Keep on truckin'

"It is never too late to become what you might have been"

-George Eliot

I have always liked this quote but it always just served as a vague reminder to me that I still had time to figure it all out.   Now more than ever it has taken on new meaning for me. As someone who has gone back to graduate school slightly older, with a small child and that ever present goddamned mortgage knocking on my door every month, I am often disheartened by the twenty-somethings that I am surrounded by.  I need more than ever to remember this.  Read it every day, shout it from the rooftops, WRITE IT ON MY WALLS.  Keep pressing on, move forward, you don't want to get dragged down by the "shoulda, coulda, woulda's".  It serves no purpose.   And with that, I think I really might write it on my wall- a Sharpie would work but how about this instead?  And while I am ordering that, I might order this:

P.S.  I want to mention, when I searched this online to confirm that quote was George Eliot, there is some debate whether she really wrote it or not.  I hate giving out incorrect information and must add this disclaimer.

No, You Are Not Twiggy

But I bet you could pull off that hairstyle. In fact, I think you are right, you already wore that style - in 7th grade. But that was very much part of Twiggy's appeal, wasn't it? That she looked like a child, a young boy, to be exact, much of the time. And weren't you mistaken for a boy several times in your youth? You were high style and didn't even know it!

Anyway, I say go for it, if you really want to. You only live once. Hair grows back. But you have to promise to wear your eyelashes like Twiggy, too, if you do the hair.

So, all this talk of Twiggy had me searching for other 60's hairstyles. Which, of course, lead me straight to Marianne Faithful. She was one cool chick. I just had to share this picture of her and Mick Jagger. Isn't it sweet?

I don't know who looks prettier, Mick or Marianne. Well, yeah, I do.

Love, 40

Great Gifts for Shutterbugs

Have you heard of Photojojo?

They have some really cool stuff for photographers and photography buffs.

I need this:It's not a new lens...

It's a stainless steel coffee mug! So cool. It even has a lid in the shape of a lens cover. They have Nikon and Canon cups. And the zoom feature on the Nikon cup really zooms. Fun.

Enjoy!

Love, 40

I am not Twiggy

I am supposed to be writing a paper- three papers by December 9th, to be exact. Which is why I am currently cruising the Web for anything to distract me. This is also why I am currently seriously considering a new hairstyle. One like this:
Please, 40- STOP ME!!! Doesn't it look suspiciously like the haircut I had in 7th grade? It sure looks good on Twiggy, though. The more I look at it the more I like it. What do you think, 40? How very sorry would I be? (And how very ugly would I look??) Wow- I love it though!

A Note to 35 About Christmas Wreaths

I am not ignoring your challenge, my dear sister. In fact, I went to Michael's this weekend intending to buy the materials for our cheap wreath. But, I just can't do it. My heart belongs to the wreath of felted wool balls, not its cheap imitation cousin. I am now trying to determine just how guilty I will feel if I use some of my X-Mas fund money to buy the more expensive balls.

Serendipity and Vintage Fisher Price

On Friday, I took my two boys to an estate sale. I was worried about how the outing would go -my 12-year old was not too keen on the idea when I first suggested it, and, well, with the 3-year old, you just never know.

It turned out that both boys had a blast. For a treasure hunter and collector like my 12-year old, the estate sale turned out to be a wonderland. The woman who owned the house was a collector, too. There were bags and bags of beautiful shells and sea glass she had collected throughout her years of travel. Old urns, pieces of fences, and architectural pieces greeted us at every turn. My son went home with a PS2 game system, 14 games, and a ziploc bag full of "rare" blue sea glass.

My 3-year old amused himself by playing with the house dog and old toys, talking to everybody who crossed his path, and running through every room of the rambling house.

As for me, when I saw a tub full of vintage Fisher Price toys, I knew I had to buy them. I had recently read on Sarah's blog that she buys vintage Fisher Price toys for her children. I loved the idea of buying some vintage FP, and searched for some on ebay. I really wanted the amusement park series, but all of the toys offered on ebay were either too expensive or in poor condition. Now, right in front of me, in a plastic tub on a dirty basement floor, were the toys I had been lusting after on ebay, in perfect condition and for less money. Serendipity.

I bought a merry-go-round:


A circus train:


Seven little people:

And a ferris wheel.

The cost for everything was $25. Watching my boys play with their treasures for hours after we returned home - priceless.

It was a great day.

Love, 40

Souvenir Foto School Photo #1

Sneaky Baby, originally uploaded by susan736.

I am participating in Tristan's Souvenir Foto School this session. This time, the theme is food. The students will be posting their pictures to the Flickr group FOOD+FOTO by midnight Sunday of each week. This picture is my first submission. Head over to Tristan's blog, or Flickr see all of the great pictures that have been entered.

Love, 40