I am a spoiled brat!

I hope everyone had a great holiday with their family and friends. I know I sure did! The girls and I made a total of 11 different batches of cookies, fudge, pies plus some other appetizer type foods for our big family get together on Christmas Eve. Then on Christmas I made a pretty low key dinner that included turkey, stuffing, mac & cheese, real mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole and corn. Mom and Lisa had spent the night with us and then Dad came over to eat with us. It was a really laid back nice day. 

Here are a few pictures of the girls and Lisa opening their gifts. Lisa was so excited that Santa knew to bring her gifts to my house. The girls even played along with her excitement and pretended that Santa had brought them gumball machines. I hope one day they will realize the happiness that put in my heart. 

The girls with their 1/2 pound peanut butter cups!

 I was spoiled beyond rotten by some of my friends and family. Some of the packages I got were parts of swaps and secret Santa exchanges, but I decided they were all gifts since they mostly came on Christmas Eve haha! These pictures are the contents of 4 packages that came on Christmas Eve from my good friend Jessi, Gillian in Ireland, my secret Santa Traci, and my December nail pal Katelyn.

The cute little penguins are ornaments from my nail pal.

H&M minis and Gem Crush minis. Mom loved the Gem Crush polishes, I may try to find some for her for her birthday in April.

My first polish from 365 Days Of Color. Also look at the magic in that bottle of Barry M!

The last one is actually a shimmery orange. My camera refused to recognize orange last night.

Mom tried to steal the one on the right, it is a polish from the Betsey Johnson collection.

So much sparkle!

This picture is of the packages from my friend Jade who is in the UK. One of the GOSH holographic polishes is for my friend Robyn, it has been one of her biggest lemmings. I was so excited to be able to arrange to get it for her!

Yes that is 2 bottles of Fantasy Fire and GOSH holographic! I also got a Kinder Happy Hippo, but ate him before I got pics. I was definitely a happy fatty when I saw him!

These pictures are of the package from my friend Lynn who I share a brain with. I think she and I were secretly separated at birth or something, we can probably finish each others sentences. It is so funny how much we think and respond alike, we are always telling each other to "get out of my head!" She spoiled the girls and I and even Rowan rotten.

Look at the cupcake rolling pin and spatula, the cuteness hurts!!!!

This blankie is so soft and comfy!

Icing polishes

I laughed so hard when I saw the bag of all these orange polishes. I had been on a hunt for a true orange creme polish. I could picture Lynn going from store to store grabbing all the orange creme polishes LOL. Also LOOK! My very first KB Shimmer polish!!!!!! If you don't know, orange is also my favorite color.

My first Studio M polishes, look at all the sparkle in those bad boys.

There are sparkly moons in the middle polish!

OH I almost forgot I also got the Zoya Holo-Day Cheer Dream Box for myself for only $4 using my share the love points. It has the colors Aurora, Blaze and Storm in it. I think the Ornate collection was my favorite collection from Zoya this year.

The girls got me a Whitney Houston Christmas CD, because they know I love her. Hannah made me a sweet slideshow on the computer and some cute necklaces. One of my sisters gave me the cutest little crock pot, another sister gave me all sorts of cute cupcake themed stuff. My friend Rebecca gave me a couple pairs of earrings she made, they are too cute! I will have a post just for those though. I got to visit with my friend Marisela who flew in from California. I knew I missed her, but didn't realize how much until we hugged and didn't want to let go. She has been a true gift this year to the girls and I.

I can't wait to play in my polishes! I am beyond thrilled with everything I received from my family and friends. The things that I enjoyed the most were being able to enjoy time with my family and laugh, and knowing that I have good friends that love me despite how twisted I can be.Watching my 1 year old great niece eating cookies and fudge I had made and saying mmmmmm then giving me cookie goo kisses. My great nephew Gabe who is 3 rip his shirt off to put on his new scratch and sniff shirt that smells like peanut butter and jelly. That is what the holidays are all about love, laughter, and creating memories to carry with you. 

What was your favorite gifts you received? Is there a special memory that was made this year?

*All products shown here were gifts or parts of swaps with friends. All opinions are my own*

Peace, Love and Cupcakes!

Winter Nails by Hannah (a guest post)

Today I have a guest post for you. It is my daughter Hannah and she is going to show you some winter inspired nail art. I am adding her favorite Christmas song so you have something to listen to while you read her post.

 
             This collection of nails is the one and only winter collection ever made by me, Hannah. I would like to tell you about these nails and why I made them. But first off I should say I am very proud of myself, because I accomplished something I thought I could never do. 

                It all started out as me wanting to try to do a style of nails that I saw on my moms Facebook. I asked my grandma if I could use her nails as a test run. She obviously said yes, so I painted a few branches on a blue background (adding a personal touch; a cardinal.) and painting a small bit of white on the top of my branches. 
    
               I was very pleased with the outcome. So I decided to paint the rest of my grandmas nails in different winter themes, such as, two Santas, a wreath, a tree, a gingerbread man, a snowman, Christmas lights, an angel, and a snowy branch picture.   

             For my age and skill level, I think that I did a pretty good job. I feel good about my work on these nails, and every one else loved them. I never thought I could ever do anything with nails except paint on one solid color. It just goes to show you, any thing is possible with polish. :) 

        

Trying to make sense of it all...

I debated on if I should make a post about the senseless shooting here in the US and stabbing that happened yesterday in China that has taken so many and permanently scarred countless others. I am not going to debate gun laws or politics in this post, I will however give you my thoughts. I would appreciate that any comments left not be left in anger, but be respectful and uplifting the memory of those lost yesterday. I will delete any comments that are not, we never know when a family member of one of these children could be reading, so I thank you in advance.

Photo was shared by a friend on facebook. I tracked it back to this page, who I believe created it.

When I logged onto facebook I never imagined that the very first thing I would see was reports of yet another gunman, let alone a gunman in a school...an elementary school. My heart sank and I made it to the living room where I stayed glued to the TV for what felt like hours, and in reality it probably was. My mind raced from the horror that those poor babies went through to just wanting my own kids home with me, to the families of those 20 babies. Tears fell and at times, many times, I sobbed seeing live footage of distraught children being led out of that school by emergency personnel.  The parents arriving, the looks on their faces and some falling to their knees out of fear. My heart broke into a million pieces today, my heart hurt and ached for the innocence that was ripped away from so many, the lives that were taken too soon, and the families who are left behind to try to pick up the pieces.

I thought of how empty my life would be without my girls, how would I ever be able to go on without them here with me? How are these parents going to find the strength to go on without those precious angels? I watched as President Obama wiped tears from his eyes while speaking to the nation and I felt sorry for him and at the same time so proud of him. At a time when I'm sure all he wanted to do was be with his family like most others wanted to do, he was standing addressing the nation. I thought about my nieces and nephews, then to all the grandparents, aunts and uncles who now have a huge hole in their hearts. I thought about Rowan (a little one I watch) and how much I wished I could tell her that I love her and see her blue eyes twinkle.

I started to get angry, very angry that someone could be so cold and heartless. As quick as I got angry, I got sad for that man. I am sad for him because he had to be in a dark dark place to do what he did. I am sad that he did not get the help he so obviously needed to have before this happened. I am sad that his remaining family will have to live with the fallout of his actions. I am sad that he felt taking the lives of those children and adults was an answer to his problems. Then I go back to being angry and then to thankful. Odd that I am thankful for something in a situation like this! But, I am thankful, thankful that he took his own life. I know that sounds hateful, vengeful and cold. What if he hadn't done that? How many other children and adults would have lost their life?

What do we do from here for our kids? First and foremost, love them, hug them, show them any chance you get that they mean the world to you. Talk to your kids! I know we want to shelter them from all the bad things in the world, but don't fool yourself into thinking that you can. With the technology now they may know before you do, their friends may bring it up to them. We don't have to give all the horrific details to them, but we do need to help them by listening to their thoughts and fears. In talking to my girls I found out that 2 times a year they do a lock down drill, but neither have ever been told what to do if someone is actually in their classroom. They had no idea to lock the door if the teacher couldn't or wasn't in the room, they had no idea they could use the phone in the room to call for help. They are just told to huddle in a corner of the class, they aren't told anything other than that. PARENTS TALK TO YOUR KIDS! Tell them to not open the door for emergency personnel unless they see an ID that is slid under the door. Tell them that turning desks over in front of them is ok and that it can help protect them. Tell them that if they have to work as a group to move furniture to block the door that it is ok. Tell them that if they have to use something and break a window to get help it is ok. There are so many things we can tell them that could possibly save them and others. Talk to your child principal and ask them to tell you their protocol in case of a situation that there is a gunman in the building, ask questions, provide some feedback. This is something I will be not only asking the principal, but also the teachers.

I am still very heavy hearted, sad, angry, devastated by what happened yesterday. I know there is not much I can do to take the pain and heartache away from all those who are grieving the loss of their child, parent or family member. What I can do is educate my kids and pray for all those people affected. Even if you don't pray, send some healing vibes their way, light a candle, have a few moments of remembrance for them. I can show love to those around me. Do something nice for someone around you. Something as simple as buying a coffee for the person behind you at Starbucks, buying lunch for a friend who is down, visit a nursing home and do manicures, make sandwiches for a homeless shelter, help scrape the ice off the neighbors car. There are so many simple things we can do to show love, simple everyday things that will brighten someones day.

This is a mani I did last night to honor all those lost yesterday. It isn't the best artwork, but it came from my heart. May you precious beautiful angels rest in peace. May the families find strength, peace and understanding in the coming days. My heart and prayers go out to you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I appreciate every single one of you! If you want to share a message, your thoughts, condolences, anything you may be feeling, please feel free to comment. I ask again that it just be kept respectful.

Peace, Love and Cupcakes!

Jindie Nails Candy Cane

I have a polish to share with you today from Jindie Nails called Candy Cane. It is a beautiful white based polish with different size and shaped glitters in red and green, it even has large matte red glitter as well. This polish is part of their Santa Claws Collection that has 9 different polishes.

Close up shot of Candy Cane in the bottle.

I was very selective with which polishes I grabbed from indie companies holiday collections, mainly due to a lack of funds. I browsed and browsed some more until I had a few picked out that I had to have, and Candy Cane was on top of that list. For me it was the perfect combo of red, green and white for the Christmas season. I set out on a mission to get it, luckily I caught a restock and grabbed it up. I bought a mini sized bottle, the price is great ($4.25) and I knew I would only need the smaller bottle since the colors are too Christmasy for me to wear throughout the year.

Close up of Candy Cane on my nail.

For this look I started with Sally Hansen Insta Dry in Whirlwind White and then 2 coats of Jindie Nails Candy Cane. You could also just use 2-3 coats of Candy Cane by itself and have good opacity. I didn't use a top coat on this one because all the glitters went on nicely. I could barely feel the glitter when I ran my finger over it, so I knew there would be no snagging. I did have to fish for the larger matte glitter, but that is pretty typical of polishes with larger glitters. I really love all the teeny tiny sparkly green glitter in this polish, I think it adds to the Christmas magic feel of it.

I wore this polish for 3 days and had no chipping and really no tip wear to speak of, since I didn't use a topcoat with it. I had several compliments on it from people at my doctors office and then my moms doctors office. I even had to write the name and site down for 2 ladies. 

I had excellent customer service, though shipping was slower than usual Jen is keeping all of her customers updated regularly on her progress with orders. She included a letter with orders apologizing for the delay and also the changes she plans to make for faster shipping when she opens up again. Jen has graciously owned her mistake in doing pre orders on some of her polishes and is doing her very best to correct it. I applaud her character and her drive to make things right and keep her customers happy. This is a handmade business, people will make mistakes from time to time, just like any of us do. I think we should try to remember in our frustration that these women/men are usually a one person show, they are growing and learning. As frustrated as we can get, imagine their frustration and heartache when they know their customers are disappointed. For me, part of the great thing of buying indie/handmade is seeing a business learn and grow. So thank you Jen for being so loyal to your customers and doing your best to make things right!  


You can find the Jindie Nails fan page here.
You can find the Etsy shop here.
*The shop is closed at the moment due to an extreme number of sales. Jen is working very hard to get caught up and has even hired some help. She has been keeping customers updated often of her progress on her fan page and in her shop announcement on Etsy.*

Do you own any polishes from Jindie Nails? What holiday polish (any brand) is your favorite?

*Products purchased by me, all opinions are my own.*

Peace, Love and Cupcakes!

My little piece of Whimsy Beading

Hi all, hope your week is fabulous so far! I am truckin through mine, can't say that it has been a great one so far, but it hasn't been terrible either. Boy do I have a treat for you today though. I am so excited that this package got here that I could wet myself, LOL. 

I have been lusting after Whimsy Beading jewelry for a long time now. Since I don't go out, don't have dates, or anywhere really to wear such gorgeous pieces I held off on buying anything. There are sales pretty often over at Whimsy Beading, but it seemed like every time there was a sale I was broke...until now. 

I decided that I didn't care if I had a place to wear a piece of jewelry or not, I was going to have a Whimsy piece if it killed me. So what if I am a stay at home work from home mom, why should that stop me from owning something so gorgeous? That's right, IT SHOULDN'T! Every woman deserves to be able to put a piece of jewelry on and feel beautiful. So I went looking through what Kelly offers in the Etsy shop, looking for the perfect necklace. As I was browsing I realized something...everything is so versatile. Her pieces can be worn with just about every type of outfit you can imagine. Maybe I had been blinded by their beauty before and hadn't even noticed? 

I contacted Kelly and asked her to make me a custom piece that would be inspired by cupcakes and left everything up to her. She did message me a few questions, like my favorite colors and style. I still left everything design wise in her very capable hands. A short time later I got a message telling me my package was on the way. I have never stalked the mailman like I have for the last 3 days!. So do you want to see what Kelly came up with for me? Ha! Of course you do.

Isn't it gorgeous? I am beyond thrilled with my necklace, it is perfect! See how cute it looks with just an everyday simple cotton shirt. I can totally see wearing this with a pair of jeans and a cute blouse, a nice little sweater dress, or even a fancy cocktail dress. You could wear this grocery shopping, a family function, church and even a wedding. So many ways to wear it! 

Kelly really is a master at what she does, her work is amazing, plus she is as sweet as pie too. I think she nailed exactly what I was looking for and my personality with my necklace. In her shop you can find necklaces, earrings, and bracelets in a number of price ranges. There is also a section for charity items that are for sale. If you ever have a chance to get a piece of Whimsy Beading jewelry, you should. I don't think you will regret it at all.

You can find Whimsy Beading's fan page here.
You can find the Whimsy Beading shop here.

Do you own a Whimsy piece yet? Is there a piece that you are dying to get your hands on?

*Products purchased by me, all opinions are my own*

Peace, Love and Cupcakes!

Zoya Ziv and a few lights too!

Good morning everyone reading! Sorry for the lack of posts this week, I have had trouble getting into the blog and couldn't make any posts. I've had a busier than normal week, I've been watching my great nephew who is always going and talking and talking and talking LOL. So let me show you what I've had on my nails most of this week.

Zoya Ziv

This is Zoya's Ziv from their Ornate collection. This is such a gorgeous metallic gold polish. It is like having gold foil on your nails. I only used one coat and had full coverage, no brush strokes or streaks. Also very minimal tip wear and no chipping after 3 days of having it on.
 

Zoya Ziv

Ziv is such a great gold polish and can be used for so many looks. I think it could be used for an elegant dinner party look, a rockin New Years Eve look, and even for a fun every day look. It is definitely my favorite gold polish I own! I'm sure I will be using it alot.

In a group I'm in we do makeup/nail challenges. It is a fun way to get people excited about doing and sharing their looks. We always have so much fun with the challenges that Wendi the one and only Makeup Zombie gives us. At the end of the time we are given to come up with our looks, she then posts them to her blog for the world to see. This weeks challenge was Metallic, and I can't believe how hard it was for me to decide on what to do and use. That is until Ziv came in the mail! Here is what I did for the challenge. 

Zoya Ziv with an accent nail of Christmas lights.

 Look at Ziv shine!

Of course I started with 1 coat of Ziv, then I went to work on the lights. For the light strand I used an ultra fine point black sharpie and just drew the strand how I wanted it to look. I then took a dotting tool and used Pure Ice On His Saddle, Color Club Berry And Bright and Glitter Wonderland, and Zoya Ivanka to make the lights. That was it. Super easy, super simple, but super cute. I do think I may have gotten carried away and added a few too many lights though. I will suggest that if you use a sharpie for any of your designs to make sure you use a topcoat to seal it. It does rub off pretty easily.

You can find Makeup Zombie's blog here. Make sure to check out the challenge post that should be up soon!

What is your favorite gold polish?

Peace, Love and Cupcakes!

My Peanut

Have you ever had one of those nights where you have someone on your mind and just can't stop thinking about them? Well that is me right now. It isn't just anyone I am thinking about and wishing that I could have them here with me. A few years back I was a foster mom to a little guy that stole my heart. Today he is turning 8 years old and it has been 4 years since I have seen him. Not a day goes by that I catch myself thinking about him, wondering where he is, what he is doing, if he is safe or if he has the things he needs. I often wonder if I saw him in a store if I would know it was him, would he remember me?

Let me tell you about MY Peanut. When I first met this tiny guy he was only 5 weeks old. I was going to be babysitting him while his mother worked. The very first time she brought him he was wrapped in a baby blanket, she handed him to me and the first thing I noticed was the horrible smell. The smell of filth and vomit was overwhelming. I unwrapped this little bundle to find a tiny little pale, thin almost elderly looking baby with the brightest blue eyes you have seen. He had some stomach issues which was a factor in him being so little. Before I knew it I had become attached to Peanut. As time passed, and I will say that it was a VERY short time span, he started staying the night with us. Nights turned into days, days turned into weeks. Eventually it went to his mother taking him every other weekend. Which was fine with me, at least I knew he was being taken care of if he was with me.

I was lucky enough to be there for most all of his firsts. The first turning over, first tooth, first laugh, first crawling, first food, first word, first birthday and first steps, plus many more. I watched that sickly little bundle turning into a chunky toddler who was always so full of happiness. There was always a smile on his face and a twinkle in those blue eyes. So much energy! Oh my goodness he kept me on my toes, he was definitely all boy, haha! Everything was an adventure with him no matter where we were. He loved to eat and he had no problem telling you what it was that he wanted or didn't want. A few of his favorites were hot dogs/corn dogs, bread pudding and "chicken on a bone" (fried chicken leg). He loved to snuggle next to me and for me to play in his hair, it usually put him right to sleep. He always wanted to hold my hand, or wrap his little hand around my finger. He was crazy about his sisters (Sierrah and Hannah) but was a total mommas (me) boy. I don't think there was a person that saw him that didn't melt when he flashed that devilish smile.

Eventually it ended up where he was placed in my physical custody by the state. I can't give a lot of details because of legal reasons, which is also why I can't post pictures of him either. I went through foster parenting classes so that he wouldn't be removed from the only home he had ever really known. There wasn't even a question about it, he was "my" son and I had to fight for him. We had to travel 30 minutes one way weekly for supervised visits with his mother, who only showed up twice out of probably 10 visits. Then we had to do it again once a week for a few weeks so that his father could have visits. Mind you his father wanted nothing to do with him up until this happened. I convinced the workers to allow the visits to happen at home with me supervising because it was too hard on Peanut to keep being locked in a tiny room with people he didn't even know. We had numerous court dates, meetings, more court dates, home inspections, classes. I was told by the main worker on his case that because of his mothers non compliance and his fathers lack of interest that I would be allowed to adopt him. There were some hoops we had to jump through before we could get there, but Peanut would be legally mine soon.

I agreed to anything they asked, no matter how hard it was. I couldn't refer to myself as momma to him or the girls as his sisters, so unfair! I never taught him to call me momma, that was something he had done on his own. It ended up to a point where the judge gave his father unsupervised visits and also allowed him to take my boy out of state, hours away from me. I thought I would die the first several times I had to do that. Still his mother was showing no interest in complying with what the state needed her to do. In time the judge gave her unsupervised visits even without her complying and the case workers all being against it. The times she did show up and get him were horrible, he screamed and cried not wanting to go, most of the time she smelled like an alcohol bottle. Because she wasn't driving there was nothing I could do except report to the case workers the condition she was in.

That baby always came home filthy, no shoes, and hurt in some way. He was always so hungry and would eat until he about made himself sick. It would be days after a visit before I could leave the room without him getting hysterical at times. Yet they continued to make me force him to go. He did in time grow a good bond with his father, who seemed to really want what was best for him.

There was a court date scheduled, and for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to go to it. This was suppose to be the last court date before I could start adoption proceedings, according to the worker. I had been to every other one, but something in my gut told me not to go, so I didn't. Instead I loaded my boy up and we went to get some lunch and play at the park. I kept wanting to go pick up the girls and leave, to run, my heart kept telling me something was wrong, seriously wrong. Then my phone rang, it was his father telling me that they had come to an agreement on custody and that he would be by to pick up Peanut and his stuff in a few hours. Of course I immediately called the caseworker to find out what happened. I was basically told that I had to have his belongings packed and ready to go in 2 hours, that his father had been awarded custody and that his mother would have limited visitation. We were promised that we would still get to see him, talk to him and have him for visits by both of his parents. Sadly things didn't happen that way after about 3 moths of him being gone. Letters and packages were returned unopened, calls not answered or returned.

A piece of my heart died that day. I went through a few months of really bad depression. Honestly my heart was so broken that I felt like I was dying. I had my girls still and I was very thankful for that and I loved them with all my soul, but my boy was gone. How in the world was I going to survive, how could I go on without him? I saw him everywhere I went, I saw the sadness of everyone, my girls, my family and friends, and yet there was nothing I could do. I can't tell you how I made it through, I can't tell you that the pain has went away, I can't even tell you that my heart is healed. What I can tell you is that I did make it through, somewhere I found some strength and picked myself back up. I am still angry, very angry at the system, caseworkers, judge, his parents and myself. I am angry because I feel like this little boy fell through the cracks of the system that is suppose to be there to protect him, I should have protected him. I have found out that his father abandoned him for a few months with his ex wife, then he gave him back to his mother.

Today 'my' baby boy turns 8 years old. It doesn't seem like that is even possible. I can still hear his little raspy voice telling me from the back seat "Momma I'mma home now?" or him telling me "I love you much bigger!". I can still hear that contagious giggle he had when he was excited, I can still see him and the girls snuggled together on the couch watching a movie together and him with his blankie mom and I made for him. Today I am going to look through the hurt and just remember all the good and smile. I am going to pray that he has everything he needs, that he is healthy, he is warm, has a full belly, clean clothes, lots of love surrounding him and a smile on his face.

Peace, Love and Cupcakes!