More Face

Here's another post about what I do for my face, to make it feel comfortable.  

With as dry of skin as I have, it often used to feel very uncomfortable and tight and flaky and soak up every available drop of moisture.  

I have tried so, so many cleansers and moisturizers on the market that target dry skin, from cheap to expensive, to no avail.  They never delivered on their grand claims that 'this one' was just like a drink of water, or 'this one' would keep my face hydrated all day, or 'this one' would take care of all that dry skin.

Until two years ago!

Two years ago, my dreams came true!

Two years ago, at the end of the line when it came to my face, I discovered:

Yes to Carrots Cream Cleanser!

It really, really does do what it says.  It removes my eye makeup, yet it's gentle.  It's rich and thick and so hydrating.  Contrary to the name, it doesn't smell like carrots at all.  It has a nice smell, and the fragrance doesn't bother my skin.  This stuff is a miracle in a tube!! And if I use it every single day, the large tube lasts for at least 6 months.  I think it was no more than $14.

I also discovered: 

Yes to Carrots Daily Moisturizing Cream.

Oh, it's truly a drink of water for my thirsty skin! It really does moisturize my skin.  It actually delivers moisture all day! I don't use foundation, but I do use Bare Minerals face powder and it can be drying, but on top of this moisturizer, my skin doesn't get dry at all anymore.  It's a thick moisturizer meant for those with dry skin.  I've been using it for two years now and I just simply won't use anything else.  It's so good for my skin too, since there isn't anything funky or weird or harmful in these products.  The moisturizer cream is usually around $10 and lasts for over 6 months also, since you only have to use a tiny bit because it's so rich and creamy.

A little extra tip for you:

Sometimes, if my skin feels really, really dry and tight, I get a tablespoon of brown sugar and mix it a bit with my cleanser. I don't mix it to much or to vigorously, as I don't want the brown sugar crystals to dissolve before I use it on my face.  I scrub my face with the brown sugar/carrots cleanser and it does wonders to remove the dead skin and roughness! I can't even calculate how much money this has saved me on buying expensive scrubs and sloughers! And I can't even calculate how much this costs, because what does a tablespoon of brown sugar cost?? 

So now you can see some more of what I do for my skin.  I actually ran into an old friend from over 20 years ago whom I used to work with, and she said she couldn't believe how well my skin looked for my age! She said I didn't even have any wrinkles!! She said I looked great.  And gals, let me tell you a bit of a secret: I haven't used sunscreen for more than 25 years!!!  I don't have fair skin at all, it's more of a light tan/ peachy color.......And she said my skin looked great......bless her heart!!

What cleansing and moisturizing products do you love??

Face

Today I'd like to share with you a cheap, easy way to help your face look its best.

Let the record show that I have very, very dry skin and often my skin looks dull and bored because it's so dry and there is often a build up of dead skin on my face.  

I've tried a lot of store-bought, prepared remedies for my skin, to no avail, and I was frustrated with their lack of deliverance on their claim to help my dry, dead skin. I hated how they all made my face feel, and I didn't like the cocktail of ingredients in them.  I always ended up with burning, itching, red skin.  And the price tags on most of them were way too expensive!

So one day, in desperation, and because it was a really hot day that day, I took the plain yogurt out of the fridge and slathered it all over my face and neck.

Before you think I am going mad, let me tell you that I had read the ingredients on the face preparations that I had used in the past and they all had one common ingredient: synthetic lactic acid.

Plain yogurt has an enormously high content of naturally occurring lactic acid.

I had read that lactic acid really helps gently eat up dead and dull skin.

I pulled my hair up into a clip and pinned my bangs back and then slathered a couple of generous tablespoons of Nancy's Honey Yogurt on my face and neck.  I was very, very liberal.  I even put it in my eyelids and got some in my eyes.  I just used my fingers.  There was no special tool I had to buy to apply the yogurt.

I made sure my whole face and neck were all white with the yogurt.  I left it on for at least 15 minutes.  My face got a bit tight as the yogurt dried.  Because my skin is so dry, by the time 15 minutes was up and the yogurt was all dry, I could see almost no visible yogurt on my face.

I washed the yogurt off with a wash rag and some warm water. Then I moisturized with my favorite face cream.

When I looked in the mirror after washing it all off, my face seriously looked brighter.  It felt soft as a baby's bum.  Seriously, my skin looked new.

And now I use the yogurt mask at least twice or three times a month.  There are no safety precautions because it's natural. It won't hurt your skin or sting it or make it itch or burn or turn red.  It isn't harsh or harmful at all.  

I only use Nancy's yogurt, and I buy the large 64 oz container for less than $6.  The only ingredients in it are milk, nonfat dry milk and honey.  Nancy's is made in Springfield, Oregon, at Springfield Creamery, which is not a super long way from me. I've tried other, cheaper yogurts and they just don't work as well or feel as good as Nancy's.

As an added bonus, God created honey to be a natural anti-bacterial, and it's also a natural moisture giver for your skin.

This treatment feels so wonderful on a really hot day in the summer.  If you live in an area which is very hot or humid in the summer, then I would recommend this facial mask for you.

So there you have it, my less-than-$6 facial!

Currently

Here's a small look at what I'm currently, right this minute, doing:

Drinking: I'm currently drinking a glass of water.  I know, you waited and waited for a new post from me, just to learn that!!

Listening to: I'm currently listening to the sounds of my girls stirring in their beds, waking up. I can hear Russell, sleeping heavily, even at this hour.  I can hear the fan in my room that creates soothing, white noise so that Pennie sleeps better.  I'll be waking everyone up pretty soon to get ready for church.

Wanting: I'm currently wanting all of the cute little Gymboree outfits for Pennie, who currently has almost NO clothing, on my eBay Watch List.  eBay is the place where I have gotten almost all of my Gymboree outfits.  I'm kind of a Gymboree freak, and I like outfits.  I'm currently starting to match Lucie and Pennie's outfits, just because I think it is absolutely adorable! I'm also wanting to go back to Tar-jay for another shopping trip because I absolutely LOVE their everyday cardigans and their everyday V-neck shirts.

Looking forward to: I'm currently looking forward to my husband's day off on Thursday, so we can go to the Big City and get some stuff we've had our eye on for quite some time now.  Whether it will be a Whole Family Trip or a Date Trip, we will see.....I'm SO excited, either way!!

Reading: Okay, my son recently started reading Clive Cussler books.  He writes spy novels with the same main character.  When I read the first two books, I was hooked and thought he was a fabulous author.  But now, on my third book, I'm starting to not want to read him anymore.  I'm really strict about what I read, according to 'whatever is pure, noble, true, just, excellent, praiseworthy, virtuous and lovely....' and I'm becoming more strict as I begin to understand more what this verse means.  I want to honor the Lord in everything I do, so I'm kind of leaning away from Clive Cussler. In addition, I'm also reading "So Much More" by Anna-Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin.  It's a book for young ladies about Biblical ways to conduct yourself and I try to read a chapter to the girls every night.  Also, Lucie, Pennie and I are currently loving "Little Blue Truck" books by Alice Schertle and "Walter the Baker" by...hmm...I can't find the book and I forgot the author!! 

Watching: As a family, we're currently trying to watch a documentary called "World War Two in HD".  With just the girls in the family, we just got done with BBC's "Wives and Daughters", which we girls absolutely LOVED! 

Feeling: I'm currently feeling glad that it's Sunday and we get an entire day to relax with Daddy.  I'm wondering if I'll be staying home from church with Sofia today due to a bad cold that's just now easing its hold on her. 

Hoping: I'm currently hoping and praying for a couple of dear friends who are pregnant, one who is 5 months and one who just found out, who have experienced much loss in their pregnancy journeys.  I'm hoping that God sees fit to allow these babies to live in their parents' arms.  I'm also hoping that we may someday be blessed with another baby too.

So there you have it! All of the "currentlies" in my life! Now it's your turn! What are you currently doing? 

Light

"If I say, 

'surely the darkness

shall fall

on me,'

Even the night

shall be light

about me...

indeed

the darkness

shall not hide

from You,

but the night

shines as 

the day...

the darkness

and the light

are both alike

to You."

Psalm 139:11-12

Trust

I keep thinking about this verse, and the concept of it, the idea of it, lived out.

"Trust in the Lord
with all your heart.
In all your ways
acknowledge Him,
and He shall direct 
your path." Proverbs 3:5~6

l keep wondering, contemplating, what this ought to look like, in my life.

It is a hard revelation, to me, to know that I am not trusting Him in all my ways.  

You may ask, how do you know you aren't trusting Him?

Well, because I keep constantly telling Him MY will, and MY desire, and MY timetable for all of those things.  I say I trust Him.....

But I know in my heart of hearts that I really do not.

You may think that is harsh, but I know it is true, and I am always examining the depths of the deepest parts of my heart and soul.  And I always come up with the gnawing revelation that....

All of my heart does NOT trust Him.
And in all of my ways I do not acknowledge Him.

I know this because I am constantly giving things to Him, and then at the turn of a coin, I take them back.  Over and over, on and on.  I say I want Him to have all of me, the very things that I hold the dearest, and then I snatch them back, like an angry toddler with a favorite toy.

I go through this, and on and on and on with it, most days.  

Oh, I have moments of what may look to me like trust.  I have moments when I pry open my selfish hands and hold that area up to Him...

But I know, way down where only He and I can see, that I need to trust Him more.  Fully.  All the way.  

IF I really did trust Him, wouldn't I just ask Him to do HIS will in my life and heart?  If I acknowledged Him in all of my ways, wouldn't I ask Him for HIS ways to be my ways??

This conundrum makes me sigh and, if I were a pacer, I'd pace ceaselessly.

And I tire of this give-and-take.

I know that He is gently nudging me to give ALL to Him.  I know that He never lets me forget that I must trust Him.  I know that trusting Him fully and acknowledging Him in all of my ways leads to life and joy and peace.

I ask myself, do I have the faith to trust Him? Do I have the faith to let Him inform my view of what that looks like?? Do I have the voice to truly, in all of my ways, acknowledge Him??

A dear friend, upon hearing that I felt my faith was smaller than a poppy seed, recently told me that at least there was a poppy seed.

And I struggle with knowing that my faith is so small, for one who has been a Christian for almost 27 years.

As I write this post, and as I roll these things around in my mind, I wonder if anyone else has these same thoughts.

I wonder, how does trust look to you?

Still Here

I'm still here!!

I just wanted the two people who read my blog to know I'm still here!!

I've thought of posts, then rejected or forgot about them.

I'm wanting to post every other day, and want to make it a mix of things, from serious to contemplative to random....

I'm planning on taking you two readers on a spectacular and breath-stealing tour of my home.  My home is waiting to be featured in Poor Homes and Nonexistent Gardens magazine! Yes, it's as exciting as all that!

For some randomness, I painted my fingernails the other day, for the first time in like 15 or more years.  I went all out and painted them a Sally Hanson Ruby Red Diamond Hard color.  I love it.....but for a mama with 8 kids and a busy day, it isn't that practical! However, I did it anyway and the girls were overwhelmingly wowed by my nails! Pennie sits on my lap and strokes my nails and murmurs.  

Pennie is going to be two years old tomorrow.  Be still my sobbing heart! These two years have streaked by! She's out helping Daddy and the kids form out our first-ever garden.

The fabulous house tour that I intend to take my two readers on will include pictures of my not-really Master Bedroom, as well as our one-and-only, fantastic and failing Bathroom For Ten People! You won't want to miss out on getting a glimpse at our only bathroom.  It will wow you and intrigue you!!

We're having a rare blue sky sunshine day here, and Daddy, who is extremely efficient and never, ever wastes a single moment of any day, has everyone out back, priming the ground for the garden mentioned above.

I'm taking the rare moment when everyone is occupied and out of the house to read a great author my son recommended to me.  

My son is my sweetie pie, and even at almost 18, he melts my heart! He's so gallant toward me......last night, while watching a random episode from an old season of American Idol, he told me I was so much prettier than any of those gals on the show!! Sigh.  What a charmer he is!!

And on that note, upon hearing that he is the only boy in our family, everyone always asks if he goes crazy or they say, "Poor Boy!"  Kind, bemused people always speculate on what a good husband he'll be.  If he treats his wife half as well as he treats me, he's good to go!!

Daddy is off this week.  This means little except that he is a vague presence in our home as he works gruelingly and diligently on music projects.  Maybe we'll get one Family Day out of him before he goes back to work!!

So, there you have it! I know my two readers are tantalized and curious about the upcoming fabulousness that will become my blog! Thanks to the two of you who I hope are still hangin' in there with me~~I appreciate and love both of you!!

Motherhood

I'm reading a book called "The Mission of Motherhood" by Sally Clarkson. I've read it before, many years ago.  

This is one of those books where you keep your highlighter and your notebook close at hand.  It's a rich and true look at our role in life: that of a mother.  Sally Clarkson dives in depth into Scripture to find the real definition of motherhood and where it is supposed to figure into our lives as women.

I thought I'd give you a taste of what I found so accurate and genuine in just the first chapter.

~"Because God has blessed me with a husband and children, a part of his call to me is to follow His plan for families.  And that means I am to shepherd the hearts of these children whom He has providentially placed in my care. I am to care for them tenderly and to partner with God and my husband in leading my children to know and love His Word and to follow His will.....
~"I will grow into the kind of person God wants me to be as I live out my life in faith and seek to be faithful in my walk with God; as I nurture and honor my commitment to my husband and children and family and home; as I exercise my skills, training and gifts toward those whom God has placed on my path....
~"In fact, I have come to believe that being a mother encompasses all that is best within me."
~"The mission of motherhood is not simply a lifestyle choice.  It is a divine calling that will indeed affect eternity."

As I have read the first chapter of this book, I think about my role right now as a mother, especially the mother of a boy who will step into adulthood in a mere two months, and as the mother of 7 girls, two of whom are young women now.  Previously I have mourned the loss of the baby stage, of the toddler stage....I have actually thought, deep down, that beyond these stages of babyhood and toddlerhood my role as a mother was over.

Oh, how untrue this is!

I can look at my young man and my two young ladies and rejoice! These three people have become my very best friends, and the ones which I would rather be with than anyone else.  My young ladies have become my sisters! My young man has become all that is best in a protector and friend! 

I can look forward to these very vital years as a time of seeing them try their wings.  I can look at the future and smile because my husband and I have planted seeds in their hearts that are just now starting to blossom.  

I don't have to be sad and mourn and weep at the loss of babyhood and toddlerhood in these three young people.  Sure, the future is unknown and that in itself is cause for a bit of fear on my part, but instead of babies and toddlers in these three, I have gained best friends.

This mindset is extremely new to me.

Sally Clarkson said that "life as a mother is more exciting to me now than ever before~~especially as I begin to see the fruits of my earlier labors. The foundations that were laid in my children's lives, little by little, have given them the ability now to reach for the sky."

 Mothering young adults does not mean that I can sit back and coast along, but maybe God is calling me to see this new chapter in a different way than wearing sackcloth and ashes of mourning.

And as they all still live at home and will for some time, maybe it is time I reach for the sky right along with them, right beside them!