Independence is the goal, right?
Posted: January 6, 2012 Filed under: family, kids, parenting 3 Comments »
Photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/shilders
As parents, Andrew and my primary goals have been to raise our boys to be independent, free-thinking, productive, and happy. That has always been our dream.
Always.
But maybe I was hasty.
I’d like to revise my wish to independent, free-thinking, productive, and happy as long as they agree with me.
Having teenagers is harder than I thought it’d be.
Potato sack art.
Posted: January 6, 2012 Filed under: home Leave a comment »Many years ago, something was delivered here wrapped in an old potato sack. And for some reason, I saved the sack. I thought it had character. It’s been used as a table leaf protector, a drop cloth, and who knows what else.
But every time I saw it, I thought, “One day I’m going to do something with that.”
Fast forward to a really crappy yard sale. (I love yard sales!)
I bought a 28″ x 42″ piece of art for $.50. It was orange and brown owls on faded fabric. Seriously awful. But I thought the canvas stretchers were worth the price. I’d do something with it. Paint over the fabric and do something funky.
And I did paint over the owls. And though I stared at the newly prepared canvas and tried to envision something, nothing came to me. The fabric was too flimsy for painting – even with the new coating.
So it sat in the workshop gathering dust, spiderwebs, and stinkbugs.
Until this:
Notice the upholstery nails in the sides. $1.79 at the hardware store.
I really love it and I knew one day I’d be glad I held onto that potato sack.
No one has softer hair than I do.
Posted: January 4, 2012 Filed under: random Leave a comment »I know that headline might make me sound conceited. Okay, fine. It does make me sound conceited.
But I’m not. Conceited, that is.
Read on.
My hair is the longest it has been since about 1967.
I have to add that I’ve had shorter hair than I bet 99% of you have ever had.
But for most of my life, it’s been up and down – short, shoulder length, short. And somehow, I never really learned how to ‘do’ my hair. Well, not really, anyway. In fact, it was only last year that I learned how to blow out my hair and make it smooth.
And still, I have a pretty simple routine. I don’t buy extravagant product (though I did buy Moroccan Oil on the advice of Rebecca and loved it – though it’s pricey.)
Fast forward to 2011 – I became a BirchBox subscriber. I love getting the samples.
A few months back, they sent some hair care samples and I loved them. My favorite was an oil, kind of like the Moroccan Oil, that gets applied after washing. It made my hair so shiny! But, alas, I ran out.
So when I saw Moroccan Argan Oil Treatment in the store (reasonably priced, I might add), I bought it. Great substitute, I imagined.
Last night, I washed my hair as usual. But before blowdrying, I applied a quarter-sized (or more?) dollop of this great new product on my hair. It smelled divine!
As I dried my hair, I was horrified at the texture. It wasn’t exactly frizzy. More like straw. Yikes. Horrible.
So I used my trusty olive oil sheen spray to calm it down. (Did I mention that before? It is great for a quick smooth-down or shine-up. And before you tell me that I’m not the intended customer for the product, I do know that. But it’s 5 bucks a can that lasts a year or more and, anyway, who cares?)
But back to the point. (There was a point.)
I can’t read jack without my glasses. Seriously, nothing.
But after this unfortunate incident, I got my extra pair of readers out of the bathroom vanity drawer and read the container of Moroccan Argan Oil Treatment. Because, you know what? This product sucks and I might just call the toll-free number.
The directions read:
Scoop a small amount of Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Renewing Treatment into palm and evenly distribute with a wide tooth comb from your hair’s roots down to the ends. Leave Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Renewing Treatment in hair for 3-5 minutes. Product performance is enhanced by placing a shower cap over hair and wrapping cap with a hot, wet towel. Rinse with mild to cool water. For best results, use with other Organix Moroccan Argan Oil products.
So, I didn’t call customer service.
Instead, I vowed to try the product again. And to rinse it out this time.
And now, for a poetry break.
Posted: January 3, 2012 Filed under: boots Leave a comment »I got the most fun email the other day. From Martin at Anita Poems.
He said a lot of nice things and then “… wanted to ask you whether I could write a funny poem for you and your readers?”
Well, who could resist, right?
Wendy & Boots
She’s a data junkie,
and pretty cool nerd.
Conquers diverse boots,
made of anything but bird.Her entire life,
she’s been a huge fan.
Lace & buckle biker boots,
make her tougher than man.Let’s not forget,
she’s still into fashion.
Her new platform boots,
that’s just pure passion.She’ll study city folk,
wearing sweet cowboy boots.
Via social media,
She’ll find many recruits.Her custom Dehner,
were beautifully handmade.
She wasn’t concerned,
how much hubby actually paid.She’s creative through boots,
each pair tells a story.
With three wonderful sons,
she walked into glory.At the end of the day,
she loves her boots.
Returned her blog header,
to her passion and roots.
Thanks, Martin!
Everything okay?
Posted: January 2, 2012 Filed under: cooking, home, mood 3 Comments »
Someone recently asked me:
You sure are baking a lot and I know you. Is everything okay?
Yes. Everything is okay.
Thanks for asking.
I do bake to relax. And because I love the smell in the house.
It’s also a way for me to unplug and to just be. I need more just being.
It’s all good.
PS: The Lavash Crackers were delicious!
Slow down.
Posted: December 31, 2011 Filed under: mood, random 6 Comments »
I was driving behind this truck the other day. And while it may actually say “do not push,” it read to me as “do not rush” which actually seemed like a very odd message from the universe – made even more odd being delivered on a dump truck.
But not being one to look a cosmic message in the mouth or, frankly, to ignore truck wisdom, I took this as a sign.
To slow down.
Not to rush.
For me, this is quite a challenge and not my nature. But this weekend, I’ve taken a walk, read a book, and decorated cookies. Savoring every minute.
I am not making a resolution or anything crazy like that. But I will try to remember how good it feels and maybe it’ll remind me to do it more often.
Even great ideas can be improved.
Posted: December 30, 2011 Filed under: work Leave a comment »
These are the original Muppets. Well, actually they are the predecessors to the Muppets by Jim Henson and his wife for a local DC show years ago.
They’re awesome, right?
In looking at how the franchise has developed, deepened, and grown with time, it makes me think about business choices. About not being stagnant. Not resting on laurels.
Because every idea – no matter how good – needs to be reevaluated, tweaked, and improved to keep up with a changing business climate.
And that’s one of the things I’m working on as we move into 2012.
#justsaying
New tricks.
Posted: December 29, 2011 Filed under: random 9 Comments »
Photo credit: Vea Avernalis http://www.veave.prv.pl
I’ve never been a big make-up girl. Sure, I use mascara and bronzer and sometimes even some tinted moisturizer. Oh, and pencil eyeliner. In moderation.
But I’ve always wanted to use liquid eyeliner. I just love the way it looks.
So sophisticated.
And I’m here to tell you that I’ve tried. Many, many times.
It’s not that big a deal when you get eyeliner all over your face and have to wash and start over. Well, that is if you’re not running late for a party. Or a meeting. Yup. Been there.
The other day, I went to Nordstrom with my mom. I mentioned to the woman at the make-up counter that I had no skill for eyeliner.
And she told me
THE
TRICK
I bet you all knew. But I didn’t.
Now, I do.
Do you wikipedia?
Posted: December 28, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »
Yes, I’m sure you do. I don’t know about you, but I support public radio. And I support wikipedia for the same reason – it provides value to me.
They’re working to raise just a little more money this year. No pressure, but if you’re interested, read on.
Here’s how the Wikipedia fundraiser works: Every year we raise just the funds that we need, and then we stop.
Because you and so many other Wikipedia readers donated over the past weeks, we are very close to raising our goal for this year by December 31 — but we’re not quite there yet.
You’ve already done your part this year. Thank you so much. But you can help us again by forwarding this email to a friend who you know relies on Wikipedia and asking that person to help us reach our goal today by clicking here and making a donation.
If everyone reading this email forwarded it to just one friend, we think that would be enough to let us end the fundraiser today.
Of course, we wouldn’t turn you down if you wanted to make a second donation or a monthly gift.
Google might have close to a million servers. Yahoo has something like 13,000 staff. We have 679 servers and 95 staff.
Wikipedia is the #5 site on the web and serves 470 million different people every month – with billions of page views.
Commerce is fine. Advertising is not evil. But it doesn’t belong here. Not in Wikipedia. Wikipedia is something special. It is like a library or a public park. It is like a temple for the mind. It is a place we can all go to think, to learn, to share our knowledge with others.
When I founded Wikipedia, I could have made it into a for-profit company with advertising, but I decided to do something different. We’ve worked hard over the years to keep it lean and tight. We fulfill our mission, and leave waste to others.
Thanks again for your support this year. Please help spread the word by forwarding this email to someone you know.
Thanks,
Jimmy Wales
Wikipedia Founder
I’m just a girl who loves her boots.
Posted: December 25, 2011 Filed under: memories 8 Comments »Back in January, 2005 when I started this blog, that was the tag line – “I’m just a girl who loves her boots.” A lot has changed over the years.
Lately, I’ve heard from some friends who said they miss the boots.
So the boots are back.
Call it nostalgia. Or whatever.
I’m not looking to write the blog I started a week shy of 7 years ago. But this does feel comfortable and familiar.
For now.
