God Bless Ozzy Osbourne

So most of you don't know, but I am a HUGE Osbourne fan (not just Ozzy, but I LOVE Sharon too). So for Christmas, I bought my husband God Bless Ozzy Osbourne -- the new bio by his son Jack. Think of it as a double present -- 1. for my husband who is also an Ozzy fan and 2. For me too :) The gift that keeps on giving. Any way, I LOVED it. So if you like love the Osbournes, then this is a must-see!

I give it:

New Year's Resolution Time...

So year after year, we all make a list of things we want to change in our lives. Depending on will power, interest and organization (whatever it may be), we either fall off the wagon, or change our lifestyle. I'm going to give it another go this year and here is my list of New Year's resolutions:

1. To be more self-sufficient and more earth-friendly.

I really want to change my habits and be more conscious about how my actions are impacting the Earth. I've never really thought about the effect of my personal habits and how they are affecting our home... until now...

"As a matter of fact, the average American generates about 4.6 pounds of solid trash a day!  That means each average American produces about 9.2 pounds of trash in only two days.  In a year’s time, that equals 1,460 pounds of trash per person.  If you consider the population of the United States, you will see that as a country, they get rid of about 210 million tons of junk every year!"[[http://library.thinkquest.org/]]

It's kind of like that saying, "Don't eat where you shit." We are shitting everywhere (pardon my language). When is it going to stop and when are we going to hold ourselves responsible? I, myself have been making too many excuses and not acting on my beliefs.

So there are two parts to resolution #1:
A) To be more self-sufficient

B) To be more eart-friendly

To accomplish resolution"A", I am going to recycle. I've started before the New Year so here is a picture of my set-up:

For the local folks, here is some more information about our recycling center. Surrounding areas of Tyler, must take their reycle bins to the self-service plant in Tyler due to no other options.

The Tyler Recycling Collection Center is a self-service drop-off center.

Address: 418 N. Bois D' Arc

Phone: (903)531-1388

Hours of Operation

Wednesday & Thursday: 7:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Friday: 7:15 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday: 8 a.m. to noon

The center is closed on Monday and Tuesday to process the recyclables.

The following items are accepted:

1. Clear, Green and Brown Glass Bottles and Jars (must be rinsed with lids removed and separated by color -- NO WINDOW PANES OR MIRRORS);
2. Aluminum Cans (no aluminum pie plates or tin cans);
3. #1 PET plastic -- rinsed -- examples: soda and water bottles;

4. #2 HDPE plastic ALL COLORS -- rinsed -- examples: milk jugs and detergent bottles;
5. Cardboard; Newspapers; Magazines; Ads/Junk Mail; Mixed office paper; Electronics (NO APPLIANCES OR TELEVISIONS); Cell Phones and Cell Phone Chargers.

Other recyclables:
--Plastic bags may be recycled by returning them to any Wal-Mart or Brookshire’s.

--Compact Fluorescent Bulbs can be recycled at any Home Depot.

--RECHARGEABLE batteries can be recycled at Batteries Plus and Interstate Batteries in Tyler.

Recycling Organic waste:

http://www.solucionespracticas.org.pe/fichastecnicas/pdf/recycling_organic_waste.pdf

*To identify plastic acceptable containers, look at the bottom of the container. A recycling triangle can be seen with three chasing arrows and a number in the center. The initials PET, PETE or HDPE may or may not be visible.

To achieve resolution "B", I am going to grow my own vegetable garden. I was succesful this year with my apartment patio garden of tomatoes and peppers. Now that I have my own yard, I am going to add several more plants (carrots, greens, etc).

 

Resolution #2

I hate to be a cliche, but I'm adding losing weight to my resolution list. I have been yo-yo dieting since I was.. well too young to want to admit. I would really like to lose weight (in a healthy way) and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

And fellow Texans, we are a proud bunch. BUT, maybe it's time for a change for us... we are the 12th most obese state!

"The most recent state-by-state data on obesity rates for youth 10 to 17 are from 2007 and also were included in last year's report. According to the data, 20.4 percent of children and adolescents in Texas are considered obese." [http://healthyamericans.org]

Resolution #3:



I'm going to try some recipes from
this book I purchased



To swap one meal a week with a vegetarian dish. I know that this doesn't sound difficult, but I know it will be hard to maintain... because I don't cook. I am hoping that with a gradial change, I can eat less meats. 

 

 Well, wish me luck in 2012 and don't be

afraid to share your resolutions.

Blogger Meet Paublo

I found Daph's so cute -- I had to have my own :]

Merry Sickmas :]

I mean Christmas...

Yes, I really did wear this.

Unfortunately like so many others, I have been under the weather,. But it didn't stop me from having a great time with my family! Here is a few pics of my loot... I was terrible this year and didn't take any pictures. Most likely due to the fact that I looked like a warmed-over terd :]

Orion the fire kitty... he'll lay there until it's out

Most of this is from my hubby.. LOVE

These were from my mom..
& of course she knows what I like :)

I got a lot more, I just don't feel like posting everything. Today was my first time hosting Christmas and I had a lot of fun. It was definitely a lot of work and I now sympathize with my elders a lot more. Luckily there was no family drama.. except Izzie trying to steal the ham off of the table... bad girl!

Any way, I look forward to seeing your posts :)

Merry Christmas

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday! I am still sick, but glad that've been able to slowly recover at home. My hubby has been great and I can't wait to see everyone! 8]

I've already cooked the sweet potato casserole and the peach cobbler so I've crossed out some of my to-do's for tomorrow. I still have the ham, chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and rolls to cook...*sigh*... but it will be worth it.



Enjoy the time with your loved ones & I hope that everyone gets at least one thing on their wish list :)



Snail Mail Surprise

 So I come home from work today and I had a surprise package... and it came just in time. I have been anxious to open presents.. yeah, yeah I am one of "those". I love getting presents as you can all see from my previous blog entry (I also love to give, but that's beside the point for this post).
So imagine how excited I was...

I opened the box and saw this. It was a cute little card.
And underneath that tissue paper....was.....
THIS!!!!!!!!

I won this awesome little dead doll from
Daph's awesome giveaway!!! She is
temporarily slumming it on my mantle until I can
find a more permanent home for her.

Boy, I love getting early presents 8]

Bewitchingyou's Bests [[for the Year]]

So if anyone reads People.com, you know that at the end of every year, they have a page that is dedicated to the "Best of 2011". It may be about style, funny quotes, whatever floats their boat. I have decided to do the same thing, but in blog form.

Note: Just to keep each category from being too long (no one wants to read one blog entry that takes an hr to read), I am only going to choose the top five.

My Top 5 Obsessions:

• Twilight (the release of Breaking Dawn)
• True Blood
• Blogging
• Crafting (esp. this Halloween)
• Reading

My Top 5 TV Shows:

• True Blood
• Dexter
• Law and Order: SVU
• Once Upon a Time
• Pan Am

My Top Five Favorite Quotes:

• "Light up the darkness" - Bob Marley
• "I try to believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast." - Alice Kingsley
• "Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute." - Gil Stern
• "The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it." - Charles Swindoll
• "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” -
  Mahatma Gandhi

My Top Five Favorite Blogs:

(in no particular order - this was HARD as I read so many!)

 

• Something WicKED this way comes - wicKED's blog is so funny! He definitely has a way with words! And I just love Archie & Lilly.
• Art Bliss - She is truly a talented artist! I love seeing her creations!
• Lady M's Haunted Parlor - She is so creative and kind.
• Little Gothic Horrors - Not only is Emma talented (just look at her dolls!). I love her gothic style.
• Annie Walls - I am crazy about the funny/sarcastic blog entries. Always makes me smile.

My Top Five Favorite Blog Posts:

(in no particular order)

• Art Bliss' Witch Boots
• WicKED's Happy Creepmas Eve
• Art Bliss' Altered Book(s)
• Maple Grove Cemetery's Tillson Street Revealed
• Out of the Shadows' Dumb Supper

 My Top Five Favorite Websites:

• The Haunted Cauldron
• Cake Wrecks
• Facebook
• Halloween Forum
• Google

My Top Five Memorable Moments of 2011:

(in no particular order)

• AC and I buying our first house
• My mother-in-law's 50th surprise party
• Our first Halloween as haunters
• The birth of my "niece" Lauren
• Any moment spent with my grandparents

My Top Five Favorite Activities:

• Reading
• Marathon sessions of True Blood
• Geocaching
• Blogging
• Gardening

I also want to wish everyone a great holiday (Christmas & New Year's). I have really enjoyed following along, reading about your lives and ideas/opinions. It's great to make new friends that are just as crazy (or crazier) than I am.

Until Christmas...

xoxo Nicole