Amazon Associates Widget (or Lack Thereof)

Hello, all! I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year so far. I hope this is your best year yet--I know that I am determined to make it mine! One of my goals for this year is to get back into my blogging more regularly, as you may know I have expressed some disappointment with my lack of posting and blogging...simply because something occurs to me and I think, "Oh, I should blog about this!" Then, I don't find the time to do it. *Sigh* So...here we go on January 3, 2012. We'll see how it goes!

While I was reformatting my recipe blog earlier, I noticed that my Amazon Widget for Associates no longer exists. I'm soooo disappointed about this!! I loved having the widget right there at my fingertips because it made sharing relevant material so easy with you all! If I wanted to show you a movie, or a book, etc. all I had to do was click, click, done! I read something about there being a tax issue between Google and Amazon in California, and since I'm not like a hard-core blogger have no idea what that was about. However, I did read enough on Blogger's help forum to realize that this wonderful piece of technology may never come back... It's my understanding that I can still create links directly to Amazon, but seeing as I am a self-proclaimed technological illiterate, I do not yet know how that's gonna work out...

You know the saying "a picture's worth a thousand words"? Well, if I could give you a picture of my life right now, this is what it would look like:

Well, so my kitchen doesn't look that bad, but practically the rest of my house does! The project here for the last two weeks has been to tear out the stairway leading upstairs (and the closet under it) and replace it with a stairwell that still leads upstairs, and uses the same opening, but goes in the opposite direction. As I mentioned sometime back, my husband and I are "do it yourself-ers" and so, when we take on a task like this, it tends to last a while since we don't just hire it done. Since my dad was on Christmas vacation from his job these last two weeks (he is a school teacher), and could help with this project, we took advantage of the opportunity for his help, even though that meant having a mess everywhere during Christmas and New Year's. I am not a fan of the mess, but I do think it will help the overall house, both downstairs and upstairs.  Now if we can just get it finished...

When things around here are "finished" (if such a state of being even exists) I will post pics, but I wouldn't hold your breath. Haha!

I hope you have a very prosperous new year filled with lots of love and laughter! 

Feminism and Anti-Feminism

This might seem a little "off the wall," but I saw a random Facebook post the other day about feminand how the only thing holding feminist progress back were those females who allow themselves to be "subservient." Normally, I keep most of my important opinions to myself (you know--those regarding politics, religion, the after-life and literary theory), but this has just been eating at me because it's something I feel close to.

What I mean by this is that I suppose I have always considered myselft to be a "feminist;" in other words, I feel like I can do anything anyone else can do, regardless of sex. It seems, however, that feminist thought is concerned with comparing the famle to the male, so perhaps I should rephrase this to "I feel like I can do anything that any man can do."  I have to say, while I am all for equal rights, equal pay, and equal respect, I find it ironic that many so-called feminists don't want women to be feminine. In other words, there those females who actually scorn those of us who like to wear makeup, high heels and strive to "look pretty." 

I don't believe that it is a woman's role to be a kitchen slave, or to have to "take it" from any man--including her husband--but, I don't think it's right for "feminists" to cast their judgmental glances down upon those of us women who choose to take more traditional female roles in everyday life than some of our contemporaries.  In other words, I enjoy being a housewife; I do NOT feel that this is demeaning, belittling or subsurviant in any way to the role my husband plays in our household. My role is equally valuable--just different. I am perfectly capable of getting another job. In fact, I have a Master's degree in Teaching World Languages, and actually worked as a high school Spanish teacher for 3 years before I decided that such a career was not for me. I choose to be a housewife because it's what I want to be. I feel that many of our current "feminists" find this choice of career demeaning and hostile to their cause. After all, it appears that current feminist doctrine requires practice of that which is not feminine, or rather, that which is male. It seems that many of our feminists have focused so much on their male counterparts, and becoming like them, that they have lost sight of that which is feminine and thus, the original purpose of their fight--having the right to choose. 

In other words, I am feminist because I feel that I should have every right and freedom and advantage of life that any man has, but...I have to ask my "co-feminists" to acknowledge that this requires even their acceptance of my choice to be "traditionally" feminine.  If I want to be June Cleaver, I should have the right to be, and have it un-judgedly.  After all, if even the "feminists" try to dictate the actions and beliefs of us females, how are they any better than what they themselves are trying to conquer?

A little makeup goes a long way!

I love vintage ads, and when I came across this one, I had to share it with you all. It's just a feel-good kind of picture and is nostalgic in all the right I-love-the-50s kind of way. It also reminded me of my new "career" as a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant, which is another reason that I haven't been blogging as regularly these last couple of months.

As an ex-teacher, the sudden change from spending my entire day interacting with 180+ people  to spending my entire days at home, usually alone, has become a source of welcome boredom. Not that I can't find anything to do around the house, because there is always more than enough work to be done in one way or another, but I have really missed the socialization that comes along with teaching. This desire to find an outlet  that would allow me to interact with others, coupled with my intense love for all cosmetics, made me realize that being a beauty consultant could really be a nice fit for me.  While I have only been doing this for about a month now, I have already discovered that I LOVE it, and wish I had thought about starting my own Mary Kay business much earlier.

I love the fact that I can socialize with people, help them pamper themselves a little, and teach other women ways that they can use cosmetics to help them feel better about themselves. I have had several ladies thank me for the individual attention they receive and for taking the time to show them how things should be correctly applied.  It also continues to amaze me that so many women are going through life incorrectly applying their cosmetics! I have definitely learned to not assume anything. (A fact that you would think would have stuck with me from my teaching experiences.)  Just because I know how to apply eyeliner, or how to do facial highlighting doesn't mean that everyone else does...a fact that I had never had reason to consider until recently. I can't believe how many women are out there, every morning, religiously and regularly--yet ineffectively--applying their makeup!

It's kind of funny, because even though I'm no longer teaching Spanish, I am still teaching...complete with charts, booklets, diagrams and more! I cracked myself up just last week while drawing an eyeshadow tutorial on a dry-erase board, and by using different colors of markers to depict the varying intensity of eye shading. Then it occurred to me--maybe I should put-together handouts and do a class on the "smokey eye" look...??  Hmm...

I know it's such a silly thing to feel like I am actually helping people by teaching them how to properly use cosmetics, but I can't help but feel like maybe in a very small way, I am still making the world a better place, (though I am no longer teaching) even if it is one lipstick at a time...

By the way, if any of you are interested in checking out any of our neat interactive tools, like the Virtual Makeover or our interactive eCatalog, you can visit me at www.marykay.com/lianaharris. Shipping is always free!

A little bit of this...a little bit of that...

Hi, everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful summer. Mine is sure flying by! I know one thing for certain: I am much busier during the warm months than I am the wintry ones. Even without officially working anymore, there is always so much more to do during warm weather. I keep thinking to myself, "ooh--I'll blog about that!" and--before I know it--the day is already over and done. 

We have finally broken down and hired some people to work on our house. We bought an older home that has required  A LOT of attention (some of it necessary, some of it optional), and my husband and I have finally decided that we just don't have time to keep trying to do it all ourselves. Of course, for my husband, it is hard to finally face the fact that he simply can't do it all--there just isn't enough time in the day! (A fact that he has been furiously fighting to disprove for the past five years or so.) So, instead of plugging along at it for another five years before being finished, we decided to bite the bullet and hire some people to finish it up. This has been going on for a week now, and I'm still trying to get used to strange men being in my house with me...fortunately, I feel pretty comfortable around them.  Still, it's awkward as it is just me and Pippy (our Chihuahua) in the house all day.

Now, the trick is going to be finding furniture that is small enough to actually turn the corner and go up the stairs...we're already finding that our options are looking somewhat limited due to the tight turn. Does anyone know of any company who specializes in furniture that is made for such spaces?

I hope you all have had a great holiday weekend!

Sad Times

Hi, everyone! As I mentioned in my last post, I have been consumed with my sister's wedding stuff lately, but it is finally over. (I can start sleeping again.) The wedding was Saturday, and everything turned out really nice, and she-of course-was gorgeous.  Now that that's done, maybe I can finally get back into my blogging routine. I also wanted to share some very sad news, as it may be something you will have heard about anyway.  I don't know, as I seldom ever watch the national news.

Rest In Peace: (L-R) Kassie Robinson, Miranda Morgan and Tiffany Sparkman Maggard

A small plane crashed in North Carolina yesterday, killing four people. I knew the three passengers (don't know the pilot) which are in the picture above. All three girls are from our small community, which is rural and close-knit. The girls on the end are from my little, teensie-tiny hometown, and the girl in the center was my student for two years. Kassie just graduated from college on the 14th, Miranda was studying to be an elementary teacher, and Tiffany had not been married long at all. All of these ladies were not only beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well. As you can imagine, this news is just devastating to all who knew them and has left a big whole in the heart of our community, so please keep the family and friends of these beautiful young ladies whose lives were cut tragically short in your prayers.

Blessings.

Do you know about Pandora Radio?



My mom, Aunt Nellean, sister Elizabeth and myself

Hi, everyone! I hope you all have had a great weekend. Mine was spent with family members .  Saturday was my Aunt Nellen's 80th birthday, so her daughter very generously arranged a surprise party for her, and I got to see a lot of relatives that I normally don't see very often.  It is so nice to see and talk to people that are pretty much obligated to love you no matter what! Haha!
Aunt Nellean was my grandmother Hattie's sister, who passed away almost three years ago.  Granny was very special to me, and I always considered her and my other grandmother, Lannie, to be my role models in life.  It has taken me a long time to come to terms with Granny's death, and I have only in the last few months felt like I have been able to peacefully deal with it (emotionally speaking).  Then, Sunday we went to visit my in-laws, because it was my mother-in-law's birthday.  We were going to grill out, but it started raining, so we decided to drive to a nearby town to eat instead.  As I was sitting in the backseat of my in-law's car, with my husband beside me, I suddenly began feeling very anxious and claustrophobic.  Then my feet started going numb and I knew I was about to have a panic attack.  Fortunately, I moved up to the front seat and felt some better.  Eventually, another wave of panic hit me, but I was able to work through it without it escalating too much.  I couldn't believe it.  I haven't had a panic attack in a long, long time....months. Then I started thinking about it, and realized that it was probably due to having been so emotionally upset the night before.

Even though I had a good time at my aunt's birthday celebration, it really hit me hard after I got home that my grandmother wasn't there, and of course, I missed her. And I grieved for her. And I felt fine Sunday, until I got in the back seat to go out to eat.  It was very unexpected, not to mention disheartening as panic attacks (or the intense fear of having them) has completely altered the course of my life over the last year or so. I find it fascinating that our body can't handle things even when we think we can...I'm just trying now to not let it discourage me. 

Ella and Marilyn, two of my favorites

So why do I mention all this? Well, partly because it's heavily on my mind, and partly because one thing I like to do when I need to get my mind off something is listen to music.  And if you like music, and don't know about Pandora Radio, you have to check it out! I've known about it for several months now and LOVE it!  You pick out songs/artists you like and build your own radio "stations." Based on what you like and dislike, they will play music tailor-made to suit your taste! And the best part--it's free!! Well, I think you get 40 hours of listening time a month that is free, and if you want more than that, you have to pay for it.  But all you need is an email address and go to www.pandora.com to make an account. I have been listening to my "Marilyn Monroe" station this evening which plays a mixture of the rat pack, Marilyn, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Doris Day and others....it's amazing, and practically commercial-free!

Someday, My Prince Will Come..!

Well, okay... my prince actually came about 7 years ago. (I can't believe we've been together that long!!) But all this Royal Wedding stuff has me thinking about the obvious.  I haven't been following all the hype, but I am interested in watching the ceremony.  (I am even somewhat ashamed to admit that I had to google Kate Middleton just to get a clear picture of what she looks like when my grandmother's niece,a distant and much older cousin of mine, said that I was a Kate M. look-alike.) There is just something I find a little fascinating about marrying a prince. I guess we just grow up reading fairy tales where this happens, and neglect to remember that there are still royal families with princes and kings. 

So, I'm not about to stay up all night to watch the royal ceremony, but I am going to record it on the DVR so I can watch it tomorrow and fast forward through any parts I find excessively hum-drum. After all, it should be educational if nothing else. (That's what I'll tell people when they find out I recorded the ceremony--for educational purposes! Haha!)

Maybe I'll even forego my usual cups of coffee in the morning and try some tea instead in honor of the royal nuptials.  (On second thought, maybe not...maybe I'll just try the tea later in the day...I've never really been able to get into it.) Anyone else going to watch?? 

Not that my tulip picture has anything to do with the royal wedding, but it was pretty, so I thought I would share!
Hope you all are also enjoying spring!