Hello...is it me you're looking for??

Hello Blogger my old friend...Ive come to blog on you again while a vision softly creeping...(Simon and garfunkle)

. So much has gone on since my last blog.

Here in my Car, I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors, it's the only way to live in Cars...(Gary Numan)

I got a new car. I love it.  Little kia spectra 5 speed.  zippy, cute and gets good gas mileage.

 "Tomorrow we can drive around this town, let the cops chase us around...hey jealousy, jealousy. Oh jealousy, jealousy" (Gin Blossoms)
CHARLES GOT A NEWER, BETTER CAR!!
His is a RED Kia OPTIMA!!  Its bigger.  Its shiny.(Its only an automatic though). IT HAS SATELLITE RADIO!!!  I am positively green. 
I am trying to finagle a way to get it. "ROXANNE, you dont have to put on the red light..."(The Police)
(Google it if you dont know what the song is about)

I Love my job. I love my clients. I am happy to go to work every day. As Ren and Stimpy would say Happy Happy Joy Joy. I have been making really good money, I am genuinely happy to see my coworkers and clients and I stay busy. Hair Restoration is so rewarding, you wont be able to ever get me back into a regular salon again.

In July I am going to to Washington State to visit my friend Lindsey. I will be going for my birthday. "Oh girls just wanna have fun, woah girls just wanna have fun ...they just wanna, they just wanna....(Cyndi Lauper)

"Hey there, Hi there, Ho there You're as welcome as can be..M-I-C-K-E-Y  M-O-U-S-E."    (disney)  We already have our dinner reservations made. We are going to 'Ohana, Biergarten,chef Mickeys character breakfast, BOMA and Le cellier steakhouse. I am so exited.  175 more days! Not that I am counting down...or have a chain...or already started filling my disney box with things we need like ponchos, bandaids, blister remedy, maps, books etc.  that would be... crazy...(Ok so onto another topic)

ehh thats all Ive got. I had this great idea to blog in song form, a parody type thing. And honestly it sounded better in my head than on paper...."All the things she said all the things she said running through my head running through my head running through my head" (Tatu)

I need to do a better job at staying up to date on my blog.

Thats a really great question...

My 7 year old comes up with some of the most intersting questions.
The other day he came up with the mother lode.

While in the Dollar Store, he turns to my husband, and in all seriousness asks
"Hey Dad??  Why dont Geese have boobs??"

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I admit it. I am lazy.  I had every intention of sending out Christmas Cards.
In fact, I even had our Family Portraits taken this summer, with the thought of making photo cards to send out to friends and family.  I imagined their faces as they opened the envelope, and out slid the uber cute McBride family. hmmmm.  Instead you get this:

Its the best I could come up with in a days time.

You know some of those uber sickly sweet form letters you get??Usually from the Overachieversons. They want everyone to know how PERFECT their family is. Out of 10 christmas letters, usually there is that ONE  that is over the top... Oh Muffy made the deans list for the 14th straight year in a row?? or Susan and Bob went on a tour around the world because they won the lottery.  Or Little Joey is just an absolute delight. ALl his friends and teachers say he is their favorite.  Such a popular little guy.

Well, here at the McBride household, there is no such nonsense.
So here is my letter:

This year Charles and Sarah hardly saw each other at all.  With Charles working nights, and Sarah Working days it is amazing they are still married.
Charles works for Sprint, yet dreams of going back to college AGAIN. He hates his job, but works to pay the bills and provide us with practically free cell phone service, insurance and other benefits.
Sarah went back to work Full time at Hair CLub for Men and Women.  She can honestly say she loves her job. Unfortunately her housework has been sorely neglected, and the kids are lucky if their socks match in the mornings.  At least they are both the same color. No one will know.
Sarah would LIKE to say she lost a bunch of weight this year, sadly 20 pounds was all she managed...but hey 20 is better than nothing.
Peter is doing well. His heart is amazing, and he has been feeling well and doing well.  He loves Battle Force 5, and Transformers. In fact he loves them so much he wants to legally change his name to Sherman or Stanford so he can be just like the BF5 team. He is in 4th grade this year and is bringing home math homework that is NOT taught the same was as when mom and dad were in school. He likes to watch movies, race Mario Karts and help cook.  he is an expert smoothie maker. Being 10 he is getting to the point where everything is "mom, dont embarass me".We would like to say he helps out around the house without complaining, but since we cant, then we wont mention it.
Finn is in 2nd grade and full of energy(read: waaayyyy too bubbly).  He is a joy and has such a zest for life.  He loves to write stories in his notebook (amazing ants, Hanukkah Goblins and more), play the wii, jump on the trampoline and eat eat eat.  he is growing so fast we can hardly keep clothes on him that fit. He does very well in school and is in the highest reading group. He also gets notes home from his teacher that are eerily reminiscent of the notes his mom used to get home from school (Finn is a social butterfly. Finn needs to work more and talk less. Finn needs to worry more about his own work and less about what other people are doing...).  Finn is a love bug.  Finn works hard around the house...if financial recompensation is in the works.  he is saving for a Nintendo DS and REALLY wants to save his allowance to buy it himself.

Skittles and Rusty are the two new additions to the family.  They were two little orange tabby cats that were found in a nearby neighborhood. We brought them home and they are an absolute joy.  They are so sweet and loving and CUTE as can be! Of course they are like CHILDREN and are into EVERYTHING.  I feel like I am constantly hearing Baging and skittering. Wonder if they will be as cute and sweet and loving when we take them to get "tutored".(snip snip boys!!).

This year we did lots of fun things: we went to Virginia Beach and saw and did lots of fun things. We went to Colonial Williamsburg (mom we're bored. This isnt cool. This is boring. We hate history....), air and space museum, Battleship Wisconsin and the Beach.  We went to the fireworks show here in Charlotte at the Baseball game and saw the largest 4th of July fireworks display in the Southeast.  It was amazing, as always.
We had to say goodbye to an old friend (my 1995 Mitsubishi Galant) and got 2 new ones(Hello VW Jetta and Kia Spectra).
We also got to Go up to Michigan and visit my aunt and uncle and Grandma. That was fun. We discovered the GIANT marshmellows make fantastic smores, that Vernors Gingerale is still as good as we remember and that 2 boys and 12 hours of driving do not mix well.
Thanksgiving was fun. All the Koch Children under one roof again for the first time in several years. Great food, fun times, and two nephews that are so grown up I feel like the crypt keeper I am getting so old...



All in all 2010 was a great year.  Looking forward to 2011 and all that it brings for us.
Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Sarah, Charles, Peter and Finn McBride

RIP my dear friend (1995-2010)

Sigh.  A Sad day indeed.
A few weeks back we lost a good friend. My 1995 Mitsubishi Galant.
She was old.  she had LOTS of miles.  She broke the front CV joint and it would have cost WAY too much money to repair. (sniff)
I bought this car in college.  I took it with me all the way out to Utah. Back and forth from Logan to Chicago. Then to cincinnati. Then across the river to Ft Mitchell KY...then onto Charlotte where my friend called home for 11 more years.
You were a good car and I loved you.
Lots of great times and fond memories in that car.

1. The day I got it my two friends and I went to downtown Chicago to the restaurant Ed Debevic's.  on the way back we took a wrong turn.  When we realized where we had ended up my friend in the front seat said "Oh no, we're in Cabrini Green! Get down!! Get Down!!".  I prayed my hardest as I gripped the steering wheel of my baby.  We made it out unscathed and alive.

2. When I went out to College, a large group of us decided to go up to Bear Lake, Idaho and have a picnic and fun day at the beach.  It was so much fun!  Cold and windy, slightly drizzly, we still had a great time.

3. Driving down to las vegas for Spring Break. Losing money. Having a blast.

4. Make Out sessions with boyfriends.  Marrying one of the boyfriends and going on my honeymoon in this car.

5. Driving back and forth between Chicago and Cincinnati to visit friends. 

6. Driving down to Charlotte to make a new life for ourselves.

7. That car has had 3 children ride in its seats.

8. That car has been to disney world and back and seen lots of good times.


I will miss my car.  But whats been the hardest is being down to 1 car. So trying to find a new job and have a job AND charles have a job at the same time is next to impossible right now. So hopefully something will come along that we can afford.

So Rest in Peace my Mitsubishi Galant. I shall miss thee.

Holy Crap...

Why am I such a slug?? arugh.
I make a commitment to blog on a more regular basis, then life rears up and smacks me in the face and says "hah, thats what YOU think".

I know I need to make a more serious effort to blog and journal.  I try, I really do.  Then as I start to type my mind goes blank and the things i thought I would blog about suddenly seem mundane and silly and un-worthwhile.
Not that I should be writing this for the entertainment of my readers, but I am kind of like Maximus "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED????"

So whats going on in my life.

1. I graduated from Beauty School in December. It was the hardest year of my life just about. I never thought it would be so difficult to get through. The drama and politics and more drama. ugh. I am so done with that whole thing.  I took my written test and passed and then took my state boards up in Raleigh and passed. I am now officially licensed and working in a salon. I love it. I love going to work. I love what I do.  I do, however, feel a sense of remorse at not being able to be at home as much with my kids.  But I am doing what is best for our family and at least it is a job that I truly enjoy and feel at home with.

2. I went to the EISS hair show in charlotte past weekend.  I was able to see some of the greatest in the industry work their magic.  I went to a keratin smoothing seminar and was able to get certified.
I attended a Scruples presentation by David Steiner.  I went to a Keune color Corrective presentation by the FANTASTIC  Roy Peters.  I then had the once in a lifetime opportunity to see Masaki Inoue work his magic with his flying shears!!! It was truly inspiring.  Those platform artists are rock stars.  I know what to work towards. I want to be a hair rock star too.

3. It is just about time to get the garden started. This year I am doing (once again) various tomatoes, jalapenos, green beans, basil and probably zucchini.  But time to get out and start composting and mixing and turning the soil and adding the nutrients etc. The weather here has been soo kooky it is driving me nuts. I get the urge to go out and get started and then it gets cold and rainy.  The good weekends we have had for it I have been working.  So  I am going to work at leaving early on wednesday or thursday and working on the garden. It is time to get moving!!

4. Got a new Car.  Well it isnt NEW. But it is new to me.  It is a 1998 Jetta GLX. Cute 4 door silver 5 speed with black leather interior and CD player, moonroof, XM radio (not set up).
I love it.

5. I am growing my hair back out.  After almost a year of having it shorter and sassy, I am letting it grow out to appease my husband.  He will probably want me walking around in my push up bra with long hair...oh and he wants it red again. garter belts and high heels too ??

6. NCAA mens basketball tournament...not going so well. It is only to the sweet 16 and I have THREE TEAMS in. Thats all. Three teams total out of 16.  I was so cocky after the first round. Then I got my ass handed to me on a silver platter.  My final 4 were Kansas, Syracuse, New mexico and Villanova.  I had Kansas taking the entire thing.  Now my only teams remaining are Syracuse, Ohio State and Duke...I had Ohio State and Duke ending in the final 8.   I wasnt even close this year.  Oh well, there is always next year.

So thats kind of my life right now.

OH YEAH:  Starting in APRIL we will be doing color and highlighting specials:  includes deep conditioning and haircut.  starting at 65 dollars. so call or email me today for your appointment.

SHAMELESS PROMOTION!!!

Dear Blogger...

Hello, friend.  are you happy to see me?  Have you missed me?  Have you thought about our times together?
Are you wishing things could go back the way they were?
Yeah, me too.
Oh Blogger, how I have missed THIS.

So B, I have to say what an exciting and super crazy year I have had.
I graduated from Empire(woo hoo, Now I can do hair LEGALLY and not feel like a criminal), I went on a cruise to the Caribbean with the love of my life and his entire family, I made and broke New Year Resolutions, I found a job in a salon, I reconnected with old friends, I was a bridesmaid at my dear friends wedding, my van engine went ka-put forever, and I neither gained weight(nor lost the 40 pounds I wanted to).

School was really hard. Drama. Drama. Drama. I was so tired and ready to be done with it. I needed 1530 hours to graduate.  Once I hit 1200, I felt like I had hit this WALL. I was unmotivated and tired and grouchy and ugly. I didnt want to deal with clients, I didnt want to do ANYTHING. I felt like I was STUCK for weeks.  But I finally did it. And now I have a diploma, have taken and passed my written, have my practical scheduled and am currently working in a salon with my temp license.

The Cruise was Amazing. Charles parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and they went on a cruise with all 10 of their kids and their spouses and a grand-daughter and a few close friends. We went to Grand Cayman, Honduras, Belize and Mexico.  I got to swim with giant Sting Rays, snorkel to my hearts content, climb on ancient Mayan ruins, and get called "Hey Pretty Lady" by every vendor in Cozumel.
I got sunburnt, lost too much money in the casino, and thought I brought home a special 9 month souvienir.(Thank Goodness it was just a false alarm)

I made several GREAT  New Year Resolutions and promptly broke them all within a matter of 2 months.

I went to a wedding in chicago, where I was a Bridesmaid and the Brides hair Dresser. I had such a great time being there and seeing old friends and making new ones. I loved going back and having fun and partying with the gang. This Old Bird has still got it.

so all in all 2009 was wonderful. But I suspect 2010 will be AMAZING

Le Sigh

3 days until my vacation.
CARIBBEAN HERE I COME!

I am just so frantic right now. I am SO READY TO GO! Well, not ready ready. I still have to finish up laundry, pack, pick up Peters Meds, Print out their insurance cards, write up a power of attorney for my parents(who will be watching the boys while we are gone), get THEIR stuff packed, take jake to the kennel, print out our trip confirmations, ship documents and plane tickets, finish school for the week, get all of our "stuff" together (underwater cameras, rechargable batteries, digital camera, camera cards etc). I also have about 40$ in nickles, dimes and pennies that I need to dump in coinstar and get cash for. I would roll it up and take it to the bank, but honestly I am lazy and figure I dont mind getting 4$ in fees taken out. It saves me time, especially with my mile long list of things I need to do in the next 2 days.
So by the time Saturday morning rolls around I will be so raring to go I will not sleep a wink at all Friday night.

come on saturday!! I need you to be RIGHT NOW!

lip balms galore

I had to re-inventory, reorder supplies etc.
I am back in business with lip balm. i have a ton of new flavors, some improved flavors and some oldies but goodies.
Each Lip Balm is custom made, never made ahead of time and waiting on a Shelf. They take a day to properly set up and cure. No preservatives, exept for the natural vitamin E that is in Rice Bran Oil. These have a somewhat long shelf life. plUS FREE SHIPPING WITHIN THE US.

BEESWAX: Beeswax, Cocoa Butter, Aloe Butter, Shea Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Jojoba Oil, Lanolin

VEGAN: Carnauba wax, cocoa butter, aloe butter, shea oil, rice bran oil, jojoba oil

If you need extra healing like meadowfoam oil or evening primrose, it is 3 for $8.


NEW FLAVORS: Dreamsicle(orange vanilla), Herbal Tea, Island delight, root Beer, Root Beer Float, Spearmint, Lime, Strawberry Lime, Tangerine, Tangerine-Vanilla, vanilla Milkshake

OLDIES BUT GOODIES (Classic Bestsellers): Black Cherry, cherry almond, Honey Almond, Vanilla Almond, Honey Vanilla, cherry Vanilla.

NEW CLASSICS:(new bestsellers) Raspberry Lemonade, Honeysuckle Nectarine, Skittles, Plum Apricot, Gummi Bear

MY PERSONAL FAVES: Honeysuckle Nectarine, Raspebrry Lemonade, Dreamsicle, Herbal Tea, Chai Tea

I have decided to keep my listings at 3 for $6, permanently.
Beeswax AND Vegan.

So Check out THEBALMSHOPPE for the flavor descriptions. I currently carry the following flavors (and many flavors can be combined to make your own personal preference.)
ALMOND JOY
APPLE
APPLE PIE
BLACK CHERRY
CLACK FOREST CAKE
CAPPUCCINO
CARAMEL APPLE
CARAMEL CHEWS
CHAI TEA
CHEESECAKE
CHERRY ALMOND
CHERRY VANILLA
CHOCOLATE BANANA
CHOCOLATE CHERRY
CHOCOLATE CREAM
COCONUT
COCONUT LIME
COFFEE
CUCUMBER MELON
DREAMSICLE
GINGERBREAD
GINGER PEACH
GRAPE
GRAPEFRUIT
GRAPEFRUIT PEPPERMINT
GUMMI BEAR
HERBAL BLEND
HERBAL TEA
HONEY
HONEY ALMOND
HONEYSUCKLE NECTARINE
HONEY VANILLA
HOT CHOCOLATE
ISLAND DELIGHT
LAVENDER
LAVENDER VANILLA
LAVENDER LEMON
LEMON DROP
LIME
MANGO
MANGO STRAWBERRY
MARGARITA
MOCHA
MOUNDS
ORANGE
PEACH
PEPPERMINT
PINK BUBBLE GUM
PLAIN JANE
PLUM APRICOT
PUMPKIN PIE
RASPBERRY CREAM PIE
RASPBERRY LEMONADE
ROOT BEER
ROOT BEER FLOAT
SKITTLES
SPEARMINT
STRAWBERRY
STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE
STRAWBERRY COCONUT
STRAWBERRY LEMONADE
STRAWBERRY LIME
SWEET ALMOND
SWEET JANE
TANGERINE
TANGERINE VANILLA
TEA TREE
VANILLA ALMOND
VANILLA MILKSHAKE
WATERMELON

pbbbbllltltttttt

happy birthday. woooooooo.

Another year, another grey hair another line in my crows feet.
I wont lie, this year kind of sucked.
Since my last birthday post 1 year ago things have really changed.
I have started back to school full time. I am hardly ever home. I hardly have time to cook or clean. My house is a wreck and my kids live on cereal and PB&J sandwiches.
My husband finally has a good job, but works 2nd shift, so I hardly ever see him.
I go to bed late, wake up too early and feel like crap most days.
I have yo yo'd with my weight, struggled with my diet and my self esteem has taken a nosedive.
I have great intentions to go to the Y, but wake up feeling like garbage and decide to sleep instead of doing what I need to do, thus perpetuating the cycle.
I yelled too much at my kids and lost my temper too easily. i even had THREE friends take me aside in concern, asking if there was anything they could do to help me out and point out that I was not the same Sarah they used to know.
I attended a friends wedding as a bridesmaid and had a severe case of PMS with bloating and cramps the day of. I felt like humpty dumpty the whole night.
Peter had a health scare that just about broke my spirit.
I have struggled with my testimony and faith.
I have struggled with my callings at church.
I have struggled financially.
I have struggled with depression and anxiety.

BUT on the plus side this year was also really great:
I started back to school full time. I am almost done and in a few months will be starting off on a career that I really love. My in laws are living with us for the summer, watching the kids and helping out with the house. I am able to come home to a straight house, happy kids and they get real food other than sandwiches and cold cereal.
Yes I dont get to see charles as often, but he no longer works weekends so I get to see him all weekend and in the mornings before I go to school
I do go to bed too late and my kids do wake me up too early. Maybe that is something I can work on.
I have finally made up my mind, made the commitment and have the resolve to stop the madness once and for all with my diet and exercise. I have enlisted Charles to help and am forcing him along.
I have made the concerted effort to stay calm with my kids. I have really paid attention to my "hot buttons" and "trigger issues" and if I feel something coming along I can diffuse the situation easier.
I had three friends pull me aside and tell me I wasnt the same Sarah they used to know and they were concerned. It proved to me that I have loving and caring friends who are looking out for me.
I reconnected with old friends and made new ones at my friends wedding, humpty dumpty and all.
Peters health scare turned out all right in the end. A lot of "why me" and crying etc, but he is completely healthy and fine thanks to his medicinal regiment etc.
I have struggled with my testimony and faith. Then I was called to give a talk in church. My first talk in 12 years. It was exactly the lesson I needed to learn. It made me go back and revisit memories and feelings from my past. It made me realize what I was missing and how to get it back.
I have struggled with my callings, but realized that I just need to have an open mind and work hard and the blessings will come. I struggled with the Activity day Girls, but opened my heart to them and they are the nicest, sweetest most loving group of girls, who just want to love and share. They are so creative and fun and I have found myself so impressed with them and their sweet spirits.
I have struggled financially, but now charles has a really good job and is bringing home a steady paycheck plus commissions plus really great insurance. We can pay the bills, have leftover money and see a bright light at the end of the tunnel. We have set up a savings account, set up a coin and tip jar and see our savings and finances really picking up. In a few months I will have a job making money as well.

We got to go to Disney World, all expenses paid. We had a great time as a family.
We got to go to Disney On Ice, The WBT Skyshow fireworks, apple-picking, to the beach, to a UNC basketball game and had a feature story on Carolina news 14.
Finn started Kindergarten and despite all the notes and telephone calls home about him, he did exceptionally well on his report card.
Peter was in 2nd grade and did so well. His teacher and his PE teacher worked extra hard with him and I saw so much improvement.
We planned, booked and paid for a cruise to the caribbean with charles family for his mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary. We planned, booked and paid for fun excursions for this cruise(when I say "we" i really mean "I")

so despite all the bads, there were a lot of goods.
So bring it on life, I am ready for this next year. Hit me with your best shot.

My diet...for the millionth time.

www.my-calorie-counter.com The webs free Diet Tracker

I have been working hard to lose weight. i finally got serious when I caught glance of myself in a mirror at school and realized just how awful I looked. It doesnt matter how many cute haircuts I get, or the great new color I have, or the nice french tip nails or pedicures, if I look like humpty dumpty I am going to feel bad about myself. If my joey pouch is a dunlap (it's done lapped over my belt) I get mad and then binge eat to hide my depression.

I realize I eat in the following situation:

• anger
• depression
• financial worries
• Peter stress
• school stress
• social setting

So looking at this list it is like 90% of my day.

So I have set a goal and am sticking to it. I am keeping track of what I eat. I am keeping track of exercise.

I have taped up pictures of skinny me to the fridge and cabinets, so when I am tempted to reach for a snack I see them and realize what I am working for.

A huge problem was going out to eat. At school I woulf go out to eat instead of bringing my lunch. It is kind of hard to lose weight eating chinese and chick fil-a and wendys and Bojangles every day.

So I have started bringing my lunch...and only bringing my drivers license with me. No cash, no credit cards. So i cant go out to eat even if I wanted as I have no money with me. I cant even go to the vending machine, which has ZERO healthy options. When I go out to eat with friends I will tell them that I am on a diet and need them to help me find something healthy to eat. I will ask for a box at the start of a meal and immediately put half of it away for leftovers and only eat a healthy portion size.

It has forced me to think about what I should be eating. I have to wake up a little earlier every day to make my lunch. I have to keep the fridge stocked with healthy fruits and vegetables and smart snacks.

I dont have a ton of time to get to the YMCA every day, so once this bronchitis moves out I will be back early mornings. (I jumped on the trampoline yesterday...mistake. I am not quite ready for strenuous lung exercise yet)

So i have a list of activities I can do when I am feeling angry or depressed or sad etc.

I only eat at the kitchen table now, instead of in front of the TV or while at the computer playing games. I am trying to deprogram myself from mindless eating.

I know it is all about moderation and exercise and is a complete lifestyle change. I just need to reach down deep inside and find that motivation. I need to embrace this change completely so I can be the best me ever. so I can look back and think that my 30s were way better than my 20s. That I was happier and healthier and sexier than the old me.

So I am off to look at my gorgeous bathing suit picture from 15 years ago, which has a prominent featured place on the freezer, which is where I keep the ice cream, and find that strength to be the new and improved Sarah.

Day at Monkey Joes

Here are the boys at Monkey Joes.

They had such a great time and it really wore them out. Peter and Finn just love to bounce and play and slide and act crazy. It is fun to just let them go nuts, and go sit in the parents station and play on the computer, or watch TV etc.

and here are some videos I took of them on the slides etc.

all in all a fun day at monkey joes.

gardening monday 6/22

Gardening Monday again. We have had lots of rain, lots of sun, great compost. So we have a pretty lush and thriving garden. However, I feel like I am watching a watched pot boil sometimes.

I have a ton of tomatoes on the vine...DOING NOTHING. I am just itching to make salsa and bruschetta, if these darn things would GET MOVING!!!

But I do have a few glimmers of hope on my cherry tomatoes and on my yellow cherry tomatoes. However I would need a heck of a lot of these to get my salsa on!

In a week or so I will have a nice crop of green beans to eat. They are getting longer, but still kind of skinny. My mom made some homemade green beans last night. She blanched them for a few minutes in boiling water, then sauteed them in a pan with olive oil, butter, salt and pepper. They were DELICIOUS! Everyone was trying to get the last helping, fighting over them in fact.My father in law said he would be happy for me to make those every night.

Of course the invasion has begun. I need to go to Home depot and get the Japanese Beetle traps/bags and get these nasties out of here.

lots of work to do still, but all in all I am feeling that this season will be quite fruitful...if i could just figure out a way to ripen those tomatoes!

what happened??

Last year when I discovered blogging, I felt as though I had found a great passion. I blogged every morning. I couldnt wait to get out of bed, turn on my computer and listen to the soft hummmmmm of the whirring internet. I posted. I uploaded. I scoured for funny things. I made lists ahead of time what I would blog about. I specialty photoshopped pictures into collages. I took detailed pictures and accounts of recipes and cooking and gardening.
I ENJOYED it. I looked forward to my inbox filling with nice comments from people i had never met. People as though I felt I KNEW, because I read their blogs too.
It really is amazing how alike we all really are. I blogged because it was a great stress relief, and it gave me satisfaction , knowing I was not alone and many people were going through the same thing. I had a peak of about 200 readers per day.

But then slowly, little by little, piece by piece, my hard work started to fall off. I would skip a day and think to myself "ohhh, I need to blog about (Insert subject here)" and then never get around to it. I found myself getting lazy with taking and uploading pictures. I would have 200 pictures on a camera card and not want to upload them and photoshop with them, therefore not uploading them to blogger. I found myself jealous of fellow bloggers and the numbers of readers they had, and the number of comments they garnered over certain subjects. I found my readership dwindling. I had no motivation to blog anymore.

I started school, which left me a full time cosmetology student AND a full time wife and mom. I found myself increasingly tired and grouchy. I found excuses for less and less time to devote to my blogging. I also crossed the line in my blogging that I swore I would never cross...politics and religion. I said things that I felt needed to be said, so people knew where I stood. I lost readers.
Some people didnt like the fact that I am not Obamas biggest fan. They didnt like the fact that I said Sean Penn was a self righteous douche for proclaiming that all those who didnt support Gay marriage would make their children ashamed of them. Again, I lost more readers. But I plodded on, half heartedly blogging, not really "feeling it". You know?


THEN the unthinkable happened. My computer CRASHED. Completely died. with EVERYTHING ON IT!! All my business cards, labels, pictures, scans, photoshop and illustrator programs. EVERYTHING. I lost about 3 years worth of pictures. I lost all my music(all 20 gb of songs, soundtracks etc). I lost all my labels for balmshoppe. Lip balms, scrubs, soaps etc.

I was memory lane destitute.

The only things I have is what I uploaded to blogger and what we had saved over to disks when we got a new computer 3 years ago.



So I have decided to come back my friends. Back with a vengeance. No more laziness. No more religion and politics. Just good old blogging the way it used to be. Sometimes funny stories. Sometimes pictures of vacations or gardens or recipes. I want to ENJOY it again. I want to look forward to it. I want to post pictures so the next time I have a crash I will have a digital copy SOMEWHERE. I want my readers back, clicking on my ads and making lots of comments.

LOTS OF COMMENTS.(It is kind of a sickness. I feel as if my self worth depends on the number of comments i get on each posting)

I am going to get into give aways and contests. I want to make blogging as much fun for me as it is for you, dear reader.



So thank you to all my loyal readers, please know I appreciate every one of you.

goopy eye

How old am I??
for crying out loud, it drives me crazy.

I woke up on friday with a really watery itchy eye.
saturday it was goopy and itchy and kind of painful.
Sunday was worse. It was really itchy and painful and goopy.

I think I have pinkeye.

I still have drops from my last bout, so I started using those and they have actually helped immensely. I get these things and feel like a child all over again.

So I have my contacts out and have to wear my glasses, which give me a headache.
come on drops, work your magic.

Dawns hair

Here are a few of the pictures from Dawns wedding and her hair that I did.

Dawn Before: (she started with thick, natually curly hair)

Here is Dawn after the flat iron, it was an amazing difference. She said she hadnt seen her hair like that since 5th grade!

It was so silky and smooth and long after that. i had a GREAT head to work with!!

Here I am working and coiling and working and coiling and working and coiling and pinning the heck out of it. That hair was going NOWHERE!!!

The side view of the masterpiece.(above)

ALMOST DONE!!!(below) Dawn had some pearls and we made some little hairpins with them and started sticking them in.

The Final product.(almost) I went back through with a TON of hairspray and a rat-tail comb and smoothed the heck out of it. It was really beautiful.

So thank you Dawn for allowing me to be of service to you on your special day. I had such a great time and hope you loved every minute!!!

My Jeopardy Audition

Back in January or February I took the online test to become a contestant on Jeopardy. They of course ask where you could travel to for an in person interview should you do well enough on the test and get randomly selected for such an interview. Luckily Charlotte was one of the choices listed!! Usually it is Atlanta, or Raleigh, so I was thrilled to see my home city on the list. I felt really great about the online test. i thought it was super easy and felt like I had done really well.

About a month ago I received an email stating that I had qualified for an in person interview here in Charlotte. I confirmed that I would be there and they sent me all the information and directions etc. So for the past MONTH I have been studying world capitals and opera and writers and currency and flipping through trivial pursuit cards like crazy.

So yesterday the big day finally arrived! I woke at 2am, my mind racing, sweating with nervousness. I finally got back to sleep at 330 and slept until 7. When I got up I didn't feel nervous. I was surprisingly calm and cool and collected.
I got dressed and totally worked the hair and make-up. I don't think I have ever looked so good.
We had to wear something as if we were actually on the show. (apparently one lady will wear a track suit for her appearance...and talk on her cellphone.

I had to drive uptown to the Westin and fill out paperwork, and get my Polaroid taken(which was a lovely pasty white close up of my huge head. I would have to say that my drivers license picture is better than the one they took.
Well we sat at tables in groups of three and had a piece of paper for our written test. It was all computerized. On the large screen the question popped up with a category and we had 8 seconds to write down our answers. It was 50 questions. I knew all but 3.

then they randomly chose 3 people at a time to come up front and play a mock version of Jeopardy.
They showed us how to use the buzzers and the right time to ring in. There are lights that go on when you can ring in and if you buzz in too early you are locked out for 1/2 a second, giving the other players an advantage.
BUT they did tell us to click that buzzer up and down , not just one click. So that is why you see those contestants clicking away like there is no tomorrow. But the coordinators were very helpful in telling us "be louder!...be happier!! You are ringing in too early! You are ringing in too late! You were right on the money!" So they really helped us get a feel for the buzzers.
Then we had to tell a little bit about ourselves and go through the personality interview and testing. We had to bring in 5 facts or interesting things about ourselves, and they asked us questions, just like Alex Trebek. So we really had to be personable and interesting.
A few people were a little over the top. Some people thought super highly of themselves. Some people were kind of blah.

But after 2 1/2 hours of interviews and testing it was time to go. I was informed that I was now entered into the Jeopardy contestant pool for 18 months.

SO they can call me within the next 18 months to appear on Jeopardy. If they don't use me or don't call then I can re-test in another 18 months.

I am really happy I did it. I feel really good bout my interview. I feel like they really liked me and I knew all my questions and did really well on the written test.
So who knows, you may be seeing me win a buttoad of money on Jeopardy someday!

A saturday in the sun

I know it sounds totally glamorous. Basking in the sun, getting a nice golden tan to go with my beautiful beachy bridesmaid dress next month...sadly 'twas not the case.

I am more a hot sweaty red mess than anything. Oh and my hair is a fright. I am really pretty today you know. The only way i could be even prettier is if I had spinach stuck on my front tooth.

 We tilled and raked and sifted garden plots. We bought bags of cow manure compost to mix in with it.(yes, I am up to my elbows in cow pooh. But apparently it is really good for the soil and this year my garden needs all the help it can get.)

We mowed the lawn out front.

 We picked up dog toys, downed tree limbs and branches and junk in the back. We mowed the HIP HIGH grass in the backyard.

It isnt that we are lazy. Really I am not as rednecked as I sound. I promise.

But it has been raining a lot and so today was the first day that the yard work could REALLY be done. But it is beautiful to have a nice looking yard again. Plus my azaleas are REALLY starting to bloom, so my front yard is a collage of white, red, fuchsia and pink blossoms. Of course there is that Jasmine that has gotten out of control and has climbed about 20 feet up the crepe myrtle tree. But thats another chore for another day.

 Now my neighbor can quit giving me the stink eye every time she goes out to feed those d*** nuisance squirrel pets of hers.

My new business cards arrived!! http://www.gotprint.com/. I SWEAR by them.

The name of my business is called PINK.

(Kind of a tongue and cheek reference to my hairwrecking days when I accidentally colored my hair a shocking shade of fuchsia. Probably my worst hair disaster, apart from the Ogilve home perm when I was 10. Charles said "You know your hair is pink right? Not a little pink, but Im coming out so you better get this party started pink..." and the name stuck. It is my constant reminder to think before I color. Visualize before I perm and definitely call my back up support when the urge to cut my hair super short rears its ugly head.)

I made these up on Photoshop and uploaded them directly to gotprint. It took less than a week to get my cards in. So I am just about ready to get moving on my little "paying off my student loans by doing hair on the side" project.

beading project

This is what I am making when our next stringing group meets.

I have to send the link because for some reason it wont let me download the picture.

So it is HERE. It is called Mambo. I love it.