Sunday, March 21, 2021

Another Mid Century Modern dream house

Time to share a new dream house! I found this Mid-Century Modern baby in my favorite Facebook group, MCM Daily. This house is in Citrus Heights, California. So if you're in the area, look it up (or look here!


The design was by Carter Sparks, from 1968. I love the clean lines! Well, that's what I love about MCM. The clean lines of the architecture. Let's look inside!


Oooh, even the furniture and the colors are authentic to the period!


I like that there's a separate sitting area from the living room. Although I'll probably make this a library and, because of the pandemic, we need a dedicated place for homeschooling our kids, too.


Cute and compact kitchen!


Look at that! A vending machine! How fun! And what a great idea. I should do that so that my kids won't eat us out of house and home! Growing boys eat so much!

Okay, this area looks like a home office. Is that a desk on the left? And then another smaller office beyond? Perfect for my husband and myself since we both work from home.


Love the deep navy and the bright yellow color combo! That's what's so nice about MCM. No shying away from bold colors!
 

Then a big yard! I can see the kids running around here. A pool party. A night out with a campfire under the stars. Us having a barbecue on Sundays like today. We can finally have a dog! Sigh. When will this pandemic end?

What's your dream house like?


*Photos by https://www.chipallenphotography.com/

Saturday, March 20, 2021

5 ways my blog made my dreams come true

In a few weeks, I'll be celebrating the 15th anniversary of Topaz Horizon. I've been blogging for almost 15 years! Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would be my longest and most fulfilling career. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine blogging would bring me the joy, love, friendship, and community I've longed for all my life. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this little hobby would make 5 of my most cherished dreams come true, too!

Dream #1: Tell stories.

When I started blogging in 2006, all I ever wanted to do was tell stories. I had a lot of stories to tell. I was brimming with them. As a writer, I never really run out of stories. The problem is I'm not very good at telling them face-to-face. I don't really talk. That's why I write.

Back then, the only ones lucky enough to tell their stories to an audience are those who got themselves published in books and magazines. In 2005, I was working in a magazine and have had the great luck to be published. But greedy me, these weren't enough. Mostly because the stories I wrote for these titles weren't mine; they were other people's stories. I longed to tell my own.

Then a friend told me about this strange new platform called blogging. So I tried it. My world exploded. I was telling stories—silly, stupid, funny, sad, angry—and people were reading them! Blogging made my storytelling dream come true!

This was my last blogging workshop, I think! I love meeting my readers and chatting with them!

Dream #2: Win friends and influence people.

No, I've never read the Dale Carnegie book but blogging's allowed me to do what his bestselling book said everyone should do: win friends and influence people! Two years after I published my first blog post here on Topaz Horizon, I was not only telling stories to a worldwide audience (mind-boggling!), I also started to have real friends online. I say "real" because they didn't feel real at first. No faces, sometimes no names even, which made them feel unreal, but their friendship, jokes, empathy, words of encouragement, and comfort were real. And suddenly I wasn't feeling lonely anymore. I had friends! There were people who understood me and my weirdness. There were people who also put me in my place when I was being cocky, mean, and stupid, but they were always constructive. Sure, there are haters. That can't be avoided when you share your thoughts and beliefs. But mostly, the online world's been kind to me, and for that I'm grateful.

The one thing I didn't expect from blogging was the influence part. When people think of how to be an "influencer," they think it's as simple as peddling products. It's more than that since sharing your life has the incredible power of compelling people to change their minds. I had to be convinced my platform can be used to sway people's opinions. In my mind, I'm just telling my stories. But many of you have written me telling me I've helped you decide on career, love life, marriage, friendship, motherhood, and household issues. From shallow to profound. That scared me. It still scares me. Every time I blog, I'm always mindful of my message. I'm also still in the process of editing, even deleting, blog posts from years and years ago because I know I'm different now. I have to be careful every time I tell a story. 

Met my friend and Lean In PH co-founder, Ginger Arboleda, because of blogging! She's the one who actually told me to use my influence to empower women, especially moms.

Dream #3: Work from home.

As my blogging world grew bigger, another impossible dream was realized - I can work from home! And to a new mom, that means the world! I could work and be with my kids 24/7. I never thought I'd be able to do this since I was (still is) in media and media people are notoriously married to their work. It was difficult for me to choose between my work and my babies back in 2010-2012. Then fate decided for me when I was laid off (internet killed magazines). I could've looked for another job but the most lucrative blog topics I featured here made it possible for me to just be a mom. I will always be grateful I chose to do this blogging business!

Dream #4: Become a businesswoman.

Yes, my blog was the reason I became a businesswoman! For this blog to work as my main source of income, I had to attract bigger clients and a big way to do that was go legit. I registered as a business offering writing and editing services. For a good long while, my business was just that. But in recent years, I've eased more and more to influencer marketing. I realized my professional experience as an editor, writer, and blogger made me especially good at managing influencers so that both brand and influencer are happy. I had insight from brand and agency side and from the influencer side, too. It's really been good for business and I'm so happy my blog made this possible.

My pre-pandemic life: bring kids to school, run around the city, work on my phone!

Dream #5: Publish a book.

Fifteen years after my first blog post, I have now given birth to a book. A real book with pages you can smell! This blog became a book and I still can't believe this last and biggest dream has come true. I remember praying about it in September and just one month later, a publisher emailed me saying they loved my blog and could I write a book for them. And so I did! Please email me at frances@topazhorizon.com to grab a copy of Not Invisible!

Five dreams. Now all real. Time to dream new dreams then! And thank you - ALL OF YOU! - for making these dreams come true. God bless you, dearest Loyal Readers! Love you all!

*This post was made with links provided by Intellifluence. To learn more and sign up for paid campaigns, click here!

Monday, March 15, 2021

The beginner's guide to PEMF therapy

The pandemic made one thing possible for me: I didn't get sick of respiratory infections all year long! But maybe the stress of COVID-19 on top of my middle-aged body highlighted the fact that I'm 44 and not young anymore. Headaches, bloating, acidity, muscle pain, thinning hair, splitting nails. Normal things an aging person goes through right? But what if we can manage and even delay or prevent these? That's why I finally went and got a complete check up! Not all is good news but it was better than I expected. I'll blog about that soon. Meanwhile, today's guest post is all about a unique kind of therapy that can address pain and inflammation. 

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GUEST POST - Health is wealth for all living beings, but our health starts to deteriorate as we age. Furthermore, there are times when we don't take proper care of ourselves, which makes us more susceptible to developing various diseases. One of the leading health complications is suffering from pain and inflammation.

While there are several drugs that can help you deal with this condition, there is a new treatment for curing severe pain and inflammation. This therapy is known as PEMF, and we have gathered all the information you will need regarding this latest technique.

What is PEMF Therapy?

PEMF means Pulsed Electromagnetic Field, and it's performed using PEMF devices. These devices use electromagnetic waves of various frequencies to encourage your body's innate healing process. While most electromagnetic waves are harmful to humans, these devices use small bursts of electromagnetic waves that have a very low frequency. This technique is entirely safe, and it's one of the best treatments for pain and inflammation management.

How Does It Work?


As mentioned before, PEMF therapy is performed using a device that uses mild bursts of electromagnetic waves. These pulses can be targeted to heal your bones, tissues, organs, and cells. They work by promoting cellular growth and development that also leads to improved recovery. However, using a low frequency is key since high-frequency usage might lead to genetic alterations.

Therefore, it means that this device uses safe pulses that help your body recover independently without the use of any drugs or invasive treatments. This procedure can help manage sleep complications, treat bones and tissues, depression management, promote optimal blood circulation and overall immunity that helps manage intense pain.

Different PEMF Devices

There are various types of PEMF devices that deal with numerous diseases and health complications. Each device has been designed to deal with specific health conditions, and they all look very different from one another. For instance, you could opt for a PEMF mat, coil, PEMF portable device, or a big machine.

That being said, the main difference lies in the way they work rather than their structural appearance. However, these differences are less significant than the differences in how they work. Therefore, let’s have a look at the various distinguishing features of these devices.

The first one is the strength of the electromagnetic waves. Mild pulses usually don't affect you that deep, and you might end up needing various treatments to get good results. However, the required strength also depends upon your medical condition. The more serious the issue, the higher the pulse strength will be.

The frequency of the device matters a lot as well. However, your disease will again be the deciding factor to help you understand your required frequency. A mild frequency would be ideal for mild complications, but you'd need a bit higher frequency for something serious.

However, you can never exceed a set limit of the frequency range; otherwise, it might damage your DNA. The shape of the waves is also another factor, but it still requires some research.

Who Should Try PEMF Therapy?

PEMF therapy is ideal for anyone dealing with pain, injuries, or joint inflammation. This is a non-invasive treatment that treats you without using drugs as well. Moreover, there aren’t any known side-effects of this therapy either. That being said, it’s always best to consult your doctor before trying any new treatment.

PEMF therapy is a non-invasive and drug-free treatment that helps to provide instant relief against pain and inflammation. It's performed using a device that emits low-frequency electromagnetic waves, and it has proved to be a safe and effective treatment so far.

* This is a guest post, with my edits. To place a guest post, email frances@topazhorizon.com for my rates.