Monday, December 21, 2015

Tis The Season

No matter how you spell it, or what you celebrate, may your holidays be happy and bright.

Big hugs and I'll see you in 2016!

xoxo Joanna

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Dr. Who and the Tardis Quilt

Dr. Who collectables scatter my godson's bedroom and Tardis comments pepper his conversation on a regular basis.  I've never seen an entire episode (Shh, don't tell!) but-- I can assure you, Godson has seen them ALL and he and his friends LOVE the show.

Over the years I've searched far and wide for Dr. Who collectibles and treats, picking them up in my travels and hoping it's something he doesn't already have.

This year, I'm pretty sure his upcoming birthday will make me a bit of a hero, if I do say so myself.

This is what I made for him...

(It took a while to put together using the Relatively Dimensional quilt pattern by Hunter's Design Studio.  I made the border slightly larger using Quilter's Linen Metallic-- the solids are Kona Cotton. All are from my favorite fabric store-- Sew Modern in Los Angeles.)

While working on the quilt, I tried to subtly drill Godson about specifics on the Tardis so I could quilt it as "real" as possible.  That process was a bit like pulling teeth but in the end, I figured out enough to give it a go...

Late in the game I learned there is some sort of round seal so I winged it to give the very basic "idea" of where it belongs.

Spoonflower was my source for the printed panels.  Info for that was included in the pattern.

I'll give the quilt wrapped with popcorn and all the goodies to go with an evening of Dr. Who binge watching with his friends.

The quilt has been washed so it's super soft and crinkly, which I love.  And it'll get even better with each washing.

Happy Birthday to my favorite Dr. Who fan!

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna Jenkins

Friday, July 24, 2015

Changing Times

Our neighborhood could be described as "charming", "family-oriented", "tree-lined" and, perhaps even "old".  At least that's how I look at it and love it.  It's what drew us to this 'hood in the first place.

But all that's changing thanks to "McMansions".

I do not love it.

My favorite home in the area recently bit the dust to a developer's plan for "progress towards the future".

Here it is...  Gorgeous, beautifully maintained and in pristine condition-- literally move-in ready-- all 3,000 square feet of it.  Problem is that this beauty, although on a shallow lot, is located on a double wide lot and that made it a developers dream.


First a "Notice" of demolition was posted and then, way too shortly thereafter, this started...


After that it was hard even walk down the street anymore.

The sad ending is that two, count 'em TWO 5,000 square foot houses will be built on the lot in it's place.  Two monster houses in the place of one lovely home.


This isn't the first sad story like this in our community-- it's actually being written about in the newspapers and talked about on the television and radio news all the time.  But developers have deep pockets and it appears, at least so far, nothing "legally" can be done to minimize the overbuilding of lots.

I totally get "progress" and an owner's right to do with their home/property what they want to-- really, I get it.  But I don't get the pile of rubble that once was a perfectly good home that's now in a landfill somewhere.

Or maybe I'm just really sad that the landscape of our neighborhood is changing-- literally.

Is this happening in your neighborhood?

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna Jenkins

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Scream and Shout!



 Call it an "In Case of Emergency" photo...

This picture was taken yesterday at the Ringling Bros. Circus with my godson.  It was a total blast! 

I'm saving it for a day when I really need to let loose and have a good rant-- like today when my contractor waterproofed and sealed my patio in the wrong color.

Yep, I'm going to need to scream!

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna Jenkins


Friday, June 5, 2015

A Vacuum Cleaner Beating

It all started innocently enough--  Vacuum the house and then go for a much-needed walk on a warm Southern California day.  It's feels (and looks) like about a decade since I worked out and I figured the combo of vacuuming and walking was a good place to start and would count as weight training and cardio (That's only a little stretch of the imagination, right?).

But half way through the living room chore my trusty vacuum started wheezing-- just a little at first, but than it worked itself up into a high pitched screech that had the neighbor's dog wailing. 

I fussed and fiddle with the machine trying to make things right, but couldn't identify where the noise was actually coming from-- Not the hose, the bag or any one specific place.  Screaming at me, it was as if the entire vacuum was either in shock that I was dragging it around cleaning... Or it was on it's last leg.

Dang.  I really like this vacuum too.

Since the vacuum was still picking up dust, I kept pushing it along, praying the noise would stop, and cleaning from one room to the next, until the exhausting and nerve-wracking job was finally finished. 

By this time, I knew I had to take the machine in for repair and was giving myself a good talking to because I couldn't identify the source of the noise-- Translation:  Not paying attention when I pulled the plug out from the wall while at the same time stepping on the button that retracts the cord and winds it up inside the machine all nice and neat.

Well... like I said, it's been a while since I was the one doing the vacuuming around here and I'd forgotten about the crazy cord rewind.

Note to self:  Do not bend over, thereby putting your face too close to the machine when the cord is whipping towards you at the speed of light.

Faster than you can say "Mike Dyson", the plug and my face-- specifically my lip-- collided in a rather uncomfortable smack, just barely avoiding chipping a tooth, but definitely doing significant damage to my bottom lip.

Let's just say much blood followed and by the end of the day I looked like I'd gone a few rounds with an able-bodies contender.

But it was only the vacuum who beat me up-- The vacuum that was repaired waaay before my lip healed.  The vacuum that didn't dare wheeze or screech while I still had a fat lip.  The vacuum that taught me a valuable lesson-- not the least of which was that from now on, I'm letting someone else do the cleaning around here!

# # # # #

Gosh, I can't believe how long it's been since my last post!  All's well, I've just been really busy.  I have lots to share and promise to be back soon.

How are YOU?

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna Jenkins

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Happy, Calm and Um....


I didn't make any New Year's Resolutions for 2015 mainly because the thought of having one more thing on my "to-do" list was overwhelming. I was tired, stressed and worn down enough without feeling defeated for not accomplishing yet another goal.

A better attitude would definitely have been on my agenda if I'd made a resolution-- after all, the countless funerals I've attended in the past few years were more than my heart could stand and left me feeling stressed and sad.  Maybe that's why an emailed review request about a supplement called "Happy Calm Focused" caught my eye.

In all honesty, the super positive name and packaging had me rolling my eyes and laughing out loud at its claims.  It was early February and I'd already attended three MORE funerals of loved ones.  (I know!  When will it STOP!?!)  But if ever someone was in need of help being happy and calm it was definitely me.  So, after taking my head out of the oven I agreed to give the HCF supplement a try.  A free bottle arrived in my mailbox shortly thereafter.

Did I mention that I have never, ever, blindly tried a supplement before? Not once.  I called my doc who said it was okay to give one bottle a try to see if he helped.  Then I checked the mostly very positive HCF reviews online and popped the top.

The cobolt blue bottle made me happy-- I collect blue glass and even though this was plastic the coloring wasn't lost on me.

Could I have been momentarily happy before even swallowing the three substantial capsules that smelled a lot like herbs and the back of a pharmacy?  Probably not, but it made me smile nevertheless.  A good start, huh?

It's important to take HCF on an empty stomach 30 minutes before eating in the morning-- That had me watching the clock because I wake up starved and actually keep granola bars on my bedside table.  As the thirty minutes ticked by til food time, I could still taste that herb/pharmacy/ick smell and was less than calm waiting to eat something to squash the after-taste.

Was Happy Calm Focused really working on me?  Fast forward three weeks...

Two more very sad situations with loved ones later (Again I say-- When will it STOP!) and I have to admit that I'm taking things in stride which I translate to being more calm in a crisis.  Happy might be too strong a word to describe my emotional state these days but the noise in my head when tracking the drama that surrounds me is somewhat lower. Both good things.

As for focused-- I'm afraid that ship has sailed for me.  I haven't been laser focused in more years than I can remember and have actually forgotten where I put the Happy Calm Focused supplement bottle a few times.

Will I continue to take the HCF supplement after the bottle is empty? I'm not sure.  The biggest down side for me is the indigestion and "repeating" of the supplement throughout the day.  I'm not crazy about that.  This is not a side-effect I read about in online reviews so maybe it's just my "delicate" system.

Happy Calm Focused isn't a "miracle in a bottle", at least not for me. Rather, it's an amino acid based supplement that might have helped make me feel a little better.  Will it help you feel happier, more calm and focused?  You'll have to be the judge.

Available on Amazon.com.

How are you feeling these days?
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins






Friday, March 13, 2015

Great Paying Job

I arranged these flowers myself.  No housekeeper required.

I am always amazed by the things that appear on our online community homeowners website.  I told you about the Great Lemon Caper.  Now we have what I can only call Housekeeper Madness.

Names have been changed (in blue) to protect the innocent and slightly crazy....



It all leaves me thinking maybe I should go back to work-- cleaning houses!

Happy weekend!
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

I Dare You Not To Smile

I've heard police called a lot of things but never a "Diva" before.

This has been on the news lately but it's worth a look.  There is NO WAY you can't watch this video and not smile.



I crack up when he spots and waves at a pedestrian.

I don't know this guy, and I'm guessing there is a lot of teasing and joking going on back at the police station but seriously, I think I would love having him as my next door neighbor... and at my next party.

And, I'm grateful that I do not have a dashboard camera in my car to catch my antics.  How about you?

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  --  Joanna Jenkins