Things That Make Me Smile.

Hey My AMAZING CUTIES!

Thanks for all of your love and support these past few weeks. I’ve complete my four weeks of nannying and I’ve had such a fun time. I always love spending time with kids – you can always learn so much from them! Their sweet spirits touch my heart and I can’t wait to have kids of my own someday. My phone is fixed now! My mom took it to Sprint and it turns out that they had the piece it needed to fix it! So now my screen is back to normal and my stress about it has diminished. I’ll be more careful with it now though, as I don’t want that to happen again.

Right now I’m in the process of packing for the Family Camp my family will be attending this week with about 200 other people. At the camp we have relays, a family dance, a teen dance, canoeing, hiking, swimming, water activities, crafts, games, talent show, etc. I always have fun going and hanging out with my friends from other cities in our home-school group.

I’m also gathering up the foods I’ll be bringing for the week. Most of the menu are things I can have (they always have an amazing salad bar and fruit for snacks every afternoon, and they’re even having an oatmeal morning with lots of topping options!), so I don’t have to bring much — most is just in place of a couple things I can’t have on the menu before of my dairy intolerance/allergy. This year I’m bringing my own cooler, as the fridge at the camp has limited space and I want to let other people have a chance to use it. The things I’m bringing are: 3 cartons unsweetened almond milk, 1 can vegetarian chili, 1 jar homemade almond butter, 2 lb. bag baby carrots, gallon size baggie of celery sticks, 1 packet of Flat-out wraps, homemade bread (unpictured), 3 nectarines, 2 pears, 3 apples, 2 cans of chickpeas, 1 container of homemade hummus, 2 packets steamable brown rice, 1 box (of 5 packets) of Better Oats Pure and Simple Multigrain oatmeal packs, and small jar of cinnamon. I know this week will be delicious.

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I’ve been smiling a lot lately, which as brought me into how grateful for all the blessings in my life. My family. My friends. Chip. The Scriptures. Light. Flowers. Etc.

Before I headed up to camp, I wanted to share with you some of the things that make me smile.

Dark Chocolate. Especially EXTRA dark.

I was so excited when I found these in our local grocery store and saw that they only had 4 ingredients: chocolate liquor, sugar, soy lethicin, and vanilla extract. I always have to check the labels of dark chocolate, as not all of them are free of milk. But this one is free of it! I used to only like milk chocolate (before I found out about my dairy intolerance/allergy), but then my dad introduced me to the “dark side” of chocolate. I’ve never gone back.

Bath & Body Works.

These are the five scents I most commonly wear. (My current favorite is Dark Kiss.)

My Sunbeams (& all the fun we have in Sunday School).

We made this puppet a few weeks ago that says: “If I can say hippopotamus, I can say I’m sorry.” They kept saying hippopotamus throughout the craft and went home telling their parents and showing off their hippos.

Beatrix Potter stories.

This reminds me of when we visited the Beatrix Potter House (her Hilltop Farm near the village of Ambleside). I remember how much fun I had walking around the farm and learning all the stories she wrote there. (I also have a little figurine of the Flopsy Bunnies that I got there too.)

Sketching.

I always love sitting down and sketching a picture.

Sidewalk Chalk!

This reminds me of the time I colored the outside strip along the sidewalk around my house with different colors. (I was 6 years old and we lived in England at the time in the Military housing. I colored it from the front of the adjoining house on our left around to the side of the sidewalk near our backyard. We lived on a corner of the street, and the neighbors who drove by shared with my parents how impressed they had been with the “colored” corner of the road.)

Sunshine. Butterflies. Rainbows.

Sterling Silver Earrings. 

My ears react to anything but pure gold or sterling silver, so recently I’ve had to go through my jewelry and only keep that which was gold or sterling silver (which wasn’t much). I was really excited when I found this pack on sale at Kohls though! It was on sale, and I needed some more sterling silver to wear (and have different choices in color).

BUBBLES!

They are just so much fun. I may get a little light-headed after blowing them for an hour for my Sunbeams, but the smiles on their faces are worth it.

My Baby Doll.

I’ve had her since I was a baby (my grandma bought her for me) and I refuse to give her up.

Coloring Books.

I may be 17, but I never grew up.

Happiness. Peace. Joy.

My cat’s “French manicure.”

It makes me squeal with joy every time I see it.

But above all, I am grateful for my sister. She ALWAYS makes me smile.

Happy 15^th Birthday, Lizzie. <3

I couldn’t ask for a better sister. Thanks for always being there for me, Beautiful.

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What are some of the things that make you smile? I also love warm hugs, line dancing, loving friends, kittens, babysitting, and lighthouses.

What are some of the things you bring on a camping trip for snacks? I’m bringing hummus, almond butter, protein bars, baby carrots, apples, and nectarines.

Do you pack heavy or light when going places? I always try to pack light, but it always seems to end up heavy. >

xoxox,

My Favorite Body-Care Tricks and Products!

Hey my Summer Blossoms! <3

Thanks for all of your comments on my last post. I was so excited when Around the Plate spotlighted me. It meant the world to me for them to do that. This past week has been SUPER crazy for me and I am so grateful for all of your love and care. I’m going to start watching a family from 8:30am-3:30 pm 5x a week for the next four weeks, so I may not get the chance to do much baking, but I hope I’ll get a chance here and there, since it’s something I love doing. I will do my best.

I had a request from one of my readers to do a post on some of my favorite body-care products.

So here they are: Some of My Favorites!

Bath & Body Works’ Sensual Amber Fragrance Mist, Triple Moisture Body Cream, and Body Lotion. I also love Japanese Cherry Blossom, Dark Kiss, and Secret Wonderland, but Sensual Amber is the scent I use most of the time. I’m sad that they don’t have a travel-size version of this, as it’s my favorite.

My current favorite shampoo and conditioner is Suave Professionals Almond + Shea Butter Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner System for Dry, Damaged Hair. I don’t have dry or damaged hair, but I absolutely ADORE this type’s scent – so I use it. I’ve found that I can’t always afford the most natural products, so instead I’ll try to pick ones that are better than others. I can’t be perfect, but I can do my best.

I used to use a TON of different products on my face (facial cleanser, scrubs, toners, salicylic acid spot treatments, acne pads, lotions, etc.), but I now only use two products: a gentle cleanser and a gentle moisturizer. My skin has never thanked me enough.

My favorite facial wash is Desert Essence’s Thoroughly Clean Face Wash. Its main ingredient is Castile Soap with the addition of aromatic oils and extracts like coconut oil, chamomile, Awapuhi, Tea Tree oil, Peppermint Oil, Lavender Oil, and many others. I have another bottle of this, which I am currently at the bottom of right now — and I will never go back to using other kinds of face wash. I can’t even recall how long I’ve had that bottle (I just got this other one that’s pictured above), but it lasts me for a LONG time and does a marvelous job at keeping my skin clean and clear.

I also use Olay Complete All Day Moisture Lotion (with SPF 15) for Sensitive Skin (if I don’t have any Yes to Carrots Facial Lotion). I’ve found that products formulated for sensitive skin tend to have less-harsh chemicals in them. (i.e., the sensitive skin version of Olay Complete Facial Lotion is 100% Color and Fragrance Free and PABA Free compared to the regular version.)

Coppertone Pure and Simple 75+ SPF Sun Protection Sunscreen. It’s fragrance free, oil free, waterproof, PABA free, and hypoallergenic. I also love how it comes out in a foam – I always have so much fun with it when I put it on. (Yes, I’m a little child. Still.)

Another thing I always keep on hand is Fruit of the Earth’s 100% Pure Aloe Vera Gel. I prefer this over the green/blue-colored stuff that you put on after getting a sunburn. This one doesn’t have much of a scent that I can notice (unlike the colored stuff, which is one reason I don’t like using that kind). I’d say this stuff is second best to the real straight-off-the-plant gel. Whenever I get a sunburn, aloe vera comes to my rescue. (It works really fast too!)

I trick I learned from one of my best friends is to use dryer sheets as bug repellent. I just stick one into my pocket and those pesky little blood suckers (aka, mosquitoes) stay away. I never get bit when I have one on me (and that’s coming from a mosquito-magnet; I must have sweet blood as they love me. I definitely do NOT like them, especially with how big their bites become on me). So now I don’t have to use any of that sticky stuff on me to prevent bites – I can just stick something in my pocket and I’m good to go!

Jason’s Tea Tree Satin Shower Body Wash. I’ve used it for a while now and it is definitely a favorite of mine (especially since it debuted in my last favorite body-care list).

A trick I learned while living in England – you can use tea tree oil to prevent head lice! The lice despise the smell of the tea tree oil and stay away! It works like a charm.

NOW’s Personal Care 100% Pure Jojoba Oil – I use this as a makeup remover. I’ve found that any kind of oil works – coconut oil, almond oil, olive oil, and canola oil, depending on what I have on hand. I use it all the time and I love it to death!

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What is your favorite scent at Bath & Body Works? You can list a few if you can’t decide between a few scents.

What are some of your favorite body-care products? I’d love to hear your favorites!

What are some of your body-care product tricks? For example,
I use tea tree oil to prevent head lice, dryer sheets as mosquito repellent, and jojoba oil to remove makeup.

xoxox,