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This just in from the AP: The top color shade for 2009 will be a sunny shade of golden yellow, called “mimosa.”

According to Pantone, which provides color standards to design industries, the public is expected to embrace many shades of the optimistic color as people look to the future for positive change. We can expect to see shades of yellow on clothing, accessories, home furnishings and more in the coming months.

Yellow has always been one of my favorite colors. My bat mitzvah invitations were yellow and orange, because even at age thirteen, I was already drawn to the happy colors of sunshine and warmth.

But what I see when I look at the “mimosa” color swatch now is not just the “most wonderful symbolic color of the future,” as quoted by Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

I see my Mom’s carpet and appliances. I see a color similar to one that was ubiquitous in any home of the ’70s, along with burnt orange and olive green! I look at that swatch, and I’m transported back across 3.5 decades and seven states to the home of my youth.

While prompting us to “look forward with optimism” is certainly one effect the 2009 “mimosa” color will have on our collective psyches, it may not be solely due to the color’s inherent warm and cheery nature. I suspect the subconscious conjuring of happy memories as we gaze upon a familiar shade from years past will contribute as well.

So here’s to embracing shades of golden yellow as we begin a new era while reflecting back on days gone by. I am hopeful that we’ll all have a truly happy, sunny, and optimistic 2009.

I left the house just after sunset, and was surprised to see a very bright crescent moon with two huge planets shining underneath. Thinking for a minute that they must be airplanes, I stared for a bit before realizing that I must be witnessing some strange planetary alignment.

It never hit me that I was looking at a celestial frown.

When I returned home, I googled “moon planets alignment” to figure out what I had seen, and the first result screamed, “Tonight: Planets Align in a Frown.” In a rare conjunction event, Venus and Jupiter lined up side-by-side, just below the crescent moon – making an upside-down frown in the sky!

While pondering this celestial commentary and its coordination with some sobering recent headlines, I came upon the following search result, “Planets all smiles as galaxy puts on rare show.”

Now how could this be? Is it possible that the heavens were frowning for one journalist yet smiling for another?

Further reading of the “smiley” article provided the answer. The unhappy configuration was visible in the Northern hemisphere, while the cheerier counterpart smiled down upon stargazers in western Australia and other parts of the Southern hemisphere.

To me, seeing the frown was cool. But seeing the smiley must have been a whole lot cooler. The next planetary conjunction is slated for May 2013. I’m already planning my trip to Australia.

Today I visited the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria, VA.

I had the rainy day pleasure of visiting several galleries, browsing the work, and speaking with several artists. There were two that really stood out in their use of bright color and unusual technique.

Zoya Gutina is a bead artist, making one-of-a-kind wearable sculptures. Three of her works are featured on the Torpedo Factory website. I got the opportunity to see the award-winning Poppy Field Necklace (below) in person, and the craftsmanship and attention to detail were fabulous!

When I asked how long it took to create the piece, her answer was, “months,” and she took the time to show me how each flower was individually crafted, how the base was constructed, and how all the pieces were sewn together. She also has some simpler pieces on display, and has an extensive website at www.mylovelybeads.com from which she sells her designs to customers all over the world.

Another artisan whose pieces blew me away is Ruth Gowell. She has two very different lines of work – woven fiber art and kiln-fused glass. It was the fiber art that completely captivated me, and unfortunately, the photos on the website do not do her work justice!

Ruth has been weaving for more than 35 years, and exploring warp face weave technique since 1978.

Before placing the warp threads on the loom, she hand-dyes them in color progressions of up to 20 shades. There are typically five layers of warp in each weaving – one being a metallic thread. The pieces I saw used clear plastic rods as part of the weft, and these rods were connected to the base mounting board via loops of seed beads in colors that matched the weaving. The result is a stunning, unique piece of wall art. Ruth’s website is at www.ruthgowell.com.

Both of these artisans brought a smile to my face and helped brighten a cold and drizzly day. If you’re lucky enough to visit the DC area, it’s definitely worth a trip to the Torpedo Factory, where you can check out Zoya and Ruth’s recent works, as well as those in the other 80 galleries onsite!

The little frown-to-smiley-face at the top of the blog has now been immortalized as a logo, of sorts.

He’s available in full color on a wide variety of clothing items here in my Cafepress store.

There’s even a color-your-own version in black and white (click here to see it) that you can embellish with any fabric markers or paints of your choosing.

Enjoy!

I had the opportunity on Thanksgiving Day to hike with a group of friends, including a 15-month old little boy.

Ben took in the hike from a carrier on his dad’s back. He didn’t miss a trick, pointing out the birds in the sky, dogs, airplanes, and even a squirrel as we walked along.

Every time we approached a tree (which was often, as we were hiking in the woods!), Ben would gleefully blurt out “teee,” and reach out to try to touch it.

I was struck by the complete wide-eyed wonder with which he viewed every tree – as if each one was different and special and possessed by some magical quality. The eyes of a child are open to so many things that we’ve learned to overlook, pass by, or simply ignore.

Wouldn’t it be cool if everything we encountered brought us joy? If we were able to see the world through a lens of child-like wonder?

Interestingly, all it takes is a little practice to re-learn how to “see.”

Some time in the next few days, make an effort to look at something you haven’t given much thought to lately. Really look closely at its shape, color, texture, etc. If you had to describe it to someone wearing a blindfold, what would you say? Use your other senses too. Does it make a sound? Does it smell? What does it feel like? You may want to jot down some of your observations.

After trying this exercise a few times (try it outdoors with trees, rocks, bushes, ponds, streams, etc.), you’ll likely start to notice things you weren’t aware of previously. As with anything else, the more you practice, the more proficient you’ll become. And you’ll become more attuned to the joy and magic in what was once invisible.

One person can make a difference.

That is the premise of The Hunger Site, which was started in 1999 to put the power of the Internet to good use — towards the elimination of world hunger.

The premise is simple. Visitors to the site click a button, and with each click, sponsors will pay for food for the hungry throughout the world. An average of 220,000 visitors click on any given day, and since the program began, more than 300 million cups of staple food have been donated!

The program expanded in 2001 and now includes opportunities to click to provide healthcare for children, funding for protecting the rainforests, and support for many other charitable causes. From The Hunger Site, simply click the tabs along the top of the page to access the click buttons for the other programs.

This Thanksgiving, and every day, take a minute to do your part to help those less fortunate. Every click makes a difference.

Although not traditional Thanksgiving fare, cheesecake is the dish I have contributed to the holiday meal nearly every year since graduate school.

I thought I’d take a little break from the heavy posts and interject a recipe for the best darned cheesecake on this planet. Another little thing to make you smile. At least if you like cheesecake!

Now while this isn’t a “heavy” post, I will warn you that this cheesecake is not the low-calorie kind. It uses a full 2.5 pounds of cream cheese!

I have found, though, that because it is so rich, even the teeniest forkful is incredibly satisfying, and you can get a lot of servings from one recipe.

So, without further ado – here it is:

New York Cheesecake

FILLING:
2 1/2 lbs cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 TBSP flour
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

CRUST:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon

Filling: Cream and soften cream cheese in mixer. Add sugar slowly as you’re creaming the cheese. Add eggs one at a time (Note: you may want to slow down the mixer a tad so you don’t beat too much air in; if you do, the cheesecake will rise very high and will fall when taken out of the oven). Add in remaining filling ingredients and mix until blended.

Crust: Mix together all three ingredients and press into a springform pan, pushing crust partway up the sides.

Pour filling into crust. Bake at 250 – 350 degrees for 1.5 to 2 hours. Cake is done when a knife stuck into the center shows that cake has the consistency of paste rather than liquid. Cool at room temperature for awhile before opening the pan, so the cake has the opportunity to settle.

I normally serve the cake plain as it has so much flavor, but you can top it with fruit, or mix together sour cream and confectionery sugar for icing.

Enjoy!

I wish you all safe travels this holiday, and a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s a good time to start thinking about the things for which we are grateful.

It has been widely reported that practicing gratitude can increase happiness. So what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that if we remember to say “thank you” that we’ll be happier?

Well, that’s a part of it.

The studies that reported the best results (a 25% increase in happiness!) used a very specific exercise involving a gratitude journal. Participants in the “grateful” groups wrote down five things they were grateful for each week for ten weeks. By study’s end, they reported feeling better about their lives in general and being more optimistic about the future than participants in the other study groups.

Nearly a year ago, I began my own gratitude journal. On the advice of a mentor, I wrote every day rather than once a week.

So what has happened? I definitely see the world through a brighter lens! Life is good, despite my having faced significant job-related challenges over the past few months.

You might wonder what kinds of things to write in a gratitude journal. Strangely, there is no magic formula. My entries range from the mundane (I’m grateful that I have my friend Karl in my life) to the special (I’m grateful that my niece wanted to spend a night at my house as her birthday present!)

Generally, entries reflect things that happened that day. If I’ve had a particularly difficult day, I try to dig a little deeper to find something for which I am grateful.

Some recent entries:

• I’m grateful that I didn’t get the job at xxxxx, because the commute would have been difficult.
• I’m grateful that I saw a gorgeous buck and doe at close range on my hike today
• I’m grateful for afternoon naps

You get the idea.

Now it’s your turn. Go out and get an empty notebook or journal and put it next to your bed. Every night before you go to sleep, think about things that happened that day for which you are grateful. Make sure you try to write at least two things every night.

In about three months time, despite what is happening in your life, I suspect you will notice a measurable difference in your sense of well-being.

Oh, and when you’re sitting around the Thanksgiving table this coming Thursday and you’re asked what you are thankful for, you’ll be well prepared to answer!

Yesterday’s post got me thinking about kindness.

Why is it that “kind” people often seem to be happy? Is it simply that happy people are kind by nature, or does performing kind deeds lead to happiness?

I did a little research and learned that there is a well-documented “helpers high,” characterized by an initial euphoria followed by a prolonged state of calm, that ensues after performing a kind deed. Kind acts have also been shown to decrese stress, decrease manifestations of stress-related illnesses, improve emotional well-being, and even reduce physical pain!

So why aren’t more people jumping on the kindness bandwagon?

Well, as I investigated further, I learned that there is, in fact, an actual 501(c)3 foundation, established in 1995, that inspires people to practice kindness and to “pass it on” to others! The Random Acts of Kindness™ Foundation provides free educational and community ideas, guidance, and other resources through their website at www.actsofkindness.org.

They have compiled huge PDF documents with specific ideas on how you can spread kindness in your world. They have suggestions for individuals, groups, families, communities, and businesses, and even for specialized groups such as shut-ins, gardeners, cooks, etc.

With Thanksgiving approaching, the topic seemed quite relevant, and I thought I would share a few of their great ideas on how you can spread a little kindness this holiday season.

• Call loved ones just to say “I love you” or to tell them what you appreciate about them.
• Create or donate floral arrangements for a senior center, nursing home, police station, hospital, or the homebound.
• Smile and say “hello” to someone you don’t know.
• Call someone who doesn’t drive, and invite him or her out to lunch or a movie.
• Help someone struggling with heavy bags.
• Call or write to someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time, just to say you’re thinking about them.
• Ask your children to go through their toys and donate some of them to children who are less fortunate.
• Save coupons and send them to the commissary for military families to use overseas. They can use coupons expired up to six months.
• “Adopt” a family, child, or senior citizen and spend time with them.
• Call an animal shelter and find out what donations they need. Collect things like treats, food, first aid supplies, toys, cat litter, and blankets for the homeless animals.
• Visit a neighbor and help him or her prepare for the holidays.

These are just a few ideas, but I bet you can think of others. Your challenge this week is to perform at least one random act of kindness as you celebrate the holiday.

I bet it will make you feel great!

Today at the local Whole Foods market, the barbeque pulled chicken I usually buy in the smokehouse area looked different.

The server told me that they changed their recipe and now mix two sauces together.

Since the second sauce has ingredients I can’t eat (allergies), I asked him to give me plain pulled chicken instead. I then proceeded to pick up a bottle of Carolina BBQ sauce, and planned to mix it with the chicken at home.

No sooner had I put the sauce into my cart when he said, “since I’m pulling the chicken anyway, why don’t I mix up a special batch for you with just the Carolina BBQ sauce?” And he proceeded to make me my own fresh container of hand-pulled barbecue chicken!

He didn’t have to do that.

When I thanked him, he said with a smile, “No problem. Whenever you come in, if I’m here, I’ll make you a batch.” Wow.

One often hears that customer service has declined through the years, and is no longer an integral part of doing business. “The customer is always right” philosophy that once drove business owners has been replaced with a lingering societal complacency.

But thankfully, in a little smokehose kiosk of a big supermarket retailer is one young man who understands that a happy customer is the key to business success.

He definitely brightened my day.

And you know I’ll be buying more pulled chicken.