And the winners are...

I just want to thank everyone for their support so far, and Random.org has picked the winners for me!  So, without further Adieu, the winners are:

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

and emails are going out today to both of you! 

This Makes Life Worthwhile

Today is an example of what makes me happy! This week, a friend of mine on twitter told me it was his daughters birthday, and asked me if I could bake a cake. I can bake cakes, but I SUCK at decorating, so I suggested getting one from the store. He was very pleased with that suggestion.

So, we connived and strategized and were able to get the cake to her at the start of her French Class today at SFA. I had never met her, or him even in person. When you have friends and am able to do something for them, you do it without asking anything in return. The cost never came up, though he did ask me for my paypal address..

So, this morning I went to Brookshire Brother's here in Lufkin and got the cake. Then I drove to Nacogdoches and delivered the cake. The following tweets are what happened!

Tweet #1

Tweet #2

I'm happy that I got to help someone new in town, because she's here for school. And I'm EXTREMELY HAPPY that I was able to make her feel her family's love from so far away--they live in South Texas.

And this is why I LOVE SOCIAL MEDIA!

Spouses Guide: How to survive while your spouse is at a Social Media Conference

I know that there are many self sufficient spouses that are married to people active in social media. But, for those that aren’t quite self sufficient here is a survival guide on how to get through one day while the significant other is at a social media conference.

First off, we spouses that go to these conferences are aware that you need help…that’s why we send the neighbor over every day to check on you!!!

In preparation for the conference, we make extra meals and freeze them, though we know that you will just go out to eat. We make sure there are clean clothes, even if it makes laundry day sooner. We make sure the day care is paid for so that all you have to do is drop little one off. So, here’s what to do from the start of the normal day without the spouse who usually runs the house.

You set your alarm, though you also have the poor spouse call at the time it goes off even though they don’t have to be awake for several hours. We call several times until you actually wake up and ANSWER THE PHONE!

Next, there is a big box type thing usually at the end of the bed, sometimes beside the bed, it’s called a dresser and it holds clothes. Go to the top drawer on the right. That’s the underwear drawer and you will find plenty of clean underwear there. Then right under that is the sock drawer, again…clean socks. Next you need to get dressed and you usually know where the jeans and shirts are, but just in case, they’re hung up in the closet.

Next, you need to go make your coffee. Now, like most spouses, you need coffee to wake up. So you need to head to the kitchen and get the coffee made. While the coffee is brewing you need to take care of the morning hygiene. That way you can drink coffee while doing the rest of the things you need to get done before you leave for the day.

After you drink your first cup of coffee, you should get the little one’s stuff ready for day care. You will need to pack some bottles for the day, an extra outfit, and formula/milk. Once you have the diaper bag packed, put it in the car BEFORE you wake little one up. Next, you should get your stuff ready to go, whether it’s your backpack for school or stuff for your job. It’s always good to get this packed and in the care BEFORE little one even enters the picture for the day.

Then, it’s time to wake little one up…but first, you have to make a bottle for little one so that it’s ready for crabby little one. Don’t take it in with you when you wake them up, instead, have it in the living room for after you change the diaper. Now, gently wake little one up. This can be accomplished usually by just picking them up and holding them to you. Little one will be wet from diaper overnight, so you need to change the diaper immediately. Then you need to get little one dressed. Again, spouse has made sure that there are clean clothes and you should choose an outfit for the day.

Don’t worry about feeding little one, the day care takes care of breakfast, lunch and snacks. You just need to remember where the daycare is. Take little one to the day care. Yes, they’re expecting him, and yes, we’ve taken care of everything in advance.

Now, you’re ready to go face your day. You should know what to do when you get to work/school. Now, daycare is paid up until 6PM so you have time for a nap after school also.

Now, if by some unlucky chance you need to make a doctors appointment while we’re gone, here’s what you need to do. By now, you know how to operate a phone. Go to the contacts list and look for the name of the doctor, we’ve programmed it in just for you, yes we’re sneaky!!! Call the doctor and identify yourself. Don’t worry, we’ve called the doctors office before we left also and they know that you may be calling. Tell the secretary that you need to come in/bring little one in. Then they will ask you what’s going on and you should tell them exactly what’s going on, like little one has a fever, or you need an adjustment on your back, etc. They will then ask you if you can come in at a certain time, and usually, they can make it when you are available to come in, or the next day. If you are unable to manage this, just text us, and we can make the appointment for you real quick and we will text you the time to be there.

For the next day/days, you should repeat these instructions. This is step by step so that you will know what to do each day that the spouse is gone. When we get back, we are aware that there will be a bunch of stuff to take care of. If we’re lucky, we only have a house to clean when we get home. If we’re unlucky, we have other minor emergencies to tend to when we get home.

**Note: this is based on some of what happened to me this past week, though some of it can be fiction…and some of it is learned for the next conference I go to.**

Fancy Nails and Pretty Eyelashes!

 How many of you played dress up as little ones? Did you always want the pretty nails and eyes? I know the only way that I was ever able to get my nails to look nice, was to go and pay $25.00 every two weeks for a manicurist. It got to be pretty expensive, and as I wasn’t working, I rarely got my nails done. But, I always liked getting my nails done. And, I’ve only one time in my life had a facial done. With that being said, I rarely wear nail polish and little more than the basic makeup.

Recently, I had the opportunity to review some products from Revlon. I was sent some false eyelashes and glue on nail tips. Now, I have to admit, I’m normally a Plain Jane and never really spent much time with makeup and nails. The most experience I ever had with false eyelashes was watching Barbara Harris in Freaky Friday. My mother never wore them, and I never felt I had a need for them as I had long eyelashes. But, when I put them on, I was amazed. They were incredibly easy to apply and very comfortable to wear. The first day, I wore the self-adhesive eyelashes. I was impressed as to how natural they looked. My brother-in-law came by the house, and I asked him if he could tell a difference and he couldn’t. Next, it was the big step and the eyelashes that you needed to apply the adhesive. I was a bit nervous about this as I’m a tad on the clumsy side.

Again, they were incredibly easy to apply. In fact, I liked the glue on lashes better than the self adhesive. They were nicer and more natural looking to me. I am a new fan of the false eyelashes. I won’t think that they are for pageants or for extra special occasions anymore. I’ve been wearing them around 2-3 times a week since I got them and love them!!!

My take on the false eyelashes? Well, I prefer the glue on more than the self adhesive. They look completely natural and are extremely comfortable. They’re easy to apply and easy to take off. They’re re-usable as long as you take care of them. The drawback, since I’m a big fan now, I’m gonna have to start buying more.

Then it was the glue on fingertips. First I tried the Mauve glue on nails from Revlon. I loved them. They were fairly easy to apply. Remember, I’m a klutz and did end up with glue on my fingertips. It was recommended to only wear them for a week, but I was able to stretch it out to ten days until they started to show wear. They fit comfortable and the length was perfect. So, I took them off. The directions stated to soak them in acetone to take them off, but I was able to just pull them off with a little pulling. The glue was strong enough to handle me unhooking the car seat and washing dishes, yet, after 10 days it was easy enough to just pull them off without having to soak them.

Next, it was the French Manicure tips from Nailene. When I put them on and asked my DH what he thought of them, he was a bigger fan of the French Manicure. (You learn something new everyday!) So, this is also something else that I will buy every month. I like the nails so much that I’m going to continue to wear them. I was sent a set of tips with a zebra pattern on them, and I’m saving those for my trip to Chicago later this month.

I was also sent a paint on French Manicure set, and honestly I did try it….but I warned you guys I’m not good with painting nails. It was a NIGHTMARE for me! I can’t even use clear nail polish, but for normal people, it’s fairly easy as there are “stickers” you can put on your nails to make the French Manicure look more professional. I think I managed to get one nail actually looking good! I just have no luck EVER with painting my nails. I never seem to let it dry long enough, no matter how long I’m gentle with my nails.

So, where can you find these fabulous eye lashes and glue on nails? Just about any department store that sells make-up like Wal-Mart or Target. You can also find them at drugstores like Walgreen’s or CVS. You can also stick with the old standby and order them online.

Or, by being a reader of my blog, not one but TWO lucky people with get gift packs provided by Revlon. The rules for entering are below.  This contest will end at 11:59 Central Time on September 30, 2010.

How to Enter:

Please leave an email address (you can use name at site dot com format) so I can contact you if you win

AND

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and

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Disclosure: The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge, the opinions contained are 100% my own.

This contest is open only to U.S. Residents right now.  Sorry friends overseas!  There will be others!

The winner(s) will be chosen using random.org and will have 48 hours after I send the email to respond, or new winner will be chosen. Good Luck and thank you for supporting TheMarciFactor!