Wig Party Idea for 2015: Embrace Your Inner Unicorn

Cathy Hale Wig PartyIn early January, I was invited to a Wig Party for a friend’s birthday. I figured we’d all dig through our old costume bags, grab a brush and thrown on a wig. I was mistaken. This was a professional wig party at Coco Coquette on East Cesar Chavez in Austin.

CoCo Coquette is an incredible little vintage boutique with some of the coolest threads you’ve ever seen and they are a full-service ready-to-wear and custom wig shop. They do make-up too, so as they say on their website, you are sprinkled with enough glam and glitter to “embrace your inner unicorn.”

There’s a funky lounge area to relax and hang out with your gals, so it’s a great party spot for any occasion. Like, “Hey! I just paid my cell phone bill AND it’s Tuesday! Let’s have a wig party!”

We wanted to do it again around Valentine’s Day to celebrate our birthdays, but they were booked. So we did our own wig thing instead which was still super fun. My friends bought some wild wigs from Coco — the cray cray hot pink one and the purple Farrah Fawcett curls — and we hung out downtown. And since it’s Austin, nobody really noticed the wigs.

NOTE: Red wig is thanks to Coco Coquette styling. Blue wig is of my own devices. Video created with @Magisto:

Cathy Hale Coco Coquette PartyCathy Hale photoshoot

Sock Monkey Love: Crafty Centerpiece for Valentine’s Day

Sock Monkey ValentinesI love decorating my son’s classroom for the holidays this year. It’s the first time I haven’t been working in an office full-time, so it’s something very special to me. My son (who is in elementary school) is jazzed about it too.

Getting cute decorations on a budget isn’t easy, so I went to Michaels to peruse their eye candy. And what did I find on sale? These shiny, fun, ribbon heart wreaths/door decor and some uber-cute red heart boxes that look like message hearts from back in the day…of my youth…like the Stone Ages.

Anyhoo, I grabbed a few items and headed to the school. The class mascot is the undeniably and infinitely popular SOCK MONKEY. All hail the sweater ape! And this classroom has a bunch of them on the shelves.

I was trying to work some magic with my hearts for the centerpieces, but I needed something to prop up the hearts and bring them to life. Enter sock monkeys! I picked various monkeys to put in various hearts, gave them each a monkey Valentine to hold and scattered the cute heart boxes. LOVED the bright colors! Thanks to Michaels for making this sometimes-crafty mom’s life easier.

HI RES PICS BELOW:

Sock Monkey Centerpiece

Sock Monkey Valentine's Day Decor

Sock Monkey Love Centerpiece

 

Behind The Scenes: What’s Buzzing in Austin & Texas Hill Country

Behind the Scenes in Texas Hill CountryI gave up my SoCo address and turned in my “hipster” card (which was already expired, trust me!) back in 2007. I’ve been living in the Texas Hill Country since then and it’s an amazing place to call home.

For over a year I’ve been writing for Lake Travis Lifestyle, a nifty online resource about happenings in the Lake Travis area. I contribute original articles on a weekly basis and it is so exciting (and meaningful) to feature all of the great businesses, people, organizations, restaurants and shops that make up this growing community.

The hardest part of this job is staying focused on one topic, because something new pops up every day. I hop from hotel openings like the Sonesta Hotel Bee Cave opening this summer to awesome college athletes like Samaje Perine to the best patios with the most glorious views. Whew! That doesn’t even include the live music scene, restaurants, shops and giveaways.

My favorite articles are part of our Live Local Series where I get to do Q&As with local notables: Continue reading “Behind The Scenes: What’s Buzzing in Austin & Texas Hill Country”

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT

Pure Barre & My Road to Recovery

Cathy Hale Austin, Cathy HaleThis month I am featured in the Client Spotlight at Pure Barre Lakeway! It’s very special to me, because my journey back to health has not been easy. I’m recovering from (and living with) a herniated disc. It was a long and grueling ordeal and as I sit here writing this post, I can still feel twinges of pain in my left leg. But thanks to Pure Barre, life is resembling “normal” again.

A catastrophic event did not occur to cause the injury, but I remember it seemed to happen the day after my boys performed in the school talent show last year. My back had been bothering me because I had slipped in the shower a few days earlier and in order to catch myself from falling, I awkwardly jolted my lower back. I woke up the next morning in excruciating pain and could hardly get out of bed. Little did I know, I had a degenerative disc (L5) and all hell was about to break loose. Continue reading “Pure Barre & My Road to Recovery”

Top 5 Things I’m Obsessed With…

Cathy Hale LululemonI think we all suffer from short-lived or long-lived obsessions. I remember back in the day when I just couldn’t stop watching Real Housewives or eating blueberry muffins or stumbling on StumbleUpon. Yikes! Here are my Top 5 Obsessions going into 2015. Chime in and let me know what’s floating your boat.

#1 – The Food Network – Heaven help me, I can’t stop watching Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay and Cutthroat Kitchen. I was also glued to any Holiday Cooking competition too. You’re gonna make cookies, cakes, gingerbread houses, salted porks? I’ll watch it. I am not a foodie. In fact, I’m the opposite of that. (Oh yes, I am loving Worst Chef in America too!)

All of the judges and the amateur and professional chefs just blow my mind. Alton Brown is highly entertaining and admittedly, I do root against Bobby Flay, although he always wins. Will my new passion for watching people cook actually motivate me to cook? Time will tell.

#2 – Lululemon – I know, I know. I’m a few years late to the Lulu party, but I made it. It’s a splurge for me to shop “The Lemon,” so I’m not sporting every outfit they construct. It’s crazy how comfy and cool their workout gear is and now that I’m also obsessed with Pure Barre, (see #3) I have a great reason to wear it 24/7. The wild tank is my favorite top at the moment. I had trouble deciding on a color, so I got them both.

#3 – Pure Barre – All of my friends and family know that Pure Barre will always hold a special place in my heart. I’m recovering from a debilitating L5 herniation which pretty much ruined my physical life.  was down and out — literally — for months coping with tremendous pain that never stopped. There wasn’t a comfortable position or a miracle cure. I opted not to have surgery and waited it out. As soon as the pain lessened enough for me to walk normally, I started working out.

I felt the only workout option I had that would protect my lower back and help me regain my strength was Pure Barre. Pilates was too much pressure on my back and I have no flexibility to do yoga again, which I had done for many years. My Pure Barre Lakeway family means the world to me and they’ve given me back my life. Awwwe, tear.

Continue reading “Top 5 Things I’m Obsessed With…”

I’m Writing a Book: Interview with My Bestie

Interview with My BestieThe Prologue.

I’ve finally decided to write that book I’ve always been talking about writing about. It will focus on the epic, oft gluten-free and humor-free-to-the-public adventures that bind me and my bestie together for all eternity in the goofy and nonsensical ways in which besties are intertwined. (Disclaimer: No twine was harmed during the writing of this book.)

My book is dedicated to everyone who has a bestie or has recently purchased one via the Interweb. I’ll share the laughter, the tears, the tears due to laughter and the laughter due to tears that me and my longtime bestie, Alli, have experienced. It’s the epic journey of faith, sarcasm, extreme, extremities, delusions, hallucinations, tenderness, chicken tenders, enlightenment, perspicacity, fortunatelessness….okay, I made that last one up. It’s about us.

Featured chapter titles include:

No Way, Please Tell Me You Didn’t Do That

That’s not a Dress, It’s a Shirt

I Like to Break Out in Song Mid-Sentence

Let Me Consult My Wrist Calculator Beep Boop Bop Beep Beep

Yay, Your Hair is Longish

What You’re Saying is Totally Weird and I Totally Get It

I’m Laughing Because You Just Fell Down

“I Look Like a Chubby Hooker”

Didn’t You Pass Out at My Baby Shower?

Hey. Hey. Remember That Time When You Did That Thing?

“Am I Sexy Now?” {Insert circus music]

We Already Talked about that Shirt…

Funny Dancing (Part I, II, III, IV and V)

What if a Pharmaceutical Company Combined Ambien and Viagra

“She Thinks She’s So Bendy. Watch This.”

Look for it in a place that sells books or e-books or things you can read, perhaps on 18% recycled paper, in 2017.

Walt Disney World via Selfies by MommyQ

We recently visited Disney World in Orlando after Thanksgiving for a pre-holiday vacay. Lots of fun to be had, but sadly I forgot to pack my selfie stick. Booo! I did actually see a few other folks with their selfie sticks, so I knew it would’ve been fun. Oh well. Mom brain.

Anyhoo, we managed to snap a few shots between the lines, FastPass stress, expensive food, small thunderstorms, character meetings, way too many strollers, lack of alcohol and…oh, wait….I digress. Yes, I took a few selfies on the rides themselves. I learned some stuff too. #1 – I’m awful at taking selfies. #2 – The spinning tea cups still make me feel like I’m gonna puke.

It was a great trip and seeing Cinderella Castle “Frozen” with the amazing parade and fireworks was worth it! Still magical after all of these years…

Disney World Tomorrowland, Cathy Hale, MommyQ, Cathy Hale AustinWe’re all buckled in for a drive in Tomorrowland Speedway. Let’s just say I’m really glad none of my kids are driving anytime soon.. Space Mountain, Disney World, MommyQ, Cathy HaleThe best ride, especially on a rainy day, was the PeopleMover! We must have been on that ride 8-9 times, because the kids loved drive through Space Mountain and seeing the inside of the famous coaster without riding it. This was right before we were hurled into the darkness…at like 2mph…ha-ha!

Small World ride, Disney World, MommyQIt’s a Small World after all….it’s a small, small world….

Dang the Mad Tea Party and those spinning tea cups! I almost puked twice and dropped my phone into oblivion four times. This was captured mid-spin. Obviously, we are having a horrible time. 😉

Cinderella Castle Frozen

This pic doesn’t do the “Frozen” Cinderella Castle justice, because in person the purple/blue icicles are really amazing. Disney World definitely knows how to do Christmas. Just wish they knew how to do eggnog too…