COVERGIRL Blast Flipstick Review

I recently received a package containing the COVERGIRL blast flipstick.  I expected it to be like all other lip colors, but was pleasantly surprised.  It's a double-ended lipstick with stunning color combinations - definitely not run of the mill colors. Each combo includes one creamy shade and one shimmer shade, perfect for that day to night transition.  I love that I can grab one lipstick and get several different looks from it.  It also feels good on my lips, something that I can't say for many lipsticks.  This is definitely a product I will be purchasing in the future.

Check out the product and all of the fabulous shades at http://www.covergirl.com/blastflipstick.



I am a BzzAgent.  I received the COVERGIRL Blast Flipstick free of charge in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are mine and I was not compensated (other than receiving the product) for my opinion.

I Need The Beech Retreat!

I know that God is very creative because the story he wrote for me is beyond my wildest imagination.  I also know that my story needs to be shared because it is one that will teach and inspire others.  Any one part of my life is enough adventure for my limited mind, but God combined an odd assortment of events into a wonderfully beautiful demonstration of His love for us.  It started when my grandparents took me in to help my single mother raise me as she put her life back together.  Then He gave me a sweet friend whom I would later marry, after we experienced the death of both of his parents.  Together we would be be blessed with three daughters, all of whom were medical miracles.  When we felt most stable but during an unstable economy, God took away my husband's job, brought someone to buy our house for the amount we owed on it, and brought us a job and home in another location.  In obedience we moved and found a church family waiting with open arms.  Most recently, we defeated all of the odds that were against us and adopted a sweet boy who has fit perfectly into our family. 

I could go on and on, which is exactly why I need to attend the Beech Retreat.  I have a story to tell and all of the vehicles to tell it.  What I need is someone to tell me how to drive those vehicles and reach my audience.  I know that the Beech Retreat would not only give me the instructions I need, but also the tools I didn't know I needed.

If you'd like to go, click here for details.

What's Better than Veggie Tales?

When she was younger, my oldest daughter had a Junior Asparagus light up toy (think Glo Worm) that she carried everywhere and took to bed at night. We loved Veggie Tales and have a collection of their videos. My only wish was that they shared a little more Bible in the midst of the wholesome entertainment.

Apparently I wasn't the only one wishing because the makers of Veggie Tales now offer What's in the Bible? which does exactly that.  The DVD series begins with Genesis and takes kids through the Bible book by book.  They have completed the Old Testament and are currently working on the New Testament.  In addition, they have developed a study guide, games, crafts and flashcards to accompany the series.  They also sell an audio CD.

We haven't done a lot with the extra activities, but my kids love to watch the videos and I enjoy their blog and Facebook posts.  I know that I can feel safe offering their product to my kids, which means the world to this mom.  If you'd like to take a look at a sample video or read more, head over to their website now! 

Why are you Crying?

Today was a difficult day in our family, full of frustration and bad choices. At the end of the day, my husband called a family meeting in the hallway between the kids' bedrooms. We talked about the problems that occurred during the day and reminded the kids of their punishments and reasoning behind them. Then my husband praised the good choices the kids had made in the past few days and reminded them of why our expectations are what they are. My husband pulled all of the kids to himself and prayed over each of us. After we prayed, I looked over to our adopted 7-year-old son and saw huge tears running down his face. I sent the girls to bed and pulled him into my lap. After several minutes of me asking why he was crying and what he was thinking about, he simply said, "God." "Thinking of God usually makes me happy. Why does it make you cry?" I asked. He answered, "God put me in this family." Fearing the worst, I asked, "Does that make you sad to think about God putting you in our family?" "No," he replied. "It makes me happy." With that he gave me a HUGE hug, indicating the conversation was over. Isn't that like God to knock me off my feet through a sweet little boy who calls me mama?

Loving Glade Expressions in My Basement

I was beyond excited to invite my friends over to my craftroom in the basement in my new house.  I was not as excited about the not-so-fresh smell they would encounter.  I ran upstairs and grabbed my brand new Glade Expressions^® Oil Diffuser and placed it on the counter of the bathroom.  I wasn't certain how well the scent would freshen the room, but the understated bamboo holder added a touch of class to my otherwise bare counter.  After a quick cleaning of the craft room and bathroom, I ran upstairs to finish getting myself ready for the evening.

A couple of hours later, I gathered the food to take down for my guests.  I was only a couple of steps down the staircase when I became aware of the aroma of all things tropical.  It was not overwhelming, but definitely noticeable.  Even my guests commented about the sweet smells as they found their seats at the table.

I have been pleasantly surprised for several days now that the aroma is still there each time I go downstairs.  I already have refills in a variety of scents stashed under my cabinet so I don't have to worry about running low.


Visit glade.com to learn more about Glade Expressions^® products and to explore all their scent collections.  I received a free Glade Expressions^® Oil Diffuser in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion.  The opinions expressed are mine.

A Birthday to Remember

We have two daughters with August birthdays.  They usually celebrate together because they have learned that they can celebrate in a much bigger way if they combine their $100 birthday budgets.  One of their dream birthday ideas has been to go to Great Wolf Lodge, but that has always been out of their price range.
Last spring we received a homeschool magazine that quickly caught their attention.  In it was a full-page ad from Great Wolf Lodge with a discount code for homeschoolers.  Even better, it applied to our family size of 6 (which really isn't all that common for a discount).  The girls were overcome with excitement because this discount brought the destination within their budget.  We tucked away the ad for the time when we would need the code. 
As it always does, life happened in the four months between the time we got the magazine and when I needed to book the room and the ad was nowhere to be found.  I emailed the company with all of the info I could remember and, lo and behold, I was emailed back within a day with the discount code.  I promptly booked our room and marked our calendar. 
Our kids have been counting down for over four weeks now and the date is nearly upon us.  I have been pleasantly surprised to find that our family isn't alone in planning for our celebration.  Since making the reservation, I have been contacted by staff from Great Wolf Lodge on three occasions via phone and email.  Of course, I received the normal confirmation email, but it was full of helpful details.  A couple of weeks ago, a sweet lady called to let me know about the hours of the water park so we can plan our stay accordingly.  She also answered several questions of mine and helped me better plan for our stay.  This week I received another email.  Because we are going for the homeschool week, this email listed several extra activities planned during our stay.  I told my husband that I can't see how we will possibly have time to do all of the things we want to do.  That's just the way I like a family outing because no one has time to get bored and they leave with happy memories of a fun-packed adventure.
To be fair, I have to add that there was a small problem when I booked our reservation.  The price was higher than what I was first told (and was advertised).  I booked it anyway and promptly emailed the hotel.  Within two days, the additional cost was refunded to my credit card.
If this is the service we get before we've even arrived, I am expecting a wonderful time during our stay.  I'll share those memories when we get back!

What I'd Say

I don't have those days too often anymore, but today was one of them.  I had an overwhelming urge to call my grandma today and tell her all about my day.  I didn't expect to have those days two years after she left this world, but it still happens sometimes.  If I could call her, there's so much I'd say.

Today we went back to school.  We didn't plan to take a summer break, but we ended up with four weeks off due to summer camp, Vacation Bible School, and visitors from Taiwan.  So today was our official first day of school. 

Can you believe Annie is in 7th grade?  Time just flies!  I remember being in 7th grade and how hard the first day was.  Not for Annie; she's doing just fine.  She's so smart and loves to learn.  And read!  She will read the most boring textbook and can't wait to tell me all about it.  Now if I could just get her to get her other work done.  Usually she gets distracted by all of the wonderful thoughts in her head - things like donating magazines to the hospitals and collecting toys to take to the orphanage.  By the way, you wouldn't believe how tall she is - almost as tall as me.  Whenever she asks to borrow something, I think of all of the times I borrowed something from you.  It's a strange feeling having my daughter looking through my things, wanting to wear them!

Did I tell you about Cece's haircut?  For her ninth birthday she wanted to surprise AJ with a new haircut.  The only problem was that she ended up HATING the haircut so much that she cried Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.  We think it's cute, but you know how it is when you don't like your haircut.  Oh, and if the bad haircut wasn't enough to ruin her birthday weekend, she discovered on Sunday that her salamander died.  She didn't even tell us until I saw that she was sitting at the kitchen table crying.  She rebounded though.  This morning she was up bright and early to tell AJ goodbye before he went to work.  The happiness was gone when we started school work, but we did some of it together and she enjoyed that.  She has some great ideas but wants perfection when her pen touches the paper.  Rather than have mistakes, she just doesn't write.  We compromised and I typed while she dictated.  She is looking forward to biology - we are studying flying creatures this year.  Anyway, when we finished her work, she went outside to use the roller blades she got for her birthday.  That girl can already fall with grace and always gets right up and tries again!  I love her spirit!

Alex is the same as always.  He was frustrated today because his work was more challenging than what he had last year.  He got used to things being easy and didn't like that he couldn't do it perfectly today without some effort (yes, another perfectionist in the family).  I think second grade will stretch him more than he expected.  Everyone comments at how well he is doing for only being in the United States for seven months.  Last night at dinner, he told us about the night he called his mother and told her that he wanted to come to America.  I couldn't imagine making a decision like that at such a young age. He seems to have adjusted well to life with us, even homeschooling.  He reads and writes very well and his math skills are impressive.  We are still working on things like contentment and patience, things that most any seven-year-old boy is probably learning.

Miss Corina is super-excited that her birthday is coming up.  She can't wait to be seven like her brother.  She could do without the school work of second grade.  She asked tonight if she could take her baby dolls when we go to work tomorrow instead of her school books.  That girl drives me nuts, not wanting to do her school work.  The crazy thing is that when she sits down to do it, she knows it.  I often wonder when she learns it, but she knows it.  She has also really stepped up about doing her chores without being told, especially since she got that kitten a couple of weeks ago.  Today she was the first one done with her work.  That doesn't happen often, so she was happy when she got to go ride her bike before anyone else.

I have so much more to tell you, but I know you need to go.  Later I'll have to tell you about my crazy day at work and the house we're moving to (I still can't believe it).  I love you and wish I could give you a hug.  Remember that night a couple of years ago and I called you to chat?  You had no idea that I was near the end of my 2 day drive to your house while we were talking and you jokingly told me to bring the kids for a visit any time.  The look on your face the next morning when we rang your doorbell was priceless!  If I had only known that would be the last time I could give you a hug... I'd do it all over again the same way.  I'm so glad I stayed an extra day with you for that visit.  And I'm glad I took all of those pictures of you and Grandpa with the girls.  OK, I can't end this conversation crying.  That's no good for anyone.  Here's a happy thought for you before I say good-bye.  Annie is researching what kinds of flowers to plant in the backyard of our new house so we can attract hummingbirds just like in your garden.  We want it to be a peaceful place where we can be reminded of you in the beauty of the flowers and the animals.  You know, we think of you often anyway but this is just an excuse to share stories about you with our guests so they can know you too. <3