My Hair

--Ulysses Everett T. McGill

"Well, as soon as we get ourselves cleaned up and we get a little smellum in our hair, why, we're gonna feel 100% better about ourselves and about life in general."

Here we go again. Summer (or a special occasion) must be around the corner. I've gone and made my hair kooky, again.

My stylist (hair stylist, that is--as if I have any other type), is always "in" with the latest hair stuff. She's all of anything under 30.  For my 50th birthday, I said "I want those blond thingies you have." Btw, she's blond. So yes, I have almost-platinum-blond peekaboos strategically located throughout my doo. Today? She had feathers, yes feathers, dispersed on one side. Of course, my reaction was, "I want those."

Alright, how old am I?

Hush.

Beauty

I've heard much of you all, and you know who you are, will be getting more snow! I know you all are sick of it, but we just had a little bit and it sure was fun. This photo was sent to me by my friend Linda back in Virginia. How beautiful is this??? It's her back yard!! Wish I were up there. Pout.

And speaking of beauty, my latest addiction is this site called Gilt. You have to be a member, which is free, and you have to be invited to become a member expeditiously. (I think otherwise, you have to wait.) So, I'm inviting you all to go and check it out. My only warning is that it is totally addicting. I am not a fashionista by any sense, but they have so much more than clothes. If you're interested you can click HERE to sign up. Again, it's free. I can't tell you how many Christmas presents I purchased saving so much $$. It's kooky! And TODAY, everything is free shipping! (Yes, I partook in some Valentine's presents for family.)

A couple of days ago, they were selling moleskines! I got a little pack. Yes I did.

Made mac-n-cheese for supper tonight. Very good. Very fattening. Oy.

xo
ro

Blessings of the Season

This has to be one of the best photos of Bella ever. Thank you kid for capturing her inner beauty. We have so much to be thankful for this Season and I have been thanking our lucky stars each night before I fall asleep. We are truly blessed.

Our dear friends (and neighbors) are back from Los Angeles for Christmas. I can never get enough of them when they visit for a short time. I miss all of them dearly. They surprised us and came over and we had a little time to catch up.

They brought with them they're adorable little Bunny Bentley all dressed in her Chanel best. Too precious!

And they brought gifts! Edi knows my love of angels. Too sweet.

The hub was freshly back from Europe with the freshest of Swiss and Belgian chocolates. Of course I opened the box of Wittamer's fresh cream chocolates to share with our friends.

Oh my. There is nothing like it. Can you see the vanilla bean in the cream? Oh my, again.

Today, a beautiful Christmas bouquet arrived for my mom from my oldest brother Joe. She is already in bed, so I arranged them and will put them on her table for when she awakes. Blessings.

The kid took a closeup of my eye. Loverly. Look at the lines beginning to form. More blessings of age.

A little more decor I put in a copper pot for the kitchen.

My amaryllis is blooming. Such beauty.

Bella is never far from my side at any given moment. Blessings.

Lovely packages and greetings from loved ones.

And a promise to myself to be more healthy as I age. I saw Suzanne Summers on Larry King the other night and purchased one of her books. Taking it to Riverside with me to begin anew.

And before I even begin the book, back to my tea --chock full of antioxidants. I found these blends at the Teavana in Atlanta. Yum. I'm drinking the MateVana/Rooibox Chai. The smell fresh from the tin smells of chocolate which I didn't think I would like. But once you steep it, the chocolate is a hint in the backflavor. I would say the fruits come out more than the chocolate.

I also got the Dragon Jasmine/Roobios Tropical blend.

Indeed, blessings abound.

Youch!

(WARNING: Graphic Dentist Material!)

Yesterday was my dental appointment. I had my permanent crown put on my back molar and my four filings replaced. I used to think I had a big mouth. Yea, not when you have like four hands in there trying to get to that last tooth! I swear, I had a salad at lunch today (thinking I wouldn't have to open my mouth as much as for a sandwich) and my jaw was killing me with every little bite! I kept saying "ah" every time I took a bite.

I think they've come a long way with Novocaine injections because now the doc kinda shakes the jowl when he inserts the needle and you hardly feel it. Thank goodness, because, as you know, that is always the worst part! Anyhoo, the crown on my left side was a no brainer, no biggy at all. They just glued that sucker in and cleared away any access cement. Boom, done. Now, on to the right side of my mouth. After he inserted the crown, he patted me on the shoulder and walked away. I thought "Oh boy, oh boy, he forgot about my fillings!" No such luck. He returned with that God-awful syringe with the huge metal finger grips (what's with that?). Sniffle. But, like I said, not a big deal. Hardly felt the needle at all. But, then came the drilling!! Geez Louise! Bzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzz BZZZZZZZZ. Smoke, smoke, smoke!! And the smell of fire! Reminded me of when the mulch was on fire outside the bedroom window! hehe. Lordy. He did two and I thought my jaw was going to break in half. Of course, again, the teeth that needed attention were in the back of my mouth. When he started to do the second two, I was like whoa! Give me a clamp baby, my jaw is about burst! Since it was already sore, it helped only a little. Next time, I'm asking for one of those suckers right at the get-go! Phew! Good news is it's done and over. Only cleaning from now on. PTL.
Now it's the kid's turn. Poor little guy. Braces tomorrow. Today, like in five minutes, he gets spacers prepping the teeth for tomorrow's application. Joy. I think I'll take some Advil before we go!

Mom

My oldest brother Joe sent this to my mom for Mother's Day. It's artificial, but it sure looks real. I've explained to her that she doesn't have to water it. I'm going to have to keep an eye on that because I think I would even be tempted to do so it's so realistic! Isn't it pretty?

I had my second IPL treatment yesterday. This time, it was a male doctor. I told him how horrible it was sitting through the first treatment so he said he would count for me. One-Two-Three ZAPPPP! That made all the difference in the world, I tell you. I guess I just don't like the anticipation of each zap. During this treatment, I could smell hair burning. WHA??? When I asked what was up with that, he said he was a little more aggressive than some and had turned the zapper up a bit. He had zapped a few of my eyebrows (less to pluck) and a few hairs at my temple. No biggy.

Left is before any treatment.






Right is after second treatment.

I can see a noticeable difference this time. Yea! The connect the dots are still there, maybe a tad less pronounced. I was informed by the male doctor that he will use a different "head" on those next time. (Of course I brought it up after I was out of the chair--duh!) He took more time than the female doc did the first time, probably because I was spazzing out each time she zapped me, giggle. She probably wanted to get it over as much as I did. Special attention was taken to my upper lip area this time (not on the lips, mind you) because he said that IPL helps with collagen growth. Ok, go for it doc! I'm here for rosacea, but hey, knock yourself out! Overall, I'm happy. I have two more sessions spaced a month apart. I am told the results usually last a little over a year. Good for me because I just despise putting on foundation. If this can help alleviate wearing makeup for a little longer, I'm all for it.


Oooh, a big thunderstorm is heading our way, the first of the season! Yahoo. Time to go wait for it. Love thunderstorms!

Crowned Queen?

Tomorrow, I receive my new crown. I cannot wait to show it off. Um, errrr, sorry. Wrong kind. In actuality, I am getting a crown on one of my teeth. Lovely. Wish it were the other kind.

I went to the dentist today after putting it off for, um, six years. (But who's counting, it could be seven.) Oh dear.

To make a long story short, I have normally been pretty good about going to the dentist at least once a year, every six months if needed. When we moved here (uh, like in 2001), I set up my first appointment like a good little girl. Took all my dental records to the new place. Sat down and let the hygienist poke and prod and give the usual lectures about this or that (basically humiliate me). Then they escorted me to an office. I thought "Hmmmm, this must be pretty bad." And then the dentist came in. She looked at my xrays, charts, numbers, etc. and said, "Well, you will need this and you will need that" and then got up and walked out. They then gave me my chart to check out and told me I could make an appointment to have it all done on my way out. Wha? I thought I was there to have my teeth cleaned. Oh no, it was just a consultation, a $200 consultation! Of which my insurance did not cover. "Guess that's how they do it down here in Nashville," I sneered. Of course, I never went back. And I told anyone who asked about dentists in the area to stay clear of that one, fersher.

Like I said, I do try and take care of my teeth. I brush, I floss, I pick, I gargle, I even buy things overseas that the FDA has not approved over here to take care of my gums. But that many years in between check ups, well, you know, kinda makes one nervous. I had no idea what to expect. This time, however, I did my research on GOOD dentists in the area and the hub has been seeing this one for a couple of years, grin. And I finally broke down and called to make an appointment, like yesterday. "An open appointment tomorrow, eh, really?" hehe. I bit the bullet, so to speak, and took the appointment. I am here to tell you, mostly all is well.

My gums are in better shape than they have ever been; albeit places are a bit recessed. The hygienist suggested I am "trying too hard" to keep them in good shape." Hmmm. I have never been told that I am working too hard on my teeth. Wow. "A little gentler with the tooth brush and the floss." I felt like doing a little dance right there in the chair (but I contained my composure, of course, and just grinned ear to ear--one of those really toothy smiles). No cavities, no gingivitis, no gum disease. It was a good visit. "Oh, I do see a crack on your last molar . . ." Wonderful. Stop grinning stupidly now. Great. Thought I had already passed GO and collected $200. Darnit!

Guess when my appointment is? Tomorrow. Also will be removing an old filling and replacing it. Joy.

Hey, it could have been worse. A LOT worse! I am not complaining! Now, tomorrow may be a different story. I'll tell you then. But for now, I'll only give you a big ol' cheeky GRIN.

This Little Piggy Went to Market

And this little piggy stayed home. I actually went out and had my little piggy's done today. Once a year (it seems) I get a really good pedicure--you know, the one where they use the razor to sling shards of dead heel skin all over the salon? I chose a color from the new OPI "Australia" collection--"Koala Beary-y." Too cute. I told the manicurist that I wanted to get a job naming these colors. How fun would that be? My other favorite colors are "Cha-Ching Cherry" and "Cajun Shrimp." Now, I can finally wear my sandals without my boot jeans covering up my heals, ew. Remember my post from last year. I still crack up when I see that. I hope my heels never look like this, ew (again). Always worth looking at though to remind us to keep an eye on such things. Like, gross me out. hehe. Perhaps a mailing is in order. Hmmmm.

The skies were gorgeous this morning. We never did get the rain we were threatened with. However, last night, we did have scattered thunderstorms. I was so excited! I love the sound of rain and thunder.

And this, my friends, is part of a swap I am working on. I won't give it away, but this is only the secondary part. I won't ruin it with posting a pic of the main piece. Will have to show you that later. I have had so much fun doing this though. Really had the mojo going tonight. The only part I despise is the mess I create while creating. Oy. Look at this! It looks familiar, doesn't it? The hub is out of town, so I'm going to finish up tomorrow adn leave everything where it is. I should get some ATCs done while I have everything out. We'll see.


Well, it's nappy time down south. Nighty nite, ya'll.

Now that it is totally over, I can show you the entire piece. I added a little removable ATC that sits inside the egg.

Who Am I Kidding?

I can see myself in any one of these clips, how embarrasing. When did I get old? hehe. Thank you Beth for the video. I had forgot who sent it to me! Age! Geesh.

You're So Vain

I finally broke down and had my first treatment for rosacea and sun spots. Yea! I have been wanting to do it for years (thanks Dianne) as my face is getting redder and redder and I am getting more "age spots" as we speak. Just in the last couple of months, these "connect-the-dots" spots have appeared going down my face. (What is with that?!) It is driving me crazy! It's hell getting old. At this point, makeup doesn't even hide the broken capillaries formed by the blushing of rosacea. Lovely. (Before shot.)

I decided on IPL, intense pulse light, as it seems to be the least invasive. I set up my appointment and went today at noon.

The technician puts this really cold gel on the face, covers the eyes and puts the little wand up to your face. They say it feels like a rubber band smacking you, I liken it to a needle going in, just a very short, sharp, split-second pinch. Ouch. It hurt, I tell you. It goes by very quickly, which is the saving grace of the process. I would say they "hit" you probably a dozen times. It's one of those things, you don't like it but it is needs to be done.

(After shot--guess I was expecting blood and bruising--what a baby!) I had it done a little over an hour ago, and now it just feels dry and looks like I was in the sun for a little today, just a tad red--what else is new. I go back in a month to have the same routine done again. I'm hoping to get rid of most of the Scottish ruddiness I have once all the treatments are done (4 in all). Let's hope.

I know, I'm really not the vain type. But lately, as I look in the mirror and see all the broken capillaries and new "spots," it just drives me crazy.

Now, all I have to say is "Face." I can hear the hub and kid now. hehe.

For my own record--one day after.

Fashion Show

Mary Jane and I have been out and about today. We went to have lunch with the kid, teenager and mom;and afterwards mosied over to a little shop around the corner that I love. It's the place where I bought my One Sole shoes. Guess what MJ bought?

Here's MJ strutting her stuff in her new shoes:

These are her bling bling ones.

These are my blings. (Obviously, I'm in need of a pedicure, or I would be modeling mine, EW.)

Here are our latest purchases.

Mary Jane showing off her new favs, the bandana with a tad of bling.

These shoes were made for walking, and that's just what they'll do!

We're off to hit the town. See ya!