Halloween!

Halloween 2011!

Halloween is a time for great fun. A time to embrace our inner youth, and be creative. A time to let your imagination run wild! It's the one day of the year that is perfectly acceptable to be anything you want! So as usual, my husband and I dress up and we accompany our daughter out and about for trick or treating fun!

This year we invited our great friend, Mandy and her children to join us,
the more the merrier, or spookier in this case!!! Bwahahahaha!
She is a talented artist, and she so graciously helped to paint us up for our adventures into the darkness!
Introducing,
Myself as Dollface, Jacob as electrocuted guy, and Chrissie as a witch!
Every year our daughter, Chrissie, usually wants to be something pretty, preppy, or fabulous. It truly is just her style, it fits her personality. She is indeed a girly girl, which I love. So, I was quite surprised when she said she wanted to be a witch or vampire. She switched between these frequently, but then settled upon the decision that she wanted to be a scary witch. Oh what fun!
She looked fantastically frightening! What a wonderful witch!

Earlier that day I baked up some poison Halloween cake (green colored cake). Naomi, (Mandy's daughter) was enjoying a piece of poison cake when her younger brother, Lucas came into the dining area, Naomi then falls out onto the floor and pretends that the cake has sucked the life right out of her. This was very theatrical and too funny! Of course, this resulted in Lucas refusing to eat any cake. He looked at us as if we were all crazy for eating this green cake that is poison. It was quite amusing. The contradicting thing here is that green cake spooks him, but he would eat a bowl of chocolate icing in a heartbeat, while saying it is made of diarrhea, and that boogers are the secret ingredient. Silly boy!

So out and about we go all happy and eager to rack up on some candy! I remember when I was a kid, I could trick or treat all night, I didn't want to stop. Keep the candy coming, but not our kids, they go to a few streets, then they begin to get tired. Not sure what that is about... Guess it isn't that big of a deal to them, so they were ready to come back to the house. It worked out well, because it was quite chilly here, and it was a school night too. Besides, all that candy is unhealthy anyway!
The group!
We all had a lot of fun! Hope that your Halloween was awesome also!

Day 2

~Day 2~

Today as I am mindful of my blessings, I am thankful for my wonderful husband. He is truly a blessing to my life.

My husband is very dedicated and loyal.
He is faithful.
He works hard and provides well.
He is always there.
He is considerate, and giving.
He always has a shoulder I can lean on,
and he's always there with an encouraging word.
He believes in me.
He is respectful, and supportive.
He is courageous, and a great friend.
He is handsome, and has a great sense of humor.
He is a great Daddy to our daughter.
I admire & respect him,
and my life is better because he is in it.

30 days of Thankfulness

30 Days Of Thankfulness...
Thanksgiving is soon approaching and as this is a time to give thanks, I thought that I would share daily something that I am thankful for over the next 30 days. I am also doing this on Facebook, but instead of a status update, I thought it might be nice to take the time to really embrace and take some time out of each day to reflect and appreciate the things in my life that I am truly thankful for, things that God has so graciously blessed me with. These are things that make my life extremely special.

‘Enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise! Give thanks and bless
His name for the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations’.
Psalm 100:4 & 5

~Day 1~
Today, I am thankful for the blessing of my daughter. My miracle! Her existence has brightened my life in countless ways.

As a teenager I was diagnosed with Endometriosis, which caused me to be infertile. I was told there was no chance, even surgically that I would ever conceive a child. This was difficult for my family, and myself to accept at first, but just simply became a harsh reality. Years later, after meeting and falling in love with another one of my blessings in my life, we we're expecting! This also came as quite a shock, considering this wasn't physically, or surgically possible, but of course, became the best thing to ever occur in our lives!
Explanation:
So not only am I thankful for my daughter, but I am thankful for the miracle it took to make me her Mommy!

On that July day, selfishness, and irresponsibility was gone, and in it's place was joy, and a love that I never knew existed. A love so strong that is indescribable. So today, I take the time to appreciate and respect the blessing of my daughter and the opportunity God gave me to be her Mommy and experience a love like no other!

She is my sunshine!

Ups & Upsy-Daisies!

Ok, so I just posted a post that I wrote several weeks ago, So what! Who Cares!?! (in my daughter's Jersey accent) I kicked it around for a bit, procrastinated, second guessed myself, but in the end decided to Just Do It! See, during this predicament, something positive happened, I learned something, I discovered my blogging issue! Yes, apparently there is one, have you noticed the gaps in between my posts? I tend to over-think things, (believe it or not!) I worry about details, judgements, tend to be a private person, with the exception of those close to me, so there, problem recognized! I need to Just Do It! Eventually it will come easily. This certainly isn't an issue when dealing with people face to face or on the phone. lol! I am quite the opinionated person, but seeing it in front of me as I type just freaks me out a little. I'll get over it. Soon you'll be tired of reading my posts, well I hope not, but you get the point. I intend to get into the swing of things, at least with blogging! :)

Ups..
I entered a photo contest that the Cake Boss is having, The prize is VIP passes to his
Bakin' with the boss tour! The winner gets to meet The Cake Boss and a few other goodies.
The two highest rated/voted cakes in each participating state win. The contest is called Who Takes The Cake? Well I can answer that for ya...
I DO!
Two people from each participating state would win, and yes I was WON!!! I am so excited! I didn't find out about the contest until last week sometime, and due to staggering end dates I only had several days to compete, but that's ok, if it had lasted much longer, I might have gone bonkers. There were some good ones, and some not so good ones, but I got it! YAY!
I get to meet
The Cake Boss on Nov. 4th, and I'm really looking forward to it!
Here is a photo of my magical cake!
Hopefully there's a picture and a blog post to feature it soon! :)

Ups again...
On the same day that I found out that I was WINNING, I got a call confirming that a job I recently applied for was onto the next level of pre-employment. Unfortunately, there are lots of levels in the process, which I find ridiculous for a cake decorator, but yet I am still excited that during a poor economy, I can find a decent paying job that appreciates my skills. So, Yay! WINNING is great!
I am freaking AWESOME!

Upsy Daisy.
The day after all of this excitement, I get out of bed and stumble to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of ambition... ;) I tell my husband it's his lucky day. (he found a Truvia packet amongst lots of packets of Splenda) Yes, he prefers Truvia a lot! Anyway, he needed two, there was only one, so he then replied "No, it isn't!" At this point he's kidding. Of course my ambition hasn't kicked in yet, but I'm still super enthusiastic following my day of WINNING, so I wanted the WINNING to continue but instead...
Opposite effect, he calls me within an hour of being at work and had cut his finger terribly, and was on the way to the doctor... following a short doctor visit, he was ok, just injured. No stitches, just a big Metal finger, (splint) that on the bright side, he is enjoying saying "I'm gonna give you the Metal Finger" (instead of middle)! Pretty funny the first few times.. . So back to work he goes, only to continue his day of chaos. Next while he is installing a thermostat he trips the homeowners alarm (with the Metal Finger)! No big deal, just get the homeowner right?... Yeah, not today, he is old and so sloooowww, so the alarm goes off, then the phone is ringing but the homeowner doesn't get to that in a timely manner either, so now police are there. No big deal, homeowner explains it was an accident, well not today, today it is a big deal because he runs the tags on the company vehicles, usually this would not be a problem, but again, not today, today it is a problem, and so the chaos continues, and due to an error with the DMV, (which they'll never admit too) the tags are revoked temporarily, so now they must sit for hours in a homeowners yard to await the rescue of corrected paperwork... Following this, it is just best that he goes home, apparently this finger was not going to cooperate, and had all intentions of causing chaos, and it all started with some Sugar!!!

Another Upsy Daisy...
So, today after being poked with the Metal Finger, that is now a convenient weapon for irritating me, I think my finger is jammed... Ouch. LOL! That finger better stop causing trouble, and SOON!

Ups....
Halloween is this weekend!
I always enjoy Halloween, it is so much fun to dress up and see all the kids so happy and dressed up, CHOCOLATE, fun, tricks, treats, spooky things, (which can be very frightening to me despite the fact that they are fake), and CHOCOLATE....
It is truly a ton of fun, and there is lots of CHOCOLATE!
It's a day we celebrate just for fun!
My husband, a friend and I are planning to visit/re-visit a local haunted forest! I seriously love and enjoy this, but I run, scream and beg all the scary things to leave me alone, despite knowing that it isn't real, I mean I have already told myself that a million times before I enter, but somehow, insanity finds me and takes me for a wild run, on the bright side it is great exercise for the body and lungs, and is great fun for all those watching and wondering what is wrong with me! :) LOL! Maybe, there is something to this Halloween thing... It sure can get to me! Still excited and can't wait!

Despite Ups and Upsy Daisies this week, it has been a very exciting week, and there is much more excitement to come & I'm looking forward to it! ;)
Hopefully the excitement is all Ups!

Random Ongoings....

So, it has been a while...
Guess I haven't got into the swing of blogging yet, I'll get there, hopefully! Things have been either super busy or out of commission in our home lately (speaking on my own behalf). I homeschool my daughter so naturally August became overwhelming with preparations for our upcoming school year, and that is a pretty continuous task throughout the year! I have found myself already longing for a holiday! ;) Teaching and staying on task keeps me really busy throughout the week, and doesn't leave as much time for my other tasks usually, but I manage. So my lack of blogging, I will blame on time management for now! ;)

Onto other happenings,
I have endometriosis, (diagnosed 16 years ago) which equals a short walk through woman-hood HELL once a month! Emotions all over the place, frustration, continuous pain, tears, agony, feeling trapped inside of a crazy body. MISERY. Not only do I feel sorry for myself at this time, but more so for all those who have to deal with me!!! YES, it can be that bad!
NO EXAGGERATION NEEDED!
I can't help myself.... This is no pity party, just venting I suppose! So last weekend I spent several hours in the ER due to pain that had me totally dysfunctional, but they were able to help me with pain management. I have got to start exploring and researching my options to rid myself of the wrath mother nature seems to find me the perfect candidate for!

On a brighter note, our family has purchased a new car! We are the proud new owners of a sweet Dodge Caliber. We love it! I thoroughly enjoy it! Music is a very important and needed element in my life, and it seems to have endless options to jam, so ROCK ON! Of course, we have our AM/FM stereo, but then there is a 6 cd/dvd player, an AUX adapter for my MP3 player/smartphone, and XM radio! So I am in music heaven in my car, on top of a banging system! Great stress relief for me, not to mention fun! So, if you happen to drive up to a traffic light with a sweet YOUNG LADY jamming next to you, having too much fun, singing badly LOUD, and dancing, it could very well be me! It's ok to laugh, I laugh at me too!
There are many other things about the car I love also, it is super roomy, economical (very important these days), sporty & classy at the same time, awesome interior, & very cool displays, not to mention super great get up and go, and brakes! LOL! I love it!!!

I have been really busy practicing the four letter word lately!!! Alot of it going on! It has it's ups & downs for sure! Sometimes, It makes me wanna scream loudly and pull my own hair!!!
HOLD IT! Where is your mind going with this!!! Unfortunately, it isn't what you're thinking of!!! It is the dreaded DIET! For most of us, it isn't easy to keep a body in great condition without alot of work &/or discipline, and sometimes if you're anything like me, it can easily get out of hand. So lately, I have been getting busy getting myself back in shape and healthy! So far so good, but still a work in progress! We all fall down occasionally, what matters is that you get back up!!!

For now I'm gonna end this scattered session of my random topics and enjoy a little TV time with the my wonderful family!

Making Cents! =P

I am a coupon clipping, binder carrying, deal searching coupon-er!
It only makes cents to be! hehehe ;)
It can be alot of fun! I love to see how great I can do, and what items I pay little to nothing or nothing for! A coupon nerd of some sort... and that's ok with me. I have no problem with keeping more money in my pocket! So this past Sunday evening, a couple of friends and I set off to Harris Teeter, (they are having double coupons up to $1.98, which is awesome!) to see how well we could do! We did great! I must share my experience because I got completely excited about it! It was probably a little ridiculous to be that excited over couponing, but bring it on, I was totally excited, even the cashier was excited, which led to more excitement!!! I think I even blushed! I purchased 14 items...

2 boxes of Fiber One cereal
4 bottles of Ken's salad dressing
1 jar Welch's Jelly
2 bottles of Suave lotion
1 bottle of Pert Plus
2 Sure deodorants
2 packs of Bic ink pens
2 packages of Sargento shredded cheese

WITHOUT coupons this would have cost $30.29 on sale, but WITH coupons
Dum Dah Dah Dum - drum roll please :)

My bill totaled $3.99!!!
SAY WHAT!?!
Yep, For what one box of cereal normally costs, I got all of that!

Couponing does pay off, you just have to know how to work it and maximize it to your benefit!
It was awesome!

First

Welcome!
So, here I am! I have been wanting to start a blog for a while now, but have been afraid of posting... I can't really explain why, I guess just the fear of the unknown. I have decided that it is time to get on with it, as you can see. So, if for any reason this isn't up to par with other blogs (and I don't expect it to be at this point) just bear with me. I enjoy reading the blogs of others and thought it might be interesting to have my own to share my thoughts and the happenings in my life with others as well.

I suppose since I am new to this, it might be a good time to share some things about myself. I am 29 and will remain 29 forever (shhh! stop laughing)! I am the wife of an amazing man (we recently celebrated 10 years), and a homeschooling mama to a wonderful little girl! She is just fantastic! I am a professional cake designer when I have the time! I'll share some work soon! My favorite color is purple, and turquoise as of recently... I love antiques, adore vintage items, Marilyn Monroe, warm weather, fashion, decorating, swimming, outdoors, animals (partial to kitty cats!) reading, learning, writing, cooking, baking, the beach, mountains, thunderstorms, and time with family and friends!

I am really excited to be beginning this blog and hope you enjoy!