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New Favorite Things

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

I thought today I’d share a few more favorite things that I have come across.  I’ve added the Amazon links to each item, embedded in the name, so in theory the shopping page will open in another page for your convenience.  This is a hair related group, for the first time.

 

First up, is Schwarzkopf Keratin Color Anti-Age Hair Color Cream in Intense Cocoa.  This brand is a little more pricey than I used to go for, but I gave it a try once because I wanted a dark brown to cover up the white hairs cropping up and get rid of the color I had last played with that was too light.  Anyway, I was incredibly impressed with how soft this made my hair, the gorgeous tones when the light catches it, and it doesn’t smell or feel harsh to me at all (and y’all know how sensitive I am!).  They have a variety of colors and even another variety of dye, but I love the Keratin version. 

 

hair dye

 

Next, I’ve really been considering highlights or a bit of balayage to help give my pixie cut some definition and dimension.  It tends to blend really well once it is dry and becomes a helmet of hair instead of being able to see the strands I played with to get some umph.  I decided to give hair chalk a try, so I can play with some colors without worrying like I’m going through a midlife crisis if we have to meet the social worker on short notice.  *laugh* It took me a little learning curve of a few minutes, because I had watched the wrong tutorial which was for the stick chalks and not the powder compacts, so I had to change up what I expected to do.  *facepalm* Anyway, Splat has always had some outrageously tempting hair colors and I haven’t been able to try them because my hair won’t survive the bleach needed for the vivid colors.  Splat came out with really easy chalks though in a variety of colors and you can control the intensity, location, and you can even layer the coloring (although I haven’t tried that yet).  I first tried out Sun Kissed (gold) upon my aunt’s recommendation, which I would never have dared to do before in fear of looking jaundiced, but it turned out great!  Next I will be trying out the Sugar Plum color.  They may be near the same cost as a cheap hair dye (which I stopped buying as I got older and my hair became a little more delicate), but they last several rounds (especially for shorter hair), they wash right out that day, and you can change things up any which way you want.  Lighter hair like blonde will show all of the pastels, but it’s nigh on impossible to show with really dark hair (especially with the intense cocoa as the base; by the way, it’s totally okay to use this chalk a day or two after you dye your hair as long as your hair is in good condition, even!).  If you have a chronic illness that you have to take medicine for, then you probably know that dye tends to do some interesting things in your hair that might not happen when your friend uses the same product.  My hair dresser once told me it’s because the strand itself is affected by illnesses and medications, so some products cling more (I’m talking about you temporary wash out dye!) and some products barely last a few hours (I’m looking at you, Splat Washables – btw, NEVER use a Washables on a hot day when you’re going to get sweaty.  I was unfortunately using a red tone and looked like I had a head wound when I started to sweat under my hair and it dribbled out!).  This chalk has low commitment, is easy to apply (although it gets everywhere while applying since it’s powdery, so be prepared for that), and you just use hairspray to make it “set”.  

 

 

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As you can tell, I started to enjoy myself after a few strokes and got a little heavy handed.  It sure gave my cut some dimension though and helped to show off the layers.  My screen saver is slightly over the FaceTime camera, so pics facing me come out a bit funky and bright, but in person the gold really pops, especially with a fresh cocoa dye job.  

 

If they come out with green, I’m going to buy that so fast!  I think it’d be fun, especially for one of the two Celtic performances I’m going to this year, and I have hazel eyes, so the green will really bring the green pigment in my eyes out without me having to cry finally.  Yay!  I may actually play with the “real” chalks soon that are all similar to the oil pastels I used to do art with, just so I can see how green and maybe violet would look on me, but for now, these are my favorites, in case you’re interested in having a little fun changing things up!  

 

I hate to say it, but please don’t pamper yourself with a nice candlelit bath while you have chalk in your hair.  I know I usually encourage you to pamper yourself, but bringing a little fun and punk into your hair is enough pampering for that day.  Wash it out and then pamper yourself.  You’ll be cleaning for hours otherwise and that’s totally not in my pamper thyself way of life.  😉

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Just a Little Fun

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

After such an emotional post yesterday (ended up finishing today, but that’s because it took almost two hours for me to finish writing it! lol), I decided that today I just want to post a few fun things.  First, I cut off all my hair a few weeks ago, in the middle of the night, and on the way to a hockey game with friends and Scouts, I had some fun with Snapchat.  Yep, I’m still learning and making sure I don’t forget how to use it by the time we get Kiddo.  Of course, I’ll have probably ten more teen used apps to learn by then, but in the meantime, enjoy some funny pics, especially since we don’t like to have our pic taken (although we’re working on it, since there will be lots of family pictures taken!).

 

A bit of flower power combats the dark side 😉
Polar Bear tried to make L let me take a pic

 

(My pic is about two months old there and no, I’ve never been daring enough to wear dark makeup.  *grin*)

 

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I found this pin one day and it was perfect for me.  I am incredibly challenged when it comes to directions, spatial awareness, and navigation.  I have an excuse though!  They have actually made a connection to Fibro being a likely cause, since our brains are kind of incorrectly wired.  Plus, I think “take a left at the big tree just past the red barn, then a right after the vet’s clinic, and then go straight for a couple of miles until you finally see a mailbox on the left side – take a right and go up that driveway” is a completely viable form of directions.  *laugh* I learned a long time ago to pass the direction giving on to others.  I’d be worse than the sat-nav telling you to turn right when it’s now a lake.  I admit my failings.  🙂 

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We Made a Little Progress

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

The wait during the adoption process is killer.  I’m going to be very straightforward about that and I’ve had a really hard time handling it, especially with the take control kind of personality I developed.  I have a sincere belief that the only reason I survived some of my struggles is because God was preparing me for this journey.  I went through different traumas to prepare me to help my girl through hers.  

 

Now, please bear with me since this is going to take me a while to write, because I’m not good about being this vulnerable.  We still haven’t gotten far, but it turns out that it has taken longer than expected because there was a massive computer issue that caused problems on our profile and it snowballed.  However, the silver lining is what matters.  As the wait continued we began to worry that we had been rejected for some reason and it finally got to the point that I was absolutely terrified of it deep down, although I kept trying to hold onto that hope.  When they contacted us about the computer issue and what things they needed, etc., our case worker officially said that we are in the process.  There’s a lot more ahead, but finally some confirmation and now we wait for the next step.  From there we use my training and God’s direction, and we will get our missing piece.  I will be a mom.  I hoped, I dreamed, and I tried to prepare in every way I could come up with during that down time, but I was still so scared underneath.  I’ve gotten used to wearing a mask because of my Fibro; “It’s my mission to get through everyday doing the best that I can.  When you say I look ‘perfectly fine’, I know I am succeeding!  I have years of experience with this now…and because you do not see the pain that I am in, I know that I am accomplishing my best.  So, thank you!” (Fibro Affirmations, specific author unknown.)  Since I’m so used to my Fibro mask, it wasn’t so hard to put on my “It just takes time” face, apparently.  And I tried to mask it inside so that I wasn’t so aware of my fear, so that I could keep pushing and preparing.  Now my second mask can come off and I can have full faith that I get to be “mama bear”.  *grin* Who knows how much longer it’ll still take to get to that next step, but it’s in writing.  We’re going to get there.  We’re going to be parents.

 

While I was desperately trying to cling to hope and belief, L gave me the most beautiful Christmas gift to keep me going during such a hard time.  He flew my best friend since childhood from California to host a Motherhood Shower for me.  (A Motherhood Shower is like a Baby Shower, but they’re celebrating that rite of passage into motherhood that most adoptive mothers never get.  People celebrate, give gifts, encouragement, and advice with a biological child.  Or even with people that adopt babies.  The age shouldn’t matter; this is still my first daughter and will always be my first child, no matter if we adopt another or not.  I will be her mother for the rest of our lives, through the good and the bad, no matter what.)

 

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I cropped out the details and names, but that was the theme and those were my colors.  1800 miles and we were able to do a bang up job of coordinating a neat little Shower, and it was truly a celebration of my journey into Motherhood.  Best of all, getting to be with her for several days after nearly fourteen years without face to face contact, gave me such faith and hope.  Not just in the adoption either, but in being strong through the struggles with my Fibro progression, my fear of failing Kiddo because of my illness, and so many more things that are so vulnerable that I’ve only ever talked with her about them.  Some of them I never admitted to anyone else and worked through them with her help, and will never discuss them again unless my daughter needs to hear what I went through and how I got through all of it.  

 

Back to the Shower now that I have cleared that annoying water that was pooling in my eyes (nope, I wasn’t crying.  I don’t cry.  Nope.  I’m just going to keep saying that until I believe I’m just that tough. lol).  I used to think I lost a lot of friends due to Fibro, but what really happened was that I learned who my true friends are, and some of those special people are family for us and will be for Kiddo.  They’re the family we chose, so right from the get go Kiddo knows it’s not about the genes for us.  It’s about love and friendship.  And a small group of our family and friends came to my Shower.  It really couldn’t have been better, other than having more time for some (I picked a day that had a bunch of stuff going on that I didn’t know about, which made it extra hard for some to attend the Shower, and made it extra special that they did).  We went all out with pink and black, and glitter, oh my!  *happy sigh* It was a slow prep process, but it really helped keep me working on the adoption in some way, which kept that flame of hope alive.  As the invite says it was a cocoa buffet, so we had the most decadent and delicious hot cocoa (I’ll share the recipe later), with tons of mix-ins, and a few snacks, plus my mom got me the most perfect cake shaped like a puzzle piece, since our theme has been that we’ve been looking for our missing puzzle piece. 

 

Sorry, had to take a pause and look at the ceiling.  Might have been a cobweb to watch for.  Not because I was teary eyed or anything, so stop thinking that!  It was all so perfect for me.  Intimate, loving, an amazing host that kept the pressure off of me, the encouragement, the games, and the most beautiful tradition of sending our hopes for Kiddo and my motherhood journey out into the world.  It wouldn’t have been quite so perfect without L’s gift.  Not just because she’s the best coordinator and host in the world, hands down, but because she’s a huge part of this adoption.  When I was faltering in my faith due to another set of struggles there was no judgement, just love, compassion, and help.  And that, plus the little bits of the Shower that we have up as reminders, helped me get through until we got the official confirmation that we will adopt.  We. Will. Adopt.  I just needed those reminders of His handiwork while preparing us for this new chapter in our lives.  And next, a few pictures of our little set up…

 

 

As you can see, even Skully got in on the party, although I’m sure he wasn’t too thrilled to be in a frilly women’s masquerade mask, but he’s been dressed up in different things all year long for years, so I couldn’t leave him out.  And all of those little hand painted puzzle pieces that were used as table scatter…my friend had the most brilliant idea of filling an empty candle tumbler with them, so they’re right by the tv and a constant reminder of our beautiful puzzle piece that we will get to meet someday.  And next is the cake, now that my eyes aren’t so itchy.  *grin*

 

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I had to keep the party very intimate, so if you weren’t invited, it isn’t that you were snubbed, please believe me.  We weren’t sure until a few weeks before that the Shower would get to actually take place and all venues were booked by then, so it had to be a tiny crowd that could fit in our cozy little living room.  And this wasn’t the official Adoption party that everyone will be invited to.  This was for me, my journey, and how best to help my daughter when we start out.  If Kiddo agrees to an Adoption party, believe me, there will be a total loss of control and I’m going to go hog wild with a big ole party to celebrate her!!  

 

Anyway, we’re so blessed and thankful to finally get to say that it’s confirmed that we will get to adopt.  We still don’t have details on the delightful young lady, although daily it bewilders me how I can love someone so deeply without having met them or even know their name, or how I feel like the love continues to grow.  It just took me a while to work up the courage to talk about something so dear to me and to admit to my stumbles to get to this point.  My Faith isn’t something that I take lightly, so it was hard to admit that I questioned it to a degree, as things kept dragging along without any word.  My hope is that this admission will help take the burden of guilt off of another future “mama bear” (you better believe after all of this work, waiting, and Faith, I will love and protect my girl so fiercely that I’ll earn that nickname, as will any other Adopting mom! *grin*).  If you’re reading this and going through the waiting phase with your adoption, reach out to me.  I’ll wait with you.  Anyone going through adoption needs a lot of support and sometimes we find it in new, unexpected places, like a tiny blog about a weird nerd and her bath and body craft.  🙂

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Fighting for Her

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

I plan to give a little update on our adoption, but am working up the nerve to discuss such an emotional subject, so I’m taking my first step with this incredible picture list that has been such an encouragement during this process.

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H P Mallory

Posted on January 20, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

My mind right now is much like going down the rabbit hole, so prepare yourself for a week of wildly unrelated subjects, until I get a little more used to my new meds. Consider yourself warned and hopefully you enjoy the ride. *laugh*

I’d like to introduce you to an awesome author today that has some really fun books in a couple genres, but is legitimately an awesome person from all of the interviews and blurbs I’ve read. I’ve followed her writing for years, since her stories are less predictable for me, and her price point has always been so affordable. To top it all off, she’s a self published author (or started out that way. I stopped stalking interviews and went for the books after I got addicted. Lol). I have massive respect for indie authors and try to support them when I can.

Now, her stuff is a little steamier than I would normally discuss or promote on here, but I’ll stick to the innocent stuff and let you take a look here on your own to see if you might be interested. (If you know paranormal romance and a little cursing just isn’t your thing, please skip the rest of today’s post.) I’ll start with pics for some of the first books in her series (I checked – that’s how the dictionary said to put the plural, so it’s not my fault it looks weird when I’m talking about three different sets of books!).

When I was notified that she has branched into two sassy affirmation books, I hurried to order and support her. Now, these are definitely sassy, so if a bit of cursing or eye candy bothers you, don’t click the link. *laugh* One is an adult coloring book with an affirmation on each page. I actually use the coloring as therapy to help with getting better control of my tremor and grip, plus the humor and coloring is great for stress relief. The second has some of the same affirmations, but have a different pairing with the affirmation. Here is the description with kind of a nicer take on curse words…

So, if you’re a bit sassy and could use some affirmations, but need humor or coloring to help you remember to read some, check out Speak It Into Existence and we’ll just call the other Affirmations for linking purposes. Lol

You’ll get gems like:

Originally I truly did get these two books to be supportive, but they really make me laugh, so I wanted to share despite the risqué content and wording. If you’re a Charlaine Harris fan, I think you’ll definitely love the e-books and you’ll probably find some laughs with the paperback affirmations. If you’d like to read more about Ms. Mallory, please check out her website. She runs some great sales and some are even in the Kindle Unlimited program if you subscribe (if you read a lot, it is SO worth the subscription!!).

Anyway, I’m sorry if any of this was a little too taboo for any followers, but think she deserves a big kudos for really bringing indie authorship into the limelight and I also think that sometimes we just need something funny to help get us over the bad days. 🙂

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Wickedly Yummy!

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

I’m a little out of it from adjusting to my new medications, but one stops my chronic nausea and vomiting, so I’ve had a pleasant day of napping and eating. *laugh* I had ordered some things through Amazon PrimePantry recently to try to tempt my appetite, while having my problems, and now I’m like Taz from the cartoons, but tearing through our pantry instead. And I discovered that some of those temptation foods are incredible when your stomach feels normal! However, I feel it is my duty to share one that I am quickly becoming obsessed with that is going to add a whole extra round of working out in a few days.

If you are an Amazon member and a chocoholic, then you MUST try this! If you don’t like doing a pantry box, you can buy a two pack through basic prime, too. 😉 Seriously though, you can spread on fruit or even just eat it out of the jar with a spoon in a dark corner like the little chocoholic that doesn’t want to be discovered attacking a food. That might just be something that only I do, though. Lol So, if you have a membership or needed just one more benefit to help you decide if the membership fee is worth it, this only available on Prime ambrosia should tip the scales and you must try this. Seriously, it’s worth the calories and doesn’t get refrigerated, so you can sneak a silky smooth spoonful any.time.you.want. It’s good enough I used popular culture’s period between words concept and you know how snobby I can be about punctuation. *laugh* Have a wonderful rest of your day or evening! I’ll be nestled in my corner of the couch with my jar of spread until my sedative kicks in. Leave the spoon there please if I fall asleep with it in my mouth. 😉

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Short and Helpful

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

Today has been filled with medical stuff, so I wasn’t able to write and schedule the morning post as I have been. Since it’s a rough evening for me and two new sedatives are about to knock me out, I thought I’d make this is short, but wanted to provide some helpful info.

While doing research and prep for any emotional issues our adopted daughter may have I found tons of great worksheets on the internet and Pinterest. Some are even provided by social workers for this. Since it’s been a bit difficult to keep waiting on the adoption to progress when I’m an impatient person *grin*, plus the new health issues that cropped up that we’re trying to pin down, I decided to try a few of the forms and see if they truly are helpful. I swear to you that it really helped me put things into a more positive light, not be so judgmental of myself, and actually took a lot of the stress away once I looked at things differently. If you’re unable to save and print out the pics of the forms from my post, hit my Pinterest board for Teenage Adoption for access to the originals. I do not take credit for these, didn’t create them, and am not totally sure who even came up with a bunch of the others that I’m not including on here. I actually just wrote my responses in a lined notebook and did different topics, so I could use the same original, so no completed worksheets for you to peek at. *teasing smile* Anyway, I hope you consider trying at least one out when things get overwhelming or emotional. Tomorrow I’ll try to have a clearer-minded post for you!! Lol

(The Self-Talk is my favorite one)

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Boxing

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

I took up boxing shortly after I moved back home following my escape from an abusive relationship. I’m one of those people who handles things by finding ways to be in control of at least part of whatever is wrong. I hated feeling vulnerable, watching over my shoulder, and wondering if the next time he found me would he finish the job (he did a bit of stalking after I escaped, so it has been a legitimate fear for years)? So I found emotional strength and control by making myself physically stronger and prepared. Although I thankfully haven’t caught sight of him wherever I’ve gone or been for around ten years now, I still find inner peace with boxing.

My canvas punching bag accidentally got wet and basically turned into cement, so I gave boxing up for several years. Two years ago my husband bought a strike shield, but was unavailable to hold it when I got the urge to box, so we hung it on our bedroom door. When I closed the door it would hold the pad in place. However…it sounded like I was breaking the door! Needless to say, I went back to Wii boxing, but the satisfaction just isn’t there when there’s no impact. *laugh*

As an early joint Christmas gift we bought one of the BOB stands (Body Opponent Bag), which was a display and a price match, so we got three discounts on it, making it one of the most guiltless workout pieces we have ever bought. *grin* Until we get our spare room situated he hangs out in our living room. I’m going to put some “ink” on him once I make up my mind on what scars and tattoos I want in him, but in the meantime we made him into white thrash. I named him Eddie (there are just too many impolite things BOB can stand for, so I couldn’t do it lol). The name is a play on part of my ex’s name, but we don’t have to actually soil our home or conversation with his real name. I really wouldn’t want to say the bastard’s name all of the time, honestly, and especially not have my husband say the name often (excuse my language). The name comes up enough when we work through my trauma, so I decided a play on it would help. And it makes boxing doubly satisfying and therapeutic.

L poured 350 pounds of sand into the base to keep it in place, which is the max. Recently we discovered that if I’m upset about anything I am actually able to hit hard enough that I moved Eddie all the way until the base was stopped by the wall. Needless to say I was impressed! I truly didn’t think I had that in me. The flattened ring pattern on the carpet from where the base used to sit is like a badge of honor, so I haven’t tried to lift the pile there yet. *laugh*

If you’re like me and need some physical release, but can’t do much exercising, and especially if you’re dealing with the lifelong effects of abuse, try out boxing. It’s great for helping you get into working out, you totally lose the dreaded “droopy chicken wings” on the underside of the arms, and it may just help you become a little more emotionally fit, as well. After lots of broken and bleeding knuckles, I caution you against ever using tapes or training gloves on canvas bags or BOBs. I just wanted to throw that out there in case you’re interested in picking this up. It’s worth spending more for the pro gloves, trust me! If you would like more information or tips, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m totally not professionally trained, but I love it and have learned a lot along the way, so I’d be happy to share what I’ve learned.

So this is one of the Habits I established for myself for this year (see my resolutions post for an explanation if you’re lost). It’s a three-win for me. Have you started or plan to start a new habit for the year? If you need someone to encourage you while you make it into a habit, I’m happy to help! After boxing, don’t forget to do a little pampering, of course! 😉

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I Picked New Habits

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

Instead of picking resolutions for this year, I decided to develop new habits. I’ll share a few later on, but for now I’d like to share this incredible post that was sent to me. I think it’s a much healthier perspective and will definitely help me for a lot longer than any resolution. Hopefully it may help a few of you as well.

Please read Miss Mustard Seed’s Nurturing Habits. Once I’ve healed from my recent falls I plan to be less inspirational and write more of my long-winded random posts, I promise (or threaten, if you prefer the usual randomness *teasing grin*). Until then, I wish you success developing your new habits for this year!!

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Something To Think About

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Georgia's Pampering

Today the post is going to be short, because I want to share a quoted lecture that I was sent, and it was very profound. It is truly changing how I handle some of my fears and thoughts. I hope it helps at least a few of you, dear readers, and helps you start this year with a much better way of handling what life throws at us. The picture’s print is small, so be prepared to enlarge your screen. I’m sorry about that!

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