Bosscat Lashes…Click for Link!
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED….
Flower Power
stylist
#OVER50
I wanted to share some photos from my fabulous 5oth birthday bash! I did decide to keep guests photos from being posted however, next time I would like to create a photo booth and that way people can have fun and I would feel more comfortable sharing their pictures! What if I do post pictures, but leave some people out? I don’t want to deal with all of that so decided to keep it clear of my party-goers. I did learn that I should have gone ahead with the photo backdrop idea…it would have been helpful. I already have all the lighting so i really wish I had done that!
I can say this much…everyone did enjoy themselves and I learned a lot! My biggest takeaway was that for a large group, it is worth it to pay someone to help out with serving. I had tried to find a bartender, but food service was where I found it would have been super helpful!
It was such a great time, but I feel I missed out on a lot of opportunity to visit with people because of running around trying to get food to people, or find a fork, beer, wine or coke for their Jack Daniels or whatever they needed. I waited way too late to prepare the food because I wanted it to be fresh – BIG MISTAKE!
I feel like I tried my best to set up everything ahead of time, with fireplace vibes on the televisions…we had a room set up with singing…so imagine my horror when some of the men found the television remotes and we ended up with football on? I got over it. My husband keep changing up my strategic lighting – even after I told him before hand, that he was not allowed to touch light switches, tv remotes, ceiling fans, opening windows, everything was off limits to him. He did it anyway. I was going for a dark, candlelit event…yet he managed to switch on every light in the house, move my ice bucket set up to (of all things) a camping Igloo thing…(I wanted to implode) AND he was 30 minutes late because he needed to do his stretches after his shower (some people are a wee bit ritualistic, other wise known as OCD no matter what is going on.) Either way, I survived it all and had fun!
We had taken special care to have the music set up on our revamped patio…however due to the extremely colder than normal weather…only a few people ended up outside throughout the night and we moved the music indoors.
I was so appreciative for everyone who showed up! (Even those damn husbands and their damn football.) Here’s the tea;
After a close friend expressed her anger at me, for not being present over the past two years, I’d realized that nobody realized why I have mostly kept to myself. I decided to have a party for my friends. An event for them to meet up and have a nice time during the holidays. I also happened to be turning 50. It’s in the rule book of life that we all most have a party for turning 50.
I had decided to tell everyone the extent of my neck pain, and that was why I had been missing in action for so many months. I had worked so hard at hiding my neck injury and trying to laugh it off when people would make fun of my stiff demeanor, so most really didn’t get how much pain I was in. The pain caused sleep problems. Sleep problems cause other health problems. The next thing you know, you are not going anywhere that requires additional energy! I had a work friend that knew, but pretty much I think people just thought I was lazy and didn’t care about them! I felt so much relief when I told people why I wasn’t very present in their lives. My focus was getting though each day on a few hours sleep, not letting it affect my job and trying to get better. There was nothing left of me to go sip wine and hang out with friends. At my worst, I had an amazing Assistant Manager at work and my husband was very understanding. Without these two, my little world would have fallen apart. I mention all of this to point out that this party was a big deal for a lot of reasons. People are everything. People are life and are what matters most. I had shut people out to save them the grief of hearing about my woes but really I appeared shallow and self centered by not expressing the extent of my struggle.
Another thing that I didn’t plan on…was receiving wonderful gifts! Had I realized that there would be gifts…I surely would have scrounged up more people to invite!
Did I mention that cake is everything to me? I found a great baker in my local area @afrostedmemorymaker in The Woodlands. I am not a very social person, so it was hard for me to commit to throwing a party, but once i ordered and paid for the cake – it was on!
Next came proper digital invitations so that people knew that I was serious about my party plans and I made sure that the invitation set the tone.
The thing about planning a home event is that it can be used as a huge motivator to work on things around the house! It was a plan of mine to have the patio completed before the year’s end, so having a party pushed me to get the curtain rods put up, finally choose an outdoor curtain and hang my bistro lights. (Blog post coming, but here’s a sneek peek on my Instagram…)
I also revamped the media room as well and now there’s just some furniture to recover here or there. I am still waiting on a really cool custom dog kennel end table to come in as well for the master bedroom… But I digress.
I am finally 50 and I am very happy with where my life is. What I notice in people, is that as long as they are content with their current situation, age does not bother them. It’s relative. If you’re 29 but have not yet finished college, most would be upset to be 29 although it’s still relatively young.
There is something liberating about realizing your life is more than half over and what difference does a lot of the past make? What matters is what you are going to do with what time and opportunity that you have left, how can you positively impact others while finding peace and inner joy in each day. Life is not about things and overboard consumerism. It’s about using your time wisely and love. Well, and loving wisely. If you talk to any woman over 50, that is probably at the forefront of what they have learned. If you really want astounding womanly advise, talk to a very old woman!
My next home party will probably be a casual girl party with a summer pool theme. I’m not a huge fan of walking around half naked in front of other people’s husbands so they probably won’t be invited! I guess I am old school but it just seems disrespectful so I try to hide my fabulousness (Google doesn’t seem to think this is a word, but it most definitely is) these days. Or I’m crazy. there’s always that. My new thinking is that if my husband sees less naked women these days, he will think the one he has is just fine. It seems to be working because he really, really likes me.
It’s a small thing for most, but throwing a party by someone who is a shy loner at heart, was a big step!
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…
#extra
Johnny Was Kimono, Johnny Was Scarf, Gucci belt, tiffany & Co charm bracelet, Calleen Cordero cuff, Old Stud Cuff
My brother refers to me as Cyndi Lauper. When I am rushing, I have a tendency to throw on a lot of bold pieces instead of t-shirts and sweat pants. Fortunately, my husband is South American so he thinks bold colors and styles are fun. We wouldn’t be married if I dressed like a school teacher from 1985. So there’s that.
I get dressed every single day with care when I go to work, so it’s hard to make myself be proper and acceptable on my days off. I throw on whatever and go. The thing is, my closet is wonderful since I work in retail management. When I try to get dressed like a regular person, it’s a time consuming challenge, so it doesn’t happen often.
This day, was a shopping and movie day so comfort was the thing. When I say shopping, I don’t mean shopping. We do not shop for fun, mindless purchases. It may be coffee, a cell phone repair and a health supplement errand. I don’t want to make it seem like this man takes me to Louis Vuitton or anything. I am lucky if he will step inside a Ross or TJ Maxx. There was that one time in a Prada store in Paris, but that was once in a 10 year span of time.
At this point in my life, having a lot of stuff is not my goal. Time, cash and cutting down on my acquisition of meaningless things is my focus. Learning, staying focused on reality and being a loving person are important. It is just as easy to throw on something fun though, than something that resembles vomit.
#teethwhitening
Hi Everyone! Today I want to share with you something that I recently tried…and that is Smile Brilliant Teeth Whitening!
First, let me give you a brief history. You see, I am a freak about teeth! I was not born with fabulous teeth and I always found it super depressing when I would see people with gorgeous, white, healthy-looking teeth! If you have a tan, your teeth automatically look whiter. I am pale which in my mind meant that my teeth needed to be more white than the average person.
Not only were my teeth naturally an off-white color, and they were not the healthiest and I never had great enamel. That said, I can honestly say that I have spent more than $25,000 on teeth issues over the years! Depressing! getting your teeth healthy is one thing, but it also helps if they are white.
These days, I drink a lot of coffee. I used to drink it with a straw to keep from getting my teeth stained. Here in the past few years I sort of gave up the fight and didn’t pay too much attention and had not attempted to bleach in years! It would always seem that the sensitivity was an issue since my enamel was so thin.
When I got an offer to try out Smile Brilliant, I jumped at the opportunity but assumed I would have an issue with sensitive teeth.
They send you a box that has the items needed to make your own impressions. That was fun and easy, and within a couple of weeks of sending them off, I received another package with my custom-fitted trays! The trays fit my teeth perfectly. When you put the whitening gel in the tray, I assumed sensitivity would occur. It did not! I guess the gel stays pretty much on your teeth and shouldn’t touch the gums very much. However it works, I had no problem and have not even used the sensitivity products yet because I have not needed it!
After the first whitening session, I could see a huge difference! The other thing I am excited about is that since I believe in animal-free products with no animal testing…this company has the same philosophy! As you may know, I started Bosscat Beauty Animal Free lashes for the same reason. Beauty doesn’t have to hurt.
Check out the website of Smile Brilliant because the value is amazing, the product works fast, and you can go there to learn about the science behind the product!
#SUMMERVIBES
Prada bag, Johnny Was embroidered jeans, Gianni Bini shoes
I had a very interesting week! I went to a fun event that some bloggers were speaking at, and I got to see some people who are so motivated to succeed, happy, and relentless in their pursuit of growing their businesses!
I had some takeaways from the experience. I realized that I do not have a specific audience in mind for my blog. I blog for me. It is something I do that keeps me on a path of intentional living. However, shouldn’t I have an audience as well? Who would she be if I were to describe her? I worked for a company one time, which decided to pinpoint their typical customer. For that company…their customer ended up being someone similar to Eva Longoria, but she had 1.5 kids and an SUV. If I had to do a mental sketch of my audience, who would that be?
1. She’d be my friend.
This is complicated because my friends age in range from 20 to 65. They do not look like me, or do anything that I do. What we have in common is perspective and relative
sanity.
2. She’d love animals.
People who do not love animals are typically self centered and they suck as people in general. So my followers must love animals.
3. She would have a measure of depth.
I find myself shying away from my totally ignorant friends because they have no meaningful perspective on, well…anything. It sounds mean but some people are just
not functioning at more than average capacity for comprehension and because of that they think I’m crazy and I think they are a waste of my time. If someone says things like,
“Oh, I do not discuss politics,” or “There are many different pathways to God”… then I have learned to shut up and run. Both of these statements are usually code for…”I am an idiot who doesn’t want to exert energy with intellectual thought process.”
4. She would enjoy fashion yet isn’t mesmerized by it.
While she enjoys the occasional handbag or accessory, she doesn’t charge her credit cards up to the max to get the newest acquisitions.
My girlfriend have common sense about these things. Balance and good decisions are everything. Nobody wants to end up homeless with Chanel bags in the trunk of their car. This reminds me of a day a few years back. I was parking and stepping into the bank, and the girl in front of me had on $200 jeans, but the hood of her car was tied down with a
rope that went around the front bumper. Priorities?
5. She does or does not have kids.
It doesn’t matter, because she is still her own person with or without. She maximizes her personal time and has dreams.
6. She loves makeup and anything beauty products even if she’s too scared to use them!
Again, everyone is not the same.
7. She is busy.
We can literally not speak for 6 months, but then when we do, it’s like only a day had passed since we last saw each other. She is busy and knows that I am as well and that’s
ok because she is well adjusted and doesn’t take it personal.
8. She could stand to lose an average of 10 pounds.
She is not perfect but it’s ok…we stand together in our imperfection.
9. She cooks.
And actually, if she doesn’t ever cook, I let her know that she’s an idiot.
So as you can see, I do not come out with a shiny Eva Longoria audience as my previous employer did. My person is the everyday, higher than common, driven, sensible, fun person. She is a mixed bag but a degree of substance is the theme. A lot of my friends are guys, actually. We discuss politics, religion, #Qanon, the Deep State, finances, their women, guns, health, food and the future. They do follow politics because, well… our futures depend on what is going on. All of those fun things that most women do not care to discuss. Those are the things I love.
As far as this blog goes, I am not here to appeal to the universe. I think I am here to prove to myself that i will stick with something that encircles everything that I am and if people like it then that’s great. I get bored easily so in the past I have a tendency to move on to the next project. This blog is something that I continue despite myself. I am not only posting outfits that I get a commission on your click and I am not copying anyone else’s style. The only thing that I am selling is eyelashes but you pretty much have to click on the Bosscat Beauty link to get exposed to those.
I learned a lot more by listening to people speak at the Glam Guide Event, but I do think the point that was brought up about Who Are You Speaking To was quite valid and a point to continue to consider.
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED….
#adoptdontshop
Benji, Blanca and Bella participate in “Teambuilding” workshops at home! Floating together so closely helps them to accept each other. What are you going to do? Pick a fight and risk the float capsizing? Bella’s even nice when floating with the others!
We made a decision to adopt another pet when the time was right. Blanca likes to play but Bella is serious minded so she is not interested in menial activities such as playing with fellow dogs. Because of this, we felt it was a good idea to find a match for Blanca’s playful spirit!
Don’t get me wrong, I am not excited about creating more housework or dusting duties for myself…but to be able to give a sweet little dog a home – so be it.
There was a pet adoption event over a month ago, and I made the mistake of going to take a peak! I saw this little guy with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth as if there was something wrong. Whatever the issue, I didn’t care. My heart had already chosen him.
As it would turn out, Benji was picked up after about 4 months of having been abandoned in an apartment complex parking lot. He was a ball of severely dirty and matted fur along with a broken jaw. The jaw was shattered into so many pieces, nothing could be done to save it, so they removed all of the bone fragments instead. He also tested positive for heartworms.
Due to the generosity of donations, the Texas Animal Society had the funds to spend $4000 on Benji’s recovery from the shattered jaw, to heart worm treatments. There was almost a month of waiting involved, but Benji finally came to his fur-ever home a week ago!
I learned that it does make more sense for people to donate to pet welfare organizations in their local areas because if everyone did that, their own neighborhood pets with housing problems could be taken care of. That being said, there are places in foreign countries that do amazing work for animals as well so it is hard to decide who to help out with donations.
My other dog’s names are Bella and Blanca so I thought it was cool that Benji was already named, but also he was named after the dog of my favorite movie ever… Benji !
When I was a little girl, I declared that the Benji films were my favorite movies of all time and that one day I would have my own Benji!
So here we are…a home with 3 rescue pets. And finally, my own Benji! The 3 of them combined equal 25 pounds so you would think it’s the same amount of work as having one 25 pound pet. I assure you…it is not! I’ve got 3 personalities with expectations and needs and emotional support is needed in different ways for each individual.
Benji was needed by Blanca for friendship and watching them play as I’d hoped…is so rewarding! At night this past week, the dogs have been totally sleepy by 9pm from playing hard throughout the day. They dive-bomb each other and play tug of war with toys. It’ grueling work being a dog in this house. Benji is so sweet and loving. He tries to kiss you but all you get is teeth because his tongue is hanging sideways since his jaw bone is missing on one side, he can’t control his mouth too much, but maybe over time. So he kisses with tooth nibbles while his tongue is flailing sideways out of his mouth!
When I say to people, to “adopt, don’t shop” it’s for this reason…breeder’s (not all) need to be more careful who they sell puppies to. And pet stores? There’s no ownership requirements whatsoever. Further, the first year of dog ownership is the worst in my opinion. This is the part where proper communication and training make the difference between coming out of the first year with a pet with manners or a wild animal living in your house. If you have a person who isn’t intelligent enough to train their puppy, then they usually end up tied to a tree on a chain in the backyard or worse…they end up abandoned in the street only to end up at a shelter waiting for the needle of death.
All dogs do not make good pets. That is the beauty of a rescue group. They weed out the ones that have a high likelihood of aggressive behavior or other issues, and they desperately try to match the good eggs with families. Sometimes the abuse and neglect is so harmful that the pet simply is too wild for home care.
A lot of people want a full blooded breed so they do not want a “used” animal. There are rescue groups that rehome certain breeds. There was an older woman who had gone through a divorce late in life, and she was renting my house. She had mentioned wanting another designer dog as she once had, so I referred her to a rescue group for that particular breed. She ended up flying to Los Angeles and back in one day to pick up her new dog! The money she spent was 1/4th of what a new puppy would cost, and she got to avoid the dreaded puppy years. The dog had been rescued because it was a perfect pet, but the owner was older and had to go to an assisted living facility, so had to surrender the dog.
There are so many creative ways to enhance your home life with pets but being wise is the key. Before embarking (get it?) on dog ownership, ask yourself the following:
- Am I financially sound enough to properly take care of a pet?
- Is my current living situation stable?
- Do I realize that there is work involved with pet ownership?
- What are my plans for pet sitting if I travel?
- Do I have the mindset that I will take care of this pet forever? Through a move? A divorce? Until death do you part?
My little pets are my world. They love me. Of course…I am the food-meister so they must love me. I am calm, quiet and a safe place. They fill my home with love and fur balls. When I see little Benji happy and playing, it disturbs me that he had such a terrible past. He lived homeless and abandoned in a low end apartment community parking lot with a broken jaw for 4 months before someone called for help. It was amazing how he would have narrowly escaped death by needle – especially with the expensive medical needs he had. That a dirty, broken ball of filth turned into a prince in his very own home…that’s priceless! Strays seem to make the greatest pets sometimes because they are so grateful.
Benji was being taken care of during his medical treatments, by a woman who I admire, but could never do what she does. She currently fosters 11 dogs. Most will never get taken into homes so she has to keep them so they can have a life. All I can do is give a home to a pet every so often but to foster wouldn’t be a fit because I work and 3 dogs is my absolute limit. My fear is also that I would end up on the news with 40 dogs being taken from my home !
Hoping that Benji would be well received by Blanca was another key concern. Benji came over for a visit, and Blanca protected Benji from Bella (my insane chihuahua). It took our breath away and we knew then that she like him! Benji is happy and learning the ropes here at home. Blanca directs him a lot on certain things, such as taking turns when snacks are being passed out. He didn’t initially get it that we smoothly wait for our turn… a friendly snap here or there showed him to wait until his name is called! My fluffy kitchen rug has turned into a Wrestlemania spot for the dogs. Blanca comes with her new pink gorilla…basically begging Benji to play tug-o-war. There are snacks, and wrestle sessions, there are pool floating “teambuilding” sessions with all three and there are naps and “movie nights” where we are all piled up in the bed. I am not really concerned with how Bella (my Chihuahua) feels about Benji because she is mean o everyone! She makes a crazy, mean, growly face when she’s irritated. She bit me a few months ago as I tried to put her collar on her for a walk. Fortunately, her bite is laughable because she has maybe two tiny teeth. I adopted her for Jazzy about 10 years ago. Her primary function was to be a companion for sweet Jazzy. Bella would lick on Jazzy’s coat and groom her as she got really old. Bella had previously been a breeder dog in a puppy mill so her people skills have always been lacking and we just sort of deal with it. She had to wear a diaper for two years before she decided to be potty trained. Now, she’s near perfect in that area because she cares enough to please me. It’s weird with her because she desires love and attention but she gives off virtually no love. Blanca thinks twice before sitting next to her.
I feel that legislation should be handed down, that Breeder’s and Pet Stores must be made to force them to take back any returns before the one year mark. My reasoning is that they will choose the buyers much more carefully if they knew it mattered to their bottom line who they sold pets to.
We are not sure how old Benji is, but based on his immaturity and the way he plays, my guess would be one year old. His vet thinks older. Who really cares…the point is that if something happened to him next week…he at least got a time of happy. Would I like to know what idiot hurt him and threw him out like garbage? Yes, but it would be dangerous for the fool because I have no mercy for a person with no compassion for a sweet little animal. Why is it so hard to get people to take an animal they no longer want to a shelter? Isn’t that the least we should expect? Initially, he is scared of all men, but in time he learns to trust.
This was my little story of Benji, the rescue. He has moved in and fits in perfectly. His life is a success story. This is only one little pet. By adopting him, that was one less sold in a pet store. That was one less to die by needle and broken heart. That was one less that was sold by a breeder. There are millions more out there who need a chance. I am so thankful for those who donated to the Texas Animal Society on Benji’s behalf. They saved a life. Everyone can play a small part in animal population control. Mine is to give a home. Other’s may chose to donate or volunteer in their own district.
If you’ve adopted…please share your success story in the comments below! If you want help finding a new pet, please email me and I will try to do whatever I can to find the perfect pet for your home!
-Approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. We estimate that the number of dogs and cats entering U.S. shelters annually has declined from approximately 7.2 million in 2011. The biggest decline was in dogs (from 3.9 million to 3.3 million).
-Each year, approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized (670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats). The number of dogs and cats euthanized in U.S. shelters annually has declined from approximately 2.6 million in 2011. This decline can be partially explained by an increase in the percentage of animals adopted and an increase in the number of stray animals successfully returned to their owners.
-Approximately 3.2 million shelter animals are adopted each year (1.6 million dogs and 1.6 million cats).
About 710,000 animals who enter shelters as strays are returned to their owners. Of those, 620,000 are dogs and only 90,000 are cats.
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED….
