Summer Hair Colors 2011

Hey guys, I am back! Life has been a little bit hectic lately...end of the school year for my students, grades are do, lots of summer garden planting, and working on my grad classes! Yes...crazy :) Anyway, something I have been looking into is summer hair color.  I most always feel dissatisfied by my own hair color...light brownish. I am always looking for some color change, though I have not colored my hair in years.  Maybe it is time again? I really want to brighten up my look, but at the same time, I don't want to damage my silky hair like I have in the past.  Perhaps a few lighter highlights on the top layer of my hair for summer?  I want that sun kissed look.  It seems that people in Hollywood are brightening up a bit for summer.



I ordinarily love dark hair and don't understand WHY anyone with dark locks would go lighter, but in the case of Ashley Greene, I feel differently. Her color change in brilliant! It has inspired me to take a little color to my hair perhaps....does anyone else change up their hair color for summer?

Quest for Perfection

I am always on a quest for perfection.  Perfection of my looks first of all, and secondly of my relationship, third of my life in general...and my severe, severe lack of organization.  I honestly don't know how some women do it. They are incredibly organized and always well put together.  Me on the other hand, I go off half cocked most of the time. For example, I can never manage to get myself ready in the morning on time. My hair is NEVER perfect (with the weather we have been having on the east coast lately it has been a frizz ball).  My makeup is usually okay, but I never ever apply powder or lipstick before I get to work.  I am always doing it in the bathroom or in my classroom.  I NEVER take my clothes out the night before, so I am always rushing around looking for a matching outfit.  Half of the time I don't wash my clothes often enough so I don't have much of a selection. So my question to those amazing women who are put together and organized is...HOW do you do it? Please give me a step by step list of how to become organized and put together!!! I really, really need it! It is not possible to have my perfect life if I look like a bag lady :)

She always looks so put together!

So does Penelope!

Long Distance Relationships

Today is my boyfriend and I's 2 year anniversary! For both of us, it is the longest relationship that we have ever had! Very exciting. We have been long distance for over a year now, since last March when his job with the government took him two and a half hours south from me. :( While it hasn't been easy, (I am sure more difficult for me, as I am significantly  more emotional) we have gotten used to the distance, and have learned to make up for it, mostly in a ridiculous amount of daily emails and text messages (talking to him on the phone is rare because I feel like I am talking to a wall).  Today the boy surprised me with a webcam...he doesn't have one on his old school laptop. I am incredibly excited to be able to SEE him everyday now. Tonight will be our first skype date :) So, in case anyone else is in a long distance relationship here is some advice.   So these are my ideas/ experience with a little help from the amazing website, http://www.lovingfromadistance.com/.

1. Keeping in contact as much as is possible is essential! What I have found is that oftentimes when my man and I are busy and don't speak frequently for a day or two, I go into insane crazy girlfriend mode. (This also happens when I become hormonal.)  It is pretty easy nowadays to keep in contact through email and cell phones.  Again, this is a must.  I know what the boy is doing pretty much every minute of the day, because he is regimented and pretty OCD, but also because we have constant texts and emails going.  I mean all the time. I don't know what we would do without unlimited text messaging!
2. Keep your hormones in check. I have a lot of difficulty doing this myself. The problem with long distance relationships are that you don't often have the chance to see eachother to "make things better" if you have hit a rough patch.  So you have to try extra hard to stay positive and not go completely psycho.  About a month ago my man told me, "I have figured it out. It is the same time every month that I really want to break up with you,"...the moral of the story, I need to control my hormonal outbursts.
3. Do things in common. My man and I don't watch many of the same television shows, but there are a few...currently Game of Thrones on HBO, I love the history(ish) aspect of the show, and the boyfriend likes the gore and naked women.  The same goes for True Blood and Boardwalk Empire.  Also, we read the same book once, at the same time, but that hasn't happened again since I am in graduate school and am pretty busy with reading for that.  I did enjoy that one time though, and maybe soon we will do it again.
4. Do little things for each other.  Every time my boy leave my house, or almost anyway, I create a tiny little note and put it somewhere in his bag, wallet, etc.  My favorite note was last summer. I took a post it and stuck it on his debit card.  A few days after he got back home he texted me and told me that he had handed his card to someone to pay for something and she had handed it back to him and told me he had a note. Though he didn't make a huge deal of it I know that it made him happy. He always looks for notes now when he goes home.
5. See each other as much as you can.  This is pretty obvious but  it is also pretty difficult to do.  Each party has their own responsibilities and when working, most of this needs to be taken care of on the weekend. So it is hard to spend entire weekends together.  Nonetheless, it is very important to see each other as much as is possible.  I would compare it to drugs...perhaps not the best analogy, but the only one I can think of at the moment.  You can only go so long before you need a fix...or else things get ugly!

These are just some things that I have figure out over the past year+.  I am by no means an expert.  My boyfriend would tell you that.  But I think the fact that we have made it work for a year now, and we still actually LIKE each other (most of the time) says something!

Summer '09

Summer '09

Summer '10

Fall '10

My new (not so new really) favorite thing

Orchids in interior design!

I absolutely adore orchids.  They are exotic, colorful, and eye-catching. Granted, they are very, very difficult to keep alive.  I have only tried once, and lets just say that it failed miserably. I have been looking to get another orchid, but I honestly just haven't gotten around to it yet.

So for those of you who don't know, here are some quick facts on orchids.  They thrive in tropical weather, which is warm during the day (75 F) and a bit cooler at night (65 F).  This change in temperature is what allows them to flower. They do not like direct sunlight as it will burn their leaves. The "top" of the leaves that we see when an orchid is sitting upright in a pot is actually the underside of their leaves in nature.  So obviously, the underside of the leaves are not accustomed to a great deal of direct light. Orchids like a gentle breeze to keep them dry.  The reason why orchids are so difficult to keep alive is because their roots often remain to moist between waterings which leads to root rot.  Any sitting water, anywhere, on an orchid is a recipe for disaster. I found this out the hard way. In nature orchids do not grow in the ground, instead they attach to the trunks of trees, rocks, etc.  Because of this they do NOT like a lot of water. Water usually drains off of them relatively quickly in nature.  When we domesticate them and put them in pots, oftentimes they end up sitting in water.  The best medium for orchids is bark...some people say a mixture of bark and moss, I disagree. Orchids should be watered about once every two weeks.  They should dry out completely between waterings.  They should never sit in water.  So, are you seeing why orchids are so difficult to keep? As I said, I found out the hard way. Back when I had my orchid, I did not yet have Sofie and I treated that plant like a pet.  Needless to say, I was very, very upset when it turned yellow and died.  My mistake, in this endeavor, was not properly educating myself prior to the purchase of my not cheap plant. This is just some information that I would have liked someone to have told me before my disaster! :)

Precious Pups

I post this knowing that:

a. I need to get a life and
b. I have entirely too much time on my hands...

but I can't help it! These are so cute!

Yes it is a parka...for your dog!!!

Doggie Traveler...airline approved

Puppy Skull Flannel PJs!!!

Way to much money I know! But I love the idea of accessories for my little poodle! (I don't know how she would feel about this. As we speak she is throwing herself on the floor trying to get her ID tag in her mouth. I am hoping this is a stage.) Go to http://www.sassypup.net/ to see more!

Here is an updated picture of Sofie...post shave. She looks like a cute, over-sized rat!

Do you dress up your precious pups!?

Blue & Beige

My favorite combination of colors is blue and beige.  There is something so relaxing about baby blue.  It reminds me of a New England  cottage.  If it were up to me, every room would be combination of those colors with a pop here and there of others just to break up the monotony.  While I still live at home, (and boy that sounds pathetic) my wonderful boyfriend built a brand new townhouse about a year ago and of course I have a say in the decorating! Both because my man knows that I have good taste, and because I demand a say. Luckily for him, we agree on general color schemes.  He is a fan of blue also. So I am looking for inspiration for a blue and beige living room.  Of course I am not going to try to apply high fashion to his bachelor pad, at least not yet, but a little hint here and there that tells people that walk into his house that he has a girlfriend would be nice.  As of now, he has white walls and furniture that he bought off of his parents.  Oh yes, it is bad.  So here are some pictures that inspire me...and hopefully him.  I fully plan on decorating his house and the biggest plus...I can use his money to do it! :)

My favorite!

Thoughts?

Can't live with them. Can't live without them.

True love!!!

In light of the recent spotlight on famous couples (I am referring to both William and Kate and Arnold and Maria) I feel that it is important to establish some ground rules for men in relationships.

1.       Do not cheat, if you do, you will get caught. And yes, if forced to choose between believing you or the woman who comes forward with a CHILD in her arms, claiming it is yours, your girlfriend/ fiancé/ wife is GOING to believe the woman.  Not you. (Ehem John Edwards.)

2.       When planning a wedding, understand that the woman is always right. (That goes for almost everything in life boys.) Think of it this way…would William have been able to pick out a gown as stunning as the one Kate did? No. And he is a prince.  Secondly, the color theme of your wedding is not going to be the colors of your favorite football team. Not happening. Sorry Canes fans. Orange and green bouquets…not so much.

3.       Do not tell your female friend that they should exercise, even if it truly is because you want them to be healthy and not because you think they are fat.  Fine line. Walking a fine line there.

4.       Do not whine because it takes your girlfriend and hour and a half to get ready to go out of the house. (Especially when your nose is glued to a football game anyway.)   It is a miracle we go out of the house at all with the amount of primping we are expected to do.  If men had to put makeup on and blow-dry their hair, they would never even get the motivation to get off of the couch to begin the process.  Anyway, I never hear any complaints with the end product of all our work.

5.       We are not required by law to shave our legs, believe it or not.  Smooth legs are a gift that we give you because we are nice.  So next time you are asked to shave because a. you look like a caveman or b. you are giving whisker burn to your girlfriend, do not complain that it is too tiring and hard. Just shave or else we won’t.

Opinions? Any good rules that I miss?