life lessons

“Prosperity is a way of living & thinking,
& not just money or things.
Poverty is a way of living & thinking,
& not just a lack of money or things.”

~ Eric Butterworth

Wow. To see these particular words right now is ... yeah.

Today when hubby got home from work he told me that it is no longer a matter of if they will be laid off from work, but when. So we don't know when, or for how long. This ... sucks.I guess the sad part is that it did not have to be this way. But thanks to a dead grumpy old man, it is.

I try so hard to keep a positive outlook on my life. I am the one who always tells hubby to not worry so much. And now here I am, the one who is worried. So is hubby, but I expected that.

I'm not sure what is in store for us, I just try to think positive that it will all be just fine. We will make it. Somehow, we always do. Sometimes with a little financial aid, sometimes by shear luck?

I'm not sure how exactly to go about my positive views for this new situation put before us. I know I will find a way. Perhaps reading a bit of The Secret, or something from Dr. Dyer. Perhaps thru some deep thinking. Somehow... it will come.

media hype

Longer lashes, more lashes, thicker lashes …. Why? Just because the TV commercials say that is what we should have? Because stars all have long thick lashes?

I know someone who is using the stuff to grow more eyelashes. Why? Because they think what they have is not enough. Because there is something that can give them more. If the product were not available, we’d be happy with what we have. If the longer, thicker mascara stuff were not out there, we’d again be happy with what we have. Why then do we feel the need to buy these things?

Granted, I am not a regular makeup wearer. I own some, & I have worn it. But I do not on any sort of regular basis put the stuff on my skin. Why? Because I don’t feel the need to live up to what society says we should be doing. Why can we not accept the natural beauty of all women? Why do we hide behind the layers & layers of makeup, including those lovely eyelashes?

My personal opinion is that we should all learn to love the natural beauty we have been given. I feel we should give our skin the chance to breathe. I feel we should be cleansing it with natural things; allowing the natural glow & beauty to come thru. I feel that if we all paid more attention to our diets & lifestyles, we would see that we really don’t need to hide behind the chemicals of mascara & makeup.

And if you keep your mascara for too long, it grows bacteria. Which, are then put where? Right there by your eyes, giving them quick & easy entry to your body. Why would we subject ourselves to this? Thanks Hollywood! Thanks to all the stars out there who are always wearing the newest mascara & makeup, & telling us about it. Encouraging us to go out & try it so we can all look as glamorous as them. But we don’t. We don’t look like them because we are not them. We are everyday women. We have everyday lives & everyday bodies. Wearing the mascara or makeup they get paid to promote will not change us. Yet we continue to buy it.

I know I’m on my soapbox here & that many will disagree with me. That’s fine… we are all entitled to our opinions, which is exactly what all my words are here … my opinion.

Back when I worked as a photographer for a company, they wanted me to dress a certain way & wear makeup. We compromised with some of the clothes & most of the makeup. And it worked out fine for all involved. I did my job well … even if I was not dressed up or in full makeup. My skills as a photographer were not connected to what I wore, either on my face or my body.

Society has such a huge impact on all aspects of our lives. We as a whole don’t think for ourselves, but go by what advertising, TV, peers, you name it … tell us. Obviously this all goes way beyond makeup.

Ok anyway ... there, I got it off my mind & out there.

HFCS in Mountain Dew

This past summer Mt Dew came out with a Throwback Dew that was made with real sugar instead of the HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup). The taste was fantastic & the more my daughter brought home & we bought, the more we were hooked. Well, when it was gone, I drank no more Dew. I was kinda sad since I had really enjoyed the new formula & back in the day I enjoyed the Dew too.

The other day when the kids & I went out, I grabbed a Mt Dew. Yeah ... with the old HFCS. After just a few swigs, I had a icky feeling in my tummy. I enjoyed the taste ... but only kind of. It just wasn't the same as the Throwback formula. It took me 2 days to finish it.

Why is it so hard to just go natural & use real sugar? I found out that in Canada they wont accept HFCS in their ketchup so Heinz makes it for them with sugar. Why not make it that way all over? The only ketchup I can find without it is Organic.

In many ways, we have gone natural & dont think twice about it & will not switch back. I wish people would demand more of it so more companies would have to make it that way.

Maybe one day ....

Making your own deodorant

Sounds crazy huh? Well, I guess for some it would sound way too hippie like. To me, it is a natural next step.

Last year (or has it been longer now?) I switched to an aluminum free deodorant. It took my body some time to adjust but now it works pretty darn well. I am happy to say that leaving the aluminum behind has been a great move for me.

So I came across this site called The Alternative Consumer which had a post about making your own deodorant here. A friend on Facebook shared it, so I read about it & promptly shared it again!

How much simpler can it get than mixing some Baking Soda, Cornstarch, Coconut Oil & scent? Not much!

I love the idea & plan to try it once my current stick is gone so I have a container to use (as suggested). So what do you think about the idea of making your own personal hygiene products like this?

Welcome to November

So here we are already into November. Where does the time go these days? It seems to pass so slowly as it happens, yet when we look back we wonder how it flew so fast.

Samhain passed without any flair this year. I had begun to try planning some small something for the evening on the 31st but had little interest from my hubby so it just passed. There was much thought in my mind & heart tho as the evening went along.

I did some reading on the history of Samhain & Halloween. It was all very interesting & will help me in years to come.

Another something we had wanted to do was a Pagan style vow renewal for our 10th Wedding Anniversary. That special day is November 5th. It seems to have gotten pushed aside but with good reason. I'm sure the right time will present itself & we will do it then.

The good reason was a move that came up suddenly. After so long hunting for a place to live, one was presented that we never thought of as an option. So we had to move super fast to take advantage & make it all come together. We moved one building over & to a downstairs unit.

We did a really nice simple cleansing before we moved in. This was the first time we (myself, hubby & oldest daughter) have been able to do something like this at the actual move in time. It felt good too! We then moved the salt in first, before anything else was carried in. It feels good to be here & amazingly different than the old upstairs unit.

When we spend time inside here, it feels like the outside world just goes away. It is warm, inviting & so comfy. Spiritually, it feels so much better than the other place. We feel at home here.

I am looking forward to my spiritual side growing while we are here. I feel it already!