Wow, there is so much going on in the world. Everything seems fast, crazy, unbalanced, stressful and devastating.
Wall Street is swinging wildly!
London is completely out of control.
Tens of Thousands are dying of starvation in East Africa.
Fallen Heroes returned home today.
And I can go on and on....
Sometimes it is hard to listen to the news. It hurts your heart. It hurts your head and hurts your feelings. There are so many things we have no control over. We have no control over what is happening above. We can only pray for those affected, and pray for our own strength as we are affected by these things either financially or emotionally.
There are moments when the pain of the world weighs so heavy and dark on our lives that we wonder how or when it will change.
The world can be a scary, scary place. All we can do is love, breathe, hold each other tight and pray for strength. Sometimes prayer, friends and family are all you have.
Take care of each other and live each day for the blessing it is for, any day above ground, is a BLESSING!
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Budding Artist Tuesday - August 9, 2011
Do you have an artist in your house? One who is constantly drawing, creating and inspired by all things art? If so, check out this new meme for the summer called "Budding Artists" for kids age 3-18.
I love blogging and I especially love when my kids are involved.
This is one of my favorites. There is so much going on in this drawing.
This is one of my favorites. There is so much going on in this drawing.
Interested? Come back Tuesday morning and link up your post starring your child's artwork. I can't wait to see it.
Denizen from Levi's Are the Perfect For Me!
Exclusively available at Target, dENiZEN jeans are well-crafted with a fit for everybody.
As par of a promotion through Team Mom I was able to try these jeans for myself. Usually I get things for my family to try when given the opportunity. dENiZEN jeans are available for men, woman and children but opted this time, for myself. I am always on the look out for jeans and don't have many because I am not a love of shopping or spending money on myself. Ordering online is never an option. I am only 4'11 and can sometimes be a 10 and sometimes a 12 depending on the clothes.
I got the pants in and put them on right away. They fit perfectly. In fact, I could have gone down to a 10 which would have made me extremely happy. The pair I received was the Women's Totally Shaping Mid-Rise Boot Cut which sits below the waist, boot cut leg opening and tummy slimming panel. I LOVE THEM.
What I Can Tell You:
They stretch nicely, have a tummy control top and look like classic American jeans. This is just what you would expect from Levi.
Ruby Tuesday & Orange Tuesday = Local Life In A Neighboring Town
Not too many times you can put red and orange together and have it look good. This is one of them! Took a drive looking for photo ops. Got out and walked around a neighboring town and love the night life. The street comes alive during dinner time.
Photo Edit
I took this shot around 5:00 pm at night but used a texture to create the darkness and starts. Love the way it came out.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Disney's Phineas and Ferb: Across The 2nd Dimension Pajama Party
Last night we had 10 moms and one dad over and 12 kids to enjoy the Disney's Phineas and Ferb First Movie called Across The 2nd Dimension!
This night has been the talk of the neighborhood since the kids and I struggled with our friend list over a month and a half ago. We narrowed it down to 18 families (if everyone had come we would have had well over 40+ kids here. As fun as this sounds we knew some of course wouldn't be able to attend. 13 families said yes and 11 showed up wearing their PJ's and carrying their sleeping bags and/or pillows.
Parents who are usually late ended up arriving 40 minutes early because they had been listening to their kids talk about it from the moment they woke up. My kids too! They woke up so excited that the living room was set up by 10:30 a.m.
We watched 1 half hour Phineas and Ferb show on Netflix and at 8:00 p.m turned on The Disney Channel.
When the movie started you could have heard a pin drop from the living room while the dining room chock full of moms who hadn't seen each other for a month caught up loudly! It was funny to hear the kids complaining about the noise from the moms!
We had no idea what to expect from Phineas and Ferb's movie Across the 2nd Dimension but know this: We would undoubtedly love it.
Here What I Can Now Tell You: I SERIOUSLY NEED to see this movie again. What I was able to concentrate on and hear (noise level and hosting aside). The movie was funny. I sat next to my niece and she and I shared quite a few laughs in the first 15 minutes.
The boys help Dr. Doofenshmirtz (who they have no idea is evil) get his cross dimensional portal to work. Eventually they all end up in an alternative dimension. They also learn in a funny way that Perry is...da da dah...Agent P! Ha! One of my favorite scenes. We also get to see how they boys first get Perry. Who doesn't lost Perry.
One of the things that the creators of Phineas and Ferb do wonderfully is make this an enjoyable show for kids and parents alike. It is a show you can and will want to watch with your kids. There was many surprises, many fun musical numbers, lots of action and movie/TV references to make parents laugh. So many jokes that go over the kids head but cracked me and the other parents up so much so that the kids asked us a few times, "whatcha laughing at?"
It was a good time, so much so that we are getting ready to watch it again right now in a more quieter setting.
If you have never watched it now is the time. This was way better than an movie created from a series. the movie stands on it's own. We loved the ending when the boys had to make a decision to forget knowing that Perry is in fact a secret agent. It solidifies the continuation of the boys ignorance on their pet and their statement, "he's a platypus, he doesn't do much!"
Got to go...time to watch.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Busy, Busy, Busy
Wow life is crazy busy. So much going on, I actually took a nap this afternoon. Never happens but I really just needed to crash.
Working from 6AM to 10:30 PM these days. Not consistently because the kids are home from school and I don't want to miss the summer with them.
Here is the run down:
Working for 3 clients with my company Buzz Chic (a social media company) which I started in May. Love them all. Kevin, my newest client. Is a very nice guy. He sells insurance and wants to help the community his office is in. Then there is Dina a boutique owner in town. This is probably the most fun for me, I head into her business, take photos, showcase a product every day and have come up with some creative ways to bring in business that she really loves. She is great and her and her son are coming over for a Phineas and Ferb Pajama Party. Than the one who started it all, Sandra. Sandra is a friend who asked me to come on as her Social Media Specialist and started the ball rolling for Buzz Chic. Working with her is what gave me the confidence to believe in myself and I love being part of the team. She and her son are also coming tomorrow for the Phineas and Ferb Pajama Party.
Beside this I run another site for a local community which has really taken off. Their newspaper closed almost two years ago and I wanted to help the community maintain their community feel. So the website and Facebook page has been something I have concentrated on over the past two weeks. The mayor of this town took notice and was the reason I was invited to Summer At Dog Daves Movie set yesterday.
Chotskies, my entertainment blog has taken a back seat but I try to update it periodically.
Color Carnival, a meme I host for participants of color photos. New one every Saturday. Link up!
Last, but by no means least, is Maria's Space and you guys, I love maintaining Maria's Space, I love my readers and this is and will always be a priority. It is the place I talk about life, my children, products, host giveaways, etc.
Reading has taken a back seat.
Running, blogs, Facebook pages, and Twitter accounts for all can be challenging but there is never a dull moment.
Now, if only I was making a paycheck worthy of the amount of work involved. It will happen. Patience is a virtue and I am one virtuous chick!
Working from 6AM to 10:30 PM these days. Not consistently because the kids are home from school and I don't want to miss the summer with them.
Here is the run down:
Working for 3 clients with my company Buzz Chic (a social media company) which I started in May. Love them all. Kevin, my newest client. Is a very nice guy. He sells insurance and wants to help the community his office is in. Then there is Dina a boutique owner in town. This is probably the most fun for me, I head into her business, take photos, showcase a product every day and have come up with some creative ways to bring in business that she really loves. She is great and her and her son are coming over for a Phineas and Ferb Pajama Party. Than the one who started it all, Sandra. Sandra is a friend who asked me to come on as her Social Media Specialist and started the ball rolling for Buzz Chic. Working with her is what gave me the confidence to believe in myself and I love being part of the team. She and her son are also coming tomorrow for the Phineas and Ferb Pajama Party.
Beside this I run another site for a local community which has really taken off. Their newspaper closed almost two years ago and I wanted to help the community maintain their community feel. So the website and Facebook page has been something I have concentrated on over the past two weeks. The mayor of this town took notice and was the reason I was invited to Summer At Dog Daves Movie set yesterday.
Chotskies, my entertainment blog has taken a back seat but I try to update it periodically.
Color Carnival, a meme I host for participants of color photos. New one every Saturday. Link up!
Last, but by no means least, is Maria's Space and you guys, I love maintaining Maria's Space, I love my readers and this is and will always be a priority. It is the place I talk about life, my children, products, host giveaways, etc.
Reading has taken a back seat.
Running, blogs, Facebook pages, and Twitter accounts for all can be challenging but there is never a dull moment.
Now, if only I was making a paycheck worthy of the amount of work involved. It will happen. Patience is a virtue and I am one virtuous chick!
Movie Set For Photo Op With Rob Reiner
The sky was gray. The birds weren't chirping and my hair was frizzing and getting bigger by the second but it was one of the best days ever. There are moments in our lives that we remember forever. Graduation, your wedding, the birth of your children, are usually among the top of the list. Today, I had one of those stellar days and my children weren't involved at all. If you know me, this is not the norm. They were left at home with my husband as I headed out to a movie set location of the day, for Summer At Dog Daves (btw..invited by the Mayor of this town, but more on that later).
When I got there, the street was closed. I gave my name and was allowed in after being told I was expected. Trying not to blush, I parked my car. Quickly calling my husband for a pep talk and taping a quick video of how I was feeling (it may never be seen), I smoothed my skirt and stepped out of the car. I had a moment to talk to The Warwick Valley Dispatch who was kind enough to tell me to keep up the good work.
We walked together to the set and waited for instructions. The other reporters took notes, I took them too but can't locate them at the moment (how is that for stellar journalism!?).
As I listen to the buzzing and the conversations around me all I can think of is, oh my gosh...what am I doing here? Is that Morgan Freeman smiling at me? Wow, Rob Reiner is so nice! Look at how many people it takes to make a movie! Virginia Madsen is really pretty." Seriously, that is what is going on in my head, but on the outside, I am quietly taking pictures, writing names and information for this post and generally trying to appear completely and utterly unaffected by the amazing people in front of me. Not an easy job mind you when you are a complete celebrity freak like me and all you want to do is smile.
We take photos of locals (Dean Mahoney, Julianna Crawford ("like Cindy Crawford") and Christian Vogeler who are working on the set with Rob Reiner.
Someone calls Rob to look at a scene. I suddenly remember I have a DVD in my hand. Wait, I brought this for an autograph. Should I ask? Do I ask? Is it right? Would it be...."Rob? Rob!" I am calling his name before I even realize I did it. He turns. It starts to rain on us. "I am sorry to ask but could you please sign this for me? It was one of my favorite movies last year (The movie for you inquiring minds is Flipped! Awesome movie.) You are amazing, so underrated. This movie was beautiful!" He is looking at me and I am thinking I spoke to much but remind myself that I will never have this opportunity again in my life. Take it!
I have a marker, he takes it and smiles, "thank you so much. Thank you for liking this movie. It is a movie that is dear to my heart."
He asks my name. I tell him. He signs it. I apologize again for asking and say, "thank you so much!" He tells me it is no problem as one of the crew starts talking to him. I remember it is raining and walk over to protect the now signed DVD case. I am completely thrilled.
The assistants are busy writing notes for the reporters while the Mayor holds an umbrella over their heads so the ink doesn't run. Got to love a hands on Mayor. In fact, she was spotted picking up trash on the street today to toss it in the appropriate place.
Me: Ryan, why Greenwood Lake. What was it about this town that made this the perfect fit for the movie?
Ryan: It is exactly what the script called for. The script was written about a lake front community. We didn't think we would find one and when we came here, we saw exactly what was written. That doesn't happen often. We originally didn't think we would find one. We thought we would have to find a home with a large back yard that we could build a set on. When we came here and Rob got out of the car. He said, " this is exactly what we had envisioned" and immediately started pointing at houses for the characters of the movie. The location is perfect. There are house right on the lake. Greenwood Lake doesn't just feel like a Lake Town it feels like a community and that is exactly what we were looking for.
The movie is about a grouchy man who because of the closeness of the community, reluctantly, eventually, becomes part of the community. Is is the PERFECT location for this script and this movie.
What an awesome day! I was high for 24 hours.
When I got there, the street was closed. I gave my name and was allowed in after being told I was expected. Trying not to blush, I parked my car. Quickly calling my husband for a pep talk and taping a quick video of how I was feeling (it may never be seen), I smoothed my skirt and stepped out of the car. I had a moment to talk to The Warwick Valley Dispatch who was kind enough to tell me to keep up the good work.
Someone calls Rob to look at a scene. I suddenly remember I have a DVD in my hand. Wait, I brought this for an autograph. Should I ask? Do I ask? Is it right? Would it be...."Rob? Rob!" I am calling his name before I even realize I did it. He turns. It starts to rain on us. "I am sorry to ask but could you please sign this for me? It was one of my favorite movies last year (The movie for you inquiring minds is Flipped! Awesome movie.) You are amazing, so underrated. This movie was beautiful!" He is looking at me and I am thinking I spoke to much but remind myself that I will never have this opportunity again in my life. Take it!
 |
| Thank you to Warwick Valley Living for taking this shot (please ignore that back fat) |
I have a marker, he takes it and smiles, "thank you so much. Thank you for liking this movie. It is a movie that is dear to my heart."
He asks my name. I tell him. He signs it. I apologize again for asking and say, "thank you so much!" He tells me it is no problem as one of the crew starts talking to him. I remember it is raining and walk over to protect the now signed DVD case. I am completely thrilled.
The assistants are busy writing notes for the reporters while the Mayor holds an umbrella over their heads so the ink doesn't run. Got to love a hands on Mayor. In fact, she was spotted picking up trash on the street today to toss it in the appropriate place.
Me: Ryan, why Greenwood Lake. What was it about this town that made this the perfect fit for the movie?
Ryan: It is exactly what the script called for. The script was written about a lake front community. We didn't think we would find one and when we came here, we saw exactly what was written. That doesn't happen often. We originally didn't think we would find one. We thought we would have to find a home with a large back yard that we could build a set on. When we came here and Rob got out of the car. He said, " this is exactly what we had envisioned" and immediately started pointing at houses for the characters of the movie. The location is perfect. There are house right on the lake. Greenwood Lake doesn't just feel like a Lake Town it feels like a community and that is exactly what we were looking for.
The movie is about a grouchy man who because of the closeness of the community, reluctantly, eventually, becomes part of the community. Is is the PERFECT location for this script and this movie.
What an awesome day! I was high for 24 hours.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
My Family Tried ohnsonville Bratwurst Burgers
Who, couldn't use free groceries from Walmart for one year?! That is just crazy. I headed to Walmart and got the Johnsonville Bratwurst Burgers. We have never had Bratwurst anything so were eager to try it.
We started the grill and throw the burgers on. My husband, niece and I decided we were going to go old school with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and catchup.
We used the apron and oven mitt given to me by One to One Network and Johnsonville to run try out the patties.
Because the burgers are cooked frozen we kept on side of the grill off, this is the side we put the burgers on. Once they were defrosted we started that side low.
Nope, not ready yet!
While the burgers were cooking, I cut up some condiments for the burgers.
Finished product:
Consensus:
Hub: I am not sure if I like this. What kind of meat is this? It tastes like sausage.
Niece: It's not bad but even with all these condiments on it. I still taste the meat. Not sure how I feel about that. It is very overpowering but I don't mind it.
Me: It is good. Tasty. Meaty. Juicy. I like it.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Ruby Tuesday - What The Heck?
Happy Tuesday!
I asked my daughter to pose during a brief moment of the parade 2 weeks ago. It was 95+ and humid. We were hot! Goddess had a grimace on her face so I asked her to pose for a moment. I took the shot! While looking them over when I loaded them onto the computer I noticed this....on her face....what the heck??
It's a bee! A bee buzzed by and we had no idea until we looked at it on the computer. Well, actually I had no idea what it was until my Hub said, that's a bee.
I asked my daughter to pose during a brief moment of the parade 2 weeks ago. It was 95+ and humid. We were hot! Goddess had a grimace on her face so I asked her to pose for a moment. I took the shot! While looking them over when I loaded them onto the computer I noticed this....on her face....what the heck??
It's a bee! A bee buzzed by and we had no idea until we looked at it on the computer. Well, actually I had no idea what it was until my Hub said, that's a bee.
Budding Artist Tuesday - August 2, 2011
o you have an artist in your house? One who is constantly drawing, creating and inspired by all things art? If so, check out this new meme for the summer called "Budding Artists" for kids age 3-18.
I love blogging and I especially love when my kids are involved.
This drawing done by Goddess is currently hanging in my bedroom above my bed where she put it. These are two monkeys holding hands with a heart made out of bananas above our heads. I see an alligator and a bird. I am not sure what that Dr. Seuss like character is but he scare me a little. But, I love the message she wrote. As if she had a choice.
This drawing done by Goddess is currently hanging in my bedroom above my bed where she put it. These are two monkeys holding hands with a heart made out of bananas above our heads. I see an alligator and a bird. I am not sure what that Dr. Seuss like character is but he scare me a little. But, I love the message she wrote. As if she had a choice.
Monday, August 01, 2011
Showcase Your Photos With Fracture Me - Review
I am completely in love with Fracture Me, the one thing I am not in love with is their logo (it doesn't tell me what they do), but it is growing on me.
Last week I saw Fracture Me on WPIX in NY and had to see what they were all about. I ordered one of Goddess...well, I didn't pick it, I gave Goddess three pictures to choose from and asked her.
Ok, so let's rewind...what is Fracture. Fracture is one of the most amazing ways to showcase your photos. It is inexpensive and easy.
I uploaded a photo onto the Fracture site. Selected my background, there are so many to choose from, you can do none, black, white or choose from a variety of colorful, or borders with graphics. We chose none! Select the size, the shape (square, landscape or portrait) and order!
That was the easy part, the hardest part was trying to select a photo.
Ok..back to my review:
I ordered my 10" frame on a Friday and got it the next Tuesday.
The box was very secure and easy to open. Simply grab and pull the white tab.
It even comes with it's very own screw for mounting!
All of this is great but what I truly love is how awesome it looks. Click the photo to make it bigger. Look it at among all these framed photos. They are all receiving the same amount of light, thus the same amount of reflection but look how clear the Fracture Photo is! Goddess never looked more beautiful!
This is the best photo product in my opinion ever! Need another reason they rock? The prices are amazing. For an 8 inch photo you pay $8.00. For a 10 inch photo $12.00. That photo of Goddess in the Fracture only cost $12.00. That is processing and frame people. Crazy right!? For the rest of their prices, head to their price page.
I want to do a whole wall in Fracture. There are great gift ideas too! My dad and grandparents would love photos of the kids that come in their own frames.
You will love Fracture, your favorite photos ready to be hung, right out of the box!
The fine folks at Fracture want you to experience and change the way you hang your photos by offering one of my readers the chance to win a 12 inch Fracture of your own!
Blue Monday - The Tank!
About 4 years ago I purchased a fish tank for my girlfriends son. I was going to put two fish in it and give it to him for his birthday. That same week, his father bought him one so mine sat in the closet in a box for two years until my kids found it. It came out of the box and they pretended to have fish occasionally. My plan of course was to eventually get a filter and use the tank. Money, time, tank location (where would we put it?) all put it on the back burner until Saturday.
My niece, since getting her license comes up to see us when she can. We love having her here and over this summer she has been here a few days at a time. My daughter loves having her here as much as I do and this past weekend they went frog hunting. This is something Goddess has been dying to do. We have a creek that runs in the middle of my back yard which was a great location for this hunt.
After much conversation, some screams, a whole lot of laughter and bug bites, my niece caught a frog. We brought it up to the deck and when they started talking about where should we put it, I remembered the tank.
Finally, the tank had a use other than taking up space until the perfect time to use it. We put some water in it and added the frog. Before you know it, the tank was filled with three frogs. We held onto them for a few hours and than released them. The next day, they went out hunting again. They were catching them easier this time and there were no screams.
It has been fun watching the frogs in the tank and releasing them, one day I may let them keep one once we do more research on the best way to feed it and how to regulate the temperature of the tank but for now, the excitement of catching and releasing is good enough for us.
Not sure how these guys feel. It looks like one is trying to console the other. Hahaha..poor things.
My niece, since getting her license comes up to see us when she can. We love having her here and over this summer she has been here a few days at a time. My daughter loves having her here as much as I do and this past weekend they went frog hunting. This is something Goddess has been dying to do. We have a creek that runs in the middle of my back yard which was a great location for this hunt.
After much conversation, some screams, a whole lot of laughter and bug bites, my niece caught a frog. We brought it up to the deck and when they started talking about where should we put it, I remembered the tank.
Finally, the tank had a use other than taking up space until the perfect time to use it. We put some water in it and added the frog. Before you know it, the tank was filled with three frogs. We held onto them for a few hours and than released them. The next day, they went out hunting again. They were catching them easier this time and there were no screams.
It has been fun watching the frogs in the tank and releasing them, one day I may let them keep one once we do more research on the best way to feed it and how to regulate the temperature of the tank but for now, the excitement of catching and releasing is good enough for us.
Not sure how these guys feel. It looks like one is trying to console the other. Hahaha..poor things.
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