With summer just beginning I have found myself in such a beach-read reading mood. I want something light, uplifting and fun; one that is delicious, you can just picture reading on a beach with your toes in the sand, or by a pool with a lemonade in your hand! At the end of the book though, I still want to feel that I have gained knowledge or have been made to think about a subject or topic. That is exactly what Elin Hilderbrand did for me with her book Summer of ‘69. Settle in and be ready to be taken on a delightful, but still thoughtful, ride.
Summer of ‘69 is the first book I’ve read by Ms Hilderbrand but I don’t think it will be the last! In this story Ms Hilderbrand tells the story of a fictional family set with the backdrop of the turbulent year of 1969. I love historical fiction and while I don’t usually find myself picking up a historical fiction work set as recently as the 1960’s I found I enjoyed it very much. I have a tendency to skip over the 1960’s, they happened way before I was born, but not so long ago that I think to go back and read about them as I would the decades before. My parents were alive in the 1960’s- how could it be considered history already??
Ms Hilderbrand artfully weaves together fact and fiction as she tells the story of the Levin family. Tiger, the only son, serves in Vietnam. Mrs. Levin struggles to keep her secrets hidden, secrets about the past and the present. Blair, The eldest daughter, struggles in her relationship with her husband as he works on the moon launch and is never at home during her tough pregnancy. Kirby, the wild middle child, protested the war before her brother was called up, now she struggles with her stance on the war while she continues fighting for the women’s liberation movement and for racial equality. Jessy is the youngest member of the family, she paradoxically fights both to be seen and not to be seen while everyone is caught up in their own drama and doesn’t seem to have time for her. All of this family drama in the midst of world chaos: assassinations from the previous year, the Vietnam war is on, and then there is also a little incident at Chappaquiddick that summer involving the Kennedys…. all of this wound tightly into the story of one family that is trying their hardest to have a normal fun summer…..
If you’re in the mood for a gripping summer read that can make you feel the sand under your feet while simultaneously taking you back in time-then I recommend this book to you! I hope you enjoy it!
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In my first career, or as I say- in my first life, I was an esthetician and cosmetologist. I absolutely loved practicing skincare! Helping people with their skincare concerns and providing relaxation was so rewarding. I loved being peppered with questions from my clients. Before too long though, a recurring theme emerged. Clients would ask; “If I do one thing for my skin, what should it be?” Or, “Where should I start??”
There are a lot of factors that play into good skin, and there’s so much out there telling you to do this or that, so much information about a myriad of products out there, but when you boil it all down there are several basics that can make a significant difference to your skin.
Establish a Routine
I had so many clients tell me that they started using a new product, but only used it for a week. They would say they were washing their face twice a day but were breaking out so they stopped after 4 days. Your skin needs a routine. Our bodies regulate our oil production, at least to a certain extent, based off how much oil is being stripped from them each day. If you wash your face twice a day 3 days, then none, then 3 times on another day your skin is not going to know what is going on. It’s ok if not everyday is exactly the same, this is life after all, but being consistent most days will help tremendously to regulate your skin. I recommend washing your face in the morning and evening. If you can only do one of these then I recommend washing your face in the evening to remove all the dirt from the day. Just like your teeth, leaving your face uncleaned in the evening gives the grime a chance to settle in and do more damage over time.
Use SPF!
Please, please use sun protection. Whether in your makeup, or as a stand alone product it is essential that you protect your skin. Even if you’re someone who doesn’t spend a lot of time outdoors, all the moments walking from your house to your car, to the office, and store, all add up over a lifetime. In addition if you have children please make sure you are using a SPF for them as well. I heard a statistic once that stated that out of all the harmful UV rays we will ever absorb, two thirds are absorbed before we turn 18! Yikes!!
Drink Water
I know we hear this everywhere but it really is true that our bodies need water, and usually more than we give them on a daily basis. Just like every other organ in your body your skin needs water to keep it functioning at its best, to filter toxins, and keep it plump and healthy!
Double Cleanse Your Skin
Not everyone is familiar with a double cleanse but it was a game changer for me! Most of us use one cleanser that may or may not target a specific problem. But say you are using a cleanser that is supposed to help target signs of aging as well as clean your skin- how effective do you think it can be when it has to first cut through all the makeup, sweat, and other grime on your face? That’s where the double cleanse comes in!
When doing a double cleanse the first cleanser, often called a precleanse, is usually a gentle, non drying, and often oil based cleanser to first remove all the heavy dirt from our skin. Using the correct precleanser will not dry out your skin. Once you have used the precleanse, follow with your targeted cleanser and proceed with washing your face. By doing this you are allowing your targeted cleanser to work at its full strength, and therefore better treat your skin. Makes sense right?
Use a Moisturizer
Use a Moisturizer- even if you have oily skin! First: oil and moisture are two different things! Oil is produced by your pores, water is absorbed by your cells. You may need a moisturizer called a hydrator if your skin is deprived of water and needs a boost. If you have oily skin and are using an aggressive cleanser to clear the oil out of your pores your skin can then feel dry and signal to your sebaceous glands that you need more oil produced. By using the correct moisturizer you can then replenish the clean pores with the appropriate amount of moisture and therefore hopefully avoid kicking your glands into oil overdrive! By applying a moisturizer that is right for your skin, you help give your skin moisture it needs- keeping it plump and healthy! Not all moisturizers are created equal so it is important to find one suited for your skin; use a lightweight one if your skin is oily to still give it a chance to breathe, or slightly heavier one if your skin is on the dryer side. Look for a moisturizer that is non-comedogenic, that has been formulated not to clog pores.
Change Your Skincare Seasonally
Just like changing our wardrobes according to the season so our skincare should change slightly season to season, and that goes for certain cosmetics; such as foundation and blush too. Most of us will need a lighter weight moisturizer in the summer, when it is warmer and we are more likely to perspire, than we do in the winter when the air is so very dry. I usually go for a slightly stronger cleanser in summer as well.
Exfoliate
Exfoliation is something that people tend to either do way too much of, or none at all! Just like the double cleanse, exfoliation helps to remove the top layer of dead skin, as well as doing a deep clean on our pores. Also as we age our natural skin turnover starts to slow down making exfoliation even more critical. There are many types of exfoliants out there and I will do a future post for the different types, but regardless please do your research or talk to a professional to find the right type for your skin!
How often should one exfoliate? That depends on the individual, age, and type of exfoliation being used. I would say once a week for anyone around the ages of 14-18, 18-late 30s I would say around 3 times a week, and 40s and up I generally recommend 3-5 times a week. Again those numbers depend on many different factors so please do your own research and talk with a professional. If you see any signs of your skin drying out or starting to peel, decrease the frequency, and if necessary downgrade the strength of the exfoliator as well.
Stick With It!
Last but not least whatever routine you decide to establish- stick with it! It usually takes your skin 3 weeks to a month to regulate to a new pattern. This doesn’t mean if you get a few breakouts in the first 2 weeks that your product or routine isn’t working. Oftentimes breakout will occur as the buried dirt is brought to the surface. Habits take time to develop and by sticking to a routine for a month you are truly giving your skin the fair chance it deserves! Of course if you experience anything truly uncomfortable like a rash, flaking peeling, or extreme redness discontinue use of any new product right away and consider seeing a physician. But if you are experiencing relatively minor changes in your skin then persist and give your skin time to adjust and improve!
I hope this helps give you a jumping off point for your skincare! In the meantime I’d love to hear from you- what has worked, or not worked for your skin? What questions do you have? What are your current skincare struggles? Let me know and if I can I’d love to help!
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
Ephesians 4:31, NIV
It was a beautiful Sunday morning I thought to myself as I popped into my kitchen before church and began mixing up some blueberry muffin batter. I was in my element as I pulled a carton of eggs from the fridge and opened it up. There were 6 white eggs and one brown egg remaining in the carton. I didn’t think twice about this-we were often gifted with brown eggs from friends and family. I probably had just consolidated the last of a carton of brown eggs in with the store bought eggs. Grabbing a white egg I cracked it into my measuring cup. Yay, no shells! I grabbed the brown egg and gently touched it to the edge of the measuring cup. There was a pop, like when you open those scary pop open biscuits, and the next thing I know a terrible stench is permeating the room and I’m looking down at my hand covered in yellow and black egg rot. Disgusting. So gross! Like extremely gross!! On further examination I realized that little egg hadn’t been brown at all. It was a white egg that must have had a slight crack in it and then had slowly started to rot from the inside out. First infecting all of the egg’s inside, then starting to eat away from the inside to the outside turning the outside from white to brown. On the surface it looked okay- for a brown egg! But as soon as a little tension was put on it, the egg broke. Not only broke but exploded!
It dawned on me that bitterness eats away at us in much the same manner. We think we are fine. We don’t notice that we wear a frown more and more often. That we snap at friends and family for little, or no reason. We stress about minor things that normally wouldn’t bother us at all. Then the wrong thing happens at the wrong time and we crack. Exploding and letting all that filth out for the world to see, infecting everything close to us.
How much better to give our hurt to God before it can fester into bitterness! We can serve others so much better when we are not preoccupied recounting every past hurt. Instead of spewing rot into the lives of others when pressed, we can deliver fresh goodness from a whole and healthy heart. I don’t want to be the egg that cracks under the slightest pressure, I want to be the one that can withstand being jostled about in life’s storms. And when the pressure does become too great and cracks appear and we are broke open, I want ooze of only goodness. Father, please fill us with Your goodness, so that when broken we show only You and Your graciousness.
I resisted learning to play the piano for a long time. I think my mother first broached the subject of my taking lessons when I was six or seven but it wasn’t until I was 10 that she finally ended the discussion and signed me up for lessons. I was surprised to learn that I loved them!
Now I will never be a concert pianist, I can only read music- not play by ear- and as far as timing goes… the less said about that the better! However sitting down and playing a few of my favorite old hymns feels like one of the biggest luxuries. There’s a connection that is formed, something beautiful that happens when I make the piano sing out. When I bring a tune that was penned by someone who passed on ages ago to life yet again, it connects me to the past, and brings the history to life filling me with inspiration. When I play my antique old upright piano that is nearly as tall as I am, it has yet another chance to make a joyful noise.
My piano is nearly 100 years old, beat up, and worn from a hard life. It has lived in many different places. When we met, it was living in the church of my childhood and when they upgraded, the piano came to live at my parents house. Years later when I bought a house of my own, it came to live with me. It doesn’t hold its tune for very long, and consequently needs tuning frequently. The ivories are missing on several keys and a piece of the decorative wood scroll work has chipped. It is far from perfect, but it’s the imperfections that make me love it all the more! I love the depth and richness of the music that reverberates from within it. I love the heritage, the age, and the past it carries with it. There it is again- that connection to the past.
It was funny, I missed playing when I was first married and had no piano to sit down and play. But I was happy and busy and didn’t think of it much. When we moved into our very first house, I began to feather our new nest. We painted, put up pictures and curtains and started to make it our own. It helped. But. When we moved the heavy mammoth of a piano from my parents house into our own house, and I sat down to play for the first time, my house became a home.
What is the thing that you forgot about? The little grace note in your day that you pause to be refreshed by before the wave of craziness hits? What is the thing that connects you to parts of yourself that you put away, locked up, and walked away from years ago? What’s the thing that you know you’ll never pursue past anything but pure pleasure that you know inspires you, makes you come alive, and connects you to the things you hold most dear? Find that thing; dust it off, polish it up, tune it, and make it sing again.
I believe creating a cohesive color palette is foundational for creating a well decorated home. How does one go about creating a cohesive color theme? That’s the fun part! Chances are you probably already have several colors that you are primarily using in your home. Whether you are starting from scratch or just needing to tweak what you already have in your house, here are a few starting points:
What are your favorite colors?
Are you attracted to the colors of the sea? Blues, greens, purples and beiges? Or are you more of a desert flower, preferring tans, browns, and creams, punctuated by bright red, orange and dark green?
What colors are you already using?
You don’t have to scratch everything you already have going on in your house- after all you probably bought that stuff because you liked it! But maybe that purple throw blanket isn’t working with your green, blue, and burnt sienna accents in the living room. Instead move it into the guest bedroom decorated in different shades of blue and viola!
Looking up different color palettes on Pinterest is one of the most energizing things for me! I love seeing different arrays of colors, by switching out just a shade or two you can totally change the vibe of a whole pallette!
How Many Colors Should I Use in my Palette?
Again, personal taste plays a large part here: the fewer the colors the more versatile your palette will be; the more colors you use the trickier it can be to make it all coordinate and work together, but this doesn’t mean it can’t be done! If you are a newbie or really trying to cull your decor, I suggest you start with 3 main accent colors, and then have a base of neutral colors for back up.
In her book, ”The Curated Closet,” Anuschka Rees talks about creating a versatile color palette for your closet. I think applying the same principle to your decor greatly simplifies and reduces the stress of the decorating process. Using her method you create a color palette utilizing about six to twelve different colors in all. This doesn’t mean you can never add a small pop of a color outside these colors but it will serve as a guide and when you really break it down twelve colors is a lot!
You have your main colors, usually about 3, and these are the colors you use the most. For me this means a soft greige,(my wall color), wood,(the floors and a lot of my furniture), and light heather gray,(my larger pieces of furniture like my sofa and loveseat). If this was a play, these are the main characters.
Next you have your neutral colors or supporting actors, essential to the plot of the story but not the key players. This could be anywhere from 2-4 different neutral colors. For my color scheme this is black, white, and cream and are items such as an end table, a throw blanket and the anchor for any vignettes I may arrange in my decor.
Lastly you have your accent colors, the characters that give the play life and keep things entertaining! My accent colors are sage green, (I will vary a shade or two), dusty teal, sunflower yellow, gold, silver, and a few minute touches of blush pink. These are my throw pillows, throw blankets, dishes used as part of my decor, and framed pictures.
I hope this helps your decorating process, remember it is a process and is rarely, if ever, a one and done thing! For more learning check out; “The Curated Closet” by Anshuka Rees. While this book is about creating a closet you love, many of the themes can be applied to decor as well.
The podcast, “Decorating Tips and Tricks”, where they have several podcasts delving deeper into the topic of color palettes. Happy decorating!
