The Lifestylist Advisory Blog

Yesterday the unthinkable happened – my hard drive crashed. It’s one of those things you hope will never happen. Fortunately I back up constantly but it was insane how helpless I felt when I couldn’t go to my big beautiful imac and get the information I’d come to rely on it sheltering for me. Keep in mind this was a 4 yr. old machine and I’m on it probably 8-10 hours a day so it has served me well.

Before I gave up on it I decided to go to my favorite Apple Store (NorthPark in TX) and see if a Genius could breathe new life into it. I’ve also been thinking about getting a new computer or ipad so this seemed like the perfect time to check into that as well.

I’ll let you in on a secret if you have an Apple Store near you that’s in a mall – many of them open before the mall does so if you get there at 9am or so you can beat the rush.  Fortunatley I took my own advice, because by the time I left it was a mad house in there!

Did you know that most Apple stores have Business Specialists? I asked for mine when I arrived who was Jess, knew I would be in very capable hands. These team members understand the needs of business clients and can make the experience short, sweet, and get you exactly what you need. He gave me great advice about all of the things I wanted to accomplish and how to get there with hardware and software. He also was able to get me a Genius appointment. Marty – my new favorite Genius not only looked at my existing computer, but spent a great amount of time trying everything he could to get my computer back up and running and he did! Almost 3 hours of assistance from a tech guy – cost? Not a penny!

What I love about Apple is that they don’t try to oversell you. Marty could have easily said you need a new hard drive and never tried to fix what I had, but he didn’t. He was very patient and tried different things until he had a solution. Now that’s what I call a Genius!

I’m now happily in front of my new 27″ imac, and I think we are going to become good friends. Just looking at images on this new screen is incredible so I’m sure that I’ll be sharing more of them.

I’ve heard through the “Apple-Vine” that Apple is beginning to put more of a focus on their business customers and I couldn’t be happier.  Going into an Apple store is fun! and the amazing attitude of the people that work there always rubs off on me when I go in and my day gets a little bit brighter.

Something that is very important to this Lifestylist® is cooking with kids, and teaching them from the beginning how to eat well and delight in the food that they eat. As part of this passion I’ve gotten involved in Days of Taste and met Robin Plotkin – an amazing Licensed Dietitian, communications consultant and Mom. She has given her time to the Days of Taste program for years and truly understands the importance of teaching kids about nutrition and making it fun.

Tomorrow is a day I’m really excited about – I get to work with Robin and Lisa Stewart Photography on a project to spread the word about Robins Bite. Lots of food, styling and great information. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to share the results with you here.

I’ll be the first to admit it. Unless I’m getting ready to enter the cooking contests at the State Fair of Texas I tend to be a lazy cook.  Whatever takes the least amount of time to make with the least cleanup works for me. Because of this, my grilling time is very limited, and I love a great burger but usually I’m too lazy to make one.

Last year the Central Market near my home on Lovers Lane started grilling outdoors on weekends. It was fantastic – their great fresh burgers and cooked over a wood fired grill, and usually live music to enjoy your burger or fish taco with. They also provided lettuce, red onions, gourmet pickles and vine ripened tomatoes sliced perfectly to dress your burger with that didn’t taste like cardboard. It became my favorite weekend thing to do, and it got me into the store to do my weekly shopping while I was there.

This year they were out there one weekend grilling up sliders, but it wasn’t the same. Since then no sign of my favorite weekend pastime. Come on, Central Market – help a lazy cook out!

One of my favorite lifestyle items that many people don’t think about is towels. Think about how many times a day you use one, but when it’s time to make a purchase we spend more time worrying about cost and color than value. A typical family of 4 owns 15 towels, and we tend to hold on to them longer than maybe we should. My parents own a lake house and received 20 beach towels that were promotional items at least 10 years ago and we still use them!

My favorite store to buy towels from is JC Penney. They always have sales going on, but you can get a luxurious bath towel in beautiful current colors for under $10.00. As a Lifestylist® and model home merchandiser I buy a lot of towels for my job, and JC Penney is always my first stop for this purchase. Their sheets and bedding can’t be beat as well. Instead of buying all of your towels the same color, try buying coordinating colors. That way you can mix and match, and each family member or houseguest can have their own color so you’ll always know which is yours!

I received a great article in my email today on business travel, but it relates to vacation travel as well. Inc. Magazine discusses 5 Ways to Travel on a Budget, and there are great money saving tips for all of us.

This Lifestylist® loves to travel in style, but since I am usually traveling for clients I am very careful to make sure I search out the best deals possible. I’ll usually try Orbitz, Kayak and Travelocity first to see if there are any fare wars going on in the cities I’m flying to, and then compare what the layover times are. These sources also now offer great package deals if you reserve air, car and hotel from them. It’s amazing sometimes how much money you can save just by doing a little research, and your clients will be thrilled that you did!

What are your favorite sources to research travel with? Let us know at: answers@lifestylist.com and we’ll share them here!

When I needed at mattress set at the last minute for a model home for Champion Homes of Texas in Tulsa, I wasn’t sure where to go. The budgets for model homes don’t leave a lot in the bedding category so I needed something cost effective that would look big and fluffy to the buyer. Fortunately I happened to drive past a Sleep Expert Store and a new love affair was formed.

Customer Service? This company really gets it. From the moment I entered the store to the moment I drove away from the dock I felt pampered. My sales person Kevin Harris could not have been more helpful and less threatening. When I went to pick up my set at the warehouse after they got my information they immediately inquired if I would like coffee or a bottled water. And the warehouse? Spotless. Clean, well organized, and I would have been very comfortable sleeping on any mattress in there.

The other great thing about Sleep Experts is that they really give back to the community. When people have their existing mattresses picked up, Sleep Experts have them reconditioned and donated to a charity.  The good that they do with this program can’t be documented in words – it really has to be seen in person by the shelters and groups that have such a huge need for safe bedding.

If you are in a market that has a Sleep Expert Store, give them a try -you won’t be disappointed.

Great design should be timeless, and I think this children’s room is a perfect example.

This was designed for @home Builders over 10 years ago – time truly does fly! It was a partnership marketing effort between @home Builders, The Home Idea Factory and Chase Pitkin Building Supplies. As many materials as possible were purchased from Chase Pitkin, and it showed consumers (and potential home buyers) how they could decorate their new home without breaking the bank.

The Headboard was just a fence gate – all that needed to be done was to strap it to the wall for safety. Gates come in a 36″ width which is the same as the width of a twin bed so no modifications were needed.

We also gave the lucky resident of this room a mailbox where reminders and notes could be stored. If the flag was up on the mailbox she knew she had mail!

This fun, happy room was very inexpensive to do and easy for even the most inexperienced do-it-yourselfer to replicate.

One of my favorite new resources is yelp.com – an online resource that can help you find restaurants, hotels, nightlife and shopping in your local area, or wherever you are traveling to. Members review and talk about stores and services and help you find where “the locals” go. I’ve tried this in several cities and have gotten great suggestions. One of the great things about traveling is getting to try new things, and with the yelp app on my iphone I’m good to go! It will also help you find the closest gas station and emergency services if you ever need them.

You can also also go directly to the reviews of a member you like or trust – please check out this Lifestylist’s reviews on Yelp here.

This is another great resource that can help you save money and time when you are making your travel plans. Let me know what your profile is and I’ll follow you as well!

Recently I found a new car rental source that has been great – CarRentals.com The do all of the searching for you and find the best prices for the size car you want to rent. I haven’t had any issues and couldn’t be happier with the service I’ve received and the amazing amount of money they have helped me save! And as always this is a free resource so there is no additional cost to you. Try it out and let us know what you think.

The Dallas News had a great article today about PreFab housing and how it is being used to built military housing.  The Warrior Group is doing an amazing job of showing people why factory built housing is a preferred form of construction. I can’t wait to learn more about this company and the work they are doing.