Friday, July 31, 2009

Eclectic Finds in Austin

But seriously....as hot as Austin is (see post below) it offers eclectic places like this one East Side Showroom. Listen to the song. It says it all.

Austin is HOT!

Oh boy, Austin is boiling away down there. Its been over 100 degrees for at least the past month with no relief in sight. So why do I want to move there? Normally I'd be able to say, "Kansas City is just as hot with nothing to do to boot" but its been unseasonably cool this summer with temps in the mid 70's-80's for a good long time. Last night it got down to 58 degrees. This is unheard of for late July. Is Mother Nature testing me?

I read where Lake Travis is so low that they are discovering cars that have been missing since 1988. There was even a prehistoric skeleton discovered that dates to almost 2000 years old. I kid you not. I'm waiting for the breaking news story, "Jimmy Hoffa Discovered at the Bottom of Lake Travis!"

Oh well, test away all ye of little faith. I DO want to move to Austin. God awful heat waves can't keep me away. After all, they have AC there.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

St. Joseph-- Sell My House!

As a "recovering Catholic" and the great-grand-niece of a nun, I thought it only appropriate that I follow an ancient Catholic ritual (since at least 1950) and beseech St. Joseph to help me in selling my house. I'm sure this ritual isn't sanctioned by the Pope and its probably one that the local priest would roll his eyes at and try to lure me into the confessional booth for absolution from worshiping false gods and engaging in pagan rituals. "Forgive me father, for I have sinned....its been oh....25 years since my last confession. You got a minute? This could be a lonnnnnnng day."

If you're not familiar with the Catholic religion then you may not be aware that the Catholics have patron saints for just about every cause, occupation, illness and wishes you can think of. Headache? Hairstylist? Accountant? Hoarse Voice? Stubbed toe? Yep, they got you covered. You can get little medals of the patron saints and wear them or carry them in your pocket. St. Joseph happens to be the patron saint of the home among other things.

Apparently, if you want your house to sell fast, you're to bury a statue of St. Joseph in your yard upside down on his head, and voila! Your house will sell fast! Then you are to dig the little guy up and bring him with you to your next home where you offer him a place of honor in thanks for the quick sale. Perhaps all of the blood is rushing to his head so he's anxious to get the heck out of the ground and onto your mantle and that is why the house sells. Whatever the reason, I don't mind making the poor Saint suffer a bit. After all, saints are well versed in martyrdom.

Lucky for me, the Catholic supply store has a handy little kit you can buy complete with the statue and prayer for intercession and detailed burial directions. These Catholics, they think of everything.

Also, being the good little fallen Catholic that I am, I decided to cover all bases and visit the New Age store to see what they might have to offer in the way of pagan rituals for a quick home sale. Unfortunately, and rather ironically, they didn't have a handy kit like the Catholics but I did pick up a few candles and some sage sticks and incense.

Hmmm...I wonder if there's a Muslim supply store around here, then perhaps I'll look for the Hindi supply and ohh, why not beseach the Buddha too. Can someone point the way to Mecca please?

Friday, July 10, 2009

Life, the Universe and Everything In Between

Life has a funny way of exerting its own control. Just when you think you've got it figured out, you'll be thrown another curve ball. If you have your eye on the ball, you'll be able to see it coming. If not, it might just hit you flat in the face.

I've been on sabbatical from my blog for awhile with some regret. I miss writing but I think I needed some time to figure things out and let life happen without categorizing it in an interesting manner.

I was laid off from my very comfortable day job on May 1st and since then I've been doing some remodeling in my head. Not home remodeling, god forbid, life remodeling. I've been moving along in my life at a steady pace but not really reaching happiness or utter contentment. I've been complacently accepting what life has been offering without really finding out what feeds my soul and taking a chance on "going for it."

I think its time for a change. This past year has really made me open my eyes. I should have seen the curve balls coming but frankly, I was in denial, believing I had no control over them and just dealing with them as they came instead of carefully laying out game strategies which might lead to victory. But, I was practicing living in the "now" and setting little goals as life took its turns. Its not a bad way to live.

Since I lost my job I've been looking diligently for a new one but have had very few bites. It seems the economy (which I had placed in my denial category prior to this event) IS as bad as they say it is or people are buying into the hype and are hunkering down and waiting for the storm to pass.

But in thinking about my life and my daughter's life and happiness, I've determined that maybe this is my wake up call. Maybe its time for me to make some changes. Changes which before seemed too difficult or too unconventional even. I've been trying to fit my life into the Johnson County cookie cutter lifestyle where conformity is rewarded and individuality shunned. I've been trying to raise my daughter to be an individual and be proud of it but at the same time sending her to affluent schools which only reinforce that she is a little too much of an individual for "society" standards. We're square pegs. We are living in a mound of Swiss cheese with only round holes and carefully sculpted, perfectly matching round pegs.

Last year about this time we went to Austin for vacation. I had lived in Austin before. It had called me after I graduated college and I followed the call back then with little fear and great excitement. I announced my move to my friends and family, packed my tiny pink hatchback (hey, it was the late 80's) popped in my George Jones cassette and drove down with little more than a few clothes and essentials. I loved it. The buzz of adventure carried me a long way until I entered into the conventional and tried to settle down and get married with a man who was not at all good enough for me and I shunned my bohemian soul and tried to be a cookie cutter wife.

Then things happened which brought me back to Kansas City. But now having visited Austin again 3 times since last year, I have an itch to move back. Austin is a siren calling me with her hauntingly beautiful honky tonk twang. The interesting thing is, she's not only calling me but she's calling my daughter as well. Perhaps even more strongly than me for she begs me to move us to Austin. Donning her UT shirt and her Texas necklace, she cajoles me on a regular basis about moving. She doesn't need to. I feel it too. Austin is calling.

So, in the middle of this mid-life-job-loss crisis, I have cleaned out about half the contents of my house, giving away items to charity that I have no idea why I've kept for so long. I've spruced up my house, declared her seaworthy and set her sail on the house market. I'm picking up sticks and moving to Austin where there are square pegs galore and plenty of square holes to boot. Its a bold move. In fact my mother has declared it crazy. But I need to do it. I feel it in my soul. I need to make a new life for myself and my daughter. So...buckle up kids, its gonna be an interesting ride!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Diary of a Single Mom

Check out this new internet series, Diary of a Single Mom. The show chronicles the lives of three single mothers and their families trying to get ahead in a world that is trying to hold them under. Robert Townsend produces this series and it looks like an interesting website.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Re-living Jr. High

Its my biggest nightmare. I recall with vivid accuracy many aspects of my girlhood adolescence. I remember the name of the "Queen Bee" of our school who reigned supreme over all of the terrorized girls in our class. She wasn't the prettiest girl nor was she the richest. So how was she crowned queen? She was queen of the mean. She did it in subtle ways all the while escaping attention of the nuns and teachers at my small Catholic school. She was sweet on the outside and cold and calculating on the inside. Unlike the male bullying that my brother endured (mainly because he was quiet and unassuming and wore "hip" shoes that my mom bought him not realizing she was making him a target for "unhip" boys everywhere) which was overt and consisted of hitting or stealing his books, girls had a more subversive form of control.

It wasn't considered "bullying" back then for girls, it was considered a right of passage. That's just how girls are and you must be doing something wrong or you aren't being nice enough to fit in with the "popular girls." I coped by not caring and by finding friends who were, like me, a bit quirky, a bit different. I coped by being a clown and by smashing the lunch of a red headed girl in school. Yes, I guess I was affected and stood in line in the pecking order that had been covertly established in girl-world. I did my fair share. But when I smashed her lunch, it was in a playful way and it was funny (or so I thought.) Ironically this girl remains one of my best friends to this day. She just sat there with me, eating her smashed sandwich and came to expect it from me everyday.

While I wasn't directly targeted by the Queen Bee, I had friends who were and I was certainly affected by it. It wasn't just the Queen Bee, it was girl groups in general. The cliques. Like the saying on Project Runway, "One day you're in, and the next day you're out." There were times when we were invited into the realm of the Queen Bees only to be banished for no reason. There were times when rumors were spread, or when others endured the ostracizing, the public shunning which served only to remind us others to keep our heads down lest we experience the wrath of the Queen Bee and her court. I was so relieved to move on to high school where the problems were still there but it was a new Queen. And by the time high school rolled around, I was into art and theater and didn't really care what the others thought. In fact, I was a rebel and made it my mission to be different and NOT fit in. Thus snubbing my nose at the Queen Bees and their intricate world of betrayal. I found friends who were similar. I stopped smashing my red-headed friend's lunch. I found who I was, as an individual as part of a group of other individuals all of whom had their own quirks. Moving onto college, I had my share of friendship issues but always had a few close friends around me so it wasn't so much of a problem. I thought those days were far behind me.

And then I had a daughter.

And now this daughter is turning 12.

And now I'm re-living every moment as if the wounds were fresh.

Why? Because I'm experiencing all of the painful hardships that my daughter is now going through. She's had a rough couple of years but has always managed to keep her head up. Unfortunately, its not getting any better and the school that she loved has now turned into a dreaded place ruled by various Queen Bees and other minions who follow them. Unfortunately, the minions are just as heartless as the Queens, if not more so. So my heart bleeds for my daughter who is experiencing her first betrayal of "good friends" whom she had thought were loyal and true is finding herself "friendless." I can only be here to hold her up and encourage her to be true to herself and things will get better.

Thankfully, the treacheries of the girl-world is becoming more defined and the silent treatment, the exclusion and shunning, the mean looks, the rumor spreading, the ganging up on a girl, the two faced turning your back and the manipulating of relationships is now all seen as silent bullying. The bully is no longer the big muscled jock who pummels the 50 lb weakling.

Now...dealing with it effectively and keeping my daughter's spirits up in the meantime, that is the dilemma. I've found some resources that may be helpful. I hope so.


Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Handmade Holiday Open House

I had an open house this past weekend and although it was alot of work and planning, it really was a fun little venture that I may repeat next year. My friend Meg of Magpie Skinnies, my sis in law Judy of Glazedearth and her friend got together and threw a "party" of sorts. We had libations and food and plenty to oggle and buy. I ended up buying alot myself!
Here are a few nice shots of the affair.check us out on Etsy
http://moodygurl.etsy.com
http://magpieskinnies.etsy.com
http://glazedearth.etsy.com

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Christmas Cards

Sending Christmas cards the old fashioned way is something I rarely do anymore and its really kind of sad. I've noticed some really cute handmade cards on Etsy lately and I think maybe its time to resurrect the lost art of snail mail cards. Maybe I'll even include one of those long winded enclosures telling all about what my family has been up to during the past year. Nah? Oh wait, thats what my blog is for. Maybe I'll just send the card.

My friend Meg at her shop magpieskinnies has some really cute cards for sale! I love her cute little frogs.
So Happy Holidays everyone and start sending those cards!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Friday, November 21, 2008

Cheeky Cards with Attitude


Tired of the sappy old Hallmark cards? Having trouble expressing your true self this season? Why not send handmade cards that say what you REALLY feel? Etsy seller Greencard may have just what you need. greencard's shop

Stocking Stuffer


Here's a cute stocking stuffer idea from littlepinkplum's shop . There are tons of cute pocket mirrors to choose from on here.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Why Are You a Moody Girl?

People often ask me why I named my company "Moody Girl Aromatherapy." Well, I should say, everyone but my family and close friends. Yes, I'm a gemini so I can be a bit of a moody girl. I sort of think of it as a compliment though. If you aint moody, you aint living. To me, moody isn't just an ill tempered mood, its ALL moods.

The real reason behind the name is really a play on the term "Moody Girl" but moreover the fact that scents can really have a mood altering affect in your brain. In fact, the term "aromatherapy" means just that.

a⋅ro⋅ma⋅ther⋅a⋅py  /əˌroÊŠməˈθɛrÉ™pi/ Pronunciation [uh-roh-muh-ther-uh-pee] –noun
1. the use of fragrances to affect or alter a person's mood or behavior.


So you see, while I have been labled moody oh, once or twice in my life, it doesn't mean I'm an ill-tempered crabby girl given to violent mood swings. ;) It means simply that I make smell-good stuff to alter moods. (Mom, Dad, Sis, Bro: you are banned from commenting on this blog)

So.....here's to hoping you all have a moody day!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Wanna Talk About ME Wanna Talk About I

Ok, I can't help but post this link. The website Safe Mama contacted me with an interest in my bath products. Safe Mama is dedicated to highlighting safe products for babies and children and as an offshoot, they have decided to review products that are safe for mamas too. She purchased some and here's what she wrote:

http://safemama.com/lovely/

Also, unbeknownst to me (until I did a self indulgent google search on myself,)The Little Black Box did a review about my products too. I just love all the love.

http://blackboxreviews.blogspot.com/2008/10/moody-girl-aromatherapy.html

Ok, I'm done talking about ME. Thanks.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Glazed Earth

Glazed Earth, what a great name for a shop. And its my sister-in-law's shop to boot. She's just opened with some really cool pottery at some really enticing prices. Check her out.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Dia de los Muertos

I am fascinated and strangely drawn to the Dia de los Muertos images. I bought several things while in Mexico and even would like to visit Mexico one day during this very mystical time. Here are some cool images from Etsy shop www.carmelajay.etsy.com

Happy Halloween and Dia de los Muertos!

Little Black Box


I used to love grab bags as a kid. There's nothing like the allure of a mysterious gift all packaged up in a plain wrapper. I even love grab bags as an adult. I bought a grab bag at Natural Wear one day for maybe $5 expecting a little trinket. What I got instead was a gorgeous sterling silver and garnet pendant! I wasn't so lucky when I tried again but there you go. Its all about the mystery and its just plain fun to open a package not knowing what's inside (unless you work for the Dublin Bomb Squad.)

If you haven't heard of The Little Black Box then you're missing the Grand Daddy of all grab bags...er...boxes. Indie artists and crafters, bath and body care makers, jewelers and soapmakers for example send in samples to be put in the boxes. As a buyer, you pay for the box (which is currently $19 including shipping) and you get a nice little black bag full of mystery goodies. Its a pretty cool way to sample some Inidie sellers' wares and satisfy the little kid in you who gets to open a mystery gift! I'm thinking these items may make some great stocking stuffers too....IF I decide to share that is.

You can get one too! ---
http://thelittleblackboxes.com/order.html

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Friends in High Places

I have always thought myself fairly computer literate but when it comes to making doo-hickeys and doo-dads for web pages, I'm clueless. That's why I'm so thankful to my friend Meg who is able to whip things up for me in the amount of time it takes me to put on my makeup. I was in need of a banner for website ads and she was able to deliver a really fun animated one (that means its got movin' pitchers.) Thanks Meg! I owe you some Moody Scrub or some more Bath Taffy. (She's also my tester bunny when I bring out a new product.)



Thanks for everything Meg!
If you need anything done for your web page, I'm sure Meg can deliver for a small fee. You can check her out at: http://magpieskinnies.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Thy Knight In Shining Armor, Milady?

My daughter and two of her friends and I headed out the the Kansas City area Renaissance Festival last weekend. The weather was absolutely amazing so it really made for a perfect day. Two of the girls, including my daughter, dressed up in costume. We were determined to get into it. Its really much more fun if you just let your guard down and interact with the "townspeople." I think this is also a good way to go through life in general. How many times do we wander through life just reacting and not really experiencing the moment? Kids know how to do that. We were once kids, we should remember how its done.




And to remember to face our fears head on....

And as my friend Leonardo was saying...a smile can tell alot about a "lady." So why not carry one.As for me....
I was just having trouble deciding which Knight in shining armor suited me best.
The chivalrous one riding in on his trusty steed....
Or the mysterious, moody one I kept seeing lurking everywhere?

Probably neither. Oh well....cleaning all the dirt and polishing that armour doesn't look like much fun anyway.

Next year the girls want to come back as fairies.
What a welcome little step outside of reality it all was.

Blogs and Giveaways

I have to say, its really nice when someone out of the blue likes my products so much they want to write about them. Here's the third blog on my Moody Girl Aromatherapy products. It has a giveaway in it too so be sure to comment on their blog if you want in on the action.

http://wishingwillow.blogspot.com/2008/10/rubbing-out-blues.html

I promise to post something soon that isn't just talking about my products. Oy vay, that must get old. "I wanna talk about me, wanna talk about I wanna talk about number one oh my me mine, what I think, what I like, what I know, what I see....I like talkin' bout you you you you usually....but occasionally, I wanna talk about me! Wanna talk about meeeeeeeeeeeeee." That's a song. I swear I didn't make that up.

Love,
Me
PS...here are the other blogs about...you guessed it....me!
http://magpieskinnies.blogspot.com/2008/09/new-from-moody-girl-aromatherapy.html

http://weblog.xanga.com/msdavionk/676776122/stress-with-crackers.html

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Some Days You Just Need a Warm Fuzzy

  • Daughter's Health Issues
  • Father's Heart Surgeries
  • Car accidents
  • Make that TWO car accidents less than 30 days
  • $185 grocery store trip
  • New Spreadsheets to learn at work

These are the things that life sometimes hands you. Sometimes its all at once and sometimes its just doled out in a steady stream. Either way as my mother so eloquently stated yesterday, "sh*t happens." I know that one should always look for the positives in things, and I do but sometimes when sh*t happens its the random warm fuzzies that just make us say, phew, I can deal. The positive things are...everything is OK with my daughter's health now that we found the right doc, my dad came out of surgery just fine, the first car accident-we walked away with a totaled car but not even a scratch on us, the second car accident was a minor bump that reminded me to pay attention and stay in the "now" moment, I paid for the groceries just fine and we have healthy food to eat, the spreadsheets....ugh, I can handle them but they aren't gonna be fun.

This week I've had two random people I don't even know contact me about featuring my products in their blogs and to them I am grateful. These are the warm fuzzies that keep us going. Thanks guys!

Here's one of the blog posts. The other has yet to be written but its coming.

http://weblog.xanga.com/msdavionk/676776122/stress-with-crackers.html

And to return the warm fuzzy, check out her Etsy shop. http://AtSeaLevel.etsy.com