What I Want To Do For Mother's Day

What do I want to do for Mother's Day? NOTHING. You read that right, absolutely nothing. I don't want to have to shower and find clothes that look decent on me, argue with my three year old to get dressed and have to rush everyone and be the bad guy because I am the only one who seems to be running on time. It's all the daily grind stress that I don't want. For one day, I want to be able to sit still and just be.

In actuality we will be having a BBQ at my house for family and my husband swears he will do all the work and he's a great guy and I'm sure he'll try but inevitably I'll be needing to cater to guests as well. I'll also need to clean for this shindig. I'm messy especially working from home and having to have the place in good shape for Sunday means a very stressful Saturday for me. I'll need to be showered and dressed and argue with Liv to do the same. Don't get me wrong, this is a better solution than going out for me and then racing to see Joe's mom as well and also having to worry about what we are doing with my dad but it still won't be relaxing. I'm sure it will be fun, it always is but once again it won't really be about me having time to relax.

All I want to do is sit home in pajamas, not need to cater to my daughter and dad and just watch movies and eat junk food all day and not need to worry about another soul. Just have a mindless, relaxing, stress free day. Is that too much to ask? Oh wait, I'm a mom so yes it is. Happy Mother's Day to me......xoxo

Unspoken - Cain Talent's 2015 Disability Film Challenge Entry

Cain Talent recently participated in The Disability Film Challenge with their short film "Unspoken." The film challenge's purpose was to give disabled film makers exposure and lets their stories be told.

When I first watched Cain Talent's entry I didn't know anything about the rules and vaguely knew that the theme had something to do with disabilities. As I watched "Unspoken" I found myself thinking "I thought this was supposed to be about someone with a disability." It wasn't until the very end that it was revealed that the object of the young boy's affection was actually deaf.

I thought this was brilliantly thought out because the film appeared to be about young love, which it was, but it also showed misunderstanding that we learn was due to this young girls' disability. The fact that this piece of information wasn't told right away really shows how so many times there may be a miscommunication due to something that may not be understood right away. We all need to truly try and comprehend a situation before jumping to conclusions.

The boy played by Isaac Galizio and the deaf girl played by Lilianna LaVirtu did a great job bringing me back to childhood and the years of young crushes. Aiden Markowitz as the voice of the young boy narrating the film, did a good job conveying the boy's innocent frustration in trying to win the young girl's attention.

This short film certainly put a smile on my face and made me excited to see future shorts by Cain Talent Short Films. You can check it out below!!

6 Things I've Learned From CSI and Law & Order

I have an unhealthy obsession with crime shows. Currently binge watching CSI and Law & Order: SVU. I feel like I've learned so much through these shows. Here's a short list of a few lessons I've learned.  And I have a feeling there will be more lists coming soon.

1- Apparently you can murder someone and not spend your entire life in prison.
Don't worry your pretty little heads I would never kill anyone, the thought never crosses my mind but apparently the consequences aren't as severe as you are made to believe when growing up. I was made to think that if you killed someone you would either get the death penalty or spend your entire life in prison. In these shows depending on the circumstances and your priors you can do only a few years or get out on probation. Many an episode is about a released convict who goes back to their bad ways. How are these "f-ers" getting out?

2- It's easy to get away with murder.
No murder weapon? No body? Hard to put someone away under those circumstances. Of course the CSIs always find a way but it's with crazy testing which I've learned a lot of "that testing" doesn't even exist in real life. Study these shows and how criminals get away before committing your next crime. Joking...I'm joking...

3- Never let anyone in your home.
Don't just open the door without looking at who is out there. So many times on these shows the victim just opens the door without seeing who is out there. People will just open the door for someone with a black mask (because they didn't look) or perps are often dressed as utility workers or even cops. Talk to all these folks through the door until you without a doubt can be sure they are who they say.

4- When attacked, scratch and yank the hair out of that "mo-fo."
If I am murdered that son of a "b" is going to prison. I'm getting their DNA under my nails and having hair chunks in my hand all ready for the CSIs.

5- Never stop for the "dead" or injured body in the middle of the road in the middle of nowhere.
This trick has been used by criminals on several shows. They lay in the middle of the road and the unsuspecting housewife gets out of the car to see if the "victim" is alright and next thing they know they are the ones being abducted or carjacked at gunpoint. Call the cops but don't investigate yourself.

6- When you have the upper hand, make sure your attacker is down for the count.
This is referring to those victims who manage to get free, grab a pip or whatever and hit their attacker who then falls to the ground. The victims almost always make the biggest mistake here and just run. NOOO!! Finish the f-in job once they are down keep hitting them with that pipe until you know they aren't getting up for a very long time if not ever. If you don't they'll be back on their feet in seconds and get you!

There you have it. Some very important info whether you are a criminal or potential victim. You're welcome! What have these shows taught you?

Off The Grid

Hey friends!! Miss me?! I've been absent for a week and it feels like an eternity. This wasn't planned but sometimes you need to take a break, go off the grid and get caught up on life. I was overwhelmed with orders after the publicity my shop got that I was completely consumed with completing the orders in a timely fashion. Everything had to be put on hold including my blog.

I did manage to take one day off this week and go on a day trip with the hubby and Liv. We drove out east to Montauk and had a great day. It was therapeutic and I needed that. Although, I did have moments of sadness thinking of how my mom and dad took my sister and I on trips to Montauk quite frequently when we were younger.

We walked along a rock path along the back of the Montauk Lighthouse. Liv was such a trooper and felt so accomplished that she "rock climbed." Here are a few photos from our walk around the lighthouse.

As you can see it was great escape for the day. I now hope to be back with a vengeance blogging everyday. Talk to you all tomorrow!! xoxo

My Brand Is Getting Kind Of Famous

I know I have been talking about my shop, Hole In Her Stocking a lot lately but some big things have been happening and I am so excited. I may have been exaggerating in my post title saying my brand is famous but it had it's "30 seconds" and I'm going to do everything I can to capitalize off that. Entrepreneur mode on.

I have mentioned before that my bracelets were going to be going into celebrity swag bags at the GBK MTV Movie Awards Gift Lounge in association with the Artisan group and I have a few photos I wanted to share.

I absolutely adore the photo above of Paige Hurd from Hawaii Five-0 wearing my white bar wrap bracelet. Looks great on her!!

And how cool is this photo of Dylan Gelula from The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt checkin out that same bracelet?!

As if all this wasn't enough excitement my shop was featured on the "What's Trending With Carla Marie" on the nationally syndicated Elvis Duran Morning Show!! Almost immediately the orders started flooding in. The past two weeks have been a whirlwind and I couldn't be more excited.

Of course I needed a screenshot of my bracelets front and center on The Elvis Duran website!!

Now I'm buried in orders and will be working in my own sweatshop to get all these orders pumped out but I suppose that's a good problem to have. After getting caught up it will be time to brainstorm more ways to get my brand out there and take over the world. Heehee...xoxo

I'm Not Lucky

Huge things happening for me and Hole In Her Stocking Designs lately so in actuality I do feel pretty damn lucky but I made my own luck. I take insult to people telling me how "lucky" I am that my business continues to grow and that I get to work from home and be my own boss. Is it amazing? Yes! But I worked extremely hard to get to this point. It had nothing to do with luck.

I am sure people don't mean it as an insult but I don't think they are actually thinking about what they are saying. If you are saying the fact that my business is successful is luck, you are insinuating that it's success was out of my hands, that my hard work and dedication had nothing to do with it. This is obviously not the case.

Okay, I will admit there is always a little bit of luck in everything. Right place at the right time type thing but that can only take you so far. You need to work you booty off or your luck will run out. I definitely notice that the harder people work and the more dedication they have the luckier they seem because they are always working and moving forward that some good things are bound to happen to them because they are around the right people and doing the right thing to get ahead.

I have always been a hard worker. Working more than one job and being a mom and hardly ever sleeping or watching TV (unless I was designing jewelry of course). I'm working on my business 7 days a week. I don't have weekends. I'm not complaining because all that hard work is paying off. You might call me lucky but I made my own luck. xoxo

DWTS Disney Night: A Rundown

Being a sucker for a good Disney flick made me super excited for tonight's episode of Dancing With The Stars. Disney Night was actually a bit disappointing in my eyes. Overall it was a good night but I wasn't blown away except for one perfect performance I will get to shortly.

Suzanne & Tony:
In the package before the dance Suzanne was whining about wanting to quit and that the show was hard. I understand that it must be but something about this pity fest annoyed me before they even danced. They did a jazz number to " He's A Tramp" from Lady and the Tramp and it was good but nothing special. It was actually one of her best dances of the season but she lost it somewhere in the middle. Ehhh...Underwhelmed.

Robert & Kym:
They danced to one of my fave Disney songs "Step In Time" from Mary Poppins but unfortunately Robert's timing was off from the very first step and it didn't get much better. Had a few great moments in the number but overall it was hectic and sloppy. This is a bummer for me because they are definitely one of my favorite couples.

Patti & Artem:
They danced a waltz to "When You Wish Upon A Star" and it was elegant but not as smooth as I would have hoped. It also seemed like a very simplistic routine. But I still love her and her charisma. So sweet!

Willow & Mark:
They did a foxtrot to a number from Alice In Wonderland. The set and lighting was visually stunning but honestly the dance didn't seem to have enough foxtrot. Wasn't blown away by dance but production was fabulous. I honestly think the judges scored them too high,

Chris & Witney:
Love Witney since her days on So You Think You Can Dance but I have not come to love Chris. He's just not as likable as many of the other contestants. They did a quickstep to "Zero to Hero" from Hercules and just another okay performance. It was one of his personal best but that didn't make it great.

Noah & Sharna:
They danced a foxtrot to "A Whole New World" from Aladdin. They was too much time in the beginning of the number with him doing nothing. I liked the partnering in the dance once it finally happened. Once again, a good performance but not wowed. Seeing a trend here?

Riker & Allison:
Another one of my girls from So You Think You Can Dance and I actually love her partner. Their paso to that Pirates of the Caribbean song was AMAZING!!! WOW!! It was so fast and it was definitely a challenging routine and he nailed it. Plus his Jack Sparrow impersonation was spot on. I think they got robbed on their score. Should have been four 10's not two. Booo! Definitely the best performance of the night, no question.

Rumer & Val:
Their samba to "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid was certainly different. The costumes and makeup were awesome but something was missing from the dance. The music didn't seem right for a samba, it felt too slow. Rumer's dancing was great as always but I definitely don't think it was as good as the judge's thought. Definitely a top performance of the night but something missing. Plus, I am beginning not to like Rumer because of the judges. They seem to always kiss her a$$ no matter what and it's getting tiresome. She didn't deserve all the praise she got tonight. That being said is she one of the best this season? Absolutely!

Nastia & Derek:
Their jazz number to "Love Is An Open Door" from Frozen was technically great but Nastia doesn't seem to connect to the audience well. I don't find myself loving her and I don't know why.

So they definitely saved the best performances for last tonight. The last three were great but could have done without the rest.Now for the elimination.

The bottom three:
Suzanne, Chris & Patti.
Not much of a surprise. I was glad it was Suzanne who ultimately went home since she was saying she wanted to go home anyway. Seems fair and I can live with that.

What did you think of tonight's show?? xoxo