My Favorite Things: Beauty Edition

We all know the familiar tune from The Sound of Music with Maria singing joyously of her favorite things with the von Trapp family...

"Brown paper packages tied up with strings...these are a few of my favorite things!"

Oh how I used to love watching that part in the movie, followed closely by Liesl and Rolf in the gazebo. :) Good, good times.

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So, in the spirit of thankfulness and because I just want to...I thought I'd start my own "Favorite Things" list to share with you. (Thanks for the idea, Maria!). This will be the first of many posts of "faves". Just a sampling of the simple pleasures in my world that make my heart skip a beat...that bring joy to my days in the smallest of ways, and....if you're like me and you like trying new things.... I would recommend to YOU!

So without further ado...

::BEAUTY::

Jason's Apricot Scrubble is to die for! I love it! I get

so excited to use it!I've never found a better face scrub...

it's deep-pore cleansing, smells so delicious you could eat it,

and for the cherry on top, all Jason products are

"PURE, NATURAL & ORGANIC."

Jane Iredale makeup is awesome! Made with the

purest, cleanest minerals, this makeup doesn't make

my already problem skin feel more problematic. In

fact, it's healthy for my skin! And although it's $$,

I buy mine on eBay from makeup dealers and it makes it

super affordable!

When I found this Aveeno lotion, I knew

I wouldn't need to look for another lotion any other place.

I have oily skin as it is, but this lotion never makes my

skin feel greasy. It has SPF 30 sunscreen, and "natural

light diffusers" to even out skin tones. It's

WONDERFUL!

If you're into "green living" like I am,

you'll love these shampoos and conditioners from

Whole Foods. They have no artificial preservatives,

are not animal-tested, and are scented with delicious

essential oils. My favorite scents are spearmint and

Grapefruit (pictured). And, being the Whole Foods

store brand, they're VERY inexpensive!

Ahhh! Tom's of Maine! These all-natural

body soap bars are terrific! So many "natural"

soaps start splitting apart when used...or worse...

don't lather at all...NOT WITH THESE. They create

a wonderful lather and are silky-soft to the skin.

And they smell good to boot! Favorite: Lemongrass.

And Lastly............Oral Hygiene. :)

If you have not crossed over to the other side from

synthetic to natural-bristle tooth brushes....you should!

These little guys are soft and gentle to your teeth, are small

enough to not gag you when you brush your teeth, and don't

taste plasticy. You can get them at Whole Foods for cheaper

than a new tooth brush at Walmart!

And of course it just wouldn't be complete without...

Did you know that most conventional toothpastes have sugar

in them? Surprised? I was! On my quest to finding healthier

toothpaste, I came across this...and I love it! You can find

it in just about any health food store. I love the all-natural minty

taste, the fact that all the ingredients are natural (no harsh

chemicals...only plant-based natural whiteners and ingredients),

and they leave my smile feeling CLEAN!

Well that's all for now! What are some of YOUR

favorite beauty products you can't live without?

*Write me about it!*

The Nurtured Nest got a FACELIFT!

Hello my friends! As you might have been able to tell over the last week, I've been doing a little tweaking here and there at The Nurtured Nest, and with the help (okay, I'll admit it...he did most of the work) of my loving husband, Matthew, we've come up with a design that we're both proud of!

So check out our new facelift..and tell us what you think of the "new and improved" look!

Carpe Diem

I read an impactful excerpt yesterday from a book called "The Hidden Art of Homemaking" by Edith Schaeffer (wife of well-known Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer). I couldn't agree with it more so I thought I'd share it with you...

"It seems to me that, whether it is recognized or not, there is a terrific frustration which increases in intensity and harmfulness as time goes on, when people are always daydreaming of the kind of place in which they would like to live, yet never making the place where they do live into anything artistically satisfying to them. Always to dream of a cottage by a brook, while never doing anything original to the stuffy boarding-house room in a city; always to dream of a rock, glass and timber house on the cliffs above the sea, while never putting anything of yourself into the small village brick house; or to dream of what you could do with a hut in the jungle yet never to think of your inherited family mansion as anything but a place to mark time, is to waste creativity in this very basic area, and to hinder future creativity by not allowing it to grow and develop through use. Trying out all the ideas that come to you, within the limits of your present place, money, talents, materials and so forth, will not use up everything you want to save for the future, but will rather generate and develop more ideas."

This hit home for me. I, for one, am a dreamer, but this can be a hindrance if I let myself always think "I'll do that when__ happens or when we live in ___". I am always encouraged when I see people beautify the space they currently do have despite limitations, despite time inhibitors (ie. "we will only be here a year...why do anything to this place?"...), despite rental agreements, despite...despite...despite.

When you love living in the NOW, you'll want to make anywhere you are a home. This will look different for everybody, but whoever you are...

It will always stimulate, encourage, and bring a sense of home to your soul.

So don't wait for tomorrow's dreams...

Carpe Diem!

Forever John 3:16

Have you ever quickly passed by or see something out of the corner of your eye, whether in your home or out and about and a second later thought, "is that really what I saw?" You quickly turn around for a double-take, and sure enough....you see it (or you happen to realize it was all in your imagination!). This happened to me a few days ago....

I was in my closet rummaging through my scarf drawer and when I had found my prize (the scarf I was looking for) and turned away, I saw a flash of yellow and what I thought said John 3:16. Could that have been my Forever 21 bag, I thought?


For those of you who don't know, Forever 21 is a clothing store in the mall for teens and twenties and is known for it's organization by color, stylish appeal, and best of all: inexpensive! Yes! I enjoy shopping their occasionally for accessories and fun clothing and it's nice that it doesn't break the bank, either.

BACK TO MY STORY...

So there I was in the closet and as I swung around for a double-take, sure enough..my bright yellow FOREVER XX1 bag had John 3:16 on the bottom...I hadn't even noticed it before. Very unexpected, but way nifty. :)

I haven't researched to see who puts it there....but whatever the reason, it made me think of that old, familiar verse that most of us know...

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have EVERlasting (eternal) life."

FOREVER 21? New meaning. :)

Tea Time to Knowing...

For the past 3+ weeks, Matthew and I have striven to incorporate the English practice of sitting down to tea during the day. To take a break. To RELAX. We call it "The English Challenge"....and that couldn't be closer to the truth! It HAS been a challenge!

Although we have not been perfect at it...missing days here and there....I'm really proud of what we have been able to do. Matthew will come in the kitchen and say, "Is the tea ready?" I love that he is getting all into it. ;) He's even comfortable drinking out of my delicate china cups! I think he does it just to please me cause he knows it tickles me to see him drinking out of such a dainty, little thing. Given the choice he'd of course choose a "manly" mug any day. Awww...the sweet things guys do to keep their women smiling. :)

And for the days we have missed, it makes you realize just how busy you are when you don't have time to sit down for a few minutes in the day to have a cup of tea. I don't like that. I don't like it at all. Some may say "idleness is the devil's playground"...but I say SO IS BEING TOO BUSY.

Why are we so busy in America? The French have their long lunch breaks, the Spanish have their siestas, and the English have their tea. What do we have?

Hmmm.....good question.

We all need time to sit, relax, and listen. To regroup and rethink. To recharge our batteries.

TO BE STILL.

Oh, what a lost art it is!

The Psalmist said it best when he wrote:

"Be still, and know that I am God."

I just love the comma between the "still" and the "and". It's as if it were saying,

"Be still (deep breath, relax, reflect, sit down, drink tea! ;)) ...and [then] know that I am God."

I don't know about you but I find it hard to sit still, much less BE still. I'm constantly thinking about what load of laundry needs to come out, what the menu for the evening will require, this person to call, that person to write, "don't forget this", "remember to schedule that"...and on and on and on it goes. Of course, this being still, is much more than a posture, but a frame of mind; a peace of mind. What a contrast to my commonly "un-peaceful" mind. Hmmm...

But with this peace comes a promise! And KNOW THAT I AM GOD!

Now that's something to "drink" to! Here's to tea time my friends!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Fall is officially here! My sweet sister Greta's birthday on the 22nd marked the first day of Fall...which of course gives me the go-ahead to start preparing my home for this wonderful, chilly season. :)

This is by far one of my favorite times of the year. And for a girl who has a big imagination and LOVES the changing of the seasons, when I feel the sweet, cool breezes creep under my front door and into the house....I immediately see...

...pretty tudor-style houses dressed in

Autumn's beauty....

...I imagine golden colored leaved branches dripping

with a fresh, middle-of-the-day rain...

...bobbing for apples...

...and sticky, yummy caramel apples!

My head is filled with visions of delicious

pumpkin soup served in pie pumpkins....

...the soft glow of birch wood candles...

...and beautiful amber-colored

Depression glass.

And of course....

da da da dummmmm...

PUMPKINS!

What do you see when you think of Fall? Let your imagination run wild and write me a comment about it!

Here's to a Happy Fall, Y'all!

My times are in Thy hand

I've always known I'm an all or nothing gal. Once I jump into something, I put everything I have into it until it is...well...perfect. If it is a project I'm working on I'll give it my all until I'm at last satisfied with the result. This is sometimes a bad thing because I can be known to completely start over if I don't like where something is going. And even if I'm not 100% content with the outcome, I tend to convince myself that "that flaw makes the piece unique" or "that crease, crack or defect just adds character" thus making it perfect.

It's all or nothing. No exceptions.

Naturally this all-or-nothing approach to life flows into the way I love and relate to others. And like my projects, I find myself putting my all into those I love and when I've passed the point of no return (know that I truly love someone(s)), I want everything to stay the same. Because you see, if everything stays the same, then it'll be perfect. It's scary when life changes. It means growing, hurting, learning, and depending on the Lord when things aren't "perfect". But you know what I found?

Life doesn't stay the same.

The last couple of weeks I have been confronted with a family member in the hospital, a friend's death, siblings getting sick, a sweet lady I cared for passed away, and another dear old lady I care for being terribly sick and in the hospital. So let me just tell ya...life has not been perfect. I've dealt with an array of emotions including fear, grief, and sadness. I've been asking the Lord to arrange my thoughts in a way I could understand how He might want me to grow from all this....and you know what He did? He led me to a project!

I've had a bunch of old postcards for about a year now dating from the early 1900's. I bought them on eBay intending to use them for craft projects and also to frame some, but just hadn't gotten around to it until this week. What perfect timing, eh? After rummaging through the stack (I had over 100) I decided on six for my wall display. I didn't really pay attention to the words that much at the time. I went to the dollar store and bought 6 4X6 antique-looking gold frames. Hurray for the dollar store! After getting them in the frames and arranging them pleasantly on the wall, I stood back to gaze at my work and as if God himself said it, the middle frame's quote popped out at me with these words:

My times are in Thy hand.

A ha! That's what I needed to hear. At once I felt a calmness and a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that when my world was going awry, the Lord is in control, and me and all of my loved ones are in His hand.

And THAT, my friend, is perfect.