NickAnny Creations

A new day

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I have seriously been working on a new website - www.healthydietmenusforyou.com

This is my menu planning program for people who want menu plans for diabetic, renal and cardiac disease - it provides weekly menus, nutritional information, grocery lists and ingredients so you can get back to a regular life! Please check it out! Mathea

How to Wear an Oblong or Rectangular Scarf

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Oblong scarves are just the latest in the way to wear fashion! You may call them a rectangular scarf, oblong scarf, pashmina scarf, or other term. They are so good for you to include in your wardrobe because of their flexibility and difference. Why wear the same things over and over?

Here are a few ways to wear an oblong scarf for the fall -

1. Fold scarf in half lengthwise and wear like a tie! To do this you fold the scarf in half lengthwise. You fold it in half again and place it around your neck. You pull the ends through the half fold and you have a tie!

2. Wrap around your neck wrap! Lay one part of the scarf on one side, then wrap the scarf around the neck and lay the other side down the front. You will be in love!

3. Laid around the neck - you can just put it around your neck and let
the sides fall along the front. You will be able also to throw one of the sides over your shoulder. That would look pretty good!

Scarves are so popular right now and reasonably priced for you to keep warm and be a fun accessory to wear.

Top 10 Food Processor Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:57:00 +0000

This week I would like to share one of my favorite articles -

10 Food Processor Recipes You'll Love by Rodger Haroar

Sometimes it seems like cooking is just too difficult to do on a daily basis, but food processors take a lot of the hassle out. If you don't have a food processor, I highly recommend that you get one. In fact, go out and buy one right now! I use my food processor everyday, keeping it on my kitchen counter for fast use. Why? Because I have so many great recipes! Here is my top 10 favorite food processor recipes guaranteed to make you love your food processor.

1. You can make your own peanut butter or any other nut butter that you like in your processor. Cashews make wonderful nut butter too.

2. Speaking of peanut butter, peanut butter cookies are the easiest recipe in the world: 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup peanut butter, and a teaspoon of vanilla if desired. Toss them into your processor; give it a whirl for a few seconds until well mixed. Scoop out a tablespoon of dough and scrap it on the side of the bowl to even the spoon, drop onto a cookie sheet and smash it down with a fork to make the cross hatch design. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes and you have fabulous, gluten free peanut butter cookies.

3. Make steak sandwiches by chilling, but not freezing, leftover steak in the freezer until firm but not frozen. Slice with your processor and then add to a skillet in which you have been sautéing bell peppers and onions. Put it all on a sandwich bun, top with jack cheese, and enjoy. I know, who has leftover steak? Plan for this and throw an extra steak or two on the grill next time.

4. Specialty butters are definitely a favorite of mine. In fact, I get ideas from many restaurants, constantly seeking new flavors to spread across bread. Armed with my food processor, making specialty butter has never been so easy. My favorite is basil-garlic butter. By processing a stick of butter with a couple cloves of garlic, I can then add some crushed basil leaves and let it sit in the fridge for a week or so in an air-tight container. Then, it's French bread and wine for dinner. Sometimes I even use it on grilled cheese with mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and bacon. So delicious!

5. For fresh lemon sherbet, mix equal amounts sugar, milk, and half-and-half with freshly grated lemon rind and some lemon juice. Then pour into a pan and freeze it, covering it for at least two hours. After frozen, use your food processor to blend it until smooth. Four hours in the freezer later, you have a wonderful dessert to go with anything you can cook up!

6. Another great idea is to take blackberries and sugar, blending them with your food processor until they're smooth. Then, pour the mixture through a strainer into a pan and stir in some buttermilk. When frozen, break into chucks and beat with an electric mixer until smooth again, and then pour it back into a pan and cover it until firm. This is a great way to make a cold, berry concoction that the whole family will love, especially on hot summer days. And you can substitute blueberries or raspberries as well!

7. I am a huge fan of chocolate, and my food processor allows me to take melted chocolate chips, some tofu, salt, 3 egg whites, half a cup of sugar, and a quarter cup of water and turn it into a light, chocolaty masterpiece. My chocolate mousse is a favorite amongst all of my friends, and can be topped with either grated chocolate, whipped topping, or both!

8. My 14 cup processor will hold an 18.5 ounce cake mix. I can have the cake ready to bake in less time than it takes me to haul my big mixer out and find the correct beater.

9. I always use my processor to make pie dough. I even chill the bowl and blade in the freezer to help keep my dough chilled and flaky.

10. One of my favorite uses for a food processor is making soup when I've had a hard day. Some chopped onion, garlic, milk, a bit of flour, chicken broth, broccoli, cheese, and pepper can be easily put together to make an excellent meal. After sautéing the onions and garlic, add all ingredients except milk and flour and cheese, cooking over medium heat for 10 minutes. Afterward, combine with milk and flour and cook an additional 5 minutes, then let cool while adding cheese until it melts. Place in a food processor, and you have smooth, creamy broccoli-cheese soup that can relieve any stress-filled day.

Don't those recipes sound wonderful? Well, they are, and the food processor makes everything so much easier. If you don't have one, you need to go get one right away. In fact, soon you'll have your own list of top 10 recipes to share with all of your friends.

Rodger Haroar, after working as a chef in a commercial kitchen for years, he is no stranger to Hobart parts. Hobart parts or Biro meat saw parts, he knows the best place for replacements is National Band Saw. He can get the commercial restaurant equipment parts and also the replacement parts for his personal food processor. Now that;s handy.

Article Source: ArticleSnatch Free Article Directory

Back to School Accessories

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:02:00 +0000

This week’s installment of what to wear fashion is about how to bridge the gap between summer and winter. Your new school clothes are just waiting to be worn and you want to wear them but it’s still kind of warm in most parts of the country.

So what to do? I think you can wear a scarf with a mix of summer and fall clothes so you don’t look too much like you bought all new clothes. Try to wear a scarf with your new jeans in the belt loops and a short sleeve shirt. Or add your scarf to the outfit for Friday night’s game and wear it with shorts and a short sleeve cardigan. Scarves come in a variety of prints and colors so you can get just about anything you need to make it work without spending a lot. Scarves are a light weight accessory that you can take off or put on with little fuss instead of the sweaters.

For the Friday or Saturday fall sporting event, you can match your scarf to your school colors. Look around for a floral that fits the colors of your school or a checkered print that will match up to what you need. Plaids are out that will keep you in the right color family without looking like you tried too hard. And as the evenings get cooler, you can use the scarf to keep you warm. Fun and functional – what more do you need?

And as a busy professional, you can get a gorgeous scarf in a neutral without being boring. Think brown and tan in a floral or cranberry leopard print scarves that flex for many other outfits. Maybe you wear lots of black or brown (I do so I can make my outfits work) and you are in need of an accessory to bring out the fun. If you wear lots of neutrals, try to add your favorite “other” color such as red, purple, green or pink. Animal prints are still in demand, and plaids are going to make a bold statement this fall as well. So get some plaids that are professional looking and soft to wear but flexible. Stripes and checkered prints are making their way into the mainstream for the fall too.

So whether you are a young or older woman looking for a new way to look updated, find a scarf!

The Shapes of Scarves – What’s your favorite way?

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Since last week I gave you some information on what I saw at the retailer’s show, I thought I would do some more descriptive information about how scarves are available. I find them to be very fun and interesting with the variety of colors, patterns and fabric. Scarves make excellent gifts for family and friends because there is no size involved. You do not have to know if they wear an XS or XL. You can keep a few in your gift drawer. I give them to the kids’ teachers every year, and they love them!! Bonanzle or Ebay

Ok, basically scarves come in 3 styles – oblong, square or infinity.

Oblong scarves are the most popular for people to wear. Possibly because they are the easiest to find. They come in a huge number of styles. Scarves are made in both thin and thick fabrics – think summer vs. winter. Scarves can be made of pashmina or cashmere fibers and mixed with silk or viscose. Most of the lighter weight scarves are made with more viscose and silk. The softness is similar with all of the scarves. To find a pure pashmina scarf made from the special sheep you will pay a great deal more for. This fall, oblong scarves continue to be popular in all kinds of magazines and fashion shows.

They are made with ruffles on the edges, ruffles down the middle and ruffles pressed into the fabric. Scarves also come gathered or with ruching type ruffles. I have to say the increased amount of ruffles and ruching is very complementary for the ladies who wear scarves. You have the style of the ruffles but without having to buy a new shirt – and you can transfer to any other shirt or outfit with a lot of ease! What more do you want?

Infinity or cowl neck scarves are very similar to the oblong scarves. The difference being that they do not have a beginning and end, but rather are a continuous oblong material (whether knitted or cloth). So, you can still wear them by folding in half and pulling through as the majority of oblongs are worn. And you can wrap them around your neck and make a double loop but not have to worry that they are going to slip and slide off. I am adding some cowl and infinity scarves to the fall line up in my stores so watch for the items as they arrive.

Square scarves 40x40 typical can be folded into a triangle and worn in a variety of ways. The fabric for square scarves comes in cotton, viscose and silk. I like viscose the best because it feels silky and soft and is very wearable without being hot. I saw lots of these with print designs on them for the fall at the show in Las Vegas.

Lots of the square scarves are styled to have tassels on the edges because of the way they are worn. Square scarves are great neckwear accessories because they are easy to fold in half like a triangle and wear around your neck like an ascot. School colors at a fall football game are easy to show off even under a jacket!

Scarves are available in several shapes and lots of fun to wear. I will feature more ways to wear them in the near future.

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My 2 Days in Las Vegas at the ASD Show

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:33:00 +0000

On Sunday and Monday, I spent 2 days in the place where you go if you want to misbehave – Las Vegas. Maybe they don’t like me to put it that way but the tag line is “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” so what do they expect. Except that I am going to tell you a little about what I saw there at the ASD show. The ASD show is a wholesaler to retailer show, basically where you go to find your suppliers if you sell retail or distribute. Because I have an online shop – both Ebay and Bonanzle – I went to find things for the holiday season. I was focused on looking for scarves and other related items because that’s what I love and I like learning more about.

I was amazed at the sheer number of booths and amounts of scarves. Scarves are everywhere and in all types of materials. I saw the plain oblong scarves made of various materials (commonly called a “Pashmina”) and a whole lot of print scarves. The suppliers are doing all kinds of things to the plain scarf to dress it up – they are using different sized threads, metallic threads, gathers and ruffles. Each of the ways provides a different look and I believe everyone can find a scarf that they could not live without this fall.

Some specific treatments that I liked for scarves:

Plaid print in various sizes. I saw Burberry plaid and houndstooth and mixed sized plaids like Tommy Hilfiger does. I found plaid to be a very popular theme throughout the show with enough variety to choose from. I bought several plaid styles in the scarves that I will be highlighting for you over the coming weeks.
Animal Prints were everywhere – leopard, zebra, giraffe were the most popular. I loved several that had a metallic thread running through them. The animal prints are available in so many colors and sizes to please all of us. I found some great ones with leopard print in beige with a metallic thread and zebra print in grey with a metallic thread. Love them!
Infinity Scarves are continuing to move up in the ranks of scarves. These scarves are created in a circular way – think of your oblong scarf sewed together at the end so it does not have an opening. Let me tell you why I love them – they are just as nice as the oblong scarves but don’t require as much fuss! Many times I saw the scarves done in both oblong and infinity. And the infinity can be worn the same as the oblong if you want. Shorter infinity scarves are coming out as well – sometimes called cowl neck scarves.

Overall, I was overwhelmed. Thanks to my husband for keeping us on track or I would have spent wayyyy too much. Watch over the coming weeks for my picks from what I got and more tips on how to wear all of the different kinds.

Bethanny Has A Broken Wrist

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:41:00 +0000

And now she has a cute pink cast! She was running into the house and fell forward - then we had to go to the ER! UGH. But this is a water proof cast so she will be able to go to swimming lessons. YEAH. Anyway, we blinged it up with some Hot Fix Rhinestones I got on EBAY for my other projects but have not used yet. So, if you have to have a cast as a kid then it might as well be cute.

I read the best book! NO MORE MONDAYS!

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:11:00 +0000

I read No More Mondays and I was so inspired! It's about how we find what we need to do through thinking about where you want to go. Some of the stuff in there is common sense but a lot of it just rang true! I do so enjoy the work I do, I love getting to travel but I continue to struggle with the Mommy stuff - like wanting to be home!
So, I read this because I listen to Dave Ramsey a lot and I love his book -
and he mentions Dan Miller as an inspiration. If you know me you know I LOVE LOVE LOVE Dave Ramsey and am following the Total Money Makeover.

I am not going to do a whole review on it because I returned it to the Library, but I will say that I did BUY 48 Days to the work you love - after I read the No More Mondays and I am going to start finding a way to love the things I do!

Best part is - Dan Miller and Dave Ramsey both have a podcast that I download to my ITouch and listen to while I work out or in the car. You should try it.

A Letter on HealthCare

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:53:00 +0000

When will we start seeing health care as a right instead of a privilege?

Being a Registered Dietitian since 1997, I have seen a few different types of health care. I was in the Army, and experienced health care that was provided with no deductibles, no copays and some wait time but not much. After leaving the military, I have had the "privilege" of being employed full time and having health care as an option to pay for. I pay for the benefit for me and my family to the tune of over $500/month, plus co pays and deductibles. The system we have now is neither fun or cost effective. I am also a disabled veteran, and have the opportunity to experience the VA health care system in relation to my disability. Health care with no co pays but with extensive wait times.

So, why did I just explain all of that to you?

Because I have been listening to Congress debate the health care issue for the past several months and I am appalled. To those who have not had the opportunity to work in our health care system, I say you are missing out. It is a very good example of a CASTE system, with levels of care that relate to your ability to pay. And if you cannot pay, you may die of a preventable illness. IN AMERICA? WOW!

I think we should look at health care the way we see public education systems. We as a country would never take away the public school system, and we provide this education to make our country a better place. There are private schools you can attend if you like, but many of our public schools are excellent! Would you say today that someone does not have a right to be educated? Yet, that is exactly what we do with health care. And that is much more of a life or death issue if you ask me. So, we feel that a basic level of education is a necessity and are willing to support it with our dollars. But not the health and well being of our citizens. WHAT?

We should provide clinics and basic health care to all of our citizens, and I don't mind paying for some of it because GUESS WHAT - I already am. Everyone who goes to the ER with a CANCER and gets extensive end of life treatment for a problem that could have been solved sooner through preventative measures costs $$$. Who pays for that? Each and every person with insurance and the suffering of that individual adn their family are not without measure. There is not a price we can set on a life, yet we do when we refuse basic service to our country men.

Training our Boxer Puppy - Cali

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:10:00 +0000

I have had the responsibility of taking our new boxer puppy to the training sessions on a weekly basis at Petsmart. We have a really good trainer, and when we get out of the car at Petsmart Cali practically runs to the training room. She just loves it!

But I had a revelation this last week. We are on week 5 and working on greeting strangers. And you work to have the dog sit to meet people. But we have a problem with her jumping on all of us at home. And the trainer says we are probably unconsciously reinforcing that behavior by rewarding it. So, I thought - hummm....

And then it hit me! We can get her to stop jumping on the little one by waiting for good behavior just like we would a stranger! And guess what? It works. She practically wiggles while sitting, but she is trying to sit to be greeted and we don't have to try to work around her jumping all over!

Just thought I would share - positive reinforcement and clicker training really work!

Will Power Again

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:04:00 +0000

So, this time it's a much better story. So far, since I started weight watchers, I have lost a whopping 18 pounds! Man, the clothes fit so much better. And I am hungry a little bit, but not much. And I have exercised once, so who knows what I could do if I got off my butt and started walking 3 days a week!

But I have to tell you that I have pop tarts almost every morning for breakfast, and they are 4 points a pop! So, in an effort to reduce the number of points I eat for breakfast - so I can eat them later - I tried the "Fiber" pop tarts.

Well, I actually kind of like the Strawberry Fiber One poptart - and it's only 3 points so that is kosher for me. Tastes a little dry but not too bad and I can eat it. I also tried the Kellogg's Pop Tart Brand Fiber Pop Tart in chocolate fudge and it was awful! Tasted like I was eating a dry piece of wheat toast. I thought I was eating wheat bread instead of chocolate. Not really worth it. Might feed it to the dog!

Rambling thoughts...

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:38:00 +0000

Well, it’s a matter of will power. I don’t know where mine goes sometimes. I really want to lose weight, and I bought a dress to wear in my sister’s wedding (on ebay – custom made). I am going to have it made with a lace up back – my sister’s suggestion so I can get it made now and it can fit tighter later if I lose a lot more weight.

But the way it’s going, about 1 pound a week, is depressing. I am not sure how long I have weighed this much but I know it’s not good. So it’s progress in the right direction. And the clothes are looser, just not falling off. Hopefully I can get my wedding ring off soon. (Yep, I gained so much weight that I can’t get the darn thing off).

And I am so much better with will power when people are around. I find it funny that I have to psych myself up to go out to eat by myself so I won’t over eat. I am better to pick out what I want, order take out – like at Panera or Subway – and leave than to sit in a restaurant. It’s not so much that I even WANT to eat that much – I get full on way less food than I used to. It’s just a hard habit to break. And even though I can have it occasionally, I feel sad without dessert. It was my comfort and friend.

Things that make you go humm…

Thoughts and plans going well

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:18:00 +0000

I wanted to take today to be a thankful day:

1. I am thankful for my sister and her son. They are always helpful and willing to do what we need to get the job done. They are going to get a new member of the family soon - Kirk, and I will be thankful for him as well.
2. I am thankful for my husband. He is such a great dad and suffers through my traveling job where I am gone 4 days a week most of the time. He is supportive of the crafting business as well.
3. I am thankful for my local library. They keep me in books up to my ears, with minimal overdue charges. Yes, I am so happy I can sign up on line, walk in and pick up the books and leave.

Thank you for being part of my thankful day. What are you thankful for?

Book Review: Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:45:00 +0000

Ah, a lovely read! I love the way Sophie makes me happy and sad at the same time... And even though I knew how it would end from midway through, I still WANTED to keep reading!

"Twenties Girl" by Sophie Kinsella - copyright 2009

"Where's my necklace?" That's how the story starts, at a funeral for a 105 year old woman. It's a ghost story that's not quite the same as every ghost story you have read. So, Lara, our heroine, gets roped into searching for a beautiful necklace for her great aunt Sadie. And through the twists and turns, and ups and downs, this book is a good read.

Sadie is a fun gal, who, even though she lived to 105 years old, never really got past her first love. Much like Lara is trying to do. Sadie is an impractical ghost, with many demands and an interesting way of getting what she wants. Sadie finds a man for herself, but needs Lara to do the "human" thing so she can go on a date with him.

Lara is trying to have a life, get over an old flame, start her own business and find a necklace. She does find the necklace, but it's just out of her reach. And, as she falls for Sadie's guy, she is torn between the kinship she feels for Sadie and the real feelings she is having for the guy.

A journey of Lara's leads to a discovery of information that helps Sadie to have some peace about how her life was lived out. And it reminds us that everyone is someone who has lived and enjoyed life no matter what we think about it. All of us have a story. And telling it sometimes makes us sad but nonetheless also gives us healing. And helps those who choose to listen.

Book Review: The Bride of Casa Dracula

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:58:00 +0000

This book is the 3rd in the series of books by Marta Acosta about a Milagro De Los Santos - a vampire book. You know I love the vampire genre. I have already read the other two books prior to this one.

"The Bride Of Casa Dracula" by Marta Acosta, copyright 2008.

I'm never quite sure why Milagro is so entranced with Dr. Oswald, but she is. I think she wants to be normal and no matter what she does, it just is not her. The cutting, the vampire council, and Ian. That's what this book is about.

Edna, her favorite foil, is off with her paramour, and Milagro is left to deal with Cornelia and Oswald. You get the feeling from the very beginning that Oswald wants Milagro to be normal as well. I honestly think that what he loves about her free spirit is what he eventually decides is the straw that broke the camel's back.

Milagro tries throughout the book to deny to herself that Ian is the best choice for her, and in the end I am still not sure I don't agree. But she gives in - to Ian - and it just seems to work. Her friend Nancy designs Oz and Milagro's wedding but alas, it is not to be.

I do wish that Milagro would not be so worried about taking a man's money - let them give it if they want I say. She has done without love for her entire life, her mother and her ethnicity against her. Perhaps she will decide she loves Ian after all. Perhaps she will become a nun - highly unlikely.

Part of Milagro's problem seems to be that she is trying to be what others want her to be, and not what her destiny is. I do hope that Ian means it when he says that is what he will give her. She deserves that much. And I hope in the next book she writes more stories and gets credit for them.

I could not put this book down, wondering what Ms. De Los Santos was going to do next. I hope you love it like I do.

NickAnny's California Fox

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:30:00 +0000

We got a new puppy - a Boxer - about 6 weeks ago. Here's what she looked like a few weeks ago -

She's gotten even bigger now that she's a few weeks older. We have just loved having her - she's such a sweet puppy. She starts puppy class this weekend - I am taking her to Petsmart on Sunday. I hope she does well, my goal is to have her as a great companion and protector for the kids.

We call her Cali. I will update with more pictures soon.

Well, Here We Are Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:49:00 +0000

I bet you thought I left you...

Nope, I went on vacation and then I started Weight Watchers. I have been on that program for about 4 weeks now and I am very happy to say I have officially lost about 8#. It's about control and thinking ahead and just portions. I have to say, it is not hard to follow at all.

So, even though I have been bouncing around, I promise that I have been working on some cool new stuff so I can show you! I am even working harder on my Facebook page. Thinking about making a Fan Page for NickAnny Creations.

No need to worry, I am also still going to do book reviews. I have one right now that I am working on so look for it soon.

A Book Review: the end of overeating by David A. Kessler, MD

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:30:00 +0000

The End of Overeating (313 pages) is not my normal type of book to read, but I am an RD (dietitian) and I do find this body of work to be interesting because - I am overweight and overeat!

Wow, this book made me hungry. To start out with, most of the book is written at a great level for a person with a few years of college to understand. It promises to change the way you look at food forever, and I suppose it will. I can't look at a huge portion the same, and think, I can eat just half because Dr. Kessler is sure that I cannot stop at one.

This is a story about our insatiable appetite for sugar, salt and fat. Man, he describes so many delicious foods that I can't help but think of them while he's describing them. Which is what he is talking about, how we are obsessed with food and eating it - that it does not make us feel better only worse and through continued "conditioned hypereating" we gain more and more weight.

It is a rational explanation for the process our body goes through when we eat more than we need and more than we want. It seems to explain why we crave foods and eat food when we are full or satiated. He spends a great deal of the book explaining the phenomenon. So, I am clear when I say I understand how high sugar, fat and sodium lead me to eat more of the same.

But, nothing really of substance about what to do with it. I don't know if that is his plan, not to give us a guide but more of a description of the issue. He does say, eat less... Which all of us know. I can't say I am sure I like the amount of useful information in the book, because as a lay person I don't see a lot of use. Nonetheless, I am going to start working on logging my eating because of all of the things that work or don't, I think that helps the most.

A gift for the teachers

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Well, at the school/day care that my children attend, it is almost time to change classrooms and get new teachers. So, time to say good bye to the current lovely ladies who have put up with my minions so far this year.

We got report cards and they are doing great. Teachers even claim that they will miss them. I know better - they will not even envy the next teacher.

But in an attempt to recover from some of the forgotten occasions and parties, I made a couple of items to give the teachers for their end of year.

Don't those look nice - it's a shea butter body balm that is scented like chocolate mint (good enough to eat) and a salt scrub that has a ocean breeze fragrance to it.

Easy to make, and I got the tins from Brambleberry. And guess what? The teachers loved them. I got some points back, not that I will ever get them all back.

So, I decided to add these items to my Etsy and Artfire shops. Look for them there with another item, the fizzy bath soak.

A pattern of concern

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:08:00 +0000

Just had to get this off my chest. I have an older sister, Tammy Bais Lively, who loves to buy new dogs and somehow they never seem to live more than 3-6 months (most of the time) before some interesting but terrible thing happens to them and they are gone. And then she is off to purchase another purebred dog.

The latest victim was a teacup Yorkie, who I think lasted about 4 months. This is a horrible pattern which I do not mean to make light of. I cannot say for sure that she is responsible for their untimely deaths but it has been happening for years. And up until now, I wasn't sure what to do about it. She lives in Texas and to be truthful, we don't get along well. I hear these things from my mom.

Evidence that not all of the dogs are doomed - my younger sister took one of the dogs a couple of years ago and named him Chance. She named him that for a reason! And he's still here today and is the sweetest dog.

So I decided to blog about it, and hope that the next person who is selling a purebred dog will look her up on the internet and see this post and not sell her a dog. Because chances are, they would be sentencing the dog to a short lived miserable life.

Book Review: Breaking Dawn (4th in the Twilight Series) by Stephenie Meyer

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:08:00 +0000

It only took me a couple of days to make it through the 754 pages of Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer.
I do disclose some information that you might not want to know, so be wary if you read. But I won't tell you the ending.

"All I really saw was Edward's face; it filled my vision and overwhelmed my mind" (Bella)

Breaking Dawn is about children, Renesmee in particular. But I will start at the beginning if I can. They actually got married! In the first few hundred pages, so I had to wonder, what's going to happen - and what's with all the foreshadowing of "innocent children" and Bella dreaming of babies. Well, it's not long before we learn that Bella is pregnant with Edward's baby.

And then we see things from Jacob's point of view, whom I feel very sympathetic to about Bella, and learn of Bella's struggles through his eyes. Finally, the time has come for the birth, and with a baby that is half vampire, half human - it's a rough go. Nonetheless - at this point there are too many pages left for Bella to die, so she does not. Becoming an excellent newborn vampire with amazing control, and her own special power - that is something I won't tell you. The final chapters are about the struggle to save her precious baby, Renesmee. From the ever present Volturi, who see this baby as a violation of the laws.

This writing is superb! She could have made this book into many, but she keeps it together as one. The foreshadowing and developments and surprises in this book are many and I must say - extremely creative without being outside of the realm of the "supernatural" reality we are in with the series. Things that happened in the first book are still making an impact in the 4th, which is something very unexpected.

And the love that a mother feels for her child, the ability to share her child with others, and the strength of her bonds to all seem to tie this book together. At times, I disliked all of the vampire family (the Cullens) - but not for long. Each of them returns to the easy and lovely person I have loved all along. I even disliked Edward, but only for a second and it's easily forgiven. So, yes, I am still in love with him!

And in the end, everything is resolved that I needed to know about to feel peace with the series and a feeling that it had closure. That was a wonderful feeling. But as my friend said, I miss Edward. Such a love that he feels for Bella and has waited for is not a trivial thing for adults much less a teen. This is my favorite book of the series, by far.

"Forever and forever and forever" he murmured. "That sounds exactly right to me".

A Complaint! Imagine that...

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Fri, 22 May 2009 01:46:00 +0000

Ok, today was great and then miserable. I was in Denison, TX and doing a presentation that went extremely well - that was the great part.
THEN...
I went to Dallas Love Field to fly to Nashville. Lucky me, I got there a couple of hours early, so I thought! WHOA! There must have been 500 people trying to get through security. So, I went to the "other" security gate and it was backed up too! It took me 1 hr 30 minutes to get through security. Needless to say, I missed the earlier flight and I was standing near several people who missed their flights! I don't think it's Memorial Day, everyone was saying it has been like this for the past week. So, go early to Love Field if you are flying out, because TRUST ME - TSA does not care how long it takes.

And, I am reading Breaking Dawn so you will have a book review soon...

Book Review of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:54:00 +0000

I love Jennifer Crusie, she is such a great writer! I read her recent re-release of "Strange Bedpersons" this past week, and I think it's a winner!

First of all, I have read many books of hers, and I must say the newer books are very different, with stronger women and more complex plots. But, this one is as simple and lovely as they could be. I liked the spunk in Tess, the main character, but I felt the other people were superficially developed and could have had more depth. I kind of wondered what their motivation was, and throughout the book I was given hints but nothing solid. And my other thought is that Tess gives in too easily to Nick. For a feminist, she enjoys being taken care of.

But the story is fun, goes quickly and predictably, and the love is clear. I think it was a good read, and the sexual encounters are exciting and fun. Sort of like a harlequin romance, I knew how it would end but I did like the journey. And the interaction with Christine and Nick are worthwhile, she's a great secretary. So, I would say read this book if you can, you won't be sorry.

I got a blog award!

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Sat, 16 May 2009 11:26:00 +0000

I got my first award! Yeah! Thank you so much little lady cakes!

So, I have to give the award to 15 other newly discovered blogs - which because I participate in SITS is not a hard thing to do!

Here goes -
1. Bluebirds living in the meadow
2. Lavender and Roses
3. The Entertaining House
4. Fairy Blog Mother
5. So Not Mom-O-Licious
6. Honest & Truly
7. Keeping up with the Schultz Family
8. Mommy? I'm Hungry!
9. Creative Attempts
10. Sassy Secrets of a True Blue Housewife
11. Lovely Purses
12. Unwrap Life

Here are the rules:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Book Review: Thank You for Smoking

noreply@blogger.com (Mathea) — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:41:00 +0000

This week I read the book Thank You for Smoking, Christopher Buckley, 1994.

You may wonder why I read such an old book but the truth is that I have read some of Christopher Buckley's new works and I have been wondering what the heck some of the acclaim is about. So I thought I would read the first book, since Nick Naylor is referenced in other books.

Can I just say that Nick Naylor is the King of Spin? He works for the Tobacco Lobby back before it totally lost all of it's teeth with the states suing them. And in this book, he is dispicable... You can tell he's doing it for the money, but then the "Captain" gets him inspired and next thing you know all heck breaks loose.

Nick is kidnapped and stuck all over with Nicotine patches, which ultimately causes him to stop smoking. (Throughout the book, he's a heavy smoker). What was meant to kill him does not work, and he becomes a celebrity. Later, the FBI is investigating and ultimately arrests him for "faking" the kidnapping.

I like Nick Naylor because he is an unlikely hero. I think that he knows he is doing terrible things but justifies them in his head. And, in the end, he does an about face as the real villian is brought to light. I like it that he feels he should do some pennance for his bad deeds and goes to jail for 2.5 years anyway. I suppose everyone gets their just desserts in this book by the end. It is an easy read, and quite funny at parts.