Good Causes

This past week was just a crazy, crazy ride. I started a new job(well officially started) and it has been a lot of adjusting. As many of you know I am a nanny and have been with one family for about 2 years. I recently had to move on from that job, the hours were just not enough, but it was hard to leave:( However, we are still in contact and I will continue to do some babysitting for them here and there, thank goodness.

I have so much I want to blog about, I just need to find the time.

I did however want to share with you a very special entry about a wonderful family who are helping to change young lives over in Africa. Kristen, Terrell and their three children have opened up The Mercy House over in Kenya, this is a place to help out young women who are pregnant and give them options that they would not have available to them normally. They provide among many things : housing, medicine, counseling as well as job skills.

I have been following Kristen's blog and Twitter and saw her call out for donations. Kristen runs an Etsy site called We are that family, in which she sells her donations to help raise money for Mercy House. I immediately knew I wanted to help out, if one of my items in my shop can help contribute to this wonderful effort this family is working on, I just knew I had to be a part of it.


(For Sale in The Mercy Shop $15.)

I urge you to go check out their Etsy shop, also Kristen's personal blog as well as The Mercy house website. There are so many ways you can help, whether its buying something in the store or spreading the word on your blog. It all helps to make a difference:)

A review for you:)

Well if you do not know, I am quite the beauty product junky. My boyfriend would probably say I am more of a hoarder(ok maybe not that crazed). I think it sort of runs in the family as well. I love going to my sister's and taking showers in her very large bathroom because she always has all of these new products that I have yet to use.

Now just because I buy so many beauty products does not mean I like them all. I have purchased a new face cleanser and found that it dries my face out or a new nail polish that just chips off the next day, so its pretty much a gamble, me and my beauty product buying.

Recently I came across this all natural, charitable company called Good Fortune Soap. Their products are made with all natural local ingredients and they have a mission, to empower girls out there who just don't have the resources to learn and grow into positive, well rounded citizens of our community. So right there is one check in my book. A company with great smelling, great packaged and great working products and they give back to the community, easy given if I do say so myself.



Now they love to have real people sample their items and give their honest review and well that is where I come in. About 2 weeks ago I signed up and with in about 5 days I received the product I had asked for, the 3-in-on Oil in Pink Grapefruit Orange. First of all it was love at first smell, I love citrus smelling products because they always help give you that little boost when you need it, especially in the early morning hours when you just don't want to go to work:) hehe. Second of all the packaging is not your typical packaging, to me it is very eye appealing and can be easily left out on a counter in a bathroom, it is that pleasant and pretty. Third, it helped me with some dry skin that I have to deal with on my elbows and knees and of course the heels of my feet. You just pump a little out into your hand(about less then a dime size amount) and you work it into your hands a little allowing the heat from your body to get the essential oils going and to also get the oil a different consistency, perfect for rubbing into your skin. Its also perfect for massages and baths(a drop or two under a warm running faucet). I myself like to use a tiny bit for my hair, giving it a little bit of a shine and helping to maintain those fly aways and static issues in the winter. For a little boost its perfectly good for those pulse points when you are having the mid afternoon slump.

The price of this item is $16 for 4 oz, and believe me, 4 ounces of oil will last you a very long time. When the product runs out, why not try filling it up with some hand soap to place next to your sink in that guest bathroom? It also could make a pretty little container for your favorite hand lotion. And one more for you crafty people, you can be real inventive and use the empty bottle for a bud vase as well. Continue on with the greenness.

Their items range from lip balm to bath soaks, perfect for putting together that relaxation birthday basket for that over worked friend or of course for yourself.

A little note to Good Fortune: Please send some of your products to some local stores in NYC, that would be oh so nice:) Sometimes I am one of those people who just cannot wait for items to be shipped, I need them here and now and well your products happen to be one of my new ones that I would like in my hands asap.

So be sure to check them on out!
Good Fortune Soap

Always remembering.

I cannot believe that it has been 9 years. I remember the day clearly, more then any other day, I was 21 and about 8 hours from home. Its just one of those things that just burns a vivid image into your mind for ever.

I was upstate with friends and watched it all on TV, minute by minute wondering what in the world is going on, in disbelief that it was real.

Our drive back to Long Island only 2 short days later was like driving through a war zone, stunned faces and smoke every where, big dark billows of it still. People stopping on the Throgs neck bridge to look at the city skyline, and just stand still, shocked. It was quite that day, almost surreal, NYC and its boroughs are never quite, always moving with cars, people. It was unbelievable and still is, to think that there are people out there who can commit such horrendous acts of terrorism against innocent people, people who had no clue when they left their house that morning what would happen to them just a few short hours, minutes later. Wow, it is mind blowing, what drives someone to kill themselves and thousands of others? What force? And what did they prove?

You don't have to be a New Yorker to feel connected to it all, it happened to all of us, we were one nation being attacked, scared, heart broken. For the rest of our lives on this day we will always remember the tragedy that impacted our country and thousands upon millions of people, no matter their race or religion. The New York skyline will never look the same, and families of loved ones lost will never be the same but life goes on and we just always remember. I will always remember.

Catch up time.

Its catch up time! We had a very long, fun Labor day weekend(me and Will and some friends) It was a great trip out to Shelter Island, and we celebrated the end of the summer all weekend long, leaving little time to post new blog updates and yada yada.


*a dock on Shelter Island*

I feel like I have so much to post, and I really should try to stay on schedule and post more often, but the time really slips on by. How do you grasp some time to do these things? Help! I really need to start focusing on making time for all the little things I want to do, any tips, ideas?

So Labor Day weekend which was suppose to bring a big ole tropical storm went great. No storm, just pretty days and nice breezes, a birthday BBQ, visits to the local bar and lots of friend catching up and a few good laughs. Oh and lots of pictures, I love to take them but I despise dumping them on my computer and fixing them all up for viewing, blah.


*Will and one of his many new friends*


*my friend Sara decorating Tara's front walkway*



*morning coffee with the girls*



*some island music*



*my friend Tara relaxing on the grass at her grandma's bday party*



*moi*



*Will on the ferry ride back to the main land*


It was Will's first time over to the island and he really had a great time and was loved by all. Its just his personality, so outgoing and kind, how could you not love him?

I was sad to leave, but it was more of a bitter sweet sadness. Summer is coming to an end, and I am sort of happy about that. If you follow my tweets, you can see that I am all for Fall, everything about it makes me smile. But it was sad to say good bye to my friends for now and all the days of summer filled with swimming in the bay and tons of adventures. Till next year!!

I am very proud to say that I am keeping up with the Shimelle "Learn something new everyday" class. Well I am keeping up with it in my own way. I have been carrying around a notebook and jotting down each day something I have seemed to learn. I also have been packing a few supplies and working on my book at work during my down time. It makes me smile to know that I have scrap supplies with me in my tote bag when I am off to work, I just do not know what it is:)

I did take a few pictures of what the book currently looks like. I have not written in any of my journaling and have just done some basic decorating of the sorts. Eventually it will all come together. This book has got me thinking about Ali Edwards and her December daily. If I can get through making this current book, then I am going to take on the December Daily! eeek.










And there you have it, pages 1-7. I am just getting ready to work on some more of it while I become a couch potato:) hehe.

Before I go I do want to do a Thrifted file. It has been awhile and I surely do not want to neglect my little shop and my love for thrifting. It has been hectic and I am holding on tight to Pattycake's Vintage through a new job transition. I will pull through.

Right now I am featured over on Paper N Stitch and if you make a purchase using the code: PaperNstitch during checkout, you will receive a 10% discount. Hey that's pretty good :0)

Ok, Thrifted Find #5!
Well its not Christmas time, yet, but man I just could not resist this little St. Nick. He is just a charmer with his little rosy nose and cute little eyes. Maybe he is so cheery because he has a nice cup of spiked egg nog, haha. Who knows! He is in the shop right now, ready for a new home. Well that is if I decide not to keep him myself, hehe.




Theee End:) well till next time...