I would like to believe that my situation is not unique, mainly that I may search out those with similar experiences to cash in some advice. So please, read and render what knowledge you have for my cause. I need you.
For Christmas this year, which was a nice, homey affair I had suggested to my Mother in law (M.I.L) that she in behalf of her and my Father in law (F.I.L) get Derek and I a pre-framed print of the Sacramento Temple. In the Deseret Book catalog there was a beautiful black and white print of the various temples and the Sac temple was one available. She agreed, no problems and that was the extent of our conversation.
Christmas day arrived and I was anticipating the print, but not surprised when she said that she did not order it because I never provided her with the information as I was knee deep in Christmas prep myself. She said that she would simply pay for it when Derek and I purchased it ourselves. No problem. But wait...the problem is right around the corner.
Just yesterday, so what, a full 3 or so days after Christmas, my M.I.L. calls and asks to speak to me about something. She asks if I ordered the print, which, honestly no I had not and preceded to explain to me that my F.I.L. does not want to apply money to the purchase and does not want to get that for Derek and I for Christmas.
Okay, I understand that gifts are gifts. The best gifts are those thought through without encouragement from the receiver and ones that are meaningful and will hold the memory of the giver for all time. The next best gifts, and this generally applies to Christmas gifts are those that the receiver specifically asks for and the giver gives. Ultimately it is the givers choice as to what they will give to the receiver. However, this is not what my F.I.L. is exercising. He is taking the opportunity to make a statement.
Confused? Simply put, he is displaying his embittered feelings about his son converting to become a Latter Day Saint and his granddaughter being forced into the same choice of religion by refusing to apply his cash to a symbol of our gospel centered life. (I am curious to see what my in-laws settle on.)
This is no longer about giving and receiving gifts. My F.I.L. is passive/aggressively (my least favorite form of offensive maneuvering) reminding me that I will not have any of his help when it comes to drawing the distinction that my beloved husband, jewel of a daughter and myself live a life that he is opposed to. What confuses me more than anything is his timing and choice of soap-box standing regarding this deep fissure that has been from the beginning of mine and Derek's marriage. (Derek was baptized a day after he proposed marriage to me.)
I am left reeling. What else is this man capable of? Will he feel justified undermining the moral education that Derek and I choose for our children because he does not believe what we believe? Or am I taking things to the extreme with that line of thinking? Will he begin refusing to watch our children if Derek and I need a date night to take advantage of a temple session? He has already, a form of teasing for him, said that when Adalyn is old enough he is going to tell her all about what I used to be like, prior to my "change" as he puts it. In a very heated confrontation between he and I he made it clear that he does not believe I changed for the better with regards to becoming active again with the church and gospel. It is my unique burden that my in-laws knew me before my re-activity with church and know me now as a fully active participant and so being my burden I need to deal with it. But for reals, don't put my mama tiger skills to the test because I will maim with decisiveness if I feel my children are threatened on any ground.
Lastly, to make this a bit more complicated, my in-laws are genuinely in love with my daughter and the same applies to any additional children Derek and I have. They are fantastic grandparents on every other point. They have a marriage that has stood the test of time and they do want what is best (in their minds) for my children. Secondly I do not have a standard set of parents to offer my kids as grandparents, so they (my in-laws) are it. I just wish my in-laws would afford Derek and I the same parental respect that their own parents gave them when they were in the time of their lives of raising kids. I do not want to have to watch my parenting back with them. I want to believe that they respect Derek and I as parents more than they understand our choice of lifestyle. I do not even need them to believe what we believe, but just have enough love and faith in us as current parents to support us in what we choose for our children. That would be the best Christmas gift I could ever hope to receive. I hope someday to receive it.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Yesterday
I had such a great day yesterday. By simply taking stock of the nature that surrounds me I was able to get in touch with a part of my spirit that has been long neglected.
Derek, Adalyn and I went out to Mather so that Derek could hit balls at the driving range and Adalyn and I went to the Mather Lake and park. While Adalyn took advantage of the jungle gym and the rocks lying about (she loves to collect rocks) I was able to sit and be healed.
I felt the wind, coolly caressing my face and saw the cotton from the cottonwood trees swirl through it, giving the wind a visible tangle quality. I trained my eyes to erase the signs of civilization on the horizon and imagined I was out in a vast field. Northern California is truly beautiful country. Looking up I could see the low lying, clear white clouds moving about in the air and in the distance I saw the enormous thunderheads that brought us the spectacular light show last night. Around me there were over 60 Canada geese, and yes I counted them, foraging in the grass and interacting with one another. What was most amazing was how I was craving all of those connections with nature. The sights, the smells, the brushing of my skin by the wind. I realized that I needed that time out there.
Then to put such a spectacular cap of the day, I beheld the raw force of nature in an electrical storm. The lightening was pulsing through the air like a strobe light and the thunder never stopped rolling. At one point, right before I fell off to sleep, the thunder clap was so loud it was like it went off right over head. Amazing.
Derek, Adalyn and I went out to Mather so that Derek could hit balls at the driving range and Adalyn and I went to the Mather Lake and park. While Adalyn took advantage of the jungle gym and the rocks lying about (she loves to collect rocks) I was able to sit and be healed.
I felt the wind, coolly caressing my face and saw the cotton from the cottonwood trees swirl through it, giving the wind a visible tangle quality. I trained my eyes to erase the signs of civilization on the horizon and imagined I was out in a vast field. Northern California is truly beautiful country. Looking up I could see the low lying, clear white clouds moving about in the air and in the distance I saw the enormous thunderheads that brought us the spectacular light show last night. Around me there were over 60 Canada geese, and yes I counted them, foraging in the grass and interacting with one another. What was most amazing was how I was craving all of those connections with nature. The sights, the smells, the brushing of my skin by the wind. I realized that I needed that time out there.
Then to put such a spectacular cap of the day, I beheld the raw force of nature in an electrical storm. The lightening was pulsing through the air like a strobe light and the thunder never stopped rolling. At one point, right before I fell off to sleep, the thunder clap was so loud it was like it went off right over head. Amazing.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
My other Blog
I have decided after much back and forth to create another blog modeled after my original blog idea. Currently this blog is set up as author viewing only but I think at the root of why I want this blog to exist is for a purpose of healing and for the pursuit of greater understanding. The format is based off of blogs written directly to my mother. Conversations, questions and tidbits I would share with her as if I were communicating directly to her. As I have not had contact with her since I was 13 this is where the healing and pursuit of greater understanding would come in.
I was originally motivated to create this blog shortly after having Adalyn. The idea of now being a mother without having my own mother in my life was eye-opening. I have never carried the "I never had a mother" baggage around with me growing up and in many ways avoided at very long length the mere perception that I was one of those people beat down by circumstances out of my control. I have taken great pride in my ability to rise to the occasion and make lemonade out of lemons. But there are still lessons I need to learn and things I need to reconcile to move past even the small scars that have been left behind by the experience of my upbringing.
I was my mother's daughter for 4 years before I became my grandmother's daughter for the rest of my life. In those first 4 years my mother had my younger brother and little sister. My sister had the least amount of time with her, coming to be my grandmother's daughter at the tender age of 6weeks old. We learned about the love of parents, growing up and the gospel at my grandmother and grandfather's knees. I love my grandmother more than any other woman in the world. She was my personal savior and a true saint, giving all she and my grandfather had to properly raise the three of us. My grandmother and grandfather embodied the covenants made with their God by doing all and more for my brother, sister and I. But I never called my grandmother, "Mom" or my grandfather "Dad" because they were not either. I had a dad and a mom.
At times it was made very clear that I did have parents by the in and out presence of my father. Sometimes he would live with his parents (and us) and other times he would not. He would make it to the occasional school function and take us to the river, or camping throughout the summer. But my grandparents gave us a home, food, shelter and everyday things that made our life livable. My father was always around. There were a few times when he was gone for a very long period of time when he was in prison. There were two separate occasions when he was in prison and each time it was my grandparents who would sit us down as mere children and tell us the news. I was always heartbroken when we had to leave the visiting center when we would go and visit him in prison. But as I have now grown into and adult I realize that he was always around by never quite available in the manner that I needed him.
My mother on the other hand was neither around and not available. When I was 4 my mother had her parenting rights stripped. I may be misusing the term for CPS stepping in and removing the kids from the home but I think my use of words paints a better picture. In my minds eye I see a woman broken by her own mistakes and choices having the most awful punishment meted out by a judge and jury, having her children taken away from her. And in reality it was a just judgement. After moving from Texas where we were living with mom and dad, my brother, sister and I became Californians and became grandchildren. I think in the time we were living in California we were visited by my mother just 3 times. The last time she visited I was 13. I can remember her sharing our beds with us at night and her wrapping her legs around us so tight it was uncomfortable. She must have known then that it was her last visit.
She called a few months after visiting to inform my grandmother that she was going to remarry. That was the last time she ever contacted us. She did not forward her new name, nor her new address, nor any means of being contacted. It was a clean break. And it still is. My grandmother was frustrated by the sudden cessation of communication on her side and had reached out to a Korean friend about the lack of communication on my mother's part. My grandmother learned from this friend that there are Korean cultural "rules" that require a woman who was previously married to a white guy to disown the past, including any resulting children to not be considered a whore.
(By the way I did just get off the phone with my grandmother to verify these past conversations upon which she told me that the day my mother called to inform her she was getting married she also told my grandmother that she was expecting. I had never known this fact before. Awesome.)
So long story short (too late) my mommy blog is going to be up for full access viewing.
My grandmother has faith that I will someday learn about my mother from my mother's own lips. In the meantime I am going to share with my mother and anyone else who wants to be a fly on the wall who I am and the joys and challenges I am now facing as a wife and mother.
Enjoy. (PS its found at momitsmemichelle.blogspot.com)
I was originally motivated to create this blog shortly after having Adalyn. The idea of now being a mother without having my own mother in my life was eye-opening. I have never carried the "I never had a mother" baggage around with me growing up and in many ways avoided at very long length the mere perception that I was one of those people beat down by circumstances out of my control. I have taken great pride in my ability to rise to the occasion and make lemonade out of lemons. But there are still lessons I need to learn and things I need to reconcile to move past even the small scars that have been left behind by the experience of my upbringing.
I was my mother's daughter for 4 years before I became my grandmother's daughter for the rest of my life. In those first 4 years my mother had my younger brother and little sister. My sister had the least amount of time with her, coming to be my grandmother's daughter at the tender age of 6weeks old. We learned about the love of parents, growing up and the gospel at my grandmother and grandfather's knees. I love my grandmother more than any other woman in the world. She was my personal savior and a true saint, giving all she and my grandfather had to properly raise the three of us. My grandmother and grandfather embodied the covenants made with their God by doing all and more for my brother, sister and I. But I never called my grandmother, "Mom" or my grandfather "Dad" because they were not either. I had a dad and a mom.
At times it was made very clear that I did have parents by the in and out presence of my father. Sometimes he would live with his parents (and us) and other times he would not. He would make it to the occasional school function and take us to the river, or camping throughout the summer. But my grandparents gave us a home, food, shelter and everyday things that made our life livable. My father was always around. There were a few times when he was gone for a very long period of time when he was in prison. There were two separate occasions when he was in prison and each time it was my grandparents who would sit us down as mere children and tell us the news. I was always heartbroken when we had to leave the visiting center when we would go and visit him in prison. But as I have now grown into and adult I realize that he was always around by never quite available in the manner that I needed him.
My mother on the other hand was neither around and not available. When I was 4 my mother had her parenting rights stripped. I may be misusing the term for CPS stepping in and removing the kids from the home but I think my use of words paints a better picture. In my minds eye I see a woman broken by her own mistakes and choices having the most awful punishment meted out by a judge and jury, having her children taken away from her. And in reality it was a just judgement. After moving from Texas where we were living with mom and dad, my brother, sister and I became Californians and became grandchildren. I think in the time we were living in California we were visited by my mother just 3 times. The last time she visited I was 13. I can remember her sharing our beds with us at night and her wrapping her legs around us so tight it was uncomfortable. She must have known then that it was her last visit.
She called a few months after visiting to inform my grandmother that she was going to remarry. That was the last time she ever contacted us. She did not forward her new name, nor her new address, nor any means of being contacted. It was a clean break. And it still is. My grandmother was frustrated by the sudden cessation of communication on her side and had reached out to a Korean friend about the lack of communication on my mother's part. My grandmother learned from this friend that there are Korean cultural "rules" that require a woman who was previously married to a white guy to disown the past, including any resulting children to not be considered a whore.
(By the way I did just get off the phone with my grandmother to verify these past conversations upon which she told me that the day my mother called to inform her she was getting married she also told my grandmother that she was expecting. I had never known this fact before. Awesome.)
So long story short (too late) my mommy blog is going to be up for full access viewing.
My grandmother has faith that I will someday learn about my mother from my mother's own lips. In the meantime I am going to share with my mother and anyone else who wants to be a fly on the wall who I am and the joys and challenges I am now facing as a wife and mother.
Enjoy. (PS its found at momitsmemichelle.blogspot.com)
Monday, May 4, 2009
I love to drive. It is one of those activities that I never mind doing. The best is driving fast. And I do drive fast but within the reasonable safe expectations for where ever I am. (My fast driving is usually reserved for the freeway.)
Today's weather was perfect for driving. Windows down, music up, my main little lady in the back seat. All was good.
The first time I traveled to London I was jonesin' to stay. I contemplated selling my car when I got back home for cash and getting a 6 months working visa for the UK. Then when I did get back home and took the car out for the fist time I realized I could never live in a place where I could not drive myself.
Yeah, I love to drive.
Today's weather was perfect for driving. Windows down, music up, my main little lady in the back seat. All was good.
The first time I traveled to London I was jonesin' to stay. I contemplated selling my car when I got back home for cash and getting a 6 months working visa for the UK. Then when I did get back home and took the car out for the fist time I realized I could never live in a place where I could not drive myself.
Yeah, I love to drive.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
I need some fun new stuff in my wardrobe.
First off, I am sitting down writing this post instead of cleaning the wreck of a kitchen behind me and picking up the disaster I call my family room. I should clean...but, I'm not going to right now.
So working in the salon a few days a week gives me just enough exposure to the outside world. The wide world of fashion in fact as the salon subscribes to most of the top fashion/editorial magazines. My personal favorite for getting the freshest tips of what's in and what's out is Harper's Bazaar. I find Bazaar to be the most fashion oriented magazine where as Vouge has a deep left agenda and has more editorial articles then what I bargain for in a fashion magazine. I would rather read GQ (great and funny writers are found there) or just flip really fast through women's magazines to get the goods on the hottest fashion trends. (P.S. I CANNOT stand Cosmopolitan which thankfully we do not get at the salon. That stuff is garbage.)
Anywho, I have long since left full time working behind me and with the addition of a beautiful daughter into my life nearly 18 months ago I do not have the means to do any serious shopping, but I am still bound and determined to look my most stylish. So I have a plan! My sister Misty who has an in your face and very creative personal style is assisting me with this adventure and I wanted to share my idea publicly.
March and September's Bazaar issues are always set aside as the "Fashion" issues. September for the fall collections and trends and March for spring's. (Funny enough the unveiling of the new collections around the globe show in the opposite season at the time of the year we are in. Fall in spring for the next year and spring in fall again for the next year.) I grabbed the March Bazaar from the salon and went about tearing all of the ads that inspire me and all of the single page fashion tutorials always found in these specific fashion issues. For example of few key new pieces setting this Spring apart from others is: oversized shoulders (think shoulder pads with an origami twist), jackets in all kinds of proportions but mostly bigger, and a slouchy pant which excites me the most and Ill explain in a second. There are also certain colors or color combinations that are now and ways to do your hair and or makeup which I am not bothering with for this experiment.
Now what? Now it's time for the challenge and the fun. With these tear sheets I will embark, with my trusty sidekick to scour local thrift stores with the patience to set out and find some inexpensive pieces that fit this springs fashion themes!!! Brilliant, isn't it?!? Okay, maybe or maybe not, but I am down for the challenge. The slouchy pant should be the easiest to nail down as there is a strong reminiscence to shapes we saw in the late 80's and early 90's. Same thing with the boyfriend cut jacket. Now thrift store finds have to be paired with more modern pieces to create the right look or you run the threat of looking like your wardrobe is a thrift store, but again I am up for the challenge. Plus I have the added benefit of having a sewing machine and knowing how to wield that bad-boy.
All in all I want some excitement in my life and I have never been let down by finding good clean excitement in the the cloths that I wear. I make no bones about this seemingly superficial interest of mine and the effect it has on my mood. The right outfit, one that screams me is better than prescription mood enhancers.
I leave this bit I found in my magazine with you. It is a sartorial Q&A with Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel design guru) playing shrink to fashion's most pressing questions. I love it!
The recession is keeping me up at night. My husband tells me I have to cut back on spending, but I'm anxious about shopping on a budget. Can I still look chic while buying cheap?
Karl Lagerfeld:
The most important thing is to sleep well. Try to have sweet dreams and no recession nightmares. You have to find out if you husband is telling you to spend less during the crisis as an excuse. Never use the word cheap. Today everybody can look chic in inexpensive clothes (the rich buy them too.) There is good clothing design on every level today. You can be the chicest thing in the world in a T-shirt and jeans-it's up to you.
Dont use expensive clothes as a screen for your personal doubts. Be proud of yourself and not only because you wear expensive designer clothes. They are great, but lots of people are happy without them. Don't play the victim: It's too easy. You come first, the clothes later. Reinvent new combinations of what you already own. Play with it. Improvise. Become more creative. Not because you have to, but because you want to. Evolution is the secret for the next step.
So working in the salon a few days a week gives me just enough exposure to the outside world. The wide world of fashion in fact as the salon subscribes to most of the top fashion/editorial magazines. My personal favorite for getting the freshest tips of what's in and what's out is Harper's Bazaar. I find Bazaar to be the most fashion oriented magazine where as Vouge has a deep left agenda and has more editorial articles then what I bargain for in a fashion magazine. I would rather read GQ (great and funny writers are found there) or just flip really fast through women's magazines to get the goods on the hottest fashion trends. (P.S. I CANNOT stand Cosmopolitan which thankfully we do not get at the salon. That stuff is garbage.)
Anywho, I have long since left full time working behind me and with the addition of a beautiful daughter into my life nearly 18 months ago I do not have the means to do any serious shopping, but I am still bound and determined to look my most stylish. So I have a plan! My sister Misty who has an in your face and very creative personal style is assisting me with this adventure and I wanted to share my idea publicly.
March and September's Bazaar issues are always set aside as the "Fashion" issues. September for the fall collections and trends and March for spring's. (Funny enough the unveiling of the new collections around the globe show in the opposite season at the time of the year we are in. Fall in spring for the next year and spring in fall again for the next year.) I grabbed the March Bazaar from the salon and went about tearing all of the ads that inspire me and all of the single page fashion tutorials always found in these specific fashion issues. For example of few key new pieces setting this Spring apart from others is: oversized shoulders (think shoulder pads with an origami twist), jackets in all kinds of proportions but mostly bigger, and a slouchy pant which excites me the most and Ill explain in a second. There are also certain colors or color combinations that are now and ways to do your hair and or makeup which I am not bothering with for this experiment.
Now what? Now it's time for the challenge and the fun. With these tear sheets I will embark, with my trusty sidekick to scour local thrift stores with the patience to set out and find some inexpensive pieces that fit this springs fashion themes!!! Brilliant, isn't it?!? Okay, maybe or maybe not, but I am down for the challenge. The slouchy pant should be the easiest to nail down as there is a strong reminiscence to shapes we saw in the late 80's and early 90's. Same thing with the boyfriend cut jacket. Now thrift store finds have to be paired with more modern pieces to create the right look or you run the threat of looking like your wardrobe is a thrift store, but again I am up for the challenge. Plus I have the added benefit of having a sewing machine and knowing how to wield that bad-boy.
All in all I want some excitement in my life and I have never been let down by finding good clean excitement in the the cloths that I wear. I make no bones about this seemingly superficial interest of mine and the effect it has on my mood. The right outfit, one that screams me is better than prescription mood enhancers.
I leave this bit I found in my magazine with you. It is a sartorial Q&A with Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel design guru) playing shrink to fashion's most pressing questions. I love it!
The recession is keeping me up at night. My husband tells me I have to cut back on spending, but I'm anxious about shopping on a budget. Can I still look chic while buying cheap?
Karl Lagerfeld:
The most important thing is to sleep well. Try to have sweet dreams and no recession nightmares. You have to find out if you husband is telling you to spend less during the crisis as an excuse. Never use the word cheap. Today everybody can look chic in inexpensive clothes (the rich buy them too.) There is good clothing design on every level today. You can be the chicest thing in the world in a T-shirt and jeans-it's up to you.
Dont use expensive clothes as a screen for your personal doubts. Be proud of yourself and not only because you wear expensive designer clothes. They are great, but lots of people are happy without them. Don't play the victim: It's too easy. You come first, the clothes later. Reinvent new combinations of what you already own. Play with it. Improvise. Become more creative. Not because you have to, but because you want to. Evolution is the secret for the next step.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Hair Tip #1
This is the first professional hair stylist tip of many that I plan to post regularly here on my humble blog. I am often asked for styling, haircutting, coloring and what have you tips along the lines of hair at work and I figure that I can make this advice (and opinions) available here. I hope these little nuggets will be of some good to you. ENJOY!
(P.S. Most of my tips are aimed at mommies. We need to be lookin' ladies!)
*A little bit of color can go a looong way.
Basically if you have a fairly conservative haircut and want to embody a little more style into your every day look but do not want to commit to a new hair cut then color is the avenue to explore.
Considering your budget and your commitment to maintenance involved in a certain look is the first step. Don't commit to an intensive color treatment if you have no intention of maintaining it every month to 2 months.
Secondly, especially for mommies consider little work with big impact. This could be as simple as amplifying your natural color by making it warmer. This bounces the light around the head and face and adds more visual volume, something most women want.
Another really good consideration is using something called demi-permanent color. Demi-permanent color is to permanent color what lip gloss is to lip stick. Lip gloss adds a ton of shine with a sheer layer of color or no color at all for high shine. The same applies to demi-permanent color. It acts like a gloss for the hair. It helps to smooth and refine the outside layer of the hair shaft making it more mirror like after the application of the color. Plus there isn't the hard line of demarcation that can occur with permanent color, leaving a softer grown out look void of harsh roots. This process can calm some virgin (un-colored) fly-away hair. Additionally if you have the right tools and a little patience you can do this process at home saving a mint than the alternative of seeing a stylist every 6 to 8 weeks.
One other color tid-bit I recommend is the addition of a few key placed highlights. Correctly placed a few highlights, like 3-5 can have a huge impact on your overall appearance. Highlights soften facial features, drawing the eye around the face and can add needed dimension if you feel your hair is flat and lifeless. Plus if you check out starlets and other women in the limelight you will notice the appearance of what look like roots. Outgrowth is totally in and even more natural in appearance then some of the outdated allover to the root highlights that many of us used to get. These few highlights would need to be placed in by a stylist, but I would negotiate a lower price than what they would charge for a partial since 3-5 foils by far less work than even half of a partial highlight. I charge differently for these kinds of highlights with my salon clients and I encourage them to see me less often for a more natural growing our effect.
Again a little color can go a long way, be it boosting your own natural color to a more fashionable warmer hue, using an all-over high gloss demi-permanent color or having a few key placed highlights added to your look. Mommies need to look good because first and foremost you are still a woman and need to look fabulous no matter what.
(P.S. Most of my tips are aimed at mommies. We need to be lookin' ladies!)
*A little bit of color can go a looong way.
Basically if you have a fairly conservative haircut and want to embody a little more style into your every day look but do not want to commit to a new hair cut then color is the avenue to explore.
Considering your budget and your commitment to maintenance involved in a certain look is the first step. Don't commit to an intensive color treatment if you have no intention of maintaining it every month to 2 months.
Secondly, especially for mommies consider little work with big impact. This could be as simple as amplifying your natural color by making it warmer. This bounces the light around the head and face and adds more visual volume, something most women want.
Another really good consideration is using something called demi-permanent color. Demi-permanent color is to permanent color what lip gloss is to lip stick. Lip gloss adds a ton of shine with a sheer layer of color or no color at all for high shine. The same applies to demi-permanent color. It acts like a gloss for the hair. It helps to smooth and refine the outside layer of the hair shaft making it more mirror like after the application of the color. Plus there isn't the hard line of demarcation that can occur with permanent color, leaving a softer grown out look void of harsh roots. This process can calm some virgin (un-colored) fly-away hair. Additionally if you have the right tools and a little patience you can do this process at home saving a mint than the alternative of seeing a stylist every 6 to 8 weeks.
One other color tid-bit I recommend is the addition of a few key placed highlights. Correctly placed a few highlights, like 3-5 can have a huge impact on your overall appearance. Highlights soften facial features, drawing the eye around the face and can add needed dimension if you feel your hair is flat and lifeless. Plus if you check out starlets and other women in the limelight you will notice the appearance of what look like roots. Outgrowth is totally in and even more natural in appearance then some of the outdated allover to the root highlights that many of us used to get. These few highlights would need to be placed in by a stylist, but I would negotiate a lower price than what they would charge for a partial since 3-5 foils by far less work than even half of a partial highlight. I charge differently for these kinds of highlights with my salon clients and I encourage them to see me less often for a more natural growing our effect.
Again a little color can go a long way, be it boosting your own natural color to a more fashionable warmer hue, using an all-over high gloss demi-permanent color or having a few key placed highlights added to your look. Mommies need to look good because first and foremost you are still a woman and need to look fabulous no matter what.
Im venting and confessing.
On my drive home today down Sierra College/Hazel Ave. I spot a big white Chevy or some other American brand truck coming fast into the my lane. The driver made a quick lane change from the right lane into my left lane and was quickly on my rear in the process. No offense to women drivers, but the lane change and the aggressive manner of this person's driving led me to assume that it was a female driver, and sure enough it was.
Here I will defend my obvious sexist profiling.
I often get the impression from ladies driving big wheeled pick-up trucks that there is a need for them to prove how capable they are behind the wheel of a big truck. Right? Like the dudes in the nearby cars are thinking to themselves "Oh crap, another female driving a big truck, duck and cover!" Firstly, the guys I know would not be thinking any such thing, but the tactics made by some of these ladies behind the wheel of the good 'ol boy's trucks is that they still have to get it into the open that they got this all in the bag.
Okay so now for my confession.
Soon after this lady changed into my lane she bypassed the slower driver in the right lane and moved out of my lane in front of this slower car. At this time we are driving nearly neck and neck (and by the way I probably have Napoleon syndrome in my sub-compact Toyota and have to prove that I can hang with the big cars).
All of a sudden a wild turkey is in the road making a suicide dash to the other side. The lady driver in the big white truck slows down and even swerves into the right hand shoulder to avoid hitting the turkey and I slow down to avoid the same carnage. We both had enough reaction time to spare this fowl's life and see it safely cross the road.
Tears nearly welled up at the thought that here I was condemning this stranger lady's driving and she had enough compassion on an ugly bird's life to slow and serve to avoid blasting it out of existence. I was chagrined. She didn't have anything to prove, she was probably in a hurry to pick her kids up from school or something and can truly handle a big truck and could give two poos for what anyone thinks of her. I on the other hand have no excuse for my judgmental thoughts. She became my hero for the day.
Here I will defend my obvious sexist profiling.
I often get the impression from ladies driving big wheeled pick-up trucks that there is a need for them to prove how capable they are behind the wheel of a big truck. Right? Like the dudes in the nearby cars are thinking to themselves "Oh crap, another female driving a big truck, duck and cover!" Firstly, the guys I know would not be thinking any such thing, but the tactics made by some of these ladies behind the wheel of the good 'ol boy's trucks is that they still have to get it into the open that they got this all in the bag.
Okay so now for my confession.
Soon after this lady changed into my lane she bypassed the slower driver in the right lane and moved out of my lane in front of this slower car. At this time we are driving nearly neck and neck (and by the way I probably have Napoleon syndrome in my sub-compact Toyota and have to prove that I can hang with the big cars).
All of a sudden a wild turkey is in the road making a suicide dash to the other side. The lady driver in the big white truck slows down and even swerves into the right hand shoulder to avoid hitting the turkey and I slow down to avoid the same carnage. We both had enough reaction time to spare this fowl's life and see it safely cross the road.
Tears nearly welled up at the thought that here I was condemning this stranger lady's driving and she had enough compassion on an ugly bird's life to slow and serve to avoid blasting it out of existence. I was chagrined. She didn't have anything to prove, she was probably in a hurry to pick her kids up from school or something and can truly handle a big truck and could give two poos for what anyone thinks of her. I on the other hand have no excuse for my judgmental thoughts. She became my hero for the day.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Knitting
I have now purchased two knitting magazines. My intention is to use the patterns published in these magazines to knit fabulous sweaters, gloves, socks, hats...you get the point. But I have yet to finish many of the simple "first" projects that I have assigned myself to warm up with. I do have a completed but too small baby blanket. I plan to felt this blanket and make a bag out of it. There are 2 cotton wash cloths that have been completed and a merino wool ribbed scarf. Among the projects started but not completed is a avocado green acrylic baby sweater intended for Adalyn and a narrow merino wool cable-knit scarf.
I want to knit the cool stuff. I want to go out in a personally knit creation on my back and crow with pride that I am the creator of the beauty you just complimented me on, but alas...I may never get that far. My eyes are too big for my stomach.
After nearly six months of no knitting my needles are back in action but at stage one. I am starting another cotton wash cloth to get my rhythm and flow back. My aim is to finish the wash cloth while simultaneously felting the too small baby blanket and fashion it into a purse of some kind and move onto the unfinished cable scarf. If I can complete those three projects I will reward myself and knit a pair of leg warmers I have been dying to get started on. With any luck I might be working on the leg-warmers by summer and have them in time for fall or winter of this year. This is my plan and I put it in writing with the intention of binding myself to my goal.
Wish me luck.
I want to knit the cool stuff. I want to go out in a personally knit creation on my back and crow with pride that I am the creator of the beauty you just complimented me on, but alas...I may never get that far. My eyes are too big for my stomach.
After nearly six months of no knitting my needles are back in action but at stage one. I am starting another cotton wash cloth to get my rhythm and flow back. My aim is to finish the wash cloth while simultaneously felting the too small baby blanket and fashion it into a purse of some kind and move onto the unfinished cable scarf. If I can complete those three projects I will reward myself and knit a pair of leg warmers I have been dying to get started on. With any luck I might be working on the leg-warmers by summer and have them in time for fall or winter of this year. This is my plan and I put it in writing with the intention of binding myself to my goal.
Wish me luck.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Another favorite story from the old blog.
I have read a lot of funny stories about pregnant ladies and the phenomenon called "Mommy-Brain". Below is one such example of "mommy-brain" that happened to yours truly. Enjoy!
(As told just a day or so after the incident.)
To set up, I did not sleep well the night before. Actually I have not been sleeping "well" for about 3 months. I fell asleep at 1a, and woke at 6a. Since I was up early I ate early. I had lunch around 11am and I was scheduled to be in the salon for an eight hour shift. Luckily this was my last week in the salon before my leave. I finished with my last client around 430p and needed to stop at Raley's for dinner before going home.
By this time I was really out of it. I was sleepy, hungry and had an eight hour day on my feet. My grocery trip was not going to take that long, but I took my time and chose not to rush. So far so good, I had already picked up milk, a watermelon and some other nutritious stuff. I had a hankering for mashed potatoes and chicken and if you have not tried the pre-made mashed potatoes in the fridge aisle you should. They are fabulous. The aisle that they were in was getting a cleanup so not to be in the way I parked my cart off to the side, waddled up to the case and got my creamy pre-made mashed potatoes and put it in my cart. The next item on my list was the rotisserie chicken, but I could not remember where I would find them.
I started my slow journey no doubt with a far away and vacant expression on my face and was well into the search when I noticed a middle aged lady with two school aged girls eying me. I was a little confused by the scrutiny but at that moment I casually glanced down at my cart to survey my load and I noticed with a start that I had the wrong cart. I had been pushing a cart full of boxed hard liquor that was being moved off the shelf to be cleaned! I had managed to place my mashed potatoes in the right cart but with zombie like deftness select another cart to finish my grocery trip with. No wonder that lady was looking at me! Here I am, visibly 9 months pregnant and I have a cart loaded with premium hard liquor, and nothing else!! Without any further action I abandoned the wrong cart where I stood and walked all the way back to where I had originally parked my cart to get my mashed potatoes. It was still there, thank goodness. I felt so stupid, and I am not one to get embarrassed easily, but I was at that moment.
So, as secure as I thought I was that I was not going to be like the thousands of other pregnant women out there I felt like one of the masses.
Oh well, it makes for a good story.
(As told just a day or so after the incident.)
To set up, I did not sleep well the night before. Actually I have not been sleeping "well" for about 3 months. I fell asleep at 1a, and woke at 6a. Since I was up early I ate early. I had lunch around 11am and I was scheduled to be in the salon for an eight hour shift. Luckily this was my last week in the salon before my leave. I finished with my last client around 430p and needed to stop at Raley's for dinner before going home.
By this time I was really out of it. I was sleepy, hungry and had an eight hour day on my feet. My grocery trip was not going to take that long, but I took my time and chose not to rush. So far so good, I had already picked up milk, a watermelon and some other nutritious stuff. I had a hankering for mashed potatoes and chicken and if you have not tried the pre-made mashed potatoes in the fridge aisle you should. They are fabulous. The aisle that they were in was getting a cleanup so not to be in the way I parked my cart off to the side, waddled up to the case and got my creamy pre-made mashed potatoes and put it in my cart. The next item on my list was the rotisserie chicken, but I could not remember where I would find them.
I started my slow journey no doubt with a far away and vacant expression on my face and was well into the search when I noticed a middle aged lady with two school aged girls eying me. I was a little confused by the scrutiny but at that moment I casually glanced down at my cart to survey my load and I noticed with a start that I had the wrong cart. I had been pushing a cart full of boxed hard liquor that was being moved off the shelf to be cleaned! I had managed to place my mashed potatoes in the right cart but with zombie like deftness select another cart to finish my grocery trip with. No wonder that lady was looking at me! Here I am, visibly 9 months pregnant and I have a cart loaded with premium hard liquor, and nothing else!! Without any further action I abandoned the wrong cart where I stood and walked all the way back to where I had originally parked my cart to get my mashed potatoes. It was still there, thank goodness. I felt so stupid, and I am not one to get embarrassed easily, but I was at that moment.
So, as secure as I thought I was that I was not going to be like the thousands of other pregnant women out there I felt like one of the masses.
Oh well, it makes for a good story.
One of my favorite stories from my old blog.
There are some things that I am okay with. The usual stuff that would give most people the heebie-jeebies, i.e. bugs, spiders, dirty diapers, even snakes. I can handle most of these creepy crawlys without much hesitation. Basically, Im not one to turn into a hysterical mess at the sight of one of God's creatures, unless it falls from the sky and tries to eat my face.
Here's the story. Its early Monday morning and I had just got out of the shower and was heading to "my" bathroom in the master bedroom to blow out my hair and put my face on. Derek was still sleeping so I quietly closed the bathroom door and grabbed my makeup bag when all of a freaking sudden (eww, my skin is starting to crawl) falling just inches from my face was a 5 pound bug. At least that's what it sounded like as it hit the porcelain sink and started to skatter about to gain its bearing and obviously lundge for my face.
Because it I barely saw this thing clearly as it fell in front of my eyes I had to look at it (just for a second) to truly take in the gruesomness of it all. This THING was the stuff of nightmares, no joke. If you are familiar with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and the part where Indiana finds the secret tunnel that is infested with the most horifying and monstrous bugs you know what kind of panic I was suddenly thrust in. I became the picture of hysteria. Cool, calm, collected me was now heart racing, jittering and freaked out me.
I jumped out of the bathroom and slammed the door behind me all the while squealing with disgust and horror. Poor Derek woke with a start, "WHAT'S GOING ON!! WHAT'S HAPPENING!!"
"ITS A BUG, [huff huff], YOU HAVE TO KILL IT!!"
"WHAT?!?"
"A PREHISTORIC BUG!! IT TRIED TO EAT MY FACE. KILL IT!!!"
You get the idea. He grabs one of my shoes and slowly opens the door. At this point I think the animal has crawled out of the sink and was lying wait on the other side, ready to jump at me.
"HONEY, NO DONT OPEN THE DOOR. ITS GOING TO GET US!"
He shoos me off and cautiously opens the door.
"Oh, your right. Get me one of my shoes."
Lucky for us this creature was still in the sink, but Derek couldnt get the right angle to crush the life out of it. So I grab him the Raid and he spays away. Right before the monster twitches its last twitch, I took this picture of it. This shot should be pretty close to life size. It was about an inch and a half long and about an inch across, leg to nasty leg. If you are sqweamish...well it's too late. Sorry about that.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Stinky Bunny
The next technological break through Im sure will be something along the lines of scratch and sniff for your PC or Mac. Imagine you just finished baking up an incredible batch of a newly developed cookie recipe of who's aroma would make a grown man cry in delight and you want to share it with all you know. All you need to do a place a specially developed air filter around the plate of cookies and micro particles are picked up and coded and then emitted out of your computer and viola, Blogs with life-like smells.
My current entry would too, have a life-like smell. The smell of my baby's stuffed bunny after several days of being perma-damp from being sucked on at naps and through out the night. Im not sure why I find this phenomenon so amusing, but I do. It must be a parent thing. I do regularly wash all her stuffed bunnies in hot water, detergent and white vinegar so they dont be come bio-hazards, but they will still start to stinking within a short couple of days. Oh the discoveries of parenting a toddler. (I wouldnt trade it for anything.)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
This is not vanity.
I am compelled to add a more current pic of myself as my profile picture is of nearly 3 years or more ago. I am not vain, just invested in looking my best. I can also blame this on my profession as I am paid to make people look their best and Id like to think Im pretty adept at that too. Additionally I love taking photos so therefore I am behind the lens not in front of it. I will need to get something new soon as my hair does not look as cool as it does in this shot and has not for a couple of months. Im falling off my own bandwagon. What kind of hairstylist am I? Oh wait, Im a mommy too. ^_^
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Lucky Lady
I look at this picture and I think, "man, Im a lucky woman".
(Actually, I dont think the word woman because frankly I dont feel like a woman. A woman is someone older than me with, oddly enough, a much more zaftig body than mine. I am a cross between a young woman and a lady. There needs to be another word for females like me and Im sure Im not alone when I express how unfitting the term "woman" is for the likes of me. I digress.)
I am blessed, an awesome husband and a one in a million baby girl. I do not want for anything.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
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