Hi Everyone!
I am still working on finalizing my plans, resolutions, and goals for 2016! I know, I should have ironed all this out earlier, but at least I have been *thinking* about it for a long time.
That counts, right?
Shortly, I’ll let you all know what I’m looking forward to in the New Year.
A little hint, my word for 2016 is Discipline!
I’m so excited! I’ll see you all shortly!
Someone in one of my planner groups was showing how she incorporates some scrapbooking into her planner, and mentioned a project that she was doing through Ali Edwards‘ blog called December Daily. I checked out the site, and while I haven’t been into scrapbooking so much in a number of years (it takes a LOT of time and dedication), I thought that the idea of recording how I spend these Advent days leading up to Christmas to be an intriguing one. So, I’m going to attempt to do that here.
I had so many ideas for what my main picture was going to be for the day. I was initially thinking that it would be a photo of an exam room, as I had an appointment with my Neurologist today (and a half day at work!). However, the doctor takes you back to the exam room and I felt a little weird asking him if I could take a photo.
Then, I thought – maybe I can take a photo of the library? After all, I have to *renew* my library card, so it’s a little more than just a normal visit. And I do intend on spending less time binge watching Netflix and more time reading books this season.
But, ultimately, I picked something a little more … cozy.
I made soup!
I love soup and I had some veggies to use up. I like how it doesn’t take a ton of time and effort, and then I can put it in some plastic containers and have dinner ready for almost an entire week.
In this soup, I baked a chicken breast and shredded it, adding it to some chicken stock, then chopped up some fingerling carrots, ripped up a bunch of kale, and added a can of chick peas. I decided against putting some kind of noodle or rice in. I suppose I can always add that later, but I probably don’t need the extra carbs anyway.
This is my “Day One” for my December Daily project. Something a little warm and cozy that I enjoy a bit more in the winter months. Soup and reading a book at the dinner table. 🙂
How are you spending your December?
Peppermint is some potent stuff! I was first introduced to peppermint in my introductory class at the Troy Community Center about a month or so ago. It was passed around for us to put a drop in our hand and sniff it. I couldn’t even take a complete breath in — it was strong! But it does give that nice, minty clean feeling in your nasal passages and throat, similar to Vicks Vaporub.
Since I really wanted to give essential oils a good, fair trial, I also got a book about them, so that I could learn about each oil, its uses and applications. (The following facts about peppermint are from the book, “The Essential Life,” by Total Wellness Publishing.)
Peppermint is listed as being good for:
And has the following properties:
Now for my personal experience with peppermint. It’s a little mixed, and I’ll tell you why…. It’s potent! This is one of the oils which is listed with a safety warning: “Dilute for topical application as may cause skin sensitivity.” THIS IS NO JOKE, PEOPLE! A friend stated that she used peppermint topically on her forehead and back of the neck for headache relief, so when I had a headache, I decided to give it a try.
I forgot that I have sensitive skin.
So, I ended up with a huge rash and a bad allergic reaction. Like, affecting my breathing bad. The rash lasted for about a week and a half and then went away, but it was red, raised and itchy while I had it.
Moral of the story: pay attention to any warnings that are on the oils! Some are not meant to be ingested, some may be irritating for sensitive skin, etc. There are carrier oils, like fractionated coconut oil or almond oil that you can use to dilute the essential oils, and these may be helpful for some of the more irritating oils.
While I’m sitting here typing out this post, I have a cough from a mild cold. Since my essential oil book is right here, I decided to look up what you can use to treat coughs. In order of efficacy, they suggest lemon, cardamom, respiration blend, peppermint, and cinnamon. I only have the peppermint, so I decided to give that a try. I put 2 drops in an 8 oz glass of cold water and have been sipping on that while writing. Since it’s in my glass, I can also inhale it as I sip. It has helped my cough somewhat. Better than a cough drop, actually. Be careful not to exhale into the glass with your eyes open, you don’t want to get peppermint into your eyes!
So, you may have heard about essential oils from a friend, or heard about someone trying them. At the moment, it’s kind of the “in” thing to do, along with buying trendy, healthy food from Whole Foods or Fresh Thyme or Trader Joe’s. At some point, you will probably try some, just to see what all the hype is about.
This more or less is me. Just to let you know where I’m coming from, I am a big skeptic when it comes to these things. I am a firm believer in modern medicine and science. I think medications made by pharmaceutical companies work because they have researched the exact component or chemical needed to be efficacious for some disease process or the other, and have found a way to replicate or isolate this component, so that you are getting precisely the effect you are going for.
There are pros and cons to everything in life.
I recently attended a seminar on essential oils, willing to hear their side of the argument and find out for myself what it’s all about. I’ll tell you right now, I suck at direct sales and am a much better consumer than salesperson, so I’m not here to pitch you a line or make you buy anything from me. I *am* here to try out this line of products and give you my brutally honest opinion. Like anything else, if it’s a quality product, its got nothing to fear from a little scrutiny, right?
Here are some pros, coming from someone who has made selling doTERRA their full-time job:
I’m sure there were a lot more benefits that I’m not remembering at the moment. What I was left with was a few questions….
All this being the case, I am going to be writing articles on my findings and publishing them here. I’m hoping that the essential oils will win out over my skepticism. I really do. I am intrigued by the idea of being able to take care of things on my own without resorting to a whole medicine cabinet of prescription drugs.
Since I post a lot of different things on my blog, I’ll be tagging these posts with “doTERRA” and “essential oils,” so feel free to search/filter by these tags. 🙂 Join me on the journey! And feel free to ask me any questions along the way! I will try to find an answer for you.
Thing have been CRAZY around here! You would think that a girl with as many planner as I have would be able to stay sane… Well, yes and no. I have been working a lot of overtime, which is my preference, but between that, grad school, and extracurriculars, I don’t have a lot of down time for myself and it’s starting to take its toll. I don’t have a good diet at the moment. Nor any sort of exercise routine to speak of. I desperately need to clean the house (although a friend helped quite a bit recently). This week, I think I’m going to take a hard look at my time commitments and make a plan for fitting some of these things in. Please keep me in your prayers and keep cheering me on! 🙂
Speaking of my Mitochondrial Myopathy… This week is Mitochondrial Awareness week. My particular disease is a neuromuscular disorder, most consistent with MELAS. It is progressive and terminal. But this doesn’t stop me from trying to do everything that I love, sometimes to the dismay of my friends. However, I recently came across a quote that I just love:
Will I someday be standing with scars to give account before Him that I wasn’t about my own comfort but Christ’s call, that I didn’t make my life about safe living but about dangerous dying, that I didn’t escape into a neat, saved American dream but into a messy, mission-driven God-sized demand, H/T
I think this sums me up pretty nicely.
Papa! My favorite family made the front page of the Free Press! Not only that, but they are currently in Philadelphia trying to cozy up to Pope Francis! What an awesome adventure! I am praying for their trip and for God to bless them with His grace. Love you guys!
I guess I only have 3 Quick Takes this week…
God Bless!
For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t the Lyceum!
Fr. John has been breaking down and discussing events and issues surrounding the Holy Father, Pope Francis’s, trip to the US. Well worth a watch! Enjoy!
Daily Pontiffications #1
Daily Pontiffications #2
Daily Pontiffications #3
Daily Pontiffications #4
I’ll keep this page updated as new Pontiffications are published!
God Bless!
This is the first sticker review that I’ve done as a blog post, and mostly so I could bombard you with a metric ton of photos of these super cute stickers! 🙂 My apologies to those readers who are not part of the planner community… (But perhaps you’ll enjoy the cuteness nonetheless…)
I met Monica a few weeks ago at a meet-up for Michigan planners in Lansing. There were a few girls there, Monica included, who ran Etsy shops which sold planner supplies. I took note of them to check out later, since I like supporting local businesses, especially owners whom I have met personally.
Shipping was super fast! The shipping label was printed one day, picked up by USPS the next day, and in my mailbox on the third!
And just look how adorable they are:
Sampler Sheet included with the order
These monster library book stickers are my absolute favorite! So stinking cute! Now I need to check more things out from the library, just so I can use them!
Don’t these look like the perfect stickers to record your hopes, dreams, and goals in your planner?
I probably need to make more of an event when I *actually* cook, as opposed to when I eat out/get fast food. Extra kudos if I make an actual meal, instead of cereal.
Directly related to the previous sticker set, as I’m not likely to make a meal unless I meal plan and go to the grocery store to get the necessary ingredients.
For home improvement events
Last but not least, one of my goals this season is to learn a little more about football. Which means watching more games.
I hope you enjoyed seeing these as much as I enjoyed receiving them. If you would like to order some of your own, please head over to Peanut Butter Taco on Etsy.
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I’ve always loved the start of a new school year! I love learning, and there’s something intoxicating about the smell of new office supplies. After a three year hiatus, I have returned to grad school as of the past Spring semester. Today, I start classes for Fall semester. I will be taking Synoptics and Foundations of the Christian Moral Life. I can’t wait to begin!
With me in the photo are Brandon (my co-worker, who is on his 17th year of school), and Jarrod (my supervisor, on year 24 and his 2nd Master’s degree). We thought it would be fun to add our photos to the slew of “First Day” photos cropping up on Facebook.
This is how it always goes, right?
This morning, I saw that I had some mandatory eLearning training to complete, so I made myself a tea (not coffee, shocker!) and settled into my computer to complete the modules between calls. Since I was nice and cozy, I even played some Enya on YouTube and thought about what a nice, peaceful morning it was at work.
Then, excitement ensues. The idea of a quiet, cozy morning is replaced with something else. Not a bad thing, as I like the excitement, but isn’t this typical?
I was able, eventually, to return to my cold tea and finish my eLearnings.
I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. I love my job! 🙂
If you are like me, you may find yourself locked away at your office for hours and days on end. At which point, you may need to find creative ways to survive. 🙂 Today, I bring you tip #1:
Whatever Works, Bro!
It seems that this tip tends to occur around meal logistics. Like, when I bring something for lunch/dinner, but forget to bring the necessary dishes/utensils. This happens more often than you might think.
Today, I had brought in some soup, but neglected to think that I might need a bowl and a spoon to eat it. So I looked in the kitchen cupboards and found a bowl-shaped object and a spoon. Score!
As you can see, I think I’m eating out of someone’s grandma’s candy dish, but I’m making it work! (Plus, as a side benefit, it makes a lovely clinking sound as I dine, almost like we are being all fancy up in here!)
Another fine example of this is the Coffee Filter Popcorn Bowl:
What odds and ends have you found around the office to make a meal happen?
P.S. Let me know if you liked this post. I’m thinking about keeping it around as a regular series.
Paroxysm of Giggles / Critical Mass 