My Spiffy New Nails!

Okay, since on my quest to add more color to my style, I’ve found a cool product that doesn’t require nail polish- unless you put on a top coat.

I’ll be the first to say it: I have weird nails. They are very, very wide. You’ll see why in a second. When my sister would help me to paint my nails, she’d say something about it. Now, I am in no way self conscious about it. It’s just something I’ve come to accept. Let’s see what I mean by “wide nails,” shall we?

I may have to patch it up. Yikes!

So, see what I mean?

On to the product I’ve discovered!! It’s called Jamberry Nails. It’s not nail polish (like those awesome Sally Hanson Salon Effects). They call them “shields.” You’ve probably seen them floating around. There are bad and good things about this.

Oh wait, picture time of what they look like!

PRETTY!!!!

The bad things first: This particular “design” had designs on both the top and bottom. Unfortunately, That made it even harder for me to get on. You’ve gotta trim it to fit your nail, use your blow dryer to take it off the sheet and use the blow dryer to make it stick. Okay, not bad, but what about those wide nails I was talking about? Yeah, that was my problem. They don’t stretch like I was hoping/wishing. So, I had to cut a few strip of the red color to patch it up. No one looks really closely at my nails, so I’m not worried about that. Put a top coat on and VOILA! You are ready for the holidays.

Good thing: It makes you nails look spiffy and pretty! So, if you don’t want the commitment of nail polish, this would be a good way to go.

This isn’t something I’d use all the time. It’s just something I saw, wanted to try, and now I know. I have to admit, though, they look stylish. YES!!

 

(This is not a review of any kind. I am just passing on some “advice” from me- a non-fashionista person.)

 

New Look….ish?

Tags

blog, new look. owl header, owl

Well, I have decided to update the header for the blog. While my sister did a fantastic job, I was tooling around online late last night while I tried to get rid of my horrible insomnia and came upon this header. Now, who can guess why I couldn’t help but use it? Anyone? That’s absolutely right. The cute little owl sitting right on top, guarding it. Without any hesitation, I grabbed it; and within the last hour, I was trying my hardest to make it look…. well…. better. The background will be staying, and why? It seems to just say, “Not so wicked witch, but wicked enough to have this background.”

Now, the bad thing about doing blog headers is you never know if it will look really good or really crappy. I’ve owned many blogs before where I spent hours trying to get it to look just perfect. I’d scale it down. I’d edit the text a trillion times over only to give up and use something completely irrelevant to said blog. I’m no expert with photo editing software; so creating cool, new text effects is way beyond me. What can I say? I still have a lot to learn about the technology around me. I will get there one day. I hope.

I’m Saddened By My Mail

Tags

broken, candle holder, home decor, lobster pillow, mail, owl, rant

Remember how I told you that I go ga-ga over owls? Well, I was expecting something fantastical in the mail. I couldn’t wait to get it! Going down my street, I look over at my house to see this gigantic box by the door. It stuck out like a sore thumb, believe me. Some person could walk by, think to their self  “Oh, look. A lonely box with no one home. I shall take it!” Luckily and thankfully, they didn’t. I’m not sure they would have wanted what was inside. Want to see what was exciting?

My new, amazing lobster pillow.

The back of my new, amazing lobster pillow.

Mr. Owly. Awesomeness!

Side of Mr. Owly, where I assume, goes a candle or something equally pretty.

That’s where my happiness was cast aside by the sound of something rattling. Well, a few things rattling, in fact. Upon further inspection, it was a candle holder. A geometric candle holder. From the pictures I had seen, it was neat, pretty, and those other adjectives that mean “cool.”

My broken, now non-awesome candle holder- with candle still intact.

So, in a box that was 3 or 4 times bigger than Mr. Owly, they put in this small candle holder with no protection. I wish I could have seen you in your glory.

Clouds

Tags

clouds, nature, photos

Today while me, my sister, and father were out getting dinner for the family, I noticed some clouds off in the distance. Since I was in the backseat not doing anything except taking up space, I decided to get a few shots of the clouds. I know, you’ve probably seen much better cloud formations that just made you go, “Way to go, Mother Nature! You rock!” I have, too. I just couldn’t pass this photo-op up! It was like seeing the “calm before the storm.” Little did I know that an hour or so later, there were a few rumbles of thunder and the tiny pitter patter of rain.

Nothing special

It’s a carbon copy. (Almost….)

It was just neat. Of course, we didn’t stop at Wendy’s *sigh*

Now all of a sudden, I’m craving Wendy’s. Anyone?

Way to go, Mother Nature! You rock!

 

 

 

Happy Thanksmas?

Tags

christmas, holidays, owls, ramblings

We all know that the stores start setting up for the holidays right after July 4th. Okay, maybe not after that… but darn near close. Near the first of October should be correct, right? As soon as the scarecrows and plastic pumpkins go out, they start trimming the trees and pulling out the animated inflatables. When I was a little girl, I would remember them waiting until the first of November to start decking the halls. I would start getting excited about seeing all the neat toys, decorations, and music that would be played!

Today was one of my Busy Thursdays. I had a ton of errands to run- which meant I had to go to Walmart *groans.* While I don’t normally like shopping there, there were just some items I had to grab. After getting my “personal care” things, I decided to take a stroll to “Christmas Land” at the end of the store. This isn’t what they called it, but it seemed like one. Walking inside, you were bombarded with a huge red-nosed reindeer, who I am assuming is Rudolph, trees, and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” playing on a plasma TV. Excitement was running through my caffeine-laden veins. My sister, who didn’t really want to accompany me through the walk-through, was dragging her feet as I whizzed around- dodging forklifts that were sitting there in the middle of an aisle (my guess is that they were still getting things ready.)

After seeing the sticker-shock ($6 for a small garland? No, thank you), I decided to finish my shopping trip.  But before leaving Christmas Land, my sister spotted something. Now, I have a love for owls. Owl this, owl that. My family knows this and has accepted it. Sister noticed right away these owl candles. I stopped my cart immediately and looked to where she was pointing. “AAAH! YES! MINE! MINE! MINE!” This was what was running through my head at the time. Unfortunately, all I could do was say, “I want!!”

Pick Me!!!

Cute, no? (And the snowman is just adorable as can be, photobombing the owls!) Sadly, I had to walk away without getting them. I was on a mission to finish, and they will have to wait until I can get back to snatch them up. The owl on the right looks sad that he didn’t get to go home with me, with the left owl near tears.  (I have lost it, haven’t I?)

By the way, excuse the poor photo. My current mobile phone doesn’t have the amazing photo-taking capabilities as the phones today. Call it a “dinosaur” if you will.

As I left the store, I kept thinking of those owls. One day, my sweets. One day.

Hello- This is your Brain. Prepare to freak out!

Tags

anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, mental health

While normally this particular blog is about what’s on my mind and fun-and-games, I have to be serious for a moment. Something you may not know about me- I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This means that every time something happens (whether it be small or big), my brain freaks out, and thinks “IT’S BAD! It’s reallly baaaaad.” I tend to expect the worse in situations. Now, I’ve discovered something new: Panic attacks. It’s not something I would wish on my enemy (Unless, somehow, they’re the ones that caused it. Just kidding….)

For so long, I chalked it up to just being shy. In all my years of schooling I was so shy that I barely said a word to anyone unless they spoke to me first. It was that “What if I said something stupid? Would they laugh at me?” kind of thing. Believe me, kids can be vicious! So, I tried my best to just pay attention to the teacher and went on with my day. Luckily, I had a few friends that I could be myself with- that dorky, weird, friendly person. (Although I’m still quite a dork…) Even though school wasn’t that bad for my nerves, they still lingered.

As the years started moving along, so did my anxiety. I had a stalker a few years ago, and that’s when the gates of Hell broke open. That’s when it became even too hard for me to leave the house. I would get sick to my stomach, and all of those “panic attack” symptoms. Little did I know what would transpire from this.

There are some people out there that may think, “Oh, they are just stressed out. There’s nothing wrong.” Sorry to burst your bubble, but GAD, which is the shortened term for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, is a real disorder. If you never wake up feeling that something bad is going to happen, worry over the littlest thing, or can’t turn off that “fear,” no matter how hard you try, then you won’t understand. It can really ruin your life. As I try to deal with it, it gets hard.

So, there you go. My life in a not-so-normal nutshell. Now, it’s time to get back to more light-hearted posts.

For more information on GAD, visit http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad/index.shtml

Wanted: Help To Become Girly

Tags

fashion help, makeup, nail polish, ramblings

*shocking gasp* I know what’s running through your head- “Long time no see!” Yes, it has been a while. Not my fault. It’s called “life” and it’s taken me for a ride. I think I’m ready to get off this rollercoaster, though. It’s making me nauseous. But I digress…

When I was younger and naive, I was somewhat of a tomboy. Wear skirts? Yeah, right. I’d rather go naked if I had to. Makeup? I wasn’t big into that- although it made perfect painting tools for the wooden fence door in the townhouse we lived in. I was having more fun digging in the dirt than playing dress-up. Although, if I’m not mistaken, I did that too. Whatever my sister wanted to do, I did too! If that included playing in the mud with the boys, I was there first making mud pies (or what should have resembled mud pies).

Now that I’m in my adulthood, I’ve become a lot more like a girl, and less like a tomboy. I’m wearing skirts, and caring what looks good on me. There’s just one problem- anything girly. Sure, I’ll look at jewelry and think “OMG! I NEED/WANT/MUST HAVE that particular item!!!!” Or, since I’ve now become obsessed with boots, I’ll start drooling over anything that would look remotely fantastic with outfits. Although I don’t wear makeup, I’ve been on the lookout for some that a) won’t make me even more pale and b) make me feel like I belong at a disco. Too bright? Disco. Too dark? Let’s not even go there.

One minor problem, though. Nail polish. You need a steady hand to paint, and well… I don’t have one. Let me show you.

It’s evil!

Exhibit A: It’s growing horns!! Believe me, this wasn’t on purpose. I’ll splash a bit of nail polish on it later to remove the horns. Thankfully, there’s no tail and pitchfork!

“Follow the lines.”

Exhibit B: Stay inside the lines! I have wide nails, and I don’t know where they end.  Well, I do, but my hand doesn’t. My brain and hand never seem to be in sync.

So, if anyone has any suggestions on anything feminine (fashion, makeup, what have you), let me know!!!!

Craft Time! Autumn Wreath

Tags

Autumn, craft, Fall, season

(Note: Pictures and instructions from my sister’s blog: http://texaswitchtwin.wordpress.com/. I’m sure she won’t mind!)

With Autumn/Fall officially here, it’s time to start getting out the stuff to do crafts with. If you’re like me, you have no idea where to start. You get these ideas, but you don’t know how to even begin putting together something fabulous to write home about. That’s me. Sure, i’m creative. Sure, I see crafts and think “Oh my goddess! I CAN TOTALLY DO THAT!” Then, it’s put in front of me, and my mind goes blank. I can’t help but think, “Now what was it supposed to look like?” Thankfully, I have a sister who has a photographic mind and can recall the most greatest stuff. So, here it goes: (Faux leaves used for allergy-type persons).

What You’ll Need To Get:

• Raffia (I’m using Ashland Raffia-2oz)
• 15 Faux Leaves (If you don’t feel like spending 99 cents on a pack of 3 or 4 leaves, get 2 autumnal leave garland. I snagged 2 6ft garlands at Michael’s for $4.99 each- marked down from $12.99!)
• Scissors

Here’s what to do with all that neat stuff you just bought:

1. Bunch up enough raffia to be at least 1/2″ to 1″ wide. Make sure that one end of the raffia lines up. That will make it easier to pass the leaf though, trust me. LOL

2. If you’re using packages of leaves, cut a small hold (big enough to pass the raffia through, though) on one end of the leaf. If you’re using garland, take the leaves off and separate them. Keep them in a plastic bag so they stay in one place. Be sure to cut a small hole in those leaves as well.

3. String each leaf onto the raffia, stopping a few inches from the bottom. DO NOT cut any raffia as you string. You will need all of it to tie later on.

4. When you have strung all 15 leaves on, wrap the crown around the wearer’s head to make sure that it’s a good fit. Make sure that you still have at least 5-6 inches of raffia left on the crown itself.

5. Take the two ends of the crown, and combine them. Tie a knot, but before you completely tie it, string a long piece of raffia halfway through. Tie, and place upon your head for instant Fall enjoyment!

Now, go do some ghoul-ishly fun stuff this fall!

Adulthood: The Real Story

Tags

adulthood, musing, ramblings

In Pre-K and kindergarten, you had naps that were forced on you. Sleeping during the afternoon? Who thought that up? In 1st grade, you didn’t care about such naps. The world was full math, and learning about cool science-y stuff, and music (I was a choir girl in the 3rd and 5th grade!) Until you hit middle school. Your world just got real. Too many classes to remember without having your schedule in hand for the first 4 months. (P.E. was the exception. That, for me, was before lunch. Thankfully, I could work up my sweaty appetite.) By the time 5th period rolled around, you were dragging your backpack on the ground, sliding your feet across the floor, and muttering something about how school was stupid, and that you wouldn’t use anything about atoms in your adult life. At this point, you thought naps were for babies and the only time you would nap during the day is if you were at home with the flu. Still, who could sleep when you’re sick and have a TV? Hello Jerry Springer!

High school: Oh sh*t. You have much more cramming to do. Much more tests, papers, mid-terms. And if you were like me who had a locker on the other side of the school, you carried all of your books in your bag. Call me a nerd? Okay. But who wants to run to one side of the school to grab a book and then dash to class hoping you’d make it before the bell? So instead, “lazy” might have been a better word. Plus, who wouldn’t want to spend those extra minutes, or seconds, finishing up the next class’ homework? To be perfectly honest, I did. On occasion, of course. Then, you have those electives, whether it’s art, choir, or some other one. Those were the fun classes. You didn’t have to worry about what how to diagram a sentence (What did that prove? That you can find the adjectives???). Frankly, choir was my favorite.

You graduated. Congratulations!! Welcome to adulthood! Wait, what? When did that happen? What happened to puppy dogs, unicorns, and butterflies? Now that you’re trying to make a living to pay for those bills, you wish you had taken advantage of those naps. Yes, you may sleep at night, but napping during the day for an hour is almost impossible when you’ve got a family to take care of. Hitting the “snooze” button on your alarm clock won’t be too helpful, either.

So, once again, welcome to adulthood. Hope you enjoyed those kindergarten days!

(PS: A little tidbit about me- I said my first cussword in kindergarten. Hey, don’t look at me like that. I thought he had said that four-letter “s” word!)

Halloween is Afoot!

Tags

Etsy, Halloween, shopping, zombies

With October creeping on us, I’ve been doing some Halloween shopping. This could mean anywhere from costumes, decorations, or jewelry. I’ve been looking at all the usual places that one could go for Halloween stuffs- Spirit Halloween, FrightCatalog.com, Walmart, etc. I would easily spend a few thousand dollars, if I actually had said money. (Sigh…)

As I said in my very first post, I love Etsy. Browsing it makes me wish I had the creativity and patience to create such wonderful things. I’m lucky if I could even draw a straight line without a ruler. So today while doing some wishing, I came across some funky, cool, neat Halloween jewelry. I thought I’d share my faves with you!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/110689517/halloween-ghost-glow-in-the-dark-dangle?ref=cat3_gallery_24

^THESE ARE NEAT!!!! They are glow-in-the-dark Ghost earrings. I don’t have my ears pierced (I have been seriously considering it, though). If I did, these would be what I’d buy! How else do you think your friends will find you during the darkness of All Hallows Eve? (Flashlight was an obvious answer, though.)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97579423/zombie-jewelry-blood-drip-slit-throat?ref=cat3_gallery_3

^Raise your hand if you love Zombies. *raises hand* I’ve always said that I’d love to play a zombie in a movie.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/108229847/halloween-jewelry-pumpkin-orange-harvest?ref=cat3_gallery_10

^What’s Halloween without a little sparkle? It’s classy, sassy, and kicking assy.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/109859625/sleepy-doll-eye-necklace-blue-gray-eye?ref=cat3_gallery_21

^Just a wee bit creeped out by this. I feel like it’s watching me. Cool, nonetheless!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/109651297/girly-zombie-brain-earrings-pink-and?ref=cat3_gallery_11

^Simply because you can’t have zombies without brains.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/105975412/halloween-cat-earrings-black-orange?ref=cat3_gallery_23

^For those black kitty lovers. (Purrrrfect, no? Nevermind then.)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/109770464/halloween-cake-ring

^So awesome in every way! Who else would be tempted to try to eat it? Anyone?

So there you have it, an Etsy Halloween (well, only SOME of it.)

Go do some shopping and let me know what you score!