Book Review: Aurora Fee

I was given the opportunity to review Aurora Fee by Parent Reviewers. (as you can see, my cat Stubby was a bit attracted to the book as well...)

First, I will tell you all that my favorite genre of book is horror, supernatural, mystery etc... so when I saw that Aurora Fee was actually about a teenager who was part human and part cat, I knew that this sort of read would be right up my alley.

Aurora Fee has lived a long, long time. She has experienced sadness as well as happiness in the many years that she has lived, but like any teen, yearns for her one true love. Sometimes love brings danger, and sadness too-something Aurora knows all too well.

Because she looks different, with her cat like qualities-some people are frightened by her. Others are totally entranced. She never stays in one place too long, it is just too dangerous. Besides, after her emotions cause her to morph and grow cat ears, whiskers, or even a tail... people start to get suspicious.

Aurora Fee struggles with the normal teenage emotions, but never wants to get too close to anyone. Those she does get close to face grave danger as her past comes back to haunt her.

I read the book in two nights, curious to find out if Aurora Fee finds true love, while dealing with events and individuals that have returned from her past to torment her. Even listening to her inner voice can be a danger, as she later finds out.

Without spoiling the story for those who want to read it, I will say that I enjoyed this book. It is a book I would let my 9 year old read, because it is not filled with raunchy words or descriptive sex scenes. (I can read those in my own horror books, but my 9 year old will have to wait quite a few years for that!)

Aurora suffers from normal teen feelings, wanting to be loved, and of course, the fear of being different. Something we all can relate to in one way or another. I was surprised to see that the writer of this book is only a teen herself, I think she did a great job and had a great handle on the emotions and experiences that teens face on a daily basis. This is a good book for a tween and/or teen to read, and fits the young adult paranormal genre perfectly. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review Aurora Fee :)


Disclosure: I was provided a copy of the book free of charge in order to give my opinion on it. The review above is based on my own thoughts and opinions in regard to the book, others may have their own views.

Deja's 9th Birthday Party December 11, 2010

Last weekend was Deja's 9th birthday party, and we decided to have it at the local bowling alley Sparetime Recreation . We had a great time, and the party was very affordable! Deja had invited her whole class but about 7-8 kids showed up.

For $13.00 each, the children get to bowl for two hours plus each get 2 pieces of pizza and french fries along with unlimited pitchers of soft drinks. We had several adults stay as well, and I ordered three extra pizzas so everyone would have something to eat. Daddy was also happy because they served beer :)

The great things was that it was indoors (out of the cold, the winter months in Maine are horrible for birthday parties) all I had to bring was the cake, and I didn't even have to clean up! Each child that attended also got a coupon for a free string of bowling as well. We had fun with the goody bags, and I included a couple of special items in 2 of the bags. If the child had one of those items, they got a special prize as well (which in this case was a $5.00 GC to McDonald's) The kids seemed to like it and all were excited about the contents of candy and toys in their bags.

Hubby and I loved the combination pizza, OMG it was SO good! Hubby said we are definitely going back to the bowling alley soon for another one. (hmmm... I want to try their nachos!) If you live in Maine, there are 3 locations: Waterville, Augusta and Lewiston. It is definitely worth checking out. The total for us, not including beer lol... was about $160.00 for the kids meals, bowling, AND additional pizzas ordered. Not a bad deal at all. Plus Deja got to bring home a keepsake of the party, a bowling pin that was autographed by all that attended. She's already asking to go back next year!

**For those wondering about Deja's custom birthday shirt, I had it made by Curious Georgia on Etsy, the shop owner worked with me and with what Deja wanted to create a great tee shirt that she can wear not just on her birthday, but every day! Pay her shop a visit to see if there is something you might like for your little ones...

General Mills Big G Cereals Movie Night Prize Winner

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

52

Timestamp: 2010-12-18 02:21:24 UTC

Congrats goes out to slb3334! I am off to email you now :) Thanks for entering everyone, and be sure to enter my NuWave Oven giveaway below!

It's a NuWave Oven Giveaway!

Well dear readers, I have an AWESOME surprise for you today! After seeing my review of the NuWave oven that I did yesterday, the company has generously offered a giveaway here on my blog! That means one of you will be lucky enough to win a NuWave oven of your own!

I have to tell you all that the couple of times we have used the oven, it has worked just great. Hubby used it today at lunch time to cook up some pork chops, and he said they were juicy, and delicious. I don't know about you, but one thing I worry about when cooking meat is whether I will overcook it and it will end up drying out and be as tough as a piece of old leather. And as we both know, a shriveled piece of leathery looking meat is neither appetizing nor appealing-in my house, it ends up in the trash because even the cats won't touch it. The steak we had yesterday was juicy, but NOT greasy-just the way I like it. I could almost feel the cholesterol leaving my body, lol.

The oven comes with a DVD, cookbook, and a laminated card which helps you pick the right time and temperature to cook your food. I keep the laminated card right near my oven, and plan to use it a few times until I finally get the hang of cooking in the oven. My oven came with a bonus pizza set as well, which was pretty neat since we eat lots of pizza here in my house. Now, rather than ordering out I will be able to make my own versions of a healthier pizza right in my NuWave oven. If hubby lets me, I might bring it in to our next potluck dinner at work and cook a whole chicken in it to show my co-workers how NuWave cooking can be fun and show them how easy it is to use it. The great thing is that we can continue working and not worry about it, the NuWave will let us know when its time to turn the chicken over and when it is finally ready for eating :)

I am very pleased to be able to offer one of my lucky readers a NuWave oven of their own! These ovens retail for over a hundred dollars, and one of you will receive it for FREE! Yay! Below please find all the info you need in order to enter to win...

Giveaway begins today 12-15-10 and ends on my birthday 1-15-11 at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be selected via Random.org and notified by email-I will need winner to confirm with a physical address & phone number for shipping purposes in 48 hours or I will have to select another winner. Giveaway is limited to US only. You MUST leave your email in your comment or have it visible on your profile so that I can contact you.

For your first MANDATORY entry there are TWO things you must do: 1. Be a blog follower via GFC AND 2. Visit the sponsors website and tell me something you learned about the oven. (hint, check out their FAQS page)

You can earn extra entries too! Check out how below: (+2 equals 2 separate comments)

+1 easy peasy, tell me what you would make in your NuWave oven!

+3 Add my button to your sidebar or add me to your blog roll

+5 Add me to any giveaway linky, let me know where in your comment, unlimited

+1 tweet this giveaway, leave link in your comment, can do this once daily

+1 Follow me on twitter micaela6955

+10 Blog about this giveaway on your blog and leave a link to your post

Have fun, and Happy Holidays! Good luck to all those entering, I just know whoever wins it will love it!

NuWave Oven Review

Early one morning last week I heard my husband come home and turn on the TV as he settled down in bed next to me. I had to work in a couple of hours, and really didn't want to be bothered by the light shining from the TV but I figured if it was keeping him entertained... then so be it.

But instead of the normal "guy" stuff he usually watches (boxing, old Westerns, action flicks...) I was hearing some infomercial talk about something called a NuWave oven. This was NOT good. If my husband was keeping the channel on long enough to sit through an infomercial, something was telling me I had better have my wallet out. (or at least a major credit card)

I do NOT buy things from infomercials, I hate the inflated shipping charges and the fact that it might NOT do what it's supposed to. I opened an eye and glanced over at him... the poor man was salivating watching the foods cooking in this oven. I calmly told him to turn off the TV and go get himself a bowl of cereal and milk.

All week the man did NOT shut up. I have to admit, he kept that infomercial on WAY too long and interrupted my minimum 8 hours nightly beauty sleep. For that I was NOT pleased. But that did not stop him from talking about the NuWave oven and all its cooking goodness-nope, it made him even want the darn thing MORE...

Finally, I gave in and started researching it online. Checking out the good and the bad. Trying to make an informed decision, as any smart consumer would. But I was determined not to pay shipping or give out any information to anyone over the phone. Knowing that "Seen on TV" products can sometime be found in regular stores, I knew I'd hit paydirt when someone mentioned they had gotten theirs at Kohl's.

Ah Ha! And I just happened to have a new Kohl's card that needed breaking in. First, I checked online to no avail. No NuWave oven on the website that I could find. Then I called the store. When the friendly associate confirmed that they indeed had them in stock, I knew what was going to happen next. My husband, rubbing his hands together and grinning like an evil scientist plotting the end of the world announced that as soon as our daughter's birthday party was over we were heading to the nearest Kohl's.

This was a battle I knew I had lost. So off we went this past Saturday in search of a NuWave oven. My husband, who has been to Kohl's all of four times, apparently had some sort of radar or something-as he made a bee line to the exact spot where these ovens were located with no assistance. Eagerly he picked up a box and began walking at a good clip to the checkout area. My daughter and I hurried after him, trying to catch up.

Once we got the NuWave oven home, he lovingly laid the box on top of the stove and waited for me to do something. I did do something, I ordered takeout. I made him suffer a few days, until today. For when I came home tonight, I was greeted to the sight of my NuWave oven cooking steak and baked potatoes. By golly, he'd even mopped the entire kitchen floor to get on my good side.

By now, I am sure you will want to know how the food tasted. Amazingly, it was good. The thing worked. It was neat seeing the grease dripping off the steaks and knowing that I was going to be eating a bit healthier tonight, and it is much better than pan frying up a steak for sure. The potatoes were good too, and crunchy, not soggy in the least. The house didn't fill with smoke, and clean up (which hubby ALSO did) was a breeze. Cooking was quick as well, with the NuWave oven using convection, infrared and conduction combined I was surprised at how fast the food cooked.

I am anxious now to try a few other things in it, such as a roast, pizza, whole chicken, etc... While the oven is around $120 or so, I got it for a little under a hundred using Kohl's cash and the percent off coupons they have been sending out lately. So far, I am satisfied with my purchase and hope to continue using it to create more great meals for the family in less time-especially since my full time job has been crazy these past couple of months. A NuWave oven would make a great holiday gift, for yourself or a family member :) I think hubby has already gotten me my gift, lol! (we'd just finished cooking in it, hence the steam on the inside in the photo)

Disclaimer: I was not provided with anything from the company for this review, this was done to let others know about a product I bought and paid for myself and my own experience with it. Your own opinions or experiences may differ.

CSN Store Winner!

I would have posted earlier, but I am so NOT feeling it. Stayed home today with a cold, which has become a sinus infection. The doctor couldn't see me today, so I am off to work tomorrow with the help of Tylenol Cold and Sinus. I just can't miss another day... we are so behind, and I feel so guilty whenever I am out. But working while your head is in a funk... well, that is not always fun either. Two of my co-workers have health issues, and when they get sick, they REALLY get sick. And can be out for a week or so. Another reason for me not to be there today.

Now to the announcement you've been waiting for... the winner of the CSN Store GC! Per Random.org the winner is...

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

216

Timestamp: 2010-12-09 00:26:46 UTC

which is Gina from The Crave to Save blog! Congratulations! I will be emailing you in a few to confirm delivery of your prize :) Don't forget to enter my Big G Cereals and movie tickets giveaway!

Yum! You Know You Want Some...

I actually ate this last night... No, it's not ice cream but more of a cream and brownie sundae. I definitely needed the chocolate and sweet goodness after a busy week of work.

Today my daughter turned 9, it is amazing how time flies by so quickly. At first, they are babes in arms, then crawling around as inquisitive toddlers, then becoming independent tweens, then teenagers, and before you know it... they are all grown up!

My son will be 18 on the 16th, eek! He's going to be an ADULT.... lol, now that may mean he is legally one, but he doesn't ACT like one yet-big difference! He's assumed a lot of responsibility being a teen dad of TWO little boys, which is not easy when you and your significant other are also still children yourselves. But they have done well, and I am proud of them for the steps they have taken so far.

Here in Maine, it has been cold and snowy. I am SO over it-heck, I want those 80 degree temperatures and sunshine back! Work has been super busy, as expected-but we did have a fun cookie and ornament swap today that broke up some of the day to day routine and made things fun.

Lastly, I have been suffering with a head cold. Hoping to get over it by the weekend for my daughter's party AND hoping to not share the love and give it to her BEFORE her party! The last thing I want is for her to be sick on her special day with family and friends...

Well readers, I will be choosing sometime tomorrow for my winner for the CSN Stores prize. Good luck to you all and keep entering! Until 11:59 PM EST that is. Don't forget to enter my other giveaway, you can win some yummy General Mills cereal and some movie tickets. Enjoy the week! I will post the winner tomorrow evening.

Win a movie night prize pack!

Now that the craziness of Thanksgiving is over, I finally have had the chance to relax a bit. Work is still crazy, but 'Tis the Season, as they say...

One thing I love to do is sit back and relax in the morning with a bowl of cereal and glass of milk. (I will let you all in on a secret, I have NEVER eaten cereal in a bowl with milk-I eat it dry, by the handful, straight out of the box with a nice cold glass of milk on the side) One of my FAVORITE cereals from my childhood has been Lucky Charms, OMG I could eat a whole box if they'd let me, lol.

When I was contacted by My Blog Spark and asked if I wanted to do a giveaway for a couple of boxes of General Mills Big G cereals AND movie tickets to boot, I jumped right on it. If you haven't seen the specially marked packages in your stores yet, be sure to look for them. By purchasing specially marked packages of Big G cereal and entering the codes from two boxes you can earn a free movie ticket! Considering going to the movies can be pretty pricey nowadays, this is a great bargain-even sweeter if you have coupons for the cereal or find it on sale!

I received two boxes of the specially marked packages of Big G cereal and four movie passes, which is great since my daughter has been begging me to take her and a friend to the movies. She will get in free next week on her birthday, so these tickets will come in super handy!

So here are some important things to remember: Starting this month, you can receive a free movie ticket when you purchase two specially marked packages of Big G cereals including Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (17 oz.), Lucky Charms® (16 oz.), Trix® (14.8 oz) and Reese’s Puffs® cereal (18 oz.)
After purchasing two participating cereals, visit generalmills.com/moviecash to enter the unique code found inside each box of cereal and print your free Movie Cash certificate (good for one admission of up to a $12 value at participating theatres). To find a participating theater in your area, log onto emoviecash.com/dis_locator.

I'm pleased to say that I am able to provide one of my readers with the same prize package I received: 2 boxes of cereal and four Movie Cash certificates. This giveaway is for US residents only and will end December 16, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and have 48 hours to respond to winning email. Please leave a way to contact you in your comments or via your profile, so I can contact you if you win.

For your first, MANDATORY entry tell me: Which cereals are you looking forward to purchasing to earn e-movie cash? For me, it would most definitely be Lucky Charms!

Additional entries as follows: (if it says +2 leave me two comments)

+1 Follow me on twitter micaela6955
+1 Tweet this giveaway, leave link in comment-Add #myblogspark hashtag, daily :)
+3 Add my button to your sidebar or add me to your blog roll
+5 Add me to any giveaway linky, let me know where in your comment, unlimited
+1 Something easy, tell me your favorite breakfast cereal :)



Disclosure: The information and giveaway above were all given to me from General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing all of my readers and their families a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your day with friends and family... cherish the moment and take delight in the wonderful food and desserts on the table.

If heading out shopping later this evening, hope you get all the great deals you want-be careful, and cautious. Here in Maine, it is supposed to be a bit on the wintry side with freezing rain and snow so I will be staying home. (hubby and my son are going out, grandbabies and Deja with me) I'm happy, I was able to snag a Blu Ray DVD player from Best Buy with built in WiFi for under a hundred bucks online earlier today-which is all I really wanted for the family in the first place. (with our Netflix subscription and so many movies streaming now, it made sense to get the most out of Netflix) Still got a bit more shopping to do, but I should be all caught up in the next week or so.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hottest Holiday Toys in 2010

Check out the Hottest Holiday Toys in 2010 as posted by Mamanista (check out the link at the top of my right sidebar)or just click HERE

I can see my daughter with the Corolle Doll and the Fashion Designer toys this Christmas and my little grandsons snuggling up with the Zoobie Pets and playing with the Oball Rattle with its neat shape.

I'm sure you will find something you enjoy for your little ones, and you can even take a chance and see if you win one! Check out the giveaways too, and good luck!

I Won The Bad Mommy Award Today

My daughter had her ears pierced when she was two months old. She didn't cry then. But today, well, it was a whole different story.

When she was a toddler, she started yanking on her ears... ALOT. Scared that she might pull out an earring, hubby and I made the decision to take them out until she was older and ready to care for her earrings and her ears herself. The last thing I wanted was my daughter ripping an earring out, or worse, getting one loose and then putting the earring or backing in her mouth and swallowing it.

But as she began noticing her friends cute earrings, she kept mentioning how she wanted to have them in again. A few times, hubby laid her across his lap, soaked an earring in alcohol, and went to work-thinking the hole would magically reopen and the earring would find its way in pain free. Sure, he got them through both times-but it was not pain free and after a day or so my daughter wanted them out.

She's been mentioning earrings again, and I knew if daddy heard this it would be a repeat performance of the other two disasters a few years before. So, when I went to get my hair done today I mentioned to Deja that she could have her hair cut and if she wanted, her ears pierced. She knows my hairdresser, and she trusts her. I've known her myself since I was Deja's age and know that by piercing her ears again with a licensed cosmetologist, using the very quick procedure they have, that it would be much better than forcing an earring through a hole that had already long closed up.

At first she was hesitant, and then she started protesting and crying, squirming etc... as my friend got the stuff ready. My mother thankfully was there and was holding her hand and trying to calm her down. Before the procedure took place, I had to go and compose myself in the bathroom as I had started bawling too, and didn't want her to see me upset. By the time I'd left the bathroom, it was done. She was crying and howling, and saying it hurt. But when I asked her which way hurt worse, daddy's way or this way, she agreed daddy's way was the worst. She was so upset she even threw the $20 (bribe money for being a terrible mommy) I handed her after the procedure was done right back at me and told me to keep it. Clearly, she was pissed. (I mean, what almost 9 year old is gonna throw $20 back in your face unless they are pretty darn upset...)

She's in a better mood now... and I assume she will be asking for the $20 soon and reminding me of the American Girl doll I promised to buy her if she'd please just be quiet. She said it did hurt, but now it feels okay and knowing her, in a few days this will be all just a bad memory. (but an expensive one since her American Girl doll is probably gonna cost me $130 or so with all the accessories she wants-OUCH!)

So today, I get the Bad Mommy Award for telling my daughter if she wanted to get her ears pierced she was going to get them done the RIGHT way-and while certainly not pain free it is much better than daddy's way of doing things. I give her a few years... and then she'll probably be begging me to get her navel pierced... or maybe an eyebrow, or her tongue...who knows. And then I will win the Bad Mommy Award again... but this time for saying NO.

Great Job Deja!

I just came from the Parent-Teacher conference, and boy am I proud of my little girl! She's doing great in school and had an excellent report from the teacher. While I am glad that she is doing so well, I'm getting kind of nostalgic here since being in 3rd grade means she is growing up :(

I know, at 9 she is still young, but the years fly by and before we know it they are out on their own and wanting to spread their wings. My almost 18 yr old son moved out this past summer, and has his own family now-albeit early in life-but maybe now he will understand how I felt as a parent at times with him. He's very busy with his own life and his own two children, that I rarely see him anymore. But when we do get the chance to talk, it makes me happy.

So tonight hubby and I are proud parents after hearing such a glowing report on our smart little girl! Congrats Deja for having such a great report, we love you and are very proud of you tonight! Keep up the good work, do the very best you can, and that is all that matters.

Another CSN Stores GC Giveaway!

As a CSN Stores Preferred Blogger, I am pleased to bring my readers another giveaway from CSN Stores. As many of you know, CSN Stores is a great site featuring over 200 stores.

With CSN Stores, shopping is easy and user friendly. I've purchased a few things myself and things have come quickly and have been just as described. I've still got a few things on my wish list that I'd love to get from CSN Stores, and hopefully Santa (aka my husband) will be good to me this year and get me that clothes rack I have been wanting. I have an awesome dryer, but to save on electricity and be kinder to my clothing I like to air dry my stuff whenever possible.

I am also doing small home remodeling projects as time and money allow, and my bathroom is one area I am remodeling little by little. I was pleasantly surprised to see that CSN Stores also has a great selection of bathroom cabinets too. I am definitely in need of a space saver cabinet for over the toilet and a medicine cabinet since the one that came with the house when we bought it is ancient!

CSN Stores has generously offered one of my US or Canadian readers a $55.00 gift code to make your holiday shopping even sweeter! Keep in mind that Canadian residents may need to pay additional shipping if necessary.

Giveaway begins tonight and ends December 7th, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST. Open to US & Canadian residents only please. Winner will be selected via Random.org and will have 48 hours to confirm with me before I choose another winner. Prize will be a gift code that I will email directly to winner.

MANDATORY First Entry: Must be a public follower of my blog via Google Friend Connect.

OPTIONAL Entries: (please leave a separate comment for each entry)

+1 Follow CSN Stores on Twitter
+1 Follow CSN Stores on Facebook (just follow, no need to post to their wall)
+1 Follow me on twitter micaela6955
+1 Tweet this giveaway, leave link in comment-can be done daily :)
+3 Add my button to your sidebar or add me to your blog roll
+5 Add me to any giveaway linky, let me know where in your comment, unlimited
+1 An easy one, tell me one thing that is on your Christmas wishlist!

Good luck!

DISCLAIMER: I was provided with a $55.00 Gift code from CSN Stores to either review a product of my choosing or to give away to one of my readers. I received no further compensation for this blog post, and the opinions expressed above in regard to CSN Stores are mine alone based on my own experiences with them.

Halloween Giveaway Winner!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

12

Timestamp: 2010-11-14 01:31:42 UTC

Congrats goes to... Tylerpants! Off to email you now :)

Just Another Night in the 'Hood

My son called me up a little while ago and told me some woman that lived around the corner from them got hit by a car or something... I'm still not too sure on the story yet, since I took a walk around the corner right after she'd been put in the ambulance, but apparently a man (who she knew) went into her house with a gun, they had some sort of argument, her boyfriend got into the mix and chased the dude out of the house with a baseball bat and smashed his windshield...

Add an angry pit bull to the ordeal, defending his mistress-and you've got a person that went to the wrong house... Apparently the guy also got bit by the woman's pit bull and as he was leaving the driveway hit the woman and ran over her legs.

According to my son's girlfriend, the woman kept trying to get up but couldn't feel her legs. Sigh... just another night here in the 'hood I guess. My house is affordable, cheaper than renting, and the area still is reasonably safe with a few good neighbors around. But there are times I truly want to pack things up and go live in a cabin in the woods, away from all this craziness. I am kind of sorry I sold my cute little .22 with the pink handle when I had kids... I'd probably feel a bit safer with it at times.

I'm off to bed, gotta work tomorrow :( (now I love my job, but I sure wish Veteran's Day had been on a Friday instead!) Before I head off to dream land though, gonna go check the doors, and make sure it's all good. Goodnight everyone!

Living Life in the Land of Oz...

My mother is an addict. No, I am not talking drugs, alcohol or any of the other stuff people are usually addicted to. She is addicted to... daytime TV. Namely one show in particular, Dr. Oz.

Around 3:30 or 4 pm daily I will be getting a call at work so she can tell me the subject of Dr. Oz's show that day. If she can't get through to me, she will call a co-worker of mine. (no worry, this co-worker likes my mom and my mom bargain hunts and finds good deals for her, so it's no big deal)

Sometimes, she will come into the office and drop off coupons or some stuff I'd asked her to pick up. And she will talk about Dr. Oz. And what he talked about on his show that day. One show in particular she mentioned was about how Dr. Oz said a woman should "let it air out" from time to time. And I am not talking about the laundry hitting the breeze here, folks. Nope, natural flora and panties aside, we are talking about a female part that is, geographically speaking, a bit below the navel. This summer it was hot, and my mom told me she was doing what Dr. Oz had said... just lying on the bed and airing things out a bit. I gently reminded her that I hope she had closed the blinds before doing so-since her room faces that of a bachelor neighbor next door, and he may get more than he bargained for if he happened to step onto his porch for a smoke. Seriously, this was TMI as far as I was concerned-visions of my nearly 70 yr old mother airing things out haunt me to this day. (even a co-worker who mentioned this to her boyfriend tells me that whenever she walks around the house with just a tee shirt on, he asks her if she is "airing it out".)

Then there was how to reduce stress. By having SEX... and having a happy ending at least 3 times a week. Mom proclaimed that Dr. Oz said by following this practice you can add 7 years back onto your life. I dunno about you, but my idea of a happy ending and getting rid of some stress is getting a double fudge and peanut butter happy ending sundae with my meal at the local Friendly's. I wonder if it would have the same effect...lol. I don't think so. But after hubby heard this he's hoping for a little stress reduction as well.

Today, well, I could hear my co-worker laughing in the next cubicle over. I looked at the clock and it was that time again. She was on the phone, with, you guessed it...dear old mom. Who was filling her in on today's show. Which consisted of a pink light bulb in the bedroom (for enhancing the mood a bit supposedly and to make your body look better. Um, for me it would be lipo please!) and feeding your significant male other oatmeal with UNSWEETENED cocoa mixed in. And I am sure, now that all the frustrated housewives have rushed out to the market, there will be a huge shortage of unsweetened cocoa and oatmeal for a little while. And by the way, if you've invested in Viagra better to switch your stock holdings over to Hershey's, because apparently they know something we don't.

I just got a call from mom a few minutes ago... reminding me that tomorrow's my day off. And that she has a few appointments in the morning, but will be home in time for... Dr. Oz. Tomorrow, a few minutes before show time I expect to get the call... telling me to turn on the TV and tune in to the Dr. Oz show. But I will be busy... airing things out a bit and feeding hubby some oatmeal while we both bask in the pink glow of the new light bulb I installed in our ceiling fan. And I can assure you, that show WILL have a happy ending lol...

Happy Halloween! It's a Giveaway :)

As I posted earlier today, it is FREEZING here in Maine tonight. But that's not stopping the kids from going out and enjoying their Trick or Treating. As I passed by a certain area of town where all the trick or treaters go there were literally hundreds of kids and their parents walking around.

My daughter is there right now... we had gone to an event at the High School, and she met up with my little grandson, my son's girlfriend and her sister in law and little one and she wanted to go with them to help out with their little ones... so as I write this she is trick or treating with them.

I did manage to get a few pics of my daughter the vampire chick at the high school event-it was chilly so she wore her jacket and didn't want to take it off, even inside the school so you really can't see her long black and red dress but you can see her fangs as she was decorating her pumpkin :)

Since Fall is now officially here-so are the craft fairs. I managed to get to one yesterday afternoon and got a little present for my readers in orange of course, to keep with the Halloween spirit. It consists of tangerine dream handmade soap, an orange dishcloth and an orange scrubbie for dishes. All packaged in a cute little wooden crate. And it can be yours if you follow the instructions below.

Giveaway starts tonight and ends November 12th at 11:59 PM EST. It is open to US only this time. One winner will be selected by Random.org to win the prize.

Ok, since this blog is called Creative Writings 101 I want your first MANDATORY entry to be a finish this sentence type of deal. It can be funny, scary, or stupid-just finish the sentence however you want, but please keep it clean. Since it is Halloween, I want you to finish the sentence below:

It was a dark and stormy night... (you supply the rest!)

You can get more entries by doing the following (leave separate comments for each)

+2 Already be a blog follower via Google Friend Connect. Leave 2 comments

+1 Be a NEW blog follower via Google Friend Connect.

+1 Follow me on twitter (or already be following) @micaela6955

+2 Tweet about the giveaway (you can do this once daily) Leave 2 comments

that's it! I am trying to keep it simple and I look forward to reading your entries-Good luck!

It's Snowing!

and WAY too early, lemme tell ya! As I sit here waiting to go into work this am for a few hours, I am staring at the huge snowflakes falling outside my window.

Yuck... I am so not ready for this. Maybe it's a Halloween trick. Either way, it won't last, but it will just remind me of what is to come in a month or so.

The kids next door are excited. They've been outside all bundled up with shovels ready. When the snowflakes got bigger, the little 2 year old went back inside and came out with an even BIGGER shovel. Guess he is expecting a blizzard.

You really can't see the snow very well, but if you look at my black car you will see the white sloppy flakes passing by.

I'm off to work-enjoy your Halloween everyone!

Shout and Growing Tree Toys Review

Fall is a great time of year here in Maine. No humidity, no snow, and certainly not any mud! Exercise is great for my daughter, and I encourage her to get outside and play whenever she can.

But even though she isn't sweaty, cold and wet, or muddy... she still gets dirty. From picking apples or choosing the right pumpkin to raking leaves and jumping in the huge pile of leaves on the front lawn-she's bound to come in the house with her clothes smelling funky or stained from something. It's a given with kids, take it from a mom who knows.

SC Johnson's Shout has teamed up with Growing Tree Toys, a wonderful online store of learning toys and other goodies for children as part of Shout's Go Play Initiative . I recently had the chance to try out a few Shout products and review a set of cards, the 52 Nature Activities card set by Lynn Gordon. I have to admit, we've had lots of fun so far trying out various games, art projects and activities using the set and it has encouraged my daughter to get out and about and have fun doing so. The fun thing is that this card set has 52 activities that you can do with your child in regard to nature-these activities can be done by a group of children, a single child, in a backyard, or in a park. My daughter plans on doing some of the activities with her friends next door-and bringing in the set to show her teacher as well once the weather gets warmer in late Spring and they start going outside again to enjoy the sunshine.

Some things to know about Shout's Go Play Initiative:

Shout knows play is so much more than fun and games. Studies show that unstructured play helps kids build fundamental skills like problem solving, coping, and conflict resolution. In other words: play is how kids become happy, healthy adults. Fall has arrived with crisp, cool air and new reasons to go out and play. So, let your kids take that rewarding jump into a pile of leaves. Take at trip to the park and watch their imaginations run free. The one thing you won’t do is worry about their clothes; play should get messy and Shout can help.

More information on Shout, and their Go Play Initiative can be found on their Facebook page.

I have used Shout in the past, and was happy to receive a package containing Shout (Triple Acting) Laundry Stain Remover Spray, Shout Advanced Ultra Concentrated Gel, and the new to me Shout Color Catcher In-Wash Sheets. With my daughter coming home with stains on her new clothing a few times a week, and hubby who likes to tinker on cars in his spare time, I happily put Shout to the test. I've always used the spray in the past, and although I had seen the gel before in the stores, never purchased it. I did like the fact that I could apply it and scrub it right into those stains using the scrubby brush on top. That seemed to work the best on hubby's stains he had from working on cars all week. The color catcher was something I had never tried before, and I've tried it out once so far and am pleased with the results. I am looking forward to using Shout to help me "shout out" those laundry stains and get my clothes stain free and looking like new in the future.

Disclaimer: I received these Shout products and card set in conjunction with Growing Tree Toys for free in exchange for my review. All views and opinions with regard to the products or the company are my own and were not influenced by either company.

Check out ModernSurvivalOnline's Jericho Season 1 DVD Giveaway!

We've been hearing now for quite awhile about how things are going to happen in 2012. How we need to be prepared. How some people are already preparing. If you are like me, sometimes you may wonder what will happen if terrorists or any loony person with the potential to do so set off nuclear bombs in places here in the US that we know and love.

It may be many miles from your own home, and you may be safe from the radiation. But there are other things that will be affected, such as communications, food, shipping, transportation, electricity-all those things can and will be disrupted by such an event. In the show Jericho, you can see how a small town reacts after such an event.

And right now, if you hurry and enter by October 31st, you can win a DVD copy of Jericho Season 1 over at ModernSurvivalOnline.com

With the world we live in today, we just never know what might happen down the road. Even here in the US, with the economy in the tank and the growing frustration many are experiencing-it's great to be prepared. Check out the ModernSurvivalOnline's Jericho Season 1 DVD giveaway, you won't regret it :)

I've been MIA lately...

But not that I WANTED to be, of course. For the past 5 days or so, I have been confined to bed rest mostly. I tried tweeting with a laptop on my stomach, amazingly it didn't work half bad... and from time to time I'd get up and sit at the computer or so for an hour after I had eaten since I didn't want to lie back down with a full stomach.

So... here's the scoop. A little over 3 weeks ago I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. It was dark, and usually I can manage to get around pretty good in the dark since I know my bedroom pretty well. I have no idea what happened that night (actually early morning) but when I headed back to bed I vaguely remember whacking my lower leg... hard... on the wooden waterbed frame.

I woke up a few hours later, and headed to work. Sure it was sore, but since I somewhat remembered hitting it a few hours earlier I didn't put much thought into it. So time goes by, I have my physical at the doctors and forget to mention it... after all, it really was just a bruise anyway.

I seriously thought I was imagining things last week when I saw that the area was red, splotchy and a little warm to the touch. It was also pretty swollen and very tender as well, walking was getting pretty difficult and by the end of the day I was pretty much in tears. Usually bruises turn black and blue, then shades of yellow...but not red. At least mine don't.

So, feeling like a wimp I head to the ER since my doctor's office had closed. In the ER they tell me I have a skin infection, called Cellulitis which is a non contagious spreading bacterial skin infection of the deeper layers of the skin. I am allergic to Penicillin, so have been on one med so far with no results... and the other one is not doing much either. We will just have to wait and see. The redness has fortunately faded quite a bit, but the pain has NOT gone away at all.

As long as I am not in a hospital room with an IV stuck in my arm, I suppose I will be okay. I've been watching horror movies all week, and just got the next one in my Netflix queue over the weekend... Cabin Fever 2. Not sure how appropriate that is, since it deals with people getting this flesh eating bacterial virus but as long as I am not one of them I will be just fine. I've gone back to work today, and it was great to finally get some work done. Bed rest is only fun for the first day, after that, you're all caught up on your sleep and want something to do... take it from someone who knows.

So bear with me as I get caught up on work and work on getting better. I certainly don't want to have this thing develop into something more serious, so am doing what the doctor ordered... Have a great week all!

Giveaway Winners!

I've been home with a leg infection the last few days... so trying to blog with a laptop on my stomach hasn't been working well. I'll be seeing the doctor tomorrow morning and hoping to get back to work soon as we are so far behind already...

Thanks for entering my latest giveaway...without further ado, the winners are:

Belinda M. and Mami2jcn! Congrats! I will be emailing you both soon. And for the rest of you, keep your eyes out for another giveaway coming up soon.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

29
18

Timestamp: 2010-10-21 19:30:24 UTC

Pardon Me, Do You Have Any Grey Poupon...

I remember the commercial well... my friends from high school and I would roll down our windows and ask the driver next to us if they had any Grey Poupon before taking off at the light giggling all the way while recalling the surprised looks on their faces. Heck, we were young, and stupid, and just wanting to have fun, as Cyndi Lauper sang it. But those were the 80's, and a whole world away...

Driving in Guatemala can be downright dangerous. Sure, the crazy drivers, drunk drivers, lack of enforcing a speed limit and dangerous curves can all be hazardous. One thing NOT to do...
Don't pull up next to someone who is driving and stick your digital camera out the window to take photos of them. See, in Guatemala sometimes you can be driving along minding your own business and someone decides they like the looks of your car, truck, SUV, whatever. Normally you'd be proud that someone happened to admire your vehicle... but there it can literally cost you your life.

As we were heading to my brother in law's house we happened to see cousin Mario a bit ahead of us in his truck. So my brother in law who was driving managed to catch up to him and just as he did hubby stuck out the camera and snapped a photo of Mario. Mario was NOT happy, but very relieved it was someone he knew. At times, it could be a loaded gun pointed at you to force you off the highway to rob you...

A few years back my brother in law was robbed, they couldn't start his truck due to the alarm so they made him drive his customer's car to the outskirts of the city at gunpoint and threw him out of the vehicle. Lucky for him, they didn't kill him. Ever since then, my brother in law has been packing his own .45. (legally, and with a concealed weapons permit FYI)

I was pretty embarrassed to be riding around Guatemala in a late model Toyota 4 Runner with dents, a bad paint job and a busted front window. But even a blonde, blue eyed gringa drew a little attention in the old 4 Runner-I shudder to think what attention I might have called to myself had I been driving around my 2010 Mazda 3... When we head down there again next year, we will probably be driving a vehicle similar to the one we used this year. As long as it gets me from Point A to Point B without losing its brakes and plunging us over a ravine I am fine. Less attention is a GOOD thing.

So here's a pic of Mario, a bit asustado (surprised) but happy to see it wasn't a gun pointed at his head. (just the camera)

It's Back to School Tomorrow!

Well, it's been a great long weekend-but like all good things, it must come to an end. Back to work for me and back to school tomorrow for my daughter. Unfortunately she won't be wearing shorts however, since we have a freeze advisory predicted for tonight, Brrrr....

Hoping all my readers had a great weekend and wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!

To Death Do Us Part, A Guatemalan Divorce Nightmare

My Guatemalan husband divorced his Guatemalan wife here in the US. The papers were sent her way, she signed for them, and years ago he went to court in Rhode Island to get a divorce so that we could get married and adjust his status here in the US. We'd been together for a year or so, and his "wife" met another man shortly after he came to the US and had a child with him. My hubby had the pleasure of supporting them by sending home money for his two children, not knowing that she had a new man and a new baby to support. When he found out, well, the gravy train stopped and the boyfriend was long gone... (yes, he continued to support his kids by paying for their education, materials for school and uniforms and all clothing needed directly by sending the $ to his parents who paid for those things to make sure it was being spent on the kids)

Anyways, the lawyer told us that the paperwork would also be filed in Guatemala-but come to find out, it was never done. Now, over 10 years later we find that his divorce was never registered there. Actually his ex wife called last Christmas time asking for a divorce. Apparently she believed she was still married since the paperwork had never changed and when she went to register her newest child with yet another new boyfriend they told her she had to get a divorce first. Sigh... so we headed to the Guatemalan Consulate in Rhode Island and submitted all the paperwork for verification. For those that are unfamiliar with this, it is very hard to do since each signature must be verified-the court clerk, the notary who did the translation from English to Spanish, and the judge's signature-all verified by the Secretary of State in RI then brought to the Consulate for official stamps and then the paperwork needs to go to the Ministry of Exterior Relations where it is verified yet again. Then off to RENAP (their registry of people in the country) or so we thought.

We actually took in the paperwork during our visit in June/July and were told that a verification of one signature more was needed. Why someone from the Consulate did not tell us that in the first place, I don't know. So we came back to the US on July 6th and headed to the Secretary of State's office in RI and got that signature verified. Then sent it via express courier to my brother in law to take it back to the Ministry of Exterior Relations. And it sat for a week or so, until they told him to come back, pay a fee, and then told him it was all set. Or so he thought.

My brother in law brings the paperwork to RENAP only to have it refused-twice. Apparently the translations we have provided here and had to have verified weren't legal. So we had to pay for MORE translations there. And then pay the lawyer for her stamp. And on the 28th of September it was supposed to be all set. But it wasn't, because now the JUDGE needs to stamp it as well. Everyone gets a fee, for a stamp, a signature, or whatever. I originally told hubby we should have paid a lawyer in Guatemala to do this for us once we found out the divorce wasn't registered. But he refused. Too expensive he says... Um, the fees for the translation, the lawyer RENAP suggested (who happened to work in their office btw) and the judge are adding up.

Once the judge puts his signature and stamp on it, it's back to RENAP for my brother in law. He will turn in the paperwork and *pray* that they will issue my hubby a new birth certificate that says he is single. Once that happens, his ex can get married and register her kids with her new man. Now this has been going on since APRIL so I can only hope we will have some success. (FYI, Guatemala has begun a new process which is using a different format birth certificate and has begun a new national ID card as well-the system is a bit messed up and has had its share of problems since Day 1)

Once hubby gets a birth certificate from his brother stating he is SINGLE, it is back to the Guatemalan Consulate in RI again for us. This time, with our own marriage certificate from 1998, my info, etc... and all those signatures, stamps etc... to be verified again before being sent to Guatemala and the Ministry of Exterior Relations to register our marriage and add my name to his birth certificate. Hubby will be heading down there in December and hopes to get this paperwork resolved and our daughter's Guatemalan birth certificate (she is a dual citizen) so we can get her passport. (from Guatemala-she still has her US one)

It's funny because my hubby has family members here who are married legally in Guatemala and married here in the US too. It used to be easy to rip out the page that was on their Cedula stating their civil status (married) which is one of the reasons I think that Guatemala has put all that stuff on one ID card instead. I have in the past argued with these people saying they are bigamists, but they just ignored me. Their wives here apparently weren't too upset either. I've met many Guatemalan people who have said to me that they thought the marriage in Guatemala was only valid there, and their marriage to US spouse was only valid HERE. Um, no-you are married in one country, you are in the other as well. Until you get a divorce...or are caught for bigamy. Granted, I can see why so many people don't bother to get a divorce over there, it is expensive and a pain in the a$$ to do so. Everyone has got their palm out asking for money for a stamp, a validation or a signature. (but even here in the US, greasing the right palms is done on a regular basis, though it may not be as noticeable here at first glance)

So now I sit and wait-Guatemala knows hubby is divorced legally, the Consulate told us not to worry about it, all was done correctly-though they did scold us a bit and say the divorce would have been much easier had it been done in Guatemala to begin with. But, according to them, it is their citizens responsibility if they live in another country to make the changes at their local Consulate so it DOES get reported to their country as well, something our lawyer who charged us $$$ here in the US did not tell us. (and yes, he was a lawyer who worked with many immigrants and knew the requirements!)

So here we wait, since April, for the right paperwork to be done so we can register our own marriage down there. My brother in law is traumatized by all he's had to go through, and he's not even the one married. (and he states that he won't be either, after seeing all of this take place-much to the ire of the woman he has lived with for the past 10 years or so) After all this is done, I will breathe a big sigh of relief-but it won't last too long because I still need to adjust my daughter's status to having parents that are married on her birth certificate. (the Consulate put parents are SINGLE since they couldn't put us as married as he was already married per their records...to a different woman) Wish me luck!

Shabby Apple Review

The first week of school here in the Northeast was brutal. High humidity and 90+ degree temperatures with NO air conditioning. My daughter so wanted to wear a dress for the first day of third grade, but it was not to be. I sent her in a tank top and shorts and she was STILL sweating.

My daughter, the Princess Diva as I call her, is into things pink, frilly and feminine. Her little friend Evan loves to see her in a dress, and personally I think she enjoys wearing them for his benefit since he always compliments her on how nice she looks. (somehow I have visions of them dancing at a prom together in 10 years lol) When I was offered to review a dress from Shabby Apple, I really had to think long and hard whether I wanted one for me, or one for my daughter. It was a hard choice, but my daughter won out. I have to admit that I found their Fit to Flatter tool very helpful in finding perfect styles for myself, and I love the fact that they offer plus sized dresses for women my size.

After much debating, Deja chose a dress called Not Your Mama's Mumu. I had to smile at the name, because I remember very well the Mumus my grandmother used to wear and while they were comfortable, they were not stylish in any way. This dress, on the other hand, is gorgeous. Stylish and elegant rolled into one-your little girl will feel like a princess wearing it. I know Deja does.

When the dress came, I let Deja take it out of the package and she was delighted to see the shiny, soft fabric and feel how comfortable it was against her skin. The dress itself is loose and gives your little one plenty of room to move around without being restrictive, like some dresses are. This fabric is almost silk-like, and in the sunlight it really shines. The great thing about this dress is that your child can wear it for a special occasion, or just because.

Shabby Apple has a really neat contest going on right now. If you've ever dreamed of being a fashion designer, now's your chance! The Dare to Design contest lets you design a Shabby Apple dress and if you win, your creation will become part of their Spring collection and you will receive a 3% royalty on each dress sold. I think that is very cool, and the perfect opportunity for someone to see their dreams come true by designing a dress for the Shabby Apple Spring Collection. The contest only goes on until October 15th, so hurry!

I also like the fact that besides women and girls dresses, Shabby Apple also has shoes and accessories that compliment their lovely styles. Their items are competitively priced and they often have great deals going on. By signing up for their newsletter, you can save 10% and if you refer a friend who makes a purchase, you can earn $25!

Check out Shabby Apple and find something you love. You won't be disappointed. A big thank you to Olivia at Shabby Apple who provided us with the opportunity to review the lovely dress my daughter received. Today was school photo day and this was the outfit my daughter wore. When I brought her in to the school gym to go to childcare this morning, several of her little girl friends were oohing and aahing when she showed up in this dress. Lucky for us, she finally let us snap a photo of her even though her eye infection still lingers on. Granted, we had to take pics far enough away so she wouldn't notice her swollen, red eyelid in the photos. We visited the doctor last night and got antibiotics, so that should help some. And if her photos don't come out good we'll be retaking them in November-but hopefully they will come out great since this dress is so pretty!

All opinions on the dress we received are mine and my daughter's-I received no other compensation for this review of the product I received. Again, thanks to the sponsor for their patience in my getting this review out.

It's a 3 paycheck month...GIVEAWAY

I love months that I get 3 paychecks... unfortunately, it only happens a couple of times a year :(

But, because I am feeling generous I want to share a little of the love with you. None of the businesses listed below have sponsored this-it's just my way of saying thank you to my readers for putting up with me...

I am giving 2 readers a $10 GC to the establishment of their choice, OR $10 in Paypal instead (if you are international, you qualify for the Paypal payment only, ok!)

Places you can choose from are:

Tim Hortons
Starbucks
Dunkin Donuts
Pizza Hut
Dominos
McDonalds
Wendys
Burger King
Subway

So, if you win-you can get a $10 gift card to one of the places listed above OR $10 in Paypal. If you are international, and you win-I will Paypal you $10 USD. You must have a way for me to send you the Paypal though, so make sure you have an account!

Giveaway starts today, and ends on October 20th at 11:59 PM EST. Two winners will be selected via Random.org and will have 48 hours to reply to my winning email before another winner is chosen. Winner will have their choice of a gift card to one of the establishments above or $10 in Paypal deposited to their account. Giveaway is open to international entrants, who will only be eligible for the $10 Paypal if selected as a winner.

For your first MANDATORY Entry: You must be a blog follower (new or current) and then tell me, do you want the Paypal or GC and if the GC let me know where you want it from- see the list provided above. You must leave a way to contact you in either your comment or have a way to contact you via your blog in your profile.

EXTRA ENTRIES: You can get extra entries by doing the following below, please make sure that you leave a separate comment for each entry!

+1 Follow me on Twitter leave your twitter ID (current follower count too!)

+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

have fun and good luck!

Fantasy Jewelry Box Winner!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

6

Timestamp: 2010-10-02 13:07:17 UTC

Just got around to picking my winner this morning and the winner is... Rachelle from Mommy I'm Hungry! Congrats! I'm off to email her now, and be sure to check out her blog as well for any giveaways she is currently running!

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

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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.