Slapdash Sunday(1/31)

Slapdash Sunday is a day for your proverbial week 'leftovers.' Is there something you wanted to say, but just forgot? Is there something you want to write about, but isn't worth a whole page? Do you have a random thought, funny or otherwise that needs to be written down?

That is what Slapdash Sunday is for!

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I won my second instant win giveaway!!

This is so exciting because I play at least 15 to 20 instant wins each day(give or take)-Honestly, I never expect to win anything because I usually just do it for the entries to whatever bigger contest/giveaway/sweepstakes is going on...You know, the 'You didn't win today, but you are entered for *Insert Prize Here*.'

My winning is extremely delicious looking too ;-)




I have a question-Is Google Friend Connect different from actually following a blog?

The reason I ask is because I follow A LOT of blogs, but when I go onto the ones that I follow, its says I'm not following via G.F.C. Some of these I distinctly remember hitting follow, too!

I'm confused O.o





If you all remember, I went and saw Avatar about a month back and wrote a review on the movie(Viewable Here)-Well, I went and saw it in 3D yesterday with the family!

I was extremely excited, and then the movie started.

Not only did I learn that 3D anything makes my head hurt and me sick to my stomach, I realized that I really did not like Avatar in 3D. I felt you were focused too much on the minute details of the movie instead of the movie's plot itself.

Not my cup of tea in other words.

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Wanna be apart of Slapdash Sunday?
Grab the button below and blog along!

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The Sunshine Award

Thanks to my extremely wonderful friend Max, better known as Krafty Max of Krafty Max Originals, I was awarded the Sunshine Award!

I feel so honored ^.^

In tradition of this award, here are the rules I must oblige by in order to pass it on:

- Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
- Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.
- Link the nominees within your post.
- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

So now onto the duty of passing it out-I feel that since this IS the Sunshine Award, I would pass this onto the 12 bloggers that add a little sunshine to my daily life :)

1. Midday Escapades
2. Rose Works Jewelry
3. Live It, Love It
4. A Simple Kinda Life
5. Eighty MPH Mom
6. Sandier Pastures
7. Crocheted Little Things
8. An Island Life
9. The Mommy-Files
10. Katydid and Kid
11. Sweet Greens
12. Outnumbered 3 to 1

Off to let ya'll know!

Love and Energies.
Kayla

Saturday's Picks(1/30)-Give a Hoot!

I can't believe I haven't done owls yet(or have I...?)! Like seriously, that's probably one of the FIRST things I would have dedicated Saturday's Picks to...

Hm.

Well, this is a good thing because it gave me an idea!! Much like the posts I dedicated to far away lands that I want to visit someday, I'm going to do a series on my spiritual animal totem :)

First will be my Owls.

Enjoy!

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Boo Boo Tree Lil Hoot from ManicMuffinTotes


$25.00

Vintage Silver and Abalone Owl Pendant from FreshyFig


$44.00

Owl Always Love You from JAmesAP


$3.00

Black Tunic with White Owl from pollyannassource


$36.00

New Style Leather Keychain Wallet from TheFigLeaf


$21.95

It's been a long time...

....since I've held a giveaway!!

And who best to offer an excellent prize then my friend and fellow jewelry designer extraordinaire, Max of Krafty Max Originals!?

As many of my followers know, Max has generously offered several items for giveaways in the past and they all have been top-of-the-notch GORGEOUS-Of course this time is nothing different ;-)

Take a gander at your prize for today:


{Vanna White Style Reveal}

{The Giveaway}

A lovely Swarovski Crystal Bracelet(ARV $62.00)

Some information about the prize:

"With each ‘dangle’ hand turned and placed along the Gold Plated spring wire form of this bracelet it is truly a thing of beauty. Swarovski Crystal Pearls separate the clusters to make them stand out even more. The end caps (also Gold Plated) are also finished with more beads that dangle!"

"At rest the bracelet measures 7 inches round, but can stretch to fit most wrists. This bracelet is NOT adjustable beyond the spring wire stretch."

{The Rules}

1. You MUST include a way to reach you whether it be an email or blogger URL.
2. Each comment, mandatory and or extra, has to be separate.
3. Sorry, but this contest is open to U.S. Citizens only.

{Win It}

What is one thing in Kraft Max Originals that you love and why?

{Extras}

1. How long ago did Max start making her jewelry?(2 extra)

2. Follow my Blog and or Max's Blog(1 extra for each)

3. Subscribe to Me(1 extra)
*Located on the right-You can't miss it.

4. Follow Me and or Max on Twitter(1 extra for each)

5. Tweet this giveaway(1 extra daily)

-Win a Lovely Swarovski Crystal Bracelet @TheEclecticE http://ow.ly/1249h

6.Follow Max on Facebook(1 extra)

7. Blog about this giveaway leaving a link(3 extra)

8. Purchase something from Krafty Max Originals(5 extra)
(Make sure you mention this contest in the message to seller)

That's 1 mandatory entry + 24 possible extra entries which = 25 entries total!

Good Luck!

This contest is open to United States citizens only and will run from Friday January 29, 2010 12:00 pm central standard time until Friday, February 5, 2010 11:59 pm central standard time. The winner will be chosen via Random.org and will be contacted within 24 hours of the drawing. You have 72 hours to claim your prize and send me your shipping information-If I haven't heard from you within that time frame, I will choose another winner.

click here to view my full Disclaimer Policy

Aloha Friday #3

From Kailani of Island Life:

"In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer."

I'm going to follow her lead, kick back, relax and see what you all have to say on this lovely Friday!

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Today's question is:

What are you reading(if anything)at this time?

Currently, I'm in the process of reading a book I was sent to review called Watchlist-So far, it's a pretty great read! I just wish my stupid brain fog would go away(makes it REALLY hard to concentrate in general, let alone read a whole book).

Have a wonderful Friday everyone!

Love and Energies.
Kayla

Follow Friday(1/29)

My friend Lynn of Midday Escapades along with two other bloggers, One 2 Try and Hearts Make Families, have come up with one awesome meme called Friday Follow!

It's a very simple and fun way to connect with other bloggers like yourself and gain readership, as well as like-minded friends :)

If your interested in participating in this meme, just Click Here for more info.

And if your a new reader to The Eclectic Element, welcome!

Love and Energies.
Kayla

Health Update Thursday(1/28)

Okay, seriously-This new stuff that I started on Monday is making me So. Damn. TIRED! And before you ask, no, it's not the go-to-sleep-early-and-sleep-forever tired, it's more like the I-don't-want-to-do-anything-and-even-if-I-did-I-couldn't-do-it-anyway tired.

Trust me, I'd rather it be the first kind.

I guess it could be worse, though-I could be stuck in bed with mind boggling pain, so it's definitely a step up!

There really isn't much to update you guys on-Started the new stuff. Makes me really tired. Do stuff until I get too fatigued(which is usually pretty quickly).

Sorry it's nothing too terribly exciting! Hope you all have a fantastic Thursday ^.^

Love and Energies.
Kayla



**Update**

I just talked to my M.I. and she told me that I will feel extremely fatigued by this new stuff, but the more I continue to take it, the less fatigued I will feel.

Fingers crossed!


**Update Update**

Sorry guys, I think this is the only post your going to get out of me for this Thursday-I woke up EXTREMELY late and I don't feel good so I'm going to skip posting for today.

A Beadwoven Dream-Enchanted Beads

We have another beader amongst us-And her work is just STUNNING! Say hi to Ileana of Enchanted Beads, as well as, Enchanted Bitz on Etsy! Yes, dear readers, Ileana has not one, but two Etsy shops to lose yourself in; One for strictly beadwoven work and one for everything else...

This very talented soul is located in the big U.S of A in the upper east state of New York. Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York to be more specific-Her studio overlooks the Verrazano Bridge to which she finds daily inspiration from :)

"I was always very creative and I used my free time for making things that I could wear or I would need around the house-A mosaic table for example. Later, I started making evening dresses with beautiful appliqués (flowers, leaves, butterflies) made of pearls and tiny beads, that looked like a piece of jewelry. Little by little, I realized that what I enjoyed best in designing and making an outfit was actually the elaborate embellishment. I started to make little pieces of jewelry, developing new techniques as my jewelry evolved. My decision to concentrate only on the embellishments was how I started my jewelry collection."

Currently a half-retired linguist who still aids in translations and telephone interpretations, Ileana spends most of her spare time on Etsy-She started her business when a friend of hers encouraged her to start her own shop back in 07,' but she really didn't get into it until February of 2008.

Since then, she has been working very hard to make her jewelry business a success; Throughout both of her shops, you can find many different types of jewelry, all of which are quality pieces and just absolutely beautifully made! From necklaces and pendants to brooches and pins to earrings, bracelets and a great deal of other odds and ends :)

Like I said above, Ileana uses nothing but the best for her products-She works with many things, but her favorite are semi-precious stones and pearls(you will see many of her designs encorporate those two things). Those combined with the tiniest of seed beads makes for some out-of-this-world jewelry!

"The scale, shape, and variety of color of the material help me to mold my pieces. I would use my seed beads much like a painter uses colors and brush strokes to convey his version of imagery."

Things to know about Ileana, her jewelry and her shop:

*How cool is this: Ileana has an interview which was included the 2007 issue of Crafts Report Magazine!

*Besides Etsy, you can find and purchase her work on many other sites, most of which include her own personal site Enchanted-Beads.com, Artfire, and 1000 markets.

*If you want to know more about Ileana herself, you can follow both of her blogs, Ileana's Magical Time and Enchanted Beads, or you can follow her on Facebook, Myspace or Twitter.

*For payment, shipping and other information of the like, check out Ileana's Shop Policies Page.

Advice from Ileana: "Participate in as many contests as you can . Keep trying, keep improving yourself, and most importantly stay connected."

If you love the look of beadwoven items, your definitely going to have to check out Ileana's Enchanted Beads Shop. Of course if you like a variety of other styles and looks, I would advise to also check out her other shop, Enchanted Bitz!

Love and Energies.
Kayla

Items in Post:

Sea World Collection: Fish Instinct Bracelet(February Birthstone)

The Treasure Geode Slice Brooch with Onyx, Coral, and Gemstones

Dancing Diva Amethyst Necklace with Mother of Pearl and Amethyst

Badgertastic!

*WARNING*

This video is extremely hilarious-May result in stomach cramps, involuntary tears or loss of breath from excessive laughter.



Seriously, Adam is my new favorite person-Ever since my mum told me about the interview on television the other night, I did a little research, found his website, Sleep Talkin' Man and have read through all of what he has uttered in unconsciousness while nearly falling over and hyperventilating from laughing so hard!

A few of my favorites.



3. "I can't control the kittens! Too many whiskers....too many whiskers."

2. "Sigh of a ninja."

And my number one favorite:

1. "My badger is going to unleash hell on your ass...BADGERTASTIC!"




Adam has become such a phenomenon, both him and his wife have taken to selling merchandise with his sleep-talking phrases on them! I swear, when I get the opportunity, I'm gettin' me a t-shirt :)

The funniest thing about this whole thing is it seems Adam has two personalities: One waking and one sleeping-Some of the stuff that he says in his sleep, he doesn't even know in his waking life! He's uttered distinct American insults and referenced a few things that he has NO idea what they are or what they even mean. Just goes to show you that we are different people when we sleep...

If Adam or Karen read this post, I just want to say a huge thank you to both of them for giving myself, as well as, MANY other people such a wonderful start to our days-Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is log onto their site, SleepTalkinMan.Blogspot.com, and see what Adam's night consisted of.

Hopefully my readers will enjoy Adam and his ramblings as much as I have!

Love and Energies.
Kayla

Win It Wednesday(1/27)

~*!*~Win It Wednesday~*!*~

Win a Copy of The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg!!


Ends February 6, 2009


Enter Here

Win a Gift Certificate to Hipstery.com!!


Ends February 6, 2010


Enter Here

Win a complete 36 piece set of MODS food storage containers from SnapWare.com!!

Ends February 8, 2009

Enter Here

Have giveaways you want to advertise?

Link them below!!

Mother Nature Incarnate-Holzfurhaus

I'm very happy to introduce to you today, dear readers, an incredible artists that does some amazing work with wood-I can honestly say I've never run across anything like this before!

Please say hello to Mark of Holzfurhaus on Etsy!

If you aren't sure what 'Holzfurhaus' means exactly, let me help you out! It's a German phrase translating to 'Wood for House' which is a very appropriate name seeing as Mark makes household art out of wood!

Located in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, Mark makes his living as an interior designer by trade who specializes in furniture-"I am the guy that drew up the plans for those expansive offices of cubicles that Dilbert sits in." Unfortunately, back in January due to the declining economy, his hours got cut back to 4 days a week and once July rolled around, Mark got laid off.

But it's not all bad news! Between those months of January and July, he took what could have been a negative and turned it into a positive by doing something that could help him make extra money: He started his woodworking.

"I discovered I did not have to buy exotic woods, I could turn local woods from the wood pile or fallen trees. I started practicing, experimenting, and honing my skills, dedicating over 40 hours a week to this task."As of right now, his wood working is his full-time job, but it doesn't stop him from still searching for work-It just keeps him busy in the meantime!

When asked what other types of art or crafts he does, Mark told me that he considers himself strictly a wood artisan. I'll let him explain because his words just flow so well...

"My medium is wood turning. I produce wood bowls. But to get noticed on Etsy these bowls have to something special. So I try to make each and every bowl a sculptural piece. I either use the natural edge of the bowl to make it sculptural or I add a decorative finial. I just started working with dyes to add color. I am really just scratching the surface so far. The amazing thing is how my skills and the end result improve with each piece."

Some things to know about Mark and his work:

*Besides Etsy, Mark has his own website: Holzfurhaus.com!

*If your a fan of his work, you can also follow him on his Facebook Fanpage.

*For payment, shipping and other information, check out his Shop Policies Page.

Advice from Mark: "Be creative: When you see your competitor produce something amazing, do not copy it. Study it. Why is it amazing? Apply the “why” to your work. Along with that, make sure it is something you love to do, because when you are not selling anything and you are tired and burned out, you still have to produce. Last but not least, the goal is to get better and better. Keep improving. No one wins. No one loses. You may take the lead. You may fall behind. Have fun along the way. "

I have never seen anything like Mark's artistry before-The simple, yet extremely powerful way he molds natural wood into those works of art is breathtaking! They aren't just another bowl or cup or vase; It's nature incarnate in every intricate piece.

"The sacred code of the wood turner is, “If you supply me wood, I will make you a bowl from it”."

Love and Energies.
Kayla

Items in Post:

Contained Growth

Rapunzel's Tower

Ash Purple One Eyed Alien

Sweet Disposition

I'm a lover of music.

It's so funny because until recently(about 3 years ago), I HATED music-Un-American, I know, but the truth, none the less. Then I received an iPod for Christmas and everything changed. I started putting different types of music on and realizing with each different song and artist that music was such a beautiful expression of the soul!

Since then, my tastes and styles have changed from one year to the other. I went from a serious Weird Al phase(I had ALL of his CDs) to being a rocker chick for quite awhile(Disturbed, Pantera, Celldweller) to eventually more heavy metal (Kitty and Korn) to even alternative (Burn Season).

My current phase(and I believe the phase that will stay with me) is Indie. Yes, of course I will still have a special place in my heart for all the others(especially Al since we go WAY back -Lol-), but I feel that Indie is the one that describes me as an individual.

Currently, there are many groups and individuals I love such as Paolo Nutini, Florence and the Machine, Iron and Wine, Joshua Radin and many more.

Don't ask me to pick out one as my favorite because I couldn't possibly single out ONE that I like above another. However, I can tell you that I have particular favorite 'song of the week' shall we call it: If I hear something I like, it will become my new favorite song that I'll listen to over and over (and over and over) again, put as the ring on my phone and maybe even set as my alarm clock so I can wake up to it each morning.

This song currently is Sweet Disposition by Temper Trap.

{Video Credit}

Inspirational Tuesday(1/26)

"When life seems overwhelming, take things an hour at a time-Find comfort in the little triumphs."

--Lee Woodruff


I've noticed that a lot of people(myself included) are feeling overwhelmed with life and it's daily trials and tribulations these days and when I came upon this quote, it seemed fitting to feature on my blog for this Inspirational Tuesday-Hopefully this will inspire you guys as much as it did me!



What inspires you today?

Gotta Have a Little Sparkle-Hard Candy Gems

Welcome back! Well I suppose you all never left, so I really should be welcoming myself back :) I'm excited to be back because I really missed blogging-Especially featuring lovely, wonderful artists and crafters...

And guess what!? I have one to share with you this afternoon! Yes indeed, please give a warm welcome to Sara of Hard Candy Gems on Etsy!

"I can't even remember how young I was when I asked my Dad to buy me my first set of beads and gemstone rocks to play around with," started Sara, "I do know that I ended up loving every second of it, and the obsession began."

Sara, who lives in Capitola, California, located atop the Monterey Bay started beading at a young age-When she was starting out, she would just make beaded necklaces, bracelets and other things which were always a hit. Of course when she hit her teen years, life got in the way and the jewelry designing slowly tapered off. Luckily, she came back in her mid-twenties and shortly after that, she got into wire wrapping!

Etsy came when Sara noticed the site popping up in many search results while checking out the web: "It kept coming up again and again until one day I realized, wait, I'm not on there!! I set up a shop immediately." Man, if only I had taken that initiative!

As of right now, her jewelry is her lively-hood! A few months ago, she was laid off from her full-time job of 9 years, but before you 'Aw' her, think twice-She hated that job with a passion, so it was kind of a blessing in disguise. Soon after, she decided to take the plunge and make her jewelry design the real-deal, full-time venture she'd always wanted it to be ^.^

If you take a stroll through Hard Candy Gems, you can see that Sara has quite the set-up! Not only can you find some SERIOUSLY gorgeous wire wrapped jewelry, but you can find some seriously gorgeous Quality wire wrapped jewelry very reasonably priced. You can find anything from rings and pendants to beaded necklaces, brooches and earrings all in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.

Things to know about Sara, her jewelry and her shop:

*Follow her on Twitter @HardCandyGems

*If you absolutely love Sara's designs and have something special in mind, don't hesitate to contact her with your vision! She is open to all custom orders :)

*For payment, shipping, and other information, check out her Shop Policies Page.

Advice from Sara: "My advise to fellow artists would be to share your skill with as many people as you possibly can before you meet your maker. Never be stingy with the spoils of your passion."

Like me, Sara loves her jewelry and uses it not only for her enjoyment, but to help others; If you take a look at her Shop Announcements, you will see that 10% of sales will goes toward the building of the Eileen M. Hickey Cancer Center at Saint Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York.

So keep in mind, if you see something you absolutely cannot live without in Hard Candy Gems, 10% of your money will go to help find a cure for cancer-I think that's a win win situation, don't you?

Love and Energies.
Kayla

Items in Post:

Frozen Grape-Amethyst Checkerboard Oval Pendant

Chocolate Cosmos-Garnet Flower and Adventurine Leaf Bouquet Brooch

Snow Flurries-Snowflake Obsidian Ring

It's a Baby Girl!

{Image Credit}

Today, I was awoken by my door being thrust open and my mum coming in and saying in a sing-songy voice, 'Iiiiiiiit's-a-Giiiiiiiiirl....!'

I immediately flew out of bed and started doing a Lymie happy dance(not quite a walk and not quite a dance-We'll settle upon a joyous shuffle LOL).

Who's baby girl you might ask?

Well, if you had read This Post from my up north vacation, you would know it was my Cousin's wife, whom was extremely pregnant when we saw her not more then a week or two ago!

~*!*~Congratulations Bergman family and welcome to the world little Allison LeeAnn~*!*~

Note: Shopping trips and random baby-related writings may proceed this post in the near future.

Smartasses Rejoice!

My mum and I love when Wednesday rolls around because it gives us time to spend together watching what else, but the comedy block on abc. One of our favorite shows is Modern Family and this week's episode had us in hysterical tears-Especially this particular scene...

Even though this whole scene is hilarious, keep an eye out for what Mitchell says at 1:00.

God, if the universe gave me that chance just once in my lifetime, I could die an EXTREMELY happy smartass ;-)

January Photography Contest Entry

This is my entry for the An Island Life's January Photography Contest:

For January's Photography Contest, we were supposed to capture what the New Year meant to us and I was pretty much stumped until yesterday afternoon when I looked outside my window and happened to catch a squirrel digging for long ago stashed items in the melting snow-After a minute or so of digging, the little guy stood up, looked around and dashed away. Right then is when it truly hit me that New Year for me was coming out of our Winter 'hibernation' of sorts like this lone squirrel and looking for a new beginning. Yes, we have a recollection of last years hidden items and stored memories strewn about, but it's better to leave those items in our subconscious and move onto bigger and better things :)



{Sorry about the quality of the picture-Either my camera isn't as good as it used to be or the little guy kept moving! Lol}

Mailbox Monday(1/25)

Mailbox Monday divulges into the inner workings of my mailbox throughout the week. From books to jewelry to free samples to random magazines and letters-You never know what will be in the mail this week...

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Early Monday morning, I awoke to a package from Amenity.com-I had to think about it for a second cause I didn't remember what it was! Lol

Then, it dawned on me: My Organic Zipper Bags I won from Sweet Greens!

All I can say is How. Gorgeous!!
(now I just need to find stuff to put in them).

Another win from Valerie of Sweeps4Bloggers!!

This time, it was a package that myself and my family all could love and use-FOOD!

Thanks to Pamela'sProducts.com, (whom we are very familiar with), I got a package consisting of Paula's Cake Mix, Chocolate Brownie Mix, and Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The best part is I can actually eat these because they are gluten and wheat free :D

I'm very excited to be given the opportunity to review not one, but two amazing books! I hope to be able to finish them soon so I can share with all ya'll :D

Lymie brain go awaaaaaaay!



What did you get in the mail this week?

Slapdash Sunday(1/24)

Slapdash Sunday is a day for your proverbial week 'leftovers.' Is there something you wanted to say, but just forgot? Is there something you want to write about, but isn't worth a whole page? Do you have a random thought, funny or otherwise that needs to be written down?

That is what Slapdash Sunday is for!

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Thank you to all my loyal readers, old and new alike, for being patient with me! I know it's been nearly a week since you've seen something new on The Element, but hopefully this week will be a good one for me-Yes, I'm still fighting whatever is causing my 'setback,' but I have spoken with my M.I. and she has given me some pretty sound advice-It's all uphill from here :)

That being said, welcome to all my newest followers from Follow Friday @ Midday Escapades! If I haven't visited, followed, or subscribed yet, don't worry-As soon as I get caught up with everything on my end over here, expect a new supporter!

I hope you enjoy what I have to say as much as I enjoy you being here(that goes for both new and old followers!).

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Wanna be apart of Slapdash Sunday?
Grab the button below and blog along!

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I've Been Featured!

Wow, this is how Lymie-brained I am: Lynn over at Midday Escapades asked me to be a featured blogger over at her site about a week or so ago and needless to say, I was absolutely thrilled!

Of course, I completely forgot about the whole thing until I got a bunch of comments today saying they came over from Lynn's site. LOL

So even though I knew I was going to be featured SOMEWHERE in my brain, it was still a big surprise when I woke up this morning :)

If your in the mood to meet one amazing blogger, head on over to Lynn's site and while your wandering around, check out my interview(Pretty Please!).

Thank you Lynn for a lovely interview!

Vacation from my Vacation

So, now I kind of know why it's been almost 2 years since we have traveled up north for a weekend vacation...


The car trip kills.


Although we all generally had a good time, it wasn't the ideal vacation I had in mind when packing to go up-I had envisioned a weekend of relaxation, family and maybe a little ice fishing if I was so lucky...I only got 1 out of the 3.

As soon as we got up there and unpacked, I got sick; And before you ask, not cold or flu sick, but Lymie sick. My whole body was wracked with pain, I had issues walking, my head hurt-Shall I go on?

My visions of catching Lucy(the fish that got away) were dashed since I couldn't go down the steep hill to get to the lake everyone was fishing on. There were snow mobiles, but even if I could get ready and be driven down to the lake, my pain was to immense to even consider it.

Despite everything, It was nice to visit with family we haven't seen in awhile-Especially our little 3 year old cousin(who was ADORABLE) and his mum who is Very pregnant and is due on the 25th of January.

Sigh.

Now that I'm back home, I need a vacation to get over my vacation >.<

I think I'm going to take a few days off to catch up on my emails and posts-Oh, and of course my health! I'm starting something new in my treatment and it's expected to set me back so we'll see how that goes.

I'll be around so I won't be totally unreachable!

Slapdash Sunday(1/17)

Slapdash Sunday is a day for your proverbial week 'leftovers.' Is there something you wanted to say, but just forgot? Is there something you want to write about, but isn't worth a whole page? Do you have a random thought, funny or otherwise that needs to be written down?

That is what Slapdash Sunday is for!

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A big thanks to everyone who gave me input last Slapdash Sunday-It's invaluable for me to know what you guys think! This blog isn't just for me, it's for my readers, too.

I decided I love my music on my blog, but autoplay was causing too much problems for my readers, so now when you come on my site, if you actually WANT to listen to the music, you have to go down to the bottom and turn it on manually.

If you haven't already, please take a look at my post from Thursday, The World is a Little Dimmer Today, and pay your respect to Karissa of Prissy Green.

Depression is something that needs to be brought into the light.

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Wanna be apart of Slapdash Sunday?
Grab the button below and blog along!

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Small Talk Six(1/16)-Fashion Do's and Don'ts

From MomDot:

"We would like to invite everyone to join in on a new weekly meme on MomDot called “Small Talk Six!” Since weekends are generally a little slower around the blogosphere, we thought this would be a great way to have a quick, fun, interactive meme.

All you need to do is grab one of the graphics below for your “Small Talk Six” posts and your sidebar. Then make a short (or an elaborate) post on your blog in response to the assigned topic of the week (see list here).

You can respond to each topic with a list of 6 words, 6 phrases, 6 sentences, 6 paragraphs, or 6 photos. Get the idea?"

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This week's Small Talk Six topic is:

6 pieces of clothing or accessories that you've owned, loved, and wish would come back in style

Before I start with my six, I have to warn you that I have no idea what's in and out of fashion right now-So basically I'm just gonna wing it :-)

1. Floor length skirts-I don't know what it is about these things, but I LOVE floor length skirts; They just make you feel so feminine, graceful and powerful!


2. Leggings-I know they are 'In' right now, but I still have to put them down because they are a-MAY-zing(Holy Grail of Fashion, remember?).


3. Hats-Nothing special to be said about those; Sometimes, I just feel like wearing a hat.


4. Toe Rings-I don't know why, but wearing a toe ring makes my toes look slimmer. So I'm all for those since my feet are somewhat 'wide.' Lol


5. 'Barefooting'-As much as I love, love, LOVE any and all kind of shoes, I love being barefoot much, much more! Of course barefooting wouldn't be practical in Winter, but once the warm weather hits, you best believe the shoes come off :D


6. Sundresses-Again, not practical in Winter, but I think sundresses make a woman feel so feminine and lovely!

Enjoy your Saturday everyone!

Love and Energies.
Kayla

Saturday's Picks(1/16)-Northwoods

I thought, since I'm spending this lovely weekend 'Up North', it would be very appropos to center today's Saturday's Picks post around the Northwoods themselves :)

So while I'm enjoying breathing in the fresh air and relaxing by a nice, warm fire, you guys can also enjoy vicariously through me(only if you want to that is)...

Enjoy!

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Crisp and Clean Rustic Pine Candle from BesemNaturalScents


$20.00

Northwoods Animal Iron Pots and Pans Rack from ModernIron


$199.00

Pine Tree Neckwire with Wood from janeeroberti


$92.00

Up North Natural Soap from bohbonsoapco


$4.25

Stoneware Pottery Pinecone Vase from TallPinesPottery


$18.00