LENT

Lent will be here on February 17th and I am sure all Catholics are pondering as to how they can increase their spiritual life during this most holy time.


Aside from the fast and abstinence- what is on your "Lenten List" this year?


I am contemplating the following:


No secular music (passed down from my own childhood)
Stations of the Cross (standard promise)
15 decades of the Rosary
Limit on soda intake
Mandatory time set aside for spiritual reading (any suggestions for good Lenten reading)
No eating out unless I am with my husband....this one might be the hardest because it will include even quick purchases at my work's cafeteria. I need to deny myself.

So, come on...give me your ideas!

SPIRITUAL SUNDAY: STUCK AT HOME

With the roads iced over and the sliding off the road incident yesterday- Hubby made the decision that we were not driving to Mass today.

It was a hard decision to swallow, but I know he is worried about us getting into a car accident. The parish is about 20 miles away and we have to cross a bridge or two during the drive.


So, here I am at home and really don't feel like doing much of anything.....


BUT, we will have an hour of meditation/reflection on today's propers of the Mass.

Body Wash Homestyle

I cam across a website that lists quite a number of recipes for homemade products. This one interested me and I thought I would post it for you. Here is the direct link.


Fragrance Body Wash - An Invigorating Body Wash Recipe.

This invigorating body wash recipe is excellent for all skin types.

2 cup soap flakes or grated bar soap
1/2 gallon water
2 Tbsp. glycerin
15 drops Fragrance Oil of your choice
Food coloring of your choice (optional)

To Make This Invigorating Body Wash Recipe: Mix first 3 ingredients together in a large pot or Dutch oven. Set over low heat stirring occasionally until the soap has dissolved. Add Fragrance Oil and food coloring and mix well. Transfer to a jar and cover tightly. For a less thick soap, use 1 gallon of water. Suggestions for fragrances: kiwi extract, raspberry extract, strawberry extract, coconut extract, vanilla extract, etc.

This invigorating body wash recipe leaves your skin feeling and looking radiant. It is a lavish and invigorating way to treat your skin, and is a wonderful and extravagant experience for the face, hands and body.

It is easy to make an affordable, skin nourishing and pampering bath and body product. Feel free to substitute or add other essential oils to personalize your body wash recipe. The recipe can be left without fragrance or essential oils can be added for therapeutic benefit.
Here's a quick, inexpensive and easy packaging idea; Removing labels off empty glass jars. Relish jars, olive jars and baby food jars all work well. Spray paint the lids with a granite spray. Body wash recipes packaged in a cobalt bottle or a brushed aluminum bottle always present well. Or, place your invigorating body wash recipe in decorative bottles. For an added touch, write the recipe on a little card and tie the recipe onto the bottle with ribbon or raffia.


A friend of mine gave me a lovely set of organic olive oil/cranberry soap and I thought this would be a great way to make a scented body wash!

Saturated Saturday

Because of all the snow that is now turning into ice as I type- I opted to stay home the entire day. Saturday Mass and the parish talent show was cancelled and I wasn't going to drive to the abortion clinic.


The snow is glorious but now it is "raining" little bits of ice... not so good.



Hubby is sleeping in and that is fine by me... he can't do much outside and the only project I have for him is moving boxes into the attic.


So, here I am taking it easy and doing bits of projects as the day continues. I have lots to catch up on computer wise, but don't want it to monopolize my day. I have devised a plan of mixing business with pleasure throughout the day.


Enjoy the quick video and pictures!

FRIDAY’S FAVORITES

Last night Hubby and I received a call from the computer store stating our computer was ready and that repair was covered under the warranty we added at the time of purchase.

The cost for the repair would have been $600.00 to $1,000.00 out of our pockets had we not had the warranty!

Let us just say that Hubby and I are very happy we do not have to fork over this sort of money. This keeps us on track for our savings goal for the year (minus the installation of a new fence).


Back to Origins…..


So, I have still been struggling on the decision to purchase this make up line. Luckily, I won’t be going with my husband to pick up the computer so I won’t be tempted to stop into the store. However, there is still the online option and the fact that I do have a small bonus coming from work.

We all know that this is a want and not a need. Yes, I want to eventually move to all natural make up products, but the cost is pretty high under this brand. Yes, I really enjoy using the samples I currently have, but does $19.00 really equal a great foundation?

This morning I tested the theory. I put on my Revlon foundation I had purchased for $1.62 on one side and my sample of the Origins foundation on the other side. The colors of each foundation matched and meshed together quite well down the middle of my face.

I went to work and asked four different ladies to tell me which side they preferred and/or if they could tell a difference. Two of the ladies couldn’t tell the difference and the other two chose the side where I used my Revlon foundation.


In summary, if I were to purchase this product- it would definitely be a want and not a need and can that really be justified? I could turn around and donate the money or put it towards our goal of paying off debt.

The favorite part of this is knowing that my skin looks just as healthy with a foundation for a buck sixty two versus a more expensive brand.

CVS Deal

Hey All:

Should you be interested in starting the whole CVS game- here is a deal that you can start with and make a return.

The week of 1/31/2010 CVS will sell their DOVE body wash for Men at $5.49 with a return of 5.49 in Extra Care Bucks (make sure you have an ECB card).

In addition to this- there will be coupons for this product in the paper and I have added a link for a $1.00 off coupon.

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: WASTING TIME

God gives us only so much time on this earth and we must utilize it wisely. We must (as our early catechism lessons taught us) “know, love, and serve God in this world and be happy with Him in the next.”
How many of us actually hold to this during our daily routine? I don’t and I have realized it even more these past few days.
I am not sure if I have relayed this in my blog or not, but Hubby and I do not have access to any television stations/channels. Our television is dated and we did not bother with obtaining that magic box which would allow us to convert our television. We don’t miss it for the most part and you would think we would be more productive in our daily lives.
Not so… you see we replaced television watching for computer usage and boy did I use!
I posted on my blog, posted on other blogs, visited YouTube, Netflix and Hulu. I could come home from work, make dinner, and then head to the computer for an hour or two.
Saturday would come and I would wonder why my house was in such disarray. I chalked it up to working all week, working the bookstore, going to the abortion clinic, and directing a choir.

ALL A LIE!


This past weekend our computer broke down and it won’t be back in our home for another week.

Now, I won’t even jump into all I accomplished on Sunday afternoon (which is my usual act like an inactive object day), but I will give you a glimpse of my time yesterday.

Wednesday morning I woke up, readied myself for work, and packed my husband’s breakfast/lunch bag (which included quiche I threw together on Sunday afternoon).
Drove to work and did my little work dance.

After work I headed to the store to pick up a few things for tomorrow’s dinner.
Now the fun starts.

Arrived home
Went through mail
Cooked dinner
Prepped for tomorrow’s dinner
Served dinner
Washed dishes by hand
Loaded up the dishwasher
Folded laundry and put it away (not all of it, though)
Started a load of laundry
Swept foyer
Laid down rugs
Vacuumed hallway, master bedroom, and nursery
Finished writing a letter
Practiced new music for choir
Read a chapter of a book
Prepped my clothes for work
Ironed a shirt for my husband
Prepped my husband’s lunch bag
Prepped the coffee for the next morning
Wiped down the second bathroom
Wiped down the master bedroom
Talked to my mom and brother on the telephone
Showered
Cleaned my skin and applied my medication (this takes a while right now)
Painted my nails (wow!)
Readied myself and was in bed by 10:00 p.m.


If I had used the computer this is what would have been completed:

Arrived home
Went through mail
Cooked dinner
Prepped for tomorrow’s dinner
Served dinner
Washed dishes by hand
Loaded up the dishwasher
Showered
Cleaned my skin and applied my medication (this takes a while right now)


And I would have been in bed much later….


I am resolved to not go back to my old ways of allowing the computer to monopolize my time. I will have to set a time limit and discipline myself. I don’t want to go back to those old ways and I love that my house is in better order and that I am more at peace. I didn’t waste my time last night and so my morning offering of all my thoughts, words, deeds, and actions did not go to waste.

WHEELIN’ WEDNESDAY: CVS PART TWO

4 Nivea travel lotions .84 oz at $.24 each : $.96
Clearasil cleansing pads : $1.37
Acne Free cleanser: $1.62
CVS 16 oz lotion: $1.62
L’Oreal make-up removal pads: $1.74
L’Oreal make-up removal pads: $1.74
ROC face cleanser: $1.99
Acne Free Skin System: $4.99
Olay eye cream and concealer: $5.49
Total: $21.52
Tax: $1.67

Coupons/ECB’s/Giftcards used totaled: $22.74

Total OOP: $.45

Be sure to checkout Part One

Tuesday's Tip: Waiting

Last night Hubby and I drove to a mall on the other side of town. Our mission was to take the computer in for repairs and only repairs. When we arrived, the store was bursting with customers and we were asked to wait an hour or more until they could analyze the issue.

Hubby was involved with the computer, but what was I going to do for an hour? In a mall? I headed to the store Origins. I have heard about their all organic make up products and the reviews were awesome.

I was just planning to look around. I wasn’t going to purchase anything. Hubby followed me into the store and we perused. The sales lady came by and talked to me about the products. I relayed that I was interested, but needed to clear my face of this horrible breakout that had occurred the past week (I am on acne medication for it right now). She offered to do a mini facial and make up application and I readily agreed. I had an hour to kill, liked the products, and she was nice so why not?

Oh, my heck! It was lovely! I enjoyed all of the products used on my face and the end result was smooth to the touch and to view. She gave me four samples to try out for the week and to make sure I wasn't allergic to anything.

So, here I am reviewing all of the products online and my trigger finger is very happy and wants to send an order through RIGHT NOW!

Slow down Charlie! I need to step back and re-evaluate the situation. Let’s make some notes about all of this…..

1. You have samples to test for the entire week
2. This product is organic but extremely expensive
3. It will take you (after taxes) ten hours of work to make this purchase.
4. You will more than likely get out of this make up craze in another month
5. You just received an online order from another company (I think I am having allergic reactions to that too- btw)
6. You could work over time to cover this purchase or you could put the money away
7. Hubby likes the product and is fine with the purchase
8. Hubby likes to spend money too
9. Hubby is really cute…wait… that’s another list
10. Is it getting hot in here?


End Result

I am going to use my samples for the rest of the week and then come to a final decision. Not allowed to make an online order. I will go back when we pick up the computer and only then I will purchase the product if it is right for my skin.

CVS TRIP

I think this may have been the best CVS trip ever. Now, if you actually follow my little blog, you will note that I am horrible when it comes to grocery shopping. For the life of me I can’t seem to keep my grocery budget under any kind of control. My husband and I impulse buy based on all sorts of random cravings. Heck…Thursday night we craved ice cream and by 11:00 P.M. we had ice cream with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Did we use coupons? Nah….what fer???

It is a different story when I purchase non food items. I can usually work a deal and that is what occurred this Saturday.

I meandered to a new CVS which was colossal in size compared to the one I normally frequent. I was looking to make some ECB’s on the OUST deal (no dice) when I came across the end of an aisle with all sorts of goodies on sale. Coupled with the very friendly cashier telling me about certain make up products marked down by 75% and my handy dandy coupon organizer by my side; I was a happy woman.


The Make-up

L’oreal Colour Juice lip gloss 75% off = 2.12 **$8.49 retail**
L’oreal eye shadow 75% off = 1.25 **$4.99 retail**
Rimmel London Lasting Finish lipstick 75% off= 1.32 **$5.29 retail**
Rimmel London Spicey Nude blush 75% off = .87 **3.49 retail**

I had four coupons for $1.00 off on each product and my last 1.50 in ECB’s to bring my total down to $.06 and with tax it came out to $.37.


Total if I had paid the retail price on all of these: $22.26


Stay tuned for round two and an upload of the haul!

Manic Mondays

Church
Our annual talent show is this weekend and I plan on attending. I want to see all my girls perform . I plan on making red chile burritos with homemade tortillas for the potluck.
Choir
Even though we aren’t singing during Mass right now; we continue to practice and learn new songs. Right now we are learning our first piece that will include all four parts. It is Palestrina’s “ O Memoriale” and was written for boys. This means that three of the four parts can be sung by the females. I moved the key for Bass up the scale by one so it fits nicely right below the alto line- making it a true four part polyphony.
Home
Trying to improve, implement, and remain consistent on all organization routines remains a challenge for me. I keep up my wash regularly and try to empty the dishwasher more quickly. I also whipped up two pans of quiche for the lunch week. I am glad I made two because I think Hubby will be eating this at night when he has the “munchies”.
Work
I am switching to a new division in two weeks.
Projects
I submitted my “homework” to my Spanish teacher this past Sunday. We will see how well I do with the verbs estar and ser. I plan to work on that a bit more.
I continue to practice the new hymn. I need to have the first line down for all four parts by this upcoming Sunday.
We should have a new fence in within the next two weeks.
Health
Going low carb this week. Too much bread in my diet is weighing me down…ugh.

What's going on in your world this week?

FRIDAY’S FAVORITES: PRESENTS IN THE MAIL

One of the little joys in my life is to come home from a long day at work and come home to find little presents in the mail. Cards, letters, samples, gifts, and orders all waiting for me! "Snail Mail" is like a little friend waiting for you to come home and I absolutely love it!

Today I came home to a thank you note, a bookstore order, and my makeup order from Everyday Minerals (pictured above).

What about you? What little things do you look forward to during the end of a long day?

**update as of 1/25/2010**
I had to give up using the Clinique product when my acne tripled by the next day. I am not sure if this is truly a reaction to Clinique or something else. This really is the only thing I have changed in my make-routine, but will slowly try to rule everyone out.
In the meantime, I am now using a topical acne medication to hopefully clear this up.

Update on Clinique

My skin is softer, but the breakouts have increased. The acne seems to be around the side of my face and it appears to be worse than before. I am assuming that all of the "yucky" stuff needs to excrete itself out of my skin before everything will come to a nice smooth layer....

You can see the side of my face before the use of Clinique and after using it for a week.


I will provide an update in another week.

Wheelin' WEDNESDAY: Small Deal

Today I picked up more toilet paper...we now have 60 lovely rolls for our..um...for our....well, ya know... They were $12.99 and I paid with 4.00 in ECB's and a gift card. I earned 4.00 in ECB's as well.

I wanted to do the OUST deal, but my CVS was out. The manager told me that there is a woman who comes in with her ten children. Each child has their own CVS card and each one does a "deal"! He promised another OUST shipment so I will check in a few days.

I also received a sample of a Slim Fast snack bar which is also pictured above.

Tuesday's Tip and Tasteful Tuesdays TOGETHER!!!

I am sure all women dream of the moment when the entire world will align to perfection. At that moment we will be able to multi task without flinching, prepare and have all meals planned, and the house will never ever be in chaos.

Okay....so we all know that will NEVER happen, but a girl can dream, can't she? Well, I can work on my resolutions can't I? One of my resolutions is to be more organized in all that I do.

Tonight I continued my progress at being more organized. As I walked to my car after work, I kept thinking the same things over and over, " We must strive to do all things in perfection. I have offered all my prayers, works, joys, and actions to God and if we are offering to Him- we must do it well."

I drove to the local CVS, grocery store, post office and then came home. I started making dinner the moment I came home.
But wait? Here I am cooking up steak fajitas and I have vegetables that I could use for a quiche! So that is what I did!


The pictures start from the bottom with my little pie pan of sweet peppers, mushrooms, and onions. I added half a dozen eggs, cream, salt, pepper and then covered with cheese and hot sauce. The finished product was absolutely yummy(had to try it, ya know.....) and will be part of my husband's lunch bag for the rest of the week.

Talk Tuesday

In all honesty, I a m not savvy enough to think of a tip that you probably already don't know about or have put to use at one time or another. So, I thought I would mix things up a bit and add a new segment called "Talk Tuesday". A more interactive post that asks you to answer a question or discuss a subject. This can be anything from serious to silly.

My first question is a silly question!

How many days in a row do you wear the same outfit?

I will admit to you that I have worn an outfit three days in a row in my past-usually on a Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Why?


I don't consider an outfit dirty when it has only been worn for a few hours.
It cuts down on laundry.
I see different people on each of those days.
If Hubby and I attend a symphony- I dress up. I wear the outfit a total of four hours.
I can wear the same outfit to Mass on Sunday and then wear it again for work on Monday.

So, come on....confess!

Saturated Saturday

Today was a fairly productive day. I woke up at 7:45 AM., dressed and headed to the abortion clinic. I then made a quick stop at Target for a couple of things and returned home.

The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent on laundry and taking down my Christmas decorations. Our beautiful tree came down and I was quite unhappy about it! This Christmas was the first Christmas Hubby and I decorated the tree together!

As it stands now, the house is a dismal mess.... it is close to 8:00 P.M. and I still have tons of ornaments to put away. I am sitting on the couch with a huge pile of clothes to fold and put away....the washing machine and dryer hum along to their own tune and my kitchen is speckled with all sorts of boxes.

What? You don't believe me? Must I prove everything?!

Friday's Favorites

Late Night Chats



Almost every night I will have a conversation with a family member before I go to bed. Most nights it is a sister or my mom who keeps me company while I slowly wind down to a deep slumber. We discuss our days, laugh over memories, and then delve into an important issue or two. Calls with my dad are snuck in here or there at night, but usually I wake him up on a Saturday morning. He is very good natured and just laughs about it before we start our little banter. My youngest brother has my heart, and at sixteen, he is full of energy and stories about his school life. I love to listen to him as I think back to his baby/toddler age. He was such a yummy little guy! My older brother and I talk to each other more infrequently and it involves silly jokes, songs, and funky stories. Late night chats are the best!

Thoughtful Thursday

SUCKED INTO THE HYPE


I know my blog promotes being frugal, but it didn't happen this week. I admit that I am not frugal in all things and today I received a package in the mail.

I think I have mentioned in previous posts about my acne issues.... I just can't seem to clear my face for any one period of time. Recently, my acne has crept it's way to the side of my cheeks and I am not sure why. I thought it might have been the more constant usage of a bronzer product. I stopped using the product, but still no change. I purchased (using a gift card) a new facial cleanser which helped a tad, but no gold. After twirling the idea in my mind- I decided to spend the money and purchase Clinique's 3 step program.



Here are my questions:

Are these products capable of living up to the hype?

Am I wasting money on products that have a twin on the frugal side of the street?

Did I just waste a lot of money for nothing?

Can I find something in the organic world?


Tonight I took pictures of my face after a shower and the cleaning off of all my make-up. I then used the Clinique products and will test this out for at least two weeks. Directions state to use twice daily.

I can already tell that my face feels very smooth after one application.

Am I changing anything else? No, nothing else. I will continue to use the same make-up products and any additional cleansing products I use during my shower.

I will keep you posted on the results!

Top scientist finally admits abortion-breast cancer link

"In April 2009, Brinton co-authored a research paper published in the prestigious journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, which concluded that the risk of a particularly deadly form of breast cancer that attacks women under 40 raises 40 percent if a woman has had an abortion."





Read the full article here.

Wheelin' WEDNESDAY: Small Deal

Cottonelle $12.88 with 4.00 in ECB's. I had a total of 20.00 to work with so my out of pocket (with tax) was $2.31 and I earned 4.00 in ECB's.

What is wrong with my eyebrow?

I have no clue how I did this, but it isn't normal!

Musically Manic Monday: A New Week and a New Attitude?

Tomorrow is my audition for the symphony. I don't know how well I do with my lingering remaining bronchitis. I know I am not at the top of my game, but Hubby thinks I should audition anyways.
I have changed songs to something in a lower range and hope that will do the trick.

The church choir is in our parish priest's hands and I have given all of that up to God. This has been a struggle of a week, I am determined not to have a repeat show!


I am back at my Spanish lessons! Unfortunately, I have to start at the beginning with the verbs ser and estar. It is my resolution to improve my language skills.




What is going on in your week?

Saturated Saturday: The Faces of Death

These females are from the local college and were out at the abortion clinic. They video recorded the pro-lifers, wrote down everything we said, and ran back and forth to the clinic giving them updates. They are the faces of death. Do not become swayed by their young age-these females have death in their souls and are on a very wrong path. Pray for them.



Please note how they would often hide behind the fence when I took pictures, but thought nothing of recording us.....

Thoughtful Thursday

WHAT’S IN YOUR SHOWER?


Is this too personal or just fun curiosity?
I watched a You Tube video of one my regular subscriptions where she and her husband showed what was in their shower. They went over the items they use and I thought that would be fun.
I hope you enjoy my silly little video! Feel free to post a response video or post a list of your shower/bath products!

Wheelin' WEDNESDAY: Small Deal

Walgreens has the FINISH gel pacs for dishwashers on sale for $3.49 . Couple that with the $2.50 coupon found in this past Sunday's inserts and the 1.00 RR and you will pay .49 (or less in some areas) for this item!


I haven't done too much shopping the past two weeks, but I do have ECB's expiring next week!