This post contains an affiliate link. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

When I started selling cosmetics six years ago, I hadn’t really considered direct sales before.  The business sort of fell in my lap.  We’d been using Arbonne skincare products for my little one’s eczema.  The baby line was so effective, I just needed to share it with others.  I registered as a consultant and worked that job, too.  So many people fell in love with the products that I was placing orders weekly to fill all the requests.   Working was FUN!!  It was nice to set my own schedule based around my family.  I also loved having “girl time” with my friends and customers.  I spent a couple of years teaching full-time and running my business but had to make the tough decision to slow down when my family grew a little larger and my health went downhill.  I’m still a consultant, though I no longer do it for the income.  At this point it’s just a hobby.  Longtime customers still contact me to place orders.  We continue to use Arbonne products for our family.  I’ve always wondered where it might have ended up if I’d been able to continue my business.  Would I have met those goals that I set for myself?  Would my family be in a better financial position?  Would I be able to work from home full-time the way I’d dreamed?  Having that regret, however small, weighs on my heart sometimes.  [Read more…]

This post contains affiliate links.

Hey kids, here’s a chance for YOU to get a freebie.  Starting today, keep track of the books you read over the summer.  Print out this log and write down the titles.  Once you finish reading 8 books, just take your completed log sheet to your nearest Barnes and Noble store.  You can cash in that log for a FREE book!   Best of all, you have until September 3 to finish your 8 books, so there’s plenty of time to get that freebie.  If none of the books on the freebie list appeal to you, or if you’ve read them all, you can grab your freebie as a gift for a sibling or friend.  Barnes and Noblem offered this summer reading program last year, too, and I’m really happy to see it back.  The program is open from grades 1-6.

Check out the books on your shelf and see if there are any that you haven’t read yet.  Charge your Kindle and get some ebooks going.   Head to the library and ask what’s new.  If you’re not into reading, see if your library has some books you can download to your iPod.   Don’t try to get by with just watching the movie.  All the adults in your life are right when they tell you that the book is almost always better than the movie.  Plus, these are some serious brownie points you can earn with your parents and next year’s teacher.

Need some book suggestions to get you started?  Check out the Staff Picks. [Read more…]

My heart broke over and over tonight for those souls in OK who are experiencing such a terrible tragedy.   As we watched the news, I was so thankful for the blessing of a sunny day and my sweet babies being safe at home tonight.   Hearing about those third grade babies who were killed in the storm was just too awful for words.    Families and friends of those who were killed, tonight my prayers go up on your behalf.  Those of you who lost your home, I  will be praying for you, too.  I saw this posted on Facebook tonight and hope that it might help someone looking for shelter:

Oklahoma insurance Comissioner Doak just said that Oklahoma Baptist University has opened up 160 dorm rooms FREE OF CHARGE for displaced tornado survivors. You’re to call the Presidents office or just show up and ask for the presidents office. Here are two numbers.  405-275-2850 or 405-878-2402

It’s wonderful to know there are still good people in the world.  God bless you as you recover from this horrible event.

My garden is a constant source of happiness for me. I can find something to do every time I go out….from picking maple-seed “helicopters” out of the beds to weeding the strays that have cropped up in between the plants. Now that spring has come full circle, the garden is producing enough for us to supplement each meal with a little bit of fresh produce. Most nights I clip a few bok choy leaves or spinach thinnings to add our dish that night. Pasta with veggies is one of my favorite meals. When the kids are eating pizza or something else that doesn’t appeal to me, I usually throw together some garden goodness with whatever is in the cabinet. Tonight, this was the creation.

It had been a few days since I harvested anything so there was a lot to choose from. [Read more…]

This post is brought to you by My Hip-T.  Thoughts and opinions shared here are 100% mine.

My shirts are shrinking. It’s a weird phenomenon. It certainly can’t be that I am getting bigger!  Right?!   Now that it’s time to break out the tanks and tees of summer, I am in baby panic mode. What if my shirt rides up? Will everyone see my muffin top? I can’t go out and get a whole new wardrobe for summer, so what’s a girl to do?   Even if you are not a chunky mama like me, you might want to have that trendy layered look without the bulk of wearing two tops. Enter Hip-T!  This lightweight band of fabric goes under your top and shows underneath.  It’s wide enough that you can wear it under your shirt and it still won’t show when you bend over.   You can use it to smooth down problem areas or just wear it to have the look of wearing a color blocked outfit.  Layering without the bulk is easy now! [Read more…]

This post is brought to you by Caron Designs. I received a product to review; the opinions shared here are 100% mine.

The kids get a new wardrobe nearly every season, but mama is still wearing the same old duds from the past five or six years.  Why?  First of all, because I still haven’t lost “the weight.”  That would be the baby weight I gained when my “baby” was not yet 9 years old.  I keep telling myself that eventually I’ll be all skinny again and will want to buy some cute new clothes in small sizes.  Then there’s the money issue.  I just can’t bring myself to purchase new clothes when everything still fits fine.  In the summer we spend most of our time in the pool or in the yard, so there’s no reason for new outfits.   Accessories like “It’s A Wrap” from Caron Designs helps me to wear my current clothes with a fresh new look. [Read more…]

This post contains my affiliate link. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

It’s been raining all day.  I don’t mind so much because I am still worn out from my camping trip with those sixth graders.  Realizing that I’m not a spring chicken anymore was a hard lesson to learn.  Still, it’s not too late to teach this old girl some new tricks.  I’d love to learn something new today and am all excited about the Free Class Day at Craftsy!   Check out the free class offerings here and see if there’s one that floats your boat. [Read more…]

I received this book as part of a blog tour for the Litfuse group. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

When someone tells me that the stories in the Bible didn’t actually happen, this is the book I will hand to them. When Jesus Wept is one of the most incredible examples of making the Bible personal. Lazarus was real to me for the hours that I was enveloped in his world. His friendship with Jesus was true brotherhood. The authors made the history of the Jewish leaders come to life for me. The story was also a perfect picture for the senses. I heard the sounds in the marketplace. I tasted the grapes and dates that were shared among friends. I felt the splash of water as John baptized new followers in the cool river.

Beyond the almost tangible elements of the story, I could also feel the tug of my heart as emotions were played. From grief to fear to cynicism, When Jesus Wept was a true representation of the social and personal relationships in the Bible. [Read more…]

My colleagues and I were musing about the way time just flies.   How often do you stop short when realizing the month is halfway over?  I often forget how old I am. I have socks older than some of the people I work with, yet my brain still registers as 15 years younger. When browsing the classified ads, I am surprised when a 1993 car is being sold for just a couple of hundred dollars.  After all, that car is almost NEW!  Then I realize that it was new in 1993 when I was car shopping for my first vehicle.  Now that same car is 20 years old.  Wow.  [Read more…]

Today I returned from a 3-day trip with my sixth graders to a camp about an hour from our town. Whew!  I’m back to civilization now and downloading book freebies.  Today’s freebie is Sanctus, a thriller that has great reviews on Amazon.

It’s free for Nook and Kindle. The Kindle version is the enhanced edition, which sounds really cool! [Read more…]