Snow Days Are Over!

The kids are finally headed back to school today. Most districts have a delay, but not ours. It's back to regular schedule. It's been a long four days, and I am ready for some quiet.

We ended up losing power last night for a couple of hours while they cut up our fallen tree. It was back on before nine, though, so it didn't have a chance to get cold in here. The kids went to bed, and I sat and read for a while. I had to go next door to borrow a lighter to light some candles, and our neighbor was nice enough to lend me his. They really are nice.

I guess that's about it. I'll be around later...

Natural Is Best

As most of you know, my sister Tami is pregnant. Already the mother of four boys, we are all keeping our fingers crossed for a little girl this time. Don't get me wrong, a healthy baby is most important, but after that, we want to be able to buy pink dresses and hair bows.

I remember when I was pregnant with Brandi, my youngest, I had a constant rash on my tummy. It got so bad that my doctor sent me to a dermatologist, who prescribed a hormone based cream. He said to use it sparingly, because it wasn't good for the baby. I don't think I even filled the prescription, because I knew I would never use it. What kind of a doctor prescribes something that could harm my child?

I wish I knew about Beaute de Maman then. This is a line of health and beauty products developed by an obstetrician to be safe for both mother and baby. I was checking out the website, and sure enough, they have a cream for stretch marks. I am sure this would have helped my problem. Their products contain only natural and herbal ingredients. Many celebrities, like Penelope Anne Miller and Chyler Leigh, use these products. I am not one to use something just because a celebrity does, but I am all about using the most natural products during pregnancy. I am sure my sister is, too.

If you are like us and want only the most natural products to use during your pregnancy, order now.

What Else Is There To Do While Waiting For The Snow?

Aren't these little magnets cute?
I love this little butterfly.
I think the googly eyes make a big difference.

This cute little lady bug and googly eyes, too.

This is a flower...all the magnets are clips, too.

These are two more little note holders.

Need A Plumber?

This is for all my Fairfield County, Connecticut readers. If you find yourself in need of a plumber, check out this Bridgeport Plumber. They do everything from dry basement systems to frozen pipes. They can help with everyday plumbing issues, and offer commercial, as well as residential services. You can get a free estimate, and your satisfaction is guaranteed. This is a family owned business that was established in 1977, and customer satisfaction is their top priority. In fact, seventy five percent of their new customers are through referrals from people who have used their services. Put you plumbing needs in the hands of a company that cares.

Let's Be Friends

This is what the "Let's Be Friends" Award represents:

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement (? big word, lol). Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

Kat gave me this award, and I just love her to pieces! She is a fellow Twilight freak, and all around wonderful friend. I am always honored when she thinks of me when handing out awards.

I pass this to:

jenn from crazy magic
missy from herd it here first
carrie from rantings of a woman
tammy from mom knows everything
diana from forgetfulone
kristin from my art and the mom in me
donna at made in heaven
tammy at crazy mom

I have to pat myself on the back here, as I was able to link everyone's blog from memory! I rock!

Get Your Punk On

We all have our stories about how we met our significant others. I will not bore you again with my story. I have told it plenty of times before. Today I am interested in your story. How did you and your boyfriend or husband meet? Was it a chance meeting? Were you set up on a blind date? Did you meet online?

Meeting people online had never been easier. You can join a dating site, which I did a few days ago. I only did it to check out the process. Junior helped me fill out the questionnaires. I am not sure if I am a true believer in these sites, but it does not hurt to try new things. I think the most difficult thing is finding someone who shares your interests. This is where chat rooms come into the picture. You can find a chat room dedicated to almost anything. There are religious chat rooms, chat rooms for animal lovers or tattoo lovers, and even Punk Chat Rooms, where you can meet someone who shares your interest in all things punk related. This punk chat room is free to join, and sign up is easy. You really have nothing to lose checking it out.

My New Storage Unit

I got this on clearance at wal-mart to hold all my paints and painting supplies.
The only bad thing is that I have no where to put it, so it is standing beside my desk in the living room.

The top drawer...brushes and shiny paints...plates and little paintables

Another drawer...tubes of paint...poster paint...glues.

The paint drawer.

Wood paintables.

Nothing feels better than being organized.
Now it's just a question of how long it will stay this way! lol!

My Signs

I love working with wood. I love making my little signs, and I love to see the joy they bring other people. It takes a lot of work to make a blank piece of wood look beautiful, and I use a lot of different tools. My favorite, or course, is my rotozip. Junior bought it for me years ago as a gift, and I think it is the best present I have ever gotten. I also use a router to make the edges of the signs ornate. I go through quite a few router bits making my signs. I like having a variety, so that the edges of my signs all look different. I use Juniors drill to put the wire holes in them, and I have been known to break a few metal drill bits, especially the ones I use in the rotozip. Even though they are metal, they do break if you put too much pressure on them. They will also come flying out of the rotozip if you don't tighten it good enough. I know this because it has happened to me more than once. Luckily, I always have glasses on, so my eyes are protected. I can't say the same thing about my palms.

I have never tried composite milling but Junior thinks it might be something to look into. He knows how much I enjoy working with wood and tools, so this might be something I'll enjoy as well. I don't know, though. I'm pretty happy doing what I do.

Love

This is what I painted yesterday.

It's a cute little note holder.

The hearts has a clothes pin between them, so you can hold little notes or whatever with it.

I have another heart, and two flower ones, but I'm not sure how I want to paint them.

Not red...because that's too normal, you know?

Comfort

Are you guys tired of hearing me talk about how much I want a fire pit? I hope not, because I found this beautiful one, and fell in love. I love the chairs that come with it. They look so comfortable. I can see Junior, the kids and I hanging out, roasting hot dogs, and just enjoying being outside. I wish our front porch was big enough for some outdoor furniture. We are going to have to put some brick down in part of the yard to make a patio for outdoor furniture and our grill. Brandi and I have been discussing making some flower boxes, and they would look great surrounding the brick patio. We used to have some wicker furniture when we lived at the old house, but we left it when we moved. We just didn't have room for it. Now I wish we had put it in storage or something. I have been finding great deals on patio furniture and am excited to get some. Comfort is just as important to me as price, so finding comfortable chairs at a great price is a must.

So tell me, what is your one must have outdoor item? Is it a fire pit, or a lounge chair? Maybe a big grill? Maybe even some wicker furniture? I'm sure whatever your must have item is, you will find comfort in it, and that is what is most important.

Brandi's Monkeys

These are Brandi's creations from the other day. I love the green/pink/orange monkey. It's more her personality. She had fun painting them, and I love letting her be creative. I bought some magnets we're going to do next...

Dating Site

Have you ever tried out a dating site? You know the ones where you describe yourself, and what you're looking for, and the site tells you who you are compatible with? I've never used one, but decided I wanted to see what they were all about. I used passion search, and was surprised at all the things they asked. I had Junior help me fill out the questions, and it only took a few minutes. They first ask your sex, the age group you are looking to find a friend in, and then the sex of the friend you want to meet. Then they ask your country, state, and county. This makes sense because you would want to date local men. Then I had to put in my age, and my birthday. It was at this point they ask for a screen name, and we got creative with that. I am not going to tell you what it is, cause I don't want you looking me up! Then I had to describe myself, and answer questions about my height, body type, language I speak, and ethnicity. Once I completed all this, they sent a password to my email, and I could sign in. I haven't done this step, though, because I am not looking for a relationship. I just wanted to check out the process. I was impressed with the questions they asked, and think it could be a great place to meet someone. It is free to sign up, so you have nothing to lose by simply checking it out.

Art

Instead of school work, we did crafts. She painted a jewelry box, and two monkeys. I will post completed pictures when they are all done. I painted a little, too, and will post pictures of what I did as well. I know, you just can't wait, right?

Faith, Family, And Friends

How beautiful is that candle tray? I love it. The three most important things in life are not money, success, or power. They are faith, family, and friends. It's inspirational, and would make a great present. I know my mom would love this. My sister's probably would, too. I found this and other Christian Gifts at greatisthelord.net. If you are looking for a special gift for someone close to you, check out all the things this website offers. They have picture frames, candles, clocks, and so many other things to choose from. You are sure to find something perfect for that someone special. Keep them in mind for Easter gifts, or Mother's Day.

Our Doctor's Visit

Brandi is fine. Just a bad, lingering, hard to get rid off, keep passing between us all, stubborn cold. He tested for strep (negative) and drew some blood (you'd think brandi was being murdered by the way she was SCREAMING). The blood came back normal, so it's just a cold. He did give her some medicine to help control the cough so she can sleep better and not cough so much during school. He also gave me a prescription for an antibiotic that I can fill if she isn't doing any better in a week. I woke up this morning with the sniffles...again...

I Need New Clothes

How cute is this top? Not only is it my two favorite colors, black and purple, but it is made for big girls. That's right, it's not a "regular" sized shirt that I would try and squeeze into. It's specifically made for plus size girls. I found it at plussizefix.com.

If you are a big girl like me, you know how hard it is to find pretty plus size clothes. Most stores offer a limited selection, and it's mostly clothes that are out of fashion, or that aren't shaped right. I don't think most people realize how hard it is to find the right style, or fit of clothing for us big girls.

Plussizefix.com has a huge variety of plus sized clothes. They have everything from casual to dressy, jeans to coats. I personally loves their selection of coats. They are fitted, so they will show off your curves, and not just hang there. They are trendy, and most importantly, they are something I would wear. I have got to go order some things. I am in desperate need of a new wardrobe since my surgery last year. I am so used to dressing my body the way it used to look. I need to learn how to dress the new me.

My New Mother's Ring

I finally had a little extra money to buy myself some pretty things...so I headed to the etsy shops. I got a bunch of ear rings, and this incredible mother's ring. I love it!

I got it at Firefallstudios. You can see the ring here. Even with shipping, it was under $30. It looks absolutely beautiful next to my mom's diamond. Firefallstudios were a pleasure to do business with. I told them exactly what I wanted...I confused myself with my instructions about the stones...and within a week or so I had my beautiful ring. They also have an elephant ring I'm keeping my eyes on...I just need more spending money! lol!

Tattoo Me?

Do you have any tattoos? Junior does. He has my name, and two roses on his right upper arm. I don't have any, because it looks too painful. And it's permanent. But I do know there are many people who love tattoos. They love getting them, and they love people who have them. There are even Tattoo Chat Rooms you can go to if you want to meet other people who feel this way. I love looking in magazines about tattoos. Some of them are over the top, but some are beautiful works of art. I really like the tasteful tributes to loved ones, especially when they are done by a real artist. If I ever got up the nerve to get a tattoo, I would have to research the process, and find the most talented tattoo artist around. I would probably get something on my ankle, like a little rose or heart. I bet you guys thought I was going to say I would get an elephant!

So if you have a tattoo, let me know. Post a picture of it so we can all see. I am interested in knowing a little more about who you are, or who you were when you got "inked".

Brandi

I am keeping Brandi home from school tomorrow. She has had a cold/cough for about two weeks now, and it's not getting any better. I made a doctor's appointment for 10am, and hopefully they can give her something to make her feel better. She coughs all night, and I know she's not getting the rest she needs. I just hope it's only a cold, and not something more.

Beauty

I was talking about how I painted the girls shelves different colors to brighten up their room, which got me thinking that maybe they need some paintings for the walls. I found this artist, Glen Tarnowski, and his paintings are beyond beautiful. The one on the left is really cool, even though I don't understand it. I am sure there is all kinds of meaning to the flower and the fish, and the guy on the tightrope, if that is even supposed to be a guy. Either way, I love the colors in this one.

He also does sculptures that are amazing. He has one of an apple cut in half, and made into a butterfly. You definitely need to go check out his site, especially if you are looking for some art for your home.