Shop for a Cause...

It's the final two days of Stella and Dot's "Shop for a Cause" event....where 100% of proceeds of all "pink" items go to the Noreen Fraser Foundation - for Breast Cancer research and awareness!!!!!!

Check out the items..... they make GREAT gifts!

http://shop.stelladot.com/style/b2c_en_us/featured-shops/breast-cancer-awareness-noreen-fraser-foundation.html

Pumpkin Time.....

We went to Sweet Seasons Orchard today after school to get our pumpkins! We also got donuts, caramel apples, cider and homemade peanut butter. I love that place and I always forget its 2.5 miles down the road from us!!!!!!

Ally's goal was a giant "bumpy" pumpkin. The face that the one she found had some green on it too was a bonus. I could barely lift her pumpkin into the car! Luke's is pretty fun too. They are definitely the biggest pumpkins we've ever gotten!!!

Stella and Dot!!!

I did something I NEVER EVER thought I would do. I signed on to be a saleswoman! This is crazy town......

A few months ago, I went to a Stella and Dot trunk show, hosted by my good friend Megan.  I had NO idea what I was attending. I simply read the words "girls' night out, jewelry and wine" and decided like this was something I would enjoy.  ;-)

So, off I went.... no expectations.... just looking forward to having some fun!  And what fun I had!  Sure, I loved my night away from putting my kids to bed and doing homework.  I loved the wine. The chat with some great ladies. But, I totally and completely fell in love with the jewelry and with the lovely woman selling it!

It was all very laid back.  The jewelry was just out for all to see and try on as they wished. There was no formal sales pitch.  No canned routine. The jewelry didn't need one. It sold itself!  I spent near $300 at that first show.... and I had a list a mile long of what else I would love!

Then, I was invited to another show.... at that show, I made the comment that I could totally sell this stuff I loved it so much.... Kelly (the stylist) and I chatted back and forth over time and I constantly thought about it.

Then, they had a promotion. Doesn't it always start with a promotion?  ;)  So, I called Kelly up to get together and chat. And, I backed out of it.... deciding it was just too much right now.

Then, they extended the promotion.... and I, being a big believer in signs, decided this was my sign.... I went to my third trunk show in the meantime, and it was then and there, with encouragement from MANY friends, that I decided to take the plunge!!!

So..... here I am!  I am going to do this!  I am excited about it. It sounds SO MUCH fun... every time I go to a show I have a blast... and totally end up standing next to the stylist talking the entire time and helping her sell it anyway!!  HAHA!

I'm excited about doing things that really get me pumped up!  Going a bit outside my comfort zone here as I don't see myself really into sales... but I am really into jewelry, and clothes and I love nothing more than a great girls' night. I am so excited to help others with their very own fun girls' nights... and to get themselves some pretty spectacular jewelry....

YAY me!!!

So friends.... want to have a trunk show?  YOU SHOULD!  YOU earn tons of free stuff... free credits toward jewelry and half off more items above and beyond that!  It's easier than you think... and you don't need a lot of space or even time.  A couple hours of time.... invite a bunch of friends and family... and off you go!

Check out the website... the jewelry/scarves/purses all rock.  :-)

And join me in the fun!

http://www.stelladot.com/sites/nicolecmcintosh

Rainy Days...

We had QUITE the weekend..... it all began (for me!) on Thursday night... with an amazing night out with some wonderful ladies!  Wine dinner at the CC... love, love LOVE it!  We got to play this amazing game called the aroma wheel. We had to guess what scent (aromas found in wines) were in all these vials... it was wild, cuz the scent was more an undertone than anything... so it wasn't always easy.... but our table full of super competitive women, kicked some BIG butt!  We won.... what else???? WINE!  It was lovely.

Friday, Scott and I met our friends Chelsea and Anthony at the Dark Horse Brewery in Marshall.  Chels and Anthony were coming in for the weekend to stay with us and go to the MSU game, but the Dark Horse is a place they cannot pass by when they are in the neighborhood, so we joined them for some drinks and dinner there.

Saturday, we all got up bright and too damn early to head to East Lansing in the CRAP weather to cheer on our Spartans!  We made bloody mary's, got food at Panera and tried to make the best of it.  When we got up there.... everyone got out to tailgate in the rain, except me and Luke. We were silly in the car and stayed dry until the last possible moment we HAD to get out. Everyone else was already soaked.... Ally was having a tough time of it... so to cheer her up, I totally bought her this outrageous Spartan hand that she wanted. Whatever... it got us all through half the game.  ;-)

The kids and I had enough by half... and headed home. Chels, Anthony and Scott hung tight until about the fourth quarter.  I got home and made everyone chicken chili... and our friend Kristen (the famous one!) came over for the evening.  The boys watched the Tigers... the kids went to bed... and the girls got silly with mustaches.  I love my silly girl time and talk.  :-)

Sunday, the rains kept coming, but we caught a glimpse of the most amazing rainbow I have ever seen.  The kids made it out in time to see it too.  It was a good weekend.... here's to a great week!

Power of One...

My super-duper, amazing, big-hearted, generous friend Kristen, wrote a letter to Glennon at Momastery.  If you read my blog, you read Momastery. I know you do. The letter went a little something like this:

Dear Glennon,

My son is 3 1/2 and goes to preschool at a church. Recently, I found out that a fellow preschool mom has cancer. Bad cancer. Liver cancer. She is a single-mom with two beautiful boys, 3 and 13. We live in a working-class town where people work very hard for little pay. I also learned that she is taking a trial medication that costs $7k a month! This is not covered by any insurance a

s it is a "trial" med. This med is working...she is living. Praise God!

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! $7k! I about fell out of my seat when I read this. Who can afford this? But who can't afford it, when they are fighting to watch their children grow up, to live LIFE...to LIVE!!

So immediately, without hesitation, I wrote a message to the teacher and said that my family would love to contribute to her son's tuition bill. See, we are not rich. We live moderately on one-income so I can raise my babies at home.

But then I thought bigger...MONKEE bigger...and wrote a letter to all the parents asking for help to pay ALL of the tuition EVERY month. I was nervous...then I started to second-guess myself....but I swallowed my fear and I sent the letter home today in the kid's "take-home" folder as I could sneak it in anonymously today as I worked. After I had been home ONE HOUR the teacher wrote me and shared this his November tuition was already paid in FULL. DONE. PAID. TODAY!!!

The tuition is not a lot. But it is something. If we can keep this up and pay it all through next May...it is one less thing this Momma has to worry about. I wish I could be there every month when the teacher says "No thank you, Z's tuition is covered already".

God bless this beautiful Momma and her boys. Thank you Monkees for inspiring me to be more. To do more. Tears are streaming down my face as I type - tears of gratitude and happiness that I made a difference today.

Did I mention I have never met her?

Glennon contacted Kristen and asked if she could post this to her Facebook wall. Kristen was texting me all day.... she was hysterical, giddy and thrilled just to be "chatting" with Glennon. Little did she know the impact her letter was about about to make on some lives. We shouldn't be surprised anymore though. This is Glennon we are talking about. Girl can do some amazing shit.

I sat and read the post... read the comments come in... the likes increase exponentially. Tears of joy, pride, and happiness rolled down my face as I followed FB craziness that ensued.

Now, Glennon is raising money to help. Of course she is. She is Glennon.  :-)

If you go to her main page, and click on the little Monkey button in the upper right corner, you can make a difference in this mama's life. Right here. In Jackson, Michigan.  WOW!

Glennon's presence is felt right here in our back yard.  How blessed are we???

http://momastery.com/blog/

Getting it off my chest....

So, the other day, someone gave me ten kinds of shit for blogging. For the fact that I have a blog.  The fact that my blog post (about Penny in particular) was so long.

It was because the link was posted to Facebook via Networked blogs.  It was a mistake that it happened. I really don't want my blog posts going to Facebook.  Case in point... some random person, found their way to my blog and I don't need them here, reading. Obviously they can't be nice.

(I have since then, appropriately removed this auto-post feature)

Just because something is posted to my wall doesn't mean you HAVE to click on it and read it. When you do begin to read it, and find yourself thinking "wow this is too long" how about you click your way right out of it and move the ef on?

Annoyed.  Totally annoyed.

Doubly annoyed cuz that was a kind of emotional day around here and I think it's pure BS that you can't see or understand that.  Really?

If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all..... I like to follow this rule, but.... I will go on anyway....

So, I get shit for blogging.  Exact words said to me "If you have that kind of time on your hands...."

BEST PART... wait for it.... in a later conversation, this person talked to a bunch of people about SEVERAL reality TV shows.

So let me get this straight.  You have time for hours of reality TV.  I blog now and then (and let me mention, I write and type FAST so it takes me MINUTES not hours to write a post)... and I am getting made fun of for using my time in THIS way?

Now, I will never make fun of or judge someone for decompressing the best way they can or know how. If you want to watch some smut TV... more power to you!  I know it can be great to zone out and do just that.

Just watch what you say to others about what they choose to do with their time.  I can throw it back just as well as I can take your shit, but I usually choose not to because I don't think it's always in anyone's best interest.

This blog allows me to vent sometimes... so I don't blow up in your face over this.

I appreciate this little space for doing just that... oh, and the wonderful little opportunity it gives me to document my life and my kids.

Don't like it?  Get off my page.

Thanks.

Have a great day!

Cleaning OUT....

I may not be the best at always keeping my house picked up... but something I really DO excel at... is cleaning things OUT.  I love to get rid of things.  Love, love, love it.  I know others are strongly against this and think I am crazy, but to me, it is cleansing. Feels like I am losing weight!  I even get giddy on garbage or recycling day. The feeling of a bag or bins of things LEAVING my house... it's like lightening my load.  Easing my burden. I know to some this sounds crazy.... but it's how I feel!

I have passed this trait on to Ally for certain.  She too isn't the best at everyday picking up, but loves to do a deep clean out.  Over the weekend, she decided she wanted to clean out the play room. She said she wanted to make things more user friendly for them to play school since this is what she and Luke do together more than anything else.  So, she grabbed some garbage bags and set to work.

She was down there for a very short amount of time before she started to feel overwhelmed.   She and I had to have a talk (and she had to have a small fit) about how we need to take things in stages... and tackle this project a little at a time.  There was no way we were going to accomplish it all in one day. So, we needed to make small goals for each day this week, until it is all done by Friday!  (Friday, we have weekend guests coming and a babysitter for the kids for one of the nights and Ally wants the basement to look nice for this new babysitter who also happens to be one of her gymnastics coaches...)

So, because Ally is Ally... she fought the system for a while.... and then, eventually accepted this plan of action.  We didn't get much done at all Sunday...  because we were learning life lessons and then, playing Monopoly because Ally needed some time... but we did get to work yesterday after we came home from work and school and after all our homework was done and dinner was in the oven.

We took the bags down and the first thing Ally wanted to tackle were the books.  Now, I have no problem keeping lots and lots of books, but in the interest of this being HER project... I allowed her to fill no less than two bags with books to donate.

Side note - super duper proud that Ally always thinks about what and how to donate things that she no longer wants.  I donate most of what I get rid of.  I am proud that I am passing this on to my girl.  She will look at a book or toy and think of who would actually like to receive it. Not a person specifically, but the type of child who would get joy from it. And that makes her feel good. I can tell.  :-)

Then, we started in on toys and stuffed animals.  Stuffed animals are the hardest for my kids. They look at one and cannot seem to really let it go.  But, they did choose a handful and into the donation bag they went!

What I cannot stand are all the little pieces of things.... we have things in bins all over... but those things always end up all over and you lose a piece here and there.  The toys never stay confined the toy room and things end up under foot everywhere downstairs.  I know we are blessed to have that area downstairs!  I can spend days without looking at toys and I'm not gonna lie... for that I am thankful. I am not a big toy lover... I don't think kids need a zillion toys to be entertained and happy and I don't think they need to keep anything for that long.  Really, we should just rent toys. Seriously.

I am pretty happy we are starting to grow out of the toy phase entirely.  Ally is really done.  She likes some stuffed animals, her American Girl dolls, and play school supplies/craft supplies.  Luke goes along with whatever his sister wants to play with when it's just the two of them.... and when he has a friend or cousin here, they play with things such as Littlest Pet Shop, dolls, kitchen type toys, or cars/trains and things that go.

I don't get emotionally tied to toys really. I don't know why I'm like this...  is what it is.  I can easily get rid of things that they loved.  I know they will love something else. I know they are over it.  It's a toy. An object.  My kids are the only things I really need to look at around here.  They are the most important. Not any of the stuff.....

So.... Luke and I are heading back down today to clean out some more. Into the car these bags will go.  Books will go to school.... and toys to a donation drop off such as St. Vincent's or Goodwill.  Out of my house!  And, bonus... it's garbage day too!  ;-)

Good Times...

Yes, times have gotten better since Penny's passing.  Ally was sad to the point of inconsolable for a few days.  She had some amazing friends rally around and try to cheer her up.  One of her friends, who has three guinea pigs of her own, sincerely wanted to give Ally one of hers.  Ally's response was one of such maturity that I was moved to tears again.  She thanked her friend Chloe, but went on to say that it was maybe something they could talk about in a month or so.  She needed to think about it and essentially, she wanted time to mourn Penny.

I was proud of her mature response.  Her desire to see through the sorrow. To not replace the loss with something else so quickly.  How many adults can say they have the capacity to do that. I love that Ally amazes me at times with her emotional intelligence.

We have had some good, good times lately.... A couple weekends ago, I enjoyed a girls night away at Duck Lake with my sis in law and girlfriends.  We had some drinks, laughs, girl talk and I even got some Project Life-ing done!  I was very proud of my efforts!!!  I came home that Saturday and we went to the Lumen football game with friends.... and afterward, Ally and Luke had a little sleepover with our friends, the Manchesters. This was Luke's very first sleepover NOT with family. In fact, his first sleepover was with five girls.  :-)))))  His sister and one of her friends, a second grade girl and a middle school girl. The boy knows how to get all the ladies!!!!  He has a very special relationship with Anna, our friends oldest daughter... and she adores him to pieces.  The kids stayed the night, because us grown ups had a bright and early tee time for a JCMS golf fundraiser the next day.  Yes, I golfed 18 holes. It was a lot of fun!!!  Just for fun... good friends, good drinks, good times.  And Fireball too!



Last week was uneventful... in a good way.  Work, school, and events each night as always.  Monday night, when I was at dance with Ally, I get a text from Scott that he has scored Tiger Playoff tickets for game one... which turned out to be Saturday night.  Not only two tickets for us... but eight tickets.... so we gathered up our party peeps... made hotel reservations and headed to Motown for a good time, Tiger style!  We had a blast at the game and out after.  It was cold, but we bundled ourselves up.... and somehow it didn't seem so cold. Maybe because the Tigers won... and the atmosphere was so amazing!  Just an overall great night. I love, love, love when Scott plans a night out like that! The best kind!

We returned home on Sunday and when we got home, Luke found his Halloween costume from last year..... he had to put it on since we were watching the Tigers... he didn't take it off the rest of the night... and has decided he wants to be called "Sammy the Tiger."  He would even yell at you if you didn't refer to him as such, stating "I am not LUKIE!" Nice.  ;-)



He can be such a crazy kid sometimes.  He is fighting a minor cold right now. You would never know it by day, he's not congested or anything, but he is coughing a bit at night. I hope he bounces right out of it. I had my suspicions when he fell asleep last week watching TV... and then, again yesterday.  But, he did have a sleepover with Grandma Saturday night too.  Tired Tiger. 

Ally and I played a rousing game of Monopoly last night. I love when I can take the time to devote hours of time to the kids.... or to her specifically.  Goes a long way.  Hard to ignore the ever growing list of "need to do's" sometimes... but time with others is always a must do!  Luckily, I have an amazing hubby who accomplished some housecleaning while I did that.  I am a lucky girl!

Recovering today.... tired from a crazy, full weekend.  We had gone out with friends and the kids Friday night too (Hunt Club instead of the Lumen game cuz it was raining), and before leaving for the Tiger game Saturday, we squeezed in our family picture session. Which did not go so well as the kids were so freakin' uncooperative. They hate pictures!  Ugh. Always worth it in the end though... no matter how painful.  This Momma wants her pictures!!

Can't wait to see how they turned out!