Are you ready to go No 'Poo?

     I really want to share the journey I've embarked on trying to cut some chemicals from my life. For a long time I've been frustrated with shampoo and how my hair felt after using it. I knew that shampoo AND conditioner had tons of chemicals in them but what's a girl to do? Have gross greasy hair because I didn't like chemicals? After reading TONS of articles and how-tos on taking a different route to hair and skin care, I decided to take the plunge.....

     The way I got started happened by accident. We traveled to my Mom's house for Christmas and baby and I were able to stay a week longer while the Music Man went back to work. Sweet of him to let us spend more time with my Mom huh? Anyways, since I wasn't planning on staying for 2 weeks I ran out of my shampoo and conditioner. And then I decided that now was as good of a time as any to start using something different for my hair.  

     

                                  *In walks the magical ingredient: Baking Soda!* 

     Yes, plain old baking soda. I've already been using it as a face wash for awhile so I had some with me. So I put a couple tablespoons of baking soda in my hand and made a very thick paste with a little water from the shower. Then I start applying it to just my roots. Massage into your roots for a minute or two until you start to feel the baking soda start to dissolve. Then rinse your hair well.  Now here's the part that most people have a problem with. The apple cider vinegar conditioning rinse.
     I personally use a 1 to 1 ratio of ACV and water. After washing my hair with Baking Soda, I spritz the ACV on all of my hair and let it set for a few minutes. I just finish the rest of my shower, making sure not to let the water rinse out the ACV too soon. After a few minutes, thoroughly rinse out your hair. Some people complain of a smell from the ACV. But I PROMISE there is absolutely NO SMELL if you rinse your hair!!! The only thing you will notice immediately after using the ACV conditioning rinse is your hair feeling clean and oh-so-soft!!! I couldn't believe how wonderful my hair felt after just one time trying the "No 'Poo" method!!! 

     After going "No 'Poo" for 2 months, I have noticed an increase in my hair growth, fewer flyaways, and my hair is softer! Right now, I use the Baking Soda to wash my hair every other day. And just wash with water and spritz with the ACV on the non-wash days. Let me assure you, my hair is not gross OR greasy like I had feared it could be. The Music Man even commented how soft my hair was! So, going "No 'Poo" is Husband approved! Yay!  So....Are you ready to get rid of the 'Poo??? :-)

     I'd love to hear of other all-natural beauty routines that I could add to my list of things to try!!! 

DIY Christmas ornament

     This year is Little Girl's first Christmas!!! I really wanted to find just the perfect "first Christmas" ornament for her. You know, something adorable, yet unique, something she could take with her when she has a family of her own.  *sniff*     However, on my search I found two problems. One, all ADORABLE ornaments were waaay out of my price-range. Two.....ok really that was the only problem. I can't justify spending $20 on an ornament!! So, I decided to make my own! 

     After a quick trip to Michael's, I walked out of there with a 2" by 2" wooden block.  Anything else I needed I had on hand. So, at about $1.50, this ornament is much more affordable, and completely personalized since I made it!  

     Using scrapbook paper I had, I cut 2 inch squares for 5 of the 6 sides. Then, I cut a photo of her down to size as well. A layer of mod-podge, slap the paper down, smooth all the air bubbles out, then a layer of mod-podge on top! The hardest part about this project was waiting for everything to dry so I could admire it! :-)

     I decided to add her birthdate and weight and so on to 2 sides of the block. On another side I added the verse "...for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Lastly, I marked the center of the top side of the block and attached one of those hook/screw thingys. Yes, that is the technical term for that. :-) 

     After it was all done, I sprayed clear sealer all over it, let it dry again for a couple hrs, then tied a ribbon through the hook! It turned out so great! Now all we need is a Christmas tree for it to hang on! 

     The cool thing about this ornament is that you can completely personalize it! Attach pictures of the grandkids for a grandparents Christmas gift. Or, use pictures from your wedding for a First Christmas Together ornament! I would love to see what kind of ornaments this inspired you to make! Happy Christmas Crafting!

A Daily Blessing From God

     So we all know that God blesses us each and every day. But do we really realize it or even think about it? Worse yet, do we even acknowledge the fact that God has blessed us beyond our imaginations? I'm really speaking to myself here. I know that I am blessed, I know that God takes care of me and my family, but I forget to thank Him for that!
     Just in the last 7 days God has blessed us in ways that are so apparent that it has made me stop and say, "Wow! Thank you God!!!".  Last week when I went grocery shopping, almost every single item I needed was on sale! Then I saw a cart full of cans that had the labels ripped or the cans had dents in them. They were almost all what I was needing! For a third of the price!! I KNOW that was God providing for us!
     The end of last week we were blessed when someone paid to have the battery replaced on one of our vehicles! On Monday we were blessed that we finally got our Jeep title transferred to Texas. Yay! It's legal! Today, I really wanted Starbucks and I even had a 50% off coupon for there! Long story short, the barista ended up giving me a free drink AND the 50% off the second drink because he made a mistake. Thank you God for the free Starbucks!!!
     I know that being thankful for things during the month of November has almost become cliche, but really stop and take time to thank God for all the blessing in your life! Even if it's not something so clearly from God as someone paying for an expensive car part, take time to search for and thank God for the big AND little blessings He gives you each and every day! Just so happens that my daily blessing from God was a free Pumpkin Spice Latte. What are some of your daily blessings from God?

Perfectly Wicked Pear Preserves

     Imagine a lazy saturday morning, a hot cup of coffee, your family sitting around the kitchen table, and a steamy plate of pancakes. But wait, something's missing! The only thing that could make that scene any better is if you added a bowl of homemade pear preserves! YUM!
      My in-laws have a pear tree that produced like crazy this fall! They graciously gave us tons of pears. So far I've made pear crisp, pear sauce, and of course, pear preserves. I didn't know that I loved pears so much until this fall.
     This pear preserves recipe is what I came up with after reading numerous old recipes and then giving them my new take on it.  Oh! Let me just say, don't be overwhelmed with preserving fruits and veggies. Yes, peeling those suckers takes awhile, but take your time. I turn on some Pandora and just relax. That way a HUGE bowl of pears doesn't seem intimidating, but rather an invitation to belt songs from Wicked for a good 20 minutes because I have to do something while peeling all those pears! right? :-)

     Perfectly Wicked Pear Preserves

1. In a large pot, mix 1/8 c. lemon juice and 1 cup water. (This prevents the pears from turning brown) Peel, core, and slice about 12 cups of pears and add then to the pot.

2. Drain the water mixture off the pears. Add 1/4 c. lemon juice over the pears. Measure out 2-3 cups of sugar and pour over the pears. I give the pot a good shake to make some of the sugar sift down in between the pear slices.

3. Put the lid on the pot and place in the refrigerator overnight.

4. After setting overnight, there should be a good amount of juice from the pears and sugar. Place pot on stove over medium-low heat. Heat to boiling. Cook on low for 2-3 hours or until pears are translucent and a pinkish color. You may cook longer if you want the syrup to be thicker as well. Make sure there is enough liquid throughout the cooking time so that you don't scorch the pears. Add a little water if necessary.

5. Prepare your jars and water bath. Place the lids and rings in a small pot of boiling water, and wash and rinse the jars. Put the canner on the stove and heat the water to boiling over high heat.

6. Once the pears are done cooking, add 1 tsp. ground ginger and 1tsp. nutmeg, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Turn off heat.

7. Ladle pear preserves into prepared jars. Leave 1/2 inch space at the top of the jar.  Wipe rims clean and firmly screw on the lids.

8. Place jars in the boiling water and process for 10 minutes. Remove from water and let cool for 24 hours.

9. Remove rings from the jars, label, and enjoy within a year!


Hope you give my Perfectly Wicked Pear Preserves a try! Do you have a favorite jam, jelly, or preserves recipe you'd like to share? I'd love to hear from you!

And here's a song from Wicked for you to enjoy! :-)
   

Fear is a choice

     We watched the movie "After Earth" the other night. I really enjoy movies with Will Smith, but sci-fi movies aren't usually what I'd choose to watch. However, this movie was really good, and had an interesting quote about fear that really stuck out to me. Will Smith's character explained fear to his son like this:
       "Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity Kitai. Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real, but fear is a choice."
     I've NEVER thought of fear as a choice. I've thought of fear as an emotion, something that you may not completely have control of at all times. But, I did realize that you can control how you react to fear. The idea that fear in itself is a choice is very interesting. This quote made me think about things that I have not done because of fear. 
     I know that in the past I have not talked to someone about God because I was afraid of what they may think, or afraid I would say the wrong things. If fear is a choice, then I CHOSE to be afraid to share the gospel! Ouch.  I know that fear, whether a choice or not, is not from God. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."    
     Since watching the movie I've thought a lot about how I should be getting out of my comfort zone to let people know that Jesus loves them and that our church cares about them! I've thought about how I can choose to NOT be afraid to witness to a stranger. In any case, I want to do better about being a light for Christ in the community, and not choose to let fear deter me from sharing the gospel. 
     Have you made a choice to be fearful of something? Don't let fear keep you from being a Christ-like example at work, running errands, driving through rush-hour traffic, or interacting with your kids. Don't make a choice to let fear keep you from sharing God's plan of salvation with someone! You may be that person's only source of the good news that Christ died for them! 

DIY Cake Stand

     I'm a thrift store junkie. I love the hunt for a deal! It's thrilling. :-) ANYWAYS, I was at a local thrift store and I saw this pretty plate and a clear candle stick. I've been wanting to try to make those cake plates and such, and here were the perfect pieces to use! They were a dollar each. So $2 for a cake plate! 

  

   I measured the center of the plate and marked it on the underside. I followed the instructions on the package of the E6000 glue I had. So, I lightly sanded both the bottom of the plate and the top of the candlestick. Next, run a small line of E6000 on both the plate and the candlestick. Let sit for 2 minutes, then place the two together.  Let the pieces sit for 24 hours before using.  Now it's a pretty plate, cake stand, fruit plate, candle holder, whatever!  For $2!!! Yay!  Right now it's a riser in the bowl I use for fruit, so there's a lot more space to hold yummy fresh fruit!

     I'm getting addicted to making new things from thrifted items! I can't wait to post pictures of my latest DIY project!!! WOOHOO! It's super cute! Hopefully I can get a post up about it before Halloween! Speaking of Halloween, anyone wearing DIY costumes? I'm all about that since it usually saves you lots of money and you can be soo much more creative! I still don't know what I'm going to dress up as tho.....hmmmm......suggestions?
     For your listening pleasure. I absolutely LOVED this cover!!! They did amazing!

A little polka in your life

     My grandfather loved the accordion. I never saw him play it, but my Mom tells me he really liked it and wanted his kids to learn to play. When my grandparent's possessions were divided up between their kids and grandkids, my Mom got the accordion. Since then, she has downsized to a smaller place, and now I have the accordion! I was super stoked to get it not only because it belonged to my Grandpa, but Daniel and I like all kinds of instruments and the more variety we have around our kids the better! And I thought it would be sooo cool to learn how to play. Who doesn't love a little polka in their life??
     Well, I've recently found another awesome way to use the accordion. I am directing the children's Christmas play at our church, and so I've been looking for more creative ways to get them involved in the classroom time learning songs and such. Well, I took the accordion to class and let them sing along with that. They thought it was cool to have a different instrument. A couple of the kids got to help "play" it too as we sang along. Maybe it's just me, but if you show me something different I want to touch it and learn more about it, and BAM you have my attention for a good 15 minutes! :-) It worked pretty well with the kids. I didn't have their attention for 15 minutes with it, but at least a good 7.5! :-)
     I had the kids guess what was in the accordion case before I told them what it was. The guesses were: candy, xbox, music, and my favorite, a tablet. That one really made me giggle. Maybe a huge ancient tablet would fit in a box that big, but not the kind of tablet that kid was thinking of. Anyways, I think Grandpa would smile seeing the kids fascinated with his instrument, and that makes me smile. :-)
     And for your enjoyment, a happy polka video. You can't help but smile listening to this!