About my blog

Howie Cookbook

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:30:19 -0700

This project launched in August 2008 and is a great addition to the Howie Haven concept of sharing ideas. In this case we are rocking the cookbook with a collaboration of recipes, icons, tips and a finished book worthy of a holiday keepsake, or download your favorite recipe pages. The idea came from a forum thread and took off from there. More about it here. Any howie can participate - recipe submission instructions here. It’s been a lot of fun checking out howie recipes as well as being a participant - thanks everyone for over 40 recipes so far, can’t wait to try them all in my kitchen!

Bridal Party Pampering

Sat, 9 Aug 2008 22:46:11 -0700

Wow - has it been 2 months already? Time flies when there’s a wedding to prepare for! Guests from all over WA, 3 other states and one country made their way into our house. We had a lot of fun to pack into one weekend, so some pampering was in order before the big day.

Keeping stress levels manageable was a challenge with so many people in our house. But with a little “haven” throughout their stay and some extra pampering the eve of the big event, everyone involved was upbeat, calm and gorgeous! No one got sick before, during or after (not even me, who hosted 9 guests in my house and took care of the event). The happy couple enjoyed a honeymoon at Disneyworld and a train trip to Utah.

It Works

Fri, 23 May 2008 21:22:59 -0700

It’s been almost 24 hours since coming back from my first HOW conference, and I’ve worked about 7 hours today. It’s been such a whirlwind that I didn’t even realize Memorial Day was this Monday...thought it was next week - man, I didn’t plan my projects well for that!

The whole trip was like that though, just constant go, go, go. Although I’ve been to other conferences, it’s never been like this for me; starting out every day with a minimum 15 minute walk to the Hynes, more walking up and down 3 floors to sessions, walking to Boyleston street restaurants, retail stores, and further for after events. As I walked slowly back to the Westin every night, it became clear that I didn’t need my mac laptop with me that bad and packed less and less each time.

But after all the excitement every day and night, I was able to come back to a fragrant calm room with diffusers and plug-in air fresheners, calming sounds, healthy fruit and snacks from the market, and all the pampering I could soak up. With a place for manicures/pedicures, body care/foot soaks, and facials; I was able to shake off the stress of constant input, activity, and lack of sleep by taking care of my body and mind every single night.

What helped the most? A mix of 3 herbal teas every night: organic peppermint, gypsy cold care, and lavender chamomile; glass of water with airborne, while taking 3 Adapt capsules; and peppermint foot lotion morning and night. One thing I’m glad I did: a peppermint detox bath with royal ginger body wash and green tea mask, ahhhhhh. It was also most convenient having each station set up as I was able to give myself facials often and quickly change nail color one or twice a day.

What helped the least? As much as I wanted to sit there and doodle scenes from my view on the 30th floor - it never happened. Even picking and choosing events was hard because time was so tight - I never turned on the tv once or visited their pool (and I love to swim). But staying up too late and waking too early is what wore me down. The Tuesday night ball was the most fun I’ve had IN YEARS, and by far the most dancing I’ve done in as many. So by the time Wednesday was here, I was so tired that after the second session all I could do was go back to my room and sleep.

Later that night, as I helped a howie relax with a
foot soak, pedicure and manicure - I could feel
my body wearing down. We had a nice spa day,
library tour and even more fun later getting lost
on the green T (the oldest subway in the country);
but after 8pm at the museum, I had to go back
for rest and food. Still visited with another
howie until almost midnight, then another couple
of hours to pack it all up. Had it not been for a full 8 hours of sleep, I may not have made it to the trolly tour on Thursday - which left only 2-1/2 hours before leaving for my flight. My feet were glad for all the massages too, because even that tour required 4 or 5 blocks of walking just to get my ticket authorized and get on a designated stop. The walk back was refreshing, but after more walking at the airport, I’m glad to be back home driving my car again.

So, a balance was struck between the AWESOME HOW conference experience, walking, after events, walking, and wellness (did I mention walking?) so that I was able to be productive the very next day upon returning without a trace of illness. I will, for sure, have Howie Haven again in Austin!!!!!!!!!!!

Why Have A Spa Night?

Fri, 9 May 2008 23:09:58 -0700

This idea started with my simple forum post for newbs who could benefit from tips from a vet - tried and true concepts and products that helped me to get through other conferences (I’m a HOW con newb) without missing work, school, or other obligations upon returning, due to sickness and exhaustion.

It was clear early on that I was not the only one seeking ways to stay healthy during conference. As more howies contributed, a spa concept was born and then the ideas started to pour in. Our ideas became plans for an event.

It’s not a full-fledged after event yet, in fact, it’s not sponsored or supported by HOW in any way. Just like the PubCrawl or CD Exchange, we're hoping to do this at every Conference. So for this being our first year we are keeping it confined to a guest room at the Westin where a small group of us will gather and relax before the official kickoff on Sunday plus a re-charge on Wednesday night. Why are we so stressed out?

Maybe because we creatives are in one of the most stressful industries out there, landing at #4 on a world poll for Sales & Marketing. Even at 2 years old, this popular and long-running
"top 10" list is referenced on several sites.

That top 10 list still doesn't address "the plague of stress in our profession" but HOW Magazine tackles it pretty well here in an article where RaShelle Westcott offeres 8 fantastic tips to shed stress.

With the conference just a week away, try to get some sleep, and check out these tips.

See you in Boston!