I wished Rachele was home this morning while I was getting dressed for school. Whenever her or I or Kristin for that matter, are trying a unique, questionable outfit either for work or play, we march into each other's room and announce "cute or dumb?" (referring to the outfit, of course!) After careful deliberation, the person judging the outfit du jour will give the final verdict. 'Cute' of course means "Wow - you put together an amazing look"." 'Dumb' on the other hand, means "Holy crap! What were you thinking? You can't go out in public wearing that!"
I don't exactly remember when we started this little fashion game. All I know is I totally respect and completely admire both of my daughters' sense of style. No matter how cute a look I think I've put together, if I hear 'dumb' upon inspection, I will go change. (Wow - maybe it's a good thing the girls DON'T live here anymore, it might take me hours to get dressed!)
Today the outfit in question is a pale blue button down long sleeve shirt with small lighter blue flowers on it (think Liberty of London print). Over that, (here's the controversial part) I put a short sleeve fitted gray tee shirt with raised flowers on the left side of the scoop neck. To finish, light khakis and brown ballet flats.
Cute or dumb? If Rachele could see it, what would she think? Not sure - all I know is it's to late to change! And I actually like it - you know what? I pick cute.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Is Your Glass Half-Full or Half-Empty?
Mine is half-full. I can't help it, I live my life in eternal optimism. Seeing the bright side of every situation can be a good thing; however sometimes it does get in the way of reality.
It is my belief that you are born looking at that glass a certain way, and it is almost impossible to change. I, pretty much, throw caution to the wind in decision making. Not that I'm impulsive, I'm not. I just don't analyze things to the umph degree while making those decisions. Half-full people tend to live for today instead of agonizing over what's going to happen tomorrow or the next week or in the coming year. I choose to deal with situations as they are presented; I can't spend precious time weighing down my already full brain with the ever-dismal "what-ifs".
On the other side of the coin, of course, are the half-empty people. These tortured, careful souls tend to worry just a little too much about the things that may or may not happen. Although these concerns could definitely be valid, usually the worrying is way premature. When decision making is at hand, these half-empty people seem to get stuck on the 'what-ifs' or the 'what would we do if that ever happended' train of thought. They are generally conservative in nature, and taking any kind of risk is extremely hard if not impossible for this calculating kind.
I'm not trying to sway you one way or another. In fact, there is good and bad to each kind of 'glass' person, believe me. In my case, I sometimes wish I did worry just a little bit more about tomorrow. I can't speak for the half-empties, but if I could I would imagine that they wished they could be just slightly more impulsive. And you know, it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things which kind of person you are. Today for some reason, this whole thing just popped into my head. I guess you could say it was a random thought in my frantic head.
Just for fun though - next time you pour yourself a glass of water, look at it and ask yourself if it's half-full or half-empty.
It is my belief that you are born looking at that glass a certain way, and it is almost impossible to change. I, pretty much, throw caution to the wind in decision making. Not that I'm impulsive, I'm not. I just don't analyze things to the umph degree while making those decisions. Half-full people tend to live for today instead of agonizing over what's going to happen tomorrow or the next week or in the coming year. I choose to deal with situations as they are presented; I can't spend precious time weighing down my already full brain with the ever-dismal "what-ifs".
On the other side of the coin, of course, are the half-empty people. These tortured, careful souls tend to worry just a little too much about the things that may or may not happen. Although these concerns could definitely be valid, usually the worrying is way premature. When decision making is at hand, these half-empty people seem to get stuck on the 'what-ifs' or the 'what would we do if that ever happended' train of thought. They are generally conservative in nature, and taking any kind of risk is extremely hard if not impossible for this calculating kind.
I'm not trying to sway you one way or another. In fact, there is good and bad to each kind of 'glass' person, believe me. In my case, I sometimes wish I did worry just a little bit more about tomorrow. I can't speak for the half-empties, but if I could I would imagine that they wished they could be just slightly more impulsive. And you know, it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things which kind of person you are. Today for some reason, this whole thing just popped into my head. I guess you could say it was a random thought in my frantic head.
Just for fun though - next time you pour yourself a glass of water, look at it and ask yourself if it's half-full or half-empty.
Friday, April 16, 2010
It's an Uphill Battle, But I'm Not Ready to Raise the White Flag
I'm talking about the battle to stay young, to feel and look young. I don't mean crazy young, but just 'younger'. It's not easy; anyone anywhere around my age knows that. But ladies, we are not giving up; not raising and waving that white flag; not yet. Okay, so it does get even harder as the years go by, but each day we can make a difference in the way we look and feel. This week is spa week; and for the first time in probably twenty-five years, I had a facial. Rachele and I booked it a couple of weeks ago, and it was pure heaven. My skin absolutely glowed with no make-up of any kind! I was reminded to use sunscreen each and every day (which I don't do). It's not that I'm baking in the sun; no, I won't do that anymore. But just walking the dog, or running around, I really don't wear sunscreen. Maybe I should start. Let's face it ladies; my generation really knew how to 'soak up the sun'. I shudder to think of the slathering of baby oil, the album covers as sun-reflectors (covered in aluminum foil!)hours and hours of baking! When I look in the mirror now, I can't believe my skin has remained as good as it has instead of drying up like a prune. I guess the sun was just alot less strong back then.
Anyway, getting back to beauty - exercise is a must on the road to re-youth. I'm really good at long walks, but lately haven't been doing much else. Rachele brought home some excercise tapes from Physique 57 Exercise Studio in the City. Physique 57 is the excercise du jour of many celebrities, and Rachele actually goes and works out there. Her and I did the tape; it was so hard, and I was so sore for three days. But now I want my own set of these tapes. It anything can kick our butts (and everything else) into shape, it is these tapes. I will force myself to use them.
Yesterday I passed by a woman probably about my age, with long white/gray hair. Honestly, she looked pretty good. I, however, cannot jump on this bandwagon. Even though the thought crosses my mind from time to time, I will not allow myself to have gray hair. Even though I absolutely hate "washing those grays right out of my head" I cannot have gray hair. And that's that.
Hands. Next on the list. I do not get my nails done, and very infrequently put nail polish on myself. I need to get better at this; sometimes my cuticles are atrocious. Maybe once a week I can polish my short trim nails. Hands I think are a real tell-all as far as age is concerned. Need to improve in this area.
We all have our 'pretty days' when we look in the mirror in the morning and you just know it's gonna be a great day. And then there's the 'ugly days' where no amount of precious pink blush can do the trick - everything just looks really bad. You just want to wear sweatpants all day long. We have to fight through those ugly days!! Smile at yourself in that mirror - you always look younger when you smile, and prettier. We can do it, one baby step at a time, yes we can. The battle is on - bring it.
Anyway, getting back to beauty - exercise is a must on the road to re-youth. I'm really good at long walks, but lately haven't been doing much else. Rachele brought home some excercise tapes from Physique 57 Exercise Studio in the City. Physique 57 is the excercise du jour of many celebrities, and Rachele actually goes and works out there. Her and I did the tape; it was so hard, and I was so sore for three days. But now I want my own set of these tapes. It anything can kick our butts (and everything else) into shape, it is these tapes. I will force myself to use them.
Yesterday I passed by a woman probably about my age, with long white/gray hair. Honestly, she looked pretty good. I, however, cannot jump on this bandwagon. Even though the thought crosses my mind from time to time, I will not allow myself to have gray hair. Even though I absolutely hate "washing those grays right out of my head" I cannot have gray hair. And that's that.
Hands. Next on the list. I do not get my nails done, and very infrequently put nail polish on myself. I need to get better at this; sometimes my cuticles are atrocious. Maybe once a week I can polish my short trim nails. Hands I think are a real tell-all as far as age is concerned. Need to improve in this area.
We all have our 'pretty days' when we look in the mirror in the morning and you just know it's gonna be a great day. And then there's the 'ugly days' where no amount of precious pink blush can do the trick - everything just looks really bad. You just want to wear sweatpants all day long. We have to fight through those ugly days!! Smile at yourself in that mirror - you always look younger when you smile, and prettier. We can do it, one baby step at a time, yes we can. The battle is on - bring it.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Hey Mom - Happy Birthday!
Today is my Mom's birthday. We celebrated on Easter Sunday because today her and my Dad were heading down to Atlantic City, their favorite place to be. Hope you hit it big playing the slots Mom!
As a young toddler, I don't think I was the easiest child. My Mother, just slightly short of the virtue 'patience', seemd to reach the end of her rope with me from time to time. I would be so sassy, hands on my hips, and tell her I was telling my father on her when he got home. That little statement never went over so big, and just infuriated her all the more. Sorry Mom! Then there was the time in third grade when I came home from school and announced to my mother that my teacher was prettier than her. You have to understand, the teacher that I had in third grade was about 4'10" and weighed about 200 lbs. She had stringy salt & pepper gray hair, and a rather large nose with, yes, a large growth on the tip of it. Last but not least, she had several black hairs growing our of her chin. I am NOT making any of this up, I swear. The thing is, this teacher was the nicest, kindest woman ever - her generosity of spirit made her beautiful to me. But my poor Mother!! She will still bring that one up from time to time. Mom, I really did not mean to hurt your feelings!!!
Growing up in a house full of girls, with my Mom as leader of the pack was fabulous. As a stay-at-home mom (as most every mom was back then), she had that dinner on the table every single night by 5:30/6:00. Wish I could do that . . . Our house was always immaculate - I don't mean just clean, I mean eat off the floors at any given time - immaculate! A place for everything, and everything in it's place could have been, and probably was, my Mom's motto. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit this trait; I wish I did. She always was involved in our town or church. Going to meetings, luncheons, modeling in the church fashion show (my very own Christie Brinkley for a mom) I was so proud of her. She was so busy! And social! This trait I can thank my mother for. She always had time for friends and parties, and before she met my Dad, had lots of boyfriends. In fact, her cousins call her "naughty Marie" hmmm, don't ask.
She was also so stylish. Into the car we would cram, my sisters and I, our mother at the wheel, on the way to the mall. She would always buy a little of this and a little of that; and my sisters and I were dressed to the nine's, thanks to her good taste. I have fond memories of her entertaining their friends in our home, my mom looking glamorous in her long flowy "hostess" dresses, cleavaged-out in all her glory (I also did not inherit my Mother's voluptuous breasts, oh well). She would sneak into our rooms and bring us a little snack from the party. She knew we weren't sleeping.
As a teen, my Mom was my best friend. I could tell her anything; she never judged. And she kept the best secrets, no questions asked. She would wait up for me to get home at night, at the kitchen table, signs of worry draining from her face as I walked in the front door. I would tell her not to wait up - yet, she always did. Thanks, Mom.
Yes Mom, it is to you that I owe my mom-ing skill, and so much more. I couldn't wait to be a mom because you always made it look so easy. Well, we all know it sure isn't easy, but it is the best. I'm so lucky to have you - Happy Birthday my sweet Mommy, and many many more. XOXO
As a young toddler, I don't think I was the easiest child. My Mother, just slightly short of the virtue 'patience', seemd to reach the end of her rope with me from time to time. I would be so sassy, hands on my hips, and tell her I was telling my father on her when he got home. That little statement never went over so big, and just infuriated her all the more. Sorry Mom! Then there was the time in third grade when I came home from school and announced to my mother that my teacher was prettier than her. You have to understand, the teacher that I had in third grade was about 4'10" and weighed about 200 lbs. She had stringy salt & pepper gray hair, and a rather large nose with, yes, a large growth on the tip of it. Last but not least, she had several black hairs growing our of her chin. I am NOT making any of this up, I swear. The thing is, this teacher was the nicest, kindest woman ever - her generosity of spirit made her beautiful to me. But my poor Mother!! She will still bring that one up from time to time. Mom, I really did not mean to hurt your feelings!!!
Growing up in a house full of girls, with my Mom as leader of the pack was fabulous. As a stay-at-home mom (as most every mom was back then), she had that dinner on the table every single night by 5:30/6:00. Wish I could do that . . . Our house was always immaculate - I don't mean just clean, I mean eat off the floors at any given time - immaculate! A place for everything, and everything in it's place could have been, and probably was, my Mom's motto. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit this trait; I wish I did. She always was involved in our town or church. Going to meetings, luncheons, modeling in the church fashion show (my very own Christie Brinkley for a mom) I was so proud of her. She was so busy! And social! This trait I can thank my mother for. She always had time for friends and parties, and before she met my Dad, had lots of boyfriends. In fact, her cousins call her "naughty Marie" hmmm, don't ask.
She was also so stylish. Into the car we would cram, my sisters and I, our mother at the wheel, on the way to the mall. She would always buy a little of this and a little of that; and my sisters and I were dressed to the nine's, thanks to her good taste. I have fond memories of her entertaining their friends in our home, my mom looking glamorous in her long flowy "hostess" dresses, cleavaged-out in all her glory (I also did not inherit my Mother's voluptuous breasts, oh well). She would sneak into our rooms and bring us a little snack from the party. She knew we weren't sleeping.
As a teen, my Mom was my best friend. I could tell her anything; she never judged. And she kept the best secrets, no questions asked. She would wait up for me to get home at night, at the kitchen table, signs of worry draining from her face as I walked in the front door. I would tell her not to wait up - yet, she always did. Thanks, Mom.
Yes Mom, it is to you that I owe my mom-ing skill, and so much more. I couldn't wait to be a mom because you always made it look so easy. Well, we all know it sure isn't easy, but it is the best. I'm so lucky to have you - Happy Birthday my sweet Mommy, and many many more. XOXO
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Easter Aftermath
Easter is my holiday, meaning our famillies come to our house to celebrate. This turns out to be just under 40 people or so, if everyone can make it. My side of the family shares the holidays, each one of my sisters hosting at least one. I like Easter because we always have that glimmer of hope that it will be really nice weather and everyone can flow outside to the deck to hang out or eat. This year, we got lucky, really lucky. It must have been 75 degrees and sunny, a truly beautiful day. For my holiday, I take the cooking and baking very seriously, each year trying to outdo the last with homemade savories and sweets. Let me just say it now: without my right hand girl (Rachele) and my left hand girl (Kristin) all these special recipes and treats would not be possible. Every year, these girls of mine just seem to kick it up a notch. This year was no exception. I could not have pulled off this delicious Easter without them. Thanks girls!
Lets start off with church. We all decided to go to the 10:30 mass, which is the most crowded mass. Although we weren't late, we may as well have been because we were resigned to sit in the "added" section; temporary chairs set up which spilled out into the auditorium part of the church. Kristin had the luck of sitting next to me, who for the first 5 minutes or so, could not stop complaining about how I, who am at church every single Sunday, had to sit in this added section, without even a kneeler for communion time. I finally resigned myself to our Easter fate, with the reminder that the importance was that we were there, not where we were sitting.
Once we got home, time to change out of our Easter finery and get back to work. It was pretty warm out already, so I decided to put on a denim skirt, length just above my knee. I guess Kristin must have caught a glimpse of me from behind; she called me over for a closer look. She then started shreiking and laughing. Turns out the back of my thighs had not been shaved for quite some time I'm embarassed to say. She ordered me up to her room where, in the midst of Easter chaos and preparation, I laid on her bedroom floor while she proceeded to wax the crap out of my legs. See what I mean? This is why we need daughters.
Anyway, back to the kitchen, hair-free. Time to get down and dirty, so we donned our ruffle-trimmed aprons (this is a must, we wear them every year) and got busy. Homemade strawberry shortcake, chocolate cake from scratch, buttery snickerdoodle cookies, asparagus tart; we were on fire my girls and me! At about three o'clock, give or take, everyone came. It was such a nice day. Exhausting, but really nice. There's nothing quite like being with the family, celebrating, catching up with everyone's lives. It's all worth the craziness . . think I'll have Mother's Day!
Lets start off with church. We all decided to go to the 10:30 mass, which is the most crowded mass. Although we weren't late, we may as well have been because we were resigned to sit in the "added" section; temporary chairs set up which spilled out into the auditorium part of the church. Kristin had the luck of sitting next to me, who for the first 5 minutes or so, could not stop complaining about how I, who am at church every single Sunday, had to sit in this added section, without even a kneeler for communion time. I finally resigned myself to our Easter fate, with the reminder that the importance was that we were there, not where we were sitting.
Once we got home, time to change out of our Easter finery and get back to work. It was pretty warm out already, so I decided to put on a denim skirt, length just above my knee. I guess Kristin must have caught a glimpse of me from behind; she called me over for a closer look. She then started shreiking and laughing. Turns out the back of my thighs had not been shaved for quite some time I'm embarassed to say. She ordered me up to her room where, in the midst of Easter chaos and preparation, I laid on her bedroom floor while she proceeded to wax the crap out of my legs. See what I mean? This is why we need daughters.
Anyway, back to the kitchen, hair-free. Time to get down and dirty, so we donned our ruffle-trimmed aprons (this is a must, we wear them every year) and got busy. Homemade strawberry shortcake, chocolate cake from scratch, buttery snickerdoodle cookies, asparagus tart; we were on fire my girls and me! At about three o'clock, give or take, everyone came. It was such a nice day. Exhausting, but really nice. There's nothing quite like being with the family, celebrating, catching up with everyone's lives. It's all worth the craziness . . think I'll have Mother's Day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)