They're Baaaack....

Well, there they are again. Those greys. A while ago I posted about how I was embracing those grey hairs that were becoming quite prolific there on top of my head, and indeed I was...until I saw someone's beautiful shiny head of hair and decided that I needed that dark color--and a few streaks of gold and red, as well. I can honestly say covering the greys was not part of the agenda, it just came along with the coloring package--but I will also admit it was nice not to have to inspect my head every day for that wiley grey with disturbingly pubic-like qualities that would bend it's way up to the sky like a crazy antenna.

But this morning, alas, there those boogers are again. Ah well, at least these puppies are growing in straight, so I'm not going to bother them. Hey, if I could snap my fingers and have that gorgeous silvery grey hair overnight I'd be so THERE. I guess my dark brown, gold, red and grey hair will look good with my new glasses. Yup, after following the Coreman into Lenscrafters with his glasses saga--he can tell you that one himself!--I of course decided I myself needed a new pair. The ones I have were cool about 10 years ago. Frankly I wasn't sure if I even wanted to spend the money on glasses since the only time I wear them is right before bed and right when I get up. But it is nice to have a pair that you can throw on if you just don't want to deal with your contact lenses, you had a good cry and you don't want to put your contacts in, or you just want to accessorize. It also helps that my brother-in-law owns some of the Lenscrafters doctor's offices, so I get a good deal. Nice!

I decided to become totally funkified and went for these cool Vogue frames in bright blue, with the inside being a lime green. ! In the past my glasses selection had always been something a bit more tame, at least in color--something that would go with everything and be a bit more neutral. But now? Nope, I'm 40 (+--eeek!) and I'm going for the obnoxious ones. I was also looking at a clear frame, I think those are pretty cool--but the stranger who became my best friend of the moment and fashion consultant at Lenscrafers made the comment, "I've never been a fan of clear. If you're gonna get glasses, why try to hide 'em?" Wise words indeed, so I went for the bold statement. Being that I don't have them yet--so much for Lenscrafters getting them done in an hour, eh??--you'll have to settle for a photo of the same frame in pink. (which was cool too, and quite frankly I'm a little surprised I didn't go for the pink...but blue goes with more...) So there it is.

I ran into beloved Nordstrom to check out a perfume that I had read about and came home with 2 samples (that they made for me, of course...!) ...The Beat, by Burberry, and Au The Blanc, by Bvlgari. I always love trying new perfumes, especially with spring around the corner. Of course I'm still loving my Annick Goutal's Petite Cherie, and Dytique's Do Son. It's funny how as I age, my taste in scent does too. No longer do I go for the heavy vanilla-y amber-y laden scents I used to. (although it is funny how Au The Blanc does have a touch of amber in it...not surprising!)

I almost pulled a Carrie Bradshaw in the Nordstrom shoe department, buying a pair on a total whim that I drooled over on their web site. I would have, too, if I hadn't just scored some other great shoes at DSW. Oh my though, these shoes are to die for. The Kill, as Steph would say--or maybe The Lick?? ;-) Wouldn't you agree??? Sex-Y with a capital Y. And actually pretty comfortable considering the 3 inch heel, with no platform in front. I don't know, another Silpada party or two and I may have to get 'em. At least now I have a real reason to get fun and funky clothes and shoes--my parties! That's reason enough for you stay-at-homes to do my business--you have a great excuse to buy party clothes! :-)

OK, enough of my shopping rave. Look at me--this started out about my grey hairs and quickly turned to shopping and coveting pretty things. Must be the spring tease right around the corner--doesn't it just make you want to go out and get some fresh new things?

Shrinky Dinkin'!

So Sunday at church, our artsy-fartsy friend Lynn was all excited showing us this cool stuff she made--shrink art jewelry! For those of you who are of my generation, we date ourselves calling them Shrinky Dinks. Do you remember those?! Oh man, memories of Camp Fire Girls came flooding back to me. I always LOVED doing Shrinky Dinks--they were positively magical to me. (they often look like there is something inside of them...I'm obsessed with clear things that have something inside of them!) Of course the reason I liked doing the Shrinky Dinks so much could have also been that they required adult supervision, and that meant that the Camp Fire Bee-ahtches couldn't be as mean to me as they usually were...but I digress...!

Anyway, the Shrinky Dinks we made were just silly little things that we didn't do much with--it was more about the process. But this jewelry kit thing--oh no, it's all about making the charms that you then make into earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings...the possibilities are endless! Needless to say I ran right out and got the kit, waiting with bated breath until Vivian came home from school so we could do them together. All I can say is, Ooooooh! Lookie what I can do! The templates they give you with this kit are amazing, what fun. I could spend hours doing this stuff. Even Sullivan was in on the fun, drawing pictures of twisters and tsunamis and then taming Mother Nature by shrinking them down to next to nothing. (no silly little owl for that boy!) Vivian is cleverly using the kit to make gifts for her friends, so the seemingly high-price of the book will pay for itself in no time. As for me, well, I won't even wear the jewelry I made--heaven forbid, it's not Silpada! But once again I guess it's still about the process for me. Even now as I sit here needing to get in the shower and get some errand running started and never-ending house cleaning done, I'm itching to start doodling another dink to shrink. Now that sounded dirty.

Have I Mentioned...?

Have I mentioned lately that I love my new home?? Today the kids took me through our back yard and into the woods, where they have already been exploring. Amazing. Not far back we have a sweet little creek running back there, and if you follow the path you eventually come to a railroad track. Does this make it look like it would lead you there and back again, or what?! A little farther across the track and you come upon a man-made--or kid-made, perhaps??--BMX run, complete with jumps. It is amazing and totally tucked away so that only the local people would know about it. Too bad none of us do that sort of thing, but it's cool to have it back there nonetheless. Just in case Metal Mommy gets the urge and puts her BMX pants on. heh heh.

I really broke in the house last night with it's first party--my Silpada jewelry open house! Unfortunately not many could show--turns out October is a very busy time for people--but it was a blast and great to see the women-folk that did manage to make it out. (a big thank you to Stephanie who brought a yummy appetizer and somehow managed to magically appear by my side to help me open bottles of wine...) I'm so mad--once again I was so busy that I forgot to take photos!!! Have I mentioned lately how much I love my new business?? It's so much fun for me--I LOVE the jewels, I love having something of my own, and having a girlie blingy party is right up my alley. Plus I make pretty nice ching. Can't beat that.

Today was more unpacking and organizing. We are actually seeing some floor in the garage, which of course is a good thing. Whew! Maybe tomorrow we'll see more deer in our yard???

Crazy Busy Life

What do starting a new business, interviewing for a possible position on radio, taking kids to and from camps and lessons, and getting ready to put a house on the market so one can buy the house of their dreams have in common? Nothing at all, but they are all components of my crazy life right now. Hence why I have not been blogging! Not that I don't want to share the news, oh no...it's just that some things are up in the air, and quite frankly the thought of trying to organize it all in writing has been overwhelming. It's been hard enough to organize it all in my LIFE....

But I'm not complaining! It's all good. The kids are having a good summer with their activities, as they should. We've been enjoying our Rec Center pool a lot in his HOT weather, and being there is always like being a party with neighborhood friends. I don't think I've ever gone to that pool and not seen ONE person that I know or at least recognize.

Remember how I attended my friend Pam's Silpada Jewelry party about a month ago and casually mentioned that even though they seemed fun, Home Party Girl was just not me? Well, I guess it is. I can't quite even explain how or why it happened, but I found myself on the Silpada web site just poking around and reading up about it, and the more I read, the more excited I got at the thought that maybe I COULD do something like that. Again, I don't fancy myself as Susie Sales, but what's great about it is the jewelry really does sell itself. It is gorgeous, and so much fun to wear! At a party all I do is set up my baubles on a table, no presentation or anything. Just chatting, gabbing, getting girlie with women-folk. What's not to love about that?! OK, calling up your friends and practically begging them to host yet another home party for you can be a little daunting...but at the same time, why not? They get free jewels out of the deal, I get to hang out with them for an evening. It's a win-win. I figure once I work out of my circle of friends, there will be no more Pity Parties. And you know, there is nothing wrong with learning how to ask for something. That's something I haven't always been good at, and in the words of Loreal hair color, I'm worth it! So are you. So I've been busy as a bee learning the ropes and getting everything set up to go. My first party will be up at the resort we're getting ready to take off to! Oh, did I mention in the midst of everything we are also trying to plan our cabin vacation???

Meeting with the program director (and assistant) of a radio station, you say? And that's all I'm going to say. Mostly because I don't even know the details, to be be honest. But you will know when I do....:-)

A new house! I love my house, don't get me wrong. I love living where we do, I'm thankful for all that we have. But sometimes you reach a point where you realize that you could probably get more for your money if you just get that much farther from the big city. Only 5 minutes farther, really. On a whim because it would be fun--ever since I fell in love with Fairy-Tale house that is totally out of reach--we decided to just see what was out there, and before we knew it we had walked into our dream house. A dream house that could possibly become a reality....if it stays on the market as long as we have ours on to sell, that is. The sad fact is the people won't accept a contingent offer right now, so we're scrambling. I'm trying really hard to just say 'whatever will be, will be', it's really all we can do....but that's tough. Both Cory and I, and even our realtor, gasped and/or screamed as we rounded each corner of this place, knowing then and there that this was Our New Home. Time will tell, I suppose....but anyone that knows me knows that I am not a patient person!!! Keep your fingers crossed for us, please!

So nearing my birthday month here, I'd say 40 is going to go out with a bang, wouldn't you? Whew!

Mysteries of Life

Sigh. My last child has lost his first tooth...definitely a rite of passage for both of us! It's funny how it went from just a titch loose to wiggling all over the place, and then the next day, gone! It was really bugging him at that last stage, and I guess he just grabbed it with a paper towel and pulled it right out! Sadly, I was not here to witness it myself.

I was out looking at my Dream Home. We aren't really planning on moving but it was just one of those things...a couple of weeks ago I dropped Vivian off at her friend's house and noticed there was a house for sale on the street. It's an amazing area--still our little town, but in a very secluded wooded part of it. Picking up the available flyer I was surprised to see it less expensive than I thought it would be...of course, still out of our range--but it got the wheels a-spinnin'. Before I knew it our real estate agent was opening the door and I was getting a first-hand view. I could have wept, it was so amazing. The yard was the kicker, a half acre of trees so thick you could barely even see any homes behind it. Of course the gourmet kitchen that has been featured on the cover of a magazine didn't hurt, either. sigh. It's fun to dream, but it can be darn depressing too. I mean, I can dream about a 15 million dollar castle but I don't really pine about it since it's so out of reach. This place is out of reach too, but it could probably be done if we really worked at it. But that means changing a lot around here and sacrificing other things, and who wants to be house-poor?? OK, sometimes I think I do, but I know it's not very smart. Guess I'd better go back to putting my energy into my Special Purpose...of course a new house would be something to take my mind off that now, wouldn't it?? Funny how that works....!!!

And speaking of that, last night I attended a Silpada Jewelry party at my friend Pam's house--that was fun. The jewelry was actually very nice, and of course spending a night with women drinking wine and playing with girlie things is never a bad thing. I often wonder about these home-party business things...of course on the outside they seem like the perfect job for me. Getting paid to party! But of course the nitty-gritty is really investing a bunch of your own money up front to buy all of the stuff to display, and then having to get out there and SELL. I am not a salesperson, I feel way too guilty trying to push anything on anybody. When I sold my own jewelry I just sat behind the table and answered questions, I didn't believe in trying to SELL anything. If a person left without buying a thing, so be it! The last thing I would want is for someone to buy one of my pieces because they felt they had to. And of course at those parties, don't we always feel like we can't leave without purchasing?? Ladies, don't we always feel guilty if we don't??? I can see the men reading this just shaking their heads. Don't even try to understand, my guy friends, you just won't. It's just yet another one of those mysteries of life.