KARA: "I read something about you owning 30 Pumpkin Spice candles! Haha! That just happens to be my favorite candle flavor and it comes out at my house every Fall. Speaking of Fall, what do you do to celebrate this time out year? What are your favorite things about Fall? How do you decorate for Fall?"

MACEY: "Oh, Fall is my favorite season!! I totally deck the house out at Fall. I go with lots of leaves and foliage, gourds, scarecrows, cornstalks, etc. I love the colors, the smells, the warming up for the holiday season. And the pumpkin candles? Well, I'm afraid that someone will decide that they are out of style one day and I won't get anymore. So I buy em every time I see em. I know, it's a sickness, really."


KARA: "Share your beauty secrets with us! What makes you feel happy and healthy?"

MACEY: "I don't really have any beauty secrets! I have worn make up since I was about 14 because it always makes me more comfortable. I try to play up the eyes because I like them the best. Lately I have changed my eating habits to cut out most processed foods and eat mostly natural meats, fruits and veggies. I have also added drinking water to my day to day routine. I used to be addicted to Diet Coke and now I don't drink it. Don't get me wrong, I still love DC, but it's just not healthy as water. I always feel healthy and happy when I know that I'm putting food that is healthy in my body. It honestly does make you feel better! And the bonus to all the healthy eating and cutting out the processed food is that you lose weight! Bonus, for sure!"

Thanks goes to Macey for the fun interview this week. I enjoyed getting to know Macey - hope you did too! Her interview will be here throughout the weekend.

If you know of any Incredible Women you'd like to nominate, please let me know - I'd love to interview them! kara(dot)incrediblewomen(at)gmail(dot)com

Incredible Woman #52 - Macey France. Laughing, and Blogging...

KARA: Tell us about this problem you have of laughing uncontrollably! What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you?

MACEY: "Oh, no. I didn't read these questions before I started answering, so this one took my by surprise. The laughing uncontrollable is a horrible impairment!! I mean, laughing at funerals? Gah! I can only say it's a nervous reaction. I hope, anyway. I really hope I'm not that twisted! The funniest thing that ever happened to me? Geez, I have so many things! From saying stupid or inappropriate things to potty humor, etc. How 'bout this one? I peed my pants when I was at a slumber party once. I was 14. Of course, this doesn't compare to the "Sharting in Walmart" episode. Which happened last month."


KARA: "Tell us about your blog – “Living in France – Confessions of a stay at home mom who needs to get out more”. I LOVE that name! Why did you start blogging? What kinds of things do you blog about?"

MACEY: "The name is a really funny story...I had seen all of these blogs (which surprised me, really, because I had no clue about blogs at all) and I thought it would be neat if I could figure out how to do it. I named it way before I decided if I would do one or not. It's a play on my name and it's subtitle is exactly what it means. I'm a very "close to home" type gal. I don't go many places and I live in a small town. We have family in large cities and when we go visit I'm always shocked and in awe from what I see. I wouldn't say I'm a "country bumpkin" but the people that I encounter on these trips, or even in my own town at times, can really shock me. I realized when I found blogging that there is stuff going on in the world that I really never knew about. There are times that I'm amazed at something I don't know about and I always wonder if it's because I'm an at home mom or because of the small town or what. I talk about all kinds of things...mostly observations on people and every day life. Being a mom, a wife, a novice crafter. It all makes for some funny stories for me since I tend to do everything the hard way!"

Tomorrow is the last day of my interview with Macey - hope you don't miss it!

Incredible Women #52 - Macey France. Reading, and Top 5 Adventures...

KARA: "You’ve told me that you are passionate about getting kids to read. What kinds of things do you do to help kids read? It sounds like you love books. Describe your blog called “Read with Girlfriends”."

MACEY: "Right now, having small children, my first priority is helping them to be great readers. We start early and we read to them all the time. When my oldest got to KG, he became more and more interested in sounding the letters and words out on his own. He went in not knowing how to read at all and by the end of October he was reading at 1st grade level. Now he's in 2nd grade and reading at about 4th grade level.

My youngest is in preschool and we are just starting to get him prepared to start reading. I know that when a child can read, he/she can do anything! Reading is such a wonderful thing. It promotes imagination, grammatical skills, spelling, and many other things! I love to pick up a book and be transported in time or space to a whole other world. I want kids to feel that too.

When my youngest is in school full time I plan to volunteer at the schools with reading help. They always need helpers and reading is a huge problem area with certain children.

Read With Girlfriends was started by my friend, Jessica, and I. We started it because we both love to read and want to share our love of books with friends. We can discuss the books we read on the blog and get feedback from other women who read with us. It's a great community of readers who love to talk about the books we've read and also promotes their blogs and their reading preferences! I've been led to some wonderful books mentioned by our followers!


KARA: "What are the top 5 adventures you’ve had in your life so far? What’s next on your list of things to do?

MACEY: "The top 2 are definitely my pregnancies and giving birth to my 2 wonderful boys. They were both adventures in their own right. I'm very proud of that.

3rd thing would be helping my husband through the process of finding and reconnecting with his biological family.

4th would be marriage in general. From the beginning where you plan the wedding all the way through to today. I once got a book titled "After the Wedding Comes a Marriage," or something to that effect. I always thought that was such a perfect title. The wedding is nothing. It's everything after that counts.

5th thing is motherhood. People might say, "you already said that when you talked about giving birth to your boys." Well, motherhood and pregnancy are two very different things. Maybe I should write a book called, "After a Pregnancy Comes Motherhood!"

Haha! I love that title - Macey, I think you should write that book - maybe with contributing stories from lots of moms. :-)

Tomorrow Macey talks about her sometimes uncontrollable laughter, and all about her blog - Living in France. Hope you'll come back and visit.

Incredible Woman #52 - Macey France. Etsy Shop, and Trials...

KARA: "I understand you have an Etsy shop. For those readers who don’t know what that is, tell us about Etsy. And then, tell us about your shop! What kinds of things do you sale?"


MACEY: "Etsy is an online store where you can buy vintage or handmade goods from thousands of different "shops." I share the shop with my mom and sister who both have talents that I like to showcase. It is called Cursing Crafter and if you read my blog you will see why. I used to have a potty mouth while making things. I'd make a mistake or drop something and use a curse word. It was mostly in my head, but I swear, if you could've heard me you would have thought I had a degree in Sailor Speak. I make all kinds of things...just for fun. Things I like, things I think are pretty. My mom crochets blankets and my sister is a wonderful artist. Right now I have a couple of her wood burnings on there. "

KARA: "Tell us about some of the trials you’ve faced throughout your life. How did you overcome those trials and what kinds of lessons have your learned?"

MACEY: "I can't really think of any trials. I mean, as a child, I was plump and made fun of by my peers. I overcame that by losing weight and sharing some choice words with those peers. Ha! As an adult the thing that I've faced was being diagnosed with MS at 27. Luckily I have a wonderful support system in my family and friends. I also am blessed with insurance that allows me to be able to take advantage of having a great neurologist, primary care physician and the treatments available for my condition. It's all very difficult to overcome. You never really do, in fact. You just learn to deal. You also try to stay positive. Which is very difficult at times, but when you have good family and friends, it makes it easier. I also believe in God and that really helps me also. I know that it's not for me to understand why things happen the way they happen. I'm not to know. Which is frustrating, but does lend a sense of relief too."

I've met so many people who, when asked about the trials they've faced, can't really think of any - just like Macey. Of course, I'd call having MS a trial, but can't you just appreciate her attitude toward it? There really is nothing we can do about most of the trials we are faced with, except deal with them the best way possible.

Tomorrow I'll talk to Macey about her passion with getting kids to read, and also the top 5 adventures she's had in her life. See you then...

Incredible Woman #52 - Macey France. Self, and Family...

This week I'm please to introduce Macey France - an Incredible blogger! Macey was nominated by one of our previous Incredible Women - HolleeAnn Vasquez. Thanks to HolleeAnn, I have a new blog to follow. ;-) Macey's blog button is there on the right sidebar. Take some time this week to visit. I know you'll love her blog. Let's get this interview going...

KARA: "Describe yourself. What makes you an Incredible Woman?"

MACEY: "I'm not sure I would ever call myself and incredible woman. I do the same stuff all SAHM's do, the only difference is that I may be a little more tired because my brain likes to run around and around and around... usually going in full circle and driving myself nuts! When I get the chance to relax, I love to read, craft and blog."

KARA: "Tell us about each member of your family – what one word would you use to describe each one? What do you love about each member of your family?"

MACEY: "On my blog I call my oldest son Big Boy. It's so hard to come up with one word to describe him! I guess I would say "Smart." Which sounds kind of boring or perhaps cliche, because all moms tend to think their children are smart. But he really is! And he's little, which always makes people wonder if he's younger than he is. He is 7. They are amazed he is so intelligent and mature for his age and size.

My youngest is called Little Boy on my blog. He is 4. I would use the word "Spunky" for him. He's always ready to go; up early and happy about it. He's always ready to do something fun, he's silly as all get-out and just really charming. Of course that is when he is not throwing a tantrum.

My husband I would say "Steadfast." He is always the same guy. He isn't flighty; he makes smart decisions and he's loyal."

Each day I'll post 2 questions/answers from my interview with Macey, so take some time and visit, ok?