Unfortunately, I have found that having “preppy” in the blog title is really limiting for me from a creative point of view. So I’m going back to “Minimalist OC” for now. Long term, I plan to rebrand to something new and fabulous in the future.

I’ve received feedback that the new template is an improvement over the original, so I’ll keep this format and probably just change the header photo. Hopefully to something appropriately topical like orange trees, etc.

Thanks for your patience as I go through new blogger growning pains. I appreciate your support!  And as always I appreciate and welcome your feedback.

However, the doctor wants to monitor me more closely for awhile. I’ll go back for another scope in six months.

Have a happy Thanksgiving! I definitely am extra-thankful this year.

At 34, I was one of his youngest patients ever. It definitely made me re-evaluate my life priorities and “bucket” list at the time. Ten years and 6 colonoscopies later, I was starting to relax….until my most recent visit yesterday.

Once again, I had an “ugly” tumor, as the doctor phrased it. I will probably be fine, as we caught it early. It’s probably just pre-cancerous, as before. But it’s a reminder, not to take things for granted.

A very close family friend passed away recently. I was so sad I hadn’t seen her lately. So often, we assume that someone special will always be around. But whatever our age, we can be just one accident away from our last chance to say goodbye, or just spend time with some one special.

On a less grim note, my office informed us that some employees might have to take a 1- month furlough soon. Although this may not end up affecting me (hopefully!) it’s a reminder that finances are not to be taken for granted either. I love my new job and received a big promotion & raise this summer, but the economy is still uncertain. I had paid off my credit card last year, and then put some debt back on it to pay for tuition and car repairs. Time to get that cleaned up! Also time to refocus on my side job doing voice-over for commercials – my demo CD has been produced, but I still need to get my resume done & photos taken. Having extra income would be nice insurance until the economy really recovers.

My office is moving next week – thanks to a minimalist workspace, it took me 5 minutes to label & pack my workspace. Many others were packing for a couple of hours – some for days!! This is a good example of how streamlined I’d like my whole life to be. I know that minimalism can get me there!

I started by handwashing my dinner dishes, and then decluttering drawers one at a time. I did cheat and have a glass of wine with Washington Week podcast in the background on my iPad, so it wasn’t totally zen. But I noticed that changing my attitude made the process of cleaning a lot more enjoyable.

I removed a drawer, took everything out, and admired how nice and clean it was. Then I discarded any unwanted items – only a few this time around. Then I put back the “keep” items and again admired how nice and organized the drawer looked now. And so on….

It was actually kind of relaxing. The wine probably helped too!

Part of it is just losing momentum after blogging about a year. I think I’ve also resolved issues like debt and hating my job that motivated me to start blogging to begin with.

But I realized that I’ve also gotten away from the “core” of my blog – I haven’t been focusing as much on plain old minimalism lately.

I realized that I have been backsliding a bit recently. Somehow I’ve acquired a few more clothes than I need – again. I need to do a mini-purge and get back to the “one in, one out” rule. I also put car repair payments on my newly blank credit card a couple months ago and haven’t completely paid that off yet.

I also had planned to shred or scan a couple boxes of files and give away some furniture, but keep postponing it.

And I need to focus on simplifying and improving my diet and exercise, and get back in the habit of daily yoga and meditation. I let a busy schedule and my new promotion be an excuse to do some shopping and let things slip for awhile, but it’s time to recommit to the principles that have consistently improved my life and health.

So…..back on the wagon!

I next contacted Siam Leather Goods. They confirmed that they actually can do a totally bespoke shoe for under $400, including the custom last. So I’ll give them a try. Fingers crossed!

Luckily it’s summer now and I’m mostly wearing sandals. I’ve made a resolution to visit the beach more – it’s only a few miles away, but I always make excuses. I’m trying to at least drive the beach route (Pacific Coast Highway) when doing errands or visiting friends. Definitely more fun than the freeway. Last week my friend and I walked around Balboa and the boardwalk area for a few hours and had lunch.

It’s so easy to take things for granted that you see every day. Like palm trees. I never thought much about them until my cousin came to visit from Canada and commented on how many there are here. Are there natural beauties or attractions in your neighborhood that you take for granted? Sometimes it takes a visiting friend from out-of-town to remind us of the nice things all around us that we forget to notice.

Something that I always appreciate in late May / early June is the jacaranda trees in bloom. Gorgeous lilac trees that drop their petals in a carpet everywhere. Luckily the public roads where I live are lined with these pretty trees. Their beauty always makes me smile during my commute!

Then I returned home via Pacific Coast Highway – it was a little windy but the ocean was still gorgeous.

Next I returned home and planted a whole flower bed, with Spanish Eyes lavender and white petunias.

I just love gardening. For a few years, I didn’t have to do much – my garden reached a level of sustainability where I just had to water and occassionally weed.

But I had a bad case of mildew/fungus that took over a bed. I trimmed the shrubs back for a few months but finally had to pull them out. I capped the offending sprinkler (OK, I used duct tape but it seems to be working!). Then I ripped everything out and replanted after about two weeks.

It looks gorgeous now! Afterward, I had a well-deserved icy-cold Corona beer and relaxed outside. Ahhh, summer!

I’ll also start wearing white shoes now.

Technically, the preppy “rule” is that you can wear white starting on the Easter holiday in the Southern US (below the Mason-Dixon line). I usually am more comfortable just waiting until Memorial Day.

Summer is upon us! I’m looking forward to grilled corn and long walks on the beach!

My upbringing was very traditional and conservative, and despite my interest in minimalism, I am finding that I miss the preppy, classic, timeless products and hobbies of my youth. I don’t think this necessarily contradicts my minimalist tendencies as these items wear well and classics never go out of style.

I was thinking about starting a new, separate “preppy” blog, but I posted a couple of articles about “preppy minimalism” here and the interest was overwhelming! So maybe I can combine the two concepts together. I was thinking about changing the name of this blog from “MinimalistOC” to “The Preppy Minimalist.”

I’d still be writing mainly about minimalism but with a more preppy/classic style filter.

Please let me know what you think! I’ll reconsider if it’s a big issue for you, otherwise I’ll probably change the name in the next week or two. You can post in comments below or email me at minimalistoc@yahoo.com. Thanks for your feedback!

Lately, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect tan shoes. I’ve wasted some money on shipping prices sending back shoes that were slightly too dark, too pale, too tight, etc. I’m just looking for a pair of basic tan ballet flats. It shouldn’t be so difficult! But I want a versatile pair that goes with both khaki and camel, and also beige-based prints.

Now that my wardrobe, including shoes, is a lot smaller, I feel less guilty spending more to get the perfect pair of shoes that will go with many different things. In addition to color, fit is a big issue for me. I’m diabetic and my toes have been going numb on my left foot. My toes are very square and get squished in regular shoes, cutting off my circulation.

I’ve been scoping out a few sites for “bespoke” options – yes, hand-made custom fitted shoes!! The closest cobbler I could find locally (in the San Fernando Valley) charges $3,000 USD for the first pair and $1,500 after that (he makes shoes for Madonna). Um, that’s way too expensive!  My friend pointed out that I could fly to Thailand or Italy and have the shoes made there for less (including airfare)!

I found some mail-order options that are more reasonable. Siam Leather Goods is in Pennsylvania and is reasonably priced. Eliza B  is in Connecticut – you can get custom color but not sure about custom fit.

I did order a couple of custom-made belts from Eliza B – here’s a pic.  Navy polka dot and rainbow-sherbet color stripes:

I finally ordered my tan shoes through Shoes of Prey. They’re in Australia and you can use Adobe Flash to design the shoes. They guarantee good fit. Sounds good! The cost is $180 USD but it’s worth it for a pair of comfortable shoes that goes with many outfits. I’ll post a photo when they arrive – cross your fingers – my hunt may be over!

UPDATE:  Here’s a photo – they are beautiful!  The color matches every outfit I needed it to match.  The customer service is also wonderful.  They sent me this professional photo below when it had been shipped.  It arrived nicely wrapped with a shoe bag.  Outstanding customer service – I did have a couple minor fit problems, and they offered to remake the shoes for a perfect fit.  A very good experience!