their time trying to make money spend all their money trying to make time. This year, be wealthy in healthy relationships too.
• Share your love openly and honestly with those you love. Express your love. Tell people what you need to tell them. You never know when you might lose your opportunity to do so.
• Be wise enough to walk away from needless negativity. When other people treat you poorly, keep being you. Don’t ever let someone else’s bitterness and bad behavior change the person you are.
• Forget trying to please everyone. Some people are not going to agree with you or like you no matter what you do or what you say. Get over it and get on with your life. Focus on how you feel about yourself.
• Let your presence overpower your fear of judgment. Train yourself to be present without regretting how others once made you feel. Change the way you think.

 

 

• Say “goodbye” so you can say “hello.” In life, goodbyes can be gifts. If certain people or certain opportunities close you out, take it as a direct indication that they are not part of the plan for the next step of your life. Life is simply making room for other things.

 

I have other blogs of Marc and Angel’s that I will be sharing in the coming days, but in the meantime…

 

Another blog I enjoy is “The Classy Woman:  The Modern Guide to Becoming a More Classy Woman,”and I loved the author’s recent post stating these 2015 goals she has set for herself:  (Again, I’m including a concise edited version of the original post.)

• Complain less. Complaining isn’t classy. In the words of Maya Angelou, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”
• Spend more time doing what make me most happy. Karla M. Davis, the blog’s author, wrote that she’s happiest “when I’m creating, whether I’m writing, decorating, designing, trying out a new recipe or taking photos.” I agree and I also agree with her as she wrote, “I realized a big part of why 2014 was not my favorite year was that I have forgotten to make time for myself.   I lost sight of what truly mattered and was fulfilling to me and I’m ready to get that back.” Bingo!
• Stop procrastinating. Yep, I’m on it too.  Tomorrow?  Nope, today!

 

“Ninety-nine percent of all failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.”

George Washington Carver

 

So there you have it, two portions of two powerful blogs that I hope to live by this year.  No worries.  No excuses.

 

Do you have any favorite blogs you follow that you’d like to share?  I’d love to know!

“The will of God will never take you where the

grace of God will not protect you.”

 

Where do I even begin?  Well, maybe with today, January 1, 2015!  A new year, a new start.  Yeah, yeah right.  Resolutions?  Uh-huh.   I resolve to wonder what my resolutions are going to be!

 

Perhaps Jane Francisco, Editor in Chief of “Good Housekeeping” magazine, put it best when it comes to picking a personal mantra for this new year when she wrote, “Taking care of ourselves is a privilege.”  Yes it is Jane, and I’m going to do a whole lot more of that starting TODAY!

 

“We all have to start with ourselves.  It’s time to walk the walk.  Take the journey of making very difficult decisions.  Start removing things from your life that are not filling your cup and adding things that bring joy to your life. “

Lisa Hammond

 

Well, said Lisa and words I desperately need to take to heart, but I’ve never been one to put myself first.  Maybe it’s time I do.  It’s time to think, feel and believe that this year is going to be different.

 

 

Nearly half of all Americans will make a New Year’s resolution, but according to “The Happiness Project” author Gretchen Rubin (whose writings and wisdom I’m obsessed with) that’s all well and good but we often make the wrong resolutions.  We are waaaay too ambitious when it comes to naming those resolutions, resulting in utter defeat by month’s end.  Rubin suggests to start by asking yourself “what would make me happier?” and go from there.  She also suggests making small, manageable resolutions rather than abstract, ginormous ones and to avoid over-estimating what you can do over a short amount of time as well as not under-estimating what you can do over a long period of time if you take consistent, small steps.  “Be happier” is much harder to obtain and measure than “do one thing every month that makes me happy.”  We all seem to want to lose weight every January, but maybe we should resolve to “lose 5 pounds by Valentine’s Day” rather than “lose 30 pounds.”   Rubin says to be specific when it comes to making your New Year’s resolutions and she also highly recommends making positive ones.  Instead of focusing on what not to do, concentrate on things you like to do.

 

 

Although I wouldn’t put myself right in the “perpetual optimist” group (I always say I’m more a realist,) I do make a New Year’s resolution every year that is positive and enhances my life.  Every January first I vow to learn something new within the upcoming 12 months.  I’ve taking Italian lessons, ice skating lessons, learned to cross-stitch, learned to shoot a gun at a shooting range, and got a personal trainer to name just a few.  This year I’m leaning toward guitar lessons.  Yes, I of course want to eat healthier and continue working out, but I also want to do fun things that make me happy!   There is no time like the present , right?

 

 

I’m not a risk taker but I’ve learned that to find joy you often have to leave behind what you know or what you fear and take some risks.  Joy is a decision and I’m resolving to find it this year.  I’m going to be Phoebe on “Friends” and run like a child and not care who’s watching or what they say.  I’m going to stop doing things I really don’t like to do and eliminate whatever and whoever is bringing me down.  I will constantly ask myself, “what will you to today that will make you proud in a year?”  Whatever it takes.   I’m in.

 

 

What I’m not going to do is continue trying to achieve or hope for what just ain’t going to happen.  Again, I’m not a pessimist, I’m a realist.  I will accept what I can’t change and I will move on.

 

 

I’m going to be happy with a calm life and I’m going to wake up and think one happy thought each morning.  One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day, and I want more good days and less bad days.

 

I want less stress and less worry.

 

I want normalcy and honesty.

 

I want to feel needed and loved.

 

I want to eat healthier and volunteer once a month.

 

I want to expect less and at the same time expect the most.

 

I want my mind to stop racing and I really, really want to stop wondering and questioning.

 

I need to stop doubting and start doing.

 

Sometimes you have to choose between a preference and a priority and I’m going to do some hard thinking about what’s really important to me and make that my priority.  No more “give it more time.”  No more waiting.

 

 

 

My key word this year:  detach.   Detach from what stresses me and what hurts me.  Detach from what scares me and from what holds me back.

 

 

I also want to stop living with regret and get out there and just live.  I’m young, healthy, and like to have fun and it’s time to have more of it.  I resolve to live my life, not a life someone or something else dictates for me.

 

“I can’t stand to think my life is going by so fast and I’m not really living it.”

Ernest Hemingway

 

All of this will mean letting go of who or what I can’t change.  Not an easy task for someone who likes to help others and control situations, but it’s time.  It’s time to live a life full of “oh wells” rather than “what ifs.”    A young gun I’m not, but I’m young enough to know what I want and I’m healthy enough to take the required steps to achieve it.   I’ve given and given, waited and waited.  Now I can’t wait to give to me!

 

 

 

Who am I kidding though?  I’m a Nervous Nelly who hates change.  But, I also hate futility and its resulting regret and despair.

 

 

Today starts a new chapter in the book of Carla.  I hope to fill its pages with all things good and have fun doing it.  As Ernest Hemingway also once said, “When you stop doing things for fun, you might as well be dead.”

 

I’m not dead yet and I officially resolve to live in 2015.  Really and truly live.

 

 

 

Tomorrow starts a brand new year that, if you allow it, brings with it a  tasty new beginning.  The slate is clean and the page is blank, so make it your own and make it delicious.  All that’s needed is the right attitude and the right ingredients.

 

Recipe for the New Year

 

Take 12 months and clean them thoroughly of all bitterness, resentment, hate, and jealousy.

 

Cut into weeks and days and into each mix well with faith, patience, courage, gratitude and compassion.

 

Blend with kindness, hope, honesty, prayer, generosity and prayer.

 

Sprinkle all with a dash of fun, humor, and joy.

 

Serve with unselfishness and a cheerful spirit.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

We all know the real recipe for New Year’s Day celebrations in the U.S. is a big pot of black-eyed peas, which represent luck.  Many add pork, to signify prosperity,  and make what’s called “Hoppin John.”

 

 

Here’s how they do it around the world:

 

At midnight in Spain and some parts of Latin America, revelers pop 12 grapes, one at each stroke of the clock, to symbolize success for each month of the coming year.

 

The Japanese eat buckwheat soba noodles, which are associated with a long life.

 

Pomegranates represent fertility and are popular in Turkey and other Mediterranean countries.

 

Leafy greens signify money, so Danes eat stewed kale sprinkled with cinnamon.

 

However you do it, do it safely and have fun!

 

 

 

 

 

Before I start thinking or writing about New Year’s resolutions, I want to reflect on the year 2014 and what I learned from it.  In many ways it was a tumultuous year but in many other ways it was a reasonably good year.  Through it all, here’s what I learned:

 

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

Prayers aren’t always answered but keep praying anyway.

 

A calm life is a good life.

 

I’m obsessed with all things glitter.

 

“The Skimm” is hands-down the best current events blog out there.

 

Italy has the best food anywhere on Earth.

 

I love cooking classes and I loved the movies “Chef” and “The Hundred Foot Journey” but I don’t love to cook.

 

“Parenthood” is the best TV show to come along in decades.

 

No one’s life is perfect, even those who pretend to have one.

 

Jack Daniels honey whiskey is the bomb.

 

The book “Bringing Home the Birkin” was surprisingly good and really funny!

 

I don’t like asparagus.

 

How someone treats you says more about them than it does about you.

 

Just because someone else likes something doesn’t mean I need to like it too.

 

Control is over-rated and rarely accomplishes anything yet I still tend to be a control freak.

 

Working out with a trainer kept me motivated and accountable to exercise for the first time in my life.

 

My Oklahoma Sooners football team was not as good as predicted.

 

I despise rollercoasters:  both real ones and those you “ride” in life.

 

I’m a serious homebody and actually enjoy it.

 

I worry way too much.

 

2014 high school graduates have always gone to school with a Mohammed or Abdul, have always known pro football in Jacksonville but not L.A., have known only two presiding presidents, and think “GM’ means genetically modified not General Motors.

 

When someone lies to you it’s very hard to trust them again.

 

I’m not crazy.

 

Spontaneity isn’t my strength but it makes me happy when someone else forces it on me.

 

Sinus surgeries don’t eliminate snoring.

 

High expectations are not a bad thing.  Expecting those who can’t meet them to do so, is.

 

I am waaaaay stronger than I wish I had to be.

 

I’m not as brave as I probably should be.

 

Marcus Luttrell is a true American hero and the movie “Lone Survivor” was amazing.

 

After trying others and actually liking them, “Coco Mademoiselle” is still my go-to perfume.

 

I’m tired of regret.

 

Calling your dog nicely to “come here” really does work way better than angrily demanding them to.

 

I really enjoy designer Erin Gates’ writing style and blog “Elements of Style.”

 

I learned how to Tweet, Instagram, Snapchat and went to a shooting range!

 

Receiving a Pope’s blessing live was incredible but the Coliseum was a bit disappointing.

 

St. Peter’s Square in Rome is shaped like a key.

 

As much as I adore shoes, I could legitimately live in flip flops, TOMS, slippers, and Uggs.  Seriously.

 

Married couples are generally happier and healthier than those not married.

 

“Gel” or “Shellac” manicures are totally worth the time and money.

 

I’ve become bad at making decisions.

 

Keurig coffee makers are perfection.

 

Olive oil does not have a high-heat index and original Pam spray prevents that yucky build-up on cookware.

 

Volunteering for the Austin Aces was one of the best things I did all year.

 

Days are long but years are short.  (Thank you Gretchen Rubin!)

 

 

Love this one…

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:11

 

The Gift of Christmas

 

 

Merry Christmas everyone!  Christ is born, born in a stable in Bethlehem.  A simple manger for the King of all kings.  Mind blown.

 

God could have chosen anywhere for His son to come into this world but he chose not a palace or a castle, but what was basically a barn; animals and all.  In a word, humbling.

 

Even those 3 Kings who came from afar brought gifts to what was an infant.  They knew the baby was special so they brought Him gifts, not vice versa.

 

All of Kristen’s life she’s known that, just like Jesus, she receives only three gifts at Christmas…and they are from mom and dad, not Santa.  Santa merely fills our stockings with small treats or treasures.  Even at 21 years of age, she still abides by this family tradition.  This year she wanted a special piece of jewelry so she asked if it could count as all three of her gifts.

 

There are many around who did not get gifts today.  We need to remember them in prayer.  Me?  I didn’t really feel the need to ask for any one thing this year.  What I really want:  peace of mind, stability, normalcy, trust, gratitude, less worry and more love, can’t be packaged and wrapped neatly with a bow.  They need to come from within and come from above and can’t be bought with money.  Pretty simple.

 

We’ve all read about and seen the lists of gifts on someone’s letter to Santa.  It’s sometimes appalling how long these lists can become and how greedy we tend to get during the holidays.  Rather than look at our gifts today and wish for what we didn’t get, let’s instead look at all the real “gifts” around us:  family, friends, health, jobs, food, a roof over our heads, and of course Jesus.  His presence is our true present today and every day.  What can we give Him in return?

 

Our Gift to the Christ Child

Lord Jesus:

We give you our hands to do your work.

We give your our feet to go your way.

We give you our eyes to see as you see.

We give you our ears to hear as you hear.

We give you our tongue to speak as you speak.

We give you our heart that you may love all others through us.

We give you our spirit that it may be you who prays in us.

We give you our whole self that it may be you who grows, works, loves, and prays in us.

Amen.