Safety Net

When do you know if the safety net is keeping you from falling, or keeping you from flying?

As I sit here in my safety net, knowing it is taking care of my ability to fall, I wonder how long I can keep relying on the safety net, to provide me strength and comfort.  To be a scapegoat for my inability to stay on the tightrope.  It allows me to fail, it allows me to fall, yes it does provide stability while I’m learning how to walk the path I desire to go down, but if I’m spending more time falling to the net, and waiting there, and climbing back up to where I’m supposed to be, than I am spending on the tightrope. Is the net keeping me safe or hindering my true potential?  

Thoughts for Reflection:

Proverbs 91

Ephesians 3:14-21

Philippians 4:11-13

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Admire the Success of Others for Inspiration and not for Comparison

 

 It is super easy to take in a casual Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram session of wondering what other folks are doing, and go from “oh wow that is neat”, to “oh they’re amazing and I am never going to even come close to their brilliance”. It starts out as a friendly look at all the pretty things, and then it turns ugly.

Playing the comparison game can bring about frustration, looking at what others are doing and not matching up.  Slowly I’ve come to understand that comparing myself to others, was not only discouraging me, but it was also ruining my motivation, and my inspiration.  I would go from excited to create, to nearly despair just by seeing someone else's success.  How easy it is to compare yourself unfairly, to go toe to toe with a giant of your own making.  

Comparison often brings unfair assumptions, serving to discourage and frustrate.  We only see other people’s successes, and carefully crafted failures.  We create the truth we share with others.  Never posting about our failures unless it benefits us in some way, this is human nature, a vanity if you will. We show off our white picket fence perfect life, filtering out the weeds and droughts.

If you see something beautiful, allow yourself to be inspired, encouraged, and uplifted. Don’t burden yourself with envy and comparison.  You can choose to create contentedness where you are, and seek out what your soul loves. You choose what road your life will follow, choose the narrow.  You can choose to be discouraged or uplifted, the decision is yours.

Go. Create. Inspire.

For your reflection:

Philippians 4:4-8

Proverbs 23:17-18

Matthew 7:13-14

Ecclesiastes 4:4,8

Baby Blanket for my Niece

Here's a baby blanket a made for my beautiful niece :) 

 

Fixing up the house resources in the Twin Cities using reclaimed items

Home owning can get expensive, especially when you have fun and exciting things you want to do, but limited funds.

Habitat for Humanity, has a ReStore which you can donate and buy used items, I think that would be a great place to drop off my mirrored closet doors... those things are hideous....

Betterhomes and Garbage has some awesome reclaimed items, I saw myself drooling over some of their millwork, and I think the hubby and I might be getting a few things from there some day!

Bauer Brothers have a resale store too, with some very cool items.

UofMN has a reuse program too, with items for resale. check out their FB page for pictures

MN materials exchange has some interesting items. not a lot, but it might have something unique

and if those resources run out, there are always many other options to be researched at a later time.

Awesome looking (and smelling) soap

This one I upped the coconut to 45% and super fatted at 20

I used 1 tsp paprika (target brand) I'm gonna guess if you use a higher grade you'll get a different color, but I'm not disliking the amber gold/ pink pumpkin color.

I did a fragrance this time, and I think I still did it too light but I won't know till I try it. And even though its hot processes, I still like to let it cure a week or two so the bars get nice and hard.

Moisturizing Shampoo Bar Soap

I am love love loving my Shampoo Bar soap! 

If I were to write a blurb for it I would say something like this:

Can you have it all??  Of course you can!

An All natural moisturizing shampoo bar without nasty chemicals! This gentle shampoo bar has a soft creamy conditioning lather, which leaves your hair feeling soft, healthy and moist!  Rich in Vitamins A, B & E and essential fatty acids.  Containing only the highest quality oils!

Here is the All-Star Cast:

• Organic Coconut Oil: Contains polyphenols which help with weather and sun damaged skin and hair
• Castor Oil: Contains Ricinoleic Acid which is a humectant and offers anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.
• Olive Oil: Considered anti-inflamatory, containing Oleic Acid which aids skin cell regeneration, and has humectant properties.
• Avacado Oil: Easily absorbed by skin and hair this oil is high in Vitamins A E and B, which is known for helping skin with sun damage, skin protection and cell regeneration.
• Hemp Seed Oil: An excellent addition to soap this oil is known for its abilities to soothe UVB damage, moisturize and offers anti oxidiants, and vitamin A.
• Cocoa Butter: Reduces dryness and increases elasticity, also high in vitamin E.
• Refined Shea Butter: Moisturizes and helps many skin problems such as stretch marks, and scars.

A disclaimer for everyones benefit: Products and claims presented have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. Information provided is for informational purposes only.

Fun things to do with kids!

Spring is right around the corner, and its kind of exciting thinking that its going to be easier to get out and do fun stuff with the kids again.  In the winter it seems like we're bogged down with school, and work and short daylight hours.  It just seems like more work to get out and about. So now that we're thinking about activities, here are some free, some not so free options for the family!

We live in the NW Twin Cities Metro area, so a lot of these links will be for that area, but the ideas are universal! Get out and enjoy the world :)

Stand by, I'll be adding more as we go!

Go Skating!

Who doesn't like to skate?  I know some of my girls love to skate, and what better way to get them some exercise!  Try going here,  or maybe here.   A lot of places have family nights or 2 dollar tuesdays!

Go Biking!

Hopefully you live in a wonderful area like I do where there are riding paths and safe places that you can ride as a family.  From where we live we only have to ride a block or two down to the trail and hop on there, then we can ride up to 8 miles away and come back agian :)  Might be a bit tough on the littler ones to keep up on such a long journey, but not bad at all for the hubby and me. 
http://www.ci.blaine.mn.us/_docs/maps/Trail-BunkerNorthtownCorridor.pdf

http://www.ci.blaine.mn.us/_docs/_parksandrecreation/atlas/2010_south_blaine.pdf

Go to the Beach!

My city has a park beach, its free for residents which is great for us, it has a beach, splash pad for the little kids, and canoes kayaks, and other fun stuff to do. 
http://www.ci.blaine.mn.us/index.cfm?id=900797

Go Mini Golf, Bowling, PaintBall, 

Go Indoor Rock Climbing!

Go to the Childrens Musuem!  The one in St Paul has every 3rd Sunday Free!

Go to the Science Museum!

Go to a Firefighers Museum. How cool is that?!

Go to the ZOO!  Tell me what kid doesn't love the ZOO!

Go to the COMO Zoo ...its free! What Parent doesn't like a FREE ZOO?!

Go to the Nature Center!

Go to a Park! in Minneapolis,  I'm sure the Minnehaha Falls and Pergola Garden are awesome.

Go FISHING!!

Discover Local History, Check out the Minnesota Historical Society

Go to the Mill City Museum in Downtown Minneapolis

Go to the Bakken Museum! Learn about electricity! Free every Second Saturday in 2013!

Go to the Bell Musuem of Natural History it's free on Sundays.

Go for a Train Ride! 

Go see some Planes at the MN national guard post.

Go see some Plants, at the Arboretum, free on Thursdays!

Go see some ART!

Go to the Farmers Market! Fresh Local grown food, what can be better?!
(off topic and speaking of food, find your local CSA http://www.localharvest.org/)