These quarterly e-communications are focused on "comfort living" and are meant to be concise -- and more importantly, relevant. If you know of others who might be interested, feel free to forward this on...Enjoy!

Spring 2009 A Practical Tool for Balanced Living: Balancing Uncertainty With Positive Routines: Life is pretty serious these days. By refocusing some of your basic routines, you can regain some balance in day-to-day living. Here are some easy starting places: Start With Yourself and Your Spaces – Home Tending & Physical Wellness Whether you live in a single room, an apartment or a 10-bedroom house, regular routines for physical spaces are key. By staying connected to your surroundings, you energize one of the most important aspects of living -- your home. The barest essentials of home tending boil down to keeping your “stuff” under control, clearing out what you don’t want or need and making the most of where you live. On a purely physical level, it is said that your health is everything. By being intentional about your physical well-being, you lay a strong foundation for living in balance. Healthy eating, exercise, a warm shower at the day’s end and a good nights’ sleep may sound a bit boring, but that really is what really counts. Routines for Relaxation and Play - The “Other” R & R One of the best ways to offset stress is to take a step back from the demands of work and other obligations and enjoy some relaxation and fun. As the days get longer and the weather warms up, try opening your windows to the gentle rhythms of spring -- and your doors to the positive energy of friends and family. Nature, food and people have an irresistible way of drawing people together. In fact, on May 6th, my Lifestyle Home Tour will be at Katie and Ian Walker’s home which is a beautiful combination of these elements (see Upcoming Events for more on this annual event). As far as your own routines, how about setting a date for some easy and relaxed outdoor times with people you enjoy? Spontaneous gatherings are often the most memorable ones – and they are easy on the host. In fact, how about working in a pot luck supper or brunch into your own routines? It doesn’t matter if it takes place in your backyard, a nearby park or at the halfway point of a walking trail – what counts is being with people you care about and tapping into the positive energy of nature. This is the one of the easiest offsets to the busy and tech-laden world we live in.

Upcoming Events: A Special Home Tour in Buckhead - Complimentary for Fellow LD Alumni & Friends: Wednesday, May, 6, 2009 (Group size will be limited, so r.s.v.p. early) Here it is again, my annual Lifestyle Home Tour -- a complimentary gesture of thanks to current and past Lifestyle Design participants and friends! On last year’s tour, interior designer Sarah Steinfeld took us through her brilliantly renovated home in Ansley Park. The year before that, we experienced a lifestyle inspired throughout by the owners' passion for the works of Kandinsky, Chihuly and other artists. This year, my friend, Katie Walker has agreed to walk us through her home in Buckhead which was just featured in 16 pages of the March issue of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. I hope you can join us! Katie was the creative force behind the design and construction of this very personal, yet truly fabulous home, built in 1999. Her design team included architect Keith Summerour. “The idea was to create a sculptural home,” Katie explains. Her inspiration came from Philippe Starck, Frank Lloyd Wright and homes in the Hamptons, along with an Asian aesthetic in the exterior spaces. An especially fabulous kitchen is at the heart of some pretty serious cooking, and the entire house lends itself to their love of entertaining in the most creative ways. This home was perfectly described as “Art as Inspiration, Inside and Out” in a recent article in The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Home Section. Katie and her husband, Ian, have a keen sense of style and have created a lifestyle that is inspirational, welcoming and balanced. Their home is a reflection of all of that and much more. Over the years, these surroundings have been shaped and re-shaped, as children have grown up and new-found passions and interests have come to the forefront. More recently, Katie’s love of photography has evolved from a hobby to a career. Her 1,000 square foot photography studio reflects this shift in her professional life. Given their love of design, art and entertaining, it is no surprise that furnishings and artwork are not tied down to permanent resting places, but instead, are always open to reinterpretation. (The size of the group is limited, so do reply early to balancedlifestyle@comcast.net) Keeping In Touch - Some recent blogs @ www.lifestyledesign.org: Lifestyle Rhythms - Putting Times of Stress and Serenity into a Broader Context Taking Stock & Turning Up the Volume on "The Good" in Challenging Times Nature's Influences in Modern Life En Route from Kenya to Atlanta: What an Experience! There Really Is No Place Like Home…

What's News: Atlanta INtown Column - Positive Change Through Streamlining: Life should offer the opportunity to relax and enjoy, but often obstacles get in the way. Click here for Christine's full-page column on one of the most powerful tools for getting rid of stress and taking control of your life - streamlining. Green Energy Council's Go Green Expos - Making their Way through the US: Los Angeles and Philadelphia have already hosted Go Green Expos. The next cities up are New York City (April 17-19) and Atlanta (June 26-28). These events showcase companies and people specializing in eco-friendly goods and services. Each Expo has over 200 booths and exhibits, interactive seminars and speeches, a green marketplace as well as demonstrations and hands on activities. Interested? Visit www.gogreenexpo.com for more information.