isnt that sunburn AWESOME!!!

Thats Clinique blush and some bare minerals...

we got more compliments on his fake sunburn and how awesome it looked at the trunk or treat on Saturday night.

My friend Dana and her husband were there and her hubby dressed in his army gear.

Well we ran out of candy so we sent the boys to the harris teeter to pick up some more.

So in walk the army GI Joe with my hubby (who was sporting a fake sunburn, black socks and sandals, shorts and an aloha shirt. It was awesome by the way)

I am sure the people at the HT were scratching their heads at that one.

here are the boys:

Finn was Death(?), grim reaper(?), Crypt keeper(?)...anyhoo, he was something with a long black hooded costume, an axe and a ace kind of like a skeleton.

Peter was Bumblebee Transformer and he brought his friend from school who was a pirate...or a ninja pirate, not sure why she had the belt around her eyes.

They had fun though. LOTS of fun.

I won FIRST PLACE in the Spicy category for my chili.  And it was super spicy too.  I used a whole pound of chorizo, rotel with chilis, another can of green chilis, white beans, shoepeg corn and tons of garlic. It was awesome. 

We carved some pumpkins too:

Darth Maul was my pumpkin, The traditional pumpkin was Finns and The Autobot was Peters.  I dont have a picture of charles' pumpkin. he did Scar from The Lion King.  It looked really good.

as for my costume...well, hmmm. It was alright.  I didnt feel like paying money for anything, so I did a quickie redneck version of Wheres Waldo.  I knitted a cap, painted some quick red stripes on a White t shirt and got some plastic glasses from one of the halloween stores. I am the cheap knock off version of Waldos cousin...Wildo (pronounced will-dough...not will-dew).  Mamma didnt have $ to copyright...
It was good enough that people kept yelling "Hey, Waldo! I found you!!".  I didnt even have to wear a nametag...

fun halloween times. I always enjoy the trunk or treat.

There's no basement in the alamo!!

Today I leave for San antonio, TX for a whole work week.
I am leaving behind the comfort of my own home, hubby, my kids, cats, car, clients etc and heading over to Alamo country to work at the HCM there for a week.

This is why I LOVE my job. I am able(on occasion) to go to various centers around the country and help out when they are in need.  I am still working, still getting paid ...but it is like a mini vacation!!
I am super excited for this assignment though. I LOVE the thought of being in San Antonio for a whole week.  I am only a few miles away from the riverfront(see pic above), the Alamo(excuse me, when do we see the basement??  The basement?? There's no basement in the Alamo...tee hee hee hee)

So today I had to go to Social security office for Peters Disability payments, then I had to go to Home Economist and buy more 9 grain hot cereal grain (and maybe a few other things...like choco covered soynuts), then I had to come home to make a large lasagna.
As I was cooking the noodles, I pulled out a box of noodles, and realized they were old. When I opened them up I found that the millers and moths had been in them at one time and left lots of little silks and other presents...so the lasagna quickly turned into baked ziti.
AND I had to pack.

Busy morning.
But, I am going to San Antonio!!
(the hotel has an indoor pool...and a Free, totally awesome breakfast buffet!! (and a REALLY good one too...with waffles and everything!!) )

I am going to try and get down to the riverfront, we shall see how busy they keep me.
what I REALLY want to do is go here:

I know. Im wierd.  I had a client who told me " I can see you there. You are kind of wacky , and I can understand how you would want to do something like that".
uhhh, thanks dude.

I am sure I will get pictures(if I can get out and do anything fun) and will upload them.

an E book

SO I am thinking about writing an E-book. (come again??)
An E-book. A book I can put on the internet and people can download for a price.
I have the basic idea percolating in my head, bouncing it around, rolling it off the tongue, so to speak.
Not sure where I am going with it though. I know where I WANT to go with it. I think I could do it.

I have a series of ideas for various ebooks.  Dont know if I want to write one big one, or write a few small ones for various ideas. Or I could write a big one with a bunch of chapters, or a bunch of small ones, like Charles Dickens did with pickwick papers ... a monthly newsletter series. Or...or...or...

  ITS TOO MUCH!

 INFORMATION OVERLOAD.

 DANGER! DANGER!

This is what happens when I wake up at 4am with my mind racing.  I think its a good idea to blog.

then you get posts like " I think Crocodiles should wear pink lipstick" or some crazy %!#@ like that.
see, I even start typing in melodramatic profanities.

<<-------- Yep, thats a crocodile with pink lipstick. Ive got mad photoshop skillz. (skills with a z. stand back)

WHAT COULD I POSSIBLY WRITE ABOUT?

They say write what you know.  Write what you are passionate about.

Since I cant write an e-book on my love affair with Magnum Ice Cream Bars, I guess I could do the next best thing. (mmm, magnum bars.  I'll be back. I think I need to make an unscheduled visit to Walmart)

But in all 430am seriousness,  I am thinking about an e-book for Hair Care, Hair Loss, Hair thinning etc.  Various recipes for all natural hair care treatments, shampoos and conditioners. Maybe a section on hair thinning, baldness , FAQ's and reasons, the nuts and bolts of hair loss. And maybe various resources for those experiencing it. I had a client yesterday and we were discussing the internet etc and he kind of brought up a  Bald forum. Where men and women can go to discuss hair loss and various ideas and treatment options etc. Not have it be an obvious advertisement for a national hair loss company etc.  There isnt a whole lot out there as far as support and forums that arent part of a hair restoration company.  Just a forum that people can go and talk to each other about their hair experiences.  Dont get me wrong, I LOVE the company that I work for, but what I do isnt a realistic option for some people.

Then I had an idea for bath and body products.  Recipes, supplies, vendors, ideas etc.

Then I had another idea...then another...then another.

I THINK I can do it. (Im the little engine that could, yo)

BUT I think that with the past 10 years of research and trial and error I could write an/some awesome ebook(s).

obvious schmoozing alert: Maybe get my bestie to draw some funny pictures for it... When I got married she got me a bunch of kitchen gadgets and made these HILARIOUS gift tags about various ways to use said items.  For the potato masher she said "a muzzle to shut Charles up when he talks back(or something along those lines)" and it showed a cartoon of his head with a potato masher in his mouth. I still pull that out and giggle every now and then...and I still have that potato masher. wow, sidetracked much? But seriously Lindsey, I'll be calling.

yes?? no?? good idea? Bad idea? obvious middle of the night insomniac idea?  Akin to drunken ramblings?
this is why I dont blog at what is now 5am.

I know I am going to look back at this at about 830 and go "whaaaaa????"

my new banner

So I am thinking about starting a new shop on etsy called HairySairy.
It will be all hair products.
I have the shop set up, just no products in it yet. hemming and hawing...nothing new here.

Here is the banner for it thusfar.

Not exactly sure I am loving it though. Any suggestions would be helpful.

I am thinking about various hair accessories(clips, bows, headbands, pins, extension clips etc).

Then my main product would be different intense deep conditioners, custom blended for various hair problems (coarse hair, dry hair, brittle hair, fine hair, limp hair, over-processed hair, chemically treated hair and what not)

Each conditioning treatment would come in a container and would be enough for 4 months (applications are done 3 to 4 weeks apart). It would come with an application brush and processing caps and instructions for use.

I am a huge advocate for healthy hair. Maybe move into all natural hair colors,oils and products.  I just havent quite decided yet where i want to go with all of this.

I dont even know if I will get it up and running. It is all just up in the air right now.

just dont know.  I ...just...dont...know.

I KNOW what I want to do and where I want to go with it. I just dont know HOW.

Is starting on etsy worth it?? would it get me started enough? would people even see it with the glut of other crafters on there? how can I make it stand out?

An Old Memory (Little Red Bikini...redux)

this is a repost from 3 years ago. But now it is new and improved with a photo for reference!!
Original post as follows:
(Ok not quite original, mostly original, I tweaked a few things for continuity and flow)

Every year we went to Nags Head for our Summer Vacation. We would rent a house right on the beach with another family and spend 10 days or so in the sand and sun and glory that is The Outer Banks of NC.
The year this event takes place I was 6 or 7 years old. I had a red one piece bathing suit that had a little cluster of yellow petals near the leg, kind of like a "Speedo" mark, but it was flowers. Anyway there other little girls on the beach who had  bikinis. The green eyed monster in me took control. I wanted a two piece, and I wanted one BAD. My mother wouldn't let me get one. So I tried my dad. He said no as well.(I even tried the whole "mom said to ask you"/"dad said to ask you" trick to no avail.) I pulled out all the stops trying to get what I wanted.
 I didn't have enough in dimes, Nickles and pennies in my blue Naugahyde purse to purchase one for myself either. So I was stuck for 2 weeks, miserable without a two piece bathing suit like the other little girls on the beach
As fate would have it, a few days later, my parents left me to the charge of my older brothers(ages ages 13 to 16/17) while they went for a walk down to the pier, or go grocery shopping, or something.
 They said they would be back in a half hour or so.
 I seized my opportunity. My brothers were just outside on the beach, in eye view, and left me to my own devices and said "we're out here if you need us... you better not need us". My brothers had a system: One would keep watch while the other two flirted with Edith, the pretty girl whose family was renting the house next to ours. When the lookout would see mom and dad coming , the oldest would race back closer to the house like he had been there the entire time keeping an eye on me.. I didn't mind their absence, in fact I found the solitude perfect for my undertaking. (I guarantee had my brothers actually done their job of watching me this never would have happened) I found a pair of scissors and I CUT my red bathing suit in half. By gosh if they weren't going to buy me a bikini, I would make my own. I would sure show them. In my 6 year old brain it really was a good idea. Now looking back almost 30 years later, I see the flaws in my plan.
The deed was done, my new red bikini pretty as can be. My brother came  in and flopped on the couch, turning on the TV, as if he were engrossed in Days of our Lives. He was completely oblivious to the newly repurposed swimsuit , unaware of what had transpired only moments before.  I knew it would be only minutes before mom and dad came walking in. I started to get nervous. "what if they didnt like it?"  pah, how could they NOT, it was AWESOME!!!
They came back to find my creation lying on the kitchen table. My mother got the tight lipped "I'm trying to control my temper" look. My dad shook his head and tried not to laugh. What happened next changed my career path forever. (who knows, had they just yelled at me and grounded me I may have been a contestant on Project Runway) . Instead, they came up with a BRILLIANT plan. Instead of getting mad, my dad said "Come on, lets get your new bikini on and head out to the beach!"
 I had gotten away with it. I was giddy. I had actually vandalized my clothing and gotten away with it!!
So I put on my newly designed Red Bikini with the little yellow flowers on the thigh and grabbed the raft and walked out to the beach with my dad. I was so proud of my ingenuity and skills as a fashion designer.
I took my raft and ran out into the ocean only to be bombarded with a huge wave that knocked me to my knees...and pulled the bottoms OFF my bottom. SO I pulled them back up and they immediately fell down again. I tried rolling the waistband, which helped a little, but with every wave the bottoms would fall off. Eventually even rolling the waistband wasn't enough and my bikini bottom was sagging around my rear and I was showing all of my tush to the entire beach.
I ran back to the house and told my mom I needed to go buy a new bathing suit. She said No. That was a brand new bathing suit she had bought from JC Penny's and I ruined it on purpose. So I was stuck with it. i had to wear that homemade bikini the rest of the vacation.
Eventually I got some safety pins and was able to secure the waistband tight enough around my bottom and waist to keep it up...although I looked quite silly with a bathing suit full of rusted out metal. The salt water and sea breeze had caused the pins to corrode, leaving my little red bikini with brown stains where it was pinned.
Having a two piece wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. I learned my lesson and I learned it well.
So thank you mom and dad for making me wear my Sarah Original bikini and not buying me a new one. It was a unique punishment and I never tried to customize my clothing again after that day...I moved from clothing to hair instead.

moral of the story: don't cut your bathing suits in half, your parent will only get mad, make you wear it, and all you will end up doing is showing your butt to a bunch of strangers on a beach.