Why is it we can describe the good life by its negative? By what it is not? Does that mean if we were living the good life, we wouldn't recognize it?     Months after Neil Gaiman gave the keynote address for the 134th University of the Arts Commencement, I heard it. I don't remember what I was doing that I stumbled across it. All I know is that I found it, and I really listened. And listened again and again.     The best advice he didn't take was what stuck with me. " [I]t came from Stephen King twenty years ago, at the height of the success of Sandman. ... [H]is advice was this: “This is really great. You should enjoy it.”   And I didn't. Best advice I got that I ignored. Instead I worried about it. I worried about the next deadline, the next idea, the next story. There wasn't a moment for the next fourteen or fifteen years that I wasn't writing something in my head, or wondering about it. And I didn't stop and look around and go, this is reall...

The smell of pine. Carols coming down the hall and through the walls. Tis the season. While we don't celebrate Christmas, we take this time to be with family.     Over the past weeks, I've been holding Gates a little longer and a little tighter. My heart goes out to all the families unable to do the same right now. Whatever holiday you celebrate, I hope you're taking the time to keep family close and be thankful.     Earlier in the month, we celebrated Chanukah . At eight months, Gates is a little too young for us to explain the history behind the minor holiday. For her, it's about getting to tear paper. Gates loves anything paper and enjoys grabbing an edge and ripping.     This is my last post for 2012. I'll be taking a break until the new year, spending time with family. I'll be back on the first with some classes to help you kickstart your 2013 resolutions.   Happy Holidays   Ciao Bella! Eden   Credits: All layouts designed by and i...

The month of November was a busy one for Gates. We've marked many milestones: first teeth; pulling up and climbing; and explorations with solid food.     Unlike the previous two portraits, Gates was hamming it up for the camera this month. You can see additional shots on Flickr . Here are highlights from mom's notes: November 2, 2012: Crawls and climbs. Shadows Velvet. Visits Velvet's room. November 20, 2012: Reading with Grandpa. November 21, 2012: Works at climbing onto couch to pet Velvet. Very thrilled! 1st tooth lower right. November 26, 2012: Loves to wave and crinkle paper. 2nd lower left front tooth popped in! Bounces and sings to music! Sits up by self now! November 30, 2012: Used copper washtub to support herself to look out window at wind, plants, and rain on window and outside. Gates also embarked on solid foods, trying a variety: November 2, 2012: Oatmeal with apple sauce. Soup, potatoes and zucchini squash mashed, potatoes and carrots in sticks, a...

The stars aligned for cubes' holiday party this year. It was a relatively warm night; the anticipated rain held off. The Annual Rooftop Bar Crawl was ending right across the street from where we were staying. And best yet? The theme of the party: a 1980s prom.     I absolutely love dressing up. I really don't even need a reason. My freshman year of college, a friend was sick so I dressed up in a floor length southern belle styled prom dress (it was the late 80s) and waltzed up and down the hall of the dorm until he was in better spirits. So, you can imagine how giddy with anticipation I was to hear we were going to a 1980s prom. (I also absolutely love LOVE John Hughes movies, and, for a date night a few months ago, even created a playlist of songs to set the mood.)   It's funny to think that I hate attending my own holiday parties. (I got ditched by a date one year. Got a cocktail dumped down the front of my dress five minutes after arriving to the party another year....

This time last year I started talking about rebranding the blog. Over the past couple of weeks, a design that spoke to me finally materialized. Thank you for your patience while I worked out the details.   Curious as to which masthead and which collage template I chose for the blog's new design? If you're following in an RSS feeder, please head over to the blog to take a look.     For our last homework assignment for Blogging Your Way Bootcamp , Holly gave us two options. The first option: redesign our blog if it wasn't focused and didn't support our vision. The second option: introduce a regular feature or series in the month of November. I immediately chose the second option.   It wasn't until the second course -- and the third course -- from Braid Creative that I realized the design of my blog wasn't quite there. I wanted a look that was fun and fresh. A look that was bold. How better to get attention than switch out a muted pastel color scheme? I also...

Do not adjust your browser. Yes, things are a little different than you remember. The redesign of the blog is finally happening!     When you're in the midst of rolling out a major design rebrand for a blog, there comes a time, when you're faced with choosing between taking a break from writing or continuing writing. Not writing isn't really an option for me (see Why I Blog ). So, some of the posts will be at odds with the current look of the blog until I finish rebranding.   In case you missed the motto for this week's Sunday Scramble, here it is. Going forward solutions will only be posted to Flickr .     Thank you for your patience while I finish getting the new design ready.   Stay tuned!   Ciao Bella! Eden   Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.

There's just something about a slouchy sweater and boots that I love. Here's a sophisticated take on that classic pairing.     I think this jersey dress would be perfect for going to the movies, heading out to the mall, or wearing to work. The key to making the outfit work with boots is the distance between the hemline and the top of the boots. The top of the boots can tuck under the hemline of the skirt if long. If the skirt is short, at least 3 to 5 inches between the hemline and the top of the boots. Dress up a look with tights that match your boots. If you're short, use this trick to elongate your legs.   Get the Look: Tons of Triangles Reversible Necklace available at Urban Outfitters for $24 ; Branitta Sweater Dress By Diane von Furstenberg in Grey Melange, available at Nordstrom for $206.98 ; Siri Boots by Miz Mooz in Red, also in Black and Whiskey, available at Zappos for $197.99 .   Ciao Bella! Eden   Credits: All layouts designed by Eden Hensley ...

Yesterday I missed an inbound BART train by less than ten seconds. The words, "Oh I just hate it when..." sprang into my mind. I paused and turned complaint into thanks for the sunset I was getting to see.     Complaining is draining. Think about your friends for a minute. I'm sure you have one or two, who after hanging out with, you just feel exhausted. What do they talk about?   Now think back to a recent social gathering. Notice how people are apt to fill that awkward, uncomfortable silence that springs up between two people who've just met but aren't sure what to talk about with complaints? It's easy to. The weather's been miserable lately. Traffic is horrible. There's never any parking.   I've been that person. I've been trying to be more conscious of both negative thoughts and negative conversations. Hence why I replace complaints with thanks even in my own head.   " Gratitude and good feelings are contagious. Spread them around...

Often when retailers share holiday greetings they forget that not everyone celebrates Christmas. Minted , whether intentionally or not, got it right with the sampler they sent future Alt Summit SLC 2013 attendees.     Minted's holiday sampler of their party decor included an Oh Joy Banner (I immediately thought of one of my favorite blogs Oh Joy! ) and matching table confetti. They also generously gave us a discount on our next order.   I loved the sampler for two reasons: 1) it didn't scream Christmas and would work in our flat for Chanukah and 2) I discovered table confetti.   What do you think? Do the Minted decorations look nice in our stairwell and at the top of the stairs? I think so! Thanks Minted! You'll have to wait for the reveal of the decorations I got for New Year's Eve.   How do you decorate for the holidays?   Happy Holidays! Eden   Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the G...

Saturday night, the last night of Chanukah, we held Gates a little tighter and silently thought of the Connecticut families. For us, the celebration of Chanukah is about spending time together.     With our busy schedules, often the only times during the week we get time together are mornings with Gates on Wednesdays and then at dinner. The ritual of lighting the candles and saying prayers takes us out of the hustle and bustle and puts us in the moment.   This year we did things a little differently than before. We had friends over for the first night and ordered our Chanukah goodies from Wise Sons Deli on 24th. We didn't limit ourselves to just the traditional latkes and Sufganiyot ; we added Mandelbrot and a dinner of brisket and root vegetables with salad. The minimum order for the meal was enough for three dinners. The brisket was moist and flavorful, so good that one night we ate it without any sides.   The latkes from Wise Sons were smaller than those from...

What's the greatest fear you have? Mine is a fear of heights. I'm especially terrified of jumping into water. And any time I'm faced with a crossroads, I imagine myself jumping from a boulder into unknown depths.     For me, there's something powerful in writing down what I want; posting what I want in a note on my iPhone doesn't have quite the same feeling. In one of the three classes I took from Braid Creative this year, Tara and Kathleen had us write down our rules for a day at our dream job. I realized my current work day was a polar opposite from my ideal. (I'm going to talk more about their eCourses in a post next week.)   Shortly after this exercise, someone forwarded me a video of Alan Wilson Watts asking "If money were no object, what would you do with your life?"   I'd already been thinking about amazing entrepreneurs and creatives I'd worked with in the past. I'd already been thinking about what projects I wanted to do more ...

In 42 days, I'll be boarding a plane headed for Alt Summit SLC. Basically, I have one work week or 40 hours to complete all the things. If you know me, you know I'm a perfectionist, and you know I want to do everything and everything now. A plan fraught with risk.     The organizers of Alt put a lot of effort into creating an environment where design / lifestyle / DIY / food bloggers can build foundations under their dreams. Alt carefully vets its sponsors, just because you have money isn't sufficient. Alt holds classes leading up to the summit to help bloggers put their best foot forward. The passion of the organizers makes you want to up level your game, whether you have time or not.   My to do list: Rolling out the redesign of my blog Writing about Family, Home, Food, and Design (not just Alt, the redesign, or restaurants) Finishing up the design of my business cards Publishing my Blurb book Revising my editorial calendar Updating my website Creating a media k...

Lately we've taken to exploring our neighborhood on date night, specifically the corner of 23rd and Guerrero. First, it was Beast and the Hare . Recently, Kiji .     Kiji reminds me a lot of my favorite sushi spot in San Francisco: Sushi Zone . There are marked differences: Seating: Sushi Zone seats 16 intimately; Kiji more. Reservations: Sushi Zone is first come, first serve; Kiji takes reservations--perfect for those with babysitters. Menu: Sushi Zone offers Baked Sea Bass with Mango and Baked Mushrooms stuffed with Salmon and Mango for appetizers and rolls with Mango and Papaya; Kiji does not. Kiji offers an array of carpaccios and tatakis; Sushi Zone does not. For our first dinner at Kiji, we decided to start with Gyoza and then order a mix of fresh fish nigiri: Toro, Walu (Butterfish), Ankimo (Monkfish Liver), and Uni (Sea Urchin) and some house specialties: Live Scallops, Aji Tataki (Horse Mackerel), and New Albacore Tataki.   Kiji offers a choice of filling w...

Today I share the last piece of the redesign. My goals for the redesign were to better represent the theme of the blog and to bring elements from the past into today. The new look accomplishes these goals.     This past fall I took a few classes focused on content marketing: Holly Becker's Blogging Your Way Bootcamp , Braid Creative's Shape Up Your Content , and Alt Channel's Content is King. These classes shaped the redesign.     Each class recommended that bloggers not try to be all things to all people, that they focus on what they enjoy and can see doing for a while to come and on what they do well. The redesigned look of the blog will reflect a focus on four core areas: Home, Fashion, Food, and Family.     The redesign is heavily influenced by a cookbook from the 1950s and various editions of The Game of Life. There are three fonts; two from our wedding, Park Avenue and Bodidota. There are five primary colors (one is a holdover from the current ...

I know it's not Sunday, but the day and the light got away from me, and until today I didn't have a chance to photograph this week's mantra: If I dream it, I can build it .     My selection for Gates' inspiration was influenced by the late Alan Wilson Watts , a British-born philosopher who wrote and spoke extensively about Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoisim. Although he died over forty years ago, for the past month and a half a video set to one of his audio lectures has been making its rounds on the Internet. In the video he poses the following question:     What would you like to do if money were no object?   Have you ever asked yourself that question? Have you ever sat down and tried to honestly answer it?   In high school, I faced this question. I was considering a few college options: Art, Fashion, or Engineering. (Remember that I'm the daughter of a mixed media/fiber arts maker and a civil engineer.) My mother pointed out that I'd never make any...

Walking home from grocery shopping one Saturday earlier this month I noticed a brunch option in The Mission: Hog & Rocks . Better than this discovery was learning that they have high chairs.     By the time cubes and I have gotten ready on a weekend, we're usually smack in the middle of the brunch or lunch rush in The Mission. Or worse, we've just missed the end of brunch and face shuttered kitchens. Discovering a spot that offers charcuterie and oysters (two things that I couldn't eat during my pregnancy that I'm now devouring like the world is going to end) is amazing. (Another restaurant that we discovered this summer that's open between lunch and dinner in The Mission is Esperpento .)   With Gates we've found the best time to explore new restaurants (and for her new foods), is between rushes. As some of Gates favorite foods at Hog & Rocks are on the lunch menu, we try to time our meal between 1:30 and 1:45 pm so that we can order brunch items like...

Ever play the Game of Life as a kid? I did. Every player wanted to be the one to claim title of Millionaire. We were too young to know that money can't buy happiness. But as the game shaped my definition of "the good life," I thought what better point to start with for a redesign.     In the version of Life my sister and I played, there was one winner. Everyone would race around the board trying to avoid being the one ending up in the poor house. In more recent games, players happily retire to a community or choose to duke it out for title of millionaire. You collect tiles for enjoying life, for example, going on a picnic with your family. The game has evolved its definition of "the good life."   Over the past couple of weeks, I've been sketching mastheads that use elements from the game. (Some of my doodles are in the photo above.) I've come up with five mock ups that I'm sharing with all of you. You can view the five designs on the blog's F...

Flashes of inspiration always seem to come when I'm not feeling well. After more than a few false starts on the redesign for the blog, I finally hit upon a design direction that I'm happy with! All it took was a trip to the ER the night before Thankgiving.     This time last year I started redesigning the blog. In between then and now I continued working a full-time Marketing job and welcomed my daughter into the world, so the redesign took a little longer than originally planned.   If you've been a reader over the past year, and you read the blog via a browser versus an RSS feed or smart phone, you may have seen the baby steps: a new About Me and bio photo , new social media buttons , and new right-hand column headings in August.   Before I got too far along in the redesign, I wanted to get feedback, so, I participated in a blog audit. Three people, who had never read my blog and didn't know me, gave me feedback and constructive criticism. People agreed the writ...