Sunday, August 22, 2010

Love Letter to Myself


Love Letter to Myself


Now, before any of you start laughing at me, this is a valuable exercise that might just save your life. Are you the type of person who puts relationships before goals by any chance? Do you long for someone to show you an absolute expression of true love, perfect and unconditional without strings attached, but your last partner was the polar opposite? Believe it or not, there are people out there who never had someone tell them they will be loved, supported and protected until the end of time. Seriously. Who would not appreciate a no-holds-barred love letter that expresses hot, passionate and steamy appreciation for your charms, including the scented rose petals at the bottom of the envelope? Now wouldn’t it be nice if you could express that heartfelt love to yourself? Here it is: We can absolutely find everything we need to survive if we make ourselves the object of our own love. Sounds simple, but look at the results: You would start to see that you deserve to carry out your dreams and not wait for a future partner to give this to you. We will stop wasting our time dating people, we know in our heart of hearts, will never be there for us when the going gets real tough. We will start to completely wrap ourselves with the true nature of love that we will learn to spot an imposter of love. So here it goes. Move aside Mr. McSteamy, for today I am devoted to expressing my heartfelt love to myself!
Dearest Me,
I have never met a more intelligent, sexy and beautiful person who is gorgeous on the outside as well as the inside. If you have any flaws at all, it makes you a better person, because I would not want you any other way. Just remember that I am no ordinary lover, but one who can actually promise to have your back for the rest of your life. I will never let you down. When you are down in the dumps, I will lift you out, by reminding you that life is an adventure and we are explorers of our universe together and always. I promise to hold you in high regard and not dampen your spirit when you encounter your darkest hours. When you have a dream you want to realize to its full potential, I will give you my fullest support both financially and emotionally and never to put any obstacles or roadblocks, of my own making, in your way. I will be there to carry out your every need and desire by making you a priority in life because I know that will make me happy too. I will never give up on our love because it is the truest thing we will ever encounter in our lifetime. I have never been more certain that this love is a divine gift that is worth protecting and safeguarding. I love thee ever so!

Lovingly Yours,

Your Divine Soulmate

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Whatever comes to mind


Sorry I have not Blogged in such a long time people! I've been so busy with just crazy life stuff that I got sidetracked. I just finished up these baroque chandelier earrings for Etsy and will be creating a lot more to show you here shortly.

Just finished up some classes at the local college as well to stay updated on my computer skills, so it left little time to dilly dally with social networking sites. I am busting my ass now to get caught up on my math skills in order to get signed up to a green technology program at another local college.

There are very few jobs here, so I might as well utilize my time getting some schooling done, so by the time the economy improves I will hope to make better use of my newfangled skills!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Tips for Buying Used Car for Teens


Venturing out to find a used car is far more intimidating than it was years ago. For one, it seems that people out there have not been taught honesty, as a prerequisite for modern living, from their folks just one generation behind us.

So my tips are engineered to find the right used car, even though the seller might not say what's really going on with the vehicle. Mind, this list is for people buying from a private seller rather than from a used car dealer. The latter, my friend, will need a trip down to get a book from Barnes and Noble on how to smooshz a smoosher.

Tips:

1) Ask the question "Why are you selling the car". Good responses are following: A) "I just bought a new car". This is good as the seller is inspired to sell quickly", B) "It's a gas guzzler". Some people are (surprisingly enough)honest so don't be afraid to ask more questions while they are on a roll.

A bad response would be following: A) "I buy and sell cars for a hobby" This is a hard seller to negotiate with because they will stay tight lipped about any problems with the car and the seller tends to stick to the original price. They might only open up if you mention "I noticed a problem when I test drove it" but, you need to be very specific about what you found.

2) Get the VIN number on the vehicle and go to this site and do a search, or with some other online searches. The main thing is to make sure that the VIN number matches the make and model of the car, but cut and patch shops are clever enough to find VIN number plates to match the make and model of cars, so you need to go deeper to find out if other factors match up.

3) Be sure to test drive the car in silence, which means no blasting the radio as you need to be aware of any sounds from potential problems. Open the windows so you can hear the sounds coming from under the hood, and other areas of the car better. I was able to detect a problem with a CV joint by following this rule of thumb.

4) Call the DMV to find out if there are any outstanding liens on the car. You can use the plate number that is on the car for reference backed up by the VIN number.

5) Always Always ALWAYS look under the hood of the vehicle. Just the other day I looked over a vehicle that had a very noticeable (unfixed I might add) top gasket leak from the oil surrounding that area.

6) Ask "Are you willing to let me get this inspected by my mechanic independently".....if they show any signs of hesitation it should send off warning signals in your brain. Do not let them intimidate you by saying they already had it checked by a mechanic and it shows no problem, etc. The only answer you want to hear is "Sure, no problem".

These are just a few tips that will help in your search. Of course, it gets more complicated, and not all my warnings apply in all situations. Just coach your teen before you look at cars with him or her not to become emotionally attached to any car they look at. It will not help the negotiations with a teen screaming in your ear that they love it and want it now. Also explain that the main focus is to find a car that runs well and that cosmetic appearance is secondary.

Good Luck!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

My heart goes out to all the people and animals suffering in the Gulf Coast in which their livelihoods are being destroyed by the oil spill.

I pray that the oil can be capped so that no more oil leaks out. Also hope that many will join hands and dedicate their time and energy in the cleanup without waiting for the permission from the government or BP. Further delay could cause irreparable damage.

People on the East Coast, be prepared for the worse disaster our oceans have ever experienced and do not think for a second that we will not be affected. Everyone must look into their own hearts and dedicate some of our time to help out in this crisis without waiting for payment from the government or BP to get started.

We only have one planet between us all to share and protect..... and now repair.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Faux Brick Project



Had a wonderful time last weekend re-doing my daughter's bedroom in faux brick using materials left over from being a painting contractor several years ago. It did not cost a dime! I was thinking there always has to be something to run out the door for, but I had everything I needed. It was a miracle to say the least.

My daughter is very talented as she took instruction very well when I showed her the technique of putting the brick on using a stencil template. When I did this kind of thing for a living, it was always particularly challenging to train newcomers to decorative painting as everyone has their own signature technique. In other words, if you want to have it look consistent over the entire wall have only one person doing it. Otherwise, it turns out looking like a variety show with different patterns showing up at less opportune moments, with the possibility of having to start over.

But, when you find the right person who listens well and does a good job at copying your technique....it is worth more than gold to a decorative painter. Looks like I found that in my very own daughter. Now, don't worry that I am one of those parents who will want her to "follow" in my footsteps to gain some kind of living my life through my kids routine. It just makes me smile knowing that my daughter somehow inherited my "gene" and goes to show that sometimes artistic talent runs in families.

When someone shows talent in your family always encourage this, even if they do something entirely different, as artistic ability is a rare gem indeed that needs to have that one mentor in their life to really make that talent blossom. I never really fully developed my creative ability as no one, except myself, knew that I would make it a career later in life. Just think if one has a mentor in the field that can show the possibilities of creation in it's full splendour! Create or die should be the motto!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Spring Gardening Fever



I wish my garden looked like Tintinhull Gardens. I lived in the southern part of England for six years and really enjoyed seeing as many gardens as I could. At one point I could name almost every plant by it's Latin name...that is how "into" horticulture I was. When I came back over here after my divorce...I did not have too much time to garden as I was overwhelmed with just trying to survive as a single parent. But, I did manage to hold on to some of the passion by at least having a small vegetable garden every year and some flowers in pots.

Now it is absolutely necessary to grow vegetables just to save money on my grocery bill!

It helps that my boyfriend let me borrow his John Deere riding mower...instead of it taking me three days to complete the lawn with the decrepit push mower....it will just take me about 30 minutes! Now I actually have more time to get my hands into the soil and plant for a RRREAALlly GOOOOOd ShOOOOOw that Ed Sullivan would be proud of.....if you remember him then you might be in the same age bracket!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Hip Hip Hooray on Ex Getting Married!


Three cheers for my ex getting re-married in Florida! I am so thrilled for the happy couple! Here is a picture of my daughter (with her half-brother and cousin) all dressed in a lovely red dress and her nails were done up...can't see them in this picture but I know as she sent a separate pic with just her hand!

It's been almost 15 years since the divorce, so people will probably wonder why it has not happened for me yet. I guess it's really hard to find a really good man these days. Now that the economy has took a bad turn, it will be even harder to find a guy that has the disposable cash to take us women out on proper dates! We all need to hold ourselves to higher standards, but we don't want to be gold diggers either. Sometimes the problem comes from thinking that we will just "bump" into our potential man in the grocery store or at the gym.....maybe that works for less shy people as I don't just strike up conversations in the meat department...no pun intended!

Not everyone is suited to marriage anyhow. I quite like the fact I can go where I want to go, see who I want to see, do what I want to do without someone nagging me about these things. But, when the time comes to take the plunge...I am certainly not going to lower my expectations just because my former other half has beat me to the whipping post alter!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Homemade Sunscreen


Getting ready for another round of summer and cooking up a batch of sunscreens. Here is a recipe you can try at home:

Screen out the Sun, Cream



Water Base: ¼ Cup Aloe, ¼ Cup Water, Pinch of Natural Borax, Pinch Green Tea Leaf Powder, 3 Tbsp. Zinc Oxide Powder

Oil Base: ¼ Cup Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp. Organic Coconut Oil, 3 Tbsp. Natural Wax Pellets, 2 Tsp. Stearic Acid (Thickener), 10 Drops Vanilla Essential Oil, 6 Drops Geranium Essential Oil, 6 Drops Carrot Seed Essential Oil



Cook the water base ingredients separate from the oil base ingredients, both can just be on medium low. Sprinkle in the Zinc Oxide slowly while stirring. Cook the oil base just until all the wax melts down. The water mixture can be strained to get the Green Tea particles out. The stearic acid melts down with the oil ingredients and makes the oil emulsify into the water, plus it is a natural thickener.

Remember to put the essential oils in last (in the oil) before you mix with the water base, as you want them to stay fresh in the recipe and not get overheated. Put the water mixture in a glass bowl and trickle in the oil while beating on medium.

The trick is to keep both the water and oil at same temp. as you are mixing them so you do not get coagulation which is a separation of the oil and water. It helps to have two temp. thermometers and have the batches at between 90-120 degrees to prevent coagulation. Do not microwave this as it reduces the effectiveness of the ingredients.


Olive oil and Coconut Oils filter out the suns rays between 20-30% naturally, Aloe and Green Tea prevent cellular damage, Carrot Seed and Geranium Oil also filter the sun's rays, and Zinc Oxide provides a UVA/UVB protection.

Don't worry if your formula has bits of zinc that don't sink in immediately like the brands on the market, just keep rubbing until the water in the mix evaporates and it will smooth out. If you are particular about this you can always grind up your zinc particles more in a mortar and pestle. You are getting the benefits of more available nutrients for the skin rather than being "cancelled" out by the damage the chemical ridden brands will cause.

Using this formula will create a natural SPF of approximately 20-30

Have fun!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Brow Beating the American Woman


Would you believe the new study that came out today that states that if woman who exercise ½ hour per day is not doing enough and should be doing an hour? What do they think we all are...rich and have our own Hollywood personal trainers with time to spare to do extra Pilates?

I think it requires some reading in between the lines. What they are trying to say is that we are eating too much overly processed foods and junk fast food that it takes that extra 30 minuets to rake the extra flab off. But, of course they don't want to hurt the food industries profits by broadcasting that flame broiled information on the morning news and pointing the finger at the shameful state of our food. Lets just brow beat women some more.

The conspiracy theorists will say the information is to insure that people who are already struggling to do 30 min per day...or maybe only 30 min per week....will surely give up on their routine. In turn, we will get sicker and fatter thicker, and then the pharmaceutical industry will get a sturdy profit this year from just one untimely announcement on the Today Show. So don't listen to all that nonsense and stick with your normal routine and add more organic and live foods to your diet.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Bedouin Desert Necklace



Got some crafting done. My skin looks old today as its dry from soldering and using oxidizing agents on my jewelry. Now I look as antiqued as my jewelry!

I was pissed yesterday 'cause my micro torch broke and I had to use my clunky soldering iron instead. I just got the bloody thing a couple weeks ago....was all excited....and capooowy...it kicked the bucket. I must have hit the switches hundreds of times saying all the while...it got to work...its got to work....its got to work...click click click click click click Even filled it up with butane several times even though I knew it was filled.

At least that has a year warranty! It feels like my own frail human warranty is about to expire after that episode.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Chanting



I've been meditating for 2 years now and have just recently added Om Mani Padme Hung as a chanting verse while I am concentrating on breathing. I've always wondered what it sounded like when a Buddhist chanted it and spun a prayer wheel.

This Buddhist has got an adorable smile at the end.

Love this!

Namaste.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

My Facebook Breakthru





Above are all the weird people who visited me as soon as I opened my Facebook page today. Just kidding. However, I am kinda waiting for all the riff raff to show up eventually. My daughter says that I should not allow so many people to see my pages, but the whole point of it for me was to social network more as I felt I was not doing enough of that.

I guess I will just shut more areas down and just allow for friend access only. I guess my curiosity is getting the best of me to see what will happen. Yes, I do watch the news and know what happened to that poor kid when that preditor found her on that site.

Anybody reading this have any weird stories to tell about Facebook besides getting in touch with people they have not seen in years?....like what happened to me today. Someone that I knew 20 years ago is living in Vegas and will be coming back here soon. No way would I have known that without Facebook!

Way Cool! I think....

Monday, March 8, 2010

Ancient Maps and Text




Had fun creating today and playing with Photoshop to create new banners for my shop and blogger stuff. Looks way more professional, don't you think?

Of course it was not all my doing...had some help from my daughter who was taught HTML code stuff at school. Had to bookmark a site that will teach me some new design techniques to use when I set up my cream venture web site. I will be doing that all week in fact....hopefully I do not pull all my hair out as computer stuff is my real bugaboo.

Love the feeling that old pirate maps and old fading papers have on my soul. I have always been fond of paper even as a child when I used to cut out paper to make very teeny tiny little cards for my family and even make little envelopes to put them in.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

A good start on my venture



I am exploring the creative moments of creating a label for my new venture in Organic cream making and it has been an interesting experience. I have taken elements from various things such as Monty Python images (but of course sketching my own versions).

I have come up with scissor mechanical arms with real looking hands attached which place the bottle of cream on the conveyor belt which will be part of my label. The actual cartoon bottle will hold the name of whatever cream is inside...like lets say Honey Cinnamon Lotion.

It has been a lot of fun and I will post my label as soon as I get everything squared away with the name with my host provider. It is not that I do not trust you guys...I just want to quarantee security until it is at last revealed.

I have not posted in a while, before the last post as I was again waisting my precious time at a real job ( I still did not get it through my head that it is better working for myself than it is trying to make other people's dreams a reality) and got laid off. I guess the "universe" was trying to tell me, yet again, to put my energy into securing my own castle with moat.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Trip to D.C.




Had a blast in Washington D.C. over the weekend. It was a much needed break with a change of scenery. They had loads of snow up there and was delightful to look at, not so much a delight with travel. The snow plows left piles of snow on the sides of the road which were melting and freezing up the consecutive mornings, which made it a double hazard.

We only had a couple days, so we had to narrow down our viewing pleasure, so we went to the Museum of Natural History and checked out Chinatown. I had to get some Chinese herbs as that is my hobby...trying to find the cure for everything. Plus to cook up some concoctions for my new venture into organic lotions.

To take a break...from our break we went to an Irish Pub and partook of some Guiness Irish Stout!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Taking computer technology into the physical world

This guy is great. Hopefully he already has a patent on his ideas as they are off the charts!