You Go Girl!

Full disclosure...I've known this girl since we were teenagers. I have personally watched her work her butt off for every nickel she has, and saw her go through some very lean times. I count her among my truest of friends, so I have to brag when things go well for her. I know she has earned it, every single good thing that comes to her!

Not only is her second book being prepared for release this year (click here to check out her first release), but she has a line of cosmetics coming out this spring! I am so proud of my dear friend.

Now the really good part: I got freebies! Yup, I got my hands on samples of the brand new cosmetics line Carmindy has created in partnership with Sally Hansen. It is all natural, and best of all for me it is free of parabens. I have struggled with extremely sensitive skin for my whole adult life, and parabens are the one thing guaranteed to give me an instant breakout. They're one reason I rarely wear lipstick or gloss. The parabens give me little bumps around my mouth! Well, I found a fat envelope in my mail last night and inside was a handful of glosses and lip colors from her new line. I love them! I can't wait to try out the rest of Carmindy's Natural Beauty line.

Yay Carmindy!

Lost in a Good Book

OK, it has been a while since I have found myself totally absorbed in a book. I'm talking can't put it down, losing track of all time and staying up until 3 AM reading. During one of my recent decluttering fits, I came across a bunch more gift cards for a major book store chain (thanks students!). Of course, did I think to use them at the start of my week-long Spring Break? No, I waited until Saturday evening. I grabbed a paperback copy of a recent bestseller that has been made into a movie coming out soon...

OH

MY

GOSH!!!

I am absolutely sucked in to the world of this book.

It is beautiful, brutal, heartbreaking, lovely, and one of the best reads in a long time. Be warned, there is some tough material in there. I don't get off on violence, but it is a key element to the plot, not gratuitous for its own sake.

I love this book so far. If only I'd started reading it before I had to go back to work. These 3 AM bedtimes aren't working well for me!

Sleepy Time

I really should be in bed right now, but here I am, awake at 1:00 AM, obsessively checking my Eb@y and Cr@igslist listings. I know there are people who support 3 dozen children off the income generated by online auctions and selling their stuff through Cr@igslist, but seriously, this is hard! People want to get a good deal. I understand that, I'm all about the bargain shopping (Hello? Slickde@ls-dot-net, anyone?). But come on people! I paid $30 for this maternity blouse and you want to give me a quarter for it? Get real!

I have no clue how people can generate a livable income off this kind of thing.

For now, I'm just happy to be decluttering my home and making a few bucks in the process. I only wish it was a few MORE bucks.

New Background

As I get more into this blogging thing, I find more and more cool stuff to play with! I stumbled across a great website (another blog, actually) run by a gal who designs these adorable backgrounds. They are free and so simple to add. It's like playing dress-up with my blog!

What Now???!!!

This weekend I experienced a sudden panic. It hit me...as of May 23rd, I will be unemployed. For the first time in over a decade, I will not have a guaranteed income to count on. Even though my summers off from teaching were unpaid, there was a job there come fall. Not this year. My stomach sank and a distinct "Oh sh..!" feeling came over me. This is the icky feeling I've spent the last 10 years trying to avoid, even when it meant continuing to do something I really did not want to be doing.

I am glad I made a decisive move as far as next school year. If I had not done so, I'd be sliding back into that comfort zone. I'd be stuck. Well, the whole point of this blog is getting unstuck, right?

Kevin, the kids and I went to have dinner at the home of some friends. We had a whole conversation about this topic. My friend Jenni had an interesting idea, something we may consider collaborating on. So, this week during my Spring Break, I'll be reading this book.

Of course, I could always win that $230 million Powerball jackpot on Wednesday. I could live with a piece of that pie. Seriously...

You Are Cilantro

The bad news is that there are some people who can't stand you. The good news is that most people love you more than anything else in the world. You are distinct, unusual, fresh, and very controversial. And you wouldn't have it any other way.

What Spice Are You?

Hmmm...seems this quiz is quite accurate!

I have an innate ability to piss people off. This has been true for as long as I can remember. One great thing about it though is the fact that folks who choose to stick around can be considered true friends!

I am CILANTRO!

HA!

Sooooooooo Tired!

I am beat! I just returned home from our annual school carnival, where my daughters had a blast and I spent way too much money. At least my little boy gave me the perfect excuse to NOT have to work one of the game booths as a teacher-volunteer. It was in the high 80s here today, and there is no shade to be found on the basketball courts at the school. So, I stayed in the shade and enjoyed seeing many current and former students and their families. It almost made me regret my decision to leave teaching after this year. Almost...