400th Post!! And a Super Sunday!

This is my 400th post and my second one today! I can't believe I've posted 400 times, but considering that I've had this blog for five years next month, 400 posts seems about right--counting of course, my month-long lapses in between entries.

So, I should commemorate this 400th post with a special post about something really deep, meaningful or shocking! Perhaps I should post something with the number 4 in it, to go with the number 400. Yes, I should do all of that, but I just don't want to. It's late, I'm sleepy (or downright tired would be more like it!) and I really just want to write about my day! So perhaps post 401 will be better, bigger, deeper, we'll see.

Right now, I just want to share what lovely Sunday I just had. Sunday is my favorite day of the week and although I used to try not to do too much on Sundays, now, it's another day off and a day to get SOME stuff done. I still make sure I stop and rest though.

I slept through church this morning, kind of felt bad about it, but since I didn't go to bed until about 4:30am this morning, and cleaned house in the middle of the night (I know wierd, but I was up and awake and might as use my time wisely), I slept until around noon. So, I did rest! Then I wrote, chatted a few friends on FB, then I talked to my grandma Elizabeth! I just adore her, I really cherish her place in my life and consider it an honor to be her "precious" grandaughter. We have a tradition now, every single time that we talk, which is usually every day; when we go to hang up, I say "I love you, Grandma," to which she responds "I love you more!" and I say "only cause you're my grandma!" It's really rather sweet and lovely and has become a cherished, bright part of my every day life! I can't wait to see her in 9 weeks, this year, I AM going home to Christmas--and my birthday! Yay!

After I talked to Grandma today, Colin and I went out and hit a garage sale together. It took us a while to find the darn location, but we SCORED! We scored basically because we didn't just get stuff for rock bottom prices, we got stuff for free! It was the last half hour of the sale and the lady simply said "just take it, anything you want, just grab it and go, for free!" We got some pretty cool things, and found a lot of neat stuff! A beautiful basket that is our new magazine holder, a lovely little remote holder that fits perfectly on our coffee table! A colorful chip and tip bowl that's too cute! A perfectly conditioned 1970 copy of E.B. White's book, "The Trumpet of the Swan," great book! I love old(er) books and this one is in mint condition! I also picked up a little pair of white shorts for me--and they fit me perfectly!!! Miraculous! Sincerely, miraculous--that I found a piece of clothing that actually fit me and that it was FREE! Not just cheap, but FREE! These tiny white shorts look so good on me, and they look like they were custom made! So cool! After that, Colin was kind enough to go to Payless with me (I'm on the hunt for a pair of Brown Flats to wear to work), and as promised, I was in & out of there in 7 minutes flat, yes, I timed it. See, I'm not a "shoe girl," yes, I LIKE shoes and I can get really into them thinking they're so pretty and all, but so few of them actually fit me why bother falling for them in the first place, you know? So, I'm a shoe admirer, most definitely--but a shoe girl or shoe collector, no. Colin was quite appreciative of the fact that as promised, we would be in and out in under 15 minutes, like I said, shoes, I can walk in and out of (no pun intended), it's PURSES and HANDBAGS that are my weakness. And now get me in one of those stores (or departments) and I can get lost for hours! I love purses because it's one size fits all! I always have loved purses come to think of it!

Anyway, when we got home, we finished cleaning and picking up the house, together, which was so nice and then made dinner. Pizza and rice, I know, carbo-load, but it was yummy! I never liked rice until about a year ago, now I do enjoy it occasionally; with butter, salt and pepper. I also ate some delicious Riesen candies today (dark chocolate caramels, yum!) and finished the night off with a Greek style salad!

I got to write and talk to loved ones and have a peaceful day (mostly) at home. It was all around lovely!

I was also reminded today that although my back hurts a lot sometimes, I really have nothing to complain about. I'm walking, talking, breathing, and my face isn't deformed. I read the most interesting article about a soldier who had returned from war and had his face blown off while serving overseas. It wasn't blown off completely, but it was badly burned and severed. An artist contacted that soldier this summer and did a painting of him--and in the painting, the man is smiling--as best he can anyway. It was so inspiring to read that, it just made me put all of my little problems into perspective--and shut the heck up. Yes, I have back pain, yes, sometimes, I struggle to breathe without assistance, yes, my family and I often live paycheck to paycheck (kind of why I'm unwilling to spend more than $10 on a pair of shoes, but I digress). But you know what, we're alive--we're living in a beautiful home, we have each other, and we can SMILE! We can actually physically smile and have so very much to smile about! I will never forget that soldier's story and I thank God each and every day for the amazing, brave, strong and courageous men & women who serve our country with such valor! It is because of them, and the Lord of course, that I can sit here, in freedom & peace and write this entry, type whatever it is I please and lay my head down in a few moments, knowing that I'm free! It's a pretty amazing thing and I mean that in the truest sense of the word!

Ok, so it turns out this 400th entry was deeper than I thought, seriously though, I have a great life and a lot to be grateful for, and I am. Each and every day, thank you, Lord for it all! For each & every blessing and small little miracle, and the big ones too! For family and friends and kids and marriage; for body, mind and spirit; for shelter, food and water; for reading, writing and thinking; for knowing You, for loving me, Thank You for it all!

Here's to the next 400 posts, perhaps I should gain more of a direction with these entries? Oh, well, here's to post 401, and a truly terrific week ahead!

God Bless Us Everyone!

In Light N' Love,
-Sarah Liz

My Favorite Beauty Products!

Today I want to talk about something kind of vain, it isn't deep or spiritual or anything like that. I want to talk about my favorite beauty products! I'm 25 now, and I have been basically acne free for a year now--it disapeared last October, for no apparent reason, I'm not asking why, I'm just eternally grateful it did! Being in my mid-20s now, my skin is changing....here's what I currently use to keep it beautiful, clean and clear! (Most of the time!)

*First off, drink A LOT of water! If you don't, your skin WILL show it! People who don't drink enough water tend to age faster, sad, but true.

*I DON'T smoke! I am AROUND it (I live in Vegas), but I've never ever lit one up myself.

*Yes, I use sunscreen, but I also go one day a week when I don't wear it! I allow my skin to soak up the Vitamin D and other lovely effects of the sunshine--it's not all bad. I just don't sit and sunbathe and if I know I'm going to be out for a prolonged period of time, of course, I slather on the sunscreen! (And wear it on my face & neck everyday!)

*Now, for the ACTUAL PRODUCTS:

**Olay Regenerist Serum: Original & Fragrance Free. I have sensitive, acne-prone skin. Just because my acne went away (miraculously) doesn't mean it isn't still acne prone. I try and use fragrance free products, or naturally fragranced ones! I've used Regenergist Serum now for just over 2 years, and honestly, it keeps my skin clearer than any anti-acne product I've ever tried! If I don't use it for a few days, my skin shows the difference. This Serum is AMAZING and it's an absolute MUST HAVE in my skin care routine/wardrobe!

*Avalon Organics Vitamin C, Oil Free Supercharged Moisturizer: Oil free, lightly fragranced with orange extract and chamomille, and PARABEN FREE! I love, love,, love this stuff! It's expensive for me, at $28 a jar, but it lasts me about 6 months--so it's worth it! That's like 6.4 cents a day! Plus, it's all natural, loaded with anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals and all around goodness! It moisturizes my skin effectively, softly and beautifully, without being greasy or oily! It's hands down my favorite night time moisturizer!

*Burt's Bees Naturally Ageless Eye Cream: I've heard that Eye Cream is the best thing to start using in your 20s. So I did. I like that it too is all natural and paraben free. I use enough parabens and crap in my Olay products, but they work, so I'm not giving them up. Still, I like to offset my carbon (skincare) footprint a bit by using equal parts natural/paraben free prodcuts with sound scientific ones. This eye cream is very moisturizing, non-greasy and has pomegranite extract in it. I can't say it's effective at getting RID of fine lines, but it certainly peps my eyes up, and makes them look soft and supple and hydrayted!

*Origins Super Charged (Daytime) Moisturizer SPF 15....I really, really love this moisturizer. It too smells like Oranges and it's very light and dries to a matte finish! I prefer this daytime moisturizer over the Olay one I'm currently using; however, sometimes, this Origins product does break my skin out. So I use it mostly in the summertime, when I need my skin to be more matte looking. It has SPF 15 in it for the daytime, so that's what's really important! And at $32 or $38 a bottle, that doesn't last 6 months, this is quite an expensive product for me. But I do like it and I would reccomend it for sensitive/oily skin!

*Olay Total Effects 7 Sign Fighting SPF 15 Moisturizer: the daytime moisturizer I'm currently using. It is heavier, and greasier, than Origins, and has a sunscreen scent that I'm not crazy about. But, it DOES moisturize my skin very well, HAS improved the tone and texture of my skin and of course, provides me the SPF coverage we all need. So, although there are things I don't like about this product, I'd have to say there are more things about that I do. I've only been using it about a month, so we'll see in about 3 months how it really works out for me! Stay tuned!

*Olay Regenerist Daily Scrub: This stuff is AWESOME! It's lightly scented, smells great and gentle exfoliates my skin! It has Salic Acid in it which helps prevent (and fight) acne and was rated the #1 Cleaanser in America by Woman's Day Magazine! I've never been one to follow trends, but I've been using this cleanser for over two years and I absolutely love it! I've got my mom using it, and my mother-in-law uses it too! So if a woman in her 20s, and women in their 50s, can use it, and we all get great results--it has to be a pretty great cleanser!

*Alba Papaya Enzyme Mask: my FAVORITE new beauty product! This stuff is truly remarkable! It smells like fresh pineapple and papaya and is a lovely tropical get away for the spirit! I put a thin layer (it only takes a bit) all over my face after I've cleansed it, leave it on for 5--10 minutes and rinse it off with warm water! AMAZING! My skin just positively GLOWS and radiates health and softness! Plus, it clears up any breakouts that might want to appear! I would sell this stuff door to door! It rocks!

*BE Bare Minerals: I've used this makeup for 7 years this month, tried other things and always come back to it. It covers beautifully, has a natural SPF 15 in it and looks gorgeous on the skin! You've probably tried it by now, if you haven't, you should. My mother who never wore make up in her life, sincerely, loves this stuff now! It is expensive, but a large jar of it lasts me around 9 months, so it's worth it! It's all natural, non-greasy and dreamy! I think the Bismuth oxide in it makes me break out sometimes, but I still love it! I ditest being without it and I love, love, love this stuff!

*Wet N' Wild Mineral Makeup: back in May, before my short jaunt to Reno, I was broke and needed some new make up. So I went to Walgreen's and found the Wet N' Wild console and went, well, WILD! Wet N' Wild was really the first make up I ever wore, or bought for myself, and they still make great products for dirt cheap! I was hesitant about trying their mineral make up (as I'm a BE/Mineral Make up Snob!), but I was pleasantly surprised! This stuff is great, it covers amazingly well, keeps my skin more matte than BE and makes me look flawless! BE makes me look flawless too, but with W/W, it doesn't take as much. A couple of swipes and I'm done! This little jar of W/W was originally on sale for $5.99, and it's worth every penny. However, I got it that day for half off, so I only paid $2.99--can you say STEAL of the decade! If and when I run out BE now, I happily consult my W/W Mineral Makeup! It's just great!

That's all for now....I think great beauty products are definitely a path of trial and error. Your skin changes, your hormones change, your life and daily stressors change too! So your products may need to change as well. But, overall, I'm very, very happy with the Skincare Routine I use today. It works! I feel clean, clear and beautiful most everyday, and best of all, my skin is truly beautiful now!

Thank you Lord, for these great products, NO ACNE, really, really thank You So much for that one! And for creating me to recognize my inner beauty--products or not!

In Light N' Love,
-Sarah Liz :)