Polyvore: I'm a Unicorn?

So, I've tried to get the Unicorn Frappacino... it was sold out. So, I guess the closest I'll get to it is this snapchat filter I took with the app a few days ago. Oh well, I heard it wasn't that great anyways... I'll be over here crying unicorn tears...

I also made this makeup/fashion set on Polyvore because I hadn't been on there for awhile and well... I felt like it. Enjoy!

I'm A Unicorn by starry943 featuring unicorn jewelry

BTW - did you luck out and try the frappacino? Did you like it?

Hollar Haul and Unboxing April 2017

Have you heard of holler.com yet? If not, this is an online store similar to a dollar store, but everything isn’t just $1 (though a lot is). I hope you enjoy this Hollar haul and unboxing to see some of the types of items they have – they do change every day and prices can also change.

 If you haven’t shopped there before, sign up with this link and you will get $2 off. This isn’t a sponsored ad, so this affiliate link helps us out. https://www.hollar.com/share/8v459xyl


Comment below on what your favorite item in this haul is. Would you shop here?

 My favorite item is the CloudPet unicorn, Essie and OPI nailpolish, and maybe the mermaid kitchen item.

Where in the World is Sheri?

If you have been trying to play the “Where in the World is Sheri” game and have not been able to find me, I apologize.  I haven’t blogged since August of 2015, which is a long time. I’ve had a few big life changes, some of which I’ll write about here. I also encourage you to follow me on my other social media accounts which can be found on the side bar, or below.  Keep in touch, and check back here soon – I am going to start blogging again very soon!

Graduation!

In May of last year, I graduated from Nursing School with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. It was very hard work, and I’m proud of this degree tremendously. Yes, I have another one in Criminal Justice, but it was not very useful for me. This one however, is a true passion and I am very glad I decided to do it. I made some amazing nursing friends and also learned more than I thought possible.

I Fell... and Broke Stuff

Right after graduation, I fell. It was a long, tiring day, without much food or liquids (not even a drop of alcohol). When I got home, I was turning around to grab something else out of the car, and I fell down the steps on the porch onto cement. Let me tell you, it was the worst pain of my life. A true 10/10 on the pain scale. I broke part of my foot, sprained both ankles, messed up the tendons, and bruised my wrist, lots of scratches, and bruising really. I had this very ortho-fashionable boot to wear for a month. By the way, nurses make terrible patients.

NCLEX

The NCLEX is the dreaded test that all of those who pass nursing school have to take in order to become a licensed, registered nurse. You know, to be able to say that you are an actual RN and get to sign your name RN after it. It was a month of studying after graduation and tons of partial breakdowns, but I passed the first time I took it. Whew!

I Fell… for a Guy

Okay, so I didn’t literally fall. This is Will and I actually met him while I was still recovering from the very hurtful fall. I was single for awhile, because I wanted to focus on school, and to be honest, I’m quite picky. This one though, is a keeper. Sorry ladies, he is mine!

Sheri, RN – Job # 1

I started my first job as a nurse in June. I thought night shift would work out fine for me, so I decided to do that as my first job. I liked the hospital I precepted at in Med-Surg, so I went there. However, I soon came to learn that it was very much not for me. Especially after I moved in with Will who lived about an hour and fifteen minutes away from that hospital. Yes, it was rough going back and forth to work on those nights and mornings.

Sheri the Rodan + Fields Independent Consultant

In December I decided to join the R+F team my friend had just signed up for. I knew I needed two regimens (Soothe and Reverse) so I just signed up as consultant to save money and get the other tools I wanted, too. I didn’t take it too seriously until I could see results for myself, which I started to see as early as February. I had my first R+F party in March, and am very excited about this business opportunity. If you want to know more, please let me know! To see my Rodan and Fields site to take the consultation tool to see what works for you and to shop, go to: https://sherinewton.myrandf.com/Pages/OurProducts/GetAdvice/SolutionsTool

Sheri, RN – Job # 2

Remember how I said I was driving so much on that first job? Well, I couldn’t keep doing it physically and work 12-13 hour shifts. So, I applied at jobs closer to my new home and was actually recruited by the place I ended up. It is a rehab hospital which is only about 30 minutes away. Not too bad! I just started it this month in March, but I like it so far.

…Keep in Touch

As I said, I’m going to be blogging more again and I have a TON of book reviews to catch up on. However, please add me or follow me on the social networks I use.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/sheri.newton

Twitter – https://twitter.com/sherinewton

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sherinewton311/

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/sherinewton311/

Polyvore – http://starry943.polyvore.com/

Essential Oils and the Tin Man – A Testimonial

Most people are skeptical when it comes to using the essential oils for health benefits. My Dad is no exception, and let me tell you, he has a lot of health issues. To keep the list of his short, I’ll just say that he has had countless surgeries, procedures, knees replaced, pins inserted, takes injections daily, takes 2 handfuls of pills each day, and is still in a lot of pain and not feeling well. At least he has excellent insurance. If he didn’t, he’d be screwed and definitely not taking all of those medications.

When I signed up for my Young Living Premium Starter Kit, he thought I was crazy and just wasting money I didn’t have. I am in nursing school, so money isn’t easy for me either right now. However, I saw the benefits and possible potential of it helping me without the use of medications, so I went for it (after a lot of research). Again, I like bargains and yes, Young Living is more of an investment – but you get what you pay for!

I started using the oils, making up some of my own lotions, rollerballs, and of course, diffusing it all the time. The first rollerball I made was with just olive oil and lemongrass essential oil. I heard it could help with my possible wrist issue, and wanted to try it out. Shockingly, it worked for me! I thought, if it worked for me, maybe it would help my Dad, too.

So, like a good daughter, I gave him mine to try out and see if it would work for any of his many aches and pains. Shockingly, it did!

He ended up buying that entire 15 mL bottle of Lemongrass from me, and I ended up making 6 rollerballs for him (with still some of the Lemongrass from that 15 mL bottle to spare). He is on his 2nd now I think. For future ones, I’ll be adding in Panaway, Valor, Peppermint, and of course the Lemongrass.

When I was at my first “Make and Take” party, we made up a pain cream. Again, it worked rather well for me, so I tried it out my Dad. Surprisingly, again, it worked for him, too! When that one runs out, I’ll make up another one.

Here is the essential oil pain cream recipe in case you want to try it, too.

For someone that started out as being super skeptical to it all, my Dad is now using the oils. He still needs to get some essential oils for some other issues, but he is on the oily journey with us all now, which I think is pretty cool.

Do you have someone holding you back in your oil journey? Someone in your house mock you for using them and then once they try it, they are hooked? Let me know your experiences with this, I’d love to hear it!

To find out more about Young Living Essential Oils and to sign-up, check out this post: Why Young Living Essential Oils to Use and Grow a Business

DISCLAIMER: This is for educational purposes only. We do not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you are suffering from any disease, illness, or injury it is your responsibility to consult with your Physician. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

Why Young Living Essential Oils?

If you are looking for a company to use essential oils or also looking for one to help start a home based business, this post will help you to decide if Young Living Essential Oils is the right company for you.

Watch my video on this and/or read about it on this post. Either way, this is an opportunity you don't want to miss out on for both your health and for more cash flow!

Young Living – The Company and the Product

Young Living Essential Oils has been around for 20 years. It is an innovative world leader in the essential oils business. Research is done on their essential oils and hospitals across the country also use these essential oils.

Young Living Essential Oils are high quality, pure, therapeutic grade essential oils that the company is actually involved with from start to finish with their “Seed to Seal” promise of quality. Go to their Seed to Seal website to learn more about this.

Other companies do not offer this and you don’t know where their oils are coming from, what percent of the essential oil is actually in the product, or what else is put in their oils.

I’ve made videos that can tell you about specific oils or blends, including one for each of the 11 oils in the Premium Starter Kit. You can refer to those 2-3 minute videos for more information on a specific essential oil.

Young Living as a Business Opportunity

After you sign up as a “wholesale member” you have the opportunity to take that membership and turn it into a hugely profitable business opportunity.

Young Living doesn’t advertise because they pay their independent distributors, which you are now that you have a wholesale membership. You can use these amazing products and sell them if you choose to. If you don’t plan on doing it as a business, you can still get referral money for signing people up, and who knows? You might turn just sharing your story about how they worked for you into a hugely profitable business.

Teamwork is also encouraged with Young Living. Your upline is your greatest resource when building your business, and I am in a truly encouraging and inspiring one that helps more than I could have imagined. Sign-up with me and you’ll join this amazing team to help you get started and reach your goals!

How to Sign-up With Young Living

Signing up as a “Wholesale Member” is the best way to go, even if you don’t plan on doing it as a business. With this membership, you will save 24% off retail prices, have the ability to get the referral money and also earn free products each month!

Step 1: Go to my sign-up link: https://www.youngliving.com/signup/?site=US&sponsorid=1860270&enrollerid=1860270

Step 2: Make sure “Wholesale Member” is selected.

Step 3: Make sure my member number ( 1860270 ) is listed as the Enroller and Sponsor.

Step 4: Fill out the form with your personal information. Yes, a Social Security Number is needed. Young Living does nothing with it unless you earn more than $600 in a calendar year, then you have to file taxes on it. Read over and agree to terms and services. You can review this later in the member resources section, too.

Step 5: Select the “Premium Starter Kit” that costs $150 or $160 for the best value to get you started. The other options are there, but with this kit, you get 11 oils, the diffuser, and some extra bonuses.

Step 6: Write down your account information that you selected and store it in a safe location.

Step 7: Most people skip the “Essential Rewards” offer on their initial order. You can select one to add with your order, but this is not needed. You can always join this later.

Step 8: Enter in payment details and add in any other oils (if you want) to your order.

Step 9: Submit your order!

Step 10: Contact me ( sherinewtonyl@yahoo.com or post here with your e-mail) and I will help you with any questions you have, help get you started using your oils, and started with Young Living as a business. My team offers great resources to help with using and selling the oils, and I’ll get you signed up and started with these resources right away!

Check Out Young Living Essential Oils!

I am really excited to get to share with everyone one of the things I have been involved with lately… Young Living Essential Oils!

A Little Background…

I have known about these oils for quite a few years now, but I never bought any myself or took it that seriously. My Mom had a kit that she bought from my Aunt like 10 or more years ago. I had used a few of them, but wasn’t too interested in it.

Then, earlier this year, I bought some essential oils on Puritan’s Pride – they have great deals, and I like good deals. I am a nursing student and not employed, so I wanted to try some of the cheaper ones first. I bought a few that my Mom still had in her (now 10+ year old) kit from Young Living. I’m looking at the ones I bought, smelling them, and then comparing them to the YL ones to see if there was really a difference. Was there? YES! First, my cheap ones expired. The YL ones do not expire. Secondly, they smelled differently. The YL ones smelled much better and didn’t burn in a bad way if it was undiluted and on my skin. The cheaper ones, well, they said do not use undiluted, do not ingest, and although they were “pure” they did not contain 100% of the oil I bought it for. So, I ended up returning the oils I purchased from Puritan’s Pride. At least they have a good return policy.

I ended up signing up to be a member of Young Living, and am now using the oils like crazy and loving everything I can make with and use them for! I’ve made rollerballs, sprays, lotions, bath fizzies, and am probably getting the stuff to make lip balm, deodorant, and who knows what else in the near future. These are high quality essential oils that have been effective for use for me and my family. I wouldn’t go back to cheaper, lower quality ones that don't work, ever.

So, ready to sign up and join me on the oily journey?

Go to my link:

https://www.youngliving.com/signup/?site=US&sponsorid=1860270&enrollerid=1860270

Make sure you check “wholesale member” so you can get the kit with the diffuser with your membership and save 24% off the regular customer prices!

Please also make sure that my Member ID: 1860270 is the one listed for you. That way, I can get you into the amazing groups I am also a part of with Young Living and help you on your oily journey. Let me know (post here or e-mail me) so I can help you with the groups after you sign up!

The “Premium Starter Kit” that is $150 or $160 is the best way to go, I bought the $160 version because it has the new diffuser and can use regular tap water. If you also want to add some extra oils or other products to your order, you can! I did this too, enough to get the 3 free oils that month because I already had a 100 PV value, thanks to the kit. For 90 more PV, you get the free oils from that month's promo. If you like free oils, I’d suggest this, too.

If you have any questions, or get an error message, please let me know ASAP so we can get it fixed!

So, Strep Throat is Worse Than I Remembered…

I just finished up my 3^rd semester of nursing school, not getting too sick at all throughout a semester which threw me in with sick kids, many different hospitals, schools, etc. No, my body (gladly) waited until after finals to throw strep throat at me. How thoughtful, huh? Actually, all kidding aside, I am very glad I didn’t get it during the actual semester because it is horrible!

Okay, so most of us remember that we had strep throat as a kid, right? I had it once or twice. I didn’t really remember what it felt like though, and didn’t think much about it as an adult. I bet you are probably thinking the same.

At first, it mildly hurt to swallow. More of an annoyance really. Cough drops seemed to work. I didn’t cough much, but it sort of numbed it. I was getting tired a bit easy, but I figured that was just because it was the end of the semester.

Then, the next day, I woke up with a big white spot in the back of my throat. It really, really, hurt to swallow anything now. Hot stuff, cold stuff, room temperature, food, cough drops, etc. It all freaking hurt… and it hurt bad! I was also extremely exhausted, felt weak, had a fever, felt nauseous, my ear hurt, pretty much, I just felt terrible.

Strep throat is awful. If you have any of these signs of having it, get to a doctor to see if you need antibiotics, because you do not want this to linger any longer than it has to. As a future nurse, I’ll also be much more empathetic to people who have strep throat because I can actually remember just how much it hurts now. 

Have you had strep throat? Do you remember what it felt like? 

3rd Semester of Nursing School – Finished!

Sorry for not posting many updates or reviews lately. I have been extremely busy with my 3^rd semester of nursing school since January. I always try to post and do as much with this as I can during the school year, but sometimes (like this semester) was just really hard to do.

At my school, 3^rd semester includes: Maternity Nursing (aka “OB”), Pediatric Nursing, and Leadership. I had clinical days each week for OB and Peds. For peds we were sent out all over the place doing hospital days, kid checks, health fairs, etc. For OB, we were at the hospital and one day we went to the health department. For 90% of these clinical days I also had to wake up at around 4:30 AM (I am not a morning person). Each week we also are on campus for 2 days, and we have more tests than you can imagine.

I learned so much this semester and had a lot of opportunities to improve my nursing skills. It kept all of us busy and stressed out to say the least.

Final exams are finally over, and I earned my B in each course. Now, I have some time off to relax, study (take a ton of NCLEX type questions), and do what I want (including sleeping in) until 4^th semester starts. I have a class this summer, but it isn’t that big of a deal (I hope).

Oh, in case you were wondering, no this is not our 3^rd total semester in college. Nursing school is what comes after all of the pre-req courses (which is about 2 years of that). My university that means 5 semesters of “nursing school” and we say which semester we are in. My program is a BSN degree and it takes 2.5 years of just the nursing school portion. I had to clarify on this because some people (and articles) make people think nurses only go to school for 2 years and that is a huge laugh.

So, expect for me to post more frequently and share some great reviews with you soon!

Nursing School : Semester One

Finals week is finally over, and I can update everyone on what has been going on with me. As many of you know, I am in Nursing School and it quite honesty is as hard as everyone says it is.

Before I started, I heard many people talk (or write) about how hard and time consuming it was. I never had to study too hard for many subjects before, so I secretly thought “Sure, it was hard for you, but it won’t be for me!” Ha! It is hard. It is very time consuming. It will take away your social life. It will be everything you think about for the next five semesters (or however long your program is). You will see your classmates more than you see your family and friends, and they will become your new friends and family. Luckily, I have some amazing fellow classmates, and I’m happy we are all so supportive of one another and truly want everyone to succeed in it.

Nursing school had many ups and downs for me the first semester. I thought I was going to have a panic attack during finals week because they wouldn’t tell us how we did on them until Friday, after we took the last final exam. I think this caused more harm than good for me, but I managed to pass them all, and all of the classes.

I have one class to take this summer, and then I’m on to second semester in the Fall. We have two clinical days per week in second semester, which I am kind of worried about, but hopefully it will be a good experience. I actually enjoyed the clinical day at the nursing home this semester, so I think I will like it at the hospital, too.

For now, I have a bit of a break and can do more things that don’t involve studying. So, look for some reviews and random bits of interesting things posted by me soon.

Posts and Reviews on Hold Until Finals are Over

I hope everyone can understand, but I don’t have enough time right now to make posts or do reviews until Final Exams are over. I’m in nursing school and it is just kicking me right now. I’ll be back to normal posting in about 2 weeks.

New Year's Style Resolution for 2013: More Color

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that this year is fantastic for everyone and better than last!

What are your style resolutions for 2013? One of mine is to add in more color.

New Year's Style Resolution for 2013 by starry943 featuring a biker jacket

Weekend Update

I don’t usually post “life” updates, but I thought it would be good to post what is going on with me lately and why I haven’t been able to blog often. As some of you may remember, there was a huge amount of water damage at my home, so things have been crazy with the renovations now that the contractor is actually working on it.

My bedroom is finally finished, so this weekend has been the first time I’ve actually been able to sleep in my new bed in my bedroom. My old mattress was ruined from the water issue. I gotta say that I am loving this new mattress though – so plush and cozy!

I’m still trying to find boxes and bins and random things that my stuff was moved to though, and one of those things is a box with books I need to read and review. Luckily, I had a large pile of books to read while things have been going on, but it isn’t easy reading with hammering and pounding going on either. I’ll post some pictures once things are finished. Everywhere is in a limbo area with nothing being completely done yet (it is driving me insane too).

I really want a new coffeemaker. The old one is taking around 18-20 minutes to brew one pot of coffee, which in a house full of coffee drinkers is just too long. I’m thinking of getting this Bunn coffeemaker. Does anyone have one? It is a bit pricey, so I want to make sure it is good before getting it.

Tonight is a new episode of True Blood so you know I’m highly excited I actually get to watch it on my nice TV finally. Seeing Eric Northman in anything less than 720 pixels is just wrong. LoL The show has veered so far off from the books, I don’t know what is coming next, and I love it. It is two completely different stories now, but that is okay with me because the characters are fangtastic and I can't get enough. Have you been watching this season? What do you think of it so far?

Water Leaks and Final Exams – Not a Good Combo

Last week (on Friday to be exact) a water pipe burst behind the wall in my bathroom. I live in a 2 story house, and the bathroom is on the 2^nd floor. This means that the water was coming out everywhere upstairs by it and then falling down from the ceiling on the first floor. It was literally raining from the ceiling in the hallway and parts of the living room. Talk about scary!

Of course I was home alone when this all happened, and I have never had this happen before, so I wasn’t really sure what to do. Also, the new “electronic” meter was installed for the water line and there was no way I could shut the water off. I even called the water company and they told me I couldn’t do anything and not to mess with the electronic meter thing (not that I could pry it open anyways). If it was so electronic, why can’t they just turn it off from their end “electronically”? Sometimes the new technology forced upon us is in fact much worse than it was before.

So I was filling up trash cans and plastic bins, trying to soak up areas with towels and moving things away from the water for almost an hour before someone was able to come out and turn the water off “electronically.” I was in water up to my ankles in places and water was pouring from the light fixture in the hallway like it was a faucet! I was seriously afraid of being electrocuted.

Sure, now it sounds like a funny episode of “The Middle” or something, but it was really scary.

Our insurance agent lady sent out people from ServPro to come help get rid of the water and dry up everything. It was a huge mess. It took like 5 days to dry out the carpet and drywalls. Bad damage overall and all of our carpet is being replaced, with hopefully the hardwood laminate. I hate carpet and honestly if this ever happens again, carpet is terrible to have to get dry. I never want carpet in my life again.

As with all home repairs and insurance issues, things take time and as of right now, nothing is set for the actual repairs. We’ve packed up some rooms, moved things, found damaged items, etc. Hopefully it gets started soon because living in all of this chaos is not fun.

Last week was also final exams for me. I had 3 to take and even though I didn’t really have to do super great on them to keep my A’s, I still always try my best. Studying while fans are blowing loudly and everything is crazy isn’t easy.

So far 2 of the 3 grades are posted, and I did make A’s in those classes. I’m also quite sure that I got an A in the 3^rd, but that professor takes longer than most to actually grade papers, so I didn’t really think that the final exam would be much different. It’s okay though because I am sure I did very well on the test.

I’m taking 2 classes this summer and then I’ll be completely finished with all of the pre-requisite courses needed for nursing at the university I’m going to. This means I’ll be going to actual nursing school (finally) in Spring of next year. Yay!

Polyvore Addict

I first got addicted to Polyvore rather recently. It was with the Victoria's Secret contest to win a Pink light up bra and a $400 Victoria's Secret gift card. I didn't win, but I did make quite a few sets for the contest. I haven't had much luck with the contests, but I do find them to be fun to enter.

Today I entered quite a few sets into the Armani Exchange contest going on right now. If you are also a Polyvore user, please like mine and follow me. I will do the same for you. :)

The Cats that Adopted Me

I’ve never really been much of a “cat person.” I was a proud “dog person” and had an amazing dog for 15 years. It was extremely hard for me and my family when she died last year. We didn’t really want any other dog or pet in general after her, at least not for awhile.

Sometimes pets find and adopt you though, which is what happened. It is rather ironic when you put it all together. These four little cats were once offered to us by our neighbors when they were kittens. My dog was still alive then, and there was no way she’d put up with having cats in her house though. Then, when the neighbors moved away, their daughter lived there and well, long story short, they weren’t really looked after and were quite abandoned. I could never let an animal go hungry, so I started feeding them and eventually they even let me pet them and hold them.

They have always been outdoor cats and are still sometimes skittish with people, even me. The porch outside is now filled with cat areas and they have taken it over. They don’t stray too far away, and usually come when we call to them. They each have their own very unique personalities and have really grown to be our cats now. The original neighbors do know that we are taking care of them, and are glad that they are with us and are being looked after.

So, ready to meet my new pets? I named them before they were really mine, but I think each one matches their personality.

This is Misty. She was the first one to really warm up to me. She likes to stay close to her new home and is often found ontop of a cardboard box by the door or sleeping in her new bed which is right next to the door too. This is the smallest cat of the bunch and she usually doesn’t eat too much. I’m guessing that she was the runt. She is very fast and likes to chase after lizards, bugs, and squirrels. She brought us a baby squirrel as a “present” one day. At least I think it was her.

This is Azure. I named her that because she has one green eye and one blue eye. She was the one that I used to try to get to come over to me before I started taking care of them. She is really a scaredy cat though and even now she doesn’t really like for anyone to pet her or hold her. She usually stays closeby though and can often be found play fighting with her sister Misty or snuggling up with her when it is cold outside. If I go out on the porch and she is there, she always runs over to the food and eats and looks at me to make sure she knows that I see her eating. It is quite funny.

This is Diamond, the momma cat of the other cats (at least that is what we were told). She is also a big climber. She is often found ontop of the shed and on the roof of the house. I usually have to make at least one daily rescue to get her down from the roof. She doesn’t like to jump down when it is dark outside, so I have to rescue her through the window. If it is really cold outside, she is actually the best cat to let inside too. She doesn’t meow-cry or act scared of being inside. She actually likes it quite a lot and will sit right next to me until I take her back outside.

This is Boots. He was a very good cat and was actually the first one I named. Not long after the neighbors all left Boots died. I think that maybe something was spilled at their house and he licked it. He didn’t act like he felt well before he died, and then I found him dead on a chair on their porch. It was very sad and he is missed. I wish I would have had more time with this cat.

So, those are my new cats. I only had a cat once for a few months when I was very young, so all of this cat stuff is new to me. I don’t really know what they want and/or how to help outside cats in the winter. If anyone has any suggestions or tips, I would love to hear them! Any good ideas for toys? Do outside cats really need them? Do you have any funny cat stories to share? Please post in the comments and share with me!

11-11-11

Today is November 11, 2011 which is 11-11-11. To many, including myself, this means that it is a very spiritual day and possibly a gateway to better things coming into our lives.

One of my favorite authors, Doreen Virtue posted this on her Facebook status update for today:

“111111 in Angel Numbers is highly significant of a gateway energy opening where everything is possible. Please align your thoughts and feelings with our collective desires for a peaceful and healthy planet. The angels can uplift you at your request. Thank you for your contribution to this beautiful experience!”

Reading about and working with the angels is something I’ve been doing quite a lot of lately, and if you want to read more about them, I highly suggest reading angel books by Doreen.

Today at 11:11 AM I went outside and just sat on the porch looking out at the lake. Of course my new adopted cats interrupted my trying to meditate, but that was purrfectly okay because they are a precious gift. I haven’t mentioned them on my Blog yet, but I plan on writing up a very special kitty post about them soon. I just need to get them still enough to take some photos. They are very elusive when the camera comes out.

Did you do anything special today? Do you notice any changes starting today? I think I notice some change taking place, but exactly what, I’m not quite sure.

National Celiac Disease Awareness Day

Today, September 13, 2011 is National Celiac Disease Awareness Day. The U.S. Senate has made today the day to become aware about this disease. This is the second year that it has been an official day, so in case you don’t know what it is… check out Gluten Freely for information about the disease. I could explain it all here, but that would be a very long post.

As someone who has this, I hope that you do go check out the symptoms, learn more about it, and really understand just how bad eating gluten is if you have this disease. If you know someone who has this, please make an effort to become more understanding about the disease. It isn’t easy to live life with this, especially in social gatherings. So, take some time out today and learn more about it.

Today I’m going to eat a gluten-free pizza made from the Bisquick pancake mix that is gluten-free. It is really quite good and the only type of pizza I’ve eaten for over a year. I only have it on special occasions, and I think today would qualify.

What are you doing for National Celiac Disease Awareness Day? Do you also have celiac disease? Share some stories with me about it, I’d love to hear it.

Chemistry Results

The summer semester is finally over for me. I could jump and sing and dance I’m so glad it is over!

I really didn’t want to take Chemistry at all. I took a pre-course to it when I went to UCF and I hated it. I only made a C. It was taught in an auditorium classroom which meant there were around 300 students in my class. Yes, three-hundred. Not a typo!

So, when I realized I had to take a “real” Chemistry course for the B.S. Nursing degree I’m going to enroll in, I wasn’t happy. I dreaded it. I tried keeping a positive attitude about it though and even tried comparing it to “Harry Potter” and the Potions class the students at Hogwarts had to take. Though fun to think about it, it didn’t work.

I had an A average the whole time, but it was a low A. It wasn’t an easy course for me and the tests were insane (150+ questions on each one). So, I was rather concerned about taking the final exam yesterday.

Sure, I studied quite a bit for it and I did prepare for it. I just wasn’t quite sure how I’d do.

So, when I was listening to “Coast 2 Coast AM” I heard one of the guests that was on the show mention praying to Saint Joseph of Cupertino to help with exams. I figured I could give it a try. So I found the prayer, printed it out and said it before the exam.

Did it work?

Yes! Somehow I made an A and that means I also have an A for the final grade! I’m really proud of myself and still in a bit of shock.

Part of the prayer to Saint Joseph of Cupertino requires me to spread the word about it working, so that is what I’m doing now. If you have a big exam you need some saintly help with, give it a try and see if it works for you too!

Chemistry isn’t as fun as Potions Class

This summer I am taking Chemistry. It is the main reason I haven’t blogged much. With that and work I’ve been really busy and haven’t had that much time to read for reviews or post anything interesting. Sorry about that! I will be out of chemistry hell in mid-August and I’m taking a semester off.

I went into the class with a positive attitude. I kept telling myself that Chemistry will be fun and I tried relating it to Harry Potter’s Potions class. Well, we have done nothing cool in the lab and the tests are quite awful. I’d relate it to drinking the polyjuice potion of someone you hate and having to look like them for a week. Not cool!

Maybe I hate it so much because I dislike math. My teacher makes the class more math oriented than actual chemistry it seems. Again, I know… verbal eyeroll right? Plus, it is an intro course and I highly doubt anyone in the class will ever take anything else in chemistry after this. Yet the teacher thinks we should understand it as well as she does.

So, it is official chemistry (at least for me) is nowhere near as cool as a potions class in the world of Harry Potter would have been. Why was I born a mere muggle? Potions class would have been much more fun!

By the way, have any of you seen the new Harry Potter movie? I plan on seeing it sometime next week. I can’t wait!

No Free Internet for the Neighbors!

Is your internet running slowly? Do you sometimes notice that it is taking forever to load webpages that normally load quickly? Well, there could be multiple reasons for this, but one of them… could be that your neighbors or other random people in the area are actually using your wireless internet.

I live in the country. When people say they live in the country, you know what I mean. “Country” where it takes five minutes to get to our house from the main road due to the winding mountain road we live on. We have neighbors, but not many. We live on the lake (or river, depending on who you ask).

Our internet isn’t even that fast out here, so who would want to steal our internet is beyond me. I mean, it isn’t like we have 4G options or anything. Though, I do wish we had that option!

I recently read an article about bad neighbors, and being that we have some destroying the woods next to us to build a house, I decided to read it. Though to be quite honest, I don’t call these people “neighbors” instead I opt for “The Invaders.” They are annoying, arrogant, and worst yet – one of them was on a bad reality television show I never watched. More bad qualities can be written about them, but I won’t bother to do so now.

The article said that about 33% of American households don’t actually pay for their internet. They steal it from their neighbors. Yup.

Guess who also gets in trouble if they do illegal activities on their computers? You do! I knew this, but apparently most people find that shocking. If you pay per GB for your internet, it can also cost you a lot of extra money! They can also be severely slowing down the speed of internet at your house.

Unfortunately the article doesn’t say how to get rid of annoying neighbors with any VooDoo spells or anything, but it did give a good suggestion to password protect your wireless internet connection. I quickly did this and with a little search on the make of our wireless router, I figured out how to do it easily.

After setting up the password protected connection, I have noticed that it is going faster. I’m not 100% sure if anyone was actually using our internet or not (if they were they must have had an awful signal), but it does seem to be helping to speed things up.

Have you ever noticed bad neighbors doing this to your internet?
Have you ever used a neighbor’s internet?
Have any tips to get rid of bad neighbors?
Let me know!