Our Date

As I type this I am parked on the couch enduring a stuffy nose, sore throat, and body aches...Boo-hoo!  We planned a date for ourselves this Saturday morning.  We bought tickets ahead of time for the Cartier exhibit at the Denver Art Museum (DAM) called Brilliant.  We have started a tradition of getting Mark some culture at the beginning of the year.  Our little joke.  It also seems to be a tradition for me to get sick when I go to the museum.  Last year we attended the exhibit called Passport to Paris with gorgeous paintings by Monet, Renoir, etc. and I was sick then too.  Humpf!  Anyway, I was not too awful in the morning so we kept our date.  First, we went to breakfast at a cute little French cafe.  Yum!  Then we headed over to the museum.  Being around all those exquisite jewels made me forget about my cold for awhile.  Except for my low back pain flared...sigh.  Anyway, Mark and I could not believe the amount of wealth in the exhibit.  We saw jewels from India, Persia, America, China and jewels of famous icons such as Wallis Simpson, Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly.  All the jewels were absolutely stunning!  We enjoyed it tremendously.  Afterward, we found our way back over to the French cafe to have dessert.  Oh my, what a delight!  I was feeling worse by then, but the cherry-almond tart I had was delicious.  Mark had something with chocolate ganache which looked decadent.  After that we went on home, with me falling asleep in the car.

Huge emerald set in platinum and surrounded by white diamonds.

The audio tour said that stones as big as these are living organisms.

Happy 2015?

Hello friends, welcome to 2015!  Another year of adventure.  The future awaits us!  Last year I had many exciting things to look forward to.  This year I don't have that.  Instead this year looks cloudy with a chance of meatballs.  The few things that are coming up are not things I am looking forward to.  And because my year started out on a bit of a bad note, well, I made a couple resolutions based on what went down.  I won't say what the resolutions are, but its all about boundaries and spending more time with people who build me up so I am fueled to do God's work.

Anyway, let me rewind a bit and let you in on how my Christmas went down.  We scored a Christmas tree the week before Christmas.  All the lots were pretty much cleaned out, but thankfully we scored a tree, and it was discounted.  The Monday before Christmas I came down with a tummy bug.  Thankfully I had all my Christmas shopping done.  Oh my goodness was this bug nasty!  Vomiting at my age is a terrible thing.  Talk about major workout and possible injury.  And, I was supposed to work the two days before Christmas, but that did not happen.  My little charge came down with the nasty bug also, so he needed to stay home.  Thankfully the worst was over in 24 hours, but other symptoms lingered.  Even so, I was able to sort of get Christmas together.  My Christmas dinner was not the best, as it was created with mostly instant stuff since I was not up to being a chef.

Son #1 and his wife spent Christmas with her family.  So that meant I did not get to be with my grandson for Christmas.  But I was hopeful I would see him for New Years.  Son #2 and his wife spent Christmas with us.  We celebrated his birthday Christmas Eve and then spent Christmas day with them.  Besides overlooking a few rules of the house, everything went well and we had a good time.  On New Year's Eve Son #2 invited us over to his place as a last minute sort of thing.  We went and enjoyed our time with him & his wife.

Son #1 was supposed to spend New Year's Eve with us, but flaked out.  He and his family were supposed to come on New Years day instead, but that did not happen either.  Instead we found out that he spent more time with his in-laws.  Naturally, I was quite miffed.  Finally, yesterday, we got to spend time with our grandson and a little bit of time with Son #1 & wife.

There is other drama going on that I won't go into detail about, but my two sons are still not speaking to one another.  When Son #1 came over the other day I told him that he really needs to swallow his pride and start talking to his brother.  There is some matter of business between them that needs to be resolved where the law is involved.

Well, stayed tuned for the next episode in "As the World Turns, Days of our Lives and Search for Tomorrow".  All I can say is it is going to be an interesting season/year.

Are you ready?

Okay, we all know what this question means in the month of December.  If you are asking me this question I would have to say "NO!" (imagine it sung to the tune of Jingle Bells).  Sounds sort of bah-humbug of me, maybe, but it is a completely honest answer.  I get emails from a certain store everyday reminding me how many shopping days I have left.  I am shocked every morning and even more so now that Christmas count down is in the single digits!  HELP!

Of course I have been side tracked by other issues.  Last week there was a court date for son #2.  Thankfully, it got rescheduled.  The new court date is mid-January...whew!  Unfortunately, after that a argument broke out between brothers resulting in a rift so big that it has dashed any dreams of a family Christmas.  A complete bah-humbug there.

Anyway, back to shopping...Only 8 days left...OMGoodness!  I wonder how I am going to get this feat accomplished?  Last time I went to the mall parking spaces barely exsisted, which is a huge deterant for shopping.  Oh!  Forgot to mention we do not have a Christmas tree. Hoping to score one soon...before they are gone.  It looks like its going to be another year of tree topper & lights only for us.  With all I have to do I am going the easy way!  Let me tell you, as far as the tree is concerned I love simple more each year!

Okay, I hear my charge calling me from his long winter's nap.  My Nanny job calls, so I must dash-away!  Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas despite the stress.  Jingle all the way! 

BUS & Beauty Update

Well, it is the beginning of the month, so time for a BUS update.  I don't think there is too much to update this month.  I finished the Rosemary Mint soap as pictured below.

So both of these products are now EMPTY!  However, I like the Rosemary Mint soap so much I got another bottle, which I found TJ Maxx for $4.99 (a real bargain).

As for my vanilla collection, I am nearly done with the two lotions pictured below.

The Jason & Hugo lotion were so low that I combined the what was left of the two.  I am using the Hugo Sweet Orange Vanilla hand soap in the kitchen.  The Hugo Sweet Orange shampoo I stopped using as I did not think it was doing my hair any favors.  Since it turned white, I am considering throwing it away.

Since it is Christmas I splurged and got myself a Hugo Snowflake soap in Vanilla Peppermint as pictured below.  And I got a little body spray by Zum in Minty Pine.

I adore snowflakes and the smell of peppermint at Christmas, so couldn't pass these products up.  When I can I will take pictures of what is in my current BUS.  I need to update since I've used up or gifted a lot of what is in my pictures.  The only collections I have not used are Lemon & Rose.

As for my evoling beauty routine, there are a few changes.  I have taken up using apricot oil with some Emu oil mixed in.  It is working really well for my face.  And I have been using a new deodorant by Crystal.  I chose the Chamomile & Green Tea scent and so far I really like it.  It is gentle and effective, not to mention it smells so good.

And I have been using Out of Africa hand lotion.  It is mostly comprised of Shea Butter.  It works extremely well on my eczema.

More Holidays Ahead

So how was your Thanksgiving?  Mine was pretty awesome.  Both my sons wanted to come home and they brought their wives.  And of course my grandson was there.  My grandson is 9 months old.  After dinner I picked him up and he gave me a hug and kiss...not sure...but I think that is what he was doing as my cheek was wet.  Anyway, the Lord had a big blessing for me.  Here below is a picture of  son #1 & I preparing the turkey together.  He is a good cook, the turkey was delicious.

Here is a picture of Everett having fun with his Grandpa.

Did any of you participate in Black Friday?  I am happy to say that I am continuing my tradition of not participating.  I just keep remembering the "simple" days (notice I did not use "old" lol) when everything was closed and things were slow.  It gave people time to rest, relax, reflect and enjoy.

The next holiday up for us is Christmas.  I have a few gifts under my bed, but other than that I still need to do shopping.  Especially for my grandson as it is his first Christmas.  

Evolving Beauty Routine

Well, I am finding that simple is best as far as my beauty routine goes.  I am using inexpensive products such as hydrogen peroxide, apple cider vinegar and baking soda.  Then other products that are natural based, such as emu oil, Gold Bond baby powder, castile soap, epsom salts and neem.

I am finding out that healthy is the best "pretty" and is God's gift to us.  I have not been wearing much make-up, just letting the natural me be "me" and enjoying it.

I have been battling periodontal disease for sometime. I found out that the supplement Ubiquinol plus Quercetin & Vitamin C help.  So I have been taking those supplements and have noticed an improvement.  Trying to keep up with the Biotin for my hair & nails.  Also, try to remember to brush twice a day & floss every night.  I have been using baking soda to brush my teeth and doing a rinse with hydrogen peroxide.  I also use Theraneem tooth & gum powder along the Theraneem mouthwash.  Been using the apple cider vinegar as a toner and continuing to use the emu oil as my moisturizer.  Also the castile soap is moisturizing as it does not strip the skin of its natural oils. Epsom salts are used in the bath to relax and detox.  And, for deodorant I have been using hydrogen peroxide to cleanse my underarm and then use the Gold Bond baby powder.  I have been experiencing less irritation since.

So that is my current beauty routine update.  Very simple, but effective.  It keeps me going. 

November Update

I can hardly believe how quickly 2014 has melted away.  Thanksgiving is next week!  I continue to be busy, which I guess makes time fly.  However, I am not keeping up with my housework so well.  It is nagging at me, but I just don't have enough energy.  With working (daycare for a 10 month old), visiting with my grandson once a week (who is 9 months, crawling and sporting two new bottom teeth), Bible study and volunteering at the church, well, there isn't much left.  On top of that my younger son moved back to Colorado from California last month.  That has added some soap opera moments.

Anyway, I continue on with riding the BUS which brings a sense of accomplishment.  I have finished some items from my BUS.  I finished up a couple bars of soap that I did not take pictures of.  I also finished a bottle of lotion and there are a couple items that are approaching empty.

Of course I have added to my BUS.  Lots of A La Maison, due to the fact that it was found at TJ Maxx at less than half the cost I pay at Whole Foods.  And in varieties that Whole Foods does not offer.  A La Maison is versatile, because I can also use it as a shampoo.

Here below are pics of products I have used up.

EMPTY! I used up the lotion in this picture.  The soap is nearly gone.  I particularly love the fresh, clean scent of Rosemary-Mint.  It reminds me of Christmas.

In this picture the Vanilla-Orange lotion is almost all gone. When you have to take the pump out to get the last bit of lotion, well you know you are almost there.  I am also approaching empty on the Jason Vanilla scented lotion.  I have used a 1/3 of the Hugo Orange-Vanilla shampoo.  I am not sure how long I am going to keep using it though.  For some reason it has turned completely white like milk.  Maybe because it is old?  Who knows how long it sat on the shelf at the store.  I got it on clearance.  Anyway, I am not hugely impressed with it, but it was nice to try it.  I think I will stick with Hugo lotions though, they are nice.