A pretty little present…

With her amazing color combinations, never ending stock of ribbons, creative embellishments and layering galore, A Gift Wrapped Life is the undisputed master mistress of the gift wrapping universe.  Here are just a few of my favorites:

 

 

Seriously, are they not to die for?

So, here was my attempt (using what I had in the house) at wrapping a pretty little present for my newest little cousin.

My wrapping skills (and my photography skills for that matter) still leave a lot to be desired, but at least it is a step up from a gift bag, right? 

The Great Panty Debacle….

I really love a good sale, so on Monday, I hit the local shopping center to see if anyone had any exciting Labor Day discounts.  Victoria’s Secret came through.  They had bins full of bras marked down to $12.99.  I found one I liked (original price $45!) and then scoured the store to find undies to match (I know, I know, I am weird like that.)  Also, on a  strange side note, I was looking for some undies to match a light green bra I purchased a while ago.  For some reason, I can’t find 3 pairs of underwear I purchased to go with that bra.  It is really weird.  Anyway, I left the store with a bra and 10 pairs of panties.  

When I got home, I realized that I had been charged full price ($12) for a pair of underwear that I had pulled out of the sale bin and were marked $5.99.  So, I left everything in the bag and went back today to let them know that I had accidentally been overcharged.  The nice ladies working in the store apologized and worked to correct the discrepancy.  Meanwhile, I decided to spin through the sale bins again – I mean, $12.99 for a bra – come on!  That is a good deal.  Today, I found two additional bras and 4 pairs of underwear.  While checking out, they credited the $12 back to me and re-charged me the $5.99 for the panties that I purchased on Monday.  They put everything (3 bras and all the assorted underwear) back into the same bag.

I got home and took everything out.  I clipped all the tags off and before I threw them away, I decided to just add everything up quickly to see how much I saved ($268 original retail price – $126 sale price!)  That is when I noticed that I was again charged $14 and $12 for the panties I purchased today that should have rung up at $5.99.  Seriously?  Who is more stupid – Victoria’s Secret for ringing up wrong prices two times in a row or me for not double checking this while I was still in the store?  To add insult to injury, one of the pairs of underwear didn’t even make it in the bag!  Ah!

I am so irritated that I have to go back there again.  Wonder what the odds are that I can make it out of there without purchasing additional merchandise….

Cavalia…

As I mentioned in a previous post, I spent a long weekend with my sister in Chicago in August.  Since we are both horse lovers, we jumped on the chance to see a show called Cavalia.  It is billed as a Cirque de Soleil with horses.  We really lucked out because the show extended its run in Chicago to include my weekend there – and – my sister was able to get us some half priced tickets.  Here we are outside of the big top before the show.  Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures during the performance, so this is the only photo I have.

The show mixed live horses (mounted and unmounted) with various types of acrobatics all set to live music, lighting and special effects.  Some of the acts were truly amazing – one of our favorites began with two white spanish horses ridden in by two gentlemen each with a lady riding behind the saddle.  As they circled the ring, the ladies connected a cable dangling from the ceiling to their persons and before you knew what was happening, they were flying in the air.  They circled and swooped just above the horses and riders who continued riding a pattern in the ring.  It was beautiful and etherial and at times breathtaking when it looked like there might be a collision.  (Of course, there wasn’t.)  There was also a fun section with western style trick riding and some pretty amazing roman riding with teams of four horses.  It was also fun to watch the liberty horses.  It seemed that they were training some younger ones who were full of personality and didn’t always want to do as they were told.  This actually made for a more fun show – when things didn’t always go perfectly and the individual personalities of the horses shown through.  My sister and I both appreciated how the horses were positively praised for doing something right, but were never scolded for doing something wrong.  All of the horses looked happy and healthy. 

It was a good show and a fun night, but apparently I am a tough customer because I do have some critiques:

1.) As far as classical dressage is concerned, the Spanish Riding School in Vienna this is not.  This is more showy rather than super correct riding.  I admit, for the general consumer, this is not an issue.

2.) I think their superstar – Templado – has been retired.  So, I got the impression that they have been training younger stallions to take his place.  But, I was looking forward to seeing the big “coups de gras” act – a horse and rider performing upper level dressage – maybe without a saddle and bridle?  It just seemed like a little something was missing.  They did project images of him (I think) on a curtain of water that flowed from the ceiling.  That was cool.

3.) My sister and I both felt that they really missed the mark on the merch.  I, for one, was ready to purchase some cool horse souvenirs.  But, we were a little disappointed in the stock.  Of course, there were t-shirts and stuffed animal horses and books and cds.  But, where were the beautiful pieces of jewelry?  Horse scarves?  Why couldn’t they team up with Breyer to produce a “Templado” figurine?  And, most of the stuff they had for sale featured their logo (of course) and a crazy CG image.  Why would you go CG when you have such beautiful animals that you can photograph?

Here is what I am talking about:

(Sorry its so small – you can’t really see how it leaves something to be desired, but trust me, it does.)

I bought the only item in the whole selectin with a cool graphic.  It is a grey mock-turtle neck made out of thin, stretchy fabric. 

The graphic wraps around the side of the shirt.  I don’t even like turtlenecks, but since it was the only pretty thing I saw and I had money burning a hole in my pocket, I bought it. 

Give me a call, Cavalia, if you want some more brilliant merchandising ideas to market to the horsey crowd.

Stella roo…

When my sister and her husband got married last September, I wanted to give them the perfect wedding gift.  (His sister and her husband bought plane tickets for them to come to England for a visit, so that is kind of hard to top!)  My sister has wanted a dog for many years, but apartment living in the city did not necessarily allow for it.  When she and her husband combined households into a little bit larger apartment, she specifically looked for one that would allow pets just in case.  She spent many months convincing her significant other that there was room in their lives for a pet and researching which breed would be the best match for them and their lifestyle.  She also volunteers at PAWS a no-kill shelter in Chicago.  So, I wasn’t going out on a limb when I decided to give them a dog as their wedding present.  Nevertheless, to be safe, I did contact her fiance beforehand to make sure that this was going to be ok with him. 

So, when I was in Chicago for the wedding, I presented my sister with a card.  Inside was a gift card to Petsmart and a homemade gift certificate to cover the adoption fees for any dog of their choosing.  I made sure to tie it in to the wedding theme by describing the joy, fun and dimension that our dog, Copper, has brought to our marriage.  By adding a pet, you go from a couple to a family.  Needless to say, she was very excited about it.  Yet, responsible.  She didn’t rush out and get the first dog she saw.  She knew she wanted a rescued Italian Greyhound and she wanted to wait until the spring to adopt one, when the weather would be more conducive to being outside for walks and house-training.  As the spring drew closer, they even decided to move to a different apartment that included its own small outdoor space in the back.

Finally, they were ready and they brought Stella into their lives.  She is about 9 months old, weighs 12 pounds, is a seal brown color and looks like a baby deer.  She is very skittish (who knows what may have happened to this poor baby in her puppy-hood), but has a loving nature and they are gradually winning her over. 

One night, I even got to hold her.  At first she trembled in my arms, but I stroked her and talked softly to her and she eventually relaxed and even fell asleep.  I didn’t want to let her go!  She really is so cute.  They are going to try to bring her to my house for Christmas.  We are hoping that she might be more comfortable with them by then and that she might learn a little something from Copper’s exuberant love for all of us.

The Windy City…

Two weeks ago, I had the chance to visit one of my favorite places: Chicago.  It is such a nice city, made even better by the fact that my sister and her husband live there.  And, on this visit, my mom and dad were there as well (my dad’s work conference was the instigation for our trip).  It was a short visit, I flew in on Saturday evening and left on Tuesday evening, but we still managed to have lots of fun.  My sister and I went to see a show called Cavalia on Saturday night (more on that in a separate post).  I got to see their new apartment (very, very cute) and their new dog, Stella (also very, very cute).  More on her in another post too.  Mom and sister and I spent a fun, full day doing some shopping – including our standard trip to Macy’s with lunch in the walnut room.  We all had dinner together as a family at the same restaurant that hosted my sister and her husband’s rehearsal dinner almost one year ago.  My mom, my sister and I also toured the museum where my brother-in-law works.  It was fabulous.  The only downside was that my husband was not able to come. 

Beautiful Chicago Building

Here are the sisters (in Mom and Dad’s hotel room) wearing some newly purchased duds (new BCBG shirt for me, new Banana Republic skirt for my sister).

Horses are dangerous…

There is a reason why you should never put your arm through the reins when you are standing on the ground next to your horse.  She might toss her head and spin around and jerk backwards.  This would twist them around your bicep and around her head and tighten them like a noose or a vice-grip.  This is the beautiful result:  I am lucky – it is just bruising.  It could have been so much worse!

I would starve…

if I had to grow my own food!  I tried to grow one little tomato plant in a pot on my back porch.  I eagerly watched as this little green ball grew and grew.  It started to turn red – my mouth started to water.  Then, it split open and when I picked it, it looked like this:

Blast!  Rotten!

The inside looked like this when I cut into it – delicious – but, I was too afraid to try it.

Thank goodness I can still go to the supermarket and buy vegetables other people have grown.

Dancer’s Photo Shoot…

A very kind lady at the stables, who also happens to be a very talented photographer, offered to give us 30 minute photo sessions with our horses on Saturday.   I jumped at the chance.  This is a very photographed horse already, but I can’t seem to get enough.  As my husband said, “oh good, now we will finally have a picture of Dancer to frame and hang on the wall.”  This was said with a good measure of sarcasm.  But, it was fun to have a semi-professional photo shoot and I think the results speak for themselves.

Here is the funniest one of the bunch…she had been so well-behaved, standing pretty quietly for all the posing, when we finally turned her loose, she let out a HUGE buck!  The camera caught her on the way down, but look at how much air she still has underneath her – all four feet are off the ground.

House Tour, part 2…

You have already seen the living/dining area in our little house.  Now it is time to introduce you to my little bathroom.  This is the bathroom right off the master bedroom and my husband decided it could be mine, while he would use the larger bathroom in the hallway.  I am delighted with this arrangement – I now have my own little domain!  It was bland and dirty (50 years worth of dirt in the grout between the tiles on the floor) when we moved it.  I spent hours scrubbing with baking soda paste and it made a big difference.  I also chose a very bold paint color called Eucalyptus Leaf by Behr (available at the Home Depot).  [apologies in advance - these are not professional photographs - not that you have come to expect "professional" when it comes to the G.E. blog]

This is the shot of the bathroom from the doorway.  The shower stall is to the left, but that is about it…it is very small!

This is the wall across from the toilet.  You can barely see the little wire shelf underneath the towel rack in this photo.  It makes a tight space even tighter, but I had to do something because the only storage in this bathroom is directly under the sink and in the medicine cabinet.  I just needed a little more than that.  What were two people supposed to do in this bathroom?

This is a little watercolor of the Spanish Steps in Rome that we purchased from a street vendor during one of our many trips to that fair city when we lived in Germany.  It is really cute and it “matches” the aquas and browns used in this bathroom perfectly.  This photo really doesn’t do it justice.

And, finally, a word about the window dressing….my husband warned me that he did not want me spending a lot of money buying “curtains and stuff” when we moved into our new house.  Well, to me, that is just one of the costs of moving…it seems like nothing you had in your old house works in your new space.  But, after having read and received inspiration from many thrifty home decorating blogs, I came up with an inexpensive solution.  These are two kitchen hand towels, folded over and clipped to curtain rings and then threaded on a $9 cafe rod.  I am sure interior designers all over the world experienced a sharp pain in the back of their collective skulls the moment I installed this bad boy – it isn’t going to win any design awards, that is for sure.  But, it was really easy, it does add some color to the bathroom, it does help to “finish” my windows.  So, it is good enough for me.  Plus, in my own tiny realm, I am queen and what I say goes.  [And, when I get around to the kitchen tour, you will see this "technique" again.]

Good Dancer, Bad Dancer…

Lately, my rides have been excellent.  It seemed like each time, Dancer was better, stronger, more responsive.  On Saturday, she was particularly excellent.  She was loose and supple and her back came up and round as soon as I got on and started walking around.  Her trot was lofty and full of impulsion.  She was light in my hand and not pulling on the bit at all.  She was the epitome of self-carriage.  She sprang off my leg into her upward transitions without tossing her head up.  Her canter was slow and round but without a hint of wanting to break back to the trot.  Her leg-yields and shoulder-ins were smooth and easy.  I was in awe.  It started raining and I couldn’t stop riding her because it was so much fun.  When I spoke with my husband later that night, he asked me how my day was and I gushed “I had the BEST ride EVER on Dancer!”  He said, “do you realize that you have said that about once a week since we got here?”  I had not realized that, but when I thought back, it was true.  She has been getting better and better.  Cool.

I didn’t ride her on Sunday, but on Monday, she was also very good.  Maybe not quite as good as Saturday, but still very, very nice.  It was also getting ready to storm on Monday, so it was blustery and she was a little distracted (so was the other horse in the ring at the time).

Well, we all know that what goes up, must eventually come down.  On Wednesday, Bad Dancer raised her ugly head.  She would not – would NOT stand still.  Any time I asked her to halt, she got tense and anxious and wanted to move forward again.  When I wouldn’t let her, she tried to go sideways.  When I wouldn’t let her, she would rocket backwards.  When we were working on our canter transitions, she got squirrelly and tried her old hopping, head-tossing, bucking trick.  (But, this time I was actually able to ride through it and keep her cantering – yay me!)  Later, when I was trying to get her to do haunches in on a circle, she really wanted to canter instead, so whenever I would apply my outside leg, even the slightest bit, she would leap forward.  I would stop her, ask again and she would leap forward.  She was HOT.  However, I should note, this definitely wasn’t her worst day.  And, even though she wasn’t perfectly behaved, we did accomplish a new thing we have been working on – the counter canter.  I have done a few steps before, but she hasn’t been strong enough or balanced enough to really do it.  Last night, I had her in a good canter to the right.  I came across the diagonal and headed to the left.  I kept her going all the way around in a big loop to the left, back across the diagonal and returned to my circle to the right at the other end of the arena.  I was so stoked!  We had worked for a while, doing some pretty tough stuff and she was lathered up, but I could tell she was still very wild, so I took off her tack and let her have a good free-gallop around.  She loved it.  She loved it so much that even after I went back to the barn, put her stuff away, changed out of my boots, talked to someone and then came back to get her, she wouldn’t come to me.  She made me corner her.  That is VERY unlike her. 

Then, on the walk back to the barn, she was pushy and was walking all over me.  We had to practice giving me some space and stopping when I stop.  She even got a few “spankings”!  Now, I normally won’t hit a horse, but a horse who won’t respect your space (and who knows better) and could possibly be losing her eye-sight is dangerous.  I felt that I needed to nip that behavior in the bud.  So if she started to come over on top of me, I elbowed her and if she didn’t move over, I smacked her on the shoulder with my open hand (it makes a loud noise).  Just to show me her displeasure, as I turned her around once, she slapped me across the face with her tail.  It hurt like crazy!  Bad Dancer, very bad Dancer.  She usually has such good ground manners and is such a loving horse.   She hurt my feelings a little bit. 

I won’t be able to ride tonight, but maybe tomorrow will be a new day.