Much Harder Than I Thought...

I have a whole new respect for my fellow bloggers who continue to post lovely, creative, real, and sincere posts when their lives are difficult or turned upside down.

I know many of you have encountered this in your own blogging experience & we all know others like; Edie who lost her home to fire and experienced great loss, or Sasha who thought she was moving...onto a new adventure, but details fell through, or Jessica who built a lovely house only to have it burn, rebuilt this amazing structure with love, and then endured a flood. I am not sure where they found the energy, strength, or clarity to post through these situations, but I am glad they found blogland a place of reprieve & solace. This cozy place has become a source of inspiration, friendship, and an avenue to see, share, and talk about what we love. I am impressed, encouraged, inspired, and honored that they thought to bring us along for their journey...both in their highs & lows. I am thankful for their REAL posts, and the opportunity they gave me, us, to support them as they moved forward.

My life, currently, is different than what those amazing women have endured, but things have in their own way been very difficult lately. For a while it seemed that I was coping, and each day I mustered the strength to keep going. Looking for the positive as I maneuvered through life's obstacles, became almost like a game. However, it has become harder and harder to daily find the positive. I have allowed myself to become focused on & bogged down by the details of my life. I have forgotten to pan out and See, Experience, and Feel the joy which naturally surrounds me.

Well, NO MORE! No more focusing on the "unpleasantries," as my Dad calls them, of life, I am switching gears. I want to share some of the great, happy, ordinary, fun, and inspirational that has happened while I have been checked out. I am pressing forward, I am moving on, and I am taking my blog with me! Hold on because you have much to look forward to!! I may occasionally share life's challenges, but there is so much more to ME and my life than those challenges! I am taking a note from the inspirational ladies mentioned above. I am focusing on the things I really LOVE, I am going to treasure this life I have been given-pure joy coming your way baby!

Thank you for sticking by me, I am so thankful for your friendship.

Tomorrow, I am posting another chapter in my Jazzercise journey, stay tuned, you won't want to miss out!

There is a Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow!!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE a good deal...

But I love a good deal even more when it is one of my most favorite skincare products on SALE!!!

Mineral Genesis GOLD is an exceptional product, beyond exceptional!!!

This high end liquid gold is like a face lift every time you use it, and it comes in a very cute little tub!

Who wouldn't want to:

Look and feel younger instantly

Have a healthy & subtle glow

See skin that is lifted and tightened after each use

Benefit from long term strength and rejuvenation of their skin at the cellular level

Mineral Genesis Gold is part of our high end skin collection. The gold formula is made up of a blend of peptides and volcanic minerals, which significantly boost the skin's intracellular responce. It strengthens the skin's ability to fight premature cell aging and acts as a catalyst allowing the skin to naturally repair itself and improve performance!

It is NEVER to early to slow down the signs of aging...Am I right ladies??

This pot of gold usually sells for $90.00, and let me tell you it is worth every penny!

BUT, today...in honor of St. Patty's Day,

The Mineral Genesis pot of GOLD is selling for $50.00(until mid-night)!!!

This is an amazing deal, and the tub will last you 6-8 months!!!

Pop over to my website, and order your face lift

delivered to you in

your very own pot of GOLD!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

www.mysensaria.com/allnatural

Feature Friday... & A Giveaway Winner!

Good Morning Everyone...
I am glad it is Friday, but find myself with a very heavy heart this morning. I can't even imagine the horror of what the people in Japan have experienced in the last 24 hours, and the devastation they will somehow need to cope with. I am so sad for the loss of their family members, loved ones, & children. The pictures and videos are so intense, scary, and completely over whelming. The silly head cold I woke up with this morning seems so trivial, and I am glad to have someone else to focus my energy on today! Japan will be in my prayers and thoughts as I move through out my day today!

In honor of Feature Friday,

I would like to introduce you to a very special ministry!

My family has been involved with, and blessed by, Life Trac Ministries for many years. They are a family owned and operated ministry which believes in healthy, happy, and flourishing families and marriages. They strive to make a positive and influential difference, based on scripture, through their weekend courses including; Marriage Encounter, Pre-Pair For Marriage, Blended Family Success, Gospel-Powered Parenting, & the Love Birds romance weekend! Greg and Candy are an amazing couple who have successfully been married for 39 years! They have raised a amazing family, and since 1983 have helped hundreds of couples succeed in creating their own dreams for a joyful family environment! Greg was a pastor for 12 years prior to creating Life Trac Ministries, and has spent more than 18,000 hours counseling marriage, teen, and family problems! These two are a dynamic duo, and God is using them in incredible ways!

As we speak, they are in the final stages of planning for a Marriage Encounter course this weekend! Their team is made up of 5 couples who devote their time, knowledge, encouragement, and their personal stories. All five couples are present during a marriage encounter weekend and each play a vital and personal role in helping the weekend be successful!

This last week the team was down with many different viral infections. They are coming into this weekend under attack. In total three members have been or are currently sick and one couple is unable to attend this weekend due to a schedule conflict. I am asking for prayer for this very special ministry and amazing team! They work with love, passion, and all they have in them to see marriages succeed, and they need to be healthy and strong! I am also asking for prayer for the couples who have registered and are traveling to the conference! This is an opportunity for them to build, repair, and strengthen their marriage, and they need all the support they can get! This is serious business they are about to embark upon, please pray for them!

If you would like more information or would like to support this non-profit ministry, please visit their website. The Life Trac family is so special to me, and they are doing some incredible work!

Last, but not least, I would like to announce the winner of the Sunshine Giveaway!

Do you know Kristin from My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia? She is talented, fun, a busy mom of three, and such a sweetie! I have had the privilege of having my wreath business advertised on her blog, she has been easy to work with and so generous with her time! Her blog is amazing! It is full of inspiration, great tips, and fun projects she encourages you to try! I love and feel so honored when Kristin comments on my blog posts, she is always so generous. If you haven't had the opportunity to meet Kristin or read her blog, pop over to My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, and say HI!

I am thrilled she has won the giveaway, I know she will love the Sweet and Smooth body scrub! Kristin if you will e-mail me you address I will get this fun package out to you right away!

I hope you all have a great weekend! Enjoy your families, love on them, and please remember those who are struggling with unbearable circumstances in Japan!

Colorful Visitor and Giveaway Reminder!

The rain stopped today for a little while, the sun was able to peek through, and we had a lovely and colorful visitor!!

I love rainbows, they are on my top ten list of my favorite things!

Back when I lived in Idaho, I missed the sun so much during the winters. Necessity is the mother of invention...right? So, I figured out if I hung chandi crystals in my windows I could experience a double benefit from the sunny days. Light pouring into my dorm room and rainbows dancing on my walls, ceiling, and floor! It doesn't get much better than that!!

So cheery, so bright, and such a fun reward for enduring the rain, cold, and snow!!

I wanted to remind you about the sunshine giveaway!

Today is the last day to enter!

If you haven't done so, pop over to this post, and leave a comment. Blog, Facebook, and Tweet for extra entries!

This is a fun giveaway, and would make a perfect gift for a friend who needs a pick-me-up! Enter and share the love!

Pictures: Unknown-Seattle, and Flickr

More Than Just The Weather!

We just came back from another wonderful trip

HOME!

My wonderful mountains!

The last two weeks have been very difficult for me. The grey cloudy weather has had me especially down, life has been stressful and heavy with fear, worry, and doubt, and my strength to hold everything together was disappearing. (God is ever faithful, visit my "Listening to the Silence tab for a peek into His graciousness.) So, a trip home was such a blessing!

Several things happen for me when I go home; I get loved on like no where else in this world, my kids are loved on, I get to down shift, & lots of coffee is consumed leisurely. We sit and talk...about anything and everything, we eat good food, God's creative beauty abounds and we get to enjoy it, and I get to soak in all the lovely SUNSHINE!!!

This trip was no exception.

Sunshine abounded, physically and metaphorically! The warmth of golden rays were first felt as we began our climb up the mountain and out of the rain. I could literally feel the tension and stress slowly begin lifting from my shoulders. The sunshine continued to bust through my grey as our time with my parents was filled with laughter, friends, a birthday party, and so many fun experiences for my boys!

I love being home!

I am blessed beyond all measure, and so very thankful I have a place to retreat which is filled with warmth and love! My heart was repaired, my strength was renewed, and I even came home with a special gift which will continue to bring sunshine into my home on even the greyest of Seattle days!

My dad is an amazing artist, I hope you noticed my special lemon painting on the last post!

I love the bright, sunny feeling it has brought into my kitchen. Every time I look at it, I smile. Now that is a great piece of artwork! : ) This new painting is of birch trees in the fall with sunshine streaming through the branches and tree line. It is happy, sunny, colorful, and exhibits so many things that I love about home and my family! I love having my Dad's artwork in my home, and I am thankful for the gift of sunshine!

I am thankful that sunshine comes in many forms! Not just the physical rays from the sky, but in the unconditional love of my parents, the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of home, the hugs and laughter shared with friends, and a sunny painting from my Dad.

Life is just so much better today!

Don't forget that I am gifting YOU with a little sunshine this week!! Enter the giveaway and get a sunshine package complete with orange body scrub and sunny summer fun! Become a follower, leave a comment on the giveaway post, and share the love to be entered another time!! Winner will be announced Friday!

Hope YOU win!

So, what is bringing sunshine into your world today? I would love to know!

www.mysensaria.com/allnatural

pictures: guide book America,break magazine,& Sensaria.

March Needs Yellow ~ # 100!! ~ Giveaway!

March is a grey and gloomy month in Seattle.

I am not sure about you, but I have had it up to HERE with the grey, clouds, brown trees and RAIN...misty rain, spitting rain, monsoon rain, and soak you in two seconds rain! Since, I have yet to fine tune my mother nature skills of producing sunshine, I thought the least I could do was bring a little sunshine into blogland!

I now declare that March is officially a YELLOW month, no more grey!

Also, this is my 100th post, WOOO HOOO!! I can't believe it came so fast. I would like to give away a little sunshine to help celebrate!

Read to the bottom for more info!!

Love this door with the bag casually slung over the handle!

Love the one yellow chair!

Yellow floor to die for!

The essence of Spring!
Just so happy! Look, even the caps on the stool are yellow!

Beautiful yellow glow!

Yellow attention to detail!

This is a very special & very new painting, created just for ME by my sweet dad! It brings such a bright, happy, breezy feeling to my kitchen! I just love it!

Love the flowers in the window, and look at that cute fixture!

If this doesn't make you smile, I am not sure what will!

Don't you just love yellow, it makes my currently grey world so much brighter!

Now to give away a little SUNSHINE!

In honor of my 100th post, I would like to share a little healthy, yellow, sunshiny glow!!

Did you know that orange oil is a natural anti-depressant??

Does the grey, gloomy Winter/Spring weather have you feeling a little down...ME TOO!

So, I want to give you my favorite sugar & salt shower scrub!

After one lovely shower with Sweet and Smooth your skin will feel smooth and silky soft! Dead surface cells are swept away, reveling new, fresh, moisturized skin! Also, the naturally uplifting essential oil of sweet orange refreshes the skin and your senses!! You will love the way your skin looks and how you feel!

Here is how to win:

1. Become a follower!

2. Leave a comment telling me what cheers you up on a grey day!

3. For additional opportunities to win, Tweet, Blog, or Facebook about this giveaway with a link back to my blog! ~ Then come back to the blog post and tell me how you have shared this my 100th post!

I can't wait to see who wins, the drawing will be next Friday!!

Have a great weekend, and enjoy the bloggy sunshine!!

www.mysensaria.com/allnatural

Progress Report!

Time For A Progress Report!

Many of you know that after the holidays I began a weight loss journey. I am not calling it a diet or simply exercising, because it had to be a major shift in my outlook on life. Since college, I haven't been physically active, and I have had two babies! I finally reached a point when I wasn't happy with what I saw in the mirror, I was struggling with self esteem issues, my skin wasn't looking all that great, and the everyday tasks were way too difficult.

Time for major changes!

I wanted the changes to be more than just a new years resolution, so I started slow, and with attainable goals!

I joined a Jazzercise gym, twice a week to begin with. Diet was about the same with a few minor changes...lots more water, & the obvious of limited grains, no processed food, and limited sugar!

I have successfully finished two months of life with a new outlook!

I can tell you that getting healthy and loosing weight doesn't always feel good, & it isn't always easy...sometimes very inconvenient! However, the results are showing and I am so glad I have made the changes.

The goal was to loose 50 lbs!

So far, I have lost 9, gained 9 back, and now lost 12. I am not sure what the deal was with gaining the weight back, but I am glad to see it go for good.

I have also lost inches! This most exciting observation happened other day while I was blow drying my hair. I like to flip my head over, and blow dry the underside of my hair first. While I was hanging upside down, I noticed I could see light between my thighs. WOOO HOOO! My thighs officially do not touch anymore while I am standing! I have also lost 1 1/2" from my waist and 2 " from the buttocks area!

I am finally beginning to look and feel better!

My journey is far from over, I still have 38 pounds to loose. This is a process I am looking forward to, I am loving Jazzercise. It is fun, fast paced, and I am loving that each part of my body gets worked out each session. I am up-ing my workouts to three times a week. I am hoping the increased exercise will help me to loose the weight faster, become stronger, and I will enjoy the increased energy.

I have noticed that I am a happier, more energized Mommy now that I am exercising and doing something for ME! I really, truly, believe that the time away from my other responsibilities, spent on me, is vital to my health, happiness, and general outlook on life. I am so much for thankful for my kids when I come home from the gym. The time away is refreshing, and I feel refocused and renewed after working out.

If you don't take time away from your life for just YOU, I would highly recommend adding it in!

I promise your family will be just fine without you for an hour or so, and I guarantee you will feel so much lighter and refreshed when you return. A healthy YOU first, husband/family second! You are worth it, do something nice for you!

I will keep you posted on my progress throughout this journey. I am already successful, and I am excited to continue seeing the changes!

How are you doing on your new year's resolutions?