The only thing you can predict about Indiana weather is that it is unpredictable. I'm not complaining one bit, but today is was 60 degrees, in JANUARY! How crazy is that? It is supposed to be 70 tomorrow, but we'll see, I'm still somewhat skeptical at that. Either way, I decided to take advantage of the warmth and took Big Sister to go ride her pony.

Big Sister, 3 1/2 years old riding by herself!

Up until today, Big Sister had only been lead around on her pony. I decided today to see what she would do if I gave her the reins. She loved it, despite her pony being ornery coming out of winter and the reins being little too long. I have to say I was impressed with the pony as well. He was a trooper, especially since Big Sister doesn't quiet know what she is doing yet. He needs some refresher on ground manner, but we can fix that this spring. We worked on using the reins and learning to kick the pony to make him go. Big Sister listens well when I give her instructions and she handles the frustration of the pony not minding her right away pretty good. I explained to her that it will take practice and she is just learning. She seemed to except that fact and kept on working at pulling his head up when he would stop to stiff something on the ground.

I had hoped that at least one of my children would take and interest in horses, since they are such a large part of our lives. Seeing her up on that pony, determined to ride him on her own was just magical. I can't wait to be able to let her ride the trails with me! This is the begging to an awesome new chapter for Big Sister and I!

Have a great day dear followers!

Available free until January 28th. However, you can still purchase this design kit from MyMemories! To find this kit, click on Craftable Templates on the right hand side of the MyMemories website. If you don't have a MyMemories account you will need to sign up in order to download the FREEBIES. Don't worry, accounts are always FREE!

Free online tutorial can be found at http://www.mymemories.com/craftables/chapstick
What's My Memories Suite? Click here to read my review of the Digital Scrapbook Software. Don't have My Memories Suite? Go MyMemories.com to buy the software and start scrapping!  


USE CODE: STMMMS86739 at checkout to get $10.00 OFF the software!

Have a great night dear followers and happy crafting! 

We were in Menards looking at Corner Showers for our Master Bathroom one Sunday. We happen to pass by a toilet with a bidet attached to the top. My husband admired it for a moment and then we moved on. Big Sister was walking with us and without missing a beat started pulling down her pants and said "I have to go potty." My husband and I turned around,  looked at each other, then ran and reached for Big Sister as panic ran through our veins. We got to her before she sat down and christened Menard's display, but boy was my adrenaline pumping. I had seen things like this on TV and in movies, but never expected for it to happen to me! Thank God we caught her when we did because I had NO idea what we would have done if we hadn't. I guess this just goes to show how unpredictable children can be and it will give us a nice story to embarrass her with when she is older!

Anyone have a similar experience with your child? Did you catch them in time? If not, WHAT did you do?

Have a Blessed day dear followers!

 Well, I've got it. I've come down with the bug. The Gardening Bug has started to infect my home again this year. Without even realizing it, I've been online researching flowers, shrubs, and trees to plant up at the new house! New house? Yes, we are in the process of remodeling a Repossessed Modular. The idea of a new house was hatched while I was pregnant with Little Sister and we wanted to have something to move into by the time she was rolling over. Well, plans don't exactly go as planned and here we are in January 2013 and still not moved in. The modular was so low priced that we couldn't resist and building a new house from scratch was way too expensive. The "New house" has been a work in progress since September 2011. We had to wipe out a bunch of nice trees to get the thing up on the hill and now it is disgustingly bare around the house. It needs some color, it needs some landscaping, it needs SOMETHING! So, while infected with the bug, I will be searching for plants to beautify my new space!

If you have any suggestions for plants that will weather well on a sandy hill, please feel free to comment! I need all the help I can get!


Have a wonderful day dear followers!

New Year's means new experiences and new adventures! I was in Rural King on Thursday, Jan. 3rd getting layer feed for my chickens and decided to just stroll though the aisles, looking at random stuff since the girls were being good and sitting nicely in the cart. I made it down the aisle with cleaning supplies when I can across the bars of Fels-Naptha Heavy Duty Laundry Bar Soap. I remembered reading a blog post about a homemade laundry detergent recipe that used Fels-Naptha so I grabbed several bars. I tried remembering what else was on the ingredient list and pulled Borax and Washing Soda off the shelf as well.
When I got them home, I was excited to make up a batch of Homemade Laundry Detergent. I searched the internet for recipes that used all the ingredients. I came across the Living On A Dime blog. I scrolled through and read her instructions, seemed easy enough to me so I got to work on making the detergent. This is the first time I have attempted anything like this, so I was both excited and unsure of what to expect. I was praying that it turned out right.

This batch didn't have the honey like consistency that the recipe suggests that it would, I think it may have something to do with the fact that I changed the temperature several times because I got it too hot and it boiled over once, hehe. 
The Homemade Laundry Detergent recipe made 2 1/2 bottles of my regular laundry detergent and cost only a few dollars per bottle to make as well! What a deal!

I've been using this detergent since then and I have to admit that I LOVE it! I love the smell and I love how clean and fresh my clothes come out! This may be something I will be sticking with from now on! Whahoo!

Has anyone else tried Homemade Laundry Detergent? Do you use the same recipe that I found on the Living On A Dime blog or do you use a different recipe? If you use a different one, please share yours in the comment, I would LOVE to try it out!

Have a lovely day dear followers!

Available free until January 28th. However, you can still purchase this design kit from MyMemories! To find this kit, click on Craftable Templates on the right hand side of the MyMemories website. If you don't have a MyMemories account you will need to sign up in order to download the FREEBIES. Don't worry, accounts are always FREE!

Free online tutorial can be found at http://www.mymemories.com/craftables/chapstick

What's My Memories Suite? Click here to read my review of the Digital Scrapbook Software. Don't have My Memories Suite? Go MyMemories.com to buy the software and start scrapping!  


USE CODE: STMMMS86739 at checkout to get $10.00 OFF the software!

Have a great night dear followers and happy crafting! 

Dermagist is a skin care company that is changing the way we live and the way we look, for the better and by doing it without the harmful chemicals of yesteryear.

If you have acne issues like I had, all my life, even as an adult, you have looked high and low, far and wide for something that works. Dermagist has several great products, that when teamed together can give you a whoke new outlook on skin care and fighting acne.

The Ultimate Clarifying System "rapidly targets acne breakouts naturally while aiming to reduce redness and irritation with Resveratrol, Glycolic Acid, Niacinamide, Aloe, and Chamomile. The ingredients in this system are natural, so you don't have to worry about the dangers of Benzoyl Peroxide, but they are strong enough to tackle even the worst acne prone skin.

The Ultimate Clarifying System consists of Dermagist's Detoxifying Cleanser, Clarifying Cream, and Acne Scar Fading Cream. I had the awesome opportunity of testing out a 30 day trial of this system. I do get acne regularly, but it is not severe or extreme. My skin is very sensitive and because of that I have a hard time finding products that don't feel like they are burning me when I apply them.

The first product used in the Ultimate Clarifying System is the Detoxifying Cleanser. My person experience with this Dermagist product was awesome. As an adult I still get acne. I don't like to wear makeup foundations because I have huge pores and the make up tends to clog them quickly, so any acne on my face usually stands out. My biggest problem was the redness that tends to surround the acne, it is like a blinking red light on my face saying "LOOK HERE, LOOK HERE!" The Detoxifying Cleanser takes care of that problem! The Cleaner is silky smooth and lathers well. My skin didn't feel like it was burning when I applied the cleaners and after 30 days my skin has less acne and the acne that does show up isn't as noticeable because of the reduced redness! Whoohoo!

The next step in the Ultimate Clarifying System is the Clarifying Cream. The cream has a nice texture, but when applied I did feel the slight burning sensation I usually get but it wasn't intense and went away fairly quickly once it soaked in. I don't think it would feel like this on normal skin, my skin is just SUPER sensitive when it comes to and lotion or cream. I only used the Clarifying Cream for a short while. I did as the instructions said and rubbed it on after cleaning with the Detoxifying Cleanser, but it seemed to draw out the oil in my skin and created more acne and oily skin. I tried it for a week then switched to just using the Detoxifying Cleaner, which worked out much better for me.

The final product used in this System is the Acne Scar Fading Cream. I haven't used this product as much as the first two, but I can tell that it is amazing. Although it did have the same slight burning sensation as the Clarifying Cream, it has a great ability to tone down discoloration and smooth out the skin. At the beginning of the trial I decided to use it on part of my stomach where I had huge stretch marks from pregnancy, yeah, I know that isn't exactly what it is supposed to be used for, but the results were still awesome. I decided to only put the Acne Scar Fading Cream on the left half of my belly. After one application, I could tell as HUGE difference in the coloration of the scars on the left side versus the right, the more I used it the more fading that occurred, AMAZING! Dermagist is definitely onto something with this product! It is my believe that this cream, if used for an extended period of time, could reduce the appearance of scars completely. 

Overall, I think that the Ultimate Clarifying System is a great product for people with acne problems. It is a great alternative to the current products out on the market today. I would definitely recommend it to friends, family, even strangers!

Another GREAT thing about Dermagist is that they have a 30 Day Guarantee:
"You get a 30 day, Money Back Guarantee, where if you are unsatisfied for any reason, just return the products, for a REFUND.This way, you get to try this fantastic product practically risk free! store policies"

To see photos of individuals who were plagued by serve acne but saved by the Ultimate Clarifying System, Click HERE and scroll down, the results are shocking!

Also, you can enter to win a $200 Shopping Spree at Dermagist. The monthly sweepstakes is awarded randomly to a qualifying entrant. All you have to do is register, “like” Dermagist on Facebook, and post on their Facebook page, why YOU love Dermagist. At the beginning of each month, they announce the winner. The winner is given a promo code worth $200 to use on ANYTHING in the Dermagist store. Talk about a great prize! No purchase necessary.
Click Here to See the Details and Register


Click here to see what My Rating means!

Cost: Ultimate Clarifying Systems $119.99, Prices for individual products are as follows: Detoxifying Cleanser $49.99, Clarifying Cream $69.99, Acne Scar Fading Cream $79.99 You SAVE $79.98 by purchasing the Ultimate Clarifying System versus each product separatly

Where to Buy: Dermagist Website! But wait, check Out this month's Special Offer at Dermagist! 

Like Dermagist on Facebook for opportunities to win FREE Products and Store Shopping Sprees!

You can also find Dermagist on YouTube!


Thank you for reading dear followers!











Disclaimer: I was given an Ultimate Clarifying System from Dermagist at no cost in order to formulate my review. I was not compensated in any way monetarily for my review. All opinions are 100% mine and are based on my personal experience with the product. I make no guarantees about this product. Links within this post an not related to an affiliate program and I do not receive money from your purchases.

As we enter a new year, I can't help but reflect on the past year. So, sit back and enjoy My ABC's of 2012!

A is for

B is for blog posts, even though I would love to post more often I doubled the amount of posts from the previous year!

C is for cats, it seems we have had more random cats show up around here than in past yesrs.

D is for

E is for

F is for feathers, I have gained a new flock of feathered friends.

G is for girls, my little babies are turning into little girls.

H is for horses, we enjoyed some great times in the barn with the horses.

I is for Instagram, totally addicted to sharing photos of the girls and bits of my day via Instagram.

J is for Junebug, Big Sister turned 3 in June!

K is for

L is for love, I love my girls and my husband more than I ever thought I could love anyone!

M is for Monkey Joe's, a super fun place for kids. My girls loved jumping in the inflatable playground they have in Indianapolis.

N is for

O is for opportunities, I am so thankful for all the review and giveaway opportunities that were offered to me this year!

P is for painting, I have gotten back into painting with acrylics and can't wait to finish my Peacock painting for our new kitchen.

Q is for Quiet time, I learned the importance of making time for quiet time to study my Bible.

R is for riding, my husband and went horseback riding together more times this year since before my oldest was born.

S is for snake skins, I had never seen snake skins in the basement until this past year.

T is for Toddler Time, the girls and I enjoyed playing, reading, and making friends during Toddler Time each week at our local library.

U is for

V is for

W is for Women's Retreat, I had the honor of attending a Women's Retreat with several wonderful women from church. I learned so much about myself and my relationship with God.

X is for

Y is for

Z is for

This week we have more PIE BOXES! They make great centerpieces or mantel decorations. Fun to mix and match, too.

 

Available free until January 14th! However, you can still purchase this design kit from MyMemories! To find this kit, click on Craftable Templates on the right hand side of the MyMemories website. If you don't have a MyMemories account you will need to sign up in order to download the FREEBIES. Don't worry, accounts are always FREE!

Free online tutorial for the Pie Boxes can be found at http://www.mymemories.com/craftables/pie

What's My Memories Suite? Click here to read my review of the Digital Scrapbook Software. Don't have My Memories Suite? Go MyMemories.com to buy the software and start scrapping!  


USE CODE: STMMMS86739 at checkout to get $10.00 OFF the software!

Have a great night dear followers and happy crafting!