Use-up BUS Update & Age

Well, I am still riding the BUS and I am happy to report I am still using my Pacifica coconut body wash and body butter.  I am proud of myself for hanging in there.  The body wash is about halfway finished and the tube of  body butter is feeling lighter.  I have to say the body butter is very good quality and my skin soaks it up.

There are a few products that I neglected to add to my list.  I have two bathrooms upstairs.  One has a shower and the other has a bathtub.  In my bathroom with the tub, I have some lavender products I use to help me get ready for bed.  First is Dr. Teal's Lavender Bubble Bath, next is Dr. Teal's Epson Salts in Lavender scent.  It depends what my needs are as to which one I use for my nightly soak.  Also have some EO hand soap in Lavender and then Vitamin C Revitalizing Face Wash by Avalon.  I usually have no problem using up the Dr. Teal's products so saw no need to add them to the list.  But I did get the EO lavender hand soap out of  BUS.

Now on to new face products I am trying.  In my bathtub I am trying Avalon Vitamin C Revitalizing face wash.  All I can say right now is that I like the citrus smell and it removes make-up well.  It does seem a bit harsh & drying to me.  So afterward I moisturize with Aloe Soothing Day Cream by the Body Shop which has a cooling & soothing feeling that I enjoy.  In the morning I take a shower and have been using Pacifica's Sea Foam face wash.  It is a gel that smells like coconut milk and feels very gentle on my face.  I've tried it at night before and it also removes make-up well and I only need a dab to get the job done.  After using that I use Pacifica's Dreamy Youth day & night face cream which is light and absorbs well.

As for age & beauty, I recently came across an article about a beautiful 63-year old model named Cindy Joseph.  In the interview I read on-line she said these encouraging words:  "I do not accept my age — I celebrate it! I wear my wrinkles, silver hair, and age spots as medals of honor. Life and beauty is all what you make it. That is what attractiveness and aging gracefully is all about. Enjoy it!" You can read the on-line article & see pictures by clicking here:  Cindy Joseph

Berry Storage Boxes

I am wild about these storage boxes, they are great!  These little storage boxes have a little strainer basket inside so you can wash your produce right in the box.  All you do is put your produce in the strainer in the box, spray with your favorite veggie wash cleaner and fill with water.  Let the produce soak, drain, rinse and then put the strainer back in the box and pop the lid on.  It really helps keep things fresh.  However I do not limit them to just berries.  In the purple box I am storing blueberries,  the green box has petite carrots and the white box has cherries.  I bought different colors so as to be able to figure out which box has what.  I bought mine at my local supermarket (King Soopers) for $5.00 a piece.  I also found them on-line at Amazon for $7.02.

My Grandson!

Have not posted a picture of my grandson, Everett, since he was born.  Believe it or not he is already 5 months old!  He is so much fun.  Love visiting with him every week when I can.

Here Everett is in his stroller with his funky hat on that his Mom & Dad got him.  His Mom & Dad took him to Buffalo Bill Days in Golden.  Love that toothless grin!

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.