Fun Friday: 10 Things You Don’t Skimp On

Posted on 13 February, 2015 by admin

Since going from a 2 to 1 income household, being more frugal has become a big part of my life. I certainly was not excited, nor did I welcome the changes that had to be made to maintain our lifestyle. But, I knew it had to be done. There was a lot of restructuring that had to be done and the pieces of the puzzle seem to continually stay in motion. But, that being said, there are still some things that I just don’t skimp on.

Cleaning Supplies: Dish Washing Liquid, Laundry Detergent, All Purpose Cleaners & Disinfectant Wipes. I know not everyone, my Mom included, will agree with me here, but I stand by this one. The cheaper options just don’t cut it, or you have to use more to achieve the desired results.

Skin Care Products: Moisturizers, Lotions, Facial Cleansers, Lip Gloss, Makeup. Eventually, I feel like you know what works for your skin. I am not a big makeup person, but I swear by MAC Lip Liner and their Tinted LipGlass. After a lot of trial and error with facial cleaners and moisturizers I am a devoted Garnier fan. I use their Balancing Daily Exfoliator and their Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel Cream. I am less discriminating about my lotions, as long as it gives me extra moisture for the winter months, I can get by with Vaseline Intensive Care.

Perfume/Cologne: Whether you are purchasing this for yourself or as a gift. Don’t cheap out when it comes to this. You know how you feel when that special someone goes by you and you catch a whiff of his Special Scent. Right??

Toiletries: Toilet Tissue, Paper Towels. For me this is about both comfort and cleanliness, no 1 ply for me. As for paper towels, I am an all the way BOUNTY girl. I need my Paper Towels to be Heavy Duty. I think this is a MOM requirement. **Not to mention, I have tried some bargain brands that leave something to be desired when it comes to the way they smell when wet. Has anyone else experienced this? **

Housewares: Linens, Bedding, Towels. Purchasing Quality Housewares prevent you from having to purchase them over and over again. I say buy the higher end products, the higher thread counts, the heavier towels and washcloths. They will last longer and just give you a more pleasurable/luxurious experience. And, White Sales are pretty common place (especially in January), even if you have to wait to catch these items on sale. They will be well worth the wait.

Kitchen Appliances: Blender, Food Processor, Juicer, Toaster and Coffee Maker. No one wants to begin any kind of project in the Kitchen only to find that your appliance has failed. I can’t tell you how many blenders I went through before I decided to invest in one that was up to the task.

Nutrition: Vitamins, Medicine, and Even Healthier Food Options. It just is not easy to live healthy. It sucks, but it is the truth. I try to give my family healthy food choices and options, but I will be the first to admit that I wish I could shop Whole Foods exclusively. On this, I say do the best you can within the confines of your budget. They will thank you later.

Shoes: I am a shoe lover and kind of a shoe snob too. I probably would have a closet full of shoes, if wasn’t so picky when it comes to my shoes. Instead I have my staples. Basic Black Pumps, A Stylish Wedge, Fancy Sandals with or without a heel, that you can dress up or down, Rain Boots, Winter Boots, Sneakers(for Exercise Purposes, and then for Sporty Mom purposes), and as many pairs of Heart Stoppers (the ones that always get you a second look) and Flip Flops, as you can manage. In this case, quality just last longer, providing you take care of them.

“Underthangs”: And, let’s face it , even if you are the perfect weight and height, the older we get the better quality we need. Things just don’t settle where they used to.(side-eye) They need to pull in, lift up, and separate, etc. lol.

A Good Bed: Is EVERYTHING!! Not sure this even needs an explanation, it makes the difference in both Good Nights and Good Mornings.

“Measure Twice – Cut Once.” Sometimes it’s worth it to make the informed and maybe more costly choice, right out the gate. You are putting out more money on the Front End, but I believe it will benefit you in the Long Run.

What are the purchases that you JUST DON’T SKIMP ON? Share your Comments Below.

Always Remember…

Posted on 11 February, 2015 by admin

What we learned since opening Our Etsy Store 365 days Ago

Posted on 10 February, 2015 by admin

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Today, February 10th, 2015, marks the One Year Anniversary of Our Etsy Store. I can hardly believe that it has been that long, but I can. I remember how nervous I was the day that we officially launched Our Store. I had no idea what the future would hold for Stage Presents, or how our items would be received. But, we stepped forward in faith and embarked on this grand journey. As most of you know, Stage Presents is a joint venture between my husband and I, and if you really want to know, I think its the secret to our success thus far. So….. I enlisted his help in writing this post.

As in any business effort, there is a lot of behind the scenes work that the customers never see. (Lucky for them, because it can get messy.) Prior to starting this venture and through out, we did a lot of research, trial and error. Here are some of the things that worked for us.

You must have clear detailed product photos. I can’t stress this enough. I am a part of several Facebook Etsy Groups, and fellow shop owners are ALWAYS asking for critiques. This is the most frequently given answer, of how to improve your shop. [Lucky for me, hubby is a photographer, so we had that in the bag.] Keep in mind that you are an Online Shop. Your customers DO NOT have the luxury of being able to feel and touch and discern the quality of your items. So a picture is literally worth a thousand words.
Be Prepared to Put in the Time Necessary to Make This Work For You. IT IS TIME CONSUMING. Not only is it going to take time to create each individual listing, as well as whatever product you are selling. But, you need to also be prepared to Cross Promote. Spend Time on Your Social Media Pages. Network with Other Entrepreneurs. Give as Good as you Get.
Be Responsive to Purchases, as well as Etsy and Social Media Conversations. We get a lot of conversations regarding Our Items that do not necessarily result in sales. It can be frustrating, but, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. So, be as professional as possible, and put this in the Category of Possible Future Business.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
Remember Murphy’s Law. Some things are just out of your control. This was a hard lesson for me. Have a backup plan in place in instances where your products may not make it to their location in one piece and or if the product is delivered to the wrong recipient.
Pay Close Attention to Your Stats. Where is Your Traffic Coming From? What Keywords are People Searching to Get to Your Store? What Time of The Day Are Your Items Getting The Most Attention?
Give People Choices – When Possible. When Making Your Items Consider Making Multiple Versions of the Same Product – Different Fabric, Color Variations, or Even Size.
BE SPECIFIC. Your customers will not know, if you DO NOT TELL THEM. Make sure that your Product Terms and Conditions are Straight Forward and DO NOT leave room for Interpretation.
Lastly, Enjoy the Ride. It will have its ups and downs. Some weeks and even some months, will be slower than you could ever imagine. Some things that you create and think are amazing, may or may not take off. But, it’s a learning process that will continue for as long as your shop stays open.

365 Days – 99 Sales.

Thank you all for all the support you have given us over the year. We couldn’t have done it with out you.

Do you have any Tips that we didn’t include that you would love to share with us? Funny Growing Pains Stories? Please Share yours in the comment section below.

Fun Friday: 10 Fun Facts About Me

Posted on 6 February, 2015 by admin

I was born in Jamaica.
I grew up in New Jersey, and I am still a Jersey Girl at heart.
I went to college in Huntsville, Alabama.
My oldest child is 18 years old, and my youngest hasn’t even started Kindergarten yet.
My favorite fruit is mango, it’s also one of my favorite flavors and fragrances. (especially mixed into a Cocktail – Mango Mojitos, anyone?)
I married a “Deep South” Country Boy.
I LOVE coffee. But, only if it has equal parts of coffee, creamer and flavor. My favorite creamer is Caramel Macchiato. I am so glad International Delight carries it because Starbucks can be a pricey habit.
I am a list/planner person. I have 1 planner for my household chores. I have 1 for my business. And, I have a Dream and Gratitude Journal. (Yes, I love to write.)
I can be a little OCD.
Even after 18 years of being a Mommy, it is still one of the scariest jobs that I have ever had. (Both Growing and Molding a human life is HARD WORK.)

I did my part, I shared my 10 Facts. What about you? Tell me 10 Fun Facts About You. Share Below or Feel Free to Share It Under The Post on Our Facebook Page.

Valentine’s Day Fun: Including your Kids in Your V-Day Celebration – How About A Special Table Setting Just For Them?

I am sure you already have most of these things at home: Place mats – Heart Doilies (bought a set of 12 at the Dollar Store) – Utensils – Napkins – Ribbon – Anything Pink or Red to Make the Table Pop (In my Case, I used Valentine’s Erasers and Heart Picks.) And, lastly I made a Wine Glass Candle Lamp from the directions I found here. Voila!!

5 Steps to Combat Winter Dryness by Nandi of Nandi’s Naturals

Posted on 5 February, 2015 by admin

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Colder months bring with them a new set of skin-care challenges. Unless we live in subtropical climates, the air is usually more frigid and drying, and less humid. With winter well underway, I’m going to share 5 tips for helping your skin survive this year’s cold front.

Stay hydrated. Just because the weather has gotten colder and you may be perspiring less, doesn’t mean your body requires less hydration. Drink up. As a matter of fact, don’t drink any less than you would during hotter months. Your skin requires the moisture that comes from being properly hydrated as much now as it did in warmer months. Colder weather has a tendency to be drier, meaning less available moisture for your skin.
Use thicker, slower-absorbing moisturizers. A few of my favorite products during colder months are Nandi’s Skin Relief Butter and any of their body butter bars or lotion bars. Why? Because these are heavier in consistency and slower to absorb than normal body butters and lotions, therefore being longer lasting on the skin. They’re wonderful for locking in moisture right after a shower or bath. At the same time that these create a protective barrier against moisture loss, they also condition the skin.
More baths, less showers. You’ve probably heard this before, but it bears repeating. Even during summer months, showers can cause buildup on the skin, resulting in scaly and severely dry skin. Bathing opens the pores, provides more absorbent topical moisturizing and helps shed dead skin, especially on legs and feet. Not only that, it’s the perfect way to unwind and release stress. Be sure your baths or showers aren’t too hot, because too much heat can be drying to the skin.
Moisturize heels. Don socks. Sleep. All summer you’ve walked around showing off your toes. Winter is the time to revitalize and pamper them. My nighttime ritual year ’round, but most especially during winter months, is to moisturize my feet, paying special attention to my heels, and slip into a pair of socks at bedtime. Performing this ritual leads to a lot of repairing and conditioning while you snooze. Come summer, you don’t have to get your feet ready, because they’re already ready.
Open your curtains and blinds and let the sun shine in. Okay, okay, this one isn’t exactly a skin-care tip, but in a way it is. Our absorption of vitamin D is decreased during winter months. This could possibly contribute to more illnesses, including depression. Sunlight can help lift your spirits during winter months, which may motivate you to do more to care for your whole body. Your skin being one of your largest organs can’t help but benefit!

About Nandi –

Here’s an excerpt that I swiped from her website about her Vision. – Born and bred in small-town Louisiana, most of what Nandi’s Naturals founder Yolanda “Nandi” Jacobs consumed came straight from the earth, no additives, no preservatives, no fillers. While life choices might have taken this kreyól girl away from her small-town upbringing, one thing always remained: a desire to recreate her childhood, where figs and pears were picked fresh off the trees in her grandmother’s backyard, where chickens clucked, roosters crowed, cows mooed and birds chirped. Of course, she didn’t want to place all those ingredients in her products, but you get the drift—good products don’t require tons of unpronounceable ingredients, when simple, safe ingredients will do. So, it’s with the vision of summer days eating blackberries until her mouth turned blue and fingertips black, that Nandi set out to create body care products that didn’t require a chemist to translate the ingredient list or cause panic attacks after seeing the price tag. In other words, she wanted her cluck to be a cluck and her moo to be a moo.

You Can Find Nandi from Nandi’s Naturals on:

The Nandi’s Natural Company Website:

Happy Birthday Elmo!!

Posted on 3 February, 2015 by admin

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I don’t know about you but Elmo has been a BIG part of all three of my children’s lives, from my 18 year old all the way down to the 4 year old. So, I was a little excited to hear that it was his birthday. Go figure!! Can you believe that Elmo has been around since the 80’s?

When I told my little ones they seemed to share in my excitement. So just for fun here are some fun Elmo Craft Projects that I found.

Elmo’s Cut & Paste Activity – found here at the FunwithMamaBlog.

Elmo Coloring Page – found here at Coloring-Book.Info.

Sesame Street Clay Pots ** – found here at ButtonsBobbinsandOtherBits. (This one is my favorite.)

I picked the Cut and Paste Activity to do with my four year old. She is at that age where she loves any excuse to use scissors. These others are definitely going on my Toddler Craft To Do List.

Fun Friday – All About V-Day!!

Posted on 30 January, 2015 by admin

Wow, did this week fly by for anyone else but me? Today’s Fun Friday is ALL about Valentine’s Day!!

Do you miss those days when it was just the two of you? But, that just isn’t the case anymore, now that you have little people running around, who seem to be sapping your romantic flow. But, you want your guy to know that he is still #1 in your book. No matter how tired you may be.

Most men are simple. And, most men don’t really give a hoot about Valentine’s Day. Even still, you care, so make sure he knows that you do too. Keep in Mind, that this year Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday (what a treat). So, you have the whole day to make your love feel special.

Here are a few Quick & Hopefully Not Too Dirty Ideas:

Start with Breakfast — In Bed or Out (your choice)

It doesn’t have to be anything GRAND, you know your guy. Add a Sweet Card, a Love Note, or even an IOU (for later fun). Running low on time in the morning, consider prepping your guys breakfast the night before.

Babysitter or Not –

Can you get a baby sitter to stay with the kids so you can have some alone time? What works better for your family? Are you going to hit the movies with your honey during the day, or are you going to make it an official date night and don the heels and flirty dress?? Whatever you do, make sure the plan is put in place long before that weekend. Remember reservations are nearly impossible to get around this time of year.

Of course, if a Baby Sitter is not an option for you, then you have to either plan V-Day around the kiddies, or include them. When my oldest daughter was much younger, we both dressed up one year and had dinner with my hubby. It was super sweet and we all enjoyed sitting at the table together for dinner. She enjoyed being included and making a Valentine for her Daddy.

Here are some fun ideas for sharing V-day with your little ones, that I found around the web.

12 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Your Kids

4 Sweet Ways To Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Your Kids

To Dine –

If you are lucky, maybe you are one the of the couples who manage to get time alone, reserve your table far enough in advance, and are dressed to impressed for a Night On the Town. Leave everything else on the back shelf for the night. You have pulled off a major coup!! Make tonight only about YOUR LOVE. No talk of work, daycare, or diapers. Relax and Enjoy Each Other.

Every Day is Special with the One You Love, but Valentine’s day should be even SWEETER.

V-Day Stories –

And, if you got all the way through this post, Good For You!!

So as promised, here is your Free Valentine’s Day Pencil Tag (PDF File) with instructions. Click to Download and Enjoy!!

How to Capture Memories with a Yearly Family Photo Book?

Posted on 26 January, 2015 by admin

Four years ago, I decided to start putting together a Yearly Family Photo Book. The years were going by way too fast, and I wanted to document it . The thing about digital photography in my opinion, is that the memories get stuck either on your SD Card, Your Phone or Your Camera. And, then the ones that get uploaded only seem to make it as far as Facebook.(Well at least in my case.)

The first two years, I struggled through a year’s worth of pictures, trying to decide which ones were worthy of a spot in our Photo Book. The process was tedious, and frankly more than annoying. So last year, I decided to try to stream line my process. Hopefully, it will save you some aggravation should you decide to do this for your family.

1. Cataloging – At the end of every month, I download all the pictures that are on my various devices. Then, I take my time and go through them and weed out the duds. Then I save them on my Desktop to a specific folder named for that month. As I save them, I try to give them names that would inspire captions for the book.

2. Uploading – After I have completed that, I upload them to Shutterfly and then make sure they go into the My Projects Folder, so that I can come back to it the following month.

3. The Finished Project – At the end of the year, or realistically at the beginning of the following year. I give my Saved Project the once over. For the most part, you should not have much to do at this time. But, most likely you will want to add some pics of the Holiday Season to complete your project.

Photo Credit: Colorado Senior Life

Note: I use Shutterfly for pretty much everything photo related, but there are several options out there. I love Shutterfly specifically, because several times during the year they offer a coupon for a free photo book, and in that case you will most likely only have to pay for shipping. Unless you are like me and you have so many pics that you go over the allotted page requirement. But, even still its worth it!!

Do you have pictures that you lost or wished that you had printed?

Not Just Another Three Day Weekend – MLK Jr. Day

Posted on 17 January, 2015 by admin

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As I planned out my blog post for the month of January, this particular blog post was at the top of my list. But, I must admit that I struggled with exactly what I would say. I wanted to make sure that what I wrote truly conveyed my feelings and did the subject justice.

As a child being introduced to Black History, I remember being in awe of Dr. King, his message, his diplomacy, his grace in the face of adverse conditions, and mostly his commitment. I devoured anything that I could find and read about the Civil RIghts Movement and not just about Dr. King, but Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, John F. Kennedy Jr., Lyndon B. Johnson (to name a few). I have always felt connected to Dr. King on a personal level. Because, his legacy to me, lies in more than just the civil rights movement. It lies in the personal struggle and sacrifice, that both he and his family made for the future of a nation. I am reverenced by the very thought of it.

As a mother, and a wife, I can’t quite wrap my head around the bravery that it must have taken for Dr. King and others who participated in the movement, to leave their families and walk straight into what could ultimately be their last day on earth, over and over again. I cant imagine the state of sheer panic, that their families felt everyday. But, I assume that it would be something similar to what military spouses or the families of first responders experience. I think that is why I have always had such respect for Coretta Scott King and others widowed by the cause, because I can only imagine the magnitude of loss that they suffered in the name of FREEDOM.

Photo Credits:

I often use the word humbled to describe the emotion that washes over me, when I take the time to sit down and fully grasp the fact that so many died so that we could LIVE. If I am being totally honest, I am not sure that I could have made that kind of sacrifice, for people that I didn’t know, for people who didn’t support me, or even for people who were angered by the fact that I wanted more for them. And, it always propels me toward the fact that their behavior can be described as nothing less than Christ-like. Not because they were perfect or without sin or flaws. But, because they, like Christ, died so that we could have life and have it more abundantly.(John 10:10) What an Awesome Gift!!

So, when I think of MLK Jr. Day, I don’t think of it as just anther 3 day weekend. I don’t think of it as being just about ONE man and his legacy and his dream. But, for me, it’s a day to celebrate, acknowledge and honor the sacrifices that were made in the name of Progressive Change. What does Martin Luther King Jr. Day mean to you?

“Measure Twice – Cut Once.” Sometimes it’s worth it to make the informed and maybe more costly choice, right out the gate. You are putting out more money on the Front End, but I believe it will benefit you in the Long Run.

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“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

365 Days – 99 Sales.

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Valentine’s Day Fun: Including your Kids in Your V-Day Celebration – How About A Special Table Setting Just For Them?

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Here are a few Quick & Hopefully Not Too Dirty Ideas:

Start with Breakfast — In Bed or Out (your choice)

Babysitter or Not –

To Dine –

V-Day Stories –

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