Music Monday - Merry Christmas Baby - Bruce Springsteen

Another song from my favorite Christmas CD.... A Very Special Christmas.... one of my hubby's favorites... Bruce Springsteen performing Merry Christmas Baby in Buffalo NY on November 22, 2009.




Lyrics | Bruce Springsteen lyrics - Merry Christmas Baby 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~

The Great Escape.... More About My Time In Massachusetts

When I left Georgia to move to Massachusetts it was pretty scary for me... I'm southern girl and had only been out of the south on a couple of vacation trips when I was small... once to NYC when I was about 2 years old that I don't remember at all but I've seen pictures... and once to Indianapolis when I was about 7... it was a trip to visit my stepdad's friend and we were at their house the whole time so no real vacation fun... I just remember playing with their kids and the loooong drive. I'm not the type to take huge risks... I like to play things pretty safely... so packing up everything I owned and my 3 kids and moving up north to make a new life for us and possibly be with someone whom I had never met in person was very unlike me... but it felt so right that I had to do it... I couldn't not do it... every part of my being was pushing me to just go.

The other thing was that I could only tell a very few people what my plan was... Adrian knew of course... and my Mom and my sisters and my best friend from online Cyn.... I couldn't tell anyone else... not even my kids... because if their father found out he would try to kill me... he had already cut my phone lines in the middle of the night 3 times.... and he had told me repeatedly over the years... and even in front of my kids... that if I ever tried to leave him he would cut my head off. So yes I was terrified... and thrilled to be going as far away from him as possible. I still feel bad that I couldn't tell my kids and let them say goodbye to their friends and family.... but it was necessary for my safety to keep it from them.

I got an apartment in Mass and a job as an assistant manager at Fashion Bug.... I hadn't worked in 8 years since my boys were born... we received help and counseling from a Women's Services agency... and Adrian was just wonderful as our relationship grew in the following 18 months in Mass. All was good until someone called DSS on us.... they were accusing me of neglect because I was under court order to send my kids to visit their father... if I didn't send them for the court ordered visit I would be arrested... and if I did send them DSS would take them from me and put them in foster care... along with other things that they put my family through.... I was between a rock and a hard place so to speak. I knew my kids would be safe because their father was living with his parents and they would not let him hurt them. And soooo my second escape from abuse... this time from DSS.... was planned.

So when summer came I put my kids on a plane to Georgia for the last time... and I felt such huge relief that they were safe from DSS... I no longer had to worry about them showing up to take my kids every time someone knocked on my door. And it was very strange to actually be relieved that I was sending them to be with their father. But I knew they were more safe with him than they were in Mass. We loaded up all of our belongings onto a truck for the second time and headed back to Georgia a month later... we had to get everything in order financially before we could leave. I was never so happy to be back home in the south and to see the mountains that surrounded me all of my life... I never knew I would miss looking up and seeing those mountains. It was so good to see my family again.... we were home... and we were all safe. And so we have been back in Georgia for 10 years now. Our life has never really been easy... but we have made the best of it.... we have survived! Adrian has been a wonderful husband to me and an amazing role model and parent for my kids. We have gone back to Mass to visit a couple of times... Adrian's family is there..... and I love to go to Salem. But I don't think I'll ever move back up there. And that is my story... the short version... even though it was pretty long.

Thank you all for your wonderful comments and Anniversary wishes.... and I'm glad you liked the pics of my family :)

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Thanksgiving Dinner

We all got together for dinner at my sister's house today and after we stuffed ourselves we piled up on the couch for some photos and some laughs. My sisters always do Thanksgiving with their in-laws so we had our lil get together today instead. We had a great time so I thought I would share some pics.

Pictured above is Jack (my brother in-law), Val (my sister), Abby (my neice), Gracie (my neice), Jackie (my sister), Steffie, me, Jonathon (my nephew), Sandy (my Mom), Winston (my Mom's boyfriend).... Adrian was at work :(... and Todd (my sister's hubby) took the pic.

Princess Steffie

My Sister Jackie and Princess Jonathon

Gracie and Steffie

Me and Steffie

My Grandma and Nephew Josh

My Sisters.. Jackie, Valerie and me

The guys... Jack, Todd, Jonathon and Winston

Jonathon, Steffie, Mom and Gracie

Steffie and Gracie making funny faces

Jonathon, Gracie and Steffie jumping on the trampoline... it was all good till Gracie puked!
Rule of thumb... don't jump on a trampoline after stuffing yourself!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Thanksgiving Anniversary

Well Thanksgiving is over.... can you believe it.... and Christmas is officially here. We had a nice dinner at my Mom's house yesterday... just Adrian, Steffie, myself, my Mom and her boyfriend Winston. It was a small dinner but very yummy.... and we had a nice visit afterwards just talking and watching Steffie play.

Yesterday was also our 11th wedding anniversary. We were married on Thanksgiving day of 1998. We met online on Thanksgiving night of 1997 in the AOL Stevie Nicks chat room. It was a very magickal time that is very hard to explain... it was just one of those times when the universe works it's own magick to bring certain people together and brings about changes that were never forseen... or planned.... they just happen because they are meant to happen... the timing was right... and everything fell into place exactly as it was suposed to. Many wonderful people came into my life at that time... and it was a time I will never forget and never cease to see the magick in. Adrian lived 1800 miles away in Massachusetts... I of course lived in Georgia... I was in an abusive marriage of 12+ years.... and on the brink of divorce. I felt trapped with no way out until the magick started... things started happening that opened my prison door.... and showed me a way to free myself... and in the midst of the magick and my way to freedom Adrian just happened along as well. For the first time in years I felt hope and actually dared to believe in a better life for myself and my kids. So over the course of that year I divorced and moved to Massachusetts and got my own apartment and a job and started to make a new life. It was pretty scary and not exactly easy... but things did seem to fall right into place beautifully. We were married the following Thanksgiving night in a nice lil restaurant banquet room in front of a fireplace. We never had a honeymoon... and I had hoped that on our 10th anniversary we could do that for ourselves... but we still couldn't.... oh well... there's always the 20th right?! I don't even have any pics of my absolutely exquisite wedding gown or Adrian looking all handsome in his top hat and tails... the camera chose that day to tear up and no one else seems to have taken any either.... but OMG he did look handsome :)... the image is burned into my mind.

So occasionally our anniversary does fall right on Thanksgiving day... the other years we argue over when exactly our anniversary is... I say it is on Thanksgiving because we deliberately picked Thanksgiving for our wedding day... he says it on the 26th... whether it is Thanksgiving or not. I guess we are both right :)

So to my dear husband... Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Anniversary! And I do expect a honeymoon on our 20th!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving... I hope you all enjoy lots of food and family!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Wordless Wednesday - A Christmas Past...

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Win Bon Jovi Tickets!!!.... and Music Monday - I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas by Bon Jovi

Julie over at Momspective is giving away a pair of tickets to see Bon Jovi in concert. The tickets are for their show in Charlotte NC on April 22, 2010... which is great for me because if I win the tickets that will give me time to save up money for the trip. The last time we were in Charlotte was in 2001 to see Stevie Nicks on her Trouble in Shangrila tour and it was the absolute best night of my life because I had front row center seats.... I was at the feet of the Goddess for the entire night!.... can you imagine :). I'm not sure where the Bon Jovi seats are located but I'm sure it will be an awesome show! And at this point it's looking pretty good for me because I'm the only entry so far...lol... I'm sure that will change... but I would love to win these tickets.... Adrian would be thrilled too... we both love concerts and this would be a fabulous lil trip for us.

So hop on over and visit Julie and enter for you chance to win as well.

And since we're talking about Bon Jovi.... how about a lil Bon Jovi for Music Monday...

Recorded on my all time favorite Holiday CD A Very Special Christmas.... here is Bon Jovi performing I Wish Every Day Could Be Like Christmas....




Lyrics | Bon Jovi lyrics - I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas 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~

More Great Mistletoe Madness Giveaways!!!

Jennifer at J. Leigh Desingz and Dee a Two of a Kind have a couple more great giveaways going! This time from
Visit Jennifer for a chance to win the V.Smile Motion.... it's like the regular V.Smile but with more features. You can use the V.Link to go online and get more games and track what your child is learning.... plus it has a wireless controller... you can read more about it on Jennifer's blog and at V-Tech. We got Steffie the V-Smile for her birthday and she loves it... but I wish I had thought it through more and bought this one instead :)

Then visit Dee for a chance to win another great V-Tech toy.... the Jungle Gym: Ride & Learn Giraffe Bike. Isn't he a cute lil guy??? And what lil one wouldn't want to ride a giraffe???! Fun and educational.... V-Tech does both. I think lil Austie would love this guy!

So get a head start on your Holiday gifts and enter to win these fun and educational toys. It sure would come in handy around here to win so gifts!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Not Bad For A Saturday...

Today was a much better day and I got a lot accomplished... the laundry is done for one. And I got all my coupons clipped and filed alphabetically... there was ton of them. I sat Steffie down with me to clip out pictures of things she wants for Christmas from sales flyers and she had a great time and stayed busy with it for quite awhile. I told her we would glue them in a lil book and mail them to Santa so he'll know what she wants.

I've been doing some great grocery shopping and saving tons of money by using my coupons and some great lists from Sherri at Luv A Bargain and Southern Savers but I have found that where I live we just don't get all of the awesome coupons that other people get. I was using the lists to look up my coupons according to the date of the weekly inserts and about 50% of the time I don't have the coupons that are supposed to be there.... and sometimes I would find them in a different insert from a different week. So now that they are all alphabetical I should have an easier time finding them. It was a huge task and took several hours but it is done!... until tomorrow when the Sunday paper arrives with more...lol... but if I don't let them pile up and get them clipped and filed quickly it shouldn't take nearly as long.
Oh and you know what I filed them in??? A plastic baby wipe container! They fit great in there... it's just the right size to hold them with just enough extra space to keep my envelopes for each store that I shop at in the back. When I plan my shopping I print out a list for each store and put it in an envelope for that store along with the coupons I plan to use there. Of course I take my others along as well just in case an unexpected deal pops up. So I'm ready for payday and next week's grocery shopping... well... almost... I still need to get my lists together and put the coupons with them. But I'm off to a good start. I'll work on the lists tomorrow.

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Friday Frustrations

I am sooo frustrated that my 4 year old... who used to be a sweet lil girl who was cooperative and loved to learn and who pretty much obeyed when I told her to do something or not to do something... has become very stubborn and downright oppositional and has no interest in paying attention when I try to teach her anything. I tell her not to do something and she just flat out does it anyway... with me standing right there watching her and telling her she had better not and why. Or if I tell her to do something she just does not do it and then lies and says she did.

You know I have 3 grown children... and they were very difficult. They were all 3 born within 1 year... Sarah was 11 months old when the boys were born.... and they were all ADHD and Sarah is Bipolar as well. They were by no means whatsoever easy children to raise. For several years... their preteen and teen years... it was pretty scary around here... I was afraid they would kill each other or even me... seriously. I had to hide anything that could be used as a weapon... my kitchen knives were hidden in my bedroom closet... ball bats... golf clubs... any thing that could do serious damage was hidden. You should see the holes they put in my walls. Thankfully we all survived and I'm happy to say that they have all matured a lot and I no longer worry about the damage they might do to others.

When I got pregnant with Steffie I thought 'If I can survive that... this one should be a breeze... one child as opposed to 3... different genetics so no ADHD... plus the lessons I learned while parenting them.... right??? Well things aren't looking so great. I'm wondering if maybe Steffie is ADHD as well.... the child bounces off the walls all day... never stops talking... and has become pretty rude and demanding... and her attention span was longer when she was 2! I really wanted to homeschool her... I don't want her exposed to all of the bad attitudes and risky behaviour that goes on in public school... I don't want to wonder if my child is safe from violence and drugs and sexual behaviour everyday. I don't want to deal with the people who run our public school system and all of their judgemental attitudes and worrying about things that have nothing to do with whether my child is getting educated or not... like whether her shirt is tucked in... or has a collar on it... or what color her hair is... or how many piercings she might have (someday)..... or saying she has to go to school when she's sick because she can't miss too many days or their funding gets cut... or those pain in the ass fundraisers that kids have to do... and the hours and hours of homework she'll have to do after sitting in class all day already. I want better for her!

I want her to learn at her own pace in a way that is best for her learning style... I want her to be free to express herself in her appearance however she wants... I want her to feel safe and loved... and not have to worry about bullies... or doing what everyone else is doing just to be popular. I just want so much better for her as she grows up.

But now I'm questioning my own ability to teach her... she just refuses to pay attention when I try to teach her anything.... I know she's young... but she's 4... she's old enough to start learning to read and write.... she just will not sit still and listen even for a short time. She has known her alphabet since she was 2... and I mean really known it... not just singing the song... she knew each letter and a word that began with each one... she knows the phonics already... she can count to 100 with very little help... she knew her colors when she was 1... she can use the mouse and surf the web like no other 4 year old I've ever seen. But she refuses to write a B... just won't do it.... and it was she who asked to do her B writing lesson. It feels like she's toying with me... trying in any and every way to get under my skin. Aren't kids supposed to want to please their parents at this age? Don't the "I hate you"s come much later??? She told me the other day that she hates me... where did she learn that??? I know she doesn't hate me... but sometimes it sure feels like she's trying in every way possible to be downright mean to me. And then all of a sudden she's hugging me again and telling me she loves me and that I'm the best Mommy ever. She goes from downright brat to sweet as pie in a split second.

Am I expecting too much? Can I homeschool this child and still keep my sanity? Will her defiance get better as she turns 5? Will I cave and send her to school next year? I dunno...

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Making Progress...

I made some progress today on the decorating... got the front windows cleaned.... this only happens once a year.... right before I put the tree up.... and OMG they were sooo dirty.... the outsides could use a good cleaning as well. I took them apart and cleaned the insides.... and both sides of the storm windows. Vacuumed down cobwebs that I had deliberately left up for Halloween.... lol... great natural decor.... and vacuumed the dust off the curtains. I took down the blinds that are broken and replace the ripped lace sheer..... and put up the icicle lights and single candle in each of the three front windows.... well that is minus one string of lights in one window... I can't find that third string... I know it's here somewhere.

So I started upacking some boxes looking for the missing string of lights.... I had no intention of actually taking the stuff out and putting it up but I did anyways... how else was I supposed to see if those lights were in the bottom of the boxes???.... and while I had it out I figured I may as well put it where I normally do right??? So "the stockings are hung by the chimney with care"... and the mantle is decorated and lit with garland... as well as the entertainment center... the Yule log is on the hearth..... and various other trinkets are sitting about..... and I still haven't found that string of lights! I have several more boxes to go.... but come to think of it... I probably put those lights in the box with the tree.... because I have to put those up in the windows before I put the tree up.... otherwise I can't get to the windows to do it.

So the house is beginning to look festive... Steffie is excited... she decorated her lil pink Barbie tree... and watched Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.... and she can't wait to get the tree up.

Oh and that tree up there at the top.... that's our tree from last year.... this years will look the same... providing the lights work and I don't get frustrated and pitch it to the trash after dealing with them for hours and trying to get the broken branches to at least look attached.... I really need a new tree.... but this one will hopefully make it through one more year... I've been saying that for 3 years now!

Now I'm off to check out what Black Friday may have to offer... that is providing I have some money to shop with when it rolls around.... and a babysitter.

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

When Do You Deck The Halls?

Have you started decorating for Christmas yet? When do you usually start?

I used to have my own lil tradition of decorating... on Thanksgiving night I would always put up my tree and the rest of the decorating would follow. I decorated every room in the house.... including the bathroom and the outside as well. Then I would spend New Years Day taking it all down and packing it up.... leaving the house looking naked.

Then for some reason as the years passed I started getting in a festive mood really early.... as soon as my Halloween decorations came down the first week of November I started decorating for Christmas..... maybe because I had 3 lil ones and I wanted to stretch out the festivities for them as long as possible.... maybe because I just loved the way the house looked with all of the lights and red and green and jolly hohoho.

I don't know exactly when it changed... but in the last several years it's been hard for me to get in the mood. Our house burned in January of 2000 and I lost all of my decorations that I had amassed over many years.... it's still kinda sad to me... those decorations held a lot of Holiday memories.... but that's not why it's hard either. I have built up quite a new collection... nothing like what I had before.... but enough to decorate nicely. The bathroom doesn't get decorated anymore.... but maybe someday... and I don't have any outside decorations anymore either... but the living room and kitchen... where we spend most of out time have plenty. This year feels really hard... it just doesn't seem like it should be time yet for the Holidays to be upon us.... I'm not sure why. But I'm forcing myself to do this... I finally got all of the Halloween boxes put away... and we pulled out the Christmas boxes.... we've started getting the furniture moved around so the tree can go in the window. I'm hoping that when I get the house decorated it will start to feel more like Christmas is near. Steffie is excited.... and wanted to put the tree up today... but I'm trying to put it off a few more days.... I'm just not quite ready yet... but I'm pushing myself to do it. It will probably be up in the next few days.

Now let's just hope the lights on the tree work!

Have you started yet? Do you have any decorating traditions? Does it feel like the Holiday season to you?

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Wordless Wednesday - A Strawberry Girl...

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Win A HP TouchSmart 600 Computer!

Starting next Monday, November 23rd-- Jolly Mom will be giving away an HP TouchSmart 600 Computer .... Retail value of $1,497! You all know how I've said I'm worried about my 7 year old computer not holding up much longer.... so it would be soooo awesome to win this baby. This is a computer I could never afford to buy... if and when I buy a new one it would be a cheapy..... so winning this computer would be an amazing dream come true for me.... probably for you all too. So hop on over there and read all of the details and get some extra chances to win now before the giveaway even starts.

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Music Monday - No Spoken Word by Stevie Nicks

This song is from The Rock A Little Album and has been a long time favorite of mine. Though it's never been released as a single.... I'm not one to just like the popular songs... I have many favorites that are treasures that only a fan who listens to the entire album might find... this song is one of those.... the lyrics are so intense... they just really hit a place in my heart that can bring tears flowing down my face...

This video is from the Live at Red Rocks DVD... not the best time in Stevie's career.... but she bounced back and survived her addictions and is a much stronger lady for it today.

And I would like to dedicate this song to Wendy.... my friend and fellow Stevie fan who is leaving my bloggy lil world... I will miss your blog... but I hope we stay in touch.... so "rock a little" my friend.... "you fill the room with wind and the rain and the water..."




Lyrics | Stevie Nicks lyrics - No Spoken Word 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!



Be sure to visit The Nicks Fix for more more Stevie!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Great Mistletoe Madness Giveaways!!!

Jennifer at J. Leigh Designz and Dee at Two of a Kind have some great giveaways right now so I wanted to tell you about a few.

Visit Jennifer at J. Leigh Designz to enter her giveaway for this amazing Blog Makeover Package from Starlite Web Designs . Now you know I tried to win a blog makeover recently and I didn't win :( ......so I'm trying again and hoping to win.... this would be a great Christmas gift to me! Or you could buy a new blog makeover for the Blogger that you love... the prices here are fantastic! The giveaway package is huge so I won't list what it includes here but Jennifer has the list on her blog and you will be amazed!

Then hop on over to visit Dee at Two of a Kind and enter her Giveaway to win these awesome products from Seagate....... The FreeAgent Go 500GB Portable Drive *and* The FreeAgent DockStar™ network adapter makes it where you can easily access and share your digital content with anyone from anywhere. You can connect to your files no matter where you are. How is that for a great Christmas gift??? I know I really need this with my computer issues and all.



And for Lil Steffers.... this awesome Play-Doh Burger Builder! She just loves Play-Doh and she already has the Ice Cream Shoppe ... so this would be fun... we could play restaurant and cook Play-Doh meals for her dolls. You can win this on J. Leigh Designz as well as Two of a Kind.... so that's 2 chances at this one.... and just in time for Christmas!.... Santa needs all the help he can get!
If I don't win I hope you do!!!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~