The Amazing SCAD Sidewalk Art Festival

Hello everyone! 

Daddy is finally home and we are so happy that our little family it's back together... Yes, Hubby had to travel to Columbia, South Carolina and had to remain there for an entire week!  

Was it hectic? Absolutely! Having to drive the kids to all of their after school activities, making sure their homework was completed as well as my house chores had me begging for mercy by Friday.  I have always thought magnificent things of single mothers, I've always praised their ability to juggle it all by themselves, but after spending a week alone with all the responsibilities, my respect for single mothers have increased by a thousand percent.  

There is no better way to relax than to enjoy a beautiful day at  the park admiring some mind blowing colorful pieces of art, created with chalk by SCAD students, alumni and high school students as well!! 

S.C.A.D. (Savannah College of Art and Design) hosted the 35th Annual Sidewalk Arts Festival which took place at the beautiful Forsyth Park this past Saturday, April 23, 2016.  

This event is always free and the public is always welcome to witness these artists creating their masterpieces for a chance to win prizes at the end of the show. Artists at the top of the different categories are awarded a special prize.  

IN REMEMBRANCE OF PRINCE:

It was amazing to see not just one but many colorful creations done in memory of the magnificent and talented Prince, who sadly passed away on Thursday.

But this was by far our favorite!  This was created by the talented Ariana Fletcher!  When we inquired about her art, we discovered that it took her nearly two and a half hours to complete.  Let me say this, these pictures don't do the artist justice.  

  

Here are some more murals dedicated to Prince that were created by different artists. 

These are some more of our favorites: 

Little Man's favorite was this dinosaur, "more specifically, a velociraptor".. 

"Lemon-aid" was my favorite for so many reasons:

1. Bree was dressed in this "lemon-"lime" color, and 

2. I enjoyed the joke in the title of this piece. 

We had a great time viewing the art and even go to see some of these talented artist create their art, it truly was amazing.  There is nothing better than spending "family time" on a lovely sunny day in the park   The way God intended us to enjoy each other. 

Gold Medal by Sinful Colors Professional

If you follow our blog or any of our social channels, then you already know how much I love the nail polishes from Sinful Colors Professional line... specially the $1.99 price! (sometimes I can find them for even less than that!)

This week's color is "Gold Medal".  

GOLD MEDAL #1397

This is a beautiful metallic color and I really like it!  It is definitely a fun color to wear but me personally, wouldn't wear every day.  Maybe for a special occasion like a party or a date night.  It would be perfect for any holiday event as well.

As you can see on the picture (above), a second coat is really not necessary but I highly recommend you apply a second coat in order to have an even finish.  (lessens the signs of the brushstrokes)

In my personal opinion, this is a keeper! 

I added a fun applique and a clear fast drying top coat to give it that extra shine! 

What are you thoughts??  Share your opinions on the comments below! 

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"Cinderella" by Sinful Color Professionals

We hope that all of you had a great weekend!! Our weekend was super busy but full of fun as well.  

Ms. Bree received a very special package on Friday from one of her fans, Mrs. Evelyn Jackson!!

One of Ms. Bree's daily chores is to check the mail box.  Now, imagine her surprise when she open the mail box and discovered her package!.  Mrs. Jackson's gift included a few nail appliques and one new bottle of nail polish... "Cinderella" by Sinful Colors Professional.  

This nail polish color is the matching color of Cinderella's dress.  A beautiful sky blue color with some silvery shimmer to it.

One of Ms. Bree's daily chores is to check the mail box.  Now, imagine her surprise when she open the mail box and discovered her package!.  Mrs. Jackson's gift included a few nail appliques and one new bottle of nail polish... "Cinderella" by Sinful Colors Professional.  

This nail polish color is the matching color of Cinderella's dress.  A beautiful sky blue color with some silvery shimmer to it.

"Cinderella- #1106"

I will say this about this nail polish, it required more than just two coats to give it an even look.  Like many other polishes that need more than two coats to acquire the desired look, the drying time can be a bit longer than usual.  So, keep that in mind when trying this color.  

Ms. Bree is a child after all, and staying still is no one of her strongest suits. In order to minimize her boredom and her inability to use her hands, I applied two light coats on Saturday morning and I allowed them to dry completely.  

After a couple of hours, I applied the third coat on her nails and let it dry.  Once the third coat was completely dry, I carefully applied the nail appliques using a pair of tweezers.  Apply the top coat as the last step and you are now officially done!!!

And there result were amazing!!

This color is perfect for any little girl and I can't wait to try this color on my nails! 

*Tip: Remember to use a base coat on their nails to prevent them from staining, it will also keep them healthy and strong. 

We would like to give special thanks to Mrs. Jackson gifting our daughter with these items but also, for putting a smile on her face!! 

Cherry Blossom by Sinful Colors Professionals

Today I bring to you "Cherry Blossom" by Sinful Colors Professional. 

Now, if you follow us on Facebook then you've watched our "weekly nail polish update"  video and you've seen the new additions to my "Sinful Color" Nail Polish Collection!

This nail polish looks as delicate as the name and is full pink shimmer! (this reminds me of Ms Bree's new favorite show Shimmer and Shine)

Don't forget to apply a base coat before applying the color.  There are a couple of reasons why I always recommend base coat before applying any polish but especially a dark color polish: 

a.  It helps the nail from staining when using dark colors. Here is an extra tip, use a "nail hardener" to keep nails healthy and strong, then apply the base coat, and

b. The nail polish tends to last longer when you use a base coat.

As you can see on the picture above, the color is very light after just one coat but you can still appreciate the amount of shimmer.  It will be perfect for any little girl!  

One coat didn't do it for me therefore I applied a two more coats. I really wanted to capture the color of "real cherry blossoms".

This nail polish doesn't require a top coat as it contains a lot of shimmer but I highly recommend it, especially if you want to give your nail and extra glossy look.

*Sigh* the final product!! Isn't it lovely??  I added something new this time, a little applique!

What do you think?  

Remember, you can grab this nail color or any Sinful Color Professional nail polishes at your local store from $1.99- $2.99!

Life After Tonsillectomy- A Month After Her Surgery

Hello Everyone!! 

Ms. Bree's Tonsillectomy surgery was performed thirty four (34) days ago today.  Can you believe it?  It has been a rough thirteen months for us but I think I am finally seeing the light at the end of tunnel.  

In my post "Her Journey To Surgery: Tonsillectomy", I explained how long her journey had been and how helpless we felt during her monthly fevers before her surgery was finally scheduled.  

A lot of our fans have asked why did it take so long for surgery to be scheduled. I agree that nine months of reoccurring fevers are a bit too much for a child's little body to endure.  

As a rule, pediatricians can only advise this type of surgery after making sure the tonsils are causing a chronic problem.  Unfortunately, during the beginning months, Ms. Bree had no signs of red or pink throat, she had a good cell count, no throat ache, no ear ache nor congestion.  However, she would occasionally complain of a tummy ache.  It was not until January 7th, 2016 that she was officially diagnosed with Tonsillitis and her second diagnosis was in February 8th, 2016.    

When the doctor tells you "children recover faster than adults" believe them!  Usually, tonsillectomy is done as an outpatient procedure, which means that the child will be able to go home the same day.  

Day 2 Post Surgery: 

The diet suggestion throughout the first few days included the following: 

Drinks: water, tea, apple juice, gatorade, milk, milkshakes, popsicles, jell-o (drinks that contained high levels of acidic were not allowed)  While she was allowed to have soda, it was not preferred. 

Thankfully she understood that she couldn't have anything "red" and soda, therefore she opted to stick with Frappucinos and Milkshakes. 

Food: Bland foods that are easy to swallow like ice cream, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, applesauce, grits, noodles, pasta, macaroni and cheese, dumpling, soft chicken (bake or boiled, not fried) and meatloaf.  

Food was one of the most difficult parts for her.  Ms. Bree is a big eater and by Day 2, she wanted to eat everything that she was not allowed to eat.  She had a lot of mac and cheese, plain noodles with grated parmesan cheese.  She also ate a lot of ice cream sandwiches, popsicles and chicken breast (rotisserie style). 

Our instructions were to concentrate on hydration rather than nutrition and that's exactly what we did.  We took cues from her and we watched her behavior closely for any indication that she was in a lot of pain.

The anticipated recovery time was two weeks and the only activities allowed were lot of "bed rest" and "quiet activities".  No running, lifting, yelling, swimming are allowed.  

Day 3 Post Surgery:

By  Day 3 she was so bored, tired of taking naps and coloring quietly in the company of Grandmother.   She followed instructions wonderfully by not yelling and running around the house. 

We were also advised that while you are able to controlled the pain throat with medication, the pain becomes more severe during the 3rd and 4th day and usually peaks during the 7th-10th day.  

She was so blessed, the severe pain we were told to expect, never came! While she continued to take the antibiotics like a champion, she really didn't require a lot of pain medication and I'm so thankful for that. As parents, we hate to see our children in pain and no power to take it away. 

We were expecting some nasal speech or nasal regurgitation as we were told that both can sometimes occur, but Ms Bree didn't experience either of those things. 

However, her breath was out of this world!   We didn't make it a big deal, in fact, we explained to our son why Ms. Bree had a foul odor coming from her mouth, and why he shouldn't say anything to her.  After all, we really couldn't do anything about it, the foul odor is often present during the healing process.  We were told that swelling of the tongue, uvula and throat are common and it usually goes away within seven days.  During the first two days, Ms. Bree had a hard time opening her mouth in order to brush her teeth, so we did our best to keep her teeth cleaned.

Ms. Bree's follow up with Dr. Oliver was on March 24th, 2016 at which time she was given the "green light" to return to school and was told she could slowly return to her regular activities. (except the trampoline)

Day 16 Post Surgery:

Ms. Bree was so excited that she had been given the "ok" to attend her best friend's birthday party! 

While I anticipated for her to be a little bit more tired than usual after the party, she was not.  She didn't require a nap after the party at all.

Day 17 Post Surgery:

Her first day back at Church was so amazing.  The kids were also looking forward to the "Egg Hunt".  Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate and the Egg Hunt didn't take place.  However, their Pastor and staff did a great job making sure the kids had fun and they each received a bag full of goodies. 

Day 31 Post Surgery:

April 9th, 2016 

April 9th was a very important date for her and for me as well.  We celebrated little man's "special friend's" birthday, the celebration took place at the "Get Air" and what kid doesn't like a "jumping place"?

It was important to me because as I mentioned before, her fevers were a monthly occurrence and she would have them anywhere between the 5th -8th of the month.    Well, the fevers never came!! 

I can see the change in her.  She no longer snores and she has not complained of any tummy aches.  Like every child, she will get sick, she will experience the occasional cold or sore throat.  We deeply believe the surgery worked and her quality of life has improved.  While I know it has only been 34 days since her surgery, the fevers didn't strike this month and her daily activities were not affected at all.   

Ms. Bree has been able to enjoy birthday parties, play dates, church and the good old Strawberry Festival!  She is back to her old happy self, enjoying everything in life and everything in the refrigerator!!  And that ladies and gentlemen, makes us very happy and very broke but we gladly accept being broke if it means having our children happy and healthy!  LOL