Happy Mother's Day

I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine – she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. – Adabella Radici

So tomorrow is Mother’s Day.  It will be the 3^rd year I’ll celebrate the day without my mom being here to wish her “Happy Mother’s Day.”  I always thought, the longer someone is gone, the less you will miss them?  The reality is that’s not the case.  There’s always a little heart tug when I think of her.

Last night as I was looking outside, I saw the first blooms of our flowering crab tree.  We had one in our yard when I was growing up.  Every year at Mother’s Day it would bloom, just like our tree is doing now.  Ah…there’s that heart tug feeling again. 

My mom loved that tree.  We’d take pictures of it every year.  It grew and grew and was always beautiful.  Even though we’ve all moved from that homestead, I’m sure the tree is still standing and blooming.  Flowering crab trees are hearty trees.   

Later in life when mom remarried, she married her husband in May under the flowering crab trees in their yard.  When my husband and I moved into our house, we planted three flowering crab trees.  I still enjoy watching them grow and change each year.

If you could be a tree, any tree, what kind of tree would you be?  Have you ever asked that question or been asked that question in an interview?  Some places even ask that question during a team building exercise.  I always answer I’d be a flowering crab tree. 

Why?  Perhaps it is because of my mom and her love of them.  They always bring thoughts of happy memories for me.  There’s something more though.   

I love how the tree supports nature.  It has more than one purpose and meets the needs of more than itself.  They are hearty trees and love just the right amount of water and full sunshine.  I know I do well with plenty of water and lots of sunshine.  

They enhance the aesthetics of the yard throughout the year.  I think that’s pretty cool.  The blooms are incredibly fragrant.  They bloom early in the season and help the birds and the bees.  Their leaves change throughout the seasons with many different colors.  Then in the fall, they produce the apples that feed the birds and deer.  Even in the dormant months, the winter birds still use the tree as a perching spot and the deer eat the branches.  

I’d say they are nurturing trees, just like mothers.  Maybe that’s why mom loved them so much?  I never asked her why. I just intuitively knew why by spending time watching her enjoy the trees as they changed throughout the year.  

Moms are beautiful, just like flowering crab trees.  They nurture their children, nurture each other, nurture their surroundings, and selflessly change with the seasons.  Ah…a little heart tug again!  I’m so blessed to be a mom and to have had a mom who taught me to love nature and nurturing.  I'm looking forward to grabbing a few extra hugs from my kids this Mother's Day!  

Happy Mother’s Day Moms!!  Thanks for stopping by ~

PS – It’s been a while since I picked up my camera.  I grabbed a different lens so I could get up and close to the beautiful buds.  Well…actually I was already up and close to smell them and noticed the beauty of the individual buds.  Enjoy your Mother’s Day!  

How to fall in love with your swimsuit when you're 50

“There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection.  To me, that is the true essence of beauty.” - Steve Maraboli

10 years ago my husband and I traveled to Jamaica for our first time.  We absolutely fell in love with Jamaica.  We promised ourselves we’d return again for our 25th wedding anniversary.  To celebrate that and my 50^th birthday, we are going to go back there again.  

10 years ago, at 40, I dreaded finding a bikini to wear, but found one and wore it and lived through the experience.  Now that I’m 50, I’m wondering if I can or should I do that again?  

So I began my research and Googled, “Swim Suits for 50 year old women”.  You try it, see what you get.  Here are a few links I came across.  

Oy, lots of coverage, do I want to do that?  Flattering 50

There must be more advice out there...?  How not to look old in a swimsuit

I'm, short, so thought looking for petite would  be better.  Petite and 50 swimsuits

None of what I found searching for older women swimsuits made me jump for joy or increase my level of confidence in choosing a swimsuit.  Does the fashion industry want us to look older as we age?  With an aging bladder, the thought of wearing a one piece and having to undress each time I need to relieve myself sounded horrific.  I really wanted a two piece.  But then read on one of the sites, the tankini is out.  WTH?   

I pondered some more and then realized that 10 years ago, I weighed more, was less active and I wore a bikini then…why can’t I at 50 do so again?   There's the sag factor, but jeez...just be brave for goodness sake, you only live once!  

So I took a new approach and started online searches being more bold and adventuresome.  My journey took me to Victoria’s Secret website to see if they have advice or suits recommended for 50 year olds?  They have lines that are called “Forever”…I’m just assuming that means when you get older you can still wear them?  I'll go with that thought.  

I e-chatted with a lovely assistant (who was likely 20 something) online and told her my measurements.  I specifically stated that I’m 50 and don’t want to look ridiculous.  She kindly avoided commenting on my age and helped me determine size. That was so nice of her, it helped build my confidence!?  Duh...her job is to help make the sale!   

Being a trusting sole, I investigated a bit further by reading comments by previous customers.  Yes, I looked specifically for someone who commented who was close to my age.  Bingo, found some comments that were helpful enough for me to take the plunge and order.

It is pretty cool that you can pick out a style and color and mix and match and then see what it looks like on a beautiful perfect body.  Such sales techniques these days!  

Knockout Bikini CloseUp

“Even the models we see in magazines wish they could look like their own images.” – Cheri K. Erdman

What are the steps to take to fall in love with your swimsuit at 50?  Day 1 - 7, here we go:

Day 1 – Found the "perfect" suit, bought it online, now time to wait for package to arrive...drank some wine to celebrate.  No need to go to the store and embarrass yourself, you can shop in the comfort of your home!

Day 2 – Suit arrived, tore the package open, tried it on, drank some wine.

Day 3 – Tried it on, modeled it for my husband…he didn’t laugh, said he wouldn’t be embarrassed walking with me on the beach….guess I’ll consider keeping it.  Drank a Red Stripe beer to celebrate.  (Just getting in the spirit of Jamaica - ya' mon).

Day 4 – Texted my daughter, told her I got the suit and decided to keep it.  Told her, "It’s the Typical VS style, a little too roomy on top, and a little too skimpy on the bottom, but what the heck I’m only 50 once, and it’s Jamaica." She said “Go for it Mom!”  Gotta love supportive family members!

Day 5 - Tried on the suit again…still haven’t taken off the little protective strip in the bottoms…you know I might still want to send it back?  Looked at the other options of suits that I have from trips before.  I tried them on, NOPE, they are not going to cut it.  Still keeping the new suit!  Went to the store, bought matching nail polish, a girl’s got priorities you must polish your toes when you’re on the beach.  

Day 6 – Tried on the suit again…oh dear, maybe too many cocktails have been consumed…I’m guessing it’s more of the snacks of chips and guacamole with the cocktails, but I could be wrong there.  Time to kick into gear, some form of a crash diet is needed!  Maybe it was because I finally put my glasses on and pulled out a mirror to see all views?  Better to be safe than sorry...time to hit the dreadmill a little extra longer.  Maybe I should research how to spot reduce?  I can always start that tomorrow...

Day 7 – That’s where we are today…I’ll be back again soon to share more random thoughts about falling in love with your swim suit at 50…until then, yes, the nail polish looks lovely with my flip flops!  The customer advice on VS was that this color makes you look tan no matter what.  Perfect for someone from Wisconsin right!?? 

Wow...the polish is called "Fearless" Oy, I guess so!

Overcoming resistance

“Most of us have two lives.  The life we live, and the unveiled life within us.  Between the two stands resistance.” – Steve Pressfield

Wow, it has been 9 weeks since I last sat down to write a blog entry.  Not because I didn’t want to, but because I let resistance stand in the way.  My last blog entry was about New Year’s resolutions. 

One of mine was to keep up on my book work.  I subsequently spent the month of January and into February catching up from the previous year’s March – December records where I hadn’t entered any data!  Yikes, the shame of it made me put blog writing on the back burner.  

I don’t want to repeat having to sit there for 6 weeks to catch up again this year.  So each time I sit down to start a blog entry, I don't let my resistance to doing the book work get the best of me.  Have I kept up with the book work?  Yes.  Have I missed writing my blog?  Yes! 

Now I have a conundrum.  I want to live life enjoying things I enjoy.  Everyone should do that.  I personally love having my book work all caught up and orderly.  It’s been too many years where I haven’t, so I’m looking forward to the unveiled life I’ll feel when I keep up with it.  I personally love writing a blog.  Which one brings me more joy?  Conundrum…they both bring me joy in different ways.  I want to do both but have only so much time available.  It’s time for me to reveal an unveiled life. 

My solution…do both!  Spend less time writing longer blogs.  I can let go of the expectation I set for myself to write 800 words each blog.  I’m the one that set the expectation, I can change it.   I must do my book work first.  I can write the blog post for the day after I do that!  Oops…I did the opposite today, so time to get back on track and get the book work done.  Set priorities, follow through, break through resistance and find your unveiled life. 

Thanks for stopping by ~ Enjoy the last day of February.  Only two more weeks of winter according to the Ground Hog…ah, now that’s something to look forward to!

PS – 50 Clicks Photography moments.  My cat Tizzie is perfect at resistance.  She likes to pose for only a second, then she resists and moves on to the next spot very fast.  I find it so hard to catch the photo I’m trying to get.  Oh well, that helps me with persistence and practice, both very important for a photographer.  Plus it gives me an easy way to get 50 clicks in for the day!  

Bad cat, on the counter good thing she has 9 lives! 

Next bad cat move, don't drink my water

Aw...busted, so please pose for camera...yeah right!

Close but blurry, she resists when camera is too close.

Hmmm...let's try a picture from below her.

Nah...no longer interested...

Ah...make a noise, less resistance to looking at camera.

Find something interesting, overcome resistance to it and success!

New Year's Resolution - Letting go of Bad Habits

Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny. – Tryon Edwards

Here we are the last Sunday of 2014.  Where did 2014 go?  I’m not one to look back and wish I had done something different.  I don’t think living in the past is productive.  Sure you can always learn from the past, but living there, “No thanks!”  I’m ready for the New Year. 

To wrap up the year…let’s see, I’ve successfully gained the typical weight during the holidays.  I’ve successfully felt that I could have done better organizing.  Wait…halt, rewind!  It’s time for me to think differently.  It’s not okay to think it is okay to do what I didn’t want to do!  By the choices I made, I took action and accomplished exactly what I set out to do, even if it wasn’t what I really wanted.  I didn’t want to gain weight.  I simply chose to eat more than I should. I ended up yet again more disorganized than I wanted.  I simply chose to pile instead of file. 

What’s the common denominator?  I chose to repeat my bad habits!  A new year is a perfect time to replace bad habits with good habits.

At this time of year, it is common to put together a list of Goals or Resolutions.  Then by week three or four, it’s right back to the old habits and another year of the same old results.  Now that I’m 50, I’m a little discouraged to read that only 14% of people over 50 achieve their resolutions each year.  That makes me wonder, what is it that 14% of the people do?  What makes them stick to their resolutions?  

Maybe it is simply letting go of bad habits?  Until you’re okay with letting go of your bad habits, you inadvertently hang on tighter resulting in yet another year of missed goals.  Stopping the bad habits might be the key to success. 

Hmmm…Your thoughts can lead you to a greater purpose.  Your purpose gives you motivation for action.  Your actions form new habits.  New habits create your character, and lo and behold, you’re on to the destiny you desire.

So if my purpose is to accomplish my resolution list by letting go of bad habits, can I switch my thinking for the Top 10 Resolutions from 2014?  As a result ultimately getting to the destiny I desire?  I’m game, how about you?  New Year's Resolution Stats

1. Lose weight = “Stop eating ½ bag of chips every night.”
2. Get Organized = “Stop piling, file right away.”
3. Spend Less, Save More = “Stop impulse buying, wait 24-48 hours before making a purchase.”
4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest = “Stop focusing on what is bugging you.”
5. Stay Fit and Healthy = “Stop sitting for more than an hour without moving.”
6. Learn Something New = “Stop doing the same thing every day, if it feels like a rut, it is.”
7. Quit Something = “Stop rationalizing to keep doing the thing you want to stop doing.”
8. Help Others in Their Dreams = “Stop talking, just listen.”
9. Fall in Love = “Stop being content with status quo.”
10. Spend More Time with Family = “Stop technology distractions, i.e., texts, snaps, etc. focus on the people in your life.”

Thanks for stopping by!  Cheers to a New Year!  Cheers to letting go of old habits! ~

PS.  Photography 50 Clicks of Snow.  Yesterday I woke up to snow, 5 inches of it.  It was still snowing and blowing out but so pretty.  I knew that I wanted to explore taking pictures of the snow.  I researched on how to capture some pictures in the snow, and protect my camera at the same time.  I think the tips you can find are more for the hard core photographers who spend the whole day in the elements.  Since it was cold and blowing, I was only out there for 20 minutes to get my 50 clicks in. My camera didn't get cold enough to get condensation on the lens.  Hardly hard core!  My mission was to capture snow texture and contrast.  It has been so darn gloomy here…20 some days in a row without the sun.  Just the white of the snow brightened up things a bit.  Today though…the sun was shining bright for a bit.  I wasn't brave enough to venture out in the 12 degrees.  Pictures today were taken from the window looking out at the beauty of the frost.  

Under exposed

Better

Over exposed

Better, but the car in the background...jeez!

Still love close ups and background blurred

Cropped it even more, love the little water droplet

Pretty but gloomy at the same time.

Focus on the back ground

Focus on the foreground - Love the sunshine!

Snow can be so pretty!

Using your traditions as a guide for a stress-free holiday season

Tradition is a guide and not a jailer. – W Somerset Maugham

It’s just 4 days until Christmas.  Are you ready?  Do you have all your baking done?  Do you have all your presents wrapped?  Do you have your menu planned and ingredients shopped for?  Do you have your Christmas cards out in the mail?  Oh boy, the traditional list of things to do or have done by now is long.  Are you feeling stressed to make sure you get it all done?

As I sit here, gearing up for the day.  I wonder, am I ready?  Now that I’m 50, I’ve gotten over the stress of feeling that I have to do everything according to tradition. There’s a different feel for me as the big day approaches.   Still the feeling of Christmas, but not the stress.  Going with minimal decorations, minimal gifts, minimal meal planning and a simple Christmas photo collage sent weeks ago has been stress-free.  I finished up wrapping gifts yesterday. 

Baking...it hadn’t even occurred to me to do cookies this year...perhaps in the back of my mind I know don’t need the calories anyhow?!  Yesterday in a moment of realization that I had forgotten to bake, I decided to see if I could solicited my oldest to do some baking of cookies!  She was excited to do so.   Ah…the old baking tradition created while she was growing up lives on in her! 

There you have it…I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.  Frankly, the lack of trying to do the old traditions is stress-free and refreshing.  I sure hope it doesn’t mean I’ve become a curmudgeon or Scrooge…!  Nah…it is because our kids are grown and not living under the same roof.  It's a perfect time to modify traditions.

Really??  It's okay, it’s not so bad.  We no longer have to hide the gifts.  Thinking back, that tradition ended when they hit the teen years!  It was definitely more cost effective to let them pick out most of their gifts.  Then they liked them and didn’t just keep them, tags still on until the next summer’s thrift sale came around to discard.  This year, that tradition carried on.  They picked out their minimal gifts during our traditional Black Friday shopping trip.  Leaving me with the creative option of wrapping them differently so they can’t remember what it was they picked out weeks ago.  

It isn’t about the gifts though it’s more about being together.  That tradition is the one I treasure the most.  

It is okay to give yourself permission to use your traditions as a guide, don’t be jailed by them.  Use them to shake it up a bit.  Remembering back to the stressful years, it was because I had the feeling I had to do everything just right and do it the same way as the year before.  I felt as though I couldn't help my kids create memories unless we did the tradition the right way. 

In retrospect, I think their anticipation of what was to be, whether according to tradition or not, was what I nurtured and allowed to change as they grew up.  I'm pretty sure they hold some traditions in their heart that they'll always do, and I'm positive they will modify them knowing it is okay to do so.

In the end, it’s about love and being together that mean the most.  You can’t wrap that up in a package! You can relax, enjoy each other’s company, and create the moments you’ll treasure for years to come. 

Thanks for stopping by!  May you use your traditions as a guide.  Enjoy them and enjoy your time together!  

PS –  50 Clicks photo session on 200 ISO & Christmas lights blurred in the background.  Last year, I stumbled upon a website that shared how to blur the Christmas lights in the background.  It’s simply setting your ISO to 200 in manual mode and the rest of the room with bright lights turned on.  The result is fun.  To me it looks like you’ve taken a picture in the dark.  

My Antique Elf on the Shelf - I remember this tradition,
wasn't around so much when my kids were
growing up.  I still bring him out each year.  I love
his little hand painted face and faded outfit.

Oops...moved, the technique requires a steady
camera, and this is what happens when you move.

The little ceramic snow couple were always
set out as decorations as I was growing up.  Again, I moved!

Getting closer to the look I was trying to capture.

The first little snowman family I bought for our
home when our kids were little.

Aw...fond memories of family!

And here you go...the blur, the lighting,
and the placement of the snowman in the frame -
just what I was trying to create.
It reminds me...Let it Snow!  A little bit of
snow on Christmas is a tradition I'll never tire of!

50 is a great time to discover you're not done growing

Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.  – Bo Bennett

We’re Done! – 49 Weeks ‘til I’m 50 – Ready, Set, it’s all about A FOCUSed plan to get there!  The big day arrived a week ago!  The AARP envelope arrived earlier that week and made it official, I’m 50.  The next morning I woke up and…I felt the same as the day before.  

So, I’ve given it a week to see if I feel any different?  Nope, still feel the same.  I guess after all these years of experience having birthdays, I’ve gotten so well at adjustment, the turning a new age thing doesn’t bother me much at all.  This last year has been a fun journey of discover though.  I’m ready to move on to discovering why 50 isn’t that bad after all.  I confess too, I'm excited to blog again about just random thoughts again.

For the last month leading up to 50, I discovered letting go of the 40’s is pretty darn easy.  Why?  The obvious, of course, is you can’t stop time, so you might as well accept it.  The less obvious, is when you let go of something, you free yourself to discover new things.  A choice to do new things, outside of my “normal” schedule was refreshing.  I discovered how much I treasure my friends and family.  I found stepping out of my comfort zone has gotten easier over the years.  I found stepping out of your rut, you discover the road less traveled can be bumpy and it can be smooth.  It's simply fun to go with it no matter what.  Stepping out of your comfort zone may be just what you need to keep on keeping on with this crazy thing called life!

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition.  What you’ll discover will be wonderful.  What you’ll discover is yourself.  – Alan Alda

The first 49 years gave me the gift of the ability to COPE – Chill, Observe, Persevere and Enjoy.  I take that gift with me to the 50’s and love being me.  Sure, I've made mistakes, but I can't hold on to them with regret.  That's fear holding me back.  Every person makes mistakes as they grow, but no matter what choices you make along the way, they create the person you are meant to be.  The wisdom gained from the mistakes and successes in life only help you continue to grow.  You don’t grow old, you simply continue to grow.  

Without a doubt, I am blessed and thankful beyond words.  I treasure my family, my friends and my life.  There’s no time like the present to discover the next phase in life!   Ready, set, let’s roll on to the 50’s and discover how rich life really is.  

Take time during your 50’s to:

• Travel somewhere you've never been.
• Visit a museum or famous landmark.
• Color your hair, or don’t, it’s your hair, you decide!
• Laugh uncontrollably more times than not.
• Be brave, bold and beautiful.
• Paint something, doesn’t matter what, ‘cuz it’s fun to create.
• Listen intently to the sounds around you.
• Pause, relax and enjoy simple things.
• Tweak traditions.
• Be goofy.
• Taste new foods.
• Walk, run, play, more often than you sit.
• Smile…A LOT!
• Embrace the person you've become and never stop growing!

Thanks for stopping by and for taking this journey of letting go of the 40’s and embracing the 50’s with me!  Enjoy your ability to COPE!  Time keeps on ticking away – be present for each moment! 

How did it get so late so soon?  Its night before its afternoon.  December is here before its June.  My goodness how the time has flewn.  How did it get so late so soon?  Dr. Seuss

PS…photography moments.  I’m setting out to try 50 clicks each time I pick up my camera.  On top of that, I have to keep only the worst one and the best one of the 50 click session.  Now that’s a challenge for me.  Being that I’m the one who took the photos, even if they are horrible, I still see some beauty that I was trying to capture in each one.  I’m getting better at deleting the blurry ones or completely white/black because I had the ISO wrong.  I’m hoping the restriction of finding the worst and the best and deleting the rest will help me focus on composition and clarity. 

One day I saw a fire that was smoldering in a field and I thought…hmmm, that’s something that I haven’t taken a picture of, wonder if I can find something cool to capture?  It was a nice little stroll in the fog.   I’m stepping out of my comfort zone, trying new and different things.  Yep, 50 is going to be great.   

A path is always interesting

But this one is more interesting,
leading into the fog

The tree, the fog, the little fire

Focusing more on the forefront, I'm
not sure which I like better.

Cool contrasts, and flames, maybe a little too dark.

More smoke and a bigger flame.

Tree leaves and fog in the background.

Oh, but the tree and the texture of this one is better.

The reed like weeds were cool looking to me.

I like this composition better,
the small smoke at the bottom,
leading up to the weeds.

It's hard to see, but I actually captured a spider web
on the tree branches in front.  

I like how the branches in front blurred a bit, and the
smoke in the back and flame are more clear.

Time to head back!  See you
in 50 clicks!

 

 

Beautiful imperfections

There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection.  To me, that is the true essence of beauty. – Steve Maraboli

Week #47 – 49 Weeks ‘til I’m 50 – Ready, Set, it’s all about A FOCUSed plan to get there!  Yikes…only 3 weeks left.

So here I am less than 3 weeks to the big day.   Am I ready?  Well, I have to be, it’s going to be here regardless of what I do.  I am still preparing to do so with gusto instead of dread.  You bet, with a bit more research, I'm confident I'll be prepared.  What have I been researching you ask? Beauty tips for the older woman.   

As women get closer and closer to the big 50, being human, we tend to have our doubts about our ability to pull off ageless beauty.  I’m guess I’m no different.  When my kids were young, I came upon a very simple make-up routine.  Nothing spectacular, but have always loved how quick it goes.  As I have a little more time to myself instead of having to get them ready too, perhaps there’s something I’m missing?  I looked in the mirror and what did I see?  Hmmm…perhaps it is time to change up the make-up scene?   There are a few more imperfections happening as I age.  Can they really be minimized?  Make-up, hair, and clothes.  The 3 big cover-up tools at our disposal!

Hair first…off to a visit with my hair dresser.  While I’ve been trying to convince her and myself that we need to go grey.  It just comes down to neither one of us being quite ready.  Instead, we went with a new color, by adding highlights of the auburn color my hair turns when I've spent too much time in the sun.  A gradual move to lighter colors.  Just subtle enough that if you look at me you might notice something is different, but not sure what.  Perfect.

Now looking closer in the mirror, with the new hair color, my make-up really didn’t look quite right. Not sure what it was, so I started doing some research.  Thank goodness for the internet.  In the comfort of my own home, I can discover what do to.  Unbeknownst to me, I found out I am supposed to change how I do my make-up as I age.  What?  Yep, according to YouTube videos.  I’ve been doing it wrong!

Seriously????  Enter in…a perfect time wasting opportunity.  I was completely sucked into taking a look at the things women do to stay looking “young and beautiful.”  When women start to really feel their age and notice it more and more in the mirror, their make-up routine needs to change too, so they say.  Perhaps it’s just me, but it is fairly easy to get drawn into YouTube videos that “show you how to do it right”.  

Then I started to think, “OMG…I’ve been doing it all wrong, now what…I guess it’s time to go shopping.”  Tricks of the trade, come with special tools too!  So after I looked at my very minimal tool set, there was absolutely no way to create the look without buying all the tools.  I hoped substitutes from Walmart would work.   The cost and time of purchasing the recommended products from overseas would only prolong the process.  Time, after all is ticking away way too fast!

So off to the store I went.  I was like a teenager buying make-up for the first time.  A candy store of options and colors.  I wandered aisle after aisle, with my long list of items to buy and a teenager budget, aka., helping with children's college budget.  There I stood numb searching for items I’d never used before.  To top it off, I must have looked like a complete novice as I struggled to see the items with my bifocals.  If you wear bifocals, you know what I mean.  There’s the awkward look of either getting too close to the items on the shelves so you can see them, (aka, the zoom into the shelf look), or the neck breaking tilt as you try to focus your eyes in the bifocal area of the lenses.  Back to reality - I'm not a teenager anymore!

An hour later, and a very sore neck, I was a proud owner of a pile of make-up tools, composed of close substitutes from what I could remember I had to buy for the perfect kit.  A little embarrassed, ready for a glass of wine to celebrate, I was secretly excited to try something new!  I headed home to watch more videos, drink some wine, and watch some more techniques before trying out the tools.  It was too late in the day to try anything new.  The tool kit sat on my counter for another day.

In research mode, I found tons of options to watch.  I did notice that more blonde women make videos, and that didn’t help me at all.  One lady’s site was very entertaining though.  Her make-up ritual included way more than my new kit.  Entertaining or not her extensive plan was out.  I stumbled across a young brunette who showed how to do eye brows.  Apparently as you age, they seem to disappear and fade away.  A quick look in the mirror, dang, they're right again!  But, they are very important for a youthful look, so they say.  Time for bed, I was exhausted!  

Day one comes and I tried out some of the new techniques.  With thankfulness that I work from home most of the time, my experimental phases are only witnessed by my pets and my husband.  My first day’s attempt with the “youthful” directions about eyebrows, I had some seriously brown eyebrows, and definitely not as pretty as Audrey Hepburn!  To top it off I had the caked on look of the foundation.  Bless my husband’s heart, after 25 years of marriage he has mastered the skill of not saying anything unless I ask.  I didn’t ask, and he didn’t say.  He did give me a extra hug or two that day.  Was I younger looking??  Perhaps his bifocal issue in the awkward zone helped too!  Nah...it was simply beautiful imperfections mastered!

It was definitely time for the wash cloth and for a new teacher.  Off to YouTube for a few more lessons on application.  I wanted to see what brunettes do and what women my age or so do.  I came across a couple helpful websites. 

My two favorite sites: http://www.lisaeldridge.com/ and http://www.robertjonesbeauty.com/ 

After several days of the routine taking longer than it had for years, I’ve modified it some to incorporate the new techniques and old techniques.  I’m far from perfected yet, and I still have research to do.  And…unlike the lovely ladies in all the videos, I’m definitely not ready to share a picture!  I am enjoying the practice, practice, practice stage.  It is kind of fun painting a new look. I'm feeling a bit more comfortable with the tools of the trade and mostly more comfortable with my imperfections.  

Perhaps the routine will become a new habit?  Coincidentally…21 days makes a habit and that’s how long until the big day.  I can move on to the clothes next.  Time to wear those new skinny jeans and boots to see if the clothes make the woman.  Jeez...Enough said and enough time spent for now!  

I’ll leave you with some of my favorite beauty quotes for a little inspiration. 

• The mirror is the worst judge of true beauty. – Sophia Nam
• Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. – Eleanor Roosevelt
• Flawed, we’re truly interesting, truly memorable, and yes, truly beautiful. – Justina Chen
• We desire to possess a beauty that is worth pursuing, worth fighting for, a beauty that is core to who we truly are.  We want beauty that can be seen; beauty that can be felt; beauty that affects others; a beauty all our own to unveil. – Stasi Eldredge
• Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes.  It is not something physical. – Sophia Loren
• Outer beauty attracts, but inner beauty captivates. – Kate Angell
• Happy girls are the prettiest. – Audrey Hepburn
• Beauty is the illumination of your soul. – John O’Donohue
• It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know his own beauty or perceive a sense of his own worth until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror of another loving, caring human being. – John Joseph Powell
• There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others. – Mandy Hale
•  ‘Nothing,’ wrote Tolstoy, ‘can make our life, or the lives of other people, more beautiful than perpetual kindness.’” – Gretchen Rubin
• You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed.  And you are beautiful. – Amy Bloom

Thanks for stopping by ~ Enjoy all your moments in life where you’re comfortable being beautiful you! 

PS – Photography moments finding beauty!

Life is full of beauty.  Notice it.  Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces.  Smell the rain, and feel the wind.  Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams. – Ashley Smith 

Feel the wind

Enjoy the colors

Notice the birds

Even the corn matures with beauty

Enjoy the rays of sun

Look at what it takes to paint beauty...!  At least
I found "eco friendly" kits ;-)