A Challenge - Using up Beauty Products

Hello friends!  As I mentioned in a previous post I have been hanging out on You Tube.  One of the dear ladies that I follow on You Tube has a blog here on Blogger.  Her name is Elle and she has started the Use-up BUS (BUS = Back-up Storage).  It is all about using up our beauty products.  I am so excited to join the Use-up BUS and thought I would extend this invite to you as well.  Here is a link to Elle's blog to get a better idea of what I am trying to explain:  Elle is for Living

My downfall is bar soaps, body washes and lotions.  I have way too many.  I tend to swap out my products according to the season.  So I will pull things out of back-up storage or even buy new product before I have finished what I am currently using.  Currently, I am trying to not buy anymore soap products till I get my stock to a more manageable level.

The newest soap buzz going on at our house is "castile soap".  Mark has gotten me on the bandwagon.  However, before I can fully embrace our new castile buzz, I need to finish up all my products and resist the temptation to buy more.  Here below I have taken pics of all my products I need to use up.

These are my new bar soaps.  The green soap is peppermint and was given to me by a friend.  The pink soap is Grace by Philosophy which was also from a friend.  The soap in the sheer bag is also from a friend, it is Plumeria soap from Hawaii.  I have two bars of the Cleopatra soap.  I bought it at a cosmetic store in Germany.  The soap is made in Paris, France and has a floral perfume-like smell which is heavenly.  The Hydro soap is made in Germany.  It was provided in one of our hotel rooms.  It has a nice periwinkle color and a very pleasant smell.  In the background is another soap from Germany.  It is a sheep soap scented with Edelweiss.

This is my collection of Gud body products by Burt's Bees.  This is the Cherry Blossom scent.  I have two lotions.  One is almost gone which I used with the body spray.  A friend gave me another of the lotions for my birthday.  So knowing I had lotion to use up along with body spray, I went ahead and bought the matching body wash when I found it on sale.

This is product that I have partially used up.  I am not motivated to use this one as the scent is not my favorite.  Its Grapefruit Mint.

More product that I need to use up. I like to match my soap & lotion to get a layering of scent, which helps with lasting power.  Also, I really love the Ala Maison French soap.  The Rosemary Mint scent is a favorite.

Still more product to use up.  This one I was keen on last autumn.  Ala Maison again this time in White Tea.  Love this scent!

Okay, on to new product in back-up storage.  This is my "I Love Citrus" collection.  The tube of lemon body wash I bought in Germany and it smells like a lemon drop.  The lemon scented deodorant is from Germany also.  It is a natural deodorant (aluminum free).  I tried a sample in Germany and not only smells good it works really well.  The Hugo lotion was on clearance at my local Natural Grocer.  A scent by Hugo that was phased out.  I liked the scent so I bought it.  The bar soap is an artisan made soap by Anita (I have a prior post singing the praises of Anita).  Can't wait to use this collection!

This is my "I Love Vanilla" collection.  I was planning on breaking this out in Autumn.  The Gud body spray is nearly empty.  A few of the Hugo Vanilla Orange products are partially used.  I found the big bottle of Hugo Shampoo on sale so picked it up.  Hugo is supposed to have very good shampoo so thought I would try it out.

This is my "I Love Roses" collection.  The rosewater is partially used, the body wash and lotion are new.  When I use this collection I will be using this new pretty body puff.

Last but not least is what I am currently using.  Indian Coconut Nectar by Pacifica.  I am about halfway done with these.  The body wash is very gentle and the body butter feels and smells wonderful on my skin.  I have also tried some of Pacifica's new make-up line.  I tend to have sensitivities to make-up so I am picky about the products I purchase.  So far I have not had any problems with any of the Pacifica products I have tried.

So this is my soap/lotion stash that I need to use up.  I am jumping on Elle's Use-up BUS.  I will post and let you know when I have finished something and even give a review on it.

Happy 4th & Germany

Hello!  Happy 4th of July!  Its been a long time since I last posted.  It seems blogging is no longer my passion.  I have been hanging out at You Tube these days.  There are so many beautiful and talented women out there and they make fabulous videos filled with so much great information and creative ideas.  Have learned so much! 

Anyway, on to my trip to Germany, which was amazing!  Of course the language was an obstacle, but we got around and it was fun.  I have to say that learning and practicing some German was very helpful before embarking on my trip.  At first it was a bit of culture shock for me and I was quite scared.  My first day out sightseeing with Mark was amazing, but when he took me to the city of Dusseldorf, well, I had stomach problems.  We attributed it to me being overwhelmed, which I was.  So we left Dusseldorf and returned to Essen.  I felt better there, just lingering pain from stomach cramps.  But the next day Mark had to go to work and I plunged in on my own.  Now that I am home I have ended up relishing the experience.  I thank the Lord for blessing me with such a wonderful trip.  He went before me and when I needed Him He was there in so many ways both big and small.

So on You Tube I made some slide shows of my trip and the things I experienced.  If you would like to know more about my trip please post comments and ask questions.  Otherwise it was a wonderful 18 days away.  I enjoyed the food, the shopping, the people and the various places I visited.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS1xN6nFWsQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LphVfXcXjC0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3zlcKW775c

Me in Cologne on a bridge overlooking the Rhine River.

Busy Bee

Every time I think I am going to get back into blogging...well, something comes up and I just don't do it.  With starting my daycare business I don't seem to have enough hours in the day.  My clients are wonderful and I am thoroughly enjoying working for them.  Praise God!  Also been enjoying my new role as Grandma.  My grandson is so handsome, if I do say so myself! :-)  So happy to have these little lives touching my life, what a blessing!

Soon Mark and I will be off to Germany.  I have been so looking forward to it.  I've been working on what I am going to pack and updating my luggage.  I went shopping with a girlfriend recently and was able to score a Vera Bradley Grand Cosmetic case for $30!  I got it in "Plum Crazy" as pictured below.

I was able to break it in when I went to our church's women's retreat.  It worked so well and I love it!  I've also picked up a few cosmetic bags over at Forever 21.  They have bags that are very cute and priced under $10.  If you don't know already I am a shopaholic (for me it is better known as RT - Retail Therapy) and so of course I am looking forward to shopping in Germany.

Longing

I find this Easter I am longing for His return.  As I view what is going on in our country and in the world it makes me long for Him even more.  It amazes me how all this chaos can be going on, but yet as I follow Him I have peace.

My little corner of the world has been filled with children.  Our home is speckled with baby things.  Blankets, bottles, bibs, formula, toys.  It is truly a blessing of the Lord.  My daycare business has been great.  Taking care of little Isaac has been a blessing.  He is a very special boy.  I call him my sunshine as he is always smiling and makes me smile too.  And I have been spending as much time as I can with my grandson Everett.  This past Friday I got to babysit him for the first time.  Mark even took time off work as we got to sit with Everett from morning till evening.

So that is how life is going for me right now.  Things are as busy as can be.  What little free time I have I spend catching up on my chores.  And maybe squeeze in some time with girlfriends.  Next weekend I will be attending the women's retreat with our church.  It will be a nice time to get refreshed and recharged.

Plenty of Sunshine!

I woke early this morning, early enough to see the beautiful sunrise.  I could tell by the sunrise that it was going to be a bright sunny day.  I enjoyed the winter wonderland scene, everything was blanketed in white, it was absolutely beautiful.  As the sun rose everything quickly turned into a very wet slushy mess.  The roads magically cleared so we decided to venture out.

So we ventured over to Greenwood Village where there is a new Trader Joe's.  It is so wonderful to have a Trader Joe's in Colorado!  Shopping in it takes us down memory lane.  While living in California I shopped weekly at Trader Joe's.  Also in the shopping center is an Original Pancake House which is a restaurant we enjoyed in California.  We have developed a ritual of having lunch at the Original Pancake House and then doing some grocery shopping at Trader Joe's.  Today I had the sourdough pancakes, which were very delicious.  Also, there is a TJ Maxx in the shopping center, which definitely needs to have my presence!  Today, I scored a very beautiful Raymond Waites quilt with matching pillow shams (hubby approved).  It is white with autumn colored flowers.  Our bed is going to look so pretty this coming fall.  Below is a picture of the quilt from the web.

 

Snowy weather, etc.

Well, it has snowed a couple of times this week.  It is the wet heavy kind of snow.  That is the kind of snow that brings spring flowers, which I am eagerly awaiting.  I can't believe that we are going to be springing ahead to daylight savings this weekend.  It does not feel like it is time for spring with all this snow.

To my blog friends, I only have a short update.  I have been working, I started my daycare business!  Its been hard work, but so rewarding.  Also, been trying to get in visits with our new grandson.  Every minute we spend with him is a true blessing!

We are Grandparents!

Here is our grandson, Everett!  We could not be happier.

 Everett Sebastian

Born February 14th, 2014.

6 lbs. 8 oz., 20 1/4 inches

Everett with his Grandpa at the hospital.

Everett at Grandma & Grandpa's house.

We love you very much Everett! <3