Happy Father's Day

It's a rainy day at the Jersey Shore as we celebrate Father's Day, but we will still celebrate the men in our lives who not only take part in creating lives, but those who help out once the kids are here!

Happy Father's Day to:

The Dads

The Step Dads

The Grandfathers

The Uncles

The Single Moms

and all of you who help out raising our children. 

Wednesday Morning at the Beach

Just some pictures from the beach today.  

I had some orders to fill and spent some time walking the beach. It felt amazing & really lifted my spirit!

I made some bracelets and an anklet.  

Check out my Facebook page if you're interested in one. 

Oh hey look... my blog

Wow, I really suck at Blogging!

Let's try to get back to doing this.

Update on me
Ex moved out so it's just me and the kids
We had to put down our border collie Becca 2 weeks ago, that sucked and still does
Weight is about the same
I was diagnosed with Lyme's disease and I recently started a long term antibiotic treatment, let's hope it works. It's actually what they call "late state" Lyme's because apparently I've had it forever.

My kids are doing awesome and appear to be ok with the divorce

Even though I did not want to date, I started dating.
Then I said "no relationships!  I'm just going to go out & have fun, nothing serious"
Yeah, that didn't work either. I met the most wonderful man in the whole world & I couldn't be happier.  We've been dating since 9.27.14.  He is absolutely amazing.

Ex has had some women issues including one where I feared coming home and finding my Jack Russell Terrier in a pot of boiling water... (you have to have seen the movie to get that reference). Otherwise we get along ok.  I wouldn't say we're friends, but we're still decent to each other so things are going along ok.

I still have my awesome day job of being an online trainer working from home. I recently started helping out monitoring the sales calls which is kind of neat.  I also teach for the local adult school and this semester I'll be teaching 2 nights a week this spring.

And of course I still have my awesome store! You should check it out!

BeachwritingsNJ

I'm trying to think of different ways to keep me blogging, so hopefully it won't be months before I update again!

I've started making sea glass necklaces that could be used for bridal parties, so that's fun. 

I think I'm going to keep focusing on the beach writings.  Tons of people make jewelry and a lot of people make sea glass jewelry and even though mine is different, it does tend to get a little lost in the shuffle.  I figure if I focus on the beach writings, which is my first love, and spend down time working on sea glass creations, hopefully it will work out.

Hope you're all doing well!!!

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!!!

Happy 2014!!!

I wish you all a happy, healthy & prosperous new year!  

It's the only 2014 you'll get, make the most of it!

I know I will 

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Suzie

My Trip to Sandy Hook, NJ

I know I went to Sandy Hook as a kid, but other than my cousins wedding 2 years ago

I've never gone to just take pictures.

Found some interesting things along the way. 

My 12 year old son took this shot of the Freedom Tower & NYC Skyline.

We were hoping to be able to see seals, and we did!  Yeah!

(please always remember that they are very cute & EXTREMELY dangerous. I am very far away & using a 300 mm lens)

 It was a beautiful 55 degree day and I'm so glad we went!

The beach angel

I took this picture in June of 2011

I loved this statue.

I thought of her as a guardian angel, watching over me, especially when I was on the beach alone for sunrise. 

After Sandy destroyed something like 80% of the homes in  Mantoloking, I hoped they had brought her in.  

When I saw the house amazingly survived, my hopes skyrocketed that my guardian angel had survived.

I'm not a very ballsy person. 

Back when I was 11, we had a house fire & I remember how upset my mother was by the "circus" in front of our house.  Because of that I never got into shooting peoples misery.  I took a few shots of businesses that had been destroyed, but that even bothered me, I wasn't going to take pictures of people homes.

But I put a 5x7 of this photo in my glove box with the intent on giving it to the owners if I ever saw them outside.

I haven't set foot on the beach in Mantoloking since October 26th or 27th, but every time I drive by this house I look to see if anyone is outside.

Today there was a guy outside and I figured what the heck, and I stopped.

I was sad to learn that the angel did not survive. 

I was even more saddened to learn that the spot were the angel lived was where the ashes of their son & daughter were buried.

I gave him the copy of the picture and my condolences.  

It's the stories like this that make Sandy suck even more all over again. 

Video Proof

That the Jersey Shore IS Open!

This is from Bay Head, NJ this morning April 6, 2013!

I hadn't been to watch the sun rise since before Sandy came to town.  It was time I got back there.  The video is a little shaky, I took it with my phone and it was chilly this morning (37 degrees)

Hope you enjoy it!

These Slogger boots are made for walking

on the beach!

Ok so I've been doing the beach writings for 2.5 years, I guess I should start investing in my business. Or at least in things that make my life easier. My Beach Writing & Sea Glass Store

So I told TheJerseyShoreDad that I needed a pair of waterproof boots.  I told him I didn't care what they looked like, they just needed to be waterproof.  Sometimes the waves still get me, so I needed a little protection.  Hip-waders would have been a bit of overkill! LOL

The boots he got me were fine, very useful.. but they were too big so they had to go back.

Since he ordered them from Amazon I figured I'd just find a replacement there.

At first I checked out Nomad rain boots.  Lots of cute patterns, but the description said water resistant, not water proof. I need waterproof.  I'm not going to be running for the bus in the rain, I'm getting hit by ocean waves!

Sloggers rain boots claimed to be water PROOF so I ordered these.

They fit well, little snug where my feet are wide, but they're rubber so they stretch.  

I wore them today to the beach to try them out!  It was low tide so normally I would not get caught by a wave, so I had to go IN the water.

Remember, it's JANUARY.  While the air temp was in the 40's, the water is too!

EEP!

(I don't normally tuck my jeans in my boots)

brrrr (they're not insulated, just rubber)

So what's the verdict?

My feet were DRY!  Cold, but DRY!  Woo hoo!!

I Love my Boots!

Oh and do you know who left their Tonka Toys on the beach?

Happy New Year! & I want a new car!

First off let me say Happy New Year to all of you!  I'm going to be pushing to network more in 2013 and get me & my business out there. Selling online is great, but making connections is great too!

I'm not one to go out on NYE.  The last time we did, we encountered too many drunks in our short drive home.  I don't understand the mentality of drinking and then thinking you can handle a car, but that's a topic for another day.

So instead TheJerseyShoreDad & I went car shopping.

While technically there is nothing wrong with my 2009 Dodge Journey, I never really liked it.  Plus it had a major flaw in the design. It's what they call a cross over, I call it a small station wagon.  Anyway, they built it on a truck chasis but gave is car brakes, so I had to replace the brake pads & rotors at 20,000 miles.  That sucked big time.  And it's never been right since.  Now it's approaching 60,000 miles and it's out of warranty and it's at the point where we're going to have to put money into it.

I don't want to.

I'm not one to pay off a car & drive it into the ground.  If I felt more secure about the economy I might consider leasing a car.

So on NYE afternoon we packed up the kids (ok they're 14 & 11, they pack themselves) and wandered down to Route 37 in Toms River to see what we could see.

First off, the Kia dealership.  Cute place, no stock.  All the stock in at another lot.  Ok that's fine, but they didn't even have an "example" of each new car on the lot.  Nevermind...

Then to the Hyundai Dealership which is also the Chevy dealership. The lots are huge & no one ever really came out to talk to us (it was very busy) so we wandered from one dealership to another & ended up really liking the Chevy Equinox.  After waiting a bit and almost leaving, we got to test drive it.

I have just 2 demands. well, it's 1 but broken up into two areas. It had to have space.  Our 14 year old son is already 5ft 8 and with TJSD being 6ft 2, I suspect that both kids will be at or near 6ft by the time I'm done with this car, so it needs room for their legs in the back.  And I need enough cargo space for a craft table a few totes.

Oh and the price should be around $25,000 for us to keep our payments under $350.

While I like the crossovers, it doesn't have to be one, but it can not be a van of any sort.

The Equinox fit both requirements for space, but we could not come to an agreement on price. And in a little retrospect, they were not very forward with the price of the car, just the payments.  Never even really discussed the rate of the loan either.

I hate car shopping, and was done at this point, plus it was 5pm and we needed food.

We stopped for dinner on the way home.  We were going to go to Outback because we have some gift cards,but they had a 3 HOUR WAIT.  Oh Hell No.

We happen to be passing Rivolis in Toms River so we stopped in there and they had a table for us!  Rivolis is REALLY good.  A bit on the expensive side, BUT you get a ton of food.  Think platter size dishes.  Did I mention the food is REALLY good?

We are there for a few minutes when my 14 yo son says to me "mom, the cast of the Jersey Shore is here."  I don't even look up from the menu and reply "no they're not"

He goes on "No mom, I mean it, look"

I look up and see this:

I nearly choked on my diet coke. There are no words, just no words.

Saturday at the Jersey Shore

So we're still without power.  But we're doing ok.

The Governor just said in a news conference that over 50% of the homes in Mantoloking have been destroyed.  Ok I don't have a home in Mantoloking & my heart goes out to those who do have a beach house or a home on the barrier island - but I'm so sad my beach is destroyed.

Have you see this picture?

That's the bridge from Brick into Mantoloking & it's the way I drove to get to the beach.

Sigh

Ok went up to Point Pleasant to do some Beach Writings today & here are some pictures I wanted to share.

Mini golf at the south end of the boardwalk

looking back from the beach

Random piece of debris

Looking back at the boardwalk

That's my older son

Martells Tiki Bar in the distance. No idea of it's condition.

This is a street. 

Patrolling the beach.

Point was hit, but from the pictures I've seen of other places, it's not as bad there.  It looks like it snowed sand there and then got terribly flooded.  No power & lots of lines down.

We will rebuild, no bitch named Sandy is going to get the better of a Jersey Girl (or guy)

August 26th National Dog Day!

 

My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am.  ~Author Unknown

Yeah for Doggies!

Those pooches are my puppies, Becca & Odie.

Becca came to us through a rescue group. I was only supposed to foster her, but we fell in love with her pretty much instantly.  She is one of the best dogs ever, but don't touch her tail, she doesn't like that! LOL

Odie is our Jack Russell that came to us when a neighbors daughter developed an allergy to him.  I swear he's part cat.  Becca will do anything to please us, Odie acts like a prince and is aloof like a cat.  

But the are both pretty awesome!

And speaking of awesome, have you see my 

Dog Paw Print in the Sand Necklace?

 Other Dog Items

Rainbow Bridge Photo

Heaven Is Photo

 

 

Sea Glass from the Jersey Shore

I haven't been looking for sea glass lately because it's summer and everyone is looking for it.  I look but I don't look specifically for it unless it's really low tide.

But that doesn't mean I still don't make necklaces and such from the pieces I do have.

I have more, just check out MY SHOP

Sunset July 1, 2012

 

You can keep your version of the Jersey Shore MTV, we all know this is the real Jersey Shore.

Crabby has left the building

Meet Crabby

I made Crabby one night on a whim.  I was looking at a piece of sea glass that was from the neck of a bottle and thought that it looked like a Hermit Crab shell.  So I got to work.

I thought he was pretty cool, but I'm strange.  (I like being strange.)  I put him up for sale in My Etsy Shop and he got a few views.

He's come with me to 2 craft shows, but no one even really looked at him.

He was sad :(

So I made him some friends to hang out with .

I even made him a silver friend.  The silver one has eyes now.

Then yesterday I had a big sale and when I opened the order I saw my picture of Crabby!

Someone bought Crabby!

Crabby is now all bundled up tightly & softly & on his way to his new home.

I'll miss him!

:cry: