New Art

I have a couple of new additions to the art on my walls at home.

Here are the signs that Tatiana made me for my surprise in New Orleans.  Ginger had to point them out to me because I was just not catching onto the surprise.  Even then I looked at the sign and though "Huh, that's odd that someone named Trixie is getting picked up at the airport.  How weird.".  Finally I caught on to their mischievous activities and was VERY excited and happy to see everyone together!

I also bought a piece of art in New Orleans.  I truly believe that "art" is whatever you love and whatever speaks to you.  It doesn't matter if you buy it from a city gallery or from a sidewalk street vendor.  In this case I spotted this work right away in Jackson Square.  I decided to wait since we hadn't even started to walk around yet but I ended up coming back to it.  Here I am with the artist and with the picture now displayed in my kitchen.



Can I pick just 5 Fave Vacation Pics??

I recently returned from 2 1/2 straight weeks of vacation!  It included stops in New Orleans, A Cruise, Stops in Progresso and Cozumel Mexico and then a stay in Aruba. 

I have tasked myself with choosing just five photos to post here.  I will choose one photo from NOLA, one on the cruise ship, one in Progresso, one in Cozumel, and one in Aruba.  The pictures have to make me smile, reflect perfectly on that part of the vacation and it can only be one!!!!

So here goes...I'm flipping through photos and this is sooooo difficult!

New Orleans: This photo is taken in front of a tree house made of materials reclaimed from the wreckage from Hurricane Katrina.  We could see it from our hotel room and at first named it  the "White Trash Tree house".  Once we walked down and saw it and learned about it we quickly stopped using that name.  It was a lovely stop and a great beginning to a fabulous day!

The Cruise:  I have a lot of glossy and pretty pictures of myself from the cruise but this is one that truly reflects the perfects moments of being on a cruise ship.  Sitting on a lounge chair on the adults-only Serenity deck, bathing suit and wet hair, holding a pina colada.  Yup, it might not be pretty but it is perfect!

Progresso: We visited Chitzen Itza and I took many pictures of the Mayan Ruins.  But this picture I love. I copied Tatiana and posed for a picture in a tree.  I think I was actually seeking out a small piece of shade!



Cozumel:  I was determined to not eat lunch at a tourist trap.  Eating at Senor Frog's was my worst nightmare.  I did my research and dragged the girls through the seedier part of Cozumel, walked them through a private residence into a backyard garden restaurant.  We had an amazing meal, chatted with some local expatriates, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.







Aruba: This was taken our first night in Aruba and I was just so in awe of everything.  I was still trying to process that we were at an amazing resort, having a torchlight dinner on the beach, (with open bar!) and surrounded by such beauty. 

Nature Woke Up!

I recently returned from a two weeks plus out of the country (more on that later).  Before I left we definitely had some nice days and things were turning green but when I left it was April and still a bit quiet in the outside world.  When I returned...wow!!  All the rain we received along with the calendar turning over into May really made for a beautiful homecoming.

I was thrilled to go into Whole Foods and find these:  Strawberry & Rhubarb Crisp here I come!

I missed capturing a couple of blossoming trees in front of my house but these beautiful pink flowers are currently in full bloom.  I couldn't resisted sneaking a few into my house.  They are brightening up downstairs in three different spots. 

There is also a lilac tree at the end of the street right next to the congestion of traffic converging to go across the bridge.  I love how something so beautiful can grow and prosper in what I would imagine is a rather hostile environment.

I really enjoyed my time away.  However, me cat assures me that I won't be going anywhere else...ever.  So, I'm glad it's so pretty right here at home!

Three Things I'm Loving Today

I'm happy today for many reasons.  Here are just three of those reasons:


I love that Whole Foods always has flower bouquets for $3.99.  The arrangements are always different and although simple you get a lot of blooms for your buck.

My new favorite snack is this Daiya soft "cheese".  I am generally not a fan of fake cheeses but I really honestly love this one.  It has a great flavor, is spreadable and tastes great with these wheat crackers.  A perfect light snack!:

And last but not least I am thrilled to be going to see Pat Benatar tonight!  When I heard about the show in December it was something I did have to think about or take time to decide if it was worth the price of a ticket.  I bought tickets the day they went on sale and I'm sure it will be a fun evening:

The Many Beds Of Lou

Some people buy their animals fancy beds and monogram the name on the bed.  The pet sleeps contently on a warm, soft and comfortable resting spot.  Not my cat. He prefers carboard and tissue paper. Here are some of his recent spots to slumber:


This box is just big enough to sleep in and just tall enough to hide in when laying down:

He loves to sleep on a paper bag.  He doesn't have any interest in getting inside the bag and playing.  Just sleeping on top of it:

A while back we went really high tech with this box on its side and a tissue paper overhang roof.  See the white nose hiding:

Even when he goes outside he doesn't seem to want the cozy spots on the grass.  He always loves concetet to roll and rub on!

New Car!

A little over a year ago I bought a new Nissan Versa.  I loved that it was tiny, got great gas mileage and had a very small monthly payment.  But almost immediately I thought I had made the wrong decision.  It wasn't much fun to drive and I didn't feel like it was "me"  I don't think I'm the only one who feels a car should reflect aspects of one's own personality.  Anyway, I immediately looked into trading it in but decided to stick it out.  


A few weeks ago the weather was about to turn unseasonably warm and I longed for a fun car that I could zip down the highway in with the sunroof open.  I decided I didn't want to go through another summer in an "un fun" car.    I started researching what I could afford with only a few mandatory requirements: a small sedan with a manual transmission that has a sunroof.  Trouble is that many small cars don't have a lot of great features.  By the time you add everything in you have a $25K price tag.  Not for me.  I finally landed on the Ford Focus which was a perfect fit.  By the way, If you need to research cars I highly recommend www.edmunds.com.  I find it invaluable when researching cars. And of course www.kbb.com when researching what a trade in is worth.  


I determined that the only Ford dealer in Maine that appeared to have the car I wanted was Wiscasset Ford.  I went up on a Sunday when they were closed to check it out.  Yup, there was my car.  All that was left was to arrange a time to drive it and hope I could make all of the numbers work.


I arrived at Wiscasset Ford after only a quick email to let the salesperson  Scott know I was coming.  He warmly greeted me, asked me if I had any questions and told me the keys were in the car.  No pressure, no probing to figure out what kind of customer I was, no vying to get the keys to my car so he could look it over.  He didn't even ask me for my address, phone number or driver's license.  Loved that right away!  Ford was offering a great rebate and combined with a very reasonable discount offered by the dealer I was ready to begin negotiations.  Let me just say that it couldn't have been more pain free.  I was treated fairly, with respect and they didn't mess around.  They offered me the best price possible for the car and for my trade without having to play any games.  The financing was easy, breezy and I was driving away in my new car in just 3 hours!

Hypocritical Tanning?

It only takes a quick look at me to realize that I don't have skin that tans.  Over the years I've gotten very well versed at sunscreen application and am pleased to say that I can enjoy plenty of time in the sun enjoying myself and I don't get burned or get any color at all.  I wish our society didn't place such an emphasis on tanned Caucasian skin being the norm of beauty.  I've never even dabbled in sunless tanning because it seemed hypocritical.  Even if I received my color in a safe manner wasn't I still perpetuating the idea that tan is best?


But I admit I am human and this past week I started dabbling with self-tanner.  I have two very important back to back trips coming up: a Mexican cruise followed by a stay at a resort in Aruba.  I kind of thought it might be nice to have some glow.  


I started experimenting with the Jergens Natural Glow that has been around for several years.  

After a few days here was the beginning of a tan I only applied the lotion on the top of my left hand so that I could have the right hand to compare.  I'm not sure how easy it is to see in the pictures but the left hand definitely has a nice, subtle tan color emerging:







































After a full week I had a tan that might be a little too strong for me. This picture isn't such a yellowish color as the first one so it actually looks less bright here but brighter in person, if that makes any sense.   Maybe I'm just not used to the color.  You can clearly see my "tan lines" on my hand.

So, I am definitely conflicted.  Questions I find myself asking:


1. Am I being a hypocrite?
2. Is it worth the time and effort and apply and keep up before and during vacation?
3. Is the color natural and more importantly is it me?




Hmmm....I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this one.  But kudos to Jergens because the product really does work and it was super easy to use.