SALE SALE SALE!!!

EVERYTHING WILL BE 20% OFF IN MY EMBRACE BATH & BODY STORE FROM FRIDAY TILL SATURDAY EVENING.
THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE COST OF SHIPPING, OR APPLY TO OUR WEBSITE. PLEASE WAIT FOR A REVISED INVOICE BEFORE PAYING! HAPPY SHOPPING!

Stress Dreams...

We all have them, and surprisingly, they are very similar. I had a very common one last night. I dreamed I moved back to Ossian, Indiana and for some freak reason, was told that none of my schooling from Wisconsin and Minnesota "counted" there, so I would have to just start over. Usually these "return to school" stress dreams take you back to high school. I must be really stressed out because I had to go all the way back to elementary school. I kept thinking how boring it was going to be, because I already knew all the stuff, but then started dreading the day I would have to move on to junior and senior high and have to deal with algebra again. Of course, there is always something a little bit weird about these dreams. In this one, we were all adults. Some were versions of kids I had known in Ossian when I was little. And then, there was Jason Bateman. What he was doing in my dream I have no idea. He was a jerk in my dream and he kept teasing me and driving me and my friend nuts. About half way through my dream, I said, "Wait a minute....he's Jason Bateman. He's just an actor, and I actually like him. If he's here, none of this can be real!" At that point I woke up.
Cari and Brandon are moving tomorrow, so we are going to supper with them tonight. That will be sad. Everyone is leaving Florida in a mass exodus. Gee, I don't know why? Could it be all the horrible drivers (voted some of the worst in the nation), the rude New Yorkers who live here, the lovely hurricanes, disgusting bugs, and unbearable summer heat and daily thunderstorms? I think we may have touched on something there. Oh, I forgot the inflated cost of living. Rob is heading back up north at the end of Aug. and I hope we don't get a hurricane while he is gone. There is no way in Hades I could make it through one of those on my own.

Things I have learned today....

I like to listen to this radio station during the day that has random tidbits of information and factoids. It helps me retain some brain cells through-out the day at least.
Things I learned today:
1. A study was done involving the scent of vanilla. There was a group of women who wore vanilla scented patches, and apparently it was easier for them to lose weight. The receptors in the brain were tricked by the vanilla scent into thinking their sweet tooth craving had been satisfied, making them less likely to eat sugary snacks.

2. Smelling cinnamon helps one to concentrate.

3. Chronic loss of sleep can lead to heart problems/disease and shorten your life.

On that note, I will be heading to bed. I didn't sleep well again last night. I really need to go get the sleep study done I was referred to do last year. I didn't have insurance at the time, so had to pass. I am pretty sure I have a sleeping disorder and/or chronic fatigue syndrome. So, off to bed I go. Hope ya'll are having a nice week.

Pudgie

Not much to report on today, so I will share my favorite picture of my favorite belly in the world.

The joys of spam...

I just checked my email (while waiting for my super slow printer to finish some labels for the new Lip Tints) and found what I believe to be my 4th spam today. They always come to the email address associated with my website. I have to admit, some of them make me laugh.
Apparently, these spammers don't know me very well. Here are some tips guys...
1. "You can increase your manlihood!"
.....the last time I checked, I don't have any manlihood, and never will. I am a 100% woman, who loves to bake cupcakes, go shopping, and wear makeup.

2. "Checkout our online pharmacy!" First of all, that's just plain scary. Second of all, I am not a drug addict. Thirdly, if the doctor's could figure out what is wrong with me, don't ya think I would already be on something? Last time I checked, they don't have a cure-all for getting old/forgetting everything/just plain loony syndrome. It am pretty sure that's what I have.

3. I don't speak German...so sending me emails in that language does you no good. For all I know, you are just discussing Haselnusstorte (hazelnut Torte). Now that sounds like something that would be perfect for a 100% woman who is feeling a little bit nutty.

A hawk wants to eat my kittehs....

There has been a huge hawk flying around over the pond in our back yard today, and I am pretty sure he would like to eat my cats. They hang out in our screened patio sometimes during the day. Little does he know, that they quite possibly want to eat him too. They think it is just a big flying chicken. Mmmmmm...hawk, the other white meat.

Rob just called and said he has landed at the Orlando airport, however, he was stressed out and on the phone with someone when he parked his car in the garage there before he flew out Monday, and now he can't find it. He forgot where he parked. He has already spent 45 minutes looking and is going to go from floor to floor till he finds it. And people wonder why I don't like to go on vacations.

I just finished a batch of lipstick in a lovely warm brown shade...one of my favorite colors.
My mother just sent me this You Tube video. It totally looks like one of the commercials my church would have on TV. I had to go check it out to make sure it wasn't a Mormon commercial. Here it is...

Another afternoon spent in the bathroom....

...because we had such a bad storm I was sure there was going to be a tornado. It was lightening like crazy, downpouring, and the winds were so wild that our little trees in the back yard were nearly bent over to the ground. So, I snatched up the kitties and we all spent some time hiding out in the bathroom. When it passed and I turned on the TV, the winds were reported to be 50mph. At least we don't have a hurricane coming at us like Texas does right now.
I went and got our Honda Civic worked on today, as it needed new rotors. The wheel was shaking like crazy every time I pushed on the brakes. We also were told our front passenger side airbag is faulty, but I will have to find a dealer to do that. I have to say how grateful I am for our mechanic. He is way over on the other side of town (30-40 min drive) but he is fast, always fits us in, is honest, and is very reasonable. He gave me a discount without me even asking.
Rob gets home from MN tomorrow in the late afternoon. That means my frozen pizza and ice cream binge will come to an end. Rob if you are reading this, I am sure you already know that I eat junk when you are gone. I think most women do!
My wounds are healing now, but the one on my arm is still noticeable and disgusting looking. I have had quite a few people glance at it while talking to me, then have a hard time looking back at my eyes the rest of the conversation. I would like to stop and say, "Yes, I have a very large, disgusting owie on my arm. I am sorry you had to be subjected to that."
Well, at least they aren't staring at my chest! LOL!

Keepin' Busy...

Well, Monday came to an end. Thank goodness! No more pillow screaming was necessary. Today I continued working on my hair pomade recipe, and finally tweaked it to my liking. I made two scents, Lime Sugar (a base note simiar to cotton candy, with a hint of key lime), and Lavender Mint. I actually liked the Lime Sugar so much that I made my own little pot of solid perfume, and added a hint of Texas Blue Bonnet. It smelled very similar to my favorite perfume at the moment...Lollia "Believe."
After that, I worked on some coffee scented hand balms that were a special order and finished some lip balms in cotton candy, chocolate, and coffee flavors.
Tomorrow I start pet sitting for Cari's kitties and will visit them every morning till she returns. I also have to take the car in to get it worked on in the morning.
Rob finally called and updated me today, but not much progress had been made.
Well, I have to get up bright and early tomorrow, so I will say goodnight. Tomorrow is lipstick day! I can't wait to try the new recipe I have for that!

ARRRRRGGGGHHH!

Number of times I have screamed into a pillow at the top of my lungs this morning: one........ so far.

Let's hope that is the last time. My email isn't working, my brochures for my business are not done and I NEED them, we are almost completely out of minutes on our cell phones, and then there is the ongoing family saga up north. Rob left this morning to go deal with that. Let's hope that Monday improves soon, and my pillow will soon be of no use for me except for sleeping.

Let the crazy week begin....

I think I may need a mental health day by the end of this week.
Rob is traveling out of state to take care of some family stuff, our Civic has to visit the mechanics, I am cat-sitting, have some orders and new products to work on, then have to chaperone a youth church conference out of town on Sat.
I got to sleep in till 8 am today, which was wonderful. Much better than 5 am.
We went to see Batman, The Dark Knight this afternoon, and it was pretty good. I did keep giggling at Batman's goofy voice though. The one bad thing about the movie was all the moving around of the camera, and actions scenes that were shot so fleetingly, that we had no idea what had just happened. The bouncy camera effect left me feeling dizzy with a headache.
We ate at a little restaurant on Hutchinson Island called Chuck's Seafood. The place didn't look very nice from the inside or the outside, but the food was really good. I am not a big seafood fan, so I ordered their chicken fingers. They were the best I have ever had. The batter was wonderful, and they were all white meat.
Well, gotta get up early for church tomorrow, so it is time to hit the sack. Hope everyone had a nice Saturday.

My day so far...

Went to bed at midnight last night. Rob woke me up at 5 am, because he couldn't sleep.

7 :15 am....Somehow, a small lizard ended up inside our screened porch and was chased INTO the house.
Much to my cats' dismay, I quickly caught the poor fellow, and returned him gently to a bush in the front yard. Poor guy was so terrified, he wouldn't even leave my hand at first. He just sat there and breathed....really fast.

9:16 am......2 whooping cranes just passed our house, going for a walk down the middle of our street, hollering loudly to let everyone know that this is THEIR neighborhood too.

At 11:20, Pudgie has an appt. to get her shots updated. Looks like it is going to be one of my "weird animal events" days.
As long as the 200 lb. wild boars don't show up (we had them at the old house), I think I can handle the excitement.
(Yawn)
I need a nap.

Is it Friday already?

This week has gone by fast, but hasn't been without its long, drawn-out trials. I think we could use a vacation about now. We can't really take a rain check on our current trials though, so we enjoyed some chicken wings and donuts tonight as a treat, and that is as close to a vacation as we are going to get. I consider it a 10 minute mental health vacation. Eat one donut and call me in the morning. Actually, it is only a 5 minute mental health vacation for Rob, as he eats twice as fast as me. We have actually timed it.
I highlighted Cari's hair today and it turned out pretty well. We were both freaking out, thinking she was going to end up with orange streaks at first, but they were no where near orange. Home hair experiments can be pretty scary. I am not much of a risk-taker by nature, so I guess this is where my "wild" side shows. I dyed mine back to its original color, after deciding I didn't want to deal with highlight touch-ups every month.
The new Batman movie comes out this weekend, but I can't decide if I am excited to see it or not. After watching about half an hour of the last one on TV tonight, I got bored, and sort of annoyed with the acting. One thing that bothers me is how Bruce Wayne has a completely different voice than when he changes into Batman. He goes from normal, to "throaty." That must have messed with Christian Bale's vocal chords in a major way. Wonder if he ever got the voices confused and used them for the wrong character.
Anyway, enough rambling. This tired puppy is off to bed. Hope you have a nice weekend!

Are you trying to call us?

Someone (I am guessing a family member) has tried to call us yesterday morning a little after 8, last night at 9:45, and again this morning at 7 am. For some reason, every time I try to answer the phone, there is a dial tone and no one there. At first I thought it was our phone, but I have had other people call with no problems. So, if you are trying to reach us, try our cell phones, and if you don't have those, post here or email me via my website (www.theroyalbead.com) and I will have Rob call you ( I am guessing you are calling for Rob). Tony, if it is you, drop Rob an email and let him know you are trying to call. I just can't figure out who it is! I don't think your phone line is working properly. Either that, or someone is prank calling us. Probably not a good idea to be doing that right now with what is going on.

Anyway, not much else to say here. Hope everyone has a good Wednesday!

I am glad that Monday is over....

I don't know what I had, but I became pretty ill on Sunday evening and had it all day yesterday too. It has been a while since I had a pajama day. At least it hit at the right time. My arm was really painful yesterday from the surgery, so it was good to rest. I have been busy concocting new recipes for some Embrace products in the mean time, and will be playing when my new supplies arrive at the end of the week. We got some bad family news which I won't go into, but once again, I am reminded of how grateful I am for my parents.
Have you ever sat down and thought,"If I could get rid of only three things in the world, what would they be?" I did yesterday. My three choices were:
Drugs/Alcohol
Cancer
Greed
There are so many things to choose from, but these three came to my mind instantly. Not only do they destroy the lives of those afflicted with them, but the also have the ability to destroy the lives of the ones they love, and anyone else who comes in their path. I read someone else's blog yesterday about how one of these is affecting her right now, and has lead to the end of her long marriage, causing her to uproot herself late in life and start over somewhere new, where she knows no one. Reading how she was treated and how she was feeling made me ache in my heart for her.
Well, upward and onward. Today will be a busy day, recovering from my sick day. It is beautiful outside and I better get out and do the grocery shopping before our daily Florida storms roll in. We lost electricity for a while yesterday!

Don't always listen to the critics.....

Rob and I went to see the movie "Hancock" yesterday, and are glad we did. We almost passed on it because of the reviews it had gotten. A lot of critics said the ending came out of no where and had to odd of a twist. I was actually predicting that part of the plot half way through the movie, so it wasn't a big surprise to me, and I actually found it quite clever. There are some parts I think should have been taken out, mainly language, but other than that, we really liked it.

I took my bandages off my new wounds for the first time yesterday. Although I am glad I opted to not get stitches, the new circular wounds are pretty unpleasant looking. If any of you ever watched Charmed and remember what it would look like when one of them took a demon fire ball to the arm, that is what they look like...only smaller. The larger one on my arm is a little larger than the size of a quarter, and is still bleeding a bit off and on. It is painful, but nothing I can't deal with. At least it isn't on the side I sleep on.

On another note, I like to share funny videos with you now and then, so here is one of my favorites. This guy cracks me up with his videos about his cat! Check it out...

YAYYYYYYYYY!

I am so ecstatic right now, I could just about scream. I would, but the neighbors might think I am crazy. Just got back from my apt. at the dermatologist. I was supposed to get surgery and stitches on my left upper arm and my "flank"...(doesn't that make me sound like a piece of meat?) , but when I got there, the doctor looked over my chart and said those places had only come back "mild" atypical, so if I wanted, they could just slice from the top again, and my healing time would be much shorter, and the scar should be fine. I was sooooo relieved. So, within 20 minutes, I was out of there. I will have some pain on those spots for a short while, and I had quite a bit of bleeding, but it is under control now.
I will be going in yearly to get checked now. I hope you do too!
Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

FINAL JEWELRY MARKDOWNS IN MY ETSY STORE!!!

Just wanted to let ya'll know that I just took final markdowns on the jewelry in my Etsy store! Some items are even so low, they are at cost of what it took to must buy the materials to make them. With the yucky economy, and slow sales, I need to make back some of what I invested. So, take a peek....maybe an item you have had your eye on is now in your price range!
Click here...... H U G E F I N A L S A L E !

Oh the humanity!

Poor, poor Tiny. She got her yearly shots updated on Tuesday, and also had Revolution preventative flea/tick/etc. put on her. They put it on the back of her neck, where they are not supposed to be able to reach it to lick. Well, I swear, she must be part owl or something, because she was getting awfully close to licking that spot, so she got to wear the "Duckie Shirt" again. It is saved for occasions such as this. She acts like an idiot the whole time it is on and walks with her belly dragging the floor. She wore it for a few hours, till the stuff had dried. Then she was really crabby and tired from her Rabies shots. Pudgie goes in next month. She is a little harder to fit into the Duckie Shirt. Her fatness kind of oozes out.

Well, we have good news... the hurricane isn't coming anywhere near us according to the weather man, so we are saved this time.
Friday, I go in for my next round of skin surgery and stitches. This time it will be my left arm and torso. As you can guess, I am really looking forward to it. I wish someone could just knock me out for it, and wake me up in a few days. I am such a baby. Don't worry, I won't take any pictures and gross ya'll out this time. Heh Heh....

Ick....Change.

I am not a big fan of change. My email provider, Excite.com, decided to use a new service to "improve" their existing service, and now I can't log into any of my email accounts with them. So, if you are trying to get in touch with me, feel free to contact me via my Etsy store. I am not sure how long this problem will persist.

On another note, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I hope you have a relaxing day, nice weather, and a satisfying meal tonight. Love ya!

And lastly, it is hurricane season, and there may be one headed our way. We won't know till mid week. Hurricanes in Florida can mean up to 2 weeks without electricity which means NO INTERNET, so if that were to happen, please don't freak out if I don't answer your email. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't become "organized." I love how the forecasters use the word "organized." It sounds like the hurricane is part of some kind of crime scheming mafia group or something. Maybe it is an Italian hurricane.

Never Again!

I always joke with Rob that these will be the words he is to put on my tombstone someday. They usually are used in describing my feelings after eating at a horrible restaurant, going to a really bad event of some sort, etc. Today, they apply to Great Clips. Never again will I ever, ever go there. With the economy the way it is, and living on a tight budget, hair cuts are one of the things I have been trying to pay less for. I have also been coloring my own hair. Today was the last time I will ever set foot in that place again.
First of all, I have been in a rotten mood all weekend. I tend to get really down around the holidays, because my family is far away, we have no kids yet...and most everyone else does...so they are hanging out with the rest of the couples who have kids, and Rob doesn't really get into holidays they way I do. I watched the fireworks by myself from our back porch sliding door while he tried to sleep. To make matters worse, we went to the store Friday night because we were out of some things, and the deli guy says,"Shouldn't you be out barbeque-ing or something?" I nearly started to cry.
Back to my story....I was in a bad mood. The kind where just about anything will make me cry. I really needed a trim and left hurriedly from the hair cutters to meet Rob at home and head to the theatre to join Cari & Brandon for a movie. Rob takes one look at the back of my hair and asks if I realized what a horrible job she had done. When I got home and looked at the back of my hair (I have a stacked bob) I was shocked. It looked like some kid took a pair of scissors and went crazy on my hair. I spent about an hour with scissors in hand, trying to even things out. I was almost in tears again and didn't want to leave the house for church tomorrow.
It is somewhat tolerable now, but I have learned my lesson. Those two famous words now apply to Great Clips....and Cost Cutters...and any place like that.
NEVER AGAIN.

Happy Independence Day!

I hope all of you have a safe and happy 4th! Not a day goes by that I don't think about how blessed I am go live in this country and have the freedoms I do as an American. I am reminded every time I turn on the radio, TV, or CNN.com. Take time to remember all the things you are blessed with in this country.
I adore animals, and wanted to share this info I found at http://www.chronline.com/storylife. The 4th of July can be a scary time for pets, and a lot of them escape or run away this time every year. Please take a moment and read these tips for a happier, safer 4th for your furry family members....

Pet Safety During Fireworks Season

Fourth of July can be especially stressful on pets. Dogs in particular seem to suffer from noise phobias. Here are some suggestions from About.com and “K9 Magazine” on helping pets through the trauma of fireworks season:

Keep pets indoors. Close the curtains and turn on the television or radio to provide some distraction.

Use a leash or carrier if you must be outside with your pet.

Keep pets away from matches, open fires and fireworks, especially ones that are lighted on the ground. Pets may try to sniff fireworks, and their hair can easily catch fire if too close.

Make sure your pet has time to “use the restroom” before the fireworks start. Some are too frightened once fireworks begin, and that could lead to an “accident” later.

Make sure pet identification tags are current.

Make sure dogs have their own special area where they can go to feel safe, whether it’s an indoor kennel or a place under the stairs.

Bring outdoor pets inside if possible. If not, cover kennels with a blanket at night to protect a little from the bright flashes and loud bangs.

And one I am adding for cats....they may also be frightened by the noises. If you are having guests over, or have family members going in and out of the house during the fireworks, it may be best to confine your kitties to a "safe room" to prevent them from escaping out a door. Frightened animals behave differently, and a cat who normally doesn't try to get out the front door, may do so under these circumstances.

This song is stuck in my head.....

The joys of being a cat owner

We got our postcard in the mail yesterday for Tiny's annual exam and shots. I called to schedule it and they asked me to bring in a stool a sample. The lady on the phone didn't have the English language down very well. I told her that it would be a problem because we have two cats.
"How am I supposed to know whose poop is whose?" I asked.
"Hee Hee....you bring two poops to us then!" was her reply.
Who is to say I won't grab two of Pudgie's poops? Just thinking about carrying cat poop around in a baggie makes me want to gag right now. That reminds me...I need to go clean the cat box.