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Sleepy Caturday...

Posted on Saturday, April 13, 2013

This week, there was a contest in a devianART community, that I am a member of...
The theme was "sleeping cats".
You could only enter three pictures, but of course, with four cats running around in my house, I took tons of pictures!  So, I thought I would share some of the pictures here, because they are pretty cute. (I know I am a bit biased, but I do think they're adorable, especially when they're asleep.)

"Dogs come when they're called.  Cats take a message and get back to you." (Mary Bly)



 (My adorable, fluffy boy, Hoss, asleep in the cat tree.)





 (Cooper, my giant Ragdoll kitty, that causes nothing but trouble, but is adorable when he's sleeping.)

 (Lastly, our petite princess, Ziva, asleep on the couch.)
(I know I said we have four cats and we do, but I wasn't able to get any decent pictures of our oldest cat, Dahlia.  She's difficult to a get a picture of, because whenever you point the camera at her, she starts sniffing and marking it.)

Did you know...
- on average, a cat will sleep for 16 hours a day.
- cats spend 30% of their waking hours grooming themselves.
- a group of cats is called a "clowder".

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Mother's Day - May 12th...

Posted on Friday, April 12, 2013

Yes folks, we are only ONE MONTH away from Mother's Day!
Have you gotten a gift for the most wonderful person in the world yet? (By that, I mean your mother!)
If you haven't, then I have some lovely candles that would make the perfect gift! (And, they won't break the bank either!)

For those women that love bakery scented candles:
1) Lemon Meringue Pie Soy Candle
"This is one wonderful and delicious soy candle!
This lovely, 11 ounce tureen - style jar is filled with the wonderful aroma of fresh baked pie crust filled with lemon custard and lemon zests, topped with a creamy vanilla meringue.
(It is sure to become a quick favorite!)"





2) Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcake Soy Votive Candles 
"These cute, soy votive candles come layered with 2 lovely colors, dark brown and white. (The top is swirled with brown.)
The fragrance begins with a creamy top note of coconut, followed by a warm middle note of butter - cream and rounded out with a base note of dark cocoa."



3)  Peppermint Patty scented Soy Candle Tarts
"This yummy jumbo soy tart contains the aroma of creamy peppermint and vanilla with strong base notes of bitter sweet chocolate!
(If you're a chocolate fan, then this is the perfect tart for you!)"



Then for those that enjoy more floral scents...
1) Sweet Pea & Vanilla and Jasmine scented Soy Votive Candles
"Here you will receive two, Sweet Pea & Vanilla scented votive candles (the scent is filled with a smooth, creamy blend of french vanilla and light floral notes of spring sweet pea) and two Jasmine scented votive candles (they're filled with the pretty, light scent of a jasmine bouquet)."



2) Japanese Cherry Blossom Soy Candle Tin 
"What a wonderful, little soy candle, filled with the fabulous scent of Japanese Cherry Blossom! This terrific scent starts with a fruity, sweet top note of pretty banana, apple, berry accompanying wild rose and white jasmine, mingled with base notes of precious woods, vanilla and a dewy musk."



3) Birds of Paradise scented Palm Wax Candle
"This is a lovely palm wax candle, both in appearance and color.
It has a sweet floral aroma with base notes of fresh fruits and vanilla.
(A very unique fragrance that is sure to be a big hit!)"



Or how about giving mom, relaxation in a candle...
1) Day at the Spa scented Soy Candle
"Day at the Spa is a wonderful refreshing and calming scent, that makes a terrific soy candle!
This candle has notes of lemongrass and black currant with hints of patchouli and sugar cane. It is a wonderful candle that you'll want to use year round!"



2) Tranquil scented Soy Candle Tin 
"This is a spa inspired scent, with sky ozone rain, infused with soothing green chamomile, wild lavender and rose with an accord of lilac, lily and a clean musk violet base. (It truly creates a spa experience!)"



3) Relaxation Soy Candle (Lavender scented Candle) 
"This is one very special soy candle, because it has been scented with a lovely combination of fragrance oils and essential oils. It has the wonderful aroma of fresh picked lavender flowers, with a faint background of musk."

(This candle is even nicer, once it has started burning.) 
(As the candle burns, the gold glitter becomes more apparent.  So, this candle just keeps getting better!)

 Well, maybe you just want to give your mom something fun, that will bring a smile to her face...
1) Cotton Candy scented Soy Votive Candles
"These adorable, soy votive candles come layered with 2 lovely colors, deep purple and pink. (The top is swirled with blue soy wax, mixed with silver glitter.)
Cotton Candy fragrance is full of sugary, sweet strawberry notes, rounded out with lovely, sweet vanilla!"

2) Monkey Farts scented Soy Candle 
"This is a fun and fruity scented soy candle and it is sure to bring a smile to anyone's face!
This scent starts with a top note of sweet pineapple, banana and orange, leading to a heart that combines green apple, coconut rum and dreamy vanilla."

3) Butterfly Meadows scented Soy Candle
"A hand poured soy wax candle that will fill your home with the aroma of a bright, sunny day!
(Butterfly Meadows scent begins with top notes of summer dandelion, refreshing verbena, and soft heliotrope; followed by middle notes of spring meadows, lily of the valley, and weeping willow; all sitting on base notes of sweet pea blossoms and Kentucky blue grass.)"

So, come on over to my shop (Carrie's Curiosities, LLC ) and find the perfect gift for your mother!

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Back from Vacation...

Posted on Wednesday, April 10, 2013

So, last week was spring break for my son and my aunt really wanted him to come and stay with her for the week....(who am I to deny family spending time with my kiddo!)...
So, I got to take vacation, too!
My husband is an over-the-road truck driver and whenever I get "free-time" (basically, whenever my aunt is ready for a long visit with my son), I go along with him.  I have a lot of fun! 
I've never traveled much, so tagging along on his routes, allows me to see a lot of the country...and, I get to spend more time with my hubby. (Plus, I get to take a break from work and catch up on my reading, search word puzzles, magazines and napping!)
Usually I don't take my camera along with me, but last year, there were many times I wished I'd had my camera. (I missed taking pictures of some really cool things.)  So, this trip, I packed my camera and planned to capture as many "moments" as I could...Unfortunately, we were really busy, so we didn't get much time to take breaks and walk around. (Plus where we were sent, didn't offer the greatest opportunities for pictures.  Oh and I kinda slept through 50% of the trip!) ;)
I did manage to take a few pictures, that turned out pretty good. (Taking pictures from inside a moving semi-truck, is no easy feat!)
(I'll try to remember where I took the photos, but I have a horrible memory and I'm really bad with locations.)

 (I thought the "bubble" building was kinda neat!)
We're somewhere near Chicago or around Chicago or in Chicago...Chicago seems to go on forever!

Nestle plant..."Just leave me here for a few hours"!


This is some type of quarry, that I believe was around the Chicago area.

Airplane landing in Milwaukee (I think)...
(Airplanes are kinda freaky when you're driving, because there are times they get so low, that I swear they're going to crash into the highway!)

Rock face, as we were leaving Kentucky.

Well, there are my exciting photos!
I know they aren't much, but I still had a really great time and I'll definitely try harder on the next trip to stay awake and get some nifty pictures to share!





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"Bird - Brain"

Posted on Sunday, March 31, 2013

My husband is the "bird - brain" in our house...
Well, he is actually a bird enthusiast, but its fun to call him a "bird - brain"!
Last winter, my family and I started feeding the birds during the winter. (We've always had one bird feeder in our back yard, but last year, that one bird feeder was joined by 3 more and we had tons of birds visiting our back yard.)
This year was no different.  We've added another bird feeder and two suet feeders for the wood peckers, that started visiting our house.
Watching the birds has become a family hobby, even my son enjoys looking at the birds and finding them in our "Birds of Michigan" book. (Our cats love it too, but for a whole different reason!)
I try to take pictures of the birds whenever I can, especially when it is a new bird that has decided to visit.
I haven't had much luck this year, but a couple weeks ago I finally managed to get some decent photos of a female Pine Grosbeak.  She was actually sitting in my neighbor's crab apple tree, but I bet she came by, because of all the feeders! (That's my theory at least!)
So, I thought a would share a few of the photos...




I was really surprised how long she sat in the tree eating berries, especially with me walking around, snapping pictures. 

A few fun facts about the Pine Grosbeak:
1.)  They usually have 4 - 5 eggs, that are a bluish green. (They don't have any special markings.)
2.) They like to eat seeds, fruits and insects. (They will come to feeders.)
3.)  They are very tame and approachable.
4.)  They eat tiny grains of sand and dirt to aid in digestion.
5.)  They like to "bathe" in the fluffy snow.

Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed the pictures!
Have a great weekend!


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Scents for Spring...

Posted on Thursday, March 28, 2013

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been reading through forums and whatnot, trying to determine what fragrances are going to be "hot" this spring.
I have put together a small list of the scents that have gotten the most mention and ones that I've personally noticed as being really popular...
Thought I would share the list and I would love hear what others think!
1.) Blackberry Sage
2.) Wild Rose
3.) Black Amber and Lavender
4.) Cool Citrus Basil
5.) Grass Stain (I really want to try this one out!  It just sounds fun!)
6.) Country Clothesline
7.) Narcissus II
8.) Moonlight Path
9.) English Ivy
10.) Eucalyptus and Spearmint (I honestly had no idea this fragrance would be "popular" for spring when I purchased it, but I am very happy that it is!  I even have candles available all ready: Eucalyptus Spearmint Votive Candles )

My own personal observations (these are fragrances that I've noticed as being popular):
1.) Cotton Candy (I only have one Cotton Candy candle left in my shop!)
2.) Blue Raspberry
3.) Vanilla Mint

Of course, I just have fun working with all sorts of fragrances!  So, there will always be interesting and fun candles floating around my shop!

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Exciting news...

Posted on Saturday, March 23, 2013

Wow, I can't believe it is March 23rd all ready! This month really got away from me. I do have some very exciting news to share... I was recently interviewed by the lovely people at Nature's Garden...
Today, they published my interview on their blog!
To check out the article, you can find it here: http://blog.naturesgardencandles.com/candle-company-owner/

Nature's Garden is such a wonderful company and I really love their products, so its a huge honor to be featured on their blog.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

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March (is Lupus month)...

Posted on Saturday, March 2, 2013

Well, a new month is upon us...
The month of March is always a bitter sweet month for me.  It has been a month filled with great joy, with the birth of my son, happening near the end of the month.  It is also a month filled with great sadness, since I lost both my parents in the month of March.
The reason I am writing this entry, is so I can discuss the illness that claimed my mother's life.
My mother was a wonderful person, caring and kind, hard working, creative and always worried about others before her self.  She also suffered from Lupus.
Lupus may be a disease that you haven't heard of or it might be one that has touched your own life or someone you care about.  In my house, Lupus was one disease that my family and I knew intimately well.  I am certainly not a doctor, nor a researcher, I am simply the daughter of a woman that suffered with it daily.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, that can damage any part of the body.  This disease is chronic, which simply means signs and symptoms last longer than six weeks and often for many years. (My mother had Lupus for 18 years, with only a 3 year remission.)  With Lupus, something goes wrong with the patient's immune system, instead of the body attacking "invaders" or the viruses, bacteria and germs that can make us sick...a patient's body begins attacking healthy tissues.
One of the most difficult parts of the disease, is that it affects people very differently.  Some people with Lupus have problems with their kidneys, other have issues with their joints...
My mother's Lupus affected her blood counts.  She had very low blood counts and was often left unable to fight off common colds or flu. (She would also bruise very easily, especially when her platelets were low.)

I do want to make it clear that a diagnosis of Lupus is NOT a death sentence.
Yes, my mother did pass away, but she died 13 years ago.  There have been advancements in Lupus research, since she passed away.  Plus, what ultimately claimed my mother's life, was an experimental treatment. (Her disease had gotten to a point where "normal" treatments weren't providing results, so she underwent a new treatment and unfortunately, it didn't work.)

So, some may be asking..."Why are you writing this entry?"
I'm writing this entry to start to tell my mother's story and share my family's experience with this disease.  I also want to expose Lupus to as many people as I can.  The more that know, the better!

There are some wonderful resources for people with Lupus or for those that just want some more information...
Please visit the Lupus Foundation of America.
Thanks so much for visiting and reading!  For my household, March is Lupus month, so I will be sharing information about Lupus all month long.