Ten on Tuesday (early)

It certainly has been longer than I would like since I have posted here. There are some great new things in the works regarding Feasting On Joy and I have been occupied in that lately as well as 50 other things. We also are in the thick of finishing up school for the school year as well as co-op so that always comes with a lot of parts and pieces to balance in my life.

I thought I would catch you up on a few fun things happening around here.

1~~ The recent daylight savings time change totally threw me off! It usually doesn't but this year it was an "off" week. It does help that we homeschool and can be flexible and adjust though.  But that was a week that I felt like would never end.  Now I am loving the lighter later evenings and the feeling of Spring in the air.

2~~ Speaking of Spring, normally my counters would be totally covered with seedlings of all sorts that would just be popping out of the soil by now.  This year there are no seedlings adorning my counters. Steve and I have decided to let our soil (and me) rest for a year.  We plan on deeply amending the soil this year and last year started a trash can compost outside too.  It usually took me around 30 hours a week to tend the garden and that is not counting the "putting up" time. I love it but really want to open up time to be able to do a lot more outdoor things this summer here with the boys. We will probably still have a tomato plant or two (instead of 9) and we have our apples and peaches along with the never ending weeding. I will also probably plant some more expensive organic produce like collard greens and chard to save some money. It is weird to look out at our planters and see them quite bare!

3~~ After winter (which I love) it is always nice to see the signs of Spring. I love when the Daffodils start blooming! They are one of my favorite flowers. My Aunt reminded me the other day of a little poem my Grandma used to say whenever she saw a Daffodil. It made me love them even more because I absolutely adore my Grandma. The poem was. "A little cup, a little frill and now you have a daffodil!"  So cute. I love my Grandma and I love Daffodils. 

4~~ We have come to love a certain song in our house! Actually we hear it on Pandora every once in a while and thankfully the lyrics don't really come in that clear because some of them are a little out of our conservative arena for 8 year old and 4 olds. The boys have never seen the video either. However, there is something about the beat to this song that literally makes us want to start dancing around the house and be silly. It has totally helped break up the seriousness in our house. We could be eating dinner or doing chores but the minute we hear this, we convene in the living room and start dancing all around! It is a regular dance party. I love it! So, I bet you are wondering what the song is?  It is "I Like to Move it, Move it." from Madagascar. My boys have never even seen the movie but we love the song! Click here for the song. (Disclaimer, I have never let my boys watch this video and really don't think the video is appropriate so if you have littles around and you are pretty conservative don't watch. For adults it is pretty funny though.)

5~~ Our conversations around the table can get pretty funny especially with an 8 year old and a 4 year old. Lately the topic has come up multiple times of wishing we lived in a Candy land and then a Protein Land. Actually, Cody clarifies each time that we need protein land first! You know protein/fat helps sugars digest more evenly and deters blood sugar spikes! Cracks me up. They go on to describe what will be in each land. Bacon, of course, would be in protein land! Candy land gets more descriptive. Waterfalls of chocolate (organic of course with no GMO's Cody adds) and rivers of honey. We are all craving protein and candy after the conversation which happens multiple times a month at meal times!

6~~ On the topic of Bacon we have been loving a snack called Porkitos lately. Actually this is made from Prosciutto that is baked and it is oh SO good! Michelle of Nom Nom Paleo coined the phrase and created the snack.  I buy Prosciutto at Costco and decided to try Michelle's version of it one day. Now, we like to eat it her way better than not baked.  It is good for putting on top of salads or eggs. Even to jut eat plain is wonderful. Try it! It also has that crunch that sometimes Paleo eaters crave.

(picture from Nom Nom Paleo)

7~~ This month I will be Gluten Free for three years! Wow. I can remember like yesterday how I viewed it as my death sentence in 2011 when I was told I had to eat GF. I have several posts detailing my journey of going Gluten Free if you search Gluten Free Journey in the labels on the side. Funny, I never knew that being Gluten Free was actually not hard at all. Looking back at the way I used to be able to eat was a piece of cake in comparison to the way I eat now. I look back though and realize that even though the things I was eating were Gluten free they were mostly NOT healthy. Just because it is GF doesn't mean it is healthy. I repeat just because it is labeled Gluten Free does not mean it is healthy for you to eat. Gluten Free food items (even prepared at home from scratch) have A LOT of starch and refined sugar in them and can have very little nutritive value. Eating as much refined sugar and starch as I used to contributed to my demise (Intestinal Permeability) in 2013. I am SO thankful for what I have learned since that journey started in March of 2011. I will never go back to eating Gluten Free ONLY. I love eating GMO free, grain free, legume free, refined sugar free, & dairy free (and a lot of other things "free.") It does my body good and has helped my boys with rashes, allergies and more! It has even helped my husband eliminate blood pressure issues, his overall wellness and he is down to the weight he was in high school! He doesn't always eat grain free either. My boys can have dairy though and we buy raw milk for them which they tolerate very well. Anyway, even though GF was simpler in terms of being able to have more convenience foods, I love Paleo because the food is nutrient dense (almond flour and coconut flours verses white rice flours for baking and lots and lots of veggies along with small portions of "clean" lean meats...) and easier to cook. It is just the prep that takes more time. What a journey it has been. I have been Paleo for over a year now and my health (due to autoimmunity) has done a 180 in terms of improvement. I highly recommend a grain free Paleo diet (or even Autoimmune Paleo) for those with autoimmunity. I am thankful for my doctor back in 2011 who was the ONLY doctor out of several who even told me that Gluten could affect those with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. It put me on the path to the realization that food, and everything we put in our mouths and on our skin, affects our health either positively or negatively. All God's Providence. PS: If you want to see what I can eat (which is a ton) check out my Pinterest Board.

8~~ Co-op is coming to and end! We have three more weeks left (after Spring Break). Time flew. It seems like we were just at Christmas break. Corbin has loved taking Chess, Creative Thinking, and Creative Writing with some amazing teachers. Cody has loved taking story hour, PE and Games, Eric Carle, and Christ Centered Character also with some amazing teachers. I absolutely love our co-op and am amazed at the sacrifice our moms make each week to teach our children. It is such a blessing and I have made some sweet friends in the process. God is good!

9~~ Steve and I started using doTERRA Essential oils in December for us individually. We have loved them so much and have seen some wonderful results in us personally as well as in our children from implementing these oils into our lives. I call them my "icing on the cake." We only got minor colds once or twice this year due to our lifestyle overhaul and using doTERRA EO's! Yay! It is so cool to us to be able to use something natural that God gave us (that were even used in Bible times) to help our bodies with their ailments. We have learned so much in the past few months and we are actually teaching classes together now to share our experience with others. We teach and help get our clients on the path to using doTERRA essential oils in their everyday lives. We love that we can literally replace our entire medicine cabinet as well as cleaners with Essential oils! Stay tuned to this blog because eventually I will be posting recipes for cleaners and home remedies. I will also have some giveaways of homemade cleaning solutions using doTERRA EO's. It is going to be fun!

10~~ One of the things that is so much on my mind and I pray about all the time lately is walking in God's will. There are so many things we can do in life. So many directions we can take. So many traps we can fall in. I know my Lord has ultimate discernment and protection over me and has my best interests and that of my family at heart. I trust in His unending sovereignty. He is amazing. I pray for protection from the snares because, as a human, it is so easy to not see one of Satan's traps. One of the best allegories and illustrations of the conniving, sneaky, deceit of the devil is played out in the book Pilgrims Progress. I like the audio version of this for road trips. They even have a kids version that my son has read over and over. It is a captivating story of the main character, Christian, who is on his life journey to heaven's gate while trying to stay on God's path. It was written by John Bunyan who was in prison at the time of the writing! I highly recommend it. 

I pray Proverbs 16:9 in my heart daily. 

Proverbs 16:9
A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

If we direct our steps we are really walking on the sinking sand. 

Temporal is the word that comes to mind. If we are in God's will and walking his path we can be safe in his arms and under his protection. That's what I want. With all these new things happening in our lives I do pray that, as I plan my ways (and heed the Lord's instruction and open doors), that God truly does direct us on this journey and that we trust in him for in and for everything.

Be Thou My Vision

It's no secret that I love hymns. The words are always filled with such heart and soul.

They move me.
They inspire me.
They convict me.
They encourage me.

"A hymn is a traditional song of praise or worship written to God." "...traditional hymns continue to move (me) with profound words and beautiful music that engage (my) mind and lift (my) heart to heaven." (quoted from "Who is God?" by John Hay and David Webb, pg. 95. Words in parenthesis are mine)

There has been a hymn going through my head now for a few weeks since we sang it in church.

You see, a lot of exciting things have been happening in my life lately and I have such fun looking ahead. I want to remain grounded in the Lord and be sure at all times that God is my vision, that He is the Lord of my heart. I want to be sure that I don't heed riches, or empty praise. Remembering God is my inheritance is key. I want to treasure thou art - not the great things happening. He is ruler of all!

Be Thou My Vision was written in the eighth century from an unknown poet who lived in Ireland. This poet and her belief in Christ came about thanks to the enduring work of St. Patrick in Ireland (first as a slave then as an evangelizer.) St. Patrick planted about 200 churches and had 100,000 converts during his time!

The poem, written by the unknown poet, was translated in 1905 by Mary Elizabeth Byrne from Dublin, Ireland. Eleanor Hull put the words to rhyme and meter and it was set to the tune of the Irish folk song "Slane." The reason why it was set to this tune was because it was thought that Slane was an area where St. Patrick challenged the Druids with the gospel.

Here are the lyrics:
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

If you would like to hear the song you can click the link below. This is the most traditional version and my personal favorite.

Be Thou My Vision

May Christ be your vision this year as well!

~Blessings~

(Hymn facts and information taken from the book "Then Sings My Soul" by Robert J. Morgan)

Reflections

It is the last day of the year and it is inevitable that we take inventory of the year past. What worked and what didn't. What was hard and what was easy. What we learned and what we did or didn't accomplish. Then, usually, we make plans or goals for next year. This year, instead of sharing my goals and plans I am going to share with you my reflections of 2013. At the end of this post I am going to highlight four books that I read this year that were perspective changers for me.

Here are six words that describe my 2013~
Healing
Trust
Growth
Discipline
Determination
Grace

The following are things that in no way have I mastered. These are convictions, challenges, motivators and good things that have come from my past 365 days.

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Keeping a Thankfulness journal is therapeutic. There were so many days in 2013 that I woke up feeling awful. Feeling like I didn't want to get out of bed. Physically in pain not wanting to move. Depressed at my life's circumstances. Wanting to give up at times. Getting up and coming down to read my bible, do a devotional and write in my thankfulness journal almost always changed my perspective. There were always things to be thankful for. In fact, I live quite a blessed life in spite of autoimmunity and health problems. Those mornings it was challenging to make the choice to be thankful but when I did it forced me to think on the good things.
Philippians 4:8 says Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
There is a reason why God tells us to "Think on these things." They have power to change your mind and thoughts. I really recommend keeping a Thankfulness journal. Record a few thoughts or sentences each day of the things you are blessed by, what you are thankful for, or what you are grateful for. You can also record answered prayers which is a faith builder in and of itself!

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My family eats 100% different from the way we did at this time last year. What we eat (or don't) is radically different. This was not by choice, but in hindsight and presently I am grateful for the change. It has been a very long, hard journey (really that started almost three years ago) and there were many days when I didn't want to eat this so different. It can be inconvenient, time consuming, expensive, frustrating and require a lot of self-control. However, rewarding times in our life are never easy. They are always hard. We have seen major rewards from this change of eating an organic diet without grains, legumes, dairy, processed foods and refined sugar. I always eat full Paleo (and started on Intro Gaps early January) and my boys almost always eat Paleo and occasionally have Gluten free items (which include GF grains.) My husband eats Paleo except at various social times. The rewards have been major weight loss, lower blood pressure (in a family history of high blood pressure), great cholesterol labs, spinal inflammation in my husbands back is gone, healing in myself so that I can function daily with a above average energy level most days, & a lot less sicknesses from flu's and colds in our house. These things have made it all worth it. The rewards far outweigh the hardships and inconveniences.

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Daily time spent in God's word (The Bible) is vital to my life. This year I have developed a deep hunger and thirst for The Word and for God. I desire to know Him better, to learn from Him, to learn about Him, to trust in Him, to follow Him and to wait in Him and on Him. My desire has deepened - dark valleys do that. The valleys of the past 6 years have been dark, lonely (at times) and depressing but over time, through refinement by God, I desire to earnestly seek Him. I certainly fail still at times but my heart has started to become molded and crafted by His hands. This will take a lifetime and is painful but necessary. Through seeking Him daily, by spending uninterrupted time in His word and praying, I have deepened my relationship and understanding of my best friend- My Lord Jesus.

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I learned (once again) not to put anyone pedestal. Family, friends, celebrities, anyone that is a h.u.m.a.n. If we do this, we will always be let down. Always disappointed. We are human. Fallible humans. Not one is better than another. Acts 10:34 says God is not a respecter of persons. Status or worldly success or talents don't matter to Him. Galatians 3:28 says- There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. In other words, we are all equal in God's eyes. God created us equal and sees us that way so why should we hold up and create various "levels" for the human race?

It is not wrong to look up to someone or admire someone but know they are fallible and check your heart as to where you place them in your life. The only person infallible, trustworthy, worthy to be idolized and placed "above" is Jesus. Live for Him. Let Him be what motivates and guides you - not h.u.m.a.n.s.

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Don't miss relationship and special moments because of being sucked into a screen. Email, Facebook, blogs, pinterest, surfing the net and time spent with technology which is always ALL around us can be a HUGE distraction and opportunity killer. Balance must be found. Our families lives can fly by (unnoticed) while we are enveloped in technology. Relationship becomes void. Actual time spent is priceless and where relationships are built. Virtual time is so empty and ultimately SO lonely.

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Following mainstream societal ways can be a big detriment to our well being (in many ways, but I will be focusing on health here.) Following God's path as opposed to the worlds is what God calls us to do. That means we have to be different. Romans 12:2 says - And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

If I followed my full Western Medicine MD Doctor and her advice (or lack thereof) I would be dead this year. Literally. Either that, or I would be on ten different drugs that would be a mask to the cause of my health issues. These drugs would eventually give me other symptoms that if they didn't kill me then, they would later. A slow death. A life of unnecessary suffering. God did not make our bodies to be pumped full of daily drugs, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. God made our bodies to heal naturally with the good things He has created and given us. So how do we not "conform?" We ask God for direction. Just because it is easy to go to the doctor and get a pill doesn't mean it is the right thing to do. Just because we can call up a friend for advice and it is easy doesn' tmean that is what God wants us to follow. Ask God what His will is for your life, for your health? Ask Him in what direction you should go to feel better? He will make it clear. If I didn't do this I would never have found GAPS. This is what God used to get me on the path to life and vitality rather than a life of merely surviving and going from one ignorant, greedy doctor to the next all the while medical bills piling up higher and higher. (Sorry if you are a doctor but this is my personal experience.) I do have two doctors (who are investigative and functional medicine doctors) that I highly respect and do help out. Anyway, follow God's ways rather than what society or mainstream media or your friends say to do. Pray, Pray, Pray. God has the ultimate wisdom and knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our past, present AND future. What better person is there to seek wisdom from? Please don't get me wrong here. I am not saying that since I use natural healing I am more holy or "better." I am merely saying don't just do something or follow a certain way because someone else is. Our actions in our lives should reflect the beauty of the Lord and His good and perfect will for our individual lives. Seek. HIM. Daily. That is what it means to be "different."

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Memorizing Scripture and storing it in our hearts (especially as parents raising children) is imperative. There are so many reasons that memorizing scripture is important. This is how the Holy Spirit can speak to us. Since the Word is truth we can speak truth to our children when needed like in times of discipline or encouragement. We can share the Truth with others. We can help bring unbelievers to the sweet Grace of God. (Hebrews 4:12) The Word is active, it is sharper than any double edged sword. It pierces our hearts. When we store up the scriptures in our hearts, it challenges, convicts, encourages us and give us hope. What if someday we don't have the luxury of having a bible? What verses will you have stored up in your heart?

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This last one is the deepest reflection of them all! Always, always, always have bacon and bacon grease on hand! They are the building blocks of life. They are joy. They are love. They are tasty. Bacon makes everything better!

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Here are four books that changed my perspective this year and I wholeheartedly recommend to you to read:

This book is written by a former shepherd named Phillip Keller. He has an amazing, eye-opening look at the relationship between a sheep an their shepherd and how it parallels our relationship with Christ (since we are His sheep.) He walks you through Psalm 23 in ways that I have never even understood or considered before. It is a small book and relatively quick read but there are many places you will want to stop and ponder and think on the the thoughts and insights he shares.

This book is written by Phillip Keller as well and is an even smaller book than the first. I literally read it in a few hours. Phillip talks about his relationship in training this wretched outcast of a dog to be an amazing sheepdog. He parallels the training and discipline Christ gives us in our lives and the refinement it brings as well as the discovery of what our true purpose is here on earth. When my oldest gets a little older it is a book we will be reading together. It truly helps the reader to see their relationship with Christ in a different light, through different glasses - through the lens of love.

We read this book by Sam Wellman together as a family this year. It was a life changer for me. I literally found myself thinking about Corrie's life and her faith for weeks and months after we finished reading the book. Corrie's faith in the worst possible conditions of World War II Nazi concentration camps is astounding. You will learn about her family growing up, her sister Betsy who is also an amazing hero of faith, and their victories and trials in their walk with the Lord. Once you have finished the book, I recommend watching the movie The Hiding Place. In the movie you actually get to see her in real life and hear her faithful words. Don't watch the movie first though! The book has way more detail. Corrie's understanding of the Lord will challenge you and at times bring you to your knees. Her endurance and courage are incredible. She is certainly someone to admire and glean from.

This last book by Pam Forster is really more of a devotional or a checklist. It is only about 20 pages long. It is meant to be a continual resource to come too and get back on track with the biblical and Godly way of parenting. There are six areas of focus: Love, Prayer, Instruction, Protection, Provision, and Example. In each section there is a bible verse describing the topic, and a checklist of questions followed by verses to evaluate how you are doing in this area of parenting.  I took a verse each day and read it in the Bible in context, journaled about it and wrote my thoughts and convictions on it. It was a very fruitful time. It is a book I have come back to time and time again for the gentle reminders through scripture of my calling and the Biblical guidance of "how-to" when it comes to my ministry as a parent.

I pray you have a blessed new year and that you might be able to think back on your year personally and reflect on the triumphs, valleys, victories and challenges that came along!  Cheers is too many more reflections to come for the next 365 days!

~Blessings~

Ten on Tuesday

1 ** I was making Gluten Free Banana Bread for my family last night, not me I can't have bananas until next year as they are on my severe intolerance list for ALCAT, and I got an egg with two yolks!  We have a neighbor with chickens who has been graciously sharing and the two yolker was one of them! Cool huh? The recipe I was using was from my Blackbird Bakery Gluten Free cookbook that I got at one of my favorite stores - Anthropologie.

2 ** Speaking of ALCAT, by the end of the week I will be on my 75th day of this wonderful (insert sarcastic roll of the eyes) elimination diet. I am more than half way through the first phase.  I have 20 days to go until I can start reintroducing my moderate intolerance foods!  That is a big milestone for me because this has been one of the toughest things I have ever done. I have until next March until I can start reintroducing my severe intolerance foods.

3 ** I purchased a new Bone China Tea set with inlaid real gold at Teavana.  I had some gifts cards and I love that store.  Their teas taste SO good and are all made from REAL fruit with no natural or artificial flavors.  They also tell you what teas are good for certain ailments like allergies, digestion, colds, etc.  There are even several teas that my kids love there.

4 **  I have been teaching preschool in our homeschool co-op since September.  It has been such a blessing.  To be able to see the Lord answer my prayers each and every Monday in giving me enough energy to serve and to get to know each of my 11 preschoolers.  They say the funniest things.  Cody even calls me "teacher."  I love to see their little personalities shine through in the projects that they do each week.  I can tell who the rule followers are, the rebels are, the detail oriented students and the free flowing. I just love them.

5 ** Organizing makes me feel so good.  In fact, I have to be careful not to make it an idol in my life.  It is easy for me to want everything to be just perfect when in reality it never will be.  That being said though I spent a whole day the other weekend going through Cody's room and some of Corbin's. When we first moved in I just kind of put stuff in places.  No rhyme or reason (well there was a system - sort of.)  Now though, everything has it's place, it mostly stays neat and tidy and Cody is able to find all of his things.  I also made a few bucks selling some stuff at the local consignment store.  SHHHH! Don't tell the boys.

6 ** Have you ever refilled inks for your printer?  Well I did recently. I was so excited because I was saving about $70-80 not having to buy new ink cartridges.  Bummer thing is that my printer gets errors now all the time because the code on the old cartridge is read by my printer saying it is low.  It keeps saying it is installed incorrectly and all kinds of stuff.  I am not sure my saving the money was worth all the hassle it has created.  The verdict is still out.

7 ** I have lost about 22 pounds in the last two months thanks to my wonderful (insert sarcastic roll of the eyes) ALCAT diet. I never thought I would complain about something like this because I could have always lost maybe a few pounds (about 10.)  Well now most of my wardrobe doesn't fit me and I am nearing the 100 lb mark.  NOT good!  I refuse to buy more clothes.  Maybe I will just have to be the saggy baggy elephant for a while until (hopefully) I gain my weight back or at least some of it. If I start feeling better maybe I can gain some muscle too with some exercise.

8 ** We have been doing our usual fall traditions around here: corn maze, pumpkin patch, hay rides, and apple picking (since we only ended up with ONE apple on our tree this year thanks to coddling moths.) It has been lots of fun.  Of course, I really enjoy the REAL fall weather where we can actually bundle up too.

Poor Cody had to be the "girl" in the photo op above.  Good thing he didn't know. Steve caught a frog while were apple picking.  I may be weird but I have always loved frogs.  I think they are so cool.

9 ** I got to do some canning over the weekend.  I made Apple Wedges with Cinnamon Red Hot syrup.  I can't have apples until next year but Corbin said they were yummy.  I can't wait to taste them.  Next up for canning this week: Curried Apple Chutney and Crock Pot apple butter.

10 ** I have been going through a fiery trial on patience lately.  Patience with my kids, my health, test results, solutions to test results, healing for my body, preparing food.  You name it - usually patience is written all over it. It is tough and I fail miserably most times.  I know I will continue to be tested until I pass and that is the hard part.  I can not do it on my own.  I can only do it through Christ who strengthens me.  His Strength is made perfect in my weakness.

11 *Bonus ** The thing I hear most often lately is "You look tired."  It is true I do look tired. My body is a mess but on the road to healing and recovery.  I really don't mind hearing it because it is true but I look forward to the day that I have that healthy glow again and look refreshed.  Lord willing.

~Blessings~



A little about yours truly

Do you want to know about me and some things that I like?  Really, you do?  Oh yay!

I like natural light.  When I walk in a room with a lot of windows and "sunny" colors it makes me feel good. When I wake up in the morning one of the first things I like to do is open the blinds or curtains and let the light in the house.

Blue is my favorite color, Red is my second favorite color.  Yellow reminds me of my Grandma because she had this breakfast nook in her house that was so bright and yellow.  I remember having wonderful meals in there with her and my Grandpa.  Love them!

Every time I get in the shower lately I think "Yes to Carrots!"  Isn't that silly? The reason I think that is because I want to try this new product line called "Yes to Carrots." When I am done with my current shampoo and body wash I am going to give some of their products a try.  I am excited because they are natural (FOR REAL - no parabens, petroleum, etc and they are full of minerals) and most of their products are rated 1 or 2 on the Skin Deep website. It is hard to find products that work, for a decent price and are good for your skin and body. I hope these do the trick.

I love to cook and bake.  When I was a young teen I started asking for kitchen stuff for holidays and birthdays.  It am so glad I did because a lot of the things that I received I still use to this day. My favorite kitchen utensils that I would be lost without are my J.A. Henckels knives (received as a wedding gift) and my cutting board that my Dad made for me. 

I just made these Gluten Free Ginger cookies today (used my own GF flour though.) They are slightly chewy no crunchiness here. Just the way I like them.

Other things on my baking list this week are ChexMuddy buddies (well you dont really bake these), GF lemon Bars, GF Peanut Butter Kiss cookies, and GF Peanut Butter Cup cookies (we like peanut butter around here!)

My favorite kind of food is Mexican.  My second favorite is Thai.

My hair was white- blonde when I was young.  As I have gotten older it has gotten darker and darker. Now they made me put "sandy" on my license.  I have almost always worn it long.  I wish I knew more ways to do my hair though.

I have always wanted to visit Italy and intend to do so some day.  My two favorite countries I have been to are Switzerland and Austria.  They are breathtaking.

Hope your having a wonderful week before Christmas!
~Blessings~

Titles

I was thinking the other day of all the hats I have worn, or titles that I have held since I was of working age (and a little younger).  It was kind of fun to reminisce because I like working and had a lot of fun jobs. Sometimes I think it would be fun to go back to those jobs for like a week.  Then come back to the best job in the world, being a SAHM.

Here are some of them:

• House cleaner
• Dog watcher
• Card Seller
• Salad tosser and salad bar cleaner (actually at this place I don't remember what my official title was)
• Hostess
• Food Server
• Traffic Coordinator at a Marketing firm (not like vehicle traffic but incoming jobs, etc.)
• Administrative Assistant
• Freelance Graphic Designer
• Graphic Designer at a design studio
• Traffic Coordinator at a design studio
• Training Coordinator for a WMD scanning company
• Graphic Illustrator for a WMD scanning company
• Teacher
• Consultant
• Then theres the Mom hat.  We all know what fits in there - everything else!

Someday I may get back into the working (outside the home) world and here is what I might do:  I would like to own a bakery (or some kind of dessert bar) with a coffee shop.  It must have a bookstore in it.  I think it would be fun to be an inspirational speaker as well as an author. I would also love to go to culinary school, not that that is a job but I think it would be SO fun! 

Now your day can be complete since you know a little bit more about me!
Just kidding~

Blessings!