Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker

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Fall in love again with the timeless classic EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and celebrate its 25th anniversary with an all-new beautifully remastered, all-new 4k transfer available everywhere on October 13. This special-edition Blu-ray™ gift set with commemorative package and Digital HD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, brings Tim Burton’s 1990 acclaimed work of art back to life just in time for Halloween.
Johnny Depp delivers the performance of a lifetime as Edward, an irresistibly charming creation with razor-sharp metal hands and a heart of gold. Edward’s lonely life in a Gothic castle changes forever when he meets a kindhearted Avon Lady (Dianne Wiest), who takes him to a pastel paradise known as Suburbia. Thanks to his fantastic talents, Edward becomes a neighborhood sensation, but when he falls in love with Kim (Winona Ryder), he must go to extraordinary lengths to protect her.
The beautifully restored EDWARD SCISSORHANDS: 25th ANNIVERSARY Blu-ray™ showcases Burton’s magical use of color, light and shadow, with clear, rich detail in even the darkest scenes. Considered Burton’s most personal and favorite work, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS is one of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s most successful films. Nominated for an Academy Award® for “Best Makeup”, the romantic dark fantasy film is recognized as a quintessential icon for Goth subculture.
The EDWARD SCISSORHANDS: 25th ANNIVERSARY Giftset comes with the beautifully remastered, all-new 4k Blu-ray™, Digital HD and custom paper dolls, a heart shaped cookie cutter and a topiary air freshener that smells like fresh cut grass.

Mindfulness refers to the practice of always focusing on the present moment. It’s about allowing the mind to be completely attentive to what is currently happening (as opposed to worrying about the past or future.) Mindfulness isn’t abstract, yet it is often easier said than done. Meditation can allow us to practice mindfulness; for example, focused meditation can involve focusing only on our breathing. When we focus on the breath, and allow everything else to clear from our minds, we are permitting ourselves to be fully present and free of wandering thoughts.
To practice mindfulness in your day-to-day, it’s about being purposeful and taking things slowly. You might like to set a positive intention for the day, whether it’s walking the scenic route to work or eating only healthy foods. There are plenty of books on mindfulness which can help you to learn more.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy has been a stress-reducing practice for centuries; the practice uses essential oils to boost our health. You can either inhale the oils, add them to a bath or mix them with a carrier oil and apply to the skin. Suitable carrier oils include both coconut oil and jojoba oil. Whichever way you choose to use essential oils, there are many benefits to be accessed. Lavender oil, for example, is often praised for its ability to ease stress and anxiety. Lavender also has antibacterial properties which can help to heal wounds. Chamomile oil is an excellent choice for those who struggle with insomnia, while ylang ylang helps to boost one’s mood.
Thai massage
A Thai massage is largely based on healing practices that began in India. There are many health benefits, one of which is relaxation. During a Thai massage, your masseuse will use stretches and apply pressure gently to help your body to heal and relax. One study in Healthline reports that massages have been proven to reduce stress levels significantly. Thai massages can also help to lift your energy levels and improve circulation. With an indulgent massage or two, you’ll soon boost your wellness levels.
Breathing techniques
During times of stress, never underestimate the power of deep breathing! Finding workable breathing techniques are particularly crucial for those who suffer from anxiety. One great breathing technique for reducing stress, commonly used in yoga, is ‘three-part breath.’ The chest, the diaphragm and the abdomen are the three parts used. Firstly you inhale to fill your lungs entirely; it’s important to breathe into every inch of your rib cage, stomach and upper chest. Secondly, you completely exhale. Three-part breath is about breathing fully so that we are no longer restricting oxygen from our blood vessels.

Ahh, the hinting season, whether you’re an in your face hinter or a subtle hinter, you’re going to want to hint about the Canon EOS Rebel T5i at Best Buy! I’ve been eyeing this camera for a year now as an upgrade from my first generation Canon EOS. Seeing all of those awesome pictures on Pinterest (yes I’m obsessed) really makes me want to up my holiday photo game!
Best Buy is the ultimate destination for the latest cameras to capture your holiday memories. The Canon EOS Rebel T5i is one of the best-selling DSLRs. This camera makes advanced photography easy and fun, and gives you exceptional image quality, along with a host of features to enhance your creative expression.
• Capture Hollywood caliber full HD video • Continuous autofocus while taking HD video • Features an 18.0-megapixel CMOS sensor and a DIGIC 5 image processor to ensure vivid, crystal-clear images.
• The 3″ vari-angle touch screen simplifies navigation.
Trust me, if you have an entry-level or point & shoot camera, this is a great camera to grab! With 18mp you can blow up your photo to have a beautiful wall portrait, and with the ISO up to 12,800 you can take some great, clear low light pictures (you know the ones on Christmas morning that you tend to miss) without getting all that grain. Not to mention the 1080p HD video to record the 20 seconds of pure madness during present unwrapping.
“Save $150 on the Canon EOS Rebel T5i at Best Buy*. Visit Best Buy to learn more. *offer valid 12/7-12/20″
Do you love twitter parties? Best Buy is hosting a Canon Twitter Party on Thursday December 18th at 7pm CST. Feel free to join this party for a chance to receive Best Buy gift cards and other great prizes. Tweet #HintingSeason with your top gifts that you want this Holiday from Best Buy.
The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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2016
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Okay, so a few weeks ago I finally talked myself into going to the doctor for my weight issues…I’ve been up and down, have tried weight loss programs with no more than 7lbs lost…then started to gain while on it…since I quite that program, I’ve been gaining, so I just felt it was time. Anyways…I went to the dr. and they did all kinds of blood test. While nothing abnormal came up to account for my weight gain…the dr. did say that my cholesterol and triglycerides were way up…so, NO MORE FAT FRIED FOODS! Well, I knew that was coming since the day we bought our deep fryer…but we love our fried foods.
Along with being unhealthy, our fryer was a headache to clean and left residue on our cabinet and counter over time. I was introduced a few weeks ago to Rosewill’s Oil-less Fryer and at first was like how the heck does it work? We were both a little curious and skeptical on how the food would taste…
About the Rosewill Oil-less Fryer:
The Rosewill Oil-Less Fryer offers an easy and healthy way to fry your favorite foods! It utilizes air circulation technology for fast and even heat distribution, ensuring your food cooks thoroughly and quickly with less oil. Enjoy crispy fries, snacks, chicken, and more!
This machine has a handy drawer-like pan with a basket to place your foods in for frying. There’s a max line printed on the basket so no stressing on whether you put too much in or not. Ready to fry? Simply place food items in the basket, set in the pan and set the cooking time and temp. Then select the on/off button to start. Homemade fries need 1/2 Tbsp. oil when running and it is recommended to use oven ready snacks. The manual has a guide for times and temps.
We used it first with some french fries and they came out great! They were perfectly cooked, with the oil we either had them come out too soft or too hard, but this was the perfect cook. The only negative is the cooking times are a bit longer, like the fries took around 15 minutes versus 3-4 minutes in a fat fryer. It was a little smaller then we thought it would be, so It fits nicely on our countertop & is small enough to get tucked away in a cabinet.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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Harvey, who knew a week ago how that name would change our lives & the lives of the people in our community forever. Just a week and a half ago we were hearing that name, the name of a depression that was coming across the Yucatan and into the gulf. We were planning on riding out the wind and rain, so we hit the store and stocked up on some water, bread, peanut butter and some burgers and hot dogs to grill if the electricity happens to go out. It wasn’t until Thursday that everything started to change for us.
photo credit: NOAA
My husband decided that it would be best if I took the kids up to my moms in Austin, but I still didn’t see the point and didn’t want to go. So I slowly started packing thinking I would either leave that night when it cooled down or the next morning. Then they announced it was going to be a CAT 3, and I was for sure taking the kids. Not long after that, we got the mandatory evac order from the city. I ran outside where my husband was cleaning out his truck to tell him, we are ordered to leave. The look on his face was panic & confusion. We all rushed to pack some clothes to get us through the weekend & moved electronics and such upstairs. Threw a few things onto our bed and some stuff into totes & bathtubs just to ride out in case of flood. It took about an hour and a half to two hours for us to grab what we could and leave. Before we left I stood there looking at our home with everything we’ve worked so hard to have, and asked my husband how are we supposed to pack up our life? Do you think Binx (our outside kitty) will be okay? Before you jump down my throat…while he is a loving kitty he does not like being indoors, trapped or picked up, I had no way of securing him. I gave him some food and a kiss before we left praying he would keep safe.
We started our drive up to Austin trying not to take the main highway out to avoid the miles of traffic. But we still ended up in lines of RV’s fleeing the storm. It took us about 4-5 hours to get to my moms. You would think I would be relieved, but it wasn’t like a normal visit where you know you’re on vacation, the feeling was majorly different. We sat there on our phones cruising Facebook to keep up to date on our little town. It was hard to settle down for the night…but we knew that we had to get some rest. The boys all had pallets out in the living room with their cousin & myself and my husband slept in my nephews’ room.
We got up Friday morning already exhausted both physically and mentally with no clue as to what was about to happen. We watched the news and Facebook feeds throughout the day anticipating landfall and wondering what would be of our town and our home. Then it came…the announcement that it would be a CAT 4 at landfall. Our hearts sank. You never want to hear those word especially when your home is in the direct path and you have friends that didn’t evacuate.
I just couldn’t
I still can’t
We sat here safe, watching our home get hit by a CAT 4 hurricane on TV. I can still see the radar with the eye hitting Rockport and our town just to the left getting hit by the eye and the most severe colors on the radar.
It was so surreal
Then the images and videos start rolling onto social media and the news. The winds whirling roofs getting ripped off. Then the first responders losing connection with the outside world…
All is quiet
How am I supposed to sleep wondering, worrying, praying everyone is safe?
We woke up fairly early & pretty groggy running to our phones and the news. Was there anything left? Is everyone who stayed okay? Word from our friends, they were lucky…they were all in Corpus Christi which didn’t get the brunt of the storm. Then came a response of the news announcing the first responders made it through the night.
Then came the photos…
First there were photos from Corpus Christi of downed fences & trees. Then Rockport of the complete devastation. With my kids close, I had to hold back the tears and try to stay strong. What about our town? Was it okay? Then we hear that it was hit pretty hard and responders from around the area couldn’t reach it due to flooding & downed major power lines in the roads. We marked ourselves safe on Facebook and started to scroll all the comments in the feed. People looking for people who stayed. Needing search & rescue, asking if someone can go check on their property. So many people, scared, uncertain of their future.
Slowly throughout the weekend photos and answers were starting to trickle in. So many businesses and homes were gone…just gone. So many lives changed. Most lost everything. Our schools announce there will be a two-week delay in starting school & AEP estimates 2-4 weeks before they can restore power to our area. No power, No water, No sewage, No cell towers. Our expectations of a weekend evacuation weren’t even close to reality.
As the week has gone on, we still haven’t been able to return to check out our home. Images from our schools come in pretty damaged by water and the wind, but not completely gone…neither is our districts hope and love for our community. Our district had initially canceled football season due to the damage to the field and locker rooms, but they came back and decided it would be better for morale if the boy got to play…the season will be on once school starts. My sons’ phone was lighting up with the excitement in their messenger chat. It brought some hope and excitement to those boys.
There were some commenting on the announcement on Facebook “yeah, that’s what our priorities should be” …
for you sir…yes, yes it is!
Our boys, our community need to have some normalcy in their lives. They live for their teammates, their brothers & the game. I’ve very happy they will have that after all they have been through.
There are so many rushing in to help our little communities. Giving hot food, water & hope. To them, there aren’t enough words to say how thankful we are for you.
I heard yesterday that Aransas County schools (Rockport-Folton) will not be opening this year and that the students are to enroll where they evacuated to. This made me very sad for those students. I hope some of them join APISD so they can stay close to their community and let us show them how we care.
My heart breaks for every community affected by Hurricane Harvey. So many communities devastated, so many lives changed forever. Even if they weren’t hit directly by the storm, they were flooded out like Houston or changed just by taking in evacuees. I’ve seen so much love and heart comes out this past week. So many people want to help their fellow man.
I will be returning to my own home town tomorrow to assess the damages to our own home to get an idea of when we can return. I’m not sure if my strength will hold up as we drive through our town. We continue to ask for your prayers and assistance. If you can donate your time our towns desperately need volunteers to help clean up debris.