Lissa-Like It-Or-Love It

aloha-friday

This is how to play:

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! (see the link above or button on my sidebar) It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My question is:

If you had the option of getting free plastic surgery , what would you have done?

My answer:

For many years I rode the weight roller coaster, plus I had 4 c-sections. I now maintain a healthy weight but the body just doesn't look the same as it it did before.

So sign me up for a tummy tuck and lift my breasts up back where they belong!

thursday-13

This week it's all about 90%

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneer Fans are loyal. However we can only take so much. After being "punked" yet again by the Glazer Family yesterday, with no Ashton Kutcher in sight, I fear that there could be a mutiny. A good 10% may jump ship leaving only 90%.
This number could be reversed in upcoming weeks-stay tuned.

2. Fashion shows are for celebrities. So save the trees and stop wasting our time showing us pictures upon pictures in magazines of models wearing dresses that the average woman will never fit into, wouldn't wear if they could and can't afford to buy even if they wanted to.
If I can figure out that 90% of your subscribers are real women why can't you?

3. Is your child in the top 90% when it come to the growth percantile? Well be sure to get a letter from you doctor so you can show the world. Take it home, laminate it. Add a couple bucks and buy a frame for it.However be forewarned. No one really cares as much as you do.We just want your child to be happy and healthy. Of course if your kid has a BMI of 90, we definitely will be talking about it.

4. Are you smarter than the average bear? Well now thanks to the internet you can take a free IQ test online. I did not believe that one test could truly tell how smart you are. Now I know the truth. I am a STONE-COLD GENIUS and smarter than 90% of the population. My results will be laminated and framed.
Of course these results will have no bearing on my daily life.

5. 90% of this week has been spent in my pajamas. I've been tired, bored, somewhat achy but definitely comfortable.

6. I have no idea what percentage of people do not eat breakfast, however 90% of the time I can count on the question"What's for supper" being asked, before breakfast is finished. This is annoying.

7. Car keys. Yes I have more than 1 set. ALso have a key holder on the wall. Yet 90% of most mornings I frantically search for them.

8.The truth. I will give you the truth 90% of the time. However I reserve the right to fib in regards to weight, age, dress size and to lie by distracting or omission. If you got an awful haircut that is not going to grow back in 3 years, you bet I am going to try to find something wonderful about it or work my way around it.

9. Evidently when you are arguing with someone they don't hear 90% of what you have to say.
I believe this is true. My husband never remembers anything. I have to constantly remind him that
I AM RIGHT and he is NOT.

10. If I had only listened to my parents, instead of my peers, 90% of my middle school years would have been so much easier.

11. The reason people can't stand cliches is because 90% are true.
Just ask the nice guy that always finishes last.

12. My son dislikes school so much that 90% of the time he is counting down the days until the weekend. Pretty much every morning he gets into the car and says " only __ more days"
Upon exiting the car he says" See you in the p.m."

13. 90% of people I know did not have advantages growing up that I did. It saddens me that my friends, neighbors and people in general did not receive what every child should.
I was raised in a wonderful, loving, family.

That's it for this weeks TT & 90%. See you next week :)

It is that time of the week.
Today may be Thursday but I started wishing yesterday so it still counts
Jamie
asked this week

Where do you wish to go?

I finally got soak in the tub
It was so well worth the wait.
For 2 weeks a beautifully wrapped,
scrumptious ,goody bag has been calling my name.
My friend
Tammy
sent it to me.
Along with a nice little note, I received:

2 vanilla -orange zinger bath cookeez
Pink sugared cupcake shea whipp
and a wash cloth

Also enclosed was a tube of lime lip balm.
Which I most certainly needed.
I felt like a new woman after stepping out of the tub.
I smelled pretty sweet too! So good in fact my hubby had to give me a smooch or two!

If you want to treat yourself or someone else to a scrumptious bath treat
I highly recommend that you stop by the bakery at
milkandcookeez
Who knows? someone might give you a smooch as well.

Manic: A Memoir
By Terri Cheney

Terri Cheney is an entertainment lawyer.
She's beautiful and successful. She's also got a secret.
She's bipolar and the meds are not working.
This is her spiraling staircase of a story and her experiences with manic depression.


"If I didn't tell anyone that I was going to Santa Fe to kill myself,
I figured that was more information than people needed,
plus it might interfere with my travel plans if anyone found out the truth."


With these, the first lines of the book, I took a seat and strapped myself in on Terri's emotional roller coaster. It was quite a ride. I was bounced to and fro, back and forth from different time periods in her life ( the book is not in chronological order) and at times felt frantic and fractured. Also not everyday do I get served suicide and shock therapy right after breakfast. Furthermore, I refused to flag down the attendant and tell him I wanted off the ride.
Hey! I am no Sissy.

Did I enjoy this book?
How do you answer that?
Yes? I am so glad that you suffered before finding answers.
What I will say is this:

I wrapped myself in her blanket of darkness
and crawled on the floor in search of the light
right along with her.

12secrets
Secret 6: Conquering Saboteurs
Build Me Up Buttercup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iol0B-clFFM
is playing in my head. It's got a great beat. Sounds so cheery.
Yet in reality it isn't such a happy song.
Have you ever had someone put you on a pedestal only to push you off?
Or figuratively speaking , train for a year, load up your gear and
finally climb 3/4 your way up Mt. Everest. Then tell your
Sherpa that you just aren't "feeling it" the timings not "right" so you think
you will just pack it up,turn around and go home?
Ahhhh! The Mighty Gremlins.
They'll do anything to prevent you from scoring a field goal or a touchdown
in the game called life.
Doesn't matter if it is the offense or the defense.
They will do what they must. Block, intercept, tackle.
Their goal is to destroy you.
My face has been pushed in the mud with these bad boys.
I have walked away scarred, beaten, bruised and broken.
Sat on the bench, with a towel covering my head.
The band kept on playing, the game went into overtime
and I came back and kept going.


So, now I ask of you
Will you stand still in fear , with the figurative football in your hands?
Or will you bop to the beat of your heart and get moving down the field of dreams?

Jamie

Inspirational soul coaching cheerleader
of the ones who have sat on the bench for far too long

Asks this week
What do you wish for yourself?

I wish to create A circle .
A circle of love.
A circle of friendship.
For a circle of love and friendship is never ending.

What do you wish ?

In January I posted about a wonderful Blog design giveaway that my friend

Lori

was having.

Well much to my surprise & glee I was chosen as the lucky winner!



Vanessa

Is currently working with me to create a much brighter blog.
I can't wait for the big reveal!
Until then
while it is under construction I am going to catch up
on what is going on with my family & friends.
Both in and out of the bloggy world.
**See you soon**

Have a wonderful, winning " Won't U B Mine Valentine" week:)
Lissa

**Thanks to Lori for having this awesome giveaway**
**Thanks to Vanessa for sponsoring it**

A very creative, inspirational woman who they whisper & wonder about in the art world:
Gypsy
gave me an art award. That's right.
Uh huh. I'm feeling a little "My Fair Lady" right now. I love my Gypsy!
She's super cool, super compassionate & super talented! And she picked me. Boooyaaaa! Thanks so much my friend & may I say, right back at ya!
Here is what I have to do that is the easy part:
7 things I love
1. My family are my friends & my friends are my family. Even the ones that are no longer "with me" Still love em, always will. Also my cats. They are part of the package:)
2. Beverages: Coffee (decaf) with sugar-free hazelnut creamer ( 1 pot everyday) & Sugar-free Peach tea.
3. Reading. Books, magazines. I can not get enough. Pretty much any genre. Gotta have something to read.
4. Bargain store finds,freebies, & giveaways.
four kids means you have to be thrifty! If you think nothing in life is free, think again.
5. Music & lyrics: Music plays in my head, all day long. Lyrics speak to me.
6. Spirituality. God. The Universe. Angels.Nature- There is something out there greater than myself. It speaks to me of the power of unconditional love. I will never lose my hope. I have faith.
I believe in miracles.
I am grateful for all that I have been given.
7. My gals in the 12secrets

Which makes the 2nd part of this a little more difficult. I now pass this award on to 7 more people. I am giving this award to some of women in my #7 of what I love. There are many women in my group, all that deserve this award. I am giving this award to some women that hopefully have not been tagged yet.( Hello I am little fishie swimming in a large, creative Koi pond.) I appreciate their creative spirit, their encouragement & of course their art!
FYI
you are under no obligation to do anything.
You can accept it, reject it, pass it on etc. It's up to you.
D ArtyEm Leah Kathryn Lisa into-the-dawn Snap

Chapter 5/Committing to Self Focus
Some topics covered that spoke to me in this chapter:

Your selfishness issues(what did you learn as a child)
(Selfishness/narcissism/self-focus)
Disabling your distractions (do you sabotage yourself)
Making yourself a priority
Releasing Judgments & Supporting other women

Here's the deal. Dysfunctional families. Everyone grew up in one, or so it seems. Not me. My reality was everyone's fantasy.Those great shows you see on TV, like The Cosby Show? That was my childhood. Both my parents created a safe, loving, home environment for me. They also were creative in general. My dad could build it or fix it. My mom could bake anything from scratch, design curtains to cakes and sew. She dressed me, my sister and our barbie dolls with her own creations. My siblings and I never fought. Ever. Crazy but true.
I have no issues with my childhood at all.

In fact, my issues rest squarely, for the most part, on my shoulders. I got married, had kids and tried to be the perfect wife, mother,daughter,sister,friend,comedian, therapist,etc.
Got lost. Locked myself in a cage.

I used to be the proverbial "jolly, fat girl." It got to the point where I was not just the butt of my own jokes, yet beginning to be the butt of others. One of the last catalysts that got me off my own"butt" & moving in the right direction went like this:
Me: I want to win that sweet, Ford Mustang.
Him: Why do you want to try win that? You're not hot enough to drive it.
Me: I'm hot and a "whole lotta love baby"
Once again I turned it around into a joke. But I was hurt and angry. When I did give someone else a "license" to run over me? This applied to other aspects in my life as well. I was literally throwing myself "under the bus" everyday. My dad had cancer. My sister was healing both her physical and emotional pain with drugs. My mom was falling apart. My brother was backing away. I spent all day homeschooling my "special needs" child. My 3 other children had there own needs. My husband and I argued behind closed doors. Housework,homework,there was never enough time. One of my best friends was in a mid-life crisis gone wild. I had moved to small town and felt isolated. The only time I saw my friends was with my husband , on bowling night. Writing? Heck, the only thing that I seemed to be able to create came in box and you cooked it for dinner. I felt trapped, overwhelmed, depressed,tired and unable to fix to things. The only way to find comfort was in a bag a chips and a box of donuts.

On Thanksgiving Day 2005 ,I said ENOUGH.
I made myself a priority. I said NO to the mashed potatoes.In fact I really don't like them. The following week I signed up for a Jazzersize. Working out is not something I like to do, but dancing is. I told my husband he could watch the kids, I was meeting my girlfriends for some 1 on 1 time. I signed up for a 12-step program. I learned that somethings are not all about me and somethings are. Some things are out of my control. How to recognize when I was being a self-righteous martyr (ouch) ,how to remove myself from toxicity and that it's ok to like, love and to be me.

Starting to love myself, freed up of quite a bit of emotional baggage. The physical baggage came off as well.
Of course change doesn't please everyone. As I began to create a safer more pleasant place for myself, out came the comments and competiton from my so called women "frenemies."
"You sure are feeling QUITE good about yourself"
"How did you REALLY get the weight off? Drugs?"
" You have become so NARCISTIC"

Yet some women remained my cheerleaders. The encouraged me, challenged me. They were excited to see parts of the old me & the new me emerge. The even helped me create and execute a 40th party in celebration of myself! 60 of my family and friends " Partied like it was 1999"in their hottest 80's fashions. My best gal pals bought me a tiara and sash to wear, for it was my night to shine. Even better, my dad & sister were both present. One healed and 1 on their way to recovery.It was fabulous , a night to remember!

Everything was going so well. Day after day, my load was lighter. Time was on my side,time for my marriage, my family,my friends and me. Or so I thought. Then on July 1, 2006, a man dressed in blue knocked on my door. My shadow, my soul twin, my best friend,my sister, was no longer of this world.
I went from being queen at my own ball, to the girl that got pushed off a wall.
Since then, more weight has fallen off, so has friendships. New baggage has been added on. Grief will do that to you. Rip the carpet right out from under you, and tear up your insides. I think that is what happened to Dad, literally. The cancer came back. Next week he'll be gone a year.

Sometimes, we put our ownself in a cage or a hole. Sometimes things are out of our control.

And so I have gone back to square one. I am re-learning to take care of myself and not be afraid to do so. It's time for me to set some boundaries. It's time to make myself a priority. It's OK to be where I am and who I am. To go ahead write and be free.

Sharing in this group of creative women allows me to do that. I am inspired every week.
Forever I will be grateful to
magpie-girl

who led me to

Jamie

who led me to each and every one of you and your
12secrets

1. The 14 Days of Valentines might be over, but the giveaways are not.
Head on over to MOM FUSE at
http://momfuse.com/category/contestgiveaways/

You can win:
lillebaby Everywear Child Carrier & 4 Babycakes your choice flavors (enter by Feb 4)
Kid’s Organic Hershey Shirt (black) and a Kid’s Hershey Heart Shirt (pink) from Trendy Twin Shop Enter by Feb 10.

I am so glad I found MAMMALICIOUS at
http://mammaliciousfinds.blogspot.com/

well actually my friend Tammy at

http://www.milkandcookeez.blogspot.com/

told me about her, she is also one of the sponsors of Amy's Absolutely Delicious giveaway.
Make that giveaways. There is something sweet for everyone.
So click on the link or the button on my sidebar.
Last day to enter all giveaways is February 9th.

3 It's Time to Sleep, My Love Audiobook, Imagine Wedding Designer for Nintendo DS,
Stop Aging Start Training Book & Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist all can be won if you enter by Feb 14 so go see my friend :

http://thriftyjinxy.blogspot.com/

4.ALLAMERICANMOMMY
Has it going on. She has a great blog, gives great reviews & gives great things away!
Click on her link & see for yourself.

http://allamericanmommy.blogspot.com/2008/03/contests-and-giveaways.html

5. I so want to win a Build A Bear $ 25 gift card for my daughter.
Go see my friend MOMJEN & enter for your chance by Feb 10
http://themomreviews.blogspot.com/

6. I don't know if "He's just not that into you" or not. But you can win the soundtrack & a rockin' hoodie from the movie. blueviolet is giving this away over at

last day to enter Feb11

7. As always please check out my blogroll-reading is my Passion. Just last week I won a book from from Books Ahoy! And I just finished reading "Flirtin' With Forty" compliments Of Wendi's Book Corner. These blogs give fab reviews , give books away, as well as other links to great book blogs with fab reviews & book giveaways.

8. My buttons! click on them-usually the blogs I follow not only have great things to say , but giveaways as well.

9. Giveaway are in this blogs future. Look for a giveaway from where I got some great
home- schooling supplies in the future!

Have a great winning week:)