She makes a fabulous discovery!

I have all right skin, but it is never drop dead gorgeous. I hate going to the spa, (too foo foo for me, so facials are out) and I worry about chemicals in my body (you would too if you had colon cancer at age 39), so I have used Noxzema for years, since my teens and while my skin was soft and clean, it never felt just fabulous.
Enter simple mom blog and her oil cleansing method. and voila! I am a changed woman!
You mix one part olive oil(very good for you) and one part castor oil( I DRANK this when I was preggers to bring on labor- didn't work:0) together, mix by shaking and that's it. You put a quarter sized amount in your palm, apply to your face and rub it in. Put a hot wash cloth over your face and let cool until room temp(a minute) and then rub off excess with the washcloth. My skin is GLOWING and is as soft as a baby's behind! And all of the rough bits under my lips and next to my nose are soft and not full of gunk anymore. I am amazed! Try it YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Easter Sunday

There are sometimes when you go to church and it is like the message that your pastor is speaking is just for you. I know that it isn't, but it sure feels that way.

I have been a little sad since that brouhaha with the woman at church. I've been avoiding going, even on Sundays because I have felt so guilty. I know that I didn't mean to offend the woman, but I was feeling guilty about abandoning the rest of my group of ladies. I haave been heavy hearted about it.

But Pastor was talking about Christians who have turned away or used-to-believers. I have and always do love the LORD. But I have wandered away from my church. I let my faith fade because of a rude woman and that should never be. But, I also KNOW that it is Easter and Easter means renewal and redemption. And I know that I need to remember that I am redeemed. Everything else is really immaterial. God is good!

I have been practicing with my camera. It is a beauty. I bought the Nikon 5000D book for dummies. I want to take a class in photography this spring or summer. I also bought a book that is really helping me to plan out what I want my goals to be in the art realm. It is called The Artistic Mother.

This weeks list of mades...

I made a cloth cover for my stenographers notebook. I will try to figure out how to add pictures and download to the blog with the new camera.

I am making potato cheese soup in the crockpot (as we speak) with ham from Easter. Also made the whole big Easter dinner and cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

Thrifted a ton of vintage sheets from a thrift store that was going out of business. Cute stuff. Also got a few tea towels. I am eagerly awaiting my Crafty things to do with tea towels book that I ordered on Amazon. I also bought a beautiful little table that I put in a nook that we have in our formal dining room. Got an incomplete set of blue and white china with the sweetest little teacups for 5 bucks.

I changed my whole classroom around on break. It was time for a change. I love what it looks like now. My kids came with me. It was nice to have their help. I can't wait to see my students reactions tomorrow.

Hope you have the happiest of Easters. Remember, HE is RISEN, and that makes everything all right...

utter and absolute failure- but heck, who cares? Or... renewal is always an option

I admit it, the 365 blog was a failure. I don't have the time everyday to get on and blog. And my camera which was going to take pictures of my creations is not something that I can even get my computer to accept anymore.

But I have been working to save money to buy a new camera and today is the day! I have researched and, for my needs, it came down to a canon or a nikon, specifically the canon rebel tsi or the nikon d5000. I am leaning towards the nikon because it takes better pictures in low light.

I admit that wanting to have pictures for my blog is a large reason why I want a camera. I also want to create art. I want to learn something new and I want to capture my kids while they are still young. Time is fleeting! I wish that I had had a camera when my kids were young. I really miss my babies.

But anyway, life goes on. I am going to rectify what I can now, and change my errors. It means if I have to save for four months to buy a camera then that is what I do.

I just got a great new book for my birthday. It is called The Artistic Mother. It is everything that I long to be in a book. My eldest child gave it to me. Will report back on what I am learning. I think the 365 project might just be on hiatus, because the universe seems to be moving to help me meet my goals. TTFN. Gonna go buy my camera!

ebay and a wish list

We went on vacation last week. Cruised on down to San Diego with all of the kids and my hubby. 2 10-hour days in the car to get there, but SO worth it! We went to the SD zoo- a phenomenal place, love the animals and how well they are cared for. I am one of those people who are on the fence about zoos. I love that people can go and learn and appreciate animals that they have never seen in nature, but on the other hand, it makes me sad that there are zoos. It would be best to have animals in their natural habitats. But the San Diego zoo was a phenomenal place.
Also went to Sea World, and Disneyland, Coronado Beach, and the Science Center. I also cut my hair off really short, but I love it- so easy to take care of! It was a whirlwind time away, but really fun and relaxing too. Hard to believe we did all that in just 5 days!

I was wishing that I had a really good camera. I want the Canon Rebel so I think I am going to have to dedicate my savings to it this next four months. I really want a good camera. I took the little digital point and shoot thing that I have on vacation, and it does the job, but has this delay thing that makes me crazy. You have to shoot and anticipate like 3 seconds in advance. I can't tell you how many shots that I missed because the flipping flash and delay would be taking their sweeeeeeet time.

But before we went on vacation I was stocking up my sewing supplies for the big blitz that I am planning. I found that you can buy all sorts of things on ebay, especially things like sewing materials. I think people go and buy them from estate sales and yard sales and things and resell them. I bought scads of thread and notions like snaps, set snaps, needles, buttons, elastic and tons of bias tape and just everything that you would find in your grandmother's sewing basket. I figure that I have saved a ton of $$ over buying stuff like that at Joann's, even with shipping.

On a side note, I made a ton of women's cloths last month from some old flannel that I had left over from Christmas jammies (instructions for cloths are on the Hillbilly Housewife website) and used them this time round. I was thrilled that they worked really well, even better than the store bought pads. I had no leaking, none! and that in itself is pretty much miraculous. I have been told that there is a chemical in the store bought kind that enhances blood flow, causing more symptoms in women. I can say that that seems to be the case for me. I am sold! I admit that I was nervous using them at work on the first days, as a leak could be really embarassing, but nothing like that happened (although it has before with the disposable kind) And I am thrilled that this is my little way to stick it to those companies who charge so much for those disposable things. I never have to pay for them again! Woo hoo! I feel victorious! And hmm, if I save 8 bucks a month, in a 100 months, I can pay for my camera with the savings!

Well, off to watch the Olympics, women's figure skating!

Oregon orangutan predicts Colts will win Super Bowl--

Oregon orangutan predicts Colts will win Super Bowl--

Well, if that's the case, then we Washingtonians know that it will be the Saints to win.

Now how dumb is that? Letting an orangutan pick your bet for you? I guess its about as dumb as a groundhog weather predictor, but still.. Isn't there better stuff to report on?

Went with Monkey to go pick up his corsage for his date to TOLO tonight. While driving there saw the first sign of spring-- so super early this year, but the pink rhodies of our neighbors are in bloom. I couldn't believe it! And not just one, a whole bush of them. It's not even March yet.

Also saw something that I am going to take a picture of- made me laugh right out loud.

Cancer free is the way to be!

You know, I am remarkably blessed. Just amazingly so...
I am still cancer free after a year. And it was confirmed by my doc yesterday.

Looking back on that time in my life, when I was diagnosed, you would have thought that that would be terrifying and stressful. But, for me, it was a blessing. It sounds sick, I know, and I do not mean in anyway to demean or diminish those who are still fighting. (My prayers are with you, fight on, you can do it!) And I know that I had it easy. I almost don't deserve the title of cancer survivor, because mine was cured, quickly and apparently efficiently.(praise GOD!) And now, a year and a bit later, I am still well and I am so grateful.

As for the 365 project, I am still chugging away. Since my last post, I have made a big dent in getting our bedroom back in order and remade into a haven of peace and calm.
I made plans with a friend to take a photography course. I want to be a "real" photographer and learn about f stops and what slr is and not have a phd (point here dummy) camera anymore, but a real one with lenses and flashes.( hoo hoo hoo!)
And, we still have Jack here until tomorrow, so we are taking him out to dinner tonight for our last night with him. I told him he is my son who lives in China, now. I am really going to miss him. He bought an itouch as his thing that he wanted most from America, (boys are just the same everywhere:)

And finally, I was taken to task last night in my bible study group because I called one of my ladies, honey. ( I actually think I called them all that at one point or another) but this woman took special offense at it. Now, if you know me, I call everyone honey or hon. The post office guy, salesclerks, my students, my husband, my kids, the neighbors, they all get it. I do not discriminate. It's a general term of friendliness for me and a part of my speech that I am not even conscious of. But I was lambasted by this woman in front of everyone in my group because she thought I was being demeaning to her and to the other ladies in my group. I was not meaning anything like that in any sort of way. I don't know what to do now, though because I cannot imagine being in a group with this woman and I am the leader of the group, so I can't just not show up, not when all of my precious other ladies are counting on me to be their guide. And because it is an unconscious habit, I can't be sure that I won't do it again. In my head I was trying to formulate a defense, and even in that I used the word honey.
I was so upset, I just bawled as I was leaving last night. I know that Jesus said we would face opposition on his account, but sheesh, I never expected it from a fellow church member. And I know, reading this, it sounds like a little thing, but this woman really blasted me and really embarrased me. She was trying to draw others into her wrath in her comments (She said to another woman, I saw you wince when she called you THAT (like I had called her son of Satan himself or something else just as hideous instead of an innocuous, hon) and now I am not sure how to deal with the other members of my group. I just have no confidence now and I was trying to do a good thing. Do they all think poorly of me?
My precious son said, Mom you should have said Honey,let me tell you something, if you don't like honey, I can think of a whole host of other things to call you.
At least my family has my back.

More of the continuing drama next week.

totally fallen off the wagon!

Ok, so we are really busy right now, and the first thing to go is usually any time to myself (ie time to blog, read personal email, or create or make anything)

And I was standing in my ubermessy bedroom on Friday morning, with its beautiful new carpet, and my gorgeous new-to-me-sewing/craft/computer desk ($40 at the Goodwill and its huge and solid oak!)( thank you God!) and I looked around at all of the boxes that I still have to unpack and find places for the junk that is in them, beating myself up for not having them taken care of and I thought, it's ok. I can leave them there for a little while longer. I am not going to beat myself up over them still being here. I was busy taking care of the really important things this week... helping out my baby sister, making what might be a once in a lifetime trip for our Chinese exchange student pleasant and hosting impromptu teenage guy get togethers. (I need to keep waaaaay more frozen pizza in the house) So while those things aren't tangible, they are real. They require creativity and patience and a joyful attitude.

And today I have time to do something, so I am blogging, and I will sew something from the stash of projects that I want to make on my beautiful new crafting desk. I'm also going to go get my nails done, just for fun:) and I will get one box, just one, put away, tidied up, and taken care of.

I hope that you have a great day too!