Dancing in the Street

For the "Dancers Among Us" (cough, Kassie), enjoy these beautiful photos. This is an ongoing project that began in the spring of 2009, featuring top professional dancers in everyday situations around New York City. There were no trampolines or other devices used for these images, just thousands of hours of training! There are so many, but here are a few of my favorites. Check them all out here and see the behind-the-scenes videos here.

Walk This Way

This is interesting... might need to conduct my own experiment.


A Mystery: Why Can't We Walk Straight? from NPR on Vimeo.

Pea Pod Pictures.

My Facebook feed is filled with too many pregnant women's bellies these days that I needed a laugh and a break from it all. Please enjoy this blog post on awkward pregnancy photos and enjoy it as much as I did.

Disclaimer: More nudity than one expects shows up in the pictures. You have been warned.

Suggestions for Success.

1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that’s worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even if it means you’ll sometimes be wrong.
18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your Mom proud.

By H. Jackson Brown Jr.

That's Brillant!

I love ideas and this is called IdeaPaint! It turns any surface into a dry-eraser surface. I would paint an old desk, kids' doors, kitchen cabinets and office walls in this paint. Very cool! Look at the gallery of pictures...

Cheating 101

O Sister, Where Art Thou?

I need to blog. I need sleep. I need... I'm coming back to fun-land slowly, but surely. I have been so busy with our website, our shows, holidays, and just plain ole life! But I'm semi-back in action...

twitter 101

lime pine cones

For the past few weeks, we have been working day in and day out on our upcoming retail shows. I have been ordering, organizing, buying, building, cutting trees, and spraying pine cones. Yep, spraying pine cones, lime in fact. We are excited for these shows and have been preparing a great deal for them. We have had to break out the saws, hammers, and spray paint cans to get these booths together. It will be worth it in the end, but wow can it tire you out.

In the middle of our preparations and all of our going ons, we get word that our parents will both be undergoing individual surgeries in the coming weeks (yes, we should have a frequent surgery family pass)... and then, to top it off my mom gets violently ill AND shares it with me! So, I have been down for the count the past four days (miserable) and found out today that my dad got it yesterday. I guess the family that shares stays together.

On Wednesday, my brother and I get to select hundreds of lamps for our shows in a hot warehouse. YAY! The fun never ends. Actually, we can't wait to get our hands dirty and select some awesome lamps. This quarter is going to fly by... one lime pine cone at a time!

in remembrance

If you haven't seen the film "102 Minutes that Changed America," watch it the next time it is on. It will make you remember where you were that day. For me, I got to school early because my Business Law professor will not open the door after 8:00 AM. So, I always got there early at 7:30 AM. I sat in my assigned seat (yes, some college professors are that trivial). I got out my book and notepad preparing for yet another long, boring lecture from a mean, monotone professor.

It was 8:01 AM and the classroom door was slammed shut. I notice a few people weren't in class, but I started mentally preparing for this lecture. My friend Nima was sitting beside me. We both gave each other a look of disgust as Dr. Reynolds started in on some ridiculous law that we would never apply in real-life. Then, there was a tap at the door. A very annoyed Dr. Reynolds stopped talking and went over the door. Outside was a small group of our fellow students. They were crying and others looked like they heard really bad news. He talked briefly with them. We figured he would have told them to scram like he usually does when someone is late. Sidenote: He had a very strict attendance policy and that is why anyone would ever come to class when something was going on.

NYC Love Monument

So, these five students came in and took their seats. We were all concerned and started asking what was wrong. Dr. Reynolds tried to get the class back on track, but that was next to impossible. We learned that one of the Twin Towers in NYC was on fire and they thought a bomb went off or an airplane flew into it. Normally upon hearing this type of news would have been tragic and we would have gone on with class. However, one of the girls' brother worked in that tower and she couldn't get a hold of him.

Dr. Reynolds shrugged off this girl with an explanation that small planes fly into buildings all the time and he was sure that everyone was being evacuated. Well, that just set that girl off. She wailed and then her phone rang and she told us that another plane hit the second tower. She said they think that we are under attack. She started for the door and Dr. Reynolds went into a tirade about how if anyone leaves that we will be deducted a letter grade. Did I mention he was mean?

Ground Zero Cross

Therefore, he left the class no choice, but to band together and walk out. We all dispersed as soon as we got to the lobby, but a majority of us headed over to the Woodmore Cafe. As soon as we got there, they started replaying the second plane impact. It went silent in rather busy cafe on any other given day. We couldn't talk. Some started crying. Others started dialing loved ones. I just stood there. It was like we were in a Jerry Bruckheimer film. We saw the President give his speech from Florida. It was surreal. Then, I heard my phone go off. It was my mom. She said that I needed to get somewhere safe. There were rumors that Oak Ridge was a likely target.

I will have to tell you that this is when it got real, very real for me. I asked Nima to walk with me to my car and we would follow each other home. He lived a mile from me. As we walked, across campus someone shouted at him to go back to the Middle East. We didn't think it was directed at him at first, but it was soon realized that we was being mistaken for some other culture. Nima is a Persian-American. I felt angry, not just at the ignorant student but at everything. I freely admit that from then on, I too looked at Middle Easterners differently. We didn't know who did this to America on that day, but I think we all knew where they derived from. I'm not condoning group blame, but I think my guard was raised. Even when I flew after 9/11, I think I looked at everyone differently.

It was truly the first time in my life where I thought violence was the answer. I wanted President Bush to drop the A-Bomb on them. But who was the them? I didn't know. All I knew was that I was angry and this was my generation's Pearl Harbor. I got home and stayed in front of the TV for the next few days with my roommate. When my parents felt it was okay to drive home to Jackson, I left for home listening to probably every song about American-pride that was out there. When I got into West TN, I remember every bridge was covered with huge flags and signs that read God Bless America. My heart swelled with pride.

Many perished that day and many have perished since, but I hold tight to the fact that through it all God was there. He was the people on the planes. He was holding the hands of those who had no other choice, but to jump from the skyscrapers. He was with all of the police, rescue workers, firefighters, and first responders who gave up their own lives to save the lives of others. I have tried many times to put myself in each of their shoes through the years. What would I have done? Would I have been calm? Would I have stayed behind? Would I have jumped? Many unanswered questions, but one thing I hold dear and steadfast is that I know God would be with me through it all. Never Forget.

"The world breaks everyone, and then some become strong in the broken places."

 - Hemingway ("Farewell to Arms")

one girl's ugly is another's pretty.

My friend Kristen reposted an article from her friend's Facebook page. It is about this woman named Marisa Lynch, who takes ugly dresses and for only $1 makes them into fashion statements. She has set out to only spend $365 for the year on 365 garments. Wow! She is thinking outside of the box. I'm secretly jealous. I got kicked out of home economics in high school. My teacher told me that I should "marry well, marry rich!" Ha! I don't feel too bad, my mom had a similar experience in high school - so birds of a feather... However, my mom got the sewing bug when she was pregnant with me, so there is still hope for me. I appreciate anyone who knows their way around a Singer. I tried an Annie pillow once, it didn't survive my horrible stitching.

Clothes-making is fast becoming a lost art. Even two generations back, most women made their own clothes and everything for the family. Had I lived back then, my family would have had to resort to fig leaves I guess. Actually, I would have worked out some business plan of buying extra clothes from the 'real' women and set up a retail shop. It would have been a neat little frontier clothing store. I would have probably called it "Cotton Jen's" or something. Think of the giveaway... a jar of butter!

let us go forth.

I'm a perfectionist. I freely admit it. I will tweak and tweak on a project until the very last moment. My brother and I have hard launched our website today. It has been out there for a while, but we didn't tell anyone about it. We tweaked and tweaked it. We have spent countless hours coding, organizing, coding, implementing, coding, designing, coding, testing, and yes more coding. We are over-achievers too. So instead of launching one or two companies, we pick about 15. Instead of a few hundred products, we pick 20,000. We jumped heads first into the deep end.

Today, we let our friends and families know that we want everyone to know about us. We started phase 1 of our media launch. With some apprehension, we sent out the word that we are good to go. Yes, there are still a few things that we will still be tweaking on into the wee hours of the night. It has a been a big lesson in letting go the perfectionist thing for a while. I see the flaws and what needs to be changed, but I know others will see something different. Hopefully, something creative, successful, and eventually profitable.

We have been greatly encouraged over the last few weeks with sales coming in and we hadn't hard launched yet. People were finding us through all of our SEO work (which is really, really boring if you don't know anything about it.) Basically, we were starting to be indexed by Google, Yahoo, and Bing and we were pushing our pages up the index ladder so searchers can actually find us and hopefully buy something from us.

We are excited about this new chapter in our lives and hope if you see this blog post that you will check us out at yourhomeoutlet.com!

Other links:
Visit our See Spot Find blog. We will post decorating tips and designing trends, as well as the latest promotions and updates about our company. Also, it will have a more relaxed atmosphere and reflect our unique personalities.

If you use Facebook, check on our page and click the "Like" button. Then, share Your Home Outlet Fan page with your friends.

If you use Twitter, visit our Twitter Page @yourhomeoutlet. Click "Follow" and you will get updates, promo codes, fun little anecdotes here and there.

I am a Walrus.

I have seen Paul McCartney three times. I have met two Beatles. I have one Ringo to go. Kris and I went to the Paul McCartney concert last Monday with two of my college friends Kevin and Allison Thompson. We got there early so I could star stalk Paul. We got there just a few minutes after he went in. Boo! We met a few of his stage truckers, press, and rabid fans until we decided to eat the sports grille formerly known as Eddie George's. We went in the back way and somehow ended up at a table that we thought was part of the bar, but got to remain there by the manager skipping the hour and half wait. We ate our hamburgers while jamming out to McCartney's greatest hits.

We finished and then went out the way we came in, the correct door this time. It's worth noting that when we went into the restaurant, there were about 50 people standing on the streets outside of the arena. When we reappeared, there were about 700 people waiting in long lines. I have been to many concerts, but a hour and a half before the concert I have never seen that many people out in front of the arena. 

There were metal detectors going full blast and everyone was anxiously waiting for the doors to open. We found our way in and up to we-are-broke-but-still-want-to-rock seats. Of course, we had the older men and women reliving their misguided youth. There was the I'm-too-drunk-to-know-where-I-am people in front of us. Then, my personal favorite - pot smokers. Really? Inside the arena, you are smoking pot. They must have really enjoyed the Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da trippy light show. Overall, we had a wonderful time and Paul didn't disappoint anyone. It had all the great components of a pure rock n' roll show, including two jam-packed Beatles encores. I didn't get to do my normal concert antics during and after the concert since I had conservative Kris with me. Though I didn't see my boy again up close, we had a wonderful time and I'm glad we got to enjoy the living legend together.


 
 
   Setlist
 1. Venus and Mars/Rockshow 
 2. Jet 
 3. All My Loving
 4. Letting Go 
 5. Got To Get You Into My Life 
 6. Highway (The Fireman cover)
 7. Let Me Roll It
 8. The Long And Winding Road
 9. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five
10. Let 'Em In 

11. My Love

12. I'm Looking Through You

13. Tequila (The Champs cover)

14. Two Of Us

15. Blackbird

16. Here Today 

17. Dance Tonight 

18. Mrs. Vandebilt 

19. Eleanor Rigby 

20. Ram On 

21. Something 

22. Sing The Changes 

23. Band On The Run 

24. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 

25. Back in the U.S.S.R.

26. I've Got A Feeling 

27. Paperback Writer 

28. A Day In The Life/Give Peace A Chance 

29. Let It Be 

30. Live And Let Die 

31. Hey Jude

Encore

 1. Day Tripper

 2. Lady Madonna 

 3. Get Back

Encore 2

 1. Yesterday

 2. Helter Skelter 

 3. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

 4. The End

A great moment during the end of the concert. Paul signed a fan's back so she could get it tattooed. Very generous!

Little Art

Art is subjective and in the eye of the beholder. I remember seeing some Yoko Ono's art installations from the 60's and in particular one titled "YES" the one that John Lennon saw and feel in love with her. I don't get her art viewpoint. I don't get most art, but I know it is supposed to invoke an emotion, a feeling, perhaps a conversation. So, in retrospect, I guess she accomplished her goal. She made her art, she started the conversation, and she got her man. (and broke up The Beatles - I'm still hurt by that one!)

Remember The Littles? This art installation reminded me of that cartoon, but I guess bigger than that it reminds me of how small we are in the eyes of God. We are just ants marching around building our little ant hills. Sometimes, we focus so intently on building our ant hills that we forget why we are and what purposes our lives have. Again, I guess art has me thinking which invoked an emotion and now a conversation within myself. Art 2, Jenny 0

Sweet Dreams

I love cupcakes and especially scrumptiously decorated ones. Ming Makes Cupcakes will make your mouth water, if not your sweet tooth twinge. I wanted to experiment with these recipes, but my time has been eaten up with SEO and finding computer bugs. By the end of the year, I hope to make at least two of these recipes, but for now I sit and daydream.

For Dummies?

I have become the resident IT support person for my family and extended family. I have been asked every question under the sun in regards to software issues. It's okay, but sometimes I have to laugh to myself because I take for granted my experience and education. I have trolled this site a few times for some comic relief and to commensurate. Here's a sample conversation.

Client: “Yes but it’s not moving when I move the mouse. I’m using a mousepad and everything!”

Me: “Look underneath the mouse. Does it have a ball or a light?”

Client: “Underneath? The ball is on top!”

Me: “Please turn the mouse right-side-up, so the ball is facing the ground.”

Catalog Living

Ran across this blog... not all jokes are funny, but it will make you look at your catalogs in a different way. I have worked and been around merchandising displays my entire life.  The overall goal is to show of your product and entice people to visualize the product in their life or home and ultimately purchasing the product. However, sometimes Pottery Barn and other like retailers push it into overkill because they are old school about filling the frame in a catalog shot. So... I'm glad someone has time on their hands to put out the ridiculousness of their fill-in objects. Enjoy!

smish. smash. smush.

If you need a time-waster game... here's one. Smash the beans!

stache it away.

I keep up with trends. I feel like I'm "in the know" at least half of the time, but this mustache trend bugs me a bit. Maybe I'm not into it because it went so trendy, so fast. Every where you turn, there was a bridal party or kids with fake mustaches. There were necklaces, t-shirts, bumper stickers, etc. I don't dig the "stache" to say the least.

Kris tried to bug me one weekend by keeping a pencil thin stache after shaving. Yuck! I think staches, like cats they have an agenda. No good can from a mustache. It seems creepy in a way. Remember the Guess Who? game? I would always ask "Does your person have a mustache?" Try to eliminate all of those creepy guys first. Some trends I can get behind, but this one needs to be stached away. This poster is the only thing that I can condone since it involves font-related humor.

Man in the Mirror

How cool is this Los Angeles street performer? I bet it hurts to sit down.