Natural Chemical Free Moisturizer for Beautiful Skin

A few days ago I was going to give ya'll a recipe for soft scrub.  That led to a very different post - all about Dr Bronner's Castille Soap.

You're still going to have to wait a bit for that soft scrub recipe because as I recounted in the last blog...it all began with a less expensive but yet effective way of caring for the skin on my face.  Our faces are fragile and give away our age - we cannot skimp on the care of our faces!!!

I use Dr. Bronner's for my cleanser straight from the bottle.  Just a dime size amount.  And I make my own moisturizer.  I spend about $1.00 a month to care for my face total compared to the $64.00 per month I used to spend and I have to admit that the results are actually better than anything I have used in the past. ...and I have used it ALL!!!  That $64.00 savings lets me wander and explore a bit more!

Some of my friends might be surprised to learn that I was actually a cosmetic counter salesperson for a very high end line of cosmetics in a department store.  I say surprised because I am far from a glamour girl these days.  I wear make-up on occassion and enjoy dressing up here and there.  But day to day, I'm a wash a go kinda gal.

About six months after I started my new skin-care routine with Dr. Bronner's and Coconut Oil, I found essential oils and fell in love.  Essential oils are volatile oils that absorb into our skin with amazing results!   I will caution that not ALL essential oils are created equal.  You can read more about that here, but that's not what this post is about.

I eventually found the exact right mixture for my face that has reduced the signs of wrinkles, protects from sun exposure, and all the clogged pores are a thing of the past!

Enjoy this free recipe for your own Naturally Beautiful Moisturizer:

For Printable Version, Click on Recipe

Dr Bronner's Castille Soap

I started to write a post with a recipe and realized that Dr Bronner's really is the foundation of so many recipes that I needed to let you know about this soap first!

I began my life with Dr Bronner's Castille Soap in an effort to find a cheaper alternative to skin care a few years go.

 Experience drives me.  I LOVE experiences.  Visiting new places, eating new foods (good or bad), making a fun craft, spending time with old friends, making new friends - they drive me - they give me life!!!

I was spending $65 a month on my face.  I was not happy about it at all.  There were other things I would prefer to do with $65 other than clean and moisturize my face.  However, my face was also important and I didn't want to ignore that either.

After doing a lot of research, I decided to go with Dr Bronner's Castille Soap as a cleanser.  A $10.99 bottle would last 2 years as a cleanser.  It is completely natural and many bloggers recommended it as an excellent cleanser!  (my moisturizer recipe will be next)

I sought out my first bottle of castille soap at our local grocery store - Sprouts.

I had to ask an employee for help.  She told me that it was good for the washing machine, dishwasher, dish soap, hand soap, body wash, and face wash.  I was pretty shocked that it was an all-in-one, but I was really only ready for one purpose - my face!

At that point, I stuck with using the soap only as a the face wash.  It took less than a dime size drop to soap up my entire face.  I was immediately in love - my face was clean and felt great!

It has done a fabulous job as a face wash.

But NOW...I use it EVERYWHERE!!!

It is my body wash.

Used in recipes for hand soap, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, soft scrub, and to wash my car, it has proven very effective.

Dr Bronner's Castille Soap is all natural, chemical free, wonderful goodness.

When I purchased my first bottle, I read the bottle which was full of crazy thoughts and sayings.  They still are and might cause some to be put off by the whole deal.  From what I've read, his real life resembled the craziness you find on the bottle.  He was a survivor of the Holocaust which shaped his life.   Although he, himself, might have had a few screws loose, his soap is all that and a bag of chips too.  You can read a bit about Dr Bronner with a simple google search.

There are other brands of castille soap that aren't filled with quite so much rhetoric on the bottle, but I definitely prefer Dr Bronner's to the other ones I have tried.

Scheduling Life Around Running - It's a New Thing!!!

Colorado Marathon QTs

Last year I registered for my very first half marathon which I gave myself almost a full year to train for.  I couldn't run to the stop sign at the end of my street without walking when I started my training.  The training kept me motivated in the winter cold, snow, and ice to continue running.  I pretty much despise running on a treadmill but training for the half even forced some treadmill running when the ice was too scary.  I came in at the back of the pack - but I did it!!!  A victory I would never have imagined.

Zoe, Claire, and Vanessa
took their moms out for a fun race!

At some point I will have to share the story of why it is such a miracle that I am running at all -- but by God's grace, I have come to enjoy running thoroughly.  In fact, the whole family has taken joy in running.  Emma and Ray completed the half marathon with me (Emma with a torn hip labram).  Ben ran his first season of track in the spring and KILLED it!  He was one of the top 7th grade runners for his school.  Jake has chosen to run cross-country this fall much to my surprise and has been working to best his own times each day - and has succeeded each and every time!  Zoe and I just did a Color Run 5K on Saturday morning from which I am still blowing blue snot 2 days later.

We LOVE Garden of the Gods

Ray and I started doing some trail running and it is has become another joy in our lives.  The undulating ground beneath my feet - jumping over rocks, down the path, up the inclines, and the back to back pacing over wash-outs - is just fun!  There's no joking about the fact that it is a lot tougher than the running I was doing to prepare for my half-marathon - but in a totally different way.

Today we ran our normal 4 mile route at Garden of the Gods and it about killed me.  I have not run that particular trail in over a month and I ended up walking almost the entire last two miles because my right leg felt so incredibly weak. The difficulty was a surprise -- I'm going back tomorrow -- I have to build some more muscle!!!



After our run today we had a conversation about our concern for winter.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our trail running since June but once winter comes, the ice on the trails will keep me away.  I am not willing to injure myself and risk months of recovery over ice!

So....I started looking into some CA winter runs.  I've got it narrowed down to two - the Seaside Half or the Surf City Half which are both in February.  Although I am feeling quite confident that the Surf City Run is going to win.  The website is way more fun and inviting ;)  This gives me the opportunity to visit my daughter, stay with a friend, and keep motivated through November, December, and January with my exercise!  I'm so super excited!!!!


Following this, I plan to run in the Garden of the God's 10 miler in June.  That gives me March, April, and May for training.  Since it is a trail run, it requires a different type of training - but also gets me through Colorado's tough spring months.  Spring is the toughest time in CO for me with it's manic weather.

Looking at the map of the run gives my heart a bit of a leap of fear.  But last year I couldn't run to the stop sign - this year I completed a half.  Although this 10 miles has been described as more difficult than a full - I am excited for the challenge!!!


That's it - just sharing a bit of excitement for the running that's ahead.  I have never planned a budget or life around training for races.  This is pretty fun!!!

!!!!RUN FRIENDS!!!!

Adventures of Jake & the Mountain

This is just going to be a quick post of our adventure yesterday (quick meaning pretty unedited and without pictures).  I don't have the time to create the creative journal I desire and hope to spruce it up "scrapbook" style in the future if even for my own memories...

History:
There is a problem in our math curriculum that just doesn't seem reasonable to solve.

                    150112
(add math symbols to make this a math sentence) - answer at the end

Ben was the first student to solve this problem last year; this year it was Jake's turn.

As a reward, I have told them that if they can solve the problem in 20 minutes with no help, I will take them anywhere in CO they want to go.

Ben asked last year if he had one help if I would take him anywhere in Colorado Springs.  I accepted that offer and he earned his trip - we went to Skyzone with a friend.

This year, Jake asked for a help and earned the reward.  He asked to hike Pike's Peak with both Ray and I.

IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE SINGLE HELPS THEY GOT DON"T READ THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE:  Ben got 1/2 and Jake got the % sign.

THE ADVENTUROUS MOUNTAIN:
I asked a friend how long it took her husband and 10 year old child - she said they made it up in 6 hours.  Another friend said it took her 6 hours to go halfway.  We decided it should take us a maximum of 8 hours based on our data points.  We gave ourselves 9 hours to catch the 4:40 train down the mountain.

Cliff note version:
5:45 am - out of bed
6:45 am - out of the house
7:15 am - out of the car
7:24 am - start our adventure
7:59 am - mile 1
8:38 am - mile 2
9:26 am - mile 3
10:05 am - mile 4
10:34 - mile 5
11:00 - Renee' gets dizzy and almost passes out
11:26 - mile 6
11:45 - Renee' gets stung by a ? (hornet?)
11:50 - Met men who had already hiked 23.8 miles UP the mountain and were on their way down.
----The mile marker signs don't go up past mile 6 and I don't have times here---
1:05 - Jake is really sore and asks for pain gel
2:28 - treeline - Ray is getting pretty sick
From 2:28 until 6:33, Ray is really - really sick
2:30 pm - a stranger gives us false hope that we will make the train
2:45 pm - mile 10.5 - Renee' is crying like a baby
4:40 pm - our ride down the train can be heard in the distance leaving the mountain
5:30 pm - water angels arrive
6:33 pm - Summit Pikes Peak
6:50 pm - strangers Liz and Josh from WA take us down the mountain
7:55 pm - Liz pulls off the side of the road for a sick Jake and drops us off (by request)
8:00 pm - call a friend to rescue us
9:00 pm - finally get to our car in Manitou by the Cog Rail
9:30 pm - dinner at Chipotle
10:05 pm - finally home

We each left the base of the mountain with our own packs - 2 liters of water, food, clothes for bad weather, and a small emergency kit.

The goal was to make it to Barr Camp, take a good break and get some great nutrition.  I got crazy dizzy around 5.5 miles and almost passed out.  Ray made me sit down and eat, take in some electrolytes, and took my pack.  I actually felt better after this stop, but Ray wanted my pack to "save me" for the end.

As we were hiking along, I suddenly felt pain on the back of my left arm - I reacted by swiping and sure enough, a large black bug of some type flew off.  I immediately had Jake make some mud to put on it wishing I had something else when it occurred to me, I had my "3-in-1 Summer Spray" in my backpack.  As I was digging for it, Ray told us to move quick - right next to us hanging in the tree was a huge nest with bugs swarming it.  We didn't stick around long enough to see what type.  I am guessing hornets as I know it wasn't wasps and the nest didn't look like bees.  Anyway, after moving on down the trail, I located my spray, wiped off the mud, put on the spray, put on more mud and moved on along.  As soon as I sprayed it, the pain was relieved.  I smeared the mud on to pull out the stinger or any poison as it dried.  You can't even tell I was stung today!

Not long down the path we ran into two men who were on their way back down the mountain.  They were sharing their stories with us as this is a regular occurance in their lives.  It was before noon and the guys were ON THEIR WAY DOWN!!!  But get this...THEY STARTED 11.3 miles away from the base of the mountain at Memorial Park.  This means that they hike 23.8 miles each way REGULARLY!  They said this was the second time this month.  They started at 12:03 am with the light of the full moon.

Jake kept begging for the pain gel because his hip was bothering him.  Ray didn't understand.  Finally, Ray got the message and gave Jake the gel.  Jake was so thrilled.  As soon as he used it, he had immediate relief.  We got to learn some new human anatomy terms (sacrum, illiac, groin...).  This makes it in the story because this is the ONLY time of the entire climb that Jake asked for anything.  He was AMAZING!!!

Before 2:30 Ray started getting pretty ill.  He just didn't seem right at all.  I MADE him give me my pack back and tried to take his but he was not having any part of it.  We should have stopped at Barr Camp to fill our water bladders.  We thought we had enough and didn't want to increase the weight of our packs -- bad choice!!!  There were definitely some items we did not pack that were left at home that would have helped as well - our Nitro and our Ningxia were just sitting in the fridge at home - bad choice on our part!

We stopped for another hefty snack around 2:30 and realized we were completely out of water.  A nice man who loves elk hunting and snowshoeing stopped to dine with us.  He explained that he was out of shape and had to kick it into high gear to prepare for Elk Season.  We were just past tree line and he was excited to show us the great areas to snowshoe.  Apparently, if you hike out of treeline, the best fresh powder for snowshoeing is RIGHT there!  He told us we were 1.5 miles from the summit and our goal of reaching the summit by 4:00 was well within our reach!

We hiked on and saw a sign in the distance.  I wanted to run to the sign because according to this nice elk hunting, snow shoeing man, this sign should tell us we had only one more mile to go and if that were true, we would make it to the train in time for the ride down.  I got to the sign, saw that it said there were 2 miles to the top and sat down on a rock in front of the sign.  Jake and Ray were making their way up.  By the time Jake got to me, I was in a puddle of tears.  When Ray got to me, I was a sobbing, blubbering mess.  You see, this nice gentlemen also told us the store at the top closes at 5:00.  I didn't have too much hope that we would summit before 5:00 knowing we had 2 miles left and Ray was in BAD shape.

I didn't want to turn around and go down because we were 2 miles from the top, I don't ever intend to climb this trail to the top in my life again, and if I didn't go on, I would never achieve the goal of summitting Pikes Peak from climbing Barr trail.  However, if I DID go up and the store was closed, there was no filling up of our water and no way down other than our feet.  That would put more miles on our feet with no water.  If we turned back, we were 4 miles from water and climbing down instead of up a mountain.  But if we turned back, the mountain defeated us.  Ray found a patch of grass nearby and laid down to gather some energy.  We had a serious discussion as to when dehydration and altitude sickness turns from a feeling of misery to danger.  At this point I was also dehydrated.  Ray's lips were white and around his mouth was quite scary looking.  We decided to call the store at the top and found out a couple of important things.  1.  They didn't close until 7:00, so we had plenty of time to summit before they closed.  2.  We could get a ride down the mountain assuming we were there by 7:00.  We decided it was time to continue heading up the mountain.

We stopped about every 40 yards for a break before moving on.  A man on the way down the mountain stopped to check on us.  His wife had barely made it up leaving her pack behind to get rid of the weight in order to summit.  She took the train down and he was heading back down to gather her pack and see her at the bottom.  He was carrying two 16 oz water bottles and demanded we take one of them.  Each 40 yards we would take a sip from a bottle trying to hydrate a little yet conserve it as we still had nearly 2 miles to climb.

Jake and I would go ahead and give Ray a goal to reach.  He would reach us and we would move on.  One of these times, we waited and didn't see him for some time.  We had turned a corner a woman came around and I asked if I should go back for him.  She said, "We're giving him water."  They each emptied part of their bladders to give him a full bladder of water.  With this gift, I drank up the half full 16 oz bottle while Jake and Ray enjoyed a full mouth or two of the newly gifted water!!!  It was beautiful.  With the water, we were able to eat some nuts, some dried fruits, and peanut butter.

The altitude sickness lingered but there was definitely more expedient movement from our bodies!  Ray's lips got color back in them and he didn't look like a Zombie taking steps.  I have to admit that I was quite worried about him but didn't want to upset him or Jake - I just watched.  We turned a corner and could travel with a bit more ease.  Jake and I continued to create goals but Ray was reaching them quick enough that sometimes we actually needed a break ourselves!!!  This was GREAT progress!!!

Although we have made better time in hikes, the remainder of our mile up the mountain was pretty uneventful.  We had whoops of excitement and wails of misery - but we saw it coming!

Jake ran ahead to see the top but stopped short as he wanted to hold each of our hands as we summitted the mountain!

I must tell you that Jacob Mitchel Hogan was a superstar.  He was an amazing encourager and extremely patient.  He never once complained and never once whined.  He wanted to spend an hour at the top before our train ride down.  At one point he learned if we got to the top in time for the train, but not time for donuts, we would not even get the world famous Pikes Peak donuts, and he had not one negative thing to say.  When we sat for a bit, he would encourage us to "just keep swimming."  When we got negative, he would remind us to stay positive.  He was such a terrific leader and made me prouder to be his mom than I have ever been!!!

So, when Jake stopped so that we could summit together, I cried...big old happy, proud Momma tears.  The top of that mountain was a beautiful sight when we summited at 6:33 pm.

When we walked in the store, Ray immediately asked the staff if we could get a ride down with the Rangers.  We found out that the way that this works is to first put a call out on the loud speaker to see if anyone in the store would be willing to take hiking strangers DOWN the mountain with them.  The deal is that they would drop us off at the gate and we would be responsible for finding our trasnportaiton at that point.

A young couple on vacation from Seattle, Washington offered to give us a ride down.   Liz is a Master's student working towards teaching teachers how to teach teachers to teach math.  Her dream is to live in Japan and study their method of teaching math.  Josh is a lawyer who currently works on "boring" litigation but dreams of doing law for microbreweries in the area of trademark and patents.

The agreement was for Liz and Josh to drop us off at the gate where we would have to find our own way back to our car.  We talked about having a friend come get us but that didn't make sense for a friend to drive 40 minutes to pick us up.  I suggested we should get a cab.  Liz and Josh were headed up to Denver and offerred to take us somewhere along their route.  The plan was for them to take us close to our home, drop us off at a Starbucks.  From there our friend would pick us up, take us to our house, we would drop Jake off, get our other car, and drive 35 minutes one way to pick up our car at the base of the mountain.

We did not have our best wits about us and found thinking clearly to be a challenge.  When we got to their car with our donuts and Gatorades, I realized I did not have my phone.  Sooo...the search for the phone commenced.  I went back inside the summit store to the 4 locations I had been in - NO PHONE.  Ray had looked through all the packs -- and then we searched again.  It was in the side pocket of Ray's pack so 20 minutes after starting the search, the phone was right where we left it beside us.

Liz did an excellent job of getting us down the mountain.  Jake did not feel well but held it all together.  Ray and I perked up quickly.  At the bottom, she pulled over for Josh to use the restroom and Jake jumped out to get fresh air and hopefully to feel better.  Everyone loaded back into the car for the drive to Starbucks.  We made it another 15 minutes down the road before Jake yelled, "I'm going to throw up."  Liz pulled over blocking traffic to get Jake out of the car.  He made it out of the car on time.  At this point, I felt so bad for Liz and Josh getting stuck in this situation.  I asked for them to leave us where we were and we would find alternate arangements.  Liz felt horrible about leaving us, but I assured her we knew the restaurant we were near and the gas station.  We would call a friend to help us.

We walked up to the restaurant and called in the calvary.  We canceled our first friend who lived 30 minutes from where we were dropped off.  And we called another friend who lived nearby.  Luckily Cindy answered her phone, picked us up, and took us to our car at the base of the mountain.  We got to our car at 9:00 pm.  We had eaten lots of healthy, nutritious snacks but were all famished by this time.  We had planned to eat a meal at the summit - but there had been no time for that AND we summitted 3 hours after we had expected.  Now with this extra fun, we were 6 hours past our planned meal time!

We found a Chipotle that was open at 9:30, ate some grub and headed for home.

We got home to the cheers of Zoe and Ben who were all ready to tell us of their adventures and excited to hear of our adventures.  Jake said that he has a day full of the best stories to share EVER - the day that he changed roles with the parents ;)



The Answer:
150% = 1 1/2

Live Life Everyday - Oridnarily Extroidary

I was just reading a post from Jon Acuff who his helping to launch an initiative for women coming out of prostitution.  I first thought to myself, it is cool that because of his notoriaty that he is able to help bring awareness on such a grand scale.


That made me think of how my everyday, ordinary life is not for naught.  I can make a difference everyday in the space that is around me.

I do not ever want to rest on my laurels of believing that because I reached out once in life (or maybe 50 times) that I am done; however, I want to share a story to hopefully inspire you - and remind myself.

In May a woman came to church with a little girl.  She looked like an ordinary, everyday woman living her life.  When I introduced myself to her I did not expect my life to be altered.  We had a bit of small talk to begin with.  When we realized we had lived in the same state and in my little, itty bitty hometown of 1800 people resides one of her best friends, she began to open up.

"Marie" has 2 boys she has not seen in years and a 6 year old little girl she hasn't seen in 6 months.  Her husband left her last year with her girl.  She stopped using Meth in January and alcohol is her drug of choice at this point.  Marie is a stripper by trade as her felony history makes getting a "real" job almost impossible.  Marie wants to change her life but her history keeps her returning to what she knows.

With a houseful of 12 people (who were all at church too), I invited Marie to lunch, with just me.  Ray took care of all of our company.

At lunch, accompanied by the adorable 7 year daughter "Megan" of a man Marie is residing with, I heard stories of hope and hopelessness.

Marie's husband was the owner of a club she worked in previously.  He was "proud" of her for getting back to work and earning her own way.  This pride was devastating to Marie.  She wanted to know what man actually takes pride in a woman sharing her body with the world.  Marie said no woman she knows can go into these situations without an intoxicated brain - "no woman wants a man to look at her that way.  We all have to have an altered brain or there is no way we can do this work."

Marie and I did not talk in too much detail because of Megan's presence.  Megan left the table here and there when Marie would open up more.

I offered to have some conversations on Marie's behalf and gave her my information as she had no phone or address to offer.  She was going to be displaced of a home within the next two weeks.  I encouraged her to take a few action steps and promised information upon her return to church the following week.

Before we left one another I told her I would really like to understand the tears and sorrow in her eyes.  She asked why I care.  I told her that I have a 13 year old son that I would love to protect from the pain of pornography but feel a bit hopeless as it seems like an impossible snare.  I told her that from her tears I know there is pain and to understand that pain helps me to understand more about why this snare is so terrible.

Marie told me, "I have two sons.  I have a daughter.  I have read the Bible.  I know my life is wrong.  I know I destroy marriages.  I know Jezabbel from the Bible and I am her."   She went on to tell me that one night when she was at work, she went out for a break.  "Across the street was a field of horses.  They were all dark.  They were dead - not dead as in death - but had no life, you know?  There eyes were hollow, they had no fat on their bodies, they were skeletons.  But then, a white horse, full of life came up in the midst.  God showed me that the white horse was me - the white horse was full of life in the midst of death.  He told me that I was choosing to live amongst the dead and it was time for me to move through death and into life."

We said our good-byes and looked forward to meeting the next week.

The next week came and Marie DID show up.  She had moved to another strangers home during the week and got a cell phone.  We exchanged information and prayed - we prayed for a long time with lots of tears and time.

Marie told me that some Christians won't speak to her and others just tell her they love her no matter what.  "They don't encourage me to change - they just 'love' me."  She told me that she doesn't think either Christian is right.  "What I do is not ok - it's not ok with me and it's not ok with God."

I looked at Marie in the eyes and with complete genuine love told her, "Marie, I love you.  I don't love you because of what you do or don't do.  I don't care if you are the CEO of a large company, a mom, a stripper, or a prostitute, I love you because you are a wonderful, beautifully made princess of the One true King - and that alone is enough of a reason to love you."  I went on, "I don't want you to continue to hurt yourself.  I don't want you to continue to live in this life that brings misery.  I want you to choose a new life - a new life that brings the fullness of everything God desires for you.  I want you to choose a new life - a new life that you can be proud of.  I want you to choose a new life - a life free of addictions and pain."  I further explained, "Marie, I want to walk through this with you - but if you come back next week and have continued to do that which you do not want, I will still love you.  When I see you, I see a child of God - a woman of love - a woman of desire."

This is the last time that I have seen or talked to Marie.

Unfortunatley, our church closed it's doors two weeks later and she did not attend either of the following two weeks.

I don't know why God chose for our paths to cross for this short period of time.

I was just living my everyday ordinary life - God brought Marie into it - for a short period of time.

She hasn't returned any texts since two weeks after our last encounter.

Marie changed my life - she allowed me to see into the life of one who lives very differently than me.  She allowed my family to see that God is everywhere - even in the strip clubs - even in places where others do not want him to be.  I pray that my sons have been saved from a life of addiction.

My hope is that Marie knows she is loved by God but honestly, I hope she knows she is loved by me.

I will never stop praying for Marie.

...and Megan - the 7 year old little girl - I don't know much of her story.  I know she does not have a mom and lives with secrets.  I pray for her safety.  I pray for her to be loved and loved well.  I pray that the God of this universe would protect her and make himself known to her.

May we all live our everyday, ordinary lives for the One we call Father, King, Savior, Counselor!

Romans 12:1-2 - MSG
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.