I actually didn't do one of these for December or January...
so sit back & enjoy some of the latest things I've gotten off of Amazon.
Banyan Botanicals Daily Swish, Mint, USDA Organic, 34 oz, Ayurvedic Oil Pulling Oil For Oral Health and Detoxification
After all the dental issues I had been going through, I wanted to try & do something to strengthen my gums & teeth. I've tried the oil pulling before with seasame oil but it was HORRIBLE. YUCK. GAG. So I wanted to try this since it had a minty taste to it.
VERDICT: It's still gross to do. I keep trying to remind myself to do it every now & then but I just cant make it a habit. If you oil pull, you'd probably like the taste more than a regular oil. If you're not a fan, this wont change your mind.
Adventures in Lettering: 40 exercises to improve your lettering skills
I got this while I've been trying to work on my calligraphy.
This... no... doesnt help in any form whatsoever.
It's really useless actually.
It has a few different kinds of fonts & lettering but it's nothing that you cant find off of Pinterest.
VERDICT: PASS. Dont bother
Thrive Infinity Waterproof Liner in Lauren ( black Matte ) .28g
I've mentioned this eye liner before on here.
I actually got it from a monthly subscription box - cant remember which one - & loved it so much, I ordered it through that subscription company ... I wish I could remember who it was.
But since I couldnt find it, good ole Amazon to the rescue.
The vendor actually sent me another eye liner along with it as a thank you & I love that one equally as much. So a total WIN WIN
VERDICT: I really do love this eye liner a lot!
URPOWER 200ml Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser Humidifier with 7 Color LED Lights and Waterless Auto Shut-off- Wood Grain
I got this for a gift for a friend at Christmas.
I so love my humidifier that I use at work & I knew she had been interested in checking them out herself.
This one is super nice. The light around the middle changes color & it gives a nice little stream of mist. I like that the mist goes out at like a 45 degree angle. The one I had been using at home goes straight up so it sort of just settles straight down on the counter or edge of whatever I'm sitting it on.
VERDICT: my humidifier broke that I've used the past few years & I'm totally ordering myself one of these after seeing it put to use.
Let me tell you - finding some circular needles in a 16 inch length is NOT easy.
I went to every local craft store & nope... they had some longer ones, but no 16 inch - & for you non-knitters, that's the length you need to make a hat. A much needed length.
Local yarn stores usually carry them but its not convenient to get to.
So I was thrilled when I looked on Amazon & BAM - there they were!
VERDICT: I'll check Amazon from now on when I need needles - have them delivered to my door in 2 days is so much easier than driving to every craft store around
Clover Takumi 5-Inch Double point, Size 10
& if you are knitting a hat, you have to get double pointed needles as well for when the hat gets smaller & doesnt fit on circular needles.
Anyone getting intrigued on wanting to learn to knit? ;)
VERDICT: Love me some good bamboo needles.
I will say, I didnt notice these were 5 inch double pointed. Not my favorite - I like longer ones, but they still are perfectly fine.
Deluxe Naturals Elk Antler Dog Chews By Pound
A lot of people were confused when I mentioned antlers for Harvey Dent in another post - what they were for, how they work, what's the point?
Here's what they look like. I really liked these - they were fairly large, something you have to be careful for because you can get some tiny tiny ones that some big jaws will break in two.
They are the perfect chew toy if you have a dog that loves to chomp on things.
Antlers aren't cheap (a bag of 3 costs $39.95) ... but I remind myself how unhealthy cheap raw hides are & realize that its worth it to pay more if it means a healthier bunch of dogs.
VERDICT: My dogs are spoiled... so yes, I'll be buying this again.
Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book
When I saw this book on Facebook, I knew I had to have it.
So I went ahead & pre-ordered it... & loved it was at my front door the day it was released.
I havent gotten around to reading it yet - its next on my list - but the book itself is so beautiful & I cant wait to dig into this little story.
VERDICT: Dont even care how the story goes, I'm glad I have it just for the B&tB support
I don't know if this is something anyone else even thinks about...
I know in my house, my husband thinks NOTHING of it.
How do I know? Because I try to recycle where I can & it drives him nuts.
& he has no problem throwing everything away. Even clothes that he doesn't like anymore.
I'm like, GIVE IT TO CHARITY & he's like, Meh
.... don't worry, I don't let him make it to the garbage with the clothes. I keep a box always by the door for things to give away when a charity calls for a pick up.
But I do worry about the earth.
I'm the person who cries over cut down trees. Really, I cry.
I worry about landfills. How can it continue to hold all the garbage that is created????
I freak out about the air & water & what can happen to it.
So this video really intrigued me....
& I don't think its about living so extreme you can't function in a normal way.
I do love that it did force her to live a healthier lifestyle though. Isn't that interesting? You take care of yourself better & you take care of the environment around you better as well. The circle of life I can get down with.
What about you? Does this sort of thing worry you?
Do you do anything to help the environment or watch your trash usage?
What's one thing you are willing to change in the future?
That perfectly describes my weekend... it should stand for Wonderous O-mazing Weekend. I'll change amazing for omazing... make it work.
Friday, I ended up taking a half day off & got home in time to get packed up & ready to go for another Believe weekend.
Bloody eye leader ready to go!!!
I honestly have lost count on how many Believe trips I have gone on through the years. I started in 2005 & I think I've only missed maybe 3 since then... so its quite a few of these middle school conferences under my belt.
& I love every single one of them.
I was so happy to go this go-around for the first time with my new church. They are just top notch in everything they do & this didn't disappoint in the least.
We got there on Friday & the girls started rolling in. I was excited to see one of my past Believe buddies who is now in high school. I always miss these kiddos when they grow up. But she was there to drop off her little sister & brother... the sister was in my group & the brother was in Ricky's group. I adore this family so much & am so glad we still have family members that we can continue to love on.
All my girls got checked in & I found out I had 19 girls in my small group. Nineteen. & I loved every single one of them. They just made it so easy. & fun.
They really were the best group of girls.
It's funny because having this many girls, I always use the 'buddy system'... I know it may feel like a child thing to do but every time I would yell "BUDDY CHECK" & they knew to look for another face/friend & pair up, it made it so much easier to know if anyone was missing. Some things just always classically work.
All the girls in my small group ... WE ARE 3!!!!!
This years theme was OPEN at Believe. The idea that we need to be generous in the gifts God has given us. We need to have OPEN eyes to see the needs of the world... OPEN hearts to feel the compassion to help ... & OPEN hands to do the work that needs to be done.
Every person, old & young, has a talent, has time, has a treasure that they can be OPEN with & generous to others. It was really full of some great information & examples.
#KingdomWorkers
One of the sessions really stuck out to me & was eye opening. They brought a kid up on the stage & gave him one red skittle & told him to share it. Well, its hard to share one skittle... but what if you had a mini pack? Easier, but still, who only wants 2 Skittles each? & he kept moving up in bag sizes of Skittles until he finally got to a tote full of HUGE party size bags of Skittles. & then they told the kid he could go into the crowd of hundreds of middle school kids & share it.
Well, I felt HORRIBLE for that kid. He took 2 steps off that stage & HUNDREDS of middle school students ran & bombarded him & took the skittles out of his hands. I mean, it was like a MOB. It took maybe 10 seconds before all the arm pile of Skittles was taken away from him. It was almost violating in such an aggressive way.
So they brought the kid back up & he looked so shook up - I would too. But the point was, he didn't really give them away... people came & took these skittles from him. & the leader talked about how selfish we are as a people. These kids didn't really allow this young kid to give out his treasures - instead the kids all thought they were entitled to them & ran & took them themselves. They didn't give any thought or mind to the other hundreds of kids sitting around who didn't run up - they thought THEY deserved the skittles themselves. OUCH. Talk about a guilt trip.
The leader asked for everyone who had a package of Skittles to now actually GIVE it to someone.
But we are all born with such a selfish nature to grab & take what you can give....Always thinking about ourselves first. It's so easy to forget the people around us & especially the people that have a bigger need than we do.
We need to rethink that thought process. We need to be more OPEN in giving. Be more aware of the people around us that need things - not think with a selfish heart.
They had kids write down on a post it note on what they were going to be generous with.
It was covered by the end of the weekend.
I'm not sure how much that settled in on middle school kids because at the end, I saw many a kid pushing & shoving to get to the final session exhibition & wanting to get in on the fun that was offered. That selfish nature is hard to break, but I'm praying that the message of the weekend continues to settle in as they live out what they learn & come face to face with the selfishness we all have in every day life.
As always, the worship was amazing too. It's the best part of a Believe weekend to me EVERY TIME. You can't be in a room with hundreds/thousands of jumping & pumping middle school kids & not feel the energy & get wrapped up in it too.
One of the funniest parts of the trip was our bus drive to the event on Friday. oh my word... we all thought we were going to tump over. Truly tump over. Our bus driver when we got to the venue took a strange turn & someone told him, there's a curb there. Now, let me tell you - a curb is a little piece of concrete that blocks rounded turns. This was no curb. It was a BARRIER. Like a barrier that prevents cars from coming over... like the kind you find in the middle of an expressway.
& our bus went over it. LEGIT right over it. I'm not even sure how it was possible - but it happened. The first wheel went over & we were straddled on it - well, at that point, you gotta get off of it. So the driver made the decision to pop the other front wheel over it & then you of course have to get the back wheels over it - with each wheel, the whole bus was leaning so hard to the side. It was such a harsh landing too, kids were bumping up against the seats & trying not to hit the windows. It was very traumatic. You can only imagine how it could be with a bus full of 7th grade girls. haha... but no joke, I even thought my low back wasn't going to handle it by the 4th bump...
& then the security guy at the venue is chasing us down because, hello, we obviously just tore up a barrier... & the bus driver just kept driving in these weird circles... & running over every curb on the way. I'm not even joking.
At this point, we were just laughing because it was INSANE what was happening. We were like, PLEASE LET US OFF... we'll walk. Whew. Needless to say, we arrived safely... & I was shocked that the bus was still there when we had to drive back because I thought for sure it was tore up. & it didnt feel too comforting smelling a burning smell all the drive back to the church after that.
,...& on the bus ride back, we overheard the bus driver ask another bus driver if he could follow him back to the compound because he couldnt see the signs at night. WHHHAATTTTTTT?!?!?!?
It was nice the next morning when we had a new bus & bus driver though ;)
Happy Faces for a new bus on Saturday morning
The worst part of the weekend... sleep. Sleep just doesnt happen on these trips. & I will say, I thought it was going to be more of a nightmare because we had 40 people in our room to sleep. FORTY PEOPLE!!! 35 of them 7th grade girls.
You can imagine the giggling & talking & chatting all through the night. I turned off the lights at 12:30am, which means nothing to these girls... & expected... & we gave them till 1:00am to get their talking out & then it was solely devices off & whisper voices. I would say they were all down for the count by 1:30.... which was good because we had a wake up call at 7am
But then, the nightmare began. It was FREEEEEEZZZZZINGGGGG in that room. I dont know if the heat is set on a timer for the church or what, because we heard from every room that they were freezing, but it was horrible. I got up at one point - & by get up, I mean, out of my air mattress - not wake up - because I got about 2 hours sleep the whole night... & got up & put on my coat backwards like a straight jacket (appropriate?) & laid back down & put the blanket back over me.
I then thought about all the clothes I bought & thought about putting on all the layers of them & seeing if that warmed me up. It was HORRIBLE. I legit was shivering so much, it made me a little nauseated.
The funny thing, I was walking around at 4am & thinking how badly I wished I had my car keys because I was going to go to my car & turn on the heat for awhile... but Ricky had taken my keys & I didnt want to bother him if he was sleeping. Later, actually just a little later, when I saw Ricky at 5:30am, he told me his room was freezing (someone actually had a box fan going in their room on top of the freezing temps) & he went to the car & sat in the heat for awhile... at the exact same time I was walking around at 4am. I wish I would have looked out to my car through the window & saw him sitting there.
I just know next year, if we stay at the church again... I'll be bringing supplies for fit for the Nole Pole. Not even joking.
The morning after the freeze out... stick close to one another & warm up.
After Believe was over, the fun wasn't.
We loaded up the buses again & headed out to an athletic center where people were playing dodge ball & soccer & football & all sorts of physical activities. Me? Count me out... I took my knitting. & actually took some extra needles & yarn & loved when some of the girls wanted to learn how to knit. I had one girl that was like a natural. Legit - a natural. She had amazing tension on the yarn & her stitches were looking great by the end. I let her take the yarn & needles home & I told her to keep at it - I'm going to take her strip of stitches & turn them into a loofah sort of a sponge. I just loved passing on the love of knitting... & it made everyone circle up & watch & we just had the best conversations flowing out of that little area.
& you'd think the weekend would be over after all that... you'd be wrong....
We got back to the church at 9pm on Saturday night & then it was time to CELEBRATE!!!!! All the parents were in the sanctuary & it was so fun talking to some parents & brag on their kids to them & just watching the reunions of the families. But then the parents got to see a glimpse of what we did over the past 2 days... they got to hear our songs we sang & some things that we talked about over the weekend & even some kids got on stage & talked about what God laid on their hearts. It was just the best....
Getting ready to CELEBRATE!!!
... & dont let the face behind you think it wasn't fun... she said she was too tired to smile for any more pictures ;) haha
& then it was STICK A FORK IN US - we're done...
Except Ricky was starving & we left the church at 10:15pm & was on the hunt for some food for him. Me? I sat on the side of the car & said screw it & ate virtually a whole bag of Reese's peanut butter white chocolate hearts. I felt like I deserved it at this point. Or more so, I didnt care. I just wanted some food in my belly & ready to get home to see my dogs.
We got home & I have never been so happy to see my bed & PILE of blankets. Poor Ricky fell asleep with his clothes on - even his shoes. Like totally 100% collapses in his bed when we got home. I told him to welcome to the world of middle school ministry. He's seen me come home after many Believe trips & he never understood my exhaustion... now he gets it.
Needless to say, Sunday was an easy day. Making out bills, doing grocery shopping, knitting, laying around & recovering....
& just thinking of what a blessing it is to be able to do these events. To get to meet & hang out with the coolest kids - kids that really are looking for that relationship with God... kids that are such amazing & supportive friends to one another.
Probably one of the best highlights of the whole weekend to me was our last group time prayer.... we all huddle up - all 19 of us & we prayed for the person on the left of us. The girls were a little freaked out at first when I asked them to pray out loud for the person but let me tell you... these were the most heart felt, kindest, most sincere prayers I've ever heard for one another. I was teary eyed by the time the circle came back around to me. THAT was what these weekends are all about & for. Its so worth freezing, not sleeping, & nearly tilted over buses... so worth it.... 100%
{The numbers go with my One Thousand Gifts Journal / so just ignore}
51 / Our gift card from Julie.
She knew that this is where Ricky go every Wednesday for our lunch date so she set us up for our last few dates. Always nice!
52 / Got cashew out of my gum.
Ewwww - right? But I got a piece so tucked up in my gum, I thought I was going to have to do an ER dental trip at 11pm at night. It was HORRIBLE pain. After a dozen tooth picks & 2 dozen mouth swishes with salt water, I finally got it out. Whew... that was miserable.
55 / Sparkling Water closer to home.
Our little local grocery store finally FINALLY started carrying sparkling water! YAHOOO! 63 / Great sale at Just Fab.
Anyone else ever use Just Fab ... I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop on it because I am loving it. I know you have to make sure to 'skip' every month or you get charged a fee, but you use that fee for shopping so its not like you really lose. But I have gotten some boots on there for $14.95 that I love & then they had a year end sale. I got 3 things for $5.00 each - FIVE DOLLARS. I thought, even if they're junk, its just $15.00 - & let me tell you - I love every piece. I got a sweater, a dress & a jacket. & its a NICE JACKET. Like heavy. I went back to get another one & they were sold out. Drats. But I'm pleasantly surprised so far. I'm keeping my eye out for more $5.00 deals!!!
71 / Sold hat as soon as posted on Instagram.
I had posted a picture of a hat I just finished up on Instagram - as I usually do. I typically post something there when I finish a project & then do a bulk picture day to put them up on Etsy. Well, it made my day when a follower messaged me & said they wanted it. Saved me time to take 'professional pics' - had it in the mail the next day for her.
I actually made up a coupon code for a discount if anyone ever sees anything on Instagram they want when I post it. It saves me time from taking pictures so I'll pass my time savings to you. If you ever see a item on IG that you like, message me & I'll send you the code! 77 / A slow schedule lately.
After photo season & the holidays, I have been so thankful for my empty calendar lately. Well - we all know my calendar is NEVER empty - but slower, I should say. I really am reminded how good it is for the soul to slow down. I'm going to be doing more of that this year. I'm not over booking my photo sessions - I'm not scheduling a lot of things to do unless its for fun, with friends, enjoyment. Life is too short to be stressed & running with my head cut off.
78 / Deer antlers.
Harvey Dent just NEEDS distraction & things to occupy him & these things are the best in keeping him busy at night when I'm knitting. Otherwise, he sits & stares at me to play with him or entertain him myself. #spoileddog
Entertain me or you get THE STARE
Hey - let me know if you cant see this picture.. I'm still trying something new with my photos & last time I tried - it didnt work well
80 / My car is still chugging along.
Chugging is the key word. Its still stuttering & sputtering... but its going. I'll take it.
What good things have happened in your life this week?
& then life slaps you against the face & reminds you that nothing really changes with a flip of a page.
Life just continues on in its up & down ways.
The beauty of living.
Saying all that - here's the ups & downs of the first month of 2017!!!
It's been a doozy
1. After a VERY late New Years Eve, I woke up at 10:30am & stayed in PJ's all day long with a movie marathon kinda day.
2. Headed to the grocery store to load up on some healthy food & get rid of all the sugar & junk in the house.
3. First day back at work & on schedule had me in bed by 8:30, but after getting my hair done, I at least went to bed early with great hair.
4. Went to get my oil changed & found out a critter had apparently made his home in my air filter for awhile.
5. Our first snow day of the year... & winter season.
6. The cold is ridiculous.
7. Made it to Nashville for our final Christmas of the year & got to celebrate Luke's birthday a day early
8. Left Nashville before the sun rose to make it back to MSM to kick off the year.
9. Kicked off my training for my 8th Half Marathon.
10. Hanging on with winds up gusting up to 45mph all day long.
11. Had to have the cable company come out & do some repairs.
12. We had a youth leader meeting to go to but after getting home & working out, I just couldn't make myself travel back out for another 30 minute drive away & just called it an early night.
13. Finally got my Christmas stuff all tucked away & the house kinda looking back to normal.
14. Fell in love with The Crown.
15. Baptism Sunday at church is always just so emotional & beautiful.
16. Realizing there's just not enough hours in a work night to get everything done.
17. Ricky locked his keys in his car so took Bruno with me to drive a key down & then let him travel in the Pet Store for a special treat.
18. Had a piece of a cashew stuck up in my gums & thought I was going to have to do an emergency dentist appointment with the pain but after a dozen tooth picks & some salt water rinses, it all worked out ok.
19. Going on Day 11 with no sunshine... but whose counting?
20. Glued to the TV all day watching the inauguration even though I didnt think I would watch a second of it.
21. Loved I was able to get outside & enjoy the warm weather for a long run.
22. Our JOY group finally finished the book we have been reading for what seemed forever!!! #butilovedeveryminuteofit
23. Pretty sure my insides hated me when the stomach bug hit me full force.
24. Stayed in bed the entire day.
25. Tried to make it to work but came home after being there for nearly 2 minutes.
26. Made it through work & came right home & put on PJ's & got back in bed.
27. Skipped my regular Friday grocery trip since I didnt eat anything at all during the week so the kitchen has stayed stocked fairly well. #needmoresaltines
28. Knitting & TV are the themes of the day.
29. Happy to go to MSM & see all my girls as we get ready to head to Believe next weekend.
30. Monday #thatsaysitall
31. Pretty sure Monday got the stomach bug & threw up all over Tuesday because it was a Monday to its core.
& now we're off... into the 2nd month of the year.
Strap in... I'm sure its going to be another fun ride.
