Easy Peasy Inexpenssive DIY Holiday Ornaments

Aaah the Holidays.  A time for family, joy, happiness, feasting, stress, running haggard, endless shopping, the list goes on and on.

This year save yourself some time and money with these easy peasy and inexpensive DIY Holiday Ornaments.

Trimmings on a tree can get quite costly, so here's a few inexpensive ornaments you can make yourself, or with the kids.  Save the money and share a special memory in the making.

Click on the links to be directed to a homepage with full DIY instructions.

Got a burnt out lightbulb and not sure what to do with it?  Now you can keep it and reuse it for an ornament.

Reindeer Lightbulb Ornament

*Living A Better Life*

Parental assistance required!

Paper Bauble

*Homemade Gifts Made Easy*

Some parental assistance required.

Salt Dough Decorations

*Homemade Gift Ideas*

I remember making these as a child, I always want to eat them :)

Salt dough, very pliable but yucky tasting.

Ribbon Candy Garland

*The Mother Huddle*

Simply ingenius!

Pinecone Decadance

This one is more or less self explanatory.  I don't have a link for this pretty ornament, but it would look great on your tree wrapped in fancy ribbon.

Buttons Galore

Again this is pretty self explanatory.  Use wire to weave in and out of buttons, twist into a hoop at the top and garnish with a ribbon bow.

 Felt Gingerbread Ornaments

*How About Orange*

These are too cute and easy to make.  Click the link for the design.

Remember, the Holidays are about you and your family.  Start some traditions today and watch them bloom into a yearly event done by you and the next generation and the one after that and so on.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to have a wonderful Christmas, when you're with your family, you're already blessed with the best gift.

What traditions do you have?

XoXo,

Zxen

My Phone Ate My Brain

Follow me on twitter...follow me on youtube.....follow me on blogger......
It's a social network era.

A few months back I finally gave in and bought myself a new touch phone, unfortunately much to my own dismay it wasn't an Iphone. *insert cry here*
Actually I'm quite happy with the phone I got.  It's a Sony Ericsson Experia, it's a touch phone that has a lot of cool gadgets.  The only thing that recently has been really frustrating to me is how sensitive the touch screen is.

Let's face it, having phones has made it easier for us to keep up with our social life when we're not bound to the computers at our desk during work and I'm no exception.  I twitter everywhere!!  At my boys swim practice, at the gym, during my grocery shopping and even in the bathtub.  Yes, the bathtub!  I'm horribly addicted and I couldn't be happier.
The only problem I have is that lately my phone has been deleting people from my twitter list.  So if I used to follow you and suddenly I'm not, it's because my volatile phone has somehow deleted you and by the time I log onto my actual computer at home my followers list is shortened and my follow list is even less than that.
My humble apologies!!
I like to pride myself in who I follow and I follow you for a reason.  Usually I choose witty, kind, decent people to follow that I can relate to and having my phone delete you really aggravates me!  I'm working on getting the problem fixed so bare with me.
At first I took it personally that the ones who I accidentally unfollowed, unfollowed me as well, but I guess an eye for an eye and all that.  Now I realize that I'm only human and I er on a constant level with or without meaning to.
On another note, thank you to everyone who understands and for sticking with me.  If you know me, one thing you'll realize rather quickly is that me and technology have a love/hate relationship, always have and probably always will!

Bare with me,
XoXo,
Zxen

I Recieved a Blog Award

I recieved my first Blog award and I cannot tell you happy that makes me,

not because I recieved something, but the meaning behind it.

Thank You Alicia!

A fellow Bc'er, a gorgeous mom of three and a blogger.  What more could you ask for?

Check her out!  You won't be sorry.

Liquored on Lacquer

This award has some rules:

Thank and link back to the person who sent it to you.

Share seven things about yourself.

Pass it along to seven blogs you've recently discovered and enjoyed.

Here goes:

1.  My full name is Oana Adriana but I go by Adriana because people always mispell or miss pronounce my name, secretly I wish everybody would call me Oana though.

2.  I grew up in a broken home but I'm damn proud of it all because it made me who I am today!

3.  I want to travel the world!  Egypt is number one on my list and someday when I can afford it I will go there!

4.  I fantasize about my husband at work all day pretty much everyday because I'm a hopeless romantic and by the time I get home I'm so turned on I jump his bones! (blush)

5.  I miss my family and friends more than I care to admit.  Having moved out to BC is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

6.  I want more kids, but sadly it just isn't in the cards for us.

7.  I love to creep other peoples blogs and pictures, twitter feeds, facebook pages because it keeps me motivated to be who I am, inspired to try new things and I just plain love to socialize and make new friends :)

Thank You Alicia!  I have an award!  :)

XoXo,

Zxen

Hmmm or Hmph!

Today was one of my day's off and normally I spend it getting all caught up with laundry, chores, groceries, the usual that us females somehow can't escape. 
Much to my surprise the hubby offered to come shopping with me, imagine that, but we all know that despite our happiness to have someone accompany us we always do better by ourselves.  No insult meant hunny just let me break it down in terms that men can understand.
When we shop by ourselves, we like to wander, near or far, to whatever rack we deem worthy of our attention.  When you shop with us, we can't help but notice the exasperated look on your face, the impatient foot tapping or the long drawn out sigh because you can't possibly comprehend that even though two racks look the same, believe us, they're very much different.

Walmart was my destination stop today because I haven't been in a long looong time.  Shame on me.
Anyway, as you can guess, I checked out all the latest fashion in the store and I have to say I was severely let down.  You be the judge though.  Naturally I have to look in the plus size section because it's not very often that I can squeeze my excessively plump rump in their 2-14 regular sizes, ever notice that they're barely big enough to fit on your arm?  I mean seriously.  Sheesh!

George is a great name brand of clothes and I adore their styles, I just wish I could find more of it in my size.  It's not much to ask for, right?
Below are some images of the plus style fashion Walmart carries.  Some of them are gorgeous and I could think of a perfect outfit, but the rest leaves me thinking what the hell was whoever put this together thinking?

Here we go!  Pry your hands from your eyes and let's go through them together.

I don't think I need to say what's wrong with this top do I?  I like Jersey Shore too but I would never buy this shirt!!  Would you?

This sweater isn't bad.  I really like the popping color and pink seems to be huge this year, or at least it does for the plus size woman in Walmart.  I like the cut but I don't like the fact that the zipper only goes down the one side without wrapping all the way around, it gives it an odd angle.  I'm also not sure that zippers and knit fabrics should go hand in hand.

I like this cut much better than the one above.  I think this will flatter the figure more, plus the fact that you can unzip the sleeves and show a bit of skin adds a sexy factor in the mix.  You want to show a little but not too much, leave something to the imagination and it will draw them back for more.

If I wanted a candy cane I'd buy one, but it does have a certain country flare to it.  Slap it over a pair of washed out jeans with some cute cowboy boots, a big buckled belt and you're ready to rock the look.

This is supposed to be a dress shirt and I realize the picture doesn't do it justice but I wanted to show the washed out color.  It wouldn't be my first choice.  I don't want to blend with the background, I want to stand out and be noticed, but I guess with the right pair of pants and accessories it may have potential.  What do you think?

 Bahahahaha.  Two words for you.  Paul Bunyan.  I mean seriously, how is this even flattering on a woman?

I think his big blue Ox is somewhere nearby.

If the collar and sleeves had some white cotton swab like trim like on a bomber jacket, then I'd be all over this, but as it is not likely!

This can be very cute for a fresh spring or summer look.  Loop a scarf around your neck, throw on a pair of skinny jeans and accessorize accordingly.

Notice the hot pink again?  I don't know about you but my eyes are starting to hurt from looking at this too much and what's with the face?  I admit this might classify as a rocker typish look but take a good look at where the face is placed, more specifically where the eyes are placed.  Do we really want to walk around with a pair of eyes on our boobs all day, literally?  Unless they're on the head of a gorgeous man, I don't!

This isn't too bad, I thought it was kind of cute, though short, and we all know what's going to happen after the first wash.  Suddenly it won't be a shirt anymore but a belly top.  Ugh!

I adore this top!  It has enough charm to dress it up or down.  A nice pair of dress pants, some heels, a pearl necklace and pearl stud earings, a klutch and a decent jacket and you're good to go for an office meeting.  Replace the jacket with a decent cardigan and you've dressed it down for a casual dinner date.

What outfits do you see with this shirt in mind?

This top is pretty too.  I like that it comes with the scarf but I'm not sure it should be attached to the shirt.  I can foresee it getting caught in the washing machine.

 I just realized how terribly my camera phone sucks!  Sorry for the horrible pictures.

This is a really cute top that I kick myself in the butt for not having purchased.  It has a hoody!!

This is grey with silver stripes, again the picture quality is crap, but this top has a certain appeal.  It caught my eye.

I like this one too.  In the creases up by the sleeves there's a few sequins sewn in to give it a bit of jazz.

I think this sweater would shrink after the first wash but it's cutesy.

Hehehe...yes I like this also.  I would wear it with jeans or dress pants or heck, even a skirt.  A pair of heels and a nice top underneath will do it wonders.

And there you have it.  This is what's available for the plus sized woman at Walmart.  What say you?  Were they hits or misses?

I know that I said I was severely disappointed and then there's so many tops that I actually liked, but when you factor in the rest of the clothing department there's only about six tops that I would have chosen, or more appropriately, that I had to choose from.

Hmmm...or Hmph?


XoXo,
Zxen

Sex You Up

Sex-y

[sek-see]

-adjective, sex.i.er, sex.i.est

1. concerned predominantly  or excessively with sex, risque: a sexy novel.

2. sexually interesting or exciting; radiating sexuality: the sexiest professor on campus.

3. excitingly appealing; glamorous; a sexy new car.

Related Forms

sex.i.ly, adverb

sex.i.ness, noun

un.sex.y, adjective

I know some of you are wondering what on earth this post is going to be about, that is if anybody even reads it.  And I know that even more of you may associate "sexy" with pictures of scantily clad men, sorry to disappoint you, but you will find no such pictures in this post.

My sixth year wedding anniversary passed this year and although I'm very fortunate to have literally found the man of my dreams, I'm sad to report that a lot of my friends (and a lot of people period) are walking the opposite way from each other.

We live in an age where divorce is as common as walking the kids to school.  When I was younger the "D" word was hushed and adults beat around the bush but now the bomb is dropped so matter of factly it has my head spinning.

Whatever happened to working things out?  Whatever happened to "in sickness and in health" or "through the good times and the bad?"  It seems to me that we live in such a fast paced era that people would rather just plow right through their emotions rather than stop and deal with them.  Now I'm not saying that any two cases are alike and by no means can I compare my life to that of anybody else, but with divorce rates skyrocketing like they are and so many single families in the world, my head is literally reeling.

It's expected, scratch that, it should be expected that marriage is hard!  Being married is one of the hardest things you'll ever have to do, in your life!  Gone is your freedom, and I mean that in the most nicest possible way, but let's face it, when you're married it's not like you can just pick and go out when you want or where you want.  There's not just you to consider, there's also your significant other.  On the other hand, you trade freedom for companionship.  You now have someone to go out with (whether you want to or not, lol) and they're at your disposal 99.9% of the time.

Fights are to be expected also.  Being the two completely different individuals that you are, you both have different tastes whether in music, food, decorating.  Different ideas about how the kids should be raised, or where to put your mother's vase that she got for you on her trip to Europe.  Perhaps something was said that the other didn't like?  Or maybe someone insinuated that your favorite sweater with the pom poms and hoody didn't look as good on you as you thought it did.  The point is that it's next to impossible to please one another all of the damn time.  You are going to fight and you are going to argue.  How boring would we all be if we all got along?  We'd be plastic mannequins with no brain capacity and I don't know about you but sometimes I like to argue just to remind myself I'm human.  The difference is knowing when to say you're sorry.  Sorry?  Why is it so hard to mutter that word?  It's almost like once we say it we strip ourselves of an outer shell we've convinced ourselves proves our perfection.  I'll be the first to admit that I am not perfect, and I make mistakes but I make myself accountable for my words and my actions.

Be open about your expectations.  Kids, no kids?  Vacation home in South Hampton?  Ferrari or Pontiac Montana?  Sometimes going into a marriage we have high expectations.  Who doesn't want a house with a white picket fence, two kids playing on the front lawn with a dog chasing after them?  A lot of time couples don't discuss their future expectations and after the wedding is done and over and they start their married routine they are sadly disappointed.  Let's be honest, we all want to live the golden dream.  A good job that pays well, vacations, a home, family, cars, the list can go on and on but who's to say that your significant other wants the same things as you?

Basically it all boils down to communication.  With so much social media gadgets available at our fingertips it has now become easier to send a quick text than make a phone call.  I'm 100% guilty of this myself most of the time but personally I find e-mails, or facebook, texting, Live accounts and even chat programs being miss used and abused because people are braver typing things and hitting send, rather than speaking to someone face to face.  Social media is not a place to air your dirty laundry to the public, it's impersonal and it causes nothing but drama.

I've been through hardships in my marriage, boy have I ever!  Bad enough that we split and I really evaluated what my marriage was worth.  The thing is though, even if you split for a while, don't be pushed around by family and friends to leave the marriage, ultimately it's you who needs to decide what the marriage means to you and this is something that I don't think a lot of people realize.  Family and friends are quick to judge because they love you and want to make you feel better and take your hurt away, but really take the time and listen to yourself.
And even if you decide to get back together there's gonna be hurt, don't be pushed into forgiveness before you're ready.  The last thing you want is to harbor that ill feeling of what happened into your future and have it potentially ruin what could have been a beautiful future together.

Marriage is scary.  Marriage is work.  Marriage is joy.  Marriage is frustration.  Marriage is a unity, there is no me me me, but only us and we.  Marriage is having your best friend to sleep and wake beside.
There is worth in your vows.  Mean the words you say.  Together you can become stronger but you have to fight for it.

Fight!  Take it to the mattresses!
Don't become another statistic.  Sometimes it only takes one person to believe in you and the most important person should be you!

Commitment is sexy!  Looks come and go.

Much Love,
Zxen

Holiday Humor

A little bit of Holiday Humor to keep your spirits bright!

XoXo,

Zxen

OOTD

My first Outfit of The Day. 
I've been wanting to do a few fashion posts for quite a while but to be truthful I never had the guts to do it.  I read so many blogs and I see all these stylish fashionista's who are no bigger than my little pinky and it would get me discouraged.  I'm trying not to use body image as an issue for not living my life but as a bigger woman it's very frustrating to know that companies don't make the same clothes I see in fashion mags, for people my size, to which I say Shame on them!  I LOVE fashion too!
Anyway, my point was not to be upset or get into another fit of unfairness by the department stores but to show you how I dressed up a pair of everyday jeans.  By dressed up I mean rather than have a sweater and jeans look, I threw on a white handmade crochet top over a tank top and paired it with some cute Payless Bow flats that add a touch of flirtiness.  To finish my look I cinched the tops together with a Torrid black belt just below my breastbone.  Because of my pear body shape, adding a belt below the breastbone will elongate my figure and draw attention away from my hips and thighs.

Makeup I kept minimal, but it can always be dressed up later throughout the night.

Hope you enjoyed!

XoXo,
Zxen

Christmas Giveaway

I've been working on this giveaway for quite some time now and I know it may not seem like much but I've been buying a few things here and there as I saw fit for this giveaway.
You will find a little bit of everything in this goody basket and once the winner is randomly picked I will wrap it up for the season  :)  Good enough to keep for yourself or good enough to give to your mom, sister aunt or cousin.
You will find an array of makeup, bracelets, nail polishes, eyelash curler, Lush bath bomb, a pair of sunglasses and so much more, but let me stop rambling and just show you.

This is my way of saying thank you to all my loyal followers.
God Bless!

Entry Requirements:

Be a follower of this blog

Be sure to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you've won!

To up your chances with extra entries you can:

• Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link
• Follow @Zxenarea on Twitter and Re-Tweet this giveaway
• Get a friend to follow this blog and leave me their name and a link to their website
• Comment on every post on this blog from now until the end of the giveaway (and in the future if you want)

Leave separate comments below letting me know which of these entries you have chosen so I can confirm them! 

Example:  
Comment 1: Zxenarea I blogged about this giveaway @(yourwebsite)...(nugget_092@hotmail.com)
Comment 2: Zxenarea...I am a follower on Twitter and I re-tweeted this giveaway...@(yourlink)...(nugget_092@hotmail.com)

Comment 3: Zxenarea my friend (your friend) is now following your blog...(their link)...(nugget_092@hotmail.com)

Contest Closes December 19th 2010 at 8pm Pacific Time and is open internationally

 I will try my hardest to get it to you by Christmas but there are no gaurantees!

Contest Is Now Closed!!