Category Archives: Just for Fun
I can’t resist.
In spite of my apathy toward Hallmark holidays, I have to share this with you today.
I sometimes wish reincarnation were true just so I could relive my life a dozen different ways. One of those lives would be spent as a professional cake designer. I mean, what’s better than making edible art? Seriously. Art out of butter and sugar? It’s just awesome.
In honor of Saint Valentine’s Day, I give you a creation by Bakerella.
Yes, this whole thing is cake. Even the box! The truffles are individual red velvet cakes covered in ganache. The box is a cake wrapped in decadent fondant. It’s so cool! For more pictures and step-by-step instructions, visit Bakerella’s blog. She’s a fantastic food photographer! I might take that up on another one of those lives.
The House That Grandpa Built
A bar-b-que grill for more than one.
The slate patio looks like fun!
Why my husband is SO excited
This post is brought to you by ‘Fro Me to You, the weekly carnival of photos that will never see the inside of a fancy-schmancy scrapbook. Or any other scrapbook in my lifetime. For more fun pics and the stories that accompany them, visit We Are That Family. You gotta go today because Kristin has a beautiful story about her first Christmas with her husband. It’s great.
Why is my husband so excited? My hair is growing. I know, I know! He said he loved the short hair after I got my long locks chopped, but it turns out that was code for “Baby, you’re so gorgeous and sexy; you could do anything to your hair and still look good to me.” He then clarified that he really does NOT like change and he really DOES prefer long hair. Hence, I’m not maintaining the look from my not-so-impulsive makeover.
It’s been almost two months since the big cut, and already I can do fun things like this.
It’s difficult to get a picture of the back of your head, especially when sporting an itty-bitty Pebble ponytail like this one.
And, on days I don’t plan to leave the house and really want it out of my face, I do this.
Much more attractive, I know. And why, if I wasn’t planning to leave the house, did I arm my 4-year-old with a camera?
The funny thing is that my husband thinks this is fantastic. Both the ponytail and the pigtails, he thinks they’re wonderful. I don’t get it. He doesn’t like short hair, but he loves it when I pull my hair back. What’s the point of having long hair if you always put it up? I don’t see a big difference, but I’m told there is one. And I know a happy husband is infinitely more valuable than a short, sassy ‘do.
While I’m definitely letting it grow, I may get the bangs cut again. I loved what the stylist did with them. And maybe I’ll play with some color too. *grin*
Found while purging (‘Fro Me to You)
In a former lifetime I was an artist. A magnet school in Philly accepted me as a fine art major, specializing in drawing, painting and color theory. I even taught the subjects briefly at a boarding school in Switzerland.
But those days are long, long past. My portfolio and a random collection of works have collected dust in every home we’ve occupied. Well, we’re running out of space, so last weekend I started another round of purging. Extra sheets, never-used towels and too-small clothes were all tossed into the “donate” pile. Then I bumped into my box of past-life treasures. There, tucked randomly in a box of charcoal sketches, I found this:
Can you find me? It’s not terribly difficult considering there’s only one blond female in the photo, but, for those who really can’t tell, here’s a close-up.
I can’t remember exactly when this was taken, but I’m guessing around 1988. I think I was twelve or thirteen, but I really don’t remember and, unfortunately, there’s no date on the picture. But it had to be before fourteen. That was the age when I finally gave up the lovely Annie-like perm that was so popular back then.
Disregarding the date, here’s what I know about the who and where. It was a family vacation with his, hers and ours. That’s my dad. The little guy in front of me is my younger brother, Ted. (You may remember him from this post.) Sitting between me and my step-mom is my half-brother, Andrew. The rest (Melinda, Eric, and Kevin) were siblings I gained when Dad and Donna got married (and lost when they got divorced a few years later). We were in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The first week of our vacation was spent on a houseboat on some big lake down there. That was fun. The rest of the time was spent camping between Dollywood and the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.
We didn’t realize until after the photo was framed and hanging in the family dining room that certain animosities may have surfaced. Take a gander at the aim. Yup. Ted’s shooting Donna, Dad’s shooting me, and both my step-brothers are gunnin’ for my father. Huh. Well, at least we’ve got plenty of alcohol to tend the wounded and comfort the mourning.
For more blasts from the past or stories that make your family look like the Cleavers, check out We Are That Family and the ‘Fro Me to You Carnival.
The Big Cut
Alright, I know you’re waiting, so here it is.
And AFTER:
I’m not settled on what I think just yet.
Here’s why I’m happy:
- My head feels so much lighter!!
- I love change.
- I look more my age.
- I no longer have to put my hair up (in a knot or braid) before going to bed.
- My son likes it. He even thanked God last night for Mommy’s haircut! How precious is that? I’m now getting hugs without hesitation! I’m no longer greeted with a “Mommy, your hair. Yuck.” That’s kinda nice.
- My husband likes it. I think he likes change more than he’ll ever admit. Or maybe Worst Case Scenario Man expected me to come home with a shaved head and maybe a disfiguring scar across my face. One may never know …
- A full 11 1/2″ of my hair will help a cancer survivor, thanks to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths campaign.
And here’s why I’m not thrilled:
- It’s not what I expected. Yes, it’s a layered cut, but this feels more like #1 than #5.
- It feels “inbetween.” I’d prefer it shorter or longer.
- My highlights are gone. The color feels drab. I almost grabbed some Kool-Aid last night to do some nifty bright red stripes. But then I remembered I’m 31. Oh, and we don’t have any Kool-Aid in this house. I may definitely resort to color soon — in spite of the firm warnings my stylist gave me. She said highlights are fine, but that I should avoid high-maintenance color until my kids are older. I may just be too impulsive to listen.
- My son keeps calling me a boy. I know three-year-old sons are not the most reliable sources of style and fashion, but still I don’t like being called a boy. He likes it; he just keeps proclaiming (with his charming smile) that I have “boy hair.”
For all you super observant people, yes, I am wearing the same shirt I wore for the makeover pictures. Think of it like Trading Spaces. They wear the same shirts two days in a row and they’re probably sweaty. Meanwhile, I wore this shirt three weeks apart. Doesn’t that make you happy?
And now I can’t deny the urge to quote: “My brains, his sword and your stength against sixty men and you think a little head jiggle is supposed to make me happy? Hmmm?” And there is another positive point about this hair! I can jiggle my head all day and my new ‘do never looks messed up. How cool is that?
New ‘Do Winner
Thank you to everyone who participated in this historic event! The winner of the You Choose My New ‘Do poll is … (drum roll, please!) …
# 5: Layered Bob!
This cut received 18 votes for 29% of the vote. (For those truly curious, as of 9:14pm on Thursday, 62 people had voted.)
Some of you were concerned that I had not consulted a professional before entrusting my golden locks to the whims of blog readers. Never fear! I plan to take the three top ranked cuts to a highly recommended stylist. I’m going to let her do what she thinks is best for my type and texture of hair. Also, if you’re still concerned, remember it grows back and know that I haven’t cried over a haircut since … um … well, I think it was middle school. And I’ve done plenty of drastic things since then. (Have I mentioned the green, orange and purple adventures? They were not the intentioned results. In fact, some so-called-friends still call me “Purp.”)
The second place winner … # 2: Posh Spice, which received 11 votes (18%). And in third place … #1: Layered Look with 10 votes (16%).
I’ll be posting before and after pictures of the actual results when the deed is done.
This was so much fun!! Any ideas for another poll with potentially drastic results?
You Choose My New ‘Do!
As promised, today I’m hosting the first ever “In the Dailies” poll! Yay!! I know, the crowd goes wild. Well, as Monica recently stated so well, “this is a mommy blog, meaning you are all subject to the most mundane aspects of my life.” But today, I’m including you in the mundane aspects of my life!
It’s time for a haircut. I haven’t had one in a year. In fact, I’ve only had my hair cut twice in the three years since Zach was born. The problem is I can’t decide how to get it cut. So I’m going to let you choose.
This is what I look like now.
I’m not unhappy with my look, but I’m ready for something new. Below are some options and you can vote for your favorite. Or just vote to keep it the same. Here are some things to consider:
- Rick likes long hair, and it’s always important to keep the husband happy. *grin*
- I like change, especially in my style. I tend to be a bit drastic with my hair, and Rick is used to this. (In the 13 years we’ve known each other, my hair has been long, short, straight, curly, blonde, brown, red, auburn, green, purple and striped (with cherry Kool-Aid – that was fun!). Not much would shock him.)
- I’m a little self-conscious about my forehead. (I’ve been told it looks like a drive-in movie theatre.)
- I’m a mom and a low-maintenance chick. In other words, my time and motivation are limited. I don’t mind taking a few extra minutes to look great for a date or special events, but for day-to-day purposes, I need a ‘do that can look decent in less than 15 minutes.
Okay! One last warning and then onto the makeovers: these photos are perfectly unscrapbookable. Up to this point, I’ve cheated with ‘Fro Me to You. Sorry! I’m a scrapbooker and I scrap everything. And I mean everything. But today I’m truly working within the essence of the carnival. The following photos will never, ever see the inside of a photo album.
There are some great virtual makover tools, but most of them cost money. However, if you do a Google search, you can find a number of free ones as well. They usually limit your use until you purchase a membership, but I found the free version met my needs just fine. These first three looks are courtesy of InStyle.
Option #1: Layered something-or-other. (Obviously, I’m not up on my hairstyling lingo.) It’s cute and different, but my hair is pretty fine. Too fine for this look?
If you like this, vote #1: Layered Look.
Option #2: A fresh bangs-all-over look. For someone who typically hates bangs, I’m surprised how much I like this. However, I know Mr. Rick would still love me and say I look great, but also know he would miss my long locks.
If you like this vote #2: Bangs All Over.
Option #3: Taken directly from the head of Victoria Beckham. It’s angled, artsy and funky. Again, it’s probably too short for my husband’s seal of approval, but I think it looks pretty spicy. (Get it?)
If you like this best, vote #3: Posh Spice.
And now for makeovers from the second great site I found: iVillage.
Option #4: Here’s another celebrity look, this one taken from Jennifer Lopez. I don’t know how recent this look is for her, but I kinda like it. It’s relatively simple. It’s not too drastic a change and still looks long, even if it’s not. (A plus for my mister.)
If you like this one, vote #4: J. Lo’s Flip.
Option # 5: This may be my favorite, but I’m not sure if I can pull it off. What do you think? It’s kind of a rounded bob with some light layers. It has enough body to make up for the missing length, but will this be too high maintenance?
If this is your favorite, vote #5: Layered Bob.
Okay, now we’re just getting crazy short.
Option # 6: Pixie Variation. Let’s be serious: I’m not going to get this cut.
If you want to vote for it anyway (who knows? Maybe you’ll change my mind!), vote for # 6: Pixie Variation.
Option # 7: A straight blunt cut with some color. I may have experimented a lot, but I’ve never gone really dark. This might be fun! I like the cut, but am thinking the fringe in my face would drive me crazy. Might be investing in lots of barrettes.
If you think this is the best ‘do for me, vote for # 7: Dark Blunt Cut.
If you like the color (or would like to recommend another) but prefer a different cut, let me know in the comments section.
So, place your votes!
The poll will be open for one week. I’ll announce the winner on Friday, September 18th. And then, of course, I’ll post pictures after the deed is done. Should I be nervous?
Oh! One last picture. Just have to show you which hair Ellie liked best. Of course it’s a wedding ‘do!
Isn’t it lovely? For more totally unscrappable memories, visit We Are THAT Family.
