Cause Baby, You're A Firework!

I consider myself to be Creative, but I am by no means Crafty! But lucky for me, my Daughters are! :) They wanted to make T-shirts for the 4th of July. So, they found some things on Pinterest. Gotta Love Pinterest for all the cool ideas you can find on there!

Since we Love Resale shopping, we picked up some plain White T-shirts at our local Goodwill on their 50% off day! We paid like $2 bucks a shirt! Both girls cut their shirts up, like Teen Girls like to do these days. :)

Then we needed little rubber fuzzy balls to paint Fireworks on our T-shirts. We found them in the Dollar Section at Target! Score! And we picked up some fabric paint at Joann's!

And this project was easy enough, even I could do it! :) We poured some Red, Blue and Silver paint onto paper plates and then you just dip one side of the ball in the paint and touch it to the shirt. And the effect is Fireworks on your shirt!

It was fun and easy! And the end result is really cute Shirts to wear on the 4th of July! To show off the Fireworks that we are! :) (I'll post pictures of us wearing them on the 4th later!) Have a Happy Day Celebrating the Great Country of our! And remember Freedom does not come free! 

Summer Reading

I'm one of those that like to read certain kinds of Books at certain times of the year! I like to read books set in the Summer time, in the Summer time! Just like I read Christmas books at Christmas time! Weird huh?! :) So here is some of what I'm reading this Summer . . .

I started the Summer off with The Mermaids Singing by: Lisa Carey. It's about 3 generations of Women & the choices they've made. It's set mostly on an Island in Ireland. I liked the premise of the Book, but not so much the actual book. :( It was touching, I love Mother/Daughter Books, but I wouldn't let my Daughters read this one due to some content.

Now I'm reading Nicholas Sparks' The Best Of Me! I love his books even though they don't always have a "Happily Ever After" ending! I have not cried yet in this one though, but I don't know how it will end. :) They are also making it into a Movie, soon to be released. Which you know will be good. 

Elin Hilderbrand is the Queen of Beach Reads! Her Books are always set on the Beach in the Summer! I read her book Barefoot a couple summers ago and really liked it! So this year I'll be diving into The Castaways! Should be good!

Then I'll move on to Sisterhood Everlasting by; Ann Brashares. You know Ann Brashares from the Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants Series, that was set each Summer of 4 Friends' High School years. This Book is actually the same 4 girls, years later as they reunite. I'm excited to read it!

So, how are you doing on our 2014 Bookshelf Challenge? I've read 15 Books so far this year. You can see what I've read here on Goodreads! And more importantly, what are you Reading this Summer?

I Got A New Job!

Yes, it's true! After over 5 months of job hunting, Hundreds of Resumes sent out, and over 35 Interviews! (And I am NOT exaggerating!) I'm quite the expert at it all now. I'll have to do some Blog Posts on Job Hunting to share all that I have learned! But, finally, I have been hired!

I am the new Area Merchandiser for Vanity Fair Brands Lingerie. (Fruit of the Loom is the parent company) Which basically means I go into stores like Kohl's, J.C. Penny's, and Macy's in the East Valley, and Merchandise our products. I work with the stores employees and teach them how to best show case and sell our products as well.

I will also be teaching seminars, along with my Mannequin friend, :) to groups of employees on the different styles we carry and how to properly fit our products.

It really is a fun job! I like that I'm active, going from store to store, moving fixtures and product around. Meeting different people. The job is different every day! It's part time, which is good since my girls are out of school right now. I'm so Thankful that I finally have a job and that it's one I really like and enjoy doing! Thank you so much for Praying for me and with me for my new job!

Happy Fathers Day!

I wanna wish a very Happy Fathers Day to the Best Father in the World! I couldn't have chosen a better Father for my Children. From the birth of our first born he was a hands on Dad! And at every age, I am Awed watching him with them . . .

Father & Sons!!

Daddy & Daughters!!

And we both had great examples of what a good Father should be! Both of our Dads are in Heaven now and we miss them so much! 

They were both Great Men, Great Dads & Great Grandfathers!!!

I am proud my Boys (both engaged now) have such great examples of what a good Man and Father looks like! And my Girls see what a Husband should be!

I don't know what I did to deserve him! I love you Babe, and I hope you have the kind of Father's Day you deserve!

The Fault In Our Stars

It all started for us last year. My Daughter Lexi had some friends who had read the young adult novel The Fault In Our Stars, and after hearing so many good things about it she wanted desperately to read it. It was all she asked for for Christmas! Loving Books myself I'm always thrilled when my kids ask for Books! So she knew she was getting it for Christmas, and she knew which present under the tree was her book. She would pick it up from time to time hug it to her and say "I can't wait to open this one and read it!" So one night when the girls were in bed, we carefully opened that gift, took The Fault In Our Stars book out and replaced it with another book she had already read, and rewrapped it exactly the same. On Christmas morning she kept asking "can I open this one now?" It was so funny when she did open it and it wasn't her book she'd been waiting for! (which was hid in a gift bag) the look on her face was priceless! She quickly was given the real one and was so relieved to finally have it! She read in just a few days and loved it! So of course I read it as well. We let my oldest son's Fiance read it too, which she did in 1 day! It's a quick easy read.

Everyone was talking about this book, and we too couldn't wait for the Movie to come out! My girls asked if we could do the premier like we have with the Twilight and The Hunger Games Movies. So we went to the Theater to get our tickets and was planning on coming back latter, but the girls wanted to stay in line. And I must say it was nice that it was summer and they were able to stay and I could actually leave and come back latter, normally they're in school and I sit there all afternoon (reading of course) and they come up after school!

 Lexi and Erica waiting in line! 

We keep a blanket in the trunk for just such occasions!

They got in line at about 1:30 in the afternoon. We had several friends coming as well. All the girls would take turns sitting in line, walking around the Mall, getting Ice Cream, Etc. You have an immediate comradery with the other people in line and get to talking to them as well. If you've never done a Premier, it's actually really fun!

 Just part of our group as it grew throughout the day!

I went back up there about 5:30 bringing supplies. And by supplies I mean Pizza! :) The girls saw lots of friends from school and we shared our Pizza! Even with people we just met!

I think our group ended up with something like 13 people on the last count. The More The Merrier! Having read the book, Maddie brought an entire box of Kleenex, as it is really a tear jerker! And we were all very glad she did.

About to be let in!

I love Movies (and Books for that matter) that cause you to feel. Weather that is to laugh, or cry, or just to think! And the really great ones can do all three! Some people (you know who you are) won't go to movies they know they will cry in. I say you're missing out! Though my girls say I cry at everything anyway! :) And in this one the entire theater sat in a collective sob, more than any other movie I've ever seen. In part because most were young girls who had read the Book, and it had touched their heart.

"

And you will definitely cry in this one. Because "That's the thing about Pain, it demands to be felt!" And "You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world . . . but you do have some say in who hurts you." But it's also funny; "We're just friends!", "Well, she is, I'm not!" And "the world is not a Wish Granting Factory!" And it will make you think as well. Since "Some Infinities are bigger than other Infinities!" And "Sometimes the Universe just wants to be noticed." 

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep; 

slowly and then all at once."

This really is a good Movie and a good Book! And it brings to mind two truths anyone who, like me, has ever lost someone they love much too young to cancer. And that is 1. Cancer Sucks! and 2. The time you spend with the people you love is Precious! Don't waist it! 

Okay . . .

Summer Volunteering

My Daughter Erica heard about a Summer Volunteering program at a local Hospital at school a few months ago and decided to apply. We went to a meeting at her school to learn about it, she had to write an Essay staying why she wanted to Volunteer and what she hoped to get out of it, and if hers was chosen out of the hundreds of applicants, she would be contacted for an interview. The next step then would be a group interview with you and three others, where one out of the four would be selected.

Well, both my girls are pretty good writers and her Essay was selected. She was very nervous about being Interviewed, but having a Mom who has done nothing but Interview for Jobs the past several months, :) as well as having conducted Interviews myself, I let her know what to expect and gave her some pointers. She came home from the Interview and said "There's no way they're gonna pick me, one girl in my group has started a charity in India and has raised thousands of dollars already!" I told her, you never know what their looking for, you just might be surprised. And she was. They chose her.

She's gone through orientation and some training. She will be working in the Surgical Waiting Room, a job normally reserved for second, third or forth year Volunteers! She wants to be a Sign Language Interpreter when she's older and is hoping to have a patient or their family members she can sign with. We are so proud of our little "Volunteen!" It's going to be a good Summer!