Day #2

Yesterday: Was a success! The CFM is quite nice (again Rhys' cart got him a lot of attention), and we got some gorgeous rye bread, butter buns, raspberry lemon cake, and some veggies for Easter Dinner #1. Then, after some Vietnamese for lunch, I got my hair freshened up.

Before: Robot Amanda models her drab, shapeless hair and over grown bangs:

After: Ahhhh...feels so much lighter!

And 'Easter Movie Night' was a hit! Although we did hit a small speed bump when Rhys nearly had a meltdown because he thought the Easter Bunny was coming that night, and was going to watch the movie with us. He was so excited, and when the tent was finally set up he put his hands on his cheeks 'Home Alone' style, and squealed 'Oh My God! Oh My God!'. It was like he'd never seen it before or something.

Mimicking E.B. from the movie, who liked playing the drums:

Pizza in the tent was such a hit - Rhys ate FOUR slices:

And of course, popcorn for desert:

The little man was in attendance too, and of course his big brother wanted to hold him:

Today: Warren and Rhys are going to the airport to watch some airplanes, while I stay home with Kyle to get the house ready and prep the food for Easter Dinner #1. Gramma Patsy will come over to bake the scalloped potatoes, and the rest of the guests arrive at 5pm.

Wish us luck!

It's A Weave, Baby.

I think we all remember this traumatizing day from a couple years ago...the day I went to the hairdresser and asked 'for a change':

Well, after nearly two years of 'giving it a fair chance', and then deciding to grow it back out, I decided to take matters into my own hands... and I got a weave.

Gotta say...I finally feel like my old self for the first time in a LONG time. Having a weave isn't awesome - I'd much rather it be all my own hair - but it's a fun temporary fix.

Like Oprah says, "A woman's hair is her crowning glory".

Now that I'm past the 'permi-headache-feels-like-I'm-wearing-a-wig' phase....I feel like a queen again.

First Haircut

A few weeks ago we took Rhys for his first 'real' haircut. Up until now I've always trimmed it myself. Warren would mock the results and beg me to take him to a professional. But I always thought 'what can they do that I can't?'. Turns out, the pros actually know what they're doing.

Here are some pics I took of Rhys' morning hair one day...these are the pics that prompted me to book the appointment:

'Before' Shot at Beaners:

After:

He RAN to the pink Barbie Jeep (they had the army jeep reserved for him, but this one caught his eye first!):

Experimenting

Oh Boy. This morning when I woke up, my hair was even shorter than I remembered. But I am TRYING to embrace it. I don't really have a choice.

So, I tried doing a 'flip' look. Hopefully it doesn't look too 90's (you'd tell me, right Nicole?). Added some red lips.

I think it looks 'nice' - on someone else! Still getting used to this...

I'd like the Jury to note how FAR AWAY from my collar bone the bottom of my hair is. Would this stand up in court?

O.M.G.

This post is a hair update.

Remember the poll I set up a while back? Well, after all that hullabaloo, I decided that I wasn't quite ready for a drastic change. I realised my long, wavy hair (that has become my trademark look, since I've had it for at least the last 15 years) was still a security blanket for me. A couple years back I got side-swipe bangs, and that was HUGE for me. So when I went to the hair dresser today, I thought to myself , "Self. Let's be CRAZY and get straight, chunky bangs! Ya, let's be wild!". I made the suggestion to my hair dresser and she said in her uber Greek accent, "Yes, dear! Why not!", followed by "How short do you want to go?". Um...wasn't really planning on cutting much off. Just a trim. "Honey, telly me how much". Feeling adventurous I gave her permission to cut up to my collar bone. Probably a good 4 inches. Then she grabbed my hair back into a pony tail and SNIPPED IT OFF. But I didn't panic. In the mirror my hair still looked 'long'. But by the time she had snipped more, finessed, added layers and thinned it out...Oh My God. I did not recognise the woman in the mirror. I didn't feel like myself. A haircut had never done that to me before.

As soon as I left the salon I called Warren. "It's SO SHOOOOOORT! I look like Pat Benatar! I'm not sure you'll like it! I'm FREAKING OUT here!".

People, my security blanket is gone. I feel naked. Exposed. My hair is thin. Straight. Short.

I feel like I need to buy funky new glasses and an all black wardrobe and wear lots of scarves. I need to figure out how to feel 'sexy' without my long, curly hair. I feel frumpy. And old. OMG.

Before (taken about 3 months ago...so my hair was actually LONGER than this before the haircut...)

After:

(I'm only smiling on the outside).

Oddly, I look nothing like Jessica Simpson here. I look more like Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction.

Craving A Change.

Maybe it's just because my layers & bangs are all grown out and wonky, and I'm in desperate need of a tidy up in the hair department, but lately I am craving a change in hairstyle. I've had long, layered hair for probably 15 years, that I curl with hot rollers. I don't want to go too short, because I would have a nervous breakdown, and I want it to be easy to grow long again if I want to.

I googled 'medium length hairstyles' and these were the ones I liked:

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

If I do go ahead with a change, I want to be able to take a picture with me to the hairdresser. The problem with these pics is that all these women have had their hair styled by professionals and it's hard to tell which ones I could easily do myself. There is one in particular I'm leaning towards. Please tell me your fave (for me) in the comments & why. Also, vote in the poll on the right!

(PS - this is all for FUN, and I make no commitment to actually going ahead with any of these!)