Mud-Masqued!

What I've Learned: There's nothing quite like bonding over facial products.
While Cousin is up visiting for the next few weeks, we have plenty of quality time to spend together. Unfortunately, the cold is still keeping us mostly indoors. So, we've had to get creative and find new ways to stay occupied. Tonight, she humored me and sat patiently while I broke out the skincare regime. Nothing like a good mud masque and hyaluronic acid serum treatment to cap off a quiet Tuesday night. Of course, we must have pictures. And you knew, Reader, they would end up on my blog for you to enjoy too.

Ah, the joys of girl-time & mud masque memories!


A few of my favorite skincare products...


Cousin ala Facial

Little Elf

Today's Joy: Giving Of One's Self.
Brrrr!!! It feels more like January than December here in Chicago, Reader. But I was on a mission this morning, so I braved the frigid wind gusts and blowing snow to drive cross-town with my camera.

I have a coworker who's had a big year. Her 2nd child, a beautiful daughter, was born much earlier than expected this summer and required an extended (and expensive) hospital stay before she could come home. Add to that the family's recent move to a lovely new home--plus all the usual holiday hooplah--and my poor coworker is exhausted. She's been feeling guilty about not having enough energy to pack up her significant other, 2 year-old & new baby and stand in line at the mall for Christmas pictures. Well, that is something I can help with.


With Big Brother

So, I volunteered to go to their house and shoot the family portrait right there in front of the Christmas tree. Dog and all! Fast forward to this morning and no amount of cold, freezing rain or sleet was going to keep me from using the gift God has given me to bring joy to a friend. After all, it's her daughter's first Christmas. And long after she forgets how tired she feels right now, she will remember how adorable & precious her children are. This gift I'm able to give will bring joy for many years. It doesn't get much better than that.


The Best Gift This Year

You don't have to spend a lot to give a meaningful gift this year, Reader. Just give of what you have in abundance: your strengths. The effort may well prove to be the best gift you receive this Christmas.

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~ From the television show The Wonder Years

Today's Joy: Your Best Days.
The word has been given, Reader. Another of the rare and delicious dinner cook-a-thons is scheduled for next Saturday night at our dear friend Todd's house! Hurray! I've blogged about these much-anticipated events in the past. And will be sure to include photos of this installment's culinary antics for your enjoyment.

In the meantime, Todd has set us a task. It's such a good one that I want to share it with you. He asked each of us to come prepared to name the three best times we've had in our lives. The only stipulation is you may not include the obvious--your wedding or the births of your children. Todd feels that would be a cop-out. (-;

So, poor Aunt was up until 1:30 this morning thinking furiously about her three best times. She fears she may well be up again all night tonight! All her effort has got me thinking about mine. After all, we can't show up to a Foodie Event with lame answers! (I hear the theme this time is a fab seafood spread....)

When I think of my three 'best times', two were spans of just a few hours while one actually lasted for several months. The first was my last semester in college at the University of Maine at Farmington. After 2 & 1/2 years of grueling class schedules and working full-time, that stretch from January to mid-May of 2003, was where all my hard work paid off. I attended the most stimulating classes of my college career, enjoyed deep & wonderful relationships with my professors and received opportunities I never expected. It was also the first time in my life I felt really together. My peers valued my opinion. I was proud of my work. I was hobnobbing with famous writers. It was simply the best time of my life up to that point.

My second best time was Christmas of 2008. It was one of my most favorite holidays. Just a few months before I would move to Texas, we were all gathered together around the dinner table--everybody seemed happy and at ease and in love. It was better than a Hallmark greeting card. And whatever happened afterwards, in that moment, we were all safe and well and perfectly content.

My third best time was just a week later. On a trip to Oklahoma City with my then-boyfriend, we spent New Years Eve at the Myriad Botanical Gardens in downtown OKC with my very best friends and their spouses. While it was chilly outside, in the conservatory, the air was warm and all the tropical plants were lit with Christmas lights and decked in gorgeous poinsettias. There was a band playing folk music down among the palm trees while listening couples lingered all along the crystal bridge above. I looked very smart in my favorite hound's tooth coat and hat. I remember feeling SO blessed to be spending New Year's Eve with my dearest friends and the man I loved for the first time in my life. It was romantic and wonderful.

Well, Reader. Hopefully my little reminiscence got you thinking about your three best times. What were they? And when? What made them so darn special? I'm all ears!

Every man's memory is his private literature. ~ Aldous Huxley

A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen.
~ Edward de Bono

Quotes courtesy of The Quote Garden.

Today's Joy: Kicking Off Horse Show Season.
This past weekend, my family took their carts, horses & ponies out for their first show of the 2010 season. At 33, I'm really enjoying watching my aunts & uncle shine up their harness, clip their ponies and don their best show outfits to go have a ball with their friends.

For many years, they worked hard, playing grooms, coaches and cheerleaders at every county fair & 4-H horse show my brother, cousins & I attended. They gave up many weekends and plunked down a veritable fortune to turn us out respectably. And they were always there with encouraging words, tissues, hoof black and safety pins. Showing horses was an integral part of my childhood and one of my fondest memories.

Now that we're all grown, I love to see them showing for their own enjoyment. Aunt came home Sunday with 2 blue ribbons, which are now prominently displayed on the shade of a living room lamp. While I'm no longer showing, myself, I'm delighted to tag along and take photos of the family & our friends doing what they love most. Stay tuned, Reader. I'm sure there will be many wonderful show highlights to post this season!



Photos: Girl at Horse Show and Red Boots, taken at the Fox Valley Saddle Association, Plato Center, IL, 2008.