Some Favorite Things

We were out of town this weekend so am posting a few thoughts and pictures.


Spent the weekend in Austin visiting the college boy, L.  A fun time enjoying each other's company and feeding our foodie adventures.

 We don't have an H.E.B. at home but we love their coffee so a stop to fill the coffee cupboard is a must.  Trianon Coffee Brewers is the second stop.  The first thing to do when we get home....is brew.

Pansies are my favorite because they stand up in the cold.  I've planted for this fall and with luck they'll still be a spot of color in March!

And just because I'm talking about favorites I love when my toes are pretty with polish.  I generally do them myself but I love the treat of going for a pedi.  It is just the icing on the cake.

Share with me some of your favorites.

 

Dating & Mating: Sexual Market Value

A link on a social media outlet led me to an interesting dating concept. 

The link went to a thread of comments where a 32 year old woman was lamenting her current dating progress.  There were multiple answers to her groans of bewildering outcomes although one male commenter posed an interesting conclusion.  His answer revolved around the disparity in what he referenced as the sexual market value of men and women.

A disclaimer is necessary here.  This is a one-sided, male perspective.  This view, as referenced here, is not meant as a broad sweep across the genders; there are too many exceptions for this definition to be considered a standard.

This is an observation that has enough commonality to merit examination and consideration.

Here is the link for those who who are interested in the complete exchange.

The disparity, our commenter said, is women have a high sexual market value from puberty through mid-30's.  A man's high sexual market value begins at age 26 and increases from there.

What has value, in women, that age begins to devalue would be youth, firmness, energy and sexual appetite.

For men, their sexual value begins to rise after college, when they mature and establish a career, respectability and solvency.

With these market changes the dating scene is flipped.  Where young women have a larger selection of males and can be choosy, and young men are 'friend zoned' frequently; older men may have a larger selection and can be more choosy while older women experience the 'friend zone.' 

His solution is the same for young men and older women; keep dating.  "At this point dating is going to be a grinding affair and a numbers game.  You will be regularly turned down and you're going to have to shrug it off and go on to the next date unfazed."

This is a simplistic view of the many faceted world of dating and relationships but his premise has enough truth that if you are a dating individual, give it some thought. 

You may, or may not, agree with this outlook but the commenter's final remarks hold some wisdom.  "Rest assured you will find someone who values you for exactly who you are, as we all eventually do and that's not a bad thing, as, if you wait for exactly the right person, you'll only have to wait once."

google images
ressourceti.com
avoidingkim.wordpress.com
tiptoptack.com
sxc.hu
gladlylistening.wordpress.com

Running the Risk

Taking a chance is the definition of risk.  A risk involves stepping outside of your comfort zone and taking the chance that things could go a different way than you want or expect. 

Good advice is to assess a risky situation for all the possible outcomes and then decide if the reward is worth the risk.  Similar to the art of making a good decision.

 As in most things, it is easy to assess risk for everyone else. Urging others to move outside their comfort zone is easier said than moving outside our own.

The older I get the smaller and more compact my comfort zones become, accompanied by minimal desire to move outside of them.  Technology has a small area of comfort for me.  I embrace computers, cell phones and digital cameras . . . the first ones I bought and learned to use.  I DON'T WANT TO UPGRADE!  There is little patience to learn the differences from one generation to the next.

On the other hand who wants to be the old lady who gets stuck in the past century, so I grumble through learning the next level of technology.

Last week I was on a blogging hiatus as I traveled north to visit family.  My return flight had a layover in Austin where L. attends school.  Here my comfort zone of travel was pinched.

Time has a distinct zone; I arrive 'on-time'.  It is usual to drive to a destination the day before to assure myself of the location and best directions.  It is also usual to arrive fifteen minutes early and wait in the parking lot.  When flying, arrival is a full hour pre-flight affording plenty of time to check-in and pass security. 

This should provide a clear picture of how nervous I was to land in Austin, hail a Taxi into downtown, meet up with L. between classes, have the Taxi return for me with enough time (should there be any traffic problems) to recheck, pass security and make my flight.

I thought through all the possibilities; Googled the directions and distance from airport to dormitory, priced a cab ride and checked for additional flights should I miss mine.  If all the conditions were met we could swing an hour and a half visit.  As nervous as it made me the reward of seeing L. for just 1 1/2 hours was worth the risk of missing my flight.

When my comfort zone is breached I remember a pivotal point made in the Bible study, Experiencing God, by Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King.   
Often God calls us to take a risk outside our comfort zone in order to do the tasks he requires of us.  Those who are called make the adjustments and realize the great reward.  "You cannot stay where you are and go with God."

I encourage you to use the small steps outside your comfort zone as practice for those larger steps that are sure to come.


photos from:
merchantmaverick.com
clipartof.com
davesdays.wordpress.com

 

You Got 'em Ladies, Get 'em Up!

"They're called boobs, Ed," says Erin Brockovich, from the movie Erin Brockovich.  It's her succinct explanation of  how she was able to acquire sensitive documents.  Erin understood the power of a firm figure. 

As a teenager in the 70's I joined the "Burn your bra!" battle cry of the liberated female and wholeheartedly embraced the fashion forward halter top. 

Thirty years later and gravity has taken it's toll, moving what was once firm and in place and pulled it down toward the waist.  If you find yourself in this same circumstance, take heart, the power of a good figure can be found in the power of a good, supportive bra.

Every figure is flattered by good foundation garments.  They improve all sizes by lifting and holding personal assets in place.  The bra boutique was a fashion wave that swept through in the 90's offering expert fitters to help women find the right fit and support bra for every size and shape.  These expert fitters can still be found at major department stores and speciality boutiques.

If you have never had a bra fitting I strongly encourage you to do so.  You've got 'em ladies, get 'em up.  A good figure will help your posture, strengthen your self-confidence and take an ordinary shirt from sloppy to sharp. 


Prove it with the image in your own mirror.



Google images:
erinbrockavich
snugabell.comahbras.com
etsy.com
bitsandpieces1.blogspot.com

Saturday!

My Saturday was spent:

...working on the "Raw Edge" quilt.  All the pieces are cut and the sewing is set up for maximum efficiency.  Squares becoming blocks, blocks morphing into sections.  This quick pattern is currently my favorite in color and design.

... in the stadium watching the Wayland Pioneers pass, run, tackle and 'yard' their way down the field to their first win, 23-26.  We  enjoyed perfect football weather; overcast skies and 61 degrees accompanied by a slight breeze.  Eating junky food, drinking Route 44s and sporting t-shirts proclaiming our allegiance we cheered and stomped the Pioneers to a victory.

...attending to personal enhancement.  A pedicure ranks as a special treat.  Pretty toes are just...well, pretty.  There was a time I treated myself quite regularly when the procedure consisted of me, a technician, a clipper and polish of my choice.  It cost $10.  The pedicure has turned into an event including leg and foot massages, vibrating chairs, a cocktail and a price tag of $35.  Pretty toes are still nice, even when painted by my own hand.

Throughout the day domestic chores such as laundry and lunch and dishes were also accomplished.

Take a moment, reader, and share with me how you spent your Saturday.
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Fall Is Football

Across the United States fall means football.  Texas football comes in all sizes from high school 6-man to Texas Tech and the three time National Champion University of Texas Longhorns. 

Football is serious business in the Texas Panhandle.  Our local news begins ramping us up with Friday Highlights, a preview of each panhandle high school team that premieres at 2-a-days.  (For the football uninitiated '2-a-days': holding football practice twice a day generally starting around the first of August.) 

This season one more team was added to the NAIA football rank.

D. works for a small university that was established in 1908. Their football program came to an end at the start of  WWII.  So many men went to war that the university could not field a team.  They did not have another football season until 2012.  Today was the first home game for Wayland in 70 years.

D. has been at Wayland for 14 years and I graduated with my Master's in 2005.  There was a great deal of pride seeing our team take the field this afternoon.  It is a young group, freshman and sophomores, that have worked through a year of just practice to get to play their first game as a team in September, 2012. 

Everything is new such as the uniforms and coaches, fan t-shirts and souvenirs; the field is borrowed, (the local high school stadium) and enthusiasm is high for what is going to be a rough season of getting team oriented, working together and winning.

There is a thrill that comes with being here at the beginning, watching it all come together and cheering the smallest of successes.  (We lost but the team played hard and deserved every cheer.)  I  feel invested and excited about watching this team develop and grow. 

 

One more Texas football team in an sport being played in every town, at every level can seem unremarkable but it's my team, I'm a fan and fall IS football.

What are you a fan of?



Scrapy Quilt #5

 I started this Quilt-as-you-go project in the spring.  It got pushed aside for the auction project that netted $30 each!  Summer was full and allowed for no sewing time.

School is back in session and it took one night to finish this up.  As with most of these quilts I wouldn't turn it in for judging at the county fair but it will keep a body warm in the winter and look nice at the end of the bed.

As usual measurements and calculating yardage are a challenge allowing for scraps on hand to begin a project.  There were fewer scraps available than originally thought.  On the back the intention was to use the dark green to frame each square but there wasn't enough so the backing fabric did double duty.  The plus side is there were less scraps of the backing material so win/win!

I love the end product of this method.  The pattern called for much larger squares which is understandable now although next time I'll quilt larger sections versus making larger squares.  With this and a few other tweaks quilt-as-you-go could easily become a preferred method.

There is another pattern already waiting to be cut to go along with a pillow already made. 
I have found my hobby. 
What do you enjoy doing?