I DEFINITELY spawned a hairwrecker

Finn decided to cut his hair again.
We have been reading "Junie B Jones is a Beauty Shop Guy". I dont know if that is where he got the idea, or if he really liked the feeling of a shaved head after his first foray into the world of cosmetology.

The other day he was outside playing with the hose. He CLAIMS he was rinsing off his scooter.
(And I am Marilyn Monroe).
So he came inside a while later and I noticed a spot on the top of his head that his hair looked kind of funny. It kind of looked like there were a few spots that had been wet, so maybe those spots were matted down or something. An hour later I noticed it again.

ME: Finn, Come over here.

FINN: What? What is it mom?

ME: Just come here, I need to see something

FINN: Peter did it.

ME: What did Peter do?

FINN: (quietly) Cut my hair.

PETER: LIAR! I didnt do it. You faker!

FINN: Yes you did Peter.

PETER: NO! No i didn't. You're Lying.

ME: Peter did you cut his hair?

PETER: No.

ME: Finn, did Peter cut your hair?

FINN: (silence)

ME: Peter did you HELP finn cut his hair?

PETER: no.

ME: Peter did you know finn was cutting his hair?

PETER: Yes. I watched him do it.

ME: Why didnt you tell him to stop.

PETER: Well he never listens to me anyway.

ME: Finn, did you ask Peter to cut your hair?

FINN: Uh-huh.

ME: Did he help you?

FINN: He watched.

ME: DO i need to put you on my blog again so people can make fun of you?

So now Finn has two strips of his head that are about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long that have no hair.
This time I am NOT messing with it. If he is going to be a Beauty Shop Guy, then he is going to have to live with the consequences.
I REALLY thought that after the first incident of hair cuttery that it would be the end of it.

But like I said 3 months ago, once a hairwrecker, always a hairwrecker.

Do they let hairwreckers into Cosmetology school??

PS: I have decided to go full time. That way I dont have to give up anything, and will be done in a year.

Yearbook Yourself

So I finally did it. I gave in like everyone else. I couldnt stand it.
I went to Yearbookyourself.com and uploaded a truly FANTASTIC picture of myself from Chattanooga.

Here are a few of the notables.

1952. If Eleanor roosevelt and Miss Jane Hathaway from the Beverly Hillbillies had a secret love child, this would be the result. Actually, I kind of look like my Great GRandmother Ruby.

1964. This was the year my mother graduated from High School. Wow, I look NOTHING like her. Seriously, my mother is very beautiful, so had I gone to school with her I would be the obligatory "Ugly Best Friend". Of course if I were saddled with those glasses I would be scowling too...

1976. Bicentennial. My Birth Year. Sadly, I had this haircut in 1981. I kind of look like my older brothers homecoming date, suzy, from 1980


1980. I am a cross between KITTY, from That 70s Show, and my moms best friend Donna.
Believe it or not, i have woken up with this hair a few times...


1994. My graduation year. Now, this one is NOT funny, as this is MY graduation photo. (not really, but pretty close). I really dont remember making my hair THAT big...god bless all us "old girls" from 1994.

It is definitely a cute site, and fun to see what you would look like through the decades. They have 1950 all the way through 2000. You kind of have to tweak them a bit as the face cropping on the site kind of sucks. But it was fun and I got a kick out of it.

Check them out for a good laugh...or if you want to feel better about yourself.

beauty school drop out part deux

Yesterday was my school tour.

I REALLY liked what I saw. I really liked the school. I REALLY liked the curriculum. They do the hair shows and expos too. They teach every kind of hair from caucasian, to latino to asian to african american. they teach extensions, weaves, cut, color, perm, chemical altering etc. They teach various techniques.
The mannequins you get are all human hair. The male mannequins come with long shaggy hair and beards, nose hair, ear hair etc. It is hilarious.
The campus itself is VERY nice and welcoming and open and bright and CLEAN. They also teach management and salon ownership and retail etc. You get the whole gamut of education.

I HATED the tuition cost. BUT there are grants, scholarships and student loans available for me to take advantage of. In NC the cosmetology licensing at Empire includes Hair, Nails and skin. So by the time I am done I will be a licensed hairstylist, manicurist and skin aesthetician.
The tuition includes everything for state boards etc. It is just such a great program and I am REALLY excited. PLUS they offer job placement assistance FOR LIFE, anywhere you may go.



I could go full time, which is Monday through Friday from 9am until 430 pm. But that would be too hard to find someone to pick the boys up from school everyday and watch them for 3 hours, 5 days a week. It does mean, however, that I would be done in about 11 months and licensed in a year. BUT I would have to quit the beading group I JUST started, I would have to find some evening classes at the Y to take and work out, and by that time I will be so tired i wont want to work out(which really is super important to my health and wll being, so I find that a huge plus or minus).

Or I can go Part time. Monday through Thursday 545-945pm.
That means no more activity day girls, no more book club. However Charles would be home from work by then and if not, my mom and dad would be home by that time and could watch the boys if needed. If I go part time I would be done in about 23 months. If I needed a long weekend with my family I would be able to take it.



So after weighing the pros and cons, i have decided that PART TIME is the way to go.
The children scheduling logistics are friendlier, the YMCA morning exercise schedule is still in place, I can continue in my beading group. It ends up working better all around.
Granted I would like to be done in a year, but time wise and scheduling, there is just no way this would work. Maybe if my kids were older they could be by themselves for 2 hours after school, but there is just no way I would ever trust them to do that. They would burn the fricking house down.



So now I just need to go back to the school, fill out the applications and financial aid paperwork and see if there are any grants or scholarships available and go from there!!
All I need to do is bring in my High School Diploma, Birth Certificate and 2007 tax forms.
Do I even KNOW where my HS diploma is?? (I think I do. I may just need to track down my old high school and ask them to fax my transcripts. Of course it was so long ago, back before paper was invented apparently...see story below)


STORY: The receptionist and admissions person who puts the paperwork into the computer was looking at my form and it asked what year I graduated High School. i wrote 1994. She looked at it. Looked at me. Looked at it again. Looked at me.
She said "YOU graduated in 1994?" i said yes, and she said "huh, we dont get many old girls who come back to school".
Apparently 32 is an OLD GIRL now. (Of course she was like 12, so of course I am the crypt keeper compared to her)
But maybe she said it admiringly, like "wow, good for you for coming back and fulfilling your lifelong dream you hag". Although to be quite honest, I am not sure exactly what she meant. she either thought I was a child when I started high school and I look younger than I really am, or she meant it like "You are too old to have only graduated 14 years ago. Are you sure you didnt flunk 3rd grade a few times??"
I havent figured her out yet.


Oh well. I am over it. Time to go to the Rite Aid and buy some Olay regenerist.

Beauty School Drop Out

Back in college i used to cut hair for free. If guys needed a trim I would pull out the orange handled scissors and trim them up. I gave some cute haircuts to my roommates and girl friends as well. I had always enjoyed doing it and thought it was a profession I would be good at. I decided that Cosmetology was the route I wanted to take. What was I going to do with a French degree?? I didnt want to teach. I didnt want to translate. Unless I was going to live in France as an expatriate, then French really wasnt a useful degree for my situation.

Soon afterwards I married, and did not have the time or money for cosmetology school as I had planned. Then a big move to Charlotte, then a baby with heart problems who took up a lot of my time and all of our money.
Then another newborn.
My life was devoted to working full time to get my husband through school, taking care of kids and juggling doctors appointments...all while trying to lose weight, keep our financial heads above water and making it my lifes mission to buy a house AWAY from the apartments with paper thin walls.
Here we are 5 years later.
The kids are both in school.
Peter had a heart transplant and no longer requires constant dr. appointments.
Charles has a full time job and a college degree.
We have a house...and a dog.
I have a cabinet full of cleaning supplies and nothing else to show for yself except a failing mastery of the French Language.

Well I decided it was time for me.
Down the road is a Cosmetology school that offers new classes every 8 weeks. They offer full time or part time. They offer financial aid, job placement, and all the other good things.
so this morning I am going to their school to take a tour and get an enrollment packet, learn about tuition, classes available and hours available, etc. See if it is feasible. See if Cosmetology school is FINALLY in my cards.

Charles says to go for it. My parents say to go for it. I have support all around and a desire to do it. i am really excited, and hope that this will be the opportunity I need to spread my wings and finally do MY dream.

My personal writing style

After taking a mini-break from blogger last week, I realized how much I actually LOVE blogging.
I missed it. I really missed it.
It is my little morning ritual after I get the kids ready for school and pack lunches and get them dressed and out the door. I just sit back with my cup of hot cocoa (even in 100 degree weather) and write to my little hearts content when they are gone. So Hello my old friend, I have missed you.

Looking back at my previous posts I noticed a trend in my blog writing. Notably 3 things:

1. I REALLY like caps to emphasize certain words. REALLY.
2. I use A LOT of parentheses (like this)
3. I like to use dot dot dot.... to trail off and leave the reader in suspense, or to stretch out my train of thought...or just because.

I dont know when it started, I guess I have always written like that. I went back through some emails that I have written to friends, some old school papers etc. and realize that I use ALL of the above PLUS an additional few quirks.

-I like the word etc.(can't you tell)
-I like to use exclamation points...for EVERYTHING!! (I guess I want people to know I am really enthusiastic about the things I say. A period is just so...so...Blah. An exclamation point is welcoming and lets people know you are excited about what you are saying!! See the difference?)
-I REALLY like the use of the colon : Dont know why, I really do.
-The more question marks i put the more confused i am. does that make sense?(see, slightly questioning...) Had I used 2 or 3 question marks you would know the severity of my pondering.


I also am not excessively diligent about spell check. (or as I like to call it, brain workign faster than fingers can type...) See, I misspelled working!

so that is my writing style. I was always told you should write the way you would talk.

What is YOUR writing style??

A Huge Thank You

I just would like to say Thank You to all of you who left such kind and encouraging comments and heartfelt words on my blog the other day.
It really helped. More than you can know.

Jillian

Ok so the past few days I have been MIA from blogging.
I just have had a rough couple of weeks and needed a little mental break to just stay in bed and cry for a little while.

September 4th was my daughters 10th birthday.
September 18th (yesterday) was the 10th anniversary of her death.

Not a whole lot of people really know that Charles and I have a daughter as well.
Her name was Jillian. She had Trisomy-18, or Edwards Syndrome. Trisomy 18 is a rare chromosomal defect, causing the cells of the body to have an extra 18th chromosome. So instead of having two, she had three. This is a fatal condition. We did not expect her to survive delivery. She lived for two weeks. She was the joy of our young married life, and even to this day love her as much as we did then.
She was born at 39 weeks weighing in at 4lbs 2 oz. She was only 17 inches long and the preemie clothes we bought for her were too big. Even those teeny tiny socks were like giant combat boots on her. She was beautiful.
We knew ahead of time that she had this condition. We knew she would be blind, deaf, club foot, and severely mentally retarded. They told us she wouldnt be able to suck or swallow. But she did. They told us to spend time with her after she was born because she wouldnt survive the night, and what would we like to do with the body... She went home the next day from the hospital eating, pooping and doing "baby things".
But our joy was short-lived. We knew it was only a matter of time before her body would stop understanding the messages her brain was trying to send. She started having apnea and seizures.
the day before she died I prayed that I wouldn't have to be the one there when she passed away.
I prayed that God would help me cope. I begged that it would be quickly and quietly.
The next night Charles got up with her at 1am to feed her. She ate. She opened her eyes and looked at him and passed away calmly. He came in and woke me up and said 'I think she is gone". It was so peaceful compared to the awful brutality of the apnea and seizures. It was exactly as I had prayed for.

She was buried in Colfax, North Carolina 3 days later.

For a year i cried. I didnt go to church. I visited her grave regularly. I cried some more.
I looked through her little basket of clothes and her scrapbook. I hated the new moms at church with their perfect babies who walked on eggshells around me. Their babies would start crying and they would give me a scared look, like i was going to go apes*** and take out the entire congregation with a bazooka. It just wasnt worth it. I hated life.

The second year was a little easier. We had moved. We had new jobs that kept us busy and a week after the 1 year anniversary I found out I was pregnant again.

It has been 10 years. I still cry occasionally. But it gets easier.
The pain never completely goes away, but it does get easier to deal with.
We dont find the need to visit her grave as often. in fact we find that a few times a year is sufficient for our family.
The boys know all about their sister. They know she died. Finn will use that as a shock tactic to get people to feel sorry for him. It is actually kind of funny.

Occasionally something out of the blue will take me by surprise. At Christmas we were decorating the Christmas tree. Charles picked up an ornament from out of the box and unwrapped the tissue paper. It was her dove ornament that the hospital gave us when she died.
He broke down crying. He hadnt suficiently prepared himself emotionally to see it.

Every September a gloom and stormcloud descends, usually directly over my head, and it really hits.
So to quote Greenday, "Wake me up when september ends"

Hospice Pillows

Last night was our service project to make pillows for the Hospice Care.
We had quite a turn out and by preliminary count, made over 100 pillows!
yay!

thanks again to all those who donated time, fabric, stuffing and more.
It was a rousing success!

Dangling at the end of my proverbial rope

I have discovered my limit and it is 8.

"8 what?" I can hear you ask.

"mom...mom...mom...mom mom mom mom mom."

WHAT!! WHAT DO YOU WANT!!!

"uh I forgot."

I feel like Miss Hannigan in Annie: " Kill...KILL..KIIILLLLLLL!"

sigh. thats all.

Peter is home safe and sound and feeling fine.
Of course we had a few prescriptions to bring home with us, so he is most unpleasant about THAT.
They said he could go back to school on Monday...which means he better get crackin on the homework his teacher left for me! I am SUCH a slug.

On a completely unrelated topic: Try the Dulce de Leche cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Pass the Tax rebate.

Now thats what I call an anniversary gift!

OH DUH! Happy Anniversary to my Hubby!! 11 years. Can you believe it??(when I say YOU, I actually mean Charles. I dont know if my blog readers can believe I have been married for 11 years or not)
According to his dad: " No, she is not taller than him. She just has big hair"

I Love you white and nerdy!!

11 years and many more to come!!

Peter update Friday

Peter is coming home!!

Brave stupidity

Tuesday morning I was listening to the Bob and Sheri Show on 107.9 the Link. (I was driving home from having my butt handed to me at Zumba)

They were talking about Parents who busted their kids for stupid things, and Bob mentioned something called "Brave Stupidity". (Kids and teenagers doing STUPID things without realizing how dangerous they can be, or without thinking about the consequences if they get caught.)
For example: 13 year old girl sneaking out of her bedroom window, stealing her mothers ATM card and car and driving herself to a party. Girls sneaking out to smoke in the backyard while her parents slept in the next room.etc etc. (These were actual stories, not my personal repertoire. Come on, give me a little credit, I was so much more creative!)


It got me to thinking about my teenage years and my MANY moments of Brave Stupidity.(Lindsey Hush.. You take me down, I take YOU down....)
I wont go into detail, as there are impressionable youth who read my blog.(and quite honestly I dont want to give them ideas...or fodder for gossip)
I will say that as I was growing up my parents had SUCH a hard time with me. I was so out of control, I dont know how they didnt ship me off to a military academy and have it beaten out of me. They tried hard to set a good example and help me see the error of my ways, but I was too busy having fun and doing things I definitely SHOULD NOT have been doing.
But they kept on plodding along, meteing out consequenses for my stupidity, trying to show me the error of my ways. I never got busted for the same crime twice. I was pretty original and varied in my wrongdoings. Of course they didnt catch half the stuff I was doing.( Or I dont think they did. Perhaps they were just picking their battles)
But eventually I grew weary of the party life and settled down. I used to look back and just shudder with revulsion, my stomach would churn and my mouth would get sour when I would remember my grotesque behavior.
But over the years I have forgiven myself and can now not completely cringe and feel sick inside when I think about it(which is seldom). I have gotten to a point in my life and to an age where I know I am not that person anymore and I have worked really hard to overcome those addictions and obstacles. So I dont think about it, and when I do it isnt a complete mental anguish.

Listening to some of the parents talk about the stuff their kids did and how they got busted really made me look back and think HARD about the progression my life has taken.


So i am thankful to my mom and dad who forced me to go to Utah for college. They KNEW I would be around good kids who could be a good example for me. They knew there would be very little trouble I could get into there (boy were THEY wrong!! If there is any sort of trouble I am usually the one to find it) . But it was a great starting point for a new life.

I am thankful that I met Charles who has shown me what unconditional love and forgiveness is and that I am a worthwhile person.

I am thankful that I have surrounded myself with good friends who dont judge me for the person i used to be, but celebrate the person I have become. For my friends who have stood by me and helped me along my journey and helped me realize I didnt need to be such a dumb*** and yes even time to time have a good laugh about it.

And most of all, I am thankful for my brave stupidity. Now I know what to look for in my own kids once those teen years hit.

They are so dead.

Peter update

Just a quick Peter update:

He is in good spirits and feeling great! The antibiotics seem to be working well and he is eating and sleeping well.
We should be out of the hospital in just a few days when the course of IV antibiotics are finished.

Yesterday they did an echo and an EKG. The cardiologist(the wonderfully charming Dr. Greene that has been Peters cardiologist since PRE-birth) said Peters heart looks awesome and is functioning so well, and not to worry about that end of it.

So he has been getting daily doses of antibiotics, Respiratory Therapy to get the gunk broken up and is having fun finagling all sorts of new "stuff" from the nurses and Child Life. That kid can turn on the charm to get what he wants.

The first day there the Nurse came in and said "Ok let me see your bracelet. You are Peter Wallace McBride?"
Peter looked at her and said "Yes, but you can call me just Peter McBride"
He got a toy for that.

They put in an IV and he struggled minimally...he got a toy for that

He smiled at the nurse tech and offered his arm for blood pressure...he got a toy for that

( I am kidding about all the toys, we have had to tell the nurses no, otherwise he would have a room FULL of them. ) Although he DID get a toy for doing a decent job when they were putting his IV in.

I brought a bunch of Junie B Jones books, his homework from school, movies etc. He has plenty to do and we even go to the playroom a lot. So he isnt bored.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers and super sweet comments. I really appreciate them and it keeps my spirits boosted to know I have such nice people who care!!

I'm too young for this

This morning I packed a "bored bag" to take with me to the hospital. Crochet work, books, etc.
I put it down (or so I remembered) in the piano room.
I get Finn dressed, get his breakfast ready, get his backack ready for school etc.
I go to get my bored bag and it is gone.

gone gone gone.



I look in the computer room, the TV room, back in the piano room. I even look in the laundry room and bathrooms and all the bedrooms. i cannot find it anywhere.

I know Finn didnt touch it as he was at the kitchen table eating fruity pebbles(yes I am a great mom with the sugary cereals I know)

I scoured the house for 10 minutes looking for this bag. I retraced steps. I looked in every room of the house TWICE..and thrice.(I love that word) This bag had gone the way of the dodo. It is a big tapestry craft bag, so it isnt like I could have put it down and it got hidden by something, or I was just overlooking it. You CAN'T overlook this behemoth.


I was starting to get VERY frustrated and angry. I was stomping, yelling, cursing, muttering and all around being my pleasant, even tempered self.

I go back down into the computer room and guess what. There is my bag, sitting plain as the nose on my face, on my desk.



It was NOT there when I was looking for it that entire time. I KNOW it wasnt. I looked THREE TIMES in that room.



I am too young to be losing my mind.



I prefer to imagine that I have a friendly ghost living in this house who likes to play pranks.

Out of Comission for a few days

Peter is back in the hospital for a few days. Looks like he has pneumonia in his right lung.

He has a chronic "heart cough" that sticks with him and every now and then it turns into pneumonia. Yeah, it sucks.

So I will be out of comission.

Funny thing is he has been acting completely fine, his cough seemed actually pretty sedentary and under control and boom out of the blue I get a call from school that it hurts to breathe and he has a fever and "Can you come pick him up and take him to the doctor?"

He will be fine. About once a year the pneumonia rears its ugly head and we go through a small stint in the hospital. No biggie.

Prayers and heartfelt comments are always appreciated though and I know that they do help.

Thanks to my blog readers. I love you all and will keep everyone updated

PS
All orders that have been placed over the past few days have all been made, shipped etc,

Sarah

zumba

If I am able to walk tomorrow and if my thighs and butt decide to speak to me again I am totally doing the tuesday morning zumba class every week.

What is zumba??

According to Wikipedia "Inspired by Latin dance and music, Zumba uses a variety of styles in its routines, including cumbia, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, hip-hop, pop, mambo, rumba, flamenco, and calypso and Salsaton. Music selections include both fast and slow rhythms to help tone and sculpt the body."

The classes I have attended have even gone as far as including bollywood style moves as well. It is so fun, the time flies and you are dancing and having an aerobics party! There are women there of every size, shape and age. Some think they are strippers. Some(like me) kind of stand in the back and pray we dont have an infarction. But once we start dancing there is no judgement. ONly waving, and cha cha and hopping around like crazy people, sweat flying everywhere,

This morning was really great. She did some weights and stretching and a LOT of thigh and butt work and lots of arm work.(which is really what I need)

It was fun. I was sweating. I could fell the burn...BAD.(Especially during the tootsie roll song. Holy Cow.)

So YAY zumba. This is one class I REALLY enjoy.

I ♥ Your Blog

A HUGE thank you to Debra over at Needlesfabricandthread for this award!! It really made my day!

NOw I am nominating 7 other blogs.

These are just a small samplin of the blogs that I read regularly. Some are etsy. Some are friends. Some are Book Club.

1. True Tales of a Hairwrecker

2. Papergirlproductions

3. Sew-Gracious

4. Jen the Mom

5. Fabriquer

6. Home is where your pillow is

7. Libraryqueue

Here are the rules for the nominees: 1) Add the logo of the award to your blog 2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you 3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs 4) Add links to those blogs on your blog 5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs!

Thanks again Debra!

Mini Amy Butler cards

Yesterday I was a busy Girl!! Not only did I get laundry done I also went through my beloved stash of Amy Butler paper.

I made little mini cards!!

Set of 10, each one is different. They are so cute!!I listed them in my shop here. The entire set of 10 is $5.

Each mini card is blank white cardstock, folded over and blank on the inside. The final size of the card is 2 3/4 x 3 and each one features a different sample of her Lotus teabox collection

Now I just need to finalize my 3x3 envelope template to make little matching envelopes to fit them in.(Once thats done, I PROMISE to share!!)

Scouting and Lip Balm

Dont forget my Lip Balm sale is still going on.

3 balms for $6, Free shipping in the USA.

Get all the details and find your perfect flavor HERE.

So Peter started Boy Scouts on Tuesday evening.

Sigh. Growing up so fast.

I went all the way uptown to the ONE AND ONLY scouts store here in Charlotte (there is another one in Gastonia, which takes FOREVER to get there. But thats another rant for another day).

We bought the shirt, the wolf-kerchief and slide, the handbook, the patches etc. $63 later and no patch magic, I realized I actually had to SEW the patches on. GRRRRRR.

Did you know there are SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS on where to place the patches in EXACT locations?? Did they actually want me to pull my measuring tape out?? Would they REALLY know if that emblem crest was not 3/8 inches above the left pocket??

So for 2 hours Tuesday afternoon I frantically sewed the patches onto his shirt, hoping they were straight and even and that no one could tell the thread didnt match.

All in all it turned out nice, and my fingers are only slightly tender, still.

He looked absolutely adorable in his outfit and he got lots of compliments. No one mentioned the patches, so I assume they were correct.

He had a great time and can't wait to go back!!

THANKS DIVA!!!

HUGE THANK YOU to Charmaine over at highdesertdiva!! She sent me a BEAUTIFUL piece of fabric for the Hospice pillows service project. (When I say Piece I mean several yards!!) And it is fabulous.
It was so very generous of you! Thanks so much, It is going to a good cause!! Check out her beautiful shop!!

LIP BALM SALE!!!

It is time once again for my semi annual LIP BALM SALE!!

3 balms for $6 and that includes shipping in the USA. You choose the flavor.

I have beeswax or I have Vegan. Once they are gone, they are gone!!

All natural ingredients, made to order. Not sitting on a shelf waiting for you to purchase.

FLAVORS AVAILABLE:

ALMOND-classic Almond. a bestseller.

APPLE-green apple, tart and juicy!

BANANA-great for kids!

BLACK CHERRY-classic dark cherry.

BLACK FOREST CAKE-Chocolate Cherry and almond

BUBBLE GUM-pink bubblegum. Smells like Bazooka!

CAPPUCCINO-Java and cinnamon.

CARAMEL-sweet caramel.

CARAMEL APPLE-tart apple covered with ooeg gooey caramel

CARAMEL CAPPUCCINO-java, cinnamon and caramel

CHAI TEA-classic black tea with cinnamon, cloves and cassia.

CHEESECAKE-want a slice??

CHERRY ALMOND- CLASSIC cherries and almond.

CHOCOLATE-choclate cream. So indulgent and YUM-O!

CHOCOLATE BANANA- Banana with chocolate cream.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY- just like choco covered strawberries

COCONUT-tropical coconut, but not heavy or overpowering.

COCONUT LEMONGRASS-coconut with lemongrass. A great combo!

CUCUMBER MELON-traditional cucumbers with sweet melon.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE-chocolate, coconut and caramel

GINGER PEACH-peach with a hint of spicy ginger

GUMMY BEAR-just like opening a bag of the real thing.

HERBAL BLEND- blend of mint and herbal essential oils.

HONEYSUCKLE NECTARINE-juicy nectarine with sweet honeysuckle

JAVA-just like a cup of joe!

LAVENDER- Lavender essential oil is soothing and aromatic

LAVANDER VANILLA-fragrant Lavander with creamy sweet vanilla

LEMON-Wonderful Lemon Essential Oil. Perks you up

MARGARITA-like Friday night for your lips! Lemon Lime flavor

MOCHA-chocolate and coffee

PEACH-sweet juicy Georgia Peach!

PEPPERMINT_ Peppermint essential oil makes this a lip perk!

PLAIN JANE- No scent, all natural nothing added.

PLUM APRICOT-sweet and seductive. This will be a new fave!

PURPLE GRAPE-great for kids!

RASPBERRY CREAM PIE-sweet and creamy and tempting!

RASPBERRY LEMONADE-this is one of my new faves.

SKITTLES-just like the real thing.

STRAWBERRY- fresh from the field strawberry

STRAWBERRY BANANA- A classic combination. Cant beat it!

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE- YUM! cheesecake with strawberries!

SWEET- This is plain jane with a sweetener added.

TEA TREE- Tea Tree oil makes this a great healing balm

TURTLE- Chocolate and Caramel

WATERMELON-fresh off the vine Jolly Rancher type watermelon.

Be sure to tell me in the note to buyer which three flavors you want!!

Mad about Plaid

The other day I was on Cicada Daydream She used to be in the mens underwear business and had a tutorial for photoshop about how to make plaids.

So I downloaded her .psd file and went to town.

It is actually A LOT of fun.

These are just a few I came up with. I am trying to come up with a few for my new Lip Balm labels.

If you have Photoshop, definately check out the tutorial. It is awesome and you will not believe how much time you will spend sitting at your computer creating plaids!!

Thanks Michelle for sharing!!

Chunky Harvest Applesauce

As Promised an Applesauce tutorial for homemade applesauce. This is a chunkier applesauce. You can add more or less seasonings depending on your taste, and you can puree it to make it super smooth, or do a rough mash with a potato masher or ricer.

If you are making baby food, omit all sugar and seasonings. Just boil them with water and press through food mill or use immersion blender until smooth.

This is a smaller batch recipe and makes about 4 cups (8 servings). Perfect for a family dinner. Will keep in the fridge for about a week. Or you can put it in a ziplock, press out the air and freeze it for up to 6 months.

Step 1- Peel and chop 6 medium to large apples of your choice. If you do not already have one, I HIGHLY recommend an apple peeler.
I used my Honeycrisps, as they are firmer sweeter apples. You definately want to use a firmer apple, like cortland or Honeycrisp. Empire or Galas would be OK as well.
If you have a coarser, softer apple, such as a Red or golden delicious, mix it with the firmer crisper apples for a better textured applesauce, otherwise you will end up with grainy Mush.
If you use Granny Smiths, pair with a sweeter apple, or you will have to use extra sugar. Granny Smiths are really tart, especially if they are not fully ripe.

STEP 2- Add about 1 1/4 cups water

1/2 cup white sugar and 2 TBSP brown sugar.

You can add more or less sugar depending on the sweetness of your apples. Mix everything together. The sugars will pull out the juices in the apples, and will mix with the water and make a thick syrup that the apples will boil in.

STEP 3- Add your spices.

1 tsp ground cinnamon. 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp allspice, pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of dried ginger. You can add more or less spices depending on your taste.

Start small and at the end if you want it spicer, add more spices. A little bit goes a long way and if you put too much in you will have some seriously spiced applesauce. (learned from experience)Mix well until all the apples are coated.

Put a lid on your pan and set to High Heat. Let boil for 3 minutes. Stir and set heat to medium-low and boil for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Your apples will get transparent. Take a masher and start to mash. Apples shold mash somewhat easily. If they are still a little tough to mash, boil a little longer.

Once apples reach a desired consistence, remove from heat and mash until you have the consistency to your liking. I like my applesauce a little chunkier.

TA-DA!! Easy homemade applesauce the whole family will enjoy.

You can make a bigger batch and can it.

6LB pressure for 10 minutes.

You can use this in crepes, top Ice Cream with it, add it to your oatmeal. Top it with a streusel mixture and bake it for an apple crisp or make it as a turnover filling.

Bon appetit!

An Apple A Day...

Saturday we went to Hendersonville, NC. HV is the Apple Capital of North Carolina and there are apples everywhere. The crisp mountain air makes for great growing conditions!

Out of all the apple farms and orchards only a few let you Pick your own. The one we go to is

Granddads apples. We have gone there several years now and really love it. They have pick your own, or you can buy pre picked. They have a huge orchard with lots of variety. They have a general store where you can buy cider and jams and jellies and cookbooks and country crafts. I myself had a homemade apple turnover. YUM!! The boys got little plastic apple shaped sippy bottles with apple cider in them. They have a gigantic corn maze and you can feed their llamas. It is really a neat place to visit.

So we got there and the apples they had available for picking were Golden Delicious and Honeycrisps. I am not a huge Golden Delicious fan, but I AM a Honeycrisp lover.

Honeycrisps are probably one of THE BEST apples grown. It is a cross between a honeygold and the Macoun. It is crisp, with a firm smooth flesh, sweet and juicy with the perfect apple taste. It makes a great fresh eating apple, great pies, applesauce, juice and cider. It is my all around favorite apple and has a long shelf life. Honeycrisps are not really an apple you can walk into any store and find, which is a shame.

We picked and picked and picked and ate apples. My dad said "these apples couldn't be any better if they were stolen!"(Apparently stolen apples taste better??)

Here are Peter and Finn holding some of their hard picked fruit. I have never seen them eat so many apples!!

Finn getting in the shade and finding the perfect

apple!

another "squints" picture. It was so hot and sunny outside, but that didnt stop Peter from picking a huge bag of apples!!

We ended up with 2 bushels of apples.

Mom and Dad took a bushel and I took a bushel.

They only charge 20 a bushel and we had 100 pounds of apples for $40 total. So for 40 cents a pound, you cant beat it.

I actually need to refrigerate them, or they will lose their crisp.

Tomorrow...APPLESAUCE TUTORIAL!!