Willow's World

Venting.

2011-10-24T09:37:00.001-07:00

After Years of paying my rent on time, and following the LandLords rules such as : No Pets, No repairs, and Mow the yard ourselves.
We had been hit with Hard Times it started back in August. We struggled with paying our bills after the hubbys truck broke down. Then it disappears and took the police a week to let us know what happened to it. At first they had no record of any officer calling in the tow, then they found the order. After finding out which yard it was in and how much it would cost to get it out it broke us. We told the land lord and provided it in writing he responded in writing that it was okay.
We gave him what little we could until we couldnt any more. We let him know in copies and in writing everything and why we had nothing for rent.
He then shows up a day after receiving our letter and verbally tells us we have a week to get out and then hands us two yahoo calendar print outs with hand scratched numbers on the bottom of one of the pages.
A week did not pass when he calls to tell us we have 24 hours to leave. That was on this past week he called.
Today while doing the dishes a cop car pulls up, actually The Sharif.
He delivers a summons papers. Apparently he is suing us now. We have to be in court on Nov. 1st. I have no court clothes or anything to buy court cloths with. Most money I earn on the side from the shop lately has been going straight to the groceries.
The past 4 years these are the things we put up with from him:
Late responses on broken items such as the Water Heater that took him a week to replace the whole time Water pouring everywhere in the bathroom. The tub is now falling through the floor.
The Ac has never been fixed it ours water all the time the bedroom closet which hubby and I use has Black Mold damage from it.
Broken window in the front door.
We have had on and off issues with mice when he Mows the vacant Lot behind the property he said he would get an exterminator, that was 2 years ago I am still waiting.
When the fridge broke I called him (its his fridge) he never answered I had little time to wait on him I called a repair service and took it out of rent and sent a copy of the repair slip. He called screaming at me for going behind his back, which I did not.
The Front Water Hose spicket had a constant leek we asked him to get it fixed, He Capped it that was his fix. After a few months the pipes bursted and spewed water our water bill went to 200.00 a month. This was the same time that our Truck Incident happend. He came out and fixed it. We shoed him the water bill and said we are not going to be able to pay rent. As Is we were paying half the bills every pay check which was leaving us 20 bucks for grocries. He didnt say anything. We sent copies of the water bill to him with a letter and a list of many things that still needed to be fixed.
The Front door does not close we have to use a jerry rig to keep it closed. When the wind blows it moves and allows the mosquitos and other insects to come in. We got an estaminet on how much it would cost to fix and it would be cheaper to move out. I wish I had the money to just pick up and move out.
As is it would cost us well over 2,000.00 to move out this includes finding a temp place.
Did I mentioned our lease was good for only one year? It expired after the first year we were here. We wrote and asked for a new lease with every payment his reply "Dont worry about it".
I do not work I stay home so that the School as an emergency contact for our two kids. Our Son gets SSI and is Autistic. My hubby has been recently diagnosed with COPD and has High blood pressure. He has gone without his medicine for nearly 4 months.
NOw back in Late August he gets scratched with a needle at work, he works in environmental services and makes just above 9.00 and hour. Its not a bad job but it aint swell either. They have no clue if the needle was dirty or not so now he has to get a shot for Hep B every two months and gets tested for HIV all on the hospital. Its still stressful.
I am seeking Legal Aid Rep but I so needed to vent, its just so frustrating. Maybe we were in the wrong and deserve this. I don't know anymore. I havent been sleeping well. IF things dont do a 180 within a day or two (Can we say big fat miracle) then we will really be in trouble. Not looking for a pity party I just needed to vent out some. I know everyone here is also going through there own issues. I just needed to let it out.

Year of The Monkey

2011-01-30T08:03:00.000-08:00

By my Chinese Zodiac I am The Monkey:

Year of the Monkey - 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040, 2052

The monkey is a clever animal. People used to compare it to a smart person. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC – 476 BC), the dignified official title, marquis with the pronunciation 'Hou', was the same as the monkey's. The monkey was thereby bestowed with auspicious meaning. It appeared on pictures pasted on the walls and doors to predict good fortune in officialdom.

Most people born in the Year of the Monkey are lively, flexible, and versatile. They love moving and sports. To help others they put their own business aside. When communicating, they do not like to be controlled and have a strong desire to present themselves. In their work, they will show amazing creativity. If they are not impatient and mouthy, they can gain more achievement.

Best match: rat, dragon; avoid: tiger, snake, pig

TO Determine yours Take a look at this website (Click here)

Zucchini Bread

2011-01-29T10:55:00.000-08:00

So a few weeks back I tried Paula Deen's Zucchini Bread Click here for recipe.

The Dough was super sweet and really thick I had to cook it longer then what she said to an extra 30 minutes. If I ever use this recipe again it would to be used as a cookie dough.

More pics

Fried Egg Plant

2011-01-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

I decided to make fried Eggplant as a side dish a while back, but I had no idea where to began since I never used eggplant before. Sure I have eaten it but never cooked with it until recently.
So I used Emeril Lagasse Recipe as a guideline more for frying temps and coating ideas.
What I Did:
1 eggplant cut
1 Cup white rice flour
1 cup soy flour
3 eggs slightly beaten
2 cups of bread crumbs (I used my Irish soda bread, no need to add extra salt into the bread crumbs!)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Bowl 1 combine soy and rice flour with the salt
Bowl two 3 eggs beaten
Bowl 3 Bread crumbs
Dredge the eggplant in the flour mix, then in the egg mix and press into the bread mix. Let the pieces sit on paper towels to get extra moisture out while you get all your eggplant coated.
Fryer heat 1/2 inch veg oil to 375 degrees and fry 1 minute on each side or until golden brown.
Drain and enjoy, We had ours with Get Yo'Man Chicken from The Neely's (to die for! pictured below)

Apple Cider Doughnuts

2011-01-16T15:00:00.000-08:00

So I tried this recipe from Smitten Kitchen and I must say it was not what I was hoping for. The dough was far more sticker then it should have been, and when you were supposed to dust it with flour to pat out and cut out it would glooup up. All in all I was not happy with it, they came out like hocky pucks. I Baked mine I was afraid to attempt to fry them because of how dense they were. If you try it let me know what you did to get it like hers! My hands wore most of the dough then anything else not cool in my book.
My Failed Doughnut pictures

The Birds enjoyed these better then we did.

So I decided to make my own recipe using a traditional Doughnut one as my basics:

2 packages active yeast
1/4 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter cut into pieces
2 eggs
about 5 1/4 cups all purpose flour
Salad Oil
Extras: 2 apples I used Macintosh you can use either a sweet apple or tart your choice. Cut into pieces your choice to skin the apples. Make sure no core is with the pieces of apples.
2 cups apple cider
Powder sugar frosting: Blend 3 cups of powder sugar with 2 tablespoons of soft butter 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and 2-3 tablespoons of hot apple cider.
In a pot on the stove combine the apples and 2 cups of cider at this stage it is up to you to add any extra spices like Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice to help booth the apple cider flavor. With a lid on Boil together for about 12 minutes until apples are really soft. Turn the heat down and take the lid off. I ended up with a low medium heat. You want an almost applesauce stage. turn off and let it cool off to rom temp.

In a large bowl dissolve yeast in the water. Meanwhile in a medium size pan combine milk, the 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and butter. Heat to about 110 degrees, the butter does not need to melt completely. Add milk mixture, eggs, apple mixture and 2 cups of flour to yeast mixture. Beat until smooth. With a heavy duty mixer or wooden spoon add in 3 more cups of flour, beat until smooth. Dough will be soft and sticky. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled.
Beat dough with a wooden spoon to release the air. Turn out onto a well floured surface, dough will be very sticky make sure to flour your hands, I had hubby spray mine with non stick spray instead of the flour that way I could scrap the bowl out without the dough sticking to me. Then I had dusted them very well before preceding.
Roll Dough around to coat all over with flour so it wont stick to the surface. With a floured rolling pin roll dough to 1/2 inch thick.
Use a round biscuit cutter to cut out your rounds or use a cup they work great. You could even use cookie cutters at this point if you wanted to.
Transfer to cookie sheets and let rise agin for about 30 minutes or until doubled. uncovered.
You have a choice to fry or bake and I will give you both directions:
Baking: Heat oven to 375 degrees bake for 20-25 minuets
Fry: Heat 2" of Oil to 375 degrees on a candy/frying thermometer. Gently add a few doughnuts at a time and fry turning often until golden brown about 3 minutes. Lift with a slotted spatula lift out and drain on paper towels (I use a cooling rack positioned over a layer of paper towels). while still warm dunk into the powder sugar frosting.

My Pics shows a light glaze with a sugar and cinnamon topping. In a bowl 2 cups sugar 4-6 tablespoons cinnamon mix and after the glaze dunk press gently into the sugar mixture. I also baked mine.

This recipe make anywhere from 18 to 28 doughnuts it all depends on the shape you use.

The Strange Find

2010-06-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

I was doing the laundry today and guess what came out of the dryer?

Dryer + Tape = melted mess

Stumbling along

2010-06-18T05:53:00.000-07:00

Well I have been super busy since the last 3 weeks of the kids school. Witch ended on the 3rd. Today I am getting ready for Litha celebration Yay midsummer is here and boy we can feel it. Been super hot, muggy and plain miserable.
Things have been finically tight for us lately ugh so horrid, but I know things will go up from here. It has to.
Property hunting is at a dead end, its just not going to happen. The bank took 2 seconds on there decision. Oh well, maybe in a year we can. I just hate spending $500.00 a month on a place that is falling apart and the Landlord wont do anything. They said they plan to fix everything when we move out. Yea right like how can we move? Bla just stressed. I would give my Pinky finger for some property right now, I can build me a home!
I have like 5 videos to edit, make stuff for the shop (hope we can sale it stuff soon!) and try to keep the kids from killing each other.
They are fighting fiercely this summer. The oldest keeps asking e something every 2 minutes, I can bearly think sometimes. When the day is done I fall fast asleep and wake up exhausted.
Love them but geez give me 5 minutes to answer your question.
Okay feel somewhat better off to clean, decorate (which daughter is helping with, lets see how long this keeps her attention), and get ready for visitors.
Have a great weekend everyone!

Garden Tip 1: Planning

2010-03-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted your own garden? First think about what type of garden you want.
Types of gardens: Herbal Kitchen and medical, Fruits and veggie gardens, Decorative flowering gardens, Inside potted gardens, Porch potted gardens, window seal potted gardens.

Do you have a lot of space? or small space?

We did a potted garden for years although this worked great for when we lived in small places such as apartments and such, it was very limited on what we could do. we had many of the veggies and fruits, but it was still very limited on space wise. I couldn't grow all the things I really wanted and had to chose just a few things. This option is great for those just starting out and getting the hang of it all. Suggested Plants to do in pots all year: Tomato (try to pick 2-3 plants I did one of each: Cherry, Beefstock, and grape tomato), Basil, mint, spearmint, peppermint, catnip, peppers, oregano, dill, eggplant. Hanging baskets of cucumbers, strawberries, pumpkins (small), Peas, Beans these plants did well from hanging baskets but one could put them in big pots with steaks and tie the vines up as they grow.

When we moved out of the apartment our new home wasn't much better big pine trees every where and far too much shade with no space to have a garden. So we went without one for 4 years.

Our new place has the following issues: Grey clay and grass that wont go away. So this years solution to our garden is simple. We tilled 6 long beds we eyeballed it on width and length but if you are the more percise person measure and tie out your beds. We then will be adding the following to the beds:

Hay : This is free from our local expo center it is all ready broken down some with manure from past shows. Check your local expo center about there wast hay or even your local animal action house. Or if you have friends with stables ask them for there hay from the stables.

Compost conditioner and compost: The conditioner was 2.98 a bag from home depot we got 15. Compost is the left over veggies and organic matter from our kitchen.

Top Soil this is about 1.00 a bag at wal mart we wanted things that didnt have fertilizer in it.

We layered all this on our tilled spots. Then we covered with plastic drop cloth weighed down with yard stuff such as limbs, rocks and so forth.

This will allow the beds to worm up and break down more. Once broke down they will be ready for transplant.

While our beds are cooking we started all our seeds indoors. We used a combination of peat pods and pots with compost conditioner. By the time April Comes around everything will be ready to be placed into the ground.
What we started Indoors: Tomatoes, Peppers, Catnip, Lavender, Cucumber, Icicle Radish, watermelons, Pumpkin, Cucumbers, Dill, Chives, Sage, Chamomile, Strawberries, Potatoes, Chard, Rhubarb, Asparagus, Eggplant, zucchini, lemon balm, leeks, Brussels sprouts, thyme.

We have plenty we haven't started yet but these will be planted directly into the ground.

We Also started an earth worm farm for our compost bin this will be a great investment for us for years to come.

Picks to come on a good sunny day :)

Adventures in Eating out

2010-02-06T07:05:00.000-08:00

When I went to pick up the kids from school, My oldest started asking if we were going out to eat. I said "No, we are going home where dad is." she started the tear factory.Thendeclaredd "Okay you ask daddy while I stay in the car with Owen." Took me by surprise but I recovered quickly "Why don't you ask Dad?". Silence pure silence for about 2 minutes "No way, do you think I am crazy?" Cutos to the 5 year old! "No I don't think you are crazy, But since it is your idea maybe you should be the one to excite it?" She laughed at me I was serious lol.

So we get home and for 2-3 hours non stop "Are we going out to eat?" "I don't wan't to eat here" So we finally caved and went out. We get there, the place is packed of course it is, it's friday night. Lots of people from the movies were there they said all the showing of all the movies were sold out. We get our table order the kids food and our drinks. Hubby ad I take forever on ordering our stuff. That way kids chomp down sooner. Well Our daughter wasn't eating. She was fidgety, she kept saying she was cold. I should have known by the time we got home I noticed she was quite, which isn't like her. She has what I call diarrhea of the mouth, she doesn't stop talking. Yep she's sick with fever. All stopped up with a sore throughout. I just hope it isn't strep.

While we were eating there was a group of 5 people with kids over at a table near us. What was funny was what one of the kids said "tra lala i need to potty" it was the musical tune he used it was funny. at least he said he needed to go. Cutos to the creativity of needing to potty!

My New Laptop

2010-02-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't updated this blog in a long time. to be truthful there was not a lot to say until last night. Last night hubby went and picked up my new Laptop. We had ordered the MacBook pro and I must say I am HOOKED!!!! I love this thing! Mobile, Fast, Light weight, lots of memory. It only took us 30 minutes to get aquatinted. I love the fact that it works when I click on something instead of waiting for centuries for it to think about it. I used to work with macs in school and just prefer something that just works. Did we mention that there are no virus, bugs, or spam bots for Macs? Plus now i can use my print shop and photo shop as well edit my digital videos of the kids to give to family. Oh idea now I can probably use my You Tube account! *Gasp* I believe i have finally come int the modern age lol! Down side is its techno upside I can now keep up and be mobile. So the next time we chat I might actually be in my car waiting for the kids to get out of school, or at a craft show/ Trade Show. Oooo now I can take Credit Card payments at shows! This is exciting and the newness will fad but I believe my love for Mac Products will never fade.

This is not a paid opinion, this is my very own thoughts and excitement for my new toy!

Halloween are you ready?

2009-09-21T07:43:00.001-07:00

We are getting ourselves ready. You will find all kinds of stuff starting to appear on our Sacred Oak Blog.

Family: everyone is good everyone is actually behaving since school started up again. Still battling with Medicaid over our daughters coverage. Been trying to get them to reinstate it since June might say screw it and just keep her under our coverage but Its so expensive including our copay. Come on Texas get your head out of your buts and start working on a better future. Ugh even the schools suck.

Well on a different note Daisy Troop training has been interesting I sure hope I can finish it up soon!

Well i should go take pics of the new species for our up comming "Name the Species" Contest! So much fun! Can't Wait to share them with you all!

Adventures in Scouting, Knitting, and Gardning

2009-09-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

Eek I can't believe its been 2 months since I updated this blog! Geez I bet you been wondering if I forgot about it. Well almost been trying to finish up stuff and arrange things. New school year and all.
Knitting: Been knitting up some interesting creatures you will just have to wait until I post the contest on The Sacred Oak Blog! Been knitting Fingerless Mittens from kids sizes to Adults So look out for those as well!

Scouting: Still waiting for my background check to come in But I have confidence I will be able to be a Daisy Scout Leader. My Books and Teaching DVDs will be in soon! Yep gotta love the option of doing it at home with a busy life. Sure bets spending a weekend with other women, not that i wouldn't welcome the chance to socialize, but I have no intreast really in listing to catty women they make me nervous. Not saying that we are all like that but New people always make me nervous especially the way so called friends have treated me over the years.

Gardning: It died the darn grass took over and killed everything. Yes I tilled, pulled, racked, lined the garden but that stupid sod grass just consumed it. I hate grass truly i do I rather have clover for a lawn!

Halloween Decorating time! yep thats right We are so getting ready for Halloween early this year! Might have one huge party at the end of October! Lets see 2 kids in school, Daisy scouts troop, and not to mention it will be our 10th wedding anniversary yep it might be the best night ever! So plan to do up the house in Haunted style. Screaming kids, creepy music fog machines editable body parts who could ask for more! Makes my brain all excited! Which reminds me I need a new table cloth!

What are your plans?

Doughters Return

2009-07-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

So my daughter came home today, Did I forget to mention she was out of town for two weeks? Hmm I thought I did, must have enjoyed the no fighting, screaming, kicking routine ;)
Yep she came home with a damn pixie hair cut! She looks like a little boy, which is an odd twist because they all claim her bother looks like a girl! Anyways shes not home for more then 20 minutes and everyone is fighting again. wow just wow and shes only 5, I love her and everyone else but sometimes mommy gets that evil eye!
so I am locked in my room for a bit because I so do not want to add into the yelling. Tomorrow I will have everyone on there normal schedule and things should be smooth (somewhat!).

Thinking about turning this blog into my short story blog? yall wouldnt be intreasted in my stories would ya?
Night my lovely cyber readers!

Christmass In July

2009-07-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

Wow is all I have to say, is it me or is Christmas starting way to early? Not a fan of the whole holiday shove into my face thing, everywhere you look there it is. Poor Halloween and Thanksgiving! They have such a hard time because they dont get the same love or exposure!
yep sorta C sick now and no chance to hide from it. Dont get me wrong love the holiday, but not the constant push to buy stuff, whatever happend to give from your heart not your wallet?

Just a zombie

2009-07-03T06:49:00.000-07:00

For the last week i felt like a zombie just dragging around. Maybe this weekend will help me feel energized! Read it at http://thesacredoak.blogspot.com

Recycling Bottles

2009-05-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

I have spent lots of time pricing Jars, Bottles and other unique containers for my bath salts. And my most amazing discoveries were sitting in my dish drainer. Now I am not sure if my idea would be considered a great one. I have these fruit preservative jars, Olive Oil Bottles, Spaghetti Sauce Jars and so forth. All are unique size, shape and ounce volume. But would people be upset if I took these items and Used them to place the bath salts in?
I am in the process of taking the labels off cleaning up the sticky adhisive glue. I just cut out square pices of fabric to glue on the lids. I have also printed out Hang tags to tie onto the jars and bottles. But would People be turnd away from it all if they knew they were used jars, bottles and such?
Maybe I should decorate the jars themselves?
(pics comming in next post!)
What are your thoughts on it?

Flowers on Her head!

2009-05-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

I Just finished (Sunday) my daughters Flower hat. Took me a while to knit it broke a cable in the process.

and becuse the boy snuck in heres him too lol!

Last one of her happy

Don't Let Your Books Fall Apart- Bind Them!

2009-05-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

For a first-time book binder, the possibilities are endless in terms of materials, styles and one can let your creative imagination run wild. One is always on the look out for places where the best book binding materials are available at the best rates to suit your requirements. There are some places where you would get what you need regardless of your budget constraints. All you need is a little inclination towards some craft work, time, and a whole lot of imagination and you are on your way to book binding. The possibilities are endless and the materials you can use can range from simple stickers to decoupage to paper mache, painting, and well, you get the general idea!

If you are into decorative things then the local craft shop will have a lot of things you use imaginatively. Ensure that the binding you have done is durable and strong and then add the finishing touches to give it that special feel. From actual binding material to leather to little decorative pieces, all are normally found at the craft store. The book store is another good place to look around in. there are books galore especially the 'how to' books on book binding and decoration to help you though the binding process and ensure your job looks professional. Some known titles in this series are John Ashman's Bookbinding: A Beginner's Manual, Manly Banister's The Craft of Bookbinding and Bookbinding and the Care of Books written by Douglas Cockrell. Your library may also stock books of this genre and you may not have to buy them unless you are a collector of books.

Print shops and local copy supply stores are other places where you can get book binding material. Office supply stores also cater to this type of clientele and a good idea would be to get in touch with the local publishing companies where you may get some discounts, tips on how to bind books and what points to keep in mind to avoid going wrong, material for various types of book binding or maybe they just might do the job for you at reduced rates.

The Internet is without question the most logical place to find this kind of information. Here you would get addresses and prices and also a list of things that you may need. Order online or else go to the concerned store and you know what exactly to buy and how much it is going to cost you. Things like binding needles, normally priced between $7-$13, and other types of specific binding equipment is available on the net. You can get ideas for maybe a renaissance look or a Gothic look, explore new ways, ideas, and methods for that exclusive look that you would like. After your first successful venture, you just may get bitten by the bookbinding bug and who knows, there go all your albums, journals, school memorabilia all into fantastic covers and preserved for posterity. You may even branch out to giving self bound books as gifts to your friends. The sky is really the limit. Happy binding.

Learn How To Face Paint

2009-05-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

What is more fun for kids than face painting? If you are planning to entertain a large number of kids for a birthday party, corporate event, or church social face painting can be an easy way to keep a large number of kids content and happy (by no means an easy accomplishment!). Before shelling out your lifes savings to get a clown to come and paint the kids faces, why don't you try your hand at face painting? Learning to paint kids faces is not as hard as you think. Indeed, with a bit of practice and some patience, you can become quite skilled at creating fantastic images that the kids at your party will love.

Picking a Great Design

Obviously, if this will be your first time in front of a crowd of kids, it would be for the best if you prepared a few basic designs ahead of time. The Internet is a great resource for basic face painting designs that can be particularly useful when you are just starting out. From cats to dogs to everyone's favorite superheroes, you will find usable designs that will make your life far more bearable, and hopefully make the prospect of putting your services to a hoard of children more palatable.

Face Painting Basics

The first step when the first child steps up to your table (although it is probably a good idea if you try this out on your own kids before casting your talents to the public), is to visualize what you want the final face to look like. This is where it can come in handy to have basic designs printed out prior to painting your first face. You can use normal paintbrushes to apply the face paint, but it is better to use sponges instead of paintbrushes to cover large areas such as when you want to apply a base paint color to the entire face. Using a sponge is good because you can cover a larger area faster, and you do not have to worry about rinsing the sponge because they are so cheap. Also, a sponge will let you apply paint to a large area more evenly which will prevent a patchy effect from developing. No matter if you are using a paintbrush or sponge, be sure to apply the face paint thinly; if the face paint is put on too thick, it will crack or loose its luster.

Your First Face Painting Session

Before your first face painting session, print off your favorite basic designs and limit yourself to the ones that you have practiced. Make the designs available to the kids at your event and have them pick the design that they want you to paint on their face. Hopefully, presenting the children with a limited range of options will keep them happy, and you from panicking when a kid asks for someone unheard of comic book character.

More Advanced Face Painting

After you have mastered the basics, it is time to test your face painting skills with some new challenges. One of the biggest challenges you can give yourself is to abandon your basic designs and ask the kids at your event to request what they want on their face. You will be surprised and delighted at their requests, and amazed at your newfound ability to paint faces!

Making Puppets With Next To Nothing

2009-05-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

Pulling together a puppet using minimal materials is a great skill to have. Especially on a rainy day when you're kids can't go outside and have nothing to do.

These puppets can be made-well, nearly-in an instant. They call for materials that you are sure to have handy, such as handkerchiefs, lipstick, matchboxes, salad spoons and right and left hands. Have a minute? Try one.

1. INSTANT BUNNY

You need a large handkerchief . Make a loose fist and drape the handkerchief over it. With your other hand, pull one of the front corners of the handkerchief up between your first two fingers. That's one ear. Now do the same with the other corner, pulling it up between the second and third fingers. Two ears. Wrap the two back corners around your wrist, and you have a bunny with floppy ears and a wriggly nose (your second finger inside the handkerchief).

2. THUMBELINA

With a ballpoint pen draw a funny face on your thumb and drape a handkerchief over it. Pull it around in front to hide your hand. You can also put a peanut shell on your thumb and draw Thumbelina's peek-a-boo face on that.

3. WINKUMS

Find the fold in the palm of your hand-just under the little finger . Draw one eye right on that fold. Draw the rest of the face to fit. Now, by curling your little finger down you make Winkums wink, wink, WINK!

4. JABBERWACKY

With your ballpoint pen draw a face on the back of your hand. Use a lipstick to color the lower half of your first finger and the upper part of your thumb. Now make a fist. Your first finger becomes the upper part of the mouth , your thumb the lower part, and by moving them you can make Jabberwacky talk, whistle and even pretend to chew gum.

Riddles for Jabberwacky

Now to produce a little play. You ask riddles and Jabber gives the answers. Like this:

YOU: What is it that a cat has that no other animal has?

JABBER: Kittens.

YOU: Why does an Indian wear a feather headdress?

JABBER: To keep his wig warn.

To make a quick body or "skirt " you need a large handkerchief and a rubber band. Hold your hand in one of the two hand positions shown below and drape the handkerchief over the extended fingers. Loop the rubber band over the handkerchief and around your finger. Pull it around the back of your finger. Finally, loop it over your thumb. The head is placed on the first finger, and the thumb and the other finger become the puppet's arms.

BAGDAD THE PAPER -BAG GREMLIN

You need crayons, scissors and a small brown paper grocery bag. Flatten the bag out and turn it with the open side down. The fold across the top will be Bagdad's mouth and should be marked with a line of bright red. Cut out two white paper fangs and paste them to the edge of the fold, pointing downward. Now draw a button nose and two big droopy eyes above the mouth. Add paper feelers on top if you wish. Put your hand inside the bag and fit your fingers into the flap. You will find that by opening and closing your hand you can make Bagdad's mouth open and close. This gremlin speaks English, and he loves to sing.

No matter what puppet you decide to make, your kids love will love watching your bring these fun characters to life.

Fun Tattoo Facts

2009-05-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

Tattoos have been around since the the biblical times and have been popping up everywhere since then. However, in today’s society tattoos have become a lot more popular and a little less taboo as they once were. Although the acceptance of tattoos is still a little shaky and a lot of work still needs to be done in this area.

Here are a few fun tattoo facts, tips and statistics that you may or may not have known.

Even after your new tattoo is healed it is still susceptible to the sun’s rays. So be extra careful to avoid direct sunlight and always wear an SPF of 30 or higher to protect your tattoo.

There are at least a 100 different colors of a tattoo ink out there so you are not limited to you colors.

As of 2006 36% of people from the age of 18 to 29 had at least one tattoo.

In 2002 a poll was conducted that 1 out of 8 people have at least one tattoo. However, with the increasing number of young people out there getting tattoos, its sure to have gone up since then.

In 1991, a 5,000 year-old frozen man was discovered and scientists found a total of 57 different tattoos on his well preserved body.

The tattooing machine is based on the design of the modern doorbell.

In the late 19th and early 20th century tattoos were very fashionable among the aristocrats, which included women, to be tattooed. During this time, tattoos were very expensive and people paid large sums for their designs. However, the cost of tattoos were reduced and tattooing became adopted by lower class people and the tattoo soon became trashy.

Buying a Tattoo Kit

2009-05-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

So you are considering buying a tattoo kit? Buying a tattoo kit is a great way to test the water with tattooing and seeing if you really are cut out to be a Tattoo artist. Too many people see the reality shows and the “rock star” status some Tattoo Artists get and think becoming a Tattoo artist is a license to print money but for every “Tattoo Star” there are thousands out there working a 40 or even a 60 hour work week.

The great thing about buying a Tattoo kit, if you are a beginner is that pretty much everything you need to get started SHOULD be included with your kit, that means a machine, power supply, tubes, tips, a few sets of needles, a decent variety of inks, sets of gloves and ink caps.

A quick search on Google shows that there are plenty of tattoo kits out there these days at an affordable price for the newbie who wants to get started.

You will find super low priced kits (from China) to kits well over $200 , there is an old saying “you get what you pay for” so don‘t just buy the lowest priced one you find, to start with you don’t have to go out and spend $500 but at least try and aim for the best you can afford. You are looking to start a career here and you want to start off on the right foot and not cutting costs on quality of your “work tools”.

Talk to other tattoo artists in the area and find out from them what Tattoo kits they purchased when they were starting off, nearly all artists have a personal favorite and a company they prefer to use.

Check Tattoo magazines. These days pretty much every newsstand has a decent selection of Tattoo magazines, check the ads in the magazines, often they have product reviews too that are helpful in helping you make the right choice.

On of the key things to remember with Tattooing is like anything in life you get out what you put in , a weak effort will bring weak results , buying a complete tattoo kit is a great way to get started .

However once you have done some simple, basic tattoos you can look to add more machines, different types of needles, various brands of inks to your equipment collection to lead you on your road to your new career.

Where to Get the Hottest Printable Tattoo Designs on the Internet

2009-05-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

It can be a frustrating experience to search for tattoo designs on the internet due to the proliferation of generic designs and cookie cutter tattoo artwork. Many people waste a lot of time wading through websites and online galleries that feature hackneyed, unoriginal work that is always a few years out of date. This article will discuss a few quick methods to find sources of original, fresh, top-notch printable tattoo designs online.

The problem with using search engines to find printable designs on the internet is that most of the search results are generic sites with the same old tattoo designs that all of us have seen a thousand times before. While it may appear that the internet suffers from a dearth of sites featuring original tattoo designs, the fact is that such sites are out there; they just need to be pinpointed using methods other than the familiar search engine. Anyone interested in fresh, new printable tattoo designs should take the extra time and effort to educate themselves on these methods.

The best way to find quality designs online is through discussion forums and internet message boards devoted to tattoos. Populated by a core audience of tattoo enthusiasts, online forums are a perfect resource of information about everything to do with tattoos. The sites and galleries linked on such forums are far superior to anything a search engine can come with up. Many of these forums have been around for a while and have prodigious archives going back several years. Browsing through their archives will yield a treasure trove of original tattoo designs that a search engine will rarely find.

All online discussion forums have easy to use search features so new users can quickly locate their topics of interest without having to wade through pages and pages of unrelated topics. Since so many people have trouble finding original tattoo designs, a lot of the discussion taking place revolves around locating online sources for great printable tattoo designs. These sources range from niche sites that are overlooked by search engines to little known galleries of tattoo art or even original design creations by fellow forum members - most people who are active in online forums are more than willing to share their findings. Many online forums require little more than going through a quick and FREE registration process to sign up. It is always a good idea for new members to take a few days and "lurk" before jumping into the fray or asking questions that have no doubt been answered many times before. Always remember to read the rules and the FAQs.

Forums are a free and fun way to find great printable tattoo designs without having to suffer the mind numbing tedium of going over hundreds of pages of generic designs pulled up by search engines.

Where to Find Awesome Celtic Tattoo Ideas Online

2009-05-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

Celtic tattoo designs have exploded in popularity in recent times. Many people looking to get a tattoo to Celtic designs for inspiration and tattoo parlors do brisk business inking clients with Celtic styled tattoos. An unfortunate side effect of this popularity is that it can be very difficult to located original, high quality artwork and most people unwittingly settle for low quality generic designs. This article delves into the ways one can locate polished, superior Celtic tattoo designs without having to wade through hundreds of the same old artwork they have seen a million times before.

A large majority of the people searching for Celtic tattoos end up using popular search engines for finding designs - this has become the predominant for finding tattoo artwork of all kinds. The major drawback with this method is that search engines are not really suited for finding niche tattoo websites that feature unique, one-of-a-kind Celtic designs; instead the kinds of sites that tend to dominate the first few pages of results are cookie cutter websites featuring unoriginal generic designs.

The problem with these sites is that they are designed to appeal to the largest possible online audience to generate hits and become popular with search engines. They usually feature the same old designs that are at least a few years old. Such Celtic designs have been inked on so many bodies over the past few years that they border on being cliché. Chances are that the same tattoo designs that show up on such highly ranked pages have already popped up on hundreds of other sites on the internet as well as on thousands of people around the world.

Another huge problem with picking Celtic tattoo artwork off these sites is that they are not specifically designed to be used as actual tattoos. While most of the artwork may look good to the casual viewer, they will not look as nice inked on the body. Looking good on a computer monitor or on a printout and looking good on a human body are two very different things. The people who run most these popular sites throw in any random Celtic artwork and designs without giving much thought to their suitability as tattoos. Individuals who use these designs often end up getting inked with tattoos they are not completely satisfied with - a fatal blunder when dealing with something as permanent as tattoos.

There is hope, however. Internet discussion forums and message boards have risen to be a viable replacement for search engines when it comes to finding niche content like original Celtic tattoo designs. Tattoo forums provide a wealth of information first-hand from tattoo aficionados who have been through it all and are eager to share their experiences, good or bad, with others. Forums are a great place to find links to lesser known websites and galleries of original and fresh Celtic artwork that are perfect for tattoos. Since these links are gathered by living, breathing human-beings that are passionate about Celtic tattoo designs and not search engine algorithms, they are vastly superior to anything churned out by Google, MSN or Yahoo. While most internet users are more familiar with using search engines, it pays to take the extra time to learn how to navigate online forums - many will find it well worth their time and effort.

Where to Find Free Tattoo Designs

2009-05-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

So you've thought long and hard about getting a tattoo and you've decided that yes, you're definitely going to 'get inked'? If so, the next logical question to ask is, "What design do I choose?"

If you have absolutely no idea about what sort of design you'd like superimposed onto your body, it's going to take you many hours of careful consideration. You will need to view as many designs as possible, ensuring you make the right decision.

Making the right decision is critical - so we'll help you find free tattoo designs!
Making the right decision is really important when it comes to choosing a tattoo design, because deciding to have a tattoo is a lifelong commitment. It's not like buying something at the store, and taking it back because you've changed your mind. A tattoo - unless you undertake expensive, painful laser removal procedures - is for life. That is why we advise you to view as many different tattoo designs as possible, so you make the right design decision. If you've already been researching designs, chances are you have heard all about free tattoo designs and galleries online where you can view and download individual designs of interest. It's an absolute maze online, because there are just so many galleries to check out, so to make the process a little easier and a whole lot more time efficient for you, we're going to introduce you to four good websites - membership-based and totally free- that are jam-packed full of free tattoo designs!

Our recommended list of free tattoo design websites to check out!
We're fairly confident in assuming that it's going to take you many hours to decide on a tattoo design that's right for you. When we searched the web on your behalf for the best free tattoo design sites online, we found that virtually all of them required paid membership which would allow you to download as many designs as you like. Here are just some of these membership-based or totally free tattoo design websites we took a look at:

1) tattoojohnny.com
A really well designed website dedicated to free tattoo design ideas, Tattoo Johnny provides anybody interested in getting a tattoo with the information and design ideas they need to consider, in order to make the right decision. Although the actual tattoo ideas are free for you to print the color version of the design, the strong message this site conveys is that to ensure your tattoo is perfect, you will need to download the artist's stencil of the design you like. For a small fee (typically under $20USD), you can download the stencil, however visitors are assured that this will save you money when you go to a tattoo artist. If you simply take a design picture or photograph to your chosen artist, they will need to charge you to create a stencil while you wait. At Tattoo Johnny, you simply pay a small fee to download the artist stencil, and when you are ready to 'get inked', you give your tattoo artist a copy of the color version and the artist stencil. Tattoo Johnny even goes one step further to make sure you are well prepared to have a tattoo done, because you can test drive your tattoo by creating your own test tattoo using the transfer paper available for just $3.89 at the online store. This way you can trial a washable tattoo to make sure it suits you, before you take the permanent tattoo plunge.

2) tattoodles.com
Tattoodles is a paid membership website which features a large range of tattoo designs that you can print out and take to the tattoo artist of your choice. This website features the works of many tattoo artists and hosts an online tattoo artist community where these people can network and share ideas and inspiration. An online magazine is also accessible via the website, and is packed with articles related to all tattoo issues. This site is popular amongst tattoo artists and those interested in getting a tattoo of their own. With a huge array of tattoo designs to view, Tattoodles is a site you won't want to miss in your search for the perfect design.

3) tattoospot.com
Tattoo Spot is a completely free website that allows you to check out a large range of tattoo photographs. It is a website where people upload photographs of their own tattoos, so it doesn't actually provide visitors to the site with actual drawings of tattoo designs that you can take to your tattoo artist. If you found a design on this website from a photograph which appealed, you would need to take it to your tattoo artist, and they would have to create a stencil in order to superimpose the design onto your skin.

4) tattoomenow.com
This is another paid-membership website where you have access to thousands of tattoo designs once you join. Founded by a self-confessed tattoo enthusiast, Tattoo Me Now claims to be the ultimate tattoo membership and design gallery. After many months of research, Tattoo Me Now was launched and now provides tattoo enthusiasts with a huge tattoo design gallery of more than 3,500 tattoo designs categorized by type. A member gallery is also loaded with photographs of tattoos to provide you with even more ideas. If you're looking for the perfect tattoo design or inspiration at all, this is a good site to join.

There are many more membership and completely free tattoo design websites to check out!
The four websites we list in this article will provide you with enough ideas to get you started on your tattoo design decision-making journey! We trust you'll have a lot of fun and wish you all the very best when it comes to finding the tattoo design that's just right for you! Remember that although there are many sites where you can print out photographs or drawings of tattoo designs, the tattoo design itself is never totally free, because your tattoo artist will need to create a stencil for that design, in order to superimpose it onto your skin. Happy searching!

Baby Shower Recipes

2009-05-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

A baby shower is a kind of party that celebrates and welcomes a new member to the family. In this tradition, expectant parents usually receive gifts or money for their expected child, which, in a way, supports the parents by helping them get the things that they need for their baby (or the things that they may not be able to afford).

Baby showers are generally held in the later stages of pregnancy (in the last 2 months, for instance). There are, however, certain cultural beliefs that make people purposefully wait for the baby to arrive before having a baby shower. Adoptive parents, at times, wait until after the adoption is final and the baby has arrived in their home.

Baby showers are generally organized by close friends, relatives, or coworkers of the expectant parents (because baby showers center on gift giving, it is considered inappropriate for a family member to host such events).

In its early form, baby showers were held exclusively for mothers to be, and only women were invited to attend the party. In addition, baby showers were traditionally held only for the first child. Today, however, many people arrange baby showers for both parents, and they can now be also arranged for every succeeding children (even children who have been adopted).

Activities in a baby shower typically include games, special activies, presents, and, most especially, food.

Below are some of the most common baby shower recipes:

Pizza Sandwiches

Pizza sauce (can be store bought or homemade)
Cottage cheese (lowfat)
English muffins
Parmesan cheese

1. Mix 2-3 tbsp of pizza sauce with 2-3 tbsp of cottage cheese.

2. Spread the mixture onto one half of the English muffin.

3. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

4. Broil for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve.

Creamy Tomato Soup

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 can tomato soup (condensed)
Milk
1 tbsp basil
Mozarella or croutons (for toppings)

1. Heat vegetable oil in a medium saucepan.

2. Add the tomato soup.

3. Add milk (approximately the same amount as that of the tomato soup).

4. Add basil and cook slowly on low heat (do not boil).

5. Top with a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella and croutons. Serve.

Cheese Balls

1 half lb cheese (cheddar or grated)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 pack cream cheese
4 oz Tabasco sauce
2 tsp onion
Chopped nuts
2 tsp catsup or chili sauce

1. Mix all ingredients together using a mixer or a food processor (the cheese should be at room temperature).

2. Empty mixed ingredients on small bowls lined with plastic wrap.

3. Refrigerate overnight.

4. To serve, remove wrap and sprinkle with nuts. Serve with assorted crackers.

Chicken Puffs

4 tbsp butter
1 half cup boiling water
1 half cup flour
2 eggs
1 half cup shredded cheese
2 cups cooked chicken
2 tbsp olives
2 tbsp wine
1 fourth cup mayonnaise

1. Melt butter in boiling water.

2. Add flour.

3. Stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball.

4. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

5. Add egg and beat briskly until smooth.

6. Stir in cheese.

7. Scoop 1 tsp dough into a greased baking sheet.

8. Preheat oven to 400F.

9. Bake the puffs for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cool, and split.

10. Combine the remaining ingredients with the finely chopped cooked chicken, pimiento, and olives.

11. Fill each puff with 2 tsp of the mixture. Serve.

There are just some of the baby shower recipes, there are numerous others to choose from. You can have anything from sandwiches and finger foods, to snacks and dips and sweets that are all very easy to prepare.

Easy Gourmet Recipes for Coffee Lovers

2009-05-04T08:15:00.000-07:00

Most of us love coffee as a beverage, which is often used as a way to stay awake in the daytime, but how about using coffee to flavor our food? For example you could use your coffee maker to prepare your main dish.

What comes to mind are desserts or chocolate, where coffee is most commonly used in food. But we will come back to this. How about getting away from the sweet dishes for the moment. Let’s try and be a bit more imaginative. Coffee can be used to improve the glazing of meats on the barbecue, to enhance that chili or to spice up a casserole.

To spice your food, do yourself a flavor and don't resort to instant coffee. Only freshly ground coffee will give you the optimal flavor.
Put your coffee grinder to work just before you need the coffee. This way the aromas don't diminish. Use freshly filtered water and double the amount of coffee making it quite strong.

The first idea is one for a savory sauce for a meatloaf dish. Take one tablespoon full of coffee and add a little bit of cold water, ketchup, Worcester sauce. Mix in dry red wine to taste, vinegar, a spoon full of lemon juice, Demerara sugar completes the delicious mixture.

Cook the meat at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes, and add the well mixed sauce. Then let the meat cook for a further 45 minutes.

How about some espresso brownies for a delicious dessert?
This recipe is always very popular with my guests. For this you need to grind some dark roasted coffee. I always use an Italian or French roast. Then you put some sugar, a pinch of salt and some butter in a pan. Melt this concoction over a low heat. Add some vanilla, chopped up milk chocolate and the previously prepared coffee.

Stir this mixture and let it cool down a little bit. Use a spoon to stir in some eggs and flour into the batter before it gets cold. When smooth, put it into a baking tin and bake at moderate temperature for 30 minutes. Try to control yourself! Don't try the brownies before they are cold.

I could go on giving you recipes for cookies, cakes, gateaux even ice cream tastes great when flavored with coffee. Believe it or not but even the common sponge can be given some pep, iced or filled with coffee

Tiramisu is now popular all over the world, this fantastic creation made with savoiardi or finger biscuits dipped in espresso optionally having added Marsala liqueur, Amaretto or rum. These are then alternately layered with mascarpone cheese which has whipped cream and whipped egg-white stirred into it. The last layer should be the remainder of the Marsala mixture. Finish it all off by sprinkling cocoa over this delicious dessert.

Quite a few cocktails nowadays have coffee added to them.
The list of liqueurs containing coffee is getting longer everyday:
* Allen's Coffee Brandy
* Aruba Arehucas
* Vibe Robusta Coffee Liqueur
* Bols Coffee Liqueur
* Café Britt Coffee Liqueur
* The Evil Monk
* Kahlúa
* Kamora
* Keuck Türkisch Mokka
* Kona Gold
* Kosaken Kaffee
* Mokatika
* Sabroso
* Sheridan's
* Starbucks Coffee Liqueur
* Tia Maria
* Toussaint Coffee Liqueur
just to mention a few ingredients being used to enhance cocktails.

If you are not into alcohol, how about making a syrup spiced with coffee. For this you need some high quality coffee twice as strong as you would normally make it, boil this with a portion of sugar.
Boil to liquefy the sugar. then put the mixture over a low heat to evaporate most of the liquid.
Let the syrup cool down then use to put on top of vanilla ice cream or
pancake.

So you can see there are a lot ways you can use your coffee maker to compose some wonderful dishes using your imagination … Enjoy the creative results

Rhubarb Baking Recipes

2009-05-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

Rhubarb was always a staple in our garden when I was growing up. We always had it in lots of different dessert recipes over the summer. Here are few tasty rhubarb recipes for you to enjoy.

Rhubarb Muffins

1 1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup walnuts
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, diced

Topping:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large bowl, mix together the egg, sugar, oil, vanilla, buttermilk, flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add in the walnuts and the rhubarb and mix together well. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Pour mixture into the muffin liners. In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients. Add the topping to each muffin. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Rhubarb Pie

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
2 cups rhubarb, finely cut

Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter

In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, flour, and eggs. Add the vanilla and sour cream into the mixture. Put the rhubarb in and mix until thoroughly blended together. Pour the mixture into an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Mix together until the mixture is crumbly. Do not put the topping mixture on the pie right away. Bake the pie in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes or when the center of the pie is firm. During the last 10 minutes of the baking time, sprinkle the topping mixture over the pie.

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

1 package yellow cake mix
4 cups rhubarb, diced
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 pint whipping cream

Prepare the cake mix as directed. Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch greased pan. In a medium bowl, mix the rhubarb and sugar together. Evenly sprinkle the rhubarb mixture over the batter. Pour the whipping cream over the entire mixture. (It will look very runny.) Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the cake tests done.

Oh Wow

2009-04-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had an "Oh Wow" moment? I have and it was yesterday. On Friday I got ill nothing major just congestion and a headache. Over the weeken full blown fevers (multaple ones) Sore throught ear infection. I am still feeling bad Conjestion and now Pink Eye with the ear infection (meds are being slow this time!). well on saterday i get a message from my mom about my Great Aunt Lue. She was and is dying. Very frail very pale, her heart has stoped so many times I think there should be a world record for it. well my mom calls me back on tuesday and tells me that Aunt Lue isnt in a hospice or hospital its family takeing care of her. She said there is about 30 members there helping in shifts of four. One member is a Nurse and is the only one allowed to give the morphine. It has to be done on a cotton swabe and rubed on the inside of her cheek. to mositen her lips they use a cotton ball. Her system shut down basickly last week. She hasnt eaten or drink anything in 8 days. Everyone piches in in changing her bedding turning her bathing her body and to make sure she dosnt get those bed sores. She only is about 87 and everyone holds there breath when her heart stops. Some ask "Is it happing this time?" Its nothing odd about it everyone wants her to go in peace and for her to know that we all love her. Shes holding on for some reason. She cant talk and i think its been like that for a long time now. If I rember Aunt Lue had a stroke not long ago I can't rember so much has gone on. What really stinks is I cant say my goodbuys and I am only a few hours drive from her. Even if i go I am ill and contagues and then i would never here the end of it. But my "Oh Wow" moment was how my mom described how the family got together and is takeing care of her. Most would assume to place some one in that condition into a hospice or hospital. My other great aunts and uncles are afraid thats will happen to them when its there turn. Hospitals and the hospices are the impersonal way to go. Its like telling them you dont love them enught to keep there death in degnifying way.
Personaly no death is dignifying, its a hard complicated nightmear but I would like to think I would be one to help take care of a family member first before some stranger does (or in some cases does not).
In any case Great Aunt Lue your life will not be forgotten it will continue through us all, and I am Honerd and privlaged to have you as my Great aunt. May you find peace in your afterlife and fear not your darling husband is being well cared for by all of us.

A Birthday Party

2009-04-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

My daughter celebrated her 5th birthday not long ago. We made Invites, she picked out the activities and decorations. Hubby and I put it all together, and went to our local park. The party was supposed to start at 3, None of her classmates showed up. the only person that did show up was her grandpa. After an hour of waiting around blowing bubbles eating snow cones we packed up and took the party home. Played with snow cones, ate cake, watched her dance around and be silly. We also had planned an egg hunt with 3 prize eggs winners would have gotten 3 different sized chaco bunnies (they were yummy we ate them!).

Life on the upside

2009-03-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

Things are going ok for us. We have been busy busy busy, almost nonstop action here. As of late my days start at 4:30 am (central time) and end when ever I collapse usually around tenish sometimes sooner.
I spend my mornings deleting spam, drinking coffee and promoting my websites. By 6:45 am i am getting the kids up and ready for school. By the time I get home I delete more spam answer some real e-mails then off filling orders or creating something new.
As of right now I have a OOAK Corset, A no boning bodice on the cutting table to be sewn. I have 22 candles and 3 bars of soap to make (not including my mom's order!).
Get the kids by 3:15 home by nearly 4pm then the real chaos starts for a few hours.
Snacks, Running around, dinner, baths, story and bed time. Its really busy until they fall asleep. Then I go and finish as much as I can (answer e-mails or work). I don't watch T.V anymore I dont read the paper, I bearly catch headlines on line about whats going on.
Then I get a phone call that ticks me off. Have you ever had one of those? I dont mean tellemarketers or the autamated messages. This is from a family member that is letting you know that your dad is being a jerk. Which isnt anything new to me, but I really wish it would just stop. So it looks like I will be cutting ties with him again, becuse i just dont have enugh space for double crossing jerks. My kids need me and I just dont think it would be fair if they see me always upset.
Well my son's next MRI appointment is in May lets hope he will be able to do this one. The other appointment we had to reschuduale becuse he was ill to oftain and to quikly.
Heres to crazy parents that think we dont listen!

Playing catch up!

2009-03-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

I am so behind on updating this blog!
Lets see since the last post we have:
had the flu, strep, cold, allergies
I have been working on Soap, Candles, Jewelry, Incense, New packaging for our items.
Been working on Fliers, Brochures, Business cards, and tons of other things.

Well this was a short post :P

Check it out our new site!
http://sacredoak.webs.com

Just an update

2009-01-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

Well I just wanted to thank all who called, e-mailed me to see if I was okay. I am now, I am feeling so much better now.
The last week I have dug my hands into the suds department, that is I have been makeing Ritual Soaps, Old Fashion good for your skin soaps. No fancy molds or designs yet but I am getting there it will take some time. By the end of the week one should see some of the soaps i been working with. They should be dry and firm enugh for pics.
I am also making Bath salts of all kinds, we will no longer use the glass jars as in our pics they weigh too much for shipping purposes but they will be available for Local customers or those who attend the fairs we vend at.
We will also have ritual kits, Bath Gift sets and more by the end of the month just in time for valentines!
Over the christmass break our tv died it was only 4 years old but been through hell (little fingers pushing buttons). 4 days later of crying, kicking fighting and biting we caved and bought another one. We use the game systems for our music cds which keeps the peace around here, without it, lets say it wasnt calming at all lol.
On Thursday our washer decided to do the old I will fill up but wont agetate anything for you. The moter finnally kicked the bucket. The washer is just 2 years younger then me (28) I was hopping at least 1 more year, now its only a matter of time before the dryer decieds to follow suite. Washing clothes in the bath tub isnt fun thats for certain. No way am I digging for quarters to wash clothes. Just cant fford it right now. I so cant wait until the H&R block time! New beds, New Washer, maybe a couch.
Well back to the old soap grinding (we are hand milling the soap!)
Have a great weekend !

Death By Salad

2008-12-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

On Thursday we ate a nice meal. It was the normal time around the table talking, trying to get the kids to eat something, you know normal. I was the only one that had a salad on there plate. On Friday about 5:30 am I got very ill and was praying all day to the porcelain god. Was not fun at all. I am well now but hurt everywhere. The only thing we could think of that caused it was the salad. I believe it was contaminated with something. So I will be makeing a nice phone call to the grocery store where i bought it. I am lucky it didnt become worse.

New species?

2008-12-16T06:39:00.000-08:00

I normally don't read the yahoo news articles, but this morning one attracted my attention. I like to read about new discoveries either it be nature or from the ancient world. I enjoy watching the history channel a lot along with scifi.
But today this article really grabbed my attention I find it fascinating while others might find it disturbing or make them re think there world around them. So much has been lost over the years its refreshing to know so much has been found as well. Maybe together we can spread the word that it is up to us to make small changes on how we live our daily lives. We can do so much more if we sit down and think about it.

Read artickle here!

First Day Of School

2008-12-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

So okay this post is way late as my sons first day of school was The last week of October. But enjoy (more will be scanned and uploaded soon!)

Anniversery Pics

2008-11-12T18:48:00.001-08:00

Here are some food pics ;)
Enjoy!

Can You Guess What This is?

Well Its Kitty Litter Cake and it was yummy!

Hubby put this Chocolate Cookie Castle kit together It was yummy too!

Work Boots

2008-11-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

My Hubby goes through work boots like tooth brushes. He needs a new pair every 6 months! Work Boots USA is offing Free Shipping in The USA! They offer Name brands that you can find at big Department stores as well. They also have work shoes for women and men as well as boots. There site is broken down by style and name of the shoe/boot. If anything its something to look at while wasting time online ;)

camera woes

2008-11-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

apparently my camera which has all the new pics from Halloween and new products, decided to go nuts on me. Thank goodness I have The Geek Squad Protection on it!Guess where I will be at tomorrow?!

5.11 Tactical Pants

2008-11-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

5.11 Tactical Pants has got a new product Operator Tactical Pants. From What there site says these are flying off the shelves. These are on sale $24.99 a pair there normal price on these pants are $39.99. They Claim to have tons of features on them Here is a short list:

* Features A Total of 10 Pockets!
* 60% Cotton / 40% Polyester
* Fade Resistant Fabric
* Diamond Gusset Crotch
* Cinch Waist System
* Cargo Pockets with Organization System
* Two D-Rings Per Cargo Pocket
* Double Knee Fabric
* Airport Friendly, Heavy Duty Hardware
* Double Seat
* Dual Front Slit Pockets
* Dual Front D Rings
* Lower Leg Pockets
* Built In Blousing Strings
* Slanted Cargo Pocket Flaps For Seated Access

They also say to keep an eye out for new stuff as well sounds great to me. I would buy some for my hubby!

Stressed?

2008-11-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

Life got you Down? Are you Stressed? Well Do what this cat does!

Wedding Anniversery

2008-11-02T08:45:00.001-08:00

We celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary on October 31st! We had a party on November 1st but no one showed up. We will have pics up on everything we did for the party. We did a Kitty Litter Cake, a Hunted House Cookie Castle, Hamburger, steaks, and dogs. We have Tons of Candy as no one stopped at our house on Halloween Night. This year was so sad and so disappointing. Not even sure I want to try next year. Although we started plans for the Cemetery we want to do and Maybe a huge sign that reads "Tick Or Treater's welcome" Maybe someone might stop! We have also plans for doing a Jack O lantern Patch. We plan to do at least 20 different pumpkins next year!
Pics will be available later this week!

BookSwim.com Gift Card

2008-11-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

Online Book Rental (Netflix for books) - Holiday Gift Cards!

VIRTUAL GIFT CARDS
BookSwim offers virtual gift cards which are the perfect gift for those who love to read. We are giving incentives to customers to purchase gift cards between now and December 31.

INCENTIVES TO GIFT CARD PURCHASERS
-- You will receive a $5 gift card to be used by you for every $50 gift card purchased. Similarly, for every $100 gift card you buy, you will receive your own $20 gift card.

-- Additionally, 2 lucky winners will receive a $299 Sony Blu-Ray Disc Player. One entry for every gift card purchase.

-- You're helping the environment by having a tree planted in honor of your gift. Your tree helps balance out new book paper production through a partnership with Eco-Libris. See: http://www.bookswim.com/media_kit_vision.html#theEnvironment

First Days!

2008-11-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

My son went to school for the very first time on Thursday! He had such a great day! He got to play in a ball pit, water table and go for a hey ride! And had the whole day documented on film. I do plan to post up pics later this week! He is loving school like his big sister and I am loving the 6 hours of quiet and calm around here. I have gotten a lot of house work done and all next week i plan to catch up on paper work and sewing! yea things are starting to go just right!

Vista Print

2008-11-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

Do you own a business? A non-Profit group? Need fliers, business cards or even do personal Holiday cards? Well Vista Print has really great service and options for you to use as well as speedy delivery. I ordered 250 business cards for free only paid shipping and handling!

Well Vista Print has a new feature a wholesale account and affiliate program!

Get customer to sign up for a VistaPrint Reseller membership, onetime fee of $10

VistaPrint Reseller Program the benefits and privileges are great!
- No experience necessary
- Work from the comfort of your own home
- No boss to look over your shoulder
- Create your own commission structure
- Create your own schedule
- Free Shipping Over $150 only within US
- No additional charge for drop shipping only within US
- Discounted Shipping under $150 only within US
- Free Image Uploads
- Free PDF Proofs
- Unbranded Packaging
- Unbranded Products

Feeling icky

2008-11-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

Whatever it is its going around, everyone in the house are runny nose, coughing, watery eyes. The weather has been changing drastically one day it would be in the 40's the next day on the 90's and at night in the 35's. I so not like the constant cold and hot feeling its like the south is going through menopause or something. Well hopefully soon i can move to my dream location.

WhiteWalls Art Gallery... Love Art?

2008-10-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

Are You an Art Lover? Do you dream in abstract? Well This website might be for you the art lover. White Walls Art Gallery They have all kinds of art. They Have Free Shipping For Today Only! (10-22-2008)
WhiteWall accepts PayPal, Credit Cards and many other payment options.
I love looking at art I love to feel the feelings and impressions that art has to offer. It makes me feel alive at times. This piece is one of my favorites:

I love the oranges and reds and the tree looks like its reaching for the sky.
In any case if your an art lover then you might want to cheek WhiteWalls Art Gallery out!

Band of The Month: Codavita

2008-10-22T06:22:00.000-07:00

About The Band:

Codavita are Fergus on vocals, guitar and studio, and Guy on bass. They met at school and hated each other for years. Finally they bonded over a shared love of Ultravox, ran a compact cassette library together, and started their musical adventure performing drum duets.

The video is a promo for the song ‘In Love With Fear’, which is also available for streaming on the band’s web site www.codavita.com, along with another song ‘Lifter’, both of which are taken from their forthcoming album.

Influences:

XTC, Pet Shop Boys, Talking Heads, Xenomania, Gwen Stefani,
Timbaland, Prince, Adam Ant, Sugababes, The Magnetic Fields, Human League.

Watch Music Video

Renuzit Tri Scents

2008-10-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

Here recently i tried Renuzit TriScents. I placed them in my sewing/laundry room. I spend a lot of hours in there and a little fragrance never hurts anyone right? Well at first it was too over powering for me. It made me nauseous even when i placed it on a low warming release setting. With the three scents in circulation I had to open up a window for a few days. I even left the door open to help vent it through out the house. After 5 days it started to work right (i am guessing) and didn't become so strong. As the oils started to be used up the better I liked it. Their are a few things in my opinion that needs to be worked on is the heating element.
they are offering coupons from there website. Maybe it was just me about the strength of the first few days. I did like it once it had time to burn off the excess amount of fragrance and the rotation on the scents was and is cleaver. The scents I had had Lenin, fresh breeze and one other I cant remember. It was nice as time went on. I do recommend all who like Renuzit to go the there website and print out a coupon to try it for themselves!
Renuzit TriScents

Been so busy!

2008-10-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been so busy that its hard to keep up with everything? I have been the last two weeks.
Its starting to ease off a little now. I can finally catch up on my e-mails and other things! Yay for calmer days :)

Corset Lovin!

2008-10-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

Upcycled Black Corset

This corset was made from a satin Chinese style shirt.
In our excitement on making this corset we had forgotten to take pictures of the Original shirt.
This corset is lined with black cotton fabric.
We used twill fabric to reinforce the busk area.
This Corset is a size 10
It has black Grommets and 3 yards of black lacing cord.
The design is Chinese Dragons and peacocks.
We used Black Satin Bias Edging.
Flat Steel Boning
Fits these measurements the best (just a guideline):
Bust 32 1/2 inches
Waist 25 inches
Hip 34 1/2 inches

If you are wanting to tight lace and are bigger then these measurements please be advised that one should take special precautions on this. For safe tight lacing we recommend that the body be a size 12 (the fallowing measurements are a guideline for a size 12).
Bust: 34 inches
waist: 26 1/2 inches
hip: 36 inches

Victorian Corsets

2008-10-09T15:41:00.002-07:00

This little beauty is what has been keeping me busy for nearly two weeks (still have another to finish).

511 Tactical Outdoors

2008-09-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

5.11 Tactical Pants are a great pair for Police. They have many colors and styles to chose from. Plus who can resist free shipping? 5.11 tactical Pants have reinforced seams made of heavy duty fabrics and have many pockets and colors to chose from. They also have a place for your keys! how great is that? To be honest I don't see many Men going and getting a "bag" to put their wallets, keys and other things like their phones into. So these pants might be a great buy for any Guy! Oh did I mention Free shipping?!

Texas Maker fair!

2008-09-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

Some of my fellow Texas Team mates will be going to a Maker Fair!
If you are in that area you should stop by and say howdy!

Fabric Labels

2008-09-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

I was searching for labels to sew into the clothing i make, when my hubby suggested I do the fallowing:
Why not use printer transfer paper and a roll of satin ribbon for labels?
I thought Brilliant because it will save me hundreds of dollars!
So I use an address label templet from my printing program. Place in the transfer paper for dark fabrics, and print.
The dark fabric transfer paper doesn't have to be mirrored or reversed image. you just cut and use the parchment paper to iron onto the 1"1/2 wide fabric ribbon.
I space them apart about 1/4 inch so I have space to cut and fold the edge to hand stich it into place. This keeps the edges from fraying or one could use the no frey solution or clear fabric glue let them dry then sew them into or onto your fabric items.
But this is a good way to label my works and dosent cost me an arm and leg.

Pagan Magic - Wicca & Witchcraft Shop

2008-09-17T06:52:00.000-07:00

I came across this nifty pagan and wiccan website. Now I own an occult metaphysical shop and I have no problems with Promoting others in the business. This is not a paid offer. I felt the need to share this shop and website because lets face it we all can use some help in promoting our business. I am in the process of contacting the owner about doing some card swapping if anything it will help her out as she tries to gain a customer base.
She has everything organized and well thought out. I giver her two thumbs up for doing a great job! Her articles are thought out as well and informative to those who are learning the craft or just need to brush up on some info! Why not visit her and give her some visit support?!

Morey’s Piers

2008-09-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

When I was younger I used to remember getting up early and traveling to amusement parks. It wasn't an all of the time thing for us but it was a great thing to do. Traveling for a few hours all excited to get their. As we would pull up into the gates of the parking area one could see the huge rides. When we opened the doors you could here the screams and noise of the park. It was a thrill, still is. I am in my late 20's and I still get excited about going to an amusement park or a water park. I still feel like a small kid waiting forever to get to all the fun.
These days we have the internet to give us all the info we ever need about amusement parks. One in particular is Morey’s Piers.com. They are a great source for those wanting to visit New Jersey. If you are planning a family beach vacation try looking at them first. They have all info on wildwood hotels motels and amusement parks as well as weekly/daily specials. I looked over their site and wished we had something like that when I was a kid, instead of waiting for weeks for brochures or going to every travel agency in town. Staying home to plan a vacation is the best thing ever! Morey's Piers is a great place for a New Jersey vacation.

Promote Swap!

2008-09-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

So how many of you out there would like to swap Links? It would work like this:
I place a link on my side menu and then you would link back to me. Its that simple right? Well if you run an online business or even A real world Business why not send me your printed promos for my interested customers? Would mean more looks at what you do. I will either ask you to place my shop URL or I will send you some promo materials for you to pass out to your friends.

Would this be interesting to you? Do you think this might be helpful for someone out their trying to get there business off the ground? If so send them my way I will hook them up!

How would you consolidate debt?

2008-09-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

I recently looked over the fallowing website to consolidate debt. We have a few outstanding student loans and needed some options on how to make them go away for ever. They take money every month but don't add it to what we owe. They have taken 25.00 a week for 3 years now. You would figure it would have gone away by now. But they keep telling us its in default.
So I went to Bills.com looking for any help they could offer. Unfortunately they cant do much more then what is already being done, But I did find their site to be very educational about Credit and other debts. I did find lots of information about borrowing money that never even went on my radar. If you need help getting those bills and payments under control Try Them Out!

Honestly go to theire website and cheek out theire info. With the US ecconamy lately we all can use some help in getting things undercontroll. Bills.com is the site to look into. If anything there website can give you an idea on how to break down your bills on your own.

Shoulder Pain

2008-09-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

I have been experiencing a lot of shoulder pain lately. I wonder if it is the way I have been sleeping. Then again I have a lot of sewing and e-mails to get through it might be a pinched nerve from sitting oddly all day.

Do you have a nagging pain that wont go away? If so why not tell us about it?

The Great Masquerade!

2008-09-16T12:38:00.000-07:00

For many Halloween is a great time to dress up and be something or someone you are not. A great way to let an inner personality come forth and play with all your friends. For many it is a great opportunity to through a Masquerade or Halloween party as many call it these days.

Our family dresses up every year, the kids partake in trick or treating for a few hours. Then we all come home and start the festivities. My hubby and I got married 8 years ago on Halloween. We always through a little anniversary/Halloween party. We do the house and yard up it is different every year. While trick or treat'ers come up and get a little fright we are having a nice party going in the background.

For many they find it hard to get a costume and other gear. We recommend the fallowing link for those who can not afford to have a custom made costume halloween costume stores. Some like to mix custom hand made with bought items and this is great mix of both. Just click the link to get some great ideas and useful help on costumes to throwing a nice party!

My Faveriot Mel Brooks movie

2008-09-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

This is a really hard one to narrow down, Mel Brooks has so many wonderful, funny and witty movies out there. How can one passably chose just one? I guess Should list them by most favorite to it was ok for me.

My most favorite Mel Brooks movie would have to be Young Frankenstein.
I love Gene Wilder but this was a great film. With Igors hump moving around (not to mention the intreasting Eye) My faveriot scene of the movie was the whole disscusion on how to pronounce the name and in the end how he changed it back.

My next one would be History of The World Part 1 (still waiting for part 2!)

The producers was intreasting.

Spaceballs is another funny faveriot the Soup Special was funny to me.

and I cant rember if Mel Brooks had a hand in The Honeymoon I do know Gene wilder did, but not to sure about Mel.

The ListBuilding Club

2008-09-15T15:18:00.000-07:00

I came across this website:The ListBuilding Club, its an online business. It helps you create an online business for yourself. They are offering one month free and then there is a monthly fee. The ListBuilding Club even has a blog but little information is there right now. I am assuming they will be adding more information soon about there program and what it does exactly. You are supposed to create an account and gain access to more tutorials about how to run this business.

They claim they can help you make more money online. I have not seen any success stories or I have been paid articles by them yet. I am keeping my eye out for these things. They are supposed to have introduction videos I have not yet found them. I would try them for the first free month to see if they are what they claim they are. After that it would be up to the individual to keep on it or close down. I have yet to find more information on them, even their website is vague. If anything one should E-mail them directly for more information on how it works before signing up for them.

This was a paid post

After Ike

2008-09-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

Well we survived Hurricane Ike. It wasnt as bad as most had thought in our area. In other areas it was horrid from reports. Galvaston is under water, it will take 4 months to get to the center of houston. Lots of power outage and debris. Our power went off at 10:35 on saterday and came back on at 8 pm last night (sunday).

We didnt have any home damage but the burk lodge next door lost its roof. We didnt even lose food this time wich was a sigh of relife here for us. Hubby worked friday to late saterday evening up at the hospital. Only had sunday off and he will be going back to work tonight. I also understand that Houston is under a curfue for a while.

Bad thig about it no school for my doughter she is so upset too. She loves school, she just wants to live theire.

Soon things will be back to normal yay!

Web Hosting Rateing

2008-09-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

I came across this website that rated website hosting. I found it to be very interesting and possibly helpful. I am looking for a new service for The Sacred Oaks Website. They Compare Price, Space & Traffic that each company offers.

Looking around their website I also found their article section. It was Very helpful, I even booked marked it for future reading. I found one article to be very interesting. Their article on How Affordable is Cheep Hosting. I found it to be a nice read. If you are like me and looking for a site that is helpful in finding a decent web hosting or if you are just curios about them, give them a visit. Judge for yourself ;)

Hurrican Ike

2008-09-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

Well this week has been very interesting. Hurricane Ike is heading for texas and is expected to hit land in hours from now. Yes I live just north East of Houston so it is coming our way. To be honest I dont expect nothing more then rain, and a little wind. Its slightly over casted now but nothing too bad. Its hot and muggy. Goddess is it hot! Its just sticky outside. At this point rain would be relife for us.

I dont even expect the electricity to go out. Our town is full of evacuated people wall mart was bare and all I wanted was some groceries to last us the week, bla we migh have enugh for a few days.

So many people freek out over a little wind and rain. I lived in florida for 9 years and Texas is the worst response time to any rain and wind storm. I so cant wait to move to Massachusets!

Label Maker and School

2008-09-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

I see a lot of good Potential for a DYMO Labelmaker. Not only for labeling storage containers for around the house, but for school stuff too. My daughter started Pre-K 2 weeks ago. I can see great uses for one from placing her name on her back pack, lunch box to the inside of her fall jacket.

I also see great things for around the house. We use storage containers of all sizes around her instead of using a permanent marker I could easily print out a label and stick it on the container. Would help with marking Christmas/Yule items to our Favorite Halloween Stuff.

I also run a costuming business so labeling containers correctly is very helpful from grommets to leather tools i could see a big need for one.

Now if only it could answer my e-mails I think I would be in heaven!

Curve Balls and tests

2008-09-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

It seams everywhere I go lately I have been getting curve balls. I hadnt updated in such a long time here. Let me give you the skinny of whats been going on.
We have two new room mates.
I went to houston about 2 weeks ago for my sons autism evaluation. They did declare him with autism and wanted his speech, physical and OT uped a lot.
He is supposed to have liquid vitamins but no one in my town carries them.
We have been sick for about a week here due to my daughters first year in school.
She is loving PreK and so am I!
Since she started she has been fallowing directions, rules and been behaving a little better. Ok for School anyways as soon as she gets home its same old daughter the evil side lol.
Lets see I have been running my etsy team almost by myself but now have a great staff to fill in all positions to help make things run smoother. So yay something is going ok.
I still havent gotten my dreamweaver to run and adobe isnt helping much. I have been looking for free programs out theire I can use but hadnt found one yet. I will make a post about which ones work for me and others that should be for techy people ;)

If anyone has a suggestion on a program please feel free to let me know about it.

Moore will come soon!

A System Crash!

2008-08-11T07:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday Night I was cheeking e-mails, when all of a sudden my comp reboots on its own. I get past my first password screen then it loaded to a black screen. There was only one sentence upon this black screen.

System error can not find operating system.

WTF? I was thinking to myself. So I went onto DH comp and did a search for this sentence to see if anyone else had ever experienced what I did. Sure enough it is a common thing. My Hard drive wiped itself out somehow. Good thing I had majority of my other info stored in my slave drives (I have 2!). So I reloaded my operating system copied over some of my documents. Reloaded in some other programs I use religiously. Then It downs on me, I no longer have the original packaging for my dreamweaver web editor. after 4 moves it was lost to us. So that means I no longer have the product code, which also means I am up a creek without a paddle! I called Adobe about it, apparently they cant help me because I no longer have proof of purchase on it. Its been 4 years like I could read the recpt now if i had it!

They told me I would have to buy a new version which would cost close to $500.00! I nearly fainted over that. I told them I am happy with the version I have I just need access to it. They told me they couldn't help and the conversation ended. Bla what a great week I am having!

New Month new look and Changes

2008-08-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

Many may have noticed the new look here on my blog. I was so ready for a new look (well to me anyways). I am still looking for a 3 column templet in a medieval renaissance fairy elvish look and feel. Maybe something with willow trees?

Its august yea! why am I excited? well my 4 year old is starting school this month Yea! means a whole day to create and work with my 2 year old without sissy pushing biting scramming and such. I try to give equal attention but its hard when your 2 year old faces autism and no verbal skills. This way I know she will be in an environment with kids her own age, have fun playing in paint and such without brother coming along and snatching her stuff. Its a good thing ;) Dont worry brother will be going in a few months after he turns 3 for half a day! woot mornings to me self, well almost.

With all these new changes a huge one is coming along in a week. In one week there will be a roommate and her wee one. her wee one is about 4 months old (maybe older cant keep up). There goes the peace and quite I was looking for but hey its all good ;)So in order to make room for these two we are doing a total house rearranging. Today I start in my utility craft room. I will be rearrange things in there to make room for my shipping supplies, and store hubbys tattoo stuff and all the oils, candles and other shop items. Tonight I plan to conquer my room to make room for the computer desks, and office works. We still dont know where our sward and alter and book collections will go to. We had decided it would be easier if the two shared a room instead of placing another kid in my kids room which there is no room for them in there.Over the weekend will be furniture moving so yea i am going to be one tired person.

Every night I have been weaving circlets for my etsy shop well only 3 will be for sale while the other will be for examples of color combination. Great thing is they only take one hour to make from cut to finish. I am so taking a knitting break i just cant focus on it right now.

I am so ready for a nap and new glasses!

Life, Kids and Knitting!

2008-07-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

Life can really through you a curve ball sometimes! There I was knitting on a pair of Opera gloves (the same pair for a month now!) and my doughtier really did the funniest thing ever. She turned to me and in a very adult manner "Mommy did you know people are weird!" and then she ran off before I could say anything (i was a little taken by the statement and I really didnt have anything to say). Then I found myself laughing over it, she came running and being chased by her brother , stopped looked at me "Mommy it wasnt that funny" and ran off again. I just chuckled some more because she is only 4!

on my knitting note I should have pics of the gloves within a few weeks, they are taking far longer hen expected and I so need to take a few days off from knitting them. size 3 knitting needles are tiny! the yearn is tiny too lol, ugh such work for a pair of arm length gloves!

Oh well who ever gets them will be happy with them!

Bills IQ

2008-07-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

If you are like me and need Debt help then this Post might be very helpful to you. I just recently took the Bills IQ test. At first glance this test didn't seam like it would be helpful but as I answered their simple questions, it made me think of things that I never thought about. For instance have you thought about Life Insurance? Or about a collage fund for your kids? We have thought about some of this here in our home, but never have acted on it. For one thing our bills out weigh our income. Between collage loans, credit bills that went into default and a cell phone bill that went to a collection agency, its hard to mange money you really dont have.

I scored a 75 on it a C so to speak. But after thinking about it their little test was to vague for me. It left too many grey areas for instance it didnt ask about income bracket which is a big key factor or asked about necessity buying such as groceries, and needed home stuff. After the test was over it showed 3 Debt consolidation companies. I don't use them for one thing they ask for a percentage of payment. I tried to use the free non profit one a few years back but it just didnt work out. Then you get at least one person who is mean to you. They just don't take in the fact that uncontrollable situations happen. Like the loss of a child, or medical bills of a termanil ill family member. Now I am not saying this is m and my family but there are families that are living with this.

I would love to have a Debt free life. and I hope one day it will get to that point. Everyone deserves debt relief in their life. I do suggest that everyone take the quiz, because it does ask some really big questions. It's always worth a shot to find out about Debt help and ways to start digging yourself out of it. Help is always great even if it is to point out the obvious that we sometimes forget about ;)

busy month!

2008-07-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

I have been soo busy lately!
I have been knitting like a mad woman on a pair of oprea gloves and hopefully I can finish by morning!
I have 4 tote bags to decorate and get up in my shop and the team shop!
I have 3 boxes to wood burn on and seal, stain and such.
I need to finish getting school supplies together
I need 2 more of me!
I still have 30 more things to list up in my shopit
I have 4 bodices, 2 corsets and a skirt to sew up!
hmmm busy busy person I am!

if any is curious you can go to http://www.shopit.com/The_Sacred_Oak

Zenni Optical was on FOX news!

2008-07-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

Recently Zenni Optical was featured on Fox news in the Deal or Dud section. I went to cheek out the report for myself. The report didn't load up correctly for me but I did get most of what they were talking about. They tried out ZenniOptical.com with two different types of glasses strength. The mom of the try out was a little disappointed in the frames for her son. She claimed the color was off from what was online and the ear pieces hooked too much around the ear. Her daughters were fine. She also had the sons cheeked with an obstratition for prescription strength and they said it was perfect. The only 2 problems was the puplary distance and the lenses were too thick making them heavy which wasn't necessary. You can cheek out their report Zenni on Fox and make your own decision.

My personal experience with ZenniOptical.com was pretty good. As I mentioned a while back we had ordered a pair of bifocals for my husband. We had problems reading the prescription because of the Doctors penmanship. It was bad and sloppy writing. We had gone to Wal-Mart and had the eye place give us a puplarity measurement. They were more then happy to measure it for us. We went to the site and placed our order Bifocals take longer to get here. It took close to a month before they got here. Once They did get here they were perfect. Shape size prescription and pupal measurement. We hadn't had a problem and I am so grateful we used them. Bifocals start at $400.00 a pair and ours only cost $85.00 plus shipping and handling. I believe they are worth the wait because in the long run they save us a lot of time and money and thats something we all need to save on! Don't take my word for it try ZenniOptical.com and make your own decision about them.

This is a sponsored post.

Friday!

2008-07-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

Yay today is friday, that means a productive weekend ahead! Lots of sewing and knitting for the weekend as well as trying to squeeze in web site editing for hubby, the team and for myself. Plus tomorrow morning is town time for me oh yea *rolls eyes*. Other then that really no other plans.

My Disclosure Policy

2008-07-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

This policy is valid from 10 July 2008

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact sacredoak2002@yahoo.com.

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content will always be identified.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

ZenniOptical

2008-07-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I had mentioned that we had ordered from zennioptical.com for the hubbys bifocals. they have been working out really great for him. Not only did we save a fortune on Bifocals but we also found some intreasting and unique styles for eyeglasses. Shipping on bifocals takes longer then regular glasses but in the long run it was worth it.

I went over to the site earlier and discovered that zennioptical.com has some new styles. I am waiting until I can get my eyes reexamined so I can buy me some new glasses from zennioptical.com.

These are more my style:

zennioptical.com Sells Stylish Prescription Glasses Online. You will find huge selection of frames, with single vision lens, sunsensor (potochromic)lens, tinted sunglasses lens, bifocal lens and progressive lens. The Secret to Zenni’s Low Prices
is that they sell only their own manufactured frames direct to the customer, with no middlemen and virtually no advertising budget.

This is a sponsored post

Kids, shots and bobos

2008-07-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

Today I had to take my daughter to get a set of shots. This time was way different then any other time. They had to draw out blood today and her tiny vein did what my moms does. It rolled so the stupid nurse kept fishing in the arm making it bruised and making her scream louder. I told the nurse to stop take the needle out and re tie her arm. She told me to be quite. That was the wrong thing to say to a mom and someone who does have experience with needles.
Once that was over they freaked my daughter again, she hates having others pull her pants down to give her a shot. They gave her 4 injections for 3 things and her little bum is bruised as well as her arm. Once we got home i gave her an ice cream bar and a bottled water. She has calmed down some but she nicely told the nurses they are to never touch her again.

The Secreats of The Minstral Cycle

2008-07-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

Its great to know that a company has womans health on the brains. Looking around this companies website I had gained some great knowledge. Especially the womans cycle, stem cell research. I am a firm believer that the human body has the secrets to finding cures to devastating desieses such as altimerz. And now to find a company that has made such great discoveries on how to harvest cells without harming anyone.

Who knew that the minstrel cycle had life saving capabilities? I didn't that was for sure, did you? This company C'elle has found a way to collect this and use it for research and other great things. The following is a copy of their press release. Also take a look at Celle Client Testimonial. You will be more informed about how we all can make a diffrance.

Please Read:

Taking Control: Future Therapies for a Host of Serious Diseases May Be Found in Women's Menstrual Blood

July 07, 2008: 01:28 PM EST

OLDSMAR, Fla., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With today’s hectic lifestyle, where most women are juggling careers, family, relationships, and a host of activities, the idea of possibly facing a serious illness in the future is not something that readily comes to mind -- especially when a woman is in the prime of her life. But what most women don’t know, is that the key to treating a number of possibly life-threatening diseases that she, a parent, a sibling or even her children may face in later years, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, may be found within her own body -- in vital stem cells, which can now be harvested from her own menstrual blood.

Now, thanks to the revolutionary research and technology of C’elle, a service dedicated to providing women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving stem cells found in her menstrual fluid each month, even the busiest woman can take control of her future, right in the privacy of her own home. With C’elle’s non-invasive collection process, menstrual cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may be used in the future. These self-renewing cells one day may even be used for sports medicine or cosmeceutical treatments, such as anti-aging therapies.

"C’elle enables and empowers a woman to take control of her future health, and possibly of those genetically closest to her, in a fast, painless and stress free way," said Michelle Kay, Marketing and Sales Manager for C’elle. "We live in exciting times, as science and technology are discovering how extremely valuable menstrual blood stem cells really are, and the enormous treatment potential they represent for future therapies. C’elle’s ongoing research is supporting these promising findings."

For more information about C’elle, please call 1-877-892-3553 or visit www.celle.com.

Old Reunions

2008-07-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

Well I might have some old friends popping over today. Of all days they had to chose today. I have to take my daughter to get those stupid Vaccines (which goes against what I believe). Honestly today isn't a good social day for me. mood swings, still not awake, kids are running around like headless chickens, hubby is trying to sleep. Ugh my house is a total desastor it looks like hurricane Andrew went through it. I still have a lot of knitting to do, sewing and beading and and so much more. I have 4 circlets I need to make. I so cant wait until the kids start school this year Yay! I might be able to get something done around here!

Mommies, Social Spark and Blogs

2008-07-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

My favorite thing to do first thing in the morning is to make my kids breakfast. Even though I am not quite awake, slightly grumpy, disorganized I still enjoy making them something. I don't think I say it enough but I am one proud mommy! Ever since I joined SocialSpark it has helped me meet other mommies who like to blog about their kids moments. I think it is important to share each others tips, ideas and funny kid stories.
SocialSpark is a great community in itself, but I really enjoy reading other moms blogs who are experiencing some of the same problems I am or already had. Its great to share solutions as well. Plus earning a little extra on the side feels great too! My youngest is on a special diet and some of the foods are expensive. Ever since I joined I found others who are experiencing the same delima. SocialSpark Has really let me meet other mommy bloggers and I have earned a little on the side as well. If you are a mommy and love to blog Join SocialSpark it is a great community for moms (and dads ;) )!
SocialSpark allows bloggers and advertisers to meet each other. You get to look at some great products, websites, contests and more when you join SocialSpark. I enjoy meeting other parents it makes me feel that I am not alone in my roller coaster kid life. What other social community has this great opportunity to meet others and get paid to blog? What I really like most about SocialSpark you get to chose what type of offers you would like to blog about. Some do have a waiting period but it don't bother me. In the meantime I like to visit other profiles friend the ones I like and read others blogs. If you are a mom (or Dad) come and join us at SocialSpark today!

Coffee, kids, and wild imagination

2008-07-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

The more sleep I lose the more caffeine I need to be able to keep up with the kids. I cut it off about noon. But I am having hard times sleeping at night. Most of it is due to hubbys new job. He works 3rd shift at our local hospital and it drives me nuts. I am havening a hard time relaxing at nite to be able to fall asleep. I keep imagining weird things. For example last night I kept hearing someone walking around in the house. I looked and no one was their. I haven't ruled out the possibility of an after life being. I believe in such things, but why wait 2 years before making itself known to me? Maybe its because of my lack of being comfortable state that I am now noticing it. Before I could dismiss it because I always assumed it was hubby walking around. He had always came in about an hour or two after I went to bed. Now He doesn't get home until 6:30 am and I only sleep about 4 hours a night now. Most of it is tossing and turning in bed. I just don't want to get up. So first thing in the morning I make coffee, kids breakfasts and then start my first cup. By noon I have dranked the whole pot of coffee and I am good to go. I had figured by 11 pm i would be exhausted enough to sleep. I lay there for about another 2 hours then drift off and only to be awaken every hour for about 30 minutes. Today I have decided 2 cups and let myself drag about. I might go do some knitting today to help me relax even more. But I seriously doubt it will be a good night for me.

511 Tactical Outdoors

2008-07-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

A while back I had came across a pair of shorts that I wanted to get my Hubby. They came from this company called 511 Tactical Outdoors. Looking Over their site I had came across a pair of tactical pantthat I think would be great for my hubby. He does need something durable, in the kakie brown color and something that will last.
Here is a little from the website:
The 5.11 tactical pant is built to offer lasting performance and comfort. Bartacking and triple-stitch construction create an incredibly durable pant available in cotton or nylon canvas. The 5.11 tactical pant is the ONLY pant on the market that features a rear strap and slash pocket design – both proprietary features of these best-selling pants.

Special FREE shipping offer: Order $50 or more of 5.11 Tactical items and get FREE ground shipping. Type "freeshipping" (no space) into the coupon box at checkout to remove ground shipping charges.

Once I get some money saved up I am so buying my hubby a pair or two!

This is a sponsored post.

I am so lazy!

2008-07-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed that I have been so lazy that I hadnt had a chance to update my blogs!. Wow The last few days I have been sewing, knitting, cleaning, sending e-mails to my team members, playing with the kids, and trying to come up with a positive markiting stratigy. Its been crazy here realy crazy. I dont sleep well anymore since the hubby has the 3rd shift at the hospital. I miss my friend and extra kid eyes. Oh well maybe things will settle down soon and it will get eaisier.

Bussness is so slow lately!

2008-06-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

My business has been so slow lately. I hadn't sold anything in 3 months. Maybe it's time to take all new pics and editing them all. At this point I will be happy if i can sell an order of incense or two. I have been so busy with the hubbys new work schedules and getting the kids to adjust, that I hadnt had time to promote my own business. I hope Things calm down soon thats for sure. I really dont like hubbys new work schedule's. He works nights/ grave yards now and I bearly see him any more. Neither do the kids. Its just not cool thats for sure. Yes he is making a little more then his old job, yes theirs are full health. life and dental benifets but is it realy worth it if you dont get to enjoy your family? Thats why we tried so very hard to get our shop open to have our own hours, to be with the ones we care about. But unfortunitly we are not their yet. I am so worn out and tired. Well I need to put the fighting kids to bed.

Add Spark To Your Blog!

2008-06-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

I joined SocialSpark a few weeks back maybe 3. I have met a lot of interesting people including advertisers. SocialSpark is a unique Pay To Blog program. Its a social network where you can create a profile, friend others, vote on other blogs which they called Props.
Once joining SocialSpark you create your profile like on most social networks but it isn't as detailed. You add in your blog or blogs that you maintain. Wait for the blogs to be approved this can be a long wait as their are a lot of people who joined recently. When I joined about a month ago the waiting time was about two weeks since then it went up. Which keeps Customer Love really busy. I believe it is worth the wait because during this time you can take the free spark offers.
Free Sparks are offers that other bloggers or advertisers create. These are really great because you can get links back to your blog, or get a blog U back. Some Spark Offers are about helping to find other people, spread the word about certain illnesses and helpful to the community posts. I think SocialSpark is a wonderful place as I meet people and look through their blogs I have discovered things that I normally would have not noticed. Things that really make us human things that make you realize that You are not alone.
SocialSpark Code of Ethics:

-100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure
-100% Transparency
-100% Real Opinions
-100% Search Engine Friendly

Social Spark is a great way to meet other bloggers, advertisers and to find opportunities that fit in with your style, life and what makes you passionate. If you like to blog and like to make a little extra then Social Spark is the hot place you should be at!

Online Programs That Pay!

2008-06-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

If your like me and need something that help pays for extra things or even some seed money for your bussness then you should read this post! Back in January I joined a online program called PayPerPost. Since I have joined I have been paid 2 times, I havn't been real lucky with catching opurtunities due to hectic life but I do think its wonderful one. How it works advertisers ask bloggers to blog about their websites and products bloggers chose which ones to take do them and if they are approved they get paid. They also have a great referal program each person that gets someone to sign up gets $15.00 once the new posties blog has been approved.
Blog requirements:
Must be at least 30 days old with at least 10 posts in it. More is better!
The blog can not be on one of those sites that pay to use them like Yuiew (or other such sites).
The blog must have original posts in it.
If this is something that apeals to you then one should join it!

Your Browser does not support IFrames: This form can not be rendered. Please visit PayPerPost to sign up.

If your an advertiser and looking to have your site or items bloged about to help creat buzz then you would be intreasted in their Advertising program!

Your Browser does not support IFrames: This form can not be rendered. Please visit PayPerPost to sign up.

Paid to read and click sites:
Thiere are alot of scame sites out their or should we say dishonest ones. But theire are plenty of honest paying ones as well I am in 3 that are realy good sites. One has a new owner who is paying off the debt that the previous owner had gotten themselves into buy spending the money and not paying its members.
MyCashFountain
DreamcatcherAds
Extraodinary Mails

Dragonfly Poems

2008-06-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I had created my first social spark. I had asked people to blog about our shop. They had a choice to blog about our etsy shop or our online website. So far we had one taker and as I promised I would blog about them.
Dragonfly Poems: This is the blog for the custom poems service. The writer summerbrieeze is quite talented. I don't have a poetic bone in me, but her poems are very pretty and very moving. I recommend my readers to visit her blog and read about her wonderful services. Even leave her a comment or two ;)

A bla kinda day

2008-06-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

Today started as a dark day. Then about 9 am the earth shook from the lightning (ok our house did). Then the sky opened up and let the flooding begain. It started very heavy theire was no visability what so ever, thank fuly none of us had to go any where. It continued this heavy down poor for 3 hours straight, then went to a medium drizzal. It continued like this for 2 hours then it went to a very light myst which is what it is still doing. So today has been a day of "I don't want to". Kids have been cooped up all day and have so much enerygy to use that they are fighting with each other. Its about ankel- mid calf deep out side right now. In a day it will all dry up. Texas sunshine/death heat for ya. The plants will be double in size by thursday becuse of the good soakin. Which Means sage will be almost ready to pick and start drying for the all so wonderful sage wands! I cant wait for it!
My Doughter keeps telling us she is a vamire (she means Vampire) and she is going to turn us all undead lol. I dont know where she gets it but she has a wonderful imagination. One day she is a princess, and 2 hours later she is "dying". She also practices her evil laugh. She will be on stage one day i just know it with all of her drama theatrics it would be a wast of raw tallent if she didnt persu it. But no matter she will be wonderful at what ever she does.
My Son finnally has an appointment to the Myers clinic! Yay he will be tested for autisum and we will know exactly whats going on with his brain, if its not autisum then We will have to start all over and hopefully we will find out what is his developing problems before Kindergarden.
Well enterprise is on I gots to go to watch and knit!

5.11 Tactical Shorts

2008-06-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

LA Police Gear has these great tactical shorts. 5.11 Tactical Shorts are special purpose-built shorts designed to carry bulky items and remain durable. The shorts has double fabric in the seat and thirty-six bartacks (reinforcement stitching) at stress points for superior strength. These shorts have three types: 5.11 Tactical Shorts, 5.11 Tactical Series Academy, & 5.11 Tactical Nylon Shorts. These shorts have a clip on the waist band for your keys. They also have plenty of pockets to hold your phone and other important gear. Did I mentioned Free Shipping Both Ways? So cheek them out by clicking the fallowing link!
5.11 Tactical Shorts

Free Website Submission and promotion.

2008-06-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ok Here lately I have been going around trying to find free places to submit my main website to get traffic and passable sells as well. I am kinda hurting for some work right now so its all been about advertising, advertising and getting my sight out their. Its a lot of work! I mean it takes up as much time as creating the things we make and the kids! I can barely find time to Advertise so I just do a little at a time. Well thankfully I started a newsletter sign up on my main website maybe that will help with stuff.
Well looking at the offers on Social Spark (if you haven't joined do so now its awesome!), I came across a new site and I do mean a new site for signing up your website. Its free so why not join it?
Its called Refresh Gallery Portal and their is only few sites in it. So I am going to jump on the ban wagon and sign up. Yall should too if you are wanting your sites in a place that can have room to grow and get you lots of traffic. If anything help spread the word about it!

Listed on Etsy!

2008-06-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

We had no luck on our auction, so now I had to list it on Etsy. Come by and visit it :)

Free Website Hosting!

2008-06-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

If you wish to have a professional shared hosting quality in a free hosting package, come and host with 000webhost.com and experience the best service you can get absolutely free.

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Help Tyler Find a Cure

2008-06-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

I came across this in a social spark, I Just felt the need to do what I can to spread the word about it. Tyler is a little boy who was struck with Dystonia. A rare desies that affects the body with shakes pains and so much more. I personally know very little of the illness and now I am on the road to learn more. My own son is stricken with something, Autism and i know how it feels as a parent to want to know and do everything you can to help your child. No one wants to see their child in any pain or discomfort. Together we can shed light on this. Join me in spreading the word about this little boys illness.
Visit the website they have started for him in trying to raise money, awareness and a cure for this disies!

Night time Chat

2008-06-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

So last night I was doing the mom thing with the kids. Playing and what not while the hubby was coiling wire for chain mailie. We get a phone call its rare we get those in the evenings. Hubby answered and handed it over. It was my sister! Yay I hadnt talked to her in quite some time. Well unfortunately she only calls when something bad happens and dosent bother to answer e-mails. Well she was telling me that our dad was in an Austin hospital and was in a car accident. His right leg was crushed. He has a Titanium hip on the right side so I can only imagine the mess they will find. He probably might lose that leg completely if memory serves me right he didnt recover to well the first time he had bone problems. Hence why he has an artificial hip. Oh well it isnt like we are close or anything. He and I haven't talked in 4 years (the age of my oldest)
I just couldnt talk to him anymore not with all the lies he was saying about me and my hubby. So I decided that the father I had known had passed away and all that was left was a heartless shell walking around trying to make everything about poor him. What ever dude theire are more people on this earth then your ego. People like that disgust me talking only about themselves and how it reflects upon them. Please get a life that isnt about self pity and lets make our oldest irrated to the point where she is forced to keep her kids away from someone that says that thire daddy is no good in theire eyes. Yep I feel better!

vampamber.com

2008-06-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

I came across this nifty little blog today called VampAmber's Clutter. Her friend used to host her site, apparently an accident had happened and her blog and related pages were deleted. So she has to start from scratch on a new site. She has some really funny content that she finds. All in all its a great blog to visit so why not drop by and tell her Willow sent ya ;)

Daddy and the Kids!

2008-06-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

The hubby has had a few days off now and has spent all of it with the kids. The kids Love it as so do I, this means tons of work that I had piled up is now getting done! From small paperwork to big sewing projects. The house is slowly getting straiten up and the kids go to sleep with big grins on their faces. I can make dinner without the kids in the way as well as knowing they are having a great time. Dads are so cool and my hubby is really great for keeping them out of my hair. Plus the yard work is being cought up ;)

Help find missing 20 year old Susan Gabrielle Elmore Burns.

2008-06-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

I came across this article and felt the need to pass this information on to my Readers (you). Yes lets all try to do something even if it's passing the information on to our friends and family.

Susan Gabrielle Elmore Burns (Gabby) has been missing since February 25, 2008. Susan Elmore has dark brown hair and eyes. She weighs 115 pounds and is 5'4. Susan Elmore was last seen with a wanted violent sex offender Keith Lee Burns in Columbus, Texas.

Yes, she is an adult and went with Burns willingly, but she is bi-polar with learning disabilities. I spoke with her mother and she said that Gabby has the mind of a 12 year old most of the time and has trouble with judgment.

The problem lies in that the police cannot do but so much because she went willingly and it is physical age they go by, not mental age. The media cannot do much because the local police have not put Susan in the Missing Children or Missing Adults databases.

However, according to Suzanne's Law passed in 2003, a 19-21 year old has to be added to NCIC database when they are reported missing. It is all part of the Protect Act of 2003. She has been added, but she is not listed on the missing adults' or children's sites. She is in limbo.

For updated information, visit Help Find Our Daughter Susan G Elmore - Burns.

Lets all send them good vibes!

Corset Auction

2008-06-04T09:35:00.001-07:00

I just listed a One Of A Kind Up-Cycled Corset auction. Click here to have a look!
Goth Auctions is a free auction site, free to buy, sell and create an account!

My hubbys Shorts!

2008-05-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

My hubby doesn't wear shorts oftain, mostly because of the line of work he does. But when he does he wears them out really fast. I even tried making him a pair of shorts but they didn't last long. We tried cut off jeans but the crotch is the first to go out. So I have been surfing the net for a pair of sturdy shorts that would last longer then a few months.
After much searching I believe I have found them! Of all places its a online store for Police Gear. So looking through it I was very happy with what I was reading. The price is a little scary but after thinking about it it is reasonable for the type of fabric and the durability of the stitching. So I plan to get him a pair very soon! The Name of the shorts is called 5.11 Tactical Shorts.
LA Police Gear has these great tactical shorts. 5.11 Tactical Shorts are special purpose-built shorts designed to carry bulky items and remain durable. The shorts has double fabric in the seat and thirty-six bartacks (reinforcement stitching) at stress points for superior strength. These shorts have three types: 5.11 Tactical Shorts, 5.11 Tactical Series Academy, & 5.11 Tactical Nylon Shorts. These shorts have a clip on the waist band for your keys. They also have plenty of pockets to hold your phone and other important gear. Did I mentioned Free Shipping Both Ways? So cheek them out by clicking the fallowing link!
5.11 Tactical Shorts
Yes I believe I will be purchasing these shorts as soon as our supplement cheek comes in!