Face Play

Today seemed the perfect day for a facial. I had been working vigorously all morning on refinishing some old furniture I had bought for the guest room and was tired and saw-dusty from head to toe. It was a productive morning no doubt, but I was feeling a little bit now like spoiling myself! Play should always follow good, hard work. And so it did! After taking a nice shower, I went about getting all the ingredients together for this super-facial! (not to be confused with superficial). I've made it before and love the results! It's very simple. You take dry Aztec calcium bentonite clay (found at Whole Foods or Central Market in the beauty aisle) and organic apple cider vinegar with the "mother". Mix equal parts (I do 1/4 c. of clay + 1/4 c. cider) in a plastic or glass container. Using a plastic spatula, spread over entire face (you can do arms and neck as well for a nice clay body wrap) like you're icing a cake. It goes on quite nicely this way. Leave on for 15-20 minutes and you will actually feel your face pulsate! The negative charge in the clay helps drive out the positive charges in your skin, drawing out the toxins. The cider is good for the skin for a variety of reasons which include helping to promote blood circulation, balance pH levels, and works as an antiseptic to prevent bacteria that leads to infection. Didn't think you'd get a med lesson now did ya? Anywho, it's a wonderful facial and left me feeling smooth and healthy! Awwww...now that's play. :)

*If you decide to try this facial make sure you do it at the end of the day or have at least an hour afterwards. My face usually stays a nice, cherry red for about half an hour after. I believe it's the affects of the clay still working on my skin. After it goes down though, I'm as good as new!

It Ain't Paint Until it's on the Wall!

My my! A month goes by quickly! I was just thinking the other day that I should write a new post and then I realized it- it had already been a month since I had last written! Oops! Oh well...no pressure. I can only write as I come up with things to write about!

This last month has been busy, and for me, nesting has been in full swing. My first project was to turn some of these stark white walls into rooms of color! For about two weeks I went about painting some shelves in the kitchen, the dining room, kitchen and a small half bath. I've come to realize something- I really like painting! There's something very therapeutic about painting and when it's all said and done...it adds so much freshness and brightness to a room! And (best part) it's very inexpensive. I just went to Walmart and bought the least expensive indoor semi-gloss they had. Even though we aren't here to stay for forever, knowing it was inexpensive made me feel good about doing it. So, if you're in a style rut or need to brighten up a room...I strongly recommend it. :) And it's fun, too! If you have any painting stories you want to share, do tell!

Toothpaste Your Table!

There's nothing more embarrassing to a hostess than a piece of beautiful furniture with its token water stain. As much as we try to cover them with tablecloths, use our coasters, and nag at everyone within reach to "please don't put your glass down there", water stains are inevitable. You may be picking up glasses after a party and just when you're about to flop onto the couch with a sigh of satisfaction...you see it. That one solitary water glass sweating with condensation. Eeek! Your rush over to grab it only to find a beautiful ring of white in its place. Harrumph! You now have a water stain. :(

The same thing happened to me just 2 weekends ago. With the craziness of the move I hadn't been paying attention to what drink or food item had been placed on what. Not until last night that is, when I was preparing the table for our Valentine's Day dinner. Several handsome white rings adorned the table as if to yell, "I belong here." In my head I'm thinking, "NO you don't!" Then I remembered Grandma telling me that if you use toothpaste it'll take the white stains off your table. I grabbed the paste from the bathroom and went to work. With lots of elbow grease, a soft cloth, and a tube of Jason's Sea fresh organic toothpaste, I saw those stains going going and going until they were gone! I was amazed! I'm a believer now! I think you could use any kind of non-gel toothpaste, I just happened to use Jason's because that's what I had. I'm definitely going to use this trick from now on! Thought I'd pass it along to you! :) If you have any fun stain stories, I'd love to hear about them! Happy cleaning!

Love is... KIND

I LOVE celebrations. I absolutely love them! I guess it started when I was young, growing up in a family where Mom and Dad made a big deal out of everything. From birthdays and holidays down to losing a tooth or competing in an event. Celebrating followed us everywhere...and I loved it! That has certainly carried on into my adult life, and those of you who know me well know that I will make an excuse to celebrate just about anything.

So this brings me to yesterday.... Valentine's Day {{{AKA: A Big Deal! ;) }}}. Not a big deal in the sense that I wanted Matthew to bend over backwards for me, but a big deal in the sense that I wanted to celebrate! With the complications revolving around the move to our new home here, we really have not had the time to unpack and get settled as we'd like. My kitchen was still full of boxes that were begging to be unpacked and my dining room table was very much the same story: boxes and more boxes. (I'm still trying to figure out how we managed to fit all our belongings in that apartment!). Anywho, I had already thrown out the idea of making heart-shaped toast and eggs in the morning (yes, I know...kinda dorky- but fun!) and resolved that Matthew and I would get the kitchen cleaned, and as we had already planned...cook a Valentine's dinner together, set a nice table, and enjoy a quiet evening at home. All day we spent cleaning and unpacking...but still the kitchen remained untouched. I was frustrated because I needed to get other things done before I started into the kitchen, but I simply was running out of time! Oh well, I resolved. We'd get some take-out and watch a movie or something. Not exactly as planned, but that was okay. We were tired and didn't feel like cooking anyways. (Expectations dropping). Then an Angel called, "can I bring you a steak dinner tonight? I'll take care of everything and you both can rest." Oh my! How nice! I gladly accepted and thanked God in my heart for sending such a sweet gift! I went about clearing the table and rummaged in boxes to find plates and candles so I could set it.

You know, God didn't have to send me a nice dinner to tell me He loved me, but it's those little things that He does that makes you believe, "God really does care about ME!" He must care that I love celebrating....and boy did we celebrate! YUM!

Glad for the Sadness

You never know how moving to a new home is going to impact you until you do it. For me, it was a little more unexpected than what I had thought... I didn't expect to be sad.

It was Saturday afternoon that we started to make the big move from our little one-bedroom apartment in The Village to our new home in North Dallas. Nice, brown boxes in all shapes and sizes were being moved down the stairs, furniture was being loaded, dollies with boxes piled high were being pulled, and our happy helping movers kept going up and down, up and down the stairs with cheery smiles on their faces until the last box was loaded. I might have been smiling on the outside, but inside there was a big lump settling in my throat. I was sad. Sure, I was glad to be moving to a wonderful new home that would give us more space to do the things we love to do, but on the other hand....I was sad to go. That apartment had been Matthew's and my first home together, it had been the first place I had learned to cook for the two us (or make that burn or undercook!), it had been the place I first learned to keep house, do our budget, and have a party. I had made those white walls into a home...and by living there a year and a half we had created a million little memories for the two of us. I'm not going to be sad long, but for now...I'm glad for the sadness. It means that was home.

Home Tweet Home

There is nothing so dear to my heart as home. To me, home is more than just a place where you wake up in the morning or rest your head at night. Home is the place you feel safe, cared for, and at rest. I am very new to the blogging scene...but as I reflected on what I'd like to embody in this blog, nothing stood out to me more than the subject of home. As a new homemaker myself, I am continually learning and growing in this area as "maker of the home". I hope to write about anything and everything relating to home...from cleaning and beauty, to hospitality and friendship. I am no expert, my hope is only to create a sounding board for what is most dear to my heart, and to encourage others in the process of nurturing their nest as well!