Book ~ "The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING, Or Why I'm Never Getting All That Glitter Off of the Dog" (2013) Jen Lancaster

From Goodreads ~ One would think that with Jen Lancaster’s impressive list of bestselling self-improvement memoirs, that she would have it all together by now.

One would be wrong.

Jen’s still a little rough around the edges. Suffice it to say, she’s no Martha Stewart. And that is exactly why Jen is going to Martha-up and live her life according to the advice of America’s overachieving older sister - the woman who turns lemons into lavender-infused lemonade.

By immersing herself in Martha’s media empire, Jen will embark on a yearlong quest to take herself, her house, her husband (and maybe even her pets) to the next level - from closet organization to craft making, from party planning to kitchen prep.

Maybe Jen can go four days without giving herself food poisoning if she follows Martha’s dictates on proper storage.  Maybe she can grow closer to her girlfriends by taking up their boring-ass hobbies like knitting and sewing   Maybe she can finally rid her workout clothes of meatball stains by using Martha’s laundry tips.  Maybe she can create a more meaningful anniversary celebration than just getting drunk in the pool with her husband ... again.  And maybe, just maybe, she’ll discover that the key to happiness does, in fact, lie in Martha’s perfectly arranged cupboards and artfully displayed charcuterie platters.

Or maybe not.

2011 is coming to an end and Jen and Fletcher have been living in their house, along with their three dogs and four cats, for a while.  Something is missing for Jen and she wants to be happier.  She spends 2012 following the advice of Martha Stewart, reading her books, magazines and website, organizing her house, her life and herself.

Lancaster celebrates each of the holidays (Halloween was a hoot!) and writes about  taking care of her pets, taking care of her rose garden, wanting to grow zucchinis, having an overabundance of frozen bananas, learning to knit, cooking from scratch, having a mammogram and lots more.

I liked the tao of Maisy ... be awesome, give awesome, get awesome.

I liked the writing style ... it's funny and sarcastic.  I think she would be fun to be around and her caring of others comes through.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I've read quite a few of Lancaster's books, though it's been a while, so it's time to catch up.