Abigail's Angels Fundraiser

I have volunteered to hold a fundraiser for baby Abigail, the niece of my friend. Abigail is only 10 months old and was recently diagnosed with 3 Venous Malformations. This fundraiser is to help facilitate the accessibility and treatment for her.

Read Baby Abigail's Story to learn more:
http://www.facebook.com/babyabigailfaith/info

If you would like to help, please place your order for the following vendors through the links below. The online fundraisers will close at the end of the month.

Mary Kay by Leasa Goodwin (Abigails Aunt)
http://www.marykay.com/leasagoodwin
Promo code: ABIGAIL

Thirty-One Gifts 
http://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/catalog.aspx?eventId=E2974163&from=DIRECTLINK

Scentsy 
https://groddy.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Buy?partyId=142538946

A very generous percentage of the sales will be directly donated to Abigail and her parents to help offset the medical costs.

THANK YOU in advance for joining Project Abigail!

Vote for NELL

Our local AAA Baseball Team, the Iron Pigs, is hosting a contest for our local Little Leagues. The winning league will get a field makeover. How awesome is that? This is where I need your help!

I know that each and every one of the little league finalists could use the help but I am asking for help for Northeast Little League. All you have to do is go to this Iron Pigs post on Facebook and click "LIKE" for the Northeast Little League - Bethlehem photo. The league with the most likes will win the makeover.

Per a local supporter:

"Drainage is the biggest issue and it has obviously become a safety issue for the kids. With no money coming in from the City, it is up to the volunteers to raise money AND donate time for the upkeep of this field, money that could be spent elsewhere on equipment and uniforms."

NELL is the only team from Bethlehem (my hometown) that made the finals, so I am more than happy to show my support. Not only are they the only team from Bethlehem to make the cut, growing up I used to play softball for a rival league, South Side Little League. Although back then we "hated" them, I always loved playing against them. They were a good team but also by the time I was in high school I was playing against some of my friends & classmates. Always a good game and always a good time!

So help me and support NELL!

TIA

Craft Room / Office Redo

Since we moved into this house, I wanted to make sure that I had a little spot that I can call my own where I can put my creativity to work. "Back in the day" I was huge onto arts and crafts. I mean I still love them but haven't made the time to do it and quite frankly, I didn't have the energy to do it. As a result, I kind of felt lost. It was definitely time for a change.

At first this little spot was going to be in the basement, in this perfect little corner. There was a little BIG problem though. There was no heat on that side of the basement so in the winter, it would get as cold as it was outside. Yikes! So we had to change our plans. Well since we have pushed off Baby #2 a little bit longer, we now have this spare bedroom that we have been currently using as our office that would work perfectly. In fact, the hubs insisted that I make it the craft room as long as it would have a small spot for him when he needed to work on computers. Yay! So now I have the perfect room!

Of course like any re-do, this will take time to finish. That's the part that drives me crazy because once I get started, I want to finish. I will TRY to be as patient as I can.

To get started, I had to start planning on what I wanted done.

Here are a few of my ideas of what needs to be done:

> Paint the room
> Get a table / desk that is big enough for both me and my hubs
> Get a small table for my sewing machine
> Get bookcases / shelving for storage
> Get a cabinet of sorts for our office paper and such
> Organize our crafting and office supplies
> Decorate. Decorate. Decorate.

It's going to be one heck of a project but should be fun! Stay tuned... As I make updates, I will share them with ya.

Much L ♥ ve

G

**BTW, I know I suddenly disappeared but I am going to choose to ignore it. There's really nothing to explain. Seriously, nothing happened. Just a break.

Hello.

hello. Hola. Aloha. Ciao. 

I promise, one day I will return. Soon!

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!

{source}

"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...

{source}

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

{source}

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! :)