Easter week – lose your faith

Yesterday in Church, our fabulous Pastor James gave us something heavy to think about.  He asked all of us 2 things:

 

1)  Think about what our Lord and Savior Jesus was thinking of this week as he prepared for his death and the unknown.

2)  Lose your faith as you have it now.

 

These are 2 really difficult things.

How would I feel, knowing that by the end of this week I’d be captured and crucified?  Dying on the cross for all humanity?  Unsure of what would happen next?  Feel stripped of my Holy Father’s love and support?  I’d.  Be.  Terrified.  I’d plummet into the depths, even though there were many who needed me.  I’d be that little naked soul, all alone with nothing to cover me.

Lose my faith, which I have just found, is hard.  I still feel that love from our Father.  I’ve stopped asking for His favor.  Stopped thinking that if I just ask, I’ll receive.  I have started thinking that everything, the bad – the good – the whole – happens to us because He wants it to.  He wants us to live, to experience everything that His Holy Son went through.  All for us.

By Easter, I’ll be reserructed.  My faith will be new.  I will abound.

 

What a glorious, terrifying, hard week it will be.  I’m up to the challenge!

BB Cream Review

 

I read a review over at http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com of BB Cream and thought I’d try it.

Since I’m a sucker for Garnier products, I grabbed theirs.  And I have to say, I love it!

BB stand for Beauty Balm.  The trend started over in Korea and has finally reached the US.  It’s an all-in-one moisturizer, sunscreen, primer, brightener, and it evens out your skin tone.  I purchased the Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector All in one BB Cream in Light/Medium.

So, my normal routine was this:

• Cleanse with Burt’s Bees Radiance cream cleanser
• Use the Garnier Under Eye Anti-Wrinkle Roller
• Moisturize with Bio Oil
• Add Primer (either Bare Escentuals or Revlon)
• Add Eye Corrector
• Foundation – Cover Girl AquaSmooth Cream
• Bare Escentuals Pure Radiance all over powder

With the Garnier BB Cream, I’ve been able to skip the moisturizing, primer, and foundation.  And my skin looks great!  With my normal routine, I’d still have some dry patches.  Not so with the BB cream.

Needless to say – I’m in LOVE!!!

Has anyone tried any BB Cream?  What was your experience?

 

**This review was not paid for by any of the companies listed above.  It’s purely MY thoughts and experiences.  Picture above is from The Small Things blog site – not owned by me.

10 things that make me happy

I’m a list maker, so here’s my list of 10 things that make me happy (in no particular order, except for #1):

1)  God. 

My relationship with God is a stronger one now that I have immersed myself  into my faith.  I find inner peace, fulfillment, and love in that relationship.  This is one Blessed Mama!

 

2)  My Husband.

He is the rock I cling to, he makes me soar with giddiness.  I love this man.  My best friend.  The best dad in the world!

 

3)  My Kiddos.

All 6 of them.  I love the older 4 more and more every day and count them as mine even though I wasn’t the one who gave birth to them.  And the younger two who I did carry in my womb, they amaze me every second with how thoughtful and caring they’ve become.

 

4)  Coffee.

I can’t start my day right without a nice mug of coffee in my hand.  And it gets me through the busy evenings.  Oh how I love you, arabica beans!

 

5)  My furry kids.

Three dogs, two cats.  I laugh at them, cuddle with them.  Curse them when they make messes, then feel my heart melting when they “tell” me they are sorry.  I do wish they’d keep their hair to themselves, however.

 

6)  My friends.

I have a bff from 5th grade who I’m still bff’s with.  I have three bff’s from high school whom I adore.  I have a bff from before I had our youngest two.  And I have new bff’s.  A girl can never have too many good friends.  I am loved by them, and I love them right back!

 

7)  My mama.

She is the strongest woman I know.  She is full of wisdom, wonder, understanding, and love for me.  I lost her for quite a few years, and won her back.  I am discovering more and more about her every day.  When I hug her, I’m 10 again.  She was my very first bff and will always be.

 

8)  My family.

My sister is beautiful.  I wasn’t raised with her, and it’s funny to see how similar we are when we are together.  My cousins are amazing.  They were my brothers and sisters when I was growing up, and that’s how I feel about them now.  My aunties are wonderful.  I may not agree with some things, but these 2 women who helped to raise me at times are a huge part of my foundation.  My husband’s family fill the void that an only child feels even now when she’s grown up.  Numerous aunties, uncles, cousins.  I have grown to love them all.  The women are stong, then men are caring, and oh how I love this family I married into!

 

9)  Portland.

This city is grey in the winter, green in the summer, and oh so wonderous!  There is no place I’d rather live than here in Portland.

 

10)  Books.

I’m an avid reader.  I can digest a 200 page book in a few hours.  Books transport me to a different time, place, experiences.

 

A kink in the road…..

I’m sick.

Not in the sick-in-the-head type of thing, but a physical sick.  I’ve caught some sort of bug or something.  I’m heading to the doctor today.  That’s not the point.

I laid in bed yesterday thinking of the meetings I wasn’t attending, and the emails I didn’t send out when something came at me.  God was talking to me.  He told me “You are working today.  You are working on healing your body.  You are busy resting.  THAT is what YOU need to worry about.”

So I listened to him.  I stopped worrying about the emails, phone calls, presentations.  I focused only on my body.  And I feel a little better, but I still need to head to the doctor.

Sometimes you need to rest.  When your body needs you to slow down, you need to listen to it.  Work can wait.  Phone calls can be saved for another time.  Rest.  Both your body and your mind.

Monthly Menu Calendar, B90X, and running…

This week I’ve committed to 3 things:

• Creating a Monthly Menu Calendar
• B90X
• Running

First, the Monthly Menu Calendar.  This is to help me, really.  Baseball and Softball season are starting and with that go my nights and the beginning of insanity.  So, I’m going to try to curb the insanity before it starts.  My darling husband is coaching our #6 child, who is a girl, in Softball.  And I was named team mom.  Of course.  This will push my organizational skills to the max.

The Monthly Menu Calendar has very few repeats.  But have you ever realized how hard it is to come up with 30 days’ worth of recipes, with very little Fend For Yourselves Night (FFYN)?  I’m tapping into my recipes in my head, to The Pioneer Woman http://www.thepioneerwoman.com , some of my Pampered Chef resources, and to a new blog I’ve found Faithful Provisions http://faithfulprovisions.com/.  We’ll see how this goes.

 

Second is B90X.  This is a play on the popular exercise routine P90X, but it deals with reading the Bible.  The goal is to read the entire Bible in 90 days.  It’s aggressive, and so far I’m failing (I have the weekend to catch up).  I am, though, very excited.  My darling husband is taking this on with me.

 

And finally, running.  I’ve never really been a runner in my life.  For some reason this past year I’ve been wanting to start.  So, I’ve made a goal for myself.

 

1 10k this year

1 5k this year

Portland – to – Coast (for walkers, not runners)

Warrior Dash

I’m also starting the Couch to 5k program tomorrow.  I’ll let you know how it goes!

 

I’ve been feeling more at peace with decisions, placing many of them in God’s hands.  He is guiding us in the way that He sees fit, and we’re happily following along.  I know He has His plans…and it’s exciting to see these through!

 

Until next time…

KDub

Reborn! A Proverbs 31 woman.

Reborn means many different things.  To some, it means that you’ve started over.  To others, it takes a deeper turn – meaning to be born again in a different life or way.  For me, it means coming back to where I should have been.

I was never raised in any Church.  Over the years, I’ve studied Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Catholocism…you name it.  I always knew God, but never had as deep of a relationship as I wanted.  I didn’t know what to do.

After a marriage that lasted only 13 years, but produced twins, and a new marriage to a wonderful man who wants me to be myself, I’ve finally found what I was missing.  I found my way home.  I’m a Christian woman, and I am proud to be so.  I love God and Jesus – they are in my heart.  My Lord and Savior has spoken to me, and has given me what I need.

I once saw a sign, that said “I don’t want to be a Victoria’s Secret woman, I want to be  Proverbs 31 woman”.  I had to look this up as I am still new to my wonderful bible…

^{10 [a]}A wife of noble character who can find?
   She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
   and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
   all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
   and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
   bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
   she provides food for her family
   and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
   out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
   her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
   and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
   and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
   and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
   for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
   she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
   where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
   and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
   she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
   and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
   and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
   her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
   but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
   and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

 

Is it too much that I strive to be this woman, with all that I have in my life?  Or is it just enough for me?  That’s something that I need to pray about.  What about you?  Do you want to be this woman?

 

This is my life!

I’m a busy mom of 6 kids…which would make sense with the title.  If I was a busy mom of 5, then that wouldn’t be right…

I digress.

I have 6 kids.  I use that term loosely.  More like 2 grown kids, 2 kids who think they are grown up, and 2 who want to grow up so bad they can’t stand it!

I even have 2 grandbabies, which most people can’t believe because according to the grocery checker I look like I’m 25 (or she’s being really, super nice to me so I’ll come buy more groceries there).  I’m not 25.  I’m older than that.  Just a little.

I love my kids.  My life is crazy.  My house is a mess.  My clothes need updating.  But there could be worse things to happen…right?