JMU Trip

Took the Drama Teen up to JMU this weekend for her Musical Theatre Audition...We wont find out until April wether she made it in or not. She's been accepted at two other Colleges but this is her first choice...It was a really nice drive ..about 3 1/2 hours from home...

the day was rather boring for the Commander and I though..her audition took all day and there was not much to do but sit in the theatre all day...luckily I brought a book ..poor Commander had nothing....LOL

Operation House

We've started on the Dining Room...this is not a true 'before". As usual I forgot to take a pic 'before' the wallpaper came down...but this is before the primer and before we repaint the bottom( blue part)

....we are using very light neutrals...the bottom has now been painted a light cream color...and top has now been primed and will be painted a lighter cream color...

Proud Momma Moment

My 22 year old son has Officially joined the AF.....he was sworn in earlier today...he has a delayed entry as they need to wait for an opening in his chosen job.....He's going to be an Airborne Linguist...he is soooooooo excited and I am so Proud of him!!! He can't wait to get started!

mark.

A loooong time ago I mentioned that I was a Rep. for a company named mark. I had a link to the company website on my old Blog layout...but when I switched to this one I lost it...I've updated by links and added my Store( I now have an actual Store to link to) I really like mark. It's a sister company to Avon...it's mainly geared towards the younger set but a lot of their stuff is really sophisticated and fashionable IMO...Personally Avon tends to be too 'matronly" , for me anyway. I've gotten more compliments from friends and strangers on my mark. items than with any other brand.

I wear two different mark. scents depending on my mood for the day.

My absolute favorite is Karmala, a peaceful exotic scent. I get compliments EVERY time I wear this. At $20 for a bottle it's a really great deal. I've worn some of the expensive 'designer" scents. And NEVER gotten the compliments I get with this one. People are always asking me what scent I'm wearing because I smell sooooo good. I almost hate to tell them they can buy it from me as it's really become my 'signature" scent.

The other scent I like is Bohista. I wear this one when I'm feeling more casual and bohemian. I also get a lot of compliments when wearing this one, although not as many as with the Karmala.

mark. also carries some of the cutest handbags. This one is my latest , and again I have gotten quite a few compliments. I have it in the bright blue and it is striking, and only $26 bucks! It looks WAY more expensive!

Every once in a while they have a really smart piece of Jewelry. I Necklace and it is one of my favorites and YES I get complimented on it( can you see why I like this company sooo much..LOL) . This would set one back $18.00.





The thing I like most about this company is that although the products are inexpensive , they don't 'look' it. They have a real 'designer" look to them. I live in a relatively affluent neighborhood with women who wouldn't think twice to spend thousands on a piece of jewelry and these same women are constantly complimenting me and asking where I buy my Jewelry.

Anyway if you're interested in seeing more head on over to my store: Maggii's mark. Store


edit: I forgot to mention ... with the necklace up there....the beaded sections actually detach and can be worn as two bracelets and you can still wear the necklace as a shorter version! How cool is that!

What I wore To Church On Sunday

We got snow overnight...so it was c-c-c-c-c-c-c-old.......

Red Ribbed Turtle- Walmart this winter

Grey Knit Pleated Skirt- SteinMart

Grey Cabled Sweater-Old Navy( I LOVE this sweater)

Black Wool tights_can't remember

Black Suede Boots-LEI three years ago

Later in the afternoon the Commander and I went to help set up for the Drama Queen's(ie.teenager's) High School Chorus's Pancake Breakfast. The Commander was put to work with another gentleman slicing frozen sausage. After about an hour of slicing, their hands were practically frost bitten. I spent most of my time there forming small sausages from the thawed sausage they also had. The kids( ie.teens) who came to help were put to work wrapping plastic silverware, and setting up tables with placemats and such.

The actual Breakfast was this morning. We always do this Breakfast on Martin Luther King , Jr. Day . It's a fundraiser for the Chorus Students going on Spring Trip(which the drama queen has decided to not to do this year...it will interfere with Sound of Music rehearsals). So we were all up Bright and Early( no sleeping in for us this morning). I spent the morning Serving guests with a cheerful smile and the Commander was on Pancake Patrol.

Hmmnn, the Commander weilding a spatula. Not something you see often.....at least not without a BBQ Grill in the vicinity..LOL

Here is the Drama Queen doing what one of the things she does best...

the Choral students Provide entertainment with your Pancake and Sausage Breakfast...it's well worth the $5.00 charge!

Saturday Night

The Commander and I had a Knights of Columbus Dinner to attend Saturday Night...it was a Potluck and we were supposed to make an entre.....I made this really Awesome Chicken /Broccoli Casserole....the Commander had a busy day though...He spent most of the day up at Poor Clares( a monestary up North) doing some construction handyman stuff for the Nuns...A few other men from Our church went with him....and then he had Civic Choir Practice after that.....sooo....we ended up being VERY late for the Dinner....like we MISSED Dinner....we had a little Dessert....and I brought my casserole back home....Dinner for Sunday..LOL



Here is what I wore to the Dinner:

Red Wool Jumper-Target-bought this last fall

Black Ribbed Turtle- Walmart last year

black wool tights-not sure...

Black Sandals-Walmart last summer

Update on Niece

She's been found Thank God! ....turns out she WAS at the boyfriend's...he knew but lied to police and my family...supposedly his mother didn't know but...when police tried to question them this evening she was very evasive...so we think she might have known...I guess she's been doing poorly a school and she was already on restriction for that...then on Friday she had a test that she thought she did bad on so was afraid she'd get in even more trouble...and then when SIL wouldn't let her see the boyfriend yesterday she got mad so she left...and went to his house and hid out...she gave everyone quite a scare....I'm just so glad she's home ...safe and sound!

The Worst News

I've just recieved a call from my mother...one of those calls you never want to get...it appears my 15 year old niece is missing... they think she was planning to run away....she had a bag packed but did not take it with her....she has been gone since yesterday afternoon and no one seems to have heard from her... they've talked to all of her friends and her boyfriend and so far no one is admitting to knowing where she is....we are sooooooo worried.....we hope that she is just hiding out with a friend...but worry that she may have hooked up with the wrong person...it was very cold last night in Biloxi MS and are worried what might have become of her overnight if she was on the streets..please say a prayer that this has a happy ending and that she comes home soon...

Another Before and After

In accordance with Operation " get the house ready to sell" ...we FINALLY gotten around to replacing our refridgerator....I have lived with this Dinosaur for 11 years...and it was JUST as UGLY then( serioously the pic doesn't do it justice it is WAY uglier in person..LOL) ....but hey...it worked and we aren't the type who replace perfectly fine appliances just for 'looks"......but..........in the spirit of wanting to sell our home we realize that things DO need to 'look' good so we decided to finally replace it ...so I'm the owner of a nice shiny new Black Indoor Beverage system Refridgerator!!! Yee Ha !

And Just for you nosy buggers who always have to see the INSIDE of people's fridges here you go...enjoy it now....it will never look this organized( not that I'm saying it's organized NOW or anything)again......

our next step in the kitchen will be replacing the countertops( probably a darker granite 'looking" countertop...I'd love actual granite, but I'm not willing to spend that much on something I'll only have for a few months possibly) and ripping the wallpaper down and painting the walls.

Oh and BTW we are keeping the old one..it will go in the garage for extra storage...or to use for parties and such.( store sodas and beer etc etc...)

VHSL

Last night Brittney and Josh performed in a "Night of One Acts" ...two short plays...Josh was in one ...Britt was in the other. Britt's is being performed today at the VHSLs ( Virginia High School League 0f Athletics and Academics) Her drama teacher is confident that they might actually have a chance of winning or at least placing this year.

Britt's is called Sargeant Peter Bests Lonely Hearts Club Band Syndrome. Peter Best was the origional drummer for the Beatles BEFORE they became the Beatles. He didn't think the band was 'going anywhere" so he quit right before they hit it BIG. The jist of the play is about taking opportunities when they present themselves so you don't regret it and kick yourself for missing out on success in the future.

A group of girls are competing for a scholarship from Seventeen Magazine. Then in walks a young man who has also chosen to apply. His dream is to be a writer and he doesn't want to miss out on an opportunity to realize that dream..even if it means entering a 'girls' contest. Most of the play is about the dynamics between 5 VERY different girls and 1 boy. Britt got to play the anti-social Emo misfit. The dynamics between her and the Southern Belle Pageant Queen are hilarious. Overall it was a really cute, funny play. They had us rolling in the Aisles.

Wednesday's Look

This is what I wore today.

White Top-New- from TJMaxx

White Tank-had forever

Jeans-Levi Signature -old

Shoes - silver metallic - Charlotte Russe- bought last fall

In my hair- a Jeweled Hair Clip from mark.

Puttered around the house then went to Dinner with the Neighbor Ladies. Every third Wednesday we all go out to Dinner to celebrate any Birthdays that month. One of the Birthday Girls gets to pick which Restaurant. We went to a Mediteranean Restaraunt this time. Dinner was Divine.

Silly Kitty

So Operation "get the house ready to sell" is in full swing. I am purging and clearing and decluttering like a mad woman. Yesterday I took about 10 bags of 'stuff' to the Salvation Army(and I only came back with ONE 'small" box...LOL) . Sooo anyway.....as I'm clearing out the cabinet in my china hutch Silly Kitty just HAS to get in there...I don't know what it is with her..any time I'm clearing something out, she HAS to climb into whatever it is I'm doing. The other day I was trying to get a drawer unstuck in one of my coffee tables, and I took the lower drawer out to try to have better access to the top one.Well she HAD to climb into the opening from the lower drawer and go hide in the table. Had a FUN time trying to get her back out so I could put the drawer back..LOL

Knights of Columbus Event

On Saturday the Commander had a Knights of Columbus Event to attend in Hampton. There were meetings for him all day, and then a Dinner Dance that evening, and more meetings for him the next morning. He drove up with a fellow Knight that Saturday morning, and I drove up later that afternoon to attend the Dinner Dance with him and stay overnight at the Hotel.

Here I am trying to get a Picture of my Outfit for wardrobe_remix :

BRown and Black floral Print Dress- Dressbarn( bought it when I bought the other one for the Wedding)

Black opaque tights( not sure ..had them a while)

Shoes- Brown Patent Leather-Steve Madden ABSOLUTELY LOVE!!-NEW TJ maxx

Tried to snap a Pic of the Two of us at the Dinner:

These never turn out quite right...LOL

Ike and Tina?

Overall it was a pretty fun night. I even got the Commander to dance once or twice. Actually he 'owed' me, as he ended up volunteering me to drive our Priest to church back at Home, early the next morning, when I had planned on sleeping in and having a leisurely morning at the Hotel while he attended his meetings.

Our Priest is 88 years old and broke his leg almost two years ago...he is not supposed to drive, as he doesn't have complete use of his leg anymore( not to mention he just isn't as alert these days and falls asleep easily). I guess he drove himself to this event, and was planning on driving himself back home that night after the Dinner. There's just no way we could allow him to do that. It's at least a 1 hour drive and like I said he's really not supposed to be driving. We have a system set up, thru our church, to have different people drive him around to the places he needs to be. So the Commander convinced him to stay overnight at the Hotel with us, and I drove him straight to church the next morning.

We had a nice Breakfast before leaving and it was a pleasant Drive back. He decided to say the Rosary while we drove.( I didn't think I was THAT bad of a driver..LOL) Like I mentioned earlier though, he has this habit of falling alseep easily and at any moment. So, he's saying the Rosary, and every so often he would nod off for a few minutes, then he'd wake up and just pick right up where he left off. It was kindof Cute. At one point he woke up said about two lines of the Hail Mary and nodded off again..LOL. Needless to say he managed to get thru the whole Rosary just as we drove up to the Chapel.

Not Quite an "After"

Here we have the progress so far on our Downstairs Bath. The tape has been pulled and a New Shower curtain has been put up. We still need to put the Mirror back up over the sink, and the Medicine Cabinet and Towel racks need to be rehung. I plan to get some new towels and floormat. I like how clean and simple it looks now though. I don't plan on bringing much of anything else back in.

What I Wore

Off to Lunch with Brandon for his Birthday....we went to Geisha a new Japanese Steak House in Town......Nate came along too

Black Cowl Neck/Side Tie top..bought last year....

Jeans- Levi's Signature...two or three years old...

Ribbon Trim Flats---Target..bought this fall

Rhinestone Sparrow Pin- Walmart bought a few months ago

24 Years Ago.......

I gave birth to my first child....my son Brandon......I can't believe he's so old!! He's making ME old!!! LOL

What I Wore

My closet is FULL of clothes....clothes I rarely wear...some I never wear...like most people I only wear maybe 20% of my clothes and shoes.....most of mine are collecting dust....yet I still buy more....lately I've been becoming a bit of a frump....living in stretchy sweats and baggy sweaters....and all those cute clothes just sit there in my closet unworn.....so I'm challenging myself to start wearing them and break out of this rut....it's wear them or get rid of them....so here's what I wore this weekend......

I wore this to the Wedding on Saturday...this is actually a new dress I bought for the Wedding...I got it at DressBarn....the shoes I bought this fall at Kohls..they are Simply Vera...by Vera Wang



I wore this to Church on Sunday....ribbed turlteneck bought last year at Wal-Mart...houndstooth skirt bought for Christmas at Target( I wore it with a bright Green Turtle for Christmas Mass)..shoes the same Simply Vera from SaturdayToday:New top bought at Wal-Mart ....Levi's Signature Jeans two or three years old...( wear these ALL the time..I have two or three pair)...shoes...new from Walmart....black suede mary janes

Bathroom #2

Again I forgot to take before pics......this bathroom also had peeling wallpaper...My son stripped it this weekend and DH painted yesterday.....we bought a softer creamier color....it's not very much of a difference from the WHITE but it seems to look a lot better...IMO...I still need to pull off the tape..and then DH can hang the mirror and medicine chest back up....I bought a new shower curtian for the room and later will buy some matching towels and a rug..I want to try to keep the room simple and uncluttered.....

Busy Day

Had a Realtor come by today ....just to do a walkthru...and give us an idea of what we should work on and so that he can give us an assessment as to how much he can sell it for....lovely Dh made the appointment yesterday afternoon THEN called me to let me know...so I had less than 24 hours to get the house ready...needless to say I was less than pleased...considering we also have a Wedding to attend today..and I had a lot of stuff I needed to do for that. The walkthru went well...and we are all spiffyed up for the Wedding. It should be really nice....it's an elderly couple we know from the neighborhood. Actually w don't know her very well. But the Groom is a dear friend of ours. He lost his wife a couple of years ago. Then he met this wonderful woman and they are getting married today. They are having a new house built so that they can start fresh...We'll miss him when he moves...but his daughter is buying his house so he'll still be connected thru her. He was quite the catch...all the little old ladies came a calling after his wife died. I know that kind of sound crass, maybe, but ...he's a really good man...and was a wonderful husband to her. I think other women saw that. He was also VERY lonely after she died...they were VERY close. They say that those who were in really good marriages do tend to marry quickly afterward. They miss being in a close, commited relationship. And if you're elderly and just lost your spouse..you know how finite your time here really is...so no reason to dilly dally IYKWIM?

Day 3.....

of the New Year! It's hard to believe we are already 3 days into the New Year. I don't know...it all feels different this year...or should I say it really 'doesn't" feel different. It doesn't feel like it's 2008 already. I've jumped into the whole declutter reorganize the house plan. I have a ton of bags of STUFF to donate tomorrow.

Dh painted the masterbath this weekend. I don't like it. He used a stark white which just doesn't match AT ALL. Everything else in that room was "Ivory" and now looks really beige, and looks weird with the WHITE of the walls. I need to come up with a way to make it all look tied together. I'm thinking of maybe going with some creamy beigy towels..and some bright white rugs? then maybe I can find a couple of 'art' pieces in beigy tones to hang on the walls to break up some of the BRIGHT WHITE? I don't know? I've told him we really shouldn't continue with that WHITE thruout the house....that we should use some creamy ivories or something instead. I just hope he listens. We've stripped the wallpaper off the downstairs bath and he wants to paint this weekend

We are actually thinking of replacing the counters and sinks. But we'll still need to stick with the beigy ivory color to match all the tilework and floor.

Let It Snow

it actually snowed today! Now granted it was just very VERY light flurries and nothing stuck...but it WAS snow...woohoo....I'm usually not a big fan of 'snow" but I don't mind some snow ....it really doesn't feel like winter without ANY....as long as I have a nice warm home to hibernate in ...and don't 'have' to go out in it....it's 'ok'......I'm going to have to get used to it though....I think there will be a LOT of snow in my future..LOL

2008 Goals

As soon as I decided to get rid of a blog...I've decided to start a new one...LOL.... a Daily Photo Blog....there wont be much writing or journaling, mainly just pictures....one a day for a year?

A Daily Glimpse

so we've got start new daily photo blog...check
simply and enjoy life to the fullest....check

another goal I have is to be less negative....be more optimistic and see the good in things instead of the bad...

A New Year.....

brings new changes.....one such change is that I am closing down my other blog. I just feel it's too much to keep track of....and most of it can be logged here....I have a few things that I do want to concentrate on in the new year...but I also want to Keep Things Simple ....and not overtax myself...We have enough going on in our lives right now...and really the main thing I want for this year is to be Happy...and to enjoy it...and so THAT is what I'm going to be concentrating on....living life to the fullest...and figuring out what that means for ME and our Family....I get myself torn in so many different directions...I read many different types of Blogs....I read Frugal Blogs and think yes...that is the life I want....pinching pennies and learning to do without....I read Extravagent Blogs and think no THAT is the life I want...shoes shoes shoes...LOL....I read Crafty Blogs and want to emmulate them...Martha Stewart wannabe......or Christian blogs and think yes that is what I want to be like..making homemade bread and having a perfectly organized home.....fact is I'm a little of each...and need to find a way to mesh that all together....



another change is .......voila ..................








I got my hair cut for New Years Eve.....I took this just as we were getting ready to leave....if you scroll back a few posts you can see how long my hair had gotten ...it was quite long...all the way down my back....I hadn't cut it since before DH went to sea back in Oct. of 2006...over a year.......it was just really starting to get on my nerves....I couldn't DO much with it...it kept getting caught and was starting to look a little ragged...I've been wanting to cut it for the last few months but then would chicken out....so I finally bit the bullet and just walked into the salon yesterday and got it done....I LOVE it! ....it feels so light and bouncy now.....it's still on the long side but not irritating....and it looks sooo much healthier....

Here's Brad and I at the New Years Party we went to last night...we had a REALLY good time....I felt BEAUTIFUL with my new Hair..and my fancy shiny top!...it's very rare that I feel that good about myself...but last night I did......here are more pics from the night....











<---------Karaoke...this went on for a while.......





someone's having a goooooood time...LOL--->