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Fragrances...

I have always gone in phases with my scents. Sometimes I prefer a distinct perfume, other times a body spray. Currently, I have quite a collection of scents, including perfumes, sprays, lotions, body washes, etc. I have seen Philosophy's "Amazing Grace" on TV, and have always been curious about how it really smells. People claim that it smells "clean," and that it's a perfect scent for those with sensitivities. Well, I tried it, and I am hooked. It truly does smell clean, and isn't too overpowering. It is, however, a distinct fragrance; one that could easily be considered a "signature fragrance." To find your favorite scent, try this site: Scent . There is bound to be something you'll love!!

My hands hurt...

I have been away from blogging for a while now, mostly because my hands hurt. They aren't just tired, they hurt!! Somedays it is so bad that it makes me nauseous. I would really love to see a doctor about this, but I have no insurance, and of course, it has been put on the back burner. For now, I am going to try a wrist splint (is that what they're called) and pray for warmer weather. In any case, I think if I write short posts, I'll be able to keep up with my blog. I really hates being away!

How many sleeps til Christmas?

My son keeps asking me, "How many sleeps til Christmas." It started a couple of months ago and I would tell him, "too many..you have to wait until Halloween is over." After Halloween, I'd say, "you have to wait until Thanksgiving is over." So now that it's fast approaching, and that he sees all of the holiday decorations in the stores that we visit, I had to count the days on the calendar. Then it hit me; there has got to be a countdown ticker on the internet. Alas, there is. Thanks to the folks at emailsanta.com, we have a ticker that even counts "how many sleeps."

I've got a sweet tooth...

And there's nothing I can do about it. It's especially bad right now, because my son keeps bringing candy home from school, Halloween parties, his Aunt's house, you name it. He doesn't really like chocolate too much, and that's my favorite. He likes all of the stuff that would have been sitting at the bottom of my Halloween bowl, the Mike & Ikes, and fruity stuff. I never liked getting gum, either. So, we balance each other out very well. I'm petite, and have considered buying a mask so that I can trick-or-treat with him, and get double the candy. It's that bad. I always said taht I never understood how someone could be addicted to anything, but I guess this is my answer. Maybe I have just realized that I have a problem. Is there a support group for people like me?

The passing of a loved one....

I haven't been writing too much lately because I have had some things happening in my life that are complicated and sad. Just this past week, my aunt passed away after a 5 year long battle with cancer. She was 47. The worst part is that she lived far from me, and I didn't see her too often, but she always thought about me, and when I did see her, it was like we saw each other every day. She always made me feel comfortable (I have a pretty large family that I barely know...long story, another post). In any case, her passing has made me re-examine parts of my life. I am 29, and am realizing fast that life is truly very short. I will miss my aunt very much, and treasure the very short time that I had with her.

I sent her a card with some pictures in it the morning before I found out she had passed. I will always regret that I hadn't sent it sooner (she asked me in June to send her some and I just "got around" to it now), and I will always wish that I could have seen her one more time....

My little 6 and a half year old boy has had an obsession with bowling since he was 2. In school, all of his journals and projects have been about bowling, and everyone who knows him knows that he loves bowling. He was just assigned an art project and decided that he wanted to take pictures at the lanes. The guys there even took us in the back so we ccould get a few shots of the machines. Here's one of them.

The Dreaded "Your Child Needs Extra Help" Letter

So, after a horrible day yesterday (I won't go into details), I go to pick up my son. This is normally a highlight of my day, and the weather was even cooperating so that we could walk. When I get there, my son, who is 6, says "today was the best day ever." I was so happy, because he is not a big fan of school. Apparently, they did a bunch of "science projects" and one of them was making ice cream. Who wouldn't love that, right. Well, I let him play for 10 minutes on the playground with his friends while I open his back pack and read everything in there. He got the letter. I knew that he couldn't read too well, but I didn't realize that he was behind his other first grade classmates. I really thought he was at a normal level. He excels in math, and is extremely interested in science. His mechanical skills (is that what you call them) are awesome; he can take things apart and put them back together again with ease. Last night, I cried about this. I felt like I have failed my son. He didn't even know about the letter, and I am not going to tell him. I have resolved to teach my boy how to read, and make sure that he stays ahead of his class. That was always my intention, and I thought he was doing pretty well. I hope today is a better day...

Embossing

I just found a new craft that I really enjoy doing, and that's embossing. While trying to create invitations for a friend's bridal shower, I stumbled upon the technique. After several trips to various craft stores (and, armed with a bunch of 50% off coupons from Michael's), I delved into this fascinating art. The finished result was a beautiful handmade card that cost me only a fraction of the price of others much like it.

Freecycle

I love Freecycle. Basically, it's a site, or message board, where people post things that they want to get rid of, or things that they need, and because of this, less gets thrown away. It gets "recycled," or "freecycled." I needed some coupons for a craft store and my post generated over 20 responses. I listed a kid's bike that someone picked up the same day. It is just great. Every time I have something to get rid of, I post it on there, and a lot of times, if I need something, I look at the other posts. Check it out. Almost every community has one, and you'll be keeping stuff out of landfills!