Music Monday - I Need To Know by Stevie Nicks

I Need To Know was written by Stevie's dear friend Tom Petty. I heard it for the first time when I saw the HBO Special back in 1982 and I immediately began my search to find what album this song was on. I was a fairly new Stevie fan and we didn't have the luxury of doing an internet search back then so information was a bit harder to come by... remember those days??? I searched and searched for this song along with Gold and Braid which was also on the HBO Special.... and neither was anywhere to be found other than this live concert... which was only available on video. Turned out that neither song had ever been recorded on a Stevie Nicks (or Fleetwood Mac) album.

I have loved this song since the first time I heard it... it's one of the rare few that she sings but didn't write herself.... it's just such a rocker!.... and I'm sorry Tom (Petty).... but Stevie rocked it waaaay more than you did!

This is also Steffie's very favorite Stevie song... she's been singing it since was barely 2 years old.... later I'll post a lil video of her singing it too :)... but for now here is Stevie Nicks performing I Need To Know live from the HBO Special....




Lyrics | Stevie Nicks lyrics - I Need To Know lyrics

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.




PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!



A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Well I'm back to my old speed of slowness which is much much better than my new speed of slowness was. Apparently the new version of Firefox which was supposed to be much faster just doesn't like my computer.... so I downgraded back to my old version and all is well... after 2 days of torture and frustration. I should have learned the first time around.

Steffie is still sick though not terribly... her cough got worse so they called her in some meds a few days ago. Then last night she woke up crying with an earache. After ibuprofen and some sweet oil drops in her ear she went back to sleep and slept well. Wish I could say the same for myself.... the last two nights I have slept terribly... dreaming of suffocating... my sinuses are horrible so I can't breathe well... especially at night... and my throat has been a bit scratchy... so I guess I have what she has. But at least we don't feel horrible... not the kind of horrible that makes you want to stay in bed all day. I called her pediatrician this morning and they're calling her in an antibiotic so hopefully that will put her back in health.

My son Jordan has been sick for 2 weeks with fever, cough and general cold and flu symptoms. He says he feels better today. If he's not noticably better by Monday I'm taking him to the health department to get checked for swine flu.... that's all we need! He's pretty much kept in his room away from the rest of us... so I don't think what we have is what he has.... he feels much worse than we do.

Adrian is off work tomorrow so Steffie will get her Daddy time... I'm sure that will make her feel better :)

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Computer Issues

I seem to be having some computer issues. Yesterday Entrecard sent out a notice that their toolbar had been updated to work with the new version of Firefox so I upgraded both and have been having issues ever since. It's really strange though... yesterday I was having trouble getting Google and Blogspot blogs to pull up but other web sites worked fine and this was happening on Adrian's computer as well... so we assumed it was a Google issue since both are Google apps.

But this morning I'm still having a lil trouble with that... though it seems to be a lil better... at least I could log in... and hopefully this posting will go through.. what I spent time working on last night didn't save or post :( . My e-mail is also not working this morning.... don't know if it's a G-mail issue or Incredimail.... it appears to be G-mail and that would be consistent with the Google issue.


Anyone else having problems with Google apps?? I don't know how much EC dropping I'll get done today if this continues... I didn't get to finish yesterday either... but I'll keep trying.

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Win a Blog Makeover!

Does your blog need a makeover? I think I could use one... I designed this myself using what Blogger had to offer. I don't think I did too bad... but a pro could certainly make it look better. Diana from Custom Blog Designs is doing a giveaway and the winner will receive a custom blog makeover! If you you think this is something you're ready for click on over to her other blog Diana Rambles and get signed up by August 31! This package is valued at $85 and includes a custom blog makeover and twitter background to match. This giveaway is for blogger blogs only!

The blog makeover will include:

• custom header
  
• 1 or 2 sidebars
  
• backgrounds (either solid or print) to match
• custom coloring
• a custom URL icon to replace the orange B of blogger up on the browser bar
  
• these extras as custom signature, graphic next to sidebar titles, post divider, numbering for comments, and comment icon
• blog button w/ widget code

You might even win an awesome pair of boots in the deal!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Vintage Board Games

Do you remember any games you used to play as child that they don't make anymore? There were several that I used to have that are now out of production and I wish I still had them. One that I used to love was called Which Witch. I managed to get one of these on Ebay a few years back... it was kind of expensive but I really wanted it. It's a 3-D game... you move through a haunted witch's house to get to the charmed circle at the end.... along the way you might get turned into a mouse. Steffie loves to play this game. I can't say it's really educational... but I do make her count the dots on the dice and then of course the number of spaces she is supposed to move... and it helps her learn about taking turns and following the rules... so I guess it's not a total educational loss. She insisted on playing it this morning... so that is what we've been doing... counting dots and getting turned into mice :) Here are a few pics of the game



I also remember a game called Voice of the Mummy... you had to travel around an Egyptian pyramid to get to the top where the mummy was and collect jewels along the way... the mummy talked and gave instructions that you had to follow. I've seen this one on Ebay as well for around $100... that's expensive for a game... but someday I would love to have this game again.

Another one I used to have was Seance... oooohhh spoooky... I remember sitting around my Grandma's huge dining table playing this with my family. You got instructions from the deceased Uncle Everett from the seance table included in the game. The goal was to collect his valuable... or maybe worthless items from his estate... and at the end of the game whoever had the most valuable ones and therefore the most money won the game. This too is a highly collectable game and worth quite a bit of money. I would love to have this game again for the childhood memories... yes I was into the strange and the paranormal even back then.

Did playing these games make me strange and interested in the paranormal? Did they make me a Witch? No.... I already was what I was.... even as a child.... and I would be who I am now even without these games.... but they sure made made my childhood a lil more interesting. Would I let my own child paly these games? Yes! They are just games... and Steffie already loves to play Which Witch.... she calls it my "magic witch game".

I also had a magic genie bottle and a Zodiac Ball... I couldn't find any pics of the genie bottle but you pulled the top off and smoke came out and it predicted your future. The Zodiac Ball is just like a Magic 8 Ball that you can still buy.... you ask it a question and turn it over to get your answer in the window in bottom.

I think it would be great if they would update these fun games and and make them again.

Do you remember any of these??? Did you have any of them? Do you still have them tucked away somewhere in a closet, attic or basement???

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Random Tuesday Thoughts

You would think after years of typing that I would get better and faster... but no... seems I get slower and make more mistakes that I have to go back and correct. I never was good at typing... I blame it on my fingers (my wild heart has nothing to do with it... that's a Stevie Nicks reference in case you didn't get it)... they are dyslexic... I gave up years ago on typing the correct way because my fingers never would go where they were supposed to anyway... so I'm one of those that just lets them go to the keys at random... whichever finger wants to hit it hits it. I made an A in typing class in college... even though I was slow and made lots of mistakes.... I still made 100's on the written exams and all of the other stuff... so I got an A... strange huh?.... I should have barely passed that class.

Last week I was using some EC credits to advertise on other blogs... sometimes my ad gets declined... it usually doesn't bother me... I just think "whatever" and go on about my business. Have you ever had your ad declined? Here are a few of the reasons the decliners gave.... "Not appropriate".... Hmmm I didn't realize that my button or my blog had inappropriate things on them..... "Design clash"..... I also didn't realize that my design had to match the blog I'm advertising on..... "Not relevant".... ok... so now I'm irrelevant. This is the one that bothered me... why???.... because this was from a blog I have been following since I first joined EC... I've dropped on that blog... and I even had her button on my blog!.... oh well whatever.... I have lots of wonderful bloggy friends :) Have you ever declined an EC ad... I don't mean a paid one... just an ad from a regular EC user...

I just got out of a nice cool shower.... and I'm dripping in sweat already... it's 85 degrees in here! Our air is messed up (again) today.... we have soooo much trouble with our unit... it drives me insane. Adrian was supposed to be off today... but of course he had to go take care of some issues... off the clock of course... not that it matters he doesn't get paid by the hour anyway... but still... he's suposed to be off. He went to work yesterday at 3:00 am and got home last night at 10:30 pm.... at least he didn't have to go in for anything on Sunday. When he gets home he's supposed to fix the air.... when he gets home... so for now I have my own personal sauna.... I don't like saunas... they're too hot... this is the south... it's hot enough without saunas.

Oh wait! He just called... he's on his way home! I'll have air soon! And we'll find something fun to do! I can stop rambling now!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Music Monday - Gold Dust Woman by Stevie Nicks

Cover of Rumours

Gold Dust Woman was written by Stevie Nicks and recorded on Fleetwood Mac's Rumours Album. Rumours was my very first Fleetwood Mac album and I spent hours and hours in my bedroom listening to it... looking at the photos on the insert and reading the credits...back when I was 15 years old. I had to know who this wonderful voice was coming from.... who wrote the lyrics that haunted my soul..... was her name really Stevie???... odd for a girl.... but it had to be... she had to be the one. I had just fallen in love with this band called Fleetwood Mac after spending the weekend with a friend who played Rumours continuously the whole weekend long. By the end of the weekend I knew every word to every song.... and I knew I had to have my own copy. And thus my love for Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac were born.... and Rumours is still my favorite album almost 30 years later.

Thank you Elisa Daniels (wherever you are) for giving me this wonderful gift of loving Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac... it has been with me through every day of my life ever since.... I don't think you had any clue what you had given....

This version of Gold Dust Woman is performed by Stevie during her Bella Donna Tour on the HBO Special (Stevie Nicks Live)..... so hear it is.... a song that has haunted my soul for 30 years.... and all I can say is.....

Rock On Gold Dust Woman!




Lyrics | Fleetwood Mac lyrics - Gold Dust Woman lyrics

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.




PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!



A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Loyal Friend and Visitor Award - Thank You Patsy!!

I am honored to receive the Loyal Friend and Visitor award from Patsy over at Patsy's Words of Wisdom. If you've never visited her blog you are in for a real treat! She does have words of wisdom and she shares them in such unique and special way... she will have you laughing and remembering some good ole days... and pondering the craziness of our world.... and feeling all mushy and gooshy inside. She is one wonderful and fun lady.

Thank you Patsy... for this award and for just being you!

I would like to share this award with:

1. Kat at Candles, Crafts and WhatNot
2. Jennifer at J. Leigh Designz
3. Melissa at Melissa's Homeschool Blog
4. Annie at A Nice Place In The Sun
5. Bingkee at I Love/Hate America
6. Dorothy at Grammology
7. Chatty at Chatty Crone

Thank you all so much for your visits and wonderful comments :)

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

You Cheer Me Up Award - Thank You Annie!!

I was so surprised when I saw my name on Annie's list to receive this award. It's very special to her... and it has a wonderful story behind it. You can read all about it on her blog A Nice Place In The Sun. She is very sweet and has a wonderful blog and great sense of humor... and she loves Lucy! So do go over and read all about it in her own words.

Here is a lil more about the award....

"The bloggers nominated for the You Cheer Me Up Award are among the best in the blogosphere. Maybe, it's due to the fact that there are so many people communicating in one place, but I'm impressed by the character of so many of the people I've met since I've been blogging.

Therefore, I want to nominate blogger's who are brave enough to open their heart, strong enough to be kind, right enough to care about others, and funny enough to make us laugh.

A person with a combination of those characteristics, would be brave, strong, caring, and kind, with an open heart, and a great sense of humor.

In addition to good character, You Cheer Me Up Award winners are also among the things I hold in the highest regard, such as Charlotte, from Charlotte's Web, a box of Peanut Butter Panic Ice Cream, the image above of Lucy and Ethel, and of course, children, animals, and books. (Recipients feel free to fill in this paragraph to your liking.)
To this I will add Stevie Nicks, Cheesecake, Lil Black Cats and The People I Love...

I wish I was in the position to give an award to Lucy and Ethel for the whole idea of them on the job at the Candy Company - trying to eat candy as fast as the conveyor belt delivered it...but that dream is simply out of the question...

For that matter, so is the opportunity to award E.B.White, the author of Charlotte's Web, and many other writers, directors, poets, painters, and photographers, who contributed so much to my life, my character, and my choices...

However, I can pass this Award to the blogger’s who make me laugh until my face hurts, and the blogger’s whose writing voice comforts me when I'm feeling lost, teaches me about others, and inspires me to move forward... That I can do...and I can promise that the following video is so funny it will make you laugh out loud..." (You can use any example scene from the show, or take out the last line.) "



And...the nominees are....

PJ's Prose
Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife
Candles, Crafts and WhatNot
All Stace, All The Time
Grampy and You
Harmony In Motion
Super Mom To The Rescue
Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom
J. Leigh Designz
Melissa's Homeschool Blog
Momspective
Patsy's Words of Wisdom
Really?
Who Put Me In Charge of These People???
Not Always Charming

You all rock my bloggy lil world!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

J'Adore Tien Blog Award - Thanks Kat!!!

Ooohh La La.... I received this lovely blog award called, J'Adore Tien Blog Award from Kat over at Candles, Crafts and WhatNot. This is one of my favorite blogs so go check it out!! Now Kat said that J'Adore Tien Blog means "I Love Your Blog" in French (correct me if I am wrong). And who am I to doubt?? I have no clue.... and dispite all of the Fancy Nancy books I've been reading lately with Steffie... I don't speak French, so I will agree, this award means that my blog is loved!! YAY! Merci Kat (that means thank you in french)! I feel very honored to have received this wonderful award!

Without further ado, here are the rules:

* Copy the award image above.
* Pass it to the bloggers whom you think are deserving for this award.
* Leave a message to them.
* Pass as many as you want.
* Leave a comment to the person who give this award.
KAT passed this on to myself and these other bloggers: Stigma No More, The Painted Veil, Sheepish Thoughts, Comedy Plus, Lovely Purses, Meow Diaries, Grammology.com, My Beautiful Creations, Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife, My Art and the Mom in Me, A Simple Life, PJ's Prose, Your Daily Cute, Womens Self Esteem, My Heart Voice,
Just Bloggled, The Modern Mom, Cat/Dog Log, Hugz Before You Go, Proud Mommy, Take a Coffee Break, Bambi's Thoughts, Coming Back to Life, All About Cakes, RAMBLING STUFF AKA GOLCH CENTRAL

Anyway, I would love to pass this award on to:
PJ's Prose
Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife
A Nice Place In The Sun
All Stace, All The Time
Grampy and You
Harmony In Motion
Super Mom To The Rescue
Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom
J. Leigh Designz
Melissa's Homeschool Blog
Momspective
Patsy's Words of Wisdom
Really?
Who Put Me In Charge of These People???
Not Always Charming

I could go on and on... but I'm sure you don't want me list the 100 or so blogs that I love and follow... so I'll stop now...

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

My lil Stefferkins was sick last night... she had a fever and just didn't feel well at all. She started saying that her head hurt around 2:00 yesterday so I gave her acetaminophen and told her to lay on the couch for awhile.... of course that didn't last long... she can't be still for long. But she complained all day about her lil head. At bedtime she was still complaining... so I gave her ibuprofen and some cold and cough meds (she's had a lil cough for a few days) and she went to bed early. She woke up with a fever a few hours later but I gave her more ibuprofen and she went back to sleep and slept well.

She still had a headache this morning so I called the doctors office first thing and we got ready and went. He said it was just a viral bug... her strep test was negative.. ears looked fine... call him back if she gets any worse. I don't feel good about a 3 yar old having a headache for that long with no relief from either pain medication... but we'll see. She's not eating good either... so I know she feels bad.. when this kid doesn't eat... she's sick.

She seems to be doing better though as the day passed... she played... ate... but still not normally... and finally stopped saying her head hurt. I just wanted to make sure... I don't normally rush to the doctor that quickly but with it being Saturday I knew if she got worse it would be Monday before we could get in.... you just never know with kids.

I'm glad she's feeling better :)... Daddy is off work tomorrow and she's looking forward to doing something fun with him. I don't know what... but we'll do something. She is Daddy's girl... and it tears her up that she hasn't had much time with him lately.

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Friday Frustrations - I Have Been Called....

I got the notice in the mail last Saturday.... I have been called to do jury duty.... yay me! :(

It's not that I hate it or even dislike it... in fact it's quite entertaining. It's unbelievable what goes on in this lil southern hick town.... and believe me.... you just don't know until you've served jury duty. The last time I served I was sitting in the courtroom waiting to be called into the next courtroom to go through the selection process again... I was listening to the case that was going on... someone was accused of indecent exposure. Turns out the man was changing clothes in his own bedroom mind you.... but the curtains were open... and the neighbor was looking in. Now think about this... he's in his own home... in his own bedroom... doing what we all do... change our clothes. The neighbor is watching through the window. And HE is accused of indecent exposure!!! Shouldn't SHE have been accused of being a peeping Tom or something??? But that is not all.... this uhm... lady.... goes to get her daughter to stand out the driveway and watch too!!! And then she goes on and on about how this man torments them by exposing himself. What would you do??? Would you stand there and watch if it horrified you *that* much... or would you go into your own home and stop watching???

But that is not all... they were telling the location of these people's homes and I recognized it! I didn't know the actual people... but I knew the man's house because my lil sister's best friend lived there... he was her Daddy! I felt so bad for that man... having to go through that. I didn't get to hear the whole case... I had to go on and serve on the jury for a different case (which was not nearly as interesting). But my sister later told me that he was ordered to stay away from the woman and her daughter (kinda hard since they lived next door!) and I forget what else.... cover his windows or something. But the poor man was just humiliated.

Anyways... back to the frustrating part... this is frustrating because I don't know how I'm going to do it. I have NO babysitter.... No One... so I'm in a horribly bad situation. If I don't show up... I'll be arrested... if I show up with a 3 year old who can't shut up... I may be arrested as well.... I can't leave her at home alone!.... WTF am I supposed to do??? Adrian can't take off work... he'll lose his job (they fire people for breathing wrong).... my sisters work.... my kids work... and my Mom just doesn't babysit my kids. Adrian's family is all in Massachusetts... so they are out of the question... and I really don't have any friends I can ask either.

I need some help here... I'm picturing being locked in jail and Steffie being dragged into foster care... all because I can't get a babysitter so I can serve jury duty. Either that or losing my home and living on the streets because hubby got fired to stay home with her so I could serve jury duty and not go to jail.

This is not good... not good at all.... I'm really worried...





A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

A Child's Gift Of Lullabyes

I want to share with you something that has been a favorite of mine... and of my lil ones. It's a lullabye CD that is absolutely the best I have ever heard.... it's called A Child's Gift of Lullabyes. I first heard this collection of lullabyes over 20 years ago... before Sarah was born. I was working in a children's shop and this was one of the items that we carried... at that time it was only available on cassette.... and in fact it's the only cassette that we carried. When Sarah was born I bought a copy and I played it for her almost every time I put her to bed. Then the boys came along and I played it for them as well.

Of course they eventually outgrew the lullabyes and I packed my lil cassette tape away. I guess I was saving it for my grandbabies... because I never planned to have any more children of my own. But almost 4 years ago Steffie was born.... and out came my lullabye cassette. I would rock her to sleep and softly sing along as she drifted off and then move it to the bedroom as she slept. Hardly a night has gone by since she has been born that she hasn't had these lullabyes playing while she sleeps. When my cassette finally wore out I ordered a CD copy... which is now available... and while I waited for it to arrive it was torture... because let me tell you.... a good lullabye collection is hard to find! You wouldn't think it... but it's true. I tried several others.... but nothing else compared.... most of them were nursery rhymes set to music.... that is NOT a lullabye. A lullabye should be soft and sweet and soothing.

A Child's Gift of Lullabyes *is* soft.... sweet... and soothing. The songs are beautiful.... the lyrics are so sweet... and they are set to some recognizable portions of well know classical pieces. These are songs you'll love singing to your precious new baby. Side 2 of the casstte was instrumental versions of each song.... and these are included as well on the last half of the CD. I know you will love this CD as much I do. Steffie knows every song by heart and still sleeps with it playing every night. And who knows... it may have even contributed to her intelligence... they say babies who listen to classical music are much better in math.
But don't just take my word for it... go to their web site and listen for yourself. There are other lullabye CD's available from them.... but the first one is my favorite.... we also have The Rock-A-Bye Collection Vol. 1.... which I do like.... but not nearly as much as A Child's Gift of Lullabyes. This a great gift for a new Mommy... or a new Grandmother.... because what is more wonderful than rocking that new baby to sleep and singing it a sweet sweet song???

I was not asked to promote this product... or paid to promote this product.... and I don't get commission from the sales. I have no connection to this product whatsoever except that this is truely is a product that I use and love and I think others will as well. So order up your own copy... and enjoy rocking those babies. You might even need it to soothe yourself to sleep!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Overworked!

I think they're trying to kill my husband... his company that is. He's been at work since 7:00a.m. and it is now 10:30 p.m. Yesterday was his day off.... he was there from 3:00 p.m until 7:30 last night.... some day off! But this is usually how it goes... he is required to put in 50 hours a week and we knew it would sometimes be more... but since he got out of training he's been putting in 70+ hours each week. He's usually in there on his day off to fix some issue that no one else can seem to handle..... and instead of his required 10 hour workdays he's putting in 12 or more. Of course he is on salary so he doesn't get paid any more money... he's just working those hours for free.

But I am greatful that he has a job..... so many people don't right now.

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

We Shopped Till We Dropped

I'm baaaack.... I spent most of the day grocery shopping and bargain hunting. K-mart is doing double coupons again up to $2.00.... so we spent a good amount of time there searching for good deals and found a few. We also discovered that they have the Strawberry Shortcake bedding set that I've been wanting to get Steffie... but it's $35.... so now I'll be watching for that to go on sale between now and her birthday.

Adrian gets paid every 2 weeks so we only grocery shop once every 2 weeks as well. This adventure includes going to several different stores to grab the best bargains on what we need. We buy the bulk of our groceries at Aldi.... and certain items at Dollar General... and usually finish off at Ingles.... sometimes we throw in a few other stores as well if they have really good deals on something. So our grocery shopping takes the better part of the day and includes quite a few stops.... even though all of our stops are pretty close together it takes some time to make them. We start at Aldi since it's furthest away and work our way back home... all of our other stops are along the way... so we don't really use any more gas than if we were just going to Aldi. I spend a lot of time before hand searching the sales flyers and picking out my coupons.... but it seems there is always something that I need or want that I can't seem to find a coupon for.... even though I have tons of them. But we always leave home with a grocery list for each store and a shopping plan.

So now I'm dead tired.... my feet hurt.... and I still have groceries to put away. I think everything will wait until tomorrow... the cold stuff is taken care of.... so the rest can sit there overnight. Oh and I still have one more store to hit tomorrow.... we ran out of time today.... but it's just 5 minutes down the road.. so no biggie. Today we went to K-mart, Bi-lo, Aldi and Walgreens... tomorrow is Ingles and then we're done.

Now I gotta get busy dropping EC's... haven't done a single one yet and it's 10:30 p.m.

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Fun and Educational Games

Steffie and I bought a new game at the thrift store last week for $1 and we decided to finally give it a try... it's called Cariboo by Cranium.... and she absolutely loved it! It's very educational so I love it too. It helps lil ones learn their letters, numbers, colors and shapes... she already knows hers but some reinforcement is always good. It has two levels... one for beginners that covers A-D, 1-4, colors and shapes... and an advanced level which covers A-Z, 1-10, and colors. The object of the game is to find the treasure balls (brightly colored rubber bouncy balls)... the players take turns drawing a card and opening one of the treasure hunt doors that has a trait corresponding to the card (a letter, number, color or shape) you then drop the ball into the "tide pool"... when the tide pool is full the treasure chest opens and the game is over.
Her first Cranium game was Sounds of the Seashore which we also bought at a thrift store over a year ago. She still loves to play this one as well. It also has a beginner and an advanced level. In this game you put the magic seashell to your ear and listen for a sound... then you have to match the sound to the object or animal that makes the sound... these are all sounds you hear on the seashore. It's a really fun first matching game.
She has one other Cranium game... which we also bought at a thrift store.... it's called Hallabaloo. It's kind of like Twister meets Simon Says.... you have lots of mats with different shapes and colors and pictures on them... you spread them across the floor and then listen for your orders. You might have to stand on a color.... put your nose on a shape.... jump to a picture etc..... lot's of active fun! This game would be great for a party or sleepover to get that energy out.

These are great educational games... so if your lil one loves to play games like mine you might want to give them a try. Educational games are also great for homeschoolers.... kids learn so much faster when they're having fun! We were lucky enough to find these in our favorite thrift store... but you can find them here at Are You Game along with many other fun and educational games for kids of all ages.


A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Music Monday - Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac

I had to do Gypsy this week for Music Monday... well... because obviously Gypsy was named after this song. You see we thought Gypsy was a girl... sometimes it's really hard to tell with cats until they get bigger... and one day I realized that Gypsy was a boy.

This song and video have always been one of my favorites... I love the dancing... and the story in the video... and I especially love the end with Stevie and the lil girls dancing on the cliff in the forest... it's sooo beautiful... and magickal.... but... the original video is not available right now. So here is a live version from the Mirage Tour.

There is a deeper story behind this song... and why it was written... and a deeper story to why this song means so much to me... but I will save that for the time I was actually waiting for to post this song... you'll see it again in October... with the full story. For now... this time it is for Gypsy...




Lyrics | Fleetwood Mac lyrics - Gypsy lyrics

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.




PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!




A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Thank you all so much for your very sweet comments. We held Gypsy's lil funeral... we buried him... covered his grave with some rocks and flowers picked from the yard.... and lit a candle for him in my old herb garden where lemon balm comes back year after year. I've tried and tried to stop the lemon balm from growing there because I wanted to grow other things there... but it just took over and is determined to stay. So... that is where my Gypsy is now... with the ever returning lemon balm. May his sweet lil soul return to us when and if he chooses...

Steffie cried and cried... which made me cry and cry as well. This was her first experience with death and I couldn't shield her from it because she was right there with me when I found him Saturday morning. So we had to explain death to her... a lesson her had to learn sometime... just a lil sooner than I had hoped. She went to bed crying the last 2 nights saying she would miss Gypsy. I comforted her and told her that he knows that we love him. She will be fine... with time...

Tomorrow starts a new week... and I'm sure we'll have plenty of adventures and distractions... time will heal our pain... and maybe someday another lil black kitten will show up at my door. Of course I will take it in and love it... like I always do....

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

I'm so sad today... my precious Gypsy is gone... and that's all I can type right now... so I'll just copy his story here again....



"This beautiful baby is Gypsy... he is about a year old. Gyspy was brought to me last summer when he was about 3 weeks old. I don't know what happened to his mother but the lady who brought him to me had to work and couldn't feed him every 3 hours. I took him in and became his mommy. One day he got very sick and was just lifeless and weak... I continued to give him water and kitten formula and drops of syrup to keep his blood sugar up. When I went to bed late that night I just knew that I would get up the next morning and he would be gone... he was so pitiful and my heart was broken. But I woke up the next morning and immediately went to check on him and he was just fine... like nothing had ever happened. He's been strong and healthy ever since. He's my sweety baby. I have a real soft spot for black kitties... imagine that "

Now he is gone... and my heart is broken....

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Thank You Kat!.... For Another Award!

I received this beautiful award from Kat over at Candles, Crafts and WhatNot. Her blog is one of my favorites to visit daily.... she has great taste in music (Stevie Nicks)... and great taste in fashion (Stevie Nicks)...lol... and she is just a very nice and fun person. I love candles.... and I love crafts (even though I haven't done any in a loooong time).... and I love her whatnot postings too. Hop on over and give her a visit.... you'll see what I mean.

Thank You Kat!!!!

Ok, the rules of this award are:
1. Copy the loyal picture above
2. Pass it to you think who is/are deserving.
3. Leave a message to them
4. Pass as many as you want.
5. Message back or leave a comment to the owner.

So here are is my Loyal Friends and Visitors list.... thank you all for your friendship, loyalty, and visits.... you rock my bloggy world :)

1. PJ at PJ's Prose
2. Storm at The Psychotic Housewife
3. Grampy at Grampy and You
4. Jodi at Bargain Central
5. Maria at Conversations with Moms
6. Sherri at Luv a Bargain
7. Stacey at All Stace, All The Time
8. Becki at Harmony In Motion
9. Dorothy at Women's Self Esteem
10. Stacie at Super Mommy To The Rescue

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

I Still Want a Free Wii.... Do You?!

I'm still trying to earn my Free Wii.... so I thought I would remind you all that if you haven't signed up to get your own you can still do it! Just a few weeks ago I read the story of how Julie over at Momspective and Wii Mommies lost 60 lbs by using her Wii Fit and I determined that I really need one of these. I need to lose weight... I hate to exercise... but I love to play games so Julie inspired me to get one of these and get off my backside and lose the weight I need to lose for my health and so that I can feel better and have more energy for Steffie... lets face it... she's turning 4 and I'm turning 45.... so I really need to get into shape! Trouble is this thing is *expensive*! I know I can't fit this into my budget any time soon.... I would have to save for a few years to buy one. But I found this website that will let me earn a Free Wii.... and you can earn one as well. All I have to do is refer 7 people and complete a couple of offers to get my Free Wii with controllers and 2 free games.... and you can help me out by doing the same! So please... if this is something you want for yourself (and/or your kids) and can't afford it either click on the link and sign up under me... then you can be on your way to earning your Free Wii as well!

I've even joined the Wii Mommies already because really want to do this... I'm tired of being fat and tired of being tired! So let's earn a Free Wii together!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Thank You Becki For The Humane Award!!

A huge thanks to Becki over at Harmony In Motion for passing this award on to me! I just received this award recently from someone else but since there are so many wonderful blogs out there and their authors deserve it.... I'll go ahead and pass it on again.

"The Humane Award honors eight certain bloggers that I feel are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn’t for them, my site would just be an ordinary blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a daily basis. I thank them and look forward to our growing friendships through the blog world. Link back to the person who gifted you with the award and share the love with other bloggers.”

The eight blogs I'd like to recognize with this award are:

1) Stacie at Super Mommy To The Rescue
2) Sherri at Luv A Bargain!
3) Mrs. B at Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom
4) Melissa at Melissa's Homeschool Blog
5) Bingkee at I Love/Hate America
6) Harriet at I Am Harriet
7) Bob at Black Holes and Astrostuff
8) Kat at Candles, Crafts and WhatNot

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~