It's Been Awhile...

I really need to get back into the habit of posting frequently.  I go too long without posting and it seems there's so much to catch up on.  To begin with, Lloyd and I have had some really fun date nights!  Just after Christmas, we met up with my cousin, Donald, and his wife, Kat, and went out to dinner.  We ended up meeting up with them a little later for some karaoke and we had a blast.  It was definitely a night I don't think any of us will forget!  We also had a fantastic night out with my friend, Cary, to celebrate her husband, Guy's, 4oth birthday with a bunch of their friends.  We visited a couple of breweries in Grand Rapids, had dinner and ended the night with dancing and a couple of drinks.  It was a blast and much needed time with my friend who I don't get to see often.

I've also had a great time with my new business as a Jamberry consultant.  After a short time, I've had two lovely ladies sign with me and between that and my sales, I've reached Senior Consultant status.  I absolutely love doing the online parties and I have found that talking to strangers about Jamberry nails is easy enough.  I hope to feel comfortable enough to start doing home shows soon.  It's a product I love and believe in and I can't wait to see where this goes in the future.  I am lucky to be part of an amazing team and I hope to make them proud!

Here Goes....

Yesterday was the start of my launch party and I was thrilled to see quite a few ladies participating!  I have incredibly high hopes with my Jamberry business.  Not only do I love the product and love showing it off and telling others about it, I love the idea that I can make a career out of it.  What better way to make money as a stay at home mom, than to have a business that's all about something you absolutely love!  I can't wait to see how far this launch will go!  Here are pictures of my newest "jamicure" and Lauryn's, using the Jamberry Junior Wraps she got as a stocking stuffer.  Check it out at:  carielle.jamberrynails.net/shop

[caption id="attachment_5187" align="aligncenter" width="219"] Bubble Buddies[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_5186" align="aligncenter" width="220"] Orchid Bouquet with Boysenberry Accents[/caption]

 

A New Venture

I've decided to try something new and become an independent consultant for Jamberry Nails.  I have been wearing the wraps for a while now and I absolutely LOVE having pretty nails all the time.  My friend, Cheryl, became a consultant and after hostessing a party with her and using the wraps myself, I became addicted!  I've always loved having my nails done but can't stand chipping polish.  I'm also not a big fan of the cost to get them done at the salon and what acrylics do to my nails.  Having pretty nails that are simple to apply, don't chip and stay on for two weeks or more is fantastic!  Not to mention the amazing designs and colors to choose from.  My biggest problem with these wraps is that I have a hard time deciding on which ones I want to wear!  If you'd like to check them out go to carielle.jamberrynails.net  You can also email me with any questions you might have on how to make your nails this pretty:

Christmas Shopping

Usually Lloyd and I take a night, pretty close to Christmas, and get all of our shopping done at once.  We make it a date night and have dinner and do our shopping.  This year, I'm trying to get as much of our shopping done online.  I've got a few things so far but we're nowhere near close to having everything done.  I'm sure we'll still end up doing our date night/shopping trip at some point, to get a few last minute things but it's kind of nice to get as much as I can from the comfort of my living room.  The only downside, so far, is that I'm coming across things that I'd never seen before and now I kind of want them! :)  I found department 56 snowbabies at christmasplace and fell in  love!  They're adorable!  I think I may need to start collecting them!  Luckily, there hasn't been to many things like that, distracting me from shopping. :)

Saturday 9

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1932)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.


1) Bing Crosby wants a dime for food. Adjusted for inflation, 10¢ in 1932 is now worth $1.69. Can you think of anything you could buy at the grocery story with $1.69?
Sure.  A can of veggies, or a head of lettuce, a couple of cucumbers....you wouldn't be able to get much but there are a lot of things to choose from.
2) This song was originally released as a 78 rpm record. Have you ever seen a 78?
Yes.
3) In 1932, Jean Harlow was Hollywood's glamor queen. Who do you think sets the standard for glamor today?
When I think of glamorous stars, no one from our generation comes to mind.  I think of Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor....I don't think there are many that fill their shoes in the glamour department.
4) One of 1932's best selling books was Agatha Christie's Peril at End House. She remains popular today. Are you familiar with her work?
Yes.
5) This week's featured artist, Bing Crosby, worked as a caddy when he was 12 and continued to enjoy time on the golf course his entire life. What type of exercise do you do most often?
Dance workouts.  They're fun and don't feel like your exercising.
6) Bing had twin sons, Dennis and Philip. Many people believe that the propensity for twins is hereditary. Are there twins in your family?
I think I remember my mom mentioning twins in her family....but I could be wrong.
7) Bing's daughter, Mary Crosby, has her own place in TV history. Do you know why?
Nope.
8) In the mid 1970s, Crosby and his family did commercials for Minute Maid. Do you have any orange juice in your refrigerator?
Yes.  My daughter drinks orange juice every morning when she gets up.
9) Now for something completely random: Do you like beef jerky?

Very much!

Catching Up

It's been a little bit since I've sat down and done a post.  We've had a busy couple of weeks and it's time to play catch up!  Two weekends ago, Lloyd and I decided to celebrate our 10th anniversary a little early by spending the weekend in Chicago.  We hadn't gone on a vacation, just the two of us, since our honeymoon!  His mom came early Friday morning and stayed until Saturday afternoon and my mom came Saturday afternoon and stayed until we got home on Sunday.  We had a wonderful time and it was a much needed getaway.  Some highlights of the weekend were the shopping, the Field Museum, The Emerald Loop restaurant, our fancy date night at Ruth's Chris, the dueling pianos bar, Howl at the Moon, and our hotel room, which had an awesome window seat hat was big enough for us both to lay in and look over the city.

Last week was busy with getting ready for Halloween, a costume party and Lauryn's birthday.  On Friday, Lucas and I went to Lauryns school and watched the costume parade.  It was a lot of fun and we loved seeing all of the different costumes.  Later that afternoon we had friends and family over for trick or treating and a get together/anniversary party.  It was a fantastic night!  Yummy food, tasty drinks and lots of laughs with great people.  Saturday night, we went to the costume party at Candlestone with our friends, Cheryl and Alan.  We were dressed as Flo from Progressive and Mayhem from Allstate and they were Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter.  It was another super fun night!  Those two are a blast to hang out with and there's never a dull moment! ;)  Sunday was Lauryn's 6th birthday.  We decided to keep it low-key this year and have dinner, presents, cake and ice cream with our moms and this coming Saturday the four of us are going to have lunch and play games at Chuck E. Cheese's.  Lauryn requested spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, strawberry cake with strawberry frosting and Neapolitan ice cream.  She got a lot of nice presents and it was a very special day for her.

I think sums up our last couple of weekends pretty well.  I'll add a couple of posts soon with the recipes for the seven layer dip, crock pot hot cocoa, and the caramel apple sangria we had on Halloween night.  They all were a hit! :)  I've been having trouble getting my pictures downloaded too so I'll post them once I get the kinks worked out. :)

Saturday 9

The Power of Love

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: The Power of Love (1985)Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Huey explains that you don't need a credit card to find love. What's the last thing you charged?
I don't have a credit card.
2) This song was written for Back to the Future. At the beginning of the movie, hero Marty McFly traveled around town on his skateboard. Are you good on a skateboard?
Not even a little bit!
3) Huey sings lead and his backup group is The News. Was the most recent news you heard bad or good?
Bad.  Is there good news anymore?
4) Huey's mother, Maria, was born in Poland. Who is the first member of your family to be born in the US of A?
I'm not sure.  That would be a question for my aunt, who has done a ton of genealogy research.
5) Brainy Huey got a perfect score on the math portion of the SAT. Did you take the SAT? How did you do?
I can't remember.....It's been ages.  I don't think I took it.
6) This song also hit #1 in Australia, where anzac biscuits are popular. To make them (the recipe is here) you need coconut. Do you have any coconut in your home right now?
I have coconut oil.
7) Thinking of dessert, would you rather have cookies, cake, pie, ice cream or frozen yogurt?
Pineapple upside-down cake sounds good.  It's my all-time favorite!
8) We're definitely into autumn now. What will you remember most about Summer 2014?
Spending time laughing with my family and friends.
9) Tell us your superhero name, as determined by the color of your shirt and an item directly to your right. For example, Sam fights crime as The Gold Kleenex Box!

Blue Coffee Mug