Guest Blogger for Miles Design

So this week I was a guest blogger on the Miles Design blog. The post is titled "What are Your Brand's Affordances? To read the post, click here.

Before & After | Dining Room

Brown. Blue. Black. White.

Our dining room table was a wedding present from Meg's Aunt. She found the drop leaf table and chairs separately at a flea market and repaired, painted, and reupholstered the set. The framed photograph on the black shelf was taken by Meg when studding abroad in Italy. The photograph is of a young girl feeding the pigeons. It was this experience that inspired Megan to write and Illustrate the children's story What Peapa Learns in Florence. See images of children's story here

Home Sweet Home.

It's hard to believe it has already been a month since August 15th! (...which means it's already the middle of September? yikes!)

I took a small break from blogging but am now ready to get back into the full swing of things. There are a few exciting things happening with the blog. I'm pleased to announce that you will not only be viewing posts from jcook -- but also from mcook. We're going mix things up a little bit...It could get interesting.

We're finally starting to feel settled in our new home so we plan on sharing some of our before/after shots of the townhouse. Stay posted....

081509

Recognizing The Routine.

The first time I remember a broken routine was in the first grade.

Miss Griffin was my favorite teacher and I'm pretty sure I was her favorite student too. Everyday was just like the previous. I would stay inside during recess to grade papers and help Miss Griffin decorate the classroom (odd now that I relfect on it...) I remember a few days during my time in the first grade that upon arriving to school and entering the classroom there would be a different teacher in the room. It was not Miss Griffin but it was her desk! Her Classroom! I remember tensing up as I realized it was a substitute teacher. It was at this point I would sit at my desk and begin to cry. Everytime. It wasn't a sad cry -- it was an uncomfortable cry. Although the schedule remained the same, there was a piece of the routine missing. I don't remember much from 1st grade -- but I do remember this. (I also remember that in the future when Miss Griffin had a substitute teacher I was given permission to join a different 1st grade class whose teacher I was familiar with.) //

I've been thinking about routines lately and it wasn't until tonight's drive home that I remembered this experience. Routines are powerful. They can be incredibly efficient and they can be incredibly dangerous (not to mention their comfortability.) In my thinking about routine, I'm beginning to see the significance of being able to recognize it for what it is. What is your routine? And what drives your routine?

Lately I've been trying to remove myself (mentally) from my own routine so that I can recognize what is happening and regain perspective. I'm amazed at how quickly a week can pass when I'm caught up in my routine. It's usually not until the routine collides with the unexpected that I'm reminded of the fragility and preciousness of each day.

I'm currently reading Tribes, by Seth Godin, which is about gaining the confidence and skill to lead (rather than manage). In his book he mentions how the concept of factories has been woven into our genes. The notion that a routine developed for efficiency and profit is something we strive for not only professionally but in our personal lives. It causes me to seriously consider what profit I am working towards personally (not financially speaking-- although it may be for some). Is it a daily profit? Or A yearly profit? Maybe the profit of my life's work. Whatever the profit is, I believe recognizing the routine and regaining a clear perspective of the 'here and now' will help determine the success of achieving it.

Wedding Invitations Printed!

Thanks to Able Printing (chicago) for doing such a great job!

Before & After 01

As many of you know, I am meg-less this week...so in order to quickly pass the time I decided on Saturday to visit a local flea market and check out some furniture pieces that could use some repairing. I've been interested in the practice of repairing for a little while now but haven't had much time to pursue any more reading or writing. About four months ago I came across the Repair Manifesto and that is what sparked my interest. So here is my repair 01. It is not a huge transformation but it was an enjoyable first attempt. I'm not totally sure what my plan is for the pieces I repair, but if your interested in them -- shoot me an offer and maybe we can work something out. Stay posted...repair 02 is almost complete.