My bucket list...

I'd like to write a book.

I have a lot to say.

I don't care to get it published.

I just hope someone will read it someday.

 

I'd like to sing a song 

in front of a large crowd.

I'd love to find the courage to sing my own

out loud.

 

I'd like to win a race

and run as fast as I can.

I will prove that I am a Strong women

compared to any man.

 

 I'd like to build a home

with a man that I love;

to work hard together  and

receive blessings from above.

 

I'd like to have a son with whom I can play.

I will teach him right from wrong

so that he will become a good man

someday.

 

I'd like to meet with god.

I'll remember every glance, he'll know I

am not perfect, but he will give me a chance.

He'll take me in his arms, a very sweet embrace.

I will cry happy tears cascading down my face.

 

God gave me a miracle "a life I call my own."

I will take my chances even if I have to dance it alone.

Money comes and goes, sometimes friends do too.

Just remember the only person who can live your life, and make it better

is you!

 

-Nicole Larkin

 

 



As sweet as fresh peach pie!!

I've never made a pie before...This is my first one!!! It turned out great! It was really yummy and simple to make.

Items you will need!!

• 9 inch pie pan
• Lots of fresh peaches (enough to measure up 5 cups sliced and pealed)
• White flour
• Sugar
• Shortening
• Salt
• Ground Cinnamon
• Butter
• Nutmeg (Optional)

 

PIE CRUST

2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening

4 tablespoons cold water

Combine flour and salt in medium bowl

 Cut in shortening with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly.

Sprinkle with water; blend until mixture holds together.

Shape dough into ball cut it in half and put one of the
halves aside this will later be placed on top of the pie as your pie crust.

Place the other half of pastry on lightly floured surface.

Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness.
Lightly flour the pie pan. 

Line pie pan with pastry.

 

 

 

PIE FILLING
5 cups of sliced pealed peaches.

1 cup sugar
1/3-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg (Optional)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar

Stir together flour, 1 cup sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon and set aside.

 Wash, peel, and slice fresh peaches.

Mix together peaches with the combined dry ingredients.

Turn into pastry-lined pie pan and dot with butter.

Get your other half of pastry you set aside earlier. Roll out on a lightly floured surface until an 1/8 of an inch thick. Place it over the top of the pie and cut slits in it, seal the edges. I put a little bit of the pie filling glaze on the top of the pie also you can do that if you want to but its optional.
Bake at 425' F for 35-45 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits in the crust.

YUMMY! Serve with ice cream and enjoy!



My favorite oral hygiene products!

I never really knew how important my teeth were to my health until I started my dental assisting program. Poor oral hygiene has been linked to heart problems, dementia or other mental confusion, and increased respiratory infections.
Since then I have payed more attention to how I brush my teeth and what kind of products I use for my personal oral hygiene.
These are products I personally like to use and what I recommend to others.

FLUORIDE RINSE:

You can find this at any grocery store I know at Wal-Mart they sell it for about $5-$6. I like it because one of the first ingredients is fluoride. In some areas there is fluoride in the water, but where I live there isn't, so it is extremely important to include fluoride in your daily ritual. You should rinse your mouth with a fluoride rinse at least twice a day for 30 seconds or go by what the instructions say on the bottle.

Fluoride protects teeth from decay and cavities in two ways. When bacteria in the mouth combine with sugars, acid is produced that can erode tooth enamel (The hard mineralized surface of teeth. the white part that you can see.)  and damage the teeth. Fluoride can protect teeth from demineralization that is caused by the acid. If teeth have already been damaged by acid, fluoride accumulates in the demineralized areas and begins strengthening the enamel - a process called remineralization.

TOOTH BRUSH:

This is the Oral B Spinbrush. You can get this online at Rite Aid for about $75 but it doesn't include the red light or the extra brushes. I bought mine at Wal-Mart for about $100 with the Wal-Mart warranty so you can take it back if it breaks and get a new one.

 The whole point of brushing your teeth is to remove plaque completely at least 1-2 times daily or every 12 hours. What I like about this toothbrush in particular is that it easily scrubs plaque from your teeth without you having to scrub back and fourth like you would with a manual toothbrush. Another thing I like about this toothbrush is that it has a red light on it and it lights up when your brushing too hard. It also times you 2 minutes for your entire mouth.

Brushing too hard and for too long can cause gum recession and it can also wear your teeth down, and after so long it will weaken the enamel. Don't listen to the ads and the TV commercials when they say that their product can regrow enamel. Once enamels gone it's gone it cannot be regrown. 

So you need to protect it by brushing correctly and also like I mentioned above using fluoride will protect your enamel and prevent cavities and future dental problems.

ALSO!

Don't forget to change the brush on it every 3 months just like you would a manual tooth brush because once the bristles of any tooth brush start to poke out to the sides it will not brush the plaque away accurately.

Also make sure you brush your tongue lightly with your tooth brush after you've finished brushing your teeth. Your tongue is like a sponge and it absorbs all of the nasty bacteria you accumulate in a 12 hour period.

FLOSS:



You can get this floss at any drug store or grocery store. At Wal-Mart it's only about $1.

I like it because its affordable. Really any floss works as long as you use it correctly!

Please make sure you are flossing twice a day before brushing your teeth. What flossing does is it loosens up the plaque hidden between the teeth. Not flossing will cause cavities to form between the teeth, tartar build up, and gum inflammation. I didn't know up until a year ago how to properly floss my teeth. You need to be sure to gently run the floss between your teeth and your gum line. Here's a picture to demonstrate.

Be sure you are getting between all of your teeth make your own ritual so you don't forget any teeth. If you are not used to flossing your gums will bleed and hurt for the first week or so, but if you keep up on it your gums will get used to it, and you will start to see an improvement in the health of your gums.

TOOTH PASTE:

This tooth paste you can buy at any grocery, or drug store. At Wal-Mart it costs about $4-$5. I like this tooth paste because it makes my breath very fresh and it gets the job done.

Any tooth paste will work as long as it has fluoride in it. Don't rinse your mouth out with water after your done brushing it removes all of the fluoride you have just brushed on to your teeth. Just rinse your mouth out with a fluoride rinse.

If you floss, brush, and rinse with a fluoride rinse twice a day or every 12 hours then you will spend less time in the dental chair, save money because dental work is expensive!, and feel better.

Not taking care of your teeth and gums= Bad health overall!



Happiness! :)

I started wondering to myself today. Why is it that the older we get the more unhappy we are? When I was a little girl I remember the simplest things could just make my days so much brighter. Not only this but, the colors were richer, the sky's were bluer, the sun was brighter, and butterflies and bees were more magical. Now the colors have faded some, the sky is blue "big deal", the sun is bright "ouch it hurts my eyes.", and butterflies and bees seem to be more of an annoyance now rather than something magical.

I almost wonder if some of us have forgotten how to find simple joys out of life, and how to truly be happy as we were when we were young.

We spend a lot of time complaining about our jobs, our friends, our family, our place in life, our government, our health, and little things we used to love as children that we cant even see our good fortune.

We should be enjoying our life!!

Now...I'm not perfect (sigh) I can pretend all I want but at times I do also complain about my life, but tonight I've decided I'm going to look at the bright side of my life.

I've picked out 10 things I feel are important to achieve true happiness.

Feel free to add your own ideas!

#1: Surround yourself with happy people!


When you surround yourself with happy, more positive people you are more succesful in life, as well as in your personal relationships. You shouldn't waste your time with people drag you down, people who have negative thoughts and actions and words rub off on you.

#2: Healthy food, and exercise!

Eating healthier and getting at least 20 to 30 minutes of exercise a day can really improve your mood. You need to listen to your body and if you take care of your body by eating healthier foods and participating in exercise regularly your body will thank you! for exaple have you ever ate a combo meal at McDonalds and afterwards thought to yourself "I'm glad I ate that."?

#3: Treat yourself!

Wether it's taking time to relax or buying yourself a new pair of shoes, you have to think of yourself every once in a while. Don't forget about you! I know in life we niglect ourselves because we feel like everything that is going on with our families, our jobs, and our children is more importatnt than treating yourself to something. The truth is you need to remember yourself even if it's in the smallist way. If your having a bad day take some time alone to write in your journal, or read a book. You'll be suprised at how happy you could be just by treating yourself every once in a while.

#4: Turn off the t.v. turn up the music!! DANCE!!

So much time is wasted on t.v.! All of those commercals are trying to tell you your life isn't perfect until you buy our product which we all know isn't true! You are also sitting and after a while I'm sure your IQ feels like it has dropped after a good hour of t.v. Your body needs to move! You need to get into some pajamas or some cute sweat pants, grab one of your hair brushes, turn on your favorite tunes, and just dance! Dance like no one is watching you! Music is a fun way to melt off the stress you carry with you, it's also fun to prance around feeling like a rock star!

#5: Family + Friends = Cheerleaders!

Make time to visit with family and good friends. Your loved ones want you to do well and at times we all need those cheerleaders in our lives who tell us to keep going when it seems impossable. Visiting family and good friends is an amazing confidence booster because they are all cheering for you and it's nice to know when we don't always believe in ourselves we have got a wonderful team of people ready to pick us up when we fall!

#6: Laugh it off!

Ever had an embarressing moment you wish just didn't exist? Laugh about it. The best kind of people in this world are the ones who are confident enough with themselves to laugh about silly things they've done. We are all human and we all do stupid things. Just laugh about it and move on.

#7: Kindness begins with YOU!

Be kind, and thoughtful twards others. Do nice things like pay for someones meal behind you in the drive thru, or if you happen to see something at the store you think someone you know might like get it for them. You will feel great knowing that you made someone elses day a little brighter.

#8: Share your passion!

Everyone has a passion. It's something you would do every day of your life without being paid. It's important to share your passion with others in every aspect of life. Your passion doesn't have to be your career, it doesn't even have to be an obligation you have. All it is, is something that you could talk about for hours and never get tired of. Never be afraide to share your passion with others. By sharing your passion you are sharing the best part of you with the world.

#9: Don't let the little things get to you!

Problems people have with you are just that THEIR PROBLEM! don't make it your problem, just brush it off and walk away with your head held high.
Don't cause problems either if you let people get to you all you will be worried about all of your life is what everyone else is thinking, doing, and saying. In a nutshell worrying about other people who don't like you isn't going to make you happy at all!

#10: If you see someone without a smile, give them yours!

Share your happieness with others! Smile more and instead of judging someone compliment them. Through your positive thoughts, actions and, words you will attract more positive people.

You should always want to raise people up, not bring them down.

Graduation Pictures :) as promised!

My little sisters. :)

My instructor Julie.

My little sister, my Grandma & Grandpa Stemmons.

Grandma and Grandpa Larkin.

My dad.

Marky! <3

Mom, & Grandma Stemmons.

My little (Big) brother Taylor.

....

My dad, & Tami.

Primadonna Girl!

GRADUATION DAY!
It was great I spent most of my day with my mom at her house watching "Bridesmaids" and showing my mom my fantastic make up collection.

We picked out our outfits for the day and did our hair my mom couldn't decide what to wear so of course she changed like 3 times. :] She wants to help me get a laptop as a graduation gift. She also introduced me to an amazing song called "Primadonna Girl" it's my new favorite song love it!

 :D
After that I went to my old high school to participate in my little MATC graduation :)
after I got a tone  of  pictures of everyone. Problem is they're on my mom's camera so this is the only one I have....there will be more to come though!!

From left to right My mommy! :) My instructor Julie =] MEE, and my grandma! :D

After I went home and had a BBQ with my dad and my step mom Tami she ordered me a yummy cake that said "Congratulations Nicole". I'm so lucky.

Once they called my name my mom and my dad screamed up at me "YEAH NICOLE!" of course they weren't sitting next to each other  so I got shout-outs from both ends of the auditorium. It made me laugh!

Mark kept telling me how pretty I looked and that he was proud of me. What a sweetie! <3

A good day :}  

Just don't know what to do with myself!

Soooo I have just finished my dental assisting internship and I'm done with my dental assisting program as of today!!!! The problem is I have no idea what I'm gonna do with all of this free time! So instead of doing something productive of corse I'm just laying here on my bed wondering what to do!
Mark went ahead and made invites to my dental assisting "graduation thing"  his dad helped him for free what a pair of sweet hearts! If I can I'll upload it so you guys can see. I sent in my resume to the place I was interning about a week ago...but I haven't herd back yet. I called today and left a message with my phone number! I'm crossing my fingers!!! :))

Today is "5 things positive day!!" I decided just now!!! I'm going to post 5 positive things that happened to me today and feel free to do the same!!!
* I had lunch with my mom! And ate super yummy "bad for you food"!
* I called to check on a job! I'm just proud that I built up courage to even do that!
* I found out that my little brother, his lady Lexi and my grandma and grandpa Larkin can come to my graduation tomorrow!!
* I got a super amazing gift for my favorite dental assisting instructor: JULIE!!!! :D
* I get to go see my grandma and grandpa Stemmons, and go swimming with my little sister later today!!! :)
AN EXTRA JUST BECAUSE!!!
* Mark kissed me goodbye this morning!

Think positive thoughts!
Do positive things!
It's been a great day!

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The best known cure for sleep deprivation.....SLEEP!

First of all:
I'm a night owl.
My mind races at night and it won't allow me to rest. Mark on the other hand is in bed at 10 at the latest.
So while he is dreaming sweet dreams of sugar plums and "what - knot" I decided to write a blog about us.
REAL LOVE!
You know the fuzzy, pretty, silly kind with the hugs and the kisses and the "Where have you been all my life?" Corny mushy stuff.... Well thats not the kind of love I'm going to write about. Yes its wonderful, but I want to talk about dirty love. Don't. Worry everything I'm going to say is G. Rated!!

LOVE IS....
Doing something you don't want to do for someone else.
Waking up to a scary sight and shortly after realizing its your wife. But instead if cowering in fear you smile and say "you look so beautiful this morning dear."
It's about listening and sharing stories (the sad ones, and the happy ones).
It's about waking up at 3am looking like a fool in your ugly high school PE t shirt and polka dot pajama pants because he's sick and needs medicine so you go to the store and scare the daylights out of everyone there.
Its about holding them when they cry.
Its about sharing your sad days with them.
Its about realizing they aren't perfect and loving them anyways!
Its not just about having fun with someone. Its about walking through a hale storm with them and coming out still in love.
Love REAL love is the kind of love that never leaves.
Mark and I have this.
Love is.....dirty.
Love is.......hard.
Love is..........scary.    BUT...
Love is.............worth it!
Never in my life have I ever met someone so involved in me...in us...
In my prayers I thank god for sending me someone so devoted to me and involved in us. I am without a single doubt the luckiest girl in the world.
Because he has asked me to be his wife.
And I can't wait!
I love you Marky!

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