Save the Pillow * Shave the Pills

Agent J January 7, 2018

I'm not a huge fan of throw / accent pillows not having removable, washable covers. But when the perfect pillow catches my eye, that is not always something I take into account before purchasing. So, yes! Rule #1: purchase accent pillows with removable / washable covers. Exception to the rule, when it has a unique and delightful pattern or adorned with a "you really get me" print. I'm a Sagittarius, you know- the archer, half man - half horse, the centaur, Chiron?. Anyway I just naturally have a thing for arrows, I can't explain it - it's part of my zodiac. So when I saw this pretty thing I had to have it, thus making an exception to rule #1. Unfortunately the material is pretty high maintenance. It can only be spot-cleaned and the fabric pills A LOT. At the beginning of our new life together, I'd just use a good ol' handy lint roller. And that worked for a bit until I started to slack and the pills piled up. Occasionally while watching TV, I'd sit there and pull all the pills off using my fingers. But that is a quite tedious task for even me. One day while shaving one of my sweaters with a disposable razor blade I had an epiphany, "why wouldn't this method also work on my arrow pillow?" Queue the music... It worked! It damn near reversed its age and made it look new again.

Save the pillow, shave the pills!

So here's all you need: one pilled up pillow, one disposable razor (I use my husband's), a small trash can or bag, some spare time, background music or something to idly watch on TV.

Take the razor and shave that pillow. By using short strokes, go along the direction of the fabric, pull the pillow as taut as possible so you're working with a nice flat-ish surface. Be careful around prints, buttons, seams and any other embellishments. Empty and clean off both razor and pillow after noticeable build up. You'll want your razor to be cleared of any debris to ensure you are getting the full effect of the blades. With this particular fabric, I had to shave in different directions to get the pills off. Pay attention to your fabric and identify how the pills have attached themselves to it.

Happy shaving!

After: Pill free * Woo-Eee! — After: Pill free * Woo-Eee!

Content by: Agent J

Happy New Year from Agent J!

Agent J January 1, 2018

Happy New Year from Agent J!

Rather than focus on a New Year's resolution. I've decided upon the following declarations.

I am going to be more conscious of my body, self and insecurities.

* I will be more conscious of the things I put both inside and on my body.
* I will be more conscious of how I treat and nurture my body.
* I will be more conscious of how I speak, respond and be more thoughtful with my words and actions.
* I will be more conscious of how my presence makes other's feel around me and learn how to encompass a more comfortable and warm environment.
* I will be more conscious of how I spend money, my time and energy.
* I will be more conscious of my business, its potential and strive to make it a success.
* I will be more conscious of my goals and my to-do-lists by following through with my personal promises and dusting off a few of my shelved dreams and ideas.
* I will no longer allow my past to haunt me or those from it to intimidate me by keeping me in hiding and limited.
* I will no longer allow my anxiety to stunt my business potential or close off my social interactions.
* I will no longer allow mean spirited people or their "posts" alter my mood, sway my moral compass or lose hope with humanity entirely.
* I will no longer allow competition or fear to get in the way of my dreams or drive to make my business all that is can be.

Get ready New Year! 'Cause we're going to Make Magic Happen! 🦄

Talking Dirty

Agent J November 23, 2017

Fact: Your cell phone is a mobile microbe. It's true! Your cell phone is riddled with germs: 25,107 per square inch, to be precise. Sure makes me feel a little relieved I have a smaller sized phone compared to today's standards.

Look, the world is a filthy place. And your phone might possibly be thee dirtiest thing you posses, carry around and use on a daily basis. Think about it, not only do we bring our cells to the dinner table and thumb through online while we're eating, we (well most of us anyway) still put our phones up to our faces to verbally communicate to other people. Talk about talking dirty. Some folks will take it with them into the bathroom or give to their children to play games or use as a teething mechanism. I'm not here to judge your uses. But answer me a quick question- when was the last time you cleaned your phone with, say, an antibacterial wipe? Or sanitized it altogether? If your answer is "never" or "hardly ever," then for the sake of your health, please stop reading this right this minute and go directly to this website, PhoneSoap.com. I'll wait ....

Welcome back!

So did you read that? Whatever your hands touch, your cell phone collects. It's basically a third hand you NEVER wash, a pocket petri dish. And most importantly, our cell phones make us sick.

I have a mild case of germaphobia. Ok, maybe not so much as mild, but I wouldn't compare myself to Adrian Monk, portrayed by Tony Shalhoub's in the early 2000's television series, Monk. Though I will admit, I did sympathize with him. I used antibacterial wipes often sometimes once a day, at least once a week to clean my phone. You could say I am a GermaPhone. Ha! Get it? I wasn't completely confident I was thoroughly sanitizing or ridding it of all the nasties it collects. I would still occasionally get those 'I talk on my cell phone breakouts' on my face. Grrr. Then one glorious evening I was introduced to PhoneSoap while watching Shark Tank. They stated that the PhoneSoap kills microorganisms that hide in crevices where cleaning wipes can’t reach. With its powerful UV-C light, which is totally safe for electronics, kills 99.99% of germs. I remember thinking this is exactly what I need and scolding the tv, "they better make a deal with them." I NEEED this!! A deal was struck, Hooray! I cheered out loud and then recorded the company's info into my note app on my phone. Over time additional notes were added which end up burying this very important info. Sadly, it was forgotten about- that unique company and their innovative product. I continued to clean my phone with my wipes.

Now fast forward a year or two, not sure the exact time frame. I was on Amazon when the PhoneSoap popped up. The item flashed back into my memory and I was reminded how badly I wanted it. I put it inside my cart and there it remained. After being re-acquainted with the product and company, I thought I'd do further research on them. I was curious to know how the company fared with their 'shark' and the level of success they had reached since appearing on the show. I found their facebook page and immediately liked and began following them. Ok, back to my Amazon cart. I was struggling with if I should order my PhoneSoap directly from them on their website or through Amazon. I wanted to help contribute to them as much as possible. I suspected they would take a hit on their profit with my ordering on Amazon. But then on the other hand, I have an Amazon account which rewards me with points for my purchases. Anyway, as I said, I was torn. And when I feel conflicted about anything, I take a step back and ponder my decision before I make any.

Then August of this year, 2017, a contest hosted by PhoneSoap showed up in my news feed. They were celebrating their '10,000th FB Like' and as a thank you ONE lucky winner was going to receive a PhoneSoap (in the color of your choice), a Patch and Polish. A kit valued at $95.00. All you had to do to be entered was, like / follow their fb page (check) and like the post regarding the contest. I did all required, I was feeling lucky! And sure enough I was the big winner. I was so surprised and excited. I chose the 'gold' color which looks more like a rose gold to me, which I love even more. I received my winnings lightning fast. It now sits on my bedside table and I wash my cell phone in the amount of time it takes me to feed our fur babies and make our bed. Basically, It takes no time at all. That's it! It sanitizes in a flash. When the light shuts off I know it's ready. I am now fully confident of my cell phone's cleanliness.

Right now PhoneSoap is running a Black Friday Sale, Save 30% + FREE shipping, Use code JOY at checkout.

Content By: Agent J

Get Outta Your Mind (this is not about Lil' Jon)

AgenT May 27, 2015

"Your focus is not ON being HAPPY. The focus is on NOT being UNHAPPY."

Danielle LaPorte (The Desire Map)

Full disclosure... I read a lot of self development books. Some are hokey and nothing more than a rehash of the old Stuart Smalley, from SNL, line "You're good enough, smart enough and dog gone it, people like you." But then there are the books that have flavor, like The Desire Map. I love reading this book as much as I love hot cocoa with whipped cream AND marshmallows. It's warm and full of good stuff. But, it gives you that sweet feeling that you're going to own your life and it's going to be amazing.

I specifically asked for Hot cocoa with whipped cream and marshmallows. You give me Bailey's and Kraken!! Genius.

I am, I think, on my third read through and for some reason the quote above stuck out to me this time. "Your focus is not on being happy. The focus is on not being unhappy." How true that statement is for most people. What makes you happy? Do you really know? For most of us it's tough to get our minds to dig deep enough to answer that more than superficially. Our predictable answer is my family, my dog or in some cases, VODKA! Very rarely do we allow ourselves to state where our true happiness lies because once you go there the fear of not attaining it kicks in. Instead we focus on how NOT to be unhappy. Just good enough to not be scared by it. Adequate to care for our families, get the basic needs met. "I'm doing this less than stellar work because I can afford my rent and I'm not crying in an alley." Maybe that was too much, but do you see the problem?

When I realized that I was living my life this way, unconsciously, it made me want to vomit. 39 years of "That's good enough.", "I'm fine.", "I can't afford that vacation." When my inner desire was screaming to be on the beach because that it is one of the places that makes me ecstatically happy. Limiting beliefs are everywhere. What kind of a life is one spent focusing on not being unhappy? Is it rich? Is it filled with pleasure and engagement? Does it pass down generations? Where is the legacy in it? I come from a long line of "good enough." My mind, as I was writing this, is still so conditioned to the not being unhappy formula that I actually tried to justify it to myself as a "not so bad" option and talk myself out of finishing this post. The difference between me now and me 2 years ago is that I am now engaged in a full on war with my conditioning. I wasn't taught to achieve. I was taught to survive and even that I taught myself. Happy? That was a luxury purchase at a store I couldn't afford. Only recently, as I am nearing 40, have I begun to reach for that box on the high shelf where I stashed all my hopes and dreams. Yes, they've aged and changed, as all dreams do. It's a sure thing that no matter what positive thoughts I throw at it I will not be marrying John Taylor, from Duran Duran. Sad to say. The things I wanted to do, places to go, these are all still with me. My focus now is firmly set on being happy. This blog makes me happy because of the people I share it with. My work makes me happy because I change lives. My daughter makes me happy because she is a person of worth and talent, not my reflection.

How do you get to the place where you can focus on your happiness? You learn about yourself. Yes, you gotta study YOU! Break it down and dig into the places that you don't want to go. It's not a switch that you flip one day and a bright light pops on and all of a sudden you're golden. To get to your "core desired feelings", another gem from The Desire Map, you have to figure out why you do what you do. What are you afraid of and why? How long have you felt that way? And why? Quiz yourself like a six year old would.

Not my kid, but you get the point!! He wants to know everything. NOW!

It's a process. Once you start learning what and who you are, you will start to see where to look for your true happiness. The world is not meant to break you down. It's the people who have lost sight of their desired feelings that break down the world. Don't join their ranks. Don't cower and hide from them either. Get quiet with yourself and take the time to recognize your desired feelings and what makes you happy. Then stand up tall and go get it. Despite what is said against you or what is placed in your path. Change yourself and then go help someone else change. It might take awhile, but we've got all the time in the world.

Share this post if you're ready to focus on being happy. I'd love to hear what that is and how you're going to get it. We're all learning and our best teachers are each other. Comment below or engage on the AgentJ.co Facebook page.

Content by: AgenT

Photo credits

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22768390@N00/2060284378">Sampson</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)</a>

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/127294011@N07/15692206507">personalized let it snow mug on a table with liqueur bottles</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>

hoto credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11599314@N00/3028878140">Duran Duran Bogota Colombia</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/17216347@N00/437087585"></a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>

I'm a Yogi

Agent J April 9, 2015

I have been a tea lover since as far back as I can remember. To me, there is nothing that can beat a hot cup of tea on a chilly day to warm your hands and calm your soul. My love for tea is no secret. I steep myself a cup on a daily. When I first discovered Yogi Tea's Kombucha Green Tea many years ago I was hooked. The sweet herbal flavor is a must-have inside my tea cabinet. I began to sample other Yogi flavors and equally enjoyed those. I was officially a Yogi. I especially became fond of the thoughtful proverbs printed on the tag of each packet. Some were so inspirational I felt compelled to share them as a facebook status with the date I received it. Many posts later, I thought it would be fun to capture an image of my cup of tea displaying my tag in each. Below are some images of the photographs I took and shared with all my friends. What was started as silly little thing has turned into a larger fun project. I now host national Yogi Tea Parties by sending cups of tea to friends all over the country and request that they share their Yogi experience with a photo of their tag and the date they "joined" my tea party. So far I've had two Yogi Tea Parties, 2013 and 2014, and am currently planning 2015's.

Content by: Agent J

VODKA tea cup found at Y vonnEellen Unique Upcycled Vintage Homewares Etsy store.

StudLee the Pumpkin

Agent J January 27, 2015

I first made my little pumpkin man for our enclosed porch Autumn decor. I gave him the fitting name, StudLee. He was a big hit with anyone who was greeted by him. Since then I have found additional uses for him. He made a fantastic centerpiece during our book exchange party and has modeled alongside Mia as her sidekick in our recent Halloween and Thanksgiving photoshoot. When he's not in use, StudLee is on display in our front room.

If you too would like to make a pumpkin like mine here's what you do:

You can use a real pumpkin if you want as a temporary decoration. Or if you want yours to last for eternity, purchase foam pumpkins also known as Funkins. I bought mine from Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store during the fall season. But you can find them online here and here. Next you will need the appendages. I found mine here. They have bendable wire inside the foam exterior and can be shaped into a variety of positions and even hold other small decorative items. For an extra kick I added bronze cone shape studs.

Content by: Agent J

Read Me to Sleep

Agent J June 25, 2014

I love to read. It was one of my favorite childhood activities. I was routinely awarded free personal pan pizzas for all the books I read while participating in Pizza Hut's Book It Reading Program and I would go nuts when we would receive those Scholastic Book Club pamphlets at school. I would circle all the books I just had to have and pass the list on to my stepmother. She would then have me painfully narrow my fifty down to about three. She too enjoyed to read and happily supported my book addiction instead of catering to the latest barbie/plastic toy fad. I was an avid book collector in my youth and still very much am as an adult.

But rather than reading a book shortly after I get it, I now find I am adding more books to my collection than I am actually reading-- more like fostering them rather than fully committing to the adoption. I have an area called Limbo Land, AKA my bedside table, on which the Unread are piling up. Even worse is the Purgatory Basket for those books not quite lucky enough to stay in Limbo Land. There you will find all the books I pulled out with the intention to read but never finished. And because I have not read them yet, I refuse to place any back in our library where they will surely get lost amongst the Already Read.

See Exhibit A. (Limbo Land) / B. (Purgatory Basket)

The reason I have such difficulty finishing a book these days is due to the fact I only allocated bedtime for reading, which means I simply read myself to sleep. I lay down to read and about mid chapter in I'm fighting to stay awake. It's not because the stories are boring, it's just not the best time for me to pickup a book. Now, because I am unable to stay awake, the book gets placed back on my nightstand. Only to receive the same fate the following evening. Once I find myself reading the same chapter over and over again the book gets planted into Limbo Land and another book will be attempted at a later date. I still have full intent to read all these books you see above. And this is how I plan to succeed. By Just Reading! Anytime I have a downtime moment, when I go outside with the canines and by going to bed well before my bedtime. So far I've been able to remove two of the books from my bedside pile. Now that it is Summer, I watch way less television, my main shows are Criminal Minds and Revenge, which thankfully air during the Fall schedule. That gives me more free time to read. Once a book has been completed I will replace the ( * ) with an ( X ). So without further ado here is the list (in no particular order) of my Summer readings:

X Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang - Chelsea Handler
* One Day - David Nicholls
* Dollhouse - Joss Whedon (Fansinated with the television series)
* Handwriting Analysis - Amend and Ruiz
* Freakonomics - Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
* Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (Re-reading a childhood favorite)
* Building Left Brain Power - Allen D. Bragdon
* Zombies VS. Unicorns - Holly Black
* The Casual Vacancy - J.K. Rowling
* In the Woods - Tana French
* The Princess Bride - William Goldman (Re-reading a childhood favorite book and movie)
* City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare (Saw the first book's movie adaptation)
* Beautiful Creatures - Garcia Stohl (Watched movie but was informed the story was different)
* The Informers - Brett Easton Ellis (Read this while in college - I don't remember a thing - HA!)
* The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
X Are You There, VODKA? It's Me Chelsea - Chelsea Handler
X White Girl Problems - Babe Walker
* Fragile Things - Neil Gaimen (One of my favorite authors)
* The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaimen (Again I love Neil's mind)
* Dreams of Joy - Lisa See
* The Kitchen House - Kathleen Grissom
* The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly
* The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (Saw movie but heard the book was loads better)