This, that, and Freida

I think I've mentioned a time or two that coffee is a drug to me. Thank goodness it's legal. Because of it's effect on me, I only have real coffee on my days off. Coffee makes me very happy. Very. So much so that when I think of a day off, I think of coffee. When I think of vacation, I think of a lot of coffee. So to all of you that get to drink real coffee every day, I envy you. For me it's decaf with some happy days thrown in. Fortunately for me, I'm both a morning person and full of energy so I don't need coffee to get me going. I was certainly going this morning after my large extra shot latte at Borders. I spent about two hours there with my laptop. I had to tear myself away to spend time with my mom. We went to Paneras for lunch, then browsed the aisles of Walmart. My mom loves going there, and it can be fun to just roam. There's always something to to buy; I got a new case for my iPhone. I brought my mom back home, then ventured out to Marshall's and bought a Pea coat. I've wanted one for a while, and now I have one. I brought the coat to my car and thought to myself, now what? Nothing to go home to. Time on my hands. Laptop in car. So, I'm hanging out at Caribou Coffee next to the fireplace. It's really nice here...it looks like a lodge in Yellowstone. I'm sneaking peeks at the people around me. There's a very glum, very depressed-looking woman sitting in a lounge chair staring into space. I wonder what her life is like? There's a young guy in jeans and black Converse's texting on his Blackberry. There's three high school girls at a table giggling, texting on their iTouch's, and attempting to do homework. There's a middle-aged couple that look like they're dating. And then there's me, with my decaf. The fireplace is blocking my view of the other half of the coffee shop. I mentioned I like places like this, right?

Someone posted something on Facebook today about the Peanuts Gang. It brought up a memory of the curly-haired girl. I always related to her, being a curly-haired girl myself. I did some searching and found this on Wikipedia.
Freida

"Her most prominent feature is her "naturally curly hair," which she manages to work into every conversation, to the dismay of those around her. This self-love about her hair leads people to believe that she is rather vain. In turn, Frieda herself believes that the other girls are jealous of her hair (and is often depicted as disappointed or depressed when the other girls tell her that they're not jealous of her hair), and also that "people expect more of her" because she has it." "Today she is best remembered as the Peanuts character with naturally curly hair, of which she is extremely proud." Notice that she's not wearing a baseball cap? Freida never wore one because it would mess up her curls. I never wear one either.

Back when I was reading Peanuts, I hated my curly hair. I certainly wasn't proud. I always thought to myself, "what did I do to deserve naturally curly hair?" Since I embraced it in my early 20's, I've known it to be a blessing. I'm curly and I'm proud.

Ta Da about something

It was a wonderful day in the neighborhood, meaning, it was a good day. I had a new client today. Lately I've been getting a few a week, which is great and necessary in my business. My job requires a lot of talking. It's up close and personal. You never know what kind of connection you're going to make with a new client. Will you have things in common to talk about? Will you hit it off or will you feel awkward? Fortunately, most of my clients, new and old, are great. I guess after all these years I'm a pretty good talker. I can make most people feel comfortable. Very few make me feel uncomfortable, but that happens from time to time. I deal with it. Today's new client was instantly likable and she loved her hair. The most exciting part of my day was the makeover I did on Karen/Happyone. When I first met her she had very dark brown hair. At some point she decided she was ready to grow the color out and go natural, which turned out to be a beautiful silver. It took a long, long time to grow that color out. I know I couldn't have endured the process, and I never plan to. No gray hair for me! Karen told me she was thinking about coloring her hair again. The silver made her feel old, and she wasn't ready for that. I loved her silver hair. It was bright and beautiful. I love the new color and I do think it makes her look younger. I can't wait to hear what Ken thought when he came home to this surprise. He knew she was thinking about coloring her hair, but didn't know it would be today.

Karen was my last client and I suggested we go to my favorite Asian restaurant, Pei Wei, for dinner. It's owned by P.F.Chang's. What a nice way to end a Wednesday workday.

I came home at 6:30, washed my face and put on pajamas. I've been sitting on the couch relaxing like a couch potato since then. Luxury. I've watched a few DVR'd shows and eaten popcorn. I don't remember the last time I just chilled and it's been great.

I'll spend at least part of tomorrow with my mom. It's time to get back to my old routines. As with all my days off, I wonder what will unfold. I like surprises.

Coffee, iPhone, Me

Could it really be Monday when it feels so much like a Sunday? It's been a stay at home day. A day of lazing around till about noon, doing a whole lot of not much. Somehow I got motivated and accomplished very much by putting almost every part of Christmas away. The lights are still outside, but it's much too cold to even think about removing them, and unplugged lights don't really matter. All I have left to do is take down the staircase stuff and the jingle bells from my window treatments. My goal was to put away the tree, so I exceeded my expectations. The house looks plain, again. I like an uncluttered look, so it's not a complaint. I wish I could finish out the night here at home, but Emily has an 8:00 indoor field hockey game. I'm glad she's playing so I'm more than willing to go out. In the freezing cold. I mentioned that, right?

I went to the movies yesterday to see the third in my quest for five. I had all intentions of seeing Brothers but made an unexpected last minute decision to see Invictus. What an inspiring movie! The title is taken from the poem 'Invictus' by William Ernest Henley. Nelson Mandela memorized the poem and drew inspiration from it during his long incarceration as a prisoner of his country and then as it's president. The last lines of the poem are as follows: "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul." Those words kept his spirit alive. I need to learn more about Nelson Mandela.

I walked around the mall afterward. Arundel Mills has a new LEGO concept store. It was packed. I loved the window display made out of, what else? Legos.

I came home and made a very fattening and delicious dinner. NY strip steaks pan-fried in butter and olive oil. Mashed potatoes with lots of butter, cream cheese and cream. Green beans and broccoli, both with butter. Ben and Jerry's for dessert. I can't wait to get back to my routine tomorrow.

There's still a pile of snow on my deck that once was my snowman. I've put all the pictures in a file and will post them when what's left of him is gone, gone, gone. It's been a fun journey, starting with a very tall pile of snow that is now a little one. Because it's so cold it might stay this way for a while.

I noticed something in my blog layout that I didn't see till yesterday. There's an iPhone right behind the flat-tipped paint brush. How perfect is that? Coffee, iPhone, me.

Burrrrr

It's a killer cold morning. Cold as can be. Windy. The wind chimes have been singing since yesterday. I wish I had a working fireplace. Mine only makes smoke and I haven't lit it in years. If you were only looking for looks, it looks good. Maybe I could place the space heater in it and pretend?

My work week is done. The whole week had a different feel to it. The bosses are vacationing at their condo at Wisp Ski Resort in Deep Creek Lake. A bunch of the staff took the week between Christmas and New Year's off, including Saturday. In a way I was jealous, but then again, my income is entirely commission, so I need to work. I have scheduled some time off. I'm going to meet my GA sister in Raleigh in February to visit my oldest nephew and his family. I'm going to an advanced hair cutting class in VA in March. I'm also going to Wisp the last weekend in March. I'll work extra days and longer hours to accommodate my clients. I'm not one to miss work, except for my summer vacations. I'm all about summer vacations.

I cut Rob's hair on Friday. I think he was a little nervous. Cute, huh?

I cut Emily's hair last night. She's only been asking for a few months.

Rob and I went to my parent's house on Friday. My mom said all kinds of embarrassing things that I won't repeat. She gave Rob all kinds of advice. Embarrassing advice along with a list of all my so called virtues. The three of us went to Olive Garden for an early dinner. It was really nice. Rob sent me text messages from across the table. Very sweet and romantic ones. He got a chance to talk to my father when we got back to the house. My brother was also at the house setting up the new travel trailer that he's parking in my parent's driveway. I'm ready to go camping. Actually, I love to camp but haven't done it in years and years. That's one thing I'm looking forward to doing in the spring. I have all the equipment, but I never thought it was a safe thing to do with just Emily and me.

So, it's Sunday morning and I'm the only one up. Emily is asleep upstairs and Rob is sleeping on the couch in the family room. It's nice and peaceful despite the sound of 50 mile an hour wind gusts. It's probably a perfect day to stay inside and start putting away my Christmas house. Then again....

I hope its a great weekend where you are. Stay warm. Happy day!

Cha Cha Cha Changes

New Year, new template. I think this one's a keeper. Thank you Andrew!

Twenty Ten

I like the sound of that. Twenty ten. 2010. New Year. New opportunities. Fresh starts. What will unfold in the new year? I'm not one for resolutions. I'm one for hope, for health, for happiness.

My New Year's Eve was a quiet one at home with my guy. It's hard to believe we've been together for 8 weeks. Did I mention that I hadn't been on a date in all the years I was separated and divorced? A lot of years. I really had no interest in it. For one, I didn't see how I could find the time between working, being a single mom, taking care of a home, spending time with my mom, etc. I wasn't in a place where I met men. I'm very independent and set in my ways. I'm happy alone. I was fine. Really. I never felt like I was missing anything. It was kind of like, what you don't know, you don't miss. My marriage didn't make me happy. Being alone made me happy. It was all my way, all the time. Because of my occupation, I'm surrounded by 'friends'- my co-workers and my clients, who really are friends. About a week before I met Rob I was sitting on the dock of the Severn River on a beautiful day, gazing at a Great Blue Heron, happy. I thought the thought, 'I'm so happy that I can be happy alone.' Then I thought, 'It might be even better to be happy with someone else'. After all these years, I met someone else to be happy with. We spend all our time together, together. We talk. We're friends. It's pretty awesome. I'm not sure where it will go. We're still getting to know each other. I'm not thinking ahead. Really. I don't know what the future holds and I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to enjoy each day, one day at a time, and consider each day a gift. And that's my musing for the day.

I wish all my friends a Twenty Ten that's even better than Two Thousand and Nine.

Watch what you wish for

Notice the change in the blog? Andrew has been helping me with my blog design. I love the one he put up, but a friend has the identical one. One day I'll have something more permanent. You might see a few designs till we come up with the right one. I wish I could design my own header. I'd like to see a curly-haired girl with a laptop, an iPhone, and a caramel latte.

I always wish there were more hours in the day. I finally figured out that I wake up at 4:30 AM almost every day because I wish for it. More hours. This wasn't how I wanted to get it.

So, I've been on the computer. I'm on my second load of laundry. I'm tired. I was surprised to look out and see about a half-inch of snow on the ground, and falling. It's changed over to freezing rain, or sleet. I'm glad I'm not scheduled to be at work till 11:00. Will people cancel their appointments? Will the roads be okay? I guess I'll find out. We have a skeleton crew at work this week. I didn't realize how many stylists were taking time off. It's been fine being there. I need to work.

I did a fun make-over on Tuesday. A client brought in her college-freshman sister, Sarah (I made the name up so I could call her something) for a haircut. Sarah had very thick long hair that she wanted cut to below chin length. She was looking for something edgy, shaggy, stylish. Why didn't I take pictures? It took an hour to cut and the transformation was amazing. She looked like a very cool college kid. Her boyfriend was with her and while my client was being shampooed he asked if anyone could do his hair. I hooked him up with Joyce, who gave him a very cool faux-hawk. As I was finishing Sarah and he was walking towards us to show off his new do, she quietly said, "He stole my haircut thunder". After a moment's thought I said, "you're right". He did. She was no longer the star. What a phrase, 'haircut thunder'. I immediately thought, I have to blog about that. They made the cutest couple with their new look. They both had haircut thunder.

I'm staying in tonight. Rob is coming over, weather permitting. My plan is to grill flat-iron steaks and garlic potato wedges, and make fresh green beans. That is if my grill isn't frozen. I have some new DVD's. A nice, quiet New Year's Eve.

I wonder what 2010 holds in store for us? I'm looking forward to finding out.

Happy New Year, friends!

The Party's Over

How did it get to be Monday night already? Five days off sounded like forever a week ago. What did I do with my time? I was off on Thursday. I cooked and wrapped presents and just hung out. Friday, Christmas, was spent at my brother and sister-in-laws with my family. Rob came over for a while after driving back from his family. My friend and co-worker Julie came over on Saturday and we hung out all day. Went out to lunch at P.F.Chang's. Shopped at Annapolis Towne Center. Went to Best Buy. Went to Annapolis Mall. Crowds everywhere! We had dinner at her house with her husband and Rob. I made the lasagna and we had Caesar salad and garlic bread. Yum. I spent Sunday morning cleaning up, then Rob and I spent a quiet day together. Today I went to the movies. First I saw 'It's Complicated'. That had me and the audience laughing out loud at times, but there were times I had tears in my eyes. I decided to see another movie when it ended and Avatar was ready to start, so there I went, not knowing anything about it. Wow. What a movie. I'm sure I wouldn't have gone if I knew what it was, but I'm glad I did. It was pretty amazing. Tonight was spent driving to Modell's so Emily could get a new mouth guard, then to the Sportsplex for her indoor field hockey game. So there you have it pretty much in a nutshell. Five days gone in a flash. I work Tuesday, Wednesday and a half-day on Thursday. I'm off Friday and then back to work on Saturday. An easy week, but not as easy as the past one.

Was this a mundane post or what? I vote for yes.

Merry Christmas

Thoughts on Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve. I'm home, alone, and happy. That's what matters, right? I spent a busy day visiting first Kit, then my parents. I cut my mom's hair. My sister Lisa was there to visit also. We all went out to lunch. The traffic killed me!

I came home and started cooking, which was very therapeutic. It was a rough night last night and a tiring day. I put together the lasagna that I'll cook on Saturday. Made Fumi salad and hot artichoke dip that I'll bring to my brother and SIL's tomorrow. The house has been silent and very peaceful for hours. The only sound is that of the clothes dryer. The smell is from my new candle that is the BEST ever. Here's that story: I was checking out at Bed Bath and Beyond the other day. I smelled a wonderful smell. I asked about it and the cashier said it could be any of the candles. It was the one right in front of me. I bought a votive. When I got into my car after work, the whole car smelled wonderful from the candle. Today when I opened the BB&B bag, the smell wafted out. I have it burning right now. It's by Yankee Candle and it's GOOD AIR odor eliminating just plain clean. No, this isn't a paid endorsement :)

I need to wrap gifts. Just Emily's. The rest, and there's not many, I'll wrap tomorrow. Emily will go to her dad's in the early afternoon and I'll go to my family at 3:00. If I'm lucky I'll find a movie to go to on my way. There's so many good ones out there. I hope to see at least 5 over the holidays. That's my expensive goal.

Saturday will be spent with my friend Julie. She's the one that set Rob and me up. The guys will be down in the recording studio all day. Julie and I will go shopping and to a movie. I'm bringing the lasagna over for dinner. I was going to make a dessert but I'll bring one of the many sweets given to me by my clients. We'll all have dinner together, watch a movie, etc... It's going to be a great day. Emily will be going to NYC with her father and step mom on Saturday for an overnight. They do that every year. My ex's family lives in Brooklyn. Em and Tony and Maggie usually stay at the Ritz in the city. Skate in Central Park. Go to Tavern on the Green. Not shabby. They always have a good time.

Happy Christmas Eve to all my friends. You mean more to me than you know.

The day before tomorrow

It's an up and at 'em day. Unfortunately the 'up' started at 4 AM, but I can deal with it. It's the last work day before a 5 day vacation. I'm at Borders drinking a decaf latte. It tastes delicious but it's missing the kick. That's OK. I have lots of caffeine to look forward to in the coming days. I had a few things to buy at Borders and wanted to be here at 8 when they opened. It's quiet. No lines. Empty parking lot. Laptop and latte. What a great way to start the day.

Today is my father's 82nd birthday. I spent some time this morning thinking about his life. He grew up in the tenements in Brooklyn, NY. His father died when he was 6 (I think) and his mother was left with 2 children and no money. His mother was a bitter woman, and my father had a very unhappy childhood. He quit school when he was in 8th grade. Left home at an early age. Later he joined the army and spent time in Korea. He was best friends with my mother's brother, and eventually my parents married. It's not been a good marriage. As I write this, I realize I'm painting a bleak picture. My dad is a people person. He'll schmooze with anyone. They know him at all the local grocery stores, Best Buy, Walmart, the Senior Center, etc. He's very generous. I don't think he's had a happy life. I wish it had been different. I'm glad he's my dad.

My parents and my sibs in April

Well, I'm starting to fade. Sure wish I could have just a little caffeine. I need to get to work so I can be busy.

Happy Wednesday friends!

No La De Da

I've been thinking of having a new header on my blog. I wonder what it will be?

Just a quick post. It's gorgeous outside and I can't wait to get bundled up and get in the snow. Shovel and sled. The sun is brilliant and the reflection on the snow is amazing. The sky is blue! I think the snow is done falling. Maybe we got 20-something inches? Here's the snow mound on the deck this morning compared to yesterday:
Yesterday.

Today.

I love how the new snow smoothed the mound out and made it bigger. Soon it's gonna be a snowman. See the blue sky?

Time to put the layers on. I'll be taking new pics.

Blizzardy Day

What a day. I've been a domestic goddess. What? You're not supposed to call yourself a goddess? OK. It's been a domestic day. I made breakfast for the gang. I made a Texas Sheetcake. I have a double recipe of pot roast in the oven and I've invited a bunch of neighbors over for dinner. The kitchen is clean and I'm finally relaxing. Emily and Phil spent a bunch of time outside. So did Rob. Not me. Not yet. Not today.


Rob shoveled the deck and left this pile to make a snowman. It's gotten taller as the day's gone by.

View from the deck.

Inside looking out.

It takes a real man to wear pink.

Don't they look like an ad for Abercrombie?

Working hard but having fun.

House and cul-de-sac.



What I'm looking at as I blog.

Happy Me!

SNOW!

We're in the midst of a major storm here. Woohoo! I decided to make it a sleep-over weekend. Emily's boyfriend is sleeping on the living room couch and Rob is sleeping on the family room couch. I went grocery shopping yesterday morning before the crowds hit and bought all the ingredients to make The Pioneer Woman's pot roast. I'm thinking of making bread. I bought chicken and shrimp and deli meats and cheeses and ice cream and bagels and chocolate. We have a good hill and sleds and my neighbor's snow blower. I don't think I'll venture outside much. They're calling this a blizzard with high winds and freezing temperatures. Right now it's in the low 20's. I'm the only one up, and it will probably stay that way for a while. Happy me.

The big reveal

I woke up at 3:00. Laid in bed till 4:00 before turning on the lights. Read for a few minutes. Somtimes I can fall back asleep after reading. Turned off the lights and laid in bed till 5:00. Decided it was a good time to upload the party pics. Blogger says I've used up 84% of the allowable mg of pictures for my blog. I guess that says I've put up a lot of pictures over the years.

I can't believe Christmas is next week. I have a few gifts left to buy. I'll shop this morning and tomorrow morning. I hope that takes care of it. Knowing what to buy is the hard part, but lying in bed has helped me figure out gifts for the few people I buy for. At least I'm using these crazy mornings for something.

It's still the crack of dawn. I think I'll get up and do all my Christmas cards, get ready for work, drive the kids to school, shop, then work 8 hours.

So, here's some pictures. I uploaded the small size since there's so many. I took some and my sister took the rest. Some of the house, some of friends. You'll see Kathy and Karen and Bon. Emily and my sister. Friends and neighbors and co-workers.

Everything is ready and I'm taking a moment to relax.

























The happy couple!

So, there you go. The big reveal! Things are going great around here. Busy. Happy. Tired.

Happy Thursday!

Relaxing....

The last couple of weeks have passed in a blur. In a good one. From starting this relationship of mine, to decorating the house and hosting two parties. Now it's time to relax, and shop. The party on Saturday was a success (if I must say so myself). I have great friends and combine that with good food and how can you go wrong? I'm grateful to have a home to host a celebration, and good friends to share it with. Ya know? It was great introducing Rob to my friends and family. Embarrassingly, everyone he met raved about me. Flattering, yes, but too much! I'm not wonderful, and I know it. I try to be a good person, but I'm only human.

We went to my brother and SIL's for Hanukkah yesterday. It was casual and fun and funny. Rob got to meet the local family. Emily brought her boyfriend Phil. The guys had potato latkes for the first time and liked them. What's not to like about fried food? Everyone liked the guys. Again, nothing not to like. Emily's boyfriend is really nice and the two of them laugh and talk all the time. My family is laid-back and quirky (like all families) and they were welcoming and nice to Rob and Phil.

I got into my pajamas at 6:00 tonight. I ate crackers and dip. I've had my laptop on my lap for hours now. It's felt great to just BE.

I meant to post pictures, but this and that got in the way. Stay tuned.

A quickie

I'm in all-out Cheryl mode. I know I used that phrase the other day. It just seemed appropriate again. I'm caffeined-up with no food. I think I need to fix that or I'll crash before the party begins.

It's a great sunny day out here. The house is sparkling clean. It smells good. I'm happy. The camera is charged-up. I'll post post-party pics soon.

Happy day!

What a day!

I was in all-out Cheryl mode today. I even amazed myself!

I started my morning by making the bourbon sauce for my meatballs. It's delicious...two cups of bourbon, two bottles of beer, two bottles of chili sauce and 24 ounces of brown sugar, simmered and reduced. Yum. That's refrigerated and waiting to join the meatballs. I drove the kids to school then went to Sam's Club. Then Borders. Then Nordstroms. Then Marshall's, looking for the elusive camisole that's still eluding me. Then I went to the grocery store for hopefully the last time before the party. Then home and cooking. I made a rum cake. I made a cheesecake. I made curried cheese spread. Hot artichoke dip. Spinach cheese balls. Chipped beef dip. I did a lot of dishes. Lots and lots of them. I did laundry in-between. I vacuumed and mopped all the hard floors. Then I made our favorite chicken recipe with the french fried onions, broccoli and potatoes. Then I collapsed and here I sit. What a day!

Slacker

Man am I a slacker. 'Tis the season? I've been busy with all kinds of things. Getting the house ready for the holidays. It's done. All decked out. I had my book club holiday get-together on Sunday. Now I'm in all-out mode getting ready for my big holiday party this Saturday night. I have a lot of food shopping and cooking to fit in this week. My lists are made, and I'm not going to stress. I'm expecting at least 40 people. Fun times!

I've not done any gift shopping. This year will be a lean one. I know what I'll be getting for Emily; I just have to buy it. We're having a gift exchange at work. We don't exchange gifts with my family for the most part, so that's easy. And there's really nothing I want. Really, unless someone wanted to buy me a Mac Book Pro, which of course isn't going to happen. Ha ha. So, I'm not so into gifts this year.

I've been spending a lot of time with my new guy. It's been 4 weeks now. I guess it's safe to say he's my boyfriend, although that word seems so foreign to say. He's wonderful. He talks, talks, talks and thinks I'm the best thing that's ever happened to him. He brings his guitar over and sings to me. Can you imagine how romantic that is? Yesterday he sang his newest that he wrote about us. I think I'm a lucky girl. It's still early, and it could come to naught, so I don't want to say too much. He came to my work party on Saturday so everyone got to see the person who keeps a smile on my face. He'll be at my party this Saturday. I think Emily likes him; there's nothing not to like.

Time to get up and going for my 'Monday'. Happy Tuesday to you!

Thursday, work day

What better thing to do when you wake up at the crack of dawn then write a new post? I had a reprieve for two days and woke up at 6:30. Today was back to the 4's. I'm not sure why. When I open my eyes I hope to see a little light from my windows. I thought I saw it today. I stayed in bed for a while with my eyes closed, hoping to fall back asleep. Finally I looked a the clock and it was 4:34. Oh well, I just stayed in bed with my eyes closed to think. After a while I realized I could/should be doing things as long as I was awake. I worked on the e-vites for my party--setting up reminders. So far I have a definite 38 attending. I updated some financial information on the high school application. Read some e-mail. Soon I'll go downstairs and finish decorating my tree. I got 90% of it done yesterday before work. I put up all my outdoor lights the morning before. That was brrrr. Yesterday after work I had a lot of energy so I went shopping. Spent a bundle at the liquor store. At the party store for the papergoods. Then I went to Kohl's to look for something to wear. I usually wear black or gray slacks to my party and a nice top. I've bought a few tops but not the perfect one yet. I bought a black jersey wrap dress last night, but don't know if I want to wear a dress. Maybe I'll have time to shop before work today. The good thing is that I'm at my skinny weight so shopping is a lot more fun.

I've invited my new 'friend' Rob to my work party on Saturday night. That's a big deal. People want to see who's put this constant grin on my face.

I've said it before; I've been remiss in visiting my blogging friends. I've just been busy and the month will continue that way. I miss you. It's temporary. You're as important to me as if you were a friend that I saw in person. If you lived closer, I'd want you at my party.