She's Got Legs

It’s late in the season but I came across the subject this week so I thought it would be a perfect blog post for all you ladies out there.  Sorry guys, you may not be interested in this, unless you participate in this ritual (whatever floats your boat).  I’m talking about the daunting task of leg shaving.  Men, when you hear a woman say she’s excited for fall or winter, she’s even more excited at the prospect of not having to shave her legs more than once a week (or month or the whole winter). Personally, I can’t stand to go longer than a week but it’s an individual preference. Anyway, I’m getting off track.  

I went to the pool with my besties this past week.  Two of them have pre-teen girls and we got into the discussion of when they were going to let their girls start shaving.  We started talking about what age we were when we started shaving (between 10-12 if you want to know). My first razor was a one blade disposable Bic and my shaving cream was a bar of soap.  Painful! Razor burn is no joke and I’m sure I cut myself; but I told my mom I wanted to shave and she was completely fine with my decision.  As a tween, you can’t wait to grow up and start doing all these things women get to do and then you grow up and realize what a chore it really is.  

I wised up with my selection of product the older I got because it’s not enjoyable taking chunks of flesh off your legs while you are trying to shave.  For some women, they skip the shaving process entirely and have the luxury of spending $$$ and getting their leg hairs lasered or waxed.  Others use depilatory creams (Nair).  Kudos to you who do this, but I am not one of them.  I have tried NUMEROUS razor brands and found that Gillette is by far my favorite to use.  Dave used the Gillette Mach 3 on his beard for years and his face was always so silky smooth, I figured it would be great for the legs! He started using a different brand so I switched to the Gillette Venus Embrace which I have been very happy with.  Another important step ladies, LATHER UP!  Using a bar of soap is going to leave your legs bumpy and dry! My favorite shaving cream is a good ole can of 98 cent Barbasol!  It’s the best for a super close shave and no irritation.  I know it doesn’t smell all fruity and girly but if it keeps the gams soft and silky then it serves its purpose.  As far as how long you should keep using the same razor, the great Guru Google search suggested keeping it until it feels dull or irritation occurs.  If you see rust on the blade, dispose immediately.  I am sure you all are more than capable of guessing that though!

Regardless of what method you use for hair removal, what brand of razor or creams you buy, after you get past the task, there’s nothing quite like a soft pair of legs to make you feel a little more girly! If it’s still something you absolutely dread, don’t fret…only 42 more days until fall!

Happy Friday!   - M -

Fun Facts about legs:

Shaving for women became popular in the 40's thanks to pin up models.

It’s better to shave legs towards the end of a shower.  The heat and steam will soften the hair and open the pores.

In case you were wondering, my favorite Van Halen song happens to be Drop Dead Legs.

Sick Day

Kendra and I both worked at Vacation Bible School last week.  Although it was a great experience, it left us both exhausted and sick! Along with sweet children attending VBS, comes their germs and these kids enjoyed sharing those! Coughing, head ache, sore throats.  We have called each other every day this week comparing our symptoms.  When you’re sick, you just want to lie around, sleep, watch a good movie and basically not move but in today’s world, that doesn’t always get to happen.  Sometimes, your body just says it needs a time out though and when that happens, you have your "go to" items to feel better. Here is a list of our sick day pleasures:

Go to Medicine:

Kendra:  My essential oils, Epson salt baths, and Benadryl to aid me into sleep land!

Misty:  Ibuprofen, a good cough syrup and sleep

Favorite Feel better Food:

Kendra:  Chicken bullion, toast with Kandice’s homemade blackberry jam

Misty:  Chicken ramen with lots of extra broth, Minute Maid Juice bars

Feel better Movie:

Kendra:  Pretty in Pink or the Princess Bride

Misty:  You've Got Mail or Breakfast Club

Favorite Lounge Clothes:

Kendra: Under Armour pajama bottoms and an oversize sweatshirt

Misty: pair of shorts and a comfy t-shirt

Favorite Comfort Items:

Kendra: Green blanket, mug of hot tea, and my current read

Misty:  Green ribbon blanket and my couch

We want to know what’s on your feel better list?  Please share in the comments below!   

These are a few of my fav-or-ite.....books!

Reading has always been a huge part of my life. Books can be found in almost every room of my house. Under the end table by the love seat, my son’s books are neatly stacked in two piles. On the shelf in the dining room, there are an assortment of classic books and homeschool books (yes, I am a homeschool mom but more on that another time). In my bedroom, you will find my favorite books and the books I am currently reading. In the kitchen there are cookbooks and in the office the remaining collection of books rest on the shelves.

I think you get it; I love books. But there was a beginning to my love for books and it started with realizing how much books could transport me anywhere. It was Stephen King who said,….

And he was right. Books got me through my parents’ divorce, break-ups with boyfriends, fights with my sister, and deaths of those who mean most to me in the world. I would love to share all of the books that I love with you and why they mean so much to me, but I will narrow them down to just a few. Maybe you’ll see a title or two and want to read them yourself.

The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath

This book got me through a lot. And you probably wouldn’t think so, since the context is about a girl who is depressed and wants to end her life. But that’s just it. I knew that life was so much more than the moment. When I read this book, each time that I read it, it gives me the ability to see that problems are temporary and life is so much bigger than me or my current dilemma.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe- C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia)

My Aunt Peggy (or Uncle Peggy as my sis and I call her) read this to us the summer she babysat us shortly after my parents’ divorce. This book was a portable magic to me in that it helped me forget about my current situation and live in a different world for a bit. I needed something to divert my attention from real life hurt and this book did just that.

Just As Long As We’re Together- Judy Blume

My childhood friends and I fell in love with this book from page one. It was about friendship and puberty and boys and life. I still own my original copy and will always cherish it as I transitioned from child to teen. (More on this one another time, right Misty?)

My original copy circa 1987

Little House on the Prairie- Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House Series)

I was given my first copy in 1986 by my Grandma Biggs (the one who passed in June of this year) and I remember the way I felt reading Laura’s story. I wanted to be Laura Ingalls. I loved how she described the smell of grass and the way the wind blew or the creek sounded. This girl and her story still have my heart today.

Something Borrowed- Emily Giffin

One of the first books I felt like a grown-up when reading. It’s a raw glimpse of friendship and what happens when two women let one man come between them. It was one of the first books that made me realize how vulnerable I was to the world around me and how guarding my own heart would be one of the biggest responsibilities of my life.

The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins

My sister gave me this book and told me that her book club had read it and she just knew it was more my style than hers. Boy was she right. I loved this book and finished it in one day and had to run out to Barnes and Noble and buy book two and three right away. (Thankfully, I was a bit behind the times and all three books in this trilogy were already out) Book one is and will always be my favorite of the three. 

The Hunger Games 

I have so many favorites that I am going to stop here and do another post on a few more at another time. I would love to know some of your favorite reads and why they mean so much to you. As you can see, I have a multi-genre palate when it comes to reading.

Happy Monday, friends and hopefully happy reading! ~K 

Home Away From Home

This week I have been volunteering for Vacation Bible School at the church Kendra belongs to.  It has been like old home week.  Kendra’s mom is the leader of the Children’s Ministry and a few of the teachers are ones that taught me at the church I grew up in.  Being involved in the activities this week brought back memories of my former home church.

Wednesday Service Activity

First Assembly of God was a church that sat on the corner of Carpenter and Klein.  My dad decided he was going to check it out one Sunday night back in 1979.  The next Sunday he and my mom loaded seven kids in the car and drove us to church and that became our second home for many years.  I spent the majority of my first twenty five years of life at that building.  I was baptized there, worked there, married there and was there the day they tore it down.  

Wedding Day 1997

My favorite part about First Assembly was my time in Youth Group.  We always had some type of function going on.  Lock In’s, trips to Six Flags every summer, Friday night gym nights, Youth Rallies, conventions, chili suppers, Harvest Festivals…you name it, and the youth was involved in it.  Many of the friendships I made there are still intact today.  

Annual Youth Six Flags Trip

The church that was once known as First Assembly of God is now under different leadership, with a different name and location. 130 Carpenter Street is now a parking lot for one of the major hospitals in town.  I don’t know if I will ever find another church or church family like that again but I am forever grateful to my parents for finding such an awesome place to have as my home away from home.  

 

First Assembly of God Church

Harvest Festival

Youth Group Reunion

Youth Convention

Agape Fest 1995

Being our normal goofy selves

Work Space

Everyone needs a space to work.  A chef needs a kitchen, a mechanic needs a garage, a photographer needs a dark room, etc.  Writers are no different.  They need space where they can get alone with their thoughts and create.  Here’s a glimpse into our places of work!

A work in progress:

When we moved into our house a few years back, we decided that we would designate one room as a guest room and Dave would get a man cave.  He did such a cool job decorating with awesome framed posters, his game system, and a nice comfy couch.  As for our guest room, that became “the catch all room”.  You know, that one room when company is coming over, you throw stuff in there and then close the door so no one can see how you really live.

When Kendra brought up starting a blog together, I was super excited but knew if I was going to really try to stick with this, then I needed my own little “work space”.  I worked at the dining room table for the first two posts and realized it wasn’t exactly the best spot in the house to get that creative vibe going.  It was uncomfortable, and having a 20 pound cat lying all over your keyboard is a bit of a distraction with the writing process. 

  I decided it was time to clear out the spare room and have my own little “cave” where I could go and escape.   After getting everything cleared out (It really wasn’t that bad) I had the help of my brother Mike, who came over and painted the room for me.  My sissies donated most of the furniture and I added some odds and ends here and there.  It still needs a few little tweaks but so far, I absolutely love my space.  It is my happy place.  

Just like Misty, our spare room served its purpose as the man cave and I kept my desk in an attempt to share the space. Unfortunately, no matter how quiet Donnie was when playing his video games, I could not get the creative juices flowing. One day, I decided to move my desk into our bedroom. It cramped the room a little but the space felt intimate and perfect.

I added specific things to make the space feel like a little writer’s retreat. I have several inspirational quotes and I gave my Laura Ingalls Wilder collection its own special spot. Most of my writing is now at my desk because my husband and kiddo know that when I am at my desk, I am doing something just for me.

     

When I set the mood for writing, I usually play a soundtrack station on Pandora, light my favorite candles, pour myself a mug of coffee, and get to work. Most of my inspiration comes from my favorite authors and I like to surround myself with their books. I also like to add a few of my indie favorites to the collection to remind myself that if you work hard, you can accomplish anything.

I do have a “To-Be-Read/Am-Reading” area at my desk to make sure that I keep myself from getting behind in my reading because reading is very much a part of the writing process. When I finish a book, I immediately replace it with a new one to read. 

And the days we are working together, you can find us at the dining room table. We put our headphones on, listen to some tunes, and get to writing. 

The Truth About Gardening

If someone had told me even five years ago that I would be planting my own vegetable garden, I would have laughed in their face. I've never had a green thumb and even the smallest of house plants, I usually end up killing somehow. But three years ago, I took a long look at the lot we own next to our house and decided it needed to be used. The previous owner of the lot had the biggest thriving vegetable garden so I knew it was possible.

That first year I had no idea what I was doing. I bought regular seed from Family Dollar down the street, and was given some starter plants from my mom and stepdad for Mother's Day.  I didn't own a single gardening tool. My stepdad was kind enough to let us use his tiller and Donnie went out to the lot and tilled about a pretty large patch of earth for me to attempt to grow a few vegetables. (I did use regular miracle grow that first year. We also had lot of pesky insects and ended up using Sevin to reduce the destruction of my plants.)

Paxton always helps in the garden

We went to Ace Hardware and picked out a garden trowel, rake, hoe, and weeder and were on our merry way. I followed the directions on the back of each package and planted my seeds. I didn't know if anything would grow that year and I had my fingers crossed that at least the starter plants would produce something since my family had bought them for me.

My father-in-law made me a special garden hoe to get those stubborn weeds up 

I won't go into all of the details that first year but I will tell you it was a plentiful one. I watered the garden daily and I weeded it every chance that I got. The vegetation was a wonderful addition to our dinners and I had such a good little crop that I was able to share with family and neighbors.

We had such a good "crop" my first year 

Year two was not as successful. We had a lot of rain and my plants rotted and failed to produce much of anything. I was lucky to have a few tomatoes and some squash. I felt a bit defeated but my neighbor Susan reminded me that every year is different and we could only hope for a better season next year. I used regular seed and I did not weed as often as I should have. I sort of gave up by August.

Which brings me to my third year of gardening and the best vegetable production yet! I bought organic seed this time and I decided not to use any chemicals on my plants. I opted for Organic Miracle Grow when I first planted my seeds but nothing has been used since their germination. I didn't use any pesticides this time and I just let nature take its course. I have to admit, this was the best thing to do, period.

Using Organic Seed vs. Standard Seed 

But the truth about gardening is that anyone can do it. Is it hard? Well, it can be. The most important things to do for a garden is to water it regularly and to weed when possible. Whether you have a small space, a raised bed in the corner of your yard, or a lot like I do, planting is possible and it's a lot of fun. There is nothing quite like picking vegetables straight from the plant and eating them at a meal.

Baby Cucumbers 2016

My best advice is to start small and see how well things go that first year. If you are able to spend the right amount of time taking care of that small patch, then you should be able to grow more things the next year. I would recommend tomato plants, green beans, and zucchini or cucumbers.

Before and After Weeding 

And what a great feeling it is to share your produce with family and friends and know where the vegetables came from. But be patient. The vegetables usually take several months to grow so do not be alarmed if you see a lot of greenery and no actual vegetables. I plant seed by the 2nd week of May and I usually don't see my first vegetable until mid June. By July, we are eating completely from our own produce unless there is a vegetable we like and I didn't plant.

So if you are considering a garden for your family, remember to take it one step at a time and one year at a time. It's good to listen to advice from other gardeners but I think trial and error really gives your gardening a personal touch. You are able to grow from your own experiences because what works for this person might not work for you. Good Luck!