She's A Poet ~ And I Didn't Know It (well... yes I did)

I'm in awe of my children..... They surprise me everyday with their many talents.... Apparently The Divine Miss Em is a poet..........

My Poem
By Emily Prince


Relaxed
Is blue
Like the
Afternoon sky
On a
Summer day,
And also like
The warm feeling of
Ocean scented candles.
It runs
Through
My mind.
Relaxed
Reminds me of
The time when I
Sat on
The couch for
3 hours.
It makes me
Feel safe like
When I
Take a nap
Once every
Few months.
Relaxed
Makes me
Want to
Kick off
My shoes
And chill.

She's just lovely.......

Who Says You Can't Go Back To High School

I've lost 45 pounds in the last six months...... No gimmicks, no games, no diets........ Aside from Gall Stones that is!! Last summer I started feeling sick almost every single day. I was getting stomach aches, I was ahem..... irregular most days. It wasn't like the pain I had several years ago when I had gall stones....... You remember, when I drank a six pack of Sam Adam's and ate an entire pack of Oreos!!!?? It wasn't like that...... I started getting scared...... But in my omnipotent fashion I chose to ignore it....... I suddenly became use to it!

I continued to eat the same....... suffering stomach aches, irregular ahem...... movements. Until......
One day....... As I sprawled across the bed, buck naked with my ass in the air, crying in to my pillow...... Matt walked in and the poor bastard froze...... "What do I do!!??" "Tell me what to do!?"

Leave me alone..... no wait..... call 911..... wait..... I know every firefighter in this state..... don't call..... drive me to the ER!! No wait...... I know every doctor there!!! Leave me alone!!!!

I mixed myself a cocktail of Advil, Valium, and Zantac and BING..... within twenty minutes, my pain was gone!! But I couldn't ignore it anymore!! I called the Doc in the AM and made an immediate appointment........ Off to the Ultra Sound tech I was sent! Guess what...... You have Gall Stones!!!!! I was told to make an appointment with a Surgeon...... So I did..... Only problem was, she couldn't fit me in for more than a month....... Well, I've been sick for six months, what's one more!!?? She told me to stay off FAT and eat very low residue light foods...... Okay!!! As long as I don't feel that pain anymore!!!!!

After more than a month, I visited the surgeon....Yup...... you have gall stones, BUT you don't have an infection and your duct is in great shape...... no blockage! So why should I cut open a healthy 30 something woman!!!?? You've lost 11 pounds since your last doctors visit!!

I'M SORRY!!!! WHAT!!!??? 11 POUNDS!!!!! WHAT YOU SAY!!??

Who would have thunk it!!?? I lost weight without thinking about it...... I just tried to avoid that horrifying pain!!! Trust me, it was worse than labor!!!! 11 Pounds just to avoid pain! No surgery for me......... I'll just eat what I've been eating and hopefully it won't happen again...... My doctors continue to monitor me to assure I don't get a stone blocked!

Over the next few months, I was motivated to lose more weight...... I figured I'd try the treadmill again...... A little walking is good....... Well after just one week, I worked myself up to two TWO two non-stop RUNNING miles!!! I was a RUNNER!!!! Yahoo...... before I knew it I was down 20 more pounds!! That lasted a couple of months before I ditched the treadmill...... Besides, I looked good at 150 pounds, I mean I was down from 172! So I stopped running! But continued my good eating. I'm now down to 129-133 ....... I fluctuate...... still!

Here's what I've been eating!! I'm very lazy..... so the key for me is pre-chopped or made foods!!

BREAKFAST:

EVERY morning I have a huge bowl of Multi-Grain Cheerios with skim milk.
One Dunkin Donuts Medium Coffee with skim milk and three Splenda

A little later a bag of Mott's Sliced green apple or
One Chobani Greek Yogurt ~ Plain ~ with two Splenda ~ Mix Well!
Del Monte sliced Red Grapefruit in the cups ~ Don't drink liquid...... too many calories

LUNCH:

Something light...... Turkey slice wrapped around lettuce tomato and mustard ~ even turkey bacon
NO CHEESE
A salad ~ NO CHEESE ~ Balsamic Vinegar ~ Loaded with vegis
SOUP SOUP AND MORE SOUP ~ WATCH SODIUM
TBLT ~ Turkey bacon, lettuce and tomato ~ Fat Free Mayo ~ Calorie reduced wheat bread!
Sometimes more cereal

A little later ~ One of these
Del Monte red grapefruit (so good)
Organic Salsa ~ Trust me on this...... found in Stop and Shop by the prepared salads!!!! It's so good!!!!! Eat right out of the container!
Baby Carrots
Chobani Plain Yogurt ~ Two Splenda
Sliced tomatoes with sprinkled red pepper (Robyn's idea) Mmmm...
Turkey slice with sprinkled red pepper


DINNER:

Very lean small amount of ANY meat, I craved steak or turkey burgers......
I would buy a rotisserie chicken from stop and shop and eat right off the carcass!
any vegetable ~ TONS ~ sprinkle with balsamic vinegar for flavor or butter spray........
No rice or anything because I love BREAD and chose that
Bread with I can't believe it's not butter
Pasta with marinara and turkey meat balls
Sometimes just cereal again
Turkey bacon (I ate tons of this stuff) egg on an english muffin ~ fat free mayo NO CHEESE
I made pancakes a lot ~ I Can't Believe it's Not Butter Spray and Lite Syrup, again with tons
of turkey bacon!!

Watch WHAT you're cooking with..... use olive oils or no oil..... butter spray, pam, vinegar, mustard...... no ketchup.


NOTHING LATER!!! Lots of sugar free gum and Jolly Ranchers if you're going crazy for something!

I drink water all day long...... no juice..... I get my milk in the morning with my cereal...... JUST WATER!!!! No alcohol....... I know this may be hard for some Woburn people, but think of your ass after six months.......... Beer betrays you....... It's like that North Woburn ass you let walk all over you your entire high school years...... It betrays you!!!!!!

Good luck...... Before and after pics to follow soon..........

For The Love Of Em!!!!

As I prepared for a night out with my gals last evening, my man Matt came upstairs to watch me dress...... a habit of his...... As I dressed we chatted and in walked Miss Em!!

I explained to Emma (for the thousandth friggen time) to please knock upon entering Mom and Dad's room! I felt like being a bit more blunt this time......

"We could have been having sex..... You don't want to walk in on that!!"

"Mom, why would you guys want to make another baby?"

"People don't have sex always to make babies!! Sometimes they have sex to show how much they love each other! Besides..... Mommy and Daddy can't make babies anymore............."

Miss Em replied with............... "Because you got ROTTEN EGGS!!!"

Gotta love her!

A Little Nostalgic......

Since the launch of Facebook, I have become more and more nostalgic. My sisters and I have poured through family photos, friends and classmate photos, and just getting in touch with friends lost!! It's funny how much stuff you realize you've forgotten.

I took a Facebook "test" the other day, "Who was your childhood crush" Or something along those lines...... It reminded me of a special and funny memory of my sister Elena, me and my grandmother "MA"! My grandmother had her makeup spread out all over her long kitchen table...... she had this metallic blue makeup "suitcase". Elena and I sat on the table while Ma made us up!! "Lane.... What do you want to be when you grow up honey?" Now, I don't really remember what Lana said, but I'm sure it was somewhere along the line of saving Mankind!
"Tray, what do you want to be sweetie?" "Black!" "Black??!!" "Yes.... I want to be black!!"
"Why??"........ "So I can marry The Electric Company guy!!"

Apparently nobody told me it was okay to stay brown and marry Morgan! He was my first crush..... My biggest crush....... I STILL love him today!! How can you not...... He's God for goodness sake!!!! I still wouldn't mind being black either...... God if you're listening...... A bit on the Beyonce side please!!!! Thank you!!!

MAN HE'S FRIGGEN TASTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What the frig am I!!? ~ Just a rant!

I used to ask this question quite a bit as a child! My father is 100% Puerto Rican, his family is from Arroyo..... My mother is 100% Sicilian, her family hails from Calabria!

When filling out the census forms in elementary school, I was always stumped!!! What the frig am I!? My mother would INSIST Caucasian...... My father would INSIST Hispanic!! Needless to say they were never a help and I always felt confused and conflicted! I am proud of both of my heritages...... so why isn't there a mixed category!!?? Come on people, we have a half black / half white president!!!! IT'S FRIGGEN TIME!!!!!

This week in school my daughter was presented with the same dilemma.... Upon filling out the census form, Emma checked HISPANIC~! The obviously not too informed teacher (for lack of a better term) approached Miss Em and said......"Sweetie..... you're white.... See this box CAUCASIAN....... That means white!! You should check that!" Now not being there but knowing Miss Em..... I can imagine her face....... "I'm not WHITE!!!! I'm Hispanic..... I'm brown!!!!"

Miss Em has a diagnosis of SPLD ~ Semantic Pragmatic Language Disorder ~ Which sometimes makes it hard for her to understand what the frig you're talking about, but allows her to let you have it!! This obviously not too informed teacher (for lack of a better term) must have assumed Emily was not understanding her! "No, honey, your name is Prince ~ See the vowel at the end!? That makes you Italian!!"
Now who the frig has a processing disorder!!!??? WTF!!! Hello..... a vowel at the end..... not that the word PRINCE wouldn't be an immediate indicator of it's ENGLISH heritage, but the vowel is silent!!!!!! Miss Em stood her ground...... "I am not white, I am Puerto Rican...... I'm brown, Hispanic!!!" One child stood up and said...... "Puerto Rican is not Hispanic!!" Emma still stood her ground...... "I AM PUERTO RICAN!!" "I AM HISPANIC"

Of course in the end, Miss Em won...... She always does! But WTF!!!??? Parents teach your children who they are!!!! Let them be proud of their heritage...... Emily knows shes part English, Part Sicilian, AND Part Hispanic........ she has chosen to be all and to CHOOSE her Hispanic culture as her CHECKED BOX!!

Teachers...... learn your vowels and don't talk down or condescendingly to your student...... They're going to be wiping your ass and giving you meds someday...... Trust me, you should have seen my 11Th grade English teacher's face when he realized I was his Medical Assistant after his surgery........PRICELESS!!!!

For Yo Baby Daddy!!!

My husband recently went home to Ormond Beach, Florida...... It was an old fashioned Southern family reunion, equipped with beehive hairdos, house coats, fried chicken and baked beans!!

He really misses his family!! I'm not sure, but I think his mom is starting to "feel" her age.... she made all these photo memory books and gave him all his trophies to take home! She also gave him a HUGE tackle box filled with vintage and antique fishing lures!

Most of these lures he couldn't bear to part with....... Others..... well, I was lucky, he gave em' to me!!! I made some great (well, I think so) Father's Day treats with them!!! I used beach stones from Rhode Island and California and paired them with some sweet lures!

I find it so hard to find "manly" gifts for our men!! How man ties and soap on a rope can one man pretend to love! These are cool.... functional..... can be used every day and HEY, if he's out around a lake one day..... he's prepared!!

Genuine IS Genuine

I've been collecting sea glass since I was a little girl. My family is from Arroyo, Puerto Rico and as a child we would visit my Abuelita once and a while! Arroyo is just a town over from Ponce, home of some of the most beautiful beaches! I remember the exact day that I found my first piece!! It was brown and it was perfect!! I found greens and sea foams..... I didn't know what it was...... but I knew I had discovered treasure!!! I was nine..... I truly thought I had found emeralds, diamonds and rubies!! I brought them back to our little home and my Abuelita wrapped them carefully in a towel, safe for my plane ride home!

Upon my return, my father and I handed out gifts to my brothers and sisters! I was lucky, this was a Daddy and me trip! When we were finished handing out our gifts, I ran to reveal my found treasures to my mother! Sadly, she was disgusted! I remember her scolding my father for allowing me to pick up trash! She forced me to dispose of it! That sadness sometimes still creeps up on me! I know she had no idea what it was, but I loved it nonetheless!

In any event..... Years later...... before the days of kids..... My husband and I traveled to Mexico!

I had to be about 21, I can remember mas cervezas...... We were floating in the ocean together, enjoying our day! My husband pulled up a HUGE piece of lime green sea glass and said "Hey babe!! Look at this!!" Puerto Rico came back to me! I remembered. We spent the entire trip searching our Mexican beach.... I found a lot of crap! Broken, not so flawless (to say the least) sea glass! I brought it home with pride!

Over the years, I have used only FLAWLESS genuine sea glass in my designs! But I realized I had WAY MORE less than attractive sea glass..... In all colors! I certainly couldn't throw it away!

I made some mosaics...... didn't love doing that! Made some votives...... way too much work!

A friend of mine one day suggested hiding the chip...... I'm a Karma girl!! There was no way I could do that! BUT!!! What if I repaired the chip with a non-toxic sanding method and was HONEST about it!! Hey! There's a notion!! Re-Glass(tm) Sea Glass was born!! From time to time, I repair sea glass chips and offer them, honestly, to my wonderful customers!

You see, sea glass people...... I feel that altering our precious sea glass is perfectly acceptable, as long as we're honest about the alter and we let our educated buyers decide! Why on Earth would I re-pollute the Earth by throwing it away....... I'm more interested in preserving this amazing planet for my amazing kids! I'm able to offer gorgeous rare colors at a fantastic price!

I recently had another very reputable sea glass artist ask me how I could alter my sea glass! I asked, how can you bore a huge hole in yours, by drilling it!? After a bit of chatting, she understood...... The dishonest people make it hard for those of us who just want to be! She called me a trailblazer........ A pioneer.........


Whatever..... I just want to make pretty chit!

You're not as HOT as you think you are!!

You wake up in the morning..... Get in the shower...... clean like you're going to the gyno...... shave everything possible...... exfoliate from head to toe........ you're gleaming!!!

You get out..... tweeze your brows to perfection...... brush, floss.... buff to a gorgeous shine!
Your hair comes out EVEN better than you intended...... your make up looks as though it was air brushed by an artist!!!

You look good, you smell good........... You're off for the day!

Errands to run.......

While standing in line at the Post Office, with two smokin' hot construction guys..... my lovely talkative Postal Clerk ... Pearl says to me....
"What's that on your shirt?"
"Where?" I reply
"On your boob!"

I look down to notice a huge white SPLAT from the top of my boob.... allllll the way down to my waist........ NO IDEA what it was.......

As if I wasn't humiliated enough....... As I was exiting...... I glanced down at the SPLAT and noticed that the fly to my EXTREMELY low rise jeans is wide open.......

Who's a pretty Britney girl!!!??

You're not as HOT as you think!!

Thanks A Bunch Too.......

Thanks for the feature Kim!!! Check out Kim's shop at http://www.flashyfish.etsy.com/!

My feature is at http://www.everythingetsy.com/

Yay blogs!!!!

Thanks A Bunch!!!!

We've been getting a ton of publicity and features lately..... It's summer and nothing says it better than sea glass!!

Thanks to our most recent feature from Becky at http://www.craftingagreenworld.com/ .

And to Erica at http://www.etsymay.blogspot.com/ too!!

Thanks a bunch gals!!!!

Even More Ikebana

I am having such a blast making these Ikebanas! Sea Glass from Rhode Island and Beach Stones from Malibu, California..... They're so peaceful!! Look forward to more..... I'm always design manic come spring and summer..... I'm so inspired to work work work! Hope you like what's to come!

Sea Glass and Stone Ikebanas

Once and a while I must clean house and be creative at the same time! I've been collecting flat glass since I moved to Rhode Island..... not much you can do with it! While cleaning this weekend..... I thought of something! You like!?

Deep Depression!

I think I may be sinking in to a deep depression..... Or perhaps I've sunk!! If this frikken weather doesn't warm NOW, my ass is going to be the size of a Buick! I have only been to the beach TWO times this winter!! Two!!

Although.... the upside is..... I've been playing with metal.... It's fun, the simple stuff....

Check out some of my pics!!