The POTTY Training Diaries

For a while now Little Miss has been doing fairly well with telling us she had to use the potty and she would hold it too. With less and less wet diapers (minus bedtime and nap time), her school thought it would be a great time to start. They were right or at least we thought so! 

Monday 11/26/12:
We started her in big girl undies except for night and nap time. She did awesome! Had a #2 accident because for some reason LM hasn't thought about the potty for that yet and only one #1 accident because she was playing with her cousin that night.

Tuesday 11/27/12:
Since she was home with me, I put her in her undies once she woke up after using the potty. She had two accidents that day, both being #1. One is when she was sitting next to me on the couch while I worked on my laptop. I was an innocent victim for that mess too. I felt the warmth and knew exactly what had happened. LM didn't seem to notice. The other time was when she was sitting on the floor in front of me, I was still working. She got up and said PeePee, so you know what happened. Crazy part was that both times happened after I had asked her whether she wanted to use the potty. Her response every time I asked her that day was "No". By that time it was nap time, so the diaper went back on and since she had a doctor appointment and gymnastics that night, it stayed on.

Wednesday 11/28/12:
Again, she was home with me. Again her undies went on after waking up. For some reason I have no clue what happened that day. I swear my child has taken my memory.

Thursday 11/29/12:
Little Miss returned to school. From their daily report she had a #2 accident and maybe one #1 accident.

Friday 11/30/12:
Daily report had a #2 accident. Sent home in diapers. Once home she never asked to use potty.

Saturday 12/1/12:
Before nap time she had three #1 accidents, not once asking to go to potty and I checked in every half-hour or so to which she responded with a "No". Diaper was put on the rest of the day and night. She may have gone once in the potty when we asked her.

Sunday 12/2/12:
Diapered in the AM. Did not ask to use potty. Afternoon, undies were on and she had a #1 accident. Immediately right before her bath, she had a #2 accident. Poor Papi had to clean it up, it was everywhere LOL.

Monday 12/3/12:
Diapered to go to school and changed to undies around 10. She had a #2 accident and it appears that was her last accident of the day at school. Just after asking her if she had to go once we were home, she had a #1 accident. She was bathed and diapered for the rest of the night.

Tuesday 12/4/12:
She was diapered all day. She didn't want to wear her undies and she really didn't want to use the potty. She did use it before bed but that was it. Hubs and I decided to back off a little bit with her to release some pressure I am sure she was feeling. And just so I am clear, we have not yelled at her for her accidents. We just speak to her and remind her where she has to go to the potty.

So as you can see, we had a bit of an up and down experience so far. We are not quite sure what has changed her excitement about training. Beforehand, she loved telling us she had to go because she loved her treats (and still does) but she just doesn't want to do it. At least that is what she is like when she is home. Even when she was excited, I wasn't asking her on a consistent basis, she would just go when she wanted to. She enjoyed the praise and at times didn't even want her treats. We thought we were going in the right direction.

Anyone else experience this with their little one?

It's Never Too Late

To give thanks!

I am Thankful For…

GOD

My Entire Family

My health

A place to call home

Warm (or cold) food to feed my family and I

My daughter's laughter and smile

Family time

Playtime 

New beginnings

Challenges

The good and the bad that made me who I am
Disney movies

Comfortable shoes

Clothing with a little stretch (esp during Thanksgiving)

Seat warmers for those cold days and nights

Being alive during this time period

Technology (well, I am in IT!)

My fabulous followers

My wonderful customers

Food Gawker & Pinterest for bringing together sites with amazing recipes 

My commute to my basement on Tuesdays and Wednesdays

...

A fun day in the...

SNOW

The perfect packing snow to make snowballs!

She did actually get me in the leg with this one.

She was hesitant to go into the grass, so we played on the walk way and on the front deck.

 Making footprints in the snow. She loved this the most and even invited me to join her :)

Little Miss did have a good time in the snow.  Apparently, it was just enough as she started to complain about her little cold hands. It was a nice little Mommy + Daughter time, hopefully building some wonderful memories.

So how's the weather out your way?

Thirty-One - Turkey Trot 2012

This holiday season, I am running my very first Turkey Trot for my Thirty-One business! I am looking for 9 more Trotters willing to take on this challenge and be rewarded in return!

Unfortunately, due to company policy, I cannot publicly announce the details but if you are interested in learning more, please email me at theroddybride{at}gmail{dot}com. If you know someone who would be interested, please pass this along too. Just an FYI, you do not need to be local to me to be a Trotter, just willing to Trot :)

Thank you all in advance! Have a happy Thursday!

Update

The entire Roddy family from PA to NJ finally all have our power back! We got our power back Sunday night at 9ish and my brother-in-law and family got their's back Monday night.

I just want to take the time to THANK everyone involved in this whole ordeal! From my family who took us in, to my fam & friends that reached out to help us and to the utility workers who sacrificed their time away from their families to help mine! God Bless You all!!

♥

4 days later...

Just wanted to say HELLO and let you all know we are safe with no damage to the house. Unfortunately four days later we are still without power. We are blessed though to have my amazing and selfless parents who brought my entire Roddy clan into their home even though they didn't have power too.

However, today around 6pm my parent's power was restored. It really is a blessing. I just couldn't imagine taking another icicle shower.

Well keep us in your prayers. They estimate our power to be restored by 11pm Sunday night. Here's hoping!

Prepping for "Frankenstorm"

If you live on the East Coast, I know you have been hearing about the "Frankenstorm." If not, this is yet again a possible Halloween buster. Last year's "Snowmaggedon" dropped at least 6 inches of heavy, wet snow on Halloween, leaving thousands of people (like me) without power for days and even weeks. We weren't prepared at all for the damage. Trees had fallen EVERYWHERE and if they didn't, the branches were damn near touching the floor!

Meet the Frankenstorm!

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"Frankenstorm" if lands as expected is believed to be the perfect storm. A cold winter-ish type front coming from the west is to collide with Hurricane Sandy which just took the lives of 23 people in the Caribbean. Not sure whether my part of PA will get the hurricane or the winter front but either way, we are doing a little bit of prepping, just in case.

So I thought I would share some ways to prep for Frankenstorm or any other terrible storm:

Water. Get plenty of it! You will need it to drink, eat (boil), brush your teeth, wash up and even FLUSH your toilets! This is very important, especially if you have a youngster in the home. I just picked up 6 gallons of spring water and a few cases of water bottles.

Ice. You can either go out and buy bags of ice OR take some freezer bags and fill it with water and freeze them. These are great for your coolers to "save" food during an outage. PS: Get a cooler! Ours is a 5 day and literally keeps ice for 5 days!

Blankets. This is great for those cold winter storms. Last year it was below 50 when the power was out. It was pretty damn cold in the house.

Flashlights (with FRESH batteries). You always can use these. Nothing like walking in pitch darkness and running into things.

Candles. These make me nervous because of potential fire hazard but they can be good to have. Just keep them away from your kids and pets and give them space from other objects in your home. Can never be too safe!

Canned food. Well you gotta eat, right?

Generator. If you can afford it, get it! We unfortunately can't right now but it is on our wish list.


Other things to think about...

If you have a propane gas grill, think about getting your tanks filled. We have charcoal so it may come in handy to boil water (our stove is electric) and even have hot food!

Fill up your car's gas tanks too. That's a just in case as well.

CHARGE your phone! My phone was not charged at all when we lost power. Scrounging for a source of power sucked big time! Plus it may be your only way to know what the storm's progress is and contacting people in case of an emergency.

Wipes (or wipees as we call them). Great for wiping down you and your kiddos and washing your hands. After all, cold showers in the winter suck too!

 Clean your gutters and drains! You don't want anything backing up into the house from all the fallen leaves!

I think that covers all that is in my brain right now. Share with us what other ways you are prepping for the storm or how you would prep... Please! :)

Trick-or-Treat

TricK-or-TreaT

It's that time of year again! My 3rd favorite holiday, Halloween! There is just something so cool to me about dressing up in fun little costumes. Really makes me want to be a kid again, really!

Every city or town is different but here in the town I live in, our T&T is always the Friday before Halloween. So that means tonight is the night and I am really excited (as you can tell)! It will be our first T&T done as a family. Last year when Little Miss was 1, the hubby was working 2nd shift so it was just me and her. She is going to love getting dressed up in her Cheetah dress and walking around with Mommy and Papi!

Having said that, even Trick-or-Treating can be dangerous, so you will want to plan ahead and take some precautions.

Here are some tips and safety precautions when taking the little ones out for this year's (and every) T&T:

Source: For full list go to -  http://www.halloween-website.com/safety.htm

Halloween Costume Safety

• Put reflective tape or wear reflective articles of clothing (sneakers, vests, etc.)
• Hem or cut the bottoms of costumes to avoid tripping
• Wear comfortable, practical shoes
• Make sure the fake weapons are not real looking and won't harm another person
• Use non-toxic make-up
• Wear flame retardant costumes

Trick-or-Treating Tips

• Carry a flashlight
• Walk, don't run
• Cross the street only when it is safe. 
• Only visit well lit houses. No outside light, means no T&T
• Parents, carry your cell phone in case of emergency
• Stay away from dark alleyways
• Check and discard any candy with loose or no wrappings
• Be respectful of people's lawns and gardens.

We hope you have a fun and safe holiday! Enjoy!

Latest News!

After some serious thought and of course discussion with the hubs, I decided to sign up and be an independent consultant for Thirty-One Gifts!! So now I am a dual consultant as I am still an independent consultant for Scentsy. I know some of you think I am crazy but I absolutely love the bags, so when I collected my 8th bag, I realized that I should give some serious thought into getting paid  for it. Let me be honest, getting paid for my effort is great but there were other reasons why I decided to this amazing group of women.

Let me share with you my "Why?"

Why?

• Being able to provide extra support for my family. I've mentioned before that I was the "bread winner" of our family but back in May I took a serious hit on my paycheck due to a reduction of hours at work. I wanted an opportunity to help supplement the lost income but I didn't want another job, since I already have a full-time job. I wanted to do something fun!
• I love to make people smile and make them happy! There is just something about the way a person's face lights up when they see something new that just makes me feel content inside.
• The challenge. All of this is outside my little comfy box. I am a friendly person but I do not like public speaking at all. When the attention is on me, I get super nervous. Being an IC gives me experience with opening up to strangers so that I can share my love for what I am doing. It is a challenge worth taking on!
• Meeting new people. There are so many nice people out there in the world and it is great to make contact with them and even make new friends. Who knows, they may be a great reference in the future.
• The goods! The bags, totes and accessories are truly amazing! When I am passionate about a certain product or service, I love being able to share my love for it and I do LOVE Thirty-One bags!

Not familiar with Thirty-One Gifts? Click HERE to learn more about them.

If you would like to schedule a Thirty-One catalog party or home party, you can contact me at any time.


♥ Gianna
GiannaRoddy{at}gmail{dot}com
https://www.mythirtyone.com/BagsByG/

Fitness Goal #2

As mentioned on previous posts and on my FB page, I have pretty much accomplished my first fitness goal! I lost 10 pounds and fit into a size 12 pant. Now I still have a lot of work to do but this accomplishment was pretty exciting! And then I got sick. As usual, I fell off the wagon a little but as I am improving health wise, I am right back on it!

Now that #1 was accomplished, it was time to start aiming at accomplishing goal #2, which is wearing my wedding ring again! From my non-scientific calculations, I assume it will only take about another 10 pounds before I can fit my ring on comfortably. By looking at this picture, you can see I am almost there already.

My hand... Excuse the quick mani

Goal #3 should be to wear my engagement ring as well but that will easily take an additional 10 pounds after accomplishing #2. My wedding ring is a size 7 but my engagement is a size 6. Not sure how that worked out that way but it did.

My engagement ring won't go past the knuckle -- let's see in 20 pounds

To help me along the way, I have also recruited Jillian Michaels' help! I already had her 30 Day Shred but for some reason it is M.I.A., so I had to get a new one but this time I purchased two more of her videos (it was a combo pack), Banish Fat Boost Metabolism and No More Trouble Spots. I needed a little change since I was getting a bit bored with my 10 Minute Trainer. BTW, I have done 30 Day Shred before and that was a butt kicker so I am looking forward to the results from that ;)

What have you done to keep motivated? 

Change your workout routine?

What is your workout regimen?

Throwback Thursday

Tio Freddy (R.I.P.), Mi Abuelo, Tio Sammy

I ♥ retro pictures!

I ♥ my Family!

21 More Days Until...

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I'm ready, are you?

:)

Van 4 Brayden: Final Weekend

HAPPY FRIDAY my Fabulous followers!

This is the final weekend to purchase a Scentsy product for the Van 4 Brayden fundraiser I am hosting for the Helvey family! All orders must be submitted by midnight EST, Sunday, September 30, 2012 for it to count towards the fundraiser.

THANK YOU to all who have already donated to this wonderful cause! As I learn about the progress of the Helvey's reaching their goal, I will post updates.

Although, this Scentsy fundraiser is closing, they are still accepting monetary donations via PayPal. Please visit www.HeatherHelvey.com for more details.

Thanks again and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

:)

Throwback Thursday: In Remembrance

Tio Tony (RIP) and  cousin Luis

Today is 2 years since my Tio Tony passed away so it was fitting that in remembrance of him, I would post a throwback picture of him. Love you Tio! Although you are gone, you are NEVER forgotten!

Scentsy Buddies BOGO

It's a Buddy Holiday! 

Scentsy full-size Buddies are BOGO!

From today until December 31, 2012, the following buddies are BOGO, while supplies last:

• Lenny the Lamb
• Penny the Pig
• Roarbert the Lion
• Ribbert the Frog
• Ollie the Elephant
• Mollie the Monkey
• Patch the Dog
• Scratch the Cat
• Barnabus the Bear
• Wellington the Duck

This is the perfect time to stock up for Christmas, Hanukkah and upcoming birthdays! And you will want to because come February 2013, these Buddies will be gone for good!


Bring your new Scentsy Buddies to life with two Scent Paks -- one for each of your new friends:

Scent Pak #1: Choose any Scent Pak fragrance in the Scentsy Fragrance Fall/Winter 2012 Catalog!
Scent Pak #2: We'll choose a second Scent Pak for you!

So get your 2 Buddies today!

Randomness: New Guilty Pleasure

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Yup, BB is my new guilty pleasure!

I have always seen commercials on it but never had a clue what it was about, that is until my sister introduced me to the series. Thanks T! Of course, I just started the 2nd season but it is still awesome! As my sister said, it kind of gets you to root for the "bad guy."

So if you are looking for a new series to get addicted to, I suggest start with "Breaking Bad."

Happy Watching! :)

Dress Me Fabulous!

Today is all about the blue skirt. I purchased this blue corduroy pencil skirt from Old Navy a week ago in hopes of being a "goal" skirt, meaning I bought it in a size 12 for when I will fit into it.  Surprisingly, today was that day (yay!). I'm a little sheepish when it comes to pencil skirts especially with my current shape, but this fit wonderfully. The color is just awesome against my tan skin. I can't believe I found a winner!

Having said that, my wardrobe is still pretty limited. I was going nuts last night trying to find something to go with this skirt and now that Fall is here in PA, it is a little chilly, and my "chilly" weather clothing is even more limited.

So, help me out!

From head to toe, what would you pair this with? What colors should I experiment with since this color is pretty bright? What type of shoes?

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For today, I paired this skirt with a basic white/off white cami + cardigan and my cheetah flats. I used my Mocha Latte eye shadow and my trusty Orgasm blush. It works but it isn't anything spectacular. In actuality it is safe.

1. Old Navy V-Neck Layering Cami

2. Merona Essential Cardigan in Polar Bear

3. Old Navy Perfect-Cord Pencil Skirt

4. Mossimo Odell Flats in Cheetah

5. Avon Quad Eyeshadow in Mocha Latte

6. NARS blush in Orgasm

Go on and 

Dress Me Fabulous!

Van 4 Brayden: Update

First of all, THANK YOU to all those that have generously purchased a Scentsy product to benefit the "Van 4 Brayden" fundraiser! Both the Helvey family and myself greatly appreciate it! With our help, the Helvey's are one step closer to achieving their goal and getting that wheelchair accessible van for little Brayden!

Having said that we are still accepting donations via Scentsy. To help our efforts, I have extended the fundraiser deadline to be October 31st.

If you wish to donate to this great cause but not interested in Scentsy, you can also donate through these avenues:

• Via PayPal
• Through Tara from Thirty-One until September 30
• Through Kayla from Jamberry until the end of October

If you wish to make a large monetary donation, please email Heather Helvey at van4brayden@yahoo.

Again, thank you so much for your contribution! 

Wedding: The Outfit

Nothing like waiting until the last minute to get all the stuff you need to attend a wedding! Since it has been over a year since I attended a wedding, I had nothing really to wear. I do have this beautiful Max & Cleo cobalt blue pleated ruffle collared dress (say that 10x) that has been sitting in the closet for the last 2 years as my "goal" dress but at size 10 it was still a little too tight, so I had to start from scratch.

It was time to drag my Momma to go shopping! Surprisingly, I found the dress I needed at The BonTon and I only tried on 2 dresses, with the dress below being the first dress I tried. Unfortunately, I didn't find any shoes at The BonTon that fit properly, so I ventured to DSW. They have more of a selection for dress shoes and luckily they had exactly what I wanted, a silver shade shoe that wasn't on the more white side but on the more gray/pewter side. Not to mention, this shoe was so comfortable! I should have no problem dancing the night away!

So what do you think?

I honestly think the picture doesn't do this dress any justice! It really is a cute and flattering dress, giving my body a little more shape without showing unwanted "things". Also, the shoe is a little darker in person being more on the pewter side than light silver.

1. Calvin Klein - Cascading Ruffle Shoulder Dress in Cobalt

2. Nine West - Sharina in Silver/Silver (purchased at DSW)

On my shoe quest, I also found at DSW a cute clutch to match the color of my shoes that would be big enough to hold my cell and a few other items but small enough so it wasn't overwhelming. I purchased a gray Lulu Townsend Minaudiere Clutch (photo not found). I still have to find a set of earrings. When I originally was thinking of a lighter silver, I had a few in mind but since I changed the shoe & clutch to a darker shade, I don't really have jewelry for that.

Now for make-up.

I asked my lovely friends and fam on FB what they suggested for make-up and the consensus was a light smokey eye, light rose cheek and nude/natural lip. So I will be shopping the aisles of Ulta for the right shade of gray eyeshadow. However, I will stick with my trusty (and fav) blush from NARS in Orgasm (luv the name, hehe), my BB cream Two Faced in Nude Glow and my Falsies mascara by Maybelline.

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I will try and take as many pictures of it all together as I can.

But in the mean time, tell me, how did I do?

Throwback Thursday

Dedicated to the Bride & Groom!

Carmen & Tio Flor

We wish you many blessings on your very special day!

We ♥ You!

Calling ALL Fashionistas!!

I NEED your help!

It's no surprise that I am fashionably-challenged. Don't get me wrong, I love fashion! I love clothes and I definitely love shoes! I am just not good with pairing things for myself. So usually my outfits would consist of one and if I am lucky two good pieces and that's it. Since I am going to have to start buying new clothes for my newly shaped body (in the works), I thought I would get a little help from my fabulous fashionistas! You don't have to be a professional, just looking for help from those less fashionably challenged than I. Soooo. I thought this would be a great challenge for not only me but for you. Come on and "Dress Me Fabulous!"

Here's the deal. 

I will post an item of clothing that I own weekly. I would like for you to maybe tell me via a comment/email with what you would pair it with. You can include links to websites, send pics and such to get your point across and give me ideas. Lots of ideas are wanted here! Whatever and however you do it works for me. As I start building my wardrobe, I will post back pictures of my outfits using your advice. I know there are a ton of blogs that show their daily wear and I promise I read them every day but it's not the same as someone helping you with what you have.

Let's get started!

Dress Me Fabulous!

Here's the first challenge...

Old Navy - Women's Jersey Tie-Belt Maxi Dress

I bought this dress a few weeks ago and I cannot wait to wear it! No idea when or where I would wear it to but I cannot wait. BTW - I tend to do most of my shopping at places like Old Navy, Target, JCPenney (they have improved!) and Kohl's. I am willing to branch out depending on the cost of course.

Tell me, how would you wear this?

Please help!

30 Day Challenge Update

I am happy to report that I have not fallen off the workout wagon! In fact, I am doing pretty well and finally feeling great! Definitely a long time overdue.

Ok, so here is the update.

The hubby and I haven't exactly worked out everyday but we work out about 6-7 days a week. I have been working with the video series, "10 Minute Trainer," and am now incorporating some videos of P90x such as "Kenpo X." The hubby has been strictly doing P90x.

Our eating has changed but not to the extreme. I eat smaller portions and have more little meals throughout the day. I drink much more water than anything else. I do have my little naughty meals (not days) every once in a while but they are far and few at this point and usually followed up by a workout.

My Stats::
Height- 5'4"
Weight - 186 (down total of 8)
Bra - between 40C & 42C - dropped a cup size for sure
Tops: Large
Bottoms: 14 (comfortably but slowly getting smaller)

My clothes are fitting so much better at this point. As I mentioned above I am still around a 14 but it is comfortable and I can tell I am still shrinking. People are actually starting to notice too. They can see it in my face. I pretty much see the difference from my torso up. And again, I feel great! I feel  more energetic, less sluggish and my abdomen feels smaller. This is all very promising! :)

I currently do not have stats for the hubs as he is waiting until he has completed his goal in order to weigh in. I can tell you that he definitely has lost at least 10 pounds. His clothes are more loose and he is looking great!

Since I didn't list my goals the last time, I thought it would be great to talk about them now.

Main Goal:
Lose a total of 60 pounds

Small Goals:
Obviously I cannot control the number of pounds lost at a time but my first goal is to be a size 12 again. I have a couple of pieces of brand new clothing in size 12 that cannot wait to fit into. I also have a size 10 dress that I have had for almost 2 years that I'm ready to wear. I also believe that in losing the next 10 pounds, I should be able to at least start wearing my wedding ring again and 20 pounds or so will get me to my engagement ring! That I definitely cannot wait for, I am tired of not looking married. My hubs and I joke around that when we go out, it looks like he is out with his mistress ;)

I should note that I have no set time limits for these goals, I just need to do it!

Birthday Wishes

HAPPY 28th BIRTHDAY

to my "baby" brother!

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY

to my cousin, Sam!

We ♥ you! 
God Bless!

Meet Stella...

The newest addition to my "Original" family. Stella is my "baby" brother's new pooch! She is a Pit + Terrier rescued dog. Isn't she pretty? Just look at those ears!

Welcome to the family, Stella! Titi can't wait to meet you! :)

Throwback Thursday

Front: Pops with me, Tio William, Tio Flor

Middle: Tio Tony with Marisol, My Abuelo, 

Back: Tio Freddy and Tio Sam with Sammy

This is one of my favorite pictures of my Pops with his brothers and father. It is also a great picture of me and my two cousins, Marisol and Sammy. Aren't we just the cutest little things!

A beautiful picture then and now!

Happy Anniversary To Us

Happy 3^rd Anniversary!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

- 1 Corinthians

Our 1st Dance

♥ You Then, Now and Forever!

Local Biz Spotlight: Ink Penn Tattoo

Ink Penn Tattoo

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I should premise this post by saying that my hubby nor myself actually has a tattoo, yet. However, when we decide to get tatted in the future, Ink Penn Tattoo, would be the place we would go. 

Co-owners, Jamaal Wilson and Michael Gonzalez (Gonzo), recently opened their shop together but each have been tattooing for 4 -5 years now. Being that they are a young biz, a little word of mouth advertising can be pretty important, so I wanted to show some love to Ink Penn Tattoo in hopes that you would check them out the next time you need to get a tattoo fix.

I personally have known co-owner Jamaal Wilson from high school back in the day ('97-ish) and am very familiar with his artistic talent. So it didn't surprise me when I heard he entered the tattooing industry. It's a great industry for him to branch out and master his skills even more, even if it is on people! 

I know, I know, even though someone can sketch or paint doesn't mean they can tattoo but in this case, Jamaal is definitely quite the ar-teest! I have been following his career via Facebook and Instagram, so I have been able to view his great work almost on a daily basis.. 

Unfortunately, I cannot vouch for Gonzo at this time but knowing Jamaal, he didn't select his biz partner by chance! But looking at pictures of tattoos he has done, I can tell he is very talented as well.

With any piece of art, you have to see the piece of work in order to evaluate the talent. See for yourself, how good they are! Here are some pics of their work. 

*All photos were provided by Jamaal and are copyright material of Ink Penn Tattoo. I was given permission to share.

Interested in getting a tattoo? Keep Ink Penn Tattoo in mind! Call them today for a consult or get one of their custom designs!

Visit Ink Penn Tattoo at:

2505 Willow Park Rd

Bethlehem, PA 18020
610.504.5543 for Jamaal
610.417.0614 for Gonzo

Be sure to show some support and the spread the word! Ink Penn Tattoo is open for business!

Disclaimer: I did not receive compensation for this post from Ink Penn Tattoo. These words are also my own opinion. My intention is to keep my fab followers informed of businesses in the LV that they can support. With any service, please do your research before committing to any one shop for your tattoo!

Liberty State Park

This past weekend was both my hubby's 32nd birthday and my nephew, A's 3rd birthday. Like every year, we take the trip to north Jersey to visit our nephew for his birthday, usually for his party. This year there was no party but we were able to spend quality time with my bro-in-law's family.

We all had such a fun time together! My In-laws took us to Liberty State Park for a picnic and to see the sights. That area is so beautiful! The first part of the park they took us was the area more dedicated to the Armed Forces. There were military statues and flags all raised high. We walked to the bridge area to get an awesome view of the Hudson river where you can see Lady Liberty right across. That was the closest I have ever been to her. She was absolutely beautiful even from across the river!

After our picnic, they took us down to another part of the park. This area was dedicated to the New Jersey 9/11 victims. They called it the Empty Sky memorial and out front of it was two salvaged pieces of steel from the towers. It was so beautiful and very humbling. I had chills while I was strolling between the walls reading the etched names of the victims. I was even more thankful for my life!

 Empty Sky Memorial - Freedom Tower to the left of memorial.

What I learned from my sister-in-law is that if you look in between those two walls of the Empty Sky Memorial walls, the open space is where the Twin Towers stood. Also, at the ends of each wall was an etched message. It read:

"Empty Sky: New Jersey

September 11th Memorial

On the morning of September 11, 2001, with the skies so clear that the Twin Towers across the river appeared to be within reach. The very essence of what our countr stands for - freefdom, tolerance, and the pursuit of happiness - was attacked. This memorial is dedicated to New Jersey's innocent loved ones who were violently and senselessly murdered that day at the World Trade Center, The Pentagon and in Shanksville, PA."

Freedom Towers across the Hudson

Freedom Towers in the making