The Lucky House

This week has already been nuts.  I am dealing with a thousand things at work, and yesterday we just found out that we now have a vacation home in Augusta, GA (AKA the house we built last year, is rented currently, and the renters are vacating Feb. 14th) So with that said an added stress has been added to our lives of carrying two mortgages until we sell this baby (sad face).  I know what you are thinking this is not the optimistic Nicole that is normally here on this blog.  Not necessarily the case because everything in life happens for a reason and luckily John and I were always prepared for this to happen.  Thank goodness.  I think when things come up in life unexpectedly  it truly puts things in perspective.  I have never been so happy to have John come home last night, open up a bottle wine, throw a little Van Morrison, tilt our head back and dance in the kitchen, and enjoy each other.  That turned everything around, and those moments are what life and being married are all about. 

So this too shall pass, and I will continue to have a positive outlook, and would ask everyone to start saying prayers this very second that we will sell this house.  I am kind of sad to say that at the same time, because the house we lived in for only 8 months is so so so special to John and I.  When those beams and boards were barely put together that is where John proposed to me.  We picked out everything we wanted for that house.  We had so many awesome memories in the short time we were there from bringing Palin home, to planning our wedding, to cozy nights by the fire place, to killing my first outdoor plants (I have and will likely never be a green thumb, sorry mom).  I feel like that house is lucky, and therefore I am going to instruct our real estate agent to sell on that.  I can picture her telling the story now " The couple that built this house were blissfully in love, and got engaged in this very spot so we call this the lucky house"  You know they say in sales it is about painting the right picture.  Hopefully it will remain the "lucky house" for us, and not the place we had great memories but took a bath on!

The Pyramid of Success

In my current job I do many things, but one of the things I miss from working at Covidien is the part about working with a team towards a common goal and managing/coaching on how to succeed. Working for a smaller company I wear many different hats, and am slammed with work everyday that I truly love but I miss having that opportunity to inspire sales reps. to go out and get after it. I decided that I needed to bring back something called "Weekly Inspiration" to my new team at PE.  I have always been a quote person, a person that loved motivational speakers, motivational books, etc.  and that will never change.  Since I no longer have a team  I directly work with I use this blog as an opportunity to try and inspire you! My readers.  Yes I realized this past week I actually have a lot of people that read my blog.  This email was sent to my team Monday therefore I am a little late here on my blog but each week I will be sharing with my team at PE and all of you my weekly dose of "Inspiration".  This week I sent this ....John Wooden's Pyramid of Success.  I love John Wooden and all the wonderful lessons this man has taught so many people.  My favorite is the Pyramid of Success Below.  When I was in college playing volleyball at Bentley I was given my first copy of this pyramid by an NCAA staffer.  Since then it has always been either in my pad folio or on my bulletin board.  The Pyramid of Success is to me more then just advice on how to be a great athlete, it is how to be a great person, a great leader, to be the best person you can be in this world.  Although all are important the following are my favorite blocks on this period that have helped me to tackle my own personal pyramid of success.  Which ones are yours?:

1. Enthusiasm: "Your energy and enjoyment, drive and dedication will stimulate and greatly inspire others."  Enthusiasm is a gift for many, but it is an attribute that can also be learned based on your outlook and attitude towards life.  People love to talk to people that are enthusiastic, it is exciting and fun and everyone should practice this attribute because in the end it will also make you feel better!

2. Industriousness:  "Success travels in the company of very hard work.  There is no trick, no easy way."  This is incredibly important, in order to be successful and get to where you want to be you need to be willing to work.  Often times I have the opportunity to speak with people about my career path, and offer advice.  To new college graduates I always tell them you have to start at the bottom, and when you start there the work you do there is the most important you will ever do in your life because it builds the foundation of where you go from there.  And in that position you must have the best attitude ever, even if you are doing the worst job because it will only make you better and get you where you really want to go faster.  Some of the best lessons I learned in sales were selling heating pads in a mall kiosk when I was at 16 and then selling office supplies door to door through college.  It was all worth it because now I am where I want to be and in a position to continuously see myself grow.  For many of you out there do you work, but inside have a goal, a deeper sense of purpose for the things you love and for where you want to go and work hard to get there.  Because.....you eventually will!

3. Alertness:  "Constantly be aware and observing. Always seek to improve yourself and your team"  By forcing your self to learn something new everyday and to continously be developing relationships through networking it can take a you a long way.  Don't be afraid to talk to people, you never know what opportunities may come through the people you meet.

4. Intentness:  "Stay the course, when thwarted try again, harder, smarter, perserve relentlessly."  Success is reached only by hard work, and keeping your eye on your goal.  You have to pay your dues to get to where you want to be but in the end it is worth it. 

5. Poise:  "Be yourself don't be thrown off by events whether good or bad" In life and in business it is a constant rollercoaster, keeping your cool and focus will result in more success then not.

Multi-Taskers Beware!

I had to post this article  because it sure did hit home for me. I am a mega multi-tasker and it definitely made me stop and think.  Enjoy!

http://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2010/05/how-and-why-to-stop-multitaski.html

A Post I Must Write, and Must Read for Dog Lovers Alike

This post is a little late but definitely a must write (a must read for dog lovers alike).  December 25th marked Palin Rose Semeraro's first birthday.  What a whirlwind the past 10 months of our lives have been with her.  She is truly the love of our life, and brings so much joy and happiness that I never thought an animal could possibly bring.  We had a big party for her 1st Birthday.  It included many close friends and family. Some may think it was overboard for a dog.  But hey, it put a smile on all of our faces and Palin obviously had an awesome time.  This is an overview of her party in pictures and videos...

Starting with her birthday outfit. As you can tell Zazzle sizes MED for dogs 30-35lbs runs a little small.  She was a trooper and humored her mom, and the rest of the guests in her muscle tee for all of ten minutes.  Although John and I were somewhat upset when someone said she looked like a stuffed sausage in casing! Not funny!

 Festive decorations made for a very fun night, including doggy favor bags and a special "People Cake" and "Dog Cake" from See Spot Eat dog bakery in Nashville.

 We had many happy guests as you can below...Libby is loving the hat

 Proud parents

 Look at the pride for our daughter,  I am sorry but I see it in our eyes....Palin on the other hand looks like she is ready for some cake!

 One big happy dog family, including uncle Cosmo who's hat is covering his eyes, he was just happy to see Palin go after having to share toys and be chased around all week by her dominating personality

And last but not least for your viewing enjoyment you can see how truly serious we were about this party on video...thank goodness for the flip because we now have this moment captured forever! For all my dog lovers out there you totally understand how this event was one of life's best "Simple Pleasures"

Cabbage Soup Is Good For The Soul

Now that John and I are back to reality and I have had a few days to reminisce on the past two weeks of the year and the Holiday Season I felt it was necessary to share with you one of the highlights of this Holiday Season.  This was John's dad's famous cabbage soup (although the recipe came from Aunt Linda, who needs to be given props here).  Many people have traditions of food they eat on New Years Day.  To be honest I think this is more of a Southern thing, but I could be wrong.  I grew up not having a traditional food on New Years day, my tradition has been to eat bad food because I like everyone else am going to start eating better the day after New Years. Sound familiar?  Well this is my third New Years Day with the Semeraro clan, and my third time having this amazingly delicious cabbage soup.  It is the most perfect simple pleasure to have a bowl of this soup, nurgle up in front of the fire/good movie, with a cozy blanket with your friends and family.  That is exactly what we did on Saturday.  We ate cabbage soup, played games, slept, relaxed, and enjoyed being with one another.  Unfortunately we lost Scrabble to Tony and Mo but I am over it (kind of).  Girls prevailed in Catch Phrase, and if anyone knows how competitive I am (volleyball girls, think game day van catch phrase) it was a solid win.  Throughout the fun all of us ate about 6 bowls of cabbage soup each.  That is how good it is, all I ate on New Years day was cabbage soup.  So with that said I will share with you the recipe today, and I recommend going out and getting the ingredients today! Especially all of you up in freezing New England.  You will not be disappointed.

Papa Sem's Cabbage Soup:
3 Tbsp. Butter
2 1/2 Cups Chopped Cabbage Head
1 Large Russet Potato
1 1/2 Cups Water
2 Cups Milk
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
Salt & Pepper To Taste
Garlic To Taste
1 Chicken Bouillon Cube

Instructions:
Combine Butter, Cabbage, Potato w/ 1/2 Cup Water in 3 qt. Sauce Pan
Cover and cook over low heat until potato's are mushed

Then add remaining water (1 cup), bouillon cube, milk~ Cover & Simmer over low heat (15 mins)
Add Salt, Pepper, Cheese and stir well until cheese melts

My Favorite Things

I love Oprah and I love magazines.  Mind you Oprah is off the air, and even when she was on the air I only once in a blue moon was able to watch her show.  Yet when her annual "Favorite Things" came on I was sure to DVR it.  Now many magazines have also come out with their "Favorite Things", along with J. Crew~ Jenna's Favorite things (Jenna and I have a lot of favorite things in common there so I will try not to be repetitive), The Limited (I forgot her name though), and the list goes on and that is what has inspired me to starting writing a post each month on "Nicole Favorite Things".  The problem with Jenna's favorite things, and Oprah's favorite things, and the magazines favorite things, is that many of these favorite things are SUPER expensive.  Those that  know me know that I love to shop, but I hate the process of shopping.  I am a woman of convience, and am not one to just mull around shopping for hours because there is always something else I could be doing.  What I am is a huge copier of what many people wear, especially my friends. And even my non-friends.  For example if I see someone in an airport with a dress I love, I make a beeline to find out where the girl got it.  Some may think copying is a bad thing, but I see it as flattery.  My girlfriends have especially learned to understand this concept.  One of my good friends Naya is extremely stylish and I often times find her being one I copy the most, second would probably be Kelly.  The only problem is now that I am in Florida I don't have them around to see what they are wearing everyday, so now I have to fend for myself.  It is a tough world out there when you may not be the most stylish person on the planet.  The other thing I have learned to do more (since being married) is to be more conscientious of my spending.  Trust me this is a good thing and I praise the lord for my husband who has reigned this girl in to be excellent with money (haha, that may be a stretch, but I am working on it and have seen marked progress.)  With this change I have a new mindset when it comes to shopping A. I try never to buy anything full priced because it will go on sale B.  If I do buy something full price I have to really, really, really, love it.  C.  If something is absolutely fabulous, on sale, and you are in love buy it in two colors.  So in order to achieve Part A of my motto it takes quite a bit of research most of which I do online, while sitting in an airport waiting for a plane.  Lucky for you I  do this a lot, so everyone is in for some affordable new things. I am limiting my favorite things to 10 Each Month and these can be anything!  Feel free to post some of your favorite things because as I said before I am busy and would love to copy you!

January Favorite Things:

1. New Black Heels by Vince Camuto: Being tall the hardest thing to do is find a 2 inch heel, these puppies fit the bill and they are very stylish, and come in two colors.  Volleyball girls you will love them!
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=510694&CategoryID=26481&LinkType=#fn=COLOR%3DBlack%26TOE_TYPE%3DPointy%26sp%3D1%26spc%3D56

2. Williams Sonoma Graviti Electric Salt & Pepper Mills:  I love pepper...on everything!  I got this as a Christmas present, and it is officially a new cooking fave.  Maybe a little pricey for a pepper mill, but trust me there is a major difference
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/graviti-electric-salt-and-pepper-mills/?pkey=e%7Celectric%2Bpepper%2Bmill%7C3%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C2&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-

3. Jillian Michaels is my girl...and she should be yours as well.  I have been a huge proponent of the 30 Day Shred for awhile, and have recently added her new Yoga DVD to the pile.  Both are awesome, and you have no excuse to not do 20 minutes a day of working out for your health.  The yoga one is my new favorite because I can do it in my hotel room when I am on the road! Plus like many of your former athletes out there I like to sweat when I work out so yoga has always been tough, Jillian brings it to a whole never level.  $9 each Target.

4. Headbands Are SO 2011 Ladies, I promise :) I wear them almost everyday in some way shape or form.  The more flare the better! My current favorite is this one from Anthropologie which is on sale in stores now for like $12
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?subCategoryId=&id=19718972&catId=ACCESSORIES-HAIR&pushId=ACCESSORIES-HAIR&popId=JEWELRYACCESSORIES&sortProperties=&navCount=25&navAction=top&fromCategoryPage=true&selectedProductSize=&selectedProductSize1=&color=004&isSubcategory=&isProduct=true&isBigImage=&templateType=D

5. Stella & Dot Crystal Necklace: I am all about the accesories and find necklaces, head bands, and duvet covers to be my favorite things to shop for.  This necklace is great, I have gotten tons of compliments on it and if you watch the Stella & Dot website sometimes they have 20% off!
http://www.stelladot.com/corporate/productcatalog?page=productdetail&selectedLocale=en_US&sku=N130

6. Duvet Covers: Now this is certainly not an everyday purchase, but a very important one.  I have our bedroom neutral specificially for the purpose of changing duvets with the season.  Fortunately for John, with us now living in Florida there are two season.... nice and nicer.  Duvets are not needed from May-September therefore quilts will be my new item to search for this spring.  But for right now I am enjoying the cozy comfort of this duvet cover from West Elm on our new bed. 

7. Ann Taylor Cowl Neck Sweater....In Orchid Petal.  Color is GORGEOUS and it is a lightweight sweater that does not itch.  Best of all it is 50% off right now ladies so get them while they are hot!
http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=29092&N=1200006&pCategoryId=3939&categoryId=181&Ns=CATEGORY_SEQ_181&loc=TN&gridSize=sm&showAll=true&defaultColor=Smudgy Plum&defaultSizeType=Regular

 Don't know how to enlarge this so just click the link

8. TJ Maxx Vintage Looking Picture Frame:  I am a fairly simple decorator, but love to bring in some really cool frames.  These are hard to find again because it seems like Marshalls/TJ's finds one of everything, but you get the gist of the look I am going for.  $7.99 each!

And no I do not know those people in that picture! haha

9. Dog Collars & Leashes: Palin is a spoiled dog and that is a fact.  You may wonder where she gets all of her designer duds (not) they are all handmade, affordable items usually found on Etsy.com.  I have a few I use regularly but I recently ordered from Addison Logan designs,  Here is the link to her Etsy shop and Palin's new collar
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AddisonLogan
Unfortunately she is on vacation so you will have to check her website for clear images considering Palin got a bath today and is complete fluff ball from her blow out.

and last but not least on this month's favorite things....

10.  Banana Republic  Wrap Top, now on sale!  This top is lightweight, feminie, and looks great on every figure.  You can wear it to work, or wear it to play....I would just to wear on any day.  Yes, that rhyme was on purpose.
http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=35356&vid=1&pid=789123&scid=789123012

Well that's all until February I hope everyone enjoys, and if your husband asks where you got it and who recommended please keep my name out of it :)



There Is Just Something About Blank Pages of A New Planner

There is just something about blank pages in a new planner and that start of a brand new year that gets me very excited!  This year is no different.  With 2010 now behind us, I look to this new planner excited about what will fill the pages over the next 362 days.  Choosing a planner or journal to write my "lists" in has always been a very hard decision.  I am very particular.  The paper needs to feel a certain way, it has to be bright white, vertical pages, and obviously pretty to look at.  If anyone has not bought a planner yet I highly recommend this years find. Of all places I bought it at Talbots.  It has a pretty gold cover, and the start of each month has a bright cheery art design.  It is fabulous! . 

Each month has  a different picture by a different artist, April is my favorite

Anyways back to the post.  I like many others have been excitedly writing down my goals and resolutions for 2011. Directly into my brand spanking new planner so that I can remind myself everyday of what they are.  The list of goals is long (as it always is) but the resolutions I decided this year should be a little more simple

1. No more snooze button (So far failing at this one, but we drove 11 hours yesterday we were tired)
2. Do some type of work out everyday even if just for 10 minutes
3. Say thank you in writing to someone different every week
4. Be more patient, and stop putting so much pressure on myself

The last one is actually a really big resolution, but one that is very important to me.  I (like many of you out there) am extremely busy and constantly running around on overdrive.  I set high goals for myself, which is fine because that is how I have been successful. But I think as I am getting older I am realizing that there is a better way to set high goals and achieve them without putting constant pressure on myself.  You might be thinking how the heck is she going to do that? And even more so what type of advice could I who is the culprit of  all culprit of pressure on myself give you?  In my mind it is simple....stop, think, accept and breathe before acting.  Let me give you an example of what I do all the time and it drives me (and probably John) crazy.  I will write a work to do list and a personal  to do list every morning as I drink my coffee.  Today I woke up and did my normal routine.  On the personal side the list was quiet long today as we have been gone for the past two weeks.  On the work side it was quite extensive as well, considering I am traveling almost every day in January.  I start to read my personal list: grocery shopping, Target, return a few things, go to the cleaners, go to the frame shop, work out, and trust me it goes on for about 20 more things that need to be done TODAY.  My list is regulary like this but I always feel like I have to get everything done or I will not feel like I am able to relax.  Well this morning after reading both lists I started to get a little stressed out, I mean there is only 24 hours in the day here!  Then I took my advice,  I stopped reading,  I thought about what tasks were most important and picked three. Groceries, work out, and cleaners,  and decided the rest can wait until tomorrow.  Then I breathed and accepted my decision.  For many people out there that feel this way it is a difficult thing to conquer.  It is partially the world we live in and partially just a characteristic of someone with a Type A personality.  I feel that I am good at balancing the simple pleasures of life, but the times when things are crazy and hectic if I just take the time to stop, think, accept, and breathe about all the tasks that seem to pile up everyday those crazy and hectic times will be a lot smoother. My feeling is if I make a conscious effort to do this then my blood pressure won't be nearly as high. Haha just kidding (maybe not though)  So with that said those Christmas lights can come down next week as well.  Last night after completing just three of my tasks I relaxed and enjoyed a nice dinner with John and Palin, just a simple pleasure vs. the insanity.  Happy New Year Everyone!