Sound Check - October 7, 2012

Welcome to Sound Check. This is where I post worship tunes for you to check out. I give you the YouTube video to listen to. If you like the song, click the album cover that follows the video to buy the song on iTunes.

The Big Daddy Weave album is NOT new. It was released in April, but I really just love this song

Song: Redeemed

Album: Love Come to Life

by Big Daddy Weave

There was a music video contest for Rest Easy. This is the winning video. Warning: You may cry.

Song: Rest Easy
Album: Light for the Lost Boy 
by Andrew Peterson

Hiatus

So, I've taken a bit of a hiatus from blogging. A lot has been going on. Let's see if I can catch you up with the big stuff:

-My Uncle Roger passed away. I traveled to Tennessee and it was honestly the most celebratory funeral I've ever experienced. It was a life well lived and deserved that type of remembrance. He fought cancer for 5 years. He fought with all of his might - until the very end. And he left quite the legacy.

-My sis-in-law (also my best friend) is pregnant!!!!! Holy moley, I'm so excited! If you have been struggling to conceive and need a miracle story to grab onto while you wait for your miracle, read these (in order):
1. Our Most Sincere Thanks
2. The Shock That Was My Diagnosis
3. 14 Weeks - Little Navajo
4. My Personal FAQ

-Gym update: I am going 3 times a week and I haven't lost one, single ounce. Story.Of. My. Life. AND I have strained a hip flexor. That's all on that - I might cry if I have to think about it much more tonight.

-Still no full-time job, but God seems to be giving me plenty of places to serve 'in the meantime'

I will try to get back on the blogging wagon. Sound check will be back up this coming Sunday too for those who have been asking. And I will be posting some stuff I'm getting ready to throw up on Etsy, as well as PartyLite stuff I have for sale since people are still emailing me about items from the blog - LAST YEAR. Stay tuned this coming week. You may find some Christmas presents or stocking stuffers.

DIY Make-up Brush Cleaner

I was really wanting to purchase a bottle of quick change make-up brush cleaner until I saw the price. You are supposed to be able to use it in between deep cleanings and even in between colors - like eye shadow.

So, I made my own and I LOVE it!

DIY Quick Change Make-up Brush Cleaner

- 1 C Water (I used filtered water. Distilled would work too.)
- 1/4 C Isopropal Alcohol
- 1 TBS detangler (I use a cheap kids detangler by Suave. It smells like strawberries. You could also use a leave-in conditioner.)
- 1/2 TBS shampoo (I use baby shampoo.)
- 1/2 TBS liquid laundry detergent

I mixed it all together and poured it in a spray bottle. It needs to be an 11-12oz bottle.

DIY Make-up Brush Deep Cleaning Solution
*This is a 2-step process. You can just use Step 2, but
Step 1
- 2 C Hot, Hot Water
- 2 TBS distilled, white vinegar
Soak your brushes for 20-30 minutes. I do mine in the bathroom sink because I have a LOT of brushes. I supposed you could use a cup or a bowl.

Drain the sink, rinse the brushes in hot water.

Step 2
- 2 C Hot Water
- 1 TBS shampoo (I use baby shampoo)
- 1 TBS detangler (I use the same Suave stuff as I do in the Quick Change recipe.)
Swirl the brushes around a bit. Allow them to soak 10-15 minutes. Rinse in hot water followed by cold water. Pat them dry with a towel and reshape the bristles. Allow to dry completely before using. I stand mine in a glass. You can also lay them on a towel.

NOTE: Mine take a few hours to dry, so I do this in the morning after I've applied my make-up.

Diving Deeper

Recently, we studied Malachi at church. Malachi is tough, but something I think all believers need to be reminded of. God doesn't want our leftovers - our trash. He wants the best that we have to offer and sometimes that isn't so easy. Perhaps that is why it's called sacrifice.  Just going through the motions doesn't get it either. God desires authentic worship - a heart connected to the motions. In Malachi He asked that they just stop sacrificing. He preferred nothing at all to the junk they were offering.

We can't be a light in a 'dark world', royal priests, if we aren't giving God our very best. We must pursue God - follow hard after Him, lean heavily on Him. God is not pleased with half-hearted worship - apathetic worship - yet He will still pursue His own and He longs for the day when they/we will return. However, He did get FED UP with them and I think He gets FED UP with us.

God begins to call them (the Israelite priests) back to be the priests they were originally called to be - individuals who hold the knowledge and truth about God - His ways, His character - so that they could wisely and soundly counsel others. Today, the body of Christ lacks a depth to our knowledge of God. We can't fulfill our 'priestly duties' if we don't know scripture, if we don't possess a deep knowledge and truth about God. We can't be a "moral and ethical compass" (love this Pastor Keith!) or impart wisdom or provide sound counsel to others if we aren't disciplined enough to study scripture. 

So as I'm diving deeper, I'm going to encourage you to do the same. Give God your best and work towards being the 'royal priest' He has called you to be.

Allow Me to Introduce You

Hubby and I joined a gym. God help us! I had been for an official tour. He had not. So, he went last night while I was teaching. When I came home, he was pretty sure LeBron was in the gym. I told him he should've thrown up deuces and said, "what up?".  In my world (which is totally fictional), LeBron and I are tight. Hubby 'thinks' he saw my homie, so I want to make certain they have been properly introduced. Next time he won't 'think' it was LeBron...he will know!

Hubby, THIS is LeBron:

He's pretty tall.

He has a really big smile...

and sometimes wears crazy glasses.

LeBron, this is Ronnie:

He's shorter than you by at least 6 inches. You probably won't see him on the floor with a ball in his hands (he's more of a pool guy). I'm sorry he didn't introduce himself. He was trying to respect your space. The next time you see this guy walk through, please introduce yourself so he's certain it's you next time.

PS-Feel free to stop by our crib anytime while you're home.

Pantry & Spice Rack Overhaul

I decided to update a few things this week - mainly the pantry (which is a closet with a metro shelf in it) because I was tired of things falling through the shelves and not sitting evenly. I went and bought a liner from Bed, Bath & Beyond. It's called LifeLiner and it's fantastic. I chose LifeLiner because it was a little thicker than the others I looked at.

I don't have a before pic, but here's an after:

That space beside the mixer houses our Cuisinart Griddler (which was being used to make waffles this morning).

I also made vinyl labels for my OXO Pop storage containers:

They looked so good that I decided to redo my spice rack. I have the Pampered Chef Turn About spice rack. Love it. However, the spice jars that I originally bought after we were married didn't fit side-by-side very well on the bottom row (the lids were too wide). I went and purchased a few different ones so that I could alternate on the bottom row.

Here's the before (This was actually when we first moved in - you can't really see what the bottom row problem looked like here, but trust me, it was annoying):

Here's the after:

And because I have a few more spices than space on the rack...

A Little Entertainment

All of these graphics came from xkcd.com - don't even go there. It's not quite the time suck that Pintrest is, but it could become a close second.

Hubby sent me this yesterday as I was looking at something on Amazon  that had a terrible rating.

Bacon!!!!

I'm totally thinking about doing this!

Attention college students: don't end up here - at least hang on to those 2nd month habits. The world really does prefer if you wash your clothes!

Amen!