Goosefraba

Whew, the last of five finals in the bag ... breathe in and enjoy this moment.

If you ever watched "Anger Mangement" with Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson, I'm sure you remember "Don't lose your cool, remember goosefraba."

Little did I know it is a real-life word. Eskimo mothers whisper it to calm their babies. I guess you do learn something new every day :)

So now it is time to head to the mall and start Christmas shopping ....
eek. I thought I enjoyed shopping but NOT REALLY.

Peace be with you during this crazy holiday season.
As I anticipate long lines, no parking, and my endless search for "MindFlex" ...
as my anxiety peaks before I even leave the house ...
as I kick myself [literally] for not taking care of this months ago ....
ahhhhh goosefraba ...
because it is really not the gifts [or lack] of,
it is about spending time and celebrating life with those you love.

merry merry :)

... on a personal note ...

My 94-year old grandfather recently fractured his hip and spent some time in the hospital.
Good news! He is out and both he and my Mom are living with us temporarily.

With radiation taking a toll on him to begin with,
I know his recovery will be long and hard.
(It was so cute to see him come home with his diploma from graduating from treatment. He wanted to make sure my husband saw it and knew he wasn't a baby!)

Patience. Love. Strength.
I know it must be so hard to lose your independence and have to rely on others for help.
We are all learning valuable life lessons together ...
and there are days where my heart breaks but why?
I should continue to celebrate with him and just remember, this is all part of his journey.
Our journey.

My Grandpa
My Hero

The first man I ever saw make googly-eyes at the bikini girls in the commercials.
The first man who ever taught me about initiative, hard work, and perseverance.
I am forever grateful for every life lesson he has taught me and continues to teach me.

a Ninja Hello

Just a hello from our fur kid ~ Ninja.

Oh the things he let's Bubbles* get him into.

Looks like they will be going golfing today :)

*side note: Rayli decided she wants to change her name.  

We must call her Bubbles from now on.

I remember when Jazzy wanted to be called Stefanie ...

kids are so funny.

Have a great weekend :)

Turkey & MakeUp

I hope everyone had a great Turkey Day!
Here's a shot of my hubby's deep fried turkey. Yum!
I still can't believe this year is almost over ...
I'm so ready to say goodbye to 2009 and hello to 2010!

I've been meaning to blog about my "eyeshadow strike" for a while now so here it goes.
Several months ago, I decided to give up eyeshadow and cut down on makeup period.
Why would I do such a thing?

1) I realized I had no "going out" look. It was smokey eyes 24/7.
2) Adult onset acne. Boo.
3) I want to learn how to be comfortable in my own skin.

So it has been black liner only ... just like this.
A lot of people didn't even notice the change ... and now, I don't even remember how to apply eyeshadow when I do have a special night out! Eek!

No big deal right?
Well aside from my bead/crafty things addiction, I kinda have a small obsession with makeup.
Here's my cute *pink* Sephora train case.
Like an upscale Caboodle, remember those? I can't find them anywhere!


Look how much makeup fits in it! Three tiers of awesomeness!
Can you tell I'm a MAC-head?
There's also some Shu Uemuera, Urban Decay, and other random goodies.

I also found a great etsy shop (MixologyMakeup) that offers great mineral makeup. Fun stuff and excellent customer service :)

And today I totally caved in at MAC (Macy's Pearlridge) ...
here's my loot from today's trip to the mall.
Guess I will start wearing eyeshadow again ay?

That wasn't so bad right? Everyone owns this much stuff right?

Until next time blogworld ~ xO

Study, Work, Sleep ... and Smile :)

Wow, I am such a blog-slacker. Boo me.
Things have been so busy with school lately but I must remember to SMILE and enjoy life!
Thankfully, my kids provide me with an ample amount of free entertainment :)

My lil' ham loves to make up random songs and sing them on the webcam.
This keeps her busy while I attempt to clean up my bead room.
No I am not hiding, I am on the floor picking up 3mm crystals. Grrrr.

This song is dedicated to her preschool physical appointment.
Kids say the funniest things!

Creative Juice

Okay so it's finally time for a *crafty* post. Woop woop!

The yummy ingredients:
Vintage lucite discs
Shell flowers
Gold-filled & vermeil beads, wire, chain, & findings

Technique:
Binding (a super duper easy way to jazzy up any jewelry project or component)


I'm pretty happy about how they turned out and I have some ideas for a similar necklace project. I will definitely post pics if it works out ... if not, it will end up in my jewelry graveyard :(

and since we are talking *creative juice,* I must share my daughter's work-in-progress. She's sketching a mural on her bedroom door based on Ed Hardy's tattoo designs. Right now it's in pencil but Grandma took her on a Ben Franklin run for paint so it will be in color soon. I'm glad she's enjoying this creative outlet and I am totally letting her do her own thing on this.


Until next time blog world ...
enjoy life and remember to do things that make you happy :)

Smile :)

I promise to post some new things soon!
It's been a busy month ... anniversary, birthday, fun guest instructor at The Bead Gallery.

Then the not-so-fun busy stuff ... homework, papers, exams!
Just let me survive my Tax exam tomorrow and it will be smooth sailing for at least a week (maybe).

In the mean time, here's a video that makes me smile :)
I had no clue Rayli loved Angelina Ballerina (www.pbskids.org) this much!

Rayli's Jewels

So even though I should have been studying or cleaning house ...

Rayli convinced me it was time to make some jewelry!

[YAY says Rayli!]

So she designed three bracelets that I whipped out for her.

I must say, she likes her jewelry big & chunky (well, for a petite 4-yo) and she insisted on wearing all three bracelets on one arm.

[she must get it from her mama ha!]

Rayli's Charm Bracelet

I chose the chain but she cherry picked all her charms from my stash.

Did I tell you I had a bead/charm/shopping habit?

The fun part was making sure I jump-ringed all the charms onto the chain so they would sit facing the same direction :/

Next were two bracelets made with Swarovski crystals.

Light Rose 6mm cubes (which I was happy to give up since they are my least favorite shape) and my new favorite, the 8mm-ish Graphic Cube. They look like chunks of ice.

Some basic wire wrap, charms and chain ...

I wonder if her older sisters will be interested when they get home.

I must say it was nice making something easy. A majority of my time is spent attempting to work on intricate projects that tend to involve 8,000 feet of wire and a ton of patience. This can explain why I have a drawer full of unfinished pieces. But guess what? I still felt a sense of accomplishment (that "Yay Me!" feeling) finishing these three bracelets. Rayli loved them and that's all that really mattered. So it doesn't always have to be about the level of difficulty ... as long as love and heart are there to back it up - it will always be fabulous :)

Sadly, it's time to head to class and work but I will get those pliers out again soon!