Moving, Working, and Other Stuff

My family is moving. We are going to be living in a 5th wheel while we are putting in a more permanent residence. I'm not sure how long we will be in that 5th wheel, but it's a nice one, with a decent kitchen, a regular shower, and a couple of recliners, so we should be comfortable. It's an adventure, is what I'm telling myself.

We spent a few evenings getting our area clear of rocks and weeds - it's next to the spot where John puts in his vegetable/melon garden each year. He pulled out a part of the fence (this area was formerly known as The Arena on the ranch), which involved hooking a chain to a couple of powerpoles (used as fence posts) and yanking them out with his pickup. He loved that.

I'm going to do what I did with the apartment and make my front area as pretty as possible. I need to get down to Chico to pick up Max's tree. I look forward to planting it after all these years.  It started in a petunia pot Max's very first Spring/Summer. I kept it right outside the window from his spot in the house (a big, comfy pillow bed which really helped with his Scoliosis).  I really miss that kid. I think about him every day and sometimes out of nowhere I start crying. Grief is an odd thing, stronger than just about any emotion I've ever felt and it can literally steal my words and make me feel powerless.

I've been doing a lot of landscaping sort of work lately. I left the grocery store back in April and I spend most of my time working on a berm-type island on a ranch (never-ending weeds). I've also subbed a bit at the elementary school. I've been an aide, the school librarian, the school secretary, and my most recent job there was cafeteria cook. I've enjoyed all the jobs and I hope that someday they have a permanent place for me.  In the meantime I keep looking, trying new things out. I spent 20 years doing the same thing - it's taking some time to figure out how I want to spend the next 20 years.

Also, I put a few prints up at Fine Art America. You can see my profile here.

Happy Thursday to you!

I Made Soup and I Still Like Barbie

I used to be able to get writing jobs fairly easily. I was hooked up with a big network of moms and I'd just pitch things to them. Later I was hooked up to a big blog network and I just sort of spread myself around pretty well, making a little more, a little more, a little more ... and then it was gone. I've applied for 3 jobs in the last few months and no one wants me anymore. They all say they are looking for a different tone, etc. I can write in a different voice or style, but when I really think about it, I know I want to be me when I write, not some face-less writer who really isn't telling you anything. So many places don't tell you anything anymore. Have you noticed that?  Just a bunch of words strung together in a pretty fashion with no new idea or no real content. Very odd, that is. I want to learn something new either about myself or the subject or the writer. I want to connect. Is that wrong? I thought that was the whole purpose behind blogging in the first place.

In other news, I made some Chicken Soup for my sick husband  last night and it very well might be the best Chicken Soup of my life. It's all downhill from here folks, I've hit the Chicken Soup Peak. ;)  I am going to write it out and get it up at an old food blog that I started forever ago and am pretty sure I'd like to give another go. I love to cook.

I'm going to use my camera every day. Every ding dong day. I used to be that way. I got this yesterday. Tree Moss. It's pretty stuff. Robin and I used to use it in our Barbie houses when we were kids. We were Barbie-girls. I've never understood Barbie-hate. I guess it's because I realized that she was pretend and I did not want to look like her. I missed the whole Barbie ruined my self-esteem boat.  I simply thought she was fun.

Here's the moss....

This came from the bottom of the Christmas tree my husband cut down for me. Sarah and I were watching a movie, he opens the door and shoves this 12 foot tree in the door. It's now about  4 or 5 feet shorter, still not decorated, but it sure is pretty. I missed trees like this when I lived in Chico. I'll post pictures of it tomorrow.

A Year To Get It Right

I have spent the past year trying to figure out who I am and where I belong. I know it sounds melodramatic (whooo am I???), but my life is very definitely divided into three parts - Before Max, During Max, and After Max. He needed me and that made me feel like there was a reason that I existed. I was here for Max. Not that the girls haven't needed me, but they have always had a certain amount of do-it-herself-ness. Max needed me to do for him, because he couldn't do for himself.


I love being home, living in Northern CA again,  I love being married to John, I enjoy certain aspects of my work life (love working outside, found that I enjoy and have a little talent *my boss's words* when it comes to merchandising), but I'm broke all the time. I haven't seen my brother or my sister and their families in over a year. My grandson doesn't know me, Bay is lost and I can't help her. I never see my two best friends or my mom. I feel cut off. (There goes the melodrama again).

I need to figure out a way to work ONE job and make ends meet. Making ends meet with just a little extra would be a dream come true. (Actually that is most likely the American Dream these days...) I need to get organized (my husband's biggest complaint, hey, organize yourself, kid!) and I need to reconnect with my family and friends. I'm going to stop feeling sorry for myself and figure out what I'm going to be. I need to make a list of my strengths and weaknesses, do some research about who actually makes money in my area, and get this thing done.

I give myself a year to get it right.

Out of Balance

I believe that my purpose in life is to find balance. Balance in work. Balance in family. Balance in leisure.  It sounds simple, but it's not. I'm always thinking, always brainstorming ways to find more balance. Sometimes I find it for a temporary amount of time and it's pure bliss. The trick is to find out how to stretch that bliss, lengthen it, draw it out... but maybe that is selfish of me?  Can I be hoping for too much bliss?  Am I too bliss-centric?  See how my brain works?  It's a crazy place at times - I think too much. 

         An example of leisure.... Rode in a biking event with my friend, Angela... Check out that chin of mine...

Here are the areas that I need to work on:

*More money - not for extravagant things, but for necessities
*More time for family
*More order within my home

And I'd like to enjoy what I'm doing when I make the money. I enjoy my work at the store, but it frequently takes me completely out of my family. I work late a lot. John works early. When I get home, he's already asleep. Sometimes he wakes up and he tells me how poorly things played out between he and Sarah that evening. She is 13 and really into testing her new stepdad. I feel guilty that the bulk of the parenting is falling to him lately.

John and I have different parenting styles. He focuses on chores. I focus on growth. He wants things done. I want them done smoothly. He thinks his way is right. I think my way is right. I don't know how he would have handled the years when my oldest daughter was so out-of-control.  There was no talking sense with her. It was maddening and I can remember thinking that I would be alone forever because no man could take that on. Okay, so John came along after that time.... now we've got a new teenager to figure out.... it's always something and it's all about.... growth. :) See, I am right! 

I am thinking about a career change. I look at the schedule every week and I see that very few people are getting enough hours to live on and for some reason, new people are continually hired. Hey, I'd take a few courtesy clerk spots - I have no problem with that work. I find retail hard to figure out. Many aspects appear counter-productive to me, but that's just the way they do them.  The work force is determined by the money made previously. So, if there is a period of slower sales, then fewer people are scheduled, but if there are not enough people scheduled, things go a bit chaotic and we can potentially lose customers.

An example would be the milk. A dairy clerk is scheduled, but he is constantly called up front, away from the milk, because there are more than 2 people in a line and the people up front start bugging out. When the milk clerk is gone, people continue to pull dairy goods off the shelf, which means the shelves empty. Where is all the yogurt?  I can't find my favorite creamer! Ack!!  Let the dairy clerk do their thing. Have an extra clerk up front - maybe they could be a combo courtesy clerk/checker - I've done that before and it worked well. I was available to get people out for their breaks, etc.

Okay, enough retail talk. I've been thinking a lot about sewing. I've got a machine. Just wish I could remember how to thread the bobbin.... more on this later.  I spent last night looking at places like this. If you know of a good sewing blog, please recommend it in the comments.

Hey, do you know anyone who could use a puppy?  Not this one, because we are keeping her, but one equally as cute...

To Jump or Not To Jump

I had 3 days off from the store. I spent I spent one day working at the ranch, one day hanging around the house, and one day cutting firewood with John the Woodcutter (that's what he calls himself when he is talking to his wood clients).  After woodcutting, we met some friends for swimming over at Kelsey Creek, then we drove back to town, put on dry clothes and met those same friends for pizza and Konnection or Connection - not sure which, but it's like Wii and apparently I'm a pretty good faux bowler. Who knew?

We cut and delivered our wood in Happy Camp, which I may have mentioned before is one of my favorite places. Most of the shots I have of it are from the Winter; the trees look the same, only the temperature has changed... a lot. It was hot. Very. I used some of that spray sunscreen on us, the type that is waterproof, UVA/UVB proof, and sprayable from any angle. It worked, no sunburn, but it's weird on your hair. It could easily double as a super-sticky hairspray, if a Bad Hair Day is your aim.

When we met our friends for swimming, we were talked into jumping off a bridge into the creek. Okay, back in the day I would do anything for a dare. Anything. As we hiked up the bank to the bridge there was no doubt in my mind that I would jump. In fact, when John climbed over the rail and balked I said, "Honey, do you want me to go first?"  And I meant it. Then, he went over and I thought, hhmm that was a long fall. When I stepped over the railing, I didn't like the way I had to lean back toward the bridge - there was no ledge, something they probably did to discourage jumping. I stayed up for a few more minutes, talked to a few more jumpers (all male), then I walked back down to the beach. I'm no longer a kid, in fact I'm a grandma. I started a new job last week and I need to be in good shape. I no longer have to do something just because some yahoo (or my husband ;) ) tries to talk me into it. I felt pretty good.

Later, that night, John said something along the lines of he was disappointed that I did not jump, "Everyone should try it once in their lives."  I see. Okay, leaving behind a good job, my family, everything I'd built for 18 years, to move "back home" to be with him, then marry him a couple of months later obviously does not count as a "jump" or a risk for him. I'm not sure if I'm offended that he doesn't recognize the risk I took or pleased that he sees that all as a no-risk, sure it's going to work, proposition....

Mid-July

I'm not sure what else to title this one. I am tired and not feeling very creative, but it's been so long since I updated. I'm learning a new job at the store - I've been promoted to clerk - and while it's less physically taxing, there is a lot more to remember, so my brain is pooped. 

So far I love my new job. It deals more with the business of the store and a little less with the customer service part. I miss chatting with people while I bag their groceries, but I love the idea of having more responsibility. In the drug center, where I work, I will get to make orders, which might not seem like a big deal, but when I compare it with a few days ago, when people were still advising me on how to place groceries correctly in a bag (something that I was good at doing - nobody ever complained that I broke or squished anything) it's pretty big. In fact, tomorrow I am the sole drug center person for most if not all of the day. Woohoo! I hope I don't suck.

:)

My Husband the Woodcutter

My husband is away cutting wood in Happy Camp, California. His goal for this trip was 3 cords of Madrone for a client and then a cord and a half for his hunting partner. Have you ever dealt with green Madrone? It's very much like moving log-shaped boulders - heavy, dense, with a beautiful red color to it. We cut a load of it 2 weekends ago and over and over I thought, this Madrone sucks, it's too heavy, why do men love it so... and on and on, but I (mostly) kept a smile on my face, because I was outside, not working indoors and that's what I prefer, plus John is a good "boss." He never yells and we get pizza and beer when we are done.

My husband is all about the Madrone, but I prefer to deal with something a bit lighter like Fir or even better would be some of the Lodgepole that my in-laws have out at the back of their ranch. It's all stacked in a "deck," ready to be split with a borrowed splitter. This is the easiest possible wood practice - John cuts the lengths, I roll or carry them to the splitter where he sits on a log-stool and splits piece-by-piece as his dad runs the controls.  His dad is funny and whenever there's a break he makes jokes like, "The crack of dawn only lasts so long, but the crack of John lasts forever." My husband's pants are always falling down.

After the wood is split, we throw it into the back of a pickup. When there's enough in the pickup, John gets in and starts stacking it. He's very particular about the stacking and seems to distrust my stacking ability each time, until we get near the end and he says, "You are doing okay."  Doing okay is a compliment from John, as is "Pretty good for a town this size," when he finishes a meal. As I'm a person who is fairly confident in my abilities, I don't need a lot of compliments, but I do get prickly about having to prove myself over and over. I sometimes wonder if it is a test. Test this, you big dork... Okay, that was a joke...

John is a lot of fun to work with. He makes up jokes and songs and really enjoys the entire wood-getting process, even when it's the boulder-Madrone and he's splitting each piece by hand. He is very strong and I feel a certain sense of pride when I hear that crack! as the wood splits - my husband is like Superman, is what I think. I sure hope Superman comes home soon, because I've slept without him for 3 nights and just thinking about his lovely, freckled shoulders made me feel like crying this morning.

Constant Change

In the months since Max died, I've been going through a time of constant change. New jobs, new relationships, new homes, new friends, new hobbies - my life, as it exists today, is something I never could have predicted.

I'm lucky, because I have a lot of good choices available to me. I sift through the choices - some work out, others do not. I try to remain flexible and I've simplified things to a point where I can live with a lot less money coming in. Sometimes something seems like a good idea or I make a choice, because to pass it up seems stupid. For example, I left the market and went to work at the center because it meant twice as much money. I wanted to save my minivan. Unfortunately, I am unhappy working there and I still can't save my minivan. So, I'm giving it up. More changes to come....

John drove me to work 3 times before he decided I needed a new vehicle asap. Thanks to a loan from my in-laws, I am now the proud owner of a 1992 F-150 pickup truck. Perfect for my life as a....  Landscape. Ta-da! I love that work. AND I'm going back to the market part time, because I loved that job. Bagging groceries - who knew how fun it could be. Good exercise, too.

It is important to me that I am not just making money, but enjoying my work, because I've found that when I'm miserable, I'm not that much fun to live with. There's a good amount of truth to the saying, When Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.  I'm the one who makes the home and it's important to me to make it a happy one. Family is my focus.

On that note, check out my handsome grandson, Gavin P, who came to stay with me last weekend. He's a charmer and a half.

Gavin and his big blue eyes.

The Man Is Hound-Crazy.....

I've had a little trouble writing lately, plus my boyfriend is usually on the computer, so that limits my time to update. :)  The man is hound-crazy and he follows a few forums, plus screen-shopping for hound supplies....

I'm still trying to find a second job. John and I sold oranges off and on throughout the month. I enjoyed it a lot. It's similar in many ways to the work I do at Raley's. I talk to people and lug stuff around - pack the oranges into the truck, unpack them at the site, take them to people's cars, then load the unsold oranges back up. I don't ever want to go back to a sedentary job. I love the physical part - the moving around, using my muscles, trying to be quick. Anyway, my thought is that I could continue to sell the oranges on my own. I saw my schedule for next week - I definitely have the time.


Our puppy is getting so big. He's now as tall as the hound, Sis and pretty close to being Red-size. The other day, he was trying to hump Sis (he is a wild humper with no idea what he is doing) and she was not having it. She flipped him over her back - all long puppy-legs and ears in the air. It was so funny. Whenever I need to smile, I picture that flying pup.

Diving In & Mermaid Swimming

Today, I wrote out a blog post while in training. It was just after 3 pm, which I've found to be the hour of my saturation point. We take a break at 2:30, go back to class for 3 minutes and suddenly it's like Charlie Brown's teacher is talking at me, "Wannk, wannk, wannk..." I lose my ability to take on any new insurance information.

Anyway, I'd go get it, type it in here, but I'm too tired. Instead, I will share with you my horoscope and if horoscopes are your thing, I suggest you go read yours here.  Rob Brezsney of Free Will Astrology says...

Focus on what's small and slippery, Leo. Turn your gaze away from what's big and obvious. Exult in the salamander on the rock and a friend who has a new trick and the guilty pleasure you just discovered; excuse yourself from obsessing about the state of the economy, the meaning of life, and the clash between science and religion. Your pleasurable duty is to love what's in the midst of changing, and not fixate on trying to make arrangements that will supposedly last forever. Don't just grudgingly attend to the mercurial details; dive in as if playing with them were your central purpose.

Dive in?  Hhmm. I like it. When I was a little girl, my Grandpa Harold had to teach me how to dive every Summer. I'd master it fairly well over the course of the season. A little dive in, then swim like a mermaid to the other side of the pool.  I'd practice over and over - eventually holding my breath all the way across the pool, then I'd do a lap up and back. My dives were pretty good, my mermaid swim better, but I never could execute Grandpa's perfect jack knife.

Then, the weather would turn cold and I'd lose my nerve over the Winter. When the weather warmed back up, I had to re-learn the whole thing again. I think it was fear that kept me from diving. Fear of the belly flop.

Belly flops sting a bit, sure, but I've given birth 3 times and that puts pain into perspective for me. And I'm a really good diver now..........still can't get that jack knife, though.

Not A Red Frog

I haven't updated in a long time. First I was bored and boring and didn't feel like talking about being either one. Then, I started a new job on Monday and I'm exhausted. I will be working in transactions, fixing and paying health insurance claims. I seem to be the only one in the class who knows nothing about insurance. That's what happens when you go without health insurance and avoid doctors for 10+ years. I guess that in this case being healthy isn't a good thing.


I think the work is going to be challenging and I like learning new things, but I miss taking care of someone. I miss Max, because he was my son and I loved him, but also because I  felt like I was doing something important and worthwhile. Not that health insurance isn't important, but it's not the same. I wonder if I'm meant to be a nurse?  I wish I could go back to school. I'm going to think on this one for awhile and see what I come up with. In the meantime, I'll keep with the training, because I know there are lots of opportunities for growth in my company.

I'm taking Sarah on a road trip this weekend. We are going to visit a friend and he's got all kinds of interesting adventures planned for us. I don't know what we are doing for sure, but it all sounds good to me. I want to get outside..... and I'm looking forward to seeing my friend. :)

 No, my friend is not pictured above. He's much taller than the red frog and I'm pretty sure he can jump higher, too.

Monday Sucks Sometimes

I woke up feeling all excited about the bliss, but then real life hit and I got off track. Some days suck. Really suck. Today was one of them.

I basically hid out in my room, getting my work done, writing, sending out a request for new products to review, which helped a lot. I took a few pictures of a new body spray that arrived - they sent it with little shells, the box had all these stickers saying it was from France all over it. I used the shells in a few shots and at least ended up with one photo for my 365 project. Not a great photo, but at least I'm getting back on track.

Now it's the end of the day, I have my run in, I'm watching The Bachelorette long distance with my sister and I made it through one more day. Tomorrow will be better.  I can't get where I'm going all in one day.

It's Easier When the Kids Sleep In

I'm so drowsy today. I think I'm on a happiness hangover from all that Up, Up, Up, I was experiencing yesterday. I'm not complaining, I love a Good Day.

I've been working on getting photos up at my photography website and the Facebook page for the business. It takes awhile, because I have to go between two computers. If I bump my old computer, it goes all wonky, because a driver is broken. I sure wish I could get that system fixed at some point. I love that machine. My old computer holds almost 4 years of photos and there are a TON of them. I'd like to find some unedited versions of some of my favorites so that when I get my photoshop, I can edit them properly. For example, I always kind of liked this one.

And this one.  Neither look anything like the jpg that I started with.

Oh! Sounds like my kids are finally waking up. They've slept until after 11am, so I've got all my work done for the day. Max is home from Summer school today with the barfs. Poor kid.

I wish you a wonderful day!! 

I'm In Charge Here

I woke up feeling sort of blue this morning. Ugh. Enough of that.

I realize that my mood, my point of view, I'm in charge of it. If I don't want to feel sad, it's up to me to get my shit together and turn myself around.  It's that simple. Right?  Okay, not simple, but do-able.

I need to get my mind back to where I was a few years ago.  I had a good life and I was happy.  I was focused on my kids and my home. I was organized and on track. Then, I got a peek at something else and I went sort of nuts.

It's okay to dream, it's okay to work toward a goal, but it's also important to find peace and some sense of satisfaction in where you are.

It's the Mary Englebreit idea of  Bloom Where You Are Planted.

Here's how I plan to get back on track...

*Lay off the dating for awhile. Just put it on the shelf. If someone wonderful drops into my lap, okay, I'll go for it, but I'm not seeking it out for now.

*Pare down some of my writing projects. I'm going to focus on a few key blogs and step away from the rest. I've been freaking out about money since the end of Splendicity. It's been fairly terrifying. Time to stop scrambling. I will focus on marketing what I enjoy most.

*I'm going to get back to work on my book.

*I'm going to spend more time with my camera in my hand.

*I'm going to stop thinking about moving and instead make the place where I live, my home for 6 years now, feel like the place where I want to stay.

Okay, there are my goals. Do-able. All of them.  Happy days, here I come!!   Happy Mother's Day to you, if you are a mom. :)

Day 2 of the Tourney

This is the last weekend for Sarah's basketball season. They are on day 2 of their end of the season tournament - so far undefeated this season. Basketball has been a bit different this year. I've noticed that Sarah is really changing with adolescence. Sometimes her mind is just someplace else. I forgot how hard that is, the trying to keep your mind on one thing when it really wants to wander out the door, into the sunshine to daydream about boys......or puppies, at this age it could be either.

When she's done, I think we are going to find something else to do on weekends. We haven't hiked in so long. Maybe she and I can hike or go on a bike ride. She might enjoy taking the cameras out together, like Bay and I love to do. I will follow her lead. I don't want to push sports on her, because they are what I enjoy, if she'd rather do something else (something that does not involve just sitting on the computer watching Mr. Saftety videos for hours on end).

I lost one of my jobs this weeks. I knew it was coming - they let everyone go, but it's still been hard to wrap my mind around it. The loss of income sucks. I'm working on a couple of other projects, plus still writing Beauty & Fashion at Gadabout Media.com, but the structure, the daily deadline is gone and I didn't realize how much I depended on it. I have to "boss" myself now. I hope I do a good job, I need to do a good job, but I won't get fired this time.

I've learned that writing is like this - the jobs come and the jobs go. I have a problem with change and the lack of permanence. I like to know what is coming, I like structure and being able to budget my money accurately. I like the stability of working for someone else. I have to let go of that. I have to learn the business of blogging for real now. I have to learn how to write a marketing plan and to hustle sponsors and ads. I can do it, but right now, sitting here thinking about the end of the basketball season, I want to put it all away, up on the shelf, for one more day.

Super Quick, Really Fast Update, Whooosh!

I've been so busy lately. I spent last month writing 20 extra blog posts for Splendicity Bath and Body, then I started a couple of new blogs. One has no actual content yet, but the colors sure look pretty.

The other is Grab A Pan.com and it does have some content, but the blog is not ready for launch yet. I need to set up the sections and the title and the......it needs a lot of work, but if you want to check it out and click on "recipes" or "eating out," you can see a little of what I've been working on.

Sarah and I are going to head out for a quick walk. I'll catch ya later!

Feeling Chatty....

I started my holiday baking last night. I made some combo chip cookies with semi-sweet, milk chocolate, white chips and coconut. They turned out good, but I've never met a chocolate chip cookie that I did not like. Sometimes I put a little bit of oats in them. I like a crisp cookie and both the browned coconut and oats really give a cookie great texture.

I made up sugar cookies with the cookie cutters that I got from Mom and Grandma. I love using their tools. My rolling pin used to be Great Grandma Halfhill's. I like feeling like they are somehow baking right alongside me. Most of my pans belonged to Grandma Halfhill, my strainer, my colander, all the things I use every day. I'd like to add to my pan collection, but I will always use these tools. I trust them.

I have a friend who uses his mother's baking table when he cooks. It's perfect - good height, good size, and you can see the marks she put into the table over the years as she prepared food for her family. What a treasure. He lost his mom way too early, but every meal he prepares, her hand is in it.

That table means a lot to him. I appreciate people who get things like that. New things are nice, but a little family history, there's nothing like it. I want to hand things down to my girls when they have their own families. I want Bailey to be able to grate cheese for tacos with Grandma's grater and Sarah to scoop ice cream with her wooden handle scoop. It might sound silly, but that's just me.

Baking, it really helped to regain my holiday spirit. I've still got a lot left to do - lacy almond cookies and some fudge. Maybe some chocolate krinkles for Mom. Tonight I'm going to make a quiche for dinner. I haven't made one of those in a long time. When I was a hairdresser, I'd take my tips upstairs where I'd pick up quiche and spinach salad for lunch. Yum. That reminds me......I think I need a bag of spinach. I'm going to finish my decorating and my wrapping. Okay, I'm going to start the wrapping - I have nothing under the tree so far. It's going to take me awhile. Good thing I've candy canes and cookies for energy.

Kitty scratched Sarah's face today. Sometimes she's mean and nasty. I try to get Sarah to understand that she can't have her face too close to her. I'm afraid that she's going to get her in the eye. I love my cat, but when she makes my girl cry, I feel like doing a Grandpa Harold, I feel like sending her sailing out the door (he chose the deck, flying kitty - don't worry, she always landed on her feet). I don't. I am gentle with her, but she's going to stay stuck in my bedroom for awhile today.

I'm done with my work-work for the day. Way early. Feels great. I may even get time to read today. Guess what? This was my 300th post. Wow.

On My Makeup Wishlist

My minivan over-heated today. Damn. I don't know what is wrong, but I filled it with anti-freeze and drove home. I checked later and the level was low again. I'm going to baby it and try to wait until January to get it fixed. Luckily I live close to the grocery store, etc, so I can walk if I have to.

I'm really enjoying my new job at Gadabout Media. I love the freedom to write about pretty much anything that tickles my fancy like this makeup kit.........

I wrote about it after seeing an article in SELF magazine about low cost makeup ideas for gleamingy, sparkly holiday looks. The whole kit, made by Urban Decay, is only $18. If you'd like to see the post, it's here. You can use it for way more than just eye makeup. I so want that kit!!

Max's Mohawk

Today is my son Max's 19th birthday. In honor of the day and because I thought it would be a good look for Halloween, I gave him a mohawk. Do you have any idea how hard it is to hold up a kid and cut his hair at the same time? It's near impossible, but here's how he turned out........ His hair had grown so long, because..........well he's Max and Max has a lot of hair, but he was sick for a few weeks and I didn't want to hassle him with a haircut. Here's what we started with.... I already had one side buzzed when I remembered to ask Bay to grab the camera. You can see from the other side that his hair was down to his shoulders.

After I buzzed it, I couldn't get the mohawk to stand up, so I had to cut some of the length of it off. If he was someone who walked around, we could use something extra to really stiffen the spike part, but I don't want to make the kid miserable. He spends so much of his time napping. I think after this, I'll leave the mohawk for a bit and just let it lay down.

I hope he enjoys showing it off at school today. His school has students of all ages - preschool all the way up to the early 20s. He's probably one of the oldest guys there.

Today is also my last day at Relationships - I finished Food/Nutrition a few days ago. I'll still be at Splendicity Fragrance and Pretty By Nature. I'm starting at a new place very soon. Relationships was my first blogging job - it was called Dating Dames back then - my first writing job after a few years away from freelancing. I'm ready for a change, but I'm a little sad about leaving it behind.

**Okay, not my last day at Blisstree Relationships because I can't post. Maybe tomorrow?**

Unrelated Thoughts

I got a shipment of EO products today. The box was heeaaavvy. I love my job. I haven't bought any body wash for months. Max got to try the stuff out first. He took a vanilla/lavender bubble bath and washed up with Citrus body wash. I think he felt very refreshed. They make this shave cream that works really well. They have great fragrance combos like grapefruit mint and their chocolate really smells like chocolate.

I wrote this piece up today about ingredients to avoid. Parabens. Synthetic Colors. Phthlates (hard to spell). There's so many possible carcinogens out there. It's scary. If I think about it too much, it makes me scared to breathe. EO products are natural. No scary stuff.

Sarah said that she had trouble sleeping last night. Apparently Max had funny dreams and spent part of the night laughing in his sleep. I am so sorry that I missed it. He has the very best laugh ever. It goes a bit like this..... uh HUH, HUH, HUH, HUH, Huuuuhhh. Trust me, it's a good one.

I liked having him home all week. It's important that he goes to school, but having him close, where I can see him and control his environment, I feel that he's safest that way. Right now he's going, "Ohhh.........uuhhhh." I think he's playing with his voice. He is so adorable. I talked to the bus driver about the increase in his allergies since returning to school. She said that one of the other moms said the same thing. It's an old building.

Bay has a new boyfriend, but she's staying home with us tonight. She went to bed at about 6 pm yesterday. She was still sleepy when I woke her at 7am. Could she be going through a growth spurt? She's 17 now. I can't remember how old I was when I quit growing.

Her friend called me from work today and said, "Hello, Michelle, this is _____ qui qui...." I have no idea how to pronounce the first part and I'm totally guessing on the second. I said, "Huh? What? Could you repeat that? " and they repeated it again and maybe if I hadn't spent 3 years working in a school cafeteria I'd have had some idea what they were saying.

At one point, I heard, "Can I sing you a song?" and I said, "No. I'm busy. Bye." I assumed Bay had something to do with it. I was not wrong. When I picked her up, her friend wanted to sing me the song.

She told me that there were a couple of fights at her school today. One involved students and a boy was stabbed with a pencil. The other involved some men who just happened to be walking down the street. They fought in the parking lot. I'd really, really like to get her out of that school.

Just reread this. What a bunch of unrelated thoughts.