We all know that Martha is very interested in wellness – she’s just created the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mt. Sinai – a center devoted to aging. I applaud her for that. I recently heard a Dr on a talk show that aging is one of the last frontiers in medicine. We now know how to prolong life, but we don’t have a handle on improving quality of life for the elderly. I think Martha’s center will truly do good things.

Martha now has a monthly feature in Living about health and wellness. I love that she includes this now. What good is it to eat wonderful food or live in beautiful surroundings if you are essentially unwell when it comes to health.

In the June issue is a topic I am familiar with – skin cancer. As a fair-skinned, blue-eyed person who had several bad sunburns as a child, I am at high risk for skin cancer. Add to that the fact that my father has had a melanoma and my risk goes through the ceiling. Because of this, I see my dermatologist yearly and this year I had a basal cell carcinoma removed. Not fun (and no, sorry, no photos!).

In our house, I am the sunscreen Nazi. No one goes out into the sun without it on. Ever. I hope that you read and take to heart the advice in this column. Checking your skin and seeing your Dr with any abnormalities is a small “Martha” thing you can do for yourself every day.

We all know that Martha is very interested in wellness – she’s just created the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mt. Sinai – a center devoted to aging. I applaud her for that. I recently heard a Dr on a talk show that aging is one of the last frontiers in medicine. We now … Read more →

This morning I had a blast chatting with Kim and Betsy on Martha Stewart Radio Morning Living Live on Sirius about this blog. They are so fun to talk with and they always have great tips for me. I’m going to be checking out Martha’s yoga videos online based on their recommendations.

I also did an interview with a great blog (Writers in Business) about the writing business and I talked a lot about this blog. Check it out here.

This morning I had a blast chatting with Kim and Betsy on Martha Stewart Radio Morning Living Live on Sirius about this blog. They are so fun to talk with and they always have great tips for me. I’m going to be checking out Martha’s yoga videos online based on their recommendations. I also did … Read more →

I’ve signed up for a May Blogathon – one post every day by each person who’s signed up. I usually do post daily, but it’s nice to have some company. We’ll all be checking each other’s blogs and supporting each other. Sounds like a great way to start May to me! Please visit my blogger … Read more →

I’m still anxiously checking my mailbox for my May issues of Martha’s magazines and I must say I am really sick of the April ones now – I’ve cooked everything I want to cook and crafted everything I am interested in.  So I thought I would tie together a few odds and ends from April while I’m waiting.

I got the book Egg & Nest (page 40 of April Living)  from my library this week, after being on a wait list for it for a few weeks. It really is a gorgeous book. It is amazing how many colors and designs (yes, designs!) eggs come in. The nests in the book are also beautiful. This would be a great coffee table book to put out around Easter. I love the fact that the magazine is now including books that are recommended by the editors.

Beginning on page 25, there is an interesting section about Martha’s trip to Prague. Now, I must admit, Prague is not very high on my travel list, but I found it fun to read. I’m looking forward to Martha’s travels in future issues and hope they feature some places that I want to go to.

I found the section on jackets (page 61) to be really weird and out of place.  I’m not a big fan of fashion magazines (I would rather look at a catalog, so if I see something I like I can actually buy it). And I have to say, since when are jackets big news? Big MarthaandMe has had jackets as part of her essential wardrobe for years and I too find that it is an easy way to create a pulled together look. I didn’t find this section inspiring in any way.

The fact that Martha’s calendar is back in the magazine is big news apparently. Let’s be honest about this. First of all, the magazine has to be ready to go to print months in advance, so there’s no way this is an accurate calendar. Also, if you own your own horses, do you really put riding on your calendar? Don’t you just do it when you happen to have a few free hours and the weather is good? I also do not believe Martha actually performs all the tasks that are on this calendar herself – we all know she has a giant staff. Not to mention that Martha is out at dinners, events, and social gatherings almost every single night. I also wish to point out that Martha said on her show she was hosting an Easter dinner, yet the calendar says it is an Easter brunch. For April 20, Martha says she will be setting out cabbages into the garden, yet on the show she already did this and showed us the little paper hats her gardeners put over them.

I’m still anxiously checking my mailbox for my May issues of Martha’s magazines and I must say I am really sick of the April ones now – I’ve cooked everything I want to cook and crafted everything I am interested in.  So I thought I would tie together a few odds and ends from April … Read more →

Tomorrow (3/26) at 9:05 I will be joining Kim and Betsy on Martha Stewart Living Radio to talk about this blog! You can tune in on Sirius channels 112 or XM157. If you don’t have Sirius, the producers tell me you can download a free 3 day trial on the Sirus site. Please join me!

Tomorrow (3/26) at 9:05 I will be joining Kim and Betsy on Martha Stewart Living Radio to talk about this blog! You can tune in on Sirius channels 112 or XM157. If you don’t have Sirius, the producers tell me you can download a free 3 day trial on the Sirus site. Please join me!

Like my blog? If you sign up for StumbleUpon, you can add it to your list of favorites and even write a review. Need someone to Stumble your blog? Let me know and I will gladly reciprocate!

Like my blog? If you sign up for StumbleUpon, you can add it to your list of favorites and even write a review. Need someone to Stumble your blog? Let me know and I will gladly reciprocate!

I do a lot of reflection as I am watching Martha, reading her magazines and books and trying out her recipes and projects and I thought I would share of some my recent thoughts with you.

Good Things: What I like about Martha is that she is always looking for the best of things. She likes ideas and things that are high quality, innovative, thought out, and reliable. Her entire concept is based on “good things” and I find that she has taught me to be more discerning and give more thought to things that I do and choose.

Elegance: So much of what Martha does and owns is elegant, whether it is has simple elegance or over the top elegance.  Both are worth pursuing I think. We just remodeled our bathroom and the idea of keeping things elegant in a clean and pure way was quite directive for me. For me, elegance also means finding the natural order of things.

Constant Learning: Martha talks often about she loves to learn about new things. I find that exploring new ideas gives a spark to life, so I appreciate this about her. I, too, am naturally curious and am always happy to learn a new fact or discover a new way to do something. Sometimes I have to remind myself to be open to learning. I am often hesitant to do her crafts since I am not naturally talented in that way, but I do find I learn something each time. She has also helped me be open to new foods and ingredients.

Tenacity: On a recent show, Martha’s guest showed her how to fold parchment paper into a little box to cook fish in. Martha really had a hard time getting it and he reached over and wanted to finish it for her and she said something like no! I want to learn how to do this. I love how she is strong-willed and will not give up and I am trying to take that sensibility to heart in my own life.

Friendliness: As I watch Martha on tv, I am sometimes struck by how human she is in her interactions. She might misspeak, say “umm”, lose track of the train of the conversation, or stumble a bit. I despise public speaking, but do it sometimes as part of my job, so I admire how Martha approaches every person and situation with a friendly attitude and how that seems to see her through even if she is human and is not absolutely perfect in all she says and does. (I believe Martha is a perfectionist, as am I, so I think it must really bug her when she is less than perfect. I feel the same way, but am encouraged by watching her.)

Appreciation: If you watch Martha on tv, you will see she is always exclaiming about something is BEAUTIFUL or PERFECT. She can get so excited about a carrot or some bread dough. I think it’s easy to lose sight of these small perfections, and Martha has helped me open my eyes to them. When I am cooking, I try to appreciate the colors and shapes of the vegetables, the scent of the soup or the shape of a cookie. There’s something very zen about approaching things this way and I find it to be very centering.

I do a lot of reflection as I am watching Martha, reading her magazines and books and trying out her recipes and projects and I thought I would share of some my recent thoughts with you. Good Things: What I like about Martha is that she is always looking for the best of things. She … Read more →

I just joined the Friends of Martha Blog Network. This is a terrific community of blogs that all have to do with Martha.  Join us (instructions on their site).

I just joined the Friends of Martha Blog Network. This is a terrific community of blogs that all have to do with Martha.  Join us (instructions on their site).

I want to send my condolences to Martha on the loss of her beautiful chow Genghis Khan in an horrific kennel fire. My thoughts are also with the kennel owner and the propane delivery man who was injured in the blaze. I know how hard it is to lose a pet and my thoughts are with everyone involved.

I want to send my condolences to Martha on the loss of her beautiful chow Genghis Khan in an horrific kennel fire. My thoughts are also with the kennel owner and the propane delivery man who was injured in the blaze. I know how hard it is to lose a pet and my thoughts are … Read more →

MarthaandMe is now on Twitter – @MarthaAndMeBlog.

Are you on Twitter? If so, I’d love to follow you. Send me your username.

MarthaandMe is now on Twitter – @MarthaAndMeBlog. Are you on Twitter? If so, I’d love to follow you. Send me your username.