Your Mission Should You Choose To Accept It!

At the beginning of 2009, Comedienne, Talk Show Host and soon to be American Idol Judge, Ellen DeGeneres, gave voice to a rather unorthodox New Year’s resolution. She decided she wanted to do something, that as of the beginning of last year, had never been done before by anyone but Oprah.  Ellen decided that she wanted to be on the cover of O Magazine.

Of course, Ellen being Ellen, she launched a most amusing, no holds barred campaign to accomplish her goal. This included lengthy calls to underlings on Oprah’s staff, public on air appeals and comical mock ups of suggested cover designs. Unless you’re living under a rock, you know this multi-faceted approach worked.

Since I love stories like this and since I think a lot of both of these women, I had to buy this magazine. Inside it was an article titled, "Pretty, Quick" which really caught my attention. It proposed a beauty focused twist to the traditional child-centric advent calendar.

You may have one of these kids’ calendars in your home. If you don’t, I’m sure you’ve seen them. There are a gajillion different versions of them, almost all of which feature a Christmas themed motif and numbered pockets or little doors designed to hide candy and/or small toys. They are quite popular this time of year and they are usually prominently displayed in the family kitchen.

The "Pretty, Quick" calendar in the magazine is not nearly so showy. In fact, it can be folded up and put in a purse or a nightstand drawer. The "Pretty, Quick" calendar consists of a schedule of thirty one activities, one for each day in the month of December.

Now, before we go any further, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that I’ve lost my mind to suggest that you add thirty one more things to your already jam packed December To Do lists. You'll stop thinking this when you see what's on the calendar.    

Per the lead in paragraph in the article, each of the featured tasks can be accomplished in less than fifteen minutes per day and each is designed to improve a woman’s looks and/or to lift her spirits. Though I rarely do it, I’m all for the concept of pampering myself. If someone wants to put me on a schedule to make sure that I do more than address cards and bake cookies for other people this December, I say, sign me up!

Anyway, I’m going to do this and I think it would be fun if you did too!  To make that easier, I will keep you posted on my progress every day and I'll remind you about the following day’s assignment.  

Alright, at this point, I need to send a little love to a Chicago writer by the name of Robyn Okrant, who did something very similar to this in 2008, though on a much bigger scale. Robyn decided that since Oprah is always encouraging women to read certain books, buy foods from favored restaurants and make particular lifestyle changes, she would see how doing these things (yes, all of them!) would impact her life. She documented this journey in a blog called Living Oprah and she has since turned her experiences into a book.

When I first heard about Living Oprah, I assumed Okrant was a rabid fan. Not so much! She isn’t a hater or anything, but she does view Oprah’s admonitions with a healthy does of skepticism. In fact, one of her quotes encapsulates the basic premise of what she did and why she did it: It reads, “I’m not attempting to prove Oprah wrong or right, but I am trying to encourage women highly susceptible to the media’s influence to question the sources.” Duly noted, Robyn!  :)

Guess I should preface these next couple of paragraphs by explaining my perspective.  It's not that complicated.  I’m an unapologetic fan! I watch the program.  I read the magazine and I have her website bookmarked.  I've been known to quote Oprah and on occasion, I will pratically beg close friends to watch a particular show if I think that show has merit.

I'm a fan, but I’m a fan with a brain!  While I don’t take spiritual or political advice from Oprah and while I don’t blindly follow her (or anyone’s) suggestions about how to live my life, I will miss the show when it goes off the air in 2011. I think Oprah has done a lot of good for a lot of people. Even when I do disagree with her on a particular issue -and I do from time to time- I believe her heart is in the right place.  I have learned a lot by watching this show over the years.  I think she has done women a great service.  I appreciate that she almost always takes the high road.  I admire and respect her and I’m SO mad that my September trip to Chicago ended ONE DAY short of her big Season 24 Kick Off Street Party and Flash Mob.  Did I mention that we had been staying on Michigan Avenue, where the show was filmed, and that they were already shutting down the streets while I was leaving to catch my flight???

To those who are not as enthusiastic about Oprah as I am, I have this to say: Lighten up!  :)  This is not about Oprah. This is about us.

Anyway, December 1st: Day 1 Today’s assignment is to organize. The specific instructions are to go through your daily make up supplies and pare them down to five items. The article suggests the following five: concealor, lash curler, black mascara, berry lip gloss and rosy blush. I have a few comments. For starters, I don’t see any foundation on this list and I sneeze when I attempt to apply mascara, so I’m switching those two. Also, I have no intention of throwing out any costly products I’ve aquired, particularly not before I attend the Hot Heads event this coming Sunday. Until then, I’m going to go with six items in a little makeup bag in my purse: concealor, foundation, blush, lip gloss, eye shadow and pressed powder.

Day 2’s Assignment – Wear a great red lipstick!

I’ll let you know how it goes. Have a great evening!

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year!

Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen? It's the mascot for Winter Park's "Winter in the Park" ice skating rink on the west side of Central Park. Kudos to whomever came up with it! There are now four places (that I know of) where we can ice skate in Central Florida this December: Park Avenue in Winter Park, Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando, UCF and, of course, The RDV Sportsplex in Maitland. I'll be lacing up my skates in Winter Park. Should be fun!

I am so excited that it’s December. This has been a very challenging year, not only for me, but for a lot of people I love. Turning the calendar page today indicates that 2009 is drawing to a close. Let’s think about it like this - if 2009 was a dinner, we’ve finished the liver and the brussel sprouts and we’re about to enjoy a luscious Crème Brule with a piping hot cup of coffee. I can’t wait!

I have always adored the month of December. For starters, December is when some of my very favorite people on the planet made their grand entrances. Happy Birthday Betsy, Carissa, Bev, Dad, Ericka, Cindy F, Kathy & Cindy R and I still miss you, Grandma! (Happy first Birthday to baby Cross, too, and I can't wait to meet you little Miss Marzolf! I think you've picked a splendid time to be born!)

Can I mention Christmas in this blog? I think I will.

I LOVE Christmas and everything it represents. Of course I love all of the fun and frivolity, the great tastes and smells and all the decorations. I love white twinkle lights…iced cookies…the Reindeer Run 5K in Maitland…real Christmas trees…homemade ornaments…cute pajamas with polar bears on them…kids Christmas pageants…living nativity scenes...gingerbread houses… coordinated neighborhood light shows…boat parades…the smell of cinnamon and evergreen… handwritten cards…eggnog…open houses….toy drives…gift wrapping for charity…The Rockettes (BTW, they performed for FREE outside of the downtown Orlando Public Library today)…Secret Santas…caroling…shiny glass ornaments…The First Baptist Church of Longwood’s annual Walk Through Bethlehem…poinsettias and red amaryllis plants…The First Baptist Church of Orlando’s Singing Christmas Trees…getting dressed up for parties…egg & sausage strata…the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at my church and pictures of my friends’ little girls in their velvet dresses, satin hair bows, leggings and patent leather shoes and of their boys sporting new haircuts, pressed pants, untucked dress shirts and little bow ties.

I love watching all of the classics on TV. I never get tired of that cute little dog, Max, with the weighty antlers on his head or of Cindy Loo Who getting up to get a drink of water. I love it when the Whos sing together on Christmas morning and when Jimmy Stewart’s George offers to lasso the moon for Mary. Every year, I look forward to seeing Rudolph blush when he’s around Clarice, to watching Charlie and the gang decorate their sad little tree and to witnessing Scrooge's epiphany as he finally discovers what life and love are really all about.

I love my Christmas music, especially Please Celebrate Me Home by Kenny Loggins. The minute I put my last Thanksgiving plate in the dishwasher, I change my car radio dial to Magic 107.7 and I leave it there until December 25th so I can enjoy the nonstop carols.

Call me crazy, but I even love Christmas shopping. I’m a last minute girl, so I often find myself on Christmas Eve morning in a sea of shell shocked husbands running OJ (1970s Hertz commercial) style through the mall in a last ditch effort to keep themselves out of the dog house. I love gift wrapping at 12:01 Christmas morning while I watch the Pope deliver the Christmas Mass in Italian. (You don’t have to be Catholic to be humbled and mesmerized by the beauty and the pageantry of that service.) None of this begins to capture what I really love best about Christmas though. What I really love about Christmas has much more to do with the true meaning of the holiday. It goes so much deeper than anything I can put into words.

I celebrate Christmas, but I love that some or all of Hanukah takes place in December as well. I think the Festival of the Lights is such a beautiful commemoration of the holy temple’s flame burning for eight days on one day’s worth of olive oil. Isn't that a beautiful image? Imagine thinking that darkness is looming and that there is no way you're going to make it through the crisis. Then imagine the joy and comfort you would feel when you realized that you did because God provided for you in a way you couldn't have envisioned. I love that! I really appreciate the fact that Hanukah has remained largely uncommercialized too. It seems like such a tradition rich and intimate holiday. I always feel so privileged when I’m invited into the home of a Jewish friend during this sacred time of year.

Anyway, I’m happy today and I hope you don’t mind that I chose to share that. As you know, I usually use this forum to write about more superficial topics. I make no apologies for that. I do believe life is about much more than what this year's hot color is, as I shared in this post. At the same time, I don't think there is anything wrong with focusing on style and beauty. Quite the contrary.

In my mind, fashion and design are forms of art. I also believe there is something very cool about embracing one’s gifts and talents and passions. In my mind, it is a great thing to do what you’re called to do and to do whatever that is well.

There’s also nothing wrong with wanting to look good. That’s my opinion anyway. The human body is exquisite. Showcasing it in a great new outfit or tastefully drawing attention to it with a wonderful haircut or sparkly jewelry is no different than framing a fabulous piece of art.

If someone’s ONLY focus is on how amazing she looks, that’s a problem. If, however, a woman smiles every now and then when catching a glimpse of herself in a reflective store window and thinks, “Good job, God!”; I, for one, don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I’m of the school of thought that we were given brains and bodies and talent and the ability to appreciate beauty and to see humor in things for a reason. I also think relationships matter - a lot! If we can have some fun together discussing hobo bags and great printed scarves, I say bring it on!

Anyway, like I said, I don’t often get so reflective or so personal about what I believe when writing this blog, but because it’s December 1st and because I do so love this month, I thought I’d color outside of the lines a bit today.

I guess I should say this though: These are my thoughts…. the thoughts and opinions of someone who happens to adore Hot Heads. They are not necessarily the thoughts of the Hot Heads staff. If you think they’re all hooey and if you think this post is nothing but sentimental drivel, which has no place on a style focused blog, I trust that you will just ignore it and jump back in later tonight when I revert to writing about fashion trends and fabulous hair.

In any event, Happy December! Hope it’s a joy filled, amazing month for you!

**Five more days to Sunday’s special event, which is scheduled to take place at Hot Heads from 1:45 to 5:00 pm. Is it on your calendar yet? Hope so! Aside from being wonderful for all of the reasons I noted above, December is also a month to get your glam on. Make sure you know how to do that the right way! Call your friends to clue them in about this event and remember to RSVP by this Friday, the 4th (407-671-0480). Did I mention that there will be door prizes too and that you get an extra shot at them if you bring a friend? :)

Sunday, December 6 2009 1:45 PM – 5:00PM

This just in....  There's a really fun event taking place at Hot Heads this coming weekend.  I know I'll be there.  Hopefully you will be too! 

WHAT’S HOT?

FIND OUT…..

WHO: Interested in the hottest new looks in hair and fashion?

WHAT: See the hottest in haircuts performed with styling tips, great make- up tips and the latest in color techniques.

WHEN: Sunday, December 6 2009 1:45 PM – 5:00PM

WHERE: Hot Heads Salon Seminole Town Center Mall

Limited Space must RSVP by Friday December 4th @ 407-671-0480

DOOR PRIZES:

Hair Cut and Blow dry (one)
Color Service (one)
Make Over (one)
Products

*Bring a friend get an additional chance for a drawing.

Cyber Monday, Monday .... Just Another Day

Today is Cyber Monday, but you wouldn't know it if you looked at my e-mail inbox.  There isn't an online receipt or shipping notice to be found.

Because of a considerably lighter wallet this season, I haven't bought a single gift yet.  I did venture into The Seminole Towne Center though.  In case you didn't, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Black Friday sights.

Can there be a stroll through the mall Thanksgiving weekend that doesn't include sausage and cheese samples from Hickory Farms ?  I think not!

  

While we're on the subject of free samples, look at this.  A table covered with Hershey's Bliss candy.   Free chocolate and great shoes in the same location?  Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!

These never get old, do they?  They make me want to go put on a pair of Candies and feather my hair! 

I'm SO excited that the Seminole Towne Center has an H & M now.  I've been hearing about this store for years and I couldn't wait to go inside and check it out!  The clothes are all so fashion forward and the price points are reasonable too!  Do you know they have their own line of Jimmy Choo shoes?  When I do have money again, I will certainly be spending some of it here!

Godiva Chocolatier Guess what everyone on my list will be getting this year? 

I LOVE the Macy's Believe  promotion!  Kids (and adults) can tell Santa their dearest wishes.  While they're doing so, they can help some really deserving kids and their families.  For every letter (up to a million) placed in one of these red Macy's mailboxes, $1 will be donated to The Make-A-Wish Foundation !

Mall Cop he wasn’t! I was not able to take a picture of the best looking thing I saw at the mall the other day. I’m sorry to be such a shallow girl, but I feel it must be mentioned that a George Clooney caliber cop spotted on the second floor near the food court was serving, protecting and raising the temperature of the mall by about ten degrees. I’m not talking about mall security. I did see a professional looking gentleman of a certain age in a crisp white shirt and a pair of black uniform slacks carrying a walkie talkie and making his rounds. This is not who I’m referring to. The man I am referring to is a member of Sanford’s finest and I do mean that in the truest sense of the word. I have never before seen a police officer who looks like this…not even in a movie. Honestly, it made me want to go commit a crime.

There is great new eatery at the Seminole Towne Center.  It's called The Boston Coffee House .  Of course, they serve all of the holiday standards i.e. Gingerbread Latte, Mocha Mint and steaming hot cocoa.  They also have soup, sandwiches and cases full of decadent pastries on gleaming silver trays like the ones pictured above.  YUM!

 

Coliseum of Comics You've gotta like an enormous green guy in a Santa hat who is confident enough to carry around a stuffed snowman and a little aqua elf!

  

I absolutely fell in love with this store!  Love's Creation is an extention of a Sanford based organization called Harvest Time International .  It sells all kinds of lovely, unique, mostly handcrafted gifts from around the globe.  There are also a number of quality name brand items represented in the store as well.  I found so many things there that I wanted to take home! 

The best thing about Love's Creation is what they do with their profits.  100%  (!!) of them go to help needy families.  The second best thing about the store is how beautiful it is.  Sometimes you want to buy something because it is for a good cause, but you have a hard time doing so because it is so unattractive.  (School Fundraiser gift wrap, I'm talking to you!)  The merchandise in this store is so well crafted and artfully displayed.  Here is some of what I discovered:

Anyway, since I shared TEN favorite sights, I'll leave you with a Bo Derek quote:  "Whoever said money can't buy happiness, didn't know where to shop."

If you're smart, you'll spend some part of this coming holiday season checking out Officer McDreamy, patronizing a few of these fabulous stores and allowing the great staff at Hot Heads to make you the belle of the ball. 

 Hope Thanksgiving was wonderful!  :)

Why I Have Fried Catfish To Thank For Hair I Love

My friend, Liz, is striking!  She’s dated famous folks. In her youth, she graced the pages of Teen Magazine. Pictures of her wedding and an accompanying write up were featured in a major bridal publication and even today, as a happily married Mom of two, men are rendered speechless in her presence. None of that really does her justice though. I think this does: Back in high school, she got a job as a hostess – AT CAPTAIN D’S!  (No, in answer to your question, they did not make her wear the polyester uniform.)

Liz is the kind of girl it would be easy to hate, if not for a few pesky little facts: 1) She’s smart as a whip. 2) She has a very strong work ethic.  3) She has a heart of gold, and 4) She is one of the funniest people I know.

I am giving a shout out to Liz today, because she is the one who first told me about Hot Heads. A couple of years ago, I mentioned to her that I needed a change. I told her that I hadn’t found a stylist I liked and that I really wanted a cute new look. She told me about Hot Heads and she recommended Barry and Diane. She told me that they were the best in town.

That was enough for me. If a girl who once talked someone into paying her to say hello to fast food seafood restaurant customers tells you where to get your hair styled, you listen.

Liz is the reason I first walked into Hot Heads. Barry and Diane are the reason I keep coming back.

From the first time Barry cut my hair, I was hooked. I didn’t know his background at that point, but it was easy to see that he was a major talent.

I have had my hair cut at a swanky salon in Buckhead in Atlanta. (Thanks, Cindy! :) I’ve had it trimmed, highlighted and straightened at a well known, very reputable salon in Altamonte Springs. I’ve had it cut and colored at a trendy salon in downtown Orlando and I have had it styled at a high end salon just off Park Avenue in Winter Park. While I was happy with the results on each of these occasions, I didn’t leave those salons with the same feeling that I had when I left Hot Heads that first time.

Though Barry was unable to make me 5’11, Asian and gorgeous, like Liz :), he accomplished something none of those other stylists were able to accomplish. He made me want to come back. I absolutely loved the cut!

I was thrilled with the color too! (Diane wasn’t doing my color then, but I was still quite happy with it. That is one of the beautiful things about Hot Heads. Everybody who works there is top notch.)

Recently I had the occasion to sit down with Barry and Diane and talk to them about their experiences in the industry and about their salon philosophy. What I discovered made me think even more of both of them and of the entire salon. I think you’re going to be fascinated by what I discovered.

Pretty Girl, Perfect Hair! :)

I dropped by Hot Heads yesterday afternoon just in time to see stylist, Jessica, putting the finishing touches on her client, Taylor’s, homecoming do.

Taylor is obviously a beautiful girl, who would’ve looked lovely no matter what hairstyle she decided on, but this look clearly suits her. It’s fun, a little edgy and the long, loose curls are just gorgeous. She must have been a vision in the blue metallic dress she was planning to wear to last night’s dance.

Special thanks to Taylor for allowing me to share these pictures. Thanks to Jessica too. Jessica, you did an awesome job!

The City (of the) Beautiful

Before I took my newborn son home from the hospital, I attended a mandatory childcare class. My fellow new Moms and I learned how to bathe our babies, how to properly diaper them (cartoon characters should face forward, tabs should be in the back), what a proper baby burp should sound like and when we were supposed to start introducing solid foods. I’m sure it was all very informative. I don’t remember much though, because of something else that was conveyed to me in that classroom.

The childcare class I attended took place less than 24 hours after my son’s birth. This is because he was born during a period of time when insurance companies could get away with booting a Mother and her baby out the door the day after a complication - free delivery.  My son was born on a Friday and we were sent home that Saturday.  In other words, he still had the scrunched up, reddish, blotchy face of a newborn who was delivered naturally when we attended the class.  My son was also on the larger side, weighing in at close to 9 lbs at the time of his birth, and he had his father’s very full lips.

Inexplicably, all the other Moms in class with me and my son that Saturday morning so long ago, were Moms of 5 lb baby girls, each of whom had been delivered via C Section several days prior. These babies were all sweet, tiny angels wrapped in pink blankets with perfect faces that looked like little rosebuds. As we sat in the circle, all beaming with pride, the other Moms and I began fawning over the babies who were not our own. “Oh, she’s just adorable.” “Look how cute she is!” “I love that little dress on her. Look at her little button nose. She’s such a beauty!”

Every baby in that room was showered with compliments. Well almost every baby was! It went something like this:

Comment about newborn #1) “Ooooo, what a cutie!”
Comment about newborn #2) “Oh, I love that little bow in her hair. She’s absolutely adorable!”
Comment about newborn #3) “Look at her gorgeous eyes and those sweet little lips. I just want to eat her up with a spoon!”
Several second intermission from the baby love fest while the other Moms took a fleeting glance at newborn number 4, my son, then averted their eyes. This was followed by an awkward silence.
Comment about newborn #5: “Isn’t she just darling? Look at those little dimples!”

My son was actually a precious baby! He was a smiley, blond haired, blue eyed, bundle of energy who charmed everyone he met. He was cute then … (See below.)

.... and, if I do say so myself, he’s a handsome young man now. (I can’t post a current picture or he’d kill me.)

The fact that he was (and is) an attractive kid didn’t change the fact that, for a brief period of time, a handful of OBVIOUSLY BLIND (!!) complete strangers deemed him “the homely looking baby” and let me know about it. It hurt my feelings and it made me mad! I told my husband that I wanted contact info for all those people, so we could arrange to meet them several months down the road at a local playground.  I wanted a recount!  I wanted to line the babies up again when the playing field was a little more level... when those rosebud baby girls were no longer reaping the beauty advantages of their C-Section deliveries.    

Today I had a flashback to that 1989 insult because today I was told that I (and approximately two million of my nearest and dearest) are considered to be physically revolting to the rest of the nation. Recently, Travel and Leisure Magazine conducted a survey evaluating 30 US cities in a number of different categories. Channel 9 reported on some of the survey’s results earlier today. In terms of attractiveness, Orlandoans ranked 22nd out of 30. That means we were in the bottom 27%. In other words, the rest of the country looked us up and down, then gave us a big fat F in the looks department. (We fared even worse – 26th! - when it came to intelligence.)

I was only upset for about an hour back in ‘89, because I was too busy enjoying my little son.  I knew my baby was CUUUUTE.  If others couldn't see that, that was their loss.

I am not going to stew about these survey results for very long either, for the same reason.  I know the stats are skewed and I know the majority of my neighbors are attractive.  I mean, we’ve got theme parks here so we have real ogres in our midst.  (Sorry, Shrek!)  We've got evil sea witches among us- sea witches who wear too much purple eye shadow.  (Not sorry, Ursula!)  We've got Cruella with her two toned hair, severe eyebrows and politically incorrect Dalmation coat.  These folks undoubtedly drug our overall evaluation down.   

Another reason I’m going to let this go is because I know that if I don’t, I might end up with frown lines or a furrowed brow. That would only make things worse. I’ve decided, instead, to channel my energies in a more constructive manner. I’ve decided to make it my mission to add five little letters to our city slogan. Instead of "The City Beautiful", I think we should shoot for “The City of the Beautiful”.

Now while I know that everyone who is reading is already drop dead gorgeous, I don’t think it would hurt to get a little proactive here.  I don't think it would hurt to stack the deck in our favor and to do what we can to take things up a notch or two before next year's survey.  To that end, I think we should all call Hot Heads 407-671-0480 post haste and book appointments. That would be the smart thing to do!  As an added bonus, doing the smart thing might rachet up our intelligence rating too.