The Cupcake Princess is home!

My sweet girl is home for the holidays! Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday with those you love.

~Allie

I LOVE these candles!

Remember me telling you about my friend, Patricia? She owns her own company called Agape & Zoe Naturals. About two weeks ago, she made a batch of her wonderful, soy candles.

They are 22-ounce phthalate-free. These candles are made with :

-phthalate-free oils

-cotton, lead-free wicks that burn clean with no black soot

-a glass container that can be re-used again and again

She made them in 5 fantastic scents......

-White Spice (seasonal)

-Chestnuts & Brown Sugar (seasonal)

-Clean Linen

-Wild Fig

-White Magnolia

I bought the Chestnuts & Brown Sugar for me. It smells like delicious cookies. Then I bought the Holiday Spice for my best friend. But after smelling the Holiday Spice in my office for two days (it was never lit...the oils just fill the room), I bought a Holiday Spice for me, too. There's an underlying orange scent in it.....I LOVE it!!!

These are GREAT gifts!!! You can order the candles from Patricia's website and she'll ship around the world. If you decide to get one, you will NOT be disappointed. I was invited to one of those home parties where they sell all different kinds of candles about a month ago. If you look at their prices and what you get, Agape & Zoe Naturals is a far better value......plus, they're all natural. No soot.....they burn clean and have a wonderful aroma that doesn't fade. This will be the only place I'll buy my candles from now on.

Happy Tuesday!

~Allie

Answer

This is why I never seem to have time to clean my house, do my laundry, put up Christmas decorations, go to the grocery store, beautify my yard........and it's ok......making a difference, one child at a time. I am not Superwoman, but I CAN be Fancy Nancy!

~Allie

Question

I'm seeing many of my friends posting on Facebook saying they've got their tree up, the lights and decorations on, and the house is twinkling with holiday cheer. I haven't gotten to any of that yet. In fact, I have purchased one present and it was bought on line. I haven't been in a mall since the summer. Why can't I find time to have my house all decorated for the holidays like everyone else? All week my time is spent at school and then home to take on my other job as wife and mother. On the weekend, I try to get my weekly chores done, grandma's groceries and medicine picked up, grandma's weekly to-do list done, etc. Hmmmm............time to re-evaluate my schedule.

How do you get it all done?

~Allie

Blessings and Thankfulness

Finally......a moment to breathe, to reflect, to rest, to regroup. As a second year Assistant Principal, the roller coaster ride hasn't slowed down. No time for creative moments and reflective thinking. But Thanksgiving has brought me 5 days to do just that. And so......I head to the lake in Central Texas. Time with family. Enjoying the big, Texas sky. Watching the sun sparkle on the lake. Who needs a spa retreat when you can just go home?

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving full of blessings for peace and prosperity in the holiday months to come.

~Allison

Meet my friend, Patricia!

Since I transferred to a new school with my new position a year or so ago, I've made many new friends. However, you've just got to meet Patricia. She's been teaching over 10 years now, but she started her own small business on the side and I'm just so impressed with her products.

Agape & Zoe Naturals was founded when the owner/founder, Patricia Malemes, realized there were no natural perfumes or scents that pleased her and none that created and evoked the kind of emotion and feelings that her old perfumes did. Ahhh...toxic memories...She had thrown her designer perfumes out months earlier and was now in need of a natural, safe, non-toxic, but most importantly "phthalate-free" perfume. Inspiration struck and today Agape & Zoe Naturals has six pleasing scents, sure to inspire and delight the senses.

While I'm not a tree-hugging, all-natural kind of gal, I must say that the longer I know Patricia, the more she turns me on to wonderful, all-natural products. What I love the most about Patricia, is that if she can't find the product on the market at a reasonable price, she starts working on developing her own product at a much better price. I bought her Sampler Set of 5 rollerballs it was only $22!! Each rollerball secent is only $5! Great Gifts!!!!!
She also sells her fragrances in 2 oz. spray bottles for $20. The coolest thing about these liquid parfumes is that they have only TWO INGREDIENTS......100% organic, grain alcohol and essential oils and plant extracts. The fragrance lasts all day, too!

And now..........I just found out that she has put together a line of solid perfumes with her signature fragrances! These are made with only THREE INGREDIENTS .....organic beeswax, organic almond oil, and 100% essential oils and she's selling them for $15 a piece. The only problem is that I can't decide what fragrance to purchase.

Today, Green is the fragrance I wanted to wear. While I don't really like cucumber types of fragrances, Green has a fresh and clean scent. It has the cool, crispness of cucumber with an energizing touch of mint and the sweet tartness of mandarin orange.
But there are other days when Faith is my favorite fragrance. It has the sweet scent of Vanilla and a little tang of grapefruit. Sounds odd, but smells GREAT!! Her other fragrances have equally transcendental names such as Botanica, Peace, and Pure Innocence. Check out her website and you can find her on Facebook, too. Sometimes she has specials and giveaways on her Facebook page. You can order product off of her website and she'll ship it to you. If you visit Agape and Zoe Naturals and try her product, let me know what you think. I think you'll be pleasantly pleased!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

~Allie

Perception and Thankfulness

Is the glass half full or half empty?

It all has to do with perception.

I'm learning that how I look at things can make a big difference in my level of happiness. Does that mean that I'm aging? Like a fine wine, I hope!!

I'm thankful I have to pay taxes.

It means I have a job.

I'm thankful I have to get up at 5:45 am Monday through Friday.

It means I have a job and can provide insurance for my family.

I'm thankful I have to fight my grey hair and color it every 6 weeks.

It means my hair isn't falling out.

I'm thankful I have to worry about my bank account.

It means that my daughter is going to college and continuing her education.

I'm thankful for my over $300 electricity bill in August.

It means we were able to stay cool during the weeks of 100+ degree weather in Texas.

I'm thankful for the mounds of laundry I have to do each week.

It means I have plenty of choices to clothe myself.

I'm thankful for muddy paw prints in my house on a rainy day.

It means I have my sweet scottie, Pippen, to make me smile every day.

Is a dandelion a weed or a flower? It's all in your perception.

Finding time to quiet my mind and center my thoughts this week was priceless. Even if the only quiet time is driving home from work, it's made a difference in how I get through some pretty stressful days. I've already had to suspend a second grader and we've only been in school for 4 weeks. The long hours aren't helping either. Just have to put it into the proper perspective.......half full? half empty?
~Allie

23 years ago today..........

I married my soul mate, my one true love. Happy Anniversary, Patrick. Here's to many more wonderful years together.

Hopefully we'll be as blessed as my mom and dad who've been together for more than 50 years.

I love this picture of me and my dad. That penny in my shoe has brought us good luck so far!

I love you, Patrick.

~Allison

Things that make me smile............

No school for 3 days......time to play on the computer!

Hope you're enjoying your Labor Day weekend, too!

~Allie

Question..........

How does one go about living a creative life in the chaos of every day life?
~Allie

And it starts again....................

The beginning of another school year starts tomorrow. We had Howdy Night this past Friday night, cooking hot dog dinners for everyone who joined PTA (even though it was over 100 degrees!), teachers meeting their students, school supplies being purchased and brought to the classroom, laughing, and just trying to enjoy the fact that school starts on Monday. I feel just like one of the kids.....have my first day of school outfit picked out, ironed, and hanging on the back of the closet door. Hopefully I'll sleep tonight! Do you remember those back-to-school jitters?

~Allie

(and no.....that's not me in the dancing dolphin get-up. It's one of my teachers who has more energy than the energizer bunny!!!)

The tastes of summer..........

It may be the 3rd week for me to be back at school, but I can still drift off into "memory land" and taste all of the flavors of our New Orleans summer vacation...........

Boiled crawfish and shrimp.
The best shrimp po-boys ever!

A bowl of gumbo. The roux is the perfect carmel brown color.

Don't forget the hot sauce, cher!!

And a little piece of fudge to end the day!

It don't get any betta' than this, y'all!!

~Allie

The Dog Days of Summer

Summer in Texas is always HOT! This year is no exception with 100+ degrees hitting the thermometer every day. And poor Prince Pippen just loves being outside, even with all that fur!

While at my parents house at the lake, we are outside alot and Pippen kept trying to "swim" in his water bowl. We didn't have a doggie pool for him so the next closest thing we could find for him was a roasting pan. He LOVED it!!

He became our summer "roasting turkey". He was SO happy with his "pool" that on a a return visit this summer, he knew exactly what to do when he got hot. Momma's got to buy him a swimming pool next year.

You just gotta love him!!

~Allie

Summer Vacation

We took a week off and headed to the Big Easy for a week of vacation and fun. I took a ton of pictures and have all kinds of ideas for posts on my blog but am struggling to get the time and the creative muse to be happening at the same time. One day at a time, right?

Gators are so ugly that they can be cute, no? This charming little man just looked liked he was in need of a hug from another sweaty tourist.

And chocolate gators are so tasty. With 3 styles of chocolates to choose from, what's a girl to do? Why.....try all 3 of course! Visions of the my favorite movie, Chocolat, came to mind.

What a fantastic way to earn a living......being creative with the delicious flavors of chocolate. Mmmmmm!

Gotta run take care of every day life expectations, but have so much more to share. Back soon!

~Allie

Sisters in the Bloggerette Sorority and more..........

So this past year, I've been WAY too busy with my new position as an Assistant Principal at an elementary school. Too busy that I don't think I took care of myself either physically or spiritually. In February, I came down with what they thought was a bad case of bronchitis, but as I am just now getting rid of the last of whatever it was (now they think it might have been Whooping Cough!), I am beginning to think that I let my body down by not being at it's full strength to fight off whatever it was I had. Stress, no exercise, no sunshine on my body, and not a lot of sleep, I'm sure, lowered my defenses.

That's the physical part, but there's also a spiritual part, a part that I never really paid much attention to until recently. The part of you that needs some quiet meditation, some time for silence and deep thought, some time to let the creative side of you rise to the surface. This past year I did nothing but work, eat, and sleep.......oh, and clean the house, do the laundry, get the groceries for my mother-in-law (whenever she wasn't in the hospital with heart issues and then a broken hip from falling.....that's another story all-together!), and take care of my other job of being wife and mom (not that the mom job was constant since my one and only went to college for her first year and did "swimmingly".......that's another post, too!).

Anyway, back to the Sisters In The Bloggerette Sorority..............Karen, over at Some Days Are Diamonds , has started a wonderful group that anyone can join. Realizing that I haven't done much at all this past year on my blog but use it as a lame attempt at journaling, I think that this is a fantastic idea and it has ignited my creative spirit to try to take my blog up a notch, meet more people, not only be inspired by others but try to be an inspiration as well. Not being one who usually joins things too quickly, thinking that I don't have what it takes to be a part of some things, I'm going to step out of my comfort zone and give it a try!

Since I began my blog, I have developed some new friendships with some wonderful people. People like Alisa from Life Is A Beautiful Place To Be, who actually lives about 30 minutes away from me. Not only is she a creator of beautiful things, she is warm, friendly and helpful. She gave me a quick tutorial on how to make links on my blog site through an email! Alisa is a wonderful photographer and has a talent for needlework which has inspired me to give it a try this summer. And then there's Merisi from Merisi's Vienna For Beginners, who lives in Vienna, Austria, a VERY special place for my husband and me (that's ANOTHER post for later!). She is the most FANTASTIC photographer I've ever seen!! Everyday her blog is a little photo essay of her excursions around her town of Vienna. Her speciality seems to be photos of coffee and coffee houses, but there are plenty of photos from all over town to the country side all the way to Venice, where she visits regularly. I call her the Queen of Roses because she takes the most BEAUTIFUL photos of roses almost all year round. The rose photo in this post is one of hers. And then there's the beautiful Constance of Rochambeau. When I "met" her through her blog a few years ago, she was living on the East Coast. She has since moved to East Texas to be near her mother. She is probably one of the most artistic and loving souls I have ever met! ONE OF THESE DAYS, I'm going to drive over to her town and have lunch with her!!! I have trouble choosing the right words to describe her blog site. Constance is an intelectual, romantic, joyous, TRUE creative spririt. Just know that I go there every day to just escape, get centered for a moment, and enjoy the beauty that she shares. She throws the best parties and always shares her photos and memories. She's also a FABULOUS seamstress! The handbags, the jackets, the dolls she makes........oh my! These dolls are called Floralinas and they are one of a kind works of art! There's so much more I could add, but that might make for an additional post as well.

There are many more people who have touched my life through blogging. I guess I should save that for another post, too. :D So.......to wrap up this rambling of a post, I've joined the Sisters in the Bloggerette Sorority. Check it out. Join us. Maybe it's something that you might be interested in, too. I'm looking forward to stretching my horizons, enjoying the camaraderie of like-minded souls, and trying to take part in some of the events instead of sitting back on the "side lines" and watching. This next school year is going to be different. I plan to nourish my body, my soul, and my creative spirit that has been buried deep for a while.

If you made it all the way to here, thank you for sticking with my ramblings. Being on vacation has allowed me to slow down and reflect. Wishing you quiet moments for reflection........it's good for your soul.

~Allie

Lunch Date Fun

This handsome, little man was my lunch date today! He's the 9 month old son of one of my former team mates. She left teaching to have this sweet, little man and today we met up for lunch with our dear friend, Kelsey. What a great time we had catching up. But I must admit, I was so enamored with little Caden. He is a charming, happy little boy. Good times with old friends. I should do that more often. Hope you take the time to catch up with some of your dear friends, too. You won't be sorry.

~Allie

Any man can be a father.........

But it takes someone special to be a Dad!

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband. While raising a daughter is a completely new and foreign experience for him, he is a wonderful father to our daughter. Armed with a sense of humor and a desire to always have fun, he has survived the terrible two's and the terrible teen's. His relationship with our daughter is a wonderful thing to see.

And my Dad, well......words can't describe the love I have for him. The opening sentence to this post suits our relationship to a "T". I was adopted when I was just 6 days old. Watching home movies last weekend, I realized how special mom and dad thought I was. And today, I know they feel the same way. I love my father as the stars - he's a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart.

Happy Father's Day to my husband and my dad. I love you both so much.

~Allie