Let me dust this thing off....

*cough cough*

*Achoo*

That's what I get for waiting so long to come back to you dear bloggie friends.

Life got a hold of me.

I could go on and on with a list of excuses and reasons as to why I haven't been around.

Some good, some bad.

Some ridiculous-like one of my kids keyboard smashed and somehow zoomed my blogger page to the tiniest view possible and I had no idea how to fix it until yesterday.

But I'm back.
And I'll try to keep up with my blog better than I have. Add that to the list of keeping up with my Etsy store, my facebook (horribly addicted), my facebook "fan" page, e-mail, the kids, and my hair accessory business. Oh...and the dogs and the house too!

Give Me Your Best Shot ~ Snow in Georgia!

Well...it happened again! February brought a "snowstorm" to NE Georgia! The kids were amazed. I thought we had escaped it by leaving New York! HA!

It was SO beautiful to look at though and it certainly made for some nice pictures!

I caught this little guy at dinnertime.....

The morning after....the sky was breathtakingly blue....no color touch up! That's ALL NATURAL!

Out my backdoor looking out into the acreage. I love the sunshine!

Come join the fun over at Better in Bulk!

Lolli hosts this awesome carnival every week!

Give Me Your Best Shot #17 DR Jekyl & Miss Hyde

So I'm back into Give Me Your Best Shot hosted by Lolli over at Better in Bulk. All you have to do is post your best shot of the week...doesn't have to be a great shot...it can be your favorite shot. Goodness knows I'm not a real photographer but I love taking pictures.

This week I'm entering my youngest, Ella doing her Dr Jekyl & Miss Hyde impression.

Ella, being her adorably sweet self

and BOOM, with one simple word, "NO"....she turns into this!

Join the fun by clicking the button below!

A New Home

I finally did it! I created a blog to showcase my hair accessories and personalized digital creations (invitations, announcements, holiday cards, etc).

You can find it HERE.

You can purchase my hair accessories in my Etsy Store, Silly Beanz.

YAY! A Lisa Leonard Giveaway!

WHO WANTS TO WIN??

ME!!!

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO WIN?

$50 gift certificate to Lisa Leonard Jewelry

HOW CAN I WIN?

Head over to Tatertots & Jello to enter!
There are several ways to enter too!

I WON!

I WON! I was so excited to hear that I won a set of note cards from Purple Lemon Designs!
It was SO easy too! All I had to do was leave a comment on her Facebook Page.

Kelly specializes in custom address stamps as well as notecards that you can purchase OR print at home for a last minute gift idea!

These Thank You cards are So So Pretty!

I love all the swirly stuff goin' on!

Such a pretty font too!
And look at detail she put into packaging it!

In Loving Memory....

In Loving Memory Of Anna Rita Ingicco Calise

Dearest Anna....

There are no words that can truly express the depth that your passing has had on so many levels and to so many people.

We met in college at S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook...we were in Math class together..both the giant lecture hall and then the smaller class where we learned together.

You left to finish at Iona. You met Davide. You got married.

I missed it.

You had a baby.

I came to visit....ONCE.

You had more babies.

I got married....you were there.

I got pregnant with a blighted ovum (sac but no fetus developed) and when I miscarried naturally....you were there via e-mail.

I got pregnant again....and was due Jan 2006 as were you, with Christopher.

We enjoyed being pregnant together.

I went on to get pregnant by surprise two more times, and you were there, with so much support despite how scared I was to have 3 kids under the age of 3.

We "closed shop" when the Mr. got a vasectomy.

You got pregnant again with your long anticipated girl. I was SO thrilled for you.

And then before we knew it, she was an angel baby.

Valentine's Day 2009 you found out you were pregnant AGAIN....with another girl.

Again, I was so thrilled for you to have your girl after 3 gorgeous boys.

I read every blog post of yours, with breath drawn, as you went to the Perinatalogist every week to make sure Isabella was alright.

And then she was born. Then I breathed a sigh of relief for you. Then I was overjoyed for you to meet your daughter. Your BELOVED daughter, Isabella.

You adored her, your husband adored her, your sons adored her.

It was a match made in heaven.

Then you blogged about going in to "close shop". You chose to have your tubes tied.

And then you got an infection....

And before I knew it....

you were the angel.

G-d Anna....I can't believe you'll never meet my babies. I'll never hug you again.

I'll never see your "Ciao, Anna" at the end of an e-mail again.

So...one last time Anna Rita....

Ciao Bella.

I will ALWAYS love you.

An Update...on ME!

So I've been on my new meds for a week now.

What an amazing difference.

I still have so much to work on and so much to realize.

But now, I can laugh. I can play. I can smile.

AGAIN.

I'm still not the same, but I'm better.

Depression Sucks.

I am stronger than it.

I have more than enough to want to beat it.

I CAN do this. I WILL do this.

For Me. For him.

For them.

I'm Searching For...

I'm looking for someone, ANYONE (preferably with a blog) that would like some

FREE HAIR ACCESSORIES!

That's right, you heard me, FREE.

I'll send you some of my products and all I ask in return is a review on your blog.

Check out my store, Silly Beanz (on Etsy of course)

and let me know what you'd like me to send you to try out!

If you don't see something in the store, PLEASE ask and if I can make it for you specifically, I most certainly will!!!

New Items in The Etsy Store...come take a look

Check out My Store, SillyBeanz!

Valentine's Day Clips

Gerber Daisy Bow Holder

Petite White Blossom Clip (only 2 inches wide)

Petite Pink Blossom Hair Clip (only 2 inches)

Homeowner Happiness is....

Finding the PERFECT light fixture after 3 years.

We've had a kitchen extension for almost 3 years.

I got my gorgeous Broyhill dining set (which is always under wraps because of messy eaters called KIDS).

We've searched high and low....Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace Hardware, online.....but we could never agree on a fixture.

On our latest venture to find a storm door (which we did NOT find), we meandered past the Lighting Dept....and there it was!

This BEAUTIFUL fixture! And we BOTH loved it.

And the best part...Only $40!!!!

And now we can actually see the food we're eating and each other! HAHA!

Etsy at it's Best!

I'M IN LOVE!

I was checking who hearted my Etsy store and found the newest addition.....

So Lovely Creations

Her Letter blocks are the most creative things I've seen

EVER!!

Go check out her store AND her blog!

Just take a look at some of her pretties!

A Personal Battle

I apologize for being MIA for awhile. The holidays were a whirlwind.

I'm going "public" with my battle. I'm dealing with what my Dr thinks is a combination of depression and anxiety. I've been through three different medications. This last one required me to stop breastfeeding my beautiful 16 month old baby girl which I was upset over. She is our last and the only one I breastfed for so long.

I personally think there may some Adult Attention Deficit in there. I start things and can't finish. My house is a cluttered disorganized mess which is how my brain feels.

My moods can swing almost in a split second.

I cry when it's all too much, which has been more often in the past week or so.

I can't find the good things in life, I almost always see the negative and don't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I even think that it'd be easier to just NOT be.

But then I look at these 3 beautiful faces.....and I temporarily forget the pain, the unforgiving pain that is draining my happiness.