That did not feel good at all, in fact it was very sad at times. I would actually cry at times when I was alone but I didn’t want anyone to think I cared about anything. Alcohol and different drugs helped me so I experimented with them for a short time thinking it would help. Drugs like marijuana, speed, cocaine, and prescription pills like sleeping pills and tranquilizers; I didn’t care what they were as long as I could get a hold of something. I was not afraid to try any kind of substance at time went on because in the beginning I would be afraid if I drank too much alcohol that something would happen to me but that didn’t last long.

Once I started to drink and mix with drugs I stopped being sad while I was feeling the effects but the next day I would physically feel sick and try to remember things I had done which made me feel even worse about myself. It would make me feel very embarrassed to hear about what I did that it made me want to crawl in a hole and die. My method of coping with this terrible feeling is to begin drinking again so I could get myself to the point of not feeling sadness again. This was a vicious cycle that continued seven days a week. Eventually, that feeling was the only place I wanted to be.

I floated in that place in my head for years and years but it was a very dark place. My head was the dark place and the reason why I know that is because for the first year of my sober life I finally started to see the light. When I wake up in the morning I saw the light and over time that light would stay in my head and for quite some time I was afraid of it.

I’ve always been afraid of the unknown. The light was the unknown to me because I had never experienced the light lasting for any length of time. It was always complete darkness to me but when I opened my eyes in the morning to me it was still dark. I brought that darkness to my head at a very young age, about age 13 which was two years after I began drinking. That was the beginning of my depression, but I put on a good act to the rest of the world. I was always smiling and pretending things are fine which became exhausting at times because it was always an act I was putting on.

When I got sober the first time I experienced the light was in rehab after being there about three weeks. Many things had happened in those three weeks and they were all life changing. They were unknown feelings to me because they didn’t feel bad, which is what I was used to. Then the light came back the second time a few days later. I had fallen asleep for the first time as soon as I went to bed in rehab one evening, I must have been asleep two hours and I sat up so fast I felt breathless but when I opened my eyes I saw the light, and not just the one in the hall. I saw the light all around my face and the sides of my head and I felt like smiling. I couldn’t believe it, it actually felt good. I laid back down and stayed awake for awhile but all I thought about in my head were all the things I was finally being honest to my self about and to my counselor. Then I realized that if I continued to remain honest and made the right choices that this light was going to stay. I was in control for the first time; finally it was all in my hands.

For me to be able to describe the depression I was in for years tell me that I was never completely numb, as this was the constant goal for myself, to avoid feeling. I was always feeling so much sadness and I hated myself, my life and what I was doing to my family. It had been so long I was numbing myself and living absolutely fearless of what I was putting in my body. I just existed in a day to day life of unhappiness, accidental overdoses, and all this time I was oblivious to what I was doing to my family whom I loved so much. All this doesn’t sound like the actions of a woman who cared about anyone but herself. I did learn as a young child how to block out the world around me because I thought that this is what I needed to do to survive.

This ability to see this new light in my life was exciting but also petrifying at the same time. A lot of change was ahead of me, but I was on the right path to sobriety after rehab. I was aware that tough times were ahead of me, but I really didn’t understand the changes that I was about to face.

Eileen DeClemente was 11 years old when she took her first drink. Alive is her courageous story of an addiction so consuming it nearly killed her and destroyed her family. To anyone who has ever battled an addiction, and to the people who have loved them. This story is for you, Eileen is Alive.

As important as it is to know that hardwood waste baskets for the office should be treated as a valuable item, many are curious as to why. If properly used, cared for, and maintained, office waste baskets can help to improve office professionalism, as well as create proper organization. For example, an office waste basket that is overflowing with shredded documents or other garbage, looks unprofessional in nature. Unnecessary clutter can also have a negative impact on productivity, as many work better and produce the best results when working in a well organized space.

Those responsible for the purchase of office supplies will also soon learn that they have a number of waste basket buying options. Office waste baskets come in an unlimited number of formats, but most companies prefer hardwood waste baskets. Hardwood waste baskets, with cherry, walnut, mahogany, and oak finishes, are elegant in nature and usually match and augment the surrounding office furnishings. The first step in taking full advantage of a paper waste basket for the office is to utilize the furnishings to create a theme. Baskets with finishes, such as cherry, that match office furniture are an easy way to improve the look and feel of any office, and thus improve office professionalism.

Creating a sorting system is another way that hardwood waste baskets can be used to their fullest potential. Increasingly, many companies have multiple waste baskets in their establishments, many with different purposes. For example, one basket may be used for recyclables, another for paper for shredding, while another may be used for non-recyclables. This sorting is likely to promote organization and reduce office clutter.

Office wastebaskets, as with all other pieces of office equipment, should be looked at as business investment. The best way to take full advantage of a hardwood waste basket is to take steps to prolong its life. This, in turn, enables companies to save a considerable amount of money overtime. Prolonged life can be achieved by proper positioning, as well as proper care and maintenance. All waste baskets should be emptied on a regular basis. Location is important, as an area that is light in traffic is likely to reduce damage from accidental contact, such as kicking. It is also important to ensure the inner sufaces of the basket are kept clean and free of any waste materials to prolong the life of the basket, and avoid any damage or unwanted smells to accumulate.

SuccessImage supplies top of the line hardwood waste baskets, with tambour styles, in cherry, mahogany, oak, and walnut. Waste paper baskets are also sold in a number of different sizes, such as 24 quarts, and shapes, such as rectangular. This selection makes it even easier for you to find and choose those that are the perfect fit for your office settings.

Successimage - Supplier of exclusive hardwood desk accessories and distinctive hardwood waste baskets. Proudly Creating Workspaces That Inspire!

The most important thing is to have an idea and then to make the idea reality. The person who is to receive this gift is herself/himself the guide. You gift basket theme can range from Get Well Soon, Sympathy, Birthday, Wedding Anniversary, Valentines Day, Thank You, New Baby Arrival, Congratulations, Retirement, Housewarming, Friendship Day, Wedding, Condolence, Mothers Day, Corporate Events, Fathers Day, Easter, Administrative Assistance Week, Bosses Day, Thanksgiving, Grandparents Day, & Christmas.

After you have finalized upon on a theme you can begin to shop or collect things for it. For instance If your are preparing for a mother’s day gift basket then gift her a crafter’s basket or if it’s for your dad then buy him some nice sports gear with jogging shoes. At this moment the importance of knowing personal taste and dislikes come to fore. Frankly speaking knowing personal tastes is just half the job what you do after knowing all that matters more. Gifting an item that they long before wished for will make it their happiest moment possibly. Lets try to hit upon a couple of ideas that can be of help:

· Placing a silk scarf, earrings, broach, perfume, evening purse, belt, necklace, cosmetic accessories all these things will make any woman just love the gift. Those ladies who are techno savvy then iPOD covers, matching pens, colorful mobile accessories and many more would be the best gift for them.

· For school attending kids, there are innumerable things to keep them occupied and to keep them happy. Such things help moms keep their kids away from wasting time on needless activities. This way you are doing the mother a favor and the kids will also be able to expand his memory and skills. The gift basket should have game puzzles, Rubik’s cube, DIY subjects for kids, word-search book, 3D puzzle, crossword puzzle book, jigsaw puzzle & puzzle books to solve, so you see there are many puzzles, and puzzle make kids think beyond their current knowledge levels.

· Pet lovers would be overjoyed if you gift something for their pets, they will feel as if you too have a liking for their pet. Make a pet gift basket and place some food dishes along with books on general pet care, pet toys like rubber mice, rubber ball, brush, collar, catnip ball, rawhide bone, dog brush, dog biscuits, dog collar, queaky toy, leashes, pet blankets and other items that come to mind.

Discover more tips on how to make a gift basket and veneer basket making when you visit http://www.basketcrafting.com.

Well, you may not be able to stop aging completely, but you can definitely slow it down. To find out how, keep reading for five simple steps to help you resist aging when the time comes.

Don’t Stress the Younger Days Away

Stress is a key instigator of aging. The more you worry, the more those forehead lines begin to show, your hair starts to go gray and you find it a little more difficult to breathe each day. Stress will also accelerate your mental aging because it causes you to become increasingly forgetful and confused.

To avoid or at least minimize stress, you should make your life more organized by planning events and leaving enough time for your day-to-day family activities. Also, focus on mental relaxation and meditation. Take the stress away and you reduce the likelihood of developing premature wrinkles.

Sweat it Out

Working out keeps your body young. As your pores open up while you sweat, you are releasing a variety of toxins and bacterium that otherwise would normally increase the speed of the aging process.

Working out also helps circulate the blood and oxygen in your body, making sure that your organs can work correctly, cells are rejuvenated and nutrients are delivered throughout. Also, a strong body is a young body, so try to exercise for at least 20 to 30 minutes every day, doing some form of aerobic workout that you enjoy.

Purify With Water

Drinking water can do wonders for slowing the aging process. Water helps to hydrate the body, thus cleansing the body of more harmful toxins that cause us to age.

Water also hydrates the skin, giving it a fuller, softer and smoother appearance. So, try to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.

Additionally, many people enjoy the benefits of cleaner filtered, distilled, or spring water which eliminate some of the harmful chemicals that can be delivered with normal tap water.

Nutrients do a Body Good

Eating a balanced, healthy diet can slow the aging process in two ways - it will help you maintain a healthy weight and digestive system, and it’ll provide your body with the fuel it needs to fight free radicals, generate new cell growth and maintain your overall strength.

Stick with lean proteins, fruits and vegetables for a diet that will help keep you young and strong for years to come. Try a number of healthy food options to find those you actually enjoy and will continue to eat over the long haul.

Moisturize

The best thing you can do to keep your body looking young is to moisturize inside and out. Obviously drinking water helps with the interior, while the external application of topical moisturizer can help with the outside. You should also use sun screen if you are planning to go outside, and moisturize your body afterward.

For information on anti-aging options, please visit http://www.antiagingresolve.com, a popular site providing great insights concerning skin care and wrinkle reduction ideas, such as top wrinkle creams, plastic surgery, Titan skin tightening, and many more!

Ballet shoes, also known as ballet slippers, are well known items of dancewear. Made specifically for the purpose, they are soft to the touch and light in weight and colour. They are in fact a precursor to pointe shoes, which are specially designed to allow the dancer to stand on their toes. Ballet shoes are worn by trainee ballet dancers until their feet and toes are strong enough to allow them to stand ‘en pointe’ meaning on the tips of their toes. Then they graduate to pointe shoes, which are also known as ‘toe shoes’.

Pointe shoes tend to be worn by female dancers for dancing on the tips of their toes. This type of dancing is one of the classic attractions of ballet and demands great skill and strength. While female dancers normally wear pointe shoes, male dancers use this item of dancewear only occasionally, for specific roles.

Tap shoes are worn for tap dancing which is a highly rhythmic and percussive dance form that originated in North America in the nineteenth century. These items of dancewear incorporate small metal plates in their heels and toes. These are used to make rhythmic tapping sounds on the dance floor. So in addition to being dance shoes, tap shoes are musical instruments like castanets or drums that are ‘played’ by the tap dancer.

Tights are a popular item of dancewear. They are a form of light, tight trouser that fits closely to the body and are made from thin, stretchable material. They are ideal for dancing for many reasons. They accentuate the legs, show the feet, and give freedom of movement. Tights are usually made of nylon, cotton or lycra, or blends of these materials. Tights can be footed, unfooted, or with a stirrup to keep them from rolling up the leg.

Legwarmers are like long footless socks made of wool-type fabric, and are used by dancers to keep their calf muscles warm and so avoid strain injuries to their muscles, ligaments and tendons. This is another item of dancewear that has become a fashion item with the general public.

Leotards are one-piece items of clothing that cover the body but not the legs. Skin-tight and usually worn with tights, leotards can be long-sleeved, short-sleeved, or without sleeves. They were made famous by a French acrobat of the same name who was born in 1839. Leotards are popular dancewear items, used both as practice garments and performance costumes.

Unitards are like leotards and tights combined. They cover the legs and sometimes the arms too. In addition to being a popular item of dancewear, unitards are also worn by rock stars, wrestlers, circus performers, gymnasts and acrobats.

A tutu is a skirt worn by ballerinas for ballet performances. Tutus that stick out horizontally are known as ‘pancake’ tutus, and need to be carried in a special round bag to keep them in their correct shape. Other types of tutu can hang down, and these can be carried in normal clothes bags. Both pancake tutus and hanging tutus can be made in single or multiple layers.

All of these dancewear items can be bought online, where you can browse the items you are interested in. Whether you are a professional dancer or a student, you will find something to suit your needs and there are many good deals to be found.

For further information regarding our range of dancewear, please visit our website at http://www.dancedirect.com

The event in question took place at a new bar in the Covent Garden area of England’s capital city. Having received the usual invites, he nearly went to another opening around the corner before deciding he would rather go to a bar than a restaurant that evening. When he first arrived at the venue it seemed like there would be little to distinguish it from any other bar in the city. There was the usual free food and drink, as well as the inevitable – and somewhat tiresome – sprinkling of minor celebrities (who add nothing to these events, according to my friend): certainly nothing out of the ordinary, anyway. Until the dancers took to the stage in their amazing dance wear, that is.

Indeed, until this point in proceedings my friend was skeptical that this bar would even make it until Christmas. In the previous 12 months he had been to five launch events on this same street and only one of those places was still up and running. In fact, the building that played home to this new bar had also played host to at least three different restaurants and bars in the last five years. Just as my friend was about to write it off as another soulless, generic bar, the dancers took to the stage and changed everything. What immediately grabbed my friend’s attention was their dance wear.

Being something of a traditionalist, my friend was more used to seeing dancers in ballet shoes and tutus. This was his first experience of urban dance and, in-keeping with the rest of the evening’s events, he was immediately skeptical when the saw the 12-strong dance troupe take to the stage in their dance wear: an array of baggy trousers, hooded tops and baseball caps, all outrageously decorated with vibrant colours and graffiti logos. His first thought was that in desperation, the event organizers must have gone out onto the street and found a bunch of kids to come in and liven up proceedings. But his prejudices were about to be completely turned on their head.

What he saw on that stage was one of the most entertaining performances he had ever seen. It was lively, engaging, innovative and, most importantly, brilliantly choreographed. It just goes to show that you should never judge a book by its cover or, in this case, never judge a group of dancers by their dance wear.

For further information regarding our range of dance wear, please visit our website at http://www.dancedirect.com

Below is a list of the ten most popular artists in history and a general overview of the supplies they used.

Considered as a monumental figure of the Golden Age of Holland, Rembrandt Van Rijn is known as an artist that can expertly capture human mood and gesture in his portraits. His most famous works involve scenes of biblical and mythological events and characters. Through his masterpiece “The Nightwatch”, Rembrandt has presented the pinnacle of his own artistic language. Being a painter and an etcher, he made use of different types of brushes, paint, and pieces of canvas.

Georgia O’Keefe, a product of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Student’s League of New York, stands as one of the founders of emotional representation through stylized representation. She is most well known for her trademark series of cattle bones and southwestern landscapes. Various types of brushes, paint, and canvas were used by O’Keefe in her paintings.

Wassily Kandinsky, a lawyer by profession, started to take up painting in his 30’s. Beginning with pointillist techniques, he then shifted to abstract representations of music as well as internal feelings. His style would later be known as abstract expressionism. In creating his paintings, he used pencils and paintbrushes and a wide array of paint.

Henri Matisse, a painter and a sculptor, is another famous artist who is best known as the father of fauvism. This term comes from the French word “fauve”, which means “wild beast”. Although considered by critics as bestial, Matisse’s work, including the popular “The Dance” showed his ingenious use of color and shape. Sculpting tools as well as paintbrushes and pieces of canvas were the common art supplies utilized by Matisse in his time.

“I am surrealism” were the famous words of artist Salvador Dali. His famous works depicted intricate and oftentimes frightening dreamscapes which had distorted figures, double images, and insects. With regard to his art supplies, aside from the brush and canvas, he made use of sculpting tools as he is also a known sculptor.

Known as the premier pop artist, Andy Warhol gained much recognition for his works which involved painting, film, and silk screening. In contrast to other artists who created images of nature and historical events, Warhol focused on making pictures of soup cans, bottles of beverages, and celebrities. His art supplies consisted of stencils, brushes, and different types of paint.

Claude Monet is considered as one of the founders of impressionism, a style which, at his time, was revolutionary. This style gave emphasis to visible brush strokes and the dominance of color and light over line. His masterpiece “Impression: Sunrise”, from which the term impressionism was derived, shocked his French fellowmen. Canvas, brush, and various shades of paint were his supplies in creating his works.

Regarded by many as one of the most universally gifted persons in history, Leonardo da Vinci created numerous Renaissance paintings. But apart from being an exceptional painter, he also showed his genius as a sculptor, philosopher, musician, scientist, inventor, and engineer. As a painter, he made use of several types of brushes and canvas. Also, he used a set of sculpting tools for his sculptures.

Creating around 840 paintings and one thousand drawings, Vincent Van Gogh is considered by many to be one of the most accomplished artists in history. He invented his own style of expressive brush strokes and vivid colors through carefully examining genres such as Dutch realism. Van Gogh utilized various paintbrushes, paint, and canvas for his paintings and several pencils and paper for his drawings.

As the founder of cubism and one of the most versatile artists in history, Pablo Picasso has created paintings, prints, and sculptures within his 70-year career. His most renowned works include Les Demoiselles d’avignon, which perfectly demonstrated his style of cubism. As a painter and sculptor, Picasso made use of tools as well as brushes and canvas.

For more information on The 10 Most Popular Artists in History and the Art Supplies They Used please visit our website.

You may already have a school scrapbooking album for your child, but high school graduation memories can fill an entire scrapbook. Dedicate one album for this special occasion. It doesn’t need to be a large album, but one that can accommodate professional portraits might be important if you plan to include the sittings for senior pictures.

Senior pictures are usually taken the summer before a student’s senior year. Still, they deserve a page in a graduation album. Use your favorite pose or the one used in the high school yearbook for your graduation scrapbook’s title page.

There’s so much to include in a graduation scrapbook. Reserve one copy of your child’s graduation announcement and showcase it on a page. Following that page, include cards and letters from family and friends, especially ones with graduation advice. You might even include a letter from you with a personal message to the graduate. Write your hopes and dreams for their future along with advice you wish you would have been given on graduation day.

If your child is receiving a special award or honor at the graduation ceremony, be sure to design a page to highlight this accomplishment. Once the graduation is over, either include the original certificate in the album or make a copy.

Is your child giving a speech at the graduation ceremony? Take some pictures of your child preparing and practicing for the speech. Save his notes, including drafts, and use them on a page layout.

Newspapers often cover graduations. Clip articles from your local paper for a graduation scrapbook page. If you or another family member have placed a congratulations newspaper ad for your graduate, make a photocopy of it to preserve it in the album. Newspaper articles tend to fade over time, and copies will last longer.

Graduation is full of photo opportunities. Think about the photos you want in your child’s graduation scrapbook, and make a list before the celebration starts. Pictures of the ceremony are important, but so are photos of your child with his friends, family and teachers.

Mementos of high school graduates should include the program from the graduation ceremony. Try to preserve more than one copy to use on a graduation scrapbook page to show both the cover and the inside as much as possible.

Take lots of candid shots during graduation parties. You may not be attending some of these parties. So be sure to send along a camera with your graduate and plan to exchange photos his friends, too. You’ll have a lot more photos to choose from if you share them.

You may want to include a copy of your graduate’s final report card or grade transcripts. A nice complement to this would be a copy of the acceptance letter to the college he plans to attend.

As a final closing page to a graduation scrapbook, design a page around a photo of him leaving for college. You might also choose to close the scrapbook with two photos that show how he has grown. Place a picture of his first day of kindergarten next to a graduation picture.

A graduation scrapbook will become a family heirloom. You don’t need to make it complicated. The most important part of a graduation scrapbook is to preserve and document your graduate’s special day.

Christine Perry is an avid scrapbooker and has over 10 years of scrapbooking experience. Her favorite scrapbooking subjects are her reluctant teenagers. She invites you to her website, http://www.intoscrapbooking.com for more scrapbooking ideas and information on clear stamp scrapbooking.

If you or your partner have always dreamed about having a big shiny diamond but you are faced with the common reality that it is just not feasible, do not despair.

By choosing specific cuts, settings and shapes you can quite easily make your diamonds look grander then they actually are and most admirers will not know the difference.

The Shape

Choosing a particular shape can dramatically enhance the illusion of having a larger diamond (or any stone). If this is your goal then an oval, pear shaped or marquise (want we call diamond shaped from primary school). These elongated shapes will instantly make your diamond look larger than a round shaped diamond of the same carat weight.

The Setting

The setting for your engagement ring will be one of the most important decisions that you will have to make before you purchase your ring. There a pros and cons to all settings and ultimately your life style should influence your final choice. For instance some settings may be very beautiful to look at but will be impractical in your daily life.

If you are trying to get the biggest bang for your buck then try one of the following. The pav

Scrapbooking Titles in Music

Music inspires us all. How often have you heard a song on the radio and it immediately brings back a memory from years ago. It might be a song that was playing when you first dated your husband, or maybe it’s a song from your high school days that reminds you of your senior year. Songs have the ability to spark memories in all of us.

For your next page layout, look to music for your inspiration. Song titles are great sources for scrapbooking page titles. Quoting a single song title may be all you need to say to start singing that song in your head. Some examples of song titles that could be used as scrapbooking page titles are “Simply Irresistible,” “Brown-eyed Girl,” and “You Are My sunshine.” Keep a list of possible song titles that would work well on your scrapbooking projects.

Sometimes it’s the lyrics themselves that inspire us. You might want to use more than just the title. A lyric like, “These are the moments and I could not ask for more,” will add just the right mood to a treasured photograph.

Scrapbooking Titles in Television and Movies

Consider adapting television show titles like, “The Brady Bunch” and “Days of Our Lives” to a scrapbook page. Maybe something simple like “Survivor” or “Lost” says it all. Movie titles, such as, “Mission Impossible,” “Little Miss Sunshine” or “Back to the Future,” might be perfect for one of your layouts.

Many TV and movie characters are known for a certain phrase or saying. These quotes often work well as scrapbooking titles. Does your favorite TV or movie character have a particular line that just fits with one of your photographs or scrapbooking pages? Think of phrases like, “How Sweet It Is,” “May the Force Be With You” or “Here’s Looking At You, Kid.”

Scrapbooking Titles in Commercials and Advertising

Slogans, sayings and jingles can all be a source of inspiration for scrapbooking titles. Those catchy phrases we never seem to forget also make fun headlines for our scrapbook pages. Scrapbooking titles can be found in the lyrics of commercial jingles, as well as, in the slogans on print advertising. The next time you are considering fast forwarding through the commercials of a taping of your favorite television show, you might consider listening to the advertisements for scrapbooking title ideas. There are many slogans that could easily be adapted to a page layout title. Consider using “I’m Lovin’ It,” or “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom,” or perhaps, “It’s the Real Thing” or “A Diamond Is Forever.”

Movies, music and television can inspire a huge list of potential scrapbooking titles for just about any page layout. The next time you need ideas for a scrapbook page title just turn on your radio or television for inspiration.

Christine Perry is an avid scrapbooker and has over 10 years of scrapbooking experience. Her favorite scrapbooking subjects are her reluctant teenagers. She invites you to her website, http://www.intoscrapbooking.com for more scrapbooking ideas and information on vermont scrapbooking retreats.