Mom Most Traveled is having the most awesome giveaway!

Seriously:

http://mommosttraveled.com/honesttechmedia/

The prize is a VHS to DVD Deluxe 3.0. You can watch a video on how it works. For years I have been fretting about all the old videos of our kids. What will I do? We don't watch videos any more and I bet the quality on them is bad. And what if they get ruined completely? The VHS to DVD Deluxe 3.0 seems to be the answer to my dreams!

Being a Girl Scout leader

No one was more surprised than I when I somehow found myself the leader of my daughter's troop. It started inconspicuously enough. I volunteered to help out.

Then the co-leader quit and I found myself helping the leader out. I stayed in the background....I suffer from intense shyness. Then it happened. Dire circumstances involving hiding the leader from an abusive husband, helping her escape and I was it. I was tagged. I was the leader. Me.

And you know what? It was the most intense, exciting, fulfilling, and wonderful thing I did. I loved those years and miss it now. I constantly saw leaders and parents come and go....how busy their lives all are, eh? But I held onto that troop and loved those faces looking to me for inspiration. The talks we had and the lessons we learned. Amazing.

Girl Scouts are more than cookies and badges. It is learning honesty, patience, morals, friendship and team spirit. It is sisterhood and being friends with the Earth.

It is a life away from electronics, television and the fast-paced world our girls are in the midst of. We made maracas and ate Mexican food for Cinco de Mayo. We camped under the stars and took field trips to science centers and zoos. We celebrated the sixties and dressed up for Halloween. We learned many cultures and walked in parades. We sat in the cold selling cookies and donated supplies to women's shelters.

And there are always those special girls. The ones that break your heart and you just know you did something to keep them safe and loved. But in the end? You discover that THEY did something for you.

We are all busy. It is a world that just doesn't stop. It doesn't slow down....it races by you so fast. And the only thing you don't want at the end is regrets.

Volunteer for something. Be a Girl Scout leader or help with a troop. You will be amazed at how much fun it is. And.....maybe...you might find that young girl in YOU.

$750 in prizes...Have an Etsy Christmas!!!

- Over $750.00 worth of prizes - 2 winners

The Sponsors:

Children
This and That - $20 gift card
Red Pajamas - Little Man's Tie ($8)
Baby Luv Gifts - Cute Custom Beanie ($15)
Baby Bears - $25 gift card
My Custom Baby Boutique - $25 gift card
Baby Goin Places - PocketChanger Diaper Changing Pad ($25)
Layla Legs - $15 gift card & free shipping
Second Story Window - $10 gift card
Inspiring Color Tie Dye - Youth pullover hoodie rainbow diagonal or swirl ($30)
Baby Peas - boy or girl cloth play blocks- set of 4 ($18)
Abby Chase Designs - Lotus Hair Flower ($13.50)
Tadpoles and Tutus - $20 gift card
Make it and Love It - onesie/bootie set of choice (14.99)

PiggyTails Boutique - Christmas tutu and snowman wand with a matching personalized bow ($26)

Jewelry
Four Dog Day - Cute Pink Key Ring ($8)
Jupita - $20 gift card
Zeba - Coin Pearl Earrings ($20)
Jodi Horgan - $25 gift card
One of a Kind Custom Jewelry - $20 gift card
Across The Pond - choice of any vintage button ring ($14)
Kerstin Hanson - $20 gift card

Bath and Body
Krug's Eco-Logic - $15 gift card
Indulgent Creations - Soy candle travel tin, soap and lotion ($16.50)
koko candles - holiday brownie cupcake candles ($25)
Dazzle Dott - $20 gift certificate

Especially for Mom
Mary Zoom - Pink Polka Dot Glam Cleaning Gloves ($10)
Maggie Sue Designs -A cup cozy and coordinating set of Tame Your Mane ponytail holders ($12)
Gaia Conceptions - "My Everything" piece (clothing, $40)
BoojiBoo - apron of winners choice (only ones in stock, $28.75)

Stones of Healing - $20 gift certificate

Yummy Treats
A Sugar Affair - $10 gift card
Cakebox Cookies - $20 gift card
A Thyme 2 B Comforted - $25 gift card
Double Dipped Sweets - $20 gift card
KE Cookies - One dozen chocolate chip cookies ($8)
AngelPie Cookies and Cakes - One dozen decorated sugar cookies ($18)
Meg's Creations - 2 pack of cookie and brownie mix ($24 including shipping)
Cookie Art by Sarah - One dozen sugar cookie snowflakes and $25 gift certificate ($53)

Paper Crafts
Paper Treasures 4 U - 2 page 12''x12'' Christmas layout ($9)
Inkspot Workshop - 1 Set of 6 Snowman Gift Enclosures 1 Set of 6 Tree Bird Gift Enclosures ($12)
Take Note - 1 set of personalized notecards ($15)
Articulations - 6 lunchbox love mini cards ($5)

*******

My six favorite stores are:

PiggyTails Boutique because I am currently in LOVE with tutus. I have a 21 month old granddaughter. Nuff said? LOL

My favorite of the jewelry stores is One of a Kind Jewelry better known as LizardQueenJewelry. You have to love that name, don't you? I fell in love with her earrings and saved some to my Etsy favorites.

For the bath and body section it was tough but I fell hard for DazzleDott's soaps. My teenage daughter wanted to know it the brownie soap had real chocolate in it! Yes, it looks that real.

For the mom section I have to say that stonesofhealing was my favorite because I fell for her earrings such as the Joy and Good Health pair!

I would have to say for the yummies that DoubleDippedSweets have it all. Check out the Almond Roca apple. OMG.

For the paper crafts I like Take Note. The personalized note cards are great looking. I like the colors and the script offered.

Oh, for God's sake

I have another session tomorrow and I feel a sense of dread. Sure, it isn't fun closing your eyes and reliving a violent part of your past. But it's good for you, right? Yeah, like an enema or exorcising some freaking kind of tumor.

Close your eyes. Pick a truly "special" moment like when your ex punched you in the stomach and tell the story as if it is happening now. Then do it again. And do it again. Until it is less painful. Except that then you go out to your car and bawl your eyes out all the way home.

And who to talk about THIS with? Your husband who is incredibly loving and patient but feels anger at your ex.......hey, it's MY anger. I want to share it all and not have to console YOU. Oh, that's right. That is what therapy is. Talking without boundaries or BS.

Back to square one. I have therapy tomorrow. And it's a good thing.

The Lil' Peanut Patch 12 days of Christmas!

I honestly don't know when I have been more excited about a giveaway. 12 DAYS of giveaways! The rules are simple:

You must enter each giveaway (12 total) to qualify to win.

-You must follow the directions in each post.

-Write a post about the 12 Days of Christmas at The Patch, use our graphic (available below) and link back to The Lil' Peanut Patch. The only exception to this rule will be for those that don't have a blog. (You must email us and let us know either way)

-You may only enter each giveaway once

Therapy

Who said life would be better and easier after therapy.....or during.....

No one? Okay, well it's like this. It is hard. Hard sometimes to make myself go and other times I can't wait for my next session. Sometimes I feel like I blew money because we just sit and talk about crap. Other times I come out shaking and maybe crying.

She says I have post traumatic stress disorder. From over ten years of abuse from J. That blew me away and caused me a lot of distress. So after 15 years with Bill, I still suffer because of that ass? No way. That can't be true. No way he can still have any control over my life.

No. But yet....and I guess my mom has set me up for J. Her hitting me set me up for J hitting me? Hmmm....

Moving

Okay. I cried the other day as I stood on my porch. I was saying goodbye to my house/home. It was a sunny/misty rainy day? My favorite kind. Light rain with the sun still shining. There are these trees as high as the sky in the back area......and the sun catches the leaves and they shimmer....and the grass was as green as it EVER gets. And my rhodies were standing tall......you forget the work, the water we hated so much, the cost..you just breathe in that air and it sounds like the ocean sometimes. that rustling sound. There is no one around because you can't see but traces of the road through the trees......and I remember how I didn't notice the flaws in the house or anything else when we bought it. I thought of the Halloween parties, the pool parties, the summer events....the loudness of the sheer joy coming from kids.....the Girl Scout meetings.

But as we emptied the house I saw the dismalness of the building. Of course with boxes piling for weeks housework was almost nil and some places hadn't been accessed for a month or two BECAUSE of the boxes and THAT was embarrassing if you know what I mean. Bill is a welder and the things he can do with metal are truly amazing. I have seen him make things for people that put me in awe. That said, he kind of sucks with wood. LMBO So his molding skills and fixing things like that were not the best. And the shop caused us a fight once a month at least because to me your shop has to be at least liveable. Seriously you NEVER saw a place like that. :O

Hey, I am 49 now and kind of content with my family and a small place to take care of. We had money from not making the house payment and Dad gave me a bunch so we were able to buy a really gorgeous shower curtain and liners, new rug, new aquarium (small inexpensive like the one she has but CLEAN and not rusted from the water) new bedding for Sadie, a knife set with wood block now that we don't worry about the knives rusting in the water....stuff like that, you know. I figured psychologically it would help us all. And it does. There is a big storage closet as you walk in.....two bedrooms, the bath which let me tell you I am STILL trying to downsize two bathrooms into one, hence the box on the floor......an L shaped area which has my desk, dining table and living room. The laundry room is large and lots of shelves and storage area. The kitchen is the tiniest ever but I am loving it.

I am smack in the middle of Meridian Street. The horror street that congests badly in puyallup BUT now I am halfway down either way if that makes sense...so it isn't so bad? I try to make use of the trips back and forth to school by throwing in trips to the post office, shopping etc. No more Graham post office......the suckiest one in America. The one a couple of blocks away from me is even open on SATURDAYS. And Sarah is five minutes away. Access to that granddaughter of mine.....the thing is that she can make me smile in five seconds no matter what. Is there anything more precious than a 20 month old child?

We have told Sadie that she transfers at the end of the semester. I just think it is for the best. I am saddened to see all the girls that used to be at our house, all the girls that were so treasured when young, turn out to be so superficial and some downright mean to Sadie. It confuses her but I know what it is. She is slower to change. She spends a huge amount of time on her hair straightening it but doesn't like any of the clothes/makeup things of the other girls. And she has a big heart which we all know leads to more pain.

I have always taught my girls that when all else fails we all have each other. It is a protective thing on my part, I know......but moving to WA was really hard on Sarah and I. Knowing that you have your parents, your sibling, your dog....that gives us a cocoon, wouldn't you say?

Getting used to a small lock mailbox will mean lots of trips to the office or post office considering my mail usage....the garbage is a walk away. And they only recycle cardboard. So the test begins. How commited am I really to 20 odd years of recycling when it becomes work to do it?

My very favorite things are around me and my family is beside me. What more could a person ask for? I have one lawn chair, two potted azaleas, two gorgeous glass hard-to-describe hanging decorations, and soon two bikes squeezed on our patio. And we are trying to see if the baby's swing that was hanging from our porch will work here. And in the midst of it all is this pretty concrete angel holding flowers that a dear friend once sent me for my garden.

Here it is. Another adventure.

Wow this is some contest!

http://pinkwithsparkles.com/2008/07/06/giveaway-my-fancy-princess/

$100 Giveaway! My Fancy Princess!

This is an amazing website. I would love to buy tons of their items for my granddaughter.
Rules and information on the website.

Scribble Scratch and me :)

I haven't done this much but let's see how I do.


Teresa is giving away two 8oz soy candles by Jess, over at her personal blog. She can ship anywhere, so everyone is encouraged to participate.

My granddaughter's hospital visit

What a night it was. She had been sick since Saturday with vomiting and diarrhea. But a couple of days later and a loss of two pounds and she was back at the doctor. 2 pounds is worrisome at 14 months. So my daughter calls me....I am out shopping with Sadie for Mom's birthday and the next thing I know we are in a race to Mary Bridge Hospital in Tacoma. It is pouring down rain, sleet, I don't know how to get there......and I am wishing for mapquest..

I get there and that baby is so frail, so tiny. She is crying but can't produce tears. She is severely dehydrated. So they decide to give her an IV. Oh, I hate this but have to be tough because I am the MOM and the GRANDMA. I am supposed to help my daughter cope with this. I tell her to keep talking to Natalie. Coo, jabber, anything. And I convince her to climb up into the bed with the baby.

She is better now. That night she went home and slept for 8 hours, woke up to Pedialyte and back for another 2 hours of sleep. Thank God.

This reminds me of the growth being removed from her head. They had Sarah wait outside because of God knows why but I stood up and asked to go in with Natalie. They said yes. I knew she needed someone there. While Sarah waited in the hall, I was there holding onto Natalie in her papoose.....loving her, holding her, talking to her while tears streamed silently down my face. I love that baby so much.

My daughter's 23rd birthday!

She was kind of overshadowed by the baby. Natalie was in rare form. Grandma's fault. Yeah, I know....she noticed that HER strawberry pieces were okay but what is that in everyone's hands? THEIR strawberries have stuff on them. Chocolate! And so I did it. I gave her mine. She LOVED it. She licked it and made the kind of faces that had us all in hysterics. And then. THEN. Then came an hour and a half of the most rowdy in your face hilarious baby antics. That girl. 14 months of sheer energy! Time to go and see what she is in now. :)

My first blog

I came across the most awesome giveaway. Yes, awesome. I know, I don't use that word lightly. Trust me. But these are the most gorgeous dresses I have seen for little girls. EVER.

Not frilly, foo-foo stuff.. Just gorgeous, play in me, you know girls love to swirl around in their dresses, cute.

And so I am attempting to link to this giveaway. Bear with me and wish me luck. LOL

http://www.theopinionatedparent.com/2008/03/06/it-takes-twirl/