On the Happiness Track

I think I'm a little behind here posting photos so I'll try to get back on track--starting today!

       Day 32  Found time to clean cupboards and discovered a little treasure that got shoved to the back.

 Day 33  A model that took direction and didn't complain about how long she had to sit so I could  practice with my speedlight.

 Day 34  Happiness is buying fruit on sale at Aldi's!

Day 35  A selfie that actually, kinda turned out.

 

Praying for the Most Oppressed People in the World

It is Spring Break here so Jerry and I took three of the grandkids to a waterpark overnight. Everyone had so much fun. I was thinking how fortunate we are to be able to take these kids somewhere safe and fun with lots of snacks and games. But it's also Lent,you know. Time for prayer, alms and fasting. Yeah, that wasn't happening. 

Then I check my email and I find a newsletter all about girls in Kenya. Young girls that are victims of rape and violence--and I think of my own two pre-teen granddaughters. In the newsletter it told the story of one young girl in particular. She was raped on her way home from school, got pregnant and was sent to a city to be an indentured servant. While there she gave birth and she and her baby got sick. On the third day, both weak and wracked with infection, they were taken to the hospital and became residents of Mercy House. 

Do you know who the most oppressed group of people are in the world? 
 Girls. 

All around the world, girls  to want to receive an education, to live without the horror of violent sexual crimes committed against them at home, in their neighborhoods, as they walk to school. It's up to us, those who have so much, to help them out.

Mercy House is a shelter in Kenya for pregnant girls. From their website:
The Mercy House exists to provide alternative options for pregnant girls living in the streets of Kenya. The Mercy House will aid them in education, nutrition, housing, prenatal care, Bible study, counseling and job skills for sustainable living.

As a fundraiser they have bracelets that you can purchase for $10.
We are invited  to pray for the endangered girls in our world today with this simple idea:

It’s a bit of twine.

And a single heart.

It’s a simple reminder to pray.

It’s an easy way to share their story.

It’s a bracelet that’s supposed to fall off.

Get your bracelet here. They are $10 each, free shipping and 100% of the profit benefits endangered girls in Kenya. 

How to pray for the oppressed girls in our world:

1. Pray for their salvation.

2. Pray for their safety.

3. Pray that the cycle of violence that goes hand-in-hand with extreme poverty would be broken

4. Pray for the end to corruption of governments that are unjust and oppress girls

5. Pray for the shattered, violated hearts of wounded girls around the globe

6. Pray that the strongholds of violence, oppression and hopelessness would be broken in the name of Jesus.

Here is the perfect service project for you and your kids, family, and groups.

Order a Love Mercy Bracelet Kit (Makes 25 Bracelets):

This idea was inspired not only to raise needed funds to help more girls in Kenya; it was also inspired as a practical hands-on service project activity for families, kids groups or Bible studies to do together.

If you'd like to do a service project with your family, a church or children's group, you can order a kit of 25 for $10 (to cover expenses and shipping) and serve Mercy House by putting the bracelets together. You can return them for us to sell or you can help by selling them to friends and family for $10 each.

Prayer is the most powerful tool we possess to empower oppressed girls in our world. I am ordering my bracelet right now. I'm going to talk to my granddaughters and see if they would wear one too and pray for girls like them who have so little. It's such a small thing to do that could make such a big impact. Wouldn't you like to join us?  God is calling us to help.
 

Facial Oil Cleansing

Let your curiosity get the better of you, read the article, then decide if you should give this method of skin care a go.

Do not be afraid of applying oil to your face. Oil, alone, will not bring you blemishes. Pimples, blackheads, whiteheads...these are a result of several different factors including hormones, bacteria, dead skin cells and the buildup of these factors. Your skin naturally produces oil because it needs it. The oil is there for the benefit of your skin. Not only does your natural oil help lubricate, it also heals, protects, and moisturizes your skin so that it may function properly.
                                      The Method

1. Get Gathered’s Facial Cleansing Oil, washcloth, and a hand towel.
2. Wet your face with warm water.
3. Just a little bit goes a long way, so pour a pea-sized amount (add more if you need it) into your palm and rub hands together.
4. Rub fingers gently over your face in small circles for 30 seconds to 2 minutes to allow the oil to penetrate. Concentrate on areas with blocked pores. (Make sure you don’t pull your skin.)
5. Take a washcloth and soak it in clean, steamy water. We want the water to be warm enough to open your pores and remove the oil. We're not scalding our skin, we're steaming to coax our pores to release the oil carrying the impurities.
 6. Hold the washcloth to cover your face. Leave on until the washcloth has cooled to about room temperature and then wipe your face with the washcloth.
7. Wipe gently, rinse well, and repeat two or three more times. Avoid any temptation to scrub.
8. You have now oil cleansed. There should be a thin layer of oil still on your skin to balance and protect.
 9. If your skin feels tight after, it is recommended to rub a small amount of the cleansing oil in or apply Gathered’s Facial Serum. 

This deep cleansing method should be done regularly, but not too frequently. We suggest starting with a couple times each week. On the other nights, Gathered FromThe Garden’s Love My Face Wash will compliment your Oil Cleaning. This can be followed up by using Gathered’s Facial Toner and Facial Moisturizer or Facial Serum. 

There should be no need for deep cleansing in the morning if you're waking up with skin cleansed the night before. In the morning, a quick wipe with a warm washcloth should suffice. We don't want to over clean our skin.

Gathered’s Facial Cleansing Oil is a mix of very light oils to clean your face.You can find it on our website.

Wordless Wednesday

Button, button...who's got the button?

The Joy Diet

By this time of the year people are looking at their New Year's Resolutions and wondering what happened? So many people I know resolve to go on a food diet. But how about a Joy Diet?

This idea comes from Elisabeth Constantine's book The Light Diet. Instead of depriving yourself as with most diets-- with this diet you add something. Joy. 

Think of all the things you could add to your life to bring more joy into it. Small things like time to yourself to do whatever you wanted. Buy yourself some flowers. (I really need to do this!)Get a manicure or pedicure. Go see a movie. Spend time with your favorite people. You could really amp up the joy in your life by achieving one of your big goals: building the house of your dreams or taking an exotic vacation. 

Studies have shown that the more joy you have in your life , the healthier you will be. (This probably pertains to spreading joy around too.) I think as women we tend to get so caught up in being caregivers that we often forget to take care of ourselves. We really do deserve some pampering, some joy! 

Resolve to find time this week to add more joy to your diet--it could even become a wonderful habit. Gathered From The Garden has some great products to help pamper yourself or to give to others to help spread some joy. Check out our website.

Alternatives to Photoshop and Lightroom

Grrr...I'm so exasperated right now I could almost scream. I am trying to teach myself how to use Lightroom 5. So many websites, blogs and Facebook posts suggested using it to edit photos. I found it on sale so I bought it. For me it has an extreme learning curve. I've watched Youtube videos and read tutorials and it still is seeming like Greek to me. If only I could find a tutor to sit next to me! 

While I am trying to figure this out, I've resorted to using some alternatives. One of my favorites is Picmonkey. It is very user-friendly. I've gotten by with the free version but if you'd like more options you can pay for more. You can edit color and exposure. You can crop your photos and add text. There are fun things like makeup, frames/borders and overlays. Picmonkey has some cool seasonal things to add to your photos too. 

Another option is Picasa. I started out importing all of my photos here. Picasa again is very user-friendly. You can store your photos here unlike Picmonkey. You can crop and add text. You can edit the color and exposure. Picasa has frames and borders. There are some fun and funky things you can do to your photos. I use this all the time.

A third option is Gimp. This is a free graphics editor that can– like Photoshop– be used for some graphic design work.  Available as a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux.I haven't spent much time with this program. The other two just seemed much easier and I'm not into graphic designing.

Hopefully you will find one of these sites to meet your needs. I can almost promise that you won't be gritting your teeth with frustration like I am. Truthfully, I'm thinking I might just shelve Lightroom for now and go back to Picmonkey and Picasa! (or if you know any Lightroom experts...send them my way!!)
 

Only Ones Smiling are the SnowMen (and Women)

If you've been watching the weather at all you know that Minnesota has been getting hit with feet and feet of snow. We've also been hit with wave after wave of Polar Vortexes. Schools have been closed because of the dangerous windchills. Many roads are barely passable and runners are surely sick of having to use the treadmill. Snow plow drivers are working overtime as are our furnaces.

 I'd say the only ones smiling are the snowpeople gracing our lawns. (and maybe the die-hard snowmobilers and skiiers)So what's a poor sun-starved Minnesota to do? 

Pamper herself with Gathered From The Garden products! Our spring and summer fragrances (Raspberry Lemonade, Sweet Margarita, Pomegranate Passion to name a few) will help to bring comfort to winter-weary skin. Our Goat Milk Lotion and our Satin and Silk Shea Butter Lotion are top sellers. They help soothe chapped and dry skin. If snowpeople could use them, they would! Check out our website for more great products to help move winter along.