A quick check in…

First, I am about 75% with my new commitment to daily moisturizer, but, my skin does feel better.  If you are like me and have been ignoring moisturizer for a while, do it.  I am using an Olay product.  If you are younger than I and don’t moisturize regularly, well, change should be your goal, and remember, don't forget your neck and chest.  You'll thank me in twenty years. 

So, I had a visit with my doctor last week and bemoaned my morning blood sugar readings.  Not alarming, but why always higher than what I think they would be after not eating for 12 hours?  She suggested a bedtime healthy snack and some evening exercise, like a walk or stationary bike.

Not a serious walker but trying to get better and I can’t imagine trying to walk at night, after dinner, when hubs is thinking ice cream, but, we’ll see.  Anyway, I’ll let you know.

We hosted a fun get-together last weekend…charcuterie and wine.  I set up a huge board, covered in parchment, on the island and we just added the contributions as people came in the door with a cheese, or a meat or a jar of nuts or olives. One person brought a large vegetable tray, which was perfect, and another included a curry chicken salad, which we devoured.   We even had figs.  It was fun, it was great food, lots of laughs. I also set up a grilled cheese/quesadilla bar for the kiddos.  We liked it so much we had left over cheese and meats with family the next night, and a grilled cheese bar for grown ups and kids the third night.  We are now on a cheese moratorium for a few days, but, it was a super fun weekend and Monday, with swimming, boating and tubing thrown in. It’s back to school and back to work, and there's been some rainy days to keep things kind of slow and lazy.

 

I’ve been keeping an eye on shadows in the yard, and how the air is starting to feel, and I know the season is winding down. The lake is more quiet and here we are, at Labor Day weekend.  We have a few more days of “summer” but we all know it’s coming.  The memories will be big from this summer. 

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Facing it. Literally.

So, I am facing the truth about getting older.  It happens, better than the alternative, all that aside,my skin has taken a dramatic turn (okay, semi-dramatic). It’s bumpy and scratchy and what the heck?

I think its my fault.  I am not a moisturizer.  I am not even a cleanser.  I have never had a skin care routine and, well, it is beginning to show.  My mom did her routine every night with Ponds Cold Cream, sometimes Noxema, and Oil of Olay which she then progressed to Loreal Night Cream and on to Estee Lauder.   Her skin looked good beyond the time she was no longer able to care for herself, I assume because she had taken care of it for years. So you think I would know better.

   

That is not my truth I’m afraid.  I should have been paying more attention in my 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.  Heck, maybe even my 20’s.  I was a lucky teenager with out many skin problems and well, I just haven’t done a good job at incorporating skin care into my life.  Now it seems like that may be showing on my face.

 

It’s not surprising that I am no good at skin care routines.  I am not good at scheduled stuff it seems…I never had spaghetti every Wednesday, nor Taco Tuesday.  I don’t eat fish on Friday and well, an apple a day skipped me by.  I am not good at taking my blood pressure at home or using a glucometer to monitor my blood sugar, neglect to water my plants and God knows I have not been a successful dieter. Exercise? Forget it.  I sleep late, am rarely on time and well, forget appointments.

Years ago I saw Andie McDowell on the Tonight show and she reported that her mom advised her to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize and not to forget her neck and décolletage and of course, to stay away from the sun.  So, I have tried to teach my girls this important routine, without practicing it myself, and found myself even saying it to my nine-year-old granddaughter this week.  This summer I have spent more time in the sun without sunscreen than ever before and I think my face is showing it.  Is 63 too late to start a serious skin care routine, do you think?

I stopped at Walgreens yesterday and stocked up on a couple Olay products and some cleanser.  I am going to give this a whirl as when I brushed my hand across my cheek over the weekend and it literally dragged across, I thought “Oh heck no…we will not have this”.  So, exfoliate, cleanse, moisturize and protect is my new mantra.  Please tell me I look fabulous next time you see me…I could use a boost. 

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Never too old to dream.

This week one of my dreams is coming true.  One of my adult children, along with her husband and three children, are moving “home” to my town.  She left for college at 18 and never looked back, or so I thought.  She was looking back, however, and a spark for living in her hometown became a flame…and oh, enough with being poetic! I am doing cartwheels over here I am so happy.

All three of my kids left for parts unknown, or Indianapolis, when they were finished with college.  While the oldest didn’t quite finish his education at Indiana University, he didn’t move home, either.  Now living in LA, I only get to see him once or twice a year, three times if I am lucky.  His visits are always welcome, and never long enough. The two girls both married boys from other towns and settled in Indianapolis right out of college.  An absolutely great town, we have enjoyed many wonderful times in Indianapolis, with lots more to come as we love that town, and our youngest, with her adorable family, still lives there.

Many times over the years friends and family have asked “Do you think one of the kids will move home?” and our answer was always “No”.  Both of our sons-in-law, and this daughter, are in technology related fields.  There’s not a lot of their particular kind of work in Northern Indiana, folks.  But, through advancement of “remote” opportunities, both are keeping their current jobs and will be working remotely.

We spent time in Indianapolis this weekend packing up the house they have lived in for twelve years.  It was bittersweet.  Their place served as “home base” for many family events.  We have had great times in their home, on their deck. Even hugely pregnant with her first baby, they opened their home to host wedding events for her younger sister, who married in Indianapolis, ten years ago.  That house on Lincoln Court is special for all of us, for many reasons.  I wish I could tell you how many times my husband has said “I love that deck”.

 

Yesterday was bittersweet for all of us as we packed boxes and loaded the truck.  I was lucky to get to empty the bookshelf of all the photo albums and spent a couple minutes flipping through pages and memories, oh so many memories.  I am so looking forward to what’s ahead…much to do as the house they are moving into is a bit smaller, with less storage, is on a great lot, on the lake she grew up on, a fantastic place to raise their family.  Oh and is less than five minutes from ME!

As my nine-year-old granddaughter said a couple of times on Saturday as she and I packed up her room “This is really happening! I have butterflies!”  Yes, my love, I know the feeling!

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Is it really almost over?

Summer is busy. I have been away from posting to the blog over the last couple of weeks. As we continue to work on landscaping around the house I am bone tired some days.  We have hosted a few cook-outs and get-togethers, and I held my annual Camp GiGi with four of the five grandchildren, the youngest just not quite ready to join in.  My goodness how they are growing, though. 

Having the grands around is always a lot of fun. I try to allow them very little “screen time” and more outside time, but, even I have to give in to a little TV or video games during dinner prep or wind down time. My nine-year-old granddaughter became fascinated with a game show about baking, so I figured there was not much harm to that. She would watch it on her tablet on Netflix with my three-year-old granddaughter squeezed in next to her, her dark brown head nestled on the blonde’s shoulder.  We were “on” for those days.  I was anxious for husband to come in from work as, just like he was when our kids were little, he brought fun, game ideas, rough-housing, boating…we all love it when PaPa comes rolling in. 

I have totally ignored the moon garden which was big on my to-do list for this year. I mean, I did some initial things, but other projects took over my time and interest.  I so want to get in there and improve the soil, trim some tree branches to allow a little more light.  I need to figure out a way to discourage those woodland creatures from visiting. There’s lots of space up there, surely they can share. 

I surprised even myself this year and used more orange in my flowers than I have ever done.  I just obtained a really pretty orangey, coral pink azalea for use by the house.  Just waiting on a landscape timber to get her in the ground.  Since our house is a totally different color than it was before the remodeling I have discovered I really like the orange tones against the grayish green.  Let’s face it, orange is a happy color!

We are entering those dog days of August…hot, humid on some days with lazy, long afternoons. The shadows are changing in the yard and the lake activity dies down more and more each day.  Soon the school buses will be rattling down the road, stopping to pick up little ones lined up along the street in their shiny new clothes and oversized backpacks.

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