Hello all, welcome to my life...parts of it anyhow, I promise not to drag you too far in!

To start, I'm feeling very mellow today and every part of me shows it.  My clothes are in shades of black and grey, my hair is very simply in a bun, and not a stitch of makeup...well lipgloss, but that doesn't count  , I wouldn't be caught dead without a little lipcolor on!  I've got a lot on my mind and it's starting to weigh me down, I always feel better when I write, but usually what I write is not meant for other people to read.  I feel comfortable enough writing here because I know that I will never be ridiculed or judged, only supported, because that's how this community is.  I'll start with my morning and work my way up to the rest:

A typical start to my day:
   I woke up at 8:17 with full knowledge that I needed to be at my shop to open for 9:00.  The ride is 10 minutes, which leaves me with exactly 33 minutes to shower, dress, kiss the dog and be out the door with wet hair.  Yes, I have each of my actions timed down to the minute...story of my life!

Shower:
   Nothing special today, just quick quick quick!  Washed my hair, actually only my scalp, with my usual Pantene for brunettes that I've been using, and then conditioned as usual.  Left my hair mostly damp, but used the hair dryer very briefly with a round brush for my bangs.  If I don't do this to give them a little lift and shape they will just lay very lifelessly on my head...not very flattering.  A teeny spritz of hairspray and hair's done.

Dressing:
   Feeling so mellow, I just wanted to wear something that was soft, warm and comforting, so I opted for my favorite grey sweater.  I feel safe in grey, sounds wierd I know, but I am very affected by colors and textures, they have to be just right to match what I am feeling on the inside.  To match the sweater I chose long black jeans and very comfortable black sherpa clogs.  I also brought my most favorite and comfortable sweater jacket with me, because I'm feeling very chilly today and I'm doing my best to keep the thermostat as low as I can stand it, oil is just too expensive!

Work:
   Arrived on time to work without a minute to spare, the day started off very hectic with the phones ringing as I step my first foot thru the door.  It's like they have radar on me sometimes!  When I got a few minutes to myself I finished doing my hair by pulling it up into a high bun and wrapping the scrunchie with a sheer grey scarf...now I was ready to work.  When the hair goes up, I mean business baby...look out!  I'm working diligently on getting the shop prepared for Valentine's Day, it's coming quickly!  BTW, I don't think I mentioned, but I have a flower/gift shop that I run, and this along side of Mother's Day is one the the busiest days, so you just can never be prepared enough for when the day comes.  So, you probably won't be hearing from me too much that week, my days and nights will be consumed with flowers, flowers, flowers!  A typical work day for me during holiday time is usually about a 5:00 am start straight thru to a finish of about midnight or so.  Go home catch a nap and a shower and come right back.  It gets totally insane!

Other things in my life right now:
   I am very nervous and anxious about tomorrow.  A loved one of mine is going to see a doctor tomorrow for the first time about their depression.  It's become very serious and I had to take some sneaky but very necessary steps to make this happen.  This doctor is a medical doctor, but is also into alternative medicine.  I am thinking <hoping> he is probably going to put him on some different herbs along with acupuncture, we want to try natural healing before resorting to any sorts of medication. So this is very heavy on my mind right now, as well as another dear loved one of mine who has very suddenly and quickly been taken over with cancer.  He is only 19 years old and I just can't believe it, I'm not sure he's going to pull through this.  Just before Thanksgiving he had a 6 pound tumor removed from his testicle (it was mostly up in his abdominal area), and was scheduled for surgery to have his lymph nodes removed before christmas.  Before they ever got to do that three more malignancies developed in his lungs, 2 in one lung, one in the other, all about the size of tennis balls.  He is being treated with chemotherapy now, and they still plan to remove his lymph nodes when the treatments are over.  He is just sooooo skinny, and he eats and eats and eats.  Now we found out that he has fluid in his lungs.  Everyone says that's not good.  So, this is weighing very heavily on my mind as well.  I am just taking things day by day for now, that's about all I can do to keep myself together.

Well, I've got some more work I need to get done, so this is all for today.

Till next time....

Yayy! your first entry


I'm so, so sorry about your relatives , it's very hard to see loved ones hurt, and you can't do anything to make them feel better ....

Quote:

That's me in a nutshell. 

Actually, we seem to have more and more in common the more I learn about you.

Poor Magz. I sincerely wish the best for your and your loved ones. I'll save a prayer tonight for all of you tonight. God bless.

Hi Maggie,

I'm glad to see that you've started a journal.
Sending good thoughts your way for you and your loved ones...

Anais

Ewww!  I just noticed yesterday, actually my husband noticed, that I've got this weird residue thing going on in my hair.  I'm thinking it's from our water, we have well water and we've been having a major problem with it turning everything green.  Anything white that goes thru the wash a few times will inevitably turn mint green, I am constantly scrubbing green out of the showers, and to drink the water is out of the question, it has a terrible metallic taste.  We do have a filtration and softening system, but something must be wrong with it!  Anyway, now I'm noticing this build-up in my hair, I took a scraping of it with my nails & it was green!  I've been doing regualr vinegar rinses, but it's not really helping, I'm not sure what to do to get it out of my hair...maybe someone has a suggestion  ???

Hair today:
   Put conditioner on first and let it soak in for a while, then shampooed the scalp and rinsed everything out.  I didn't re-condition this time, though, I put in some leave-in conditioning instead.  I tried to really concentrate on the root hair, that's where the build up seems to be, but I was not able to get it all out.  I haven't done anything with it yet, but I am going to pull it back shortly, nothing too tight, I've got a headache today.

Clothes:
   Wearing red today, woohoo!  Feeling daring!  Jeans and snowboots ( I picture Napoleon Dynamite's outfit when I say that!), the weather's yucky today.  Snow, sleet, rain & fog, just a buch of slop out there.

Other interesting tidbits:
   * Husband made me the most awesome omelette yesterday morning, it was perfectly rolled up with spinach, onions, and cheese.  Served with a side of his homemade "roasted habanero" sauce.  Mwah!  Oh yeah, coffee too!  He's too good to me.

   * Did not get to start my book this weekend, did TONS of cleaning instead, changed my curtains, pillows and bed sheets for a change of scenery.  It needed to be done, the book still awaits me.

   *Found out my best friend is going to have a baby!!!  I am sooooo happy for her and totally excited.  I just wish we lived closer to each other so we could see each other more often.

That's pretty much it, nothing too exciting this time around.  Later.

The omelette was very good, he is very sweet.  Usually every sunday morning he'll make breakfast for us, he loves to cook, and he loves to watch me eat his food...probably because I love to eat his food!  That works out well, huh?  My fav. that he makes for me is his feta mozzerella omelette and homefries - always served with a side of his own hotsauce, then he makes me a cinnamon coffee...YUMMM!    He should totally be a chef, I think I'd eat all his profits, though! 

Relating to my hair, I can't get the green stuff out!

When I used to go to my old hairdresser he would always do a build-up removal for me.  I'm not sure what he used, but it was the consistency of a conditioner that he would work into my hair from the roots down, and then use a fine tooth comb over it.  So I thought I'd try it myself.  In the shower, I worked Biolage conditioner all thru my hair and then used a fine tooth comb to really work it in & I guess (hopefully) comb any build-up out.  ???  After that I rinsed, did an ACV, re-applied conditioner from the ears down and did a scalp wash with a teeny bit of biolage shampoo.  It did remove about half of the gunk, but it's still there.  If you look closely you can see it. 

Now, don't get me wrong...it's not like this fluorescent green glob on my head or anything!  It's intermittently on each individual strand, mainly on the top of my head from the ears up.  I'll try this again tomorrow to see if it helps, and I may try Beesan's advise & rinse with bottled water to see if it helps.

Today I have my hair pulled up in that messy bun that I have posted in the casual styles threads.  And around that I have wrapped a navy & white polka dotted scarf, looks kinda cute if I do say so myself 

I still did not start my book.  Every time I pick it up and decide to delve in, I feel guilty like I should be doing something else more productive.  That's my problem, I feel guilty doing anything pleasurable for myself...I just have to get over that!

As for dear loved one, I'll refer to him as T from now on to make it easier, he did muster up the courage to go and get some blood drawn for bloodwork, and he has another appt. w/ the acupuncturist/dr. this weekend.  His results will be faxed directly over to the dr. and we'll know the results at his next appt.  I have been a nervous wreck over this.  T says if there is any kind of a medical problem he refuses all/any medical treatment, but he will try herbs and/or acupuncture.  So I just keep praying for him, and I'm doing my best to be totally supportive of him.  It's very difficult sometimes, because he is in a constant state of depression all wrapped up with nervousness and anxiety, which means that he snaps at the drop of a hat.  I have to weigh every single word very carefullly, which can be exhausting.  Most of the time when he does snap I don't even understand why, like last night for example.  I worked late and was tired, I was eating a sandwich with him and I guess I was kind of zoning off.  He asked me what was up with me, why was I staring?  I didn't even realize that I was, I guess it was just a blank stare that we all get when we're tired.  Well, a few minutes later I guess I did it again, I was staring into space while eating.  This really did something to him, he yelled at me "what are you doing?  you are really freaking me out, why are you eating like that?!"  I was left clueless.  I just quietly wrapped the rest of my food up and left it at that, we still haven't talked.

It just gets very confusing to me at times, he says it's confusing to him too most times.  For the record, when I say that he "snaps", I don't in any way mean to imply that he is physical with me, that's NOT the case, I just mean with his tone and his actions, please understand that.  I know this sounds selfish, but sometimes I feel that I am giving everything I have to love & help him, which means that me & my needs get easily overlooked.  I shouldn't even say that, that really is selfish.  Writing this all down helps me to feel better & sort through it all, though, so this is my outlet.  Thanks for listening!

Off to get some work done now, and some more coffee...later!

Thank you so much angel spun, that was exactly what I needed to hear.  The wierd part about being in a situation like this, is that I almost feel guilty when I do anything to draw positive attention to myself or do something to better myself.  It makes me feel like I'm leaving him in the dust, so I'm constantly trying to downplay anything good that might happen to me, just hoping and praying that he gets a break instead.  Make any sense??  His next appt. is tomorrow, so I am anxiously awaiting is bloodwork results, I really hope that nothing is serously wrong, I doubt there is.

Word is starting to spread around town about my sick cousing and it's becoming the "talk", that's just how it is living in such a small town.  Everyday ppl are coming in and asking about him and looking for updates on his condition, only to tell me "ooh, doesn't sound good...".  It's getting very frustrating, I know that it doesn't sound good and I don't really need 10 people a day telling me that.  Honestly.

On the subject of Hair, mine is looking exceptionally cute today.   Here's what I did, I pulled it up into a high bun, kind of a loose one and secured it with a scrunchie, which used alone is not enough cuz the bun wants to slide back down my head.  So I then tied one of my scarves around the scrunchie and tied it so that the tails are in the back, I left them on the shorter side this time.  I then used those little clippies and pulled the front part of my bun forward and a little higher up on my head and clipped it to the top of my head.  So when you look at it from the front you can't see the scarf because it's covered with my hair from the bun, but from the sides and back you can see the scarf coming out from under my hair and the tie in the back.  So, so cute!   

Washing:  Nothing special today, just a regular scalp wash and condition, that's it.  Still can't get that wierd green stuff out of my hair, I think I'll post this problem somewhere else on the boards to see if I can get some advice.

Skin:  I got a new clay powder to try out, it's called Moroccan red clay.  For my first trial with it I mixed a TBSP or so w/ a little aloe gel and jojoba oil.  I like to hold a hot wash cloth on my face for about a minute first and then I use the clay mixture, sometimes I leave it on for a mask, but most times I don't have time for that.  The red clay is good for treating oily skin, which I do have, I'm very pleased with it so far - the only bad thing is that it has stained my washcloth !  I'll just have to use a red washcloth from now on, I guess! 

...still didn't start my new book yet. 

Hubby made the most awesome "mexican pizzas" last night for dinner, and black beans to die for...YUM!  Served with nothing other than a pint of Guinness, of course!  I told him I was hungry for mexican, but we're trying to be conservative with our $, and eating out really wasn't an option, we try to save that for the weekend.  I came home from work and he had this whole "restaurant" setup in the kitchen with this awesome mexican food.  Honest to god, he's too good!

That's the scoop for today, I'm working on my acct's receivable today and getting very frustrated seeing all the people who are witholding money from me.  How am I expected to operate if people don't pay?  Aye carumba!  So, off to pull my hair out (yeah, right...never!)

Thanks, Beesan.  I'm patting my back here, but it really is entirely cute...I may just have to try it again!    This is kind of funny, a few days ago I went to my bank and all the girls were commenting on the scarf in my hair and how neat and "retro" it was, this morning I ran up to get change for my register and one of the tellers had a scarf in her hair.  Immitation is the greatest form of flattery, right?

Thanks for the support, and I'm sorry to here that your brother had to go through the trama of a brain tumor, even if it was benign. Thanks everyone, love you guys so much  .

((((((((hugs)))))))))

Oh my, that's bizarre I have to say the green stuff is related to copper. I don't have any ideas... except maybe a vinegar soak or a vinegar rinse each time you wash, to prevent more greenness.

I'd go after the well - see if you can get it tested for mineral content, and see if you can install a water filter somewhere along the way before it reaches your use.

Anais

How wonderful that T's quality of life is improving.  We can never know the outcome, but can be happy that's he's feeling better.
My great aunt had cancer and I recommended accupunture for pain management.  My family also poo-pooed it, but when she was stuck in the hospital she eventually wanted to try it 'cause nothing else was working.  It did work for her, and opened my family's eyes to complimentary medicine.  YAY.
Good luck-even if they choose not to try eastern medicine, your heart is in the right place.  There is always the power of prayer.
Hang in there!!!

Hopefully things get better Maggie. You and your fam are in my prayers.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all    I love you guys! 

I only have time for a quick entry today, I'm getting very busy with impending Valentine's Day...so much to do!

I've had a headache for two days straight today, which sux, but I'm working through it.  That's the one bad part about being your own boss (w/ no employees)...you can't call off sick, no matter what!    I think I know how I caught a germ, though.  I had to deliver flowers to a woman at her home who has walking pneumonia.  The lady who sent them called up and said she'd like to give her flowers to cheer her up, but she doesn't want to expose herself to her illness.  So she exposed me, instead.  Nice of her, huh?  So I've been taking plenty of Airborne and vitamins and it's helping to nip it before it has a chance to get bad.  Hubby even made me a cup of tea and added organic honey, fresh lemon and a dash of cinnamon this morning, he brought it to the shower for me.  He woke up & looked at me and said "whoa, you look like hell!"...gee thanks!  But, the tea made up for it 

Good news....I FINALLY GOT TO START MY BOOK!!!   I began reading it yesterday morning, and got a little more reading time in this morning.  I'm enjoying it so far, it's a very different writing style than I'm used to, so it's refreshing.  So far from what I've read, it's about the lives of young, beautiful vogue-type models and the plastic life they're used to.  One of the girls suffers a horrific accident that disfigures her face and the story is telling how she is trying to cope with her life as she knew it being ripped away from her.  Very interesting so far.

Hair:  Last night I let my hair down from my all-day bun for a while to put some jojoba oil in.  I wrapped it back up and left it that way for the night.  This morning I washed and conditioned with a new (to me) Pantene line, the Daily Moisture Renewal, and I am very pleased with my first usage.  My hair is very soft and shiny and full of body.  I was tempted to leave my hair down today, but then I am also tempted to keep combing through it, so I clipped it up. 

Also related in hair news, I had this awesome idea for a hairtoy invention, I'm not going to try to describe it, I'm going to see if I can somehow make a mock-up to see if it would work.  I'm excited!    If I can do it well enough, I'll take pics and post them...maybe see about a patent??  We'll see.

T is still doing very well.  I'm tempted to say very, VERY well, I couldn't be happier.  His zest for life seems to be coming back, I'm afraid to jump the gun, though, so I'm taking this day by day, and so far each day seems to be better than the one before.  Keep on sending all those good thoughts and prayers, they're working! 

No new news on cousin, but no news is good news, so....

Okay, gotta get back to work,  'til later...

First note of news:  We finally bought and added salt to our (empty  ) water softener, maybe...hopefully this will help with the wierd green buildup problem.

Hair:  Like the night before, I let my hair down just long enough to oil it and then bunned it up for the night.  I'm on day two with my new S&C, and I'm still liking it so far.  My hair seems less tangly and to have more body.  I like when the natural waves of my hair decide to show up and behave nicely, as they are today.  If I scrunch my hair with my hand while it dries, I can really get it pretty wavy and full of body, or I can just comb it as it dries and it will be straight and silky.  It's pretty neat, I like having the option.  My sister got stuck with super wavy hair, and my brother with super straight hair, I fell right in between, I guess I'm lucky!  I didn't really do anything special as far as washing goes, just the normal scalp wash and condition, I let it completely air dry today, and a little leave-in on the ends.  Aloe gel for the bangs and also a little down the sides framing my face, that's it.  Simple today.

Sock curls have really been piquing my curiosity lately, I think I may try this sometime soon.  I'll have to re-visit Anais' instructions!

I didn't have time to do any reading on my book last night or this morning, I wound up staying a few hours later at the shop doing some much needed cleaning and organizing.  By the time I got home I had enough energy to eat dinner, do some laundry, catch Dancing With the Stars, my favorite is Stacey from WWE, doesn't she look just like a Barbie Doll?  Maybe that's why I like her, I collect Barbies!  Then I tried to watch a recorded Family Guy, but fell asleep at the end...again!  It's the strangest thing, I absolutely love the show, I think Seth MacFarlaine is genious, but it acts like a sedative to me!  Something about the show puts me to sleep nearly every time, I can't understand it, it's so wierd!  It's like it "soothes" me or something, my husband gets the biggest kick out of this.

Speaking of sleeping, I have a *strong* tendancy to talk in my sleep, actually I am usually yelling in my sleep about very strange things.  Well, a few nights ago we recorded and watched a George Carlin comedy special (from '92 I think), and he ended his act with this cheer he made up...I'll type it as best & cleanly as I can...

Rat s**t, Bat s**t, dirty old t**t
Sixty nine a**holes tied in a knot
Hooray, lizard s**t, **** !(won't type that one, starts w/ F!)

We got such a kick out of it and were laughing all night about it, well apparently I liked it so much that I said it all night long in my sleep, hand motions and all!  My husband asked me if I was doing it to be funny the next morning, but I had absolutely no recollection of it at all, poor guy!

That's about all the new news I have for today, so buh-bye! 

Wow, does anyone else feel like the days are just flying right by?  I feel like time is passing at an insane rate, and I'm not achieving nearly half of what I'd like to each day.  

Hair:  I'm still trying to defeat the buildup, so this moring I combed my hair before getting in the shower to make sure it was absolutely knot-free, I do this everyday, anyway.  I let the shower water saturate my hair & then smoothed some clarifying shampoo in from the roots down to about the ears, I didn't lather it, more or less just applied it.  I then used the finest fine toothed comb I could find and combed the shampoo through, concentrating on the top section.  I did this for about two minutes and then rinsed, and conditioned as usual - ears down.  I let my hair mostly air dry, did the usual aloe gel in the bangs and roots and cool-dried the rest, not completely, though, just enough so that it wasn't sopping.  I let it continue to air dry a bit more and then put some jojoba oil in, really concentrating on the ends, and I then pulled the nape section up & clipped it.

The buildup is still slightly there, but the majority of it was removed.  

Movies:  I don't think I mentioned yet, but hub & I are kind of movie addicts, we religiously rent at least 2-4 movies per week.  We can't help it, every time we walk in the video store to return our previous rentals, 99% of the time we walk out with 1 or 2 new ones.    I'm not a big fan of movie theaters, though.  I hate the thought of sitting in a seat that thousands have sat in before me, the idea that a person w/ yucky hair or lice had their head resting on the back of the very seat I am sitting in sends shivers through my spine.  Yeah, I'm a wierdo-germaphobe.  Such is life.  

Anyways, our latest embarkment was/is The Corpse Bride by Tim Burton.  His stop-motion animation just amazes me.  I think he said it takes two weeks of positioning and snapping shots for one second of film.  Wow!  The patience!  My husband laughs and says that would never be the job for me, that I'd be apologizing my way through it as I accidentally knock everthing over or leave lunch crumbs on the set!  Being meticulous is definetly NOT my thing!  To put it in comparison, if you've ever watched the show "Monk", that's him, obsessive-compulsive, clean, clean, clean, meticulous, organized, clean, and did I mention clean?  I'm more like......Ellen.  Degenerous, that is.  I never mean to do embarrassing or destructive things, it just comes natural!    What a pair up, huh?

See, I get so off subject so easily...movies was the topic here!

I was tired when we started watching The Corpse Bride, so of course, as usual, I fell asleep against all my efforts to keep my eyes open.  We bought it, however, so I can watch it anytime, no rush!  We also love watching independent films, we get this really cool channel on our satellite, the IFC channel (Independent Films Channel), so we record a lot of those to watch in our leisure.  Some other movies we've recently seen:
  *Broken Flowers- w/ Bill Murray, loved it, it was off the wall, different
  *Wedding Crashers- (Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn) Liked it, good stupid-fun movie
  *Red Eye- (Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy) surprisingly good, no down time at all, made the movie fly by
  *Two For the Money- (Matthew McConaughey, Al Pacino) good story, good action, not exactly my style, though
  *Going Down- Stupid.  Bad acting, moronic story line, waste of time.
  *Cry Wolf- Jon Bon Jovi played a pretty major part in this one, he did a great job, didn't even realize it was him till half-way.  Story was a bit of a let down, I predicted the ending.
  *Into the Blue- (Jessica Alba) Just OK, didn't hate it, didn't love it.
  *40 Year Old Virgin- FUNNY, OMG!  Keeper.
  *Hostel- saw this in the theater (yuck!  ), highly, highly disappointed.  Should have saved my money.  Many people were expressing their disappointment as the credits were rolling, not just us.

That's all I can think of for now, but that's enough I guess!  Maggie Ebert's off to work now!  Good day!

Beesan:  I saw both Hitch & Shark Tale, I thought Hitch was really funny, I like Will Smith, too.  Shark Tale I thought was a bummer, I thought it would be better - kind of like Finding Nemo or something.    As for Hostel, all the guts & gore that they promise is there, but not until over half way through the movie.  The first half is all about raves, getting high, and naked chicks, the story doesn't even start to really unfold until it's almost too late to be interested anymore.  I've seen tons of gore in other movies, but it means nothing without a good story behind it!  It's too bad, because it could have been better, I liked the whole idea behind it...oh well! 

Some of my favorite movies:
   *House of 1000 Corpses / The Devil's Rejects- both by Rob Zombie, he is pretty amazing in my eyes, I love his artistic style.  I especially like Devil's Rejects, I love the way he infuses a sense of calmness in his killing scenes.

   *Saw- I haven't seen the second part yet, but I loved the first one, ending blew me away.

   *Charlie & the Chocolate Factory- Yeah, big jump from the first three, I know!  I loved this story since I could read.  I used to check it out of the library so much that they eventually banned it from me...no one else was getting a chance to read it!    Love the original Willy Wonka flick too.

   *Any & all Jay & Silent Bob movies:  Mall Rats, Chasing Amy, Clerks, RSVP, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, Dogma...all great.

   *STEEL MAGNOLIAS!- Best chik-flik ever!  I will never get tired of this movie & I cry my eyes out every single time - rediculously - as if I don't know what is going to happen at the end!  What a great cast combo.

Oh, I've got so many...Office Space, Napoleon Dynamite, of course the great 80's rat-pack films - Breakfast Club, 16 Candles, Wierd Science, Pretty In Pink, all the NL Vacation's (Vacation, European Vac., Christmas Vac., Vegas Vac.), Funny Farm, Love Stinks (so funny!), Grease, and the creme de la creme...Xanadu!  I'm sure I'm missing lots, but that's enough!

Hair:  Saturated hair well with warm shower water & did a scalp massage for about a minute or so, then applied conditioner to the length and let soak in for a few minutes.  Used a little shampoo on the top of the head, did a quick comb through and rinsed everything out.  Re-conditioned the length, left in for a few more minutes and rinsed.  While my hair was still wet I added some jojoba oil to the length and let air dry.  Usual aloe gel app., and voila!  Done.  I also did a quick bang trim before completely drying, I purchased a 'razor comb' of my own so I can keep up with them w/o the hairdresser, it's easy to use & you don't have to worry about being precise.

I have to go now, part of my Val. Day delivery just arrived, so I have about a million roses to de-thorn & process...oh my poor, poor fingers!    Among a sea of assorted vases, and fern, and baby's breath..........

Ciao for now!

Thanks for your gift Maggie. I will enjoy using the pin, pomegrante soap, loofah, and candles. a long bath sounds wonderful. Your note was  sweet.  I will always think of you when i use my gifts.

That is too cool, Magz.  lol @ "marsh" pit 

It was really cool of Jerry to send Misfits gear to be auctioned off for charity.

It's funny that you & your hubby liken yourselves to Jack & Sally. I have a feeling that a lot of couples do that. They're kind of the darker, modern-day Romeo & Juliet, aren't they? Without all the tragedy...
    Everyone I know says that I am Sally (I'll admit I do look & act like her), so I get a lot of NBC gifts.    I've often thought about using Jack & Sally figurines as a cake topper if I ever remarry. Hinging, of course, upon whether I ever find my "Jack." hehe We'll see.

I know what you mean about feeling less clean when you don't wash your hair.    I still can't do that.
    When I've tried using conditioner only, my hair looked even flatter than usual & I wound up having to just put it all in a bun. But not doing anything & just standing under the showerhead for a few minutes, letting cool water cascade down my hair was the worst! My roots remained very oily and that actually causes my face to turn red. It sounds weird, but my skin has a very strange & bad reaction to sebum.    Washing every day is a must for me. So you're pretty lucky if you can get away with it.

Hope work is a lot less hectic for you in the weeks to come. You need a light load after V-day!

Maggie,
I'm so sorry hubby wasn't supportive.  Reading about your Nana brought tears to my eyes, what a loving gift and beautiful memory your song is.  It makes me sad to think about my loved ones eventually passing and I'm sure it was confusing to have her give stuff away.  Personally I think it is awesome and empowering for her to feel ready to go on the journey we all must and to do what she can to take care of her loved ones while she is able.  I hope you'll let yourself cry as much as you need to.  I hope your husband will realize that forgiveness is about him, not her and that being stubborn about it is hurting himself by hurting you.  Good Luck. 

I hope you feel better soon, I think chicken soup is in order!!
Hey, Waiter!

Gawd. WTF is up with your hubby?!

Sorry.  I know that doesn't sound like my usual supportive attitude, but you know what? I've been around the male block a few times and I know how they can be...

Your knight in shining armour one minute, and your archenemy the next. The man of your dreams...and the most despicable, heartless creature to ever curse the earth with his presence. Inspiring right to the soul at times, while other times you swear you've babysat very young children that were more mature.

And isn't it wonderful the way they can go from one extreme to the other at the drop of a hat? Filling your heart and body with unearthly passion...and then turning into a machine so devoid of emotion that you can literally feel a vital part inside of yourself dying. It causes one to wonder whether all of those beautiful moments you've shared were nothing but lies...if they can just turn it off that easily. Honey, I've been down that road so many times, I can't even tell you.

The good news is that this, too, is a phase. It will blow over, and good moments are sure to follow. The bad news is (brace) the memory of how he acted that particular time never goes away, no matter how may times you rehash it, talk it out or try to make him understand where you're coming from. It just doesn't happen.
    You can scold him for his lack of consideration for you, you can come on like the weepy, innocent victim who "only wanted his sympathy & understanding," but chances are, either one will get you the same reaction. He's a man, Magz. And men are MUCH more likely to justify their bad behaviour than apologize for it. That's just how they work.

He has to realize on his own what an immature jerk he's being. Chances are, he won't...but that's not your problem. Just be strong, be yourself & stick to your guns. You don't need his attitude & "issues" about your grandmother adding to your many problems. You dealt with heartache in your own way, without him, before you met him...you can deal with it without him now if you must. Just do what's right for you. That's about all I can say. 

For what it's worth, I do sympathize with your concern for your grandmother. Mine isn't doing very well either. 
    But I agree with Sakina that it shows a definite strength of spirit if she can accept that great transition with grace and do what needs to be done before then...so the people she loves won't have to.

Glad to hear you're liking the DMR line.    I'm back on it myself.

*hugzzzzz* God bless.

FEMALE POWER, YES!

Thank you ladies, you told me exactly what I needed to hear.  I will report that he has not apologized, nor do I think he will.  I haven't asked him to, but I highly doubt he'll offer it up. In his mind it's done with, in my mind it's there forever.  Sux to be him!

He's one confusing lad, I'll tell ya.  One minute he's offering me dinner & wine, the next he's acting like and insensitive boob without conscience or soul.  He keeps it interesting, I'll give him that.

I'll add more to this on monday, right now I've got a headache that could split the world in half! 

Till then!

((((((Maggie)))))), I hope you feel better. Sometimes DHs show love and affection in mundane ways like changing the oil and unclogging the drain pipe.

We love you Mags
Anais

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And then the next minute he wants to have sex. Oh no, wait, that's my husband.

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Oh no, that's ALL husbands!  lol!

I will officially report that there has been no apology and nor will there be.  I've tucked it away in my little mental filing cabinet under "Moronic  Things My Husband Says and Does Without Knowledge of How Obviously Stupid He's Being and Either Really Truly Does Not Realize or Just Doesn't Care".  That file's getting pretty full now, time for a new folder!    So now, on with the rest of my life...

I was pretty down & out for the weekend  .  This usually happens to me after a major flower holiday, I become so run down that I usually end up sick for a few days afterward.  As long as it's afterwards and not before or during, then it's ok!  However, after much rest saturday and sunday I'm feeling much better! 

Hair:  I noticed something really disturbing yesterday.  As I was holding a mirror up to check out the length of my hair (*blush*, yes, I do this every so often, but...SO DO YOU!) I noticed a lot of my very white scalp peering through my dark brown hair.  In the area just below the swirl of where your hair meets.  Immediate panic set in, so I began moving my hair around to see if it's just that one spot or if it's all over.  My hair is pretty thin, well actually I should say that I don't have a lot of hair, the texture itself is not all that thin, but I never noticed my scalp showing through it!!  After much looking I deduced that it is mainly that spot, I think it's caused by wearing a certain hairstyle that I've been wearing pretty frequently lately.  Using one of those "clasp" shut hair clips in that spot.  When I wear those too long my head actually was getting sore in that spot from the clasp trying to slide down and the pulling on my hair it was causing.  It must have been pulling hair out with it!    It wasn't as obvious after I washed and my hair had more body instead of laying flat on my head, but upsetting all the same.  I won't be using that hair clasp anymore, or pinning my hair up in that spot for a long while.  I hope it grows back!!!

Today I clarified with Pantene Purity, and conditioned with Pantene DMR Winter Rescue.  I didn't ACV only because I forgot to bring it in the shower with me and didn't feel like getting back out, brrrrr!  I am wearing my new hairsticks from Lisabelle  , I absolutely loooove them!  I love hearing the little clickety-clack that the dangly plastic flowers make when I move my head!

Movies:  We had the chance to watch two movies this weekend:
   *Saw II:  Pretty good, not a disappointment as a sequel to the 1st.  Kept my attention from start to finish, I still think there was more shock value to the original Saw.  This one was much more "Hollywood".  A good watch, though.

   *Venom:  Also kept my attention from start to finish, there were no lulls, which was good.  Is definitely a far fetched story line, which is refreshing sometimes, I don't always want "reality", imaginative is good.  Deals with the paranormal and Mambo - Voodoo beliefs, a lot of gore, pretty scary.

Also, I finally got to watch "The Full Monte", we recorded off IFC.  What a hilarious film!  It's one of those movies that I know the title so well, but had never seen the movie.  Watching guys try to dance "sexy" is usually a very, very funny thing, Chip & Dales just aren't for me!  I saw a male review once, and once was enough.  When a guy in a cowboy hat and jeans so short that the pockets are sticking out swivels his hips and points at me, it takes all of my being not to shatter his ego with immense laughter!  I'd rather watch a guy working on a roof or doing construction, not dancing!  But, that's just me. ???

I started my new book this weekend, Diary by Chuck Palahniuk.  I like it so far, basically you're reading the diary entries written by a wife who's husband tried to commit suicide, but failed.  He lives as a vegetable in a hospital, and she tells of how she's picking up all the broken pieces day to day.  I just love his writing style, it's so unlike any I've ever read before.  I think I'm going to continue to read all his books before having to find a new author.

Bad news, a few entries back I mentioned that my best friend found out she was pregnant, well she lost it this weekend.  I feel so bad for her, she was just getting ready to tell ppl about it.  She was waiting until she hit the 12 week mark, and she finally reached it, went for her ultrasound only to find there was no heartbeat.  I pray for her comfort.

I'm off now, much to accomplish today!

I'm so sorry about your friend's pregnancy.  I've had numerous miscarriages, so I know her heartache.  Be a good friend and let her cry when she needs to and support her during this difficult time, she'll need it.  I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers too.

Awww, ((((((thanks guys)))))))), you're all so sweet! 

She's a strong person, I know she has the ability to rationalize this and pull through, plus she has a wonderful and supportive husband.  I know she'll be OK, but I also know she's really heartbroken.  We live in different states now, I wish I could be there with her, but we do the best we can over the phone.

BTW, Bikerbraid, I'm really sorry to hear that you've had numerous miscarriages, I guess you do understand the heartache. 

I don't have much to report today, I washed and conditioned as normal and I'm wearing my new hairsticks from Lisabelle again.    I know I keep saying it, but I really do love them!

That's about it!  Hopefully I'll have something more interesting to say tomorrow ???

Later...

Thanks Curlygirl, that's very sweet. 

Today's not much more interesting than yesterday! 

Washed and conditioned as normal....again....this morning.  I'm having a good hair day, so I'm leaving my hair down today...so far.  That could change in a heart beat!

I'm closing shop a bit early today so I can take T to his acupuncture session.  If I can't go with him, his mother goes, but I like being there with him when at all possible.  He's been feeling a little down again as of late, but not as bad and irrational as it used to be...just "normal" down.  Hopefully he feels better after today.

Besides that, let's see...I have cramps and am extremely moody  , can't stop eating Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream, and then following it up with something salty, ran out of toilet paper last night, trying to figure out how I could have possibly lost my favorite sweatshirt (I think the washer ate it...where else could it be?), laughed at the dog making a funny chewing face while looking right at me with her teeth sticking out, think I misplaced a whole stack of bills & some may be late  , have a month's worth of books to catch up on, need a cup of coffee.

That about wraps it up.  Later gators!

Getting Braver:  I resisted the urge to shampoo this morning!!!  I literally had to pry the bottle from my own hand, but I did it.  I've been reading about different ppl here that only ACV between shampoos to cut greasiness, so I though I'd give it a whirl.  My initial intentions were to ACV, then shampoo, then condition.  So I ACV'd, rinsed, then picked up the shampoo bottle and wondered "what if I didn't? hmm.....", then I thought "no, that's crazy, I can't do that!", but I *did*, I skipped it.  Went straight to the conditioner.  That's big time stuff for me!    I must admit, my hair feels ok, it doesn't feel as light as usual, but doesn't in the least look greasy or dirty.  I just hope that I rinsed the vinegar smell out well enough!

I'm wearing my new black sticks today, I have my hair up in piggy buns, one stick holding each and crossing in the back of my head.  Me likes.  

Movies:  Only saw one new flick this week so far, not much time for sitting and watching tv lately.  I usually only do at the end of the day, anyhow.

  *Waiting-(w/ Dane Cook, the comedian).  Very funny on a moronic level, but I enjoyed it ( I think that's *why* I enjoyed it!)  Me and hub have a new "game/trick" we play on each other now...can't tell ya, you'll have to watch the movie to find out!  We're a couple of goofs, honestly.  I will say that it made me think twice about eating in chain restaraunts where they have a bunch of teenagers working *shivers*...your food is not their priority!  

I've got a heap of bookwork and invoicing to tackle today, so I'm off...later!

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ooohhhh, sounds good. Where did you get 'em? i hope we have this store here

Wow, it's been a few days since I've updated here, I've been sooo busy lately, yowza!  Not a whole heck of a lot to report...I am wearing a new hairstyle that's kinda neat, though.  I came up with it last night, mostly by accident.

It's basically just a variation on a style I know I've mentioned before, in fact I posted a new thread about it in "Keep It Casual" under something like cute messy bun.  Well, it's the same idea- pulling hair up into a high ponytail, and on the last wrap you leave your hair looped with the end sticking out the topside instead of the bottom.  I did this, but it kept wanting to sag down the back of my head, so I used 2 stix to hold it in place, along with the scrunchie.  I put one stick through the looped part catching some scalp hair on top of my head (so it stays against my head) and pushed it through the scrunchie, and then the same with the other stick to make an "X".  I left some tendrils down so it doesn't look too neat, looks cute! 

Hairwashing really hasn't been much different, just usual s + c routine, blah, blah, blah...

I'm about three-quarters through Diary and I've picked up The Kite Runner to start after that.  After hearing Anais & Beesan talk about it I just have to read it for myself, I can't wait to start it!  There was another book catching my eye, Running With Scissors, I just may buy that one next.  My original plan was to read all of Chuck Palahniuk's novels first before moving onto other authors, but I'm way to sporatic to be that disciplined!   I'll get to them all eventually.

T's appointments are still going well, he's still going once a week for now.  I think after this next session he'll be stretched to every two weeks, depends on the doctors evaluation of his progress.

My cousin has recently gone to another hospital for a second opinion, I guess you could call it.  He finished his first round of chemo, so they wanted to see how it affected the tumors...the large ones still did not shrink.  So instead of progressing with the lymph node operation, they're going to put him through some more chemo.  From there, I don't know.  Time will tell.

I'm on the hunt for red tealight candles for a customer, I need over 200 of them & I can't believe the trouble I'm having getting them.  The one company I found that carried them for a good (wholesale) price I bookmarked their page while I continued to search.  By the time I came back to them they were out of stock!!!  Now I can't find them in the quantity and price I need anywhere, unbelievable!  To boot, I need them here within a week's time!  I'm really starting to stress!!  Speaking of this, I'd better continue searching!

Later...

Awww, you are welcome

I hope everything goes well with the fund raiser

Will try to think of ideas....

Good Luck!

Ahhh, there's a nice soothing rain today, soothes my soul! 

Well, my hairdresser returned my phone call yesterday, and I have an appt. tomorrow night...I think I'll go really short, like a pixie cut.

NOT! 

No way, I'm just going to ask her to ever so gently nip the ends and the layers, she's always been good about that in the past.  I can hardly wait!  The only stinky part is the time, I work til about 5:00, and my appt.'s not til 6:30, which leaves over an hour of gap time, and going home then back wouldn't make much sense.  I'm sure I can find enough work to do to occupy me for an extra hour...not that I want too! 

I received a hair compliment yesterday!    I was talking to a friend of mine and she just stopped mid-sentence and said "your hair looks really nice today".  *Blush, blush, blush*  I did take some extra time with it yesterday morning, I let it air dry like 95%, then using my long-fingered diffuser and the cool setting on the hair dryer I finished drying it so that it was straight and shiny.  Then I finished it off with a little Bio-Silk for extra shine and movement.  I know it's not a natural product, but I don't use it very often and it does make my hair really silky looking, smells really nice too.

This morning I did a clarifying wash w/ my Pantene Purity, I didn't ACV this time, just went right on to the conditioning.  Let it air dry, styled the bangs with some aloe gel, and pulled the rest up in a clip.  Good enough for today!

I'm loving my book so far, I only wish I had more time to spend reading it.  I actually ran a few minutes late today because I didn't want to put it down in the middle of a chapter, so I kept reading, but I did have to stop before hitting the next chapter or I would have been really late!

Hub & I are just not getting along right now, we are just clashing left & right over everything.  It's both our faults, we just keep jumping down each other's throats over the stupidest things.  We go through "phases", sometimes we get along like we're two best friends and nothing could ever get between us, other times we just co-exist like two separate lives in the same household, and times like this we just annoy the living snot out of each other...on purpose, I think!   It's like one of us actually goes out of our way to pick a fight with the other one, over anything...so I've just been trying to keep to myself and be good til this phase passes us by...I'm really trying!

I've got a headache today...again, I think I've had one every day this week so far, uck!  So, I am extra grateful for this cloudy and rainy day, not only is it soothing to me, but saves my poor eyes from the brutal sun.  Speaking of, staring at this computer screen is not really helping, either!  I guess I'll be off now, ciao!

Looks like a lot of ppl here are getting hair compliments must be a good week...

I'm sorry things aren't going well with you and your hubby

Feel beter VERY soon.

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Maggie, did you decide on what goddie to make?  If you're stuck for an idea, you might try www.allrecipes.com--there are literally thousands of recipes on that site.

ooooh Maggie, send that hairdresser over to me asap the place I go to that trims my hair and does the color scares me to death.   I get sooooooo nervous when the guy is combing my hair out after being washed;I sit there and pray he doesn't come to a tangle or knot because God help me and my neck if he pulls,breaks or does whatever to my hair.  Since I found this site and all you sweethearts I just grinned and beared some of the things that would happen.  Who knew about satin pillow cases???? Can't wait to try them   and the oil info,cider vinegar rinses,the list goes on and on!!  Thanks you ladies!! 8)
As for the Nadi Sudi (alternate nostril breathing)  what you do is almost there,but not really.  Yogic breathing is done all through the nose,whether you're practicing asanas(poses) or the breathing.  THis is because Yoga is not exercise.  Some forms may feel like exercise,getting the benefits cardio wise,but you engage a different body system in the way that you breathe.  I could go on and on and on,but.....to your problem.......
Sit on the floor crossed legged or lay down.....take your left hand,thumb and first finger touching...(so it looks like you're making the "ok" sign),rest the back of that hand on your left knee...with me so far???
make a fist with your right hand,extend your pinkie finger and your thumb,keeping the ring finger,middle finger and index finger tucked into your palm....ok now place the right thumb along the right nostil and close it off,inhale through the left nostil,close both nostils,release the right thumb and exhale through the right nostil.  Keeping the pinkie on the left nostil while you do this.  Now Inhale right,close both ,exhale left,holding the thumb on your right nostil closed while doing that.  Go back and forth a few rounds.  If you do this consistently every day you'll be so much better.  I also stopped eating dairy and other things when I became a pesco-vegetarian that I believed also helped.

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bwahahahahahaaaaa! My evil plan is working...    But who knows? I may break down & get Biosilk next time. Influence usually works both ways. 

My pleasure for the help anytime.  Consistency is key,so everynight before you go to sleep;do it for 5 minutes or whatever works for you!
Later

Wow, I haven't been able to visit the boards again in days now, this is getting crazy, I guess I just have to learn to prioritize!  

In bad hair news I've got the green-gunk build up problem back again, ack!  It's got to be my hairspray, I'm currently using Herbal Essences.  But I honestly don't use much at all, as I know I've mentioned before, I use 1 to 3 spritzes to keep my bangs in place and that's it....and that's exactly where the problem area is.  Not really in my bangs, but on the top of my head, mostly off to the left of my part, and I can't get rid of it no matter what I try!    A few days ago I did a clarifying wash, vinegar rinse and a comb-through followed by a conditioning, and the following days I've been just concentrating with a clarifying shampoo in that top area, it lessens it a tiny bit, but doesn't get rid of it.  I can't get away without using a bit of hairspray for control, I do use aloe which does help to hold the style so I use less hairspray, but I still need just a little.  Maybe I need to seriously consider trying an all natural one, any suggestions??

...Oh yeah, all the extra washing has made my hair feel dry    That's a bad thing...

In good hair news, I must have had a little bit of hair growth!  My last measure was sometime around the end of Feb. and I measured in at 25 & 1/4 inches (sadly that was the same as the previous month-no growth), but I just measured this morning again, and even after my trim I'm still at 25 & 1/4 inches!  I know my hairdresser nipped about a quarter inch, which must mean either 1) I'm a crappy measurer, or 2) I had a quarter inch of growth.  For now I'll opt for the latter.  

Aloe juice, aloe juice, aloe juice...where can I get aloe juice??  I want to try the leave-in that Beesan's been using, which I think is Kimberlily's recipe...I guess the smart thing to do would be to check out that thread first. ???

Life in general has been very hectic.  I'm going crazy trying to get all my books ready for my accountant.......gaaaaawd I hate going through receipts......sooooooooooo tedious!  But I've got to have it all together by this Saturday, so the pressure's on.  It really would be much easier if I did this month by month throughout the year, I know that & keep telling myself that next year I'll do that...but it just never seems to work out that way.    The problem is this...I do everything myself!  From the ordering, to acct's receivable, to designing, to delivering (hub help with this sometimes, but it's mostly me), to cleaning & organizing, to customer service, to....you name it!  I'm just split too many ways, plain & simple.  But for financial reasons this is the way it has to be for now.  C'est la vie!

On a more serious & kind of scary note, I put the offer out to hub to move....away, like far away if he wants.  It's something that he keeps talking and whining about, that he hates how depressed this area is (and it really is), that there are no opportunities here for him to do what he really wants to do.  He whines about it, but I know that he himself will never take action on it, so I'm calling his bluff.  Ha!  Although I am totally prepared to be serious about it.  I told him yesterday that if he's serious about "getting out of here" to start getting a game plan together, we'll set a goal of two years for ourselves.  Two years to ween down and sell the business, decide what to do with the house (that's the biggest heartache), figure out where to go and what to do.  I told him to start researching and come to me with some real facts instead of whining, then I'll really think about it.  Fair?

He didn't say too much about it, I think I scared him, I don't think he ever really expected me to act on it.  But, I be d*mned if he thinks I'll let him used his surroundings as an excuse to whine his way through life, apparently he doesn't know me very well...for whining is not in my vocabulary.  That was taught to me by my grandmother, you be strong, you never whine about anything, and you do what you have to do.  Period.  I come from a long line of strong Slovak women, so if he's looking for me to pamper his whiny little butt, he's got another thing comin'!  As my dad alway said (he would say this is why he married my mother!).."You need a strong Slovak woman to pull the plow when the ox dies"!  I always got a chuckle out of that!

So, we'll see what happens!  That's about it & this is long enough, so ciao!

Oh, I totally hear that, Curlgirl!  It really drives me crazy when my own family members can't respect a *very disciplined* decision that I have made.  Some still feel the need to poke fun at me, saying things like "oh come on, it won't kill ya, just eat some..." waving a big hunk of steak or pork in my face or something.  They really just don't get it.  My mother was really upset when I first gave it up, mostly because she thought I'd get sick, but I never did, but then as time passed and she saw I was serious she respected it and made me separate meals from the rest of the family.  My dad, on the other hand, he would make comments about how my food was gross. My food was gross, OK, I'm the one eating something made from a soybean...while he was the one chewing up a big hunk of animal flesh.  My food gross?  I don't get it!  And I don't think that they'll ever get it, but at least after 15 years they're starting to ease up on me! 

Okay-so-about the whole moving thing, I made a point to bring it up again to hub...just to let him know that I wasn't joking, you know, putting the ball in his court.  He said he knew I meant it and that he thought about it all night and day, he said it seemed "real" since I set a time frame to it of two years.  I'm really hoping that this will somehow motivate him in one way or another, either he'll realize that living in a small town isn't so bad (because he really doesn't want to move-excuse!), or he'll be motivated into moving on (with me, of course!).  Time will tell.

Hair:  It's feeling pretty nice today, I must say.  I just did a regular scalp-wash and condition with Restoratives, and that's it.  In fact, I still have it down, which is pretty rare at work, maybe it's because I'm so coooold!  Spring is supposed to be here...but it's freezing & windy, brrrr!  Which leads me to thinking that if we do move...maybe choose somewhere warm?  We could always visit to see the snow. ???  Oh, yeah...hair!  The build up is still there, a little less today though, so frustrating!  I'm def. going to try making a natural hairspray, I know there's one posted here somewhere.

Other facets of my life:  I'm still working on reading The Kite Runner, I am very much in love with this book so far, I have never been so emotionally involved with a story before.  As much as I'm dying to finish it, I don't want to...because then it wil be done!   

I still haven't decided on a baked good to make for my cousin's benefit...I'd better figure something out pretty quick, it's coming soon, April 1st!

Saw three new movies this week, here's maggie ebert to break it down for you:
   Walk the Line:  I can't say I was ever a Johnny Cash fan, but I really was moved by watching the story of his life, gave me a whole new respect for his work.  I didn't expect that I'd like it, or even be interested in it, but I was pleasantly surprised!

   Just Friends:  It was ooookay, mostly a fluff piece IMO.  About a guy who is in love with a friend from childhood who regards him as "just a friend", and what he has to do to show her that he loves her.  It was kind of cute, but really not my kind of movie.

   The Tease:  Or maybe it's just "Tease", not sure.  This movie was just okay, too.  Kind of low-budget...which is fine, but the story line was amature and weak.  About a 17yr. old girl who is obsessed with having her mother all to herself, so she kills anyone who tries to get in between them.  It was a little wierd, actually. 

So, American Idol's on again tonight, I was wrong with my elimination prediction last week, but not totally surprised.  We actually may be going to see the Marine Corps Band tonight, In law's have some extra tix, we'll see.

I'm off, my system updates are done and I have a little icon jumping at me from my dock telling me I need to restart.  Coming, coming!...

That would be a pretty big move, especially if you've lived there all your life I feel your pain, and if your hubby decides to move, then two years won't be that much time, it will really go by fast blugh....time

Anyway, i hope everything goes well, and good luck ((((((hugz)))))

Yay!!!  I finally finished my book!  I'm so glad I took Anais' & Beesan's advice on that, that was to date the best book I've ever read, so moving.  I see he (Khaled Hosseini) will be releasing a new book this coming summer, I'll be sure to pick that one up, too.  I haven't dug into my new one yet, I almost did yesterday, but decided instead to pursue housework and bookwork...no such thing as a real day off!

As for my hair, I took a late shower yesterday & did a full wash and condition on the hair.  This morning I only did a vinegar rinse, followed by a scalp massage and conditioning, my hair is feeling quite nice today from it.  I really wish I could get away from having to use hairspray, as I've mentioned, I don't use much, but I'd rather not use any at all.  I just can't pull it off, though, the aloe gel along just isn't enough & I still haven't gotten around to experimenting with home-made natural stuff.  I'm just sporting a simple low bun today with a pretty, silk-like scrunchie of earth tones.  Simple, simple, simple.

I received some bad news from a dear friend of mine this morining.  After seeing her on saturday, later that night she fell asleep driving and crashed into a telephone pole, flipping her car over.  She was cut out of the car and life-flighted to the hospital, I just THANK GOD that she's alive...and in the big picture she's OK.  She broke the bone around her eye socket, broke her nose in 2 places and has one collapsed lung.  That's pretty bad, but it could have been so much worse.  Oh, I cried when she called me!  I also thank god that there was a car following behind her when it happened, because the road she crashed on is a pretty desolate one, if that car wasn't behind her to call 911, god only knows...she could have bled to death.  That's just a long terrible road to travel, especially if you're tired, 4 years ago a classmate of mine and his friend crashed on that same road late at night, but no one found them until the morning, they both died.  I did their funeral flowers, I doesn't seem right when I'm doing the final arrangements for people who are only my age, it's hard to comprehend sometimes.  It's hardened me in a way.  Well, anyway, I'm just thankful that she's alive and OK!

I'm still battling this dang pigeon problem here at my shop, my husband has a call into the town's building code enforcer, we're still waiting for a response.  Not only are the blasted birds a problem, but it's what drew the birds here in the first place, an old, dilapidated building with smashed out windows allowing the pigeons to get inside and nest (resides directly next to me).  Now they are multiplying and don't want to leave!  Glass from the broken windows continues  to fall down onto my property, bits of brick and mortar have been falling also...not a good sign.  The place should really be knocked down.  I'm waiting for this whole place to sink someday, after all, we are built on top of old coal mines...very dug-out, old coal mines.  A few homes have collapsed already from the ground caving in...maybe we're next!

oooooo - how scarey.  I'm glad the injuries are not any more serious.

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blabber blabber blabber blabber!  blabber blabber?    blabber blabber blabber blabber blabber blabber blabber blabber    blaaaaaaaaaaabber blabber, blabber blabber!!!  

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That gave me a good laugh, I needed that!  Feel free to blabber here any time you like! 

Thanks for all the well-wishes for my friend guys, she's recovering wonderfully.  It certainly gave her a whole new perspective on the fragileness of life, she was really shaken up by the whole thing.  But, she's here & alive and that's all that matters. 

The second fundraising event for my cousin was held this past weekend- the wrestling event.  With only three hours before I had to turn my baked good in, I finally came up with something to make, story of my life...queen of procrastination!  I made mini cherry and apple pies (thank you Betty Crocker!) I don't deserve very much credit for this, if any, all I did was buy the kits for apple crisp and cherry cobbler and instead of baking them casserole style, I did them in those tiny graham cracker pie crusts from Keebler.  They were quite good, though, I had to test one to make sure!    In addition to that, I donated a huge gift basket of candles, bath & body stuff, oils, a wreath, and all kinds of other goodies from my shop, I also helped in selling the raffle tickets.  After all that, I didn't go to the wrestling show, I feel bad about it, but truth be told...after everything else, I was broke!  I couldn't afford the admission to get in, on top of being dead tired.  It came down to having to pick up a few necessities for the house or wrestling tickets.  I hope they understand, but I did already contribute more than anyone else in the family, our budget is tight and we haven't been able to do a full shopping trip in months, we're just living off the absolute necessites and basics.  That's just the way it is sometimes, I'm sure I'm not alone!

I am really getting spring fever right about now, this time of year really toys with your "spring time" emotions.  70 degrees 2 or 3 days in a row, then boom!  Right back to the 40's again!  Maybe even some more snow flurries tomorrow- oh pa-leeze!  I want tulips & daffodils & leaves on the trees & green grass & singing birds & crickets at night...not more snow!!!

My hair should be happy with me after it's little haitus over the weekend.  It got to spend the whole thing au-natural, completely.  No hairdryer, no hairspray, not even much combing.  Just a wash, big vinegar rinse with raw organice ACV, and a conditioning.  Then I was able to allow it to air dry at it's own pace...it dried with the prettiest, shiniest waves in it, it actually looked really nice!  Before bed I gave it a little jojoba oil, too.  This morning I didn't wash or wet it at all, I have it pulled up, but I did need a little spritz of hairspray for hold.  I want to pick up a deep conditioning something or other to try in my hair, I haven't done that in easily 10 years, wonder if it really helps?

I'm awaiting the builing code enforcer's "presence" today.  He finally called back over the weekend, he wants to see proof that the bldg next door is falling apart.  Don't you know, I just finally broke down and cleaned up all the broken glass that fell from their windows into my yard!  So...I got this brainstorm...I'll just toss a rock up and knock some more of the glass down (they're already broken), then I'll really have something to show him.  So, I look around the yard to find a rock...actually a small pc. of brick, get my aim straight and launch.  The brick gracefully sails up, goes through the only already broken spot in the window, gently bounces off the screen behind it and falls back down to land in the grass.  OK, typical for me...try again.  I get the brick chip in my hand again, set my aim, and once again launch.  Clunk!  Bounces off to the left of the window...I can't hit the window!  So it's at this point I take it as a sign and give up.    Only me, I swear!

As for the pigeons, he pretty much told me it's my problem.  Go out & poison them and he'll look the other way.  Uhm, NO!  I'm not really into picking up pigeon carcasses, thank you!  Hopefully this turns out better than I'm expecting, we'll see. 

Peace!

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   *hugs*

Wow, I was almost kicked to the second page!  I'd better get on top of things here...

Life's been a whirl-wind lately.  Typical for me come holiday season, though.  From Christmas to Memorial Day it gets really crazy for me, especially from Easter to Mem. Day, because it overlaps with the start of wedding season, and the proms fall in there too.  All I've been doing is working extra long days, eating and sleeping...monday through saturday, and the past 3 sundays too.  I closed the monday after Easter just to get some rest, so that gave me 1 day off in three weeks!   I'm really feeling exhausted though, it's all catching up with me, my body is feeling physically sore...especially my hands, wrists and fingers.  When I work like this, I guess my muscles swell & I lose circulation and feeling in my hands/fingers, mostly my right.  That's a yucky feeling!

I haven't had much time for fussing with my hair, almost everyday it gets pulled up or back, it's rare that I leave it down.  And shame on me, I've been using way too much hair spray lately.  Working at the pace I've been, I keep checking my hair and re-fixing it, and with every re-fix comes a spritz of hair spray.  I've got to cut it out, that's so so bad!  I haven't done an ACV rinse on my hair, or even used jojoba oil in easily weeks now.  Sunday, sunday, sunday!  That will be my day, for me & my hair.  (hopefully!)

I did, however, stop to measure my hair a few days ago.  Still at 25 & 1/4"   My hair doesn't want to grow any more.  How will I ever get to waist length at this rate? ???

Oh well, it's 5:00 & time to go home, I-AM-POOPED!  Starving too! 

Ciao!

Yeah, I know.  It'll eventually get there, maybe I'll have a growth spurt since it's been idle for so long?

I am proud to say that, yes, I did take sunday all for myself...and it was heavenly. 

I started by dampening my hair and putting in some Pantene Restoratives Breakage Defense conditionerto the length of my hair, bunned it up, covered it with a plastic baggie and left it in for an hour.  I haven't taken time to do something like that for myself in years!  Meanwhile, I cut and polished both my finger and toe nails, my finger nails were all different lengths, chipped and the polish was worn half off, they looked disgraceful!  They look much better now, all cut short & filed nicely, finished off with some pretty beige-frost color...toes done to match!  I used Sally Henson's "Teflon Tuff" nailpolish, holds up pretty good for the working woman's hands!

I took a nice long, hot shower (perfect on a cool, rainy day).  I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair, did an ACV rinse, shampooed, and re-conditioned, followed up with a nice cool rinse.  I then allow my hair all the time it needed to air dry, I could actually hear it thanking me, no kidding!  I must say, I had a great hair day yesterday after treating it so nicely, go ahead, call me vain...but it did look nice! 

I made a trip to the store to buy a few essentials, so we could at least make some sandwiches till our real shopping trip.  I bought organic lettuce, onion, german swiss cheese, a nice tomato & fresh mozzarella salad...everything but the bread to make them on, duh!  I realized this once I got home, at that point I was not about to head back into town just for bread.  We settled for a pizza later instead.    Pizza's always good!

My dog was my buddy for the day, she was glued to my side, I love her so much!  Everywhere I went, from room to room, upstairs, downstairs, she followed me all around.  I was starting to feel bad, because she would just get settled and start falling asleep, then I would walk into another room, and she'd get up and follow me, it was sweet though.  I loved having the day home with her.

I spent some time with my husband, and the night was finished off with an amazing thunder and lighting storm, and pouring rain.  Made for some great sleep.  All in all, it was a muchly needed slow paced and restful day, probably the only one I'll have until after Mother's Day!

For my hair this morning, I rinsed it well, put in some conditioner & let in for 5 minutes, did a scalp wash, and rinsed both out, then re-conditioned followed with a cool rinse again.  Left it dry, and now I have it pulled into two low piggy buns.  Makes for some pretty waves when I take them out!

I'm off, I've got tons of work to do, as usual!  Later...

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Maggie, you crack me up!  I always look forward to reading your journal 

As far as working on 50 million different projects at the same time, this is called multi tasking, dear, and it's common in women all over the universe.  We have to multi task or nothing would get finished on time.  (ooo, that last comment could be construed as a "man bash"--didn't mean it that way!)

*snort*

Oh my god, I feel like I'm the energizer bunny, I just keep going & going...

Totally agree with the whole idea of women being multi-taskers, we rock in that department.  In fact I just made a comment in Beesan's journal on the same subject! 

Man, I feel like life is just whizzing right past me & I'm not jumping on to enjoy the ride.  All I do is work, work, work, and I'm starting to feel like I have nothing to show for it.  I don't take vacations...ever, I haven't been on a vacation in nearly 16 years, never even had a honeymoon.  I don't take "day trips", or do the things that other people do for enjoyment...like swimming or whatever it is that normal folks get to do.  I wake up, go to work, work at work, go home to do house work or more work-work, but at home...but not "homework" like school homework...more like work at home...oh, forget it!   I'm just always working!  I'm exhausted and I just don't see an end in sight, I need a plan because this just isn't life!

So yeah, the whole "mouse-to-ear" thing, not the first time I've done that, unfortunately.  I've also already tried to dial the phone on the calculator, and I nearly brushed my teeth with my razor yesterday morning.  That would not have been a good thing!  See what too much work does to you?

I'll have to continue this later, work calls...go figure!

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ummmmmm...   

so you celebrate every single holiday, huh?? the hard way!

i wish i could come over and help....

ya know what we all need? a girls night out!!

Anyway, good luck with the vases, i hope you can finish 'em so you can get some rest tomorrow

((((((((((hugs))))))))))

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Tell me about it!  I would love that! Lets met at Niagara falls!

I'll bring the barrels. 

Bwahahahahahaaaa! 

Maggie, I just love your 'maggie moments'! but good gracious honey get some rest

Whew, I'm back! *wipes sweat from forehead*  Hope I'm not long forgotten already! 

Well, I can successfully cross mother's day off my list of upcoming holidays, it was a rough, one I'll tell ya.  May is just a hellish month for anyone in the floral industry, good for sales, brutal on the body, especially for us un-staffed  small operations.  But I did survive...now for memorial day, bring it on!

I managed to pull through with only one real "maggie moment", but it was a doozy!  I guess just from being so tired my coordination was not quite up to speed & I paid for it.  Hub & I were out after shop hours planting up some barrells around town, as we were elected for the job this year.  After completing barrell number 6 we returned to the van, ready to head off to the next, when...thwap!  I opened my door....right into my face.  Ouch!    It dazed me for a minute, when I was able to take my hands away from my face & brush my hair away I saw that I split my left eyebrow wide open.  Good thing was that I got away without stitches, just some paper towels, bactine, a butterfly bandage and some ice and I was fine.  Only me!  So, I had to go through Mother's Day with a big white bandage on my eyebrow, but a week later, it's healing up nicely. 

My hair has been on protest lately, no matter what I do it just looks like crud.  As mentioned in earlier posts, it hasn't been getting the royal treatment like it usually does, due to my hecticness, but I have been getting back into my usual routines as best as I can.  It just seems so lifeless anymore, I've been noticing some greys, too- not just the short little ones, but also full length strands.  See what all this stress is doing to me??    I'm going to schedule a trim, maybe that will help, I'll go for about a half inch or so, I don't think my last trim got enough off & now I'm suffering for it.    I'm sure my diet has something to do with it too, when times get crazy around the shop like they've been, my diet suffers, then I suffer!  I hungry and don't have the time to sit down and eat a real lunch, so I start picking at whatever's available, like chips, crackers, and resorting to frozen meals.  So I guess I'll have to get back on track with that, too.

I've got a huge, post-holiday pile of accounts receivable that I'm trying to tackle today, I still do it the old fashioned, hand written way.  Cost efficient, but time consuming and makes for a very sore hand!   I've thought about converting to a computerized method, but then weighed-out the costs of the program and printer/paper needed & decided to keep my old method.  Maybe someday.  Besides, me doing it this way helps to support my local print shop and to keep him in business, after all, he's just a small guy like me.  We need all the support we can get!

I'm off, I've got a potential bride coming to meet with me so I need to get ready.  Ciao!

I'm glad you made it thru Mother's Day with only the one Maggie moment.  I can't imagine how tough this time of year can be for a florist. 

I think I can compete with you for one of those "special" moments that define you as the ultimate clutz.  I managed to fall down a couple of stairs and sprain my "good" ankle on Friday.  So I spent Mother's Day hobbling around, barely able to walk.  Oh well, if we can't laugh at ourselves, we would cry.

Good luck getting thru Memorial Day and the wedding season!

Glad to hear you survived!  At least there's a break between Mother's Day and Memorial Day, so you can have some breathing room.  Try to take some time to spoil yourself, Mags--you deserve it!   

SHE'S  ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                     

Sorry about the vehicles but I think most of us here have been there...we pour gobs and gobs of money into our rides, but they all eventually crap out on us anyway.  Just another part of our disposable society.  Great news about your SIL though!!

Missed you Maggie

sorry about the vehicles . i know how that feels, in our 5 and 1/2 year stay hear we lost 5 cars!! due to accidents or hail

anyway, I really hope that pregnancy goes well!! Congrats!