June 19, 2007

*LUSH*


Have you ever been to LUSH? Wow what an experience. It is the ultimate in luxury skin and body care. The sales staff is sooooo nice and sooooo helpful. They explain what each product does, suggest what products are best for your particular need, use the samples on you! I went to a friends and family sale event at the Lush on Walnut in Philly tonight. This is my second trip. The first store I went to was the Boston store. After the fabulous sales girl in Boston I felt sure I would be disappointed because no one could measure up to her. Well I was wrong, Lush is doing something right and not only with their products but with their staff as well. Their products are all natural and handmade. There are no preservatives and they are better for the environment. I can't wait to try my 'stuff' and you know we all need stuff. Some may consider them as costly but I am worth it! I am not one to spend a lot on myself but this is one indulgence that I don't have a problem with! Thanks to my daughters for taking me!

June 17, 2007

Coming soon

Pet Peeves - when does polite become too much
Jersey Surf and my husband
Crafting - three's a crowd cross stitch
Cross stitch festival - Nashua
Cross Stitch festival - Hershey

Surf's Up


Don't even say there is nothing for kids to do these days. Need to be brief but need to get this out there as well. Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corp - a great organization that has helped thousands of young men and women over the last 15 plus years learn teamwork, experience the thrill of competition, traveled across the country, met lifelong friends......and more. More on my real feelings about Jersey Surf in a later post.....................

Trooper Ron's 5K

This time last year I would have laughed at you if you told me I would participate in my first 5K. Well let's not get excited, I walked it. All the folks from work that convinced me I should do it kept saying......"there will be lots of walkers.....". I should have heard the loud 'sucker' in the background.

Straight from work we arrived at the waterfront which is a beautiful remake of the city's warehouse area. We signed in, got out numbers and t-shirts, stretched, listened to the local radio station and waited. First was the the children's mini run. Too cute! Ok, so now it is the walkers and runners to the starting line. I gravitate to the back of the pack. I am confident that I can do this and that I will not be the slowest person. The tension mounts and off we go. It took far less than 15 seconds to realize that I am so far out of my league. Everyone is running and has pulled ahead of me. It is me and the motorcycle cop behind me. I am having the immediate panic attack of embarrassment. Will it be me and this cop for the next hour? Way to make me feel like a sore thumb. Apparently in my total horror I am thinking out loud and I comment about how I was lied too about the number of walkers. And there is Chris to my rescue.

Chris couldn't have been more perfect if he were on a white stead. Chris tells me to stick with him because his wife always takes off and leaves him. And sure enough I see her and her girlfriend rounding the bend ahead of us. Chris also reassures me that I won't be the last one in because he has a tradition of walking in last. A peace settles in and I know I can do this. We round the corner for the riverwalk and the motorcycle cop if gone so I am a little less threatened. We walk and talk and talk and walk. Somehow we picked up a few folks that are now behind us. We didn't pass anyone so it had to be during my initial haze of embarrassment that I overlooked these comrades.

Chris, a native of the area, told me all these little tidbits about the area. We cruised past where his mother worked during the war (WWII) making ship parts.....a real Rosie the Riveter. We eventually pass another person or two in the shop area as they slowed to window shop. We are about a mile and a half in and all the people from work have already passed me on their way back.

We turn the bend and round the corner and we notice that we have lost anyone behind us. The workers positioned on the route are picking up the cones after we pass their check points. I am too worried about my burning calves to be embarrassed at this point. It's all good. I am a confirmed couch potato that would otherwise be sitting in the chair cross stitching or reading a Grisham novel but I am out here doing it!

Chris's daughter slows and joins us for a bit. She is about 13 and she is tiring. Not long and she has a burst and she pulls ahead. I start to waiver and Chris pushes me on. The whole walk is nothing more than I am used to but the pace is more intense than I would prefer.

So the finish line with the digital time on top is looming ahead. I am so thankful that Chris was put in my path for the afternoon. Chris tells me that I helped him shave 6 minutes off his time. Chris pulls back, his daughter now with us again and tells me to cross the line ahead of him. He, after all must keep up the tradition of he and his daughter crossing hand in hand and last.
There they are, all the folks from work, cheering me! Oh the further embarrassment. I cross at 52 minutes 30 seconds and feel great. Looking at the website, I was under a 17 minute mile which is acceptable I feel. I could have kept going. I grab a cold bottle of water and we are all off to have a after group shot taken.

I find Chris who is with his family and I shake his hand and thank him for helping me make it.

Back to reality, into the car, across the river, home to cook dinner! Driving home I am energized and looking forward to my next walk.

June 16, 2007

Jiminy Crickets!

or rather jumping jiminy crickets. Oh yes the promises to keep this current have gone the wayside. Again, where does the time go? I like to think that rather than waste time by admitting disorganization, that rather I do too much. Which is very true. I need to learn to lower my expectations and learn to say NO! Enough on that subject because that is a whole other therapy session on its own.

My newest endeavor has been the excessive accumulation of Stampin' Up stamps for making greeting cards. What fun to turn out these creations. I admit that on my own I have had very primitive results. At the workshops I have attended, these women are so creative! The things they think of and things they combine to make works of beauty are unbelievable. We have a girl at work that organizes little after work sessions every month or so and we do look forward to these classes. Next one is June 22. More on Stamin with April and a link to her site once I remember where I have it written.

That of course leads to the tangent that was created. Making my own paper. How cool is that? I got the kit with the instructions, screens, blotting paper, etc. from Michael's Arts and Crafts. I decided to dispense with the mulching and weeding as planned and took my trusty blender to the potting bench on the deck. So simple to shred an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper and toss it in the blender, add 2 cups water and blend for 30 seconds. Poor it on the screen, drain and blot the water and Ta Da! Paper. I got inventive and added lavender from my garden which turned out pretty cool and resulted in scented paper. Then I moved to mint from the garden.....equally cool. I have been saving letterhead from work that was to be shredded. (The dreaded typo or alignment problem, or let me change that paragraph from my boss.) The better the quality of paper the nicer the end result. Our letterhead is tri colored so it adds a fleck or green and teal and blue here and there. Also, I learned the longer you blend the smoother your end result. As with anything, it is a learning process. I will have to take a photo and display it. But let's not rush me.......all in due time.