My Favorite Things – January
The holidays are over, which seemed to have flown by. Now February is officially here and I’m still dreaming of all the great memories my family and I made with our family and close friends. As always, I am always so very thankful, not just for the things but for the reason we celebrate (JESUS) and for the people I love and the blessings I’ve received. My husband and I decided to exchange gifts (last year we only exchanged stocking stuffers which was soooo much fun!) and boy I’m happy we did! I’ve had over a month to enjoy all the amazing gifts I received. Below are a few of my favorites that I think you would love.
Cultivate What Matters
I discovered this amazing planner early last year while looking for tools that could help me goal plan. This planner allows you to plan your life intentionally. I love the ability to have a community and resources that come along with your purchase.
The planner alone comes in at $58, but there are also bundles like the one pictured starting at $90. www.cultivatewhatmatter.com
She Reads Truth
One of the most beautiful Bibles I’ve ever owned! The Bible is jammed packed with 66 key verses and the artwork is so beautiful. Also reading plans for each book, along with maps, charts, and timelines. Below is the hardbound version in grey linen, which cost $38, however, they come in leather and other colors in the hardbound version. www.shereadstruth.com
Being a business owner, this new toy has transformed my creative abilities and added another layer of products I can now offer my clients. The Cricut Maker allows you to cut any type of fabric, even leather! The starting cost for the machine alone is $399, however, you can buy bundles accessory packs (which is great for beginners). www.cricut.com
Cricut Maker
My Lily Whites: Whitening Whites Without Bleach
I stopped using bleach a long time ago to whiten my families clothes and towels. The only downside was my whites were not “white” any more, they were dingy. Below are a few natural products I use (at different times) to brighten my whites without the harsh effects of bleach. To find which of these products works best for your laundry routine, I suggest testing each method.
- Baking Soda – Baking soda is commonly found in many products used for whitening such as tooth paste and even some washing powders. It’s also a natural softener and freshener. Add a 1/2 cup or baking soda to your wash (okay to use in high efficiency washers) along with your regular washing powder or liquid
- Hydrogen Peroxide – Did you know that hydrogen peroxide is in fact a a non-chrolrine bleach? Add a 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide to your regular laundry detergent.
- Lemon Juice – Lemons are a natural brightener and freshener. Add a 1/2 cup of lemon juice to your regular laundry detergent.
- Distilled White Vinegar – Vinegar whitens, freshens and softens. If you’re worried about the vinegar smell don’t, the smell goes away as the clothes dry. Add 1 cup of vinegar to your normal laundry wash.
2014: I’m Resolved to…
- Living an organized life
- Making my house a home
- Becoming a better friend
- Working hard
- Playing hard
- Writing thank you notes instead of emails
- Calling instead of texting
- Giving more
- Encouraging others more
- Using photo albums and not my cell phone
- Cooking more eating out less
- Being healthy
- Having more date nights with my hubby
- Using the kitchen table more than the TV tray
- Drawing even closer to Jesus
Happy 2014!
I Needed Some Elbow Room
I haven’t been feeling like much of a superwoman of late. I recently underwent elbow surgery on my left elbow and have been out of commission longer than I thought I would. I have never been one to not be busy doing something and all I’ve been able to do lately is be in the house and feel helpless. I never knew how much I depend on my other arm and now that it’s in a sling for 2 weeks, I am learning fast to depend on others to help me. My husband and oldest daughter have been my biggest helpers. My daughter helps me by preparing dinners and helps me with my hair. My husband should definitely be called a superman, because that is exactly what he is. He’s such a wonderful support for me.
Did I ever tell you how stubborn I am…ok, well I’m a little stubborn.
It’s when the swelling started to prohibit me from closing my left hand, is when I decided it was time to take the prescribed meds from the doctor. I don’t like taking medicine when I don’t have to. We all see the commercials, the side-affects are twice as long as what the medicine cures. So I was pretty adamant about not taking them, but we all know there comes a time when you have to bite the bullet (in this case the pill).
So i’m on the road to recovery, taking my medicine and getting better every day. I look forward to having my left arm back so it doesn’t take me one hour to write another blog!
The Family Table: Lasagna
My husband has a very finicky appetite so whenever I can make something that he loves and will eat for several days…I’m all for it. Homemade lasagna with salad and garlic bread is his favorite and I’m sure, if it were up to him, we would have it more often. I want to share my recipe with you for making a delicious lasagna that will have your family coming back for more.
Ingredients:
1 – 1lb box of lasagna (approx. 12 noodles needed for recipe)
1 1/2 pound of hamburger
1 roll of Italian sausage
1 tsp (or so) brown sugar
8 ounce of ricotta cheese
1 package of mozzarella cheese
1 package of mild cheddar cheese
2 1/2 – 7oz jars of marinara sauce (I used Prego however homemade is even better)
Instructions:
- Cook hamburger and italian sausage together in skillet (drain excess fat). Set aside.
- Add marinara to pot over medium low heat. To the sauce, add about one teaspoon of brown sugar, hamburger and sausage. Stir to combine. Let heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the meat sauce is heating, cook lasagna noodles according to box instructions.
- Drain noodles and lay flat on aluminum foil that’s been sprayed with a nonstick spray (this stops the noodles from sticking together.)
- To a medium bowl, mix together cheddar, mozzarella.
- In your 9×13 glass pan, add a small amount of your meat sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Add 4 noodles on top of sauce.
- Slather (I hate that word, but it’s appropriate for what you need to do) a thin layer ricotta cheese on the first layer of noodles
- Add a portion of the cheese mixture on top of ricotta cheese
- Add more meat sauce
- Add another layer of noodles and continue the layer process until you have 3 layers of noodles
- Top final layer with meat sauce and remaining cheese mixture.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes – uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- Add a nice rich garlic bread and leafy green salad and there you go…a delicious meal!
Enjoy!
My Favorite Things – August
In the household category, my first August love is the Pledge Multi Surface Everyday Cleaner. I use this on pretty much everything in my home, even on my mirrors and electronics. There are so many reasons why I absolutely love this product, but the top two reasons would have to be because it’s 99% natural and it’s not an aerosol. Having one product that I can use on so many things is great and saves me space and time.
My second love are the Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes. I don’t think I could ask for more with these wipes. They kill over 99.9% of common household germs and I can use them on my food preparation surfaces – without needing to rinse. I was told about the seventh generation wipes from a good friend who sings the company’s praises for making good earth-friendly products. As I have stated before, our family used Melaleuca products in our home for over eleven years, so now being able to shop locally for good earth-friendly products is awesome!
In the health and beauty category of my August favs, my first loves are my Cetaphil Cleanser and Moisturizer. I have been using these on a regular basis since the beginning of the month, and I must say I am very pleased with how my face feels. I love that the moisturizer is light and after it’s applied I don’t realize I’ve put anything on. Another perk about the moisturizer is it has SPF15.
My next August loves come from one of my favorite companies…Lush. I’ve watched several YouTube videos about the Lush hair care products. I’m a true believer of their line of body care products but had never tried their hair products. Before I left for Florida, I purchase three products that I felt would work best on my hair type: R&B – hair moisturizer, Curly Wurly – Shampoo for dry hair, and Retrend – a leave in conditioner. I have been faithfully using all three products ever since I purchased them. The true tell-all came while on vacation, after being at the pool all day in the hot Florida heat, my hair would be totally dried out by the end of the day. After shampooing and conditioning my hair, it felt so soft and full of moisture and no breakage. One of my favorite things about these products, but Lush products in general is they’re made with all natural products that are good for your hair and skin.
My last (and definitely not least) favorite product is my Juicy Bamboo Facial Wipes by Kaia. I used these to remove my makeup – even mascara. I received these as part of a mail order subscription – as a sample, and I’m in love with the way they make my face feel! The wipes contain plant-based essential oils, organic honey and vitamins, and doesn’t have any alcohol, fragrance or parabens. I use them every day, even when I don’t wear makeup. I must confess that I didn’t just buy these this month however I did begin to use them on a regular basis starting this month. : )
DISCLOSURE: I am not a sponsor in any way for any of the above products. I’m only promoting these products because of the personal enjoyment and satisfaction I get from using the products.
Week in Review – August 12-18
Back in the Flow
The gift basket conference I attended in Orlando was great. Everyday I learned something new that I can implement in my business. My daughters and granddaughter (we left all the boys at home) joined me in Florida after the conference was over for a special girls-only week. I enjoyed the time I got to spend with my girls, but I did miss the boys too.
Coming back home from vacation to find that my husband and son cleaned and ate all the food I prepared for them while we were gone, is the best welcome home I could have received. I made sure I cooked enough for at least the first 4 to 5 days I would be gone, the other 4 days they had to wing-it. My hubby can cook so it’s not like he would have starved, but cooking was my way of showing them how much I love and would miss them. I’m glad we decided to come home a few days before having to go back to work, I don’t think I would have been able to pull that off otherwise.
School, School, We Love SCHOOL!
The kids started school this week, so life is getting back to a normal routine. It’s so fun to get up on that first day of school with butterflies, excitement and curiosity mixed together inside your belly. My daughter started middle school, so we had the anxiety with the locker and changes classes to get over. We were on vacation on locker day and you would have swore that the world was coming to an end because she couldn’t decorate her locker with her friends (She forgot all about that while she was having fun on vacation). When we landed back home, we made sure her school was the first place went went so she could experience all that great frustration of trying to open a middle school locker for the first time.
My son, who got his first car last month is excited to be able to drive to school instead of riding the dreaded yellow bus. He’s also looking forward to this being his last year of high school. He’s taking some hard classes to bring up his GPA for college since he has some lofty goals he wants to accomplish this year. Over all, both the kids are working hard to make this a great year, and my hubby and I are so very proud.
It’s Been a Hard Night Sleep
We got our new mattress after a long bout with the mattress company. My hubby and I were so excited to finally be rid of the memory foam bed, however I think we got a little too excited and now we have a really nice, expensive bed that feels like we’re sleeping on concrete. Instead of calling the mattress company back for another (which would be the 4th) mattress, we’re going to invest in a mattress pad and call it a day.
Mattress: The Trilogy
Our new mattress was finally delivered yesterday after weeks of back and forth conversations with the company. Now that the bed is here, I’m thinking it may be too firm, YIKES! This is now our third mattress and I’m not even sure I can sleep on this one for ten to twelve more years. So instead of calling the company back and looking like a complete idiot and to save face, I will buy a memory foam mattress top, which hopefully will give me that small amount of softness I’m looking for along with the firmness of the mattress – which I need for my aching back. 
As I stated in a recent Week in Review blog post, we have had two memory form mattresses and after a short period of time, I was not able to get out of the bed! My back would lock up – it was just a bad situation all around. Now that I have what my back needs, I think it will just take some time to get used to. My husband says it feels like he’s sleeping on the floor, so I know I want to give him some relief by getting the mattress pad very soon. So as for now, there will not be a part four to this saga, but…you never know.
580 Emails to Go!
I have 4 different emails (not including all my social media pages) to check daily and I’m normally pretty good about doing that. However with business picking up for my gift basket company, this new blog, the coaching side of my company, and my personal emails – I’m having a hard time staying on top of them. I don’t think I put too much time into planing out how I was going to handle the influx of communication. So now I have to come up with that plan (this should have already been in place) to help me be more efficient.
I’m not a fan about taking time away from my family to do get work done, however when you’re a business owner, and it’s just you, sacrifice becomes your middle name. When time permits, I try to get my family involved so we’re still spending “time” together, but I try not to wear that welcome out because I want them to still like me later. So, since I don’t mind getting up in the mornings, and as long as I don’t have any gift orders that need to go out, I will use this time to get all my responses and social media post done. Of course this won’t happen everyday since mornings are typically for my creating gifts and cooking breakfast for the family.
I know how I feel when I’ve sent someone an email or responded to something and I don’t get a reply back. I want to be best at anything I do, so that includes the tasks of sending and responding to emails and social media posts. I envy those who have this together, I wish I did, but I’m striving (or should I say aspiring) to do better.
579 to go!