Flashback

While at Macy's putzing around, Rachael & I discovered a new line of fragrance and beauty products called LUSH. I'm always sniffing different fragrances to find something that won't nauseated me after the first 20 minutes. There was a tester of Karma perfume that niggled at me like a long forgotten idea. Could it be fond memories & good times? The ingredients sounded appealing; lemongrass, orange oil, heady patchouli & pine. I gave it a spritz, told the girl "This is stronger than I thought!" and walked away.
But after having having it on for a bit, it was all I could do not to run to the nearest bathroom and scrub my skin raw. The longer I had it on the stronger it seemed to get and I was getting queasy! Honest to God! I literally smelled like a stick of incense burning in the back room of a head/smoke shop - behind a curtain of hanging beads! woah! I almost puked! Needless to say when I finally got home, I had to jump in the shower again. What's the motto to this story? I don't know...

Bathroom Surprise!

So, once we were finished with our ice-cream, I walk into the bathroom at The Comfy Cow to find this unusual reception waiting for me on the other side of the door. I nearly jumped out of my skin! Still - I turned the paper bag head to face away from me while I took care of the basic necessities.

Happy Rachael

A Happy Rachael is a Good Rachael. Chocolate BrowniePoints Ice-cream. Yummy!

The Comfy Cow

Rachael & I went to her new favorite ice-cream shop, The Comfy Cow. We discovered it this past Monday when we popped into The Amazing Green Planet to look around. It's right next door! All their cakes, pastries, cookies & icecream are made on the premises. And all I can say is that Rachael's "chocolate browniepoints" ice-cream was one of the best chocolate ice-creams I've had. And I can truthfully say that their Peanut Butter ice-cream IS the best peanut butter ice-cream that I've ever tasted. It is a peanut butter fan's fantasy - seriously! Now I only had a taster spoon of it because I had already made another purchase, but now it's stuck in my head and I can't get it out!!! I took one look at their list of ice-cream flavors on the chalkboard overhead and thought "there's so much to try and so little time!". I'll be back!

Lazy Saturday

I finished the last bit of my training this morning before I went to collect Rachael from her dad. Neither one of us had eaten breakfast and since it was after 11am, we were starving. I wanted to go to Bardstown Road and find a new eatery, but she wanted to walk around Westport Village to check out their little stores. Both of us wanted a Burger, she mentioned White Castle (ha ha) and I didn't want fast food. We compromised and I ended up driving to Westport Village to see what they had there.
At first glance, some of the restaurants were closed - they had those "special" hours...you know, only open from 4pm - 11pm. A Chinese place was open, but honestly there was no way! But, lo & behold, I turned a corner and saw a young man actually outside grilling burgers and sausages! AND he was giving out samples! I looked up to see that I was in front of Mike's Best butcher shop. That's weird. But as it turns out, Mike's Best happens to have a deli and a decent area of tables and chairs. They make hot plate lunches and can grill anything you want in the back (on nice days they'll grill out front).
Rachael & I ordered 2 medium rare burgers, split a bag of chips and drank a Coke with sugar no less. The burgers were really, really good. Juicy and tender soft - which basically meant that the meat wasn't over-handled or processed. I learned that they even made their own rare roast beef that they claim is even better than the Boar's Head brand they carry (of which I'm a big fan). Boars Head roast beef is the bloodiest, rarest roast beast I've had since moving to KY from NYC more than 2 decades ago. If I had been going straight home afterwards, I might just have taken the Boar's Head/ Mike's Best challenge and purchased a scant half pound of each to compare. Unfortunately, we had other plans...dessert (then window shopping).

Misty Evening

Last night I had to run to my second job and do some training. When I finally stepped outside it felt as though I had stepped into the streets of London, heavy with thick swirling fog, streetlights dimmed with soft, golden halos and although it wasn't exactly freezing, there was that damp chill that reaches into your very bones. I would even say "soul" ... I was so thrilled with the ambiance it created. I could almost picture Jack the Ripper appearing in the mist under the stark, jagged branches of a naked tree or the glow of a wrought iron street lamp. The anticipation of the potential rush "fight or flight" tingled all the way to my fingertips as I walked across the employee parking lot to my car.
I didn't really want to go home. What I really wanted was to drive to Long Run Park, sit in my car (it's too cold to sit on a bench) with a good book, a blanket over my shoulders and a nip of (not too shabby) brandy, - to read & enjoy the atmosphere.

The girls loves this simple hat! On any day you can find it on 1 of 3 heads (28, 11 or 5 years old). It was probably a $5.00 hat from a Walmart bin. Or a hand me down from one of the cousins. Who knows where its humble beginnings originated? All I know is that it's a favorite.

Aromatics Elixir

I've been wearing this perfume on occasion for about 6 months and it's not my norm, but I do really love it when it suits my mood. So when I came across this review from the "Perfume Shrine" I was excited - and then I started reading...

Aromatics Elixir by Clinique: fragrance review

If you have ever wandered in a dark, damp forest you know the smell of dead leaves trampled underfoot and grasses soaked with bog water. But do you know what trolls smell like? Do you know what the enchanted forest vibrates of? You feel it in the air, you know it in your flesh, the waters speak of it in hushed murmurs...
Elixir. Aromatics Elixir.

The old scent by lab-coated cosmetic giant has nothing clinical about it. Except perhaps for its potency which is phenomenal, accounting for it being immediately recognisable and perceived within a 10-mile radius. It is the one singular scent, a very characteristic chypre, I always compliment on its wearers yet find stifling when I wear it myself. Maybe this is why it introduced the infamous "spray and walk into the mist" technique. It had to! But then "walk into the mist" is so evocative a phrase anyway.

Composed in 1971 by master perfumer Bernard Chant, the same man who created the headstrong Cabochard, it bears the powerful signature of intense patchouli and moss in the arms of sandalwood and vetiver. With a base like that it brings to mind the German forests of the Brothers Grimm and the Scandinavian mythology. The sudden entrance into an apocryphal cave where creation must have begun, in the guts of the earth, fans out powdery notes of coumarin and rose and the bitter taste of good soap. Humble chamomile is mocking you as you bend to pick up some to only come face to face to poisoned mushrooms.

With its dramatic, sad and intense tonality, it reminds me of Aase's Death by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, from "Peer Gynt" (Suite No. 1, Op. 46)

It's good to know that I smell like the "Brothers Grimm" movie - dead leaves, bog water, trolls & caves...wow! So now I absolutely have to listen to Aase's Death so that I can hear what I smell like! :o)

getting hitched?

Little Theresia still looks like a teenage to me at times and she's 28 years old. She and George are talking about getting married this summer and finding a place together. So soon! He knows that she wants to be close to her support system so he's started keeping an eye open in Jtown. I guess my main concern is that he really should focus his full energy on finishing law school - he still has 2 years to go. He's a super smart kid and has great ambition, but I also wonder, is he really the one for Theresia? I know that he loves and cares for her now, but they've been dating for less than a year (maybe even less than 8 months) - is that long enough? And what about her? In 2-3 years, or even 4-5, will he still be her soul mate? I'm afraid, and maybe those are my own issues - in fact I'm pretty sure that they are. On the other hand, I believe in all kinds of love...maybe I just need to have a little more of the kind of faith and hope that I say I do. I thought that I did - at least I like to think that I'm that kind of person.

Holiday Recovery

I am still worn out from the Holidays, although it's all of my own making. I decided to make food gift to give as Xmas presents - not unheard of....except this is me we're talking about. I don't cook for pleasure, just to survive and because I have to feed my family. I did it though! I made 8 large sausage, cheese and basil lasagna's from scratch out of my Bon Appetit cookbook. 5 Shepherds pies with Rutabaga topping from my Martha Stewart cookbook. 4 homemade tiramisu's from 3 different recipes. I was trying to find the one I liked best - which happens to be the one laden with Khalua (got a buzz after just 4 bites). And if you like molasses cookies, I finally made these awesome Giant Shaker Rosemary cookies. They are brilliant! I also made Martha's toasted walnut and cream cheese cookies (they are really super rich shortbread cookies - almost too rich, and I love creamy fatness....terrible). The crazy thing is that I was so glad it was all over and I told everyone "never again" but here I am a couple of weeks later pouring through all of my cookbooks again, trying to find something else to make. I actually want to torture myself some more. I've freaking lost my mind! WhatI really need to do is find some really incredible tasting healthy recipes. Low fat, low cal, lower carbs.
During the month of December I stopped going to the gym, stopped watching what I ate and basically gained 20 lbs in 5 weeks. Honestly - it was 25 pounds, but I've started slowing down my month long binge and now it's back to the long slow process of losing weight again! I do miss the gym though. I love weight training - it's just the taking that 1st step back, because I'd have to get up at 4:30 in the morning.
Well, my 50th birthday's coming up and for my birthday I'm going to give myself the present of losing 40 lbs between now and then. My body may feel 50 sometimes, but my spirit feels like 10 or 12 years old a lot of times. I'm still in love with life and this world - I still am so fascinated by everything, people, nature, miracles. There's so much to do, so much to see - and if I want to something as mundane as to learn how to crochet, or learn how to identify wild plants for the art of healing or make my own dandelion wine - I am going to do it with GUSTO!

Kendall's Cupcake

Kendall turned 5 years old and Theresia bought her a cupcake from this new cupcake store called GiGi's (I think?). Anyway, although it was as cute as could be, the icing was thick pasty and terrible And the cake itself was dry and flavorless. Kendall ended up throwing it away after a couple of bites. However, Lauren made a couple of dozen pink, funfetti cupcakes from a package and they were perfect, moist and adorable. Yeah for Lauren!

girl cousins - good grief! they are so, so weird...and wonderful!








Left to right: Anna, Rachael, Vanessa and Katherine.