Honeymoon

Eric & I met with our travel agent last night.  Are you wanting to travel, ever?  Get a travel agent!  

I met ours at a bridal show that I went to back in January and boy am I glad I kept her card.  Eric's been emailing back and forth with her to get information on places to go. I spent some time looking through the places she recommended and some of the brochures.  I would be completely overwhelmed if we were doing this on our own.  There are so many options.  

By working with our travel agent, what we wanted was already narrowed down.  She also sent us a list (16 pages long!) of other things to do where we are planning to stay that are outside of our all-inclusive, on the beach, looks like relaxation waiting to happen resort.  October is way too far away.  I want to go to the beach now!

Natural Care for your face

I'm sitting here with mud on my face.  Aztec mud to be exact.  I mean, the label says an Aztecs beauty secret so it's probably awesome, right? :)

Today's my day off so of course I hopped on Pinterest to see what was up and I saw a pin about putting honey on lemon to get rid of blackheads.  I'm all for going natural, but I wasn't quite sure if this one would work "as is" so I googled it (of course).  I ended up finding this site... http://www.crunchybetty.com/.  Eeek!  Awesome, amazing, natural beauty!  Eric says I'm a total hippie (don't tell him, but he's probably right) so ergo, I instantly began jumping from page to page.  After just an hour, say hello to some of my new best friends:

I'm going to try cleaning my face with the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM). Scares me a little, but there were excellent things said online and I'm tired of using "beauty" products that don't really work or work for a while or make things worse.  Can't hurt to try this!

What I did first however was washing my face with honey and baking soda, following up with an astringent of water and Apple Cider Vinegar.  Read about this here.

I started using Apple Cider Vinegar a while ago when I learned it could be mixed with green tea and lemon juice as an astringent. It worked, but I was still using soap and other things on my face so I quit using it. Then, when Eric got food poisoning, I read about it's benefits for stomach aches.  It's all I use now.  I used to use Tums and although it's not easy to take at first, ACV works so much better and faster! Okay, now back to the clay.

My initial search led me to this post about "5 Natural Ways to Remove Blackheads" which is why I have clay on my face.  I went to the chain vitamin store thinking they might have castor oil and they did!  They actually had a lot of natural beauty products so I'll probably be going back to pick up some essential oils.  While there, I noticed the Aztec clay and remembered the Blackhead post so I'm giving it a shot.  As I sit here, my face is really tight and tingly (which it talked about on the jar). Here's hoping it works!

As an aside, I know the girls at work are reading this and laughing.  I may be transforming a hippie when it comes to beauty but when it comes to my diet, I've got a way to go (I'm the girl who drinks soda and eats out everyday).  My next step should probably be working on the inside...

UPDATE: The mask left my face feeling amazing!  Really, really soft and clean.  I also had a few red spots it helped clear up.  Last night, I used the castor oil and olive oil to try OCM and my face felt really clean afterward.  Guess we'll have to see how well it helps clear up my face over time.

Projects and Grab Bags

I've been working on finishing up projects. I have a long want-to-do list, but I also had a couple of projects sitting around that were waiting to be finished that I wrapped up this weekend. 

Crocheted bag in Chevron patter - Hemp/Blue/Pink

 You can get the free pattern from Lion Brand here.

On Sunday I decided to do some browsing and went to Michael's to see if there was anything in the clearance aisle for the wedding.  On my way in, I noticed they had the $2 Grab Bags.  I've looked through these but never actually bought one but peeking through the bag I saw some things that might be nice for work and a few skeins of yarn in a color I liked.  Here's what I got for $4:

See those two purple things?  They're candy molds.  One has the numbers 1 - 10 and the other has the second half of the alphabet.  Well, I got to thinking that maybe, just maybe, there would be another bag that would have the first half of the alphabet. I also realized that it could be that bag was already purchased.  However, beyond that, there was also WAY more than $4 worth of stuff in these bags.   So I walked back to the store and bought the other four bags.  And here's what I got for $12 (plus tax):

Best part?  There was another candy mold with the first half of the alphabet!!!!  The candy molds alone would have cost more than $12 so I definitely got my money's worth.  I'm trying to think of something I could fill the molds with to make an alphabet for the kids at work to use.  Any ideas welcome!

Wondering what the final result is and what the random things in this picture are?  I went through and counted (almost) everything so here you go!

• "Frog" wooden face to paint 
• Bi-Fold Foam Board
• Cross Stitch Fabric
• Decorative Stamp Set (has a really pretty fleur de lis)
• Elmers Adhesive Dot Stamper Refill
• Epoxy Putty
• Favor Boxes with Lids
• Flower Crystal Sticker
• Flower Shape
• Jar of Fairy Sparkles
• Jewelry Cleaner
• Jewelry Tool
• Large Bouncy Ball
• Meerkat Figurine
• Necklace (that is cute, imo)
• Owl "Blanket Buddy" (no blanket)
• Pack of Colorful Brads
• Pack of Swarovski Elements
• Paper Glaze (no idea what this is, but it sounds cool.  Makes stuff look like glass apparently)
• Paper Mache Eggs (pack of 6)
• Pegboard Set (Melt plastic beads on)
• Pen
• Pink "Diamond"
• Posable Model (I've wanted one of these!)
• Set of Alphabet & Number molds (woot!!!)
• Sparkle Flake Buttons (I'm sure there's a Christmas Craft that needs these)
• Spiral Notebook (Orange on front & orange pages!)
• Tealight Holder
• Treat Wrappers (for cupcakes and such - 192 so I'm set for a while. haha!)
• Visual Journal
• 2 Chipboard Frame Packs (these are so cute!)
• 2  Christmas Stamp Sets (I'm not a huge stamper, but these are really nice ones)
• 2 Giant Closures (I'm thiking some sort of fun key chain)
• 2 Jerzees Shirts (I have an idea pinned I needed a shirt like this for, perfection!)
• 2 Jewelry Making Books
• 2  Ladybug Hats
• 2  "Laugh" wooden word
• 2 Metal Pendant/Frames
• 2  Packs of Rhinestone Stickers
• 2 Panda Hats
• 2 Purple Mohawk Hats
• 2 Sparkle Sharpies
• 3 Ceramic, Paintable Cows
• 3 i-rock Hot Stencil Kit
• 3 "Love", "Live" wooden words
• 3 Seashell Stamps
• 4 Butterfly Shapes
• 4 Green Monster Hats
• 4 Greeting Card Sets
• 4 Packs Tacky Dot Singles
• 4 Pages Scrapbook Paper
• 4 Paint Brushes
• 5 Small Glitter Glues
• 6 Mouse "Blanket Buddies"
• 7 Headbands (I know I can come up with something to make these cute)
• 8 Large Glitter Glues
• 8 Sets of 3D Scrapbook Stickers
• 12 Skeins of Yarn
• 15 Sets of Scrapbook Sticers 
• 16 Prisma color Markers
• 17 Pipsqueeks Markers
• 41 Sets of Toy Story 3 Stickers (So if these were $1 each, I saved $29 on these alone!)

I also got an unknown number (aka - a lot) of little wooden objects (all those little plastic baggies in the bottom of the picture).  Everything from sunglasses to dogs to houses to pigs.  They fit perfectly into the juice bottles I use to make sensory bottles for the kids at work so I'm going to use some of them to make "Eye Spy" bottles for the kids at work using rice as the filler.

After this, I may never be able to pass up a grab bag again.  But Eric says he's fine with is since it's just $2 (and even he sees the value of it!).  Isn't that sweet?

Life is Spacious

For the first time in a very, very long time, I have been reading the Bible.  Not to study, not to achieve a goal, but just reading; soaking it in.  I started with Song of Songs one night when I couldn't sleep and read the whole thing through.  Wow.  I have read bits and pieces here and there but wow.

If you think the Bible encourages prudishness, read Song of Songs!  Seriously.  It is amazing. There are a lot of meanings that can be gleaned from it depending on what context you put it in (God's love for the church vs. a man and woman in love).  Since I'm engaged, I totally took it and read it with the thought in mind of  a man and a woman in love.  Great to know that God encourages us to love one another unreservedly, passionately even!  I can't wait to be able to express my love fully to Eric!  I know it may not make sense to wait, but to me, reading something like Song of Songs tells me that waiting is going to be worth it.

I read the Message version. If you want to read the Bible as a story and not for deep studying, it's a great version.  I'm not endorsing this website as I don't know what all is on it, but you can read all of Song of Songs in the Message version here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Song%20of%20Solomon+1&version=MSG

After reading through Song of Songs, I started in on the Proverbs.  Another great book to just start soaking in what God has to say to us about life.  Every so often I'll jot down a verse or even some notes.  This morning I came across Proverbs 15:32 and I had a realization I wanted to share.

Proverbs 15:32

"An undisciplined, self-willed life is puny; an obedient, God-willed life is spacious."

I have definitely been experiencing this in my life.  Over the last few years, I've felt trapped, bored and stuck.  Not that I haven't had fun moments or had amazing things happen, but overall, I felt like I was in this little box called life.  During the internship I did a few years back with my church, life seemed open and full of possibilities and for the first time, this morning, I've realized it wasn't because of how much free time we had, like I'd always believed.  It was because my heart was open to God.  God has plans for my future and they are glorious!  I may not be going on exotic trips, become famous or do something extraordinary,  but it can be glorious still.  I don't have to feel stuck or bored.  I can experience life fully doing just want I'm doing now and that is awesome!  I don't need more time or money.  I just need more of God.

Blast from the past - Summer 2007 - OBC Interns

And one more from that summer because it's a happy picture :)

Was there ever a point in your life that you would go back to if you could because life felt so full of possibility?  Do you think it's possible to get that feeling back?

Engagement Pictures

Last week, Eric and I took engagement photos and it was so much fun!  We sort of took a different spin on the traditional. When we met with Chris Mullins, the photographer, he mentioned he could photograph us anywhere, even at home on my couch.  Well, my apartment isn't quite that photo worthy but I had the idea to take an inflatable couch around the city to some of our favorite places.  It was so much fun!

We started out on the Country Club Plaza with the couch in tow.  Eric and I spent a lot of time at the beginning of our relationship there. It is about the same distance from both of us so it was the perfect place to meet up. We would walk around, window shop, sit in our cars on colder nights listening to music and just talking.  One rainy night, a bicycle patrol person knocked on the window and asked what we were doing.  Just talking.  He told us to move along, but seeing as it was late and had begun raining, we stayed a while longer.  We always stay out a little (okay, maybe a lot) too late.

 On the stairs next to McCormick and Schmick's we took pictures with "Marco"/"Polo" signs.  When it's been a while since we've heard from each other, we'll sometimes text "Marco" and wait for the next person to reply "Polo."  We stood apart and got closer and ended with a "You're It!" sign between us both.  It was cheesy but it's special to us. Some women leaving the restaurant stopped to ask what we were doing, so of course I told them the whole story. They thought it was sweet.

From there, we went onto Loose Park which is where Eric and I officially became a couple and were engaged - so extra special!  We were trekking around looking for the tree we were sitting in when we had Cupcake a la Mode and our DTR (Define The Relationship) talk and when we finally came across it, Chris says, "Oh, I should have known it would be this tree!"  I've seen a lot of people with pictures in this tree because it's perfect for sitting in with it's low hanging branch and somewhat secluded spot.  We took more traditional pictures here and they turned out amazing!

After that, we took the couch over to the pond, which is where Eric proposed.  I insisted Eric bring his guitar, since he sang to me that day, so he could play.  We sang Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol while Chris snapped more awesome photos. Having people walking by the couch makes the situation seem so...ironic.  Couches are private things usually, but here we were surrounded by people.

Next, it was on to Liberty Memorial (Chris was awesome and willing to go with us to so many spots.  Totally appreciate it!) which was another stop on the Great Engagement Race.  One night, Eric took me to Liberty Memorial to walk around.  He was racing to the top but I was taking my time because I'd never been there before and it was a gorgeous that night.  The stars were beautiful, the air was clear and downtown looked amazing.  I convinced him it was better to slow down and take things in.  Now we have an incredible photo of Eric and I randomly sitting on a couch with the Kansas City skyline in the background and it's so cool!

On our way to the top of the Liberty Memorial I saw some people sitting on a blanket with a telescope pointed at the sun.  I remembered Eric telling me that Venus was going to be in transit (which I now know means crossing the sun).  Apparently, this will never happen again in our lifetime so while we were starting to unload I ran across and asked if that's what they were watching.  They said yes so I called Eric over. The man held up a box and you could see this bright circle with a black dot across it.  So on our once in a lifetime day, we got to experience another once in a lifetime event.  How awesome is that?

Our final stop was The Flying Saucer, one of Eric and my favorite places to go to relax and hang out.  We set the couch up on the corner across the street.  It was so fun because people kept passing by and commenting about the couch on the corner.  There was one person who tried to tell us that a company actually owned the sidewalks and after several minutes (which took longer than what it would have taken us to finish the photos) he said it would be okay if we finished up our session.

After that we couldn't pass up the opportunity to pop into The Flying Saucer since it's such a great way to end the day.  We even ended up staying a little later and meeting up with friends for trivia night.

It was a fantastic day!  We had so much fun and the pictures were amazing!  Make sure to visit Chris' Blog - chrismullinsphoto.com to see a few extra pictures.  And while you're there, check out the rest of his stuff!  You won't regret it. If you're in the KC area and looking for a photographer - check him out!

My advice for engagement pictures - make them fun.  If you want the traditional shots, that's great!  But this is your chance to have fun and take pictures that are all about you.  Make them personal and have fun.  What do you enjoy to do together?  Can you take pictures where you first realized you were in love?  Do it!  You won't regret it.

Magnificent Manual Binder

I don't know about you, but I tend to be a paper keeper.  I keep instruction manuals, receipts, warning labels...anything that has to do with the products I have.  Previously, I would keep all of these in a hanging folder in a black file holder where I kept all my paperwork. If I did need something, I had to dig through all the papers.

After the wedding, we had a lot of paperwork, manuals and registration info.  It needed to be organized so when I came across a manual binder idea on Pinterest, I knew I needed one!

Manual Binder

Original Pin     Binder creator: Desiring Virtue

 This is how I was storing everything - a green file folder and a bag. Yeah, not the best.  I went to Sam's Club and purchased two three inch binders and a huge box of plastic sleeves. It was so much cheaper and now I have lots of them for future use!

First, I got all the different brands separated out so that similar products could be stored in the same sleeve or at least next to each other.  While going through, I was able to toss a lot of stuff because it was for limited warranties or items I no longer had.  Having everything in this folder will make it much easier to know when warranties have expired or to find paperwork if I need to claim a warranty.

My type-A personality came out a bit as I was doing this.  Once I start organizing, I sometimes get carried away.  I printed out labels for each item with the brand and item on it.  This has already come in handy!  I was looking for instructions the other day and was able to flip through the corners to find what I wanted. (It might also be alphabetical...) 

I also divided them, using a piece of paper printed with the category name.  These are the categories I chose.

• Kitchen Supplies
• Electronics
• Products

Once we moved, I had a few more things to add.  This actually motivated me to send off product registrations - something I've never done.

Yea for being organized! :)

Preparing for the big day

Over the past few months, soooooo much has happened..  Wedding planning, trips to Chicago and Texas, shopping, getting to know more families, being stressed, being excited and just life.

For the wedding, we have our location reserved, all of our vendors lined up and are working through out check list and it feels so good!  It took a ton of stress off knowing that everyone is in place and has our date saved.

I also breathed a big sigh of relief when Eric and I both were able to admit our stress/fears/anticipation/hope about being a husband and a wife.  You see, I observe the couples in my life that I look up to and I feel so inadequate to be a wife.  I'm terrible at going grocery shopping, I have a hard time motivating myself to cook or clean, I purposefully keep enough clothes on hand to avoid doing laundry as long as possible and I have loved living alone.

However, I have come to understand/realize that these women I look up to were probably no more ready to be married when their nuptials were approaching than I am.  It was through time, effort and talking with the wonderful women I know, who readily admit not knowing everything, that I've become more peaceful about the future. With that being said, I still don't feel ready, but I'm more at peace and I think that's a good thing.

A friend lent me the book, Inviting God to Your Wedding by Martha Williamson (the producer of Touched by an Angel). It is a really good book that I enjoyed reading and working through.  It was definitely needed.  The author shares her experiences honestly as well as what made her wedding, as well as weddings she has attended, special or memorable.

I truly view my wedding day as the first day of my marriage and as such, I want to make sure that it truly reflects how Eric and I feel about one another and incorporate elements that are important to us and that definitely includes our faith.  This book gave some great suggestions for doing that.  In the future, I will definitely be recommending it to anyone who is getting married.

You can click on the photo below to learn more: