The Apple of My Eye

It's Monday morning and it's back to work for the both of us. Nothin' like a slap in the face with reality after a nice weekend in the mountains! I really can't express how important it is for folks to take spur of the moment getaways. Although the beach is where we migrate to the most, there is something about the simplicity of mountain living that we enjoy as well. The rain cleared out on Friday night and the clouds gave way to bright sunny skies! We headed back towards the Apple Orchard Trail to tour and visit with the locals. The care-taking of these massive fields has to be WORK in a form that is foreign to me! Just to see the men with bags strapped about their bodies dumping fresh apples picked from the trees gave me such a sense of being "home grown." EVERYONE is so kind and gentle there. I took so many pictures until it would be hard to post them all. I will share a few so you can see what all the fuss is about.

This was made for little people but he got the point. What a trooper!

Apple Pickin' Bags

A huge field of sunflowers!

The pumpkins put us in the mood for fall.

Crates of apples everywhere!

So Nice!

Stopping by for a few seconds to touch base with all who are out there. The drive to NC yesterday would have been best suited for an ark! It poured the entire way up and the whole rest of the evening. We are in a quaint little hotel and the hospitality is out of this world. I am BIG on service in places like this and they have far exceeded my expectations (except for one guy at the front desk who sort of creaps me out for some strange reason). The sun has been shining all day and we did a little shopping in downtown Hendersonville and headed to apple country where there was miles of orchards and roadside stands. We had lunch at a small little locally owned diner and the owner was actually from Charleston! Small world. This is such a nice place and I could really get used to spending the fall and winter here. Much more to post later and many pics to download. I miss the girls and it would be much better if they were here with us! Tonight is dinner a Poplar Lodge that overlooks the mountainside. This has REALLY been nice.
http://www.hendersonvillerestaurant.com/poplarlodge.html

I KNOW this is gross....but I have to share it!

Everyone knows that I am a comedian from time to time and Ed is WAY more funny than I am. So, you can only imagine what comic relief we provide when we are together. What a freak of a relationship we have. No one else would share this story.

Anyway, moving forward. Last Easter, I was given the most wonderful gift from my gracious other half. Typically in the past, we have not exchanged "gifts" but I always buy a card and some PEEPS because those are his favorite. I knew it was gonna be something special because he "beef'd" me up for it days in advance. I HATE suspense. I opened the box and there they were.....Prada sunglasses! I had LONGED for those babies for months and months and was too frugal to buy them myself. (I prefer not to use the word "cheap"....sounds so trashy.) Yep, me, the Diva, had been wearing some off brand glasses and I heard about getting cataracts from him for a year or more. I am convinced that stemmed from his worries of having to take care of me if and when I get old and couldn't see. He has bought tons of jewelry for me but for some strange reason, this gift struck me as being very sensitive - maybe I was just greedy and wanted them so badly. I really promise you that I am more of a giver than a taker in our relationship.

After wearing them for a few months, I noticed that I had a mole in the back of my head and the arm of the glasses kept irritating it. I FINALLY broke down and went to the dermatologist to have it removed. I was FREAKING out! Over the top anxiety and when I drove up, it was a surprise to me that my sweet mother was there to support me. For the record, thank the Lord for my mother - I would die without her. I felt my heart racing, shortness of breath...the whole nine yards. I felt like a nut case. The procedure went so fast and simple that I was embarrassed about it when it was all said and done. Not to mention that I felt like a stroke victim driving home because my lips started going numb!

I said to myself, "Self, how can I birth 2 children, be at home vacuuming my house the next day, clean baby poop and vomit from myself and the floor for 16 years but not have a freaking mole removed??" I have a large background in trauma and critical care and it has never bothered me to be in the operating room or emergency department when a trauma arrives so this has got to be defined as a control issue!!

I have GOT to do some research on this!

Eye Candy

Okay, I stumbled upon these cute items as I perused the web doing my pre-Christmas shopping. These votive candles carry you somewhere in between daily casual to catwalk extravagant. THESE can fulfill your fashion craving yet so simply thought of. They're available in two scents. Gardenia and Persian Fig. They are 100% soy wax and hand poured in LA. What a great gift for teachers, dinner parties or simple love notes. I could not pass these up!

Cozy Chic & The Mr.

My other half is not much of a metrosexual guy but there are certain things in life that he enjoys. Nice bedroom slippers. A robe in the winter. Expensive wine. Massages. These are a few things to name. Very few luxuries do we splurge on as a couple. I have considered buying us Barefoot Dreams Cozy Chic robes. They don't come cheap and they may set me back a nice $250 a set but some things in life just are worth the money spent! They are not made from ordinary material but a poly-microfiber knit that gets softer and cozier with each washing. Thinking....thinking.......wonder if I am beginning to travel the high maintenance road? Check 'em out!

I Can Smell It!

I can smell fall in the air and I love this time of year when the chill in the mornings does your hair good because the humidity isn't lurking. The last weekend of summer is here and our past habits have shown that when it's fall, we take a trip to somewhere "beachy" and when it's summer, we travel to somewhere "cool." Personally, I think it's just an excuse for us to get away but who's keep track?? Anyway, we (I) planned a "spur of the moment" getaway a few weeks ago - by the way, "spur of the moment" IS planning a few weeks out because we have to make sure the girls are taken care of- and we are headed to Hendersonville, NC. My parents are frequent flyers to this place and it gives me a sense of homeyness. We are huge farmers market goers and love the freshness of flowers and produce. For the last several years, we have purchased our Halloween pumpkins there as well. Poplar Lodge is our chosen place for a nice dinner with a wine bar nestled in the mountains in an old rustic lodge with a view to die for! We are big into supporting the locals when we travel and not so much into eating at the chain restaurants. I can't wait to post my pics when we return!

Magic Good Mood

Although Ed and I enjoy cooking together, we rarely go out for dessert. He's a Chef and a hard one to please, at that and never seems to pass something up (especially when I am paying). We took it upon ourselves to skip into Cold Stone Creamery to enjoy ice cream for lunch. The waffle bowl in itself will send you to hyperglycemic heaven. By the way, HE paid!

Mental Floss

As the mother of a teenage daughter, I certainly feel as if that should qualify one to be declared legally insane. Her birthday is up and coming and for sure - The Princess Has Arrived! It's the Sweet Sixteen that all of the girls, nowadays, look forward to. I NEVER had a Sweet Sixteen party - never wanted one; never cared. I totally blame those crazy shows on MTV or whatever channel that is for embedding glorious fantasies into my baby girl's head. After months of wrestling with this "alligator", I was finally able to talk her into doing something semi-simple with her best friend. Sooo....I have arranged a day at the spa for the both of them. I approached the subject, tip-toeing towards it at the dinner table (after a glass of wine- or two- I wasn't keep count at this point) and by the blessing of the Diva, we all agreed! Pew! I wiped the sweat from my brow and finished my bottle of wine and chalked one up for "momma!"

I love her so much and see such a mirror image of myself at that age, although I would never admit that to her. Her longing to grow up takes my breath away because I, from experience, knows what life has in store for her. It ain't pretty, sister. "Enjoy the free ride while you can," I repeat daily.

After 2011, the year she will graduate, my plans are to toss her into dentistry and eliminate my Mental Health Benefit. I may even consider quitting drinking!

I am SO over it!

Okay...I am SO over the Victoria Beckham haircut that I longed to have three months ago! This past weekend, I had my limit of unfulfilling makeup applications every morning of my life so I tried to test my fate and head to the Clinique counter at Belk. $120 later, (which wasn't so bad in MY opinion) I had a total transformation of colours! My personality is that of a true blonde although my natural color is the far extreme (don't see too many blonde greek women), I enjoy FLASHY, VIBRANT, and it speaks volumes about my life. I truly believe that Debby, my hair stylist, dreads seeing me walk through that door but some seem to think differently in regards to that. They continue to spew things at me such as, "I hope she drives a nice car- YOU have to be paying a large payment." I know, I know......back on track- After scrolling through tons of photos, I have come to the conclusion that Paula Abdul has great hair. It's thick and healthy - a lot like mine - and she can wear just about anything! A long style is not an option for me anymore mainly due to the fact that I cut 8 inches off months ago, and long is OUT! In the process of growing out the wedge in the back, this picture piques my interest. Questions, comments, complaints will be accepted.