Everything Old Is New Again

I've been snowboarding since the 80s.  Yes, I know that means I must be really old, but there you have it.  The Mister (who is even older) is a purist.  A skier.  A slave to twin, parallel boards.  Every once in a while, I am cajoled into joining him in a run down the hill.  But because I prefer my snowboard, I haven't upgraded (nor updated) my skis and bindings since high school--don't laugh!

Anyway, the last time I went skiing, I actually had some fresh-faced punk ooh-ing and aah-ing over my "cool new" bindings.  He'd clearly never seen anything like them...  He assumed they must be the latest thing in ski binding technology.

Fast forward to today.  My kids, with some not-to-subtle hinting from me, bought me a 1930s Smith & Corona typewriter for Christmas.  It arrived today, and HRH and I thought it would be prudent to check it for damage.  I told her to sit tight while I grabbed some paper.

What kind of paper?

She wanted to know...  I just laughed...  So, we put in a sheet of regular pink paper, and started to pluck away.  HRH tapped a little too lightly--

Did it work?  Did I do it?

It did not...  No.

After peeking inside, she realized it had to actually stamp the paper.  That's about when The Buddies noticed the racket (I'd forgotten how loud a typewriter is!).  I don't think they could have been more impressed if I'd parked a spaceship in the back yard.

Truly, everything is new again...

Living Social

I've got a new favorite way to get deals!  Have you heard about Living Social?  Two weeks ago I got an email offering a 90 minute massage, 60 minute European facial, and a 30 minute pedi--all for $54!  Can you believe that bargain?  Even better--if three friends buy the same offer, I get it FREE!  Holy cow!  Anybody up for a massage?  Ha ha...  Sorry, that offer has expired, but check back often and I'll post links to the local offerings for future savings.  Spa Day!  Here I come!

I hear violins...

In September, or maybe it was October, The Buddies decided that they wanted to take violin lessons.  They had been taking piano and voice, but their teacher was on a maternity break.  I decided we'd give it a shot and see how it went.

We went through the process of renting violins...  (I'm not stupid--did you really think I'd buy three violins!?)  I was shocked to find out that my three little guys--born 120 seconds apart--are so different in size that we required three different sized violins.  Actually--I was almost as shocked just to realize that violins came in that many sizes...  Ok--so I'm musically uninformed...  But there you have it--we've become a violin-toting, music book schlepping, early-class attending group of violinists...

Let's just say that getting three little boys out the door for school an hour earlier, twice a week, has not been fun.  Add to that the fact that we're (still) living across town from our school...  I'll just be honest and tell you that most days (ok--all days) I drive across town in my pajamas...  Scary thought!  Don't ponder that too long!

But tonight was the big payoff.  The concert.  The holiday recital.  I'd heard them practicing...  A moderately painful, albeit infrequent, occurrence...  But tonight they sounded amazing.  Granted, there were some more experienced violinists in the group, and maybe they overpowered The Buddies, but they sounded awesome!

The only thing that could have made it better?  If we'd actually been able to see The Buddies while they played...  At least more of them than just the legs and feet that peeked out from the bottom of the black music stands!

Scentsy

I have a new linky button on my sidebar...  Did you see it?  It's right there!  Look!!!  (And you can even click it if you feel so inclined...)

What am I doing with a Scentsy button?  Well, let me tell you!  About a million years ago, ok, maybe it was only about 14 years ago, I had a little candle and soap business.  We were living in Arizona when I started Quiet Moments Candle Company.  It started as a hobby, and before I knew it, it had taken over my life.  If I wasn't taking orders, I was filling orders...  If I wasn't managing the orders, I was making the candles...  I tested fragrances, color, and burn properties...  I toyed with different waxes, wicks, and analyzed melt pools.  I labeled, made tags, set up displays, and tied on ribbons.  And I really liked it!  I loved selling my little jars and blocks at craft boutiques and fairs, mostly because that's where I got to meet new people.  But there came a time when it became overwhelming.  I just didn't have the time necessary to maintain my family responsibilities, create all the products, and field all the sales.  So, it was a sad end to my little adventure.

Somewhere along the way, I became disenchanted with burning candles.  I loved the beautiful, flickering light.  I loved the way the fragrances seemed to warm my house and fill it with childhood memories.  But I wasn't a fan of the ghosting.  What's ghosting?  Let me share...  I started to see shadows above my air vents...  I discovered that those dark shadows were the result of the soot in the air in my house.  Soot that was being sucked through my vents and spewed back into our home for us to breath.  Definately not a fan...

In time, we moved into a new house.  (I know, shocking, isn't it...)  And I made the decision that we would not burn candles in our new home...  And we didn't.  But I missed the scent of baking cookies--and my waistline certainly didn't need me to turn our kitchen into a mass-cookie-baking operation.  So, what was a girl to do?

I'll tell you what I did, I discovered Scentsy!  I found a product that melted wax, just like a candle.  Created a warm and enviting ambiance, just like a candle.  Filled my home with amazing aromas, just like a candle.  But it didn't fill my house with soot!  The wax is melted by a low wattage light bulb.  No more worries about catching something on fire.  No more wick-trimming.  No more hot wax burns (this wax melts at a lower temperature).  And best of all, no more soot!

If you want to try it, click on my linky button!  Go ahead, I dare you!  Do it now!  :)

Perspective

I've recently been witness to a painful lesson in how differently two people can perceive the same situation.

In our business-savvy world, we do all we can to eliminate unnecessary misunderstandings.  We define time lines, terms of payment, responsibilities, and expectations...  And still, there is always room for misinterpretation.

It's frustrating to look at a scenario and see one thing, while knowing that another party is interpreting the same information in an entirely different way.  And being the opinionated person that I am, I feel completely driven to convince the opposing side of my correctness.  Never mind that at the same time, those same people are trying to convince me to accept their (erroneous) point of view.

I pride myself on being a fairly reasonable person (disputed by some of my son's friends, I'm sure).  And I like to think that I am logical as well.  Is my sensible mind-set an anomaly?  Why don't more people agree with me?  It would save us both some time and annoyance.  Maybe some people just enjoy a good argument...  What they don't know is that I am really skilled in the art of the argument.  And, of course, I have the benefit of being right.