New Years Eve Dilema

December 31. 2009 .....

Happy New Years Eve! With the festivities kicking off in just a few short hours I am just now realizing that I never really found the proper party attire. I found the good but not the great. My planning was shameful. Regardless, I am excited about the little number I will be sporting. We'll call it "plan B" although there never was an "A". Plan B doesn't know this though and it is really charming so let's not hurt it's feelings. A lover of accessories, I feel sure that this will still be a knockout.

Now, if I could only find the right tights! (my parents bear sized yellow Labrador Retriever has made sure my current pair of black tights made their way back into my luggage with lucious lockes of his blonde hair evenly and completely dispursed about them). In addition, the weather has slowed our travels (all 9 hours of them) and we are left in a bit of a New Years rush! So here's my plan:
1. Call Target and state that I am the personal assistant for Demi Lavato (I have to pick someone from the Disney Channel because I'm small and no one would believe I need a size xsmall tights and small leopard print fur coat --I need that too-- for Taylor Swift or Britney Spears. I'm over Mylie (or so I say) and never was a fan of Ashley Tisdale, so Lavato it is...she just seems like someone I could share a wardrobe with...a VERY large wardrobe.)
2. Request said tights- black and sparkly, please and thank you.
3. Request said coat.
4. State that I will be by shortly with my driver to pick them up at the checkout for Miss Lavato. Since my husband drives an H2 I doubt it will be difficult for anyone to believe that the Disney Princess herself is in fact inside the tinted, all black, tank.
5. Pick up fantastic garments in record time and continue the snowy journey to our destination where I will brilliantly whip up a most impressive ensemble of lace, sparkles, shimmer and shine. Toss on some cheeky black pumps, tip my hat to 2009 and elegantly take my much awaited seat at the stage production of Dreamgirls, to which I have tickets this evening.

It's looking more and more like I may be thanking the dim evening lights for not highlighting my dog haired tights too noticably.

But then again, I could totally pass as a Disney Channel tweenie bopper or at least an assistant.

Its The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year....

Christmas is never normal in the Brown Family. Never. We do have the entertaining part down though. For example, my English Grandad has always enjoyed a traditional Plum Pudding after dining. Plum Pudding is best served after pouring a bit of brandy on top and then igniting it with a match. Fire hazard. Pure fire hazard. This same man performed a "science experiment" with fire one summer, that resulted in an explosion in the kitchen sink and all of my brothers and cousins horrified, face down on the linoleum floor....my grandmother has never moved so fast, while I continued watching Nick in the Afternoon.

Lately, the grandparents have been treating us all to a fine dining experience after the gift opening and this year we continued the tradition with fine manners to boot. The Putney Inn may not wish us back. My mother and her sister, Sue, found it necessary to shove various foods up their noses, spoons dangling from their cheek bones (yes, cheek bones) and the tips of their noses. Not embarrassing at all. This was immediately followed by my mother "forcing" game time upon all 14 of us. "Button-button, who's got the button!?" She announces. "Mom, it's not 1950, what the heck are you talking about?" We move on to making napkin hats. Blake moves on to making napkin art of all kinds, swans, flowers, neck ties....he puts the rest of us to shame.

In the midst of the napkin creations, the betting ensues. My beautiful little, 14 year old cousin, Taylor, orders a monstrous prime rib accompanied by buttery mashed potatoes and greens. "I bet you $5 you can't eat that whole thing," I taunt. "Done." She retorts. And "done" she did. Now it's her turn to bet and she challenges me to walk around the entire Inn with a napkin tied to my head like a bonnet. I do. We pass the $5 bet onto my brothers, who must now also walk around the entire Inn (there are now about 100 other very nicely dressed, holiday going families, plus the staff) with napkins on their heads. Napkins that have been transformed into crowns and bishop hats, and then a napkin necktie is added to the ensemble. They're up not 30 seconds marching through the posts and beams of the old dining room when a boy about 4 years old jumps up from his table and laughing, takes their photo. Now everyone is watching and herds of people are starting to pour in.

From there we move on and the brothers bet another cousin to drink a water glass filled with crap from the table. We joke about betting my aunt to shove an entire chocolate cake in her mouth at once and get a bit riotous as we all chime in adding extra dollars here and there if she gags, which she promises she will if this feat is even attempted. Will another cousin dare go pull up a chair randomly at a random table, not say a word and just begin eating off his new friend's plates? Or will Blake serenade a random group with Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas Is You?"

Before another bet is taken my 88 year old Grandad is busy making another napkin hat and we decide to call it a day. At least my mother didn't put anything else up her nose and no fire extinguishers were needed. I can't wait til next year.

Merry Christmas to you and yours. May you find joy and entertainment with your friends and family this Christmas Day.

Don't Stop Believing...

Pour some sugar on me, baby, it's 80's night.

All 80's parties should be held in a high school gym, and we certainly started off on the right foot. Pink, blue and green balloons covered the flooring. Streamers in the same hues really spiced up the walls. We dined on Pop Rocks, Coke, Chips and Pizza all evening and busted moves all night long. From Preppy to Punk we have the fashions covered. Sporting a Run DMC tee, I was caught in absolute amazement and pure excitement when Jam - Master - Jay himself made a cameo appearance.

Happy Sweet 16, Brooke. Although you never were fortunate enough to totally experience the 1980's, you are a part of the awesome teens of 2009/2010 that want to believe the 80's are back. I mean, who wouldn't want to bring back fanny packs and snap bracelets, or fanny pack bracelets? Stirrup pants and Swatch watches? Jelly's anyone? Parachute pants and Chucks's were a staple and thanks to everyone who is "trying to express themselves" through fashion, we can now wear all of these pieces we love so much to hate, once more. Party on with your Sixteen Candles.

Beuller? Beuller....Anyone?........Bueller? Ghostbusters, Flashdance, Breakfast Club, Back to the Future, E.T.....not only did all of these incredible flicks change our lives but let's just talk about these three little magical letters...M.T.V. It began in 1981 and commenced with an oh so fitting blastoff: Video Killed The Radio Star. Oh how I miss the days of actual music on the "Music Television" channel! What's this Super-Sweet-Sixteen-Pretty-Pretty-Buy-Me-This-Daddy-Buy-Me-That-Princess show? I want Madonna! I want Whitesnake! Play me some Wham already!

Let me subtitle: Pict 1.) Air Guitar like a pro  Pict 2.) Total Toolbag. Has anyone seen the keys to               my saab? Maybe I left them at the Greenwich Country Club? Bummer.

Nobody keeps Baby in the Corner! -Dirty Dancing

I'm totally wearing this headband again....and the t-shirt.

80's night: So done. TTYL all you Punky Brewster babies and remember "I'm never gonna give you up" .....

December 17, 2009

My work day has come to a close and I have successfully answered more emails than I care to count. My eyeballs are feel like a dragon has been breathing on them for the past 4 hours or maybe as if I've been staring at the core of the sun for the same amount of time. Regardless, I took on the emails today and I conquered. These emails were customer service related, (since Blake and I own and operate our own business, I have taken on the task of email writer-backer-extraordinare!) and in the process I realized I have a very strong love/hate relationship with this particular email account.

The fact of the matter is that I love our customers and I want so much to spend time answering their questions and fulfilling their needs, just as a mother raises her children. But, just as a mother raises her children, sometimes I want to spank them and tell them to think before they speak. Harsh? Raise you're hand if you've ever worked in customer service. Let me here a "Hallelujah!" If you are reading this and you are one of my customers, I probably love you very much and certainly appreciate you but if I get one more email asking if something is in stock, when clearly it says on the website that it is not, I will be forced to put you in time out, so help me, God.

On another note, these kodak moments were captured last weekend and have officially made their public debut:

Blake and I obviously at at Ugly Christmas Sweater party. Do you really think he'd put on a sweatshirt adorned with Caroling Kittens for any other reason?

It's really too bad you can't see Kayce's horrendous gold leggings in this photo.

I. Have. No. More. Words.

Day 1

A little more than a year ago, I picked up my life, (which was already packed up in boxes from a dozen moves because of my job) in rural Connecticut and followed my heart to Ohio. I had always heard that Virginia was for Lovers, but apparently Ohio is too, or at least in my case. The home land to Abercrombie & Fitch, The Limited, OSU and the Blue Jackets, also housed a gorgeous man with a big dream, and that man was mine.

117 days ago we were married back in my hometown of Brattleboro, Vermont, in a beautiful old Greek Theater (funny, we're both German, I with a touch of everything else, and completely infatuated with Greece, Greek history, Greek architecture, Greek food...). Anyway, it was ......Beautiful. Just beautiful. And the fun! We danced all night and my brothers and cousins shot off fireworks over the river! Even when my bridesmaids showed up in different colored dresses (who knew!?) it just added to the entertainment of the evening. I could go on, but all that to say, I just got married and that's a tad bit about me.

I also love to ski and skate and draw with charcoal because it's messy and I believe all my best pieces rise up out of chaos. You don't need to know these details now though, we'll become friends along the way now that I've jumped on the blogging wagon.

So why start a blog? Two reasons. 1. I have things to share that I know will bless others and it would be selfish to keep them to myself. 2. I have always wanted to write. Recently I heard a fantastic man named John Maxwell say that someone once asked him how he started writing. His answer, "I just did." The individual then said, "I have always wanted to write as well, and I will someday." To this Maxwell replied, "Have you started writting?" "No," responded the man. "Well then you probably never will," Maxwell answered. He didn't say it to be mean, he has a point and that did it for me. You just have to start. This blog could really suck but I'm doing it, and that says something. So, read along, or don't, but if you don't, I do suggest you dive into some of the books below because they are truly magical, astounding works of art and intelligence.

By the way, look up at the skies on clear night when you're out in the country side, dangling your feet over the dock at a lake, or discovering what it's like to be above the city on a roof top higher than all of those around you, and you will discover the most incredible chandelier skies.