Sooner is Better Than Later

Once I got going on The Fashion Exchange's blog, I couldn't rein myself in.

Introducing, to my blogger friends...The Fashion Exchange

She's Baaack!

I know, I know....my periodic disappearing acts can be tiresome. It is never my intention to vanish in thin air. It just seems that...well...life happens and I find myself pulled in too many directions. Like most woman (particularly those of us who fall in the single mom category), it is often the things I love most that must be pushed to the back burner. Not conducive for maintaining serenity and recharging my personal battery, I must admit.
So, here I am...landing back in my comfort zone with an (hopefully) audible THUD! For those of you who might have been concerned that my life was in upheaval of the negative sort, rest assured, all is quiet on the Western front. I don't even recall what my last post was about, but I took a job working in the mall (YUCK!), at Sephora during the holiday season. I'm having a deja-vu moment, so I must have mentioned that. At any rate, they did offer me a full-time position, extending beyond the holidays. I managed to white-knuckle it through February and...for my own sanity...had to resign (can you resign from a position you've only held for 3 months???). I could go on & on about my reasons for leaving, but suffice it to say: I am NOT cut out for "corporate America". That term, in itself, is a bit of a joke because all I did was put a perky smile on my face and stand in front of a cash register for 8 hours at a time. Not a whole lot of room there to display my vast array of creative skills (stop laughing, ladies!).
As many of you know, my all-time favorite word is: SERENDIPITY and I especially love when it applies to my own life. Shortly after I left Sephora, my former employer & good friend contacted me about helping her with some public relations work for her two, AMAZING consignment shops. We've been working on sprucing up her website, expanding her customer base, etc. The cherry on top is that I got the opportunity to start a new blog that focuses just on her stores, The Fashion Exchange. WAIT...before you click on that link (to her store website), I need to remind you that I've never done a "real" website design before, so you have to be gentle with me. As always, though, I welcome any and all feedback you might have. I deeply respect the opinions of each & every one of you and would love the opportunity to grow from your experiences.
I still have a bit of work to do, on Janet's blog, before it is ready to "launch". I am SO excited about this new endeavour, so I'm sure I won't be bale to hold myself back for long.
Oh MY, it's SO good to be back. Funny how you never realize how much you love something until you spend some time away. Note to self: don't let this happen again...no more blog hiatus!

WOOHOO...it's Pink Saturday!

Happy Pink Saturday to you all. A special thank you to Beverly, How Sweet the Sound, for hostessing this weekly event. Make sure you take a few minutes...or hours...to stop by Beverly's blog. The number of "Pink Saturday" participants is growing in leaps and bounds! I'm not sure what the skies are doing in your neck of the woods, but it's rather gray and gloomy here, in Connecticut, so a focus on PINK is the perfect remedy for the dreary weather.
As you may know, I have a thing about cut flowers: they make me a little sad. Last weekend a friend gave me some pink roses and I decided to practice my photography skills with them. I figured even I couldn't mess up too badly, with one of nature's true beauties. I was pleasantly surprised that the pictures came out fairly well. Last night I started playing with some "Playing with Brushes" images from flickr and I was quite pleased with the end result.
Regardless of what the skies are doing wherever you are, I hope your heart is feeling pink and perky this weekend!

Sweet Blogger Friends

I'm sure many of you have experienced the feeling of being "the new kid on the block"....or blog, in this case, as you began your journey into this vast, oftentimes overwhelming, world of blogging. Although I was instantly "hooked", I wondered, during my first few weeks: "Is anyone (aside from my sister, my mom & my best friend) ever going to read this stuff?" That question was usually followed by an immediate afterthought: "Do I really want anyone else to read this stuff?" Afterall, the things I share here range from my daily frustrations with being a single mom...to my dating horror stories....to exposing myself by putting my attempts at creativity "out there". It was with some hesitancy that I even dared to leave a comment on other blogs. I distinctly remember, the first time I got brave enough to add my two cents, I carefully chose a posting that had a slew of comments already posted, counting on the fact that mine would get swallowed up somewhere in the middle. As I wrote the comment, acutely aware that I was choosing words that weren't too flowery or familiar, I felt as if I'd sidled up to the "popular girls" in high school, and attempted to join a conversation that was well underway. Anyone who knows me well would laugh at this uncharacteristic show of insecurity. I am a "bloom where I'm planted" person and rarely is there a social situation which makes me feel the slightest bit uneasy. With some lingering trepidation, I realized that, in order for me to get connected to the ladies within this community, I was going to need to get over myself.
I plugged along, pouring through your blogs, with growing admiration for your artistry and imaginations and began to feel slightly more comfortable each time I left a comment for one of you. One of the biggest blessings about this experience has been "meeting" my friend, Monica (The White Bench). Monica was, I believe, the first non-family member/ existing friend to leave a comment on my blog. When I decided to do my vintage jewelry swap, it was Monica who contacted me directly...and that is how our friendship was birthed. Since our first exchange of emails, scarcely a day goes by where she and I aren't in touch. I do my best to keep track of the 8 hour time difference between Connecticut and Italy and try to get my "Have a wonderful morning/ day/ evening" straight :-) Most of what I have shared, in this posting, is old news to Monica as she has become a cheerleading squad of one, ever ready with kind words of praise and encouragement. I was more excited than she (although she might argue that point) when she finally received my swap package in the mail. Although she emailed me as soon as it was delivered, she kept me waiting while she brewed some tea and sat down to open her goodies. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long to find out that she was pleased with what I had sent her. Monica wrote me the most wonderful email and was so descriptive that I could imagine her face as she tore into the package. The gorgeous flowers are pictures Monica took, and sent to me, of a bouquet she gathered from her garden. By the way, Monica, peonies are my absolute favorites as well...with lupines also at the top of the list! My parents live in Maine, so lupines hold a very nostalgic place in my heart.
Aside from taking a few moments to publicly acknowledge what Monica's support has meant to me, I want to encourage anyone who is new to blogging not to get discouraged if it takes a bit of time to get/ feel acclimated. Because this is such a large community, you may have to spend some time navigating and reaching out before you find your niche.

WOOHOO & YIPPEE!

Finally, finally, finally...I figured out how to change my blog "wallpaper". I'm thrilled to have gotten rid of the original template. The only problem, now, is: I have no idea how I got it to switch! I followed the steps they outline on "The Cutest Blog on the Block" just as I have 100 times previously. This time, however, it worked. Lo and behold, I have a sassy and fun background to go with my...ummm....rather mundane, silly blog ramblings. Ah well, who am I to question how it worked? It did and I'm a happy blogging camper :-)

Stormy Weather

Tuesday's ice storm, and the kids' 104th snow day of the year (okay, maybe it just FEELS like that, after a 12 day Christmas vacation) produced some of nature's most majestic ice sculptures. I was able to capture some half way decent images and, with the help of Picasa, create some interesting collages. I still haven't figured out how to properly position pictures in my blog, so let's just pretend they are randomly scattered about.