The Perfect Christmas Card....

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time to start getting ready for Christmas. First thing on my list was to get a picture of the kids so I could get my Christmas cards ordered from Shutterfly. I thought it would also be a great idea to include the dogs in our picture since they are a big part of the family.

All the boys got ready in their new sweaters, we brushed the dogs so they looked nice, and we got the living room "picture ready." Unfortunately by the time everything was ready, Sebastian was in tantrum mode. We tried making him happy by blowing bubbles and giving him candy (yes, I will bribe my children when I am desperate!) but nothing was working. When we did manage to get a smile out of him, the dogs would not cooperate.

I took a few pictures and decided to give up. It wasn't going to happen today.  I was not going to get the perfect picture for my perfect christmas card.

I downloaded the pictures to my computer to take a look at what we ended up with. I couldn't help but smile. Even though I couldn't get everybody to sit still or look at the camera at the same moment the pictures were "perfect"! I looked at them and thought "This is my life....chaotic and crazy, no one listening at the same moment, and definitely not all neat and pretty." I decided to use what I had to design my christmas card! And I got my perfect christmas card after all!

Begging in the Streets.

Today we headed out to get a couple of errands done because I didn't want to have to worry about going out on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

First stop was the copy store to make some copies of the flier I made up for my open house. As we pulled into the parking lot, I glanced over to my right to see a woman bundled up in a hoodie sweatshirt holding a cardboard sign the read "Hungry...3 kids at home."

This isn't the first time I've seen people standing on the street corner looking for help, but it seems I'm seeing it more often. This really saddens me. I just read the headlines today that stated 45 million people are struggling to feed their families! How, in a country that has so much waste, are families going hungry? This just shouldn't be.

I don't know what the best way is to fix such a big problem but I know we must all do our part. When somebody is down and needs help, even if you have very little to offer, do something.

Today, I didn't have much to offer. I had no cash to give but I did have a $10 Kroger gift card in my purse that was given to me. Even though finances are tight for us, I just couldn't turn the other way. As we were leaving the copy center, I gave this woman my gift card. It isn't much but at least she'll be able to get some food for her family.

I am thankful for the people and things I have in my life. I am also thankful for being able to share with others, even if only in a limited capacity.

Boo-boo bellies

We were not fortunate enough to avoid getting a stomach bug this year. It started last week with Sebastian. He woke up Tuesday night vomiting. By Wednesday morning he seemed to be doing better but ended up vomiting again later in the evening. I hoped that would be it for him but once again he woke up in the middle of the night vomiting. When Thursday rolled around he seemed to be feeling better and by Thursday night he was back to his old self.

I knew when Sebastian got sick, more than likely, this bug would make it's way through the house. I kept my fingers crossed that no one would get sick on Saturday. Mark was flying in from Florida to spend Thanksgiving week with us and I had to pick him up at the airport. I didn't want to have to worry about getting him with pukey kids along for the ride!

Luckily no one got sick again until Sunday! We had gone to the store to pick up a few things. Mark took the kids to the toy department while I went and picked up what we needed. I couldn't find everything I wanted and decided we would head over to Target. When I met up with Mark and the kids in the toy department, I told them my plan. But Eric told me he had a belly ache. He looked a bit pale and I decided it wouldn't be a good idea to do anymore shopping. I told Mark to take the kids out to the car while I paid for what I had gotten, just in case Eric got sick. Fortunately there was no vomiting in the store or car!

When we got home, Eric stayed in bed the rest of the day. He kept complaining his stomach hurt. Finally, the inevitable happened! Fortunately Eric only vomited that one time. After that he was able to get some sleep and by Monday he was feeling better.....but I wasn't!

Monday I spent the day in bed sick! I'm so glad Mark was home to take care of the kids and do the Thanksgiving grocery shopping! I luckily didn't vomit but I came close a couple times! My boo-boo bellies was affecting the other end!

And here we are, Tuesday afternoon. I'm feeling better but wondering who's next? Hopefully everyone else can avoid it. I would hate it if one of the other kids or Mark got sick over Thanksgiving. It is one of the most anticipated meals of the year and if they couldn't eat, I know they would be disappointed! I also hope Mark doesn't get sick when he has to fly back to Florida. I'm sure that would not be pleasant.

I really hope we're done with this. It hasn't been an enjoyable week and I'd really like to relax and enjoy spending time with my husband (sans vomit) before he heads back to Florida!

Friday Funnies.....

Say Cheese(y)!!!!!

A Shutterfly Holiday!

I remember when I was a kid we would get all kinds of holiday cards in the mail. It seems, as I've gotten older, fewer and fewer  people send out holiday cards. This is kind of disappointing to me. I love getting and sending out holiday cards. I find it more personal than an email holiday greeting and I think getting cards in the mail is a nice reminder that somebody is thinking of me and my family!

I will, of course, continue to send out holiday cards. Since we don't live in the same area as our family, I like to send out photo cards. That way family members and friends get updated pictures of the kids every year! Last year I ordered cards from Shutterfly.com and absolutely loved the cards. I've already started looking at the different styles of cards Shutterfly has to offer for the holidays this year! I'm having such a hard time choosing the one I like best! There are tons of styles to choose from and the quality of the cards is fantastic! It's great that the cards can be personalized, which saves me a bunch of time during this busy time of year.

Another great thing about Shutterfly is I can do a little gift shopping on the site. Last year, I ordered a photo book for my in-laws. It was easy and fun to make and the price was right!

This year I think the calendars might make a nice gift for my parents and in-laws. It will also be a great family project. I'll let the kids choose which photos they'd like to include for their grand-parents.

I can't wait to design my cards and gifts for this year. I hope others will be inspired by everything Shutterfly has to offer and send out holiday cards this year as well. I'll be watching for them in the mail.

A Little Geography Lesson.

I currently live in Ohio but I did not grow up here. It doesn't take long for people to figure out that I am not originally from here. As soon as I begin to speak, one of the first questions people ask is "Where are you from?" Even though I've been here for quite some time, I still have my accent.

When I tell others I am from Rhode Island, all too often the response I get is " That's in New York, right?"
What?!?! Are you serious????? Let's clear this up once and for all....

First, my accent is nothing like a New Yorkers accent. Maybe  those who are not familiar with the East Coast cannot distinguish the differences but there are differences.

And second and most importantly, Rhode Island is a state.....of the country you live in and I will presume born in! Not only is it a state, but it was one of the original thirteen colonies! Do they not teach this in school anymore? Has anybody ever heard of Roger Williams?

So here is a little information about my home state:

Rhode Island became a state on May 29, 1790 (so it's not anything new!)

The capital of R.I. is Providence.

It's nickname is The Ocean State....possibly because it borders the Atlantic Ocean and it's a state. We also call it Little Rhody....possibly because it is the smallest state in the union.

It's land borders are Connecticut and Massachusetts.

It's motto is "Hope".....which is obviously required since no one seems to know anything about us!

So, for all of those who didn't realize Rhode Island is in fact one of the 50 states in which you live in, I hope this helps!

The Cream Puff Project.

Nate came home from school the other day and informed me that we needed to make a French recipe for his French class at school.

No problem, I thought. I'm French, this should be a breeze. We'll throw together a meat pie. A traditional French dish usually served around the holidays. What could be better...meat made into a pie! Yummy and easy enough to make!!

Then he told me his teacher had given him a list of recipes that he could choose from. Hmmmm, no meat pies on the list. Ok. We'll make the chocolate mousse. Calls for 3 ingredients. We can do this!

Nope. Nate decided he wanted to make the cream puffs. All I could think of was the cream puffs we use to get at Wright's Dairy Farm when I was a kid. So perfect you didn't want to eat them and when you did it was heaven! How could any cream puff compare?!

 I looked over the recipe. It had the longest list of instructions of all the recipes. Not sure if this was something we should attempt. Especially since the plan is to feed it to other people. But he insisted.

 We decided to do a trial run to make sure we could handle this. I may be French and I may occasionally dabble in some baking, but one thing I am not is a French pastry chef!

We gathered the ingredients. I told Nate since this is his homework, he needed to do the baking. I would assist if he needed any help. So he started his project. I thought twice about leaving him on his own the minute I saw the destruction in my kitchen.......

But I just left him to what he was doing and reminded myself that everything is washable! For the most part, he did it all on his own. I only added a bit of assistance to the project. The final outcome wasn't as pretty as the cream puffs from my childhood.....

....... but they were pretty tasty! And Nate was happy with his accomplishment! The trial run was a success (or at least successful enough) that Nate will be making more cream puffs for his class!

Friday Funnies.....

I thought I'd keep it light and funny as we head into the weekend so I'm devoting Fridays to the fun stuff!

The Good Things in Life:



                                                                               Family

Good Friends

Good Food

Dessert

Good Music

Good Books

The Great Outdoors

Playtime

Nap Time

Enjoy your day!

Accepting my chub....

Okay, so things have been really stressful around here. Mark has moved to Florida, the housing market continues to be slow with no signs of improving, money is getting tight, my business has been slow to start, I'm dealing with chronic pain and fatigue (and no diagnosis as of yet).....and the list just continues.

I wish I could say I am the type of person who turns to working out to relieve my stress. I know it would benefit me. I know it would probably help make me feel better. But to find the motivation and energy to add working out to my list of things to do just isn't happening!

So, needless to say, I've put weight back on. Now this isn't anything new. I've always had a weight issue. I've joined Weight Watchers numerous times to lose weight, which I do, just to gain some or most of it back. I've always hated the way I look! Growing up, I had 2 sisters who were thin and in my eyes absolutely gorgeous while I always felt like the ugly step sister! I think it's time I just accept the fact that this is me!

I'm not saying I won't try to put the effort in to get healthier and include working out in my routine but I am not going to beat myself up for it any longer. I'm tired, in pain, and miss my husband! If I don't feel like exercising, I won't! I will get back on track with it when my life gets back on track but for now I am just going to accept my chub!

Discovering Bunny's Origin

As you know, about a month ago I found Bunny in my backyard. Being the softie that I am I couldn't just leave him out there to fend for himself, so I took him in. I had no idea where he came from but I knew he was a domesticated rabbit. He has become part of the family and seems content to live among us!

Yesterday I managed to find out Bunny's history!

I had a little get together at my house and my next door neighbor stopped in. I told her the story of how we "inherited" Bunny. She had the answers! She knew where Bunny had originated from! It seems my neighbors who live 2 doors down (not the one attending my party) were raising rabbits.....for consumption! Yep, they were making rabbit stew! For whatever reason when it was time for them to slaughter the rabbits, they decided to let one go free.  And I bet you can guess where he ended up!

So now that I know Bunny's story, I am happy he found his way to my yard. He gets lots of love and attention here, he won't have to fend for himself during the cold winter, and he definitely won't end up in a pot on the stove!

The Case of the Missing Underwear....

Today at school Eric had an accident in his pants so his teacher gave him a pair of underwear and pants to change into.

Later on in the evening, I told him it was time to get his pj's on. He ran in my room and changed his clothes. When he was done, I asked him if he had put his clothes in the hamper. He told me he could only put his shirt in the hamper because he had to return the pants and underwear to his teacher. I told him that we needed to wash the clothes first so to go ahead and put it in the hamper with his shirt.

He ran to the room to put the clothes in the hamper and a minute later he came running out and yelled "Mom, I can't put the underwear in the hamper! They're missing!"

I asked "What do you mean they're missing?"

He replied "They're gone."

Then it dawned on me...I asked "Are they still on your butt?"

He proceeded to look in his pajama pants and laughed "Yeah, they're on my butt!"

Open For Business.

Today I am going to shamelessly promote my new business. If you decide to read this post to the end, I will be eternally grateful. I can't be successful without your help!

Recently I decided to get involved with Mia Bella's Gourmet Candles. This is a venture I was hesitant to do because, to be honest, I am not the greatest sales person out there. But it was something I needed to do to help supplement our income.

Even though Mark is able to live on base rent free, our family has incurred extra expenses with him living in Florida and the rest of us in Ohio. Until we can all be together again, we need to be able to pay for travel expenses so Mark can come home periodically for a visit. We also need to pay for internet access for both him and I so we can Skype. This may not seem like a necessity, but it has really helped the boys to be able to talk to and see their dad via the computer.  Childcare expenses have also increased since Mark is not here to keep the kids while I run errands and go to appointments.

So anyway, with all these extra expenses plus some, I really needed to find a way to make some extra income. I thought of trying to get a job at one of the local hospitals, but since I'll be moving the chance of being hired is probably very slim. I also wanted something that would allow me some flexibility and that I could "take" with me when I move to Florida....whenever that may be.  That brought me to the conclusion that direct sales may be a good option for now.  I looked into a couple of different companies. I wanted to go with something a little different that offered a nice product at a reasonable cost. I found that with Mia Bella's! So, (drumroll please)...............

I would like to introduce you to Mia Bella's Gourmet Candles.

Mia Bella candles are cleaner burning scented candles.  These candles are practically soot free and smell great! You won't be disappointed in these candles!

16 oz. Jars



I am available to do home parties for you and your friends. If you prefer not to have a home party, a catalog party would also be great! You can earn free products and discounts for hosting either type of party!

If hosting a party is not your thing, you can still order candles from the catalog! With the holidays coming up, these candles make great gifts for all your family and friends!

Simmer pot with Mia Melts for those who prefer the scent without the flame!






If candles are not your thing, Mia Bella's also carries beauty and bath & body products!

Bar soap/ lotion

I'd really like to see this business take off. But like I said earlier, I can't be successful without you! If you'd like to place an order or host a party, contact me. You can also order directly from my site:

                                     www.sensationalscent.scent-team.com/index.php

I am also planning an open house, so be on the look-out for that info.! I hope you'll all be able to stop in for a Scent-sational time!

 Thanks for taking the time to read about my business! Pass on the info. if you know of someone who might be interested!