Win a $100 PartyLite Gift Certificate!

Hello blogger friends and family! I am trying to reach my first month sales goal of $1400, so I am hosting an online show that will be closing on September 18th. As an incentive, anyone who places an order of $40 or more will be entered into a drawing for a $100 PartyLite gift certificate! This can be used to order anything on my website! Who wants a chance at $100 in free PartyLite products?! Just click the link below, select me (Jackie Carter) as your host, and shop away. As guests of my party you earn 1 half priced item for every $50 you spend and access to the great guest specials for September! Please share and pass this on to anyone you know who likes candles, home decor, and/or gourmet food! 

September Guest Specials
Pictured: Chalet Hurricane, Endearing Tealight Holder Pair

This contest is open to anyone who lives in the U.S. and APO locations, where shipping is available. Your orders must be submitted by 11:59pm PST, September 18, 2012. You must order from my show to qualify. Please contact me if you have any questions at all.

New Hairstyle

I've been growing my hair out for a long time and it's finally gotten to the point where it's passed my waist and too long even for me. I end up wearing it up almost every day because it's too hot to have all that hair down, and to wear it up, it's always in a bun since that's pretty much all I could do with it. So I decided to cut it. I had the urge to just chop it off to just below my shoulders, but every time I've done that I've been unhappy with it, and with my wedding only in December, it wasn't worth the risk. So I ended up going with cutting off a good 6 inches. It's still long. Even looking at it now I think I could stand to cut off maybe another 4 inches, but thinking about it gives me anxiety. I have to do this in stages.

Sorry about the before picture, I don't wash my hair before I go to get it cut since I don't want it to be washed twice in one day, so it's a little out of control. If it was straightened you'd be able to tell the actual length. The poor stylist had to lift the chair until it wouldn't go up anymore, and even then she had to squat a little to get to the ends. 

 

This is the after. I had some shorter layers put in and I'm pretty happy with it. It's so nice to get rid of the dead ends and it looks so much healthier. You should have seen her trying to cut in the layers. Once she put the chair back down, when she lifted up my hair she had to go on her tip-toes to get it to the right spot. Now if only I could talk myself into straightening it more often! I love it when it's straight. It's so polished and sleek. 

North

Can I just say that I have been a Matchbox Twenty fan since well forever pretty much. When they went on hiatus in 2003ish I was devastated. Their music got me through junior high and high school and to have them "break up" my freshman year of college I was heartbroken. I know that may sound silly to some but I love music. It's an emotional outlet for me and it's something I usually turn to when I'm in a difficult situation to help calm me down or something of the sort. I can't write music or poetry, but I lose myself in the poetry of others and Matchbox is one of those bands that I can listen to over and over and over again and never get over it. I feel the same way about Fall Out Boy, but that's a different story.

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In 2007 when they announced a new album would be coming out, I was ecstatic! I couldn't believe my favorite band was finally getting back together! Well, turned out it was just a big tease.Exile on Mainstream only had a few new tracks and was basically a greatest hits compilation. While the new songs were very good, there was no promise for a tour, no hint that there would more coming. Then they went on hiatus. Again.

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Fast forward to this year. Almost a ten year hiatus. 10 years!! I'm only 26, and they have been on hiatus for 10 freaking years. But I digress. Rob Thomas started tweeting about how he was flying to Nashville to work on writing some new Matchbox songs. *Narrowing eyes at screen* What? Come again? Why should I believe you? The tweets about the new album became more frequent and then they released their single "She's So Mean" a few months ago. There was hope! It was different and catchy and a promise of a whole new album! September 4, 2012. Tuesday (now in the past tense). It's finally here and can I say I LOVE IT. It's everything I hoped it would be. There is one track where Rob Thomas is not the lead singer which is weird since they're not like the Goo Goo Dolls where the switch off. I'm not used to it yet, but it is definitely a good song.  Check out the music video for She's So Mean here: Official Video.

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I hope this is a promise of things to come and they won't leave us hanging again, waiting, hoping for new material. I'm also hoping to finally get to see them live. I saw them once in high school and it was amazing. It was in an outdoor amphitheater in Concord and I will never forget Rob Tomas getting up on his piano and singing and dancing his ass off. It was everything a teenage girl could hope for. The came to the area again in 2008, but the same day was a best friend's bachelorette party, and being that I was in the wedding party, I couldn't miss it. So here's to North, Matchbox Twenty, and what may very well be my last chance to see them live. Please come to Northern California!

Has anyone else listened to the album yet? Do you have a favorite band that is no longer together but you can't let them go? You can pick up North through Amazon or itunes.