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Calling all couture cops—it's YOU Write 'Em Up time!
The Perp: Rapper Nicki Minaj in Manish Arora, at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles
It starts with the outrageous clothes, then comes the music (right, Lady Gaga and Willow Smith?). Nicki's got the first part in the bag, rocking a green and blond wig with what's apparently the love child of a skeleton and a pinball machine. The artist raved to MTV that if her dress could talk, it would say, "I am such a bad diva bitch."
Are you feeling Nicki's style, or is this costume straight-up crazy? Write a clever caption about her getup below and we'll post our favorite here and on our Facebook page.


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The Story of the Bronx from the Purchase Made by the Dutch from the Indians in 1639 to the Present Day
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1912 - Bronx (New York, N.Y.) - 451 pages
What people are saying - Write a review
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The Story of the Bronx from the Purchase Made by the Dutch from the Indians ...
Stephen Jenkins
No preview available - 2015
Common terms and phrases
acres Albany Americans ancient army authorities Bartow became Borough Boston Road bridge British Bronx Park Bronx River building built called causeway Chester church City Island Colonel colony command Company Connecticut Cortlandt Park crossing Donck Dutch East River Eastchester England English erected feet ferry Fordham former formerly Gouverneur Gouverneur Morris Governor Harlem River Hill horse Hudson hundred Indians inhabitants Jerome Avenue John Kingsbridge Lancey Lancey's land later Legislature Lewis Morris Long Island loyalists Manhattan manor manor-lord mansion meadows miles mill Morrisania occupied October owners passed patent Pelham Bay Park Pell Pell's Philipse Point Post-road Province purchase Railroad redoubts regiment Reverend Revolution Rodman's Neck settlers side Spuyten Duyvil Creek station stream Street Third Avenue Throgg's Neck Tippett's Brook took town township tract troops Van Cortlandt Park village Washington West Farms Westchester County Westchester Creek White Plains Williamsbridge Yonkers York

subset: commoncrawl


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ARE YOU EXCITED?! I AM!!!! It's that time again where all the bloggers gather and sell all their stuff in one huge area. Now, it's going to be at World Trade Center this December 15-16 from 10am until 12mn. For sure it's going to be super fun. Please do visit my booth as well. I had so much fun meeting some of my readers last Bloggers United 3 and would love to meet more of you guys pa.
I'll be selling shoes, clothes, gadgets, beauty items, accessories, phone casings and a lot more! And, I'll be having items for as low as P100.00 so don't forget to visit my booth! I'll probably be Instagramming some of the items I'll be selling this week so make sure to follow me on Instagram or Twitter! See you there. BMS.


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Cascade Integrated Systems is located at Po Box 37, West Linn, OR. This location is in the Tanner Basin neighborhood. This business specializes in Burglar Alarms and Home Theater.
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Florida Fall Promotion at Waldorf Astoria Resorts
Boca Beach Club
Here's what's in store with the Waldorf Astoria Resort Florida Fall offer. Enjoy two or more nights and receive a resort credit* up to US$100. Plus, upon checkout, you will receive a complimentary one-night stay certificate, redeemable during a future paid stay. Valid for stays through December 22, 2010. Subject to availability.
*Resort credit is based upon nights stayed at one of the resorts, starting with a $50 credit for a consecutive two-night stay, and maxing out at a $100 credit for stays of four or more consecutive nights.
Castle Hotel and Spa
Tarrytown, United States
Situated on sprawling hilltop acres overlooking the Hudson River, the main tower of Castle Hotel & Spa forms the highest point in Westchester County. Castle Hotel & Spa is a medieval-style structure that was meticulously... more >>
CopperWynd Resort and Club
Fountain Hills, United States
CopperWynd Resort and Club, a boutique Arizona resort property is nestled high on a mountain ridge above Scottsdale, Arizona offering breathtaking views of the Arizona Sonoran Desert and mountain vistas. The enchanting... more >>
Rusty Parrot Lodge And Spa
Jackson, United States
The Rusty Parrot Lodge and Spa offers the finest in Jackson Hole lodging. Our attentive, courteous staff is ready to help you make the most of the luxurious amenities that await at the Lodge, including the acclaimed Wild Sage... more >>
Opus Hotel Vancouver
Vancouver, Canada
More than somewhere to stay, OPUS Vancouver is somewhere to be. With striking design, personality plus, and a fabulous location in the heart of hip Yaletown in downtown Vancouver, the boutique hotel appeals to savvy travelers who... more >>
Wentworth Mansion
Charleston, United States
Welcome to the Wentworth Mansion. To step through the doors is to step into a world of refinement where the work of artisans encompasses you, and unlocks the secrets of a long time past, a gentler time, when refinement and grace... more >>


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Since we are a small, family-owned company, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support. What we are trying to do here, is about the heart...with a touch of sweetness.
Our head Szauce maker, Michele, has called the East End of Long Island home for over 25 years. Raised in England, Michele traveled the seas and the world working as a dancer on a cruise liner until she met her husband and, together, they danced their way to the seaside town of Hampton Bays, that they call home. Michele is MUM to two adult children and two adorable dogs, Chestnut and Baxter. Still British at heart, Michele is waiting for the Queen to place her Szauce order for baby Prince George.
Anastasia is a NY native who has been in love with the East End since her childhood visits with family. Having left behind careers in social work and finance, she feels blessed that she is now able to call this beautiful place home along with her husband and three children. An active member of the local community, Anastasia is known for her smile and friendliness…Old School Favorites is the perfect way for her to spread some sweetness in everyone's life!
Behind the scenes, but an essential member of our team is our chef, Maria. Originally from Canada, Maria has called East Hampton home for over 30 years. (But if you ask her, she is still Canadian!!) Always experimenting with and thinking of new and exciting ways for you to enjoy our Old School Favorites, Maria has been able to combine her passion for food and family with her love of life on the East End. She enjoys testing out her latest creations on her husband and three sons when they are in town from conquering the world.


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Although Trinidad and Tobago is more widely recognised for musical and cultural talents and innovations, it should come as no surprise to anyone that Trinbagonian scientists have also been contributing to ground-breaking developments in the field of science and technology.
While stationed at various campuses, hospitals and laboratories around the world, our home-bred doctors, professors and researchers have been leading the way and making stellar contributions in this arena and thankfully, their efforts have not gone unnoticed.
Recently, the National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (NIHERST) in collaboration with the Caribbean Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Science and Technology hosted the 2014 Awards for Excellence in Science and Technology and officially recognised and rewarded some of our best and brightest professionals in the field.
Prof Anthony Kalloo is a Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University and the Director of The Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Having developed special interests in natural orifice surgery, therapeutic endoscopy, biliary and pancreatic diseases and sphincter of oddi dysfunction, Prof Kalloo holds multiple patents for pioneering and innovative procedures, including the use of Botulinum toxin in the gastrointestinal tract, endoscopic cryotherapy and the winged biliary/pancreatic stent. He is the pioneer of Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (called NOTES for short), which is a technique he recently developed that will enable abdominal surgery without the use of incisions. In 2014, NOTES was cited as one of CNN's top ten medical innovations.
At the 2014 Awards for Excellence in Science and Technology, Prof Kalloo received the Emmanuel Ciprian Amoroso Award for Medical Sciences—Gold from the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ingrid Serrattan. Interviewed afterward, Kalloo explained that the award was a symbol of inspiration for those interested in pursuing careers in the field.
"This award is important to me personally," he said, "because I was born here and it's nice to be acknowledged for your successes, but I think also that this award allows young scientists or young physicians who are trying to aspire and achieve to be better to see that this can be done and that you can find success with the excellent foundation of education here. I really believe that we have an excellent foundation of education here that empowers persons to become whoever they want to be and achieve whatever they want to achieve."
Prof Kalloo was among nine awardees on the night with medals distributed in five categories. The other awards and their recipients included: The Fenrick De Four Award for Engineering—Gold (Prof Clement Imbert)—Silver (Dr Chitram Lutchman and Dr George Sammy), The Rudranath Capildeo Award for Applied Science and Technology—Gold (Prof Michael Fisher), The Julian Kenny Award for Natural Sciences—Silver (Dr Judith Gobin) and The Frank Rampersad Award for Junior Scientist—Gold (Dr Naila Murray)—Silver (Xsitaaz Twinkle Chadee and Dr Snehal Pinto Pereira).
In his opening remarks, NIHERST chairman Prof Prakash Persad implored the decision-makers to "place more importance on the field of science and technology in society" today, while also urging scientists to "speak up" and make themselves heard on matters of interest as well. CAS president Dr Trevor Alleyne brought greetings from the Caribbean Academy of Science and Professor in Computer Science at the Department of Computing and Information Technology, UWI, St Augustine, Prof Patrick Hosein delivered the keynote address entitled "Innovation through Collaboration and Interdisciplinary Research".
"Let's discuss how you icons out there can help Trinidad and Tobago achieve its goal of becoming a leader in the field of innovation," he said. "First, let's discuss collaborations: We are always keen on seeing collaborations among leaders in a field, so many of us would love to see a collaboration between top soca artistes like Bunji and Machel, or a batting partnership of Lara and Tendulkar—the same goes for science and technology…"
As one of the youngest awardees on the night, Dr Naila Murray echoed the sentiments of Prof Kalloo and expressed a positive outlook for the future of science and technology in T&T:
"It's recognition that science and technology is appreciated and really being seen as the way forward for the country and the way forward for innovation," she explained. "All of the developed countries that we want to emulate invest a significant amount of their GDP in science and technology and really place a lot of value in these fields, so I think it's really nice to see that the stuff we're doing is being recognised. It's great that NIHERST is making the effort to do these things and some of the people they've recognised today—like Dr Fisher for example: he's a really huge person that even I didn't know was from Trinidad and people should know that. I am still a young researcher and I need mentors myself so it's nice to come here and see people I can look up to and know that they came from the same places I came from and have arrived at places that I want to get to.
"It's encouraging to say the least…"
Dr Murray is an electrical engineer by training and a research scientist at Xerox Research Centre Europe, which is located in Grenoble, France. A national scholar, Dr Murray pursued her bachelor's in engineering at Princeton University, USA and worked afterward as a doctoral candidate with the Colour in Context group at the Computer Vision Centre of the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain.
Andre Thompson and Simone Marie King served as the official MCs for the evening, with cocktails preceding the official ceremony and a sumptuous dinner following the award presentations. Musical interludes were provided by singer Nigel Floyd, pannist Johann Chuckaree and the pair of saxophonist Tony Woodruffe and guitarist Dean Williams.


text: There's nothing worse than a blister when you first get a new pair of shoes! To help with treatment start with washing your hands. Then clean the impacted area with alcohol and then using a sterilized needle, deflate the blister. Place a bandage on the blister after you have applied antiseptic to the area. And whatever you do, don't pull the blistered skin off!! Look here for more information:


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"Wearing something that you know was produced in an ethical manner – whether it's sustainable fabric, fair trade, or sweatshop and cruelty-free – adds to the enjoyment of clothing and, indeed, to life." ~ Oceana Lott
MKG: Oceana, you are the Executive Director of Fashion Revolution; you are an eco-fashion blogger and a writer, an advocate, an organizer, and an educator. How did you get started in this life of purpose?
Oceana: Since I was 21 years old, when I joined Earth First! I have always been looking for ways to live in a right relationship with people and the planet. For the past 30 years, I have sought to be a stand for what is fair and just, for life to thrive. Continue reading


text: Hi, apologies if theres already a thread about this in the forum (i couldnt find one). Just wondering whether Marvel: Ultimate alliance on the Wii would be able to be played online (in the future), whether if anyone has heard rumours or anything about it, i was told by a friend that the DS or Gamecube (can't remember) is able to be played online.. he may have been lying but on amazon.com it was advertised for sale and said it was able to be played online. thanks in advance


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GaG is now full of 'I'm nice, good looking, why am I single?'. I'm tired of it. There could be millions of things that could cause being single. Such as not finding the right person for us at the moment, something that can be difficult. But other reason, is being arrogant. Is a big difference between having a good and healthy level of self esteem, and other is to be arrogant and believe that we are so good that it should be something wrong with others for not liking us, and not making a move on us. What do you think?
Most Helpful Guy
If there was someone that was actually perfect, them being perfect would be the reason why they are single. The imperfections in us are what makes us fall for the ones we fall for. One imperfection may attract person A and that same imperfection repels person B. And the imperfection (s) that attract person B could be what repels person A.00|00|0


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Offered is a lovely pair of vintage Art Deco Era cufflinks
They are the type that snaps together to link
They fasten securely
Marked sterling
The fronts are decorated in white guilloche enamel with bands of black enamel and silver
The silver bands could be polished as there are dark patches, but that is left to the discretion of the new owner
2 other shoppers have this item in their Cart or Wish List .
Searching High and Low for Exceptional Finds!
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy jewelry"


text: Lindsay & Jeremy were married last weekend at The Piazza in the Village. It was a joy to be a part of their celebration and to document Lindsay as the stunning bride and woman that she is. We photographed her bridal portraits at Adriatica in McKinney. I loved her fitted lace gown – it was tailored to fit her just perfectly! Thanks as always to my favorite hair & makeup artist Angie Williams – she kills it every time!


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IPL Photofacial
An IPL treatment (or photofacial) is a laser treatment that uses pulsed light therapy to improve the skin's appearance. A photofacial in Frederick, MD, using our Palomar StarLux laser, is a comfortable and effective option to improve your skin tone. PhotoFacials can be used to treat a variety of skin conditions:
- Sun Damage: Wide areas of pigmentation on the face and neck.
- Sunspots: Pigmented lesions, also known as age spots.
- Rosacea: General inflammation of the cheeks and face.
- Spider Veins: Individual vessels which can be red, blue, or purple in color.
IPL treatments with Maryland cosmetic surgeon Dr. Will are quick and effective, with little-to-no downtime. After your treatment, you can return to work or other regular activities immediately.
The Process for IPL PhotoFacial in Frederick
A handpiece will be moved over the treated areas, filtering light to target blood vessels and pigmented lesions. Each band of the spectrum has a wavelength that is ideal for different treatments for a variety of skin conditions. You will notice a flashing light, audible tone and a mild sensation on your skin when the handpiece is active. You may experience a feeling similar to that of a rubber band being snapped on the skin, but most patients find that this sensation is not painful. It is typical to have a few visits to treat conditions such as sunspots, rosacea and vessels.
Following Your IPL Laser Treatment
After your photofacial, you will most likely experience a mild sunburn sensation. Occasionally, this may be accompanied by minor swelling. When present, swelling and sensation usually last 2-24 hours, and a cold gel or ice pack can be used to soothe the area.
Depending on the skin condition treated, you will often see results within 1-2 weeks:
- Sunspots/Sun Damage: The sunspots will darken after treatment and be naturally shed from the skin within 1-2 weeks.
- Rosacea: Skin tone will typically benefit from less pronounced redness within a week after treatments.
- Spider Veins: Vessels may disappear after treatment or they may appear darker and then fully or partially fade within 10-14 days.


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Kickass trailer for the upcoming KickAss movie.
Kick-Ass 2 [trailer]
Monster University [trailer]
Pixar's Monster University will be in theaters on June 21.
Batman Gatecrashes Into Famous Movie Scenes
Batman can do anything. Here he is gatecrashing into famous movie scenes.
Vanellope's Kart From 'Wreck-It Ralph'
DeviantArt user IkariyaManga created this "real life" version of Vanellope's car from Wreck-It Ralph. Creating the 13lb prop took 3-4 weeks. The car is collapsible so it can be easily transported and be assembled with the same ease. It may not be made of all the delicacies that Vanellope's car had, but we doubt Ralph was out helping creating this one in the video game world.
Disney's Planes [trailer]
Placed in the world of Cars, Disney's Planes is an comedic adventure of the fliers. The movie is to be released on August 9, 2013.
Action Films As Alphabets [poster]
Action films as alphabets in a poster by artist Stephen Wildish.
Via GeekTyrant
Best Films From Past 85 Years Morphed Into Oscar Statues
Artist Olly Moss took movies from the past 85 years that had won Oscars, and then proceeded to convert the Oscar for that year in the image of the movie. Created for Gallery1988's new show For Your Consideration the set features the "Best Picture" award winning movies. Click here for the full, gigantic image and head over to IMDB for the list of the award winning movies.
Skyfall [Honest Trailer]
Skyfall, like the honest trailer should be.
Mind-Blowing Facts About Movie Scenes
This time around, Cracked has a collection of images showing the well known, and mostly not so well known facts about movie scenes. It also happens to be an uneasy door to facts you might not want to know. Of course, some of the "facts" are contestable, to say the least. The winner of the contest says Wookie suits are made from human hair, while it would seem more likely that they were fashioned out of yak hair and mohair. Nitpicking aside, checkout the fun facts and relax in the glory of new found knowledge.
Famous Scary Spooks Get a Cartoon Life
These scary, murderous spooks have globally caused way more sleepless nights than what we would care to count. They quite refuse to give up their spooky DNA, even when presented in a slightly more easy going form like cartoon illustrations. No sir, these things have blood on their mind, and even in cartoon illustrations by DeviantArt user thurZ, blood is exactly what they crave.


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Iniesta targets CL glory with Barcelona
Iniesta targets CL glory with Barcelona
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has set his sights on Champions League glory this season as the Blaugrana prepare for their competition opener against Spartak Moscow here today.
The Spanish schemer has been crowned a champion of Europe with his club on three occasions, but suffered semi-final heartbreak last season when his side lost to Chelsea.
"I think we basically did everything well," he told Uefa.com. "The only thing was that (Chelsea) scored their goals in stoppage-time, both away and at home.
"But we were close to making it to the final, just that bit of luck was missing. It just wasn't going to happen. Chelsea did an exceptional job and took advantage of their chances. If nothing else, we can learn from this."
London's Wembley Stadium has played host to two of the four finals that the Catalans have won in their history, and Iniesta revealed that he was looking forward to another shot at glory in the English capital.
"It is a place, a stadium that is important to Barcelona, in this case because of the Champions League trophies we won there. So we have our minds focused on that, but there is still a very long road ahead of us.
"Football today is so balanced out that it's pretty difficult to make it into the final and to achieve things, but we take it with anticipation. We had a lot of joy to make it to the final and we will fight to the end."


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A short post this week, with plenty of beautiful photos, about my visit to the Chiang Mai flower festival, 6-8 Feb 2015. I caught the festival in between trips to the Middle East, where so far in 2015 I've been practically commuting, with a trip there every couple of weeks. It's all good though, before you worry – I'm planning on attending one, possibly two blogging/personal development conferences in the States this year, and I'm squirrelling away cash so that I can both afford to go, and afford to take the time 'off'. The CM flower festival is a bit like the UK's Chelsea garden show, with people coming from different regions to exhibit all kinds of flowers and horticulture (including a bonsai tree competition).
The highlight of the festival for me was the floats, fantastic creations which depict elephants, rabbits, lions and all kinds of other creatures and vistas. I missed the parade of the floats, which was at 8am the day after I'd returned from my latest trip to Dubai, but happily for me, the floats were on stationary display for the rest of the festival.
The floats were beautiful in themselves – highly detailed creations with thousands of flowers and a huge amount of design flair in each. But it was also fascinating watching people take photos with the floats. Many people had no compunction standing children in or on the floats, or using the props which were on the floats in their photos. For example, the lady in the photo below picked up that red parasol from the float. I also saw a lot of selfie sticks that day!
As well as flowers and plants, the festival has a bustling market, filled with interesting food stuffs and the usual silk scarves and other popular Thai products. Across the time I was there, I had a pad thai, sticky rice and mango, and a passion fruit shake. I also bought a new pashmina (£2) as I find in Dubai the air conditioning is always turned up ridiculously high, and last time a delegate had to lend me a scarf as my fingers had turned a white-blue and my delegates were all worried.
The festival closes the moat road on the south west corner of the city, which causes a lot of problems with the traffic. I was thankful for my scooter in terms of getting in and out, and also in terms of parking. Yes, I still love my scooter. In this corner of the moat is the Suan Buak Had Park, a lovely green area, with a lake and on this occasion, plenty of flower displays and competition pieces. It also had a couple of massage stands set up, so I decided to treat myself, and ended up chatting to the masseur (who was excellent) and the two people having massages either side of me, all Thai. Apart from the lovely (if painful) massage, the highlight was the very attractive lady to one side telling me I had very beautiful feet. Ha!
One thing I didn't manage to see was royalty. One of the Thai King's granddaughters, a princess, was coming to visit the flower show. But by that time I was hot and tired, and when they announced she would be an hour late, and you weren't allowed to take photos, I headed home. It did prompt me to look up the royal granddaughters though, where I found there were quite a lot of them, and also found that the King's wiki page is blocked in Thailand. So that was my fun day out at the flower festival. Chiang Mai's pretty good with festivals – there's often something going on. It's Chinese New Year this week, so we have some events going on for this (apparently, 90k Chinese tourists are here, and they have been given an 'etiquette manual' which includes a reminder not to use public property as lavatories…).


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One of my grandchildren, Jason Lucash, just released his company's catalog, a conglomerate "The Origaudio Difference," of 120 pages aiming to ensure adventure, creativity and a general do-it-your way attitude covering elite premium electronic equipment and accessories.
He stated in the company's opening remarks that one of its end goals is to inspire adventure, creativity and a different company of products.
"I started the company with my partner, Mike Szymczak, in 2009 with one primary mission: make awesome happen by combining innovative and award-winning products with superior customer service as a simple way of doing business. Our end goal...explore, dare to be different, make a lasting impression, and if the rules of the game don't work for you--change them."
Origaudio's basic WOW promotion products include: LISTEN wireless earbuds + headphones; HEAR Bluetooth speakers; CHARGE external battery packs; CONNECT cords; Advance technology necessities; CARRY smart bags + accessories; COMBINE technology kits, and CREATE overseas + items. The catalog also features an UNDERSTAND Information Comparison Charts section.
Jason is a native of Danville, CA and attended the University of California, Davis where he majored in managerial economics. After a number of years working for Jansport (Backpacks) and running a Special Soccer Sports League, he decided it was time to go into business (Something I always was pushing him to do). He came up with what turned out to be an award-winning product involving folding speakers for travel he called "Fold 'N'' Play. (The first Origaudio product which was listed in Time Magazine's Top 50 Inventions of 2009 List).
In his second year, Jason and his business partner appeared in Season 2 of " Shark Tank" and received an investment offer from Robert Herjavec. The deal did not go through after the pair later turned it down because their company's valuation had increased. Later, Jason went on to win an award from Orange County Metro magazine as the Emerging Entrepreneur of 2012.
Jason travels a great deal speaking at conferences, universities and corporate events about being an entrepreneur to tell his audience why he loves being one...especially about his experience with the Shark Tank program... that is possible of being in your future, too.
"J" is the letter for this Week:
Judiciary judgments justify journeys
Jawbreaking jarring journalists,
Joining journals jubilant junkets
Juggling jibbery juxtapositions.
Bernie is a real person who resides in one of our Brookdale communities. Many of the stories he has written are based on factual evidence from newspaper stories and other sources available to the public. He uses his imagination in parts to help supply the "twist" at the end. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Brookdale Senior Living.


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This is a brand new symptom. I've been taking abilify for 3 years, metformin for 1 year.
I wish side effects would show up sooner, instead of waiting around to shout "Surprise!"
The again it might be nothing to do with meds or might just go away on its own.
I'll mention it to my Doctor in May when I see them for blood tests anyway.
That's the worst, when you have a great med and then a side effect just happens out of nowhere....many of here meds were not designed to be able to safely stay on long term, which is of course an issue....
I didn't have that issue with APs but I know lexapro gave me a very stiff jaw for whatever reason.


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THIS is a long, very long, DIY wedding post. This post contains TONS of detailed photos and might get a little emotional and word-y when talking about my wonderful, imperfectly-perfect day. 🙂
Married for one month today. I can't believe it after being engaged so long and feeling like we would never have an actual wedding. With my fiance in grad school, me changing careers, and just buying a house…it seemed like we were going to end up going to the JP. Nothing against doing that – the outcome is the same – I personally, secretly wanted a real wedding. There was no room in our finances for a wedding, but somehow we found a way to make it work.
We started planning this little shin-dig only a little over 5 months from the big day. I didn't want to spend an entire year planning since we had already been engaged for two years. Unfortunately, tragedy struck and my husband's step-father passed away suddenly. Plans were halted and everything seemed too gloomy for a wedding. Slowly but surely, we got back into it, but our 5 months had suddenly become 2.
Honestly, I couldn't believe it when our rustic venue was STILL available only two months before our selected date. I kept telling the Mr. that there's no way a photographer, DJ, etc., etc., will be available…but they were…and they weren't the bottom of the barrel ones either. We really were blessed and I started to see all of these things coming together as one huge blessing bestowed on our upcoming marriage.
In about 8 weeks time, we had flowers ordered, decorations made, and all the boxes checked off our to-do list. Miraculous. We literally referred to our house as a "wedding factory" and we worked round the clock to get everything done, but somehow we made it. Another huge blessing: a cool front in August. In the south. I'll give you a minute to digest that, because I was prepared to melt. Really, we should have had 100 temps at 5:00 pm, but somehow the whole day topped out at 85. Just wow.
Enough with my sentiments…here are the photos as promised. I'll give you the DIY details as we go. Enjoy!
This was the first of the DIY projects. I used a tri-fold card with a pocket from Paper Source, cardstock from Hobby Lobby, and lace ribbon. I borrowed some ideas for the fonts and layout from A Handcrafted Wedding blog and printed everything myself on our laser printer. You can read about how I hand-lettered my envelopes for a personal touch here.
sweet, quaint, historic. Built in 1910. Moved to the historical park where we married. It set the tone for our simple, rustic, DIY theme.
The hardest DIY of the wedding…Omg. I went through TWO corner rounders making these things and I am so glad I only had to make 60! I used Popsicle sticks spray-painted as the handle (and one sandwiched between the paper for support). The front and back sides were glued together and I borrowed ideas for the font and layout from A Handcrafted Wedding. The program box came from Home Goods.
Andy and I were determined to have tree slices at our wedding…for free. After every storm we would literally scavenge for fallen tree limbs we could haul back to the house. One of our excursions resulted in 30 mosquito bites and a termite infested piece of wood. So if you think you might try something similar, avoid anything that doesn't look freshly fallen.
Drilling two holes in the top allowed for these smaller pieces to hang on the pews, displaying verses from 1 Corinthians 13.
After a dress failure, I still wanted something semi-formal, long, lace, and NOT strapless. I hate strapless dresses. Hate is a strong word, but I hate them. Why people think they are flattering is beyond me. This dress – Nordstrom Nicole Miller – I found online 3 weeks before the wedding; had it shipped and it fit perfectly. Miracle.
Easily the most fun DIY project. A little hot glue, an applique, and some hot-fix Swarovski crystals is all it took to transform these ordinary shoes into something I will treasure forever. I found my shoes at DSW and put the Alencon lace and crystals on myself. I saw something similar on Etsy for $80.00, but I didn't spend anywhere near that!
Okay, I know this is not a beauty blog, and I have no business giving hair advice…but I loved my hair and it was "me". I didn't look like some weird altered version of myself wearing a stiff prom-like up-do. I followed some of the tips and tricks on The Small Things Blog, written by an actual hair stylist, and they ACTUALLY WORKED. They worked for me on my hair that takes no curl. My hair laughs at curling irons really, because my curls can fall out before I finish curling my entire head. Ironically, with the product suggestions my hair stayed put all night…even in the heat and humidity in August, in the south. YES. So to those who might think this isn't "curled", well for me, it's pretty darn close and more special than my every day hair. I think it's really more like "soft waves" if you want to get all technical. The important thing is that I felt pretty, and special, and I am so glad I can say I did it myself. 🙂
I searched so many sites for reasonably priced menswear that he could actually wear again. I am really happy with what we picked and think he actually liked it too. 🙂 The suit is by Perry Ellis and the shirt is Ralph Lauren. The tie we got at Nordstrom Rack for $15.00. The shoes were the only splurge for us but well worth it, since they are good quality.
I just love our photographer Jessica Pledger, and the way she captured our day.
It was just about us. No bridal party. No flower girl or ring-bearer. Just us. Simple and sweet.
The reception was held on the same property just adjacent to the little white chapel. It was a dance hall that was also moved to the historical park. I'll talk about my flowers a little later but just FYI I had a total bouquet fail the night before and Kroger has a well kept secret.
Since this wedding was all about family and keeping things family-friendly, we set up a kids activity table with crayons, colored pencils, and goodie bags. The goodie bags had a coloring book, a blank handmade notebook, a Rubik's cube, a tic-tac-toe set, and crayons. I think that was it… we put a lot in there! You can read about how I made the tic-tac-toe set here.
The chalkboard sign was simply a wood slice painted with chalkboard paint and hand-lettered. The colored pencils are from World Market and the Dum-Dum centerpiece was an idea I found on Pinterest. It took A TON of Dum-Dums, but seriously… so easy. Get a Styrofoam ball and stab those suckers in there. Pun intended. 🙂
A roll of craft paper provided even more drawing paper and protected the linens at the same time.
Our sweetheart table was marked with 3 little chalkboards from Walmart, stained with a scratch fix pen, and then hot-glued to a layer of ribbon. I got it to stay in place on the table with some Velcro attached to the backside of the ribbon and the tablecloth.
My DIY table runner dressed up our table just enough to set it apart. A small section of blue lace trimmed with burlap ribbon is all it took. Less than $10 bucks.
Hobby Lobby had these country wine glasses on sale, but since we had a dry wedding (I never drink) they were more like fancy Dr. Pepper glasses for us. I sewed together a little garter of lace ribbon that could easily be stretched over the glass and removed for washing. The tiny tree slices came from Michaels and the "Mr. and Mrs" hand-written with Sharpie, makes 'em fancy. Paper straws were found Hobby Lobby.
The calm before the storm… Andy spent 3 hours ironing the table overlays I made. You can read how I made them here.
Budget centerpieces please? Yes. Sam's Club does "I do's" and any other occasion for that matter. They sell flowers straight from their website and they are delivered right to your house! I was really nervous about making these but it really wasn't that bad after I got the hang of it. I followed the advice of A Practical Wedding and it worked perfectly.
As soon as they arrived, I opened the tightly packed boxes and put them in these 5 gallon buckets so they could open up. This is messy so be forewarned if you plan to attempt it. Blue hydrangea stains too, so beware!
"Never deviate from the plan!", a voice shouted, but I ignored it in my excitement… I should have waited to unpack the flowers at my parents, but what's done is done, ya know? The wedding planning stress sometimes made me feel as if my head wasn't always screwed on tight. So…after I unpacked them, we drove an hour to my parent's house, (5 gal buckets seat-belted and all) which is close to the venue.
At their house we made the centerpieces and used the original shipping boxes to transport them to the venue. Cutting holes every 12 inches or so in the 4 ft box stabilized the mason jars and made carrying them really easy.
Thanks mom for getting them there safely!
Okay so I wasn't able to DIY everything… I had a failed attempt at a DIY bouquet, but an angel-florist (at Kroger of all places), saved me for a little more than $50.00. Yes. $50.00 for my last-minute, rustic, hydrangea bouquet, that stayed looking fresh almost two whole weeks! Here it is at home after two days and some abuse…it still looks pretty decent!
This window is a true antique and we are fortunate enough that my mother in law allowed us to use it for our menu.
Well, we put two birds on it actually with a DIY cake topper. I had to show a little sense of humor with this. Believe it or not there was even talk with our baker about decorating the cupcakes with bird "sprinkles", if you catch my drift. Ewww. Now I had to draw the line with that. Sorry Andy, lol.
Hydrangeas look much better than bird "sprinkles".
The cake stands were DIY too. They were held together with screws and construction adhesive. Then I gave them a good cleaning and sealed them. See the serving pieces? Yep, DIY-ed that too.
Baking 60 cupcakes two days before a wedding? Not recommended. However, we did it! Well, I baked and Andy tied all the little spoons on with bakers twine. I made the sticker labels on the computer using the same invitation and program fonts.
The chalkboard painted tree slice serves as a nice little sign and the crates were just $9.00 at Walmart. I stained them myself so they wouldn't look so "new".
Ironically, this is our old mailbox that hung around in our garage after I updated our mailbox area. If you aren't familiar with wed-libs or guest-libs, Google it. Much better than a traditional guest book. LOL I can't even share some of the ridiculousness we received!
Read about my pallet projects here.
This little sign was so last minute…like two days before. I made this out of the pallet scraps after I saw it on Pinterest. I wanted something to direct guests to the chapel and then the reception. This worked perfectly and looked pretty cute!
Since we wanted to entertain our guests more than anything and with Andy being a musician himself, we wanted something unique. Dueling Pianos was his awesome solution! They were able to adapt it to a family-friendly version, instead of the piano bar version. It took a good chunk of our budget, but well worth it!
They took requests from our guests and even played a surprise song for Andy.
Too much fun!
I don't know what this is… lol
ANDY IS A DRUMMER (boy) MAN:
Andy contributed to the entertainment too. He played at least half a dozen songs with them!
PIANO MAN (last song):
My contribution was not as great. No I don't play the harmonica, but I was the "assistant". It was all in good fun, but really, before they played it I was asking, "What is 'Piano Man'?"… LOL I know, okay.
DIY horns followed our musical theme. Spray-painted (we took the mouthpiece off first!) party favors from Party City at 6 bucks for a bag of 25 horns. Not too bad. A little bakers twine gives them a little decoration. Simple. Yes. Obnoxiously loud…YES.
Here we are "running" from the toots and noise-making horns that were almost piercing my eardrums!
Bye, Y'all and thanks for comin' to our rustic weddin'!


text:
Google's newest update to the Android Auto application allows any driver to use the suite without even having a model that has built-in compatibility.
If we remember a recent study many car owners are using the smartphone navigation solution – even when their vehicle is embedded with a GPS solution of its own. The manufacturers, alongside technology giants Apple and Google attempted to mediate the issue by offering smartphone-like experiences on the dashboard through Android Auto and CarPlay – mirroring important functions from the phones to the car's infotainment system. But that means only new cars can take advantage of the solution – with tens of millions older cars that won't join the party.
Google has now found a solution – the latest update for the app lets users rely entirely on their phones. Anyone with an Android phone running 5.0 or newer enjoy "a driver friendly interface to access the key stuff you need on the road ― directions, music, communications ― without the distraction of things that aren't essential while driving." Android Auto functions can be used even without a car now – and the updated app also has things like Spotify, Pandora, or Google Play Music, as well as hands-free voice commands – besides turn-by-turn navigation command thanks to Google Maps.