ahg character night

claire recently dressed up as mary poppins for her AHG meeting. her unit is working on their theatre badge! all of the girls really got into dressing up and of course mary poppins was a perfect fit for you know who!

let.it.go.

let. it go. how to stop running the show and start walking in faith.....um, yes please.

i'm so excited to begin this new online bible study (OBS) next week!!! This will be my second study following the online bible study group at melissataylor.org. Two years ago I followed her Made to Crave series and really enjoyed it but didn't participate as much as I wanted to.....so this time around I hope to dive more into the Scripture behind the study, read the chapters in the book each week and hopefully participate in the blog hop (something new for me!) a bit as well!

an OBS is so fantastic for busy schedules and for flexibility! I hope someone reading this will be curious enough to click on the link above and consider joining in the study too. You don't have to be on facebook or twitter (thank you!!!) to participate - everything you need to keep up is on her blog...so once you have your Bible and her book in hand you are good to go.....

now to the good stuff.....here is a glimpse of the content of the study from the back cover of let.it.go:

"The housework. The meals. The kids. Many women are wired to control. But trying to control everything can be exhausting, and it can also cause friction with your friends and family. This humorous, yet thought-provoking book guides you as you discover the freedom and reward of living a life "out of control," in which you allow God to be seated in the rightful place in your life. Armed with relevant biblical and current examples (both to emulate and to avoid), doable ideas, new thought patterns, and practical tools to implement, Let.It.Go. will gently lead you out of the land of over control and into a place of quiet trust."

Oh I can't wait!!!!!! Lord, I'm so excited for this study and what you have to show me. Father, I know there are so many pockets of sin left uncovered and unexplored in me. Expose and mold me to be more of the wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend you made me to be. I love you Jesus. Thank you.

handicraft friday

Today the girls and I made lip gloss! We purchased a kit through Amazon.

It contained everything we needed: beeswax beads, shea butter, almond oil, flavoring oils, containers and labels! It was surprisingly easy to do!

 Each batch fills four containers and takes ten minutes to make. After it sets for twenty minutes....

 you can seal it up and label it! The girls decided to label them "Claire and Cam's Wear". We made several different flavors: peppermint, tangerine, tropical punch, and pineapple! We plan on sending these out to family and friends with our Valentines!

We've already ordered some other flavorings so we can expand our "inventory!" So fun and definitely one of our favorite handicrafts so far!!

january birchbox review

I got my first Birchbox in the mail this week!!!

 Here's what was waiting for me inside:

Pictures of each product are below the "review":

Frownies Rose Water Hydrator Spray ($11.95) - I give this product a C+....I love the smell and the name of the product, but using this everyday and adding it into my cleansing routine (which is usually rushed) I don't see happening. The side of the product also mentions you can spray it anytime to freshen up.....um....if I get a lip gloss during the day on I'm doing good so for me this is a pass.....

 ModelCo SHINE Ultra Lip Gloss ($16) - A+++++, love the color (the sample is Berry Pink), the consistency, the large sample size, and the cute mirror on the side is perfection! Only problem is everyone else loves this too so its currently unavailable through Birchbox; but a google search will yield other vendors.....definite purchase for me!

Larabar ($9) - I didn't try this sample so I'm not sure how great these are....but at $9 a bar I'm not sure I'd be purchasing anyway!

My Multi Purpose Mattifying Moisturizer ($68) - A- okay at first I didn't like this moisturizer because it is really mattifying instead of being more creamy and cool on my face...because my skin still felt dry I applied my regular moisturizer over it and then the magic came when I applied make up!! I could tell a noticeable difference in the way my make up set on my face and gave a smooth appearance. So I would love to buy this product and use everyday that I "make myself up", but I'll have to earn some Birchbox points first since the price point is so steep.

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy ($25) - D+ - This perfume is a little too teenagerish smelling for me...too floral and too sweet for my taste...but right up your alley if you like that type of smell....come to think of it I can't remember the last time I wore perfume!! Ha!

Wrap Up:

Frownies Rose Water Spray - C+
ModelCo SHINE Ultra Lip Gloss - A+++++
Larabar - did not sample, pricey
My Multi Purpose Mattifying Moisturizer - A
Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy - D+

What's great about this subscription is that it allows me to sample products I'd never know about and lets me try new things! Can't wait to see what's in my February Birchbox! I'll try to post each month on what I get!!

cowpens battlefield

we are in the middle of studying the revolutionary war and were excited to find out that the anniversary of the battle of cowpens was this past week on january 17. each year the park has reenactors demonstrate musket firings, calvary competitions, and lead guided walks through the battlefield. can you say field trip?!?! we had an awesome time learning more about the important battle of cowpens and how it was a turning point in the war. the girls completed a trip journal to document our day. you can find the trip journal here on the simply charlotte mason site. it was great fun to mark the route we took on our drive and see how many neighbors we could spot on the way....we even saw cars from california and arizona!! this is a trip we will remember for a long time....

growing like a weed!

stella - ten weeks

camdyn's gymnastics performance

camdyn just finished her first semester of gymnastics classes after years of literally BEGGING us to let her take lessons! she is a natural and loves it! go bammer!!!

camdyn's bar routine