Taking Care of the Written Word

Lancome DreamTone

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 17:44:00 +0000

I was asked to try Lancome DreamTone. Because of my skin tone I chose #2 as I am a medium skin tone. I have a few freckles high on my cheek bones under my eyes. I do not have a lot of dark spots other than these freckles, but some of my skin is a little pink at times.

I had no expectations about the product as I had heard somethings about it on the television but hadn't paid it much attention. I was open minded about the product and followed the instruction to the letter.

Overall, my skin feels good and looks pretty good. However, the product hasn't made much difference since I began using it. I tend to have sensitive skin and am please to state that it has not caused any reactions on my skin. I have not noticed any remarkable changes to the freckles on my cheeks as they appear to be the same on the before and after photographs.

I don't know if I still need to give it some time as it really hasn't been all that long that I have been using the product, but there hasn't been much change for me.

Taking care of the written word,

Dannie

Unjunk Your Junk Food

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:39:00 +0000

I received a copy of Unjunk Your Junk Food to read and review. The book has a cute cover, is small in size, and loaded with a lot of information about the junk food the masses eat and the healthy alternatives. The book has a cute cover, but when I opened the book and started to look at it, I had some issues with the binding. The center binding broke open and some of the pages came unattached. This was the first look at the book and I as a book lover, I took it easy on the book. Not a good first impression. Nor was it a good second, third, or fourth impression as this happened in four different spots in the book.

So, the book is cute and the construction not so much, how about the contents. Remember the premise of this book is to replace food that is bad for you with food that is good for you. On the pages represented above, 36 and 37 the authors compare Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn-Butter to Newman's Own Organics Butter Flavored Pop's Corn. Orville is the bad choice and Newman the good choice according to the authors. Here's what they got going for them:
Stuff in the Product Orville Newman
Calories 30 123
Calories from fat 20 44
Trans Fat 0 0
carbs 3 17
sodium 40 187

Anyone else confused here, looks like Orville wins in the numbers game, less calories, less fat, less carbs, and way less sodium. Well, according to the authors, the artificial flavor, color, and TBHQ preservative is far worse for you than the extra fat and sodium. Well, tell that to a person with high blood pressure and on a low fat diet.

So lets give this another try, picked another page with binding issues, and it is Jello against Cool Cups gels.
Stuff in the Product Jell-O Cool Cups
calories 70 92
fat calories 0 0
sodium 40 44
carbs 17 22
protein 1 0

Again, Jell-O looks better than the approved choice. Except it has high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and red and yellow colors. The Cool Cups has 'yellow-flag' ingredients that makes it a better choice than Jell-O and their red-flag ingredients.

What I found in this book is not a resource for those looking for better food choices and the least amount of fat, sodium, and calories in the food they eat, but less chemicals. The problems that most of the mainstream food items have is the artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. The approved choices often had more fat, calories, and sodium than the bad choices. I guess if you are looking to find the best alternative with the least fat, calories, and sodium, eat nuts, fruits, and fresh vegetables.

Overall, I had high hopes for the book, I mean if just judging it from the cover. But I was quickly annoyed by the quality of the book. The message in the book was to reduce the artificial ingredients and not the best nutritional options. Maybe you will be more impressed with the book than I was.

Taking care of the written word,
Dannielyn

L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:51:00 +0000

I received a full size sample of L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream from She Speaks in exchange for giving my opinion of this product. I agreed. I had tried a few other samples of BB cream so I believed I knew enough about the type of product I agreed to try. I cannot believe how great this product is in matching to my skin type. This product matches my skin tone to where you cannot tell you are wearing a product at all. I am pleased with the texture of the product as well as the lack of scent. I do not smell like I have a product on and I like that a lot. This is a product that does what it says and that is a great benefit. You have to give it a try and you will like it just as much as I do.

I received a complimentary product from SheSpeaks/L'Oréal to facilitate this review.

Taking care of the written word,
Dannielyn

Re-Body hunger chews

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:39:00 +0000

I received a sample of Re-Body Hunger Chews from Naturally Savvy to try and tell. I am currently involved in a weight loss study and could not try this product by the time I received them. However, my husband and son tried these products and let me know what they thought.

My husband thought that they tasted okay but didn't know if they really worked in keeping him from feeling hungry. It was the busy season at work and he worked long hours between meals, so maybe it was asking too much for these things to work that long.

My son thought they tasted pretty good and would use them when he was hungry but wanted to wait a while before eating. He didn't see any real weight loss happening while using these chews, but he did find less hunger pains occurring.

Taking care of the written word,
Dannielyn

Teeccino

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:34:00 +0000

I received several samples of Teeccino coffee alternative beverages to try from Naturally Savvy. These were free samples and I am to tell of my experiences. However, I do not drink coffee so I had my son and husband try the beverages and let me know their thoughts.

The reviews are mixed. My husband a die hard coffee and caffeine addict did not care for the products. He had some difficulty getting over the fact that there was no caffeine. It also did not have the same flavor as coffee and that is what he was looking forward to tasting.

My son on the other hand, tried the flavored 'coffee like tea bags' and found some flavors that he liked more than others. He thought they were a good alternative to tea and coffee but would take some getting used to the unique coffee substitutes used in these products.

It is a mixed review like I said. It really depends on one's desire to try something new and incorporate the item in their diets.

Taking care of the written word,
Dannielyn

Teechia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:29:00 +0000

I received a sample of Teechia Blueberry Date and Cinnamon Cranberry cereal from Naturally Savvy for free to try and tell. My husband and I both tried it. Neither one of us was really sold on it. The cereal had a weird smell to it and it lingered in the taste. I am not sure what particular ingredient gave it this taste and smell but it was a real turn off. We both tried several times to eat the cereal and hoped that it would grow on us and well it didn't.

This is a very healthy cereal and provides great nutritional benefit. However, we were just unable to consume a normal portion size of the product.

Taking care of the written word,
Dannielyn

Oscillococcinum

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:26:00 +0000

I received a sample of Boiron's Oscillococcinum from Naturally Savvy for free to try and tell. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to try this product when I had the flu. My son had something similar to the flu in the beginning of November and about a week and a half before I received this product I had come down with the flu. I had all the symptoms that this product would address, the fatigue, headache, body aches, fever, and chills for about 5 days. I had the lingering cough for another two to three weeks.

About the time that the early symptoms left and the lingering cough arrived, I received this product. I went to a physician's appointment about two weeks after the flu about another issue and asked the doctor about this medicine. She uses it and so does her family. She states that it works very well and relieves many of the symptoms quickly.

For now, I will have to take her word for it.

Taking care of the written word,
Dannielyn

Influenster Holiday Vox Box 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:19:00 +0000

I received a Holiday Vox Box 2012 from Influenster on Christmas Eve in the mail. It was a great deal of fun to get a box of goodies on Christmas. I received the products for free to try and tell about them. I am honest in my reviews of the products and some are good and some well, not everything is always good.

My absolute favorite product I tried in this box is the Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal. I received the Cherry Pistachio Almond flavor and I love it. I mean I love it as I have loved few products I have tried for free. I buy at least four of the little containers each week. I love the chunks of cherries and nuts that demonstrate visually and with texture that I have real fruit and nuts in my oatmeal. It is crunchy, oatmeally, and delicious. Yes, I do know oatmeally isn't a real word, but by golly, if you are eating oatmeal, then what else could it be!

The NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine is my second favorite product from this box. I love the clear gloss alone or over my favorite colors. Beautiful.

The Goody Quikstyle Brush is okay but not one of my favorites. It doesn't really help keep my hair straight and it flattens the curls that I have. I like the idea of it more than actually using it.

EBOOST claims it will boost your mood, focus, and immunity with natural ingredients and no crash. I tried it and the flavor is okay, but didn't really feel any great effects. Maybe it was because it was only one serving, but nothing really all the wonderful.

Sole Society provided us a coupon for $25 off our first purchase and most shoes were $50. The shoes are great but not really practical. I like a medium heel and the options were really only 3-4 inches for ballet flats. This was one treat in the box that really did nothing for me. The colors were a little too wild for me and well, I wish them luck but I won't use my coupon.

I also received a book. Hiding in Sunshine by John and Caitlin Stuart. This is a father and teenage daughter duo writing their first book together. To be honest, the subject of the book is not my cup of tea. I am not into cyber thrillers and the story seems really far fetched. The authors use an awful lot of (!) points in the story, makes reading it seem like everyone is always shouting at me. I read it but it will not be one of those books that I read over and over again. It was difficult at time to follow the plot and sometimes I put it down hoping to never pick it up again. It may be because it is not a story line I prefer.

Well, there you have it, I am really glad I received the Holiday Vox Box from Influenster. Thanks!

Taking care of the written word,
Dannielyn

Congress or Americans: Who is failing America?Rant Political

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:10:00 +0000

This is a guest blog/link from my son. He is a junior in college studying political science. Who do you think is failing America? The answer may surprise you.

Congress or Americans: Who is failing America?Rant Political:

'via Blog this'

The Fiscal Cliff: A lose/lose situation for the Republican PartyRant Political

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:09:00 +0000

This is a guest blog post/link from my son. He is a junior studying political science. What he says makes you think regardless of what side you are on in politics. Take a few minutes to read and share if you think it something everyone needs to think about.

The Fiscal Cliff: A lose/lose situation for the Republican PartyRant Political:

'via Blog this'

Quick and Crispy Talapia in a Skillet No Less

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:27:00 +0000

This picture does not come close to showing you how crispy the outside of this fillet is but you have to believe me that it is wonderfully crisp and flavorful. I am a bzzagent and I love being able to try new products and sharing my experience with others just like you. I love the product and it was my first time tasting talapia and I thought this was a great product to introduce me to the fish. You just have to get out there and try some yourself as this fish is tasty. Try Gorton's Skillet Crisp Talipia in Garlic and Herb.

Taking care of the written word,

dannielyn

Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Certified

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:13:00 +0000

As a bzzagent I received a sample of this coffee to taste and see what all the fuss is about. I have to tell you that the coffee is wonderful but the fair trade certification is even better. I love the idea that those who are growing the coffee are being treated fairly. I swear it makes the flavor of the coffee even better tasting.

If you have not tried this product, get out there and get yourself some. The coffee has a great flavor without that old or burnt coffee flavor that some brands have and with the many varieties of coffee styles out there, whole, ground, K cup and so on, you have to get your hands on this right away.

Taking care of the written word,
dannielyn

Taking a Spin and Keeping my Hair Pinned

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 23:06:00 +0000

This is a great alternative to the usual hair clip to put my hair up. It is versatile, stylish and wonderfully easy to use. It save a great deal of time searching for bobby pins. If you have long hair, you have to try this product! You will love it. I do and I got to try it free from Influenster as a part of the beauty blogger voxbox.

Taking care of the written word,
Dannielyn

Kinky like nothing else you've tried

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 22:49:00 +0000

Ok, this products makes your curls really defined and so not frizzy just like they brag they do. It is so refreshing to use a product that does what it says it will. I am a part of the Influenster Beauty Bloggers VoxBox and I received Not Your Mothers' Kinky Moves curl defining hair cream and I love it. You just have to use this product if you have curly hair of any way, shape, or form. It is amazing.

Taking care of the written word,
Dannielyn

Creating a lot of Flair

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 22:41:00 +0000

I tried false lashes for the first time and after the initial period of getting used to the feeling I enjoyed the drama or flair it gave my eyes. Being a newbie, I was glad the instructions were easy and the application flawless. I was nervous and I had no reason to be. It is easy to do and you look wonderful afterwards. If you ever wanted to try them out, you have to get Kiss' brand. The whole kit is easy and inexpensive. You will be pleased with the entire process.

Taking care of the written word,
Dannielyn

Dramatic Eyes by NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 22:34:00 +0000

I received this eye shadow compact as a part of the Influenster Beauty Blogger Vox Box and the product is a great one, just not sure about the colors, a bit dark for me. I think that the lack of using dark colors often hinders my opinion of this product somewhat because I did receive a compliment from a friend and she asked where I found the colors.

I hoped that it was subtle, well as much as a dark color could be and it appeared to be just the right amount of color and shading but I was so nervous. But isn't that what these types of programs are for, to try something that you many not otherwise try. I did and I am glad I did. I just may have to find more reasons to wear smokey eyes!

Taking care of the written word,
dannielyn

Pumpkin Cupcake Candle from Bath and Body Works

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 22:16:00 +0000

I received a Pumpkin Cupcake candle from Bath and Body works in my Influenster Beauty Blogger Voxbox so that I could try it out and let others know about the product and if I liked it. Well, I loved the fragrance of the candle. It smelled like I was baking a cupcake in my kitchen and throughout the house it smelled so good. I only burned about half of it as I wanted to save the rest for Thanksgiving time as it would be a wonderful smell to have getting ready to make the big dinner.

I used the coupon included in the box and bought Cinnamon and Cloves and I have to tell you that was even better for a daily scent. My soon to be 18 year old son even told me he loves the candle scent. In fact I went to blow it out when setting the table for dinner and he asked me why I did that because he loved it so much. Now that says a great deal about this fragrance.

You have to try these great fragrances in large, medium, and small sizes as they are all wonderful. I am sure you will find your favorite or favorites just as I did.

Taking care of the written word,
dannilyn

Influenster Beauty Bloggers VoxBox 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:34:00 +0000

I received my Influenster Beauty Bloggers VoxBox 2012 today and I am so excited about the products I received to try and tell you about.

So here is what I received today:

Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin (2 in box)
Kiss Ever Pro Lashes Starter Kit
Not Your Mother's Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream
NYC (New York Color) Individual Eyes Dark Shadows
Vitabath Fragrance Mist Pomegranate and Blood Orange
E Boost Daily Booster, Orange flavor
Pumpkin Cupcake from Slatkin & Co (available at Bath and Body Works

and a coupon code to share with you online only F126566 for Fall Candles at Bath and Body Works

I will let you know what I think about these products as soon as I can. I love the fragrance of the candle and the Vitabath mist and can't wait to try the products out!

Taking care of the written word,
dannielyn

Men, Falling Asleep, Snoring, Going to Bed and Why Women Get Upset

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:05:00 +0000

Okay, this may be one of the most asinine issues in my marriage but I have to admit that after 23 years, I am sick of this battle with my husband. My husband is 49 years old. I have known him for 23 years. For all the time that I have known him, he has fallen asleep while watching television and spends his time snoring, waking himself up, shaking his foot, and then repeating the same process over and over and over and 23 years worth of over and over.

Lately, he has begun adding another annoying habit to this sleep, snore, waking, and shaking foot, he bobs his head. He bobs his head as in it falls to the side, he straightens up, falls to the side, straightens up, falls to the side, straightens up and all while he is asleep. Then one great big head fall to the side and he wakes up, covertly checking to see if I noticed and then shakes his foot.

You see, shaking his foot is his tell that he knows he fell asleep and that I am going to be upset about it. And, frankly, I do get upset about the falling asleep. NOT THAT HE FELL ASLEEP, BUT THAT HE WON'T GO TO BED!!!!

My husband likes to believe that if we sit in a room together for 2-3-4 or however many hours watching television this is quality time. I COMPLETELY DISAGREE. It is not quality time. Quality time is communicating or doing something interactive, not watching the television or watching his head bob or trying to hear the television between his snores.

Now, besides being 49 years old (he is the one who thinks he is old), he works a lot of hours at his new job. He has had only about 8 days off since he began working in June of this year. I think 8 may be over stating the actual number but I can't really be sure, it may be closer to 5 or 6. NO LIE!! He also goes to work an hour to one and half hours before he needs too be at work and he works till 7-8pm most nights. One night he worked until 11:30 pm and got up bright and early and did it again.

So, with that said, I understand the man is tired. Got it! But here is the problem, if you are tired GO TO BED! We have a DVR, tape whatever television program you think you want to watch and GO TO BED.

I think it is easier to accept the sleeping if he goes to bed earlier than normal if he is tired than every time I am in the room watching television he falls asleep. It is not because I am watching my obsession RHONJ or some silly crime show, it is while watching a race or game or show he wants to watch.

So, he falls asleep, snores, bobs, wakes up, and shakes his foot every time I am there with him watching television. I have gotten up and walked out of the room many times because he is upset when I tell him to go to bed. I feel like his mother not his wife and he acts like a 2 year old not wanting to go to bed instead of my husband.

So, the reason for this blog post, a wife of a racer, who my husband follows on twitter posts a tweet about how many women are tired of the b/s that they receive from hubby who falls asleep while watching television claiming he was resting his eyes. She was upset about the control of the remote.

Not the exact same situation but the same underlying problem/issue. The husband falling asleep while watching television. So, my husband in his great wisdom (NOT REALLY) tells me about the tweet and believes I will find it hilarious. I don't. It is another wife who has a husband who does not think enough about anyone other than himself to go to bed instead of falling asleep while watching television. Now, here is where the real important point comes in to play.

The wife who may work outside the home, inside the home, or both is sitting with her husband and possibly her children and thinks this is a great time to spend time together interacting. The husband thinks this is a great time to watch television and take a nap. But because they are men, they don't nap. However, every time they sit down to watch television they nap. They fail to see the connection. Television=Nap.

Okay, so there are very few men who sleep in awkward positions they place themselves in while watching television that does not cause snoring to occur. Women see and hear this connection, men do not. They fail to see the connection. Awkward sleeping position while watching television = nap with snoring.

We are talking about the quality of women's lives here. Think about it in this way.

Woman marries Man
Man watches television without talking to woman
Man falls asleep and snores and/or head bobs in front of woman
Woman can leave the room or wake the man up
Woman leaves the room and is not able to spend quality time with man OR
Woman wakes man up so the man can get mad at woman for waking him up when he is simply resting his eyes

The quality of life is horrible for women. In order to spend time with their man she has to sit and watch television with him and watch him sleep and hear him snore. She does something about it and she is the bad person.

All you want to ask is why don't you go to bed if you are tired. It is far less of an insult to the woman to say I am beat, I am going to bed. When a man tells them they want to spend time with them but watches television and falls asleep, really was the woman really required for him to relax and fall asleep.

Sunday night my husband read that tweet that I was suppose to find hilarious (his words) and then fell asleep while watching the show he wanted to watch and snored to high heaven. I woke him up (hey it was almost time for RHONJ) and told him to go to bed. HE GOT MAD AT ME! WHY??????? Because that tweet was his justification for snoring and falling asleep while watching television while I was in the room. OTHER MEN DO IT!!!!!!!

OMG!!!!!! Is he really 10 years old?????? Everyone else does it mom, so why can't I!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, needless to say, he doesn't not understand three days later why I am so mad. Someone tweets that she is upset with her husbands sleeping/television issues and the only thing he sees is that other men do it and that gives him the go ahead to act like a 2 year old who doesn't want to go to bed.

He fails to see that just because 'everyone else' is doing something that annoys people does not mean that the behavior is acceptable.

He has a television in the bedroom he could watch until he fell asleep. OR he could just go to bed and get better sleep without the lights and sounds affecting his sleep cycle.

He could be a grown up and go to bed without annoying others for 10-45 minutes of snoring and head bobbing.

He could attempt the act of staying awake and communicate with me for a fraction of the time he spends getting ready to nap, I mean watch television.

So, he doesn't see how thinking the tweeter was hilarious and me a witch and getting mad at me, hurt, three days later and he still doesn't get it.

I watch less than 4 hours of television a week. Those shows are all recorded so I can watch them at another time. Each week I try to spend a few hours watching a race with him for that 'quality time' he believes it is. By the way, I hate racing and watching races and listening to the stupid commentary, especially that one that yells everything he says into the microphone Wallace something I think. The best part of watching the race is Jimmie Johnson. But I am loss as what to do to get my husband, 49 years old to be a man and go to bed when he is tired at 9pm, 10pm, or later instead of staying up to 'be with me' and annoy me to death.

So, that's it, just trying to get the point across that women do not like to spend time with their husband, watching television, watching their head bob and hearing their snores and here incredibly stupid excuses instead of just going to bed! If you really want to spend quality time with us......this isn't it.

Taking care of the written word,
dannielyn

Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy Clearly has Packaging Issues

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:22:00 +0000

I was given a sample of Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy shampoo and conditioner in full size bottles to try for free from She Speaks. I had tried the tiny one or two use bottles but this was the first time using the full size retail bottles of the product. Here is the problem, I love the shampoo and conditioner SO MUCH as it is wonderful for my hair but the shampoo bottle leaks.

It leaks from the top of the bottle and the seam between the top and the rest of the bottle. Quite a bit of shampoo leaks out each and every day that I bet if I had collected the leakage and tracked it, it would have been about 1/4 to 1/3 of the entire contents. Each day I have a mess in my shower on the shelf it sits on, down the sides of the bottle and it makes it slippery to grab and use. I spend more time cleaning the outside of the bottle than it takes to shampoo my hair.

I really love this shampoo. I don't think I can tell you how much I LOVE WHAT THIS SHAMPOO DOES FOR MY HAIR, but I cannot and will not purchase this shampoo again. OR at least until they fix the design flaw of this bottle. I am not willing to purchase a product that leaks out of the bottle (it doesn't matter if it is a new/full bottle or one where it is 80-90% empty it still leaks out).

This is a great product, but not worth the cost if you lose a good portion of it when it waits for your next shower. If you fix this problem, let me know, I would love to use it again.

Taking care of the written word,
dannielyn

Real Crazy Real Housewives of New Jersey

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:27:00 +0000

I have to admit to my obsession with the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Thankfully, there is only one more episode for the fourth season, part 3 of the reunion. This season has been out of control in how certain characters on the show have acted and the behavior is only getting worse in the reunion episodes. I really have strong concerns about the mental health of Teresa Guidice and those fans of hers that will blindly accept any thing she does as worthy of praise. I have said it before and I will say it again, the lady has real mental health issues that will not go away once the cameras stop filming as the problems are still present. Her problems are simply highlighted by the filming but from different accounts have been there for years.

I can empathize with the other women on the show who have had enough of the lies, betrayal, anger, revenge, and other immature behavior from Teresa. Living with or dealing with a person with mental health issues is exhausting. These women have tried to ignore, address, and express concern about her behaviors and the only thing that appears left to try is screaming at her endlessly. It is a rather fruitless effort as Teresa needs to crash or receive help. It appears Teresa is headed for that crash and I do not think Bravo will be there to help her out of the crash.

It really is sad when someone is not aware of their mental health issues and they think what they are doing is acceptable, normal, or justifiable. Only those on the outside looking in can see just how ridiculous that belief is. The person involved in the horrific behavior cannot see just how strange, abnormal, and dangerous their behavior is, not to the person or persons it is directed too, but to their own lives and loved ones. I have experienced this first hand this past year and as it escalated in severity I listed to the fight or flight battle in my brain and decided to take flight and move from the situation. I live surrounded by neighbors that are 'normal' and do not act upon every crazy notion that enters their minds.

I really believe that is why the RHONJ series has been watched by so many who are disgusted at what they are seeing but are unable to turn the channel or stop thinking about what they just witnessed. A part of us (society) wants to see just how bad the 'crazy' will get before the person gets help. It is as if there is an accident on the side of the road and as much as we tell ourselves we will not look, we just can't help it. I know that I want to see what the 'event' is that causes Teresa to seek some help for her issues. I personally do not like Teresa but I do so hope that she receives the help she desperately needs.

I also hope that her 'fans' who have decided to be team Teresa or Team Trash Everyone else takes a close look at how they call the other ladies names, demean them, and attack every thing they do as if they are the worst person in the world. I have to wonder about how their family and friends stack up and are treated by these 'fans' who would treat strangers this way.

I guess the real crazy is all of us who have not demanded society to take a look at the mental health problems and what we are doing or not doing to address these very important issues.

Now that is something to consider.

Taking care of the written word,
dannielyn

Crazy Life

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:11:00 +0000

Well, things have been pretty crazy around our house this summer and fall. We moved the first week of June back to town and well we really enjoyed getting out of Gerton. It was simply too far from everything. We save nearly $400 a month in gas for our vehicle. We are saving so much money on gas we have been able to purchase a new car. We had to buy one in March, on my birthday actually and now we have a second car, new to us, a 2009. It is nice to look out at our driveway and see two nice vehicles that are not subjected to rough mountain driving of 30 minutes twice a day. We think they will last quite a bit longer than the van and SUV that died from the mountain driving stress within less than a year of living in Gerton. It is a beautiful area, but horrible on vehicles.

The house was moldy and damp and since moving from there, I have been able to cut out quite a bit of my allergy medicine. Amazing what a mold free home can do for one's overall health and wallet.

My husband had a job interview the day before we packed up our belongings on a moving truck and the day we were unloading things in our new house he received a call back for a second interview. He quickly showered and headed over for the interview while my son unloaded the truck and I continued unpacking the boxes. My husband arrived home and received a second call later that day offering him the job. Good thing too, the company he had been with since we moved here nearly 9 years ago was closing up shop with the exception of maybe one or two days a month.

If you read the blog in late June/early July you will see some mention of the harassment from our former neighbors. That took up some time to deal with, but as you will see, while they believed they were having fun spewing hate to me and my family via the internet (twitter and my blog mainly) they were breaking the law. I found out what legal steps I can take to stop this type of treatment and gave them one last warning to stop it or pay the consequences for their actions and well, I am pleased to say they have stopped. I guess they decided to attempt to make our lives a living nightmare because we did not like them. I have to say my gut instinct told me they were bad news and it appears I was right. Who does that type of stuff to someone just because their neighbor does not like them enough to be 'friends'? I say, grow up and leave me alone!

Senior pictures time came and while I did not get my son to take as many pictures as I wanted, the ones he took are simply wonderful. They really captured the many sides of my son.

School started back up and my baby is a senior in high school. He is the senior class president, an officer in FCA, and involved in a number of school activities, a member of the National Honor Society, and is 7th or 9th in his class. So, can you say 'proud mom'? I am so proud of the wonderful young many he is.

Our oldest son is in his third year of college, purchased a car completely on his own, and working for Americans for Prosperity. He is meeting some great politicians and enjoying the opportunities he has been given. He is another young man with a lot of potential and I am very proud of him!

Our youngest son has sent in some college applications this weekend. I am excited for him and I hope he gets in to NC State as that is the school he wants to attend the most. Yes, mom is sad that it is so far away from home and makes a day trip to see him difficult. However, it may turn into a weekend trip one day in Charlotte and the next in Raleigh to see both boys. However, our oldest has intentions of attending NC State for his master's degree and well, that will make road trips to see the boys easier on mom and dad.

I have been selected for quite a few try and tells from several companies, bzzagent, shespeaks, vocalpoint, inflenster, and more over the summer and fall. I am excited about the opportunities to try some great new products and I am attempting to regularly update the blog on these products. I have to admit that my freelance writing projects have taken off this last year and I have been so very busy doing them. Since they bring in money for the family, I give them priority but, I still love to be involved in try and tells on products.

I am beginning a weight loss trial program later this month. I am planning on updating the progress I make on this blog. It will be a year commitment to the weight loss program and I expect to see some remarkable results. This is a doctor, dietitian, and nurse monitored program. There is a chance for a 'device' to assist in the weight loss but I won't know if I have the 'device' or not until well into the program. I will not divulge what the 'device' is but there is no surgery involved. The program focuses on diet and exercise in addition to the device if you are chosen for the device. It sounds complicated and mysterious, but there is a reason for the vagueness of the details. The emphasis is if a person can lose more weight following diet, exercise, and portion control or if the device provides more weight loss. Anyways, I will be updating the blog about this process and hopefully I will see some amazing results.

Taking care of the written word,
dannielyn

SheSpeaks and Elizabeth Arden #PrevageLashes giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:37:00 +0000

Enter the SheSpeaks PREVAGE® Giveaway to Win a New Product From Elizabeth Arden #PrevageLashes

By SheSpeaksTeam
4 days ago :: 62 Comments

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Real Housewives of New Jersey, an example for us all

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:27:00 +0000

Last night was a must anticipated episode of the RHONJ. I read the tweets live as they were happening, read recaps and comments and I have come to this startling conclusion. We identify with the cast of RHONJ for a number of reasons. Some good, some bad, but we identify with the characters demonstrated and respond according to our own experiences.

Now, I will come right out and say from the very first episode I have had a problem with Teresa. I can honestly say, that while Teresa's behavior is an extreme, I have had friends and family members similar to Teresa and I cannot tolerate her behavior.

So, the main highlight of this episode that everyone seemed to be waiting for is, Joe Guidice speaking on a phone to what is assumed to be his girlfriend (he is married to Teresa), calls his wife a few words women do not appreciate being called starting with a B and a C. We then see Teresa rushing over to Joe to demand to know who he is talking to and he lies and starts speaking in Italian. She is desperate to... I don't know, maybe to pretend everything in the marriage is still okay and tries to get her husband to have sex with her in front of everyone else on the trip, in the vineyard and he says he doesn't want to. Oh, yes, this is with full mic and camera watching.

To say Teresa is desperate is an understatement. She is past desperate, she has moved on to delusional, narcissistic, passive/aggressive, aggressive, manipulative, resorts to lying, holds grudges, brings up past issues to reinstate angry feelings, and has a weird 'attraction' to her brother. Yes, I must also add her parenting skills are extremely poor, her relationship with her husband is at minimum verbally abusive, she cannot have a real relationship with anyone without her being the center of the relationship at all times and that unfortunately upsets the abilities of others to actually tolerate her for any length of time.

That is not to say that Melissa, Kathy, Jacqueline, Carolina, Albie, Christopher, Chris, Al, Joe Gorga, Joe Guidice, Ashlee, Lauren, and Greg don't all have their own issues and oddities. However, Teresa is the one that demands the spotlight on her at all times.

Now, Melissa, whether her "thank you Jesus" are serious or not, at least she makes reference that there is someone higher in the world than she is and after the Teresa show, it is nice to see. I don't care if she can actually sing, has 'fake' breasts, or is secretly trying to bring Teresa down, Melissa has demonstrated in numerous conversation attempts with Teresa to educate Teresa that she may in fact contribute to the problems she has with everyone. Now, Melissa is telling Teresa the same things that Jacqueline told Teresa and Caroline told Teresa and Kathy told Teresa. She is telling her them in a more direct but 'nice' approach. I like that. You can understand the message Melissa is giving Teresa even if Teresa cannot.

Now, Jacqueline is that type of person that wants to like everyone and wants to give everyone a chance. Look at the abuse she received from her daughter. Yes, Ashlee treated her mother like crap and while many believe that Jacqueline is a horrible mother, at 18 Ashlee should have been in college or on her own. If she could not treat her mother and step father with respect, then she would have been told to leave immediately. Where she ended up was up to her. So, I don't know how many parents would give Ashlee so many chances to straighten up, but if you think you are old enough to tell your mother off, you are old enough to be a big girl on your own. Jacqueline has shown us the same issues with saying goodbye to Teresa. Yes, we are tired of seeing her cry all the time, but come on even if your child (21) deserves to be given a swift kick in the butt on the way out due to the lack of respect, it is hard to say goodbye and to suddenly stop worrying about her child. She also has guilt about what she may or may not have done over 21 years that caused Ashlee to think she can treat her mother like this and get away with that behavior but I am sure she is a mother who is in great pain that the relationship she wanted with her daughter is not what she has. OH MY GAWD, that is the same thing that Jacqueline said to Teresa, this is not the relationship I wanted, I want you to tell me what is going on instead of me having to find out in tabloids. Folks, what she is saying is, if I am your best friend, why can't you tell me how you feel about rumors (or truth) that I read. A real friendship and not a manipulated friendship. The episode where Teresa takes Jacqueline into the RV for apple pie is demonstration of this 'fake' relationship. Jacqueline is visibly upset and all Teresa cares about is herself.

Caroline is not my favorite person on the show either. I do like her more than Teresa but I also have to respect her dowdy, angry, menopausal way of looking at life. Come on, her daughter is acting up on the trip, going on yet again about all the weight, her brothers not loving her enough (Teresa and Lauren have really weird relationships and expectations of relationships with their brothers), and other issues facing her and acts like a two year old. While I may not call my children what Caroline called Lauren, I would call them out for their ugly behavior. I mean seriously, grow up. Caroline is the type of person who can look at a situation and call it pretty accurately even if we do not like the manner in which she does. I agreed with Caroline's opinion about Ashlee, Lauren, and Teresa. I would like to think that I would begin using more tact, but seriously, the crud has gotten ridiculous and obviously tact doesn't cut through these people.

Kathy is nice, but her eyes bug out too much for me sometimes. However, I find her to be prettier than Teresa by far. So, when Melissa spoke about how beautiful they both looked, I thought, that is nice because you look at them that night and think, yes, they do look as nice as they can, and that is good, let them feel good knowing that, good job Melissa. However, it appears Melissa upset Teresa because someone else looks as good or better than Teresa. I don't know if I could have remained quiet after the toast Teresa gave. It was mean. It was passive/aggressive towards Kathy. I mean, Teresa had just complained again about the recipes in the cookbook and proving that she does hold grudges, by bringing it up AGAIN. I honestly feel that Kathy did not say that those are her mother's cookies in a mean or spiteful or passive/aggressive manner. I mean come on, Teresa do you actually believe everyone is out to get you all the time. Well, maybe they are because you instigate a lot of trouble between EVERYONE!!!!

Joe Gorga, Joe Guidice, and Richie Wakilie, enough with the displaying your genitalia. Enough of the talking about your genitalia. None of you are attractive and/or hot. Seriously, do you really think every woman is going to be thrilled to hear once again about your genitalia, sex life, and all that other crud you spew every week. NO! And Albie and Christopher, seriously stop encouraging them from making fools of themselves. They obviously do not have the social skills, self-control, or any other ability to monitor their own behaviors. They do not need the encouragement to act as if they are from the wilds (Sorry to anyone who lives in the wilds and have better social skills, self-control and any other ability to monitor their own behaviors). Out of sheer respect to others (the owners of the vine-yards) stop already. This brings me to Chris.

Chris, you are a sweet man. You show great self-control and often are the 'babysitter' of the idiots you are around. I mean, Christopher getting so sick before the food show after being told to take it easy, Joe and Joe playing with the sculpture in the cave room, and not being able to shut up before stupidity runs out of their mouth with no filters, you are a great man. But, your wife needs you to assert some back bone once and a while when things go out of control. You backed down too often with Ashlee. Yes, you are just the step dad, but you needed to do it for Jacqueline must sooner. But kudos for going on camera and telling the world Jacqueline has a beautiful body. While we do not see it as much as we see Teresa's body in various stages of undress and disgust, Jacqueline shows the public that beautiful women are not always perfect women. Let us not even begin to discuss how not perfect Teresa's body and face are. I find her repulsive.

Okay, so it looks like I am talking directly to Chris while talking about the others, I am going to leave it because I really think he is the only one besides Melissa that would be able to hear and understand the truth.

But the subject of this post is how RHONJ is an example for us. And here it is, we can learn how to identify the same characteristics in the people around us and determine how we will react to them. We can see who we have had problems with and the best approach to resolving the conflicts if both parties desire to resolve the conflicts. If you encounter a person like Teresa, run, run away as fast as you can, because as you can see, if she remains unstopped the problem escalates. Much like a bad smell in the house that remains no matter how many times you try to cover up (make excuses) it will not disappear. You actually have to take care of removing the problem.

I understand that Bravo is making a huge amount of money from the RHONJ and Teresa's antics are part of the reason as so many viewers will argue team Teresa or team Melissa, haters of Caroline and lovers of Jacqueline and so on. I know there are rumors of a possible spin-off for Teresa and so on. Just an observation Bravo, Jon and Kate plus 8 did not last long when it became Kate plus 8. Part of the reason RHONJ has increased in viewership is because of the crap Teresa pulls with everyone, a spin-off may not be the answer.

As to the increase in viewership and Teresa's roll in it, I believe many people watch to see Teresa fall from 'New Jersey Grace'. I know that I will be hard pressed to feel overly bad for Teresa. I mean the desperate actions of her last night makes me want to tell her to smarten up and quit the show. Forcing a man to have sex with you after he calls you those names and talks to a girlfriend in front of you and your family and friends/not friends calls to question your ability to face reality let alone be on a reality television show. I feel very sorry for you Teresa, save yourself from the path you are on, jump now and live a quiet life, with your girls, working a real job, within a real budget, and with those who can tolerate you and your children's horrible behavior.

Taking care of the written word,

dannielyn

John and Lisa T--Your last chance to stop your harrassment before legal action is taken against you

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:22:00 +0000

North Carolina

Last updated: September 4, 2011

S 14-196.3
Cyberstalking

The following definitions apply in this section:
1. Electronic communication. - Any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature, transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio, computer, electromagnetic, photoelectric, or photo-optical system.
2. Electronic mail. - The transmission of information or communication by the use of the Internet, a computer, a facsimile machine, a pager, a cellular telephone, a video recorder, or other electronic means sent to a person identified by a unique address or address number and received by that person.
It is unlawful for a person to:
1. Use in electronic mail or electronic communication any words or language threatening to inflict bodily harm to any person or to that person's child, sibling, spouse, or dependent, or physical injury to the property of any person, or for the purpose of extorting money or other things of value from any person.
2. Electronically mail or electronically communicate to another repeatedly, whether or not conversation ensues, for the purpose of abusing, annoying, threatening, terrifying, harassing, or embarrassing any person.
3. Electronically mail or electronically communicate to another and to knowingly make any false statement concerning death, injury, illness, disfigurement, indecent conduct, or criminal conduct of the person electronically mailed or of any member of the person's family or household with the intent to abuse, annoy, threaten, terrify, harass, or embarrass.
4. Knowingly permit an electronic communication device under the person's control to be used for any purpose prohibited by this section.
Any offense under this section committed by the use of electronic mail or electronic communication may be deemed to have been committed where the electronic mail or electronic communication was originally sent, originally received in this State, or first viewed by any person in this State.
Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.
This section does not apply to any peaceable, nonviolent, or nonthreatening activity intended to express political views or to provide lawful information to others. This section shall not be construed to impair any constitutionally protected activity, including speech, protest, or assembly. (2000-125, s. 1; 2000-140, s. 91.)

To whatever name you go by: John Taylor, Lisa Taylor, JT, ME (idareyoutopostmynameb.....net), You Know Who You B...., or anonymous (the name doesn't matter when the IP address shows they all come from the same source(s).

You immediately cease your attacks on me via the internet or I will seek a protective order and a warrant for your arrest under the code listed above. I have had enough and I will no longer tolerate your harassing behavior and will seek any and all legal avenues available to me to force you to stop the cyberstalking and cyberharassment. This includes notifying the North Carolina Health Care Worker Registry with a complaint.

This is a fair warning. If you send another comment, post anything on the internet about me or attempt ANY contact with me or my family, I will go to the magistrate (open 24 hours seven days a week) and seek a warrant for arrest. I have already contacted them to find out what 'evidence' I need and I spent the day gathering and organizing it to present to the magistrate for the warrant of arrest and the district court judge for the protective order. I have the paper work already filled out and ready to hand in for the protective order.

John as a health care worker, I would be concerned that the comments you made with identifying components as to your identity and to your wife's identity would put your job in jeopardy. The health care industry does not look kindly on their employees exhibiting uncontrolled anger, rage, and abusive behavior, especially when it is a criminal act.

The only 'feud' that is happening is in your own mind. I am not nor have I been 'feuding' with you. You have written horrific, angry, and vulgar slurs against me and my husband because my husband and I do not like you or your wife. Here is the sad truth, John, we didn't have to like you to live next to you. But, just so we are clear, it all started when you were standing in our yard, by our porch, in front of our windows numerous times. That is creepy behavior no matter how one tries to justify it. We chose to move from the situation that grew from your harassing and intimidating behavior. Since you are no longer physically able to use passive/aggressive measures to 'harass' us you have moved on to electronic harassment. It is time to come to a realization that your anger filled words written to me with the intent to abuse, annoy, threaten, terrify, harass, or embarrass is only going to harm you and your wife.

When you are arrested and unable to work as a health care worker because of your cyberharrassment towards me, it will be you and your wife that ultimately suffers. You will not likely be eligible for unemployment if you are fired as a health care worker due to a criminal record for harassment. You will not be able to work in the health care field with this on your record. You stated you have been 'saving lives' for 15 years, what will you do when you can no longer work in this field?

We stated in the letter to you dated April 28 if the 'stuff' continued we would be moving out. The landlords were made aware of the letter by YOU. They were aware that we were not happy with what we were living through because of you since April 29th.

We gave them a 30 day notice and told them that we would be out by the 15th of the month but had an opportunity to be out by the 7th of the month. That gave them extra time to fix the issues that were in part the reason we moved out before a new person moved in. Instead, we find out the landlords were spending their time rather unproductively calling and speaking to people about the personal business matter between us and them. Just so the record is straight, we were not evicted. Even though we sent the letter in the mail on June1st, they did not go to their mailbox until June 6th. We spoke to them on the phone that day and in person that night. We moved the next day. They did not seek an eviction nor had any reason to seek an eviction. We followed the letter of the law of our lease they prepared for us. As to any claim that they did not have two months notice, they did. You gave them that when you gave them the letter dated April 28th. Did we stay for the full two months? No, we got out of that house the earliest we could.

Will your current landlord be happy to find out that the reason we moved out so quickly is due in part by the condition of the house and the majority of it was your 'creepy' and harassing behavior. Yes, they too will find out about your behavior towards us if you continue to send cyberharassment comments to me. I will be more than happy to not only send them to your landlord but post them publicly on my blog. Then every month they cannot rent the property they can 'blame' you for driving their last tenant out.

What you are not privy too John, is the written and voice mail communications we have with the landlords regarding the truth of our 30 day notice of intent to move out. If you think your assumptions of fact based on their misrepresentation of the facts to a third party by our former landlord is valid for what you're slandering in your electronic communications, you are sadly mistaken. All that does is put the landlord at risk for poor publicity as landlords, community members, firefighter, and local business owners. So, I guess I was wrong in stating that you and your wife ultimately suffers. The landlords will suffer as well due to you forcing us to leave with your harassment, in addition to their lack of upkeep and no/poor response to leaking roofs causing mold to grow in several rooms of our house. The house was unbearable to live in because of you, your wife, and the lack of taking care of critical issues affecting our abilities to live in a house in which we payed rent.

While this is more than I really wanted to share with you, I thought letting you in on a few facts might help control your need to spew slander that will hurt you and your landlords reputation. I gave you ample opportunity to stop and even warned you that you were harming you, your wife, and your landlord by continuing this cyberharassment. But the question that comes up all the time is how does Lisa feel about all the time you spent cyberstalking, cyberharassing, and obsessing about me? Shouldn't your wife be the only woman you spend that much time obsessing about?

Taking care of the written word,

dannielyn