I, admittedly, have a hard time with self-discipline & motivating myself. So, I end up half-assing my life way too much. But! I think I've found a cool way to help myself: by doing various types of journaling. I am a person who loves and thrives on regularity and rituals, so naturally this is a good fit for me. My first goal is to cook at least weekly to hone my skillz, and to document it! I will be doing much of this on this blog, with scrumptious-looking pictures & recipes for ya'll. But I have a special notebook just for this! I date it, copy down the recipe (editing it with any tweaks that I made that differ from the original), and write notes down, such as substituted ingredients or thoughts on what might make it better. (ie, bake for 15 minutes, not 20; use 1/2 tsp more cinnamon; etc)
The second goal is to go to church every Sunday (I go frequently, but not EVERY), and to write notes and keep them in a binder. The church I am attending makes this very simple, because they provide a fill-in-the-blank notes section on the sermon, with room for additional notes. I love it!
What are your tricks for self-discipline?
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Thursday, June 2, 2011
A few of my favorite things ...
Got this idea from the Minnesota Housewife. She has a hilarious & informative blog, check her out!
http://www.minnesotahousewife.com/
These are my everyday beauty products that I have fallen in love with. From the time I was a tween, I have loved experimenting with makeup, so I have tried many, many different ones! The ones I use include fairly new finds as well as products I've literally been buying for 9 years.
1) Clinique 3-step skincare system. I use the one for skin type 3, "oily skin". I have found that I actually prefer the bar soap over the liquid because I keep the special soap dish it comes with on the bathroom vanity, and just rub my washcloth on it, and voila! $49 at Clinique.com
2) Next is Revlon Beyond Natural smoothing primer. $11.99 at ULTA
3) Much to my initial chagrin, I became a Bare Minerals convert. It gives my face a beautiful finish, never found this kind of coverage before! The starter kit includes the 3 basics: foundation, warmth (like blush), and mineral veil. Includes brushes to apply, but I bought the extra concealer brush to use on blemishes and dark circles. $59.99 at Macy's
4) I will often skip the "warmth" step with the Bare Minerals, as it comes in only one shade, and I find it a bit dark. I sometimes use Clinique Quick Blush in Hurry Honey. The image doesn't show the correct color, but it illustrates the super-cool tool ... it comes as a two piece compact brush with blush in the cap. Love it! $22.50 at Clinique.com
5) I also use Bare Minerals eyeshadow in Queen Phyllis, Mary Kay eyeshadow in Precious Pink (sounds weird for eyes, but it looks nice), and Covergirl eyeshadow in Swiss Chocolate. All of these are pearlescent shades, because I like a little shimmer :) The sites for these are easy to navigate, and are easily found with the help of Google. Bare Minerals' is $13, Mary Kay's is $6.50, Covergirl's is $3.19 at Rite-Aid.
6) Next is Maybelline Ultra Liner in Black. $7.99 at Walgreen's.
7) The mascara I currently use is Loreal Featherlash mascara in Black (or very black?) but I will soon have to find a new one, as this is no longer available. Price: ?? I bought it forever ago! Something like $7.
8) Lipcolor! I use many different ones, but my go-to everyday is Neutrogena Moistureshine gloss in Berry Fit. I don't like very unnatural lip shades, and this one is just a pumped-up version of my natural lip color. Its glossy & perfect! $7.99 at Walmart.
9) Good old Vaseline to take off my eye makeup. Some beauty experts may say its a no-no, but its what I've always used! $2.29 at Walgreen's for a small jar.
10) Instead of buying pricey makeup remover towelettes, I just use a baby wipe. Maybe not as "whatever" as the towelettes, but to me, the idea is just to get most of the makeup off your face before washing up. My favorite is Huggie's Natural Care wipes. I would normally be all over the generic, but I like that Huggie's are perforated instead of folding over each other (I would constantly be digging in the dispenser because the generics wouldn't pop up) A *very* small detail, I know, but I figure I'd explain why I buy it, lol. $2.59 at Walmart.
Well, there you have it, my cosmetics bag! Hope you try a couple, and let me know what you ladies have found & love!
http://www.minnesotahousewife.com/
These are my everyday beauty products that I have fallen in love with. From the time I was a tween, I have loved experimenting with makeup, so I have tried many, many different ones! The ones I use include fairly new finds as well as products I've literally been buying for 9 years.
1) Clinique 3-step skincare system. I use the one for skin type 3, "oily skin". I have found that I actually prefer the bar soap over the liquid because I keep the special soap dish it comes with on the bathroom vanity, and just rub my washcloth on it, and voila! $49 at Clinique.com
2) Next is Revlon Beyond Natural smoothing primer. $11.99 at ULTA
3) Much to my initial chagrin, I became a Bare Minerals convert. It gives my face a beautiful finish, never found this kind of coverage before! The starter kit includes the 3 basics: foundation, warmth (like blush), and mineral veil. Includes brushes to apply, but I bought the extra concealer brush to use on blemishes and dark circles. $59.99 at Macy's
4) I will often skip the "warmth" step with the Bare Minerals, as it comes in only one shade, and I find it a bit dark. I sometimes use Clinique Quick Blush in Hurry Honey. The image doesn't show the correct color, but it illustrates the super-cool tool ... it comes as a two piece compact brush with blush in the cap. Love it! $22.50 at Clinique.com
5) I also use Bare Minerals eyeshadow in Queen Phyllis, Mary Kay eyeshadow in Precious Pink (sounds weird for eyes, but it looks nice), and Covergirl eyeshadow in Swiss Chocolate. All of these are pearlescent shades, because I like a little shimmer :) The sites for these are easy to navigate, and are easily found with the help of Google. Bare Minerals' is $13, Mary Kay's is $6.50, Covergirl's is $3.19 at Rite-Aid.
6) Next is Maybelline Ultra Liner in Black. $7.99 at Walgreen's.
7) The mascara I currently use is Loreal Featherlash mascara in Black (or very black?) but I will soon have to find a new one, as this is no longer available. Price: ?? I bought it forever ago! Something like $7.
8) Lipcolor! I use many different ones, but my go-to everyday is Neutrogena Moistureshine gloss in Berry Fit. I don't like very unnatural lip shades, and this one is just a pumped-up version of my natural lip color. Its glossy & perfect! $7.99 at Walmart.
9) Good old Vaseline to take off my eye makeup. Some beauty experts may say its a no-no, but its what I've always used! $2.29 at Walgreen's for a small jar.
10) Instead of buying pricey makeup remover towelettes, I just use a baby wipe. Maybe not as "whatever" as the towelettes, but to me, the idea is just to get most of the makeup off your face before washing up. My favorite is Huggie's Natural Care wipes. I would normally be all over the generic, but I like that Huggie's are perforated instead of folding over each other (I would constantly be digging in the dispenser because the generics wouldn't pop up) A *very* small detail, I know, but I figure I'd explain why I buy it, lol. $2.59 at Walmart.
Well, there you have it, my cosmetics bag! Hope you try a couple, and let me know what you ladies have found & love!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Timeless Virtue
Let me get up on my soap box, just once! I'll make it quick! My hope is that I am not the only one who has this pet peeve ...
As hard as I try not to be a stick in the mud, I do have a couple of them. I don't impose any of my pet peeves on other people -- except one. My biggest pet peeve is manners, friendliness, and civility. (Yes, I lump them together; that's how it seems to fit naturally, at least in my mind) These values have seemed to diminish as a commonality in the past few decades, & in all age groups! It's a misconception that this is just an old-people-only thing. Back in the 40s & 50s (heck, even before), I think accountability was pressed more, and I like that! There is a lot of anonymity these days, and although it's nice to be able to go grocery shopping in your pj's sometimes :) I think its only natural for people to interact and "lean on each other" if you will, in everyday life. It builds honesty, and thus, trust. Maybe this is just a small town thing (*raises hand*), but I believe that people should look out for each other and give of themselves. Community is such a big idea in small towns. If I got locked out of the house as a kid, our trusted neighbors would invite me in, give me a snack, and try to contact my parents. If someone was a dime or a dollar short in the checkout line, undoubtedly another patron would step forward and offer it to them. This was not done to be a Mother Theresa, but just because its the right thing to do. Its nice.
I try my best to realize that not everyone came straight out of the Andy Griffith Show, so I usually only get irked by rude people. This is all I ask ... be nice to everyone you meet (even that guy you passed on the freeway or the teller at the bank), and greet them with a smile on your face, and a ready sense of grace and friendliness. "You are responsible for the energy you bring into this place" Miss Oprah Winfrey says. So regardless of whether you think you're being "watched", do the right thing. Sure, we all have annoyances in life, such as traffic, lost keys, late schedules, etc, but why wrinkle your brow and take it out on everyone you come into contact with? We all know what manners are ... greeting people you meet with a smile, saying please & thank you, using manners in car-and-foot-travel (yesssss, store aisles & sidewalks too!), helping others when we see an opportunity (holding doors, letting a mom with kids go in front of you in line), and not being rude! (Which I consider mean/rude comments, foul language, poor "traffic" or table manners, etc) Or maybe its simply that you're stressed out and don't WANT to be mature, and instead get irritated at every little thing. I know I do this way too often! Like I said, we all have a clear idea of what is nice and what is rude. So whether we live in a city amongst many people we don't know and may very well never see again, or Mrs. Johnson who you see around town almost weekly, let's do the right thing!
Thanks for letting me preach for awhile! This is always a big one on my heart. I am a big people person, and I so wish the concept of true community will be lived out more and more.
As hard as I try not to be a stick in the mud, I do have a couple of them. I don't impose any of my pet peeves on other people -- except one. My biggest pet peeve is manners, friendliness, and civility. (Yes, I lump them together; that's how it seems to fit naturally, at least in my mind) These values have seemed to diminish as a commonality in the past few decades, & in all age groups! It's a misconception that this is just an old-people-only thing. Back in the 40s & 50s (heck, even before), I think accountability was pressed more, and I like that! There is a lot of anonymity these days, and although it's nice to be able to go grocery shopping in your pj's sometimes :) I think its only natural for people to interact and "lean on each other" if you will, in everyday life. It builds honesty, and thus, trust. Maybe this is just a small town thing (*raises hand*), but I believe that people should look out for each other and give of themselves. Community is such a big idea in small towns. If I got locked out of the house as a kid, our trusted neighbors would invite me in, give me a snack, and try to contact my parents. If someone was a dime or a dollar short in the checkout line, undoubtedly another patron would step forward and offer it to them. This was not done to be a Mother Theresa, but just because its the right thing to do. Its nice.
I try my best to realize that not everyone came straight out of the Andy Griffith Show, so I usually only get irked by rude people. This is all I ask ... be nice to everyone you meet (even that guy you passed on the freeway or the teller at the bank), and greet them with a smile on your face, and a ready sense of grace and friendliness. "You are responsible for the energy you bring into this place" Miss Oprah Winfrey says. So regardless of whether you think you're being "watched", do the right thing. Sure, we all have annoyances in life, such as traffic, lost keys, late schedules, etc, but why wrinkle your brow and take it out on everyone you come into contact with? We all know what manners are ... greeting people you meet with a smile, saying please & thank you, using manners in car-and-foot-travel (yesssss, store aisles & sidewalks too!), helping others when we see an opportunity (holding doors, letting a mom with kids go in front of you in line), and not being rude! (Which I consider mean/rude comments, foul language, poor "traffic" or table manners, etc) Or maybe its simply that you're stressed out and don't WANT to be mature, and instead get irritated at every little thing. I know I do this way too often! Like I said, we all have a clear idea of what is nice and what is rude. So whether we live in a city amongst many people we don't know and may very well never see again, or Mrs. Johnson who you see around town almost weekly, let's do the right thing!
Thanks for letting me preach for awhile! This is always a big one on my heart. I am a big people person, and I so wish the concept of true community will be lived out more and more.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Here We Go!
OoooOooo ... the first post! I've been anxiously trying to start this thing up forever, so its exciting to finally see it come to fruition.
For those of you that are wondering, "what the heck is this blog even about??", its just a visible version of my mind, really. That's anything from experimenting in the kitchen to my faith to current events. Ok, that sounded boring ... I promise, I get bored far easier than anyone I know, so I'll do my best to keep it interesting, and keep the serious posts at a minimum :)
I started this basically as a way to get my thoughts out, and also to hopefully interact with others who like something I do! Enjoy~
For those of you that are wondering, "what the heck is this blog even about??", its just a visible version of my mind, really. That's anything from experimenting in the kitchen to my faith to current events. Ok, that sounded boring ... I promise, I get bored far easier than anyone I know, so I'll do my best to keep it interesting, and keep the serious posts at a minimum :)
I started this basically as a way to get my thoughts out, and also to hopefully interact with others who like something I do! Enjoy~
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