Wordless Wednesday

No place I'd rather be right now...

Using Toners on Your Skin

Today is all about toners. Many people consider toners to be an unnecessary step in skin care. Toners are an important step in your daily skin care routine for two important reasons.

1. A natural facial toner will improve your skin tone by tightening your pores and helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It will increase circulation, giving your face a healthy glow, hydrate your skin and restore your skin's natural PH balance. A toner will enhance the overall cleanliness of the skin by removing dead skin cells, dirt, oil, and any residue from cleansers. 

2. A facial toner acts to soothe and rebalance skin after cleansing and prepares it for moisturizing.

     There are two types of toners on the market, one called toner and the other 'astringent'.  An astringent is basically the same as a toner but with alcohol added. Alcohol is extremely drying to skin, which can actually increase oil production

So, who should use a toner?
     Everybody!  Toner is beneficial to all skin types.  Toners can help control the sebum balance of oily skin by helping to remove excess oil, assist dry skin by giving added moisture and help soothe sensitive skin.

     Toner is not only for cleansing!  During the day you can use your toner as a refreshing spray mist for your face.  This is ideal for hot weather or days spent indoors in air conditioning and heating - both extremely drying to skin.

Make your own toner.
In an 8 oz. bottle mix 1/4 cup witch hazel, 1 tsp. glycerin, 6-8 drops of your favorite essential oil. (I like to use lavender or lemon.) Then fill the bottle with distilled water. Apply with a cotton ball.

Sending a Little Love

Sending hugs and  love to all my blog pals.

Wordless Wednesday

This fellow was netting stingrays for the fun of it. He would catch and release. Then he caught two that got tangled in his net. Thanks goodness he was able to untangle his net and let them go.

Five Inspiring Women

   

 I was checking out websites and I came across a short article about five inspiring women. It got me to thinking. Who would I pick as five women who have inspired me? I've worked with lots of women, lived with lots of women (in college and at home), talked with lots of women and read about a lot of women. It should be easy to pick five.

     The first one that came to mind is my best friend, Gail. She was also my college roommate. She has a wonderful sense of humor, is compassionate, smart and we have the best of times. She was the principal of an elementary school, a mother, a wife, a sister and a dear friend. She's a great role model for young girls. I'm sure she has inspired many women, not just me. 

     The second one was my mother. We didn't always see eye-to-eye on things throughout the years but I am inspired by her. She was very strong in her faith and her convictions. She was compassionate, generous, talented in many areas and extremely family oriented. I am inspired by her ability to keep all of these as she aged.
     The more I thought about this, the more I realized I would have a hard time limiting this to just five. I have to include all of my sisters. (5 of them !) Each one of them has some truly unique talents and experiences. They are all extremely hard-working, intelligent, funny and creative. Each has coped with adversity with strength and grace. I have been inspired by each one as they travel their own distinct paths.
     I have been inspired by my two daughters. They also are intelligent, funny, creative and nurturing women. They are successful in their careers, yet are still family oriented. I have especially enjoyed getting to know them as adults. I'm inspired by their courage to forge new paths. (Something I wasn't so willing to do at their age.) They aren't afraid to embrace change.
     One last woman that has inspired me is one I really didn't know very well. It's my mother's mother. She died when I was eight years old. I have heard stories about how she raised 16 children- many of those years as a widow living on a farm. I'm sure she relied on her faith, her family and her guts to see her through those tough years. She managed to keep her family together. I'm inspired that she could do all of this in a time when women weren't supposed to be the strong ones. I'd like to think that if I had to face such trying times that I would have inherited some of her faith and her resilience!
     Who are the women who inspire you? Mine aren't moviestars or superstars. They are ordinary women who do extraordinary things every day. I think they should all stand up and take a bow!

Journaling Can Guide, Inspire and Help

     I came across an article about journaling and the many kinds of journals people keep. I don't know that mine is any one kind but it sure has provided me with an outlet for my emotions. 
     I started journaling when my youngest was 15. She was going through a tough time as a young adult wanting more freedom than her parents were willing to give. Looking back, she really wasn't that difficult at all, just being a typical teen-ager. At the time though it seemed like she was hell bent on making my life difficult. Journaling gave me a place to vent and basically feel sorry for myself without anyone making any judgements.
After she got her driver's license life seemed so much better to her and the two of us eventually became good friends again. Still I continued to write. Sometimes to vent, other times to write down my dreams, blessings I was grateful for or just write down things I had observed about life. Sometimes I'd read what I had written before and gained a little insight to happenings in my life. Things I would do differently, unresolved issues that needed attention or successes and challenges.
     I am still journaling many years later. My writing now includes my hobbies, my grandchildren and musings on getting older. I'll continue to vent and be grateful for the many blessings in my life. I don't write everyday but I do when I feel that I need to express myself and don't necessarily need someone to respond.

     I would recommend journaling for everyone. It can be a tool to help you find the beautiful things in life when things look bleak. I started writing in a simple notebook but I've seen beautiful journals that would really be fun to write in. If you've never done it, I suggest you try it. You'll get to know yourself a little bit better!