The Eclectic Hat Box

Happy Birthday, MyShell!

2012-02-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

You know how every once in a while, someone extraordinary comes into your life at just the right time? Maybe everything in your world is falling apart and all of a sudden this person just shows up and it's like they were hand picked for you? I've been lucky enough to have that happen a few times. The most obvious example of this is MyShell.

September 21, 2007, I did Michelle's hair for the first time. It was a color, so we had a while to talk. I found out she was an avid knitter. I had always wanted to learn to knit! She said it wasn't that hard and she would love to teach me. I felt like we really clicked and was excited that we hit it off so well. We started hanging out and she did teach me to knit. Brett met her and thought her name was "MyShell". It stuck. In my head, that's still her name.

In December of 2007, my ex-husband moved out. I hadn't been doing hair for very long and wasn't making very much money. My three year old son went to a daycare that closed at 5PM on weekdays and wasn't open at all on weekends. At the time, my ex did not have much to do with me or our son. I had no idea how I was going to work the long hours needed to build up a strong client base. MyShell to the rescue! She would pick Brett up from daycare and take him to her house. I don't know how many hours of Sponge Bob she endured! Brett LOVED her, her husband and their 3 dogs. They instantly became family. They would keep him on Saturdays so I could work. When I would get off work, we would all have dinner together before Brett and I went home. Looking back, I have no idea how she put up with us all the time, but I'm SO thankful!

Today is her 11th birthday. (OK... She's really 44, but she's only had 11 ACTUAL birthdays!) Four years ago, her husband made a wonderful lasagna and we had an amazing chocolate cake to celebrate. We played Scrabble. Sadly, a few months later, they moved away. I wish we could be together to celebrate today. She came to visit a few months ago and it was like no time had passed at all! I will never be able to thank her enough or tell her exactly what she means to me. I hope she knows how special she is in my heart.

Happy Birthday, MyShell. I love ya!

No More Shakes!

2012-02-06T15:01:00.000-08:00

It happened. I found something that was helping me lose weight. I wasn't starving myself. I was taking in plenty of calories, nutrition and vitamins. I'd lost a few pounds and even more inches. I found a way to screw it up. Well, I didn't really screw it up. My body did. This is what I looked like after being on the Body By Vi diet for 8 days.

I'm not sure how easy it is to see in the picture, but I had a rash around my eyes and mouth. It wasn't pretty. I also had multiple spots on my hands. After about four days, it wasn't going away so I visited a dermatologist. He decided it didn't look like contact dermatitis and asked what I had changed lately. The only thing different in my world was the Body By Vi shakes. He determined that I have a nickel allergy. I had no idea there was nickel in foods. It seems that the soy protein in the shake contains a fair amount. It's fine for most people, but with my allergy, it was making my skin photosensitive, there fore, giving me a rash wherever I was exposed to the sun. I'm pretty happy that it hasn't been warmer out, I've had jeans and a sweatshirt on any time I've been outside lately.

A week after discontinuing the Body By Vi shakes, my face is completely cleared up. I only have one spot left on my hands. This may be complete coincidence, but it's enough to get me to stop! I'm bummed. They really did taste great and keep me feeling full. If you want to try them, or find out more, (and don't have a nickel allergy!) visit http://charliebroadbent.myvi.net/loseweight and see if it's something for you.

That's How We Roll

2012-01-24T10:09:00.000-08:00

In an effort to do something fun with the kids this weekend, while getting a little bit of exercise, we went roller skating. Saturday afternoon, we all loaded up and headed to Little Rock to the Arkansas Skatium. For $40, all four of us got in, got skates and split a large pepperoni pizza and pitcher of Diet Coke. $40 bought us a meal and four hours of entertainment. Not too shabby!

Growing up in South Eastern WI, winters were long and cold. One of the things my sister and I used to do to pass the time was roller skate in our basement. We went in circles for hours on the concrete floor that stretched the entire length of our house. Weekends and weeknights were spent down there with Madonna, The Beastie Boys or Motley Crue (we were diverse to say the least!) blasting on our little boom box.

It was a bit of a surprise how rusty I was when I first stood up on the skates this past Saturday. Equally surprising was how quickly it came back to me! In no time, I was back zooming around the floor. I didn't try backwards, I thought I should ease back into this!

I've got to tell you, the music has changed A LOT! However, it seems that the characters haven't. There was "creepy middle aged guy" that was in shorts and tube socks. This was not his first trip to the rink. He whizzed in and out of skaters, twirling and spinning for all to see. (He even rocked a bit of a mullet!) There were the "non-skating slutty girls" that were standing on the benches surrounding the rink, dancing in their tight tshirts and jeans. Of course there were the "wall huggers". These people will not venture into the rink. Instead, they hold the wall and use it to pull them along. If you happen to be standing by the wall, they freak out if they have to go around you!

Were you a big skater back in the day? Take yourself back, take your kids to your local skating rink for an afternoon. I bet a good time will be had by all!

Body By Vi

2012-01-18T08:42:00.000-08:00

I started today. My Body By Vi package arrived on my doorstep yesterday. The "Shape Kit" is the one I chose. For $99 a month, I get 60 shakes Last night, I made my husband take my "fat picture" and all of my measurements. (There's a level of intimacy that you don't realize!) All of my info has been put on my profile for the online community that they supply and I'm excited to be starting! Here is the FAQs about the product.

My first shake was simple. I really wanted to see what the product tasted like, so I didn't mix anything in it. (There are a TON of recipes online for different shakes. I'm looking forward to trying the chocolate cheesecake!) I used 12 ounces of Almond Milk and 2 scoops of powder. The shake was 180 calories. It honestly did taste just like cake mix! As of right now, it's been 3 hours since my shake. I'm not hungry! For lunch, I think I will mix in a banana and some chocolate powder.

I'm excited about the 90 day challenge. I like having a specific time frame. Nothing says I can't continue after that! There are a bunch of prizes that you can win at that 90 day mark and I am very "stuff" motivated. My husband has said that the only way I'll get him on a cruise is to win one... That would be awesome!

If you haven't yet, sign on to do the challenge with me! After checking out the FAQs, go here to order All I have to lose is a LOT of weight.. What about you?

I've Been There... In My Dreams

2012-01-12T13:11:00.000-08:00

Sleeping is one of my favorite things in all of this world. Not because I'm necessarily tired. Not because I'm depressed. Not because I'm bored. I love to sleep because my imagination is so detailed. I utilize all of my senses when I dream. The colors in my head are brilliant. I can smell and taste things. Sometimes, I wake myself up talking to answer someone I've heard in my dream. A few times, I've woken up thinking that I can still taste whatever I had in my dream.

Often, I travel in my dreams. Last night alone, I was on both a beautiful luxurious cruise, and a train trip.

The cruise is a recurring dream. I don't know where we are cruising to, but my husband and I get on a beautiful ship. Sometimes, that's all the dream is, just us boarding. Other times, I've gone to dinners or shows on the boat. Once in a while, I even make it to a shore excursion. There are dolphins that swim right up to where we are standing on some kind of a boardwalk pier thing. There is island music playing and it's warm and lovely! I don't know where this is, if it even exists, but I want to go!

The train is something new for me. Many times, I dream of the tiny town in Missouri, Annapolis, where my grandparents lived when I was a child. I dream of going to the Black River with them and my father. Every once in a while, I will wake my husband up, screaming because I have seen snakes in the river. (Luckily, this usually doesn't wake me up! I just lay back down and continue to sleep!) Last night, I was taking a train trip through this area with a couple of my great uncles that had passed away several years ago. It was a strange dream. It was nice to see my uncles again. (Remember how vividly I dream, it was like they were really there.) I don't remember why we were on a train or where we were going. All I really remember is that I had a compartment on the train. I went in to take a shower and was upset because all of the soap and shampoo containers were only half full. (I'm an optimist.)

My husband is an early riser. Weekends are a little difficult sometimes because of this. I am content to stay in bed, dreaming, until 9 or 10. He feels like I should get up with him at 6 or so. I'm happy to say that over the last few years, we have struck a compromise and he usually gives me until 8.

Go ahead, psycho analyze me. I know dreams are all supposed to mean something, so what's going on in my head? What do you dream about? Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear from you!

Knitting Night

2012-01-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

Monday nights are knitting nights. Some days, it's the only reason to slog through a Monday. I have a group of friends that meet at JavaPrimo. We eat. We drink. (They recently received their liquor license!) We knit. We talk. It's a blast. Many people have come through and learned to knit. Some keep coming back. Some don't.

Currently, we are doing a hat drive for Arkansas Children's Hospital. They have a program called Knitting For Noggins. Through March, they are collecting hats to give to the kids. Their main need is adult hats right now for older children and grown-ups. They suggest you make them big enough to fit a cantaloupe. ACH has even put out a collection of patterns to help get your creative juices flowing!

I love this helicopter hat!

Last night was a big deal. Terri actually put down the hook and picked up the needles!

Look! She's knitting instead of crocheting!

Denise learned how to Cable. Also, she brought her fabulous husband along. That's Bruce in the background. I was impressed. He even Ooooh-ed and Aahhhh-ed at the appropriate times!

It WAS easy!

I worked on a pair of socks that I am test knitting. Once it is released, the pattern will be Khloe Socks.

If you are ever bored on a Monday night and want to take up knitting, come see us! Bring us a hat for ACH or bring an idea of one you want to make and we'll get you started!

Here We Go...

2012-01-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

It's official. Well, it's official as soon as I hit "Publish Post". I'm a blogger. I've been thinking about this for months. Part of my delay was trying to decide what to do a blog about. Finally, I decided it would be best not to have one specific theme. I have so many hobbies and interests, I don't know that I want to write about only one thing. I've only poked around on here a little bit... So far, I'm impressed with how easy it is to post pictures. That means my ramblings can be well illustrated!

I'll probably post pictures of my family.

I'll probably post pictures of food I make on my fancy Big Green Egg grill.

I'll probably post pictures of my knitting projects.

I'll probably post pictures of our travels.

So, if you decide you want to follow me, buckle up! Posts will vary from knitting, to cooking, to music, to travel, to family, etc. Who knows? If I'm into all of these things, maybe you are, too. Maybe you will be!

Welcome!