In a couple of days I will be heading to my hometown of Cleveland, OH. I'll be there not only to see my family but also to have a very, very small sale. That is right- I'm selling the miniatures that I love to make. The National Association of Miniature Enthusiast (you did know we existed- right???) is having the National Conference in Cleveland, OH. I have posted some pictures on my blog so that my friends can view this extraordinary hobby of mine and my extraordinary miniaturist can see my creations and contact me about ordering some.
By the way, I hope to be up and running with some more laughs soon. In just a few weeks I will begin as the VP of Fundraising for our school. Did I mention that I have never done anything like this before???? Help- what am I doing????? Yes, you can bet that there will be some rather funny (and embarrassing) incidents coming up in my life. I do have the comfort that God has already begun His plans to get me out of the trouble I am just now getting into! Until then, have a great mini day!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Today I have severe acne.
I know I haven't posted in a while and someday soon I will tell you all about it. For now I will just say that this last year and a half has been a crash course in faith and love. I learned how to choose faith and God showed me how incredibly much He loves me.
But for now, on to the problem of the day. Today I have severe acne. That is right- I am 36 years old and I still have acne. This is a really frustrating problem. Honestly, I have done my time as a teenager with all of the insecurities and young love/heartbreaks. Haven't I earned an acne free face at this point??? I mean really- live isn't fair! For those of you with beautiful skin, let me fill you in on this problem. The make-up I get to cover over my zits (and yes they are big enough to be called zits) just looks dry and accentuates my wrinkles (did I mention that I am 36?). On the other hand, the make-up I use to camouflage my wrinkles just slides right off the zits. Can't someone come up with make-up for both problems??? I'm not the only one right??? So what's a gal to do?
I decided it was time to take action. I believe taking action is a guiding principle in my life. Unfortunately, the actions I take aren't always the right actions. For instance, I decided it was time to purchase an acne facial wash/lotion system thingy to take care of these mountains on my face. So I purchase the 4 step acne system because the orange color caught my eye and I was in a hurry. However, I didn't notice the "Severe" acne title until a few days later.
You see, when I got home I started using it right away. This will be a quick and easy fix right? Wrong. The first few days I used the system nothing, I mean nothing happened. There was retinol to use at night and the directions said to massage it into your skin. Oh baby, did I massage. I wanted this acne gone. Finally, after about 3 days I did notice a difference. When I woke up my face was on fire! My cheeks were flaming, flaky and funky. Let me tell you Dutch people don't tend to have small dainty cheeks either- no our cheeks are round and fleshy. I looked like a red light telling everyone to stop and stare. That was when I decided to check the label. And right there on the label I read that one little word "SEVERE". Oops! That is also when I found out that there was a system for sensitive skin, dry skin, and normal skin. I did not, however, find a system for wrinkled and acne prone skin- one can always dream... So was the red, flaming, painful, ugly looking skin worth it? No way! I still have the zits on my face.
But that made me think. How many times do we try to fix ourselves and fail? How many times do we try to take action to fix something that is wrong? How often do we do "penance" or try to make up for our failures instead of turning to God? The truth is that all God wants from us is not sacrifice to make up for our sins but a humble heart willing to say we can't do it on our own. Just like using a 4 step program didn't change the internal cause of my zits, following a 4 step program won't change our hearts either. Only God can change our hearts. And He wants our willing, humble hearts more than anything. Don't end up with a flaming face, just turn to God to give you water that will eternally satisfy you today.
But for now, on to the problem of the day. Today I have severe acne. That is right- I am 36 years old and I still have acne. This is a really frustrating problem. Honestly, I have done my time as a teenager with all of the insecurities and young love/heartbreaks. Haven't I earned an acne free face at this point??? I mean really- live isn't fair! For those of you with beautiful skin, let me fill you in on this problem. The make-up I get to cover over my zits (and yes they are big enough to be called zits) just looks dry and accentuates my wrinkles (did I mention that I am 36?). On the other hand, the make-up I use to camouflage my wrinkles just slides right off the zits. Can't someone come up with make-up for both problems??? I'm not the only one right??? So what's a gal to do?
I decided it was time to take action. I believe taking action is a guiding principle in my life. Unfortunately, the actions I take aren't always the right actions. For instance, I decided it was time to purchase an acne facial wash/lotion system thingy to take care of these mountains on my face. So I purchase the 4 step acne system because the orange color caught my eye and I was in a hurry. However, I didn't notice the "Severe" acne title until a few days later.
You see, when I got home I started using it right away. This will be a quick and easy fix right? Wrong. The first few days I used the system nothing, I mean nothing happened. There was retinol to use at night and the directions said to massage it into your skin. Oh baby, did I massage. I wanted this acne gone. Finally, after about 3 days I did notice a difference. When I woke up my face was on fire! My cheeks were flaming, flaky and funky. Let me tell you Dutch people don't tend to have small dainty cheeks either- no our cheeks are round and fleshy. I looked like a red light telling everyone to stop and stare. That was when I decided to check the label. And right there on the label I read that one little word "SEVERE". Oops! That is also when I found out that there was a system for sensitive skin, dry skin, and normal skin. I did not, however, find a system for wrinkled and acne prone skin- one can always dream... So was the red, flaming, painful, ugly looking skin worth it? No way! I still have the zits on my face.
But that made me think. How many times do we try to fix ourselves and fail? How many times do we try to take action to fix something that is wrong? How often do we do "penance" or try to make up for our failures instead of turning to God? The truth is that all God wants from us is not sacrifice to make up for our sins but a humble heart willing to say we can't do it on our own. Just like using a 4 step program didn't change the internal cause of my zits, following a 4 step program won't change our hearts either. Only God can change our hearts. And He wants our willing, humble hearts more than anything. Don't end up with a flaming face, just turn to God to give you water that will eternally satisfy you today.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Today my husband moved out and I am so happy!
That is right. My husband told me he can't take the yelling, fighting and screaming anymore. He needed to leave me; he needed some time alone. He knew that it would only get worse when the kids were home over the summer, and he had to get out before that happened. I couldn't agree with him more. It was time for him to go and give me some peace too.
You didn't think I was talking about him leaving ME did you? He finally got a new office space and has left our small home office to work out of the house!!! That yelling and fighting- we do have two kids remember. I can now practice my yoga in private. Do you know how hard it is to explain a reverse triangle when you are trying to balance on one hand and one foot??? I can now look something up on the Internet without telling him why I am on the Lowe's page for the second time that day! I can mop the floor without him walking through the kitchen with dirty shoes on the still wet (and once clean) floor. I can answer the phone again without explaining that it was just another automated call. I could go on, but this blog does need to end at some point. Yes, I too can have peace!
In all seriousness, I need to give God the credit. He must have given us each supernatural grace. It was hard to have my privacy invaded every day, 24 hours a day; and I know it was hard for my husband to have so many interruptions. His departure from our home really did help him NOT to leave our home for good... In the last seven months, we have seen God provide for us. We were always able to make our mortgage payments, feed our kids, and even laugh along the way. God has provided us (yes, I am including myself in that us because I now have my house back) with a really great office space that met some very particular needs. We were able to hire one employee back just days before he got an offer from someone else. God took care of every detail. It is not always easy trusting God because he has an uncanny way of providing what you need at the VERY last minute. But one thing is for certain- he will always provide what you need today.
You didn't think I was talking about him leaving ME did you? He finally got a new office space and has left our small home office to work out of the house!!! That yelling and fighting- we do have two kids remember. I can now practice my yoga in private. Do you know how hard it is to explain a reverse triangle when you are trying to balance on one hand and one foot??? I can now look something up on the Internet without telling him why I am on the Lowe's page for the second time that day! I can mop the floor without him walking through the kitchen with dirty shoes on the still wet (and once clean) floor. I can answer the phone again without explaining that it was just another automated call. I could go on, but this blog does need to end at some point. Yes, I too can have peace!
In all seriousness, I need to give God the credit. He must have given us each supernatural grace. It was hard to have my privacy invaded every day, 24 hours a day; and I know it was hard for my husband to have so many interruptions. His departure from our home really did help him NOT to leave our home for good... In the last seven months, we have seen God provide for us. We were always able to make our mortgage payments, feed our kids, and even laugh along the way. God has provided us (yes, I am including myself in that us because I now have my house back) with a really great office space that met some very particular needs. We were able to hire one employee back just days before he got an offer from someone else. God took care of every detail. It is not always easy trusting God because he has an uncanny way of providing what you need at the VERY last minute. But one thing is for certain- he will always provide what you need today.
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