Archive for Random, I know!

A Free Gift For You {Plus Some Great Toy Ideas}

December 6, 2012 Sarah Beals No comments


Todays post is going to be a little newsy, and there is a little surprise for you at the end. :)

I am finishing up my Christmas shopping this week. I want to be shopping-free by the time Rebekah comes home. I wish I could link to some of the great things I have found for my girls, but they read this blog and that would spoil all of their surprises!!

Two of my sisters and I took my mom out for her birthday on Monday night and then went Christmas shopping.(My sister Amy was there in spirit, although she lives in MO. We’ll do it again, Amy. :) )

It is always so fun to go out with the girls! We went to the Rustic Kitchen at Derby Street Shops in Hingham, and let me tell you, their food is sooo good. I have been thinking about my meal and planning a way to go back. :)

I have also been getting ready for our annual Doll’s Christmas Tea Party.  I finished up my invitations. Here is the Tasha Tudor inspired watercolor border I painted for the invitation. I inserted the words in the sky. Feel free to use it for your own personal use. 

 

 

If you are like me, you are thinking about timeless gifts for your kids this year. The last thing any parent wants is to sink money into toys that a child doesn’t play with long-term. I decided to share with you the toys that our children enjoyed the most. Many of these sets are now packed away incase I have grandchildren someday.

Over the years I have learned that owning fewer toys, but higher quality pieces, has worked well for our home educating family. When kids are overrun with toys that only have one purpose, their natural creativity is stifled.

I purposefully chose open ended toys for my kiddos. These toys require the child to use their imagination, and can also be used in several play scenarios. Most of them are simple, without electrical sounds or capabilities. Toys today have the ability to do nearly everything from walking, talking, eating and interacting. I have found that the more the toy can do, the less the child has to do.  Sometimes the latest, greatest electro-gadget inadvertently limits the imagination of the child.

Open ended toys are simple and encourage the child to create their own fun. Unfortunately, sometimes these are more expensive, but in the long run, they last through several children and the amount of play you get out of them makes it worthwhile.

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is necessity.” Kay Jamison 

Here are some of our favorites: {If you click on the picture, it will take you to Amazon}
Building Toys

Lego Duplo Blocks for Toddlers

Lego Starter Set

Base Board for Lego Building. Kids love to make towns on these things. :)

This book is for older kids, but it allows them to make all kinds of cool cars and   gadgets with Legos they already own.

 

 

Dress Up

I can’t say enough about Play Silks. I bit the bullet and bought them after a friend of mine raved about them. They were used for years! They became aprons, wings, head covering, belts, etc. Very open ended, lightweight and versatile.

Bonnets Galore. What can I say? My kids love Little House on the Prairie like their mother. :)

“Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick, So she called to the doctor to come quick, quick, quick…” My kids played with this Haba set forever. They seemed obsessed with giving each other shots. Hmm…

 

Buy by the Piece Sets:

I honestly can’t say enough good things about Playmobil. Next to Legos, this was the indoor toy they used non-stop. The Playmobil 1-2-3 Line is for babies through age three and is a lovely way to introduce your child to this line.  It is a little expensive, but we bought one little pieces here and there and we have amassed an enormous collection today. (My youngest, Hope, is getting the Playmobil RV for Christmas. Shh…don’t tell!) I can’t even count how many days my living room was wall to wall Playmobil towns. In the winter, I would read aloud to my kids while they set up their Playmobil towns.

Toddler Train Set

First Doll House

Western Line


Hope is getting the RV this year. My sister and her husband just bought a real RV and my kids love sleeping over in it. I know Hope will love this toy! :)

 Busy Hands

Lauri puzzles were a favorite in our home. My kids used these puzzles (especially the kids jumping one below) until the arms and legs of these poor vinyl children fell off. :)




If you can get your hands on the old “Brio Mec” wooden building sets that are no longer being made, I would highly recommend those as well. They are great for boys who love to build. They come with a hammer, screwdriver, wooden planks and an crazy amount of nails and screws. It is little boy heaven.
I would check ebay or Amazon for used sets.
Our kids also loved the Brio Waterway sets, but I don’t believe they make them anymore. Again, this simple toy provided hours of fun as the kids manipulated the boats voyage using a current.

AND, I have a free gift for you! :)

I painted these little Tasha Tudor inspired Christmas tags, that you are free to print and use for your own Christmas wrapping. I would print them on card-stock and attach them to a pretty rectangle of deep red or green card-stock. They would also be sweet for digital scrap booking. Enjoy! {and let me know how you use them by providing a link back if you blog. Can’t wait to see how creative YOU are.} I wish I had these done before my book was completed!

Winter Fun

Snow Day!

 

Silent Night

Click on each image to enlarge and to view the better quality jpg. ENJOY!!

This post contains my Amazon affiliate links. Thanks for supporting JFD!

Holidays, Random, I know!

What I’m up to lately.

November 5, 2012 Sarah Beals No comments

So, I’m writing an e-book. Ahem.

It is nearly done, just a few more tweaks. You’ll hear more about that in a few days. But for now, think Christmas on a dime, and dealing with a tough economy during the holidays, M-kay?

And today I am collecting donations for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. If you are in the area and can bring diapers, new underwear, socks or toiletries, gently used clothes, warm coats…whatever…to our house, we have a friend who’ll be taking care of delivering the goods to NY and NJ. We need them by tomorrow (Tuesday). And if you stop in, don’t mind the mess; things are a little chaotic right now.

But, I am learning to give thanks for the messes. It is all good.

Oh, and don’t forget to vote tomorrow. AS IF you guys would! ;)

Peter shared this on Facebook and it was a good look at why conservatism works. We can’t afford to be on the same collision course for four more years. We definitely need a change! Exercise your right to vote. You know I have strong opinions on this one. :)

More on the book later, but right now, we have a country to save. :)

Christian living, Holidays, Interests, Random, I know! ,

Why Not Voting is Not Okay. {aka “the rant you were warned about”}

October 23, 2012 Sarah Beals 20 comments

Just a warning: this is political.

And I felt that after tonight’s debate was a good time to post this. Call me crazy.

SO….

Political passivity is not noble. It’s not intelligent or more enlightened.

I am not sure why it is looked on as academic, spiritual, noble or somehow more level headed to shun politics in an election year. I know people are fed up with both candidates, and I get that. I am tired of it, too. I know that neither candidate will solve the world’s problems. (despite what they claim)

Afghan woman risks her life to vote. {photo credit}

It is alarming for me to hear that people are not voting for either candidate because they don’t like their personal religion. Although I can understand your sentiment, they are not running for church office. It is a secular job.

AND

It is alarming when people say, “Well, God is in control, and He is going to do what He’s going to do. So I don’t really get involved.”

Well, let’s think about this in regard to other matters: work, your house and your children.

If you do nothing to your house, you don’t paint it, mow the lawn, clean the gutters, or fix the roof, it will fall down. God didn’t do that. Your neglect did that.

And your kids: You take the attitude, “God will supply all my needs,” and you lay back and watch it unfold. You don’t cook, or make meals, so your kids starve. God didn’t do that. You did.

You had the means, but you squandered it. For those who aren’t getting what I mean, when you don’t vote you are squandering a God given liberty and means to affecting your children’s future.

The principle is a stewardship issue.

We have been given the gift of liberty.

If we fail to vote, ie “neglect our national duty” we have nobody to blame but ourselves when our country is in disrepair.

Does God put rulers in place? The Bible says He does.

Does God give us food? The Bible says He does.

Does God give us clothing? Yes, ditto.

But does God expect us to do our part? You’d better believe it.

If a father does not care for his family, the church is to view him as worse than an infidel. If a mom does not make good food for her children and family, she is not being the “home manager” that she is expected to be.

I tire of reading post blog posts, FB statuses, etc… that seem to indicate that if you’re passionate about one candidate or another, you are divisive, ignorant, Christian or not Christian, exclusively “American” in mindset, blah, blah, blah.

There is a TIME for this. Ecclesiastes says that there is a time and season for everything.

I love this country. I am PRO American, because I was born here. That is not a bad thing.

Because we are talking politics right now does not mean that we are neglecting the poor and sick of other countries or minimizing the real needs of other countries.

This is the country God set me in. He “set my boundaries” here.

We have family and friends who are actively fighting to defend it. Spilled blood, the blood of other women’s sons, is what has gained my children their  freedom and I am thankful for the sacrifice they made to make America the strongest nation on earth.

I could cry when I think that someday my son could be called to protect your family. This is not a we vs. us thing. This is all of us.

It irks me when I see people bashing this country. Some advice if you don’t like the good ol’ US of A: move elsewhere and spare us the headache of having to hear you complain it. Really, our borders are THAT open. You can leave. This is freedom, folks.

I will vote because I believe that ONE candidate (Romney, by the way) is a better choice for what I believe in.

I believe that capitalism is better than socialism. When our family members go to work and work hard, I want them to get ahead.

The principle is that if you WORK HARD you will succeed.

I know that this annoys some of you who just read that, but America is not a land of equality or entitlement. It is a land of opportunity.

Yes, we are all created equal with rights, and among those are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. NOT, the right to have what everyone else has, the right to expect that if you have more than I have, that somehow you are bad and my insistence on fairness is good.

If you can work, you should. Period.

If you don’t want to work, that is not our fault. And things should not be equal if you don’t want to work. If you are lazy or strung out on drugs, than there will be consequences. Your family will suffer, even perhaps go hungry. Your children will be virtually fatherless. And you made it happen. 

If you can’t work, yes, we have a moral obligation to help you, and we are happy to.

But, laziness is not a virtue. It shouldn’t be rewarded, and you shouldn’t expect that others will pay your way because you won’t work.

I don’t believe that playing the race game is respectful to hard working black Americans. Socialists target black Americans and tell them that everything is against them. They are part of the “have nots” in class warfare. This junk has been printed in Socialistic and Communistic literature for 60 years and it is disrespectful to black Americans.

Feeding the “you can’t get ahead” lie to a whole segment of Americans generation after generation is sadistic and insulting. Can’t we acknowledge the wrongs without “handicapping” the injured?

Black Americans are capable. They are not stupid, or in need of pathetic pandering.

Peter and I have many close friends who are black and they are good people struggling to work hard for their family just like the rest of us, thank you very much.

They don’t need affirmative action to get their kids into college because Mom and Dad are at home making sure they study just like other conscientious parents across the country. Their grades speak for themselves.

In our church alone, I can think of half a dozen black couples right off the bat who have raised or are raising moral, good, upstanding children. They’ve done well for themselves financially, and they are conscientious parents.

They haven’t bought the lie that morality is for one skin color or another.

You don’t have to be a certain color or of certain economic bracket to turn off the vileness that comes through the TV or to be a good parent by spending time with your kids. Several of these aforementioned women are very good friends of mine. They homeschool their kids. My kids sleep at their house, and vice versa.

Lastly, the more money our government takes, the more control they have. And when the government spends money on things that I fundamentally disagree with, I object. The lower the taxes, the more freedom individual families have to give to causes that they believe in. So, if you want to donate to the “Free the Tree Sprites” Campaign, by all means, do so. It is your money. But please, please don’t send my money there. I don’t believe in tree sprites, nor that cause. (fictitious cause to make a point.)

This election is crucial. Please vote. Right now, it is your right. You have a voice. (Women in Afghanistan just gained their right to vote in the past five years and have risked their lives to do so.)

Smaller Government and lower taxes means that you can spend more of your money on causes YOU believe in. And it means helping the poor and needy that you know right here in our own neighborhoods on personal level.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand spending $16 for f.o.u.r. gallons of gas. We can’t afford that. Something’s gotta give.

On twitter the other night, I asked for input.

I asked, “Fill in the blank. Not voting is ______________.” Here are a few answers.

@ Not voting is like throwing away your hard-earned freedom to vote!
October 18, 2012 via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite
@DogFurDandelion
Elizabeth Johnson
@ "....Letting OWS members take your vote." OR "...voting for Obama." Cheers
October 17, 2012 via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@Jay_Severin
Jay Severin III
@ conceding all say in your life for the next four years to someone else.
October 17, 2012 via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@MomMilkshake
Milkshakes Anytime

Go Vote.

*(I understand that some cannot vote for reasons of conscience. Everyone else, don’t be passive because you are disgusted. Whatever candidate you choose, please care enough about our land and children’s future to vote.)

Christian living, Random, I know! , ,

How I Use My iPod Touch In Everyday Life

September 29, 2012 Sarah Beals 7 comments

I have an iPod touch that I love,love,love and use for EVERYTHING except for making calls…because it can’t do that. (that would be the iPhone for you non-techy types) Someday when money is no object and college bills are nonexistent, we’ll talk iPhones. But for now, let me tell you how I use my iPod touch to simplify my life.

1.  Note Keeping: I keep notes on it with notepad. Seriously, I use it all the time because I never can find a pen or paper. I jot down blog post ideas, addresses, appointments, and more.

2. Internet: I use it to check email, blog stats, twitter, etc. I actually use it more than my desktop computer. I love that it fits in my purse and I can check everything with one push of a button.

3. Photos, Photos, Photos:  This is one of the biggest reasons I love this thing? I use it to record:

Family Memories

Kids at the bog with some friends.

Hope and Summer cutting homemade pasta.

 

Christmas Gift Ideas that I don’t want to forget. Sometimes the kids tell me that they want something for Christmas, and well, I forget. But these days I snap a quick pic and I have an instant reminder.

Hope wants this for Christmas.

And apparently survival rope bracelets might come in handy someday as well??

 

And a wishlist for myself, because I can never think of anything when Christmas comes around and Peter asks.

Dear Peter, if you are reading, I love this outfit from LL Bean. (Windowpane check)

Humorous sayings that I want to tuck away for later.

I have found this to be very true.

Craft ideas that I want to recreate, like these plastic file folders that have been faced with an old book binding. Or landscapes that I want to paint.

Plastic file folders prettied up with decorative book edges.

4. Games: the kids use it to play games on long car trips. My kids favs: Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds, Scrabble, Minecraft.

5. Reading Books: I have the Kindle app on here and I love using it when I am out and about or waiting in the doctor’s waiting room.

Favorite Apps: Snapseed, BeJeweled, Weather, Kindle, YouVersion, WP, FB, FoxNews, Dictionary/Thesaurus, Twitter and more.

How about you? How do you use your iPod Touch or iPhone?

 

Interests, Random, I know!, Uncategorized ,

Dollar Tree Decorating

August 29, 2012 Sarah Beals 3 comments

True Confession: I love to find inexpensive ways to decorate my home. I shop thrift shops, Savers, and Dollar type stores. And I really enjoy changing things up, so I don’t like to spend a lot on decorations.

I live in New England and grew up with a mix of farmhouse/primitive/antique decor, so that is the look that I love in my home.

Today, I am going to show you a few accent pieces that I got at the Dollar Tree last night. {please don’t cancel your magazine subscriptions, ladies…I know this is not a grand unveiling of any sort, but if you are short on cash and want to decorate, this is an inexpensive way to cozy up your home.)

I love birds, so this little "Welcome" was perfect for my entry room.

 

I keep this twiggy wreath up year round, and I add seasonal flowers to it. The leaves add a little fall color.

Fake dried florals added a little color on my book shelf. There are several bunches here.

These iron look candle holders and candles worked well for my mantle.

More fake leaves to add color to my jelly cabinet. Sometimes if the dollar store leaves are too bright, or obviously fake, I paint them with brown glaze acrylic paint to give them an older look.

 

There you have it. I did all of that for around $15. This frees up my cash for the things I don’t want to skim on, namely:

Bountiful Spice Yankee Candle

 

How about you? Do you decorate from thrift shops, dollar stores and garage sales? What is the one thing you won’t skimp on? Share in the comments.

Homemaking, Interests, Random, I know!

NYC Highlights, and How To Dress Like Jackie O

August 13, 2012 Sarah Beals 5 comments

This weekend we went to NY and got to roam around for a couple of days, sight see and eat some great Italian food.

Some highlights:

We ate at  Eatily which is Mario Batali’s restaurant/marketplace extraordinaire.

Homemade pasta at Eatily

We also got to eat at Becco, Lidia Bastianich’s restaurant. Will you just believe me when I tell you that I ate some delicious homemade pasta this weekend? I think I want to buy a pasta attachment for my kitchen aid mixer now.

Late dinner at Becco

 

The cheese, crackers, olives and dipping oil could have been a meal in itself. It was so good I wanted to stick the rest in my purse--but I refrained. :)

We got to see the Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theater, and I have to say, it was 10X better than in Boston.

With Bek, inside, waiting for POTO to start.

 

We also got to see the place where Jackie Kennedy Onassis lived. (If you are from Massachusetts, like it or not, the Kennedy’s are part of the culture.) Jackie loved to walk in Central Park and she lived right across the street from it on Fifth Avenue.

image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was a fashion icon and held an air of grace that is legendary. If you are curious about her, you might enjoy peeking at these sites about JKO:

The inside of her apartment looked like this: here

View her clothing at the JFK Presidential Library online

All I can say is that I love her sense of style. It was always classic and understated. (of course, she was bone thin as well, so she would have looked great in a brown paper bag!)

If you want to dress like Jackie Kennedy Onassis, here are some tips and observations about her sense of style:

1. She wore white on the bottom and black on the top. She was often seen in a   black top or turtleneck.

2. Don’t slouch. She had perfect posture and it emanated grace and poise.

3. Own a neutral shift dress. She wore neutral, classic colors, especially a beige/gray (graige) mixture and was often in one color head to toe. (monochromatic wardrobe)

4. Less is more. She was always understated but stunning.

5. Own a lovely set of pearls.

6. Choose necklines that are round, boatneck or bateau.

7. Keep makeup natural looking with a pop of lip color.

8. Own a fabulous pair of sunglasses. Hers were round and have become iconic for her look.

9. Wear feminine cuts that make you look like a lady. Check yourself in the mirror…if you look like a man from the back, change up your wardrobe!! Get rid of shoulder pads that make you look like a linebacker.

10. Be positive and wear a smile. A gracious woman is always in fashion…a negative, harsh woman, no matter what she puts on, is always offensive.
Do you also love the style of Jackie Kennedy? What other elements of style did you notice about her? DO share. :)

 

My Family, Random, I know!, Uncategorized , ,

Thoughts on Friendship from Me and C.S. Lewis

June 16, 2012 Sarah Beals 8 comments

Today seemed like a holiday. A mini-vacation.

My friend Shana asked me to go over for lunch. We are both in the same season of life, each of us with a child away right now: hers in military training and mine in Germany.

Our kids are the same ages and have grown up together. I have pictures of our oldest kids together in their feety pajamas. It seems like just yesterday we were talking about child training, sippy cups and potty training.

But today we talked of children leaving home. We shared our struggles and confided fears. For me, Shana is a safe person to talk to. She has a kind heart that trusts God. She is always gracious and wise with her mouth. Her life honors God and blesses mine. Sitting on her front porch in the sun, chatting away and philosophizing did my heart good.

Then tonight I had one on one time with my sweet twelve-year-old, Holly. We went to the Christmas Tree Shop and bought silly things. She wanted a mood ring and flip-flops. I wanted a Turbie Twist and napkins.

My Holly Dolly

We went out for supper and she told me about her friendships and favorite things to do. Later we watched the stars. She thanked me for “all the stuff I bought her” and told me that she loved being alone with me. She is at a wonderful age, so full of questions and laughter. In her eyes, the world hold nothing but hope right now. I have no intention of shattering that perception. There will be time for reality later on. For now, I’ll let her dream and chatter on about her little friends.

Friendships are one of God’s best gifts. Iron does indeed sharpen iron. God taught us how to love and He calls us friends. He intends for us to pour our lives and hearts into others and tells us to love as He loved.

Nurture your godly friendships. Don’t be afraid to love and share your heart. There is always risk in any relationship, but that is okay. You can’t help but pity people who have never had true friendships because they are so touchy, moody, sensitive or combative: just plain selfish. They usually end up alone and lonely as a result.

C.S. Lewis said it best:

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless–it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

 

Have you thanked God for your friendships? Are you friendly? Are people better for having known you? Or are you someone that people avoid because they never know what they are going to get with you? What changes can you make today to be a better friend?

Christian living, Joy, Random, I know!, Uncategorized ,

Weekend Dribble Drabble

March 30, 2012 Sarah Beals 2 comments

 

Some things that caught my attention this week:

Amusing.

An Amish gang? I was mildly amused by (okay, that’s a lie. I was cracking up)  this article about four Amish women gone “wild”…and taking to cutting off beards. Yup. Hair cutting. It’s the new vandalism in the Amish community. Running around the field with horse mane shears. Come on now, really, Amish moms…can you please get your girls in hand so they will stop this tomfoolery? here

Pondering.

This article by Steve Haftler entitled Morality is Not the Gospel. I have been pondering this article for some time. I know I already posted it. But it is one of those things that the American church struggles with. Doing good and looking right is not the gospel, folks.

Not So Common, Common Sense.

I have an amusing book to recommend, How to Be A Lady. I first fell in love with this little volume while I was waiting for Peter in a Brooks Brothers Store. I was attracted to the rich navy leather binding, which I admit is a shallow reason to pick up a book, but as I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down.

Moms, teaching your daughter good manners is important, but living them out yourself is the real teacher. Not stuffy manners, just common courtesy.

For instance:

“A lady doesn’t ask dating couples when they are getting married. Likewise, she doesn’t ask married couples when or if they are planning to have children.”

“A lady never compliments one person when she is in a group setting. She chooses a moment when the two of them are alone to offer her compliment.”

“A lady graciously accepts a compliment. She does not downgrade herself as if she did not deserve the admiration from the other person. She simply responds with, “Thank you.”

“A lady knows that false congeniality is as obvious as bad false eyelashes.”

The companion book, entitled “As a Lady Would Say” reads in a similar way:

“If a lady realizes, in retrospect, that she is guilty of an unintentionally rude or thoughtless remark, she attempts to set the matter straight, at her earliest opportunity.”

“If a lady is subjected to a rude remark or rude behavior, she does not offer rudeness in return.”

“A lady does not take part in major arguments over minor issues.”

“Faced with the option of using an unusual word or a word likely to be more familiar, she chooses the word that her hearers are more likely to understand.”

I used to think manners were common knowledge, but they are not. With a whole generation of women who grew up without a mother in the home, these  things were clearly not passed along. And there is nothing that makes you shake your head in disbelief quite like a woman with poor manners.

 

Home life. 

We took a few days off this week to go down the Cape. We took the kids to Nausett Beach and enjoyed the completely empty landscape. Gorgeous.

I told the kids to grab their pails and shovels, towels and beach toys…and this is what Hope brought. An empty ice cream container, an empty tennis ball container and a snow fort maker. Why??? We have a shed full of pails and shovels and sand molding toys.

 

This week we celebrated my son Matt’s 15th birthday. He had some friends come over for an airsoft war. He wanted “false teeth” ice cubes for the drinks. Boys!– So different than girls! (I know. News flash! ha ha) I love him so! And I didn’t take ONE picture. sigh.

I also purchased some new throw pillows for my home with a gift card that I got for my birthday. I have a thing about throw pillows…and dishes…and throw blankets.

 

Reading.

I am still reading Love to Eat, Hate to Eat by Elise Fitzpatrick. If you have ever struggled with weight loss or eating disorders, this book is for you. Her “DISCIPLINED” eating questions were excellent:

  1. Doubt: Do I doubt (for whatever reason) that I can eat this food without sinning?
  2. Idolatry: Does eating this particular food demonstrate a heart either of independence—“I can do whatever I want”—or a heart longing for pleasure—“I know that I don’t need this for my sustenance, but I love the feeling of the sweet coldness”?
  3. Stumble: If I eat this, will it cause a weaker Christian to stumble?
  4. Coveting: Am I eating this just because I saw someone else with it and I’m coveting it?
  5. Inroad: If I eat this, will it create an inroad for sin?
  6. Praise: Can I eat this food with thanks and gratitude? Is my heart overflowing with songs of praise to God?
  7. Life: Would eating this food harm my health in any way?
  8. Illustrate: Am I modeling good eating habits for others and encouraging them to be self-disciplined, or do I encourage others to self-indulge?
  9. No: Am I able to say no to this even if I know that I can eat it without sin?
  10. Emotions: Does the desire to eat this flow out of a heart of anger, fear, frustration, or depression?
  11. Distract: Will preparing or eating this food distract me from something better that God has for me to do?
  12. Enslaved: Does it bring me under any kind of bondage?

All of this, of course, can be summed up by one question: In my eating and drinking, am I glorifying God? (1 Corinthians 10:31). I am going through this book with a woman at my church and I have been so blessed by it.

I am also reading Legacy of Faith by Lydia Brownback. I called Rebekah at BJU and told her that this was required reading for her, especially the chapter on waiting for God in the area of dating and marriage. :)

And I have tried to start the Hunger Games two or three times now…but I can just never seem to get into fiction. I am going to try again…soon…ahem.

What are you reading these days? Have a great weekend!

Books I Love, Great Quotes, Random, I know!

DIY Dry Shampoo

March 15, 2012 Sarah Beals 23 comments

Do you wash your hair every day? I don’t.

I have to admit that I use dry shampoo and love it. 

I have extremely thick hair and it takes me so long to dry.  So, washing my hair every other day saves me a lot of time. On the days when I don’t wash my hair, it gets a dry shampoo treatment.

Dry shampoo sales are soaring, because it is a great product! But, instead of paying $10 for an aerosol bottle of dry shampoo, I make my own with 2 simple ingredients:

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup corn starch

Just mix it together in a glass jar. Voila!

To use sprinkle about 1/2 tsp into your hands and rub (like you are using hand cream or like a gymnast covers their hands with chalk)

Flip you head/hair over the sink and massage your roots with the mixture, starting at the base of your head and working towards your forehead. Then run your hands through the rest of your hair evenly. (If you have thick hair, like me, you might have to use a little more.)

Let sit for a minute or two while you put on your makeup.

Comb out with a fine comb. Style as usual.

You are good to go!

**Added tip from reader: If you put it in a shaker bottle you can just sprinkle it on the root area and rub it in. Awesome!


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Do you shampoo every day? What hair products make your life easier? If you’ve blogged about it, feel free to share your links!

Crafts and Decor, Random, I know!, Recipes I Love

What I Love/Hate About Blogging

February 16, 2012 Sarah Beals 20 comments

I’ve had a couple friends ask me about blogging lately, so I thought I would give you my take as a semi-new blogger.

First of all, what I love about blogging:

1. I love that it forces me to put into words what I am learning. (Perhaps it is the effect of the Charlotte Mason method on my life?) I am a very artsy type person, so this whole write-it-using-correct-grammar thing is not my cup of tea. (You may have noticed!) I actually hated grammar in school, and I am sure it showed.

My daughter, Rebekah, is my resident grammarian. She usually emails me(when she can take it no longer!) to tell me in a gentle way that I have made an error. :)  She likes to call them “fun facts.” They look like this:

Rebekah: ”Mom, fun fact: “in case” is two words not one.”

I love her so!

I know that I have learned so much by reading the writings of others, so I am putting down what I am learning for the benefit of others.

2.  I love that there is a world wide potential to tell people about the gospel of Jesus Christ. It can be used as part of the great commission with little to no effort.

3. I love the women I have met blogging. It is unreal that you can develop friendships online, but indeed you can. It is neat to read their “hearts” on their blogs.

4. I love reading your comments. There. I said it. :) A note of encouragement is always a blessing.

Okay, and now for what I hate about blogging:

1. It can be a time waster. A big one. Like a black hole that draws you in. You need to be careful to set a timer or you and your family will loose out!

2. Blogging (especially for income) means that you naturally network. And I am not a huge networker by nature.  In fact, it feels a little seventh gradish, if you know what I mean. So, I tend not to do it unless I have felt a genuine connection/friendship with another blogger.

I am also squeamish about promoting the blog because I am just not that awesome in my own eyes. And I figure that if God wants it to grow, He will see to it. It is that whole sovereignty thing again. Yup. It infiltrates all of life.

3. I tend to feel insecure when I see bigger, better bloggers who are networking their way to a gazillion followers. {Not literally, but that is what it seems like.}

I guess that it is that little “snare of compare” that women struggle with. I have to remind myself that it is okay to be where I am. It is okay if I am not asked to join in the latest blog party of this or that.

And if this were one of my kids writing this very same thing, I would tell them that

a) it is their own fault for not being friendly enough, and 2) to stop with the pouting. So, there you have it.

Do you have a love/hate relationship with blogging? Do you struggle with the same things? What advice would you give a new blogger?

 

blogging, Random, I know!
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