¡Ombligo!

She mentioned that she was a singer when we first became friends...a singer...as if it were nothing big...a singer.

Now, I sing.

I sing in the shower, I sing on the treadmill and I love to sing karaoke.

My sister had a co-worker once who was a karaoke performer and even released an album of herself signing to karaoke tracks. In a delusional world - the two of us (myself and this karaoke performer) could consider ourselves singers.

Seriously, I cringe when I hear my own voice when retrieving the messages on my phone.

Honestly, if I had a voice like Sali's I would brag about it all the time! Humble wouldn't even know my name!

Fast forward to months after become a huge fan of her voice when Sali passingly mentions that she created a fragrance, Pink Manhattan. She even goes as far as mentioning that I may not like it but she would like my feedback on it.

I LOVED IT!

I was not alone as it quickly became a cult favorite and was even picked up by several fragrance sellers.

Fast forward again to last year when Sali sent me a sample of a new fragrance she was tinkering around with. This untitled sample included three notes that I seem to be drawn to in many of my favorite fragrances: blackberry, pomegranate and sandalwood.

$110 USD for 1/4 fl oz. (Full Size)
$66 USD for 1/8 fl oz. (Half Size)

Carded samples $6 each for a half-filled small vial, 2 per customer limit.

Two weeks ago, I made this post about Switchring.

Last week while posting I noticed that Julie from Switchring responded to my post. And yesterday a package arrived from Switchring containing packages of:

I was first introduced to Sweet T Original when I was looking for a simple tote bag and ended up purchasing this Rose Tote.

At the time I had no idea that one small search for a simple tote bag would turn me into a tote bag collector!

I then ended up purchasing the following tote bags - all Sweet T Original tote bags!













Hibiscus Tote











Mon Cheri tote










Daisy Tote

These are collaboration tote bags in which Tanja of Sweet T Original collaborated with other artists to create limited edition bags.












Seriously, how awesome is that! I tell you, Tanja is one of the most fabulous people in the universe!

I am a customer for life!

Stepped on the scale yesterday morning and discovered I gained five pounds. Ah, don't worry I didn't have an all out binge festival, my cycle started up - fashionably late.

I've been seriously puffy but am not worried about any serious weight gain as I was very good last week and stuck to my exercises routine and took account for everything I ate. In fact, I turned down an invitation to eat out this past weekend because I knew that I'd be tempted to order something unhealthy.

My hormones have been making me rather emotional lately - a slight touch of melancholy but for the most part I've remained rather positive.

Something I forgot to mention in my last WW update was about my mom's progress.

Now we're at the point where we can reflect on how much progress has been made. For a while I was really scared that she would suffer another heart attack. While I had been researching low-sodium foods and healing post-heart attack I came across a statistic that only 1/3 of female heart attack patients make a full recovery. So, during that time I was slowly preparing myself for the worse case scenario.

To see my mom now, you never would have thought that anything ever happened. In so many ways the heart attack changed everything because now she's committed toward being healthy - both for the present (to continue her healing process) and for the future (because we do have so much control over health.)

She was told that a friend of hers has a father-in-law who also had a quadruple bypass around the same time as her surgery and he's currently in awful shape. That he's severely depressed, still incredibly swollen, refusing to eat. I suspect that this man's doesn't have the will to go on.

And then consider that my mom had both thalassemia and diabetes to contend with and she's slightly older than this man.

She offered to speak to this man as she can relate to what he's going through but he's not taken her up on the offer.

Remaining positive has really played such a huge role in her progress. Ugh, things really sucked for a while and then got even worse than we ever could have imagined but then they got better and then even better than imagined.

For now I'm really grateful that things are going really good - almost impossibly good. And I'll reflect on this when things turn bad. This too shall pass.

Labels: WW

These are two of my favorite pieces in my glass jewelry collection:


I bought this ring through The Carrotbox. I don't remember the price I paid but it was actually marked down because it was a prototype piece. I bought this necklace through Broke Down Barn. I first fell in love with this style of necklace when I saw one that was sold on the Crafters for Critters site. I didn't even have a favorite color choice in mind - I just loved the design.

Discovered this piece on sale one day and fell in love. I adore it! Honestly, most people don't understand why I love this necklace so much but I do!

Last year my biggest wins were: Two one-year subscriptions to Netflix, and iPod Shuffle and an iPod Nano.

Check out what I won this year: a Sony PSP!

Um, I won a few other things this year as well but this has been the biggest.

I don't even know how this thing works, nor do I have any games for it but it seems cool.

I was rather disappointed to discover that I can't play Tetris on this thing. I could seriously play Tetris for hours!

Hopefully they sell cool games for this thing. Back in the day my sister had the original Nintendo & Gameboy and I had the Sega game system and the portable Sega. I still have that portable Sega but only have two games for it.

I'm so not a gamer - I could never defeat Koomba.
To this day I am in awe of people who are able to defeat Koomba!

Originally uploaded by Atreau.

Did anyone notice yesterday's DailyCandy?

I love me some Switchrings but have to mention that the customer service there is rather sub par.

Back in October I was itching for some new designs to glam up my digits and placed an order for two packages of popularity and one package of USA (which is no longer on the site - but totally reminded me of wonder woman so I had to have it.)

Anyhow, after my order was placed, Switchring contacted me to say there would be a delay in my order as they were having packaging problems and that they'd ship in out in about a week and include an extra for my trouble.

No biggie for me, being rather patient. So I wait, one week - then two. Nothing!

Contact them again and they told me that the delay was longer than expected but they have already been sent out to me.

Meanwhile I've received other packages from Canada (where Switchrings are from) and England. Still no switchrings!

Then, exactly one month after I had placed my original order a package by the postal fairy arrives with a sticker labeled Switchring.

Think I'm done?

Think again!

Open up the package and *sigh* notice that several of the outer bands of my switchring order and smashed and broken - unusable and unwearable!

*sobs* Contact switchring again and this time they sent a speedy replacement package with.....

wait for it....

open it up and *sigh part deux* again, smashed up outer bands!

At that point I didn't have the heart or patience to contact them again because it would totally seem like I one of those hard to please customers - which I'm totally not - but I could imagine them seeing me as one.

Even after all that heartache, I'm totally wanting to buy more! After all they have new collections like Solid Gold! The tiara in that collection looks very WW! I also love the Gotchies collection. And I need to have me some Bling!

Ugh, stupid blogger changed up on me and now I'm totally confused!

Anyhow, I meant to update this earlier but was a bad cold gave me a serious smack down. Now that I'm feeling better it's back to making myself a priority.

I had one full week of exercise - then slammed down by the cold for two and then one more week of daily exercise. I've not lost any weight and I showed a gain of three pounds this week which upset me at first but my cycle is due - so that could explain the weight gain. That or else my body is rejecting weight loss!

I have to keep on keeping on, hopefully I'll see some results this week!

SI: This is my most vulnerable week as it's right before my cycle. I've been trying to ward of the one big trigger that's been on my mind lately. Last week, the IRS sent me a letter saying I owed over $9000 for unpaid taxes based on my 2005 tax return.

This entire mess is based on the van I won back in 2005. As it's reported as additional income, you're supposed to pay taxes on that additional income. Well, I paid the taxes on the van (actually, my parents paid the taxes on the van because I gave it to my mom.)

But, what happened was that both the advertising agency (who ran the promotion) and the car makers Daimler Chrysler (who awarded the prize) both submitted the same information to the IRS - making it seem as though I received double the additional income (in the form of two vans). So, of course the IRS wants me to pay taxes on this phantom additional income as only one van was awarded and accepted.

I had to unearth all the paperwork I had from two years ago and contact both the ad agency and DaimlerCrysler. Both which blame each other for this fiasco.

I need to put together a response to IRS to explain that a mistake has been made and only one party should have submitted the tax information of additional income in my name. Ugh, by the end of this week - it should all be cleared on my end and hopefully I'll never have to deal with the IRS ever again (at least not in owing crazy amounts with penalties, late fees and crazy taxes that should never have been submitted in my name!)

Mom: Thank you all for your good thoughts and love during this entire obstacle with my mom. She's doing really great! She's back to work full time now and has been exercising 20 minutes a day on treadmill. There have been moments where she wants to venture off her low sodium diet but knows the consequences in doing so.

Her doctors visits have all been really positive and she's healing quite well. I never thought that she would recover so well, but she has and for that we are grateful.

Labels: WW