October 1, 2011

Since it was started over 27 years ago, most of us are aware that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And, if you haven't already noticed, there are pink products popping up in retail stores everywhere to raise funds for this cause.

Over the past few years, we've talked a lot about breast cancer awareness and the importance of annual mammograms and monthly self exams. Today we want to take this opportunity to round up some of our previous posts on this important issue.

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Oct 2010)

• Breast Cancer Awareness: Not Just a Pink Party

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Shop For the Cure

• Clarisonic in Pink! Yes, please!

• Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Pink Products

• October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Oct 2009)

• Bake Sale/Rummage Sale for Komen Race for the Cure

• Nancy Brinker wins Medal of Freedom

• October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Oct 2008)

One of my favorite charities that has been helping to raise breast cancer awareness for almost 30 years is Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  In case you've never visited the site, it's worth taking a few minutes to read the story about Susan G. Komen and how her sister, Nancy Brinker promised her that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever.

Nancy Brinker has proven that one person can make a difference. In 1982, that promise became Komen for the Cure and a global breast cancer movement was launched.

Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, Komen for the Cure has invested more than $1.9 billion to fulfill that promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

We are now more aware that ever that early detection is the key to a higher survival rate so the single most important thing we can do as women is to have our annual mammogram. I'm writing this today as a friendly reminder to anyone who may be behind on their annual mammogram; please call and make an appointment today.

~LilSis

September 18, 2011

One of my best buds, Patty, recently turned me on to these Kiss Fashion Toenails and I'm happy that she did because if she hadn't, I never would have bought them. I never was a fan of the old Lee Press On Nails because they didn't even look remotely natural to me.

When I first saw these nails on Patty, I thought her toes looked great and I was just about to ask her if she treated herself to a french pedicure, but she was so excited about her “find” that before I could even ask the question, she burst out with “Didn't you notice my toes?”  🙂

BigSis and I both have always been pretty fanatical about maintaining a nice pedicure. I can't even wear clear polish on my fingernails because of my job, but I never go without color on my toenails. My sister has always done her own pedicures and they look great, but I've never, ever been able to paint my toes nicely.

I usually treat myself to a cheap pedicure at a local salon about every 6 weeks or so and I just touch them up in-between appointments. And, in the summer time, I keep acrylics on my big toes for several different reasons. For $25.00, it's well worth it to me because I kill too birds with one stone since I get to sit in one of those amazing massage chairs while getting my pedi. It's a great stress buster for me.

Anyway, lack of time and money has kept me out of the nail salon for WAY too long and this is how bad my pedicure looked before I tried these nails. You can tell that I lost the acrylic on the right big toe and tried to camouflage it, but it still looks horrible.  I should be humiliated to show this “before” photo, but just tryin' to keep it real.

Maybe I like having a nice pedicure because it makes the ugly toes look a little better! 🙂

At Wal-Mart or CVS, you'll find the Kiss toenails for only $6.99 and you get a box of nails with a great selection of sizes, the glue, and a nail file, in case you want to file them down more. I was a little skeptical about being able to find a size to fit each weird shaped toenail and my big toes but since it says right on the box ‘Guaranteed to fit all', I figured I had nothing to lose by trying them.

I was pleasantly surprised with how easy these were to put on and with the way they turned out. I guess press on nails have come a long way because these Kiss fashion toenails really do look pretty darn close to a professional french pedicure.

Not too bad, huh?

This first set that I tried was the short version but the next box that I bought were the super short ones and I liked those even better.

And here are Patty's cute little toes.

And for any of you who may have suffered an unfortunate trauma to a toe or perhaps undergone a hammer toe surgery with complications and permanent loss of a toenail, as Patty did, these nails can be glued right to the missing nail bed.  It's a fantastic fix and no one would ever guess!  See, you can't even tell which one of Patty's toes is really missing the toenail.

These are super easy and super fast to put on so if you ever find yourself needing a quick pedicure and don't have the time to get to the salon, you might want to give these Kiss fashion toenails a try! And, I'd love to hear what you think if you try them.

My only advice is to remove these the proper way, as instructed. Don't get impatient like I did and just rip them off; that leaves the real nail a little damaged. 🙂

~LilSis

September 16, 2011

Camouflage Cat

Camouflage:  I haz it!  You no can seez me!

~BigSis

September 15, 2011

Cerella the Cougar

You know we're big cat fans at BigSisLilSis!  We talk about cats all the time.  But did you know we're really BIG CAT fans?  ^..^

My favorite animal of all time is the mountain lion (also known as the cougar, puma, or panther), and I've been dying to take a little road trip to In-Sync Exotics to visit their mountain lions, tigers, lions, leopards, lynx, cheetahs, bobcats and servals.  In-Sync is a wildlife rescue and education center in Wylie, Texas which is only around 30 miles from North Dallas.  They've been around since 2000 and specialize in big cats.

I'm not a fan of zoos, circuses or any other organization that scoops animals out of their natural habitat to be used for our entertainment.  In-Sync isn't one of those groups; quite the opposite actually.  They provide safe, caring homes for these big cats who need it for whatever reason.  It seems neglect and abuse are the common thread in many of these cats' stories.  They will be loved and watched after for the rest of their days at In-Sync.

What that means is that In-Sync needs operating capital, and their needs for cash will only grow as they take on more and more of these big kitties.

Now for the good news!  Today only – September 15th, 2011 from 7am to 7 pm – is your opportunity to leverage a gift to In-Sync Exotics.  Your donation to In-Sync will be matched dollar for dollar via Donor Bridge.  Your $25 gift becomes $50, $50 becomes $100, $100 becomes $200.  You get the idea!!

Just do what I did.  Go to In-Sync Exotic's Donor Bridge page and click on Donate Now.  You can also go to Donor Bridge and search for In-Sync Exotics.

If you have big love for big cats as we do, please don't let this day pass without checking into this great opportunity before it gets away!

Moses the Bobcat

Note:  I saw on Donor Bridge that the company who processes credit cards for their charities charges a fee of 2.9% for the service. If you donate $50, your fee will amount to $1.45.  To me, that's a small price to pay for an extra $50 for the charity.

Photo credits: In-Sync Exotics

~BigSis

September 11, 2011

It is inconceivable that ten years have passed since September 11, 2001.  9/11 is one of those landmark days etched into our souls; we remember where we were and how it felt when we heard the news that our country was under attack.

We can't forget the days and weeks and months after that as the rescue efforts turned into long-term recovery of remains.  We heard eyewitness accounts, saw video, and learned the names and faces of people who perished that day.  We grieved for their families, for New Yorkers and for the death of our naive notion that no one would dare to attack us on our home soil.

We will never be the same.  And we shouldn't be.

Evil reared its ugly head that day in New York, and at the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field.  Over 3000 people lost their lives and many thousands of other people were devastated by the loss of their loved ones.

In spite of the destruction and unbearable grief, evil did not win that day.  Ten years later, stories are still surfacing about people pulling together that day, working together, caring for each other, getting each other through unbelievable circumstances.

Today, the  “New York Says Thank You” Foundation chooses an important charity project every year.  New York firefighters and other volunteers devote themselves to pay back the help they've been given, and to try to heal a little bit.

Groups like Action America have arisen to turn the events of September 11th into positive action.  They ask “what will you do?” What will we do? How can we help our fellow man today?  How can we use our lives for good, and not just for selfish enjoyment? If we all did just one unselfish thing for someone else today, just imagine the impact it would have on our world.

The legacy of September 11th should not just be fear and sorrow, although we are absolutely entitled to those emotions after what has happened to us.  The lasting legacy can be that we care about each other a little bit more than we did before, and that we do something about it.

We can be upset and sad as we reflect on 9/11, but if we're only upset and sad, then Evil has won.  We have to do something.  What will we do?

The pain inflicted by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 does not have to be suffered in vain.

May God bless our country, and continue to use for good what our Enemy meant for evil on this day ten years ago.

Photo credit: sizeofguam flickr stream

~BigSis

August 30, 2011

Last week was crazy and sad.

Sadly, we said our goodbyes at the airport on Monday at the end of our 10 day vacay, then it was back to school shopping for me and back to work for both of us on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the week ended with BigSis and SisMama attending a funeral for a family friend whose life was cut way too short.

Fortunately, both our workplaces were incredibly understanding and allowed us to take bereavement leave. In case you were not already aware, bereavement leave is the paid time off granted to an employee when a loved one passes away. You can learn more about bereavement leave by researching ‘what is bereavement leave?' online.

Put simply though, bereavement leaves applies to an employee that loses a family member, including a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or anyone else an employee is close to. The employee will need to inform their employer of the death immediately, and three days of paid leave are typically granted.

This allows the employee to grieve in private and focus on their well-being while not having to deal with any work-related responsibilities. This also gives the grieving party time to plan and attend the funeral. All full-time employees should be allowed to take advantage of this policy should the need arise.

Sometimes things happen in life that make you slow down, take a deep breath, and pay attention to what's most important in life.

For both of us, it's our family and our health; and we try really hard to remember that on a daily basis. We know that it can all be taken away in an instant.

Even though August is almost gone, we do have a couple of fun dates to celebrate. Tonight we're celebrating a big one; HayHay's 18th birthday, and tomorrow is my 20th wedding anniversary.

Sadly, Summer will soon be coming to an end but since we've got Labor Day weekend just a few days away, we'll have one last “big blowout” celebration with friends on Sunday before Fall arrives.

 

Once BigSis& I can catch our breath, we'll be back in a few days; hopefully in full force. 🙂

~LilSis

August 22, 2011

This was the first photo we took on the first day of our San Diego Vacay.

Big Sis, SisMama, and Lil Sis at Cafe Coyote

A week ago Saturday, I picked everyone up at the San Diego airport and we drove directly to Cafe Coyote in Old Town for some awesome Mexican food and cold beverages.

Sadly, our much anticipated ten day vacay flew by faster than ever…

This last morning of our ten day vacay just involved a quick breakfast, a run to a t-shirt shop for some souvenirs for friends, and a trip to Trader Joe's so BigSis and SisMama could stock up on some things that can't be bought in Texas; YET! *

* (TJ's has announced that they are FINALLY opening stores in Texas very soon and one of the first will be in Dallas, so BigSis is thrilled!)

We had a great time these past ten days and did almost everything on our “wish list”; so we're happy, but sad to say goodbye. 🙁

Next stop: Reality. Back. To. Work.

~LilSis

August 21, 2011

Our last full day of vacation was spent at Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island.  It's a gorgeous Victorian hotel which was built in 1888.  It's beautiful and full of old character and charm.

Oh, and one other little detail…it's also said to be haunted.

In 1892, a young woman named Kate Morgan was found dead on the steps of the hotel, and her death was ruled a suicide.  In 1990, however, an author investigated the case and believes she was murdered by her husband, who then also murdered a hotel maid.

Legend has it that Kate roams the hotel; and there are numerous accounts of strange happenings that are credited to Kate's unrest.  On one occasion, a woman's face appeared on a television screen by several people…and the TV was turned off.

We all agreed the Hotel del Coronado was one of the most stunning properties we've ever seen, but at the same time it was slightly eerie.

Hay was so creeped out by the feeling he got in the hotel that he didn't even eat anything when we stopped for a snack.  That's pretty unusual for an 18 year old eating machine, don't you think?

We love this property, but we definitely don't want to spend a night in the third floor rooms where both Kate and the hotel maid spent their last day.  Here are some photos from the day trip.  We'll talk later about what we found inside.

~BigSis

August 20, 2011

No words needed!

Next stop: Coronado Island!

~BigSis

August 19, 2011

Next stop: San Diego to visit Bry, Rachael, and baby Jack.

Get to meet Rachael's parents tomorrow. 🙂

~LilSis