The Fizzy Pop Collection

What was...and Will Be

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:41:30 -0600

012 was an amazing year full of many ups and downs. I’ve neglect to write my traditional Thanksgiving blog, lost time to write the hilarious Halloween blog and slept through writing a Christmas blog. So, I’m going to make the New Year’s Blog happen!

Over the last year I took an amazing promotion with The Day Job (TDJ). The first 6 weeks were kinda rough, driving about an hour away one way to work but getting to come back home to work after that has been such a blessing. I don’t regret the decision to take this position one bit. I also celebrated the first anniversary of The Fizzy Pop Collection this year, which has been more successful than I dreamed considering I took some considerable time off from actively promoting due to TDJ change. The highlight, at times, is that Munchkin and MooMoo came back to live here. And Goobie came along in September. I’ve gathered some amazing memories this year, found new friends, grew a deeper appreciation for the friends I had (and still have!), reconnected with some old friends I hadn’t seen in ages, and started the road to some definite changes professionally and personally.

I’m looking forward to 2013. To continue to develop the changes and growth with TDJ and The Fizzy Pop Collection. To spend more time with the wee ones and my amazing friends and family. To read more. To play more. To blog more. To love more. And, and, and….so much more~

Coming Soon...

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:44:28 -0600

The Oops Collection~

Working with soy can occasionally be a tricky gambit. When adding color and/or fragrance some candles can discolor. While they burn the same and smell the same they no longer have the uniform look that other candles in my shop have.

If you are one of those individuals that prefer something a little quirky and different in appearance then this is the collection for you! All candles are already marked down 25% at listing. All listings are ‘Oops’ candles and are limited in scents and quantity. More will be added as Oops happen in during processing.

did-you-kno: Source oh the people I know…

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:02:05 -0600

did-you-kno:

Source

oh the people I know…

December Scent of the Month

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:44:12 -0600

So, I’m a little later than normal this month for the Scent of the Month announcement. Life has become a hectic, crazy mess. And it’s just not holiday craziness! That being said…

The Scent of the Month for December is Cranberry Spice and Cranberry Vanilla! Already marked down in the store you can get any of the three sizes for 20% throughout the entire month~

Happy Thanksgiving

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 12:18:32 -0600

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite time of year. Sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas it is the most commercially overlooked holiday of the ‘holiday season’. It stands as a reminder once a year, to take time away from our hustle for more, to be thankful for what we have, be it big or small. I am blessed daily to have a day job I love, a business that makes me happy, family that supports me and friends that love me. I’m not limited by my community or my address as I have friends across the earth.

As I write this I am sitting in my cousin’s restaurant listening to small groups chatter and catch up. (Not that most of us didn’t just see each other at the family reunion the end of September.) Having a restaurant kitchen to prepare a meal in is kinda awesome in its own right. For me, the tradition to travel with Ma to Troy started just a few years ago. The year my grandma passed away (in October) was the first year they had a family gathering here. Ma and I decided to come up. And we have continued to return every year, just us, as well as a summer trip about every other summer. Since switching positions at my day job this year I really had to sweat out getting my vacation to come up here. But here I am.

Thankful lists have become more and more prominent this year. On Facebook, I have several friends doing a post a day of what they are thankful for. While it is nice to see the heart of the season becoming more than just a ‘day to eat turkey and watch football, well after the parade of course’, I wish we as a culture (myself included) where more in-tune to be thankful for our blessings throughout the year. Think how many little things we encounter each day throughout the year that we are too busy to notice.

I’m thankful for the holidays. I am thankful for a supportive family. I am thankful for loving friends. I am thankful for a job that I do love. I am thankful for a business that brings me happiness. I am thankful for Munchkin, MooMoo, and Goobie who bring me constant learning experiences. And that is just a highlight of the big ones. There is not enough space to list out everything I have to be thankful for.

At this moment, I am thankful for You, the reader, who took time from your day to read about mine. May your day be filled with love, laughter, memories, and gratitude for all of life’s moments big and small!

November Scent of the Month

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 18:07:18 -0500

November is a good month for me, well outside that whole cold weather thing! My favorite holiday falls in November, candle burning season continues in ernest, and well I’m sure there’s a third thing that will come to me later. (All lists come in three’s you know!) Oh yeah, it’s pumpkin pie time of the year which is my absolute favorite pie! With that being said…

November’s Scent of the Month is … Pumpkin Spice!

All Pumpkin Spice candles are 20% off throughout the month of November!

Candles in the Storenvy shop are already marked down for your convenience! You can also contact me directly via Facebook to order!

Munchkin

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 19:52:00 -0500

I thought I’d take some time and blog space to introduce ya’ll to the most amazing people in my life. Munch, Moo, and Goobie. I talk a lot about them online and in my every day life. They are huge sources of love, joy, frustration, learning, and confusion in my day to day life. And I speak of them as if they were my own. They are my beloved Godchildren that are currently back in residence with me. Well, except for Goobie, but he will be soon!

Munchkin Thomas is the reason I am Meme. He named me when he was just beginning to talk.

Munchkin’s first picture!

Born at 33 weeks he weighed in at a mighty 3 pounds. Perfectly healthy, they kept him in the NICU as long as they possibly could just to get weight on him. He came home a whopping 4 pounds with a special car seat. (Standard car seats are not rated for under 5 pounds.)

Thomas tore my world upside down and set it right at the same time. As he grew from that tiny ball of attitude he lagged some in developmental milestones basically from size, not for lack of ability. He was not ordered any type of PT or OT as he aged so I developed my own. He was my foray into homemade baby food and infant/toddler nutrition. His first meat, salmon.

Mmmm Toes! 10 months old on the way to Uncle Dustin’s wedding in California.

Once he started talking he never stopped! And he still doesn’t stop, not even leaving time to answer questions before he is on to the next one! He’s too smart from his own good on so many levels but still has some gestational catching up to do on others.

From day one Munch has had a stubborn streak to rival even the Davis’ (that’d be my dad’s family.) He will get his mind set on something and nothing will stand in his way. Not a nap, time-out, nothing! When he first started crawling he was very into everything, I know typical. He might have his mind set on something that he wasn’t allowed to have for a variety of reasons. He was NOT to be deterred from his goal. Time out, he was back at it. Remove him from the room, as soon as he was back, you guessed back at it. One day in particular I remember he was just rotten stubborn. He went down for a nap but when he got back up, you guessed it…back at it! He actually had his first bloodshed throwing himself down in a tantrum over not getting to get what he wanted.

The Ocean! Orange County, CA

By the time he was 2 years old he’d traveled extensively, having visited or driven through 13 states, including our home state of Missouri. His uncle got married in California when Munch was 10 months old which was an outrageous road trip accomplished in 4 days with his Mom and I switching off drivers so as to cut expenses. That trip taught me what an amazing tripper he is! Just like his Meme :D The next summer he accompanied me on a road trip to North Dakota to visit friends.

When Munch was two and a half it was just him and I for a few months. His new sister was here by then and she went with his mom to Arizona to get settled in their new home where his step-dad was based for the Army. He went to be with them over Thanksgiving that year. During that time he was the inspriation behind that year’s Nano Novel (What is Nano?) “Time Out Thomas the Terrible!”

Munch and Meme on the bridge between North Dakota and Minnesota.

Munch is back with Meme now. With Moo and Goobie. Well and his mom too I guess. There are days he makes me want to beat my head against a wall. There are days I just want to shower him with mooches (kisses) and squeezes (hugs). There are days I want to do both within a five minute period.

Munch is almost four and a half now. He’s still tiny for his age, though tall. His verbal skills are off the charts, and not always in a good way. We’ve mastered the art of backtalk, mockery, and sarcasm. He’s still my snuggle bug. And he will start kindergarten next year. Which scares me. Not just for him but for his poor teacher. And reminds me just how old I’m getting and just how quickly time flies by.

Big Pete and Little Pete

Munchkin September 2012

This kid, God help me, I love him. Love him senseless sometimes. I am honored to hold a place in his life and his world. He is Meme’s boy, and I hope always will be. I cannot wait to see what his future holds. Though is future scares me endlessly. We say it often, but for him I truly believe, his biggest obstacle will be himself. His attitude, without focus, will be his downfall. His attitude, with focus, will be has amazement!

did-you-kno: Source

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 15:03:52 -0500

did-you-kno:

Source

A Simply Enchanted Giveaway!

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 18:43:11 -0500

A very dear friend of mine is hosting a giveaway in her blog for reaching 600 fans on Facebook. She creates amazing handmade soaps that I use exclusively, as well as other handmade items she features in her shop and her blog. Check out the giveaway by clicking the picture and let her know I sent you!

A Simply Enchanted Giveaway!

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:11:18 -0500

Storenvy: Help Storenvy Hit 20,000 Stores!

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:14:27 -0500

Storenvy: Help Storenvy Hit 20,000 Stores!:

storenvy:

Storenvy is coming up on a big milestone. We’re about to reach 20,000 active stores. Wow! And we’re asking for your help to push it over the top. If we reach 20,000 stores by Monday night (9/3), we’ll give every active store a free month of our Super Discounts Extra!

So tell your…

Quotes from the fabulous Karen Walker. I firmly believe that...

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 22:30:29 -0500

Quotes from the fabulous Karen Walker.

I firmly believe that EVERYONE needs a Karen in their life~

did-you-kno: Source Creepy?

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:36:32 -0500

did-you-kno:

Source

Creepy?

Photo

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:33:10 -0500

Coming Soon!

Sun, 27 May 2012 14:14:25 -0500

Coming Soon!

Springfield Cardinals Game Tonight! Can’t wait….though first I have to let my clothes...

Sat, 19 May 2012 12:29:51 -0500

Springfield Cardinals Game Tonight! Can’t wait….though first I have to let my clothes finish drying, shave my legs, do something with the mess I call hair, go to the grocery store, um…yeah

Custom Goatmilk Soaps

Tue, 01 May 2012 20:32:46 -0500

Custom Goatmilk Soaps:

asimplyenchantedlife:

literaryfool: “They told me the big black Lab’s name was...

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:53:34 -0500

literaryfool:

“They told me the big black Lab’s name was Reggie, as I looked at him lying in his pen. The shelter was clean, no-kill, and the people really friendly. I’d only been in the area for six months, but everywhere I went in the small college town, people were welcoming and open. Everyone waves when you pass them on the street.

But something was still missing as I attempted to settle in to my new life here, and I thought a dog couldn’t hurt. Give me someone to talk to. And I had just seen Reggie’s advertisement on the local news. The shelter said they had received numerous calls right after, but they said the people who had come down to see him just didn’t look like “Lab people,” whatever that meant. They must’ve thought I did.

But at first, I thought the shelter had misjudged me in giving me Reggie and his things, which consisted of a dog pad, bag of toys almost all of which were brand new tennis balls, his dishes and a sealed letter from his previous owner.

See, Reggie and I didn’t really hit it off when we got home. We struggled for two weeks (which is how long the shelter told me to give him to adjust to his new home). Maybe it was the fact that I was trying to adjust, too.
Maybe we were too much alike.

I saw the sealed envelope. I had completely forgotten about that. “Okay, Reggie,” I said out loud, “let’s see if your previous owner has any advice.”
____________ _________ _________ _________

To Whomever Gets My Dog:

Well, I can’t say that I’m happy you’re reading this, a letter I told the shelter could only be opened by Reggie’s new owner. I’m not even happy writing it. He knew something was different.

So let me tell you about my Lab in the hopes that it will help you bond with him and he with you.

First, he loves tennis balls. The more the merrier. Sometimes I think he’s part squirrel, the way he hoards them. He usually always has two in his mouth, and he tries to get a third in there. Hasn’t done it yet. Doesn’t
matter where you throw them, he’ll bound after them, so be careful. Don’t do it by any roads.

Next, commands. Reggie knows the obvious ones —-“sit,” “stay,” “come,” “heel.”

He knows hand signals, too: He knows “ball” and “food” and “bone” and “treat” like nobody’s business.

Feeding schedule: twice a day, regular store-bought stuff; the shelter has the brand.

He’s up on his shots. Be forewarned: Reggie hates the vet. Good luck getting him in the car. I don’t know how he knows when it’s time to go to the vet, but he knows.

Finally, give him some time. It’s only been Reggie and me for his whole life. He’s gone everywhere with me, so please include him on your daily car rides if you can. He sits well in the backseat, and he doesn’t bark or complain. He just loves to be around people, and me most especially.

And that’s why I need to share one more bit of info with you…His name’s not Reggie. He’s a smart dog, he’ll get used to it and will respond to it, of that I have no doubt. But I just couldn’t bear to give them his real name. But if someone is reading this … well it means that his new owner should know his real name. His real name is “Tank.” Because, that is what I drive.

I told the shelter that they couldn’t make “Reggie” available for adoption until they received word from my company commander. You see, my parents are gone, I have no siblings, no one I could’ve left Tank with .. and it was my only real request of the Army upon my deployment to Iraq, that they make one phone call to the shelter … in the “event” … to tell them that Tank could be put up for adoption. Luckily, my CO is a dog-guy, too, and he knew where my platoon was headed. He said he’d do it personally. And if you’re reading this, then he made good on his word.

Tank has been my family for the last six years, almost as long as the Army has been my family. And now I hope and pray that you make him part of your family, too, and that he will adjust and come to love you the same way he
loved me.

If I have to give up Tank to keep those terrible people from coming to the US I am glad to have done so. He is my example of service and of love. I hope I honored him by my service to my country and comrades.

All right, that’s enough. I deploy this evening and have to drop this letter off at the shelter. Maybe I’ll peek in on him and see if he finally got that third tennis ball in his mouth.

Good luck with Tank. Give him a good home, and give him an extra kiss goodnight - every night - from me.

Thank you,

Paul Mallory
____________ _________ _________ _______

I folded the letter and slipped it back in the envelope. Sure, I had heard of Paul Mallory, everyone in town knew him, even new people like me. Local kid, killed in Iraq a few months ago and posthumously earning the Silver
Star when he gave his life to save three buddies. Flags had been at half-mast all summer.

I leaned forward in my chair and rested my elbows on my knees, staring at the dog.

“Hey, Tank,” I said quietly.

The dog’s head whipped up, his ears cocked and his eyes bright.

“C’mere boy.”

He was instantly on his feet, his nails clicking on the hardwood floor. He sat in front of me, his head tilted, searching for the name he hadn’t heard in months. “Tank,” I whispered.

His tail swished.

I kept whispering his name, over and over, and each time, his ears lowered, his eyes softened, and his posture relaxed as a wave of contentment just seemed to flood him. I stroked his ears, rubbed his shoulders, buried my
face into his scruff and hugged him.

“It’s me now, Tank, just you and me. Your old pal gave you to me.” Tank reached up and licked my cheek.

“So whatdaya say we play some ball?” His ears perked again.

“Yeah? Ball? You like that? Ball?”

Tank tore from my hands and disappeared into the next room. And when he came back, he had three tennis balls in his mouth.”

oh i sobbed

Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:41:00 -0500

While I enjoyed ‘Stone of Tears’, I had a more difficult time reading it than I did ‘Wizard’s First Rule’. The story was engaging and the character’s consistent to their nature as defined in the first book. I enjoyed the story thoroughly and already plan to read the next book in the series.

I, again, had issues with the pace of the story at times, wanting to skim through parts to get on with the story. I think the most difficult part of the novel, for me, though was that the chapters skipped between concurrent stories. As I was reading I would have difficultly keeping track of what was going on previously with each ongoing part. For example, Chase leaves the Palace with his new daughter. The next time you hear from them they are in this magical, wondrous, supremely comforting place that seems sublime. They are never mentioned again until near the end of the book. However, how they ended up there, in that situation, is never identified or explained. And even knowing at the end where they actually were, it doesn’t fit with the story of why they able to get into that situation to begin with. Another instance was with the actual stone of tears (hence the title) and the ‘pebble in the pond’ that was mentioned frequently. The relevance of either one was never really explained and I still wonder why the stone of tears was so important that the book was named for it but it played such a small part of the whole story.

I guess my struggle with the Fantasy genre is in believability. So much is not congruent enough with reality and I have difficulty getting into that different mindset. I enjoy Goodkind’s take on fantasy as it tends to be more rooted in a truth than others. There were parts, as in ‘Wizard’s First Rule’, that the characters were difficult to believe in. They see danger at every turn but then will blindly trust in the good benevolence of others.

I know it seems like I have so many issues with the book. But with almost 1000 pages there’s a lot of good to go with the difficult. I enjoy the storyline. I am vested in the characters, even in their unbelievable moments. I am invested enough that I plan to, and anticipate, reading the next installment in the series.

Easter Egg Candles Limited Edition ~~ Only so many...

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:13:00 -0500

Easter Egg Candles

Limited Edition ~~ Only so many available!

One dozen recycled egg shells filled with colored, 100% custom blend soy wax. These can be fragranced to order (one scent per dozen. Please include fragrance choice in notes.)

Eggs will be shipped in a recycled egg carton with Easter grass included for packaging.

Due to the nature of this product, eggs are for decorative purposes only! (Although shell can be peeled and wax used in a warmer.)