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Thanks to a campaign through Family Review Network, I was in touch with the awesome people over at BuildASign.Com who have helped me get some one of a kind birthday gifts for two important people in my life.

Whether you are a  sole proprietor, mom-and-pop businesses, non-profit organizations, franchise or major corporation, Build A Sign has the perfect sign solution for your needs.  There expertise doesn't stop there either, you can get a birthday, graduation, or wedding banner, personalized street sign, garden flags, and more.

My nephew is a bigggg fan of the U.S. Intrepid and has been there as many times as his age, 12!  I made him a street sign that reads U.S. Intrepid for his birthday next month. His mother, my sister, says he is going to freak!

My father-in-law is a total gamer and has a Guild on line, so cute. I got him a street sign for his office that has his Guild's name on it. He is going to love it and I know that no one else is going to get one for him. Totally different gift and I can't wait to give it to him.

Here is a list of all the signs available. Interested? Simply click the link to head over to that section and see how easy it is to personalize or order a sign.

For the next two weeks, Build A Sign is running a free shipping special on on their products. Simply enter promo code NewYear2011 on your order form.

What I Can Tell You:

The signs look amazing! Beside the two street signs mentioned above. I received a Stop Sign for Handsome's room. He has an obsession with Stop Signs for some reason. I thought it would be cool to get him one for his room. I was floored when I opened the box. There was an actual, full size Street Sign! He was so excited. We haven't figured out yet how we are going to hang it on his wall but eventually it will be there and he will be the only kid in his class to have an actual Stop Sign in his room! 

There are so many choices and it is easy to customize the sign to your liking. You pick the colors, the font, what it says and the size and order it in less than 5 minutes. So quick and easy.

My favorite part of this company is how flexible, easy going and timely there are. All my contacts with them have been handled efficiently, effectively and with complete professionalism. 

Color Carnival - Sweets

Thankfully Martha the former host of Color Carnival has graciously been keeping the happy meme alive while I've been recuperating from my surgery next month.

Martha, I can't thank you enough for stepping up and taking care of this while I was away. Unfortunately, my surgery which I had on the 14th of December really knocked me for a loop. I thought for sure, I would be up and running a few days later.

I was in the hospital until the 21st, back to the ER on the 23rd, and today they put a drain in and I will start another round of antibiotics. It has been a long road with more pain than I ever thought possible but I am feeling better and while I am moving slow, getting back to life is very important to me. I've been gone for wayyyy to long. I pray to be happy and healthy next December so that I can make up for this holiday season.

Without further ado, here is my Color Carnival submission. I haven't taken the camera out since before the hospital so I have some slim pickens but this is a photo of some lollipops I saw the end of November. Not the best composition but here it is.

Ruby Tuesday - Dinner at the North Pole

The end of November the kids and I headed to a place in New Jersey called Ice Caverns. We got to peek into the window of Mr. and Mrs. Claus enjoying our favorite meal.

We also met a friendly penguin. Don't you love the lights?

Then Handsome and Santa shared a moment! We see you Santa.

Not the best composition but I love their faces. Can't visit Santa without wearing some red of our own.

Mommy and Me Monday

Me and my first born, Handsome when he was 2 months old. I couldn't stop taking self portrait pictures. It was a conscience effort to make sure I took tons because as someone who lost my mother when I was 12, there were never enough photos of her and I together. I wasn't going to let that happen to my son.

The Weekend In Black And White

Since I am currently living in a monochrome world at the moment, The Weekend in Black and White the perfect meme to participate in this week.

Haven't brought the camera out this year but found one of my favorites from 10 years ago.

Spotted this bench at the New Jersey Botanical Gardens and fell in love.

The wrought iron fence, the vines, the texture...there is so much going on here yet nothing at all.

Vampires Suck - A Hysterical Comedy - DVD Review

I am a huge Twilight Fan and will watch and read anything based on the story or characters so when Vampires Suck came out I was dying to see it.

Thanks to the 20th Century Fox DVD release of Vampires Suck this past November I finally got to see it.

In this adaptation of the story, Becca Crane played by Jenn Proske moves in with her father because her whore mother is shacking up with Tiger Woods.  There is something strange about Sporks. There are vampires everywhere.  She meets Edward Sullen played by Matt Lanter and of course falls desperately in lust. When he tries to reveal himself to her by stripping off his shirt and showing her his bling she guess that he is a Jonas Brother. He finally tells her that he is a vampire which she states would have been her next guess.

For her 18th birthday he brings Becca home to meet the family but things go horribly wrong when she gets a paper cut and they all try to eat her. Fortunately someone ordered Chinese food and the delivery man is quickly tossed to them so that Ed and Becca can make their narrow escape.

He brings her to the woods where he leaves her but not before he saves her from, three dangerous vampires. He kills Jack (James) by knocking his head off with a baseball bat.

Becca is attended to by her friend Jacob White who is just as hot as Tyler Lautner. He makes her feel safe and takes his shirt off often because it is in the script to happen every 10 minutes.

Edward is living in Italy with Lady Gaga when Iris finds him to tell him she had a vision. Becca had a motorcycle accident and is dead.

Edward can't live with this and heads out to have himself killed before Iris can tell him that her vision was wrong.

Iris picks up Becca and explains what Edward is going to do. They race to the prom where he will reveal himself and his saggy, butt to the Zolturi who are party animals and would never miss a prom according to Iris.

He reveals himself while Becca tries to run through the red cloaked, prom crowd. Getting involved in a jello fight and trying to get through a group of Team Edward and Team Jacob teenagers fighting each other.

Edward is forced by the Zolturi to make Becca Vampire. He agrees after she accepts his proposal and ring. He bites her. A Team Jacob chick takes him out and is attacked by a Vampire Becca.

What I Can Tell You:

That is the movie in a nutshell. The actors are awesome and do the characters major justice.  All the nuances are there.  Bella's downcast eyes, hair behind the ears every second, weird mouth movements and stutter.  This is the actresses first movie and she is totally and completely Bella.  She deserves an award for being Kristen Stewart.  Edward, is hot even with the rollers he uses to create the now famous coif. Which he sports when watching Becca sleep.

I loved the entire movie and watched it with a complete smile on my face and can't wait to watch it again with friends.

There are some truly hysterical scenes if you like stupid humor. Like her father tells her that he left her bedroom the way she left it and when he opens the door there is a crib and toys in it. He stuffs a pacifier in her mouth before walking out of the room.

There is even a quick nod to Stephanie Meyer. I thought it was hysterical and think Twilight fans will love it.

Right now, I have a tremendous desire to re-watch Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse which were all in this condensed version.

Sunday Stealing: The First 2011 Alphabet Meme

A is for Age: 44 and proud of it.

B is for Beer of choice: Blue Moon

C is for Career: Mother

D is for favourite Drink: Water

E is for Essential item you use everyday: Deodorant and toothpaste

F is for Favourite song at the moment:

G is for favourite Game: Trivia Pursuit for Wii

H is for Home town: New York

I is for Instruments you play: I no longer play an instrument. It has been more years than I care to admit.

J is for favourite Juice: Grapefruit

K is for Kids: Two

L is for Last kiss: I kiss my husband every day.

M is for marriage: One!

N is for full Name: Maria Grace

O is for Overnight hospital stays: Too many lately!

P is for phobias: The dark

Q is for quote:

People Will Forget What You Did, but People Will Never Forget How You Made Them Feel.”

R is for biggest Regret: I have no regrets.

S is for sports: These days, soccer. I love watching my son play.

T is for Time you wake up: Whenever I hear my son jump out of bed. Usually between 5:50 to 7:00 a.m.

U is for colour of underwear: Light blue

V is for Vegetable you love: Spinach

W is for Worst Habit: Biting my nails.

X is for X-rays you've had: More than 10 - Cat Scans are 6 since May. I am surprised I am not glowing.

Y is for Yummy food you make: I make awesome crab cakes, lasagna, sausage and peppers and chicken parm.

Z is for zodiac sign: Leo

Handsome and Me in 2003

He was just two months old but look at the size of him. I am 4'11" so you can only imagine how big and uncomfortable I was.

My heart was so full at this time. The love you feel for your child is so strong. I couldn't stop looking at him. As a new mom, I loved every day. I couldn't wait for him to wake from his naps. I wanted to show him the world. My every breath was for him. Nothing else existed and kissing his head 100 times a day was my nourishment. Food was secondary and if I weren't nursing I wouldn't have taken time to eat. Why spend time doing something for me when I existed for him?!

I can't get over how fast things move. His face is still the same but he is now dribbling a soccer ball next to me up and down the hall way while shouting to his sister how to play Wii as he passes by.

This picture, shows quiet, tranquility, and peace. My how times have changed.

Teenage Author Makes Me Purr with Her Debut Novel: Aurora Fee

What I Can Tell You: Aurora Fee is the 1st book written by17 year old Megan Barnes.

There is something different about Aurora. She is actually over 600 years old living in the life of a 16 year old shape shifter. Aurora is part human, part cat and can shape shift at will or depending on the stimuli she receives. Claws when she is mad, whiskers when she is shy, tail when she is happy, etc. She moves often because as a teenager full of hormones she falls in love quickly. However, loving a human always brings heartbreak and she has had her fill.

As Aurora starts her newest school in New York, she meets and falls in love with devastatingly handsome Kartik who loves her too.  Unfortunately like most teenage girls, she also loves Zane which is the reason she left her last school. Only one problem. Zane has followed her to this school and when he saves her one night and brings her to his place, he unknowingly kisses her at midnight, under a full moon and now he is also a cat person. See, how it works?!

Kartik begs Aurora to change him so he can save her from Elliot the guy she has been running from. When she changed Elliot he went off the deep end and became evil! He is now trying to kill Aurora and anyone she comes close to. As if this isn't enough for a 600+ teenager, she has a voice in her head that is annoyingly familiar.

Aurora and her changed boys are in danger and evil is gaining strength to end Aurora's life forever.

This is a young adult book and is written by a young adult. So, the dialogue is youthful and easy. This is a quick read and the characters aren't very deep but in this very creative storyline, I give kudos to Megan for her shout outs for one of my favorite books. Obviously a Twi-hard like me, Aurora is looking for her "Edward". Aurora and her boys (Kartik-Edward and Zane-Jacob) was very Twilightish.  She is in love with two boys who will do anything for her yet, in the long run. She remains friends with Zane and chooses Kartik.

I can't wait to see what else Megan Barnes comes up with. Support our young writer by visiting her website and learning more about her book, the characters, and finding out how she came to write Aurora Fee.

Photo Hunt - Your Choice

I took this picture last year. 2011 has yet to see my camera in my hand. So sad! No pictures of my Christmas tree, Christmas morning, the kids opening their gifts. It truly makes me sad that I have nothing to commemorate the holiday. Surgery and recovery overtook my entire life. But, hopefully by next month, I will be up and running.

tnchick from Photo Hunt asked for a picture of our choosing this week. This picture was taken the end of November during the kids visit to Santa. I loved these lights and the little red house ornament. Those lights just make me smile.

Saturday 9: Closer to Home

1. Where did you grow up? Where do you consider home? Long answer short. Born in Queens. Moved to Millbrook NY when I was 3. Stayed in Hudson Valley area until I moved to Brooklyn when I was 13.

2. If you could paint your car any color with no loss in value, what color would it be? Red!

3. What do you think comes after death? Sleep

4. Name a TV show that should NOT be renewed for another season. One show? I think there are tons that should not be renewed. Like all the reality garbage. The Bachelor has run its course. American Idol is also done.  You have to dumb downed to watch most of these shows. Pathetic waste of air time that is making millionaires out of some really stupid people.

5. If you could have a free subscription to any online service, which would you like to have? Uhh...I am out of the loop at the moment having been away from the computer for a month. There is nothing I think is worth spending money for online.
6. Where did you think you'd be at the age you are now? I thought I would be right where I am but with better health.

7. What did you want to be when you grew up? A vet, a doctor, a nurse, an actress. Oddly enough I have been these things at least one time in my life. Not in the real sense but as a pet owner, mother and wife these are all necessary roles.

8. If you were to suddenly become famous, and were forced to change names, what would you choose as your stage name? I wouldn't change my name but if I were forced I would be Mommy! The world calling me Mommy would be fun. I always wanted a big family.

9. What is the first book that you can remember reading by yourself as a child? Ummm..not sure what the first one was. I was a big book reader, it may have been something by Richard Scarry. I had tons of those books.

20th Anniversary of Thelma & Louise Now on Blu-ray

Can you believe it's 20 years since Thelma and Louise was released in theaters? I can't! I love this movie. Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis and Brad "yummy" Pitt.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, this is a must see. Two butt kicking chicks take the law into their own hands and become accidental outlaws. It's been years since I've seen it but it was a favorite of mine and that had nothing to do with a young, long haired Brad Pitt either.

Friday Fragments - January 7, 2011

Life is starting to return to normal. December was pretty non-existent for me. Surgery was bad, recovery was worse and things are still not right. I head back to the hospital on Monday for another test to see how things are progressing.

Went to Wound Care at the hospital on Wednesday for inspection on my wound (surgical site). Thought they would just clean it, dress it and tell me everything was progressing. After a lot of "uh" and ummm" the nurse told me that there were holes at the top and bottom of my incision. One goes down 1 cm and the other 7 cms. They wanted to cat scan but after 6 since May I refused. Skin was lanced so they could drain and culture fluid. Sonograam performed since I refused cat scan and another will be done when I go back on Monday. If all is not better, another cat scan will be the only choice. Hooray. Not!

Every time I feel like I am climbing the mountain of healing, I snag on a ledge and have to wait for a rope to be tossed down. It is extremely frustrating.

Very sad over the fact that I have no pictures from Christmas. I do a Christmas photo book every year of Christmas morning and have nothing. No tree pictures, no present pictures, no kids opening presents. I sat on the couch and watched Teach and the kids do Christmas.

I have the best husband in the world. Without him I would never have gotten through my hospital release and the first five days home. Thank God he is in my life and can be a pillar of strength and rational when I felt like I couldn't go on. The pain was beyond what I could handle and I couldn't even take care of myself. He took care of the kids, me and himself. Our entire lives orbited around him.  He was the sun and nourished and provided for all of our needs, including the very basic. More later. I am just not ready to put it all down. Need more time, not a place in time I want to go back. Will write it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. Not just for my readers, but for me. All of these posts are saved in book form and I want to include it (eventually).

Have been taking the kids to school and picking them up. Pick them up 10 minutes early so I don't have to do the bad rush. Can't walk fast and don't want to accidentally have someone knock into me in the mad, rush to sign our kids out of school. Plus, it makes it easier for me not to have to explain my story over and over again when I don't even know what's going on.

Snow day today. Not sure how much we are expecting but it has been coming down for some time. The kids are excited. Handsome is playing Xbox 360 with his dad and Goddess knows we are playing games today as soon as I finish posting.

Have been working hard to catch up on all my blogging promises. Thankfully everyone has been extremely supportive and patient.

Working with sight words and reading with Goddess...my goodness it is challenging. She has no patience and gets frustrated and quits easily. She isn't applying herself at all which is extremely frustrating to me.

Handsome's class has moved onto subtraction. It was hard for him to change over and he was adding all the math problems his teacher sent home. His dad sat with him and used Xbox games to teach him. It appears as if he has it, we have to keep working on it.

Last night, we worked on capitalization of people, places, and things and special names. It was hard for him to get the concept at first because he knows the first letter of a sentence needs to be capitalized now he is supposed to capitalize in the middle of sentences? What???? I am certain with a little more practice this will be easy but...my patience isn't what it could be. I am always feelings something in my own body that makes me stop to figure out what it is, where the pain is coming from, yada yada.

Have been watching a lot of Netflix lately. Some really pathetic movies out there can be very entertaining. I suggest:

Mega Piranha...too funny. Classic B Movie with tons of technical errors. Good for a laugh. Love that Greg Brady's character is named Brady and the captain of a ship is like 20 years old with greased back long hair. Oh and Tiffany...what happened to her? Well, she is playing a scientist that can make a helicopter fly on... oxygen when it runs out of fuel. You go gurl!!!!

Teeth...Oh my...a vagina with teeth?! Well, you can only imagine what happens with virginal girl meets crazy, horny boys. Yikes.

Louis CK...probably one of the funniest comedians for me right now. I love him!

Johnny Test..we have watched all 3 seasons over the last two weeks. Goddess and I love this show.

Home Alone 2...We must have watched this 30 times since I came home from the hospital and Teach is telling me he watched it at least 15 times while I was at the hospital with the kids. Thankfully, it was a good movie for adults too or we would be looking to "murder that kid".

Raptor Island...Yuck!

Mega Shark vs., Giant Octopus...umm...really...really bad.

Altered..after having intestinal surgery, this movie was a bit much for me at times. It didn't suck too much.

Haunting of Winchester House..umm..really..really dumb. Even the casting sucked. They had like a 13 year old girl whose lines made her sound like she was 5. Grrr..hated this movie so much and was really disappointed.

Well, that's about it for now. Way more than I planned for my Fragments but I've been away for a while. Had the need to type.