16 Saucy Questions – Gina Waterfield

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I know I’ve confessed this before, but maybe not to you…I’m nosy!  Investigative reporter nosy. Wish-I-could-look-in-your-closet-and-medicine-cabinet nosy. I also love to know what makes some women so sexy. I created these questions as a socially acceptable way to satisfy my curiosity…

 

Better GinaMeet Gina Waterfield, from right here in Austin, TX.  Trust me when I tell you that she is a force to be reckoned with!

She’s an artist by nature: a painter, a photographer, a stylist, and a great cook. She writes beautiful, evocative prose. She’s a certified Reiki practitioner and a yoga instructor. And she dresses more stylishly and fashion-forward  than anyone else I know.  Add to all of that: she’s the mother of  five grown children, and has 8 1/2 grandchildren!

I can’t wait for the book she’s working on to come out, so I can learn more of her stylish secrets.  She’s recuperating from rotator-cuff surgery, so we talked, joked, and laughed by telephone over this first-ever version of “Saucy Questions,”  which Gina kindly agreed to answer.  After looking at her responses, I realized that one of the biggest components of living a sexy life at any age is passion!  (And perhaps a great pair of heels…)

  1. Favorite cocktail?   Dirty Martini (vodka)
  2. Heels or flats?    Oh, heels. Especially kitten heels
  3. Pajamas, t-shirt, or au natural?    Skin is always in!
  4. Carnivore, veggie, or vegan?    Carnivore
  5. Exercise: Consistent or irregular?    Consistent
  6. Shopping – Love or Hate?    Love it!
  7. Cooking –  Love or hate?    Love
  8. Washing dishes –  Love or hate?    Love
  9. Biggest goal this year, in one word?    Book
  10. Favorite movie?    Whale Rider
  11. Favorite genre of books?    Self-help
  12. Hobbies?     My whole life is my passionate hobby!
  13. Favorite thing to do on Saturday night, in two words?   Date night
  14. Beach or Mountains?    The mountains have been calling me lately
  15. Fly or drive?    Drive
  16. What would your Last Supper be?    Surf & Turf, a Frisee Salad (made with grapes, walnuts, bleu cheese) and silky Panna Cotta.

(photo credit: Maria Gatling)

I hope you enjoyed this peek into Gina’s closet  exciting life. I certainly did!

XO Donna

Well Laid

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Oh. My. Goodness.  Wherever did you go with that headline? I am talking about setting a table to sit down and dine.

Yes, dine! You know: forks, knives, plates and napkins on a table. As opposed to eating out of the to-go container using plastic forks, or throwing the pizza box in the middle of the table with a roll of paper towels. Dine…rather than dig in, chow down, throw down, pig out, or slam something.

I’ve worked as a hair-stylist most of my adult life, and with one brief and beautiful exception at Zan Ray Salon, lunches were always quickly eaten on a break, while standing-up. When my stomach finally began to bother me, my doctor inquired, “How do you eat your meals?”  I told him. He advised me to always sit down when I eat. “It signals the body to relax,” he said. It also puts us in a frame of mind to appreciate our food.

Place Setting from homeinstyle.co.ilIf you look up “how to lay a table,” you will find the commonly accepted way looks something like this photo on the left.  Why would you bother?

  • Because life is short.
  • Because food is the fuel that nurtures you – if it doesn’t deserve a plate, maybe you shouldn’t be eating it.
  • And because you deserve to eat in a nice setting! I have to add one more thing: don’t save the “Fine China” for special occasions. Who is more important than you? What is more important than the fact that you are alive today?

I arranged to interview my friend Karen Louise recently, (more on that in another blog) and she said she’d open a bottle of Cropped Luncheon with Karenwine for us. Imagine my surprise when I walked in and was greeted by this perfect table! We sat and talked, lingering for hours. I haven’t felt so relaxed in ages. And I felt tres chic and honored by her careful attention!  (I’d love to see how she does “formal,” and wonder if there’s room at her Christmas table?)

Next time you get ready to eat, take an extra minute to lay a place at your table. Make it as simple, or sexy as you like. Remind yourself, and the people you’re with, that you are precious! Pass the good food, and share the love!

XO Donna

Gumbo Meditation

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I have never been able to sit on a cushion and stare at the wall. I’ve tried, trust me…over and over again. I thought it “would be good for me.” Finally a teacher told me that there are many ways to meditate, many ways to practice mindfulness. Perhaps I would do better with a moving meditation?

I haven’t sat still since!

I used to bake fresh bread as a form of relaxation and meditation…kneading the dough until it was as supple, smooth and soft as a newborn baby’s ass. The whole kitchen smelled of yeast, honey and love! I’d set aside a whole afternoon, it was like a vacation day for me. Then I developed a wheat allergy, and all of that was out the window. (deflated sigh)

Last Tuesday I was at my friend Gina’s house for lunch and a confab, and while we talked, she made Gumbo. I have never made it…ranking it up among the things I deemed too difficult; like an elegant Crown Roast or a Buche Noelle. I have lived this long without needing to cook any of them…and then I tasted her gumbo.  Holy Gina Marie Lucia! Gumbo

I had been watching closely, asking questions and taking notes as she cooked. And as she did, we sipped wine and caught up on each other’s lives (yes, we were day-drinking…but it was wine. Doesn’t count) and when she finally put a garnished bowl in front of me – I was hooked on gumbo. This stuff is the ‘Crack’ of the soup world!

This Tuesday, I made my first pot of gumbo. I overcame my fear, and when it was finished and ladled into bowls with some fresh steamed rice, I was thrilled!  (I had to substitute a gluten-free baking mix for the flour in the roux, yet it was still delicious.) 

I realize that I am rewarded every time I take steps to overcome a fear. And I’m  reminded that cooking is a lesson in staying present, a form of mindfulness meditation. From organizing the shopping list; remaining patient through all of the cutting, chopping, and measuring; and slowly, slowly browning the roux. The payoff  is not just in experiencing a delicious meal, but feeling both love and gratitude as I sit at the table and eat.  Gratitude that I have such healthy, delicious food to eat. Love for the partner I prepared it for (who adores gumbo), and for the dear friend who shared her expertise with me.

I can’t wait to make another batch!                   Want the recipe? Let me know in the comments!

XO Donna

Six Easy Pieces

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No…I’m not referring to the classic Jack Nicholson movie by almost the same title – but if you haven’t seen it, get thee to Netflix (or whoever you download films from) and watch “Five Easy Pieces.”   There is a scene in which Jack’s character is in a diner and trying to get toast to go with his meal.  Imagine the Stones singing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” in the background.

But you…you can get what you want.  And easily, to boot!  Recently, a beautiful young friend, who shall remain unnamed, said that she’d reached that age where she couldn’t go out without make-up anymore. Then she changed it to, she could…but she shouldn’t.  I have to disagree, her skin is amazing. 

I know a few women around my age who still have amazing skin – they shunned the sun, while I smeared baby oil all over mine and tanned gloriously.  Fire Island! The Hamptons! Who could blame me?  Now…it’ll take a bit of dermabrasion, or lasers, to erase all of that fun!  

For the rest of us, who prefer not to go out bare-faced,  here are six quick and easy steps to cover uneven skin tone, add sunscreen, maintain moisture, and have everyone looking into your eyes and eating out of your hand! image

  1.    A creamy moisturizer with Vitamin C, applied to damp skin.
  2.    BB or CC cream, applied with a moistened sponge.
  3.   A matte eye shadow in a color to compliment, not match,  your eyes.  e.g. – mine are greenish, so I use a pale mauve. Blue?  Use soft coral.  Brown? Use a rich beige or soft cream.
  4.   Brow powder. Since our brows thin as we age. Brows are the frame around a beautiful painting. The finishing touch.
  5.   You could skip this, but I love a thin eyeliner smudged on my top lid along my lashes. You can do lower, too. But never lower only!
  6. Last step – mascara.  I recently learned a new trick: take a tissue and clean of your brush before applying it. It goes on cleaner, no clumps.

So there you have it.  A fast morning routine that will have you protected, and feeling sexy, in under ten minutes!  A swipe of tinted lipgloss, or sheer lipstick, a dash of perfume,  and you are ready for whatever the day may throw at you.

(For my gentlemen readers – After shaving,  I really encourage you to use a moisturizer with an SPF 25 or 30. Carry it up to your hairline, and on your ears and your neck. Ooh, remember cologne!)

XO  Donna