Cheri [over at "I am mama ..."] wrote a post about Worlde – and I am hooked! For some time I have wanted to frame our vows for our bedside tables. But it was missing something … I frequently tell people I am “creative”, but not “artistic”. That was probably what was missing. But Worlde fixed that! I plugged our vows into the text box and POW! Magic happened! Ok, that might be a bit overkill, but it gets the awesome level across! I then saved it as a pdf (via dopdf) and printed it off on the home computer. They are now framed on the end tables in our bedroom and I love them Try it out with your own special wordage!

<”3  )~

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This beautiful necklace has just been released over at Lisa Leonard’s — my heart beats a little faster looking at it! And it gets better – if you order in the next TWO days, you get two initial charms FREE Now that has to make you smile. But wait.. even MORE good news! She’s giving two away! Quick! Go comment and spread the love for YOUR chance to win!

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Alright readers, this is it! If anyone follows my facebook or twitter, you know that last weekend I made some homemade deodorant to try out. My grandma, two of her sisters (my great-aunts) and her daughter (my aunt) are all breast cancer survivors. There has been some speculation about a link between deodorant and breast cancer (read more here), and I’d rather play is safe, considering my genes. Now, if anyone out there has used all natural “deodorant” you know it DOESN’T WORK. I have a HUGE fear of smelling … so this has been a big area of stress in my life. Then, I found it. I came across a “homemade deodorant” recipe on a few blogs I read. And I was hearing nothing but good things about it! How About Orange’s grandma went three days without reapplying and loved it. Four ingredients and a chance at (odorless) happiness? Why not try it?!

[Note: if I was still living in Illinois, some of these ingredients may have been difficult to find. But, considering I am now in California, everything was easily found.]

Now, before I get to the recipe, let’s chat about this week’s odor inducing activities that put this stuff to the test.

Monday and Tuesday: I went back to work this week, so that held sweat potential. Sadly, our boiler broke and the A/C was stuck on high. No sweat there, we FROZE!

Wednesday: Physical Therapy day — woo hoo? My therapist put me through the moves and I definitely broke a sweat. No time to shower between therapy and work. Quick smell check = still fresh and clean! A/C still on high at work… so no sweat there.

Thursday: The A/C shut off (read: office jumped to 80 degrees), just in time for our stressful open house. We were running around like chickens (ha!) and working up a sweat. A quick check while changing into my dress clothes after lunch? Smelling good! That night I talked to a LOT of parents in a very warm conference room — let me tell you, I was sweating. Checked before bed… smelling good!

Friday: Normal work day, nothing significant. Sorry

Saturday: Here was a GREAT test — 95-100 degree heat and outside at the Scottish Highland Games in Pleasanton, CA all day. It was sooooo hot! We sweat like crazy walking around outside all day. And hung out with a lot of sweaty men in wool kilts. Quick check before bed? You aren’t going to believe this … smelling good! AHHH!

Sunday: A long morning at church working in the Special Needs Ministry — always a good workout! Then I came home to power wash and bleach scrub the lawn furniture on the front driveway. The rest of the evening was spent rearranging and cleaning the kitchen in a house without A/C. We were all sweating. Just checked … smelling good!

Are you sold yet? Well, here is your recipe — courtesy of How About Orange.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup baking soda ($1.19 for a box)
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder ($5.99 for 20 oz.)
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil ($6.00 for 15 oz.)
• 10 drops/shakes grapefruit essential oil ($9.99 for 0.5 oz.)
• A tin or jar with lid

Directions:

• Mix it all together until you reach a desired consistency
• Put it in a tin and enjoy!

To apply it, just put some on your fingers, rub them together to soften it up and then rub it under those arms! I used tea tree oil instead of grapefruit, since it has anti-bacterial properties and smells ahhhh-mazing. Also, my house is warm, so it almost completely melted in my bathroom. I don’t mind, makes the application quicker! But if you’d prefer it to be more solid, I read putting it in the fridge can help!  Let me know what you think!

<”3  )~

I’ve decided to slowly but surely share the blogs I have on my RSS feed for “Follow Fridays”. Some I’ve followed for years (hi Letti!), while others I have been picking up over the last year. Google Reader has really become my favorite way to read through blogs — though I have begun to realize that means I don’t comment as much as I should! Gotta get better at that..

I have my blogs categorized into seven folders:

• Bible Reading – verse of the day and devotional
• Healthy Living – topics to help me make a healthy home
• Home Decor – Crafts and inspiration to make my home beautiful!
• Needle Crafts – A lot of sewing, knitting, etc.
• Paper Crafts – Scrapbooking, card marking, etc.
• Photography – Photograph blogs that leave me drooling!
• Social Blogs – Friends who let me peek into their lives
• Speech Therapy – Inspiration for work!
• Google Feeds – Topics for work typically!

Quite the list, no? Now that I have an Android based phone, I can read my Google Reader feeds via the NewsRob app. This is great for all the times I am waiting in line, on a plane, etc. My phone will download the posts and I can scan through them … I can even post them to facebook and twitter or send a link via email. Loving it So check back next week for some of my favorite blogs!

<”3  )~

My small project has blown way out of proportion. My mother heard about my plans for a travel journal (note to self: keep. mouth. shut.) and decided everyone in the family need one! And who better to make it than the girl with the original idea! *bangs head on desk*

So I am now doing all the layout work for four, 20 page, 8×8 journals (one for each “family” within our family). *SIGH* I tweeted that I was on the hunt for some good layout ideas, and Live.Teach.Create sent me to Page Maps. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before — I have their book and LOVE it! Sure enough, I found a plethora of information, including FIVE PDF’s of 8×8 “MiniMaps” (and MUCH more!). I’m in heaven! Now, to get cracking…

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For the summer my mother has been working at a Boy Scout camp near Yosemite. For her final weekend she invited us up to see the camp and explore Yosemite. Today was the Yosemite leg of the trip. All I can say is “FABULOUS!” What an amazing park! We saw Half Dome, El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall – all was just beautiful! Random fact: The Ahwahneechee tribe had many beliefs surrounding Bridalveil Fall, including one that if you breathed in its mist, you had a better chance of being married.

I want to make a trip up here in the fall and see the leaves. It’s what I miss the most from my California transplant — oranges, reds, golds. *happy sigh*

<”3  )~

I am a bit of an addict for adding blogs to my Google reader. One I have begun following recently is “Newly Wife“. A great blog following the adventures of some newlywed wives embarking on this adventure we call “marriage”. Cooking, gardening, crafting, home decorating … it has a little bit of everything! I highly suggest adding them to your RSS feed!

Right now they are having a contest for us Bay Area people … a photoshoot ladies! Check out more information here … good luck!

<”3  )~

Studio Calico, Hello Sandwich, Craft Critique, Bibliophile

Shopping List: moleskine, materials for customizing, travel kit of scrapbooking tools, a way to print pics

1. Moleskine – I know I want one with blank pages (I use graph pages for my idea book) …
   Extra Large: 7 1/2″ x 10″ (soft cover only)
   Large: 5″ x 8 1/4″ (soft or hard cover)

   Which one should I go with?!

2. Materials For Customizing … (details at the bottom of this post)
   
   

   Looking for more “earthy” and “antiqued” papers and embellishments…

3. Travel Kit- things that will go through security, yet still be useful. Not an easy balance..
   Scissors: something small and discrete … like this, perhaps?
   Adhesive: A solid runner (like this) with refills should do the trick!
   Corners: For those items I don’t want permanently affixed .. this is perfect!
4. Printing Picture …
   HP Photo Printer: I have one of these and loooooove it, but the size is a problem on this trip.
   Polaroid PoGo Printer: Less adhesive needed, no ink needed, more compact … I’m feeling it!

*Phew!* Well, now my thoughts are slightly more organized… doesn’t mean I am though! Really, these decisions are not life threatening, or even remotely “important”. But they are on my mind… I think the plane trip to Virginia this past weekend is what has me on this train of thought that is continually stopping at the indecisive station. We went back to NoVa for O’s 10 year high school reunion (I know, he’s old!) – it was such a great sleepless weekend. If I’m going to miss my 8 hours of beauty rest a night, this makes my list of “top 10 reasons to lose sleep”. We saw good friends and wonderful family for a few short days. We’ll go back again (Lord willing) in November, and we’re already counting down. Speaking of counting down, I’m missing sleep now. It just feels so good to blog again!

<”3  )~

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Credits…

Materials for Customizing …
Row one:
Avignon 97% Complete Tags By 7Gypsies
Trip Information Life Stories Paper By My Minds Eye, LLC
Compass Rose Inspired Traveler Collection Paper By Art Warehouse
Varnish Airplane Panorama Collection Paper By Making Memories
Panorama Masking Tape By Making Memories
Pack Your Bags Clear Stickers

Row Two:
Diagram Avignon Collection Paper By 7Gypsies
Pack Your Bags 10 Things Pocket By Little Yellow Bicycle
Inspired Traveler 6X12 Cardstock Sticker By Art Warehouse
Pack Your Bags Transatlantique Collection Paper By Graphic 45
Date Mini Label Sticker By 7Gypsies
Inspired Traveler Journaling Pad By Art Warehouse

Driving to pick up O from work, windows down, sunglasses on

Well, hello blogging world. I have missed you dearly. Life got crazy when we moved to California a year and a half ago. But we’re finally settling, in more ways than one! So I was to get back into documenting our life on this blog. I am committing to posting at LEAST once a week – my life is just too great to not write it down! *wink*

So much change is in the air right now. Not only is spring rolling in, but friends are having babies, we’re settling into our home, I have an AMAZING summer job right around the bend … *happy sigh* Even more great things are about to happen, so stay tuned! God is good

Oliver’s uncle recently shared the link to these images on Facebook. This is a snowflake, viewed through a microscope! I found it so fascinating to think about … God designed every detail of those snowflakes! He is such the artist. When I see something like this, I realize how jaded I have become at the majesty that surrounds me. Thank you Jesus, for every snowflake. (And for the fact that I don’t have to shovel them anymore!)

<”3  )~