A Walk in the Park

I'm debuting today. Garden Park (in Daybreak) has a fabulous new website and I'm the blogmeister! I'll be posting there every Monday, trying to make you jealous that you don't live in our community, and trying to convince you that you could if you tried.

Check it out (the photos are all of my friends!) and click on blog. Calendar it, bookmark it, google-reader it—you won't want to miss a single weekly word! I'll be writing about things like moving, getting acquainted in a new neighborhood, community activities—it will be applicable to people outside Garden Park, too. In fact, suggest a topic in the comment section and I'll write about it!

To visit me in my new digs, click here:

A Walk in the Park

You're always welcome!

Office Tour

"I'll see you in my office now."

This is where I spend my time.

Writing on the Wall

On one side of my office is my library. Reading, writing and research books, stories for the grands, old letters, maps and travel books (stashed in the suitcases) and file boxes along the bottom with tons of family history info.

Office Suite-y

You've already seen my computer.

My Bibles

If I turn my chair the other way I'm facing my work table. Between the bookends are resources I need at my fingertips. The loose leaf holds research I've done for my work in progress, aka The Widow's Waltz. It's a great example of my new catchphrase, "Planning is the enemy of finishing."

Since last November I've compiled almost three hundred pages outlining setting (Vienna, just before World War II) plot (American businessman is murdered) and character back-story (based on real letters) but not a sentence of the actual book. It's time to stop planning, so I can start finishing.

Editor's Desk

But I have finished a couple of big editing projects recently. Right now I'm working on a manuscript by a surgeon who served several tours of duty in Afghanistan. It's serious and funny—a little like Hawkeye's life on MASH.

Office Accessories

Little details: I use my pewter collection to hold office supplies. The IKEA Lazy Susan gives me instant access to red pens, blue pencils, scissors, chapstick and my back-scratcher. It suddenly seemed nutty that these pretty pieces were hidden away in a cupboard. What was I saving them for??

Check books

Here's my bill paying station. I chucked my ugly brown accordion folder and now I stash the bills that need attention in one fake book, and the others hold receipts, stamps and envelopes.

File It

These space-saving filing cabinets came from TJ Maxx. Since the folders are on display, I bought a package of cute blue ones to match my decor, and put them in front. They hold everything—address labels, greeting cards, newspaper clippings and blog ideas.

Inspiration Board

When I was packing up my stuff to move, I found some handmade paper we bought in Italy ten years ago. Apparently I was saving it. For what? So I cut it up into squares and used it to line a bulletin board. Postcards and old calendar pictures of women reading and writing inspire me.

Scraps

A rusted, yellow mailbox begged for old letters, but the slots were too deep for my stationery. I cut some scrapbook paper up and taped a few pieces together so they'd be exactly the right size, and then stuck on some vintage-looking stamp stickers to make them look authentic. Old postcards added color.

Anything for me?

Voila! A cool in-and-out box for my desk. (I stash the real letters-to-be-mailed behind the fake ones—a check being sent to the phone company doesn't seem as cute.)

Speaking of letters . . . Nancy emailed these questions:

"How do you preserve what you've written, photos and all?
Do you have a backup system for memoirs?"

Actually, my blog is my backup system. A few years ago I accidentally deleted my archive of photos. The pictures I had used on my blog were the only ones I could find again, because they were floating around the Internet. That's why I've written a lot of my memoirs on my blog—I can access those memories from anywhere, anytime. (And so can all my descendants who can't wait to read every word Great-grandma Oma ever wrote.)

So, how do you preserve what you've written?

I loved your comments about why you blog. Now you need to write about where you blog. Leave a comment and we'll come over and tour your office.

Congratulations to Grandma Cebe!
(She won a copy of my book!)

Buy it here!

Souper Idea

"I think I can . . ."

Our new kitchen is bigger than our old one,

but we have less cabinet space and our pantry is smaller.

Stuff It

So I read a hundred blogs, magazines and books on kitchen storage ideas

to prepare for the big put-away.

Indispensable IKEA Lazy Susans: $7.00

With lazy susans from IKEA, and spice stackers from Walmart, I hit the shelves about 11 p.m. the night after we moved in. The lazy susans were great, but I could only fit one on a shelf, and there was wasted space above the cans. I unloaded the pantry and started again from scratch at midnight.

The second round worked better using tiered stands on the shelves, but there was still stuff out that needed to be stuffed in. In my pile I found a hanging wire shelf that hooked onto the shelf above it, but I couldn't reach it unless I put it low, which would hinder access to the cans. If I didn't redo it now, I'd never do it, so I unloaded the pantry again and started over at 1:00 am.

An hour later I was sitting on a stool, staring at my cans. They still didn't look quite right. So I rearranged them by category (soup, fruit, veg) and then again by height. Dee wandered down about 2:30 to see what I was doing. By then my head was swimming with obsessive thoughts of canned goods. I invited him to view my efforts.

"Have you been Sleeping With the Enemy?" he asked, referring to Julia Robert's freaky soup-can controlling husband in the movie. "Can you remember him?" "I can," I mumbled and stumbled off to bed.

I must have been obsessing even in my sleep, worrying that my cans weren't as cute as they could be. I dreamed I sewed them all little clothes.

"That's weird."

Home Decor: Sing Your Own Song

TravelinOma:

singing the same old song.

I had great plans of developing a new persona when I moved to Daybreak. I'd start over: instead of being a reclusive writer I'd be a community organizer. I'd enhance my full-bodied look and wear leopard driving gloves with huge glitzy bracelets; my ever-present bandana sweatband would be my signature roaring-twenties headpiece.

The basis for my persona was a new house. My decorating style would make a clean, classic statement ala Pottery Barn. Blue, white and red would be updated to blue, white and yellow--fresh, unadorned cream colored walls would soothe and calm my frenzied friends. A neighbor once told me, "Marty, your house makes me dizzy." My new interiors would put her to sleep like a lullaby.

NOT.

I've discovered that a month of planning does not trump 62 years of living. And 42 of those years I've been married to a collector who loves color and pattern as much as I do. Geometric straw balls placed strategically on bookshelves are for people who don't have 23 boxes of books! Elegant framed swatches of Marimekko fabric are for folks who don't collect coats from the Tyrol. Sad to say, the new persona died in the move. The old persona is sitting at her computer, wearing a bandana, surrounded by a patchwork of dizzying hues.

Our bookcases fit perfectly in a little nook by the entry.

We showcased the books we've written, plus collections of books that reflect our interests.

The suitcases on top are decorated with travel labels of places we've been.

IKEA magazine files on the bottom shelves hold projects in progress.

Someone once said, "You were born an original. Don't die a copy." Sing your own song! Designer shows I've been watching all summer emphasize decorating for your eventual buyer. They have rules for color choices, art groupings, and furniture placement. According to these experts, too much personal stuff detracts from the neutral wall space, and the universally featureless artwork the home-stagers promote. Ridiculous!

Our new townhouse in Garden Park is just over 1600 square feet.

It has two bedrooms and a loft, which we converted into Dee's office.

Half of the Living Room is living room, and the other half is my office,

with a long dining table for a layout table.

When company comes, I'll clear off the writing gear and pass the potatoes!

This is what my office looks like from the staircase looking down.

I used a collection of pewter pieces on an IKEA lazy susan to hold elastics, paper clips, pencils, etc.

(Handy for writing with grandkids coloring on the other side,

and easy to relocate at the dinner bell.)

Here's how the two spaces work together.

(From the kitchen . . .

. . . from the entry.)

A home should be a reflection of those who live there. Where else can you showcase your personality, interests and accomplishments better than your home? If kids are part of the decor, their fingerprints should be all over (both literally and figuratively.) School pictures in the bedroom (hang them on a clothesline with tiny clothespins) birthday invitations on the fridge (create a section for each kid to display their stuff and let them decide what to take down when something new comes in the mail) and towels hanging low in the bathroom (give everyone their own color and their own hook at a reachable level and they might not land on the floor!)

I love to troll decorating magazines and websites, and pinterest is my newest obsession, but if an idea appears too often I run the other way. Ideas are for inspiration, not to replace creativity. I'm wary of trends. If somebody tells you green appliances will spice up your kitchen, decide if guacamole is the look you love before buying the whole avocado. (I speak from experience.) If a trend sings to you, you'll still love it when it's out of style in five years, but if you choose it because it's all the rage, you'll be singing "It's not easy being green" long before the avocado turns brown.

In one house we had gorgeous oak paneling. Gorgeous, I tell you! Plus a rock fireplace. A decorator came in to help us choose fabrics and she informed us that the room looked dark (ja, und?) "Cover this wood up with burlap. The rock fireplace could be redone with Naugahyde and stud nails." She was so confident, so sure future buyers wouldn't like the old-fashioned cabin charm, that we actually thought about it . . . until we remembered we loved the warm, cozy feel we had, and WE were living there! Let your home reflect you.

Letters to and from our family while we lived a year in England

captured our experiences. Here they are displayed on a staircase wall,

available for reading and remembering.

The ambiance of your home is the most important element: the feel, the gemutlichkeit, the atmosphere. Decide which part of your personality to emphasize (elegant, sophisticated, casual, comfortable, colorful, artistic) and look through your drawers for stuff that tells that story. Pieces that represent your talents, interests, memories or heritage can be displayed in unique ways to prompt conversations or recharge your batteries.

Dee's inspiration board is a collage of former projects,

and projects to come. The pictures tell his stories,

which he happily shares with clients and grandkids.

Creativity is the best part of home-making, from my point of view. I love taking an idea and tweaking it with a few grace notes of my own. I've fallen flat with a few looks, but some are pretty sharp.

What tune is your house singing?

Share a description or a link!

Why Are You Moving to Daybreak?

I've been buried with questions!
Underneath it all, I've got an answer.

Our new digs in Garden Park at Daybreak, Utah

Ever since I announced "We're moving," I've been asked

Why Daybreak?

Let me tell you. Daybreak is a planned community below the Oquirrh Mountains in the southwest corner of Salt Lake Valley. It's four thousand acres and will eventually have 20,000 homes—it's already a thriving village after just a few years, and growing like crazy.

Houses of different design, price range, size all mingle together—like neighbors!

There are biking and hiking trails, a town square with shops and restaurants, and over a dozen parks, all built around a lake. Residents can use sailboats and canoes for free, fish and play on the beach; we can rent garden plots for $35 a season.

From our house everything is within walking distance: the TRAX Station (our local public transit) is a block away; there's a hospital, bakery, hair salon, florist and dry cleaners five minutes down the street. Plus a major shopping center just a mile away (movie theater, grocery store, Office Max and all the regulars—after ten restaurants I stopped counting.)

Oquirrh Lake in Daybreak

So what's Garden Park?

Garden Park is a 55+ neighborhood within Daybreak, "for grownups," the ad says. The idea is we've worked hard and now it's time to say no to yardwork, stairs and maintenance, and yes to anything we want!

Garden Club

The clubhouse is at the end of our street and is exclusive to the Garden Park residents. It's gorgeous, with a huge kitchen designed for parties, receptions and cooking classes. The work-out room offers aerobics, yoga and dance classes, personal trainers, treadmills, weights, etc.

(Plus a pool and hot tub.)

We were part of a focus group the other day, and Randy, (the guy focusing in on us) had us do an activity that couples or families could also use to help decide where to move.

How Much Would You Pay?

We listed things that were important to us about where we want to live: transportation, space, floor plan, neighborhood, yard, architecture, etc. and he wrote them on ten separate pieces of paper, which he spread out on the table. We were each given $100 in small bills (fake money, unfortunately) and we divided it up among the categories. It helped us see what matters most to us. I put my money on stability of Ivory Homes (the builder,) square footage (little but big enough,) and small town feel.

In reality, none of the many reasons I've listed is why we're moving to Garden Park in Daybreak. They are all perks of our decision. The real reason is the spirit of the place.

Back in 1970 my dad, a man of vision (he was an eye doctor) invested in some real estate and sold it quickly for a profit. He was anxious to repeat the experience, so he bought some more land and hired his brand new son-in-law (Dee) to help him develop and sell it. It was next to the Oquirrh Mountains. Dee got to know every well-wisher (people who search for wells) and sheep rancher for miles around—they were the folks who owned the land.

At the foot of the mountains is the Bingham Copper Mine, and there were several ghost towns (Lark, Copperton, Ragtown) where the miners had lived. Dee loves ghosts, and got to know them all. (Have you heard of Ivy Baker Priest, the humble copper miner's daughter from Bingham Canyon who became President Eisenhower's U.S. Treasurer from 1952 to 1960?)

Anyway. This summer our life was turned upside down and we decided it was time for a new chapter, a change of scenery, so we took a thirty-five minute drive to see what had happened out west. The surface had changed, but we could feel our roots—there was still a spirit of hope, vision, history. We felt energized when Lane (our great realtor) showed us through a few houses—it was like coming home.

Immediately I googled Daybreak, looking for bloggers who could give me the real scoop on the place. The official website came up with (interesting) sales-pitch-type-jargon, and a few private posts from 2009, but nothing current from a real, local Daybreaker. I had to do my research the old-fashioned way: by telephone, car and on foot.

I need a blog about Garden Park! There's stuff I need to know: Who's moving in? Is there a book club? Can anyone recommend a handyman? Who did your drapes?

I'd love to hear from any of you who live (or know someone who lives) in my new neighborhood.

My spirits are soaring because I'm moving to Daybreak!

(Now, maybe I'll be the one who pops up on Google!)

Making a Home

Something you don't know about me:
I'm an interior designer.

Not professionally—just privately. Matching fabrics, hanging pictures or displaying collections turns on my creativity. Ten years ago we downsized from a house to an apartment, and we've loved it. But after figuring out the (only) arrangement for the furniture and where the artwork worked best, there hasn't been much room to maneuver. Our new townhouse has inspired me!

I got out my graph paper and spent a few hours with a measuring tape at our new place drawing the rooms to scale, windows, doors and outlets included. I made several copies of each page.

Then I measured every piece of furniture I have,

and drew each one to scale. I colored, labeled and cut. Now I can arrange and rearrange the furniture with the flick of a finger! It lets me try the couch in the bedroom, the armoire in the kitchen and the desk in the loft without breaking anyone's back. When a design seems right, I trace the furniture onto its page,

Color it and save it in a folder.
It's fun to have something new to think about!

How would you decorate a new place, or a new space?

Daybreak Townhouse

We'll be here soon!

Apartment living has had its perks: a guy comes to change our furnace filters and fire alarm batteries. They wash our windows regularly, and fix our dryer or disposal whenever we call. We haven't missed mowing the lawn or shoveling the snow, but there are some things we have missed.

Our own front door.


A patio.

A place for a barbecue.

A little touch of green.
(Luckily, someone else will mow it.)

What do you love about where you live?

Moving

Exciting News!

We're moving to a brand new place! After ten years in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, we're heading to the other end of the valley (Daybreak for you locals.) Six weeks to plan, organize and pack our stuff. Do you have any moving tips? What worked for you? What didn't? Do tell!