Bailey's, Bubble Yum and Beyonce

If we know each other in real life, chances are you've seen me out and about in pigtails. Yes, I'm a (very) grown woman and yes I see the "isn't it sad that she's clinging to her youth in such a desperate way" glances. But the truth is I'm just superstitious.

About 5 years ago when I started playing competitive tennis, my hair was too short for the conventional ponytail so I wrangled it into two pigtails and teamed them up with a visor. I guess I won a few matches that season because then it became "a thing". And now, years later, I always wear pigtails with a visor to my matches. Truth be told, I'm kind of over it and realize the absurdity, but I'm also trying to accept the concept that "that thing" is "my thing" and just go with it. 

This little ritual of mine got me thinking: maybe other tennis players have quirky habits too.

And guess what! They do. I reached out to dozens of players and a handful of pros in my local community and asked if they had any tennis rituals or superstitions. Here's what they shared. (First the regular folks followed by the pros at the end.)

Some think it's all about the ball:

But it might be about what goes in your mouth:

Others swear it's all about what they put on:

Or what about what they let out:

Sometimes it's about Karma:

Sometimes it's more complicated:

Sometimes it's all about the jams:

And now a word from the pros! Here's what they do or did back in their heydays. 

In reading through the pros' submissions, one thing became abundantly clear: the only thing standing between me and a higher rating is incorporating more superstitions and rituals! I'll be perusing this list like a menu and prepping for spring season. If only...

This blog was such fun to write and about as much research as I can handle. Thank you to everyone who took the time to reveal their personal tennis quirks and habits. And a special thank you to the person who submitted the reply below. She gave me a good chuckle and a smidge of self disappointment that I hadn't considered her implied angle myself.

A Step Up: Going from Blah to Beautiful

For years, I've been wanting to do one particular project around my house. It was big and daunting and there was no coming back so we kept putting it off. But this spring we finally took the plunge and I can honestly say, I think the results are pretty spectacular. I have had several clients over the years who I've thought might want to do this same project, but I couldn't recommend it in good faith until I'd tried it myself.

When we moved in nearly 12 years ago, we decided to forgo the traditional carpet runner on the front steps to have a clean, classic look. This staircase would hardly ever get used so I didn't feel that we needed a carpet to protect the steps or provide traction for shoeless kids. But mostly I just thought I'd tire of whatever we chose. (We have another set of steps that leads to the kitchen and knew that those would be used almost exclusively.)

But over time, as with most home decor -- our taste changed. I no longer loved the heavy oak look. I've been slowly adding black to nearly every room in the house and thought black stair treads paired with the existing white risers would be perfect for us.

My husband is super handy and has done many difficult projects around the house including installing a coffered ceiling and a mack daddy treehouse, but this time we needed to bring in the professionals. I'll let the pictures do the talking. Let me know what you think.



Before:

Pretty traditional curved oak staircase.We added the chair rail 10 years ago, but thought that looked really plain too.

Another before view

My contractors came and couldn't have been more diligent or responsible. This is a pretty messy job because all the steps and handrails need to be sanded down to raw wood. They hung plastic sheeting all around the house to block off any blowing dust. The tools are noisy, but I'm hardly home during the day so that wasn't too disruptive. I loved that they vacuumed and packed up all the tools at the end of each day and the job was done in less than a week.

Choosing what finish to put on the steps proved to be one of the bigger decisions. My contractor brought in the regional rep from a nearby paint store and we talked at length about stain versus paint and which product to use. I felt strongly that I wanted the finish to be black and be durable. I wanted some sheen, but didn't really need it to be super shiny. We chose a product called Interlok by McCormick Paints. It's a premium acrylic urethane DTM coating that dries to a super-hard finish. Plus it cleans up with soap and water. We had it tinted black. The contractor tried out samples for us -- we only needed to decide semi-gloss or high-gloss. 

We chose the black high gloss which is on the lower step. It's perfect.

And here's what the finished product looks like as modeled by Scout, the Wonderdog.

I think the final result is super chic and clean. We added the window box moldings and are so happy with the result. Coordinating dog at no extra charge.

I love how the teal accents pop off the black and white contrast.

It's really fun to see a long-term vision finally come to life. 

Greyish Green With Envy: Color Trends 2015

It’s that time of year friends! Time to raise a glass and toast the Benjamin Moore color trends for 2015. 

As we say farewell to the current title holder, Breath of Fresh Air, we warmly welcome the NKOTB (sans Marky Mark's brother and the rest of the gang) Guilford Green. 

And the Benjamin Moore 2015 color of the year is....
Was there an acceptance speech?

At first I thought, oh great — just when I got my clients to look beyond the sage of 10 years ago, here we go again. But upon further investigation I see this color is not the same ol’, same ol’. It’s a silvery green that's a natural neutral. Just the right color to go with pretty much everything. 

Check out the whole 2015 palette -- broken down by color family, below. Feeling adventurous? Let’s find a spot to use Old Claret or Jack Pine. Looking for something a little more mellow? How about Antique Jade or Silver Fox? 

And just because these are the color trends for 2015, by no means do I plan to stick to or suggest these 23 colors exclusively. It’s true I do have an ongoing love affair with Ben Moore, but that’s because they have the most colors and best paint. 

If you’re ready to update your colors, I’m your girl.

And please, for your own safety and sanity, never choose a color from a computer screen, smart phone or standing in the paint store. You really, really need to see the swatch in your own home with your own lighting. Consider yourself warned. 

Let's say adios to our current title holder Breath of Fresh Air. It's been a great year and I think we'll be seeing each other again real soon. 

Societal Pressures: Keeping Me On Track

Having concerns about social pressure is nothing new. It's something, as a mom, that I've come to expect and talk to my kids about on a regular basis. 

What I think we sometimes forget is that kids aren't the only ones having to deal with pressures from society. Sure, for years I've known from magazines and TV that I'm not thin enough, tall enough, blonde enough or buffed enough. 

But just a couple of years ago I learned that another part of me wasn't up to snuff. Turns out I had sucky eyelashes. Luckily Brooke Shields let me know I could paint a product on my eyelids and after a few months, no longer embarrass myself. How could I be living my life all these years with inadequate lashes?

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And more recently, I was lucky enough to learn despite doing it my entire adult life, I actually have no idea how to buy toothpaste, pasta, soda or anything else sold in a grocery store. 

According the extreme couponers of the world I'm a complete flunkee. I do not spend each week collecting dozens of newspapers and searching online sites for coupons. I do not clip, organize or arrange them by the hundreds in plastic divider-lined binders. I do not shop with several family members and use multiple carts. It does not take me many hours to check out and I do not have a separate room in my house for my stockpile. Yes, they all call it a stockpile. 

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I'm the fool who thinks buying my toilet paper at Costco is being thrifty. But from the looks of it, I now know I have no business setting foot inside a supermarket, big box store or the like without further training. 

All joking aside, I cannot believe that I actually feel a little badly about this one. Unlike other pressures, this actually seems like something I could do. I don't want to, but I should be capable, right?

So now, each and every time when I mumble to the cashier that I don't have any coupons, I hang my head in shame. A shame that is only trumped by the fact that I forgot my own reusable grocery bags. Again.

A-peeling Device Review: I Got New Skin Every Week for a Month

Back in April I was asked to review a skin care product called Nerium AD. I used it for a month and liked it very much. I've now used it for nearly 5 months and love it. I can honestly say I've seen positive improvement to my skin.

Doing that product review was really fun from an experimental as well as a writing perspective so you can imagine how excited I was when recently approached to review a skin care device. I immediately said yes because I was actually considering buying this exact device last winter. Now I get to try it for a month and report on my findings.

It's called the Redefine MACRO Exfoliator and is made by Rodan + Fields -- the doctors behind the wildly successful Proactive skin care line. They now have an "at home" line of anti-aging products that is sold by independent business owners. That's how this device and many of their other products are sold.

The MACRO E is supposed to take off dead skin and leave you with healthier-looking, more luminous complexion. I'll put it to the test and let you know how it goes.

A little background: I've used exfoliating scrubs in the past so I don't feel completely unfamiliar with the concept of getting rid of dead skin, but I've never used a device like this nor have I ever had microdermabrasion at a doctor's office.

I'll be using it once a week for 4 weeks and reporting my findings. So let's see if this thing can put the St. Ives Apricot Scrub to shame.

Week 1, August 18 -- The device is sleek and comfortable to hold. The little disposable filter inside the tip is supposed to trap all the dead skin that comes off my face, neck and chest. I must have a lot of deadness because I'm seeing snakeskin-like remnants left on my face. Not sure this is normal, but I'll find out. It's a little hard to use correctly at first, but I think after another time or two I'll have the motions down cold. There is a slight suctioning that occurs when you are doing it correctly. It doesn't hurt, but it definitely feels like there might be something really excellent taking place. Once I lose suction, the sound changes so I immediately know to reposition it. Afterward my skin is red, but very smooth. It's not sore at all. I applied the cooling gel that comes with the kit. Seems weird that I'm going to bed like this -- without applying a night cream, but I actually don't feel dry.  I think that I'm glowing and ask my husband how I look. He replies "good" which either means I look good or he can't be bothered to look away from the Orioles game. I have him feel my face and he nods enthusiastically even though his eyes reveal he has no idea why he's touching my face. I leave well enough alone.

Week 2, August 25 -- Couldn't wait for the night to come because I was so looking forward to trying this out again. The Macro E comes with a pre-programmed setting which makes it dummy-proof. It shows on the little screen exactly which part of your face to use it on and it beeps when it's time to move to a different part. I'm having better luck with the suctioning this time and am figuring out how to use my left hand to assist. By next week I should be a pro. I check the filter at the end and see it's full of dead skin and I'm giddy. Still have some of the snakeskin-like peeling that stayed on my face and never made it to the filter. This doesn't bother me and I cannot believe how much dead skin I have. It's very rewarding to see results immediately. Already looking forward to next Monday.

Week 3, September 1 -- Tonight was one of those nights where I really didn't feel like washing my face. I have one of those about every few weeks. I was totally going to skip it, but then I remember it was Monday: Macro E night! So I happily cleansed, toned and dried. I'm still enjoying this little gem. I didn't get as much gunk off my face this time which I'm assuming is because I've exfoliated the past 2 weeks and means my skin is in better shape going into the treatment. Next week is the last in my series. I'm already feeling disappointed this experiment is coming to a close.

Week 4, September 8 -- Yep, tonight was my final installment in testing out the Macro E. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't experiencing a healthy dose of bummed-outness. I do think I've gotten more skilled as the weeks have gone by, but my technique isn't perfect. I'm still struggling a bit with getting suction in a couple of areas (forehead, outer cheeks) where others adhere perfectly (nose, chin, neck, chest). However, I don't feel discouraged because I just work these areas a little extra til I've gotten it right.

Conclusion: Tomorrow I'll be returning this thing to its rightful owner. I've known since week one that I'd likely be purchasing my own. This is definitely an item I want in my arsenal and plan to keep up the Monday Night Exfoliating.

Other thoughts:

• If you are prone to broken capillaries, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, facial warts, active acne, infection, open wounds or sensitive skin you probably shouldn't use this. I however, do consider myself to have sensitive skin and had no issues. 
• The Macro E runs about $279, but discounts are available. 
• According to a 2013 statistic from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost of microdermabrasion is $148, so this seems like a pretty good investment if you are in the market for something like this and don't need "professional strength" treatments. Personally, I don't think my skin could handle anything much stronger.

If you want more information about this, message me.

Get a Blog: Help! I'm Leaking Famous People.

Get a Blog: Help! I'm Leaking Famous People.: I think the change of life is hitting me. Not the hormonal mood swing type. Well, yes, that too, but this blog is about something else. I ...

Help! I'm Leaking Famous People.

I think the change of life is hitting me. Not the hormonal mood swing type. Well, yes, that too, but this blog is about something else.

I used to be considered one of the foremost authorities on TV and movies in my own circles. (For the record, I never claimed music or theatre.) But these days my hippocampus seems to be on hiatus. I think I've taken a deep dive in my knowledge of all things celebrity. It used to be if you needed to know Doogie Howser's BFF, I was your girl (Vinny, played by Max Casella).

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Did you know all the castaways on Gilligan's Island have last names? Some we knew all along: Thurston Howell, III and Ginger Grant. But how about Jonas Grumby? That's the Skipper. The Professor was Roy Hinkley. Mary Ann's last name was Summers. And Lovey Howell, well, just Lovey.

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But now I recognize my gift is atrophying and as far as I can tell the demise is due to a 3 ingredient recipe. Here's how you make it.

Losing My Mojo
a frozen beverage

• 1 part: aging memory
• 1 part: onslaught of cable channels, social media and the internet
• 1 part: people who are simply "famous" for reasons I don't understand, know or care to know
• Add ice (not Rob Van Winkle, Vanilla Ice) and toss in the blender.  You now have a delicious summer concoction of what it feels like to see your prowess be sucked through a bendy straw.

It's really a sad dose of reality that my best cocktail party babble is behind me. I always thought I'd be hip and cool and be able to carry on a celebrity-driven conversation in any situation. But how far can I get when I honestly don't know the difference between Kristen Cavillari and Lauren Conrad.

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Other than Kim, I know no Kardashians by sight. And I've loved Amy Adams since Wedding Crashers until I realized she was actually Isla Fisher.

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Could it be only a matter of days before Dermot Mulroney and Dylan McDermott face the same fate? Someone help me.

Cool Mom Wannabe

Now that school has been officially over for a couple of weeks, many of us have settled nicely into our summer mode. 

The time of chilin' and talking about humidity. Making half-ass plans and then keeping/altering/canceling as the day dictates. It's a 2-1/2 month excuse for letting go of the get-in-the-car/gotta-be-somewhere/running-late-again we perpetrate the rest of the year.

I can totally do this. Stay up. Sleep in. Seat of my pants-flying. I'm cool. Leave the dishes. Ice cream for dinner. Another sleep over? Sure. Skip the hair brush. Day 3 on those socks? See if I care. 

All this structureless time should be cathartic. A power down and a reboot on the "time to the make the donuts" monotony it seemed we'd never shake. Not to mention the daily happy dance of knowing the Vera Bradley lunch boxes are hidden away for months.

But the truth is: I suck at summer. This new groove does not come naturally. Flexibility and go-with-flow are like me at synagogue. I nod along, but really I'm an outsider. As far as summer break is concerned, I realize I'm wound a bit too tightly and I'm afraid If I don't relax soon I'll ruin it for everyone. 

Camden and Duke

Luckily I've pinpointed my major downfall: I can turn a molehill into a mountain in 2.0 seconds. Particularly if that molehill is messy. For a week in June we fostered two of the cutest puppies not sold by WebKinz. My kids were mushy and gushy in all the right ways and and took great care of them. But for some reason, all I could focus on was each and every piddle puddle and poop swirl not dropped outside. Even the piles that successfully landed in the yard stressed me out. My kids made it known that I managed to suck the fun out puppies. That's so sad. Insulting. True. Fun and puppies seemed Crazy Glued together, but apparently when I'm around it's just worn out Velcro and I pulled those right apart. My name is Ellen and I'm a buzz kill. 

If it's true that admitting you have a problem is the first step, then I already feel a smidge less cranky. I will honestly try to take it down a notch and not wish away these precious remaining 53 days of summer. Oh, I gotta run. I think I just heard a blob of brownie batter hit the counter. 

A Birthday Present You've Probably Never Received

This week I turn sumpin' sumpin' years old. I'm hoping for jewelry, but who really cares. I definitely have everything I need and pretty much everything I want. However, the most unusual and best present I ever got came on my 2nd birthday, but I wouldn't realize it for years to come. On June 14, 1969, I turned two and my mom delivered my brother, Gary. As the story goes, the doctor had theatre tickets to see Hair on June 15. I'm sure my mom didn't argue about going in a day early. She was probably on her second gin gimlet when he called to offer the option. It was the 60s, people.

Let's get the regular stuff out of the way: Yes, my brother and I have same birthday. No, we don't have any other siblings. Yes, our parents only did it in October, exactly twice.

When we were little we hung out all the time making up skits and playing in the yard. But around the my 14th birthday, something terrible happened. I remember it vividly. We shared a bathroom and I was in there putting on my Revlon Marine Blue eyeliner (way too heavily I'm sure) and he walked in and momentarily paused behind me. In that unplanned moment we both knew the game had changed forever. Gary was taller. It was a swap in the balance of power that would last for years, right up until he acknowledged we could be friends again. Usually he was gentle and used his size advantage with a humorous approach. But one time he and a friend thought it would be funny to scare the crap out of me by launching bottle rockets from his bedroom window while I rode my bike (orange with a purple banana seat) up and down the street. I'd like to think he didn't mean for one to shoot through my hair and explode next to my head.

But throughout the hassling, elbowing, tripping, and full nelsons, we were friends deep down. After all, he knew he had to stay somewhat in my good graces or I wouldn't let my friends make out with him anymore. But that's a different post.

Having a big little brother was and is awesome.

One Friday night, my senior year in high school, I got dropped off at home from a party and was a little banged up. I was not at all surprised to find my brother shooting hoops on the driveway. Here's how our conversation went:

Me: Gar, do you have anything for my breath?
Gary: All I have is chewing tobacco. Opens the tin can to show me.
Me: Thanks! Grabbing a big league-sized scoop, I chew and swallow it.
Gary: Look of horror and disgust. Wait, don't!

I walk into the house

Mom: Hi honey, did you have fun tonight?
Me: Yes.
Mom: What's in your teeth?
Me: Brownies. Good night.
Mom: Good night.

My brother loves this story because he's seen guys twice my size taken down and puke for hours when a little bit of Skoal accidentally slipped down their throats. I think in his redneckian 15-year-old way, he saw me in a different, cooler light that night. And we've been looking out for each other ever since.

Happy Flag Day, Gary!

No Rest for the Injured or the Sugar Addicted

My first attempt at video blog. Why now? Click it!

Grammarvelous #2: The Apostrophe Catastophe

I know what you're thinking: it's the end of April and last month I said I was going to write a monthly grammar blog. Glad we both remembered in the nick of time.

It's finally feeling like spring and in the mid-Atlantic that means two things: allergies and baseball. Assuming we're all properly dosed up on Zyrtec, let's get right to baseball (and grammar).

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Our beloved home team the Baltimore Orioles is ubiquitously known as "the O's". At least to the locals. If you haven't once, in your best Baltimorean accent, uttered "How 'bout dem O's, hon?" you probably didn't eat fries'n gravy down de ocean to celebrate the nuptials of the Utz girl and Natty Boh guy. But that's ok because not speaking in or understanding the Hon dialect is forgivable (and arguably preferable), but improperly using punctuation is whole different bird (black and orange in this case). 

Let's get back to the O's and the purpose of this blog. I offer up for discussion a grammatical conundrum and something that has been gnawing at me for years: is it correct to have the apostrophe in O's? To argue it's grammatically incorrect, we must first agree that O's is a nickname for Orioles. Given that, Orioles in its stand alone form is plural not possessive and would require no apostrophe until the time is becomes a plural possessive. Have I lost you? Look at these examples and then it should all make sense.

• The Os are going to crush the Yankees this year. plural
• The Os' fans were voted best looking in the MLB. plural possessive
• The Orioles play at the beautiful Camden Yards. plural
• The Orioles' Manny Machado is working hard to come back from surgery and rejoin the big leagues. plural possessive

Still with me? 

However, a case can be made if you think O's is not a nickname, but a shortened version of the word Orioles. Is the apostrophe simply acting as a place holder for the remaining letters -- riole? Similarly, we use an apostrophe as a place holder in contractions such is don't, can't, won't, and so forth.  

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When I sat down to write this blog I was planning on venting years of annoyance about the misuse of the possessive apostrophe. But after careful thought and research, and mostly to move forward with my life, I'm going with the second theory: the apostrophe acts a place holder. I feel so much better. Have you been struggling with this too? I didn't think so.

Now that we've got that cleared up, I have a little bomb to drop. And I realize once I detonate it, you might go AWOL. Brace yourself: on pretty much all merchandise sporting the O's logo, the apostrophe is upside down and backwards. I know. I couldn't believe it either, but just look for yourself!

How did this pass through the Orioles' marketing gurus, MLB proofreaders and god knows how many other muckety mucks? After all these years I'm finally willing to accept the apostrophe belongs at all and now this? 

Who wants to start a petition?