Wordless Wednesday- On The Road Again

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I'm back!

We made it back safe and sound last night. It was an 11 hour car ride, and I'm glad to be home. I wish we could have stayed for another week though.

We went to visit my parents in California, and it was so nice. We got to relax, and my daughter was spoiled by all my siblings. I realized that my family is all grown up. My youngest brother is 15, but I still think of him as an 8 year old. I moved out about 8 years ago, and I see them a few times a year, but they have grown up while I wasn't looking.

I have lots of pictures to show you, but I just wanted to let you know I am home safe and sound now. I'll try to get those pictures up a little later today or tomorrow sometime!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I know we sure did. It was a lot of fun watching my daughter open her gifts, but not really understanding what was going on.

The only bad thing is that my husband and I have been fighting the stomache flu. He got it first, then gave it to me, and just when I thought I was feeling better, I got hit with another wave. Let's say I'm just glad I'm with family and my husband is home, because the last thing I want to do is change diapers when I'm not feeling well already. :)

Well, I hope everyone had a great Christmas!

7 Random Things

I got tagged a little while ago by bloggymommy, and I just never got around to doing it, so here goes.

I'm supposed to list 7 random things about myself

1. I am very picky about what chocolate things I like. I like candy chocolate, I like brownies, but I don't like chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, or dark chocolate.

2. I'm the odd person out in my family. I'm the only one married, the only one with a kid. Growing up all of my siblings were invloved in high school sports, except me. I did dance instead. I'm the girly girl, and I don't look a lot like anyone else in my family. My sister and I have the same smile, but that's it.

3. I love to read. I always have. My parents used to punish me by taking away my books.

4. I was valedictorian of my high school.

5. I took piano lessons for 7 years, but never learned how to play when people were singing, and I can't really play now at all. I think if I had a paino to practice on everyday it would come back to me.

6. I've never taken a sewing class, just learned from my mom and from trial and error.

7. I am a professional makeup artist. It was part of my training as an esthetician, but I took extra classes and have worked on a few independent movies and photo shoots. I am also certified to do permanent cosmetics.

I think I was supposed to tag 7 people too, but since my time on this computer is limited I'm just going to tag anyone who wants to do this. :)

Family Time

This has been a crazy month for me, and for you, I can imagine. Well I've finally got a chance to relax. I'm spending Christmas with my family, so I can sit back and relax all I want. We bought all the gifts beforehand, so now it's just doing the fun stuff.

I can say though, that I might not be able to write a lot in the next week and a half, since I have to con my sister into using her laptop, or wait until my parent's computer is free.

I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas! I'll try to write every now and then, but it's going to be boring since I don't have any pictures, and I didn't bring the cables to upload new ones. Besides, I bet you are all busy with family too.

One Fifth Avenue Book Review

One Fifth Avenue, by Candace Bushnell, was all about money and what people do when they have it, or when they don't have as much as they want. It was based in New York, and talked a lot about high society.

It was slightly confusing at first trying to keep all the characters straight, but once you got them figured out, it was fun to see how they all fit in together. There was a movie star, a film writer, a novelist, and many others.

I had a hard time connecting with these characters, because most of them seemed to be obsessed with money. In fact, one character was disapointed because she was only making $100,000 a year. Another wanted more than the $40 million he was making. If I had a portion of his salary, I would be set for life.

It was definitly an escape from my world though. These characters were living a completely different life than me, and it was a change to get a glimpse into the life of people living in high society. It was a full time job just being a wife with money. Having to make yourself look nice, making sure your house looked perfect, having to hire a publicist just because you had money. I never realized how important this was to them.

I had to laugh at all the technology and social networking that was talked about, such as facebook, blogging, You Tube, etc. This is definitly becoming a way of life, and entertainment is beginning to reflect this.

There were definitly all the traditional aspects of a Candace Bushnell book involved, so if you are a fan of her works, this one is a nice addition to your collection.

The Princess Bride Game

When I was asked to review The Princess Bride Game, I jumped at the chance, because I love this movie. I could quote you most of it. In fact, my dad used to tell us, growing up, as we left to go somewhere, "Have fun storming the castle!"

My husband loaded it onto his computer last night, and had fun playing games in the 5 seperate areas. First there is the As You Wish section, where you have to try to do farm tasks as well as obey all of Buttercup's demands, all in a certain time limit. Then there is the Battle of the Wits with trivia questions, and other questions that require you to think. Next you are on to the Fireswamp, which is the most similar to a video game, with having to jump around on different levels and kill the ROUS. Once you complete that you go on to Miracle Max where you make different potions and find certain things. After you've done all these, you can go Storm the Castle.

Now I'm not big into computer games, or even video games, but this one was fun. I liked that it had a nice variety of things to do, and different levels of difficulty. The longer you played, the harder things became. The graphics were amazing and very true to the movie, and the sound effects were wonderful. They even have some of the voices of the original cast members!

This game is rated E for everyone, and was ranked in the top 10 games for kids by Parenting Magazine. As for the age range, my husband recommended that a 9 year old or older would be about the ideal age. Younger kids could play it, but some things seemed a little hard, even for my husband, and he was afraid younger kids would get frustrated easily.

This is a game I would highly recommend. I enjoyed it the few minutes I played, and I don't like to play computer games, so that's saying something right there!

How to Make a Bow Holder

I have a lot of bows and flowers for my daughter. The problem is remembering where they were put after they were taken out of her hair. I am still missing some. I heard about this idea on a local TV show, and I had to give it a try.

What Were Some of Your Past Jobs?

Trisha over at MomDot wrote a post asking about what some of our past jobs were. I thought it was a fun idea, so I figured I would share with all of you here!

My first jobs were just babysitting for different families. I started this when I was 10. Then when I was in high school I used to clean a lady's house once a month for $50. It wasn't messy, just a nice deep clean every month.

Then after I graduated high school I knew I had to get a job before I went off to college. The problem was that no one in my town hires just for summer. Not even the stores in the mall would. I applied to so many places, and almost started working at Baskin Robbins, only I heard shady things about the owner, and how she made you clean up and work after you were clocked out, and all sorts of weird things. So I turned that job down, and she started yelling at me. Yeah, glad I didn't work for her!

I finally decided to go to a temp agency because I was desperate for a job. I went in and they had me start at a Bail Bonds agency in the collections department the next day. It was easy stuff, like making files, organizing files, basic office work. The nice thing was it paid a lot more than minimum wage (like $2 more an hour) and a gal I knew worked there too. And we didn't deal with anyone in person. It was all just phone work, that I rarely did.


The more I worked there, the more they had me do. They seemed amazed that I could do computer work, and had me start making files that way. They hired other temps to come in, but most of them only lasted about a week. I didn't see what was so hard about it, but hey, I ended up staying there all summer long. When I left they have me a nice basket of lotion and candles and stuff and said if I ever came home for a vacation from college and wanted to work there again, let them know, they would be more than willing to hire me for that week.

In college I got a job working at the football stadium as event staff. My sister was doing the same thing, so that's how I got the job. I worked every event that went on in the football stadium, and the basketball arena. I saw every single home football game for the 4 years I was there, except one, and that was the day I got married a few states away. What was sad is we watched that game at our lunch-in though. I also worked all the basketball games (men and womens), all the conferences, the dance performances, and lots and lots of other stuff. I got to be good friends with all the cops there, and I was even made an honorary member of the campus police force for helping them out. I have a badge pin and everything.

That was probably my most grueling job. I eventually became a supervisor there and dealt with unruly fans, parents, you name it. I had a lady spank me once. All because she wanted me to go tell a speaker that she liked her new hairstyle. Oh my. I was yelled at, pushed, you name it. One guy pushed me aside and an off duty cop was right there. He went and chased him down and told he he was going to arrest him and make him spend the weekend in jail. The guy apologized and they didn't arrest him, but it was fun to think that I could have had him sent to jail. My younger brother is now working there, carrying on the family name. He gets to work on the field at football games, and is loving it. He's glad I worked there for so long so he has the good positions right now.

The last year of college I did an internship at Thanksgiving Point, a local non-profit organization that is a huge attraction around here. I worked in their massive 55 acre gardens at the front desk and helping to plan all the activities we did there. I would have stayed after college, but we had to move closer to my husband's school so he could finish. It wasn't worth the commute. So I started looking for other jobs.

I couldn't find anything, so I took a job at my husband's college in the print shop answering phones and doing secretary work. The work wasn't hard, but the people there were not nice. I worked there for a few months and it got to the point I couldn't take it any more. I finally quit and went back to school to become an aesthetician. I graduated from there with a 4.0 and went on to work at a new spa called Sego Lily.
I worked there for over a year, and then we bought this house. It's about an hour commute to our house to the spa, and I told them that I couldn't work night shifts after I moved, since we only had one car, and it would be impossible with my husband's work schedule to get us both to and from work. There are no buses or any form of public transportation in my town at all. As soon as I moved, they switched me to all nights. They basically said I had to work nights or quit. They said I could continue to work only Sat, and I was OK with that, until the schedule came out and they didn't have me working any. Apparently the boss had changed her mind and didn't tell me. But she had no problem telling other people. I was 3 months pregnant at this time, and I was starting to get sick. Most people get sick earlier in pregnancy, but I apparently got sick the same time everyone was getting better. I could barely get off the couch some days. So maybe it was a good thing I was forced to quit.

I was going to try to get another job at another spa closer to where I lived, but by the time I felt better, I was about 4 months away from having a baby. I didn't think it would be fair to go in for 4 months, then quit. So I stayed at home. I've been here ever since, and I'm loving it. I make and sell nursing covers and baby leg warmers for a little extra spending money, but I do that more for fun than for the money.

So that's my work history for you. Sorry this post was super long! I didn't mean for it to be so. Guess I can just talk for a long time about my jobs! :) So where have you worked?

Wordless Wednesday- "What's up with the Sprinklers?"

See more WW posts at MomDot

Winners of the Label Daddy Labels

We had two winners for this. Each person received a pack of small all purpose labels. The winners are:

#2 Jess from Nothing But Purple

#4 Jenn S.

Congrats Ladies! I'll email you and you have 48 hours to respond to me or I will draw a new winner!

Her Own Little Chair

I participated in the bloggy carnival not that long ago, and we won a chair for my daughter from The Well Rounded Woman. I was excited to get it and put it all together. It is now, by far, my daughter's favorite thing. She loves to climb in and out, and she will not leave her chair alone.
So thank you Tara, we love it! I was very excited to get it in the mail. It came at just the right time. Now I can get some stuff done while she is content to sit in her chair.

Monday's Redbox Code for Dec 15th

The Monday Redbox code to get a free redbox rental is:

47J2L8

It expires at midnight tonight!

Flat Irons

Hair Straighteners and the End to "Little Orphan Annie"

You were born with a beautiful set of curls, but the holidays are coming and you know what that means. "Aunt Jill" is going to corner you, pat your head and comment on how much you've grown, all the while twirling and touching you curls and calling you Little Orphan Annie. Well, you don't have to endure the fawning and embarrassment anymore! Grab a ceramic hair straightener and send a shockwave through the family and friends this year with a brand new look.

Having your hair straightened at the salon can cost a fortune. Fortunately, you don't have to go to the stylist to get the look you want, you can do it at home with professional hair straighteners that are easy to use and affordable. There are many hair straighteners on the market now, like the GHD hair straightener, the HAI hair straightener and the CHI hair straightener. These are considered some of the best hair straighteners available, and rival the tools used by the professional hair straighteners. Best of all, they are more affordable! And by purchasing your own ceramic hair straightener, you'll be able to use it over and over again for many holidays to come.

The ceramic hair straighteners are considered the best hair straighteners because they have a ceramic coating which allows the unit to heat to a high temperature without damaging your hair. And depending on the amount of curls you have, or how stubborn they are, this can be a very beneficial feature. You'll be able to iron out those tough Little Orphan Annie curls without hurting the color or texture of your hair. Some hair straighteners can not get to a high enough temperature to iron out those heavy curls. However, the GHD hair straightener, the HAI hair straightener and the CHI hair straightener can reach the necessary temperature, and have the ceramic coating to keep from scorching hair.

How Do I Do It?

First of all, find the best hair straightener you can for your budget. Then, review some online styling videos to get some tips and tricks. Finally, get to work.

You'll want to straighten your hair shortly after showering. The hair should be damp, but not sopping wet. Preheat the styling iron. Then, starting at the base of your scalp, take a small portion, or ribbon, of your hair and clamp it between the mouth of the iron. Slowly move the flat iron to the end of your hair. You may need to repeat if the curls are seriously stubborn. Repeat as many times as necessary until the hair is straightened to your liking. Again, it may take a little practice to get it to the consistency that you prefer, but you'll soon get the same results as the salon.

Now, just imagine the looks you'll receive! "Aunt Jill" will hold her heart and wonder where all those beautiful curls disappeared. And by owning your own ceramic flat iron, you'll be able to keep the Little Orphan Annie comments at bay for many years to come.

*Please note that this post was written by an employee of Misikko, but I did not receive any compensation for posting this*

Macy's Friends and Family Program

For those of you who love Macy's, I've got a great deal for you! You can currently get the same discount that employees get! 20% off! It runs until Monday December 15th. What a great way to get some last minute gifts for people you still have on your list.

You can either print the coupon off from here, or Download the Macy's Friends and Family Coupon!

Organizing

We moved into this house about 2 years ago. I was pregnant, and not feeling well. So things got placed wherever, and there really was no organization. It wasn't bad, but after having a kid, and now having toys and diapers and everything else to go along with kids, it's just gotten worse and worse.

I finally decided enough was enough, and a few days ago I started down in the basement organizing things and stacking boxes so we could move stuff that was upstairs down into the basement. Now I'm working on our living room, which had way to much stuff in it. Last night I managed to clean off an entire bookshelf filled with junk that we are planning on moving downstairs. This cleared up a whole corner that we are going to put our Christmas tree in.

Yes, we don't have our tree up yet. We haven't had anywhere to put it! Now that the space is cleared I need to get the tree up. I also need to vacuum badly. I can't do that right now though, because the baby is sleeping and our vacuum is super loud.

Once I get the front room done, I'm planning on moving into the kitchen/dining room, which is also doubling as my sewing table/ craft room. You can bet that is a huge mess. I cannot wait until it is done, and I have an organized house. It makes me breathe a sigh of relief just thinking about it.

Winner of the 3 Drooling Bibs

Thanks to everyone who entered! The lucky number is

#33
mogrill

You have 48 hours to contact me, or I will draw a new winner! Congrats!

Winner of the Lima Bean Kids Giveaway!

After using Random.org, the winning number is .......

#30
ky2here said...
Let's go with the Tastes like chicken Personalized Plate.


Congrats! You will have 48 hours to contact me, or I will draw a new winner!