Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!


May 2011 bring you prosperity, peace and happiness.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Fancy Lashes

Now that the new year (and it's parties) are here one of the items you are going to be using are false eyelashes. Nothing completes a look like a perfect pair of lashes and this little post will help you in two parts - one is how to apply and the other is how to clean to reuse.
A few items you will need are: lashes, glue - I like Duo Clear (according to type - stip for stip and individual for individual), toothpick or orange wood stick, small scissors, lash curler, tweezer and a mirror. Before you put on your lashes make sure your eye makeup is complete including, especially, without exception eyeliner *side note: you can do pencil or liquid under the lashes but only liquid should be on the lashes - pencil could pull or move the lashes once applied*  

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Congrats To Two Great Ladies!

A few weeks ago the rest of my class graduated. *tears*  I have been stalling writing this post because words are failing me, even now, I just can not come up with anything to express how much these ladies mean to me. We have spent the better part of the last 6 months together; giggling, crying, yawning and freaking out about grades. A simple "good-bye" seems too little and a huge epic poem seems...well, too much. So I will simply say "May our lives cross paths again and until then "Be Safe, Ladies".
Christina and Casey

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas!



Happy Holidays Everyone!!

Friday, December 24, 2010

Christmas Movies

I usually watch Christmas movies year round and these are a few of my family favorites *besides the old standbys of "It's a Wonderful Life", "Miracle on 34th St" and "Christmas Carol"* Please also remember that my "babies" are 19 and 20 and that some of these are not appropriate for the little kids. Enjoy!!

This is one of my favorite holiday movies. It is clever, sarcastic and absolutely witty. This 1994 film has Dennis Leary as a cat burglar hiding out at a bickering couple's (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis) home just before his insane family come over for dinner. It is crazy funny - not really suitable for the little kids but your teens will looove it!  


I watch this movie ALL THE TIME!! This is a modern day version of "It's a Wonderful Life" it was made in 2000 and has Nicolas Cage who is a fast lane investment brokers living in NY in a posh apartment with a door-man, drives a sports car and wears high end clothes and wakes up to find out that he is now married to his college sweetheart (Tea` Leone), has two kids, lives in New Jersey (heavens forbid!), is on a bowling team *Gasp!* and is now a tire salesman! * Wait a minute - all my best friends are in the tire business... hmm maybe that's why I like this movie : D


This movie is Ben Affleck's best movie hands down! This 2004 movie is about a lonely millionaire who pays a middle class family to spend the holidays the him. James Gandolfini and Catherine O'Hara play the parents (whose marriage is in trouble) of Christina Applegate and Josh Zuckerman and as a unit these talented actors play so well off one another.


EVERYBODY who has seen this 2005 film understands why this movie made the list. You and your teen will laugh sooo hard! Ryan Reynolds and Anna Faris are simply amazing! Reynolds plays a hot shot in the music industry, Amy Smart is his HS crush who is "just friends" with him and Faris is his pop star psycho girlfriend. Chris Klein plays his rival for the affections of Smart and Jill Hagerty plays his kooky mom. I can not describe how funny this movie is - you MUST watch it!


I looove this movie and I don't care who knows it! It is predictable and cheezy and absolutely perfect for a feel good holiday movie everyone can watch. This 2004 movie has tightwad Tim Allen and straight laced Jamie Lee Curtis playing the brokenhearted parents to Blair because she is leaving to Bolivia on the Peace Corp for a year. And since Christmas won't be the same without her, they decided to skip it and go on a cruise instead. Dan Aykroyd plays their holiday loving neighbor who finds this scrooge like behavior unacceptable. When Blair decides to come home for the holiday
chaos ensues.


No Christmas movie list would be complete without this wonderful 1965 movie featuring Charles Shultz's Peanuts characters. Repelled by the commercialism he sees around him, Charlie Brown tries to find the true meaning of Christmas. Lucy suggests that Chuck produces the school play and he accepts but frustration arise. I like the fact that with one ornament the tree bends down to the ground but the more stuff they put on it not only did the tree defy gravity by standing upright but also all laws of physics that a 3 branch tree turns into a full fledge fir. Which proves you can not have too many ornaments on a tree :D

Monday, December 6, 2010

Our Family Advent Counter

This is my project for Between Naps On The Porch Deck the Halls Decor Party. A few years ago I saw this great idea for an advent counter - we have tweaked it and now I can't imagine Christmas without it.

Welcome To Our Christmas Haven

 
Welcome back everyone! I am participating in Between Naps On The Porch "Deck The Halls" tag. The support is absolutely outstanding, so far there are 418 links to other sites, so there are ALOT of other homes to visit. CRAAAAAZY! I don't have really any before pictures - I figured for some of you followers - you have already seen our little slice of solice and for those of you who are new, well .... I guess this gives you a chance to browse the site. *I have been super busy at work (yea) but it doesn't leave me too much time for pictures but I really wanted to participate, so that's why these were taken at night but with the flash you lose the beauty of the colors*   
Let's get started on the outside first!

I came home one day to this lovely site from My Very Special Mr *blushing*

Every night  light glows thru the bedroom windows
and it envelops me with love knowing that my family did this

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Have A Great Thanksgiving? (Tons of Pics)

I sure hope you did! Mine was FANTASTIC! This year everyone from both sides of the family got their respective days off (in-laws are Thanksgiving and Friday and mine is Saturday) - so we got to see evveryybody! Yea  =D The kids are getting so BIG and accomplishing soooo much - sports, clubs and jobs - I have a hard enough time managing my time but these kids are busting it alllll over the place. Also this year I forgot my camera at home - good because I participated instead of standing in the back snapping picures and bad because I don't have this years shots. But since last year we went fishing (yup it was extremly cold) and this time only the guys went on the death-defying act of 4 wheeling (yea - like I was going to go and I didn't trust the guys with my camera) - I am posting last years pics and since my camera was new to me I took pictures of evverrything and evverrybody LOL
We will start with the drive there and back. This drive is about 7 hours but it feels like 30 hours - it takes forevvverrrrr - I'm so serious! If anybody has ever driven from Tuscon to Southern New Mexico they can also testify that it is horrendously boring. Flat dessert land as far as the eye can see but I know that most of my readers are not from the Southwest so you might enjoy these pictures.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

HAVE A SAFE HOLIDAY EVERYONE  =D

4 Thanksgivings Dinners!

Take a trip down memory lane when our favorite Girls did a whopping FOUR Thanksgiving meals in one day. In season 3 episode 9 "A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving" instead of saying "Sorry I have plans" they said "Yea sure we will be there" to evverrryybody. After thinking things thru and trying to drop meals from their holiday menu but noticing how disappointed people would be - they decided to put on their best streatchy clothes on and hit the tables! :-D

Meal #1 - Mrs. Kim's - Mmmmm Tofu Turkey : D
Mrs. Kim is watching you!

Meal #2 - over to Sookie and Jackson for some deep fried everything
*I love the outdoor deocorations*
It  is only late Nov in CT its not like it would be cold or anything
which this year it will be 43* and rainy
Meal #3 -  to eat with Luke and Jess
Yup this doesn't seem awkward at all :]

Are you getting full yet? Well don't - we have one more stop!

Meal #4 - Gilmore home
Doesn't this seem cozy? Wait where is she taking the turkey?!

Natalie (Dinner Guest) to Lorelai: You have your mother's wit.
Emily: Sometimes I wish she'd give it back.

**Also did anyone catch Jennifer Aniston's dad, John, in this episode?**


Meal #4 - Gilmore home
Doesn't this seem cozy? Wait where is she taking the turkey?!

Natalie (Dinner Guest) to Lorelai: You have your mother's wit.
Emily: Sometimes I wish she'd give it back.
Add caption


Garden Loving

The last few weekends have been spent preparing our yard for winter (cleaning, weeding, preparing window boxes, spreading grass and planting my lovely garden). Since the weather today was a beautiful 76* it doesn't need to be said that Phoenicians live outside for the 8 months of "winter". So getting our outdoors ready is mighty important and ours is almost presentable.
What a hot mess  =D
After sweeping the ground we spray down the patio - the dust here is horrible!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Charmed ...

I have a little (or big) treat for you today. This charm can be as large or small, casual or edgy as you would like to make it. You can use stickers, magazines, or even print a design off the net. All these things can be found at a craft store - I got the rocks, glue and felt at the $1 store and I got the rest of the items at Walmart. I hope you enjoy it. *sorry for the pics its from my phone*

You will need a few things: a CLEAR stone, felt (I like the way it feels rather than a card stock but that can be used too - paper is too thin it won't wear well and fabric gets weird after a few uses), 2 "o" rings, glue (regular and super) scissors, plyers, picture and pencil.













The hardest part of this craft is picking out a picture and then deciding which stone (shapes and clearness are different for each one) - Do you want a border? Then what color? The questions can be endless but just start it because the stones come in a large enough bag that you can make about 20 or so, there are plenty of ideas that can be made.

 Once you decided which picture then simply circle around it with a pencil. Not a pen - it tends to seep/spread the ink and it gets magnified by the stone.

Cut both the felt and picture together (a) it saves time and (b) the sizes will be the same. If you are wanting a color border - trim the picture alittle bit smaller.
Paint/spread white glue on the stone, then place picture (try not to move picture too much it might rip or the color might bleed). Wait until it dries.














Take one of the "o" rings and open it an bend it into a horseshoe design. Place the second "o" ring inside of it. Keep the horseshoe even.

Apply super glue to charm and "o" ring (make sure you are not glueing both on). Let dry completely.

Spread white glue on the back on the charm and apply felt. Smoosh the felt down alittle bit so that it won't be so puffy. Let dry.

Tada! Your one of a kind charm ready for the wearing. Just find a nice necklace (ribbon works nice for a choker and chain if wearing it longer) and enjoy. Or give as a gift and since it is economical you can make several charms, in different varieties for everyone on your list.






Happy Birthday Sylvia!

The gangs all here to wish you a wonderful Birthday!


Friday, November 19, 2010

Shabbat Shalom

Recall the young woman to their husbands, to love their children, to be sound in mind, chaste, wokers at home, good, subjucting themselves to their own husbands, so that the word of God may not be spoken of abusively.
Titus 2:4-5

Monday, November 15, 2010

Half Moon or Reversed French

I have been seeing Dita Von Teese's reversed french manicure around lately. It was kinda big back in '07 then picked up last year and .. it'ssss baaaack. Dita sports a silver moon with a retro red nail base. Every kind of color combo (green/red, gold/green, black/white) has been out and the techniques for some have been too technical (and others look too sloppy). So here is my interpretation of this look.
I used this cool retro red (Cherry Red) as the moon color
Apply and let dry. 

 
Apply french tip guides ($1.88 at Walmart) where the moon would be.

Apply tip color - this is "Manhattan" by NYC .
It is such a great color. Let dry COMPLETELY!

CAREFULLY remove the stickers


Use orangewood stick or cotton swab to remove excess
around nail and swipe a coat or 2 of clear polish.
*Don't forget to put lotion on your hands - like I did ^o^*


There you have it ... clean, perfect nails :)
*I found that the matte colors looked best but maybe its just me*