12:22 and I should be in bed...

Strange, but I actually wasn't tired for once today. I have been working since I stepped out of bed this morning. I accomplished most of what I had planned. I didn't get any answers at the doctor's office yesterday, but am waiting for some test results to come back. They did a test for Epstein Barr, checking to see if some latent virus is wreaking havoc on my immune system. It it isn't that, I am guessing more tests, and a diagnosis leaning toward Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Well, someone with CFS probably shouldn't be up at 12:30 am, so I better get to bed. Don't know if I will get any quality sleep tonight though. There is a cat outside who is peeking in our windows at our cat, Tiny, and she is freaking out and making all kinds of weird noises. I suspect it belongs to our red neck neighbors who live on the corner. They have way more animals than the HOA allows, and let them run all over the neighborhood. The animal control and HOA have had words with them, and I think they just don't care. Today, the man of the house was standing in his drive way, with no shirt on (and trust me, if anyone needs a shirt, it is this man), no shoes or socks, really short shorts, yelling at his kid for 5 minutes. His boy was down the street playing. I think the whole neighborhood heard him.

Good night...hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Off to the doctor I go...

Well, I have finally HAD it. I am off to the doctor to see if anyone can explain why I keep having 4-7 days of sore throats in a row every other week. I started getting these sore throats when we moved down here, and they have become more frequent. I don't think it is just allergies when I look at all the other symptoms I am having. So, I hope this doctor will actually listen to me instead of trying to get me in and out as quickly as possible. Whatever is wrong with me, it isn't going to be a quick thing. I hate going to the doctor. Wish me luck...Lori

Yay!

Looks like nasty 'ole Gustav is headed away from Florida....for now anyways. Hurricanes are kinda like women. They can change their minds whenever they please. Still working on that order, so it will be a few days till the new sugar scrubs are ready. I will also make some more Lip Tints, as Tease has been a best seller, and I can't keep it in stock! Looks like I am almost out of Blushing Melon too. I want to work on some jewelry this weekend, and hope I have time to. I have some ideas floating around in my head. There isn't another bead show in the area till October, and my supplies are running low. I can still do some metal work, but I am really craving beads....and color. I know I will be making some cupcake earrings though. I really need to get those out of my head. Bye for now....Lori

Not ANOTHER one!

Yes, it's true. Another one of those scary storms could hit us by the weekend. The flood waters in Port St. Lucie have receded and everything seems to be back to normal for now. Again, they don't know for sure it will hit us, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does, and this time they say it will be a hurricane when it hits. Lovely. Rob is planning on going up north this weekend again, and I don't want to be by myself through this. I don't even know if he will be able to GET home. I am starting to stress out already. Please God, tell my husband to get me the heck out of this state! I know you are listening!

I have been busy working on a wholesale order and getting some brochures and product samples kits out in the mail, so I may be somewhat quiet over the next few days. So, I figured I would give you a cute pic of my kitty to look at in the mean time....talk to you later...

Whoosh!

Boy did this week go by fast. I guess tropical storms kind of make that happen. They take up a lot of time you could have used to do other things and getting stuck at home isn't my idea of a fun time. I did get to sleep in (FINALLY) this morning, and got a lot of work done and the house cleaned yesterday. I don't know what our plans are today, except that we are eating out at our favorite Indian food place, Curry & Merry's. That is, unless they are flooded. They are on the "other" side of town....the wet side. If we can't go there, it is totally MY turn to pick the restaurant. Rob picked last week and it was yucky. Even HE agreed. He is taking care of some business stuff this morning.
Well, nothing very exciting to share. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable weekend. Chat with you later...Lori

Pics of the flood...

Here are some pics of the other side of town (St. Lucie West and East St. Lucie). We are nice and dry over here. I still think it is a miracle.

Finally finished Breaking Dawn...

Last night, I finally finished it. I am sure the rest of you reading it have had it finished for weeks. I tried to read during the storm, but I was so stressed out I couldn't enjoy it. I think I read this one slower because I knew it was the last one, and it would all be over after that. I liked the ending, it was how I had hoped it would turn out. I have to admit, I have been a member of Team Edward since the beginning. Now we just wait for the movie to come out. I was glad they picked a cast before I got the last book, because it was nice to put faces on the characters in my head. I do say, Robert Pattinson was the perfect pick in my opinion. Poor guy has been getting slack since they picked him, and I have no idea why.

We are still having winds and some sprinkles here and there. The other side of town is still flooded. Just so you understand how lucky we are, the town above us, under 2 hours away got over 20 inches of rain. They are now saying we got between 8 and 12.

I am headed over to my friend's house this afternoon to visit with her and her new baby girl. I am excited to see her and hold her. Well, take care, and thanks for stopping by!

8:00am Wednesday

The winds got super crazy last night and I thought for sure out glass doors were going to blow down, they were shaking so badly. I was still freaked out and didn't want to sleep in my bed next to a window, so I slept from 10:30 to 4 am in the bath tub again. Kinda cramps the legs, but luckily, I am short. I got up at 4, heard quieted winds and returned to my bed. We are very lucky. No trees down on our lot, no flooding in the house, no loss of electric. The other side of town is a whole other story. 8,000 Port St. Lucie homes flooded last night, and they are using dump trucks to get people to and from their houses. 30 intersections are closed and flooded with waters 2-3 feet deep. We are still having some wind, but NOTHING compared to last night when the center of the storm went by us. We had 65 mph winds with gusts to 85 mph (which is considered hurricane strength).

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. It obviously helped. Somehow, we remained untouched. I feel badly for those on the other side of town. Rob is headed into work, just 2 miles down the road and plans to call me and let me know how the main road to the grocery store is. If it is fine, I will venture out there today. No use in doing my hair today! LOL! Love, Lori

6:30 pm

The eye of the storm is going over Lake Okeechobee right now, and we are getting the horrible winds and rain again. The winds are around 65 mph right now, and according to the news, all the streets east of US 1 in Port St. Lucie are flooded. Our screened porch is covered in water, and there are a few small trees down, and some that have no more leaves left. It looks like if a person were to step outside right now, the rain would physically hurt the skin. It would be like having 3 large buckets of water hurled at you at 65mph.

Once again, someone is trying to call us, and everytime the phone rings and I answer it, it "hangs up" on them. I never figured out who this person was when this happened a few months ago. If you can't reach our home phone, call one of our cells. That is the best bet for now. Our caller ID isn't even registering your incoming call.

I probably won't update till tomorrow. I really, really hope this settles down by bedtime, so I don't end up napping all day tomorrow to make up for it. Talk to ya'll soon...Lori

1:30 pm Tuesday

I finally caught up on my sleep in my own bed (instead of the bathtub), and things seem to have calmed down for a while. The sun came out for a short moment, and now the winds are picking up again. For those of you worried about the pond behind our house (that would be you mom!) according to the weather people, Port St. Lucie has only gotten between 2-3 inches. It doesn't look the slightest bit higher. We are STILL getting tornado warnings, and probably will for the rest of the night. Rob stopped in at work..I am guessing he had had enough of my storm panic. He went to the gym in the middle of the worst stuff this morning and worked out, then came home and ran around in the rain outside. I still haven't showered, as my biggest fear is that I will be in the shower when the tornado comes and I will end up on the other side of the housing edition...naked.

There have been three tornadoes around us so far...one in Wellington (45 miles away), one in Stuart (30 minutes away), and one in Ft. Pierce (20 minutes away). Everyone's prayers must be working, as it seems we are in the middle of everything, yet it is all missing us so far.

Well, I have 100 pages left of Breaking Dawn to read (I saved it knowing that I may need something to do today), so I think I will finish it now. Take care...I will update again soon!

We haven't blown away yet...

Well, the storm rolled in at full force this morning around 1:30 and the kitties and I spend from then until 6:30 we all stayed in the bathroom. I went and woke Rob up when a tornado warning was issued for us. We have had one after another, and one did hit Wellington. We have more rain than we know what to do with and a LOT of wind. I believe the worst is yet to come as the center of the storm gets closer, so I am sure there will be more time hiding in the bathroom. I actually slept in the bathtub last night. Not very comfortable. We will get in touch with family and friends tomorrow to update, unless there is an emergency today. Love, Lori

Fay is on her way....

Well, so far it looks like we got lucky this time. It appears we are only going to be under a tropical storm warning. The only problem with that is flooding and tornado spin-offs that come without warning. Tornadoes are worse than hurricanes if they hit your home or town. We don't have basements here, so basically we are left cowering in our closet. We have had some heavy rain so far, but is has subsided as of right now. The worst is supposed to roll in late tonight and into tomorrow.

So, I have decided to shut down both of my Etsy store's for right now, until further notice, just in case we lose electric, and because I won't be able to ship. I made my last post office run this morning.

I feel pretty prepared as far as water, food, and supplies. I am still suffering anxiety (but as someone who has panic anxiety disorder, it could be the most beautiful day outside and I may feel the same way) so I calmed my nerves by downing some chocolate truffles. I gave the kitties some cat nip, so now that their goofiness has subsided, they are all nice and mellow...having afternoon nap time.

Well, I will update again over the next day or so...unless we lose electricity or something. Take care, Lori

We are on the lookout...

Well, this could be our first hurricane since we moved here. The way the models all look, it appears that Fay will affect us in some way, whether it is minor or severe. If it hits anywhere near Port Saint Lucie, we will probably lose power, so I may not be able to answer emails, and if things are really bad, won't have postal service. I will make note in my Etsy store and close it ahead of time if the forecasters have it headed this way. It would probably hit about Tuesday.

I spent a large part of the afternoon yesterday getting more supplies. There are still a few things I need, and a few things we need to do. I hope Rob can figure out how to put up our hurricane shutters. The things weigh a ton!

Well, keep us in your prayers. We need it! Have a nice weekend, Lori

Embrace Bath & Body TGIF SALE!!!

Tomorrow, August 15th will be a THANK GOODNESS IT'S FRIDAY SALE!

Everything in our Embrace Bath & Body Etsy store will be 20%, and all orders over $20 will receive a free surprise along with their order!

Simply place your order via Etsy, then wait for me to send you a revised Paypal invoice. Once you receive my invoice, go ahead and pay via Paypal. Your order will ship out Monday morning.

Have a super weekend everyone, and happy shopping!
- Lori

Sterling Silver Stamped Cupcake Bracelet

Here's a pic of the bracelet I promised to share. It has one of my favorite quotes : Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first! It is in my Etsy store, and available for purchase. I have a matching necklace that was posted a few days ago.

I made the cupcake stamp myself, and added a cute confetti lampwork bead that reminds me of pink icing with sprinkles on top.

No other big news for today. I got my cell phone back. Rob had made off with it yesterday, just like I thought. I now have a huge sticker on the back side so he knows which is which.
It finally happened. I had my first vampire nightmare last night after saying up late reading Breaking Dawn. I have only been reading a little bit at a time at night. So, unlike most fans, I have not finished it yet. I am savoring it instead. So, if you run into me and have already finished it, I don't want to hear a word about it! Put a sock in it! LOL!

More CupCake -Y Goodness is on the way!

I had planned on making some phone calls to some out of state stores today regarding wholesale, but Rob made off with my cell phone. I hope he didn't lose it. So, I can't make any long distance calls for now, till it is in my hands.

So, I made a cupcake bracelet today. I will post a pic tomorrow. It is sterling silver, stamped, and super cute! Yeah for cupcakes!

We are back up and running...

We were down for a while this morning due to a computer problem, but it is fixed now and are back on track. My husband had plugged his new MP3 player into my work computer and it was causing it to crash. Bad husband!

Me thinks I may have to put a lock or password on my computer, or set up booby traps or SOMETHING! Any suggestions? Maybe I need to get an attack cat!

Well, off to do some grocery shopping. I will be extra careful to not take off with someone else's cart this week.

OUR EMBRACE ETSY STORE IS CURRENTLY CLOSED DUE TO COMPUTER MAINTENANCE

Did I ever mention that I hate Mondays? Even though most people hate them because they have to go back to work, I hate them because everything seems to go wrong on Mondays. I am my own boss, so it isn't the work part that I hate. Ugh.

Our external hard drive bit the dust a while ago, and I had just bought some blank CDs to save our company files to, but didn't get a chance to this weekend. The computer was working fine last night, but when we turned it on this morning, the monitor blanks out, and I don't know if it is the computer or the monitor. Either way, I can't print out any new labels for our products right now, so we are just closing until it is fixed. I can still answer questions, as we have my husband's laptop. So, I apologize for the inconvenience. The labels took me hours and hours to create, and my newly designed brochure was on that computer also. Please keep your fingers crossed, send prayers, white light, whatever you do! We need the help! Thanks, Lori

Mmmmmmm....Zuppa

Today we celebrated my birthday, since Wed. we didn't spend more than 15 minutes together. I tried to sleep in, but my body clock still wakes me up at 7:00am every day. That's okay, because I used the time to clean out the car. My friend is due to have a baby any day now, and we keep joking that since I live down the street, there was a small chance I would end up being the one driving her to the hospital if her husband didn't make it home in time from work or something. I haven't heard from her since I left a message Friday, so I am wondering if she is in the hospital right now.
We went out to breakfast, and were ready to head to Vero Beach when a nasty storm rolled in, and it ended up raining most of the day. We went and looked at some model homes in Vero Beach while we waited for the rain to pass, then went and shopped a bit. We came home and ate at the Olive Garden, which just opened up a few days ago. We both loved our meals, and I barely had room for dessert. In fact, half of my dessert is in the freezer right now. I was so full, I couldn't even finish my ice cream. I usually ALWAYS have room for dessert.
After supper, I got my usual headache. I have been having them for a few weeks now, and they come at different times of the day. On the weekends, we do a lot of running around, and they usually hit late afternoon/early evening. I slept it off, which usually does the trick. I honestly think I have chronic fatigue syndrome along with my hypothyroidism, but I figure getting diagnosed won't help much, as there really aren't any treatments for it from what I have heard. I am tired of being tired all the time. This has been going on for over 2 yrs. now. It actually started in MN, and even though my thyroid levels are under control, I still am exhausted all the time. My doctors have just said, "well, you shouldn't be that tired." Duh. So, they treated me for iron deficiency. That is under control. Still tired. Sleeping doesn't help, and exercising doesn't help.
Well, enough whining. At least you'll understand if you see my yawning, or in a fog. Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

I actually made something today!

I haven't made any jewelry in over 2 months, and since it is taking forever to get my bath & body wholesale brochures done, I decided to have a jewelry day. I worked on some cupcake pendants and had a good time with it. It was nice to concentrate on creating with my hands instead of worrying about stuff for once. Here are the two finished pieces, in my Etsy store of course!

Sterling Silver Cupcake Necklace $65.00

Perfume....my weakness.

So, today is my 31st birthday. I checked as soon as I woke up this morning, and thankfully, I don't look or smell like a monkey. Maybe next year. I had some birthday cash (thanks Mom & Dad) so I went on a little shopping excursion....2 miles down the road. I really don't like to travel. LOL!

Here is what I got! Sula Champagne Sugar perfume.This is my new FAV perfume and I can't stop smelling my arm. I wish I could explain it, but it makes me feel calm when I smell it. In some odd way, I think it smells like a perfume my mom used to wear mixed with the smell of a bakery we used to frequent in Carmel, Indiana. It is interesting how scents affect us, and conjure memories.
As an extra added bonus, they were giving away free travel bags at Ulta with a perfume purchase, so I picked out one with a brown and pink plaid fabric. It's big enough I could fit one of the kitties in it. I could always use it to sneak Tiny into the movies with me! Don't worry, I'm not THAT crazy of a cat lady!

You look like a monkey and you smell like one too...

Who on earth ever came up with that version of the Happy Birthday song, anyways? It's funny when you are little, but when you get older you start to wonder if maybe you do look and smell like a monkey. More wrinkles every year, and with your hormones all out of wack, there is a small possibility you may smell like one.
Tomorrow is my 31st birthday. Nothing exciting planned as usual. We will go out to eat on Sat. I bought myself a Key Lime pie and it is waiting in the freezer to be devoured. I have a church function till late tomorrow night and will probably not see Rob for more than 15 minutes when he gets home from work. Not a very happenin' birthday. Pretty blah, in fact.
I have been trying to think of something fun to go do by myself tomorrow to try to "un-blah" the day, but I am at a loss.
Maybe I will go to the store and make off with someone's cart again, just for kicks.

Slowly but surely....

...I am losing my mind. I turn 31 this week, so maybe I can just blame it on that. I just made an idiot of myself in the grocery store. This isn't the first time it has happened, I admit, but I got CAUGHT this time. First, I have to explain how this came to be. I HATE going down isles with a cart. There are always a gazillion people all standing around with their mouths hanging open, with no clue as to what they are buying. They pay no attention to the fact that you just want to grab your soup and get the heck out of that isle, and on to the next. I loathe grocery shopping and try to get in and out as fast as possible. So, I park my cart at the end of the isle, grab what I need and return to my cart. Cuts my shopping time in half. No kidding.
Well, today, since I am losing my mind....I put my stuff (a huge bag of cat food and some TP) in someone else's cart and took off with it. I park it and go to get something and hear a lady with a thick New York accent freaking out and telling a guy wearing a hair net that her cart is missing.
"How could it have just disappeared! Some one took all my food! " she was hollering frantically.
It was at that moment, that it occurred to me that since I am losing my mind, I was probably involved. I looked into my cart. "I didn't buy any salad..why is there salad in my cart?" I thought to myself....then realized the only thing in the cart that was mine was the cat food and TP. I apologized to the lady, informed her I was losing my mind and went off in the other direction as fast as my little legs could carry me, so I wouldn't be in her midst when I busted out laughing. I was still giggling to myself when I got to the cashier.
Maybe I need to tie a really gaudy, bright colored bow on my cart next time like older people do to their cars so they know where they have parked. Or I could get one of those happy face ball thingies and attach it to a giant antenna on the cart.....

Happy August!

Thanks to all our customers who participated in our big sale! I can hardly believe August is here already. The kids in town go back to school soon...in about two weeks I think. We have 4 more months of hurricane season left. Boo to that.
My birthday is this Wednesday. We are going to actually celebrate it on Saturday though. Yesterday we helped clean the church in the morning, then went to the Florida Oceanographic Center on Hutchinson Island. It was neat, but after going to Underwater World at the Mall of America, it was itty bitty. We got to pet some rays and touch some creatures like starfish and sea cucumbers. After that we stopped at a pet store that had kitties brought in from some foster homes that were up for adoption. A black and white kitten with a black chin really wanted to come home with us. Rob had a hard time leaving him there. He was super sweet and gave lots of kisses. But alas, we are renters, and are only allowed 2 cats. I hope someone gives him a home. They had so many kittens there.
Well, I am off to church this morning. I have had a really bad sore throat since yesterday, and it looks like I will be headed to the doctor tomorrow if it isn't gone. Hope ya'll have a nice week!