I'll Stand Alone

really. i fell back to sleep this morning for an hour. and boy did it feel good. except now i'm all off track and haven't a clue as to what i'm doing. the weather is back up. today 77 and tomorrow 88. i feel a heat rush already but it's breezy so that's nice. the gators are all out. there are very itty bitty ones and some monsters. i can't go out back and have not since the last post about them. we can watch from our lanai and that's it. although i think nothing will happen, Bryan gets very upset when i do not listen, so i have to respect. my daughters went wandering on their bikes yesterday and know not to go past the corner. except they think they can do whatever they please and i had to go looking for them. caught them down in the palm trees picking the leaves in the parking lot right near where the gators lay in the grass. not to mention anyone could pull up, grab them and flee. i was fuming but now they can't go out of my sight. and a gator could chomp miss hannah beans down in one gulp and m wouldn't know what the hell to do. so that's enough of that.

the weekend was a bit crazy. went to the outlet mall to grab some shoes for the girls and the sneakers i was going to get for hannah had some glue stains or something on them. we waited in line for 15 minutes while the lady was on the phone taking care of the customers in front of us. we waited patiently. she finally called another worker up to try to ring us out and when i asked for a measly 10% off of their defected sneakers, they refused to give it to me and i said well then who's the manager because normally when they don't have another pair in stock, they have no problems giving 10% off. she still refused and she was still on the phone, turned to me and said she would send them back (which i doubt. they would have put them back on the shelf until they sold) but she was fierce and mean about it. i said calmly that these were the last ones in her size and she needed them today. she yells, "There's a Reebok right down the way." WOW really lady. I asked for her name and she refused. At this point her facial expressions and rude tone with me was fine, I just wanted to instigate her now. The manager ringing me out was trying to explain herself and i was trying to explain how re-dick she was being. The lady on the phone turns to me and YELLS, "I WANT HER OUT, GET OUT. I'M CALLING SECURITY." i LAUGH. okay...call security on me for asking for your managers name. what a fool. security comes and i tell him calmly that she is very disrespectful to her customers and that i will leave as soon as she gives me her name and a managers number. she still refused but the other lady gave me her name and i left laughing. because this lady was being so arrogant-{mind you, bryan had left the store with the girls before it got out of control} While he spoke to the security guys {which btw, were two scroungy dudes right out of high school} I was standing there in Awe! How dare she act like that to me for asking for her name and a number.

It was not about the 10% discount. But i wasn't buying sneakers with glue stains on them and was just really disappointed at how people treat their customers. it's not something new either. it's been happening for a very long time now and even managers don't care any more. it's really sad that the economy has come to this. it's just really miserable and although i kept my cool and remained respectful, i wanted to reach over the counter and pull her hair out of her head and say, "listen bitch...don't think for one minute you can talk to me that way and give me dirty looks because you are behind a counter, i'll tear you to pieces." BUT the fact that i could not do that {not that i really wanted to because i'm not that kind of person} but just because no one, not even the security guards had my back felt horrible. when no one stands beside you, it doesn't feel nice. we then left and bought nothing at the outlet mall. in fact, i don't think we will give them any of our business again. we went shopping at sams and did our usual and then hannah and i headed to target...and guess what.....

we spent hours there looking for the perfect shoes for her....we then get to the register and the guy in front of me was requesting a price on a box of tassimo coffee that said, "Not for Re-sale," on it. As he waited and the manager did a price check, she called over the walky talky thing to the cashier and told her it was $9.95. She told the man the price and he proceeded to ask where she pulled that price from because it's a not for re-sale item. They couldn't give him an answer, so I looked up to him and said it happens all the time in here. They misplace things and overcharge you and won't honor the price that it was under because their store is sloppy and they don't care about making the customer happy anymore. He said he knew and this was outrageous and really, {it's not even about the pettiness of the problem} it's about the managers and workers acting like they don't have to have good customer service anymore. But at the end of the day, if no one has my back because they are too scared to speak up for who's right-{there were about 10 people standing in line at the shoe store} and not one of them said anything, they were all too scared to stand up for someone-I'll stand alone. And then when I see someone at the store struggling with a cashier/manager, I'll stand up for him because I'm not afraid to.

Just Breathe

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I feel like swinging through the air and just being free today. Whenever I feel stressed or overwhelmed, I tell everyone to pack up, we're going to the beach. It's always nice to take time for reflection, time to renew, time to yourselves, time for relaxation. I think we all need and deserve. Have a beautiful Sunday.

Join The Groups!

Hey all! Hope you are having a fabulous day! I just wanted to do a quick shout out about groups. Sometimes it is really hard for everyone to communicate back and forth on everyone's blogs and it gets a little overwhelming, so we have started some groups that we think you will love.

The idea is to leave comments within those groups back and forth interacting with your fellow blog pals. It's a great way to gain friends and interact about the daily things going on in your life. There is also a chat room on the bottom tab. You have to log into facebook, twitter or yahoo but i think it's a great feature if ya'll want to chat~ check it out and be creative! have a nice weekend.

PS: We are having a Love Letters Feature for The Month of Feb. Feel free to jump in and share your poems and love letters/stories.

PSS: We also have a ten space ad giveaway coming up soon, so be sure to jump in on that.

xoxo

Deceitful Love Part 2: Fiction

Continued- Part 1

We walked into the ballroom where everything looked magical. Elise rushed to our welcoming and leaned in to give Don a peck on the cheek. She whispered softly in my ear to come with. Holding my arm, we rushed to the ladies room where two young gals were talking about the past night and who was involved,... none other than the man of affairs himself. Everyone in town knows whats going on including her husband, Jim. Avoiding any conversation with these ladies, we bring what they are saying to the man himself. "So who were you with last night." I tease foolishly. He grinned and defensively states no one. I try to make him understand that playing the town with his sick ways was unattractive and sloppy. One will never change my mother always told me. Although Elise never wanted to admit it to herself.

As the night grew old, we danced and carried soothing conversations with clients and friends. The Château Lafite was strong enough to get me buzzing after one glass. Needless to say, I had three. Stumbling up the wide staircase to our bedroom, the door was open when it was always glued closed. The kids must have been playing in there when we were gone. Chelsea babysits when we have events and parties to attend. I slammed down on the king size bed and wrapped in a Legends Imperial.

The next morning I woke at the break of dawn. Elise was quietly walking up the patio steps. Her face said it all. I knew before she broke the silence. "Want a cup of Kona," I gently whisper. "You know it." Before she sat down on the Espresso Leather Sofa in our living room, I noticed a bright red mark on her inner wrist like he had grabbed her violently. In the midst of the silence and sipping our coffee, the door bell rings. It was John. The neighbor from up on the hill. We lived in such a small town, everyone thought they were welcome to come to your door at the crack of dawn. "Good Morning John, What brings you to my delight." "Oh the ol lady ran out of sugar and I don't think that old geezer's gonna start anytime soon." John and his wife of 65 years, lived in the same ranch home for as long as I could remember. When I was seven, I watched him and his sons, Mike and Jeremy mow the grass every morning before the sun came up. Now a days, they run a successful car lot in New Hampshire. Since we aren't in the same state any longer, they barely come to visit their parents. "Here you go. Tell her she owes me." I like to kid with the older generation. They get a kick out of it. He walked back to give his wife the sugar and I'm assuming told her she now needs to give me her Lisette. She inherited millions after her parents croaked. Ask me why they don't buy a new vehicle or have one of their sons ship them one is beyond me. It's an older generation thing, I guess.

Part 3-Stay Tuned

What I Love This Week!

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What I Love about each week is that the beginning is extremely busy for us and then it slowly starts to die down right about this time. I don't know if it's just because we're half way through or what, but it feels amazing to have today. I don't know if I've told you lately just how beautiful you all are. You each inspire me to keep going, to make everything I do admirable and worthwhile. If I could go through all the emails that everyone has sent to me about how much they love for the love of blogs, I would. It's that many. Those words are music to my ears each morning and that tells me that I'm doing something right. I'm not perfect nor claim to be but I'm good. And it's good enough for me. I've said before in my What I Love posts that I love myself and I really do. I love me because although I make mistakes, I own them. Although I get out of control, I fix things. Although I get irritated, I know it's time to take some me time. Although I can't rule the world, I can offer some kind of hope for those who so desperately need it. I love me because at the end of the day if you've ever felt like no one loved you, God does. And he loves us endlessly. No matter what. He is my rock, my strength and my hope. When I walk, I walk beside him and never in front or behind. I love life and the wind. Yesterday we went down to get M and the wind was just perfect. It blew in my hair- and it felt magical.

The trees are my breath of fresh air...I have no idea what I was doing before Hannah snapped a pic but what can i say.....my kids don't like taking pics of me {they think it's rather annoying}

I need to hire a photographer! These boots are way comfy. I got them on clearance at Bass.
Love them. I even wear them around the house like slipper boots because we have tile floors and they kill my legs.

My hair is not colored yet. I don't know if i will have time this weekend but hope so. This is the new length {it was blowing in the wind} not sure how crazy i am about it but it will grow;)

and of course i love my candy-junk food junkie-these spice drops do just the trick-purple is the best-

Cleaning Out The Closet!

I suppose I could have waited to clean my closet out but what's done is done and now I want you to air your dirty laundry. We are featuring Anonymous Stories just in case you don't want to share it on your own blogs. We would also love to read whatever is on your minds and invite you to share it over here.We have a juicy story today.

We look forward to hearing you out and supporting you no matter what. Also-it doesn't need to be anything negative! It can be a wedding story, embrassed moments, anything and everything. A trip, an adventure of a lifetime, a silly note, poem, whatever! Be creative and Clean Your Closets Out!

xoxo

A Big Thank You!

I was going to post my dinner from last night for my tasty tues. but this morning was overfilled with emails. I take pride in my space and although I rant from time to time, it's just to relieve the stress I've encountered. Many of you haven't the slightest clue as to how my days are ran. I'm not someone who just sits and blogs all day. I'm extremely busy multi-tasking to make what I love doing happy days for me. To say I'm busy is an understatement. I'm overwhelmed at times and feel like dropping everything. But I don't. And I can't. Because being this busy makes me happy. Doing what I do, satisfies me. It's more than just Vic blogs all day. I run a successful online shop, home school my daughter, respond to a gazillion emails, take care of our home, my almost 12 year old daughter who is a hormone all in herself, deal with my six year old who is slightly adhd with health problems and now has ocd and washes her hands so much that they are about to fall off, and i bake, cook and take walks daily while doing laundry, washing floors, making beds, hanging clothes, chasing gators, i try to fit in taking a shit cause god knows i need to and catch up with my babe in the eve while still making numerous phone calls to people that don't know how to do their jobs and dealing with a crazy mail lady who has the nerve to come to my door......while trying to also fit in a shower and eat a piece of cheese but I love it this way. I'm busy and wouldn't have it any other way. Mind you, now that I got my Evo, I can tweet and fb you all when i sneak some time in.

Yesterday was a bit crazy. When I have my team army facebooking me, tweeting me and emailing me telling me about this new project someone had going on and it was a name that was so very familiar to my creation {which btw: i googled and searched and searched to make sure no one else had} it was very alarming and hurt me. i'm not going to lie. i was upset. i did not just jump all over these people like gators on the birds here, I looked into it and did some searching. What I found was enough confirmation to make me believe that they had in fact saw our community and instead of joining us turned against us-which isn't really important-and i was just angry and upset at the facts and everyone who commented on those posts (both good and bad) made me realize that this is not what I want my blog to be-although i feel very strongly about writing what you wish on your space but don't like when people take it upon themselves to tell me their 2 cents on a post they know nothing about. They didn't have the facts, they only knew what their friends were telling them.

I did get personal emails from a few of those people who left hurtful comments on my blog and they did apologize for what they said. Which makes me even more grateful for owning my shit because come hell or high water, i'm not backing down. I stand firm for what I write about and although many don't understand where I'm coming from-that really doesn't matter! I know what I'm talking about when I'm talking it. And it makes me feel better to release it, delete it and move on. Which I'm proudly doing. If anything I've learned from blogging, is that you don't leave negative comments on anyones blog. It is their space, their right to do so. I have a hard time agreeing with people sometimes, but i leave. If i don't like what they say, i'll bring it to my own space, not theirs.

When I wrote my about me page some time ago, I mentioned that if you left a name on whatever you confronted me about, that I would respect you more and maybe become your friend afterwards. I meant it and one of those ladies has already gained that from me. I can't tell you how much it meant to read her email this morning because it was much appreciated, so thank you and you are more than welcome to join me on my journey.

As far as the rest of you {you know who you are}, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being true friends and knowing what I know! Your emails and responses lift me when I'm feeling down. But today is a new day, a better day and everything we encounter is a learning experience. I learn new things every day. I grow and expand,...that's how I roll!

xoxo

Beach Wedding

From the stunning beaches on the Gulf of Mexico, bringing together a match made in heaven was a dream come true for a good friend of mine. She met her husband on a networking site and ever since they've been inseparable. So for those that don't believe it can happen. Here's the proof.

Meet the beauty that fell head over heels for prince charming. Since knowing her for quite some time, I know that when she loves, she loves. She's a bright, gorgeous woman who would make any man a happy husband. He sure is lucky. After several date nights and many kisses they decided to tie the knot and become one. She loves to tell everyone how she's spending qt {quality time} with her qt {Cutie}.

The setting was magical. A very nice, simple, elegant and classy scene. Having lived the beach life for years, we both know how beautiful it truly is. The sand is soft and sweet. The ocean is colorful and talkative. Her long white dress was full of life.

Anne, you are a beautiful friend, sister, daughter and wife. I love everything about you. You make me smile and love greater. Tim, you are one lucky man! Your love for her shines and I couldn't be more happy to have you both as friends.

if you'd like to have your wedding featured here on f & f, just let me know:)

Happy Sundae

 May it be delish!

Change!

I'm in the mood for change! Once again! So please friends, bear with me;) I CHOPPED my hair. Oh yes I did! I will be posting more pics as soon as I highlight it, or dye it all blond. It's just something I needed to do. It's hair. It'll grow back. But I can't believe I did it after it took so long to grow. Enjoyed it while it lasted but I'm an ongoing surprise I guess.

Wild

I haven't been wild in some time. I think it's time for another dance post. What do you say SwirlBaby.

Around Town

yesterday after i specifically stated that i was not going gator hunting, we went gator hunting. there was really no hunting involved. the little feller was right out back on the edge of the water just lying there soaking up the sun.

i tell hannah to stay behind me but this kid has a mind of her own and rushes to the scene like this fucker won't rip her head off. i'm grabbing her arm and trying to snap a photo at the same time. holy hell kid....fall back. shit!

i mean come on now....look at him looking at us like we're the next great meal.

some lady proceeds to come over while i'm video taping {in case he comes chasing us, you can all watch} but he didn't... he lay there in peace.  anywho. the lady had thought this was the big fella. um. nope. that's allie. she was down yonder. later we caught up with her. we've got to stop this going out back business. she was lying in the grass way up away from the water. some lady was talking on her phone and yelled out to us, "BE CAREFUL THERE'S GATORS OUT HERE." Like I don't live here and know these things. I said, "I know, just getting some pictures." "Well they're FAST." I know lady...I'm gonna get eaten one day.

Hannah insists that she can fight a gator if she ever comes in contact.....think again chick! i really have to stop venturing off out there. this is it people....no more! i'd rather walk with these guys:

this chick was just wandering the streets like it was nobody's business. proceed. 

as we headed for the club house to lay out for a bit before m got home, we enjoyed the very warm sunshine. it was relaxing and fresh. i needed some sun. hannah needed to play. she met a friend.

a very beautiful day. how is your morn going.

ps: i am maxed out on these pics from blogger....uploading them to tinypic was hell! i cannot upload to photobucket because that is about to be maxed out too...and pretty sure that flickr is maxed....anyone know a free uploading site...besides tinypic....i know, i'm cheap but really this is too difficult.
thanks

What I Love

I've truly been loving these moments. I have indulged in a really good book. If you haven't read Up Close and Personal, I recommend. I'm in the middle. it's getting Juicy.

Hannah is loving Barney. What ever happened to him on television. M watched when she was very little and i think that's where she got her smarts. Thank You Netflix. We can now watch Barney. She never sat still for anything but. I can put disney channel on and she'll go wander. This may be the thing she needs. Seriously, it's that great. I enjoy watching her enjoy it. We are still home schooling but I wish there was a school I could transfer her to for interaction sake.

We've been watching some really good movies. Bryan and I watch some movies while the girls are watching something in their room in the evening. Some that I loved are Brothers, The Book of Eli, Eat, Pray, Love, The Taking of Pelham 123{Funny}, and we are getting ready to watch The Blind Side. And there have been some more action, thrillers. Netflix is awesome! I was a little bit leery about getting it but really think it's the best.

The view from our bedroom. The little ducks have been swimming freely with the new guy. I hope you can click the pics to see him. Lately he has been relaxing right where Allie hangs out. This little fella is new. I haven't seen him before. But interesting to say the least. I'm trying to take pics through the screen so they didn't turn out as good as I thought but I'm not up for gator hunting today.

I have some more photos that I need to share on the tv. Hannah is watching Barney right now, So I will wait. Maybe post some daily photos later. But meanwhile, I'm really enjoying the me time! Looking forward to getting my hair done soon. I'm gonna go lighter. I miss the blonde highlights. How are all of you! Hope well! Are you taking some me time!?

Holy Yum

well. i'm super happy to report that i've been doing very well on my so called diet. not really a diet but a lifestyle change with my eating habits. i still eat the same as i used to but in way smaller portions and have noticed a drop in weight already. as of lately, dinners consist of anything stir fry. it's simple, easy and healthy. we throw in chicken one night and steak um meat the next.

this wasn't finished when i snapped the pic, we like it crispy. we also tried some craw fish. which is really weird considering you rip off the end and just pull out a tiny part to eat. i wasn't too thrilled but it was kind of fun to get our hands messy. how dare we eat the wild like that.

that wasn't very nice. we will no longer be eating from the sea. but we still do our regular. dunkin donuts, pizza and wings. how could you not. i went and bought 2 dozen dd glazed filled one box.

 pizza is my fave. i don't care if some nights it's not all that great {this was to me but not to bryan} it's the best food ever. i can't go too long without. 

we made our peanut butter balls a couple weeks back. super yum. i found them here. i wouldn't add as much sugar though. relax on the sug, woman. 

Peanut Butter Balls
2 cups (500 grams) creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 - 2 1/2 cups (230 - 290 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar (Do NOT Use This Much) I would say maybe 2 cups at the most. Slowly add the sugar while stirring and you'll know when to stop.

Chocolate Coating

9 ounces (255 grams) semi sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons (25 grams) shortening (I wouldn't Use the Shortening Next Time) Not sure why they did....just melt the freaking chocolate.

Place the peanut butter, unsalted butter, and salt in a microwaveable bowl, and heat in the microwave for about one minute or until just soft (check and stir the ingredients every 20 seconds). Stir in the vanilla extract and confectioners sugar and mix until it has the consistency of a dough (add more sugar if necessary).

Roll the dough into 1 inch (2.5 cm) round balls. Place on the cookie sheet and refrigerate for about one hour, or until firm.

Melt the chocolate and shortening in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Dip the balls, one at a time, in the melted chocolate, making sure the entire ball is coated with chocolate. Then, with two spoons or a dipping fork, remove the peanut butter ball from the melted chocolate, allowing any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place the chocolate covered balls back on the baking sheet. When all the balls have been dipped in the chocolate, place in the refrigerator until the chocolate has set. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. To serve: place in small fluted candy cups.

Note: If you want to make Buckeyes: place a toothpick into each peanut butter ball and dip, one ball at a time, into the melted chocolate, leaving the top quarter of each ball undipped.

Makes about 40 pieces, depending on size.

i never.....i mean NEVER buy ice cream since we found out the girls were somewhat allergic but they kept crying for it and so i gave in.....shit. i'm not allergic. i made my sugar cookies and smothered them right in. delish. you must do if you have not.....ice cream is also so heavenly with pretzels. 

that's enough yum for a couple weeks. enjoy your tasty tuesday, at the table, and another tasty tues.

Simply Sweet

Good Morning Lovely People.

Are you enjoying breakfast with a nice cup of joe. I'm out of coffee so I'm slurping a nice green tea. The floors are freezing in this place. We have tile floor throughout and they feel like ice. I have the most heaviest socks on from Old Navy. {I stole them from the girls, shhhh}

Remember when we we young. I keep having these memories and feel like I've been an adult my entire life. I mean, really I have. At nine I was taking care of the other kids and pretty much teaching myself how to survive. If I could just go back to have some sweet, simple memories like hiding behind trees, chasing butterflies, smelling roses and playing in a tree house. I guess holding a pillow over your hiney to get shot with a bb gun is similar.

Someday soon here, we are going to move out of this condo and be able to have a place where we can actually call it our sanctuary. I've said this many times before, I feel like we live the fast paced life and have no time for simple pleasures. I just want to curl up in a big comfy chair and read a book or write a letter.

There is something about a candy shop that makes us feel happy. Makes us feel all warm and giggly inside.

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and cake. how can this not make you squirm. i've been meaning to bake a red velvet cake. perhaps this will be my inspiration.

friends: if you like to get silly, please head over to silly face saturday where my bud is hosting a fun day. {i have no pics on this laptop so i cannot show my silliness today} 

and if you like meeting other fabulous bloggers, go wander. do you need a new header,head here. have you ever wanted to meet a blogger face to face. maybe they live in the same town-go here.

check out these pretty pieces

have a fabulous weekend friends

Allie Bo Ballie

Since we're in a third floor condo, we get the wide open view. Lately we've been leaving the lanai door open to get some fresh air, so we can pretty much see everything. This is where allie hangs out. In the pond right behind our unit. The golf course is right there. The animals usually play because the woods are spread throughout. Hannah happened to see six or seven deer drinking the water and then running around on the course. The dog downstairs barks at them of course, chasing them into the woods. The guys on the golf carts drive slowly to watch them and it's just a gorgeous atmosphere.

All of a sudden Hannah is like, "Mom, allie is coming." And I mean she was coming. Crawling out of the grass straight for the downstairs people's door. Then she stopped. I told Hans to be quiet because I then knew the people downstairs were either feeding her or teasing her. And if they heard us above then they wouldn't do it because they know it's illegal.

Then she just plopped herself on the grass right where she always does and waited.

We watched from upstairs and nothing happened so we go out back to sneak a peek. As I turned the corner to head out back, this bird was sitting on the rock. Each step I snuck, she'd scream at me.

Usually when I get anywhere near these birds, they fly away. But she was watching me from the corner of her eye and telling me to watch out. Like really warning me not to go near this alligator. I would step closer and she would start squealing. and it's funny because there was one on the roof doing the same thing.

Anyways, I was just trying to get a good pic because i never do and it always fails. i did manage to get closer than ever before.

She heard me and darted for the water. I darted the opposite way because I had no idea if she was coming after me once she turned. But she didn't. I think for the most part they are more scared out of the water of us than we should be of them but you never know.

and i'm pretty sure she only has one arm.

Feed The Birds

The girls made these delicous feeders for our wonderful nature friends. We get so many different types of birds here, something new to watch each day. They went out and found some big chunky pine cones and came back to smother them in peanut butter and bread. Tied a string and brought it down to the little tree.