Athena and Tess are quite a like. Both girls are Southern California Natives born to Veteran fathers. Both were raised in average middle-class families where money was very tight. Both became aunties before the age of fourteen. Both lost their fathers rapidly to cancer. Having to go through grief at an early age, while taking care of their ill mothers, they stepped up responsibility and learned many things. One mother had a decade long battle with Emphysema. The other was battling cancer and progressive Alzheimer’s disease for two decades. Both would soon lose their health fight, as their daughters now would become mid-life orphans.
Throughout their childhood both Athena and Tess had to be resourceful and creative because times were tough. Making the most of materials around the house and having to ‘figure out’ how things worked, simply was just part of the only life they knew. Both of their fathers were skilled at working on things with their hands. Having fathers who weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, only shaped Athena and Tess into fearless women to do things themselves from auto repair to building things. Both girls have craft skills that were inspired by their crafty mothers who were seamstresses out of budgetary necessity to keep expenses down at home. Both girls crocheted and have done needlework. From putting up wallpaper, working in the garden weeding, churning soil, growing vegetables and propagating Creeping Charlies, while cooking full meals, doing crafts, woodworking, sewing and changing car oil with an 11/16 socket wrench, safety-securing windows, painting interior walls of the living room, while scraping dried paint off windows with razor blades, caring for pets and practicing water conservation resourcefulness, recycling, reusing and reducing became everyday reality for both girls all before the age of ten, Athena & Tess did it all.
From domestic home task-masters to being resourceful designers at playtime, Athena and Tess found other ways to use their creative minds. From sales and operations shipping and freight home improvement and automotive experience from both Italy and the U.K. air and water purification and filtration many skills were integrated into the lives of Athena & Tess. While working with all kinds of companies, such as OEM equipment to professional photography studios,they soon understood proper ways to pack, ship and save money. Because this became part of their daily work, some of these money-saving tips are passed along to you. They can design it, fix it and drive it and show you how to get a great deal. Tess worked in the insurance industry for residential real estate, while Athena worked in architectural design for commercial real estate.
Neither of the girls was afraid of exploring their creative sides, but both were practical and logical to incorporate computers, business reports, supervisory/managerial experience and interpersonal skills into their repertoire. Educating themselves in the corporate working world helped them to comprehend a myriad of industries. They’ve each held a variety jobs (now boasting 125 in all) and exposure to different industries, they learned how to organize an office, apply for a job, increase their skills and improve their own career growth during some of the craziest economic times. They did this while trying to save time, money and deal with an array of office politics, while becoming entrepreneurs and now authors. Saving time translates to saving money and having a better quality of life and of course these tips are in the book. Hopping on planes also became part of their DNA, traveling internationally and domestically.
Both know how to pack a bag, find travel deals and prepare for just about any destination. And yes, these handy travel tips are shared with you. Both have supervised and managed teams of people. Both have worked alone. Both have cooked and baked in bulk and both have yo-yo’d on a bathroom scale like most women with PMS. Both have celebrated holidays traditionally and unconventionally and have cared for and buried pets. Both have lived through natural disasters and evacuations, planned events from weddings and funerals to parties and concerts, mended broken bones and broken hearts, numerous moves, car accidents and health scares and were raised by war-generation parents who knew how to save a buck.
And while they are not experts, they have experienced a lot of unexpected things in life and have personally been through the process of having to ‘make do’ and come up with solutions. Some solutions were trial and error until success was achieved on their own and others through the redirection from consultations with a few professionals as they were physically creating the solution together. Both inherited their mother’s post WWII recipe boxes filled with all kinds of recipes. Tess and Athena are now sharing these great entertaining and holiday recipes that can wow any guest in gourmet fashion, on a budget.
Athena & Tess met in 2002. Then Tess moved to the other side of the country. Near the tail end of 2009, they started to write their first of eighty books which grew into its own SOLUTION REVOLUTION! There have been hundreds of challenges and problems. But Athena and Tess have come up with just as many solutions. Hopefully you will relish the solutions you discover here. And if you have a problem that isn’t addressed in this book – don’t worry, they can solve it. We Solved It – Everyday Solutions for Everyday Problems in the areas of Life, Relationships, Food, Health, Beauty, Work, Fashion, Home, Holidays and Entertaining.
All Rights Reserved©We Solved It – Library of Congress, Washington D.C.2016
