Spiral Slicer giveaway- Bring on the curly fries!

You know curly fries are fun, so let's make some!!

InAShoe is hosting a giveaway of a spiral slicer. I'm thinking fun apple curlies and potato curls.  Mmmmm, potato....

Disney Princesses On Ice

SassyFrazz is giving away a family four pack to see Disney on Ice in March.  The boys would get a kick out of seeing people spin and jump around on ice, so I entered to win some tickets.

Go there to enter, wear a tutu and lipstick while you do it! ;)

Apple Valley Natural Soap- scents galore!

Remember when I won that soap giveaway a few days ago?  It was difficult choosing just three because the product description of each soap sounds amazingly appealing.  After reading a little I'd think "Ooooh I could use that!", "Wow that sounds refreshing!", and "They can make soap that does that?"

Fancy stuff here people.  This ain't your grandma's Irish Spring.

After giving it a well thought out decision, I went with the following (note: I just copied and pasted the products name and description right off the Premium Shampoo and Body Bars section of their website )

MAN Shampoo and Body Bar-

This bar is for men, so we’ll get straight to the point. One big grizzly bar. Dual purpose: body and hair. Lots of lather. Invigorating scent. Strong ingredients that deodorize. No specks of stuff in it. Just pure and natural MAN bar. Get the job done.

Herbal Emu Shampoo and Body Bar-

 Formulated for extremely dry hair types, our Herbal Emu bar is full of ingredients that will infuse hair and skin with moisture. This bar is generously enriched with 20% shea nut butter, nourishing wheat germ oil, silky sweet almond oil, hair and skin-loving jojoba oil and finally, our key ingredient: thick and luxurious emu oil, well known for its multitudinous benefits for hair and skin. We’ve also added hydrolyzed wheat protein for strengthening the hair follicle and shaft as well as a delightful, herbal, minty essential oil blend of white thyme, clary sage, spearmint and rosemary…all known for their ability to treat gray hair symptoms. Whether you have graying hair or simply need a super moisturizing treatment for dry, damaged hair and skin, this bar might be for you!

 

Bella Rose Shampoo and Body Bar-

 This delicate, floral scented bar celebrates femininity with flair! Moisturizing mango butter and rich olive, wheat germ, avocado and jojoba oils pack this bar with emollient, conditioning power, while pink kaolin clay and rose hips cleanse toxins from the skin and scalp leaving you with a clean, healthy head of beautiful, easy to manage hair and a silky body softly scented with lovely rose, jasmine and sandalwood essential oils. One customer’s husband said this scent was the perfect aphrodisiac!

Ohhhhhhh Betsy, it's like Christmas over here...  I waited one day after placing my order and bam my soap arrived via USPS mail.  Fast product delivery = happy me!  The box alone had amazing scents rising from it.  I instantly picked up on the minty-ness from within.  In fact, my desk still has a mint aroma around it.  That must have been some good mint...

The package was wrapped every-so-daintily in a clear gift bag and tied with three different colored twine. (If I only had a working cotton-pickin' camera. grrrr).   I immediately unwrapped it and gave my husband his "Man Soap".  I said "Smell this!  Oh my gosh this smells like how a man is supposed to smell!"  

Note: I like men to smell like men.  Think-

 knight-in-shining-armor x Tom-Cruise-in-his-Top-Gun-days + a-dash-of-The-Brawny-Man = man smell.

knight in shining armor

+

 

Tom Cruise aka: Maverick

+

The Brawny Man

=

The way men should smell.

Got it?

Anywho- the first thing Kendall says is "It smells like Old Spice." then he promptly puts it into the shower.  He is currently on an Old Spice kick, utilizing not only their after shave but the deodorant and body gel as well.  Whoa, this guy likes his Old Spice.

Next is my Emu soap- hello minty mama!  This is the bad boy I could smell from the mailbox.  What sold me on this one was the claim: "Whether you have graying hair or simply need a super moisturizing treatment for dry, damaged hair and skin, this bar might be for you!"

Running an electric heater all day every day isn't only hard on your sinuses, it's hard on your skin and hair as well.  Moisturizer is my best friend.  I also tend to have skin on the drier side (read: Sahara Desert skin).  Plus all the natural extracts and oils sounded pretty nifty too. 

I try really hard to consume things in their most natural state.  The only boxed meal in this house is macaroni and cheese and even then it's one of those meals used in a  'break seal in the case of emergency need of consumption' type of moments.  You know,  like when it's 1:30, all three children have low blood sugar, I need a nap, and for cryin' out loud who pooped? kind of moments.  Being able read every single ingredient in this soap was a major bonus in having good confidence there wasn't anything in it that gave a mouse three heads in some lab factory. 

The last soap is my Rose soap that simply smells like a sweet bouquet of roses.  Fresh, spring, floral, subtle, feminine.  These are all words to describe this bar.  I believe it is going to be my Saturday Only soap and not to be used daily, only when I know I'll be around Kendall.  I like smelling a girl around him instead of Dawn dish soap with a touch of Clorox.  The poor guy sometimes needs to be reminded that I am in-fact a girl and not the cleaning lady so smelling like one couldn't hurt.

And about actually using the soap-

I have been using the Emu soap as a moisturizer on my face and elbows.  My poor elbows are so dry that my sweaters stick to them, ew!  I lather the soap between my hands and then rub the minty bubbles on the driest spots.  This far into winter, everything is dried out from being indoors and around drying heaters.  It's like taking a bath in lotion, it feels so good!  Everything about this soap screams- rich moisturizer!

  The best.

Move over Irish Spring, soft and smooth skin here I come!

For more information on these soaps, the website for this small family owned company is linked here:

 Apple Valley Natural Soap



Ernest gets a present

My camera has taken a poop and is no longer in working condition.  I have three, THREE, camera's lined up on the desk that do not work or do not have batteries. 

The battery-less camera's are so pitiful I don't even want to purchase the batteries to make them work.  Oh the insanity.

So we get to see past pictures of my kids!  Squeal!

Aunt Heather is always good for fun surprises in the mail.  This is her Valentine's day package for Ernest.

Mom, I have no small motor skills.  A little help over here?

A bib!  It's Eleanors.  Ernest got candy.  But it's such a cute bib and, trust me, the boy could always use a bib.  Happy second Valentine's day!

Mmmmm, candy candy candy candy.  I love you Aunt Heather! 

You give me the treats mom refuses to buy. 

Baby Eleanor slept the whold time.  Look at all of that sweetness!  I could just dip you in my coffee!

Won't you be my neighbor?

Whoa.

I had an overwhelming response to my previous post.  Facebook, yahoo, comments, private messages, everything short of an ad in the newspaper.  People I didn't even know could give a whoop about me actually read my stuff?    And left comments?

So, in response to the response about my response (got it?), I'm going to go out on a limb with a request:

Would you pretty please click the "follow" button on the right side of the page?  It shows ten people and if my math is correct (and it very well could be since I had a cup of coffee in the last four hours) there are much more than ten faithful followers.

Yes you have to sign up and yada yada yada, but then that's the end and you never have to mess around with it ever again.  Well... as far as I know.  And I don't know much about the whole 'blogosphere'.  But it is with great confidence that it'd be the last time you'd have to deal with signing up for google stuff again.

I'm trying ok?  And I hear the baby crying.  And we've seen this Word Girl five times already.  And where's Ernests diaper?

I gotta go, click "follow"!!!!

God Allows U-Turns

I don't remember the exact date or time that I recommitted my life to Christ.  All I know is, Ethan was born and I hadn't moved to Minnesota yet.

Life was still turned upside down, baby boy and all.  I was "with Kendall" because he was my kids dad.  I was forcing my self to keep up with Kendall, to stick with him.  I still wanted to go back to the bars.  I still didn't want to be in a "commitment" relationship.  My divorce form my first husband had been finalized, but it wasn't final in my heart.

Now I'm a single mom, living with my parents.  My son's dad lives in Minnesota, I live in Texas.  My ex is in Virginia.  I'm broke.  No education.  I have a newborn.  Now what?  Who's going to want this baggage?   Want to sum up my life?  Two words: messed up.

I remember I had Ethan with me as I drove by my old church that I went to for Vacation Bible School and Youth group as a kid.  No, I didn't grow up "in the church", but I had grown close to some of their members over the few time's I had attended that church.  What are the odds that anyone there would recognize me.  If they heard my story would they be disappointed in me?  Would they smile with sympathy?

I pulled into their parking lot, sighed, and said "Okay God, let's talk."

I remembered where their nursery was, so I dropped off Ethan and headed into their service.  I just so happened to be driving by on a Sunday night right before their evening service started.  Perfect timing.  Thanks God.

I went to the balcony because it's usually vacant.  I remember scanning it to see where to sit and I actually recognized an old friend from Youth group!  Wow, what are the odds?  Thanks God.  She recognized me and invited me to sit with her.  I think I was on the verge of tears and just said something along the lines of "I just want to go back to church."

Then the service started.

They had always had an amazing choir, they are Southern Baptist after all.  Announcements.  Soloist sings. "You may be seated."

"Whatever, I'm here to see what you have.  What do you have to offer me?  How are you going to help me?  I'm here seeking something, anything, to change this road I'm on.  I know I have dug my ditch and, let me tell you, I'm laying down in it.  Face down.  Tell me what I have to do, okay?  Whatever, as long as I get it together again."

There was nothing less than a tornado of emotions and thoughts in my head until the pastor started to speak.

And my eyes were opened.

I don't remember much about the sermon except for the part about the book.  Towards the end, he said (written in the way I remember it, thankyouverymuch) :

 "Every one's life is like a book.  You're writing a book, every breath you take is written in the book.  And things are going good.  Then, out of nowhere, you stumble.  A roadblock appears.  And in your book, the ink is spilled.  It smears everywhere.  Your book is a disaster.  It's a complete mess!  But you keep on writing, because you're still breathing.  The ink has spilled pretty badly and has saturated the pages, so for many, sometimes chapters worth, of pages are destroyed and ruined.  But you keep writing.  You're still breathing.  Soon, the ink smears are getting lighter.  As you keep writing your book, the ink gets lighter and lighter with each page turn.  Sometimes it feels like it's taking an eternity, but your pages are becoming cleaner.  Prettier.  Things are looking up again.  If you keep writing your book, and stick with it, you will be able to reach a point where the pages are clean again.  But you must keep writing the book.  Stick with life, and the Lord, and He'll give you the strength to keep writing your book."

I remember listening to him speak.  I also remember holding back sobs and thinking, "Lord!  I really really want to get to some clean pages.  This sucks, I'm not doing this whole life thing right.  What the heck happened?  Get me back to where I belong!"

At the end of the sermon there was an alter call.  The kind of alter call where if you want live your life for the Lord, then get your butt down there and give your heart to the Lord already!  The pastor kept saying "If you have made a decision to give your heart to the Lord tonight, then make it public!  We'd love to pray with you!"  But I knew that wasn't me.  I was already a Christian.  Just a really messed up one.  There's a difference. 

Then he said "I know there are still people who need to come down here.  If you need to rededicate your life to Christ then come down here and we'll pray with you."

Bingo.

I turned to my friend and said "Will you come down there with me?"

She didn't even say anything, just nodded her head.  I grabbed her hand and about pulled the poor girl down the stairs.

We reached the front and an older gentleman in a suit from the late 80's met us there.  I said "I want to rededicate my life to Christ."  He put his hand on my shoulder and said "Well, God always allow u-turns."

AMEN!  I have clung, clung people, to those words.  God does allow u-turns.

The rest is history.  It has been a white knuckled, bloodied knees, cry-yourself-to-sleep adventure from there on. The peace, however, makes it worth it.

I do feel bad for those bad choices I made.  Man oh man do I ever.  People got hurt because of my stinking thinking.  Good people got hurt in the midst of it all.  I do feel bad for it all.  And if you are reading this post, I'm so so so sorry.  I was wrong.  All of my actions "back in the day" were so selfish and unnecessary.  I have carried those hurts for many years.  And I've had to purposely give them to the Lord, repeatedly. 

At this point in my life, I'm still working through them.  The Devil likes to dangle those memories in my face and tell me 'I'm no good' and 'I still have it in me to act like that'.  And day after day, I give them all to the Lord. 

Remind me, Lord, that I am forgiven.  Use this testimony for good, let it be a help an encouragement for those out there in the world that I encounter.  Let me give hope to those out there who could use some hope.  Let me be the salt of the earth like you have asked of me. 

I am no longer ashamed.  I'm a woman on fire for the Lord.  A gal who wants to tell the world "Hey, I know what it's like.  Been there.  Done that.  And those scars will fade but they never go away.  I'll show you where to get some peace."

Inorder to be Merrier, you must first become a Mohr

How "I" became "us".

The night Kendall proposed.  Apparently I had never heard of 'sunlight' or 'bronzer' in this picture.  He had always had a goatee, but that night he shaved clean.  His mother 'volunteered' to watch Ethan so we could have a dinner by ourselves.  We sat by the fireplace and there were fresh purple flowers waiting for us on the table.  I shoulda known he was up to something.  Our dinner was at Carlsona Beach Supper Club (no plastic silverware and paper napkins at this fancy resort!). 

 Sad to say, it did burn down.  I'll always remember it.

Our engagement picture! 

Pure and simple; just two people in love. 

His mother took this picture of us on their property up in northern Minnesota. 

 It was Christmas eve.

Our first kiss as husband and wife.   At the end of his vows he said "meow".  His mother even got it on tape.

A little Lutheran church up north.  I had one friend that flew out from Washington state to be my maid of honor.  Everyone who attended was from his side of the family, none of my family was able to make it.  My parents were on speaker phone using my cell phone that I held in my bouquet.

Ethan.  I now remember he did have Ernest's light hair color as a toddler! He was one year and one month old when we got married.

My maid of honor, Melissa.  Isn't she gorgeous?  She caught the red eye to fly in and was at work on Monday morning, what a trooper.  She also wore cowboy boots and daisy dukes to the rehersal. 

 I love this girl.

Our wedding pictures were taken on a nearby beach, between the church and reception hall.  Gorgeous day in June, stunning in every way.

I've always had a thing for guns. 

 Our photographer was a complete blessing.  He shot our wedding at nearly a fraction of the cost he charges because our original photographer fell through.  He and his wife stayed and ate at the reception, she was expecting their second child at the time. 

And our honeymoon. 

 Las Vegas. 

 I was pregnant, nauseated, tired, and didn't want to be there. 

But it was fun to get out and see the country.  Plus Kendall let me have the window seat, something he has reminded of a few times since then. 

Thanks honey. I love you, too.