Cindys Haircuts & Natures Gifts

Stop Scratching!

08/04/2011 20:24:00

I was actually able to sleep last night without ripping off my socks and digging my nails into my skin to scratch my ankles.

Tonight though I have been really bad. My daughter keeps yelling at me to "stop scratching"! Oh but it feels so good in a painful kind of way to scratch those damn things when they itch. Yes, I am talking about mosquito bites!

It all started 2 nights ago when I decided I was tired of my yard of dirt and wanted pretty plants and flowers. So I went to the local nursery and bought anything that looked nice and would come back next year without me re-planting.

I don't like to plant but I like to look at plants. Nobody really wanted to help me so I went out in the early evening, after I sprayed mosquito repellent on my arms and started to dig holes and plant. I must have been out there a while because it eventually started getting dark. I was almost done, only had one flower plant to go but I decided to give up until the next day.

All was well until I got ready for bed a few hours later and I noticed I was getting some bumps. I knew I had been bitten. Damn.

When I went to work the next day, my ankles had about 10 bites on them and my ankles were really swollen. They itched so bad! I tired everything. I even went home early, popped in a movie and ut my feet up. Nothing helped but hte movie was good. (Prince of Persia) I finally got some relief when I took some Benadryl later that night.

So now it is day 3. The bites are looking better, the swelling has gone down and I thought the itching was gone but it came back with a vengence tonight and now I am sitting with ice packs on my ankles, hoping to freeze them off. LOL.

So folks, the moral of this story is this. It is ok to want to plant nice flowers. It is ok to do it alone. It is ok to put mosquito repellent on your arms. It is NOT ok to forget to put it on your bare legs. So please, don't make the same mistake I did! Remember, to always practice safe flower planting and cover your legs. =)

The elevator ride

06/04/2011 06:58:00

I was visiting my friend Shannon Ewing and her family in Idaho. They wanted to show me their new invention. They had an elevator that went under water and when they were under water they could open the shaft and then you would be entered in the attic of their house.

I was not too sure I wanted to see this because I don't really like being under water but my husband wanted to so I went ahead and gave it a try. The elevator was quite huge and we all fit inside.

It took off and started going down until we were completely submerged. They were having fun hanging out chatting and drinking. I felt a little on the nervous side so I told them I wanted to go back up to the air. So they told me to cut a hole in the top of the elevator and push on that part then crawl through it and it would take me back to where I wanted to be. So I made a hole and knocked on the hole for my daughter Natalie to help lift the top off. She did and I was able to crawl through to the fresh air, which happened to by an attic.

Natalie was there and we got on the top of the elevator and took off on a series of tracks, like it was a roller coaster ride. We eventually ended up at the house.

Then Natalie and I went outside and walked to the local store while my husband and friends were still in the underwater elevator. We found a store that sold everything made from animal fur. It was kind of a creepy store. Then I seem to be by myself. I don't know where Natalie went. I tired to use the elevator at the store so I could get back home but it was out of order so I took off on foot around the corner to try and find the house. I was so lost. I found some weird guy running and asked him to help me find where I was supposed to be going.

I had to go back to the store and ask if I could use the elevator because I couldn't find my way home. They said it was out of order and I had to come back at 7:50pm. so I went back at that time and got on the elevator. This particular one was very narrow though. I was in there with 2 other ladies and one was very pregnant. We all had to sit down, there wasn't room to stand. I knew this was not the right elevator but I let the doors shut anyway.

Facebook

05/14/2011 18:16:00

I have been spending a lot of my free time (which isn't much lately!) on Facebook. I have my business facebook set up and try to do some networking, make some friends, do some shout-outs, try to win in giveaways, donate to giveaways and in general try to get my name out there. If you have ever done this then you know it can get time consuming but I think in the end it is worth it. I have already made some new friends, gotten some leads and made some sales.

I want to list some friends and sites I have found on facebook and perhaps you can go by and give them a "like". If you do please tell them "Cindy's Haircuts & Nature's Gifts" sent you!

I will add new sites as I come across them!

Central Oregon Custom Pens

DeDa Studio's

Mommy of 3 Peas

Feathers & Flair by Andi

Front Page Freebies

Mommies Who Love Freebies

Fan Page Promote!

Creative Kitty Crochet

Cheap Peeps

Brainfry Concepts LLC

~Sweets Photography~

Scarlz & Ry~ 16 candles but always prettier in pink.

Momma Cricketz

Vacation Rental Homes

The phone interview

04/08/2011 10:00:00

I am sitting here at my desk currently waiting for the phone to ring. I have a phone interview set up with Tim from the Financial Times newspaper based in London.

Let me go back to yesterday. I was at the salon and I recieved a message on my phone from this gentlemen. He said he found an entry I had done on a blog about hair feathers and angling. That was true, I came across this blog back in February and decided to put my 2 cents worth in. This is the second time I have been called for an interview about the feathers since I wrote on that blog.

Wait, the phone is ringing!

My interview is now over. Tim was a very pleasant man and we chatted for about 30 minutes. We talked about how the hair feathers are put in and what makes them so popular. I mentioned to him that I was not only offering them in my salon but also selling them at wholesale. The problem is, is that the prices are going sky high due to the supply and demand. Feathers are becoming more and more scarce as more and more people find out about this.

I currently get about a dozen emails a day inquiring about wholesale feathers. The majority of them are from the midwest, where they are just now becoming popular. I hope to be able to find some other people to get my feathers from for a better price so I can pass my savings on to my customers. For now I do what I can do.

I am excited to see the newsarticle, so hopefully I will be able to get a link or copy of it to share.

Happy feathering!

Cindy

Happy 19th Anniversary Rick!

04/04/2011 08:56:00

19 years ago today @ 2:00pm I married my best friend. We were married at the church I grew up in.

Two years prior to that date we met, for the first time. A mutual friend, Gary & his wife Chris set us up on a blind date. We met at their house. Our first meeting wasn't all that exciting. I remember chatting and serving up ice cream for everyone. After a few hours Gary & Chris kicked us out of their house and we went our seperate ways. I thought Rick was nice but he didn't ask me out so I assumed nothing was there. The next day I got a phone call from Rick. He asked me out after all. We went bowling and had pizza! After that date we then spent pretty much every day together for the next two years. We went camping, watched movies, hung out with his parents & my parents and got to know each other. He proposed to me after we had been dating for a year.

After knowing someone for 21 years, you kind of start to read their thoughts and you become very comfortable with them, they become an extended part of you. Rick is still my best friend and the love of my life.

Over the years our relationship has evolved and we have been through a lot, good and bad. Babies came along, now they are teenagers. We have had a few homes, a few heartaches, a few pets, a few vehicles and a few jobs. I think that we are finally settling down now after all this time and I look forward to many more anniversaries with my wonderful husband.

I love you Rick!

Happy Birthday Allisyn!

03/27/2011 16:16:00

On March 27th, 14 years ago today @ 3:00pm a little girl was born. She weighed in at 5lbs 11oz. She had a tiny bit of hair that was blonde and no visible eyebrows. She came out very alert and had pretty blue eyes.

Still in the hospital.. The 4 generations of girls.

It seems like just yesterday we were planning the nursery for our new baby. It is hard to believe how fast time goes by. Sometimes I long for when she was little and I could pick her up and we would play games or sing silly songs. Every step my child makes to getting another year older is a chance to make more memories. Sure, I may not be able to hold her on my lap, well not very comfortably anyway but we can still play games or sing silly songs. She just doesn't think I am cool like I was when she was younger. That is ok though. I can accept being uncool in her eyes, because I know the truth. I know I am cool.

Allisyn @ 3 1/2 months. She always liked the camera.

This year promises to bring all kinds of new things to our household one being entering high school this fall. Then we start to think about college, jobs & life in general.

Allisyn watching Hockey with daddy.

I guess I should just slow down and and not rush things along. So to my dear Allisyn, I want to wish you a very happy 14th birthday!

Love your mommy.

It was just anxiety.

03/26/2011 00:26:00

Tonight started out like any other night. I went to bed about 10:00pm and was a bit restless as I lay there trying to go to sleep. I have a lot on my mind these days and a lot going on in my life. Granted it is all good and excitng things but I guess stress is stress no matter if it is caused by good things or bad.

For those of you that really know me, you know I suffer from anxiety and panic. I have spent years with this issue wishing I was different and could handle life without breaking down and having anxiety or a panic attack in certain situations. After many years of trying to fix myself I finally went to a Dr. for medication. It helps but is not a cure all. I am not really sure why I am sharing this right now since it is not something that I talk to everyone about but I am feeling compelled to write about it, at this particular time.

See, I woke up tonight after a not so restful 2 hour sleep. I got up and I did not feel good. My body starting getting hot and I thought I was going to pass out. At this point I did not know if I was sick or if I was having a panic attack and the thought of being sick will push me into a panic attack. So I grabbed a wash cloth and put cool water on it. Then I put it on the back of my neck. That is something my mother always did when I was little and not feeling well so it was instinct to do it. I started walking around to see if it was all in my head, actually praying that it was all in my head.. I paced back and forth and tried a cup of hot water. The water didn't seem to help and I felt worse.

After about 10 minutes I realized that I was not actually sick, I was able to talk myself out of what ever that horrible feeling was. I paced some more around the house and made my old stand-by of hot ginger tea, just in case I felt sick again, the tea helps. That is where I am at the moment. I am sitting on the couch with my sleeping dog, in the living room drinking hot tea.

I even turned on the T.V. whcich I do not do very often anymore and found one of my old favorite shows playing "Wings".

My tea is almost gone and I think I am about ready to go back to bed, but before I do I need to take some deep breaths and let go of some stress. No one likes to feel sick. whether it is physical, mental or a combination of both.

Time to write.

03/11/2011 20:57:00

I have been on quite a whirlwind this last month! Things are starting to pick up at the salon now that spring is peeking around the corner. A lot of my customers are snowbirds and have been gone the last 6 months. It will be nice to see them when they return.

People are feeling the itch to get out and do things when the weather is nice. We have been having rain, snow and sun. It changes daily. I find the saying true about Oregon, that if you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes!

Next to my hair shop is an empty space that I have been eye-balling since I moved into my shop. Several times it has been inquired about but no one has ever rented it. I finally decided it was meant for me and went for it! I will have an adjoining door so it will almost be like one big area.

My plan for the shop is to make it a little boutique. I am actually going to call it "The Shop Next Door" Gifts & More.

I will have about 10 different vendors in there with their items. It will be open 5-6 days a week and will give my teenagers something to do this summer! They need more responsibilities right?

I have had a great response from people wanting to have their stuff there. So many people are crafty, especially in places where it is cold in the winter, people find crafty things to do to keep them warm and from going insane!

I will keep you posted on when I will open. I am hoping that will be April 1st. No joke here people.

So between my newest adventure of expanding my shop and having the "hair feather parties" take off I don't have much time to breathe anymore. It feels good though and I will have time to rest later.

I am very thankful for all my blessings. =)

Cindy

Feather party open house!

03/06/2011 19:59:00

Today my friend Andrea and I hosted an "Open House Feather Party" at my shop! We served wine, cheese & munchies. Oh yeah, cake too! The local newspaper photographer was there taking pictures. We will be featured in the paper next week. I can't wait to read the article!

The weather cooperated today and we had a good showing of people. Some got the feathers/tinsel put in their hair and some opted to buy the already made clips. That way they could put them in and take them out at their leisure. One can also make up their own combination of colors for the clip.

All in all it was a fun day with good company!

Goodie table

FEather clips & earrings hanging up

Shopping!

Customer enjoying all the things to look at.

Feathers!

Great for teens!

Feathers!

Great for moms!

The hair salon flood

02/26/2011 20:18:00

The last 2 days the temperature has been below zero. Yesterday when I got to work I did not have any water for a few hours. Then, I did have hot water, but no cold water. So my toilet would not flush and my two sinks were plugged and would not drain for some reason.

I was going to leave the water faucet dripping last night, knowing that it was going to be way below zero but I did not want my sink to over flow because of the water not draining so I opted to not leave it dripping.

That thought must have bothered me all night because I kept having this vision of walking into my shop today and it being flooded. Luckily, when I arrived this morning after a minus 13 degee night, everything was fine, except I still didn't have cold water. I didn't have any water today actually.

I was going to head home early around 3:30 when a last minute customer came in for feathers to be put in her hair. I was at my station with the client in my chair and I had just put in the first feather when her mom says to me, "There is water dripping". About that time, I heard the dripping, then looked in my office/breakroom/shampoo room and the light fixture (it is a flourescent light fixture) was filled with water and was dripping quickly all over the floor, my shampoo chair, desk, carpet & more!

Obviously the first thing I thought of was, there is water coming out of the light fixture, the light is on and it is run by electricity..... I kind of freaked out and ran into the other room to hit the lights. So the lights are off, now what do I do? Ah! I had remebered the nice owner of Cinco De Mayo (next door) showing me how to turn off the water, in case the pipes break. So I grabbed the key to next door where my water turn off was and turned off the water.

It was still dripping though and my floor was drenched. My poor customer was just sitting in the chair wondering what to do. Poor thing, she was about middle school age. So I decided to call the guy in charge of maintenance for the building. I finally got in touch with him and he was at another building cleaning up a mess there caused by a broken pipe. He couldn't get to me until the next day.

I decided to go home and get the shop vacuum. I brought it back and cleaned up what I could. I put trash cans under the lights that were dripping and hoped for the best. Tomorrow I will meet the maintenance guy there and let him in.

I don't know exactly what can be done now. Things need to dry out. It is a lucky thing that that customer walked in, or I would have been gone for the day. I would not have returned for 2 days and everything would have been destroyed by then.