Author: Seniye Groff

Summer Spirit

Posted on by Seniye Groff

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Life as a working mom is busy.  So when my mother-in-law offered to take the girls for the week, I was part disbelief and part “how can I maximize my time without the kids?”  We dropped of the kids Sunday night and proceeded to go out for sushi.  On Monday, my husband and I both went to work but I was amazed at how quickly I got ready.  So quickly, in fact, that I was able to stop somewhere for coffee before arriving at work (early, at that!).

On Tuesday we both worked again but decided to take Wednesday and Thursday off.  Well, on Monday evening I had ten women over for wine and cheese.  On Tuesday, when my husband arrived home I asked, “Where are you taking me to dinner?”  We meandered through the Pearl and finally ate at a shocking 8 p.m.!  We casually strolled the city streets with no where in mind and no schedule to watch.  It was quite freeing!

On Wednesday, we woke up and went for a run, quickly showered and went to breakfast at Compote (http://compotepdx.com/).  The poached egg stack was delicious.  I noticed these articoke flowers (pictured above) as we left the restaurant.  They were simply amazing and the bees were happily diving into their centers looking for nectar.  We then went to the garden store to pick up a few plants for our new backyard.  We ate lunch and decided to ride bikes down the Esplanade.  We are off to a friend’s Happy Hour later this evening.  All in all, a fun and productive “vacation” day enjoying my husband’s company!

Moms’ Night

Posted on by Seniye Groff

I live on a very active and involved block in our neighborhood.  There are 29 kids on the block ranging from 18 months to 13 years old.  There is a lot of free-spirited, spontaneous play.  The moms get together regularly and so I decided to host last night’s affair.  It was a perfect evening to enjoy our new backyard.  I had a wine and cheese theme, so I asked everyone to bring a wine and cheese pairing that they liked.  All the cheeses were good but there was a lavender gouda that was exceptional; especially since those are not typical combined flavors.  I also made a lemon tart and another neighbor brought brownies and a quinoa salad.  There was lots of chatter and laughter.  It was the perfect way to spend a summer evening!

Managing Difficult People

Posted on by Seniye Groff

It is a fact of corporate life-you will probably have to manage or interact with a difficult person at some time or another.  I love Talent Management Magazine and always seem to find informative articles on a variety of topics.  In this month’s issue, Pelan’s article titled, “Managing Difficult People” has some sound advice.

There is no question that effective communication skills are mandatory when working on teams-especially given that most teams are diverse, global and even virtual, at times.  Pelan argues, “When employees understand their communication style, they can modify and adjust to improve their situational effectiveness.”  There is no doubt in my mind, though, that without the awareness of one’s style and how to adjust the style based on the situation and personality, it is pretty difficult to navigate the slippery slope of a difficult personality.  I highly recommend taking an assessment such as Myers-Briggs or DISC to help you determine your communication style.

Some tips for handling problem personalities:

  • “Recognize the situation and clarify in writing.
  • Define action steps.
  • Use assertive and objective language and use ‘I’ statements.
  • Be prepared to disagree assertively or to state an opinion.
  • Use appropriate body language.”

Check out the entire article to learn more.

Summer

Posted on by Seniye Groff

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Nothing says summer like shrieking, laughing kids running through a sprinkler!  My neighbor wanted to water her lawn and offered to let the kids run though it while it was getting watered.  It did not take long for the kids to congregate and have loads of fun.

Summer also is signaled by cherries…and so I made a cherry clafoutis.  It is the little things that make me smile!ImageImageImage

 

Backyard Transformation

Posted on by Seniye Groff

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We bought a house one and a half years ago that in my mind “needed very little work” yet we have been non stop in improvement mode!  The latest project was the backyard.  We really wanted to create something that was usable three quarters of the year in the rainy Northwest. 

We began with building a garage last August and then six months ago by removing a very big Birch tree.  Then we perused through books and magazines trying to find our inspiration.  Eric drew up the plans and I vetted contractors and prices.  We settled on a contractor, and although not without lots of frustration, the end result is exactly what we wanted.  We even hired a landscape designer just to litmus test our design.  She turned out to be totally worthless and we stuck to our original plan.

Excavation took two weeks and four guys since it all had to be done my hand.  The unfortunate part was that once the excavation was completed, our contractor did work in dribs and drabs which really prolonged the project.  But he did have insight and knowledge that really helped define the project. 

The land was leveled (and raised in the fire pit area), a new back fence was built, pavers were brought in (115 of them at about 70 pounds each!), and the fire pit area created with salvaged sauna benches from 1994!  We looked for a fire pit, but could not find one we liked so we had a welder create what we wanted.  The welder also built the metal legs for the benches.  Then the garden box was built and plants were put in.  We bought a new natural gas grill last weekend and the final piece is a few more plants and to build the chicken coop.  We cannot wait to hang out in our new backyard all summer!

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Zucchini and Thai Basil Pancakes

Posted on by Seniye Groff

As I peruse magazines, I am always tearing out recipes that I want to make.  In the May 2012 issue of Sunset Magazine I saw this recipe and had to make it.  What could possibly be better than zucchini and basil together?!

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/zucchini-thai-basil-pancakes-50400000121009/

The results were quite good.ImageImage

Knowledge Sharing

Posted on by Seniye Groff

In this month’s “Chief Learning Officer” there is an article titled, “Talk That Talk” by Brandon Hall.  As a life long learner, his article resonated with me because I believe we should never stop learning and stretching the boundaries of what we are comfortable doing.  Hall argues that there are flexible and mobile sources out there that provide “powerful, unique and intense knoweldge sharing from today’s noteworthy leaders”.  Here are some of his suggestions:

Charlie Rose

TED

Book TV

iTunes University and podcasts

Fresh Air.

I have not heard of Book TV or Fresh Air so I will explore those resources.  What about you?  What do you do to constantly learn more and push your own personal boundaries?

 

Dress for Success Volunteer Appreciation

Posted on by Seniye Groff

Tuesday night Dress for Success held their volunteer appreciation event.  This is an organization I have volunteered at for 14 years.  The difference this group makes to women’s lives in outstanding (and sometimes truly unbelievable).  I have heard and witnessed countless lives changed by what we do as a united group.  Unfortunately I missed the event because of a lovely migraine but Dress for Success is one of my top priorities for where I spend my energy and time.  Consider volunteering or making a donation today!

 https://www.facebook.com/DFSOregon

http://www.dressforsuccessoregon.org/1/post/2012/06/volunteer-appreciation.html

Two Recent Books Reviews-“The Vertical Garden” & “Mediterranean Landscape Design”

Posted on by Seniye Groff

The Vertical Garden

The Vertical Garden by author, artist and botanist Patrick Blanc is a book beyond your typical garden book.  The book opens with nine chapters devoted to natural habitats such as waterfalls, cliffs and epiphytes, just to name a few.  Blanc has traveled the world and has captured some stunning photos of plants and their habitats.  The book then moves to the impact of plants on architecture.  Again, Blanc has countless photos detailing superficial, hazardous and destructive impacts.   For many of the pictures, you must look at them several times in order to believe it is real.  Blanc’s passion is obvious.  He invented the concept of the vertical garden in 1991 and believed he could make a building transparent or invisible with plants.  He offers step-by-step photographs detailing the incredible process.  The book then closes with almost 100 pages of photographs and details of many of his works.  This book is a testament to Blanc’s vision, dreams and artistry in a life-altering way.  You will be mesmerized from beginning to end with the intricate plans and the attention to detail that is not often seen.

Mediterranean Landscape Design

265 tantalizing, breathless photographs grace the pages of Mediterranean Landscape Design by Louisa Jones with photographs by Clive Nichols.  Jones asks “What is the role of human beings in nature?”  This book reviews mountains, stonework, earthwork, woodwork, clipped greenery, meadows and field geometry with that vision in mind.  She explores the inspiration of age-old materials, skills and sites to give the reader lots of ideas.  The garden tapestries chapter was especially beautiful and the seascapes and gardens of Venice romance the reader with the pictures and the words.  Mediterranean Landscape Design places the reader in the middle of the Mediterranean landscapes of Greece, Spain, France, Morocco and Italy.  After you have viewed this book, you will almost feel like you have just returned from a stunning, relaxing Mediterranean vacation.