Here are a few pics of the Lemon Tea Sugar Scrub that I made and divided into jars as add-on gifts for our many soon-to-be newlywed friends. In addition to monetary gifts, I thought it'd be nice to have a little something handmade. Each couple got their own card and jar design. I tried to match the couples' color theme where I could (i.e. if I had the supplies in my bins of crafty goods).
I admit it. I'm totally addicted to
For starter's - it's a short month. Which makes it different.
And we all learned in elementary that the things that make us different make us special.
Or as it is in high school = Different is cool.
Also, if you get paid on a monthly basis - in February, you get paid more for each day you worked! (Unfortunately, this also means your landlord just scored off your monthly rent!)
Okay, let's get to the main reason that I love February so much...
IT'S MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!!! Woo-hoo!!! Let's celebrate!
And what better way to celebrate than with friends.
My friend Curtis Z. celebrates his birthday on what else? Valentine's Day! Another great thing about February! It promotes LOVE. And, no, you Negative Nancys out there, you cynics. It doesn't have to be about ROMANTIC LOVE. It can be about the love for your FAMILY, the love for your TEACHERS and MENTORS in life, or the love of your wonderful FRIENDS!
More friends' birthdays this month:
Madison on the 4th
Dave S. on the 15th
Kevin H. on the 21st
Amanda A. on the 22nd
Andrea C. on the 28th
Aunt Connie on the 28th
My friend since 3rd grade, Kellie C. celebrates her birthday on February 22nd. Mine is on the 24th. It has been a long time joke between the two of us that either I'm "too young" to understand or she is "older and therefore wiser" or, now that we are past our teens (when it is cool to be older), I get to make fun of her for how "OLD" she is for two days before she can turn the insults and harassment back around on me. Another reason this two day difference contributes to the greatness of February is that - every February, Kellie & I reconnect. No matter where we are or how far we've traveled, we know that in February we will catch up with one another. In fact, once Kellie dropped her phone in water and couldn't retrieve her old phone numbers. So, she bought a new phone and kept the old one until February - when she knew I would call, and she could up date me with her new information - including new phone number! Ah, February - the glue between friends.
February also marks the birth of my first nephew, Aidan!!! Who just turned four this month! Yippie!
On a national level, February is Black History Month and International Friendship month! Now, go on, if you don't already have one...go and find yourself a friend to celebrate. If s/he's black, you get bonus points!
Groundhog Day (February 2nd)! Who doesn't love a day that sits around waiting for a groundhog's shadow? I mean, that's just pure entertainment! And the movie isn't so bad, either.
For you football fans, February often hosts the SUPER BOWL!
PRESIDENT'S DAY is observed on the third Monday of the month. HOLIDAY! Any month with a nationally observed day off is an exceptional month!
I could go on and on and on.
World Marriage Day - the second Sunday in February.
Lincoln's birthday - February 12th.
George Washington's birthday - February 22nd. (The same as Kevin H. and Kellie C. Boy, I have brilliant friends!)
Susan B. Anthony's birthday - February 12th.
Thomas Edison's - February 11th.
BOY SCOUT DAY is February 8th!!!!
I mean, doesn't get any better than this!! February is FULL of love and kindness and celebration and smart people's birthdays and it's just AWESOME!!! And it flies by in a hurry...so get out there and APPRECIATE IT!
I love you, my friend!
xoxo And I'm in love with February! xoxo
...My sister comes to town!
All I can say is that I'm very excited. Originally we weren't going to see one another for Thanksgiving or Christmas. But my sister is BRILLIANT and was able to schedule a business trip for Monday and fly in a few days before for some Family Fun Time!! She's bringing her son with her, too!!! Which is bonus fun times! My nephew is two and he's adorable and he's started talking but I haven't seen him in person since he really started talking..so I'm excited! (I'll call him "EJ".)
Plus, EJ likes LIONS! I love LIONS! EJ likes to ROAR like a lion! I LOVE EJ!
EJ left me the cutest message on my phone a few months ago. It was simply him roaring like a lion. But, man, is it ever a good solid Roar! I've been trying to figure out how to grab it off my phone and add an audio clip to my blog. I think the first step is to buy a connector cable for my phone to connect to my computer. And since I haven't begun to even look at what kind of cable I will need...I suppose I really haven't been "trying to figure out" anything. But in my head, I have made some noble efforts. In my head, once I get off my butt and teach myself some technology, it is going to be brilliant! Everyone will hear the wondrous EJ's ROOOAAAAR!
Oh, I'm can't wait until they get here!! *jumping up and down in anticipation*
At the end of my holiday weekend, I received a somewhat disturbing phone call.
Basically, the person that called said they got my number through a mutual friend but wouldn't tell me who they were, who the mutual friend was or why they were calling. The first thing this person said after I answered the phone was "Hi Linda, is it too late to call?" I said, "No, it's not too late. Who's this?" and they said, "Oh, I get the feeling it's too late. I'll call back tomorrow." To which I responded, "No, it's not too late, but who's calling?" Again, they responded, "No, I feel it's too late to call, we'll talk tomorrow." I eventually got him (it was a male voice with a foreign accent) to say the call was regarding "friendship", but he kept saying "we'll talk about it tomorrow." It was just overall strange. Probably just a "mutual friend" with very poor social skills...but I didn't like the secrecy and "we'll talk about it tomorrow". I told him not to call again. Also, the call was a "restricted call".
I hate these types of incidents because I become really worried and start obsessing over all the possible things that could go wrong - is he a stalker? did he hurt a loved one, steal their phone and is perversely messing with me? - and until I get confirmation that everything is okay and I'm being overly paranoid, I worry myself sick.
Word to the wise - if you are socially inept, please have your friend call your "mutual friend" and forewarn them before you spook this "mutual friend" out by calling from a restricted number at 11:00pm on a Sunday, and then refusing to talk to the person YOU called and refusing to give them your name, reason you are calling or the name of the person who gave you their number.
Next time - just don't bother. Because the next time, I will call the police.
Despite being sick all this last week...
Despite originally obsessing over and hating my haircut...
I have come out on top - with a cute do and time to finish this scarf!
AND, I get to keep the scarf guilt-free!
Turns out, Leslie no longer works with Laura. Her last day at Laura's office was Friday!
New do. New scarf. Happy girl.
I feel better already!
In the office, a lot of free cookies get passed around.
At most offices, and mine is no exception, there is cake on birthdays. We have cake. And chips. And soda. AND cookies! I like cookies.
When I go to meetings, there is always a plate full of cookies up for grabs. And what else are you going to do while you are pretending to listen intently to all that jibber jabber on corporate overhead? You are going to eat a cookie. That's what else.
There are a lot of women on our floor. Whenever one of them is going on a new diet, they empty their desk drawers and cupboards and mini-fridges of all the chocolates, candies, sweets and cookies they've been hoarding and lay them out for everyone to share. I usually grab a cookie or two.
My desk is right next to the dining halls at work. One of the kitchen staff has taken a liking to me. The other day he brought me a plate full of fresh, whole fruit. I was very excited. I shared them with my co-workers, they were very excited. Then, ten minutes later, he brought me a bowl full of cookies. I tried to share them with my co-workers. They adamantly refused. What was a girl to do? I ate two. Okay, maybe it was three. Then I found a small child running around the office and gave him the rest. I mean, a boy of four has got to have energy to keep running full steam like that. He needed the sugar.
There is a conference room on our floor that none of us use, but many other departments book full all month long. They have catered meetings. When the meeting is finished, we all swoop in like vultures upon the leftovers. Usually, it's a few meat-laden sandwiches and a bunch of cookies. I eat the cookies. It's free! How could I refuse?
Summary: I like cookies. I can't say "No" to free cookies. I eat a lot of cookies at work.
So what should I do? Stop going in to work? Good Idea. Although I'd probably just start baking cookies at home. And not having a corporate body of people to bestow a gift of sweet treats upon, I'd just eat more cookies. Hm.
I think the answer here is "Just say NO." This is a lesson I learned as a child. And I'm not sure I applied it to all the right areas of life. I mean - Cookies! - they are a deadly habit. Shouldn't they warn you about these things when you are interviewing for a job? "We really like your resume, Ma'am, but I want to tell you, this office is Pro-Cookie. We eat a lot of cookies around here. Do you think you can handle that? Are you up to the challenge?"
It's possible I'm totally oblivious to my surroundings. I'm not saying I am. I'm saying it's possible.
I live in New York, after all. There's a lot to take in. And, after the first couple of years, you learn not to look interested in your surroundings, avoiding all eye contact and walking briskly from point A to point B.
It was somewhat startling for me to discover a bushel of sunflowers in front of my apartment in early August. I mean, right outside my front window! IN FULL BLOOM! How did they get there? Were they there all summer? Do I really not pay attention?!
Everyday after I discovered the sunflowers, I made a point to take a moment outside my door and just look at them (and look around for any stalkers, people hiding in the bushes, or the like, which clearly I had not bothered to be alert to before.)
Here's something about my hippie neighbors that's nice. And hippie. Just yesterday, we bumped into each other outside the front door. They asked if I was enjoying the sunflowers. I said, "Why, yes. Did you plant them?" They said "Yes. Every summer." I asked how long the flowers had been in bloom. They said, "About a month, maybe a little more." (Phew! Maybe I'm NOT so oblivious.)
And THEN, they gave me a lesson in botany. Stripping an over-ripe (can you call it that?) sunflower of it's petals and soft plant fur, they revealed to me the seeds. Yep, sunflower seeds. Just like you buy from the store. You can toast 'em and eat 'em, or you can replant them for next summer. The hippies handed me the head of the sunflower for my eating enjoyment, with a warning to lookout for bugs.
I've decided to give it a try. Toasting sunflower seeds, that is. And because my sister likes sunflowers (and all flowers in general) I decided I would mail her some of the end product, if it turns out edible. (This will also serve as a test to see if she is keeping up with my blog which she professed so much interest in. Heehee.)
This is a quick photo synopsis of the process:
This is a chronicle of me.
It may seem self-obsessed. But hey, aren't we all?
Some other people are mentioned too.
My friends say, "That's okay, popcorn is good for you."
