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Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Random examples from my shop







Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Be who you want!

Did you know I started my business at 40 years old.


It's never too late to have a happily ever after.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Where is summer & divorce update

Ok it's going to be warm today, almost 70 but it's cloudy!!! This weather has been the PITS since winter started.

I have never had such a long period of time between beach trips to get my work done. Even right after Sandy I didn't have this much trouble getting my work done.

SO.VERY.FRUSTRATING!!!!

Enough complaining... what I'm doing in the mean time is focusing on me and my health.  Since February I've been eating low carb & riding my bike at least 5 days a week for 20 to 40 minutes.  Since then I've lost 18 lbs!!!!

Back in January I posted this

http://thejerseyshoremom.blogspot.com/2014/01/so-im-fat-again.html

which has the link to my post from 2011 when I had hit 65 pounds lost and included before & after photos, go check it out.

So my goal is to get the rest of the weight off to get me back to where I was in 2011 before my back issues laid me out, that's only 15 more pounds.  I am focused and hope to be there before the end of the summer.  If I can get more off, awesome!!!  Realistically I am 44 and have been obese at several points in my life.  So unless I can afford plastic surgery to remove skin, I don't see myself ever being skinny.

My combination for weight loss that works this time is Low Carb, exercise and STRESS.  I think stress is the catalyst.

Imagine that, divorcing & living together is causing stress...

You see, even though we are getting divorced, we had planned on only separating (NJ doesn't have legal separation) so I could stay on his insurance he is now pushing to file for divorce.

He used to push me to stay in the house together so that we could keep things normal for the kids.  At first I liked the idea, but then I the thought of one more day of seeing his face was going to be too much, to accepting it was a good idea for the kids.

We get along just fine, so what was the point of breaking up the house and having to struggle to maintain 2 households.

I did a lot of reading on it and even met a woman who shared a house with her ex for 11 years!  I can't imagine 11 years, but I was just thinking 2 or 3 more.  Maybe at that point with our youngest being 16ish the older one in college or Air Force and that would lighten the load for finding a place to live until the younger one graduates.

And then the ex started dating.

Basically he became infatuated with the first woman that paid any attention to him through a dating site. I think she must have gone through a bad divorce because she is pushing him to do things that are not in his nature.

He is crazy about her and looks like he will do almost anything to be with her. He told me she's told him to date other people, and he is.  I also believe she has said she will not date him while he's still legally married and that is why he is pushing for filing.

I told him I would write him a note saying that I have no problem with his dating as long as he remembered to put his kids first.  So if you're her & you're reading this, he's all yours!  Just try to remember he has kids too.

So we went from friends, to dating, to married, to separated and now, with the way he's treating me, I can't see us being friends.

It makes me sad because he is the father of our children and I see how this putting more stress on them daily.
I have always been there for my kids and will continue to do so any way I can.  Especially at this time when he is not thinking with the head between his shoulders.

I am strong and will build a future that will lead to an amazing adult friendship with my awesome kids, where I never have to worry about what head the ex is thinking with again.



Ok, enough rambling. I need to get my butt on my bike.  Thanks for listening!

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Just some pictures

I realize I again have let my blog slide.  If I post pictures will that make it up to you?

These are from today on Brick Beach.





This is the very first piece of red sea glass I've ever found. I found it yesterday. 

My attempt at a sea glass hummingbird

New beach writing necklace in my store (click any of the links on the right)

Lastly a selfie!

Have a GREAT day!!!




Sunday, April 6, 2014

Been Busy!

Hi everyone!  Sorry I've been MIA (I say that too often!) but I've been busy!

Kids, work, life, it all just happens. 

One thing I have managed to do is get things listed in my online store.  Yeah me!




When you get a chance, take a close look at what I've made!

I'm off to drill some more sea glass.  The sea glass charm bracelets are a huge hit!

Happy Spring!

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Meanest Mom

My younger son is currently grounded from all screens due to a very bad progress report in school. He's missing a bunch of assignments which brought his grades way down. It's amazing what kids will do when they can't access the internet or television.

He decided to look for a banana peanut butter muffin recipe.  So instead of searching the internet, we dug out my old cookbooks.  When I say "my old cookbooks" I really mean my mom & her mother's.  There is also a tin in there with articles & recipes from the newspaper.

One article was a Ann Landers column about The Worlds Meanest Mom.  It was cut out by my late grandmother. 

Well, we got quite a kick out of it.  You see, I pride myself on being "The Worlds Meanest Mom."  I used to tell my kids all the time that I was the worlds meanest mom and I wasn't going to change. Apparently I took my parenting skills from this article. 

Here you can read for yourself.

I had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids had candy for breakfast, I had to eat cereal, eggs and toast. While other kids had Cokes and candy for lunch, I had a sandwich. As you can guess, my dinner was different from other kids' dinners, too. 

My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were a chain gang or something. She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing. 
I am ashamed to admit it, but she actually had the nerve to break the child labor law. She made us work. We had to wash dishes, make the beds and learn how to cook. 

That woman must have stayed awake nights thinking up things for us kids to do. And she always insisted that we tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. 
By the time we were teenagers, our life became even more unbearable. None of this tooting the car horn for us to come running; she embarrassed us to no end by insisting that the boys come to the door to get us. I forgot to mention that most of our friends were allowed to date at the mature age of 12 and 13, but our old-fashioned mother refused to let us date until we were 15. 

She really raised a bunch of squares. None of us was ever arrested for shoplifting or busted for dope. 

And who do we have to thank for this? You're right, our mean mother. 

I am trying to raise my children to stand a little straighter and taller and I am secretly tickled to pieces when my children call me mean. I thank God for giving me the meanest mother in the world. Our country doesn't need a good 5 cent cigar. 

It needs more mean mothers like mine.


As my son read through he kept saying "yep that's you, OMG that you!!" LOL

It's hard sometimes, very hard.  But if it helps make my kids adults I'd want to be friends with, I'll keep at it!

Monday, February 24, 2014

Dear Chevy

Dear Chevy,

I've leased my lovely 2013 Traverse for a year now and I am pretty happy with it so far.  It provided the leg room needed for my 15 year old 5ft 11 son, the 3rd row is awesome for when the 12 yo just needs to sit by himself.

But there are a few design flaws that need to be worked out.

1. Placement of the Hazard lights button.  Ok the placement isn't so bad, but it's SO sensitive. I've turned it accidentally more times then I care to mention.  The answer call button on my phone isn't as sensitive!

2. Speaking of phones.  Not very happy that my droid (galaxy s3) isn't compatible with the USB port. Luckily I was given an older iPod so I can have my own music.

3. Whoever designed the headrest for the front seats did not have siblings in mind.  Being able to just push it forward is making me a bit twitchy... My kids are usually pretty good, but this is one way no sibling can resist annoying the one who called shotgun first!

4.  The invisibility mode button is apparently invisible, but I think I figured out what triggers it.  I think it has something to do with low washer fluid. 

Like most of us, I don't really ever have to add fluid because they do it when they change the oil, but this winter ran my supply low. I picked up a bottle yesterday but didn't get a chance before I went out this morning to add it. Cruising to the beach, I was cut off by a woman who clearly couldn't see me as she ran the red light making a right turn onto the road I was on.  I mean there was no one behind me so she must not have seen me barreling through the intersection at 40 mph.

Then coming back, a township garbage truck decided to straddle both lanes on 35 north while eating & drinking.. I'm guessing the invisibility mode was still on then too.

I was going to add it before taking the 15 yo to hockey practice, but being it is a new car I couldn't find the latch to release the hood (under the hood, not the "button" in the car) so I figured I'd wait until I got home.

Well that almost caused a nice accident as a young woman decided she needed to be in my lane while I was in it! Good thing my brakes only have about 12,000 miles on them and that my horn is nice and loud.

I've filled it now, so hopefully that shut off the invisibility mode & there won't be any further craziness!!!

I really wish this invisibility feature had been explained to me before I left the dealership last year!!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

St. Patrick's Day!

I love St. Patrick's Day!  What's better than a holiday that calls for DRINKING!

Honestly, I rarely drink. It's not that I'm some goody goody, because I'm really not. It's just that I hate the bloated feeling the next day and it's really just empty calories.  So unless I'm out dancing, I limit my intake and rarely drink at home.

But St. Patrick's Day is built around drinking nowadays.  And the Belmar Parade :)

Last year I tried my hand at making Shamrocks out of wire & sea glass and they were a HIT!


So I"m going to do it again this year!

I have this one listed in my The Craft Star Store

https://www.thecraftstar.com/product_details/107425/shamrock-green-sea-glass-silver-necklace-pendant-st-patricks-day-irish/

And I'll list new ones soon.

I made these recently but they're not listed in my online store yet. 

Thanks for looking!



Friday, February 14, 2014

Valentine's Day & SNOW!

So if you live anywhere on the east coast, you got snow of some sort. I was lucky to get rain all day and then a little snow over night.

However, all this bad weather I'm sure put a damper on your Valentine's Day shopping.  So I'm here to help!  I'll be home all day today, Friday February 14, 2014, so I'm offering this ONLY until 7pm eastern time today.


You get the red heart with your names added. Send it to your local printer or even just set it as their phone or computer background!!! Paypal only! Between now & 7 pm (eastern time) get it in your email within TODAY!!!!  I'm trying to get them done as soon as they come in, so you should have it within an hour.


Send me an email if you want one beachwritingsnj@verizon.net








Follow me on Facebook for more offers like this!


Thursday, February 13, 2014

Sports Photography

My older son is on the high school ice hockey team.  I figured it was a good time to try out sports photography... well inside sports photography. I'm not the best, but I have fun doing it. I do have a lot to learn yet.
















Tuesday, February 4, 2014

World Cancer Day


Some of the people I have lost to cancer

My Aunt Pat (Dad's sister)
My Aunt Jan (Dad's sister)
My maternal grandmother
My mother
My friend Lou Bartiromo
Several siblings of friends
Several online friends 
My friend's 4 yo daughter Avery
Mike's Uncle Walter

People who are still around thanks to major advances in Cancer fighting drugs
My cousin Jo Ann
My friends Beverly & Lori

Please support Cancer research so that 2nd list can be longer than the first. 


Monday, January 27, 2014

So I'm fat again

Well half as fat.

Back in June of 2011, before all the issues with my neck, I had lost 65 pounds.

Read about it here.

Well I gained  back about 30 thanks to my back and laziness.

I'd like to stop that train in it's tracks.  I've been working out for the last few weeks.  Nothing crazy.  Just riding my bike and some yoga. But I feel good and I want to keep this up.

So tomorrow I start  back to eating right as well.

Wish me luck!  I swear giving up sugar is harder than quitting smoking!

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

It doesn't have to be hard

I totally made something so much harder than it needed to be.  Do you ever do that?

I have wanted a bike stand for my bike for a long time.  Because of my spine issues I am limited to how I can work out.  And honestly I think walking on a treadmill is the MOST boring exercise.  Even if I'm watching TV I still find it boring.

But riding my bike. Oh I love riding my bike and as long as I don't fall off, it's a perfectly fine exercise.  But it's winter so that is just not going to happen.  So I hit the "complete order" button and bought myself a bike stand.

This  is what it looks like.


Not my bike.  My bike is a girls bike & it's purple of course.

Ok I get it and days later, I start putting it together.  The manual says to take off the bikes rear axle and replace it with the one they give you so that it's easier to take on and off.

Yeah, it wasn't that easy & finally realized I don't have the right bike tool to do it.

Crap.

Ok back to the internet for more reading.

Long story short, I didn't need to take off the axle, it works just fine with the one that comes with the bike.

Grumble grumble stupid instructions grumble grumble.

So I put my tire back together and put everything back the way it was, including the brakes which you have to basically almost remove to get the tire off... and I put it on the stand.

Well would you look at that... it fits.

Few adjustments later, a good show on the iPad and I'm riding my bike!   Yeah me!

I wish I had just tried that in the first place.  But I was trying to be good and RTFM!  So much for that! LOL

Ok putting it on the stand makes it slightly too tall for me so I'm going to need step stool LOL but otherwise it's AWESOME!!

Makes about as much noise as an exercise bike but once the warm weather is here I can take it apart & store it until the weather gets cold again.  In the meantime I don't have this huge ass clothes hanger sitting in my living room!

Now let's just hope I don't fall of it.

LOL




Monday, January 13, 2014

Yoga & Girls

I've done 4 days of a 30 day yoga challenge and my abs HURT!

Do You Yoga

I'm in decent enough shape, I walked 3 miles and wasn't even tired! I could have done more but I had to go to work.

This yoga is kicking my butt!

And I like it!

I'm also liking the TV show Girls.  I kept seeing interviews with the woman that created & stars in it. Thanks to the interwebs, I'm able to find the first 2 seasons.  :)

Are you watching anything new to you?



Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Mall Walking Only for the Old?

I think not!

If you've read any of my old posts you may have learned that I have spine issues.  Herniated discs in my neck & lower back.

I've been treating them with physical therapy & muscle relaxers. I go see a Neurosurgeon in a few weeks.  I don't know if he's going to think I need surgery, but I want to at least see what else can be done.

Ok so when this all started 2.5 years ago I was in great shape.  I was working out several times a week and I was at my lowest adult weight.  The same week the odd symptoms started, I also quit smoking.  Long story short, I've gained back about 28 of the 66 I lost.

I'm not happy about this. BUT I am limited to what I can do.  No high impact... I can't even swim in the ocean if it's rough!  Ok fine.

One of the worst symptoms is the chest pain, and it's random (have had my heart completely checked out, twice, it is fine).  I could be just sitting here working on the computer and bam!

Or recently I was blow drying my hair - totally killed my plans for the day.

Well I can walk - but it's winter.  Ok most days it's fine but some days it's just toooo cold to walk outside so I've picked up mall walking.

I don't go before the mall opens, I go maybe around 10.  What's neat is my mall is a 1 mile lap.  Perfect!  And I'm not the youngest one there!  I went today and there was a guy who was maybe late 20's early 30's - definitely younger than me!  LOL

Mall walking is so easy.  Nice level floor, you don't have to worry about being hit by a car or chased by a random stray dog.... you also don't have to get all decked out in workout clothes.  Since it's a bit slower paced, you just wear whatever you want.  And if you need something, like today I needed headphones for my phone, you can stop & buy it!  OH and it's temperature controlled too!  No sweaty smelly gym smell!

I could join a gym - but that is what everyone does in January, and this is not a new years resolution... it just happens to be January for me.  I don't really like gyms. I like ones that have good classes and a pool.  Well those tend to run like $40+ a month. Not happening. I'm not allowed to do the classes (unless it's yoga) and usually the pools are overheated & over chlorinated....

I'll stick with my mall walking and on the days I can't go to the mall, I bought a bike exerciser stand.  It's one of those things that you take your regular bike & turn it into an stationary bike!  I've been wanting one for a long time now. I'm excited, it should be here tomorrow :)

Of course it helps that NJ is the mall capital of the world!

Do you mall walk or do some other "different" kind of exercise?


Monday, January 6, 2014

Wacky weather at the Jersey Shore!

It's been rainy, snowy, icy, melty & foggy all within the last 5 days!

We just need sunny and humidy to round out the 7 weather dwarfs!

I did manage a trip to the beach on Saturday. I had 2 names to write for necklaces.  It was cold, maybe 30 degrees, but it wasn't windy so it was ok. Since it was a quick trip I left my gloves in the car, but I regretted that. I may have walked to look for sea glass if I had them. 

Anyway, some pictures from Brick Beach on Saturday. Enjoy!