5 Things On My Mind

1. Affection. People will tell you that I am not a touchy-feely kind of gal. I don't randomly hug people (unless urged by the Holy Spirit), touch has never been my love language...It's just not who I am. I don't like people to comfort me by touching me and hugging me and rubbing my back. I would rather be given the autonomy to keep my composure.

Sure it sounds incredibly callis. But it is who I am.

Unless.

Unless, we're talking about kids. Then I become the blob of love and hugs and holding hands and rubbing backs.  I love how much my friend Mrs. Clover's kiddos love me (and they rarely see me so I can only imagine how much they love people they can actually recognize!).  I asked Meshack (not his real name) one day if he would let me hold him when he got bigger. He said "of course".  Well..what about when your 12?  Oh...umm, no, not when I'm 12.  Oh, okay I guess...what about when you're 11?   Yah, sure, you can hold me when I'm 11.

I was holding him on my side and he was resting his head on my shoulder.

I am certain that he won't let me hold him like that when he's eleven.

But I like that he lets me hold him like that when he's four.

Little Smith might be four.

I don't want to miss out on the affectionate, "hold-me" phase of childhood.

I will most certainly want to hold Little Smith when he/she is 11.  But LS probably won't let me.

So it's nice to know that LS might let me at four.

2.  It's only been warm enough to paint on days I am at work...except for last weekend when I didn't get out of my pajamas and pretended it was too cold so that I could lay on the couch and watch mindless hours of star trek  tv instead.

I have a big project I want to finish so that I can show it off for everyone to "ooh" and "aahh" over.

But it needs paint.

Which I can't do this weekend because apparently it's going to be remotely like winter?
What?!?  In January!?!

Ok, I concede. I will be far less nervous about Global Warming when it snows.

But I also need to paint. 

So torn....

3. The HOGS are playing in the Cotton Bowl tonight.   Woooooo Pig Sooooiiieeee!

4.  TOMS still isn't offering brown wedges anymore. Has the world gone mad and revolted against simple brown? Am I living in some twilight world where brown wedges don't exist?

It's getting ridiculous. I get on the website everyday in hopes that they will bring back the camel wedges I desperately wanted pre-Christmas, thus leading me to ask for them for Christmas, only to get money and find the shoes had disappeared.

Not cool Toms.  And, why do the wedges all  have to be peep-toes? I can't wear them in the winter that way!

Once again, not cool Toms!

5.  Moses is quite the character lately. I will leave you with a video made this morning of him enjoying his new ball. We start Puppy School is two weeks. Which is about how long I have before he's big enough to take over my home....

Happy Friday!

5 Things On My Mind: Anyone need a few New Year's Resolutions??

As people start gathering all the ways they might make their lives better?


As they take all their goals and dreams and compile them into a beautiful list and prepare to ring a new year filled with better choices?


I thought it would only be appropriate for me to offer up a few options that I believe would make our world a better place.

You know, in case you are having trouble coming up with an adequate list....


Here are some items I believe should be on everyone's resolution list this year:


1.  Stop dressing animals up as people.




Source

There is something just. so. wrong. about this new fad in our society. Your dog's dignity depends on you being better than this.

I can't think of anything else that needs to be said here.




2.  Park straight.


Source

 Really? Do you not realize the ripple effect of crazytown you start with this nonsense? Do you even think about the fifty other people who have to look like donkeys because they have to park crazy because YOU parked crazy?


Let's make this a crooked-free 2012, shall we?




3.  No More One-Uping.

Source

The reason Kristen Wiig is so funny as Penelope is because we all have someone's face we can imagine when she gets going. People? The one-uping has Got. To. Go. already.


I get it. Every now and then you have a moment you just. must. share.  You get carried away and you can't help yourself.


I've been there, too.  I have inadvertently one-upped a love one in a moment of impulse.


I'm not proud of it. But I've done it.


But it's not the inadvertent one-ups that really get my goat. It's the people who word-vomit a constant barrage of one-ups, reminding those around them that they are WAY UP HERE and all the rest of us are all way down here.


Consider this your intervention.


Say "No" to one-upping today. Friends, we can start a revolution!




4.  Commit to walk properly in public places.

Source



Close your eyes with me for a second, if you will. Now, imagine you are in elementary school. You are walking in a line down the hall to recess....


What does your line look like?


Are you zig-zagging down the hallway? Are you right in the middle? Are you going so slow that people have to dodge you left and right to avoid stepping on your shoes??


NO! You are on the RIGHT side of the hallway. And you are keeping with the flow of traffic.


This should be second nature, folks. We are groomed from childhood to walk properly in public places for crying out loud!


Friends, if we can Get This, I truly believe we can achieve anything. World Peace? A Man on Mars? Nothing will be impossible for us!


Together? Let's resolve to walk at an appropriate pace in public.


Let's agree that zig-zagging and middle-walking is intolerable.


Let's commit to walking on the Right Side of the aisles.


Because We? Are worth it.




5.  No More Email Forwards.

Source

Really? Are we really a culture that would give our loved-ones crap? first, the dreaded (and quite unexpected) email crap? and now this new generation of text-crap?

We can do this, friends. We can break the chain.

And, here are the statistics regarding what happens to those who do NOT forward emails (just in case you are gripped by the fear that something tragic will--indeed--happen to you if you fail to subject your family members to ridiculousness)

In the words of FDR, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself".

Stop hatin' on your family and friends. Learn the power of delete.

We all thank you in advance.

**********
So there you have it. Five opportunities to better our world with your New Year's Resolutions!

Happy New Year. May we all do fewer annoying things this year.

Amen.

A few of my favorite things: Winter edition

Shout out to all my dry skin, hair, face,and lips peeps out there!!

Hello?

Is this thing on? (*tap* *tap*)

Bueler?

Bueler?

Bueler?


Okay okay. But really, folks. I live by the "don't-wash-your-hair-everyday-and-lotion-up-with-baby-oil-before-bed" principle even in the swealtering heat of Oklahoma summers. So imagine the dryness-ness  that encompasses winters 'round here? It's unbearable. Just imagine it....

And for the total effect: Go ahead and also imagine me in one of those sweeet velour sweatsuits. I desperately want one but The Husband started packing my bags the last time I tried to convince him of the versatility of this outfit:


You'll have to forgive the pretty model: For a more realistic depiction, add 10 lbs, take off the make-up and put two-day dirty hair in a ponytail


No amount of begging or research confirming society's general acceptance of these beauts has swayed him.

Alas, I live in old yoga pants and the velour sweat-jacket that I bought to spite him.

What? He said I couldn't get the SUIT. He made no mention of the individual pieces.

***********

Wait. What was I talking about?

Oh yes, favorite winter stuff. So let's get started, shall we? 

Source

I love this stuff. That's the awesome thing about preparing to raise a child of a different ethnicity. You really learn a lot about tricks and tips for their hair/skin care that aren't widely practiced habits in your own circle sometimes.

Coconut oil was one of those lightbulb moments! I love this stuff. Primarily, it's recommended as a natural oil for dry, curly hair (see types 3 and 4) but it is also great for adding moisture to skin. And you can cook with it, too.  And, while I have been a solid baby-oil-user since my early days of lather and bake..I wanted something a little more organic and natural for Little Smith's skin and hair.

Have I mentioned I love this stuff?

For us peach-skinned fellows, a little will go a l-o-o-o-o-ng way. Use sparingly. You've been warned.  I put it on right after a shower to seal in the moisture and water on my skin and, on particularly dry days, I will lather up before bed. You will smell like toasted coconuts and will probably dream you are on a beach somewhere. Just another perk, folks.

It's good for hair, too. But even my dry hair can't have oil just laid into it! Sometimes on freshly washed and dried hair, I will put a tiny little itty bitty bit on the ends, new growth (you know? those hairs that stand straight up) and frizzies. But only sometimes. And make sure you don't have to see anyone important. Just in case you overlooked the "tiny little itty bitty bit" part or thought I was joking.

Because...I am not joking.

Next:

Source

I swear by this stuff.

For real ya'll.

It weirdens up my swearing a little but it's totally worth it.

Check out my marketing slogan:

For dry hair? Biolage Conditioning Balm is Da' Balm! (Get it, Bomb? Balm? Ohh...I crack myself up!!!)

I think there are around 752 different ways to use this product because everytime I get my hair done, they try to tell me about a few more ways I can use it different than I already do. But I am only pretending to listen to them and am more interested in reading the smut magazines that I can't bring myself to buy on my own. So I have no idea what to tell you about unique ways to use it. Blame it on US Weekly , if you must.

Or just Google it, people. Geez, get off me!

For me?  I just put it on freshly washed, damp hair and use it as a leave-in. Works wonders.

P.S. A Jar this size will last until the cows come home. Which--word on the street-- is a really long time.

Source

Love Caught Me By Surprise. That is the title for the book of poetry I am writing about Aquaphor. You see, I am a pretty solid Champagne-tinted Burt's-Beeswax-lip-balm-kinda-girl. But for harsh winds and dry cracked lips, I L-O-V-E this stuff. Love it enough to write its name in the margins of my notebooks.

Ashley + Aquaphor = Always & 4Ever

It's pretty much diaper rash creme mixed with vaseline for your lips.  I use it daily. And nightly. And sometimes 'round noon.

All the time, really. Don't judge me.

 Moving on:



Source

 This stuff isn't exactly Dry Skin stuff.

Or Winter stuff, for that matter.

It's sort of one of those "necessary to live" things.

I don't know how to describe this stuff without using the words "Sent from Jesus Himself".

I carry it everywhere with me. Except to bed. Because that would just be weird.  Too weird.

Basically it's aromatherapy-ish on-the-spot relief for tension, headaches, tiredness and fatigue, whatever.

You take an itty bitty bit and put it on your pressure points (wrists, temples, behind your ears) and breathe in the eucalyptus menthol pepperminty magic.

I don't know what it's doing to me. But I like it.

This is a super tiny bottle but it lasts a LONG time. I just got my second one. Two years after buying my first. =)

So, there ya go. Now, help me out...What are some of your Essentials to help brave the Winter cold??

5 4 Things On My Mind

1.  Lately, I have been full of gratitude when I think about my life. Things haven't gone how we had hoped and prayed they would (Shouldn't we be in Ethiopia right now?) But over and over again, God has continued to bless us by showing His faithfulness and love even in this season. And, while people have rallied for us in prayer and action (I had amazing friends helping with the yard sale fundraiser), I am always still in awe at how He moves through us to show love.


All that to say, several weeks ago I had been raving. And I mean Raving. About this coupon deal I wanted for an etsy store selling lockets. I have always loved the beauty and intimacy of lockets. In fact, my grandmother has passed down her mother's locket to me. It has a picture of my Great Grandmother and my Great Grandfather when they were very young. Mema said that her mother wore it around her neck while he was away in WWI. What a beautiful story, right?


So I really wanted one of these vintage lockets to put our referral picture in when we venture into the next season of waiting.


Imagine my disappointment when I logged in to the site 30 minutes after the sale started to find it Sold Out.


Are you kidding? In 30 minutes? At least, that was my sentiment on facebook 5 second later!


But once again God ---through His people--showered me with love. One of my adoptive momma friends messaged me this week with her voucher and a strict message that if I didn't use it, it would go to waste because she was giving it to me and therefore wouldn't be using it.  I wanted to pay her. I wanted to buy her a different voucher that she wanted. I wanted to do anything possible to repay the favor. Of course, she declined.


So I prayed that God would keep me sensitive to His spirit, so that I, too, could be the vessel He uses to shower someone else with love when they need it.

I can't wait to get it in...and even more so to have a picture to put in it! I chose this one for a couple of reasons. 1. It was vintage. Originally from the 1950s and then modernized with the resin and brass on the front (the back is beautiful, too) and for some reason I just kept coming back to the blue and yellow. These were my favorite colors in high school and college and virtually everything I owned was some variation of Blue. and. Yellow. So, it just seemed fitting to have it have another special meaning.


Thank you, adoptive momma friend, for your kindness and for letting God use you to love on me!

2.  I have had creative-block lately. I haven't felt extremely inspired and for some reason, not spending much time in front of the sewing machine (except for orders) even with a memory quilt needing to be finished.


So, the other day--when sorting laundry--I was quite surprised to find an old t-shirt (that i never wear) and have some inspiration rise up! I was even more excited when I finally decided  on what to do and executed this upcycle! I used 1/2 off coupons to buy the lace at Joann and the shirt was $3 at Wal-Mart on clearance (some time ago). Total cost? Under $10


In the end, I loved it...though I did learn some valuable lessons. I usually just pin and go but for something as light as lace, I would recommend using a fusible webbing along the stitch line (ONLY- you don't want your lace flattened) or a temporary adhesive to hold the lace in place. It's just too finicky for pinning  IMHO.  Next, I have some ideas of dying lace and doing some variations! =)

Pay no attention to the After Model. She was tired. and puffy. And wasn't wearing any make-up. Also she first tried the traditional "smile at the camera" pose but looked 4. This isn't much better but The Photographer was done helping.

3.. Steve Martin is Coming To My Town! I am so excited I might already be could jump up and down squealing!!


Here are my top 5 favorite things Steve Martin has ever done:
1. King Tut
2. Three Amigos
3. Two Wild and Crazy Guys
4. The Jerk
5. My Blue Heaven (This one doesn't make The Husband's list but I am my own person. So there.)

Recently, we went to see Martin Short live. Don't get me wrong, he was "funny enough" but every clip they showed supposed to be highlighting him, Steve Martin was funnier. We knew immediately it would have been better if we could have been watching Steve Martin. Fast forward to today! So exciting

Disclaimer: Apparently Steve Martin also has a banjo band. We are hopeful it isn't just the band...though I hear he is also an excellent banjo player...But come on Steve, people don't come to see you play the Banjo. They  come to see King Tut.

 

4. The Clover family is coming to see us this weekend. We {heart} them. Should be a great time!

That's all for now, folks! Don't forget to add your Words of Encouragement!

5 {ish} Things On My Mind

1. Why is it so hard to find a Murphy bed? We (and by "we" I mean, I) really want to remodel our office/music/craft room and include "guest room" in the mix. That way Little Smith has a beautiful bedroom all of his/her own when we get home. Someday. hopefully soon

But they are EX-pensive new. And I thought surely, I'd be able to find one used or older. But, nope. So the search continues...Unfortunately, I will not accept any substitutes as I so easily resigned myself to in the case of the Picnic Basket.

P.S. In case you are wondering, this is a Murphy Bed:

2. Watermelon is awesome. The End.

3.  I need some friends to read/love The Hunger Games trilogy. I feel very alone in my stalking of the movie casting/shooting business. I need someone to talk to. Someone who will make me feel better about my turning into some kind of "Twi-hard fan" or "Glee-k".

4.  This guy.

Is coming to see me in a couple of weeks. Lil' Tank is my sister, Gator's, kid. He's pretty awesome and we are STOKED to have him with us to spoil! Big plans to hit up the zoo, the local fro-yo establishment, and of course, a good ole' outdoor musical! We may-- or may not-- be going for favorite aunt/uncle status. There is steep competition.... But I have no doubt that Little Smith (once he/she is home) will seal the deal for us!


5.  I am never inspired by my To-Do Lists...but I always seem to find a million other things that bring inspiration when  I have a To-Do list.

Stupid irony.

6. Bossypants is Hilarious. You should definitely read it. AFTER you read Hunger Games and fall in love with it. (See #3)

7.  My High School reunion is coming up in a couple of weeks. In preparation, everyone in my class has been posting old pictures of one another. So, in the name of  "Years that build character", I leave you with this gem:

Nope. I am not the one that looks timeless. I am the one with the brushed out perm and XL glasses)

You're welcome.

{Way more than} 5 things on my mind..and an adoption update.

I've been gone for a while. This I know.

I have a very good reason:

My dog ate my laptop

I was convicted of a felony and sent away to do hard time

I have been training to swim the English Channel

I broke both my index fingers making it impossible to type

I lost my contacts making it impossible to see

Okay, okay...

You know that feeling when you're being taunted and there is nothing you can do about it? Yes, well, my blog has been taunting me lately....

Just laughing at my wordlessness.

Gawking at my inability to complete a coherent thought.

Mocking my attempts to excuse away my lack of motivation.

In effect,  I just didn't really know how to put everything into words.

I feel better now, thankyouverymuchforasking.

Let's see if I can even remember how to do this "blogging" thing =)

1.  Food. 

Lately, I have been on one heckuva Suzie Homemaker phase (no offense to any Suzie Workingwomen out there....or for that matter...homemakers in general). The Pioneer Woman and I would be great friends. I am sure of it.  Breaking out the list of my current cooking ventures:

• Sourdough Bread
• Grasshopper Pie
• Lemon Noodle Bake
• Burgundy Mushrooms
• Fancy Macaroni (seriously fancy.)
• P-Dub's favorite meatloaf (and I usually HATE meatloaf!)
• And this weekend? Yummy homemade cinnamon rolls.....

Did I hear some say "oink"?

You should be ashamed of yourselves..... ;-)

• I should also note that we eat a lot of fresh veggies in our home.

2.  Sewing. 

I cleaned up my sewing room....er...the multi-purpose room (sorry, babe) and it looks really nice. I have been lately getting distracted and have about half a million halfway-completed-project..in addition to the 8 summer dresses, two aprons, three flower bows, and a tie-shirt that need to go out this Monday! Arghh...

But I love it. What can I say.

I am also super-stoked because I have been trying to create the perfect skirt for graduation in May. I had found several semi-close tutes that I liked, but nothing that was perfect for what I was looking for.

Thank you Elle Apparel for giving me hope this afternoon.

[Enter contented sigh here]

Wait...scratch that...

[Enter Must Finish a Project determination here]

There.

Much better.

3.  School. 

We are still revising our almost 100 page report. This is our 1 millionth revision, I believe (but who's counting)

I am so mad I could spit.

I am now only referring to this project as the neverending paper. The neverending-puke-inducing-scum-between-my-toes-stupidest-thing-ever paper.

It doesn't make me feel any better to name-call though.

4.  Florida.

The husband and I snagged a deal that we COULD. NOT.  pass up on last week.

Two people round trip. From Little Rock (holla) to Destin. $120.

For both of us. 

Not each.

BOTH.

We are so excited! The plan is to spend a couple days at Panama City Beach (swimming with the dolphins), Drive down to Orlando to cash in our Universal Studios vouchers, and then head back up to Destin/Pensacola for a few beach-layin'/dolphin-swimmin'/ocean-snorkelin'/zoo-goin' fun.

Any pointers from friends who frequent the Gulf coast would be much-appreciated.

In fact I would offer to name our first child after you, but The Husband has banned me from promising that anymore.

At last tally, our child had 28 names.

Did I mention we are going to be gone over Easter? So, because we didn't want to miss Easter service, we have found a sunrise beach service that Sunday. Church AND the beach? Praise the Lord, indeed!!!

P.S. People who think you might take advantage of the fact that we will be gone? We have people house-sitting..and yes, they are packing. I wouldn't take my chances if I were you.

5.  Friends.

My friends, the Clovers, surprised me for my birthday. They--literally--drove 3 hours to have dinner with us and then drove home.

They are crazy people.

I told them it was a terrible plan.

That I never would have let them drive all that way for such a short trip. For dinner with me.

They said, 'yes', they knew I would never allow such ridiculousness. Which is why they didn't tell me.

I love them very much. And all their silliness.

6.  Books.

When the Clover family was driving home Saturday night, I was riddled with guilt that I was at home in my nice warm bed. So I stayed up until I got word they were home. I decided it was the perfect opportunity to start in on the reading binge.

And started and finished the first of my 6 books that came in Friday.

Apparently I missed reading.

Alot.

7.  Adoption.

Finally. This is it. The big news. The reason you are still reading this montage of nonsense.  

Assuming--of course--that you didn't just skip to the bottom....

The adoption update.

And just to be clear. No, we don't have a referral yet.

A couple of months ago, our hearts were being changed. We could feel it. But the stress of "paperwork" and pretty much the idea of changing N-E- thing was so overwhelming that we pushed our silly thoughts right to the back room. Locked them up and then sealed the room with cement so as to never be faced with such things again.

God never cares how much cement you place between you and His plan.

We knew that He was changing our hearts towards older children. But, we really REALLY didn't want to acknowledge it.

With the chaos of the last month in adoption-land. Specifically Ethiopian-adoption-land, we were faced once again with with the the deep-rooted changes happening in our hearts.  We committed to pray, to seek His will in our lives, and of course, to repent. well, you know, for the cement. and the padlock. and the unwillingness to bend.

In the last month, we have started seeking the wisdom of others. Mainly for practical issues, but also for those best and worst case scenarios. The "what-ifs" in life that are useless to examine and impossible to ignore.

If you are better at ignoring "what-ifs" then you are a better person than I am. Of course, if you have never had to staple the hem of your pants back up then you are a better person than I am too.

The bar is set awfully low.

For me, it was about changing my expectation. I had a crib in the garage. I had made  slaved over a crib quilt. We had read/watched Happiest Toddler on the Block. Checked out educational preschools. Collected clothing, toys, highchairs, etc...from friends and family.

A baby/toddler?

We could handle that.

We had an idea of what to expect. Yes, we had settled our minds around what that would look like. We were confident we could do it. We could parent a baby/toddler.

But a 4-6 year old? Well, we really had no idea what that would look like.  How it would all work.  What we would be able to learn....If we could even learn anything....

I mean if I am being completely honest. I was uneasy about so many practical things--but to be clear, never scared of it. How long would it take to learn English? Would I need to quit my job and home school? Would a 5 year old cuddle up to bond with his/her mommy?  How hard would it be to attach? How do you "cocoon" with a 4-6 year old?  How much more overwhelming would those first days/weeks/months be for him/her? Would they understand any of this? Could we convey our protection and love the way we could with a baby?

This was a huge shift. Everything we were comfortable with? was changing.

Even how we refer to our child was changing. Instead of Baby Smith, we have starting calling him/her Little Smith.

It's a new world.

We are totally in the dark about how to parent a 4-6 year old.

In fact, we are completely incapable of doing it on our own.

Which is probably exactly what God had in mind when He first started lighting this next section of our path.

So, to answer the questions:

1. Yes, it probably means we could get a referral sooner rather than later.

2. No, it does not necessarily mean our process will speed up any (in fact, we may need extra EXTRA prayers for the long duration expected waiting for a court date)

3.  We have additional costs that will be incurred to update all of our information (though that doesn't have to be done before we could get a referral)

4.  Yes, we are trying to learn more Amharic than we probably would have.

5. The 'denim diaper pic of each of our kids' idea is probably out the window, too. =)

6. Fundraising still continues. The costs haven't gone down, in fact they are more now and we have to consider the additional costs associated with Little Smith flying home.

All in all, we are praying for the system reforms  to happen faster than they are currently expecting. We want our process to move speedily through the system so we can get home with Little Smith as soon as possible. Since we are going to accept referrals for up to 4 years old, with the current process expectations, it could mean we bring home a 6 year old.

We want to bring Little Smith home sooner than that. 

MUCH sooner.

Your prayers are so incredibly-greatly appreciated, you truly have no idea!

*Ashley Lou*

5 {or close} Things On My Mind

My birthday, capstone presentation, and normal work/life activities have put blogging on the back burner lately....the WAY WAAAAY back burner.

Okay, so the truth is.....

I have writer's block.

I do not--however--have nothing going on to write about. The wall is somewhere right between the things that are perfect to be written about, and the ability to actually write them.

So instead, let me indulge you in my recent joys, starting with my amazon.com purchase tonight:

Yes, I know. It's truly shameful.

I have survived the last year on recipes from the blog...but now I wanted the whole shebang!

Jodi Picoult is one of my two favorite authors. I was bawling over My Sister's Keeper years before they even considered making it a movie. She is raw and deals with the most controversial issues in an intriguing and objective perspective.

And then there's my other fav. Ted Dekker

 

And finally, an untrusted author...but I have heard such good things about this book, I had to give a try =)

Next on my list of indulges?

My TOMS!

5 fun things...

My weekends (and let's be honest---weekdays) have been full of blah work and even blah-er research, data analysis and lean six sigma process maps.

I don't care who you are. These things are NOT fun.

So, this weekend, my mission is to try to throw in as many "fun" things as I can around the overwhelming blah.

1.  Breakfast with Randee (that could be a song from the 80's). I love getting to see Randee! We are very different, and yet very similar. I am growing to love and appreciate our differences as much as I do the similarities that made us friends in the first place...namely: adoption.

2. I am making Lemon Noodle  Bake tomorrow night. And no one's gonna change my mind about it! P.S. I love the Pioneer Woman, let's just get that out in the open. There!! Don't we all feel better now?

3.  I am also going to make Grasshopper Pie. Which means a trip to the liquor store. Where the years of "no-drinking" guilt coupled with my unusually young appearance make me a interesting suspect for sure... Have I ever told ya'll about my guilt ridden trip to buy beer for my Turkey Chili? No?? It's hilariously embarrassing. I had "I'm gonna get caught" written all over my face, haha!! I am better now. This recipe calls for creme de cacao and creme de menthe. I'm not sure how to pronounce them but I know they mean "chocolate" and "mint" so it's all good!!

4.  I am going to start my graduation skirt. I decided a while ago that I wanted to make my graduation outfit (what with all the sewing I do now) and I found an awesome pinwheel skirt tutorial I love. Proof that I wasn't making up my love for tutorials! Anyways, I am really gunnin' to get started on it, and so I will measure and cut this weekend! In related news, this skirt does call for a zipper....which is one of the sewing tasks that I have avoided like the plague. I have watched grown women collapse sobbing in the zipper section. It's do or die out there, folks. So I will let you know when I get to that point so you can all pray for me. I expect all-night vigils!

5. I am going to enjoy the fact that this is a "non-grocery-shopping-weekend" and bask in the  no-trips-to-walmart goodness!

Happy Friday!!

P.S. Don't forget about our 24 hour fast today. We are praying and fasting hardcore for those who are desperately trying to bring their little ones home soon! You can join in!

5 Things I can't live without...and feelings.

After recovering from my slight meltdown this afternoon--which was the compilation of pressure at work, pressure at school, self-induced pressure at home and {the eventual "straw that broke the camel's back}....the waitingversary.....I decided to spend this evening thinking about the things that I love.

See, folks, it's not that I have ever forsaken those things I love...but, you know? It's okay to feel. Sometimes my feelings are optimistic and energetic, while other times they are raw and  uncensored. But for all of us? In whatever we feel? That's okay. What's important is that we don't stay there forever.

And if you don't have a safe place to "feel" life...come find me. I will let you let it all out. 

Because I? totally get it.

So, without further ado...my favorite things. For today.

Not included in this list are: My hunk of a husband and the amazing support system that remind me often that I am not defined by what I can---or can not---do.    They are, by far, my heroes.

Gelled body oil from Avon. If you've never had irreparably dry skin, then you won't understand how fabulous this stuff is. My typical winter routine includes the regular good ol' fashioned oil at night and this magnificent specimen (that drys silky smooth instead of crazy oily!) in the mornings after my shower. LOVE.

Biolage Conditioning Balm. I have a LOT of hair (as my hairstylist reminds me every time she has to thin it out) and I  do a LOT of damage to it...which I don't intend to change anytime soon. But this magical stuff? makes me feel brand new! I remember, as a kid, sneaking into my mom's bathroom (sorry, Mom) to use hers...I wasn't allowed to...but let's face it. VO5 was just not cutting it for my main!

Sugar-scrubs. I make my own but you can buy the good stuff too. You just spend a lot more and I go through a LOT of this stuff. I typically go with an energizing scent (Eucalyptus being my fav-o) but whatever floats your boat will work, too. Here is my recipe. Now, go and create! 

My sewing machine. Last night--after a grade A awful day--all I could do was sew. I was thankful to have some release (it was a summer girl's dress, JSYK). I can't imagine how difficult it would be without having a way to release stress. Thank you Jesus for reminding me before my head was spinning!

To all those who create, AND who are able to document those creations for others? Major shout-out props going out to you! I am so thankful for all the creative juices that flow from reading tutorials!

So there you have it!! The 5 things that I can't live without!

How about you?