Now that we have settled in!

Our exchange student Triet is adjusting well.  He is an amazing young man.  Hearing him talk about things in Vietnam though sometimes makes me a little sad.  You see we take so much for granted as americans.  Even something as simple as a reclining sofa.  Trust me there will be a long blog about month one and the things I have learned from him.  I know this is his experience but we are learning so much from him..including asian languages are not something I adapt to easily.  Lets just say we call him T because NONE of us can say his name right.  

Sometimes you are in a place where someone in need is on your doorstep that happened last week when I full intended to sit down and get some massive bloggage done.  But a friend's mom's fiancee was in a horrible car accident and lost his legs.  She needed a place to crash and decompress after leaving the hospital every night.  We had open doors and arms for her. I will tell you that in our lives, our family and friends come before everything else.  I may get quiet on here for a time and I can guarantee it is because someone needed us more than I needed to be on my blog or even on facebook. 

So what you can expect in the next week.  Well we will have a blog tutorial on creating a steampunk hat!  Going shopping for the final pieces of the puzzle on that tomorrow night.  Then there will be a whovian nod to some great Dr who Gifts for your family geek!  A discussion on Schools and when to stand up and be strong and when to be calm and just let it go.....A run down on some essential oils and where to find them as well as Some electronic gift ideas. I know, I know so soon for gift ideas.  Listen I start shopping for Christmas in JUNE!  Do you know why?  Because when all is said and done....I am no where near a store from thanksgiving on unless Im grocery shopping.  Plus did you know you can get better sales BEFORE Thanksgiving??It is true. I will also be doing a little Amazon 101.  I bet you didn't know that if you like an item and you wishlist it you can watch for it to go on sale..........they always do!  

So lots coming up and some great items and landscaping ideas.  I can't wait to share all that we are doing to our home and our yard.  As always if you want me to check out an item or a craft project just comment below.  We will be more than happy to do the research and trials for you!  Our honest opinions are always out there for the world to see.  Hope you have had a great couple of weeks.  NOW WELCOME BACK TO THE FUN ZONE!  

Review: Lavisha Sterling Silver Diamond Circle Pendant Necklace

     I could just gush about this necklace.  I got it for a couple dollars off in exchange for a review, but I am in love with this necklace. It is a sterling silver charm.  It says One Wish on it and has a small CZ stone in the center bottom of it.  It is beautiful.  

          At the retail price of 29.99 it is pretty equivalent to other sterling necklaces.  So it would be something you would want to select because you like it.  But, like a lot of other items on Amazon, it goes on sale often and you can just wait for it to go on sale. But even at regular retail it is well worth the money.  It comes in a beautiful velvet like bag with a draw string and then you pull out a beautiful leather look box with the necklace beautifully displayed inside.

     The necklace is just gorgeous and very simple but yet elegant.  It just shimmers.  I love this necklace. I purchased it as a Christmas present for my niece and I know that she will love it.  It is just gorgeous.

     This would make an amazing Christmas present.  But other great uses would be Mother's day gift, Birthday Present or it would be an amazing Bridesmaid gift.  Just gorgeous!

You can find it at this link:

REVIEW: Attack on Titan - Survey Corps 100% Cotton Cosplay Costume Adult T-Shirt Tee

    With our student coming, by the time you read this he will be here, we were trying to find some cool stuff that we could give him as gifts for his arrival.  We know Attack on Titan is a pretty popular thing so when I had the chance to get a discount on a Tshirt that was Attack on Titan I jumped on it.  You can find this item here.

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     My son solidly wears a medium but sometimes with Chinese sizing he wears a large.  This shirt we purchased in a Medium.  He tried it on for blog purposes.  It has a great design that is very clear and well applied.  The shirt itself is not cheap.  It is a good solid cotton.  Now it is 100% cotton so I do expect it to shrink.  But the seams are very sturdy and it is well sewn.  It is a great shirt!  I think I will be going back to get the one my son wants.  Then the boys can have almost matching shirts!

REVIEW: 6 Colors Multi-lens LED Party Disco Stage Dance Club DJ Lighting LED Strobe Light

     I recently had the opportunity to purchase the WOWTOU® 18W Super Bright Speed Adjustable Voice-activated 6 Colors Multi-lens LED Party Disco Stage Dance Club DJ Lighting LED Strobe Light.  I didn't know what to expect.  The price is very reasonable and for the price I honestly didn't expect too much out of it.  So often you see these lights that claim to be DJ quality that are just not even close.      The list price is normally in the low 60s.  I did see that it is currently on sale for about half retail price.  I got a little more of a discount because I am a blogger and sometimes I get coupon opportunities to review items.  So we got it in.  I love that it has a DMX in and out connection.  Great for if you really are a DJ.  I am including photos of what it looked like in our house.  We are going to set up the area to be hung in the back yard for when we have friends over.  

      It has a bunch of adjustments you can make.  Speed runs from 1 which is slow to 9 which is faster.  Then there is different modes of the lights.  Some of them only work with a DJ system hooked in.  But there are enough if you are just getting it for home as well.  I was very impressed with this light.  If you are looking for a professional light, this is an amazing deal for a high quality and fun light.  If you are not a professional this is still great for your home.

     Here are the rest of our photos!

You can purchase yours here:

Paracon (Pensacola Paranormal and Comicon)

Last year when we were down here scoping out the area to decide if we would live down here, We happened to spot a sign about Paracon.  When we went we had a blast.  We met the guys from Ghost Stop, we got surpise boxes of Geek stuff and I got some great Dr Who gear.  I was pretty excited to go back this year because we had so much fun.  Well, this year, I just am not so impressed.  We paid $40 for the entire group of us to go.  SO yes it is cheap to get in $10 per person.  Now online it said everyone who attended would get a swag bag.  We got nothing.  So that was disappointing.  We drove an hour to get there and were very excited to get swag.  Its important sorry, it is.  Anyhow, so we get inside.  The same Star Wars group was there from last year.  It was cool.  We saw them last year but my son had not so he checked it out.  This year, there wasn't anyone selling the mystery boxes, there was no one selling very much Dr Who gear, and the vendors really were low to mid quality items for the most part.

They had 'stars' like Tatiyana Ali from Fresh Prince and the other sister from fresh prince.  Where do they fit in to this?  I don't see it.  They had the guy from Blue Lagoon.  They also had a guy from the TV Show Chips.  The closest thing they had to current and 'exciting people' was a guy who played the blue ranger on the Power rangers in a newer version than the original and is now on One Tree Hill and the guy who played the grounds keeper on Harry Potter.  $20 for an autograph or photo? I paid $20 to have a photo with Lita Ford at Pensacon.  And really really great people like Nichelle Williams from star treck were only $20.  I just didn't get it.  First of all, these people are paid to be here and their travel etc was paid for.  Why charge so much for a photo with you.  I mean I get they need to make money but again they are paid to be there.  So.........yeah.

I was very disappointed in this years version.  So, needless to say whether we will go back again is really up in the air.  I really was excited to post some loot day shopping photos..but sadly we bought nothing and left with nothing.  Well on the plus side PENSACON is in February and that was awesome.

I am just stunned...Holmes deserved the death penalty

I used to live in Aurora Colorado.  I lived right about a mile from the Theater. I attended many movies with my family in that Theater.  My ex husband was twilighting there in the evenings as a security officer.  As much as I dislike him as a person, I am glad he was off that night.  My children would have been there had I not relocated to IL when my ex lost his mind.  That being said, let me introduce you to some people.

 This is Alexander (AJ) Boik.  He was my children's friend at Gateway High School.  He was hysterical.  He always had something funny to say.  One day my son had headphones on and we were waiting to get into a concert and he walked by my son and grabbed his ear buds out and said that music will rot your brain then they just started laughing.  My children have many great memories with him.  My daughter was friends with his fiancee LaSamoa.  She is an amazing girl who has really risen in strength from this but the pain she had to get through....I just can't even.  Holmes took his life. We will never know what he would have done with his life.  See him posting photos of his children on facebook.  None of his family will see him get married.  A good kid who didn't get in trouble...gone.

This is Alejandra.  Another one of my daughter's friends.  She was shot but survived.  That scar will remind her every day of that night and when they all lost their friend AJ. She has gone forward in her life, but she will never be able to forget that night.

And then there is Zach an amazing athlete who was within milimeters of being another name on the list of the dead. He survived but again, the scars will never let him forget.  

These are only a few of his victims.  Victims that never should have had to go through this.  Their families who should have never gone through this.  Their friends who should have never gone through this.

Let me tell you about that morning.  My daughter and son would have been at that theater with their friends.  I could just as easily be putting the faces of my children on this page.  But I had moved.  My daughter was at the midnight premier in Il where we were living with one of her friends.  The kids had slept in.  I was on layoff but got up early to see my boyfriend off to work.  I turned on the TV and just sat there for a while. Not sure what I was seeing.  Seeing people who had been in my home in tears on television.  Seeing photos of blood and videos of people screaming I got up and ran to the kids rooms and woke them up told them to get on FB now and check on their friends.  Photos of bloody movie stubs....bloody clothing....people saying who they couldn't find after.  Watching people we knew on TV crying and talking about the event.  We were so far away.  No way to get to them.  We were powerless.

This man killed innocent people who were just enjoying a movie. I don't for one second believe he was temporarily insane he had planned it for some time.  And I don't think that any person who commits murder is sane.  I don't believe that to be an excuse. Just because you are evil doesn't mean you can get off from your crime period.  I had to be so strong for my kids all day then cry all night for days.  At first we thought maybe AJ was at a hospital and just wasn't being named.  Then on day 2. His name was released as being part of the original number.  We watched on FB as our friends that were like family suffered and broke down.

This man did not deserve life in prison.  He does not deserve to be accepting tax dollars to support him for the rest of his natural life.  He just doesn't. I rarely think that someone deserves the death penalty but there are cases like this one where we the people should not be given the bill to support his breathing.

Please do not come at me with anti death penalty saber rattling. I just don't care. I agree most often the death penalty is unnecessary.  But this is an exception.  This was a mass murder and there is no chance of him ever regretting what he has done. The only regret, that he has ever said, was that he killed a small child.  A little girl who had not even lived.   I am thankful for what time my children had with AJ.  I am thankful for the good memories they have of him. I am thankful I met him.  But, I don't believe he should be away from us and his killer be allowed to breath the same air as us.

Chia Booty book

So, I am a fat girl.  Yup I said it.  I'm like Fat Amy. I know I'm not thin.  I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which makes it VERY easy for me to gain weight.  So yeah...add on that that a few years ago my amazing doctors (yes I am being fececious) put me on steroids for six months.  I have struggled to try to lose weight.  Since I am not an overeater, or a junk foodie or an emotional eater I don't qualify for surgery to help me turn around my weight issue (Per my doctor NOT me so don't tell me you know better I trust my current providers and the ones I  have had for the last 5 years).  So, I go the chance to review this book called Chia Booty.  I have no idea what a Chia Booty is but from the photo on the cover...I WANT THIS!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE This book.  You can locate it here.  It is a kindle only program.  Only costs $2.99 UNLESS you have Kindle Unlimited then ITS FREE!  Yes I love free. I love when I can tell you something is free for you!  It makes my day.  Especially something this awesome.

So the first part of the book is a break down. They talk about things that really have never been explained to me by anyone. I am not rich and what extra money we have is going towards being debt free so, I don't have the money for a personal trainer.  This broke down why certain things like creatine powder and protein are good for you and when you should drink them or eat them.  Awesome information.

Next part breaks down into why you need to stretch and common myths about it.  Then the workout schedule.  They give you a 41 day variety workout.  Very clear on what you need to do and how many.  AWESOME workout.  I have been doing it about a week.  I'm exhausted after but I feel so very accomplished.  The best part and my favorite part is at the end of the book it breaks down the different exercises.  There was more than one that I was like what is that and why am I scared.  The break down really gave me an understanding of what it should look like.  Nothing was done half way. I went all the way.  And when I hit day 41 I will be back at one.

When I get a little further on my journey I will share where I was and where I am. For now. I am not where I want to be.  I am a work in progress.  Always a work in progress. One should never ever see themselves as done.  Then there is nothing to live for.  Just my personal opinion.  But I definitely suggest this book.  Great workout.  Amazing information.

Love with Food Box Review

     So we have a strange addiction to trying out subscription boxes.  Maybe it is the ooh new stuff and it's a surprise part...I have no idea.  My daughter came across this box recently and we decided to order one.  First thing I love...you don't have to get a subscription you can just order a box for an event (ie: Birthday, anniversary etc.)  It is called Love With Food.  (FYI you can click the name and go to the site.)

     Yes they do offer a subscription service as well.  But, they offer Home Sized boxes and Office Sized Boxes.  Wouldn't that be a super nice thing for a boss to do!  Get a box of goodies for their employees every month!  That would be nice!  They offer Gluten Free Boxes and Vegan Boxes.  Boxes with themes.  Yeah everything.  But that isn't the best part about them......

   
     Yes, for every box you purchase, you will be helping a child get a free meal.  I mean c'mon you get snacks to try and enjoy and a child gets to eat a meal and not go hungry.  Its a win win.  Also, as a side note, if you really like what you get, they also have a shop where you can just purchase the snacks you want more of.  I am sure some of those proceeds also help feed children but I don't specifically see it listed.

     So now for the reveal......we opened the box........

    It was jam packed with healthy snacks.  2 of everything because she got the bestie box.  (FYI great for a girls night for teens).  Most everything was an amazing hit.  I can't think of anything that we wouldn't have bought again if we were in the market and we wrote down some items we HAVE TO HAVE AGAIN!  But they were all good.

     This box, since it was the besties box also included 2 friendship bracelets.  How cute are these?!?

     Bonus gift!  Very cute idea inside this box.  I wish there was one like this when my kids were younger I would have loved to just pull out a bestie snakc box.  Also at $15 seriously it is affordable. That is for the themed boxes that they are $15.  Here is a break down of the Home subscription boxes:

Tasting Box             As low $7.99 per month

8+ new & Surprise snacks each month.

Each Box donates 1 meal to hungry children in America.

Snacks are either organic or all natural, GMO Free, Gluten Free or free of artificial junk.

Free shipping to and territories.

Cancel Anytime.

Deluxe Box               As low as 16.50 per month

16 - 20 new & surprise snacks each month

Each Box donates 2 meals to hungry children in America.

Snacks are either organic or all-natural, GMO-free, gluten free or free of artificial junk.

Free shipping to US and territories.

Cancel anytime!


Gluten Free Box      As low as $19.99 per month

This box is like the Deluxe box except has only Gluten Free Products inside.

So there are lots of options.  Get a one time gift box or get a subscription box.  You can view the office boxes on there as well at the site.  It is sincerely a great company and we really liked the box.  For $15 you really can't go wrong on the gift boxes and it is something everyone will use. I am curious if they will come out with Holiday themed ones for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I may purchase those as well.  I like not being tied to a subscription.  Its a great company with a great plan.  I highly recommend.

Again if you missed it the link is here - Love with Food

I did not receive anything for free or discounted to get this we just bought it.  And loved it!

Our Exchange Student Experience Part 1 of 5 million (HA)

      Welcome to this part of my page.  Ok it's just another blog post and they will be smattered in and out of here.  Here is the thing, my blog is about my life.  There is nothing in my life that is single sided.  I am who I am and I will share all opinions and activities as well as review places we go and things we do and things we try.  You have an inside window to our life.

     This is Triet.  He will be our student here for this school year.  His English so far seems very good.  He is from Vietnam.  I don't know a whole lot about the culture but I am going to get a first hand experience coming up for the next 10 months.  Then it will be hard to say goodbye.

     Our student is 16.  We selected him because he seemed to have a lot of the same interests as my own children and I think they will mesh well.  He seems very excited to come.  We have spoken via facebook and via email.  We are very excited to welcome to our home.  We aren't perfect but we hope he is happy and supported and has a good time.

     I think there is going to be some communication issues not because he doesn't know english but because of how we think about things.  But, it is all growth.  Growth is good.  We will all change from this experience.  So just a wait and see situation.  I can't wait to meet him in person.  Fingers crossed all goes well.  We are ready now haha.

     There will be lots of photos and information on what we do and how we did it.  Just in case other families are interested.  If you have ever thought about having a student stay with you feel free to send me an email or comment on this story.  I will be happy to help however I can. I can also connect you with the group we use if you want more information.  They are really good.  All students and their families have extensive background checks etc.  It is a great experience for everyone involved.

     Stay tuned for more with learning about Vietnam and learning about America!

To Go Fund Me or Not to Go Fund Me....that was the question....

Growing up, my life was not HORRIBLE.  But I had a lot of complications that other kids never had to deal with.  I grew up with my grandparents and neither parent was active in my life.  I spent a long time feeling lost, jealous, angry, hurt, unloved.  Just everything you can imagine anyone feeling.  I kept a lot inside of me.  I did't share and I didn't trust anyone.  It was loneliness in its rawest form.  One thing always drew me into being happy or upbeat.  That was music.  I started singing young.  Did summer theater, I did Talent shows and pageants.  I dreamt of being up on stage in front of thousands singing my heart out.  I got on stage in front of thousands and sang my heart out.  No not a real deal famous singer but, every chance I got I was on stage singing.

You see for me, Music was it.  Music was a connection.  When I was mad it was Pat Benetar or Joan Jett or Alanis Morrisette.  When I was in love it was Air Supply.  Or it was Bonjovi or Twisted Sister.  It was whatever touched me at that time.  I learned fast that I could change my mood by music. I could let out my feelings just by singing.

During that time, I had some amazing friends.  They were very Christian.  I went to church but they really were all in for God.  When things got tight they just prayed and I thought yeah cuz gods gonna fill your freezer.  But he did.  It happened every time. Someone would be sick, they would pray that person would get better. I wanted to believe what they believed.  I struggled to figure out how to be that faithful. I knew I wanted it but, I was afraid. I was afraid of what would happen if I did that.  What would happen if I gave in.  I was afraid of losing friends (yeah um. OK) Why would I have wanted friends who would walk away from me because I became a Christian.  Anyhow, I made a ton of mistakes.  I married someone who was verbally and physically abusive. When I finally got strong enough to leave, I then married someone who was cheating on me all the time.  I was doing just one bad decision after another.  The only thing I was doing right was raising my children.  My ex (my kids dad) and I got back together after my failed second marriage.  He said he had changed etc etc.  At first for the first two years I would have to say yes, he had.  But then boom right back to where he was.  So I moved to IL.

I  said to myself, ya know at the end of the day, the only person I can count on forever is me.  Me myself and I have been the only constant I have been in.  I have been through a lot and I have survived it all.  I have come out victorious if even a little broken.  But my broken pieces glisten.  I started working on me.  I started working on me.  I started liking who I was.  And I said what is missing in my life.  God was missing.  I was empty. I was hollow without him.  I had finally hit a place where I could care less what anyone else but the person looking back at me in the mirror thought.

I gave in and gave it up.  What drew me in to the church we ended up at was the songs.  The songs that connected to the teachings of the minister.  I wanted to get involved with the music ministry program but didn't feel worthy.  Then when we found out we were moving, I was in touch with a church that desperately needed music ministry help.  I was excited to finally be using what I was gifted to serve.  Then they found help in the form of another church taking them over.  Then my church said they were looking for a music minister but it became obvious very clear that they wanted a man.  I felt shunned because of it.  But I decided I know this is my path.  I know this is my mission.  This is where I belong.  In the background, in the trenches bringing people to God by touching them with music.  That is where I need to be.

So I found an online college.  I am going to start with a certificate program which will allow me to start pursuing positions.  Then I will move onto my official degree. Certificate programs do not have financial aid so I am not able to currently get assistance until I move into a degree program.  The school is CLUonline.edu.  You can verify it is an accredited school.  I have started a go fund me.  Only because I don't have the funds myself with 2 adult children going to school full time in college and because we have struggled since the move because it took us 6 months for me to find a job.  Just his income wasn't enough.  My son wasn't supposed to move here yet. But he was injured in the military and was discharged.  So now we are a family of four.  Five in a few weeks when our student comes from Vietnam for the school year.  I am very excited to have him come but, I am also nervous.  That is another blog for another day.

So here is my go fund me.  Feel free to share it.  Feel free to comment.  I know God will provide me the way to my path. I am just using my resources to open the door.

See my GOFUNDME page here


Thank you in advance for sharing my story.  God Bless!

Review: Six Ball Ice Maker

     I had the opportunity to review (paid for at a discounted price) an ice ball maker.  I have seen these used usually for whisky balls.  All of the research I had done previously talked about how because of the shape and size it melts slower.  Also that it cools just as well as a bunch of ice in a glass.  So when I saw this available at a discount, I definitely jumped at the opportunity to try it out and see how it worked.   We purchased this through Amazon and you can find it here.

     The mold is silicone and it is STRONG silicone.  I highly suggest that you wash it thoroughly before use and use a small funnel to fill it.  We put them in our freezer (picture above is post frozen.  It was easy to place in our bottom freezer and froze in a few hours.  The balls were pretty close to perfect! It was our first time so there was a little bit of extra ice around the balls.  We hadn't pushed them together enough before we filled them.  

     

     The molds are very easy to clean after and you are ready to make more!  I highly suggest this product for the price and ease of use.  Pricewise it was in the low to average range in pricing.  But some of those in the same price only make 4 and this one makes 6!  

     Hope you have a great day and can chill out!

Review: Blisselii Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder

     My husband and I have been looking for a manual coffee grinder for a while.  We love coffee.  A lot of times places like World Market etc have whole bean coffee we want to try.  We talked about getting an electric one but then decided we'd rather have a manual one.  So we set out reading reviews and checking them out at stores.  We finally decided on this one.

     One of the first reasons we selected this was that if we ever have no power but want to have coffee in warmed water from the grill or a fire pit....or if we go camping.  This would be a great option.  Also the ceramic burr is a better option based on our research on coffee grinders.  The metal ones can get shavings into your coffee if they aren't cared for the way they should be.

     What we love about this one is it is really easy to use and doesn't take a rocket science degree to figure out how to work it.  The grind is fine.  It is amazing.  The small compartment on the bottom holds enough for a pot or two of coffee.  But its nice to have fresh ground coffee.   Before we got this, I never realized there was a difference in the taste.

     It is very easy to see how much you have made with the viewing window i the bae. The only things I would change about this one is the handle on the top doesn't have a nut to hold it on.  I would have preferred that.  My son literally was grinding so hard trying it out that the handle flew off.  Also the base would be great if there was a lid for it.  That way you didn't need a separate container to store your ground coffee.

     We purchased this one from amazon.  Pricewise it was at the lower cost of the spectrum of grinders that are out there.  It was a great deal in my personal opinion.  You could pay more but I really don't feel like the quality would be much different.   The link for this particular one is here,

     Keep yourself grounded!