A sight for sore eye (s)-no photos please!

My daughter has been self conscious as of late... About 3 weeks ago she complained of a sore eyelid. Because I was in a hurry to get to work, I called the nurse and asked her to please check it out.

At first, we thought it might have been a bug bite-her eyelid was swollen and it was VERY noticeable. The nurse gave me a call back that day and said while she saw no bite marks (from a spider or other insect) she seemed to think the eyelid was healing itself and would be fine within a few days.

As the days passed, the swelling seemed to go down considerably. She's not complaining of problems with her vision or pain anymore, but the bump is still there... and still noticeable. Not terribly so, but enough to know that her eyelid droops a little bit due to this bump on the eyelid.

At first I thought it might have been a sty, but those usually heal up within a week or so. The I saw it might be a chalazion, which is basically a small bump on the eyelid caused by a blocked oil gland. That sounds more like it... and she does have a small but noticeable bump there that she says is somewhat sticky when she touches it.

Of course, I am going to call the doctor to confirm-but in the meantime, school photos are scheduled for October 6th. And she is literally freaking out. We are putting the warm packs to it in hopes that it will bust eventually, and go away on its own. According to what I read online, it usually goes away in a month or two. But that is NOT fast enough for a very upset 8 yr old who is already self conscious due to her glasses and upcoming braces she will need within a year or two.

She has not allowed me to take pics of her, which really stinks because she received the most beautiful dress from Shabby Apple about a month ago, right before she came down with this eye infection. She plans on wearing it for photo day, so if all does go well, I am hoping we can get rid of the bump or shrink it so that it is less noticeable and so I can get a photo of her in her lovely dress for my review!

I feel like such a bad mommy for not knowing what this was, and thinking it was only a bite or irritation after hearing from the school nurse... :( So tomorrow I will be calling the doctor to get her in and check it out to verify what it is, and what else I can do to speed up her healing. (I am thinking maybe antibiotic eyedrops) Hoping to have a photo opp soon, I've told her she can pose back-to, sideways etc... but in the meantime, the Princess has requested... no pictures please!

Sleepy Sunday

After a late morning/early afternoon trip to McDonald's Play Place this is what hubby, my grandson Demetrio and my daughter Deja looked like as we settled down to watch a movie yesterday... it was dark, and even the flash couldn't wake them up!

So I just stuck to doing the laundry instead-there was no way I was going to disturb their nap time. :) I got sleepy just looking at the three of them, and with the hectic Monday I've had today I am ready for an early night myself!

*Deja was asleep but opened her eyes for the flash I think-she quickly closed her eyes and resumed snoring shortly after I took this pic. As a matter of fact, all THREE of them were snoring, and quite loudly I must say!

I've got a crazy, crazy cat...

'nuff said.

Barbie A Fashion Fairytale DVD Review

Growing up in the 60's and 70's (ahem...) I loved my Barbie dolls. I won't deny that I am jealous of the things that young girls have today as far as Barbie goes, and only wish I could have had that much fun myself with Barbie online, Barbie cars, palaces, houses, etc...

With an 8 year old in the house, I have to say that I am guilty of buying her Barbie toys just so I can end up playing with them myself... (shh... no one is supposed to know that) and we've watched her collection of Barbie DVD's together a few times.

I was thrilled when Mom Select asked me to review the latest Barbie DVD, "Barbie A Fashion Fairytale." I didn't let my daughter know it was coming, so when she came home from school recently AND had finished all her homework, I told her I had a surprise for her and pulled out the DVD. We watched it twice that night, and since then, she's watched it a few times more by herself.

It was fun seeing a modern actress Barbie leaving her ex Ken (yes, they break up temporarily-lol) and heading to Paris to visit her Aunt Millie and help her aunt save her fashion house in Paris so that it won't close up for good.

With a little fairy dust and help from " Flairie friends" Aunt Millie, her assistant Alice and Barbie prepare for a fabulous fashion show using Alice's designs. Unfortunately, their magical friends are kidnapped before the show-with the designs still incomplete! But, as they say-the show must go on. So Barbie, Aunt Millie, and Alice begin working hard to get their creations finished in time for the show. With a little hard work, and believing in themselves-they pull it off in time and become a hit.

We found it to be a fun family movie (although little boys might not like it as much as girls, because of the girly theme of course!) and a refreshing change from the DVD's we usually watch. (action, horror and stuff along those lines that mom and dad watch when our daughter has headed off to dreamland...) This time, we got to watch a movie together and even dad got into the act by popping a bowl of popcorn and sitting down to watch. (even though boxing was on!) It gave us some great family time, and reinforced what we always tell our daughter-that with hard work, and believing in herself, she can accomplish anything.

To purchase this DVD from Amazon, go here. You can play games related to the movie on Barbie.com or even check out the preview on Youtube here.

Thanks to Mom Select for providing us with this wonderful DVD to watch with our daughter!

Disclosure: I was provided a DVD of Barbie A Fashion Fairytale to watch with my family. I received no other compensation and the opinion above is my own.

Texas Roadhouse....

Where you can throw peanuts on the floor and NOT get into trouble lol. (and mom doesn't need to clean it up either!)

Avon Pocket Pie Mold winner!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

20

Timestamp: 2010-09-19 12:23:22 UTC

sorry for the delay, I got caught up in entering all those Blogmania giveaways a few days ago and forgot to choose the winner! The winner is Debbie! Congratulations and enjoy your pocket pie mold. I am emailing you now and you will have 48 hours to send me your info so I can send it out. Everyone, don't forget to enter my $35 Fantasy Jewelry Box GC giveaway! (link in left sidebar)

Blog for a Cure Event-Extended

Cancer Sucks. This pic is of my dad, who passed away on Valentine's Day 2009 of lung cancer. The man loved to smoke his cigarettes-but he paid the price. Prior to that, he had skin cancer on his face, from years of outdoor construction work and fishing without using sunscreen. To see a family member or loved one suffering from the effects of cancer is hard. The painful treatments, the toll cancer takes on the body, the fight to keep living-so hard to watch, so heartbreaking when the fight is lost.

Most, if not all of us have known someone with cancer. Or known someone whose own family was touched by this terrible disease. Right now, there is a great event going on where you can donate to this cause-yes, there are prizes, and only $1.00 donation gets you an entry into ALL the drawings. If you contribute more, you can use those additional entries to put in the drawings you really want to win. It goes to a wonderful cause and you can also win some great things donated by generous sponsors. If you donate $30 or more, be sure to look at the special automatic items you will receive just for donating at several levels.

Head over to Who Knew Reviews to enter today-it has been extended until Monday. Or just click the link in my left sidebar to check it out. Remember, just $1.00 will get you into ALL the drawings, for extra entries just leave a comment on those you want to enter because if you donate more, you will be able to use additional entries for those prizes you really want to win! Note: even if you donate $1.00 you will have one entry into all the drawings, but you must comment on the post too!

Fantasy Jewelry Box Review and Giveaway

Back when hubby and I got married, he wanted a wedding ring with a gold nugget type design-and while it looked great, I have to admit wearing it wasn't the most comfortable thing for him. The inside of the ring is not smooth, like a regular band-and given the type of work he does, he would come home and there were deep ridges in his finger from the inside of the ring.

Since wearing it was painful, I told him to just take it off and wear it when he wasn't working or for special occasions. So he just stuck it in a box and put it on a shelf where it sat long forgotten for quite some time.

Recently, he's been asking for another ring-one he CAN wear on a daily basis. We've shopped around, but with the outrageous price of gold right now, there is no way that we can afford a new gold band from our local jeweler when they start at $225 and UP for a simple gold band with no design. Ouch!

That's where Fantasy Jewelry Box comes in. I have to say I am a little hesitant buying jewelry online, because I like to see the item and try it on first to see if it is something that I really would want and wear. I had seen plenty of blog giveaways from Fantasy Jewelry Box, and was lucky enough to win a gift certificate to their site so I could try out a new piece of jewelry. I was very happy to see that they also had Men's jewelry, and even happier to see that they had wedding bands in different metal options and designs. More importantly, their prices were extremely affordable.

When I told Jose that he could pick out a ring for himself, he was very happy and we started looking at the pages of rings offered. While he liked quite a few of them, he still wanted the "Gold" look, and lucky for him, they had several great designs in stock to choose from. His final selection was the Bradley's Matte Gold Men's Band which sells regularly for $33.95 but happened to be on sale for $27.88! Online, the ring looked shiny and very nice. I was hoping that when I saw it in person I would be just as impressed.

We placed our order, and within a week or so it came. It arrived in a cute little black box, and when Jose took it out of the box I wasn't disappointed. It fit true to size and, as he said, was MUCH more comfortable than the ring he currently has. The matte design is nice too-giving it a fancier, much more expensive look than the plain $200+ bands we'd seen at the jewelry store. He's worn it a few weeks now, and several of his co-workers have complimented him on it. This ring is even heavier than his gold one, which really surprised me. He hasn't taken it off since he got it, and it's held up quite well considering the janitorial work he does.

Now, I have to admit I am jealous. Since I gained weight my own rings do not fit me. Sizing them up is not an option, since they quoted me over $100 for EACH. But I still want to be able to wear something beautiful, and when I saw the Sterling Silver Princess Cut CZ Solitaire Ring I fell in love with it. I hope hubby repays the favor and buys me something off my wish list for Christmas...lol. And at less than $30 it really is a bargain.

Since I have been so pleased with the amazing ring that my husband got, I asked the wonderful people over at Fantasy Jewelry Box if they would do a giveaway for my own readers so they could see for themselves what amazing jewelry they have. And they said YES!!! So I am able to offer one of my readers any item up to $35 for free! Given the great prices they have, you may even be able to get 2 items...just make sure they add up to $35 or less. And as far as choosing what you want, well, it will be difficult I'm sure.
I bet you didn't know that Fantasy Jewelry Box also has a YouTube channel. You might want to check it out! Lots of hints, fashion trends, and other info on their channel.

Ok, so you wanna win! Let's get down to business then. Giveaway starts tonight 9/13/10 and ends 9/30/2010 at 11:59 PM EST. Open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and notified by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning email before I choose another winner.

MANDATORY ENTRY-for 1 entry, you must be following my blog via Google Friend Connect

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES-(leave a separate comment for EACH if it says +2 leave 2 comments!)

+2 Sign up for the Fantasy Jewelry Box newsletter (bottom of home page)let me know email used for signup

+1 Follow me on Twitter leave your twitter ID current followers, let me know!

+1 Follow Fantasy Jewelry Box on Twitter leave your twitter ID

+1 Like Fantasy Jewelry Box on Facebook & leave your Facebook name used

+1 Subscribe to my feed and let me know! If you already do, let me know.

+1 Tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link! Can be done once daily.

+3 Add this to any giveaway linky and let me know where, unlimited.

+5 Add my button to your sidebar, or put me on your Blogroll

Good luck everyone!

Disclosure: I won a $35.00 GC from Fantasy Jewelry Box from another blog, and asked them if I could offer my readers the same great giveaway and they agreed. I did not receive any other compensation for this post and the opinions are solely my own.

JumpStart Winner!

Sorry for the delay, the winner is... Paula Michelle! Congrats off to email you :)

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

5

Timestamp: 2010-09-09 01:23:26 UTC

My Review of Six Star+ 20 Piece Cutlery Set with Ronco Rocker

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

Includes

• 1 x 11.75" Ronco Rocker™ knife
• 1 x 14.5" Showtime all-purpose knife
• 1 x 13.25" Bread & bagel knife
• 1 x 13.13" Chef's knife
• 1 x 14.5" Saw knife
• 1 x 12.75" Boning knife

Six Star+ 20 Piece Cutlery Set with Ronco Rocker

Awesome Set!

By Michele P. from Waterville, ME on 9/5/2010

 

5out of 5

Pros: Comfortable Grip, Block Included, Sharp Blade, Durable, Variety Of Knives

Best Uses: Kitchen

Describe Yourself: Casual Cook

Durable, easy to use-love the fact that there are so many knives included and the block is a great place to store them right on the countertop. Very sharp, so be careful!

(legalese)

Avon Pocket Pie Mold Giveaway

Phew! What a week... hot, humid and sticky. After the remnants of Hurricane Earl passed by late Friday night, we ended up getting more cooler and drier weather. The migraines that have plagued me for the last week or so have subsided and while I am over tired from not sleeping well-it's better than having constant headaches.

Cooler weather makes me think of baking weather. And Fall makes me think of pie making. Apples are out early this year, and I can't wait to make a nice apple pie in a few weeks. And apple crisp...OMG, with vanilla ice cream on top. Yum!

Avon has come out with tons of cute kitchen products recently, and I had to pick up one of their Pocket Pie Molds in the Star shape to give to one of my readers. So... what I want you to do is tell me what type of pie you would make in this cute little mold.

Giveaway begins today and ends on 9/15/10 at 11:59 PM EST. Since I am mailing this out myself, I can ship internationally so yes, it is open to everyone. I get a little nervous shipping internationally, because I don't know if the items I send will get delivered or not-but I am willing to take the chance that they do. One winner will be selected by Random.org and given 48 hours to respond to winning email before I pick another winner.

FIRST MANDATORY ENTRY: Tell me what type of pie you would make in this mold.

Additional Entries available: (leave each comment separately)

+2 be a new or current follower via GFC or subscribe to my feed (+4 if you do both)
+1 follow me on Twitter @micaela6955 (new or current)
+1 tweet this giveaway-can do this one time a day, leave link to tweet

I want to keep it short and simple, so those are the extra entries available for this prize- Good luck!

Disclaimer: I am an Avon Rep. and purchased this item myself. I have not tried this out myself, therefore I am not able to review it. I just thought it would be something cute to give away on my blog now that Fall baking season is coming up :)

In Heat...

I honestly think I could have cooked an egg on the sidewalk today. Never mind that, I probably could have cooked an omelet. It was (and still is) hot and humid here in Central Maine for September 1st.

I am fighting yet another migraine, am feeling just plain blah, and my body is adjusting to an earlier wake up time now that my daughter went back to school today. If that isn't crazy enough, Hurricane Earl just might pay us a visit over the weekend. (praying I don't lose my power, I have emails to respond to and posts to write!)

Tomorrow is supposed to be another day the same as today, hot, humid, and just plain miserable. To me, that takes the term "in heat" to a whole new level folks. Even in the air conditioning, the sweat just pours off me. It's got to be middle aged hormones mixed in with the heat, because my face is even breaking out-unusual for me since my skin tends to be as dry as the Sahara on a good day. I am usually slathering on some sort of elixir to make me look less wrinkled and well preserved so this is certainly a change.

I will be back soon, with another giveaway and a couple of reviews. I might even give away another Avon product too-something cute for Fall to get you in the baking mood. Right now, McDonald's is my best friend and the oven door remains shut. There will be no more baking, cooking or slaving over a hot stove until this heat wave is over. Lucky for me, payday is tomorrow. Looks like Chinese take out is in the cards for the evening meal tomorrow.

I am now going to rest with a cool cloth over my head and eyes... It's nights like this when I have a migraine I think of the old Foreigner song "Double Vision" because that is what I've got right now... and it's getting the best of me! (they may have meant it a whole other way, but to me, double vision=migraine) Be back soon!