Thank You Thursdays!

OK, so it's not Thursday. Well...I suppose you might be reading this on Thursday, so maybe it's Thursday for you, but it's not for me. For me it's Blogday, which is Sunday -- or at least Sunday used to be blogday for me. I broke my streak last week and didn't get a post up. Since no one harassed me about it I'll assume it didn't ruin anyone's week. Thank goodness because that kind of pressure's just too much for me.

Anyway, back to Thursday. I've decided to add a regular Customer Appreciation feature to my blog and I'm thinking about doing it on Thursdays. I've had some really great customers since I started this Etsy thing, and it's time to share the love. So, starting next week I'll be introducing you to the great folks who've bought my stuff. Before I get started, I need a little help.

I really feel like I need a catchy name for my feature but I'm at a total loss. I don't know if it's the heat, the creative drain of keeping the kiddos happy during the summer, or what. I feel like I don't have a clever bone left in my body. So I'm going to let you all do the work for me. Great idea, eh?!? Here's the deal: YOU come up with the clever feature name for me...I'LL send you a little prize. I'll even let you pick your prize. You can have a pot of my Once Bitten after bite treatment or you can pick a penny pendant from my FlutterbyGirly etsy shop. It's a win/win!!

Now for the details. Leave a comment with your idea of a great customer appreciation feature name. Also leave your choice of prizes and a way to contact you. Easy, right?! As for the feature name, it can be anything that gets the point of appreciation across. It may or may not include the day of the week. I'm not married to Thursday either. I only selected it because it begins with TH - just like the word "Thanks". Get it? THursday...THanks.... (See what I mean about creative-drain?) I'm open to just about anything as long as I don't have to do the brain damage. My brain's damaged enough.

Cranberries Part 2: "Where'd They Get That Red Hair?"

This question is addressed to me when I'm with my children. I hear it at least once a week...and after 4 1/2 years it throws me into a homicidal rage! The first time it happened, my son Jake, was hangin' out in the Baby Bjorn. We were head to head at the ticket counter in the airport getting ready to rendezvous with Daddy in Maryland. The question was posed by a gate agent -- a self-proclaimed "former redhead". At first I thought he was joking. He had to be.

OK...before I get too far ahead of myself. Let me introduce you to the family:

This is me

These are my kids, Jake & Delila (aka: Buddy Boy and Ladybug)
(Yes, I have better pictures of my kids, but I just can't resist sharing this crazy photo with the world as often as I can. Admit it -- made you laugh!)

This is me with my kids
(and yes, I hate this picture of me in the "will call hat", but it's the only one I have of our three heads together.)

Now seriously...would you ask this woman where her children got their red hair?!? Am I not a redhead? My friends don't understand why this question sends me around the bend. That's because they're not redheads.

You see, I was stereotyped the moment I was born, and I've been defined by my hair ever since. I was "the ginger one" (according to Uncle Maurice). I was called "Red" and "Carrot Top" (UGH!!). I was "fiery" and "hot tempered" (Ok, so maybe that part's a little true. In 1st grade Kevin called me Carrot Top so I whopped him in the head with my lunchbox - the old metal kind with the heavy glass thermos inside. Hey, he had it comin'!) And then as I got older I had to put up with all the "Hey...are you a natural redhead?" crap. "Why, yes I am. And no, I'm not going to drop my pants and prove it to you." Grrrrrr!

After a lifetime of BS like that, I'm entitled to be recognized for handing down the gene to my kids. I have earned the right to be a redhead forever! Granted, my hair doesn't blaze like it used to. The color's mellowed a little with age -- and so have I. (I haven't clocked anyone for asking me where my kids get their red hair...yet.) But I'm still a redhead, g'dammit!!!

That's where the cranberries come in. I have decided that, after 4 decades of going au naturel in the hair department, I'm going to give my hair a little boost. Apparently, rinsing my hair in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cranberry juice will liven up my red a bit. On the advice of my hairdresser, I'm using the regular stuff: Ocean Spray Lite Cranberry Cocktail. 'Lite' because I don't want my hair to get fat. (Huh? Wait. I'd love some fat hair...and some phat hair. Scrap that. I'm going fully sweetened!) And nothing organic or preservative free, because according to the haircresser, the purer the juice the more permanent the color. Since this is my maiden voyage, I'm going to stick with the stuff that will wash out after a few shampoos...you know... just in case I end up looking...well...like a cranberry.

I'm going to try it for a week. I'll post the before & after pictures for you. Now, if anyone would like to join me on this voyage, feel free. Here are a couple of options -- just in case you don't have what it takes to be a redhead:

Dark hair: rinse with 1/2 c vinegar mixed with 1/4 c soy sauce. Leave in for 15 to 20 minutes. (BTW, soy is very nourishing for hair -- loaded w/proteins that make hair nice and strong.)

Fair hair: brew a strong cup of chamomile tea. Spray/comb into dry hair. Leave in for 20 minutes before shampooing (sitting in the sun during the 'leave-in' period will further enhance the effects). This will lift the color and add subtle highlights to light brown and blond hair. The effects of this probably wont wash out since it's not really an 'added' color. If you have an itchy scalp, this should be great for it since chamomile is very soothing to the skin.

Let me know if you try it. And stay tuned for the results!

A Cranberry For My Thoughts

What am I thinking? I'm thinking about coloring my hair.

Why, you ask? And just what's that got to do with cranberries? Well, you'll have to check back later this week to find out.

Seriously. This is all I have time for today, but I didn't want to break my Sunday blogging streak. I know...it's a little lame, but then so am I. And seven weeks in a row of anything is a big deal for me.

See ya later!

For My Dad...

I know. Father's Day was a couple of weeks ago. But I never got around to showing off the beautiful gift I had made for my Dad. Dad's are so tough to buy for, aren't they? My Dad doesn't really have much in the way of a hobby, he's not a huge sports fan, he doesn't play golf. So really, what's a daughter to get a guy like that?!

One thing my Dad likes to do is read. He's always got some huge book he's lugging around with him. On his last visit, I noticed he was using an old envelop as a bookmark. That got me thinking.... I just knew I could find a stunning bookmark on Etsy. At last, I'd finally found the perfect gift! Of course, I didn't find it until June 11 -- and I wanted it customized and shipped to me so I could ship it to him. Talk about under the gun! Well, Kim at LeatherwoodDesigns jumped right on it. She had this beauty stamped with his initials and out the door to me lickity-splickity quick. I got it packaged up with Borders gift cards from the kiddos and in the mail with a day to spare! Best part, he loved it! How do I know?

me: How'd you like your gift, Dad? (hopeful)

him: Ah, yes. Very nice. (deadpan)

me: Now you don't have to use old envelops anymore. (beginning to think I'd struck out again)

him: Ah, yes. (deadpan)

...:*pregnant pause*:...

him: You know, the thing about a nice bookmark is where do you put it when you're done with the book. (slightest hint of a chuckle)

me: In the next book, Dad. (sarcastic & elated)

This is pretty much how it goes with my Dad. If you get more than a two word response from him, you know you've hit the jackpot. That or else you know you're in a world of trouble. That's why when I saw his cellphone number come up on my caller ID Friday I got a little anxious. It was either going to be really good news...or really bad news. It wasn't good news. Don't know exactly how bad just yet -- there are tests to run, 2nd opinions to get, and way too much waiting for my liking. But in the meantime, it's got me thinking about Dads: how hard they work to provide for a family, how strict and seemingly unforgiving they can be, how unsung their heroics and stoicism really are, and how we really need more than just one day to honor them. So here's to my Dad...again, and to all the other Dads out there, and to the little girls they'll someday leave behind. May it be much later than sooner.

(Artwork: 'Autumn Walk' by MogenCreative)