It's been a long, long time!

I have missed you my friends... it has been too long and I have alot to catch up on.

Life at home has been stressful (to say the least), but we are managing to pull through. DH is working 18 hours a day and I am home to tend the boys (after working my full day at school). This has been a major stress on everyone (the boys included) and DH and I have been trying to pick up the pieces of our lives. It has been so hard to blog lately, I feel like I have nothing fun or happy to say (except that I won a BEAUTIFUL necklace made by Sima G from the Supah-D contest around V-day- it was an awesome gift and made my day- thank you- I will be posting a picture later). DH and I are contemplating a million different scenarios- one is selling everything and moving out of state (Nester makes NC look so nice).

Have you ever had a slump?

I am in L-O-V-E!

I KNOW I am supposed to be dieting... however I am so excited about this new store that opened in town. Crumbs Bake Shop!

Cupcakes, cookies, and brownies, OH, MY! The family and I tried a bunch... Hostess, Vanilla with sprinkles, Carrot Cake, the BabaBooey. My all time favorite is (insert drumroll here)...
The Artie Lange (for all of you Stern lovers like me). Artie's cupcake is out of this world... he's got great taste (in food)

Here is a description from the Crumbs' menu:
Designed and created exclusively by Artie Lange of the Howard Stern Show

Vanilla sponge cake, Filled with chocolate buttercream, Covered in vanilla cream cheese frosting and topped with chocolate fondant icing w/white and chocolate sprinkles on the sides!

Now these cupcakes are not cheap ($3.75 a piece) but they are OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Anyway- if you are in the NY metro area or in sunny CA make sure you pop into a Crumbs Bake Shop. You can also get these tasty treats shipped... a great gift for your favorite sweet tooth!

Contest Alert!

It has been an exhausting week. I really missed catching up on my blog. It is my little "secret" and I enjoy doing it (wow- that sounds dirty). I promise I will be in full mode tomorrow- fresh with something new to chat about.

In the meantime... Check out a "G' sista of mine... Supah D
She hosts a FABULOUS giveaway every Friday- SD is currently offering hand-stamped one of a kind jewelry from Sima G. I LOVE these necklaces (and of course- I L-O-V-E giveaways). So go check both of these Groove sistas out! Deadline is January 31 at 12AM EST. Good luck!

My Review of Dead Until Dark (HBO's True Blood Series)

(This was written at the request of my Groove Sister Supah-D)

Yes, I L-O-V-E-D the Twilight series... Edward, Bella, The Cullens... ALL of IT. And YES, I was quite upset to finish book #4. But at last, I have found an equally as FAB replacement.

The Dead Until Dark Series (aka The Sookie Stackhouse Novels aka HBO's True Blood). I am in love all over again.

Here is more from Amazon:
Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea. A fun, fast, funny, and wonderfully intriguing blend of vampire and mystery that's hard to put down, and should not be missed. (Susan Sizemore)

Now if you watch the series True Blood, you will find the tv series follows the book pretty accurately (I think better than the Twilight movie and its book.. of course just my opinion). But the benefit of starting with the first book is that the characters are further developed and relationship are better explained. And it's quick reading anyway, so you will breeze through it.

In books number 2 (Living Dead in Dallas) and number 3 (Club Dead), things get really interesting. Sookie is always getting into some sort of trouble with her vampire crew (which I must add are very sexy... at least in my head). In book number 4, Sookie finds herself again in a situation where she is called by the Supes (Supernaturals) for assistance.

I finished book number 4 (Dead To The World) in 2 days. I can't put these books down. There is love, sex, drama, mystery, suspense... you name it... it is in here!

Please don't wait any longer ladies... There IS life after Twilight!

Not my usual post... Reflection on Flight 1549

Living in the New York Metro area, I have experience first hand some tragic events. I know people who escaped from the World Trade Center's first bombing. I have friends that lost love ones from 9/11 and that escaped the events of the day because they were late to work that morning. For months there was a patriotic feeling, flags posting on every overpass on the Northern Parkway.

I guess after seeing and experiencing so much sadness overs the past years... story of Flight 1549 just proves to me that there is a God and miracles do happen. Chesley Sullenberger had an angel with him on January 15. What a hero! And thanks to all those that aided in the rescue. It is amazing how New Yorkers pull together to help others in need.

I won an award!

It's my first! I am so excited.


Here are the rules...The rules for the Honest Scrap award -


The honorees are to:

A) first list 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep!

B) pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

Simple. Or not.

Here I go:

1. I have a "desire" to be crafty (although I am really not so great at it). My newest obsession is handmade jewelry.

2. I have started reading again after years of boycotting it. I have read all 4 books in the Twilight series and now I am working on the Dead Until Dark series (HBO's True Blood is based on this).

3. My husband is working his tail-end off these past few months and I am alone alot. I really miss him and am lonely at times.

4. My boys and I like to go on adventures... we will drive around for hours to go look at the water.

5. I like to drink Bloody Marys because you can have one at any time of the day and not feel trashy.

6. I started smoking again. I know its bad, but it relaxes me.

7. I am ready to relocate from NY to anywhere else... Any ideas?

8. I love singing in my car. My favorites right now are anything from Dave Matthews and the new Lady GaGa song.

9. I say "Sweet Dreams, my jelly bean" every night to my boys.

10. My house is so disorganized, I don't know where to start. I need to go through each closet and throw things out... but then I feel guilty I am not trying to sell this s@#t on Craigslist.... Is this a sickness or what?

My seven awards are handed to :

Sasha Barely Keeping It All Together (she is the reason I started blogging)

Michelle One Funky Munky

Rhianna Life's Simple Melodies

Angela Dreams of Cyprus

Mamalicious

Morgan Adventures in Diapering

Anelys Blooming Buds

Thank you for all your great blogs!

"Hers-day" Post #2- La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cream

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cream

As described by the La Roche-Posay website:

Recommended For intolerant and sensitive skin
Combination to oily / acne prone skin
Eczema (atopic dermatitis)


This gentle, fragrance-free cleanser can be used on delicate and intolerant skin.
Benefits:
Safely cleanses delicate facial skin

Rinses easily
Glycerin helps prevent overdrying
Soothing rich lather
Fragrance-free




This is part of my daily regiment. It was originally recommended to me by my dermatologist. I was so excited to see it was sold at my local CVS. I have pretty sensitive skin and slight rosecea. Toleraine is the only cleanser I have used that actually helped decrease my red cheeks. All you need is a drop and it expands into a light foam. My skin feels clean, not dry. I use this in combo with my Vichy Aqualia Thermal Eye Treatment and Arbonne RE 9 serum and daily lotion. Once I finish my Arbonne RE9 set, I will try more of this line.

If you are looking for another cleanser, Toleriane is worth a try. And because it is sold at CVS, you can use ECBs. How cool!