October/orange

oreos with orange filling

snow 12 October

carrot moon...parisian carrots, my first garden

frosty car

have a nice day/peek a BOO!

confessions

Last night I made a confession to one of my clients.  We laughed about it, and I just have to write about it here...maybe I have before, but it has been in my mind, and needs airing.  It is a strange part of  the way my head works, something I'd like to change...well.  Here goes. 

I am always mad at one of my friends.  No, not the same friend all the time, it rotates.  Yep, there is only so much room in my heart at this time for, say, 9 friends. (nine is just a random number.  this oddity is not so well thought out,  it just is.) If I am spending time, or communicating more with one particular friend, she gets the prime slot.  Then there are the main crew I have in my mind, filling in the next five slots, and then maybe a few of the sisters, and the last spot is the most vulnerable.  She better be careful because if someone from the Beyond 9 Fringes reaches out to me, or part of me remembers the love and thread that ties me to her, No. 9 is out.  Adios.  Until number 6 pisses me off, then she is out, and if you've been showing me good behaviour, the former 9 is back in, perhaps.  I don't actually think love is finite.  This is not a part of my brain that I am proud of, or want to work on, in the way of deciding an actual number friends I can like at any given time.  No, simply want to confess.  It doesn't fit in well with my whole acceptance of others sentiment.  Maybe if I can accept this friend limitation as part of myself up to now, and air it out, I'll get a bit of insight.

Have you ever noticed a similar trend in your life?  What are your unsaid rules about friends?  Is there something you'd like to confess?

Listen up.

This just makes me laugh!

Friendly Friday

We had friends over! Friday for lunch we had friends over!  It was great--exactly what the doctor ordered.  And this is what I found after they'd gone home... lovely artwork.  A note to the artist, I found the pencil sharpener by the front door.  Suvi dropped it there for "safe keeping."

My Mom

can't get here fast enough.  I am having one of those days.  My buttons have been revealed and pushed and I am so crabby that I put the cd going from Theo's Baptism.  I need some Jesus and Holy Spirit today.  Theo was Baptized in February, and this sermon is from Lent.  Lets hope it works.

Craigslits.

I tried four times to spell craigslist correctly, but then, after four failed attempts, I decided lits would do.
***Table and chairs have sold!!!!***

Just posted these two items, and thought I'd let you know incase you are just aching for this stuff.  Buy it. Please. I know.  I am quite the sales person.  I love my table in the kitchen, but we don't NEED it, so if you do, you should give it a happy home. 

elmo not included.  :)

a blanket of white...

I woke up to a dusting of snow.

white and fresh
crisp air
twists and turns and s formations
lining up atop the garden hose.

Ride 'em, Cowboy!

Time to pack up summer!!

Theo is lining everything up.  Tomatoes, blocks, trains, spaghetti...

Denial is not just a river in Egypt.

****The fundraiser has been moved to November 13th*****I hope you will shop with us that day!
Please oh please help save Luke's life.  He is 17 years old and his heart and mind are so tangled and torn.  He is secretly drinking in his bedroom when his family has gone to sleep.  He is deceiving himself and his family as he sneaks away with his friends to smoke pot.  He will not pledge to quit on his own.  He has lied and his heart is growing cold.  Please!  Can you help save his life?  Please donate to his tuition fund.  His parents found a school that is Christian based, with a twelve step program, but it is waaaaaay expensive.  Luke is in the school--it is a boarding school in a remote area where he is receiving counceling, working, and safe from chemicals.  This environment is beautiful, but there is a great storm in his heart.  He is proud of his drug use.  Luke's parents brought him to the school to save him from himself, from drugs.  This is his chance to gain sobriety and to begin his adult life with the hope every kid should have. 
If you can help, it would mean hope for his family. 

Please leave a comment, email me directly for the address to send your check, or drop by the salon.  Thank you!

FUNDRAISER

******The fundraiser has been changed to November 13th******

This is a fundraiser the salon is doing to pay the tuition at a school for boys with addiction issues.  It is a Christian based school, with a twelve step program in place.  If you can help, or know anyone who can, send me an email, or call the salon for more information.

==================================================================

KIDS ON DRUGS

An event to help parents get their kids off drugs.

I am helping to organize an important event at Majors Sports Cafe on Sat. October 17th, 6-9 PM. Food, Fun, & great deals!

It is called "The ultimate Coat, Shoe & Handbag event". All items will be sold for $5, $10, $15! Plus a live Auction!

100% of the sales of this event will go to pay for the treatment of a kid on drugs. Every single dime!
Majors is waiving the room fee for this event.


*I need your help! Could you please consider supporting this event by attending (free to attend) , inviting your friends, and/or, donating your New or gently used coats, shoes and handbags to the sale. (Women's, Men's, Children's needed).

*We also need items for the Live auction. ie: business services, gift certificates, event tickets, jewelry, furniture, house wares, electronics, etc. A great excuse to do your fall cleaning!

Right now we are sponsoring a child in treatment and his parents need our help to pay for this service. Every single item sold will help to pay for this child to become drug free!

I truly appreciate any help you are able to give, and I hope to see you at the event on October 17th. Thank you ahead of time for your support!

We are also looking for organizations that will match funds. If you could think of any, let us know.Even if they matched up to $100, that would be worth $200. I so want to pay for more than Luke's Tuition.


Lisa also suggested that we put "boxes" with the flier attached to the box at businesses we know. We, of course, will put them at our hair salon, but hope to find others. People can put their donations into those boxes, either cash or checks made out to Elk Mountain Academy. Ask me about this if you want to put a box at a business you know

in three posts, i'm going to contemplate a draw(r)ing, but for today...

I am thinking about my sisters.  I have four of them, you know.  And they are all whole people, each and every one of them.  Turns out, now get this, I am a whole person, too. Not half.  It would be good to be half my size, but not so good to be half a person.  So, I have four whole sisters, and they each have four whole sisters, and one whole brother, and one holy brother.  I know its not funny, but really, it is awkward listing the siblings, all six of my whole siblings, because my oldest brother is ten toes up next to the old church in Cowtown.  I always count him in my mind, but I don't usually want to add him to the list when folks ask about my family, because inevitably the question is, "And what about your other brother?  Where does he live?" or "What does your older brother do."  Sometimes I just say he's out West doing his own thing.  Its true.  But not in the way the questioneer assumes. Anyway, you weren't asking, that was my own digression, so back to my whole sisters...

Next Sunday I am hosting our Sisters Lunch.  This is our fourth event.  One sister was resisting the planning and asked me why we were trying to do it so soon after the last time.  She had a blast the last time, by the way.  We all did.  Certainly  I had a great time.  I love my sisters, but we really don't know each other very well.  I think our Sister Filters are much thicker than our Other People Filters.  Especially for ... for what? Hmm. Dunno.  Well, what I would like to see happen with this fourth lunch is acceptance.  Acceptance for imperfections.  Acceptance for life challenges, differences of opinion, differences in lifestyle.  I want to laugh or cry with my sisters, and hold each other up, and really show great love.  They are all works in progress, and y'all know I am, but it would make me so so so so happy if it would just be okay with each of us within ourselves to accept the things we cannot change.  No, we don't have to fix her; and yes, it is good that I am direct; it is okay to let her heal slowly; please, let go and let love reclaim your spirit because you are a wonderful mother;  you are not less beautiful, if you feel out of control.  Life is hard and we all struggle at times, but what potential for growth! We ARE whole. 

Now, C'mon and love one another right now!

Please, don't get the impression that we fight or don't have fun.  We do.  And when those oldest two girls start laughing, look out!  They are so funny!  I am just getting to see them all in a new light, this year, from spending these long lunches together.  I want them simply to feel as loved as possible, accepted and loved, and for all five of us sisters, daughters, mothers to be friends with whole happy hearts. 

Now is that so much to ask? Geez.  What is with all the tears around here?  Yesterday I cried when writing a note to MOE at the end of the day--about the cards and responses.  I have a lot to be thankful for.

  Like Five Whole Sisters.  (Hey, that is the title of my book, I bet!)  And some very wonderful friends.  And you guys know about that husband of mine, and my babers.  And my love of words.  I am thankful for that.  And photos, with a goal of getting a mack daddy camera someday.  So yep, thankful for that goal, too.  Lunch is ready. Thank Heavens!

just to finish it up.

I sent out the cards a week ago.  This week three clients who received cards called for appointments--yay!--our schedules worked well together and all three got in the day they called.  Another very regular haircute client (oops, haircut  but hey, haircute.  i like it.  my own salon name some day?  i used to want "mohawks and mullets" but i am liking this new thought.  see, there are no accidents.) called to add the color service that I offered. Just the four responders alone make me happy and worth the little bit of effort it took to create the card.  Sigh. 

With this little turn, I've renewed my commitment to giving excellent customer service.  I'm going to give them the pickle.  That is some catch phrase from a service seminar Habtamu went to a while back.  That little extra touch.  Today I gave an unscheduled clarifying treatment, a slightly longer scalp massage to one client who loves it, did some extra conditioning on a head of long lovely locks, and extra style time to someone heading to a little event.  One client...she didn't get any extras, but I hope she felt the love!