Sunday Sprinkles-Remodeling

Thanks to my girl Dez we are working on a remodel of the blog. Hopefully with her smarts and creativity we will have a brand spankin new look for you within the week. So keep checking back to see the new look of Cupcakes Quirky Corner. 

Thanks Dez I couldn't do it without you!!!!!

Peace, Love, and Cupcakes

Sunday Sprinkles-ArtFire Security Breach

***Edit at bottom***

ArtFire FartFire

 (Photo snagged from crazyphoto.com)

 I am not pleased with ArtFire as you can probably tell.

Friday evening one of my favorite shops announced they had just restocked the beloved Black Magic Soap. This stuff is a hot commodity so if you don't jump as soon as it is restocked you may miss out. Anyway while people were trying to check out they got a surprise and NOT a good one. Let me just say that it was NOT the shop owners fault at all. Apparently ArtFire had some issues. Issues that were auto filling peoples shipping information with the wrong info. Not just the wrong info but other customers info, including name, address and email address. As soon as this shop owner was told she checked it out and immediately closed her shop. Again this was NOT her fault and I applaud her for acting so quickly for the safety of her customers. She quickly went to work contacting ArtFire in every way possible and warning others of what was going on and to be careful until it was fixed. I myself tried to make a purchase and was given another ladies shipping information not once, not twice but 3 times that night. So I went to the ArtFire Facebook page and left them my thoughts, there are several others who have posted similar things happening to them.

ArtFire NEVER made an announcement on their fan page about this issue. When I woke up and logged into my ArtFire account I had items in my cart that I know I had not put there from a shop I had never heard of. That means not only had I received someones info but that my info had been shared with another customer. Notice in the above screen shot that was not addressed by ArtFire with me. 

I found a link for the ArtFire forums and saw that the original shop owner had posted there asking for help. In my opinion from what I read she as well as customers were basically treated like it was no big deal.

First of all I don't care if it was 1 cart or 1,000 carts it happened, it doesn't make it any less of a privacy breach. He can say what he wants but I always have logged into my account to buy. Most people I know who shop with ArtFire have accounts and log in to buy. This is a way for customers to keep a better record of their purchases online. So I put his theory into play. No matter what I did I still got another customers info. I used 2 different browsers one as a guest one logged in to my account. I cleared cookies, cache search history, any and every way I could imagine to try to get different results. Every time I got the same results.

 Not only did ArtFire staff have this attitude but so did several shop owners that were commenting in this thread. Which did not leave a good taste in my mouth. As the thread went on the snide rude comments towards potential customers and other concerned shop owners got worse. Even going as far as to bash a seller who because of this "glitch" shipped to a wrong address, and saying we were hysterical and causing a panic that was not necessary.

 Ummm wait a second. Not necessary to notify customers and shop owners that there is a security breach? That is ridiculous to even suggest that information not be made available as soon as it was discovered, and even more ridiculous that ArtFire did not notify their customers of the security breach. I was even personally criticized for not staying in the forums and playing tech support for ArtFire.

Customers were called "bat-shit crazy" by one shop owner. Really???? Wow what a great way to treat a potential customer, or a customer who has had the privacy violated.

Customers were being told that because we use the internet we are essentially asking for our info to be taken.

Now I would like to point out that ArtFire said their patch was put into effect around noon on Saturday.

Then why was it at 6:49pm I was still getting other customers info?

While some may say well that could very well be your info blacked out. I can assure you it is not mine. I personally contacted this girl to let her know that I had been given her info from ArtFires glitch. 

I have provided links above to the different places you can go read this mess for yourself if you choose to. I truly hope that the "glitch" has been fixed for the sakes of everyone involved, especially the customers whose trust and security was breached. 

To those shop owners who criticized, blamed, made customers concerns seem invalid, and excused the lack of security SHAME ON YOU!!!  As a customer I want to know that one of a shop owners main priorities is the safety of my personal information. How would you feel if for some reason a site you trusted to keep your info safe had done this to you? How would you feel if you were the momma who is in hiding from an abusive ex, or the person who doesn't use social networking sites, or even the person who got contacted from a complete stranger saying oh hey I have your info? It is real easy to say well it wouldn't bother me until your foot is in that shoe. Maybe try thinking like you're the customer instead of playing cheerleader for the site administration team.

To the shop owners who stood up for us customers THANK YOU!!! I appreciate that there are good honest people like you out there. It is businesses like yours that deserve to be recognized. I know that you didn't have to stand up for us but you did even with being treated like crap for doing it. You have shown not only myself but many others that you have morals and respect your customers business and their privacy. My hope is that you have double the sales you normally would because of the concern you have shown. Thank you again.

***Edit***

8/23/11- Yesterday I began getting hits on this post linked from ArtFire. When I went to check it out, hoping there were some answers I found this.

Here is the link the hits were coming from click here.

nas·ty  (nst)

adj. nas·ti·er, nas·ti·est

1. a. Disgustingly dirty.

b. Physically repellent.

2. Morally offensive; indecent.

3. Malicious; spiteful:

4. Very unpleasant or annoying.

5. Painful or dangerous

6. Exasperatingly difficult to solve or handle

I will have to disagree with the statement that this blog post is nasty. 

1. It is not dirty, I take pride in keeping things clean. Although some could construe my pooping gummi worm post as being a little on the dirty side. 

2. I don't see it as morally offensive at all. What I do find morally offensive is making a forum thread about my post and not allowing me to defend my stance. Considering what I have had to say is here in the open for anyone to see and form their own opinions on. 

3. What I have posted here is not malicious, I don't intend harm for anyone. My intention were to make my readers aware of a security breach by being open and honest providing them with the links to read and form their own opinions. 

4. I guess to those who were offended by this post it may be unpleasant or annoying. When someone is called out on their behavior it does tend to be a little unpleasant for them. 

5. Painful or dangerous  for someone? Well maybe if you drop your laptop on your foot, or hit a key with that finger that has a hangnail.

6. Sometimes being shown another prospective of a situation can be hard to handle. Mainly because it gives the other person a view of their actions and they may not like what they see or may not want others to see that side of them. That is easy to solve though. A very wise person once told me think twice post once. This is advice I take with each and every post I make here.

What is a Firementor? A Firementor is a group of members who have volunteered their time to help other members either with questions posted here on the forum or privately through email and/or phone communication.  They have the little blue book icon above their posts.

What is a Firementor Forum? It appears to be a forum on ArtFire for a chosen group of ArtFire members to make posts in private.

Obviously some of Firementors feel it is morally ok to make threads in a forum I can not access to discuss me and my blogs content. To each their own I will continue to express my concerns here in the open and hope that my readers will make informed decisions.

 

Peace, Love and Cupcakes

Sunday Sprinkles-You Nasty Worm

Sooooo last night/this morning I had quite an experience. Here I was just sitting doing my own thing. I can't say I was minding my business because honestly I wasn't. Hey I was on the computer, who minds their own business on the computer right? Anyway in the process of not minding my own business and trying to do what I could for someone who was very upset I got the munchies. You know like when you're sitting watching a movie and have to have something to snack on. I open the bag and pull out a worm, not just any worm but a nasty worm. This worm hanging there trying to be oh so cute and yummy looking made me take a second look. Then a third look. See for yourself....

Look at those nasty little gummi things. Have you ever seen such a thing? Pooping gummi worms, nasty little worms. So here I was trying to eat these things and laughing so hard I could hardly catch my breath. I mean do you eat them? Do you eat them from the end that appears to be the head or do you go for the end that has a little extra to offer? Do you clean him up a bit then eat him? Well just to let you know I tried all the ways mentioned above. No matter which way I ate them I got the same result every single time, hysterical giggling. Now to the sad part I ate the whole bag, all 8.5oz of it. Yes every single one was like the ones you see in the picture, yes I giggled every single time I pulled one out of the bag. Needless to say I was then on an almost 4 hour sugar high. 

If you are curious and want to see if you can find some of these for yourself. I purchased them at WalMart. They are the Brachs Wild N Fruity Gummi Worms. Will I be buying these again? HECK YES I WILL!!! That was seriously some funny stuff to find and I want to see if they might have some cousins out there someplace.
If you find some of these little guys family come back and let me know.

Peace, Love, and Cupcakes

Sunday Sprinkles-Where Am I?

Where am I? 

That is a good question. I'm not sure where I am right now.

I'm not sure if I care where I am right now.

I'm not sure if I want to try to find out where I am.

Where am I?

I'm not looking for pity,

I'm not looking for sympathy.

My mind is all over the place,

no matter what I do I can't stop it.

I try to pretend everything is ok,

when inside I know it's not.

Where am I?

I am not the perfect mother,

I'm not the perfect daughter

or even the perfect friend.

I need to be more to my family,

my job,

myself.

I hate depending others;

for their love,

their friendship,

their respect.

Where am I?

Am I still in the place you left me?

Am I still sitting by the phone,

looking out the window,

waiting for that knock,

or in the crowd?

Where am I?

I try so hard to put on a brave face,

to be what everyone else wants 

or needs me to be.

 I try to be the strong one,

the helpful one,

the responsible one,

the happy go lucky one.

Where am I?

Peace, Love and Cupcakes

Sunday Sprinkles-Giveaway Link Drop

Happy Sunday to you all. 

I thought today I would take the time to share some giveaways I have come across.

There will be links for all sorts of things, so sit back and click away. 

Most of all good luck to you.

Oh and here is a little giveaway music for you to enjoy and hopefully put some pep in your clicky fingers.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Candys-Sweet-Treats/185520463890?ref=ts#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150252387418891&id=185520463890

Candy's Sweet Treats Cosmetics

http://prettymaking.blogspot.com/2011/07/prettymakings-almost-200-followers.html

Naked Palette  plus other items

http://makobiscribe.com/category/giveaways

Several giveaways in one place

http://www.airbrushmakeup.com/freeairbrushmakeup/

Dinair Airbrush Makeup 

http://www.aubutfamily.com/2011/07/test.html

$150 Cash via paypal

http://formulamom.com/mid-summer-moolah-has-begun-enter-to-win-410/

$410 Cash via paypal or Amazon

http://www.beautezine.com/july-giveaway/

All sorts of makeup goodies

http://eyelinerandspraypaint.blogspot.com/2011/07/500-follower-giveaway.html

Sleek, Evil Shades, Darling Girl, Barry M, HiFi  and more

http://www.beautycrazed.ca/2011/07/have-sizzling-summer-by-winning-enough.html

Lots of makeup

http://www.makeuptalk.com/forum/thread/118989/contest-giveaway-sugarpill-cosmetics-eyeshadow-montage-value-164

Sugarpill

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.229588353727931.60434.180869991933101

All sorts of goodies

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=149601825116402&set=a.149591188450799.37462.109270809149504&type=1

Alexeter Minerals

http://konadlicious.blogspot.com/2011/07/sigma-99-make-me-up-brush-kit-giveaway.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Konad-licious+%28Konad-licious!%29

Sigma Brushes

http://www.wicproject.com/giveaway/current-giveaways/

 Links to lots of giveaways

http://www.raininghotcoupons.com/category/giveaway/

Several loaded coupon binders

http://www.childrenteachingmama.com/2011/07/cool-cash-paypal-credit-giveaway-world.html#more

$150 cash via Paypal

http://newagemama.blogspot.com/2011/07/good-earth-spa-review-giveaway.html

Soaps

http://mamaspassions.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-giveaway-gingers-garden-soaps.html?spref=tw

Soap

http://dawneyescosmetics.com/blog/?p=164

Dawn Eyes Cosmetics

http://www.mamalaura.net/2011/07/giveaway-time.html

Makeup related items

http://www.spookynails.com/2011/06/1-year-blog-anniversary-giveaway-win.html

Nail polish

http://thecrazybitchbeautygazette.blogspot.com/2011/07/mac-semi-preciousfashion-flower.html

Mac Makeup

http://www.shespeaksofbeauty.com/2011/06/giveaway-shespeaksofbeautycom.html

2 winners

http://www.brittanylovex.com/2011/07/giveaway-sigma-travel-kit-naughty-in.html

Sigma Brushes

*** These are all giveaways either I have found or friends have found and shared with me. I was not asked by any of the sponsors to share their links. I am not being given special treatment in any giveaway for sharing the links with you. If you win I am not responsible for any prizes you do or do not receive. ***

If you have a giveaway you would like for me to link to feel free to message me at christiebrooks@att.net

Peace, Love and Cupcakes

Sunday Sprinkles-Say What?

I know I haven't been making as many posts as I should be the last few weeks. Most of you know my mom was sick and in the hospital, then I got the crazy infection in my leg. Well things are looking up and so I hope to be back to posting more often. Mom has been venturing out to do small errands on her own which has to feel good for her not to have a "babysitter" tagging along everywhere she needs to go. My leg is looking so much better, I still have extreme swelling and some episodes of intense pain, but all in all I feel better. 

A recent pic of Patch and his BFF Quincy napping together.

This week has been pretty crazy with things happening, some good some bad some just plain ridiculous. I tend to over think things, I will agree I do at times. I just try to understand things in a way that makes sense to me, I try to see things from different points of view. I don't see that as a bad thing though, well most of the time anyway.

I have been in contact with someone who has done hundreds of people wrong. Once again we are all hearing the same line of I want to make this right. I have a lot of feelings on this whole situation and honestly I'm not sure there is enough time to type it all up. Maybe I will share my story in the near future, something else for me to think on. I will tell you I am angry, sad, frustrated, but still holding out hope that the right thing will be done. I am angry for those hurt physically, financially, and emotionally. I am sad for those same people that just as they start to heal and move on their wounds are not only ripped back open but salt is rubbed in their wounds. I'm frustrated for those people, for those who have tried to do everything possible to help. I'm frustrated that people are insinuating that the women I have worked so closely with have teamed up with, been won over by, or are working with this person. That is simply NOT true, we are still the same people we were 6 months ago, we are still doing what we do because it is the right thing to do. Enough on that or I will be here all night.

Casey Anthony...I'm just sick of hearing about her. I'm sick of seeing and hearing that name, and every single move she makes. Don't get me wrong I think the woman is as guilty and hate that she is now a free woman. I hate that an innocent baby died, I hate what was done to her little lifeless body. Enough is enough already. What about other news stories that need or should be being covered? What about covering other missing persons, or hey how about covering something inspiring like our service men and women, or promoting something like say charities? As usual I have been thinking a lot on this too and have something up my sleeve that you all will see come to light very soon.

I want to say thank you to someone who sent me a message this week on Facebook. Your message meant a lot to me. I really appreciate everything you said. I am a firm believer in you get out of life what you put into it. For some that is a great thing for others not so much. I try my best to always put my best foot forward and treat others how I would want to be treated. I'm not perfect I make mistakes, but I always try my best to do and say the right things. Again thank you!!!!

So in closing I just want to say that in the times that I'm lacking in posting I am thinking and plotting future posts. I really enjoy sharing my thoughts and pieces of my life with you all. I'm sure I wont ever be a huge well known blogger but that is ok if I'm not since that isn't my goal. My goal is to share thoughts, opinions, products, and causes with you in hopes that you will take something positive from it. So until next time remember that the change you want to see happen begins with you.

Peace, Love and Cupcakes

Sunday Sprinkles-That's Gonna Leave A Mark

So here I am after another week of MIA. I'm telling ya if something crazy is going to happen, it will happen to me. After my mom got out of the hospital I had the chance to go to my cousins for the weekend and for the 4th of July so I reluctantly went. I only hesitated because of being worried about my mom. 

So on Saturday my cousin came and picked me and the girls up. The girls wasted no time suiting up and getting in the pool, so of course us adults followed. We had a great time splashing and watching the kids play. We got out long enough to eat dinner and get right back in. Someplace nearby were having a nice firework display that we got to enjoy watching from the pool.

Sunday we all slept in a bit which was so nice to be able to do that. The sun was shining and it was hot out, but we decided to wait a bit to go out to the pool. Then here came the storms, it stormed pretty much all the rest of the day and night. So no pool action for us or the kids that day. We had fun though, talking and laughing, and made a grocery store run for the next day. 

Ok now to where the mark comes into play. My cousin drew up a design for a new tattoo for me. A pinup style but a more fluffy version. She is awesome and I love her. He went to work and I went into my zone. It is kind of funny that I am seriously scared out of my mind of needles but enjoy getting tattoos. We started around 9:30pm and finished up around 1:30am, only stopping for one pee break and to add some spur of the moment details. Which I have to say I love the extra details, I think it made it that much better. We were almost done when the leg cramp hit, it was horrible but I worked it out and went right back to it. So now you can see the finished product below.

Now I wont tell you it didn't hurt because you see that tail area where it's curved at her butt. That area hurt like heck. All in all it wasn't bad. I even got in the pool the next day, we wrapped my leg with saran wrap lol, and it held up nicely until the kids used my legs for a diving board. We had a great time with family and friends, ate a lot of food then went to watch fireworks. 

So I come home after all the festivities and my leg was pretty sore and tender, a little red around the tattoo, which is normal so I didn't think anything of it. That is until I woke up the next day to severe pain, swelling and the redness had spread a lot during the night. I couldn't even stand for anything to touch it. I didn't get good pics of how bad it was, I wish I would have though. The pic below is the from the Tuesday morning. I really am kicking myself for not taking daily pics to show just how bad it got.

I tried my best to suck it up and just deal with it but, it hurt so bad, the redness was spreading, and it was hot to the touch. I knew something wasn't right. So I made a trip to urgent care, and boy was that an experience. The nurse refused to even touch my leg, she asked my pain scale and I said 9 at least. She says I'm gonna go get the doc now for you, this is horrible. Way to make me not freak out lady lol. The doctor comes in and says "Why tears hun, you are in much pain?" I answer her with YES I am in severe pain. She proceeds to start chuckling and shaking her head and says "Why you do this? Why you think tattoo is ok?" I reply with I like tattoos and I know it is not ok which is why I'm here. She begins laughing NOT chuckling and say "Nooooo your leg is terrible I mean why you think tattoos are ok? The things we will do to our bodies." while shaking her head. So obviously she is against tattoos, ok everyone has their beliefs whatever. So she does her examination and tells me I am indeed having an allergic reaction to the ink and have and infection, plus cellulitis. She told me I needed to be on bed rest, no work, no driving, only up to go potty. She kept commenting on how painful it must be for me, and how bad it was. As she leaves she tells me she is giving me a script for 2 strong antibiotics and to make sure I eat each time I take them. Oh and also my favorite things she says to me is "You will learn the hard way about tattoos because I'm not giving you pain meds." as she shuts the door and leaves me standing there mouth wide open. The nurse opens the door a few minutes later and tells me I am free to go.

So here I am a week after getting my new tattoo still in pain, still a lot of redness, and still severely swollen. There have been blisters come and go all over just where the red ink is, which freaked me out. It was really gross so I'll spare you those details. 

What did I learn from this experience? Red ink sucks lol. No really I learned that I have an allergy to red tattoo ink, something I hadn't even thought about having an allergy to. I mean seriously how many of us inked people stop and say hey I may be allergic to the ink? I know I sure didn't since I have another tattoo that has a small amount of red ink in it. Honestly it didn't cross my mind when I got that tattoo either. I really suggest that you have your tattoo artist do a test spot if you want red though, I would hate to think of someone dealing with what I am. I also had a reinforcement of even if you don't agree with how someone else believes, it doesn't make it wrong. (I sure as heck don't think that doctor disagreeing with MY decision to get a tattoo warranted her allowing me to deal with the severe pain I am dealing with.) It just means maybe you could learn something that you don't already know. Life is about living to the fullest, loving without limits and learning something new.

p.s. I also learned that good friends will listen to you whine like a big baby and tell you that you're not whining. I love you guys :o)



Peace, Love, and Cupcakes

Sunday Sprinkles- Where would I be without Dad?

 

My dad

Today is the day that we take time out to honor all the dads past, present, and future. Now I know there are some who haven't had the experience of having a father in your life. For those people there might have been a father figure, someone who stepped up to the plate and helped you grow into who you are today. I celebrate all of you fathers and father figures today. I have been fortunate to always have my dad around, I realize how lucky I am that he was. I'm going to just tell you some things about my dad, I think it is the best way to explain just how important he is to me.

Me, dad and my girls

My dad is a Vietnam vet. I don't know much about his tour because he would never really talk about it. He has said that he saw things there that he would never wish on anyone. The look on his face when it was brought up was a look of sadness and pain so I never pushed the issue with him. As long as my dad was able to work he did, and not easy jobs either. He has been a soldier, worked at full service gas stations (do those even exist anymore?), co-owned a salvage yard, and driven dump trucks. I'm sure there are other jobs he has done that I can't think of right now.

 Dad and Lenny one of his best friends who he co-owned the salvage yard with

Growing up I wanted to be where dad was, under the hood of a car covered in grease. Now that I am grown up I miss that smell on my dad, grease and car fluids what a scent. I remember mom making his lunch every day. The 2 things that I remember being in it were chocodiles and salami sandwiches with mustard. I'm sure there was more but those are what stick out in my mind.

my dad

Growing up we would load up in dads pick up or in moms station wagon and go to the river swimming a lot. We would have so much fun swimming, playing and just spending time together. I miss those times where things were so much slower and simple.

Dad, Becky, Ronda, Mom and me

My dad has always done anything he could to help me. Anything from lending me money to taking me to most of my OB appointments when I was pregnant with Hannah. He taught me some of my most prized BBQ tricks, how to change a tire, and what a little hard work can do. My dad supported my choices in life even when he didn't agree and was there to catch me the times I fell.

My dad and my girls

Not only has my dad always been there for me but also for my kids. He has done everything with them from preschool breakfasts to father daughter dances. He let them throw nuts out his bedroom window to the squirrels, shows them how to use tools, and tells them they can't have boyfriends until they are at least 30. I could never thank him enough for stepping up to the plate for me and my girls.

Thank you Dad I love you!!!!

Thank you to all the fathers, grandfathers, step dads, uncles, and any other father figures out there that has sacrificed for the ones you love. Thank you for working so hard for your families. Thank you to those who have stepped up in the lives of those who didn't have a father. A huge thank you to those who have been a positive male figure in my girls lives. Jeff, Jack, Kenny, Zach, Mr, Joggerst I owe each of you so much for trying to fill that void for my girls and I love each of you beyond words.

Happy Fathers Day

Peace, Love and Cupcakes

Sunday Sprinkles-I Lost My Support

I know I have been lacking in making posts lately so I apologize. I was down with my back and then mom got sick and was in the hospital. Both of us are much better now. Soooo here I am getting the party started again. Today I am just going to share a small story with you so I can BBQ and spend some time with the kids. 

I Lost My Support

A tale of a girl, her dog and a bra

The day was Friday June 5th 2011 around 3:30 in the morning, the kids were asleep, the animals all curled up on the bed together. I decided I was going to take a shower. I as usual got all the things I would need to get dressed and laid them on the end of the bed. Off to the shower I go. As the first drops of water hit me I break out into song singing my own version of Love Shack by the B52's. I wash my hair and then goop it up with my deep conditioner, I love soft hair so I leave it on until I am finished with everything else. I move on to lathering my face with my bar of Black Magic soap which I also leave on for a few minutes. Now comes a problem do I use what is left of my Simply Sweet Skin creme soap or do I use the CandleLynn whipped soap? Well of course I decide that I am going to what is only the right thing to do use them both. So I lather one side of my body with the whipped the other with the creme at this point it smells like a citrus fruit salad exploded in my tub. I'm not complaining at all :o) By now I have changed the song I'm singing to Twist Again by Chubby Checker, and yes I was attempting to do the twist lol. While twisting and singing I rinsed off and got out and dried off. While venturing back to my room to get dressed I peeked in on the kids. There was Hannah flopping like a fish out of water and Sierrah on her back snoring with her mouth wide open. Looking as I go into my room there are all 3 cats and the puppy still curled up sleeping away. Such a sweet thing kids and critter sleeping away plus no one was forced to hear my singing, double win. I grab my lotion and slather away, making sure to get all the driest parts extra good. I grab my undies get them on then my PJ pants. Reach for my bra and it is gone, I move everything on the bed to look for it. I look on the ground, in the bathroom and even the living room not there either. Now I know good and well I put my favorite bra out to wear where the heck did it go??? I go and start questioning the animals who were not happy that I woke them to interrogate them. Frustrated I sit down in my chair topless and start thinking did I really sit it out or am I going crazy? Just as I decide that I must be crazy or we have bra stealing trolls in this apartment Patch comes up and jumps on my leg. As I look down I notice his cute little shirt is all twisted up so I go to fix it for him. That is when I realized I wasn't crazy, there are no bra stealing trolls, I hadn't lost my support at all. I only have a puppy who likes to cross dress. There he was in all his glory Aerosmith doggy shirt on and MY bra over the top of it. I couldn't do anything but laugh, how can you be upset with such a cute little face?

 Lesson I learned... never think you have lost your support because you will find it in the places you least expect.

Peace, Love, and Cupcakes

Sunday Sprinkles...Blah and all that other good stuff

Blah and all that other good stuff.

I'm afraid this weeks Sunday Sprinkles wont be a long one, I am just blah today. I do have plans for a few posts this week though so be on the look out for them. This past week I have not felt very good between aches and pains, headaches, and just being plain old tired like some strange power has sucked all the energy out of me.

I blame most of it on Mother Nature and her cruel sense of humor. 

One day it is 90 degrees out and then drops to the 50's in a matter of 2 days, what is up with that? Make up your mind already let's just set the thermostat to 75 and be done with it for a few weeks lady.

I also blame my daughter's music teacher who thinks that sending my child home with a musical instrument is a good idea. 

Yes if we lived in a home with a basement, a yard, or hey how about a 2 acre yard it would be a great idea. I just don't think it is in a 2 bedroom apartment. I am now plotting out collecting all the kids from the elementary school and their recorders and dropping them off at that woman's home so they can put on a nice 2 hour concert for her at say 6 or 7 in the morning. Don't get me wrong I am all for children learning to play an instrument, I just think maybe the companies selling them should also provide us with a mute button or maybe some ear plugs. Just for the record I am looking forward to the day this is lost among the many other things my children have lost in their piles of things in their room. 

I blame my teenage daughters hormones and mood swings that go along with it.

I know I know I was once there too, but that doesn't mean I have to like it as a parent. Now I have to go apologize to my mother who had 6 girls to deal with one right after another. Oh and 2 of those were twins so double your pleasure double your fun lol, my poor mom. I think I say watch your tone of voice, don't talk to me like that, or just go to your room more than I say anything else these days. I try to have hope that it is almost over and then realize that I have another one getting ready to go through this any day now. So now I just sit in a corner rocking, holding myself repeating the serenity prayer over and over again. 

I am determined that this week will be better than last week. I refuse to have a blah week again. Even if we have no sunshine, gloomy skies and rain this WILL be a better week if it kills me. Just remind me I said this if I get all grumpy and down again.                                                       

Peace, Love and Cupcakes

Sunday Sprinkles Things I learned from my mom

my mom

Today is a day to celebrate moms whether you're the mom to be celebrated or you are celebrating having a mom. Now I know there are some situations where you may not have the best relationship with your mom but none the less she is the reason you are here today. I think that is enough reason to acknowledge her today. 

Through the years my mom has taught me so many things, to some they may be trivial but to me they make life more interesting and fun. I thought for the fun of it I would also let my daughters follow up my ramblings with their thoughts on Mother's Day and what it means to them. So onto my ramblings....

My mom has taught me that family is not about the blood running through veins, it is about the love flowing through your heart.

My mom and her daughters 3 by birth 3 were adopted

not pictured is my sister Gena who passed away and I miss terribly

My girls

My mom taught me that sometimes you have to take the unbeaten path to get where you need to go.

my mom and Sierrah

She taught me that true friends are the ones who will be there for you no matter what. They will love you at you best and love you even more at your worst. They will laugh with you, cry with you, and encourage you.

mom and Pat, I can't seem to find a pic of Debbie but she has been my moms best friend for what seems like forever and I am now on a mission to get more Debbie pics

Sometimes you have to take the back seat and let your kids try something new.No matter how much it scares the snot out of you.

 Sierrah, Lisa and mom

To be a kid when the time calls for it.

mom, Sylvester and Tweety
 

See the beautiful things in places many others wouldn't

 

Queen Anne's Lace

Unconditional love

  Peanut my foster son for 3 1/2 years

You can make something special out of very little

4th of July cake I made

There are so many other things my mom has taught me but I will pass the keyboard over to my girls so they can share their thoughts of Mothers Day.

Hannah's thoughts

I think Mother's Day is a day to celebrate your appreciation for the women who takes/took care of you. A good way to celebrate your thanks is Gifts,loving words,and/or emotions.A mom is a women parent who takes care of her child/children. My mom is Christie Lynn Brooks! We have shared many times together. But the best times are the exciting/fun times. Like when we went to six flags! We had a lot of fun although the only roller coaster i went on was the mine train . Some other things we do together are Swimming,Talking, Playing around,and more!I love my mom!!She is very important and precious to me!!!My mom is all mine.Key words MY MOM!Thank you mommy for everything. It means a lot to me! I love you , happy Mother's Day.                                                                                                                                                              Pooter

Me and my girls

And now for Sierrah's thoughts...  

What Mother's Day means to me is to take one day and celebrate the women who have taken care of us. To let them have one day off from cooking and cleaning etc. To show our appreciation and love for our mothers. To show how much they mean to us. Without them we wouldn't be here and we wouldn't be the people we are now without them. They help us get through our troubles and our fears. They also help us get through the parts of life when we start changing. They teach us right from wrong and teach us which one to use in certain situations. they will be there for you no matter what you do. Just show your mom a little love on Mothers Day.I am thankful I had Christie there to take care of me because without her I probably wouldn't be alive right now. Even though she didn't give birth to me she will always be my mom. I love you Christie. Happy Mothers Day. 

To every mom out there thank you. Thank you for being the backbone of your family, for taking the time to kiss the boo boo's away, for the cuddles after a scary dream, for giving even when you feel like there is nothing left to give. Thank you to the mothers who made the decision to allow someone else to raise your angel, without you I know my life wouldn't be the same. To the mommas of the furry babies thank you for giving your furry babies a loving home.

Peace, Love and Cupcakes