Another Milestone for my big guy!

My son lost his first tooth last week! He was so proud.

I was afraid when the tooth fell out it would frighten him, but no sweat. It fell out while my hubby was helping him brush his teeth.

First grade, first lost tooth. The time is just flying by for me!

I'm in an Etsy Treasury!

I've been under the weather the past week and haven't felt up to blogging much. More on all that later. But I'm really excited that my Mystic Topaz Necklace is featured in a gorgeous Etsy treasury right now! Take a look!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=66443

You can click here for a direct link to the necklace and more pictures in my Etsy shop.

It's time for LOL Cat Friday!

Happy Friday everyone!

So, anyone know what it is about cats and boxes? Why do they feel compelled to jump into any available box, or anything resembling a box? I don't know, but it sure is cute!

And, all together now . . . .

"It's fun to stay at the . . ."

Election Day in Afghanistan

Today marks the second national election in Afghanistan since the ruling Taliban was ousted in late 2001. President Hamid Karzai is expected to be re-elected.

But the Taliban is doing its best to disrupt the election process. They have threatened violence and have delivered on their promise. Militants launched scattered rocket and bomb attacks, violence that has closed some polling sites.

As a result of these threats and violence, voter turnout has been low.

As Americans, we should pay attention to the happenings in Afghanistan. Perhaps the last election didn't go the way some of us wanted it to go. But we did not see militant groups attacking polling sites or suicide bombers blowing themselves up.

Our elections are peaceful. Men, women, African-American, Hispanic, Asian . . . all American citizens have the right to vote. No one is killed for trying to vote. Whether or not we came out on the winning side, we can be thankful that we live in a country such as this. And we can pray for peace in other countries that don't have that same luxury.

Am I the only one who doesn't get it?

I haven't read any of the Twilight books. I haven't seen the movie either. I'm not sure who Ed Cullen is, and I didn't know that Vampires sparkle. (Anyone else sense an oxymoron here? Vampire = blood sucking creature, SPARKLE?????) And horror of horrors, I have absolutely no desire to read the books or see the movie.

My reason? Not because I think it's all evil and Anti-Christian or anything like that. I just have no interest in vampires - or their romances. I can't even get my head around the concept. I don't get the appeal.

And I am amazed at the people who tell me, "Oh you just HAVE to read these books! They're SO GOOD!" Look, I'm just not interested. OK? There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just not interested!

Please, please, please - someone tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this way! Am I the only "weirdo" out there?

Mascara Review - L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes

Mascara is mandatory for me. I have blond eyelashes and pale skin, so without mascara my eyes disappear into my face.

My eyes water a lot, and my eyelids are a bit oily. So I've had a really hard time finding a mascara that worked well for me. I've been using L'oreal Voluminous Waterproof mascara for years and years. It was the best formula that I'd tried so far, but it had a tendency to smudge. If I didn't keep an eye on things, by the end of the day I'd look like a raccoon!

For the past few days, I've been trying L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes mascara. And I must tell you - I'm thoroughly impressed!

Pros:

• Does not smudge. Period.
• Removes with soap & water - no special mascara remover needed
• Lengthens lashes dramatically
• A good value at $10.99, compared to high-end department store brands

Cons:

• Takes longer to apply than regular mascara - It's a two step process. First you apply a white primer coat and then the mascara.
• The wand is awkward. It's much thicker than most mascara wands so it takes a little time to get used to it.
• Does not thicken lashes as well as L'Oreal's Voluminous Mascara.
• Lashes tend to stick together in "spikes" so you need a good lash comb / separator. (A dry mascara brush works great; you can get one for $1.00 from EyesLipsFace.)

It's Friday! Time for LOL Cats!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

"Not Representative of America"

I heard this quote from Senator Arlen Specter this morning and could not believe my ears. He was reacting to the crowds of people showing up at town hall meetings, voicing their opinions about the health care reform bill. Here it is, from a TV interview:

"I'm not going to complain about being organized. They have a right to speak," he said, "but I think we have to explain, they're not necessarily representative of America. I think they're vocal. I don't think they're representative."

Whoa! Screeeeeech! Um, dude, wake up . . . Not representative of America? Then what are they representative of? China? Mars?

These are the Americans who elected you, your fellow congressmen, and our President. These are the Americans you are supposed to REPRESENT in our government. These are your constituents, and they are telling you that they don't like what you are doing.

Rather than acknowledge that there just *might* be a problem here, you're going to deny that these people are representative of America? Reminds me of a child sticking his fingers in his ears!

Jewelry Tutorials are Back on my Website

When I first created my website a few years ago, I had included some basic jewelry tutorials. But I soon began to run out of web space as I began posting more items for sale, so the tutes had to go.


Now that I'm selling through Etsy, I have the space once again for tutorials! You can see them by clicking on the "Tutorials" button on the left side of the screen. So far I have tutes about making a basic necklace or bracelet, how to use crimping pliers, and bead stringing materials. I also plan to add the content from the tumbler tute posted a few weeks ago on my blog.


I enjoy creating tutorials; it's that "teacher" in me coming out. What other tutorial suggestions do you have?

Building on Success

I was so excited about the wire wrapped crystal bracelet I made (and sold!) last week - see my older blog posts - that I decided to build on my success and see what else I could do with this design. I wondered if I could make the bracelet wider somehow, and also bolder. And VOILA! Here's what I came up with. You can see more pictures of it here on Etsy.

I love it! It may be a little bit too much bling for some, but I am so thrilled with how it came out. Next up - maybe I'll try it with three rows. What colors of crystals do you think would work with this design?

First Grade

My baby starts first grade today! He was really excited about going back to school.

Excited about going back to school? I wonder how many more times I'll be able to say that about him?

Good luck, big guy!

Friday LOL Cats!

Happy Friday!

Town Hall Meeting Outrage

I'm sure that by now you've heard the news stories about people showing up in droves at town hall meetings. They're giving their congressmen an earfull about healthcare reform. And they're not being subtle about their feelings.

The mainstream media is trying to cast these reactions as "staged" or "organized." And I think there are legitimate reports of some groups organizing people to attend these meetings. But so what? The anger is real, folks. People are mad about their politicians messing with health care.

Let's remember something. We elect these people to represent US. That's why they're called "REPRESENTATIVES." Their job is to be our voice in the government. What's happening now is WE THE PEOPLE making our voice heard. There's nothing wrong with that!

Love him or hate him, he deserves this!

Neal Boortz, a conservative radio talk show host based in Atlanta, has been voted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. He has been in talk radio since 1969.

He is well known for saying exactly what he thinks and has earned the nickname "High Priest of the Church of the Painful Truth." He doesn't hesitate to call a spade a spade. He is a Libertarian and an ardent critic of big government, government waste and abuse, and lazy people wanting handouts from the government. He also has a particular distaste for those of us who are evangelical Christians, creationists, and pro-lifers, but that's OK. Nobody's perfect. :)

Congratulations, Neal! Sometimes I like you, and sometimes you drive me nuts. But whenever I get to listen to you (which isn't too often) you're always entertaining. And thank you for all your efforts on behalf of the Fair Tax - which in my humble opinion is the solution for nearly ALL of this country's problems.

Bracelet SUCCESS!

Last week I posted a "Bracelet FAIL" (see below) and was determined to figure out how to correct my mistakes. Well, I did, and I am thrilled with how it turned out! Yippee!


Here's a link to the listing on Etsy where you can see more pictures.



I love this bracelet and will be really sad when someone buys it. But hey, I'll get over it! :)