And I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way

Friday night.

9pm.

A little sip of red wine.

Some left-over mini (Christmas) M&Ms.

Beside my handsome hubby.

Watching the new reality show Jockeys. (are any of you watching?)

Low key and wonderful.

And perfect.

Cross. My Heart.

Recently I've gotten a "thing" for crosses.

I've always had a cross necklace (or six), but when I saw this great embellished cross t-shirt online, the turquoisy coolness was calling my name.

And then along came these great boots. **yee-haw!**

Cross my heart. I think I've found a new vice.

Before You Know It, He'll Have Me Up at Dawn Doing Speed Drills

My before bedtime reading...+ two dark chocolate Dove hearts and a little bit of red wine.

Adam's before bedtime reading... + a sippy cup of apple juice and a soft be-be.


He is obsessed with the February edition of Runner's World.

I have no idea why.

Mommy, can you call dat gr-rul and ask her if she will go running wiff you?

Sure! No problem.

And can I please go wiff you?

Sure, little boy.

In about 20 years.

According to My 3-Year Old...

I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but it's an
ambitious creation.

No wonder I'm tired at the end of the day.

Your Opinion, Please

I am in a constant state of home improvement / decorating / re-decorating / moving stuff around at my house.

Which leads me to ask...do any of you use...

1. Bed risers?
2. Indoor grills (like the George Foreman)?
3. Outdoor rugs, specifically on decks or patios?

Opinions, hints, and suggestions about these things (or anything else for that matter) very much appreciated.

Thanks so much!

*Swoon* - Old Navy

Almost too cute for words - and preppy, too!

Perfect with a swishy skirt on a spring day.

Only $25 at Old Navy

Wordless Wednesday - "Special Delivery"

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

A Few of My Favorite Things - **Hair Edition**

I've had two emails in the last week asking about what products I use on my hair.

Oh, bloggers. That is a loaded question. I guarantee you anyone who knows me very well at all in real life is laughing right now.

Because my hair. It is an ordeal.

I have thick, course, wavy, frizzy hair. And I want it to be straight, glossy and not-so-poofy.

So that's where my fabulous Hair Queen comes in. This is Josie. She is magic to my hair. And she's gorgeous with a perfect body, too. Which makes me want to slap her. But I don't. Because she is magic to my hair.

The first line of defense in good hair is a Hair Queen. Without her, none of this other stuff would matter much. But as long as I'm telling my hair story, I'm going to go all the way.
And, as I said, it's an ordeal. So hang with me. Because I use a lot of stuff. And I've discovered it all through trial and error. If I had all of the money I've spent on hair stuff I didn't use, I could own a home at the beach. Can any of you relate?
Thought so.
My shampoo is Matrix Sleek Look. And for the record, I only later and rinse once. I used to lather and rinse twice, thinking that was better, but it is not.
Next I apply a generous amount of Marc Anthony Smooth Straight Conditioner...about the size of two quarters...or a little more. I leave it in my hair while I do the rest of my showering duties, and rinse it out the very last thing.

I towel dry my hair well, comb through with a wide-tooth comb, then generously spray (at least 8 or 9 times) with Paul Mitchell Heat Seal. This stuff is meant to protect hair that is blow-dried and flat-ironed and otherwise abused with hot stuff.

If you want smooth, sleek hair, a round brush is your friend. I have two favorites. The first is the Chi turbo. That's ceramic underneath the bristles..which helps make hair smooth and glossy. Make sure your round brush isn't too small or too large. I have a 2", which is great for short-to-medium length hair.

My other favorite is the Spornette brush. I dry and style my hair with the Chi brush until it is almost completely dry, and then go back for a final once-over with the Spornette. It does not have ceramic, but the plastic and boar's hair bristle combo make this baby great and grabbing the hair and letting you get one final, good tug and dry. Again, make sure you get a size that isn't too small or too large for the length of your hair.

After all that, I give a good once over with a flat iron. Again, Chi is hands-down the best in my opinion. This baby will run you around $100, but so worth it. I like the 1" Chi because it allows me to get really close to the roots and do small sections of hair at a time. I especially love it for getting the back of my hair really straight. If you have longer hair, the 2" might be better.

And finally, I spray on a little hairspray.... not too much! This is my new favorite: by Framesi Mist Hair Spray Light. I buy it from my Hair Queen Josie at the salon, but you can get it online, too, of course. I also love Sebastian Shaper hairspray.

Whew! What an ordeal, huh?

Now you know why I have to get up at the crack of dawn just to make it to work at a decent hour.

And now you also know why my son cries when he hears me turning the hair dryer on.

Now if only there were products like this to give me a body like Josie.

Car Wash

Toddler quote of the week:

Dad, I just licked your car. But dat's OK. 'Cause den I wiped it off.

Feet First

I thought I'd share with you something I love to do when I come home from a long day at work (or anywhere, for that matter).

It's a wonderful pick-me-up and gives me a little boost to carry me through the rest of the evening.... unloading the dishwasher, making dinner, chasing little boys, folding laundry, giving baths...

It only takes about ten minutes and it's worth every single refreshing second.

Run enough very warm water into your tub to adequately cover and soak your feet. Pour in half a cup of epsom salt. I love the Dr. Teel's brand eucalyptus spearmint from Wal-Mart (under $5.)


After soaking for three or four minutes, use your favorite body or foot scrub and treat your feet to a little exfoliation. My favorite scrub right now is Soap and Glory from Target.

Ten minutes and I feel so refreshed, relaxed and ready to face the final four or five hours of my day.

Enjoy!

Mind Helping a Girl Out?

Hi, I'm Olympia.

Jill brought me home to live with her a couple months ago. It's not the Royal Greek Spa or anything but it's a heck of a lot better than that shelf I was sitting on in HomeGoods.

She keeps telling me I won't be laying face-down on the floor behind the chair in her library forever. She keeps telling me she's going to find the perfect place to put me one day really soon.


And just between you and me....she finally confessed she thinks I need a little something. She can't quite per her finger on it, but she thinks I'm just one or two steps shy of spectacular.

And I have to agree with her. I mean, with a name like Olympia, I have to look spectacular. And besides, I've been around the block a time or two.
I quit lying to myself thousands of yeas ago.

I've got great bone structure...let's just face it. And speaking of face, I realize I don't have any eyes but let's not get picky (or a little freaked out).

So what do think I need? I would love your opinion. Any friend of Jill's is a friend of mine.

Would I look better black with a white or gray wash?

Cream with a gold wash?

Brown with a silver wash?

High gloss black?

Another color? (please don't say yellow)

Or do you think I'm beautiful just the way I am?

I have all the time in the world, but truth be told I'd love to get up off the floor.

The little boy that runs around here can get pretty wild.

Maybe after she makes me fabulous, she'll set me somewhere near the TV so I can catch up on those O.C. Housewives.

'Cause if there's anyone who can understand that sassy group, it's another plastic woman in need of a lift...

...off the floor or otherwise.

Four!

Katy and Wendy both tagged me for the 4th picture in the 4th folder meme.

Since I don't want to be redundant and show the same picture twice, I thought I'd mix things up a little.

I have a new laptop at home with no photos uploaded (yet), so I had to resort to the photo files I have at work.

I have two computers at work: one for "sales" and one in my office that I use most of the time.

Here's the 4th photo from the 4th file on my "sales" computer. Clearly I have issues with the whole "no personal photos" rule. But then again, I am the boss, so I gave myself permission.

This is Doug and me and Doug's son and daughter on our wedding day - New Year's Eve 2003.

And this is the 4th photo from the 4th folder on my other work computer. Again, seems I haven't heeded that rule about personal photos.
This is not dated, but it is pre-kitchen renovation, so I'd guess some time in 2006. Here's me with the kids before they down their nightly glass of expensive chardonnay sparkling juice. And quite possibly, by the look on my face, I'd already had some of that sparkling juice myself.

Thanks for tagging me, Katy and Wendy!

I Have No Idea What's Come Over Me...

I just poured a lovely glass of Diet Coke over crushed ice to take upstairs with me while I read before bed.

And before the fizz and foam had even settled in the glass...

I suddenly felt non-Diet Coke-ish.

And I had a hankerin' for a tall glass of water.

I never have a hankerin for a tall glass of water.

Especially with a Diet Coke on the cusp of being sipped.

So I left that Diet Coke sitting on the counter...

to fizzle out over night.

:O(

I hope I don't shun the coffee in the morning the same way.

Because then an intervention is eminent.

Serious Turf

My husband has been out of town since Thursday. That means I am entertaining the toddler troops myself.

I spent nearly the whole day outside Sunday with Adam.

He was thrilled. Thrilled!

I was thrilled for about 20 minutes and then I ran out of coffee and my toes got cold. And by then it was only 9:30am and I had the whole day sprawled out in front of me.

About noon it had warmed up considerably, so I caved and got out a big bucket of water.

And after two or three trips from the bucket to the bench upon which he was pouring the water, my sweet little boy got a very concerned look on his face.

"Hey Mom, how long is dad going to be gone? 'Cause I got water all over his mulch and he might be weally, weally mad."

We take our turf and mulch and stuff really seriously around here, folks.

Even though I'm not really sure what mulch is.