The Boogieman is gonna get ya!!

Have you seen the new Jello "Temptations" commercial(s)?

In the 1st one they had a brother & sister standing in front of a fridge while the parents are telling them a spooky story about what happens to a little girl who stole her parents "Jello Temptations". I have to say I thought it was extremely cute & unique. Even my seven year old daughter thought it was great and funny. Though she did reassure herself that wouldn't happen to her, "right mom?"

The whole family enjoyed it soo much, I actually went on Jello's & Kraft's FaceBook pages to rave about them, and subscribe to their YouTube page. I even went out and bought some, though I am a Whole Foods person & don't tend to shop much outside of there (and yes, I let my daughter pick out some for her).

To my surprise and confusion, there were many remarks about how horrible these commercials are. People were actually saying that these commercials promoted Child Abuse!!? WOW!!? There are posts & blogs bashing Kraft & Jello for these commercials & trying to work up a campaign to boycott them.

I never realized I was such a bad parent. According to that logic I need to stop letting my daughter watch TV. After all, one of her favorite shows is "R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour", shown on HUB. Or how about some of her favorite Disney movies? Classic Fairy Tales? Better not let her go camping because a ghost story mighty be told around the camp fire! Time to go "burn some books"!

How traumatizing!! After all, look how bad be we all came out. I'm sure none of your parents never used the threat "Better go to sleep before the Boogieman gets you". Are you an insomniac now because of that? Spent years in therapy?

I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion, but what I don't get is the way people are quick to judge or criticize anybody who thinks differently then them. Unless you are doing something that is right out deceitful or ACTUALLY harmful to others (like trying to cripple a business or bash parents who like the commercials), then I am not going to speak out or judge. After all, remember that old adage, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"?

If you really need a cause to be involved in or work to spread the word, how about making sure everyone who has been paying in their Social Security gets it? Or raising funds to keep our schools keep programs; such as physical education or the arts? Japan just suffered a terrible blow and could use your help. Come on, lets get our priorities straight and focus on what is really important.

I am off to go enjoy a yummy Temptation and will eave you with a funny & spooky commercial from Jello:

Since we are on the subject...

The other night I asked my daughter what her X-mas/B-day Wish List was (there are three days between the two). Since I published mine for the world to see, I thought I would do the same for her. After all, the Holidays are supposed to be for the kids and this could help other parents of 6/7 year old little girls.

A Black Wii
An American Girl Doll
Disneyland Pass
A "real" microphone
The new Taylor Swift CD
An Ipod Touch (I gave her my 1st gen one, but it doesn't do Farmville & she likes playing that)
A Razor Scooter
A Barbie Dream House
A new CD player (hers is slowly dying), I would like to play her ipod as well ;)

It's not much, but did you notice that the majority of them are pretty big ticket items? It makes me miss the days of the little toys (not much, just a little).

So, what items are on your child's wish lists?

Greedy *itch Wish List

'Tis that time of year again. Time to do our wish lists. And as I have done for the last few years(not sure why I didn't do one last year), I am keeping up and updating my own "Greedy Bitch" wish list.

This tradition of mine started back when I was still working and used MySpace. Later it was transferred to FaceBook & now with the awesome apps out there, I can post it on my blog & have it go to FB as well. Gotta love technology :)

Please make out one of your own and share with us. If you are going to post one in your notes (or blog), please share the link in my comments so I can check it out.

I was motivated to do this a bit early this year by all the X-mas advertisements & decorations already out. If Corporate America can be early, so can I!! This year I decided to re-organize as well; from most realistic to the obscene and put items on the back burner that are unrealistic as I have no home to put them in.

1) A Wii (black w/motionplus)
2) Disneyland passes for myself & Keely (Southern California Annual Pass)
3) All of Anne Rice's book's in hardback (except for the few that I own, which aren't that many)
4) Adobe's Creative Master Suite (Edition CS5)
5) A Flip video camera
6) A Tanning membership (since it never happened last year, even though that was my present from hubby)
7) A portable DVD player
8) Good health Insurance for both myself & Keely
9) A Kindle
10) A SLR camera
11) Notre Dame gear
12) A new Coach Purse (there are soo many I like I just can't narrow it down to one)
13) New tattoo(s)
14) Get my eyebrow re-pierced
15) Replace the diamond chip in my rose ring
16) Jewelry (the expensive kind, that glitters, mainly this blue topaz & sapphire ring that is being sold at a local jewelers)
17) $1500 to start up an on-line business idea I have
18) a new Vehicle (preferably a Sequoia or a luxury version)
19) A new Key for my truck as my current one broke & I can't keep it on a keychain (if I can't get the new car) & a second set of car keys to Terry's Pontiac
20) If I not going to get the new car above, then get all the dings and dents Terry has put in my current truck repaired and the wheel bumper replaced that I messed up.
21) A TV that doesn't make horrible noises, preferably in the flat panel family
22) A Mac (So I can do animation again. But I know the PC like the back of my hand, so I want both. Mac for animation and video editing & PC for everyday stuff. Greedy bitch aren't I?)
23) Plastic surgery (Nothing extreme. I can't get rid of my thighs, never have been able too, even when I was allowed to exercise. I now I can't exercise unless I want to be sick in bed for weeks. So some lypo and a breast replacement. They don't need to be bigger, just raised since I ran around braless so much growing up. Damn gravity catching up!)
24) The complete works of Walt Whitman & Emily Dickinson (These are really the only two Poets I like & the complete plays of Shakespeare (I do love how almost every modern movie/comedy is based off him)
25) The Chronicles of Narnia in hardback (I used to own these , I would like to have them again, not only for myself, but for when Keely is older.)
26) All the James Bond movies on DVD
27) The following CD's:
Amy Winehouse
All of Incubus (minus the two I have & can find)
All of Pantera's
All of Type O Negative's (I know I have some, but who knows where)
All of the Beatle's
All of the older G'n'R's
Frank Sinatra's greatest hits
(This is all I can think of at the moment)
28) The following DVD's:
Rudy
Dazed and Confused
Grease
The Lion King
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Interview with a Vampire
The Basketball Diaries
The Corpse Bride
(I know there is more, but once again, I can't remember)
29) A trip to Jamaica (RIP Mikey. I am going to go to your dream Island before I die)
30) A trip to Ireland and Italy (to see my roots)
31) Enough money to set Keely's college fund so that she can go anywhere she would like for as long as she needs to
32) A house – at least 3 bed, 2 bath, w/a yard big enough for a dog & Keely, a walk-in closet big enough for mine & Terry's clothes & shoes (he is such a woman, but you didn't hear it from me)/on the other side of the spectrum the house needs to be at least 5 bed, 3 bath, a yard big enough for a pool and yard space so we can have a dog for Keely, big walk-in master closet, a the master bath has to has two sinks.
33) Start-up capital for my real-state investment company I want to own
34) To be able to have the resources available to research my whole family tree and Keely's as well
35) Have my charity for abandoned cats
36) Find my old best friend from when I lived in Diamond Bar as a child (How in this day and age when there are so many sites, can I not find this guy?)
37) A cabin in the mountains (So I can get away and clear my head every now and then. Maybe do some writing that I have been so blocked on. I have two great book ideas swimming in my head right now.)


Please share everybody. It is always fun to see what others want. Plus you never know, Santa could be reading your list!!!This is just for fun though, so don't hold back!

Trying out Flowergirl Hairstyles

My sister-in-law is getting married next month and my daughter is going to be a flower girl in the wedding. Since it has been so long since I really did any fancy hairstyles & with the pain my hands are in, I thought it would be good to practice on her before the wedding.

We are not sure what her hair should look like, but this is the 1st try I did today.

I made some twists in the front & clipped them. Then I made two ponytails in the back. One on top & one underneath it so the top one would cover it.

I usedmy ceramic curling iron that has three barrel sizes. I made most of them using the biggest barrel. Then I seperated the curls & ratted up the top ponytail to give it more body. I then switched out the barrels, and put in the small one. I curled some fly-a-ways in her face & made a few small curls in back.

I took out the clips that were holding the twists & hair sprayed like crazy. I had these cute little hair spirals that have a "diamond" on top & put three of them in her hair for some sparkle.

The hardest part of this style is how long it takes to curl all her hair. I think if this one makes the cut, I might use the medium barrel for the majority of the curls. I will also invest in an actual ratting comb. I had to improvise with a brush.

After she sat through the torture of getting her hair done, she tried on her dress & shoes. I let her have a little fun in her outfit, before turning her loose :)



Her official get the picture taken already pose:

Feeling craft today

My daughter has become a huge fan of head bands. And on mornings we are running late, I am all for them.

We have gotten to the point where our hair drawer is soo full of them, that it is hard to find anything else in there. The other week, I decided I had enough!

I started google'ing head band holders and ways to make them yourself. I took the info I saw & came up with this:


See all her headbands?



Here is what you will need if you would like to make this:
An empty oatmeal container (or the like)
your choice of fabric (or you can use paper)
Hot glue & glue gun
some Tacky glue (or elmers if you use paper)

I bought 18 inches from the bolt of fabric I picked out. I then measured the container (about 16 inches) and made a fold for half of that, inside out. Then my wonderful mother-in-law made a quick stitch for me on the sewing machine (I have yet to learn h0w to use it. After my sister-in-laws wedding, I was promised some lessons). After sliding it on to make sure it fit, I cut off the remaining material, turned it right side out & slid it on.

I hot glue gunned the fabric to the bottom. I then cut out a circle & tacky glued it in the bottom. Mainly because I didn't want anyone to look in & see brown. This step is up to you & your insanity level ;)

Then I glued the inside edges with the fabric left over the top of my cover. The fabric pretty much covers it all, top to bottom.

Then I cut out another circle & tacky glued it to the lid. Since I put on the purple trim, I didn't need to fold it over, & just covered the bottom. From there I hot glue gunned the purple trim around the bottom of the lid & hot glued the lid to the bottom of the container.

Let it dry & put your headbands on. You can even use the inside of the container for clips & what not. That was my idea, until I realized HOW MANY headbands she has.

And if you are not the craft sort, shoot me a message.I would be glad to make one for you.

No Poo and a new hair style

Wed morning I mentioned how greasy my hair got due to applying the vinegar rinse. When I got in the shower that morning I did the baking soda & water cleanse, then did the vinegar rinse (staying away from my scalp this time).

I also read how you shouldn't use hot water, so I cooled it down. Brr..., not fun. I need the heat to warm up my joints and ease some of my pain. But for the sake of having nice hair, I decided I would try & tough it out.

Here is how my hair was looking that evening:


Not to bad, just a little oily. I managed to go with out washing it yesterday & this moring when I woke up, it was needed to be washed, but it wasn't super icky, greasy.

Now for the wrench in my plans. I went to get my hair done today. Of course shampoo was used to wash out the chemicals of the color. Since it has red in it, I do want to go a few days with out "washing" it. So no more updates on this experiment until I let my hair sit a few days.

But, I must say, my hair looks awesome right now:


There is a story to go with my new hair....

Yesterday I was supposed to get it done. I had gone in a salon (J Ferrer in the Valencia Westfield Mall) on Sat afternoon to get a quote on how much it would cost for what I wanted.

I was very specific; lighten it up & get rid of the growth (roots), add some red chunks, trim the ends about an inch/inch & half and add some bangs.

The manager/owner (Jackie) had me talk to a stylist. We looked at color samples and picked what I liked, ect. She did kinda of scare me when she mentioned a weave. But almost all stylists end up trying to do that to me. But she was young & seemed to understand my vision. She then consulted with Jackie about what would be done & Jackie quoted me a price which included a discount special they were running. It was an awesome price & I said lets book it. Well the stylist I talked to couldn't do early hours, which I need. I was booked with some one else, but was told that they would relay our discussion with her.

I show up yesterday morning for my appt. The place is closed, but I understand not everyone is as concerned about being on time like I am. I wait about 10 min & somebody shows up; my stylist. She is clueless to what I wanted. So I had to go over the whole thing again. She starts to seem like she understands, but what she is saying seems to be differing from what I was originally told. Finally I think we are the same page & she goes to mix the color. Guess what, they don't even have the color on hand that was supposed to be used on me. She keeps trying to use some other color, that is no where close to what I want. Finally she calls someone & asks them to buy some & bring it in. So we get started on my weave. As she starts to foil me, I mentioned that I wanted to have some red in my bangs, so I am not sure how that will effect her coloring my hair. She is clueless that I was getting my hair trimmed as well. She then calls her boss to verify that the price they quoted me will cover it all. HELLO!!! I have the appt card w/the quote written on it by Jackie. I am not paying a cent more than I was quoted. And I have already wasted an hour of my time & only have two foils in my hair.

So she washes out the little she did & I was out of there, very upset & disappointed. I call hubby, who then calls the salon. The owner was called by the stylist for him, and all she could say is could she call him back later that day around 3? (It is 11am ish) We never did hear back from them.

I was driving around,feeling very sad & decided to drop by a salon I used to go to years ago, Mirage Hair & Nails . There happened to be a stylist (Nikki) at the front desk when I came in. I told her I was wanting to get a price quote for my hair. As we were talking, she really listened to me. No weave, just lighten my roots. She totally got how I don't like any growth showing. She brought out magazines and had me go through and look for colors I liked. Not only was she listening to me, but she voiced concerns because of the shape my hair was in,and things she could do to help. It cost more than the other salon quoted me, but would have cost me the same as what they tried to charge me with a discount! I booked it then & came in this morning.

Once again, we talked about my hair and its issues. As well as the the problems that could come up with this color. She made sure to use extra conditioner, rinsed the red hair out and did her best to keep it away from my blonde so it wouldn't bleed. She was awesome!!! And my hair turned out better than I have ever had it turn out before. No roots/growth showing. An extreme red. Just what I wanted!!

THANK YOU NIKKI!!! :)

No "Poo" hair, morning 4

I woke up Monday morning and my hair was still looking relatively good. But the urge to clean it was more powerful than to let it be. After all, I have been washing my hair everyday (minus a few sick & lazy days here & there) for years. So I tried the baking soda & water scrub again w/the conditioner scrub.

Slight problem, I have acrylic nails & they are in desperate need of a fill & are starting to lift. As I was massaging my scalp, I didn't quite do as well a job as Sunday. There were some slight patches here & there that felt a little greasy as my hair dried. I also used a bit less water in my mixture & other areas felt a bit dry. Worry & unease started to set it.

Tuesday morning, when I woke up, I decided it was time to try the vinegar rinse & that was all. After all, my hair might be a bit greasy in spots, but it was still looking fairly good:


The vinegar rinse I used was based off a recipe I found here, One Green Generation.

Can I just say UGH!! My hair is super greasy now. Here are some pics from last night


& this morning


After doing some reading though, I found my mistake. I put the vinegar rinse on my scalp. The trick is to just put it on your hair.

One of my biggest concerns would be combing my hair with out using a conditioner. I have super fine, straight hair that tangles easily, as does my daughter. I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to comb my hair with ease yesterday morning. In fact it was just as easy, if not easier than if I had used one of my super expensive conditioner.

I might have had a little set back, but I am going to keep staying the course. Though the urge to go hop in the shower & and scrub my hair with shampoo is very strong this morning. But tomorrow I am getting my hair cut & colored, and I hope this new process will help keep the red in longer. As well as the hope that my hair will be much healthier so it will withstand all the other torture I do to it; the constant coloring & infrequent trims.