My Glitter TOMS

I love heels!  I love boots with heels!  I love to wear them with skirts, dresses, and jeans.  I haven't rocked them with shorts, but I have thought about it.  Well my heels and I are on a break, a temporary break, but a break nevertheless.  When I started having issues walking I realized I was in need of flats.  It is super hard for me to find flats that I like.  My poor husband has schlepped me from store to store to try to find me some flats.  Then one night I was checking my email and there it was, an email from Zulily.  They were having a TOMS sale!!!!  I scrolled through my options and that was the first time I saw them, Glitter TOMS.  My husband laughed and doubted me when I told him I would wear them a lot.  Glitter is a neutral!!!  I love my Glitter TOMS.  Wayne (my hubby) was chuckling a couple of months ago, because I wear them so much.

Then today happened...

Last week my Lupus was giving me a rough time and on top of that Wayne and I came down with a virus.  Today I woke up feeling good and I came up with an idea!  I told Wayne I had a surprise and we got in the car.  Powell Gardens has a butterfly exhibit going on right now, and I thought it would be neat to go.  It was neat and the butterflies were very friendly.  We decided to check out one of the trails.  I say we, but my man did have some reservations.  I was so excited to be feeling good, to be with my man, the weather was beautiful, there was no holding me back.  It was beautiful, but then the trail got muddy.  But we kept trucking.  I did at one moment comment that I think I was the first person to walk the trail in glitter TOMS.  We chuckled.  Little did we know what was up ahead.  We rounded a corner and there it was a five foot wide section of very wet mud.  I joked that I should walk it bare foot to protect my shoes...

I made a poor decision and got stuck in the mud with my shoes on!  Actually the mud tried to claim one of my shoes and I had to battle to keep it!!!  The look on Wayne's face!  That made me laugh even harder!  Yes I was laughing.  How ridiculous am I?!?!?!  I cleaned off as much of the mud as I could and put my shoes back on and kept walking.  I was giggling so much.  Wayne was laughing and shaking his head.  Spontaneity does have its causalties sometimes.  

Now don't cry for me just yet...

YES!!!!  So in November Zulily may have had another TOMS sale.  I may have bought a back up pair of Glitter TOMS!!!  Yes, yes I did!!!   GLITTER TOMS 2.0 BABY!!!

Review: Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane

Confession:  I have been a slow convert to drinking hot tea!  I have always loved iced tea.  I have memories of my mom filling a glass drink dispenser with water and some tea bags and setting it outside to make sun tea.  I loved drinking.  I love drinking sweet tea, because it allows me to pretend that I could pass as a Southerner.  I know it isn't true, but I still.  I do have relation from Kentucky and due to my Southern Indiana roots, when I am angry an accent does come out.  If you don't believe that residents of Southern Indiana have a drawl you haven't been there or you are from there and don't recognize it.  Okay back to the tea!  So I have been slowly testing out the hot tea waters...he he he...you like what I did there?  I have been surprised to find out that I like herbal tea!  I think this also goes hand in hand with the changes I have been making in the nutrition department of my life.  I was excited to receive Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Decaf Green Tea, complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.  I love peppermint anything around Christmas!!!!  This tea is delish!  It has that lovely peppermint flavor without the sugary guilt.  I will definitely be buying this during the Christmas season from here on out!

Frosty VoxBox Review - The Good, The Bad & The Lovely

I learned about Influenster several months ago, and decided to sign up.  I love trying new products and if someone will send them to me complimentary the better.  They emailed me a survey for the Frosty VoxBox Campaign and I got picked!!!

Here is a picture of my VoxBox

Inside my #FrostyVoxBox

No7 Protect & Perfect Intense ADVANCED Serum

• Pro:  It doesn't have a medicinal smell
• Con: It stung on some spots of my face & it left my neck red & splotchy

NYC Expert Last Lip Color in Sugar Plum

• Pro: I love the Sugar Plum shade, the shine, the longevity of the color and it smells nice.
• Con: I didn't try it sooner

Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Decaf Green Tea

• Pro:  It is delicious!  It tastes like Christmas in a cup for those not looking for something super sugary and artificial tasting
• Con: none

EcoTools Hair Brush Styler + Smoother

• Pro:  This is a great brush when I blow dry my hair...
• Con: ...except for my bangs.  I need a round brush for them.

Rimmel Gentle Eye Makeup Remover

• Pro:  It is gentle
• Con:  It is too gentle.  The bottle states it will remove waterproof mascara and it doesn't.  It also doesn't remove waterproof eyeliner.  I am not a fan and will not purchase this, EVER.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner

• Pro:  Waterproof.  Perfect shade of black.  Doesn't smudge.  Easy to Sharpen.
• Con:  None.  I am very impressed with this eyeliner.

McCormick Gourmet Thyme

• Pro: Delicious!  But I wouldn't say there is anything special about this particular Thyme that would make me buy it over a cheaper brand.
• Con: None.

Fruit Vines Bites Cherry

• Pro:  I don't typically like cherry flavored candy, but these tasted pretty good.  They were soft and chewy.
• Con: Artificial Flavoring.

I have had a great time testing these products and can't wait for my next VoxBox experience.  I would totally recommend for you to check out Influenster.

Conviction at a Food Pantry

A friend called me and needed some help.  They were out of work, out of gas and out of food.  I knew I could help them with either gas or food, but not both.  Then I remembered that my church, Abundant Life Church has a food pantry on Wednesdays.  I called a friend who helps out with it for the details.  I told my friend, whom we will from this point call this friend Sally, that my church has a food pantry.  They were hesitant at first, of course, but when we talked and I explained that I could give them a gas gift card and would drive her to a couple of places to fill out applications.  But at the end of the day she needed food.  Sally agreed.  I am ashamed to admit that I have given food every now and then, but I haven't faithfully prayed for this ministry, I haven't looked at their needs list and looked for deals to donate on a regular basis, and when I was healthier I didn't volunteer to help.  After going through the process with my friend, and seeing how the people who come in there are treated, spoken to and prayed for, I cannot continue to be lackadaisical. 

We sat next to one gentleman who was very excited about a job interview that he thought went well.  I sat next to a lady whose young child was sick and after she got food for them she was going to take him to Urgent Care.  They needed food for the week and she had to delay that visit for her child to get food, how hard of a choice was that?  There were a good number of senior citizens which made me even more aware of how we tend to forget about them and their lack of ability to work.  Even if they can work, I have seen thorough older friends that they can get passed over for jobs because of their age.

Later on when I was home by myself, I apologized to God.  I apologized for taking for granted the food, He has supplied Wayne & I.  I apologized for not being faithful about taking care of the body He has given me like I should.  I apologized for emotional eating when I know I can cast all of my cares on Him.  I apologized for not following through on ideas of using coupons to donate food & personal care products to the food pantry.  The awful thing is, it wasn't even two years ago when I was looking for a job and a couple of friends were buying me food, when I couldn't.  When I read in the Old Testament I catch myself wondering, how could they forget how God had provided for them and protected them in the past?  There I sat realizing I had done the same, stinking thing.  Yuck!

I'm sharing this for a reason, Abundant Life Church distributes Thanksgiving boxes to those who are ministered by the Abundant Life Food Pantry.  The last I heard they are short about 60 boxes.  Sixty!  6-0!  If you are about to donate one or more of the items on the list below great!  If you are too far away, we can work it out and you can send me money through PayPal and I will buy items for you.  If you can't contribute, get the word out.  PRAY!!!  Pray for the people receiving these boxes.  Pray for the people distributing the boxes. 

Each Box Should Contain:

• A turkey
• 2 cans/jars of turkey gravy
• 1 large can of sweet potatoes
• 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can of French's french fried onions
• 2 boxes of hot roll mix
• 2 boxes of dressing/stuffing
• 2 boxes of instant mashed potatoes
• 1 bag of marshmallows
• 1 jar/can of olives or pickles
• 2 cans of fruit
•  A Large Tub with a Lid

Donations are need by Wednesday November 19th between noon and 6pm.  If you and I can't meet up, you can take your donations to Abundant Life Church 414 SW Persels, Lee's Summit Mo 64081 816-554-8181

Shut Up! Just Shut Up!

Today I read this quote from Zelda, the daughter of Robin Williams regarding social media, "I will be leaving this account for a [bit] while I heal and decide if I'll be deleting it or not," she writes. "In this difficult time, please try to be respectful of the accounts of myself, my family and my friends. Mining our accounts for photos of dad, or judging me on the number of them is cruel and unnecessary. There are a couple throughout, but the real private moments I shared with him were precious, quiet, and believe it or not, not full of photos or 'selfies.' "

 On Monday, my heart was hurting for a family that I know, because the patriarch of their family had died.  Then later on that day I found out about the death of Robin Williams and I prayed for his family as well.  Losing my own father in 2012 has made me extra sensitive to those who lose their own.  With that said I would never try to compare my grief to their grief.  A dear friend of mine, who I  called to vent after someone had made hurtful remarks about the loss of my daddy, wisely stated that you can't compare grief, grief is different for everyone.  For example, I have two brothers and we have handled our grief differently and we lost the same dad.  But we each had an unique relationship with him.

In my situation I was grateful for social media during that time, because I could pass along info without having to talk to a lot of people.  Weeks after the funeral I would go out to eat by myself to parts of the Metro that I didn't know anyone, so I didn't have to talk to anyone.  Don't get me wrong I spoke to those nearest to me, but there were days that being asked how I was doing was annoying.  How was I doing????  It had felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest.  I was dealing with mean & hurtful words from people because I didn't grieve "publicly" enough.  I put it in quotes because I'm not famous.  God knows how much I grieved and how much I still grieve.  Last night I was watching a tribute to Robin Williams and they showed this side angle of him somewhere and he was wearing a baseball cap, he had a grey gotee and something about it made a picture of my dad flash in my head and my breath caught.  With that said I am very grateful that I had heard some talk of Beth Moore's about how she had full freedom to tattle tale to God about things people say to her.  He and my close friends got an ear full.  Why anyone stays friends with me is beyond me.

I am so grateful that my dad was not a celebrity.  I don't know if I would've had enough restraint to just respond with taking a break from social media.  I probably would've taken a baseball bat to my computer, after seeing some of the things Zelda saw on social media.  I probably would've also taken the baseball bat to my phone, tablet, the TV, the radio in my car...you get the point.

An area in my life that I have been praying for growth is empathy.  I don't know everything someone else has gone through.  It is impossible and I guess that is why I get so mad, when I hear people judging and tearing apart others because in their mind they would've handled things differently.  You don't know that!  See I'm struggling with the being patient with judgers (totally made up word) part of this whole growth process.

Why is it so hard for us to love others where they are at?

This Is What Happened In My Kitchen

Hello 2014!

Here is a fact about me, I love recipes!  Love them!  I love reading them, even if I know I will never follow them.  I am very excited about some of the cooking that took place in my kitchen and I decided to share these happenings with you...my six followers...lol

First up is Olive Oil Mayo.  When I first attempted the Whole30, I only made this mayo as a basis for an avocado sauce.  Oh how I was so naive, so blind.  Hold up I know you might be thinking like I did, I don't use that much mayo regularly why would I use it in the Whole30????  Because it is more of a sauce than just mayo!  I love to make a Pale, Whole30 compliant pumpkin sausage soup and put a small dollop of Olive Oil Mayo on my serving....delish!  It adds a lovely hint of creamy lemon flavor that rocks my world.  I have had some fun experimenting with this mayo to figure what works and what doesn't.  I will say it is lovely in a traditional sense to make coleslaw & cucumber salad.  I will note that I use a pasteurized egg because I am married to a health inspector and every time I eat something that may have a raw egg in it or runny yolk, he asks me, "Why do you want Salmonella?!?!?!"  For the record I am not living life on the edge with every bite of food thinking, will this be the day I get Salmonella?

Second, Blueberry Breakfast Sausage, I know the title sounds scary, but it is in fact yummy and Whole30 approved!  I have one go to sausage recipe I have used A LOT!  But, I was looking for breakfast items for my hubby & I and I came across this Blueberry Breakfast Sausage paired with a Coconut Carrot Souffle.  I have not made the souffle yet, because vanilla bean is super duper expense at the one grocery store I could find it at.  Thank you Internet for helping me find Beanilla, who was having a great sale & my vanilla beans should be here very soon.  I'm not sure how the snow will affect their delivery time.

Sorry, back to the sausage!  I had gone to the store, bought the ingredients and was excited about trying a new recipe.  Then my husband & I had dinner with some friends where he mentions that he isn't a big fan of anything blueberry!!!!  I decided to make it anyway to see if he would even notice the blueberry.  He loves this sausage recipe!!!  Why?  Because it rocks the house!

Third, Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup.  Actually that is not true!  I made chicken broth so I could make this soup.  I have searched far & wide for chicken broth/stock & beef broth/stock that doesn't contain sugar.  Oh my word is it exhausting and aggravating!  I did find a beef broth at Whole Foods, but it is at Whole Foods.  I am rarely in Kansas.  Sorry, I just can't believe how much stuff has sugar in it!  HyVee had whole chickens on sale for $0.88 a pound.  I bought one and made some broth and I was able to use the chicken meat to make the next recipe....don't scroll down and ruin the surprise...just kidding.  I would've totally scrolled down.  The soup is lovely.  As a matter of fact we had it for breakfast with a side of Blueberry Breakfast Sausage for breakfast yesterday and today. 

Fourth, (I would say last, but I have a pork roast that I'm planning on putting in the oven soon) Buffalo Chicken Shepherd's Pie.  I realized that after I put this in the oven that I only used half of the amount of cauliflower called for.  This did not bother me because I love spices & flavor explosions.  This didn't bother my man because he despises cauliflower & the cauliflower taste was hardly detectable.  I love this dish.  I can't wait to make it again.  I love spicy food & did not need to add hot sauce to this dish.  Oh I almost forgot I did not use buffalo sauce, I substituted Louisiana Hot Sauce.

I will apologize for the fact that there aren't pictures of the food I made on this post.  I am really bad about taking pictures of food I cook.  I love sharing pictures of food others cook or I eat out.  I guess I'm just weird that way.  Try these recipes they are yummy!!!!

A More Disciplined Life? Day 1

I am linking up with Hello Mornings and going through the book 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life by Crystal Paine.  The title of the book pretty much sums up the goal.  On Day 1, we are given an assignment to pick one Mega Project that we are going to tackle over the 21 days.  We are to work on our Mega Project everyday.  Well my Mega Project is the wedding.  It is 30 days away and I still have loads to do.  I keep telling myself I have plenty of time and that my dear friends is a lie.  I am hoping that I am not in over my head.