A GARDEN OF IDEAS FOR SPRING

So the weekend came and went (way too fast we think!) and you missed the Johnson County Home and Garden show! Not to worry, we've got you covered! Check out these gorgeous ideas for your spring projects around the house. And just for fun, we thought we would show you some ABSOLUTELY STUNNING lawns for inspiration. Who needs Joe Gardener anyway?

What a beautiful idea for a Welcome sign for your front door! A trip to Michaels or Hobby Lobby for the chalkboard and some fresh pink and white roses and peonies and lush greenery of your choice from Tobler's and you are all set!

This Kansas City legend is known for beautifying the Plaza streets with HUGE colorful hanging baskets.  Rosehill Gardens projects range in size from planting a single shrub or tree through our elegant Garden Center in Martin City, to designing and installing everything from patios, walls, water features, and outdoor kitchens for your enjoyment.  To complement your exterior design they provide top quality plants, trees, shrubs, and flowers to give you the outdoor environment you’ve always dreamed of!

Picture yourself  having your morning coffee on this beautiful deck. I would never want to leave! Whether you prefer cedar, composite or hardwood - All Weather Decks can bring you several choices of designs and styles to suit every homeowners needs.

When it comes to backyard dreams, tens of thousands of U.S. homeowners have trusted the familiar “diving lady” symbol—making Blue Haven the local swimming pool builder / pool contractor of choice. Now this is living!

Creating this beautiful hardscape is easy when you follow the steps that Creative Outdoors provides you here.

Their roots are in growing plants – and at Family Tree Nursery they continue to grow the very best bedding plants in the area. Their bedding plants look better because they’re grown better – they grow almost every bedding plant they sell at their own greenhouses. They travel nationwide scouting trial gardens and test sites to uncover the best varieties for tough growing conditions and continually push to grow them bigger and better. With several locations across the metro - it's easy to start growing your beautiful garden today.

Nothing gives your home a look of welcoming warmth like good outside lighting. It's glow draws you in and invites you to stay a while. A great way to enhance your backyard and garden area, is by installing outdoor lighting around your property. It also dramatically increases property values! Talk to the experts at Lights and Design by Dan in Kansas City today for ideas and all your outdoor lighting needs.

Their the guys in the red trucks. You see them everywhere. They are Ryan Lawn and Tree (and the author of this blog uses them every year and they are AMAZING. Their attention to detail and care is second to none. They are professional and communicative.  My lawn has never looked better.


So there you have it. Several vendors right here in Kansas City that can make your lawn and garden look amazing! For more vendors that exhibited at the Johnson County Home and Garden show click here.

PS. Here are a few photos of our favorite lawns and gardens across the country - ENJOY!

JUST FOR THE GUYS - THE DREAM GARAGE

You LOVE your car and your space. The kitchen may be the woman's domain - but the garage...that's ALL about YOU (that said, I LOVE these and like to keep my garage sparkling clean and yes, I am a woman.) So sit back, grab a cold brew, a good scotch or whatever suits your fancy - and take a look at these AWESOME spaces.

For all of you Harley lovers out there! Your baby needs a space too, right? See the "Red Button"? This mystery button is a favorite of every visitor. When you push the button, a flashing yellow industrial warning light and "awnk - awnk" warning sound draws your attention to mid ceiling above. You observe a large 2 ft. by 10 ft. panel with the far end rotating down from the darkness of the flat black ceiling. The panel rotates to about 65 degrees and stops. Then the bottom of an extension ladder lowers until it touches the floor and everything stops. Your access to the attic above the 13 ft ceiling is now conveniently available. Simply push the red button again and the whole process repeats in reverse until the large panel is again flush with the ceiling. Everyone seems to find this automation very entertaining and so convenient.

Love ART DECO? Red, silver, and white are the dominant colors of this garage. The lighting facades over the pumps simulate service station awnings of the same time period, while the lighting, workbench, wainscoting, and door panels are purely high tech in appearance.


The designer paid very close attention to detail and to his customer's background and taste. For example, whenever possible, automotive finishes are used, and the white paint on the hanging facades in not just any white, but GM Alpine White, first used on Cadillacs of the late 1950's.


You can't miss the use of aircraft safety switches for lighting controls at the workbench. This was a surprise for the client based on his background as an US Air Force pilot.


The large red panels seen in this image are actually rolling doors. How cool is that!

A beautiful garage environment with a big "Wow Factor" without a big "Oh my God" price. Use combinations of metallic paints, automotive finishes, and unique metallic epoxy flooring, to create this gorgeous space! You could do this in a weekend!

Of course, this is my favorite - How sweet would your LX 570 look in this baby? The "Zen" garage, is in Paradise Valley, AZ and is a custom design using an Asian theme with some elements of Frank Lloyd Wright styling. After careful study of the existing home, the designer knew he could use some elements to produce a stunning and tranquil garage space of organic colors, natural metallics, sounds of falling water and blend them with high tech lighting, surfaces, and audio visual enhancements.


For example, sparkling rain glass complements the water walls and is also used in the home interior. The  metallic Bronze epoxy flooring produces a fascinating liquid metal appearance, and the deep crystal clear finish makes the color coats look as though they are under glass. The green-gold metallic tone of the Valspar Brilliant Metallics paint is a perfect blend with the gold and bronze wainscoting. This material is a shimmering metallic rubber product over a geometric pattern of truncated pyramids. This durable surface prevents damage to the wall and the car door. Colors, textures, and patterns, again,are limitless.

The old garage doors were hand painted in a copper/bronze patina that incorporated some of the wall color.  Vertical door tracks, lift motors, power outlets, etc., are concealed behind decorative columns. When the door is in the up position, it is hidden behind a decorative cover that suspends from the ceiling. An added benefit is that when the door is in the up position it does not block the lighting. In this system, the lighting is placed on the bottom side of the cover. LOVE.IT. And it can be yours for a mere $125,000.

LOVE Las Vegas? Check this out! This is an old machine tool factory building that had been converted to a residence. It has a beautiful modern 8,000 loft on the second floor above this 5,000 sq. ft. garage. It was decided to give him a trip to Vegas every time he comes home, by creating a Las Vegas Strip themed garage.


There are several themed areas of interest. There is a circular full gar, a private casino, and a Venetian alcove, all in an environment of Vegas bling!


 

ATTENTION SPORTS FANS! This space makes you want to tailgate in your GARAGE! Some of the interesting attributes of the environment are the acrylic covered walls, the over-sized tread plate wainscoting, life size graphic images, custom LED lighting, custom covers for what were windows, and much more. SCORE!
















10 Things You Can Officially Stop Worrying About

It's the end of the month, tax season, the kids' school schedules, our health, our financial situations, our parent's health, the past, the future! These are all things we stress over everyday in some way or another! We LOVED this article by Martha Beck (in the March issue of O Magazine) and wanted to share with you her ways of coping with it all!

 Attention, worrywarts: Martha Beck hereby grants you permission to stop fretting, agonizing, panicking, and otherwise losing sleep over things you can't control.

Everywhere I turn these days, people are urging me to worry. "Restaurants are swarming with bacteria!" shouts a local news promo. "We'll tell you what to beware of!" From the computer in my lap, a parenting blog warns, "There's plenty to be anxious about." Noting the pallor of my furrowed brow, a neighbor clucks, "I think you should be more concerned about your health."

Friends, there are many areas in which I need encouragement, but worrying is not one of them. I worry the way Renée Fleming sings high Cs: Effortlessly. Loudly. At length. You may be similarly gifted, because worrying comes easily to a certain subpopulation of humans, namely those of us with pulses. We're constantly creating new, worry-based strategies for living.


But worrying is worrisome: It's stressful, and as we all know, stress will kill you. I worry about that a lot. So today I'm striking a tiny blow for sanity with my list of ten things you can officially stop worrying about.

1. What's on Your Plate


"If I can just finish this project," says my ultrabusy friend Nancy, "I can stop worrying." She's said this every time I've ever spoken to her. No matter how much work Nancy finishes, by the time it's done she's fixating on a whole new crop of chores. In our achievement-obsessed society, this is "normal." But I realized just how insane it is when a friend was dying of cancer. On her deathbed she managed to joke with me, "Hey, at least I only have one more thing on my to-do list."

Instead of fretting about getting everything done, why not simply accept that being alive means having things to do? Then drop into full engagement with whatever you're doing, and let the worry go.

"But," you may be thinking, "I can't just cut my anxiety loose! It isn't under my control!" I empathize with this argument. I also know it's bunk. To stop worrying about something, simply direct your attention toward something else. Personally, I like to interrupt my flow of worry by imagining—vividly—what I'd do if an elk walked into the room. See? Distraction works.


2. Needing Help


I used to be one of those people who spurned assistance—from other people, from God, from chemicals. Not anymore! These days—whether I'm begging for divine intervention, enlisting a fellow coach to help me overcome my aversion to e-mail, or refilling the awesome prescription that helps me sleep no matter how disruptive my schedule—I pretty much walk around hollering, "Help wanted!"


Are my helpers crutches? You betcha. Mama needs crutches, and she doesn't worry one little bit about using them. If you worry about needing what you need—a shoulder to cry on, a standing date with a shrink, whatever the shrink prescribes—come to Mama, and she'll smack you upside the head with her crutches until that worry flies right out of your mind.


3. Your Children


There was a time when I spent many hours worrying about my kids. In fact, I was so worried my firstborn would feel unloved that I "soothed" her constantly, blasting the poor child with a fire hose of anxious energy. It's a wonder she survived.


My second child, who arrived with an extra 21st chromosome, eventually led me to a shocking conclusion: We don't actually have much control over the way our kids turn out. Genes do a lot of the deciding, and the owner of those genes does most of the rest. Some kids let parents have a great deal of influence; others don't. Either way, people blossom when we love them, not when we worry about them. Worry just teaches worry. Let it go.

4. Your Face (and Hips, and Butt...)


As long as we're on the subject of DNA, let's take on the big kahuna of worries: our appearance. Ten bajillion product ads notwithstanding, your looks are another thing that's basically genetic. Stressing about them only deepens the facial creases that make everyone in your family resemble perturbed bulldog puppies. Key phrase: everyone in your family.



Instead of obsessing over your own appearance, try noticing—and mentioning—beautiful things about everyone else. This will make people adore you, which, last time I checked, is what most of us are hoping to achieve by worrying about our looks in the first place.


5. What You Own


The trick here is learning to reframe your perspective. For example, my friend Kathy always lays a colorful towel over her expensive tablecloth before serving her twin 7-year-old granddaughters a snack. One of the twins recently said, "Grandma, you don't need to worry about us spilling. Spills are just memories." If you'd rather live surrounded by pristine objects than by the traces of happy memories, stay focused on tangible things. Otherwise, stop fixating on stuff you can touch and start caring about stuff that touches you.


6. Everything You're Doing Wrong


I don't know any perfect people, but I know many who worry about being perfect. They exercise religiously and serve their families home-cooked organic free-range Tofurky recipes. They are unbearable.


I love the Buddhist concept of enlightenment as living without anxiety over imperfection. You can strain every fiber of your being trying to be flawless, only to face inevitable failure—or you can stop worrying about perfection, which instantly makes everything feel great. Save time and tofu: Choose option two.


7. The Past


I agree that your divorce settlement was a travesty of justice on par with the sack of Troy, that your last boss was abusive, and that you shouldn't have calmed yourself with so many appletinis prior to testifying before Congress. I do not agree that worrying about it now will do any good.


The word worry comes from the Old English wyrgan, meaning "to strangle." When we fixate on something in the past, we grab our own histories by the throat, cutting off the flow of physical and emotional energy that keeps us fully alive. To start the flow again, look forward. Think how you can apply what you've learned. Let your divorce teach you to negotiate assertively, your horrible boss help you spot and avoid other creeps. Let the debacle at Congress send you to a 12-step meeting. Embracing the lesson always loosens the stranglehold of worry.



8. What People Are Saying About You Right This Very Second


People are always telling me elaborate stories about the elaborate stories other people are supposedly telling about them. "I know people mock my pain," growls one client. "Everyone expects me to be strong," says another. "You think I'm expendable," sobs a wife, while her husband protests, "You think I'm a robot." All of these people are wrong, but they've got company. We all worry what people think about us—until we decide not to waste the energy.


When I first started coaching, I noticed that I never worried what my clients thought of me. Why not? All my attention was focused on understanding them. I watched like a Martian observer, not a vulnerable peer. This took me out of worry mode, and it helped clients feel seen. By not worrying about what they thought of me, I accidentally ensured that they thought well of me.

Today, pretend you're a Martian gathering data on humans. As you notice what they do and say without focusing on your fear of their opinions, you'll feel less self-conscious, and they'll feel the nonjudgmental attention they've always wanted from you. Win-win.


9. Your Account Balance


I have nothing against the globally sacred rite of worrying about money. Except this: People, it has no payoff.

I stopped worrying about money when I was unemployed, living on credit card debt. It wasn't that my ship came in. It was just that I'd decided to try writing for a living, yet I was too worried to write. So I proactively pushed aside worry as I worked. Did I make money that day? No. Did I make money sooner because I stopped worrying? I think so. Did I enjoy my life more from that moment on, regardless of how much I had in the bank? Abso-freaking-lutely. Go about your business, whatever it is, with full energy. And drop the worry. Watch how much stronger your moneymaking skills become when you're not dragging around a hefty load of anxiety.

10. Worrying


If your Spanx are now totally knotted from trying to stop worrying, it's time to take a nice, cleansing breath. Aaahhhh. Remember point number six: We're not after perfection here. If you've felt even a tiny release from worry while reading this list, you're succeeding. That slight lessening of anxiety is all you need.



Wiggle your worries a little each day, and they'll gradually lose their hold on you. Trust that you're already counteracting the barrage of messages that tell us, every day, to worry, worry, and worry some more. Enjoy the liberating sense of bucking the cultural tide. And speaking of bucks, if you have further questions, please feel free to direct them to my elk.

Go Big - Go Green

When we see the color GREEN, we think of fresh cut grass, crisp cool limes and of course - ways to save the planet. Or at least, try to do our part in the initiative. But let's face it. We lead very busy lives and it is sometimes quite hard. How many times are you in the checkout line at the grocery store and notice the person in front of you pulling out their canvas bags and handing them to the cashier to bag their items? While we sheepishly stand back, smile and whisper "Plastic please." The obsessive use of paper towels to clean the kitchen? Forget about it. And how many of us are still getting paper utility statements in the mail?

Well, the time has come to start small (baby steps as the saying goes). And we thought we would share a few things with you that will make the process so much easier AND enjoyable.

1. EkoMiko Candle: Made from a repurposed wine bottle, the EkoMiko candle offers a smoke-free burn. ($70; shopekomiko.com).

2. Eco.Love wine: From vine to bottle, Eco.love Wines are made with earth-friendly practices. ($17; shopecolovewines.com).

3. A mini-septic system for Spot - the Doogie Dooley. (WHO KNEW?!) Completely harmless to your lawn! Genius...($40-$80)

4. These plastic-free food grade stainless steel popsicle molds are great for kids of all ages- fill them with juice, jello, tea, or even make frozen margaritas for your next outdoor BBQ! ($39.50; http://www.greenhome.com/)

5. And of course - our FAVORITE way to GO GREEN. How fun is THIS?

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Meet our General Sales Manager, Ken Newman:



How long have you been with Superior Lexus? A long time ago…15 years.


What was your first car? 1966 Ford Mustang…sweet


Where did you grow up? Lots of exotic locations …Toronto, Canada., Heidelberg, Germany, Munich, Germany and New Hampshire. But I’m a Missouri grad…go Tigers. (needless to say, Ken was NOT a happy camper when he came to work yesterday and had to listen to a bunch of KU fans:)


What is your favorite movie? Pulp Fiction


What do you like to do for fun outside of work? Great wine, delicious food and amazing friends.


Who is your favorite athlete? Michael Jordan


What is 1 things on your bucket list? Watch my son graduate from NYU…this Spring. He's the good looking one in the photo above:)


What is your favorite customer story? Too many. I’ve made a lot of friends at Superior Lexus.


What was your first car? 1966 Ford Mustang...sweet.

 What car do you drive now? 2011 Is250 Convertible


Tell me what you love the most about working at Superior Lexus?   Just coming to work and being a part of something special in the car business.

HendrickCars.com 2012 Indy Dream Weekend Sweepstakes

EXCITING NEWS FOR RACE FANS!  The newly redesigned HendrickCars.com is the fastest way to research and purchase nearly 20,000 new and used cars, classic cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles from the inventory of Hendrick Automotive Group’s more than 100 franchises, including Superior Lexus! 




A new sweepstakes from HendrickCars.com is now open and taking entries! From February 13 through March 19, visitors to HendrickCars.com can log on to register for a chance to win a weekend for two at the July 29 Sprint Cup race in Indianapolis. The winner and a guest will receive behind-the-scenes access, a tour of the historic racing venue, VIP seats in a trackside suite and more. The winner will be announced March 23 at http://www.hendrickcars.com/! Log on today and submit your entry to win!







Coinciding with the sweepstakes, Hendrickcars.com is sponsoring three NASCAR teams in select races in early 2012 to promote the new-look retail automotive website, which re-launched February 1. Primary sponsorship of Phoenix Racing and 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch in the February 25 Nationwide Series race and February 26 Daytona 500. Further sponsorship goes to JR Motorsports and driver Cole Whitt in the March 17 Nationwide even at Bristol, Tennessee.






In addtion, HendrickCars.com will be a major associate sponsor of the Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet with driver Elliott Sadler in NASCAR's biggest race, the Daytona 500.






Features of the new HendrickCars.com include streamlined navigation, an expanded offering of used cars and the addition of thousands of new vehicles. The site also has added performance and classic cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles to its inventory. Customers can view detailed information for nearly 20,000 vehicles, including up to 60 images per listing.






“We’re proud to have HendrickCars.com as our primary sponsor for both races in Daytona,” said James Finch, Owner of Phoenix Racing. “The Hendrick people know how well sponsorships like this work when they’re done the right way. Daytona is a big opportunity for our team to build some positive momentum to start the season. Having a sponsor for Speedweeks means a lot to us, and we’re going to do everything we can to put HendrickCars.com up front.”

What are YOU reading right now?

Many of us at Superior Lexus LOVE to read. It's not uncommon to see someone at lunch reading a novel, talking about one or even writing their own (Yes, one of our technicians is writing a book! How fun is that?!) To me, there is nothing like cracking open a good book - one that you have been waiting to read for months. (Darn those teaser excerpts!)

But I think our customers are the biggest readers of all. More often that not, I will go into our customer lounge and ask someone what they are reading and why they chose that book - and guess what they say. "A friend/family member recommended it." Or, "I saw it on Amazon and the reviews were great!" Or, one of my favorites, "I liked the cover." Of course.

We thought it would be fun to ask "what is on YOUR nightstand". Here is what is on ours right now:

1. 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz - If chilling thrillers aren't your style, then you won't want anything to do with tale of The Pendleton Mansion. New York Times bestselling author (who has sold over 400 million copies of his suspense thrillers to date) Dean Koontz, brings this haunting tale to life not only through words but with a video game tour of the mansion on his website where YOU can be a part of the terror (SO COOL - a must play!)

2. If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster - If there were ever a lady that could make you LAUGH OUT LOUD and PUT A SERIOUS STITCH IN YOUR SIDE, this is her. This queen of sweating Chardonnay and hilarious footnotes (one of the best parts about her books!) brings forth sarcastic richness like no other and promises to entertain you  after a long dreary day at the office.   

3. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson - The name says it all. This creative, brilliant man set the tone for inventive technology as we know it.

4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer - Travel along with this brilliant 9 year old as he goes on a secret mission to find a lock that matches a key that his father gave to him...right before he died in the World Trade Center on the crisp morning of Sept. 11. 

5. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - The story of Louis Zamperini, an Army leiutenant in 1943 who survived when his bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit. COULD NOT put this one down! A MUST READ!



 

HAPPY READING LEXUS LOVERS!